Brünnhilde brings Sieglinde to her surprised sisters. Illustration to Richard Wagner's Die Walküre. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Sunday Classics preview: Brünnhilde asks, "Who am I if I were not your will?" Question: Is it ever OK for a daughter to say such a thing to her father?
*Deborah Voigt as Brünnhilde and Bryn Terfel as Wotan in the new Met
production of Die Walküre, 2011*
*BRÜNNHILDE* [*answers *WOTAN* softly*]:
To Wotan's will you're speaking;
you can say what you will;
what am I,
if not your will alone?
*-- English singing translation by Andrew Porter*
*[A]*
*[B]*
*[C]*
*[D]*
*Our four Brünnhildes could be drawn from this list (in alphabetical
order): Kirsten Flagstad, Rita Hunter, Birgit Nilsson, and Astrid Varnay*
*by Ken*
There are, of course, parents who truly don't want their children to be
independent -- indeed, whole cultures that depen... more »
Untitled
*NORMAN BETHUNE AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION: A GREAT CANADIAN LIE *
If you visit pretty well any Canadian government site, or one
receiving its funding from the government, you will come across the
claim
that the Canadian Communist surgeon Norman Bethune founded the
*first*mobile blood transfusion unit in the world during his brief stay
in Spain
during the Spanish Civil War. This claim was set forth by Bethune
himself,
and it has been repeated by such institutions as Library and Archives
Canada, Parks Canada, The Canadian Encyclopedia and the National Film
Board. The reality is quite... more »
No thanks to Senate Republican obstructionists, Democratic-appointed judges begin to take their place in the federal judiciary
*by Ken*
It seems to me just a matter of time before those polls showing voters
ready to punish Republicans for the antics of their farthest-right cohort
start to fade. Even the Teabaggers are likely to be let off the hook, but
it's not going to be that long before we're hearing that *only* the
unabashed nutjobs, the certified far-right crazies, are to be held
accountable for turning the functioning of our government into a
pirate-themed carnival.
So it seems to me all the more important to get out the word that the
modern-day Republican Party is hooliganish, mentally defective g... more »
Does Mike Allen Wonder Why People Don't Vote? I think I may know why.....
Back in the spring I wrote a post about one of our local MLA's here. The
guy is foolish enough to go to Minnesota on government business and got
caught up in a prostitution sting. Yeah, big oops. Being a politician, he
gave the appearance of doing the right thing (after he was caught,
naturally) by resigning from the Tory caucus the next day. With an upcoming
trial (which has now seen a delay from September until next month) I was
hopeful he'd do the right thing and resign his seat as well.
So much for that. Sure, he's not my MLA as he represents the other half of
Fort McMurray, bu... more »
Friday Baseball Post
So, Tim Lincecum, two years, $35M.
Here's what I think. It all comes down to one thing: is Tim Lincecum likely
to be a reasonable rotation starter for the next two years?
If you think so, then...well, yes, he's overpriced, but it's better to
spend $17M on a $10M starting pitcher than to spend $10M and give 20+
starts to a guy who shouldn't be on the roster. Sabean was looking at three
open rotation spots; there's absolutely no guarantee that he could have
filled all three with guys you want to take the ball 33 times each at any
price. At any rate, if he's a league-average starter t... more »
African Immigrants
So, in my line of work, I've ended up working with co-workers who are
African immigrants. This is really a new one on me. In retrospect, it's not
all that amazing. I've heard of Somali refugees, and Eritreans, ... and
there've been a couple of cabbies from the Sudan come to think of it.
But in my working experience, immigrant co-workers have been mainly Eastern
European, South Asian, and Vietnamese, truth be told.
One dude was from the Congo. He grew up in Brussels, Belgium though, lived
in Paris, London, New York City, and settled finally in Toronto. (For some
strange reason, he'd... more »
WALK PHOTOS FROM AUGUSTA EVENT
Finally got the photos from inside the Hall of Flags in Augusta a week ago
for our Maine Drone Peace Walk closing ceremony.
Photos by Roger Leisner
BitCoin surging again - CIO of Fortress recommends investing in BitCoin now - another smash set up for BitCoin ?
Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
Why do I smell a set up here.....
Head Of Fortress Recommends Investing In Bitcoin
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 10/24/2013 19:51 -0400
- Private Equity
inShare
At first glance, when the CIO of Fortress Investment Group says:
*"Put a little money in Bitcoin...Come back in a few years and it’s going
to be worth a lot."*
One might think, the firm that manages $54.6 billion is advocating the end
of the USD as we know it... Or is this more muppetry at work?
*Via Bloomberg:*
*“Put a little money in Bitcoin,” Novogratz, principal and co-chief
inv... more »
Walkin' West: Long Walk 4 toward Gunnison Colorado
Photo
by Bad Bear Sampson
Photos by Western Shoshone Long Walker Bad Bear Sampson.
