Sunday, August 05, 2018

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Slack
All the tools your team needs in one place. Slack: Where work happens.

BLOGGER-FOLLOWING

Lance Bass bought the Brady Bunch house. Yes, the NSYNC guy.

It's comforting to know that this cold and harsh 2018 isn't all bad news. Former NSYNC superstar Lance Bass is apparently about to be the proud owner of 11222 Dilling Street in North Hollywood, California. Most people know it as the home of The Brady Bunch . SEE ALSO: Justin Timberlake just got involved in the greatest World Cup meme The classic TV sitcom's iconic home went up for sale in July wi
Jean-Luc Picard is back, baby! Sir Patrick Stewart has a new Star Trek series

Well played, CBS All Access. Well played, indeed. Star Trek may be the biggest property CBS owns, and now a new Trek series is coming starring Sir Patrick Stewart once again as his Next Generation Enterprise captain, Jean-Luc Picard. Much like Star Trek: Discovery , it's going to be a CBS All Access-exclusive series. SEE ALSO: Simon Pegg on how sci-fi can be a better guide to the unknown than rel
Mystery surrounds damaged 1881 time capsule

The contents of a 19th-century time capsule unearthed in Massachusetts still remain something of a mystery. Originally interred beneath the granite st...
Venezuela: President Nicolas Maduro Survives Assassination Attempt by Terrorists Using Explosives-Laden Drone

Via: Daily Mail: Seven national guards have been injured in Venezuela after what is believed to have been an assassination attempt on socialist President Nicolas Maduro using an explosive-laden drone during a Caracas military parade. Footage broadcast by state television shows Maduro abruptly cutting short his speech before looking to the sky. Thousands of soldiers […]
Rogue planet detected outside our solar system

The huge object is 12.7 times the mass of Jupiter and has a magnetic field 200 times more powerful. Its detection by the National Science Foundation's...

NEWS

Trump administration lifts ban on pesticides linked to declining bee numbers

Environmentalists say lifting the restriction poses a grave threat to pollinating insects The Trump administration has rescinded an Obama-era ban on the use of pesticides linked to declining bee populations and the cultivation of genetically modified crops in dozens of national wildlife refuges where farming is permitted. Environmentalists, who had sued to bring about the two-year-old ban, said o
White South African farmers seek refuge in Russia's Crimea

White South African farmers are reportedly interested in moving to Russia's Crimean Peninsula as their government at home seeks to amend the constitution to allow for land seizures. Crimea is a good option for South African farmers, according to farmer Adi Schlebusch, who has already visited Russia. About 30 families of Boer descendants of Dutch colonists in South Africa have expressed their willi
Israel's policies in Gaza are categorically genocidal

The 1948 Genocide Convention clearly states that one instance of genocide is "the deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of a people in whole or in part." No matter whether this happens at a fast rate, or in "slow motion." That is what has been done to Gaza since the imposition of the blockade by Israel, and the subsequent massacres which led
Russia Appoints Actor Steven Seagal as Special Envoy for Humanitarian Ties With U.S.

Russia is seeking the help of an action star known for fighting off bad guys with his bare hands to improve relations with the United States . Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Saturday on Facebook that it had named American actor Steven Seagal as special representative for Russian-U.S. humanitarian ties . As part of his unpaid role, the martial artist will have to “facilitate relations between
First woman fined in Denmark for wearing full-face veil

Woman fined 1,000 kroner (£120) and told to either remove her veil or leave the public space A 28-year-old woman wearing a niqab on Friday became the first person in Denmark to be fined for violating a new law banning full-face Islamic veils in public places , media reported. Police were called to a shopping centre in Horsholm, in the north-eastern region of Nordsjaelland, where the woman had bec
NRA Says it Is Facing a Financial Crisis, Twitter Users Send “Thoughts & Prayers”

The National Rifle Association says it is in dire financial straits and knows just who to blame: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In a lawsuit , the NRA alleges that Cuomo and state regulators are seeking to “deprive the NRA and its constituents of their First Amendment rights to speak freely about gun-related issues and defend the Second Amendment.” At issue is a campaign by the Democratic governor t

SCIENCE

Sir Patrick Stewart is Returning to Star Trek for a New Series About Picard

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the USS Enterprise. Image: CBS/Paramount Pictures The most venerable captain in Star Fleet history is back. As has been rumored for a while , CBS announced today that Sir Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean Luc-Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation , will be reprising his role in a new series that will explore “the new chapter in Picard’s life.” The series will
In Just One Week, NASA Will Launch a Spacecraft to 'Touch the Sun'

NASA is just a week away from launching its next science mission, a spacecraft called the Parker Solar Probe that is currently scheduled to launch early in the morning on Aug. 11.
A Mysterious, Powerful Force Is Flinging Radio Waves at Us from Deep Space

Earth might be getting bombarded by thousands of high-energy radio waves from deep space every day — and scientists have no good explanation (yet).
The Explosive-Carrying Drones in Venezuela Won’t Be the Last

