oldephartte(in training): 1 Dec - Blogs I'm Following II

English: Andy Borowitz before performance at Webster Hall in NYC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

10:09pm MST

For Normal People It Was A Holiday But For The DCCC It Was Another Opportunity To Prey On Suckers With Phony "Deadlines"

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 8 minutes ago

Pelosi raising cash for Ohio anti-gay/anti-Choice crusader Jennifer Garrison Saturday, we mentioned that Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent, a Boehner crony and the Republican congressman from the Lansing area of central Michigan, is leading the efforts to allow the Cheney-initiated domestic spying agenda of the N.S.A. to stay in place. Boehner made Rogers, a relatively junior member, chairman of the powerful Intelligence Committee. It's worth noting that Rogers' district, MI-08, has a PVI of R+2 and that Obama beat McCain there 52-46% and narrowly lost out to local boy Mitt Romney 51-4... more »

World AIDS Day and the Global Fund Replenishment

Josh Busby at Duck of Minerva - 28 minutes ago

Sunday, December 1st was World AIDS Day, the annual reminder of the state of the epidemic, a way to focus attention on a problem that is perhaps less visible than it was two or three years but not defeated, not by a long shot. To that end, this week, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Continue reading

BitCoin mania spawns copycat cyber currencies which mimic the parabolic moves of Bitcoin - And these latter successes , which will spawn more cyber currencies , which might imitiate the parabolic movements of the BitCoin imitators .......You are on notice once again folks !

Catharsis Ours - 2 hours ago

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-29/e-gold-founder-launches-new-gold-backed-currency ( So , whom and where is the gold backing this scheme going to be stored ? ) E-Gold Founder Launches New Gold Backed Currency [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/29/2013 21:17 -0500 - Bitcoin - Department of Justice - Fail inShare2 *Submitted by Mike Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,* *It was only a matter of time before thesuccess of Bitcoin led to a new attempt to create a digital currency backed by gold. It seems as if that day has now arrived.... more »

BitCoin price movement turbulence ( BitCoin crossing price of an ounce of gold got someone's attention ) - whether one sees this as blatant manipulation or not , probably agreement could be found that such huge daily swings hit usage as a currency substitute for USD / Euro or Yen , present challenges for merchants accepting BotCoin and buyers using BitCoin and increase the likelihood of regulatory controls being imposed ....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 3 hours ago

[image: Creative Commons License] This chart is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-12-01/uk-royal-mint-working-plans-issue-gold-backed-physical-bitcoins ( Ah - and so it begins ! An attempt to co-opt BitCoin and / or squeeze out all cyber currencies being floated ? Of course a gold backed , government blessed BitCoin might be more attractive at first blush than the cyber variety , but of course as this is blessed by the UK Central Bank , you know who's holding and controlling the gold ! And by ho... more »

We still get some of our most on-the-mark news coverage from our official fake-news media

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago

*DOONESBURY* [*Click to enlarge*] *by Ken* Back in the dark years of the "Chimpy the Prez" Bush regime, the arrival of Jon Stewart on *The Daily Show* not only provided relief from the mindless clatter of most of the infotainment noozemedia but in fact gave many of us our best actual *source* for news. Tonight I just throw out a couple of reminders that it's often still the fake-news media that get the story righter than the "serious" newsers. DECEMBER 1, 2013 *G.O.P.: Healthcare.gov Too Fast Now* POSTED BY ANDY BOROWITZ WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Republican critics of O... more »

International Uranium Film Fest begins in Navajo Sacrifice Zone

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 3 hours ago

COMMUNITY GROUPS CONCERNED ABOUT URANIUM CONVENE AT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IN NAVAJO NATION’S CAPITAL Date: December 2 -- 4, 2013, starting from 8:30 am daily Location: Navajo Nation Museum on Arizona Hwy 264, 0.5 mi east of I.R. 12 By Leona Morgan Censored News WINDOW ROCK, Arizona -- On December 2 through 4, 2013, the International Uranium Film Festival (IUFF) -- the world’s

How to tell when things are stuffed…

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago

*Pic from **the Objectivist Observer* Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

A Tale of Two Protests: Ukraine & Thailand

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 4 hours ago

Western hypocrisy on full display as it backs pro-EU protesters in Ukraine, condemn Thai protests against US-backed regime in Thailand. *December 2, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - When is a protest good, just, progressive, and defensible? One might think there was a single answer to this question based on an objective set of metrics. But in reality, according to the West, protests are only good so long as they serve their interests. Ongoing protests in Ukraine and Thailand have both featured protesters attempting to storm and hold government buildings. Both appear to be preparing length... more »

A Tale of Two Protests: Ukraine & Thailand

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 4 hours ago

Long Walk 4 at Stillwater Paiute Shoshone Indian Nation

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 6 hours ago

Photos by Ellen Johnson By Ellen Johnson Censored News This morning we were blessed to have Long Walkers visit the Stillwater Indian Church. Emilio gave a brief explanation of journey's purpose. The mood was warm and cheerful with Emilio and Carl Sampson offering prayer and honor in song. Thank you Long Walkers for what you do.

Why is this young couple subsidising the ‘Politicians Bankers Welfare Fund’?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 6 hours ago

*Guest post by Hugh Pavletich from **Performance Urban Planning* [image: image]In yesterday’s* New Zealand Herald* article “Buyers Turning To The “Bank Of Mum and Dad ,” reporter Russell Blackstock illustrates how young Kiwis are unnecessarily taking on excessive mortgages and pressuring their parents for financial support, eroding parents’ retirement savings and encumbering their own home—and all entirely unnecessarily. The problem is housing supply. Young Jamie Clark and Jenna Close have just purchased their first home for $450,000, with a mortgage load of $360,000—and a deposi... more »

Bob Dylan Was Right About The Croats-- Most Are Still Fascists To The Core

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago

Croatian fascist leader Ante Pavelić with enthusiastic Franciscan monks Today Croat voters overwhelmingly-- and true to form-- chose to institutionalize the idea that their own LGBT community is less equal than other Croats. With four-fifths of the votes counted, a solid majority appears to have backed the move to amend the Constitution so that gays and lesbians can never get married. I drove through Croatia in 1969. The scenery was beautiful and I remember thinking how awesome Dubrovnik looked, even though it was kind of like Disneyland, the original city having been destroyed in 12... more »