By Censored News
Thank you for sharing with Censored News. Long Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz
is walking to uphold Native American sovereignty. The walkers today,
Friday, Oct. 25, 2013, are walking west from Monarch Pass on highway 50
toward Gunnison, Colorado. The walk departed from
Israelis and Ishmaelis - two sides of the same depraved and unacceptable coin
The following is a genuine email sent in by a liberal fanatic hell-bent on
seeing the destruction of the European world through Talmudic control, of
the economy and Establishment, and Islamic domination of our lands at the
common level we have to live at:
Greetings Rufus
There is a widely accepted piece of conventional wisdom that Muslims and
Jews are enemies and will always remain so. In fact, nothing could be
further from the truth. The perception that Muslims and Jews are inherently
hostile to each other is actually of fairly recent vintage; an outgrowth of
differences over the... more »
Syria news of the day October 25 , 2013 - Has the leader of al- Nusra front been killed near Latakia ? Take with the grain of salt - Syria State Television says yes , time will tell if this is accurate ..... More credence can be found in reporting that US and GCC backed rebels in Syria are spreading into Iraq ( especially border areas with Syria ) causing an unwind of whatever benefit came from previous advances against Al Qaeda or Sunni rebels in Iraq ......Syria's UN Envoy accuses Saudi Arabia of supplying Chemical weapons used at Ghouta attack - further accusations leveled against Turkey and Qatar , UN slammed as being selective regarding atrocities in Syria !
http://rt.com/news/al-nusra-leader-killed-syria-753/
Leader of al-Nusra Front killed in Syria – state TV
Published time: October 25, 2013 20:43
Edited time: October 25, 2013 21:25
Get short URL
[image: Members of jihadist group Al-Nusra Front (AFP Photo)]
Members of jihadist group Al-Nusra Front (AFP Photo)
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Leader of the al-Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliated fighting force in
Syria, has been killed, state television reported.
According to reports Abu Mohammad al-Golani, has been killed in the Western
province of Latakia.
Syrian State TV did not provide any further ... more »
Blog outage...
Apologies for being away, folks, computer and other problems, will be back
normally in several days.
- CP
Gold and Silver October 23 , 2013 - News , Data for the day and view touching on the precious metals ! Was former IMF Director Dominique Strauss Kahn set up on a sex scandal and hurriedly drummed out of his job due to his demand for a independent audit of the Federal Reserve ( after the Fed refused to deliver 191 tons of gold to the IMF as previously agreed upon ) ? William Engdahl say " Yes " , that is what went down- and by the way , the Fed allegedly has no gold reserves ! Note we keep hearing this absence of gold from different sources .......... Has Germany received any gold back this year from the Fed ? ?
Catharsis Ours - 6 hours ago
Jesse......
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2013/10/gold-daily-and-silver-weekly-charts_23.html
23 OCTOBER 2013
Gold Daily and Silver Weekly Charts - Don't Fear the Reaper
"Those entrapped by the herd instinct are drowned in the deluges of
history. But there are always the few who observe, reason, and take
precautions, and thus escape the flood.
For these few gold has been the asset of last resort."
Antony C. Sutton
"Like liberty, gold never stays where it is undervalued."
J. S. Morrill
Gold and silver were being capped most of the day on rather light volumes.
The CM... more »
Stephen Harper flip flops ... now says a ‘FEW’ people knew about Nigel Wright’s $90,000 cheque to Mike Duffy .. not just Nigel Wright
*'Where there was once just Nigel Wright, the prime minister said for the
first time Thursday that a “few” people knew of the scheme to pay Sen. Mike
Duffy $90,000 for his questionable housing expenses. Stephen Harper made
the comment Thursday during question period in the House, immediately
drawing jeers from the opposition benches.*
***“Mr. Wright has been clear. The decision to pay Mr. Duffy with his own
money was his and his alone. He informed very few people,” Harper said.
“Any insinuation, any suggestion that I knew or would have known is
incorrect. As soon as I knew, Mr. Sp... more »
Friday Nerd Blogging Extra: Just Some Good Advice
Watch Game of Thrones or you might be foolish enough to dare a mighty Khal
to engage in a slap game.
Miscellany for another weekend
*Fatwa Lifted*
I suppose the BBC could have named Fergal Kean’s series “Militancy through
Time the BBC’s prism”. But they didn’t. They’ve lifted the fatwa on the
word ‘terror’.
*Terror through Time*.
TERRORˈtɛrə/*noun*
1.
extreme fear.
"people fled in terror"
Fergal Keane celebrates sultry failed hijacker Leila Khaled, referring to
her as “an icon of terrorism”.
ICONˈʌɪkɒn,-k(ə)n/*noun*
a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of
veneration.
***
“Always something there to remind me” *but not in a good way.*
When the BBC News channel reported the convic... more »
Elsewhere: Nominations, Tree-Shaking
Today at PostPartisan, I suggested the possibility that daily briefings are
driving the need to have something to say at the daily briefings, rather
than the other way around. And that it reminds me of the "shake the trees"
business from the end of the Clinton administration.
Yesterday, I put in another call for reforming executive branch nominations.
And one earlier one: I wrote a pretty optimistic assessment of the ACA
website fiasco.
That's all for now. Should have the usual Salon column over the weekend and
a Monday TAP piece; that seems to be getting to be a fairly regular
sch... more »
Is Ted Cruz Really The Political Reincarnation Of Joe McCarthy?
Hopefully you remember Corey Robin and his amazing, penetrating book, The
Reactionary Mind. Yesterday he was tweeting about a *NY Times* apologia by
Robert "Mr. Republican" Taft's grandson, John G. Taft, The Cry of the True
Republican. It starts with an admission: "I am a genetic Republican." And
then veers off in an attempt to disassociate his family's heritage-- and
identity-- with Ted Cruz and the sociopaths who have captured the
once-respectable GOP.
Throughout my family’s more than 170-year legacy of public service,
Republicans have represented the voice of fiscal conservat... more »
The power of mentorship: a reflection
In the Monkey Cage’s recent symposium on gender and political science,
David Lake writes how important it is that our scholarly networks become
less gendered, how male scholars must make an effort to mentor women in the
field. In my view, the importance of mentorship cannot be understated.
Without the support of several scholars in
Continue reading
Engineering Peace
Can third parties do more than foster temporary, unstable ceasefires?
