10:25pm MDST
America Is Finished: The Slow And Humiliating Death Of The US Dollar
I have been reading the startling reports over the last while of China and Russia's agreement to end their international trade using the US Dollar and instead use their own currencies for trade and commerce... And it seems that other BRICS nations will follow the Russian/Chinese lead and do all of their trading in currencies other than the US dollar as well. This is an unmitigated disaster for the United States and could indeed spell the end of the US dollar as the world's one and only international trading currency since the days of the Bretton Woods agreements of 1944. How bad is... more »
What's Worse, Republican Science Deniers Or Corrupt Transactional Democrats?
Where Does Tom Steyer Get His Targeting Advice? Tom Steyer is a San Francisco billionaire and a dedicated environmental activist. Last year, he spent $11 million helping elect one of the most corrupt corporate whores in American politics, Virginia's new governor, Terry McAuliffe. A few days later, the *Washington Post* reported that Governor McAuliffe has joined a coalition of right-wing, anti-environment governors pushing for off-shore drilling. Steyer may be delighted he helped keep Ken Cucchinelli out of office but his boy McAuliffe joined up with Climate Change deniers Pat McC... more »
Review - Zabada
When Zabada asked me to review some of their products, I was intrigued. Why? Because, their invitation included a video which shows customers how to use their bathroom cleaning system. Now, I'm familiar with microfibers and I'm VERY familiar with cleaning. So I was curious about just what made this cleaning system so unique that customers might benefit from a "how to" video. So, yeah ... the glove is a unique design over the more common flat versions. But after watching the video, I was even more fascinated by their claim that the bathroom glove wouldn't transfer dirt ... even g... more »
Day 4--Bed Delivery, Gym, Dryer, Art work and More
The day started off with me going for a run and quick swim in the pool. Since Kurt fell trail running yesterday, he skipped out since his leg kinda hurt from the cuts. Wuss. :) After that, the people came with our new bed and put it together. It is gorgeous. I love it. Went into town after that to the bank to cash in some money we needed to, and stopped at a place where we can open a PO Box. They gave us an email address to put the request in at, which I did a little bit ago. Hopefully they respond, as I need to order some things from the States and can't right now with no m... more »
John White’s “Statewide Trends” of LEAP Supposed to be Publicized on May 27
When Louisiana State Superintendent John White withheld the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) scores on Friday, May 16, 2014– the day that these scores were supposed to be released, he chose to wait until midday to contact the schools. White offered no reason for the delay. However, by now, it is no secret that scores for White’s pet project, predominately-charter Recovery […]
Biden
The White House Office of the Vice President For Immediate Release May 20, 2014 Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden to Joint United States and Romanian Participants in Carpathian Spring Military Exercise Otopeni Military Airbase Bucharest, Romania THE VICE PRESIDENT: Let me begin by saying, Mr. Minister, thank you, and it’s very hot in here. I was supposed to – I was told it was going to be cooler here, but thank you for the great weather. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s an honor to have a chance to see our militaries work together in this Carpathian Spring Joint Military Exercise. Th... more »
Startling New Report: US Secretly Selling Nuclear Weapons Worldwide Via The Criminal State Of Israel
First, It does seem that I am always apologizing for my absence from this blog... I have been busy the last while with a very grueling work schedule and of course taking care of family matters.... It has therefore meant that this blog has become more of a "side show" and I have not been able to keep up with real world news and putting up articles here... Bear with me, because I am doing my best and I am trying to place articles when I am resting and have the time to do so... I have been doing a lot of catching up on world events today, and I came across a most interesting article ju... more »
MOYERS DENOUNCES OBAMA
Bill Moyers criticized President Barack Obama for his decision to seemingly leave the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the hands of the anti-net neutrality forces he opposed as a candidate. “They believed he would keep his word, would see to it that when private interests set upon the Internet like sharks to blood in the water, its fate would be in the hands of honest brokers who would listen politely to the pleas of the greedy, and then show them the door,” Moyers said of the supporters Obama won when he promised to keep the internet free from corporate influence. “Unfo... more »
Texts in Transition
The mid-thirteenth century saw something rarely known in the annals of the conquerors and the conquered: the re-emergence of written texts in English from amidst a people still ruled by Norman French-speaking aristocrats. Perhaps the rulers were too few in number, or too many had, generations before, taken Saxon wives and raised their children in bilingual households. And yet the English which emerged was not quite the same as the one which had disappeared: it had lost most of its inflectional endings, all noun cases except the genitive, and many of its verb tenses. Instead of ch... more »
My First Day visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum
*That's kind of a pretty design, all those blue tile thingies on this handy wall, don't you think? (Remember about the wall. We'll be coming back to it.)* *by Ken* I know we're supposed to talking about China, and what happened to the confident post-Tiananmen prediction of Jonathan Mirsky and, he says, many other China-watchers, Chinese and foreign, that the days of the People's Republic regime were numbered. But yesterdeay was my First Day free appointment to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and I had to write something for the writing workshop I've been doing, for which I knew I ... more »
Fraction of the Globe in Drought: 1982-2012
The graph above shows the proportion of the planet in drought, by intensity, 1982-2012. The graph comes from a paper in a new *Nature *publication called *Scientific Data *and is open access. You can see it here.
Musical Interlude: Andrea Bocelli, “Con Te Partiro”
*Andrea Bocelli, “Con Te Partiro”* - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAiIQ91UPeo ◆ *English lyrics:* “Con Te Partiro” “Time to Say Goodbye” “When I'm alone I dream on the horizon And words fail; Yes, I know there is no light In a room Where the sun is not there If you are not with me. At the windows Show everyone my heart Which you set alight; Enclose within me The light you Encountered on the street. Time to say goodbye, To countries I never Saw and shared with you, Now, yes, I shall experience them, I'll go with you On ships across seas Which, I know, No, no, exist no longer; With yo...more »
Friday Morning Ramble: Edition #762
*Here’s some of what caught my eye around this week’s traps…* According to local trade unionists, wages rates are higher in Australia because Aussie unionists have better legal protection. And yet, the International Trade Union Confederation reckons protection is better here than in Oz. *Worker rights* – OFFSETTING BEHAVIOUR Not going to “reform” the RMA until after election? But it’s not like National were offering real RMA reform anyway. Just more blancmange. *Resource Management Act Reform* – Amy Adams, BEEHIVE *Property rights urgently needed to allow mineral riches to be sa... more »
Sirian High Council – Awaken to who you are Message to the Ground Crew
Painting of a Moroccan Berber Woman *~Sirian High Council – Awaken to who you are – Message to the Ground Crew~* BY ANNAMERKABA on MAY 22, 2014 *AK note: I have edited the grammar, syntax and wording slightly for readability. It otherwise remains as it was written. This channeling appears to have been posted in haste.* Some of you do not know [who] that you are. You do not consciously understand what significant roles you are playing in the ascension [and] in the changing of the world organizations. For you are not [going] to consciously to know who you are. You are not to revea... more »
Musical Interlude: David Schombert, “A Space Journey”
David Schombert, “A Space Journey” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un5SEJ8MyPc
Free Download: Olaf Stapledon, "Star Maker"
Free Download: "Star Maker" By Olaf Stapledon "Stapledon undertakes the immense task of describing the entire history of life in the universe. It dwarfs in scale even his 1930 book "Last and First Men," which is a history of the human species over two billion years. It tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. The narrator starts with a concern at the clash of ideas on Earth and finds analogies to both communism and fascism among the aliens he visits. A pervading theme is that of progressi... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“The delightful Dark Doodad Nebula drifts through southern skies, a tantalizing target for binoculars in the constellation Musca, The Fly. The dusty cosmic cloud is seen against rich starfields just south of the prominent Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross. Stretching for about 3 degrees across this scene the Dark Doodad seems punctuated at its southern tip (lower left) by globular star cluster NGC 4372. *Click image for larger size.* Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy, a background object some 20,000 light-years away and only by chance along our line-of-s... more »
Chet Raymo, "It"
*"It"* by Chet Raymo "A Howard Nemerov poem might be twelve pages long or twelve words long. He was equally adept at the epic and the aphorism. He could be serious or fun. Sometimes both at the same time. Consider the following poem, called "A Life," which I quote in its entirety. (How does "fair use" apply to something so short?) "Innocence? In a sense. In no sense! Was that *it?* Was *that* it? *Was* that it? That was it." Now I hear my spouse's voice whispering in my ear: *What's all this musing about death lately? Why all this late-life pessimism? Y... more »
“The Individual vs. The Illusion Of Consensus Reality”
*“The Individual vs. The Illusion Of Consensus Reality”* by Jon Rappoport “This is such a supercharged subject, I could start from a dozen places. But let’s begin here: the individual is unique, because he is he. He is unique because he has his own ideas, because he has his own desires, because he has his own power. That power belongs to no one else. In particular, it doesn’t belong to the State. The State will try, will always try to suggest that it is granting power to the individual, but this is a lie. It’s an illusion broadcast with ill-intent. While everyone else is trying to... more »
“Every Cell In Your Body Is Infused With The Collapse Of A Star“
*“Every Cell In Your Body Is Infused With The Collapse Of A Star“* by Cate Matthews “Living shoulder-to-shoulder on a small blue planet zooming through an ever-expanding universe, it's easy to feel very, very small. But what we are is actually pretty incredible. "We are dead stars looking back up at the sky," Dr. Michelle Thaller, astronomer and science communicator at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, says in a recent video posted by "The Atlantic": Every single cell in our bodies contains elements created in the burning center of a collapsing star- from the iron in our blood to... more »
Satire: “An Apology from Prince Charles”
*“An Apology from Prince Charles”* by Andy Borowitz LONDON (The Borowitz Report) – “In response to the international uproar created when he reportedly compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hitler, His Royal Highness Prince Charles today issued the following letter of apology to the Russian people. "My dear Russians, Yesterday, it was reported that I compared your President Putin to Hitler. If by making this comment I have in some way offended you, I am deeply sorry. Adolf Hitler was one of the horrible villains in world history, and comparing President Putin to him was unca... more »
Libya's " Non Coup " Updates May 22 , 2014 .....Grand Mufti condemns Hafter’s “Operation Dignity” as attempted coup .......... Government tells unauthorised armed groups to leave Tripoli ....... “Operation Dignity” gathers support ...... Oil and Trade Industries suffer anew ....... Amid Non Coup , attempts to form a functional government stumble along at the usual zombified level of activity !
