Sunday, December 25, 2016

25 December - Netvibes ( 2 of 3 )


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‘Tis the Season: Attacks on Christmas and Christianity from the ‘Usual Suspects’ - By Richard Edmondson In the video above, Fox News commentator Todd Starnes discusses the cancellation of a performance of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, that was to have been staged at a school in Pennsylvania; a prohibition against children singing at a nativity scene in North Carolina; and the removal of a Charlie […] The post ‘Tis the Season: Attacks on Christmas and Christianity from the ‘Usual Suspects’ appeared first on Boldface News.23 Dec
Running from the Truth: Code Pink Excludes Alison Weir from Event - By Richard Edmondson The Iraq war was based upon lies. Not many people dispute that any longer. The question is no longer that lies were told; the question now is why they were told, and who stood to gain the most from an invasion and the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Was it all for oil, […] The post Running from the Truth: Code Pink Excludes Alison Weir from Event appeared first on Boldface News.15 Dec
New Attack on BDS: ‘Anti-Semitism Awareness Act’ Passes Senate Unanimously - By Richard Edmondson The latest assault on BDS and the Palestine solidarity movement seems to have arrived in the form of S.10, known as the “Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2016,” a bill that was introduced into–and adopted by–the US Senate all in one day and without discussion, on December 1. You can track the bill […] The post New Attack on BDS: ‘Anti-Semitism Awareness Act’ Passes Senate Unanimously appeared first on Boldface News. 9 Dec
Trump Wading Deeper into the Swamp He Promised to Drain - • [Ed. Note: During his electoral campaign Trump repeated referred to the top elite domain of globalist power as a “swamp” and promised to “drain” it of corruption and the predatory practices that pauperized the working Americans for the profit of globalist swamp dwellers. Nevertheless, with each cabinet appointment he has waded farther and deeper […] The post Trump Wading Deeper into the Swamp He Promised to Drain appeared first on Boldface News. 2 Dec
Lies, Fake News and War Mongering - The MSM is now 24/7 in the business of publishing lies, fake news and actively war mongering, having converting itself into an arm of the intelligence agencies, in the US primarily of the CIA. The lies are also passed as a hand-me-down, as seen in the reporting on 9/11, to BBC. What continues to amaze is […] The post Lies, Fake News and War Mongering appeared first on Boldface News.29 Nov
Trump’s Brand - Trump has been a very successful businessman, not so much as a builder but as a salesman. He sold the brand he created: himself, or rather, his name. It doesn’t matter how many or how few of his buildings he actually owns: the world knows them as Trump towers. The use of his name fetches large […] The post Trump’s Brand appeared first on Boldface News.25 Nov
Ukraine Leads the Way - Ukraine leads the way in forging a real democracy, giving the people what they really want and need. For all the known reasons Ukraine is called a banana republic without bananas. Granted, it is the sorry land run by corrupt and criminal oligarchs placed at the trough containing the remains of Ukraine riches by global […] The post Ukraine Leads the Way appeared first on Boldface News.22 Nov
Searching for Gold - [Ed. Note: Koos Jansen, a precious metals analyst from the Netherlands, is searching for gold, specifically the gold in the custody of US Mint which represents the nation’s gold reserves. A funny thing happened on the way to Fort Knox though… he never got there. In person or via documentation.]  Dear US Mint, We Gave […] The post Searching for Gold appeared first on Boldface News.18 Nov
The Heartbreak of Sorosiasis - Sorosiasis, the condition of being Soros or any and all of his color revolution and false flag organizers, is difficult and deeply unfair. Soros and his cohorts just can’t catch a break. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Remember Victoria Nuland Kagan? The ridicule and opprobium heaped upon her by […] The post The Heartbreak of Sorosiasis appeared first on Boldface News.13 Nov
American Presidential Election 2016: He and She - (Note: I very much doubt he can bring back, as he promises, the industrial jobs that were exported long ago to Mexico far-east Asia.) (Note: If Hillary were to get into the White House, the last of my worries would be that Bill will again be “not having sex” with those interns. This is a recent image: The post American Presidential Election 2016: He and She appeared first on Boldface News. 5 Nov

Deutsche Welle: DW-.WORLD.DE - News

Ear, Nose and Throat News From Medical News Today

Predicting throat cancer recurrence with a blood test - A new study suggests the possibility of predicting at its earliest stages when a type of head and neck cancer will come back.19 Dec
Psoriasis in the Ears: Symptoms and Treatment - Learn about psoriasis triggers and flares and how psoriasis is treated in the ears. Is there a connection between psoriasis and hearing loss?18 Dec
Intelligible speech produced by a synthesizer from vocal tract movements - Research could help restore speech from thoughts for patients with severe paralysis.A new speech synthesizer converts vocal tract movements into intelligible speech.14 Dec
Memory recall, fear response influenced by breathing - Breathing is not just necessary for oxygen. New research finds inhalation synchronizes brain activity linked to memory recall and fear response. 9 Dec
Reversible disappearance of taste buds after blocking Hedgehog signaling may explain taste loss in patients treated with pathway inhibitors - The pathway is required to maintain and replenish taste buds and taste papillae in mouse models.29 Nov
Severe dizziness treated with steroid injections into the eardrum - Injections of steroid into the ear are an effective treatment for a common form of severe dizziness, suggests a new study.17 Nov
Making sense of scents and their emotional power - Certain aromas can send our minds hurtling back to childhood. How does this happen? Here we discuss the biology of odor detection and its link to emotion.16 Nov
Cough Variant Asthma: Symptoms, Triggers, and Treatment - What is cough variant asthma, how does it differ from other types of asthma, and what are its causes? Learn about the diagnosis and prevention of CVA here.16 Nov
Sense of smell may predict Alzheimer's risk - Using four tests to assess older adults' sense of smell, researchers were able to predict which individuals were at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.15 Nov
How to Get Rid of a Stuffy Nose: Eight Possible Treatments - Nasal congestion is quite common but there may be accompanying symptoms to look out for. Learn what causes a stuffy nose and what treatments are available.31 Oct

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11 Affirmations How To Let Go When You’re Struggling in Life - What do you do when you know you need to let go of a problem in your life but you keep hanging on? Maybe you’d like to let go of an old relationship, an old habit or just negativity or fear. I know it often it feels like letting go is easier said than done! That being said, there are some things you can do to facilitate the process of letting growth greater ease. One of my favorite things to do when I want to let go is to use affirmations designed to release my resistance. Here are a few I like to use when such an occasion presents itself. Affirmations to let go: I’m sure this struggle is serving me in some way, and someday I’ll know exactly why this is. This is just one aspect of my life. There are many other aspects of my life that are going very well for me that I can focus on and appreciate. I know it’s possible to still find a smile or a laugh even on a bad day. There are still things that will make me happy, no matter what is going on in my life. Today, I will look for those things that make me smile and laugh. When I’m feeling better, the solutions I need will present themselves to me. Circumstances can change on a dime, and this situation could turn around at any time. I’ve overcome stressful situations before and come out just fine. I know I’m being harder on myself than I need to be. Today, I’m going to go as easy as I can on myself. Maybe some day I will be glad I experienced what I’m going through right now. I am always in the process of evolving. Maybe these are just “growing pains.” I know there are infinite solutions to any problem. I am an eternal being, so I have an eternity to figure this out. I have all the time I need to get to where I want to go. I hope you enjoyed these affirmations to let go. If you have any other soothing words to help people let go of their problems, feel free to share them in the comments! XO, Andrea By Andrea Schulman, Guest writer from Raise your vibration today You could sign up for her free Law of Attraction newsletter for conscious advice to help you attract positive outcomes into your life.  You can also become a member of my LOA member website and gain access to a library of full-length video tutorials, ebooks, audiobooks and meditations.  Learn how to attract the things you want with fun, clarity and success! About the author My name is Andrea Schulman, I am a former high school psychology teacher and the creator of ‘Raise Your Vibration Today.’ I teach people about the Law of Attraction with fun, clarity and success! Check out my member website to learn how to create your reality with your thoughts. Other interesting articles: 8 TOXIC Thoughts You Need to Let Them GO. Immediately!  5 Ways to Let Go of the Past When You Can’t Stop Holding On 6 Ways to Let Go of a Bad Relationship & Move On 5 Dec
How to Stop Being Judgmental: 3 Heart-Opening Tips - We expend much of our time and energy judging others. It seems that by judging others we feel a sense of superiority over them which makes us temporarily feel better about ourselves — it boosts our ego. But this feeling is only short-lasting, whereas our judgmental attitude has tremendous negative consequences that we tend to overlook: it separates us people from one another, which in turn creates social conflict and suffering. If we want to feel united with our fellow human beings again, we need to break our habit of judging them, so that we can start seeing them for who they are, without misconceptions. Below you will find 3 important, heart-opening tips on how to stop being judgmental that will help you to develop a more compassionate attitude towards people and live more at peace with them. 1. Understand where they come from The basic reason why we judge people is because we don’t truly understand them. And because we don’t understand them, we are quick to call them names.For example, if a person is acting in a hateful way, we call him or her “evil.” The truth is, however, that there is no person alive who is absolutely good or evil, and by calling them so, we build a wall between us and them that doesn’t allow us to get to truly know who they are. A person who is behaving in a hateful way in reality is nothing but a person with a harsh past — a person who has been through difficulties and undergone traumatic experiences, and who tries to deal with life this way.By putting yourself in people’s shoes and understanding their story — that is, their background and the conditions they currently live in — you’ll start to develop a non-judgmental attitude towards them that will help you to see them under a new light — you will see them clearly, as they are, without prejudices that distort their true self. 2. Accept them with their flaws It is an undeniable fact that each and every human being has flaws and makes mistakes in life. No one is or can be perfect and therefore we should not expect people to be as such.Many times we are judgemental of others because they are not what we expect them to be like or because they don’t fit into the idealized image that we’ve created of them. The reality is that every person on Earth is a unique individual and we need to accept people as they are, without imposing our ideas of how they should be.We need to embrace others with the totality of our being, and only once we do so, can true compassion arise from within us. Of course, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t criticize the ideas and behavior of people, give them our advice, or help them in any way we can to improve their quality of life. But we need to realize that everyone is facing problems and challenges on their life’s journey, and that to judge them for not living perfectly well is nothing but immature and unkind. 3. Love them without conditions What do we gain by judging others and being harsh on them? Nothing. Judging doesn’t help anyone in any way. It only helps us build walls around our hearts that prevent us from connecting and building healthy relationships with people.It’s about time we break those walls and destroy the illusion of separation. It’s about time we embrace one another by showing unconditional love. By judging others, we become separated from them, and only love can help us open our hearts and feel united again.Love is the ultimate understanding and the only way to heal ourselves and create a more beautiful world.BY SOFO ARCHON Thanks to theunboundedspirit for this article. Featured image source Other interesting articles: Four Signs Your Job Is Crushing Your Spirit 6 Things Narcissists Say The Secret Story Never Told   3 Dec
Bruce Lee’s Personal Writings on Willpower, Emotion, Behaviour, Memory, Imagination, and Confidence - “You will never get any more out of life than you expect.” Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940–July 20, 1973) is best known for his performances in martial arts and films. But he was also one of the most underappreciated philosophers of our time. Bruce Lee (Photograph courtesy of the Bruce Lee Foundation archive)Being an Asian actor in the 60’s and 70’s meant Lee experienced difficult issues because of his race. Even after eventually breaking through the Hollywood troubles and being cast in a lead role, the studios still treated him like a brainless robot who was only there to entertain the masses with his impressive kung-fu skills. They even tried to cut out the philosophic parts from Enter the Dragonbecause they wanted an entertaining action flick. Lee refused to continue filming for 2 weeks, insisting that kung-fu and philosophy are inextricably entwined- each being the catalyst for the other. Lee ended up convincing the studios to relent, and it was good he did. It was precisely the philosophical element that rendered the movie a cultural icon. Lee embraced philosophy and always carried a small 2×3″ pocketbook with him. It became filled with everything including training regimens, poems, affirmations, and philosophical reflections. Bruce Lee (Photograph courtesy of the Bruce Lee Foundation archive)With exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee estate, here is a look at some pages from his 1968 notebook, written shortly before Lee’s 28th birthday: Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archiveWILL POWER: — Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind, I will exercise it daily, when I need the urge to action for any purpose; and I will form HABIT designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily. EMOTION: — Realizing that my emotions are both POSITIVE and negative I will form daily HABITS which will encourage the development of the POSITIVE EMOTIONS, and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action. REASON: — Recognizing that both my positive & negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not controlled and guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims and purposes to my faculties of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these. IMAGINATION: — Recognizing the need for sound PLANS and IDEAS for the attainment of my desires, I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans. MEMORY: — Recognizing the value of an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall, and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind frequently. SUBCONSCIOUS MIND: — Recognizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my CLEAR PURPOSE in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose, and I shall keep this picture CONSTANTLY BEFORE my subconscious mind by REPEATING IT DAILY. CONSCIENCE: — Recognizing that my emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right & what is wrong, but I will never set aside the verdicts it renders, no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out.   Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archiveYou will never get any more out of life than you expect Keep your mind on the things you want and off those you don’t Things live by moving and gain strength as they go Be a calm beholder of what is happening around you There is a difference a) the world b) our reaction to it Be aware of our conditioning! Drop and dissolve inner blockage Inner to outer ~~~ we start by dissolving our attitude not by altering outer condition See that there is no one to fight, only an illusion to see through No one can hurt you unless you allow him to Inwardly, psychologically, be a nobody Archival material with exclusive permission from the Bruce Lee Foundation archiveI know that I have the ability to ACHIEVE the object of my DEFINITE PURPOSE in life; therefore I DEMAND of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action. I realize the DOMINATING THOUGHTS of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality; therefore I will CONCENTRATE my thoughts for 30 min. daily upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear MENTAL PICTURE. I know through the principle of autosuggestion, any desire that I PERSISTENTLY hold will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the object back of it; therefore, I will devote 10 min. daily to DEMANDING of myself the development of SELF-CONFIDENCE. I have clearly written down a description of my DEFINITE CHIEF AIM in life, and I will never stop trying until I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment. Thanks to awakening-path for this article. Other interesting articles: The Secret Story Never Told 5 Reasons Why You Should Pee in The Shower Four Signs Your Job Is Crushing Your Spirit 3 Dec
6 Stupid Things Most People Think Are Important - Here are six stupid things that most people think are important and which shouldn’t impress you anymore: 1. The brands of your possessions. Most people have been fooled into believing that acquiring expensive stuff by well-known brands will make them look shiny, beautiful and successful, and thus base their self-esteem on material objects. Not surprisingly, they feel constantly stressed, always trying to acquire more and more and get the best that is out there. Being obsessed with buying more, they forget to pay attention to what truly matters in life, such as building intimate relationships with people, pursuing their passions, and sharing their giftswith the world. 2. The number of your “friends.” There are many who enjoy boasting about how many “friends” they have on social media and the amount of “likes” they receive from them. The reality, however, is that only few (if any at all) of them are actually their friends. If you’re one of those people, realize that to have just a few true, genuine friends — even if they can only be counted in the fingers of one hand — is far more important than having superficial relationships with thousands of people. 3. The money in your bank account. No matter how much money you’ve managed to acquire, it won’t be enough to fill your life with joy and freedom. The majority of people desire to possess more and more money, thinking that this way they will feel good about themselves and live the dream, but even when they succeed in earning a lot of it, they sooner or later end up feeling disappointed and empty, realizing that money is not the key that opens the door to happiness. Instead of striving to succeed in collecting financial wealth, strive to succeed in things that give true fulfillment in life, such as love, creativity and play. 4. The number of hours you are busy every day. Many of us tend to think that we are important when we talk about how busy we are throughout our everyday life. We forget, however, that being busy day and in and day out without taking time to relax our mind and body can fill us with immense stress, which usually leads to physical and emotional exhaustion. Being involved doing things we love doing is fine, but not finding the time to rest and recharge our batteries can be very detrimental to our health and well-being. 5. The power you have over others. In the competitive society we’ve been brought up to, we have been conditioned to believe that proving our superiority over others is what will improve our self-confidence and provide us with a sense of personal success. So we try in any possible way to surpass others and show how much more powerful than them we are. The result? We feel alienated in a world that we perceive as inimical to us. We also at some point come to realize that our power is only superficial, and can be taken away from us at any moment by another, which puts us under constant stress and fear. 6. The number of partners you’ve slept with. Living in a culture where we find it difficult to form intimate, love relationships with our fellow human beings, we are trying to substitute love with sex. But no matter how much sex we have, we still want more and more without end. We have become obsessed with sex, but sex can’t truly provide us with what we’re truly seeking for — a loving connection. From now on, stop searching for the next partner to sleep with, and search for that partner you can share your heart with. *** Life is short, so make sure to spend it in a way that makes you truly fulfilled, without getting caught up chasing stupid things that only provide you with temporary, skin-deep gratification. Thanks to theunboundedspirit for this article. Featured image source Other interesting articles: 10 Warning Signs The Universe Sends When You’re On The Wrong Path The Five Most Important Things I Learned as a Professor of Human Sexuality  The Art Of Jumping Timelines 3 Dec
Are You On The Right Path? – 16 Uncomfortable Feelings That Indicate That You Are - Discomfort is what happens when we are on the precipice of change. Unfortunately, we often confuse it for unhappiness, and cope with the latter while running from the former. It usually takes a bit of discomfort to break through to a new understanding, to release a limiting belief, to motivate ourselves to create real change. Discomfort is a signal, one that is often very helpful. Here are a few (less than desirable) feelings that may indicate you’re on the right path after all: 1. Feeling as though you are reliving your childhood struggles. You find that you’re seeing issues you struggled with as a kid reappear in your adult life, and while on the surface this may seem like a matter of not having overcome them, it really means you are becoming conscious of why you think and feel, so you can change it. 2. Feeling “lost,” or directionless. Feeling lost is actually a sign you’re becoming more present in your life – you’re living less within the narratives and ideas that you premeditated, and more in the moment at hand. Until you’re used to this, it will feel as though you’re off track (you aren’t). 3. “Left brain” fogginess. When you’re utilizing the right hemisphere more often (you’re becoming more intuitive, you’re dealing with emotions, you’re creating) sometimes it can seem as though “left brain” functions leave you feeling fuzzy. Things like focusing, organizing, remembering small details suddenly become difficult. 4. Having random influxes of irrational anger or sadness that intensify until you can’t ignore them anymore. When emotions erupt it’s usually because they’re “coming up” to be recognized, and our job is to learn to stop grappling with them or resisting them, and to simply become fully conscious of them (after that, we control them, not the opposite way around). 5. Experiencing unpredictable and scattered sleeping patterns. You’ll need to sleep a lot more or a lot less, you’ll wake up in the middle of the night because you can’t stop thinking about something, you find yourself full of energy or completely exhausted, and with little in-between. 6. A life-changing event is taking place, or just has. You suddenly having to move, getting divorced, losing a job, having a car break down, etc. 7. Having an intense need to be alone. You’re suddenly disenchanted with the idea of spending every weekend out socializing, and other people’s problems are draining you more than they are intriguing you. This means you’re re-calibrating. 8. Intense, vivid dreaming that you almost always remember in detail. If dreams are how your subconscious mind communicates with you (or projects an image of your experience) then yours is definitely trying to say something. You’re having dreams at an intensity that you’ve never experienced before. 9. Downsizing your friend group; feeling more and more uncomfortable around negative people. The thing about negative people is that they rarely realize they are negative, and because you feel uncomfortable saying anything (and you’re even more uncomfortable keeping that in your life) you’re ghosting a bit on old friends. 10. Feeling like the dreams you had for your life are collapsing. What you do not realize at this moment is that it is making way for a reality better than you could have thought of, one that’s more aligned with who you are, not who you thought you would be. 11. Feeling as though your worst enemy are your thoughts. You’re beginning to realize that your thoughts do create your experience, and it’s often not until we’re pushed to our wit’s end that we even try to take control of them – and that’s when we realize that we were in control all along. 12. Feeling unsure of who you really are. Your past illusions about who you ‘should’ be are dissolving. You feel unsure because it is uncertain! You’re in the process of evolving, and we don’t become uncertain when we change for the worse (we become angry and closed off). In other words: if what you’re experiencing is insecurity or uncertainty, it’s usually going to lead to something better. 13. Recognizing how far you still have to go. When you realize this, it’s because you can also see where you’re headed, it means you finally know where and who you want to be. 14. “Knowing” things you don’t want to know. Such as what someone is really feeling, or that a relationship isn’t going to last, or that you won’t be at your job much longer. A lot of “irrational” anxiety comes from subconsciously sensing something, yet not taking it seriously because it isn’t logical. 15. Having a radically intense desire to speak up for yourself. Becoming angry with how much you’ve let yourself be walked on, or how much you’ve let other people’s voices get into your head is a sign that you’re finally ready to stop listening, and love yourself by respecting yourself first. 16. Realizing you are the only person responsible for your life, and your happiness. This kind of emotional autonomy is terrifying, because it means that if you mess up, it’s all on you. At the same time, realizing it is the only way to be truly free. The risk is worth the reward on this one, always. by Brianna Wiest Thanks to thoughtcatalog for this article. Featured image source Other interesting articles: Why Do So Many On The Spiritual Path Feel They Are Not Good Enough? Dear Empaths: 4 Types of Narcissists You May Be Attracting  10 Warning Signs The Universe Sends When You’re On The Wrong Path  3 Dec
The Key to Your Success Is in Your FEAR - Have you found the key to your success yet, or are you still floundering to get where you want to be? Have no “fear.” As it turns out, your “fear” holds the key to your success! Fear cripples many people. It keeps them from taking chances, and it keeps them from being honest with themselves and others. Avoiding fear is the primary reason people fail to reach their dreams. Success is in the fear, not outside of it. Facing fears as a life strategy. Now, although it’s more comfortable to work around our fears, facing them is a much more effective life strategy. Fear is usually just an indication there is something you want to do that you are avoiding. Instead of running toward your dream, when we listen to our fears we hold back, clinging to irrational beliefs and limiting patterns of thought. When we start facing our fears (rather than running from them or pretending they aren’t there), we learn BIG things about ourselves. We learn about our strength and our resolve. We learn how to let go of negative thoughts and expectations about ourselves and the world. Even better, when we choose to face our fears, we learn that they are often irrational and a complete waste of our time. Then, we tap into the unlimited, fearless power that allows us to really go after the things we want in life. You wouldn’t be reading this if I hadn’t faced some important fears in life. To me, Raise Your Vibration Today represents many fears I’ve faced that used to control my life. For example, there was a time when I wouldn’t dare share my beliefs about the Law of Attraction and spirituality, for fear of ridicule. So I was quiet about what I believed and very few people knew much about what I thought. There was also a time when I wouldn’t dare write a blog or post videos of myself for fear of rejection. So I stayed in a “socially acceptable” career that didn’t truly represent who I was and didn’t allow me to be myself. However, in facing these fears, and choosing to take a chance anyways, I learned that these were illusory limitations that were holding me back. Now, these fears are no longer relevant in my life, and I speak freely. The fear of rejection and ridicule no longer dictates how I attack my website, my blog, my business or my personal life. I realize that these worries, in the end, only existed in my own mind. Through facing these fears I’ve learned there just isn’t anyone out there who has the power to hurt me with rejection or ridicule when I stand in my own power. It was a life-changing lesson, and it only cost a little courage to receive it. Anything that scares you has a powerful lesson for you when you face it. Now, if something really scares me, I’ve learned it’s best just to do it anyway. Rip the bandaid off and jump in. You may swim, or you may sink, but you’ll learn that there was nothing to fear in the end and you’ll be proud of yourself for taking a chance on you. Living for days or decades paralyzed by irrational fear is a far worse fate than taking a chance and falling down. Creating this business has taught me I’d rather fall down every day of my life than be afraid to take a leap. Analyze your fear and demystify it. Now, before taking the leap, it can be helpful to analyze your fear a little bit.  Get to know it. Understand why it’s there. This understanding helps demystify your fear and helps you see clearly the limitations you are imposing on yourself. After some thoughtful contemplation, you’ll start to see that all of the fears are just insecurities and limitations you don’t really believe in. After all, deep down you KNOW how powerful you are. So ask yourself, why does this scare me so much? The powerful you will know what to do with the information you uncover. You just have to be willing to face the fear and ask the question. If there’s something you want to do in life, and you feel like you are holding back, be willing to confront your fear. Ask it why it’s there. Once you really understand your fear, you’ll be ready to tackle it head on. Fear is just a bad dream. On a side note, there is a lesson I learned about lucid dreaming that I believe relates very strongly to this idea of facing your fears. For those who don’t know about lucid dreaming, it is essentially learning to become “awake” and fully conscious in your dream state. There are many techniques to help you learn how to do this, and my favorite was the book “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” by Stephen LaBerge. In this book, LaBerge mentions that lucid dreaming can be effective in overcoming nightmares. He says, that when you are in a lucid dreaming state, the best course of action for nightmares is simply to walk up to the nightmare, and ask it why it is there and then ask it to leave. Then, miraculously, it does. I know that this strategy works, because I actually used this technique several times in my dreams to overcome scary figures and issues in my subconscious. Today, I almost never have a nightmare. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a bad dream. I think the same effect holds true in our waking state as it does in our dream state. It is our fear that fuels fearful situations. When we choose to face our fears, we step into something bigger, a part of us that knows that all is well, and that knows that we are indeed the creators of our own reality. Fears are internal creations. Anything fearful in our reality is simply a projection of the fears we hold inside. By facing those fears, we give ourselves the opportunity to unmask them as the illusions they really are. So, if you are wanting to take a step forward toward your dream, be willing to face those fears! Remind yourself that they are simply figments of your imagination and step up to the plate. Tell people how you really feel. Take the mask off and be the real you. Jump off the ledge on a leap of faith. Get more comfortable with the idea of staring your fears down, rather than running from them. After all, they’re illusions created from your own mind, and nothing more. The key to your success lies in within your fears. Face them, and move forward into your pleasant dreams! XO, Andrea (Law of Attraction Educator) Andrea Schulman My name is Andrea Schulman, I am a former high school psychology teacher and the creator of ‘Raise Your Vibration Today.’ I teach people about the Law of Attraction with fun, clarity and success! Check out my member website to learn how to create your reality with your thoughts. Featured image source Other interesting articles: The Two Fears Keeping You From Finding True Love THIS is Your Biggest Fear, According to Your Zodiac Sign! Listen To The Message Beyond All Fear And Anger 3 Dec
256 Years Old Man Breaks The Silence Before His Death and Reveals SHOCKING Secrets to The World - What is the longest a person has ever lived for? Meet Li Ching Yuen, the 256 years old man! No, this is not a myth or a fictional tale. According to a 1930 New York Times article, Wu Chung-chieh, a professor of the Chengdu University, discovered Imperial Chinese government records from 1827 congratulating Li Ching-Yuen on his 150th birthday, and further documents later congratulating him on his 200th birthday in 1877. In 1928, a New York Times correspondent wrote that many of the old men in Li’s neighborhood asserted that their grandfathers knew him when they were boys, and that he at that time was a grown man. Li Ching Yuen reportedly began his herbalist career at the age of 10, where he gathered herbs in mountain ranges and learned of their potency for longevity. For almost 40 years, he survived on a diet of herbs such as lingzhi, goji berry, wild ginseng, he shoo wu and gotu kola and rice wine. In 1749, at the age of 71, he joined the Chinese armies as teacher of martial arts. Li was said to be a much-loved figure in his community, marrying 23 times and fathering over 200 children. According to the generally accepted tales told in his province, he was able to read and write as a child, and by his tenth birthday had traveled in Kansu, Shansi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria gathering herbs. For the first hundred years he continued at this occupation. Then he switched to selling herbs gathered by others. He sold lingzhi, goji berry, wild ginseng, he shou wu and gotu kola along with other Chinese herbs, and lived off a diet of these herbs and rice wine. THIS 256 YEARS OLD MAN WASN’T THE ONLY ONE According to one of Li’s disciples, he had once encountered an even older 500-year-old man, who taught him Qigong exercises and dietary recommendations that would help him extend his lifespan to superhuman proportions. Apart from Qigong and a herb-rich diet, what else can we learn from this Master of Longevity? How about this: On his death bed, Li famously said, “I have done all that I have to do in this world”. Could his peaceful last words also hint at one of the biggest secrets to a long and prosperous life? It’s interesting to note that in the West, we’re often taught to believe that aging is something that must be “beaten” with high tech infrared devices and state of the art medication. HIS SECRET TO LONG HEALTH Li was asked what his secret was to longevity. This was his reply: “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.” These were the words of advice Li gave to Wu Pei-fu, the warlord, who took Li into his house to learn the secret of extremely long life. Li maintained that inward calm and peace of mind combined with breathing techniques were the secrets to the amazing longevity. Obviously, his diet would have played a large role. But its fascinating that the old living person in recorded history attributes his long life to his state of mind. WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO BELIEVE? With the average lifespan for the Western world currently sitting between 70-85 years, the thought of someone living over 100 years old seems like quite the stretch. The thought of someone living over 200 years old seems extremely suspicious. But why don’t we believe that people can live this long? We have to keep in mind that some people in this world don’t live a grueling 9-5 lifestyle, they don’t have to deal with the stresses of debt, they aren’t breathing polluted city air, and they exercise regularly. They don’t eat refined sugars or flour, or any foods that have had pesticides sprayed on them. They aren’t living off of the standard American diet. They aren’t eating fatty meats, sugary deserts, and genetically modified foods. No antibiotics. No alcohol and no tobacco. Their diets not only exclude junk foods that we so often indulge in, they also include superfoods and herbs which are like steroids for our organs and immune system. They also spend their spare time in nature practicing breathing techniques and meditating which have been proven to improve mental, physical, and emotional health. They keep things simple, get proper sleep, and spend a great deal of time in nature under the sun. When we get a chance to relax in the sun, we feel instantly rejuvenated and call this a “vacation”. Imagine spending a lifetime doing that in the mountains, and combining that with perfect mental, spiritual, and physical well-being. We do not doubt for a minute that if we all did the things we knew we were supposed to do, that living to be 100 years old would be common place. When we treat our bodies right, who knows how long we can live for? Source Source Thanks to awakening-path for this article. Other interesting articles: WELCOME TO THE ISLAND WHERE PEOPLE FORGET TO DIE 10 Signs That Your Soul Has Reincarnated Many Times Before  Oldest Person In The World With Proof He Was Born 1870  3 Dec
The Presence as a Gateway to Eternity - By Presence, Eckhart Tolle means being free and independent of psychological time (past and future), and it is achieved by focussing our attention fully and completely on the present time, the events of the present. This is inevitable for everyone, as this is the only way of recognizing that we are more than our personal life history. A gate opens up for us to see the world free of forms and shapes beyond the world of forms and shapes. Ramana  Maharshi asserts that the presence thus achieved is the first step towards revealing the real PRESENCE that he terms as Self. In Tolle’s interpretation presence is the Ego itself, Consciousness of the body, which has been cleared of most of the identifications. This is, however, only a pseudo-presence, as it is subject to change. It disappears in the state of deep sleep, when there is no presence. It emerges when one is awake and vanishes when one is asleep. That pseudo-presence is our subjectivity (I am), which is oriented on some object appearing in the present time (e. g.  internal body, respiration). This pseudo-presence is the key to PRESENCE. Maharshi believes that it is only possible to reach PRESENCE through a research of ourselves. A research of ourselves means that we must divert our attention from the object to our subjectivity and find the source from which it emerges and where it disappears. The source is the PRESENCE itself, the Absolute Consciousness. Seeing that means you recognize: there is only one Subjectivity. One wakes up in Unity and realizes: I AM THAT. I AM EVERYTHING! Experiencing PRESENCE is not a static thing, but it is an ever evolving process. The presence, emerging in the present moment as described by Eckhart Tolle, is just the first step in the process. During the process, there is a critical moment when the Ego tends to interfere by suggesting that the point concerned is the terminal, the goal has been reached. I am here, I am present, I have elevated myself above the forms and shapes. That presence is, however, only a gate we must go through in order to reach real PRESENCE. If we recognize this as our real state, it no longer matters whether our PRESENCE is aware of the outside world or turns inward. This conceptual approach only appears unclear if we try to understand it from our current state of Consciousness. In order to fully comprehend this, we first need to wake up in the PRESENCE.  Thanks to Frank M. Wanderer                          About the author: Frank M. Wanderer Ph.D is a professor of psychology, a consciousness researcher and writer. Featured image source Other interesting articles: What Is Spiritual Sex? What Is Your Soul Here To Do? How to Face and Embrace Your Deepest, Darkest, Most Unspeakable Desires    3 Dec
Qi Gong Master Demonstrates “Chi” In RARE Footage – THIS Is The SHOCKING Power We ALL Posses! - Qigong is an holistic system of carefully coordinated body movements, breathing activities, and meditation used to balance and improve health of body, mind and spirit. Qigong can be classified as martial, medical, or spiritual. Chi energy, better known as qì or ch’i, by practitioners and students, is a force meant to describe that which gives life. It is the equivalent of what some in the West would call soul or spirit, and others may simply call energy. In the popular science fiction film, “Star Wars”, it is known as “the force”. To Hindus it is referred to as prana, to native American Indians, the great spirit. People do Qigong to maintain health, heal their bodies, calm their minds, and reconnect with their spirit. When these three aspects of our being are integrated, it encourages a positive outlook on life and helps eliminate harmful attitudes and behaviors. It also creates a balanced life style, which brings greater harmony, stability, and enjoyment Since Qigong can be practiced anywhere or at any time, there is no need to buy special clothing or to join a health club. It is the power that powers all of life. In this incredible video, you can watch an actual Qigong master demonstrate this power: What this “healer” talks about, is something that almost seems to resonate with our deeper selves within, as if it represents hidden esoteric knowledge but at the same time, there is doubt and this video is resisted by our conditioned prejudices that are rooted in the world. Below is another incredible video from another QiGong practitioner: History is a mystery and almost seems as though it is intentionally being hidden from the human race. What if it’s because we are far more powerful than we had ever been led to believe? What if there are external forces threatened by the prospect of that power? Sources  ewao / simplecapacity / nqa For more information about Qigong click here Featured image source Other interesting articles: One Buddha Teaching That Will Tell You More About Yourself Than Anything Else  The Most Important Shaolin Exercise To Incorporate Into Your Workout Today Lao Tzu’s Four Rules for Living The Meaning And History of Taoism 3 Dec
10 Spiritual Places With The Strongest Energy Field - These places could give you answers to a long asked questions and make you feel the energy concentrated on a more spiritual level. There are places in the world, where you can feel the connection with the divine – one of them Rila’s Lakes, known for strong energy field. Where sensitive people dream strange things, after spending the night there. Such type of places could give you answers to a long asked questions and make you feel the energy concentrated on a more spiritual level. Here are the ten most energy destinations: 1. Rila- Bulgaria – some might seem surprised, but this mountain range is one of the energy centers of the world. Not accidentally, one of the greatest spiritual masters of the XX century – Beinsa Duno is Bulgarian and has chosen to transmit wisdom in Rila. The area around Rila’s Lakes actually has very strong energy and more sensitive people feel it and receive strange dreams when they stay in the area.   2. Machu Picchu in Peru – the lost city of the Incas is one of the places linked to the energy centers of the world. The Incas built Machu Picchu in a particular place, high in the Andes. The place itself channels the energy and allows people to experience something that just does not belong to our world.   3. Socotra – Socotra is an archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean to the Horn of Africa, The largest occupies about 95 percent of the total area of the island. Its specific landscape as well as flora and fauna look like come out of a science fiction movie and can easily make you think you are on another planet or in prehistoric times. As a result of isolation, at Socotra were born many specific species that are found nowhere else in the world. The spiritual energy here connects the human soul directly with the cosmos.     4. The plateau Uluru in Australia – located in the center of the continental country, Uluru is the spiritual center of Australia. Legends say that the plateau itself is hollow and it is an energy source, which they call Tiukurpa (Dreamtime). Ancient tribes surrounding the plateau have left many stories from the “Dreamtime” painted in some of the caves in the area. In the tribes has remained the belief that when a person goes around the plateau, he gets spiritual visions.   5. The Easter Island – This is one of the most isolated places in the world, which is home to a huge statues. Scientists have absolutely no answer to the question “Who made them?” Overall the whole place is a complete mystery – and unfinished figures, ceremonial village with its 53 stone houses without windows and doors and many others. The biggest mystery, however, remains so. “Navel of the World” – it is said that this is the circular stone bearing the secrets of the universe, the one who collects the most important spiritual energy lines of the Earth. 6. The Sanctuary Belintash – The ancient sanctuary Belintash- Bulgaria is one of the three points (Belintash – Cross Forest – Karadjov stone), forming one of the strongest energy zones in Europe. On the rocky plateau are outlined mirror projections of important parts of the star chart. In the area around Belintash and in it, there is a strong energy, and hundreds of people testify for a frequent paranormal phenomena. 7. Berat – Albania is the pride of Albanian architecture. The old town is under UNESCO protection. Berat presents a wonderful combination of eastern and western culture, traditions and customs. The town is a treasury of Albanian history and is evidence of the harmony between religion and culture. In Berat, people experience very powerful, spiritual healing energy. In the III century the city became “the city- castle”. Today, behind the city walls are still living people, who don’t believe in disease, that make this place unique and authentic. 8. Stonehenge – Stonehenge is the most famous megalithic monument in the world,probably dedicated to the Sun, with an ancient necropolis. Located in the middle of Salisbury Plain in the county of Wiltshire, UK. Probably functioned as an astronomical observatory in connection with cults and economic performance of the agricultural population. It is constructed from the monolithic slabs and pillars, forming concentric circles.   9. The Bosnian Pyramids – They are on the planet long before the Neolithic era. Radio-carbon analyzes conducted by the University of Shlyonsk / Poland, 2011 / date this pyramids before 12,350 years / plus / minus 50 years /. According to this analyzes, The Bosnian pyramidal structures are thousands of years older than the Egyptian pyramids. Under the pyramid were found three underground rooms and a little blue lake. The lake is with sterile clean water, no bacteria, algae, fungi, microorganisms, animals, or moss and mud. They call it living water because it purifies the body. This means that these facilities are “healing rooms”. Human body regenerate faster and the illness disappears.   10. Peak Kailash in Tibet – the top has religious significance for 2 religions – Buddhism and Hinduism. Both of the religions have their own legends about the place, but united around the assertion that the tip is the home of the gods and one of the energy centers of the world where climbing it can bring spiritual bliss.   Thanks to riseearth for this article. Other interesting articles: Earth Strongest Energy Fields – Chakras and Vortices How to Circulate Sexual Energy The Art Of Jumping Timelines 28 Nov

Posts on 'Eyes on Trade' (RSS 1.0)

TPP Would Have Proved Useless in Countering China’s Ambitions - New Report Shows Systematic Failure of Past Trade Pacts Sold with Foreign Policy Claims about China’s Conduct, Improved Labor Rights, and U.S. Global Leadership Now Being Recycled to Warn about TPP’s Demise WASHINGTON, D.C. – It remains to be seen whether Donald Trump will withdraw the United States’ signature from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on his first day in office as promised, but the dire warnings emanating from TPP supporters in response to the pact’s inability to obtain majority support in Congress recycle almost verbatim foreign policy claims that have proved baseless, a new report published today by Public Citizen shows. China’s rise poses real challenges for the United States, but a comprehensive review of foreign policy-related claims made to sell past U.S. trade agreements shows that trade agreements have systematically failed to forestall posited foreign policy threats or deliver promised benefits. “The economic arguments for the TPP failed, it could not garner majority support in Congress and now its supporters are resurrecting the same old zombie foreign policy arguments in an attempt to stave off its final burial,” said Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch. In extensive side-by-side tables, the report reviews four categories of foreign policy arguments used for decades to sell the controversial trade-policy-of-the-moment, from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to the TPP. Congress and the public are warned that an agreement’s implementation is essential to counter China’s ambitions and let the United States write the rules of the road, maintain U.S. global leadership, export U.S. values such as human and labor rights and enhance U.S. national security. Such claims helped pass previous trade deals that they were employed to sell. As a result, we can examine the actual outcomes of the claims and document that they have proven uniformly false. “If future U.S. presidents want to pass the trade agreements that they negotiate, then they must deliver deals that provide economic benefits to most Americans,” said Wallach. “Trying to scare up support for a trade deal by raising the same old parade of foreign policy horrors that allegedly will result if is not implemented is not a winning strategy and even more so because these very claims have proved false.” The research for the report showed the most overlap between TPP claims and those made during the 2000 China PNTR fight. Indeed, a 2000 quote from then-U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) on China PNTR and a 2016 quote from Secretary of State Kerry on the TPP, are almost identical. But implementation of China PNTR did not, in fact, provide a counter pressure to China's authoritarian government, improve human and labor rights, or enhance China’s cooperation on an array of national security challenges. The actual result was just the opposite. The report also reviews various U.S. trade pacts with Latin American that were also sold as necessary to keep China (or Japan) from dominating the region, politically and economically, and as vital to improving democracy and human rights in trade partner countries. Yet the very foreign policy (and economic) threats that the deals’ passage was promised to forestall, occurred regardless, while the touted improvements in human rights failed to materialize. “With a robust debate about the TPP’s actual terms, and the rising public awareness of the pact’s real threats, the foreign policy scare tactics failed this time,” Wallach said. “But that has not stopped TPP proponents from repeating them endlessly in response to the TPP’s demise as if somehow that will revive the deal.” 21 Dec
The TPP Would Have Proved Useless in Countering China’s Risky Ambitions - The recent demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being called a foreign policy disaster by its backers in the United States and abroad, which is notable because for years the agreement was sold as an economic panacea. But by the summer of 2016, it became increasingly apparent that the economic case for the final TPP deal signed in February had proved unconvincing. Months of intensive White House and corporate lobbying had failed to build majority support in Congress. So, the TPP’s proponents shifted to foreign policy arguments to try to scare up the votes, a tactic that has been systematically employed in past contentious trade fights. They argued that failure to implement the TPP would hurt U.S. national security, allow China to write the rules for commerce in Asia instead of spreading U.S. values across the Pacific, undermine U.S. global leadership, and strengthen China. Donald Trump’s declaration that he would withdraw the U.S. signature from the TPP,[i] formally burying the moldering deal, unleashed another wave of the same fraught foreign policy claims. If many of these arguments sound familiar, it’s because they are. This report reviews two decades of U.S. trade debates, revealing the regular resurrection of the same zombie foreign policy and national security justifications, in nearly identical verbiage. The tables below compare quotes by prominent supporters of past trade deals with more recent quotes about the TPP and review the outcomes of old claims. The prospect that an agreement may not be implemented has been routinely characterized as benefitting our adversaries – such as China. Passing an agreement is declared to be essential to maintaining U.S. leadership in the world, to exporting “American values” to other countries, and to improving human rights everywhere. These arguments helped to pass some trade agreements. So we can study whether those previous pacts’ enactment did, in fact, deliver these promised benefits. When Congress debated granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to China to facilitate its admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), proponents claimed doing so would be a foreign policy cure-all. It would moderate China’s authoritarian government, improve human and labor rights, and enhance China’s cooperation on an array of national security challenges while also ensuring new access to Chinese markets that would create U.S. jobs. The actual result was just the opposite, and the argument became known as “The China Fantasy.”[ii] Various U.S. trade pacts with Latin American were also sold as necessary to keep China (or Japan) from dominating the region politically and economically, and as vital to improving democracy and human rights in trade partner countries. Yet the very foreign policy (and economic) threats that the deals’ passage was promised to forestall occurred regardless, while the touted improvements in human rights failed to materialize. Managing the U.S. relationship with a rising China is a real challenge, but the TPP and similar trade deals have never been the right tool for securing America’s future. To read the report, please click here.     [i] Nicky Wolf, Justin Curry, and Benjamin Hass, The Guardian, “Trump to Withdraw from Trans-Pacific Partnership on First Day in Office,” November 22, 2016. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/21/donald-trump-100-days-plans-video-trans-pacific-partnership-withdraw. [ii] James Mann, The China Fantasy: How Our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression,” (New York: Viking Penguin, 2007). 15 Dec
TPP RIP -  Statement of Lori Wallach, Director, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch on the Demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the Lame-Duck Session of Congress The news that the White House and Republican congressional leaders have given up on passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is welcome. That the TPP would be defeated by Congress if brought to a vote signals that Trojan-horse “trade” agreements that expand corporate power and shrink Americans’ wages are simply no longer politically viable. People power beat the united forces of a U.S. president, the Republican congressional leaders and the entire corporate lobby. The unremitting push by the Obama administration for the TPP right through this election helped to elect Donald Trump, but Trump has not derailed the TPP – people power united across borders did that. Six years of relentless, strategic campaigning by an international movement of people from the TPP countries united across borders to fight against corporate power is why the TPP is all but dead.   Thanks to years of campaigning by people across this country, since its February 2016 signing, the TPP could not garner a majority of support in the U.S. House of Representatives. And it was clear that the TPP was in trouble in 2015, when Fast Track authority for the TPP barely squeaked through Congress. The TPP’s signing was delayed for years by vibrant civil society movements in other TPP nations that pushed their governments to reject TPP terms expanding investor rights, monopolies for pharmaceutical firms, financial deregulation and other threats. That meant time to organize, organize, organize. Over those years, millions of Americans helped to educate and organize their friends, families, and colleagues to demand their representatives opposed the TPP. That the TPP pushed by the most powerful forces in the world is not being implemented represents the American public’s resounding rejection of  trade policies that not only failed to live up to its proponents’ promises over the past 20 years, but caused real damage to working people and the environment. The only way forward is to create new rules of the road for globalization that put people and the planet first while harvesting the benefits of expanded trade. And we must roll back the existing “trade” deals and extreme investor-state dispute settlement regime that have caused people and the planet so much damage. The coalition that stopped the TPP is powerful and united and will fight forward to deliver that change. And, we will be ready to take on any attempt to revive the TPP or advance other corporate-friendly trade pacts based on the same failed and outdated model of trade. For a review of the six-year international campaign against the TPP, please read https://medium.com/@citizenstrade/no-trump-didnt-kill-the-tpp-progressives-did-884b534542d#.175otqc1j 15 Nov
Latest TPP Peril: President Donald Trump - The election of President Donald Trump, and the slew of exit polls showing Americans’ ire over our failed trade policies that fueled that outcome, should dissuade Republican congressional leaders from pushing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the lame-duck session of Congress that starts next week. We will know by Thanksgiving if that is the case. But even if the TPP never goes into effect, its damage will be felt worldwide - in the form of the election of President Donald Trump. Yes, many factors contributed to this outcome. But it was not all racists and other haters who elected Trump. It was also a lot of working class voters who supported President Barack Obama twice. Hillary Clinton suffered her biggest losses in the places where Obama was strongest among white voters. Did we have to get to this to end the era of smug Democratic and Republican political elites scoffing at the notion that trade is a salient political issue - and relentlessly pushing more of the same policies to the detriment of a voting bloc otherwise known as a majority of our fellow Americans? Michael Moore proved to be spot on when he warned that Trump would win - and why. Do not underestimate the fury and desperation of tens of millions of Americans whose lives and communities have been devastated by bipartisan complicity in an agenda of corporate empowerment, job-killing trade agreements and Wall Street ravages, he wrote in an essay well worth a read. Do not assume that these voters will focus on the messenger being a multinational corporation masquerading as a racist, misogynistic, narcissistic man (my description, not Moore’s) when they finally hear the message they have long awaited: yes, you have been screwed by Washington; yes I know your economic future was crushed by bad trade deals and Apple and Ford will pay if they move more jobs offshore; yes, the political establishment needs Molotov-cocktail accountability and I am that guy. Do not imagine, Moore cautioned, that the millennials’ passion for Bernie Sander, a very different but also improbably successful (from the political establishments’ perspective), anti-establishment messenger of economic populism will translate into enthusiasm for the ultimate Democratic establishment nominee. That Hillary Clinton, an impressive, capable and intelligent woman, proved a perfect foil as The Establishment was not all her doing. Bill Clinton sowed the wind with NAFTA, his China trade deal and Wall Street deregulation that reaped the whirlwind for Hilary Clinton. This is a reality with which the Democratic Party must reckon. Through the lens of a Trump victory delivered by traditional Democratic base working class voters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio, the shift in polling over the past several years showing Democrats more favorable than GOP voters to the TPP and past trade deals require careful study. Have “Democratic voters” opinions about the same old trade policies that deliver more corporate power and fewer good American jobs really gotten rosier? Or, does that polling data reflect changes in the composition of who now considers themselves to be a Democrat? Given polling shows that Independents’ views on trade closely mimic those of GOP voters, perhaps that bloc of working class voters that is a necessary component of a winning presidential coalition has maintained a steady view on trade. But witnessing President Obama enthusiastically push a slew of the same sort of trade deals they hate akin to those President Clinton enacted in the 1990s signaled that the Democratic Party no longer had a place for them and they accordingly no longer consider themselves Democrats. This is worth considering in the context of the TPP effect on this election. The TPP did not elect Trump per se. But with no small thanks to President Obama’s relentless, high-profile campaign throughout the primaries and general election to pass the pact, the TPP pact readily served as a potent symbol of business-as-usual in Washington and its facilitation of growing corporate power over every facet of our lives. The TPP seems like something from an overwritten dystopian novel: It covers 40 percent of the global economy, yet it was negotiated in secret with hundreds of corporate advisors while the public was locked out. The TPP’s key provision grants new rights to thousands of multinational corporations to sue the U.S. government before a panel of three corporate lawyers. These lawyers can award the corporations unlimited sums to be paid by America’s taxpayers, including for the loss of expected future profits, and their decisions are not subject to appeal. The corporations need only convince the lawyers that a U.S. environmental law, financial regulation or pro-consumer court ruling violates the new rights that the TPP would grant them. No doubt that Trump’s sweep of midwestern and southern states was accompanied by exit polls showing the power of his attack on our failed trade policy. Or that the Reuters/Ipsos election day poll found 72 percent agree “the American economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful,” while 68 percent agree that “traditional parties and politicians don’t care about people like me,” and 75 percent agree that “America needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful.” Consider the poll released last week by Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner showing fully 68 percent of GOP voters (34 percent with intensity), and 60 percent of all voters would punish a member of Congress supporting the TPP in the lame-duck session. While this sentiment was strongest among Republicans, it spanned the political spectrum and included majorities of all segments of the “rising electorate,” millennials, minorities and unmarried women. What happens next? At least as far as the TPP is considered, it’s the call of House Speaker Paul Ryan. In the coming days he must decide whether to bring the TPP to a vote in the lame-duck Congress. Would Paul Ryan risk jeopardizing his hold on power in the House and remain a credible future presidential candidate if he pushes something overwhelmingly opposed by his party’s base voters? And more practically, with 16 GOP House members that voted to give President Obama Fast Track authority for the TPP in 2015 having mid-election conversions to TPP opposition and others who weathered the wrath of trade voters in this cycle worrying about the 2018 primaries, could he muster the votes? (House Democrats who opposed Fast Track have remained consistent in opposing the TPP, so passing the TPP would rely on the Republicans.) Undoubtedly House GOP will note the electoral success of improbable GOP down-ticket converts to TPP opposition, such as former U.S. Trade Representative and now U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) in contrast to the defeat of Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) who supported Fast Track and refused to reveal his position on TPP (read: support) as his opponent, now the Senator-election, campaigned against it. (Also noteworthy: in this wave election, the only congressional Democrat who may lose is Rep. Brad Ashford (D-NE), one of few Democrats to vote in favor of fast tracking TPP approval.) On the other hand, the Chamber of Commerce and the GOP donor class are clamoring for a TPP vote. Stay tuned... 10 Nov

Fertility News From Medical News Today

What You Need to Know About Egg Freezing - A woman's eggs can be frozen for use in future pregnancies through IVF or for donation. Find out what is involved in egg freezing, including the costs.21 Dec
Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients: Options for Men and Women - How might cancer and cancer treatments affect fertility, and what are the fertility preservation options for children with cancer? Learn more here.16 Dec
How Does the Egg Donation Process Work? - Egg donation can help women become pregnant when it is difficult for them to do so. Find out more about the procedure and what is required.16 Dec
What is the most effective treatment for endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia? - A new study comparing the effectiveness of oral progestogens versus a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system to treat women with endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) presents data on...13 Dec
Embryo Freezing: What You Need to Know - Find out how embryo freezing can help women who have trouble conceiving, who undergo cancer treatment, or who need to put off pregnancy for other reasons.13 Dec
Embryo Transfers: What You Need to Know - Learn what an embryo transfer is and when it is needed. What should be expected before and after, and what different types of embryo transfer are there?10 Dec
Dad's exposure to phthalates in plastics may affect embryonic development - A new study led by environmental health scientist Richard Pilsner at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of the first to investigate whether preconception exposures to phthalates in... 9 Dec
VIB scientists show NLRP2 protein's role in maintaining fertility later in life - Led by Prof. Mohamed Lamkanfi (VIB-Ghent University), researchers have demonstrated in animal models that a protein called NLRP2 plays an important role in early embryogenesis, the process of cell... 7 Dec
Exercise and infertility: What regimen is best for sperm quality? - Exercise intensity and semen quality have a complex relationship. Too much exercise can be bad and too little can be worse. New research finds the balance. 7 Dec
Chemotherapy drug may trigger new egg production in women - Small study finds more young eggs in ovaries of women receiving drugs for treating Hodgkin's lymphoma, compared with differently treated or healthy women. 6 Dec

Food Politics by Marion Nestle

Weekend reading: Larry Cohen’s Prevention Diaries - Larry Cohen.  Prevention Diaries: The Practice and Pursuit of Health for All.  Oxford, 2016. Larry Cohen is an old friend and I was happy to be asked to do a blurb for his terrific book: Prevention Diaries is Larry Cohen’s intensely personal and introspective account of why stopping health problems before they start makes sense for individuals and for societies—and is possible.  His stories of how advocates have successfully intervened to prevent problems caused by unhealthy eating, cigarettes, automobiles, guns, violence, and system inequalities should inspire everyone interested in public health to get involved in prevention programs that will make a real difference in people’s lives. Here’s a brief excerpt from his “food for thought” chapter: The realities of our food system can feel overwhelming—too large and too entrenched to change all at once.  But, as with so many big problems, communities and businesses are taking valuable steps to create the system we want and need.  Indeed, it feels like the United States is at the beginning of a sea-change in its pproach to food—with a swell of interest in seemingly old approaches, like farmers’ markets, heirloom produce, and cooking from scratch, which benefit consumers and workers.  As the movement has been building, its momentum and innovation have increasingly started to reshape government policies and industry practices in ways that ensure all people can enjoy the fruits of a healthier food system (p. 93). From his lips to God’s ear, as the saying goes.23 Dec
More on the industry-funded sugar guideline paper - The Associated Press reporter Candice Choi has a special interest in industry-funded research (as I do) and has been using emails obtained through FOIA requests to document connections between funders and researchers that otherwise would not come to light. Yesterday, she reported some follow up on the article I was surprised to see published in the Annals of Internal Medicine—the one I wrote about in my last post. Ms. Choi came up with these delicious tidbits: Mars Inc., which is one of the companies that funds ILSI (the International Life Sciences Institute, which funded the study in the Annals charging that dietary guidelines for sugar are based on weak evidence), is now denouncing the study on the grounds that “the paper undermines the work of public health officials and makes all industry-funded research look bad…[and] creates more doubt for consumers rather than helping them make better choices.” Mars is saying this even though emails show that two Mars executives knew about the study last year. Mars now said it will make clear to ILSI hat it does not support such work. ILSI’s executive director says ILSI devised the concept for the study, but the paper originally said that the authors wrote the protocol and conducted the study independently from the funder. Oops.  When confronted with the Associated Press emails “showing the group sent the authors ‘requested revisions’ on the proposal last year,” the journal corrected that statement to make clear that ILSI “reviewed and approved” the protocol. One of the authors did not fully disclose her consulting and research agreements with companies that make high-sugar foods.  The AP had emails demonstrating this author’s financial ties to Coca-Cola and to ILSI for a previous grant on the same topic.  The Annals now show a more complete disclosure statement. The point of all this is that when food companies sponsor research, they sometimes are much more involved in it than they would like to let on. Mars is right.  These kinds of incidents make all industry-funded research look bad.  Mars should know.  It funds research to make chocolate look like a health food.22 Dec
Industry-funded study says advice to eat less sugar is based on bad science (surprise) - I haven’t posted an industry-funded study for a while, but here’s a good one.  This is a systematic review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine attacking dietary advice to eat less sugar on the grounds that such advice is not scientifically justified. This one doesn’t pass the laugh test. What are dietary guidelines supposed to do?  Tell people to eat more sugar? This review is particularly peculiar: It was funded by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), a food-industry front group. Two of the four authors consult for ILSI, and one of the two is on the scientific advisory board of Tate & Lyle, the British sugar company. The authors admit that “given our funding source, our study team has a financial conflict of interest and readers should consider our results carefully.”  No kidding. It was published by a prestigious medical journal.  Why? It is accompanied by an editorial that thoroughly demolishes every single one of the authors’ arguments. I can understand why ILSI wanted this review.  Many of its funders make sugary foods and drinks.  They would like to: Cast doubt on the vast amounts of research linking excessive sugar intake to poor health. Discredit dietary guidelines aimed at reducing sugar consumption. Head off regulatory attempts to tax or label added sugars. In funding this study, ILSI is following the tobacco industry playbook to the letter.  Strategy #1 is to cast doubt on the science. When the 2015 Dietary Guidelines came out with a recommendation to restrict sugar intake to 10% of calories or less, the Sugar Association called it“agenda-based, not science-based.”  The Annals review says international sugar guidelines do not “meet criteria for trustworthy recommendations and are based on low-quality evidence.” I detect a theme here. But I ask again: what are dietary guidelines supposed to do?  We cannot lock up large numbers of people and feed them controlled amounts of sugar for decades and see what happens.  Short of that, we have to do the best we can with observational and intervention studies, none of which can ever meet rigorous standards for proof.  So this review is stating the obvious. Take a look at the accompanying editorial.  After destroying each of the flawed premises of this review, it concludes: Industry documents show that the F&B [Food & Beverage] industry has manipulated research on sugars for public relations purposes….Accordingly, high quality journals could refrain from publishing studies on health effects of added sugars funded by entities with commercial interests in the outcome. In summary, our concerns about the funding source and methods of the current review preclude us from accepting its conclusion that recommendations to limit added sugar consumption to less than 10% of calories are not trustworthy. Policymakers, when confronted with claims that sugar guidelines are based on “junk science,” should consider whether “junk food” was the source. I don’t ever remember seeing a paper accompanied by an invited editorial that trashes it, as this one did, but this incident suggests a useful caution. Whenever you hear that something isn’t “science-based,” look carefully to see who is paying for it. The press coverage The New York Times: A Food Industry Study Tries to Discredit Advice About Sugar (I’m quoted) NPR: How Much Is Too Much? New Study Casts Doubts On Sugar Guidelines (I’m quoted) EurekAlert: Dietary sugar guidelines are based on low quality evidence WTKR:The debate continues on how much sugar is OK Time: Should You Trust the New Research About Sugar? 20 Dec
USDA issues rules to protect poultry growers: a compromise, but still better - USDA has just released three sets of GIPSA rules governing poultry grower ranking (“tournament”) systems (GIPSA stands for Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration). These are draconian systems in which poultry growers working for giant, vertically integrated poultry companies compete with each other for payments. The system works like this: The vertically integrated live poultry dealer provides the chicks, feed, and medication to poultry growers who house and feed the birds under a contract. The poultry grower grows the birds to market size (preferred weight for slaughter) and then, after slaughter, receives a settlement check for that flock. The payment received depends on how efficiently the poultry grower converted feed to meat as compared to the other poultry growers in the settlement group. It’s hard to begin to imagine how unfair this system can be. The poultry companies control the following inputs and production variables: chick health, number of chicks placed, feed quality, medications, growout time, breed and type of bird, weighing of the birds, and weighing of the feed. And on top of this, “company employees who are also poultry growers get preferential treatment and may get better birds or get to keep flocks longer.” Or, as GIPSA’s Q and A puts it: For example, if a chicken grower attempts to organize other chicken growers to bargain for better pay or publicly expresses unhappiness with the way they are being treated by a processor, they can suffer retaliation. Processors can require growers to make investments that are not economically justifiable for the grower, or can terminate contracts with little notice. And because in contract growing the processors own the birds and provide inputs like feed, they can choose to provide poultry growers with bad feed or sickly birds that have a higher mortality rate, which cuts deeply into a grower’s opportunity to earn income on those birds. The USDA press release pointed out that the four largest poultry processors control 51 percent of the broiler market and 57 percent of the turkey market.  In part due to this concentration, poultry growers often have limited options for processors available in their local communities: 52 percent of growers have only one or two processors in their state or region to whom they can sell.  That means processors can often wield market power over the growers, treating them unfairly, suppressing how much they are paid, or pitting them against each other. GIPSA initially proposed rules in 2010 that would protect growers from some of these abuses by paying them more fairly, but the industry objected.  It doesn’t like the revised rules either.  As the National Chicken Council puts it, “Obama Administration Strangles Poultry and Livestock Producers with New, Controversial Regulations.”  And the pork producers say they will work with president Trump to get rid of the rule. The current proposals are a compromise, but a reasonably good one.  The proposal establishes criteria that the USDA Secretary may use to determine: whether a live poultry dealer has used a poultry grower ranking system to compensate poultry growers in an unfair, unjustly discriminatory, or deceptive manner, or in a way that gives an undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any poultry grower or subjects any poultry grower to an undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition says the rules finally give the largely toothless act some bite. The “Farmer Fair Practices Rules” published today…will provide much-needed protections to contract farmers in the poultry and livestock industry. Food and Water Watch says (via email) These proposed and interim rules provide important, though modest, protections for farmers, but fall far short of the safeguards mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill. Hopefully, these rules can provide a foundation for strengthening farmer protections in the face of an increasingly consolidated poultry, hog and cattle slaughter and processing industry. But I particularly love the tell-it-like-it-is statement from the Government Accountability Project’s Amanda Hitt (also via email): It’s been a long time since we have been in a position to praise the Department of Agriculture, but today, Secretary Vilsack got it right…The GIPSA rules that came out today are not only a welcome attempt to right a series of wrongs that heretofore have gone unchecked, but are also simple common sense. These farmers…were lied to and manipulated by a corporate machine that has been using its political influence to profit at the peril of the American farmer. This is not a partisan issue; this is about putting limits on corporate greed. I hope that all can agree that something needs to be done and that these rules are an important first step. Here are the relevant documents: Poultry Grower Ranking Systems – Proposed Rule Scope of sections 202(a) and (b) PSA – Interim final rule Unfair Practices and Undue Preferences Violation PSA – Proposed Rule FAQs  19 Dec
Weekend reading: a how-to for sustainable food systems (again) - I’m not sure how this happened, but I posted the title and cover of this book in October without saying a thing about it.  My apologies.  Here it is again. Darryl Benjamin and Lyndon Virkler.  Farm to Table: The Essential Guide to Sustainable Food Systems for Students, Professionals, and Consumers.  Chelsea Green, 2016.   This is two books in one. The first part, Farm, is about the real costs of industrial agriculture, environmental and human, and what can be and is being done about them. The second part, Table, is a how-to for restaurants, schools, and institutions who want to source from local farms and for local farmers who want to supply those places. The book gives specific examples illustrated with charts and photos and provides theory as well as practice suggestions. The chapter on marketing gives the seven Ps–product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence—along with things to consider and tips. We have emphasized throughout this book that Farm-to-Table products sell themselves.  This is usually true once people have sampled their quality, understand their importance to the community and to the environment, and know where to find them.  The role of marketing is to facilitate those connections. This is a great guide for beginners but there is plenty to learn hear for everyone.15 Dec
The pros and cons of taxing foods based on their sugar content - The Urban Institute has just published The Pros and Cons of Taxing Sweetened Beverages Based on Sugar Content. The report is funded by the American Heart Association and others.  The AHA issued a press release. The sections of the report state its conclusions: Taxing Sugar Content Is the Least Costly Way to Reduce Sugar Consumption Taxing Based on Sugar Content Is Feasible at the National Level Taxing Based on Sugar Content Raises More Issues at the State and Local Level but Is Generally Feasible As Well The report concludes: We conclude that taxing based on the amount of added sugar a drink contains, either by taxing sugar content directly or by levying higher volume taxes on drinks with more sugar, is feasible in many jurisdictions and reduces sugar consumption more effectively than comparable taxes on drink volume. Broad-based volume or sales taxes on all soft drinks, however, raise revenue more efficiently. Federal, state, and local policymakers thus face trade-offs between using sweetened-beverage taxes to raise revenue and to discourage consumption of added sugars. Keep this in mind when trying to do this in your community.14 Dec
Lawyers file class action against leading pet food companies. The issue? Prescription pet foods. - Attorneys in California Minnesota, Georgia, and North Carolina have filed a class action lawsuit in California against the leading manufacturers and sellers of pet food: Mars, Nestlé (no relation) Purina, Hills, Petsmart, and several veterinary hospital chains owned by one or another of these companies. Why?  Prescription pet foods cost more but are no different than any other kind of pet food. As the complain puts it: Defendents’ prescription pet food contains no drug or other ingredient not also common in non-prescription pet food. Defendents’ marketing, labeling, and/or sale of prescription pet food is deceptive, collusive, and in violation of federal antitrust law and California consumer-protection law. Defendents are engaged in an anticompetitive conspiracy to market and sell pet food as prescription pet food to consumers at above-market prices that would not otherwise prevail in the absence of their collusive prescription-authorization requirement. As Malden Nesheim and I explained in our book Feed Your Pet Right (which is really an analysis of the pet food industry), all compete-and-balanced pet foods must meet identical nutritional standards. The only difference between the most expensive and cheapest commercial pet foods is in where the ingredients come from.  When writing our book, we could not find any research demonstrating that pets eating the most expensive commercial brands were any healthier than those eating the cheapest. No pet food company would want to do research like that.   Much more and better research is needed. The lawsuit charges that the companies are using prescriptions to raise the price of the products. The complaint is interesting to read. Item 46 points out that prescription pet food does not follow FDA requirements for manufacture, does not appear in the FDA’s “green book” listing approved animal drugs, and is made from the same ingredients found in common pet foods. Item 53 points out that nobody would purchase prescription pet food at higher prices, “if not for the misleading marketing described herein.” I will be watching this one with riveted interest.  Stay tuned.13 Dec
Food-Navigator-USA’s special edition on food labeling and litigation - This is one of FoodNavigator-USA’s special edition collections of articles on similar themes, in this case food labeling and lawsuits over labeling issues.  These are a quick way to get up to speed on what’s happening from a food industry perspective .  FoodNavigator introduces this collection: Food and beverage companies have faced a tsunami of false advertising lawsuits over the past five years. But how big of an issue is this for the industry, who has been targeted, and what strategies are working, both for plaintiffs and defendants in these cases? In this special edition, we also look into labeling issues and trends, from healthy, Paleo and grass-fed claims to NuTek’s potassium salt petition. FOOD LITIGATION 101: Are you up to speed?  There have been hundreds of class action lawsuits directed against food and beverage companies in recent years over everything from evaporated cane juice to Non-GMO claims. But has the false advertising litigation trend peaked, and if not, what are the new areas of vulnerability for food companies? .. Read More farm-related claims to appear on pack, Innova Market Insights forecasts: Now that clean label has moved on from being a trend to becoming “the new rules of the game,” Innova Market Insights predicts more brands will rely on ‘farm to fork’ claims and bucolic imagery as a differentiator… Read Paleo certification requests have doubled annually, scheme embraced by ‘household names,’ says Paleo Foundation: Demand for Paleo-certified products are on the rise. But is the diet – and the certification scheme – based on sound science? We chat with Paleo’s critics and proponents to get the inside scoop… Read Dairy from cows fed GM feed is not ‘all-natural’, alleges lawsuit vs Dannon – but will it fly?  Has the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims on food labels put a stop to the tidal wave of false advertising lawsuits engulfing food manufacturers? Not if a new complaint against Dannon is anything to go by, which also delves into the thorny issue of GMOs, another area currently being scrutinized by regulators. .. Read Future of Nutrition Facts, menu labeling & food safety are unclear under Trump, CSPI says: While President-elect Trump’s position on food policy is relatively unclear still, changes to the exhaustively researched and intensely debated Nutrition Facts label, menu labeling rule and food safety regulations could all be on the chopping block under the new administration, warns a top nutrition policy expert… Read Comments in FDA docket reveals consumers’ shifting perceptions of ‘healthy’: If the FDA’s decision to wade into the ‘natural’ debate seemed like an act of sadomasochism, its decision to re-examine the criteria underpinning ‘healthy’ claims on food labels looks set to be equally painful, judging by the first wave of public comments filed in the docket… Read FDA hints at how conventional foods can make structure/function claims: For the first time, FDA weighs in on what marketers must have on hand to support claims about conventional foods’ direct impact on consumers’ bodies. .. Read Soup-To-Nuts Podcast:The rise & future potential of grass fed claims: Grass-fed claims on products are a beacon for consumers who are health-conscious, want minimally processed food and care about animal welfare, and as such manufacturers increasingly are using them on products across categories and channels to drive up sales sharply… Listen now ProTings closes $1.2m financing round, changes name to Protes after spat with Original Tings: Brooklyn-based pea protein chip pioneer Proformance Foods has closed a $1.2m financing round led by a leading CPG company, and changed its brand name from ProTings to Protes following a trademark dispute with B&G Foods, which owns the Original Tings brand… Read Vox Pop: Consumers had this to say about GMO labeling…On the heels of President Barack Obama signing into law a federal bill requiring the disclosure of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on packaged food and beverage products, we at Beverage Daily and FoodNavigator-USA asked consumers at a downtown Chicago farmers market what they thought of GMOs… Watch now Are ‘GMO-free’ (as opposed to ‘non-GMO’) claims legally defensible? As the Non-GMO Project states on its website, ‘GMO-free’ claims are “not legally or scientifically defensible due to limitations of testing methodology” coupled with cross-contamination risks. In future, however, that could change as testing methods become more sophisticated, predicts Clear Labs, a Californian start-up which recently hit the headlines after identifying human and rat DNA in hamburgers [albeit within safe parameters]… Read Label Insight: Your SmartLabel landing pages could become more important than your website or facebook pages: While the SmartLabel initiative has been dismissed by some as an elaborate conspiracy by big food companies to avoid mandatory on-pack GMO labeling statements, it will ultimately have far broader significance – and potentially a huge impact on how consumers view all food and beverage products – predicts product data and image platform Label Insight… Read House approves federal GMO labeling bill that nullifies Vermont law: The US House of Representatives has voted to pass a federal GMO labeling bill (306:117 votes) that would pre-empt and nullify all state-led GMO labeling laws including the one that has just come into effect in Vermont. .. Read Hampton Creek to settle worker classification lawsuit: Just Mayo maker Hampton Creek – one of a growing number of food companies sued for allegedly misclassifying workers as independent contractors as opposed to employees – is settling its case in order to avoid the hassle and expense of protracted litigation, court documents show… Read Kellogg, Post & General Mills urge courts to toss ‘meritless’ sugar lawsuits: Kellogg, General Mills and Post Foods have urged the courts to ditch high-profile lawsuits over the sugar content in their cereals, on the grounds that their claims are pre-empted by federal law and that no reasonable consumer would find their labels to be false or misleading… Read Dole Foods 9th Circuit ruling reignites all-natural lawsuit, ’emboldens plaintiff’s bar’: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed (in part) a lower court’s ruling that Dole Foods’ ‘all natural fruit’ labeling likely isn’t deceptive, resurrecting a four-year-old lawsuit, and giving fresh ammunition to plaintiff’s attorneys pursuing ‘all-natural’ cases… Read Parties clash over Welch’s ‘made with real fruit’ fruit snack label claims: Reasonable consumers may well be misled by the packaging of Welch’s fruit snacks, a magistrate judge has concluded, prompting a lengthy rebuttal from the defendants in court documents filed this month. .. Read Shoppers aren’t confused by our labels, Chobani tells court: ‘Plaintiffs count on a consumer who is a veritable fool’: A false advertising lawsuit alleging that Chobani’s labels are confusing and deceptive, paints American consumers as credulous fools unable to apply common sense when they go shopping, argues the yogurt maker in court documents urging the judge to toss the case… Read GMA to FDA: Sodium reduction guidance must be re-worded or industry will face a tidal wave of ‘frivolous litigation’: Two years isn’t enough time for food manufacturers to make the kind of reductions in sodium that the FDA is asking for, says the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which also urges the agency to tweak the wording of its guidance in order to avoid “a wave of frivolous litigation.”.. Read American Bakers Association backs ‘potassium salt’ petition: It sounds more clean label: The American Bakers Association (ABA) has joined the CSPI, Unilever, and other food manufacturers in voicing its support for a citizen’s petition asking the FDA to permit ‘potassium salt’ as an alternate name for potassium chloride on food labels, while the Salt Institute remains resolutely opposed… Read 12 Dec
Weekend reading: Chow Chop Suey - Anne Mendelson.  Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American Journey.  Columbia University Press, 2016. When this book was sent to me for a blurb, my first thought was do we really need another book about Chinese food in America? As it turns out, we most definitely do.  I did the blurb, and happily: Chow Chop Suey is an eye-opener, a book that will give everyone a deep appreciation of the exquisite skill required to produce authentic Chinese food and the sweep of history that brought Chinese cooking to America.  Anne Mendelson’s prodigious research has given us a highly respectful, insightful, refreshing, wonderfully written, and utterly compelling account of the role and plight of Chinese restaurant workers in this country.  I learned something new on every page. An excerpt to give the flavor, from a section explaining the problems with translating Chinese cooking to American cooks.  In discussing an early attempt by Mrs. Yuenren Chao and her daughter Rulan: Apparently Professor Chao had found Rulan’s translation too neatly compressed into proper usage and gone through it in a correctness-be-damned spirit, supplying back-formations with a more original take on Chinese nuances.  The result was sentences like “Roughly speaking, ch’ao [stir-frying] may be defined as a big-fire-shallow-fat-continual-stirring-quick-frying of cut-up material with wet seasoning.”  Anyone who has ever seen the action in a Chinese kitchen will recognize this as an unerring slap shot. If, like me, you don’t think Chinese food is nearly as delicious as you remembered it from your childhood, you are right and this book explains why. 9 Dec
Food Politics Alaska style: Supermarket prices - I visited the AC supermarket in Utqiagvik, the town formerly known as Barrow. It could be anywhere USA, with anything you could possibly want, including fresh blueberries from Argentina.  How’s that for food miles? Remember: all of this, no exceptions, comes in by cargo plane. The produce section was lovely, with remarkably fresh foods at equally remarkable prices. Would you believe the green leaf lettuce is $3.50, the baby carrots $7.29, and the romaine $4.69?  New York prices on steroids. How about white potatoes at $3.29, red ones at $2.79, and baking potatoes at $18.99 for 10 pounds. Or the reason I was so concerned about the tossed out school lunch milk cartons: $7.11 on sale. How about bread on sale for $5.98 a loaf? Just to make me feel at home, here are the sugary drinks down one entire aisle.  The 12-packs were on sale for $10.98, which must not be enough to discourage sales. Are soft drinks a problem in Utqiagvik/Barrow? Yes, they are. The prevalence of obesity and diabetes is low, but rising steadily, and the Indian Health Service dentists told me that they see plenty of little kids with rotted teeth from drinking sodas and sweet juices in baby bottles. The nutrition transition is taking place in America too, and for the same reasons that obesity and diabetes are becoming problems in the developing world. 8 Dec

