Good Times (Elvis Presley album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The typography of Elvis Presley's debut album influenced the design of London Calling. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)MYSTERIOUS ELVIS PRESLEY
*Nelson Rockefeller, Elvis's father Vernon (2nd from left), stepmother Dee (next to Elvis) and Dee's sons Ricky, David and Billy Stanley who became part of Elvis's Memphis Mafia. *http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ Elvis was mind controlled at an early age? 'Dee' Presley, the second wife of Elvis Presley's father Vernon, died in September 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee. It was Dee who said that: *1.* Elvis had an incestuous affair with his mother Gladys, Vernon's first wife. *2.* Elvis was gay. *3.* Elvis's marriage to Priscilla in 1967 was forced upon Elvis. *Elvis and Gladys.* Dee... more »
Likable Enough
I did a post over at PP a couple of days ago about Christie and personality, pointing out that personality -- whether people actually liked the candidate -- can matter quite a bit in nomination contests, but is mostly unimportant in general elections. It's worth elaborating on that just a bit, because it turns out the way that personality works is actually a bit complicated. I can think of at least three ways that personality matters in nomination contests. In each case, I'm using "like" here to refer to personality, not issues or governing abilities or any of the other reasons some... more »
House Democratic Party Inside Baseball
Becerra, Grayson, Ellison-- actual leaders, not money-grubbers I'm never really comfortable with a corrupt out-of-touch Beltway committee parachuting into an American congressional district and telling the Democrats there who their candidate for Congress should be. In the old days, even the worst DCCC chairmen-- think Rahm Emanuel-- used to tip-toe, at least publicy, around interfering in primaries. Not so the cloddish, reptilian Steve Israel. He's interfering in more Democratic primaries-- and pretty much always on behalf of the more conservative and more corrupt candidates-- than a... more »
You Can Keep Your Plan. Period
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With all the furor of cancelled insurance policies you'd think that the President would be backing away from his false promises but a visit to whitehouse.gov today shows otherwise... Screen shot taken 7 November 2013. Click to enlarge and read the highlighted print. Apparently they meant "If *we* like your plan, you can keep your plan. And we don't like your plan. Period."
An excellent message from Rev. Michael Bresciani...
*and we thank him.* From: Canada Free Press: America Enters Stage Three of the Prophetic Message ObamaCare is now sliding or perhaps slithering into home plate and has finally gotten the attention of most Americans. Democrats, the main stream media and the most goggle-eyed pundits like Bill Maher have all sat up and noticed that the Liar in Chief has put one over on them. So what could an old preacher possibly have to say about ObamaCare; isn’t it totally out of his purview and field of expertise? Not on your life—it is the very heart of my message. For upwards of 38 years I have ... more »
Has Corporate Education "Reform" Earned Another 25 Years to Complete the Resegregation and Privatization Agendas? Part I
With a series of conservative SCOTUS decisions beginning with the Nixon Court, and with a particular hostility by the Reaganites toward the equity and equality agenda that grew from the War on Poverty in 1960s, the resegregation of public schools Original chart by Orfield & Lee, 2006took hold in earnest in 1988, and it has continued unabated since then (click chart to enlarge). It is not surprising, then, that the most recent NAEP 2013 summary report does not include the achievement gap numbers from years prior to 1990, when the achievement gaps between whites and minorities, from... more »
Raised on Hatred - NYTimes.com
' As a child growing up in a Muslim family, I constantly heard my mother, other relatives and neighbors wish for the death of Jews, who were considered our darkest enemy. Our religious tutors and the preachers in our mosques set aside extra time to pray for the destruction of Jews.' More here http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/opinion/global/ayaan-hirsi-ali-morsis-comments-on-jews.html
Barack Obama lied? No shit Sherloch
' The newspaper called the White House effort to blame insurance companies "a classic case of misdirection. Between 75 and 95 percent of the problem stems from the effective date, but the White House chooses to keep the focus elsewhere."' More here http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/07/two-major-fact-checkers-are-saying-president-obama-isnt-telling-you-the-full-truth
Christians are Disappearing from the Middle East except in Israel
'The Christian population in the Muslim Middle East has plunged from 20% a century ago to less than 5% today—and it's falling fast.Arab Christianity, for centuries a dominant force in Middle East culture, religion and politics, now faces extinction in nearly every country in the region. Discrimination and persecution by Muslim governments, as well as murderous attacks by Islamic extremists, are driving Christians from their homelands by the millions. In fact, the only country in the Middle East in which Christians are safe—and where their numbers are growing—is Israel.' More here ... more »
Masked al-Nusra fighters search Syrian civilians
Just three pictures. So interesting. The masked fighters aka hired killers/mercs Nationalities and identity obscured. So convenient for controlling and promoting a specific narrative and obfuscating of fact & reality [image: http://d24pg1nxua23qm.cloudfront.net/contentAsset/image/03c5d6e4-887f-4d54-b19a-81719800a4ea/image/byInode/1/filter/Resize,Jpeg/jpeg_q/90/resize_w/604]Fighters from the Islamist (not) Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra search civilians at the Karaj al-Hajez crossing, a passageway separating Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr, which is under the rebels' control, and Al-Ma... more »
Enbridge Pipeline-Pound Sand
This Time The Straight Goods will let this musical video speak to truth. Created by K Eriksen Music by Adele "*Eyes are placed in front because it`s more important to look ahead than back"* I present you*.....* *Enbridge pipeline-Pound Sand ** * K Eriksen, I personally applaud you for that marvelous composition, you touched my soul.. Good Day. The Straight Goods Cheers Eyes Wide Open
Lessons from the frontlines: If at first you don't succeed, reevaluate
With less than five months left in my Cuso posting, I'm reflecting more and more on how I'm doing. I have the rather challenging and nebulous task of building capacity in communications for the Honduran non-profit that I work for, and as the end draws nearer I am thinking a lot about how it's gone. In all honesty, I had only the vaguest idea of what I was supposed to be doing when we arrived in Honduras in January 2012. I had a great title - Communications and Knowledge Management Facilitator - and an idea that I would be doing work similar to what I'd been doing in B.C. for... more »
R v Vu 2013 SCC 60 - significant Supreme Court search decision
The traditional legal framework holds that once police obtain a warrant to search a place for certain things, they do not require specific, prior authorization to search in receptacles such as cupboards and filing cabinets. The question in this case is whether this framework is appropriate for computer searches. Computers differ in important ways from the receptacles governed by the traditional framework and computer searches give rise to particular privacy concerns that are not sufficiently addressed by that approach. The first issue that... more »
Should Colorado have passed that amendment?
*THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013* *A wide range of spending on schools:* In Colorado, voters rejected Amendment 66 this week. In this morning’s New York Times, Jack Healy reports the basics: HEALY (11/7/13): Had the referendum passed, the current flat state income tax rate of 4.6 percent would have been replaced with a two-tier system. Residents with taxable incomes below $75,000 would have paid 5 percent; taxable incomes above $75,000 would have been taxed at 5.9 percent. *The measure would have poured money into poor, rural school districts, expanded preschool, bought new technology ... more »
On my last Sunday's post you listened to Bill Moyers interview two savvy economists on the horrors of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) being negotiated in private to enable big business to pick our pockets even more than they are now. Well, today's post treats the "monstrous assault on democracy" that is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). George Monbiot: "Wake up, people we're being shafted."
------------------------------ This transatlantic trade deal is a full-frontal assault on democracy Brussels has kept quiet about a treaty that would let rapacious companies subvert our laws, rights and national sovereignty ------------------------------ George Monbiot The Guardian, Monday 4 November 2013 20.31 GMT ------------------------------ David Cameron with Barack Obama at a state dinner in Cameron's honour in 2012 at the White House. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Remember that referendum about whether we should create a single market with the United States? Yo... more »
Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville set to rebuild Manchester shul | The Jewish Chronicle
The weirdest Jewish Chronicle story ever? Apparently 'Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs are set to become the first Premier League footballers to own and run a synagogue.' More here www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/112958/ryan-giggs-and-gary-neville-set-rebuild-manchester-shul
How big was the turnout in Virginia?
*THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013* *We’re always amazed by this:* How big was the turnout in Virginia this week? This morning, Trip Gabriel reports on the way some Republicans in Virginia are responding to the loss of the State House. At one point, Gabriel discusses the size of this week’s turnout in the state. The Times is supposed to be our smartest newspaper. We’re always amazed by this sort of thing: GABRIEL (11/7/13): For Democrats, the great lesson of the night was that they had the ability to reassemble significant parts of President Obama’s coalition even when he was not on the ...more »
NAEP? Nope: Why (Almost) Everyone Will Misread (Again) Data on Gaps
NAEP? Nope: Why (Almost) Everyone Will Misread (Again) Data on Gaps. via NAEP? Nope: Why (Almost) Everyone Will Misread (Again) Data on Gaps.
The Economy: “Are You Prepared for a US Bank Bail-In?”
* “Are You Prepared for a US Bank Bail-In?”* by Jeff Berwick “If you have cash in a US bank, you can expect to have the federal government take it all the next time US banks find themselves in trouble. The days of the federal government stealing money from taxpayers, or borrowing it from the Federal Reserve, to save troubled banks — as in they did in the 2008 crisis — may be over. Congress is considering imitating the theft in Cyprus and letting troubled banks “bail-in” depositor money in order to make themselves solvent. Jim Sinclair, chairman and chief executive officer of Tan... more »
THE PROGRESS, THE GAPS AND THE SCANDAL: “Pshaw,” the widely praised author said!
*THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013* *Part 4—Where do our gaps come from:* We still have large achievement gaps here in the U.S. (For details, see yesterday’s post.) We have large gaps between different states. We have large gaps based on family income. We still have large gaps based on race. Black kids and Hispanic kids have been scoring much better in recent decades. But white kids have been improving too. The gaps based on race have gotten smaller, but they’re still quite large. This raises a fairly obvious question—where do our large gaps come from? By now, almost everyone knows the...more »
Suck On This
Is it me, or is President Obama sounding more and more like a vacuum cleaner salesman who shows up at your door unannounced, immediately launching into a spiel about how wonderfully well his product sucks? He finagles his way into your living-room before you even have a chance to protest, throws down a handful of his magical pixie dust on your threadbare carpet, and dares you to try out your old clunker. You thought you liked it and could keep it, but once he whips out that $1,000 Kirby of his, you guiltily realize that all this time, you've been endangering your loved ones by allo... more »
Responses to Bazilian and Pielke on Global Energy Access
*Issues in Science and Technology* has just published in its Fall 2013 issue four letters in response to our article, Making Energy Access Meaningful (here in PDF). Three of the responses are constructive, one is somewhat less so. This post offers a summary of our original paper, the letters and a few thoughts in response. In a nutshell here is what our paper argued: Our distinctly uncomfortable starting place is that the poorest three-quarters of the global population still use only about 10% of global energy—a clear indicator of deep and persistent global inequity. Because a m... more »
Please, Please, Please Giuliani Is Not a Christie Comp
Can we please get this stopped already? Chris Christie's presidential campaign is not at all similar to Rudy Giuliani's disastrous 2008 bid. Not similar. Not comparable. Okay? Just cut it out. I'm seeing this all over the place, and it's just terrible. Viable presidential candidates share two characteristics. They have conventional credentials, and they are within the mainstream of their parties in their positions on matters of public policy. Granted, sometimes it's a bit tricky to judge. Did House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt have "conventional credentials" in 2004? No one from... more »
Assessment of a lawyer's account will be allowed customarily
Versailles Convention Centre Inc. (2074874 Ontario Inc.) v. William Ross Gilmour (Gilmour Barristers), 2013 ONCA 674 is another example of when a lawyer's account will be assessed even after the permissible time to assess has passed. As a practical matter it's seldom worth opposing an application for an assessment.
Thursday Morning Linkage
Here are a few articles for your consideration. For those of you interested in conservation, we have had a disturbing pattern of stories about rapid declines in species around the world, some of them due to poaching, what has been described as an “environmental crime wave,” and others as a result of disease. All of this Continue reading
Desecuritization and Iran
It is shocking how little attention Iran’s recent efforts to satisfy the international community’s demands on nuclear question have received in the news media and academic discourse. As I write this, there are 1182 related news stories on news.google.com related to Rob Ford’s struggles with the crack cocaine and only 85 related to Iran’s nuclear Continue reading
Untitled
The Hollow MenT. S. Eliot *Mistah Kurtz—he dead.* *A penny for the Old Guy* *I* We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats’ feet over broken glass In our dry cellar Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion; Those who have crossed With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom Remember us—if at all—not as lost Violent souls, but only As the hollow men The stuffed men. *II* Eyes I ... more »
Currency interventions are immature assaults on free markets
*Expletives appropriate after the insane war was declared against the Czech crown* A few hours ago, the Czech National Bank has done something insane that hasn't taken place for 11 years: interventions against the Czech currency. Within minutes, the exchange rate weakened by stunning 4 and 6 percent relatively to the euro and the U.S. dollar, respectively. Their stated purpose is to encourage inflation (they look like an arsonist who boasts that he set a big building on fire) and they expect this thing to add 1 percentage point to the inflation for the next 12 months. *CZK 2,000 ... more »
Continued Maintenance Work Keeps Iraq’s Oil Exports Down In October 2013
The maintenance work on Iraq’s southern oil infrastructure, which started in September 2013 continued into the middle of October. This is important construction as it is supposed to lay the foundation for further expansion of the industry that is planned for next year. As a result of the work however exports have been down for the last two months. The Oil Ministry wanted to boost output in October to make up for the cutbacks in September. The figures did go up last month, but were still down from the yearly average. October’s export numbers were better than September’s, but still b... more »
Gates, Bloomberg, and Corporate Welfare Are Losers in Colorado Vote
With support from major plutocrats who own the U. S. Department of Education and most state departments of education, the plan to turn Colorado’s PreK-12 urban schools into segregated corporate reform schools has gone down in flames with an overwhelming rejection by Colorado voters, 65-35. For a measure to aid education to be paid for with a tax increase, voters have to know that there is some value to be added. What they know from decades of corporamental meddling in Colorado and elsewhere is that, over the past 20 years, public schools have been retooled by corporate know-noth... more »
Police State updates November 7 , 2013.....Adam Kokesh pleads guilty to gun and pot charges , faces 6 years in prison....One should expect to see the hammer droppe here...... TSA sought firing range for weapons training - two weeks before LAX shooting ? Cops taser Dad trying to save child from burning house .......
http://www.infowars.com/adam-kokesh-pleads-guilty-to-gun-marijuana-charges-faces-six-years-in-prison/ Adam Kokesh Pleads Guilty To Gun & Marijuana Charges, Faces Six Years In Prison - [image: The Alex Jones Channel][image: Alex Jones Show podcast][image: Prison Planet TV][image: Infowars.com Twitter][image: Alex Jones' Facebook][image: Infowars store] *Kristin Tate* Ben Swann.com November 7, 2013 Libertarian activist Adam Kokesh was arrested in July for uploading a video of himself loading a shotgun in D.C.’s Freedom Plaza. Image: Wikimedia Commons. D.C. gun laws are some ... more »
Bitcoin news of the day November 5 - 6 , 2013 .... On the positive side , we have seen Bitcoin prices surge recently as wider adoption indicates possibilities for Bitcoin as an alternative currency has potential ..... On the negative , note the " Selfish Mining " weakness noted in the Cornell study - Bitcoin subject to cartel attack ? With a market value now almost three billion and Bitcoin still a wild west for hackers and manipulators , just a word for the wise !
