Wednesday, December 18, 2013

18 Dec - Blogs I'm Following II

10:24pm MST

McKeon Has Found The One Career That Normal People View As Even Less Ethical Than Congressmembers

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 24 minutes ago
Buck McKeon, Boehner's uber-corrupt head of the House Armed Services Committee, is getting ready for his next career as a lobbyist. A bunch of relatives have already started the firm and McKeon is busy lining up clients by making sure the Military-Industrial Complex gravy train is not interrupted by any sequestration. He has been busy tanking the chances of Randy Forbes to succeed him as Chair because he isn't as much a shill to arms makers and war contractors as McKeon's handpicked choice, corrupt Texas congressman Mac Thornberry. The revolving door between Congress and K Street ... more »

Thailand: Red Terror - Regime Thugs Firebomb Protest Leader's Home, Threaten Opponents

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 26 minutes ago
*Image: Protest leader, Chitpas Bhirombhakdi.**December 19, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - After weeks of cyber-stalking by the Thaksin Shinawatra regime's paid-PR machine, including disgraced former-Reuters editor Andrew Marshall, regime thugs have fire-bombed the home of anti-regime protest leader Chitpas Bhirombhakdi. In Bangkok Post's article, "Protest leader's house firebombed," it was reported: Four men early on Thursday morning threw a molotov cocktail at the family home of Chitpas Bhirombhakdi, a former deputy Democrat Party spokeswoman and now one of core protest leaders under t... more »

A Catastrophic and Catalysing Event: Millennial Futurology

Paul Coker at News Spike - 29 minutes ago
*1993* "To preserve American military preeminence in the coming decades, the Department of Defense must move more aggressively to experiment with new technologies and operational concepts, and seek to exploit the emerging revolution in military affairs. Information technologies, in particular, are becoming more prevalent and significant components of modern military systems. These information tech- nologies are having the same kind of trans- forming effects on military affairs as they are having in the larger world. The effects of this military transformation will have profound i... more »

Page charges for appeal transcripts

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 hour ago
R. v. J.W., 2013 ONCA 723: [16] In the circumstances, I am satisfied that the application should be granted and an order should be made in accordance with the CSD policy. Therefore, I find that for transcripts prepared for the Court of Appeal, the court reporter is entitled to and shall be paid a fee of $3.75 per original page. However, if the transcript has previously been transcribed and produced at the lower court level for any reason, the reporter is entitled to charge, for an appeal, $0.55 per page per copy for portions previously transcribed, and $3.75 per page for any... more »

I am because you are... thank you for stopping by

Sandra Guzman at Sandra Guzman - 2 hours ago
Here are my favorite posts of 2013: *Reflecting on what it means to be a bitch* *Immigration Debate 2.0: No Human Being is Illegal* *What makes a Hispanic Hispanic anyway? * *Mickalene's Magnificence* *Why playing is good for your brain* *Love re-defined* *Don't Cry for me: I am a Vegetarian* *Favoritism will get you a job, and keep you employed* *Are your cultural beliefs keeping you from achieving your potential?* *Is being a good girl killing you softly?*

Months without their cherished rooster-brand sriracha? Can spicy-food addicts survive?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
*It looks like it'll be months before Huy Fong Foods resumes providing hot-sauce-starved gastronomes with its "most popular hot sauce."* *by Ken* It figures it would be the doing of some California buttinskies, who don't know what it means to mind their own beeswax. As a result, Huy Fong Foods has been forced to shut down production of its "most popular hot sauce," the sriracha in the clear plastic squeeze bottle with the rooster logo and green cap. Shock waves are rolling through hot-food aficionados from coast to coast, with early reports of sriracha-deprived users jonesing. And... more »

David Coleman's Common Core Shows How Less Can Be More, Boring

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 3 hours ago
Somehow I missed this in October from Perdido Street, but it is priceless: NYSED ELA Lesson Module - 17 Days On One Short Story As I posted earlier this week, the teachers who have had the misfortune to have to use the Common Core lesson modules provided by NYSED at a website they call Engage NY have found that the material is so full of mind-numbing, soul-sucking drudgery that they had lost the interest of students by the second week of school. I have heard many complaints from teachers about one module that has students read and re-read one short story over and over and over and ov... more »

The Stevie Claus . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 3 hours ago
Thank-you, Radio 3.

Gold and Silver Report - December 18 , 2013 Harvey Organ post highlights , data of the day and more news and views.....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
http://harveyorgan.blogspot.com/2013/12/dec-182013gld-loses-another-42-tonnes.html Wednesday, December 18, 2013 Dec 18.2013:/GLD loses another 4.2 tonnes of gold/SLV remains constant/USA tapers by 10 billion dollars/gold and silver slammed by the bankers/ Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen: Gold closed up $4.90 to $1236.10 (comex closing time ). Silver was up 22 cents at $20.01. then came the FOMC report and the announcement of a 10 billion per month taper: Closing prices for gold and silver at 5:15 pm from the access market gold: $1218.50 silver: $19.72 Gold was all ove... more »

India blast US for ignoring diplomatic immunity for its female Deputy Consul - Devyani Khobragade ...... degrading treatment on a alleged false visa application for a nanny brought arrest , repeated strip searches and cavity searches ! India has immediately retaliated as expected - India of course has become more sensitive to female mistreatment due to numerous recent rape cases in India . Apart from the rape angle , this is figurative " mistreatment " of the nation of India - what if India started enforcing its laws against Americans - such as by arresting same sex diplomatic couples ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
Indo-U.S. Ties Hit Logjam Over Indian Diplomat's Arrest The arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York has sparked furor in New Delhi, damaging Indo-US ties. [image: sanjay-kumar-q] By Sanjay Kumar December 19, 2013 2 8 0 2 *12* Shares *7* comments Whether you call it a reaction or overreaction (or vengeance), India has initiated a number of reprisals against the United States after the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York last week, thereby putting at stake friendly ties between the world’s two largest democracies. In a series of unprecedented measures, New Delhi scaled down ... more »

Faith's vision

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 4 hours ago
*AK Note: **What follows in Faith 's vision. Consider it for what it is, data. Use your own higher discernment. In some ways the vision corresponds to what Sheldan and others have described at the time of the planetary ascension of Earth. I can't say this is what will happen. We will find out. **I don't know the reason or context for the Templars and Dragons within this vision, but I do know the financial system is full of Templars and Dragons, so I present it as Faith wrote it. I am not promoting Freemasonry or any other Templar faction and neither is Faith. I have slightly ... more »

Sensitivities of all Gaia inhabitants attain High Points…

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 4 hours ago
*Sensitivities of all Gaia inhabitants attain High Points…* by ÉirePort Sensitivities of all Gaia inhabitants attain High Points, prior to commencement of next phase. This is a vital step on path to global Ascension. Corollaries are now abandoned; primes are on point. Flash points have been reached; required sparks follow in short order. Release of all projection-with-resultant-fear scenarios is primary at this moment. All is at Peace with Gaia. ÉirePort | December 18, 2013 at 20:13 URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-qS

