10:57am MDST
Michael Hastings Was Investigating Bergdahl's Capture Before He Died - As Usual, the Radical Conservatives React To Empathy Issues In Wrong Way (Opposite To Their Stated Beliefs)
Michael Hastings, pen maître (and undisputed maître of the clearly devastating but unlikely C250 Mercedes coupe explosion) had been documenting the circumstances around Bergdahl's disappearance in Afghanistan at the time of his shocking death. He had also just told friends the day before that the FBI was tracking his every move and that he needed to get off their radar screen (so to speak). Who
KIEV USES WHITE PHOSPHORUS BOMBS
In recent days the US-NATO puppet project in Kiev has been using white phosphorus bombs against their own citizens in the east of Ukraine. The reason? They will not submit to full corporate fascist authority. Simple as that.....and Russia is next on the list. I'm reading a very good book called Gladio: NATO's Dagger at the Heart of Europe, The Pentagon-Nazi-Mafia Terror Axis by Richard Cottrell. I highly recommend it. In the book Cottrell shares this important insight while discussing the dangerously expanding role of NATO: A military pact ostensibly grounded on the principl... more »
THE ROLE OF THE GAPS: At 18 months!
*FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014* *Part 5—Thirty million words:* The achievement gaps are very large within our student population. In this morning’s New York Times, a former teacher offers a perfectly sensible thought about this state of affairs. These large gaps must be nipped in the bud, the writer essentially says. The writer refers to Robert Balfanz’s struggles to keep ninth-graders in school, which he described in an essay in Sunday’s New York Times. (For our previous report, just click here.) Balfanz works with high school and middle school students who are likely to drop out. But ... more »
KIEV USES WHITE PHOSPHORUS BOMBS
In recent days the US-NATO puppet project in Kiev has been using white phosphorus bombs against their own citizens in the east of Ukraine. The reason? They will not submit to full corporate fascist authority. Simple as that.....and Russia is next on the list. I'm reading a very good book called Gladio: NATO's Dagger at the Heart of Europe, The Pentagon-Nazi-Mafia Terror Axis by Richard Cottrell. I highly recommend it. In the book Cottrell shares this important insight while discussing the dangerously expanding role of NATO: A military pact ostensibly grounded on the principle... more »
Five observations on the Ontario election
1) A record of corruption and incompetence doesn’t disqualify a party from forming government. The Ontario Liberals cost taxpayers almost $1 billion when they cancelled two power plants in 2011 to improve their election chances, and were either dishonest or incompetent in covering up the real costs. It wasn’t enough to get them kicked out of office. In fact, their share of the popular vote rose from 38 per cent in 2011 to 39 per cent this week. Opposition parties can't count on voters to punish parties for past wrongdoing. 2) Changing leaders, as the Liberals did, appears to be like... more »
Letter from Canadian sex worker clarifies dangers of Bill C-36
As a Canadian practically ready to flee the country just because I hate the current federal government so much, I'm feeling empathy with all those poor Americans who endured all those humiliating years under the presidency of George W. Bush. OK, the Conservatives aren't quite up there with Bush in terms of outrageous, poorly informed decisions. But this new anti-prostitution bill they've put forward certainly puts them much closer to the zone. Why would a government of a country known all around the world for its humane laws table a bill that will not only fail to protect sex ... more »
No wonder moms can't get anything done
I've been back in a life with young children again for the last six weeks, helping out with three of our grandsons for a couple of months while their parents get up to various things. There’s much that is quite lovely about it, but being able or willing to do my usual amount of writing is not one of them. This new life has helped me see that in fact, I had become quite used to having time alone for writing and reflecting. But when you’re living in a house with children, forget it. At this moment, my 14-year-old grandson is madly playing some iPod game a mere metre away ... more »
Continued Collapse Of Iraqi Security Forces And Fighting In Baghdad Leads to Militia Mobilization And Arrival Of Iran
The continued collapse of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) along with the advance of the insurgency towards Baghdad has brought out both the militias and Iran. June 12, 2014 there was more news that police and army units were disintegrating in the face of militants. In Diyala police and army units started pulling out of the Sadiya area throughout the day. A Baathist Military Council later posted several videos of it burning parts of an abandoned ISF base in that part of the province. In Anbar, soldiers withdrew from Kubaisa near Hit in the west after fighting with insurgents. To the... more »
What The HELL Is Going On In Iraq? ISIS Looming Iraq Victory Is Fruit Of Decade Of Failed US Policy!
