Saturday, May 03, 2014

3 May - Blogs I'm Following

A bus adorned in the colours of the United Kin...A bus adorned in the colours of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The UKIP caravan parked up in Wroxall, Isle of...The UKIP caravan parked up in Wroxall, Isle of Wight. It cannot normally be seen to passers by due to hedges, but the photograph was taken from the top deck of a double-decker bus, making it much more visible. During election campaigns, the caravan is moved to a more visible location along the main road into Wroxall to campaign for UKIP. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hanabusa 2010Hanabusa 2010 (Photo credit: kepanok)
3"00pm MDST

Hawai`i Democrats React To Forbes-Hanabusa Military Intensification Bill

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 5 seconds ago
McKeon, Forbes, Hanabusa-- 3 crooked warmongers on the take Earlier this week, Republican Congressman Randy Forbes did what he always does (the only thing he does?). He proposed more funding for the Pentagon. This time, it was in the form of the Forbes-Hanabusa Asia-Pacific Region Priority Act. Hanabusa is Hawai`i Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, who chairs the conservative, corporate-sponsored New Democrat Coalition's National Security Task Force and is trying to oust progressive Sen. Brian Schatz in the Aug. 9 primary. As Rep. Forbes notes in his press release, he and Hanabusa hav... more »

Thank you for the days

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 16 minutes ago
Pretentious, Moi? They say everyone's a critic but, in spite of that alleged fact, vanishingly few of us ever get an invite from the BBC to vent our critical feelings on any of the corporation's arts review programmes. That blindingly obvious thought crossed my mind whilst listening to tonight's *Saturday Review *on Radio 4, and I intend to get partial revenge on them for that upsetting fact here in this very blog-post. Now, I haven't listened to *Saturday Review* for years, so this was an encounter with a friend/work colleague/ex I haven't seen for years. I used to be a regular ... more »

UKIP's Lizzy Vaid and Revenge Porn

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 32 minutes ago
I'm a bit late to this one. As the shambles surrounding UKIP's farcical poster campaign unravelled last week, it turned out one of the "members of the public" endorsing the party's tedious lies is a paid employee. As it happens Lizzy Vaid is a UKIP events manager and assistant to the dear leader. Responding, Nigel Farage trotted out a factually accurate defence saying she's going to vote UKIP and, um, is a member of the public. Perhaps it's just me. The more UKIP say they're different from the other parties the more they become the same ... Than came the twist. A few days ago it em... more »

The Last of the Roswell Witnesses

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 54 minutes ago
Just the other day I saw or read something that suggested that the Roswell investigation has transitioned into a new phase with the recent and untimely death of Jesse Marcel, Jr. It was suggested that he was the last of the first-hand witnesses, having held the metallic debris and having heard about the find on the Brazel (Foster) ranch from his Army Air Forces intelligence officer father. But I realized that this isn’t true. While I know that this will generate discussions that have little to do with the posting (I mean look how far afield some of the others have roamed), I would ... more »

US Backed Fascist Thugs Unleashed in Ukraine

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 1 hour ago
With the American minds now fully inundated with anti-Russian propaganda and lies as to the composition of the US backed coup government in Ukraine the time has finally come to unleash the goons. After weeks of threats, military buildups and visitations by high US officials to the neo-Nazi/fascist backed "Yats" regime all hell broke loose on Friday. The point of no return - if not already crossed by the duplicity of the US-EU-NATO triad was reached when the occupying government in Kiev sent forth military helicopters against civilians and extremist shock troops began a pogrom in t... more »

Oh the games teachers are forced to play for evaluation

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 hour ago
Just a little insight on teacher evaluation. Many of the new teacher evaluation schemes are just that, schemes, scams, and games. I have to learn to play this. I have to learn to mislead, dissemble, and lie. That’s a skill that takes time. I’ve never been good at it. Never. Modern teacher evaluations are largely […]

Benghazi items to ponder May 3 , 2014 -- Questions that need answers , concerns that won't go away ......

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 2 hours ago
http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/archives/10644 CIA Whistleblower faces the ire of an angry Justice Department over Benghazi questions [image: hagmann050214] Image courtesy of Canada Free Press *By Douglas J. Hagmann* *Please discuss this article at Canada Free Press – CLICK HERE* *Friday, May 2, 2014: *Longtime former CIA field operative turned whistleblower Robert “Tosh” Plumlee is currently in the crosshairs of a very angry Holder Justice Department for publicly posting 11 “questions” about Benghazi and the illegal weapons running operations being conducted by criminal elements ... more »

Boston to conduct various " Urban Shield " exercises ( active shooter , hostage rescue , explosion on transit system , structural collapse at Moon Island , terrorist takeover at Boston Convention Center exercises highlighted ) Saturday May 3 - Sunday May 4 , 2014 ----- The largest security training exercise in Boston’s history is slated to kick off Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with a simulated active school-shooter drill in Brookline. It will continue with other drills over a full 24 hours and involve about 2,000 state and local personnel........ Since they're publicizing this , expect nothing noteworthy ( but just take a note for reference ... )

Catharsis Ours - 2 hours ago
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/01/participate-massive-security-drill-planned-over-weekend-boston-area/7dBmVJaLqhjWHoqoYsKB8K/story.html Officials to hold largest security drill in Boston’s history By Evan Allen | GLOBE STAFF MAY 01, 2014 - *ARTICLE* - *COMMENTS* [image: Firefighters and hazardous materials teams practiced responding to a suspicious package at Bowdoin Station in a previous security drill.] JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 2012 Firefighters and hazardous materials teams practiced responding to a suspicious package at Bowdoin Station in a previous secur... more »

Paul Craig Roberts posted this on his site as a guest commentator. I decided to reproduce it under its original masthead.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 2 hours ago
------------------------------ Commentary ------------------------------ Putting Big Brother in the Driver’s Seat: V2V Transmitters, Black Boxes & Drones * By John W. Whitehead * February 10, 2014 “It’s a future where you don’t forget anything…In this new future you’re never lost…We will know your position down to the foot and down to the inch over time…Your car will drive itself, it’s a bug that cars were invented before computers…you’re never lonely…you’re never bored…you’re never out of ideas… We can suggest where you go next, who to meet, what to read...What’s interesting about... more »

The Amazon.com Ranking of My Book: Thank you!

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 2 hours ago
I want to thank all who have purchased my newly-released book, A Chronicle of Echoes: Who’s Who in the Implosion of American Public Education. On April 27, 2014, my book became available on on Amazon.com. That was a Sunday night. As soon as I found out, I posted this announcement. The next day, I found out through a […]

Join us this Sunday at 6PM with NJ journo Bob Braun of @BobBraunsLedger

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 2 hours ago
Join us this Sunday at 6PM with NJ journo Bob Braun of @BobBraunsLedger Listen to At the Chalk Face this Sunday at 6PM EST. Join the conversation with Bob Braun, and Tim and Shaun of course, by calling (805) 727-7111.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face Tagged: at the chalk face, bob braun, […]

Tracing the source of catchy melodies

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 2 hours ago
Thirty years ago, in the mid 1980s, I would be spending some time with my Commodore 64 – writing some programs in BASIC or the 6510 machine code or playing some games. Or some combinations of those things. *This composition will be one of the main topics of this blog post.* With a few exceptions, the games I possessed were copied from the pirates but what you would expect, especially behind the Iron Curtain. Commodore 64 had the wonderful "sound card", the SID chip with 3 sound generators and more. I still remember some POKE's and PEEK's needed to make this gadget work. The music ... more »

Medicina de las Plantas

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 2 hours ago
Medicina de plantas Suplementos naturales para ayudar a conseguir una mejor ... A continuación se presentan las plantas que se pueda restablecer las funciones normales del estómago y del hígado o que se proporciona demasiado daño no se hizo debido a "venenos ingeridos" o intentos de suicidio. *Leche Thysle* La historia cuenta que la planta Thysle leche se cree para dar la las mujeres embarazadas aumentó la lactancia, también se creía que las venas blancas moteadas fueron causadas por las gotas de leche de la Virgen María amamantando al niño Jesús. Aparte de eso, el ... more »

The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: There Are NO Safe Levels Of Radiation - The Petkau Effect

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 2 hours ago
Yes, It has been a while since I last did an article pertaining to the ongoing and seemingly never ending disaster at Fukushima Japan... Now over 3 years since that initial disaster in March 2011 where 3 nuclear reactor cores melted down, the disaster is still going strong with high levels of radiation and radioactive materials spewing into our atmosphere, the Japanese countryside, and especially into the Pacific Ocean.... There have been many reports coming in constantly from the liars in our governments and especially in the Jew spew "mainstream media" that have said that there is... more »

Rendering Ourselves Extinct

theozarker at The Conflicted Doomer - 2 hours ago
May 3, 2014 “We are warming, and that comes with consequences. By the way, Earth will survive … Continue reading →

Media Slant

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 2 hours ago
Click here to read my column in Sunday's *NY Times*.