Marlene Swetlishoff’s Incredible Photo – Pillar of Light in Canada

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 4 hours ago
COLUMN OF LIGHT! Photo by Marlene Swetlishoff ©2013 *Marlene Swetlishoff’s Incredible Photo – Pillar of Light in Canada* Posted by Stephen Cook on December 17, 2013 Reblogged from: http://goldenageofgaia.com/2013/12/marlene-swetlishoffs-incredible-photo-pillar-of-light-in-canada/marlene-beach/ On Sunday’s episode of Lift Your Spirit: Our 2013 Journey – Part 2 on InLight Radio (the show that has everyone talking following Fran Zepeda’s revelations about her own incredible Ascension journey) Blossom Goodchild was guided to tell us all about a particular photo that appears on Marlene Sw... more »

The beauty illusion demonstrated

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 5 hours ago
Laughing Squid

Not all orders to non-parties are final

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 5 hours ago
Ambrose v. Zuppardi, 2013 ONCA 768 [6] *Smerchanski *was further weakened in the subsequent decision in *Royal Trust Corporation v. Fisherman* (2001), 55 O.R. (3d) 794 (C.A.), in which this court, following *Sun Life**,* emphasized that *Smerchanski* does not stand for the proposition that all orders in which the court denies a request to obtain information from non-parties are final. Simply put, if the motion requesting information is dismissed where the information sought from the non-party may still be available from the parties to the action, the order is interlocuto... more »

Teaching in Finland, Denigration in the U. S.

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 5 hours ago
We know what to expect when the NYTimes moneymen call on their token minority, Brent Staples, to craft an Editorial of the Absurd on CorpEd's antiquated reforms that have effectively blown up public education along with the teaching profession. Staples' most recent effort does not disappoint, as he uses the most recent PISA release to apply his pretzel logic and funhouse lenses to make sense of the U. S. middle-of-the pack-rankings. Rather than regarding PISA as the most recent example of how CorpEd's policies have failed again to improve U. S. standings in the international testi... more »

Happy Christmas? Dimon Daze? Pigs Snort In Glee - Clown Representatives Triumph! NC Crushing Unemployed and Employed: What’s Happened in North Carolina Since July Is an Indication of What Will Happen Nationwide (ALEC's Extreme Legislative Agenda for 2014)

We can't blame the right wingers for everything, I guess. Although at this season of the year it's beginning to seem a lot like Grinchmas. Everywhere we look. Surprise! Paul Ryan’s Debt Ceiling Hypocrisy: Mr. Realism Returns to Extortion The GOP wants concessions from Democrats in exchange for not allowing the U.S. to default on its debts this spring, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Fox News

Ronnie Biggs, MK-ULTRA and the Fourth Reich

Paul Coker at News Spike - 6 hours ago
http://jimhougan.com/wordpress/?tag=the-great-train-robbery "How Biggs, while hiding out in Rio, came to live at Scott Johnson’s apartment, where he was patronized and protected by Huber and the others, is an important question. [An anecdotal account of Biggs' life in Rio, which discusses his friendship with Johnson and Huber, can be found in Biggs: The World's Most Wanted Man, by Colin Mackenzie, William Morrow & Co., New York, 1975.] Among other things, it suggests the possibility (indeed, the likelihood) that the firm which provided cover (or an alibi) for Jim Jones’s activ... more »

Western backed mercenaries intensify their targetting of Christians & Allawites

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 6 hours ago
One news item that says so much about the *western backed mercenaries *brutal war of divide to conquer in Syria.NATO. The blood of so many innocents stain the nations that participate in this endless imperialism. Yes, that includes Canada *Militants have intensified attacks against Christians and Allawites* A survivor of an August attack that killed nearly 200 people in the regime stronghold of Latakia province walks near graves of some of the dead. This month, rebels attacked the town of Deir Atiyah north of Damascus.* Militants who participated in the attack alongside more moder... more »

Evil in a suit

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 6 hours ago
A petition for the House of Commons to debate the issue of hunger and food banks in Britain is successful. Iain Duncan Smith, the Minister for the Department of Work and Pensions, fucks off when the debate starts. He is of course a man determined to destroy welfare in Britain and terminally poison the idea of collective provision for at least a generation. Austerity is the Tory bid to reorganise society further in its favour (and that of the capitalist class). Any normal person would be ashamed to do the things IDS does. But stuff like this is water off a duck's back to Mr Smith. He ... more »

Summer Reading: What’s yours?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 6 hours ago
Around this time every year, I generally post a pile of summer reading I’m trying to stuff into my pack. I’ll probably do that in a few days, but in the meantime, what books are you stuffing into your pack or eBook reader this summer? And what books would you recommend to others? Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Hope in the holiday season

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 6 hours ago
by Jon Rappoport December 18, 2013 www.nomorefakenews.com Untold millions (billions?) of people across the world are waking up to official lies, cover stories, and conspiracies. These people are crossing the bridge, so to speak, to see what's on the other side. The question is, do they stay there once they've crossed over, or do they try to retreat back to their former positions as ordinary citizens with dimmed perception? It's quite a trick to a) maintain the status of "normal person" while b) seeing through the enormous ruse. In fact, in the long run, it's impossible. Therefore... more »

Meyer Lansky, the Jewish Mob and the Nazi Underground Reich

Paul Coker at News Spike - 6 hours ago
"A revealing insight into this international f inancial and in- dustrial network was given me by a member of the Bormann organization residing in West Germany. Meyer Lansky, he said, the financial advisor to the Las Vegas-Miami underworld, sent a message to Bormann through my West German SS contact. Lansky promised that if he received a piece of Bormann’s action he would keep the Israeli agents off Bormann’s back. *“I have a very good relation with the Israeli secret police” *was his claim,although he was to be kicked out of Israel later when his presence became too noted —and ... more »

Previously enormous story gets bigger!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 6 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013* *Rachel continues bridge work:* As of Monday, the story had become enormous. Or at least, so a little bird said: MADDOW (12/16/13): The George Washington Bridge traffic jam story that started as the teeny, teeny, tiny, tiniest little political story in the entire world has just gotten enormous. That was one of the teases on Monday’s Maddow show. Last night, we learned that the previously enormous story had somehow become even bigger: MADDOW (12/17/13): All right. If New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was hoping that today was the day that people stopp... more »

Fat Free Econ 50: Growth, Bubbles and the PH Economy

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 6 hours ago
* This is my article yesterday in interaksyon.com --------- MANILA - A few weeks ago, an article from forbes.com written by contributor Jesse Colombo, “Here’s why the Philippines’ economic miracle is really a bubble in disguise,” went viral in the social media. One may not agree with the analysis and conclusion but many data presented were useful. The Philippines’ recent strong economic performance -- like the 7.4 percent GDP growth in the first three quarters of 2013 -- is it a miracle or a bubble in disguise, as Mr. Colombo and a few others would put it? *Chart 1. Quarterly GDP gr... more »

Has Cheri Bustos Earned Reelection?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
Who's worse to be hanging with, Pete Peterson or Rahm? In 2010, the Democratic-controlled Illinois legislature gerrymandered the state-- in the same anti-democratic way that Republican-controlled legislatures did in states like North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan-- to create more congressional seats for its own party. One of those seats, IL-17, was expressly designed to defeat freshman Republican Bobby Schilling. The awkwardly-drawn district starts up in Rockford and the suburbs of Dubuque and Davenport and works its way down and across into the Democratic p... more »

I really don't give a rip what Barbara Walters said to Piers Morgan about Obama being the "Messiah"...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 7 hours ago
*and I don't really care that both of these people have faces that move about as much as a cement sidewalk. * However, I *do* find it interesting that they have both pumped so much Botox into themselves that nothing moves. Piers Morgan's forehead would make a marble statue jealous.