I have been watching all the reports over the last few days about the so called "ISIS" (Islamic State of Iraq in Syria) "army" that has already conquered most of northern Iraq, and is presently bearing down on the Iraqi capital of Baghdad as I write this report.... It is startling to see how quickly this army of "insurgents" has seized so much of Iraq, and may very quickly take full control of Iraq away from the US puppet regime in Baghdad itself. I first want everyone that needs a better understanding of what has really been happening so far in northern Iraq to turn to some amazing... more »
Mike's Story Part 49 - Furies
*By **Jenna** Orkin* * From Mike to Ray 2-20-2007* * I really want to talk to them [this probably referred to the Ashland Police Department] as the victim also. I have nothing tohide and I wouldn't mind if they asked me questions.No 5th amendment issues.You tell me.* * From: "Mike Ruppert" stgeorge119@gmail.com To: "Ray Kohlman" Subject: Ashland PD Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:43:21 -0500 Can we get a letter from Ashland PD stating that I am not a suspect n the burglary? I still kind of want to let them know about [two employees.] * *February 21 2007 * * Two days after ... more »
James Clerk Maxwell: a birthday
James Clerk Maxwell was born on June 13th, 1831, i.e. 183 (similar digits) years ago, which was fortunately for him Monday and not Friday we have today ;-), to a wealthy advocate from a family of Conservative Party lawmakers, and he died on November 5, 1879 (deja vu without MathJax). He was probably the most influential 19th century string theorist even though he mostly cared about the low-energy limit, similarly to the supergravity theorists today. Most science historians are secular progressives so they won't tell you that Maxwell, much like both of his parents, was actually a ... more »
Chinese Government Settles Pielke vs. Krugman
Last week I had a letter in the Financial Times in which I explained the simple but powerful logic of the Kaya Identity for understanding efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (for some nice discussions see here, here and here). The letter was motivated by a proposal floated by a Chinese academic that China should "cap" its emissions in the near term. I used the logic of the Kaya Identity to conclude: It should thus not come as a surprise that carbon caps have not led to emissions reductions or even limitations anywhere. China will be no different. In response, Paul Krugman o... more »
Iraq is burning and Obama heads to Palm Springs...
*right after disrupting the locals in Bismark, ND so "President Ribbon Cutter" can have a round-table discussion with some teenagers.* *10:00 am ET ||* Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing *11:25 am ET ||* Departs White House *1:45 pm CT ||* Arrives Bismarck, North Dakota *2:40 pm CT ||* Participates, with Mrs. Obama, in a roundtable discussion with Native American Youth; Cannon Ball Elementary School *3:45 pm CT ||* Attends the Cannon Ball Flag Day Celebration and delivers remarks; Cannon Ball Powwow Grounds *5:20 pm CT ||* Departs Bismarck, North Dakota *6:20 pm PT ||* Arrives Pa... more »
Absent urgency police need judicial authorization to get IP address
R. *v.* Spencer, 2014 SCC 43: Whether there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in the totality of the circumstances is assessed by considering and weighing a large number of interrelated factors. The main dispute in this case turns on the subject matter of the search and whether the accused's subjective expectation of privacy was reasonable. The two circumstances relevant to determining the reasonableness of his expectation of privacy in this case are the nature of the privacy interest at stake and the statutory and contractual framework governing the ISP... more »
یک زن در ایران
یک زن در ایران. یک زن سوار موتور سیکلت، به تنهایی در سمت شهرستان و کشور ماجراجو با تجربه و نویسنده، ساخته شده است ایران آخرین مقصد سفر خود، بازدید از کشور برای بار دوم در یک سال است. او برای اولین بار رفت و در سپتامبر گذشته ، کنجکاو در مورد جایی است که اغلب منفی در رسانه های غربی برجسته. "از یک طرف من می خواهم همه چیز افتضاح است در مورد زنان که به جرم زنا سنگسار شنیدن، بالاترین میزان اعدام در جهان، و غنی سازی هسته ای،" او تلگراف سفر سال گذشته گفت: "بعد از آن مسافران زمینی می گویند ایران فوق العاده بود و خود را کشور مورد علاقه، و این تفاوت مجذوب من. "من آگاه بود که یک عنصر خطر وجود د... more »
Kelly Brook on a beach in Mexico, no bikini top required - A Friday Night Rule 5 Post NSFW
It's Friday and Mexico play their first World Cup match of the 2014 World Cup tonight against Cameroon, so how better to celebrate than with a photo of a topless Kelly Brook on a Mexican beach?
