Thursday, May 23, 2013

23 May - Blogs I'm Following

English: Tree root in the Blue Lagoon, Milton ...English: Tree root in the Blue Lagoon, Milton Keynes. I took the photo on a visit to the lagoon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Hanslope Park Building work at the Fo...English: Hanslope Park Building work at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office site at Hanslope Park. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Peace PagodaThe Peace Pagoda (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Caldecotte Lake, Milton KeynesCaldecotte Lake, Milton Keynes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
10:49am MDST

The curious killing of Ibrahim Todashev and the very tenuous link to Boston

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 6 minutes ago
When I first read the news about this killing, my first thoughts were: Timely. Convenient. And wondered is this about tying up loose ends? *Dead men tell no tales.* *But, many tales can be told about dead men.* *Interesting interview with friend:* -Ibrahim was supposed to go home to see his parents had he not been killed by the FBI agent -The friend mentions FBI having had multiple previous meetings with Ibrahim before to the last one where Ibrahim ended up dead. Just before he was going to leave the country to visit his parents in Chechnya. -And this time* three agents *came fr... more »

Ministerial Boycott Of Iraq’s Cabinet Over Protests Breaking Down

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 15 minutes ago
In the wake of arrest warrants being issued for former Finance Minister Rafi Issawi’s bodyguards in December 2012, protests and an eventual boycott of the cabinet by several ministers began. The Agricultural Minister Izz al-Din al-Dawla left in March 2013 after demonstrators were killed and wounded by security forces in Mosul. Industry Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Dalli Karbuli, Technology Minister Abdul al-Karim al-Samarraie, and Education Minister Mohammed Tamim followed suit after the Hawija incident in April. Tamim is now returning to the council of ministers, while Dawla has also... more »

CNN VIDEO: Is Iraq Unraveling

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 15 minutes ago

Innovator (n.)

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 42 minutes ago
Innovator (n.) – A person with no experience, expertise, education, or training in a field, but an abundance of ideas and an endless compulsion to share those ideas. See also entrepreneur.

I have a question for all of the media concerning #cpsclosings

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 51 minutes ago
So many questions about yesterday’s stunning example of disaster capitalism in Chicago. Remember when CTU went on strike in September and the media blamed the greedy teachers of harming the children? Yes, much pearl clutching ensued. Where is the media on this one? Who’s the real threat to “the children” in this case? Yeah, that’s what […]

MILTON KEYNES - SPOOKY CHARITIES

Anon at aangirfan - 1 hour ago
*Hanslope Park* * *Milton Keynes is a spooky town in Buckinhamshire in the UK. *Hanslope Park*, on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, houses Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre. It is one of MI6's main spy bases. *Milton Keynes is home to Bletchley Park, the UK spy base where, during World war II, cryptographers broke German codes.* * * Former MI6 spy Richard Tomlinson once had a job, that MI6 had found for him, with Jackie Stewart’s Formula One team in Milton Keynes. (The Truthseeker) *Errol Barnett* Spooky Errol Barnett, an anchor and correspondent for spooky CNN, is fr... more »

Dept. of Missing the Point (Kinsley ed.)

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 hour ago
A wonderful example of the myopia of the deficit scolds... The background is that Michael Kinsley wrote a particularly bad column last week about "austerity," a key point of which was based on factually incorrect memories of what went wrong in the 1970s; as you can imagine, this earned him plenty of corrections and dismissals from people who used access to accurate economic and government policy statistics. Kinsley was quite taken aback by this, apparently, and wrote a follow up to defend himself. Dan Drezner has already pointed out that Kinsley is still relying on the same inaccur... more »

Education Revolution

Sophia Love at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 hour ago
I'd like to introduce another blog I will be managing: School's Out. Check it out! This post pretty much sums it up.

More Species Collapse

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 1 hour ago
Fears, D. (22 May 2013) Frog, toad and salamander populations plummeting, U.S. survey finds', The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/frog-toad-and-salamander-populations-plummeting-us-survey-finds/2013/05/22/459c1c9e-c2f3-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines [Excerpted] Frogs, toads and salamanders continue to vanish from the American landscape at an alarming pace, with seven species — including Colorado’s boreal toad and Nevada’s yellow-legged frog — facing 50 percent drops in their numbers within seven years if the current rate... more »

The wages of our refusal to fight!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 hour ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013* *Congressman Jordan just couldn’t hold it in:* Each night, on The One True Liberal Channel, the millionaire children keep forgetting to fight. When one team refuses to fight, the other team can say what it likes. In the New York Times, Jeremy Peters reports on yesterday’s congressional hearing concerning the IRS: PETERS (5/23/13): *At times, committee members could hardly conceal their contempt for the I.R.S. and the Obama White House.* Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, tried to link the I.R.S. scandal with other controversies that are dogging ... more »

Mississippi Sets a Record for Unreported Subsidies

Kenneth Thomas at Middle Class Political Economist - 1 hour ago
As I have written before, when states announce a major new investment, it is far more likely that the announced subsidy is an underestimate than an overestimate. A new Good Jobs First study commissioned by the United Auto Workers unearths a new example of this, which I believe is the largest underestimate ever: Nissan in Mississippi. When Nissan announced in 2000 that it had chosen Madison County, Mississippi, just north of Jackson, as the site for a new assembly facility, it was reported that the project had received $295 million in subsidies (at a present value of $289.7 million, ... more »

Police State: Liberty Activist Illegally Searched and Arrested After Kokesh Hearing

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 1 hour ago
*Activist Post* "Your megaphone might be a weapon," says the arresting officer to liberty activist and former Marine Kyle Prouty when he asked why he was being detained. Five members of The Panic Hour were followed into the City Hall rail station in Center City Philadelphia after attending an arraignment hearing for Adam Kokesh and Nikki Allen Poe who were kidnapped from a peaceful marijuana rally on 5/18/13. While quietly waiting for a train, Kyle Prouty was illegally searched and detained by SEPTA police officer Nicole Lawson at 3:20pm on 5/20/13 after refusing to show ID. You ... more »

Is The London Soldier Killing Another Staged Hoax?

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 hour ago
I actually watched a bit of the so called mainstream media the other night and their "reporting" of a new killing...This time done by "Islamic Extremists" in an area of Southeastern London, UK..... But I did notice how the media continued to stress that the killer was an "Islamic Extremist", and automatically I began to smell a rat.... It just did not make any sense, and I began to realize that we are being set up again by another fake killing, this time in the United Kingdom! I came across the following video this morning, thanks to John Friend, who writes John Friend's blog, at ww... more »

Obama's War on Free Expression

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 1 hour ago
image source Stephen Lendman It's the most fundamental right. Without it all others are endangered. Obama's waging war to destroy it. He's done so throughout his tenure. He targeted AP. He did so unjustifiably. A previous article discussed it. It was lawless intrusion. It intimidates journalists, potential whistleblowers, valued sources, and others. It warns them against challenging or disclosing information Washington wants kept secret. Obama's done it numerous times before. He's waging war on truth. He's targeted more whistleblowers than all previous administrations combined. ... more »

This Is What A Tyranny Looks Like

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 1 hour ago
*James Corbett* The tyrants of our modern age are smart enough not to declare themselves to be tyrants. They simply don't follow the rules that have been set for the common citizens. The other smart move that they have made is that the real tyrants don't put themselves in the supposed positions of power. Does anyone really believe that the President is the top of the food chain in Washington? But if the political puppets aren't the tyrants, then who are? The ones who can't get prosecuted for their crimes, obviously. Subscribe to Corbett Report's Channel [image: Non GMO Survival ... more »

Mayor Rahm Expands Corporate Footprint on Chicago Children and Parents

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 hour ago
Well, it worked like it was supposed to work: the mayor’s appointed stooges on the “Board of Education” voted to close 50 Chicago public schools to make way for corporate charter reform schools. Never mind that communities barely held together will lose their lifelines, never mind that violence is almost guaranteed to increase (as it […]

Delicious Bread Maker Bread

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 hour ago
I really love to bake homemade bread, but it is time consuming and I don't always have time for it. My mom bought me an awesome bread maker a few years ago and I have been using it whenever time is tight ever since. I have gone through a lot of bread maker recipes and this one is our favorite for basic bread. You will need: 1 3/8 cups room temperature water 2 tablespoons softened butter 4 cups King Arthur Bread Flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons dry milk 1 3/4 teaspoons salt 2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast Measure the water and the butter into your bread machine's pan.... more »

THE REFUSAL TO FIGHT: What Greta keeps telling your neighbors and friends!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 2 hours ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013* *Interlude—Where our cowardice takes us:* A remarkable exchange took place on Fox last night. Check that! In a morally serious nation, last night’s exchange would have been remarkable. In *this* country, last evening’s exchange was commonplace—thoroughly par for the course. During the 10 PM hour, Greta Van Susteren spoke with Rep. John Boehner, the Ohio Republican, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Boehner is one of the nation’s highest-ranking officials. For more than eleven years, Van Susteren has hosted a nightly program on the Fox News Chann... more »

Rivers of Blood in Woolwich due to Political Correctness and Mass Immigration

Rufus News From Atlantis at News From Atlantis. - 2 hours ago
Woolwich in London will go down in history as the place in which the enemies of Europe beheaded an indigenous soldier, and the treacherous politicians and police took the side of that same enemy. Muslim immigrants murdered a soldier in broad daylight, hacking his head off with machetes, whilst filming one another. The barbaric scum shouted to horrified witnesses, "*You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start bussin' our guns? You think politicians are going to die? No it's going to be the average guy, like you, and your children*...*Allahu Akhbar*" ... more »

Panda in a tree

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 2 hours ago

Is America’s Economy Being Sovietized?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 2 hours ago
Brandon Smith The foundation of the Soviet model of trade and investment was centralization under the guise of "universal public ownership". The entire goal of communism in general was not to give more social and political power to the people, but to extinguish alternative options and focus power into the hands of a select few. The process used to reach this end result can vary, but the goal always remains the same. In most cases, such centralization begins with economic hegemony, and it is in our fiscal structure that we have the means to see the future. Sovietization in our fin... more »

Nashville KIPP Caught Dumping Problem Students at Test Time

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 hours ago
We have known for a long time that what former students refer to as the Kids in Prison Program (KIPP) has used various machinations to reach those high test scores–from menacing management styles, to constant test prep, longer hours, behavioral sterilization, burning through teachers who leave with mental and physical health problems, to dumping problem […]

