Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Antalya (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Atatürk at the library of Çankaya Köşkü Presidential Residence on July 16, 1929. His dog can be seen lying on the floor, under the table. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visits the reorganized Istanbul University on December 15, 1930. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
He is in Bursa Public speech (Photo credit: Wikipedia)HEROIN, HAIRLESS BOYS, 9 11 HIJACKERS, TURKISH HISTORY
*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*, Ataturk... more »
A Merry Banksy Christmas
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
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
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
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
*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...
Please consider a donation to *Hope for Paws* this Christmas season.
The Fight Against School Reform Is a Fight for Children
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 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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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!
*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
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...
*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
Two-Headed Dragon of Education Policy. via Two-Headed Dragon of Education
Policy.
Low Level Attacks Characterize Violence In Iraq’s Ninewa November 2013
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
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
*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*
*New Orleans musicians at risk of losing access health care ~WDSU*
2014 Educators’ Agenda
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
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
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
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?
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.
------------------------------
*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
*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?
*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
*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
*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...
*as he heads off for seventeen sun soaked days in Hawaii. *
Breaking News: Russian Scientists Call For A 10 Year Ban On GMO
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
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 !
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Citibank-shutting-Philadelphia-.html
Citibank pulling out of Philadelphia
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[image: (AP Photo / Mark Lennihan)]
(AP Photo / Mark Lennihan) AP
Travel Deals
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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
*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
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...
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
[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
*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
*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)
*and learn something.*
Seriously.
Can you hear the sound of teeth being gritted at the BBC?
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
Even if you have no German language skills this video should still make
perfect sense and amuse...
STRIP SEARCH LEADS TO USA-INDIA 'WAR'.
*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
*...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
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
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
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
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 »
Tutorial: FROZEN Anna Cloak
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
*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
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
"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
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
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
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
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.)
*"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
*“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 - 18 hours 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 »
Stay of civil proceedings on Court's own motion to be granted rarely
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 »
George Zimmerman, rip off artist
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 .......
Police officer killed while securing Tripoli petrol
station
*By Houda Mzioudet.*
*Tripoli 17 December 2013*:
A police officer was shot and killed early on Monday morning while securing
one of Tripoli’s petrol stations.
The officer, Ahmed Hussein Ismail, he was shot at a petrol station near Bab
Ben Ghashir as car owners clashed with police after drivers began trying
to force their way into the petrol station.
Mohamed Swesi, a official for Tripoli Security Directorate, told the *Libya
Herald* that Ismail was rushed to Tripoli Central Hospital but was
pronounced dead shortly after a... more »
Western Governors University's Path to Becoming a Teacher in NJ
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?
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.
You can do it today, thanks to Wikihouse.
A Teacher’s 12 Days of Christmas
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
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
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
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
*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
This is hilarious. Apparently FOX has defected to our side in the War on
Christmas.
Wonder if anyone has told Megyn or Bill O yet? [Media Matters screen
capture via Oliver Willis]
Jack Monroe and the Sociology of Selling Out
Selling out. Been there, done that. So has cookery blogger and *Graun*regular Jack
Monroe, apparently. Not a household name by any means, but someone who was
catapulted to Twitter fame after attracting the attention of *The Mail*'s
Richard Littlejohn following a party political broadcast for Labour. You
can read her reply here. Now, I'd be lying if I said I followed Jack's
work. Food columns and cookery writing just ain't my thing. Food is
something to nom on and that's it for me. It's fodder, not a petit
bourgeois distraction from the class struggle on a plate. I also gathered
fro... more »
Monsanto Marijuana Initiative Grows in Uruguay?
Well, well well...... THAT certainly explains a lot, doesn't it?
Monsanto Marijuana Initiative Grows in Uruguay?
By Staff Report - December 13, 2013
*Uruguay becomes first nation to legalise marijuana trade ... T*
- See more at:
http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/34833/Monsanto-Marijuana-Initiative-Grows-in-Uruguay/#sthash.uz9pI0mj.dpuf
*edited: 12/18/2013 10:19am: comment from Judge Dale:*
Comment: The reason Monsanto does not want farmers to harvest seeds from
one year to be used to grow next years crop is because NATURE eliminates
the GMO modifications. So the following ye... more »
Bad Bear's Photos Longest Walk 4 Dec. 17, 2013
.
