The Quilt of Belonging in the museum's collections, the largest work of textile art made about Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec, Canada. The museum building was completed in 1989. It was designed by Canadian architect: Douglas Cardinal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Gatineau, Québec: Canadian Museum of Civilization. Français: De soir, vue sur le Musée canadien des civilisations à Gatineau, Québec, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)LIVE! AIM West Monday Nov 25, 2013
Censored
News will have live print coverage today from here in San Francisco.
The session will be starting shortly. Photos on display here at the
gathering from AIM history.
The Most Important Question Facing the American Economy
The WSJ today interviews Larry Summers who makes a case for why policy
makers should be focusing more attention on growth policy rather than
deficits:
We've had 10 bipartisan budget processes. We've had zero bipartisan growth
processes. We've had budget summits up the yin-yang. We've had no growth
summits. We have gotten the idea that addressing the deficit is the
defining challenge facing the country. . .
. . . if you take the longest-run deficit and take the official forecasts,
if we increase the growth rate by two-tenths of 1%, you solve the entire
identified fiscal-gap problem... more »
JFK50: Lesser-noted Consequences Following President Kennedy's Death - High Altitude Auroral Research
*Q. Mr. President, it has been the stated policy, as you said earlier, for
this Government to restrict outer space for peaceful objectives only. *
*Will not the proposed H-bomb explosion 500 miles up jeopardize this policy
and objective?*
*THE PRESIDENT. *
*No, I don't think so. *
*I don't think so. *
*I know there's been disturbance about the Van Allen belt...*
*but Van Allen says it's not going to affect the belt....*
*May 9th, 1962*
The term* "cosmic rays" *became taboo in serious scientific discourse - in
spite of the fact that the cosmic rays and the enormous belts of
n... more »
Mohawk Nation News 'This Ole House'
THIS
OLE HOUSE
Mohawk Nation News
MNN. Nov. 25, 2013. 80 members of the Cree Nation of the isolated
Attawapiskat community on James Bay in northern Ontario have been
suddenly flown out. The women, children, babies, elders and men have
been placed in motel rooms in Kapuskasing. Nobody knows for how long.
Their government-provided clapboard houses have burnt down. In the
meantime the
Coming soon: CON revisionist history, with a dump of tarsands on the side.
The stunning artifact above is featured in Vodou, a magnificent
exhitionthat will close at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in
Gatineau, on
February 23, 2014.
I have seen it twice and I hope to see it again and again before it
leaves
town. Ça vaut vraiment le déplacement. Here's one review. Entrance to
the
CMC is free on Thursdays after 5pm, and that includes Vodou.
If CPC Harper government is dumbing down the Canadian Museum of
Civilization, it might also turn its laser-like gaze to other cultural
institutions that it can defile and degrade to please its political
base.
*... more »
Time to Roast #PeterPeeper
Remember this from February this year?
The Conservative government has abandoned its controversial and
much-maligned Internet surveillance bill, legislation it once claimed was
crucial to stopping child pornographers.
Less than a year ago support for Bill C-30, the so-called Protecting
Children from Internet Predators Act, was presented to Canadians by the
government as a binary choice.
"He can either stand with us or stand with the child pornographers," Public
Safety Minister Vic Toews scolded a Liberal critic in the House of Commons
last February.
The comment set off a public fi... more »
Are you for or against compliance?
Last week, I finally had the opportunity to read Lisa Martin’s recent piece
on compliance entitled Against Compliance. Prof. Martin meticulously
evaluates the literature on compliance and concludes that compliance is the
wrong dependent variable to uncover the causal effect of international law
on state behavior. Martin’s review of compliance studies is comprehensive
and her
Continue reading
Caption Contest
Sometimes, captions just write themselves. Doesn't stop me from
trying, though. But this caption should warm the cockles of any liberal
heart sick to death of seeing bilge pumped out annually by right wing nut
bags who still get put on our nation's bookshelves. Plus, there's something
stomach-churning about an increasingly dirty-minded, sex-obsessed pedophile
like Rush Limbaugh writing a children's book. Maybe he should've entitled
it, "How I Spent My Summer on Hispaniola" and Palin could've named her
holiday book, "A Child's Christmas and Wails."
So, shame me. Show me wha... more »
Argentina: Humanoids at Pampa de Agnia, Chubut (1978)
*Source: Planeta UFODate: 11.25.2013*
*Dr. Roberto Banchs: Humanoids at Pampa de Agnia, Chubut (1978)*
Driving two F-100 pickup trucks, Alfredo Giannoni and Jorge Castillo were
faced with the prospect of a 634 kilometer drive along National Route 25,
linking the communities of Trelew and Esquel, communities located in the
Province of Chubut.
They had departed at 19:00 hours on 12 October 1978, driving at an average
speed of 80 Kmh. Upon reaching the Las Chapas Wilderness, Castillo overtook
his companion and remained at a close distance. Around 22:00, and some
10-15 Km after Las ... more »
THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM IS GRATEFULNESS / DONATION LETTER
*Gratefulness opens the door of the heart and acknowledges our
interconnectedness with others and our essential oneness with a **Unified
Field of love and soul consciousness which exists beyond time and space and
whose principle property is the urge to unite. Gratefulness is the path to
our heart centered destiny: Allen L Roland*
*"If there were no real propensity to unite, even at a prodigiously
rudimentary level, indeed, in the molecule itself, it would be impossible
for love to appear higher up in the 'hominized' or human form" **Teilhard
de Chardin*
*Love is ... more »
With half Honduran votes counted, two candidates claim victory
Juan Orlando Hernandez (centre, white shirt) leads supporters in election
night prayer
It’s never a great thing when two candidates claim election victory and the
ballot counting stalls just past the halfway point.
That’s the situation in Honduras this morning, with National Party
presidential candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez and Libre leader Xiomara
Castro Zelaya claiming victory. (It does make you appreciate the custom in
Canada of waiting for rivals to concede defeat.)
When the TSE - the Honduran version of Elections Canada - quit counting at
midnight, Orlando had 34 per cent of th... more »
Rushing into high-tech testing
Sent to the Buffalo News, Nov. 25.