Waking up

Sophia Love at AMERICAN KABUKI - 2 hours ago
Waking up can sometimes take awhile. Here is something to help the process along. Ascending Spirals of Understanding

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 2 hours ago
*Sean Payton's exclusive 1 on 1 about Drew Bree's & ball security, plus Rob Ryan's new defense ~Jennifer Hale, WVUE*

All the things we're missing since a fisherman was shot

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 2 hours ago
*Dragonflies mating.* With the Phils/Taiwan mess ongoing, I bet you've forgotten what you haven't remembered. Wait, let me rephrase that.... Like, what happened to the referendum on the nuclear power plant? One of my friends who is a sharp observer of local politics pointed that out to me. In the news is the usual food scandals. Imagine, a firm using expired ingredients to produce goods for human consumption, in this case I-mei, which allegedly pumped 9000 kilos of soy protein stuff into 5.76 million packs of cream puffs. The government was also accused of hiding dataindicating a c... more »

The Government Theft of Retirement Accounts Has Begun

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 2 hours ago
Dave Hodges Many were roundly criticized for daring to say that the Cyprus thefts could visit our shores. If Treasury Secretary Jack Lew gets his way, Cyprus will look like a walk in the park compared to what’s coming because Cyprus was a beta test for the massive theft of private wealth which is on the horizon. In fact, I would say to my fellow countrymen who don’t think the government would ever perpetrate a fraud against the American people in which the government would oversee the outright theft of personal assets of American citizens, you might want to jog your memory and loo... more »

How Bill Clinton Forced Agenda 21 on America

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 2 hours ago
Cassandra Anderson A number of critics claim that Agenda 21 is not a treaty, so it is non-binding and that it is merely a paranoid conspiracy theory. Agenda 21 is not a voluntary program. The smoking gun is Bill Clinton's Executive Order # 12852 in 1993, creating the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD). Clinton's executive order bypassed Congress and forced taxes and restrictive policies on the American people. Agenda 21 is the action plan to implement "sustainable development", a term coined by the United Nations that they define as "development that meets the ... more »

2nd Amendment Activist Removed from NJ Gun Control Hearing for Exercising 1st Amendment Rights

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 3 hours ago
*The Daily Sheeple* Activist James Kaleda was giving testimony when state legislators did not agree with what he was stating and claimed that Mr. Kaleda was “Out of Order”, requesting that he be forcibly removed from the hearing on a new gun control bill in NJ. Mr. Kaleda receives a standing ovation from the spectators as he is removed by NJ state troopers. Everyone is entitled under the 1st Amendment to express criticism of the government, but when Big Brother doesn’t like what you have to say, the Constitution is thrown out the window. Enter your email address to subscribe to... more »

The Best Kept Secrets of The Dollar

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 3 hours ago
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Millions against Monsanto: Putting Words into Action

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 3 hours ago
*People of Earth, are you ready to take back our food sources as provided by Nature and Planet Earth—and not by any corporate entity, patent, or decree?* Catherine J. Frompovich Saturday, May 25, 2013, marches protesting GMO food [and the lack of food labeling in the USA] will take place in cities around the globe. There is every good reason to support this ‘mega march’ wherever you live because we are losing our sources of food and nutrition, which are being replaced by biotech industry oligarchs who think they can and must patent the human food supply. If you don’t think acti... more »

Must Watch - It Will Inspire You

2old2care at Because I Can - 3 hours ago
From the Chicago school closing rallies Three minutes of your time. It will inspire you. Source - Common Dreams Among just four schools spared is Marcus Garvey, where nine-year-old Asean Johnson goes. Johnson had the crowd on their feet with an incredible, blistering attack on Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his racist indifference to the needs of Chicago kids

ALEC Pro-Corporate Legislation - The Dangers

2old2care at Because I Can - 3 hours ago
People want to believe that lowly - state legislators from ho-bunk nowhere are the only ALEC threat - but it goes much bigger than that. ALEC doesn't scare people so much if they believe that it is only dim-witted conservatives from state legislatures that are connected to ALEC. But the danger of ALEC is much bigger than that. It is important to remember that ALEC is the ONLY organization in current history of the United States that has a sole purpose of bringing together state and federal legislators with corporate lobbyists - behind closed doors in order to forward a pro-corpora... more »

Do US Alliances Re-Assure in Asia, or Create Moral Hazard?

Robert Kelly at Duck of Minerva - 3 hours ago
The conventional wisdom on the US presence in Asia is that we re-assure all players. Specifically, US allies don’t need to arms race local opponents, because the US has extended deterrence to cover them. Hence Japan and South Korea don’t need to go nuclear, for example. Among academics, this logic pops in the work of Continue reading

Full video and transcript of UK jihadi murder suspect

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 3 hours ago
I note that the British media seem to have been self censoring what the man with blood on his hands said to that video camera. Here's the whole of his speech, note the bit about being forced to do this by the Koran. Why are the majority of the British media omitting this part of his speech from their reports? 'The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers. And this British soldier is one. It is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. By Allah, we swear by the almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us ... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 3 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Laurel Holloman, 42. Right to the good stuff: 1. Seth Masket has a quick note on quality challengers. 2. Jonathan Chait on Josh Barro...and on climate, the DC Circuit, and filibusters. 3. Sarah Kliff on the fluoridation wars, before Portland clobbered a fluoride vote. 4. And Kevin Collins tweets something very sensible: "Presidential elections are the least common type of contest, so be wary of general conclusions about US electoral politics drawn from them."

Does Your Congressman Want To Embroil The U.S. In A War in Syria? Most Do-- Both Parties

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
Bob Menendez (D-NJ) wants to drag the U.S. into another Middle East War There are a lot of victims and a lot of "bad guys" in the Syrian civil war. But, from a U.S. perspective, there are no good guys. Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Bob Menendez (D-NJ) voted 15-3 to arm the rebels. The three dissenting votes were from Mark Udall (D-CO), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Chris Murphy (D-CT). Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) warned of the dangers of arming rebel forces whose intentions are unknown. "I think we have to ask the question, 'Who are we arming?'" Sen. Udall asked fellow... more »

Attorneys File Civil Rights Lawsuit Over Wrongful Arrest, Detention in Psych Ward of Marine Brandon Raub

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 3 hours ago
*Rutherford Institute Attorneys File Civil Rights Lawsuit Over Wrongful Arrest, Detention in Psych Ward of Marine Brandon Raub Because of Facebook Posts* *Activist Post* RICHMOND, Va. — Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have filed a civil rights lawsuit against law enforcement and other government officials on behalf of Marine veteran Brandon Raub. Last August, he was arrested by a swarm of FBI, Secret Service agents and local police and forcibly detained in a psychiatric ward for a week because of controversial song lyrics and political views posted on his Facebook page. The... more »

FBI agent kills Chechen man during questioning about Boston bombing suspects and 2011 murder

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Ibragim Todashev mugshot: Orange County Jail Madison Ruppert An FBI agent shot and killed 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev of Orlando, Florida in his apartment during questioning about his relationship with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombing suspect who was killed by police. Anonymous state and federal law enforcement officials familiar with the situation told ABC that Todashev “just went crazy” and pulled a knife during his interview with the FBI. An unnamed official said that an FBI agent was stabbed several times but the FBI said in a press release that the agent sustai... more »

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 4 hours ago
*Local chefs gear up to warm hearts, bellies in tornado-ravaged Oklahoma ~Monica Hernandez, WWLTV * *Bill to forgive storm loans rejected ~Michelle Millhollon, The Advocate* * * *Why hand-drawn maps are back in the picture ~Vicky Baker* *Old German Church In Marginy Transformed Into Performance Space ~Sharon Litwin* *Beard and mustache championships come to New Orleans ~Will Coviello, Gambit* *Everything You Need To Know About the 2013 New Orleans Wine & Food Experience ~Gwendolyn Knapp, Eater New Orleans* *Benefit for Mother's Day shooting victims!* *

CBS News star hacked: the big chill

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Sharyl Atkisson Jon Rappoport Sharyl Atkisson is the one thing CBS News has going for it. She’s the real article. As real as you can be in the current news climate, while still working for a major media outlet. She crashed the credibility of the CDC, as it was lying through its teeth about numbers of Swine Flu cases and overplaying the fake “epidemic.” She’s taken on the horrific effects of vaccines, to the point where her Wikipedia page, through a series of unethical maneuvers, continues to characterize her as irrationally “anti-vaccine.” She broke key elements of Fast&Furious. ... more »

New Animated Video About the TPP and its Chilling Effects on Internet Users

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Maira Sutton *EFF* When most people think of a trade agreement, they're unlikely to think that it would have anything to do with regulating the Internet. For more than a decade, however, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has included copyright enforcement in international trade deals. Such provisions empower countries to enact digital restrictions in the name of preventing illegal file sharing. In practice, these copyright measures strip Internet users of their rights to privacy, free speech, and access to knowledge and culture, and could even work to undermine their ver... more »

Michael Corleone In Ottawa

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 4 hours ago
Stephen Harper says he knew nothing about Nigel's Wright's cheque to Mike Duffy. That's probably true. But Harper's plea of ignorance does not preclude his giving Wright instructions to make Duffy an offer he couldn't refuse. Harper learned long ago that, like any good don, he had to insulate himself from his operatives. It's all part of what Leo Strauss called "the noble lie." Don Lenihan writes that the concept is diametrically opposed to the populism which was the bedrock of the old Reform Party: While the new party appropriated the language of accountability from the old Ref... more »

Augustin-Louis Cauchy: an anniversary

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 4 hours ago
By the number of mathematical papers he wrote, Augustin-Louis Cauchy was second just to Leonhard Euler. As many college freshmen may testify, more theorems and concepts in mathematics were named after Cauchy than anyone else. And a conservative theoretical physicist shouldn't omit a CV of Cauchy because Cauchy was... well... very conservative! He died on May 23rd, 1857, i.e. exactly 156 years ago. But before he managed to do that, he had to do many other things. For example, he had to be born – in August 1789, just a month after Bastille was stormed by a crowd on the street, a mess ... more »

Boy Scout Jamboree the Next major False Flag Event - Biological attack worries prompt warning from Nevada's 2014 Candidate for Governor !

