Sunday, January 05, 2014

5 Jan - Blogs I'm Following

English: Shrine in Chiang MaiEnglish: Shrine in Chiang Mai (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Tuk-tuk used as a police vehicle. Pho...English: Tuk-tuk used as a police vehicle. Photo taken at Tapae Gate during the Sunday Evening Walking Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Deutsch: Ein Chinnaraje Lanna (Polizeiausführung) am Tapae Gate in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Anciant walls around Chiang MaiAnciant walls around Chiang Mai (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: A street in Chiang Mai CityEnglish: A street in Chiang Mai City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Moat surround Chiang Mai town -- Chiang Mai, T...Moat surround Chiang Mai town -- Chiang Mai, Thailand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tuk-tuk waiting for passengers in Chiang MaiTuk-tuk waiting for passengers in Chiang Mai (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
10:02am MST

SPACE ALERT

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 minute ago
- I am beginning work on our next Global Network Space Alert! newsletter. Articles are coming in from around the globe - it's always a great learning experience for me as I pull these various strands together and make some sense of the greater Pentagon and Space Command strategy of global dominance through space control. Hope to have it printed and mailed by the third week of January. - Sung-Hee Choi has posted the latest Jeju prisoner information this morning on the No Naval Base on Jeju Facebook page. It reads: Mr. Yang Yoon-Mo (Prison #301) hits 3... more »

Thailand: Regime's "Red Shirts" Attack Protesters

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 16 minutes ago
Regime directly controls "red shirt" enforcers, is directing violence and intimidation as it clings to power. *January 5, 2014* (ATN) - Regime "red shirts" attacked peaceful protesters in the northern city of Chiang Mai today, as thousands of fellow protesters marched simultaneously in Bangkok. Thailand's English paper Bangkok Post would report in their article, "Reds attack Chiang Mai protesters," that: Anti-government protesters were intercepted and attacked by red shirt supporters while staging a reform-before-election campaign in Chiang Mai's Muang district on Sunday. The rep... more »

Unsealed: Alien Files.... Seriously?

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 27 minutes ago
While searching for something interesting to watch, I stumbled across a program called *Unsealed: Alien Files* and my only comment is, “Seriously?” This is one of the reasons that we have trouble getting science and journalism to take UFO reports seriously. It is one of the reasons that so many people have so little time for UFOs or who believe those seeing UFOs are deluded. This program, in the guise of a documentary, was filled with every half-baked idea, every conspiracy theory associated with UFOs, and every lousy piece of evidence available. It was horrendous. What surprised m... more »

Historic cold described as a polar vectors places much of US in a deep freeze ! Paging Victor Fries !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 51 minutes ago
- - - - - - - - Mr Freeze is in control .......... A 'Polar Vortex' Is Charging Toward The US, Bringing A Historic Cold Outbreak http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-05/jfk-shuts-down-after-plane-skids-ice-skating-rink-runway-entire-nation-blanketed-sub JFK Shuts Down After Plane Skids Off "Ice Skating Rink" Runway: Entire Nation Blanketed In Subzero Deep Freeze [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/05/2014 09:35 -0500 - Fail - Las Vegas - National Weather Service - New York... more »

Pearson's aimsweb Behavior Module

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 hour ago
If you like Pearson's DIBELS-style nonsense reading test for young children, you are sure to find a place for Pearson's Behavior Module for turning children in test-passing robots. Like Pearson's other product lines in the *aimsweb* suite, it is entirely web-based so that your children's records can be stored for as long as there is a reason to manipulate their data and their lives. With aimsweb Behavior control system, you can begin keeping seamless records in pre-K for every behavior infraction, regardless of how small. You can also get extra help (or entirely creeped out) in we... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 hour ago
*Saints' surprises: Run game and road win ~Mike Triplett, ESPN* *Sunday-Monday freeze watch for southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge ~Mark Schleifstein* *Why we should have incarcerated BP execs and confiscated all their US assets when their oil spilled ~Richard Thompson* *James Gill; Songwriter changes tune on plantation plans ~New Orleans Advocate*

Minister for Propaganda.

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 1 hour ago
Harry Patch, the last surviving British veteran of World War One on World War One: When the war ended, I don't know if I was more relieved that we'd won or that I didn't have to go back. Passchendaele was a disastrous battle thousands and thousands of young lives were lost. It makes me angry. Earlier this year, I went back to Ypres to shake the hand of Herr Kuentz, Germany's only surviving veteran from the war. It was emotional. He is 107. We've had 87 years to think what war is. To me, it's a licence to go out and murder. Why should the British government call me up and take me out... more »

I wonder if Secretary Duncan heard our students’ stories?

Angel Cintron Jr. at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 hour ago
Last spring, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited my school. Following the unfortunate tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook, the purpose of his visit was to meet with students, and staff, to discuss school and gun violence. The video below (4:23 minutes) is a condensed version of the hour-long discussion. The full video (51:36 minutes) […]

How Would You Get People Out In The Streets?