Fragments from Floyd

Ill Winds of Change - The wind is not my friend, and, yet it is. While I loathe its bite on bare hands and the angry howl of it overhead, I often consider the powerful metaphor it offers as I feel it and hear it and resent it in my life at the moment. Wind is a symbol for unseen forces that move the ships of our lives; and winds are the gods of the sky–a pantheon whose cast dwell in varied halls by longitude, latitude and altitude. There is an order in the chaos of moving air–predictable patterns (and their aberrations like renegade bubbles of the polar vortex) that we can actually visualize now, realities aloft that we could only imagine and deify not so many generations ago. We know the demons and gods in the near-space above our heads. We comprehend this planet today at a level of detail unimagined by the storytellers of simpler times–times when we were surface watchers only. Just a generation ago, we had no eyes to see temperatures, atmospheric gases, wind velocities and the bigger “logic” of moving oceans of air overhead every hour of every day. And so I keep coming back to a kind of grounding in pondering the state of the planet by looking down on this immensely complex web from space, moving in real time, viewed by lenses such as WindTV. The illustration pictured here shows the circumpolar jet stream at an elevation of about 25 thousand feet. We can understand so much of the nature of Earth’s nature just recently, and with that knowledge comes responsibility. The more we know, the more we understand. The more we understand, the better we can predict. The better we can predict, the better we can serve, informed by our knowledge and by the reverence and cautions such understanding gives us. These are facts, truths of physics and mathematics and integrated by  the memory and integration of our silicon brains–realizations that we would not possess without this new way of seeing the truth of our precarious place in the ecology of a burdened world. And all the sadder that the plan is to dismantle science in the pursuit of what’s best for Earth and the people it houses. The plan is to act against what we have come to know is the prudent way to treat our water, our soils, our air for the health and common good of all of us. The New Plan is business as usual, retelling the old and broken story, acting as if the goose can forever lay the golden egg of profit for some to the detriment of many. From now through what remains of the current epoch of civilization, we can’t say that we did not know what we should have done to sustain the livability of the planet. We can’t plead ignorance of the fact that our collective actions and inactions have made the entire planet unstable, collapsing or collapsed, for those functions we have taken so for granted–goods and services once provided by the intact planet  that teeming humanity requires to prosper, even to survive. I am thankful to have lived in a time when we have grown so quickly in our coming to understand the workings of this place so that we nurture a true reverence and awe for this unlikely rock in space. I celebrate it, even as I mourn, and an ill wind blows.20 Dec
Spinning in Place For Want of a Word - I sat on the love seat watching the fire burn down, sat there much longer than the usual wait to close down the draft just so and get on about my work. My work. I sat there in the flickering dark because I understood so well that I don’t understand so well anymore just what my work is or ought to be. So I sat there a little longer, trying to put that feeling into words–the better if there was one word that would wrap that complex state into a single breath. Or not. It is not really that important to make this happen, having lost the urge to plead my case to any other, and my one word, then, should include that solipsist inclination. Still… With my second cup of coffee, Stumbler-ing across the interwebs, I find by chance (or not) “23 emotions people feel but can’t explain.” I would have said “can’t express” because it is often entirely possible to trace the above-ground branches back to their hidden roots. There are just no words in ordinary Everyman language to share with others, or to graps within the speechless moments of the ruminative word-seeker. And this list at least lets me know that there are people–writers, mostly, because who else would do the work?–out there, in their own private dark, creating words like conjured stepping stones at the moment of need, to be able to get about their work, to take the next step. It is a comfort to know these words describe experiences not unlike mine that have arisen in the lives of others. The obscurity of these odd words, however, will make them awkward to use in a conversation at the Country Store. Even so, the sum total of these selected few gives me a few pavers in the darkness of the day. Liberosis: The desire to care less about things. Nodus Tollens: The realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore. Exulansis: The tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it. Ellipsism: A sadness that you’ll never be able to know how history will turn out. Onism: The frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time. Anecdoche: A conversation in which everyone is talking, but nobody is listening Vemödalen: The frustration of photographic something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist. Monachopsis: The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place. John Green’s tumblr • 23 Emotions people feel, but can’t explain  Graphic created with WordItOut, since Wordle doesn’t play nice with Chrome–with some additional tweaking to distort text and overlay it against deep space. It is a kind of occupational therapy.19 Dec
Leaf-blown: The Wind from Hell - The guy lived two blocks away in our in-town community, so however agitated it made me, his nearest neighbors  probably took turns calling the sheriff’s department every Saturday and/or Sunday morning in the fall and spring to complain (to no avail) when the leaf blower cranked up.Out of curiosity I walked up that dead-end block once just to see what massive landscaping project might require the use of a military-grade wind generator.  The homes and yards were modest and small there, as I expected. So the Blower Guy could not have had to do anything  that the old-fashioned, human powered and completely silent leaf rake could have accomplished in almost the same number of minutes–that seemed like hours.But no. The blower strapped to his back must give him a testosterone rush. I AM THE WIND! Behold: the before; the after. Oh the power!Oh the acoustic litter, the exhaust fumes, the waste of gas, and the disquiet of another neighborhood morning shattered.Turns out I am not the only person in the world who hates leaf blowers referred to as Lucifer’s Trumpet or “the Devil’s Hair Dryer.” Just one awful statistic to dis-recommend these machines to one and all:“Simplest benchmark: running a leafblower for 30 minutes creates more emissions than driving a F-150 pickup truck 3800 miles,” Fallows writes. “About one-third of the gasoline that goes into this sort of engine is spewed out, unburned, in an aerosol mixed with oil in the exhaust.”Or if you want to dig deep into the altered state of leaf blower mentality, James Fallows in the Atlantic offers an exhaustive series of explorations into the good, bad and the ugly of leaf wrangling at 100 decibels.“If it can be done, it should be done” was said to be the motto of the US Corps of Engineers when I was in college. It has many applications since. If we can invent something to sell and make a profit that appeals to a certain (almost exclusively male) demographic and pitch it as “more efficient”–to get said blowhard to the fairway sooner of a Sunday morning–then there is no reason not to promote the leaf rake’s Jetsons remake.I think of the gas-powered leaf blower as the boombox of the suburban middle-class yard-snob.“You can’t stop me from exerting my rights within my property to create a public nuisance that crosses said property lines and I don’t give a damn. I’ll shoot my gun and let my dogs bark too, and I don’t give a rat’s acetabulum if it disturbs your peace. I pay my taxes so I get to choose how I use my property.”Yep. It’s legal. But it is not thoughtful or neighborly or healthy to ears or lungs or the ambient leaf-scented air.Reminds me of a phrase I once read: You can do things in an uncrowded world that you should do in a crowded one. Some of us have not made that adjustment and the cowboy mentality persists.Okay. Watch your blood pressure bucko. I just have a thing about acoustic litter and the arrogance and self-absorption of those who produce it, though I am happy to report that I have only once heard a leaf blower nearby during our Goose Creek years. Knock on wood.Lastly, just to show you I’m not just a whining backwater curmudgeon complaining while not proposing an alternative, I’ll point you to the sustainable human-powered answer to our offending lawn-maintenance appliance. Its designer calls it the Scottish Leaf Blower. First, find a set of used bagpipes…. 9 Dec
The Earth Has Ears - Tree-ear fungusI’m having returning waves of nausea after accidentally allowing malevolent rays in through the closed drapes I had hoped would quarantine me from bizarro world.By way of a chink in the blinks came recent news items belching details of the ongoing stranger-than-fiction conversion to the post-truth world, where enemies of the environment control the EPA, friends of the 1% control budget and economics,  and friends of the NRA and fans of war control the Defense Department, and so on and so on.Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the seasons unfold apace and interesting fungus-infested rotten branches fall from the trees along the New Road. Thank god, some sense of life as we once knew it.This particular branch, if you could see inside it, is little else than wood duff that was once cellulose and lignin, and now, mostly fungal threads.The “tree ears” that manifest from those threads are gelatinous, translucent excrescences, the external fungus parts swollen and jelly-like after a rain. Before being hydrated, you would only have seem some black scaly growths that would have looked like the lichens that also inhabit such branches.They are quite variable in form and color, as you can see from this page of google image results.And now I will slink back into my hermetically-sealed cave, making a more sincere and complete effort to block out the death-rays of current events that would suck the life and soul out of me. 8 Dec
You Can’t Plant a Forest - “You can’t plant a forest.”This was one the things spoken by poet WS Merwin in last night’s final SustainFloyd Movie Night at the Floyd Country Store.The poignancy of the short, simple statement might have escaped notice by some, even in the audience of Floyd’s more-than-average eco-aware.Those words carried  a personal message for me,  hearing yesterday in the near distance the two-hundredth mature hardwood crack when the felling notch was complete.They topple crackling through the broken branches of collateral-damage standers-by, falling, one and then another, followed by the echoing thud ungrounded, in a sickening final impact.Unseen, a quarter mile away, the vertical lines of life lay horizontal, severed from the roots that anchored and nursed and sustained it since the year that I was born or before. There lay so many out-of-sight anonymous trunks with inconvenient branches, lifted, loaded and hauled to the mill.It is called forest product extraction. But it is really just tree harvest. This has never been a forest around us here on the slopes of Southwest Virginia–not in the original nature of eastern new-world forests.All our modern-day stands of trees are quasi-natural communities, only approximations of their ancient archetype that was a true fully-elaborated, mature, steady-state forest ecosystem, in all its relationships fully established.That kind of forest began to disappear here when white men claimed timber rights to the king’s land, and began exporting ships’ masts back to the motherland or cleared enough land to build a fort in a clearing where enemies could not hide.You can plant trees. And the shock to local residents of 400 acres of clear-cutting whose saws and thunder we will listen to all winter long is potentially mollified by the promise that the loggers will plant white pine seedlings in the empty spaces where mature white pines stood a month ago. They can and they might, but they will not plant a forest.That empty mountainside behind us on Lick Ridge will not be a forest. Not really. It will stand in the place of one in the thinking and experience of my generation that has never seen an intact ecosystem of mature trees–a virgin forest–and its associated understory community and the animals who lived in that steady-state of forest ecology. We don’t know forests.It is true that the strip-mining of “forest products” has become essential to the building and paper trades and the goods we consumer from them. It is true that our ubiquitous second and third and fourth-growth stands of trees can be managed, as we say, responsibly.They can be harvested and replanted in such a way as to sustain more or less viable bird and mammal and amphibian populations and flowering plant diversity that is “normal” by today’s baseline-creep standards. This can perhaps happen best with a worst-first low-impact logging on small parcels.But these ecological considerations on public and national forest lands can be a distant second to board feet of profit in the near-term and as often as possible. It’s managed chiefly as a business, after all, multiple-use notwithstanding.I’m not advocating for a return to old-growth hands-off wilderness on private and public lands as a general rule across the nation. That’s not possible or practical at current population and per-capita demand. Someday maybe both will be less than they are in our times.But I admit to woodlands nostalgia. I think often about forests through time. I long to have seen the tulip poplars and oaks around me here on Goose Creek in the times when the understory was so open that “a gentleman could ride horseback from Abingdon to Richmond  through the forest and never remove his hat.”The canopy was so complete then–not so many generations ago– that “a squirrel could run a hundred miles, tree to tree and never touch the ground.” I will have to employ my time machine to see that primeval sylvan scene.We can plant trees. But we can’t plant a forest. The disappearance of “what earth would do with trees if left alone” is an alteration of the Anthropocene–the high cost to forests of doing business as humans in the “age of man.”Even so, we can be aware of that cost, and in time and over time, reduce humanity’s footprint on the soil and water and on the integrity of the landscape.We can insist on wise and forward-looking stewardship of those trees we plant and enjoy and live among in the would-be not-quite “forests” of our times. 7 Dec
Take Two Pine Cones and Call Me in the Morning - Our prescription for an easy fire is this: just toss a couple of cones under the kindling. Then, if you must, use a match. But if you have time, wait for the resin to ignite from last night’s coals.It has been a good year for the pines on Goose Creek. Not only have they produced a copious supply of cones (and the released seeds our chickens forage for under them) but good for us–the woody “leaves” of the cone this year are heavy with highly-flammable resin.We have, next to the kindling basket beside the big woodstove in the front room, another, heaped high with cones arranged in a towering spiral, a cone itself, ready for all the fires to come.Winter is soon upon us in full force. We are ready.  6 Dec
Prescription for the Future: Leave Carbon in the Ground - U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service image…or put it back by planting trees and changing how we do agriculture.Neither of these is going to happen. Not now. Not in Trump’s America Inc. It would not have happened in HRC’s plans either, for that matter, but it’s the Wild Wild West now–sidearms included.This would have been good news once upon a time: the biggest-ever single formation of gas and petroleum potential has been discovered in the panhandle of Texas.Texas Tea–total worth is in excess of $20 billion. That’s twenty billion dollars buys us that much additional climate chaos, even  though The U.S. has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide  by 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025 under the Paris climate agreement, which went into effect earlier this month. We want our cake (Exxon Mobile et al’s cake to be more accurate) and eat it too (that would be all who own stock in said 5 million metric ton GorillaCorp.) We can play now and pay later.So a few reap the benefits. We all pay the cost. What’s not to like?USGS Announces Largest Oil And Gas Deposit Ever Assessed In U.S.  5 Dec
Time and a World of Change ~ Part V - This is part 5 of excerpts from a piece that may someday (or may not) be a chapter in a book, given adequate keystrokes in these out-of-warranty joints; enough minutes of absolute time but especially minutes with adequate clarity and passion, wisdom and focus; and a remaining pool of neurons who get along well enough with each other to produce actual words.From the end of Part IV I have jumped to the end of the draft for this final installment, taking pity on any who might feel compelled to actually read the intervening thousand words. You’re welcome.Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4We stagger from now to now and forget how we have come here. We live in each present moment, marching in place, mindless of the path behind us and ahead. Myopia of yesterday and tomorrow makes the Big Story invisible to us. We cannot know the wisdom of the book if we forget each sentence as we read it and move on, unchanged.Cameras from space now do what Disney did for us in early timelapse, showing us decades of change to glaciers, deserts, the night-blinding glare of cities into space, and the bleaching of the last coral reefs. We can no longer say our eyes were not equipped to see our impact over time.We nurture a personal ecology of connectedness to place, and from that place to all places by coming to see ourselves and everything within our viewfinder held together and enmeshed in a common matrix of time.We walk only in the present and this is our mortal predicament and impediment, while the consequences of today’s choices stretch out over the lifetimes of forests and rivers and of mountains where our distant children will make their lives.We urgently need to train our eyes for the vision to see ahead even as we look back to see our ancestors looking forward with this hope for us in their own times past.Google Earth Timelapse update shows Earth from 1984-2016Timelapse – Google Earth Engine   30 Nov
Hello Trello - Straight to the point: I’d love to have a few free months of TRELLO GOLD before I save up enough to pay for a year’s-worth. You can help me do that. Just click the box…Click this box below to learn about and start using Trello. It is quick and easy, and might–just might– make you an organized person at this late date! Not convinced? Read on… Click here to explore Trello. Never costs a penny for the basic service. And I appreciate the month of Trello Gold (saved searches, other geeky stuff) that you have helped me to get!Thanks for your curiosity and your help!So think about who in your life needs a way to design and follow projects–family vacations, small business tracking, personal research or shopping projects, anything you can imagine. Sign up and use it for free. Check it out, use it yourself and then pass it along to your kids, colleagues, or family.  Thanks!I generate and record ideas best using digital outliners (Ecco Pro going way way back, then Workflowy, CheckVist, OneNote) but  the way I remember best is visually and spatially. Outlines of hierarchical plain text are not the best tools for recall.So in my researching one topic or another and in my trying to keep up with the details and dates for the organizations I’m involved with, I keep coming back to the most visually-customizable and adaptable way to remember what is going on in my life–the moreso as my own whimpy neurons are less able to do the heavy lifting.The tool I use lets me see my details laid out multi-dimensionally. You may never have heard of it but you might be glad you’re about to, or to share the Trello link with someone it might work for very well.It is called TRELLO. The free version is immensely useful and intuitive. But I need your help to go Gold. More about that in a minute.Without geeking too much about this, Trello is a bulletin board of sorts, where you create columns of related drag-and-drop cards (these columns are called LISTS), with a list for each related category for any given bulletin board (or simply BOARD.) What boards, lists and cards you create will be unique to your project at hand.Generally, one common way to use Trello is to sort the most important or timely cards at the top of a given list, and move cards in lists from left to right across the board as the project advances. The user can, in this manner, track the progress from idea to completion–from doing to done. And you can choose to share a board with team members or family to comment on some or all of your boards.Each card–so very importantly–has an info-rich “back side” where you can create and record all sorts of important stuff–checklists, date information, web links, attachments, images and such.Thanks for taking a bit of time in your own behalf–and MINE! Let me know of your successes with Trello!Get Both a Focused and Bird’s Eye View of Your Tasks with Trello   http://lifehacker.com/get-both-a-focused-and-birds-eye-view-of-your-tasks-wit-1569848624https://www.pinterest.com/pin/460704236856469419/28 Nov
TIME AND A WORLD OF CHANGE ~ PART IV - Abraham Mignon – Fruit Still-Life with Squirrel and GoldfinchContinued from Part IIIThe time-lapse episode I remember most vividly involved the delightful horror of watching a perfectly lovely bowl of fruit shrivel, go gray with mold and turn finally to a black liquid–a natural, everyday process of decay that took many hours, compressed into a twenty-second insight into the end of things.About that time (maybe 1960?) in Look or Life or one of those glossy oversized magazines, I was smitten by a series of images of a family, taken in exactly the same position on exactly the same day of the year for 40 years running.The eye tracked the frames of the series through changes of period-appropriate hair styles and clothes–and faces, or course–from before the birth of the first daughter, through the grade school years, until new babies appeared, grew and changed. Before the end of the series, the father disappeared from the pictures.The message was not lost on me, not yet a teenager, that this chronology of portraits was just another way of depicting the fate of the bowl of fruit. Aging is time passing through us, and leaving us altered imperceptibly every minute, every season, every year.The world of motion and of change swirls around us and within us, even as time moved ever so slowly from one Christmas to the next back then.None–ripe fruit or mature grandparents or perfect newborns–would avoid entropy’s inevitability. But my grown-old self knows too, none should be indifferent to or ignorant of the beauty of the human and natural procession of birth and growth and senescence that the eye of the camera can show us from this grand buzzing, swirling, pulsing spectacle of life-in-time to which our eyes have grown dim.This is the FOURTH excerpt from this topic taken from One Place Understood–a book in my mind only, maybe always, but at least until summer of 2018.25 Nov

GlobalPost

Will a new nuclear arms race undo decades of teamwork between the US and Russia? - After more than 20 years of teamwork between the US and Russia on nuclear arms control, experts are worried that the two countries could face another nuclear arms race — leaving some Russians and Americans nostalgic for the years after the Cold War. Read more: America's missileers stand ready to launch nuclear weapons — and pray they won't have to  The latest flare-up in US-Russia relations began when Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russia should upgrade its nuclear arsenal. Soon afterward, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that the United States “must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability.” For anyone who remembers the rhetoric of the Cold War, this sort of exchange will seem familiar. The US and the Soviet Union spent decades threatening each other with nuclear destruction. But the two powers eventually found a way to reduce their arsenals through a series of treaties and partnerships that continued into recent years. This month, the architects of one of those partnerships, the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, met in Washington for a 25th-anniversary conference. Looking back, many lamented the breakdown in US-Russia relations. “There is a feeling of nostalgia,” said General Viktor Esin, former commander of Russia Strategic Rocket Forces. “I really wish that the times when the US and Russia cooperated would come back.” Richard Lugar, who served as a Republican senator for 36 years, remembered how the project began. When the Soviet Union started to fall apart, a group of Russian officials flew to Washington to meet with him. "They said, 'Well, essentially, you are the targets of our nuclear weapons,'" Lugar recalled. According to the officials, disunity in the military had left Soviet nuclear weapons insecure: “The people that have been guarding the weapons have been deserting,” they told Lugar. “You are very vulnerable right now.” Lugar had long been conscious of the risks that nuclear weapons posed. He once visited a Soviet missile silo and learned that even small cities like his hometown of Indianapolis had been considered targets. “I had been mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana, for eight years,” Lugar said. “It never occurred to me during that period of time that we might have been a target, that one or two of those warheads could have obliterated the whole city.” With that sense of vulnerability in mind, Lugar found an unlikely ally in former Democratic Senator Sam Nunn. In November of 1991, the two of them convinced members of both parties to support a partnership with the Soviet Union. It specifically targeted “loose nukes,” or weapons that were poorly secured after the Cold War ended. Although that spirit of teamwork eroded, particularly after Russian actions in Crimea and Ukraine, Lugar said it’s possible to learn from the past. “The lessons are, very clearly, the need for members of Congress to be able to work together,” he said. “To form bipartisan coalitions where national defense and the security of the world is at stake.” As tensions between the US and Russia again take center stage, Lugar emphasized the importance of coalitions not only across party lines but also across the Atlantic. Today, nuclear experts in the two countries don’t talk very much with one another. But in both places, there’s still hope for collaboration. Viktor Esin, the Russian general, remembered that when he visited American missile silos more than two decades ago, he was surprised by how much the two sides had in common. He hopes that a sense of shared interests will one day help Russia and the US to further reduce the size of their nuclear arsenals. “We always considered ourselves rivals,” said Esin. “But after the cooperation began, we understood that we weren’t enemies.”23 Dec
This woman was attacked for speaking Swahili. In court she forgave her attacker. - Asma Jama's face still bears the scars from the attack that took place in October 2015. It happened at an Applebee's restaurant in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. She was having dinner with her family and they were speaking in their native language: Swahili. As they were chatting, another customer who was sitting at the next table got agitated. She didn't like that they were speaking Swahili and not English. "She said 'speak English or get out of the country,'" Jama recalls. When her family gets together, they speak Swahili instead of English. It's not that they don't know English. In fact, she is a US citizen and her kids were born here. "She continued to say the same thing," Jama says, "and I had to turn around and tell her 'ma'am, we can speak English, we choose not to when we're with family.'" But she got more aggressive. So much that she smashed a beer mug in Jama's face. Jama was left with deep gashes on the lower part of her lip, which needed 17 stitches. Her nose and eye were left bloodied as well. The woman, Asma Jama, spoke after the hearing: "I'm not going to be the first victim, nor will I be the last if things don't change." pic.twitter.com/pefIkwE0Ji — Hannah Covington (@Hannah_Cov) October 17, 2016 The attacker, Jodie Burchard-Risch, ran away, but Applebee's employees chased her and later police took her into custody. This week, Jama and Burchard-Risch faced each other in court. Burchard-Risch was sentenced to six months in prison and up to five years of probation. Jama got the chance to speak directly to her attacker. "What happened to me on that day is unacceptable," an emotional Jama told the court, "it shouldn't happen to anybody else. I used to be a care-free person and now I can't go anywhere by myself." But for Jama this wasn't a day for revenge. She wanted to forgive. "I just want you to ... at the end of all this to understand that we're all the same," she said. "It doesn't matter what's on my head, it doesn't matter ... the color of my skin. We're all the same human beings. We're fighting for the same rights." Jama says this was her chance to follow the teachings of her faith, Islam, which encourages forgiveness. Join our on-going discussion about Asma Jama on the Global Nation Exchange Facebook page.23 Dec
Why Gimli Manitoba is the place to enjoy Icelandic cake - If you're celebrating Christmas this weekend, you're probably starting to stock up on cookies and cakes. And if you live in Gimli, Manitoba, your holiday favorite may involve seven layers of cookie dough with prune filling in between. The local specialty is a delicious treat called a "Vinarterta." But this cake didn’t originate in Manitoba. It’s actually an Icelandic dessert. Between 1870 and 1915 about one-quarter of the population of Iceland left their homeland because of tough economic and environmental conditions, including the 1875 eruption of Mount Askia. Icelandic settlers arrived in what is now Manitoba in the 1870s and established "New Iceland" in what became Gimli. It was a self-administering "Icelandic reserve" with its own government, directly responsible to the Canadian government in Ottawa. Today Gimli (named for the home of the Norse Gods) has become known as the cultural heartland for the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. Enough about the history — back to the cake. A vinarterta wedding cake. Credit: Carrie Arsenault Vinarterta is made by hand by bakery owner Carrie Arsenault. Her husband’s family is Icelandic and she learned the technique of making it from her mother-in-law. “I learned about six years ago,” explains Arsenault. “It took a while. I’ve been in the family for 20 years.” Now that Arsenault has perfected the cake, she makes about 1,200 of them every year. Many get shipped to Icelandic Canadians throughout the country. But each cake is time-consuming. “We still grind the prunes with Amma’s old meat grinder and I roll every layer. So you can imagine seven layers for every cake.” Vinarterta is traditionally made with prune filling, but Arsenault has modernized it a little. Icelandic Vinarterta with apricot filling. Credit: Carrie Arsenault She makes an apricot version, too.23 Dec
For this Venezuelan, Christmas isn't Christmas without hallaca - It's that time of year when many Americans turn to time-honored traditions of Christmas carols, eggnog and kissing under the mistletoe. In our search for holiday traditions outside the US, we came across a Venezuelan tradition: Hallaca. Resembling tamales, hallaca is a staple of Venezuelan Christmas.  It's only made during the holiday, says Juan Freitez Mora, a Venezuelan documentary filmmaker. Preparing it is an all-day affair.     By tradition, family and friends gather in the morning to chop and prep the ingredients — including banana leaves. The leaves are brought in from fields with bird droppings and other contaminants, so they must first be soaked and cleaned. "That was my job," says Mora, of the chore handed to the youngest member of his family. "But I was able to get away with a lot of things. I didn't like washing them, so I only did 10 leaves and then ran off and played with friends," he admits, with a laugh.  Pork, chicken, raisins, olives, capers, onions and pimentos are folded into corn dough, and then wrapped in a banana leaf, says Mora, who now lives in Phoenix. Mora says he was lucky enough to bring his mother and father to the United States from Venezuela, where living conditions have become tough. "My mom asked me if I wanted to make hallacas [here] and the answer was 'of course.'" This Christmas, hallaca may be hard to find on tables in Venezuela. Venezuelans are struggling with shortages of basic food items, making many of the hallaca ingredients scarce.  "It's really interesting because it's easier to find the ingredients in the US than in Venezuela, where long lines form to buy the flour," says Mora. "Looking at the bag, [the flour] used to be made in Venezuela and now it says it's manufactured in the US." We're talking more about hallaca, and all the other wonderful things you can make with banana leaves, in the Global Nation Exchange group on Facebook.23 Dec
These were our favorite albums of 2016 - There was a lot of great music released in 2016. It was hard to narrow down our favorites to a Top 20 list, but here it is. Each of us picked five of our favorites to highlight. Marco's picks:  1. Bombino, "Azel" Bombino's a terrific guitarist from Niger in West Africa. After several releases, he's cemented a reputation in rock circles with his inexhaustible guitar licks. He recorded "Azel" in Woodstock, New York. This album is truly "world rock." 2. My Bubba, "Big Bad Good" Gudbjörg Tómasdóttir is from Iceland and My Larsdotter is from Sweden. Together they are the compelling duo My Bubba. They met as roommates and soon discovered they both loved to write songs, and sing them together. When they harmonize the sound is delicate and soothing. 3. M.I.A, "AIM" M.I.A.'s "AIM" is protest music for the new century (and protest music isn't always pretty to listen to). But the British-born, Sri Lankan rapper writes songs that are innovative and make a point, whether it's exposing what it's like to really be on the run as a refugee, or creating new language and sounds to express herself. M.I.A. is unique and more articulate than most artists on the pop scene today. 4. Elza Soares, "A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo" Elza Soares is a national icon in Brazil. At 79 years old, she can do what she wants. And as a "woman at the end of the world," as the name says, she's released a bold and brash album. I love it.  5. Allen Toussaint, "American Tunes" We play a lot of music that is not American on the show, but when I got this posthumous release from the great New Orleans pianist, singer and composer Allen Toussaint, I just had to include it. It's been a trying year for many of us, and Toussaint's music helped make things a little better. You can listen here to our tribute to Toussaint, who passed away in November 2015. Marco doesn't want you to miss these albums, either:  La Yegros, "Magnetismo" Blitz the Ambassador, "Diasporadical" Gaby Moreno, "Ilusión" Lakou Mizik, "Wa Di Yo" Hannah Williams and the Affirmations, "Late Nights and Heartbreaks" April's picks:  1. Cocofunka, "Chúcaro" This is hands-down my favorite release of the year. Cocofunka is an indie band from Costa Rica, and here they've released an album that's high in energy, polish and production. They enlisted local producer Mario Miranda and Felipe Álvarez, who produced last year's release from Bomba Estereo, to help with the production. 2. Kate Bush, "Before the Dawn (Live)" Fans from around the globe flew to London to catch Kate Bush in concert back in 2014. It was her first series of concerts in 35 years, and I was lucky to catch one of those shows. Now I can relive the moment with this release. 3. Roberto Fonseca, "Abuc" A celebration of Cuban music from the island nation's jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca. Now, you may think this is a retrospective — some best-of 1950s/60s Cuban music — but it's not. Fonseca wrote or co-wrote most of the tunes, so they're new, but with a vintage twist.  4. Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, "Monistic Theory" This is the second album from a dynamic duo. Joe Driscoll is a rapper and songwriter from Syracuse, New York, while Sekou Kouyate is a master kora player from Guinea. Their backgrounds may be worlds apart, but their music shows what can happen when two worlds collide.  5. Afro-Haitian Experimental Orchestra, "AHEO" The Afro-Haitian Experimental Orchestra released their self-titled album this year. Nigerian Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen was invited to Haiti to give a one-off concert with local musicians back in 2014. Allen and the Haitian musicians had just five days to rehearse for the show — and the results can be heard on the group's one and only album. April wants you to check out these albums, too:   Michael Kiwanuka, "Love & Hate" Leyla McCalla, "A Day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey" Leonard Cohen, "You Want it Darker" Harold López-Nussa, "El Viaje" Case/Lang/Veirs, "Case/Lang/Veirs" Listen to a selection of the songs from our favorite albums on Spotify: 23 Dec
Stark numbers show who gets trolled the most online. See for yourself. - Have you ever been hacked, trolled on social media or experienced other forms of online harassment? If the answer is yes, you share the same experience with almost half of American internet users. But gender, age and sexual orientation make a difference in who gets targeted for online harassment, according to a recent study by the Data & Society Research Institute and the Center for Innovative Public Health Research. See how you compare to the most vulnerable groups: 23 Dec
One man is planting mangroves in Indonesia to stave off tragedy - There’s a spot in the Indonesian seaside village of Tongke-Tongke where people like to hang out at sunset.   It’s a boardwalk winding through a dense forest of mangroves along the coast. The tangled root systems of the trees poke out of the water, like tent poles holding up the tree trunks. Teenagers in this town of roughly 3,000 people take selfies with the dense leafy canopy as a backdrop, while families stroll along the boardwalk. None of this may have been here if it weren’t for Hidayat Palaloi. “Before, this area was not like this, it was just empty land, coastline and a beach,” says Palaloi, the head of a mid-sized conservation nonprofit based in Makassar, Indonesia, called the Indonesian Self Growth Foundation. A boardwalk cuts through a mangrove forest in the village of Tongke-Tongke, in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Credit: Carolyn Beeler Without the natural wave protection offered by the mangroves, the coastline in Tongke-Tongke was being eroded. “The erosion was constant,” Palaloi says. “People say some houses on the coastline disappeared and people had to move inland.” Now, there are miles of mangroves that protect the village here. That’s partly thanks to Palaloi, who’s been helping towns like Tongke-Tongke plant mangroves on the island of Sulawesi for more than two decades. The somewhat stern 51-year-old’s motivation comes from a childhood tinged with tragedy.   Palaloi grew up about 150 miles up the coast from Tongke-Tongke, in another coastal village in the province of South Sulawesi. Read more: Indonesia’s forests are key for saving orangutans — and slowing climate change Palaloi’s family raised fish in ponds. But eventually, because mangrove forests had been torn down to make way for aquaculture in the village, erosion ate away at the coast until the ponds were enveloped by the sea.    “For my family, these fish ponds were the main income, and when they failed, our income was gone,” Palaloi says. “My family tried to get other work, but it wasn’t enough.” His family wasn’t alone. A long history of mangrove removal In the 1980s and '90s, the Indonesian government backed the large-scale conversion of mangroves into ponds for raising fish and shrimp in what was called the “blue revolution.” This aquaculture strategy is part of the reason why the country has lost 40 percent of its mangroves in the past three decades. The sprawling island nation of Indonesia still has about a quarter of the world's mangrove forests, but they’re disappearing faster there than anywhere else.   The conversion of mangrove forests to aquaculture ponds like this one in Tongke-Tongke has accelerated erosion on the Indonesian coastline. Credit: Carolyn Beeler After many of Indonesia’s mangroves were stripped away, erosion hit coastal communities hard.   “I saw for myself how erosion hurts people, and I knew I didn’t want to see another community experience what mine did,” Palaloi says. “So that’s why I started doing this [conservation] work.” Tongke-Tongke, an early mangrove success story In the 1980s, Tongke-Tongke was starting to look a lot like Palaloi’s hometown. "The floods happened from January until April,” says Tongke-Tongke resident Saenuden, who lived not far from the coast in the 1980s. “Every day, the water came into the house almost two feet above the floor,” Saenuden says. “It was uncomfortable, to say the least.”  Saenuden and other villagers started planting mangrove seedlings in tidal zones, but there was infighting among the different conservation groups and fishermen, and people threatened to chop the trees down for firewood. Palaloi stepped in to mediate in the late '90s. He and two of his staffers lived in Tongke-Tongke for years, staying with local residents on a rotational basis to build alliances with residents all over town. Palaloi successfully politicked enough to get community members working together, helping them to create a master plan for their village and expand their mangrove planting efforts.    “I think if he didn’t help us to resolve the conflict, I’m not sure that this mangrove forest would be here now,” Saenuden says. Palaloi’s method is to tap local leaders like Saenuden to plant mangroves and then monitor the health of the trees. He sees his role as enabling community members to envision and complete their own projects, rather than dictating what communities should do. He’s spread the gospel of mangroves to roughly 20 different communities around South Sulawesi. In the communities where he works, Palaloi stresses the economic advantages of mangrove restoration projects, including higher crab and fish yields. Credit: Carolyn Beeler Selling the economic advantages of mangroves Palaloi recruited a crab fisherman named Bachtiar to lead mangrove planting in an industrial area on the outskirts of the city of Makassar about eight years ago. The protected waters around mangrove roots serve as excellent nurseries for one type of crab harvested in the region.     “After we planted all the mangroves, our business started to grow,” Bachtiar says. “One person can catch about 10 kilograms per day. Before, you could just catch one or two kilograms.” Bachtiar has opened a crab processing facility since the mangrove project launched. The day I visited he was buying crabs from local fishermen, and about a dozen women were picking the meat out of the shells of cooked crabs to pack them for freezing and shipment. Bachtiar says telling his neighbors that mangroves are good for business was key in getting them to help plant and maintain the coastal trees.     “Almost all of the people around here are crab farmers,” Bachtiar says. “So there are economic and also conservation motivations to continue this project.” Crab pickers at a processing facility on the outskirts of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Credit: Carolyn Beeler Palaloi pitches mangrove projects based on their economic benefits in most of the villages where he works, just like he did outside of Makassar. In Tongke-Tongke, villagers have a co-op to grow and sell mangrove seedlings to other villages looking to emulate their success.   “People who live in coastal areas need to understand that this conservation effort isn’t just aimed at conservation itself, but at helping people who live around the conservation area to improve their economic situation,” Palaloi says. “Otherwise they wouldn’t put in the work to maintain the mangroves.” Many planting efforts marred by failure and wasted resources After the Indonesian government supported the destruction of mangrove forests during the “blue revolution,” it has since reversed its course and now spends millions of dollars a year trying to replant them. “The Ministry of Forestry spends around $13 million a year planting mangroves in every coastal district in Indonesia,” says Ben Brown, Indonesian mangrove expert and co-founder of Blue Forests, a nonprofit that focuses on building resilience in coastal areas. Mangrove seedlings grow in a nursery outside of Makassar, Indonesia. Credit: Carolyn Beeler Brown says most of that money is going to waste. His data suggest the vast majority of the mangroves planted by the ministry die. And they’re not the only ones. Mangrove restoration projects led by other government agencies, countless conservation groups and corporate social responsibility programs are often largely unsuccessful as well.     The mangroves are often planted in places where they can’t survive, or they’re not maintained, Brown says. Meanwhile, the mangroves in Tongke-Tongke are thriving. They’re sprawling and sturdy. But Brown says they still might not fare well in the future. Tongke-Tongke was largely planted with one type of mangrove species, rather than the dozens of different species that records show are native to the east and west coasts of South Sulawesi. And that’s a problem, because each type of mangrove survives only in a very specific depth of water.  “When undertaking this successful restoration, they failed to restore the original biodiversity,” Brown says. “And so the whole coastal area, and that whole restoration — if sea level continues to rise — is at risk of drowning.”   The residents of Tongke-Tongke don’t seem to be worried about the more distant threat of sea level rise now that waves are no longer washing into their living rooms. Palaloi says he’s glad the mangroves he’s planted since the early '90s are trapping carbon and serving as some tiny buffer against global warming and future sea level rise. But his main priority is hyper-local — helping coastal communities protect themselves and make a better living. He wishes he could have done that for his own family, before their business got swept into the sea. This story is part of a series on social entrepreneurs working to limit or reverse deforestation in Indonesia. Find more stories here. 23 Dec
Pozole, songs and the things that survived colonization - My grandmother is singing. She never sings any more — she says she's no good at it. But when she cooks, she lets go of that sort of thing, if only for a short while. I've been begging her for weeks to teach me to make pozole. It's a savory stew brimming with hominy and ancho chilies. Our ancestors have eaten it for generations dating back to the Aztecs, and it’s been passed down almost religiously since. "You know," she starts to tell me, and I try not to protest the interruption of her singing, "when the colonizers came they told us our food was no good. That it was why our kids were small and weak. So we started eating their foods. And wearing their clothing. And speaking their language. And we almost forgot how to speak our own." When the Spaniards first reached Mesoamerica in 1517, they saw not a world of rich culture and traditions worth engaging, but one that could be exploited and bent to their will. Capitalizing on internal strife within the Aztec Empire, the conquistadors quickly formed alliances with nearby indigenous groups. Moctezuma, ruler of the Aztec Empire, ordered his subjects to welcome the explorers, hoping their hospitality would be repaid in kind. Instead, they seized Moctezuma as a hostage and pillaged the capital of Tenochtitlan, today known as Mexico City. I think back to my grandmother’s skin lightening cream — and the news from family that a Nahuatl man was assaulted this month while practicing his Sun Dance in a public square in Obregon, Mexico. Generations later, the legacy of Europeanization is still strong. Attempts to keep our indigenous traditions alive are met with skepticism and, sometimes, violence. My grandmother is back to singing now, and I'm lost in my thoughts. It's easy to forget how much things have changed since then. When the Europeans came, they brought cows, pigs and chickens, fearing that the indigenous, plant-centered diet would make them like us. The new livestock upset the delicate ecological balance and it wasn't long before we had to adapt to their diets. But would their food make us like them? The chilies for pozole. When Natascha Elena’s grandmother first moved to the US, they ate the savory stew from a jar. Credit: Natascha Uhlmann/PRI "You know," my grandmother starts to tell me, "when we first moved here, we would eat pozole from a jar. We couldn't find any of the ingredients, only the store-bought stuff. It was never the same, though. How could it be? Your mom and I would spend hours peeling the chilies, grinding the peanuts — it was all by hand, in those days. Just a mortar and pestle, that was all we had. So this store-bought stuff, well of course it just wasn't the same." My mom steps in: "When your cousins would visit us from down south, we wouldn't ask for gifts or souvenirs or anything. Just chilies. We just couldn't get them here. One time your aunt came with a suitcase full. She'd packed one shirt, maybe two, and a suitcase filled to the brim with those damn peppers. I'd never laughed so hard in my life." “Was it hard?” I ask, though of course I know the answer. “Did you ever feel unwelcome here? Were people kind? What would you do when things got lonely?” “It was hard, but your mom was brave for doing it. It was hard, though, the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” my grandmother says. Mom came to Arizona in 1981; grandmother followed two years later. “Your mom and I found so much joy here. But you’ll still find yourself grasping for something. Something you can’t put your finger on, and you’re happy, but it’s always there in the background. A small part of you knows you’ll never be home again. You can build a life here and surround yourself with the people you love. You can build a home here. But it’s never really home.” The pozole bubbles, the scent starts to fill the kitchen. A mariachi croons softly in the background on my grandmother’s old cassette player. “Mostly though, right now anyway, it’s funny to us. Even the slights, you learn to laugh at them. When your mom would go out with you kids, when she’d take you to the park or go grocery shopping with you, they’d always think she was the maid. People who had met her multiple times! People who knew your names! Well, you three have pale skin and she didn’t, so of course, she had to be hired help.” Natascha Uhlmann’s mother as a young girl in rural Mexico. Credit: Courtesy of Elena Buenrostro My mom laughs, but I wonder how many times she’s forced that laugh before. “Of course it was hard,” says my mother. “But honestly, the hardest part was being without your grandma. Even just for a few months. I couldn’t stand to be away from her, alone in this new place, learning a new tongue, thrust in the middle of a new culture. Everything I’d ever known was suddenly different. The language, well, things are better now, but when people would hear my accent they’d look at me like I was from another planet. Eventually, I got braver and started giving it right back!” She tells me things are better. She knows I worry, so she’ll say that things have changed, but just last week someone made a racial slur to her while she was in line at the grocery store. A man in line didn’t like that she was using coupons — so he called her a “f*****g beaner”. The years pass, but inevitably each Christmas I find myself back in our little space. They say you can never really go back home once you leave. That it will always be different. I think I’m starting to understand that. But somehow the kitchen is just as it's ever been. Mom and I are making pozole, and the scent of roasted chilies brings family wafting in and out, hoping for the first taste. I start humming, Aca Entre Nos, a song I haven't heard in a while. "You know," my mother says, "your grandmother used to love this song." How to make my grandmother’s pozole Pozole, a dish that comes from the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. Credit: Natascha Uhlmann/PRI Ingredients: 500 grams of hominy 3 red tomatoes 1 medium sized avocado 1 head of garlic 5 guajillo chilies 3 arbol chilies 3 pasilla peppers 1 1/4 cup onions 1 lime Cabbage (to taste) Preparation: Place the tomatoes in a pan on high heat, letting them blacken on each side. When sufficiently darkened, throw in minced garlic, whole guajillo and arbol chilies, pasilla peppers and chopped onions. Reduce to medium heat and stir constantly. When slightly browned, toss into blender with 6 cups of water. Once liquefied, return to stove and add the hominy, allowing the stew to simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish with limes and chopped cabbage and serve. Makes 4 servings. Natascha Uhlmann is a writer and activist from Sonora, Mexico.23 Dec
When Canadian citizens sponsor Syrian refugees, things can get complicated - “Imagine going on Google Earth, and trying to find your old house, and not being able to find it because its been bombed to smithereens.” Jodi Kantor, a New York Times journalist, has been reporting on Syrian refugees in Canada who are trying to come to grips with all they've lost.  She's also been reporting on how they have been building new homes and starting new lives. Kantor is working on a multi-part series about what the first year has been like for a few Syrian refugee families that have been matched with private sponsors.  These sponsors are ordinary Canadian citizens that have committed to do everything they can to help resettle a refugee family — from providing financial support to offering practical support, like helping with groceries, doctor’s appointments and English lessons. More than 35,000 thousand Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada since November 2015. A third of them got sponsors.  Related: Some Canadians really want to sponsor Syrian refugees. Turns out it's harder than they thought. Kantor was there when one Syrian refugee family met their sponsor family for the first time. “We [were] in this airport hotel in Toronto, a group of Syrian refugees, a family that has only been in Canada for something like 48 hours, they don’t speak a lick of English, they come downstairs, and they are told through a translator, ‘These are your sponsors,’ and they are like, ‘What?’ The word doesn’t even mean anything to them,” Kantor recounts.  Syrian refugees receive winter clothing as they arrive at the Pearson Toronto International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on Dec. 18, 2015. Credit: Mark Blinch/Reuters “I’m watching it kind of register for them,” Kantor says, “that these people they don’t know are going to adopt them for a year.” The relationship between Syrian refugees and their sponsors can get complicated. “The sponsors are extremely eager to help, but sometimes that eagerness can almost be a problem, because there are some boundary issues. Are these Syrian families even in a position to say no to certain things?” A Syrian refugee holds his daughter as they arrive at the Pearson Toronto International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, on Dec. 18, 2015.  Credit: Mark Blinch/Reuters Parenting is one thing that refugee families and sponsor families often disagree over, Kantor says. “They find Canadian parenting so different,” she says. “The strong cultural tradition in Syria is that your kids are really supposed to listen to you. Well, their kids have gotten to Canada, and [the Syrian parents] say that their kids are behaving like little lawyers and negotiators, kind of pushing back and questioning every decision, and the parents find it a little funny but also unnerving.” Syrian refugees elsewhere could soon find themselves in similarly complicated relationships with host families. Delegates from several other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and the US, recently attended sessions to learn about how Canada's program could be replicated in their countries.  Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with a Syrian refugee during Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on July 1, 2016.  Credit: Chris Wattie/Reuters  22 Dec
What it's like to be the victim of a Russian online smear campaign - What's true and what's not? It's getting harder to tell. That's in part because of disinformation designed to confuse the news consumer.  We talked with Warsaw-based journalist Anne Applebaum about what it's like to be on the receiving end of a personal fake news attack.  Here's an excerpt from her recent column in The Washington Post:  We were told in June that the Democratic National Committee had been hacked by Russians. We were told in October that material subsequently passed on to WikiLeaks came from the same source. Numerous articles were written about these leaks and about Donald Trump's many Russian connections. And yet no one was really outraged until now. Why? I have a theory: Until you have seen for yourself how 21st-century disinformation works, you laugh at the very idea of it. Once you have understood its power, you stop laughing. If I was slightly ahead of the curve, it's only because I saw it firsthand. A couple of years ago, I was the focus of a smear campaign. Elements of it could have been lifted out of a spy novel, but the basic idea was quite simple: In the wake of the invasion of Crimea, when I was writing quite a bit about Ukraine, nasty little articles about me started appearing on Russia-based websites. The technique was the same as that used by people who later dressed up the stories from the emails of the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta: mix truth and lies — my book contract and royalties were described as mysterious income from questionable sources — make ludicrous claims, pass on the lies to other Russian-backed websites, and then watch them pass it on again. There was no way to correct the stories — to whom would I complain? — and as I'm not running for president, frankly who cares. But it was eye-opening to watch the stories move through a well-oiled system, one that had been constructed for exactly this sort of purpose. Eventually the articles about me were echoed or quoted in a dozen places: on quasi-respectable websites with ties to Russian business, on Russia Today, and on pro-Russian American websites like Ron Paul's Institute for Peace and Prosperity. The process finally peaked in November 2015, when WikiLeaks — out of the blue — tweeted one of the articles to its 4 million followers ...  You can read the rest of Applebaum's column at The Washington Post.22 Dec

GlobalWarming.org

SJW-day at COP22 - Guest post by Rupert Darwall Last Tuesday, an event of such magnitude struck the latest round of the climate conference – talks which have been going on in various forms since the early 1990s – that the response of many participants and NGOs is to pretend nothing’s happened and carry on as before. Today is gender and education day at the COP22 in Marrakech. Gender equality and the empowerment of women is written into the preamble of last December’s Paris Agreement, the climate treaty that President Obama ratified without sending to the Senate for its advice and consent. ‘Gender justice is climate justice,’ as one feminist NGO puts it. There are Feminists for a Fossil Fuel Free Future. You can download a Gender Climate Tracker app for iPhone and Android. ‘Our existing economies are based on gender exploitative relationships,’ one speaker told a side meeting. ‘The first ecology is my body,’ another declared. Sexual and reproductive rights require climate justice. ‘Sixty percent of my body is water. What I’m drinking takes me to my city and to the health of the planet.’ The climate change negotiations are a never-ending process symbolized by the initial adorning every poster and lectern at the conference.  Marrakech is the 22nd conference of the parties under the 1992 UN framework convention on climate change  – COP 22; the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol  – CMP 12; and the first session of the conference of the parties serving as the meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement  – CMA1. Far from creating institutional overload, climate change is much more than it might appear to the naïve observer. It is about remoulding society and changing the global economy. It has set in motion a process that accretes constituencies and sucks in government agencies as it extends its scope and strengthens its hold by creating the justification for huge slush funds of climate finance. Marrakech sees parties being urged to raise their ambition from $100bn a year of annual climate funding to $500bn. It creates a momentum that seems unstoppable.  As President Obama’s climate envoy, Jonathan Pershing, pointed out today, it was a Republican Congress that extended subsidies for wind and solar. ‘It’s not going to stop in a context of a change of administration,’ Pershing pointedly added. Well, it might do just that. When in 1982, Al Haig asked Ronald Reagan why he was rejecting the Law of the Sea, Reagan replied: ‘Al, that’s what the last election was all about … It was about not doing things just because that’s the way they’ve been done before.’ The Paris Agreement and the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan which is its domestic counterpart would, if implemented, damage the United States far more than the Law of the Sea ever could have done. But the answer is the same as Reagan’s. Quit the whole damn shebang. 18 Nov
Clean Power Plan: EPA’s Updated Base Case Now Tallies with EIA Data - In as recent letter to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Troutman Sanders attorney Peter Glaser argues that “EPA far understated the effects of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) by exaggerating the amount of coal generation that will retire even without the rule.” The smoking gun evidence is in the agency’s updated modeling, which now tallies with U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. Here’s how the numbers break down. In EPA’s “base case” for the CPP, the agency assumed that in 2016, “20 percent of coal capacity would disappear even if the rule were not adopted, reducing coal generation to 214 gigawatts (GW).” However, EIA’s Electric Power Monthly shows 272 GW of coal actually in service as of August 2016. EPA’s Cross State Air Pollution Rule Update, published October 26, estimates there will be 268 GW of coal generation in service through the end of 2016. So there you have it. EPA’s “base case” for calculating how much coal generation will have to decline to meet CPP requirements is now virtually identical to EIA’s.   3 Nov
Clean Power Plan Oral Argument Transcript Available Here! - On Tuesday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals released a 320-page transcript of the marathon oral argument on EPA’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emission standards for existing fossil-fuel power plants, the agency’s so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP).  To my knowledge, the transcript is not available on the Court’s Web site. To make the document more easily accessible to the public, I am pleased to post it on GlobalWarming.Org. To read/download the oral argument, click on the highlighted text in the first paragraph above.   14 Oct

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Drumming mediates mental health recovery. - PMID:  Psychol Well Being. 2016 ;6(1):11. Epub 2016 Nov 29. PMID: 28003957 Abstract Title:  Making music for mental health: how group drumming mediates recovery. Abstract:  BACKGROUND: While music-making interventions are increasingly recognised as enhancing mental health, little is known of why music may engender such benefit. The objective of this article is to elucidate the features of a programme of group drumming known to enable mental health recovery.METHODS: Qualitative research was conducted with 39 mental health patients and carers who had demonstrated recovery following engagement with a programme of group djembe drumming in the UK. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews designed to understand the connection between drumming and recovery and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).RESULTS: Results revealed three overarching features of the drumming intervention: (1) the specific features of drumming, including drumming as a form of non-verbal communication, as a connection with life through rhythm, and as a grounding experience that both generates and liberates energy; (2) the specific features of the group, including the group as a space of connection in and through the rhythmic features of the drumming, as well as facilitating feelings of belonging, acceptance, safety and care, and new social interactions; (3) the specific features of the learning, including learning as an inclusive activity in which the concept of mistakes is dissolved and in which there is musical freedom, supported by an embodied learning process expedited by the musical facilitator.CONCLUSION: The findings provide support for the conceptual notion of 'creative practice as mutual recovery', demonstrating that group drumming provides a creative and mutual learning space in which mental health recovery can take place. read more24 Dec
432 Hz Music has an anxiolytic effect in the treatment of endodontic treatment. - PMID:  J Endod. 2016 Sep ;42(9):1338-43. Epub 2016 Jul 16. PMID: 27430941 Abstract Title:  Influences of 432 Hz Music on the Perception of Anxiety during Endodontic Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Abstract:  INTRODUCTION: Patients undergoing endodontic therapy often have severe perioperative and intraoperative anxiety, which may lead to increased perceptions of pain and vital sign instability throughout treatment. The purpose of this study was to test the influences of music, as a nonpharmacologic adjuvant, in terms of significant changes for systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) before, during, and after endodontic treatment in a population with different levels of anxiety assessed with the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale.METHODS: A total of 100 patients were recruited in the present study; before starting the endodontic treatment, the interviewer administered the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale to the participants to assess the baseline level of anxiety. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: the first one listened to the music and the second one did not. Before, during, and after the endodontic procedures, the vital signs (diastolic and systolic blood pressure and heart rate) were recorded. Results were collected and statistically analyzed.RESULTS: Direct contrasts between patients listening or not listening to music showed that all the measured vital signs decreased considering the overall period (during and after the canal therapy) in the group of patients listening to music (P read more24 Dec
An extract of black ginseng ameliorated hypercholesterolemia in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet. - PMID:  J Ginseng Res. 2016 Apr ;40(2):160-8. Epub 2015 Jul 18. PMID: 27158237 Abstract Title:  Black ginseng extract ameliorates hypercholesterolemia in rats. Abstract:  BACKGROUND: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is a well-characterized medicinal herb listed in the classic oriental herbal dictionary as"Shin-nong-bon-cho-kyung."Ginseng has diverse pharmacologic and therapeutic properties. Black ginseng (BG, Ginseng Radix nigra) is produced by repeatedly steaming fresh ginseng nine times. Studies of BG have shown that prolonged heat treatment enhances the antioxidant activity with increased radical scavenging activity. Several recent studies have showed the effects of BG on increased lipid profiles in mice. In this study report the effects of water and ethanol extracts of BG on hypercholesterolemia in rats. To our knowledge, this is the first time such an effect has been reported.METHODS: Experiments were conducted on male Sprague Dawley rats fed with a high-cholesterol diet supplemented with the water and ethanol extracts of BG (200 mg/kg). Their blood cholesterol levels, serum white blood cell levels, and cholesterol-metabolizing marker genes messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were determined. Liver and adipose tissues were histologically analyzed.RESULTS: We found that BG extracts efficiently reduced the total serum cholesterol levels, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels with increased food efficiency ratio and increased number of neutrophil cells. It also attenuated the key genes responsible for lipogenesis, that is, acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) acetyltransferase 2, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2, at the mRNA level inside liver cells. Furthermore, the BG extract also reduced the accumulation of fat in adipose tissues, and inhibited the neutral fat content in liver cells stained with hematoxylin and eosin and oil red O.CONCLUSION: Administration of BG extracts to Sprague Dawley rats fed with high-cholesterol diet ameliorated hypercholesterolemia, which was mediated via modulation of cholesterol-metabolizing marker genes. This data throw a light on BG's cardioprotective effects. read more23 Dec
Korean red ginseng may protect against chemotherapy-induced alopecia. - PMID:  J Ginseng Res. 2016 Apr ;40(2):169-75. Epub 2015 Jul 18. PMID: 27158238 Abstract Title:  Protective effect of Korean Red Ginseng against chemotherapeutic drug-induced premature catagen development assessed with human hair follicle organ culture model. Abstract:  BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is one of the most distressing side effects for patients undergoing chemotherapy. This study evaluated the protective effect of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) on CIA in a well-established in vitro human hair follicle organ culture model as it occurs in vivo.METHODS: We examined whether KRG can prevent premature hair follicle dystrophy in a human hair follicle organ culture model during treatment with a key cyclophosphamide metabolite, 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC).RESULTS: 4-HC inhibited human hair growth, induced premature catagen development, and inhibited proliferation and stimulated apoptosis of hair matrix keratinocytes. In addition, 4-HC increased p53 and Bax protein expression and decreased Bcl2 protein expression. Pretreatment with KRG protected against 4-HC-induced hair growth inhibition and premature catagen development. KRG also suppressed 4-HC-induced inhibition of matrix keratinocyte proliferation and stimulation of matrix keratinocyte apoptosis. Moreover, KRG restored 4-HC-induced p53 and Bax/Bcl2 expression.CONCLUSION: Overall, our results indicate that KRG may protect against 4-HC-induced premature catagen development through modulation of p53 and Bax/Bcl2 expression. read more23 Dec
Ginsenoside Rh2 can suppress the growth of H22 hepatomas without causing severe side effects. - PMID:  Planta Med. 2016 May ;82(8):705-11. Epub 2016 May 10. PMID: 27163230 Abstract Title:  Antitumoral Activity of (20R)- and (20S)-Ginsenoside Rh2 on Transplanted Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Mice. Abstract:  Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the leading causes of malignancy-related death in China. Its therapy in clinics is a big challenge. Ginsenoside Rh2 is one of the most notable cancer-preventing components from red ginseng and it has been reported that ginsenoside Rh2 exhibited potent cytotoxicity against human hepatoma cells. Rh2 exists as two different stereoisomeric forms, (20S)-ginsenoside Rh2 and (20R)-ginsenoside Rh2. Previous reports showed that the Rh2 epimers demonstrated different pharmacological activities and only (20S)-ginsenoside Rh2 showed potent proliferation inhibition on cancer cells in vitro. However, the in vivo anti-hepatoma activity of (20R)-ginsenoside Rh2 and (20S)-ginsenoside Rh2 has not been reported yet. This work assessed and compared the anti-hepatoma activities of (20S)-ginsenoside Rh2 and (20R)-ginsenoside Rh2 using H22 a hepatoma-bearing mouse model in vivo. In addition, hematoxylin and eosin staining, the deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay, and the semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction method were used to further study the apoptosis of the tumors. The results showed that both (20S)-ginsenoside Rh2 and (20R)-ginsenoside Rh2 suppressed the growth of H22 transplanted tumors in vivo, and the highest inhibition rate could be up to 42.2 and 46.8 %, respectively (p read more23 Dec
Korean red ginseng extract enhances paclitaxel distribution to mammary tumors. - PMID:  Xenobiotica. 2016 May 17:1-10. Epub 2016 May 17. PMID: 27189791 Abstract Title:  Korean red ginseng extract enhances paclitaxel distribution to mammary tumors and its oral bioavailability by P-glycoprotein inhibition. Abstract:  1. Drug efflux by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a common resistance mechanism of breast cancer cells to paclitaxel, the primary chemotherapy in breast cancer. As a means of overcoming the drug resistance-mediated failure of paclitaxel chemotherapy, the potential of Korean red ginseng extract (KRG) as an adjuvant chemotherapy has been reported only in in vitro. Therefore, we assessed whether KRG alters P-gp mediated paclitaxel efflux, and therefore paclitaxel efficacy in in vitro and vivo models. 2. KRG inhibited P-gp protein expression and transcellular efflux of paclitaxel in MDCK-mdr1 cells, but KRG was not a substrate of P-gp ATPase. In female rats with mammary tumor, the combination of paclitaxel with KRG showed the greater reduction of tumor volumes, lower P-gp protein expression and higher paclitaxel distribution in tumors, and greater oral bioavailability of paclitaxel than paclitaxel alone. 3. From these results, KRG increased systemic circulation of oral paclitaxel and its distribution to tumors via P-gp inhibition in rats and under the current study conditions. read more23 Dec
A black ginseng extract is a potentially useful agent for treatment of diabetes by increasing glucose uptake. - PMID:  J Ethnopharmacol. 2016 Aug 22 ;190:231-40. Epub 2016 May 31. PMID: 27260409 Abstract Title:  Black ginseng extract exerts anti-hyperglycemic effect via modulation of glucose metabolism in liver and muscle. Abstract:  ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, Araliaceae) has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, including diabetes. Processed ginseng named Black ginseng exhibits more potent biological activities than white and red ginseng. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of black ginseng extract (GBG05-FF) on hyperglycemia and glucose tolerance in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Black ginseng was produced by a repeated steaming and drying process, subsequent extraction with 70% ethanol, filtration, and lyophilization. The effect of GBG05-FF on glucose uptake and related protein expression and phosphorylation were determined in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, we evaluated the anti-diabetic effects of GBG05-FF in STZ-induced diabetic mice.RESULTS: GBG05-FF significantly (pread more23 Dec
Fermented red ginseng might be a beneficial therapeutic approach for metabolic syndrome. - PMID:  Nutrients. 2016 Jun 16 ;8(6). Epub 2016 Jun 16. PMID: 27322312 Abstract Title:  Fermented Red Ginseng Potentiates Improvement of Metabolic Dysfunction in Metabolic Syndrome Rat Models. Abstract:  Metabolic syndrome including obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension is a cluster of risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Fermentation of medicinal herbs improves their pharmacological efficacy. Red ginseng (RG), a widely used traditional herbal medicine, was reported with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity. Aim in the present study was to investigate that the effects of fermented red ginseng (FRG) on a high-fructose (HF) diet induced metabolic disorders, and those effects were compared to RG and losartan. Animals were divided into four groups: a control group fed a regular diet and tap water, and fructose groups that were fed a 60% high-fructose (HF) diet with/without RG 250 mg/kg/day or FRG 250 mg/kg/day for eight weeks, respectively. Treatment with FRG significantly suppressed the increments of body weight, liver weight, epididymal fat weight and adipocyte size. Moreover, FRG significantly prevented the development of metabolic disturbances such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Staining with Oil-red-o demonstrated a marked increase of hepatic accumulation of triglycerides, and this increase was prevented by FRG. FRG ameliorated endothelial dysfunction by downregulation of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and adhesion molecules in the aorta. In addition, FRG induced markedly upregulation of Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and glucose transporter type 4 (Glut4) in the muscle. These results indicate that FRG ameliorates obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and fatty liver in HF diet rats. More favorable pharmacological effects on HF diet induced metabolic disorders were observed with FRG, compared to an equal dose of RG. These results showed that the pharmacological activity of RG was enhanced by fermentation. Taken together, fermentated red ginseng might be a beneficial therapeutic approach for metabolic syndrome. read more23 Dec
Korean red ginseng was shown to be an otoprotective agent against cisplatin induced ototoxicity. - PMID:  J Int Adv Otol. 2016 Aug ;12(2):177-183. Epub 2016 Aug 3. PMID: 27487360 Abstract Title:  Protective Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on Cisplatin Ototoxicity: Is It Effective Enough? Abstract:  OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the effects Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) on cisplatin (CDDP) ototoxicity in vivo and in vitro.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The first part of the study was conducted on the House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cell line. Cells were treated with CDDP, KRG, and their combination for 24 h. Cell viability, apoptosis, and the expression of 84 apoptosis-related genes were analyzed. In the second part of the study, 30 Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups. Baseline distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurements were obtained. In groups I, II, and III, only saline, KRG, and CDDP, respectively, were given. In group IV, 500 mg/kg KRG and in group V, 150 mg/kg of KRG were administered for 10 days. In groups III, IV, and V, 16 mg/kg CDDP injections were administered on day 11. On day 14, final DPOAEs and ABR measurements were completed. The rats were then sacrificed, and their inner ear structures were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy.RESULTS: In the first part of the study, pretreatment with 1 mg/mL KRG protected cells from CDDP ototoxicity. This protection was mainly due to a decline in apoptotic gene expression and an increase in antiapoptotic gene expression. In the in vivo part of the study, we found that both KRG doses had otoprotective effects. This protection was more prominent at the lower dose, especially on the spiral ganglion and the brainstem.CONCLUSION: KRG was shown to be an otoprotective agent against CDDP-induced ototoxicity both in vivo and in vitro. read more23 Dec
Korean Red Ginseng could be used as a complementary therapy for chronic hepatitis B. - PMID:  J Altern Complement Med. 2016 Dec ;22(12):964-969. Epub 2016 Sep 7. PMID: 27603149 Abstract Title:  Effects of Complementary Combination Therapy of Korean Red Ginseng and Antiviral Agents in Chronic Hepatitis B. Abstract:  OBJECTIVES: Chronic hepatitis B management is commonly targeted at reducing viral replication. However, the currently available antiviral therapies are associated with some problems, including resistance and numerous adverse effects. Ginseng has been reported to be effective for treating viral infections such as influenza and human immunodeficiency virus. However, there are currently few studies on the effects of ginseng in chronic hepatitis B. Thus, this study investigated the effects of ginseng together with antiviral agents in chronic hepatitis B.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial, and single-center study. Thirty-eight patients were enrolled. The control group (n = 19) was administered antiviral agents alone. The experimental group (n = 19) was administered antiviral agents along with Korean Red Ginseng powder capsules (each dose is 1 gram (two capsules), a one-day dose is 3 grams). The baseline characteristics did not differ between the two groups.Differences in several non-invasive fibrosis serologic markers (type IV collagen, hyaluronic acid, transforming growth factor-β) and in the hepatitis B virus DNA levels were compared between the groups.RESULTS: The non-invasive fibrosis serologic markers were further decreased in the experimental group, with significant differences after treatment observed for hyaluronic acid (p = 0.032) and transforming growth factor-β (p = 0.008), but not for type IV collagen (p = 0.174).CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the possibility of Korean Red Ginseng as a complementary therapy for chronic hepatitis B. read more23 Dec