The Greatest thing ever to happen to the internet

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 7 hours ago

illustration by Minh Uong/The New York Times Imagine broadband was free and unlimited, imagine unless you went to a big server site your communications were free from unwarranted snooping. Well you do not have to imagine anymore. There are unsung heroes amogst us. People toiling away for low pay just for the satisfaction of making life better for everyone. Their only reward putting it to the MAN and advancing the human condition. One of these men speaks below. “In an age of pervasive government surveillance and corporate data mining, the Commotion project is an essential resource ... more »

Interest in Politics

Paul Coker at News Spike - 7 hours ago

Celebra a lo grande esta Navidad con estas hermosas postales

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 7 hours ago

TICKING MASS EXTINCTION TIME BOMB IS NOT FUKUSHIMA ~ IT'S METHANE

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 7 hours ago

*Permafrost in Siberia.*Methane emissions from the Arctic permafrost increased by 31% from 2003-07, figures show. Photograph: Francis Latreille/Corbis *Our planet Earth has experienced five major species extinctions over the past billion years and the common denominator has always been a sudden acceleration in Global Warming with the rapid release of Methane being the most likely culprit: Allen L Roland* Experts say methane emissions from the Arctic have risen by almost one-third in just five years, and that sharply rising temperatures are to blame ~ *but very few p... more »

Bunkering Down

theozarker at The Conflicted Doomer - 9 hours ago

December 1, 2013 Forbes had a fascinating article on their forbes.com page this past week, titled, “Billionaire Bunkers: Beyond the Panic Room, Home Security Goes Sci-Fi”. http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2013/11/27/billionaire-bunkers-beyond-the-panic-room-home-security-goes-sci-fi/?utm_campaign=forbestwittersf&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=bufferc37c9&utm_medium=twitter The caption under the picture at the top of the page … Continue reading →

Empowering Native Youth Media: Vote on new videos

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 9 hours ago

By Klee Benally Outta Your Backpack Media Censored News Here are the videos from OYBM’s recent 48 Hour Film Making Challenge. Four films were produced with the theme “Hunger” and the requirements of including:- The line: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”- Drawing of a spiral.- Close-up of a hand clap.- Either a flashback or split screen. Please vote by either thumbs up or commenting (

The Mind is the Ultimate Resource: Thank Inventors and Innovators for a Better Life

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 9 hours ago

*Guest Post by Doug Bandow* Hans Riegel recently died at age 90. He changed the world for the better. He brought us the treat known as gummi bears. Politicians routinely crusade against wealth and inequality, but that occurs naturally when people create products and offer services benefiting the rest of us. Today people live on their cell phones. Once we didn’t even have telephones. Thank Alexander Graham Bell, born in Edinburgh, Scotland. The internal combustion engine auto came from Karl Benz. He was a design engineer who in 1886 won a patent for a “motor car.” In 1903, ... more »

Sunday Question for Liberals

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 9 hours ago

Same one that I used for conservatives. What are you hoping for on Afghanistan? Is the agreement to keep the US there (in a non-combat role) after 2014 a good idea? Bad idea?

SUNDAY SONG

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 9 hours ago

Peter McLaren's Review of The Mismeasure of Education

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 9 hours ago

We posted a piece of Peter's remarks in the advance reviews, but his inimitable style and rhetorical sweep here is classic McLaren. Both humbling and gratifying: It is no exaggeration to say that public education is under threat of extinction. The uneven but inexorable progress of neoliberal economic policies clearly provided the incubus for transferring the magisterium of education in its entirety to the business community. The world-producing power of the corporate media has not only helped to create a privatized, discount store version of democracy that is allied with the arroga... more »

Sunday Question for Conservatives

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 9 hours ago

What are you hoping for on Afghanistan? Is the agreement to keep the US there (in a non-combat role) after 2014 a good idea? Bad idea?

We’ll discuss the #teaparty element to the #commoncore debate tonight. For now… #tcot #p2

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 10 hours ago

The Tea Party or right wing element of the common core debate frames the standards and its affiliations as an Obama-centric initiative. Perhaps calling it “Obamacore.” I see references to the United Nations, socialism, and everything RW conservatives hate about Obama, even referencing his birth certificate. Neoliberal education reformers, or those enamored by CCSS, use […]

JFK50: “I laugh because I must not cry, that is all, that is all. ” - Abraham Lincoln

Paul Coker at News Spike - 10 hours ago

JFK50: Dicks With Time Machines from Spike EP on Vimeo. *“I laugh because I must not cry, that is all, that is all. ” * ― Abraham Lincoln

A Truer Path Into the Past of Mankind

Harry Dale Huffman at The Earth and Man: Setting the Stage - 10 hours ago

Steven Goddard mentions, in this post, Viking travellers across a quieter past Atlantic ocean to a warmer past Greenland. I submitted the following comment, with a wider view: *If you are prepared to have your mind broadened by a wider understanding of the ancient past--not limited to climate records, for example, but who travelled where, and spread their civilizations to a greater or lesser extent--read "America B.C" (1976), by anthropologist Barry Fell. The book details evidence for settlers from many lands (Celts, Libyans, Egyptians, etc.) in North America, between roughly the 10... more »

Sunday Classics: In Gilbert and Sullivan's hands, a madrigal can be buoyant, or sad, or sad and funny

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago

*The end of the Sextet in the Off-Monroe Players' 2010 production of Patience* *GILBERT and SULLIVAN: Patience: from the Act I finale, Lady Saphir, "Are you resolved to wed this shameless one? . . . Sextet with Chorus, "I hear the soft note"* *Recitative* *LADY SAPHIR* [*coming left of *BUNTHORNE]: Are you resolved to wed this shameless one? *LADY ANGELA* [*coming right of* BUNTHORNE]: Is there no chance for any other? *BUNTHORNE* [*decisively*]: None! [*Embraces* PATIENCE. *Exit* PATIENCE *and* BUNTHORNE.] *Sextet -- the Ladies Ella, Saphir, and Angela; the Duke, Major, and Colo... more »

Banks confess to massive mortgage fraud. Government declines to prosecute either the CEOs or the companies. Too big to jail?