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
fwiw....... looks like more and more folks are connecting mass casualty terror drills to actual events ! Nevada Governor Candidate Warns Boy Scout Jamboree May be Next False Flag - [image: The Alex Jones Channel][image: Alex Jones Show podcast][image: Prison Planet TV][image: Infowars.com Twitter][image: Alex Jones' Facebook][image: Infowars store] Says it may come in the form of a biological attack *Adan Salazar* Infowars.com May 22, 2013 Last week, Nevada’s 2014 gubernatorial candidate David Lory VanDerBeek announced he has reason to believe the next false flag event ma... more »

Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in Landmark Case

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 4 hours ago
The surprise is more that it was possible to bring Monsanto into court and confront this complaint. The harsh reality is that these toxins kill and that includes us and accidental overdose is almost impossible to avoid. In this case the story is pretty clear. Yet thousands suffer from low level poisoning with real damage explained away as a perhaps a rare cancer. The fact remains that these chemicals must be handled and sprayed while traveling downwind and the farmers never wear breathing apparatus. For that they do get sick with unexplained ailments. Monsanto continu... more »

Weird Skin Color Illusion Can Reduce Racism

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 4 hours ago
This is a promising finding. It instructs us that racial bias is learned early but it is clearly learned knowledge that can now be easily modified. This is well worth doing at the school level to ensure that it is eliminated. It also needs to be seen if tribal hatreds can also be so modified. This type of thinking is prevalent everywhere and also needs to be treated young. The same holds true for young Muslims where their society teaches an us versus them mentality to start with and cannot be simply eliminated by merely managing what is taught. I grew up listening to a... more »

The Value of Hemp

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 4 hours ago
It is always astonishing when something that is so patently wrong continues to be sustained in the regulatory regime. Everybody today knows that hemp must not be confused with the pharmaceutical applications of specific varieties and even that these pharmaceutical applications need to be researched, managed and properly regulated like all medicine. At present the weight of history has turned on the so called war on drugs that helped preserve this nonsense. Defeat is very much in the air. Yet we still lack the legislative will to begin the process of rationalization. ... more »

Sheer Wind Innovation Promising

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 4 hours ago
This is a serious contender for wind energy aforethought the real obvious problem is how to handle extreme winds. I would attempt to build a larger device and to extend the height to ensure that the exit tube remains vertical and surrounded by the tower structure itself. I would then attempt to actually design the funnel component out of retractable sails to allow retreat in the face of extreme winds. Then if we are doing all that anyway it may be possible to set up a simple arced spar pair and forms a capture vee for the rising sail to naturally expand its capture area... more »

Breaking News: China Destroys 3 US Shipments of GM Corn

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Sayer Ji According to a report released today by GMWatch, *China destroyed three shipments of GM corn imported from the US.* The first two shipments are referenced on the website of theZhuhai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, confirming that two illegal GM corn shipments entered Wanzai Port in Zhuhai City on May 7th, and were subsequently destroyed: Recently, during inspection and quarantine of imported food from USA by a certain company, the Wanzai Office of Zhuhai Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (in Guangdong Province in the south of China) detected two shipments ... more »

Will It Be Inflation Or Delfation? The Answer May Surprise You

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Michael Snyder Is the coming financial collapse going to be inflationary or deflationary? Are we headed for rampant inflation or crippling deflation? This is a subject that is hotly debated by economists all over the country. Some insist that the wild money printing that the Federal Reserve is doing combined with out of control government spending will eventually result in hyperinflation. Others point to all of the deflationary factors in our economy and argue that we will experience tremendous deflation when the bubble economy that we are currently living in bursts. So what i... more »

The Government Wants A Backdoor Into Your Online Communications

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Mark M. Jaycox and Seth Schoen *EFF* According to the New York Times, President Obama is "on the verge of backing" a proposal by the FBI to introduce legislation dramatically expanding the reach of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, orCALEA. CALEA forces telephone companies to provide backdoors to the government so that it can spy on users after obtaining court approval, and was expanded in 2006 to reach Internet technologies like VoIP. The new proposal reportedly allows the FBI to listen in on any conversation online, regardless of the technology used, by mand... more »

What's Fair in Bartering?

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Amanda Warren I have a difficult question and I'd like your help. Admittedly, I am no economist - I know what sounds good and I dream of Atlantis utopias, but I'm downright ignorant with macro economics. I guess bartering is more micro and it comes easy because all you have to do is think about your skills, talents and goods and work up a trade agreement with another party and everyone is happy. Right? When I talked to a small business owner I worked for, she had nothing but sour sentiments for talk of blossoming barter economies. Greece is using it out of necessity and with enco... more »

US official position on Syria - seems like it changes like spring weather , varies on who is speaking at the moment and where . Do our foreign policy makers also learn about World events by way of CNN like our " Dear Leader " ? Has it occurred to the Brainiacs here in the US , Israel , GCC foreign policy Wonks and Nato wizards that at the end of the day , the syrian rebels ( especially those islamic fighting forces who have been provided stingers and heavy weapons by an assortment of Governments allegedly supporting them right up until the moment they aren't ) , think they have more than just the right to offer helpful hints on which way the road leads for Syria ?

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/05/22/us-willing-to-keep-assad-to-avoid-regional-war/ US Willing to Keep Assad to Avoid Regional WarRussia: Rebels Don't Seem on Board With Talks by Jason Ditz, May 22, 2013 Print This | Share This Though the “official” US position on Syria seems to change wildly by the hour and is based primarily on who is talking and who is standing near them at the time, new reports suggest the Obama Administration is ready to ditch their demands for regime change. As violence skyrockets in neighboring Iraq, and nations like Lebanon and Turkey also see destabilizing in... more »

Create a Million Revolutions!

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
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EU MEP: "Why the whole banking system is a scam"

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
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Biden: Gun Control Push Coming This Fall

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
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Obama Admits to Killing Four Americans with Drones

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 4 hours ago
Dees Illustration *Activist Post* Up until now the Obama Administration has been coy about their policy to kill Americans abroad using drones. Today, Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that this administration has killed four Americans with drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan, and admitted one was killed deliberately. According to the *New York Times*: In a letter to Congressional leaders obtained by The New York Times, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. disclosed that the administration had deliberately killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric who was killed in a ... more »

Ed Steer's Gold and Silver Report - May 23 , 2013 .... Data , news and views !

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
http://www.caseyresearch.com/gsd/edition/the-dire-state-of-the-platinum-palladium-miners The Dire State of the Platinum-Palladium Miners May *23* - Yesterday in Gold and Silver - Critical Reads - The Funnies - The Wrap RetweetShare "JPMorgan et al hauled the precious metals prices down with naked brute force" ¤ YESTERDAY IN GOLD & SILVER *NOTE*: *I will be at the Vancouver Investment Conference for the next five days. Because of that, my Friday, Saturday...and Tuesday columns are going to be as short as I can possibly make them. I have other fish to fry while I'm ther... more »

When Right-Wingers Vote

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 5 hours ago
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a democrat, through-and-through. "Democracy is the worst form of government; except for all the others that have been tried" and all that. But thinking about the train-wreck that is Rob Ford; "Is the mayor of the largest city in Canada (and the fourth-largest city in North America .... [okay, I recall hearing that on the news, but fourth? Mexico City, NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, ... at least? Oh well.]) going to have his crack smoking video bought by "Gawker"? Seriously, ... that's the question on my mind this morning: How much of the $200,000 has Gawke... more »

Woolwich Beheading Video - THE MAN WITH BLOOD ON HIS HANDS - Baghdad style violence

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 5 hours ago
a "what the fuck is going on here?" moment just happened. That was footage, from yesterday's televised machete attack in Woolwich, London. We've all seen it, the black Londoner saying, "Get rid of your government, they don't care about you," he had blood on his hands. He was called THE MAN WITH BLOOD ON HIS HANDS by that ITV editorial, mentioning Baghdad-style violence. Well, this morning, a version turns up where the ranting black dude has NORMAL COLOUR HANDS, yet he's saying the same shit about 'getting rid of the government'. The same old woman pulling the shopping trolley pass... more »

Does global warming cause tornadoes?

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 7 hours ago
It was sort of inevitable that the deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma would ultimately be blamed on global warming and CO2 by someone. While most people – including those alarmed by "climate change" – reject this attribution, you can find pretty powerful people who promote this incredible link. Senator Barbara Boxer was perhaps the most powerful person who enthusiastically supported the idea that the tornado outbreak was a message from Nature telling us to introduce new carbon taxes. She really sounds religious. You may find lots of stories in the media that discuss a possible connect... more »

But the vast majority of British Muslims...

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 7 hours ago
The line that the vast majority of British Muslims are peaceful and oppose violent extremism is one that I have heard already following the Woolwich terrorist attack and no doubt will hear over and over again on the BBC. But is it true? Rather than vain hope, let's look at some facts. From The Telegraph in 2008 (*my emphasis*): 'The YouGov poll was conducted for the Right-wing think tank, the Centre for Social Cohesion, at 12 universities, including Imperial College and Kings College London. It also found: - 40 per cent support the introduction of sharia into British law for ... more »

Shutting Down

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 7 hours ago
* In support of this week's Change The World Wednesday challenge, I'm disconnecting from all Internet activity today. I'll be back on Friday, May 24th. How about joining me? *

British soldier "beheading" yet another hoax?