Imran Khan: A pragmatist par excellence

Nauman Sadiq at Incredible credulity - 2 hours ago
In my previous post: Is democracy consistent with Islam? I made a distinction between politics and culture and said that a democratic system of governance falls in the category of politics while liberalism as a value-system falls in the category of culture. When we say that Islam and democracy are incompatible, we make a category mistake as serious as the Islamists’ misperception that democracy is un-Islamic. They too mix up democracy with liberalism. In my arguments I conceded that there is some friction between liberalism as a culture and Islam as a religion. But democracy isn’t a... more »

NON-VIOLENTLY CONFRONTING U.S.-EU RULE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago
Amateur footage shows an angry mob in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine yelling at Kiev forces as a new 'anti-terror operation' is underway. Locals are calling soldiers "fascists" and telling them go back to Kiev because they don't need them in Kramatorsk. Notice that the local people are not armed. They confront 'their government forces' who have come to enforce US-EU corporate rule. I'd like to see this footage with honest reporting in US mainstream media. Obama and Kerry keep complaining about Russia Today (RT) media. The reason why is because RT is telling us what is really happe... more »

May 3: The fat's in the fire....

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 3 hours ago
Two days ago, Zbignew Zbrzenski wrote an open letter which didn't make the Irving press (perhaps it had nobody who was sure how to spell his name.). He demanded war with Russia over the Ukraine. He also said the west would be helped by it's "good friends" in China. Now, this is not just your man off the street. This man has been a major policy advisor to presidents of the US since Jimmy Carter. Obama now listens to him. His general view? The US needs to defeat all regional powers to make itself the world's dominant power. Sound familiar? It should. It's the policy of Project for th... more »

Mohawk Nation News 'Atleo Quits Corporate Control Grid'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 3 hours ago
ATLEO QUITS CORPORATE CONTROL GRID Posted on May 3, 2014 MNN. May 3, 2014. On May 2nd Sean Atleo courageously stepped down as head of the Assembly of First Nations to return to the natural direction we call “tion-heh-kwen”.   AFN is an agency of the Corporation of Canada. It is not from us. it is from them. Their job is to pretend to speak for the Indigenous people. They illegally

Guest Post From Derek Cressman

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
A few weeks ago I stumbled on the video above and was so impressed with Derek Cressman, the progressive candidate running against some corrupt Sacramento insiders, one of whom, Leland Yee, is now in prison, that I invited Cressman to introduce himself with a guest post. Instead of a bio bragging out his accomplishments, he got right to the meat of the matter-- cleaning up the systemic corruption that plagues California state government-- and he got very specific... immediately. *AT&T has California by the Calls-Derek Cressman* Every year at this time, dozens of Democrats serving... more »

Musings On Iraq In The News

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 4 hours ago
I was mentioned in “Iraq Votes. But Will It Matter?” which appeared in Andrew Sullivan’s The Dish. Iraq's Al-Mada newspaper reprinted my "Another Election Surprise For Iraq?" article.

Massive evergrowing Louisiana Sinkhole Updates May 1 , 2014 -- Despite the non stop growth of the Godzilla Sinkhole , note Crosstex just jammed 215 , 801 barrels of normal butane in Well 1 ( see map for relation of Cross Tex wells to the Sinkhole ) ..... recent videos , news of note ( H/T Louisiana Sinkhole Bugle and The Examiner.... )

Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
Louisiana Sinkhole Bugle ....... Crosstex Crams OVER 200,000 BARRELS of Butane into Well #1 APRIL 30, 2014 3 We thought we’d look to see if *Crosstex* has has an update lately. *Has it ever!* This *update* from April 27 shows they have a huge amount of butane now in the cavern near (soon-to-be-stable) Lake FUBAR! We guess they are handing out e-cigarettes to workers! [image: crosstexAp27_2014] [image: Helicorders_Oct2013] CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE [image: Crosstex_1and2] * MORE on Crosstex’s butane caverns 1 & 2.* Could Floor Heave at WIPP Happen at Bayou Corne? APRIL 25, 2014... more »

Our love affair with bad explanation!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 4 hours ago
*SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014* *Incompleteness incompletely explained:* As we noted a few weeks back,we’ve conducted a long love affair with bad explanation. The affair may have begun in September 1965, when we enrolled in Professor Nozick’s “Problems in Philosophy” class. Who are these “problems” problems *for,* we found ourselves brightly wondering. Years later, we began to suspect that the course had been designed to ensure that no one would major in philosophy. In fairness, though, that was pure conjecture. Whatever! In recent weeks, we’ve been spending our spare time with Professor... more »

A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.S

Paul Coker at News Spike - 5 hours ago
People are generally mean, selfish and shallow, especially in groups. That allows you a finer appreciation of those who do not display those qualities in person. For instance, the gay community as a group are monumentally selfish - they seem to be on a Pokemon quest to collect every letter in the alphabet to describe themselves, and they're averaging an additional one every 5 years. Around the year 2000, they moved up to being "*LGB*" - at last count, they were up to "*LGBTQ*". Which is verging on the Pythonesque As if the interests and agendas of militant lesbians are the same as ... more »

Gold and silver news and views May 3 , 2014 -- GoldCore Reports Half of Italy's Gold is Held in New York Fed Vault; Is Repatriation Possible ? Embry warns against paper gold , currency event ..... Harvey Organ highlights ! Silver Doctors looks at CME manipulations , BRICS moving toward a parallel IMF , Russian rejection of the USD and other BRICS following suit ....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
Gold Core..... GoldCore Reports Half of Italy's Gold is Held in New York Fed Vault; Is Repatriation Possible? Published in Market Update Precious Metals on 2 May 2014 By 6 Today’s AM fix was USD 1,285.00, EUR 927.26 and GBP 761.03 per ounce. Yesterday’s AM fix was USD 1,283.00, EUR 924.15 and GBP 759.04 per ounce. Gold fell $5.50 or 0.43% yesterday to $1,284.90/oz. Silver slipped $0.13 or 0.68% yesterday to $19.06/oz. Please note *GoldCore is closed for a Bank Holiday, this Monday, May 5th, reopening May 6th.* Gold remained in range bound trading yesterday and into this morning, ... more »

“70% of national legislation comes from European legislation”. Who said that?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 5 hours ago
One of my favourite BBC Radio 4 programmes, *More or Less, *returned this week and began by tackling the Lib Dems over Nick Clegg's deeply dubious assertion (during his first debate with Nigel Farage) that a mere 7% of our laws derive from the EU legislation. This example of statistical dodginess from the second most powerful politician in the land, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Nick Clegg MP no less, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, must have struck them as something that needed challenging - and rightly so. A clip from an old edition of *More or Less *whe... more »

Mike's Story Part 12: Blogreaders Weigh In

Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 5 hours ago
*By **Jenna** Orkin* News of Mike's flight to Venezuela had become public in August, with Carolyn Baker's description of the days leading up to his departure. That, along with Michael Kane's account of the same period, makes interesting reading in light of Mike's final exit on April 13 of this year. Since the blog had been assuming a greater role as FTW contracted, finally freezing into an archive site, a deluge of comments rushed in*:* Some bore the telltale marks of disinformation. Just as when the computers were smashed, the blog was besieged with messages that attempted to ... more »

ALEC Uses the Press to Mislead Public - Again!