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 11 hours ago

------------------------------ Original Here *Documents in JPMorgan settlement reveal how every large bank in U.S. has committed mortgage fraud* Bill Black: Justice Dept.'s failure to understand pervasive schemes of fraud in financial industry obstructs meaningful prosecution of banks - November 29, 13 More at The Real News *Bio .* William K. Black, author of THE BEST WAY TO ROB A BANK IS TO OWN ONE, teaches economics and law at the University of Missouri Kansas City ... more »

Updated: Alleged ET Removal of Restricted Tech Captured in Afghanistan...

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 11 hours ago

I was sent this video, its quite remarkable. I have no way of verifying the location or events so use your discernment on this one... The video creator claims the USA captured some sort of tech in Afghanistan (a Star Gate?) and ETs destroyed it. This video has nothing to do with ISON.

Deep tweets

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 11 hours ago

Strange tweet from a few days ago. Never saw another word about it. Look who visited #Guantanamo today: Obama's closers, shown at GTMO airstrip, in media blackout fact-finding trip. pic.twitter.com/LBkvWqCeyy — Carol Rosenberg (@carolrosenberg) November 25, 2013 Apparently Ben Smith never heard of them. In response to his query, she tweeted this: Hey, @BuzzFeedBen They're Obama special envoys Cliff Sloan (State) and Paul Lewis (Pentagon).

Keith Ellison (D/Muslim MN) does his best shuck and jive routine to cover this administrations talking points on why we were too stupid to understand what Obama was saying about Obamacare...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 11 hours ago

*no, really.* The magnitude of his stupidity on display this morning on "This Week" is awe inspiring. And, no - I haven't suddenly started watching the Sunday morning arrogant talking heads. This clip is compliments of Free Beacon - and we thank them.

Success Academy Tax Documents: Moskowitz Can Afford the Rent

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 11 hours ago

Since 2006, Eva Moskowitz has been running a small charter empire that has at least $50 million in government per-pupil funding, at least $30.9 million in total, end-of-year assets, and the support of hedge fund millionaires. Why is it, then, that her Success Academies have never paid a dime in rent for the public school space occupied […]

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 11 hours ago

Aurora Borealis, Alaska. [photo via Tamitha Skov and Watergate Summer]

Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, December 1st, 2013

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 12 hours ago

Sunday, the beginning of a new month, and time again for my weekly rant... I continue to get plenty of comments from our friends in the Hasbara/JIDF community, and it still startles me that they continue to send these comments knowing full well that they will never see the light of day.... It is also laughable that they are resorting to the ridiculous tactic of changing up the "name" of the person generating the comments in the vain hope that I will not see through the deception... Are they really this stupid? Do they not even realize that they give themselves away in an instant by... more »

My Glitch is Fixed!

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 12 hours ago

I tweeted about this last night, but why not make a post out of it: I've been stuck at the same place at Healthcare.gov since mid or late October, and now they've fixed my glitch! I tried last night for the first time in a week, and suddenly the program didn't hang at the spot it's been hanging. Exciting! For what it's worth: the problem was in the initial family information, towards the end. It asked about whether my eldest was a full-time student (she is), and then whether she had a parent in the same state in which she attends school (she doesn't), and then it couldn't save and c... more »

Thanksgiving Day Omen - Playing Economic Roulette ? After three near misses with financial turmoil ( trial balloons ) , Brandon Smith discusses what lies ahead for 2014 .....Is Obama symbolized by " ObamaCare " set up as the 2014's Oswald as the face of the looming financial Crisis to come ? Has the Federal Reserve found their patsy for the fall and looming crisis to come ? China about to go its own way ( note the present geopolitical games over those disputed islands and China new air defense map ) .... GoldCore warns on US mortgage market , Howard Marks and David Stockman warn on market risks ....... Don't say you haven't been put on notice !

Catharsis Ours - 12 hours ago

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-27/we-are-playing-economic-russian-roulette "We Are Playing Economic Russian Roulette" [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/27/2013 19:15 -0500 - Central Banks - China - Crude - Crude Oil - Debt Ceiling - default - Fail - Federal Reserve - Global Economy - International Monetary Fund - Iran - Janet Yellen - Main Street - None - Obama Administration - Obamacare - recovery - Reserve Currency - Unemployment - White House - Yuan ... more »

Cattle Mutilations: Interview with a Puma Hunter

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 12 hours ago

*Argentinean cattle mutilation researcher Daniel Ubaldo Padilla posted this interview with a cattleman and hunter as part of his ongoing investigations into his country's mutilation phenomenon. "The idea of this interview," he writes, "is to disabuse the notion of the puma as the apex regional predator. Pumas did not attack the animal appearing in the photographs [at the start of the video]. Nor are pumas still causing mutilations in La Rioja. Over the years, these strange depredations (mutilations) could have been camouflaged by successive deaths, with the blame for all of these ... more »

We Don’t Need Longer School Days; We Need Smarter Ones.