Without perpetually holding the belligerents at arms’ length via heavily
militarized buffer zones? Is it possible to make peace self-enforcing at a
reasonably low cost? Recent work on conflict management suggests not. Less
intrusive approaches to mediation, such as information provision, fail to
solve the
Continue reading
Thoughts for the Brain
Russell Brand, in his unstated quest for universal intimacy, has become the
main advocate of revolution in English-speaking culture. Anyone who’s
likely to read this is also likely to wonder how did we get to this state?
The Crisis (of which the SWP crisis is merely one very prominent aspect)
has shaken a number of structures, reducing them to rubble. Others have
been hollowed into shells.
With regards to the second extravagant metaphor one can’t help but note
Unite’s witless handling of the Grangemouth dispute. It’s hard to imagine
what a union such as Unite would have done; it w... more »
A Farewell to Liberal Conspiracy
And it came to pass that another star that once burned brightly has
abruptly winked out. This time it's Liberal Conspiracy. Sunny sets out his
reasons here. The blog will remain, however, as a remnant adrift in the
cold space that exists between active political blogs.
I'm not going to write Sunny an obituary. After all, he's not kicked the
bucket. If anything the transition he's made to the mainstream media
increases the likelihood of readers bumping into him. But, if we're honest,
I've had the sense Liberal Conspiracy had been eased out of its niche. *CiF*,
*New Statesman*, *Indy... more »
Mohawk Nation News 'Was fix in for Mi'kmaq Warriors at Elsipogtog?'
Was
fix in for Mi’kmaq Warriors at Elsipogtog?
Mohawk Nation News
MNN. Oct. 25, 2013. Journalist Miles Howe was at the anti-shale protest
at Elsipogtog throughout. He stood with the grassroots people and the
warriors. His stories were reasonable and factual. Some of those who
worked with our enemies genuinely thought they were helping. They did
not realize how much damage they could cause
United Way of Central Indiana to Start the Mitch Daniels/Dennis Bakke/Bart Peterson Handouts to the Corporate School Wealthy
by Doug Martin
While some United Way branches across the Hoosier state are investing in
early learning initiatives like Success by Six, the United Way of Central
Indiana, now run by former Mitch Daniels, Dennis Bakke, and Bart Peterson
operative Ann Murtlow, is planning on handing out cash to charter schools
in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion ,and Morgan counties. In a
press release to *Inside Indiana Business* and other outlets, United Way of
Central Indiana officials write that “Grants for one to three years can
range from $50,000 to $750,000” and will target poverty... more »
Why There is a Recession/Depression During Every GOP Regime
*by Len Hart, The Existentiaist Cowboy*
Every major economist has espoused the 'LABOR THEORY of VALUE'. That
includes the conservative Adam Smith and the left-leaning Karl Marx. ERGO:
a declining "real' wage that should be going to labor TRICKLES (in fact,
FLOWS) upward to the ruling.
The Axis of Reagan/GOP are wrong. Wealth does not and has never 'trickled
down'. "Suppy Side Economics" was and remains a scam, a con sketched out,
it is said, on a napkin by Arthur Laffer. Laffer is remembered for his
"Laffer curve" said to illustrate the theory that reducing taxes for the
very wealt... more »
Excerpt: "Washington served as cheerleader, as did most economists and libertarians, while US corporations, greedy for short-term profits and executive bonuses, offshored US industry and manufacturing, calling it free trade. The obvious and predicted result is that China’s demand for resources needed to fuel its industrial and manufacturing power now dominates markets. This means that the US dollar is being displaced as world currency. The only market that America dominates is the market for financial fraud."
------------------------------
*As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap — Paul Craig Roberts*
------------------------------
October 23, 2013 | Original Here Go
here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter
*As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap*
* *
Paul Craig Roberts
The year 2014 could be shaping up as the year that the chickens come home
to roost.
Americans, even well-informed ones, don’t know all of the mistakes made by
neoconized and corrupted Washington in the past two decades. However,
enough is known to see that the US has lost economic a... more »
Alan Grayson Was Right. Is This Really up for Debate?
or, *A Plausible Suggestion That Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is Huffing
Styling Gel Fumes*
If I had to pick one Democrat to get primaried like a sacrificial
lamb
in my own version of political equality, I'd pick Debbie
Wasserman-Schultz.
As Chairwoman of the DNC (Defeat 'n' Capitulation), Schultz represents,
to
me, everything that is horridly wrong with the eternally and
pre-emptively
supine Democratic Party. In a statement recently, Schultz had this to
sayabout Alan Grayson's inflammatory fund-raising email that hit a
bullseye in
comparing the Teabaggers to the KKK: “Obviously I... more »
Cats are better than dogs...
*you betcha!*
(But, dogs are pretty cool, too)
THIS IS WHERE I COME FROM, WHAT I CARE ABOUT
Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman (UK) debates Russell Brand (comedian, actor,
radio host, and author) about voting, revolution and beards.
Well worth a listen.
See more by Russell Brand *here *
Bill Whittle: Common Core - The Cookie Cutter Curriculum ...
*yet another reason to home school.*
Maggie, over at her Notebook, has done *a wonderful job of exposing Common
Core standards * (link takes you to all her articles tagged "common core.")
that are being rammed into the schools in every state except for a few that
have opted out.
*From Bill Whittle: *
SAT question: education is to the Common Core System as healthcare is to
______________. If you answered Obamacare, you'd be right. The Common Core
is a massive power grab to the federal bureaucracy, and just furthers
liberals' plans of indoctrination. Join Bill Whittle in this editio... more »
BREAKING: Steve Israel May Actually Let The DCCC Try To Beat A Republican Committee Chairman!