Thanks to Bad Bear (photo above) for the photos each day!
Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz taking those final steps toward
Alcatraz, with arrival on Dec. 21. A Sovereignty Gathering will be held
on Dec. 22 at Oakland Friendship House. Thanks to Carl Bad Bear Sampson,
Western Shoshone long walker, for sharing his photos each day!
From Corrina Gould
Hello
When Facebook friends fall out
I just did my first "unfriend" on Facebook. I never would have thought that
anybody could get my back up enough to want to unfriend them, because I'm
one laid-back person when it comes to allowing people their say. But it
turns out that even I have limits.
In my six years on Facebook I've accepted almost anyone as a friend as
long as they seemed like a real person. I spent so many years as a "public
figure" writing for the Times Colonist that Facebook just seems like an
extension of that part of me rather than a fenced-in place that only my
genuine friends can access.
I'... more »
The Total Compliance Charter Model Has Come to Your Neighborhood
From Alternet:
KIPP Forces 5th Graders to 'Earn' Desks By Sitting On the Floor For a Week
James Horn
One hundred 10-year-olds spent the first week of school sitting on the
floor. What was it they were supposed to have learned?
*December 17, 2013 * |
The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) is the largest corporate charter
school chain in the U. S, with 141 schools and 50,000 students in 20
states. KIPP was launched in 1994 by David Levin and Michael Feinberg, two
former Ivy Leaguers and Teach for America (TFA) corps members assigned to
teach in Houston, where the first KIPP school wa... more »
Is Economic Justice The Ticket For Democrats-- Or Should They Compete With The GOP For The Economic Inequality Vote?
The Republican civil war is pretty front and center and getting quite a lot
of media attention. There is also something of a Democratic civil war
brewing, a more ideological/less careerist based one. You may have seen
sparks of it last week when the Wall Street owned ConservaDem group, Third
Way, went on the attack against Elizabeth Warren and the progressive
populism she espouses. Third Way, the Blue Dogs and the New Dems are the
Republican wing of the Democratic Party. A virtual whore house of
corruption and opportunism, it's the ugly side of the Democratic Party that
has nothi... more »
Christy Clark`s Most Excellent Families First Drunken Adventure
*Christy Clark`s Most Excellent Families First Drunken Adventure*
*Written by Grant G*
By now many of you have heard that Christy Clark thinks it is okay for
parents to bring their children of all ages in to Alcohol only
establishments, into bars, nightclubs and legions..
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Happy+hour+coming/9296994/story.html
My gawd, Christy proves once again that she missed the brain train at youth
and rode the braindead one way ride to densecity..
First off, restaurants that serve liquor have always allowed children to
come in and eat with or without pa... more »
High Stakes Standardized Tests Help Fuel Drug Company Profits
Don't you just love how the entire education industrial complex is
intertwined with corporations like pharmaceutical companies? Just think
of all the stress, physical ailments and behavioral problems that will
result from the continuous test and punish, value added, and merit pay for
high test scores education deform can yield. Even the rich kids of the 1%
find drugs can help them compete and perform better in high pressure
environments.
In a society that values competition over collaboration, privilege over
justice and test scores over children's health and well being, what do you... more »
When Megyn Kelly was good!
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013*
*Her interview with Bill Burton:* Is Santa Claus white?
On occasion, he has been. At other times, plainly not.
We were watching in real time when Megyn Kelly made her now-famous remarks
on this controversial topic. We thought her remarks were odd at the time,
though we’ll have to admit we hadn’t noticed that she was addressing
herself to the “kids” when she made them.
Last night, watching CNN, we saw Don Lemon insist, several times, that no
one is “demonizing” Kelly. For the most part, we’ve been active fans of
Lemon down through the years.
