Friday, May 10, 2013

10 May - Blogs I'm Following II

English: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak welc...English: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak welcomes (left to right) U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on September 14, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
10:15 pm MDST

The War on 3D Printing Begins

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 1 minute ago
*May 11, 2013* (LocalOrg) - It was inevitable. A technology like 3D printing that essentially puts cheap labor, manufacturing, and retail all in the same place - upon one's desktop - spells the absolute, utter and permanent end to the monopolies and unwarranted power and influence of the corporate-financier elite who have lorded over humanity since human civilization began - a permanent end the elite will fight against with the total summation of their ill-gotten power and influence. The pretext being used to begin this war, is a 3D printed gun built and demonstrated by Defense Dis... more »

Sunday Classics preview: Moving on with those Mozart and Beethoven minor-key symphonic opening movements

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 14 minutes ago
*Tonight we hear both Leonard Bernstein's 1961 and 1977 recordings of the second movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.* *by Ken* Last week we heard all of the minor-key symphony opening movements that Mozart and Beethoven wrote -- two apiece. I suggested that one obvious question is: Where do you go from there? We're going to explore that a little on Sunday. (Last week I said I thought it would be in two weeks -- wrong!) And we're going to start by hearing what comes next in two of those symphonies: emphatically, spaciously major-key slow movements. *MOZART: Symphony No. 40 in ... more »

AFT’s Rally Cry is Not Heroic–It’s Just Part of the Package

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 51 minutes ago
The union’s statement is misguided, and I would suggest that is purposely so. The call for a moratorium on standardized testing is a call for a temporary quieting of the teachers and parents while the next-level of state (nationally) mandated assessments makes its way down the pipe. AFT’s rally cry to put the brakes on […]

The Resurrection of Hosni Mubarak

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 hour ago
Public opinion in Egypt is so set against the shaky and controversial rule of the Muslim Brotherhood that many people feel comfortable enough to go out into the streets and raise posters of Egypt's former dictator. The political situation in the country is reaching a desperate point because people are looking back instead of hoping for the future. This is yet another sign that Morsi does not have the authority, strength, vision, popularity, or charisma to lead Egypt. Demonstators in Egypt show support for Hosni Mubarak. Source: CNN.

The taxman cometh

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 2 hours ago
No longer having any trust in the first 12-24 hours of Twitter/Facebook/Media coverage of any breaking story, I'm reserving my outrage until I figure out what's going on with this IRS mini-scandal. I'm not at all comfortable with IRS scrutiny based on political beliefs but I'm not entirely sure that is what's happening here. I'm sure this is true. She said that between 2010 and 2012, about 75 of these groups were selected for extra screening as part of a broader review of political advocacy organizations that were seeking tax-exempt status. Front-line IRS employees working in the t... more »

Aerial Castro's Hard Case

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 2 hours ago
It's an old legal adage that, "hard cases make bad law." What it means is that when law is made in response to monstrous crimes, the sort that truly shock the public conscience, it can often result in inappropriate and unintended consequences for ordinary or lesser crimes. In some circumstances it can even create crimes where none previously existed. Alleged kidnapper rapist Aerial Castro will apparently face capital punishment should he be convicted of five counts of murder. The supposed murder was the killing of a fetus through beating one of his victims to induce miscarriage... more »

Powell River Persuader Crunches The Numbers(Fun With Polling)

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 3 hours ago
*Written by Grant G * I know many of you have been fretting over the polls, time to put your minds at ease.....Let`s talk election 2013 riding results as predicted by yours truly .....The Powell River Persuader. David Schreck has been keeping a brave face, he has however continued to claim the election is razor thin, classic electioneering, never come across to cocky even when you know.. 4 polls released today(so far) with Angus Reid releasing his last pre-election poll on CTV at 6:00 p.m.... http://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-ndp-widens-lead-days-before-election-poll-1.1276886 Angus Re... more »

The Right-Wing Noise Machine gets its "mean IRS" headline, and it's full steam ahead for flagrant 501(c)4 abuse

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
*This isn't what happened, of course, but if you're looking for the latest and bestest in lies, where better to turn than the Right-Wing Noise Machine? * The problem wasn't that the IRS was skeptical of tea party groups registering as 501(c)4s. It's that it hasn't been skeptical of Organizing for America, Crossroads GPS, Priorities USA and Heritage Action Fund registering as 501(c)4s. The IRS should be treating all these groups equally and appropriately -- which would mean much more harshly. Instead, the IRS has permitted 501(c)4s to grow into something monstrous. And if they cower... more »

Election Watch 6: On Political Dynasty

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 3 hours ago
* This is my guest post in antipinoy.com today. --------- Getting voters’ support is mainly about political branding. Political parties as engines of politicians to capture political power, national and local, are originally Ideology-based. Meaning they represent unique ideologies and political philosophies that are distinguishable from each other. This is not happening in the Philippines and many other countries. Here, almost all political parties promise or say the same things – more populism, expand welfare and subsidies, expand regulations, do not cut or reduce taxes, good gov... more »

Chemtrail Protest http://www.facebook.com/ProtestOnDollarsAndRecirculate

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 4 hours ago
http://www.facebook.com/ProtestOnDollarsAndRecirculate

Peak climate disruption

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 5 hours ago
If we still had a functional BigMedia, this would be leading the nightly newscasts. Instead they'll be doing wall to wall coverage of BENGHAZZZZZZzzzzzzi, while our planet Earth burns. The level of the most important heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, has passed a long-feared milestone, scientists reported on Friday, reaching a concentration not seen on the earth for millions of years. Scientific monitors reported that the gas had reached an average daily level that surpassed 400 parts per million — just an odometer moment in one sense, but also a sobering remind... more »

Judges, Please

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 6 hours ago
Just a quick note that no one is going to notice on a newsy Friday afternoon, but nevertheless it's still important: We *still* aren't getting new judicial nominees. Still. It's now been about nine weeks since the White House convinced some gullible reporters that a flood of judges was coming. Since then, there's been barely a trickle. In particular, we're still waiting for the three nominees for the DC Circuit Court. Now, not all of this is Barack Obama's fault. I missed this yesterday, but Jennifer Bendery has a terrific item about a confrontation over judges between John Cornyn... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 6 hours ago
*Water still pouring through three breaches of Assumption sinkhole berm*

A consensus of crackpots

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 6 hours ago
There's a leadership crisis on Capitol Hill but it's not Obama who's the problem. According to the crackpot GOP caucus, John Boehner is failing to lead his troops to glory. Apparently the GOP's feckless chief is MIA and forcing Cantor to do the work. Not that he's having any better luck in corralling the crackpots. But this was the funniest critique. Some of Boehner's chief critics in the House, like Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia, said they haven't really seen a difference in style within the House leadership: it's still unsatisfactory to them. "I would like to see him uphold the Hast... more »

Satire: “Vegas: Rove Attack Ads Seal Victory For Hillary”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
*“Vegas: Rove Attack Ads Seal Victory For Hillary”* by Andy Borowitz LAS VEGAS (The Borowitz Report)— “News that Karl Rove’s PAC, American Crossroads, has bought ads attacking Hillary Clinton has sent the Democrat’s stock soaring in Las Vegas, where oddsmakers now say she is virtually guaranteed to be the next President of the United States. “People were bullish on Hillary before this,” said Tracy Klugian, a leading Las Vegas oddsmaker for over forty years. “But the Rove thing makes it a lock.” After American Crossroads’s historic string of defeats in 2012, “Serious gamblers... more »

Open Thread: 4 Dead in Ohio Benghazi edition

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 6 hours ago
No, really, there are some who do. This was seen outside our local cafe just yesterday: He then set up shop inside the cafe, taking up a table with another handwritten sign in front of his laptop that read, "Ask me about the Constitution." You can't make this shit up. That's why we have conspiracy theorist Teabaggers. There are plenty of things for which we could, and *should* impeach Obama. Benghazi's not among them.