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 hour ago
And what would you do with them once you'd gotten them there? Most leftists don't appear to give much thought to these questions. It's pathological. We imagine that sitting at home, complaining to like-minded friends online or in real life is sufficient. I'll continue to type these little complaints off and on until I'm inspired to write about something different.

Disproportionate Evaluative Rigor and the Three Laws of Data

johnkuhntx at @ THE CHALK FACE - 2 hours ago
I promised in a recent post called The Tyranny of the Datum to write about some guiding standards for appropriate data usage, in the spirit of Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, and I will do that here today. Before I get to that, though, I’d like to briefly discuss–in a general sense–what I see […]

Are Markets Moral?

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 2 hours ago
A good friend from Malaysia, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, posted this in his fb wall today, a forum he attended in Delhi, India. "Are Markets Moral?" My answer is Yes. No one is putting a gun on someone's head to sell or buy something. Competition, not coercion or monopolization, gives more choices, more freedom, more happiness, to people. "In a free enterprise system, do justice and virtue win or lose?" They win. Voluntary exchange, absence of coercion, gives justice to people. The only coercion that must be maintained, is to over-penalize, over-bureaucratize, criminals like murderers, thi... more »

GOP Class Warriors Are Determined To Block Extension Of Unemployment Benefits

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
Here at *DWT*, once we saw Patty Murray and the Senate Dems sacrifice the working poor to the voracious appetite of conservative predators in their shameful compromise with Paul Ryan, we amped up our coverage of the Republican War on the Poor and the Republicans' latest advances in the highly effective class war they've been fighting against America's working familiesfor decades. This isn't just about cutting food stamps, refusing the raise the minimum wage, repealing health insurance for poor families and refusing the extend unemployment insurance for workers thrown out of their j... more »

New Left Blogs December/January

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 3 hours ago
New year. New blogs. 1. A Political Education Network for Labour (Labour) (Twitter) 2. Bilgewatch (Unaligned) 3. BlackAndRedFlag (Unaligned/anarchist) 4. blinking ti.me (Labour) (Twitter) 5. Cllr Danielle Stone (Labour) (Twitter) 6. How Not to Suck at Game Design (Unaligned) (Twitter) 7. Kidbrooke with Hornfair Labour (Labour) (Twitter) 8. Latte Labour (Labour) (Twitter) 9. Pat McCarthy Blog (PeopleFirst) (Twitter) 10. PCS Young Members' Network (PCS) (Twitter) 11. Queer Friends of Chelsea Manning (Unaligned) (Twitter) 12. Revolting Pleb (Unaligned/anarchist) (Twitter) 13. stevencharlesrae... more »

19 Imágenes de personajes del anime - Amazing Art

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 3 hours ago

Freezing independence for the DPP?

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 3 hours ago
*Lotus in the mud...* The DPP made the news last week with party whip Ker Chien-ming calling for the party to "freeze" its independence plank if it wants to return to power. This proposal was greeted with unicorns and rainbows by Beijing, and summarily rejected by the DPP. What a coincidence, eh? That's the same Ker who was the subject of KMT Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng's alleged influence peddling. That MaWangMess focused on Ma's bizarre attempt to oust Wang, and Ker was sort of ignored with the media and political junkies riveted by the spectacle of Ma suffering abject def... more »

The Epic Journey of Gilga-Mike!

Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 4 hours ago
I would like to direct your attention to the adventures of a friend of mine- my soul brother mike. *U*man*Mike* took on the adventure of a lifetime, in the seeking to follow his path where ever it takes him, with no more than a beat up backpack, a guitar, a couple of euro coins and a wholllllllllleeee lotta love in his heart to share everywhere he goes. Mike speaks from the heart, with the deepest kNOWing, and speaks openly, without guile or prettying up the language- my kinda guy!!!! His adventures are being updated whenever he's made some money to drop into an internet cafe and... more »

P.J. and P.H.

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 5 hours ago
Well, Sue, Peter Hitchens agrees with you. And I agree with you both. I rather enjoyed singer P. J. Harvey’s edition of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. It wasn’t that much more Left-wing than it normally is, and I agreed with its strong support for liberty, its dislike of war and its condemnation of torture. It was far more honest and blatant than usual about its bias – which of course makes that bias much easier to resist. The BBC’s real partiality is effective because most people don’t notice it – the careful selection of subjects and guests to exclude some views and help othe... more »

All in the past?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 6 hours ago
There seems to be a pattern emerging. Several senior BBC figures - from Mark Thompson to Helen Boaden - have made various *mea culpas *about BBC bias in recent years. This is all for the good, and shows that those who criticised them for it at the time were right all along. These senior BBC figures, however, always seem to go on to say that such bias, however regrettable, is 'historic', 'a thing of the past', and that the corporation is now getting it about right. This weekend the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson has backed up Helen Boaden's admission of 'liberal' bias over... more »

TPP & Corporate Globalization International Call To Action On 31 January 2014

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 6 hours ago
CALL TO ACTION: January 31 Inter-Continental Day of Action vs TPP & Corporate Globalization. READ: http://www.canadians.org/blog/call-action-january-31-inter-continental-day-action-vs-tpp-corporate-globalization #GMOs #TPP #InterContinentaldayofaction #Mexico #USA #Canada #gmofreeusa #Corporateglobalization #MéxicolibredetransgénicosGMOFreeMexico #gmofreecanada For those in other Lands: *http://inagist.com/all/418588877041844224/*

No more Secrets! Reading your friend's minds?