At this ti... more »
Rethinking John Lennon’s Assassination The FBI’s War on Rock Stars By Salvador Astucia - Chapter 2: The Motive
*DISCLAIMER: *
*THE POSTING OF STORIES, COMMENTARIES, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS AND LINKS
(EMBEDDED OR OTHERWISE) ON THIS SPIKE1138 DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR
FORM, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, NECESSARILY EXPRESS OR SUGGEST ENDORSEMENT OR
SUPPORT OF ANY OF SUCH POSTED MATERIAL OR PARTS THEREIN.*
*I do not endorse everything Astucia had to say about the Jewish experience
under Nazism - but I do feel that the following is worth knowing and
bearing in mind about Glenn Close and her family: *
*http://spikethenews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/mobutu-sese-seko-glenn-close-and-aids.html*
*The role also ... more »
Rethinking John Lennon’s Assassination The FBI’s War on Rock Stars By Salvador Astucia Chapter 1: The Crime Scene
*DISCLAIMER: *
*THE POSTING OF STORIES, COMMENTARIES, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS AND LINKS
(EMBEDDED OR OTHERWISE) ON THIS SPIKE1138 DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR
FORM, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, NECESSARILY EXPRESS OR SUGGEST ENDORSEMENT OR
SUPPORT OF ANY OF SUCH POSTED MATERIAL OR PARTS THEREIN.*
*Contents*
*Lennon Home Page*
*Main Home Page*
*Rethinking John Lennon’s Assassination*
*The FBI’s War on Rock Stars*
By Salvador Astucia
*PART I: LENNON’S MURDER*
*Chapter 1: The Crime Scene*
*The Dakota*
John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980, at about 10:50 pm, as
he and h... more »
Thailand: Mass Mobilization Sunday December 22, 2013
The Who, What, and Why's of Thailand's Ongoing Protests.
*December 18, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - This coming Sunday (December 22,
2013) will be the third and potentially largest mass mobilization yet by
the anti-regime movement in Thailand. The counter-color revolution against Wall
Street-backed Thaksin Shinawatra and his regime's attempt to transform
Thailand into yet another vassal of Western influence has gained immense
traction - already forcing the proxy prime minister, dictator Thaksin
Shianwatra's sister, Yingluck, to dissolve parliament and call for new
elections.
However, ... more »
“Australia’s Stonehenge,”: the basis of all knowledge
My highlights in blue as usual.
http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2013/12/14/australia-s-stonehenge-and-so-much-more/
“Australia’s Stonehenge,” and so much more!
Posted by The Watcher on December 14, 2013 in categories Archeology, Featured
stories
What follows is the “Conclusion/Hypothesis” taken from our archaeological
paper written on the Standing Stones found within 40 kilometers of
Mullumbimby, Australia.
During the brief period this site was first investigated before it was
reluctantly destroyed, Frederic Slater (President of the Australian
Archaeological and Educational ... more »
RUSSELL BRAND, WOOLWICH TRIAL, JOHN LENNON
*Russell Brand *
*According to Russell Brand:*
*1.* Michael Adebolajo, the alleged killer of soldier Lee Rigby, "is
severely mentally ill".
*2.* Michael Adebolajo is like Mark Chapman, the alleged killer of John
Lennon.
*3.* Mark Chapman's mental condition was related to the book 'The Catcher
In The Rye'.
*Woolwich | Russell Brand - Huffington Post*
*Mark Chapman and John Lennon*
Reportedly, Mark Chapman was brainwashed by the CIA.
Reportedly, the book *Catcher In The Rye* was part of the brainwashing of
Chapman.
*Catcher In The Rye* is used in the CIA’s MK-Ultra mind-con... more »
Tuesday Afternoon Linkage: A Dish Best Served Cold
I hope cold links are good as the temperature up in Ottawa is now just at
0F (known as the temperature where dogs whine and snot freezes in one’s
nose). Anyhow, here are my last links of 2013: Lots of stuff out there on
the Chinese Air Defense ID Zone, so here is one that
Continue reading
What is This "War on Women" of Which You Speak, Stranger?
The National Socialist Party Republican Party of Michigan became
thelatest stateto pass a rape insurance bill into law. And it doesn't
even make exemptions
for rape victims, one of the reasons why Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a
similar,
earlier bill.