Buffalo educators are concerned about whether students are tech-savvy
enough to take the new computerized tests, and whether districts will have
up-to-date equipment. (Pencils out, keyboards in for future exams," Nov,
25). But only a few people are asking whether we should rushing into
high-tech testing.
Williamsville Superintendent Martzloff points out that the tests will be
expensive. The cost of setting up online testing, replacement equipment
regularly will indeed be enormous and will continue to escalate as new
"progress" is made in techn... more »
Is the Affordable Care Act reducing healthcare costs?
1. The case for "yes."
2. The case for "no."
Majorities
Ezra Klein writes last week (my emphasis):
So the question here isn't so much about the change in power now as it is
in the change in power over time. That change doesn't clearly favor
Democrats or Republicans. Rather, *it favors majorities over minorities*.
And a corrective on that front has been overdue for decades. The only thing
worse than a Senate where the majority has the power to govern is one where
it doesn't.
I'm going to keep banging this one in, because it's terribly important.
Removing the filibuster doesn't favor "majorities." It favors one
particular majority. Not a ... more »
The Rebirth Of Al Qaeda In Iraq, An Interview With Jessica Lewis Of The Institute For The Study Of War
Al Qaeda in Iraq has gone through a resurgence this year. It wasn’t long
ago that the group was on the decline with much of its leadership arrested
or killed, and many of its cells broken up. Now it is responsible for more
and more mass casualty bombings, it has re-established its presence in the
provinces, and is operating in Syria that has allowed it access to new
funds, personnel, and material. To help explain the rebirth of Al Qaeda in
Iraq is Jessica Lewis the research director at the Institute for the Study
of War and author of several recent reports on the Islamist group.
... more »
Rick Perlstein starts to get it right!
*MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2013*
*The analysts start to cheer:* We did a little snarking last week about
Rick Perlstein’s “name-calling” in a recent piece.
Having snarked, let us offer half a cheer. That’s what the analysts started
to do in response to one part of Perlstein’s report about the treatment of
“Camelot” by the 60s-era press corps.
Perlstein smacks the legendary Theodore White for his serial sycophancy,
first toward President Kennedy, then toward President Nixon. At one point,
he brought the analysts right out of their chairs.
Is Rick Perlstein allowed to say this? Plainly, n... more »
LHO50: Private First Class Lee Harvey Oswald, United States Marine Corps.
*"A policeman hit me."*
*November 23rd, 1963*
Private First Class Lee Harvey Oswald, United States Marine Corps.
*October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963*
*Semper Fi.*
*From the Warren Commission photo appendix, caption reads: "Lee Harvey
Oswald ironing diapers"*
*NOTE: Not all of the following is true. But most of it is. Error
correction and fact checking will be provided where relevant, but this is
the most complete and accurate general account.*
"Lee Harvey Oswald was born in New Orleans on 18th October, 1939. His
father, Robert Oswald, died two months before his son was... more »
Small mercies
Historic mistake
Yesterday’s treatment of ‘The Deal’ by BBC News 24 wasn’t too bad
yesterday.
That is, taking into consideration that the deal brokered by Kerry and
Mother Theresa Ashton is perceived as a life-changing stride towards World
Peace and Apple Pie, at least there was a lengthy interview with Daniel
Taub on BBC News 24, which granted him ample space to put Israel’s case.
It’s true that despite Andrew Neil’s attempts to have Saudi Arabia added to
the meagre list of party poopers, Israel is still seen, by the BBC at
least, as the lone spoilsport.
*“The western media con... more »
Rush Limbaugh, Liberal Trailblazer
An
economist from UMass-Amherst (that storied home of austerity debunking)
posits that the latest right wing conspiracy theory may be having the
serendipitous effect of giving Single Payer health care a much-needed
shot
of adrenaline.
Writes Nancy Folbre in today's *New York Times* Economix blog:
Rush Limbaugh’s take on the disastrous rollout of the Affordable Care
Actcould, ironically, warm the hearts of those at the other end of the
political spectrum. He contends that President Obama knew all along that
the Affordable Care Act would crash and burn, but pushed it through so
that
t... more »
Privatized Custodial Services Bring Corporate Windfalls and Dirty Schools to Memphis
Since school fragmentation consolidation went into effect in Shelby County
(Memphis) Schools, the lawyers in charge of SCS have been trying to save
every dime they can to pay for the $212 million dollar donut hole created
to pay for corporate welfare charter reform schools for the urban poor.
Part of the savings came by way of relieving staff custodians of their jobs
as the County accepted an offers from bottom-feeding outfit in Knoxville,
GCA, to save money by privatizing cleaning services. In the process, those
workers who re-applied for their jobs had union affiliation eliminate... more »
The mainstream media (the propaganda arm of a corrupt government) does not tell you things like this. People are homeless because the too-big-to-jail big banks stole their homes by mortgage fraud, middle-class American jobs have been off shored, and Republican idiots on Congress recenty caused the government to weaken the economy by furloughing most its employees.
------------------------------
More Than 600,000 Americans Are Homeless On Any Given Night
BY BRYCE COVERT ON NOVEMBER 22, 2013 at 9:03AM
CREDIT: Wikimedia
More than 600,000 Americans are homeless on a given night, according to the
latest government data, which conducts a count on a specific night in
January every year. Nearly a quarter are children and a third were living
in unsheltered places like parks, cars, or abandoned buildings.
The number of people who are chronically homeless, or who have been
continuously homeless for more than one year or experienced... more »
ObamaCare news November 22 -24 , 2013 - Word of the Day - Delay ! As in : New delay: Deadline for ObamaCare enrollment moved back from December 15th to 23rd .... And : HHS delays 2015 enrollment to … just past the midterm elections ...... And how many people have actually ' enrolled " - well it true " enrollment involves following CMS guidelines which requirement payment of the first premium , the answer cannot be 106 ,000 . Since we have also heard the back end has not yet been built , is the correct answer ZERO ? Speaking of ZEROS , did HHS officials commit perjury or obstruction of Congress in their testimony before Congress ( CNN breaks story " Anonymous shopper " function was functional , despite testimony by Henry Chao to the contrary ) ..... Direct enrollment by insurance companies next desperate hail mary pass ? Any questions that Healthcare.gov won't be fixed anytime in the near term ? Florida , Texas and Ohio will take part in pilot hail mary pass program in the hope that something works right ! Will anyone mention to potential direct enrollees that if they go this route , forget getting a subsidy ?