Say what ? Government tells unauthorised armed groups to leave Tripoli *By Callum Paton, Ashraf Abdul Wahab and Taher Zaroog.* [image: hhh (Photo: pm.gov.ly)] Minister of Culture Habib Al-Amin speaking today (*Photo: pm.gov.ly*) *Tripoli/Misrata, 22 May 2014:* The Libyan Government has called on armed groups – namely Libya Central Shield, Qaaqaa and Sawaiq brigades – to leave Tripoli as the brigades squared up in the capital this evening. Members of the Misratan-based Libya Central Shield arrived on the outskirts of Tripoli today, stationing themselves in the Salaheddin district, wh... more »
Ukraine: Chloroform deaths in Odessa? Who killed these soldiers?
* I started this one yesterday, but, couldn't get it done- * The Ukrainian junta has every reason to want the Odessa massacre to just go away. Particularly right before their so called 'election' just a few days away. *So, claiming the anti coup protestors died of asphyxiation and heart damage due to chloroform inhalation would serve the coup government just fine*. It would cover up and sanitize their orchestrated atrocity, to their benefit. Yet another example of how it is we have no knowledge of real history. This fabrication will enter the official history narrative though it ha... more »
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Mystery - Days 73 and May 19 -20 , 2014 -----Suspicion grows 'pings' did not come from MH370 black box after M'sia, Ausssie govts refuse to release audio tapes ........... ABC’s Four Corners program quoted Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein as saying that Malaysia’s civil aviation authorities called the military asking them to keep an eye on the plane but that the military allowed the plane to glide out to sea. ( Anwar Ibrahim said the military had completely breached the standing operating procedures.) ---- Still stalling on releasing Raw Satellite data ..........Former Prime Minister Of Malaysia Accuses CIA Of Covering Up MH-370 Disappearance and wonders what Boeing might really know ........ KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) clarified that it has not "abandoned" the families of the missing flight MH370's crew members who had sought legal help ( now officially denied , so probably true at the time ) .... Malaysia announces next squirrel hunt " - MH370: Depth of Indian Ocean search areas to be surveyed, new phase of search begins ...... Family members of missing pilot defend his honor -- Capt Zaharie's brother-in-law, Asuad Khan, said the 53-year-old pilot was a "happy, generous and kind man" who fell victim to false rumours and inaccurate reporting. Asuad, who spoke on behalf of Capt Zaharie's wife, Faizah Khan, also said claims of the captain committing suicide for life insurance are untrue.
Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
Star Online..... Published: Wednesday May 21, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM Updated: Wednesday May 21, 2014 MYT 10:15:20 AM MH370: ‘Raw data to be released soon’ BY FARIK ZOLKEPLI Email Facebook 1 PETALING JAYA: All relevant parties are working towards releasing the data communications logs and technical description involving Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, said Department of Civil Aviation director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman. He said Inmarsat had been giving its full support in the investigations into the disappearance of the aircraft including the release of raw data. He said ... more »
The Art of Creation
[image: Picture] We are creative artists. Creation is what we do. The video shared hereuses this brilliant description of the process: "...(it) patiently refuses to observe any of these casualties, while at its heart, it continues to sing: "*Let there be light!*" The miracle of creation is held in this knowing - *that only what is intended will ever be the outcome. * This time we share now is one of collecting and utilizing the truths and tools of the creative process. This video offers a nice summary: ------------------------------ On Friday, May 23, 2014, Artist and P... more »
Can Democracies Be Trusted with Autonomous Weapons?
Zack Beauchamp followed the CCW Experts Meeting on Autonomous Weapons and concluded: The debate about robots in warfare comes down to the question of whether they would make war crimes more or less likely. There are serious arguments on either side. In many ways, this new argument about robots is an extension of much older Continue reading
Thorne Dreyer : PODCAST | Nationally-acclaimed novelist Sarah Bird joins us on Rag Radio
Sarah Bird, member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, discusses her powerful and critically-praised new work, ‘Above the East China Sea.’ Interview by Thorne Dreyer | The Rag Blog | May 22, 2014 Our Rag Radio podcast features nationally-acclaimed … finish reading Thorne Dreyer : *PODCAST* | Nationally-acclaimed novelist Sarah Bird joins us on Rag Radio
Pipelines: Bulgaria testing EU Resolve
*Continuing on with the theme of pipelines:* Most recently from yesterday, here: Russia & China make energy AND banking deal- bypassing US dollar Continuing on with this post from earlier today :China/Russia Banking/Energy deal- Cue Uighur bombing/attack!And now Bulgaria testing EU resolve The $20 billion South Stream project is the centerpiece of Russia’s strategy of bypassing Ukraine while still remaining the principal gas supplier to the European Union. Bulgaria’s government calls South Stream strategic and vital to securing its energy security. But as a member of the European... more »
Responding to Meghan Daum's reactionary attack on the Class of 2014 social justice movements
*"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. " — Paulo Freire* *LA Times* columnist Meghan Daum takes issue with the Class of 2014's nationwide activism to resist and reject neoliberal reactionaries like Christine Lagarde and Condoleezza Rice as their commencement speakers. Her offensive College grads: With speakers as in life, at times you take what you can get accuses student activists of hubris, intolerance, anti-intellectualism, and extreme political correctness. As a proud member of the Cla... more »
Spanish Inquisition Day 5
Today kicked off with a day trip to the ruins of the once-great city of Medina Azahara, constructed in the early 900s just west of Córdoba and utterly destroyed by civil war less than a century later. The ruins were picked over for building material for the next thousand years with excavation and restoration not beginning until the 20th century. ¿En España? ¿Serio? A portion of the ruins viewed from on high. Two restored arches flank one (mostly) original arch. What's left of one of the original arches on the ground (left) and a restored arch in place (right). Remnants of one... more »
WHAT WORKS FOR THE MEDIA
The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) has helped develop “Pressing Your Case: Nonviolent Movements and the Media,” an educational video series to explore ways that nonviolent campaigns and movements can better relate to world media. It features four sessions, hosted by internationally known news anchor Riz Khan. See the rest of the episodes *here *
Race For The Inland Empire Congressional Seat Heats Up
The Republican wing of the Democratic Party, the New Dems, has endorsedtheir perfect little corporate stooge-- empty suit and Chamber of Commerce front man Pete Aguilar. Aguilar ran all over the California state Democratic Party convention with shameless corporate whores Gavin Newsom and Eric Bauman assuring all the delegates he's a progressive. He isn't and he laughed all the way from their pathetic, debased endorsement to the New Dems where he solicited and received an endorsement. The Congressional Progressive Caucus wasn't taken in as easily as the party-going conventioneers in... more »
Is Shinseki Fired Yet? How About Congress?