Dine' Ed Becenti: Ask not what your Navajo Nation can do for you

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 7 hours ago
                                                   Ask not what your Navajo Nation can do for you By Ed Becenti, Dine' Letter to the Editor Censored News With the death this week of Nelson Mandela, we thought of people like him and John F. Kennedy who really cared about their countries.  Kennedy’s quote “Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country”

1963

Paul Coker at News Spike - 7 hours ago
1963: Act I - The Good We Oft Might Win... from Spike EP on Vimeo. “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt” *Measure for MeasureAct I, Scene IV*

Mohawk John Kane 'There is no victory for us in U.S. or Canadian Courts'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 7 hours ago
There is no victory for us in U.S. or Canadian Courts By John Karhiio Kane (Mohawk) Censored News The embarrassing failure of the U.S. prosecutor in the Three Feathers Casino trial is not a win. It's not even a draw! Surviving the persecution and prosecution of their law enforcement agents, lawyers, judges and juries is a good thing, but it is not justice. It is not justice when

Mohawk Nation News "Great Peace on Earth!'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 7 hours ago
GREAT PEACE ON EARTH! Posted on December 18, 2013 Mohawk Nation News MNN. Dec. 18, 2013. The US dollar started with the theft of Indigenous land and resources here on Great Turtle Island. No one helped us resist. Now it’s a worldwide problem.  It will end soon!  The only impediment to peace on earth is the 13 crime families now known as the bankers. When you follow the great white

Mohawk Nation News 'Shut the F--- Up about Ford!'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 7 hours ago
SHUT THE F— UP ABOUT FORD!  Mohawk Nation News MNN. DEC. 15, 2013. The recent uproar in Prime Minister Harper’s caucus when the Finance Minister swore at Jason Kenny, “To shut the f— up about Rob Ford”, has Mohawk origins. “Flaherty’s profane rebuke to Kenny’s Rob Ford comments.” See.’2010 update on Flaherty’s Mohawk land grab’. Jim and Christine & Flaherty fam’ heading out to

Jacob Ostreicher escaping Bolivia

Carlos at Viva Bolivia - 8 hours ago
So the story is that a gang of kidnappers set upon Jacob in Santa Cruz, demanded a ransom and threatened to kill him...but decided to be nice and deliver him to his home thousands of miles away in Brooklyn. OK. Some believe it, some don't. At Chaplins and other comedy clubs in La Paz, this is a joke; the Russian customers call it skazka - fairy tale. The sad part is that there are two sides left hurt in this - the Jewish Community and the La Paz government - but the real culprits are the drug dealers, extortionists and political opportunists; the latter of whom exasperated the La Pa... more »

Updates On Syria [12.18]: Erdogan's Brand Takes Another Hit While Assad's Image Is Recovering, 9 Reasons Why Kurds Are Defeating Al-Qaeda, Syrian Minister Says Regime Will Not Relinquish Power At Geneva II Conference

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 8 hours ago
*1. An excerpt from, "Assad Stays While Erdogan Goes?" by 'b', Moon of Alabama, December 18:* Yesterday the police in Istanbul arrested dozens of people related to Erdogan's AK Party including the sons of three ministers involved in a number of graft cases. Just hours later the five police leaders responsible for the case were fired and two new prosecutors were named to oversee the whitewash of the issue. More police chiefs were fired today after the justice minister intervened. This hasty cover-up seems to show that the cases are valid. This corruption and justice scandal comes on... more »

HEROIN, HAIRLESS BOYS, 9 11 HIJACKERS, TURKISH HISTORY

Anon at aangirfan - 8 hours ago
*Ataturk* Turkey is famous for heroin and hairless boys. Ataturk, the leader of Turkey from 1923-1938, is still the most popular man in Turkey. According to Patrick Balfour, Lord Kinross, *Ataturk had sexual "adventures with young boys*, if the opportunity offered and the mood, in this bisexual fin-de-siècle Ottoman age." According to Irfan and Margaret Orga, in *Atatürk*, Ataturk "was used to ... the craze for handsome young men, (and) fleeting contacts with prostitutes... His body burned for ... a boy." According to H.C. Armstrong, in *Mustafa Kemal, An Intimate Study*, Atatu... more »

A Merry Banksy Christmas

Alison at Creekside - 9 hours ago
Five years ago, BBC correspondent Aleem Maqbool walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem, retracing the route taken by Mary and Joseph by donkey as told in the Bible. For ten days he and his donkey successfully negotiated the queues, turnstiles and x-ray machines at some military checkpoints while being turned away at others despite his foreign passport and Israeli press credentials. On the morning of December 22 on his trek, he talked to a New Yorker who had emigrated to the Jewish settlement of Shilo built on Palestinian land in the middle of the West Bank. ... more »

Today’s Tests vs. “Better” Tests

Timothy D. Slekar at @ THE CHALK FACE - 9 hours ago
I sent this letter to the editor (below) in response to Alan J. Borsuk’s article in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinal. In the article Professor Borsuk laments low standardized test scores and over testing and then simply (with the help of Marc Tucker, CEO and president of the National Center on Education and the Economy) offers […]

Reddit: a major "share a random URL" server bans climate skeptics

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 9 hours ago
I know the reddit.com server as one of the servers where you may "share an URL". Why someone would visit this server has always been completely incomprehensible to me – the pages on reddit.com look like a collection of trash – some random URLs – and the discussions attached to these URLs seem to be overwhelmed by trolls. I have been thankful to reddit.com as one of the sinks of the trolls' energy – a place where this foam of the Internet interacts with itself so that it has less time to annoy decent Internet users. Even Reddit's official logo seems to confirm that this is the mis... more »

Forgotten Audio Gems - Tim Binnall Interviews Scott Corrales

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 10 hours ago
Forgotten audio gems: *Community Video* over at the *Internet Archives*(archives.org) has hosted an episode of *Tim Binnall*'s "Binnall of America" in which he interviews yours truly, Scott Corrales, on the Chupacabras and sundry matters. *https://archive.org/details/Season2Episode5ScottCorrales*. It was a lively and informative exchange. Inexplicata Podcasts covering items from UFO / paranormal history in Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 10 hours ago
*More massive tar mats from BP oil spill discovered on Louisiana beaches ~Bob Marshall, The Lens*

Another heartwarming rescue by Eldad Hagar of Hope for Paws...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 10 hours ago
Please consider a donation to *Hope for Paws* this Christmas season.

