English: Map: occupation (stabilization) zones in Iraq, September 2003 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Memorial in Gastonia, North Carolina, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
State of Al Qaeda in Iraq (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Happy, Merry, and Peace
The semester is over, the papers are graded, and the departmental meetings
are over (for a while). The shopping is done, the house is clean, the
presents are wrapped, the relatives are here, and the kids are bouncing off
the walls. All that is left to do is relax, reflect, and enjoy. Wishing all
of
Continue reading
Unemployment Insurance Cut-Off Further Imperils The Fate Of Republican Gary Miller
Take a look at those poll results above that PPP found when they surveyed
CA-31 (the Inland Empire). The very extreme right Republican incumbent,
multimillionaire Gary Miller, has one of the most dismal job approval
ratings of any incumbent in any district in America-- 27%. If the election
were held today-- with no campaigning at all-- he would lose to any
Democrat 48-39%. But if there is campaigning and the Democratic candidate
lets voters know that Miller backed the Tea Party scheme that shut down the
government, he loses by a much bigger margin. His 39% core stays solid but
the... more »
The spirit of man . . .
WINTER
SOLSTICE, and the cycle of life continues: we celebrate the end of one
year and the beginnings of our future and the re-birth of the world
around us. That future belongs to the young, and some of them are up to
the task.
Consider 19-year-old Zack Kopplin; according to io9's article by George
Dvorsky, “How 19-year-old activist Zack Kopplin is making life hell for
Louisiana's
Binge drinking: A reflection of our debauched culture
A recent article appearing in *The New York Times* reported on the culture
of binge drinking - consuming massive amounts of alcohol in a short period
of time - in Britain, and the problems confronting local municipal
authorities and police departments as a result of it:
It was just after 4 a.m., the last clubs were closing and the police had
three young men pinned against a brick wall and a fourth on the ground. The
young men, gloriously incoherent, some of them bleeding, could barely
stand, let alone answer the questions from the officers, who were
responding to a fight. As the sce... more »
Al Qaeda In Iraq’s Excesses That Could Eventually Cost It
Dr. Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Studies
recently testified to a joint committee of the United States House of
Representatives that Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) couldn’t help but overstep
itself. During the early part of the Iraq War the Islamist organization
tried to impose its foreign version of Islam upon Iraq, and intimidated and
executed those that disagreed with it. It was actions such as those that
eventually turned many Iraqis against it. Today, AQI is making a comeback
establishing bases again within the country and carrying out a dizzying
array of... more »
Bruce Carson and the tarsands fox - streamlining the henhouse
Yesterday the Edmonton Journal reported :
More than 75 environment officers who watched over oil industry activities
left the provincial environment department this fall, to take higher paying
jobs with the new industry-funded *Alberta Energy Regulator*. Another
75-plus are expected to leave in the spring.
In mid-November, the department also began handing over to the regulator
thousands of files on oil industry activity pertaining to the Public Lands
Act, according to documents obtained by the Journal.
This shift in staffing and the moving of years of files out of a government
dep... more »
Consecutive translation better but simultaneous acceptable
R. v. Jesuthasan, 2013 ONCA 779:
[8] The additional time required for consecutive interpretation,
particularly in the context of a jury trial, the difficulty of finding
qualified interpreters to meet the needs of the courts, and the difficulty
of creating a record of simultaneous interpretation are all factors which
could properly bear on this decision. It may be that technological changes
would now permit at least provision of an audio digital record of
simultaneous interpretation, however the whispered and simultaneous nature
of the activity may make even that difficul... more »
OIL CONFLICT IN SOUTH SUDAN
Conflict in South Sudan over control of oil. Profits from the oil not
making their way down to the people. The hand of Mr. Big in this mess is
obvious.
Untitled
*2 top officials leave BP oil spill claims office ~WDSU*
*Levee around 26-acre Texas Brine Sinkhole cracking again ~AP*
*Vaccaro out for rest of season ~The Advocate *
*St. James Parish preps for Christmas Eve bonfires ~Ellen Couvillion*
*Audit: UL lacked controls to prevent, promptly detect misappropriated
assets ~Megan Wyatt, The Advertiser*
Have Yourself a Creepy Little Christmas
It's bad enough that there's a Grinch who steals all your Christmas
presents when you're not looking. But how about a character who steals
your very soul because he is constantly looking?