And Republicans still laughably try to claim there's no war on
women,
which was sort of the rationale we used to kill two million Vietnamese
in
the 60's and 70's. "War? What war? We didn't *officially *declare war on
Vietnam."
The GOP has advanced women's rights about as much as Jack the
Ripper.
And even Jack had the sense to s... more »
New York Time, September 4th 2001: "U.S. Germ Warfare Research Pushes Treaty Limits" by Judith Miller
Over the past several years, the United States has embarked on a program of
secret research on biological weapons that, some officials say, tests the
limits of the global treaty banning such weapons.
The 1972 treaty forbids nations from developing or acquiring weapons that
spread disease, but it allows work on vaccines and other protective
measures. Government officials said the secret research, which mimicked the
major steps a state or terrorist would take to create a biological arsenal,
was aimed at better understanding the threat.
The projects, which have not been previously d... more »
Glaxo Says It Will Stop Paying Doctors to Promote Drugs
December 16, 2013
*Glaxo Says It Will Stop Paying Doctors to Promote Drugs*
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/business/glaxo-says-it-will-stop-paying-doctors-to-promote-drugs.html
By KATIE THOMAS
The British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline will no longer pay doctors to
promote its products and will stop tying compensation of sales
representatives to the number of prescriptions doctors write, its chief
executive said Monday, effectively ending two common industry practices
that critics have long assailed as troublesome conflicts of interest.
The announcement appears to be a first for a... more »
Russia commits to Ukraine bonds and slashes gas prices and more......
*Definitely a beneficial agreement for the Ukrainian people*
*Russia will invest $15 billion from one of its sovereign wealth funds in
Ukrainian government securities and cut the price of natural gas it charges
its neighbour by about a third, President Vladimir Putin said.*
*Economic relief for Ukraine ... Russian President Vladimir Putin, right,
and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych, left, react after signing
an agreement in Moscow on Tuesday. *
"Considering the problems of the Ukrainian economy linked to the world
financial crisis, and to support the budget of the Ukra... more »
My December 2013 Michigan Board of Education Testimony
In November 2013, I was asked if I would testify at the December 17, 2013,
Michigan State Board of Education meeting. Michigan is considering
emulating the New Orleans so-called model Recovery School District (RSD)
(including the supposed “parental choice” afforded by open enrollment) as
well as using letter grades for schools. Since I could not be in […]
Vitamins are a waste of money? Really?
Really, now. let us look at the study below.
*FLAW # 1*
The study and the university say that they studied *Healthy well nourished
individuals.*
*That is the major, major flaw in the study*
If we are going to study a fix on something we don't do it on something
that needs NO fixing, period.
*FLAW # 2*
The form of Vitamins taken: T*hey used defective vitamins in the form of
uni-pills *such as the pink ones pictured below. Why does this author say
they used defective vitamins?
What are Uni-pills? Uni-pills are those pills that have all the
multi-vitamins and minerals ALL packed into a ... more »
Playing the Dream
I do not consider myself a gambler when it comes to structured games. I
have lost a few hundred at the Casino and a few more over a lifetime of
poker games. I am rational enough to realize that such purists odds on will
end in tears. If the morons want to gamble to pay the stupid tax so they
can get a better meal than soylent green then that is that. There was a
time in this fine line we live where getting ahead meant hard work saving
and storing for tough times ahead. More or less the clever gentleman have
ripped economic safety from what was considered the golden rule. How did
thi... more »
The Realist Report - Kelley from Tulsa & Sofia Smallstorm
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by Kelley from
Tulsa and Sofia Smallstorm, two independent investigators of the alleged
shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School last December. Kelley, Sofia,
and I will be discussing their investigation and conclusions regarding the
Sandy Hook "shooting," and the political and cultural agenda which has been
and continues to be advanced in its aftermath.
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 link... more »
Stay of civil proceedings on Court's own motion to be granted rarely
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 »
Kate Braun : Winter Solstice Falls on Saturn's Day
Saturnalia
by Ernesto Biondi, 1909.