The Death Of Alvin Cote: Saskatoon Police Mourn Homeless Street Alcoholic They Arrested Over 1,000 Times

leftdog at Buckdog - 6 hours ago
** *City Police in Saskatoon Saskatchewan have received a lot of bad press over the years. These articles will show that these hardworking officers and staff could not just ignore a long suffering homeless man with addiction to alcohol ....* *SASKATOON - He was one of the most recognizable residents in Saskatoon and some people consider the Prairie city a little different now that he's gone. * *Alvin Cote wasn't a well-known politician, businessman or hockey player, but a ragged, homeless alcoholic whose tough talk would easily melt into a hearty chuckle and a big smile short on te... more »

Testing Time to Double with Common Core Corporate Standards

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 hours ago
Only two testing sites in Oklahoma this year did not experience technical issues during state testing. Wonder what will happen in two years if the Common Core moves forward. A clip from a report from KOSU: Click here to download audio Wednesday, the Oklahoma State Department of Education said more than 9-thousand students couldn’t take tests […]

Rick Perry Goes To The Head Of The Class To Help Set Right-Wing Anti-Intellectual Higher Education Policy

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
It's been a very sad thing for any state that winds up with a GOP/Tea Party-controled legislature, especially when they also have the governor's mansion. Most of them are the states with the worst economic results, worst education results, worst health results and worst environmental results. I don't want to get into a chicken or egg debate about it now. I just want to go beyond the discussion we started last night about the North Carolina Republicans'-- both the Tea Party legislature and Puppet Pat the Governor-- War Against Education... and beyond Alison Brito's useful list yeste... more »

It's Dead Motorcyclist Season Again

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 7 hours ago
Late spring to early summer marks Dead Motorcyclist season. It's the time of year when fatal encounters between motorcyclists and motorists are particularly apt to happen. Many bikers are seasonal riders. They put their machines away in the fall and over the winter and only get back on the road once the weather warms. If someone is away from something that is skill-intensive for any extended period their skills will naturally degrade. They won't be as sharp, as quick and probably not as alert either while they get into form. Car and truck drivers experience something similar. ... more »

“Owning a Dog Is Linked to Reduced Heart Risk”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
*“Owning a Dog Is Linked to Reduced Heart Risk”* by Anahad O’Connor “The nation’s largest cardiovascular health organization has a new message for Americans: Owning a dog may protect you from heart disease. The unusual message was contained in a scientific statement published on Thursday by the American Heart Association, which convened a panel of experts to review years of data on the cardiovascular benefits of owning a pet. The group concluded that owning a dog, in particular, was “probably associated” with a reduced risk of heart disease. People who own dogs certainly ha... more »

Keep It Simple: Commit Math

noreply@blogger.com (fern hill) at DAMMIT JANET! - 8 hours ago
Now, this has gotta sting, coming as it does from former senior advisor to Heil Harper, Keith Beardsley. Fiscal responsibility has been the hallmark of the Harper government from day one. It's therefore quite interesting to see in year seven of his reign that the opposition is focused on trying to destroy the credibility the Tories have on that front. It's a good strategy on their part, enabled by some help from the government side. He cites Scott Brison's jibe about each Economic Action Scam ad on Hockey Night in Canada representing the cost of the federal contribution to 32 su... more »

In Iranian Town, Recycled Stones Make For Groundbreaking Architecture

Nima Shirazi at Wide Asleep in America - 8 hours ago
(Photo Credit: Omid Khodapanahi / AbCT) The ancient town of Mahallat in central Iran, located roughly halfway between Tehran and Esfahan, boasts Hellenistic ruins from the time of Alexander the Great, Zoroastrian fire temples, castles, caravansaries, lush gardens, mountain caves, and curative and therapeutic hot springs. It’s also home to one of the most modern, innovative, sustainable,

The hopelessness never ends at Salon!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 8 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2013* *Susan Rice and the lemonade sale:* Can we talk? Our career liberal just isn’t real sharp. This afternoon at Salon, Alex Seitz-Wald offers this: SEITZ-WALD (5/10/13): Critics have always been right that Ambassador Susan Rice’s talking points were wrong; *rather than the attack being caused by a spontaneous protest, as she claimed on several Sunday morning talk shows after the attack, it was a terrorist plot.* But the fundamental question was whether the administration knew it was a terror attack and intentionally lied when it blamed the death of Ambassador Chr... more »

What Has Happened to Germaine Greer?

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 8 hours ago
From the dawning of the popular press through to social media, the opportunities for the great and the good to out themselves as toe-curling cretins has progressively multiplied over time. And when the occasion availed itself to Germaine Greer on last night's *Question Time*, she not only made herself look like an idiot, she went some way to burying her reputation as some kind of feminist. Picture the scene. A question on whether those accused of rape should have the right to anonymity until after a conviction has been made is responded to by ex-Tory MP Jerry Hayes. He argued "yes"... more »

Does Michael Gerson know how to read?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 8 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2013* *How about Stephen Hayes:* Does Michael Gerson know how to read? How *well*does the gentleman read? We constantly ask such questions about the nation’s fourth-graders. How about major conservatives like Gerson and Stephen Hayes? We ask in part because we read Gerson’s column in today’s Washington Post. Early on, he quotes something Susan Rice said last September 16: GERSON (5/10/13): After the Sept. 11, 2012, Benghazi attacks that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the facts were initially clear. The fog was a later addition. ... more »

Jung Platform presents Michael Meade 'The Light Inside Dark Times: Tales of Healing and Change'

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 8 hours ago
*Title: Jung Platform presents Michael Meade 'The Light Inside Dark Times: Tales of Healing and Change.' YouTube Video Description - [Channel: jungplatform. Uploaded on October 18, 2011]:* The Light Inside Dark Times - Tales of Healing and Change Whether it be the fear of financial crisis or the uncertainties of climate change, the world has a more fearful and uncertain place. Yet, soul often awakens in the darkest hours as something deeper and wiser stirs within us. The soul is the light hidden inside the dark that secretly holds things together within each of us and within the ... more »

Want 15 Minutes of Anti-GunNut Fame?

2old2care at Because I Can - 9 hours ago
Have to tell you the truth - I don't really spend much time over at Daily Kos anymore (use to a long time ago). I browse through there hovering over the links for the diaries and then reading the first line of the diary - sometimes I read the whole diary , most times I don't (couple of people I read almost all of their stuff) . (Definitely don't read the comments, anymore - the constant bickering about grammatical syntax and endless threads about semantic differences, is tedious to me.) Anyway. Today this was posted - and yes, I stole the whole entry, without permission - no sense... more »

Was Syria "Nuked"? Evidence Now Seems Overwhelmingly... YES!!!!!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 9 hours ago
In the last report I placed here in this blog yesterday, I linked some damning evidence presented by none other than Jim Stone that showed clearly that Israel's "aerial bombing" of targets in and around Damascus, Syria a few days ago were actually a nuclear attack... Most probably using several small tactical nuclear weapons.... Many people to my chagrin do not agree with this conjecture, and I do feel that it is time for a follow up report... Therefore, I want to present the following most interesting report from the Press Tv website, at www.presstv.ir, that brings forward some da... more »

Atmospheric carbon dioxide rises to 400 parts per million for the first time in human history – ‘We are creating a prehistoric climate in which human societies face huge and potentially catastrophic risks’

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 9 hours ago
[image: Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration at Mauna Loa Observatory, 1958-2013. This is also known as the 'Keeling Curve'. Concentrations of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere crossed 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history on 10 May 2013. Graphic: keelingcurve.ucsd.edu] By Kerry Sheridan 10 May 2013 WASHINGTON (AFP) – The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has broken above 400 parts per million for the first time in human history, US monitors announced Friday, indicating a record level for greenhouse gases. Climate scientist... more »

Terrafugia's TF-X flying car - it'll never get off the ground - licensing restrictions

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 9 hours ago
what's the ONLY PROBLEM with Terrafugia's TF-X - flying car? Well, that's nowhere near the truth of the matter, "What's the REAL problem with Terrafugia's TF-X flying car?" Military air space and flight licenses. This issue comes up every time one tries to discuss any manual or 'automated personal transportation device' into the air on this legislation-crippled cunt of a planet, LICENSES: someone on some show (might have been Top Gear) once calculated that you'd need about one-three THIRTEEN forms of vehicle/driving license to get any car-plane hybrid into the air. Then there's the... more »

Brian Kelly's Blog: Citizen Hearing on Disclosure: Reverberations. WOW!

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 9 hours ago
*Citizen Hearing on Disclosure: Reverberations. WOW!* May 10, 2013 Found this awesome article on Exopermaculture. First, a growing list of media exposure. Haven’t read through it; who knows, much, or even most of it might still feature “the ridicule factor.” But people are stripping off their sheeple suits so fast that I doubt this way of controlling minds will last much longer. Second, a press release announcing what’s next: bringing the UFO issue before the UN. Long List of Media Coverage regarding the 2013 Citizen Hearing and UFO Disclosure! May 9, 2013 by ryanc... more »

Bangkok Thunder Mix

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 9 hours ago

Look what showed up in my backyard!

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 9 hours ago
Seems the Peacock is my totem of the week!

invitation to be spirit hacked - part three - available to work off-world

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 9 hours ago
reply here ... if you're keenDear spirit-world, parallel-world or off-world entities, I'm very keen on changing my whole outlook on the universe but (thus far) I've had no proof that anything other than 'this prison planet' exists. Would you be so kind as to fix it for me to have a job with one of your off-world offices and maybe I can bring the 'spirit of the universe back with me' to spread to my fellow man and live the remaining years in happiness that there's 'something better' to look forward to with an enlightened, educated and aware race of beings as I'm convinced we can bec... more »

Volkswagen's Too Cool Autostadt

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 9 hours ago
If you live in certain parts of Europe, you can get a Volkswagen directly from the factory. Your car is built to order and then stored in one of these 60 metre/200 feet silos where it awaits your arrival to take delivery. Among other things you get your car with "zero" on the odometer. There are two of these silos at the VW car store or Autostadt near the factory in Wolfsburg. This video shows how the lift fetches a new car for a waiting customer.