Welcome to Christmas in the United Stasi. With an unacceptable 40 percent
of us still rebelling against Big Brother, the murketers of
the Surveillance State realize that if they're to gain total control, they
have to get to us early in our lives, when our psyches are still
malleable. I just hadn't realized the depth of the indoctrination until I
came across this blurb in my local rag:
*It’s De... more »
Letter 44 update
You can read issue one on line here. I just finished issue two. This is the
first true graphic novel that I have read, or maybe its just me buying
comic books for the first time in decades. My primary motivation was a
little bit of speculative fun. A excellent copy of issue one Walking Dead
goes for about $2000. Letter 44 is already selling for $15, and has already
been optioned for TV. IMHO the premise is far more interesting than another
dystopia. The President (read GWB) leaves a letter not written in crayon
for his successor. He explains away all his bonehead moves with the thr... more »
IMPACT scores in DCPS show errors. Is this not evidence enough for its immediate overhaul?
This from the Washington Post. But an interesting choice of words at the
end there: In October, researchers from the University of Virginia and
Stanford University who have examined IMPACT reported that its rewards and
punishments were shaping the school system workforce, affecting retention
and performance. The study found that two groups of teachers were inspired
to […]
JOIN US AT VANDENBERG
*Global Network 22ndAnnual Conference*
*March 14-16, 2014*
* Santa Barbara, California*
The 2014 Global Network space organizing conference will be held near
Vandenberg AFB, California on March 14-16. We will meet at the La Casa de
Maria Retreat and Conference Center in Santa Barbara. On Friday, *March 14
*we’ll organize a 4:00 pm *vigil at the front gate of Vandenberg* and on
the evening of *March 15* we will hold a *public event* at Trinity
Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara.
Speakers at the March 15 event will include: David Krieger (Nuclear Age
Peace Foundation), Dave Webb... more »
Income Inequality in Global Perspective
In the *Financial Times* today, John Gapper analyzes changes in global
income in recent decades. It concludes:
[T]he rise of China and India – two poor but populous countries – has made
global inequality (measured by the disparity in individual incomes,
regardless of where people live) less pronounced. The world’s Gini index of
inequality fell between 2002 and 2008 – perhaps for the first time since
the Industrial Revolution – and the growth of Indonesia and Brazil is
pushing in the same direction.
“China is like a sumo wrestler who is fighting against global inequality,”
says Bra... more »
The Euro Crisis explained by Al Murray
Pure Genius...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBVTDLtTLtE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
"Dogs Don't Vote "
*"Dogs Don't Vote"*
*by *Bill Bonner
"As many as 50,000 stray dogs roam the streets and vacant homes of bankrupt
Detroit, replacing residents, menacing humans who remain and overwhelming
the city's ability to find them homes or peaceful deaths. They are among
the victims of a historic financial and political collapse.
Detroit, a former auto-manufacturing powerhouse, declared the largest US
municipal bankruptcy on July 18 after years of decline. The city had more
than $18 billion in long-term debt and had piled up an operating deficit of
close to $400 million. Falling revenue force... more »
Vacuity and Celebrity
In Orwell's *Nineteen Eighty-Four*, Eurasia's grand project is to replace
English with Newspeak, a language so carefully constructed that it is
completely incapable of articulating critical thought. Far-fetched perhaps,
but between the hours of 21:00 and 23:50 last night Channel 5 screened a
close approximation of it - the *50 Most Shocking Celebrity Moments of 2015*.
Of course, we don't live in the dystopic world of Winston Smith and Big
Brother. I wasn't forced to watch, but I do so every year. Is there a part
of me that likes it?
If this blog exists to promote one thing, that is... more »
QQ: Why would it cost a low-income school in SE DC to host student teachers? @urbanteacherctr #DCPS
When I was a professor and teacher educator for four years, we did NOT cost
our placement schools anything. In fact, we offered mentor teachers a
modest stipend. And by modest, I really do mean modest. In any case, why
would a school be charged with the privilege of hosting student teachers?
And how much […]
Wikipedia...sigh
For better or worse, Wikipedia is a go-to site for information. Often it
is quite good. Sometimes it is not.
I happened to notice over my Wikipedia entry this sentence about the
student walkout several years ago:
"Mankiw published his class attendance at the end, and it showed more
students showed up to class that day than on average class day, as many
counter-protested by coming."
This is false. In fact, I do not even take attendance in ec 10 lectures.
I know anecdotally that some counter-protestors did come to that class (as
I noted in this article, the only thing I published... more »
Merry Christmas
It seems to me that Dickens had it right. We live in a bipolar world. Your
life and the lives of your children depend on good fortune and the world in
which you live. It is either the best of times or the worst of times:
It is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness, it is the epoch of
belief, it is the epoch of incredulity, it is the season of Light, it is
the season of Darkness, it is the spring of hope, it is the winter of
despair.