There's still no good defense against drones attacks like the one that targeted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro Saturday.
Scorching Summer in Europe Signals Long-Term Climate Changes

Hot weather has touched all of the continent, but it has had the most impact in northern countries, unaccustomed to sustained heat, suggesting that hard years lie ahead.
San Diego Researchers Measure The Highest Ocean Surface Temperature In A Century

The water, collected by scientists with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, measured 78.6 degrees Fahrenheit. "It really is weird," a research scientist said. It all started with the blob. (Image credit: Tim Buss/Flickr)

YOUTUBE

Welcome to Hong Kong

I had a chance to go to on a crazy adventure to Hong Kong with Vox Borders. Here is some of the B-roll I captured. Aerial, time-lapses and hyper-lapses galore! video by Mwita Chacha mwendo.co instagram.com/mwitachacha Sound Design anthemfallsmusic.com GEAR: A7III A7s ii pilot fly H2 RX100V DJI Mavic Pro Sony 10-18mm F4 Sony 24-70mm F2.8 SETTINGS: PP8 - S-Log 3 Sony Play Memories Timelapse App Shu
Kalen Reacts to Breakfast Cereal Waffle Cake

Kalen likes his breakfast cereal in a bowl with milk... so how does he react to a Cereal Waffle Cake? Is it a dreamy delight, or your teeth's worst nightmare? From: TheEllenShow
WE SHIP THEM: Michelle and Barack Obama

President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama sure know how to show the love, which is why WE SHIP THEM! Watch some of their best Ellen Show moments here. From: TheEllenShow
Relaxing Yellowstone River LIVE! | National Geographic

Witness Yellowstone like you've never experienced it before. Four nights of #YellowstoneLive, starting August 5th at 9/8c on @NatGeoChannel. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo ge
Microsoft Surface Go hands-on

The Microsoft Surface Go is here. It has a similar design to the Surface Pro and features a 10-inch PixelSense display, integrated kickstand and runs on Windows 10. Our question – what is it designed to compete with? Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61 Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLvX Read More: http:
Space Craft: Season 2 Trailer

Would you choose to live on another planet if given the chance? How about living in space? In this season of Space Craft, follow along as Loren Grush investigates some of the ways people are preparing to live in space – from testing out habitats and growing food, to learning about the physiological challenges and medical trainings necessary to survive. Catch up on Season 1 of Space Craft with Lor

THE CORBETT REPORT

NATO’s “News Hero” – #PropagandaWatch

In this week's edition of #PropagandaWatch James looks at "The News Hero," the latest fake news Russian bot propaganda scare to emerge from the neo-McCarthyist fever dreams of the NATO Stratcom Centre of Excellence!
PTech and the 9/11 Software

In this classic Corbett Report podcast from 2008, Indira Singh discusses Ptech, the company with numerous investors and managers with direct links to terrorist financing. Ptech's clients included the CIA, FBI, the White House, the Department of Energy, the Air Force, the Navy, the FAA, IBM and Enron...Yet Singh learnt they were a CIA front company and their software could gain control of the most
Interview 1374 – New World Next Week with James Evan Pilato

[audio mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2018-07-26%20James%20Evan%20Pilato.mp3"][/audio] This week on the New World Next Week: the White Helmets get rescued by Israel; (s)election hacking is now child's play; and the NXIVM case just keeps getting crazier.
Episode 342 – Pricking the Filter Bubble

[audio mp3="https://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/episode342-lq.mp3"][/audio] Recommended videos. Tailored newsfeeds. Personalized search results. Know it or not, we are increasingly living in filter bubbles that are being determined by algorithms we know nothing about. Worse than that, we are increasingly retreating into the online echo chamber bubbles of our own making. So where is this all heading
Episode 341 – Welcome to Your Driverless Future!

[audio mp3="https://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/episode341-lq.mp3"][/audio] We've all seen the propaganda by now: Like it or not, autonomous driving technology is on the way. But what will that future look like? Should we be concerned about the lack of control implicit in these technologies? How vulnerable they are to hackers, both criminal and deep state? Or the fact that our entire society is abo
China Warns of “Peace Disease” And “Unavoidable” War With US

A leaked Chinese memo reveals that the Chinese military is combating "peace disease" and avoiding an "unavoidable" war by . . . building up their military? What does all this mean, what does it have to do with Thucydides, and what is the reality behind this smoke and mirrors? Find out in today's thought for the day.