Mohawk Nation News: Pimp 'Canada'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 9 hours ago
PIMP “CANADA” Posted on May 10, 2013 MNN. May 9, 2013. A beautiful Indigenous 15 year old girl did not realize for a long time she was being followed by a 60-year old man. One day she realized he was frequently on the same buses and coffee shops watching her. She contacted her mother, took a picture and reported him to the police.

@HuffingtonPost Rhee is now a “so-called” corporate reformer.

Timothy D. Slekar at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 10 hours ago
Here is the perfect example of HuffPost cheerleading for “so-called” corporate reform. In an article concerning Michelle Rhee and the possibility of Student’s First shoddy record, Joy Resmovits said, Which is to say that much criticism of Rhee, the most visible member of the so-called education reform movement, has been based on ideology. In Washington, […]

Extremely Unusual Object and Event Videotaped at High Altitude

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 10 hours ago
** First, this effect can not be emulated by anything we have that flies. It also seems that we will have a fight on our hands it we want to pretend it was photo shopped. Way more important is the obvious angular size of this object. It is big if not huge. Yet when it deliberately breaks up, we see components and it is apparent that the travel of the object is not towards us at all but it is close because the separation is quick. This I am sure will join a list of unanswered questions such as the obvious rectangular sunken space port on Mercury I made note of earlier this y... more »

Coming Soon to Canada, "Fortress B.C."

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 10 hours ago
The CBC's Stephen Smart sees rough waters and rocky shoals ahead for Ottawa-B.C. relations after Tuesday's provincial elections. Perhaps for the first time in his reign our eastern ruler may be confronted by a province spoiling for a fight. *Most of the past dozen or so years can be seen as the golden era in B.C.’s relationship with the rest of the federation. * ***Former premier Gordon Campbell went to exhaustive lengths to maintain good relations with other provinces, especially Western provinces, and also with the federal government.* *...But that was then, this is now. That go... more »

Why we should work hard to raise the CO2 concentration

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 10 hours ago
Many texts about the climate and related issues are highly, boringly repetitive. I believe that a typical person who regularly follows the research and debate about similar issues has heard 99% of the things that are written about the climate change or carbon dioxide etc. Even the research that claims to be new is often just rehashing some memes that have been around – and we usually have very good reasons to suspect that the results of the research were decided before the research was performed. But there are some good exceptions. Two days ago, ex-moonwalker Harrison Schmitt and ... more »

The Highest Paid public employees by state.

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 11 hours ago
There’s a pattern here. See if you can figure it out. Filed under: CHALK FACE: General News & Commentary Tagged: deadspin, public employees, salaries, sports

A Friday Night Rule 5 Music Video - Definitely NSFW

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 11 hours ago
This video by Robin Thicke ft. T.I., Pharrell for 'Blurred Lines' has been receiving quite a lot of admiring looks, and you can see why. So how about a look at the alternative uncensored (for which you can read topless) version? OK but only because you've been very good this week... Aren't I good to you?

2016 Cycle Has Begun

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
Republicans are counting on incredibly bad leadership at the DCCC and the DSCC to work magic for the GOP in 2014. Steve Israel has shown himself either uninterested or incapable of winning and Michael Bennet seems determined to take Patty Murray's incredible work that led to a breathtaking string of unlikely victories in 2012 and turning them into a smoldering ruin in 2014. Despite record contempt for Congress by American voters and a recognition that Republican economic sabotage is undermining everyone's financial well-being, the Republicans are likely to win back the Senate and... more »

Friday Anti-Nerd Blogging: Matthew Kroenig Meme

Brian Rathbun at Duck of Minerva - 11 hours ago
Things have been getting too nerdy here on the Duck. And what is less nerdy than a hot guy? I give you Matt Kroenig of Georgetown University

Those who disbelieve conspiracy theories are doomed to be victims of massive global conspiracies regarded by our complicit government to be too big to jail: The latest stunning evidence is reported here.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 11 hours ago
------------------------------ Everything Is Rigged: The Biggest Price-Fixing Scandal Ever The Illuminati were amateurs. The second huge financial scandal of the year reveals the real international conspiracy: There's no price the big banks can't fix ------------------------------ Read more: Go here. Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook ------------------------------ Illustration by Victor Juhasz By MATT TAIBBI April 25, 2013 1:00 PM ET Conspiracy theorists of the world, believers in the hidden hands of the Rothschilds and ... more »

Too Stupid for Satire?

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 11 hours ago
Is political satire too risky for American consumption? Luke O'Neil argues in *The New Republic* that fake news has to go. *Did you hear the one about the racist NRA president? You probably did if you've been on Facebook or Twitter in the last forty-eight hours. A widely shared article from the website the Free Wood Post headlined, “NRA President Jim Porter: ‘It’s Only A Matter Of Time Before We Can Own Colored People Again,’” has been making the rounds (44,490 shares and 66,000 likes on Facebook), and rightfully so. It's an inflammatory, attention-grabbing hook that plays right ... more »

Creating the Conditions for War

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 12 hours ago
Majia here: War can be fought using weapons or currency. War can also be fought electronically. Electronic war may seem too futuristic and esoteric to have significant 'real world' consequences when in fact broad-scale electrical outages caused by cyber-attacks could destroy humanity within a short time period. Nuclear power plants are particularly vulnerable to electrical disruptions. In this video, nuclear engineers Mr Arnie Gunderson and David Lochbaum discuss how vulnerable nuclear power plants are to electrical disruptions. Their analysis even addresses the many vulnerabilit... more »

OLIGARCHY FEARS THE PUBLIC

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 12 hours ago
Attorney and author Glenn Greenwald confessed Wednesday that he thinks America’s oligarchs appear to be mostly focused right now on consolidating surveillance and military might without regard for discontent across society, risking major civil unrest. See more *here *

No Warts, No Boils - Yet

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 12 hours ago
No boils. Not a wart to be seen. I was a little worried about what I might discover when I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror this morning. Yesterday I voted NDP for the first time ever. For this guy. Now, in fairness, I didn't have a lot of choice. The B.C. Greens were not running a candidate in my riding. But still, the NDP and, to top it off, I had to vote in a church hall, fundamentalist at that! I didn't really have a lot of choice, none at all in fact. Even if the NDP seem a bit wobbly, the alternative party is steeped in dishonesty, deceit and corruption. ... more »

Video: Timelapse satellite views of human destruction of the biosphere over three decades

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 12 hours ago
By Jeffrey Kluger (TIME) – Spacecraft and telescopes are not built by people interested in what’s going on at home. Rockets fly in one direction: up. Telescopes point in one direction: out. Of all the cosmic bodies studied in the long history of astronomy and space travel, the one that got the least attention was the one that ought to matter most to us—Earth. That changed when NASA created the Landsat program, a series of satellites that would perpetually orbit our planet, looking not out but down. Surveillance spacecraft had done that before, of course, but they paid attention ... more »

Christopher Cuomo keeps getting trashed!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 12 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2013* *In our view, he richly deserves it:* Tuesday evening, we were desperate to escape the mawkish coverage of the crimes in Cleveland. When Anderson Cooper threw to Christopher Cuomo, we decided to accept this escape. Cuomo was doing a special interview program with Amanda Knox. We had never followed that case. We decided to watch. We expected to watch one segment. Cuomo’s performance was so appalling that we ended up watching the entire program—and it turned out to be 90 minutes long! We’re glad to see that Cuomo has been getting roasted for his appalling beh... more »

Hearsay admissible in Child Welfare matters only if a traditional exception or principled approach applies

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 12 hours ago
Nunavut (Director of Child and Family Services) v. S.Q. and L.K., 2013 NUCJ 05, released a few moments ago holds that the hearsay rule applies to child welfare cases in Nunavut. While relying on local legislation the case - a Superior Court level - is telling in that it suggests even when admissible some hearsay evidence has next to no weight.

It's Friday

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 12 hours ago

The Cost of Wind Part I

Charles Barton at The Nuclear Green Revolution - 13 hours ago
I have said on numerous occasions that the inspiration for "Nuclear Green" came from David Roberts on Grist. Roberts maintained that the cost of nuclear energy was significantly higher than the cost of renewable energy. I decided to test Roberts' claim by investigating the cost of wind energy. I wanted to find a means of estimating the cost of a one million mega watt (Mgw) wind generator and compare that to the cost of one million Mgw of nuclear generation capacity. In fact, units of one billion watts are probably easier to calculate and determine than the one million unit, but the ... more »

Probability and Statistics

Southern Man at Southern Man - 13 hours ago
So Southern Man is hanging with some church-singles friends and a game of Yahtzee broke out. Yeah, we're wild and crazy like that. Southern Man's first five plays were: - Large Straight (one roll) - Small Straight (one roll) - Full House (one roll) - Yahtzee in 6s (two rolls) - Yahtzee in 5s (three rolls) That's 195 points in only eight rolls. What are the chances of that ever happening again?