And that is why, at Christmas, my thoughts always return to *A Christmas
Carol*. Scrooge was the arch-typical Neo -Conservative. Dickens ... more »
Al Murray - Australia & Spain NSFW language...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wu6_oXpRHY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Al Murray - Scots, Scousers and Geordies
A treat for Christmas Eve...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX98LGnvc1E&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Scientific American Beyond the Pale
*This is the second of two reposts, which I wish to refer to in defense of
my work as a pro-nuclear, pro Molten Salt Reactor blogger. I have taken an
extended vacation from my blogging in Nuclear Green, although I continue to
use my face book page as a blog. The topic of the post is my sorrow
because one of my teenage loves, Scientific American had betrayed my love,
but selling out the the anti-scientific enemies of nuclear power.*
As a teenager I use to walk to the Oak Ridge Public Library to read the
magazines. Scientific American was always one of my favorites. I regarded
SA as... more »
Christmas Eve in Florida
By Capt. Fogg
We can forget the Norse
Gods here -- their trees and fires.
The Winter nights aren't all that cold
or long
and we don't need their help.
The inns don't have room
in tourist season
if you don't have reservations,
and there aren't many of them.
But if you have to sleep outdoors
in the balmy night
behind the dumpster at the Winn-Dixie
or even on the beach
it's not so bad.
Not hard to find an old cooler
to put the baby in.
Hey, I know an abandoned car
if it rains.
No shepherds in Florida.
Thank God.
But watch for the cops
and no worries,
any wise men from the east
won't ge... more »
War watch Update - December 24 , 2013 - Afghanistan and Israel seek to take advantage of US foreign policies weaknesses , indecision and the burning desire to reach a deal ( any deal ) ...... Syria and Iran related items of note ....... Obama nuclear plan to cost a staggering 355 billion ( scheme 150 over budget ) - tell me again about fighting deficits ?
Afghanistan and Israel plot to seize opportunities to maximize US foreign
policy weaknesses , foibles , incoherencies and backtrackisms .....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/12/23/as-afghan-deadline-nears-us-backtracks-on-ultimatum/
As Afghan ‘Deadline’ Nears, US Backtracks on UltimatumLeaving Afghanistan
'Still Possible,' Says US
by Jason Ditz, December 23, 2013
Print This | Share This
The Obama Administration miscalculated badly with the December 31 ultimatum
on Afghanistan. They threatened to withdraw outright from the country if
President Hamid Karzai didn’t sign the Bilateral ... more »
Top Posts of 2013, and Thank You
Top Posts of 2013, and Thank You. via Top Posts of 2013, and Thank You.
What Gets Chris Christie Sauced? And What Gets Him Flambéed, Poached Or Grilled?
The best thing that could happen for America in the 2016 presidential race
would be for the GOP to give the far right extremists and crazed teabaggers
exactly what they want to happen in the Republican Party primary: a win by
Ted Cruz. Cruz is a smart, well-educated guy and he will be able to make a
cogent and articulate case for right-wing extremism. When Romney lost to
Obama last year, the true believers of the right fringe said it was because
Romney wouldn't or couldn't make the case effectively. When Cruz gets
crushed by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election… they'll ha... more »
Dr. Sidney Gottlieb (of MK-Ultra), Mobutu and the The AIDS Crisis
“Bill Close … had come to Congo just before Independence as a missionary
worker, though he was a trained physician. Somehow he became President
Mobutu’s personal physician as well as director of the biggest hospital in
the country.
“But this didn’t fully explain the extent of his power and influence in
Zaire. He was a mysterious man, thoroughly likable, with an unmatched
knowledge of Zaire and connections at all levels in society."
"By the early 1960s Gottlieb's techniques and potions were being fully
deployed in the field. Well-known is Gottlieb's journey to the Congo, where
h... more »
Make new Boat People
Fukushima is getting worse. Every day hidden in the back pages are horror
stories. The latest Japanese children in large numbers getting thyroid
cancer.
I have said from day one, lets bring hundreds of thousands of Japanese to
Canada. Like the Vietnamese boat people these are nation building
immigrants. There are lots of factories in the death zone, lets make a deal
these move to Canada as well.
Israel's (theocratic state) Parliament bans Christmas tree display
Isn't it ironic? As zionist christians fall all over themselves to cater to
followers of Judaism.