THE ENVIRONMENTALIST

Defenders of Mexico’s Environment Chronicle Their Battles

Poet Homero Aridjis and Betty Ferber have spent a lifetime fighting to save endangered species and ecosystems in Latin America
Make No Mistake, Orca Mom J-35 and Pod Mates Are Grieving

Sad story could be a catalyst for changing the way we think about other animals
Nobel Peace Laureates Call on Jerry Brown to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Production

California Governor has issued more than 20,000 permits for new oil wells since taking office in 2011
Mongolia at Crossroads

Global market pressures and climate change are endangering the traditional life of Mongolian nomads
Pro-extinction Policies Do Not Sit Well With Americans, Whatever Their Stripe

Four out of five of us express support for the Endangered Species Act. Its attackers should take note.
A Community of Slave Descendants Is Protecting Unique Food Traditions from Rising Seas

One chef is raising the profile of Gullah/Geechee cuisine to help maintain the Nation’s cultural identity

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE

A History of the Swedish People

Vilhelm Moberg was born in 1898, in a remote village where remnants of the peasant way of life persisted. He wrote A History of the Swedish People , which spanned two volumes: (1) before the Renaissance, and (2) after. Moberg’s writing has been translated into 20 languages, and Swedes have bought six million copies of his books. Most histories focus on the big shots, the decision makers, the conq

AMUSED CYNICISM

New Ladybird Books Give Practical Advice for Brexit

Ladybird have launched a new series of 6 books giving practical advice on how to cope with Brexit and its aftermath: A seventh book is also on its way, entitled “Practical Cannabalism: 101 Recipes For Cooking With Humans”. I’ve already pre-ordered my copy.

ANGOLA 3 NEWS



Why are we not surprised that children are ripped from their immigrant parents' arms? Could it be because this has been happening for decades in U.S. jails and prisons - not to mention, with increasing frequency as the population of women prisoners grows? Please read the article below from the July issue of the Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, entitled "Cries of Children Echo Thru Year

ARMSCONTROLWONK

North Korea’s Continuing Missile Production

Ellen Nakashima and Joby Warrick have a bombshell story about North Korea producing one, possible two, Hwasong-15 ICBMs at its Sanumdong facility. Aaron and Jeffrey discuss the role that MIIS and open source played in corroborating the report. This episode brought to you by Jeffrey’s new novel, The 2020 Commission Report. Links of Note: …
Tom Schelling, Mini-Nukes and the Nuclear Taboo

Quote of the week: “The most spectacular event of the past half century is one that did not occur. We have enjoyed sixty years without nuclear weapons exploded in anger. What a stunning achievement – or, if not achievement, what stunning good fortune.” — Thomas Schelling, Nobel Prize acceptance speech, December 8, 2005 Tom Schelling …
Putin and Trump Meet at Helsinki

Quotes of the week: “When America does not lead malign actors fill the void to the disadvantage of the United States” — Trump administration National Security Strategy, December 2017 “We will compete and lead in multilateral organizations so that American interests and principles are protected.” — Trump administration National Security Strategy, December 2017 “We must upgrade our …
Recent Activity at Nampo

My colleagues Catherine Dill, Cameron Trainer and I were reminded when looking at satellite imagery of Nampo, taken yesterday morning, that North Korea’s evasive tactics are successfully keeping the country’s coal and iron exporters in business. Prior to being sanctioned by the UN, these export commodities were amongst North Korea’s biggest earners. Information about trade in North Korean coal …
Increasingly Tenuous Strategic Stability

Quote of the week: “Strongman politics are ascendant … whereby elections and some pretense of democracy are maintained—the form of it—but those in power seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning.” — Barack Obama’s July 17, 2018 speech in Johannesburg on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. …
North Korea’s New Old Enrichment Site: Kangson

KANGSON. We have the (probable) location of North Korea’s original enrichment site: Kangson, now called Chollima. This is probably the spot where the DPRK has been enriching uranium since the early 2000’s, which has previously not been openly identified! Jeffrey, Grace Liu, and Dave Schmerler combed over information dropped by friend-of-the-pod Ankit Panda. Jeffrey, Aaron, and …

WELCOME TO POTTERSVILLE 2 (BLOGGING AGAINST FASCISM!)

RULED BY MONSTERS? Stop Reading Now If You Don't Want to Believe It

If you've been lucky enough to not be paying attention to your coming demise, economic and physical, don't stop now. Because if you watch the following short video, you will catch up. And they are not kidding. In fact, if you watch the "News" coverage put out by any of the major networks, you will have absolutely no idea what is, and has been for years, happening to your pocketbook (and

DR CINTLI

The Border: The 500-Year Open Veins Of The Americas

A few weeks ago, Truthout published a shorter and different version of this story under a different name. Here is the original and longer version, with the original opening. A few of the comments that had been omitted are found here. This is done in the spirit of the many hundreds of children who remain separated and or detained with their families: https://xicanation.com/the-border-500-year-open
Those Impacted by Colonialism Speak Out on the US’s Legacy of Family Separation

Those crying children, separated from their parents and detained for crossing the US border, are part of the original peoples of this continent. They symbolize all of the children that have been ripped away from their mothers’ arms since the era of colonialism. To be sure, Donald Trump is doing what the US has always done best: destroying and dehumanizing nations and peoples; destroying lives and

FREE PLANET

Star Citizen - identity crisis - still doesn't know what it is...