Catharsis Ours - 3 hours ago
Saturday....
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-23/1-week-left-until-november-30-obama-scrambles-boost-obamacare-enrollment-propaganda-
With 1 Week Left Until November 30 Obama Scrambles To Boost Obamacare
Enrollment; Propaganda Enters Overdrive Mode
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/23/2013 11:12 -0500
- Florida
- Insurance Companies
- Obama Administration
- Obamacare
- Ohio
- Reuters
- White House
inShare
With just a week to go until the Obama-promised "all clear" healthcare.gov
date of November 30, the preside... more »
EU will throw €180 billion to the climate loo
Jo Nova has pointed out that the European Union plans to spend a staggering
20% of its budget for the years 2014-2020 for totally wasteful projects
justified by nothing else than the climate pseudoscience.
You should understand that the EU is just an international structure
"above" the member states so its budget is a small fraction of the total
budgets of the individual governments. But the figure 20% still translates
to unbelievable €180 billion i.e. €30 billion a year. And be sure that the
EU clowns would love to be "role models" for national governments in the
whole world, anywa... more »
DREAM SCHOLARSHIPS MAJOR REVERSAL: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
When the national Hispanic Scholarship Fund announces is decision to
reverse its policy regarding DREAM students, that will have been half the
battle in the realm of scholarship eligibility. For 37 years, DREAM
students were not eligible to apply or receive HSF scholarships. During
that time HSF has disbursed more than $400 million in scholarships to 1.5
million students.
When the decision is announced, DREAM-DACA (Deferred Action Childhood
Arrivals) students will become eligible for the HSF scholarships for this
funding cycle. The HSF is the largest scholarship fund, foundation ... more »
Anishinaabe Terrance Nelson 'US and Iran sign deal'
By
Terrance Nelson
Roseau River Anishinaabe
Censored News
Hey Dennis,
Remember last year, October 6, 2012. The Winnipeg Sun had me on the
front page pictured with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under the
Caption, Dumb and Dumber. Dumb under President Ahmadinejad and Dumber
under my picture.
You and I went to Tehran at a time when United States and Israel were
threatening to
When is the Sun not a Sun?
Post by Halo Child.
When is the Sun not a Sun?....
..... When it's a Star!
Apparently, two nights ago the Planetary alignment formed a 6 pointed star
with our Sol in the centre. The next morning, that video was taken.
I will also note here that the evening of the alignment a huge amount of
people felt huge energetic movement/rushes/flashes at approximately 10pm
UST
Interesting, no?
[image: Nikki Bordeau's photo.]
Why do some incidents get widely discussed?
*MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2013*
*The tragedy of Cheryl Mangum:* As you may have noticed, some topics and
incidents get widely discussed by our press and pundit corps.
Other topics and incidents may *not* get widely discussed. On Saturday, the
New York Times gave 83 words to a very unfortunate incident involving a
person who long ago seemed to need help.
The Times ran copy from the AP. This was all the Times published, headline
included:
NEW YORK TIMES (11/23/13): *North Carolina: Woman in Duke Case Guilty in
Killing*
*The woman who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse player... more »
FROM THE FIELDS TO NEGOTIATING TABLE
The film features Michael Peña in the title role of Cesar Chavez, the
Mexican-American labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers,
who fought for workers’ rights and became an icon in the Latino community
after his death.My first organizing job was working for the United Farm
Workers (UFW) from 1978-1980. I was sent to the union headquarters in
California for a month of training. Cesar Chavez took the four of us who
were new staff into his office and told us stories about the founding of
the union. (I almost beat him in ping pong one day but he made a huge
comeback ... more »
Decades More War In Afghanistan? Billions More Stolen From U.S. Taxpayers?
Apparently, President Obama didn't really mean "complete," at least not in
the sense anyone ever uses that word, when he said the transition out of
Afghanistan would be complete by the end of 2014. As Maddow reported-- in
the video below-- the plan is to have "an enduring presence in Afghanistan
even after the *war* is technically over." And that means U.S. troops, not
to mention billions of taxpayer dollars sinking into that blackbox
hellhole. With the help of Richard Engel, Maddow started getting the word
out that there are plans to formalize an agreement to prolong some sort ... more »
Your moment of Zen
The entire alphabet as found on butterfly wings. [Kjell Bloch Sanved photo
via My modern Met and M. Hush]
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Tim Armstrong, 47.
Plenty of good stuff for a holiday week:
1. Four pieces -- Greg Koger, Barbara Sinclair, Aaron Belkin, and Richard
Arenberg -- on the post-nuclear Senate.
2. Another one, from David Mayhew.
3. And another from Sarah Binder. I suppose she's right that the Senate
will never quite "become the House" -- something I'm guilty of saying.
However, I do think the risk (or, if you like it, the promise) of it coming
close enough is sufficient that it's only a misdemeanor, not a felony, to
use it as a shorthand.
4. Mark Goldberg on the Iran deal.
5. Fr... more »
Time To Resign?
Over the weekend, Tom Walkom wrote that, if Stephen Harper were as smart as
his enablers claim he is, he would declare victory and resign. Harper has
achieved much of what he set out to do:
First, he is a political success. He managed to knit two parties at daggers
drawn, Reform and the old Progressive Conservatives, into a coherent
machine.
He won three elections with that machine. He made his Conservative Party
competitive again in the crucial ridings around Toronto — while holding
onto the West and (briefly) making major inroads into Quebec.