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White Christmas - Although perhaps I should be careful with that title. I saw a “White Christmas” post from one of my friends, who I know voted for Trump, and became very suspicious about his meaning. I don’t know if there’s snow in Prague or not (doubt it), but we are at the cottage, in the foothills of the Krkonose mountains, and it did indeed snow today, a lovely, big flaked snow, but when I went out for a walk after, it was raining, kind of drizzly, and it was already melting. It’s just right at that point. While out walking this morning, fell flat on my face in the middle of the road, because the road was a solid patch of ice. Nobody saw. Anyway, carp and potato salad have been consumed, presents have been opened, and I am typing this on my brand new computer, which seems to be much quicker and more responsive than the last computer. A couple of hiccups, like I don’t have a Czech keyboard yet, but I’m sure we’ll figure that out, especially since, although it is officially my computer, it was my Christmas gift, I know everybody else in the family is going to be fighting me for time on it (Sam and Helena have already had a go), and I’d better co-operate, because I am dependent on them for tech support. Tomorrow, my wife’s sister’s family will come, and there will be a day of kids playing with each others’ presents, and confusion will reign. That’s about it for tonight. Hoping Carrie Fischer is feeling better. 24 Dec
Weekend in Kotelsko - We are at the cottage so I’m writing this on a funky little keyboard which is way too small for my fat fingers, so i will keep it quick. Actually, I should be grateful that I am able to write my blog and access the internet at all here. We got on the road at about 3:30, and there was heavy traffic getting out of Prague. Really, I think civilization would function much better if we didn’t all insist on doing the same things at the same times. We could avoid the crowds in the stores and a lot of the worst irritations of the season if we just decided, arbitrarily, to have 4 Christmases throughout the year. One in spring, one in summer, one in autumn, and one on the traditional date. Everybody could pick one, and things would go much more smoothly. Purists might object, but there isn’t a chance in hell that it’s actually Christ’s birthday and, besides, most people don’t care about that. Santa can fly four times a year as easy as he can fly one, because he’s magic. Same goes for weekends. If every company gave half their employees Wednesday-Thursday off, they could stay open 7 days and the beaches wouldn’t be near as crowded on the weekend. There are over 7 billion people on this planet. We have to start thinking creatively. 23 Dec
Tiangong II - I just saw an ad today for an airline, I believe it was China Air but it doesn’t really matter, saying “We make flying exciting again” and I thought “Who wants flying to be exciting?” When I get onto a plane, I want it to feel like a long and tedious bus ride, with a meal. If I want excitement, I’ll bring a book. There is a rumor going around that the Chinese have perfected an “EM” drive, and I’m guessing that stands for electro-magnetic, although I’m not sure. It has something to do with shooting particles around a tube which is narrow at one end than the other, but you’re going to have to look elsewhere for a more technical explanation. I’m a bit skeptical about the story for a couple of reasons. 1. It sounds too good to be true. This would cut travel time to Mars down by more than half, and start to make even interstellar travel sound possible. I know some in the West are worried, because it’s the Chinese, but I say bring it on. White people have dominated the planet for the last 4 or 5,000 years or so, and mucked it up properly. Somebody else’s turn. 2. It seems I’ve heard this rumor before. In fact, that would explain why it’s called the Tiangong II and not just Tiangong, but if Tiangong (senior) had accomplished this successfully, it would have been front page news. So, as with all things of modern provenance, we will have to wait and see. Good luck to us all. 22 Dec
Robots and Global Warming - This little video made my day: https://www.facebook.com/LikeTheLedge/videos/1411552732194971/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED and if that doesn’t come up in blue, you can curse me for a technotard, it’s true, but I’m doing this on Chrome because I can’t do it on Firefox at all any more and yet don’t know how to do some basic, basic things on Chrome like add a link or a picture, but in the time it takes to shake your head and mutter, you can copy and past it into your header line and get the same result. It’s a very cool robot doing very impressive things, like walking upstairs, putting a glass in the dish washer and a soda can in the trash (it’s cool but I don’t know if that’s just very specific programming, or if the robot knows the difference between a glass and a can) bending it’s knees to walk under a table, showing some spiffy dance moves and using it’s head (literally) to regain its balance. The amazing thing to me is that we saw, not so long ago, within the last year if I remember right, another robot video from the same company, you remember the one, where the guy kept knocking the poor robot over and their were all sorts of overdubbed you tube videos having the robot saying things like “Fuck off, mate” because that’s always hysterical. I was impressed with that video, but this new one puts it to shame, takes it to a new level entirely. So what, you might ask, do robots have to do with global warming? Both are advancing far more quickly than we ever would have thought. But robots, if this latest video is any indication, are evolving even faster, and the rate of increase is increasing. So, it’s a race, and the robots are going to win it. This means one of two things. Of course, as robots become more sophisticated, so do computers, and maybe a robot will be invented that can single-handedly repair the environment, and make revolutionary changes to the economy as well. Or else, when we all die because we’ve changed the atmosphere into something unbreatheable, robots will be ready to take over. 21 Dec
It Was The Suit - This is not a pro-Russian blog or an anti-Russian blog. This is not a pro-Assad blog or an anti-Assad blog. I do feel sympathy for any innocent civilians still in Aleppo, and hope the atrocities have been greatly overstated, but I don’t know about that. This blog is not even to condemn Mevlut Mert Altintas for shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey in the back, several times, at close range. He deserves condemnation, to be sure, but I’m confident he will hear it from many quarters, and I want to do more than just add to the chorus. I may just be a cog in the great machine of civilization, perhaps even a trifling, minor cog, but I don’t want to be a redundant cog. Besides, he’s dead. This blog is just to comment on (and I’m not even necessarily totally condemning it – free speech is an absolute)the sudden spate of humorous memes centered around Mr. Altintas as he was waving his gun around, terrifying all who were present, and giving his angry little speech about Aleppo. I saw one with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in a famous pose from “Pulp Fiction” and another comparing it to Saturday Night Fever. Strikes me as a bit too soon, especially since the video of Karlov’s assassination is basically a Facebook Snuff Flick. The thing I can’t figure out, and there must be some kind of formula, is when is it possible to make jokes and when not – how soon is too soon. And I’ve got a theory, which is probably almost as offensive as the memes themselves: it’s the suit. Seriously, people don’t even wear suits to the office any more, half the time. He bears no resemblance to the other terrorists you’ve seen, even in the movies. The only person who wears a suit while killing people is James Bond, and he is portrayed as a good guy. Go figure. 20 Dec
Kind of a Bad Day - Of course, it’s hard to categorize, because every day in our complex, world spanning society contains so much good, and so much bad. Somewhere, a baby is being born. Somewhere, some guy in his garage just invented something that will make all of our lives better. Somewhere,people are dancing. But, there were three incidences of ‘terrorism’ today. I hate that word. There was nothing similar about the attacks at all, and yet that’s how this day will probably be remembered. The day when there were all of those terrorist attacks. The first was in Zurich, Switzerland, when a lone gunmen came into a Mosque and started shooting people. Three men were injured, a couple of them pretty seriously. I don’t know if they’ve made an arrest yet, but this sounds like your typical white supremacist bullshit. Then, the shooting of the Russian ambassador to Turkey. This was maybe the most disturbing, just because there was good film of it. Good film of a man at the point of death. Snuff flicks are now standard on the news. It was also the most clear cut of the three. You know the assassins politics because he stood there and shouted about them until police came and gunned him down. Then, by far the worst in terms of body count, the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin. Just like that incident in France a few months ago, some cretin with a big rig drove into a crowd and killed a whole bunch of people. What can be done? Well, in the case of the market, maybe events like that should have traffic inhibitors at either end. In the case of the ambassadors’s shooting at the art gallery, ambassador’s should learn not to let people stand behind them. But, we shouldn’t have to think about that, even, and normally we don’t. But Today was a bad day. 19 Dec
The Process - Sunday night,end of the weekend,not much done but progress on one front,at least, we’ve started putting together my newest book, “The Meaning of Life in Easy English” and the process (well, of course the process is for me to hand it to Helena and say “Here, get this online” which can lead to some resistance. Anyway, the process is she takes one of my previous books, in this case “Uncle Willie’s Very Silly Animal Poems,” which is similar in that it’s populated exclusively by very short poems, accompanied by very childlike drawings. So, we’ve got a book production machine going on. I have often thought that a poet is basically a poetry producing machine,and every writer is essentially a sentence producing machine. We have the raw materials, which are the words and phrases that have been passed down to us from generation to generation, changing through time, polished like the pebbles in the churning stream. We have the assembly of the materials, and the beginning of the production line, putting the words into sentences, trying to attach them to a specific thought, or maybe not so quickly, just trying to get them to sound good, or to rhyme, or to say anything at all. Only then comes putting it all into a package and sending it off to market. I’ve watched a lot of Food Factory, and it’s always the same routine there, too. 18 Dec
What’s in a Misspelling? - At first,I did not believe that Donald Trump had actually tweeted a tweet with the word ‘unpresidented.’ But, I’ve seen it from a couple of sources now and, by this point, none of us should truly be surprised that the president-elect is a moron. The tweet was about China did,their ‘unpresidented’ action. Apparently, they intercepted some kind of U.S. drone submarine. A bit cheeky, I suppose you could say, as they were within site of the American surface ship when they fished the drones out of the water but, on the other hand, it WAS a U.S. drone submarine, and they were located a lot closer to China then they were to the U.S., so I’m not sure I totally blame China for this one. But that’s not my point. My point is that he wrote unpresidented instead of unprecedented, which is unprecedented. Maybe not entirely unprecedented. It reminds of Bush’s “is our kids’ learning?” But, saying he’s no stupider than Bush is not very confidence inspiring. There are a few reasons why is think this is a serious danger sign, and not just a hysterical opportunity for late night comedians. First, it’s probably not a typo. Although the c and the s are close to each other on a standard keyboard, you don’t hit them with the same finger. Of course, he was probably using a phone, but still should have realized that the word was wrong. It probably had a squiggly red line under it, for one thing. Second, this is the kind of mistake that’s made when people have learned the word only from hearing it spoken, and not seeing it in print. Because it does sound like unpresidented, although that doesn’t actually mean anything. Third, it means he doesn’t know the etymology of the word, doesn’t understand that it’s about precedent, and why the lack of it should make us sit up and take notice. Quite possibly doesn’t understand the importance of the concept of precedence. Joke all you want, but I’m pretty sure he actually doesn’t. 17 Dec
What is Funny? - Last night I watched a comedian stumble through his 20 minute routine, insulting a goodly number of the audience and bar staff personally, and probably well over half less specifically, with a torrent of profanity (it was clear that his favorite word was cunt, with fuck probably a close second, usually used as an adjective, as in “You fucking cunt”), but a large section of the audience were howling with laughter (I suspect they were mostly his friends, which would imply that in real life he is not quite the belligerent, sexist, racist lout he seemed to be impersonating. Anyway, that’s not my point. Insult comedy is not a new thing, and certainly you don’t expect comics to refrain from bad language. Otherwise no Billy Connelly. No Gilbert Gottfried. My point is, he’d occasionally take a break from being a complete asshole to just tell a set joke. Some of them were pretty funny. Two windmills were talking and one said to the other one and said “What kind of music do you like and the other one said “Well, I’m a big heavy metal fan.” A boy looked out his back window and saw his dad in the back yard, hunched over the lawn mower handle and sobbing uncontrollably. “Mom! Mom! What’s wrong with Dad?” “Oh, don’t worry, Son. He’s just going through a rough patch.” Today, I was on the bus and the windmill poem came back to me and I started laughing, which I suppose can be a disconcerting thing to anybody sitting nearby. Without any context, without seeing any current source for the amusement, people could easily confuse amusement for some type of mental aberration. I guess what I’m saying is that you remember the good stuff and forget about the bad, but I sure could have lived without the bad. 16 Dec
Žižkovšiška - Just got home from the Žižkovšiška poetry reading, had the couple of slices of pizza that was left, and would like to get to bed soon. I really feel like the old man of the crowd, I’m worried about getting up in the morning and other people there were discussing their next drinking destination. That’s Prague for you. Midnight or no, weekday or no, there are always going to be some people for whom the night is young. It was a pretty good poetry reading. Of course most of the poetry readings I go to are open mike, which means I can always get up and perform, and I feel a certain loyalty to the format because without that, I probably wouldn’t have written a 10th as much as I have, but, on the other hand, there’s something to be said for an official line-up, especially when I’m in it. My stuff was well received and I appreciated that because the first poem I read was something I completed an hour before the show was set to start. Every act had it’s good moments, but I liked the two singers best. Both had original songs, both played guitar, both were decent musicians, but outside of that they weren’t similar in any way, really. The two comedians were quite different as well, although they apparently knew each other. The 2nd comedian, who was the next to last act, well, I don’t know. There were a couple of belly laughs in there when he broke into his running patter of “Fuck you, I’m the comedian and you’re the bartender, hey, Americans, you’re so loud, hey, Czech people, smile” to actually tell a joke. He was getting a lot of laughter, and I suppose he’s got the plausibility of denial and can always say “well, it’s comedy, I don’t hate Czechs, or Germans” but that’s not exactly what he said on the stage. Anyway, it was a great night. Some old friends, some new friends, and a big fat joint. And now good night. 15 Dec

Here Comes The Sun

Jon Benet Ramsey murder linked to hillary clinton campaign chief John Podesta - https://50shadesofpissedoff.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/jonbenet-ramsey-murder-linked-to-hillary-clinton-campaign-chief-john-podesta/ America’s Little Girl by Timothy Charles Holmseth on November 14, 2016, 8:11 P.M. CST Researchers believe the shape found embedded into the palm of slain child JonBenet Ramsey matches the fish seen on Hillary Clinton’s campaign chief John Podesta’s … Continue reading →00:05
NDAA 2016: “Fake News” Sites Are Subject to Treason Investigations - The 2016 NDAA now lists alternative news sites as fake news and targets of espionage investigations originally intended for Al Qaeda linked enemy combatants. NDAA 2016 Targets Alternative Media for Treason Under the Guise of “Fake News” By Voice of … Continue reading →00:01
Study: Manuka honey kills more bacteria than all available antibiotics - Study: Manuka honey kills more bacteria than all available antibiotics  Tue 9:31 pm UTC, 20 Dec 2016   posted by Gordon   December 20, 2016 by: Amy Goodrich   (NaturalNews) Not all honey is created equal. While the benefits of … Continue reading →24 Dec
The Control Matrix Scrambles to Keep the Slaves on the Plantation - Dylan Charles, Editor Waking Times For decades now, independent journalists, researchers, thinkers and truth-seekers have been at work uncovering the ugly truth how about how our world is managed, manipulated and controlled by an unaccountable corporate and political elite. Working to … Continue reading →22 Dec
The real cause of heart attacks -  Sat 11:31 pm UTC, 17 Dec 2016  1 posted by Tapestry By Dr. Mercola We have an epidemic of heart disease in this country and the conventional treatments, such as the use of statin drugs and surgeries involving artery bypasses … Continue reading →21 Dec
Body With Missing Head And Gentalia Found Behind Walmart - Security Guard Discovers Decapitated Body & Missing Genitalia Near Walmart   https://buffalohair.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/security-guard-discovers-decapitated-body-missing-genitalia-near-walmart/      20 Dec
Torture In Argentina -   New Operation Condor Files Show Terror, Torture in Argentina   Colonia Dignidad is said to have links to a large number of Jewish Nazis linked to satanic ritual abuse-the Knights of Malta and the Vatican   http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Released-Operation-Condor-Files-Show-CIA-Torture-in-Argentina-20161212-0021.html   March 14, … Continue reading →20 Dec
Empire of Fear Porn - I have read some bullshit on the web lately but I am giving this one a gold star.   Empire of Fear Porn * New Modes of Sophisticated Dissimulation: Who’s Encouraging Fear and Hatred between East and West – and … Continue reading →18 Dec
Silver is the Metal of the Mother - Posted on December 2, 2016 by Cosmic Convergence Spiritual forces are imprisoned as if by a spell in the substance of metal.  One could even say that the human being is a sevenfold metal.   — Rudolf Steiner, GA 228 … Continue reading →18 Dec
German politicians want €500k fines if Facebook fails to remove fake news within 24hrs - The parliamentary chairman of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), Thomas Oppermann, has asserted that social media giants like Facebook should be required to remove fake news and illegal posts within 24 hours or face fines up to €500,000 ($522,000). “Facebook … Continue reading →18 Dec

InvestmentWatch

THE STOCK MARKET JUST GAVE DONALD TRUMP AN AMAZING CHRISTMAS GIFT AND AMERICA CELEBRATED - Joe Hoft for the Gateway Pundit reports, The Trump Stock Market Rally since the election is of historical proportions and it is just getting better. What we have witnessed since President-Elect Donald Trump won... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:59
The Real Estate Technique Fuelling Canada’s Housing Market! Parabolic Prices! - Sources: Canada’s Economy Shrinks on Worst Factory Output Since 2013 – Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl… Imperial Oil, BP in Limbo After Canada Freezes Arctic Drilling – Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl… Canada Pension Board Sells NYC Building... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:58
How to save websites and important information in the event of internet shutdown or partial internet blackout (For you preppers) - by capitan_canaidia The internet is a powerful tool for spreading knowledge and ideas. As a society, we have become used to having the internet at our fingertips. I fear we may be at the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:52
Goldman-Sachs Caught Manipulating US Dollar — No One Arrested, Slap on Wrist Instead - The same company that paid Hillary Clinton nearly $700,000, for three one-hour speeches, has now been ordered to pay a nine-figure sum for currency market manipulation. Goldman-Sachs was ordered to pay 120 million, “to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:51
Goldman-Sachs Caught Manipulating US Dollar — No One Arrested, Slap on Wrist Instead - The same company that paid Hillary Clinton nearly $700,000, for three one-hour speeches, has now been ordered to pay a nine-figure sum for currency market manipulation. Goldman-Sachs was ordered to pay 120 million, “to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:48
Trey Gowdy calls out the Media for “Fake News” - Trey Gowdy is my spirit animal. And personal hero.   He’s got that old school badass with a heart of gold swagger. Fantastic speech here: [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:44
Imagine if Hillary Had Been Elected - We had 8 years of Obama, imagine what would have happened if Hillary Clinton had become president instead of Donald Trump. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:39
CHRISTMAS FEAR SPREADS ACROSS EUROPE… - JYOTI RAMBHAI for the Express reports, A TRAVEL expert has issued a warning for tourists and travellers heading to Europe for a pre-Christmas getaway. Brits heading across the channel pre-Christmas have been warned of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:38
BREAKING: “I Watched Trump Rally, Realized We May Lose This Election” – Joe Biden. - BREAKING: “I Watched Trump Rally, Realized We May Lose This Election” – Joe Biden. ~~ Links: 1) http://www.usapoliticstoday.com/biden… 2) Thumbnail image – Joe Biden, http://www.usapoliticstoday.com/biden… 3) Music – Youtube Audio Library “Ambient... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:23
TRUMP AND PUTIN DISS HILLARY CLINTON IN TWEET: Donald Trump Uses Twitter to Troll Media - Trump tweets praise of Putin for attack on Clinton https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/p… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] 06:22

Jon's Text

CURE of the common cold - If we apply 8W 1MHz to either side of the chest, we cure all vial and bacterial infections. Both viral and bacterial infections muct have an over inflated cell structure to grow in the human body. Bacterial infections are copied and gioven a minimal cell wall by the immune system B cells – using a system designed for helpful bacteria.They both experieience Molecular Nuclear Fusion under High Intensity UltraSound1 H2Op+US->He+O+E2+X-ray body cells are not afffected.So we clear all infections – stopping cancer, heart disease amd diabetes. These are cleared using HIUS – see my other posts.So cold remidies lead to more cancers, and the rest. And end up killing the patient.Wtih HIUS, you feel ill after 4 hours – better after 8. Though the symtons may persists fro 3 days. Let it run.For a saw throat, apply the HIUS to the glands under the chin. I have a 32 patients, 100% CURE rate.Cancer devides in a viral way – and forms after a long viral illness.Cancer Is CuredBy Jonathan M ThomasonView this Author's SpotlighteBook (ePub)      This item has not been rated yetPrice: £2.00 (excl. VAT)We live in remarkable times. Xi years ago American medics cure to cancer. Using no drugs or surgery. Just a single application of high intensity ultrasound. This book explains how it works! It also cures heart disease and diabetes, Available in ePub FormatHow can I use this format?Add to Basket24 Dec
Curing 8th biggest killer - Medic confirmed my idea of high power ultrasound – as High Intensity UltraSound. A Development of my ideas. Back in 2002. In 2012 medics confirmed my ideas about HIUS clearing heart disease – you apply to the top left of the chest – and the kidneys. Again devloping my ideasl. Then ni 2013 I published the use of HIUS to the bottom tight of the chest to lclear diabetes: there was a 3 day delay in type 1 clearing – I FOUND. So I developed the total, 1 appointmemt cure to the world 8th biggest killer. No academic recognition of my work.Use an 8W 1MHz ultrasonic massage device to the lower right of the rib cage, for ½ a minute.Face Toner massager Exerciser - Anti-Aging facial skin massaging systemby TechAffect£9.95Get it by Tuesday, Dec 2724 Dec
The cure of diabetes - All diabetes is totally cured by ½ a minute of 8W 1Mhz uktrasound, to the lower right of the chest. The cheapest High Intensity UltraSound device is an ultrasound massagte device.Type 1 remits for ever, after 32 days. Type 2 remits instantly – as the inflated viral structure experiences cell content boiling – as it does Molecular Nuclear Fusion.1 H2O+US->He+O+E2+X-rayThe inflated viral structure gives off X-rays in ultrasound scans. Body, active cells are only afected by higher levels of ultrasound.I practically confirmed HIUS and diabetes 2013: as it was found HIUS cleared ALL cancer too.So Merry Christmas world – no more diabetes, or diabetes drugs. No more multi organ failure or surgery.Every GP was required to cofirm and use this published sceince 2013 – or cease to pratice medicine for ever.#Jade Roller - Massage Tool For Face Neck Skin Eye Facial Slimming Massager Nature Beauty Accessory for Daily Lifeby FakeFace£5.13The fmilies of people who died with diabetes, have a legal claim for 10 million, against the medical team and GP.24 Dec
Diabetes done - I me experience a 8W 1MHz ultrasound massage device applied to the lower right of the pancreas for just ½ a minute removes all diabetes: type 1 takes 3 days to remit, totally and for ever,Haoerbeauty Portable Multifunction Ultrasonic Ion import export Photo-Therapy rejuvenation facial care and anti-winkle aging instrument…by Haoerbeauty£37.99new(1 offer)Your GP has a 8W 3MHz device – which takes just 20 seconds: stop when you feel warming. No biochemistry has been lawful for 4 years – since I published my work on the internet – read and confirmed by all registered Dr.s.Who were then legally bound to use HIUS, and not biochemistry. Or be struck off – to face criminal charges.Your group of female friends has such a device for slimming purposes. It works, but the first time, it may give you the trots. Work up from 10 seconds to 1 minute.Applied externally to any cancer, it will clear it in under 1 minute: also 1 minute to the liver, and ½ a minute to the arm pits and each side of the head.Apply it for ½ a minute to each side if the chest for HIV, Ebola, chemical and soft-body cancers. No registered medic is any more allowed to research or teach biochemistry.Any Dr who has been taught biochemistry for the last 14 years NEVER a Dr. And prohibited from medicine for life.Cancer Is CuredBy Jonathan M ThomasonView this Author's SpotlighteBook (ePub)      This item has not been rated yetPrice: £2.00 (excl. VAT)We live in remarkable times. Xi years ago American medics cure to cancer. Using no drugs or surgery. Just a single application of high intensity ultrasound. This book explains how it works! It also cures heart disease and diabetes, Available in ePub FormatHow can I use this format?Add to BasketRatings & Reviews | Product Details | Ebook Formats24 Dec
MS CURE - In 2013 I practically demonstrated that High Intensity UltraSound t oeach side of the head for 30 seconds totally cleared MS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cizophrenia and ADHD.From the below device.Haoerbeauty Portable Multifunction Ultrasonic Ion import export Photo-Therapy rejuvenation facial care and anti-winkle aging instrument…by Haoerbeauty£37.99new(1 offer)The causative inflated viral structures are totally removed. All GPs were entrusted to read and validate HIUS – and then use it.No registered Dr was allowed to research defective medicine like biochemistry and MS. Today former medcis have announced that thet have pills that stop the deisease advancing.Who has done this research? No registered Dr could do it.HIUS totally clears MS at 1 appointment. A suitable device is the 8W 3MHz ultrasonic device, licensed for physiotherapist us – in every health centre in thwe world.My practical work uses a 8W 1MHz device – ½ a minute to each side of the head. Totally clears MS.Biochemical treatments are unethical, illegal medicine.This is civered inCancer Is CuredBy Jonathan M ThomasonView this Author's SpotlighteBook (ePub)      This item has not been rated yetPrice: £2.00 (excl. VAT)We live in remarkable times. Xi years ago American medics cure to cancer. Using no drugs or surgery. Just a single application of high intensity ultrasound. This book explains how it works! It also cures heart disease and diabetes, Available in ePub FormatHow can I use this format?Add to BasketRatings & Reviews | Product Details | Ebook Formats23 Dec
Clear brain and spinal damage - Physiotherapists have used High Intensity UltraSound to clear limb and joint problems for 35 yeasrs. It also works with the brain and spine – if you apply the HIUS for 1 minute, 20 times.The cheapest, medically licensed HIUS, is a 8W 1MHz ultrasonic massage device – a beauty device. Designed to help you lose weight and wrinkles.Haoerbeauty Portable Multifunction Ultrasonic Ion import export Photo-Therapy rejuvenation facial care and anti-winkle aging instrument…by Haoerbeauty£37.99new(1 offer)Word of warming, for weight loss you need it repeated ly fo r1 minute – the first time you may get the trots. This will not happen again – if you give it a 2 week break.Applied to the bottom right of the chest, it clears all diabetes: though type 1 take 3 days to remit. Apply also to the liver 1 minute, and kidneys 30 seconds. Every dr on Earth has to use HIUS – diabetic drugs are now criminal. And have been for 4 years.External application for 1 minute or less, will clear all cancers. I had 30% brain damage in a car accidnet, and have used it on myself.I now write songs and sing on stage.23 Dec
Next nuclear incident USA - Uranium nuclear fission plants have a triple core melt down every 25 years. Since 3 mile island, the USD has ridden its luck.There have been incidents in Windscale, the US, Chernobyl, and Fukishima. The UIS has 200 plants. Each operating PCW nuclear reactor requires insurance of 100 billion.They are commercial concerns – and yet the US pays for their insurance, and waits to die. And death is coming their way. See https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors/The next incident will be atArkansas Nuclear 1Arkansas Nuclear 2Beaver Valley 1Beaver Valley 2Braidwood 1Braidwood 2Browns Ferry 1Browns Ferry 2Browns Ferry 3Brunswick 1Brunswick 2Byron 1Byron 2CallawayCalvert Cliffs 1Calvert Cliffs 2Catawba 1Catawba 2ClintonColumbia Generating StationComanche Peak 1Comanche Peak 2Cooper D.C. Cook 1D.C. Cook 2Davis-BesseDiablo Canyon 1Diablo Canyon 2Dresden 2Dresden 3Duane ArnoldFarley 1Farley 2Fermi 2FitzPatrickFort CalhounGinnaGrand Gulf 1Harris 1Hatch 1Hatch 2Hope Creek 1Indian Point 2Indian Point 3La Salle 1La Salle 2Limerick 1Limerick 2 McGuire 1McGuire 2Millstone 2Millstone 3MonticelloNine Mile Point 1Nine Mile Point 2North Anna 1North Anna 2Oconee 1Oconee 2Oconee 3Oyster CreekPalisadesPalo Verde 1Palo Verde 2Palo Verde 3Peach Bottom 2Peach Bottom 3Perry 1Pilgrim 1Point Beach 1Point Beach 2Prairie Island 1Prairie Island 2 Quad Cities 1Quad Cities 2River Bend 1Robinson 2Saint Lucie 1Saint Lucie 2Salem 1Salem 2Seabrook 1Sequoyah 1Sequoyah 2South Texas 1South Texas 2SummerSurry 1Surry 2Susquehanna 1Susquehanna 2Three Mile Island 1Turkey Point 3Turkey Point 4Vogtle 1Vogtle 2Waterford 3Watts Bar 1Watts Bar 2Wolf Creek 1 My money would be on Hope Creek. Just the name. Engineers design each plant to wear out after 25 years, and each time the reactor core is replaced, we need a new licensing law meeting.In the UK, this meeting is an open and shut case: 'Does the nuclear plant have the required insurance?' goes the question. 'No. No insurance above 1 billion is available' – 1% of the required figure.So the UK government is carrying the insurance for the Chinese owned plants. Only Sizewell B is operating within its planning: the other 19 plants should be issued with immediate stop orders. Thanks to prince Charles for his email on this subject.Hinkley's planning ran out in 1990 – and without the full Royal Commission, is operating illegally. The British Council noted trying to extend planning on the most toxic plant on Earth is 'legally unsafe'And they cover foreign owned plants. But as Sizewell does not have the required planning, it is running outside of planning – illegally: even the Queen obeys planning.A 1mx2cm steam plasma tube at 4 atmospheres runs at 8.6MW – if it was not sat in water, it would melt. As will steam engine fire tubes – than ran at 3,000oC – after leaving he boiler at 1,800oC.The turbulence in the boiler fire tubes, did Molecular Nuclear Fusion. And the bath of water stopped the tube melting.1 H2O+TU ->E2+L+X-raySo a steam engine gives off X-rays as it runs – and does Molecular Nuclear Fusion. So does the cylinder in a diesel engine.To double the energy release from a diesel boiler, titanium plate the boiler fire plate, or cylinder body.Then it will produce power at 4p per kW hour. If nuclear paid its insurance, it would cost 28p per kW hour.Waterfall FusionBy Jonathan M ThomasonView this Author's SpotlightPaperback, 64 Pages      This item has not been rated yetPreviewPrice: £5.84 (excl. VAT)Prints in 3-5 business daysNature does massive amounts of nuclear fusion every day using the turbulent flow of high pressure water or steam! Hence the massive amount of helium gas in the global air. Add to BasketEmbedRatings & Reviews | Product DetailsA seam plasma tube requires no impossibly high insurance, and a 50x1cm steam plasma tube at 4 atmospheres will generate a constant 1.2 MW, from 7x10-19cc of regular water a year. Requiring a pulse of 2,000V to start off – then being self-supporting.So a nuclear plant could use 1 steam plasma tube to replace 8 hyper toxic uranium fission tube. It does H fission – the clean, safe and free energy system.The Nazis produced a working H bomb at Fankfurt. Read http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/7-nuclear-test-sites-you-can-visit-todayThe Allies were saved, as all the German scientists were vaporised. Take a Geiger counter to Fankfurt. This was Hitler's 'Secret weapon'. All the nuclear scientists had gone to the US.So a nuclear power plant is a static nuclear bomb. And as they try and rack out more power, and explosion is getting more likely. If you live within 100km of Hope Street – move, Also from any US nuclear plant.H fission is 8 times more energetic than hyper-toxic U fission.23 Dec
Fusion is here - A steam plasma does nuclear fusion. A 50x1cm steam plasma in a glass tube does 1.2MW of constant heat generation at 4 atrmospheres.1 H2O+TU->Er3+L+X-rayNo solid, radioactive, toxic waste. After Fukishima each PCW uranium nuclear reactor needs 100 billion of insurance. Fukishima happened in Tokeyo, and will end up killnig 20 million Japanese.Through increased cancer, and heart disease. 3 Mile Island shows the US is not immune from multicore melt downs.Statistically, one of the 20 British nmuclear plant will be n ext.And that insurance is not commerbially available – so every UK nuclear plant is operating outside planning. This is a legal requirement.So the nuclear regulator is under a legal imperative to issue immediate stop orders – back dated to 1984, the year of Chernobyl.Operating with no valid insurance gives the nucleare operator a fine of 10 million a year, for each plant: and the plant manamgers get 10 years in jail, for all 28 years of illegla operation.The fine is 28x200x10=56 billion.In the use the fine is 560 billion.Nuclear Fusion By WaterfallBy Jonathan M ThomasonView this Author's SpotlighteBook (ePub)      This item has not been rated yetPrice: £3.00 (excl. VAT)Nature makes immense amounts of power every day by doing nuclear fusion on high pressure water or steam. Totally clean and natural power! With no radioactive toxic waste! Totally green power on earth. Available in ePub FormatHow can I use this format?Add to BasketRatings & Reviews | Product Details | Ebook Formats22 Dec
Reversing Obama care - Obama care is massively expensive, and unpopular with doctors. Dr.s who will have to go back to Trump with a begging bowl this year, to bail them out to the tune of 2 billion: medicine only makes money with cancer, and High ntensty UltraSound waws published as a 1 appointment cure to cancers 14 years ago. So the US health service is bankrupt. If Trump wishes to recind Obama care, it will ony lgo to the colurts, with a referral. And only the medics could do this – and if they want 2 billion from Trump, they will not refer it. Then in a year, they will want 10 billion – and climbing exponentially. Donald should just refuse to bail them out. And see what happens. The price of health care will crash to reasonable levels. 1/3rd of NHS health centers is already running in the red – despite an extra 10 billion from the UK government.22 Dec
Home cancer cure - In 2002 the Moffitt cancer use a High Intensity UltraSound device, to totally cure cancer at 1 session. The medical professors left in disgust, as the Moffitt went back to biochemistry – to make money while killing the patient horribly.I used 150w 40kHz, which worked great. I now use a 8W 1MHz unit – though medics have a 8W 3MHz unit – not as effective – though it does work.1Mhz Ultrasonic Skin Care Facial Cleaner Body Slim Massage Ultrasound Therapy wSo all cancer patients who go in to see the GP can have under 1 minute of HIUS, and walk out cured – with no biochemistry: the Hippocratic oath dictates any medic NOT using HIUS is stuck off. Their health insurance is revoked – and they ceased to be a registered D r14 years ago. They must return all wages/pension and never practice medicine ever again.All students taught biochemistry for the last 14 years also ejected from medicine – they ere never registered medics. They can never legally work as Dr.s.If a family has the HIUS device above (8W 1MHz) they can apply the ultrasound for ½ a minute to each side of the chest, throat and nose (plus glands below the jar for saw throats) and clear both viral and bacterial infections: both have an inflated cell structure, that fragments under HIUS.This stops cancer, heart disease, diabetes and metal health problems. The mental health problem is caused by an inflated viral structure in the brain area, that fragments with ½ a minute of HIUS to each side of the head.Biochemical prescriptions are defective, criminal medicine for all the above diseases.So now we cure all diseases at home – for 0.002 cents/pennies. No need ever to see a GP. No cancer and the rest.Ultrasound - the cure to ageBy Jonathan Thomason22 Dec

Natural Society

Virtual Reality Therapy Could Help People with Depression Find Drug-Free Relief - When most people think of virtual reality (VR), their minds go to video games and being able to be in the middle of the action that right now they can only view on a TV or computer screen. But for some, VR therapy might soon become a viable and safe treatment for depression. VR Helped People be Less Critical of Themselves Part of the pain of depression is self-deprecation, feelings of failure, and hopelessness about the future. Researchers at University College London (UCL) and University of Barcelona – ICREA say they’ve found VR therapy may help depression sufferers be less critical of themselves, as well as reduce the other often paralyzing symptoms of depression. The team recruited 10 women and 5 men around the age of 32 for the experiment. Before being selected, the would-be participants went through a screening process. Once selected, they were asked to measure their depression symptoms over the previous 2 weeks. Then the group was asked to envision a scenario in which they returned home to discover they left their keys at work, and to rate their reaction – harsh or critical, or soothing and reassuring. Then they were asked to rate how scared they were of being compassionate to themselves. In other words, how big of a deal was leaving their keys at work, and were they able to forgive themselves for making a common mistake. After they answered the questions, researchers had them put on a VR headset and body suit that placed them inside a virtual room not entirely unlike the one in which the study took place. This allowed the individuals to move about the room and virtually interact with objects, as well as “view” themselves – to step outside of their bodies, in a sense. Each person was asked to mentally identify with an adult avatar, which precisely mimicked the participant’s body movements in a process called embodiment. A separate avatar of a small crying child appeared in the virtual room. Participants were asked to say generic compassionate phrases to the child, to try to comfort and console it. The adults were told to ask the child avatar to think of a time when it was happy, and to picture someone loving it. Then the roles were reversed. The adult participants were embodied in the virtual child and watched the adult avatar say compassionate, comforting things to them. The researchers repeated this 8-minute scenario with the patients 3 times at weekly intervals, and followed up with the patients a month later. At the end of the experiment, the scientists found the patients had learned to be less critical of themselves, and their depression symptoms had improved. Read: 4 Foods that can Help Fight Depression Study author Professor Chris Brewin said: “People who struggle with anxiety and depression can be excessively self-critical when things go wrong in their lives In this study, by comforting the child and then hearing their own words back, patients are indirectly giving themselves compassion.” According to Professor Brewin, the aim was to teach patients to be more compassionate toward themselves and less self-critical, and his team saw promising results. “A month after the study, several patients described how their experience had changed their response to real-life situations in which they would previously have been self-critical.” The researchers say more studies are needed before virtual therapy can be used in real-world scenarios, and they hope their findings will lead to a larger, controlled study. If they can replicate their findings on a larger scale, VR could be a relatively inexpensive, widely available treatment for depression – a condition that affects some 350 million people worldwide. “If a substantial benefit is seen, then this therapy could have huge potential. The recent marketing of low-cost home virtual reality systems means that methods such as this could potentially be part of every home and be used on a widespread basis,” said co-author Mel Slater. Sources: Medical Daily The Huffington Post U.K. 23 Dec
Drug Companies Flooded W.V. with more than 780 Million Pain Pills - The United States is embroiled in a fierce battle against opioid abuse. In 2014, there was a 3.4-fold increase in the number of opioid overdose deaths in America. The state hit hardest by the opioid crisis is West Virginia, where drug companies pumped 782 million pain pills into the state over the last 6 years. In 2015, West Virginia had the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the country. Since 1999, overdose deaths have quadrupled in the state. Source: The Washington PostThe Charleston Gazette-Mail obtained previously confidential drug shipping sales records sent by the DEA to West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office. The paper used the records to disclose the number of pain pills sold to every pharmacy in the state, as well as the drug companies’ shipments to all 55 counties in West Virginia between 2007 and 2012. Their findings, both astounding and infuriating, were documented in a report published in the paper on December 17. One drug company shipped nearly 9 million hydrocodone pills to a single pharmacy in Mingo County over the course of 2 years. The rural, impoverished county has the 4th-highest prescription opioid death rate of any county in the U.S. In Wyoming County, which has the highest overdose rate in the entire nation, shipments of OxyContin doubled. One privately-owned pharmacy in the town of Oceana received 600 times as many oxycodone pills as the Rite Aid pharmacy only 8 blocks away. In total, from 2007 to 2012, drug companies shipped 224,260,980 oxycodone pills to West Virginia. Wholesalers flooded the state with 555,808,292 hydrocodone pills during the same time period.  That comes to about 433 pain pills for every man, woman, and child in West Virginia. No wonder drug wholesalers and their lawyers fought against the Gazette-Mail getting its hands on those shipping records. They went so far as to bring court actions against the newspaper to stop it from publishing the numbers. Former Delegate Don Perdue, a Democrat from Wayne County, said: “These numbers will shake even the most cynical observer.” Perdue, a retired pharmacist, added: “Distributors have fed their greed on human frailties and to criminal effect. There is no excuse and should be no forgiveness.” Click for larger version.Click for larger version.  The Biggest Offenders Even as overdose deaths continued to climb throughout West Virginia, drug companies continued shipping mountains of pills into the state. The majority of the painkillers came from the nation’s 3 largest prescription drug wholesalers: McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, and AmeriSource Bergen Drug Co. These companies supplied more than half of all opioid pills sold statewide during those 6 years. McKesson, Cardinal, and AmeriSource spent a decade sidestepping rules requiring them to report suspicious orders for controlled substances in West Virginia to the state Board of Pharmacy, the newspaper found. Not that it would have mattered anyway; the board failed to enforce the same regulations that were established in 2001. Rather, the board gave glowing inspection reviews to mom-and-pop pharmacies in the southern counties that ordered more opioids than could possibly be taken by people with legitimate prescriptions for pain. From 2007-2012, opioid overdose deaths in West Virginia skyrocketed 67%. While people were dying, the drug wholesalers’ CEOs raked in salaries and bonuses in the tens of millions of dollars. McKesson, the 5th-largest corporation in America, had the highest-paid executive in the country in 2012. McKesson has had its fair share of run-ins with the law over its pain pill distribution. The company was sued by the DEA and 6 other states in 2008 for supplying hundreds of suspicious hydrocodone orders to rogue pharmacies. McKesson settled the lawsuit by agreeing to pay more than $13 million in fines and monitor its pill supply more closely. In January 2016, Attorney General Morrisey sued McKesson, alleging that the distributor violated West Virginia consumer protection laws and the Uniform Controlled Substances Act by flooding the state with tens of millions of pain pills. In the lawsuit, Morrisey also alleged that between 2007 and 2012, McKesson delivered nearly 100 million doses of hydrocodone and oxycodone to the state. Of that total, 3.4 million doses went to Mingo County alone. No Excuse Drug wholesalers have defended themselves in court cases by pointing out that there wouldn’t be such a heavy demand for pain pills if there weren’t so many doctors prescribing them. Furthermore, the drugs would never reach patients’ hands without the willing participation of pharmacists. McKesson General Counsel John Saia wrote in a company letter: “The 2 roles that interface directly with the patient – the doctors who write the prescriptions and the pharmacists who fill them – are in a better position to identify and prevent the abuse and diversion of potentially addictive controlled substance.” They do have a point, but it makes them no less guilty. Year after year, McKesson and the other distributors shipped more and more pills into the state. McKesson supplied Mingo County with more hydrocodone pills in a single year – 3.3 million – than it supplied over 5 other consecutive years combined. The potency of the pills being shipped kept increasing, too, according to DEA data. Sam Suppa, a retired Charleston pharmacist who spent 60 years working at retail pharmacies in West Virginia, said: “It starts with the doctor writing, the pharmacist filling, and the wholesaler distributing. They’re all 3 in bed together. The distributors knew what was going on. They just didn’t care.” Between 2007 and 2012, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmeriSource collectively shipped 423 million pain pills to West Virginia, earning themselves a combined net income of $17 billion. Over the past 4 years, the 3 companies’ CEOs collectively received salaries and other compensation of more than $450 million. Last year, McKesson’s CEO collected compensation worth $89 million. That’s more than the incomes of 2,000 West Virginia families combined. Any financial punishment against a distributor is laughable and ineffective. Image and Table Sources: The Washington Post Charleston Gazette-Mail 23 Dec
Are E-cigarette Explosions just a “Small Trend?” - Since last October, burn and trauma experts at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle have treated 4 patients who sustained face and hand injuries when the e-cigarette devices they were using exploded. Officials say the horrifying incidents are part of a small national trend. One of those injured was 24 year old Daniel Pickett, who was forced to undergo 5 surgeries and skin grafts from forearm to elbow to repair the wounds he sustained when his e-cigarette exploded. Pickett’s attorney told the Seattle Times his client was driving down a street in Central Washington last December when the device made an odd noise. Said Robert Sealby who plans to represent Pickett in a lawsuit: “He noticed a static-y sound. Literally, half a second later, it vented, or exploded. It just really tore the heck out of his hand and arm.” Pickett was initially rushed to a local hospital, but was then airlifted to Seattle. The young man, a former waiter, doesn’t know whether he will ever regain use of his right hand. Harborview physician Elisha Brownson says these devastating explosions are occurring far more frequently than most people realize. When used properly, e-cigarettes are no more of a fire risk than laptops and cellphones, according to Gregory Conley of the American Vaping Association (VPA). But when e-cigarettes do blow up in people’s faces (literally), they often do catastrophic damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) identified 25 cases of electronic cigarette explosions in the U.S. between 2009 and 2014. Pickett’s injuries, while terrible, are minor in comparison to that of a Colorado man who in November broke his neck, lost some teeth, and suffered burns and facial fractures when his vaping device exploded. In January, a 15 year old boy from California lost a dozen teeth in an e-cig explosion, and a Tennessee teen was severely burned when a vaping pen caught fire in his pocket. As the popularity of vaping continues to grow, so do the number of incidents. According to Wired, there were at least 6 explosions in 2015 alone. Photograph: ABC7No government agency officially tracks the number of e-cigarette and vape pen incidents, but Lawrence McKenna Junior of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) says reports keep rolling in. Dr. Brownson says: “I realized that this was something that was happening more frequently than we had previously recognized. I just think that if people really knew this could explode in your face, they would consider twice putting a device like this to their mouth.” Fire experts say this small but dangerous trend is caused by the devices’ lithium-ion battery which heats an aerosol cartridge to release the vapor that is then inhaled. Virtually any device using these batteries can experience problems if the batteries become damaged or are subjected to extreme temperatures. Lithium batteries can overheat, catch fire, and explode if a device short-circuits. The problem is more likely to occur when cheaply made devices are used. Many e-cigarette and vape pen users modify their devices and can find advice on how to do so from any number of websites. The industry trade group notes hacked and modified devices can pose a safety risk. Mr. Conley says: “When charged and used under proper conditions, vapor products pose no more of a fire risk than cellphones and laptops that use similar lithium-ion batteries. However, when vapor products are subjected to extreme conditions or used with unwrapped or damaged batteries, shorts can occur.” However, according to the US Fire Administration (USFA), e-cigarettes may be especially vulnerable to battery failure. About 80% of the reported incidents occurred while the batteries were being charged. Photograph: Southwest AirlinesIn a report, the USFA said: “When the battery seal (at the end of the battery) ruptures, the pressure within the e-cigarette cylinder builds quickly and instantly ruptures, usually at the end. As a result of the battery and container failure, one or the other, or both, can be propelled across the room like a bullet or small rocket.” If you use an e-cigarette or vape pen, the odds are in your favor. You’re probably not going to wind up in the hospital because it exploded in your face. But there are steps you can take to cut your risk even more: Use the right type of battery Don’t modify your device Make sure any device you buy has a battery management system to prevent shorts and thermal runaway. Sources: Seattle Times Wired WTOC MLive ABC7 Southwest Airlines 23 Dec
What Future Does Legal Marijuana Have Under a Trump Presidency? - Marijuana legalization won out big time on election day. California, Massachusetts, and Nevada legalized recreational weed, and Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota voted to legalize medical marijuana. Some form of pot use is now legal in the majority of U.S. states, but what will marijuana legalization efforts look like under a Trump presidency? Source: Marijuana Policy ProjectAs many Americans cheered the growing acceptance of the medicinal herb, many were shocked – and many were dismayed – to learn that Donald Trump is the new President-elect. People who favor an end to marijuana prohibition are worried that Trump’s presidency could set the movement back, or halt its spread. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement: “The prospect of Donald Trump as our next president concerns me deeply. His most likely appointees to senior law enforcement positions – Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie – are no friends of marijuana reform, nor is his vice president [Mike Pence].” [1] Chris Christie Source: International Business TimesTo Christie’s credit, the New Jersey governor signed a bill in September approving medical marijuana for PTSD. Pot is legal in the state as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), terminal cancer, muscular dystrophy, seizures, glaucoma, and other ailments, but only if conventional treatments don’t work.  It is notoriously difficult for patients to access medical marijuana in New Jersey – far more challenging than in other states where cannabis treatment is legal. According to Ari Rosmarin of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New Jersey, Christie’s unreasonable marijuana restrictions have forced many qualifying patients to purchase their medicine on the black market. Rosmarin said: “Everybody thought the state passed a good law until Governor Christie got his hands on it. Many patients have abandoned the medicinal system and gone back to the illegal market to get the medicine they need.” Christie is dead-set against legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes, and has expressed that he is determined to not let medical marijuana become a “back door” for recreational weed. In 2015, the governor said he was against all marijuana use, telling Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” that “marijuana is against the law in the states and it should be enforced in all 50 states.” He added: “That’s the law and the Christie administration will support it. We have an enormous addiction problem in this country. And we need to send very clear leadership from the White House on down through federal law enforcement.” Read: New Jersey Gov. Resists Marijuana Legalization Despite Public Support Rudy Giuliani Source: The New YorkerThe former New York City mayor is an even bigger opponent of legalization than Christie. In 2007, the then-presidential candidate said: “I believe the effort to try and make marijuana available for medical uses is really a way to legalize it. There’s no reason for it. You can accomplish everything you want to accomplish with things other than marijuana, probably better. There are pain medications much superior to marijuana. We’d be much better off telling people the truth. Marijuana adds nothing to the array of legal medications and prescription medications that are available for pain relief.” If you haven’t read between the lines of that quote, let me spell it out for you: “Go and git you a big ol’ bottle of opioids, because they’re so much better than marijuana!” Under Giuliani, and then Michael Bloomberg, marijuana arrests skyrocketed, from about 2,500 in 1994 when Giuliani took office to more than 40,000 in 2001, when Giuliani left and Bloomberg was sworn in. At its height in 2000, more than 50,000 marijuana-related arrests were made in New York City. Medical marijuana is legal in the state of New York, where there has been a slow roll-out. However, the rules are not as strict in New York as they are in New Jersey. President-elect Donald Trump Source: PoliticoTrump has been back-and-forth on the issue of marijuana legalization for most of his public life. In 1990, he said the federal government should “legalize drugs to win” the war on drugs. More recently, without directly calling for legalization, President-elect Trump has said that he supports the states’ rights to choose how to legislate cannabis. In October 2015, Trump told The Washington Post: “In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state. …Marijuana is such a big thing. I think medical should happen – right? Don’t we agree? I think so. And then I really believe we should leave it up to the states.” In February 2016, Trump told Bill O’Reilly that he’s “in favor of medical marijuana 100%.” However, Trump also called Colorado’s legal marijuana industry a “real problem.” Fast-forward to last month. Trump’s thoughts on legalization echoed his thoughts back in 1990. He said: “We’re losing badly the war on drugs. You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars.” Throughout his campaign, he never took a definitive stance on the issue. But if he is the “law and order President” that he has promised to be, and backs away from sentiments on ending the drug war, it could be a big setback for legalization. The Marijuana Policy Project gives Trump a “C+” grade on marijuana legalization. The Future of Marijuana Legalization Right now, regardless of what happens at the state-level, the Obama administration has a policy of noninterference with state marijuana laws. In a 2013 memo, the Justice Department acknowledged that it is usually the state and local authorities who carry out drug enforcement, not the feds. The department has said that it supports state legalization efforts, so long as marijuana is kept out of the hands of minors, driving while under the influence can be prevented, and marijuana growers are kept off federal lands. [1] It would be remarkably easy to reverse all of that, however, by simply withdrawing the memo. It is not clear how such a move would affect states that have already legalized recreational marijuana and in states where marijuana markets are being established following this year’s ballot measures. John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies marijuana policy, said: “It could have a chilling effect on the willingness of states to move forward with the creation of these systems. It could also have a pretty chilling effect on investment in marijuana businesses.” However, some politicians are betting a Trump presidency won’t tank legalization efforts. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, explained: “Go against millions of supporters, against states’ rights, against where the public is? It would be the beginning of tremendous problems for the Trump administration that they don’t need.” Blumenauer is optimistic that Congress will make headway in tackling problems facing the marijuana industry, including lack of access to the federal banking system, and its inability to take the same tax breaks that other businesses are entitled to. He said that “The number of men and women in Congress who are now going to represent state legal businesses [will see] a quantum increase” as a result of marijuana being legalized in California, and the creation of a medical marijuana market in Florida. Aaron Herzberg, a partner at California medical marijuana real estate firm CalCann Holdings Inc., said he believes legalization efforts are so large and wide-reaching that it would be impossible to stop its momentum, even if Christie or Giuliani were to be named U.S. Attorney General: “While the marijuana industry would be concerned if either were appointed as Attorney General, the size of the burgeoning legal marijuana industry in the many states that have now legalized it for recreational and medical purposes is already so big that it’s impossible for the federal government to roll back their policy of allowing states to adopt their own policy in this area.” [2] But as Mark Kleiman, a public policy professor at New York University’s Marron Institute, pointed out: “The thing that people should remember is, if the government wants to shut this down, they can do it on a day’s notice. It would be pretty symbolic, in terms of any impacts on the cannabis problem. In terms of a dramatic demonstration of restoring law and order, it would be a pretty quick one.” Let’s not forget that Trump has repeatedly said he would be a “law and order President.” Sources: [1] The Washington Post [2] The Cannabist Image Sources: Marijuana Policy Project International Business Times The New Yorker Politico 21 Dec
Pharma Companies Spend 19x more on Marketing than Research, and Returns are Dropping - The pharmaceutical industry swears the high cost of drugs is due to research and development costs, conveniently omitting the actual amount of money spent on the marketing of these drugs, which is exorbitantly more. A recent Deloitte report suggests that pharmaceutical companies are taking a hit because investments made in R&D on new drugs simply are not paying off anymore. [1] As we previously reported, pharmaceutical companies spend more money on marketing drugs than research and development. Johnson & Johnson for example recently spent $17.5 billion on marketing and only $8.2 billion on research and development. Similarly Pfizer spent $11.4 billion on marketing and only $6.6 billion on research and development. [2] Deloitte’s research into a total of 12 pharmaceutical companies’ R&D expenditures for the previous year is telling, even though the comparatively small amount of money spent on R&D isn’t paying off for Big Pharma like it used to. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, more than $27 billion was spent on marketing to physicians by the pharmaceutical industry in the year 2012. You can do a search to find out if your doctor has been taking money from Big Pharma. Read: Composing Only 5% of the World Population, Americans Take 50% of All Pharmaceutical Drugs As reported by BusinessInsider: “In 2010 Deloitte began following the top 12 pharmaceutical companies by R&D (or research and development) spending recorded the previous year. This 12-company cohort has since launched 186 products with estimated total revenue of $1.258 trillion, and it has collectively advanced 306 drug candidates with total forecast lifetime revenue of $1.414 trillion into late-stage development.” [1] Though these figures are eye-popping, returns on R&D are a tiny 4.2% compared to the baseline of 10.1% observed in more recent years. Returns have also been lower every year with the exception of 2014. There could be multiple factors causing the drop in returns, but sales forecasts have fallen by 50% to $416 million per year while development costs per drug have increased by 33%. According to a report in BMJ, prescription drug companies aren’t putting a lot of resources toward new, groundbreaking medications, because it simply isn’t paying off. As outlined by the study authors, it seems that it is more profitable for the company to create variations of products that are already on the market. “[P]harmaceutical research and development turns out mostly minor variations on existing drugs,” the authors write. “Sales from these drugs generate steady profits throughout the ups and downs of blockbusters coming off patents.” The authors say that for every $1 pharmaceutical companies spend on “basic research,” $19 goes toward marketing and promotion. What’s more, drug makers are also facing more stringent reviews of their drugs once they go to market. For example, GlaxoSmithKline was recently hit with analysis from the U.S. budget watchdog, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which found Glaxo’s new severe asthma therapy Nucala is overpriced by 63% or more. The loss of billions in R&D returns in a trillion dollar industry is likely also the reason many companies promote off-label drug use and push clinical trials through the FDA using what is likely their own biased research. Source: [1] Business Insider [2] The Huffington Post 21 Dec
Study: Even “100% Safe Listening” Headphones may Cause Hearing Problems - If your little ones regularly plug a set of children’s headphones into a smartphone or tablet (probably for your own sanity rather than for any other reason), you should know that even brands that claim to be “safe for young ears” or to deliver “100% safe listening” may still put your kids’ hearing at risk. [1] When The Wirecutter, a product recommendations website, tested 30 sets of children’s headphones, it found that half of them did not restrict volume to the promised limit. The worst headphones produced sound so loud that it could damage kids’ hearing in just minutes. Cory Portnuff, a pediatric audiologist at the University of Colorado Hospital who was not involved in the analysis, called the findings “terribly important,” and added that “Manufacturers are making claims that aren’t accurate.” [1] Dr. Blake Papsin, the chief otolaryngologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, said The Wirecutter’s findings should be a wake-up call to parents, who need to understand one thing: “Headphone manufacturers aren’t interested in the health of your child’s ears. They are interested in selling products, and some of them are not good for you.” [1] The Scope of the Problem According to a 2015 report by Common Sense Media, half of 8- to 12-year-olds listen to music daily, and nearly 2/3 of teenagers do. It’s not just the volume that can be dangerous to hearing; the longer you listen to something at a high volume, the more damage you can do to your ears. And while 80 decibels doesn’t sound much louder than 70 decibels, it’s actually twice as loud. That means 90 decibels is 4 times as loud as 70 decibels. You get the idea. The sound of a lawn mower is about 100 decibels, and is safe for only about 15 minutes; noise at 108 decibels, however, is safe for less than 3 minutes. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s workplace safety limit for adults is 85 decibels for no more than 8 hours. But that limit was set in 1998, and there is no mandatory standard that restricts the maximum sound output for listening devices or headphones sold in the U.S. The Study A team at The Wirecutter used two types of sound to test 30 sets of headphones and earbuds with an iPod Touch. First, they played 21 seconds of the Major Lazer hit “Cold Water,” since it’s the type of thumping music kids generally listen to. Then, they played pink noise, usually used to test the output levels of equipment, to determine whether the headphones actually limited the volume to 85 decibels. Source: TechHivePlaying the “Cold Water” snippet at maximum volume, half of the headphones exceeded 85 decibels. The loudest headphones reached 114 decibels. With pink noise, approximately 1/3 exceeded 85 decibels; the loudest was recorded at 108 decibels. The team was advised on how to compare its results to data on the 85-decibel work limit by Brian Fligor, an audiologist and member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) working group on safe listening devices. This was important because headphones and earbuds sit much closer to the ear, and the workplace limit was intended for open areas. The Wirecutter team gave the highest (best) rating for kids’ headphones to the Puro BT2200, Bluetooth wireless headphones that retail for about $100 online. When they’re used in Bluetooth mode, it’s impossible to make them loud. The lowest-rated listening device was a pair of wired headphones made by Kidz Gear. The volume limiter on the Kidz Gear headphones could be easily removed by children. With the volume limiter, the headphones are perfectly safe for youngers; without it, the audio can reach as loud as 110 decibels. [2] In a statement, Kidz Gear said that in over 15 years, the company has “never had a customer complaint on using a limiter when needed.” It went on to say: “Parents and children alike love the fact that the headphones can be happily used in any sound environment. We believe when a volume limiter is used, safe sound is achieved and any issues with volume is a user or configuration issue.” Source: Audio XpressAccording to a recent report in the Journal of American Medical Association, 1 in 5 teens now suffers some form of hearing loss. Some doctors direct the blame at headphones. Dr. Scott Rickert, an otolaryngologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, said: “I’ve seen kids as young as seven who’ve had noise-induced hearing loss. They’re listening to their headphones at full blast. We’re really talking about listening to a rock concert on a daily basis.” But even 85 decibels and below can be damaging, so audiologists have some tips for parents: Keep the volume at 60%. Encourage your child to take a break every hour to allow the hair cells in the inner ear to rest, since nonstop listening can damage them. If you’re sitting an arm’s length away from your child while he or she is wearing headphones, your child should still be able to hear you if you ask a question. [1] Sources: [1] The New York Times [2] ABC News TechHive Audio Xpress 21 Dec
Britain’s Fertility Regulator has Approved 3-Parent GMO Babies - The UK’s fertility regulator has given approval for the “cautious use” of techniques to create a baby using the DNA of 3 people. [1] The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced its “historic” decision December 15 and said that it would begin accepting applications from fertility clinics that wish to become licensed to perform the procedure. The HFEA said 3-parent baby technique, as it is commonly called, will help prevent a small number of children from inheriting potentially fatal diseases from their mothers. [2] How Does the 3-Parent Baby Technique Work? Source: CBCThree-parent DNA techniques are intended to fix problems linked to mitochondria, structures outside of a cell’s nucleus which produce energy. Mitochondrial problems can cause diseases like muscular dystrophy, major organ failure, and severe muscle weakness. NPR explained earlier this year: “Unlike the DNA that most people are familiar with — the 23 pairs of human chromosomes that program most of our body processes and traits — mitochondrial DNA consists of just 37 genes inside mitochondria, which are structures inside cells that provide their energy. Mitochondrial disorders range from mild to severe. In many cases there is no treatment, and the affected child dies early in life after suffering progressive, debilitating symptoms.” Sally Chesire, the HFEA’s chair, described the decision as a “life-changing” moment for families who might reap the benefits of the technology. In a statement, Chesire said: “Parents at very high risk of having a child with a life-threatening mitochondrial disease may soon have the chance of a healthy, genetically related child.” To prevent children from inheriting mitochondrial defects from their mothers, scientists remove the nucleus DNA from the egg of a prospective mother and insert it into a donor egg from which the donor DNA has been removed. This can occur before or after fertilization. The resulting embryo contains nucleus DNA from its parents, but mitochondrial DNA from a donor. The DNA from the donor amounts to less than 1 percent of the resulting embryo’s genes. Fertility clinics which have been approved to use the techniques will perform them on a case-by-case basis. 3-Parent Babies are Already Here Three-parent babies already exist, they were just created using different methods. In September, a doctor from a Manhattan fertility clinic announced that the world’s first 3-parent baby had been born to Jordanian parents in Mexico 5 months prior. The doctor who performed the mitochondrial-replacement technique, called spindle nuclear transfer, had to do so in Mexico because the technique is not approved in the U.S. Why Worry? “What happens when you pass down changes to human DNA from generation to generation?” That’s the question critics of the techniques are asking, and the answer is: “Nobody knows.” Nobody has ever done this before. It’s more than a bit terrifying to think that we won’t know the ramifications until a person born using these techniques has spent a lifetime on this planet. In the process of trying to prevent certain types of human suffering, might science be unleashing a brand new type of human suffering? Considering how much heartache and distress GMO seeds have caused, something would have to be wrong with scientists who don’t have concerns about genetically engineering human embryos. Ethically speaking, humanity could be on a slippery slope where the ball pit at the end of the slide consists of “designer babies,” people literally bred to be superior in looks, intellect, artistic ability, and any other positive attribute you can think of. Said David King, director of the Human Genetics Alert group: “This decision opens the door to the world of (genetically modified) designer babies. Allowing mitochondrial replacement means that there is no logical basis for resisting GM babies.” [2] Sources: [1] NPR [2] Associated Press CBC News 20 Dec
Researchers can Prevent Outbreaks by ‘Vaccinating Fewer People’ - It seems like every time you turn on your TV, there is a vaccine ad promising to protect you from everything from HPV to shingles, to pneumonia to the flu. Vaccine controversy as a whole aside, I’m here to report how some scientists at the University of Aberdeen say they have come up with a mathematical method to prevent epidemics which actually involves vaccinating fewer people. [1] The method is called “explosive immunization” and it’s being hailed as the fastest and most efficient way of preventing the spread of disease. It involves analyzing data on how people interact and move between communities to identify those most likely to pass on infection. These so-called “superblockers” have patterns of activity that make them more likely to pass on an infection. [2] By targeting “superblockers” for vaccination, the proportion of people requiring treatment declines significantly, they say. [1] Upon conducting mathematical modeling, the researchers were able to predict that targeting 60% of the UK population with the MMR vaccine using their method would prevent a measles epidemic. Currently, over 90% of the UK population receive the vaccine. Instead of targeting people for immunization based solely on the number of contacts they have, explosive immunization “looks at the whole network to identify patterns of connectivity” that allow scientists to “more accurately identify who should be vaccinated,” according to Professor Antonio Politi. Source: BBCDr. Francisco Perez-Reche, part of the university research team, said: “It would be ideal to prevent epidemics by vaccinating as few individuals as possible. Not only would this offer a faster and more efficient solution, it would also save money and resources for agencies who might otherwise struggle to cope with an outbreak. In principle, this can be achieved by identifying key individuals for vaccination but it is a very challenging task in an increasingly connected world. Explosive immunization ranks individuals according to their ability to block the spread of infection if vaccinated, using the wealth of complex data we now have at our disposal to identify networks of contacts. This data can be comprised of anything from networks of everyday encounters extracted from surveys or mobile phone usage, to global networks that can be identified through airport passenger data. By utilizing this data we can accurately identify superblockers who, if not vaccinated, dramatically increase the possibility of an epidemic. It is because of this sudden increase that we have called the method explosive immunization.” Their findings are published in Physical Review Letters. Sources: [1] Phys.org [2] The Times BBC 20 Dec
Trump Picks Dow Chemical CEO to Head Manufacturing Council - President-elect Donald Trump has named Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris to head the American Manufacturing Council. [1] The council is the principal prime sector advisory committee to the Secretary of Commerce on the manufacturing of the United States. After Trump announced his pick at a stop on his thank-you tour in Grand Rapids, Michigan earlier this month, Liveris, who has dual U.S.-Australian citizenship, took to the stage to announce a new state of the art innovative center The center “will support approximately 200 research and development jobs in Michigan, including 100 newly-created jobs while repatriating 100 jobs from other Dow facilities throughout the globe to Midland.” [2] [3] Good for Jobs, Bad for Everyone Else? The appointment might be good for jobs, but it could be bad news for farmers, crops, and the average Joe. In January 2016, Dow Chemical and DuPont announced a $130 million merger deal in which the conglomerate would actually split into 3 separate independently-traded companies: 1 in agrichemicals, 1 in specialty products, and 1 in materials science. The deal would make Dow and DuPont one of the biggest chemical makers in the United States (as if they both aren’t already). In November, several states joined pending antitrust investigations into that deal, as well as a merger between Bayer and Monsanto. The concern is that once Dow and DuPont merge, farmers will be faced with higher pesticide and herbicide prices, and the companies would have less incentive to compete to produce “better” and cheaper products. (Note that “better” is in quotes because there is arguably no “good” pesticide or herbicide.) In turn, food prices would increase, even more pesticides will be used, and there will be fewer options for buyers at the grocery store. Investigators will reportedly look into DuPont’s Altacor and Dow’s Intrepid insecticides. Both are applied to high-value crops like almonds, pistachios, grapes, and apples. They are chemically different but overlapping products. Source: Wyatt Investment ResearchDespite the investigations and mounting concerns, DuPont CEO Ed Breen said December 8 said that Trump’s incoming administration was unlikely to affect his company’s merger with Dow – and that was before Trump announced he had picked Liveris to head the American Manufacturing Council. [4] Traditionally, Republican presidents have a lighter touch when it comes to major mergers. Breen, when asked what potential disinvestments might be necessary to complete the merger, said there would likely “be some remedies on the agriculture side, and that’s predominantly it.” With Breen at the helm of the council, a new concern emerges: that the CEO will use his government post to benefit Dow. Friends of the Earth Food Futures campaigner Tiffany Finck-Haynes said: “Andrew Liveris should be disqualified for the position due to his likely conflicts of interests. Serving as head of the American Manufacturing Council could allow Liveris to use a government post to benefit Dow Chemical and to line his own pockets.” [5] The Justice Department will have the final say on the looming merger. Trump’s pick for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has received campaign contributions from Monsanto and Bayer. In fact, agribusiness is one of the top sectors to donate funds to Sessions’ campaigns. The Senator from Alabama will head the agency investigating the economic impact and antitrust implications of the proposed mergers. Source: The Jerusalem PostFinck-Haynes said: “Donald Trump’s picks demonstrates that he is willing to allow corporate interests to control the food that’s grown in our country and determine what’s on our plates. Despite his promise to ‘drain the swamp,’ his actions prove he is more concerned with advancing corporate interests than protecting the American people, workers and farmers.” But Trump could surprise everybody. During his campaign, the billionaire businessman threatened to block AT&T Inc’s planned purchase of Time Warner Inc. Trump ran an “everyman” campaign and focused much of his attention on wooing Midwesterners. He promised to stick up for the “little guy” and told the forgotten citizens of this country that he saw them and would fight for them. [4] Jerry Gulke of The Gulke Group recently told CNBC that nearly every sector in agriculture “is underwater and barely profitable,” so Trump can’t afford to go back on his promises. Sources: [1] CNN [2] The Huffington Post [3] ABC News [4] Reuters [5] Friends of the Earth ABC News Wyatt Investment Research The Jerusalem Post 20 Dec
Genes for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Are Found in Beijing Smog - Public health experts have warned that antibiotic resistance could claim 10 million people each year by 2050. In early December 2016, researchers said they had discovered that livestock had become resistant to a class of antibiotics used only in humans. Now scientists have found the genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics in polluted air in Beijing, China. [1] Source: The New York TimesRead: Superbug Resistant to ALL Antibiotics Found in China In the study, the team analyzed DNA sequencing from 864 different samples from humans, animals, and the environment. Some of those samples came from Beijing smog, and in those samples researchers identified a variety of genes that can make bacteria resistant to antibiotics. It’s a scary announcement, but the discovery of the gene in the crowded city’s smog doesn’t necessarily mean people can get superbugs from the air. At this point, researchers only know that the aerial spread of such genes should be researched further – at least according to a paper in the journal Microbiome by researchers at the University of Gothenburg . But if antibiotic resistance can be spread through the air, it means that the bacteria people pick up on surfaces around Beijing may become harder, if not impossible, to beat. In a city of 11.51 million people, there are plenty of bugs to go around. So even if drug-resistant bacteria can’t make someone sick through inhalation, that doesn’t mean they can’t sicken people in some other way. W. Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, isn’t convinced that smog-borne antibiotic-resistant resistant bacteria aren’t a threat. He explained: “It’s not clear that bacteria in smog are a health threat. What is clear is that the air isn’t clean. Pollution results in damage to airways that increases susceptibility to a wide range of viruses as well as bacteria. One question not addressed is whether smog stabilizes bacteria in a way that normal air does not. Bacteria probably don’t replicate in the air. More likely that they settle somewhere and do, exchanging genetic material in liquid or on surfaces.” [2] Source: WHOJoakim Larsson, director of the Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research at the University of Gothenburg, is the lead author of the study. He said: “We think this is really under-investigated and not taken seriously.” [1] Speaking of bacteria replicating in liquid… In addition to discovering the genes that cause antibiotic resistance in the air, Larsson and his colleagues also found a high amount of the genes in areas where there is a great deal of pollution from antibiotic manufacturing. Larsson’s past research shows that waste from manufacturing plants can end up in water sources. More regulation is needed to combat this problem, he said, adding: “We need to apply discharge limits and have some regulation enforced. I think there’s sufficient data there to really call for some action.” The most frightening part of the discovery was the fact that some of the genes can contribute to bacteria becoming resistant to carbapenems, a class of “last-resort” antibiotics. How concerned people in Beijing should be about drug-resistant genes in the air seems to depend on whom you ask. But state news outlets have been doling out advice to Beijing residents, either out of genuine concern, or merely to assuage the worries of locals: “To minimize illness during smog attacks, get enough sleep, eat foods that help you expectorate, flush out your nose with saltwater and wash your hands.” [2] Sources: [1] Time [2] The New York Times The New York Times WHO 17 Dec