I've been very excited about how the MoveOn/PPP polls show all those
Republican committee chairs who Steve Israel tries to give free reelection
passes to are vulnerable because of their support for shutting down the
government. Israel only knows how to go up against hapless backbenchers and
leaves the evil-doers alone. Opponents to Republican policymakers like Buck
McKeon, Paul Ryan, Darrell Issa, Fred Upton, Mike Rogers, etc get no
support from the DCCC. In fact, Israel personally calls big donors and
tries bullying them into not contributing to candidates running against his
Rep... more »
A room of her own
We had two sheds put up this year. One is for animal supplies such as
waterers and feeders and the like; the other we have insulated and put in
interior walls and trim, so it can be used as an office or dormitory. As
soon as Kevin and Brenda, our builders, were done with the shell, I began
swinging hammers and brushes inside.
Mind you, I'm not a good carpenter, but I try to be persistent and also
patient with myself, with the goal of producing results we can live with.
We went with 1/4" plywood over wallboard, as I'm so-so cutting plywood and
hopeless with wallboard.
It took f... more »
Catholic Children's Hospital Neglects Haitians
Too bad they ignore their Haitian children...Children's Hospital of
Illinois- Peoria, IL - http://t.co/kZMvfxxkIy http://t.co/VyeQ79HM05
— John A. Carroll (@haitianhearts) October 25, 2013
Some sexy videos for fans of the 1980s sitcom 'Allo 'Allo
Helga's wedding dress
Helga teasing Herr Flick
Sisi’s Neo-Fascism
Back to Egypt:
To understand where we're going let's step back to a previous post on Egypt
Egypt: Creating a false paradigm to justify death and destructionAnd open
with an excerpt from that piece:
*"I wasn’t a recent coup supporter*. Certainly *not* because I am a fan of
the Muslim Brotherhood. *Nor am I a supporter of religious extremism in any
way shape or form. That includes the Islamic, Judaic and Christian forms of
extremism. In fact, I don’t support organized religion. Period.* It’s all
mind control in my book.
* I simply could not support the coup because it looked to me to ... more »
BIW TOUR - WATCHING THE DECLINE OF THE WAR GAME SYSTEM UP CLOSE
I took the last trolley tour of Bath Iron Works (BIW) for the season
yesterday run by the Maine Maritime Museum. Mostly retired people, either
on vacation or former BIW workers, filled the trolley for the one-hour ride
through the bowels of the shipyard. A man sitting in front of me said to
his wife while parked alongside the Zumwalt "stealth" destroyer that it was
" a weapon of destruction." It was a pleasant surprise to hear those words.
The highlight of the tour was to advertise the "top secret" Zumwalt that
was supposed to be blessed by Christ and launched last Saturday. Th... more »
Head of the Lebanese Peace Party Roger Edde: Partition Is the Only Solution for Syria
*Wikipedia:*
The Lebanese Peace Party was founded 12 July 2006 by Mr. Roger Edde, a
businessman from the city of Byblos (Jbeil) in Mount Lebanon, alongside
other wealthy businessmen and intellects.
The Lebanese Peace party's main headquarters is located in Jbeil and enjoys
reasonable support in that region.
The party is currently allied to the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb Party and
is part of the March 14 Alliance.
It has no members in the Lebanese Parliament.
Head of the Lebanese Peace Party Roger Edde: Partition Is the Only Solution
for Syria. Source: MEMRI TV. Date Pub... more »
The Realist Report with John Friend
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by Andre from *Total
Fascism* and *The Daily Stormer*. Andre and I will be talking about the
Golden Dawn in Greece and recent attacks on him by libertarian shills on
YouTube.
You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit *The Realist
Report* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs.
Below are relevant links for this program:
- *Golden Dawn state funding to be withdraw* - *The Guardian*
- *White Nationalism is Ideologically Communistic in Nature & Thus
Diametrically Opposed to Euro... more »
Guess what Obama is doing today?
*if you guessed actually doing something that a president of the country
would be expected to do as part of his compensation, you would be wrong.*
He's hightailing it out of town. One of his stops is at some high-tech
type high school. Maybe they have a fourteen year old available to fix his
POS Obamacare website.
Check out their website. Seems most the students are black. Isn't that
racist?
Presidential daily briefing at *10:25 am*? Who the hell starts there day
at 10:45??
Schedule H/T to Keith Koffler - and we thank him.
*10:45 am ||* Receives the Presidential Daily Brief... more »
Obamacare/ACA Update
Andrew Sprung makes a good point:
@JBplainblog has warned: if ACA succeeds, no one will know it's
"Obamacare." Thanks to disastrous rollout, all users'll know (by 25th try)!
I think that's mostly right. My sense of it has been that the sooner ACA
simply becomes the way that people by insurance (on the individual market,
which remember is only a slim percentage of all those who buy insurance),
the less it becomes "Obamacare" in people's minds, and the more it's just a
normal thing, and, for many people, the way things have always been.
The more that it calls attention to itself, then... more »
When Does The Universe Compute?
Courtesy of Boris Kulikov
The Physics arXiv Blog
An alternative view of the best new ideas in science. About:
http://tinyurl.com/p6ypk56
When Does The Universe Compute? The idea that every physical event is a
computation has spread like wildfire through science. That may need to
change now that physicists have worked out how to distinguish between
systems that compute and those that don’t
One of the hot topics in computer science is unconventional computing. This
is the exploitation of unusual or exotic systems to perform computations.
Examples are numerous. Perhaps the most a... more »
Wild Bill: Let's call them what they are...
*Communists!*
Something I've been doing for several years now.
A Honduras aid program, a crushing crowd, a dead baby
Santos Pineda: 'No one is to blame, it's what God wanted'
I had a blog post mostly done about the Bonos 10,000 progam, a Honduran
government plan that is supposed to give $500 a year to the poorest
families.