Catharsis Ours - 6 hours ago
Pro ....... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-06/why-bitcoin-surging Is This Why Bitcoin Is Surging? [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/06/2013 18:13 -0500 - Bond - China - Fail - Federal Reserve - Google - Paul Volcker - Quantitative Easing inShare Bitcoin, an online-only currency scarcely four years old, is breaking out to new highs this week and now sports a total value of $2.8 billion. *Just a few months ago, it looked like this economic experiment as the world’s first decentralized technology-based form ... more »
Former PM Joe Clark's New Book Accurately Describes Stephen Harper's 'Adolescent' Administration ...
** *"Canada now talks more than we act, and our tone is almost adolescent … full of sound and fury," * *Joe Clark* *Former Prime Minister of Canada * *"In a recent excerpt of the new book (it comes out this week) in the Toronto Star, Clark claims that, with the exceptions of Afghanistan and trade, there has been a recurring pattern in the Harper government actions: "It is unusually assertive in its dramatic gestures and declarations," but then retreats from actions designed to actually resolve critical problems abroad.* * **That why Canada has "drawn back from the fight against int... more »
Your moment of Zen
It's always sunset somewhere. [Kenny Mars photo, via Jay]
Crackman: A new kind of hero for a new kind of society
*" Crackman saves a dozen normal size crackheads by blocking the shooter"* If Rob Ford is not going to stand down, he better gear up. Crackhouses are notorious for stabbings and shootings. We cannot have the Mayor of Toronto taking unnecessary risks. I think his chances of re election would soar if the public knew he was taking some precautions, and was not just another reckless crackhead. He needs a new suit. http://thinkingaboot.blogspot.ca/2013/11/bulletproof-biz-suit-made-in-canada.html Would Rob Ford in a bulletproof suit not be a super hero, Crackman. The Mayor of Toronto sum... more »
KILLING THE WHALES
*Blackfish*, a powerful new documentary film by Gabriela Cowrperthwaite explores the inhumane capture and treatment of killer whales by marine entertainment parks. The documentary takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride from breathtaking footage of orcas swimming in the wild to the cruel capture of orca babies. In their natural habitat, these magnificent mammals swim 100 miles a day. In captivity, they are barely able to move around, damage their teeth on metal railings, and act out aggressively towards each other. Interviewee John Crowe cried as he describes the legacy of orca... more »
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Guy Sularz, 58 Want some good stuff? 1. Ed Kilgore makes the point I also made yesterday, but in more depth: yes, the "establishment" candidate won in AL-1, but the Tea Partier did well enough to keep the focus on primaries. 2. Kristen Soltis looks at the numbers carefully and it turns out my quick glance is probably correct: it was the Libertarian candidacy which accounts for the polling in VA-Gov. 3. Harry Enten looks at the exit polls. I agree with his main points for the most part, but one word of caution: be very careful about putting too much weight on exit... more »
A Sensible Odyssey: East Texas Congressional Candidate Michael Cole Explains Why He Switched Parties
The other day, we met Jason Thigpen, a progressive Republican congressional candidate in North Carolina who realized his positions are more in line with the Democratic Party than with the Republican Party. He switched. Some Republicans, like Jason, become Democrats because of values. Others, like conservative Florida Democratic congressman Patrick Murphy, for example, switch for expediency or political opportunism. There's a difference, a really big one. In the eastern Texas suburbs around Houston, from Baytown up to backward Jasper in KKK country, the congressman is domestic terro... more »
The Brothers Ford, in reruns
Seven years ago, a loud and drunken Rob Ford, then a city councillor, was at a Maple Leafs game at the Air Canada Centre. He was shouting things like "My sister was a heroine addict and was shot in the head" by way of making conversation at people seated near him. A couple seated two rows in front of him asked him to “tone it down a little” and Ford blew up at them, as quoted in various accounts : "Who the fuck do you think you are? Are you some kind of right wing Commie bastard? Are you a fucking teacher? Do you want your little wife to go over to Iran and get raped and shot?" He... more »
Burning The Bridge
Conservatives are congratulating themselves. They believe that -- having disposed of Senators Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau -- they have achieved a great victory. But, Michael Den Tandt writes, it was no victory at all: For clues as to why, let’s examine Canadian Conservatism today from the point of view of a voter from, say, southwestern Ontario. We look to these folks because they are at the heart of the East-West coalition that propelled Harper to a majority in 2011. These are, as a rule centrist pragmatists; people who supported premier Mike Harris’s provincial Tories back in th... more »
The Case for physical media
Like most I want to own my media. From on of the few pop culture blogs I read daily a pretty good read on why owning is better than renting. Unlike the author I do not get all warm and fuzzy about holding something in my hand. Yes LP Albums are a trip, but a jewel case not so much. Also the sound of an LP compared to copying it, editing it with Audacity , and playing it up-scaled to 24 bit leaves analog in the dust. I would prefer to have all my stuff on a backed up hard drive.
Bulletproof Biz Suit made in Canada
For the paranoid and prepared the ultimate in business wear. The perfect icon for our era. The fabric has to be cut with a bandsaw. At $20,000 each I doubt they are going to outsell Hugo Boss. However bulletproof daily wear a flashing red sign of the times. Expect this fashion to become commonplace, oh the humanity. H/T to Gizmag but I think I saw it in the Star as well. "In relatively informal tests, Garrison's bullet-resistant suit proved capable of stopping 9 mm and .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) handgun rounds, in addition to the stabbing attacks by the Garrison employees. "
Before traveling to New Mexico , read this shocking article ! Shocking personal violations and apparent violation of the Fourth Amendment by body cavity searches - keyed by an uncertified canine sniffing non existent drugs ! And both cases arose from minor traffic stops ?
http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2013/11/06/man-claims-he-was-anally-probed-8-times-following-traffic-stop-for-drugs/ Man Claims He Was Anally Probed 8 Times Following Traffic Stop For DrugsNovember 6, 2013 7:13 AM Share on email1.5K View Comments [image: File photo of a courtroom. (credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)] File photo of a courtroom. (credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Filed UnderNews Related Tagsanal probe, David Eckert,Deming Police Department,Gila Regional Medical Center, Shannon Kennedy *DEMING, N.M. (CBS Las Vegas)* — A New Mexico man claims he was anally probed several times... more »
The ECB shows it has no problem with making muppets out of traders ! Today's " surprise " ECB rate cuts ( main refinancing rate cut by 25 bps to 0.25 % , marginal lending rate cut by 25 bps to 0.75 % ) set up perfectly by Wednesday's alleged MNI " Sources " saying there would not likely be a rate change at today's ECB Confab ! Max pain / Max impact set by sending signals contrary to true intentions - Draghi has learned well from Ben Bernanke !
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-07/stunning-move-ecb-cuts-rates-25-bps-euro-plunges In Stunning Move, ECB Cuts Rates By 25 bps, Euro Plunges [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/07/2013 07:52 -0500 - European Central Bank - Monetary Policy inShare Perhaps it is not surprising that with the absolute majority of economists and strategists, or 67 of 70, predicting *no rate cut by the ECB*, this is exactly what the ECB just did, when in a stunning move it cute rates for both the main refi rate and the marginal lending facility by 25 bps, to ... more »
War watch November 7 , 2013 - As the Iran talks continue between Iran and the P 5 + 1 Group , discussion of limited sanctions relief bubbles to the surface - whether that can be sold either in the US or Iran remains to be seen ... Syria talks stalling on absence of creditable Rebel leaders to actually participate or willing to participate at Geneva 2 .... Has growing Saudi diechantment with US foreign policy over recent years ( drawn in sharper focus with recent developments concerning Syria and Iran US foreign policy and actions / inactions ) led Saudi Arabia to work out an arrangement with Pakistan to supply the Saudis nuclear weapons on demand by the Saudis ? And as the US and EU have yapped for years about the alleged dangers of an Iranian nuclear program , why not any comments concerning what Pakistan and the Saudis have been cooking up ( with apparent US knowledge for years ) ? With Israel having already bombed Syria repeatedly and Saudis on the record as threatening to split with the US regarding dealing with Iran / Syria situations , the Saudi threats have to taken in a different light if they have ready access to nukes from Pakistan !