This Blog has a Mirror Site in UK
I just found out today that my blog has a mirror blog registered in UK. The original blog site is http://funwithgovernment.blogspot.com/ And the mirror site is http://funwithgovernment.blogspot.co.uk/ Both are owned by blogger.com and google. I wondered if it is good or bad. My IT-techie friend Rad Basa said that it's ok, similar to google.com.ph and google.com. They segregate geographically to balance the traffic across their servers around the world. I checked this blog's stats, overall viewership since July 2010, #4 blog readers are from UK, So the mirror site may have helped. A... more »
The Iraq disinegration
The British drew lines on a map. But they never ruled the people. Now we see Iraq going tribal. This is a change 200 years in the making. Let it happen, let the crazy rule, it will all turn out alright. BTW the force behind everything from Syria to Ukraine is Saudi, why are they not on the global carpet?
Friday Nerd Blogging: GoT Music
With the finale of this season of Game of Thrones upon us, I thought this take on the theme might be a suitable Friday Nerd entry.
Facebook Stories
Looks like the DPP has decided to support Ko in Taipei against Sean Lien. Taoyuan is looking more interesting by the minute, lots of stuff on the blog tomorrow, stay tuned. Meanwhile.... Taiwan joke I heard the other day: Q: How do you know the person standing in front of you is Chinese? A: They keep trying to persuade you that YOU are Chinese.... A friend posted this to her Facebook: Taiwan's Invisibility A medical researcher at X University mentioned it's getting harder for Taiwanese to participate in international conferences. The pharmaceutical companies used to pay for Tai... more »
Standard of review of administrative tribunal
Canadian Artists' Representation *v.* National Gallery of Canada, 2014 SCC 42: [13] Reasonableness is the presumptive standard of review when a tribunal is interpreting its home statute or a statute closely connected to its function and with which it will have particular familiarity. The *SAA *applies to, among other things, "authors of artistic . . . works within the meaning of the *Copyright Act*", requiring the Tribunal to interpret and apply that statute (*SAA*, s. 6(2)(*b*)(i)). None of the exceptions to this presumption of reasonableness apply. No c... more »
Almost back to (the new) normal?
Torsten Slok of Deutsche Bank Research sends along the above graphic. At face value, it indicates the labor market is almost back to normal. If so, this fact suggests that the Fed may soon need to back off its policy of near zero interest rates, and that the slow pace of economic growth experienced in recent years reflects slow growth in potential due to adverse structural forces rather than inadequate aggregate demand.
Bernie Sanders Puts His Foot Down-- Breaks With The Political Elites Of Both Parties Over The Federal Reserve
There were three votes in the Senate yesterday confirming President Obama's Fed nominees. Stanley Fischer was confirmed to be Vice Chairman of the Fed's Board of Governors and Jerome Powell and Lael Lael Brainard were both confirmed as members of the Board of Governors. The nominations were not considered "controversial" and all three sailed through the Senate, with no one opposing them except a handful of Republican obstructionists who, basically, oppose everything and anything. Oh, and Bernie Sanders. His perspective is that foxes were being hired to guard the chicken coop. Two ... more »
11 Wreaths for the 4th of July
I love decorating for the 4th of July. My decorations are minimal and easy to pull out and put away and there is something so festive about red, white and blue. Here are 11 patriotic wreaths to get you in the mood for all things 4th of July! 4th of July Wreath by Stubbornly Crafty. Patriotic Ribbon Wreath by Wait Till Your Father Gets Home. American Pinwheel Wreath by Housewife Eclectic. 4th of July Wreath by Naptime Crafting. Patriotic Wreath by Priscilla. Patriotic Wreath by That Cute Little Cake. Red Hots and Blue 4th of July Rocket Wreath by Tatertos and Jello. Ruffletastic... more »
His Cheese Is Slipping
Not long ago, Stephen Harper mused about scoring a hat trick in Ontario -- a Tory at Toronto City Hall, a Tory at Queen's Park and himself -- the Big Cheese -- in Ottawa. This morning, Rob Ford is in rehab; Tim Hudak has resigned; and Stephen Harper -- who knows? The Conservative defeat last night -- and that's what it was -- was a case of a flawed message and a flawed messenger. Voters clearly understood that Tim Hudak's much vaunted one million jobs plan couldn't pass a grade four math class. And Mr. Hudak was a lousy salesman. Because Ontario's provincial ridings mirror its fed... more »
