Wednesday, March 01, 2017

1 March - Blogs I'm Following

11:03 pm MST

Tale Of 3 Purities... Plus Comrade Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 hour ago
*Haim Saban and Sheldon Adelson-- feh!* Three purity-related positions of Democratic establishment’s supporters: *•* Loud labelling of Lefties for "purity" *•* Louder and very purist labelling of Israeli policies’ critics as "anti-Semitic" and "dis-qualifying" *•* Much less-loud hostility towards critics of donor cash to party, and party cash to consultants. Lefties are justifiably annoyed by the (1) vs. (2) contrast, but the (2) vs. (3) contrast is very revealing. What else do we know? The cash flow, which is dependent on (3), is fundamental to most participants’ careers and stat... more »

Why Do Teens With Autism Go To The ER 400 Percent More?

News Staff at Science 2.0 blogs - 1 hour ago
Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder use 400 percent more emergency room services than peers without it, which puts more strain on an over-burdened health care system and may mean that they need better access to primary care. read more

Nanoscience: 5 Ways Science Fiction Is Becoming Science Fact

News Staff at Science 2.0 blogs - 1 hour ago
Russian author Boris Zhitkov wrote the 1931 short story Microhands, in which the narrator creates miniature hands to carry out intricate surgeries. And while that was nearly 100 years ago, the tale illustrates the real fundamentals of the nanoscience researchers are working on today. read more

The Brain Fear Network And Genetic Risk Factors For Anxiety Disorders

News Staff at Science 2.0 blogs - 1 hour ago
Some people have an extreme fear of spiders or other objects while others have breathing difficulties and accelerated heart beat in small rooms or large gatherings of people. Some anxiety attacks occur for no apparent cause. Some patients suffer from the detrimental impacts on their everyday lives, they have problems at work and withdraw from social contacts. read more

Does Cheese Increase Breast Cancer Risk? Does Yogurt Lower It?

News Staff at Science 2.0 blogs - 1 hour ago
A new observational study claims that cheese increases breast cancer risk, while yogurt can lower it. Since both are dairy, that means they would be suggesting a dairy process causes or prevents cancer. The case control study has numerous confounders that will not be noticed by most journalists so media outlets looking for context beware. read more

Our experiments taught us why people troll

Michael Bernstein, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University at Science + Technology – The Conversation - 1 hour ago
Trolling can spread from person to person. Cropped from Ayana T. Miller/flickr, CC BY-ND “Fail at life. Go bomb yourself.” Comments like this one, found on a CNN article about how women perceive themselves, are prevalent today across the internet, whether it’s Facebook, Reddit or a news website. Such behavior can range from profanity and name-calling to personal attacks, sexual harassment or hate speech. A recent Pew Internet Survey found that four out of 10 people online have been harassed online, with far more having witnessed such behavior. Trolling has become so rampant that se... more »

'Alternative facts': A psychiatrist’s guide to twisted relationships to truth

Ronald W. Pies, Professor of Psychiatry, Lecturer on Bioethics & Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts University at Science + Technology – The Conversation - 1 hour ago
Does your nose grow if it's a falsehood, not a lie? Thomas Hawk, CC BY-NC The phrase “alternative facts” has recently made the news in a political context, but psychiatrists like me are already intimately acquainted with the concept – indeed, we hear various forms of alternate reality expressed almost every day. All of us need to parse perceived from actual reality every day, in nearly every aspect of our lives. So how can we sort out claims and beliefs that strike most people as odd, unfounded, fantastical or just plain delusional? Untruths aren’t always lies First, we need to ma... more »

New EPA approach for Pruitt

Geoff Brown at The Australian Climate Sceptics Blog - 2 hours ago
Scott Pruitt Image: WikipediaA new EPA approach for Pruitt Climate science must be subjected to fair and open debate *Opinion by Tom Harris* Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy wanted the United States to set an example for the world on climate change. For instance, while admitting that the Clean Power Plan (CPP) would have no measurable impact on climate, it was still worthwhile, she maintained, because we need “to lead the world in our global climate fight.” Testifying before the 2013 hearing of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, Ms. ... more »

Why do some countries disapprove of homosexuality? Money, democracy and religion

Amy Adamczyk, Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, City University of New York at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 2 hours ago
Gay pride – but not everywhere. bensonkua/flickr, CC BY-SA With Trump’s removal of federal protections for transgender students, debate over LGBTQ rights rage again across the U.S. Despite these disagreements, Americans are relatively liberal compared to countries across the world, where the consequences for gay or transgender citizens are far more dire. In Europe and here in the Americas, only a minority of people believe that homosexuality is never justified. The percentage increases in places like Russia, India and China. In Africa, the Middle East and parts of Southeast Asia, ... more »

Militarized Force Against Peaceful Water Protectors

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago
This episode, similar to the police responses to Black Lives Matters, shows the true face of America. To the rest of the world - don't follow the U.S. and its military arm NATO. Don't give them your money - they will turn this military machine against you. Reject the U.S. fear and war mongering. Reject U.S. leadership which claims to be about democracy and freedom. It is all a lie. See how the U.S. government treats unarmed, peaceful, prayerful people.

X22Report, “One Thing Has Changed, The Deep State Moved Up It's Time Table”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 2 hours ago
X22Report, “One Thing Has Changed, The Deep State Moved Up It's Time Table” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNQwj-z37Hc

“A Potpourri of Platitudes, Pandering and Profligacy”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 2 hours ago
*“A Potpourri of Platitudes, Pandering and Profligacy,” Introduction* by Brian Maher "Trump’s speech Monday night sure set the river ablaze... Tax cuts, deregulation, infrastructure spending, defense spending- American Greatness on a dozen fronts- and something for everyone! But hard schooling has conditioned us to meet good news with mild alarm. Matching H.L. Mencken’s definition of a cynic, when we smell flowers... we start looking around for a coffin. Today’s the first of March, two weeks from March 15... the ides of March… Beware the ides of March, the soothsayer Spurinna alleg... more »

Rhythm of Breathing Key to Controlling Fear and Emotional Behavior

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 3 hours ago
*Alex Pietrowski* - Knowing how to breathe properly can impact fear and memory. The post Rhythm of Breathing Key to Controlling Fear and Emotional Behavior appeared first on Waking Times.

Hope in Uncertain Times

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 3 hours ago
Life is a blur because I am so busy. I hate this level of bizzy-ness, but bow to its pressures. It is such a strange time that I wish I had more time to explore it. What is happening? Truth has lost all mooring in the era of fake news and scandal politics. Are we witnessing the birth of fascism or the revolt against it? I cannot tell. My students are talking about demonstrations and their confusion. I love those millennials because they are the most tolerant among us. But teaching them is, frankly, a pain in the ass because their attention is so hard to maintain. But they are cu... more »

Editor's Note

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
Had a long day. Blogging will return tomorrow morning.

Was Joan Didion foreseeing something like the Trump presidency during her 1970 Gulf Coast swing?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 4 hours ago
*"Didion saw her era more clearly than anyone else, which is another way of saying that she was able to see the future. . . . How could the hidebound South, in its perpetual disintegration and defiant decadence, at the same time represent the future? Didion admits the idea seems oxymoronic, but she is onto something. . . ."An unquestioned premise among those who live in American cities with international airports has been, for more than half a century now, that Enlightenment values would in time become conventional wisdom. . . . Two decades into the new millennium, however, a plu... more »

Statins Increase Artery Calcification

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 4 hours ago
Statins Increase Artery Calcification by Tony Isaacs, http://www.tbyil.com/ (The Best Years in Life) In yet another blow to the claimed benefits of statin drugs, researchers have found that statin drug use leads to accelerated coronary artery and aortic artery calcification, both of which greatly contribute to cardiovascular disease and mortality. The researchers study comes on top […]

March 2017: The End Of A 100 Year Global Debt Super Cycle Is Way Overdue

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 4 hours ago
I have penciled in 15 March 2017 as the next ‘Big Day’ to watch. The FedRes meets that day and the market is pricing a 80% probability of interest rate increase. It is also on 15 March 2017 when the debt ceiling ‘holiday’ expires. Either the Congress extends the ‘holiday’ or increase the debt ceiling […]

Paul Craig Roberts: The Resurrection of Armageddon

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 4 hours ago
Paul Craig Roberts: The Resurrection of Armageddon by http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/ “The U.S. intelligence community’s extraordinary campaign of leaks claiming improper ties between President Trump’s team and Russia seeks to ensure a lucrative New Cold War by blocking detente.” — Gareth Porter – It only required 24 days for the Deep State to castrate President Donald Trump and […]

Did Target’s Stock ‘Crash’ Due to Its Transgender Bathroom Policy?

Bethania Palma at Snopes.com - 4 hours ago
The big box retailer gave investors lower-than-expected forecasts due to increasing online sales — which affected its stock.

Musical Interlude: 2002, "Secret Shores"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
2002, "Secret Shores" - https://www.youtube.com/

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
“Have you ever seen the Pleiades star cluster? Even if you have, you probably have never seen it like this: all dusty. Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though, the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very evident. The below exposure took about 30 hours and covers a sky area several times the size of the full moon. *Click image for larger size.* Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiad... more »

"I Believe..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
“I believe in cultivating opposite, but complementary views of life, and I believe in meeting life's challenges with contradictory strategies. I believe in reckoning with the ultimate meaninglessness of our existence, even as we fall in love with the miracle of being alive. I believe in working passionately to make our lives count while never losing sight of our insignificance. I believe in caring deeply and being beyond caring. It is by encompassing these opposites, by being involved and vulnerable, but simultaneously transcendent and detached, that our lives are graced by resilie... more »

Chet Raymo, “Cosmic View”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
*“Cosmic View”* by Chet Raymo “When writing about Philip and Phylis Morrison's “Powers of Ten” the other day I found I had made the following notation in the flyleaf, perhaps a dozen or more years ago: *Britannica* *32 volumes* *1000 pages per vol* *1200 words per page* *5 letters/wd* *=200 million letters* So, 200 million letters in the 32 volume set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Why was I making that estimate? I can think of several possibilities. Perhaps… *1.* I was making a comparison with the number of nucleotide pairs in the human DNA; that is, the number of steps- ATTGCCC... more »

"A Sense Of Humor.."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
"Imagination was given to us to compensate for what we are not; a sense of humor was given to us to console us for what we are." - Mack McGinnis

"Why You Don't Know Your Own Mind"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
*"Why You Don't Know Your Own Mind"* by Alex Rosenberg "It is often said that we can never truly know the minds of others, because we can't "get inside their heads." Our ability to know our own minds, though, is rarely called into question. It is assumed that your experience of your own consciousness clinches the assertion that you "know your own mind" in a way that no one else can. This is a mistake. Ever since Plato, philosophers have, without much argument, shared common sense's confidence about the nature of its own thoughts. They have argued that we can secure certainty about... more »

Facts are not what motivates the anti-immigrationists

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago
WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THAT the factual basis for immigration fears generally fall away upon close inspection, you have to question what animates the new nationalists who seek to deter and/or expel new immigrants. Yes, observes Jason Krupp from the New Zealand Institute, this increasingly seems to be the case when it comes to politics, “where fact-based arguments have been thin on the ground of late.” *Almost all the opposition parties are guilty of this to some extent, but none more notable [locally] than New Zealand First and party leader Winston Peters.* Jason and his team tea... more »

Quote(s) of the Day: It’s the universities, stupid

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago
*"The fact is that economics is downstream from politics, which is downstream from culture, which is downstream from the ideas taught in humanities departments in our universities. Many in the modern liberty movement don’t get this. They don’t understand that the most important battleground is not [in parliament] or in [local government] but in our universities—and not merely in economics departments, but also, and more fundamentally, in the humanities and liberal arts departments. "Over the past twenty years, advocates of free markets [around the world] have given tens of... more »

President Trump: 'Still Coping With The Surreal Experience Of Being Commander In Chief

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
U.S. President Trump addresses Joint Session of Congress, February 28, 2017. © Jim Bourg / Reuters *Politico*: *Trump says he's adjusting to the 'surreal' experience of being president* As he prepares to deliver his first address before Congress, the president attacks his perceived enemies while conceding he should only get a C-grade for his messaging. President Donald Trump, on the eve of his first address before Congress, presented himself as a man still adjusting to the Oval Office — coping with the “surreal” experience of being commander in chief while still nursing grudges a... more »

Is Marijuana Legalization Linked to Increased Violent Crime?