Io Saturnalia!
Winter Solstice 2013
This seasonal celebration takes from many traditions, including the
Roman Saturnalia, Druid customs, the German 'Yule,' and the birth of
Jesus; and Queen Victoria popularized the lighted Christmas tree.
By Kate Braun /
The Rag Blog / December 17, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013, marks Yule, the Winter Solstice, also
Satan's Key Operative In The Vatican Loses A Major Post-- Bye Bye Burke?
Pope sends GOP's fanatic, hate-filled cardinal, Ray Burke, a message
If you're not from La Crosse or St. Louis, it's possible you first heard
about the curia's most anti-Jesus cardinal, right-wing hack Ray Burke, here
at DWT. As soon as it was clear that the new Pope was an actual follower of
Jesus' message, we started urging him to get rid of Satan's man in the
Vatican. Burke was a partisan extremist in America, a GOP operative in a
cardinal's gown and he;s been a nightmare in Rome. Burke has worked
hand-in-glove with right-wing Republicans in trying to defeat Democrats
electorally.... more »
A Big Money Cabal of Bench-Slappers
Vindication is sweet today for fans of the Fourth Amendment. But let's be
realistic. With billions and billions, even trillions, of dollars at stake,
the NSA and the private contractors enriched by the fascistic Deep
State will not be going gently into that good night.
I imagine that the Obama administration is busily judge-shopping even as we
speak, and will find some compliant fellow or lady to knock down the
somewhat passive-aggressive (delayed, pending Obama judge-shopping) ruling
yesterday against the mass collection of phone records of United States
persons.
Because, let's ... more »
Saturday Meanderings
After a few hours in the office to get some grading done Southern Man went
to the monthly geocachers luncheon-slash-Christmas party...
Mr. Gator.
The Gift Table.
A Festive Gathering.
Look what I won!
Manly men thinking manly thoughts.
After a few more hours at the office Southern Man cut by the mall for a
little last-minute Christmas shopping. It looked like Black Friday! But
there was an all-male choir and Southern Man listened to good Christmas
music for a good long while.
*God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay...*
And then much to his surprise he stumble... more »
Dine' CARE urges federal probe of BHP Navajo Mine transaction
Federal
Investigation Urged over BHP Navajo Mine Transaction to Navajo Nation
By Dine' CARE
Censored News
DILKON, Arizona – On behalf of all Diné people, Diné Citizens Against
Ruining our Environment (Diné C.A.R.E.) sent a letter to the U.S.
Department of the Interior's Deputy Inspector General, Mary Kendall on
December 12, 2013, requesting an investigation into the Bureau of Indian
Gildan, maquillas, model cities and simplistic responses to complex problems
It’s amazing how simple the problems of Honduras seem to some people a few
thousand kilometres away.
A handful of slogans, some recycled rhetoric and unsupported claims, and
presto, a theory.
A fine example has been the blind libertarian enthusiasm for a plan to
create “model cities” in Honduras, effectively independent fiefdoms, run,
at least initially, by the investors.
Another was offered in a recent Internet opinion piece on Canadian textile
company Gildan’s manufacturing centres in Honduras.
The 20,000 employees, the piece said, “are basically slaves, and their
status will likely... more »
1978: Milton Friedman on Socialized Medicine...
*how was he able to predict the future?*
Because it has to do with economics which is math. Math doesn't lie.
Some things are very easy to predict for those of us that can add,
subtract, and study history.
Breaking: Rachel has a bridge to sell you!
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013*
*Three teases, two full segments:* Remember when Camus wrote the following,
if only in translation?
“Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.”
For some reason, we thought of that as we tried to summarize last evening’s
Maddow program. Our reinvention would go like this:
“Rachel did two teases and three segments tonight. Or three teases and two
segments maybe, we don’t know.”
We refer to the way Maddow devoted the second half of last night’s program
to the Christie Bridgegate outrage and scandal. The teases started early,
with the first one g... more »
Technical Announcement
(From the man behind the curtain to whom nobody, indeed, pays any
attention.)