THE WORLD'S WORST POLICE FARCE

Anon at aangirfan - 13 hours ago
*On 10 May 2013, a report by the West Yorkshire Police states that there was no police cover-up of the sex crimes of Sir Jimmy Savile. (Photo: *Pigs Of The Police State) In most countries, it is the police, and the military, who organise the pedophile rings for the top people. Over a period of 20 years, a vast number of people reported to the police that they were sexually abused by Sir Jimmy Savile. The police took no action to arrest Savile. www.dailymail. *Savile was a regular visitor to the child-abuse-island of Jersey, where children were reportedly tortured and murdered by... more »

"Untermensch" Enters the American Right's Political Dialogue

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 13 hours ago
*The Heritage Institute* - neo-conservative America's premier think tank - is warning Americans that Hispanics are way too intellectually inferiorto be accorded U.S. citizenship. In High German I think the word is *untermensch*. *Earlier this week, the Heritage Foundation released a new report, “The Fiscal Cost of Unlawful Immigrants and Amnesty to the U.S. Taxpayer,” that confounded nearly everyone who read it. Using some preposterous methodology, its two authors, Jason Richwine and Robert Rector, concluded that providing undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship woul... more »

Capitol Caching

Southern Man at Southern Man - 13 hours ago
With duties at the soon-to-be-former job completed for the day Southern Man had several hours to kill before his evening class so he wandered up the road to the State Capitol (which he'd not visited for many years) to see the sites and do a little geocaching. Capitol exterior. There is a geocache inside the building, tucked away in a corner of the library. The State Seal. Under The Dome. The Guardian. The nearby Battleship *Oklahoma* memorial, which pretty much gives away the identity of Southern State for any reader that hasn't yet figured it out.

Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 5.10.13"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 13 hours ago
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 5.10.13"* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "Israel bombed Syria at the beginning of the week, and it has huge possible consequences to the U.S., Middle East and the world. The Israelis reportedly attacked multiple sites in Syria. Part of the raid was meant to destroy Iranian rockets that could strike just about anywhere in Israel. At least 100 Syrian soldiers were killed. These scud rockets are a fourth generation missile that are precision guided, carry a 1,000 pound payload and have a range of 185 miles. The Israelis are afraid of these rockets falling ... more »

What Must Prince Charles Think of Canada's Prince of Darkness?

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 13 hours ago
If there's one bunch of Canadians who adore the monarchy it has to be Conservatives. That's why it was no end of fun to see the Royal next in line for the throne set fire to the coat tails of the climate change "forces of darkness" which has to include our own Steve Harper and his minions. *Hosting a two-day conference for forest scientists at St James's Palace in London, Prince Charles – who is taking over from the Queen at this year's meeting of the Commonwealth in Sri Lanka – savagely satirised those who stand in the way of swift action on the climate.* *He characterised them ... more »

THE LOATHING WARS: Krystal Ball dislikes the Roma!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 13 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2013* *Prelude—Fox culture spreads:* Lawrence O’Donnell was off to a very good start last night. In his first segment, he interviewed Senator Manchin about the way background checks are viewed. (We’ll grant you, Lawrence glossed the major limitations in the Manchin-Toomey proposal.) In his second segment, he interviewed Senator Gillbrand about sexual assaults in the military. Each of these segments was sane and on-point. “Why can’t Lawrence *always*be like this?” one of the analysts asked. At this point, Lawrence began his third segment. Rather quickly, we saw t... more »

FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 13 hours ago
*Catholic Father Moon is carried away from the tent area while playing accordion**Mayor Kang from Gangjeong village trying to defend the tents across from Navy base construction gate* *Village protest chairman Go Gwon Il chained to top of tent* *Village protest cook Uncle Jonghwan* Gangjeong villagers last night were removed while protecting tents they had long used just across the road from the Navy base construction gate on Jeju Island, South Korea. The government appears to be continuing with its fierce crackdown since the election of the new president Park Geun-hye, the daughte... more »

Compound in Broccoli Found to Suppress Tumor Growth, Halt Cancer in its Tracks by Elizabeth Renter

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 13 hours ago
Compound in Broccoli Found to Suppress Tumor Growth, Halt Cancer in its Tracks by Elizabeth Renter Natural Society, 10 May 2013 Too many followers of the Standard American Diet (SAD) believe that diet only affects things like weight, diabetes and heart disease. The connection between diet and things like cancer or Alzheimer’s still hasn’t sunk in. So, when new research shows just how *deadly diseases like cancer can be prevented with simple foods like broccoli*, we have to do our part to get the word out. Sulforaphane Compound Found to Suppress Tumor Growth, Halt Cancer…AgainAl... more »

Flood alarms threatened by U.S. budget cuts – ‘Without these observations, our forecast and warning operations will be impaired, reduced, or discontinued on a location-by-location basis’

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 14 hours ago
[image: A car is stalled after trying to cross a flooded bridge over Saline Creek in Perry County, Missouri, on Sunday, 17 March 2013. Photo: Perry Sheriff / AP] By Jennifer Liberto 10 May 2013 WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) – The U.S. flood alarm system is about to get smaller. On May 1, the U.S. Geological Survey began turning off some 150 stream gauges that monitor water levels on the nation's rivers and streams, thanks to the federal spending cuts, also known as sequester. It's a one-two punch for the flood monitoring system -- the agency could be turning off another 200 gauges becau... more »

Internecine fight over climate change looms for U.S. Republicans – ‘There is a divide within the party. The position that climate change is a hoax is untenable.’

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 14 hours ago
[image: Clarion call? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie tours the devastation in the wake of superstorm Sandy. Science, storms, and demographics are starting to change minds among the Republican rank and file. Photo: Mel Evans / AP] By Coral Davenport 9 May 2013 (National Journal) – Kerry Emanuel registered as a Republican as soon he turned 18, in 1973. The aspiring scientist was turned off by what he saw as the Left’s blind ideology. “I had friends who denied Pol Pot was killing people in Cambodia,” he says. “I reacted very badly to the triumph of ideology over reason.” Back then,... more »

Chronic Back Pain Cured?

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
This one is a stunner. Better, if we know forty percent of cases are because of this infection, it is already likely that the problem will be even larger. This compares to the ulcer discovery three decades. Chronic Back Pain is infection driven and thus curable. The additional warning here is that joint injuries can create an infection site that produces pain. How about arthritis? What if chronic pain is generally driven by this easily inserted bacteria? So it is not only about back pain but also about joint pain itself Thay shoe has not obviously dropped yet, but th... more »

Esoteric Knowledge is Reawakening

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
This is a helpful piece that sketches the outlines of esoteric knowledge. The good news is that the white knowledge is reentering the world and will inform our future in an accelerating mode because of the effectiveness of the internet. Tactically the christian world is reforming and is coming fully evangelical while the core teachings themselves are now becoming properly understood. True errors and omissions are readily corrected and that is actually well underway. It is already beyond been stopped or defeated and it is only now a matter of rethinking governance using t... more »

Pineal Gland Exercise

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
This is an extraordinary piece, particularly if you have practiced some meditation techniques. It has been become apparent that the pineal gland is central to all aspects of meditation and other related phenomena. Thus ca method that targets it directly is well worth testing. If you try this, I would enjoy receiving reports from you to attempt to determine rough real world response levels that I can share with other readers. *Open Your Third Eye and Awaken Your Pineal Gland With These Simple Exercises* *Editor’s Note: This is an interesting method for awakening the ... more »

Untethered Biopsy Microtool Tested

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
This is a neat solution and joins others in the developing field of non invasive surgery. It also sounds like it can be fed in with effectively a needle already put in place and then recovered in the same way long before it is necessary to withdraw the needle. I do not think that this can quite go much beyond this application but then we can be surprised. Just doing great biopsies is a great start and the healing here would be swift. *Johns Hopkins Team Deploys Hundreds of Tiny Untethered Surgical Tools in First Animal Biopsies* * by Staff Writers* * Baltimore... more »

Qatar proposes condemnation of Syria at UN General Assembly

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 14 hours ago
There will likely be updates to this post. Just wanted to get this story up, because it didn't seem to get much coverage *The media is calling it 'arab backed' however it looks as if Qatar was the instigator..* On their own? Or at the behest of another player? The draft resolution, circulated by Qatar and obtained by The Associated Press, would promote the road map for a Syrian transition adopted at a meeting on June 30, 2012 in Geneva by key nations including the five veto-wielding council powers — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France. It calls for a political process that ... more »

Are ALEC "Ag-Gag" Bills Unconstitutional???