six years down the line, and (while No Man's Sky is suddenly looking full-bodies and finished and proper ) Star Citizen from CIG with ten times the number of devs in L.A., Texas, Frankfurt and Wilmslow is languishing in FIH or first-iteration hell. FIH means all its current gaming features implemented to first-functionality level. Nothing seems to have been thought out further than this initial t
film trailer BLOOD MACHINES please don't be shit

I know, I know, but I so wanna see this film now.
Hecate - rocking hell - from sunny Finland

Hecate aka Rachael Kozak , has just been interviewed on SCORE -- click that . A couple of years ago, Hecate and my writing persona Hertzan Chimera nearly wrote a novel together. It was going to be called VENOM if I remember, and would have been as vicious as fuck. Time evaporated. Space folded. The parent branch parted into its child branches. Life went on...
Electric Universe - positions of the invading planets - simulation of arrival

where they live today... this is an Electric Universe enigma that needs answering, "Based on where the planets are right now, their orbits, orientations, distances from sun and local spins, where did the proto-Saturn cluster come from?" and by this I mean: the pre-Earth-arrival star we now call the sun had Jupiter orbiting it and Mercury Uranus Neptune ... and maybe some other planets we no longe
No Man's SKy - NEXT coming next week - Star Citizen R.I.P.

I've wasted the last year or so trying to get myself online-involved LOL in the improvement and enhancement of the forthcoming (for six years) record-setting crowd-funded to the tune of $190,000,000 five-studios around the world with 500 employees i.e. Star Citizen.... to no avail. It's like 'they have their (story + sim) plan and they don't give a flying-fuck for lovely creative sandbox input fro

GREG MANKIW'S BLOG

Singer, Songwriter, Central Banker

A friend emails me: I’ve just been listening to Rich Clarida’s CD, Time No Changes . It’s on Spotify. Might be an amusing item for your blog! The press has been talking about the fact that Goldman’s David Solomon is also DJ D-Sol, but it’s equally unusual to have a singer-songwriter as nominated Vice Chair of the Fed. I recall seeing Rich perform years ago when he was a grad student at Harvard. (I
A plea to economics journalists

I was recently reading an article by Greg Ip (one of best economics journalists around, by the way), and he used the following expression: "the trade balance improved" A quick google search finds this expression (and the related "the trade balance deteriorated") used many thousands of times by various writers. I would like to ask everyone to please stop saying things like this. Write instead: "the
The most important book I've read this year

Larry Ball carefully looks at one aspect of the financial crisis--the collapse of Lehman Brothers--and documents that the conventional narrative, as told by many of the leading policymakers who were there, is false. According to Ball, the Fed failed to act as lender of last resort when it could have, making the financial crisis worse than necessary. In other words, at a crucial moment, Bernanke a

LEFT I ON THE NEWS

Killing Gaza: A review

Last night I watched the new documentary from journalists Dan Cohen and Max Blumenthal, "Killing Gaza". If you want to have your heart ripped out and torn into shreds, watch this film. If you like feeling totally devastated, watch this film. Nobody likes those things. But you should still watch this film. Because it is an utterly devastating indictment of the brutality, the barbarity, with which
Headlines for Aug. 3, 2018

Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted 11 minutes. Worst and Most Misleading Headlines (WAMMH) -- August 3, 2018 Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of this blog. It’s interesting to look back on his very first blog post from Aug. 2, 2003, and see how "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (the m
Headlines for July 27, 2018

Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted 11 minutes. Worst and Most Misleading Headlines (WAMMH) -- July 27, 2018 CANDIDATES FOR “WORST”/”MOST DISGUSTING”: *MSNBC has done 455 Stormy Daniels segments in the last year — but none on U.S. war in Yemen https://www.salon.com/2018/07/25/msnbc-has-done-455-s
Headlines for July 20, 2018

Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted 11 minutes. Worst and Most Misleading Headlines (WAMMH) -- July 20, 2018 CANDIDATES FOR “WORST”/”MOST DISGUSTING”: *U.S.-Led Coalition or Partners May Have Hit Syrian Area: Spokesman https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/07/13/world/middleeast/13reuters-mideast-
Headlines for July 13, 2018

Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Worst and Most Misleading Headlines (WAMMH) -- July 13, 2018 CANDIDATES FOR “WORST”/”MOST DISGUSTING”: Germany Imports Gas From Russia. But Is It a ‘Captive’? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/world/europe/trump-germany-russia-gas.html Really, NYT? You’re going to treat this absurd statement by Trump seriously? Senators criticiz
Headlines for July 6, 2018

Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Worst and Most Misleading Headlines (WAMMH) -- July 6, 2018 CANDIDATES FOR “WORST”/”MOST DISGUSTING”: We already gave Syria to Putin, so what’s left for Trump to say? https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/both-obama-and-trump-let-putin-have-his-way-in-syria-now-what/2018/07/05/b333c656-807d-11e8-b660-4d0f9f0351f1_story.html?utm