Iran....... US to Offer Iran ‘Limited’ Sanctions Relief in Latest TalksBoth Sides Holding Out Hopes for an Interim Agreement by Jason Ditz, November 06, 2013 Print This | Share This Though details are still scant, the White House has made an unusual public comment on the P5+1 talks with Iran, saying that they will propose a “phased approach” that will reportedly include “limited sanctions relief.” The plan reported involves a “six month halt” to Iran’s nuclear program, though it isn’t clear what exactly this means, nor was there any information on the “limited and reversible” sanctio... more »
Texas-Sized Island of Japanese Debris to Hit the West Coast of North America In The Next Few Years
Texas-Sized Island of Japanese Debris to Hit the West Coast of North America by Wahingtons Blog Global Research Canada, 6 November 2013 All At Once? We’ve been reporting for years that huge quantities of debris from the Japanese tsunami would hit the West Coast of North America. And see this. The Independent reports: An enormous floating island of debris from Japan’s 2011 tsunami is drifting towards the coast of America, bringing with it over one million tonnes of junk that would *cover an area the size of Texas*. The most concentrated stretch – dubbed the “toxic monster” by ... more »
Central Bank Opposes Financial Free Trade in FTZ
[image: keehike_big064.JPG] *Strongpoint overlooking Keelung.* The Ma government keeps looking for an end around Taiwan's conservative financial regulations, which have protected the island fairly well from the stupidity and criminality that goes on elsewhere. Financial integration is a key goal of putting the island into China's orbit. President Ma himself noted in his Double Ten Day speech last month that he hoped the "free economic zones", 1960s style development zones, would include financial services, effecting getting them out from under Central Bank and other regulation. He s... more »
Smooth Nokia Lumia 525 mottled
*A new Nokia Lumia receiver, identified as Lumia525, has been spotted. Press images of the handsets were available on **Face book, a social networkingsite.* Previously identified as Nokia Glee, the handset is extensively expected to be the upgraded version of the accessible Nokia Lumia 520 which currently available in India for around Rs 8,500 and comes with Windows Phone 8 operating system, 5 megapixel rear camera, 4 inch IPS touch screen, 1 GHz dual core processor, and 64 GB expandable storage slot. As per previous reports, the Lumia 525 is said to come with a 4-inch WVGA IPS L... more »
Schools Matter: Union Leadership as Political Sleight of Hand
Schools Matter: Union Leadership as Political Sleight of Hand. via Schools Matter: Union Leadership as Political Sleight of Hand.
Union Leadership as Political Sleight of Hand
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is nearly stereotypical as a bully, so much so that if he weren't in a position of power, he would be a walking satire of himself. When he yelled at a female teacher recently, reasonable people across the U.S. responded with disgust, as Jersey Jazzman did: Some think this misogyny is part of Christie's "Jersey-style" charm. Let me tell you something: I was born in New Jersey. And I, like millions of other men from this state, was raised to never disrespect women in this way. This isn't being "frank" or "speaking your mind"- *it's sexism, straight up*. ... more »
Good Reads Best Sci Fi of 2013
Were living in a Sci Fi world. If you have not read Peter F Hamilton, get r done. Also on the list Margaret Atwood. I am not a huge fan but the Crake and Onyx universe is spectacular.
How the Government’s Vaccine Policy is Infected by Corruption by Dr. Robert Murdoch
Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-with-Common-Sense/154468647938561 How the Government’s Vaccine Policy is Infected by Corruption by Dr. Robert Murdoch Green Med Info, 21 October 2013 Annually we receive warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of an impending influenza epidemic. Each year the CDC recommends the *influenza vaccine*. Are the warnings justified? Is the advice that the CDC provides appropriate and supported by scientific findings? Are there any conflicts of interest that would sway what the CDC tells health agencies, health prof... more »
Remembering the fallen. Part 1
Remembrance Day, when we are all expected to observe a time to pay our respect to the fallen of the wars past, is near upon us. As the 11th of November approaches some of you will be feeling the pressure to attend a ceremony at a local cenotaph. And, I know, some of you are feeling uncomfortable or maybe just inconvenienced about the thought of pulling yourself out into the bitterness of a
No More Neocon Faux-Cassandra Posturing: American Defense is not “in Decline”
Two pieces got emailed to me in the last few days that nicely illustrate just how entrenched semi-imperial thinking has become in Washington, how wildly disconnected from the reality of US security our foreign policy community’s threat assessments have become, and the hysteria that greets serious debate on DoD’s size in this post-Great Recession era Continue reading
Boltzmann brains: politeness means misunderstanding
In August 2013, I discussed a crazy paper by Boddy and Carroll that has argued that a Higgs instability that will destroy the Universe soon is a good thing because it will save us from a paradox – namely from the unexpected conclusion that there will be many people after us so we're special because we're among the relatively early ones. If no friendly apocalypse arrives, the Universe might exist indefinitely which, Boddy and Carroll believe, is a bad thing because the Boltzmann Brains will be formed many times in this infinite future and such a cosmology automatically predicts tha... more »
SAUDI NUKES?
[image: A little face at DUSK, Medina] *Saudi Arabia, By Nayeem KALAM* *If Israel wants to persuade the USA to attack Iran*, Israel needs to claim that there is a danger of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. Israel could leak a story that *Saudi Arabia is planning to get nuclear weapons.* *Or*,* if the USA is going to steal Saudi Arabia's oil*, it needs an excuse to attack Saudi Arabia. The USA could claim that *Saudi Arabia is planning to get nuclear weapons.* The BBC is suggesting that: *Saudi nuclear weapons are 'on order' from Pakistan* [image: young Saudi Qhatanis! Wa... more »
Another for the Reference Library
*Transsexual patients’ psychiatric comorbidity and positive effect of cross-sex hormonal treatment on mental health: Results from a longitudinal study* -- Marco Colizzi,Rosalia Costa, Orlando Todarello * Psychoneuroendocrinology*, Volume 39, January 2014, Pages 65-73, The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of psychiatric diseases/symptoms in transsexual patients and to compare psychiatric distress related to the hormonal intervention in a one year follow-up assessment. We investigated 118 patients before starting the hormonal therapy and after about 12 months. We ... more »
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Exposing Wall Street's Hidden "Code"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-04/exposing-wall-streets-hidden-code Exposing Wall Street's Hidden "Code" [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/04/2013 18:47 -0500 Having been the *first to warn the world about the perils of high frequency trading* nearly 5 years ago, when momentum ignition, layering and quote stuffing were still incomprehensible buzzwords to all but a select few algo traders from Citadel, GETCO and DE Shaw, and warning about such top-down systemic lock ups like flash-crash over a year in advance; as well as the bott... more »
Palestinian politicians, sharing their people's pain?
http://visualizingimpact.org/index.html
Two "Super Keys" to understanding the New World Order
Many thanks to *El Buggo* for producing the following YouTube video, which consists of an excerpt of a recent edition of *The Realist Report*: If you really want to understand what is going on in this world, what has gone on, and who is largely behind it all, you simply must understand these concepts.
JFK50: Lax Presidential Security Precautions in Dallas
Just look at this shit: GASP! - A rope! Better hope none o' those crazy crackers brought scissors...
Vice President Joe Biden makes another gaffe but don't expect any coverage on the pro US Democratic Party BBC
When Marty Walsh won the Boston mayor's race, Vice President Joe Biden was quick to pick up the phone to congratulate him. However the Marty Walsh who Biden had called wasn't the Marty Walsh who had been elected to succeed longtime Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. The Marty Walsh who Biden had a was a former aide to the late US Senator Edward Kennedy. If a Republican President, Vice President or senior figure had made such a gaffe it would be gleefully reported by the BBC as an example of right wing stupidity. However as Joe Biden is a Democratic Party Vice President, I confidently ...more »
Merkabas Caught Cutting a Crop Circle at Windmill Hill, Wiltshire, UK
This crop is very interesting! Grain tied up into sheaves by Merkabas! Sheaves of grain is a symbol of a harvest. This crop circle sits about 1/2 mile from where I used to live in England from 1988-1989. I know this location well.