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 8 hours ago
I'm sure most of you have by now heard about the alleged brutal murder and attempted "beheading" of a British soldier in southeast London by two "Islamic extremists". I don't buy it guys. I think it's another hoax. I'll probably do an entire post on this later, but for now check out this video I found over at *The Rebel* courtesy of Jim Stone. I think this guy is right on the money. Also, check out the coverage of this alleged event in the *Daily Mail*. Do you believe this nonsense? Below are screen shots of a few headlines that look like they were written by *PSYOPS experts* ... more »

WOOLWICH INCIDENT: INSIDE JOB

Anon at aangirfan - 8 hours ago
*No blood on his jacket.* * *The two 'terrorists' in Woolwich, on 22 May 2013, were known to Britain’s security services before the attack. The MI5 and MI6 intelligence agencies had collected data on the suspected attackers before the incident. In other words the 'terrorists' were being used by the security services. *www.ft.com/* The terror event in Woolwich in London may seem a little fishy? One of the alleged 'Moslem terrorists' can be heard saying: *"You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start busting our guns; you think politicians are going to... more »

Progressive Music Classics. "Corner Soul" by The Clash

Marc McDonald at BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com - 9 hours ago
. . *By MARC McDONALD* Welcome to another edition of Progressive Music Classics. Few albums have ever been more highly anticipated than *Sandinista!* the 1980 release by The Clash. The band's previous album, *London Calling* had been a all-conquering masterpiece that had music writers, particularly in the U.S., swooning. I recall how, in 1979, The Clash was hailed by many music writers as "the only band that matters." For a brief time, at least, The Clash were clearly the best band in the world. But when *Sandinista!* landed in the record shops, a mere four days after John Lennon... more »

Pol Ideology 40: On Social Darwinism

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 9 hours ago
Late last month, I have a debate with a friend and fellow UPSE alumni, Mike Alunan, about markets and regulation. Among his arguments, below. *“Survival of the fittest” thinking is inhuman? Human beings are not like animals as they have the capacity to surpass the limits of nature by doing more than simply adapting to nature as most animals do---but they have the capacity to even conquer nature through their creativity that leads to science and technology.* * And if we believe that Darwin’s dictum of “survival of the fittest” also applie... more »

Breathtaking hypocrisy at the United Nations

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 10 hours ago
'GENEVA, May 22 – The annual assembly of the UN's World Health Organization adopted a resolution and held a special debate today criticizing Israel — the only specific country on the organization's agenda — with Syria demanding urgent action on "inhuman Israeli practices" that target "the health of Syrian citizens." The WHO resolution against Israel was not yet published, but was likely a copy of last year's condemnation . Observers of the world body in Geneva said the annual hypocrisy reached a new low this year. "To see the Assad regime point the finger at Israel out of professed... more »

My impression of the Woolwich attacks

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 10 hours ago
The killing in Woolwich is horrific because it is an everyday horror, brought to you live by mobile phone cameras. Television brings you close, it constantly puts you inside the action, and it's clear from this that any numpty with a meat cleaver can slaughter somebody in the street and in the process drag the political agenda down to the depths. There will be a racist backlash. Probably some awful new law will be passed to 'deal' with the problem (there is no dealing, as such, with simple murder). The EDL have already rioted in South East London. The coming lumpen-Kristallnacht has... more »

Thursday Morning Linkage

Josh Busby at Duck of Minerva - 10 hours ago
Here is your Thursday Morning Linkage. I’m going to start off with my usual conservation theme before turning to some other topics like a kerfuffle over mapping racial tolerance and the World Health Assembly (going on this week). Amphibians are in trouble all across the U.S. and world (disease, climate change, farm chemicals), along with bees Continue reading

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 11 hours ago
The art of coffee. [photo via]

Moose on the loose

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 11 hours ago
This video was taken in Easthampton, MA. Not the first time I've heard of an in-town moose sighting in the Happy Valley. Seems about every spring a confused youngun' would wander into the city. Never happened in my neighborhood sadly. This however is the first time I've seen a video of it. So there's that.

Intriguing spectra of finite unified theories (FUT)

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 11 hours ago
In November, I discussed FUTs (finite unified theories) which are \(\NNN=1\) supersymmetric grand-unification-inspired versions of MSSM with the additional constraint that the divergences already cancel at the level of the effective field theory. This finiteness boils down to the vanishing of the beta-functions, some anomalous dimensions, and some relationships between the gauge and Yukawa couplings. This condition doesn't seem to be a "must" – the divergences may very well be taken care of by the high-energy phenomena (string theory ultimately takes care of all divergences so its a... more »

Adrian Dix, Time To Resign Is Now

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 11 hours ago
Born to Lead, The Honourable John Horgan. May 14th/2013..This is a repost from the time of the B.C. NDP leadership campaign.. I have no words right now, congratulations to the BC Liberals, I won`t be posting for a while, anyone needing to contact me can email...All I can say is, we couldn`t win with the honest Carole James, and I knew back when I posted this story, we couldn`t win with Adrian Dix`s baggage, not with a corrupt media...If John Horgan was elected leader at that time, we would have a NDP Government today... Adrian Dix, I think you are a good man inside, however, you m... more »

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 11 hours ago
"Face-on spiral galaxy M77 lies a mere 47 million light-years away toward the aquatic constellation Cetus. At that estimated distance, the gorgeous island universe is about 100 thousand light-years across. Also known as NGC 1068, its compact and very bright core is well studied by astronomers exploring the mysteries of supermassive black holes in active Seyfert galaxies. *Click image for larger size.* M77 is also seen at x-ray, ultraviolet, infrared, and radio wavelengths. But this sharp visible light image based on Hubble data follows its winding spiral arms traced by obscur... more »

Chet Raymo, “Strange”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 11 hours ago
* * *“Strange”* by Chet Raymo “In a review in the “New York Times” Book Review, Daniel Handler writes: “And strange? Well, let's get this straight: All great books are strange. Every lasting work of literature since the very weird "Beowulf" has been strange, not only because it grapples with the strangeness around us, but also because the effect of originality is startling, making even the oldest books feel like brand new stories.” Strange: Out-of-the-ordinary, unusual, curious. "The strangeness around us," says Handler. There is a paradox here. What could be less strange than t... more »

Jack A. Smith : Afghanistan's Karzai Lets Cat Out of the Bag

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 12 hours ago
Afghan president Hamid Karzai. Photo by Massoud Hossaini / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images. But then, again... Afghan War may end by 2024 Washington evidently was taken aback by Karzai’s unexpected public revelations that made it clear President Obama is anxious, not hesitant, to keep American troops in Afghanistan. By Jack A. Smith / The Rag Blog / May 23, 2013 Hamid Karzai has let the

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: On libertarians

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 12 hours ago
Yes, it’s composed for Americans, mainly because so many of them these days can only understand pictures < ducks >. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Tobacco Industry Lobbyists And P.R. Hacks Reinvented The Tea Party-- All They Needed Were Some Angry, Lo-Info Kooks Willing To Wear "Attention-Drawing Accouterments"

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 12 hours ago
Howie with a crackpot happily wearing attention-drawing accouterments, Pasadena, 2009 Many Republicans will tell you former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) invented the TEA Party-- Taxed Enough Already-- to help popularize the Republican scheme to eliminate progressive taxation, which they feel puts too much burden on the wealthy-- and replace it with a flat tax that would force the burden down the income scale. But, as Lee Fang points out in his new book, The Machine-- A Field Guide To The Resurgent Right, that's not exactly what happened. The tobacco industry's expensive p... more »

The stock-market "boom" may not be a bubble, but that doesn't mean it's good news for most of us

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 12 hours ago
*"Today, there's a growing divide between the fortunes of corporate America and those of the majority of Americans. . . . The stock-market boom is real, but most Americans have been left on the outside looking in."* *-- James Surowiecki, in his latest *New Yorker* "Financial Page,"* "Boom or Bubble?" *by Ken* So what do you think, is this great stock-market boom really another in our recent series of stock-market bubbles? I confess I haven't given the matter much thought. I'm not even sure I was aware that there *is* a stock-market boom. I've had, um, stuff on my mind. A stock-mar... more »

Bananas, Natural Radiation, and other Nuke Cabal Ploys

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 12 hours ago
In April 2011, the state of Arizona's radiological protection agent told me that radiation fallout from Fukushima is akin to the radiation in *a*banana. He also drank some milk while he was talking to me. He reminded me of the Atomic Energy scientists who referred to all radiation in terms of "sunshine units" when speaking with the public. I didn't believe him at the time, but I've spent the last two years coming to understand why he was, and continues to be very, very wrong, both about the banana and the milk. I learned he was wrong about the milk when I spoke to the guy in the lab... more »

America Is Becoming A Closed Society

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 13 hours ago
In a recent appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe show, Chuck Todd *said that President Obama is criminalizing journalism*. There was a time when only "conspiracy theorists" talked like that. But something has changed in the public mood in America in the last couple of weeks. The flood of scandals rocking the Obama administration, some real, some buried, and some contrived, has changed attitudes about President Obama in the press. Now, questioning the government is not ridiculed as conspiracy theorizing. Even mainstream journalists feel outraged at what the Obama administration is ... more »

Signs of the Coming Revolution in America’s Education System

freetoteach at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 13 hours ago
Alternet publishes “real” education news for those who still remember what a “real” education is. Signs of the Coming Revolution in America’s Education System The recent revolt against standardized tests as well as legislative concern over testing corruption are just some of the of the signs of an approaching education “revolution.” http://www.alternet.org/signs-coming-revolution-americas-education-system

Why in the world would Connecticut's top prosecutor , the Governor's office and select legislative leaders seek to secretly draft a new law to block the release of records related to the police investigation into the December 14 , 2012 incident at Newtown Elementary School only ? There allegedly are no additional perps , right ? So why the rush to " secretly draft a law " , why keep this from the public until Tuesday when the plan initially was apparently to sneak this to the Governor's desk right before the Holiday weekend ? Why the rush to cover up photos , death certificates , tapes of 911 calls and how is it that families decide what evidence is worthy of being subjects of public interest consistence with right to know law / FOI laws ? And of course the true tell , why just Sandy Hook and not ALL crimes generally ?

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-secret-foi-bill-0523-20130522,0,2770809.story Secretly Drafted Bill Would Leave Release of Some Newtown Investigative Records Up To Families The staffs of the state's top prosecutor and the governor's office have been working in secret with legislative leaders on a law to withhold records related to the police investigation into the Dec. 14 Newtown elementary school massacre. By JON LENDER, EDMUND H. MAHONY And CHRISTOPHER KEATING, jlender@courant.comThe Hartford Courant 8:38 p.m. EDT, May 22, 2013 A secretly drafted bill to block release ... more »

NZ Government to introduce charter hospitals

Activism in paradise - Voices from down under at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 14 hours ago
Reposted from this brilliant NZ satirical website The Civilian. This beautifully captures the ideological nonsense behind charter schools. ————– These minimum wage surgeons may be unsure what to do next, but with enough private funding, the Government is confident they’ll figure it out. The National Government has today announced plans to introduce a number of […]

China HSBC PMI prints contraction level for GDP ( 49.6 versus 50.4 expected ) ...... Meanwhile JGB market halted at open ( again ) ..... bond selling globally continues as JGM ten year bond hits 1.00 yield , 5 year bond yield hits 47 bps ! Put in perspective , today's move by itself translates to 1.5 percent of blended Tier ! capital off the entire japanese banking system - this is just what happened this evening ! What else needs be said about the state of growing insolvency for japanese banks ?