*A Christmas tree cannot be displayed in Israel*: *Israel's parliament bans
Christmas tree display*
*It seems Israelis are unconcerned with catering to Christians? *
The office of the speaker of Israel's parliament says he has rejected a
Christian lawmaker's request to publically display a Christmas tree in the
building.
Eran Sidis, a spokesman for Yuli Edelstein, said Monday that the speaker
rejected yesterday's request, but said the parliamentarian could display a
Christmas tree i... more »
Christmas is not complete without kittehs...
*says no dog ever. *
How Two Bushes Sold Out America
*Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy*
China is a leech in more ways than one. By way of Wal-Mart, it has
destroyed decent wages and productive job creation in the U.S. See the
CIA'S own list: China is No 1 with the world's LARGEST POSITIVE Current
Account Balance; the U.S. (thanks to Wal-Mart) is DEAD LAST with the
World's largest NEGATIVE Current Account Balance. (formerly called the
Balance of Trade Deficit
We don't have far to look for culprits. They are not hiding behind bushes.
They ARE the 'Bushes". Let's take a look at the history before it gets
re-written:
1. Any Democ... more »
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Chanukah, Gong Xi Fatt Chai
May you start every day on top of the grass and be a take fiber to heaven
while the Devil is still searching for you on dial up.
Looking forward to a great 2014. Thanks for all your support.
Jones Spaceman AKA Steve
Shattered cover by Julie Andrews
They should remake the sound of music with Rock and Roll covers.
H/T Four Habs Fans
An Easy Like Heaven mashup for Christmas Eve
The Commodores' Easy meets The Cure's Just Like Heaven... gorgeous
Paul Craig Roberts celebrates Christmas while recalling that "people were able to fight for liberty because Christianity empowered the individual" and lamenting that "we now have a police state." He notes that "Liberty is a human achievement. We have it, or had it, because those who believed in it fought to achieve it." And he concludes that "There is not much that we can do about [the current] assaults [on our Constintutional rights], but we should not through ignorance enable the assaults," and finally wonders if "[a]s the West sinks into tyranny, will Western peoples defend their liberty and their souls, or will they sink into the tyranny, which again has raised its ugly and all devouring head?"
------------------------------
*The Greatest Gift for All — Paul Craig Roberts*
------------------------------
December 23, 2013 | Original Here Go
here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter
Dear Readers, thank you for your support in 2013. Although you have kept me
working past retirement age, I find it encouraging that there are some
Americans who can think independently and who want to know. As Margaret
Mead said, it only takes a few determined people to change the world.
Perhaps some of you will be those people.
My tra... more »
Will China Attack Taiwan? Yes, of course, if it wants to
*An egret lands.*
This week Beijing called for an exchange of media offices with Taipei. This
means that a bunch of reporters, many pro-Beijing, will go to Beijing from
Taiwan, and a bunch of espionage agents, political warfare specialists, and
propaganda experts will come to Taiwan from China. The always hilarious
propagandists of Beijing piously observed:
Zhang Zhijun, the director of Taiwan Affairs Office under the State
Council, told a forum organized by Beijing's CCTV for Chinese and Taiwanese
media that Beijing is more than willing to speed such exchanges, adding
that he ho... more »
The world's BIGGEST blog - day 2
[image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VY_Canis_Majoris]VY Canoris Major,
very volatile, the largest star in the known universe, this is it venting
gas and plasma. If it was dropped into the solar system its surface would
reach the orbit of Saturn.
THE FILM HATED BY THE RICH ELITE
*It's a Wonderful Life.*
The 1946 film *It’s a Wonderful Life *was hated by the rich elite.
In this film, a banker called Henry Potter is portrayed as a greedy and
evil thief.
The rich elite, and the FBI, labeled the film as possible 'communist'
propaganda.
*It’s a Wonderful Life’ alleged Communist propaganda: the FBI files and
HUAC hearings*
*Banker Henry Potter (seated)*
Among the most powerful people who tried to present the film as 'communist'
was the American fascist friend of the elite known as *Ayn Rand*.
Ayn Rand did not believe in the Christian idea of sacrificing ones... more »
The Scottish Threat Environment: Insecurity, Fears and Independence
This article is cross posted from the Scottish Global Forum. In this form
it is slightly modified and hyperlinked. The Nature of Threats to Scotland
In March of 2015, a cry goes out in the town centre, everyone reacts
quickly. Valuables are hidden underground; women and children are stored
in hideaways to be kept safe
Continue reading
The #ChristmasMyths #7: Why December 25?