Producer Prices Miss, Plunge To Negative After April Surge ( June 13 , 2014 ) -- After the surge in prices in April, May's Producer Prices fall 0.2% MoM (compared to a +0.1% expectation). Year-over-year inflation rose 2.0% (down from last month's 2.1% and missing expectations of 2.4% significantly). This is the first MoM drop since February for the headline and core numbers as it appears vehicle rental appeared to see prices implode. PPI Ex Food and Energy (core), saw prices rise at 2.0% - the fastest since May 2012.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-13/producer-prices-miss-plunge-negative-after-april-surge Producer Prices Miss, Plunge To Negative After April Surge [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/13/2014 08:37 -0400 - BLS inShare After the surge in prices in April, May's Producer Prices fall 0.2% MoM (compared to a +0.1% expectation). *Year-over-year inflation rose 2.0% (down from last month's 2.1% and missing expectations of 2.4% significantly)*. This is the first MoM drop since February for the headline and core numbers as it appears vehicle rental ap... more »
The Criminalization Of Employment Law
A new indictment in a trade secret case, where a former employee opened his own business, made me think about something that's been bothering me for awhile, namely, the criminalization of employment law. I did a piece about this a couple years ago called Your Ex-Boss Wants You In Jail. It's gotten worse. Not only are we sending employees to jail for what used to be civil offenses, but the criminalization is completely one-sided. Employees blink wrong, go to jail. Employers can't get tossed in the hoosegow no matter how bad they misbehave. Here's what *The Dallas Morning News* says... more »
A few thoughts on inequality and #Veraga
Why don’t the billionaires encourage parents to sue because of large class size creating inequality? Why don’t the billionaires encourage parents to sue because of a lack of school nurses & counselors creating inequality? Why don’t the billionaires encourage parents to sue because of a lack of music & art creating inequality? Why don’t the billionaires encourage parents […]
Ed Miliband and The Sun
The Labour Party is expending megabucks on the team of advisors surrounding Ed Miliband. How's that working out? Not too well, not too well at all. After the bacon sandwich debacle, having the Labour leader appear with *The Sun* just beggars belief. I suppose the only saving grace is that Dave 'n' Nick looked a right pair too. But to top it off, Ed Miliband's office have since *apologised* for the photo. What a sorry shambles. What a farce. I don't get it. These people, your Wee Dougies, your Spencer Livermores, and the others who staff the leader's office, they're supposed to be th... more »
World Cup News June 13 , 2014 -- Ahead of today round of three games , yesterday's controversial Referee call for a penalty in Brazil's opening game , coupled with a heavy police response to protesters ( tear gas utilized once again ) mar the first day ! )
http://www.businessinsider.com/gif-flop-fred-brazil-world-cup-croatia-2014-6 It didn't take long for the first major controversy of the World Cup as Brazil took a 2-1 lead over Croatia late in the opening match when Fred appeared to flop in the penalty area, drawing a penalty. There was definitely contact on the play with the Croatian defender placing his hand on Fred's shoulder, but the Brazilian clearly embellished the contact.. Fred was even holding his hands out looking for a call even before he hit the ground. [image: Brazil World Cup] ESPN The Croatian players were furious, su... more »
Why Wynne Won!
*Land area of solar needed to power:World, EU, Germany* This is the big picture that people know in their hearts. Kathleen Wynne let Ontario know she can see what is hidden by the reactionary world.
Election Autopsy
Wynne's majority win is a testimony to how scary and awful Ontarians thought Tim Hudak and his innumerate platform was. (All the right-wing pundits and etc., who endorsed this piece-of-shit have managed to hammer another nail in the coffin of their credibility AFTER it was long ago buried under the ground!) A majority government for these Liberal sleaze-balls is the worst thing in the world though. These people cut taxes for the corporations and the rich, waste BILLIONS on various mad schemes and corruption, and then charge us for it with higher taxes and reduced services. Expect a ... more »
Obama Regime's Russia Provocations a Nuclear Accident Waiting to Happen
There is one news item this week, or maybe it is just more propaganda because who really knows anymore is that two Russian bombers were reportedly spotted by NORAD just outside US airspace off the California coast. Throw in the neocon-infested crackerjack foreign policy team of the Obama administration who in their infinite wisdom decided to send Putin a message by dispatching two nuclear capable B2 Stealth bombers to Europe as another provocation in the ongoing dick-measuring contest between the two leaders and we now live in an environment as dangerous as any since the Cold War ... more »
Cameron Diaz's sex-tape?
The Red Band Trailer for the film Sex Tape, starring Cameron Diaz. It's by the same people as Bad Teacher, so could be worth a watch.