Arne's approach to education in high-poverty situations
Sent to the Miami Herald, Nov 5. Arne Duncan's reaction to the high poverty (80%) and resulting (and well-documented) "deplorable conditions" in schools in Haiti was to recommend "clear data systems" in order to keep track of enrollment and student progress ("US Education secretary visits Haiti classrooms," Nov 5). Next he will recommend that fire departments invest in expensive and highly precise thermometers so that firefighters get the exact temperature of dangerous and rapidly spreading fires before trying to put them out. Stephen Krashen original article: http://www.miamiher... more »
Learning standards and real life.
Sent to the Baltimore Sun, Nov 6 Arnold Packer is right: "The Common Core won't help the common man," (Nov. 5). As Packer points out, the math standards are skewed to the college path. So are the English Language Arts standards: Susan Ohanian has remarked that they seem to be made for English majors. John Gardner, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, spoke to this problem in 1961:"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philo... more »
The Official Story of 911 was written in the NY Times on 9 12 2001
Click on headlines and photos to read the full text of all articles Hijacked Jets Destroy Twin Towers and Hit Pentagon By SERGE SCHMEMANN Published: September 12, 2001 Hijackers rammed jetliners into each of New York's World Trade Center towers yesterday, toppling both in a hellish storm of ash, glass, smoke and leaping victims, while a third jetliner crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. There was no official count, but President Bush said thousands had perished, and in the immediate aftermath the calamity was already being ranked the worst and most audacious terror attack ... more »
Steve Israel Leads The DCCC Into Another War Against Women-- This Time In Indiana
Steve Israel and his latest anti-Choice recruit-- looking for a knock out Indiana's 2nd district-- the north-central part of the state from South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, and LaPorte down to Wabash and Peru-- used to be a swing district with a PVI of R+4. In recent times it was represented by far right extremist Chris Chocola, current head of Club for Growth, and Blue Dog Joe Donnelly who used it for a springboard to an unlikely Senate win last year. Donnelly decided too run for the Senate because he knew he'd have no chance to win in the newly redistricted second. The Republican state... more »
Enbridge Oil Spill, Breaking News
NTSB Press ReleaseNational Transportation Safety Board *Peter Knudson* *July 10, 2012** **WASHINGTON - Pervasive organizational failures by a pipeline operator along with weak federal regulations led to a pipeline rupture and subsequent oil spill in 2010, the National Transportation Safety Board said today.* * **On Sunday, July 25, 2010, at about 5:58 p.m., a 30 inch-diameter pipeline (Line 6B) owned and operated by Enbridge Incorporated ruptured and spilled crude oil into an ecologically sensitive area near the Kalamazoo River in Marshall, Mich., for 17 hours until a local ut... more »
Going Commando
Lionel Beehner and Joseph Young write in The National Interest that while targeted killing by drone strike is increasingly denounced (and decreasingly used by states), cross-border incursions by counter-terror ground troops are an increasingly accepted practice – despite the fact that both violate state sovereignty. Citing the capture of Abu Anas Al-Libi by US special ops Continue reading
Musical Interlide: Deuter, “Earth Shadow”
Deuter, “Earth Shadow” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COAvH95xojY
Where’s the tar and feathers?
*“The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the crowd.” - Ida B. Wells-Barnett, “Lynch Law in America,” *The Arena,* January 1900* It’s fair to say that NZers like their issues small and provincial. Rarely do NZers *en masse* display their emotions or grapple with big issues. But give them a flawed person on whom they can unleash those pent-up feelings and invite their moral outrage—a politician calling his colleagues “front bums”; an employers’ representative talking about wome... more »
Consumerism and culture: immersive TV...
Here is another interesting article discussing the rise of immersive television and novels. Put simply, TV and books are getting longer and longer. Particularly notable is the rise of the story-arc. Narrative is becoming more and more intricate. Audiences/readerships are committing to long, drawn out stories, though whether this is delayed gratification is another matter. A story arc can be arranged so there to leave cliff-hangers at important points. Does this defy the digital trend to reduced attention span? In one sense it does. But what’s actually going on? Is this just an int... more »
Newly retired Denver Broncos' guard John Moffitt looks forward to not having to carry that 319-pound bulk around
*"Everybody, they just don't get it and they think it's crazy. But I think what I was doing is crazy."* -- *now-former NFL offensive lineman John Moffitt, in* a phone interview with the Associated Press *by Ken* Two observations about the sudden retirement of Denver Broncos third-year guard John Moffitt: • It may be that the writings of the Dalai Lama and Noam Chomsky are not conducive to an NFL player's gung-ho attitude. • The head that the *Sporting News* at least put on the AP report, "John Moffitt walks away from NFL, $1 million," is problematic. As if the Denver Broncos didn'... more »
Kahlil Gibran, "The Seven Selves"; "How I Became A Madman"
* * *"The Seven Selves"* by Kahlil Gibran "In the silent hour of the night, as I lay half asleep, my seven selves sat together and thus conversed in whispers: *First Self:* Here, in this madman, I have dwelt all these years, with naught to do but renew his pain by day and recreate his sorrow by night. I can bear my fate no longer, and now I must rebel. *Second Self:* Yours is a better lot than mine, brother, for it is given me to be this madman's joyous self. I laugh his laughter and sing his happy hours, and with thrice winged feet I dance his brighter thoughts. It is I that ... more »
Mohawk Nation News 'Slavery'
SLAVERY Mohawk Nation News MNN. NOV. 6, 2013. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and Prime Minister Stephen Harper grew up In West Toronto, lived and shopped at the same plaza!! Canadians and world elites are supporting these degenerates! Ford is on a video smoking crack. Harper bribed a senator. They both think, “We can do anything we want.” The masses are slaves to tyrants? The elites protect each
Greece updates November 6 , 2013 - Another 24 Hour General Strike as the Troikans visit their Greek serfs once again demanding more blood , sweat and tears.....Golden Dawn Shootings - the murders of two Golden Dawn members caught on CCTV.......
http://rt.com/business/greece-troika-creditors-austerity-298/ Cash-strapped Greece protests against further austerity Published time: November 06, 2013 12:28 Get short URL Protesters shout slogans outside the Greek Finance Ministry during the meeting of the Greek Finance Minister with the EU and IMF officials in Athens, 2013. (AFP Photo/Aris Messinis) Download video (34.03 MB) Share on tumblr Tags Crisis, Global economy, Greece Public and private services have shut down across Greece as unions hold a 24-hour general strike against additional austerity cuts in the recession-plagued cou... more »
How Do I Get Out Of My Noncompete Agreement?