*Part of a continuing series looking at the pagan origins of the Christmas
Myths,1 one day at a time. Today, the reason we celebrate on December 25 …*
As every child knows, Christmas falls on December 25th every year. Every
year.
But is it because it says so in the Bible? Hell no!
The early Christian churches who did observe the Nativity2 celebrated it
sometimes in May, sometimes in April, occasionally in January. So clearly
they had no clue when legend had it their Saviour was born.
Nor did they know even *which year* he was supposed to have been born, the
celebrated census cau... more »
Quantum gravity and afterlife
Afterlife in quantum gravity might be a natural topic for this year's
Christmas Eve, a blog post that follows one on the elixir of youth. ;-)
Even though the combination of the quantum gravity and afterlife keywords
returns over 350,000 Google hits, it's a topic that hasn't been discussed
on the part of the blogosphere we know, not even by the "most audacious"
commenters.
*This guy (just another Jew, as I was taught by my PhD adviser) was or
wasn't resurrected 1980 or 1983 years ago. Just to be sure, he was born
during Christmas – exactly 2014-2019 years ago – and died during East... more »
On June 13 , 2013 , 6-foot tsunami that hit near New Jersey nuclear plant may be first of its kind in U.S. — People injured, swept out to sea by wave detected as far as Puerto Rico — NOAA said continental shelf may have slumped, now suspects ‘atmospheric event’ ....... Note this was completely uncovered by major media , just getting some coverage in science related newsletters and science meeting during late Fall 2013 !
http://enenews.com/6-foot-tsunami-that-hit-near-new-jersey-nuclear-plant-may-be-first-of-its-kind-in-u-s-people-injured-swept-out-to-sea-by-wave-detected-as-far-as-puerto-rico-noaa-said-continental-shelf-may-hav
2014
Ocean Sciences Meeting — CODAR Ocean Sensors & Rutgers
University,
Dec. 14, 2013: Tsunamis are generally thought of as low-frequency waves
that are generated by an underwater disturbance be it an earthquake or
landslide. A tsunami can also be generated by an atmospheric disturbance
such as a rapid pressure change. These tsunamis are referred to as
meteotsunamis because ... more »
The Christmas Truce of 1914
A moment of sanity amidst the infinite stupidity of war.
In the end, we have more in common with the furthest flung foreign common
man than the closest corporate-fascists that presume dominion over our
lives. If only the British & Germans realized it was the greed of their own
banking houses that had them in the trenches and not some irreconcilable
difference amongst themselves... Knowledge is power, ignorance literally
can mean death. When will we start being leaders in our homes, communities,
counties, and provinces - driving our own destiny rather than being
driven?
....
Time For A Joni Mitchell-Morrissey Story
Like Obama's, this was a tough year for Morrissey. When his band wasn't
being food poisoned at gigs, he was in the hospital with serious health
problems. He was forced to cancel so many concerts that he lost the ability
to get tour insurance. On the other hand his book, *Autobiography* entered
the British charts at #1 and sold more copies its first week than Keith
Richards' did. The year started with Morrissey stepping into a political
controversy, telling an interviewer he had toyed with the idea of voting
for England's version of the Tea Party, UKIP. "I nearly voted for Ukip. I
... more »
Mistaken Gender: 5-Alpha Reductase Hermaphroditism and Biological Reductionism in Sexual Identity Reconsidered
Another for the reference library. Also.. a bit too close to home, the way
some were treated.
Mistaken Gender: 5-Alpha Reductase Hermaphroditism and Biological
Reductionism in Sexual Identity Reconsidered Gilbert Herdt, Academic Room
2012
Hermaphroditic infants are sex-assigned as *kwolu-aatmwol*, not as male.
Those assigned as female are mistaken as normal females. Hermaphrodism is
regarded as a sad and mysterious quirk.
The *kwolu-aatmwol*, unless distinguished as a shaman or war leader, is
quietly disparaged. Yet several *kwolu-aatmwol* are well known in local
history, and one... more »
The Boy
When he's not occupied by his fascination for trains or ride-on lawn
mowers, charming the ladies with his deep blue eyes or playing the part of
a GQ junior model, the boy just loves to relax of course. Merry Christmas,
son. Daddy loves you.
Who is Watching the President...? - Part 3849
This is a good one.
Bare in mind, the woman on the left is the Commander in Chief of the
Arizona National Guard, commanding 5,206 troops and a total of 7,627 men at
arms during this conversation.
And none of them like him very much.
They just had a liberal congresswoman shot in the head over there.