2old2care at Because I Can - 5 hours ago
Oh my ... What a web search will turn up early on a Saturday morning. ALECs PR Poobah is back at it again - misleading the public by using the press. He used a recent opinion piece - to bash a "a liberal blogger" who it appears, had the audacity to do a presentation on ALEC. Mr. Meierling (hate using that but his first name is "bill") - spent the whole first paragraph dissing the person who did the presentation. Then he spent three sentences trying to justify why he was correct and she was wrong - more on that next. Then there was a two paragraph, unpaid advertisement for ALEC in... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 6 hours ago
*Councilman tries to make it tougher on fracking ~WWLTV* *Federal government rejects Jindal hospital plans ~Marsha Schuler, New Orleans Advocate* *Avoyelles state representative blasts Jindal on Charity hospital scheme* *Teen arrested in Marigny burglary is same teen shot by homeowner in 2013 ~WVUE* *Decades old eyesore coming down in Algiers ~WDSU* *Freelancer’s lament: When will the news biz figure out how to pay us? ~Sam Tabachnik, The Lens*

Coming Soon - Death Aid: The Geldof Genocides

Paul Coker at News Spike - 6 hours ago
*"I don't think he killed himself. I'm sorry, just don't."* *- Paula Yates, 1998* Coming Soon - Death Aid: The Geldof Genocides from Spike EP on Vimeo. *"I stepped on stage at Live Aid,* *All the people gave and the poor got paid"* *Run D.M.C. - My Adidas* *"At the end of the war, SAS was disbanded, but it was soon revived to crush the Malay insurgency in Malaysia, and the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya. In his 1960 book Gangs and Countergangs, Col. Frank Kitson boasted that the British were covertly leading several large-scale Mau Mau units, and that many, if not all Mau ... more »

Obama Orders Unusual Review of Cruelty

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 6 hours ago
Today in Sociopathic Irony: Fresh from a victory designed to forever keep the grisly details of all his extrajudicial overseas drone executions from the American public, President Obama has deftly pivoted away from his own hypocrisy by calling for a review of capital punishment here in the One Indispensable Nation. That is because in the Land of the Free, as opposed to those anti-free "tribal areas," executions *are* open to the public, albeit by invitation only. And sometimes they don't go as smoothly and as silently as planned. The "botched" execution of an Oklahoma inmate is a ca... more »

MAINE ARTISTS HELP CREATE THE MOVEMENT

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 6 hours ago
This is ARRT! from Geoffrey Leighton on Vimeo. ARRT! – The Artists Rapid Response Team -- creates banners and props to promote the work of progressive non-profits across Maine. All members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists are invited to join.

Non- Expert Opinion Evidence

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 6 hours ago
Smith v. Inco, 2012 ONSC 4749: [9] The leading case as to the admissibility of opinion evidence from non-expert witnesses is that of *R. v. Graat*, 1980 CanLII 69 (ON CA), (1980) 30 O.R. (2d) 247 (OCA), aff'd1982 CanLII 33 (SCC), [1982] 2 S.C.R. 819 (SCC). In that case twopolice officers (non-expert witnesses) testified that in their opinion the accused's ability to drive was impaired by alcohol. This opinion evidence was based upon a list of factual observations made by thepolice officers, including observations that the accused's car was weaving on the roadway, the car cross... more »

Molly is no Malala

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 6 hours ago
Did you see Gavin Esler’s interview with the real life mother and daughter as well as the author of a play based on the alleged kidnapping of ‘Molly Campbell’ aka ‘Misbah Rana’ by her Pakistani father? Gavin Esler announced it with such glee that one immediately knew that any dubious and negative Islam-related aspersions from the past were about to be dispelled. In 2006, the story was all about the alleged kidnapping by the father of 12-year-old Molly, with ominous mutterings about forced marriages and such. The mother gave tearful interviews from Scotland, and Molly was shown in... more »

WHO WILL PROTECT INTERNET FREEDOM?

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 6 hours ago
Running for president in 2007, Barack Obama pledged to keep the Internet open to all, upholding the principle of Net neutrality. Now his FCC chairman, Tom Wheeler, has introduced new rules that have caused an uproar among public interest groups and media reform advocates. They believe Wheeler’s proposed changes break Obama’s campaign promise and will allow providers like Verizon and Comcast to sell faster access to the Web to the highest bidder. The problem, Bill Moyers says, is that “business and government are now so intertwined that public officials and corporate retainers are ... more »

Edweek blogger heads to guess where? College Board.

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 6 hours ago
Education Weak and corporate reform journalist mouthpiece Michele McNeil is leaving Politics K-12: Starting in mid-May, I’ll be the director of assessment and accountability policy at the College Board Seriously. A non-educator as director of assessment policy? Who’s in charge of hiring, anyway? Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face Tagged: […]

The religious split in Africa

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 7 hours ago
This map shows the scary religious divide in Africa in 2012. I wonder how different it would have looked in 1992 and how it will have changed by 2032. Amazing Maps (@amazinmaps) tweeted at 11:00 AM on Sat, May 03, 2014: Ratio of Muslims to Christians in Africa http://t.co/c5thVYKX9Z (https://twitter.com/amazinmaps/status/462532143940657152)

T-34C crashes off Gulf of Mexico; no injuries

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 7 hours ago
Two pilots aboard a training aircraft were uninjured Thursday morning after their plane crashed over the Gulf of Mexico, Naval Air Training Command said in a news release. The aviators, assigned to Training Squadron 28 at Naval Station Corpus Christi, Texas, escaped the T-34 Turbomentor aircraft and were recovered by Coast Guard search and rescue personnel, the release said. The pilots were flying a routine training mission over the inter-coastal waterway when they crashed around 10:20 a.m., central time. They are currently under evaluation at a local hospital. Read more

BAITING THE BEAR

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 7 hours ago
Union hall in Odessa burns after fascist Right Sector forces, working on behalf of the Kiev government put in power by the US-EU, set fire to it. Some 46 died in the flames or from jumping out of the burning building. Unrest erupted on Friday, May 2, with a mass fight started by football fans from Kharkiv, Right Sector radicals and members of the so-called “Maidan self-defense” force from Kiev, who had decided to march along the streets of Odessa, thus provoking clashes with the supporters of Ukraine’s federalisation. Obama and the EU leaders blame Russia and Putin for this. The... more »

"I am The Walrus"

Spike EP at News Spike - 7 hours ago
*V.I Lenin, Vladymir Illyich Ulianov*

The Growing Religious Self-Righteousness of Science

Harry Dale Huffman at The Earth and Man: Setting the Stage - 7 hours ago
Steven Goddard has a post, "My 35th Year as a Global Warming True Believer". My response is the following: *"Global warming" hype is just the latest step in a creeping degeneracy of science--particularly in the earth and life sciences--that has been going on since long before I was born. As a physicist, I am astounded by the poor quality of introductory university physics texts being written today, and can only hope undergraduates are encouraged to study earlier, classic texts, from the first half of the 20th century. In fact, I consider it imperative not to embrace any current theo... more »

God Answers Democratic Prayers In Miami-Dade-- David Rivera Is Back!