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 14 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-23/japans-words-advice-doomsayers-please-do-not-worry-and-maintain-fiscal-discipline Japan's Words Of Advice To Doomsayers: "Please Do Not Worry" And "Maintain Fiscal Discipline" [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/23/2013 07:56 -0400 - Japan Six months ago, Japan's message to the Kyle Bassians of the world - was simple: Q. If Japan has a financial collapse, what will happen to its government bonds? *A. Please do not worry.* Uhm, Ok. The somewhat vague, if very reassuring, warning above has since been revised to... more »

New Zealand’s national standards in education are not national or standard.

Activism in paradise - Voices from down under at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 14 hours ago
By Allan Alach Reposted from The Daily Blog At the end of this month the New Zealand government will release the national standards data that will a) ‘prove’ that their education policies are ‘raising achievement’ and b) ‘prove’ that there is a wide variation of school effectiveness and that teachers’ performance is therefore deficient. All […]

Does the Common Core really motivate? Seriously.

Chris Cerrone at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 14 hours ago
The Common Core promoters are always in constant motion, but something has really struck a nerve with me lately. Does the Common Core motivate and inspire teachers? Two items have come my way recently that caused me to ask that question. The Common Core cheerleading started with an email from Commissioner John King linking to […]

madrid, day two

laura k at wmtc - 15 hours ago
Today was the second half of our Madrid art tour. We were out early again, went back to the same local joint for breakfast (the counterman remembered what we wanted, which we enjoy), and were once again at the museum before it opened. This was Reina Sofia, the national art centre and museum specializing in 19th and 20th century art, and home to Picasso's "Guernica". Finally seeing Guernica in person was, for me, a highlight of this trip and one of the most moving art experiences I've had. I was quite overcome - in tears - both at the power and emotion conveyed in the painting, and b... more »

madrid, day one

laura k at wmtc - 15 hours ago
After our cheap *pollo asado* dinner, wine, and a shower, we had a new perspective on life. We woke up early the next day, had a little breakfast in a neighbourhood joint, and got to *Museo Nacional del Prado* - otherwise known as The Prado - before it opened. Our hotel in the Cuatros Caminos barrio is right near a big metro station where four different lines converge, and it was very easy to zip downtown. The Prado is a big museum, not quite as huge and sprawling as the Metropolitan or the Louvre, but too big to see all of it. We had already decided to do a "greatest hits" tour, us... more »

HAS THE WEST’S WAR AGAINST ISLAM RADICALISED WESTERN MUSLIMS?

The so-called ‘war on terror’ is now seen for what it really is; a euphemism for a war against Islam. It began as a war fuelled by Western greed and power as European colonialists divided and conquered Islamic lands in order to plunder their riches. The war about religion and beliefs had long run its earlier course during the Crusades. By the nineteenth and twentieth century it was no longer about religion; it was about oil. Today it has come full circle; it’s still about oil, as well as regional control and hegemony, but for those that resent the West’s intrusion into their lands a... more »

death of the american dream

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 15 hours ago
“When fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and waving a cross.”

Greek unemployment at 75 percent in some areas as greek prostitution skyrockets ! Chicago carries out largest round of school closings in US History ... US a few years from attaining a state of affairs like Greece ?

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-22/greek-prostitution-soars-150-youth-unempoyment-hits-75-some-areas Greek Prostitution Soars By 150% As Youth Unemployment Hits 75% In Some Areas [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/22/2013 17:35 -0400 - European Union - Eurozone - Greece - Unemployment With Greece suffering the biggest economic depression in decades, all so a few rich men can preserve their wealth and not have their EUR-denominated savings wiped out (even if the alternative means finally being able to rebalance externally using ... more »

Defending the "indefensible": Anwar al-Awlaki

Left I on the News at Left I on the News - 16 hours ago
Today the U.S. government acknowledged killing Anwar al-Awlaki with a drone strike. Was this killing "just," as Eric Holder says? The U.S. says it was because not only was Awlaki *saying* bad things, but * doing* them - actively participating in and planning a variety of terror plots. If that were true, *and* proven, you would probably concede the killing was justified, at least "morally" if not legally. But here's the thing - this claim is just that, a claim. An assertion. It rests on secret evidence. Not only is the evidence itself secret, but so is the method of obtaining that e... more »

Quadruple Murder, Government-Style

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 16 hours ago
The *New York Times* is now in the True Confessions business. In an obviously pre-approved leak immune from DOJ subpoena, the front page articleby Charlie Savage can best be described as the warm-up act to tomorrow's killer of a speech by Barack Obama. To soften the Obama shocker for those who've not been paying attention, Attorney General Eric Holder is finally admitting that our government has killed four Americans in drone strikes! One of the homicides, says Holder, was the planned offing of radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. The other three, including the killing of Awlaki's 16-yea... more »

Checking Off My Bucket List- My KSL TV Interview

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 16 hours ago
I have a bucket list about a mile long. It includes visiting all 50 states, reading the entire works of William Shakespeare and the most scary for me, being on live television. Today I had the opportunity to check off that last one. Housewife Eclectic was featured as KSL News' Blog of the Week. I was a bundle of nerves right up until the moment the camera's started rolling and then a calm came over me and I actually had a really amazing time. Here is the interview. I want to thank all of the people at KSL and a few of my favorite bloggers and best friends in the whole world t... more »

The world is getting better

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 16 hours ago
Yes! Good news! Bad news sells. There are big and real problems on our horizon. But with doom and gloom all around (and yes, I confess, you’ll read it here too) it’s worth stepping back occasionally to see the big picture: that human economic activity is making the world a better place in which to live. Check out the 31 Charts That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity, and you’ll see what I mean. [Hat tip Kelly Valenzuela] *UPDATE*: Good news of human achievement needs suitable visuals. So here’s the Empire State Building: Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact a... more »

Michael James : Bill at Chester's Hamburger King

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 16 hours ago
Bill at Chester's Hamburger King, Chicago, Fall 1977. Photo by Michael James from his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James' Pictures from the Long Haul. Pictures from the Long Haul: Bill at Chester's Hamburger King A classic Chicago cross-over place, you would find cops, workers, healers and dealers, martial artists, radicals, hot rod mechanics, Cubs coaches and Cub fans,

Fiscal conservatives are killing us

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 17 hours ago
It's always useful to remember budgets are only political documents. They're a rhetorical weapon of mass deception. Appropriations are the real deal. And more proof that the GOP really doesn't give a flying leap about budgets, even as they now refuse to go to conference to pass one, Republicans are furiously slicing and dicing funding to circumvent the sequestration cuts. Of course they never offer specifics but the plan "focuses the biggest cuts" on aid to local school districts, health research and enforcement of labor laws. Also: Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security and the Pen... more »

Musical Interlude: Moody Blues, “You and Me”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 17 hours ago
Moody Blues, “You and Me” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7UZ5oVYmb8

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 17 hours ago
Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands. Thanks for stopping by.

The Religion of Peace: Another London Edition

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 17 hours ago
Yes folks, the Religion of Peace has struck again in broad daylight, in Woolwich, London. News updating here: Terrorists scream Alluha Akhbar as they cut a British soldier's head off in broad daylight *UPDATE*: A note from Bosch Fawstin on the inevitable excuses to come: Muslims have been killing Non-Muslims *because* they're Non-Muslims for over a Thousand years because Islam Exhorts them to. Every other reason is Pretext. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

The Poet: Mary Oliver, "When Death Comes"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 17 hours ago
* * *"When Death Comes"* "When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn, when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me, and snaps his purse shut; when death comes like the measle-pox; when death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades, I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering; what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness? And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and I look upon time as no more than an idea, and I consider eternity as another possibility, and I think of each life as a flo... more »

Free Download: Walt Whitman, "Leaves of Grass"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 17 hours ago
"Love the earth and sun and animals, Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, Stand up for the stupid and crazy, Devote your income and labor to others... And your very flesh shall be a great poem." ~ Walt Whitman • Freely download "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman here: - http://manybooks.net/titles/whitmanwetext98lvgrs10.html

Keep Oklahoma in your prayers tonight after the massive F- 5 Tornado hits Moore , Oklahoma !

Catharsis Ours - 17 hours ago
<h2 style="color: #be1e2d; font-family: nimbus-sans, sans-s

"What We Really Need"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 18 hours ago

Cruz (TX) Doesn't Like Anybody

2old2care at Because I Can - 18 hours ago
'cept himself. Had to laugh when I saw this. I know people like him. They don’t like anybody but themselves I’m pretty sure that’s a DSM-V diagnosable condition known as Sociopathic Narcissism Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Wednesday defended his objection … "The senior senator from Arizona urged this body to trust the Republicans. Let me be clear, I don't trust the Republicans," Cruz said. "And I don't trust the Democrats."