The comment settings have been set back to where they were before so
that now anyone can comment, which should make Constant Reader Comrade
Rutherford happy. Hopefully, the spambots will have learned their lesson
and have moved on to other pastures.
Resurgence Of Iraq’s Insurgency In Ninewa Province
MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 1 day ago
Iraq’s Ninewa province and its capital city of Mosul have returned as a
central hub for the country’s insurgency. After the Surge in 2007 many
militant groups fled north to places like Mosul where they were then
reduced by American and Iraqi forces. Now insurgents are making a comeback.
They are attempting to assert their will over the governorate’s population
and economy, and targeting the local security forces.
(*Wikimedia*)
It now appears that insurgents have free reign in Mosul and southern areas
of Ninewa. One provincial politician said militants controlled an areastretching... more »
Anti-Capitalist Santas deliver coal to Port of Metro Vancouver
Photos
credit: MURRAY BUSH - FLUX PHOTO Flood the Port
By Rising Tide Vancouver
Censored News
VANCOUVER, COAST SALISH TERRITORIES – This morning Port of Metro
Vancouver staff and security responded with physical force when 6 Santa
Clauses arrived at their offices to deliver sacks of coal to the offices
of the Port of Metro Vancouver, along with thousands of peoples’ wishes
MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of Thinking
MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of
Thinking http://t.co/edCbAClW1g
— Diane Ravitch (@DianeRavitch) December 17, 2013
MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of
Thinking via Professor Diane Ravitch
Algonquin land protectors force Quebec logging protection
Tuesday,
December 17, 2013Algonquin’s land protection camps forces Quebec to
Agree to a Process to Protect Sensitive Zones from Logging: Next Step
Implementation of Landmark Co-Management/Revenue Sharing Agreements
By Community members of Barriere Lake
Censored NewsKitiganik, Algonquin Territory (Dec. 17, 2013) – After
community members of the Barriere Lake First Nation established a land
AMY GOODMAN: "A bipartisan budget deal to avert another government shutdown comes before the Senate this week. The House approved the two-year budget agreement last week in a 332-to-94 vote. The bill eases across-the-board spending cuts, replacing them with new airline fees and cuts to federal pensions. In a concession by Democrats, it does not extend unemployment benefits for 1.3 million people, which is set to expire this month." DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: "Well, this deal is actually a big win for the Paul Ryan Republicans. They will avoid the embarrassment, shame, and political damage of shutting down the government, and they obtained this from the Democrats without touching at all the major issues. The corporate loopholes aren’t being closed. The tax-avoidance techniques of billionaires, who can legally live tax-free if they choose to, are not being shut down. The hedge fund and private equity managers will continue to be advantaged. And we’re going to kick 57,000 poor children out of Head Start, which means we’re going to narrow their economic futures and make all of us worse off in the future. We’re cutting a billion-and-a-half dollars from medical research to save lives. Why? Because the very richest people in America, those who have benefited most from being in this market, don’t want to pay for that kind of services. And the Pentagon is getting an extra $20 billion out of this deal. We already spend 42 percent of all the money in the world on our military." DAVID L GRISCOM: "If this is what the Democrats in Congress believe is a good deal, I'm going to join a party that believes its representatives should put the stuggling 99% above the filthy rich 1%."
------------------------------
*MONDAY, DECEMBER 16,
2013
.*
"Makes Absolutely No Sense": David Cay Johnston on Budget Deal That Helps
Billionaires, Not the Poor
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/16/makes_absolutely_no_sense_david_cay
A bipartisan budget deal to avert another government shutdown comes before
the Senate this week. The vast majority of House members from both parties
approved the two-year budget agreement last week in a 332-to-94 vote. It is
being hailed as a breakthrough c... more »
Blogging Awards Nomination Update
The nominations are trickling in, but there’s more work to be done. We had
some major IR blogging events this year — Snowden, Egypt, Syria, Russia,
etc…. and we’re looking for nominations for the best work out there in
2013. We’re still taking nominations through the end of the month. Sage
is co-sponsoring the Awards
Continue reading
FIVE KEY POINTS AND ELEVEN SOLUTIONS: Joe Nocera’s ride back in time!