He has successfully refocused the... more »
Untitled
*Whodat
Nation represents in Ratlanta ~Jack Cavanaugh, Rant Sports*
New Orleans Saints: Who Dat Nation Represents In Atlanta Falcons’
Territory
Read more at
http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2013/11/24/new-orleans-saints-who-dat-nation-represents-in-atlanta-falcons-territory/?FyU5iva6UZHy72cd.99
New
Orleans Saints: Who Dat Nation Represents In Atlanta Falcons’ Territory
Read more at
http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2013/11/24/new-orleans-saints-who-dat-nation-represents-in-atlanta-falcons-territory/?FyU5iva6UZHy72cd.99
New
Orleans Saints: Who Dat Nation Represents In Atlanta Falcons’ Territory
R... more »
Europe Watch November 25 , 2013 Greece ( and Italy as well ) are puppies begging for treats from their Troikan and EU masters ...... latest absurdity from France - dissent squashed as France deploys Stasi type tactics against Founder of Website " Hollande Resignation " , who is arrested by thirty policemen and has his car impounded - for the high crime of .....insulting the President ?
France.....
Sunday, November 24, 2013 2:50 PM
Founder of French Website "Hollande Resignation" Arrested, Car Impounded
for "Insulting the President"
On charges of "*insulting the president*", thirty policemen arrested the
founder of the French website "http://hollande-démission.fr/" last week and
impounded his car according to a translation from Les Observateurs.
The website owner and four passengers were detained for 16 hours. "
*Démission*" means resignation.
Here is a translated excerpt from the "*hollande-démission*" site that got
the website owner arrested.
You get the feel... more »
Guilty plea major mitigating factor on sentence even in murder
*R. v. Alariaq,* 2013 NUCJ 27 makes very clear the importance of a guilty
plea in mitigation on sentencing:
[16] In determining the appropriate period of parole ineligibility, the Criminal
Code tells me to consider the character of the offender, the nature of the
offence, and the circumstances surrounding its commission, which in this
case are horrendous.
[17] It is hard to imagine a more pointless death than that of Karl
Qinnuayuaq, whose only fault apparently was being part of the family that
offered assistance to Mathewsie Alariaq when he had nowhere else to live. ... more »
Syria updates November 25 , 2013 - US finally sends aid to Syrian FSA Rebels - which is promptly seized by Al Qaeda Rebels and to rub salt in the wound , FSA Commanders captured by Al Qaeda and currently awaiting trial by Al Qaeda ... Updates on the fighting around Damascus - Rebels take large losses ...Alleged Syria peace conference set for January 22 , 2014 - based on the position of Al Qaeda regarding these talks , if it even occurs , nothing will happen notable !
Al-Qaeda Seizes US Aid Warehouse From Syrian RebelsUS Aid Finally Reached
Syria, Almost Immediately Was Seized
by Jason Ditz, November 24, 2013
Print This | Share This
The Obama Administration’s plans to provide arms and other equipment to
secular Syrian rebels took a lot of planning, but finally began in earnest
in recent days, as massive amounts of goods bound for the Free Syrian Army
(FSA) started crossing the border from Reyhanli, Turkey into a warehouse in
Atmeh, in northern Syria.
The plan was controversial, with a lot of fear that the goods would
eventually start falling into... more »
Syrian Peace Talks to Begin on January 22/2014
This is the third date set for the Geneva Peace talks... First was in
November. Second was supposed to be next month. Now we have a January
22/2014 date.
*NYT's*
The Syrian government and opposition will hold their first negotiations in
Geneva on Jan. 22, a spokesman for United Nations Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon said on Monday after a meeting among American, Russian and U.N.
officials.
*“We will go to Geneva with a mission of hope,” *the spokesman, Martin
Nesirky, said in a statement. He added that the aim of the conference would
be the creation of a transitional government bas... more »
Motao goes to Alishan
*The Motao. Pure fun on wheels.*
Swamped with work I did the only sane thing and ignored it to spend two
lovely days biking over Alishan and nearby mountains. The Bike Gods
rewarded my faith with prime weather. Even better, a friend who is
introducing a new bike and motorcycle camera called the Motao to the market
here sent me a free one to test on the trip. What fun I had! As you will
see. Motao's Taiwan retailer is www.hands.com.tw -- Tailung Hands. They
have 11 stores in Taiwan from K-town to Taipei. You can find them in Breeze
and Sogo. Unless I tell you a pic is from the Motao... more »
OUTSCORING FINLAND: On the TIMSS!
*MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2013*
*Part 1—When the gong show started:* It all began in December 2001.
Early that month, the OECD released the first test scores from the Program
for International Student Assessment (PISA), the brainchild it had devised
to measure “critical thinking.”
On that somewhat unconventional measure, Finland scored at the top of the
world, producing mild consternation. From that day to this, journalists
from various countries have taken the free trip to Finland to attempt to
figure out how the Finns do it.
(Or perhaps just to *pretend* to try to figure it out.)
U... more »
Open Your Eyes - A Poem by A.M. Veller
*YOUR WORLD IS AN ILLUSION*
*From the day you were born you have been CONDITIONED.*
*Your schools taught you to be quiet, neutral, and dumb.*
*Your media DESENSITIZED you to the suffering of your fellow human beings,
and the sytem slowly ISOLATED you until it somehow felt normal to feel
ALONE on a planet with 8 BILLION other people on it.*
*You worked hard for the FUTURE with the rewards always just around the
next corner or just up the next step.*
*EVERYTHING WAS FOR TOMORROW BUT TOMORROW *
*NEVER CAME, and you realized too late that you never lived at all.*
*Something was mi... more »
Untitled
*Cultural economy run amuck ~Library Chronicles*
*Amid rejuvenation, some city neighborhoods struggle with blight,
abandonment ~Jaquetta White, New Orleans Advocate*
*Crackdown on Frenchmen Street flusters businesses ~Casey Ferrand, WDSU*
*Hogs damaging levees in Jefferson Parish ~AP*
*Oil Spill Judge 'Deeply Disappointed' in BP ~Paul M. Barrett, Business
Week*
*Rigs-to-Reefs Builds Needed Habitat for Gulf Seafood ~Gulf Seafood
Institute*
*Louisiana Shrimp Cornbread*
Sleepwalkers of the World, Wake Up and Take Over
originally published on CounterPunch
As ever more work’s combined with ever more stress – among other results –
people sleep less and less. And, as various spectacular pseudo-events
dominate the public’s reputedly shrinking attention span (a phenomenon
indistinct from the shrinking span of the reputedly public itself), it
should come as little surprise that the Center for Disease Control’s nearly
year-old finding that sleep deprivation has reached epidemic proportions has
failed to generate significant public outcry.