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved - Again

Well, it’s happened again. Science has solved the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle… except we’ve known what is happening there for decades and the latest merely provides a source for some of the losses. Now we learn that “rogue waves” are responsible. Of course, the cynic in me wonders how a rogue wave could knock an airplane from the sky, but that’s not important now. I have discussed this fascin
Jesse Marcel's Journal

Jesse Marcel, Sr. As you all know, one of the problems with the Roswell case is that we have been unable to find any letters, diaries, journals, or notes that were written in 1947 that would tell us about the crash. There have been hints about this, but to this point, none of those hints produced anything that is conclusive. Inez Wilcox, wife of the Roswell sheriff, had written a story about her
Ed Ruppelt and Thomas Mantell

I have said it before and I’ll say it again. Ed Ruppelt did us no favors. And as you all know, I have been reexamining the Mantell case and found a few problems in the way it has been reported in the past. I don’t think there is anything nefarious in those mistakes, it’s just that I have access to information that they might not have had. Donald Keyhoe didn’t have the case file or the accident re
Thomas DuBose and the Switched Roswell Debris

Let’s chase a footnote or two, something we haven’t done for a while. I was reading a paper that was discussing the debris displayed on the floor in Brigadier General Roger Ramey’s office. Photographs of the debris were found decades ago and some of the Brigadier General Roger Ramey and Thomas DuBose (seated) looking at the material on the floor in Ramey's office. negatives are housed in the Spec
Finding the Ruth Barnett Diary

I recently posted that we had been looking for any documents, diaries, journals, personal letters or anything else from July 1947 that mentioned the Roswell case without luck. That wasn’t exactly the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This doesn’t relate directly to Roswell, but it had been attached to the information about it for decades. Barney Barnett claimed to have seen a cras
The Atacama Desert Alien

Some time back, when all this broke about the Atacama Desert skeleton, I learned that some seven percent of the DNA had not been identified. The other 93% was human. I didn’t want to draw a conclusion then, about this, because, well, all the evidence wasn’t Dr. Steven Greer Photo copyright by Kevin Randle in. Oh, it was fairly conclusive, but I thought, since additional testing is being scheduled

NEWS FROM ATLANTIS.

Ten Years of blogging! Thanks to you all. And a special thank you to Paul Dutton for marking this anniversary with his original manuscript

In the process of writing on this blog I have had the pleasure of meeting many interesting people. This month is a bit of an achievement for this blog. It is now ten years since I wrote the first post on here. Regular readers will have seen my many meanderings in the realms of conspiracy theories, politics and the like. As the blog passes the ten year mark, it is fitting to thank all those I have

NOLANCHART.COM

Diminish Poverty and Instability

Jobs and economic reform will reduce instability , poverty and violence. If the leaders of countries promote education and values that emphasize national and international […]
Strong economic is important in a democracy

A good economic system features selfish incentives for creative and hardworking people. It is a system where selfishness benefits both the producer and the consumer, […]
The soft underbelly of America … a long time target of our foes

President Donald Trump is working hard to re-establish the America mankind has relied on since it’s creation. America is the best example of mankind’s aspirations, […]
Establishment Republicans turn on the President…again

Senator McConnell and Speaker Ryan, along with the usual band of RINO’s have once again come out in opposition to President Donald Trump, and specifically […]
Catch up folks…the world is a changing

Life has been exciting, enjoyable, positive, and looking good for the future of America ever since November, 2016 and the election of an American President! […]
Above the Law, Trump?

For Donald J. Trump, he was doing what he has done his whole life, defy the law. Only this seemingly apparent defiance carries the weight […]

A CLOSER LOOK: JODY PATERSON

A garbage read. No, really

Just be glad you don't live in Kolonnawa, Sri Lanka, where 800 tonnes of garbage is added to this dump every day. I'm reposting a 2002 story of mine on recycling here, and never mind that I quietly roll my eyes at my many photographer friends who trot out their old photos as "new" and repost them on Instagram. But here's the thing: it's such an interesting subject, what we do with our garbage, an

THWAP'S SCHOOLYARD

Trump Derangement Syndrome and Russia-gate

I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again: Critics of the moronic george dubya bush were often accused of suffering from "bush derangement syndrome" [bDS] by his supporters. To whit; pointing out he was stupid , that his case for the invasion of Iraq was based on lies , that he was a craven servant of the plutocracy , that he stole elections , was " deranged ." But all of those things turn

PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK

PAN Fellows build a brighter tomorrow

Small farmers, farmworkers, Indigenous Peoples and rural communities disproportionately bear the burdens of our chemical-dependent industrial agricultural system. This can include chronic illnesses, contaminated air, water and soil, inadequate on-the-job protections and unfair laws rooted in racism and oppression. At PAN, we believe the best way to address these problems is by supporting and grow
Monsanto’s dicamba crisis: guilty as charged