I can't see any way for Obama to keep Eric Shinseki on as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. No matter how good a job he did fighting in Vietnam or commanding in Bosnia or as Army Chief of Staff, he screwed up royally as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. At least 40 veterans have died while waiting to see V.A. doctors. That's not what Americans expect from the Veterans Administration and Shinseki should resign at once or be fired by Obama. There seemed to be a bureaucratic conspiracy to hide statistics that would make things "look" better for those involved with oversight-- while doing ... more »
Bubbles and echo chambers
The results of today's elections will come in two phases - in the next 24 hours for the local elections (which we in Morecambe *weren't*participating in) and on Sunday night for the European elections (which we *were* participating in, like we really give a flying f*** [fish] about the European parliament!). What's happening with these elections? Well, like everyone else at this stage, I don't honestly know and any guesses could be spectacularly wrong. If my work colleagues are anything to go, today's turnout will be unusually high for a European election; indeed, MASSIVELY unusu... more »
A Prelude to TN Bonus Pay Report
From a clip in the *Memphis Commercial Appeal*: The retention bonusTennessee offered last year to keep strong teachers in low-performing schools likely was a factor for more than 70 teachers who signed on for another year in inner-city schools, most of them in Memphis. Of the 365 teachers that took the state up on the offer, 20 percent of them are more likely to have stayed compared to other high-performers not eligible for the incentive, according to a study by the Tennessee Consortium, an independent research body at Vanderbilt University. “What does it mean that a better teacher ... more »
Leaked Text: EU pressing Obama to expand U.S. fracking, offshore drilling in secret
Twitter / PCGTW: Leaked Text: #EU pressing #Obama ... *Global Trade Watch*@*PCGTW* Leaked Text: #*EU* pressing #*Obama* to expand U.S. #*fracking*, offshore drilling in secret #*TAFTA*: http://huff.to/1jMFklf pic.twitter.com/ciFMQvpAwv - #NoFRACKING #Fracking :: #NoKXL | #RE_TOOL NOW!
War Pigs at Pentagon Squeal Over Snowden Leaks
The whining continues over the outing of unconstitutional mass surveillance and data-mining programs by former government contractor turned NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Today's bleating is over the release of a report by the Defense Intelligence Agency, at least the condensed, classified and excerpted version - the rest is of course Top Secret which means that everyone will just have to trust a government that lies about everything about the "grave" damage done by Snowden's leaks. The report, 19 pages of which were procured by The Guardian under a FOIA suit filed earlier this... more »
Untitled
*La. House committee votes to kill levee board lawsuit ~Mark Ballard, The Advocate* *LSU projections show storm surge swamping Southeast Louisiana by century’s end ~Bob Marshall, The Lens* *New restrictions planned for La. abortion clinics * *Lee Zurik Investigation: When you don't like the questions, you stop answering* *Talk the beat with Lens reporters at BrottWorks Design Studio on May 22*
A THROWBACK
This documentary was made just prior to the start of Bush's "shock and awe" in 2003. Randy Adkins owned a local video shop in Gainesville, Florida where he made copies and fixed equipment among other things. People used to bring old film into his shop when their parents died and they cleaned out the attic. That's where he got alot of the Nazi footage in Arsenal of Hypocrisy. I was touring the country doing talks at the time with an overhead projector showing documents about the US Space Command's mission of "full spectrum dominance". While in State College, Pennsylvania I was... more »
Rabbi arrested in "major child pornography bust"
Federal officials have arrested at least 70 individuals, including a Jewish rabbi, in the New York City area connected to a massive child pornography operation. Of course, since one of the leading offenders was a Jewish rabbi, and not a Catholic priest, you will not hear about this story in the mainstream Jewish-controlled mass media. *Tablet Magazine* reports: A major federal child pornography investigation led to the arrests of at least 70 people in the New York City area, the AP reports. One of the people charged with possessing and sharing child pornography, disturbingly, was ... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Thanks for stopping by.
"The 12 Rules of Survival"
* "The 12 Rules of Survival"* by Laurence Gonzales "As a journalist, I've been writing about accidents for more than thirty years. In the last 15 or so years, I've concentrated on accidents in outdoor recreation, in an effort to understand who lives, who dies, and why. To my surprise, I found an eerie uniformity in the way people survive seemingly impossible circumstances. Decades and sometimes centuries apart, separated by culture, geography, race, language, and tradition, the most successful survivors–those who practice what I call “deep survival”– go through the same patterns of... more »
"An Exquisite Balance..."
“It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas… If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you… On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot distinguish the useful ideas from the worthless ones.” - Carl Sagan
The Poet: Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese"
*“Wild Geese”* "You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagi... more »
“Dark Night of the Soul: Surrendering the Ego”
*“Dark Night of the Soul: Surrendering the Ego”* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "While we are in a dark night of the soul experience, hold steady knowing the light will appear once again. Whenever a word is overused, it is most likely being misused, and over time, it begins to lose its meaningfulness. For example, we often refer to a fleeting feeling of depression or a period of confusion, as a dark night of the soul, but neither of these things qualifies as such. A dark night of the soul is a very specific experience that some people encounter on their spiritual journeys. There are... more »
Morality and Postmodernism
To assert that Western culture is superior to all other cultures is simplistic and reductive. There is no existing linear standard to judge the advancement of a culture. The visible Western progress is primarily a scientific-technological progress and that too only in the domain of the physical sciences. On the basis of technological advancement, can it be inferred that the West is also intellectually superior? An intellectuality that does not translates into producing morally superior beings is worthless. The real progress is based less on technology and more on the moral aspect. ... more »
Musical Interlude: Josh Groban, “Gira Con Me”
Josh Groban, “Gira Con Me” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bYD38yomIw ◆ English Lyrics: *"Gira Con Me Questa Notte"* *"Turn With Me Tonight"* "The world turns with me tonight. Small steps that I make with you. I follow your heart, and I follow the moon So hidden far from me. The world turns with us tonight, Ah, if only far from here there existed A place where to discover my heart, To know if it can love you or not. And it will turn, and it will turn, My heart together with you, And the earth will turn, And my life will turn, And one day, yes, it will understand. It's you who turns ... more »
Free Download: Dante Alighieri, “The Divine Comedy”
*Free Download: **Dante Alighieri, “The Divine Comedy”* “The Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina Commedia) is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between c. 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem's imaginative and allegorical vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan dialect, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language. I... more »
"How It Really Is"
"Abandon hope, all ye who enter here..."- Dante
Congressional Progressive Caucus Endorses Stanley Chang
Last year, Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang wrote a guest post for us explaining why he wants to join the Congressional Progressive Caucus. This week, in their first round of 2014 endorsements, the CPC endorsed Chang, who's in a crowded 9-way August 9th primary for the seat New Dem Colleen Hanabusa is giving up. Stanley's opponents are, first and foremost transactional careerists rather than principled, values-driven leaders. Last week, we took a closer look at nominal front-runner state Senator Donna Mercado Kim, a corporate-oriented conservative from the Republican wing of...more »
I'M WORTH MORE
Adriana has worked at McDonald’s for 4 years. She has a 2 year-old boy at home. She wants him to have a better future than she had. And she has some things to say to McDonald’s. That’s why she was one of 101 McDonald’s workers to be arrested yesterday during the massive protest at their headquarters.