2old2care at Because I Can - 14 hours ago
Good question! Why hasn’t this come up before????? *Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper calls 'ag gag'bill 'constitutionally suspect'* NASHVILLE — Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper says a so-called "ag gag" bill passed by state lawmakers is "constitutionally suspect" under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. The 10-page legal opinion, released Thursday, comes as Gov. Bill Haslam continues to wrestle over whether he will sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature. In the opinion, requested by Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, Cooper said ... more »

March for Lies A Bust

noreply@blogger.com (fern hill) at DAMMIT JANET! - 14 hours ago
I'm calling it. March for Lies was a huge bust. Look at all the weaselling. LifeShite: Up to 25,000 pro-lifers packed Parliament Hill today under threats of thunderstorms. The bad weather, however, held out, providing sunny conditions for the 16th National March for Life. This year was another record-breaking year for the federal parliament's largest annual rally. Organizers estimated the crowd at likely near 25,000 given the evident substantial increase in numbers over last year, when the count was 19,500. Because, you know, every year *must* be bigger than the year before. And 1... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 15 hours ago
*Saints sign 4, including top pick Kenny Vaccaro ~Sheldon Mickels* *Self-defense classes in N.O. see increase in students ~WDSU* *14 people face charges linked to OPP inmate videos ~WVUE* *Most charged with looting during Isaac yet to face trial ~Mike Pearlstein * *Is It "Last Call" For Louisiana's Coast? ~WWNO* *Flood alarms threatened by budget cuts ~Jennifer Liberto* *Eyesore will be transformed into a culinary model for rest of country ~Meg Farris * *Antoine's is her family legacy, but is she ready? ~Molly Hennessy-Fiske* *Tiny festival keeps Louisiana boat building alive ~Daily ... more »

Friday Morning Linkage

Jon Western at Duck of Minerva - 15 hours ago
More on the question of Red Lines. I asked so what? John Mueller wants them erased. Malfrid Braut-Hegghammar wants them enforced. Must read from Dexter Filkins on Obama administration’s thinking on Syria . Tom Ricks sees some wisdom in the lessons from Iraq on Syria. Steve Walt applauds the administration’s buck passing. Zbigniew Brzezinski Continue reading

Republicans Handed The DCCC An Attack Against Overtime On A Silver Platter... Will Steve Israel Screw Up The Politics?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
Ros-Lehtinen (l), sitting in a blue district, had no fear of voting to end overtime pay because she knows Wasserman Schultz (r) will rescue her career once again Wednesday Cantor and Boehner finally managed to pass a bill to kill overtime pay for workers, something Republicans have been trying to do since the Fair Labor Standards Act first passed in 1938. (Conservatives had kept it off the books from 1932-1938 after it was written by champion of working families, Senator Hugo Black of Alabama.) This week, Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) tried to ameliorate the impact of the Republican bill ... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 15 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Martha Quin, 54. The good stuff: 1. Elspeth Reeve on generations nonsense. 2. A timeline on jumping into Senate races, from Shira Toeplitz. Useful! 3. Seth Masket, Robert Duffy and David Brown on funding political science. 4. And Boehner and his conference, from Brian Beutler.

War Watch - Afghanistan , Pakistan , Syria in focus....

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago
Karzai shocks US - again ! Karzai: US Can Keep Nine Bases in AfghanistanUS Dismisses Comments as 'Premature' by Jason Ditz, May 09, 2013 Print This | Share This While officials have tried to mostly keep last year’s agreement to keep US troops in the nation through 2024 out of headlines, Afghan President Hamid Karzai brought considerable attention to the long-term US occupation today by announcing that they will be keeping nine bases across Afghanistan. Karzai said that “very serious and delicate negotiations” are ongoing about the particulars, but that the nine bases would be given t... more »

Big Steve Is Watching You

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 15 hours ago
One wonders if the Harper caucus has any backbone at all. We know that Big Steve has spent taxpayer money keeping an eye on his own MPs: Opposition parties accused Stephen Harper’s government of spying on its own MPs and being poor money managers Thursday after The Huffington Post Canada revealed Conservatives had spent $23 million on media monitoring in two years — including millions to track their own backbench MPs. It sounds like life in the House of Harper doesn't breed much trust. Father knows best: NDP MP Charlie Angus told reporters the Tories are probably keeping tabs on... more »

MN AFL-CIO Retired - Exposes ALEC

2old2care at Because I Can - 15 hours ago
Never know what you are going to find. This is a pretty good video. This is a two part video. Watch or just listen (that's what I do). It's a really good overview. *This was taped last year. - fourteen minutes* "This is not something that they are advancing for the common interest." "Common" interests is absolutely not something the extremist, pro-corporate, right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council is concerned with. *Part II - this one abruptly quits at 8 minutes - but they are a really important eight minutes to listen to.* Maybe - MAYBE if we are luck - the MN AF... more »

German Central Bank Chief slams France , G-7 Special Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bankers amid massive swing down in the yen and budding currency wars , QE around the world and note Ben Bernanke not present at the G- 7 meetings although other Central Bankers will be there !

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-10/weidmann-slams-french-savings-widening-franco-german-divide Weidmann Slams French 'Savings' - Widening Franco-German Divide [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/10/2013 08:01 -0400 - Budget Deficit - France - Germany - headlines While German finance minister Schaeuble 'blessed' the French two-year grace-period for 'missing the deficit targets', adding that "he trusts France.. and is aware of its duties and responsibilities," it is his fellow countryman that is making headlines. Though the pains t... more »

The “New” Discrimination: Retaliation Based on Health Care Rights

Donna at Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home - 15 hours ago
*Guest post by Ryan Price, Associate Attorney, Donna M. Ballman, P.A., Employee Advocacy Attorneys * If you don’t already know, the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), a/k/a Obama Care, does not take effect all at once. (I say “if you don’t already know,” because a recent poll shows that 42% of Americans are unaware that Obama Care is currently the law of the land). Title I of the Act, which is considered one of the most controversial parts of the Act, does not take effect until next year. Once it takes effect, employers may not make employment decisions based on an employee’s health care... more »

Families of Navy Seal Team 6 members blast Government and demand official investigation related to August 2011 Taliban downing of a Helicopter carrying Seal Team 6 members in Afghanistan ( 17 Seals died in the event ) .... Benghazi talking points underwent 12 revisions , scrubbed of terror reference - and how is it that Hillary testified not just reluctantly and very belated , but not even under oath ?

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/9/seals-families-hit-2011-afghan-mission/?page=all#pagebreak The families of Navy SEALs killed in an August 2011 downing of a helicopter in Afghanistan came forward Thursday to blast the U.S. command and the Obama administration for the mission and to call for an official investigation into what they deem a whitewash. They also rebuked the White House for its extensive leaking of details of the Osama bin Laden raid in May 2011. Identifying the raiders as the secretive SEAL Team 6 put a target on the heads of the members of the doomed miss... more »

Overnight yen fall sets Asian Central Banks hopping to keep somewhat competitive , meanwhile the JGB is not having a happy ending !

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
Bernanke address leads calendar David Russell | david.russell@optionmonster.com SPX: SEE CHART GET CHAIN FIND STRATEGIES ** The only event on today's calendar is a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. The address to the Chicago Fed Banking Conference begins as the market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET. Investors will probably monitor his comments closely for clues about the direction of monetary policy. Next week begins on a more active note, with Chinese industrial production early in the morning and U.S. retail sales an hour before the opening bell. Both have the potential to i... more »

Ken Livingstone, do you still think that Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi is "one of the most authoritative Muslim scholars in the world today" who "has done most to combat socially regressive interpretations of Islam on issues like women's rights and relations with other religions"?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 17 hours ago
I see that Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the man who Ken Livingstone defended and described as "one of the most authoritative Muslim scholars in the world today" who "has done most to combat socially regressive interpretations of Islam on issues like women's rights and relations with other religions"? has been at it again. This time the delightful Qaradawi opined whilst in Gaza that "This land has never once been a Jewish land. Palestine is for the Arab Islamic nation," Factually incorrect but what do you expect from a man who has previously called for the death penalty for apostates ... more »

Libor becomes Isdafix becomes... too big to exist.