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
NRCC and Marco Rubio are not embracing their old pal Rivera this time around Florida New Dem Joe Garcia has turned out to be a pretty big disappointment. A guy who certainly knows better, he quickly adopted the DCCC strategy of amassing a Republican-lite voting record in Congress. According to ProgressivePunch his abysmal 42.76 crucial vote score is, by far, the worst of any Florida Democrat (including Patrick Murphy), and one of the dozen worst among *all* House Democrats. Garcia votes against progressives even more frequently than reactionary Blue Dogs Jim Costa (CA), Dan Lipinksi ... more »

Untitled

jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 8 hours ago
*Obama Requests Plan to Teach the Teachers: Wants to Regulate Teacher Prep* Having a "great teacher" in every classroom is critical for the nation's success, the White House said on Friday, as it announced that President Obama has directed the Education Department to come up with a plan to strengthen America's teacher preparation programs. Among other things, the Obama administration will use taxpayer money to pressure states to improve their teacher-prep programs, including those taught at colleges and universities. For example, the administration will hand out TEACH grants only t... more »

Freddie

Spike EP at News Spike - 8 hours ago
Here's a thought - if HIV is both man-made, and neither the sole, main or only cause of AIDS (and it isn't); if you intend to use it from 1985 onwards to depopulate Subsaharan Africa for the purposes of recolonisation; If you organise the world's largest series if concerts as a front for arming Ethiopian anti-Marxist Guerillas and prolonging a civil war under the cover of a man-made famine of biblical proportions; Having a charismatic fellow like this on stage is PROBABLY a mistake that needs be rectified - on Khosshoggi's Ship.... *Legendary Saudi Arms Dealer Adnan Khossh... more »

Horwath Pulls Plug on Wynne's Liberals

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 8 hours ago
I have long had mixed emotions about the Ontario political scene. I have long been nauseated with the Ontario Liberal government. McGuinty's contempt for the legislature (learned at the feet of his master, stephen harper) and his ministers' and staff's (technologically incompetent) attempts to erase the records of their criminal waste of over $1 billion makes them unfit to govern. The present premier, Kathleen Wynne, says she had nothing whatsoever to do with that gas-plant fiasco and I believe her. But nonetheless, this whole "look forward, not backwards" mentality for official cri... more »

Mr. Harper And The Judge

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 8 hours ago
You can add Beverley McLachlin's name to Stephen Harper's Enemies List. In case your memory needs refreshing, Errol Mendes reviews some of the prominent names on that list: The growing range of individuals that have had to endure such smears have included: academics (myself included); environmental groups labelled as extremists and radicals funded by foreign entities; public servants just doing their job, such as Linda Keen, the former head of the nuclear safety watchdog, Peter Tinsley, the head of the Military Police Complaints Commission and Richard Colvin, the foreign service ... more »

War Watch May 3 , 2014 ..... Libya and Syria in focus -- LIBYA -- Deadly attack in Libya's Benghazi Nine people killed and 24 wounded after gunmen attack security headquarters in eastern city . Gunmen have attacked a security forces headquarters in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi ...... Syria updates - May 3 , 2014 -- Syrian rebels set to withdraw from Homs Hundreds of besieged fighters due to leave under terms of ceasefire which would hand regime forces control of city......... Rebel Offensive Threatens Syria’s Remaining Chemical Stockpile Deadline Missed Because Last Chemicals in a 'Contested Area' .......

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 8 hours ago
Syrian rebels set to withdraw from Homs Hundreds of besieged fighters due to leave under terms of ceasefire which would hand regime forces control of city. Last updated: 03 May 2014 09:08 [image: Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker] [image: Email Article] [image: Print Article] [image: Share article] [image: Send Feedback] The first Syrian rebels are due to withdraw from areas oh Homs after agreeing a ceasefire deal with government forces who had surrounded them. According to activists inside Syria's third largest city, the first of about 1,000 fighters would withdraw from the O... more »

Ukraine Updates May 1 , 2014 -- Another John Kerry controversy - Did he just confirm Putin's comment on the US being behind Ukraine " troubles " ? ? NATO must return to its original goal of fending off Russia, seizing the chance presented by the Ukrainian crisis to sever Europe from Moscow and move it closer to America, the US secretary of state said. Or else the bloc’s global leadership may be lost ....... Putin and Merkel continue phone discussions on stopping violence in Ukraine ........ News and views on Ukraine to ponder !

Catharsis Ours - 10 hours ago
Late in the day news ..... Zero Hedge..... Ukraine Admits "Helpless" Against Pro-Russian Forces; Reinstates Military Conscription [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/01/2014 18:59 -0400 - International Monetary Fund - Ukraine in<span id="li_ui_li_gen_1398987494614_0-title" style="background-color: rgb(236, 236, 236) !important; background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgb(254, 254, 254) 0%, rgb(236, 236, 236) 100%) !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(185, 185, 185) !important; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px !important; border-bot... more »

'Newsnight' - 28 April-2 May

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 10 hours ago
*Newsnight *presenters, such as Gavin Esler and the fly-by-night Jeremy Paxman, may come and go like the proverbial mayfly, but at least some things are consistent, enduring and predictable - such as Saturday morning being the time when we at "Is" provide you a detailed list of all the subjects covered by this past week's editions of *Newsnight, *plus the names of all the interviewees featured on the programme. Recently, as you may have noticed, we've added quotes showing how each story is framed - all done, lest you've forgetten, to enable us to build up a picture of *Newsnight *... more »

VHA Revisited

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 10 hours ago
Advocates of government-run healthcare often point to the veterans health system as a prototype. For example, Paul Krugman wrote a while back: that brings me to Mitt Romney’s latest really bad idea, unveiled on Veterans Day: to partially privatize the Veterans Health Administration (V.H.A.). What Mr. Romney and everyone else should know is that the V.H.A. is a huge policy success story, which offers important lessons for future health reform. So this story from CNN (hardly a right-wing news source) caught my eye: At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoe... more »

ATK Delivers Fully Outfitted Light Gunship to Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 11 hours ago
[image: CASA-235 light gunship aircraft]ATK, a leader in weaponized, special-mission aircraft, in conjunction with King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB), has delivered the first modified CASA-235 light gunship aircraft to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. ATK was awarded a contract by KADDB to modify two of the country's CASA-235 transport aircraft into highly capable and cost-effective special mission aircraft. The completed aircraft has been delivered to the customer and will be featured during the 10th edition of the Special Operations Conference and Exhibition... more »

Boeing Delivers 2nd Peace Eagle Aircraft to Turkey

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 11 hours ago
[image: Boeing 737 AEW&C Peace Eagle]Boeing this week delivered, on schedule, the second Peace Eagle Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Turkish Armed Forces, further improving the country's self-defense capabilities. The AEW&C aircraft arrived at Konya Air Base, the fleet's main operating base. The first Peace Eagle AEW&C aircraft was delivered Jan. 31, and a third will be delivered later this year. Boeing is scheduled to deliver the fourth aircraft for the program in 2015. Read more

Ukraine helicopters shot down in Slovyansk

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 11 hours ago
Pro-Russian forces in Slovyansk have shot down two Ukrainian helicopter gunships after Kiev launched an operation against the separatist stronghold that was condemned by Russia. Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on Friday "unknown groups" had shot down two Mi-24s, while an Mi-8 transport helicopter was also damaged. The SBU security service earlier said one pilot was killed and another captured. The SBU said man-portable missiles were used against one helicopter - proof that "trained, highly qualified foreign military specialists" were operating in the area "and not local civilians, ... more »

GLOBAL WARMING NEEDS AN URGENT RESPONSE NOW - A Guest Post by Thomas O. Mills

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 11 hours ago
*GLOBAL WARMING NEEDS URGENT RESPONSE NOW* by Thomas O. Mills Huntington News, 28 April 2014 Scientist are using the shifting of Earths poles to measure climate change. *http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24755-earths-poles-are-shifting-because-of-climate-change.html#.U2PBi-ZdVn_* The breaking news in my mind, should be “CLIMATE CHANGE HAS CAUSED THE EARTHS POLES TO SHIFT”. The NewScientist article, from Dec. 13, 2013, notes that in one year Greenland has lost 250 gigatonnes of ice, mountain glaciers have lost 194 gigatonnes of ice, and Antarctica has lost 180 gigaton... more »