Imagine one could read your brains? Science fiction or science fact? Dr. Michael Persinger [...]

And now the Shipping Forecast...

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 7 hours ago
For those who were never quite sure exactly where North Utsire and South Utsire are, here's a helpful map courtesy of the Met Office. All together now... Rockall, Malin, Hebrides. Southwest gale 8 to storm 10, veering west, severe gale 9 to violent storm 11. Rain, then squally showers. Poor, becoming moderate.

New Evidence Shows That Organic Soy Is Far Superior To GMO Soy

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 7 hours ago
BREAKING NEWS: New independent peer reviewed study shows that contrary to claims by the GMO industry and the FDA, GM soy is NOT substantially equivalent to non-GM soy. Glyphosate tolerant GM soybeans contain high residues of glyphosate and...its toxic breakdown product AMPA, but conventional and organic soybeans contain none of these agrochemicals, according to the study. The study also found that organic soybeans showed the healthiest nutritional profile. ORGANIC ROCKS! READ: http://gmoevidence.com/dr-t-bohn-glyphosate-accumulates-in-roundup-ready-gm-soybeans/ #soy #gmo #gmo... more »

'BLANKET' JACKSON

Anon at aangirfan - 7 hours ago
*Children of Michael Jackson and property developer Mohamed Hadid. Prince Michael II (Blanket) front. Michael Joseph Jr. (far left), Paris Michael Katherine (center). dailymail. Mohamed Hadid, born in Nazareth, grew up in Damascus and Beirut. His father worked for the CIA's Voice of America in Washington.* Blanket (Prince Michael II) has launched a cartoon series about a young boy avenging the murder of his father. Blanket, who is 12 in February 2014, is named as the writer and creator of the five sketches entitled *Kill Them All*. *Horror show vendetta of Michael Jackson's son ... more »

Earth probably has no dark matter ring

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 7 hours ago
Three days ago, Nude Socialist was probably the first source that mentioned a provocative suggestion. In the article GPS satellites suggest Earth is heavy with dark matter, Anil Ananthaswamy mentions an unpublished proposal voiced by Ben Harris at a recent meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Harris determined the Earth's mass from the trajectories of the satellites and his result was between 0.005 and 0.008 percent higher than a figure of the International Astronomical Union. So he decided that the extra mass is due to a 190-kilometer-thick ring of dark matter surroundin... more »

The first 'Sunday' of 2014

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 8 hours ago
Here are my first impressions about this morning's *Sunday* on Radio 4. The first *Sunday *of 2014 began with an interview between Edward Stourton and the Archbishop of Sudan, Daniel Deng, discussing the descent into chaos of South Sudan - the world's newest nation - after just two and a half years of independence from the Muslim north. Archbishop Deng says it's not a tribal conflict, rather it's a political issue, a power struggle. (That's not quite what I've been reading). He wants the outside world to pressurise both sides. The first Muslim-related story of the year came next.... more »

RSS AMSU 2013: 10th warmest year on record

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 9 hours ago
Roy Spencer et al. claim that 2013 was the fourth warmest year of their 35-year-long satellite era. Their satellite friends/competitors at RSS AMSU which has been my primary source of temperature data since the beginning of this blog seem to disagree. *RSS, 1979-2013, graphics by Mathematica.* According to the RSS AMSU data, 2013 was actually the tenth warmest year – quite a difference for two datasets using "almost" the same methodology. The ranking is summarized by the table below. 01: {1998, 0.55}, 02: {2010, 0.472}, 03: {2005, 0.33}, 04: {2003, 0.32}, 05: {2002, 0.31... more »

Libricide. The Harper Government's Plan to Murder Science.