Then I read about Santos Pineda and his wife Aida Fajardo, and their
four-day-old baby. The little girl died in a hugely overcrowded room where
the family had waited in a disorganized crowd for two hours to get the
Bono. She apparently suffocated in her mother’s arms in the crush of people.
The baby could have died anywhere, of course. She had spent three days in
the hospital in a... more »
Provocation and Air of Reality
*R. v. Cairney*, 2013 SCC 55:
C shot and killed his long‑time friend F. At the time, C was living with F
and R, who was C's cousin and F's common law spouse. F had a history of
physically abusing R. On the day in question, F was drinking, became angry
with R and started to verbally abuse her. C overheard F tell R that if her
back had not been sore, he would have thrown her across the kitchen. At
F's request, C left the room. He retrieved a loaded shotgun. Disturbed by
the argument that he was overhearing, C sat in another room, contemplating
what to do. He decided to scare F ... more »
The Suits/Geeks Divide
Arnold Kling diagnoses what went wrong with the new healthcare exchange
website.
Mike Duffy: Story becomes more misty
Harper has changed his tune. Now his position on the Nigel Wright and Mike
Duffy money exchange story has changed. If you remember Harper initially
said that "nobody" knew about the exchange other than Wright and Duffy. Now
he says 'very few people" knew about it.
*Harper changed his tune Thursday, saying Wright "informed very few people"
— all of them known to be key Harper confidantes.
"Mr. Speaker, I refer the prime minister to Hansard of June 5," said NDP
Leader Tom Mulcair in question period on Thursday. "There was no 'very few'
in there. It was 'nobody."'
*
Read more here.... more »
Grand Bargain Bait & Switch
When is a Grand Bargain not a Grand Bargain?
When the movers and shakers of the Beltway realize that "Grand Bargain"
is now one of the most loathed phrases in America. When the bipartishits
realize that the whole country is on to their collusion to defy the wishes
of 80% of the American public by "reforming" the great social insurance
programs of the 20th century. When they resort to weasel words and to Grand
Bargain Denialism to throw the AARP and various progressive groups off the
scent.
The liberal blogosphere was orgasming today over the news that Majority
Leader Harry Reid ha... more »
Authors Need eReward
We read that the EU is now considering harmonising VAT on ebooks across the
community and that the likely solution is that they will become zero rated.
This would also negate the need for tax to be levied at point of
consumption in 2015 and remove one aspect of the Luxembourg magnet for
digital distributors and retailers. We also are all aware that a further
ratchet twist of UK ebook pricing is taking place between Sainsbury’s and
Amazon, with front list ebook titles dropping to 99p. We also read about
the emergence of ebook subscription models and services which would
generate ne... more »
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Nancy Cartwright, 56.
With some good stuff:
1. John Ahlquist and Margaret Levi, "The decline of union membership and
what it means for politics."
2. Andrew Sprung on Tafts, McCarthys, and Cruzes. The current Taft's claim
of "adult" status for Republicans is pretty iffy over the 20th century
period he's talking about -- and I wouldn't have suggested it for someone
writing about the party of (to put it more crudely in this context than I
would in others) the part of Anglo men.
3. I found this Philip Bump post on tech and ACA helpful.
4. Rick Hasen on Posner and vot... more »
NSA listens to World Leaders
Duh, looks like the world will be adopting the communications protocols of
Al Queda. Go long on carrier pigeon or if you like GOT crows. Why spy on
friendlies? Knowledge is power, knowing about an affair or other
indiscretion, priceless leverage. Everyone is wondering just how deep is
this well? For example is Stephen Harper being briefed on Justin Trudeau's
communications. Or more probable due to Harper's bellicose towards Obama,
is Trudeau being briefed on Harper's?
Rand Paul Introduces Constitutional Amendment To Rein In Government Officials
Rand Paul Introduces Constitutional Amendment To Rein In Government
Officials
Asheville City Council Unanimously Passes A Civil Liberties Resolution-- How Did That Happen?
Last cycle we saw the DCCC rush into westernmost reaches of North Carolina,
the Catawba Valley and everything from Lenoir and Morgantown to the
Tennessee border and back to Arden and Hendersonville, bust carefully
skirting Asheville-- NC-11. "Ex-Blue Dog Steve Israel was petrified the
progressive champion of the region, City Councilman Cecil Bothwell-- who
had driven reactionary Blue Dog Heath Shuler out of the race-- would become
the Democratic nominee. So the DCCC backed an even worse Blue Dog than
Shuler, Hayden Rogers, and got him through the primary with cash and lies.
In No... more »
Selective War on Reporters - depends on whether the reporting is critical analysis or officially sanctioned leaks , spoon fed pablum / talking points or propaganda ....... Europe leaders attempts to act surprised that NSA spies on their citizens - that will continue until Snowden documents reveal the extent of cooperation by intel agencies in same nations with NSA !
http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/25/exclusive-feds-confiscate-investigative-reporters-confidential-files-during-raid/
Politics
Exclusive: Feds confiscate investigative reporter’s confidential files
during raid
A veteran Washington D.C. investigative journalist says the Department of
Homeland Security confiscated a stack of her confidential files during a
raid of her home in August — leading her to fear that a number of her
sources inside the federal government have now been exposed.
In an interview with The Daily Caller, journalist Audrey Hudson revealed
that the Department of Homela... more »
'Til Death
Yesterday, in the Postmedia papers, Andrew Coyne wondered why Stephen
Harper would risk so much over Mike Duffy's expenses. He ended his column
by paraphrasing Thomas More in *A Man for All Seasons:* "it profits a man
nothing to give his soul for the whole world . . . but for Duffy?"