Angel Cintron Jr. at @ THE CHALK FACE - 12 hours ago

I support the intentions behind DCPS’ A Capital Commitment: Better Schools for All Students by 2017. I salute Chancellor Henderson and Capital One for agreeing to a strategic plan, which sets ambitious goals for our most vulnerable students and schools. It’s not only the right thing to do, but also an effective use of time and […]

Iceland Government presents debt relief plan - citizens first before banksters , what a novel idea ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 12 hours ago

Iceland thumbs nose at international opposition to advance $1.2 billion debt relief plan Published time: December 01, 2013 03:14 Edited time: December 01, 2013 04:02 Get short URL [image: A general view of houses in the town of Vik in southern Iceland.(Reuters/ Ingolfur Juliusson)] A general view of houses in the town of Vik in southern Iceland.(Reuters/ Ingolfur Juliusson) Share on tumblr Tags Economy, Government Spending, Real Estate Iceland’s government has announced that it will be writing off up to 24,000 euros ($32,600) of every household’s mortgage, fulfilling its election prom... more »

Live Ustream Virtual Event December 10, 2013 - GE Foods & Human Health From Alberta, Canada

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 12 hours ago

The local Albertan GE Speakers Event scheduled for Dec. 10, is SOLD OUT, due to over-whelming response... so THEY ARE TAKING IT ONLINE! They are setting up a live Ustream of this exciting event. Please REGISTER... registration is FREE, butallows them to keep track of participants. If you are planning to HOST A LOCAL U-STREAM VIRTUAL EVENT ... awesome! Then just please register with one ticket, and e-mail "Albertan's for Food Safety" @ ab4foodsafety@gmail.com with the # of seats in your venue. There is a max on the FREE tickets they can make available (500,000). EVENTBRITE ticke... more »

Woolwich: The Lee Rigby "Trial"

Paul Coker at News Spike - 13 hours ago

To a man, according to their brief, every single Crisis Actor on the street who spoke to the media (*Resuscitation Man, Orange Girl*, etc.) said *"he looked like he was wearing a Help for Heroes T-shirt."* No he wasn't. That's a hooded sweatshirt, he's wearing it in *July*, and how could they see that from where they were standing anyway...? *[Whilst he was being stabbed / run over / partially decapitated / actually decapitated....]* Also, I have personally examined that lamp-post myself, and it wasn't hit by a car. At least not one travelling faster than perhaps 2 mph.

no one is talking

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 13 hours ago

Massive protests in thailand threaten to topple Government - Protsters attempt to storm Government house as police use water cannons and tear gas to repel protesters , Prime Minister Yingluck forced to vacate Government House for an undisclosed location ! Formerly peaceful protests have turned violent on the past 24 hours.....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago

Bangkok police use tear gas on protesters besieging govt buildings (PHOTOS) Published time: December 01, 2013 07:58 Edited time: December 01, 2013 08:50 Get short URL [image: An anti-government protester throws a tear gas back to the police outside Governement House during a demonstration in Bangkok on December 1, 2013. (AFP Photo / Nicolas Asfouri)] An anti-government protester throws a tear gas back to the police outside Governement House during a demonstration in Bangkok on December 1, 2013. (AFP Photo / Nicolas Asfouri) Share on tumblr Tags Asia, Clashes, Conflict, Law, Military... more »

Massive Pro - EU protest raging in Ukraine ......Ukrainians protst suspension of EU integration talks and demand President Yanukovich's resignation.....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago

Clashes in Kiev amid massive pro-EU protests: LIVE UPDATES Published time: December 01, 2013 12:14 Edited time: December 01, 2013 15:08 Get short URL [image: People supporting EU integration hold a rally in Kiev, December 1, 2013. (Reuters / Gleb Garanich)] People supporting EU integration hold a rally in Kiev, December 1, 2013. (Reuters / Gleb Garanich) Share on tumblr Tags EU, Protest, Ukraine Thousands of Ukrainians protesting the suspension of talks on EU integration filled the iconic Maidan in Kiev despite the ban, and the violent ejection of the rally earlier. Chaotic scenes ensu... more »

Fukushima Nuclear debacle updates November 27 , 2013 -- Updates on the first operation to remove spent fuel rods from the Spent Fuel Pool at Reactor Building Four .....Updates on the radiation impacts on both the Pacific at large , sea life in the Pacific , detailing strange behavior of sea life and birds impacted by Fukushima radiation....

Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago

November 30th..... Simply Info... Second Set Of Unit 4 Fuel Loaded In Common Pool November 30th, 2013 | Add a Comment [image: Second Set Of Unit 4 Fuel Loaded In Common Pool] TEPCO reports as of November 30, 2013 JST the second set of 22 fuel assemblies were loaded into the fuel racks of the common pool. The work was completed about 5pm JST according to NHK. NHK also reports that TEPCO will now give spent fuel priority for removal over the unused assemblies in the pool. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conver... more »

US interest in normalizing relations with Iran underscored by the US return of a priceles Artifact to Iran as well as an alleged interest by Obama ( by way of Al Jarida ) to visit Iran..... Normalizations also motivated by commercial interests of multi-nationals .....Noise will continue from Israel , Saudis and Congressional War Hawks .....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago

http://www.businessinsider.com/iran-chalice-diplomatic-talks-2013-11 ( The point of this item is this is an indication the US very badly wants to normalize relations with Iran ....... thus , noise from the Saudis and Israel will be very much discounted although lip service from the White House and State Department will be given .... ) The Breakthrough Iran Nuclear Deal Came After The Return Of A Priceless Artifact [image: The Atlantic Wire] CONNOR SIMPSON, THE ATLANTIC WIRE NOV. 30, 2013, 7:18 PM 9,031 12 - - inShare4 - - - EMAIL - MORE [image: iran chalice]... more »

New Left Blogs November/December 2013

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 14 hours ago

New month. New blogs. 1. Ancient Ribs (Unaligned) 2. Andrew's NUT Blog (Unaligned/NUT) 3. Carter the Blogger (Unaligned) 4. chekov.org (Ireland - Unaligned) (Twitter) 5. Democratic Revolution Syria (Unaligned/Syria Opposition) 6. Keep Our NHS Public South Warwickshire (Unaligned) (Twitter) 7. Left Blog (Ukraine - Unaligned) (Twitter) 8. Left Unity Milton Keynes (Left Unity) 9. London Campaign Against Police and State Violence (Unaligned) 10. Raised on a Diet of Broken Biscuits (Unaligned/Feminist) (Twitter) 11. Social Abjection (Unaligned) (Twitter) 12. Socialist Project (Canada - Unaligne... more »

Makes sense that a for-profit outfit like @cu_portland would base an entire program on propaganda #commoncore

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 14 hours ago

Here’s information on the program itself, a one year masters in CCSS Instructional Leadership. I see that the program includes a one semester course on research methods. Will it give students enough of a critical vocabulary to actually conclude that there is little to no research base supporting CCSS? It seems that this is one […]