Alex Kasprak at Snopes.com - 5 hours ago
Although this claim appears to be making its way into political talking points regarding recreational marijuana, no credible evidence has been provided to support it.

Were Several Brands of Baby Wipes Recalled in 2017?

Kim LaCapria at Snopes.com - 5 hours ago
A web site falsely claimed that a recall of baby wipes affected several retailers and brands.

Were President Donald Trump’s Sons Detained at Vancouver Airport over Ties with a Fascist Dictator?

Kim LaCapria at Snopes.com - 5 hours ago
An article about Trump's sons being detained by Canada over their ties with a fascist regime originated from a satire web site.

Is This a Red Blood Cell on the Tip of a Needle?

Dan Evon at Snopes.com - 5 hours ago
A photograph purportedly showing a red blood cell on the tip of a needle is actually a composite of two (or more) images.

Did a Holocaust Museum Display a Poster Listing ‘Early Warning Signs of Fascism’?

Dan Evon at Snopes.com - 5 hours ago
The poster was not on display, but instead was at one point available in the gift shop of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 1, 2017

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
The People's Republic of China flag and the U.S. Stars and Stripes fly along Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol in Washington during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit, January 18, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Hyungwon Kang *Liu Zhen, South China Morning Post*: *Bigger Pentagon budget ‘could challenge China’* The US military would strengthen its presence in the South China Sea if its budget was sharply increased, posing a major security challenge for China, mainland observers have said. But Beijing would not drastically increase its military expenditures to catch up, they ... more »

horten 229

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 5 hours ago

March 1:We are on the path to disaster.

Graeme Decarie at The Decarie Report - 5 hours ago
This news did not appear in the New Brunswick newspapers. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/automation-jobs-canada-computers-white-collar-1.3982466 This is no longer something that is coming. It's here. Heard of any government plans to deal with it? Almost certainly not. If governments planned for all of us, they'd now be looking at drastically shortening the work week while maintaining wages. But they aren't doing it. And they are not likely to. Instead, we are following the Trump route. We are increasingly enabling big business to escape essential controls, to escape taxes..... (Wh... more »

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
Port-of-spain, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and TobagoThanks for stopping by!

The Poet: John Clare, “I Am”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
*“I Am”* "I am- yet what I am none cares or knows; My friends forsake me like a memory lost: I am the self-consumer of my woes- They rise and vanish in oblivious host, Like shadows in love’s frenzied stifled throes; And yet I am, and live- like vapors tossed Into the nothingness of scorn and noise, Into the living sea of waking dreams, Where there is neither sense of life or joys, But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems; Even the dearest that I loved the best Are strange- nay, rather, stranger than the rest. I long for scenes where man hath never trod, A place where woman never smiled... more »

World News Briefs -- March 1, 2017

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 6 hours ago
A screen shows the Dow Jones Industrial Average soon after the market opened on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange . REUTERS/Brendan McDermid *Reuters*: *Dow tops 21,000 after Trump speech, rate hike talk* The Dow crossed the 21,000 mark for the first time on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's measured tone in his first speech to Congress lifted optimism and investors viewed a looming interest rate hike as a glass half full. The three main stock indexes were on track for their best one-day gain since Nov. 7, a day before the U.S. presidential election, with the S&... more »

Ohio Investigation Reveals Voter Fraud

Raven Clabough at rss - 6 hours ago
[image: ohio-investigation-reveals-voter-fraud] Findings from an investigation in Ohio disprove claims that voter fraud is a “myth” or a fabrication resulting from Republican racism, as Democrats allege. According to an announcement from Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, hundreds of illegal immigrants are registered to vote in his state, and dozens voted in the 2016 presidential election.

Radical Environmentalists Sue EPA Head to Eliminate Dams Alleged to Harm Salmon

Warren Mass at rss - 6 hours ago
[image: radical-environmentalists-sue-epa-head-to-eliminate-dams-alleged-to-harm-salmon] A group of radical environmentalists filed a suit against EPA head Scott Pruitt in a federal court, demanding that the EPA prevent “temperature pollution” in two rivers.

Dakota Access Final Tally: 750 Arrested, 24,000 Tons of Trash Left, and $1 Million Cleanup Bill

Bob Adelmann at rss - 6 hours ago
[image: dakota-access-final-tally-750-arrested-24-000-tons-of-trash-left-and-1-million-cleanup-bill] Matthew 7:18-19 says it all about the people who protested the Dakota Access Pipeline: "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."

Dutch Earthquake ‘Enthusiast’ Claims To Predict Major Tremor

Arturo Garcia at Snopes.com - 7 hours ago
Frank Hoogerbeets says that planetary alignments are earthquake indicators — an idea rebuffed by scientists.

After all his ‘fake news’ fuss, Trump’s response to this Murdoch media fib beggars belief [TWEETS]

Ed Sykes at The Canary - 7 hours ago
The Murdoch media has got it wrong. Yet again. But considering all the fuss Donald Trump has kicked up about ‘fake news’, his response to this latest fib beggars belief. An unknown ‘expert’ On 27 February, Murdoch’s Fox News openly admitted an error. Host Bill O’Reilly said it was “valid” to criticise the description of unknown guest […] The post... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

Rise of Police Privilege — 32 Blue Lives Matter Bills in 14 States Introduced in 2017

Claire Bernish at The Free Thought Project - 7 hours ago
[image: blue]Despite there being no war on cops, 32 Blue Lives Matter bills have been introduced in 14 states — in only one year.

Fmr Congresswoman: If Trump Goes After High-Level Pedophiles, It Will Take Down Dems & Republicans

Matt Agorist at The Free Thought Project - 7 hours ago
[image: trafficking]In regard to human trafficking, Cynthia McKinney says going after child predators will lead to the downfall of the left and right as the problem is at the top.

Who Will Lead the Growing Anti-Trump Movement?

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 7 hours ago
- Thirteen of us from across Maine gathered today to commemorate Ash Wednesday at Bath Iron Works (BIW) during the lunch hour. There were many workers walking and driving by including many sailors who will be on-board the newly built destroyers made at the shipyard. I took great pleasure in them seeing us knowing that soon enough they will be making their way to the new Navy base on Jeju Island where they will also be met by protests. We are getting them prepared. - Today began the annual Lenten vigils at BIW that will be held each Saturday in Marc... more »

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 1, 2017

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 7 hours ago
Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles © Issei Kato / Reuters *RT: **PAC-3 missiles deployed on Taiwan’s east coast ‘in response to Chinese military strategy’* One of the world’s most powerful air defense missile systems, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), has been stationed on Taiwan’s east coast, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a report, citing China’s “changing military strategy.” The ministry confirmed that (PAC-3) missile systems were moved to the area of Hualien and Taitung to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself in the event of an attack, Taiw... more »

Trump-- Least Racist Person You Ever Met-- Has Justice Department Supporting Racism In Texas Already

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 8 hours ago
[Also: no puppet, no puppet] I guess it was predictable enough that the new Attorney General, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, a notorious racist who famously explained that what he didn't like about his old comrades at the KKK is that they smoke too much pot, would change the tone of the Justice Department when it comes to equality. The Justice Department has been for it and is now against it. It's official, despite the never-ending palaver from the orange racist piglet in the White House-- who started his business career by overseeing an illegal program to deny housing to rent... more »

The Danish Bank & Sparinvest have just divested from the companies behind DAPL

White Wolf at White Wolf - 8 hours ago
Danske bank/Danish bank and Sparinvest, an international asset management group based in Luxembourg and owned by a broad range of Danish institutional shareholders, have dropped investments in the companies behind the disputed Dakota Access pipeline. Donald Trump had revived the pipeline which the Indians and the environmental organizations had been trying to stop. Because of this, the Danish Bank and Sparinvest have decided to divest their investments in the companies behind the planned pipeline at the Indian reservation, Standing Rock, in North Dakota, U.S.A. * "We don't approve t... more »

Time for Brown Berets to be Seen in Court?

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 8 hours ago
The Brown Berets have a storied history in this country, somewhat akin to the Black Panthers. But for this story, what concerns us is their recent history in Tucson, Arizona. Two weeks ago, two members were assaulted and arrested, charged with aggravated assault against police officers, while part of a protest against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. And it was not the first time they had been singled out, assaulted and arrested. For the rest of the column, please go to and share: Time for Brown Berets to be Seen in Court? http://diverseeducation.com/article/93259/

Report: Islamic State On Brink of Financial Collapse

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
*Voice of America*:* Islamic State on Brink of Financial Collapse, Report Finds* LONDON — The business model of Islamic State is failing, and the terror group will soon likely collapse financially, according to a detailed analysis of IS finances by the London-based International Center for the Study of Radicalization, and accounting group Ernst & Young. Islamic State is often cited as the richest terrorist organization ever to have existed; but, the description is flawed, says report co-author professor Peter Neumann. “IS isn’t just a terrorist organization, it is a quasi-state, ... more »

The "real" Donald Trump finally revealed?...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 8 hours ago
*oh - hell noes.* What you saw last night was the *same* Donald Trump he's always been. *For those of us who have supported him from day one it was a glorious affirmation of all that we believed. * Does it mean I don't expect him to act on his promises? Does it also mean I approve of everything he proposed? Nope and nope. I'm not a big fan of government run child care, and I'll reserve judgement on paid family leave until I see details. I'm excited to see how the rabid anti-Trumpers are going to spin Trump's speech. And what of the pink pussy hat wearing Ladies who March?™ What... more »

"The 'Not Great' Stuff..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
"Everybody is great when things are great. It's the 'not great' stuff that matters." - Franka Potente "I know the world seems terrifying right now and the future seems bleak. Just remember human beings have always managed to find the greatest strength within themselves during the darkest hours. When faced with the worst horrors the world has to offer, a person either cracks and succumbs to ugliness, or they salvage the inner core of who they are and fight to right wrongs. Never Let hatred, fear, and ignorance get the best of you. Keep bettering yourself so you can make the world ar... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago

Iran And Syria Are Blocking Russian Efforts For A Peace Deal To End The Syrian War

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
*Bloomberg:* *Russia Tries to Salvage Syria Peace Bid Amid Iran Dispute* * Trump’s anti-terror policy presents Russia with tough choice * Top Russian officials to meet Western-backed Syria opposition Russia is struggling to salvage its bid to secure a deal to end six years of civil war in Syria as deepening differences with Iran risk a repeat of previous failed peace efforts led by the U.S. “Things aren’t going as smoothly as we would want” in the Geneva talks, President Vladimir Putin told reporters Tuesday during a visit to Kyrgyzstan. Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov met ... more »

The slender but powerful threads of prosperity that tie us together

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 8 hours ago
While politics divides people, trade brings people together. Watch the invisible patterns of sea cargo cover the earth -- "a revealing and beautiful depiction of global trade." [Hat tip Econlib] . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.

Police Take Over Seventh Generation and Sacred Stone Camps March 1, 2017

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 8 hours ago
Cheyenne River Lakota welcome displaced water protectors to Eagle Butte, South Dakota Article by Brenda Norrell Censored News Police have taken over the new camp of water protectors, the Seventh Generation Camp, and Sacred Stone Camp, today, March 1, 2017 Watch live coverage, interview with LaDonna Allard, land owner of the original camp, Sacred Stone Camp, from Johnny Dangers on

Can a Fetus Send Its Own Stem Cells to Repair Its Mother’s Damaged Organs?

Alex Kasprak at Snopes.com - 9 hours ago
Genetically distinct fetal cells can remain in a mother’s body for decades after birth and can even incorporate themselves into her organs.