The number of dicamba drift-related crop injuries sweeping across rural America is rising, along with the outrage, as this unnecessary chemical debacle unfolds. Learn more Slideshow Category: Flex Slider
Monsanto’s dicamba crisis: guilty as charged

It’s mid-July and temperatures are soaring. So are the numbers of dicamba drift-related crop injuries sweeping across rural America. Also rising: the outrage of farmers, gardeners and rural residents, as they watch this unnecessary chemical debacle unfold, once again. Watching unperturbed from the sidelines: Monsanto (recently acquired by Bayer) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Chem
Landmark initiative promotes farmworker justice

We know that ending reliance on hazardous pesticides can only happen by creating healthy, just food and farming systems — and this means for all of us. One way we can do this? A safer, more transparent food chain. This week, people across California are convening to learn more about and take action for Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) standards. The EFI program is designed to signify that workers
A Dow alum nominated to USDA. Again.

Earlier this week, a new appointment for chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was announced, and it’s a 30-year veteran of Dow Agrosciences. Really? Administration officials are touting the fact that Scott Hutchins is actually a scientist — unlike their last pick. The nomination of Sam Clovis, an openly racist radio talk-show host and Trump campaign team alum, was withdraw
On Pruitt, pesticides & progress

It was clear from the minute he was appointed that Scott Pruitt was a wildly inappropriate choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.) Last Thursday, after months of public pressure and outrage, he finally submitted his resignation. Though we know the work continues, we want to take a moment to celebrate this win. Over the past year, PAN supporters joined hundreds of thousands acros

WMTC

listening to joni: #6: court and spark

Court and Spark , 1974 Writing about the music of Joni Mitchell has been a huge challenge. My love of music and my writing abilities seem to live in separate spheres: I write with my brain, but I listen with my heart. If writing about Joni's music has been challenging, writing about Court and Spark feels impossible. The love and connection I feel for this music is impossible to put into words. So
what i'm reading: collected (and amazing) nonfiction by saul bellow

When the author Saul Bellow died in 2005 at the age of 90, I was saddened and disappointed by the scant attention paid to his passing. Bellow was one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. His novels are still relevant, in a way that many of past generations are not. And his writing... his writing is simply astounding. With this in mind, and my love of nonfiction, I looked forward to readin
what i'm re-reading: the ax by donald westlake and other literary thrillers

I've just re-read one of my all-time favourites: The Ax by Donald Westlake. I'm agog with how much I love this book. But first, the requisite blather. * * * * One of my favourite kind of books -- although I don't read them frequently -- is a mystery, detective story, crime thriller, or spy thriller that transcends its genre and is also a literary novel. The definition of literary is always a bit s
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #29

It's TIHATL, Summer Reading Club edition! Summer Reading Club is in full swing in Canadian libraries. In more than 2,100 libraries around Canada, kids are earning prizes and recognition for reading. Thanks to Toronto Public Library and a certain sponsoring bank, we all have lots of free stuff to give away. The most popular kids' series ever, still going strong after almost 15 years. Our motives ar
in which we do something i thought i'd never do: say goodbye to our vinyl

Through all our years together, and all the different places we have lived, Allan and I have hung on to our large collection of vinyl LPs. Most people I know who are old enough to have lived in the vinyl era stopped listening to LPs with the advent of CDs, and got rid of their LPs some time after that. We never understood this. We couldn't possibly re-buy all these albums on CD, so why would we g
kevin baker in harpers: "the death of a once great city -- the fall of new york and the urban crisis of affluence"

Everyone who cares about cities, about privatization, and frankly, about humans and our ability to live on our planet, should make time to read the July cover story in Harper's magazine. New York writer Kevin Baker unpacks " The Death of a Once Great City -- The fall of New York and the urban crisis of affluence ". As New York enters the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is in imminent

SARDONICKY

New Litmus Test For Patriotism: Loyalty To the Police State

Treason is in the air. If you hate everything that Trump stands for, but still agree with him that #Russiagate is a fraud, then it naturally follows that you are just as much a traitor as he allegedly is. Hysteria is in the air. Trump betrayed the United States by meeting with Vladimir Putin, who did attack us, is attacking us, and will continue to attack us. If you don't believe it, then you wer
What Stale Hell IsThis?