Northrop Grumman Delivers Mode S Upgrade for the UK's Sentry E-3D AWACS Mission System

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 11 hours ago
[image: E-3D Sentry]Northrop Grumman Corporation has designed, developed, integrated and fielded a Mode S upgrade to the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator for the Sentry E-3D Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet based at Royal Air Force Waddington. The IFF interrogator is a sophisticated airborne defence system that provides a long-range, rapid early warning and detection capability, allowing discrimination between friendly and hostile aircraft. The Mode S system enables the aircraft to be used in controlled airspace. The work was performed at Royal Air Fo... more »

UK aircraft carrier nears programme milestone

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 11 hours ago
[image: Queen Elizabeth class CV]Two months from now, the UK Royal Navy’s largest ever warship will be named, before being floated out of its dry dock in Rosyth, Scotland, as the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The first of two 65,000t vessels to be delivered by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the lead ship is still more than four years away from receiving its first visit by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and over six from reaching full operational status. With Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to perform the naming act on 4 July, the ship that will bear her name is currently a hiv... more »

DRDO gets flying test bed for testing airborne radars, aerospace systems

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 11 hours ago
[image: DO-228 Nabhrathna]The Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) has met a long-felt need by taking delivery of a flying test bed for testing airborne radars and aerospace systems developed by it. The aircraft, a modified Dornier, was handed over to DRDO chief Avinash Chander by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman R K Tyagi at HAL, Kanpur yesterday. Mr Chander, who is also Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development, said many systems such as maritime patrol radar, synthetic aperture radar, data link... more »

New tests ahead for X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 11 hours ago
[image: X-47B UCLAS]Northrop Grumman’s X-47B unmanned combat air system is to undergo ramped-up testing in preparation for new sea trials, the U.S. Navy reports. The X-47B is an unmanned aerial vehicle, which will enter service with the Navy in 2020, is the size of a normal combat jet and is designed for launch and recovery from an aircraft carrier. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command said the latest series of shore-based tests will be conducted from its Patuxent River facility in Maryland and are aimed at maturing air traffic control and ground support standard operating procedures... more »

Hainan base for China's first domestic aircraft carrier in 2024

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 12 hours ago
Designed based on the Liaoning purchased from Ukraine, China's first domestic aircraft carrier is likely to begin its service with the People's Liberation Army Navy in 2024 according to Kanwa Defense Weekly, operated by Andrei Chang also known as Pinkov, a military analyst from Canada. Since the Liaoning is currently stationed at Qingdao in northeastern China, the article said there remains a great possibility that China's first domestic carrier, and the country's second aircraft carrier, will be deployed to Hainan. A aircraft carrier base had recently been built on the southern C... more »

Mississippi-built Fire Scout aircraft on Navy’s cutting block

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 12 hours ago
[image: MQ-8B Fire Scout]President Barack Obama’s proposed 2015 budget drops funding for purchases of the Navy’s unmanned, rotary-winged Fire Scout aircraft, which takes off and lands from ships and is being built in Moss Point, Miss., home state of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. Even more ominous for the Fire Scout program, the Navy’s five-year plan zeroes out its funding after purchasing the first 40 of them, heightening prospects that it might be among defense systems most endangered in a wave of budget cuts. However, the funding freeze wouldn’t affect deliveries of 17 aircraft of an ... more »

Group of NATO ships arrive in Lithuania’s port city

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 12 hours ago
[image: SNMCMG1]Yesterday the five NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group ONE (SNMCMG1) arrived in Klaipėda for a scheduled port visit during the Group’s deployment to the Baltic to enhance maritime security and NATO’s readiness in the region, Allied Maritime Command reported. Led by Commander Eirik Otterbu (NOR N), SNMCMG1 is currently composed of the Norwegian support vessel HNoMS VALKYRIEN (flagship), which will lead the Dutch mine hunter HNLMS MAKKUM, the Belgian mine hunter BNS BELLIS, the Norwegian minesweeper HNoMS OTRA, and the Estonian mine hunter ... more »

Take The Girl Scout Cookie Survey.....Why Are Sales Down?

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 12 hours ago
The Girl Scout Council is doing a survey and they want to know why you didn't buy Girl Scout Cookies. We tried to tell them why, lol, but they weren't listening. Maybe they will listen now. Please take the survey. Fill in the blank on the s...econd screen to let them know you didn't buy them because they are full of GMOs! BOYCOTT GMO GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. BOYCOTT KELLOGG'S (who owns Little Brownie Bakers - maker of GMO Girl Scout Cookies). WE ARE THE COOKIE BOSSES. *Survey: **http://bit.ly/1hlvTJB* #GMO #GirlScoutCookies #CookieBoss #BoycottGirlScoutCookies #BoycottKelloggs #Keebl... more »

Commander: Iran’s Fleet of Warships Arrives at Pakistan's Karachi Port

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 12 hours ago
[image: Younes (Kilo)class SSK]Commander of Iranian fleet First Captain Ali Jahanbakhsh said that the flotilla, comprising of four naval ships and a submarine, arrived at Karachi port on Friday and was warmly welcomed by the Pakistan Navy officers. “The mission is aimed at enhancing defensive cooperation and interaction with the regional countries, particularly neighboring Pakistan,” Jahanbakhsh added. He also noted that the Iranian fleet and Pakistani warships would conduct joint naval drills at the end of the mission. Read more

Energy Econ 20: On Slashing the Max Power Generation Charge

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 13 hours ago
When there is thin or very small power reserves on peak demand hours of hot months April-May, there are two options. (1) Have rotating brown outs, kill electricity demand for a few hours in some areas; or (2) get expensive power from peak-load plants like diesel barges and avoid brown-outs. The P32/kwh max rate (usually for 1 or 2 hours, and used to be P62/kwh) allowed in WESM (vs average price of about P5/kwh) looks exorbitant, true. But if it will help avoid a brown out of 1 or 2 hours, it may look less merciless as other people would describe it. So some businessmen are willing t... more »

Review Harga Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 Mei 2014 Terbaru

irfan ganteng at Yaya Blog's - 15 hours ago
Review Harga Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 Mei 2014 Terbaru - Assalammu’alaikum kawan semua, , untuk melengkapi perbendaharaan anda dalam mengetahui seluk beluk yang ada dalam setiap produk android dari Samsung, kami kembali hadir dengan membawa seonggok informasi yang akan membangun anda makin banyak akal dan lebih cermat dalam memilih smartphone yang cocok untuk anda. didalam kans kali ini

Odessa Massacre Pushes Ukraine to the Edge

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 15 hours ago
*Image: Neo-Nazis light Trade Union House ablaze, killing 30+ in Odessa.**May 3, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Western headlines have attempted to spin into ambiguity the death of over 30 anti-fascist Ukrainian protesters cornered and burned to death in the Trade Unions House in the southern port city of Odessa. The arson was carried out by Neo-Nazi mobs loyal to the unelected regime now occupying Kiev. Both the London Guardian and the BBC attempted in their coverage to make the perpetrators and circumstances as ambiguous as possible before revealing paragraphs down that pro-regi... more »

Incompetent Pearson “Wins” PARCC Contract. Big Surprise.