The Fight Against School Reform Is a Fight for Children

John Thompson at Schools Matter - 10 hours ago
Why did commenters say that Diane Ravitch's, "What Happens to Kids Who Don't Graduate?" is her best post ever? Ravitch reviews the dramatic drop in Kentucky and New York pass rates after instituting Common Core assessments: *In New York, the “passing” rate on the Common Core tests was 30% statewide. Only 3% of English learners passed, and only 5% of students with disabilities. The pass rate for African American and Hispanic students was 15-18%. * If reformers "continue to insist upon a wildly unrealistic passing mark," Ravitch reminds, "the percentage of students who do not gradu... more »

Bone Doc

Southern Man at Southern Man - 10 hours ago
Southern Man got the call yesterday from the Bone Doc and saw him (or, rather, his PA) this morning. That fracture blister was swollen to epic proportions and the pic is sufficiently disburbing that Southern Man is going to make you click on the link to actually see it. Fracture Blister They usually wait for these to go down on their own but this one was so large that they lanced and drained it before applying the splint which means that Southern Man must remove the splint, remove the dressing, clean the wound, apply all manner of topical ointments and gels and such, re-dress the ... more »

Caching On Crutches

Southern Man at Southern Man - 11 hours ago
You don't think a minor setback like a fractured fibula is going to keep Southern Man from geocaching, did you? Dedicated cacher or just plain crazy? You be the judge.

Parents Opting Out of Tests: What is Your Goal?

Kris Nielsen at @ THE CHALK FACE - 11 hours ago
After doing a segment on the local Albuquerque news channel about refusing the state tests, I received a few responses. Most were questions or suggestions for the website, which were all very good. Then, I received a letter that was full of stuff I’ve heard over and over again, and to which I’ve responded too […]

There’s a 1,200-year-old Phone in the Smithsonian Collections

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 11 hours ago
From the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (Travis Rathbone) *There’s a 1,200-year-old Phone in the Smithsonian Collections* *One of the earliest examples of ingenuity in the Western Hemisphere is composed of gourds and twine* By Neil Baldwin Smithsonian magazine, December 2013, Subscribe As a nomadic cultural historian, my subjects have led me in wildly different directions. I spent every Friday for five years in a dim, dusty reading room in West Orange, New Jersey, formerly a laboratory on the second floor of Thomas Edison’s headquarters, deciphering the blunt-... more »

Who Remembers Romney's 47% Host, Marc Leder? Now He's Raising Money For Another Economic Reactionary, Ro Khanna

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
Shady billionaire-backed Ro Khanna primarying Mike Honda Blue America has endorsed only 2 House incumbents facing reelection difficulty. And one, Mike Honda, represents Silicon Valley-- CA-17, a heavily Democratic area-- D+20 which Obama took with 72% last year. Honda even did better than that, beating his Republican opponent 74-26%, more than 100,000 votes separating them. The plutocratic interests in the district-- and across the country-- know they can't beat Honda, a lifelong staunch advocate for working families, with an outright Republican, so now they're trying to a stealth Re... more »

Heavenletter #4771 Oneness Will Sing Its Song and Do Its Dance, December 17, 2013

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 11 hours ago
Image courtesy: http://www.onenessblessingarkansas.com/ *This one jumped out at me. Heather was walking on the beach the other night doing some meditation and a dolphin jumped out of the water and landed in front of her. She got in the surf and pulled it back into the water "this will not do she told it..." as it would have died if it stayed on shore. We've been puzzling over the symbolism of it all since... and here comes this curious post.... -Bill* *Heavenletter #4771 Oneness Will Sing Its Song and Do Its Dance, December 17, 2013* God said: You are My seed that has sprouted. ... more »

The Realist Report - David North: Center for Immigration Studies

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 12 hours ago
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by David North, a fellow at the *Center for Immigration Studies*. David and I will be talking about EB-5 visa programs and the "China City" project currently scheduled for development in Sullivan County, New York, along with other issues related to legal and illegal immigration policy in the United States. 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: - *China City: A perfect storm... more »

Pittsburgh School Board Reconsiders TFA Deal As Real Teachers File for Unemployment

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 12 hours ago
From the Post-Gazette: The board of Pittsburgh Public Schools heard from a dozen people Monday -- most of them teachers -- who oppose the district's plan to bring in Teach for America teachers to take hard-to-fill jobs at its most challenging schools. The outgoing school board voted 6-3 in November to approve a contract with Teach for America, despite a petition that asked them to defer the decision to the new board -- with four new members -- that took office early this month. During a presentation last week by a Teach for America representative, several board members challenged the... more »

Provocation

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 12 hours ago
The criterion to be applied in order to determine whether there is any provocation sufficient to reduce murder to manslaughter is a dual test, the classic formulation of which was pronounced in Wright, [1969] 3 C.C.C. 258 (S.C.C.).Fauteux J. (as he then was), after quoting s.203(2) [now s.232(2)], said (at 261 and 262): One must then first consider the effect, on an ordinary person, of the particular wrongful act or insult relied on. In the words of Lord Simonds, L.C., the purpose of this objective test is "...to invite the jury to consider the act of the accused by reference... more »

FIVE KEY POINTS AND ELEVEN SOLUTIONS: The New York Times and the PISA cult!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 13 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013* *Interlude—Functional illiterates:* As many have noted, sometimes unwisely, anti-intellectualism can be a troubling strain in the American fabric. We liberals tend to focus on the anti-intellectualism associated with the red state South. We tend to look away from the anti-intellectualism which pervades our mainstream and liberal cultures. That powerful strain of anti-intellectualism may service the needs of our global elites. In a relentless series of columns, Paul Krugman has shown how our economic discourse is shaped by such elites, then enabled by t... more »

The snowboarding crow

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 13 hours ago
That crows are intelligent and use tools is understood but a crow snowboarding... Now that's an intelligent and fun loving bird!

It's Wednesday...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 13 hours ago
*what's going on.* Last Refuge: *Seriously ? – Pajama Boy Now Represents The Image of ObamaCare* American Thinker: *Left to Die in Benghazi* iOwnTheWorld: *Mr. T Gets Unfollowed in Droves on Twitter For Saying Something RADICAL* Angry White Dude: *QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KRYSTAL’S IDEA? * Proof Positive: * President Selfie is 111th Most Influential Person in History * I'm a Man. I'm 41: * Apple Approves An App That Allows Homosexuals To Meet Up With Other “Gays” As Young As 12-Years-Old* Jammie Wearing Fool: *CBS/NYT Poll: Only 15% of Insured Say ObamaCar... more »

Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 14 hours ago
Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy. via Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy.