Mohawk Nation News 'Black Friday'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 14 hours ago

BLACK FRIDAY Posted on December 1, 2013 Mohawk Nation News MNN. Nov. 30, 2013. Black Friday is “owistah” on steroids! Thanksgiving is not a day to be thankful. The real story is that every massacre of Indigenous people was followed by a celebration by the murderers. [Please See: Susan Bates. "Real Story of Thanksgiving". Financiers Jay Fiske and Stephen Gould first organized this kind

The Surveillance State

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 14 hours ago

Stephen Harper claims that Bill C-13 is the bane of cyber-bullies. That's true. But, Michael Spratt writes, the bill is much more than that: The government’s talking points notwithstanding, only a small portion of C-13 deals with cyber-bullying. Most of the bill is devoted to expanding police powers to search and seize personal Internet data. Bill C-13 is the successor to Bill C-30, which the Conservatives said was aimed at child pornographers: The main criticism of Bill-30 related to the expansion of warrantless search powers for Internet data that would allow the police to bu... more »

Mohawk Nation News 'Fourth Reich!'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 14 hours ago

FOURTH REICH! Mohawk Nation News MNN. Nov. 29, 2013. The banking “crime” families are the Fourth Reich. Ia’kon, we are told [and did not see it ourselves] that Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem and found that the money-changers had turned it into a “den of thieves”. They were practicing usury, that is, charging interest on loans to people. It was immoral. He tipped their tables and

Things for Today

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 14 hours ago

*Today was a spectacularly clear day. Winter in central Taiwan is cool and crisp. Here my man Steve checks out the vineyards of Jhuolan.* Much too busy to blog, so... first, Tobie Openshaw sends this around: 大家好：以下點選Youtube幫我寶貝凱倫微電影按個讚幫她集個人氣。感謝妳，你們：）Hi, here is the movie we made for the 48-Hour Film Competition Taipei. We won Best Costume and are hoping to have a crack at winning Most Popular. You can do us a huge favour by watching it on YouTube and up-voting it there... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxF1GCIC8x0Thanks so much! Second, you should be reading J Michael Cole's acc... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 14 hours ago

*Saints vs Seahawks Week 13 "Battle in Seattle™" Update ~Saints Tailgate * *Coastal chief Garret Graves sparks, then smokes his own rumors of state lawsuit over wetlands ~Kelly Connelly, Houma Courier* *City Council to revisit Jail-size issue again ~Andrew Vanacore, New Orleans Advocate* *Federal cases against NOPD crumble, but spawn systemic changes ~Laura Maggi*

Belief Culture: “We Don’t Need No Education”

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 15 hours ago

Belief Culture: \”We Don\’t Need No Education\”. via Belief Culture: “We Don’t Need No Education”.

Who Is Israel Backing For President… Of The United States?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago

Hillary and her Israeli controller, Haim Israel covers its bases. Two dual citizens, both billionaires, GOP mobster Sheldon Adelson and Democratic media magnate Haim Saban help finance both party establishments. Whoever wins, Israel has a friend in the Washington-- or, more appropriately, many, many friends. Adelson and Saban and their wives have shelled out tens of millions of dollars of dollars each for their "teams." This kind of undue influence over national security from a foreign state should be *strictly* illegal and Adelson and Saban should be-- but will certainly never be-- ... more »

Happy Hannukah John Kerry

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 15 hours ago

eBooks and the Law, the Taxman, the EU and the French

Martyn Daniels at Brave New World - 15 hours ago

Taxation and the law are often used to steer communities into a certain culture and direction. Sometimes they respond to changing values and aspirations, in other the aim to act as a catalyst to change and in some it is to pursue blind dogma. We have seen aggressive tax efficiency programmes by many large corporations exploit the low tax rates of some EU member states to the clear detriment of others. We have seen huge subsidies being lavished on the likes of Amazon by UK authorities in order to build warehouse in areas of high unemployment, or to stimulate local communities. The... more »

Metro North Trains Derails in the Bronx New York City , several train cars may have plunged into the water nearby ...

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago

Metro-North passenger train derails in NYC, plunges into river Published time: December 01, 2013 13:20 Get short URL Share on tumblr A Metro-North passenger train has derailed in the Bronx area of New York City, with a number of injuries being reported. Several cars plunged into the river Hudson, authorities said. Rebecca Schwartz, a witness at the scene, told the AP news agency that some of the carriages were submerged in water and that numerous emergency vehicles were at the scene. The derailment happened just north of Manhattan on Sunday morning. The line involved in the accident s... more »

#AmericanGirl + Pearson = reality.

Chris Cerrone at @ THE CHALK FACE - 15 hours ago

From what I hear the American Girl series of dolls from Mattel strives to create a realistic version of 9-11 year old girls. Congrats Mattel! This accessory is right on the mark for a young girl attending a public school. The backpack includes a Pearson enVision Math text book that is Common Core aligned. Hopefully […]

Should SC Increase Charter School Investment? No!

P. L. Thomas at Schools Matter - 15 hours ago

Charter school advocates are calling for more investment from South Carolina, according to Jamie Self at *The State* (Columbia, SC): South Carolina’s public charter schools struggle to find and pay for space, and often end up without access to kitchens, libraries, or places for kids to play – a problem the S.C. General Assembly needs to address, according to a new report. The challenges that the state’s 49 brick-and-mortar public charter schools face are outlined in a new report, published with help from the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina by the Charter School Facil... more »

World's First Known Magnetic Cellulose Loudspeakers: Potential for Magnetic Cellulose Comes in Crisp and Clear

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 16 hours ago

*World's First Known Magnetic Cellulose Loudspeakers: * *Potential for Magnetic Cellulose Comes in Crisp and Clear* http://www.rexresearch.com/magncellulose/magncellulose.htm Nov. 20, 2013 — They're flat, ultra-thin and great-sounding. The world's first known magnetic cellulose loudspeakers have been demonstrated at KTH. Throughout the ages, Swedes have relied on their country's vast forests as a source of sustenance and economic growth. Now add the world's first magnetic cellulose membrane loudspeakers to the list of products that can be produced from wood. These flat, sonorous ... more »