*This is not safe.*
Expert evidence
Cinar Corporation v. Robinson 2013 SCC 73:
[49] For expert evidence to be admitted at trial,
it must (a) be relevant; (b) be necessary to assist the trier of fact; (c)
not offend any exclusionary rule; and (d) involve a properly qualified
expert (*R. v. Mohan*, [1994] 2 S.C.R. 9). These criteria apply to trials
for copyright infringement, as they do in other intellectual property cases:*Masterpiece
Inc. v. Alavida Lifestyles Inc.*, 2011 SCC 27, [2011] 2 S.C.R. 387, at
para. 75.
[50] The Cinar appellants argue that the second
crit... more »
Agreement expert qualified to give opinion evidence does not add weight to expert's opinion
R. v. Strickland, 2013 NLCA 65:
[18] The issue regarding expert evidence as argued on the appeal did
not extend to all aspects of the test for admissibility of expert evidence
as set out in *R. v. Mohan*, 1994 CanLII 80 (SCC), [1994] 2 S.C.R. 9 [1994]
S.C.J. No. 36 ("*R. v. Mohan*"). *R. v. Mohan* requires the trial judge
to consider four criteria: (i) relevance, (ii) necessity in assisting the
trier of fact, (iii) the absence of an exclusionary rule, and (iv) a
properly qualified expert. It was criterion (iv), whether Constable
Emberley was a properly qualified expert, on... more »
Christmas 2013: Christmas and Civil Society
*Merry Christmas friends. Nice weather here, cloudy everyday, brief rain
showers sometimes in the afternoon. Wish you nice vacation. Me, have
articles to edit, and a PH economic review to submit before the year end.
Am not complaining, I like writing. Cheers, and merry Christmas once again.*
I posted that message in my fb wall yesterday, thanks to 80+ likes from
friends, plus comments. My two girls complained yesterday why I could not
join them and their mama in the malls, well I was stuck in the office. But
no complains. J
I left the office 7pm yesterday, dinner, then I drove the ... more »
I09 picks Upstream Color as top film of 2013
My review is way better eh! However I09 is the leading Sci Fi site on the
web and it gives me some satisfaction
when their learned opinion agrees with mine. Upstream color was also my
runner up for movie of the year. Certainly if I was choosing Sci Fi movie
of the year it would be hands down,
This year its going to be hard to beat Gravity. Its not a great sci fi
movie but its a very well made movie that knows how to tug on the old
emotions.
Gail Collins on Chris Christie's Internet gambling vision: "This cannot possibly be a step in the right direction"
*"Earlier this year, Governor Christie signed a bill legalizing Internet
gambling in New Jersey. The idea was to help resuscitate the Atlantic City
economy and raise a projected $150 million in tax revenue. Very few people
believe the state will really make that much, but the number did help
Christie to run for re-election waving what appeared to be a balanced
budget."*
*-- Gail Collins, in her NYT column*
"Candy Crush and Mr. Christie"
*by Ken*
Gail Collins, it seems, has some forebodings about the sociopolitical
vision of a certain governor of a state tucked between New York and... more »
Phil Robertson Returning To Duck Dynasty as A& E and Cracker Barrel quickly beat a retreat.... Whether you like the Show or Phil Robertson , a message to take away is that the threat of a serious protest directed to corporate interests ( and which the corporate interests deem serious ) , will cause folks to back up and back away ....Whether it's the " Endless War Policies " , NSA spying , Bankster plundering , excessive governmental inrusions such ObamaCare - Americans need to do more than whine - boycotts the corporate and political interests pushing thes policies and they will back away from them if the financial and political pain is substantial enough...
- Phil Robertson Returning To Duck Dynasty
-
[image: The Alex Jones Channel][image: Alex Jones Show podcast][image:
Prison Planet TV][image: Infowars.com Twitter][image: Alex Jones'
Facebook][image: Infowars store]
*Robert Rich*
Microconservative.com
December 23, 2013
It has now been revealed that Phil Robertson will be returning to Duck
Dynasty on January 15. A&E said they have no plans to fire the star.
Image: Phil Robertson (YouTube).
It appears as though the war on Phil Robertson and his freedoms of free
speech and religions aren’t quite so savage. Although *A&... more »
Wut We's Got's To Do
My point about the lack of a response to the TTC fare increase was that I,
who have been told several times that my plans are too grandiose, am
pointing out the sheer invisibility of the standard leftist response to
problems. If I had my druthers, I'd be organizing a transit-users' strike,
or an occupation of City Hall and Queen's Park, until said powers-that-be
find the goddamned revenues from out of their tax-cuts for the rich or
their general corruption funds, to pay for the existing service levels and
to invest the billions more that are needed to restore the system to a
state o... more »
Now why would Nick Clegg push that line?