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 16 hours ago
In his six-minute videoed speech on the necessity of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), billionaire Bill Gates patiently explains that it is not enough for individual states to implement their own standards because “scale is good for free market competition.” Here is the reality of “free market competition” in this time of unprecedented education profiteering: A […]

Food Watch: Should we maybe look for a second opinion about these cat-shaped marshmallows?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 17 hours ago
*by Ken* Maybe the simplest way to approach this is to ask what you think of when you look at the picture above? *One possible reaction:* "Oh goody, there's a pussycat-shaped thing floating on top of my whatever-the-hell-that-viscous-liquid-is in the mug." My first thought was that it was coffee, or maybe soup, but since the floating thing turns out to be a cat-shaped *marshmallow*, I certainly hope it's *not* coffee or soup. The only thing I can think of that might come in a mug which might lend itself to marshmallow inhabitation is cocoa. Sure, you could top off your cocoa with... more »

Four years of math?

skrashen at Schools Matter - 17 hours ago
Sent to the Washington Post, May 2, 2014. Maryland will now require all high school students to take four years of math ("Maryland to require math for all years of high school; universities also adjust rules," May 2). The fourth year, moreover, must be "non-trivial," such as algebra 2, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus, statistics and college algebra. This is in order to prevent students from "getting rusty" and not being prepared for college. But not all students go to college. And of those who do, few select majors that require this much math and few jobs require this much ma... more »

Members of Both Parties and the Entire White House Economic Team Have Wanted for Years To Deliver a Startling Wealth Transfer From the Public to Wall Street (Brad Miller Warns!) Piketty’s Inequality Charts

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . - Charles Dickens I wouldn't have thought it would be time to quote those words yet. But it is. Just trying to keep up with the bad news breaking daily for the unwashed masses (not to mention the constantly enriching news for the washed few) has made me late with this planned essay. Brad Miller,

Maybe "Hope springs eternal" isn't the ideal mindset for dealing with Republicans, or right-wingers generally -- a cautionary tale

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 19 hours ago
*Maybe the problem was that Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), at right, was subjected to threatening visitations by hideous, monstrous creatures like the vaguely human-looking, er, thing at left. Oh, the horror!* *"Hope springs eternal in the human breast;Man never is, but always to be blessed:The soul, uneasy and confined from home,Rests and expatiates in a life to come."* *– Alexander Pope, in "An Essay on Man"* *by Ken* Myself, I have no trouble getting behind this business of hope sprining eternal in the human breast. I mean, we have to keep going, don't we? Despite all t... more »

Despite the tragedy in Odessa- Keep your eyes on Slavyansk, Ukraine

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 20 hours ago
Wanted to get some of this info up yesterday, but, just couldn't. Yesterday- A large parade of anti-coup protestors in Odessa Despite hot weather, thousands of people in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa marched through its central streets on Thursday, May 1, carrying placards that read “Odessa Is a Hero City”, “Referendum” and “Fascism Won’t Pass”. Today that parade was followed by what looks to be a massacre instigated by *"soccer hooligans"? * *I have a very hard time believing these are "soccer hooligans"* *So, is this the new bogus name that the NATO media is going to us... more »

Benghazi Again? Investigate the Damned NSA!

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 22 hours ago
Speaker of the House John Boehner on Friday announced that the Republicans will soon be setting up a special investigative tribunal to once again flog that long dead horse that is the Benghazi scandal. Now that the corporate scam that is the Affordable Health Care Act aka Obamacare is pretty much dead as a campaign issue the GOP is going to count on once again going back to the future in rolling out the blatant election year scam of yet another investigation into what it is that happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. You have to give it to the sleazy Republicans, they are pred... more »

My Town, Our Town, Your Town

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 22 hours ago
A short time ago, Peter Van Buren posted an article on TomDispatchthat addressed the central theme of his new book, *Ghosts of Tom Joad: A Story of the #99 Percent*. Van Buren used to be a State Department official who'd seen firsthand the excesses in Iraq that always seem to favor the 1% there. After 20+ years working for the kind folks at Foggy Bottom, he'd lost his job when he decided to turn whistleblower and expose some of those excesses and abuses of American taxpayer dollars. In "This is Not Your Land, This is Their Land", he'd profiled four communities: Atlantic Cit... more »

Gangs & Counter-gangs: Sir David Sterling, The SAS and the Post-Colonial Destabilisation of The Empire

Spike EP at News Spike - 22 hours ago
*"At the end of the war, SAS was disbanded, but it was soon revived to crush the Malay insurgency in Malaysia, and the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya. * *In his 1960 book Gangs and Countergangs, Col. Frank Kitson boasted that the British were covertly leading several large-scale Mau Mau units, and that many, if not all Mau Mau units had been synthetically created by the colonial authorities.* *This article appears in the October 13, 1995 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.*The SAS: Prince Philip's Manager of Terrorism by Joseph Brewda On the eve of the first of six schedule... more »

May 2: glimpses of responsible journalism...

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 23 hours ago
The front page actually has two stories that seem to belong there. The first one is about, I think, a much more serious problem than the story suggests. The wife of the president of U de Moncton was given a $200,000 contract to redecorate their house. The president says it wasn't him who did it; it was the Board of Governors. Yeah. I'm sure he protested, but they muscled him aside. Tough gangs these boards of governors. By the way, who sits on a board of governors and who dominates it? Usually, it's businessmen. Then he says the board did it because it noticed that many presidents ... more »

NRSC Clearly Understands They Can Lose South Dakota, But Guy Cecil Is Still Filled With Poutrage

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
DSCC executive director Guy Cecil isn't thinking clearly... or doesn't give a shit if the Democrats keep control of the Senate or not. The battle over the Senate could well come down to one state: South Dakota... and Cecil, who rides roughshod over pathetic DSCC chairman Michael Bennet, refuses to play. When Beltway political reporter Alexandra Jaffe asked the question, Why Is Rick Weiland Getting Cold Shoulder?, there is never a mention of Cecil. No doubt he was just too busy trying to worm his way into the Hillary For President Campaign taking shape, but its hardly a secret that... more »

KIPP Teacher Asks: "Would we let this happen if the students were white middle class?"

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
I interviewed a former KIPP teacher I will call Keith. Keith was highly successful at KIPP for longer than most teachers last at any KIPP, which is 1-2 years. Keith shared a great deal, and much of it I had heard from others: the 80-100 hour weeks, the silent lunches, the incessant chanting, the compulsive attention to detail, the straight lines of uniformed students, the clipboard for keeping track of the token economy, kids staying as late as 7 PM at school to finish homework they had failed to finish the night before, the singular focus on closing the test score gaps, the loss... more »

Ukraine Crisis: The Battle for Slavyansk

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 1 day ago
*May 3, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - The unelected regime currently occupying Kiev, Ukraine, has once again attempted to crush multiplying uprisings across the nation's eastern and southern regions, after earlier setbacks. In the eastern city of Slavyansk, home to roughly 116,000 Ukrainians, the regime has unleashed helicopter gunships, armored vehicles, and special forces deployed by helicopter in a city-wide assault that has left many dead, and many more wounded. The city's defenders have downed several helicopters and have been clashing with regime forces throughout the day. B... more »

This story is about Tuscaloosa’s schools!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014* *And about schools near you:* In the current Atlantic, Nikole Hannah-Jones has written a lengthy, fascinating report about the racial history of the Tuscaloosa (City) public schools. She describes the way Tuscaloosa integrated its dual school system after being taken to court in 1975. Starting in 1979, the city began operating a single high school for all its students, white and black, and a single middle school. The new arrangement was “clumsy and unpopular,” Hannah-Jones writes, “but its consequences were profound.” Here’s the way it worked: HANNAH-JONES ... more »

Randi W. Blows An Easy One (For A Change)

Michael Paul Goldenberg at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
RANDI WEINGARTEN, LOOKING . . . CONFUSED. I love unions, but I have a hard time fathoming the leadership of contemporary American teachers’ unions. With so many glaring idiocies afloat from the world of education deform (aka GERM - as Pasi Sahlberg calls it), you’d think it would be impossible not to find incisive things […]

BEALE AFB DRONE PROTEST

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
Direct action at Beale AFB in California by Veterans for Peace and others on April 29 following the reading of an indictment for war crimes. I lived on this base from 1969-1971 and graduated from nearby Wheatland High School. I hope to get to one of these protests at Beale at some point.