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 18 hours ago
*The world is a rigged game.* *Word has leaked out that the London-based firm ICAP, the world's largest broker of interest-rate swaps, is being investigated by American authorities for behavior that sounds eerily reminiscent of the Libor mess. Regulators are looking into whether or not a small group of brokers at ICAP may have worked with up to 15 of the world's largest banks to manipulate ISDAfix, a benchmark number used around the world to calculate the prices of interest-rate swaps.* *Interest-rate swaps are a tool used by big cities, major corporations and sovereign government... more »

Business 360 7: Jeju Forum for Peace

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 18 hours ago
* This is my article for Business 360, a flashy business magazine in Kathmandu, Nepal, for their May 2013 issue. It is posted in EFN Asia today. ---------- *Asian Peace and Security, the Jeju Forum* Attaining peace and economic prosperity for all people around the world is a dream that any institution in the planet, private or government, should aspire. They can disagree on how this can be done but the goal should be common to all. And securing peace and prosperity in Asia is of utmost concern more than in any other regions or continents in the planet. Why? Because Asia is inhab... more »

Russell ‘Maroon’ Shoatz Files Lawsuit Protesting 22 Consecutive Years in Solitary Confinement --An interview with Dan Kovalik and Bret Grote

angola3news at Angola 3 News - 18 hours ago
(*PHOTO: **Maroon's daughter, Theresa Shoatz, with Chuck D at NYC event.*) * * *Russell ‘Maroon’ Shoatz Files Lawsuit Protesting 22 Consecutive Years in Solitary Confinement* *--An interview with Dan Kovalik and Bret Grote* *By Angola 3 News* Earlier this week, on Wednesday, May 8, lawyers for Russell ‘Maroon’ Shoatz filed a federal lawsuit regarding his placement in solitary confinement for over 22 consecutive years. The written complaint, directed at Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel and the Superintendents of SCI-Greene, where Shoatz was last held, an... more »

Shell is doing what BP did in 2009/2010 - a deep water massive oil spill to keep their heavy deepwater investment projects afloat.

Jason Leewig at Our Manmade Disasters - 18 hours ago
"Shell plans to drill more than two miles underwater in the Gulf of Mexico in pursuit of new sources of oil and gas. If successful, the Guardian reports, the project will rank as the world’s deepest offshore facility." Wait a minute, is this profitable? Assuming minimum capex of $5 billion dollars in installation costs alone (based on BP Thunderhorse), a 50,000 bbl/day extraction and a "unreasonable" sustainable oil price of $95/bbl (based on current price), it will take 1053 days (2.88 years) of deepwater production to earn back the capex. That is without considering the high cos... more »

For the Children, (Why We Must Elect The NDP)

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 19 hours ago
*For The Children* ** *Written by Grant G* Media spin, respected voices, subtle influence, propaganda on such a level that unless you are very strong, resilient and determined it will eat you alive..... Occupy the world, occupy the universe, these words are meaningless if one can`t occupy their own mind first, do you believe, is the cause righteous, I get the impression that the contenders in this battle thought they would get approval or praise and when the going got tough or tougher that many contenders turned into but pretenders. 1000`s of injured worker... more »

The moderate Palestinian Authority and the BBC's refusal to report their genocidal wishes

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 19 hours ago
Palestinian Media Watch reported on Wednesday that Senior PA official Jibril Rajoub had said that: "I swear that if we had a nuke, we'd have used it this very morning" Something worth reporting by the BBC? Would the BBC have reported an Israeli MK for saying similar? Here's the context of the above quote: 'The following is the translation of senior PA official Jibril Rajoub's interview, in which he swears that the PA would use nuclear weapons against Israel, if it possessed them: Lebanese TV host: "The American [John Kerry] came to the PA. They are talking about reviving negotiati... more »

In the honor of the heterotic string

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 20 hours ago
Heterosis or the hybrid vigor or outbreeding enhancement is the lucky event (and an important component of Darwin's evolution) in which the offspring has qualitites that surpass both parents, usually because it inherits the good characteristics from both. *The parents are on both sides.* If you search for "heterosis" or "hybrid vigor" via Google Images, you get lots of pictures of corn, puppies, cows, fictitious animal species, and Barack Obama, among other things. In 1985, four Princeton physicists ignited the second part of the first superstring revolution (that began in 1984) ... more »

Freedom of speech under Islam

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 21 hours ago
'A Nepali teacher who taught chemistry at Qatar Academy has been jailed in Doha on felony charges for insulting Islam.' Do read the whole article here http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/09/qatar-jails-a-nepali-teacher-on-charges-of-insulting-islam/

Why You Don't Want To Eat the Food Processed In the U.S.A. - And (Hush!) Obamabots Are Not Protecting You (Europe, Japan, China, and Russia Have Healthier Standards and Reject U.S.A. Imports!)

Arsenic is beloved of industrial-scale livestock producers because it makes animals grow faster and turns their meat a rosy pink. It enters feed in organic form, which isn't harmful to humans. Trouble is, in animals guts, it quickly goes inorganic, and thus becomes poisonous. Several studies, including one by the FDA, have found heightened levels of inorganic arsenic in supermarket

TERRORISTS IN SWITZERLAND AND LIBYA

Anon at aangirfan - 21 hours ago
*Claude Covassi died at the age of 42.* *Reportedly:* Claude Covassi was a Swiss government spy who acted as a whistleblower. He revealed that his spy bosses (in SAP) ordered him to organize a bomb attack. This bomb attack was to be blamed on Hani Ramadan, the director of the Geneva Islamic Center. Covassi refused to organise the bomb attack and fled the country. *www.voltairenet.org/article177493.html - *VOLTAIRE NETWORK, 13 FEBRUARY 2013 *Terror events are usually an inside-job.* Claude Covassi finally succeeded in obtaining an investigation into the matter by a parliamenta... more »

Are "conspiracy theories" gaining traction?

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 22 hours ago
*"... let us never tolerate outrageous 'conspiracy theories' concerning the attacks of September the 11th, malicious lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists themselves..."* *- Former President George W. Bush, speaking at the United Nations* The rise of the internet and blogosphere, social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and a government and media increasingly blatant in their collusion to deceive and propagandize the American public has led to a gradual public acceptance (or at least an entertainment) of "conspiracy theories" - which the mains... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 22 hours ago
Sign of the Cross. Blue Passion Flower. [source unknown]

GAIA PORTAL: Flowering Energies Emerge from Chaotic Events…

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 22 hours ago
* * * * *Flowering Energies Emerge from Chaotic Events…* by ÉirePort Flowering energies emerge from chaotic events, a both outer and inner. These appear as showering Gaia with "mists of emergence". Assistance is requested of all Gaia Light Workers to coordinate individual situation energies with the current Gaia "mists of emergence" energies. Those viewing this communication with Higher Vision will understand their roles. As participation in these energies is individually accepted, global acceptance and participation follows. ÉirePort | May 9, 2013 at 23:38 URL: http://wp.me/p2... more »

North Carolina Republicans' Move To Shut Down Student Voting Provokes Social Unrest

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
The video above is from Rachel Maddow's Monday MSNBC show. It's another story of how Republicans-gone-wild are trying to turn back history, this time the enfranchisement of college students in 1971. Many conservatives have fought that right from day one by putting obstacles in the way of students voting in the towns where their colleges were located. Republicans in control of legislatures across the country are doing it again. In 2010, after the Tea Party takeover of the General Court of New Hampshire, which is what Granite Staters call their 400 member legislature, preventing co... more »

What's tough about green living?

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 1 day ago
Some green-living practices are easy ... and some are difficult. I thought it might be fun to do a poll about what we consider challenging. As always, feel free to elaborate on your answer in the comments section below. Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool. *Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net*

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Lincoln, Illinois, USA. Thanks for stopping by.

Bill Whittle: What's Coke got to do with it?...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*conservatives need to act like conservatives and not "new" coke. *

Thursday evening peacefulness...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*there is beauty in the world. Let's not forget that...*

An Apology To Clowns: “Debt Limit Bill Passes House"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“Debt Limit Bill Passes House, * *Ordering Obama To Pay Only Some U.S. Creditors On Time”* by Michael McAuliff and Sabrina Siddiqui WASHINGTON - "The House passed a measure Thursday that would amount to the rough equivalent of declaring bankruptcy for the United States, directing the government to meet only certain obligations if Congress failed to raise the country's borrowing limit. Republicans characterized the measure as a responsible step to mitigate the fallout from such a failure, but Democrats slammed it as the "Pay China First Act." The legislation, which is actually c... more »

Abuse of process

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
*Behn v. Moulton Contracting Ltd*. 2013 SCC 26 holds: [39] In *Toronto (City) v. C.U.P.E., Local 79*, 2003 SCC 63, [2003] 3 S.C.R. 77, Arbour J. wrote for the majority of this Court that the doctrine of abuse of process has its roots in a judge's inherent and residual discretion to prevent abuse of the court's process: para. 35; see also P. M. Perell, "A Survey of Abuse of Process", in T. L. Archibald and R. S. Echlin, eds.,*Annual Review of Civil Litigation 2007* (2007), 243. Abuse of process was described in *R. v. Power*, [1994] 1 S.C.R. 601, at p. 616... more »

Flynt Leverett: Going to Tehran - Conversations from Penn State

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
Read: *Dissecting America’s Iran Debate: Flynt Leverett on “Conversations from Penn State.”* *Title: Flynt Leverett: Going to Tehran - Conversations from Penn State. YouTube Video Description - [Channel: wpsu. Published on May 2, 2013]:* Flynt Leverett, expert on the Middle East and author of he new book, Going to Tehran, discusses U.S. foreign policy in Iran. Professor Flynt Leverett had a distinguished career in the U.S. Government, having served with the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, and the National Security Council. He is a founding faculty member at Pen... more »