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013*
*Part 2—In the footsteps of Ravitch and Ripley:* Joe Nocera’s new column is
highly instructive, in that it’s woefully clueless.
Nocera writes about a topic he manifestly knows nothing about: what
constitutes good teaching in an “inner-city school?”
What constitutes good teaching in low-income schools? With respect to this
very important question, Nocera has watched a documentary. He has also
read, or read about, a new report by a national policy group.
On the basis of these inputs, he ends up saying what follows. Within the
*journalistic* context, the ... more »
Attacks On Iraqi Forces And Infrastructure Dominate Anbar Violence November 2013
The number of attacks remained high in Iraq’s Anbar for November 2013. As
usual most of those were concentrated in the province’s cities especially
Fallujah and Ramadi. Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), the power system and
transportation were the main targets. Despite that the number of fatalities
was dramatically lower than the previous two months.
Levels of violence in Anbar remained the same in November, but the overall
number of casualties was down. There were a total of 75 reported security
incidents in the press. That was roughly in line with previous months such
as October wh... more »
The manuscript of survival – part 380
*The manuscript of survival – part 380*
*Aisha North*
*December 16, 2013*
As you have noticed, the frequencies that are buffeting you now are indeed
a far cry from the ones you have been bathing in for quite a long time now,
and rightly so, as these last few days a whole new set of energetic
encodings have transformed the very atmosphere around you. And, as usual,
with these new encodings comes a whole host of energetic reactions, both on
the physical but also on the mental levels. And for many of you, these new
currents have literally dislodged the very deepest residue that your ... more »
VAMboozled by Empty-Suit Leadership in SC
VAMboozled by Empty-Suit Leadership in SC. via VAMboozled by Empty-Suit
Leadership in SC.
Untitled
*Rush to oppose coastal reclamation suit exposes weakness of Jindal’s case
~Sandy Rosenthal, The Lens*
*Oil and gas association challenges AG’s approval of contract for coastal
lawsuit ~Jeff Adelson, New Orleans Advocate*
*AGL, SOL still at odds? ~Heather Miller, The Daily Iberian*
*Fasten Your Seat Belts ~Brian P. Moore*
*Music Video: Beau Jocque, "Beau Jocque Boogie" ~David Stafford, WWOZ*
Tenure and Due Process at the University of Colorado
*UPDATE Dec 18*: It appears that CU officials have come to their senses and
are wisely backing down, at least according to this new article in *The
Daily Camera*. Kuods to Sarah Kuta for her reporting on this.
*Original post follows . . .*
The Boulder Daily Camera reports:
University of Colorado officials acknowledged Monday that sociology
professor Patti Adler's lecture on prostitution led them to suspend her
from teaching her popular "Deviance in U.S. Society" course next spring --
but they denied firing her or forcing her into retirement.
The issue here involves a skit that Pro... more »
Battered Woman Syndrome
Battered woman syndrome is a model that was developed by Dr. Lenore E.
Walker to describe the mindset and emotional state of a battered woman. A
battered woman is a woman who has experienced at least two complete
battering cycles as described in dating and domestic violence.
According to Walker's The Battered Woman Syndrome (pp. 95-97), there are
four general characteristics of the syndrome (which have been further
developed into a series of symptoms not included here):
1.
The woman believes that the violence was or is her fault.
2.
The woman has an inability to place responsi... more »
In A Dark Place
The Harper Party has changed its name three times. First it was the Reform
Party. Then it was the Canadian Alliance. And, finally, it called itself
the Conservative Party. The last label is entirely disingenuous. Both Rob
Ford and Stephen Harper claim they are Conservatives. Those claims are as
fatuous as the name which the present federal government proclaims. Andrew
Coyne writes:
So no, Ford is neither a product of conservatism, as such, nor a
particularly sterling example of it; nor should Conservatives be tainted by
association, except in so far as they associate themselves wi... more »
Do Cruz, Rubio, Paul And Senate Right-Wingers Have what It Takes To Crash The Budget Deal Today?