Every Day This Man Drives Hours In Drought To Provide Water To Thirsty Wild Animals

White Wolf at White Wolf - 9 hours ago
When it comes to lending a hand to a furry friend in need, there is nothing an animal lover won’t do. We’ve seen people go above and beyond to help an injured pigeon, provide shelter for homeless animals, and even save pigs from a burning barn. And this story is no different. Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua has made it his life goal to help animals in need and his actions definitely speak louder than words. At the Tsavo West National Park in Kenya, a drought sadly forced many animals to go without water, so, in an effort to help Patrick carried more than 3,000 gallons of water per day to ... more »

Powerful Pictures Show Indigenous Women on Frontline In Defense of Land and Culture

White Wolf at White Wolf - 9 hours ago
Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8, and during October in Canada, corresponding with the celebration of Persons Day on October 18 Indigenous women from across North America stand on the frontline of ongoing action to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. They stand to protect the Earth, water, global climate, and the sacred si... more »

U.S. Commander: Russia, Syria Bombed U.S.-Backed Fighters In Syria

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
A man rides a vehicle near damaged buildings in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria, February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi *Reuters*: *Russia, Syria bombed U.S.-backed fighters in Syria: U.S. general* Russian and Syrian aircraft bombed positions held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Arab Coalition near the Syrian town of al Bab on Tuesday, inflicting casualties, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Wednesday. "Yesterday, we had some Russian aircraft and (Syrian) regime aircraft bomb some villages that I believe they thought were held by ISIS, yet they were actually - on the gr... more »

Ralph Nader: Trump’s Attack on the EPA and Regulatory Agencies Will be a Disaster

dandelionsalad at Dandelion Salad - 9 hours ago
Dandelion Salad with Ralph Nader TheRealNews on Mar 1, 2017 Ralph Nader tells Paul Jay that Trump’s attack on the EPA and regulatory agencies will be a disaster. Transcript (available later) *** Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier than We Think by Ralph Nader The Nader Page March 1, 2017 Back in Congress following February recess’s raucous […]

Undermining Academic Achievement

Walter E. Williams at rss - 9 hours ago
[image: undermining-academic-achievement] High schools confer diplomas attesting that students can read, write and compute at a 12th-grade level when in fact they cannot.

A Parliament of Rooks

Russell Duffy at GlobaLove Think Tank - 9 hours ago
^> When rooks gather It is called a parliament. In a circle collected With one at the centre, Arcane and sinister They listen in judgment Then either leave Or kill the one. ^< ^^ ><

TRANSGENDER

Anon at Aangirfan - 9 hours ago
*10 Most Famous Transgender Women* "There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28 *10 Most Famous Transgender Women* "A recent study showed that when transgender children live in an unsupportive home, there was a 57 percent chance that they had attempted suicide in the past year alone." *10 Most Famous Transgender Women* "Research shows that transgender people tend to have neurological development that more closely resembles the gender they identify with than the sex they were assigned at birth." The Huffington Post. *10 Most Famous Tra... more »

UN Report: All Sides Have Committed War Crimes In Aleppo

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
*DW*: *UN Syria probe finds all sides committed war crimes in Aleppo* Among the findings, the UN said Syria deliberately bombed a humanitarian convoy in Aleppo and used chlorine bombs. Rebels were also found to have used civilians as human shields. All sides battling in Aleppo last year committed war crimes, including Syrian government aircraft deliberately bombing a humanitarian convoy and separately using prohibited chorine chemical munitions, the UN said on Wednesday. The United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) for Syria report - released as peace talks continue in Geneva -... more »

Police Blockade Halted LaDonna Allard from Entering Sacred Stone Camp

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 9 hours ago
. Police took over both Sacred Stone Camp, and the new camp, Seventh Generation Camp, today, March 1, 2017 Video by Johnny Dangers Article by Brenda Norrell Censored News CANNON BALL, North Dakota -- BIA Police have taken control of Sacred Stone Camp, and the new camp Seventh Generation Camp, as of today, March 1, 2017. LaDonna Allard, owner of the land where Sacred Stone Camp is

British Medical Journal: College Teens Who Smoke Pot, Smarter than Nonsmoking Counterparts

Justin Gardner at The Free Thought Project - 10 hours ago
[image: teens]The British Medical Journal just published a study showing that student teens who perform better in academia are more likely to use cannabis.

Landmark Bill Introduced in Congress Would Legalize Cannabis on Federal Level

Jay Syrmopoulos at The Free Thought Project - 10 hours ago
[image: cannabis] In an effort to push back against repressive federal control of cannabis policy, bipartisan legislation was introduced in Congress to fight the status quo.

Patients at major mental health hospital suffer disturbing conditions, say parents

Melanie Newman at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism - 10 hours ago
A Bureau investigation has found a litany of serious complaints about the care provided at St Andrew's hospital in Northampton.

“The Crack-up Boom Is Here Now”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 10 hours ago
“The Crack-up Boom Is Here Now” By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "Macroeconomic researcher Rob Kirby thinks the world is well on its way to much higher inflation. Kirby explains, “Some people say there is a dollar shortage in the world. I do not believe there is a dollar shortage. I think we are seeing evidence that there are too many dollars in the world, not too few. Look at real estate prices around the world. In Canada, they are at record levels. In America, they are at record levels. Real estate prices are at record levels in Britain. There are record levels in Australia. They ... more »

Can Ben Carson use the power of HUD to make America happier?

Henry Renski, Associate Director, Institute of Social Science Research, University of Massachusetts Amherst at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 10 hours ago
Ben Carson laughs, Jan. 12, 2017. AP Photo/Zach Gibson With the full Senate scheduled to vote on Ben Carson’s nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it is worth considering one question that must be on Carson’s mind: Is HUD working? There can be no question that HUD has enormous impact. With an annual budget of more than US$30 billion, it provides financial assistance or direct housing to more than four million Americans. We’d argue that HUD works well in helping low-income households find places to live. A HUD subsidy helps these Americans make end... more »

A Photo Gallery On The Battle For Mosul

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
An Iraqi Airforce helicopter fires missiles at Islamic State fighters at the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic *WNU Editor:* A photo gallery on the battle for Mosul can be seen sere .... *Iraqi forces advance deeper into Mosul* (Reuters). Another photo gallery (from today) can be seen here .... *Brutal street battle for Mosul* (Reuters). One word sums up these pictures ..... "intense". *Update:* Another photo gallery on the battle for Mosul ....* Battle For Mosul Enters Critical Phase* (Radio Free Europe).

Transpicuous News: There’s a glitch, and we are in it.

D ... Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 10 hours ago
Yet another week of the wacky world weirdness!! Tonight I get into the US leaving the UN Human Rights Council (lol), Prince Charles wants to feed the squirrels nutella and birth control pills, musical chairs in Palmyra, Spain arresting 65 bankers, and...... proof that we are living in a computer simulation? News links for this episode of Transpicuous News: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/did-the-oscars-just-prove-that-we-are-living-in-a-computer-simulation http://thefreethoughtproject.com/fmr-imf-chief-sentenced/ https://www.rt.com/viral/378511-obama-... more »

Battle For The Iraqi City Of Mosul -- News Updates March 1, 2017

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*Reuters*: *Iraqi army controls main roads out of Mosul, trapping Islamic State* U.S.-backed Iraqi army units on Wednesday took control of the last major road out of western Mosul that had been in Islamic State's hands, trapping the militants in a shrinking area within the city, a general and residents said. The army's 9th Armored Division was within a kilometer of Mosul's Syria Gate, the city's northwestern entrance, a general from the unit told Reuters by telephone. "We effectively control the road, it is in our sight," he said. Mosul residents said they had not been able ... more »

Making The Best Of A Trump Situation

Kevin Gosztola at Shadowproof - 10 hours ago
Journalists struggle in a rapidly deteriorating media economy that is focused narrowly on Washington, D.C., and overlooks news in other parts of the country The post Making The Best Of A Trump Situation appeared first on Shadowproof.

On the west coast, it was just 9 PM!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 11 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017What our own "news channel" did:* Donald J. Trump finished his speech at roughly 10:15 Eastern. Until midnight, Brian, Rachel and Chris—and the whole rollicking gang, of course—proceeded to pretend to discuss the speech. Jocularity continues to be a stock in trade for this rollicking gang of "our MSNBC friends," as Rachel tagged them last week. Last night, the network's suits finally stopped pretending about their programming thrust. We refer to the hour Chris Matthews hosted at 12 midnight. Which is, just for the record, still 9 PM on the coast. In Los ... more »

You’ll Soon Need A Boat To Get To Great Yarmouth!–Potty Green Councillor

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 11 hours ago
By Paul Homewood h/t Dave Ward Regular readers will be aware that the Eastern Daily Press long ago lost all common sense over climate issues. It is of course based in Norwich, home to the University of East Anglia, which might explain a lot! This is their latest offering: OK, […]

UK ‘must insulate 25 million homes’

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 11 hours ago
By Paul Homewood http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39107973 The latest uncritical pap from St Roger of Harrabin: More than one home every minute will need to be refurbished in the UK between now and 2050, experts say. The authors of a report to Parliament say 25 million existing homes will not meet the insulation standards required […]

Did a Seven-Year-Old Girl Get Breast Implants?

Arturo Garcia at Snopes.com - 11 hours ago
A satirical news site published a story about a fictional girl's mother who acquiesced to her demand for cosmetic surgery.

Don’t let Facebook influence how much you value yourself [OPINION]

Sam Woolfe at The Canary - 11 hours ago
Recent findings reveal that 85% of social media users actively spend time managing their profiles. Compared to seven years ago, people are 40% less likely to see social networks as a place for entertainment and 30% more likely to see them as a way to promote themselves. Essentially, our social media self behaves much like a […] The post Don’t let Facebook influence how much you value... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

The Tory government is now stopping universities from teaching history it doesn’t like

Carlyn Harvey at The Canary - 11 hours ago
The Tory government’s crackdown on free speech just went into overdrive. The Minister of State for Universities, Jo Johnson, recently sent a letter to universities across the country. And as a result, a number of institutions cancelled planned events. 2017 marks an important milestone in the planned events’ focus. Because it is now the 50-year […] The post The Tory government... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

At long last Jeremy Corbyn buries the myth that swept the Conservatives to power [VIDEO]

James Wright at The Canary - 11 hours ago
Jeremy Corbyn has finally buried the myth that swept the Conservatives to power. The myth At Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on 1 March, the Labour leader exposed the con that the Conservatives borrow less than Labour. Theresa May was repeating her usual irrelevant platitudes: If you are going to be able to provide treatment for […] The post At long last Jeremy Corbyn buries the... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

Hunts are not only endangering foxes, now they’re rampaging through the suburbs [VIDEO]

Steve Topple at The Canary - 11 hours ago
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS IMAGES THAT THE READER MAY FIND UPSETTING As the Conservative government continues to push for a vote on scrapping the Hunting Act, another shocking attack by fox hounds has emerged. And this time, it was not in the countryside, but on a suburban street. “Outrageous” On Saturday 25 February, a pack of […] The post Hunts are not only endangering foxes, now... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

TODAY IN "WHY DOES CHRIS CILLIZZA HAVE A JOB?"

Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog - 11 hours ago
Chris Cillizza, one of our worst pundits, thinks the tribute to Ryan Owens in last night's speech to Congress shows that Donald Trump is growing and maturing: There was one moment in President Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night that people will remember for a very long time. It came when Trump honored the wife of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, who was killed in a raid in Yemen last month.... ' Two important things happened there. 1. Trump rapidly grasped that this was a real moment — and he didn't step on it by trying to immediately return to his speech. Lots of poli... more »

Open thread

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 11 hours ago
As things may be a little bit quiet here for a day or two, please have an open thread on us!

Former President of Iran Pens an Open Letter to President Trump

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 11 hours ago
*Isaac Davis* - The must-read letter is an exceptional appeal to common sense. The post Former President of Iran Pens an Open Letter to President Trump appeared first on Waking Times.