The Coming Corporate Control of Medicine Will Undoubtedly Line Their Pockets and Pick Ours

I've been against the onrushing locomotive of the new (and final?) USA health care system/program (debacle) advocated by the Obamabots since the first moment I heard it was merely the old MA Romney-care (rewritten in secret by the Heritage/Koch Foundation insurance company radicals) dressed up in/by a 21st century outfit. I also have been thoroughly convinced that when Obama is given the chance

Are Russel Norman and Bernard Hickey watching?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 19 hours ago
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was voted in promising the electorate he would “print” money to infinity. The promise, premised on destroying his currency, was supposed to boost Japanese exports and throttle imports. So five months after the election, you might be wondering how Abenomics is doing? Well, he got his wish about the Yen. It is being destroyed… But how about the promises he made when this happened—that it would produce prosperity and boost exports? Japan's insane policy has so far pumped the stock market up by 35% and crushed the yen down by 22%. The results? Impor... more »

Introduction

What Is Sustainable at What Is Sustainable - 19 hours ago
Welcome to *Sustainable or Bust!* This collection of rants and reviews explores facets of genuine, ecological sustainability. In the old-fashioned sense of the word, sustainability has to do with living in a way that doesn’t diminish the ecosystem over the passage of thousands of years. The ravens, deer, and salmon have mastered a way of life that has no need for soil mining, water mining, fish mining, forest mining. Only humans have figured out how to break the laws of nature, and nature is not amused. Good old-fashioned fundamentalist sustainability is largely ignored these da... more »

Ted Cruz don't trust nobody but himself

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 19 hours ago
You'll recall the House GOP passed a ridiculous budget based on Paul Ryan's roadmap to ruin back in March knowing full well it had zero chance of survival. Boehner thought he was being very clever with this pass the buck manuver. The GOPers immediately launched a mass tirade demanding Democrats pass their own damn budget in the Senate. Much to everyone's surprise, the Democrats did just that two months ago. According to normal process, the two budgets would go to a Senate/House conference committee shortly thereafter and a single compromise bill would emerge. But there is no normal... more »

“A ‘Grandiose Government’ Experiment”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
*“A ‘Grandiose Government’ Experiment”* by Addison Wiggin “I have a grandson who is afraid to get out of bed at night,” Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) told the besmirched former head of the IRS on Friday. “He thinks there’s someone under the bed that’s going to grab him… most Americans feel that way about the IRS.” The scene: a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. We happened to catch this particular piece of political theater as we were getting ready to leave our hotel in Sao Paulo for the return trip to Baltimore. Even in Brazil, the spectacle of our Internal Revenue Serv... more »

Rudolf Steiner On Plato, Mathematics, Seekers of Knowledge, And The Truth

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 19 hours ago
Related: * * *Rudolf Steiner On Cultivating The Higher Organs*. *Rudolf Steiner On Ancient Indian Vedanta Wisdom*. Below is an excerpt from Rudolf Steiner's book, *"Theosophy: An Introduction to the Spiritual Processes in Human Life and in the Cosmos."*1994. Anthroposophic Press: Hudson, New York. Pg. 187 - 189. "Plato required those applying to his school to take a course in mathematics first. Since the strict laws of mathematics are not subject to the ordinary course of sensory phenomena, they make a very good preparation for seekers of knowledge, who must put aside personal ... more »

History revisited: on the trails of no longer lost civilizations

address-withheld@my.opera.com.invalid (Dr. John v. Kampen) at - 19 hours ago
Link: http://youtu.be/etmhB2ZwqJs *When fiction and facts meet*, thanks modern technologies, we may get different views on the history of civilizations than we were told before. History as we appear to 'know' it, is a hodgepodge of fables, even the modern parts of history. Often it is merely what we were told to believe. Large parts of European history for example were constructed for religious reasons. Going back in time over 1.000 years we get lost in fragmentary remains that could mean anything to different people, leaving us to believe what others told us about them centuries a... more »

BTW: Trey Gowdy was right! Lois Lerner to be hauled back to testify...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 19 hours ago
*the God's of truth are doing the happy dance.* From Politico: *Darrell Issa: Lois Lerner lost her rights* Trey Gowdy at his best!

Which Georgia Extremist Will Out-Extreme All The Others?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 19 hours ago
Republican voters seem more and more insane lately-- like in the last decade. No one believes in all the trumped up "scandals" Republican congressional obstructionists are pushing out to a media desperate for fireworks except GOP voters. And in the Old Confederate states, the Republican base is far crazier than the representatives they elect (except for a few like Louie Gohmert, Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and domestic terrorist suspect Steve Stockman). And speaking of Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey... Those two crackpots are among a gaggle of crackpots running for the Republican nomi... more »

"IRS: Incredible Abuses of Democracy"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
*"IRS: Incredible Abuses of Democracy"* by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "Professor William Black is an expert in white collar crime. When it comes to the IRS scandal, Dr. Black says, “This is everybody’s fear. This is a real fear and not made up. You can produce incredible abuses of democracy if you use the IRS as a weapon.” Dr. Black contends, “It was precisely First Amendment activities that the IRS targeted under the Obama Administration. At best, they were completely asleep at the wheel.” Dr. Black isn’t sure higher-ups are going to jail but says, “The clear unbelievable thin... more »

Something a little special

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 20 hours ago
I found this on Bowiesongs Extras, the final page of the original manuscript of James Joyce's *The Dead*. The blogger quite aptly says "I cannot imagine what it's like to sit at your desk, look down and see that you've just written *those* lines".

Trifecta: Obamacare: A looming nightmare...(video)

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 20 hours ago
*have I mentioned the IRS will be overseeing your healthcare?* On a brighter note, over at *Huff and Puff, *of the over 7000 comments about *Lois Lerner taking the 5th *almost 100% of them are against Obama. Now tell me again about his high approval ratings. * * I apologize for not answering comments and the lack of posts. The overload of both my outside work, my three day work schedule, and the unending scandals has left me worn out and dispirited. I believe Alinsky would call it "overloading the system." I also apologize to those of you who have linked to me. I never look at... more »

Petraeus, king of the self-promoters!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 20 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013* *His response to a sane man’s request:* In this morning’s Washington Post, Scott Wilson and Karen DeYoung present an important front-page report. Kevin Drum gets the nugget quote right. But first, let’s get clear on the background. In the wake of the Benghazi attack, some of the capital’s decent people wanted to behave in a responsible way. Not everyone in DC is crazy. According to Wilson and DeYoung, at least one congressman wanted to avoid the most obvious types of errors: WILSON AND DEYOUNG (5/22/13): The controversy over the Obama administration’s r... more »

Big cats and stuff

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 20 hours ago
There is an extract in today’s Guardian taken from an upcoming book by George Monbiot, called Feral. Judging by the Amazon review, it seems to cover a similar area to Mike Davis’s essay Maneaters of the Sierra Madre, from his Ecology of Fear (civilisation-nature, environment-consciousness etc). The extract is about big cat sightings in Britain. There is no big cat population in Britain. Though there may be feral big cats loose in the countryside at any point in time they will be individuals. Though big cats are elusive (the most commonly described cat resembles the black leopard –... more »

And Now, a Word From Cyril Blubberpuss, Esq: Athletics edition

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 20 hours ago
Dear St. Charles Borromeo Seminary: I have read* *with great relief and strictly manly shedding of tears of your program that starts tomorrow and lasting through the 26th and seeks to purge hale, all-American heterosexual young men of the bane of same sex attraction through your sporting camp. Because if manly virility cannot be vouchsafed by celibate, androgynous men wearing robes, funny shoes and hats, then to whom will the task fall? In fact, speaking of banes, I was saying to Mitt Romney the other day as I'd just shoved my freshly-shined size 10 wingtip into the bo... more »

Games? We Don’t Have Time for #Games!

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 20 hours ago
I’d like to share the moment I realized that school was no longer a place for learning, but had instead become a place for training. In 2009, I taught math in a middle school in Oregon. It was close enough to the Common Core implementation that we were starting to hear the buzz and receive […]

Woolwich Murder: Spectacle and Message

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 20 hours ago
Barbarism. That is the only word fit to describe the events that unfolded on a Woolwich street this afternoon. According to eye witnesses a young man wearing a Hope for Heroes shirt was run over and then hacked to death by two men of "Muslim appearance" [sic]. The perpetrators then explained their motives to passers by and into camera (now hosted by ITV News) and apparently shouted "Allahu Akbar" at irregular intervals. When the police showed up, they allegedly charged them and were promptly shot by armed officers, then taken to hospital. Let's just be clear about a couple of thin... more »

Outsourced Trolling, Weak Replies and More Bad Research:Javedanfar's Former Students Unsuccessfully Defend Their Mentor

Nima Shirazi at Wide Asleep in America - 21 hours ago
In response to a recent article I wrote addressing a number of false statements made by Israeli analyst Meir Javedanfar in an April 22 Guardian op-ed, a few comments were posted on Muftah, an online magazine for which I am an editor, and where my article was originally posted. The comments, in general, are inane and eye-roll worthy.  Still, as they were clearly posted at the explicit urging

Still crazy after these twenty-four hours!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 21 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013* *The meltdown of CBS News:* One day later, we were puzzled. Did CBS News really do that, we found ourselves wondering. On May 10, did they really publish the crazy news report we looked at yesterday, via that link from Glenn Kessler’s Fact Checker piece? For yesterday’s post, just click this. Out of curiosity, we clicked Kessler's link again—and sure enough, there it was! In the CBS report as it now appears, Sharyl Attkisson explains the way the Benghazi talking points were formulated in mid-September through an extensive e-mail exchange. Attkisson presen... more »

No, Don't Wait Two Months For Public Opinion Effects

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 21 hours ago
Is it worth a post over a headline? I suppose so...that's what people read, after all. Michael Catalini writes over at National Journal today goes over the public opinion reaction to Watergate, Iran/Contra, and Lewinsky. His accounting of Iran/Contra and Lewinsky are fine, but he's a bit tripped up on Watergate. I wouldn't bother, but the headline and subhead are awful: Wait About Two Months, Then Check the President's Approval Rating Reagan and Nixon saw their approval ratings drop two months after Iran-Contra and Watergate. Clinton was a different story. Actually, I wrote about t... more »

Global Warming Debunked: NASA Report Verifies Carbon Dioxide Actually COOLS Atmosphere!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 21 hours ago
It has indeed been a while since I put up an article to take a shot at the fraud known as man-made "Global Warming". I figured that this was an appropriate time considering the very long and very cold winter that we have just been subjected to here in North America.. That alone should have finally convinced the most ardent "Global Warming" supporters that they have been taken for fools and that the entire "Global Warming" stunt is a massive scam... I had put up many articles already at this blog where I laid it out plain and simple that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is absolutely NOT a so ... more »

The Calm Before

gail zawacki at Wit's End - 21 hours ago
“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly.” ― Marcus Aurelius, *Meditations* * * It has been a strangely entrancing but melancholy May. Imagine, the title of this post was drafted days ago, before the havoc from the Oklahoma tornadoes. I decided on it even before early wildfires began in unlikely places, and before the massive floods in China, because of the overwhelming sense that this spring's little calm hiatus here at Wit's End can only be temporary. Anyone who is paying attention (and, apparently that's not very many!) ... more »