"A Message From the Ministry Of Homeland Security"
"Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk." - Margaret Chase Smith
“Spying Is Meant to Crush Citizens’ Dissent, Not Catch Terrorists”
*“Spying Is Meant to Crush Citizens’ Dissent, Not Catch Terrorists”* The Big Secret Behind the Spying Program by WashingtonsBlog “While many Americans understand why the NSA is conducting mass surveillance of U.S. citizens, some are still confused about what’s really going on. In his new book, "No Place to Hide", Glenn Greenwald writes: "The perception that invasive surveillance is confined only to a marginalised and deserving group of those “doing wrong” – the bad people – ensures that the majority acquiesces to the abuse of power or even cheers it on. But that view radically misu...more »
REVIEW: An Untamed State, Roxane Gay
REVIEW: An Untamed State, Roxane Gay. via REVIEW: An Untamed State, Roxane Gay.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
We Can't Get Piketty? (They Wish) We Do Get the Geithner Buy-My-Book Glibberties
Did you catch Tim Geithner's comedy act last night on Stephen Colbert? (Sorry that there's no link yet to be posted - I'll post it when it becomes available later.) It was quite a triumph. Colbert was speechless at the end. You'd have been too if you'd bought any of Geithner's glibness with what seemed to be either Colbert's star struckness (or dumbstruckness). When I was in graduate school
"The Darkest Places, Scary Questions..."
"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis." - Dan Brown ◆ “Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don't know because we don't want to know.” - Aldous Huxley ◆ "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions." - Samuel L. Jackson as "Jules Winnfield", "Pulp Fiction"
If David Lynch had directed Star Wars - Return of the Jedi
Looks interesting...
“The NSA Doesn't Need To Hack Your Phone”
*“The NSA Doesn't Need To Hack Your Phone”* by Karl Denninger "All you have to do is use Facebook* while you're going somewhere or are somewhere and anyone who cares to can tap into the audio of whatever is going on around you! Facebook’s mobile app just grew a keen sense of hearing. Starting Wednesday, the app has the ability to recognize music and television shows playing in the vicinity of users. The feature is designed to make it easier for users to share. When users begin to write a post, the Facebook app will offer to include information about music or shows playing in the ba...more »
Spanish Inquisition Day 6
Today kicked off with a day trip to the ruins of the once-great city of Medina Azahara, constructed in the early 900s just west of Córdoba and utterly destroyed by civil war less than a century later. The ruins were picked over for building material for the next thousand years with excavation and restoration not beginning until the 20th century. ¿En España? ¿Serio? A portion of the ruins viewed from on high. Two restored arches flank one (mostly) original arch. What's left of one of the original arches on the ground (left) and a restored arch in place (right). Remnants of one... more »
This Charming Man celebrates his 55th birthday today
This Charming Man celebrates his 55th birthday today, no wonder he's miserable now... Happy birthday Morrissey and lighten up... That's Sparks not Morrissey, if you hadn't realised. I was going to leave this post there but I've just found out that Miley Cyrus has covered There's A Light That Never Goes Out... From the sound of it, her fans weren't overly familiar with the Smiths' oeuvre! Here's the original for them to educate themselves with...
The latest ITUC survey
The International Trade Union confederation have released their Global Rights Index which shows 'The world’s worst countries for workers'. Countries are rated from 1-5+, where: 1 – Irregular violations of rights: 18 countries including Denmark and Uruguay 2 – Repeated violations of rights: 26 countries including Japan and Switzerland 3 – Regular violations of rights: 33 countries including Chile and Ghana 4 – Systematic violations of rights: 30 countries including Kenya and the USA 5 – No guarantee of rights: 24 countries including Belarus, Bangladesh and Qatar 5+ - No guarantee of... more »
Naval Adm. William H. McRaven has a message for everyone...
*"If you can't do the little things right, you'll never be able to do the big things right." * At first I was going to skip his commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin 2014. I'm glad I changed my mind. You won't be sorry that you watched. For you non-Texans (I'm half Texan), he is not making the sign of the devil at the end. He is making the traditional sign of UT - Hook 'em Horns.
How important is "resegregation?"
*THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2014* *Our review of a slippery concept:* Connectivity is hard! As our connectivity struggles continue, we'll review a current topic and do no more today. Our question: How important is "resegregation," a topic which has come center stage in reviews of the Brown decision. Yesterday, we discussed this topic on The Marc Steiner Show. Today, we'll discuss the question here, focusing on this recent piece by Slate's Jamelle Bouie. Bouie tied his piece to the 60th anniversary of Brown. The headlines on it said this: *Still Separate and UnequalWhy American schools ar... more »
WHY WAIT FOR COLLEGE TO INTERVENE?
WHY WAIT FOR COLLEGE TO INTERVENE?.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
Untitled
As I approach my seventh month of unemployment I reflect. Yes I am 55 so I will take every day of pogey until I work at Tim Hortons, not that I would give up some income just to work for such an Icon. I interviewed for some dream jobs. Failed the drug test, bitch, Now I got to axe myself what will I do for the rest of my life. I could drive a school bus which being with kids would change a \ hell of a lot of poisoned minds. And I am sure that when I stood up at the podium to say GMO foods were a disaster for mankind No matter what the outcome I am sure I made the outcome obvious for man... more »
May 22 "Events generate $7M in Metro"
My, it gets tedious to read a paper every day when it has nothing in it. Today, alas, is no exception. The title of this blog is, in fact, today's banner headline on A1. Yes, indeed, just four major events of last summer generated some 70 person-years of employment. Wow! Put in another way, 70 person-years of employment means steady jobs for two people - tops.Scratch the wow! But exactly where did all the money go? Who got it? How much stayed in Moncton? There's not a word. And, again, we see an example of the obsession of this province to make money, but without having any list o... more »
Shilling For Oil
Big Oil has always been behind Stephen Harper's agenda. That was made clear once again this week when the RCMP revealed details into accusations against Bruce Carson, the disbarred lawyer who used to work in Harper's PMO. Linda McQuaig writes: In these new RCMP allegations, however, Carson was working for the Energy Policy Institute of Canada (EPIC), described in the media as a “non-profit group formed by business organizations in the energy sector.” This rather benign description fails to convey what EPIC really is: a lobbying vehicle for dozens of extremely wealthy, powerful fo... more »
Abortion: Not a Moral Issue
The 2013 Pew Center's Global Morality survey is out. The Pew Research Center’s 2013 Global Attitudes survey asked 40,117 respondents in 40 countries what they thought about eight topics often discussed as moral issues: extramarital affairs, gambling, homosexuality, abortion, premarital sex, alcohol consumption, divorce, and the use of contraceptives. For each issue, respondents were asked whether this is morally acceptable, morally unacceptable, or not a moral issue. The Star has a piece on the survey, hitting the highlights of most and least tolerant countries of the various pract... more »
Never Forget?
By Capt. Fogg It's hard to find a coherent picture of Barack Obama in the roar of inflamed rhetoric. The rhetoric itself is incoherent, mixing accusations and metaphors with the most bizarre results -- and such is the passion for defamation it's probable that no consistent pattern will emerge for a generation. He is what he is, somewhere behind the halo of howling hate that surrounds him. Whatever you might think of him, it's tempting to plug other presidents of another party and another color into the equation just to test for mendacity and absurdity: such as perhaps to assume... more »
Thursday Links....
*Bridge near Mugumuyu...* Too tired to finish the post that went with these, didn't want to deprive you of them... _______________ *Daily Links*: - KMT's Chu plays coy on preznit candidacy - Malatangia, a Bunun festival. Ketagalen Media rocks. - Aussie journo visits Spratly reef, scene of Phils vs China clash - Presbyterian Church fail on same-sex marriage, LBGT rights, after so many years of working for democracy in Taiwan - Thanks to the commenter who pointed me to this High Comedy on the Dallasblog which regurgitates KMT propaganda that the Sunflower movement ... more »
Will Iraq’s Prime Minister Gain A 3rd Term?
Iraq’s 2014 parliamentary elections were all about Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Most of the major lists explicitly ran against the premier. Those included Moqtada al-Sadr’s Ahrar/Liberals, the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq’s (ISCI) Mowatin/Citizen’s Alliance, Speaker Osama Nujafi’s Mutahidun/Uniters, Kurdish President Massoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Iyad Allawi’s Wataniya/Nationalist Coalition. Since the vote on April 30 all of those parties have said Maliki staying in office was a redline, and have talked about forming a government of their own. The p... more »
China/Russia Banking/Energy deal- Cue Uighur bombing/attack!