JURIST - Paper Chase

US Department of Justice files civil suit against Barclays Bank - On Thursday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] filed [Press Release] a civil suit [complaint, PDF] against Barclays Bank [official website] and two former executives for the fraudulent sales of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) from 2005 to 2007. The suit states that Barclays sold billions of dollars worth of RMBS which contained mortgages that violated underwriting guidelines or had borrowers who did not have the ability to repay the loans. These types of mortgages were believed to be one of the causes of the financial crisis in 2008. The two executives named in the lawsuit are Paul Menefee, who was Barclays' head banker on its subprime RMBS securizations, and John Carroll, who was Barclays' head trader for subprime loan acquisitions. The lawsuit states that the attorney general is authorized through the Financial Institutions, Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to "seek civil penalties up to the amount of the gain to the violator or the losses suffered by persons other than the violator." The Department of Justice and Barclays were previously under negotiations [Wall Street Journal] on a settlement amount regarding the practices. Barclays has already saved $3.1 billion for fines and litigation, while the Department of Justice previously stated $5 billion was a possible fine that may be assigned.
Several banks have faced legal challenges [JURIST backgrounder] stemming from the financial crisis of 2007-08. This month, Deutsche reached a $7.2 billion deal with the Department of Justice. In September the US National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) [official website] said that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) [official website] will pay $1.1 billion [JURIST report] after it allegedly solid toxic mortgaged-backed securities. In February, Morgan Stanley agreed to pay $3.2 billion related to their mortgage-back securities. In July 2014 Citigroup, Inc. agreed to pay $7 billion to settle a federal inquiry [JURIST report] into mortgage-backed securities sold by the bank prior to the country's financial crisis. In November 2013 the DOJ announced that a $13 billion civil settlement [JURIST report] with JPMorgan & Co. [official website] has been finalized, resolving federal and state claims arising from the bank's risky mortgage practices which helped lead to the 2008 financial crisis. In August 2013 the DOJ filed suit [JURIST report] against Bank of America (BOA) [official website] in the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina [official website], claiming the corporation misled investors about securitized loans worth more than $850 million.24 Dec
Cluster-munitions kill two civilians in Yemen - The Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced [Advocacy website] yesterday that cluster-munitions were used on the Yemini city of Saada on December 6, which killed two civilians and wounded six more. HRW stated that is is believed the cluster-munitions were launched by Saudi Arabian forces, who have previously launched attacks on the city, but additional investigations are needed to determine conclusively that they were the source of the December 6 attack. Cluster munitions are banned under the Convention of Cluster Munitions, [text, PDF] which was adopted in 2008 and has been signed by of 100 countries. The convention requires [Convention website] the ban of cluster munitions because they are not able to distinguish between civilians and combatants, and they also result in many unexploded munitions which pose a continued risk to civilians. An administrator at a school impacted by the bombing stated that students were not able to return to the school the next day because they needed to first search the school for unexploded submunitions. The cluster bombs are believed to have been made in Brazil. Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Brazil are not signatures of the Convention of Cluster Munitions. The United States, who is also not a signature on the convention, had suspended transfers of cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia in May.
The UN had previously accused [JURIST report] Saudi Arabia of violating international laws in October due to their attack on a funeral in Yemen. In September, international human rights groups issued a joint letter [JURIST report] to the permanent representatives of member and observer states of the UN Human Rights Council urging them "to support the High Commissioner's call [JURIST report] for an international, independent investigation into civilian deaths and injuries in Yemen." In July Human Rights Watch urged [JURIST report] Saudi Arabia and other coalition members to create an independent international inquiry into their attacks on civilian economic structures in Yemen. In March two human rights groups called [JURIST report] for the US, the UK and France to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia due to accusations and evidence that the weapons are being used in attacks against Yemen.24 Dec
UN Security Council decides against arms embargo for South Sudan - On Friday the United Nations Security Council [official website] failed to pass a resolution, which would have imposed [press release] an arms embargo on South Sudan with a vote of 7-0 with 8 abstentions. The resolution would have instituted an arms ban on the country as well as impose a travel ban and asset freeze against three Government and opposition figures. The vote comes as a disappointment to many rights activists, with deputy United Rights director at Human Rights Watch Akshaya Kumar stating [Amnesty report] "the Security Council had an opportunity to show that it stands with the civilian victims of this conflict. Instead, this failure gives the warring parties in South Sudan a green light to buy more weapons and material that will end up being used against civilians." The members voting on the resolution expressed concern that the resolution would run against the national dialogue, including the new implementation of regional protection forces. The Russian Federations representative expressed concern that these sanctions had not had the results that were intended in previous, similar situations. The South Sudanese representative described even the tabling of the vote as unfortunate, expressing that it goes against the steps the young nation has taken in the past weeks.
South Sudan, which is the youngest nation on the planet, gained its independence in 2011. On December 14th a UN human rights chief expressed concern that the young nation teetered on the brink of disaster [JURIST report], citing that the country might be on the brink of an international disaster. Earlier in December the UN commission on Human rights expressed concern that areas of South Sudan are currently experiencing an ethnic cleansing. [JURIST report] In November several South Sudanese organizations co-authored a letter [JURIST report] to the African Union Commission [official website] trying to create a hybrid court in the country, which would allow the court to try members of the South Sudanese government. In September the South Sudanese government threatened to sue [JURIST report] a US based watch group after they released a report stating the the government had profited from a three year conflict in the country. 24 Dec
US abstains in UN vote denouncing Israeli settlements in Palestine - The United Nations Security Council [official website] passed a resolution, on Friday, which establishes that Israeli settlements in Palestine have no legal validity. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon [official website] welcomed the resolution, stating [UN report] that the settlements violated international law, and that they were an obstacle to the two state policy and lasting peace in the region. A spokesmen for the Secretary General stated [press release] that "the resolution is a significant step, demonstrating the Council’s much needed leadership and the international community’s collective efforts to reconfirm that the vision of two States is still achievable". The Trump transition team, along with the Israeli government, had urged the United States to veto the resolution. The resolution passed 14-0 with United States ambassador Samantha Power [official bio] the the lone abstention. After the vote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared [NYT report] "Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the U.N. and will not abide by its terms".
The conflict surrounding the West Bank settlements has long been an issue in the region, and has raised many questions, including those involving human rights violations. Earlier this month a UN Human Rights chief announced that the settlements set up by Israel violated International Law. The Israeli High Court of Justice [official website] ruled in November that a controversial West Bank settlement of Amona must be dismantled by December 25th, despite challenges for an extension. Also in November the Israeli legislature approved a bill which would make the West Bank settlements legal, which was opposed by Netanyahu, preferring to wait for the High Courts decision. This conflict has been going on for many years; in November 2015 Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged both sides to find a way to reconcile the conflict and find a way to peace after an arson ended with the death of a Palestinian child. 24 Dec
Obama administration to dismantle muslim registry program - The Obama administration [official website] is dismantling [NYT report] the dormant national registry program that was used to keep tabs on visitors from countries with active terrorist groups, the administration announced Thursday. The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (Nseers) is a remnant element [Guardian report] from the Bush administration's response to the terror attacks of 9/11. More than 80,000 people from 25 different countries were required to provide fingerprints and photographs and make regular in-person visits to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [official website]. Over 14,000 of those people were placed in deportation proceedings. Joann Lin, legislative counsel for the ACLU [official website], said [press release] Nseers was a "completely failed counter-terrorism tool and massive profiling program that didn't yield a single terrorism conviction in nearly a decade." The registry has not been in use since 2011 but it provided a framework for President-elect Donald Trump [official website] to introduce the Muslim-registry program he promised while on the campaign trail. The dismantling of Nseers will make it much more difficult for Trump to implement his ban on Muslims entering the United States.
The Obama administration has been taking several steps to preserve its legacy before the President-elect takes office in January. On Wednesday Obama announced a ban [JURIST report] on offshore drilling as a preemptive opposition to the Trump administration. Earlier this month the Obama administration challenged [JURIST report] a federal judge's decision to block the implementation of a new overtime pay rule. President-elect Trump's views on immigration have been a source of contention for many city officials. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel [official website] delivered a letter [JURIST report] in early December to US President-elect Donald Trump signed by many US mayors warning of the potential economic losses Trump could cause if he repeals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) [official website]. In November New York Governor Andrew Cuomo [official website] unveiled statewide initiatives to combat [JURIST report] hate crime and protect civil rights in response to the increase in hate crimes following the November 8 election.23 Dec
Deal to repeal North Carolina "bathroom bill" collapses - A bipartisan agreement to repeal North Carolina's "bathroom bill" fell apart [Reuters report] Wednesday after each party accused the other of reneging on promises. House Bill 2 (HB2) [text, PDF] is a state law requiring transgender people to use the public bathroom associated with the sex listed on their birth certificate. The bill was launched in response [BBC report] to an ordinance from the City of Charlotte [official website] that extended protections on the LGBT community. The Republican-dominated Senate [official website] agreed to repeal HB2 on the condition that Charlotte repeal its ordinance. The city of Charlotte voted 7-2 in an emergency session [WSJ report] to repeal the ordinance but the repeal of HB2 never took place. Before voting on Wednesday, Republicans added a provision to the repeal that included a 6 month moratorium on cities passing nondiscrimination ordinances similar to the one Charlotte repealed. HB2 has caused heavy political and economic fallout since it was passed. The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina [official website] issued a statement [press release] saying, "The legislature may not be willing to undo their unconstitutional overreach and respect the rights of LGBT people, so we'll just have to see them in court."
North Carolina's stance on LGBT rights has been a topic of national controversy. The state's Governor Pat McCrory dismissed a lawsuit [JURIST report] in September and declared that HB2 did not violate federal law. In April McCrory issued an executive order [JURIST report] to clarify HB 2 in response to significant backlash. In March North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper stated during a press conference that he would not defend [JURIST report] the law, which he considers to be discriminatory against the LGBT community. Earlier that week North Carolina individuals and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against McCrory, claiming that the bill he signed one week prior was unconstitutional and discriminatory. Earlier that month McCrory signed the bill into law [JURIST report], preventing local governments from enacting their own nondiscrimination ordinances and making them unable to pass laws allowing transgender people to use the public restroom or locker room that corresponds with their gender identity.23 Dec
Deutsche Bank reaches $7.2 billion settlement with US DOJ regarding toxic mortgages - Deutsche Bank [official website] on Friday announced a $7.2 billion settlement [Reuters report] with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] regarding the sale of toxic mortgage securities that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis [Britannica backgrounder]. The terms of the agreement are not finalized but are expected to be in early January, prior to President-elect Donald Trump taking office. Under current terms [press release], the settlement would cover a $3.1 billion civil penalty as well as $4.1 billion in consumer relief "expected to be primarily in the form of loan modifications and other assistance to homeowners and borrowers ... delivered over a period of at least five years." However, Deutsche Bank stated that "there can be no assurance that the [DOJ] and the bank will agree on the final documentation." The announcement comes within a day of the DOJ filing similar charges [Reuters report] against Barclays PLC [official website].
Several banks have faced legal challenges [JURIST backgrounder] stemming from the financial crisis of 2007-08. In September the US National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) [official website] said that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) [official website] will pay $1.1 billion [JURIST report] after it allegedly solid toxic mortgaged-backed securities. In July 2014 Citigroup, Inc. agreed to pay $7 billion to settle a federal inquiry [JURIST report] into mortgage-backed securities sold by the bank prior to the country's financial crisis. In November 2013 the DOJ announced that a $13 billion civil settlement [JURIST report] with JPMorgan & Co. [official website] has been finalized, resolving federal and state claims arising from the bank's risky mortgage practices which helped lead to the 2008 financial crisis. In August 2013 the DOJ filed suit [JURIST report] against Bank of America (BOA) [official website] in the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina [official website], claiming the corporation misled investors about securitized loans worth more than $850 million.23 Dec
Federal Court rules college's mandatory drug test policy unconstitutional - The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit [official website] on Thursday ruled [opinion, PDF] that State Technical College of Missouri [official website] cannot continue mandatory drug tests for all students. After preliminary injunctions and a permanent injunction were reversed, an en banc panel of the Eighth Circuit determined that such a universal and mandatory policy is unconstitutional and affirmed the district court's grant of a permanent and prospective injunction. However, the panel also affirmed the district court ruling that a program-by-program analysis was appropriate, permitting the college to require drug tests in five current programs that are identified as safety-sensitive programs. The class action lawsuit against the school was filed in 2011 by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and their Missouri branch [official websites]. In a statement [press release] after the decision, one attorney stated, "Our victory should serve as a warning to colleges and universities across the country: mandatory, suspicionless drug testing of the entire student body is inefficient, ineffective, and grossly unconstitutional."
Similar universal, mandatory drug policies in other atmospheres have come under fire in recent years as well. In December 2014 the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit [official website] ruled that a Florida law mandating welfare applicants undergo drug tests before receiving benefits is unconstitutional [JURIST report]. In August 2013 North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory [official website] vetoed a bill [JURIST report] that would have mandated drug testing for some public benefit applicants in the state. In April 2012 a judge for the the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida [official website] blocked an executive order [JURIST report] that mandates Florida state government agencies provide pre-employment drug screening for all prospective employees and provide for random drug testing of all current agency employees regardless of classification. In March 2012 the ACLU of Pennsylvania [official website] sued a school district [JURIST report] in the state on behalf of an 11-year-old girl regarding a school policy that required students who participate in extracurricular activities to submit to random, suspicionless drug tests.23 Dec
UN approves resolution to probe Syria war crimes - The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution [text, PDF] Wednesday to establish an independent panel to investigation possible war crimes in Syria. The resolution, approved by a vote of 105 to 15 against, with 52 abstentions, will establish the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Those Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in [Syria] since March 2011. The mechanism will work closesly with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011. The resolution:
Calls upon all States, all parties to the conflict as well as civil society to cooperate fully with the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic to effectively fulfil their respective mandates and, in particular, to provide them with any information and documentation they may possess, as well as any other forms of assistance pertaining to their respective mandates.
The Commission of Inquiry has repeatedly called for referral to the International Criminal Court, which has been blocked by Russia and China.
The war in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] continues to have a devastating impact, particularly for the war torn region of Aleppo. Last week UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein accused Syrian pro-government forces of going door to door and systematically killing civilians [JURIST report] in at least four Aleppo neighborhoods. The Russian/Syrian coalition committed war crimes in Aleppo during September and October, Human Rights Watch said [JURIST report] in early December. Earlier this month UN officials urged [JURIST report] the international community to unite with the UN Security Council to protect civilians in the war-torn eastern Aleppo region of Syria. US Central Command concluded [JURIST report] in November that airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition near Dayr az Zawr, Syria, in September did not violate international law. Also in November a group of German lawyers announced [JURIST report] the filing of charges against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, alleging that he committed war crimes in Aleppo.22 Dec
Ohio governor signs 'campus carry' bill into law - Ohio Governor John Kasich [official website] has signed [press release] the "campus carry" bill into law . Senate Bill 199 [text, PDF], one of 17 bills Kasich signed Monday, makes it legal to carry concealed weapons at daycare facilities and onto college campuses. College boards will have to vote to permit concealed weapons, but child care centers must post notification if firearms are not allowed. The bill also applies to public areas of airports and permits active-duty military to carry concealed guns without a permit. The original language of the bill provided a provision that made concealed gun permit holders a protect class, but those controversial pieces were scrapped [Plain Dealer report]. The Buckeye Firearms Association and the National Rifle Association [advocacy websites] supported the bill. It will take effect in 90 days.
Gun control [JURIST backgrounder] and the Second Amendment continue to be controversial national topics, and gun awareness has risen in the wake of recent shootings across the nation. In June Hawaii Governor David Ige signed a bill that puts gun owners on an FBI database [JURIST report]. In May the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the Second Amendment protects the right to buy and sell guns [JURIST report]. In January US President Barack Obama announced executive actions on gun control [JURIST report].22 Dec

Brian M. Lucey » Blogpost

2016 – Goodbye to all that…but 2017 may be worse - Looking back at 2016 it is hard not to think that there were tectonic shifts in the western economic and political system, even allowing for the tendency of us all to overweight recent events.  Ever since Cicero politicians have been complaining “o tempora, o mores”  and we should have a healthy suspicion of those words “this time is different” but maybe, this time is in fact different. We have seen, in Brexit and in Trump, the rise of populism. This is populism of a particular kind however.  It is populism driven not by poverty, not by loss of a war, not by anything specific. It is populism grounded in an inchoate sense that things used to be, and could be better, populism in the rear view mirror, populism for a simpler and, in the populists memory, better time. It is populism whipped up in the most cynical terms by the most inner of elites portraying themselves as outsiders, modern Clodius’s who lead those at whom they laugh.  It’s a curious populism, for the most part a phenomenon of the west. While in the west the lower middle classes remember fondly the days of their fathers (even if theu were not alive) and their salad days of the 70s,  in the rest of the world the reality is that the majority of people have never had it so good.  The old, and the late middle aged, vote and in doing so have driven the UK off the Brexit cliff and the USA into the hands of the nomenklatura, in both cases wilfully and cheerfully. At the root of the discontent is the differential pace of gains from globalisation. There is a fantastic graph, from the World Bank in 2012, which to a great extent explains the last 30y of the world economy. What it shows in essence is the relative winners and losers, globally,  Since the early 90s the world has undergone a dramatic change.  Concurrent with globalization relative wealth has shifted. The global middle class now is dominated not by (relative) wealthy south americans and those in the west but by them plus the enormous Chinese and to a lesser extent Afro-indian middle classes.  Crucially, this doesn’t imply, necessarily, that the 1990 middle classes have gotten poorer. They may have in some countries but in other countries they may not have. What they have become is just one part of the global middle class. At the bottom  changes have been modest but in the middle – the global earners earning  in the 30-60% of  global income distribution, these have seen enormous rises in real income, as global poverty is reduced and globalization acts as an enormous “relative to the global income distribution” redistributive mechanism.  The brexiteers and trumpeteers are mourning, at least in part, a loss of exclusivism, a loss of the world being their oyster, a loss of the ability to be the lords of economic creation. A key element that should be of concern to us here in the liberal still wealthy democratic west is this – there is no evident linkage between global wealth and democracy.  Liberal, western representative democracy in the long perspective is probably best seen as a mechanisim for the middle classes to ensure that the peasants stayed in their place, more or less, and that the upper crust didn’t loot the place bare.  Doing so, with the concomitant superstructure of rules of law and procedure, enabled and enhanced entrepreneurship  and economic growth. But other mechanisms exist.  China is one such experiment – hyper capitalistic at one level and at another deeply dirigiste to a level that would make the graduates of ENA weep in envy, it is by no means democratic.  Putin’s Russia is another – both more and less absolutist than China but a Potemkin democracy, yet (more or less) succeeding.  While I and others might like to think that in the long term these will come round, due to the same pressures as led enlightenment Europe, towards democracy,  that is not a given. Universal suffrage is a historical rarity in large states.  The self perceived squeezed middle classes of the west have tried universal suffrage democracy and plainly find it lacking.  But their woes are only starting, and with them the disillusionment will perhaps reach greater depths, opening the door for the right to rise again, if it has not already done so. 2016 also saw the arrival of a large number of automated processes and products that have the potential to eradicate swathes of previously humanised middle and lower middle class jobs.  Take some examples. In finance we see the rise of robo-advisors, to counterpart the growth of algorithmic trading. Robo advisors are programs,  virtual robots as it were, which suggest, with little human intervention, what and where to place any funds one might have.  This has the potential to wipe out a large tranche of the investment advisor and fund advisor market. In motoring we have seen astonishing growth in the penetration and acceptance of self driving autos.   Initially confined to cars this is now beginning to penetrate into the trucking business.  That has the potential to disrupt a huge employer- in the USA for instance there are 3.5m truckers, mostly independent operators.  In large stores we are now grindingly accepting of the robotic checkout. Banking is increasingly roboticised.  A 2012 paper noted a potential immiseration cycle from robotics – as they penetrate the workforce they make it harder for the younger workers to get jobs and make it less feasible and rewarding for them to invest in human capital, depressing wages for several generations.  The marginal productivity of lower skilled workers declines while that of higher skilled rises, exacerbating the income gap and social tensions.  The older and richer get richer the younger and poorer get stagnation. We are seeing this happening now through the overhang of debt and the unwillingness of the boomer generation to countenance any reduction in their welfare through the events of the GFC A final issue is the growth of extreme income inequality. As noted globalisation has brought about huge welfare increases in the lower reaches of the income distribution. But the biggest gains are in the 1%, the 0.1% and the 0.01%. The world has seen the rise of a plutocratic class unseen perhaps since the Tang or Roman empires.  Although not yet complete the cabinet of curiosities that Donald Trump has proposed are already wealthier than the lowest earning 50m US households. Think of that for a second. A dozen vs 100m.  50% of the global wealth is in the hands of the 1%. The top 0.01% in the USA are as wealthy as the remaining 0.99% that make up the famed 1%.  There is something wrong with this.  As my wife’s aunt said when she first saw Versailles “no wonder they riz up”. What of Ireland? Well, we have the most unequal pre-tax pre-welfare society of the entire OECD. This includes the USA.  Perhaps for shame, or perhaps because we have a fairly vibrant democracy, we have a tax and welfare system that makes us middle ranking post distributions. But that is a function of a politics that is under strain.  We have, mercifully, been spared the extremes of the right. But the virus is there.  Left to our own devices we show all the instincts of the farther reaches of the right. We don’t, really, give much of a toss about homelessness. If we did, we would not tolerate 7000 people spending Xmas and New year in emergency accommodation (small, dingy hotel rooms). We think that there is no tax rate too low in the attraction of  any number of brass plated jobs, and be damned to the begrudugers who class us as part of the global tax scandal that is the MNC taxation mess. We don’t really give a hoot about the undocumented , unless they are Irish in the states when we mutter “shure didn’t they BUILD America” while confining our domestic undocumented to direct provision for decades. We don’t much like paying tax, but love a good service. We have no meas on higher education, really, wanting a world class system  but one that produces Lawyers and Doctors for the upper middle classes, accountants and teachers for the middle, and sure isn’t the RTC grand and cant they do computers and the like there for the rest.  We don’t want to pay for it.  We want cheap electricity but don’t want pylons, and so on. We have a system that left to its own devices produces inequality on a globally scandalous scale. Presiding over this we have “new politics” which looks much like the old politics with a coat of paint. Painting over a damp rotten edifice makes it look good for a but, but the paint peels and reveals the reality.  Right now we have the paint beginning to peel. In a world where President Donald Trump is not a simpsons episode, where the UK has decided to go back to 1957, where a populist right wing political party is showing spectacular growth in Germany through blaming the national woes on a small but visible minority (what could possibly go wrong..), who knows what will 2017 bring. Merry Christmas     Column in the Irish Examiner, 24 December 201623 Dec
Res Publica? - So, to show that the spirit of Ebeneezer Scrooge is still amongst us, consider this.  A large part of the housing crisis is , it is generally accepted, down to supply issues. A large part of that is down to the effective withdrawal of the state over the last 15y from direct housing building. Mazars, a professional services company, conducted a review of homelessness services , just last year. So they presumably know the issues well. Mazars have a values statement which states “Mazars’ vision is to make a difference to our clients, our teams and our communities by providing high-calibre audit, accountancy, tax and advisory services in a personal, principled and professional way.“  NAMA exists because of the property crash, a crash of speculative house and commercial properties. Apollo House is in the hands of NAMA, by which we mean the loans secured on and from it are. So, the state , society, has a lien on it. Apollo house, which has lain idle and unused for 6y, has been occupied for the last few days by homeless activists who have converted some of the empty, idle, floorspace into emergency shelter. Dublin has a massive homeless problem and hundreds of rough sleepers. Its winter, its miserable. Apollo House, the idle, unused, building, is being used (illegally) to prevent them from sleeping out in the freezing rain. Mazars, acting for the state (but assuredly not for the citizens..) are the receivers for the company whos asset is Apollo  House. To show their willingness to make a difference to the community, and to act in a principled way, they have gone to court to evict, into the freezing rain, the same homeless whose situation they examined last year.  The court of course will give them a hearing and if they are to follow the strict letter of the law will give an injunction to the occupiers to vacate. Into the freezing rain.  In Christmas week. You couldnt make it up. 20 Dec
Brexit conundrum 27,621 – A university one - So, this morning, I got a nice email from Liverpool University.  It got me thinking.  Im going to be an external examiner, for a PhD. As is the norm there is a very modest stipend (165 STG ) plus reasonable expenses.  So, a trip to Liverpool, a chance to engage in some discussion with a young scholar, a few beers with some mates there in the Uni and elsewhere. This is a nice job. But..in the email is this, a variant of which  I have noted over the last few years is coming into more and more emails from UK universities when they ask one to do anything. ‘Please note if you are a non UK national you must have the right to work in the UK for us to pay you the External Examiner Fee.’ Fast forward to the post Brexit UK. EU nationals will no longer have an automatic right to work in the UK.  So, how will universities manage that? Will external examining, for PhD or as a course examiner, require engagement with the UK work permit police? Or will some blanket exclusion be put in place? How long before some demented kipper starts to mumble about German or Irish or Greek academics taking the jobs of honest hard working English academics? The reality is that academics do external examining not for the paltry fees, but because its part of the social fabric of academia. I external examine for you so that you will do so for us down the line. It also allows and is designed to give one a degree of cross checking, of peer review, of one’s own shop and to exchange good ideas, and to take home processes and practices that might improve one’s own.  Hampering this free flow of ideas is a bad idea. Cutting oneself off from it is a worse one. If I have to engage with a government bureaucracy to do external examining in the UK I ….wont. Its not worth the hassle. Maybe Universities UK have thought this one through and have solutions. The evidence is that the UK authorities are struggling to make any sense of the mess in which they have landed themselves.20 Dec
My Non Fiction books of the year 2016 - Following my fiction picks, here are my non-fiction books of the year.  Again, in no especial order . FWIW the book of the year for me is still Silk Roads by Frankopan but I read it first in 2015. I had come across this book a good while ago but had never managed to get around to it. I had read his Report from Ground Zero, but then nothing else.  It is a wonderful read, taking you into the life and mores of the busiest ladder company in the NYFD at a time when anyone in uniform was seen as the enemy. Fighting fires in the Bronx in the early 1970s must count as one of the harder ways to earn a living in the modern world. The writing is crisp and elegant, and you come away with even more respect for those who daily put their lives on the line for not a whole pile of money. It should be mandatory reading for those of the sneeretariate of the right who despise all public service.  Dennis Smith has a series of fire related books and I intend to seek them out.   This is an interesting book. I dont know that I am fully convinced but he makes a strong case that the body of Alexander the Great is that now revered as that of St Mark. Buried in the depths of St Marks in Venice, this would of course be soluble with modern forensic tests. On sounder ground Chugg takes the disappearance of the Soma as his starting point. Alexandria was founded literally around the temple housing the body of Alexander, a massive complex. Not only is it now vanished but it is unclear where it ever was. And yet, as late as the C3 CE it existed. As a reading in deep time, on how even the mightiest edifices can vanish even from memory this is fascinating stuff.   From one great conquerer to another. Georgy Zhukov arguably has the best claim to be “the” man who won WW2. He saved Leningrad, saved Moscow, crushed the Nazis, personally arrested Beria, and A military genius, who was lucky to escape a reward from Stalin of a swift trip to the grave, he came back into power again and then was deposed a second time. His story is one of a career soldier, who despite having supreme power within his grasp several times declined to take the helm.       To me one of the most fascinating characters in history is Talleyrand. A more cynical, complex and complete diplomat has rarely been seen. An anti clerical bishop who supported the French revolution; the man who engineered Napoleon into power only to betray him ; a senior administrator in the Ancien Regime, the Revolution, the Consulate, the Empire, the Burbon restoration and the rule of Louis-Philippe who betrayed them all; a cynic and a realist, a man of letters and enlightenment. This book is an oldie but a goodie, and a cracking read18 Dec
My Fiction Books of the year 2016 - So, another year over, more or less, and while awaiting the books that I asked Santa to bring, here is my non-comprehensive thoughts on my books of the year 2016. In no order and without warranty, my fiction picks. Non fiction to follow. Ben Winters is perhaps THE best new SciFi writer. His apocalyptic Last Policeman trilogy was ineffably sad and quite wonderful. This year the only book that made me shudder, and when you read books about nazi police investigators and necrophilic Stasi (read on) THAT takes some doing, was Underground Airlines. The premise is simple – through a not improbable event we find ourselves in a USA where there was no confederate civil war but instead one in the 1960s with a liberal, latino Texas trying secession, where slavery is still legal in 4 states, and where the particular institution has resulted in the USA being more or less a pariah worldwide. WIthin the USA there is an active slavecatcher apparatus operated by the Feds, riven by abolitionists and proslavery, and mostly employing runaways. This is a deeply disturbing book – the USA is at once familiar and utterly horrifically different. I had no clue where the plot was going, beyond a conventional ending, till the last few chapters, when the full inexorable legally brilliant plan is uncovered. And we have no sense that it is foiled. A book to leave you with much to ponder. Ok, I know he is a darling of the Alt-right, and has caused a ruckus at the Hugo’s but I really like Larry Correia. He is a pulpy writer, lots of guns and gore and gals and guitars, lots of monsters and mayhem, mostly set in or around Alabama. Think Deliverance with full auto and creatures from the dungeon dimensions. I had missed out on Monster Hunter Alpha but caught up with it – Earl Harbringer is NOT a man to mess with and shows how and why he truly is the Big Dog in the pack. Werewolves, black helicopters, drooling lunatics with dreams of world domination, feisty cops (who may or may not meet a Terrible End)…. Its good. How does a (reasonably) decent police officer work in a totalitarian state? Since reading Gorky Park in the early 80s that has always fascinated me. I have found it hard to get good police procedurals in that milieu however. This year I took a bunch of novels from Philip Kerr, the Bernie Gunther series, and jumped in. Great reads. Bernie is not an especially good man, nor an especially nice one. But he is fundamentally decent, and tries his best as a Berlin police investigator, private investigator, military intelligence officer and reluctant spy to keep a moral core intact. As the series spans from 1932 to 1956 that is not easy, indeed not possible in full. These are wonderful reads, noir and poignant. There is a debate on whether these should be read in publishing or chronological order. I think publishing, as increasingly the timeline jumps about after book 3. Similar in tone, if a little darker, is the John Russell series, starting with Zoo Station and authored by David Downing. Again a flawed hero, this time a little less flawed than Bernie and a man who is not above double and triple crosses to make one’s head spin, Russell is an Anglo-German journalist. We follow him, his family and his many enemies from the late 1930s to the early 1950’s taking in a tour of the asylum that was europe. I grew to like the characters in this series – not easy to do- and cared for them. The arc of Kerr’s son, Paul, from soccer mad pre teen to exile post war is poignant. We think of the Praetorian Guard as faceless and powerhungry, but ignore that in the middle empire they were a handy pool of skilled fighters from whom the Emperor de jure could pick and choose detachments and units. SJA Turley is a very evocative writer – try Ironroot for a sad but uplifting fantasy – and here in The Great Game and in the sequel Price of Treason we follow Rufinius as he more or less literally stumbles into promotion to the Guard then, newbie and disposable, is thrown to the conspiratorial wolves. But…. hes got game, he manages to make some friends and has luck. He by no means escapes unscathed – by the end of the second book this is a scarred and seasoned killer, but we stick with him as he makes his way onward, not to glory he hopes but just to the end of the assignment.   Christian Cameron is a wonderful writer of military historical novels. His Long War series follows the exploits of the historically attested Arminestos of Plataea, and weaves around the few facts of his life a vivid recreation of the emergence of Greece. By the time we reach Rage of Ares we have have followed Arimestos as a farmer, slave, courtier, smith, pirate, and pretty much all round man of bronze, a killer of men and sickened by it. We have seen the ionian rebellion, the rise of Syracuse, the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis. Here we reach the finale, where he fights the culminating battle, that of Plateae, literally on his own farmland, against the Persians, his peoples enemies and his personal friends.Its elagic, brutal and engrossing. I had heard great things about The Three Body Problem but hadnt gotten around to reading it until late this year. It, and its followups The Dark Forest and Death’s End, are rich, sweeping, sinocentric science fiction novels, tackling the biggest issues of all. As we go on the scope expands and expands to Stapledonian dimensions, and the problems with it. A rewarding and satisfying read. All three really need to be read in fairly rapid succession to get the full impact of the writing.     Ah, Uthred Uhtredærwe.. Never a man to let a grudge die, the Flame Bearer sees Uthred of Bebbanberg finally moving to secure his birthright. This is another great novel from a master storyteller. Uthred is not a nice man, not at all. Cruel, proud, violent, capricious, yet capable of nobility and generosity, he is a wonderful creation.  Ageing, but like oak getting harder and more durable, Uthred begins to find that even if one does get close to one’s life’s aim there is always some other problem (in this case, the King of Scotland).  I read this before I bingewatched the Last Kingdom, which I also hugely enjoyed. Cornwell has in Uthred a character at least as good and as complex as Richard Sharpe. Read the whole series NOW   So, the Stasi… In keeping with my reading of the Bernie Gunther novels, I have begun to try to seek out novels about police in extraordinary circumstances. So, East Germany had the Stasi, of course, but also regular cops. East German citizens robbed, raped, murdered, defrauded, got into fights in bars, drove drunk etc. And as in any society there were police to deal with them. But what happens when these regular, if politicised, police get mixed up in a case with capital P Political implications. The protagonist is a policewoman who is dully dutiful to the state, with no great notions of how wonderful it would be to be in West Germany and who gets on with her job until one day she is called to a case close to the Anti Fascist Barrier or as we called it the Berlin Wall. From there on it it all unravells. A complex, tough read that makes you think of what it means to the soul to go along to get along.  17 Dec
Ireland’s Elephants - We need to talk about elephants. White, in the room,  dancing It doesn’t matter , elephants are where it is at. However, rather than ascertaining how to manage, evade and if needed cull same, our government, which resembles an elephants graveyard of hope, is goading and ignoring. Lets look at the elephant in the room, the room being that place wherein the ICTU Public Sector unions meet to plot . Its quite a large one, but the ICTU are happy to ignore it. It’s the fact that we are, as a nation, only barely breaking even on our current budget. Ignore those that say we are still borrowing “to keep the nurses and gardai paid”. We aren’t. What we are borrowing for is capital spending, which is both prudent (at low interest rates especially) and needed. But the economy and the world economy is fragile, very much so.  A demand for full restoration of what was unsustainable in boom times is resolute ignoring of the economic reality of the state. Yes, we can and should take in more tax from a variety of places, but right now we are in that place, where we are. Of course, wilfully blind to the elephant as ICTU may be, down across the liffey in the employers trade union,  IBEC, they also carefully tiptoe around an elephant.  Its in fact the twin of the union and represents that we as a state are not the uniquely heavily taxed nation we , and IBEC in particular, make ourselves out to be. A large part of the tax gap versus our EU partners is in employers PRSI, employers social security contributions.  The average marginal rate of employers PRSI across all levels is 8.5%, less than 1/3 that in Belgium and While the ICTU elephant is  a bearded one,  and the IBEC pinstriped, whole herds of white elephants graze unmolested instead of being subjected to a ruthless cull.  A classic example is the set of branch, marginal railway lines identified in the recent report. There is romanticism about rail.  That is undeniable. But the realit is that for decades and decades we have as a nation poured monies not into railways but into road. Whether that was sensible or not is  now beyond the point. When we have a situation where on an operating basis it costs hundreds of euro of subsidy per journey for a branch line, we have to ask if that is sensible (no…).   A better approach would be to convert the branch lines into greenways and take advantage of walking/cycling ecotourism. Then we have the elephant’s graveyard of Irish economic prosperity, the housing market, where the government seems intent on listening carefully to expert opinion, then doing the exact opposite.  We have not so much segued as sashayed from one housing crisis to the next almost without pause. Perhaps the most dangerous elephants of all are the trio dancing around each other – the USA, the UK and the EU.  Post Brexit and Trump, the chances of deeper global trade are slim.  Ireland has profited hugely from the globalisation of trade and finance which the last few decades have brought. But this was very much of its time and its time has passed. What we have done is neglected yet another elephant in the room – the lack of a sustainable, export capable,  cadre of domestic owned middle sized (in global terms) firms.  Mesmerised by the FDI riches we have neglected to invest in growing our own. Now, as the EU and the UK face into a who-knows-what of Brexit, as the USA takes a turn for the protectionist  and isolationist, our major trading parters are squaring up for a series of more bruising encounters than we have seen since the 1930s. When the elephants dance the ants get trampled , and we are , for the UK/US/EU, those little people far away who look like ants. Its elephants all the way and we are both their keepers and their potential victims.   Irish Examiner column 28/11/1628 Nov
pictures of cuban development - I have never been to Cuba. I am not a great long distance traveller. Nor would I , from what I have ever read, been a happy camper under a one party dictatorship, for that is what Cuba was an is. But…lets see what the World Development Indicators say, bearing in mind that not all data are available at all times for all states… Fidel was a revolutionary, who was from all accounts initially a rather middle of the road marxist, driven into the arms of the Soviet Union as a counterweight to the US and cuban exiles there who wished to restore the abjectly awful Batista regime. And then, missiles, cold war, and everyone freezes in place. So, yes, a dictator and a serial abuser of human rights, not a nice man. Most revolutionaries aren’t.  But, and there is always a but, he left Cuba in a place that is in many human ways demonstrably better than most other large polities in the region. So, on balance, a balanced view is required.     27 Nov
Godel’s loophole : Turning the USA into a dictatorship, constitutionally - In summary, Gödel’s loophole is that the amendment procedures set forth in Article V apply to the constitutional statements in Article V themselves. In addition, not only may Article V itself be amended, but also it may be amended in an upward or downward direction. Lastly, the Gödelian problem of self-amendment or antientrenchment is unsolvable. This is taken from a review (8-guerra-pujol-1) of the alleged logical flaw found by logician Kurt Godel in his study of the US constitution.  So , the argument runs, one first amends Article V to allow, say, simple majority or even a uncontested change by the President. Then one can amend away.  Godel, it is argued, discovered this and was only with some difficulty dissuaded by Oscar Morganstern and Albert Einstein, his sponsors, at expounding at length on it at his citizenship hearing. There is a good discussion here, and here also. For those not familiar with the US constitution Article V states The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate. So to amend the US constitution right now requires a triple lock : a 2/3 vote by each house of congress and a 3/4 vote by states. Hmm…  3/4 of 50 is 37. Republicans control 32 and 5 are divided. Thats 37.  The house of representatives and the senate are, in essence 51-49 Republican. But dont forget, its those that turn up to vote that make the 2/3 not those eligible to vote. Do I think Trump will do this? No. There are, I am sure, enough deeply constitutional republicans in both state legislatures and the congress to be aghast at the prospect. Trump seems more interested in the trappings of power and its potential to enrich family and discomfit enemies than in becoming King Donald I.  But, one has to wonder.  We live in strange times. 17 Nov
Fascism and Free speech - Fascism is ineradicable. It lies like a virus in the body politic. All we can do is try to prevent the virus breaking out, and when it does, at the first stage, deal with it swiftly and ruthlessly. Fascism is back. I have written before on how Trump hits most of the markers for fascism. Here we have, so far, been spared the direct outbreak that has infected the USA but we must not be complacent. Fascism, like any disease, has its epidemiology, its vectors of transmission, its symptoms and its cures. Corrosive hate speech weakens the body politic and allows the virus to reemerge. When journalists enable, for the best of intention, such hate speech then we have to ask – do we allow freedom of speech to fascism or its agents and proponents? One of the symptoms of fascism reemerging in the body politic is the rise of hate speech. All too often this is allowed under the aegis of balance, or in a hope that exposing it might cause its withering. Those that engage in same may not even be themselves fascist, merely passing on the virus while remaining uninfected. Hate speech, such as we have seen validated and reified in the USA, hate speech such as that which pours out of the alt right in a neverending stream, hate speech cannot be ignored. Nor can it be tolerated. Its a symptom and a vector of fascism, and while most sentient beings will see if for what it is, some will alas succumb. They will open themselves to infection, and boom. Another lost to the virus. There is no absolute right to free speech.  Just as you cannot shout fire in a crowded theatre and get away with it, just as we dont give platforms to paedophiles and cannibals to promote their side of the argument we should not give media space or time to the proponents of fascism or hate speech.  No matter how well meaning the journalist, no matter how appealing is is to “let them speak”, the vectors of fascism should not be allowed speak, for to do so is to allow them infect. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and the road to fascism with well meaning journalists who though they could tame the beast. Once we accept that some forms of discourse are beyond the pale, as is the case in most countries, we are then in a discussion not on the principle of censoring speech but its practice. My opinion, and its just that, is that fascism and its outriders should never ever be given freedom of speech.   It spreads through the media,  written social and broadcast, and thus needs to be tackled there. Just an opinion.11 Nov
Lets make England’s Brexit led education difficulty our opportunity - Theresa May’s plans for Brexit may have suffered a setback after campaigners won their high court battle over her decision not to seek parliamentary approval before starting the process. Nevertheless, any move by the UK to leave the EU is likely to pose significant challenges. If it is hard, as favoured by the British prime minister, it implies that the UK will be outside the customs union with all the trade dislocation that that implies. The rationale, such as it is, for that decision,  is that all modes of staying within the customs union will require freedom of movement of people.  And that is the rub. The predominant reason for voting no was around immigration, conflated with a notion of taking back control (of borders, usually unsaid).  This opens an opportunity for Ireland, if it can show the vision to grasp it  In a MSc class recently, with about 60% non Irish, mostly non EU, we spoke about Brexit. The overwhelming view of those students was that, as one Indian student noted “the british have voted to close themselves off from the world and its currents” . A great part of how this will work out, is a significant clampdown on student numbers. This is not the first nor will it be the last time that international students have been the target of the Tory desire to reduce net immigration.   Post Brexit EU students will have the same status as those from India, or the USA. EU students make up up to 20% of some UK university courses and approx. 6.5% of total students. A further uncertainty resolves around the status of EU citizens working in the UK ; it remains unclear as to whether they whom amongst them will retain automatic rights to work there, and who will be liable for , frankly, removal.  Amongst the large number of EU citizens working in the UK are   those in the education sector, accounting for up to 17% of UK university level academics.  Regardless of the formalities, the perceived reality is that the UK is no longer as friendly a place for EU citizens to make a career. So we have a UK which is determined to reduce international students, despite the  €40b plus they contribute to the UK economy, and which is a much chillier place than heretofore, and getting colder, for the 35,000 plus EU academics. This is a wonderful position for us. Ireland has a strong but small international student sector. Some estimates put it at a level of exports, for that is what it is when one sells education services to international students, as being in the region of €1.5b, essentially the same as beverages. Education, particularly third level education, has a massive multipliereffect on the economy- each education job supports 6-8 additional jobs in other sectors and each € spent in third level multiplies between 3 and 4 times.  We know from international work that increasing third level institutions is associated with significant increases in longrun growth paths. Doubling the number of universities results in an increase of 4% in longrun GDP per capita. Finally, we know that there is a strong desire for university status in the Institute of Technology sector, a move which the Technological Universities Bill is designed to address.  Finally, all the evidence points to the development of a income contingent loan scheme as being the way which the government will seek to address the funding crisis in higher education This constellation of events suggests to me a integrated solution.  We should offer to the best (as defined by clear bibliometric and peer evaluation) eu staff in the UK an opportunity to transfer to the Irish sector. We should focus this in the first instance on the AHSS sphere, with the provision that these initial transfers move to the new universities, setting up AHSS faculties in the Institutes of Technology to complement existing STEM faculties and to allow them to transfer to University status when and if they have a solid faculty in place . We should focus the STEM hires  initially on the best STEM faculties in the state. This would allow the potential to supercharge the university STEM faculties and “backfill” the IoT’s need for AHSS , essential if they are to become comprehensive universities.  We should  step up our recruitment of EU students to complement our Non EU ambitions. There is a massive demand for higher education internationally. Universities can and should both be entrepreneurial in their aims and be allowed to be same. Giving non EU (including soon UK) students rights to spend up to one year after a Bachelors, 3 after a masters and 5 after a PhD , working here on the same basis as EU students, that would make Ireland extremely attractive. Add in the English speaking, democratic, EU membership issues and we should be able to craft a world class international education offering. To do this would require that the government remove, forthwith, the micromanaging Employment control framework which is an absolute growth killer in the sector, but simultaneously make clear that new faculty hires will have to be funded from new student growth. This latter is how the Trinity Business School is expanding – the new building and new faculty hires are not costing the taxpayer a penny. It is improbable that all AHSS areas will cover their costs. To be a university, nonetheless, these are required, but the stricture of the institution being required to show that it can support these from “excess” demand elsewhere should be maintained.  Ireland is amazingly well positioned. Small changes can make it only better, if Minister Bruton has the courage to grasp the opportunity   An opinion piece published in the Irish Times. 5 Nov

MRSA / Drug Resistance News From Medical News Today

MRSA linked to outsourced cleaning in NHS hospitals - A study of NHS hospitals suggests those that employ private cleaners have higher rates of the superbug MRSA, which can cause life-threatening infection.21 Dec
Resistance to drug of last resort found in farm animals in US - Carbapenems are one of the most important classes of antibiotics used in humans, and are an important agent against multi-drug resistant bacteria. 7 Dec
Serious, highly drug-resistant infections increasing among US children - Highly drug-resistant infections are on the rise among U.S. children, reports a new study published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.21 Nov
Highly drug-resistant infections rising among American children - Researchers reveal rates of multidrug- and carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa are rising among U.S. children and call for aggressive prevention strategies.18 Nov
Good drugs for bad bugs: Simple changes to antibiotic treatment of MRSA may help beat the bacteria - Microbiologists have identified how MRSA may be more effectively treated by modern-day antibiotics, if old-fashioned penicillin is also used.17 Nov
Research on new, rapid screening test identifies potential therapies against drug-resistant bacteria - Researchers at the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Clinical Center and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)...14 Nov
Improved TB treatment steps closer as target for new antibiotics identified - Improved treatments for TB and other resistant infections may lie in developing new antibiotics that attack a previously untargeted bacterial enzyme.11 Nov
Scientists identify key evolutionary catalyst for antibiotic resistance - A new study led by scientists at the University of Oxford has found that small DNA molecules known as plasmids are one of the key culprits in spreading the major global health threat of antibiotic...10 Nov
First study to link antibiotic resistance with exposure to the disinfectant chlorhexidine - Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria exposed to chlorhexidine-containing disinfectants can become resistant to colistin, a last resort antibiotic often used against multidrug resistant pathogens.31 Oct
Enzyme is crucial for combatting antibiotic-resistant E. coli infections - Research by bioscientists at the University of Kent and the University of Queensland is expected to pave the way for new approaches to kill bacteria that no longer respond to conventional...31 Oct

Made from Truth and Lies

Interesting Links for 25-12-2016 - This is the truth about the Berlin Christmas market terror attack (tags: germany terrorism christmas ) Smeed's Law: The speed of traffic will always be 9MPH (tags: london speed transport ) Leaked photos from the Rogue One sequel (Mainly Speculation - Possible Spoilers) (tags: StarWars funny viaDrDoug ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.05:00
It is possible that my brain is functioning at less than full efficiency - Andy (staring at the internet): Apparently bacon works really well when fried.Jane (completely deadpan): Tell the people.Andy: continues reading for about five seconds.Andy: What did I just say?Jane: Apparently bacon works really well when fried.Andy: AVOCADO! I MEANT AVOCADO!Jane: I did think you were running a little bit behind the curve on that one.This isn't the first time recently that my mouth has become disconnected from what my brain thinks it's saying (or not saying). In York two weeks ago we were wandering past a stuffed toy shop, and Jane asked me if I'd liked a specific purple bear in the window, and I was amazed at how she could have known I was thinking about it, and wanted to know if she'd been looking at my eyeline. And it turned out that I had literally dropped the words "Purple bear" into the middle of a sentence and then carried on talking without noticing that I'd done so.(Fried avocado recommendation from here)Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.24 Dec
Interesting Links for 24-12-2016 - Tory and Labour MPs gang up in bid to strip London Assembly of PR voting system (tags: labour Conservatives politics voting proportional_representation london OhForFucksSake ) Men: this study suggests it’s a really bad idea to cry in front of your colleagues – Research Digest (tags: patriarchy emotion men work OhForFucksSake ) Rogue One Missing Trailer Footage Tell Us This About The Reshoots (tags: StarWars movies ) Merry Christmas, have a new Nine Inch Nails EP (tags: music ) Israeli settlements: UN Security Council calls for an end (tags: israel ) Carrie Fisher: Star Wars actress suffers heart attack (tags: StarWars ) World’s first solar road opens in France: It’s ridiculously expensive (tags: france solarpower roads ) The First Female Doctor in Britain Spent 56 Years Disguised as a Man (tags: gender women history doctors military ) Only three passengers on BA flight enjoy champagne and selfies (tags: airplanes ) A deep-sea fisherman in Russia has been posting his (terrifying nightmarish) finds on Twitter (tags: fish ocean russia ) Taking apart the ridiculous anti-AI essay that's been making the rounds (tags: ai Intelligence Technology argument ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.24 Dec
Interesting Links for 23-12-2016 - Let Toys Be Toys 2016 update (tags: toys gender society viaFanf ) Music in the brain: The first imaging genetic study linking dopaminergic genes to music (tags: music genetics dopamine ) A cure for social anxiety disorders (tags: anxiety mentalhealth cbt ) Job recruiters may be swayed by signs of our sexuality revealed in our faces (tags: lgbt bias stereotypes jobs ) Cat! vs! Cat! Feeder! (tags: cats engineering ) How a change for the worse makes for a different person (tags: personality change psychology ) Value of bitcoins in circulation hits record high of $14bn (tags: bitcoin china ) People who care for others live longer (tags: altruism lifespan age ) Introductory psychology textbooks accused of spreading myths and liberal-leaning bias (tags: psychology bias Education ) A guide to giving your cats their annual performance review (tags: cats work funny satire ) Workers on zero-hour contracts earn £1,000 a year less doing the same jobs as those on contracts (tags: pay work uk ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.23 Dec
Interesting Links for 22-12-2016 - Can we go back in time and wipe Assassin’s Creed film from our DNA? (tags: movies games review ) Russia blocks Overwatch comic over gay character (tags: games lgbt russia censorship ) NHS to test experimental bionic eye implants on blind patients (tags: bionic cyborg eyes Technology nhs ) What Do My Testicles Do All Day? (tags: sex biology ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.22 Dec
I am mostly going to stop buying from non-EU retailers - I don't mind paying for shipping from the US. $15 isn't unreasonable for transporting things halfway around the world.The exchange rate of $1.21 to the pound isn't entirely unreasonable.22% in customs charges is a little high, but that's not really the retailer's fault.It's the "brokerage charges" that really take the piss. Somehow UPS think it's ok to charge me an extra £11 for the cost of taking the customs charges off of me and passing them on to the government. Which, as it's all done near-automatically, is just ridiculous.So from now on I'll be keeping an eye out for places that ship from inside Europe. Until we leave that. Then I'll be reduced to buying only things shipped from places I can walk to, I assume.Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.21 Dec
Interesting Links for 21-12-2016 - I’m not Sith, I’m Alt-Jedi, clarifies Darth Vader It was the final line that really got me.(tags: StarWars funny politics ) Some personal memories from a programmer who knew Linus when Linux was created. (tags: history linux computers ) Pregnancy alters womens brains for at least two years (tags: pregnancy brain women ) The Surgeon General’s Pack of Lies About E-Cigarettes Is Likely to Cost Lives (tags: cigarettes OhForFucksSake usa ) You now need ID to vote in the UK (tags: uk identity voting ) EU's highest court delivers blow to UK snooper's charter (tags: privacy surveillance law uk europe ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.21 Dec
Interesting Links for 20-12-2016 - Don't dismiss Simon Jenkins as a strident identity apostle. He's right: men are people too! (tags: patriarchy society uk satire ) People who are already off work having massive orgy this afternoon (tags: work christmas fun ) India's economy surpasses United Kingdom (tags: uk india economy ) A list of inventors killed by their own inventions (tags: invention death lists ) Grids of defects make diamonds practical for quantum computing (tags: diamonds quantum computers ) Can You Tell if These Still Life Objects Are Real or Rendered? (tags: cgi graphics art ) New study reveals how nurse staffing levels link to patient outcomes (tags: healthcare ) In defence of "Baby it's cold outside" (tags: music history society ) Solar Now Produces a Better Energy Return on Investment Than Oil (tags: solarpower oil energy economics ) Disney breaks $7bn global box office record for 2016 (Disney + Star Wars + Marvel = Ka-Ching!) (tags: money Disney movies marvel StarWars ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.20 Dec
I need to know how you feel about Christmas - View Poll: #205985719 Dec
Interesting Links for 19-12-2016 - The Incompatible Food Triad (tags: food ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are comments there.19 Dec

Marginal REVOLUTION

Peace and Good Will To All - The post Peace and Good Will To All appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 05:15
Merry Christmas! - The post Merry Christmas! appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
Nigerian fake rice update - Artificial food products such as fake rice recently confiscated by Nigerian customs officials are intended for restaurant displays and not to be eaten, according to manufacturers. The fake rice was made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, “and should be labelled “artificial”, they said. Nigerian customs recently confiscated 2.5 tonnes of fake rice but officials couldn’t discern what it was made of, according to a BBC report on Wednesday. …Zhou Tao, a sales manager with an artificial food manufacturer in Yiwu, Zhejiang, said it was only intended for use in restaurant or store displays. The artificial food products are popular with restaurants to display menu choices as they always look fresh and never rot. Artificial rice is made of PVC, a white, brittle plastic. …He said he was puzzled why anyone would smuggle artificial rice to sell as real in Africa, as the product his company sold cost more than 70 yuan for 1kg, or 10 times the price of real rice in China. In Africa the cost would increase due to shipping and other costs. Xiong Heping, the manager of another manufacturer in Shenzhen, said the rice was labelled “artificial”, when shipping to buyers in China or overseas. Here is the full story, via George Chen. The post Nigerian fake rice update appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
*Island People: The Caribbean and the World* - That is by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, published this November, a great book, could it be the very best book on the charm and importance of the Caribbean?  Not the Caribbean of the cruise, but rather the real cultural Caribbean as found in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and Trinidad.  The Caribbean was open, globalized, multiracial, vulnerable, and deindustrialized before it was “cool” to be so, and so it stands as a warning to us all.  Yet so few seem to care.  The Caribbean cultural blossoming of the 20th century remains one of the most remarkable yet understudied sagas, but this book, among its other historical virtues, gives you a very good look under the hood. Did you know that in the 1930s Cuba received more visitors from the U.S. than did Canada? This is one of the very best non-fiction books of this year, and its depth of knowledge and understanding truly impressed me.  Just to prod your memories here is the broader list. The post *Island People: The Caribbean and the World* appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
Is *this* what is going on? - In 1987, Trump made his goal of Russian collaboration on nuclear power explicit: The Soviet Union and the US should partner to form a nuclear superpower with the intention of intimidating other countries into dropping their own nuclear plans. “Most of those [pre-nuclear] countries are in one form or another dominated by the US and the Soviet Union,” Trump told journalist Roy Rosenbaum. “Between those two nations you have the power to dominate any of those countries. So we should use our power of economic retaliation and they use their powers of retaliation, and between the two of us we will prevent the problem from happening. It would have been better having done something five years ago. But I believe even a country such as Pakistan would have to do something now. Five years from now they’ll laugh.” Nuclear-related sanctions, from the two major powers, were to be applied to both Pakistan and France [sic].  Here is the full article, I cannot vouch for this account or any particular interpretation of it, but the hypothesis is new to me and so I present it to you as well. The post Is *this* what is going on? appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
What I’ve been reading - 1. Charles Wohlforth and Amanda R. Hendrix, Beyond Earth; Our Path to a New Home in the Planets.  The core claim is that humans can (will?) colonize Titan, the moon of Saturn.  But what are we to make of sentences such as: “The temperature is around -180 Celsius (-290 Fahrenheit), but clothing with thick insulation or heating elements would keep you comfortable.  A rip wouldn’t kill you as long as you didn’t freeze.”  Pregnancy would be tricky too. 2. Ian Thomson, Primo Levi.  One of my favorite literary biographies, ever.  This is also a first-rate look at the history of the Holocaust, and the postwar Italian literary world.  Definitely recommended. 3. Philippe Girard, Toussaint Louverture.  One of the best and most readable treatments of the Haitian revolution, with a focus on Louverture of course.  Here is one good bit: When it came time to pick between two extremes — slavery and unfettered freedom — Louverture stopped well short of the latter.  By order of General Louverture, all former field slaves, even those who had settled in urban areas during the Revolution, would return to their original plantations, sometimes under their former masters.  Those who refused would be “arrested and punished as severely as soldiers,” which implied that plantation runaways could be shot as deserters.  He thereby merged the two worlds he knew best — the sugar plantation and the army camp — into a kind of military-agricultural complex. According to many critics at the time, rebel leaders were in essence confiscating the slave plantations of their former white masters.  Furthermore, the importation of laborers from Africa was to continue. 4. Lewis Glinert, The Story of Hebrew, delivers exactly what it promises: “For many young Israelis, Arial is virtually the only font they read.” Also in various stages of undress are: Jeffrey D. Sachs, Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, and Sustainable, foreword by Bernie Sanders. Niall Kishtainy, A Little History of Economics, a modern-day Heilbroner. Johan Norberg, Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, a Julian Simon-esque take on the case for optimism. The post What I’ve been reading appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Shazaam! - Do you remember the early 90s movie Shazaam! which featured Sinbad as the genie? Many people do and some think this is the best evidence that we are living in a simulation. They are correct. The post Shazaam! appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Friday assorted links - 1. “The Donald Duck effect is well-known to our operators, who find that the whole of Sweden calms down for a while.” 2. Toilet paper for smartphones tested in Japanese bathrooms. 3. Why Javier Marias hates the theater. 4. The artisanal pencil sharpener raises his price, possibly headed toward q = 0. 5. Did China just make a breakthrough with EmDrive? The post Friday assorted links appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Why I don’t enjoy the Rolling Stones anymore - If I were to make a list of the top groups/performers during the critical 1964-1973 period, no doubt the Stones would make the top five handily, perhaps the top three.  They also belong to that select tier with more than six excellent and important albums.  They probably have created more great and memorable riffs than any other rock and roll group, ever. So I don’t think I am unappreciative.  My favorite cuts are probably the acoustic country songs on “Beggars Banquet’ and “Let It Bleed,” plus the riff-based songs from the mid- to late-1960s, such as “Under My Thumb” or “19th Nervous Breakdown.” Still, I have not heard anything new in a Rolling Stones song for more than twenty years.  I don’t mean that their later work is worse (though it is, much, for forty plus years running), rather I don’t hear anything new in their very best work and thus repeated re-listening is a waste of time.  I don’t enjoy it. In contrast, I’ve been listening to Jimi Hendrix for about forty years and still hear new bits in his songs most of the time.  I am almost always excited to hear this work again. I have two other objections.  First, most (all?) of their blues covers are worse than the originals (the Beatles’ “Money” and “You Really Got a Hold On Me” and “Long Tall Sally” are all improvements, in contrast, not to mention John Lennon’s “Be Bop a Lula” or Hendrix’s “Hey Joe”).  Second, you don’t have to invoke political correctness to feel that a lot of the early misogyny has worn thin and aged poorly. So the Stones are boring, mostly, though still excellent in the abstract.  It’s hard to imagine classic rock and roll, or the 1960s, without them.  But in terms of lasting overall aesthetic merit they are just a wee bit closer to The Who than you might like to think. The post Why I don’t enjoy the Rolling Stones anymore appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Criticism of covert Russian intelligence operations for me but not for thee - The White House opposed a Republican-led push earlier this year to create an executive-branch task force to battle Russia’s covert information operations, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. Sen. Tom Cotton, a leading GOP defense hawk who has long urged President Barack Obama to take a harder line on Russia, sought to force the White House to create a panel with representatives from a number of government agencies to counter Russian efforts “to exert covert influence,” including by exposing Russian “falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism, and assassinations.” But the administration rejected the call, saying in a letter to Congress that hasn’t been released publicly that the panel would duplicate existing efforts to battle Russian influence operations — an argument Cotton rejects. …The panel would not have been set up in time to have had an impact on Russia’s role in last month’s presidential election — even if the intelligence bill had become law. But the Arkansas senator said in an interview the White House’s dismissal of his proposal is symptomatic of the administration’s lax pre-election attitude toward Russia. Here is the full story.  Here is my earlier post on this and related issues.   The post Criticism of covert Russian intelligence operations for me but not for thee appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec

Mark's Daily Apple

Coconut Milk Oyster Stew - Oysters are most often served raw, or smoked in a can, so it’s easy to forget about good ‘ol oyster stew. Not exactly chowder or bisque, oyster stew is an uncomplicated meal. It’s little more than oysters and milk (or cream) warmed in a pot. It’s perfect in its simplicity. So why mess with perfection? Milk, that’s why. It’s not for everyone. If you’re one of those people, then you’ll be happy to know that oysters and coconut milk is not such a bad combination. In fact, it’s delicious. This coconut milk oyster stew is briny, savory, buttery and slightly sweet from the coconut milk. Fresh chives and chunks of melting butter (or ghee) finish the dish, elevating it from good to amazing. This recipe doesn’t hold back with the oysters, using only freshly shucked. However, canned oysters can be used instead, or in addition to, fresh oysters. Some fish counters also sell pints of shucked oysters. However you add oysters to the stew, you’ll be getting a good dose of zinc, plus a whole lot of other vitamins and minerals. Oysters are the most nutrient dense of bivalves, and a supplemental food that should be part of every Primal diet. Servings: 2 Time in the Kitchen: 25 minutes Ingredients 1 tablespoon salted butter or ghee, plus more to taste (15 g) 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 13.5-ounce can full fat coconut milk (400 ml) 12 to 16 fresh oysters, shucked, or 1 8-ounce/236 ml can oysters, or 1 pint/473 ml shucked oysters (in all cases, reserve the juice) Chives, chopped, for garnish Instructions In a medium-sized pot or saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter/ghee over medium heat. Add celery, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, to soften the celery. Add garlic, cook 1 to 2 minutes more, being careful not to burn the garlic. Pour in coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. Add oysters and a tablespoon or more of reserved oyster liquid. Simmer 1 to 3 minutes, until oysters are just beginning to curl around the edges. Add chives and more butter or ghee to each bowl. Salt to taste. The post Coconut Milk Oyster Stew appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 24 Dec
The Primal Blueprint Improved My Life and Inspires Me to Help Others - It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. In fact, I have a contest going right now. So if you have a story to share, no matter how big or how small, you’ll be in the running to win a big prize. Read more here. My sister was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus when she was 9, and like many young Americans she was ill informed about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. My sister was reluctant to accept the fact that her body was in a diseased state. The doctors did not stress to her the importance of how she needed to continuously regulate her diet in order to lead a normal routine and achieve a full life expectancy. When I was a senior in high school I read Robb Wolf’s book “The Paleo Solution,” and I was able to empower her with the knowledge to live unimpeded by her condition. After I realized the impact I had on my sister, I was inspired to help others improve their lifestyles by also eating properly, so I decided to obtain my Bachelor of Science in Dietetics at Florida State University. While obtaining my degree, I discovered Mark’s Daily Apple, which changed my entire outlook on lifestyle habits and reinforced the positive impact of eating REAL food. I became a Primal Health Coach, and I improved more lives than I ever thought I could, including my own. Being in the health field made me realize there is an information gap between doctor and patient that needs to be filled by sound nutritional advice based on scientific research and practical application. The most efficient way to change the system is by being in the system. Thanks to Mark Sisson for fueling my passion—I just applied to Physician Assistant school, where I plan to use the Primal Blueprint in addition to modern medicine to improve my patients’ lives and hopefully open up the eyes of my future colleagues (a.k.a have them say goodbye to conventional wisdom). My personal statement: As the prevalence of chronic diseases, along with the use of pharmaceutical drugs to treat these diseases, continues to escalate in our society, we have forsaken the most basic and natural medicine available: food. Nearly every leading cause of death can be proactively prevented by providing the body with the nourishment it needs. As a Future Primal Provider, I hope to provide this to all my clients. The post The Primal Blueprint Improved My Life and Inspires Me to Help Others appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 23 Dec
Can You Retrain Your Taste? - Following the switch to Primal eating, people often share curious observations about their shift in taste. After a lifetime of eating sugar, grains, artificial flavors and hydrogenated oils, they’re often taken by surprise at the way their tastebuds react to a low-sugar, whole foods-based diet. Granted, it doesn’t happen overnight, but it happens. Many say the effect sneaks up on them over the course of several weeks until one day they realize their sense of taste has gone into hyperdrive. Then they look across the cubicle aisle and watch their coworkers inhaling bags of chips or uninterestingly sucking away on sugary beverages. And it occurs to them: all those wasted years as their tastebuds languished in processed monotony. It’s one of the unexpected upsides of the Primal Blueprint diet: learning/relearning the nuance of real food flavor. The experience doesn’t just reflect a psychological shift either. Taste acclimatization is a real, measurable thing. What do we know about the process? Quite a bit actually. Some of it rather surprising…. Sugar consumption and your tastebuds A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the effect of reduced simple sugar intake on a group of “healthy” men and women. The study broke the participants up into two groups, with one group assigned a low-sugar diet and the other group continuing to eat their usual high-sugar diet. After 3 months of this, both groups were left to eat however they pleased for yet another month. Each month during the study, participants were asked to rate the sweetness and “pleasantness” of vanilla puddings and raspberry beverages that varied in sugar concentration. After the third month of dieting, the low-sugar group rated the pudding to be around 40 percent sweeter than the control group, regardless of how much sugar the pudding contained. The conclusion was simple: “changes in consumption of simple sugars influence perceived sweet taste intensity.” Meaning that the less sugar you eat over the long term, the more things taste sweeter and, therefore, tastier. The overall findings are important in that they indicate the inevitability of taste acclimatization, but they also demonstrate just how long this adjustment can take. Researchers found that the low-sugar group took on average two months for their tastebuds to recognize any difference in sweetness and pleasantness—and yet another month for that sweetness to intensify. The takeaway here? A little patience will yield long-term dividends. But what about salt addiction? If you’re a bit of a salt junkie, you might be keen on learning how to break the habit. It’s a perfectly reasonable goal to have, particularly if you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension. (You might want to find out if you’re among the “salt-sensitive” in the population—about 50% of those with hypertension by some estimates— before chalking up your high blood pressure to salt intake.) Similar to sugar, lowering intake of sodium-rich foods has been shown to decrease your reliance on salt. An impressively long 1-year study found that “reduction in sodium intake and excretion accompanied a shift in preference toward less salt.” Researchers surmised that the mechanisms behind this reduction in salt addiction were varied, and included physiological, behavioral, and context effects. Not the ultra-conclusive reasoning you were hoping for, but it looks as if particularly overzealous salt cravings should drop significantly when you switch to a naturally salt-moderated, low processed-food diet. Still, let’s not neglect some stubborn truths. While the health and scientific community continues to hate on salt, very few studies have examined the importance of salt for maintaining a healthy body. While these studies may be relatively few, evidence suggests that salt may play an essential role in excreting cortisol (the “stress hormone”) from the body, thereby improving recovery time from stressful events and situations. Possibly an important one to remember, when the in-laws descend for holiday dinner. Salt has also been shown to decrease strain during exercise by increasing hydration. Studies indicate that knocking back a sodium-rich beverage prior to exercising increases plasma volume, which in turn reduces the strain on your body during exercise and helps you reach higher levels of performance. And all those other clever uses… And then there’s the point that salt just makes food taste better…. Just make a point of sticking with the good stuff—high quality sources like Himalayan pink salt, Real Salt, and Celtic sea salt. These natural, unrefined versions provide all of the taste of salt and, unlike table salt, still include all the essential minerals your body needs to rehydrate those cells and help to evenly distribute all that sodium. The factors behind taste There’s a lot more to taste than just your tastebuds themselves, which were designed to elicit appropriate feeding responses in an evolutionary environment—not the snack aisles of Costco. If your body has been inundated with sugar-intensive processed foods for the last few years/decades, it may be a little confused as to what it actually wants to taste. Rewiring your tastebuds, then, is no small task for both your brain and your digestive system. Luckily, all that’s required of you is to stay the course of good eating. That said, it’s helpful as always to understand the bigger picture. Gut Health There isn’t much it seems the gut isn’t involved in, and taste is no exception apparently. A team at the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine discovered that the taste receptor T1R3 and the G protein gustducin are located in the gut, as well as the mouth. These taste receptors are essential to tasting sweetness in the foods we eat, and we now know that they play an important role in sensing glucose within our gastrointestinal tract. This role goes far beyond simply “tasting” carbohydrates and other sugary or sweet foods within your gut. When you eat these foods, the sweet-sensing taste receptors in your large intestine activate the release of hormones that promote insulin secretion and regulate appetite. This means that if your gut health is lacking, its ability to sense carbs and produce insulin may be impaired. Obesity A 2012 study published in the British Medical Journal found that obese kids develop an insensitivity to taste. Researchers examined close to 200 children between the ages of 6 and 18, half of whom were a normal weight and half classified as obese. Each of the participants was asked to place 22 taste strips on their tongue, simulating each of the five levels of taste at varying intensities. Obese children found it significantly more difficult to differentiate between the different taste sensations, and were particularly insensitive to salty, umami and bitter tastes. Children who were obese also gave lower intensity ratings to sweet foods, meaning they needed more sugar in foods to achieve the same sensation of sweetness. The take-away is simple: the more weight we put on, the less likely we are to enjoy the food we eat or to recognize the mounting sugar or salt levels we likely take in for the same taste experience. There may be more of a lag time in rejuvenating full taste sensitivity if we’re reversing obesity as well as shifting our diets, but the end point is the same. Eating environment and attention In an interesting wrinkle, researchers at the University of Cornell found that noise generated by airplanes appeared to enhance umami taste while inhibiting sweet taste. Noise, which can reach upwards of 85 decibels inside your average passenger jet, has led many airlines to notice that people tend to gravitate towards savory foods like tomatoes, while straying away from sugary foods. Bloody Mary, anyone? Beyond the physical adaptations that come over time, we can appreciate the power of attention (as well as quiet) in sensory experience. Do we blunt or confuse our senses by multitasking or watching the nightly news while we eat? Or do we bring our full consciousness to the meal? Research into eating awareness shows that mindful practices might be powerful enough to help resolve even chronic disordered eating. Knowing that, what can it promise us as we make the transition to taste sensitization and a healthier relationship with food? Thanks for reading, everybody. What has been your experience in shifting your personal taste as you’ve adopted a Primal diet? What helped you or challenged you? And when (if you’re already there) did you know you’d gotten over the hump? The post Can You Retrain Your Taste? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 22 Dec
2016 in Review: The Top 14 Developments in Ancestral Health - 2016 is just about over. I’m not a big party animal, as you probably know. Instead of bashes and balls, what I look forward to most of all at the end of a year is the quiet reflection on what impacted me most. Which science developments, business achievements, and thought evolutions characterized my 2016 more than the rest? Put another way, what were the most exciting developments of 2016 in the ancestral health world? Let’s take a look (in no particular order): 1. Legumes went back on the menu, if you like them. It’s become quite clear that legumes do not belong in the same category as grains, which is where they languished for over a decade. Legumes are rich in prebiotic fiber, provide many vitamins and minerals, and seem to improve glucose control, not worsen it. Eat ’em if you want ’em. 2. A Primal ranch dressing finally came out. You don’t know how many emails I got asking for a Primal-friendly ranch. Recipes have always been there, but a surprising number of ingredients go into ranch. Few people keep everything on hand required to make it right. So I made one. It took months of development, but I made one. Skeptical husbands, picky kids, vegetable haters will all lie prostrate before PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Ranch, see—nay, know—the error of their ways, and be welcomed into the fold. 3. Nina Teicholz was right. In 2015, science and nutrition journalist Nina Teicholz penned an editorial in the British Medical Journal criticizing the failure of the USDA’s diet guidelines to “reflect much relevant scientific literature.” Establishment critics and academics went berserk, even going so far as to demand the BMJ retract her editorial. Last week, after over a year of battles, independent reviewers finally gave Teicholz the win. The critics lost. Her editorial stands. 4. We settled the “meat problem,” if only until the next study comes out. More than any other dietary component, meat has been the most consistently controversial. It clearly played an integral role in human evolution, particularly of our energy-hungry brain. It’s delicious, contains vital nutrients, provides the densest collection of essential amino acids, and yet hundreds of millions of people are convinced it will give you cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. How do we square these seemingly opposing factions? How much meat should we be eating? And how should we optimize our meat-eating? 5. The birth of Primal Health Coaching. The PB Expert Certification was cool, but it wasn’t enough. Teaching is different than knowing. The latter is necessary but not sufficient to accomplish the former. In June, I introduced the Primal Health Coach Program: an enhanced education course that teaches you the science behind the Primal Blueprint and gives you tools, tips, and tactics for disseminating that information to clients and for running a successful business. 6. Gluten sensitivity really is real. The story of non-celiac gluten sensitivity has featured more twists and turns than your average long-running will-they, won’t-they relationship storyline of a late 90s sitcom. Skeptics claimed it was all just a collective delusion, and several studies seemed to suggest it might be psychological rather than physiological. Then in July, 2016, a new study confirmed what many people already knew to be true: gluten sensitivity is real, and those suffering from it have leaky guts and elevated systemic inflammation. 7. PRIMAL KITCHEN™ restaurants became real. Although we have yet to break ground (that happens early next year), the first PRIMAL KITCHEN™ restaurant will be in Culver City, CA. I’ve signed the papers, hired contractors, drawn up plans. It’s going to happen. It’s real. 8. More HDL isn’t necessarily better. HDL is “good” cholesterol, yet research shows that elevating it to extremely high levels results in greater cardiovascular disease. Instead of HDL actively “scavenging” damaged lipids, higher HDL levels may simply be a byproduct of healthy lifestyle practices, like eating more fat, exercising, and generally leading an anti-inflammatory way of life. 9. Recent ancestry matters. On this blog, we’ve always looked at human ancestry from 30,000 feet. We are all humans with the same basic machinery. We all digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. We all secrete insulin (to varying degrees), require oxygen, and drink water. That’s all true, but recent research into human genetics shows that recent ancestry can determine how we metabolize nutrients. Whether it’s fatty acid metabolism in the Inuit, the “thrifty gene” in Samoans, or vitamin D requirements, we’re beginning to understand and integrate the lessons of our recent ethnic ancestry. 10. Exercise is important for weight loss. For years, I’ve said that weight loss is 90% diet. It’s true that how much and what you eat are the most important factors when losing weight, but exercise helps determine what kind of weight you lose. We’re not trying to lose muscle and bone. We want to lose fat while preserving muscle. If the net weight declines, so be it. But fat loss is the ultimate goal. Exercise is really, really important for weight loss: It empties out glycogen, giving us a place to store incoming glucose. It improves sleep and glucose control, and makes stress less harmful. Strength training prevents muscle loss during dieting—and can even promote muscle gain. 11. Men and women are different—and that’s awesome. This isn’t a “new” development, of course, but its acknowledgment throughout the ancestral health community has certainly expanded. Back in May, I gave my 12 essential tips for Primal women, laying out the areas where men’s and women’s needs diverge a bit. There are plenty of others, too. Stay tuned for more MDA articles geared toward women in the near future. 12. CRISPR looms. I wrote about the implications of CRISPR, the gene-editing tool that researchers use to study genetics (and transhumanists hope to use to create super-humans). Now they’re even using it to target RNA in live cells, which could be huge for diseases like muscular dystrophy and neurodegeneration. I’m cautiously excited about CRISPR. 13. Evolutionary biology may be getting an overhaul. Earlier this year, evolutionary biologists descended upon London’s Royal Society to debate whether evolutionary biology needed reworking. Was the standard Modern Synthesis theory complete, with its focus on natural selection as the primary driver of evolution, or should it expand to include other mechanisms and inputs like plasticity, creativity, culture, and epigenetics? 14. We’re born to move. This year, scientists strapped sensors onto Hadza hunter-gatherers and tracked them throughout their daily routines. Young, old, man, woman—it didn’t matter. Everyone studied engaged in at least 2 hours of moderate physical activity per day on average. Furthermore, even the eldest among them remained fit and healthy on into their 70s. Sedentary living is often portrayed as a necessary consequence of success. When we no longer have to physically work for our livelihood, we move as little as possible. But the Hadza research shows that movement is in our DNA, and that we must resist the temptation to be still. That’s it for me, folks. What were your biggest takeaways from 2016? What are you looking forward to most in 2017? Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care and have a fantastic rest of the year! The post 2016 in Review: The Top 14 Developments in Ancestral Health appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 21 Dec
8 Primal Things to Appreciate about the Winter Season - Winter has come. That means different things to people based on their climate, but I’m of the opinion that winter is relative. You’d be right that the “cold” I face isn’t as objectively dangerous or unpleasant as the cold people in New York, Ottawa, Chicago, Warsaw, or Stockholm face. What’s cold to me in Malibu is short-sleeve weather in my native Maine—but it’s still cold to me today! “Feeling cold” is the defining characteristic. Today, I’m going to tell you why you should appreciate and enjoy the cold season. 1. Feeling uncomfortable Discomfort is a good thing. Our ancestors were frequently uncomfortable. Discomfort weeded out the unfit and made us who we are today. Those with a beneficial response to physical discomfort were more likely to pass on their genes. We are the product of those people, and exposing ourselves to uncomfortable situations and sensations will probably improve our health and overall resilience, too. Cold weather provides an easy opportunity for feeling uncomfortable. You just go outside in light clothing and wait for the chill. The best part, besides making you tougher? Feeling uncomfortable makes comfort feel even better. 2. Having the wilderness all to yourself People hate the cold. Use the fact that people hate the cold to your advantage. Every time I go for a hike in sub 50° weather, I’m mostly alone. People are by and large wimps. It’s great. If you’re worried about being outside in the cold (and believe me, the wilderness takes away about 10°!), don’t be. Once you get moving, you quickly forget the temperature. Your body revs up, and you start sweating. You’ll probably start peeling off articles of clothing. Whatever you do, don’t dress to the ambient temperature. That quickly becomes irrelevant. 3. The abundance of cold plunge opportunities Everyone should cold plunge on a regular basis. I’ve been doing it every night for several years now, and I don’t think I could manage without them. It’d be pretty hard to give up: The enhanced recovery. After a day of particularly vigorous training or playing, I’m ready to go the next day—as long as I cold plunge. Reduced DOMS, even after a heavy day. Less joint pain. My arthritis is a thing of the past, but the lingering, nagging pains I’d still suffer from time to time have completely disappeared. Better sleep. A cold plunge at night drops my body temperature and gets me ready for bed. Any body of water you encounter will be cold. Outdoor swimming pools usually have the heaters off in winter—jump in! The cold water in your shower will be far colder during the winter than at any other time—time to try a contrast shower! Heck, you can turn on a garden hose, strip down to your skivvies, and douse yourself in a reliably cold stream of water if it’s winter. 4. Improvements to your waistline Winter is famously bad for the waistline. You bounce from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, pounding various permutations of grain dust, sugar, and oil. Some evidence suggests that we gain more weight during the holidays than any other time of the year. It doesn’t have to be that way. Cold exposure activates brown fat, the metabolically active adipose tissue that increases energy expenditure in order to keep you warm. Brown fat is like keeping a burner on low. It won’t heat you up enough to sweat, but it will provide a low level of adaptation to the cold and help you replace indoor heating, the use of which seems to parallel the increase in obesity. According to one study, exposing yourself to cool weather (60°F) for just 2 hours a day for six weeks while wearing light clothing increases energy expenditure and reduces overall body fatness. That’s really easy to do. Leave the heat off. Skip the jacket when you go outside. Run shirtless through the woods. It’s not even that cold.  My favorite way to expose myself to ambient cold is to go for shirtless walks or hikes. I don’t have any weight to lose, but it feels great—and I bet shirtless or tanktopped walks would do wonders for those of you who do have extra weight. 5. Hyggeing it up The Nordic countries might get the most attention for their fantastic social outcomes, impressive education systems, and profound mythology, but I’m partial to the Danish concept of hygge. Hygge doesn’t have a perfect corollary in English. It means wintry coziness, togetherness, group-based comfiness. Hygge is drinking hot cocoa around a fire. It’s snuggling in with a good book. It’s most similar to our idea of “holiday cheer,” only it lasts all year long. I’m calling it now: Hygge can be huge. 6. Winter sports I go snowboarding every year. But I have to travel to do it. It’s a pain, but I still make it happen. That’s how much I cherish skimming across the snow while standing on a board. Winter sports are more than sheer fun. They’re exciting and a little dangerous (controlled danger is good for you). People who live an Uber ride away from the slopes don’t know how good they have it. I’m really, truly jealous. Don’t squander your good fortune. Snowball fights/angels/men/women I don’t get snow much anymore. Living in Malibu, I’m lucky to see my breath. But growing up in New England, my buddies and I would get into the most epic snowball fights around. This was before helicopter parenting became a thing, back when you had the freedom to wage entire season-spanning campaigns against the kids across town. Snowplay unlocks something deep within. Find it again. 7. Stews and soups Man, there’s nothing like a big brothy bowl of falling-apart meat and hearty vegetables on a cold day. It’s a day-long endeavor that drip-drop rewards you with smells, anticipation, and, finally, sustenance. That same meal might taste good enough in August, but it doesn’t hit you in the heart like it does in December. It satisfies your belly, not your soul. 8. Stokes purple sweet potatoes You can get purple Okinawan sweet potatoes from the Asian markets—they’re okay, just not as good as eating them fresh from Hawaii—but my favorite purple potato as of late has been the Stokes purple sweet potato. It’s moister than the Okinawans and drier than your standard orange Garnet sweet potato. I like them two ways: Bake at 400 until soft, mix with coconut oil, salt, and cinnamon. Bake at 400 until soft, mix with 85% dark chocolate and sea salt. Once November rolls around, I know they’ll be coming soon to Whole Foods. That’s why I love cold weather. What about you? What are you appreciating about winter these days? Thanks for reading, everybody. The post 8 Primal Things to Appreciate about the Winter Season appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 20 Dec
Dear Mark: Right Leg Balance Issues, Plastic Wrap Flattened Meat, Vaporizing Cannabis - For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering several rapid fire questions. I’ll be concise and clear. I’ll be quick. First, what can someone do if they can balance on the left leg but not the right? What might be responsible? Second, am I worried about Martha Stewart pounding on turkey breast laid between two pieces of Saran Wrap? Third, what’s different about vaporizing cannabis? Is it better than smoking it? Let’s go: Great work! Thanks for sharing with us. from last year, i am facing issues with balancing with my right leg. Can you give some suggestion regarding it? Balance often comes down to one major thing: strength of the lower limbs. In seniors, strength is one of the best predictors of balance and future fall risk, and resistance training is generally better at improving balance than cardio because it both strengthens and balances. I strongly suspect one leg is stronger than the other. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Don’t think of balance as emanating from your head. It’s “in” there, too, but it’s also all about the muscles working together to keep you standing. Feel the muscles that fail just before you lose balance. Which was it? Where are you going wrong? Do those same muscles on the other leg falter, too? Everything’s involved. Think about “grasping” the floor with your bare foot, even if you’re wearing shoes. Give your knee a slight bend and stand tall and erect.  You have to get that leg stronger. It has to catch up. Do some single leg training in addition to two leg training. Reverse lunges (way better than normal walking lunges), single leg deadlifts. Work mobility of the ankles and hips. Build strength in the calves, feet (go barefoot!), quads, hamstrings, “stabilizers.”  Kcup bone broth sounds like more of a sales gimmick than anything else. I agree about the hot liquid passing through plastic not being a great idea. Speaking of plastic, last night on a PBS channel I watched Martha Stewart vigorously pounding out a turkey breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. It undoubtedly keeps the work surface cleaner, but I couldn’t help wondering if microscopic pieces of the plastic wrap were becoming embedded in the meat. There isn’t any published research I could find on the specific situation, but I’m in the same boat as you. Some of that plastic is likely ending up in the meat, or it’s at least donating an estrogenic compound or two. Despite all that, I’m not going to freak out. I accept plastic as a necessary and unavoidable presence in the world. I won’t seek it out, and I’ll actively choose glass or metal over plastic when possible, but I know it’s out there. We can limit and mitigate it, not avoid it altogether. Would I use plastic wrap to pound meat? No. I find good wax or butcher paper works just as well without the looming prospect of dietary plastic. But if Martha Stewart is making me flattened turkey, I’m not turning her down just because her turkey has a little plastic residue. Nothing to worry about for a meal or two. Just don’t make flattened meat a staple (and use wax paper if you can). What do you think about vaping vs. smoking? There seem to be real benefits for vapers. Vaping is certainly easier on the lungs. Smoking produces a lot of carbon monoxide and tar. Vaping produces very little. Accordingly, cannabis vapers have fewer respiratory issues than cannabis smokers. You have more control over what you’re consuming when you vape. The various constituents of cannabis vaporize at different temperatures. Modern vaporizers often have temperature controls, giving you control over which constituents are vaporized and released, and which are not. Vaping is more efficient. Vaping cannabis at both 200 and 230°C extracts more cannabinoids and fewer “byproducts” than does smoking it. You get more cannabinoids from the product.  Which appears to be wholly positive but may not be. Some people claim that those “byproducts” are psychoactive—whether by exerting positive physiological effects, reducing negative symptoms, or improving or enhancing the high itself. The two methods certainly produce different subjective effects, so we know something is going on.  I think vaping is probably safer and more cost-effective overall. That’s it for this week, folks. Take care and let me know what you think down below! Do you notice a difference in between-leg balance? Are you worried about pounding meat surrounded by plastic wrap? If you partake, do you prefer vaporizing or smoking? The post Dear Mark: Right Leg Balance Issues, Plastic Wrap Flattened Meat, Vaporizing Cannabis appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 19 Dec
Weekend Link Love – Edition 431 - Research of the Week Researchers reverse aging in mice and human cells. I’d take an immortal pet mouse. Why not? Flickering light could help Alzheimer’s patients. Spanish tapas, circa 1.2 million years ago. Eccentric training (lowering the weight) increases flexibility by decreasing muscle stiffness and increasing tendon stiffness. Resistance training in a low-oxygen environment enhances strength gains. Eating more than a serving of red meat per day still isn’t associated with cardiovascular disease. New Primal Blueprint Podcasts   Episode 147: Stuart Tomc: Host Elle Russ hangs out with Stuart Tomc, a science expert with extensive experience working with natural health supplement companies. He’s currently with CVSciences, the makers of a new CBD oil product. Today, Stuart fills us in on the emerging science of non-psychoactive CBD oil. Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode. 14 Weird Plant Bits and Where to Find Them: Foraging Ethnic Markets The Importance of Balance—and 15 Ways to Enhance and Preserve It How to Encode Better Choices Interesting Blog Posts What separates “bad” from “good” dietitians? This Australian guy ate just potatoes for a year. You’ll never guess what happened next. No, really, you might be surprised. Media, Schmedia The reason we see so many hexagons everywhere. People don’t want healthy Pepsi products, they want chips and soda. Everything Else Incredible to think that the guy from The Social Network is the pinnacle of human evolution. Surprised to see Scientific American engaging in Star Wars viral marketing. Is self-control really just empathy for your future self? How to identify a happy rat. Things I’m Up to and Interested In Article I’m pondering: Should we “hack” Stoicism? Hell yes. I detect a modicum of envy that Ryan Holiday has been so effective in packaging and making actionable an obscure ancient philosophy. Post that I liked: The one where some guy from Malibu asked “Are you a fat-adapter or sugar-burner?” News I’m happy to share: Men’s Fitness just named the PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Coconut Cashew Bar the #1 protein bar of 2017. Resource I have to share: A very special issue of Nutrients in which we all share a few cries, have a few laughs, and learn an important lesson about the health benefits of eggs. Recent food technology that can’t possibly have unforeseen consequences: A new way to hydrogenate soybean oil without producing trans-fat. Photos that struck a chord: Evolutionary wonders. Recipe Corner Turmeric sweet potato mash can actually double as dessert. It’s the holidays, so people want sweets. Make low-carb 3-ingredient fudge to offset some of the damage. Time Capsule One year ago (Dec 19 – Dec 25) 8 Reasons Why Low-Carb Diets Actually Work – overlooked mechanisms The Power of Food Rituals – pleasure meets mindfulness Do You Have Something to Look Forward To? – the gift of intention Comment of the Week “Kimchi is super easy to make. I use Napa cabbage, diakon radish, and leeks. Chop the cabbage, use a peeler for the radish, and strip cut the leeks. Chop off the green and save for stock. With the base intact, run a knife up front the base to where the greens were in 1/4 inch strips. Put the whole lot in a large bowl and rinse several times. When drained mix it all together with a table spoon of fine sea salt. Pack it as tightly as possible in a mason jar with an air lock. I use dried alleppo pepper to give it the authentic red color because my Asian market does not carry the authentic Korean peppers. If I want it spicy I add siracha when serving. Not when preparing because the preservatives in siracha will inhibit the ferment.” – Sounds lovely, Jack Lea Mason. One question, though: What is alleppo? The post Weekend Link Love – Edition 431 appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 18 Dec
Rosemary and Garlic Pork Loin in Caul Fat - Pork tenderloin cooks quickly and can be an easy weeknight meal, but the fear of ending up with a dry and flavorless dinner is real. Pork tenderloin is a lean cut, and the lack of fat makes it an unforgiving cut of meat. But when pork tenderloin is cooked right, it’s a succulent, mouthwatering meal that can be on the table in no time. This recipe takes a three-pronged approach to cooking perfect pork tenderloin. One, rub it down with a flavorful marinade. Two, wrap it in fat. Three, sear it in the same hot skillet that it roasts in. The marinade here—garlic, rosemary, mustard and salt—is a tried-and-true flavor combination for pork. The fat wrapped around the tenderloin, however, is a little less commonplace. Instead of bacon, this tenderloin is wrapped in pork caul fat, a paper-thin fatty membrane that lines the stomach cavity of pigs. Caul fat looks like a lacey spider web, although it’s not nearly as delicate as it looks. It can easily be stretched, pulled and snugly wrapped around just about anything. The caul fat melts into the meat as it cooks, adding juicy fat and flavor. Plan ahead, because caul fat usually needs to be special ordered from a butcher. You’re likely to end up with more than you need for just this pork tenderloin, but that’s a good thing. Caul fat can also be wrapped around sausage patties, meatballs, meatloaf and any type of roast. Extra caul fat can be frozen, and defrosted in the refrigerator before using. Time in the Kitchen: 45 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients 4 garlic gloves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary, plus a few extra sprigs (15 ml) 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (3.7 ml) 1 tablespoon grainy mustard (15 ml) 1 tablespoon avocado oil (15 ml) 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pound pork tenderloin (565 g to 680 g) Approximately 2 ounces/56 g caul fat (although it’s unlikely to find packages of caul fat for sale that are less than 8 ounces/230 g—ask your local butcher) Instructions Preheat oven to 425 F/218 C. Place a cast iron skillet in the oven while it heats. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, rosemary, salt and oil. Pat the pork dry. Rub the marinade all over the pork tenderloin. Do this at least 15 minutes before cooking the pork. Or, rub the roast down in the morning and refrigerate up to 8 hours before cooking. Wrap the roast snugly in one layer of caul fat. Put the pork in the hot skillet. Roast 10 minutes. Turn the oven temp down to 375 F/190. Flip the loin and roast 5 to 10 minutes more—or until the thickest part reaches 140 to 145 F/60 C. The caul fat will help keep the meat moist, so even if the internal temp goes higher, the meat should still be moist and flavorful. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. The post Rosemary and Garlic Pork Loin in Caul Fat appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 17 Dec
Finally Off the Sugar Roller Coaster! - It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. In fact, I have a contest going right now. So if you have a story to share, no matter how big or how small, you’ll be in the running to win a big prize. Read more here.  My life-changing Primal journey began seven years ago when I discovered Mark’s blog and read his book, The Primal Blueprint. Back then, I was about 25 pounds heavier than I wanted to be, completely addicted to sugar, experiencing food cravings or food comas almost constantly, and living in my head where daily battles occurred regarding the food that I had eaten or wanted to eat. At that time, I was 42 and had spent my years since age 15 obsessing over food. Nutrition and fitness had fascinated me in a healthy way during this time, but a powerful sweet tooth combined with a persistent vulnerability to self-sabotage caused my twenties and much of my thirties to be mostly wasted. At different points during this time, depression and bingeing caused me to live in a bubble. I kept people at arms-length and let very few people into my world. At my lowest point, when friends would ask me to come out with them socially, I would lie and say that I already had plans even though my “plans” consisted of buying a lot of unhealthy food and eating it – stuffing all the feelings that had come up during the day — and then wallowing in my self-hatred. My overeating was so out of control that I attended Overeaters Anonymous meetings. And even though alcohol has never been a problem for me, I attended one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting out of curiosity just to see how similar it might be to my problem. It seemed exactly the same; I used food as a drug in the same way that alcoholics used alcohol. Thankfully, therapy and anti-depressants helped me get over the worst of these behaviors so that I could feel pretty happy and healthy by my mid-thirties. But I still remained between 10 and 25 pounds heavier than I wanted to be. And years of excess sugar had deposited a heavy layer of fat on my thighs that I was self-conscious about. Fortunately, as an athletic person with an outdoorsy lifestyle, I exercised frequently which helped prevent greater weight gain. Fast forward to April 2009, age 42. A stressful job and ineffective coping mechanisms translated into this being another High Sugar Era. Fortunately, I was exercising enough to keep me from being depressed, but I remember lots of sugar-highs and Red Bull to help pull me out of the sugar-lows. I know now that on top of the job stress, all the Red Bull was stressing my body out further and exhausting it with excess cortisol. It pains me to think of the abuse that I put my body through! But the miraculous human body can tolerate a lot of mistreatment, often without obvious side effects if you’re as out of touch with your body as I was. Anyway, at this time, a friend pointed me toward markdailyapple.com (thank you, Jen C!) and The Primal Blueprint. I’m sorry for the cliché, but here it is: reading the book changed my life. It made perfect sense. Until then, I had probably tried ten different diets. Since reading the book, none. Diets don’t interest me anymore. The Primal way of eating feels right for me. The last seven years have been a slow but steady journey of two steps forward, one step back, over and over again until now, when I can finally look back and see how far I’ve come. With my sugar-addiction and history of compulsive, emotional overeating, I had a lot of deep-seated, unhealthy habits to break, but here are just a few that I’ve finally broken: Emotional eating Eating more food than my body needed at almost every meal Mindless snacking Sweets – multiple times a day Dessert after lunch, dinner and sometimes breakfast! Out of touch with my satiety signals – truly having no idea when to stop eating Often snacked after dinner or before bed And I’ve developed many new healthy habits: My taste buds have changed dramatically: I have learned to LOVE veggies and natural, whole foods I recognize and respect my body’s hunger and satiety signals I exercise regularly and love it, without doing it to excess I happily take the stairs at work (I work on the 7th floor) I ride my bike to work seven months a year I bring my lunch to work, ensuring that it’s healthy while also saving money and avoiding temptations I use a stand-up desk at work (raising and lowering it throughout the day) I fast once in a while, with little-to-no suffering I go to bed early because getting enough sleep is a priority Now, at age 50, because of the Primal Blueprint and the Primal lifestyle “laws,” I feel healthier, fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been, including high school when I was thin, healthy and played sports all year. My energy is off-the-charts—not in a hyper, bouncing-off-the-walls way but just feeling incredibly clear-headed and alert. No more brain fog! I feel like a machine running on the cleanest fuel, like there’s no sludge in my veins, and everything I eat is being put to good use. I look forward to and enjoy working out.  I’ve finally gotten rid of the excess fat that made me feel self-conscious for my entire adult life. My moods are steady, and I feel peaceful. I face my problems now rather than stuffing them with food. And, most importantly, I don’t live in my head anymore. The daily internal battles are gone, freeing up my thoughts so that I can actually engage with and enjoy other people. When my eating was at its worst, I remember thinking that I’d never have the willpower to eat well consistently. But I’m grateful to have discovered that once you get in the habit of eating well, your body adjusts and no longer craves the crappy stuff. So it’s not a matter of willpower, it’s the chemical properties of the food you’re eating! Your body is smart enough to tell you what it wants, but most of us don’t hear the messages because the communication lines are clogged with junk food. After having wasted so many years living inside my own food-obsessed, self-hating head, I finally feel free to live a normal life, with the extra bonus of feeling healthier and more energetic than I’ve ever been. I’m sure there will be food and exercise slumps in my future, but I won’t worry about them; they’ll just be food and exercise “vacations,” from which I will always come home. I’ve been happy with eating Primally as my foundation for the past seven years, and I know it will remain my foundation for the rest of my life. (By “foundation,” I mean I’ll be mostly Primal but not 100% all the time.) It’s not something to start and then finish; it’s forever for me. Until now, I’ve told very few people about the extent of my eating issues; I’ve felt ashamed of how much they ruled and nearly ruined my life. So it’s difficult for me to reveal such personal information to such a wide audience. But since Mark Sisson has helped me so much, I share my story with him and MDA with the hope that it might help others. Thank you, Mark, for helping me turn my life around and for all the work you to do improve people’s health. Gratefully, Jean The post Finally Off the Sugar Roller Coaster! appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 16 Dec
14 Weird Plant Bits and Where to Find Them: Foraging Ethnic Markets - Five years ago, I wrote about all the odd animal bits one can find at ethnic markets. I procured and photographed the blood, the guts, the tendon, the tripe, the tails and heads and feet and all the other weird things you can and should eat—meaty bits you won’t find in the local Whole Foods. Today, I’m going to talk about the weird plant bits available in ethnic markets—spices, greens, roots, noodles, and fermented things. But first, a few reasons why everyone should probably hightail it to the nearest Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or Mexican market. Asian supermarkets exist outside of the normal supply chain typical markets use. They get different produce, in many cases fresher produce, and lower prices. A recent article in Saveur explains why: “Chinatown’s 80-plus produce markets are cheap because they are connected to a web of small farms and wholesalers that operate independently of the network supplying most mainstream supermarkets.” I don’t know that this applies to Asian markets in other cities, or other types of ethnic markets, but it’s a good bet.  Going to an ethnic market is a little like traveling: you enter an unfamiliar situation with different sights, smells, and languages. Travel purists will scoff, but I maintain that this is a decent way to “tour.” We can’t all drop everything to go backpack through Southeast Asia for half a year. This is better than nothing. What should you look for? Red palm oil—West African markets We’ve all shelled out the $15 for a smallish jar of sustainably-grown red palm oil pressed from palm fruits hand-and-foot-picked by entrepreneurial orangutans, probably after reading about its incredible nutrient content on MDA or some other blog. But there’s another place to get really great orangutan-free red palm oil: your local West African market. West African countries like Ghana and Nigeria have a long history of using red palm oil as a staple fat, whereas the places most people get their palm oil—Malaysia and Indonesia—do not. I trust tradition. The red palm oil I’ve bought from African shops is the real deal. It’s unfiltered. It’s deep red, rather than orange. It often comes unlabeled in mason jars. Sichuan/Szechuan peppercorns—Asian markets I don’t know if these things are “superfoods” or anything. One small study found that sichuan peppercorn compounds inhibit cancer growth while having no affect on growth of normal cells, but I wouldn’t hang my hat on that. No, the real reason I love Sichuan peppercorns is their provision of a totally unique flavor sensation—tingling. I find it goes best with lamb alongside cumin and something slightly sweet. Natto—Japanese markets I won’t linger on natto, my favorite soy food. I’ve spoken up about it many times before. Natto is the single-best source of vitamin K2 in the diet, a nutrient solely lacking in most modern diets. Eat it with sardines and a bit of soy sauce. Prepared kimchi—Korean markets Most Asian market refrigerated sections will have good kimchi in jars. It’s standard stuff—napa cabbage and whatnot. I’m talking about the many varieties of kimchi available in Korean market deli sections. You can find pickled cucumbers, mustard leaf, radish, and even a white kimchi that’s flavorful without being spicy. Chinese broccoli/gai lan—Asian markets Gai lan is a member of the brassica family, alongside broccoli, kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. As such, it’s probably going to improve your resistance to and excretion of various carcinogens, toxins, and other things you don’t want. My favorite way of cooking it is to separate the thick stalks from the florets, steam the stalks for 3 minutes, then add the flowers for another 2 minutes. Toss in the sauce/fat of your choice. They’re also good quickly charred over flames or on a hot cast iron skillet. Toss with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Fava greens—Asian markets Most people haven’t eaten fava greens. They’re seasonal, available in the spring and early summer. If you like fava beans but don’t do legumes, fava greens taste a bit like them. You can eat them raw in a salad or sautéd, though I prefer the heartier-than-spinach leaves cooked a bit. Personally, I’m a fan of wilting a bowl of fava greens by placing a hot steak directly on top. Also excellent with Chianti and liver (not human). Purple sweet potatoes—Asian markets The fabled purple sweet potato has begun appearing in Whole Foods, but for the longest time the best and often only place to get one was the local Asian market. It’s still a good spot. Don’t worry too much about organic vs. non-organic. Sweet potatoes are hardy plants that show very little pesticide residue and consistently place in the “clean 15.” Sweet potato greens—Asian markets After reading about the nutrient density of sweet potato greens back when I wrote the sweet potato post, I had to try them. They’re really high in magnesium, that elusive nutrient. And they actually taste good. Treat them like spinach or chard. Young coconuts—Asian markets Forget canned coconut water. Every Asian market I’ve ever visited sells young Thai coconuts wrapped in plastic for about a buck fifty—the same exact coconuts (same label!) upscale markets sell for three times the price. You get about a pint of the best coconut water you’ve ever tasted, plus a cup of sweet coconut meat. I recommend a machete or really strong cleaver. I’ve ruined at least two cheapo kitchen knives hacking away at these things. Look for pure white/cream-colored coconuts. Avoid any hint of pinkness, as that indicates spoilage. Buy a case for your next party and wow guests. Shirataki noodles—Asian markets You want prebiotic fiber? You want a low-carb noodle alternative? Try shirataki noodles, also known as konjac noodles or yam noodles. Konjac root is mostly glucomannan, a prebiotic fiber that encourages the growth of butyrate-producing gut bacteria in human subjects on a low fiber diet. As we know from past posts, butyrate appears to improve insulin sensitivity and blood lipids, and decrease intestinal permeability.  Dosa batter—Indian markets Being fermented rice and lentil pancakes, dosas aren’t quite Primal, but they’ve got a lot of things going for them. They’re fermented. They’re gluten-free (rice and lentils). And they often contain interesting spices, like fenugreek, turmeric, and ginger in the batter. Next time the kids are clamoring for something pancake-adjacent and you don’t feel like whipping out the GF pancake mix, having a container of dosa batter will save the day. Tulsi (holy basil)—Indian markets I’ve never cooked with tulsi, and I’m not sure it’s really a thing, but it makes a fine tea. Animal studies indicate that tulsi provides a real boost to testosterone levels. It comes in bags of dried whole or powdered leaves and is considerably cheaper than the tea bags you find online. Try simmering a tablespoon of dry leaves in a cup of water with a teaspoon of coconut oil. Ashwagandha—Indian markets Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that most Western consumers have only seen in pill form. If you go to an Indian market, you can get whole dried ashwagandha root. It may not be a standardized extract with consistent levels of active compounds, but you will be getting the “extraneous” compounds that the purified extracts omit. Tastes a bit musty, honestly. Suffer through the tea or toss a root in with your next batch of bone broth. Spices in general—any market My Indian friends always tell me the spices you get in places like Whole Foods or Amazon simply don’t compare to the ones you get in the local Indian market. The turmeric is more pungent, the cumin is more intense, the cardamom pods are more fragrant, and so on. It appears to be true for other spices in other ethnic markets, too. Next time you need to restock your spice cabinet, head down to the local ethnic market and see how they compare. That’s just a small taste of the available edible plant bits you’ll find at ethnic markets. These are my favorites. How about yours? What did I miss? What should I try? Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care! The post 14 Weird Plant Bits and Where to Find Them: Foraging Ethnic Markets appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple. 15 Dec

MintPress News

The Fake News The UK Government Has Fed Us About Yemen - People inspect the aftermath of a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a busy funeral hall in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. (OPINION) — Fake news was one of the biggest themes of 2016, and Donald Trump and his supporters on the alternative right were not the only culprits. One important manufacturer of fake news was the British government, especially when it came to ministerial statements on tragic, war-torn Yemen. I hesitate to use the term ‘lie’, but we have learned through experience that British ministers cannot be trusted to tell the truth when they make statements about the Yemen. The latest manifestation of this pernicious culture of falsehood concerns Philip Dunne, then defence minister, who told parliament in May that “we assess that no UK-supplied cluster weapons have been used and no UK-supplied aircraft have been involved in the use of cluster weapons in the current conflict in Yemen”. This Monday, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was obliged to tell MPs that British-made cluster bombs had indeed been dropped on Yemen by Saudi Arabia. Dunne’s misleading assertion about cluster bombs is just the latest in a long series of inaccurate written and oral statements to parliament made by British ministers. The culprits include Philip Hammond, before he was moved from the Foreign Office to the Treasury in the wake of Brexit. Hammond said in February that Britain had “assessed” that there had not been any breach of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition. However, when Boris Johnson became Foreign Secretary in July, he immediately ordered his predecessor’s untrue statement to be corrected. In a humbling moment for Hammond, the Foreign Office put out a statement which made clear his remark had been false. No assessment of any kind had been carried out. There is, therefore, no question that Philip Hammond (and others including the current Middle East minister Tobias Ellwood) systematically misled the House of Commons on Yemen. The effect of their statements was to protect Saudi Arabia as it led a murderous series of bombing raids which have wiped out weddings, attacked hospitals, funerals, markets and homes, in the process killing thousands of people. As I learned for myself in the Yemen, these tactics are ensuring that many there now hate our country for backing the Saudis. It is important to remember that misleading the House of Commons is always one of the most serious offenses which any minister can commit – and all the more so when it concerns a matter of life and death. The Ministerial Code of Conduct is completely unambiguous on this point. It commits ministers to giving “accurate and truthful information to Parliament”. Any government minister who misleads the House of Commons is under a duty to return to the House and correct any false statement at the first opportunity. And if ministers deliberately mislead the House, they must resign because they can no longer be trusted to occupy their office. The false statements put out by ministers to parliament about the British assessment of the carnage being carried out by the Saudi-led coalition bombers on the Yemen were therefore a deadly serious matter. That is why I am very puzzled why the government has not treated the matter seriously at all. Shockingly, there has been no apology. Shamingly, the corrections in July, which can be read here, were quietly shuffled out on the final day before the summer recess. And crucially, there appears to have been no investigation into how ministers repeatedly came to mislead the Commons – and no rebuke for those responsible. This is truly shocking. For any government department with high standards of integrity, it should have been a matter of urgent importance to understand how MPs and the nation were misled, and what went wrong. That is why last autumn, I rang the Foreign Office press office to ask whether there had been an inquiry and, secondly, whether any disciplinary action had been taken against those responsible. A press officer said that the matter was already the subject of a freedom of information request. She asked me to wait until the FOI request had been answered, stating that I would then be able to discover the truth about what happened. I agreed to her request out of good nature, and now regret doing so. That FOI request, which was finally answered last week after a lapse of more than two months, can be found here. The documents published contain no reference of any kind to a Foreign Office inquiry into how ministers came to mislead parliament, nor is there any reference to subsequent disciplinary action. So I got back in touch with the press spokesperson, saying that I felt that she had led me up the garden path. I then put the questions to her again: had there been an investigation into how ministers misled parliament, and had anyone been disciplined as a result. I have received no answer to either question. I can only reach one conclusion from my dealings with the Foreign Office over this very serious matter: there has been no inquiry as to how MPs came to be misled, and there have been no consequences of any kind for those responsible. The failure to launch an inquiry would be extremely troubling in any circumstances. It is nothing short of repugnant when it involves Yemen, a country on the verge of famine and where thousands have been killed by bombers from the Saudi-led coalition. I saw for myself the horror ordinary Yemenis are experiencing when I visited the country last July. The hospitals cannot access left-saving medicines. Millions are on the edge of starvation. Millions more have fled their homes. Innocent people are being killed by air strikes. All this in a country where Britain has intimate links dating back 300 years. The most generous construction on the failure to hold an inquiry is that there is an insouciant and careless culture in the Middle East section of the Foreign Office. Ministers feel they can utter untruths regardless of the consequences, their statements are purely weightless, and part of a post-truth environment where government statements have no connection with any underlying reality. There is, however, a very sinister alternative explanation: ministers were deliberately lying in order to cover up the truth about what they knew about the carnage being inflicted on the people of the Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition. There was no inquiry, and no punishment, because nobody had done anything wrong. Perhaps because ministers were following orders. If that is so, Hammond’s statement to MPs last February was not a mistake. It was part of a deliberate attempt to deceive them in order to cover up mass murder carried out by British allies in one of the ugliest conflicts in the world. If that is so, Hammond (and his ministerial colleagues) have got blood on his hands. He has deceived the Commons over a matter of life and death. Was Hammond’s statement a simple mistake or a deliberate lie? Readers must make up their own minds. Once again, I urge the Foreign Office to answer the questions I have been putting to it since the autumn. Has there been an inquiry into how Hammond and fellow ministers came to mislead parliament over the British “assessment” of Saudi breaches of international humanitarian law? Secondly, if such an inquiry did take place, was anyone disciplined? It is essential that ministers come up with an answer. Otherwise British ministers will never again be trusted when they speak out on the subject of this terrible conflict. Peter Oborne was named freelancer of the year 2016 by the Online Media Awards for an article he wrote for Middle East Eye. He was British Press Awards Columnist of the Year 2013. He resigned as chief political columnist of the Daily Telegraph in 2015. © Middle East Eye The post The Fake News The UK Government Has Fed Us About Yemen appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
Trump Allegedly Intervened In UN Vote On Israeli Settlements - A Palestinian man tries to stop work by an Israeli bulldozer during a protest outside the village of Deir Qaddis, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, July 13, 2016. Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated Wednesday in front of Israeli bulldozers that were bulldozing land outside Deir Qaddis village near Ramallah for an apparent plan to expand a nearby Jewish settlement. (REPORT) — US president-elect Donald Trump apparently intervened to help postpone a UN Security Council vote on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, reportedly applying pressure on behalf of Israel and discussing the Egypt-drafted resolution with the country’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. A senior Israeli official told Reuters on Thursday that his government had asked Trump to apply pressure to avert a UN Security Council vote, after it learned the Obama administration intended to allow the measure to pass. That stance, the official said, was “a violation of a core commitment to protect Israel at the UN”. Israeli officials contacted Trump’s transition team at a “high level” after failing to persuade US officials to veto the draft resolution and asked him to intervene, the official said. Two Western officials said that Obama had intended to abstain from the vote. Trump on Thursday also spoke to Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, about his country’s draft resolution. “During the call they discussed regional affairs and developments in the Middle East and in that context the draft resolution in front of the Security Council on Israeli settlement,” said presidency spokesman Alaa Yousef. “The presidents agreed on the importance of affording the new US administration the full chance to deal with all dimensions of the Palestinian case with a view of achieving a full and final settlement.” A spokesman for Trump on Friday said the president-elect discussed laying the groundwork for peace in the Middle East, but said he did not know if they specifically discussed the resolution. However, a Trump statement on Thursday showed his opposition to the vote. “The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed,” he said. “As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations. “This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis. Egypt then asked for a delay on Thursday to allow time for consultations, but no new date for the vote has been scheduled. Other Security Council member states are pressing Egypt on a new date for the resolution. New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal told Egypt on Thursday that that they reserved the right to move ahead with the text if it did not clarify by midnight whether it planned to call a vote on the draft resolution, diplomats said. “In the event that Egypt decides that it cannot proceed to call for vote on 23 December or does not provide a response by the deadline, those delegations reserve the right to table the draft… and proceed to put it to vote ASAP,” the four said in a note to Egypt. The Palestinians were also a party to the note, which said “there was a strong sense of disappointment” that the 15-member Security Council had not voted on the text. © Middle East Eye  The post Trump Allegedly Intervened In UN Vote On Israeli Settlements appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
Snowden: House Intel Report Is ‘Accidentally Exonerating’ - A sticker calling for asylum for Edward Snowden seen in Berlin. (Photo: Tony Webster/flickr/cc) (REPORT) — The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released a heavily redacted, declassified version of its report on National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden, and Snowden charges that the “parade of falsity” contained in the report is “accidentally exonerating.” The report was several years in the making. A summary of it was published in September of this year just as Oliver Stone’s sympathetic biopic of Snowden was released in theaters—part of a growing campaign that seeks a presidential pardon for the whistleblower. At the time, Snowden slammed the summary of the report—and he wasn’t alone. “The report is not only one-sided, not only incurious, not only contemptuous of fact,” wrote journalist and author Barton Gellman after it was it published. “It is trifling.” In the full report (pdf), the intelligence committee neglects to mention Snowden’s well-documented critique of the Russian government at the same time that it charges—with no evidence—that the whistleblower is in contact with Russian spy agencies. The committee also seems to characterize Snowden as a bad employee for his repeated efforts to report concerns to higher-ups, but then goes on to argue that Snowden should have reported the NSA’s mass surveillance practices to the NSA inspector general (despite documented retaliation against whistleblowers at multiple government agencies, including the NSA). “Bottom line: this report’s core claims are made without evidence, and are often contrary to both common sense and the public record,” Snowden tweeted. In a statement, Snowden’s lawyer Ben Wizner, who also directs the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, dismissed the report as he defended his client’s motivation for leaking the information to journalists. “The House committee spent three years and millions of dollars in a failed attempt to discredit Edward Snowden, whose actions led to the most significant intelligence reforms in a generation,” Wizner said. “The report wholly ignores Snowden’s repeated and courageous criticism of Russian surveillance and censorship laws. It combines demonstrable falsehoods with deceptive inferences to paint an entirely fictional portrait of an American whistleblower.” Read the whistleblower’s full takedown of the report on Twitter here: Unsurprising that HPSCI's report is rifled with obvious falsehoods. The only surprise is how accidentally exonerating it is. 1/x — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 After three years of investigation and millions of dollars, they can present no evidence of harmful intent, foreign influence, or harm. Wow. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 An indicator of HPSCI's slant is the knowing omission of my strident, well-documented criticisms of Russian policy: https://t.co/rbAUeGZPd7 — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Despite this, they claim without evidence I'm in cahoots with Russian intel. Everyone knows this is false, but let's examine their basis: — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 A quote from a Russian guy who just this week claimed NATO assassinated Russia's Ambassador. Not kidding: https://t.co/wYuKWyF0bb — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Moreover, Klintsevich states clearly in the audio (which NPR omits from English translation) that he's only speculating ("Ya dumayu sto…") — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 This is the standard of evidence the worst claims they level are based on, after three years and millions of dollars. But it goes on. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 They document me going, again and again — over years, despite punishments — to superiors to report complaints of waste, fraud, and abuse. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Not one page mentions this journalism won the Pulitzer Prize for Public service, reformed our laws, and changed even the President's mind. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Yet they argue at length I should have gone to NSA's Inspector General. That he would end these abuses and protect whistleblowers. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 But George Ellard, the NSA Inspector General, was just fired for retaliating against a whistleblower just like me. https://t.co/Udl9YK38XF — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 John Crane, who worked for DOD's IG, claims they intentionally destroyed exculpatory evidence about @Thomas_Drake1. https://t.co/7kU0ISjaXE — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Bottom line: this report's core claims are made without evidence, and are often contrary to both common sense and the public record. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Was I a pain in the ass to work with? Perhaps; many technologists are. But this report establishes no worse. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Technologists are difficult because principles are binary. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 Final note: HPSCI's report admits I purged and abandoned hard drives rather than risk bringing them through Russia. Glad it's settled. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 22, 2016 This work by Common Dreams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.   The post Snowden: House Intel Report Is ‘Accidentally Exonerating’ appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
Obama Scraps Post-9/11 Muslim Registry - The NSEER system, which required registration of immigrants entering and exiting the US from predominantly Muslim countries, has been canceled by the Obama Administration. (AP file photo) (REPORT) — Totally unused since 2011 according to most officials, the NSEER system, which required registration of immigrants entering and exiting the US from predominantly Muslim countries, has been canceled by the Obama Administration, as the incoming Trump Administration says they are looking at a very similar program for their own Muslim registration scheme. The NSEER program was widely criticized by civil and human rights groups, and was mostly abandoned in 2003 as not particularly useful, though some aspects of it were kept around for years after that. Trump’s transition team is said to be keen on the program, however, or something like it, and is said to like a lot of the more onerous aspects, and wanting to expand it to more direct religious profiling. In removing the program, Obama eliminates the remnant infrastructure, but analysts say this would be only a minor inconvenience for the Trump administration, whose own program is expected to feature some notable differences, and likely is done mostly for the sake of being able to say the Trump program wasn’t inherited. The move was the result of calls from several Democrats, who argued in an open letter that the program hadn’t led to a single terror conviction, and that Trump shouldn’t be given any tools to help with his own planned registry. © Antiwar.com The post Obama Scraps Post-9/11 Muslim Registry appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
The U.S. Interfered In Foreign Presidential Elections 81 Times From 1946-2000 - U.S. President Harry Truman, left, and Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, right, stand together on Oct. 23, 1951. The coup d’état that led to the democratically elected Mossadegh’s ouster two years later was orchestrated by the U.S. CIA, declassified documents confirm. (Photo/Abbie Rowe via Wikimedia Commons) (REPORT) — The CIA has accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 presidential election by hacking into Democratic and Republican computer networks and selectively releasing  emails. But critics might point out the U.S. has done similar things. The U.S. has a long history of attempting to influence presidential elections in other countries – it’s done so as many as 81 times between 1946 and 2000, according to a database amassed by political scientist Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University. That number doesn’t include military coups and regime change efforts following the election of candidates the U.S. didn’t like, notably those in Iran, Guatemala and Chile. Nor does it include general assistance with the electoral process, such as election monitoring. Levin defines intervention as “a costly act which is designed to determine the election results [in favor of] one of the two sides.” These acts, carried out in secret two-thirds of the time, include funding the election campaigns of specific parties, disseminating misinformation or propaganda, training locals of only one side in various campaigning or get-out-the-vote techniques, helping one side design their campaign materials, making public pronouncements or threats in favor of or against a candidate, and providing or withdrawing foreign aid. The U.S. hasn’t been the only one trying to interfere in other countries’ elections, according to Levin’s data. Russia attempted to sway 36 foreign elections from the end of World War II to the turn of the century – meaning that, in total, at least one of the two great powers of the 20th century intervened in about 1 of every 9 competitive, national-level executive elections in that time period. In the 1990 Nicaragua elections, the CIA leaked damaging information on alleged corruption by the Marxist Sandinistas to German newspapers, according to Levin. The opposition used those reports against the Sandinista candidate, Daniel Ortega. He lost to opposition candidate Violeta Chamorro. In Haiti after the 1986 overthrow of dictator and U.S. ally Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, the CIA sought to support particular candidates and undermine Jean-Bertrande Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest and proponent of liberation theology. The New York Times reported in the 1990s that the CIA had on its payroll members of the military junta that would ultimately unseat Aristide after he was democratically elected in a landslide over Marc Bazin, a former World Bank official and finance minister favored by the U.S. The U.S. also attempted to sway Russian elections. In 1996, with the presidency of Boris Yeltsin and the Russian economy flailing, President Clinton endorsed a $10.2-billion loan from the International Monetary Fund linked to privatization, trade liberalization and other measures that would move Russia toward a capitalist economy. Yeltsin used the loan to bolster his popular support, telling voters that only he had the reformist credentials to secure such loans, according to media reports at the time. He used the money, in part, for social spending before the election, including payment of back wages and pensions. Read more at the L.A. Times: The U.S. is no stranger to interfering in the elections of other countries © Los Angeles Times The post The U.S. Interfered In Foreign Presidential Elections 81 Times From 1946-2000 appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
U.S. To Deploy 4,000 Troops To Russian Border Next Month - U.S. Ambassador to Estonia James D. Melville Jr. addresses dignitaries in front of an U.S. Army tank, at a hand-over ceremony of the upgraded NATO military base in Tapa, Estonia, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP/Vitnija Saldava) (ANALYSIS) — Since tempers first flared in 2014, tensions between Russia and the US have nearly boiled over on more than one occasion. However, recent NATO and US army actions along with a surge in anti-Russia propaganda throughout the Western world, suggest that these tensions will only escalate in the months ahead. Last Friday, new US tanks and armored vehicles arrived in the Netherlands, where they will be deployed to a storage facility in the province of Limburg to serve as part of the Army’s “strategically prepositioned critical war stock.” These tanks and other military assets are intended for use by the US Army’s recently announced deployment of 4,000 American troops and around 2,000 military vehicles along Russia’s border. The deployment breaches the Russia-NATO Founding Act of 1997, which states that NATO would not seek “additional permanent stationing of substantial ground combat forces” in nations closer to Russia. The troops and vehicles will be stationed on a rotational, yet permanent basis in several countries that border Russia, such as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Baltic nations. Yet, the most provocative aspect of all of these deployments was the stationing of an American battalion in Poland near the border of Kaliningrad, Russia’s enclave in the Baltic. The deployment comes as part of a $3.4 billion new spending plan intended to boost NATO forces in Europe, authorized by the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The US military currently boasts over 62,000 soldiers that are permanently stationed in Europe. Gen. Frederick Hodges, the commander of the US army in Europe, said that “these activities are the embodiment of the United States’ commitment to deterring aggression and defending our European allies and partners.” However, considering the massive deployments that have already taken place in addition to those recently announced, it becomes increasingly difficult to peg who the real aggressor is – NATO or Russia. The NATO build-up along Russia’s border has been on-going since the Ukrainian coup of 2014, when accusations of Russia’s supposed “aggression” first surfaced. However, this year has seen some major escalations on this front, suggesting that the “Cold War 2.0” could go hot if the right crisis emerged. In October, Norway announced plans to allow the US Marines to station within its borders for the first time ever amid concerns of Russian “aggression” despite that fact that Russia has not once threatened any Scandinavian country or NATO member. Then, last month, one of the most disturbing build-ups of all took place when NATO announced that it had placed 300,000 troops on “high alert” with plans to have those troops ready for deployment by next month. This provocative move then pushed Russia to deploy nuclear-capable missiles to its Kaliningrad enclave. Considering that this latest deployment of US forces will also take place next month, the pieces will certainly be in place for a potential and unprecedented escalation of hostilities between NATO and Russia. This work by True Activist is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.   The post U.S. To Deploy 4,000 Troops To Russian Border Next Month appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
The Continuing Muddle At A Pro-Trump Political Committee - Donald Trump describes how he was ready to punch a person who rushed the stage during an election rally earlier in the day, as he speaks to a crowd in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, March 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) (REPORT) — A political action committee that backed Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency is continuing to flout campaign finance laws. Earlier this month, ProPublica reported that the America Comes First PAC had violated the rules by not disclosing the source of its funding before Election Day and by exceeding caps on contribution amounts. America Comes First gave $115,000 to Trump Victory, a group that raised money for the Trump campaign and for national and state-level Republican groups. It now ranks as the second-biggest PAC contributor to Trump Victory, according to a list compiled by the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics 2014 behind GEO Group, a private prison company. After the ProPublica article was published, the treasurer of the PAC, David Schamens, said the group’s filings with the Federal Election Commission were inaccurate, and that they would be amended. Last week they were 2014 but the amended filing includes new irregularities. For example, the original filing lists Schamens as the top donor to the PAC. The new documents show the top donor as Tradedesk Financial, a firm that lists an address on Wall Street. (Schamens didn’t respond to questions about Tradedesk Financial or other information in the new filings. One online record indicates that a woman named Piliana Schamens was linked to Tradedesk in 2010.) However, a PAC is not permitted to receive direct corporate support. Perhaps recognizing that restriction, America Comes First’s new filings now identify the group as a super PAC, meaning that moving forward, it can receive unlimited corporate money. Yet declaring itself a super PAC created a new problem for America Comes First, because super PACs can’t donate directly to a political campaign such as Trump Victory. A super PAC can make independent expenditures, such as on advertisements that support a candidate, but those can’t be made in coordination with the campaign. To reconcile this problem in its new filings, America Comes First reclassified the $115,000 it gave as independent expenditures. Yet the payee is still Trump Victory, meaning the expense went to a campaign 2014 in violation of the rules for super PACs. Schamens, who attended an October fundraiser with Trump as federal regulators waited for any disclosure from his PAC, was accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of securities fraud in the early 1990s. In a settlement, he did not admit to the allegations but agreed to be barred from associating with investment companies or securities brokers. Schamens currently is director of a New Jersey technology company that optimizes and expedites securities trading for financial institutions and traders. In an interview with ProPublica before the amended filing, Schamens said that among the concerns he related to the Trump camp was the over-enforcement of securities regulations since 2008. This work by ProPublica is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.   The post The Continuing Muddle At A Pro-Trump Political Committee appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
Syrian Rebels Shell Aleppo, Allegedly Kill Prisoners Day After Evacuation - In this image made from video, buses carrying evacuees and ambulances leave the Ramousseh crossing point in Aleppo, Syria, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016. T (AP Photo via AP Video) (REPORT) — Syrian rebels outside Aleppo on Friday shelled a neighborhood in the northern city, killing three people in the first bombardment since government forces took control of the whole city after opposition fighters in the eastern parts withdrew, state TV reported. The shelling, which also wounded 10 people, underscored the challenge ahead for President Bashar Assad’s forces after retaking full control of the country’s largest city and former commercial hub for the first time in four years. The rebel surrender in Aleppo ended a brutal chapter in Syria’s nearly six-year civil war, and marked Assad’s most significant victory since an uprising against his family’s four-decade rule began in 2011. But large parts of the war-shattered country remain outside his control, including rural areas in Aleppo province south and west of the city where opposition fighters still operate. Syrian TV said Friday’s rockets which hit the southwestern neighborhood of Hamadaniyeh were fired by insurgents based southwest of Aleppo. Footage aired Friday from inside neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo taken over by the army after the last rebels were bused out a day earlier captured the staggering destruction: Row after row of destroyed buildings, many with blown out doors and windows, and toppled floors, along debris-strewn streets lined with charred vehicles In the Sukkari, Ansari and Amiriyeh neighborhoods, army experts were seen dismantling explosives and booby-traps left behind by rebels before they left. Syrian TV showed troops inside what it said was an armed depot in the basement of a school in the neighborhood of Zaydiyeh. Piles of wooden boxes filled with ammunition, rifles, and at least on Russian-made Grad rocket were shown in the video. Pro-government TV stations reported that rebels killed dozens of prisoners they were holding before they evacuated the city. Syrian rebels denied the reports in an exchange monitored by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, saying the prisoners were released. A Syrian military official told The Associated Press that the gunmen carried out “criminal acts” before the left east Aleppo, adding that he will not go into details until a military investigation is over. He spoke by telephone from Syria on condition of anonymity in line with army regulations. The ancient city had been divided into rebel and government parts since 2012, when rebels from the countryside swept in and took hold of eastern districts. That set the stage for more than four years of brutal fighting and government bombardment that laid waste to those neighborhoods. The rebel evacuations were set in motion after a months-long siege and Russian-backed military campaign. Years of resistance were stamped out in a relentless campaign over the past month that saw hospitals bombed, bodies left unburied and civilians killed by shells as they fled for safety. Under a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey, tens of thousands of residents and fighters began evacuating to opposition-controlled areas in the surrounding countryside, a process that took a week and ended Thursday night. Western Aleppo erupted in heavy celebratory gunfire following an army announcement that Aleppo was fully liberated. In a square in the city, scores of people danced around a large Christmas tree waving Syrian and Russian flags as well as yellow banners of the Lebanese Hezbollah group that sent thousands of fighters to back Assad’s forces. The post Syrian Rebels Shell Aleppo, Allegedly Kill Prisoners Day After Evacuation appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
Islam, ISIS & Buzzfeed: What You’re Not Being Told - MINNEAPOLIS — We hear it every day: “Why aren’t Muslims speaking up against terrorism?” “Where are the Muslims denouncing ISIS?” The people asking these questions tend to ignore a major fact: Muslims are the primary victims of terrorism driven by Wahhabism, an extremist, politically motivated perversion of Islam held by groups like ISIS. From 2007 to 2011, 97% of terrorism-related fatalities were Muslims, according to the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. The United Nations found that from January 2014 to October 2015, nearly 19,000 civilians were killed in Iraq — a country that is 99% Muslim — many of them victims of ISIS. Still, the U.N. says its figures likely fall short because they don’t include casualties resulting from the “secondary effects of violence,” like how many people are dying because they don’t have access to food, water, or medicine, which are also directly caused by groups like ISIS.   No one wants to see ISIS defeated more than Muslims. Yet so-called “experts” and those who claim terrorism is a tenant of the Islamic faith disregard the victims through orientalist generalizations. “Muslims have been killing each other for thousands of years,” they say. “Let them kill each other.” This “Civilization Jihad” caricature has been carefully manufactured by those on the right in both media and government. And while it might be the political bread and butter of the right, the left has folks like Bill Maher, who has made associating Islam with violence, barbarism, and female oppression a hallmark of his career. But, somewhere in the stream of Islamophobic sentiment flowing from people on both sides, they manage to get one thing right: Muslims have long been victims of extremist violence perpetrated by those who claim to share their faith. Muslims by the millions have converged in Karbala, Iraq, for the past 1,300 years to mourn the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who died at the hands of the ISIS of his time. The 40-day religious commemoration known as “Arbaeen,” the Arabic word meaning “40,” culminates in the Largest peaceful gathering of people in the world, and for many Muslims, it’s steeped in a spirit of resistance. With attacks on the pilgrims by ISIS and other terror groups becoming both frequent and deadly, this spirit of resistance has taken on particular significance in recent years. When someone asks, “Where are the Muslims denouncing extremism?” they should be advised to look no further than the 20 million people who risked their lives to commemorate Arbaeen in Karbala this year. But if you think the mainstream media would cover this as an important story, think again. In fact, outlets like BuzzFeed and Snopes went as far as to accuse anyone saying the march was against ISIS as spreading fake news. Earlier this month, MintPress re-published an article from the American Herald Tribune headlined “Media Blackout: Millions Of Muslims March Against ISIS.” The story explained the history of the annual pilgrimage, noting that millions of Muslims continue to make this journey despite the threat posed by terrorists like ISIS. It quickly went viral, eventually becoming a Trending topic on Facebook. Muslims were shown in an honest, positive light. The narrative challenged the establishment’s carefully crafted sectarian, violent, jihadi culture caricature — a falsification used to justify endless wars in the Middle East and Africa. And it’s a vicious cycle: these endless wars, supposedly meant to target terrorists, give rise to the terrorism that Muslims become victim to. Of course, it wasn’t long before the mainstream media chimed it. Buzzfeed did what it does best: It bended a positive story showing Muslims united in a force of peaceful resistance to parrot Cold War rhetoric. Buzzfeed dismissed it as “Another False Story” that should have never gone viral. The story’s author, Craig Silverman, argued that the headline was misleading — the march was not, in fact, organized in direct response to ISIS. And, citing reports from the Washington Post and International Business Times, he argued that there wasn’t even a media blackout. He even went on to say that it was just Russian propaganda since RT was one of the only outlets that reported it as a march against ISIS. Ultimately, he used the story, and MintPress’ decision to reprint it, as an example of why Facebook needs to be more cautious about what appears in its Trending section. Yet much of his “proof” lies in reports by mainstream media outlets that can’t differentiate between ISIS inspired terrorism and Islam which ultimately helps push foreign wars and funnel weapons to extremist rebel forces that leads to more terrorism. In attempting to address the “spread of misinformation” plaguing Facebook, Buzzfeed missed the point at the heart of the story: Participating in the Arbaeen march is marching against ISIS. For those claiming this is a false story, here’s a little history lesson: Arbaeen pays tribute to the sacrifices of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He and his followers were massacred in 680 by the tyrant or ISIS of their time, Yazid Ibn Mu’awiyah. An influential ruler from the Umayyad Dynasty, Yazid ruled over many parts of the Middle East with an iron fist. He descended from the “1%” that ruled Arabia when the Prophet Muhammad revealed his message, challenging the economic heavyweights who profited from exploiting the impoverished population through idol worship. Generations of the “1%” carried on these attempts to silence and undermine the Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his followers. Hussein repeatedly refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid, a power-hungry tyrant who a so called Islamic Caliphate that was the antithesis of Muhammad’s teaching. And this refusal eventually led to a standoff between Yazid’s 50,000-man army and Hussein and his 72 family members in Karbala. Even in the face of certain death, Hussein refused to fight and he refused to back down. His refusal to accept oppression and tyranny echoes even today as an example of non-violent resistance against tyranny even by revolutionary leaders like Ghandi. And because groups like ISIS take their lessons from tyrannical leaders like Yazid instead of Hussein, the annual march in Karbala remains a symbol of the Muslim struggle against those who purport to use their faith in the pursuit of wealth, power, and colonialism. While Arbaeen is a religious procession that’s considered a Shiite Muslim event, it’s pluralistic in nature. Sunni Muslims, as well as Jewish and Christian leaders, also take part in the march in a show of solidarity against injustice. It’s honoring the legacy of a man who died hundreds of years ago when he wouldn’t kowtow to the same brand of tyranny that ISIS wants to inflict upon people today. So Buzzfeed and Mr. Silverman: Marching in Arbaeen is taking a stand against ISIS and terrorism. It’s refusing to live in fear. It’s denouncing everything that ISIS stands for, and celebrating everything ISIS hates most. Now that’s a real news history lesson worth reporting on. Learn more about millions of Muslims march against ISIS, the Flint water crisis & life in prison for pot on the full episode of the Behind The Headline: The post Islam, ISIS & Buzzfeed: What You’re Not Being Told appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec
2016 Goes To Pot: Colorado Cannabis Sales Top $1 Billion & Oregon Sales Defy Expectations - Farmworkers transport newly-harvested marijuana plants, at Los Suenos Farms, America’s largest legal open air marijuana farm, in Avondale, southern Colorado, Oct. 4, 2016. (AP/Brennan Linsley) DENVER — Legal cannabis is booming, and with Colorado netting $1 billion in legal, regulated sales in the first 10 months of 2016, the industry’s growth isn’t showing any signs of slowing. Sales of both recreational and medical cannabis hit $1.1 billion by October, according to analysis of sales data from the Colorado Department of Revenue. A boost in sales from the December holiday season is expected to push the total even higher. “We think we’ll see $1.3 billion in sales revenue this year,” said Christian Sederberg, a partner at Vicente Sederberg and a leading cannabis industry lawyer, in a Dec. 12 interview with The Cannabist, a division of The Denver Post. However, the economic impact of legal cannabis sales could actually be far higher in the Centennial State. An October report from the Marijuana Policy Group estimated that the total economic output from legal cannabis sales had reached $2.39 billion and generated some 18,000 jobs in 2015. This figure includes every aspect of the state’s booming cannabis industry, from licensed growers to the clerks who sell the finished product in the state’s dispensaries. “The economic impact of this industry — if we’re using the same multiplier from the Marijuana Policy Group’s recent report, which is totally reasonable — it suddenly eclipses a $3 billion economic impact for 2016,” Sederberg told Ricardo Baca, a staff writer at The Cannabist. While final tax figures for the year are not yet available, Sederberg said he expects the state to see more tax revenue than in 2014 and 2015 combined. Medical cannabis first became available in the state after the 2000 election, and recreational cannabis sales in Colorado began in 2014. Baca echoed Sederberg’s tax revenue projections and analysis: “Depending on November and December’s forthcoming pot tax totals, that scenario is possible. Not accounting for licensing fees imposed on cannabis businesses, $63.4 million in marijuana taxes were collected by the state in 2014 along with another $120.6 million in 2015. Since 2016 taxes through October sit at $151.4 million, each of the year’s final two months would have to top $16.3 million apiece to best the two previous years’ totals combined.” The lion’s share of taxes levied on Colorado’s recreational cannabis sales benefit education and the construction and refurbishment of public schools. “While the first $40 million will go toward school construction projects, any additional tax revenues from the excise tax will go directly to the state’s public school fund,” Baca noted. Tax revenues are also beating expectations in Oregon, according to a Dec. 12 report from Leafly, a cannabis news and information website. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees cannabis sales in the state, had expected to see $18.4 million in tax revenue in the first two years of cannabis sales, which began in July 2015. As of Nov. 30, actual tax payments hit an astonishing $54.5 million. Cannabis sales in Oregon are currently taxed at 17 percent, and that tax revenue “will go to pay for police, addiction programs, and schools,” Leafly’s Gage Peake reported, supporting his assessment that Oregon is “crushing it” in terms of legal cannabis sales. Currently, seven states — Maine, Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Nevada — and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis, while 28 states allow some form of medical cannabis access. Watch “Legalized: A Year In The Life Of Colorado’s Legal Weed Experiment: The post 2016 Goes To Pot: Colorado Cannabis Sales Top $1 Billion & Oregon Sales Defy Expectations appeared first on MintPress News.23 Dec

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The Prince of Peace — Jesus of Nazareth - Jesus Christ, whose birthday is celebrated throughout the world on Christmas, has had a greater impact on human history than any person who ever lived. Though he died at the age of 33, the year in which we live is dated from his birth. Though he lived in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago, more than one billion people today call themselves followers of Christ. Though he never wrote a book, tens of thousands of books have been written about his life and teachings.00:00
Keeping Christ in Christmas: Sacred Carols - It is easy to forget, in our hyper-commercialized, secularized, paganized world, that the real basis for our celebration of  “Happy Holidays” is two Christian “Holy Days”: Christmas and Epiphany, the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His revelation to the Gentiles.24 Dec
FAKE NEWS: Media Hysteria Over Irrelevant Fake Websites Masks More Sinister Agenda - The real aims of the establishment media’s “fake news” alarm are to delegitimize Trump’s election, while also demonizing and censoring anti-globalist media websites.24 Dec
The Dawn of Hope - In the wake of an ugly election and the midst of near-worldwide social chaos, hope lies in the fact that people, in general, are beginning to recognize the cause of the problems.24 Dec
Social Security Issues Final Rules Removing Beneficiaries’ Gun Rights - Why did the Social Security Administration decide to issue these "final" rules within days of the end of the Obama administration, when the NICS background check system has been in place for decades?24 Dec
Trump Meets With Lockheed CEO About F-35 Cost, Then Asks Boeing to Price Comparable F-18 - Trump ran into a tough negotiator in Lockheed's CEO. So he decided it was time to play hard ball.23 Dec
Kerry Must Move On - Secretary of State John Kerry isn’t giving up advocacy of liberalism and internationalism. That he’ll have to continue as a private citizen, not a government official, is good news for America.23 Dec
Obama Scrapping Registration of Aliens From Mostly Muslim Nations - The Obama administration has dismantled a program to screen aliens from countries with a large terrorist presence.23 Dec
Trump’s Twitter Response to Putin on Nukes Sets Media on Edge - When President-elect Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday about the need for the United States to “greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,” it set members of the left-wing media and watchdog groups on edge.23 Dec
Europe's Future — Merkel or Le Pen? - Right-wing and anti-immigrant parties are succeeding in Europe for a simple reason. Mainstream parties are failing in the first duty of government — to protect the safety and security of the people.23 Dec
Walmart Pulls Black Lives Matter T-shirts After Police Union Objections - Some "objectionable" shirts and other merchandise are acceptable to Walmart — but others are not.23 Dec
"Honor-killing" Shock: Murdered Muslim Girls Replaced With Imposters - It sounds like the plot of an X-Files episode or something you’d read in a supermarket tabloid, but it’s actually a case of truth being stranger than fiction. 22 Dec
Improper Payments, Unused Real Estate Top Congressman’s Wasteful-spending Report - In his latest Waste Watch report, Representative Steve Russell highlights $140 billion in “cost overruns, poorly designed programs, and money that was dumped down the drain.”22 Dec
Trump Names Carl Icahn Special Advisor on Deregulation - President-elect Donald Trump has named a longtime close friend as his “special advisor” on deregulation: multi-billionaire activist Carl Icahn.22 Dec
North Carolina Bathroom Law Remains Intact, For Now - On Wednesday, the North Carolina legislature rejected a bid to repeal the state’s controversial transgender bathroom law during a one-day special legislative session. The bill failed by a vote of 32-16 after Democrats refused to approve a provision that would ban cities from passing certain pro-LGBT ordinances during what the Republicans called a “cooling off” period.22 Dec
Texas to Eliminate Medicaid Payments to Planned Parenthood - Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General Stuart Bowen has notified Planned Parenthood that it will no longer receive funding from Texas’s Medicaid program.22 Dec
U.S. Has Interfered in Foreign Elections Multiple Times - President Obama says he told Russian President Putin to "knock it off" after his alleged effort to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. With America's long record of interfering in other nation's elections, perhaps Obama should look in the mirror.22 Dec
Education Author Exposes Environmentalist Movement’s Agenda - VIDEO - Holly Swanson talks about her origins of getting involved with protecting the environment in the 1980’s and how the paths between ideals split between protecting the environment and controlling the human population. One of the more alarming aspects that Swanson touches on is the control and indoctrination that is taking place in the school systems.22 Dec
Trump Persuades Boeing to Cut Cost of New Air Force One - Trump is delivering a message: He will be a president not to be trifled with.  By Bob Adelmann22 Dec
Congress: Obama Fired Scientist to Advance “Climate” Agenda - The Obama administration fired a top scientist, intimidated other staff, censored important information from Congress for political reasons, and waged “a reckless and calculated attack on the legislative process itself,” U.S. lawmakers concluded in a blistering new report about Obama's scandal-plagued Department of Energy. All of it was done in order to advance Obama's controversial “climate-change” agenda, according to congressional investigators. It is time for some serious changes in management at the U.S. Department of Energy, members of Congress declared. But even that is not nearly enough to remedy the damage unleashed by Obama via the unconstitutional bureaucracy.22 Dec
Even if the Russians Did Hack the E-mails, So What? - So here’s the Democrat complaint, translated: “We were too incompetent to secure our systems — or react promptly to a perceived threat by a hostile foreign actor — and as a result damning truths about us were revealed. We’re such victims!”22 Dec
Is Trump's Pick for Budget Director a David Stockman Redux? - President-elect Donald Trump has just nominated a lawmaker who seems to want to pick up the work just where Stockman left it 30 years ago at the Office of Management and Budget. That guy is Rep. Mick Mulvaney, a South Carolina Republican and a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus.21 Dec
Wisconsin Governor Asks Trump for “Broader Role” in Refugee Relocation - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker sent a letter to Donald Trump suggesting areas where the federal government might act differently with the states, including refugee resettlement.21 Dec
A Public Service - Sometimes someone inadvertently performs a public service by bringing an unbelievably stupid and dangerous idea to the surface, where it can be exposed for what it is. The New York Times can be credited — if that is the word — with performing this public service in a recent editorial against proposals to allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed guns.21 Dec
Inclusiveness and Diversity - Sometimes it seems as if every other word from the mouths of academicians is "inclusiveness" or "diversity." How sincere and truthful are these people about their "inclusiveness and diversity" religion?21 Dec
Armed Black Panthers March Against Police, Black “Genocide” - “Free us or you die, cracker!” This was among many incendiary comments made by armed Revolutionary Black Panther agitators marching through Milwaukee streets on Sunday. Calling themselves a “human-rights tribunal,” the men directed vulgar chants at police and complained of “genocide” against black people.21 Dec
Large Pension Plans Adjusting Their Targets Downward - Reality has yet to set in among those professionals managing billions in pension plans across the land, as they set target rates of return on investments far above what they will likely make.  21 Dec
Obama Administration Increases Refugee Resettlement During Final Months - The United States admitted 23,428 aliens as “refugees” during the first 11 weeks of fiscal year 2017 — a rate that would result in more than 110,000 for the fiscal year.21 Dec
Beauty Queen Speaks Out - Anastasia Lin, who is a Canadian by choice though Chinese by birth, has asked, “Why is a powerful country like China so afraid of a beauty queen?“ Now able to speak freely to reporters, she comments: “Despite 60 years of censorship, [the Chinese] people don’t believe everything they hear on the news.”21 Dec
Princeton Physics Professor Discredits Anthropogenic Climate Change Theory - VIDEO - Physics Professor William Happer discredits the negative effects of CO2 on the planet and whether or not climate change is man-made. He also goes into detail of why the United Nation’s models are incorrect despite their overwhelming confidence that significant warming is taking place due to human activity.21 Dec
Petulant Children Shouldn’t Have the Vote - There’s a reason we don’t let nine-year-olds vote. But what about those overgrown children who are nine between the ears?21 Dec
Obama Places Vast Majority of Arctic Ocean “Indefinitely Off Limits” to Drilling - One of Obama's final acts in his presidency — making off-limits huge areas of the Arctic to energy harvesting — may leave the Obama administration with a much different legacy than the one intended.  21 Dec
Every Step Taken Makes a Difference - These past two weeks of activity, being endorsed to serve in the new administration and to be recognized by strong leaders, was vindication for the reach and impact that I and the American Policy Center have made.21 Dec
N.Y. Times' Fake News That Electoral College Was Created to Protect Slavery - The New York Times, in its desire to attack the Electoral College, resorts to the typical association of the institution to slavery. But an examination of the historical record indicates that the newspaper is either lying, or is ignorant of history.21 Dec
Nanny State Shock: California Bill Would Strip Parental Rights - A new bill introduced in the California Senate promises to guarantee “children’s rights.” But it really amounts to eviscerating parents’ rights and empowering the state — to raise your kids in its own image.21 Dec