Civil Disobedience – Questioning the Laws We Take for Granted

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 11 hours ago
*Gary ‘Z’ McGee* - Man-made law, like mankind itself, is inherently fallible. The post Civil Disobedience – Questioning the Laws We Take for Granted appeared first on Waking Times.

These Seven Global Terror Groups Are Making All The Headlines

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 11 hours ago
*DW:* *Seven terror organizations making headlines* World leaders have identified international terrorism as a top threat to world stability. Despite varying criteria and lists, certain terror groups consistently make headlines. Here are seven you need to know about. *1. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS or ISIL)* Also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, the fundamentalist Sunni Islamic organization was founded in 2004. It surged to global prominence in 2014 after announcing a self-proclaimed caliphate covering large areas of Syria and Iraq. Under the leadership of Abu Bakr ... more »

40 Days for Life Supporters Hold Prayer Vigil in Nation’s Capital

Bob Adelmann at rss - 11 hours ago
[image: 40-days-for-life-supporters-hold-prayer-vigil-in-nation-s-capital] Much like The John Birch Society, 40 Days for Life supporters are increasingly having a positive impact on the culture. By Bob Adelmann

Don't Forget-- The T Stands For Tax... Oops, I Thought It Stood For Trump

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 12 hours ago
The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association and includes department stores, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, and independent retailers, chain restaurants, and grocery stores. Members also include businesses that provide goods and services to retailers, such as vendors and technology providers. The Federation represents an industry that contains over 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments with more than 24 million employees and (2005) sales of $4.4 trillion. And, of course it has a political action committee which works against things like... more »

Ron Paul Just Destroyed Trump’s Hypocritical Speech in an EPIC Tweet Storm

Matt Agorist at The Free Thought Project - 12 hours ago
[image: ron paul]Dismantling the President's speech failures one by one, Ron Paul just exposed the hypocrisy and neocon intentions of Donald Trump.

The State of Our Union

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Gotham City - 12 hours ago
(By *American Zen*'s Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari Goldstein) *S*omeone kidnapped Donald Trump last night and replaced him with some pod person simulacrum just before last night's State of the Union Address. It was almost successful. He was virtually what a Republican President should sound like in his boilerplate orthodoxy but something was off. It was like looking at the best mannequins at Madame Tussaud's or Mitt Romney and marveling at the reproduction of humanity. But something was missing. Trump's first State of Union before a joint Congress was everything the usual... more »

When you have 94 retractions, what’s two more?

amarcus41 at Retraction Watch - 12 hours ago
Attention Joachim Boldt: The 1990s are calling, and they want their papers back. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery has retracted two papers from the early 1990s on which Boldt was the first author – bringing the retraction tally for the disgraced German anesthesiologist to 96, by our count. Both articles were found to contain manipulated […] The post When you have 94 retractions, what’s two more? appeared first on Retraction Watch.

A Brief Parsing of Evil

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 12 hours ago
In his first address to Congress, Donald Trump vowed to destroy health care for the tens of millions of children, disabled people, low-paid workers and elderly citizens who now depend on Medicaid. He promised to continue viciously demonizing Muslims and Latinos as terrorists and criminals. He blustered that he will gut government health and safety regulations so that billionaires and corporations may prosper and plunder, buzzed on a permanent capitalistic crack high. He committed himself to the destruction of public education, euphemising it as "school choice." He pledged a massive ... more »

Did Democrats Refuse to Stand for a Navy SEAL’s Widow?

Kim LaCapria at Snopes.com - 12 hours ago
An unrelated image of Keith Ellison and Debbie Wasserman Schultz was apparently used to claim Democrats refused to honor a Navy SEAL's widow during a presidential speech.

Patients at major mental health hospital subjected to demeaning conditions, say families

Melanie Newman at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism - 12 hours ago
A Bureau investigation has found a litany of serious complaints about the care provided at St Andrew's hospital in Northampton.

Chinese "quantum radar" is a thing that cannot exist

LuboÅ¡ Motl at The Reference Frame - 12 hours ago
*...as long as it is defined as presented...* Petr N., a Czech guy who also sent me the first e-mails about the 9/11 attacks 30 minutes before my PhD defense in New Jersey began at 9:30 a.m. in 2001, informed me about a wonderful new story in numerous media, a story about the Chinese quantum radar. For example, some journalists in New Zealand boldly claim: China's claim it has 'quantum' radar may leave $17 billion F-35 obsolete Donald Trump has already hit an overpriced F-35 project with a thermonuclear tweet. Before he tweets again and demands the Lockheed-Martin bosses to commit ... more »

Petition: Act To End Autism Epidemic & Implement Comprehensive Vaccine Safety Policy Reforms

Age of Autism at AGE OF AUTISM - 13 hours ago
Let’s end the autism epidemic and rein in America’s exploding vaccine schedule. Please sign and share the White House Petition on autism and vaccines today! When we reach 100,000 signatures, we will get a response from an administration we hope...

Wealthy elites mysteriously still in charge of everything

John Shafthauer at The Canary - 13 hours ago
When Brexit and Trump happened, most of us thought: Uh oh. I guess that’s game over for the wealthy, unelected, out-of-touch elites. And yet, despite the vote having apparently gone against them, they still all appear to… …you know… …be showered with every bit as much wealth and influence as before. Dafuq!? We spoke to […] The post Wealthy elites mysteriously still in charge of everything... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

This video is a reality-bomb to the idea that chronic illness is a holiday [VIDEO]

John Shafthauer at The Canary - 13 hours ago
People with chronic illness obviously suffer through persistent poor health. But they also suffer from people failing to understand their condition. Especially from people who think chronic illness sufferers have lucked out, and are on a lifelong holiday. And to help combat these illusions, actor Jennifer Weisner and The Mighty have made a poignant but lighthearted […] The post This video... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

Wednesday Morning Links

Greg Fingas at Accidental Deliberations - 13 hours ago
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. - François Côté-Vaillancourt suggests a greater focus on redistributing wealth and income to ensure a secure standard of living, rather than seeking primarily to put people to work: (I)nstead of fighting job losses, I would suggest that maybe the most important thing we could do would be to raise taxes on the rich. What does taxes have to do with unemployed workers? Well, in our example, the gain of producing slightly more tractors with less expenses is clearly not received by the 50 who have lost their jobs, nor the 150 workers left... more »

GAIA PORTAL: Storms of compliance awaken the hu-beings.

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 13 hours ago
*Storms of compliance awaken the hu-beings.* by ÉirePort Storms of compliance awaken the hu-beings. Flashes of constructives illuminate the closed miunds. Freedoms of marches toward the Light are recognized. Portions are increased. ÉirePort | March 1, 2017 at 13:13 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-BH - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Michigan Town ‘Submits to Sharia’ Over New Mosque?

Bethania Palma at Snopes.com - 13 hours ago
Sterling Heights settled lawsuits with the Department of Justice and a Muslim organization over claims the city had violated federal religious discrimination laws.

Trump Signs Law to Lower the Age of Consensual Sex to 13?

Kim LaCapria at Snopes.com - 13 hours ago
Reports about the President's lowering the age of sexual consent in the U.S. are recycled fake news.

Does Iceland Pay $5,000 Per Month to Immigrants Who Marry Icelandic Women?

David Emery at Snopes.com - 13 hours ago
Untrustworthy online sources claimed that that due to a shortage of men, Iceland was offering to pay immigrants to take Icelandic women as their brides.

amman to cairo to home: in which things out work very nicely

laura k at wmtc - 13 hours ago
EgyptAir, we love you! I'm writing this from an airport hotel, where I did not expect to be. After Ridiculous Breakfast #3, we did a little negotiating (see below), then packed up for the airport. On a tip from the concierge, we stopped at the beautiful Zalatimo Brothers for Sweets on the way. I was quite pleased: this saved time and solved a problem. And then, as we walked into the airport, we saw... Zalatimo Brothers for Sweets! They have a small outpost near the international departures. The flight from Amman to Cairo was fast and uneventful. The EgyptAir rep in Amman told us we... more »

Regime Change and Continuity of Agenda: Trump Adviser Now Chairs NED

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 13 hours ago
*March 1, 2017 *(Joseph Thomas - NEO) - While supporters of recently elected US President Donald Trump believe steadfastly that among other things, his administration will role back what has been essentially a century of American expansionism worldwide through overt wars and more "covert" methods toward achieving "regime change," by all metrics it appears such methods will only expand. *Image: Dr. Judy Shelton, now Chairperson of the NED and Trump adviser, presides over an award ceremony in 2010 for US CIA asset, the Dali Lama, a decades-long integral component of American policy to... more »

Faked data, plagiarism, no co-author okays…yeah, this paper’s been retracted

Victoria Stern at Retraction Watch - 14 hours ago
A researcher in South Korea has retracted a 2016 paper on which he is listed as senior author because a former student wrote and published the article without his permission. According to the retraction notice, the former student also fabricated data and plagiarized “a substantial amount of material” from previous papers published by the senior and […] The post Faked data, plagiarism, no co-author okays…yeah, this paper’s been retracted appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Trump Speech Calls for Putting America — and Americans — First

Steve Byas at rss - 14 hours ago
[image: trump-speech-calls-for-putting-america-and-americans-first] In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Trump said his job was to be president of the United States, not president of the world.

Women's March Organizer Is a Convicted Terrorist

Raven Clabough at rss - 14 hours ago
[image: women-s-march-organizer-is-a-convicted-terrorist] One of the organizers for the next women’s anti-Trump march is an illegal immigrant who was convicted of terrorism. According to the *Daily Mail*, Rasmea Yousef Odeh, 69, is a former member of the Marxist-Leninist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who was convicted of killing two men in a bombing at an Israeli supermarket and is facing deportation for lying about her involvement in it in her citizenship application. Odeh and her fellow organizers are calling on women to take part in an anti-capita... more »

THE WAY WE ARE: Kristof says liberals should stop dropping bombs!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 14 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017Part 2—We quickly reject his advice:* Last Thursday morning, Nicholas Kristof offered some good sound advice. We shouldn't generalize about The Others, the pundit offensively said. Kristof started his column by recalling a tweet he'd recently loosed on the world. In response to his tweet, we liberals had produced a sample of The Way We (quite frequently) Are: KRISTOF (2/23/17): *A few days ago, I blithely tweeted a warning* that Democrats often sound patronizing when speaking of Trump voters. *That provoked a vehement reaction.* “Sorry,” Jason tweeted ba... more »

Mosul Campaign Day 134, Feb 28, 2017

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 14 hours ago
The Iraqi Forces (ISF) were mostly consolidating their hold on the areas they took in west Mosul, while two more advances were announced, but not corroborated officially. First, on February 27 a large attack by the Islamic State was turned back at the Ghazlani Base that was freed on February 24. Apparently not all of the camp had been taken either as the Federal Police cleared a Mosque there. On February 28 Iraqi officers claimed Wadi Hajar and Dawaswere liberated. Those have not been made official yet however. Otherwise the ISF were going through Hawi al-Josaq and Mamun looking f... more »

NATO Fracturing at Manbij? US Reinforces Manbij to Defend From Turkish Attack??

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 14 hours ago
*Necessary background since most people still believe Turkey & theUS are lovers. They aren't. Turkey is the betrayed party in the tryst the US is having with Kurdish terrorists. Though Turkey has tried to win back US affection. The US has repelled Turkey in favour of it's new love... (simplistic breakdown) * *Last week Turkey cleared ISIS out of Al- Bab.* *Feb.23/2017* *By all accounts it was a tough fight. Despite non credible claims of some type of deal being made between Turkey and ISIS... I saw that mentioned in alternative circles but the claims had no sourcing* *Dozens of T... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 14 hours ago
*Mardi Gras Pass is building land. Here’s why it’s important ~Theryn Henkle*

DeVos Takes Racist Stupidity to New Heights

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 14 hours ago
White lady billionaire, Betsy DeVos, has moved beyond grizzly bears and guns to explore a whole new territory in the Trumpist landscape of racist delusion. In describing the origins of historically black colleges and universities as an example of "school choice," DeVos shows that, 1) she is as ignorant as most people suspect, or 2) she is ideologically driven to turn a huge element of the historic black struggle for education into a minstrel sideshow to mis-educate an audience stupid enough to believe what she says. This is from the Press Release yesterday: *. . . .A key priority ... more »

Editor's Note

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
As I had mentioned *yesterday* .... there was a major internet breakdown in the U.S. that impacted tens of thousands of websites. One of my web projects was compromised. As a result .... I will be spending the rest of today trying to make sure that future interruptions will not impact me as much as it did yesterday. As a result .... blogging will be light for the rest of today.