Dave at The Galloping Beaver - 9 hours ago
How close to home does Harper's plan to transform Canada have to get before it arrives like the grim reaper on your doorstep? It has arrived on mine. Stephen Harper is destroying our scientific libraries. Years ago this country thought well enough of me to end my combat service and to send me off to become a scientist. Admittedly there was an ulterior motive. I would become one of the few

Libertarianism Isn't The Answer To Anything

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 12 hours ago
According to ProgressivePunch's reckoning the 10 Republicans who have bolted their party's House leadership on crucial votes most frequently this session are: *•* Walter Jones (R-NC) *•* Chris Gibson (R-NY) *•* Justin Amash (R-MI) *•* Jimmy Duncan (R-TN) *•* Thomas Massie (R-KY) *•* Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) *•* Mark Sanford (R-SC) *•* Morgan Griffith (R-VA) *•* Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) *•* Tom McClintock (R-CA) Only three could be accurately described as "mainstream conservatives," which is what the Beltway media calls moderates these days, Gibson, LoBiondo and Griffith. The others re... more »

Video Bill Means at AIM West Part 3 of 4

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 13 hours ago
. Indigenous Peoples brought gifts of climate change knowledge and power of matriarchal societies to United Nations Bill Means, Lakota, speaks at AIM West in San Francisco in Nov. 2013. Part 3 By Brenda Norrell Censored News SAN FRANCISCO -- Bill Means, founder of the International Indian Treaty Council, describes the 30 year effort at the United Nations which culminated in the

Obamacare: We laugh to keep from crying...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 13 hours ago
*for sure!*

Who is to blame for the crisis in South Sudan?

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 13 hours ago
The nascent civil war in South Sudan is a product of kleptocratic governance, systemic corruption, and political posturing that has reignited deep ethnic divisions between the nation’s two largest tribal groups. (Nile Bowie - RT) - The world’s youngest nation has been in disarray since December 14th, when sporadic gunfire and skirmishes broke out in the capital, Juba. Shortly after, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir announced that a coup had been attempted by members of his own presidential guard allied with Riek Machar, the ambitious former vice president who was purged in July. ... more »

Some Major Developments In Egypt, Iraq, Syria, And Lebanon: General Sisi Will Run For Presidency, Terrorist Group Isis Is On The Rise But Faces Intense Backlash From Citizens And Fighters Across The Region, Violence In Iraq Reaches Mid-2006 Levels

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 14 hours ago
*1. An excerpt from, "Egypt: Abdul Fattah Al Sissi 'to run for presidency'" Gulf News, January 4:* *Egypt's deputy prime minister and defence minister Abdul Fattah Al Sissi is expected to step down in the coming days to pave the way for his nomination in the upcoming presidential elections, Egyptian media reported.* *Al Wafd* newspaper reported that his exit will be part of a government reshuffle in the second half of January that will also see vice president Ziyad Baha’ Al Deen leave his post. The paper cited "political sources with connections to ruling cirlces", adding that the... more »

2013 in Review -- A Prayer to the Janitor of Lunacy,* Part 6 (and last!): In the words of Dan Quayle, "What a waste it is to lose one's mind"

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
*Exploiting tragedy for a buck; plus Miss America's not American?, "Quote of the Year" winner* *[*TO MEET THE JANITOR OF LUNACY, SEE PART 1]* *Miss America, Missouri-born Nina Davuluri -- zowie!* *by Noah* *THE MINDS OF CORPORATISTS: EXPLOITING TRAGEDY FOR A BUCK* What is it about the corporate mind? How do the idiots who make decisions in our corporations continually get it so wrong, so tasteless and obnoxious? Is it a mediocrity-rising- to-the-corner-office thing? Does the seduction of the perks that come with position make one oblivious? Is that why the Detroit car companies... more »

West Coast radiation 500 times normal, no alert is human rights abuse

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 16 hours ago
Deborah Dupre *Human Rights Examiner* [image: U.S. government's Fukushima radiation coverup, an unspeakable human rights abuse] January 4, 2014 County health experts are "befuddled" about why West Coast radiation levels are at a minimum, five times higher than usual and as high as 500 times normal, according to officials. Government agents, however, continue failing to issue an alert and instead, advise that the heightened level of radiation poisoning is not unsafe for humans, a grave rights abuse. Since July 2012, this reporter has published articles about people on the U... more »

TRACKING DRONE KILLS

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 16 hours ago
Since 2002, the US has launched 461 drone strikes, killing over 3,500 people - 457 of whom were civilians, according to recent research. The strikes occurred in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. The Pentagon recently released its annual report on the use of unmanned systems, which laid out a roadmap - through 2038 - of how the unmanned aerial vehicle program will continue to develop. RT's Meghan Lopez talks about the UAV program's past and future with Mary Ellen O'Connell, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, and Abraham Wagner, an adjunct professor of international and pub... more »

The New York Crimes And The Washington Ghost Support Al-Qaeda Terrorism In Lebanon

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 17 hours ago
*The Angry Arab - From the Washington Post: or how to make readers sympathetic to a car bomb:* "The bombing in the Shiite neighborhood of Haret Hreik, *which is controlled by Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement*". What does "controlled" mean? And does Amal, which has a most powerful presence there, also control the area? And what about those Shi`ites and atheists and non-Shi`ites who live there: are they also "controlled" by Hizbullah? *The Angry Arab - You tell me: does this language justify the bombing of civilians? From the New York Times:* "*While the neighborhood is residential*, *... more »

Thinking About Food in the Coming Year

theozarker at The Conflicted Doomer - 18 hours ago
January 4, 2014 Image courtesy of Simon Howden/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net Yesterday afternoon, my friends, Kathi and Mary, took me on what turned out to be a most excellent adventure. After taking me to pick up my medications, they treated me to … Continue reading →

Why does FREQUENCY have an impact on our health?

Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 18 hours ago
A great article by my amazing friend Vera about the impact of frequencies on our health. Please click the on the link below to go to Vera's site to watch the video included in the article (that for some reason I couldn't get to embed here, lol) Love D http://scenar4u.blogspot.com/2014/01/why-does-frequency-have-impact-on-our.html Sunday, 5 January 2014Why does FREQUENCY have an impact on our health? A UNIVERSAL TRUTH We are all interconnected at the most fundamental level of being and consciousness. Cosmic interstellar to intracellular - Resonant frequencies William Brown, a mo... more »

Boeing Saga Ends with 51% Favoring Revised Contract

Kenneth Thomas at Middle Class Political Economist - 18 hours ago
As I argued last month, the Puget Sound area of Washington state was easily the best place, from a strictly economic point of view, for Boeing to build its new 777x jetliner. This was confirmed when, despite the rejection of its union contract offer by a 2:1 margin and opening an auction for a new facility, Boeing came back to the union with a second contract offer (h/t *New York Times*). Yesterday, by a 51-49 margin, workers voted to accept the contract. The new contract ends the company's pension plan in favor of a 401(k), although it does not "affect the pensions already accrued... more »

Cheese it, it's the Kosher Kops!

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 19 hours ago
*Is this bread kosher or not? Only the rabbi can say.* *by Ken* Sometimes I wonder what people outside the Jewish faith make of the truly nutty system of dietry prescriptions and (especially) *proscriptions* known as *kashrut*, or that which is "kosher." Oh, there was indeed once a logic to advising caution with regard to animal products like pork and shellfish, but those were overcome with attention to sanitation, improved harvesting, and regulation -- all without recourse to anything resembling Divine Imperative. And where it all turns truly nutty is in the fanatical separation... more »

"Do you want to pass along your apologies for this terrible joke?"

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 19 hours ago
It's been a fair while since I've listened to Radio 4's *Chain Reaction*but as ChrisH at *Biased BBC *said there were some funny things in it I thought I'd give it a go. I won't re-mount my 'left-wing Radio 4 comedians' hobby horse - despite the interview's political turn with interviewee Frankie Boyle discussing his hunger strike in support of Shaker Aamer, the Saudi last British resident in Guantanamo Bay, and (with interviewer Kevin Bishop's help) and his mockery of Alex Salmond and other pro-independence Scots. After all, it wouldn't be a Radio 4 6.30pm comedy programme if lef... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 19 hours ago
*Why Do Foles Fall In Lava? ~moosedenied*

Secure, Contain, Protect...

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 19 hours ago
I should have mentioned earlier the winner of the SCP-2000 contest (which I didn't realise was based around a science fiction theme) is this, not my favourite but still good. It's similar to a counter-factual that William Burroughs and Brion Gysin often discussed, that modern humans have been around for half a million years, but modern civilisation only six thousand years. There has been, it seems, ample time, for more than one civilisation to rise up, fall down and fade into the faintest of memories.

Sharon O'Donnell and Jumping the Gun

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 19 hours ago
Politics is a rum business. That's why you have to make sure criticisms of your opponents are grounded in fact and take the whole view, not just the bits you find convenient. Unfortunately, occasionally something can catch you unawares. You spot a piece that sounds plausible, undermines government spin about a foolish, flagship policy and you share it with your Twitter chums. It goes viral and you bask for a minute in the smug glow of self-satisfaction. Then something starts pulling at you. You go through what looked like a good demolition when, in fact, it's a shoddy piece of supp... more »

Target has a new problem - More trouble for Target after 40,000 gift cards sold over the holidays fail to work ! This occurs as the massive debit and credit card debacle is still an unsolved crime !

Catharsis Ours - 20 hours ago
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531660/MORE-trouble-Target-40-000-gift-cards-sold-holidays-not-properly-activated.html More trouble for Target after 40,000 gift cards sold over the holidays fail to work - Target failed to scan the correct barcode on thousands of gift cards - - Shoppers being told the cards have no value when at the check out - - Target urged shoppers to seek help in-store or by calling the number on the back of their gift card - - It comes 10 days after the store suffered a major data breach, leaving hackers to get their hands o... more »

The Grating Magpie

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 20 hours ago
Some sounds really set my nerves on edge. One is the sound of magpies in spring and summer. Their harsh, grating cackle makes me think of machine gun fire. With that thought comes an association of magpies with viciousness and murder. Many's the early summer morning when I've awoken to the sound of that cackle and the subsequent squawks of panic, desperation and fear from other, smaller birds as their myriad babies face butchery at the sharp beaks of raiding magpies. Yes, I know that's anthropomorphic, sentimental, irrational twaddle on my part, and that I - a grown man - should be ... more »