"He felt constantly unappreciated and harassed by others, was frequently suspicious of many of those around him... vindictive, seething with unfocused hostility". (He had) "a permanent "sense of insecurity and frustration... leading to frequently bungling attempts at compensation... and a need to show the world who was boss." (He filled his White House with) "big-bellied good natured guys who saw
Update From Hell

So today I got my marching orders to vacate the flooded, incipiently moldy premises as of 3 p.m. Sunday so that Serve Pro can get on with making it like it never even happened. Granted, this was pretty short notice on the part of the landlord who had given me a date of a week from now to check into the hotel. But professionals that they hopefully are, Serve Pro found itself unexpectedly ahead of
A Personal Note

One of the upstairs tenants in my apartment building had the bright idea of hanging a sweatshirt on one of the sprinkler heads in their unit. As a result there was a massive flood the likes of which this complex has never seen. Two or three apartments were destroyed along with all their contents. Several more (including mine) were discovered to have severe interior wall damage which will require
The Art of the Anti-Trump Dog Whistle

What do Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth have in common (besides, that is, being the carefully manufactured celebrity public images which mask and protectthe private pursuit of power and wealth by neoliberal capitalism at the public's expense)? They have perfected the fine art of dissing Donald Trump without ever having to stoop to mentioning his name. That would just be too, too untoward. Obama
Trump Is Perfectly Normal

Let me qualify that. Donald Trump is every bit as perfectly normal as the pathological soul-destroying capitalism which passes for democracy in our so-called free world. That's why I find the overreaction to his gaslighting tour of Europe this week to be so amusing. Once again, our renegade president is single-handedly destroying all the advanced Norms of Civilization, which, legend has it, reach

SCHOOLS MATTER

Trump as "Triple T"

Treacherous Traitor Trump by Jim Horn Long before Donald Trump publicly aspired to be President of the United States, back in the day when he was just another sketchy real estate mogul from Queens selling apartments at Trump Tower to Russian gangsters and the moneyed American nouveau-gauche, he had, even then, a fascination with professional wrestling. Trump Casino and Resorts in Atlantic City ho
“Social capital” scrip? Fin-tech experiments with new forms of precarious “employment.”

from Wrench in the Gears July 20, 2018 I write this piece as a follow up to my post on self sovereign identity on Blockchain, the distributed ledger system designed to capture flows of data, and information about our lives. Supporters of Blockchain tout its ability to secure “transactions” into permanent, immutable records of activities, earnings, payments, and debt. As we shift to a cashless soc
Proposed Borrower Defense Rule Shortchanges Defrauded Students, Ends Accountability for For-Profit Colleges

For Immediate Release July 25, 2018 Proposed Borrower Defense Rule Shortchanges Defrauded Students, Ends Accountability for For-Profit Colleges WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Education released a draft proposal to overhaul the Obama Administration’s Borrower Defense to Repaymentrule. The revision would alter how students secure loan forgiveness when institutions fail to deliver
Blockchain, Self-Sovereign Identity, and Selling Off Humanity

from Wrench in the Gears July 15, 2018 It’s time activists began to develop a working knowledge of Blockchain and self-sovereign digital identity, because these are the mechanisms that will drive the transition to IoT monitoring for the purposes of Pay for Success deal evaluation. I created a slide share about Blockchain as part of a “ Smart Cities ” post I wrote last year, which can be accessed
Minding Our Health: The Nudge, Part Two

from Wrench in the Gears July 13, 2018 This piece expands upon my prior post about digital nudging and behavioral economics. Disruption in the healthcare industry mirrors the ed-tech takeover that is well underway in public education. If you explore the webpage for Catalyst , the innovation PR outlet for the New England Journal of Medicine (remember, social impact policy makers and many investors

SCREW YOU GUYS, I'M GOING HOME

Can You Rescind Your Resignation? Papa John's Former CEO Wants To Know

In light of the recent brouhaha over Papa John's founder/CEO's use of the n-word, subsequent resignation, then statement that he regretted resigning , I thought I'd address this issue I encounter frequently: can you rescind your resignation? The answer, sadly, is probably not. However, it mostly depends on how much your employer wants you to stay. In general, if you quit in a huff, you're gone. Mo
Can You Be Fired For Taking Vacation? Yep.

I'm on vacation, and so are many Americans. You shouldn’t have to worry about your job while you’re on vacation. Or should you? A recent survey found that 49% of Americans are taking no vacation this summer. Sadly, 52% did not use all their vacation days last year, and 24% have taken no vaction in at least a year. But you're not one of these sad cases. You’ve earned three weeks of vacation, and w

SYRIA COMMENT

Romancing Rojava: Rhetoric vs. Reality

A billboard near a main entrance to the city of Hasaka, Syria announces “Hasaka Welcomes You” in the Arabic, Assyrian, and Kurdish languages beneath a prominently-displayed image of PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan. Photo: Wladimir Van Wilgenburg By Max J. Joseph and Mardean Isaac Introduction The purpose of this article is to provide a critique of the Rojava project through a close examination of the
Winning in Syria and the Middle East – By David W. Lesch and Kamal Alam

David W. Lesch Winning in Syria and the Middle East By David W. Lesch and Kamal Alam For Syria Comment – July 16, 2018 The common perception today is that Russia has won in Syria, having supported the government of Bashar al-Assad, which is now steadily reasserting its control over previously lost territory. As a result, Russia has inserted itself as the power broker in Syria, if not the entire M
The Think-Tanks Bark and the IRGC Moves On