This is lengthy,but, worth reading or I would not have taken the better then two hours to put it together Russia, China, Ukraine, EU, US, NATO it's all here... *Uighurs attack! Bloody car bombing on busy market * Absolutely not a surprise. In fact last night, I said to hubby something along the line of- I betcha there is going to be some sort of attack against China involving the Uighurs. This morning hubby read the news and said to me “you called it” The area the Uighurs reside in, but do not constitute a majority in, is the very area that has seen vital energy/transportation corri... more »
Sanction This Obama! Russia Signs Gas Deal With China
The damage inflicted upon the USA, USA, USA both economically and in terms of credibility thanks to the Obama all star foreign policy team of unrivaled buffoons will truly not be understood until well into the future as the rubble from the collapse is sifted through by historians but the most important point is that it was all so unnecessary. Not that a happy ending to the neocon instigated overthrow of a democratically elected leader and the installation of a puppet regime backed by fascists and neo-Nazis could be expected and heads are likely exploding throughout Washington over... more »
Getting Physical in New Brunswick
In New Brunswick, it is certainly Game On. A new organization, Reproductive Justice New Brunswick, has organized a Twitter campaign for this week. It targets specific anti-choice legislators each day. Please support this uprising using hashtags #NBProchoice and #ProchoixNB. A bit of a snag. Like antediluvian governments elsewhere, New Brunswick refuses to acknowledge electronic communication as real. Convenient, eh? Somebody has come up with a work-around. Send your emails here for printing and mailing. As the tagline states: Let's get physical. And force New Brunswick into t...more »
Segregation not about Proximity, but Equity
Segregation not about Proximity, but Equity. via Segregation not about Proximity, but Equity.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
Senate Dems Back Domestic Spying Nominee David Barron For A Judgeship
Shenna Bellows (D) and Rand Paul (R)-- a real bipartisan approach Thank God, some of our candidates-- particularly Shenna Bellows (ME) and Jay Stamper (SC) for Senate and Ted Lieu (CA) and Alan Grayson (FL) for the House-- are taking a stand against unconstitutional domestic spying. And a few Democrats in the Senate, particularly Mark Udall (CO) and Ron Wyden (OR)are doing some actual fighting against Obama and his NSA. But, truth be told, a lot of the heavy lifting in this crucial battle is coming from libertarian Republicans Justin Amash (MI) in the House and Rand Paul (KY) in the S... more »
Untitled
* Blended Learning* Blended learning initiatives are becoming increasingly common in K–12 schools. These programs combine in-person “bricks-and-mortar” education with supervised and individualized online learning. Blended learning reduces student-teacher ratios while attending to each student’s individual needs. Drawbacks include the initial expense and the risk of losing face-to-face teaching, but overall, such programs are sweeping the nation and receiving broad public support. By combining face-to-face interaction and online learning, teachers can tailor instruction to a stude... more »
Gold and Silver News and Views May 22 , 2014 - Central Banks caught in a gold leasing bind ? ( Julian Phillips opines on what happens when the SHTF ) ..... India set to lift gold capital controls .........Gold holding in ETFs falls to lowest levels since 2008 ( GLD ETF now at 780 tons ) ...... Platinum deficit widening for 2014 .... Ed Steer's Wrap Up Report - focus on ongoing manipulations of the PMs .....
*Will central banks need to buy Gold back from the Market?* -- Posted Wednesday, 21 May 2014 | Share this article | 3 Comments By Julian Phillips *Gold Leasing – to what extent* There is a belief that central bank gold in the custody of the world’s leading central banks such as the Fed, the Bank of England and the Banque de France has been leased out to the market. Central Banks have confirmed this, but it remains a source of contention. Even where the gold of the world’s central banks are held in the world’s leading central banks in a custodial arrangement this is so and it is reaso... more »
The one hundred and ninety first weekly "No Shit, Sherlock" award
This week's winner is Robert Wilson for this Guardian article entitled 'The green movement is not pro-science'. "No shit, Sherlock"
NYSE Margin Debt Canary in proverbial Coal mine ? Is 2014 shaping up as the beginning of another market collapse ( similar to March 2000 - January 2003 and July 2007 - March 2009 time frames ) ...... History set to rhyme once again ? H/T Dog Short !
NYSE Margin Debt Declined Again in April; Leading Indicator for a Market Correction?May 21, 2014by Doug Short - The New York Stock Exchange publishes end-of-month data for margin debt on the NYXdata website, where we can also find historical data back to 1959. Let's examine the numbers and study the relationship between margin debt and the market, using the S&P 500 as the surrogate for the latter. The first chart shows the two series in real terms — adjusted for inflation to today's dollar using the Consumer Price Index as the deflator. I picked 1995 as an arbitrary start dat... more »
Ukraine Updates May 22 , 2014 -- As Ukraine lurches toward the May 25 , 2014 Presidential Election , note the Pre-Election spinning even as punitive " anti-terror actions continue in the restive Eastern Regions of Ukraine.....Articles from Anti War , Russia Today and Itar Tass and RIA Novosti to consider !
Anti War..... US Starts Spinning Credibility of Upcoming Ukraine VoteDownplays Lack of Voting in Eastern Ukraine by Jason Ditz, May 21, 2014 Print This | Share This On Sunday, most of Ukraine will be able to go to the polls to vote for a new president to replace the “interim” President Oleksandr Turchinov. Only 23 of 34 districts in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts are expected to open at all, meaning large numbers of voters in the east won’t be going anywhere at all. The Obama Administration doesn’t need to wait to see the results to know what they think, however, and are already go... more »
War Watch May 22 , 2014 -- Libya in focus -- US backs General Hifner's overthrow of the democratically elected Parliament of Libya ( sounds like Junta overthrow of democratically elected President of Ukraine ) - will this coup lead to a more formal civil war in Libya . EU yet to heard from on this situation ......... Afghanistan Spring Offensive gets going in earnest ....... Syria War updates ( Syria Direct - 5/20 and 5/21 /14 )
Anti War..... Libya Faction Urges Army Desertions, Slams ‘Loser’ General’s CoupForeign Ministry: Security Situation Out of Control by Jason Ditz, May 21, 2014 Print This | Share This The Libyan Revolutionaries’ Operations Room (LROR), another of Libya’s many militia umbrella groups, has called for mass defections from the military and join them as the “true rebels” of the country, as the foreign ministry warned the security situation is increasingly out of control. Despite dubbing themselves “rebels,” the Islamist militias of LROR officially answer to parliament, and are seeking to m... more »
Sound Advice from Walt Whitman - This Is What You Shall Do..........