在阿富汗领域的罂粟生长。 十字架之间。 排排。

Barbara Diamond at American Scofflaw - 21 hours ago
HaHaHaHaha..lol..骗了你

Statement from Leonard Peltier on Oklahoma Tornado Tragegy

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 21 hours ago
Statement from Leonard on the Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy Friends, Relatives, Supporters, and to the People of Oklahoma, There are so many things in life that we question. We think that life isn't fair. We wonder why so many innocent people have to suffer and what the lesson is, in all of this. I am thinking of the many, many people who were devastated by the tornado that ripped through Moore

Satire: “Obama Asks Staff to Start Cc’ing Him on Stuff”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 21 hours ago
* * *“Obama Asks Staff to Start Cc’ing Him on Stuff”* by Andy Borowitz WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “In a dramatic departure from existing White House procedures, President Obama requested today that his staff start cc’ing him on stuff. “Look, I know a lot of you think I’m really busy and you don’t want to bother me,” the President reportedly told his staff in an Oval Office meeting. “But cc me anyway. It’s good for me to keep up on what’s going on around here. It’s not good when I turn on the news and they’re talking about something at the White House and I’m like, whoa, whe... more »

Mohawk Nation News 'Designer Terrorism'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 22 hours ago
DESIGNER TERRORISM Posted on May 22, 2013 Peace at last! MNN. MAY 21, 2012. The word government means; to control (govern) the mind (mente), this action is terrorism.   Canadian Prime Minister Harper’s job is to continue using this terrorist strategy. A terrorist attack, demonizing tactic or friendly dictator is a scripted performance. Terrorism is the constant use

WIFI stops cress growing

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 22 hours ago
that thing that's in your house, probably on all the time, connected to your mobile phones and wireless devices i.e. WIFI ... it kills cress. Or rather five girls from form 9b in Hjallerup School in North Jutland DK have found that, "If you're trying to grow cress don't put it near the WIFI router." *[forwarding source TAP]* Okay, got that? cress grown away from WIFI cress grown beside WIFI router “It is truly frightening that there is so much affect, so we were very shocked by the result”, says Lea Nielsen, one of the girls. NOTHING WRONG WITH WIFI then, it's totally safe.

The "Malibu Effect" and Why Greed is Not Good for You

Len Hart at The Existentialist Cowboy - 22 hours ago
*by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy* Inflation is crudely defined as too many dollars chasing too few products. A good example of inflation: in 1960 $30,000 would buy you a mansion. 30,000 today will buy you an outhouse. That's most probably inflation. Not inflation, however, is the effect that income disparities have on markets. When a smaller percentage of the population takes in a greater percentage of the nation's wealth, people who may seem to be earning the same amount of money are actually LOSING ground because of what I call the Malibu effect. As the rich get even richer... more »

REPORT / Mariann G. Wizard : 'La Vida Coca' in Bolivia and Peru / 3

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 22 hours ago
Coroico is the administrative capital of Bolivia's Nor Yungas province. The town hall façade features the coca leaf and coffee bean of local agriculture in addition to the exotic bird of tourism, the area's main economic activities. All photos by Mariann G. Wizard / The Rag Blog, unless otherwise credited. La Vida Coca /3:  Currents in traditional coca  use in Bolivia and Peru Regular

Dancing panda

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 22 hours ago

Shirley Youxjeste : Mexican Teachers Take to Streets on 'Teachers' Day'

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 22 hours ago
Militant teachers demonstrate in Mexico City, May 15, 2013. Photo by Fritz Schtickelmeyer / MexDFmagazine. Marching against education 'reforms': Teachers' Day in Mexico: Teachers who earn about $600 a month, work two jobs, and bear constant insults in the media, see that, just this one day, government and media sources thank them. By Shirley Youxjeste / The Rag Blog / May 22, 2013 GUERRERO,

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 23 hours ago
*Saints coach Sean Payton listed as highest paid coach in US sports! ~Forbes * *NOPD asks: Have you seen this pig statue? ~Gambit*

The cause of the attack remains a mystery?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 23 hours ago
When even the BBC report thus: '1744: Senior Whitehall sources have told the BBC that the Woolwich attackers are thought to have tried to film their attack whilst shouting "Allahu Akbar" - God is Great, says political editor Nick Robinson. The Prime Minister is expected to speak to the Home Secretary at 18:15 BST from a train to Paris about what is now being treated by government as a suspected terrorist attack, Mr Robinson says.' If this is true then can anyone seriously doubt that this was an Islamic terrorist attack? Presumably the cause will excused as being because of the B... more »

Catch of the Day

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 23 hours ago
From last evening, actually: Dave Weigel notes that Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee have invented a "tradition" that it takes 60 votes to raise the debt limit. He also makes an excellent point about why most Senators don't want to establish any such tradition: Nobody likes to have a pro-debt limit vote on the record, so votes to raise it are usually pretty limited and partisan. In 2012, the last time the Senate gave the thumbs-up to a debt limit hike, it got only 52 votes. So the Cruz/Paul/Lee gambit will fail, it's in the interest of most Republicans that it fail, and the rebels ... more »

Forget Peak Oil, start worrying about Peak Water – Between 1900 and 2008, the US lost 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of groundwater

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 23 hours ago
[image: Cumulative groundwater depletion in the coastal plain aquifer system of Georgia and adjacent northeast Florida, 1900 through 2008. Graphic: USGS] By Todd Woody 20 May 2013 (Quartz) – A report released today by the US Geological Survey (USGS) today shows that Americans are sucking dry the aquifers that irrigate their crops and supply their drinking water. Between 1900 and 2008, the US lost 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles) of groundwater. That’s twice the volume of the water in Lake Erie. It gets worse. The rate of groundwater depletion is accelerating, according ... more »

Syria: Strategic battle for Qusair. Israeli talkin' tough. What about Qatar?

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 23 hours ago
*Two related updates at the bottom: scroll down * *Consider this an update on the post from yesterday*: *Syria: Turkeys' military escapades; Israeli jeep enters Syrian territory & more* Concerning the taking, by the Syrian Army, of a strategic town near Lebanon This town has got to be extremely important, judging by today's news *NATO merc footage:* *Syria opposition calls for reinforcements in embattled Qusair* *(this story has changed from this am. quotes below are from original.)* Syria's leading opposition group called on Wednesday for rebels across the country to send reinfor... more »

Chris Christie Still Counting On New Jersey Voters To Pick A Pig In A Poke

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 23 hours ago
"It's official: Governor Christie is a card carrying member of the Flat Earth Society. We know that climate change is causing more severe weather, like Hurricane Sandy. But Governor Christie ignores overwhelming scientific evidence in favor of right-wing ideology. It's no surprise coming from a governor who's rolled back environmental protections, defunded investment in clean energy and withdrawn our state from a regional effort to reduce greenhouse gases. New Jersey should be leading efforts to fight climate change, not burying our heads in the sand." -Barbara Buono Barbara Buono,... more »

In-between

risa bear at A Way to Live - 23 hours ago
One of the things we do when it's too wet to play in the garden, and in between other projects, is get in wood. This used to involve sharpening the gasoline powered chain saw, fire up the pickup, go get a permit, head forty miles into the mountains, compete with other homesteaders for the picked-over trashwood on the landing, load up, and drive the groaning truck back down the sharp mountain curves, trying not to run over other, often not dirt-road-wise, permittees scrabbling their way up the washboard gravel. We're a little too old for that. But still cooking on wood. Our own plac... more »

RepubliCONS are FAR TOO NICE!!!

2old2care at Because I Can - 1 day ago
Oh my god! These folks are definitely smoking something! Evidently - they are not aware of the obstruction happening inCongress. Evidently - they haven't been watching the news lately - what was that about again - Republicans lying???? again and again and again And wasn't there another vote to repeal Obamacares - oh yeh, for the 37th time. Here's a piece from the Tea Party When it comes to politics, the left plays hardball. They go for the throat every time. *Conservatives are far too nice. We want to get along and go along*. We believe in the free market of ideas and *we be... more »

Climate-change disasters worry UN – ‘Natural disasters are not only becoming more frequent but are becoming more vehement’

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 1 day ago
[image: Opening ceremony of the Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction at the International Conference Center of Geneva, 21 May 2013. Photo: Jean-Marc Ferré / UN] New York, 22 May 2013 (AFP) – The world needs to wake up to the risk of a spike in natural disasters linked to climate change and strive to find ways to cut the human and economic cost, the United Nations warned yesterday. "We live in a time of huge natural disasters which are made worse by climate change," the UN's deputy secretary-general, Jan Eliasson, told reporters at the start of a three-... more »

Steve, the Accountability Guy

Alison at Creekside - 1 day ago
That was Stand Up Comedy for Canada from Mr. Accountability Guy, Stephen Harper, in 2006. Yesterday Steve never mentioned the under-the-table Perrin/Wright/Duffy hush money cheque, nor the cheque issuer or recipient in his speech about it to his caucus. But just a little over 100 words into his 1000 word speech, Steve did spare a moment to mention Adscam and his pissy mood about what he did not mention, before blowing off the whole unmentionable thing as a "distraction" and winding up with "Let's get back to work". Today, however, from the distance of some 6000 kms away in Peru, ... more »

The First #Finland Comparison I’ve Cared About in Months

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
I’ve told people that I’m tired of hearing the ongoing, back-and-forth debate about Finland’s educational model. Christine McCartney is a New York teacher currently teaching and researching in Finland, which means I’m more likely to listen to her. She has been putting together some pretty great material and resources to help put both sides in […]

Fiduciary duty

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
The Toronto Party v. Toronto (City), 2013 ONCA 327 discusses how fiduciary duties arise: [37] The concept of fiduciary obligation has a venerable lineage rooted in the notion of breach of confidence, an original head of jurisdiction in Chancery: *Gué**rin v. The Queen*, [1984] 2 S.C.R. 335, at p. 383. Where by statute, agreement, or perhaps by unilateral undertaking, one party has an obligation to act for the benefit of another and that obligation carries with it a discretionary power, the party thus empowered becomes a fiduciary. Equity intervenes to supervise the relationshi... more »

The new network dramas must be very dumb!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2013* *Even Dowd says they’re too shlocky:* Luckily, nothing of significance is going on in the world today. There is no issue that needs explanation or clarification. We know that because Maureen Dowd is writing about the major networks' new TV programs. Apparently, these shows are so dumb that even Dowd has noticed. And the famous Pulitzer winner is just *plenty* annoyed: DOWD (5/22/13): *It turns out that Washington isn’t the only place where ideas go to die.* TV honchos cling to outmoded programming traditions even as many younger Americans, gorging on a m... more »

Vitamin C kills drug resistant TB

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
Vitamin C can kill multidrug-resistant TB in the lab, scientists have found. The surprise discovery may point to a new way of tackling this increasingly hard-to-treat infection, the US study authors from Yeshiva University An estimated 650,000 people worldwide have multidrug-resistant TB. Studies are now needed to see* if a treatment that works using the same action as vitamin C* would be useful as a TB drug in humans. While the findings of this study appear promising, further research to confirm the observations would be essential before Vitamin C can be used to supplement TB t... more »

ARE YOU SAFE?