FRIENDS OF SIR JIMMY SAVILE

Anon at aangirfan - 20 hours ago
*1.* Sir Jimmy Savile is known to have had dinner with* Admiral Sir Michael Boyce*, Chief of the UK Defence Staff at the time of 9 11. ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/) *Admiral Sir Michael Boyce and General Tommy Franks* *2.* Savile visited Israel in 1975 to advise *Israel's President Ephraim Katzir* on a matter of security. Savile addressed the cabinet of Menachem Begin. Savile was also a friend of President Sadat's wife. (JIMMY SAVILE FIXED IT FOR ISRAEL). *Begin, Sadat, Katzir* *3. *Savile spent 11 consecutive Christmases at the home of *Margaret Thatcher.* *Margaret Thatch... more »

John Friend on Inside the Eye - Live! w/ Dennis Fetcho

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 20 hours ago
I was a guest on Dennis Fetcho's radio program *Inside the Eye - Live!*this morning during the second hour. We talked about a lot of different subjects, including *the recent ADL attack on yours truly*, the *fake "Holocaust" narrative of WWII*, and media manipulation. You can download the program *here*.

Bringing Qatar Down A Notch or Two: Egypt Summons Qatar's Ambassador

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 20 hours ago
Population of Qatar: 2 million. Population of Egypt: 84 million. Qatar is upset with Egypt's political decisions? Too bad. Qatar: Kindly Shut The Fuck Up. If you love the Muslim Brotherhood so much then make them your rulers in your neck of the woods and leave the Egyptian people and nation alone to decide their fate. Don't act like war can't be brought to your doorstep and don't pretend that you live in some kind of oasis in the middle of hell. An excerpt from, *"Egypt summons Qatari envoy after criticisms of crackdown"* Reuters, January 4: *Egypt's foreign ministry summoned... more »

Cleverness Sends Us (All of Us) Over the Edge (Yay, Neanderthals?)

Don't you just hate it when you miss a good book? I know I do (take a look at one I'm currently kicking myself over). All hominids have African ancestors. Some of them migrated to Asia, where Neanderthals first walked onto the stage. Some Neanderthals moved to Europe maybe 300,000 years ago, where they hung out in cool temperate forests. Their primary weapon was a heavy thrusting spear

Live from Planet BBC...

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 20 hours ago
Radio 4's Immigration: Good for Whom? was billed by the BBC as a debate between "two leading liberal thinkers" - Prof Paul Collier of Oxford University and David Goodhart of the centre-left Demos think tank - and Nazek Ramadan of Migrant Voices and Susie Symes, Chair of the Museum of Immigration and Diversity. It was hosted by *The World Tonight*'s Ritula Shah. It was wholly predictable that it would be a classic BBC discussion, "neatly balanced between two wary left-wing supporters of mass immigration and two enthusiastic left-wing supporters of mass immigration." And so it prov... more »

What Mattered This Week?

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 21 hours ago
Last time here before the big move... I'm certainly on board with Greg Sargent's comments this week that the spin over the first few days of ACA exchange plans kicking in doesn't matter. As far as what does matter on this holiday week...I'm sort of thinking that Kerry's continuing press on Israel/Palestine might matter. How, I'm not sure. And perhaps it doesn't really...very hard to tell. But I'll go with that one. What do you have? What do you think mattered this week?

Ripley’s Botched Attack on Ravitch: A Euro Is Not a Dollar

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 21 hours ago
In December 2011, writer Amanda Ripley published a post in which she tried hard to discredit education historian Diane Ravitch’s claim that the US poverty level is a factor in the 2009 PISA rankings. Even though Ripley’s piece is over two years old, I only read it yesterday. In her smug attempt to discredit Ravitch’s interpretation of […]

How to Help the Working Poor

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 21 hours ago
Click here to read my column in Sunday's* NY Times*.

A note from an administrator on new bathroom policies. Hilarity.

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 21 hours ago
I give it to you in all its glory. And I will emphasize what particular gem, whereby students checking in and out of the bathroom helps meet a common core standard (or CCS). Who knew that every thing I do on a daily basis, from taking a leak to brushing my teeth, could be applied […]

LAND OF SCRIPT: What should Schieffer do?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 22 hours ago
*SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014* *Epilogue—Inventing the script about Rice:* It’s stunning to see the way our upper-end, elite “journalism” works. The higher up the ladder one goes, the more pathetic the conduct becomes. The more the work is tied to script in this, our nation of script. The more a star’s “journalistic” disasters will be enabled by silence. In September 2012, a powerful script took shape about the attack in Benghazi. In last Sunday’s New York Times, David Kirkpatrick debunked two key parts of that script, while leaving Susan Rice lodged beneath the bus. Kirkpatrick named... more »

THE HUNGER GAMES

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 22 hours ago
- Our Gov. LePage (right-wing Republican corporate hack) is running for reelection on the backs of the poor. He wants to drain "welfare" in order to kill it. In Maine's largest city of Portland the governor has decided to move the state welfare office from the downtown area out near the airport which means folks, already without transportation, will have even more difficulty getting there. Very slimy politics. - It reminds me of when I was attending the University of Florida after getting out of the Air Force. I was using the GI Bill to pay for school... more »

Out of the mouth of a merely far-right-winger comes a cry of pain at the peril from far-far-far-right-wingers in West Virginia

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 22 hours ago
*"Career-long tool of the mining industry" Shelley Moore Capito* *by Ken* As I've mentioned, I sometimes get my best insight into the minds, such as they are, of the far-far-far-right-wingers from the merely far-right-wingers. (Wasn't it Freud who said, "It takes one to know one"?) By now it's no surprise to hear the MFRWs tsk-tsk-ing the FFFRWs. Ever since the screaming insanity of the FFFRWs began reaching deafening proportions during the later years of the reign of "Chimpy the Prez" Bush, the sound finally began to reach the nervous systems of the MFRWs. Among the more prominen... more »

Kate Braun : Waxing Crescent Moon is Time to Set New Goals

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 22 hours ago
Moon Musings: The Waxing Crescent Moon -- which falls on January 4–5, 2014, is a time to set goals for positive changes in your life. Waxing crescent moon. Image from Wikimedia Commons. By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | January 3, 2013 Waxing moons are times to set new goals, recognize new objectives, promote new growth, and set forces in motion to help you achieve these goals, objectives,

Why Aren't Prep Schools Following Corporate Reforms?

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 23 hours ago
Reblogged from Diane Ravitch's blog: This is a terrific article about the elite prep schools and the fact that they do not follow the "reforms" that are now pushed by the U.S. Department of Education, the Gates Foundation, the Broad Foundation, and other corporate reformers. Here are some quotes from the article: Go ahead and […]

Thailand: Civil War is Impossible

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 23 hours ago
But terrorism dressed as "civil war" likely. Vigilance and swift, decisive action against regime's leadership can stop it. *January 4, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci) - The embattled regime of Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra and his substantial Western backers are attempting to hold peace, stability, and the nation's future hostage in order to extort from Thailand the perpetuation of their current grip on power. Chief among their threats is the myth of an impending "civil war." Unfortunately for them, and despite their best efforts, in order to have a "civil war," you must first have a divi... more »

Nashville School Board Backs Away from Pearson Nonsense-Based Reading Test

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 23 hours ago
During the early years of the Reading First corporate feeding frenzy that dumped a cool billion dollars a year into worthless reading programs blessed by crackpot, Reid Lyon, and a handful of his corrupt cronies housed principally at the University of Oregon, a reading assessment called DIBELS became required if your state or city wanted a shot the Reading First grants. It is based, essentially, on counting how many nonsense syllables a child can correctly identify in 60 seconds. Surprise--Pearson has developed its own brand of nonsense based reading assessments marketed under the... more »

Most Distant Galaxy Disproves Palin's Young Universe Theory

Len Hart at The Existentialist Cowboy - 23 hours ago
*by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy* Texas astronomers have utterly disproved Sarah Palin! They have discovered the most DISTANT object in the universe, an object some 13.7 billion light years from earth. The light we see from that galaxy began its journey toward the earth some 13.7 billion years ago. Therefore, Palin's young universe of a mere 6,000 years is false and Palin is unfit to teach a grammar school, let alone, run a nation. Palin believes that the age of the universe is but a mere 6,000 years, a figure that she (or her preacher man) may have concocted by adding up the... more »

Buy your own birth control...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 23 hours ago
*instead of getting "free" birth control after, of course, paying exorbitant monthly premiums and a huge deductible.* Seriously, are people really that stupid? Silly question. We have a world spinning out of control, massive unemployment, completely unsustainable personal and national debt, and all these loons can talk about is the "war on women?" From Doug Ross: Archdiocese of New York: Obamacare exemptions granted to any and all... except those with Judeo-Christian belief No exemption for you, little ladies.

Immaculate conception

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 23 hours ago
Because it's cold outside and the news is stupid.

GUEST no more. Welcome John Kuhn to our lineup!

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 23 hours ago
Revered Superintendent John Kuhn joined our erudite rabble here At the Chalk Face. Let us all welcome him. Check out his author page here and we look forward to JOHN KUHN: Empowering Educators. Tagged: at the chalk face, john kuhn, superintendent

“How Are We Supposed To Live?” Michigan Workers Discover Obamacare Means Impoverishment

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 23 hours ago
[image: Political Outcast] Posted By Mark Horne on Dec 30, 2013 [image: obama pharaoh] NBC does some actual reporting on Obamacare. This is what is happening all over the country. *The 41 employees of Extreme Dodge in Jackson, Mich., are very familiar with trade-ins, but this year they’re learning about trade-offs as they come face to face with the new realities of health care. A few workers say they’re getting a great deal, but most have a severe case of sticker shock.* *“I feel like I’ve been taken to the cleaners,” said Neal Campbell, a salesman.* *The news was presented at... more »