Five Most Popular Posts for November

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 16 hours ago

The five most read posts of the month were: 1. It's Time to Scrap Pairing 2. How London-Centric is Political Blogging? 3. Stoke Labour and Political Crisis 4. Day of the Doctor - Review 5. Capitalism, Asperger's and Autism Nice to see some political commentary rise to the top in November. But what has left me non-plussed is the inexplicable popularity of the piece about Stoke-on-Trent's local politics. Well, perhaps inexplicable is the wrong word. We're not talking flying saucers or anything. I hypothesise that either the audience for blogs about Stoke's political scene is bigger tha... more »

Fury as new auction of Hopi sacred objects announced in Paris

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 17 hours ago

Fury as new auction of Hopi sacred objects announced in Paris By Survival International Photo Lawyer Pierre Servan-Schreiber met two katsina priests when a katsina was returned to the Hopi in July 2013. © Survival A French auction house has announced that it is putting up for sale a large number of katsinam – objects sacred to the Hopi tribe of Arizona – just months after a similar auction

FLOWERS, SAVILE, SMITH, SATANISM

Anon at aangirfan - 18 hours ago

*Paul Flowers (centre) in dressing gown.* *Paul Flowers *was the Chairman of a UK bank which has recently been bailed out. Co-op Bank hit as savers take money and run Beginning in the early 1980s, Methodist minister Paul Flowers was vice-chairman of the committee which oversaw *Knowl View School.* *Knowl View School* was a 'boy brothel' or 'sweet shop for paedophiles'. *http://www.dailymail*. *Knowl View School, *in the town of Rochdale,was founded in the 1960s by the late *Sir Cyril Smith, *who reportedly loved sex with boys. Sir Cyril Smith was a top member of parliament li... more »

When government gets involved in health care

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 19 hours ago

Satire is so informative... *Thanks to Theo Spark for the spot.*

Updates On Syria [12.1]: Assad Says Syria Is Now In An Open War With Saudi Arabia, Honest Fighters Abandon Corrupt FSA, PKK And KDP Discuss Syria, Mother Agnes Mariam Faces Persecution And Death For Advocating Peace

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 19 hours ago

*1. An excerpt from, "Assad: Our Battle With Saudi Is Open-Ended" Al Akhbar, November 30: * Assad explained that Saudi Arabia “is leading the most extensive operation of direct sabotage against all the Arab world,” adding, *“Saudi Arabia led the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the battle against all nations and parties that stand in the face of Israel. *The [Saudis] gave cover to the Camp David agreement, supported the war on Lebanon in 1982, and today, they are engaged in an open-ended war against Syria. *We are now openly saying that we are at war with them.* True, w... more »

Chelyabinsk UFO sighting - Tsuchov flying machine - dream communication?

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 20 hours ago

despite the copyright caption, this is exactly how it lookedat the time of writing, soon after getting out of bed to do so, I don't know if/where *Chelyabinsk* is, nor whether *Tsuchov* was an 'eighties flying machine', nor whether either has been a recent news item, or what... but here goes. *It's an evening walk. Stars are out, but it's also patchy cloudy. Suddenly, I notice the clouds moving past a star. No, wait a minute, it's the star that's moving out of cloud cover. It's quite faint. Then more appear, there are about SEVEN of them in a line. Well, half a dozen of them are en... more »

John Friend vs. Mike Delaney & Scott Roberts

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 20 hours ago

Do you really still believe "hijacked airplanes" crashed into the WTC towers on 9/11? Do you really still believe the video footage - both the live news network footage and subsequent amateur footage - on 9/11 is authentic? Really?I "debated" Mike Delaney and Scott Roberts on *Prothink Radio* this evening. We discussed a number of subjects relating to 9/11. You can download the mp3 file *here*. This "debate" turned out to be an utter disaster for the most part. The only thing it really demonstrated is how immature, dishonest (about this subject specifically), unprofessional, and ego... more »

The Downfall Of America: Black Friday Violence 2013 - Shootings, Fights Break Out Early On American Thanksgiving Day

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 20 hours ago

I have been watching for the last few years the downfall of the United States happen right before our very eyes…. I have said again and again that it is like watching a "train wreck happening in slow motion" and I have not seen anything that has changed my mind on that aspect…. But yesterday was "Black Friday" in the United States (as well as here in Canada and the United Kingdom), and it was an annual ritual of mayhem in American cities as dumbed down citizens rushed out and fought over consumer goods like wild animals! I have read many of the reports between yesterday and today ... more »

Science writers' weird obsession with the resurrection of ISON

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 21 hours ago

*The comet has been doomed at least since the first moment when it looked so; claims to the contrary were always just some irrational religion* The good folks who were excited about the alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ were not too unreasonable. To say the least, they were not more unreasonable than most science writers who were producing stories about comet ISON's "survival" in recent days. When I wrote the satire about the comet's destruction by global warming(yes, there were some readers who didn't understand it was a satire!), I took one claim for granted: the comet couldn't ... more »

CHILD ABUSE ISLAND

Anon at aangirfan - 21 hours ago

The island of Jersey is known as the child abuse island. Families beware. More, and comments, here http://voiceforchildren.blogspot.com/... Britain could also be called the child abuse island. *Diana police probe: Inquiry into soldier's claims that Princess was killed by the SAS is closed.* *Former lover of Paedophile rocker Ian Watkins'wanted to kill a baby' and had sick fantasies aboutgetting her pregnant* ... *Bank chief *Crystal Methodist in link to school described as 'sweet shop for paedophiles' as plans for Amsterdam holiday with male prostitutes is revealed *School ... more »

Paul Walker

Paul Coker at News Spike - 22 hours ago

I quote The Enemy: "The Skulls is a 2000 American psychological thriller film starring Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker and Leslie Bibb, directed by Rob Cohen. Its plot is based upon some of the conspiracy theories surrounding Yale University's Skull and Bones student society." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skulls_(film)