It is reported that Nick Clegg has issued a warning that he won't accept
any further curbs on immigration from the European Union.
How ridiculous, until you remember that his EU pension is, at least, partly
dependant on his not going against the EU's interests.
Whatever It Takes
You would think that Stephen Harper's recent troubles might spur a little
self examination. Not so. Jeffrey Simpson writes:
Instead of rethinking, the Prime Minister has doubled down on his long-term
strategy, which depends on polarizing the electorate and identifying and
mobilizing the Conservative vote. He reshuffled his cabinet to add younger
ministers of the same type as the more experienced ones: hard-edged
communicators and sharp-elbowed partisans. He regrouped people in his
office and at party headquarters who are unreserved loyalists. There are no
even mildly discordant vo... more »
NOT SO HOLY LAND
Richard Falk, who is a professor Emeritus of international law at Princeton
University, was appointed in 2008 to a six-year position as the UN’s
special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian
territories.
Falk is catching hell from the Obama administration and other Israeli
allies. I say good for Richard Falk for just telling the truth about the
current plight of the Palestinian people.
Conniving CONs . . .
THE
SENATE HOO-HA'S origins, as seen by my friend Scanner, who I believe
has created an accurate account of how things came to be. I wish the
RCMP every success, good luck and good weasel-hunting.
I have written this before but in light of SJH's unequivocal answer to
the question whether he was aware at the time of a plan to have the
Conservative party reimburse Mike Duffy for his
Pope's Mass: Our souls should not have a 'do not disturb' sign
Video Title: Pope's Mass: Our souls should not have a 'do not disturb'
sign. Source: romereports. Date Published: December 23. Description:
December 23, 2013. In his daily morning Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis
talked about what it really means to prepare for Christmas. Amid all the
parties and celebrations, he said, there must be room for God.
The #ChristmasMyths #6: The Slaughter of the Innocents
*Part of a continuing series looking at the pagan origins of the Christmas
Myths,* one day at a time. Today, the story and pagan origins of the story
of King Herod’s slaughter of every child under two…*
[image: File:0 Le Massacre des Innocents d'après P.P. Rubens - Musées
royaux des beaux-arts de Belgique (2).JPG]*Massacre of the Innocents*,
Peter Paul Rubens
The story is familiar enough in the telling. The infant is put in danger by
the ruler’s fear that the new baby will usurp his reign:
A heavenly voice whispered to the foster father … and told him to fly with
the child across... more »
Why The Inland Empire Congressional Race Is In The National Spotlight This Year
If you're a Blue America member, you already saw the letter we sent out
from Eloise Reyes, the progressive running to win the bluest seat in
America held by a Republican, CA-31, the Inland Empire (San Bernardino,
Uplands, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Loma Linda, Colton). A typical DCCC
misstep-- backing an empty suit who is too conservative for the district,
Pete Aguilar-- cost the Democrats this D+5 district in 2012. Aguilar was
beaten by *two* Republicans and because of him there was no Democrat on the
general election ballot when Obama beat Romney 57-41%. Instead, the
district ... more »
Is the real world?
...not one book ...not one painting.I don't think
it's a coin toss
between love or fear,
I think it's a myth
that we are.
We never are,
until the moment
of our death,
happy.
Tonight,
a dream?
Apocalyptic Planet
Craig Childs is a nature writer and globetrotting adventure hog. He’s been
thinking a lot about apocalypse lately. It’s hard not to. The jungle
drums are pounding out a growing stream of warnings — attention! — big
trouble ahead.
The Christian currents in our culture encourage us to perceive time as
being something like a drag strip. At one end is the starting line
(creation), and at the other end is the finish line (judgment day). We’re
speeding closer and closer to the end, which some perceive to be the final
Game Over for everything everywhere. Childs disagrees. “We are n... more »
Quiz: Radio 4 presenter anagrams
As every website seems to feel the need to do a Christmas quiz, here's one
for you tonight.
Can you unscramble the following anagrams of BBC Radio 4 presenters?
1. Dire media (5,4)
2. Hoard clerics (7,5)
3. Aha, me using jet! (5,8)
4. A rotund red swot (6,8)
5. I shun Islam? Ha! (6,6)
The answers lie in the comments section below.