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 1 day ago
The manchurian Candidate.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpYxkNf94LU&feature=player_detailpage Manchurian II http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gO72dK4HjA http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XpYxkNf94LU Seed Newsvine

Open Hearts Gives Marie a Second Chance

John Carroll at Dying in Haiti - 1 day ago
Open hearts give Haitian patient a 2nd chance - The Naperville Sun couriernews.suntimes.com/lifestyles/200… via @napervillesun — John A. Carroll (@haitianhearts) May 22, 2013

Top 10 warning signs you may be a ‘Guardian Left’ anti-Semite from CiF Watch

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
Here's the first two: ' 1. You claim the mantle of human rights yet find yourself running interference for anti-Semitic world leaders and helping to spread the propaganda of Islamist extremists - and even terrorist leaders who openly call for the murder of Jews. 2. You claim to condemn racism at every opportunity yet are strangely silent or seriously downplay even the most egregious examples of antisemitic violence.' More here http://cifwatch.com/2013/05/22/top-10-warning-signs-you-may-be-a-guardian-left-anti-semite/ I wonder how many of these apply to certain people who I ha... more »

FIGHT BACK GROWS IN NORTH CAROLINA

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
Fifty-seven protestors were arrested Monday at the North Carolina General Assembly, bringing the demonstrations led by the state chapter of the NAACP to their highest total in their fourth straight week. Hundreds thronged the Senate rotunda to show support for demonstrations that are drawing increasing numbers of people to Raleigh for what the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is calling "Moral Mondays." General Assembly Police Chief Jeff Weaver placed the arrest count at 57, which brings the total over four weeks to 158. The beauty is to see the diversit... more »

Study Finds Vitamin C Kills Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 1 day ago
*Activist Post* In a striking, unexpected discovery, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have determined that vitamin C kills drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture. The finding suggests that vitamin C added to existing TB drugs could shorten TB therapy, and it highlights a new area for drug design. The study was published today in the online journal Nature Communications. TB is caused by infection with the bacterium M. tuberculosis. In 2011, TB sickened some 8.7 million people and took some 1.4 million lives, according... more »

Lois Lerner: "I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other Congressional committee."...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*other than that, she really doesn't have anything to say to the committee or the American people. Thanks for taking time out of your very busy schedule to stop by, Lois.* *Meanwhile:* * Under The Radar – Gang of Ocho Immigration Reform Advances While Everyone is Distracted….. (Must watch video)* *More:* Michelle Malkin: *The Obama crony in charge of your medical records* Freedom Works: *It’s No Longer Obamacare — It’s IRScare*

Crack Cocaine & Child Pornography

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 day ago
Scene from the 2013 Sun Media Celebrity WeekendIf things keep going on as they've been going, ... are we going to end up hearing about how Rob Ford is going to appear on "To Catch a Predator: Canadian Edition"? Inquiring minds want to know. Given the moral caliber of our "conservative" overlords, is it possible that Ford, harper, Flanagan and the Duffmeister General (and whatever harpercon/Con scumbag you care to think of) are all hiding out at Duffy's cottage smoking crack and watching child pornography? I'm just asking here. Rob Ford's latest Chief of Staff takes a question.

Wednesday Addams Linkage

PM at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
It’s so disorienting to be posting on a Wednesday! I’d like to begin with a bleg: I’m in the market for a platform that allows for easy screencasting. In other words, if you wanted to have 6 to 10 users simultaneously viewing a series of slides, but you thought that Google Hangout was just a Continue reading

Mapping IR Theory

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
Thanks to the patience of the former EJIR editorial team, PTJ and I will have an article in the forthcoming special issue on the “End of IR Theory?” Only the first 35-40% resembles the working paper (PDF) we posted at the Duck. Even the name has changed. We still argue in favor of thinking about international-relations theory Continue reading

IMF Calls on Cameron Tories to Change Course

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 1 day ago
Britain's Conservative Cameron government are the High Priests of bone-crushing austerity. David Cameron and his gaggle of privileged Saville Row suiters are not interested in sparing the lash when it comes to Britain's weak and vulnerable. Meanwhile, Steve Harper looks on with fawning admiration at everything he wishes he could be. Yet Cameron has now run afoul of that bastion of radical socialism, the International Monetary Fund. The IMF is crying "enough already" and pleading with Cameron to reverse course if only to boost the British economy. *It said the £10bn-worth of sp... more »

Xbox One next-generation: Microsoft

Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox One which will go on sale later on this year. The next-generation console was shown off alongside a new Kinect sensor and a redesigned gamepad. The US firm described the voice and gesture-controlled machine as an all-in-one system offering games, live TV, movies and music. *The firm's Entertainment and Devices Division accounted for $9.6bn worth of sales in Microsoft's last economic year. * That only represented about 13% of its total revenue for the period - but one analyst said the importance of this launch should not be underestimated. *Microso... more »

The Pearson Test

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
From Stan Karp: Take the Pearson Test: See if you qualify for millions in tax breaks too! 1. NJ is giving over $60 million in tax subsidies to the British-based test publishing giant Pearson, even though the company: A. is sending over 500 jobs out of NJ to NYC B. made profits of $1.4 billion last […]

Utilitarianism and Empathy, or: Are Kantians Abnormally Empathic?

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Munthe) at Philosophical Comment - 1 day ago
I just made some comments on a new psychology research article on the topic of how moral judgement link to emotional features in the journal PLOS ONE, entitled *Low Levels of Empathic Concern Predict Utilitarian Moral Judgment*. As with other articles of this type, I am a bit concerned by the sloppy use of ethical theoretical terminology among psychology and cognitive science researchers, as well as biased reportings of results. The secondary title of this little post is meant as a well-meant and humorous wink to the authors of the article and other researchers in the field of mora... more »

It feels like the Right has split irrevocably - Telegraph

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
Something to worry any democrat. 'The prospect of PR should fill us with horror. It allows politicians to stitch up deals after the voters have had their say and denies the country strong government at moments of crisis. But if neither Labour nor the Tories are capable of commanding a broad sweep of public opinion on polling day, it is where we are headed.' More here http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/news/politics/ukip/10068930/It-feels-like-the-Right-has-split-irrevocably.html

Did Somebody Mention Bruce Carson?

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 1 day ago
Oh yes, I did. I mentioned Bruce Carson simply to reinforce the point that the beating heart of corruption within the Harper government is, in fact, the Prime Minister's Office, the PMO. The denizens of the PMO aren't all outstanding, accomplished A-List types like Nigel Wright. Harper's PMO has been a comfy way station for real scoundrels such as convicted fraudster and disgraced, disbarred lawyer Bruce Carson, who used his position inside to pursue his nefarious ways. Remember what Bruce Harper had to say about Stephen Carson? (wait, did I get that mixed up? no, they're sort ... more »

Just do it!

Capt. Fogg at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
By Capt. Fogg Perhaps Fred Phelps Jr. is getting slow, or perhaps he has to type with one hand because he's so exited at God's wrath being inflicted on Moore, Oklahoma. The very thought of little children being crushed or torn to pieces as they scream in terror must excite him past the point of self control. It took him hours to inform us that this disaster was the result of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball star Kevin Durant’s public support for gay basketball player Jason Collins. God works in mysterious ways, but there's nothing mysterious about Fred unless you're interested in ... more »

TARIQ ALI ON SYRIA

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
Hezbollah militants have joined forces with pro-Assad troops in the fearce fight for control of a rebel stronghold on Syria's border with Lebanon. The town of Qusair is considered a key entry point for smuggling arms into Syria. Middle East expert Tariq Ali believes the recent escalation of sectarian violence in the region is being used by the West to target Iran.

DC schools bet the farm and then some on #commoncore. Good luck with that.

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
DC loves its reform. Especially those based on faith, not evidence. Education Week writes about what they call the “common core era.” Wow, I thought, you know, at least six months had to pass before we’re officially in an era. In a year, it might be an epoch. How well the school district can reach […]

Iraq Announces New Date For Delayed Elections In Anbar And Ninewa Provinces

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 1 day ago
Iraq recently held provincial elections in twelve of its eighteen provinces. Voting did not take place in Anbar and Ninewa however, because the government had indefinitely postponed them there. Now a date has finally been given for those governorates to have their day at the ballot box in June 2013. Security was the official reason given for the delay, but it was widely believed that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wanted to stop candidates supported by the protest movements there from gaining power. That move has likely backfired as the demonstrations are going on as strong as eve... more »

Celebrity Losing Popularity?

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
George Parker looks at celebrity, building on the renewed interest in The Great Gatsby: What are celebrities, after all? They dominate the landscape, like giant monuments to aspiration, fulfillment and overreach. They are as intimate as they are grand, and they offer themselves for worship by ordinary people searching for a suitable object of devotion. […]

BE GMO-FREE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
On Saturday, March 25 there will be a Global March Against Monsanto. In Portland, Maine I will be attending the protest at 2:00 pm at Monument Square. Stand up and demand to be GMO-free!

Need more sleeps

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago

New York Mall Kiosks Raided by Homeland Security for "Terrorism" Goods

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 1 day ago
Activist Post Some people still might be unaware of just how long the reach of Homeland Security has become. How about counterfeit goods as possible terrorism? That is what has been suggested fairly recently as DHS has begun to conduct an increasing number of raids in several states over the past few years aimed at rooting out this "threat to our liberty and economy." Operations such as 2012's "Operation Fashion Faux Pas" was part of a six-month crackdown that closed 20 businesses. As the video below illustrates, hundreds of others have been swept up in similar raids, many of whic... more »
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