To be sure, no small degree of irony inheres in the fact that th... more »
An ExPat Academic Thanksgiving
It is time for an academic Thanksgiving (at least it is for me, flew home
early because it was Reading Week in the UK), that time of year when we
give thanks for when our ancestral academic Deans fed us when we were
hungry. Something like that…cornucopia with grants, laptops, and travel
funds. Who knows
Continue reading
Doctor Who - The Day of the Doctor (post 1)
I watched this Doctor Who special episode yesterday and enjoyed many parts
of it but found others to be overblown and maybe a little silly!
One line especially jarred with me, "Never give-up, never surrender" -
that's from the wonderful sci-fi film Galaxy Quest (the wrong franchise)...
Is playing for the England cricket team that stressful?
Then opening batsman Marcus Trescothick left the 2005-06 tour of India and
the 2006-07 Ashes tour of Australia with a stress-related condition. Now
Jonathan Trott has left the current Ashes tour of Australia because of a
long-standing stress-related condition.
Now I understand stress-related illness, boy do I understand it... And I
don't want to minimise its seriousness but could Jonathan Trott's condition
possibly be the first case of *Mitchell Johnsonitis*?
Of course there might be a non-cricketing explanation as to why Jonathan
Trott is depressed...
Jonathan Trott supports Totten... more »
The Dance of Life
Thanks to Ed, for forwarding this link...
Dance of Life by Clement Farah
Reduce Footprints Is On Hiatus!
[image: Reduce Footprints is on hiatus.]
GOVERNMENT DEATH SQUAD REVEALED
*Boston attack carried out by agents of the government?*
According to the BBC, innocent UK civilians were murdered by a UK military
death squad.
Undercover soldiers killed unarmed civilians - BBC News - 21 November 2013/
British Army's secret 'terror unit' Military Reaction Force shot dead
innocent civilians - Belfast Telegraph
Share this page
- Email
- Print
- Share
- Facebook
- Twitter
Ex-members of the UK's *Military Reaction Force* (MRF) have told the BBC
that they carried out a series of drive-by shootings of civilians.
*Sandy Hook attack carried out ... more »
Banks 'destroying small firms': Cable report accuses RBS and Lloyds of 'unscrupulous' practices. Probe claims RBS and Lloyds have deliberately caused small firms to fail.
*What's unstated here is how much of this is going on in banks that are
not
state backed/owned... -Bill*
Banks 'destroying small firms': Cable report accuses RBS and Lloyds of
'unscrupulous' practices
*Probe claims RBS and Lloyds have deliberately caused small firms to
fail. **RBS,
80 per cent owned by taxpayer, referred to financial watchdogs. **Bank
claims it tried to help the businesses, 'but can't save all of them'*
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2512791/Banks-ruin-firms-just-make-killing-RBS-Lloyds-branded-unscrupulous-profiteers.html
By
RUPERT STEINER
PUBLISHED: 17:26... more »
Fred Kavli: 1927-2013
On Thursday November 21nd, Fred Kavli (86†) died in Santa Barbara after a
surgery of a rare cancer that sucks bile from the liver. He was a famous
sponsor of science institutes and science jobs.
Kavli was born in a small Norwegian village in 1927. During the Nazi
occupation of Norway, he was 14 and and together with his brother, he began
to build his bifuel corporation (well, wood pellet fuel for cars). He found
his father's 13 years in San Francisco inspiring, so he wanted to move to
California.
With no sponsor, his visa application was rejected. He first moved to
Montreal, Can... more »
Christy Clark`s Newest LNG Investor, The Deforester
Indonesia billionaire proposes small-scale LNG export plant in B.C.
[image: Printer-friendly version]
Latest Oil and Gas News:
March 11, 2013
*- Controversial Indonesian billionaire Sukanto Tanoto has purchased an
industrial site in Squamish, B.C., 30 miles north of Vancouver, for the
purposes of exporting LNG. The self-educated entrepreneur has been
criticized for environmental practices elsewhere in his $12 billion
industrial empire, raising questions about his B.C. venture. Environmental
watchers say Tanoto's logging company has a checkered record in cutting
down Indonesia's r... more »
Freedom Flame Awards, More Photos
It was a big day indeed, and a big night, November 10, 2013, at the
beautiful San Diego Gardens, Intramuros, Manila. This is in an open area
between Pamantasan ng Maynila and Manila Hotel. See my earlier story of the awards
with photos.
There were many guests that night. The big event of the FNF was the 20th
anniversary of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), Nov.
9-11 held at Manila Hotel. CALD is the organization of politicians
affiliated with either a Liberal Party or Democratic Party in Asian
countries. CALD is one of the two big projects of FNF in Asia, along ... more »
Heather Mizeur (D-MD) Is Helping Make Marijuana Legalization Part Of The Progressive Agenda
Back during the summer, I wrote about a Democratic candidate for governor,
Heather Mizeur. If she wins, Heather would be the first woman governor of
Maryland and the first openly gay governor in the country. But as she says,
she’s not running to make history, she’s running to make a difference. And
over the past several weeks, her campaign has lived up to the progressive
dream we knew her candidacy would be.
In Maryland, the gubernatorial candidates pick their lieutenant governor
before the primary, and Heather wasn’t afraid to make a bold choice-- she
now has a progressive chang... more »
JFK50: Why I Have Absolutely No Intention of Paying My License Fee
JFK50: Why I Have Absolutely No Intention of Paying My License Fee from Spike
EP on Vimeo.
If it's not important, then why are they still lying about it...?
Tlakatl: What it Means to be Human: A brief Synopsis
Opening
-->
*Tlakatl: What it Means to be Human*
*All-Day Student/Community Symposium*
*A brief Synopsis*
*Nov 19, 2013*
Whatever I write here is but a glimpse of what happened on Tues Nov 19 at
the “Tlakatl: What it Means to be Human” symposium at the University of
Arizona. Many photographs were taken and much was videotaped… and this here
too is but a brief synopsis that will give you a feel for this event, but
it does not approximate conveying the historic nature of the gathering.