The U.S. Navy Is Upgrading Its Nuclear Arsenal

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
One of two Trident II D5 missiles tested June 2 by the U.S. Navy. Photo: U.S. Navy *Kris Osborn, National Interest*: *The U.S. Navy's Most Powerful Weapon (Designed to Destroy Whole Countries) Is Getting a Big Upgrade* *The Trident II D5, first fired in the 1990s, is an upgraded version of the 1970s-era Trident I nuclear weapon; the Trident II D5s were initially engineered to serve until 2027, however an ongoing series of upgrades are now working to extend its service life. The Navy is modernizing its arsenal of Trident II D5 nuclear missiles in order to ensure their service life c... more »

Assessing The Military Threat That Russia Poses To NATO

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
*Scout Warrior:* *How Much of a Military Threat Does Russia Pose to NATO and the US?* *How would NATO hold up in an all-out war against Russia? Rand Wargame found that Russian forces could quickly overwhelm NATO forces currently protecting Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia* How much of a threat do Russia's emerging 5th-generation stealth fighter, nuclear arsenal, high-tech air defenses, anti-satellite weapons, conventional army and submarines pose to NATO and the U.S.? Current tensions between Russia and NATO are leading many to carefully assess this question and examine the current ... more »

U.S. Navy SEAL Unit Reprimanded For Flying Trump Flag

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
Military convoy spotted near Louisville flying Donald Trump flag belonged to SEAL unit, U.S. Navy spokesperson says. https://t.co/JKMCpcDoBA pic.twitter.com/yF0ktSiEgV — ABC News (@ABC) February 2, 2017 *Virginia-Pilot*: *Virginia Beach-based special warfare unit reprimanded for flying Trump campaign flag, Navy says* Members of a Virginia Beach-based special warfare unit have been reprimanded for flying a Donald Trump campaign flag from a Humvee during training in Kentucky, a Navy spokeswoman said Tuesday. Lt. Jacqui Maxwell said in an email that members of Naval Special Warfare ... more »

China-South Korea Update

LL at Virtual Mirage - 15 hours ago
*Overview* China wants to be the only undisputed hegemon in Asia and they don't want anyone to interfere with their ability to drop ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads on nations within their sphere of influence. Thus the installation of the US made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in the Republic of Korea (and Japan) disturbs them. THAAD is going in to protect threatened nations from the rogue North Korean nuclear military state, a client and dependent of China's. China would really rather not discuss that part of the metric. *DAY-BEFORE ... more »

The government just congratulated itself for its appalling record on child poverty

Steve Topple at The Canary - 15 hours ago
On Wednesday 1 March, the government chose to ignore its own record on child poverty, instead opting to praise what it deemed a “success”. But the figures simply don’t add up. Slow applause The number of children living in working households has now hit its highest levels for a decade, according to the Office for […] The post The government just congratulated itself for... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

Two leading charities slam the police for spreading misinformation and stigma

Emily Apple at The Canary - 15 hours ago
Health charities have accused [paywall] the Police Federation of exaggerating the risks faced by officers who get spat at. In an attempt to justify the controversial use of spit hoods, the union, which represents frontline staff, claimed it was to prevent the risk of them catching infectious diseases such as Hepatitis C. But two leading charities […] The post Two leading charities slam the... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

The government told a man with no legs how to climb stairs, then removed his financial support

James Wright at The Canary - 15 hours ago
The government’s Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) told a man with no legs how to climb stairs, declaring him ‘fit for work’. The DWP ruled that Julius Holgate didn’t qualify for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) because he can “climb stairs with his arms”. Holgate has since won his appeal against the DWP and […] The post The government told a... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

The Westminster journalist who picked a fight with Scotland… and lost [TWEETS]

Kerry-anne Mendoza at The Canary - 15 hours ago
A Westminster journalist claimed overnight that the Scottish campaign for independence is “probably the most unpleasant… after the Trump lot. Certainly worse than Brexit.” It was the start of a fight with Scotland that he would lose, fast. Project Fear vs Scotland In 2014, Scotland voted narrowly to remain in the United Kingdom, with 45% […] The post The Westminster journalist who picked a fight with Scotland… and lost [TWEETS] appeared first on The Canary.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer Arranged CIA Intelligence Push-Back On Russia Stories

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 15 hours ago
Press Secretary Sean Spicer speaks as television screen displays journalists who participate in the daily briefing via Skype at the White House in Washington U.S., February 1, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria *Axios*: *Exclusive: Spicer arranged CIA, GOP intelligence push-back* White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer personally picked up the phone and connected outside officials with reporters to try to discredit a New York Times article about Trump campaign aides' contact with Russia, then remained on the line for the brief conversations, Axios has learned. Ten key points: *Read more... more »

SHOCK VIDEO: Cops Taser 12-Year-Old Girl at Skating Rink After She Refused to Wear Skates

Matt Agorist at The Free Thought Project - 15 hours ago
[image: 12-year-old]A 12-year-old girl got a hefty dose of police action Saturday night after she refused to wear skates — prompting her immediate tasing.

The Imbecilization Of Conservatism

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 15 hours ago
Andrew Coyne was not impressed with what Stephen Harper did to conservatism. And he's not impressed with what Donald Trump is doing to it. Both men, he writes, merged populism with conservatism. The two concepts really have little to do with one another: The great blurring in our time is the collapse of conservatism into populism, most notably in the Trump takeover of the Republican party, but also visible in the style and rhetoric of the Harper government. Last week’s Manning Centre Conference seemed to confer respectability on the merger, as did the conspicuous embrace of Trump,... more »

President Trump's Proposal For A $54 Billion Increase In Defense Spending Is Being Ridiculed By The Defense 'Hawks'

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 15 hours ago
Wikipedia *David Axe & Tim Mak, Daily Beast*: *Can the Pentagon Get By on Just $603 Billion?* Trump wants the military to have an extra $84 billion or so. Some defense hawks are already complaining that’s not enough. Seriously. President Donald Trump wants to increase military spending, potentially by $54 billion in 2018 and also add as much as $30 billion to the Pentagon’s 2017 budget, potentially boosting defense spending to levels not seen since the heights of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The details aren’t in yet. But budget-conscious conservatives and good government group... more »

When It Comes To Bees, NYT Has A Fake News Blindspot

Jon Entine at Science 2.0 blogs - 16 hours ago
The line between deliberately manipulating a story or poorly reporting the facts is perilously thin. During Sunday’s Academy Awards presentation, the United States’ ‘paper of record’, the *New York Times*, launched an advertising blitz positioning itself as the highbrow ethical responder to the spate of so-called ‘fake news.’ “The truth is hard…to find…to know,” the add proclaimed, somberly. read more

The Social Psychology Of Morality: Live And Let Die

Alex Durig at Science 2.0 blogs - 16 hours ago
There is no correct moral theory. All morality is politics. People do not act on the basis of morality. Everybody does everything they do for the most meaningful reason at the time. If an act may be judged as moral, so much the better. But, if an act cannot be judged as moral, and if it is meaningful enough to a person to do it, and if it seems like a good idea at the time, then it will be done. Morality is just political correctness masquerading as the right thing to do – at the time. However, the social psychology of the individual will always weigh the political correctness of ... more »

Grants and Consulting: Part V in a Series

Josh Busby at Duck of Minerva - 16 hours ago
This is part V in a series of making your work relevant for policy. In my first post, I laid out some principles for academic-policy engagement. In the second, I talked about short-form writing, and in the third, Iong-form writing. In the fourth, I discussed policy-relevant courses and speakers’ series. Beyond these other ways to […]

Trump Speaks!

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 16 hours ago
*by Skip Kaltenheuser* Occasionally scribble on politics and sooner or later public relations enterprises will find you. The moment President Trump finished up, emails came knocking on my inbox. I’d like to highlight a few of the more welcome ones. Two came from Patriotic Millionaires. The couple hundred or so well-heeled members push political equality, sustaining wages and the quaint notion that wealthy people and corporations should shoulder a larger share of the tax burden. They disapprove of Trump’s push to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its funding from taxes. Accordin... more »

Feeding the Alternatives

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 16 hours ago
Imagine it - demand it - build it. Protect the future generations.

Was The U.S. Navy SEAL Yemen Raid A Success?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 16 hours ago
*The Telegraph*:* Donald Trump insists Yemen raid was 'highly successful' in Congress address attended by Navy SEAL widow* Donald Trump insisted that the Yemen raid, which saw the first combat fatality of his administration, was "highly successful" during his first speech to Congress on Tuesday. The US president hailed Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens, who died in the mission which saw 14 militants and many civilians also killed, a hero as he addressed the chamber. Owens' wife Carryn, who attended as a guest of the president and was sitting next to his daughter Ivanka, received a s... more »

Musical Interlude: 2002, “Remember Now”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 16 hours ago
2002, “Remember Now” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq4qjI8VVzg

“Virtue-Signaling the Decline of the Empire”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 16 hours ago
*“Virtue-Signaling the Decline of the Empire”* by Charles Hugh Smith “There are many reasons why Imperial Rome declined, but two primary causes that get relatively little attention are moral decay and soaring wealth inequality. The two are of course intimately connected: once the morals of the ruling Elites degrade, the status quo seeks to mask its self-serving rot behind high-minded “virtue-signaling” appeals to past glories and cost-free idealism. Virtue signaling is defined as “the conspicuous expression of moral values by an individual done primarily with the intent of enhanci... more »

"The Ends Justify The Means"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 16 hours ago
*Click image for larger size.*

X22Report, “Is The Deep State Pushing The US Into A Nuclear Confrontation?”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 16 hours ago
X22Report, “Is The Deep State Pushing The US Into A Nuclear Confrontation?” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa4Rm6drqi0

POLLING ON THE TRUMP SPEECH WASN'T GREAT, AND TRUMP IS STILL A BEFUDDLED BUFFOON

Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog - 16 hours ago
First of all, thank you, Yastreblyansky, Tom, and Crank, for manning the barricades while I was away. Great job again. I got back in time to hear the Trump speech. I see that conservatives are thrilled by the CNN snap poll: President Donald Trump's first address to Congress received largely positive reviews from viewers, with 57% who tuned in saying they had a very positive reaction to the speech, according to a new CNN/ORC poll of speech-watchers.... But the numbers are actually below average: While the 57% who said they had a very positive reaction to Trump's speech outpaces th... more »

U.S. Navy SEAL's Widow Provides Emotional Highpoint In President Trump's Address To Congress

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 16 hours ago
*Washington Post: **Widow of Navy SEAL takes spotlight as President Trump addresses Congress* From her seat among Washington dignitaries on Tuesday night, Carryn Owens fought back tears. Grief visible in her face, the widow of William “Ryan” Owens, a Navy SEAL killed less than a month ago in the Trump administration’s first counterterrorism operation, wore a strained smile and applauded as President Trump paid an extended tribute to her husband. “Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing our nation,” Trump said, making reference to the Ja... more »

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Barbara Ann Levy at A Curated Green Rights Collection - 16 hours ago
*ART MATTERS NOW by Eva Yaa Asantewaa, 2017, © Copyright* Since word first leaked that Donald J. Trump wants to gut the National Endowments of the Arts and the Humanities, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, many commentators have focused on the economic impact of the arts on communities, cities and the nation as a whole. Statistics argue for the arts as a contributor to American prosperity. The arts give far more than what they take in government support. The arts, we repeatedly hear, drive economic development and employment on the local level and represent this ... more »

"There is no such thing as 'fake news', only lies"

Miriam Wells at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism - 16 hours ago
At a Bureau event, journalism icon Sir Harry Evans and other panellists say exposing the term for the 'ghastly oxymoron' that it is is step one to addressing the attack on the media.