Friday Nerd Blogging Part Two: Who Says There is a Gap?

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
One of the constant refrains one will hear in civil-military relations is that there is a gap between the civilians and the military–a deep, wide gap in values, perceptions and so on. Well, here is some proof (not great video) that the gap is over-rated: H/T to Mrs. Spew

BBC Trending update

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
Ha!! Further to our post about BBC Trending, “Who is too young to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust” I see BBC Watch has just published this. The so-called ‘new law’ is not even a law. It is in fact “a new pedagogic programme of the Ministry of Education”. “The programme organises the exposure of the children to content on the subject of the Holocaust, from the early ages to high school, and *in each age group there is adjustment of the content to the developmental, cognitive and emotional abilities of the children to deal with the material.”* As I said, not a question of... more »

Medicine of plants

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 1 day ago
Natural Supplements to help us get better... Below are the plants that will restore the normal functions of the stomach and or liver that is provided too much damage was not done because of "ingested poisons" or suicidal attempts. *Milk Thysle* The story goes that the milk Thysle plant was believed to give the expectant mothers increased lactation, It was also believed that the mottled white veins were caused by the drops of milk from the virgin mary when nursing baby Jesus. Apart from that, the fruit of the plant contains SILYMARIN a substance that promotes the SELF-... more »

mountain of the gods

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 day ago
Mt. Nemrut

NEWS ROUND-UP

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
*People in the Philippines staged major protests during Obama's visit to sign new agreements to allow US military bases to return to their country. The US was kicked out of the Philippines in 1992 and had to close its Navy and Air Force bases. * - At Beale AFB in California on Tuesday, the two main gates into the base for the first time during rush hour commute were successfully shut down,* simultaneously. *Thirteen people were arrested, six were veterans and three others had never done civil resistance before. Beale AFB hosts the Global Hawk (Surveillance drone),... more »

Playoff Break

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 1 day ago
Now that we are in the second round I will be absorbed totally by the totality. Montreal has a real shot at the Cup. I can not comment on anything without that happy feeling. Unless the administration of the human world demonstratively changes for better or worse I got to say the Habitat is where I am living. If you are not a Montreal fan, I am sorry for you, may you find some other path to true joy.

Victim Fine Surcharge

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
Tinker v. The Queen, 2014 ONCJ 208: Applicants have brought an application under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenging the s. 737 Victim Surcharge amendments, which came into effect on Oct. 24, 2013. Notice under the Courts of Justice Act s. 109 -- " I hold that the requirement in s. 737(2)(b) for a surcharge, where no fine is imposed on the offender, does infringe s. 7 of the Charter and cannot be saved by s. 1."

Rob Ford antics

LeDaro at LeDaro - 1 day ago
The Colbert report. ;) Here is collection of antics:

Brandan Boyle-- Bipartisan When It Comes To One Thing: The Republican War Against Women

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
I'm no fan of conservative-leaning New Dem Allyson Schwartz. Earlier today, I mentioned in passing how she was one of the bought-out Wall Street shills who voted with the GOP for Bush's anti-family bankruptcy bill. But there is one area where no one can deny Schwartz's heroic stature and that's when it comes to women's issues. She has been staunchy pro-Choice and a leader in the fight for women's health issues, no small matter. It would be tragic if one of Philadelphia's most ardent opponent's of women's health, an ambitious state legislator dear to the heart of the corrupt party ... more »

Cute Sophomore Student Council Campaign Video - Innovative and Unique with the bloopers at the end.

Sherrie Questioning All at Sherrie Questioning All - 1 day ago
Something for your enjoyment and laugh (bloopers at the end). Here is my daughter's Sophomore Student Council campaign video, it had to be 30 seconds to one minute.. It is innovative and unique. We used the tricks our dog can do and incorporated them into her campaign. Her flyers had a picture of her and Shiraz. This video is the original campaign video but I added the bloopers at the end.

Climate Tricks 29: Bioethanol to Save the Planet, or Pollute the Planet?

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 1 day ago
The use of biofuels is one of the schemes invented by the climate alarmism and energy rationing movement to help "save the planet". By using organic materials like corn and sugar as additive or actual liquid fuel to vehicles, it is hoped that the use of petroleum products which emit CO2 that "pollute" the air and further raise greenhouse gases (GHGs) and warm the planet, will be lessened. There are a few bioethanol processing plants in the Philippines, riding on the Clean Air Act I think, that requires the use of biofuels nationwide. Now here's the twist. Residents, church and local... more »

Friday Nerd Blogging: Make Mine Marvel

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
This summer may be the most Marvelous yet with Captain America 2, Spider-Man 2, X-Men Days of Future Past (otherwise X-Men First Class 2) and Guardians of the Galaxy. Sure, not all are by Marvel Studios but all are based on Marvel Characters. Do we need so many sequels (with GoG being essentially a sequel Continue reading

Alabama Makes Clear Parent Rights for Opting Out of State Tests

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
From AL.com: . . . .“There’s been a lot of concern about the amount of standardized testing that the school system does,” Cox said. “It’s not just a Baldwin County issue; it’s all over the country. Every time the children turn around, they’re being tested for something, and more and more parents have become concerned about it.” Cox stressed that it is permissible for parents to opt out of the tests: *“There is no Alabama law or federal law that states they cannot opt their children out, which means that it is perfectly legal to do so,” he said. “There seems to be some confusion over ... more »

Mike's Story Part 11: Apprentice Devils

Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 1 day ago
*By **Jenna** Orkin* The reason Mike felt impelled to confess the burundanga episode had to do with an event that had taken place back home. FTW subscribers used to get news updates on a daily basis, if memory serves. One afternoon we opened the email to find a long account, supposedly from Mike, describing his life in Caracas as one of debauchery - drinking, whoring and blowing money which had been raised from those same subscribers after the computers were smashed and FTW's fate hung in the balance. (This chronology, too, is drawn from memory and may be inaccurate in so... more »

John Boehner will announce the formation of a select committee on Benghazi, led by Rep. Trey Gowdy...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*as my hubby just said, "It gives new meaning to kicking ass and taking names."* *Whoohoo!* Trey Gowdy back in October of 2013:

O’Reilly’s remarks about Donald Sterling!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014* *We regard this as good news:* Over the weekend, Cliven Bundy basically disappeared. The kooky rancher was blown away by Donald Sterling, the pitiful NBA owner. On Monday evening, Bill O’Reilly opened his Fox News program with extended remarks about Sterling. Below, we show you a large portion of what O’Reilly said. For background, see our previous post. We regard it as good news that Fox News viewers have been hearing these remarks and quite a few others like them. You’ll never be told about this at Salon, where you’re constantly propagandized and trained in... more »

Russia requests UN Security Council meeting after dawn raids on Slavyansk

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
*Is Russia going to broach the topic of Russian peacekeepers at this meeting?* *The Security Council meeting begins at 1200 noon EST * The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at noon Eastern time to discuss Ukraine at the behest of Russia We have three sources for the news, video & images below* USA Today & Itar Tass & GMA* As Ukraine mounts a major assault Friday against pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, Russia has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the escalating violence. A spokesman for Russia's... more »

Doctor Who Tardis Bag Tutorial with Marissa from Rae Gun Ramblings

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 day ago
*Today, I am so excited to have one of my favorite people in the whole word, Marissa from Rae Gun Ramblings, here to share a fantastic project. Marissa is a creative and sewing master, some of my favorite projects from her blog include her DIY Moby Wrap and her Fancy Nancy Dress Tutorial. If you are a Harry Potter fan, be sure to check out the amazing Harry Potter baby costumes in her shop! Make sure you check out her blog and leave some comment love! * [image: Step by step instructions for how to make your own Dr Who Tardis bag at Rae Gun Ramblings] I am so stinking excited to be he... more »

Synchronicity - A Friday Rule 5 post

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
Yesterday I posted this piece about 'shocking' female body hair, with examples of Madonna, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Drew Barrymore and Lily Allen. Today I discovered this video of Kate Upton shaving... Synchronicity!