Maui Needs You Help - Ride The GMO Legislation Wave To A Healthier Hawaii

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 day ago
Maui follows Kaua'i's lead: Bill introduced to require disclosure of pesticides & GMOs, as well as buffer zones between GMO crops and schools, medical facilities, daycare facilities and similar operations. Its goal is "to inform the public ...and protect against direct, indirect and cumulative negative health impacts." Maui needs your help: Please email Councilmember Riki Hokama Tell him, as a visitor to Maui - you don't want to be poisoned on your vacation. Ask him to pass the GMO/Pesticide Bill!. Phone calls are even better: to Councilmember Riki Hokama: ask him to bring up C... more »

Could robots soon have brains that function like HUMANS? Computer chip that carries out tasks without being asked - and learns from its mistakes - to go on sale

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 1 day ago
[image: MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories] - *The chip can mimic the human ability for perception, action, and thought* - *It will improve everything from navigation to speech, and facial recognition* - *The chip's memory will function as synapses would in the brain, with processors acting as neurons* - *It could also one day create systems that perform better than humans* By Ellie Zolfagharifard *PUBLISHED:* 07:59 EST, 2 January 2014 Computers are about to enter an age where they can perceive, act and even think for themselves, us... more »

From @johnkuhntx: Ed Reform’s Atari Problem

johnkuhntx at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
My cousin John Michael had the first Atari I ever saw. Not long after, my cousin Philip got one. I went to their houses every chance I got, and while I was there I hogged their video game machines as much as I could. I still remember the spongy feel and new plastic smell of […]

The Devil in the Details

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago
Since American students now rank a dismal 21st in scientific proficiency among their global peers, it should come as no surprise that four in ten American adults do not believe in the evolution of species. According to a recent Pew poll, the number of people denying that human beings slowly evolved over millions of years is about the same as it was four years ago. The main difference is that the belief gap appears to be widening based upon political party affiliation: In 2009, 54% of Republicans and 64% of Democrats said humans have evolved over time, a difference of 10 percentage ... more »

Getting something off her chest

LeDaro at LeDaro - 1 day ago
Lucky Putin. *Russian President Vladimir Putin gets an eye-opening experience as he is confronted by a topless demonstrator with a message written on her back during a tour of the Hanover Fair in Hanover, Germany, on April 8. He was accompanied by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.*NBC. I think Putin is having fun and thinking bring on more. :)

Fukushima nuclear debacle updates - January 4 , 2014 - Completely deficient of Souls Japan and Tepco - note Tepco attempts to fleece employes out of relocation funds ......This follows pimping of the homeless to do deadly Fukushima clean up work - crimal syndicates have their hands in this blood pie as well ( nothing to see here folks , move along ) , sadly the homeless don't even se their full pay ( which is only minimum wage ) as two thirds is skimmed off - and some of the homeles actually wind up in debt through the arrangement ( which is why I call this pimping the homeless ) !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://rt.com/news/fukushima-radiation-water-leak-186/ ‘Duct tape, wire nets’ were used to mend Fukushima water tanks - worker Published time: January 04, 2014 19:47 Get short URL [image: AFP Photo / Kimmasa Mayama] AFP Photo / Kimmasa Mayama Share on tumblr Trends Fukushima nuclear disaster Tags Accident, Japan, Nuclear, Scandal As TEPCO began preparations for the cleaning of the drainage system with tons of leaked radioactive water at the Fukushima power plant,a former employee reveals the reason for so many leaks was cost cutting measures such as using duct tape,Asahi reported. Y... more »

Bitcoin news for January 1 , 2014 - A look back at 2013 , a look ahead !

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
2013 in review..... http://www.coindesk.com/china-cyberspace-bitcoin-2013-in-review/ From China to Cyberspace: Bitcoin’s Year in Review John Law (@scotonomist) | Published on December 31, 2013 at 06:00 GMT | *News* inShare3 Share 54 *Welcome to CoinDesk’s Yearly Review 2013 – a look at the five hottest, most controversial and thought-provoking events in the world of digital currency through the eyes of skepticism and wonder. Your host … John Law.* It is a legal requirement for journalists to write an end-of-year roundup, and John Law is nothing if not law-abiding. One valid set of ... more »

Wounded Knee Photos 1890 -- 1973

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
More photos at Denver Post http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2014/01/02/wounded-knee-1890-1973-photos/

BBC Bias and Normalcy Bias

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
The first weekend *BBC Breakfast* paper review of the year featured the man who is evidently the programme's most regular paper reviewer, Simon Fanshawe. Simon is a writer, broadcaster and Labour Party supporter. He holds strong views and doesn't hold back from expressing them. Take this morning. In the first paper review he began by gloating over Nick Griffin's bankruptcy, denounced the 'Daily Express' as "scandalous" for its reporting of the Romania-Bulgaria immigration story, attacked politicians for jumping on the anti-immigration bandwagon, extolled the economic benefits o... more »
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