Low Level Attacks Characterize Violence In Iraq’s Ninewa November 2013

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 14 hours ago
According to the United Nations Iraq’s Ninewa has been the second deadliest province for most of 2013. That’s because the governorate capital Mosul is the major urban base for the insurgency. Al Qaeda in Iraq, the Baathist Naqshibandi and others have been able to assert control over wide swaths of the city and surrounding area. Unlike places like Baghdad where mass casualty bombings are the norm, in Ninewa violence consists mostly of low-level shootings and roadside bombs but with no less deadly results. November 2013 saw the most reported attacks in Ninewa since the beginning o... more »

Accountability without Autonomy Is Tyranny

P. L. Thomas at Schools Matter - 14 hours ago
At The Answer Sheet, Valerie Strauss confronts What’s wrong with this headline?: What’s wrong with this headline speaks to what’s wrong with a lot of the debate about school reform today. The problem is the indiscriminate and inaccurate use of the word “accountability.” While politicians and the media continue to pound at one nail—teacher quality—almost no one confronts the nearly universal lack of credibility or expertise among those politicians and much of the media—both of which remain, somehow, above the accountability they constantly call for impacting others, specifically tea... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 14 hours ago
*Hearing: Which court should hear coastal lawsuit? ~Janet McConnauhey* Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/12/18/3165351/hearing-which-court-should-hear.html#storylink=cpy *Study Shows Gulf Dolphins in Poor Health following Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill* *HUD: State must negotiate with HUD on Gulfport port project or face funding loss ~Anita Lee, Sun Herald* Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/12/18/5204760/hud-state-must-negotiate-with.html#storylink=cpy *Mid-City residents worry about railroad tracks ruining St. Patrick Playground ~Della Hasselle, Mid City Messe... more »

2014 Educators’ Agenda

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 15 hours ago
Begin a movement to create and fund Deliver for America, temporary driver pool to replace full-time drivers at FedEx. (See FedEx Celebrating Holidays with TFA Donations.) Call for a nation-wide evaluation of political leaders based on value added methods measuring their positive impact on the people they represent; standardized tests administered for every elected official should include […]

Birnam Wood Is Moving

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 15 hours ago
The year end interview with CTV's Bob Fife is off. That's because there's nothing Stephen Harper wants to talk about. It's been that kind of year. It's been the kind of year that Eric Grenier believes may well have sunk the good ship Harper: The polls have gone from bad to worse for Harper, as his government plumbs the depths of its time in power. Never before has support for the Conservatives dropped so low for so long since they defeated Paul Martin in the 2006 election. Challenges by Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff, who both led Liberals into first place in the polls for ... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 15 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Alan Rudolph, 70. Travel day yesterday, so I hardly saw any good stuff, but there are these: 1. Andrew Sprung, as usual, listens to Obama better than most of us. 2. Keith Bentele and Erin O’Brien track black voting and restrictions on voting. 3. And really, no more (blogging) Dan Drezner?

What the Koran says - something for @sambarnet to read and listen to

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 15 hours ago
Earlier this year Robert Spencer was on the BBC Asian Network and at one point the host (Nihal) asked him to quote verses from the Koran or the Hadiths that he finds reprehensible. Robert Spencer quickly responded with several verses from the Koran and one from the Hadith. Note that the Imam (Dudwallah ?) to provide the proper ‘context’ for these verses, since he objected to them being out of context. Note that he was unable to do so and when put on the spot he claimed that this is Robert Spencer’s field, not his. I did enjoy Nihal responding incredulously "But you're an imam!" Also ... more »

Is The Senate Actually Starting To Function Again?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
Monday there were two votes in the Senate on Presdient Obama's nomination of Jeh Johnson to be Secretary of Homeland Security. First came a cloture vote. There were 57 ayes and 37 nays, with 6 Republicans not voting. Under the bad old rules, that would have ended the chance to confirm the first African-American ever nominated to that position. The only Republicans who broke with McConnell and crossed the aisle to vote with the Democrats were Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). That was at 5:59 pm. Because shutting down a filibuster on most nominations no longer requires... more »

A blogger using the pseudonym "teacherken" collects a number of quotes by Bill Moyers and uses them as context bearing on his own history-based sense of what We the (99% of American) People currently confront, i.e., living under an extractive plutocracy, and how this nightmare fits in our history.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 15 hours ago
------------------------------ *teacherken* Daily Kos member Profile Diaries (list) Stream Original Here ------------------------------ SAT DEC 14, 2013 at 09:33 AM PST I am going to ask, no insist, that you read something by teacherken ------------------------------ Bill Moyers recently gave a speech at the Brennan Institute. If you go to his website, you can read an edited version of that speech, titled The Great American Class War: Plutocracy Versus Democracy. Simply put, Moyers provides context ... more »

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Supreme Court Justices Should Stay If They're Able To Work

Len Hart at The Existentialist Cowboy - 15 hours ago
*by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy* Some liberals have recently called on Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire so that President Barack Obama can choose her replacement. At 80, she is the oldest justice on the court. Some fear that if she chooses to stay, a Republican succesor to Obama might nominate another A. Scalia. God help us! But Justice Ginsburg believes that Supreme Court justices should not be influenced by political assessments of a party's future prospects with respect to the court. One of Ginsburg's shining moments came with the dubious ascension of one George W. BUsh to... more »

Widespread Snow On Christmas Eve/Christmas For The UK & Ire 2013?

rss2009 at Global Cooling & New Ice Age UK - 16 hours ago
*Widespread Snow On Christmas Eve/Christmas For The UK & Ire 2013?* The latest weather models are indicating that a rather wet and windy picture will develop for the 2013 Christmas period across many parts of the UK & Ireland. A significant area of low pressure is set to feature across the country in or around the Christmas Eve period (24th). This will also bring a period of exceptionally windy conditions, with some severe gales developing in places. However, it is also set to turn noticeably cooler across many parts of the country from next week and as we head into the start of t... more »

Mild December? + What is really going on? + IMPORTANT rest of December & January update

rss2009 at Global Cooling & New Ice Age UK - 16 hours ago
*Mild December? + What is really going on? + IMPORTANT rest of December & January update* High pressure will be a dominating feature throughout the start to this week, resulting in relatively dry and more settled weather across a good bulk of the country. It will also feel rather mild for the time of the year, with the increased risk of some heavy rain and strong winds developing later in the week (especially in parts to the west). However, as with November, what is being projected by standard weather models in the upper atmosphere, may not necessarily be reflected upon in actual s... more »

Weather Wars Update & My Accuracy

rss2009 at Global Cooling & New Ice Age UK - 16 hours ago
*Weather Wars Update & My Accuracy* *Weather Wars: Met Office denies predicting three months of exceptionally cold weather amid reports of Britain's coldest winter ever!* *http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/weather-wars-met-office-denies-predicting-three-months-of-exceptionally-cold-weather-amid-reports-of-britains-coldest-winter-ever-8973755.html* So it's not acceptable when the Met Office are misquoted in articles or headlines are misinterpreted! For example the recent six inches of snow headline (please see link below). I did feature within the article, but I simply sta... more »