Michael Mann's six new lies
BillMoyers.com interviewed the world's most notorious fraudulent climate fearmonger Michael Mann about Six Things Michael Mann Wants You to Know About the Science of Global Warming. Well, they mostly spoke in such a way that Michael Mann preached and BillMoyers.com obediently listened so I shouldn't have called it an interview. His text is rather incredible. As Roger Pielke Jr observed five years ago, if Michael Mann did not exist, the skeptics would have to invent him. According to Mann's latest tirade, everyone would be a fearmonger and a demagogue like himself if the public be... more »
America's Covert Re-Invasion of Iraq
*Image: ISIS clearly did not materialize spontaneously within Iraq, it hasclearly redeployed from its NATO-sponsored destruction of Syria to northern Iraq, perhaps in an attempt to justify a NATO incursion and thecreation of a buffer zone straddling Syrian, Iraqi, and even possibly Iranian territory with the goal of targeting Iran directly with ISIS. **June 13, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - Heavily armed, well funded, and organized as a professional, standing army, the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) swept southward into Iraq from Turkey and northeastern S... more »
Be Divergent - A Song & Music Video from Mike Adams
Song Lyrics You wanna learn something about yourself? You're more powerful than you could ever imagine Listen up Did you ever have a new idea? Did you ever seek a new frontier? Did you ever try to question something Invent something, create something? Did you notice how they keep you down Friends shove your mind into the ground "You can't do it!" they scream 'cuz your ideas are So unique they make them look weak Just think for yourself. Think for yourself Think for yourself, be divergent, be divergent Think for yourself. Don't be like everyone else Think for yourself, be divergen... more »
A new low for Big Brother? NSFW
The Daily Mail ask 'Is this a new low for Big Brother? New series of reality TV show facing Ofcom probe after first week sees more than 200 complaints over blasphemy, bullying, racism and swearing.' I think not, remember Makosi and Anthony from Big Brother 6?
Déclarez un moratoire sur la généralisation du vaccin gardasil - Signez cette pétition
[image: Déclarez un moratoire sur la généralisation du vaccin gardasil] Déclarez un moratoire sur la généralisation du vaccin gardasil Pétition de Océane Bourguignon France Je m'appelle Marie-Océane Bourguignon et j'ai 18 ans. J'aimerais pouvoir vivre comme les autres filles de mon âge, mais *le vaccin gardasil a rempli ma vie de souffrances.* À l'âge de 15 ans, j'ai reçu deux injections de ce vaccin prescrit contre le cancer du col de l'utérus. À la suite de cette vaccination, je souffre d'une attaque du système nerveux central qui m'handicape dans la vie de tous les jours... more »
Energy Econ 22: FEF on FIT for Solar Power Plants
A good statement and warning from the FEF on guaranteed rate for solar energy producers. The average generation charge by various power generation companies (from coal, natural gas, geothermal, hydro, oil-based, some renewables) collected by Meralco is about P5.70/kWh (+/- 10 to 20 centavos). The solar producers are given guaranteed rate of P9.68/kWh, or about P4 more expensive than existing rates. We already have a high electricity cost in Asia, the FIT for solar, wind and other renewables will make it even more expensive. Solar power, wind, biomass are cool, I am not against them ... more »
Sign The Petition To Declare a Moratorium on the Widespread Use of Gardasil in France
[image: Gardasil changed my life.]Marie-Océane BourguignonPetition: Declare a Moratorium on the Widespread Use of Gardasil in France Sane Vax., Inc. 11 June 2014 *TO: Marisol Touraine, French Social Affairs and Health Minister* *Declare a Moratorium on the Widespread Use of Gardasil in France* Petition by *Océane Bourguignon, *France *Multiply Your Impact* Turn your signature into dozens more by sharing this petition and recruiting people you know to sign. *You Your Friends Their Friends* 170 ... more »
Gardasil: 5 Years To The Light At The End Of The Tunnel by Donna Eliassen
[image: Shania from Australia]ShaniaGardasil: 5 years to the light at the end of the tunnel By Donna Eliassen Australia Sane Vax, Inc., 10 June 2014 Part 1 – The nightmare begins: *http://sanevax.org/shania-from-australia/* Part 2 – A promising update: *http://sanevax.org/update-on-shania-the-flyer-mandurah-western-australia/* It is now May 2014. It was May 2009 when Shania had the first of the two Gardasil shots that ruined her swimming career and her life in the ensuing years. (You can read about that in the links above.) In 2014, the only obvious legacy from the Garda... more »
The Futuro House - get this thing powered up with a decent anti-grav engine - and a floating taxi ride home
*The Futuro House was designed in 1968 by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. It was commissioned as a "holiday house" or vacation home. Because it would be used in a mountainside setting, the structure needed to be easy to transport to the site, low maintenance and shed snow easily.* Here are some 'real' pictures of the Futuro House: get an anti-grav engine on this thing, and take a floating taxi ride home. Here's how I see a Free Planet 'family home' version where a) the Engine is used as the Taxi and b) the Floating Homes can link into what I call Diversities.