By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi Discussions of U.S. policy on Syria mostly revolve around two things: counter-terrorism (i.e. combating the Islamic State and other Sunni jihadist groups) and counter-Iran, the latter of which has gained much more prominence since the Trump administration came to power. Proposals on the counter-Iran angle from many think-tanks largely focus on a policy of containment and
Helsinki Meeting Does Little to Clarify America’s Syria Policy – By Joshua Landis

Helsinki Meeting Does Little to Clarify America’s Syria Policy By Joshua Landis For Syria Comment – July 16, 2018 Washington analysts were fearful that President Trump would declare that the US was withdrawing from Syria at the Helsinki meeting with President Putin. President Trump made no important concessions to or agreements with President Putin on Syria. Although many suggested that some gran

THE DUCK OF MINERVA

Explaining the Academic Job Market To Friends and Family

This topic came up on twitter–how do we get our friends and relatives to understand the academic job market? My first take: don’t bother. It can get really confusing really fast. I consider my family well-educated, yet deep into my career, my mother thought that my appearances on TV and radio would help me get another job. Nope. Given that job market season is approaching (sorry!),* here’s my lis
The U.S. Versus China . . . Versus the Rest?

This post comes from Steve Weber , Professor at the I-School and Department of Political Science and Director of the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at the University of California, Berkeley, and a co-director of the Bridging the Gap project. It has become common in 2018 to hear that the United States and China are locking themselves into an Artificial Intelligence ‘arms race’ . While global p
Remembering Robert Gilpin and His Intellectual Legacy

This is a guest post from Peter Henne , Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont. Robert Gilpin passed away recently. Most of us knew him as the author of War and Change in World Politics . Others knew him primarily from his work on international political economy. But I had another connection with him; Gilpin was a Vermonter, and an alumni of the University of Vermont (where I am a profe
Dark Days Ahead: Does Trump Have a Point About Europe?

For the first year of the Trump Administration, the Washington D.C.- based denizens of the U.S. foreign policy establishment assured themselves that although Donald Trump had tipped over the geopolitical apple cart, everything broken could be put back into place without undue difficulty. They were wrong. Taking their cue from the caustic reactions of American allies to Trump’s twin summit debacle
Tackling Climate Change: A Conversation with Josh Busby

Readers of the Duck will be very familiar with Duck editor Josh Busby’s commentary on climate change and security , U.S. foreign policy , and a host of other topics. Earlier this year, Bridging the Gap (BTG) awarded Josh a Policy Engagement Fellowship (PEF). The purpose of this fellowship is to support efforts by scholars to connect their research on international issues to the policy community.

WEEKLY GEO-POLITICAL NEWS AND ANALYSIS

The secret history of the planet Earth from 2000 to 2018

Notice to readers: For the next three weeks, barring some unprecedented news event, the reports will be pre-written as I take my annual sabbatical off the grid and off the Internet. Your understanding is appreciated. As we prepare for what may be the final autumn offensive that finally overthrows the Khazarian mafia cabal, it’s a good time to look at the big picture to understand why a secret bat
Will the Jews finally be freed from Khazarian mafia slavery as Israel is liberated?

The world is headed for a new age, not a New World Order. As a part of this, the Jewish people—high-level slaves of satan-worshipping Khazarian gangsters—are about to be freed from thousands of years of Babylonian slavery. That is why the rogue state of Israel is now under full martial law as the Khazarian-controlled government there faces an ultimatum to surrender and free their Jewish and Arab
Arrests in August; 9/11 announcement in September; and Jubilee in October?

The good guys are continuing to win the secret battle for the planet earth in a big way, multiple sources confirm. As things now stand, there will be a new wave of mass arrests in August, official government disclosure about 9/11 in September, and some sort of “major economic announcement in October,” Pentagon sources claim. Behind the scenes, meetings involving the Knights of Malta, Russian FSB
Khazarian mafia doomed as a result of Putin/Trump secret agreement

These days, reading The New York Times and other Khazarian mafia corporate propaganda is like reading Pravda just before the fall of the Soviet Union. Nobody believes their lies. Yet even they are being forced to report that the Soviet Socialist European Union is in deep trouble. That’s because U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed their common enemy is the
Earth Alliance Cryptocurrency Report, Q3 2018

Follow us on Twitter: @generalmilan It has been some time since our last reports ( Q1-2018 and Q4-2017 ). That’s okay—we are strong believers in taking a long-term approach to investing. It’s well documented that overactive trading is detrimental to investors’ financial health, let alone their mental health. The best thing to do is often… nothing. Patience is a virtue. Tech entrepreneur Naval Rav
Benjamin Fulford Talks: The Council of Europe Redux. Interview July 4, 2018 with Prepare for Change

Benjamin Fulford Talks: The Council of Europe Redux. Interview July 4, 2018 with Prepare for Change https://prepareforchange.net/2018/07/06/benjamin-fulford-talks-council-of-europe-redux-interview-july-4-2018-prepare-for-change/ The post Benjamin Fulford Talks: The Council of Europe Redux. 

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