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has recently announced that he supports efforts to make noncompete agreements unenforceable in Massachusetts. Patrick's Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Gregory Bialecki, said this about noncompete agreements: Non-competes stifle movement and inhibit competition and we do not want that. The evidence is clear-we are not seeing the kind of spin-offs and start-ups at the same rate that previously made Massachusetts an enviable model. Individual career growth is good for the Commonwealth: We encourage our talent to be creative, to be innov... more »
Uranium mine threatening Supai sacred land Grand Canyon temporarily halted
Energy Fuels Resources decided to place the Canyon Mine in non-operational status. The halt is expected to last until a December 2014 court decision. The Canyon Mine poses a critical threat to Red Butte, sacred place of Havasupai Nation -- Indigenous Action Media By Roger Clark, Grand Canyon TrustRobin Silver, Center for Biological DiversitySandy Bahr, Sierra Club Censored News“Zombie”
Žižek on Ideology
I have finally got round to reading Žižek's *The Sublime Object of Ideology*and it is absolutely fascinating. I'd like to share this very short extract because a) I'm too lazy to blog properly tonight and, b) I'll never look at ideology the same way again. Some context is necessary. The traditional Marxist understanding of ideology - and by traditional I mean dominant - positions it as a sort of naive consciousness. That is people under the spell of ideology misrecognise the true state of affairs. They cannot identify their real position in the order of things, nor apprehend society... more »
The Diplomat: Constructing China's Claims to the Senkaku
*Tongluo train station*. The Diplomat has a piece from me this week: Constructing China's Claims to the Senkaku. _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
Living in a Chinese bubble
No, you can’t see bubbles when you’re in them, said Bubble Master Alan Greenspan. No, there’s no way to tell if you’re a in bubble, said his apprentice Ben Bernanke. No, no one can see a bubble at the time, says Ben’s successor Janet Yellen, echoed by every central banker in the world busy inflating their bubbles. Which means there’s nothing at all to see in China. [Hat tip Hugh Pavletich] Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
Long Live Russia, an example to us all
George Orwell wrote in his work, 1984, that in the future there would be a perpetual state of war, with the official enemies and allies changing place with barely anyone noticing the manipulation of what we perceive as reality. Well, that future is now, and the media manipulation of what we refer to as news, has certainly created the bizarre reality of our old allies becoming enemies, and vice versa. Russia was always a staunch ally of the UK, fighting on the same side in the Napoleonic Wars, and both World Wars. Then, through the media lie that State Communism and Finance Capital... more »
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Wall St. Recovery floats only big boats
The Wall Street Recovery has been very good for the casino capitalists and the mega-corporations they call people. The investor class is swimming in cash and it keeps pouring in. Dow closed at an all time high just this very afternoon. Meanwhile, the majority of America is trying to stay afloat from month to month. So how did this titanic economic disaster happen? How are companies managing to earn so much money in a sluggish economy? And why aren't their profits goosing the economy? For starters, weak job growth has held down pay. And since the recession struck six years ago, bu... more »
Musical Interlude: The Moody Blues, “Days of Future Passed”
Full Album: The Moody Blues, “Days of Future Passed” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y_9hwW1eV0
Turkey Serves As A Gateway For Traveling Jihadist Terrorists; US And KSA Continue To Support Al-Qaeda In Syria
*Photo Source: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images. * Turkey is half-European and half-Eastern. So it is no surprise that it is the perfect gateway for traveling Jihadist terrorists from the European continent and Middle Eastern countries. Turkey is serving as a three star hotel for rootless, alienated, head-chopping, flesh-eating religious fanatics from all around the world. The call to Jihad is heard loud and clear in Turkey. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad recently *said* that, "Turkey has adopted a destructive approach regarding Syria. They have let terrorists from 83 co... more »
Those annoying third-party libertarians
Republicans in Virginian are spitting tacks that their candidate for governor, Ken Cuccinelli, was narrowly beaten by Democrat Terry McAuliffe—beaten by a margin less than the votes received by the Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis. “Thanks, Libertarians, for giving us Terry McAuliffe as governor.” That was a fairly standard response from Virginia Republicans—assuming without question that Libertarian votes somehow “belong” to Republicans. Libertarian-voting Scott Shackford at *Reason* tells them to get a life: In the spirit of reconciliation, here are some tips from a typical ... more »
Reading the tea leaves
Well we had a bunch of elections yesterday. In the little corners of the world that I follow, outside of NJ's folly, it was a pretty good day for Democrats. Whole lot of progressives in small towns were elected. The tea party guy in Alamaba was trounced by the establishment GOPer in a primary. Minimum wage was raised to $8.25 in New Jersey and to $15 in a suburb of Seattle which apparently is good news for workers at Sea Tac. Portland, Maine legalized marijuana. Of course, there's always something weird. Six counties in Colorada voted to secede from something. Not clear on what the ... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“The dark Horsehead Nebula and the glowing Orion Nebula are contrasting cosmic vistas. Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the night sky's most recognizable constellations, they appear in opposite corners of the above stunning mosaic. *Click image for larger size.* The familiar Horsehead nebula appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette notched against the long red glow at the lower left. Alnitak is the easternmost star in Orion's belt and is seen as the brightest star to the left of the Horsehead. Below Alnitak is the Flame Nebula, with clouds of bright emission and dra... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Ultimate Citadel of Humanism”
* “The Ultimate Citadel of Humanism”* by Chet Raymo “Here I go again. It seems lately that these posts drift more and more toward memoir, toward summing up, toward drawing together the raveled treads of a life. What started almost ten years ago as a continuation of my 20 years of science essays in the Boston Globe -- essays that aspired toward a spritely objectivity -- has become willy-nilly an exercise in self-indulgence. That so many of you have stayed for the ride suggests, I hope, that we share certain life-experiences, and that together we articulate a Tao, a way, a common a... more »
"A Little Parenthesis In Eternity...”
“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of Infinity. Life is Eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in Eternity." - Paulo Coelho
The Daily "Near You?"
Walnut Creek, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
The Poet: Mary Oliver, "The Summer Day"
* "The Summer Day"* by Mary Oliver "Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean- the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down- who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel dow... more »
"What Will Your Verse Be?"
“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life! of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless- of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the po... more »
3 D Printers: Houses, Cars and even human tissue!
My buddy JJ sent this to me and it immediately said "POST ME" .... who am I to argue with a 3 D printer? This is only just the beginning. The tip of the iceberg. Barely scratching the surface of all that will be seen very soon. A quick search on the topic of 3D printers brings you literally days worth of reading material, with new articles, even in the main stream, coming out almost daily. This is the beginning of change. Being able to produce a 2500 square foot house in 20 hours? There have been companies out there for years that have been creating this type of quickly assem... more »
Rachel unloads on “the Beltway press!”
*WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013* *We think of Jack Coen’s old joke:* We haven’t seen Jack Coen in years. He’s one of our all-time favorites. Today, he’s Leno’s head writer (or some such thing). Thirty years ago, he was a young, very strong comedian we worked with in various places, from Atlantic City and Baltimore all the way down to Fort Myers, where we jointly chickened on getting towed behind a boat, high up in the air. We’re sure there’s a name for that. For two main reasons, plus several more, he’s one of our all-time favorites, a guy we admire. Moving right along: Way back th... more »
Ten Basic Points: Israel’s Rights to Judea and Samaria - Op-Eds - Israel National News
A must read for the anti-Semites who seem to have very little grasp of history or law. 'The territories of Judea and Samaria remain in dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, subject only to the outcome of permanent status negotiations between them.' More here http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/14068#.Unq3wTpFAuq
300 Spartan Hoplites Saved Greek Democracy But Will 400 American Billionaires Destroy Ours?
Whether Huntsman was the one who revealed that multimillionaire GOP tax cheat Mitt Romney paid no taxes at all for years, what we do know for sure is that for the years he did pay something his rate was 13.9%, considerably less than the 35% the very rich are supposed to pay. And that doesn't count his non-taxable income-- nor the money he had stashed away in foreign accounts of dubious legality-- which probably accounted for more than half his wealth. When Eisenhower, the last mainstream Republican president, was in office, the marginal tax rate on incomes over $400,000 was 92% a... more »
Fischer Explains How To Exorcise Your New Home To Rid It Of Demonic Spirits
on the subject of superstitious irrationality... some people who are terrified of shadows. The cause of their terror. "Jane Doe" and her G/Fs
Len’s “living wage” has a ripple the size of a tsunami
*Alan:* Hey, great news. *Bruce:* What’s that? *Alan:* Larry’s getting a raise—up from $600 to $730 a week! *Bruce:* Larry? You mean *Larry *Larry? For what *he *does? *Alan:* Yeah. Living wage mate. *Bruce:* But … but … that means he’s pulling down more than *I am*! And I’m supposed to be above his pay grade. *Alan:* Yeah, shitty news, eh. *Bruce:* I’m off to see HR. If Len Brown is successful in his proposal to pay low-paid council workers a “living wage” of $18.40 per hour, that conversation above will he happening around every water cooler in all the many council buildings ... more »
PostElection: The Polling Place Bake Sale Zone
Yes, I'm still fascinated by this. And thanks to commenters here and on twitter, I have some preliminary results. Obviously not something that would hold up to rigorous scrutiny, but enough that I figured I should make a record of it before moving on. It appears that there is a polling place bake sale zone and a zone in which there are no bake sales, with the former including the northeast, the middle west, and spreading south as some of the border states. And then there's a zone without bake sales on election day which is made up of the deep south including Texas, the southwest and... more »
"A Writer, And A Story..."