Fall of Mosul Brings Saudi Arabia And Iran Closer To A Hot War; Collapse of The Iraqi Army Means More Assertive Shiite Militias; Birth of Kurdistan And ISIS's Cross-Border Rule Signifies The End of The Sykes–Picot Agreement
*ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), for all its evils and horrors, has done the people of the region a great service by taking Mosul from the Iraqi army: burying the Sykes–Picot treaty in history's pages. This treaty has caused more violence and bloodshed than ISIL or any terrorist group ever could.* *1. An excerpt from, "Iran’s intervention in troubled Iraq could broaden regional conflict" by Patrick Martin, The Globe and Mail, June 12, 2014:* Spurred by threats against Shia holy sites in southern Iraq, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Thursday his country w... more »
Recent Poll Shows 92% Of Americans Want GMOs Labelled
[image: Foto: NEW POLL on GMO FOODS: A new poll conducted by Consumer Reports found that 92% of U.S. consumers want GMO labeling - to include GE salmon if it should be approved - as well as strong standards for government long term safety testing of GMO foods. This is a mighty strong indication that the majority of the population is not happy living under a Monsantocracy and isn't buying the industry funded pseudoscience that is the basis of the FDA's approvals of genetically engineered foods. Well what a surprise. READ: http://enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/53529-new-c... more »
Lockheed Martin Receives $109 Million Sustainment Contract For The Air Force’s Minuteman III Reentry Subsystem
[image: LGM-30 Minuteman III Missile]Lockheed Martin received a contract from the U.S. Air Force with an initial value of $109 million for sustainment of the reentry subsystem for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Lockheed Martin’s work will include repair, modification and testing of hardware and software components in the reentry system-reentry vehicle (RS-RV) subsystem, as well as related support equipment. The contract is part of the Air Force’s Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Construct, which is designed to ensure a safe, secure and reliable... more »
Saudi defence spending rises $16bn in five years
[image: BGM-71 Tow missiles]Saudi Arabia increased its annual defence spending by $16 billion over the past five years, according to a new report by Deloitte. Its Global Defence Outlook 2014 study said the Gulf kingdom was one of the top six military spenders in the world. The report said Saudi Arabia’s increasing defence budget is tied to new capital programmes including new and re-fitted F-15 fighter aircraft totalling nearly $30 billion. Read more
Tories given green light for F-35 jet decision
[image: CF-18 Hornet]For the first time in two years, the path is clear for the Conservative government to select Canada’s next fighter jet, a choice that could very well mean buying the controversial F-35 Lightning without a competition. A panel of independent monitors on Thursday gave its blessing to a still-confidential Royal Canadian Air Force report that evaluated the risks and benefits of purchasing four different warplanes and has been forwarded to the federal cabinet. Sources say cabinet is expected to make a decision on fighters within the next couple of weeks. Read more
China Calls Japan the Aggressor in Flybys Over Sea
China’s Ministry of National Defense accused Japan on Thursday of airborne brinkmanship over the East China Sea, rejecting Tokyo’s account of the latest close encounters between military aircraft from the two increasingly estranged countries. The official Chinese rejection of the Japanese version of events was predictable, but the vehement wording from Beijing showed the bitterness that has built up between the two neighbors. The Chinese defense ministry spokesman, Senior Col. Geng Yansheng, said that in two incidents on Wednesday, Japanese military aircraft flew “abnormally clos...more »
Quantum contextuality is just another fancy word for Bohr's complementarity
*People keep on rediscovering the old quantum wheel, while they produce and eat lots of šit, too* The popular science media were full of reports that a "magic word" has been found that will enable quantum computers, and the "magic word" is "contextuality". Quantum contextuality is a fancy word for the fact that quantum mechanics doesn't allow you to assume that the quantities you measure objectively had (in the classical sense) the sharp values you ultimately measured before the measurement. Because of the quantum contextuality, what the measurements reveal depends on the character... more »
U.S. Secretly Flying Drones Over Iraq
The U.S. since last year has been secretly flying unmanned surveillance aircraft in small numbers over Iraq to collect intelligence on insurgents, according to U.S. officials. The program was limited in size and proved little use to U.S. and Iraqi officials when Islamist fighters moved swiftly this week to seize two major Iraqi cities, the officials said. Before the Islamist offensive, the program was expanded based on growing U.S. and Iraqi concerns about the expanded military activities of al Qaeda-linked fighters. Read more
Untitled