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A Petition by Members of the Technology Industry: Never Again! - Diane Ravitch's blog This is an astonishing petition, created and disseminated within the technology industry, to protest the use of technology to carry out abhorrent policies against Muslim Americans, immigrants, and others who displease the incoming Trump administration. Please read the statement to see the links, recommended readings, and organizations. Some might say that it is too late, that the information is already collected, but it is nonetheless heartening to see so many sign this statement protesting the use of technology to invade privacy and violate human and civil rights. Our pledge We, the undersigned, are employees of tech organizations and companies based in the United States. We are engineers, designers, business executives, and others whose jobs include managing or processing data about people. We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administration’s proposed data collection policies. We… View original post 383 more wordsFiled under: Lloyd Lofthouse 20 Dec
An American talisman — Isham Cook - A talisman has appeared in 21st-century America, one with astounding magical powers. Fitting in the palm like a mini crystal ball, it can summon people on its screen to talk to live. To young kids submerged in the dreamy developmental phase of childhood, the shiny glass pebble must seem utterly bewitching and miraculous, a veritable Wonderland […] via An American talisman — Isham CookFiled under: Lloyd Lofthouse 18 Dec
Was Sun Tzu writing about the Deplorable Donald Trump and his Followers when he wrote the “Art of War”? - Sun Tzu wrote, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” – written and published about 512 B.C. Now it is time for us to learn who our enemy is so we can win this war. I recently read a rant that alleged that half the country voted for Donald Trump, and those voters were the deplorables.  But the claim that half the country was deplorable is wrong unless we expand the definition of who those deplorables are beyond who just voted for Donald Trump.  Half is 109.5 million if we only look at eligible voters. I also read “Essay: Fake news, faith and reason,” and it provided a good definition of exactly who those deplorables are, how they think, and/or their empty-headed lack of thinking. Here’s what I think is deplorable. As I write this post, we learn from US Election Atlas.org that Trump has 45.99 percent of the popular vote with 62,916,237 votes (that is not half). Hillary Clinton has 48.07 percent of the vote for 65,758,070, and it’s deplorable that she lost. It’s deplorable that only 132.9 million Americans voted. There are almost 219 million eligible voters, and 86.1 million didn’t vote. It’s deplorable that the @realDonaldTrump on Twitter has 17.2 million followers, but he only has 45 likes (when I checked today). How does anyone have that many followers and only 45 likes? It also helps to define how deplorable Trump’s thinking is by just looking at the 40 Twitter pages he follows.  Click the link and discover how many times he follows himself and far-right hate media sites and/or talking heads. It’s deplorable that according to the Pew Research Center, 33-percent of the people that voted for Trump did it because “He is not Clinton,” 27 percent voted for him because “He will bring change (does that mean burning the U.S. Constitution),” 26 percent voted because of “His policy positions (does he really have any),” 19 percent voted for him because “He tells it like it is/His personality (like his locker room talk),” and 10 percent voted for him because “He is for American people and values (Huh!).” It’s deplorable that Trump claimed he’ll bring back manufacturing jobs that were lost to China, because how can Trump bring back jobs from China that never left? Quickly, China doesn’t just trade with the United States. It trades with the world. The OEC reports China exported $2.37 trillion to the world in 2014, but only $432 billion of that went to the U.S, and the U.S. exported $134 billion in goods back to China, goods produced by American workers and/or automation in American factories. Discover what Forbes says China buys from the U.S. Automation took away 88 percent of the 7 million lost jobs in U.S. manufacture since 1979. Who became president in 1980? So let’s discover how many deplorables there are. First, the 16 – 17 million that follow Donald Trump on Twitter and on Facebook (probably the same people) on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst deplorables, this group earns a 9. After we subtract the 16 – 17 million that follow Trump on Twitter and Facebook, that leaves about 47 million voters that earned an 8 on that scale of 1 to 10.  Arguably the ones that voted for Trump because he wasn’t Clinton should earn a 7, but Essay: Fake news, faith and reason explains why they should be ranked higher so maybe I’m wrong and that group should be a 9 too. Who earned a 10 on the deplorable scale?  The 86.1 million that didn’t vote, and the answer is more than 68 percent of Americans eligible to vote are deplorable. More than 50 percent. One thing we can look forward to from a Trump Presidency is all the new Star Wars films with him as the Emperor while he’s still the president of the U.S. I heard that Disney is already in negotiations with Donald Trump. If the deal goes through, he’ll be the first sitting United States President to star as an emperor in a series of films wearing pink cotton candy on his head instead of a crown or a hoodie. _______________________ Lloyd Lofthouse is a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam Veteran, with a BA in journalism and an MFA in writing, who taught in the public schools for thirty years (1975 – 2005). Where to Buy Lofthouse’s first novel was the award winning historical fiction My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. His second novel was the award winning thriller Running with the Enemy followed by his award winning memoir Crazy is Normal. To follow this Blog via E-mail see upper left-hand column and click on “FOLLOW!”Filed under: crime fraud scams, Hollywood and movies, Lloyd Lofthouse, politics, propaganda, satire, The United States of America Tagged: Donald Trump and Star Wars, Donald Trump as Dark Vader, Emperor Donald Trump, How deplorable is Donald Trump, The deplorable Donald Trump, Who are Donald Trump's Deplorables, who is the deplorable Donald Trump 13 Dec
Donald Trump is a Real Threat to the Survival of the Human Species - Alan Singer at the Huffington Post writes about the Trump Team Revives McCarthyism in War on the Environment.  Singer writes, “Climate change deniers argue that the Earth’s climate sensitivity is so low that humans can use the atmosphere as a garbage dump pumping out carbon dioxide without worrying about global warming. Donald Trump has called climate change a ‘hoax’ and tweeted that ‘global warming’ is a plot by the Chinese ‘to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.’” Here’s what I have a problem with. I can’t understand why almost everyone from both sides of the climate change issue only focuses on climate change and ignores all of the other damage caused by the products of the fossil fuel industry: coal, oil, gasoline, diesel, etc. Let’s take a break from flogging the ignorant, deplorable climate change deniers like Donald Trump, and his deplorable supporters and focus on the other dangers caused by the fossil fuel industry that can’t be denied. Carbon emissions are also toxic to human health and lifespans.  Without efforts to clean the air, this threat to our health will only increase. A study from Stanford linked carbon dioxide emissions to increased deaths. Acid rain, caused by fossil fuel emissions, kills life in lakes, rivers, the oceans, damages top soil, and cuts crop yields, etc. The Policy Almanac reports, “Acid rain causes acidification of lakes and streams and contributes to damage of trees at high elevations (for example, red spruce trees above 2,000 feet) and many sensitive forest soils. In addition, acid rain accelerates the decay of building materials and paints, including irreplaceable buildings, statues, and sculptures that are part of our nation’s cultural heritage. Prior to falling to the earth, SO2 and NOx gases and their particulate matter derivatives, sulfates and nitrates, contribute to visibility degradation and harm public health.” Then there is Carbon Monoxide poising. If you are the fossil fuel industry, Kremlin candidate like Donald Trump is, and you deny this danger, then I want you to sleep in your car with the engine running in a closed garage. Plan your funeral before you try that out. The gains we learn about from this video is in danger from Donald Trump, and his deplorable followers The CDC teaches us all about the symptoms of CO poisoning. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” If you breathe in a lot of CO it can make you pass out or kill you. People who are sleeping or drunk can die from CO poisoning before they have symptoms. Who is at risk from CO poisoning? Everyone is at risk for CO poisoning. Infants, the elderly, people with chronic heart disease, anemia, or breathing problems are more likely to get sick from CO. Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 4,000 are hospitalized. Then there is acidification of Earth’s oceans that are crucial to our health and survival as a species. National Geographic teaches us that “For tens of millions of years, Earth’s oceans have maintained a relatively stable acidity level. It’s within this steady environment that the rich and varied web of life in today’s seas has arisen and flourished. But research shows that this ancient balance is being undone by a recent and rapid drop in surface pH that could have devastating global consequences.” There is also another balancing act taking place inside of our bodies that’s even more sensitive and explains why the average lifespan in the United States has reversed. Humans also have a pH balance just like the environment, and if the pH balances of the environment we live in changes, the pH balance inside our body is at risk. The results are rampant disease and significantly reduced lifespan. If you don’t believe that our pH balance is important, explain why Living Near Freeways Hurts Kids’ lungs. The Washington Post reports, “Children growing up alongside freeways risk having their lung development impaired, which can increase the likelihood of serious respiratory diseases later in life, researchers report.” “Exposure from tailpipe emissions from motor vehicles potentially carries chronic health risks to children’s lung development,” said lead researcher W. James Gauderman, an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. “We found that kids who live closer to freeways had significantly less lung capacity, compared with kids who lived further from freeways.” And Donald Trump’s administration wants to get rid of the Environmental Protection Agency that protects all of us, not just the balance of the Earth’s environment that we all need to survive. Climate change is one thing but what about the survival of the human species and life as we know it that’s being ignored.  I have no doubts that if only the earth was warming up, some humans would survive somewhere on the planet but no humans will survive if the delicate balance that supports our existence is destroyed. I don’t think most if any rich people live near freeways and since so many of the wealthy are narcissists and psychopaths, they have no empathy for the suffering of children and families that live near freeways. Why did the fossil fuel industry focus only on climate change and ignore all the other dangers that their products pose to life on Earth? The evidence is overwhelming that climate change denial was a tactic to get our minds off of all the other dangers their products cause to our health, the quality of life, and our very existence. U.S. life expectancy declines for the first time since 1993. Who stops Donald Trump will go down in the history books as a global hero or heroes? _______________________ Lloyd Lofthouse is a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam Veteran, with a BA in journalism and an MFA in writing, who taught in the public schools for thirty years (1975 – 2005). Where to Buy Lofthouse’s first novel was the award winning historical fiction My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. His second novel was the award winning thriller Running with the Enemy followed by his award winning memoir Crazy is Normal. To follow this Blog via E-mail see upper left-hand column and click on “FOLLOW!”Filed under: crime fraud scams, environment, health care, healthy lifestyle, Lloyd Lofthouse, politics, propaganda, science Tagged: Donald Trump is a bully, Donald Trump is a con man, Donald Trump is a danger to the environment, Donald Trump is a fraud, Donald Trump is a serial liar, The dangers of Donald Trump, The fossil fuel industry is a threat to health and life 12 Dec
Mike Konzcal: The Brilliance of Trump’s Rhetoric - How Donald Trump fooled the working class that voted for him in Rust Best States. Will he continue to fool them and will they be fooled repeatedly without end? Diane Ravitch's blog Mike Konzcal of the Roosevelt Institute sat down and watched Donald Trump’s campaign speeches in search of the rhetoric that turned out to be effective. Contrary to common belief, working people are not turned off by the rich; if anything, they admired Trump’s opulence and outrageous displays of ostentation. He had made it; they could too. Sort of like Trump University, where the Master of Money promised that  you too could get rich by studying his example. What Konczal realized after a time was that Trump focused on jobs and wages and spoke in simplistic language that fired up the crowds and led them to believe that he could restore good jobs that had been lost to automation and free trade. Trump made promises that he could not keep but did not care. In that sense, he was like other demagogues in history who make bold promises while scapegoating the… View original post 583 more wordsFiled under: Lloyd Lofthouse 10 Dec
The Facebook Sucker-Berg Phenomenon and the Deliberate Destruction of Community-Based Public Ed - Crazy Normal - the Classroom Exposé I read “I quit Facebook and my life is better now” at Cathy O’Neil’s Mathbabe blog, and my thoughts became a wild river about Facebook and its founder who launched Facebook by cheating two brothers and hijacking their idea. To learn more about Suckerberg’s own con, read 6 People Mark Zuckerberg Burned On His Way To The Top. After reading O’Neil’s Mathbabe post, I was glad I was never suckered into a Facebook obsession. Yes, I do have two Facebook pages: one for my books that’s part of my internet-author’s platform, and a personal Facebook page, but all I did was set up automatic feeds from my 4 blogs to Facebook and occasionally I go there to answer a comment.  The reason I never fell into the Facebook swamp was because it was a confusing maze to me, and I didn’t want to go through the learning… View original post 809 more wordsFiled under: Lloyd Lofthouse 6 Dec
Time to Focus on Trump and Stop Demonizing Hillary - Diane Ravitch's blog I planned to post this as a comment but it grew into a full-blown post. One of our daily readers, named Joe, voted for Bernie in the primaries but then supported Hillary in the general election. He wrote a comment a few hours ago urging other readers to stop criticizing and demonizing Hillary and to recognize the present danger to our nation. I responded to Joe as follows: Thanks, Joe. I too am tired of people continuing to kick Hillary. What’s the point? There’s no doubt in my mind that Comey handed the election to Trump. I recently read an article that said the FBI is known internally as Trumplandia. His intervention 11 days before the election was unprecedented and highly prejudicial to her campaign. This article sums up my view: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/12/08/what-james-comey-did/ I don’t understand the deep-seated hatred that some people have for Hillary Rodham Clinton. I think they… View original post 421 more wordsFiled under: Lloyd Lofthouse 3 Dec
Does the United States have a CEO, a dictator, or a President in Donald Trump? - I woke up this morning thinking, “Trump is still a private citizen. Trump is the unofficial president elect. He isn’t the president until January 20. In fact, Trump isn’t officially even the president elect until December 19 when the Electoral College makes it official, but he’s acting as if he were already the president with powers that a president of the United States doesn’t legally have.” Whitehouse.gov clearly defines the role of a sitting U.S. President: “The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet.” In fact, even the U.S. Constitution, written by the Founding Fathers in the 18th century, says, “Under Article II of the Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress. Fifteen executive departments — each led by an appointed member of the President’s Cabinet — carry out the day-to-day administration of the federal government.” Trump, as the unofficial president elect of the United States, does not have the legal authority to make deals with other countries or corporations, even to save jobs. Whatever deal Trump negotiated to keep about 1,000 jobs in the United States in Indiana with Carrier, a division of United Technologies, is not legal and binding without the consent of the state legislature. Furthermore, from Whitehouse.gov, we learn “The Executive Branch conducts diplomacy with other nations (it doesn’t say corporations), and the President has the power to negotiate and sign treaties, which also must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate. The President can issue executive orders, which direct executive officers or clarify and further existing laws. The President also has unlimited power to extend pardons and clemencies for federal crimes, except in cases of impeachment.” Finally, everyone should know, and that includes Trump’s supporters ignorantly cheering him at that rally in Cincinnati, the oath of office that Trump must take to become president of the United States on January 20, 2017.  Once he takes that oath, he will be risking impeachment if he does what he just did with Carrier to allegedly save about 1,000 jobs in Indiana from going to Mexico.  If Trump really wants to save jobs, he’ll have to get Congress to pass laws he can sign that limits how many human jobs in the U.S. manufacturing sector can be given to robots, because that’s where 88 percent of the lost jobs in manufacturing have gone since 1979. “The vast majority of the lost jobs — 88 percent — were taken by robots and other homegrown factors that reduce factories’ need for human labor.” – Why robots, not trade, are behind so many factory job losses. From PresidentsUSA.net we learn that before Donald Trump will be allowed to become the president of the United States, he must take the following oath or affirmation: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” What Trump just did in Indiana with Carrier is a publicity stunt; it’s all for show, and when Trump acts (on one of his rally stages), it’s obvious that the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law for the United States, isn’t important to him. If the state of Indiana, the U.S. Congress and/or the Republican Party, since they hold the majority of seats in Congress, and the courts from Indiana to the U.S. Supreme Court do nothing to stop Trump, the United States has elected its first emperor, king, or dictator, and the U.S. Constitution is now worth less than the cost of a package of toilet paper sold at Costco. Alt-Right fascist, often misleading news sources like Brietbart, the Conservative Tribune, and Fox News are all trumpeting this as a victory for the autocratic, billionaire oligarch that’s about to become President of the United States. However, Business Insider, a valid and reputable media source, reports, “Conservatives are worried Trump’s Carrier deal could set a bad precedent.” “This is not a precedent we want to see — American presidents aren’t supposed to interfere on behalf of individual companies,” said David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington. … He added, “Frankly, it brings to mind the term ‘banana republic.’”  But two of Trump’s billionaire appointees – Trump’s billionaire cabinet could be the wealthiest administration ever –  said, “this will be business as usual in a Trump administration.” “BUSINESS as USUAL” If correct, that means the U.S. will not have a president in Donald Trump. It will have a dictator, because that’s what corporate CEOs do. It’s obvious that Trump plans to rule the United States as if it were part of his business empire, and ignore the U.S. Constitution that he will swear an oath to support, but most Americans already know that lying and breaking promises comes very easy to Donald Trump. _______________________ Lloyd Lofthouse is a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam Veteran, with a BA in journalism and an MFA in writing, who taught in the public schools for thirty years (1975 – 2005). Where to Buy Lofthouse’s first novel was the award winning historical fiction My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. His second novel was the award winning thriller Running with the Enemy followed by his award winning memoir Crazy is Normal. To follow this Blog via E-mail see upper left-hand column and click on “FOLLOW!”Filed under: crime fraud scams, federal government, jobs, Lloyd Lofthouse, media news, politics, propaganda, The United States of America Tagged: CEO Donald Trump, Dictator Donald Trump, Emperor Donald Trump, King Donald Trump, the legal powers of a U.S. President, Trump the CEO, Will Donald Trump be America's first dictator 2 Dec
Commonweal on Trump: A Time to Pray - Diane Ravitch's blog Commonweal, the Catholic magazine, published an editorial about the election of Donald Trump. The editors are deeply concerned about Trump’s lack of empathy for those in need. They hope he will govern with policies and attitudes different from those he expressed in the campaign. The editors wrote: “It seems unlikely, but perhaps the enormous responsibilities of the presidency will calm Donald Trump down and sober him up. Or so we should all pray. In fact, prayer may well become the default political option over the next four years. “Trump’s surprisingly gracious acceptance speech gave a faint hope of such an unexpected prospect, but his mercurial conduct during the campaign and the lugubrious gang of right-wing political has-beens and media hucksters he has surrounded himself with does not bode well for the republic. All three branches of the federal government are now in the hands of a Republican Party far more… View original post 455 more wordsFiled under: Lloyd Lofthouse 20 Nov
What Now? - chartwell west I’m not a liberal. I’m not a safe space, social crusader. I’m not a sore loser who can’t get over the fact that Hillary Clinton wasn’t elected president. The notion that I had to put what lukewarm support I had for a candidate behind her was a source of great frustration for me. I am, at my very core, someone with conservative foundations. I believe that men and women, whenever possible, should be free to live their lives without government intervention. My family and my Christian faith are the center of my life. I like my guns. Chances are, I’m better than you at using them. I’ve worked with and for the toughest most dangerous men on the planet-men you’ve read books about, men you’ve seen movies about. I’ll never claim to be one. But I’ve proven myself useful in their presence. I share this with you so you understand… View original post 939 more wordsFiled under: Lloyd Lofthouse 13 Nov

Marginal REVOLUTION RSS Feed

Peace and Good Will To All - The post Peace and Good Will To All appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 05:15
Merry Christmas! - The post Merry Christmas! appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
Nigerian fake rice update - Artificial food products such as fake rice recently confiscated by Nigerian customs officials are intended for restaurant displays and not to be eaten, according to manufacturers. The fake rice was made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, “and should be labelled “artificial”, they said. Nigerian customs recently confiscated 2.5 tonnes of fake rice but officials couldn’t discern what it was made of, according to a BBC report on Wednesday. …Zhou Tao, a sales manager with an artificial food manufacturer in Yiwu, Zhejiang, said it was only intended for use in restaurant or store displays. The artificial food products are popular with restaurants to display menu choices as they always look fresh and never rot. Artificial rice is made of PVC, a white, brittle plastic. …He said he was puzzled why anyone would smuggle artificial rice to sell as real in Africa, as the product his company sold cost more than 70 yuan for 1kg, or 10 times the price of real rice in China. In Africa the cost would increase due to shipping and other costs. Xiong Heping, the manager of another manufacturer in Shenzhen, said the rice was labelled “artificial”, when shipping to buyers in China or overseas. Here is the full story, via George Chen. The post Nigerian fake rice update appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
*Island People: The Caribbean and the World* - That is by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, published this November, a great book, could it be the very best book on the charm and importance of the Caribbean?  Not the Caribbean of the cruise, but rather the real cultural Caribbean as found in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and Trinidad.  The Caribbean was open, globalized, multiracial, vulnerable, and deindustrialized before it was “cool” to be so, and so it stands as a warning to us all.  Yet so few seem to care.  The Caribbean cultural blossoming of the 20th century remains one of the most remarkable yet understudied sagas, but this book, among its other historical virtues, gives you a very good look under the hood. Did you know that in the 1930s Cuba received more visitors from the U.S. than did Canada? This is one of the very best non-fiction books of this year, and its depth of knowledge and understanding truly impressed me.  Just to prod your memories here is the broader list. The post *Island People: The Caribbean and the World* appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
Is *this* what is going on? - In 1987, Trump made his goal of Russian collaboration on nuclear power explicit: The Soviet Union and the US should partner to form a nuclear superpower with the intention of intimidating other countries into dropping their own nuclear plans. “Most of those [pre-nuclear] countries are in one form or another dominated by the US and the Soviet Union,” Trump told journalist Roy Rosenbaum. “Between those two nations you have the power to dominate any of those countries. So we should use our power of economic retaliation and they use their powers of retaliation, and between the two of us we will prevent the problem from happening. It would have been better having done something five years ago. But I believe even a country such as Pakistan would have to do something now. Five years from now they’ll laugh.” Nuclear-related sanctions, from the two major powers, were to be applied to both Pakistan and France [sic].  Here is the full article, I cannot vouch for this account or any particular interpretation of it, but the hypothesis is new to me and so I present it to you as well. The post Is *this* what is going on? appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 24 Dec
What I’ve been reading - 1. Charles Wohlforth and Amanda R. Hendrix, Beyond Earth; Our Path to a New Home in the Planets.  The core claim is that humans can (will?) colonize Titan, the moon of Saturn.  But what are we to make of sentences such as: “The temperature is around -180 Celsius (-290 Fahrenheit), but clothing with thick insulation or heating elements would keep you comfortable.  A rip wouldn’t kill you as long as you didn’t freeze.”  Pregnancy would be tricky too. 2. Ian Thomson, Primo Levi.  One of my favorite literary biographies, ever.  This is also a first-rate look at the history of the Holocaust, and the postwar Italian literary world.  Definitely recommended. 3. Philippe Girard, Toussaint Louverture.  One of the best and most readable treatments of the Haitian revolution, with a focus on Louverture of course.  Here is one good bit: When it came time to pick between two extremes — slavery and unfettered freedom — Louverture stopped well short of the latter.  By order of General Louverture, all former field slaves, even those who had settled in urban areas during the Revolution, would return to their original plantations, sometimes under their former masters.  Those who refused would be “arrested and punished as severely as soldiers,” which implied that plantation runaways could be shot as deserters.  He thereby merged the two worlds he knew best — the sugar plantation and the army camp — into a kind of military-agricultural complex. According to many critics at the time, rebel leaders were in essence confiscating the slave plantations of their former white masters.  Furthermore, the importation of laborers from Africa was to continue. 4. Lewis Glinert, The Story of Hebrew, delivers exactly what it promises: “For many young Israelis, Arial is virtually the only font they read.” Also in various stages of undress are: Jeffrey D. Sachs, Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, and Sustainable, foreword by Bernie Sanders. Niall Kishtainy, A Little History of Economics, a modern-day Heilbroner. Johan Norberg, Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, a Julian Simon-esque take on the case for optimism. The post What I’ve been reading appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Shazaam! - Do you remember the early 90s movie Shazaam! which featured Sinbad as the genie? Many people do and some people think that this is the best evidence that we are living in a simulation. They are correct. The post Shazaam! appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Friday assorted links - 1. “The Donald Duck effect is well-known to our operators, who find that the whole of Sweden calms down for a while.” 2. Toilet paper for smartphones tested in Japanese bathrooms. 3. Why Javier Marias hates the theater. 4. The artisanal pencil sharpener raises his price, possibly headed toward q = 0. 5. Did China just make a breakthrough with EmDrive? The post Friday assorted links appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Why I don’t enjoy the Rolling Stones anymore - If I were to make a list of the top groups/performers during the critical 1964-1973 period, no doubt the Stones would make the top five handily, perhaps the top three.  They also belong to that select tier with more than six excellent and important albums.  They probably have created more great and memorable riffs than any other rock and roll group, ever. So I don’t think I am unappreciative.  My favorite cuts are probably the acoustic country songs on “Beggars Banquet’ and “Let It Bleed,” plus the riff-based songs from the mid- to late-1960s, such as “Under My Thumb” or “19th Nervous Breakdown.” Still, I have not heard anything new in a Rolling Stones song for more than twenty years.  I don’t mean that their later work is worse (though it is, much, for forty plus years running), rather I don’t hear anything new in their very best work and thus repeated re-listening is a waste of time.  I don’t enjoy it. In contrast, I’ve been listening to Jimi Hendrix for about forty years and still hear new bits in his songs most of the time.  I am almost always excited to hear this work again. I have two other objections.  First, most (all?) of their blues covers are worse than the originals (the Beatles’ “Money” and “You Really Got a Hold On Me” and “Long Tall Sally” are all improvements, in contrast, not to mention John Lennon’s “Be Bop a Lula” or Hendrix’s “Hey Joe”).  Second, you don’t have to invoke political correctness to feel that a lot of the early misogyny has worn thin and aged poorly. So the Stones are boring, mostly, though still excellent in the abstract.  It’s hard to imagine classic rock and roll, or the 1960s, without them.  But in terms of lasting overall aesthetic merit they are just a wee bit closer to The Who than you might like to think. The post Why I don’t enjoy the Rolling Stones anymore appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec
Criticism of covert Russian intelligence operations for me but not for thee - The White House opposed a Republican-led push earlier this year to create an executive-branch task force to battle Russia’s covert information operations, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. Sen. Tom Cotton, a leading GOP defense hawk who has long urged President Barack Obama to take a harder line on Russia, sought to force the White House to create a panel with representatives from a number of government agencies to counter Russian efforts “to exert covert influence,” including by exposing Russian “falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism, and assassinations.” But the administration rejected the call, saying in a letter to Congress that hasn’t been released publicly that the panel would duplicate existing efforts to battle Russian influence operations — an argument Cotton rejects. …The panel would not have been set up in time to have had an impact on Russia’s role in last month’s presidential election — even if the intelligence bill had become law. But the Arkansas senator said in an interview the White House’s dismissal of his proposal is symptomatic of the administration’s lax pre-election attitude toward Russia. Here is the full story.  Here is my earlier post on this and related issues.   The post Criticism of covert Russian intelligence operations for me but not for thee appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. 23 Dec

The Moderate Voice

Israel and its Settlements (Guest Voice) - Israel and its Settlements by John LeDelle By now everyone has probably heard about the screams from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Trump team over the UN condemnation, with U.S. abstention, of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The U.S abstention was a first for the Obama Administration which up to this point has vetoed every UN resolution critical of Israel. The resolution demands that “Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem”. It states that Israeli settlements have “no legal validity” and are “dangerously imperiling the viability of the two-state solution”. Netanyahu called Trump and asked him to pressure Egypt, the initial sponsor of the resolution, to withdraw it. Trump was successful in getting Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to withdrawing the resolution only to find New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal jumping in to re-sponsor the resolution. The Security Council then voted 14 to 0 with one abstention to pass the resolution. China, Russia, Britain and France did not use their veto power on the resolution. I called my relatives in Bat Ayin and Kiryat Arba to give Hanukkah greetings but also to get their reaction to the UN Resolution. Anyone who knows Israel knows these two settlements have the some of the most radical settlers in the West Bank. I was surprised at how blasé they were about the Resolution. They claim Netanyahu’s anger is just for show in that he and others in the Israeli government have been assured by people from the Trump team that after January 20, 2017 not only will Trump no longer condemn Israel for adding and expanding settlements but Israel can proceed with its annexation of areas B and C of the West Bank. As part of the Oslo Accords the West Bank was divided into 3 sections. Area A which is Palestinian towns where Palestinians have administrative and Security control. Area A is about 17% of the West Bank and home to about 3 million Palestinians. Area B which is land surrounding the Palestinian Towns comprises about 20% of the West Bank but unauthorized Israeli settlements have been springing up in Area B which has about 90,000 Palestinians. It is under joint Palestinian/Israeli administrative and security control. However, Israel rejects just about every Palestinian attempt to build more housing in Area B. Over 60% of the West Bank is completely under Israeli control and home to about 50,000 Palestinians. The Palestinians must get Israeli permission to travel between their cities and get Israeli permission for EVERYONE and EVERYTHING that enters or exits their cities. Just about every settler as well as some of the right wing political parties advocate annexation of the West Bank Area B and C. The Palestinians in those areas will be offered the chance to become Israeli citizens, the same offer that was made to Palestinians when Israel annexed Easy Jerusalem and neighboring villages. About 4% of East Jerusalem’s 350,000 Palestinians are Israeli citizens and can vote, the rest were given resident status. As my niece works in the Ministry of Interior, a Palestinian applying for citizenship 99% if the time ends up being “round filed”. The new U.S Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is a very vocal supporter of Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, or what Israel calls Judea and Samaria, the biblical names of the territory. This would fulfill a life long dream of his Orthodox Jewish religion. He has Trump’s ear and based on Trump’s strong signal to Israel over the U.N Resolution, it looks like Israel will proceed and give the finger to the rest of the Mideast and the world. To help understand this better, here is a map of the West Bank Areas A,B, & C. The post Israel and its Settlements (Guest Voice) appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
Merry Christmas - From all of us here at TMV, Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanuka to you and yours. photo credit: Sheba_Also 11.6 Millon Views A Very Merry Christmas in Red and Green-1 via photopin (license) The post Merry Christmas appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
Merry Christmas! - The reason for Christmas: The post Merry Christmas! appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
Cartoon: Snowflake Safe Place - Snowflake Safe Place by Clay Jones There’s a new tale-tell sign of a conservative who can’t think for himself and has to rely on GOP talking points to voice their opinion. It’s not just the so-called and nonexistent “War On Christmas.” If you’re in an argument on social media or see a post by someone and they use the term “snowflake,” they’re using talking points. What’s the matter, Sunshine? Not smart enough to think of your own derogatory terms? “Snowflake” is kinda new for these people. They’re using it to dismiss arguments from young people who they feel are eternally offended and politically-correct protesters. It implies that liberals are soft and whiny. I don’t know if it’s new because winter has arrived or Rush Limbaugh used it on one of his shows, or what. But it’s here for some reason or another. I can totally see Tomi Lahren, who’s eternally offended, using it. I always find it hypocritical when I hear and see conservatives accuse liberals of being whiny and ultra sensitive. Really? This from the bunch that creates persecution for themselves? They come up with the “War On Christmas” because they’re threatened when someone says “happy holidays” or “seasons greetings.” They worry that white people aren’t catching all the breaks anymore. They become outraged if Baby Jesus isn’t on a coffee cup. Hell, they won the election and they’re still whining about it. They really hate when it’s pointed out that Hillary Clinton received more votes than Donald Trump. Even Donald Trump can’t stop tweeting out excuses about it. Former Congressman and still-active ranting lunatic Allen B. West posted some crap on his website that was shared by the sort of people who don’t research or vet information, you know…conservatives. He claimed that Hillary Clinton only won 57 counties out of 3,141 in the election. Are you so threatened that you have to create lies? Yes, you are. Hillary won 487counties. Perhaps counting is the sort of vetting too complicated for conservatives. Or they make the argument that Trump won more counties and more states, which is true. But land area doesn’t overrule the majority of human beings. If that was the case we should just let the eleven people who live in Alaska write all our laws for us. Now they’re making a new argument that if you take California and New York out of the election results then Trump would have won the popular vote. So basically if fewer people were allowed to vote for Hillary Clinton then Trump would have won the popular vote. This is an argument that makes sense where? Probably not in California. The whining over the details over their election win is probably a sign of things to come. Conservatives got what they want except they’ve replaced conservatism with Trumpism. No one is really sure what Trumpism entails other than idol worship for a narcissist and image and message over policy. Now when that disaster comes home for all of them we’ll see who’s whining. Not many conservatives will be offended by this cartoon as most don’t venture far beyond their online safe spaces like InfoWars, Daily Caller, or Breitbart, and they’ll never see it. I don’t get many reprints in conservative safe spaces.Via Claytoonz.com The post Cartoon: Snowflake Safe Place appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
Happy Hanukkah! - The story of Hanukkah, as told by History.com: “According to the Talmud, one of Judaism’s most central texts, Judah Maccabee and the other Jews who took part in the rededication of the Second Temple witnessed what they believed to be a miracle. Even though there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, the flames continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find a fresh supply. This wondrous event inspired the Jewish sages to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival.” Click here to read more about this holiday. The post Happy Hanukkah! appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
“Lost” Christmas Song Showstopper: Liza Minnelli Singing “Ding-a-ling, I Feel SO ChRiStMaS-eY!” - Ah, the Christmas spirit is all over the place now — in the music, people rushing to stores, and drivers on the highway who now smile pleasantly when they give you the finger. So here…for a special holiday treat…is a RARE find: a “lost” Christmas song showstopper, from a 1965 ABC TV one-shot network airing of an original musical about Red Riding Hood. In this zippy holiday song, you’ll see a young Liza Minnelli playing Red Riding Hood dancing with the great Cyril Ritchard playing the wolf dressed as Grannie. It is MUST viewing for the holidays — and for those aspiring to go into show biz (just watch their moves and ENERGY..and of course it’s great to have a superb song as well): REPOSTED FROM CHRISTMAS 2011, 2013 and 2015 The post “Lost” Christmas Song Showstopper: Liza Minnelli Singing “Ding-a-ling, I Feel SO ChRiStMaS-eY!” appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
On the 11th Day of Christmas… - This is a repeat from a December 24, 2013 post but well worth “re-listening.” On the 11th Day of Christmas, the Singing Sergeants gave to thee…… “O Holy Night,” A famous carol originally based on a French poem by Adolphe Adam and performed by TSgt Daniel Anderson, TSgt Hannah Rigg, and accompanied by TSgt Taylor Armstrong. Recorded at Hangar 2, Bolling AFB, DC. “The strange and fascinating story of “O Holy Night” began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved anthems of all time, it would mark a technological revolution that would forever change the way people were introduced to music. In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church. In a dusty coach traveling down a bumpy road to France’s capital city, Placide Cappeau considered the priest’s request. Using the gospel of Luke as his guide, Cappeau imagined witnessing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts of being present on the blessed night inspired him. By the time he arrived in Paris, “Cantique de Noel” had been completed.” Read more about the fascinating story behind this Christmas classic here and a very Merry Christmas to all our readers. For more Christmas sons by the Singing Sergeants, please click here Lead photo: What has become my favored Christmas image as it evocative of both the religious side of Christmas and how our service men and women, often in harm’s way, never forget the real meaning of Christmas. The photo is of our soldiers praying during a candlelight prayer service in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, while in combat there several years ago. The post On the 11th Day of Christmas… appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
Happy Holidays Merry Christmas – It’s Not What You Say It’s How You Say It (Guest Voice) - Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas – It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It By John L. Micek Another year, another fake ‘War on Christmas’ is almost in the books. On Sunday morning, a great many of us will wake up, pad quietly downstairs, pour some coffee and wish our spouses and children a Merry Christmas. Others among us will light candles, recite prayers, and wish each other a Happy Hanukkah. Others won’t do anything at all. But what is certain is that government agents won’t come tumbling down the chimney. No one will try to stop you from giving your kid that Hatchimal thing — assuming you could find one. Yet, every year, at just around this time, we get hopelessly exercised over whether someone wishing us “Happy Holidays” instead of “Joyeux Noel,” is that final signal that the barbarians are at the gates, the last confirmation that western civilization is about to go tumbling into the abyss. We’ve spent months staring at each other across the battlements. Clinton supporters. Trump supporters. The determinative minority who cast their ballots for Jill Stein. That guy who voted for Gary Johnson. None of us agree on anything. So we argue about stuff like this. But you’d think, at least, we could agree that it’s not how we extend our good wishes to each other during the holidays, rather, it’s the authenticity of the sentiment behind how we say those words that really counts. I am no less in earnest when I wish those whose religious inclinations are unknown to me “Happy Holidays,” than when I tell a Christian friend “Merry Christmas.” The warmth behind both is equally genuine. As I am sure it is with everyone else. Because, as I am so vividly reminded at this time of year, not everyone celebrates Christmas or even Hanukkah, for that matter. It’s not being politically correct. It’s just being polite. And, while we’re at it, if the biggest beef you have at this time of the year is whether the clerk at Target wishes you “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas,” I’m calling shenanigans. When others are sweating the bills and getting food on the table, or, worse, dodging bombs in Aleppo, that is a #FirstWorldProblem of the highest order. Mere verbiage shouldn’t stand in the way of us being decent to each other. Our shared humanity should be enough to bring us together – no matter how we celebrate about the holidays or how we extend our good wishes to others. That’s particularly true after the brutal and endless campaign cycle that we’ve just gone through. Sadly, we’re probably going to spend the next four years arguing with each over …well … everything. So you’d think we could put down our spears just long enough to get sloppy together on egg nog and wake up as a country wondering what we did at the office party the night before. Because when you think about it, Christmas is maybe one of three times all year when Americans are truly united. The second is the Fourth of July, where we collectively try to convince ourselves that Budweiser isn’t truly awful. And the third is the Super Bowl, where we join together as one people to proclaim that the Dallas Cowboys are the root of all earthly evil. Yeah … I know … Bellichick. I’m a Patriots fan, and even I get that. Still, that’s the beauty of the season. For just a couple of days, we can put our differences aside to blast “Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You,” by Billy Squier, because, of course. You don’t have to be Christian to be overwhelmed by the solemn beauty of a midnight mass. You don’t have celebrate the nativity to be held spellbound by the giddy beauty of twinkling Christmas lights. Nor do you have to be Jewish to accept the fundamental truth that a well-done latke is its own kind of miracle. Because when someone looks you in the eye sometime between now and the turn of the New Year, and you feel the warmth radiating off them, that their hope that your all your Christmases (or Hanukkahs or whatever) are bright, is actually physically palpable, that’s the spirt of the season right there. Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. However you celebrate, or even if you don’t, I wish you and yours peace. See you in 2017. ——– © Copyright 2016 John L. Micek, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. An award-winning political journalist, Micek is the Opinion Editor and Political Columnist for PennLive/The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa. Readers may follow him on Twitter @ByJohnLMicek and email him at jmicek@pennlive.com. The post Happy Holidays Merry Christmas – It’s Not What You Say It’s How You Say It (Guest Voice) appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
Cartoon: Betlehem and Trumps hate gift - See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com The post Cartoon: Betlehem and Trumps hate gift appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec
The hidden risk of slaying Cambodian monsters - Khieu Samphan during the trial hearing in Case 002 on 12 March 2012. The hidden risk of slaying Cambodian monsters by David Anderson Late last month the International Court in Cambodia affirmed the (2012) convictions and life sentences of two criminals. It was an encouraging win for international accountability at the top, but the final affirmation has greater implications. Defendant Khieu Samphan, 85, (former “President of the Central Presidium”) and defendant Nuon Chea, 90, known as “Brother Number Two,” were the architects of destruction of their own nation a generation ago. In 1975 the Khmer Rouge (“Red Cambodia”) won power. The U.S. bombing pursuant to the Vietnam War assisted that event. One could argue that a similar “Bomb the crap out of..” mentality toward Iraq years later ultimately resulted in the manifestation of ISIS/Daesh in Iraq, but this is for historians to debate. To contextualize last month’s events in Cambodia: imagine 40 years after World War II, a frail old Goering and sunglass-wearing Goebels are finally put in front of the Nuremburg Trials. And these tribunals are held in a country still run by a Nazi. Brother Number Two Chea and the “Presideium Samphan” et al’s rule in the late 1970s was a horrible administration. A small but elite cadre of French educated (unusual at the time, there) fanatics abolished money and private property, communized the citizenry, and emptied the cities. This was surprisingly easy given their penchant for excessive violence – excessive even in an already brutalized and bombed country. They achieved a level of genocide of local Muslims, the Chams, of Vietnamese living in Cambodia, and auto-genocide – a uniquely Cambodian term in political science – almost unequaled. This clique (with Pol Pot, et al) turned their country into the “Killing Fields” – a semi-fact based Hollywood docudrama about the era. Between 1975 (“Year Zero” by their new calendar) and 1979 their country became a Cambodian shaped hole in SE Asia, a vast starving prison camp. Diplomatically, the newly named “Democratic Kampuchea” was deeply weird. Nearly all embassies closed, and foreigners were immediately deported or killed, depending on one’s passport. They sent the Japanese government a telegram to severe formal ties by more or less stating that diplomatic relations would not be required for two hundred years. They changed their country’s name from the Khmer Republic to Democratic Kampuchea, and attacked a passing U.S. warship (killing some Marines) in a pointless act of geopolitical hooliganism. They traded Cambodia’s wildlife for rickety North Korean tractors and provoked their Vietnamese neighbors (10 times their size, by population) with murderous cross border raids until the Vietnamese invaded in 1979. After Year Zero 1975 visiting foreign journalists were incredibly rare and one was killed in mysterious circumstances. Most of the scarce newsreels of the time are in black and white except a grainy few minutes in color by a Yugoslavian TV team – a dystopian vision of ant-like workers in black toiling on dikes and fields. The dearth of international knowledge allowed the world to ignore the horror and some Western academics actually defended the Khmer Rouge. They thought it was the agrarian utopia the K.R. portrayed it as. The rich irony is that one of their number, Hun Sen, who peeled off from the Khmer Rouge government early enough to retain plausible deniability, repackaged himself a reformer and has run Cambodia on and off ever since. It is Hun Sen’s power that has delayed justice for decades. But international pressure, UN money, and human rights community activism has finally put these doddering old war criminals in the dock, since arrest 10 years ago and the final appeals end last month. Hun Sen is still the current dictator, a part of all this madness way back in the 1970s, and has since taken corruption to Olympic levels. He is a dictator’s dictator. A war criminal by choice and a real estate developer by later opportunity, he managed to obscure his dark past by hobbling the international comeuppance of his former Khmer Rouge cronies. The “Marquis” (K.R.) were all personal friends as they tormented their nation then, living en famille, and marrying each others’ siblings. The entire inner party was educated in socialistic France in the 1950s. Study abroad in the colonial master was a rare opportunity for these guys, on small scholarships, from a very poor backwards state. That such privileged young students who could have returned home with their fancy educations to improve their country, actually came back and destroyed it is remarkable. It is a tragedy that still resonates through a national PTSD a generation later. Today in Cambodia piles of skulls in glass cases, mass graves, and a torture museum are tourist sites. The killing continued as the Marquis K.R. Party fled the capital as the Vietnamese closed in and hunkered down in the hills. Later Pol Pot, Communism’s Tony Soprano, had yet another old friend and K.R. bigshot whacked: Son Sen (French educated, of course, and a leader of their group). Pol Pot had Son Sen and his family of 13 run over by a tractor – kids included – all mashed into the red Cambodian earth. That was in 1998. The remaining few K.R. old guard got as close to justice as anybody could hope last month with their life sentences affirmed: merciful punishments since they wrecked their country. They sat there in an international court, Nuon Chea in his big black glasses like malevolent fly, and Samphan with his genial smiles, listening to their verdicts. The affirmation of their original convictions and life sentences, despite a crooked co-conspirator Prime Minister from that era still running Cambodia, is a big win for justice in a place where justice is usually purchasable, impossible, or forgotten. This weird, sad little drama’s positive end may seem remote to the rest of the world, but legally it is very important. Previously if things got too hot, a dictator’s last option was to load up his personal plane with swag, like the entire treasury in a suitcase in Equatorial Guinea, 1979, or a vial of homeland soil for Iran’s Shah, maybe a few stolen billions and go to a happy exile. Maybe to Saudi Arabia? It is still popular: witness the desert exile’s exiles: Uganda’s Idi Amin, Tunisia’s dirty Ben Ali, or Yemen’s Abdullah Saleh. But lately global justice is breaking out all over. Aside from Cambodia, witness (also French educated) President Hisseine Habre of Chad’s guilty verdict in Senegal or Slobodan Milosevic’s well deserved end in a Dutch jail, his black heart giving out. All human calculations are primarily self-preserving and there is a danger in bringing these monsters to justice. If cushy exile is not automatic, when the retirement plan may not include a comfy villa, but rather a cell in The Hague or a Cambodian war crimes trial, why wouldn’t a dictator dig in his heels, garrison, and become more brutal? When there is no escape everything becomes a zero sum game. So it remains to be seen whether monsters like Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the affectionately known “Fatty 3” (North Korea), or Syria’s Assad will make the flight. Or fight to the bitter end. David Anderson is an Australian-American attorney in New York City with a background in venture capital and criminal defense. He writes about politics and law for themoderatevoice.com and counterpunch.org, and democracychroincals.com – Historical sources: Kiernan, http://history.yale.edu/people/ben-kiernan – David P. Chandler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_P._Chandler, – Elizabeth Becker http://www.elizabethbecker.com/bookspublications/, – Journalist Nate Thayer. Photo: Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (Flickr: 12 March 2012) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons The post The hidden risk of slaying Cambodian monsters appeared first on The Moderate Voice.24 Dec

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The Animal Cunning and Instinct of Donald Trump -  by Victor Davis Hanson// National Review  He grasped that what voters cared about were the very issues politicos were disdainfully ignoring. The American middle classes, the Chinese, and Vladimir Putin have never been convinced that Ivy League degrees, vast Washington experience, and cultural sophistication necessarily translate into national wisdom. Trump … Read more →20 Dec
From An Angry Reader: Victor  Your gloating and myopic column pillorying President Obama’s foreign policy legacy was simple minded and juvenile. Why write something so stupidly one sided?????  When Obama came into office we were losing 100 service people per month in a stupid war and as he leaves office, … Read more → - From An Angry Reader: Victor  Your gloating and myopic column pillorying President Obama’s foreign policy legacy was simple minded and juvenile. Why write something so stupidly one sided?????  When Obama came into office we were losing 100 service people per month in a stupid war and as he leaves office, … Read more →19 Dec
Has Trump Nominated Too Many Military Leaders—Or Not Enough? -  By Victor Davis Hanson// National Review Choosing military men for top cabinet spots is not unprecedented, nor is it foolish given how Washington insiders have performed. President-elect Donald Trump is being faulted for supposedly appointing too many retired generals to cabinet-level jobs and “militarizing” the government. Former lieutenant general Michael … Read more →15 Dec
From an Angry Reader: Re: Obama’s initiatives What a horrible president and yet, 57% approval rating! Wow! How is that possible! I think he did quite well considering that Republicans vowed on the first day not to work with him and never did!  Connie Knapp Victor Davis Hanson’s Reply: Dear … Read more → - From an Angry Reader: Re: Obama’s initiatives What a horrible president and yet, 57% approval rating! Wow! How is that possible! I think he did quite well considering that Republicans vowed on the first day not to work with him and never did!  Connie Knapp Victor Davis Hanson’s Reply: Dear … Read more →14 Dec
America as Animal Farm - By Victor Davis Hanson// National Review New commandments replace the old ones on the barn wall. The socialist essayist and novelist George Orwell by 1944 grew depressed that as a cost for the defeat of the Axis Powers the Allies had empowered an equally nightmarish monster in the Soviet Union. … Read more →14 Dec
Assessing the Obama Legacy—Against His Own Mileposts - by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review The president’s stated priorities have not turned out well. In his 2016 State of the Union address, President Obama summarized his achievements. That same night, the White House issued a press release touting Obama’s accomplishments. Now that he will be leaving, how well … Read more → 9 Dec
Trump’s Russia “Reset”? - by Victor Davis Hanson// Defining Ideas   Throughout the 2016 election, the American Left venomously attacked Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. He was rightly accused of diminishing freedom both inside Russia and within neighboring nations, of gobbling up Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, and of eyeing the NATO member Baltic states for … Read more → 9 Dec
From an Angry Reader: I love the Angry Reader section of your website, particularly your responses. I want to be an Angry Reader and see what you have to say about my valid, thoughtful points so here goes. How can anyone support Donald Trump (I call him DT because he … Read more → - From an Angry Reader: I love the Angry Reader section of your website, particularly your responses. I want to be an Angry Reader and see what you have to say about my valid, thoughtful points so here goes. How can anyone support Donald Trump (I call him DT because he … Read more → 9 Dec
The Twin Pillars of Progressive Prejudice -  By Victor Davis Hanson// National Review Universities and the media: arrogant, ignorant, and ripe for reform In media land, Donald Trump is a reckless tweeter; Barack Obama’s outreach to GloZell and rapper Kendrick Lamar is just kicking back and having fun (Lamar’s latest album portrayed the corpse of a judge … Read more → 6 Dec
‘Clever Fox’ Mattis - By Victor Davis Hanson// National Review The Mattis appointment as defense secretary could prove to be Trump’s most inspired, even given the nightmarish mess brewing abroad. But the media blitz has overdone the idea that Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis is somehow a frenzied, “let me at ’em” gung-ho warrior. He … Read more → 6 Dec