*“This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church ... more »
A Defense of High Frequency Traders
By Cliff Asness et al. Very cogent, in my view. The bottom line: In summary, we don't believe HFT profits are excessive or excessively consistent. We censure illegal front running as strongly as anyone, but it has near nothing to do with HFT per se. Canceling orders in the process of providing liquidity is key to any sort of market making, whether HFT or not. We support the right of HFTs, or anyone, to try to guess the direction of the market, using order flow or any other public information. We not only support the right, we celebrate the successful exercise of that right as it a... more »
Pizza Salad and Crayon Rubs- You're Invited Link-Up
Thursdays are quickly becoming some of our favorite days simply because we LOVE seeing what you have been working on! We hope that you have enjoyed our link party and the features that we share every week. Jonie from Just Between Friends is the one that is going to chose the features for the week, so I will just let her take it away. [image: You're invited header 2] Aloha! I am excited to be able to share a couple of projects that I have been working on over on my site as well as some of your fantastic projects. I have spent the last week in Hawaii and now am trying to play catch u... more »
Western Mainstream Media Blackout on the Reality in the Ukraine by Eric Zuesse
Western Media Blackout on the Reality in Ukraine by Eric Zuesse Washington's Blog, 21 May 2014 On 2 May 2014, there was a massacre that was initially reported as being of 116 anti-Kiev (or independence) demonstrators at the Trade Unions Building in Odessa. The latest reliable report (from an American, George Eliason, who lives in that area) indicates it to be instead “now counted at 272 people that were tortured, gassed …, bludgeoned, …, etc.,” above and beyond the numbers who had been incinerated there by the firebombing of the building. Western news-media unfortunately seem... more »
Untitled
*NYT wisdom: The Big Melt Accelerates* Muir Glacier at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska is among the many worldwide that are disappearing. Muir, left, as seen in August 1941, and photographed in August 2004. SOURCE *BUT:* What the NYT didn’t note is that the glacier has been shrinking since at least 1794, which it was mapped by the Vancouver Expedition. That’s according to a 1912 book published by the National Geographic Society, and which is no longer in copyright. A page below: The 1912 book says that Muir Glacier “extended 25 to 40 miles farther to the s... more »
Pope Francis: Holy Land trip will be 'strictly religious'
"A Palestinian youth hangs a flag next to posters depicting Pope Francis outside a souvenir shop in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, May 19, 2014. Pope Francis will visit Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Israel during his May 24-26 trip, his first as pope to the region." (*Source: Reuters/Mussa Qawasma via Al-Monitor*). Video Title: Pope Francis: Holy Land trip will be 'strictly religious.' Source: Rome Reports. Date Published: May 21, 2014. Description: Before the end of his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis reminded pilgrims he will travel to the Holy Land on Satur... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“The yellowish star near center in this dusty telescopic skyview is T Tauri, prototype of the class of T Tauri variable stars. Just next door is the yellow cosmic cloud historically known as Hind's Variable Nebula (NGC 1555). Over 400 light-years away, at the edge of an otherwise invisible molecular cloud, both star and nebula are seen to vary significantly in brightness but not necessarily at the same time, adding to the mystery of the intriguing region. *Click image for larger size.* T Tauri stars are now generally recognized as young (less than a few million years old), sun-like ... more »
Paulo Coelho, "The Bird And The Cage"
*"The Bird And The Cage"* by Paulo Coelho "Once upon a time, there was a bird. He was adorned with two perfect wings and with glossy, colorful, marvelous feathers. One day, a woman saw this bird and fell in love with him. She invited the bird to fly with her, and the two travelled across the sky in perfect harmony. She admired and venerated and celebrated that bird. But then she thought: He might want to visit far-off mountains! And she was afraid, afraid that she would never feel the same way about any other bird. And she thought: “I’m going to set a trap. The next time the bird a... more »
Christy Clark Puts On Her Red Shoes And Dances The LNG Blues
*Written by Grant G* Panic, frozen sweat, fear of the cold hard truth bearing its pearly whites, what to do, call in emergency media intervention to calm the nerves of an increasing doubtful public, the dream, the myth, the fantasy of LNG riches must live on... .. Yes I did read Vaughn Palmer`s article last week where he confirmed that the BC Liberals proposed 7% tax on LNG exports is gone, caput, off the table, the new number is 0.....That`s right folks, zero taxation on LNG exports, only royalties charged at the wellhead will be applicable or nothing will be built....I had to... more »
Russian’s Air Force to Receive New Generation Long-Range Bomber in 2023
[image: Tu-160 Blackjack]The Russian Air Force will start receiving its first PAK DA next generation long-range bomber in 2023, Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday. Earlier reports said PAK DA bombers could be supplied to the Russian Air Force approximately by 2020. “The maiden flight should be performed in 2019. State tests and supplies will be completed in 2023,” Bondarev said. Read more
Kraken Delivers Real Time Sonar Signal Processor to Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation
[image: AquaPix SAS mosaic]Kraken Sonar Systems Inc. announced today that Sea Acceptance Testing of its Embedded Real Time Synthetic Aperture Sonar (RTSAS) Signal Processor for Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) was a success. DSTO is a national leader in safeguarding Australia by delivering valued scientific advice and innovative technology solutions for the country's defence and national security. In 2013 DSTO procured an AquaPix® Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar system from Kraken for research related to enhancing mine detection and neutraliza... more »
Land-based launcher fires Navy's Standard Missile-3
The U.S. Navy has fired a Standard Missile-3 from a land-based launcher, a key test as the United States moves toward deploying the interceptor in Romania to protect Europe from ballistic missile attacks. The Standard Missile-3 roared into the sky from an Aegis Ashore test site located at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The test on Tuesday did not involve a target and was designed to answer one question: Can an SM-3 be launched from a land-based combat weapon system as well as it can from sea? Read more
Russian Helicopters boosts Success on Kazakhstan Military Aviation Market
[image: Ka-52 Alligator]Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, will put a wide range of the latest civil and military helicopters on show at the Kazakhstan Defence Expo 2014 (KADEX 2014) international exhibition of weapons systems and military equipment, which will run from 22 to 25 May 2014 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Russian Helicopters can be found at stand 301, pavilion 3, with Rostec, part of Rosoboronexport, Russian Helicopters' partner in marketing military helicopters on the global market. Kazakhstan is one of the largest operators of ... more »
Rafale, Su-30MKI Face-off in Indian Exercise
[image: Su-30MKI Flanker]The Indian Air Force’s Su-30MKIs and the French Rafale fighters will come together for a ten-day air exercise called the 'Garuda-5', aimed at training the pilots and crew of Indian and French fighters in air superiority operation in Rajasthan's Jodhpur airbase from June 3. The French composition for the Garuda- 5 will include four Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft and one air-refueler aircraft with more than 100 personnel. During the exercises the French aircraft may face the IAF’s Su-30 MKI, MiG -27 and MiG -21 as both sides showcase air superiority, def... more »
Navy jets train on Iwo Jima as Japan searches for better option
Japan is increasing its efforts to move critical flight training for U.S. Navy pilots off historic Iwo Jima — a relocation encouraged by military officials but opposed by residents of an island near the proposed replacement site. At least once per year, the Navy sends its fighter aircraft from the Japanese mainland to the island, now called Iwo To, for a series of field carrier landing practice flights. The training is necessary for the pilots, who must maintain qualifications that allow them to land the Navy’s top fighter jets on aircraft carriers, such as the Japan-based USS Ge... more »
RAF forced to use binoculars to search for British sailors after patrol planes scrapped
[image: C-130J Hercules]An RAF Hercules sent to hunt for four missing yachtsmen has no specialised search equipment and crew will be forced to rely on looking out of the window with binoculars due to Coalition cuts. RAF officers admitted the transport plane sent to join the search over the Atlantic will be relying on “Mark 1 eyeballs and binoculars” because Britain no longer has any sea patrol planes. US coastguard aircraft, which resumed their search for the missing sailors following pressure from the British Government, are able to deploy sophisticated sensors to hunt for the miss... more »
Is All the Gold Gone?