On the same day, in *The National Post*, Tasha Kheiriddin answered Coyne's
question:
The only real option for Prime Minister Stephen Harper is to fight to the
death — to shred Mr. Duffy’s credibility, and with it, his story. The
Tories are masters of the attack ad and the research that goes with it, ... more »
PREVIEW! Of The Documentary, Legalize Democracy: On Youtube Until October 27th
*Published on Oct 17, 2013*
SNEAK PREVIEW! This video will only be online until October 27. DVDs are in
production. Order your copy here: http://move-to-amend.myshopify.com/pr....
Legalize Democracy is a 30 minute documentary about Move to Amend.
Fast-paced and action-oriented, this DVD is a great tool for folks looking
to get involved in Move to Amend or help spread the word.
Produced by Move to Amend, Directed by Dennis Trainor, Jr., financed by
grassroots donations.
Cost for the DVD is sliding scale -- you determine what you can pay
($10-25) -- additional funds will be used... more »
Don't Forget About Religious Discrimination When Throwing Your Office Halloween Party
Personally, I love Halloween. Adore it. I have zombies in my courtyard to
scare the kiddies, and a graveyard in front of the house with various and
sundry body parts poking out. Yes, Halloween is great fun for those who
celebrate it. However, there are some religions that ban celebrating
Halloween altogether, and some people who have sincerely held beliefs
against it.
Halloween is now a pretty secular holiday, but its origins are in the Catholic
religion. The Catholic holiday, All Hallow's Eve, is the night before All
Saint's Day. I'm not an expert, but I believe the idea was that s... more »
Fukushima Updates for October 22 , 2013 - dissecting not just the day to day miscues and miscalculations of Tepco and the Government of Japan , but also the bigger picture issues brought into play for everyone !
Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
http://enenews.com/japan-journalist-melted-nuclear-fuel-sank-into-the-ground-under-fukushima-reactors-the-irradiated-groundwater-flows-into-ocean-through-sea-bottom-springs-its-too-late-to-do-anything-about-t
(
Hirose's letter is a must read ... )
Japan Journalist: Melted nuclear fuel sank into the ground under
Fukushima
reactors — Irradiated groundwater is flowing into ocean through
sea-bottom
springs, it’s too late to do anything about this (PHOTO)
Kyunghyang Shinmun (*Major daily newspaper in South Korea -Source*),
Oct.
21, 2013: Japan‘s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, promoting T... more »
Solar Update: ...Cha Cha Chaaaa!!!
So this time I was right and wrong! Last night we had an M Class 2.9 flare
and a few hours ago we had and X Class 1.7 flare with a very bright CME
(Coronal Mass Ejection). .... which I called yesterday. The shocker is
that BOTH flares came from a very unassuming 1882 (previously numbered
1862) that is just barely peeking around the western limb of our sun! ...
I didn't even see that one coming, lol!
On top of the firey dance of the sun, the first of 4 CME's has impacted
earth, with 3 more coming over the next 24 hours (two later today, one
tomorrow). So don't throw out your GPS... more »
Untitled
*The GOAT speaks: Knockin’ on heaven’s door ~Girod Street End Zone*
*Trial of former C-Ray'Ray Nagin delayed until Jan. 27 ~WDSU*
*'Glam Scammer' arrested in N.O. ~Clair Galofaro and Chad Calder*
*Survival Guide: How to Stay Alive at Voodoo ~Fuse*
Friday Nerd Blogging: Indiana Jones and the Plot Hole of Power
Two CBS sitcoms have references Indiana Jones in the past couple of weeks:
How I Met Your Mother invoked Last Crusade as Barney imagined that Ted and
he entered the room where the grail and the fake grails were stored at the
end of Last Crusade. The ghostly knight kept playing a role, telling Ted
Continue reading
Overnight news , data and views on Asia and Europe markets - October 25 , 2013 .....While Japan sees food and energy prices rising ( but non food and energy and wages stagnant if not declining ) and China continues to see liquidity become more precious and SHIBOR rises continue another day , stocks in Asia are naturally lower on the whole.... Meanwhile europe and the US remain in La La land where data is secondary to the hopes of infinite QE and Central Bank puts.....
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-25/japan-drowns-food-energy-inflation-chinas-liquidity-tinkering-continues-does-shibor-
Japan Drowns In Food, Energy Inflation; China's Liquidity Tinkering
Continues As Does SHIBOR Blow Out
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 10/25/2013 06:03 -0400
- CDS
- China
- Consumer Prices
- Core CPI
- CPI
- Japan
- Monetary Base
- Monetization
- Nikkei
- Reality
- Reuters
- SocGen
- Yen
inShare
Nearly one year into the Japan's grandest ever monetization experiment, the... more »
A Rally Against Mass Surveillance on Saturday, October 26th in Washington DC
About the rally
The NSA is spying on everyone's personal communications. It’s operating
without any meaningful oversight.
On October 26th, the 12th anniversary of the signing of the USA Patriot
Act, *we're holding the largest rally yet* against NSA surveillance. *We’ll
be handing more than a half-million petitions to Congress* to remind them
that they work for us — and we won’t tolerate mass surveillance any longer.
A stellar group of whistleblowers, activists, researchers and others from
both sides of the political spectrum will be speaking at this historic
event. The list inclu... more »
Two for the Reference Library
Good practice guidelines for the assessment and treatment of adults with
gender dysphoria 2013-1-25 Royal College of Psychiatrists (PDF)
The following organisations have endorsed the report:
- British Association of Urological Surgeons
- British Psychological Society
- Gender Identity Research and Education Society
- Gender Trust
- Press for Change
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Royal College of Nursing
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health*
- Royal College of Physicians
- Royal C... more »
Saudis flex their oil muscles
Remember Bandar Bush. That jovial solid gold Rolex giving best friend of
America. Well he is now royally pissed at the Obama administration. It has
long been obvious that the Saudis and Israelis are best buds. For some
strange reason Canada seems to be the only other country still hooked to
these pair of strange bedfellows foreign policy. There is a lot of
speculation that the saran gas attack in Syria was a false flag engineered
by someones secret police. Will we ever know the truth, based upon the
results of the inquiry into the Kennedy assassination its doubtful. The
fact is t... more »
The iPhone has a serious problem
Jerry Seinfeld's right,you can't slam an iPhone down, well not more than
once!
Your Life Depends on Literally Taking Your Money Out of the Bank
Dave Hodges
October 24, 2013
The Common Sense ShowYour life depends on whether you begin to take your
assets out the bank and begin to purchase life sustaining supplies.You need
to start this process, today, in accordance with the principles I laid out
in a previous article.
The Death of the American Economy
There was an obscure story which ran two years ago which is receiving scant
attention and yet, it is the banking story of the decade. It is the number
one banking story in human history. It is the story which will destroy
America’s banking accounts. It is the story that spells ... more »
We're off on a mission of national import!
*FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013*
*No posts today:* We're off on a mission of national import. We won't
encounter Michael Hayden; we don't do the Acela.
We won't be posting today, though we have a few topics backed up:
What's *wrong* with making the ugliest possible denunications of tens of
millions of people? Who has been making these denunciations?
How well *does* Minnesota teach math, as compared to the other states?
Also, in what way does Amanda Ripley's new book ignore low-income kids?
For those who are fascinated by the new Salon, we recommend the latest Joan
Walsh-inspired flap. I... more »
The most incredible piece of CCTV video ever
A dog, a lift, a long lead and a man with 30 eggs... what could possibly go
wrong?
LiveLeak.com - Dog escapes near death in an elevator
How did 10 eggs survive that?
I couldn't embed that LiveLeak video (does anyone know how to do that now)
but here's a brave dog rescue in similar circumstances from Russia.
Raju, Papadodimas isolate the reasons why there aren't firewalls
*Wonderful new papers refine the black hole complementarity and show that
the black hole interior operators are included in the CFT and other
descriptions of the bulk while locality holds more exactly than previously
thought*
Kyriakos Papadodimas and Suvrat Raju, two careful and bright researchers
with a refined Harvard pedigree, wrote their first paper about the black
hole information puzzle in November 2012.
Yesterday, they released two new papers that make the incorporation of the
infalling observer's observations into a description of quantum gravity –
especially the AdS/CFT... more »
Columbia U. Conference on Investment Incentives
On November 13 and 14, the 8th Annual Columbia International Investment
Conference will be held in New York City. Sponsored by the Vale Columbia
Center on Sustainable International Investment, the conference is titled:
"Investment Incentives -- the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Assessing the
Costs, Benefits, and the Options for Policy Reform."
The meetings will focus primarily on location subsidies for foreign
investment, and primarily in developing countries. But there will also be
plenty of coverage of North America and the European Union, as well as
discussion of global institutio... more »
Not A Glitch (A Big Feature) This Town Has Sold Out, Nation Brought To the Verge of Ruin, Pensions Stolen (The Ultimate Green Party?)
(Please consider making a contribution to Welcome to Pottersville2 or
sending a link to your friends if you think the subjects discussed here are
worth publicizing. Thank you for your support. I really appreciate it.
Anything you can do will make a huge difference in this blog's ability to
operate.) As my long-time readers will attest, nothing that I'm commenting
on now is new. I've been
Australia's Climate Follies: A New Cast, But the Show Goes On
Over at The Interpreter, the excellent blog of the Lowy Institute, I have
an analysis up which updates my 2011 paper on Australia's climate policies.
Here is an excerpt:
The mathematics of Australia’s emissions are not terribly complicated. To
achieve a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 5% from 2000 levels
would require a rate of decarbonisation of the Australian economy (measured
as a reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per A$1000 of GDP)
of greater than 5% per year from 2013 to 2020. This is consistent with my
earlier analysis which looked at data through ... more »
he answered them back - no wonder they beat him up.
Live Leak report the case of an American visitor to London who dared to
answer a group of Asian men back and was beaten to a pulp for his
insolence.
An American student has been scarred for life after being subjected to a
violent gang attack on only his third day in London.
CCTV cameras caught Francesco Hounye, a 22-year-old from Florida, being set
upon by a gang of five Asian men on Commercial Road at just after midnight
on Monday 17th June.
The group smashed a bottle into his face and then chased after him to
continue their assault, repeatedly kicking and punching him - and po... more »
DUALITY
*Concentration camp victims. David C*
*
**Alexander Solzhenitsyn* said:
"If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil
deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and
destroy them.
"But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every
human being.
"And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"
*Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung* said:
"Natural history tells us of a haphazard and casual transformation of
species over hundreds of millions of years of devouring and being devoured."
Hawks eat doves and humans... more »
United Nations: Disarmament Commission Civilian Weapon Confiscation Study Group
This was posted at:
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=290342
Click on image to Enlarge
Nations Unies United Nations
UNODA
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
A/CN.11/L.72
Distr.: Restricted
5 August 2013
Original: English
Disarmament Commission – Civilian Weapon Confiscation Study Group
New York, 29-31 July 2013
The issue of military grade weaponry in the hands of civilians looms ever
larger in the face of the global implementation of 22/Agenda 21 by member
nations. In particular, the United ... more »
Russell Brand railing against Jeremy Paxman on BBC Newsnight!
this is brilliant, Paxman vs Brand on Newsnight -- watch and learn, humans.
*"PROFIT is a filthy word,"* methinks Brand needs to start spreading the
Free Planet message - he's so close to just SAYING IT three times.
"Free Planet, Free Planet, Free Planet."
Shutdown Postmortem: Republicans Seem Determined To Again Be A Long-Term Minority Party
By Manifesto Joe
I'm not going to predict the demise of the Republican Party, although a
number of other bloggers have been daring enough to venture such
predictions. I don't think that's good historical perspective. Such people
underestimate the lure of reactionary politics, and the irrationality of
humans. They also underestimate the vast talent of prehistoric vermin, like
cockroaches, to reinvent themselves and survive.
To wit: If you had told me in 1978, when it seemed like half the damned
country was smoking pot, that possession of even small amounts thereof
would still be a f... more »
Realist News - Edward Snowden and the 1/3 of a trillion dollar cost of government shutdown
*"IT IS OUR DUTY TO RESET THE BOARD GAME,"* what Realist News doesn't
realise is we 'shouldn't reset the game to a Profit-based game'.
How does this tie in with this morning's Edward Snowden revelations that US
accused of listening in on phone calls of 35 world leaders. The cynic in me
is asking, "Was Edward Snowden paid by 'someone' to go about revealing shit
the way he has?" Or did he really do it all off his own back? Well, either
way, the genie's out of the bottle and you gotta start wondering what'll
happen to *The American Way* once EVERYONE pulls out of funding their
globa... more »
DEMMINK; THOMAS HAMILTON
*Joris Demmink en de jonge Mustafa - BOUblog - **Translate this page*
*
*Savile isn't the only obnoxious paedophile being covered up by the system.
*Thomas Hamilton.**
*
2013 Louisiana School Letter Grades: Recovery School District Gains Nothing
On October 23, 2013, John White released the long-awaited, capriciously
calculated 2013 Louisiana school performance scores (SPS) and letter
grades. In this “official” LDOE graphic, he attempts to sell the public on
the “new,” “simpler” SPS/ letter grade formula and “easy to understand
scale”, all the while maintaining that this latest attempt to label
Louisiana education is “aligned […]
MORE ‘IRAN COULD HAVE BOMB IN A MONTH’ GARBAGE FROM SO-CALLED EXPERT DAVID ALBRIGHT
Israel National News (Arutz Sheva) today quoted US so-called nuclear expert
David Albright as having stated that Iran could have a nuclear bomb ready
‘within a month’.
This is the same David Albright who I have written about before detailing
his fearmongering nonsense after having made similar claims for years. I
won’t bother repeating it. You can find it here.
faludi: corporatist pseudo-feminism vs radical change for women and all working people
I would like to draw your attention to an excellent article by Susan Faludi
in *The Baffler*: Facebook Feminism: Like It or Not.
Faludi contrasts the corporatist, individualistic, me-first, privileged,
self-centered, pseudo-feminism of "Lean In" with the collective,
cross-class activism of some of the original feminists: the "Mill Girls" of
Lowell, Massachusetts, who fought for human rights and labour rights for *
all* women. Describing the links between feminism, class struggle, the
labour movement, and even the abolitionist movement, Faludi demonstrates
how all oppression is inter... more »
Judge In San Antonio Gives The Speech Maine Senator Susan Collins Should Have Given
The *Dallas Morning News* reported on a Republican judge, Carlo Key,
getting so fed up with Republican extremism that he switched parties.
Bexar County Judge Carlo Key blamed the tea party for huge expenses to
taxpayers and hardship to millions of Americans from the recent government
shutdown.
“I cannot tolerate a political party in which hate speech elevates a
candidate to higher office rather than disqualifying them,” Key said in a
video statement posted on YouTube. “I cannot be a member of party that is
proud to destroy the financial lives of hundreds of thousands of federal ... more »
Guest Post - Eco-friendly Tips for Travelling Across Europe
Its culture, art and history makes Europe a fantastic region to travel
through. Not only does it attract tourists from the US and Canada, but
Europeans themselves will often travel through the region exploring the
many different traditions and cultures it has to offer. The fact that there
are so many countries with such different traditions and characters
compacted into a small region makes this an exciting and interesting part
of the world to discover.
[image: Eco-friendly Tips for Travelling across Europe.]
Another great thing about travelling through Europe is that it is one of ... more »
Updates On War In Syria: Turkey's Unabashed Support For Al-Qaeda Continues, KSA's Syria Policy In Shatters
*Don't get too cozy. *
An excerpt from, *"Syrian Kurdish Leader Discusses Son's Killing by
Jihadists"* by Amberin Zaman, Al Monitor, October 21:
*Taraf: * In our previous conversation, you suggested that Turkey’s policy
might change after militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham
(ISIS) seized the town of Azaz and the border crossing opposite [the
Turkish town of] Kilis. The Turkish military said several days ago they had
opened fire on ISIS positions. Do you believe that Turkey’s support for
those groups could be continuing, given these circumstances?
*Muslim:* I thi... more »
THIS Is A Must See By EVERYONE: PSYCHO Jew Says The US Should Fire A Nuke At Iran And NOT Negotiate (!)
With the war on Syria on hold (for now at least) the psychos in Israel and
their tribal members in the United States have gone back to slamming Iran,
and its non-existent nuclear weapons program. It has been amazing how much
the sick Jewish media over the last while has racketed up the rhetoric
about the need to destroy that innocent and peaceful nation.
But today, I viewed a Youtube video that truly does take the cake....This
video is entitled: "Sheldon Adelson Calls On Obama To Fire A Nuclear Weapon
At Iran, Not Negotiate", and as the title states, this very psychotic and
sick ... more »
Sixth-Grader Peyton Robertson Wins $25,000 for His Innovative Sandbag Design
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