NEPC - Blog Post of the Day

VAMboozled!: Another Study about Bias in Teachers’ Observational Scores - VAMboozled!: Another Study about Bias in Teachers’ Observational Scores Following-up on two prior posts about potential bias in teachers’ observations (see prior posts here and here), another research study was recently released evidencing, again, that the evaluation ratings derived via observations of teachers in practice are indeed related to (and potentially biased by) teachers’ demographic characteristics. The study also evidenced that teachers representing racial and ethnic minority background might be more likely than others to not only receive lower relatively scores but also be more likely identified for possible dismissal as a result of their relatively lower evaluation scores. The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) authored and U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences) sponsored study titled “Teacher Demographics and Evaluation: A Descriptive Study in a Large Urban District” can be found here, and a condensed version of the study can be found here. Interestingly, the study was commissioned by district leaders who were already concerned about what they believed to be occurring in this regard, but for which they had no hard evidence… until the completion of this study. Authors’ key finding follows (as based on three consecutive years of data): Black teachers, teachers age 50 and older, and male teachers were rated below proficient relatively more often than the same district teachers to whom they were compared. More specifically, In all three years the percentage of teachers who were rated below proficient was higher among Black teachers than among White teachers, although the gap was smaller in 2013/14 and 2014/15. In all three years the percentage of teachers with a summative performance rating who were rated below proficient was higher among teachers age 50 and older than among teachers younger than age 50. In all three years the difference in the percentage of male and female teachers with a summative performance rating who were rated below proficient was approximately 5 percentage points or less. The percentage of teachers who improved their rating during all three year-to-year comparisons did not vary by race/ethnicity, age, or gender. This is certainly something to (still) keep in consideration, especially when teachers are rewarded (e.g., via merit pay) or penalized (e.g., vie performance improvement plans or plans for dismissal). Basing these or other high-stakes decisions on not only subjective but also likely biased observational data (see, again, other studies evidencing that this is happening here and here), is not only unwise, it’s also possibly prejudiced. While study authors note that their findings do not necessarily “explain why the patterns exist or to what they may be attributed,” and that there is a “need for further research on the potential causes of the gaps identified, as well as strategies for ameliorating them,” for starters and at minimum, those conducting these observations literally across the country must be made aware. Citation: Bailey, J., Bocala, C., Shakman, K., & Zweig, J. (2016). Teacher demographics and evaluation: A descriptive study in a large urban district. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2017189.pdf elaine December 22, 2016 Source VAMboozled! 22 Dec
The Answer Sheet: This School Isn’t Just About Academics. The Emotional and Physical Health of Kids Matters Too. - The Answer Sheet: This School Isn’t Just About Academics. The Emotional and Physical Health of Kids Matters Too. (Photo provided by Crater Renaissance Academy of Arts and Sciences) (This is the seventh in a series of posts about schools named as winners in the 2015-2016 Schools of Opportunity project. You can find the first post here and the second here. the third here and the fourth here, the fifth one here and the sixth here. There are links to all at the bottom of this post.) If you have paid attention to the school reform debate in recent years, you would be forgiven for thinking that public schools across the board are failing students and that schools that are struggling can only improve if they fire all of their staff, become a charter school or let the state take them over. It’s just not so. This is clear in a project called the Schools of Opportunity, launched a few years ago by educators who sought to highlight public high schools that actively seek to close opportunity gaps through 11 research-proven practices and not standardized test scores (which are more a measure of socioeconomic status than anything else). The project assesses how well schools provide health and psychological support for students, judicious and fair discipline policies, high-quality teacher mentoring programs, outreach to the community, effective student and faculty support systems, and broad and enriched curriculum. Schools submit applications explaining why they believe their school should be recognized. The project started in 2014 as a pilot program in New York and Colorado, and went national in 2015-2016, with gold and silver winners coming from states including Maryland, Georgia, California and Oregon. It is the brainchild of Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a professor specializing in educational policy and law; and Carol Burris, a former award-winning principal in New York who is now executive director of the nonprofit Network for Public Education. Twenty schools were named as honorees for the 2015-16 school year — eight gold winners and 12 silver — and you can see the list here. It is important to note that each school found success in ways that met the needs of their own communities. This week’s write-up is about Schools of Opportunity winner Crater Renaissance Academy of Arts and Sciences City and State in Central Point, Oregon. This was written by Welner.   By Kevin Welner High School: Crater Renaissance Academy of Arts and SciencesCity and State: Central Point, ORPrincipal: Adrienne HillmanSuperintendent: Samantha SteeleEnrollment: 463Economically disadvantaged students: 64 percent Schools that fully understand the opportunity gap realize that it is an accumulation. Most students on the wrong end of the gap have hit obstacle after obstacle, and it is the accrual of resulting gaps that creates the overall opportunity gap. Schools, then, are faced with the need to address those many obstacles all together, rather than picking and choosing. They must create a school with high expectations, a healthy culture, and the supports that teachers and students need. Crater Renaissance Academy of Arts and Sciences in Oregon has taken on that challenge. This school is steeped in a culture of what its educators call “warm demands.” The principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools have provided Crater Renaissance (CRA) with a set of guidelines that support the implementation of a progressive and intellectually rich education. But what really makes the school tick is the open-heartedness and good spirit of the people at the school who care for the intellectual, emotional and physical health of all students. The academic press at the school begins with a commitment to fostering a college-going culture and ensuring that all classes are college prep. Academic lab classes, including reading and math labs, are designed to support students with special needs and students who simply need additional learning supports. These student support classes are available every period of the day. Importantly, this reflects careful deliberation from the school’s educators and leaders; CRA used to be part of a comprehensive high school, where tracking was used to ration the school’s best learning opportunities for only a select elite. As with CRA’s students, teachers at the school are also given needed assistance. A district-supported mentorship program supports all first- and second-year teachers new to the district, and the school’s instructional coach oversees the acculturation of all new staff members. With an “open door policy,” any staff member can drop into any other class. The school also uses a one-hour-late-start every Wednesday, with about half that time used for professional development. CRA also carefully creates and maintains a healthy school culture. Some efforts are aimed at preventing bullying, some at effective discipline interventions, and some at general support and collaboration. As an example, a social equity grid was created by students after viewing the documentary “Bully,” and all students reflect on it routinely. The grid is essentially a chart that helps students negotiate behaviors they could encounter during their school day. It uses student language to guide peers in effective methods to intervene when appropriate, and it acknowledges and names behaviors that contribute to bullying and harassment. More generally, the school has put in place very clear institutional guidelines for how to be an ally in reducing instances of bullying and harassment. The school also adopted Restorative Justice approaches to discipline back in 2009. Again, the approach is thoughtful, using RJ in appropriate circumstances but also making sparing use of in- and out-of-school suspensions, while always ensuring that the disciplined students are supported in their academic studies. Finally, CRA works hard to provide services to support multiple aspects of student health. As one example, when the Oregon Healthy Teen Survey revealed that many CRA students were sitting in class hungry, the school made healthy snacks available at no cost. The district’s food service now brings a mobile food cart directly to the main office every morning offering “grab and go” breakfast or nutritious snacks. The school also leverages its small size to provide emotional support for students through monthly “student service team” meetings between students and staff. And the campus’ LaClinica Health Center provides students with an inviting space to receive both physical and emotional health care. “Our staff believes there are non-negotiables when it comes to our kids,” said School Principal Adrienne Hillman. “One of these non-negotiables is that we all expect all of the school’s students to be prepared for college or further education after high school. Anything less than holding that expectation means we are surrendering to the opportunity gaps that can undermine the students’ life paths.” Keeping student health needs front and center, providing a healthy culture based on acceptance, respect, care, kindness, and creating a challenging and supporting learning environment are three of the reasons that Crater Renaissance Academy is a Gold School of Opportunity. Visit the Crater Renaissance Academy of Arts and Sciences website here. elaine December 21, 2016 Source The Answer Sheet 21 Dec
Shanker Blog: Three Important Details When Discussing School Segregation - Shanker Blog: Three Important Details When Discussing School Segregation It sometimes seems as if school segregation is one of those topics that is always “in fashion” among education policy commenters and journalists. This is a good thing, as educational segregation, and the residential segregation underlying it, are among the most important symptoms and causes of unequal opportunity in the U.S. Yet the discussion and coverage of school segregation, while generally quite good, sometimes suffers from a failure to make clear a few very important distinctions or details, and it may be worthwhile laying these out in one place. None of the three discussed below are novel or technical, nor do they represent a comprehensive list of all the methodological and theoretical issues surrounding segregation (of any kind). They are, rather, just details that should, I would argue, be spelled out clearly in any discussion of this important issue. The first thing that should always be specified is the “type” of segregation – that is, which groups are being analyzed. This is a very obvious point, and probably goes without saying, but it bears mentioning anyway. The most common groups in the education context are those defined by income (usually using subsidized lunch eligibility as a rough proxy) and race and ethnicity. Schools, on the whole, are segregated by both race and ethnicity and income, and the two are interrelated, but the levels and trends can be different (e.g., Owens et al. 2014). Moreover, particularly when it comes to segregation by race and ethnicity, the most common measures can be applied to different combinations of groups. For example, one can measure segregation between individual groups (e.g., Black from white students), or combinations of groups (e.g., minorities from white students). It is important to make clear such specifications and, perhaps, to note that different combinations/groups can yield different results (e.g., Reardon et al. 2000). This is particularly salient given the increasingly multiracial composition of U.S. public school students. A second, and related distinction that should be highlighted in any discussion of school segregation is the type of segregation measure used. There are many different ways to measure segregation, school and otherwise. The two most common approaches are: Exposure: This is a measure essentially of contact or interaction between groups. For example, one might calculate the percentage of the typical higher income student’s peers who are lower income. These indicators are sensitive to compositional change (e.g., a change in the number of lower income students); Evenness: This type of measure focuses not on how many members of a given group there are, but rather how evenly they are distributed (e.g., between schools or districts). If, for instance, every school in a given district has roughly the same proportion of lower income students common evenness measures would assess that district as highly integrated. Note that, unlike exposure measures, evenness is not sensitive to composition – even a district with few lower income students can be interpreted as integrated if those students are evenly distributed among schools. These and other types of measures in many respects represent different conceptualizations of segregation (see Massey and Denton 1988). For instance, exposure measures concentrate on the peer effects of segregation, whereas evenness is more about whether segregation causes some students to experience different situations than others (Reardon and Owens 2014). And these different approaches can also yield very different results. For example, depending on whether one uses evenness or exposure indicators, one might conclude that school segregation by race and ethnicity is either increasing or stable over time (see, for example, Orfield et al. 2014 and Reardon and Owens 2014). There is, as a result, a longstanding debate between researchers about which measures are appropriate in which contexts, but for our purposes here, suffice it to say that any discussion of a segregation analysis must pay particular attention to which measures are used, and, as a rule, any analysis that relies on just one measure may lead to incomplete conclusions (for more discussion, see Wysienska-Di Carlo et al. [2016]). The third important distinction is also the most frequently obscured, and that is the level or unit of segregation. Most often, this distinction refers to within- versus between district segregation. Put simply, districts are (or are not) segregated “internally” (i.e., between schools), and their students are (or are not) segregated from their peers in other districts (within, say, a metropolitan area). For example, District X might have a 50/50 split between lower- and higher income students in all of its schools (i.e., perfect integration), but this district might be the only one in the metropolitan area that serves any lower income students, which means that all the lower income students in the area are completely segregated into a single district. In this sense, within- and between district segregation both "contribute" to total segregation, and, once again, this relationship can vary over time (Reardon et al. 2000). Segregation within districts is of particular note in that most legal and policy efforts to desegregate schools concentrate within districts. Yet, to the degree segregation reflects and perpetuates inequality of opportunity, and insofar as such inequality can be just as, if not more, pronounced between as it is within districts, integration within a given district, while positive and important, may be only part of the story.  elaine December 20, 2016 Source Shanker Blog 20 Dec
Yong Zhao: Stop Copying Others: TIMSS Lessons for America - Yong Zhao: Stop Copying Others: TIMSS Lessons for America TIMSS[1] has become one of the two most influential international testing programs in the world today, the other being PISA. First introduced in 1995, TIMSS is conducted every four years to assess math and science learning in fourth and eighth grade. It has had significant impact on math and science education in the world over the last 20 years. Its impact on the U.S. education policies and practices over the last two decades cannot be overstated. According to the TIMSS 2015 Encyclopedia: In the late 1990s, when the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study were released, TIMSS became a standard policy citation to emphasize that US student performance in mathematics and science was not leading the world. Between 1999 and 2002, state and national educational reformers across the country regularly used the results of TIMSS 1995 and TIMSS 1999 to make this point in editorials and articles.i During these years, more than three dozen congressional statements, debates, and bills cited TIMSS results to justify passing specific education bills, or to call for reforms in education to keep the United States internationally competitive. So after 20 years of learning from TIMSS, what has the U.S. achieved? (All data from TIMSS publications.) The gap in scores remains. In terms of test scores, the U.S. has certainly improved, but so have other countries. So the gap between U.S. students and East Asian students remain as large as 20 years ago (Figs 1 & 2). As test scores went up, students’ confidence and attitude toward math came down. While both students in the U.S. and East Asian education systems all improved over the last two decades, their confidence in math declined. Likewise, not as many students valued math in 2015 as in 1995. Figures 3, 4, and 5 capture this trend[2]. But the U.S. still has more students reporting confidence in math and valuing math than East Asian students.  More students in the U.S. reported having more confidence and valuing math more than students in East Asian countries in 20 years ago. It is still so despite the global decline. U.S. seems to have learned all lessons suggested by TIMSS but … Two of the biggest lessons from TIMSS for the U.S. were curriculum and teachers. It was suggested that the high performance of East Asian education systems, Singapore in particular, was the result of a much better curriculum and better teachers. Curriculum benchmarking The U.S. has been benchmarking its curriculum against the high performing systems. The Common Core is just one example, after many states tweaked their math curricula. As a result, the 2015 TIMSS results suggests that U.S. is on par with East Asian education systems in terms of the percentage of students taught the TIMSS Math topics in both 4th and 8th grade. In some cases, the U.S. has better coverage than its East Asian counterparts (Figures 6 & 7). Better teachers and teacher preparation It was also suggested that East Asian teachers are better prepared (with higher degrees) and more specialized (majored in math). The U.S. has been working on these two areas too. In 2015, the U.S. has more students taught by teachers holding advanced degrees than East Asian education systems (Figures 8 & 9).   In terms of majoring in math, the picture is mixed. In 4th grade, for example, the U.S. had about the same percentage of students taught by teachers with both majors in education and math as Japan and Korea, but significantly lower than Singapore, Hong Kong, and Chinese Taipei. In 8th grade, the U.S. had more students receiving teaching from teachers with both Math and Math Ed majors than Korea and Chinese Taipei. The U.S. had more students taught by math majors without math education major than all East Asian systems (Figures 10 &11). But the data does not necessarily suggest majoring in math produces better scores in the students. The picture is very mixed. For example, in 4th grade, students taught by teachers who majored in primary education and math actually received a lower score (537) than those whose teachers just majored in education (540), although the difference is not significant. The same pattern holds for Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong. In 8thgrade, U.S. students whose teachers majored in both Math and Math Education scored higher than either those students whose teachers only majored in math but not math education as well as those only majored in math education but not math. This situation is similar in Singapore, Korea, and Chinese Taipei, but not true in Hong Kong and Japan, where teachers with math majors without math education major produced the highest scores. Reflections and Questions Can we ever catch up? Is it necessary to catch up? It seems clear that after tremendous efforts to catch up to the high performing education systems in test scores, the U.S. has not succeeded. Two questions arise. First, can the U.S. ever catch up? Second, is it really necessary to catch up? My answer to both questions are no. Interested readers can read my books Catching up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization and World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students. Is it worth the cost? While test scores went up in math in both the U.S. and East Asian countries, more students lost confidence in math and valued math less. If it is true that whatever policies and practices that resulted in higher test scores also make students less confident and less interested in math, are these policies and practices really educationally sound? Don’t we want more people have confidence in math and value math? How much does curriculum matter? The U.S. has “fixed” its curriculum but has not narrowed the gap. All the efforts that went into fixing the curriculum did not produce the results promised by those who adamantly believed and argued that American schools have lower standard and fragmented curriculum. Was the diagnosis wrong? Does curriculum and standards really matter that much? Should we keep “fixing” American teachers? TIMSS and other international tests have resulted in waves of teacher bashing in America, suggesting that they are less qualified and less mathematically knowledgeable than their counterparts in East Asian education systems. Bashed have also been teacher education programs in the U.S.. But the data does not really support the blames. Perhaps American teachers are great at doing something more important than simply raising test scores. My Conclusion I have questioned the value of international tests, and for that matter any standardized test, for improving our children’s education in many places. Test scores simply do not reflect what our children need to live in the future, let alone what they need to defend and improve a democratic society. Test scores are simply the indicator of one’s ability in taking the test. We should never read too much into it and attempt to draw conclusions that fuels actions that could affect the future of millions of children and the future of our society. I have also raised questions on many occasions about copying policies and practices from other systems. It is not to say that we cannot learn from others. But education is both deeply rooted in and an integral part of culture, hence they mutually enhance and perpetuate, as I have argued in my book Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon: Why China has the Best (and Worst) Education System in the World. Different cultures impose different values and expectations on education. Different cultures also support and suppress different educational practices. Unless one is ready and able to redefine one’s culture and society, copying isolated educational policies rarely works. The lesson from all these: Stop copying others’ past and start inventing our own future. [1] TIMSS was The Third International Mathematics and Science Study in 1995 and later changed its name to Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. [2] No comparable data are available in 1995 and 1999. elaine December 15, 2016 Source Yong Zhao 15 Dec
Education Law Prof Blog: New Study Finds That Money Has a Large Effect on Student Achievement, But It Is Not News--It Is a Sad Reminder of What We Must Do - Education Law Prof Blog: New Study Finds That Money Has a Large Effect on Student Achievement, But It Is Not News--It Is a Sad Reminder of What We Must Do The New York Times took note of a new school funding study Monday, titling the article It Turns Out Spending More Probably Does Improve Education.  The study by Julien Lafortune, Jesse Rothstein, and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach found that school funding "reforms lead to sharp, immediate, and sustained increases in spending in low-income school districts. Using representative samples from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, we find that reforms cause increases in the achievement of students in these districts, phasing in gradually over the years following the reform. The implied effect of school resources on educational achievement is large."  To put it in perspective, they write "After desegregation, school finance reform is perhaps the most important education policy change in the United States in the last half century." Our results thus show that money can and does matter in education . . .  School finance reforms are blunt tools, and some critics have argued that they will be offset by changes in district or voter choices over tax rates or that funds will be spent so inefficiently as to be wasted. Our results do not support these claims. Courts and legislatures can evidently force improvements in school quality for students in low-income districts. But there is an important caveat to this conclusion. As we discuss in Section VI, the average low-income student does not live in a particularly low-income district, so is not well targeted by a transfer of resources to the latter. Thus, we find that finance reforms reduced achievement gaps between high- and low-income school districts but did not have detectable effects on resource or achievement gaps between high- and low-income (or white and black) students. Attacking these gaps via school finance policies would require changing the allocation of resources within school districts, something that was not attempted by the reforms that we study.  To be clear, I will be citing and relying on this study in my own work.  It is a good one, but those who have studied school funding for years will be a little miffed with the New York Times' framing of the study.  This new study, while high in quality and nuance, does not reveal something particular new.  It is incorrect to suggest the study's findings are a surprise-- that it "turn[s] out" that money improves education.  This has been the consensus of social science for decades.  See my discussion of the literature here. The problem is that the issue has been so poorly reported and debated that the study seems like news to most.  Then again, maybe we have just conveniently ignored it.  Either way, education budgets have been decimated over the past decade with little more than a whimper from most national and local media.  During the Recession, every state cut education.  Most cut it with a hatchet, with cuts of twenty percent or more in several states and over ten percent in the largest chunk.  Equally disturbing is that most states have still yet to fully replace those funds.  The most recent report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicates that, in real dollar terms, thirty states are still funding education below their pre-recession level. Things have been so bad that people simply stopped pursuing careers in education, so much so that when states finally began rehiring teachers last year, there were literally no applicants to fill those jobs.  School districts actually began using billboards on the highway to beg people to apply.  California told prospective applicants they jump right into the classroom if they would just enroll in a teacher preparation program--they could finish their degrees on the weekends.  It was only this tailing effect of school funding cuts that finally caught widespread attention. The overall trend calls for intervention and a new approach by legislatures and courts.  For more, see Averting Educational Crisis: Funding Cuts, Teacher Shortages, and the Dwindling Commitment to Public Education. elaine December 14, 2016 Source Education Law Prof Blog 14 Dec
School Finance 101: The Charter School Company Store - School Finance 101: The Charter School Company Store About a year ago, I released this report: http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/charter-revenue In which Gary Miron and I discuss various methods by which charter school operators work largely within existing policy constraints, to achieve financial gain. While working on this report, I explored various other topics that did not make the final cut, in part because I was then, and continue to have difficulty gathering sufficient information. The other day, however this article was posted on LA Weekly about wage extraction by “Gulen” charter schools: http://www.laweekly.com/news/did-a-california-charter-school-group-fund-an-effort-to-overthrow-the-turkish-government-7666698 This reminded me that I still had the related content I’ve posted below sitting on my hard drive, and that I should at least get around to posting on the blog. Accessing Money by Creating a “Company Store”: Taxing Salaries through Affiliated Enterprises There are many ways to “tax” teacher wages, and recapture a share of wages through closely affiliated entities (see Figure 6). In recent years, for example, there has been significant reporting on charter schools using imported labor for classroom teaching.[i] This staffing model provides two opportunities. First, there exists an opportunity to engage generally in non-traditional compensation agreements with imported labor, which may include much lower and differently structured salaries and benefits than would be paid to traditional domestic, certified teaching applicants. Second, there exist additional opportunities to “tax” the wages of these employees for such services as processing their visas and/or making travel arrangements. These services may be provided by private entities closely affiliated with the schools. That is, the money flows from one hand to the other. In this case, that money is obtained by obligating employees to pay a tax from their wages. Public districts have been involved in similar schemes. In 2012, Louisiana school districts were caught up in a scheme involving Filipino teachers forced into exploitive contracts through a Los Angeles based placement firm.[ii] No evidence was presented, however, of any kick-back relationship between the placement firm and the districts. The arrangement came to light because (lawyers on behalf of) teachers brought litigation against the placement firm. It can be difficult if not impossible to obtain documents specifying financial parameters of agreements between foreign teachers and charter school operators, because charter school operators refuse to release these documents, claiming exemption from public disclosure laws. Blog sites including Charterschoolwatchdog.com has posted partial documents indicating that Turkish teachers in U.S. charter schools teach under a “Tuzuk” (roughly translated as regulations or bylaw) involving an agreement to receive only a nominal stipend for their work; and, they are required to remit cash portions of their salaries as well as retirement benefits and tax refunds (although it is difficult to discern exactly which entity receives remittances).[iii] Figures 7 and 8 illustrate salary structures derived from available statewide personnel files in Houston, Texas and the state of New Jersey. Figure 7 shows that Harmony/Cosmos schools in Texas, which rely heavily on Turkish labor,[iv] show relatively flat distribution of salaries by experience levels. It may be that actual salaries allocated show this distribution or that schools have simply reported a single salary figure of $40,000 for all teachers regardless of position, education or experience level, and not representing actual compensation. Other charter operators in Houston show growth in salaries by experience parallel to that of Houston district schools. KIPP schools pay higher than district salaries. Figure 7. EMO Operated Charter vs. Houston ISD: Full Time Teacher Salaries by Experience at Constant Degree Level in 2010 Figure 8 shows that New Jersey schools similarly reliant on Turkish labor (Paterson Science and Technology, Central Jersey College Prep, among others[v]) also report flat salaries with respect to experience. Again, by contrast, the KIPP school (TEAM Academy) a) pays higher than other charter schools and public districts and b) shows growth with respect to experience. So too does North Star Academy, and Uncommon School. Yet, the schools employing larger shares of Turkish labor show a) very low salaries, b) little or no growth with respect to experience and c) in some cases, no variation at all in salaries with respect to experience. Data Source: salaries modeled using statewide “Fall Staffing Report” data. Salaries estimated as a function of degree level and years of in-state experience, excluding administrative job codes, and using data from 2010 to 2015. Predictions based on teachers holding a bachelors degree in 2015. Figure 8. New Jersey Charter School Salary Structure (by Total Experience) Other options exist for recapturing portions of teacher salaries. But as is true for the Turkish Tuzuk, documentation of these schemes may be difficult to obtain from privately-managed charter schools that often claim these agreements are exempt from public disclosure laws. One common model is the “company store,” where employees are required to purchase goods and/or services from the affiliated entities. This model can be used for visa processing fees for foreign labor, but might also be used for obtaining relevant credentials, professional development, or even housing.[vi] For example, founders of New York and Newark, NJ area charter schools and management companies have established their own Graduate School of Education (Relay GSE), staffed primarily by themselves—current and former employees of the charter schools and management companies. Relay GSE was criticized in public hearings over its use of under-credentialed and inexperienced faculty to deliver its programs, but was eventually granted accreditation.[vii] The Relay Board of Trustees includes founders of KIPP, NYC; Achievement First; and affiliates of Uncommon Schools.[viii] In New Jersey, Relay’s graduate programs are offered on-site within North Star Academy,[ix] a Newark charter school affiliated with the Uncommon Schools network (established by a founder of Relay GSE). The Dean of Relay, Newark, is a co-founder of North Star Academy.[x] Former teachers from the affiliated charter schools report being obligated as a condition of employment to obtain credentials (MA degrees and related certifications) from Relay GSE. That is: employees at the charter schools are having a portion of their salary taxed to pay tuition to a “graduate school” run by founders of their own charter schools, operated within their own charter school facility (lease agreement unknown), where courses are often taught by their own teaching peers having only slightly more advanced education and experience.[xi] We elaborate on this example in Appendix A. Another way for affiliated charter schools to channel money to Relay is to set aside a portion of their budget to subsidize graduate education—but only at Relay GSE. That is, some EMOs (including Uncommon) have a practice of paying for graduate degrees obtained from Relay, but not from any other institution (unless the teacher can prove that Relay does not offer a degree in the same field). Teachers agreeing to pursue their degrees from Relay with school support must complete those degrees or, as noted earlier, are required to reimburse their EMO for any/all tuition reimbursement they received. Compensation taxing models could conceivably be taken one step further, to access not only a portion of teacher salaries, but also their retirement benefits, by adopting the Enron version of the Company Store: having employee retirement benefits invested directly back into the charter school operator or through a closely affiliated financial manager. In the Enron case, approximately 60% of the company’s 401(k) was invested in Enron stock.[xii] The information provided in the main text describes a “company store” model at Uncommon Schools/Relay Graduate School of Education. But it only describes the information that is publicly accessible. A great deal more about the model is still unclear. Here we provide a few insights, based on the limited disclosures from, e.g., former employees. We stress here that it is difficult to obtain clear official documentation of the practices involved, because current employees are sworn to secrecy, including prohibitions against providing contractual documents and employee handbook materials. Accordingly, this appendix summarizes merely what we were able to ascertain through published accounts and acquired documents. This is an obvious area for officials and investigative journalists to delve into, since a great deal is unknown, and the limited accounts, discussed here, have yet to be fully collaborated. A former Uncommon schools teacher who identified herself only as “Emily” created a blog with a single post, which states: “upon my being hired and deciding to take the job in August 2011, I was required to enroll at Relay. It was one of the conditions of my employment—to begin the process of getting my masters in education at Relay, which has a partnership with Uncommon Schools.”[xiii] That is, as we note above, obtaining the graduate credential was a condition of continued employment. Regarding financial arrangements, the former Uncommon Schools teacher notes that “Relay offers all of its students a very doable tuition package—you can pay in small increments that are realistic with most charter school salaries. And, to be a Relay student, you must be employed at a charter or public school. Not only that, Relay will greatly subsidize your tuition from various sources that fund it, such as money from AmeriCorps.” This squares with Relay’s own explanation of “Tuition & Aid” from their web site: Figure A1  It also squares with language we acquired from an Uncommon Schools employee handbook: Figure A2. Handbook Excerpt These limited pieces of information, taken together, suggest that if total annual tuition for Relay graduate programs is $17,500, the typical Uncommon Schools new teacher can be expected to pay about half that for two years (to degree completion) and have the other half subsidized. If the teacher leaves her position at Uncommon Schools prior to completion or otherwise fails to complete the graduate degree, the teacher may be responsible for reimbursing the school. New teachers would seem to have little choice in the matter. Additional evidence gathered from individual school websites and through deep web searches (leading to Uncommon Schools Family Handbooks) reveals school faculty bios that indicate large shares of teachers who have a) recently completed degrees at Relay, b) are currently pursuing degrees at Relay, and/or c) currently serve as adjunct instructors for Relay. Again, these elements of the Company Store need further investigation. If they are true, it raises serious concerns. If it is not, then taxpayers and public officials should expect public clarification on that point. As we discussed in the main text of this brief, a small handful of individuals were involved in the founding and original governance of each institution. Our analysis here is not comprehensive, because Uncommon Schools and Relay GSE span many state boundaries. Thus our examples here focus primarily on the New York/New Jersey area, with particular attention to Newark, NJ. Table A1 shows the board membership and highest paid employees for four interconnected organizations (and there may be others we have missed thus far). The two left hand columns include Uncommon Schools (data from IRS 990, 2014, 2013 tax year) and North Star Academy’s Consolidated Annual Financial Report (CAFR) from the New Jersey Department of Education. We expect these organizations to overlap because one (North Star) is subsidiary to the other (Uncommon). The right three columns include Relay Graduate School of Education; a separate non-profit entity providing financial support to Relay, called Uncommon Knowledge and Achievement, Inc. (UK&A); and a third organization, Zearn. We also expect these three organizations to overlap because it would appear that UK&A’s primary function is to raise funds for providing scholarship/aid for students attending Relay GSE (providing $500,000 to GSE in tax year 2013 according to IRS filings, and another $100,000 to Zearn). We understand less about the role of Zearn, except that it appears to be a company created for the aggregation and distribution of electronic teaching materials/modules for mathematics. More significant potential concerns arise when parties cross over between the left two and right three columns, especially in significant governance or leadership roles or where significant financial interests are involved. Specifically, it would be questionable for leadership of Uncommon Schools to be requiring their employees to purchase goods/services from Relay if in fact those leaders have financial interests in Relay. This is likely true even if these individuals absolve themselves of voting roles in setting those policies. IRS Filings (and charter school financial audits) indicate that Uncommon Schools is a “related party” to its various subsidiary schools (and even their real estate arms). IRS filings similarly acknowledge the relationship between Relay, UK&A and Zearn. But, for some reason neither IRS filings nor external audits of Uncommon Schools mention a formal relationship between Uncommon and Relay, despite Norman Atkins’ role as CEO of one and chair of the board of the other. The connectedness between Relay and Uncommon does not end there. Jamey Verrilli is Dean of Relay’s Newark, NJ branch, which operates out of an address shared by a North Star (Uncommon) school (10 Washington Place, Newark). Verrilli also sits as a “community member” representative on the board for North Star. That is, he sits on the board of a school that obligates (as we understand it) its teachers to pay his other organization, housed in the same building, substantial annual tuition. In addition, Relay Dean Verrilli’s wife is employed by North Star (duly noted on state conflict of interest reports).[xiv] Deeper exploration of the Uncommon and Relay websites reveals that Uncommon’s Newark Managing Director also plays a significant role in Relay GSE, leading Relay’s Leverage Leadership program. Other Uncommon employees, including those in leadership roles, also have significant presence on the Relay website (noted in green in Table A1), including the starring role of Verrilli’s wife in demonstration videos.[xv] In sum, formal leaders of Uncommon/North Star Academy are in positions to influence policy decisions that would direct school resources to Relay and would require employees to make payments to Relay, as well as senior employees and administrators at North Star in a position to exert significant coercion over incoming and other junior staff. Note that according to the handbook, these individuals wield significant influence over what types of professional development and graduate pursuits might be approved for reimbursement. Table A1   CMO and Subsidiary School    (Acknowledged as Related) UK&A Formally Related to Relay GSE (Acknowledged)   Uncommon Schools   (IRS 990) North Star Academy (NJ CAFR) Relay GSE    (IRS 990) Uncommon Knowledge & Achievement Inc. (IRS 990) Zearn LLC   (IRS 990) Board Members   Norman Atkins (Chair) Rick Rieder (Chair) Larry Robbins (Chair) Norman Atkins (CEO) Norman Atkins (Chair)   David Cooper Michael Lytle David Levin (Secretary)[1] Timothy Saintsing (COO, Prior) Evan Rudall (CEO)   Donald Katz Robert Howitt Arthur Levine (Trustee) Thackston Lundy (COO, Current) Shalinee Sharma (Secretary)   Charles Harris Gia Rys Julie Mikuta (Trustee)   Robert Karr (Treasurer)   Pearl Kane Nicole Albano David Saltzman (Treasurer)   David Levin   Robert Karr Paul Bambrick-Santoyo Dacia Toll (Vice Chair)[2]   David Saltzman   Rondo Moses Trisha Scipio-Derrick Carlos Watson (Trustee)   Dirk Ziff   Robert Jain Ravi Bellur     Dacia Toll   Brooke Reid Scott Sleyster     Larry Robbins   Neal Moszkowski Nkyah Taylor       Employees & Officers     Brett Peiser (CEO) Carolyn Hack (Treasurer) Norman Atkins (President)       Carolyn Hack (CFO/COO) Michael Ambriz (COO) M Yvonne Chao (CFO)       Paul Bambrick-Santoyo (Managing Director, Newark) Julie Jackson (Principal) Piper Evans (Director of Finance)       Julie Kennedy (Managing Director) Mike Mann (Head of School) Timothy Saintsing (COO)       Joshua Phillips (Managing Director) James Verrilli (Community Member) Mayme Hostetter (Dean, Relay NY)       Julie Jackson (Managing Director)   Michael Larosa (CIO)       Dana Lehman (Managing Director)   Brent Maddin (Provost)       Barbara Martinez (Chief External Officer)   James Verrilli (Dean, Relay Newark)       Laura Lee McGovern (Chief of Staff)   Robert Underwood (CTO)       Laura Maestas (Chief Talent Officer)           Tara Marlovits (COO Uncommon NYC)           Michael Ambriz (COO North Star Academy)         Overlapping Others with current/past significant presence on Relay web site [see, for example: http://www.relay.edu/programs/leverage-leadership-institute-fellowship-0/overview]  [1] KIPP Co-founder [2] Founder, Achievement First Figure A3 attempts to sketch out some of these relationships, with particular attention to Newark, NJ. On the left are charter schools, where not only Uncommon Schools, but also KIPP and Achievement First are official partners of Relay GSE. Clearly, as indicated in the table above, there exists significant, substantive leadership and financial overlap between Uncommon and Relay. In addition to the founding/leadership overlap, in Newark the two share a facility (financial arrangement unknown) and seem also to share at least a few employed staff, including the Newark Managing Director (compensated at $223,227 by Uncommon alone in tax year 2013). About 50% of Relay tuition is directly extracted from new faculty, assuming the above sources to be correct, with the other 50% coming through: a) schools like North Star and b) UK&A. Figure A3 One might question how lucrative it can be to rely heavily on tuition extraction (and other subsidies) from only new, incoming teachers required to pursue two-year graduate programs. After all, how many new teachers might there be in any given charter school? Could there possibly be a constant or increasing flow? Figure A4 uses statewide annual staffing files from the New Jersey Department of Education to tally the total numbers of teachers and numbers of teachers with zero or one-year experience in North Star Academy from 2009 to 2015. In the most recent three years, North Star alone had 103, 134 and then 153 novice teachers. Assuming that Relay could gross $17,500 per year for each, the total would approach $6 million by 2015 (about half extracted from teacher wages and half from grants made by or through related entities). The high rates of novice teachers in North Star and other Uncommon (NY) schools are a function of both growth and very high rates of turnover. Figure A4 A Closing Thought  So, I know many will say, what’s the big deal? Relay affiliated charter schools are (at least perceived as) highly successful and their success reliant on strict adherence to their specific pedagogy. So why not grow their own/train their own teachers? As I see it, that’s a clearly separable issue from what I outline above. First of all, having effective staff in-service training, even where provided by affiliates is more acceptable in a number of ways (depending on how those affiliate contracts are handled & disclosed). It’s localized, specific training, not degree/credential granting having broader public policy implications. No institution – a single public or private school  – should be granted the authority to self-credential their own employees in this way, to hold supposedly broad, transferable expertise, which is in fact anything but.  Provide specific training for their current job and context? OK. Provide degrees and credentials w/broader state accreditation? That’s th13 Dec
Rutland Herald: Dangers to Public Education Mount - Rutland Herald: Dangers to Public Education Mount Education was in the shadows during the presidential election. And divining the directions of the incoming administration requires penetrating a translucent fog. The task is compounded by what the media euphemistically call the president-elect’s penchant of “walking back” strong earlier statements. Ringing declarative statements evaporate beneath milquetoast assurances. There are some points with greater clarity, but whether these will be implemented, modified, rejected by Congress or simply wither away taxes the power of my crystal ball. Here are the most prominent of Trump’s education proclamations: — Charter schools: Candidate Trump said he would invest $20 billion in charter schools. This is the centerpiece proposal, which I address below. — Scuttling the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka No Child Left Behind): With much fanfare, the long-delayed, bipartisan reauthorization of the flagship federal education law took place last year. The new implementation rules were approved in November, but will the Trump administration pull these agreements and start over? Will funding be slashed? Since these rules were a year in the making, any new balancing of compromises would be slow. — The elimination of the Department of Education: Trump has called for the elimination of the federal education agency, which elicits a good deal of applause. Yet to implement his plans, Trump will need a department to get them done. With members of both houses and both parties calling for greater state authority, expect the federal footprint to shrink. — Common Core curriculum: Trump has called the Common Core a disaster and Secretary-designee Betsy DeVos concurs. Driven by congressional objections to “federal overreach,” curriculum initiatives will likely wane. And since the $20 billion for charter schools will have to be found by cutting other programs, expect Common Core and programs without strong constituencies to be on the block. — Secretary of education designee: In the nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education, we see the elevation of a person with great wealth, considerable political skills, deeply religious convictions and a reputation as a pit bull for advancing charter schools. She is a lobbyist, a former state chairwoman of the Republican Party and a philanthropist — who has contributed $1.2 billion to privatizing education, Christian organizations, and conservative think tanks. Her husband is the Amway heir, and her brother is the founder of Blackwater. As the nation’s chief executive officer for public schools, she has no credentials whatsoever. She has never attended a public school, has no academic background in the field, her children have never attended a public school, and she has never held a position in a school district. To appoint a cabinet officer with no relevant training or experience to the nation’s top job in the field has stunned prominent educators. Her husband and she are credited with being the driving force behind Michigan’s charter school law. They have also been tagged with the poor performance of these same schools. The New York Times said DeVos “is partly responsible for what even charter [school] advocates acknowledge is the biggest school reform disaster in the country.” The Times also reports she has steered money away from public schools. She has spoken plainly about increasing the role of Christianity in the public schools (which raises substantial constitutional problems). — Charter schools: As Trump has said he wants to invest $20 billion in charter schools, what do we know about these schools? They are the most prominent type of private school and have been authorized in 40 states. There is a massive independent body of research with a strong consensus across different perspectives. While individual studies can be found supporting any point of view, the overall knowledge base tells us that, on average: 1) charters perform no better or worse than traditional public schools, 2) they have a reported high level of fraud and mismanagement, 3) they dilute public investment in education by siphoning off funds to run a parallel system, and 4) they segregate students and society. Despite claims of innovation, charters employ the same methods, and thus, the results are similar. Fraud and mismanagement are concentrated among charter chains. In terms of diluting resources, Trump has said he would take the $20 billion from other programs. To put this in perspective, the federal appropriation for needy children (Title 1) is $15 billion and another $13 billion is set aside for special education. This would have a devastating effect on other programs and is a reverse Robin Hood strategy. From the perspective of a democratic society, the greatest danger is in segregative effects. More affluent parents may put their personal funds with government funds to attend a more prestigious school. This is not an option available to less wealthy parents. The research on selection effects is that schools segregate by economic level and by race. This raises constitutional issues. Will any of these things get done? Paradoxically, there is a chance that relatively little will get done. Republicans are on record as wanting to cut the federal influence over education and return educational issues to the states. They are also on record as wanting to control or reduce federal spending. Charter popularity may be waning, as Massachusetts voters just sank a charter expansion bill on a 2-1 vote. Georgians just defeated a state takeover bill. Politically, advocates for the handicapped and the needy will make their voices heard. Then there is the one constant: The federal government has always underfunded education. But what will actually happen? Everyone’s crystal ball is murky. elaine December 12, 2016 Source Rutland Herald 12 Dec
The Answer Sheet: Why This High School Works: ‘We Are in a Perpetual State of Improvement.’ - The Answer Sheet: Why This High School Works: ‘We Are in a Perpetual State of Improvement.’ (Photo provided by South Side High School) (This is the sixth in a series of posts about schools named as winners in the 2015-2016 Schools of Opportunity project. You can find the first post here and the second here. the third here and the fourth here and the fifth one here. There are links to all at the bottom of this post.) If you have paid attention to the school reform debate in recent years, you would be forgiven for thinking that public schools across the board are failing students and that schools that are struggling can only improve if they fire all of their staff, become a charter school or let the state take them over. It’s just not so. This is clear in a project called the Schools of Opportunity, launched a few years ago by educators who sought to highlight public high schools that actively seek to close opportunity gaps through 11 research-proven practices and not standardized test scores (which are more a measure of socioeconomic status than anything else). The project assesses how well schools provide health and psychological support for students, judicious and fair discipline policies, high-quality teacher mentoring programs, outreach to the community, effective student and faculty support systems, and broad and enriched curriculum. Schools submit applications explaining why they believe their school should be recognized. The project started in 2014 as a pilot program in New York and Colorado, and went national in 2015-2016, with gold and silver winners coming from states including Maryland, Georgia, California and Oregon. It is the brainchild of Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a professor specializing in educational policy and law; and Carol Burris, a former award-winning principal in New York who is now executive director of the nonprofit Network for Public Education. Twenty schools were named as honorees for the 2015-16 school year — eight gold winners and 12 silver — and you can see the list here. This is the first of a series of posts I will publish that highlight why each of the schools was chosen to be honored. It is important to note that each school found success in ways that met the needs of their own communities. [To help kids succeed, this rural school gets help from unusual sources. Dentists, for example.]  This week’s write-up is about Schools of Opportunity winner South Side High School in Rockville Centre, N.Y., where Schools of Opportunity co-founder Burris was a principal for years. While running the school, she was named the 2010 Educator of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York State, and in 2013, the same organization named her the New York State High School Principal of the Year. She has written extensively about school reform on this blog. She co-authored this piece about her old school (with Welner). though she did not participate in the evaluation of it for the Schools of Opportunity project.  [Most students here are refugees — and they speak 16 uncommon languages. How this school makes it work.]    By Kevin Welner and Carol Burris High School: South Side High SchoolCity and State: Rockville Centre, New YorkPrincipal: John MurphySuperintendent: William H. JohnsonEnrollment: 1,106Economically disadvantaged students: 16 percent About a sixth of the students at South Side High School are economically disadvantaged, and about a quarter are black or Latino. What makes this suburban high school located in New York’s Rockville Centre remarkable is how fully this diversity is reflected in all academics and all extracurricular activities, from theatrical and musical productions to athletics and club events. Most importantly, the school’s classrooms are fully integrated. South Side is an “IB for all” public high school, where detracking and universal acceleration in grades 9-12 have opened the gates for all students to take the best curriculum the school has to offer. By doing so, the socioeconomic and racial stratification we find in so many diverse high schools have disappeared, and learning gaps have narrowed remarkably. In the mid 1990’s, all students at the feeder middle school began taking the same accelerated mathematics course sequence leading to algebra for all in Grade 8. At the same time, detracking began in the high school, with tracks being phased out over time. South Side ensured that it “leveled up” as it detracked, never lowering expectations for any students, while providing intense systems of support for students who struggled. All students now take the same enriched curriculum — the former honors program. This year, 51 percent of South Side graduates completed the full requirements for the International Baccalaureate Diploma. All students, including special education students, take IB English and History of the Americas in eleventh grade. For the 2014-15 school year, 88 percent of all graduates took one or more IB or Advanced Placement exam, which includes 70 percent of all graduates who qualified for free or reduced lunch, 72 percent of all black and Hispanic students, and 60 percent percent of students with disabilities. Teacher-led professional development is an important contributor to the success at South Side. Teachers create their own portfolio of professional development workshops, and they assume leadership positions for building-wide initiatives. This year, for example, a full-day professional development workshop on instructional collaboration across disciplines culminated in the creation of a teacher research team, which will analyze the lessons and data culled from lesson study to plan professional development for the coming year, even publishing a research paper on their findings. The Rockville Centre community, students and faculty agree that the best curriculum that the school has to offer is the best curriculum for all, and it is willing to dedicate resources and efforts to make success happen. As Principal John Murphy told us, “We are in a perpetual state of improvement, yet we have a guide star. Our approach to course access, curriculum, and professional development consistently place diversity and collaboration as the keys to success.” That alignment of belief and curriculum has made South Side a true gold School of Opportunity. elaine December 9, 2016 Source The Answer Sheet 9 Dec
Living in Dialogue: Is Educational Research Validating Corrupt Practices in New Orleans? - Living in Dialogue: Is Educational Research Validating Corrupt Practices in New Orleans? In the aftermath of the Trump election, and as our “post fact” politics becomes even worse, it will be interesting to see what school reformers do. Will they double down on their truth-challenged spin on charter schools, or will they become more circumspect in using evidence? The latest report by the Education Research Association on New Orleans school reform, “Extreme Measures: When & How School Closures & Charter Takeovers Benefit Students” stresses the benefits of charter takeovers of failing schools. This is the third in a series of posts on the way that those so-called student performance gains have been exaggerated.  The first two posts are here and here. The technical appendix to the Education Research Association  report of school closures and takeovers in New Orleans states its “main theory” that “the effects of these interventions are driven by the changes in school quality experienced by students.” The ERA’s other theory, I would add, is that quantitative analyses that mostly rely on test scores can assess changes in the quality of actual schools, full of flesh-and-blood educators and students, often without qualitative research into what actually is happening in those buildings. My big complaint with the ERA’s work is that this assumption is especially dubious in a district with an unflinching focus on rising test scores. As the ERA acknowledges, “Research on the authorization decisions of the RSD suggests that the decisions are based almost entirely on test scores.” I suspect it underestimates the way that such a policy can corrupt so many aspects of schooling. The ERA acknowledges, “Based on theory and prior evidence, we expect the effects to be dynamic, starting with an initial disruption around the time of announcement and followed by null or positive effects as students settle into new schools.” After all, it is implausible that the quality of education and the amount of learning would dramatically increase between the time just before and just after the announcement of a school’s closure. But, the ERA study of elementary schools reaches two findings that seem irreconcilable. First, as previous research documents, it adds to the evidence that disruption is the enemy of learning, and that less disruptive methods of school improvement are needed. Second, during the disruptive transition, and before the interventions begin, test scores increase dramatically! They actually increase at the same rate as during the two years after the interventions! The ERA could argue that during the takeover the comparison schools and the intervention schools both saw improved scores before and after the closure announcement. This means that the rate at which intervention schools increased test scores after the takeover was greater in comparison with the rest of NOLA. But, that doesn’t address the fundamental point – it remains unclear whether the rate of increases in scores posted before and after the intervention (and that are virtually identical) are equally or unequally real in that they are due to improved schooling. During this period where adults would be tempted to push out students who make it harder to raise test scores, it would seem to be necessary to document the demographics and outcomes of students at the beginning and the end of the year. After all, the ERA notes, “Attrition is one of the main threats to validity in any longitudinal analysis.” So, one would expect the raw numbers of the students in each of the schools under review would be reported at the beginning and the end of each school year. When regression analyses indicate that it is the higher-challenge students (who school reformers say they want to help) who are being placed at a great risk, I would hope researchers would go into schools and investigate what is actually happening. So, even when the results in Table 4C are presented in such a funky language, I hope the ERA will follow up on the findings which it says are “consistent with the theory that negative effects arise for less committed students if they experience significant disruption.” The ERA should seek a balanced appraisal of the real world outcomes such as “The effects start large and negative for 9th graders and then converge to around zero.” Moreover, if it seeks to determine whether these disruptive and potential destructive interventions produce gains that are real, the ERA should come to grips with the future implications of its finding “Table 5C shows that the same students experiencing large improvements in school value-added to student test scores experienced no effects on high school graduation or college entry.” Finally, the panel discussion which followed the ERA presentation noted the pattern where different providers in various parts of NOLA are likely to propose different types of schools. Even Neerav Kingsland, the former CEO of New Schools for New Orleans, now admits, “A bunch of teaching to the test just jacks up crystallized knowledge but doesn’t really give kids the human capital qualities they need to succeed in the workforce.” Does that mean that NOLA leaders would accept a separate and unequal future where more privileged students receive respectful, holistic and engaging instruction, while the poorer students receive behavioristic No Excuses pedagogies? What do you think? Should this evidence in the technical appendix have been included in the body of the report? Will the ERA address these issues in future research? elaine December 8, 2016 Source Living in Dialogue 8 Dec
Campaign for America’s Future: Tar Heel Heist: How the Charter School Industry is Hijacking Public Ed - Campaign for America’s Future: Tar Heel Heist: How the Charter School Industry is Hijacking Public Ed If the American Dream is still alive – the one that includes a good job and a house with a yard, kids, and a two-car garage – you can see it taking shape in Wake County in the heart of the state of North Carolina. Signs of surging prosperity are everywhere this morning as I make my way to West Lake Middle School in Apex, NC, on the outskirts of Raleigh. What were once sleepy two-lane country roads are now teaming with impatient commuters, school busses, and mini-vans. New housing developments, shopping centers, and office buildings are transforming the rolling Piedmont landscape. Wake County is home to five of the fastest growing cities in the Tar Heel State, which is the state with the nation’s fastest growth in economic output in 2015 at 13.4 percent. At West Lake Middle this morning, cars and busses in the drop-off lane back up out to the main road, where commuter traffic pushes impatiently to get by. I angle my car to a visitor spot because I’m not here to drop off a child. I’m here for a protest rally. The protest is happening because the rising tide of North Carolina’s economic resurgence has yet to raise all boats. Outside the school’s entrance, a gathering of students, parents, and teachers, many carrying signs declaring they are “All In for Public Schools,” listen to a speaker from the state teachers’ association call for better funding for local schools. Another speaker, National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia, exhorts the crowd to “stand up for the needs of our students, our educators, communities, and public schools.” In a conversation with me after the event, she explains, “When you come to a school and see how hard the teachers and staff work to address the challenges they face – the increasing class sizes, the students struggling with poverty, the lack of textbooks and basic supplies – you have to wonder why our political leaders are not working as hard to make sure schools and teachers have what they need.” North Carolina is one of the many states providing public schools less funding per student than in 2008, according to the most recent analysis conducted by the Center on Policy and Budget Priorities. Schools remain below 2008 funding levels despite having to educate nearly 76,000 more students, according to a recent analysis by left-leaning advocacy group NC Policy Watch. The author of that analysis, Lindsay Wagner, finds that many schools have responded to budget hits by cutting textbooks, school supplies, and instruction in non-core subjects such as art and music. A nationwide study on “school funding fairness” conducted by the Education Law Center finds North Carolina is one of the least fair states in the nation, earning a grade of “F” for its education spending in relation to the state’s economic productivity. While the schools struggle with under-funding, they also face increased competition for funds. As Wagner reports, Republicans, who took control of the state legislature in 2010 and the governorship in 2012, are intent on expanding education options in the state by providing some parents with school vouchers to transfer their children to private schools and by increasing the number of charter schools in the state. Charter schools – publically funded but privately operated schools generally free of most state regulations – are a favorite cause of Republican state lawmakers, and some Democrats. Former State Assembly House Majority Leader Paul Stam, who represented Apex until 2016, has said his “‘dream’ is that every public school will someday be a charter school,” according to Bob Geary of The Indy, an independent news outlet that covers the central region of the state. What’s unclear is how a state hell-bent on financial austerity can afford to create what is essentially a new parallel school system of taxpayer supported charter schools. Charter schools take a sizeable cut from the funding pie for education in the Tar Heel state. According to the NC Law Project, local spending on charters exceeds traditional public schools by $215 per student. The study calculates, “If local funds were truly shared equally, charter schools would have sent $3 million to local school districts in FY 14-15.” In my travels around North Carolina – to the state’s three largest school districts – I ask school board members, legal and education experts, and charter advocates to explain how a state that doesn’t seem to adequately fund its existing public school system can afford to add a competitive new one. Complicating the matter is the presence of a rising new sector of for-profit charter schools, many coming to North Carolina from out of state. Few North Carolinians I talk to can explain how these schools make a profit. And if the schools do, it begs the question of whether it is ethical or legal for private interests to profit from education while many schools in the existing system can’t afford adequate learning materials and instructional staff. These questions are not only important to North Carolinians; they are critical to the rest of the nation. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to accelerate the growth of charters nationwide with a proposal to create a $20 billion federal block grant for states to offer families more “school choice.” A key advisor to the president-elect, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, recently stated, “Trump is going to be the best thing that ever happened for school choice and the charter school movement,” according to a New York press outlet. Trump’s nomination for Education Secretary is Betsy DeVos, who has spent millions to advance charter schools and other forms of “school choice” around the country. In Michigan, Devos’ home state, 4 out of 5 charter schools operate for a profit. Her husband Dick founded a charter school in their state. And, according to Education Week, “Expanding school choice has been a philanthropic-focus shared by many members of the wealthy DeVos family, which made its fortune from Amway Corp., the direct sales behemoth.” So far, charter schools make up only about seven percent of the nation’s schools, but with the possibility that charters, under Trump and DeVos, might now explode nationwide, what can the rest of the country learn from North Carolina? A Scramble For Cash My next stop in Wake County is at a Whole Foods grocery store to meet with Wake school board member Christine Kushner. Kushner, a Princeton graduate in public policy who has lived in Wake County for over 20 years, was elected to the board in 2010. Kushner ran unopposed in 2016, which may explain why at our interview, just days before the election, she’s treating herself to “an embarrassingly large bowl of ice cream,” as she puts it. In between spoon-fulls, she talks to me about the challenges Wake County schools face. Responding to growth is at the top of the list. “Wake County adds nearly a kindergarten class every day,” she estimates. Tightened state budgets make Wake’s growth even harder to manage. “When my son started kindergarten in Wake County in 2000,” Kushner recalls, “he had a full time teacher assistant in the class in addition to his teacher.” That’s hardly ever the case since the last state budget cut funding for teacher assistants. “There used to be more adults in the school, which meant teachers had more time to teach,” she recalls. Balancing the effects of growth with inadequate funding is made even more complicated by the growing presence of charters. Charters have whittled away at public school enrollments in Wake County to the point that only 81 percent of eligible students in Wake attend district schools. Charters from outside the district that enroll Wake County students confound budget planning further, as students who transfer to charters take district and state money with them. Frequently, the out-of-district charters are located in counties that spend less per student than Wake spends, which gives the charters an incentive to poach students from Wake rather than their surrounding communities. Should any of those charter students decide they want to return to Wake district schools after the official count day in October – something Kushner contends happens a lot, although she did not provide a specific figure – the charters get to keep the money. Yet, when charters lose students during the school year, they are not required to fill those empty seats, even if they have a waiting list. The financial situation is similar in neighboring Durham County, where I talk with school board member Natalie Beyer. Beyer, a Durham native, has raised three children in the county’s public schools and is a founding member of Parents Across America, an organization that has opposed charter school expansions and called for more accountability of these schools. Durham County’s population has grown more than 11 percent since 2010, when Beyer was elected, according to US Census data. Yet funding is not keeping pace, she maintains. The pressure to find new places to cut clashes with the needs to serve more students with widely varying needs. “Our two most expensive programs serve students who are in prolonged hospital stays and students in juvenile detention,” she tells me. “Are we supposed to abandon those kids?” While funding for the district tightens, the number of charters has nearly doubled from 8, when she took office, to 15, including two new online charters that operate statewide. She tells me about the migration of some 6,500 students from Durham Public Schools to charters every year. Durham County, which has a higher per-pupil expenditure than Wake, loses over 500 students every year to out-of-district charters. In the meantime, Durham County charters poach students from schools in neighboring Orange County, which has the highest per-pupil expenditure in the state. And so the scramble for cash goes as charters are incentivized to pick off students from the most well-off districts so they can maximize their per-pupil revenues. “Hasn’t Been Done Well” In 2011, North Carolina state lawmakers lifted the cap on the number of charters allowed to operate in the state, which had been limited to 100 – a move not only backed by Republicans but also encouraged by the Obama administration’s requirement for Race to the Top grant money, which the state won. In the first three years, 53 new charters opened their doors in the state, raising the charter school student population in the state by 65 percent. Much of the fervor for charters in North Carolina came from conservative lawmakers who promised these schools would be more financially efficient. But the supposed financial efficiency of charters is muddled by the fact these schools don’t have to provide many of the services traditional public schools provide, such as transportation, a hot lunch, and personnel to attend to the needs of students who struggle with English or who have the most challenging physical and emotional issues. Also, in North Carolina only half the teachers in a charter have to be certified, so teachers are often paid a lot less. Research studies on the financial efficiency of charters has found mixed results, yet it does appear they generally spend a higher proportion of funds on administration than public schools spend and lower proportions on instruction. Charters also have development and facility costs and marketing expenses public schools don’t have. Many of the new NC charters quickly found out the financial difficulties of creating and operating a school were insurmountable. Ten of the new schools closed within four years, four during their first year of operation. The closures displaced more than 1,100 students and often left large amounts of taxpayer dollars unaccounted for. “All of our charter school failures have been fiscal failures,” Any Hawn Nelson tells me during a phone conversation. “I am not anti-charter,” she says. “I used to work for a charter and agree with market inspired education reform, if it promotes equity. But [North Carolina’s implementation of charters] hasn’t been done well,” she argues. Nelson, who currently works on research and policy for two agencies connected to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is an expert on the history of Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and is currently working on a book about the district. Nelson contends charter board members and management staff are often overwhelmed by the challenges of financing charter schools, especially during the start up phase. The complications of inter-district migration of students I found elsewhere in the state are present in around Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Nelson confirms. “We have 26 charters in the county, but many are fed by communities across the boarder,” she explains. Numerous charters that ring the district complicate financial planning even further. “There’s no way to predict enrollment,” she states. “And many charter parents like to shop for charters and apply to multiple schools.” Case in point, a local news outlet recently reported that a community school district in neighboring Cabarrus County was blind-sided by a bill for $326,800 in payment for 231 students who transferred to a new charter that opened nearby. “Since these are additional students that we didn’t project and the state didn’t project, you’re left with a bill from the charter school wanting their money,” a local official complains. The charter school that wants its money also happens to be part of a chain of charters operated by Charter Schools USA, a Florida-based for-profit education management organization (EMO). Here Come The For-Profits Charter Schools USA operates over70 schools, mostly in Florida but also in Louisiana, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. CSUSA operates eight schools in North Carolina, five of which opened or expanded in 2016. Another CSUSA school is scheduled to open in 2017. According to Nelson, many North Carolina charter schools are turning to for-profit management companies like CSUSA to help overcome financial problems of starting a school. According to research from the charter industry, the national closure rate for charters in 2011 was 15 percent. Most closed for financial reasons. Only 3 percent of charter schools have ever been closed for academic underperformance. Among those schools that were closed for financial reasons, an overwhelming majority, 90 percent, are “independent, grassroots start-ups.” These start-ups “lack connections to the money and power” that often comes from partnering with private organizations like for-profit EMOs, the analysis says. In North Carolina, the state’s charter governing boards also seem to favor opening new schools that are linked with management groups that are often for-profit and from out of state. As the Charlotte Observer reports, in the first four years after the state’s cap on charters was lifted, “the number of North Carolina charter schools run by a for-profit management company … more than doubled, from eight to 17.” Of the 11 charters approved for 2016, six are operated by for-profit EMOs originating outside the state, including CSUSA, Accelerated Learning Solutions (another Florida-based company), and two new charters operated by National Heritage Academies, a Michigan-based for-profit EMO that already operates 11 charters in the state. Of the eight new charters approved for 2017, four are operated by the same three out-of-state for-profit EMOs. How do these schools make a profit? The best answer the reporter for the Charlotte Observer could find was in management fees for the EMOs, which In North Carolina equal to 7 – 19 percent of total school operational costs. But based on my inquiries, that figure represents a very small part of the profit these schools make. Out Of Michigan And Florida “North Carolina is one those states that is new to the charter game,” Ellen Lipton tells me in a phone call to her office in Michigan – home of National Heritage Academies. NHA is based in Grand Rapids, where Betsy DeVos also lives. “The low per-student funding that tends to characterize Southern states generally kept charter school operators from moving into those states,” she contends. “But now states like Michigan are getting saturated” so the charter chains have decided to move south. Lipton is a Michigan State Representative who has spoken outagainst the spread of charter schools through the state’s Education Achievement Authority, an appointed agency, similar to the Achievement School District North Carolina created last year, that takes over low-performing schools and turns them over to charter operators. According to Lipton, NHA has “fine-tuned” the business of chartering to ensure they make a profit. She points me to a recent investigative report by the Detroit Free Press that finds, “It is difficult to know how charter management companies are spending money … Unlike traditional school districts, the management companies usually don’t disclose their vendors, contracts, and competitive bid documents.” “NHA is a business model based on, not necessarily educating kids, but on being a facilities management company,” Casandra Ulbrich, another Michigan source, tells me. Ulbrich is currently serving her second eight-year term on the Michigan State Board of Education and also works in education administration at a state community college. She tells me how the NHA business model works: First, NHA forms a charter school board to “invite” NHA to manage a new school. The governing board is not independent of the management company, and members of the board can serve on multiple NHA charter boards across the state, thus creating a network of charter school boosters the work on promoting these schools. After securing a contract to manage the new school, NHA purchases a building – it could be a storefront in a strip mall or an abandoned warehouse – and requests approval from an authorizer to open a school there. After the authorization, the charter board signs a lease agreement with Charter Development Company, LLC to take over ownership of the building. Charter Development Company, which has branches in all the states where NHA has schools, has its home office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the same address as the home office of NHA. Now NHA and its related enterprises own the building and its contents, even if desks, computers, and equipment have been purchased with taxpayer money. It receives rent payments from the district. It owns the curriculum the school teaches. And if NHA is ever fired, the charter board – and by extension the district – is in the awkward position of having to buy back its own school. For-profit EMOs justify this arrangement, according to Ulbrich, by arguing that because they take on the risk of starting the school, they deserve the compensation. “That would explain the lease arrangement for the first few years,” Ulbrich counters. “But once the builder gets its money back, why shouldn’t the property revert to ownership by the taxpayers?” Florida-based Charter Schools USA operates much in the same way, according to Sue Legg, a source I’ve used for previous investigative reports on charters in that state. Legg – a public school teacher, college professor, and an administrator of state school assessment contracts at the University of Florida for over 30 years – points me to a recent reportshe authored with Pat Hall for the Florida League of Women Voters. The report explains how CSUSA profits through its host of affiliated businesses including Red Apple Development, Ryan Construction Company, the Florida Charter Education Foundation, and the curriculum software firm Connex. These companies, which are often owned by or employ the same individuals, collaborate to pad their wallets at taxpayer expense. After a charter board signs a lease agreement, the report finds, CSUSA flips the property from Ryan Construction to Red Apple Development, and lease payments are charged out 40 years, with rent and interest adding to the lease payments. “Another 13 to 15 percent is charged by CSUSA for management fees, hence 40 percent of public money is not spent on instructing children,” the authors contend. In a particularly egregious example of corporate self-interest taking precedent over public good, after CSUSA’s construction partner, Ryan Construction, completed work on two new CSUSA schools, Ryan “sold by special warranty deed” the schools to Red Apple Development, CSUSA’s real estate partner. One sold for $1 and the other for $10. After taking over the lease, Red Apple was then able to jack up lrase payments to whatever it wanted. The payment from one school, the one that sold for $1, amounted to $1,325,666 per year, courtesy of the taxpayers. The charter also has to pay capital lease payment increments to Red Apple ranging from $9,540 to $135,300 per month through June 2042. Both schools, of course, are tax-exempt. As CSUSA, and other charter chains, build their networks of schools, their financial dealings become more opaque. “Once there’s a critical mass of schools in a chain like CSUSA,” Legg explains to me in our phone call, “the schools pool their resources to start new schools or loan each other money to stave off financial distress due to low demand. This would never show up in an audit.” Both Ryan Construction and Red Apple Development have several North Carolina charter school properties connected to CSUSA listed in in their portfolios. An Illegal Enterprise? Now that charter chains such as NHA and CSUSA have honed their business model in their homes states, they’re being imported into North Carolina. That’s caught the attention of University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill law professor Tom Kelley who recently wrote a legal review of the schools’ business practices. When I meet with Kelley in his office at UNC, he is just wrapping up work with students involved in the college’s Community Development Law Clinic that involves third-year law students in providing legal counsel to community based nonprofit organizations. More recently, he’s been engaged in projects in Africa examining applications of Western-based law to communities on that continent. Books about African countries are strewn about the floor. What on earth got him interested in examining North Carolina charter schools? “I’m not an opponent of charter schools,” he tells me, having “bought into the bipartisan support” for the schools. Nevertheless, when the state lifted all restraints from the expansion of these schools, he felt the need for someone “without a particular point of view” to look at the potential problems that unbridled charter growth could cause. And because North Carolina charters are legally required to practice as nonprofits, he feels his expertise in nonprofit law seemed suited to examining the potential legal issues with these schools. “There are unexamined but crucially important legal issues,” he tells me. An early flashpoint that caught his attention was the investigative report by Marian Wang for the ProPublica news outlet on a chain of charters in the state owned by businessman Baker Mitchell who, at the time, also served on the states’ Charter School Advisory Board. In her report, Wang finds the four charter schools Mitchell was instrumental in creating all hired the same for-profit management company, Roger Bacon Academies, which is also owned by Mitchell. Virtually every aspect of the RBA schools’ financials is tied to Mitchell’s business relationships. Kelley’s legal review examines the four RBA schools along with 17 other schools, including those managed by CSUSA and NHA, to determine compliance with nonprofit law at the state and federal level. In addition to examining government forms available for the schools, Kelley filed public records requests with each of the schools, asking them to provide copies of all board and committee meeting minutes, copies of all vendor and service contracts, and budget documents. Kelley’s review finds EMOs such as NHA and CSUSA exhibit “troubling indications of noncompliance” with nonprofit law at both state and federal levels. In the case of the Roger Bacon Academy, “Evidence points to nonprofit law violations,” Kelley concludes. Regarding NHA- and CSUSA-managed schools, the review concludes, “Charity regulators should also closely scrutinize: their non-compliance. Kelley alleges NHA is “masking how the charitable dollars are being spent and how much money NHA is taking as profit.” NHA operates its charters as what are known as a “sweeps” contracts, in which almost all of the public funds given to the school are then paid to the for-profit organization. This makes it is almost impossible to audit the real expenses. Typical budget reports from NHA, according to Kelley, “contained so many vague line items that an outside observer would have little idea what the money was actually being spent on.” He notes NHA’s lease arrangements ensure “there is virtually no way for [NHA] to lose money. It takes the nonprofit organization’s money, pays itself whatever it wants in rent (thereby eliminating any debt it incurred in constructing the facility), and reimburses itself for any and all real-estate-related expenses.” In another deft move, NHA’s management contracts explicitly permits the company “to attribute the expenses of shared back-office services to any of its schools, so long as the attribution is ‘reasonable,'” which guarantees costs get obscured in budget reports. Regarding CSUSA, he alleges the organization collaborates with Red Apple Development “to make its charter schools the subjects of lucrative ‘real estate plays.’” He finds “at least some evidence” to indicate CSUSA concealed from state and federal authorities that the management firm would be the school’s landlord. Kelley concludes the EMOs he examined “charge charter-holding nonprofits rent (possibly above-market rent) long after their acquisition-related debts are paid off. Because the management organizations own the schools’ real estate (and, in the case of RBA and NHA, practically everything else the schools need to function), the schools’ boards of directors are virtually powerless to fire them or otherwise alter the relationships.” What The Charter Industry Wants What do charter school proponents in North Carolina think about the business practices of these for-profit charters? To find out, I contact Alex Quigley who serves on the state’s Charter School Advisory Board that recommends to the State Board of Education individual charters for approval and policies for operating all aspects of the schools. Like many of his colleagues on the CSAB, Quigley is in thick with the charter industry, having led a charter school in Durham and now currently serves as managing director for Pave Schools, a charter school chain in New York City and Raleigh, NC. Other CSAB members with ties to the charter industry in North Carolina include Alan Hawkes, who serves on the board of two NHA charters in Guilford County, Eric Sanc 7 Dec