Once I understood how, it became clear to me that the USA has been feeding its gold inventory into the market. It was the only way to maintain a stable market while satisfying real global demand. Google my posts on Tungsten and Gold replacement. Yes children it is possible to cover a tungsten ingot with a thin layer of gold and meet requirements. It is not even sophisticated. Since I told this story we have watched a nasty dance proceed in which a few fine folks have been engaged in a delightful game of pass the grenade while holding the pin down. Germany’s requests for the... more »
The Surprising Truth About Driving While High
We needed to be told this. I also suspect that a person who is high retains enough judgment to avoid driving. That has never been true with alcohol. It does mean that we can actually be optimistic on this front as usage itself comes out of the shadows. Who would have thought this. In the meantime, progressive acceptance by the States is continuing at a steady pace, mostly reflecting the time needed to ramp up and establish infrastructure. There is essentially no doubt that marijuana has been legalized in fact if not in law and is very much on its own recognizance while law... more »
Dream Telepathy Research Reborn
This is a bit of worthy work that as noted can be automated to hugely enlarge the sample size to plausibly produce meaningful resolution. This is important because what we are naturally generating is fuzzy evidence in terms of reports that plausibly contain conforming data and structure. I do this extensively with cryptozoology where at least twenty separate observations are generally enough to characterize the majority of conforming components. We want much more with dreams because we are simply unable to clearly report. They are fuzzy. Yet important questions do need to be... more »
Endangered Butterfly shifts Habitat
\The take home is that an insect species can decide as a species to alter its preferences. This looks like the group mind at work again and the posited ability to directly adjust almost instantly to a new biome choice and to obviously make appropriate adjustments. I personally have gone from having a tentative conjecture several years ago to having my nose rubbed in it here. The bottom line is that evolution is a considered choice handed down to the next generation. Who would have suspected that life operates directly by intelligent design without a bye your leave oh Supreme B... more »
Lamar W. Hankins : Fighting back against public officials who promote religion
The Greece case is a victory for all Christians who need the government to endorse their religion, who have too much faith in the government and not enough faith in their chosen religion. By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag … finish reading Lamar W. Hankins : Fighting back against public officials who promote religion
Navy's top admiral: Reducing carrier fleet would burn out sailors, ships
[image: USS Carl Vinson]Extending deployments to compensate for a smaller carrier fleet would result in burnout of ships and sailors, the Navy’s top officer said Wednesday. The Pentagon is considering retiring the USS George Washington if Congress doesn’t lift the budget caps that have been imposed on the Defense Department. Such a move would cut the carrier fleet from 11 to 10 ships. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said going down to 10 carriers would create readiness gaps that couldn’t be filled by new weaponry or longer deployment time lines. Read more
Navy Chief: We Will Lay Out Clear Plan for Littoral Combat Ship
[image: LCS-1 and LCS-2]The ship that was to revolutionize surface warfare has been controversial since its inception 12 years ago. But the firestorm over the littoral combat ship might have been avoided had the Navy better explained the rationale for the ship and answered critics' questions more clearly, said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert. "There are still questions" about the future of LCS, Greenert told reporters May 21. Among them is how the Navy will address testers' concerns that the ship is too lightly armed and susceptible to enemy attacks. Former Deput... more »
FACT SHEET: Overview of NATO and Bilateral Reassurance Measures in Romania
[image: USS Vella Gulf]As a result of Russia’s occupation and attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory, the United States has taken several immediate steps to demonstrate our continued commitment to Article 5 collective defense and reassure our NATO allies, including Romania, who are closest to the crisis. The United States and NATO are committed to maintaining an augmented, persistent forward presence in Central and Eastern Europe through at least the end of 2014. New U.S. Measures: - Maritime Deployments to the Black Sea: In early April, the United States deployed t... more »
Dangers of the Cuba – Russia Security Agreement
[image: Alejandro Castro Espin]According to recent reports, Cuba and Russia have entered into an agreement for cooperation in security matters. The agreement was signed by Colonel Castro Espin, from Cuba’s National Security and Defense Commission, and N.P. Patrushev, from the Security Council of the Russian Federation, The publication of the instrument suggests that the parties are interested in making other governments aware of the agreement, making clear that Russia again seeks to prowl about at the very “footsteps” of the United States and that the Cuban government is willing to ... more »
China-Russia naval drill juts into Korea’s ADIZ
[image: No-fly zone]Seoul formally protested joint naval drills by China and Russia in the East China Sea that intruded into Korea’s air defense identification zone (Kadiz). According to the Korean Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday, the training area for the military exercises conducted by Beijing and Moscow partly overlapped with the Korean and Japanese ADIZs. Seoul was barely given any prior notice. A no-fly zone declared by China for the joint maritime drill with Russia intruded 230 kilometers (142 miles) northward into the Kadiz and 172 kilometers eastward, according to... more »
South Korean navy fires warning shots as Kim Jong-Un's boats cross into their territorial waters
South Korea's navy has fired warning shots after three North Korean patrol boats crossed the maritime border into its territory, it was revealed today. The North Korean boats crossed into the South Korean waters at the Yellow Sea boundary, known as Northern Limit Line, at around 4pm local time on Tuesday. The ships returned to the northern side after a South Korean naval vessel fired ten warning shots, an official with the South Korean Defense Ministry said. Read more
Charles Bishop
"I have prepared this statement in regards to the acts I am about to commit. First of all, Osama bin Laden is absolutely justified in the terror he has caused on 9-11. He has brought a mighty nation to its knees! God blesses him and the others who helped make September 11th happen. The U.S. will have to face the consequences for its horrific actions against the Palestinian people and Iraqis by its allegiance with the monstrous Israelis--who want nothing short of world domination! You will pay--God help you--and I will make you pay! There will be more coming! Al Qaeda and other org... more »
This Is Crimea's Secret Soviet Submarine Base
[image: Secret Soviet Submarine Base]I've been putting it off for a while now, but it's time to talk about the Crimea, more specifically, about the vast aquatic facility built there by the USSR, and designed to house a fleet of nuclear-ready, Soviet submarines. Now memorialized, this Cold War relic enjoyed a brief stint as a public museum; and I was fortunate enough to pay it a visit as such, just months before the latest Crimean crisis. The Crimean Peninsula has known many masters: from the ancient Greeks who once colonized this land, through to the conquering Roman, Byzantine, an... more »
New Finding Of Egyptian Scientists On Toxicity Of GMO Corn
[image: Foto: Independent Egyptian scientists have found that Monsanto's GMO Bt toxic corn is NOT substantially equivalent to its NON GMO parent. While Monsanto claims there is no evidence of toxicity in their voluntary safety assessments, these independent scientists will tell you otherwise. By the 91st day of their studies, they found evidence of kidney, liver & intestinal toxicity, as well as male infertility. Time to face the music, Monsanto! BOYCOTT GMOs! READ: http://www.academia.edu/3138607/Morphological_and_Biochemical_Changes_in_Male_Rats_Fed_on_Genetically_Modified_Corn_Aje... more »
Bertrand Russell, "Three Passions"
*"Three Passions" * "Three passions have governed my life: The longings for love, the search for knowledge, And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind. Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness. In the union of love I have seen In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of people. I have wished to know why the stars shine. Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens, But always pity brought me back to earth; Cries of pain reverberated in ... more »
Timmy TeaBagger's Woman Problem Continued
Oh, dear. Like the USian ReThuglicans, the Ontario Progressive *cough* Conservative Party seems to have an ongoing woman problem. Newsflash to Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak: a job-cutting plan shouldn't bank on women leaving the workforce after they have a baby. But that seems to be what PC MPP Lisa MacLeod said over the weekend when she appeared on Sun TV to defend her party's campaign pledge to cut 100,000 public sector employees if the Ontario PCs form government. MacLeod emphasized how "a lot" would be through attrition -- "whether there's maternity leaves o... more »
Anti-UKIP BBC News Channel editor taken off BBC's election coverage
Back on the Jasmine Lawrence story, the *Daily Mail *has more reaction: Mrs Lawrence had been due to help lead BBC News coverage of today’s local and European elections, but the corporation last night said she had been removed from that role as it launched an internal investigation. A BBC spokesman said: 'Jasmine Lawrence was tweeting from a personal account. She has been reminded of her responsibilities to uphold BBC guidelines. She has deactivated her Twitter account and will now be playing now part in the BBC's election coverage in coming days.' Last night, Mr Farage called fo... more »
Way to go Jack Layton!
I very much had my differences with him. But, even as with my adversary, Andrew Coyne, i know that Jack Layton respected Parliament and our institutions. You fought for human rights for gay people! You created real benefits for real people there! You respected the results of our electoral process and tried to make Parliament work! When Paul Martin showed himself more corporate capitalism's servant than Parliament's, you pulled the plug. When stephen harper showed himself unworthy of Parliament, despite your cancer battle and the rigors that you knew a federal election would hol... more »
The Ecconomist: "First Principles: Russia’s annexation of Crimea has given NATO renewed purpose"
*“We see Russia speaking and behaving more as an adversary than as a partner... Transdniestria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and now Crimea. What connects those crises is one big country unilaterally deciding to rewrite international rules.”* - Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary-General. *Russia’s annexation of Crimea has given NATO renewed purpose* LAST November, in their biggest live-fire exercise since 2006, NATO forces repelled an imaginary attack on Estonia by a fictitious country called Bothnia. Steadfast Jazz 2013 was partly a response to huge and deliberately intimidat... more »
Do All Democrats Back Net Neutrality? No, Many Are On The Corporate Gravy Train With The Republicans
This week, Rick Weiland, the populist Democrat running for open Senate seat in South Dakota, sent his supporters a statement called "The Lost Highway," and, of course, he was talking about the Internet. "Everybody," he began, "seems to think the so called net neutrality issue is incredibly complex. It isn't." Weiland isn't much loved by the Big Money interests or the Establishment shills from either party. When CREDO sent out a petition this week "about 20 turncoat Democrats who sold us out," there was no one remotely like Weiland on their list. "20 turncoat Democrats sold us out t... more »
Holistic Living - Developing and Maintining a Positive Attitude
*[image: Attitude is a matter of choice]**Attitude is a matter of choice*Last month we talked about stress. Sometimes, stress is caused by our own thoughts ... by how we choose to view a situation. I once worked in a large office. On a grey and rainy morning, employees dragged themselves through the front door with heads down and angry looks on their faces. Everyone complained about the weather and commented on what a dreary day we had ahead of us. An older woman entered, smiling and walking with purpose. Everyone noticed her. As she made her way to the desk next to mine, I commente... more »
His mother's doctors recommended abortion...