“The human race may be compared to a writer. At the outset a writer has often only a vague general notion of the plan of his work, and of the thought he intends to elaborate. As he proceeds, penetrating his material, laboring to express himself fitly, he lays a firmer grasp on his thought; he finds himself. So the human race is writing its story, finding itself, discovering its own underlying purpose, revising, recasting a tale pathetic often, yet none the less sublime.” - Felix Adler
Thinking Big ...
I was recently told that my hopes n' dreams failed because my plans were too grandiose. I should think about smaller-scale things and do what's within my own personal capacity. 1. I see "smaller-scale things" as either being useless protests about some sort of recent elite atrocities, or as an attempt to mitigate the symptoms of a disease for which I have the cure. 2. I never, ever thought that I could accomplish anything on my own. My delusion was that many people (especially the left-wing big-wigs who are, evidently, bereft of ideas) would hear what I had to say, and either show ... more »
Derelection of duty
The BBC's latest report on Obamacare introduces us to Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Much later in the report we learn that 'Ms Tavenner said she could not take a position on the bill because she had not read it' So Barack Obama's head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hasn't read The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Am I alone in thinking that she should have read it and not to do so is a dereliction of duty?
You mean Barack Obama was lying? I am shocked...
President Barack Obama publicly promised at least 36 times since 2008 that his health care reform plan, Obamacare, would not cause anyone who liked their present health insurance to lose it. Sometimes he emphasised his remarks with an emphatic “Period.”, no room for any doubt there. Barack Obama made this pledge in some of his weekly video addresses, many of his campaign rallies and in town hall meetings However, news broke last week that his administration knew in 2010 that millions of Americans would lose their coverage. Not that you'd know from the BBC's coverage of the story... more »
Opt Out of Testing Is Now a National Movement
A clip from The Nation: ". . . .As standardized testing has grown, so too has its shadow. In 2011, the United Opt Outmovement was established to counter the pro-testing mania sweeping the country. Its website provides opt-out guides for forty-nine states and the District of Columbia, and connects a burgeoning community of grumbling and disaffected parents. “I didn’t ask for high-stakes testing,” says Tim Slekar, United Opt Out’s founder. Slekar sees participating in a large-scale opt-out movement as a way for him and his children to “reclaim public education.” United Opt Out curre... more »
“It’s time for this farcical nonsense to stop.”
*It was bad enough that the mayor inaugurated last week in the Auckland Town Hall had the names Len and Brown. Worse still, says guest poster Fiona Mackenzie, that the whole palaver was slathered with irrelevant and demeaning Maori protocol.* [image: Auckland Mayor Len Brown is sworn in as Auckand Mayor at Town Hall on October 29, 2013, Auckland New Zealand. Len Brown was today sworn in for his second term as Mayor of Auckland just two weeks after news broke of a two-year affair with a member of the council advisory board.]Powhiris and strict Maori protocol were imposed last Tues... more »
TERROR USED TO CUT WAGES; USA AND NORWAY
www.washingtonpost.com The elite use terrorism to keep workers under control. A country's profits go partly to the 'workers' and partly to the 'owners'. In America, worker's wages used to make up almost 70% of GDP. Now the figure is 58%. Labor share of GDP: It's on the decline. "Some of the biggest declines have been egalitarian societies such as Norway, where labour's share has fallen from 64% in 1980 to 55% now." Pay and economic growth: A shrinking slice | The Economist *Anders Breivik* You might expect workers in Norway to vote for 'Left Wing' parties which would prote... more »
Artritis Reumatica; Posible cura
Original Mice that are reared in sterile conditions produce very few of these cells, and his group had previously found that mice bought from one supplier had far more Th17 cells than those that came from a different supplier. *Conoce a alguien con manos y coyunturas asi?* *Si ustedes leen y entienden que 3 typos de colonias amigables en el estomago de la humanidad, (1) Bacteriode Enterotypo,* * (2) Ruminococus, (3) Prevotella... Cada grupo de estas bacterias nos ayuda con la alimentacion, Pero a cada grupo le gusta alimentos particulares...Y algunas personas no... more »
PostElection: Winners
Even putting aside the bizarre idea that Republicans "won" Virginia because they didn't lose by as much as the polls predicted...it was about as mixed an election day as possible, wasn't it? * Democrats win! After all the two biggest pickups on the day were VA-Gov and NYC Mayor, both to the Democrats. * Republicans win! Context matters. Yes, Republicans lost VA-Gov, but winning a landslide in New Jersey Governor is a big deal in a solidly Democratic state, more so than losing by a bit in a swing state. * Mainstream conservatives win! Chris Christie massively outperforms GOP par in ... more »
Senate Shocker
Well, all I can say is that it's about time. A few Senate Democrats appear to be struggling to break loose from the gilded gridlock of Washington groupthink, boldly suggesting (in so many words) that the talented Mr. Obama's plan to cut Social Security benefits is a plan hatched in sociopathic hell. It seems it was only a month ago that the debate was not over *whether* to inflict more misery on the old, the disabled, widows, orphans and veterans, but over *how much* pain to dish out. A Senate bill turning the whole fraudulent deficit scold argument inside out had been moldering in ... more »
The Realist Report with John Friend
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by Simon Shack, producer of the must-watch 9/11 documentary *September Clues*. Simon and I will be discussing his research into 9/11, media fakery, and psychological warfare. 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: - *PSYOP aspects of 9/11* by John Friend - *Book Review: The 911 Fear-Based Mind Control Program* by John Friend - *9/11 Propaganda, Sandy Hook propaganda* by... more »
Turkey Hand Print canvas
Every year, my daughter and I love to make Hand Print Turkeys to display around our house. This year I decided I wanted to make one that was a little more permanent. The little ones grow up so fast, I want to be able to look back on her precious little hand prints, so this year we made ours on canvas. You will need: An 8x10 canvas (this size was barely big enough for my 4-year-old) Red Acrylic Paint Yellow Acrylic Paint Orange Acrylic Paint Brown Acrylic Paint a Foam Brush Google Eyes Orange Foam Red Foam Hot Glue Use the brush to paint the red paint onto your little one's hand. I ... more »
DOOR-TO-DOOR IN BATH
Each day this week I've been taking flyers door-to-door in Bath about a public forum a group of us are organizing on November 13. Bath Iron Works (BIW), which is owned by the $31 billion aerospace and military conglomerate General Dynamics Corporation, is requesting a $250,000 a year tax break for the next 25 years from the City of Bath. I've been trying to do four hours each day dropping flyers and I know of at least eight others (Bath Citizens for Responsible TIF Action) who have been helping do so as well. Two volunteers went to the voting polls in Bath yesterday for a couple... more »
Leave to appeal from summary conviction appeal
R. v. Wylie, 2013 ONCA 673: [2] In *R. v. R.R.*, 2008 ONCA 497, 238 O.A.C. 242, this court stated that leave to appeal in these circumstances depends on two factors: the merits of the proposed grounds of appeal, and the significance of the legal issues to the general administration of justice. In our view, both factors indicate that leave to appeal ought to be granted in this case. [3] A preliminary review of the Crown's arguments on the proposed grounds of appeal satisfies us that these arguments have considerable merit. [4] Moreover, when, as in this c... more »
BOOKS / Nina Herencia : Are We Hearing You Well, Mariann?