NoTricksZone

2016 Highlights: Tsunami Of Skeptic Papers And Desperate Attempts To Silence Dissenters - 2016 is coming to a close, and I’d like to wish all readers here a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming new year. What follows are some of the main highlights at NTZ in 2016. Overall visitor traffic increased a good 30% since the start of the year. Much of this is due to the hard work of Kenneth Richard who joined as a guest author some months ago. Kenneth writes every Monday and Thursday. His reviews of the latest scientific literature have gotten great attention. Thanks Kenneth! 2016 Highlights January: stable Antarctic, GISS’s shady role Back in January I reported how Dr. Sebastian Lüning and Fritz Vahrenholt wrote about how NASA GISS director Gavin Schmidt had “squandered much credibility” and played “a shady role with the temperature data.” The two German experts went on to say that Schmidt’s “dubious data alterations with the GISS datasets will likely become interesting material for science historians.” Also we reported how Lüning wrote of 5 very recent papers showing that Antarctic ice is much more stable than originally believed. February: 250 papers disputing climate alarmism In February Kenneth Richard made his debut at NTZ, providing a list of over 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers from 2015 casting doubt on climate science! The entire list is here. Also it was underscored what a folly Germany offshore wind energy truly is. A study we reported on shows that the maintenance costs are 100 times more than the cost of the turbine itself. Little wonder Germans are now forced to pay among the highest electricity rates in the world. Technical problems have plagued the German offshore wind industry, read more here. March: Glacier retreat, sea level rise slow down In March we presented new papers showing that glacier retreat and sea level rise are slowing down rapidly. Also read here and here. Claims of rapid sea level rise lost credibility as recent studies indicate only 0.8 – 1.6 mm/year sea level rise. Moreover, Kenneth Richard published a story here on 500 peer-reviewed papers disputing alarmist claims surrounding climate from the year 2014 and 2015. Looks like the IPCC has got a lot of updating to do. April: Embryonic, untrustworthy models We’ve known a long time that climate models are woefully inadequate for making reliable long-term projections, and this was confirmed in a story we wrote on a paper appearing in Nature, where a world-class modeler admitted that models are only at the embryonic stage and are hardly trustworthy. In April a hurricane and winter 2016/17 forecast was issued by David Dilley of Global Weather Oscillations. So far it looks to be impressively right on the money! Dilley also projects a harsh cold period from 2025 to 2060. May: MWP global; CERN confirms Svensmark We saw that the Medieval Warm Period was also prominent in the southern hemisphere and not just a local north Atlantic phenomenon that alarmist scientists insist it was. Also results from CERN confirm the Svensmark theory. More here as well. The sheer hypocrisy of Hollywood stars was exposed once again as Leonardo DiCaprio jet-set across the Atlantic, burning some 30,000 liters of kerosene – all to pick up an environmental award! Also read here and here. We reported here how retired German climate scientist Prof. Dr. Horst-Joachim Lüdecke announced there is no detectable human fingerprint to be found in today’s climate change — and he called the science “a dangerous ideology“. Dutch geologist Gerrit van der Lingen even called it “a mass hysteria” and that historians will one day “shake their heads in disbelief“. June: PIK warns of mini ice age! Faulty models The ultra-alarmist PIK Potsdam Institute released a shocker, warning of a mini ice age — due to solar activity! Kenneth Richard then published a list of 50 papers showing that CO2 climate sensitivity is seriously overstated. He also published a list of 21 papers showing that the models aren’t working very well. July: NASA “data fraud”; ruthless wind industry In July Tony Heller presented NASA’s climate data fraud and how the trends are “manipulated and fake”. So far the video has been viewed at YouTube close to 24,000 times. In July we presented just how ruthless the wind industry can be, where it is suspected they destroyed a stork’s nest to clear the way for wind turbines. This shocked environmentalists. Central Europe’s summer was hardly balmy this year, as a rare snow fell down to 1500 meters elevation in the middle of the summer. The flood of skeptic papers grew in volume, Kenneth Richard wrote. Already just in the first half of 2016 some 240 papers casting doubt over climate alarmism were published. August: No sea level rise signal; oceans drive climate Again many new papers surfaced, obliterating the notion that the climate system is rushing to disaster. With this in mind it is truly unbelievable that a number of attorneys general attempted to silence skeptics using the brute force of the racketeering influenced corrupt organizations (RICO) act. NTZ presented 4 new papers showing there’s been no detectable sea level rise signal. For example the paper by Hansen et al wrote: “Thus, we found that there is (yet) no observable sea-level effect of anthropogenic global warming in the world’s best recorded region.” Later Kenneth Richard wrote there is no relationship between CO2 and temperature over 150 of the last 165 years. He also found 35 new papers showing that the sun and the oceans are the main climate drivers. Even one of the globe’s leading warmist climatologists, Prof. Mojib Latif, conceded that natural oceanic cycles are directly related to tropospheric temperature. Kenneth also posted a list of dozens of papers showing that “global warming is a made-up concept” and that sea level rise is in fact inversely proportional to CO2. September: Hockey stick smashed; no cyclone energy trend! Kenneth presented some 50 scientific publications refuting modern global warming claims. It is becoming increasingly obvious that rapid global warming is merely an artefact of statistical manipulations — all designed to mislead policymakers. And when it comes to cyclones, atmospheric research scientist Dr. Philip Klotzbach confirmed he sees no link between accumulated cyclone energy and global warming over the past 30 years. Moreover a new paper was published and shows that co2-influence on the greenhouse effect since 1992 has been imperceptible. October: Broken models; CO2 is good; no consensus More bad news for modelers appeared when Dr. Sebastian Lüning and Professor Fritz Vahrenholt declared climate models flawed here, claiming that there is no agreement between the models and paleoclimate data. Kenneth also uncovered 20 scientific papers that tell us something we knew all along: higher CO2 and warmer temperatures boost crop yields. Now what could be so bad about that? Also Kenneth showed that the scientific community is in fact a long way from consensus“. Finally NTZ reported how leading leading climate sensitivity scientist Dr. Robert Cess admitted that the IPCC assumptions are erroneous. November: Stable Arctic, hyped science; sun linked to climate Despite the slow start in this winter’s Arctic sea ice recovery (weather-related), Kenneth Richard presented a list of scientific publications showing that there has been no significant net change in Arctic sea extent over the past 80 years. Indeed it’s good to keep your eyes on the big picture. In a presentation, a retired German climate professor declared that climate science is hyped by a sloppy, politically corrupted media. The sun-climate connection keeps getting stronger, as Kenneth Richard uncovered some 300 scientific publications over the past 3 years confirming the link. Little wonder that a French scientist found the powerful solar link as well, claiming that most of the global warming can be attributed to solar activity. AND OF COURSE; HOW COULD ANYONE HAVE MISSED THE GREATEST WRENCH BEING THROWN INTO THE GLOBAL WARMING MACHINERY WITH THE SHOCK ELECTION OF DONALD J TRUMP. December: Stable, frigid Greenland; slow sea level rise Kenneth Richard reaffirmed the collapse of the now infamous hockey stick. He also showed that Greenland is as stable as ever, much colder today than it was several thousand years ago and that glaciers there are now even more advanced than they were back then. Kenneth found more very new literature showing that sea level rise is in fact much slower than claimed, and that claims of a one-meter sea level rise by 2100 are “sheer nonsense”. And with all the inconvenient scientific literature being published lately, and the public’s rejection of the mainstream media and dishonest political parties, the establishment has been forced to contemplate authoritarian counter-measures. Recently in Germany leading (highly misguided) politicians even called for a crackdown on freedom of speech and the formation of a Ministry of Truth. Summary With the huge tsunami of NEW papers disputing the claims of rapid, man-made global warming and the shock election of Donald Trump as President, things are looking awfully desperate for the junk-science fuelled climate alarmism industry. We could all but bury it in 2017. Merry Christmas and a happy and cool new year everybody! -PG  24 Dec
National Weather Service’s Multi-Billion Dollar Models Fail …Totally Botched Forecasts! - If President-elect Donald Trump is looking for places to cut costs, he might want to take a look at the National Weather Service’s seasonal forecasting unit. Yesterday at the Daily Update over at Weatherbell Analytics, veteran meteorologist Joe Bastardi looked at the season forecasts, generated by billion dollar super-computers,  recently put out by NCEP. Turns out they were totally wrong. You have to pity the poor persons who placed their bets on them. The first example is the forecast for North America made by NCEP in November for December: Here we see a warm December was forecast for North America. And you’d think with those billion-dollar super computers and all the years of experience the NWS has accumulated over the past 100+ years, they’d be able to land a general forecast (going out only a few weeks) somewhere in the ballpark, right? Amazingly, they missed the ball park by light years. In fact the very opposite has taken place, at least where people live: You have many industries and institutions who rely on these forecasts in order to get a rough idea of what to expect and thus plan accordingly. Today they have got to be wondering about what has happened. Joe wonders if the NWS models are capable of predicting any cold weather at all. There seems to be an obsession with warmth. Maybe cold no longer exists in the warming fantasy world of government weather forecasting –who knows. Joe points out that he same busted result happened for the November 2014 forecast made in October 2014. Coldest in 50 years The NWS end-of-year forecast for Asia was even worse. Here’s what the NWS projected for the final 3 months of 2016: Clearly they forecast a rather mild late year for the entire Asian continent. Now here is what has happened so far: It was completely wrong! According to Joe, instead of being on the mild side, huge parts of Asia have seen to coldest Oct-Dec period in 50 years! He comments: I’ve never seen anything like this, as bad as this in computer modeling.” We would expect that the Russians are not too impressed with the NWS, and are for sure using their own methods, by now. So what’s wrong? Joe seems to think that the NWS is relying too much on “computer model mathematics” and nowhere near enough on using analogues. Joe’s theory is that if you had very similar weather patterns in the past, then you can use them to help predict today’s weather patterns. I’ve been following Joe for a number of years, and it seems to work quite well for Weatherbell. Of course he’s gotten some wrong, but more often he’s been almost dead on. Slipshod models? Bastardi concludes that his method of using analogue years “has beaten the pants off the big high-powered mathematical models. And we didn’t need billions of dollars to develop this, either“. Forget models predicting 40 years out Joe comments on the model’s failing to see the cold: Here’s what I want to ask you: If you can’t see this, how the heck is it supposed to know down the road 20, 30, 40 years if cooling is going to take place? It goes with what is going on now.” Enjoy the weather. It’s the only (correctly forecast) weather we got!”  23 Dec
The Hockey Stick Collapses: 50 New (2016) Scientific Papers Affirm Today’s Warming Isn’t Global, Unprecedented, Or Remarkable - Two fundamental tenets of the anthropogenic global warming narrative are (1) the globe is warming (i.e., it’s not just regional warming), and (2) the warming that has occurred since 1950 can be characterized as remarkable, unnatural, and largely unprecedented.  In other words, today’s climate is substantially and alarmingly different than what it has been in the past….because the human impact has been profound. Well, maybe.  Scientists are increasingly finding that the two fundamental points cited above may not be supported by the evidence. In 2016, an examination of the peer-reviewed scientific literature has uncovered dozens of paleoclimate reconstructions that reveal modern “global” warming has not actually been global in scale after all, as there are a large number of regions on the globe where it has been cooling for decades.   Even if it was warming on a global scale, the paleoclimate evidence strongly suggests that the modern warm climate is neither unusual or profoundly different than it has been in the past.  In fact, today’s regional warmth isn’t even close to approaching the Earth’s maximum temperatures achieved earlier in the Holocene, or as recently as 1,000 years ago (the Medieval Warm Period), when anthropogenic CO2 emissions could not have exerted a climate impact. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that the warming in recent decades is not even unprecedented within the context of the last 80 years.   That’s because the amplitude of the 1930s and 1940s warm period matched or exceeded that of the warmth in the late 20th and early 21st centuries in many regions of the world.  Furhthermore, between the warmth of the 1930s and ’40s and the warmth of the 1990s to present, there was a very widely publicized cooling period (late 1950s to early 1970s) that was heavily discussed in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Today’s instrumental datasets curiously do not reflect this 20th century warming-cooling-warming oscillatory shape, however, as doing so would not lend support to the modeled understanding that climate is shaped by anthropogenic CO2 emissions, which have increased linearly, not cyclically.  In fact, not only has the high amplitude of the 1930s and 1940s warmth been “adjusted” down or depressed in global-scale representations of instrumental temperatures by NASA or the MetOffice, the substantial cooling (-0.5°C in the Northern Hemisphere, including -1.5°C cooling in the Arctic region) that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s has all but disappeared from today’s temperature graphs. Scientists, meanwhile, keep on publishing their results.  And their results don’t lend support to the narrative that the globe has been synchronously warming, or warming in linear fashion and in concert with the rise in anthropogenic CO2 emissions.  Indeed, in many regions of the world, decadal-scale cooling has occurred since the mid-20th century. Listed below are a collection of 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers published within the last year (2016) undermining the “consensus” position that modern warming patterns are global in extent and synchronization, and that today’s warmth is both unusual and unprecedented.  The first section (1) identifies the regions of the world where there has been no net warming in recent decades.  The second section (2) puts modern climate into its much larger Holocene context, revealing just how insignificant and unremarkable this current (regional) warming trend has been relative to history. ‘Global’ Warming? No Net Warming In These Regions Since Mid Or Late 20th Century De Jong et al., 2016  (Andes, South America) [T]he reconstruction…shows that recent warming (until AD 2009) is not exceptional in the context of the past century. For example, the periods around AD 1940 and from AD 1950–1955 were warmer. This is also shown in the reanalysis data for this region and was also observed by Neukom et al. (2010b) and Neukom and Gergis (2011) for Patagonia and central Chile. Similarly, based on tree ring analyses from the upper tree limit in northern Patagonia, Villalba et al. (2003) found that the period just before AD 1950 was substantially warmer than more recent decades. Zhu et al., 2016 (China) [W]e should point out that the rapid warming during the 20th century was not especially obvious in our reconstructed RLST. Zhang et al., 2016  (Scandinavia) [P]resent-day global mean air temperatures may have been equally high around 1000 years ago during the so-called Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; Lamb, 1969; Grove and Switsur, 1994). However, since regional temperature reconstructions display large variability in the timing and magnitude of the MCA (PAGES 2k Consortium, 2013), this issue has not yet been adequately settled. Hence, there is still a great need to produce and improve empirical proxy data to further our understanding of near and distant climate changes. Zhao et al., 2016 (Greenland Ice Sheet) Sunkara and Tiwari, 2016  (India, Western Himalayas) Turner et al., 2016  (Antarctic Peninsula) Absence of 21st century warming on Antarctic Peninsula consistent with natural variability Tejedor et al., 2016    (Iberian Range, Spain) Chandler et al., 2016 (South Iceland) Analysis of climate data for SE Iceland also indicates that the three periods of ice-frontal retreat [1936-’41, 1951-’56, and 2006-’11] identified are associated with similar summer air temperature values, which has previously been shown to be a key control in terminus variations in Iceland. We, therefore, demonstrated that the coincidence of the most recent phase of ice-frontal retreat at Skálafellsjökull (2006–2011) and warming summer temperatures is not unusual in the context of the last ~80 years. This highlights the need to place observations of contemporary glacier change in a broader, longer-term (centennial) context. Jones et al., 2016    (Southern Ocean)  [C]limate model simulations that include anthropogenic forcing are not compatible with the observed trends. Zhu et al., 2016 (Northeast China) We identified four major cold periods (1839–1846, 1884–1901, 1906–1908 and 1941–1958) and three major warm periods (1855–1880, 1918–1932 and 1998–2013) in the past 211 years. The multi-taper method spectral analysis revealed significant cycles at 48.8, 11.5, 8.9, 3.9, 3.5 and 2–3 years, which might be associated with global climate oscillations and land-sea thermal contrasts, such as the sea surface temperatures, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and solar activity. Rydval et al., 2016  (Scotland) Hasholt et al., 2016 (Southeast Greenland) We determined that temperatures for the ablation measurement periods in late July to early September were similar in both 1933 and the recent period [1990s – present], indicating that the temperature forcing of ablation within the early warm period and the present are similar. Incarbona et al., 2016  (Sicily, Aegean Sea) Solar activity modulates patterns in surface temperature and pressure that resemble NAO phases, through dynamical coupling processes between the stratosphere and the troposphere that transmit the solar signal to the Earth’s surface. Tipton et al., 2016 (Hudson Valley, New York) Ogi et al, 2016  (Greenland, West and South) Zinke et al., 2016  (Indian Ocean) We calibrate individual robust Sr / Ca records with in situ SST and various gridded SST products. The results show that the SST record from Cabri provides the first Indian Ocean coral proxy time series that records the SST signature of the PDO in the south-central Indian Ocean since 1945. … Marked negative Sr /Ca anomalies (warmer) are observed during the first half of the 20th century centred at 1918/19, 1936–1941 and in the period 1948–1951 that exceed anomalies in the 1961 to 1990 reference period. O’Donnell et al., 2016 (Australia SE) Christy and McNider, 2016  (Alabama, U.S.) The time frame is 1883-2014. … Varying the parameters of the construction methodology creates 333 time series with a central trend-value based on the largest group of stations of -0.07 °C decade-1 with a best-guess estimate of measurement uncertainty being -0.12 to -0.02 °C decade-1. This best-guess result is insignificantly different (0.01 C decade-1) from a similar regional calculation using NOAA nClimDiv data beginning in 1895. … Finally, 77 CMIP-5 climate model runs are examined for Alabama and indicate no skill at replicating long-term temperature and precipitation changes since 1895. van As et al., 2016 (Greenland Ice Sheet) We conclude that at our study sites annual net ablation is likely to be larger in recent years than during any previous period in the instrumental era, covering up to 150 years. … [I]n southern Greenland ablation peaked significantly around 1930. While most of Greenland underwent relatively warm (summer) conditions in the 1930s (Cappelen 2015), this was most notable at the more southern locations, resulting in amplified ablation values according to our estimates. JJA [summer] temperatures were higher in 1928 and 1929 than in any other year of the Qaqortoq record, both attaining values of 9.2°C. This suggests that ablation in those years may have exceeded the largest net ablation measured on the Greenland ice sheet ( 2010). Ellenburg et al., 2016  (Southeastern U.S.) Munz et al., 2015  (Arabian Sea) Today’s Climate Still Colder Than Most Of The Last 10,000 Years                                                                Present > Fudge et al., 2016  (West Antarctica)     Harning et al., 2016 (Iceland) Distal lakes document rapid early Holocene deglaciation from the coast and across the highlands south of the glacier. Sediment from Skorarvatn, a lake to the north of Drangajokull, shows that the northern margin of the ice cap reached a size comparable to its contemporary limit by ~10.3 ka. Two southeastern lakes with catchments extending well beneath modern Drangajokull confirm that by ~9.2 ka, the ice cap was reduced to ~20% of its current area. Jalali et al., 2016  (Mediterranean Sea) Several proxy records have documented surface water variability of the Mediterranean Sea during the Holocene (Kallel et al., 1997a, b, 2004; Cacho et al., 2001; Guinta et al., 2001; Rohling et al., 2002; Emeis et al., 2003; Essalami et al., 2007; Frigola et al., 2007; Castañeda et al., 2010; Boussetta et al., 2012; Martrat et al., 2014). Most of them reveal that Mediterranean Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have undergone a long-term cooling punctuated by several cold relapses (CRs; Cacho et al., 2001; Frigola et al., 2007). While orbital forcing likely explains this long-term tendency, solar activity and volcanism contribute to forced variability (Mayewski et al., 2004; Wanner et al., 2011) together with internal variability (i.e. Atlantic multi-decadal variability (AMV), North Atlantic Oscillation; NAO) all together embedded in the multi-decadal scale variability seen in paleorecords. Finsinger et al., 2016   (Romania, Carpathians) 22 Dec
False Alarm: Spate Of New Studies Reject Claim Corals Are In Imminent Danger! - Coral reefs keep cool By Dr. Sebastian Lüning and Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt (German text translated by P Gosselin) Coral horror stories have long been among the favorites of the media. Lately, however, a number of journalists have been taking a closer look at the state of the coral reefs. A good example is an article appearing in the German Spektrum der Wissenschaft (Spectrum of Science) on October 24, 2016, where Kerstin Viering did not allow research results to be swept away under the carpet: Why some coral reefs are defying all the problems Climate change, pollution, over-fishing: Coral reefs do not have it easy today. Some reefs, however, have been holding up amazingly well. A reason for optimism?” Continue reading at Spektrum der Wissenschaft. Currently research is making good progress. Slowly scientists are beginning to understand how corals are able to adapt to changed conditions. A press release from the University of Texas at Austin from November 7, 2016: New Coral Research Exposes Genomic Underpinnings of Adaptation Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have observed for the first time that separate populations of the same species — in this case, coral — can diverge in their capacity to regulate genes when adapting to their local environment. The research, published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, reveals a new way for populations to adapt that may help predict how they will fare under climate change. The new research was based on populations of mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, living around the Lower Florida Keys. Corals from close to shore are adapted to a more variable environment because there is greater fluctuation in temperature and water quality: imagine them as the more cosmopolitan coral, adapted to handling occasional stressful events that the offshore coral are spared. When researchers swapped corals from a close-to-shore area with a population of the same species from offshore waters, they found that the inshore-reef corals made bigger changes in their gene activity than the corals collected from an offshore reef. This enabled the inshore corals to adapt better to their new environment. “It is exciting that populations so close together — these reefs are less than 5 miles apart — can be so different,” says corresponding author Carly Kenkel, currently affiliated with the Australian Institute of Marine Science. “We’ve discovered another way that corals can enhance their temperature tolerance, which may be important in determining their response to climate change.” Differences in gene regulation — the body’s ability to make specific genes more or less active — can be inherited and are pivotal for adapting to environmental change. It was already known that separate populations often develop differences in average levels of gene activity, but now scientists have found that populations can also diverge in their ability to switch genes on and off. “We show that one population has adapted to its more variable environment by developing an enhanced ability to regulate gene activity,” says Mikhail Matz, co-author of the study and an associate professor in the Department of Integrative Biology. Researchers swapped 15 genetically distinct coral colonies from inshore with 15 colonies found offshore to see whether the corals would regulate their genes to match the pattern observed in the local population. After a year, the transplanted populations did show differences: Formerly inshore corals transplanted offshore changed their gene activity dramatically to closely resemble the locals, whereas offshore corals transplanted inshore were able to go only halfway toward the local gene activity levels. In short, corals that originated from the more variable, close to shore environment were more flexible in their gene regulation. The lack of flexibility took its toll on the offshore corals, which did not fare well at the inshore reef and experienced stress-induced bleaching. Their higher bleaching levels were linked to the diminished ability to dynamically regulate activity of stress-related genes, confirming that flexibility of gene regulation was an important component of adaptation to the inshore environment. “We saw different capacity for gene expression plasticity between coral populations because we looked at the behavior of all genes taken together instead of focusing on individual genes,” says Kenkel. “If we hadn’t, we would have missed the reef for the coral, so to speak.” The research was funded by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Environmental Biology. Ten days later the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute issued a hopeful press release showing that some coral reefs are tougher than long believed: Corals Survived Caribbean Climate Change Half of all coral species in the Caribbean went extinct between 1 and 2 million years ago, probably due to drastic environmental changes. Which ones survived? Scientists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) think one group of survivors, corals in the genus Orbicella, will continue to adapt to future climate changes because of their high genetic diversity. “Having a lot of genetic variants is like buying a lot of lottery tickets,” said Carlos Prada, lead author of the study and Earl S. Tupper Post-doctoral Fellow at STRI. “We discovered that even small numbers of individuals in three different species of the reef-building coral genus Orbicella have quite a bit of genetic variation, and therefore, are likely to adapt to big changes in their environment.” “The implications of these findings go beyond basic science,” said Monica Medina, research associate at STRI and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and associate professor at Pennsylvania State University. “We can look forward to using similar approaches to predict demographic models to better manage the climate change-threatened Orbicella reefs of today.” To look back in time, the team of researchers working at the Smithsonian’s Bocas del Toro Research Station and Naos Molecular and Marine Laboratories collected fossils from ancient coral reefs and used high-resolution geologic dating methods to determine their ages. They compared the numbers of fossilized coral species at different time points. One of the best-represented groups in the fossil collections were species in the genus Orbicella. In addition to the fossil collections, they also used whole genome sequencing to estimate current and past numbers of several Orbicella species. Within a single individual there are two copies of their genetic material, and in some instances, one copy is different than the other and is called a genetic variant. The authors first assembled the full genomic sequence of an individual from Florida and then, using it as an anchor, reconstructed the genetic variation contained within single individuals. Depending on the amount of the genetic variation at certain intervals across the genome, the authors were able to recover the population sizes of each species at different times in the past. Between 3.5 to 2.5 million years ago, numbers of all coral species increased in the Caribbean. But from 2 to 1.5 million years ago, a time when glaciers moved down to cover much of the northern hemisphere and sea surface temperatures plunged, the number of coral species in the Caribbean also took a nosedive. Sea levels fell, eliminating much of the original shallow, near-shore habitat. “Apart from the species that exist today, all species of Orbicella that survived until 2 million years ago suddenly went extinct,” write the authors. When huge numbers of species die out, it makes room for other species to move in and for new species to develop to occupy the space the others held. Two species that grow best in shallow water doubled in number at about the same time that their sister species and competitor, the organ pipe Orbicella (O. nancyi) disappeared. When a species declines during an extinction event, it loses more and more genetic variation and sometimes does not have much to work with during the recovery period. Scientists call this a genetic bottleneck. Orbicella was able to recover after the bottleneck. “It’s incredible how predictions from genetic data correlated so well with observations from the fossil and environmental record,” said Michael DeGiorgio, assistant professor of biology at Pennsylvania State University. “We see hope in our results that Orbicella species survived a dramatic environmental variation event,” said Prada. “It is likely that surviving such difficult times made these coral populations more robust and able to persist under future climatic change.” “The in-depth analysis of population size in a now ESA-threatened coral, as well as the release of its genome and that of its close relatives (which are also threatened) would be of great interest to coral reef researchers addressing conservation issues,” said Nancy Knowlton, senior scientist emeritus at STRI, currently at the National Museum of Natural History. Authors are from STRI, the National Museum of Natural History, Pennsylvania State University, University of Iowa, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hudson Alpha Institute of Biotechnology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Natural History Museum and the Systems Biology Institute. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Website: http://www.stri.si.edu. Prada, C., Hanna, B., Budd, A.F., et al. 2016. Empty niches after extinctions increase population sizes of modern corals. Current Biology.” Already in June 2015 Sascha Karberg wrote an impressively balanced article in German weekly Die Zeit: Corals remain cool Water that is too warm lead to the bleaching of corals. However special genes could help protect the reef forming animals. They also appear to do fine with acidification. Corals do not need to wait for the chance gene mutation that would make them fit for the climate warming – the needed gene variants are already at hand. Biologists have discovered this when the crossed corals from warm and old climate zones. In order to prevent the corals from dying off, it would simply be enough to switch corals from different latitudes so that the existing gene variants could spread,”, says Mikhail Matz of the University of Texas in Austin. Read more in Die Zeit. Similar articles appeared at the Austrian ORF and the German Tagesspiegel. What follows is the press release from the University of Texas at Austin dated June 25, 2015: Corals Are Already Adapting to Global Warming, Scientists Say Some coral populations already have genetic variants necessary to tolerate warm ocean waters, and humans can help to spread these genes, a team of scientists from The University of Texas at Austin, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Oregon State University has found. The discovery has implications for many reefs now threatened by global warming and shows for the first time that mixing and matching corals from different latitudes may boost reef survival. The findings are published this week in the journal Science. The researchers crossed corals from naturally warmer areas of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia with corals from a cooler latitude nearly 300 miles to the south. The scientists found that coral larvae with parents from the north, where waters were about 2 degrees Celsius warmer, were up to 10 times as likely to survive heat stress, compared with those with parents from the south. Using genomic tools, the researchers identified the biological processes responsible for heat tolerance and demonstrated that heat tolerance could evolve rapidly based on existing genetic variation. “Our research found that corals do not have to wait for new mutations to appear. Averting coral extinction may start with something as simple as an exchange of coral immigrants to spread already existing genetic variants,” said Mikhail Matz, an associate professor of integrative biology at The University of Texas at Austin. “Coral larvae can move across oceans naturally, but humans could also contribute, relocating adult corals to jump-start the process.” Worldwide, coral reefs have been badly damaged by rising sea surface temperatures. Bleaching — a process that can cause widespread coral death due to loss of the symbiotic algae that corals depend on for food — has been linked to warming waters. Some corals, however, have higher tolerance for elevated temperatures, though until now no one understood why some adapted differently than others. “This discovery adds to our understanding of the potential for coral to cope with hotter oceans,” said Line Bay, an evolutionary ecologist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville. Reef-building corals from species in the northern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea are similar to those used in the study. There, too, reefs may benefit from conservation and restoration efforts that protect the most heat-tolerant corals and prioritize them for any restoration initiatives involving artificial propagation. “This is occasion for hope and optimism about coral reefs and the marine life that thrive there,” Matz said. In addition to Matz and Bay, the study’s authors were Groves Dixon, Sarah Davies and Galina Aglyamova at UT Austin and Eli Meyer of Oregon State University. This study was supported by funds from the National Science Foundation and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. View a slideshow of images from the Great Barrier Reef.”  21 Dec
Horrible Irony …Merkel Recently Said Germany Needed Immigrants: “Everywhere Truck Drivers Are Being Sought” - Germany is in shock after yesterday’s terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas market, which is a stark symbol of German culture. The latest figures show 12 dead and 48 injured – some seriously. Also the Polish driver of the hijacked truck allegedly was killed. Already accusations are flying back and forth, with some on the right claiming Merkel bears some responsibility for the attacks by allowing a tsunami of immigrants to flood across Germany uncontrolled in 2015. Meanwhile Merkel proponents and the media are accusing the right of exploiting the tragedy for political gains. Influential U.S. conservative Drudge Report featured Tuesday Angela Merkel as having “blood on her hands”. Amid the tragedy there’s the horrible irony that just some three months ago German national daily Die Welt here published a piece with the title: ‘Truck drivers wanted’ – Merkel gives refugees tips” Die Welt reported that Merkel was working hard to “rapidly integrate the refugees” and called on industry to get involved. Merkel said that refugees would be able to trade in their driver’s licenses for a German one for 500 euros, but that of course loans need to be offered to help them finance it. Paying back the loan should be no problem, Merkel said: When one earns, he can then pay this 500 euros back. Everywhere truck drivers are being sought.” Merkel’s idea, it seems, is to give tens of thousands of Middle Eastern refugees driver licenses for semis. The latest attacks is just the most recent in a series that have plagued the country since the recent wave of refugees. Just two days ago, on Sunday, a Munich woman was raped and nearly beaten to death while jogging in the famous English Garden. The police were shocked by the sheer brutality of the attack. Currently there is no evidence linking the attack to a migrant. In November, a 24-year old was attacked and raped in Munich as well. Just weeks earlier the highly publicized case of the rape and murder of a 19-year-old medical student at the hands of a teenage Afghan refugee sparked outrage against the “open door” asylum policy of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The student was the daughter of EU parliamentarian and had done volunteer work for refugees. Other terrorists attacks have occurred, with 4 being stabbed on a train earlier this year. In one of Germany’s worst attacks, hundreds of women were sexually assaulted, attacked or robbed at New Year’s eve festivities in Cologne. The UK tabloid “The Sun” here presents a summary of this year’s bloody attacks in the country. Price for earlier policy negligence The media, who are cozily in bed with Germany’s ruling grand coalition government, have been falling all over themselves praising the “calmness and professionality” of the authorities in dealing with the aftermath of the attack. Indeed they have done an excellent job. But one gets the sense that the praise is being used to distract the public’s attention from the government’s initial immigration policy failure and fiasco that led to the uncontrolled tsunami of “refugees” in the first place back in 2015. Germany’s heightened security threat and overall anxiety would not exist today had it not been for the German government’s and EU’s border negligence. Germany’s sense of security now violated Germany’s sense of freedom and security have been violated. Citizen’s have had to change their habits and attitudes with respect to public safety. Citizens, especially women, no longer feel safe outside after dark and are opting to stay home. And those that wish to continue on as before now must summon up the courage to do so, knowing full well that public places and events are now targets. The carefree days are over, squandered by Merkel’s misguided do-gooding. Increasingly Merkel is coming under massive fire for a string of policy failures over the past years that include the refugee crisis, renewable energy flop, Greece bailout, frayed relations with Russia and Turkey, European Union collapsing, and the slander of dissident views.  20 Dec
Scientists: 1930s Ice Melt Rates In Greenland, Iceland Were The Same As Today…No Net Ice Loss In 80 Years - “[T]he coincidence of the most recent phase of ice-frontal retreat…and warming summer temperatures is not unusual in the context of the last ~80 years.” — Chandler et al., 2016 All too often, scientific analysis of modern glacier and ice sheet melt rates is conveniently confined to the last 30 to 60 years.  Indeed, the common reference period for determining current glacier and ice sheet surface mass balance estimates marks the three decades between 1961-1990, which “coincidentally” happens to contain some of the coldest decadal-scale temperatures of the last few hundred years — when glaciers were observed to be advancing relative to the period centered around the 1930s.   Contemporary scientists routinely reported on these observations (a rapidly cooling climate, advancing glaciers) in scientific journals.  For example: Gordon, 1981   “Since about 1968/69 the glacier fronts have advanced by up to 158 m following a marked climatic recession [cooling] during the 1960s and early 1970s. In general, fluctuations of the glaciers have been in sympathy with prevailing climatic trends and show a relatively rapid response following temperature changes.” Andrews et al., 1972    “Mean summer temperatures have declined throughout the 1960s to a level cooler than for approximately 40 yr.  … The net effect has been for heavier falls of snow in winter and with lower summer temperatures and therefore less melting (Jacobs et al, 1972), resulting in notably increased glacierization. … at least two corries snowfree in 1960 are presently occupied by incipient glaciers. …  The present  Neoglacial ice is nearly as extensive as the late glacial stade.” Schneider, 1974    “In the last century it is possible to document an increase of about 0.6°C in the mean global temperature between 1880 and 1940 and a subsequent fall of temperature by about 0.3°C since 1940.  In the polar regions north of 70° latitude the decrease in temperature in the past decade alone has been about 1°C, several times larger than the global average decrease.” Chi-chun and Pen-hsing, 1978     “Research on glacier fluctuations shows that the Little Ice Age was also experienced here with maxima occurring during the 19th century.  This was followed by a strong retreat from the 1930s with recent signs of the initiation of a new period of glacier advance.  … Our on-the-spot investigations, documental records and information local residents all tell us that, beginning in the thirties, the glaciers in Tibet underwent a period of strong retreating. The air temperature began to fall after the fifties. From meteorological records, we know that the temperature in the sixties was universally 0.7°C or so lower than in the fifties“ Hollin, 1965     “‘Surges’ and ‘catastrophic advances’ in glaciers have received increasing attention recently.  More than forty such events have been reported from Alaska and northwest Canada alone.” Recently published illustrative reconstructions of the 1961 to 1990 period for the high Northern latitudes also indicate a significant drop in temperature (relative to the 1920s to 1940s) during this reference or baseline period.  For example: Hasholt et al., 2016   “We determined that temperatures for the ablation measurement periods in late July to early September were similar in both 1933 and the recent period [1990s – present], indicating that the temperature forcing of ablation within the early warm period and the present are similar.” Box et al., 2009   “The annual whole ice sheet 1919–32 warming trend is 33% greater in magnitude than the 1994–2007 warming. … The 1955–82 cooling phase was most significant during autumn in east and southern Greenland.” So by directly comparing the modern warm phase (1990s-present) in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere to a cool phase (1961-1990), and by failing to include the 1920s to 1940s warm period in their baseline determinations, scientists can conveniently report “accelerated” ice melt rates for recent decades — and thus provide headline material for media outlets (and policy makers) actively promoting the “dangerous” global warming agenda. ‘Present-Day Changes Are Not Exceptional’ On the occasion when scientists extend their glacier or ice sheet studies back to periods earlier than the 1950s, a significantly non-alarming conclusion emerges that does not support the modern zeitgeist that says “catastrophic” and “unprecedented” ice melt is occurring today.  For example, in “Surface mass-balance changes of the Greenland ice sheet since 1866,” Wake et al., 2009  write: “All SMB [surface mass balance] estimates are made relative to the 1961–90 average SMB and we compare annual SMB estimates from the period 1995–2005 to a similar period in the past (1923–33) where SMB was comparable, and conclude that the present-day changes are not exceptional within the last 140 years.” Investigation Of Long-Term Glacier Melt Rates For Iceland Reveal No Net Change In 80 Years Two new (2016) papers lend further support to the conclusion that there currently is nothing unusual happening in the cryosphere.  In their paper “Recent retreat at a temperate Icelandic glacier in the context of the last ~80 years of climate change in the North Atlantic region”, Chandler et al., (2016) compare 3 periods with high glacier-melt rates: 1936-’41, 1951-’56, and 2006-2011.  They find that not only were the temperature changes comparable for all three periods, but so was the rate and magnitude of ice recession.  In fact, the retreat rates were determined to be higher during the earlier periods (1930s, 1950s) than during the 21st century. Chandler et al., 2016 (Iceland Glaciers) “[W]e calculated ice-frontal retreat rates [Skálafellsjökull glacier, SE Iceland]  since the 1930s. From the calculated record of ice-front retreat, we recognised two pronounced periods of glacier recession [1936-’41 and 1951-’56] for comparison with the most recent phase of retreat (2006–2011). We undertook quantitative analysis to examine variability between these three periods of retreat, and showed that they are comparable both in style and magnitude. Analysis of climate data for SE Iceland also indicates that the three periods of ice-frontal retreat [1936-’41, 1951-’56, and 2006-’11] identified are associated with similar summer air temperature values, which has previously been shown to be a key control in terminus variations in Iceland. We, therefore, demonstrated that the coincidence of the most recent phase of ice-frontal retreat at Skálafellsjökull (2006–2011) and warming summer temperatures is not unusual in the context of the last ~80 years. This highlights the need to place observations of contemporary glacier change in a broader, longer-term (centennial) context.” Investigation Of Long-Term Ice Sheet Melt Rates For Greenland Reveal No Net Change In 80 Years A total of 13 scientists (van As et al., 2016) contributed to another new paper entitled “Placing Greenland ice sheet ablation measurements in a multi-decadal context“, a comprehensive analysis of changes to the Greenland Ice Sheet since the 1880s.  Once again, the results do not advance the cause for alarm about modern ice sheet melt trends.  The longer-term temperature changes for the ice sheet indicate a sharp warming during the 1920s and 1930s, a pronounced cooling trend during the 1960s to early 1990s (which is once again used as the reference period for this study), and then a subsequent warming after about 1995.  Both temperature peak (1930s and 2006-’11) periods were similar in magnitude. van As et al., 2016 [I]n southern Greenland ablation peaked significantly around 1930. While most of Greenland underwent relatively warm (summer) conditions in the 1930s (Cappelen 2015), this was most notable at the more southern locations, resulting in amplified ablation values according to our estimates. JJA [summer] temperatures were higher in 1928 and 1929 than in any other year of the Qaqortoq record, both attaining values of 9.2°C. This suggests that ablation in those years may have exceeded the largest net ablation measured on the Greenland ice sheet (2010). Although van As et al. (2016) indicate that it is “likely” that the amplitude of the ablation (melting) volume in recent decades has been more pronounced than during the 1930s, the depicted trend lines for the (4) Greenland Ice Sheet regions that extend back to at least 1900 indicate that 3 out of the 4 ablation amplitudes for the 1930s were comparable to, or exceeded, what has occurred in recent decades. In fact, a composite of the four trend lines shown above suggests no significant differences in ablation rates between the 1920s-1930s and the 21st century. Other scientists (Fettweis et al., 2008, below) have previously reached the conclusion that modern ice sheet and glacier recession is not only not unusual in the context of the last century, the surface mass balance loss in recent decades may have yet to exceed the losses from the 1930s period.   When also considering that the ice sheet cooled considerably and gained mass between the 1960s and 1990s, it would be fair to say that there has been no net mass loss for the Greenland Ice Sheet in the last 80 years, or since anthropogenic forcing is believed to have exerted an “unprecedented” and potentially “catastrophic” influence on the climate. Fettweis et al., 2008    “These estimates show that the high surface mass loss rates of recent years are not unprecedented in the GrIS [Greenland Ice Sheet] history of the last hundred years. The minimum SMB rate seems to have occurred earlier in the 1930s and corresponds to a zero SMB rate. … The results show that the GrIS surface mass loss in the 1930s is likely to have been more significant than currently due to a combination of very warm and dry years.” 19 Dec
1977 Spiegel Warned Of Little Ice Age Soon: “Widespread Glaciation” …”Temperature Has Fallen 0.3°C”! - Back in the 1970s, many media outlets warned of global cooling and even a possible coming ice age. For example here I wrote about how Spiegel in 1974 grimly reported of threatening global cooling and that the odds of global warming were “at best” only 1 in 10,000! Current warm period “coming to an end” It turns out that the flagship German weekly news magazine here also warned of global cooling on January 10, 1977, citing leading global climate scientists: The current warm period, they forecast, is coming to an end.” In the article Spiegel describes summertime conditions in Europe at the peak of the last ice age, some 18,000 years ago, which “American and European scientists have precisely reconstructed” and ascertained how it had been “very much warmer 120,000 years ago then it is today.” Spiegel described the works of “Climap”, which had involved scientists from 17 universities charged with the goal of researching the “long term fluctuations of the earth’s climate and developing models for the long-term forecasts“. Also “Climap studied the interrelationships on a decadal scale between the world’s oceans, the atmosphere and the continents as well as the cosmic effects“. Spiegel wrote how it had been discovered that ice ages had been the normal over the past million years and that the current Holocene had been just a break in the cold. All of this had been driven by solar-earth orbital variations, among other theories that had been proposed: solar irradiance, cosmic dust, changing earth’s magnetic fields, volcanic aerosols, CO2 distribution over the oceans, polar ice cap extent, ocean currents, etc., the article wrote. “Widespread glaciation” Spiegel described that Climap expert James D. Hays, John Imbrie and Nicholas J. Shackleton had examined the Milankovitch cycles and this had led them to conclude that changes in the earth’s orbit had been the “fundamental cause” of the cycles between ice age and warm periods. Spiegel quoted the scientists: The trend for the next 20,000 years is headed for a widespread glaciation of the northern hemisphere. and a colder climate.” Spiegel added: The earth’s orbit, namely after having been extremely elliptical, is again approaching a circular form, which is characteristic for the ice ages.” Temperature drop of 0.3°C since 1940s Spiegel warned of dire consequences: Since the mid 1940s, for example, the mean annual temperature has fallen 0.3° Celsius: and indeed snow and ice area during this time has expanded by more than a tenth. Also the droughts in the African Sahel zone and the past summers in Europe are being ascribed to the minimally seeming heat loss.” CIA warning! Spiegel also wrote that even the CIA had taken the findings very seriously: America’s intelligence service in any case already summarized the Climap findings in a warning to the US government. The CIA prophesized that the climate would soon simulate soon once again the 1600 to 1850 so-called Little Ice Age — ‘a time of drought, hunger and political unrest’.”  18 Dec
Experts: Green-Preaching Germany To Miss 2020 Climate Targets By A Mile… “An Illusion”! - The online Germany-based International Business Forum for Regenerative Energies (IWR) here writes that the country will fail to reach its 2020 climate targets, despite tens of billions of euros invested in green energies such as wind and solar, and all its incessant green pontification. An expert commission appointed by the government recently released its 5th Monitoring Report on the Energiewende (transition to renewable energies), which examined the progress being made by the German government. Result: There has been no progress. Failure. Germany had given itself the target of reducing CO2 emissions 40% by 2020 compared to levels in 1990 (just before the shutdown of East Germany’s rundown, energy-inefficient, communist-planned economy). Chart source: UBA Umweltbundesamt (Federal Office of the Environment). According to the 170-page Monitoring Report, Germany had seen a CO2 savings of 27.2% as of 2015. But the commission, made up of four experts, sees current German efforts as totally inadequate if it wishes to reach the 40% mark by 2020. Indeed German CO2 emission reductions have stalled over the last 7 years (see chart above), despite 3 warmer than normal winters. The country’s CO2 emissions in fact rose by 1% in 2015. The commission concludes that there’s “a great need to act” if Germany wishes to reach its target. However, the recent action by the German government in fact appears to be just the opposite. Efforts to cut back on efforts to expand wind and solar power recently have been watered down. Moreover a surge of nearly a million refugees will only serve to boost demand for energy. Overall the commission sees only a very low probability, near zero, of the country in fact reaching the target. The IWR writes that the result “is no surprise” and that it already had been expected back in 2013. According to IWR Director Dr. Norbert Allnoch: Achieving the climate targets by 2020 back then was already an illusion.” Allnoch criticizes that he sees no way of reaching the targets. In a nutshell the German government is simply not doing anywhere near enough, and that it is really not anywhere near as serious about the endeavor as the country likes to have others believe it is. Germany obviously has no intentions of fulfilling the Paris Agreement, and that all its talk about cutting greenhouse gas emissions is mostly bluff and moral grandstanding. True the country has spent tens of billions of euros in its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but as the last 7 years show, there’s been no result. This is probably very discouraging and painful to accept — and quite embarassing.  17 Dec
Current Solar Cycle Weakest In 2 Centuries! And Grant Foster’s “Far-Fetched” Model Claims - The Sun in November 2016.  And models coming back to reality By Frank Bosse and Fritz Vahrenholt (Translated/edited by P Gosselin)The star at the center of our solar system last month again approached bottom with its solar activity. The monthly mean for sunspot number (SSN) was 21.4. Just how low this is, is clearly illustrated by comparing it to other solar cycles. SSN in November was only 36% of the mean of the previous 23 cycles 96 months into the cycle. The data are plotted in the following chart:Figure 1: The monthly SSN of solar cycle (SC) 24 (red) since December 2008 compared to the mean of the previous 23 observed solar cycles (blue) and the similar SC 5 (black). Over the past 8 years of the current cycle, activity has been only 56% of the mean. The following chart shows all 24 solar cycles — 8 years into the respective cycle: Figure 2: The activity of the previous 24 systematically observed cycles since 1755 is compared. The numbers result from the summed accumulated monthly anomalies from the mean value (blue curve in Figure 1) — 96 months into the cycle. SC24 activity up to the current month is dropping rapidly. There are many indications of a protracted end of the cycle with few sunspots. In January 2017 we will assess the sun’s polar fields. The suspense is building because what we suspect with respect to the next cycle is becoming more and more solid as we get closer and closer to the sunspot minimum. A quick look at the new data all points to another weak cycle ahead. ===================================== And it is widely accepted that weak cycles are associated with cooling climate conditions. Little wonder an increasing number of scientists are retreating from runaway warming predictions. Sexed up climate models And as the evidence of much slower warming grows, climate modelers have been scrambling to get their models back in line with observations, Bosse and Vahrenholt write. A recent new paper appearing on November 30, 2016 has created some controversy. Thomas Knutson and his colleagues of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of the NOAA at Princeton examined the warming slowdown we have seen since 1997. They conclude that it is due to large internal variability, one that is larger than assumed by climate models. They find: Nonetheless, if CMIP5 models overestimate the TCR (forced warming rate), internal climate variability may have also played a significant role in the late 20th century global warming.” “Internal variability” is in fact just another name for natural factors, and the authors suspect that there is a significant probability of a reduced warming trend for the future – like we have been seeing since 1997. Their findings confirm what a number of scientists have suspected already: CO2 has been greatly exaggerated as a climate-driving factor. Ocean cycles are turning out to be playing a major role and rising CO2 concentrations are not leading to a climate catastrophe after all. The climate catastrophe is only showing up in IPCC models. Grant Foster’s far-fetched claims Bosse and Vahrenholt write that proponents of high CO2 climate sensitivity are upset by these new, non-alarmist findings. Grant Foster at his site “Tamino” claimed flaws in the findings, commenting: I consider its many, and very serious, flaws to be telling evidence that the whole “slowdown” idea was misguided from the very start.” But Bosse and Vahrenholt claim that “Tamino“ first ought to carry out a few simple operations before making such far-fetched claims about peer-reviewed papers, and so present all trends in “Tamino’s“  own datasets since 1951 that are at least 15 years long – and all end at 2015. Figure 4: Trends of global temperature (GMST) with the start year on x axis until 2015. The steep drop since 1997 is clear to see. The AMO trends (violet) are also plotted. The slowdown in the warming rates after 1997 compared to the values after ca. 1975 are not what Tamino (Grant Foster) claims they are. Rather they are in fact real. Figure 4 clearly shows that the AMO (violet) sets the pace, with its trend some 4 years ahead of the GMST. Getting back to real physics In summary observations show that there is a TCR that is not more than 1.35°K for a doubling of CO2 atmospheric concentration. Anything over that is just “modeling hype”, write Bosse and Vahrenholt. What does it all mean? Vahrenholt and Bosse summarize? When models predict a warming of 2°C, observations tell us it is actually only 1.4°C — which is really not a catastrophe.  So let’s keep the focus on physics, which deals with the evaluation of observations,  and stays away from catastrophe scenarios!”   16 Dec
Scientists: Greenland Is Now Much Colder With More Advanced Ice Sheet Margins Than 90% Of The Last 7,500 Years - Fifteen international scientists recently collaborated to assemble one of the most comprehensive analyses of temperature and ice sheet changes for Greenland and the Canadian Arctic ever produced.  Briner et al., (2016) synthesized over 100 records from a large and accumulating database to publish “Holocene climate change in Arctic Canada and Greenland” in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews. The results are not good news for those who wish to maintain that today’s Greenland Ice Sheet is losing ice area at an unprecedentedly accelerated rate, or that modern temperature values for the Arctic region are dangerously high.  Greenland’s Ice Sheet has a larger ice extent now than it has had for most of the last 7,500 years; only the Little Ice Age period (~1300-1900 A.D.) had more ice mass.   And both regions (Canadian Arctic and Greenland) are still 1 to 2°C colder now than they were just a few thousand years ago. The Greenland Ice Sheet Is Now At Nearly Its Highest Extent In The Last 7,500 Years In the climate alarmism world, the Greenland Ice Sheet has been cooperating with the ice-is-melting-faster-than-ever paradigm for decades.   For headline-creators who warn of “ominous” and “catastrophic” rates of change — and how humans are to blame for most of it —  the Greenland Ice Sheet has been losing mass at “unprecedented” rates since the 1990s.  For example:  The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing 110 million Olympic size swimming pools worth of water each year.  … ‘The Arctic Is Unraveling,’ Scientists Conclude After Latest Sobering Climate Report – Unprecedented warming has sent the Arctic into uncharted territory, says latest NOAA report … Alert! Greenland’s Ice Now Melting At Catastrophic Speed But what does  “unprecedented” actually mean with regard to ice loss or temperature change in the Arctic?  Effectively, precedence only extends back to the beginning of the 20th Century in most cases.  Some may only extend precedence back to the 1961-1990 period, which is the baseline for nearly all surface mass balance estimates.   So ice is said to be melting faster than any time since 1900, or since 1961-1990.   But consider that in 1900, with centuries of solar minima and large-scale volcanic eruptions leading to plummeting Little Ice Age temperatures,  the Greenland Ice Sheet had accumulated more ice and expanded its margins more than at any time in the last 7,500 years.  And as the 15 scientists contributing to Briner et al. (2016) reveal in this encapsulating graph from the paper, the Greenland Ice Sheet’s surface area has only negligibly retreated from that high point (~1900).  Today’s ice sheet extent is still among the highest of the Holocene. Briner et al., 2016     “The Greenland Ice Sheet retracted to its minimum extent between 5 and 3 ka [5,000 and 3,000 years ago], consistent with many sites from around Greenland depicting a switch from warm to cool conditions around that time.” Taking a closer look at what this graph depicts, we first of all can clearly see that Greenland’s ice sheet reached its much-lower-than-now  minimum extent between 6,000 and 2,000 years ago, with the absolute lowest levels between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago.  This millennial-scale ice sheet recession took place at a time when an anthropogenic influence was non-existent, and when CO2 levels were safely in the range of 260 ppm – about 140 ppm lower than today’s levels (400 ppm). And as mentioned above, it is also clearly discernible that the modern Greenland Ice Sheet extent has not only not fallen outside the range of natural variability, it barely even falls below the coldest centennial-scale periods of the last 10,000 years (the Little Ice Age).  Here is a much closer look (with annotations) at the last ~1,500 years of Greenland Ice Sheet area changes as shown in Briner et al. (2016): Greenland and Canadian Arctic Temperatures Were 2°C Warmer Than Now For Most Of The Last 10,000 Years Not only did Greenland’s ice sheet margins experience far greater retreat and higher melt rates during most of the last 7,500 years, but Greenland’s (and the Canadian Arctic’s) temperatures were also much warmer than today’s during the Holocene too.  Below are some of the summarizing comments from Briner et al. (2016) describing the temperature changes for this region.  Again, these much warmer temperatures occurred while CO2 levels were in the 260 ppm range. “The temperature decrease from the warmest to the coolest portions of the Holocene is 3.0 ± 1.0 °C on average (n = 11 sites).  … The temperature record, which integrates all seasons, shows rapid warming from the onset of the Holocene until ~9.5 ka [9,500 years ago], relatively uniform temperature at the millennial scale until ~7 ka [7,000 years ago], followed by ~3.5 °C temperature decline to the Little Ice Age [1300-1900 C.E.], followed by ~1.5 °C warming to today.  [Today’s Greenland Ice Sheet temperatures are 2.0 °C colder than the Early and Middle Holocene] .  The record also shows centennial-scale variability on the order of 1-2 °C, and a ~3 °C temperature oscillation during the 8.2 ka event.” “Reconstruction results [Canadian Arctic] showed that summers warmer than today (~1 to 2 °C) prevailed prior to 4-3 ka [4,000 to 3,000 years ago]. … At Qipisarqo Lake [Greenland], pollen data indicate a sharp increase in July air temperature of 3-4 °C at 7.5-7.0 ka [7,500 to 7,000 years ago] and higher temperatures until 5.5-5.0 ka [5,500 to 5,000 years ago]. After 5 ka [5,000 years ago], a progressive cooling of 1-2 °C is inferred.” Another synopsized graph from the paper depicting the temperature changes for each region of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic yields a clear and decisive verdict: modern Arctic-region temperature changes are not unusual or unprecedented. Other New Papers Confirm That Modern Temperatures, Ice Loss Not At All Unusual For the Arctic Region In the last few decades, the interior of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been melting at a slower rate than it did for 95% of the last 9,000 years according to scientists publishing in the journal Science.  This finding is similar to the aforementioned conclusion that the ice extent for the Greenland Ice Sheet is now higher than it was for more than 90% of the last 7,500 years, rendering recent “losses” relatively insignificant and well within the range of natural variability. MacGregor et al., 2016 [press release] (Greenland Ice Sheet) “[I]ce flow in its [the Greenland Ice Sheet’s] interior is slower now than the average speed over the past nine millennia.” “[T]he interior of the GrIS [Greenland Ice Sheet] is flowing 95% slower now than it was on average during the Holocene [the last 9,000 years].” — Fortin and Gajewski (2016) find that the central Canadian Arctic has not warmed in the last 150 years, and that the region was 3°C warmer than now just a few thousand years ago. Fortin and Gajewski, 2016 (Canadian Arctic) “A study of chironomid remains in the sediments of Lake JR01 on the “Boothia Peninsula in the central Canadian Arctic provides a high-resolution record of mean July air temperatures for the last 6.9 ka …. Biological production decreased again at ~ 2 ka and the rate of cooling increased in the past 2 ka, with coolest temperatures occurring between 0.46 and 0.36 ka [460 and 360 years ago], coinciding with the Little Ice Age. Although biological production increased in the last 150 yr, the reconstructed temperatures do not indicate a warming during this time. … Modern inferred temperatures based on both pollen and chironomids are up to 3°C cooler than those inferred for the mid-Holocene.” — Spolaor et  al., 2016 [press release] (Arctic Ocean, Region) “Researchers have found that 8000 years ago the Arctic climate was 2 to 3 degrees warmer than now, and that there was also less summertime Arctic sea ice than today.” Other Recent Reconstructions Of Greenland, Canadian Arctic Climate Also Do Not Indicate ‘Unprecedented’ Modern Changes Lecavalier et al., 2013 (North Greenland) Levy et al., 2013  (Greenland Ice Sheet) Andersen et al., 2004 (North Iceland Shelf, East Greenland, Vøring Plateau SSTs) “Our results show that the Nordic Seas circulation system is highly sensitive to the large-scale insolation [surface solar radiation] changes as the general Holocene climate development follows closely the Northern Hemisphere insolation. … Century-scale surface current variability for the Holocene is shown to be 1 – 1.5°C for the Vøring Plateau and East Greenland shelf, and 2.5– 3°C on the North Ice-land shelf. … The first cooling [East Greenland Shelf SSTs] from 2400 to 2000 cal years BP was introduced by a 1.5°C temperature drop starting at 3000 cal years BP which culminated in an SST low around 2100 cal years BP. The second cooling occurred around 300 cal years BP and preceded a rapid warming [during the 1700s A.D.] , where SSTs rose with more than 1.5°C within 70 years. The third cooling took place in the second half of the last century. Until the last three centuries, SST variability atthis site has been 1°C, while SSTs varied with amplitudes of 1.5– 2°C during the last 300 years.” Cook et al., 2009  (Canadian Arctic) Remember The Larger Context For Claims Of ‘Unprecedented’ Arctic Change Geologist Dr. Don Easterbrook offers a cogent summarizing perspective on the modern levels of relative Arctic quiescence. Easterbrook, 2016 “In the past 500 years, Greenland temperatures have fluctuated back and forth between warming and cooling about 40 times, with changes every 25–30 years. … Comparisons of the intensity and magnitude of past warming and cooling climate changes show that the global warming experienced during the past century pales into insignificance when compared to the magnitude of profound climate reversals over the past 25,000 years. At least three warming events were 20–24 times the magnitude of warming over the past century, and four were 6–9 times the magnitude of warming over the past century.” So the next time we read a headline that uses words like dangerous and catastrophic and unprecedented to refer to Arctic temperatures or ice mass losses, let’s remember that the far larger context strongly suggests that modern changes in the Arctic are comparatively minor, even negligible.15 Dec

NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT » Feed

Happy Xmas -     Happy Xmas to everybody!     And all thanks to all of you who read and comment. It makes the whole thing all worthwhile.     Paul 03:30
BBC’s Arctic “Heatwave” Occurs Regularly - By Paul Homewood   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38417198   More Arctic alarmism from the BBC:   Temperatures at the North Pole could be up to 20 degrees higher than average this Christmas Eve, in what scientists say is a record-breaking heatwave. Climate scientists say these unseasonably warm weather patterns in the Arctic region are directly linked to man-made climate change. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38417198   Unsurprisingly, scientists know it’s man made because that’s what their models tell them:   Dr Friederike Otto, a senior researcher at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute told BBC News that in pre-industrial times "a heatwave like this would have been extremely rare – we would expect it to occur about every 1,000 years". Dr Otto added that scientists are "very confident" that the weather patterns were linked to anthropogenic climate change. "We have used several different climate modelling approaches and observations," she told BBC News. "And in all our methods, we find the same thing; we cannot model a heatwave like this without the anthropogenic signal   Meanwhile, H Sterling Burnett  gives us the full facts at the Federalist website:     Much has been made about the well-above-average temperatures the Great White North has experienced this year and during the winter of 2015. For example, The Washington Post ran a story on December 20 titled “Pre-Christmas melt? North Pole forecast to warm 50 degrees above normal Thursday.” Undoubtedly, the most vocal and least careful proponents of the theory that human use of fossil fuels is causing climate change will seize on this isolated fact as proof anthropogenic climate change is occurring. Some of them already made such claims in late November, when the temperatures in the Arctic were also well above average for that time of year. In a November Live Science story, University of Rutgers professor Jennifer Francis said: The Arctic has been in uncharted territory pretty much all year long, ever since last fall. … The loss of the sea ice, the increased melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, the thawing of permafrost, the changes in the weather patterns, the rising sea level – it’s all consistent with our expectations for the response of the climate system to increases in greenhouse gases. It’s been totally expected. The problem is, as a careful reading of The Washington Post story reveals, while temperatures in the Arctic are relatively high, high temperatures, while not the norm, are also not unusual. That’s because the kind of weather patterns that have caused the past two years of warmth have happened once or twice each decade at least since the 1950s, according to a recent paper that will appear in the influential journal Nature. The Weather Constant Is Change In the middle of 2016, the world emerged from an unusually powerful El Niño, which had raised ocean temperatures well above average. The El Niño has been replaced by a La Niña, which has contributed to swiftly cooling land temperatures, but it takes time for the latent heat contained in the ocean to dissipate. Simultaneously, snow swept over Eurasia at the fastest pace on record in October. This snowfall caused cooler temperatures that, when combined with an extreme high-pressure system that formed in Siberia in October and persisted for more than a month, shifted the jet stream, pushing milder air toward the Arctic. The jet-stream shift, combined with low-pressure systems in the Pacific and Atlantic, kept temperatures relatively high and prevented extensive sea ice from forming. The low sea-ice levels further contributed to warmer temperatures. Low sea ice and high Arctic temperatures are not a consequence of human-caused global warming. They result from the same natural factors that have controlled weather in the Arctic and around the world since the beginning of time. Nature, not human-produced greenhouse-gas emissions, is responsible for the “melting” North Pole, as well as the deep freeze that has been occurring over the past month throughout much of Asia, Siberia, and even parts of the United States. As Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with WeatherBell Analytics, told The Washington Post, the large Arctic storms that drew mild air into the Arctic in 2015 and 2016 are “part and parcel of Atlantic weather variability.” In an October 2016 Nature Geoscience study, researchers running climate-model simulations against 600 years of climate records “found no evidence of Arctic sea-ice loss having impacted Eurasian surface temperature. … We conclude that the observed cooling over central Eurasia was probably due to a sea-ice-independent internally generated circulation pattern.” This finding was seemingly confirmed in an October Geophysical Research Letters paper, which finds shifts in large-scale, regional Atlantic and Pacific Ocean circulation patterns are likely responsible for both sea-ice loss in the Arctic and more frequent cold winters in Europe recently. http://thefederalist.com/2016/12/23/nobody-needs-freak-north-poles-higher-temps-right-now/   For some reason the BBC forgot to mention that Siberia has been in the grip of some of the coldest weather in recent weeks, with temperatures tumbling to minus 79F, breaking all previous cold records. What’s behind the record cold snap? A high-pressure system has settled over the North Pole, which is pushing Arctic air further south than normal. While some in the media are quick to blame #Climate Change, it’s actually just weather. When the polar jet stream dips down far enough, it can bring record-breaking temps to otherwise moderate areas. As the“Siberian Times,” pointed out, this was not the week when there was any evidence of global warming occurring in western Siberia.   http://us.blastingnews.com/news/2016/12/bone-chilling-temps-sink-to-80-degrees-f-in-siberia-shattering-records-001346871.html 24 Dec
Polar Bear Population Is Rising, Despite Green Fears - By Paul Homewood   http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/22/polar-bear-population-is-rising-despite-green-fears/   From the Daily Caller:   Polar bears are much more resilient to changing levels of sea ice than environmentalists previously believed, and numerous healthy populations are thriving. Predictions that bears would die due to a lack of sea ice have continuously not come to pass. A new study by Canadian scientists found “no evidence” polar bears are currently threatened by global warming. “We see reason for concern, but find no reliable evidence to support the contention that polar bears are currently experiencing a climate crisis,” Canadian scientists wrote in their study, published in Ecology and Evolution. Polar bears became an icon for environmentalists who claimed that melting Arctic sea ice could kill thousands of bears. Former Vice President Al Gore heavily promoted this viewpoint by featuring polar bears swimming for their lives and drowning in his 2006 film on global warming. Fears about global warming’s impact on polar bears even spurred the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to say that the bear was “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 2008. Polar bears were the first species to be listed over possibly being harmed in the future by global warming. Scientists, however, have increasingly been questioning alarmists as there are way more polar bears alive today than 40 years ago. In fact, polar bears have likely survived past ice-free periods in the Arctic. There is no evidence of large scale marine life extinctions in the Arctic in the past 1.5 million years, despite the Arctic going through prolonged periods with no summer ice cover.  http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/22/polar-bear-population-is-rising-despite-green-fears/#ixzz4TlPTFv2z   The reference is to a study of Canadian polar bear populations by Jordan York et al, “Demographic and traditional knowledge perspectives on the current status of Canadian polar bear subpopulations”   According to their Abstract: Considering both TEK and scientific information, we suggest that the current status of Canadian polar bear subpopulations in 2013 was 12 stable/increasing and one declining (Kane Basin). We do not find support for the perspective that polar bears within or shared with Canada are currently in any sort of climate crisis. 24 Dec
Storm Barbara - By Paul Homewood   Storm Barbara The Met Office were forecasting winds of up to 90mph for Storm Barbara, but it is now clear that such forecasts were well over the top. The only place that got anywhere that figure was way to the north,  Stella Ness in the Shetlands. Elsewhere the highest recorded gusts were 75mph.   http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/barometer/uk-storm-centre/storm-barbara   According to the Orkney Island Council Marine Services Dept, average wind speeds at Scapa, which should have been one of the worst affected areas, peaked around 46kt, or 54mph, which would be classified as a strong gale.   http://www.orkneyharbours.com/weather.asp?t=1.   For the record, based on data only going back to 1969, the highest gust speed recorded at UK low level sites was 142 mph in 1989.   http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate-extremes/#?tab=climateExtremes 24 Dec
France unveils the world’s first (and probably last) solar panel road - By Paul Homewood   https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2016/12/22/france-unveils-the-worlds-first-solar-panel-road/#more-30102     Tallbloke has this story about a solar panel road, which had me reaching for the calendar to check it was not April 1st!   Five million Euros to power a few street lights sounds expensive. What effect traffic has on the panels remains to be seen, but dirt could be an issue. A solar panel road, claimed to be the world’s first, has opened in France, reports the Daily Mail Online:     The 0.6 miles (1km) stretch of road in the small Normandy village of Tourouvre-au-Perche is paved with 2,880 solar panels, which convert energy from the sun into electricity. It is hoped that the the road could eventually provide enough energy to power the small village’s street lights. The ‘Wattway’ road features 2,800 sq m (9,186 sq ft) of panels and was showcased today at an inauguration ceremony attended by French minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Ségolène Royal. The road is expected to produce 280 MWh of electricity a year. While the daily production will fluctuate according to weather and seasons, it is expected to reach 767 kWh per day, with peaks up to 1,500 kWh per day in summer. Some 2,000 motorists will use the RD5 road every day during a two-year test period. During that time, assessments will be made as to whether the road is capable of generating enough power to run the village’s street lights. Tourouvre-au-Perchef is home to around 3,400 residents. The project is said to have cost €5m (£4.2m/$5.1) and was financed by the French government. A solar panel road, claimed to be the world’s first, has opened in France. The 1km (0.6-mile) stretch of road in the small Normandy village of Tourouvre-au-Perche is paved with 2,880 photovoltaic panels https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2016/12/22/france-unveils-the-worlds-first-solar-panel-road/#more-30102   There are a number of problems with this project, not least the fact that you don’t actually need street lights when the sun is shining! And I hate to think what might happen to the panels when a car decides to pull off to the side of the road. But let’s actually look more closely at the numbers. If we assume a market price of £50/MWh, the output of (maybe) 280 MWh a year is worth £14000. Even ignoring maintenance and interest costs, the cost of £4.2 million would have a payback period of 300 years!   Historians will look back at this strange episode in human history, and compare some of the things we are wasting money on with Nero’s follies. 23 Dec
Siberia Sizzles At 58C Below - By Paul Homewood    h/t Patsy Lacey   https://uk.news.yahoo.com/earths-temperature-dip-still-sizzle-2017-151655070.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma     Meanwhile back in the real world:   20 Dec 2016 – Heavy snowfall in Saudi Arabia – Such snow not seen for many years. Temperature below zero. https://www.iceagenow.info/camels-standing-snow-several-videos/#more-19496     19 Dec 2016 – Snow in the Sahara for the first time since 1979  http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/745567/Snow-Sahara-Desert-first-time-37-years-Algeria   18 Dec 2016 – Record low temperatures have been recorded in cities across South Dakota, Iowa and  Minnesota http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/2016/12/the_latest_subzero_temps_set_records_warmer_weather_ahead   16 Dec 2016 – Extreme cold alerts in Mexico http://www.unotv.com/noticias/estados/sonora/detalle/emiten-alerta-en-37-municipios-de-sonora-por-frio-extremo-871254/   16 Dec 2016 – Heavy snowfall in Morocco https://www.iceagenow.info/heavy-snowfall-morocco-many-videos/#more-19464   12 Dec 2016 – Record breaking cold in Boston http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/arctic-blasts-icy-fingers-grasp-northeastern-united-states/ar-AAlDpNB?li=BBnb7Kz    19 Dec 2016 – Record breaking snow for Montana http://helenair.com/that-s-pretty-rare-helena-gets-two-record-breaking-days/article_e9f7df04-4b0a-541f-a183-b2cbe7a76da1.html   14 Dec 2016 – Heavy snow in Korea http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Po_detail.htm?No=123942   15 Dec 2016 – Heavy snow in Kurdistan https://www.iceagenow.info/record-snowfall-kurdistan/     12 Dec 2016 – Unseasonably cold weather in Australia plays havoc with cherry harvest http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/australias-cherry-season-predicted-to-be-expensive-after-unseasonably-cold-weather/525501     8 Dec 2016 – Heavy snow in China  http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-12/08/c_135890955.htm     21 Dec 2016 – Not to mention weeks of some of the coldest weather for years in Siberia. http://www.markvoganweather.com/2016/12/21/siberia-hits-teeth-shattering-58c-this-morning-drives-cold-snow-into-syria-and-iraq/         Meanwhile, Northern Hemisphere snow cover during November is at its highest level for more than two decades.   http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/chart_anom.php?ui_set=1&ui_region=nhland&ui_month=11     I can think of many terms to describe the world’s weather at the moment, but sizzling would not be one of them! 22 Dec
24,300 Excess Deaths Last Winter - By Paul Homewood   https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/excesswintermortalityinenglandandwales/2015to2016provisionaland2014to2015final   The ONS’ mortality statistics also remind us that many more people die in winter than the rest of the year. Last winter (actually defined as Dec-March), there were 24300 excess deaths. This figure is calculated by comparing the number of winter deaths with the average during the rest of the year. The ONS comment:   There were an estimated 24,300 excess winter deaths (EWDs) in England and Wales in the 2015/16 winter period. This represents an excess winter mortality index of 15%; that is 15% more deaths occurred in winter compared to the non-winter months. The number of EWDs has almost halved since the 2014/15 period and is closer to the 5-year average (years 2011/12 to 2015/16) as shown in Figure 1. Excess winter deaths in 2015/16 were back in line with average trends. The large decrease in EWD from 2014/15 to 2015/16 can largely be explained by the higher than average number of EWDs in 2014/15 rather than unusually low EWDs in 2015/16. It can also, in part, be explained by a different predominant strain of the influenza virus that had a reduced effect on the elderly in 2015/16, with impact mainly seen in young adults (Public Health England, 2016). Large fluctuation in EWDs is common and trends over time are not smooth. To provide a clear trend over time and to smooth out short-term fluctuations in EWDs a 5-year moving average is calculated and shown in Figure 1. There has been a steady decrease in EWDs since the 1950/51 winter period that has leveled off in recent years. Moreover, it appears that the higher than usual EWDs in 2014/15 were not the start of an upward trend in EWDs but instead a fluctuation in the time series.   The number of deaths in the winter of 2014/15 was unusually high because the predominant influenza virus that year particularly affected the elderly. I also understand that it had not been anticipated when vaccination stocks were being built up.   The monthly breakdown shows that daily deaths are always lowest between June and September.     https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/excesswintermortalityinenglandandwales/2015to2016provisionaland2014to2015final 22 Dec
Mortality Statistics During July 2015 Heatwave - By Paul Homewood       Every summer we hear that thousands of people are dying in Britain because of heatwaves. Only last summer the Committee on Climate Change published a report claiming: currently 2,000 people die prematurely each year in the UK from heat-related conditions.”   We now have the mortality data for last year from the ONS, so we can analyse what happened in July 2015, when the new “record” temperature for July was set next to the runway at Heathrow.   First, let’s look at the Central England Temperatures for that period:   http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/index.html   The real heat began on the first of the month, although the day before was also warm at 28.2C. And when we look at the mortality statistics, we find that they did indeed peak on the 1st and 2nd:   https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/excesswintermortalityinenglandandwalesreferencetables   Deaths on those two days were in fact 415 above the 5-year average. But the real question is whether these deaths would have occurred anyway, and were simply brought forward by a few days. To test this, we can look at the death totals as they accumulated through the month:   https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/excesswintermortalityinenglandandwalesreferencetables   We find that after the first four days of the month the number of excess deaths begins to decline. By July 26th, death totals are virtually back to average, only 15 above normal. The running total does begin to pick up slightly at the end of the month, but this was at a time when temperatures were at their lowest. This was, of course, a short lived heatwave, and there is little doubt we would see more deaths in the sort of more sustained heatwaves seen in 1976 and 2003. But there is certainly no evidence that excess deaths are occurring because of the sort of hot weather this country experiences during most summers. 22 Dec
Letter From James Heappey - By Paul Homewood    The Telegraph have printed this letter today from MP James Heappey, who is also a member of the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee:   SIR – This year’s tight electricity margin follows a similar situation last year. National Grid has said that the situation is manageable, but it is understandable that some will want to raise concerns. From next year, the Government’s Capacity Market will provide enough power to cover us for next winter and the years ahead. Our energy system, like that of many other countries, is in transition. By making it smarter and more flexible, we know we can save billions. By creating a market that enables a more efficient allocation of our electricity, both home owners and businesses can cash in when power is most plentiful and cheap. Businesses want this transition and many are already investing in their own generation, energy storage and flexible demand measures. Security of supply is rightly a concern, but there is no need for home owners and businesses to worry unnecessarily. If anything, tight margins should be a call to arms for greater energy efficiency, which is good for our bills, our environment and our energy security. James Heappey MP (Con) London SW1 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2016/12/21/lettersthe-pm-must-get-tough-rail-unions-wont-move-times/   Heappey forgot to mention that he is also a member of the Advisory Board for Richard Black’s climate change propaganda outfit, the ECIU. There are some other things he also forgot to mention. The standby capacity, purchased under the Capacity Market which he mentions, includes 89% of existing generation/interconnector capacity. He does not explain what will happen when much of this is shut down. He also does not explain exactly what is so smart about a system which pays power plants to stand around idle, while at the same time paying huge subsidies to renewable energy producers. As for his claim about businesses, many companies have made it loud and clear that they are being made uncompetitive by high energy prices.   It is all the usual guff we are used to hearing. But the telling comment comes at the end:   If anything, tight margins should be a call to arms for greater energy efficiency,   In other words, margins will remain tight, and the government is not prepared to do anything about it. You’ll just have to get used to it, and use less energy! 21 Dec
Trafford CCGT Still Can’t Get Finance - By Paul Homewood   h/t Joe Public   http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2016/12/manchester-gas-plant-gives-up-450m-subsidy.html?utm_content=bufferb0e58&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer   It looks like Carlton Power have given up the ghost with their proposed new CCGT plant at Trafford. From PEI:   The owners of the 2GW Carlton gas-fired power plant in Manchester have given up a £450m subsidy, part of the UK’s capacity market scheme, as the facility is unlikely to be completed on time. Carlton Power insist they will still go ahead with the project, capable of delivering electricity to 2 million homes but had to turn down the subsidy after failing to secure sufficient investment to build the gas power plant on time to produce electricity by the end of 2019. The Trafford gas-fired power station was the only new large-scale gas plant to get financing under the government’s capacity market scheme, designed to secure the country’s electricity supplies, but failing to meet the financial commitment milestone means they will not be taking it up. "We did not have sufficient certainty that our Trafford combined-cycle gas turbine project (CCGT) would be completed in the time required," the company said in a statement. The subsidy, secured in the 2014 capacity auction, was worth around £30m a year for 15 years and capability to commence producing electricity by end 2019 was part of the contract. Britain began capacity auctions in 2014, looking to head off future power shortages as coal and older nuclear plants close and low power prices dissuade investors from building new ones. Despite the subsidies, investors are concerned about the uncertainty of revenues from new gas plants, Carlton Power said.     Reuters reports that the company said it would discuss with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) ways overseas firms could be encouraged to invest in new gas plants in Britain. “Since securing the capacity market agreements in December 2014, we have invested significant resources to complete the development of Trafford with our chosen EPC Contractor GE and we had reached the stage that we would be ready to start Trafford’s construction in January 2017 which would deliver much needed low-cost electricity in early 2020,” a statement from Carlton Power added. Claiming that the plant would have made a return of 16%, the company added that investors, “remain very concerned about the uncertainty of merchant revenues for new CCGT projects,” and said that despite government statements that new CCGTs were required, “it has become increasingly apparent that the current arrangements for supporting the development of new generation capacity do not give sufficient comfort for this to be brought forward without substantial and unacceptable risk to investors.” Carlton said it would continue to pursue the Trafford plant and another at Thorpe Marsh, and said it would discuss with BEIS “ways in which much needed overseas investment can be encouraged to participate in this essential regeneration of reliable, low cost GGCT capacity.” http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2016/12/manchester-gas-plant-gives-up-450m-subsidy.html?utm_content=bufferb0e58&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer   Carlton were awarded a contract of £19/KW/Yr for 15 years in the Capacity Market auction in 2014. This has subsequently risen to £22.50/KW/Yr in the latest auction earlier this month. My guess is that it would take a much higher price to persuade investors to put their money in.   By  coincidence, I a post summing up the problems facing new build CCGT just yesterday. Carlton’s statement bears out everything I said: Claiming that the plant would have made a return of 16%, the company added that investors, “remain very concerned about the uncertainty of merchant revenues for new CCGT projects,” and said that despite government statements that new CCGTs were required, “it has become increasingly apparent that the current arrangements for supporting the development of new generation capacity do not give sufficient comfort for this to be brought forward without substantial and unacceptable risk to investors     As I pointed out, there are three major issues: 1) Competition from subsidised renewable energy 2) Uncertainty about whether they will even be allowed to operate after the mid 2030s. 3) The threat of large increases in the carbon price.   Carlton maintain that they will still go ahead, but this sounds very much like whistling in the wind. The investors have spoken, and it will need something very substantial for them to change their minds.  20 Dec
GD at 3.03. I used this name too early, but had expensive covered calls on that that will reduce my cost. I am heavily weighted there, and am done. -I am going to do this with Pretium, using Feb 7 naked puts. In revisiting that old name I see they are about a half a year from opening a 500,000 oz low cost mine. As that moves to on to completion and with a bit of POG recovery, that stock should be rerated a good 50% or more higher. -I bought SPPP at 6.76. -Stinky bidding the tax loss season tosses have allowed nice entries, and there have been a series of better acting reversals. I do have my trading screen up, with alerts set in the background in case the bargain names are indiscrimately given away like AAU was last week.  I have made those names known in the last month and a half. We aren’t seeing the across the board insider buying witnessed at the silly season bottom in 2015, so this may still be a work in motion. I don’t see major downside and far more upside.  I am continuing to be a buyer, but selectively and not all in. I am seeing a repeat of the same pattern seen before in these markets. When the super-sales are on, nobody is interested. I see this in my traffic here. This is one reason I ended subscriptions back at the market top in July after distributing most of my PM holdings. I don’t take it personally, but on the other hand I have better things to do than talk to walls and play this little market psychological game with others. Meanwhile the TNN site has grown substantially and at times has capacity strains. Since all my work is gratis and labor of love to begin with, I will be taking Winter Actionables off line sometime in the next month or two to free up space for TNN.24 Dec
December 16 Notes - I was pretty active yesterday adding to my core names- Alamos, Sabina, New Gold, Teranga, Balmoral, Platinum Metals Group, Pilot. I started a position in Premier Gold at 1.92 Cdn. Two PG insiders we back at it yesterday as well. I am still looking to stinky bid Victoria to reenter that name. Insider buy there yesterday too. I am circling Bear Creek, but am still a little concerned about CoT positioning in silver. My silver proxy is CEF (8.6% discount) which has about a third in silver. I bought that yesterday. I added pretty aggressive to PHYS at the 9.42 area. I am looking to reenter Continental if this chomps a bit lower. I will renter SPPP below 7.00. The action of the last couple days looks like heavy spec shorting. In general the spec longs were already liquidated, although there may have been some small spec dumps earlier in the week. Almost the entire large spec position built up in the rally is gone. We aren’t too far from the extremely bullish historic positioning seen last year when the sector took off. Tax loss selling is about done as well, so I am calling this a great entry point, not just OK as was the case last week. Therefore this time and level works for me. I have always been a scaler, moving slowing at first, but now my pace has quickened. If slingers try more thin market attacks I will take the blue light specials. The gold mining and junior sector is in a much healthier place than it was one year ago. By and large the names I am using got placements done at higher prices and are not in a squeezed position. Producers got revenues for three good quarters of stronger POG. Balance sheets are in much better shape than last year. Therefore I just don’t see the silly season levels (or a complete give back) of last year reached. The rationale the slingers are using post-FOMC is that the Fed is signalling three rate hikes. I would suggest one tops, and I have my doubts about that. The Fed funds futures are pricing two and a half hikes, and I believe this is the peak. Going forward we will see endless Yellen wolves and nasty economic data, especially in secondary deriviative data. Completely tune out crime syndicate financial networks and rags.  There is also an historic political crisis impending, see TNN today.16 Dec
December 14 Notes: Premier Gold Discussed - More insider buying noted in Victoria. Another name with strong insider accumulation is Premier Gold.  The stock does look undervalued but their model is a little hard to get one’s head around without some research and due diligence. They partner everything, which could give them possibilties for being monetized or scarfed bit by bit, a sum of the parts play if you will. I did listened to the Denver gold forum presentation, but no Eureka moment went off for me. Not quite sure why the stock has been so massacred after raising money at $5.00 including insider participation. They have $50 million US cash and gold on hand. EV is about $330 million. As I am no longer supported by a subscriber base and would probably only take a small position anyway, I have little need or interest in calling the company and doing more due diligence. Further Winter Actionables when I do write gold related articles only gets about 50-10o views. In contrast the TNN article 150 Terabytes! Norway Busts Largest Dark Web, Child Porn Networks in History — US, UK Media Ignore Story posted Saturday has 43,000 views and counting, so I have my personal priorites now and have no desire to talk to walls. But since this is now an open non-subscriber forum, and if anyone is still here, please chime in about this name. I would be interested in a discussion. I added to Teranga at 77 cents Cdn yesterday bringing to a full position. Also Sabina at 90 cents Cdn on Monday to bring to full position. We may be looking at mean reversal on the Treasury market. The specs have fallen all over themselves shorting and looked trapped. This should also take the pressure off of gold. The last time the Fed raised the Fed Funds Rate- this turned out to be an important top in yields after which the 10-year yield fell nearly 80 basis points over the next couple of months. 14 Dec
December 12 Notes - The CoT shows managed money net long 82,318 with POG at 1172. I consider that moderately bullish as long as paper gold dominates pricing. Open interest is way down at underr 400,000, so a thinned out market. The boyz could try short attacks and at 1155 that is now likely the case as long positions have already been heavily liquidated. The rate hike Wednesday is completely priced in at 95%, so that is already priced. I lean towards a repeat of last year and continue to round off my positions and am adding to PHYS. We are in the wheelhouse time frame that I spoke of several months ago. POG has now overshot, but I have plenty of powder. More insider McConnell buying in Victoria. Not seeing much else other than Teranga. Balmoral hit two intercepts with nice grades at Bug Lake. Two more holes are pending just below. Can we call this a yahoo yet? Close. The World Islamic Banking Conference has opened the reach of gold products that are likely to be permissible, and basically no paper. Mining shares can be owned. The will be quite bullish long term. The longer India’s cash crisis is perpetuated, the more likely it is to spill over into precious metals. They will need to back down on criminal gold confiscation.  See my article on this at TNN.12 Dec
December 1 Notes - Open interest has fallen significantly on the Crimex to 404,427 contracts. It was 461,062 in last week’s CoT with POG at 1210. This finally suggests the commercials are more aggressively covering their hedges. I smell very good catch up traction now. I added to PHYS at 9.60 yesterday and will scale in more as POG trends lower. I never make predictions on the randomly generated and criminally bogus job numbers, but if it is not gold friendly on Friday, I intend to stinky bid aggressively and top off more positions into the Italian referendum. Check the New Nationalist today for an analysis of Paul Elliott Singer’s comments, including on gold. I concur. Pilot Gold released more drill holes. This mostly looks like 100 meter step outs from previous drilling, and continues to repeat the pattern of near surfuce oxides seen elsewhere. The pattern has been mostly one gram intercepts with some concentrations of two gram mixed in. This is shapely up to be a low cost deposit with ounces adding up. Pilot’s goal is 2-3 million ounces. The pending holes are more aggressive step outs as shown on the map. It is here that new hits will indicate something greater than the goal. I rate Pilot a 10 below 50 cents Cdn. Continental Gold (CNL.TO)(CGOOF) announced the receipt of it’s long awaited the environmental permit for the Company’s Buriticá project. The stock has been penalty boxed for quite awhile on this and should respond. It should also be a positive for the sector.  So far looks like a bid coming in, but keep an eye out. I am putting a 2.35 US price alert on. 1 Dec
November 29 Notes - There was a series of Victoria (VIT) insider buys in high 40s. Think stock could be actionable again if plums a bit further, say below 45 cents. They are nicely cashed up and raised money at higher prices. The feasibilty study makes it one of the better projects out there and likely high on the scarfability scale. You can look this over in their presentation at company web site. -Minram continues to pick up good sized blocks in Teranga.  The CoT was for last week with PoG at 1210. I’d have to characterize it as a disappointment. The open interest has dropped and market looks thinned out. However, the commericals just aren’t covering hedges at a sufficient pace. The managed money boyz are net long about 124,000 contracts. I would have anticipated more selling. Worse the small specs actually went more long. Perhaps the dip to 1180 flushed out a good chunk of this, but we will have to see about this on Friday. Unfortunately the key Italian election is this Sunday, so the next CoT won’t be actionable unless one is quick to act in the last half hour. As a reminder CoT is released a half hour before close on Fridays. I’d prefer to see a 40,000 net drop in the commerical short position. That would be below 60,000.29 Nov
November 24 Notes - The CoT comes out Monday and will be for last Tuesday when PoG was at 1210 level and before the Wednesday waterfall. With PoG now at 1185, we should look for the producers to unwind their hedges before setting the stage for a recovery. I attribute the whole “experience” since Trump’s election almost solely to an avalanche unwinding of excessive speculator positions combined with aggressive commercial hedging at the top. Although it took awhile to unfold, I warned about this and prepared for it since last summer. At current levels my SWAG is that the managed money boyz are probably at around 80,000 net long. I am not buying into the story of India blocking gold purchases unless they wish a revolution caused by criminal stupidity. This sounds like misinformation to spook the market. I have been stinky bidding more positions and also adding gradually to CEF and PHYS. Illustrating how severe the collapse in sentiment is, CEF’s NAV is at a 8.7% discount. I think that is even higher than last December. The option skew sentiment is now extreme as well. Obviously way too many momentum traders have been and are in this market. Middle ground, what’s that. I have had my trading screen up with price alerts in the background since Wednesday for the first time in quite awhile. At this point I am about 22% invested in long precious metal positions. Besides the CEF and PHYS, the focus has been on Pilot, Balmoral, Alamos, New Gold, Sabina and Teranga. There are good sized open market purchases of Teranga at 82-86  cents Cdn by David Mimran. I picked off one nice trade at 78 cents. Balmoral’s IR indicated more depth at Bug Lake. This minerialization is complex enough that we are seeing a pattern of more drilling and more defining. This is yeoman work that doesn’t interest a market that has reverted back to the silly season. The value is undeniable however. In addition to Ternanga, we see Euro Sun insider buying. There is very aggressive buying in Exeter-XRA by Sun Valley. I may use XRA if it swoons further in the next few weeks. GSV seems pretty well bid. I’d like to own it again, but have a hunch it may take a dump before the actionable period ahead.  I want to see more insiders step up before I committ much more to the sector. We may get some tax lossing selling over the next few weeks as well, as a lot of weak hands train chasers are underwater now. In terms of actionables, I am looking for the Italian referendum to fail on Dec. 4. This will negatively impact the Eurozone and lead to a rapid crisis. I am treating that as gold positive, not negative. If the blowback is severe enough, then the Fed’s rate hike on Dec. 14 may be walked back. Right now the “market” puts the rate hike odds at 94%. I rate that too high. Should a walk back or another Yellan cry wolf rate hike “delay” develop, a big time PoG rocket launch would be in the offing. I rate the odds of that pretty high. Even if it doesn’t materialize the late December- January period is mining stock favorable. The rally last year started after the rate hike.26 Nov
November 18 Commentary - The Pilot Gold placement at 60 cents Cdn closed. The participants were skewed towards the insiders who snapped up shares.  The stock is down 20-25% from there and is now well funded. I bought at 32.8 cents US (46 Cdn) on Monday. Also picked up more Sabina at 75.8 cents US. Added more NGD at 3.55 and AGI at 6.07. Looking at insiders I spot some aggressive Awde buying in Gold Standard (GSV) on the dip towards 2.00 US. I am tracking this in case there is a liquidation pocket that plums towards 1.80 US, perhaps in conjunction with a 1100 handle in POG. The Dec 14th rate hike is now totally baked in at 90.6%. The risk to POG if this comes about is greatly diminshed. The rally after rate hike scenario we saw last year is in play. Overshoots can never be ruled out, but IMHO we are now in a reentry, accumulation zone. Additionally open interest has dropped substantially to under 500,000 contracts which is likely an indication producers have taken off their aggressive hedges. We get confirmation this afternoon with the CoT.18 Nov
November 12 Commentary - As the POG plumed towards the 1225 area Friday and the PM equities crashed I pulled the trigger on a round of more serious reentries. I still hold a large reserve. Prices mentioned are in USD. I have stated my range projection for POG as 1220-1320, and in my last post voiced that the rally to the high end would fail. This is still my range and anything below 1220 should be scaled into and treated as a gift. The specs have liquidated their excessive positions at this point and are probably back to their shorting game. My event horizon key events are the Italian referendum on Dec 4 which I anticipate will fail kicking off a crisis. The odds of a Dec 14 rate hike is 81%. Should the Fed fail to act this time, we could get a crack up boom move in precious metals. Should they actually hike, I believe we will still get a move similar to last December. Additionally there is a Soros-Clinton backed Purple Revolution getting underway in the US that could give gold a headwind. My main purchase Friday was Pilot Gold which I took to an aggressive full position at 37.5 cents. I rate a 10. After the placement Pilot will have a mkt cap of $55 million US and $12 in cash for a $43 million EV. That is a silly season valuation.  On Wednesday Pilot put out a 3Q report. All the discussion was on Goldstrike with no mention of Kinsley Mountain. Perhaps that now that we are getting back to silly season in the sector, the “market” assumes Kinsley is dead? At any rate the Goldstrike drilling at the moment is aggressive with perhaps a hundred holes to be announced: The drill program continues to generate significant oxide gold intercepts throughout the eastern portion of the historic mine trend, further confirming that gold is widespread and predictable within a particular stratigraphic interval. The 2016 drill program is expected to continue through mid-December with two RC drill rigs, with an average of 10 drill holes completed per week. Key target areas for drilling along the historic mine trend include the 1.5-kilometre-by-250-metre-wide Peg Leg graben zone, and the two-square-kilometre Dip Slope zone, host to several historically mined open pits. In addition I built up my Balmoral position at 60.4 cents. I rate a 9.  I added more New Gold at 3.68 and on further weakness will take to a full position. I rate a 9. I bought a half position of Alamos a little earlier in the day at 6.54. Rate 8. I rentered Sabina for the first time at 83 cents. Rate 9. Sabina has been heavily accumulated by insiders. I bought a 1/3 position in Teranga at 87 cents Canadian. Rate 8. You now get their unnecessary $1.05 cash raise at a good discount, and this drives the EV down to silly season levels. The cash raise was to the insider so shares should not show up in the market. In fact this gives Minram (Tablo) the opportunity to get more in a fire sale. I will be steadily scanning insider buys in the period ahead for clues. Friday’s activity should show up Monday and Tuesday. I took an initial position in gold via the Sprott instrument PHYS at 10.05 and will scale in on lower prices. I closed out my TBF treasury short. The commericals have covered their aggressive shorts that prompted me to enter this trade. I also sold my SRS position for a very nice profit. I hold HDGE and QID.12 Nov
Introducing The New Nationalist - I have agreed to contribute my articles to a new site. It is called fortuitously The New Nationalist (TNN), a name which was incredibly there for the taking, good karma. The NewNationalist.net focuses on my issues, as well as nationalist and Third Position politics. The site is better organized, has topics neatly archived for user-friendly, easy searches and access. I love the look and format. The Disqus comment format is used. The proprietors have stronger website skills than I do, plus they bring to the table excellent material in their own right. This is perfect for me, and I invite you to bookmark, follow and explore the site. Winter Watch (WinterActionables.com) will revert back to a subscriber-only website focusing on markets and investments. The archive will stay online here, but the more important articles will be republished over time at TNN. Looking forward to seeing you there!10 Nov
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