*his mother said no.* How many voices have been silenced by abortion? When I’m alone I dream on the horizon and words fail; yes, I know there is no light in a room where the sun is absent, if you are not with me, with me. At the windows show everyone my heart which you set alight; enclose within me the light you encountered on the street. Time to say goodbye to countries I never saw and shared with you, now, yes, I shall experience them. I’ll go with you on ships across seas which, I know, no, no, exist no longer. It’s time to say goodbye… When you are far away I dream on the ho... more »
Mike's Story Part 29: Anxiety
*By **Jenna** Orkin* "The two people whose pictures I had on the wall in Ashland were suicides: Jack Gubanc and Gary Webb. And Jack was bi-polar [as Mike had been told by a psychiatrist might be his diagnosis as well.]" Jack, I believe, was the guy who had paid for FTW's Washington Post ad years ago. The headline was an allusion to the Wizard of Oz: "Who is the man behind the curtain?" December 26 "You know what keeps churning in my mind now?" I named the triumvirate of villains who Mike believed had precipitated the downfall of FTW. "The [newspaper] article will co... more »
Day 3--Furniture Shopping in Sarchi and Meeting a Neighbor
We got up and decided to head to Sarchi to look for some furniture since we were not having a lot of luck in Jaco. Sarchi was .about 1.5 hours from the house, kinda towards San Jose. Anyway HOLY furniture stores! This little town had about 100 furniture stores (or it seemed). All handmade, local wood, gorgeous stuff. I was seriously overwhelmed. I really wanted rocking chairs. We ended up buying a king size bed that is being delivered tomorrow, two fabric/cushion chairs on wood bases that are being delivered Friday or Saturday and being custom made for us, two rocking chairs w... more »
Income tax PR move
*The rift valley near Yuli.* Earlier this month the government "raised taxes" on "the wealthy" ( FocusTaiwan)... Based on the concept, the tax reform package includes the creation of a new individual income tax bracket with a marginal income tax rate of 45 percent for people reporting annual taxable income of over NT$10 million (US$329,446) a year. Under the current tax code, the 40 percent rate bracket kicks in at a taxable income of more than NT$4.4 million. The revision, if put through, is expected to affect around 9,500 people and generate an additional NT$9.9 billion in tax ... more »
Subway knife rampage? World media is all over that one.
*Policeman on the subway this morning.* Unless you live in a vast, deep cave whose depths light reaches once every ten thousand years, you've probably heard that yesterday a deeply disturbed individual went on a knife wielding rampage in a Taipei Metro station (Taipei Times): The suspect, who has been identified as Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) from Greater Taichung’s Tunghai University, allegedly started attacking passengers around him with a 30cm-long fruit knife while the train was traveling between the Longshan Temple Station and the Jiangzicui Station at approximately 4:26pm. He was app... more »
Everyday life in Anglo-Saxon England
In some ways, it was the best of times: The Anglo-Saxon élite founded monasteries and nunneries (and some "double monasteries" with both monks and nuns) in which many great works of art and literature were copied and preserved; land under tillage increased, and there was a gradual shift from a war footing to a comfortable peacetime. Women enjoyed nearly equal status with men: they could own and bequeath property, work in a profession, and if they needed a divorce, all they had to do was walk out of the house. The decorative arts also flourished, and the skill and craft displayed in ... more »
ALECers in the KY & GA Primaries
The hope is to give you as much information as I can, so we can take out the extremists of the American Legislative Exchange Council in November. Remember these lists are partials lists - cause most ALEC members hide their memberships - because they are thoroughly ashamed of their affiliation with ALEC. Vet every candidate, every time. Cash and Boots to the Ground are needed in every race, every state, every candidate - to get rid of ALEC. Even if it's not your district - it is your country! *#VoteNo2ALEC * *Work against ALEC candidates! * *May 20 Primaries* *Kentucky* *Not very... more »
At the time of Tiananmen, veteran China-watcher Jonathan Mirsky was confident that "China would never be the same again"
*NYRB caption: "Some of the two hundred thousand pro-democracy student protesters face to face with policemen outside the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, April 22"* *by Ken* Last night I teased you with the piece that longtime China watcher Jonathan Mirsky has posted on the *New York Review of Books* blog on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, "Tiananmen: How Wrong We Were." Since Mirsky's title, presumably intentionally, doesn't reveal *what it is*that "we" were so wrong about, I tried to do the same, and offered this slig... more »
The Rise Of Predator Economics And The Fall Of Good Governance
*The Rise Of Predator Economics And The Fall Of Good Governance* *Written By Mark Taliano* If the definition of good governance includes the sound management of public monies and resources, then Canada has very bad governance. The manufactured health care crisis is a case in point. Solutions to challenges of cost, quality, and access are fairly straightforward but wilfully ignored, and current trajectories towards corporatizationare leading us in the wrong direction. If the challenges are responsibly addressed, every Canadian will have access to exemplary hea... more »
Are we observing the slow motion financial equivalent of the 9-11 coup ? ( May 21 , 2014 ) The U.S. is in desperate need of a benefactor to purchase its ever rising debt and keep the system running. Strangely, a buyer with apparently bottomless pockets has arrived to pick up the slack that the Fed and the BRICS are leaving behind. But, who is this buyer ? Brandon Smith opines it sure isn't Belgium ! Peter Schiff opines on the " Belgium " connection .......... India coming back into the gold market set to unleash more BIS induced gold market chaos ?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-21/who-new-secret-buyer-us-debt Who Is The New Secret Buyer Of U.S. Debt? [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/21/2014 18:50 -0400 - Belgium - Bond - BRICs - Central Banks - China - Creditors - Federal Reserve - fixed - Gross Domestic Product - International Monetary Fund - Japan - Monetization - None - Purchasing Power - Quantitative Easing - Reality - Reserve Currency - Trigger Event - Ukraine - Unemployment - Yuan inShare... more »
QUOTE OF THE DAY: On “Old Money”
“[Working with new money is] much more interesting than old. People with old money are nearly always having to be adjusted downwards.” - Prince Rupert zu Loewenstein, banker, Bavarian aristocrat, and financier for the Rolling Stones, quoted in his Telegraph obituary today. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
Is This What They Mean By Bi-Partisan? ($$$$$ Galore! For the Connected) Dubya Back In Triumph? (Keep Watching Those Family Feuds(!) Unwind) The Financial Crisis and America's Political Duopoly Guarantee the Continuing Decline of the USA USA USA!!!
All ready for the long overdue return of our favorite bad boy President? No, I don't mean Willy. Georgy's (or would that be Gyorgy?) up at bat again, with smarmy pictures for sale to rich supporters and stories of long-ago victories just waiting to be again once-told. The most relevant factoid you must never forget about those Bushes (no matter how hard you try) is how easily their personal
Ideas wanted...Your Ideas
Interesting for me.....For the permutations and extrapolations are simply amazing These 3 items go together like good food to your stomach... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140519122525.htm#.U30NHwfmhZk.gmail http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140503184918.htm#.U2qx65tERpY.gmail Application #1, Long range spacesuits, think MARS Application # 2, 5000 mile range hybrid electric car....If used with the air to jet fuel generator limitless range. Application #3 Off GRID power for cabin in wood. Application # 4 ???? Seed Newsvine
A National Prayer Breakfast for Israel, Pipelines, and Evangelicals
What an odd photo this is. Chuck Strahl - - former Aboriginal Affairs Minister and Chair of SIRC, - Enbridge lobbyist and Chair of the Manning Centre, - member of the *Christian and Missionary Alliance* along with Stephen Harper and Preston Manning is seen here wearing a FN headdress and giving a speech at the first Annual National Aboriginal Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa on June 21 last year. You'll notice he's speaking in front of the flags of Israel, Canada, and the U.S. - but none that I can see for First Nations. Seated is Prayer Breakfast founder and former Cre... more »
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