Are we hearing you well, Mariann? New poetry and drawings from the Wizard By Nina Herencia / The Rag Blog / November 6, 2013 Mariann Wizard has published two books this month; the second one, Hempseed Food: The REAL Secret Ingredient for Health & Happiness, will be reviewed soon in The Rag Blog. Mariann will launch Hempseed officially on Saturday, November 9, 7-9 p.m., at Austin's Brave
A Near Death Experience
* * * * * * *Lisa's NDE* * * *[not Lisa Harrison's experience btw... in case you wonder... my friend Wendell forwarded this to me in an email... keep in mind there is no "correct" way to have an NDE, they do vary from person to person. In the one I had in 2009 I had no life review. For a time I thought maybe something was wrong with me because I didn't. I also did not see relatives, or many of the things Dannion Brinkley reports in his 3 NDE experiences. One thing that is common though is how deeply they affect your physical life afterwards. Dolores Cannon says many people in th... more »
Updates On Syria: Date of Peace Conference Pushed Back, Turkey Ramps Up Border Control, Assad's Advisor Is Hopeful About A Political Settlement
An excerpt from, *"Damascus blasts kill 8 as Syria peace talks languish"*CBS News, November 6: Meanwhile, the international effort to get both sides of the conflict to the negotiating table to find a political solution to the crisis hit yet another stumbling block Tuesday, as diplomats failed to agree on a date for a long-anticipated peace summit in Geneva. The world powers strongly disagreed over what diplomatic steps to take to resolve the fighting and what any future Syrian leadership beyond President Assad's government should look like. An excerpt from, *"Turkey mostly mum on c... more »
San Fermin - Sonsick - Audiotree Live
San Fermin - Sonsick - Audiotree Live. Source: Audiotreetv. Date Published: October 10.
Piers Morgan, the BBC and phone-hacking
As news breaks that the four civil cases against The Mirror Group have been given leave to proceed, I note two things: 1. the news has yet to make the BBC news website where a search for 'Piers Morgan' returns just this: which is odd because every twist and turn in the cases against News International were headline news on the BBC 2. that a court will now be able to test the veracity of Piers Morgan's statement that: "I have never hacked a phone, told anyone to hack a phone, or published any stories based on the hacking of a phone." The BBC's obsession with destroying News Internat... more »
“Fukushima Equals 3 TRILLION Lethal Doses”
* * *“Fukushima Equals 3 TRILLION Lethal Doses”* by Bob Nichols "The world’s second big nuclear disaster occurred at Chernobyl Reactor No. 4 in the Ukraine on Apr 26, 1986. Simply tagged as “Chernobyl,” it is what the next big and well known nuke disaster, after the American Three Mile Island, on March 28, 1979 came to be called. “Chernobyl” ejected 30% of one 192-ton, three-month old reactor core. That’s 57.6 radioactive tons thrown into the air by fire and explosions. The tiny radioactive and burning smoke particles have traveled around the world many times since 1979, killing ... more »
We Are All Slaves To The Multinationals-- No Less Under Obama Than Under The Bushs And Clinton
The U.S. Export-Import Bank, a government entity charged with helping boost exports from domestic businesses, met last week to discuss giving hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to a foreign airline so that it can buy Boeing airplanes. The airline-- Biman Bangladesh-- is known for its poor safety record and unreliable service. While this proposed deal is disconcerting, it points to a broader problem: The Ex-Im Bank’s priorities are backwards. Instead of helping domestic small businesses that actually need assistance when it comes to exporting their goods abroad, the Ex-Im B... more »
Untitled
*To the Corps of Engineers, Bermuda grass is a cheap way to resist erosion — but it may not be enough ~Bob Marshall, The Lens*
Fallout. The result of Tony Clement's nuking of the federal public service.
I've watched in awe at the decade-long performance of Tony Clement. He's lied, he's laughed at the fatal results of a tainted food supply, he's misappropriated millions of taxpayer dollars to feather his own electoral riding with pagodas and pools, he's created the most inept "red-tape' elimination formula known in the developed world and then he was let loose to destroy the federal public
Jason Erb- Exposing Faux Capitalism
I did find this interview extremely enlightening. So much so I listened thrice! ;-) And thanks to Henrik at Red Ice Creations for providing this interview for us all to enjoy Jason Erb joins us from Ontario, Canada where he started the website*Exposing Faux Capitalism *during the global financial collapse in 2008. We'll hear about a number of topics such as the history of the monetary system, credit default swaps, debt based currency and compound interest. Jason explains how the currency system is run by belief, confidence and control of information but nothing is there to back it u... more »
D. has an urgent need...
*Update: 11/06/2013 4:13 PM PDT Raised about US$200 on my Paypal account so far. I don't know how much has gone straight to Muxi's Paypal account.... Thank you so much for helping D. out... -Bill* Our friend D. from the Removing the Shackles blog has a very urgent need. She has a tooth that is infected in the jaw and needs to get it removed. These kind of infections can get serious and painful. D. has a family of great kids and really doesn't have the funds to get this done so I thought we all could help her out. She's done such great research over the past months... more »
Assclowns of the Week #97: SNAPping Your Fingers at the Poor edition
As the caption in the lead picture attests, we'd rather murder poor people overseas than feed our own. As the World Champion Boston Red Sox were taking a boat ride through the Charles, we were treated to the sight of carefully guarded and isolated multibillionaires and multimillionaires slapping each other on the backs for getting even richer the very day after Congress and the White House quietly let the 2009 Recovery Act lapse, resulting in $5,000,000,000 in SNAP spending cuts. The juxtaposition and timing couldn't've been more awful. Because of that "oversight" that conveni... more »
A pattern is forming...
*based on what I've read this morning.* Is it the right direction to take? You tell me. The Market Ticker: It Is Time To Stand Up, Or Stand Down American Thinker: I Am Now a Dissident (and You Should Be, Too!) Sultan Knish: The American Iron Curtain: In the meantime, I have five more trees to plant and 120 tulip bulbs to plunk in the ground before the rain starts up again.
PostElection: Virginia Governor
I'm a bit late to this, and despite that I haven't come close to reading everything that people have written so I'm not sure whether people have covered this or not, but that disclaimer aside: The interpretation of the Virginia governor's race, with Terry McAuliffe defeating Ken Cuccinelli by (based on results so far) 2.5 percentage points, appears to be dominated by questions about why it's so close -- rather than questions about why McAuliffe won. That's because of two things. One is because polls had McAuliffe with a bigger lead; it was estimated at 7.2% by HuffPollster, which is... more »
“Repeat After Me: Economics Is NOT a Science”
* * * “Repeat After Me: Economics Is NOT a Science”* by Bill Bonner “Dow off 20 points yesterday. Gold down $6 an ounce. No biggie. On Monday and Tuesday, we visited our youngest son, Edward, a sophomore at the University of Vermont. His roommate joined us for dinner. “Okay, let me explain it to you,” we said. The roommate was wondering if he should switch his major to economics. “Economics is a phony science. The more you study it, the more you think you know… and the less you really know about how an economy actually functions. I’ll explain why in just a few sentences. If yo... more »
An Overarching Accountability System Requires an Overarching Accountability System-Maker
Like his *The Allure of Order*, Jal Mehta’s“From Bureaucracy to Profession: Remaking the Educational Sector for the Twenty-First Century” provides an awesome and eclectic explanation of how to break out of the blame game and create a 21st century educational sector. “The political science concept of “path dependence” explains why the well-meaning efforts of accountability-driven reformers have failed. The educational history that they do not know has doomed top-down reform. But, history is not destiny, Mehta proclaims. He argues that, “by creating a professional rather than bureaucr... more »
Pipeline Around The Bend-A Spoof by Stars and Climate Change
The War Room from True Climate Stories on Vimeo.
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