Christy Clark, The Queen Of Scandals And Lies

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 1 day ago
John Dyble`s Ethnicgate Review, Two Legs Short *Written by Grant G* I have to congratulate John Dyble`s for his ethnicgate review, it was very thorough, hard hitting , to the point, names names, however, an investigation into a three legged stool scandal where you have only an ability to interview and question but one of those legs is an exercise in futility, we are left thirsty for more, a mere appetizer offered when the public required a full meal, Dyble`s report points two other directions , it points to caucus, it points to party, Dyble had no ability to interview caucus or cab... more »

paris, day one

laura k at wmtc - 1 day ago
We were up very early this morning, which was not difficult for me, since I hardly slept all night, most likely from drinking alcohol too late at night, which keeps me up... but what are holidays for. The Eurostar train from London to Paris is twice the price later in the morning, and we'd both rather have more time in Paris than an extra hour of sleep. Although don't ask Allan to choose when the alarm rings at six. We've taken the Eurostar once before, our last time in London and Paris (1998). It now leaves from St. Pancras Station, a beautiful new glass structure built expressly f... more »

TBS Cam This Morning

Majia's Blog - 1 day ago
Daiichi looks hot again. Yesterday (Fri) and the day before (Thur) it looked slightly cooler than today. Today I see blue coming up from units 3 and 4. Someone at Enenews mentioned that the steam events were cyclical in nature. <img alt="" src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAXMAAADSCAIAAAA377c6AAAgAElEQVR4nATB1XYc2aIoWFeVLUtKCo7FDMGQDFKKLVm2CzffPc7D7T6j//8Pes4PP198jhHIKbqYXf58dREDeL1IJwsImY8RWYAkZVmEo2kSZIxGECGlrqMFFAQwtYh5ThzTVZCyHJeI1/M4m6bzSTqbJFEA0VWYRYhP4uw6jgOYflpcLlAINYlIHuLsOgmu4nnM8lzChKWLfB5DEGbo82wawqtM/pKpn6b5h0+LD5fh9CrMPs3SjPqU6gXIL4L5ZZjOUzlLaAh5gupF0k4W9T... more »

Teach for America Has Gone Too Far

Katie Osgood at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
It is not a secret that I am no fan of Teach for America. The very idea of the organization I find absolutely baffling. (Let’s cure educational inequality by exacerbating the inequality of placing poorly trained, inexperienced teachers in our neediest classrooms? Huh?) But TFA’s recent actions have sent me over the edge. Last night, on twitter, I was […]

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago

Transcript : Deryl Zeleny’s Interview with Chris Hales April 2013

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
http://oppt-in.com/transcript-deryl-zelenys-interview-with-chris-hales-april-2013/ *Transcript : Deryl Zeleny’s Interview with Chris Hales April 2013* April 15, 2013 An Interview with Chris Hales April, 2013 Chris: Hi everybody, it’s Chris from the Collective Imagination. Today I’m speaking with Deryl Zeleny. Deryl is one of the great supporters of the OPPT process that’s been taking place and has been doing some pretty incredible things in the background at great personal expense and some personal risk. I’m here essentially to document the first part of his story, because ... more »

Harvey Organ's Evening Gold and silver Report - May 7 , 2013......Ed Steer's gold and Silver Report - May 7 , 2013 ( morning report ) ... News and Views and data from Monday May 6, 2013 ! Additional news - Paulson Gold Fund takes 27 percent hit in April !

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-07/china-s-gold-purchases-from-hong-kong-expand-to-record-in-march.html China’s Gold Purchases From Hong Kong Expand to Record By Bloomberg News - May 7, 2013 8:09 PM ET - Facebook Share - Tweet - LinkedIn - Google +1 - 3 COMMENTS - - Print - QUEUE Q Gold imports by China from Hong Kong more than doubled to an all-time high in March as buyers in the biggest consumer after India boosted purchases, underscoring increased bullion demand in the world’s second-largest economy. Mainland buyers purchased 223,519 kilograms ... more »

Satire: “Republicans Hold Hearings About Hillary Clinton’s Poll Numbers”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“Republicans Hold Hearings About Hillary Clinton’s Poll Numbers”* by Andy Borowitz WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “Republican lawmakers asked increasingly tough questions today as they held another day of hearings to investigate, in the words of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California), “Hillary Clinton’s suspiciously high poll numbers and what can be done to make them lower.” “With the help of Fox News, we have brutally attacked Hillary Clinton for months, and yet she remains more popular than ever,” Rep. Issa said. “This committee needs to know how that happened, and how we can k... more »

Today’s #AFT Kool Aid flavor is BLUEberry.

Chris Cerrone at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
This button appeared in my school mailbox this morning. We received an email to wear our buttons and dress in blue to support the AFT’s new “Do what it takes before high stakes” campaign. I always participate in solidarity “dress days” for local and national education issues. Today was different. My state-wide union NYSUT is […]

Commonwealth: ECFA will destroy Taiwan's agriculture

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 1 day ago
*Jialeshui's lovely carved rock seashore.* Commonwealth magazine had a great piece last month on China's inroads into Taiwan's agricultural markets. Some highlights: "In 2002, Taiwan's deficit with China exceeded US$300 million, but the gap gradually narrowed after 2008 to US$38 million last year. In 2012, Taiwan imported agricultural products worth US$827 million from China, a 6 percent increase over the previous year, while agricultural exports to China – mainly specific farm and fishery products – totaled US$789 million, 17.7 percent more than in 2011." Note that -- in 2002 un... more »

Way Cool: Fuel Cell Scooters in Kenting

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 1 day ago
[image: KentingDay2_31] This is so cool, had to give it a post of its own: Fuel Cells and 7-11: Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies (APFCT) has been running a demonstration program in the city of Kenting, a popular beach resort at the southern end of Taiwan, since last November. The 80 scooters each use 2 metal hydride canisters- enough to give each of them about 80 km of range (with all of the caveats about maintaining 30 kph and no hills). Twenty are in use by the county government, with the remainder free for use by anyone who stays at 17 B&B’s. So far the fleet has logged over 20... more »

Ooh, that Hillary makes the doody-brainers so-o-o mad!!!

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
-- Christopher Weyant's *New Yorker* Daily Cartoon today *by Ken* "Whistleblower's yarn fails to tie Benghazi lapses to politics" is the head on the column the *Washington Post*'s Dana Milbank offered regarding the much-ballyhooed "oversight" hearing promoted by House Republican master criminal Darrell Issa, starring Gregory Hicks, then our no. 2 diplomat in Libya, who who was going to blow the lid off the Obama White House's politicization of the awful night in Benghazi when Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. But despite Issa's incautious promise that... more »

Only One Major Federal Political Party WILL Abolish The Corrupt Crime Ridden Canadian Senate .. and it isn't the Liberals or Conservatives!

leftdog at Buckdog - 1 day ago
[image: Progressive Bloggers] *-Senate in ‘crisis’ as committee recommends two members pay back expenses * *-Senators ordered to repay housing and mileage expenses * *-Sen. Mac Harb quits Liberal caucus after audit of housing allowance claims * * -Audit does little to silence Senate critics amid housing allowance controversy * * -Duffy held “informal conversation” with chair of Senate committee leading expense claims investigation * *-Brazeau, Harb must pay back housing, mileage expenses: Senate report * *-Abolish The Senate - Why The NDP Won’t Appoint Senators*

Tepco to release allegedly uncontaminated groundwater to the Pacific - which has been the reality for awhile... 400 tons of water leech into the basements of the various reactors building every day and at some point , storage space for contaminated water becomes nil.... And once the public accepts this contamination of the Pacific , Tepco will contaminate even more by pumping tritium contaminated water to the Pacific ! .....

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013 #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: TEPCO to Release 'Uncontaminated' Groundwater to Pacific Ocean, Starting Later This Month Here we go. TEPCO plans to discharge water from the wells that they have dug to intercept part of the groundwater before it leaks into the reactor buildings, into the Pacific Ocean. 400 tonnes of groundwater go into the basements of the reactor buildings every day. The 14 wells to intercept that water can only divert about one-quarter of it. It is better than no diversion, but not by much. TEPCO has been laying the pipes to transport the water fro... more »

The Economy: “Buffett to Bernanke: It's Easier to Buy Than to Sell”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“Buffett to Bernanke: It's Easier to Buy Than to Sell”* by Bill Bonner “The Dow rose another 48 points yesterday. Gold was up $24 per ounce. Nothing remarkable. Nothing illuminating, either. The newspapers and TV channels all reported the Dow 15,000 story as though it were just a stepping-stone on the way to 16,000... or 20,000... or 30,000. Heck, the sky's the limit! Investors have reached a new level of bullishness. They're borrowing again to buy stocks, confident that prices go in only one direction. Advisors, too, seemed sure that this was not the end of a trend, but th... more »

ALEC E.D. Blathers in Public - SSDD

2old2care at Because I Can - 1 day ago
If you want to read the entire blatherings of the ED of ALEC – you can go >>>>>HERE<<<<< *ALEC chief: Group provides lawmakers a chance to share, learn and grow Published: May 9, 2013 By Ron Scheberle Ron Scheberle is executive director of ALEC* Basically – he has nothing new to say, SSDD. He is just doing a PR attempt that is trite and meaningless in today’s society. He is trying to mislead the public with a stale pointless whitewash attempt of the American Legislative Exchange Council – because-he-thinks-he-can. - Not once does he mention “ALEC” - Not once does he us... more »

Lumberjack Commandos . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 1 day ago
THESE FINE MEN AND WOMEN deserve better civilian management than what they've suffered in recent years. Getting rid of Stevie should go a long way towards achieving that.