Trifecta: President Obama Says Income Inequality is the Defining Challenge...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 16 hours ago
*as he heads off for seventeen sun soaked days in Hawaii. *

Breaking News: Russian Scientists Call For A 10 Year Ban On GMO

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 16 hours ago
Breaking News: Russian scientists urge 10-year ban on genetically modified products. READ: http://rt.com/news/gmo-ban-russian-scientists-293/ *Source:* *GMO Free Canada*

Serbia Bans The Growing Of GMO Crops

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 16 hours ago
Serbia will not allow the cultivation of GMOs in its territory, Minister of Agriculture Dragan Glamocic stated, despite pressure to accept GMOs from the WTO. "We have to harmonize our legislations with the EU acquis, which does not mean tha...t we will allow the cultivation of GMOs," the minister told Radio and Television of Serbia, stressing that the citizens should know that 95 percent of meat, milk, eggs that are imported from other world countries are coming from animals which were fed by GMO soy products. A draft law, which is underway, will clearly label all imported produc... more »

Citibank pulling out of Philadelphia and shutting regional branches in Cherry Hill and Lawrenceville ( both in NJ ) , as well as branches on US 202 North of Wilmington , Del !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Citibank-shutting-Philadelphia-.html Citibank pulling out of Philadelphia Share Tweet Reddit Email 69 COMMENTS [image: (AP Photo / Mark Lennihan)] (AP Photo / Mark Lennihan) AP Travel Deals $615 & up -- 3-Nt. Vegas Trip w/Spa Discount & Extras from Philly See all travel deals » Weekly Circulars 50% Off Kids' Xersion(JCPenney) PetSmart Celebrate The Season 2013 Gift Guide(PetSmart USA) See More Circulars » Joseph N. DiStefanoPOSTED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013, 12:48 PM Citibank, the global Manhattan-based loan and investment company, is ... more »

AT&T patents tech that can block copyright pirates (and anything else) in real-time

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 17 hours ago
*Its not a small step to go from banning a video to banning a forbidden document or web page... they're analyzing content and scoring the results in a database... And then acting as judge and law enforcement, who needs Judge Dredd when you have AT&T? Now do you see why they consolidated the Internet Provider Services by subsidizing the Telecom giants with nice billion dollar wiretap contracts with the NSA and FBI? They can easily pressure the major telecom CEOs to comply but they could never do that without public exposure to the thousands of ISP providers that existed in the lat... more »

Gardasil: My Daughter’s Worst Nightmare by Donna Malone

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 17 hours ago
Allie Malone Gardasil: My daughter’s worst nightmare By Donna Malone Murfreesboro Tennessee Sane Vax, Ince, November 27, 2013 Cancer is a frightening word. Any parent in the world would do whatever was in their power to protect their child from this terrible disease. I had no idea adding Gardasil to our list of protective measures would turn our lives into a nightmare. Allie is my beautiful 12 year old daughter. She is the youngest of my three children. Having been born 12 years after her brother and sister, she was a little spoiled. Allie made every day a party. For several y... more »

If my favorite textbook hasn't simplified things enough for you...

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 17 hours ago
My friend and former student Miles Kimball takes a stab at explaining some basic macroeconomics through the vehicle of a child's storybook.

The #ChristmasMyths, #1: The Myth of the Miraculous Birth

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 17 hours ago
[image: image] Christians claim the miraculous Christmas story of the Nativity and all its trappings as unique to their own particular heresy, apparently as unaware of the story’s origins as they are of its paucity of even Biblical support—failing to notice that that there is nothing at all miraculous in Paul’s two quite minor references to Jesus’ birth (the earliest written reference), nothing at all in Mark (the earliest Gospel), two quite different and incompatible versions of the birth written later and attributed to Matthew and Luke (prompting many historians to contemplate ... more »

Gardasil : le pire cauchemar de ma fille par Donna Malone

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 17 hours ago
*Gardasil *: le pire cauchemar de ma fille Par Donna Malone, Murfreesboro, 27 novembre 2013 (Sanevax) Le mot « Cancer » est effrayant. Tous les parents du monde feraient n’importe quoi pour protéger leurs enfants de cette terrible maladie. Quand j’ai ajouté le Gardasil à toutes les précautions que nous avions prises pour la santé, notre vie est devenue un véritable cauchemar. Allie est ma jolie jeune-fille de 12 ans. Elle est la plus jeune de mes trois enfants. Comme elle est née 12 ans après son frère et sa sœur, elle a été quelque peu gâtée. Pour Allie, chaque jour était un jour... more »

Thai Crisis: Alternative Thai News Round Up

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 17 hours ago
*December 18, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - With the ongoing counter-color revolution unfolding in Thailand against the Wall Street-backed regime of Thaksin Shinawatra, here are some stories published on Alternative Thai Newsthat weren't yet posted on Land Destroyer. Thailand: Inside the Mind of a Thaksin Regime Supporter Disturbing 2009 interview with pro-Thaksin demagogue reveals mentality of regime's supporters - utter ignorance regarding human rights, basic human freedom, and the very concept of democracy they claim to be defending. *December 16, 2013* (Forward by Tony Cartalucci) - ... more »

Watch this kitten...(video)

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 18 hours ago
*and learn something.* Seriously.

Can you hear the sound of teeth being gritted at the BBC?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 18 hours ago
This is the top of the BBC UK News home page If you think you can hear the sound of gritted teeth as the BBC report this news, you're probably right. Incidentally the BBC report about the UK jobless rate ends thus: Average weekly earnings growth including bonuses picked up by 0.9% in the three months to October compared with a year earlier, the ONS said, a slight improvement on the three months to September. Excluding bonuses, pay grew by 0.8%. But this is still well below the level of inflation - currently running at 2.1% - meaning that people's living standards are falling in r... more »

Fun with German compound words

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 19 hours ago
Even if you have no German language skills this video should still make perfect sense and amuse...

STRIP SEARCH LEADS TO USA-INDIA 'WAR'.

Anon at aangirfan - 20 hours ago
*Diplomat Devyani * Devyani Khobragade is India's deputy consul general in New York. On 12 December 2013, she was taken into custody just as she was dropping her daughter off at school. She was handcuffed in public. *She was strip-searched.* *She was put in a cell with drug addicts and subjected to DNA swabbing.* *Devyani* Devyani was arrested because her maid had complained she was being payed less than the minimum stipulated under US visa requirements. INSIDE-JOB: MUMBAI. / CIA'S DAVID HEADLEY PLOTTED MUMBAI MASSACRE *Now, remember that it was the CIA that reportedly carried ... more »

Math is the language of the true culture of modern times

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 21 hours ago
*...and math skills are unavoidable side effects of skills that turned some humans into heroes of natural selection...* *Copenhagen:* I haven't been to theaters in Boston too many times ;-) but it was at least once when we went to see Copenhagen. You may watch Bohr and Heisenberg in a 90-minute BBC-4 movie now. Via Joseph S. Three days ago, Sabine Hossenfelder wrote a text about the role of mathematics in the society: Mathematics, the language of nature. What are you sinking about? Edward Measure's brief response proved that mathematics plays a much smaller role in the society of p... more »