*Fired for ‘Diverging’ on Climate: Progressive Professor’s fellowship ‘terminated’ after he called global warming ‘unproved science’* Dr. Caleb Rossiter was “terminated” via email as an “Associate Fellow” from the progressive group Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), following his May 4th, 2014 Wall Street Journal OpEd titled “Sacrificing Africa for Climate Change,” in which he called man-made global warming an “unproved science.” Rossiter also championed the expansion of carbon based energy in Africa. Dr. Rossiter is an adjunct professor at American University. Rossiter holds a ... more »
DigitalGlobe cleared to sell sharpest images to all buyers
[image: Liaoning aircraft carrier]U.S. government regulators have approved DigitalGlobe's request to sell its highest-resolution satellite imagery to commercial clients, easing restrictions that limited the sale of the most detailed imagery to intelligence agencies, DigitalGlobe announced Wednesday. DigitalGlobe said the decision will expand the market for its image products and help companies and state and local governments with oil and gas extraction, mining and exploration, urban planning and disaster relief. The Longmont, Colo.-based satellite operator submitted a request to the ... more »
Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 6.13.14"
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 6.13.14"* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "Remember how I have been pointing out repeatedly that the U.S. was arming al-Qaeda linked terrorists in places like Libya and Syria? Remember how I have been telling you it’s a very bad idea to arm terrorists to do your bidding? Even before 9/11/12 in Benghazi, Russian President Vladimir Putin was warning that arming terrorists can basically blow up in your face. It did. Well, once again, arming terrorists has blown up in our face–this time in Iraq. You have to know, some of the very same people that were al-Qaeda l...more »
Pentagon sees progress on F-35 jet; software still a concern
[image: F-35C Lightning II]Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet is making steady progress but needs further work to accelerate software development, increase reliability and lower the cost of operating and maintaining the new warplanes, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said on Thursday. Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters the Pentagon was looking at a series of measures, including incentives tied to future payments and investments in process improvements, to cut the cost of building, operating and maintaining the p... more »
UK to step up collaboration with US over nuclear warheads
[image: UGM-133 Trident II]Britain is stepping up its cooperation with the US over the design of nuclear warheads, raising new questions about the independence of the UK deterrent, according to documents disclosed after a freedom of information request. Increased cooperation on warhead design and the exchange of material crucial in the manufacture and stockpiling of nuclear weapons will be sealed in a pact being drawn up by senior officials from the two countries. The pact, renewing the 1958 mutual defence agreement (MDA) between the UK and US, is expected to be signed in a discreet... more »
NATO's Terror Hordes in Iraq a Pretext for Syria Invasion
*June 12, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - All roads lead to Baghdad and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is following them all, north from Syria and Turkey to south. Reading Western headlines, two fact-deficient narratives have begun gaining traction. The first is that this constitutes a "failure" of US policy in the Middle East, an alibi as to how the US and its NATO partners should in no way be seen as complicit in the current coordinated, massive, immensely funded and heavily armed terror blitzkrieg toward Baghdad. The second is how ISIS appears to have "sprung" from th... more »
Greece sues for 7 billion euros over German submarines that have never sailed
[image: S-120 Papanikolis]Greece has launched a multi-billion euro claim against one of Germany’s biggest defence firms who sold the financially-beleaguered country four submarines in a complicated deal which has become symbolic of the country’s economic woes. The controversial deal has threatened Greece’s position in Nato, according to well-placed sources, led to the criminal prosecution of the country’s defence minister and the resignation of a senior Naval figure. The Telegraph today publishes photographs of the four submarines, which are still unfinished in a Greek shipyard almo... more »
Musical Interlude: Giorgio Moroder, “Midnight Express, Love Theme”
Giorgio Moroder, “Midnight Express, Love Theme” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JArUeMCi0OA
George HW Bush Gets Thrown Out of a Helicopter
Viz Magazine Letter's page used to have a photo-feature called "Up the Arse Corner". For a man who started his college career lying naked in a coffin masturbating over the freshly grave-robbed remains of Geronimo (some sources claim Emma Goldman) whilst being watched by all his friends, once threw up into the Japanese Prime Minister's lap (on video) during a State Dinner whilst passing out, and socialises with Henry Kissinger... Nothing shocks about how far that sick bastard has to go now to get his jollies... Jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft in flight while the guy behin... more »