EYES OFF THE PRIZE: The things we liberals can’t be told!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014* *Part 4—Saint Joan keeps us barefoot and clueless:* In large part, we agree with something we read in Salon. Can things like this be said at Salon? In a typically muddled piece designed to stir our liberal hate, Paul Rosenberg said something good about the racial attitudes of the American people: ROSENBERG (5/1/14): [Donald] Sterling’s self-immolating drama vividly illustrates what the questions involve. *It’s not just that Americans—unbeknownst to Sterling, Cliven Bundy and Limbaugh—have come to an overwhelming consensus that racism itself is evil, though tha... more »

"Pray for my brother ..."

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 day ago
In keeping with my empty, trivial subject matter until such a time as I have time to think about more substantive things I bring you the laughable request of the teary-eyed Doug Ford that we all "pray" for his brother. What's moved Doug to tears this time, after all the other incidents of drinking and whoring and consorting with gangsters in order to enjoy their illegal substances? Could it be the nail in the coffin for Doug's dreams of continued political fame? Could it be that there are finally images available to the public and Rob and Doug can't even try to lie this time? A... more »

The Sacred Circle Poem by M.N. Hopkins

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 day ago
If you would like to read more, please visit: *http://www.poemhunter.com/michael-hopkins*

Digby Wins the Hillman Prize

Batocchio at Vagabond Scholar - 1 day ago
Congratulations to the incisive and indefatigable Digby for winning the 2014 Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism. You can read the Sidney Hillman Foundation's announcement here and her characteristically humble post on the matter here. (But surely you were reading her blog Hullabaloo already.)

The hoax of creative destruction

Nauman Sadiq at Incredible credulity - 1 day ago
There is a condition in the European Union’s terms of union in which the under-developed countries of Europewho aspire to join the EU allowed free movement of goods only on the reciprocal condition that the developed countries will allow the free movement of labor. What’s obvious in this condition is the fact: that the free movement of goods (free trade) only benefits the countries who have a strong manufacturing base; and the free movement of workers only favor the under-developed countries where labor is cheap. Now, when the international financial institutions, like the IMF and ... more »

Things to do after finishing a book

Brandon Valeriano at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
I just finished my cyber security book, provisionally titled Cyber Hype versus Cyber Reality. The feeling of loss has set in. I don’t know what to do with myself now, I am sleeping more than normal (but that could just be jet lag). Working on articles seems like too small a task. Starting a new Continue reading

Prospect Heights T Party Dumps the Tests

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Teachers at a New York City high school fired a shot across the bow of the concept of a nationalized education industry Thursday, becoming the first in that state to refuse to administer a standardized test tied to the controversial Common Core national standards. The boycott by teachers at Prospect Heights International School in Brooklyn comes amid a small but growing “opt out” movement in which thousands of parents across the country have refused to let their children sit for standardized tests tied to Common Core’s data-hungry student assessment industry. The state assessments a... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*Fracking opponents pack two St. Tammany meetings ~Faimon A. Roberts III, B.R. Advocate* *New levees could knock down the next Katrina, but are they enough? ~WVUE* *Could wind power knock down hurricane strength? ~WWLTV* *Subsea 7 Wins More Work from BP in the Gulf of Mexico ~Rob Almeida, gCaptain* *Fiya Fest Today! ~NOLA DEFENDER*

Donna Edwards To Helm The DCCC's Red To Blue Program

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
I'm still in the beginning on the awesome new book by Elizabeth Warren, A Fighting Chance. I just read a few pages every night before going to bed and then meditate on it as a lesson of the day. I'm reading about her focus on bankruptcy and how her academic peers-- and the entire Establishment-- defined bankruptcy as a kind of moral failure for the men and women who had been forced into it, often through the kind of medical catastrophe that could devastate any family. People filing, her research showed, weren't "lazy bums"-- the preconception-- but, more often than not, ordinary f... more »

Tolerating Rot

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
As Rob Ford heads off to rehab in Chicago, Carol Goar writes that Canadians are besotted with shameless politicians: A casual lawlessness has crept into the high offices of the land. It is not outright criminality, punishable by fines and jail time (at least not yet). It is an attitude among those entrusted with power that they don’t have to play by the rules; that wrongdoing carries no consequences; and that a half-hearted apology will set everything right. Besides Ford, she enumerates several other recent examples of political bad behaviour: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has... more »

Welcome to SC: A Heaping Stumbling-Bumbling Mess of Ineptitude

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
Welcome to SC: A Heaping Stumbling-Bumbling Mess of Ineptitude. via Welcome to SC: A Heaping Stumbling-Bumbling Mess of Ineptitude.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

Non Farm payroll Friday - May 2 , 2014 -- Whopping 288K Jobs Added In April, Far Higher Than Expectations; Unemployment Rate Tumbles To 6.3% ....... But also note that labor participation fell to the lowest level since 1978 !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-02/one-million-people-dropped-out-labor-force-april-participation-rate-plummets-lowest- One Million People Dropped Out Of Labor Force In April: Participation Rate Plummets To Lowest Since 1978 [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/02/2014 08:54 -0400 - BLS - Bureau of Labor Statistics - Unemployment inShare And so the BLS is back to its old data fudging, because while the Establishment Survey job number was a whopper, and the biggest monthly addition since 2012, the Household Survey showed an actual d... more »

The KMT Brings order to the Galaxy

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 1 day ago
*Noodle shop, Huaxin St.* The commentary on the nuke plant from the pro-nuke side is both comically stupid and revealing. South China Morning Post says it's time for a "rational" debate on energy in Taiwan. *But Taiwan, like Japan, has little choice but to consider nuclear power because it lacks the natural resources to generate electricity. *Taiwan's three operating nuclear power stations, two of them in New Taipei City in the north where the fourth is being built, have operated safely for many years, while providing nearly 20 per cent of the island's electricity. Taiwanese need ... more »

Kirov was murdered by a lone gunman

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
"It must be asserted that to this day the circumstances surrounding Kirov's murder hide many things which are inexplicable and mysterious and demand a most careful examination. There are reasons for the suspicion that the killer of Kirov, Nikolaev, was assisted by someone from among the people whose duty it was protect the person of Kirov. A month and a half before the killing, Nikolaev was arrested on the grounds of suspicious behaviour, but he was released and not even searched. It is an unusually suspicious circumstance that when the Chekist [Borisov] assigned to protect Kirov wa... more »

War watch May 2 , 2014 - Syria ships out or has destroyed 92.5 percent of its chemical weapon arsenal , US makes nonsensical complaint that Syria is " stalling " by not getting the rest out of Latakia port ( said port located in Rebel controlled territory ) ........... 33 Killed, Scores Wounded in North Syria Barrel Bomb Strike Barrel Bomb Hit Marketplace, Started Fires ......... Afghanistan has another bloody day as a bomb explodes at a checkpoint killing at least 11 ( spring time means fighting season has begun in earnest )

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Syria ..... US Accuses Syria of ‘Stalling’ on Chemical DisarmamentClaims They're Keeping Useless Chemicals as 'Leverage' by Jason Ditz, May 01, 2014 Print This | Share This The Obama Administration continues to rail at what has by all other accounts been a very successful chemical weapons disarmament in Syria, accusing the nation of “stalling” because they fell slightly short of a self-imposed deadline to have all the chemicals out of the country by last Friday. Syria got only 92.5% out by then. Syria has struggled to get those shipments out of the country through Latakia port, as ... more »
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