Bane sings Elton John

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 21 hours ago
In a casting choice that's as vile and puke-making as Matt Damon playing Liberace's toy boy, actor Tom Hardy has upcoming central roles in both Mad Max (Fury Road) and the Elton John biopic (Rocketman). There's probably a real news story hiding underneath this cheapshot stab at humour, but really it's just for laughs.

dream - dead cat returns - with kitten and an old work colleague

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 21 hours ago
this was kinda weird, in that I didn't know this particular cat was a) dead or b) associated with an ex-work colleague whose funeral we all attended on September 11th 2001. I met the guy in the street, in passing. It was in London, as I was running to catch a train, he had a younger brother with him and a moustache. I can't remember if it was he or the younger brother who had the moustache, but then a cat appeared. And I nearly didn't recognise it as it had grown greyer than I remembered it. But the way it pushed its face at the back of my hand, and the thinness at the end of its t... more »

today is chelsea manning's fourth birthday behind bars

laura k at wmtc - 21 hours ago
Private Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning), who risked her freedom and her life so that people would see the truth about the US occupation of Iraq, is spending another birthday in prison. This is Manning's fourth birthday behind bars. She was held in solitary confinement (a recognized form of torture) for 10 months, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison for releasing the video now known as Collateral Murder and other information to Wikileaks. Not one person was harmed as a result of the information becoming public. On the other hand, the men who cooked up the highly profit... more »

open letter to james moore

laura k at wmtc - 21 hours ago
To the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Industry: In answer to your recent question, yes, it *is* your job to feed your neighbour's child. And it's my job, and it's my neighbours' jobs, too. It is all of our jobs to feed every hungry child, because we live in a society, and that's what society is for. It is appalling that anyone in government would ask such a question. Mr. Moore, you may have been cornered into an apology by public outcry, and of course you tried the old "I was quoted out of context" route, but we know the truth when we hear it. And that comment was the true fac... more »

rtod

laura k at wmtc - 21 hours ago
Revolutionary thought of the day: ...something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children's lives to settle its differences. Suzanne Collins, *Mockingjay*

Tutorial: FROZEN Anna Cloak

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 22 hours ago
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. We are completely FROZEN obsessed in this house. About a generation ago, my family came to America from Norway, my mom's brother and cousins still live in Norway, and so when we heard that Disney's FROZEN has Norwegian influences we were thrilled. Being Norwegian has always been a big part of my identity, an identity my mom always took care to share with me, but I was unsure of how to share it with my daugh... more »

Updates On Syria [12.18]: West Says Assad Could Remain In Power In A Limited Capacity, Syria-Linked Extremists Target Alawites In Lebanon, Vatican Is Negotiating The Release of Kidnapped Nuns

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 22 hours ago
*1. An excerpt from, "West Tells Syria Rebels: Assad Must Stay" by Jason Ditz, AntiWar.Com, December 16:* Members of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) report that they have been told by Western officials that they believe President Bashar Assad must remain in power to prevent an al-Qaeda takeover of the country. “Some do not even seem to mind if he runs again next year,” noted one SNC member. That’s not sitting well with the SNC, but it may not matter. *Western diplomats confirmed the shift, saying that the rebels have been warned that any “transitional administration” would have ... more »

Alan Grayson-- The Essential Member of Congress

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Blue America doesn't do many live events. But on November 12, 2011 we were very excited to offer all of our Southern California members an opportunity to meet Orlando Congressman Alan Grayson at the Brave New Films studios in Culver City. John Amato, Digby and I had worked with Robert Greenwald to host the free event featuring Grayson. I blogged about it that day and again last July on the occasion of Britain granting one of World War II's greatest heroes, Alan Turing, a posthumous pardon for the crime of being gay. That day at the Brave New Films studios was a wonderful day for... more »

The Anglo American Establishment

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 day ago
"The Rhodes Scholarships, established by the terms of Cecil Rhodes's seventh will, are known to everyone. What is not so widely known is that Rhodes in five previous wills left his fortune to form a secret society, which was to devote itself to the preservation and expansion of the British Empire. And what does not seem to be known to anyone is that this secret society was created by Rhodes and his principal trustee, Lord Milner, and continues to exist to this day. To be sure, this secret society is not a childish thing like the Ku Klux Klan, and it does not have any secret robe... more »

Censored News Year in Photos 2013: Ten Indelible Images

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
Censored News Photos of the Year 2013 Censored News most shared and viewed photos of 2013 An incredible year of women and youths in resistance Jan. 25, 2013: Police in St Louis today use compliance pressure on protesters, as Navajos demanded to talk with Peabody Coal http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/01/navajos-and-appalachians-protest.html Jan. 27, 2013: Debra White Plume, Lakota,

One Third of NJ Urban Students in Unfit, Dilapidated Buildings

freetoteach at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
As Chris Christie's hopes for a presidential run diminish day by day, his record on education in New Jersey is enough to disqualify him as presidential material and should actually get him impeached. Another four years of gridlock on the George Washington Bridge, no infrastructure improvements on the rails to NYC or the tunnels but lots of empty photo ops isn't going to cut it. His education policies have been devastating for public schools in the state as he touts higher standards, accountability for teachers, and vouchers. Christie refused to raise taxes on millionaires and billio... more »

A tenured sociologist gets a bit of the #teacherprep treatment, more like #teacherperp @scottjaschik

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
In a nutshell, a tenured professor at UC-Boulder is leaving the university because the administration is no longer allowing her to implement a lecture on prostitution that includes a role-play, whereby teaching assistants for the course play dress up as various kinds of “whores” and get interviewed by the class. You know, you’re just going […]

Sandy Hook Exposed: The Realist Report Discusses The Latest On The Sandy Hook Fraud, And Updated Video By Sofia Smallstorm

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
To this day, I am still shocked that people do NOT see the obvious... That is of course the fact that the "shooting" that occurred over one year ago at Sandy Hook "Elementary" School in Newtown Connecticut was a complete hoax. I have long said that it was a preplanned and well orchestrated simulated shooting operation that the criminals decided to go "live". I am also stating again that I am fully convinced more than ever that absolutely NOBODY died in this operation. I want to present the following important link to John Friend's "Realist Report" for today, December 17th, 2013... more »

"Surely a country that honors the devotion of family members to each other should want to make it at least a little easier for them to do their jobs" (E. J. Dionne Jr.)