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jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 17 hours ago
*DeVos Slams ‘Education Establishment,’ Touts School Choice* The U.S. “education establishment has been blocking the doorway to reforms, fixes and improvements for a generation,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday. And despite the $7 billion spent on school improvement grants during the Obama administration, the system is still failing too many children. “How do we know that?” DeVos asked. “Our nation's test scores have flat lined, 1.3 million children drop out of school every year.” DeVos said the Obama administration tes... more »

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JR at GREENIE WATCH - 17 hours ago
*How renewable energy advocates are hurting the climate cause* *Overly optimistic reports of renewables’ success are not only misleading but also counterproductive* In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the proliferation of misinformation on social media is finally getting the attention it deserves. Or so I thought. Scrolling through my Facebook news feed recently, I stumbled upon an article shared by Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization focused on climate science. “The World’s Renewable Energy Capacity Now Beats Out Coal,” read the headline from Co.Exist. I cl... more »

Imperialism And The Agrarian Crisis: Small Farms Are Key To Development

Colin Todhunter at EAST BY NORTHWEST - 17 hours ago
From December 2016 - appeared on various sites, including Countercurrents, CounterPunch, RINF, Global Research, 4th Media and in the Daily Times (Pakistan) Washington's long-term plan has been to restructure indigenous agriculture across the world and tie it to an international system of trade based on export-oriented mono-cropping, commodity production for the international market and indebtedness to international financial institutions (IMF/World Bank). This result has been the creation of food surplus and food deficit areas, of which the latter have become dependent on agricultur... more »

Rob Kirby: World is Extremely Flush with Money. Crack-Up Boom Here Now

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 17 hours ago
Rob Kirby: World is Extremely Flush with Money. Crack-Up Boom Here Now by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com Macroeconomic researcher Rod Kirby thinks the world is well on its way to much higher inflation. Kirby explains, “Some people say there is a dollar shortage in the world. I do not believe there is a dollar shortage. I think […]

Jim Willie Warns: Is Collapse Next? Dollar Headed For Dustbin of History!

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 17 hours ago
Published on Feb 28, 2017 Gold is up $100 and silver is up $2 since the beginning of the year. Silver is approaching a short term breakout point, Jim Willie says. But still, manipulation is rampant in the precious metals markets, Willie reveals. There are up to 400 paper claims per physical ounce of gold, […]

"The Digital Storm: Blowing Away the Human Mind"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 17 hours ago
*"The Digital Storm: Blowing Away the Human Mind"* by John Stanton “Temporal compression, as it is technically called, is an event that concretely modifies everyone’s daily life at the same time. In the face of this acceleration of daily life, fear has become an environment even in a time of peace. We are living in the accident of the globe, the accident of instantaneous simultaneity and interactivity that have now gained the upper hand over ordinary activities. With the phenomena of instantaneous interaction that are now our lot, there has been a veritable reversal, destabilizing ... more »

"Half The Harm..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 17 hours ago
"Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it. Because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves." - T. S. Eliot

Crisis for Theresa May as her Chief of Staff is caught in the election expenses scandal [VIDEO]

Kerry-anne Mendoza at The Canary - 17 hours ago
Secret emails uncovered by Channel 4 News now implicate Theresa May’s joint Chief of Staff Nick Timothy in the election expenses scandal that may have influenced the result of the 2015 general election. Election expenses scandal revisited The Canary was the first UK media outlet to gain the testimony of whistleblowers who lifted the lid on the […] The post Crisis for Theresa May as her... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

Ken Loach comes out fighting for Corbyn with a message we all need to hear

Emily Apple at The Canary - 17 hours ago
Writing in The Guardian, Ken Loach has delivered a powerful message to all those trying to blame Jeremy Corbyn for Labour’s defeat in Copeland. And it’s a message that we all need to hear if we want to see any hints of progress or change in parliamentary politics. Don’t blame Corbyn The main thrust of Loach’s […] The post Ken Loach comes out fighting for Corbyn with... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

A little-known group that funded the Leave campaign now plans to bankroll Scottish unionists

Tom Coburg at The Canary - 17 hours ago
A little-known organisation that quietly bankrolled a pro-Brexit campaign is now poised to target Scottish nationalists intent on a second independence referendum. DUP scandal The Constitutional Research Council (CRC) funded the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) Brexit drive to the tune of £425,000. The money was used to fund pro-Brexit advertising across Britain, including an expensive... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

Britain’s top mental health experts just tore the government a new one on benefits sanctions

Tilly Grove at The Canary - 17 hours ago
The heads of Britain’s most important mental health bodies have blasted the government’s benefits sanction regime. The letter, published in The Independent on 26 February, is signed by Peter Kinderman of the British Psychological Society, Martin Pollecoff of the UK Council for Psychotherapy, Dr Andrew Reeves of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Helen Morgan of... Visit www.thecanary.co to read more.

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Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 18 hours ago
*From Jenna Orkin * North Korea Executes Five Officials With Anti-Aircraft Guns Minimum Wage Massacre: Wendy's Unleashes 1,000 Robots To Counter Higher Labor Costs France: Deradicalization Of Jihadists A "Total Fiasco" * Robot Olympic Gold Medalist *Former IMF Chief Sent To Jail As Spain Prosecutes 65 Elite Bankers In Enormous Corruption Scandal Hay Bale gardening: no weeds, no fertilizers and less watering!! What a simple but amazing concept!! Shell released a film in 1991 predicting the devastating effects of climate change Trump will sign an executive order aimed at boos... more »

Debating the Wakefield Study: Solomon vs. Zaretsky

Age of Autism at AGE OF AUTISM - 18 hours ago
By Anne Dachel On Jan 31, 2017 National Post journalist Lawrence Solomon and Toronto psychiatrist Dr. Ari Zaretsky met at a Toronto coffee shop to discuss the 1998 Lancet study linking the MMR vaccine to autism and bowel disease in...

Follow Up: Toronto

Age of Autism at AGE OF AUTISM - 18 hours ago
By Anne Dachel On Jan 31, 2017 National Post journalist Lawrence Solomon and Toronto psychiatrist Dr. Ari Zaretsky met at a Toronto coffee shop to discuss the 1998 Lancet study linking the MMR vaccine to autism and bowel disease in...

U.S. is rich, but maybe not wise, enough to introduce guaranteed income

LuboÅ¡ Motl at The Reference Frame - 19 hours ago
Guaranteed minimum income or basic/unconditional/universal income is a policy in which a country pays every citizen (that's at least in the "universal" case) a certain fixed amount of money. It's an alternative, and in my view far more efficient and natural, method to deal with welfare, poverty, tax exemptions per taxpayer, and many other things. It's basically equivalent to the negative income tax that was defended by Milton Friedman (and tested in North America in the 1960s and 1970s) – click at the link in this sentence to see his arguments in favor of it (I basically share all o... more »

Hump Day News

LL at Virtual Mirage - 20 hours ago
*Racism* If you want to check your racism at the door you can, or you may decide to visit the racism simulator to see whether or not you are a racist. *Take a Hard Left* I am frankly unsure of who is driving the Democrat Party to fully embrace the totalitarian state and every grievance known to man. Many suggest that Barack is behind the fifth column, and if so that's good news since his policies lost the Donkey Party the US legislature, most state legislatures and governorships. Today, the progs are a lot like lemmings whipping themselves up to run into the ocean in one fell swo... more »

Unreported: 1,500 pedophile arrests have been made nationally since Trump took office

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
It is extraordinary just how quiet the media has been on this issue. The hard stories are there locally as you really cannot ignore it when neighbors get arrested. In fact when the original break took place through those emails by way of Wikileaks, the Media immediately coined the phrase of Fake News in order to attempt to take eyes of the center of attention. The problem with that approach is that about fifty million people are aware and vitally interested in flushing the entire story out by putting obvious individuals to the question. On top of that the information is b... more »

Forgotten Garden villages of the Blue Ridge Foothills

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
[image: The Forgotten Garden Villages of the Blue Ridge Foothills] An extraordinarily important date here. it appears that garden culture began at least by 3500 BC or one thousand years before the Great Pyramid and the onslaught of the European Bronze Age. I had suspected as much but needed to lock down meaningful dates for successful gardening. Otherwise i was projecting a rich agricultral economy onto the mississippi valley during the Atlantean Era ( 2500BC to 1159BC ) and assuming this continued through contact in 1492 AD. Actual evidence was hard to piece together... more »

CHALLENGE: $100,000 to the first person who can find a scientific study proving Thimerosal (mercury) is safe to inject into children

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
This is really an excellent ploy. It puts the industry firmly on the defensive as they should be. Better yet this put the focus on Thererosol which is the preservative strongly implicated in what is now an expanding brief on brain related negative reactions. The same needs to also be done for Round UP which i suspect is implicated with both male fertility loss and amphibian population collapse. What meta stats as exists says as much. Industry has generally chosen to stonewall all such damaging work. Obviously we are going to see a full public airing of the evidence and ple... more »

Vatican Conference Spreads Misinformation About Organ Harvesting in China

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
*[image: Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican. (Shutterstock)]* Actually, i do not think it does that at all. It allows peers to eyeball the other side and force them to make their case. We have here a body of evidence and positions that might not have been so widely publicized. It has now become abundantly clear that plausible opponents of the regime are incarcerated in China. It does not just apply to Falun Gong although they became much too visible. Any such prisoners are then considered potential feed-stock for organ transplants. This makes 1984 look like child's p... more »

Monkeys Learn to Pass a Classic Test For Self-Awareness

director@ieet.org (IEET) at Ethical Technology - 21 hours ago
The ability to look into a mirror and recognize oneself is a cognitive skill we all take for granted, but very few animals outside of humans are able to do it. New research shows that monkeys can be trained to pass the so-called “mirror test,” suggesting that more species may be self-aware than previously thought. It’s a fascinating result, but one that shows how far we are from being able to accurately gauge consciousness in another animal.

Five Most Popular Posts in February

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 21 hours ago
Phew, what a month! The five most read posts were: 1. On the Doors in Stoke Central 2. Is the Corbyn Moment Over? 3. At the Stoke Central Hustings 4. On Labour's Victorious Campaign in Stoke 5. Lies, Damned Lies, and Paul Nuttall Crazy horses! Last month recorded 118,000 page views, making it the second highest on record. Would the blog like a base of 4,200 page views a day from here on in? You bet it would. As the story of the battle of Stoke-on-Trent Central fades from the memory and becomes the preserve of ragged trousered oral historians in the local party, and skinny jeaned po... more »

How a Math Algorithm Could Educate the Whole World — for Free

director@ieet.org (IEET) at Ethical Technology - 21 hours ago
Po-Shen Loh is a Princeton-educated mathematician, Carnegie Mellon professor, the head coach of the U.S. International Math Olympiad team, and now he’s adding start-up entrepreneur to his knock-out resume.