(Videotape of much of the symposium will be released as soon as all the
permissions are gathered.... more »
Common Core, Aligned Curriculum, and Other NGA/Duncan-decided Issues
In this post, I would like to offer information on the beginnings of the
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and its interconnectedness with other
so-called reforms. I refer to three documents (all linked below) from June
2008, June 2009, and June 2010. My initial purpose in examining these
documents was to ascertain the admitted connection […]
Massachusetts Halts Common Core - Damaging to Students
Hold on there - wait. There is still intellectual curiosity and common
sense in Massachusetts. There are now 15 states pushing back on the Common
Core and PARCC.
From Brittany Corons,The Foundry
For one thing, as Sandra Stotsky—one of the leaders of Massachusetts’s 1993
education reform movement who resigned from the Common Core review
committee—argued, the diminished emphasis on literature would actually be
damaging to students. Stotsky, now professor of education reform *emerita *at
the University of Arkansas, says:
[Common Core’s] misplaced stress on informational texts reflects... more »
Right-wingers on the filibuster -- it's the old Ralph Kramden con: "Heads I win, tails you lose"
*"If a Senate majority demonstrates it can make such a change once, there
are no rules which binds a majority, and all future majorities will feel
free to exercise the same power, not just on judges and executive
appointments but on legislation."*
*-- Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)*
*"You will no doubt come to regret this, and you may regret it a lot sooner
than you think."*
*-- Sen. "Miss Mitch" McConnell (R-KY)*
*by Ken*
You do see the difference between what Senator Levin and Miss Mitch are
saying, don't you?
Senator Levin is talking about the real prospect of a "tyranny of the
major... more »
WE AIN'T GETTING OUT OF AFGHANISTAN
ABC’s *World News with Diane Sawyer* revealed a new report from John Sopko,
the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which
claims the United States has paid more than $150 million to Afghan
companies that may have helped finance terror attacks on U.S. soldiers and
assets in Afghanistan.
In a related story from *The Washington Post* about the new Afghanistan
permanent basing agreement now being negotiated with the Obama
administration: "The United States can maintain up to nine bases, and
American troops and support contractors will be able to enter Af... more »
CONSEQUENCES OF THE US PIVOT TO ASIA-PACIFIC
US Plans to Expand War Games in Ecologically Rich Mariana Islands
by Zoe Loftus-Farren
Naval training exercises threaten local communities and environmentThe
United States military assumed control the Mariana Islands during World War
II and has been waging war on the environment there ever since. Recent
proposals to expand the range for Navy training exercises in this
archipelago in the northwestern Pacific Ocean represent the latest frontier
in this battle, and could be devastating to local communities as well as
wildlife.
By many accounts, military trainings have already had a t... more »
A song for the (barely) defeated
Here’s John Lennon on this morning’s result:
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
Lange - Drifting Away
Every lecturer I've ever known has told their students *not* to leave their
work to the last minute. And yet, without exception, every lecturer I've
ever known leaves it to the last possible moment to churn out their papers
and their lectures. Who then am I to go against this inglorious grain? It
does mean there will be no proper blogging tonight. So here, have a ditty.
DOING HOWARD ZINN
Matt Damon reads the words of historian and activist Howard Zinn...."We
need a declaration of inter-dependence."
The Carlyle Connection (Documentary)
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...]
A revealing documentary about the international world of private equity
banking.
The Carlyle Group, one of the largest investment banks in the world, is
based in Washington and has accumulated its capital mainly by investments
in the defence industry. On their list of employees are people like Lou
Gerstner (former chairman of IBM), George Bush Sr., James Baker III, John
Major (former British Prime Minister) and Fidel Ramos (former Prime
Minister of the Philippines). The Carlyle Group invests in areas that are
closely tied ... more »
Blossom Goodchild - November 21, 2013
*Heather said that Blossom almost let the entire cat out of the bag
today...read on if you want a glimpse of what is coming... -AK*
Blossom Goodchild - November 21, 2013
What ho chaps! Back again! I have been RIDICULOUSLY tired these last few
weeks ... anything to do with what's going on, or is it just 'normal life'?
*We would send cheering greetings back to you* *and as always **it is
exciting and endearing to be within your company once again. The tiredness
you are experiencing ... and indeed many ... is far more than the average
day to day exhaustion! The energies that ARE to e... more »
Fraudsters
Fraudsters can be very convincing, and very charming.
Allan Titford was not at all charming, but he did convince a lot of people
he was genuine in saying he’d been wronged by the Government and the
Waitangi Tribunal. Turns out however, on the judgement of the courts, that
much of what he said was made up—that he himself was responsible for the
arsons he clamed had been committed by local Maori, Te Roroa—that their
campaign to drive him off his land by violence and intimidation, in which
he claimed the government and police colluded, was fiction and not fact.
Or, in the judgemen... more »
Pepe Escobar- Follow the Money: How lobby interests are spinning Iran nuclear deal
There is a video available at the link. I can't embed it unfortunately.
Do take the six minutes to watch it
Pepe rightly calls the beginning of the "spin war" and assumes the spin war
will continue for the next six months.... I agree
He also states that Iran has no interest in breaking the deal. None.
Therefore, they won't.
Reference is made back to the news of clandestine meetings, mentioned in
the previous post.
*....P5+1 make a deal with Iran. Israel steams. Clandestine Meetings*
*Anyway........ here is Pepe from RT*
Iran’s nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of world powers in Genev... more »
Iran-- Good Deal?