THE DARK SIDE OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY

mollymew at Molly'sBlog - 23 hours ago

*The Dark Side of Christian History* The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbe: Morningstar and Lark, Orlando Florida, 1999 ISBN 0-9644873-4-9 This is the sort of book that I had to force myself through. It was not so much the purported subject matter but rather the author's not-so-well-hidden agenda. This is *not* an overview of the crimes of the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches except insofar as these can be slotted into Ellerbe's *real* purpose. This purpose is to argue against Christianity and for pop-religious New-Age "spirituality" with a thi... more »

While Italy's Economy Was Going Down The Toilet, Guess What Silvio Berlusconi Was Doing

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago

Silvio and Ruby Italy's 77 year old right-wing former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, a flamboyently crooked billionaire, was finally kicked out of Parliament Wednesday. Ostensibly it was because he had been convicted for tax fraud. The Senate vote was 192-113 with 2 abstentions. He'll never face prison on the tax conviction but the loss of his Senate seat also means the loss of his immunity against prosecution for all sorts of other criminal activities he's been immersed in for decades. Probably the first one he'll have to face involves the charges of bribery in the sex scandals ... more »

International Red Cross (IRC) Official Records Reveal That Only 271301 People Died In German Work Camps During World War II. OK, WHY Has The IRC NOT Been Charged With "Holocaust Denial"?

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago

For decades now, I and others living here in Canada have been constantly bombarded with the "fact" that "6 Million" Jews died by the hands of the Germans during the second World War… Primarily through the action of being put to death by "gassing". This has been rammed into our brains in this nation and many others, and now to deny this "fact" can have many in over a dozen nations in Europe, and here in Canada, charged with "Holocaust denial". To deny this information can spell years in a prison cell and basically destroy a person forever…. I do need to ask therefore WHY the Intern... more »

Maravillosa colección de Imágenes y postales gifs navideñas

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 1 day ago

Time To Bomb Israel - With Truth!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago

It does appear that the shaky agreement reached between the so called P5+1 members and the peaceful nation of Iran over its non-existent "nuclear weapons" program is holding.. At least for now… In spite of the constant rhetoric by the belligerent and most diabolical Israeli government officials, especially the main madman himself, Benyamin Miliewkowsky (Netanyahu), it does appear that the hawkish push for war on Iran has been temporarily shelved… The maniacal push for war on another innocent country has not happened as these lunatics have wanted, and we can only hope that it does no... more »

"Please accept our apologies"

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago

You may recall an earlier post about a 2003 episode of *Days That Shook the World, *re-broadcast around two weeks ago on BBC Two to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The programme risked misleading its viewers into assuming that right-wing Republicans were guilty of the assassination of JFK. The programme also falsely asserted that Texas was a "very Republican" state in 1963. If you're new to this, that might seem (at first glance) like a far-fetched statement, but please click on the link above and you'll see that it isn't. That's precisely what... more »

Resurrected from oblivion: a march for General Patton's Third Army

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago

*The U.S. Army Concert Band plays Gregorio A. Diaz's "Third Army March."* *by Ken* There was a time a bunch of years ago when the *New York Times* was constantly finding stuff. What was it, a Bach manuscript? And, well, just all sorts of stuff, given credibility by the presence of a reporter from the Newspaper of Record. I don't think we can accuse the *Washington Post* of belatedly trying to play catch-up. This is just kind of a happy story about the resurrection of a long-presumed-lost march written for the army of one of the U.S. military historic personages. And if you've list... more »

Deep Tweets

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago

Kind of the anti-Zen. Nothing peaceful in this image yet thought provoking. Awe inspiring in the truest sense of the word. @Reuters photographer Gleb Garanich keeps working despite being wounded by Ukraine riot police. pic.twitter.com/6mtaM4dl2n — Pedro da Costa (@pdacosta) November 30, 2013

Longest Walk 4 walks to Grimes Point sacred Paiute land

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago

Photos by Western Shoshone long walker Carl 'Bad Bear' Sampson, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2013. The Longest Walk 4 walked from Sand Mountain to Grimes Point, sacred land of the Paiute.

Secrect Passages

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 1 day ago

http://hiddenpassageway.com/

LISTEN TO THE GRANDMOTHERS

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago

Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers: Walking the Talk from Omega Institute on Vimeo. The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, including women from the Arctic Circle; North, South, and Central America; Africa; and Asia, represents a global alliance of prayer, education, and healing. They are women of prayer and women of action who regularly travel the globe to bear witness to the wounds of people and of the earth.

Made in Canada legal system costs policy precludes access by design

Denis Rancourt at Activist Teacher - 1 day ago

By Denis G. Rancourt The express policy and practice of legal costs payable by the losing party of any and all litigation steps in a Canadian legal action are unjust by design, and preclude access to justice, yet the Canadian legal establishment has been morbidly and steadfastly silent about this systemic perversion. By a straightforward application of Foucaultian institutional analysis,

LISTEN TO THE GRANDMOTHERS

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago

(Inequality Is Driven By Greed - Not Technology) John Kenneth Galbraith said, “The sense of responsibility in the financial community for the community as a whole is not small. It is nearly nil.” Larry Summers Wants US To Go Back for Another Helping of Poor!

Cirze at Welcome to Pottersville 2 (Blogging Against Fascism!) - 1 day ago

(Please consider making even a small contribution to the Welcome to Pottersville2 Quarterly Fundraiser happening now ($5.00 is suggested for those on a tight budget) or sending a link to your friends if you think the subjects discussed here are worth publicizing. Thank you for your support. We really appreciate it. Anything you can do will make a huge difference in this blog's ability to

LISTENING TO THE GRANDMOTHERS

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago

The USS New York - Update

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 1 day ago

Back on July 30, I posted a column dealing with an alleged radar sighting aboard the *USS New York*. The claim was that the ship had fired on a UFO. The story appeared in a magazine back in 1945, and it was suggested that the solution was Venus. Someone had seen Venus in the daytime, thought it was some sort of a Japanese attack and they opened fire. The ship’s navigator rushed up on deck and made the identification. To me, that ended the story. At best it was an IFO. But as happens in the world of the UFO someone just didn’t like that solution and without much in the way of inform... more »

Iran Interim Deal aftermath - sorting through the details of what was and wasn't agreed upon..... positioning for the next steps by concerned parties and non parties to Iran's nuclear talks... Giving peace a chance ? Israel isn't the only anxious party - Saudis having fits over what successful talk with Iran might mean as well !