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*"At a time when the political news is dominated by a debate between do-little conservatism and do-nothing conservatism -- which is to say, between a right-tilting Republican establishment and the radical tea party -- [Senator] Gillibrand's package includes building blocks for a broader counter-vision inspired by the idea of an Empowering Government."* -- *E. J. Dionne Jr., in his* Washington Post *column* "Family values hypocrisy" *by Ken* We talk a lot about families here -- but actual families and their actual hopes and needs, not the crap blithered about the phony-baloney avata... more »

Quote of the Day: On Women

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
*“If women ran the world we'd still live in caves, but with **really fancy curtains.**”* - Kate at Small Dead Animals Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Syria and Afghanistan updates - December 15 , 2013 - Syria item of note....With FSA Supreme Military Commander Idris literally run out of Syria by the islamist / jihadist / Al Qaeda forces - looks like the US is preparing to get in bed with terrorists - these same fighters will without questions use any US weapons provided to them against either Israel and / or the US interests down the road... Regarding Afghanistan - we need to stay there because of Al Qaeda - that would be the same franchise islamist tyep fighters we are meeting with on Syria ? What is our foreign policy regarding aiding terrorists again ?

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Syria....... Print This | Share This The brief rebel-offensive against the Damascus suburb of Adra, and the Syrian military is once again in control. As usual, it was the civilians that bore the brunt of the clash, with reports of mass kidnappings and 80 civilians executed by the rebels before they were ousted. The rebels, identified as al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra faction by locals, began targeting Druze, Alawite and Christian residents early on in the siege of the city, kidnapping them en masse. The military insisted that the rebels were using the kidnapped as human shields, but ... more »

Panda in Blizzard

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

Stay of civil proceedings on Court's own motion to be granted rarely

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
Yaiguaje v. Chevron Corporation, 2013 ONCA 758: [54] While s. 106 of the *CJA* entitles the court to grant a stay on its own motion, the circumstances under which it may appropriately do so are rare. As stated by Epstein J. in*Gruner v. McCormack* (2000), 45 C.P.C. (4th) 273 (Ont. S.C.J.), at para. 30, To justify a stay, the defendant must satisfy the court that a continuance of the action would work as injustice because it would be oppressive or vexatious or an abuse of the process of the court and that the stay would not cause an injustice to the plaintiff. [55] In my vie... more »

Lots of Ravens

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

Useful rubes

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
[Ed Stein cartoon]

George Zimmerman, rip off artist

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
Apparently, when the hero of the gun crazy crowd isn't busy murdering unarmed teenagers for inciting his personal terror of Skittles, or threatening women, he's taken up more artistic pursuits. Zimmerman's first painting fetched a cool 100K when he put up for auction at EBay this week. And if that's not enough to gag you, he has fans: A well-wisher expressed love and support for Zimmerman in a question posted on the eBay auction, telling him there were many people on his side, and the artist replied. “Thank you so much for the words of kindness and support. I do know how many gr... more »

Libya Updates - December 17 , 2013 .....Security or the lack thereof items of interest , petrol shortage in Tripoli finally resolving , economic and political matters of note .......

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Militia withdrawal “so slow it has almost stopped”: Elbadri *By Ahmed Elumami.* [image: Tripoli Local Council leader Sadat Elbadri addressing the local councils' conference (Photo: Aimen Eljali)] Tripoli Local Council leader Sadat Elbadri addressing the local councils’ conference (*Photo: Aimen Eljali*) *Tripoli, 17 December 2013:* The process or removing militias from urban areas, was going so slowly, that it had almost stopped, Sadat Elbadri, head of Tripoli Local Council, complained to fellow Libyan municipal chiefs in Tripoli today. Elbadri, told a forum representing 34 local cou... more »

Western Governors University's Path to Becoming a Teacher in NJ

freetoteach at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
The Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Teaching jobs abound in New Jersey. Western Governors University is recruiting heavily for part time adjuncts in New Jersey to stay in their pajamas and conduct on line courses for NCATE approved "evaluations." If you are looking for a job as a data evaluator, with no benefits, no job security and no office, then this is for you. Now that they are dismantling teacher unions and public schools, it's a free for all. Just sign up, pay some money, take some on line courses and you are sure to be an "effective" teacher. Just follow the script. Y... more »

The reason for the season?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
It’s the Christmas season. Yuletide. The festive season. And the reason for the season is …. not what you think it is. Let’s start with a Christmas joke: Q: "What's the difference between God and Santa Claus?" A: "There is no God." Ha ha ha. The fact is, dear readers, at least Santa—well, Saint Nicholas at least—was a real figure, if not a real bloke, even if the other inspirations for the Santa Claus character were not. And the harsh fact is, I’m sorry to have to tell you, Christ himself was never even *in* Christmas --except in fiction and by order of the first Popes. [The ... more »

Will you print your next house.

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 1 day ago
You can do it today, thanks to Wikihouse.

A Teacher’s 12 Days of Christmas

Angel Cintron Jr. at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
On the first day of Christmas my students gave to me: A Well Deserved Day Alone On the second day of Christmas my students gave to me: Two Misplaced Gloves and a Well Deserved Day Alone On the third day of Christmas my students gave to me: Three Broken Pens Two Misplaced Gloves and a […]

West's Support For Sunni Extremism In Syria Is Triggering Chaos In The Region

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
An excerpt from, *"Extremist Syrian faction touts training camp for boys"*by Joby Warrick, Washington Post, December 16: At first glance, the training camp appears no different from the many others shown in propaganda videos posted by al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. Hooded recruits in camouflage shoot at targets or march in formation under the black flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. But look closer and the “fighters” appear quite small. The tallest are barely chest-high to their instructors, and the shorter ones wear ill-fitting uniforms and appear to struggle under the wei... more »

Fukushima: The Sailors of the USS Ronald Reagan

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
In 2011, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan assisted with rescue operations after the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster. At least 51 members of the crew of the USS Ronald Reagan have now developed radiation-related illnesses. It is thought that the ship's desalinization systems took in radioactive water which the crew drank, cooked with and bathed-in. Charles Bonner, attorney representing sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan said "They have testicular cancer, they have thyroid cancers, they have leukemias, they have rectal and gynecological bleeding, a host of problems ... more »

Doug Martin on Justin Oakley's Radio Show Wednesday, December 18

Doug Martin at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
By Doug Martin I will be joining Justin Oakley on his Just Let Me Teach radio show on Wednesday, December 18 from around 9:15 to 10:00 pm. I will be launching the pre-order phrase of my book, *Hoosier School Heist*, which is scheduled to be released in February and details the Walton Family, Jeb Bush, New York hedge fund managers, the DeVos family of Amway fame, plagiarists, and Republican campaign donors who run charter schools in Indiana, just to name a few. People interested can pre-order the book on an ad on the Indiana Talks website pages (scroll down on the right hand side), ... more »

The Elephant in the Room

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
*The Elephant in the Room* By American Kabuki December 17, 2013 We are in an amazing time of transition. Nothing is staying static, not you, your relationships, your interests. Even your very body is changing and in transition. The old ways of being, class, "knowing your place", acceptance of abuse as just part of life, is rapidly becoming clear as the mental programming that separated your mind from your heart. You were taught to distrust your heart. The awakening journey is a highly personal one. How it begins is different for all of us. So is the ending, its all tailored ... more »

FOX surrenders in the War on Christmas

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
This is hilarious. Apparently FOX has defected to our side in the War on Christmas. Wonder if anyone has told Megyn or

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