A few weeks ago Zbigniew Brzezinski, responding to another anti-Iran *NY
Times* editorial, mused to his Twitter followers, "Do our Middle East
"allies" really have our best interests at heart when they clamor for us to
go to war for them?" Those allies are are Israel, Saudi Arabia and it's
Gulf satellites and Turkey, all with their own national interests and
obviously the answer to the question is "no." When Israel, for example,
judged its own national interests at stake in the summer of 1967, it bombed
and torpedoed the USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 Americans
an... more »
POLICE STATE: COPS USE PHYSICIANS TO PROBE A SUSPECT'S RECTUM
By NWV News Writer Jim Kouri
November 10, 2013
In arguably the most bizarre and disturbing case in U.S. history involving
a routine traffic stop by a police officer, a New Mexico man was subjected
to an illegal search that would make the President of the United States
wince if it had occurred at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military detention
center to a terrorist who killed innocent Americans.
"This case is the strangest example of police abuse to come down the pike
in my lifetime as a police officer," said former NYPD detective Iris
Aquino. "What I see in this horror story is an out-... more »
Where to Begin on Frank Bruni's Stupidity and Ignorance
Every time I see another stupid, clueless and poorly written NYT editorial
on education, or having anything to do with education, I am saddened by the
lack of journalistic integrity that was and should be a part of one of the
nation's leading newspapers.
Frank Bruni really outdid himself today with this pile of garbage, titled
"Are Kids Too Coddled" in his defense of Arne Duncan's same stupid and
ignorant comments about the Common Core and white suburban moms.
First, Bruni talks about shirts kids wear after a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in a
rich suburb of Boston. It's the same in all Jewish... more »
He knows nothing ...
Over
to Cathie's with you. She picked up on the thought I was having this
morning. The late John Banner's character, Hauptfeldwebel Hans Georg
Schultz, became synonymous with seeing nothing and knowing nothing in
the TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes.
As Cathie points out:
We're supposed to believe that not only did Harper know nothing about
Wright's $90,000 cheque to Duffy, he also knew nothing about
Sing a Song of Synchronicity
*Sing a Song of Synchronicity*
November 23, 2013
Posted by D. at Removing the Shackles
Today we're going to do things a bit differently than I usually do. Many
times I post an article and I post my comments on the article first,
followed by the message that inspired my comments. Today I am going to
post the article first and then follow it with my comments. I will add my
own highlights to the article as well to direct attention to some of the
points that really jumped out for me- that isn't' to say that other things
won't have greater meaning to other people, lol- and some of m... more »
Janet Yellen, Bubble Blowing, and a Coming Economic Nightmare
*Guest post by Joseph Salerno*
On Monday last week, former US Federal Reserve official Andrew Huszar publicly
apologized to the American public for his seminal role in executing the
Quantitative Easing (QE) programme, a programme he characterises as “the
greatest backdoor Wall Street bailout of all time,” and “the largest
financial-markets intervention by any government in world history.”
While this is a momentous admission from an insider (Mr. Huszar is also a
former Wall Street banker), perhaps Mr. Huszar’s most revealing statement
concerned the results of QE’s “relentlessly p... more »
Sunday Question for Liberals
Same question, pushing on my Saturday Salon column, in which I argued that
the filibuster can still be saved. I say if Republicans offered a deal
which would preserve some possibility of blocking judicial nominations, but
gave up at least some of the filibuster on legislation, Democrats should go
for it. If Republicans did suggest such a deal, should Democrats accept it?
John Baird is unhappy about the Iran nuclear deal and very skeptical
John Baird is not happy with the Iran nuclear deal. The deal with Iran is
signed by six nations which are the United States, France, Germany,
Britain, Russia and China -and Iran. I believe it is a foot in the door for
future negotiations and stopping nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
I don’t understand Baird’s point of view. Baird’s view is:
*He said that because of previous Iranian leaders had made hostile comments
toward Israel, “we're deeply skeptical of the deal and the work that's
brought us to this stage.”*
Read more here.
Why Mitch McConnell really hates Obamacare
The propaganda doesn't sell as well once the people start signing up in
droves for Obamacare. Like in Kentucky:
But in a state where the rollout has gone smoothly, and in a county that is
one of the poorest and unhealthiest in the country, Courtney Lively has
been busy signing people up: cashiers from the IGA grocery, clerks from the
dollar store, workers from the lock factory, call-center agents, laid-off
coal miners, KFC cooks, Chinese green-card holders in town to teach
Appalachian students.
Not only that, but the rubes are discovering the GOPers have been lying to
them.
Alt... more »
Fr. Barron comments on C. S. Lewis
Video Title: Fr. Barron comments on C. S. Lewis. Source: Fr. Robert Barron.
Date Published: November 20, 2013. Description:
Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Father Barron will be
commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit
http://www.wordonfire.org
Untitled
*On The Come --or-- A Guide to Hating the 2013 Saints ~SaintsWin*
Talkin' the Newly-Inked Interim Nuclear Deal with Scott Horton
In
the wake of the historic agreement just signed in Geneva over the
Iranian nuclear program, I had the pleasure of speaking with Scott
Horton of AntiWar Radio and the aptly-named Scott Horton Show about what
the contours of the interim deal, what it means, and what might follow.
In our half-hour chat, Scott and I also discuss the predictable
hysterical reactions of Israeli politicians,
INSIDE-JOB: MUMBAI
*Adrian Levy, right, who describe the mastermind of the Mumbai Terrorist
attack as a CIA asset.*
There is growing evidence that the 'terrorist' attack on Mumbai in 2008 was
the work of the security services of India, the USA and others.
The main planner of the Mumbai Attack was the American called David Headley.
*David Headley in Mumbai*
*Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott Clark, British investigative journalists and
authors of 'The Siege', remind us of the following:*
*1.* David Headley's wife, Faiza, warned the American Embassy that David
Headley was planning a terrorist attack in Mum... more »
Sunday Question for Conservatives
I'm going to push on my Saturday Salon column, in which I argued that the
filibuster can still be saved. I say Republicans could still get a deal
which would preserve some possibility of blocking judicial nominations, but
give up at least some of the filibuster on legislation. If such a deal is
possible, should they go for it?
No nukes for Iran
By now you've heard about the Iran nuclear arms agreement with the US and
five other countries. If not, the basic terms are Iran agrees to curtail
its nuke enrichment programs in return for an easing of the crippling
international sanctions they've been living under for what seems like
forever. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. It offers some relief to the
Iranian people who suffer the most under sanctions and the beautiful
country of Iran doesn't get bombed into glass ashtrays.