Hard things to think Aboot
Canadian Voters take note.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-12-23/former-goldman-banker-head-cmhc-canadas-mortgage-monster
If the wolf is not at the door, is it in your bedroom?
The Maned Wolf - a lesson in deductive dentition
This is a South American canid, the Maned Wolf.
[image: File:Maned Wolf 11, Beardsley Zoo, 2009-11-06.jpg]
This "dog" is a true omnivore, not unlike homo sapiens. It supplements a
diet of meat (frogs, fish, lizards and other small game) with fruit,
tubers, and sugarcane. These supply up to 51% of its diet. It does not do
well in captivity without vegetable foods, In the wild it is susceptible to
infestation by the Giant Kidney Worm (*Dioctophyme renale)**, *a
potentially lethal roundworm it is exposed to by eating fish. It prefers
the fruit of the Wolf Apple (*Solanum lycocarpum*) o... more »
Juventud eterna, ya a la venta?
Conjunto compuesto anti-edad para ensayos en humanos después de dar vuelta
el reloj para ratones
Profesor Nueva Gales del sur en Estados Unidos revierte los indicadores
clave del envejecimiento para hacer two-year-old ratones aparecen seis
meses de edad
Investigadores australianos y estadounidenses esperan un compuesto
anti-ageing podría ser probado en seres humanos tan pronto como el próximo
año, tras un avance clave que vio el proceso de envejecimiento invertido en
ratones.
El estudio, que incluyó la Universidad de Harvard y la Universidad de NSW,
descubrió una manera de rest... more »
The Infinite Monkey Cage
I do rather like Radio 4's *The Infinite Monkey Cage*.
It's a robustly pro-science programme in the network's overwhelmingly
arts-dominated schedule and almost every edition features *bona
fide*scientists sharing their insights with the listening public. The
results
can often be fascinating and informative and the programme has covered a
vast range of scientific fields over the course of its nine series.
Today's edition, for example, featured immunologist Dr Sheena
Cruickshank
of Manchester University. She specialises in parasitic worms and shared
something that I found very inter... more »
Death of a Gunsmith: Mikhail Kalashnikov 1919 - 2013
What a legacy he has. Kalashnikov often expressed regret at the killing
power he had unleashed. However he put the blame squarely on failed
leadership not good design. Because of the perfection of the 1946 design
who can say how many have been made, but well over 100 million for sure.
Sixty eight years later it remains to be the gold standard in assault
rifles.
"The deadliest weapon in the world is an American Marine and his rifle"
-General Black Jack Pershing
1918
It was not until 1962 that US Marines were issued a modern assault r... more »
Duty of disclosure and presiding Justice of the Peace in provincial regulatory matters
R. v. Ul-Rashid, 2013 ONCA 782 grants leave to the Court of Appeal to
decide whether the Crown must ensure disclosure have been provided,
regardless of request, and the presiding Justice must inquiry as to such
delivery, for provincial regulatory matters. Additionally leave is granted
to review the scope of assistance required of the presiding Justice for an
unrepresented accused.
Quaere, should not an unrepresented accused have some burden to investigate
the nature of their rights before and during trial?
The Court holds:
[42] The applicant raises the issue of whether a... more »
Turkey: Halkbank - Role in Iran Gold Transactions Legal
*Ht anonymous commenter!*
*UPDATED BELOW *
Pertinent background:
**Turkish PM Erdogan threatened/challenged by Fethullah Gulen?*
**Turkey & Ukraine afflicted with EU/ private banking/business parasites*
As usual I will highlight the interesting bits. * Halkbank Says Role in
Iran Gold Legal After CEO Arrest*
Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS (HALKB),* the state-run bank* that slumped 19
percent since a graft probe implicating four ministers erupted last week,
said it has acted lawfully after police arrested its chief executive
officer.
*Payments made by the bank on behalf of companies ex... more »
And Some Songs, You Just Feel in Your Soul...
Gov't Mule, “Forevermore”
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YFgSwmRww
This Time The Sex Predator Is A Democrat-- Well A Certain Type Of Democrat… Meet Dennis Gabryszak
Gabryszak-- from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party
Poor New York state Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak. Not many people outside
of Buffalo (and Albany) ever heard of him until he entangled himself in a sexual
harassment scandal that's ending his political career. So now all they know
about him is that the 62 year old Democrat from Cheetowaga is that he's
married with 2 children and that he was hitting on young female staffers--
at least 5 so far-- to a point behind merely creepy. He brought one woman,
in her 20s to a massage parlor within 2 weeks of hiring her and he had a
hab... more »
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