Whether we talk about the EU , the US , World Bank - Government and Governmental type Organizations are out of control.....

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-05-09/eu%E2%80%99s-out-control-intelligence-services-don%E2%80%99t-exist-officially The EU’s Out-Of-Control Intelligence Services (That Don’t Exist, Officially) [image: testosteronepit's picture] Submitted by testosteronepit on 05/09/2013 12:39 -0400 - European Union - Greece - national intelligence - Reality - SPY - Transparency Wolf Richter www.testosteronepit.com www.amazon.com/author/wolfrichter Brussels, the center of gravity of the European Union and seat of NATO Headquarters, not only teems with lobbyists,... more »

A junkie named Raymond

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
Last night was a weird kind of night. Lot of people, including me, getting all nostalgic on the internets. I was adding to my childhood photo album on the Facebook. Which brought a bunch of old classmates to my yard. Meanwhile, on the twitter John Stanton of Buzzfeed, a/k/a DCBigJohn, a man who puts the BAM into hometown bama, was tweeting out an epic story of his own. Storified here for your reading pleasure. This is Raymond the junkie. The story is well worth a few minutes of your time.

G- 20 Finance Ministers ( along with the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee and Russian Ministry of Finance ) met on May 7 - 8th to discuss the international financial architecture, in particular, changes in the flow of global investments, local bond markets and growth in emerging economies, incentives and determinants of investment and other issues. ...... Hilsenrath " rumor " served up to spike Gold this afternoon ( start of another 3- 4 day wipeout ? ) But seriously , how can the Fed really stop the ponzi QE scheme it has placed itself in at this point - without blowing up equities here , reintroducing the risk off concept across stocks , bonds , commodities and FX globally , I mean really ? Additional articles - news and views on gold and silver for May 9 , 2013 !

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Thursday, May 09, 2013 12:05 PM Action Plan to Save Slovenia is Trifecta of Stupidity As Slovenia struggles to avoid an inevitable bailout, it pursues a plan that will instead make the size of the eventual bailout larger. Please consider the inane "Action Plan" for Eurozone Straggler Slovenia. The new government of struggling eurozone member Slovenia is expected to announce Thursday an action plan aimed at avoiding a bailout, reportedly including privatisations, "crisis" taxes and austerity cuts. Moody's last week cut its rating on Slovenia two notches to "junk", the economy ha... more »

Pearson Protest in NJ Changed to Thursday May 23

freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
DEMAND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE THURSDAY, MAY 23, 12:00PM Hoboken Ferry, 1 Hudson Place Hoboken, NJ Tell Governor Christie:  Quit the corporate welfare and fund our public schools! Protest Governor Christie’s giveaways to corporate ed giant Pearson! High-stakes testing giant Pearson Education, Inc. was offered an $80 million payday from the state of […]

Justin Trudeau : Do the Math

Alison at Creekside - 1 day ago
Thursday May 16 international launch of 42 minute doc Do the Math: The Movie, "the story of the rising movement to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis and fight the fossil fuel industry." In Vancouver it's showing at Langara and four other venues. To find one near you, look here. Meanwhile Justin Trudeau tours western Canada giving pressers criticizing Harper for not doing enough to promote Keystone XL. I get the strategy. Don't give Steve anything to hit and eventually when Steve implodes, the oil industry will have a really popular hopey changey corporate guy in ... more »

FRIDAY MORNING RAMBLE: Brought to you by Henry Ford [updated]

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
*The Ramble this week is brought to you by Henry Ford, who said:* "Anyone thinking they could be happy & prosperous by letting the gov’t take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian" Since the first reading of the fast-tracked GCSB bill allowing them access to our homes passed this week, this suddenly seems directly relevant. Simple answer: “yes.” *Are All Telephone Calls Recorded and Accessible By US Government?* – Glenn Greenwald, GUARDIAN “Len Brown’s apparent moderate approach to rates increases should not be allowed to go unchallenged. Especially when h... more »

Phil space

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 1 day ago
A fascinating discovery: the residual water on the Moon came from the Earth. This means when the Earth suffered the likely collision that produced the Moon it already had oceans and a hard crust, and that the water which made it to the Moon survived the collision (quite a feat). Water is a volatile substance. It had to be imported from the outer solar system, where it could exist in a stable form. The water that eventually reached Earth is the essentially same as the water currently buried in carbonaceous asteroids in the asteroid belt, the water came from the asteroid belt, not com... more »

Elsewhere/Housekeeping

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
At Plum Line today I talked about Benghazi, GOP laziness, and the Republican-aligned press. Yesterday at PP I argued that House Republicans seem to care more about getting to use the debt limit for extortion than about any particular policy goal. And I have a new column at the Prospect taking some exception with idea that all that matters in Congress is party affiliation. Meanwhile, here at Plain Blog world headquarters, there was a very loud BOOM outside and we lost power...and then when it finally returned, it appears that some of the machinery was fried. So until everything is... more »

Untitled

Sandra Guzman at Sandra Guzman - 1 day ago
* * * * *"Fear is just an annoyance." ~ Leyhma Gbowee, winner Nobel Peace Prize, 2011* This morning I went to the 26th Annual New York Women's Foundation breakfast -- 2,500 women -- a yearly event celebrating women. The organization has helped more than 5.4 million women achieve greater economic security, safety, and health. The only all female mariachi band in New York City, Mariachi Flor de Toloache, welcomed the guests with some bad-ass music. It was perfect beginning for a rainy and coffee-less morning. Tina Brown, Rachel Lloyd and Leymah Gbowee were honored for their inspiri... more »

Lobbyists Trying To Decide Who To Make Chair Of House Armed Services Committee When McKeon Retires Or Is Indicted

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Wednesday, Michelle Ringuette from Amnesty International pointed to Buck McKeon's shameful hypocrisy over the den of torture that Guantánamo has become. But McKeon is unlikely to be in Congress much longer and the Military Industrial Complex top lobbyists are already working out who they want Boehner to make the next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. McKeon, struggling with a still under wraps national security scandalstemming from his gambling addiction and immense sums he owes organized crime operative (and China puppet) Sheldon Adelson, is under immense pressure t... more »

When You Think Bitumen, Think of the World's Poor and Needy

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 1 day ago
Who knew? It seems the Harper government's support for the high-carbon, Athabasca Tar Sands is actually compassionate, even altruistic. We're just doing our best to help out the world's poor and needy. A gaggle of Canadian academics and science types just sent Ol' Joe Oliver a letter asking him to be an adult about our bitumen trafficking. *"...some of your recent comments give us significant cause for concern. In short, we are not **convinced that your advocacy in support of new pipelines and expanded fossil fuel climate change into account in a meaningful way. * *Avoiding da... more »

Faking it with planters

risa bear at A Way to Live - 1 day ago
I don't do much with ornamentals, preferring to think of our food plants as the beautiful ones. But I'm having over some folks (yes, you're invited) Saturday afternoon in honor of my 64th birthday (Beatles will be playing in the background). So I thought I would grab some planters and pretend-plant them with color spots, to be re-purposed after the party as potato planters. Son climbed down into the creek and got me a wheelbarrow load of rocks. We filled the planters to within four inches of the top. I covered the rocks with newspaper and filled the top of the planter with potting ... more »

Boehner loses control of the House

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
Well if there was any tiny doubt left, it's clear now that John Boehner is no longer leading the House. The crackpots are ruling the roost. Now that they've lost interest in the battle of the budget, there will be yet another vote on repealing Obamacare. “We’ve got 17 new members that have not had the opportunity to vote on the President’s health care law,” Boehner said, referring to next week’s ACA repeal vote. “Frankly they’ve been asking for an opportunity to vote on it, and we’re going to give it to them.” It doesn't look like Boehner is going to be able to corral the crackpot... more »

Easy-does-it mulching

risa bear at A Way to Live - 1 day ago
It's time to add mulch to the shade bed. But the greens here are a third planting, still pretty small stuff. Risa doesn't like to work hard, or bend over much, so she covers the little plants with inverted pots, handling the pots with a pair of tongs. Now she can throw straw without worrying too much where it lands, or having to bend over and mess with misses. Toto supervises. Oops, feet in the bed. Ignore, please. Once the mulch is down Risa lifts the pots away with the tongs ... ... then sweeps up after herself. Done!
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