The do-nothing House is on vacation already, again. But the Senate is still
working. It still haven't approved the awful Paul Ryan-Patty Murray
"compromise," in which the plutocrats compromise nothing (as usual) and all
the compromise is on the backs of working people. Amazingly, though, it's
Senate Republicans threatening to kill the whole thing. There are probably
only 3 progressive Democrats in the Senate willing to vote no today. (32
voted no in the House last week.) NBC's Chuck Todd says the budget will
pass with little fanfare, even though Reid has to cobble together a clotur... more »
Zions Bancorp issues stunner -Under the published Volcker rule, the Company would no longer have the ability to hold disallowed securities until the anticipated recovery of their amortized cost. Therefore, as of December 15, 2013, Zions anticipates that in the fourth quarter of 2013 it will reclassify all covered CDOs that currently are classified as “Held to Maturity” into “Available for Sale,” and that all covered CDOs, regardless of the accounting classification, will be adjusted to Fair Value through an Other Than Temporary Impairment non-cash charge to earnings. The net result would eliminate substantially all of the accumulated other comprehensive income adjustment to equity related to the covered securities. As First Volcker Rule Victim Emerges, Implications Could "Roil The Market"
As First Volcker Rule Victim Emerges, Implications Could "Roil The Market"
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/17/2013 08:13 -0500
- Barclays
- Bond
- CDO
- Collateralized Debt Obligations
- Federal Reserve
- Mortgage Loans
- NASDAQ
- recovery
inShare
Yesterday afternoon, Zions Bancorp, Utah's biggest lender, stunned the
financial community with a regulatory filing in which it announced that as
a result of the final Volcker Rule implementation, it will need to make
some very dramatic changes to its balance sheet, wh... more »
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Bob Ojeda, 56. Mainly because he always reminds me of
Blue Sox hero Steve Olin, who would have been 48 now. Sad. Also, because in
the 30+ years I've known her, my wife really cared about baseball for about
a two week stretch: Mets vs. Astros, Mets vs. Red Sox.
The good stuff:
Jon Krasno and Gregory Robinson make the case for shifting the filibuster
burden from the majority (needing 60) to the minority (needing 41). I'm
okay with this, but I've never really believed that it would make much
difference. Nor do I think it's a likely compromise position and more. So
n... more »
Can My Employer Make Me Socialize With Co-Workers? Whether you say yes or no to office events, here are your legal rights
It's holiday party time, so this question I received from a reader is
timely:
*I just read your article about social media passwords, and I have a
question for you that my HR person cannot seem to answer for me. My boss
told me that I am not relating to the other employees (I didn't realize
that I wasn't) and wants me to go to lunch with them or go shopping with
them on the weekend. They are mean and spiteful people who look for any way
to manipulate people. She asked me about my personal life and made me feel
like I had to answer so I did tell her some things. (I won't make that
... more »
Fukushima updates December 17 , 2013 - contamination from radioactive materials continues ( in fact the water contamination problems really picking up ) as Japan is slowly turning into a wasteland..... no wonder the secrecy law was passed posthaste , no wonder the change the subject antics with China and military bravado chest thumping !
Energy News.......
05:39 PM EST on December 17th, 2013 | 11 comments
Tokyo Press Conference: Cancer is clearly increasing in Fukushima children,
many experts starting to get concerned — Tepco has committed a crime; We’re
going to the police tomorrow (VIDEO)
01:54 PM EST on December 17th, 2013 | 35 comments
AP: ‘Tritium rain’ to result from disposal of Fukushima contaminated water?
Expert: You may be interested to know radioactive rainfall occurs around
nuclear plants during normal operations (VIDEO)
10:18 AM EST on December 17th, 2013 | 63 comments
Official: Fukushima fuel melted “on... more »
War watch December 17 , 2013 - Marginalization of FSA continues in Syria ........Afghan Military Cedes Checkpoints to Taliban in Helmand ........ Iran FM Complains to Kerry About Latest Sanctions EU Prepares to Ease Sanctions on Iran ...... Death dealing in Iraq continues unabated
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