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago

Still sorting through things .... What does the Interim Deal cover and not cover ? What do Israel and Saudis do in response ? Some things coming to light....November 27th items.... « Breaking News »Iran FM Zarif: Iran will continue building Arak reactor DEBKA*file* November 27, 2013, 9:31 PM (GMT+02:00) Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Wednesday, Iran will pursue construction at the Arak heavy water reactor despite the deal he signed with world powers Sunday to shelf a project capable of yielding plutonium for nuclear weapons. This was presented by Barack Obama as one of the great... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago

*A night out on the town in the 1930s ~Richard Campanella*

PART TWO OF THE SAUDI STORY

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago

With former Florida Senator Bob Graham..... This story holds great interest for me. One is because I lived in Florida for 30 years, much of it during the time Bob Graham was Governor and US Senator for that state. He was a middle-to-left kind of guy, no raving radical. But generally he was a decent man. Of course like most politicians in the US he supported much of what the military industrial complex wanted in the way of money and wars. Secondly this whole Saudi story is very relevant for my work today in Bath, Maine as recent reports indicate that Bath Iron Works is at the t... more »

buzzfeed announces no negative book reviews: what that means (and doesn't mean) and why it's good

laura k at wmtc - 1 day ago

In a *New York Times* op-ed, I've learned that BuzzFeed has announced the hiring of its first book editor, and will start publishing book reviews. *But* it will not run negative book reviews. Isaac Fitzgerald (formerly of The Rumpus and McSweeney's) said: BuzzFeed will do book reviews, Fitzgerald said, but he hasn’t figured out yet what form they’ll take. It won’t do negative reviews: “Why waste breath talking smack about something?” he said. “You see it in so many old media-type places, the scathing takedown rip.” Fitzgerald said people in the online books community “understand th... more »

Maybe You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

theozarker at The Conflicted Doomer - 1 day ago

November 30,2013 I am so sorry, but I went to save my post so I could copy and transfer it. Instead, I managed to erase it completely and no amount of fiddling over the last two hours has restored it. … Continue reading →

If Henry Waxman Doesn't Stay On His Toes, Marianne Williamson Will Beat Him Next Year

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago

I don't want to demonize Henry Waxman. As congressmen go, he's been a fairly decent one, for the most part, relatively progressive and-- except on issues relating to Israel and the Middle East-- pretty open-minded. The only time I remember really disagreeing with him, in fact, was when he backed Cheney's and Bush's horrific decision to attack Iraq without provocation. And he has been in Congress for 20 terms, about 39 years… long enough for anyone, *way* too long for most. But Waxman should realize when his time is up on his own and bow off the congressional stage gracefully. Demo... more »

Updates On Syria [11.30]: Washington Fears Iraq's Disintegration In Wake of Historic Turkey-Kurdistan Oil Deal, FSA Turns To Extortion To Survive, UN Calls Attack On Russian Embassy In Damascus An Act of Terror

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago

*1. An excerpt from, "Washington on edge as Kurds flex their muscle" by Tim Arango and Clifford Krauss, International New York Times, November 30: * The sharp, dry mountains that run between Turkey and Iraq have long marked a front line in the battle between the Turkish government and Kurdish separatists, where cross-border attacks have taken many lives on both sides. *But now, though a rapprochement has calmed the border, the United States fear stability may be in even greater danger. The problem is not war - but commerce.* Iraqi Kurds are selling oil directly to Turkey, infuriati... more »

Can There Be Equitable School Choice for All?

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago

It never fails. No matter what the discussion was originally intended to be, it almost always seems to devolve (or sometimes even evolve) into a very passionate and sometimes nasty debate about parental choice in education. Every time I read through one of these often entertaining threads on a discussion board or Facebook, I always […]

Simon Shack on The Realist Report

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 1 day ago

Many thanks to Dave Mansfield, a loyal listener of The Realist Report and regular commenter here on this website, who made the following videos of my interview with Simon Shack, producer of the must-watch 9/11 documentary *September Clues*. Be sure to subscribe to *this new YouTube channel *(*TruTube.TV*channel will be set up shortly as well), as more videos produced by Dave will be forthcoming. Tom in Connecticut and I will be debating Mike Delaney and Scott Roberts on *Prothink Radio* this evening. The debate will focus on 9/11, particularly on the well established conclusions Sept... more »

Updated: When is a Comet not a Comet?

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago

Notice the tail of ISON doesn't point away from the Sun when it leaves the Sun like other comets do. If it doesn't quack like a duck, is it a duck? Or is it something else? Something rather special? :) Ask yourself the question "What is ISON? What DO I know?" Notice the response you get back. - BⒾLL PS: My daughter the aspiring astrophysicist student sent this reply to me about the strange tail... "Actually a comet has two tails: the dust tail and the ion tail. The ion tail goes in the opposite direction of the suns magnetic field, but often what's visible is the dust tail... more »

Sherlock Lives

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 1 day ago

Dear me, I've turned into a shill. Richard Seymour became a Euro-com (apparently) I've become a barker for prime-time BBC shows. Talk about moving to the right... Anyway, sarcasm over; Sherlock is alive and back on the 1st of January. Here is far and away the best explanation of how he managed to pull it off. The actual mechanics are simple. The distracting ruse is the tricky thing... genius.

Whither Left Unity?

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 day ago

Today saw the launch of Britain's newest political party. Left Unity is officially alive. Since Ken Loach called for a left alternative to Labourback in March, there has been a tortuous road to today's founding conference, as the cpgb's coverage and comment has demonstrated in anything but gripping detail. Yet 10,000 Facebook likes, 1,000 paid up members, and a founding conference later, the new party is with us. The closing speaker remarked Saturday 30th November *could* be a historic day. Is this boosterism for the troops, the usual left hype that attends these sorts of events; or... more »