Does the BBC coverage reflect even that support for President Donald Trump?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 22 hours ago
In amongst this snide BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39123474 on President Donald Trump's address to Congress is this sentence: 'His popularity, however, has hit a historic low for modern presidents after a month in office - just 44% of Americans think he is doing a good job, according to RealClearPolitics.' What percentage of BBC interviewees in America are from the 44% that support President Donald? I'd hazard an estimate of somewhat less than 44%. What percentage of BBC 'journalists' are supporters of President Donald Trump's views? I'd hazard an estimate... more »

BWorld 112, Asia Liberty Forum 2017 in Mumbai

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 23 hours ago
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 15, 2017. Mumbai, India -- The title of this piece is from JP Narayan of the Lok Satta Party in India, who made that comment during the Asia Liberty Forum (ALF) that was held from Feb. 10 to 11, 2017 in Mumbai. That remark seems to apply in many countries where the rule of law is weaker and the rule of men -- especially those in charge of several forms of regulations -- are stronger. These are the types of people who also impose restrictions and prohibitions on their political enemies and ordinary folk but exempt themselves, their... more »

"The Deep State Swamp Will Not Be Drained"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*"The Deep State Swamp Will Not Be Drained"* by Bill Bonner "This is Crash Awareness Week at the Diary. If Team Trump stumbles, investors will be disappointed. Gradually…then all of a sudden…they will realize that the premise behind this rally was false. Already, we’re seeing signs of trouble… *Mystery solved: *A growth spurt should raise the demand for capital. It should also increase labor rates and consumer prices. Interest rates should go up, too. So should corporate sales. (Compared to sales revenues, US stock prices are at their highest level- ever.) This suggests to investor... more »

Trump's address to Congress: Expert reaction

J.B. Silvers, Professor of Health Finance, Case Western Reserve University at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 23 hours ago
*Editor’s note: President Donald Trump gave his first address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 28. The speech featured policy ideas that appealed to Republicans, and others that sounded more Democratic. We asked scholars to react to the substance of the speech and evaluate its tone for hints of bipartisanship.* Is there any hope for bipartisanship under Trump? *Jordan Tama, American University, School of International Service* In his first address to Congress, Donald Trump called for Republicans and Democrats to find common ground. He also espoused some positions that may f... more »

Mining 47, JB Baylon on the DENR Secretary

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 23 hours ago
I am reposting here two of *JB Baylon*'s facebook postings about the new DENR Secretary Gina Lopez and the mining industry. These 2 papers were posted by JB last February 26. For me, there are two issues here in the on-going controversial policies of Sec. Lopez: (1) heavy government regulations and taxation of the mining industry, and (2) rule of law, when government revokes the mining/business permits that itself has granted. -------------- *AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CBCP* It seems that some members of your ranks are raising the flag of LAUDATO SI to call for the confirmation of the ... more »

Tweet For Today

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 23 hours ago
SpaceX to send two tourists around Moon in 2018 https://t.co/Y4jn1UMUpg pic.twitter.com/joR8bLo3EC — AFP news agency (@AFP) February 28, 2017

Arctic Ice Cresting at Feb. End

Hifast at Climate Collections - 23 hours ago
Originally posted on Science Matters: Drift ice in Okhotsk Sea at sunrise. As reported previously, Arctic ice extents are solid in most seas, but continue to fluctuate at the margins. In the latter part of February 2017 there was a great leap upward for nine days, nearly reaching average and surpassing 2016, before falling back…

The Debate: Plight of Palestinians (REAL JEWS), Genocide & Ethnic Cleansing by Israel

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
Published on Feb 27, 2017 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has slammed Israel for violating international law and failing to heed international calls to stop settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian lands. Additionally, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has warned all foreign countries against relocating their respective embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to East Jerusalem al-Quds, […]

Trump Administration Dominated by Zionist Lobby: Analyst

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
Published on Feb 28, 2017 A proposal by the administration of US President Donald Trump to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps a “terrorist organization” underscores that the White House is dominated by the Jewish Zionist lobby, says a political analyst. Published on Jan 21, 2014 On Morning Joe, Carl Bernstein says that because he’s […]

Trump’s Policies Towards Russia ‘Disappointing’: Analyst

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
Published on Feb 28, 2017 The US government’s latest accusations against Russia over the Ukraine conflict is a “disappointing” move and indicates that President Donald Trump has no intention to improve ties with Moscow, says an American analyst.

Top Globalists Foreshadow An Apocalyptic Biological Attack

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
Published on Feb 28, 2017 On January 18th, in an article titled “Bill Gates is teaming up with world leaders to stop the next deadly pandemic”, Business Insider reported that “Governments from Germany, Japan, and Norway have pooled funds along with the Gates Foundation to raise a total of $490 million so far. The target […]

Report: France On The Verge Of Civil War

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
Published on Feb 28, 2017 The French have been overrun by immigrants, now they have a chance to take back their country, but is it too far gone already? end

Gerald Celente Tears Into CNN, Robert De Niro And More

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
Published on Feb 28, 2017 Alex Jones talks with Gerald Celente about the fakestream media as well celebrities and much more. end

Missing Links: Washington-MSM Divided Over No Evidence of Alleged Ties of Trump Aides and Russia

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
Published on Feb 28, 2017 The US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee has warned against a witch hunt taking place against those alleged by the media to have ties with Moscow. RT’s Caleb Maupin has more. end

I Put a Spell on… Trump: US Witches Conjure Up Their Best to Drive President Out of Office

mosesman at Socio-Economics History Blog - 23 hours ago
If Trump is their ‘boy’ why are these Satanists targeting him? Published on Feb 28, 2017 As the White House continues to battle leaks and the media, iit appears some of Trump’s critics are resorting to increasingly alternative methods to try to derail his presidency.RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air end

Pol Ideology 69, Math can show that small or minimal government is optimal

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 23 hours ago
As humanity modernizes further, complexity and diversity among people increases. Forcing a big number of people into a centrally-planned design to achieve social coherence will only mean more bureaucratism if not dictatorship. Here's one proof. *Mathematicians Prove Society is Way Too Complex to Have A President* November 18, 2016 at 11:18 am Written by Alice Salles http://theantimedia.org/mathematicians-society-complex-president/ *“[T]he concept of civilization as a complex organism,” mathematicians concluded, “is qualitatively different th... more »

The NSA Is Experiencing A Brain-Drain Of Hackers And Cyber Spies

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
An aerial view of the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters in Ft. Meade, Maryland, U.S. January 29, 2010. REUTERS/Larry Downing/File Photo *Reuters*: *NSA risks talent exodus amid morale slump, Trump fears* The National Security Agency risks a brain-drain of hackers and cyber spies due to a tumultuous reorganization and worries about the acrimonious relationship between the intelligence community and President Donald Trump, according to current and former NSA officials and cybersecurity industry sources. Half-a-dozen cybersecurity executives told Reuters they had witnessed a... more »

Teaching Kids to Trust the Police is Child Abuse

William N. Grigg at Pro Libertate - 1 day ago
*Somebody who would do this to a child should be horsewhipped, at the very least. * Integral to the American concept of liberty is the right to hold the state at bay, which is why children are never too young to be taught to regard government employees with suspicion and defensive hostility. Some conscientious parents in Northampton, Massachusetts acted on that principle by demanding an end to a program intended to habituate public school inmates to the presence of police officers. The local police department, acting on an initiative that originated with the International Associa... more »

DiCaprio considers his eyebrows more important than the planet.

Geoff Brown at The Australian Climate Sceptics Blog - 1 day ago
Leonardo DiCaprio uses his movie downtime to campaign for the falsified man-made global warming fraud (AGW). (link) Leonardo DiCaprio took time out from his usual movie-making duties to front a powerful film about climate change called *Before The Flood*. Poor deluded Leo *travelled the world*, from Greenland to India, to produce his doco. As your blogger is one who knows that the #agwHoax is a fraud, I believe that his jetting around the world is creating more carbon dioxide (note Carbon dioxide, *not carbon as all the deceivers say*) which is greening the planet. (link) (link) (... more »

Picture Of The Day

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Two Tupolev Tu-95 turboprop-powered strategic bombers. © PHOTO: RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

BWorld 111, Electric cooperatives and unstable power supply

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 1 day ago
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 08, 2017. Almost everything we do now requires energy and if we stay in non-mobile structures like buildings and houses, everything requires electricity. Energy precedes development so unstable and expensive energy means unstable and poor economy. Given the technological revolution the world has experienced in recent decades, it remains a tragedy that many countries still have low electrification rates and very low electricity consumption per capita. Unfortunately, the Philippines is among those countries with still not-so-high ... more »

Trump's Joint Address at US Congress today

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 1 day ago
I watched US President Donald Trump's Joint Address in the US Congress today. There were lots of applause and frequent standing ovations, mostly from the Republican legislators. I know that many people, many friends included, hate this leader but he seems to deliver powerful messages that get through the hearts of many Americans. He is stoking American nationalism to a high level. Whether this implies trade protectionism or not is a matter of debate, but he seems to be effectively stoking that #Americanspirit. Am not American nor do I live in the US so I cannot fathom these things ... more »

The Obama's Have Agreed To A $60 Million Book Deal For A 'His And Her Book'

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*New York Times*: *Obamas Make Book Deal With Penguin Random House* Penguin Random House will publish coming books by former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama, the publishing company announced Tuesday night, concluding a heated auction among multiple publishers. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but publishing industry executives with knowledge of the bidding process said it probably stretched well into eight figures. Robert B. Barnett and Deneen C. Howell of Williams & Connolly represented the Obamas. Penguin Random House acquired world... more »

Wilbur Ross And The Russian Roots Of Trump's New Kleptocracy/Kakistocracy

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
You may have come to expect cowardly conservative careerists in the Senate like Joe Manchin (D-WV), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to cross the aisle and rubber-stamp virtually all of Trump's horrendous nominees for high public office. But the vote Monday on billionaire Trump crony and murderer Wilbur Ross didn't follow the regular pattern. Ross was confirmed as Secretary of Commerce-- no one really questioning him on the Sago Mining disaster or on his financial connections to Putin's kleptocracy-- 72-27. Every Republican, of course, voted y... more »

Majority (57%) of Americans do NOT think Trump “Honest and Trustworthy”; Majority (54%) Do NOT Think He Cares About Their Needs

miningawareness at Mining Awareness + - 1 day ago
The majority of Americans (57%) do NOT think Trump “honest and trustworthy“; 54% do NOT think that he cares about … Continue reading →

Vast Majority (72%) of Americans View Putin Unfavorably According to Recent Gallup Poll

miningawareness at Mining Awareness + - 1 day ago
According to the Gallup Poll, 72% of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of Russian President Putin, while 22% hold a … Continue reading →

Trump’s 10 Steps for Turning Lies into Half-TruthsEarlier this...

Robert Reich - 1 day ago
*Trump’s 10 Steps for Turning Lies into Half-Truths* Earlier this year the Wall Street Journal’s editor-in-chief insisted that the Wall Street Journal wouldn’t label Trump’s false statements as “lies.” Lying, said the editor, requires a deliberate intention to mislead, which couldn’t be proven in Trump’s case. But Donald Trump is the most lying president we’ve ever had, and he seems to get away with it. Here’s his 10-step plan for turning lies into near truths: *Step 1*: He lies. *Step 2*: Experts contradict him, saying his claim is baseless and false. The media report that the... more »

Energy & Environmental Newsletter - 27/2/17

Geoff Brown at The Australian Climate Sceptics Blog - 1 day ago
AWED Friends: The newest edition of the *Energy and Environmental Newsletter* is now online. Some of the more informative energy articles in this issue are: Liberal Agenda: Immigration Rights *or* Health & Property Rights of Citizens? NYS is paying eleven wind & solar power projects 2X more in subsidies than electricity generated Duke Energy Says Solar Power Will Cost N.C. Customers $1 Billion Too Much The Secret, Silent Wind Turbine Peril Environmental Group Leader Dubious of Wind Energy Proponent Bird Claims Wind Turbines — A Threat To Military Operations Dream of O... more »

Nature: The Original Chemist

Steve Savage at Science 2.0 - Physical Sciences - 1 day ago
We frequently see a contrast drawn between what is “natural” and what is “chemical.” Sometimes products are described as “chemical-free” even though every physical object is made of chemicals. As much as this suggests a problem with our science education, it speaks to a missed opportunity for wonder. Nature is not some sort of cosmic mother figure; on the contrary, nature is composed of diverse biological and physical processes, including some pretty amazing examples of chemistry continually taking place. read more

Economics under Trump

David Brin at CONTRARY BRIN - 1 day ago
Please. We have one hope. That a civilization built by pragmatic idealists -- who used fact-grounded skills to craft a nation and a gradually better society -- can somehow *use facts* to save it. We will win this on two fronts: (1) by steadily peeling away from the rabid confederacy more adult Americans, one by one... and (2) by showing die-hard confeds that their self-interest does not lie with the plantation lords. That eventually happened in 1864, as desertions from Lee's army doomed that wretched "cause." Neither of these things will be accomplished by yelling and marching...... more »

Statement On Oz Katerji’s Request To Be Given A Platform After ‘No-Platforming’ Rania Khalek

Kevin Gosztola at Shadowproof - 1 day ago
For the past days, those who follow my journalism may have noticed exchanges between Oz Katerji, a freelance writer and journalist, and me. I confronted and berated Katerji for attacking a colleague, Rania Khalek, and playing a role in getting her speaking event at the University of North Carolina canceled. The post Statement On Oz Katerji’s Request To Be Given A Platform After ‘No-Platforming’ Rania Khalek appeared first on Shadowproof.

President Trump's First Address To A Joint Session Of Congress

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Washington Post:* *Trump lays out his vision for America in speech to Congress* President Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, laying out the agenda for his presidency and, in broad terms, his vision for the country. Pulling from his campaign speeches and others since taking office, the president ran off a list of accomplishments since taking office and issued promises for the year ahead. Trump highlighted new lobbying restrictions, and executive orders he put in place to reduce regulations, restart halted oil and gas pipelines, and cra... more »

Most Of Eastern Ukraine's Rebel Commanders Who Were Involved At The Beginning Of The War Are Now Dead

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Mikhail Tolstykh(Givi). YouTube *Maxim Rust, New Eastern Europe:* *When a revolution devours its own children* The conflict in Eastern Ukraine, which has been going on for the past three years, led to not only the creation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, but above all to the development of a small group of political and military elite in the region. As a result of the ongoing war, permanent crisis and confusion, people came to power who would not have done so during peacetime. Some of them became popular heroes among the local population, and some c... more »

Reprintable paper becomes a reality

Yadong Yin, Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside at Science + Technology – The Conversation - 1 day ago
Achievement unlocked: Rewritable paper. Yadong Yin, CC BY-ND Since its invention around 100 B.C. in China, paper as a material for spreading information has greatly contributed to the development and spread of civilization. Even in today’s information age, with electronic media omnipresent in homes, offices and even our pockets, paper still plays a critical role. Our brains process information differently on paper and on screen. Information presented on paper involves more emotional processing and produces more brain responses connected with internal feelings. That can make printed ... more »

Ukraine War News Updates -- February 28, 2017

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*BBC*: *Ukraine blockade tensions rise in rebel-held east* Ukrainian war veterans and their supporters say they will step up a trade blockade of rebel-held regions of industrial eastern Ukraine. For a month about 100 activists have blocked railway lines to stop Ukraine trading with pro-Russian rebels. The Donetsk region is a key supplier of coal to Ukrainian power stations and heavy industry. The "blockade headquarters" made the new threat on Facebook, and halted talks with Ukraine's prime minister. The Ukrainian government has warned that the blockade could lead to power cuts ... more »

Donald Trump and Andrew Jackson: More in common than just populism

Billy J. Stratton, Professor of contemporary American literature and culture; Native American studies, University of Denver at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 1 day ago
At President Donald Trump’s request, a portrait of former President Andrew Jackson now hangs in the Oval Office. Commentators have cast Trump’s populist appeal and inaugural address as “Jacksonian,” while others have tried to emphasize their major differences. One writer lauded Jackson as “the president who, more than any other, secured the future of democracy in America.” However, these comparisons overlook experiences of marginalized people while defining history in terms of the ideologies of progress and American exceptionalism. Jackson’s intolerant attitudes and harsh treatme... more »

The Top Way In Which Military Spending Kills Is Not With Any Weapon by David Swanson + 2 Video Reports

dandelionsalad at Dandelion Salad - 1 day ago
by David Swanson Writer, Dandelion Salad Let’s Try Democracy February 28, 2017 Trump proposes to increase U.S. military spending by $54 billion, and to take that $54 billion out of the other portions of the above budget, including in particular, he says, foreign aid. If you can’t find foreign aid on the chart above, that’s […]

President Trump Addresses Congress (Live)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago

The Road To Impeachment Is Long And Arduous-- But You Have To Start Somewhere

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
You remember when Darrell Issa was on Bill Maher's show last Friday? We covered it here, ran a video of the segment that shows how Maher and his audience pressured the gutless Issa into agreeing that any real investigation into Trump's relations with Putin requires a special prosecutor rather than a Republican white wash effort led by Richard Burr or Devin Nunes. Issa told the audience that "You’re going to need to use the special prosecutor’s statute and office to take, not just to recuse. You can’t just give it to your deputy. That’s another political appointee." People who hav... more »

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 28, 2017

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
American soldiers were seen at an outpost in Fatisah alongside Kurdish soldiers, with some even seen wearing the badges (right shoulder of left soldier) of the Kurdish People's Protection Unit. *Bonnie Kristian, RCD*: *Ground War in Syria Would Be a Huge Mistake* As his spitballing press conference reminded us ad nauseam, President Trump is not ready to let the bygones of the election be bygones—and where U.S. policy toward Syria is concerned, that might not be such a bad thing. Perhaps the president’s most cogent attack on Hillary Clinton’s record as secretary of state during thei... more »

World News Briefs -- February 28, 2017 (Evening Edition)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*ABC News:* *Donald Trump set to make his 'biggest speech yet' in joint address to Congress* President Donald Trump is set to make what his team is billing as "his biggest speech yet" when he gives a joint address to Congress on Tuesday night. Few details about the speech have been released. Trump is set to deliver it from the House chamber at 9 p.m. Eastern time. A list of talking points about the speech was provided to ABC News by someone who received it from the White House, giving some insight into the topics he may touch on tonight. Tax and regulatory reform, improvements t... more »

One of the Organizers of ‘A Day Without a Woman’ Strike Was Convicted of a Terrorist Bombing

David Emery at Snopes.com - 1 day ago
Palestinian-born activist Rasmea Yousef Odeh and her supporters maintain that her confession to a terrorist bombing in 1969 was a false one extracted under torture.

Mail : Council of Canadians TPP back from the dead






Trudeau still pushing TPP despite widespread opposition
Many people thought the Trans-Pacific Partnership would fall apart without the U.S., but recent reports suggest the Canadian government is trying to push the massive corporate rights deal forward anyway.

There are only a couple of weeks to stop this from happening.

Thousands of people across this country have called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reject the TPP. Thanks to Council of Canadians supporters like you, and our chapter activists who are working in communities across Canada, the International Trade Committee heard from more than 60,000 Canadians – 95 per cent of whom oppose the TPP.

Even with widespread public opposition, and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland indicating the TPP wouldn’t be politically viable without the U.S., Prime Minister Trudeau hasn’t pulled Canada from the deal. He refuses to say whether our trade negotiators are working with Australia, New Zealand and Japan to somehow move the TPP forward. François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s new international trade minister, is heading to Chile March 14-15 with the other TPP countries, possibly to try to salvage the TPP.

Prime Minister Trudeau must formally withdraw Canada from the TPP immediately. There is no reason for the federal government to wait to make a decision on an agreement that most analysts – and even his own trade minister – say has collapsed, especially when so many Canadians oppose it.

Have your say by March 14! Send a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Champagne and demand that the Trudeau government withdraw from the TPP immediately.
February 2017
·         TPP
·         Bottled water permits
·         NAFTA
·         Pension to pipelines
·         Welcome refugees
·         Electoral reform
·         World Water Day
·         Donate online or call us toll-free at 1-800-387-7177


The Council of Canadians operates with no corporate donations or government funding, and always has. Our public advocacy work is proudly 100 per cent independent and sustained by generous donations from people like you.




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Ontario government wants to charge Nestlé just one-twentieth of a penny
You have 20 days to help protect water in Ontario from Nestlé’s massive bottling plans.

On January 18, the Ontario government announced it would raise the fees that bottled water companies like Nestlé pay to pump out millions of litres of groundwater every day. The new fee? One-twentieth of a penny per litre!

This new fee is clearly not going to protect vulnerable groundwater sources from being exploited and wasted as single use, disposable bottled water.

That’s why we must tell the Wynne government to phase out bottled water permits for good. Ontario communities shouldn’t have to wait in line behind mega-corporations like Nestlé. Droughts due to climate change, pollution and increased development are all putting our aquifers under increased threat. Water must be kept in local watersheds for community use and for future generations.

Have your say by March 20! Send a letter to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and call on the provincial government to phase out bottled water permits for good.
No backroom deal for NAFTA
For years, we have seen the ravages of NAFTA – Chapter 11 corporate lawsuits that have cost Canada billions of dollars and eroded our environmental and public policy, hollowed out manufacturing towns and hundreds of thousands of people put out of work, and greater inequality in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Now, President Trump has issued an executive order to renegotiate NAFTA, making Canada’s trade relationship with the U.S. even more uncertain.

The federal government should not be involved in any closed-door negotiations that put the interests of corporations ahead of the interests of people and the environment. Any NAFTA renegotiations must eliminate Chapter 11, the investor-state dispute settlement process; remove all references to water as a good, service or investment; prioritize good jobs, democracy and the environment; and include full public consultations.

Take action! Demand that the Canadian government ensure trade talks are fair, open and transparent – all things the Liberals promised in the last election.

Please send your letter to Prime Minister Trudeau telling him it’s time for a better NAFTA.
Should your pension money build pipelines?
Recent reports have revealed that U.S.-based pipeline company Kinder Morgan is approaching Canadian funders, including the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, to raise money to triple the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline to 890,000 barrels a day. This would also quadruple the number of supertankers in B.C’s Burrard Inlet each year. It would put waterways and drinking water at incredible risk.

If you work or have worked in Canada, you are a contributor to the Canada Pension Plan. You have a say in whether or not your pension funds are used to pay for risky pipeline projects that fuel climate change and endanger coastal waters.

Read more and send a letter to stop your pension from building pipelines!
Welcome refugees – rescind the Safe Third Country Agreement
Refugees are risking life and limb to get to Canada from the U.S. – all because of an agreement that more than 200 Canadian law professors say should be scrapped. Men, women and children are enduring long walks in freezing temperatures to cross into Canada. They’re making these risky treks on foot because the Safe Third Country Agreement would turn them away at regular border crossings.

Asylum seekers who no longer feel safe in the U.S. and who are fleeing violence and even death in their homelands come to Canada where many are met at the border by RCMP officers. While the RCMP provides aid to some, others – even children – are being handcuffed and detained. This is not acceptable in a country that claims to welcome refugees.

Read more and call on the federal government to scrap the Safe Third Country Agreement now.
Council of Canadians chapters push Trudeau on electoral reform
Council of Canadians chapters across the country are speaking out against the Trudeau government’s decision to abandon its promise of electoral reform. During the last federal election, the Liberals promised that the 2015 election would be the last held with the first-past-the-post voting system and set a deadline of May 2017 to introduce legislation on electoral reform. Now, just 15 months after the election, Trudeau has abandoned that promise. Following the announcement, Council of Canadians chapters in communities across Canada have held rallies, written letters and handed out petitions and flyers to raise awareness about the issue and to push the Trudeau government to overturn the decision and keep its promise.

Read more.
Mark your calendars! Take action on March 22 for World Water Day
March 22 is World Water Day and there are many ways you can take action for water in your community! There are few things more important than clean, safe water, but the lack of federal government legislation, damaging and polluting industries, and water privatization efforts are putting water sources at risk. Nestlé bottled water is an example of how corporate greed is affecting groundwater sources. Every year, Nestlé makes billions of dollars in profit by pumping water out of Ontario and British Columbia, bottling it in single-use plastic bottles, and selling it at an enormously inflated price. Now, tens of thousands of Council of Canadians supporters are raising awareness about this issue by signing the Nestlé boycott pledge.

Read more about how you can take action in your community on World Water Day.

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