Of course, all the people who thought bombing Iraq was the most brilliant
idea ever, namely neo-cons ... more »
Tim and I are off again today, so here’s our studio interview with Dr. Jed Hopkins
We’re taking some time off after recording a bunch of studio shows. For
your listening pleasure, here’s a studio show from July 2013 with one of
Slekar’s colleagues, Dr. Jed Hopkins. We get into some insightful
international comparisons. Tagged: at the chalk face, education talk, jed
hopkins, shaun johnson, tim slekar
50 years ago today - zapruder
An official investigation by the House Select Committee on Assassinations
(HSCA), conducted from 1976 to 1979, concluded that Oswald shot President
Kennedy as a result of a probable conspiracy. This conclusion of a likely
conspiracy contrasts with the earlier conclusion by the Warren Commission
that the President was assassinated by a lone gunman.
In the ensuing four decades since the assassination, theories have been
proposed or published that detail organized conspiracies to kill the
President. These theories implicate, among others, Cuban President Fidel
Castro, the anti-Castr... more »
Dystopia Will Not Attack Us, It Will Slowly Consume Us
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...]
Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter:
Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.
China flexes muscles - expands air defense map to include Diaoyu islands ..... US vows to defend Japan if the air zone dispute sparks a crisis ....
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/11/24/china-expands-their-air-defense-map-to-include-diaoyu-islands/
China expands their air defense map to include Diaoyu Islands
POSTED AT 2:01 PM ON NOVEMBER 24, 2013 BY JAZZ SHAW
China has made yet another move which is ratcheting up the tension in that
part of the world and is catching the attention of the United States
Department of Defense. But instead of causing additional conflict with the
US, this one is aggravating old problems with their neighbors in Japan. It
involves some tiny spots of land in the middle of the ocean which I
recently ... more »
Just ask the axis
I've been meaning to post this for a while. I'm told it won't be available
for free forever. If you're a fan of the 60s music scene or the man, this PBS
Jimi Hendrix documentary is well worth a couple hours of your time.
Note: At some point it stopped and said that the end of the excerpt but I
just clicked through the popups and it started up again where it left off. [photo
via The Guardian]
And The PMO Keeps Grinding Out The Lies .. Half Truths And Fabrications ...
What a load of crap is coming from the Prime Minister's Office ... you
Conservatives are out of your minds!! *PM didn't know staff asked
Conservative Party to pay Duffy's expenses: spokesperson* *Prime Minister
Stephen Harper had no idea his staff had asked the Conservative Party to
pay Sen. Mike Duffy’s ineligible expenses, his spokesperson said Sunday.**In
an interview with CTV’s Question Period, Harper’s director of
communications, Jason MacDonald, also said Harper didn’t know PMO staff
wanted a Senate report into Duffy’s expenses sanitized, or that the party’s
chief fundraiser... more »
MILITARIZATION OF THE BORDERS
As our government calls for massive amounts of spending on the border
corporations are lining their pockets through contracts, waste and money
splurge that is costing you and making us all less safe. Less safe - not
only is it eroding our rights and liberties but it is creating a military
battlefield and a constitution free zone. Furthermore it has led to over
five thousand migrant deaths and the human cost continues to rise. All this
because corporate execs want to line their pockets even more with lucrative
contracts, excused through absurd technology we don't need and doesn't
w... more »
Stephen Harper and his "rogue representatives"
Sept 4, 2008 : *Harper says alleged Cadman bribe 'preposterous'*
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper has told a court that an alleged offer to
the late MP Chuck Cadman of a $1-million life insurance policy in exchange
for his vote in the Commons in 2005 is “preposterous” and that only “rogue
representatives” of the Conservative party could have done such a thing.
Harper says he authorized party officials Doug Finley and Tom Flanagan to
meet with Cadman May 19 to assure him that if he rejoined the Conservative
caucus he would automatically secure the party nomination in his B.C.
riding... more »
Sunday Classics: Is the slightest of them perhaps the mightiest of Brahms's piano quartets?
*Pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Salvatore Accardo, violist Antonine
Tamestit, and cellist Gautier Capuçon play the gorgeous third-movement
Andante of Brahms's C minor Piano Quartet, at the 2008 Verbier Festival.*
*by Ken*
As I wrote when I brought up the subject of the third of Brahms's three
piano quartets, and wound up presenting only his Second Cello Sonata, the
performance of the C minor Quartet I heard in Ian Hobson's New York Brahms
piano series, with violinist Andrés Cárdenes, violist Csaba Erdélyi, and
cellist Ko Isawaki, finally pushed the piece over the top for me.
... more »
Teach Campaign Star RIFed Last Year Just Before Tenure
Alexandria Hollet is one of the young, female white teachers chosen by
Microsoft-TFA to provide 40 second testimonials on teaching for Arne
Duncan's new campaign to attract the vulnerable and uninformed into what
was once a profession.
With corporate ed policies in place to demean, abuse, blame, punish, and
fire teachers for another generation of failed testing accountability
practices, there is a huge push on by CoreEd to recruit another generation
of young delusional innocents who can be turned into reliable prison guards
for children of the urban poor.
Alexandria's 38-second c... more »
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, November 24th, 2013
Sunday again.... And again it is time for me to spew my guts on some
thought provoking issues...
First, I am really pissed off by the unwarranted censorship shown recently
by the criminals behind Youtube... Which I really have begun to call
"Jewtube", in yanking videos from their lists on the false grounds of
"violation of the Youtube agreement" or due to the laughable claims of
"copyright infringement".... These are such false charges and have turned
Youtube into a joke..... Every single video or audio found in Youtube can
be put into those catagories, but the criminals behind that... more »
Bill Whittle: The Hammer of Reality...(video)
*a must see.*Related articles
Mohawk Nation News 'This Ole House'(bsnorrell.blogspot.com)
Tories to re-introduce crime bill as Flaherty talks economy(globalnews.ca)
Museum of Civilization gets $1M sponsorship deal to help fund Canada's 150th(ctvnews.ca)
A Bus to Quebec: The Museum of Civilization(scottawa.com)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment