10:32 pm MDST
Fix spec building to make Auckland affordable again
SHOULD AUCKLAND BUILD OUT? Should Auckland build up?
“Sprawl” or a “compact city”?
The new Auckland Unitary Plan, the way planners have decided we must live,
plumps for the former and all but bans the latter.
Opponents like Nick Smith reckons we must build out, and castigates
planners who promote increasing the density of the existing city.
They’re both wrong, yet they’re both right. As I’ve said before, Auckland
should do both. Basically, it should allow people to do both: to live as
and where they *choose* to, and can afford. (Choice! Fancy that!)
The key to making Auckland liv... more »
Death Penalty For Crooked Congressmen And Their Crooked Staffs? Nooooooo... Never
Capitol Hill doesn't need weaker ethics laws; it needs much stronger ethics
laws. If it was up to me, elected officials and their staffers would be a
special category of defendant, different from ordinary people. Any crimes
they commit are crimes against the trust society has placed on them. So...
I don't want to offend all my friends who hate the death penalty but... a
congressman or high-ranking bureaucrat who breaks the law should be shot--
or whatever the humane way is for disposing of the trash is. Don't worry...
Congress is moving in the other direction.
You know how they sa... more »
Meet & Greet Monday (#MtaGt)
Welcome
to Meet & Greet Monday!
Banner by Art Ist
Grab our banner for your site:
Do
you have an Eco-friendly blog? Do you occasionally write about the
environment or ways to live green? If you answered yes to any, you're
invited to link up. Here are the rules:
1. If you have a green-living blog or a blog where you sometimes writ... more »
Do
you have an Eco-friendly blog? Do you occasionally write about the
environment or ways to live green? If you answered yes to any, you're
invited to link up. Here are the rules:
1. If you have a green-living blog or a blog where you sometimes writ... more » Today on the TBS Cam
Majia's Blog - 1 hour ago
Tepco time stamp for this screen shot is April 8 2:26. The bright light
illuminates the buildings' emission halos and it appears that
the
orange-red glow stick is back. I don't know what it is.
<img alt=""
src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAS0AAACrCAIAAAC8H13IAAAgAElEQVR4nOy52bLkyJElyBIWMyPudXcAtqvtO3b47neLiMwki13dMyX9/58zD5HJyiLrfWZaeMTE4TBRUz26ATCxP5z+z8Xtdns8Hvd/4p/4/zz+cPs/F9fr9fJP/BP/f8Af6j/xT/wT/2/jDznnWmtfaymplFRKLiXXWmrNteZay3fUmkvJv958l/ltlJJLSSXnWkrNpZbvI/e1lJJLTrXk39SUUkot9Xf/y28a8t/m628mvlus30W+Wymp1vQbmVRKrrV+J1lLqd8t/o7k727/c+Y3sVR/70jNv6nNpeSS83eP/mboN5K... more »
QUOTE OF THE DAY: That pesky freedom
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too
much liberty, than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Archibald Stuart, 1791
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
Break, entry and theft may be established by recent possession of goods obtained by break and enter
*R. v. Pitcher*, 2013 NLCA 22 allows the doctrine of recent possession to
be used to prove break, entry and theft. Some might suggest that holding
places a great deal of weight on what is a permissible presumption of fact;
nevertheless the Court's holding is clear:
[29] The doctrine of recent possession permits a conviction for
break, entry and theft if it is established that the accused is in recent
possession of the goods stolen in the break and entry. Recency is
determined by the circumstances, including the amount of time between the
commission of the break, entry and ... more »
Flier flagged for speech freedom
[image: image]
The Advertising Standards Authority has made the right decision in
rejecting an “offensive” anti-gay Families First flier opposing gay marriage.
Sorry, that should read “extraordinarily offensive”:
Family First's "21 great reasons to keep marriage as is" pamphlet equates
same-sex marriage with incest and paedophilia, denigrates children of
same-sex couples and is hurtful to single-parent families, the Advertising
Standards Authority heard.
The complainant said the brochure was "inflammatory, largely incorrect
and was filled with biases". It was "extraordinarily... more »
Ground control to Major Tom
Wanted to end the day with something cheery. Maybe I'm the last one to see
this, but it was new to me and it's a really great two minute time lapse
video of Earth from Orbit.
A Party with God
Last night I spent an evening with God. We chatted until early this
morning. Hard to believe, I know. Yet I can tell you with certainty what
God looks like. I held him, laughed with him, hugged her and had a drink
with her. He cried, she showed me her quilt, he played for me his latest
song, and he made dinner with me. He said “I love you”, she told me a
secret, he looked in my eyes and I heard him. My house was full of God and
long after the leaving, I was whispered to for several more hours. In my
next blog, I’ll share those whispers with you.
For now just con... more »
The case of Penney CEO Ron Johnson: Managerial "genius" can't be rated without reference to context
*Ousted JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson*: *Say, didn't this guy used to be a
genius?*
*by Ken*
On April 8, the AP's Anne D'Innocenzio reported:
J.C. Penney's board of directors has ousted CEO Ron Johnson after only 16
months on the job as a risky turnaround strategy backfired and led to
massive losses and steep sales drops.
The department store chain said that it has rehired Johnson's predecessor
Mike Ullman, 66, who was CEO of the department store chain for seven years
until November 2011.
As D'Innocenzio reports the story, there wasn't any question about Penney's
disastrous performan... more »
I’ve just discovered a reason to vote Len Brown
I’ve just discovered a reason to vote Len Brown. In two words: John Minto:
Veteran activist John Minto is asking his political party [Whiners &
Whingers] to approve a run for mayor of Auckland. The trade unionist and
teacher said Mayor Len Brown had disappointed him.
He’s disappointed me too. But for opposite reasons to Minto’s.
Personally, I’d like to see an Affordable Auckland candidate. But I’d hold
my nose and vote for Brown over Minto any day of the week.
Mind you, that would mean actually registering to vote.
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for pe... more »
USA Today Writer Does Favor for NRA
From USAToday
Man shoots himself in the head during NRA 500 at Texas
4:46 p.m. EDT April 14, 2013
2013-04-13 Texas Motor Speedway
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A medical examiner says a man who died in the
infield during the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway shot himself in the head.
The Tarrant County (Texas) medical examiner's office on Sunday said the
death of 42-year-old Kirk Franklin of Saginaw, Texas, was a suicide.
SNIP
Police spokeswoman Cpl. Tracey Knight has said alcohol may have been a
factor. Knight said several people witnessed the incident, but nobody was
in danger.
*Polic... more »
Extreme weather battering insurance firms’ bottom line – Ohio’s low premiums at risk as storms, droughts increase
[image: William White, left, speaks to his insurance agent Rick Anderson,
from USAA, right, to asses the damage to his home and property that was
destroyed by the tornado. White's truck, behind, was blown into their
backyard. Photo: Amy E. Voigt / The Blade]
BY Jon Chavez
14 April 2013
(The Blade) – As a meteorologist for FirstEnergy Corp., Pete Manousos’ job
is to keep the electric utility informed about any upcoming extreme weather
that might cause outages, or hamper repair crews’ ability to restore power.
But the last two years, that job has gotten harder and harder.
“You have... more »
Exxon-Mobil Concerned with Teachers As Its Tar Sands Oil Spreads in Arkansas
If you are watching golf for the past 4 days, you would see hundreds of
millions spent by Exxon-Mobil to push the Common Core Corporate Standards
and to convince Americans there is some educational emergency in our
schools. I guess I would be trying to change the subject at hand, too, if
I were responsible for ruining another American community with a flood of
dirty oil. From *Nation of Change*:
________________
*Cleanup Workers Collect Oil Faster than Media Collect Information*
Ten days after the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline burst, spewing thousands of
barrels of Canadian tar sands... more »
The Perfect GOP Wife
From the Financial Reports of GOP state representative
(I intentionally redacted some of the info)
GUEST POST: Bernanke Gets Skewered by Stockman
*Guest post by Byron King from **Money Morning Australia*
Did you see the *Sunday Times* on March 31? The Sunday Review section — the
part with opinion-forming editorials and columns, etc. — had a banner
headline declaring ‘*Sundown in America*’. This was the intro to a
2,600-word article by David Stockman, former budget director for US
President Ronald Reagan.
If you didn’t see the Stockman article, perhaps you saw summaries in other
media. That is, we now have an economic ‘boom, bust, doom & gloom’ story
with legs — and of course it drips with the holy water of top billing in
... more »
DOWN TO THE DOCTOR: Monckton magnificent in Manawatu
*[image: Official photo for Not PC]This week, **Libertarianz** leader Dr
Richard McGrath has been listening to a tourist.*
For those who have not yet heard Christopher Monckton in person, currently
barnstorming the country on his Climate of Freedom Tour, you still have a
chance to make one of his remaining meetings.
I can assure readers they will not be disappointed. Yesterday I traversed
the Pahiatua Track to Palmerston North, where sixty of us—including local
Libz member and list candidate Chris Robertson, and former Libz candidate
Lyn Charlton-- listened to a very polished and ... more »
Japan lawsuit seeks evacuation of children out of Fukushima radiation zone after nuke disaster – ‘Why is Japan about to repeat the mistakes of Chernobyl?’
[image: In this 2 April 2013 photo, Toshio Yanagihara, one of the lawyers
representing 14 children from Fukushima who started a legal battle for the
right to live free of radiation, holds a leaflet urging quick action be
taken to protect children from radiation during a press conference in
Tokyo. Yanagihara criticized the government as appearing more worried about
a population exodus than in saving the children. Photo: Yuri Kageyama / AP
Photo]By Yuri Kageyama
14 April 2013
TOKYO (Associated Press) – Their demand: The right to live free of
radiation. The plaintiffs who started t... more »
why i haven't blogged about rehtaeh parsons and how the story makes me feel
I feel some kind of obligation to write about Rehtaeh Parsons. Not because
I imagine I have something important to add to the conversation, just
because she is on my mind so much, and when that happens, I must write.
For non-Canadian readers, this is why we know the name Rehtaeh Parsons.
From an excellent post by Christine Salek at PolicyMic:
Let me know if you've heard this one before.
A teenage girl attends a party, drinks alcohol, and then is gang raped by
four male classmates. The boys take photos of the assault and share them
with their school, and the girl is then bullied rele... more »
New Zealand deforestation intentions soar with low carbon prices
[image: Deforestation in Newzealand (South Island: Tasman, Westcoast), 3
May 2011. Photo: Martin Wegmann]
By Brian Fallow
15 AprIL 2013
(New Zealand) – Deforestation intentions have soared as the emissions
trading scheme, at least at current rock-bottom prices, is no longer seen
as a barrier to switching to other land uses.
A survey of large forest owners (with over 10,000 hectares) by Professor
Bruce Manley of Canterbury University has found they intend to deforest
39,000ha between now and 2020, mainly in the central North Island and
mainly to switch to dairy farming.
They re... more »
Bozo bites
Boris Johnson wants a potential new Londonairport to be named after
Margaret Thatcher. Double whammy! More proof, I think, that Boris Johnson
functions as a prophylactic for Tory craziness (remember when he positively
associated himself with Rupert Murdoch during the Olympics, when no other
politician wanted to be near him). This is ULTRA provocative, yet a twinkle
and a smile from Boris Johnson makes can make such things seem less than
harmless. He is hardening people to Tory ideas and hardening people with
Tory ideas.
Sunday Question for Liberals
On the gun bill: should Democrats attempt to pass whatever they can, no
matter how little, as long as it's marginally better than the status quo --
or should they give up on it if it's not substantive enough? If the latter,
what would constitute enough?
Fifty years ago . . .
—
KIM & LEE —
1963, LEE HARVEY Oswald is murdered and Kim Philby defects — two
individuals who effected great changes. Or not; nobody seems to know for
sure, in both cases.
Ron Rosenbaum has a great article in SLATE, "Philby and Oswald
The truth is still out there." Maybe there are things are still
to be discovered.
ALEC Legislation - OK for MD's To Do Harm
Would you go to an orthopedic surgeon that wasn’t board certified?
Would you go to a plastic surgeon that wasn’t Board certified?
Would you go to a podiatrist that wasn’t Board certified?
Would you take your kids to a pediatrician that wasn’t Board certified?
Would you take your kids to a heart surgeon that wasn’t Board certified?
Good questions.
The Difference Between Licensed and Board-Certified
Each state in the U.S. has a physician licensing system in place, and in
order to practice in that state, a doctor must be licensed in that state.
The requirements for licensure vary, but ... more »
Sunday Question for Conservatives
How should Republicans be responding to the inclusion of chained CPI in the
president's budget: support it, attack it, or both? How do you think they
will respond going forward?
How Badly Does The GOP Want To Obliterate Unions? Only 10 Of Them Voted Against The Latest Republican Scheme To Slam Labor
It's not that the 10 House Republicans are especially pro-working family...
it's just that all are in districts where the union vote is important.
These 10 stood up to Boehner and Cantor Friday and crossed the aisle to
vote with the Democrats against a vicious anti-union bill by David Roe
(R-TN):
*•* Rodney Davis (R-IL)
*•* Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
*•* Chris Gibson (R-NY)
*•* Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm (R-NY)
*•* David Joyce (R-OH)
*•* Peter King (R-NY)
*•* David McKinley (R-WV)
*•* Pat Meehan (R-PA)
*•* Tom Reed (R-NY)
*•* Don Young (R-AK)
A gaggle of New York and Pennsylvania ... more »
"The World Is Too Much With Us..."
"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!"
- William Wordsworth, 1770- 1850
BILDERBERG 2013
Family Travel Review: The Grove Hotel...
*So So Gay Recommends… the Grove Hotel and Spa, Hertfordshire.*
*So So Gay Recommends... The Grove Hotel & Spa ...*
28 March 2013
"The Grove is affectionately referred to as ‘London’s country estate’ – a
five star hotel, surrounded by 300 acres of rolling Hertfordshire
countryside ... a perfect base for a trip to the nearby Warner Bros. Studio
Tour to experience The Making of Harry Potter...
"The former home of the *Earls of Clarendon* has been restored to stunning
effect... Also at your fingertips is a luxury golf resort on which Tiger
W... more »
How Rude
Several others have noticed the ‘Rude Israelis’ article. People don’t know
what to make of it. Whether to laugh or cry.
I think it’s fine, but it cries out for balance, without which it looks
less than the light-hearted observational piece it’s probably meant to be.
(Especially with that huge picture of a girl screeching, and that stupid,
unfunny cartoon) Now all Raffi Berg needs to do is write about the
wonderful things that characterise Israelis.
As commenter Sharon Klaff says on the BBCWatch thread:
“At the same time you can travel the world to find a more compassionate
carin... more »
Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Qatar: Pipelineistan at work
*Many, if not all, of the readers here should be very familiar with this
topic.* If not, you may have some serious catching up to do.
*The competing pipeline strategies have been a constant through all the
Eurasian machinations. *
Disclaimer: Yes, it is from Pepe Escobar....who adheres to all ‘official’
narratives.
*However the pipeline work is excellent and jibes with so much of the
information on this blog that this article begs for posting.* *So, here it
is.*
*Construction is nearing completion on a natural gas pipeline linking Iran
and Pakistan, a project that portends a huge g... more »
Hilarion – April 14 – 21, 2013
*Hilarion – April 14 – 21, 2013*
April 14, 2013 in Hilarion
Beloved Ones,
You are each in full flow again of receiving and anchoring the Cosmic
energies into the crystalline core of your planet. These are the rhythms
that you are by now used to in your daily lives and as such you serve the
Divine. As each of you receive and allow these energies to pass through you
into the crystalline core, you are filling the Earth with these expansive
energies and this is how the ascension of the Earth is taking place. The
Light within expands within the center of the planet and is uplifted i... more »
Tennessee restores Yeager's gun carry permit
You'll recall some months ago that hot-heated CEO James Yeager of the dicey
gun training camp Tactical Response had his carry permit revoked because of
his video "'threatening to start killing people' if President Obama took
executive action on guns." This week, Yeager got his gun carry permit
restored.
Here's his personal video statement. Man, he still looks totally crazy to
me.
Actually, the most frightening thing I learned in the video is they took
away his carry permit, but they never took away his guns. Tennesee law
doesn't require that even if they take your permit to car... more »
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, April 14th, 2013
It is Sunday..... Time for my usual Sunday rant.....
I have a question... What the hell has happened to Spring and Springtime
weather? I thought the Global Warming fraudsters and hucksters stated
that snow was to be a "thing of the past" as the world heated up according
to their twisted logic? Well, it is mid April in these parts of central
Canada, and there is at least a foot of snow still on the ground, and the
forecast for tonight is for another WINTER storm to hit these parts along
with an additional 5-10 cm of snow to boot! But I guess I am looking at
imaginary white stuff... more »
Anne Frank was a "Great Girl"? Really?
I don't want to offend any Bieber fans out there but this kid's a total,
self-absorbed jerk.
Apparently he spent an hour touring the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. On
his way out he took time to leave this entry in the guest book:
"*Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully
she would have been a belieber.*"
Yes, you little twit, when she wasn't busy being worried about being
discovered by prowling Nazis and sent to her doom in a concentration camp,
I'm sure she would have wanted nothing better than to become one of your
fans, a true *belieber.*
MSM on Gosnell: We Are Ignorant Shills!
Unending lies and spin force me to write about Kermit Gosnell. Again.
He was arrested on January 19, 2011; I wrote that blog-post on January 20,
2011. And in a remarkable show of prescience tedious prediction, I called
it:
He'll become the fetus-fetishist poster boy for 'Late Term Abortion!
Gosnell! Gosnell! SHRIEEEEEK!!!1!1'
Just checked. Yup, they're aaaall over it.
Kermit Gosnell: Hero of the Forced Pregnancy Gang.
For the last few days, fetus fetishists have been SHRIEEEEKING that the MSM
has been totally, absolutely, left-wingedly ignoring this MAJOR story.
Which, as Snopes... more »
"Think It’s Safe To Use A Cell Phone?"
*"Think It’s Safe To Use A Cell Phone?"*
Spectacular Documentary On The Health Implications of Mobile Phone
Technology
by PreventDisease.com
"Many scientists have claimed that the wave of mobile communications made
popular in the last two decades will result in long-term health
implications worldwide. An unprecedented level and frequency of tumor
growth inside the human brain may be inevitable. Resonance - Beings of
Frequency is a spectacular documentary uncovering for the very first time,
the actual mechanisms by which mobile phone technology can cause cancer.
And, how every... more »
Family values Republicans
Something light for a Sunday afternoon. Marcus Hook, PA, Mayor James “Jay”
Schiliro (R-Crazy Drunk) won't be seeking re-election after all:
Authorities allege that late on the evening of Feb. 21, Schiliro contacted
the young man by text message and had a Marcus Hook police officer deliver
him to his borough home. There, with Schiliro’s 13-year-old daughter
sleeping upstairs, the mayor allegedly gave the young man alcohol and
produced three firearms, one of which was fired into papers inside the
house.
During the encounter, the mayor repeatedly asked the young man if he could
give... more »
GAIA PORTAL: “Sprites of Light”
*
* *“Sprites of Light”*
by ÉirePort
Light Connections among 100th monkey Hue-persons have strengthened and are
increasingly connecting with all of "non-enLightened" humanity. These
connections appear as "Sprites of Light" to those with 5-7D eyes to see.
"Sprites of Light" pass from one human to another, even those in
"non-enLightened" state.
This is a Gaia-directed channeling of the Higher D Light whose strength
(intensity) has multiplied 10-fold as a result of recent Solar activity.
Each human entity has become sufficiently Light-aware (even though often
un-consciously) to perm... more »
“The Fleecing Has Only Begun”
*“The Fleecing Has Only Begun”*
by Andy Sutton
“The story broke from nowhere and caught many off guard. To others it was
the manifestation of previously unspoken fears. It was, and is, by far the
biggest story of 2013, the decade, and quite possibly the millennium. It
was the crossing of another Rubicon. For years and decades, the financial
piranhas had wandered around the edges, nibbling a little here and a little
there. Inflation, bailouts, and other monetary mischief had already eroded
the value of most currencies. But never before had they actually made the
boldest of move... more »
Believing in clean oilsands like believing in ‘magic fairies’, top scientist says
[image: University of Alberta scientist David Schindler holding a deformed
whitefish collected from the Athabasca watershed, downstream from the
oilsands industrial development. Schindler told a Carleton University
audience Friday that claims that Alberta’s oilsands are environmentally
harmless are 'lies' and won’t convince anyone in Washington. Photo: Ed
Kaiser / Edmonton Journal]
By Tom Spears
13 April 2013
OTTAWA (The Ottawa Citizen) – Claims that Alberta’s oilsands are
environmentally harmless are “lies” and won’t convince anyone in
Washington, one of this country’s most famo... more »
Creative Showcase- A linkup for all things creative.
I am loving the sunshine. I am starting to have faith that summer might
actually be just around the corner. Here are some of my favorite link-ups
from last week's Creative Showcase!
This cute DIY Missionary Tag from the Happy Scraps.
This May Day Wreath from Lemon Tree Dwelling.
Love this Spring Table Runner from the Happy Scraps.
This Printable Travel Pack for Toddlers by Just Lu.
Now to this week's Creative Showcase. Want to be featured? Link up below!
[image: Housewife Eclectic Creative Showcase]
<img
border="0"... more »
Why Australia Fears the United States
Since coming into existence in 1776, the United States has enjoyed just 21
"war free" years. The last four of those were under president Jimmy
Carter who didn't see much point in blowing other people, their kids and
all their stuff into smithereens just to make a point. No wonder he was so
reviled.
Since Bush/Cheney rode into Washington, the United States has become our
world's only true *Warfare State*. Obama, despite his claims to the
contrary, has kept the tradition alive and well.
When Canadians consider our country's relationships with America, we too
readily forget that... more »
THATCHER'S GAY FRIENDS
The gay Kenny Everett (left) with his friend Margaret Thatcher.
Diana 'Dressed As Man' With Kenny
*Conor Burns.*
Member of Parliament Conor Burns, a close confidante of Thatcher, is gay.
In 1967, Margaret Thatcher voted in favour of the decriminalisation of
homosexuality, in England and Wales, in the face of opposition from Tory
traditionalists.
While she was Prime Minister, male homosexuality was made legal in Scotland
in 1981 and in Northern Ireland in 1982.
The 'gay' Michael Portillo was said to be Thatcher's choice as her
successor.
Liam Fox (above) was Thatcher's close... more »
We Seem to Be Making a Herculean Effort to Get to First Base
Imagine you're a baseball player and your only focus is to make it to first
base. Not second, not third, not home plate. Just first, that's it.
All of your aspirations begin and end at first base.
That sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it? What's the point of showing up at
the park at all? You're not going to be helping your team. You won't be
doing much for the fans either. And what of those eager batters who come
up after you? What are they going to do if you won't budge from first
base?
Yet that's just about our approach to this whole climate change business.
That's ... more »
Chris Hayes says he can’t understand!
*SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2013*
*Do you believe Chris Hayes:* Chris Hayes made a heartening choice of
topics on Friday night. He spoke with PBS education reporter John Merrow
about Michelle Rhee’s endless problems with the truth.
Merrow had received and revealed a memo which shows that Rhee was warned
about possible cheating in the DC schools even in her first year as
superintendent. But she didn’t choose to investigate hard—and in Year 2,
the problem got worse.
Meanwhile, Rhee made various public remarks which seem perhaps a bit
inaccurate in light of the new memo. To read Merrow’s rep... more »
Sunday Classics: From brooding depths to sparkling heights -- Bruch's G minor Violin Concerto
*Itzhak Perlman plays the opening Prelude (Allegro moderato) of the Bruch G
minor Violin Concerto, with Kazuyoshi Akiyama conducting the Tokyo Symphony
Orchestra.*
*by Ken*
In Friday night's "Max Bruch preview" we heard the composer's *Kol Nidrei*,
an "Adagio based on a Hebrew melody," which I described as his
second-best-known work. "The best-known," I write, "surely is his G minor
Violin Concerto," noting that we would be listening to it today.
An obvious point of reference for what used to be known as "the Bruch
Violin Concerto" but now has to be called "the Bruch First Violin ... more »
Beware . . .
BEAVERS BITE. According to Lapham's Quarterly, with fatal results.
"ALEC" Legislative Extremism - Destroyed Brand Beyond Repair
This is a story that we can not let have one day of coverage and then
forgetaboutit.
This is so important that it can not be lost in one news cycle.
We have to keep talking about it over and over and over and over again.
I can’t help thinking about the article that came out at PRWatch this past
week, noting:
“You may have noticed we are limiting the use of the acronym 'ALEC,'” wrote
Bill Meierling, ALEC's recently-hired Senior Director of Public Affairs in
a March 13 email sent to ALEC members and obtained through an open records
request.
“Over the past year, the word 'ALEC' has be... more »
Sometimes a Picture Is Worth...
This might be one of those times.
*Chris Riddell, The Guardian*
THE HIDDEN STORY OF JEJU
Ghosts of Jeju from Regis Tremblay on Vimeo.
Former KIPP Principal Demonstrates Why Honesty Should Be Added to the KIPP Character Trait List
Former KIPP "stallion," Elliot Witney, has somehow earned a spot across
from Deborah Meier at the Bridging Differences blog (surely thre's no Gates
influence in that decision by Ed Week). And the first thing I noticed in
reading Witney's dissembling responses to Meier's questions on KIPP is 1)
his effort to distance himself from KIPP, and 2) how quickly he would like
the change the subject away from KIPP, and 3) his consistent lack of
honesty about KIPP.
Here is a clip for Elliot's response that highlights his brazen lack of
honesty:
The situation you describe simply does not re... more »
Tommy, We Have to Talk
Dear Tommy:
I've got some bad news. The old gang has moved on. They've "modernized"
some, taken a new direction if you will.
Now, rest assured Tom, no one's saying that everything the party you
created once stood for is radical nonsense. At least none of them are
saying that out loud although some certainly are acting that way.
They've figured out the route to get elected, their one slim chance at
power, meant they'd have to grow up some. They'd have to become
sophisticated, moderate - pragmatic if you will. Compromise is the order
of the day and you know what a slippery... more »
What will the North Korean Military do if Japan Shoots Down the Missile Launch?
A few days ago, I predicted there would be no war, probably because I’m
lazy and predicting the future will be the same as the present is an easy
way to protect my credibility. But I got some criticism that I was a dippy
academic who doesn’t see how dangerous the situation really is. And
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CHILDREN IN CHAINS
Margaret Thatcher, when she was in Indonesia, was alerted to the conditions
of children in institutions for the 'mentally backward'.
In Indonesia, children who are a little mentally backward, or who have
epilepsy, are often put into mental institutions.
We have seen children in such institutions tied up with tape or chains.
They become covered in urine and faeces.
The BBC reports on mentally ill patients in Indonesia held in chains.
*Mentally ill patients in Indonesia held in chains*
The Galuh Foundation looks after people who are said to be 'mentally ill'.
Some of the 'patient... more »
The BBC, the L.S.E., North Korea, Paddy O'Connell and Peter O'Hanraha-hanrahan
Well, the BBC can certainly give itself a right good whacking at times. If
you want to hear a BBC reporter getting violently slapped around
(figuratively-speaking) by a BBC interviewer then please give this
morning's *Broadcasting House *a try. The interviewer displaying a
surprising amount of rudeness was Paddy O'Connell and the BBC reporter on
the receiving end - though he fought back a bit - was John Sweeney,
presenter of tomorrow night's *Panorama, North Korea Undercover. *
*
*
As you may be aware, this is the subject of a heated and headline-grabbingrow between the BBC and the ... more »
Engineering Consent Through Propaganda
Edward Bernays is responsible for encouraging 'leaders' to manage the
public through public relations, rather than leveling with them about real
conditions. See the Century of the Self here and read Bernay's book, Propaganda,
here.
Bernays' encouraged the titans of industry and presidents to engineer
consent using propaganda that appealed to people's instinctual drives and
herd instinct.
Bernays approach was and remains sociopathic, but also very effective, as illustrated
by the following anecdote:
Yesterday while at my oldest son's track meet (for 5 hours) I had the
opportunity ... more »
Why is the Fog at Fukushima Pink?
Majia's Blog - 13 hours ago
Fukshima
weather conditions for today: 20% Chance Radioactive Rain and 94%
Radioactive Humidity (edits mine, weather source here)
<a
href="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAScAAADdCAIAAAB2RiPdAAAgAElEQVR4nOy9168lx5ngqT9xH/ZlH3oxPRLJuq4sVaKanmLRiWSRrCJVvur649Jn+Ii0x15TRc3MPsyuWi2pzWCBNQPsAgvMYFf7ECYjzTn33iLVmAa68OHgVNw8kXHyxC8/G5E/+c//93/9Z5D/6//5f7//D7+bPv+P09/+fvb9Ujn+D39My+Nk+u/n/+4PKw77V/lX+RctP/kvf/7zP4P81z//+b/8f3/+x//1P//xH/+3P/7T/75C/vSf/s8//af/Y/Ux/yr/Kv+i5SeLo1Nb5l2ysN6cefAyWRyfnjz/7emLJfLcev1XWXaJnne9eV6/eu3GRvtfqIfGB9vS/n07T/dieeOL1hmXta8eyZk9XEisq/G8Jv/OevPvXnz/... more »
Nikki Haley (SC - ALEC Governor) - Has a Challenger
Well, well, well,
South Carolina gets another chance to redeem themselves.
Moderate Democrat Vincent Sheheen, has announced that he’s going to give
his pursuit of the South Carolina Governorship another go in 2014. He lost
to Governor Nikki Haley by 4 points in 2010. I know he’s running again
because my Halifax Media-owned local right-wing newspaper revealed his
intention in a minimal coverage story on page C-3. Had the situation been
reversed and Sheheen was the sitting Governor, there would have been giant
front-page headlines “HALEY TO CHALLENGE GOVERNOR.” A picture of Haley
... more »
ALEC Privatization of Education Scheme - A Failure
Some snips from Common Dreams this morning
A new report will be out next week on the disaster known as school
privatization.
Links to the pre-release of the report and the executive summary are in the Common
Dreams article.
A new report will be out next week on the disaster known as school
privatization.
An ACTUAL research stuffy – which differs from the anecdotal junk results
purported to happen.
*Study: School Reform in 3 Major Cities Didn't Pass the Test*
Snips from the article:
Many people in the education world have long argued that the public
education system is a civic en... more »
IS Network - new website
And it looks pretty good. the founding meeting was yesterday. Somewhere
between 50-100 people were there. Things went very well in my opinion. This
an the Left Unity initiative (which the ISN has decided to support) are two
reasons to be cheerful.
A Grave Injustice
If someone committed a grave injustice against you (stole your business,
your life savings, kidnapped your child, poisoned your family, destroyed
your life) and then bribed or otherwise corrupted all the institutions that
could bring you justice, what would you do?
What would you feel entitled to do?
Would you ever say to yourself: "Well, the courts have ruled in my
adversary's favour. I might not agree with this decision, but I have to
respect it."? Would you really say that in the face of an obviously corrupt
process?
What if it never even got that far? What if the police were ... more »
Rethinking Macro
The IMF is holding a conference "Rethinking Macro" on April 16-17. You can
watch a live webcast. Click here for information.
We are not alone
By Capt Fogg
We're going to have to get used to drones. They're available everywhere
and getting better and cheaper as electronic toys do. HD TV cameras can be
added that are now tiny and lightweight and cheap and can even see in the
dark
I hope we don't have to get used to the constant surveillance they make
possible and it's not just the invasion of our private spaces by government
agencies I'm alarmed about. Various people and groups of people with all
kinds of ideas about what you're doing, aren't doing and should be doing
are now able to watch and record from hundreds o... more »
Republican Party Makes A Decision-- They'll Hold Onto The Anti-LGBT Bigotry For Another Cycle
*The Colbert Report*
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,Video
Archive
The decision was unanimous. Every single member of the Republican National
Committee voted to reaffirm the party's opposition to marriage equality.
There was no debate and the package of conservative resolutions passed with
a voice vote-- Soviet style, just the way Reince Priebus likes it. The
delegates had been spooked by threats from the far, dark corners of the
anti-Jesus crowd to pull out of the party if they didn't keep with the
homophobia.
Carnival barkers and freak show huc... more »
Psy - Gentleman
The Americans haven't made a series of surgical strikes against the North's
nuclear facilities. And neither has Kim Yong-un let loose an artillery
barrage as prelude to a ground invasion. But there has been a horrifying
development on the Korean peninsula all the same: Psy has a new single out.
Here is his official video for *Gentleman*.
Does it match *Gangnam Style* for sheer awfulness? And can it be construed
as an ideological weapon in the North/South cold war?
A Return To Responsible Government?
Andrew Coyne writes, in *The National Post*, that there's not a dime's
worth of difference between Canada's three major political parties:
This is our politics, then, at least for the next two years: three parties
offering more of the same, saying little, differing less, wholly in thrall
to their leaders, and applauded on all sides for their pragmatism and
discipline. Bliss is it in this dusk to be alive.
Parties have become empty vessels, waiting to be told by their leaders what
they believe. There is, of course, the Conservative Party:
Pride of place, of course, goes to the C... more »
Some Meatloaf for Sunday lunch?
Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf and Karla de Vito put on one
hell of a performance.
When I first heard this track on the Bat Out Of Hell album I was a teenager
obsessed with getting beyond third base, I have loved this song ever since.
Ah the memories!
Rhee’s “Gravy Train" of Hypocrisy
"Former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor *Michelle Rhee* had trouble
recalling the names of South Carolina’s 'key players' after a quick visit
to the State House on Wednesday. But state lawmakers may want to take note
of hers," reports *The State* (Columbia, SC). But in a rare moment of
candor and even more unusual modesty, when asked to estimate the size of
her hypocrisy and dishonesty, Rhee merely gestured:
Jeff Chiu — ASSOCIATED PRESS
-----
However, Rhee soon returned to her usual routine—bashing teachers:
Educators make excuses for failing schools, Rhee said. But, she a... more »
A BBC setup of IDS? I'm shocked...
'The Government's row with the BBC over the coverage of its welfare changes
has escalated. Downing Street was infuriated when housing benefit claimant
David Bennett challenged Iain Duncan Smith on the Today Programme to live
on £53 a week, saying that Bennett was living on substantially more than
that and that his claims should have been checked before being broadcast.
But Number 10 is now apoplectic after learning that Bennett was approached
when he posted criticisms of David Cameron and the welfare changes on the
BBC's user-generated content hub.
This has added to the Government... more »
Individuality and Doctor Who's Companions
*A note from @Catherinebuca on the characterisation of Dr Who's companions
under Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat respectively.*
Remember Donna? She became the most important human in all of history. And
it worked because she wasn't the point of the whole series - she wasn't
trying to get into the Doctor's pants and actually had some character. She
was just another random everywoman, who didn't have a lot of faith in
herself. She followed the Doctor around and slowly grew into someone who
was kinda awesome in her own right, who worked as a foil for the Doctor and
also as our eye... more »
Eric Dollard - Earth's atmosphere PROTECTS US FROM THE ELECTRIC UNIVERSE
"Everything from the ionosphere, all the way to the sun, CONDUCTS
ELECTRICITY!!!" so says Eric Dollard.
"But nobody wants to talk about China's HAARP," it's on all the time,
apparently. Hush hush...
Did NASA take this Electric Universe component into account when they sent
Man to the Moon?
"... mere silence, even where it would be reasonable to expect a denial in the face of an accusation, will not constitute an admission"
R v Scott, 2013 MBCA 7, para 19. Sed contra R v J.F. (2011), 85 CR (6th)
304 (Ont C A) para 46.
The rich are getting richer while the poor get poorer -- and all the while the corporate-owned U.S. government finds new ways to assure that this inhumane trend will continue indefinitely.
------------------------------
BillMoyers.com / *By* *Bill Moyers*
Bill Moyers: We Are Living in the United States of Inequality
*"A petty, narcissistic, pridefully ignorant politics has come to dominate
and paralyze our government."*
April 12, 2013 | *From BIll Moyers.com:*
The unprecedented level of economic inequality in America is undeniable. In
an extended essay, Bill Moyers shares examples of the striking extremes of
wealth and poverty across the country, including a video report on
California’s Silicon Valley. There, Facebook, Google, and Apple are minting
milliona... more »
MYSTERIOUS MARGARET THATCHER AND THE SPOOKS
Shirley Bassey is a top gay icon and was a dear friend of Margaret Thatcher.
She has been invited to Thatcher's funeral.
*Margaret Thatcher. François Mitterand, the former French president,
suggested Margaret Thatcher had "the eyes of Caligula". Margaret Thatcher
treated them all as a disease.*
When Thatcher came to power in 1979, manufacturing accounted for around *26*% of UK economic output
In 2011 manufacturing accounted for *10.8* % of economic output.
http://www.ft.com/
*Adam Lanza*
"After her 11 years in power, government spending was still high,
"The reach of the cen... more »
April 13, 1973
"Another long Watergate day."
That's how Haldeman's diary begins for this Friday. It's really the
beginning of four very long Watergate days, days which ended the limbo the
case had been in for the last several days, and really since Pat Gray and
then James McCord began the unraveling of everything.
The main developments aren't in the Ervin Committee, but it continues to
chug along, with McCord meeting with committee staff, a "secret" meeting
which was promptly leaked to the press. At this point, the Watergate
Committee is still a good ways behind everyone else, but they're getting... more »
Love What You DO
*Love What You DO -- Jake Ducey*
April 13th, 2013
http://briankellysblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/love-what-you-do.html
I couldn't have picked a more perfect video to launch my first post on the
new blog! No, American Kabuki and I did not have a falling out lol.
Consider this our way of diversifying the messages we share with the world.
Although, I will admit, I do consider AK to be a Master Blogger. So, the
audience here can expect to find me linking to his posts quite frequently
:)
It goes without saying, our mission is one in the same; to live in a world
where Freedom ... more »
Your moment of Zen
Blissful tiger via Noman Shabbir.
[Definitely click to embiggen]
TV Watch: "Army Wives" soldiers on, taking large changes in stride
*The old gang*: *Col. Joan and psychiatrist Roland Burton; now-Gen. Michael
and Claudia Joy Holden (back), Roxy and Trevor LeBlanc (front); Denise
Sherwood (back) and Pamela Moran (front)*
*by Ken*
It's been awhile since I've written about *Army Wives*, but it remains one
of the offerings on the TV schedule I look forward to most, and that's *with
* the considerable cast turnover last season and especially the newly begun
one, with the departures of, first, Pamela (Brigid Brannagh) and then Roxy
(Sally Pressman) and now, apparently, Roland (Sterling K. Brown), who is
shipping off t... more »
unpaid labour used to be called slavery. now it's an internship.
Image found at Youth and Work blogIn recent years, I've been very disturbed
by the proliferation of so-called unpaid internships, more properly called
unpaid labour, previously known as slavery.
A while back, I had a disturbing conversation with an unpaid editor at The
Mark. She was highly skilled, an excellent editor. I told her so, and asked
if she was being paid. Since The Mark does not pay its contributors, I was
wondering if they also got a free pass on staff.
The young woman vigorously defended her unpaid job, explaining, "I'm
learning the business as I go." To which I respo... more »
Somebody forgot the lessons of Darlie....
_______________________
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its
sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores
of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
The Profession That Left Gerald Conti
Gerald Gerald Conti’s retirement letterConti Letter
Who is Progress KY
Serious question. While it's entirely possible they're just the world's
most inept wannabe lefty anarchists, Progress KY feels more like a GOP
front group every passing day. I mean, first the lame attack ads on the
wife and then the lamebrain secret taping which they immediately bragged
about pulling off. They're like Jimmy O'Keefe on whiskey and quaaludes.
Odd how everything they've done so far has been such a big help to Mitch.
The leak seems to have backfired, helping to strengthen McConnell in the
state. Most of the focus has been on the FBI investigation into who bugged
McCon... more »
Pot, Aliens And Politicians... And The Unending Saga Of Florida GOP Gangster David Rivera
The self-described "bad girl" of Florida Republican politics, Ana Sol
Alliegro, says she just wants "to cut hair like Paul Mitchell and make
people feel good." So he's on the lam, hiding out from the FBI in the
picturesque town of Granada on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, under the name
Ana Solá and running a beauty parlour, Salon La Libertad, next to the Roman
Catholic bishop's house. From a prominent Cuban fascist family under
Batista, the violent, drug addicted Alliegro brags that "All my life, I
have fought for the GOP." Her bungled dirty tricks on behalf of
then-Congressman Da... more »
Sssh! We Love You!
Received from Julien Wells 4:42 PM
I just woke from a nap where I was playing in a first person shooter game
stealthily going around hunting each other in the jungle and some ruins.
However since I was so much better at this game, I would actually sneak
right up to them and tackle them and imobilize them, cover their mouth and
pin them with a threatening dagger. Then I would whisper "I love you" while
I looked into their eyes. Then I would get up and run off with their
weapons and get rid of their weapons.
Later I found someone else learning to do exactly what I did and we notic... more »
Corporation of London
My brother took this photo during the London Olympics. -AK
Drones=Terrorists
A very important reminder from Richard Becker of ANSWER today during
today's anti-drone rally in San Francisco that the first three people
killed by drones were three farmers collecting scrap metal. Why were they
killed? Because one of them was a "tall man" (judging from the perspective
of a drone camera) and the other two were "deferential to him" (again,
judging by looking through a drone camera), and hence based on this
"intelligence" they concluded it was Osama bin Laden and assassinated all
three by drone.
*All* victims of assassination by drone (drone terrorism, not drone
"w... more »
"Stringent pre-trial bail conditions” and sentencing
R. v. Peterkin, 2013 ONSC 2116 has a helpful summary of how pretrial bail
conditions are to impact of sentence:
[38] In *R. v. Downes* 2006 CanLII 3957 (ON CA), (2006), 79 O.R.
(3d) 321, the Court of Appeal for Ontario held that, where an accused is
the subject of "stringent pre-trial bail conditions" including time spent
effectively under "house arrest," this mitigating circumstance must be
taken into account and given some weight in the sentencing of the accused.
More specifically, Rosenberg J.A., delivering the judgment of the Court,
held that, in the circumstances,... more »
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