The Battle Of The Clowns-- Texas vs California… A Week From Yesterday
To be honest, the only interest I have in the Republican leadership fight is my hope that they pick someone really demonstrably terrible-- which is a slam dunk, since only demonstrably terrible candidates have offered themselves up for the June 19 election-- and that there be plenty of opportunities for the kinds of humor that will entertain our little community here at *DWT*. Supposedly, the candidate for Majority Leader most like the defeated Eric Cantor, has it all wrapped up, the fine fella from Bakersfield up top. He's not really a fine fella; he's a third rate hack who has d... more »
Musical Interlude: Vangelis, “Alpha”
Vangelis, “Alpha” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jG--3elufo
Friday Morning Ramble: Stormy Weather
*How have you enjoyed the storms? No damage, I hope?* What happened to those mayoral election promises? *Big rates rises tipped for Auckland* – WIRELESS We get light rail, and downtown rail tunnels, because Baptist-and-bootlegger coalitions are enabled by ignorant voters. *Baptists, Bootleggers, and Public Squalor: Light Rail Isn't a Good Public Investment* – Art Carden, ECON LOG Next target for public transport campaigners: Park-and-ride stations, which are “subverting the sustainability goal of transit.” And you thought public transport was about helping folk travel around the ... more »
Adventures With Midas at Jaco Beach
We decided to take baby Midas to the beach so he could check out the ocean for the first time. Super fun. We chose Jaco Beach since it is closest to the house. Midas is a pro at car rides since he was in a car from Michigan to Herradura just recently! :). Took his collar and leash since we really had no idea how he would react to everything going on at the beach. It was slightly overcast when we took him, so there were not a ton of people out, which is good, since Midas likes people and likes to bark at them too. Parked and went down near the water. Midas had no idea what... more »
"Three Things..."
“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.” - Jim Valvano
"A Look to the Heavens"
"NGC 6188 is an interstellar carnival of young blue stars, hot red gas, and cool dark dust. Located 4,000 light years away in the disk of our Galaxy, NGC 6188 is home to the Ara OB1 association, a group of bright young stars whose nucleus forms the open cluster NGC 6193. These stars are so bright that some of their blue light reflects off of interstellar dust forming the diffuse blue glow surrounding the stars in the above photograph. *Click image for larger size.* Open cluster NGC 6193 formed about three million years ago from the surrounding gas, and appears unusually rich in close... more »
An Ojibway Prayer
"Grandfather, Look at our brokenness, We know that in all creation Only the human family Has strayed from the sacred way. We know that we are the ones Who divided, And we are the ones Who must come back together To walk in the sacred way. Grandfather, Sacred One, Teach us love, compassion, honor, That we may heal the earth, And heal each other." An Ojibway Prayer
The Poet: Wendell Berry, "A Warning To My Readers"
*"A Warning To My Readers"* by Wendell Berry "Do not think me gentle because I speak in praise of gentleness, or elegant because I honor the grace that keeps this world. I am a man crude as any, gross of speech, intolerant, stubborn, angry, full of fits and furies. That I may have spoken well at times, is not natural. A wonder is what it is."
"Choices..."
"The human life is made up of choices. Yes or no. In or out. Up or down. And then there are the choices that matter. Love or hate. To be a hero or to be a coward. To fight or to give in. To live. Or die. Live or die. That's the important choice. And it's not always in our hands." - "Grey's Anatomy"
“’The Better Angels Of Our Nature’: How Charles Dickens Influenced Abraham Lincoln”
*“’The Better Angels Of Our Nature’: * *How Charles Dickens Influenced Abraham Lincoln” * by Gene Griessman, Ph.D. "Here’s the story of an obscure but beautiful quotation from Charles Dickens that found its way into the First Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln. In 1861, before his inauguration, Lincoln showed a draft of what he intended to say to William Seward, his Secretary of State. Seward recommended that Lincoln conclude with conciliatory words, and sketched out a few sentences for Lincoln to consider. Seward’s rough draft, which has been preserved, contains the expression ... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Burden Of Thinking”
*“The Burden Of Thinking”* by Chet Raymo “Let me speak for gray. Not black or white. Good or evil. Truth or falsity. Yes or no. Let me speak for maybe. Sort of. More or less. I think so. I am reluctant to speak for gray for fear of being considered wishy-washy. Indecisive. Unprincipled. But lately it seems as if we are surrounded on every side by zealots, and it's not a pretty sight. We are surrounded by people who are so certain of their Truth that they are willing to strap bombs to their chests and walk into crowded pizza parlors. Or fly airplanes into towers. Or bomb abortion c... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Post Falls, Idaho, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"Side With the Living: A Note to Those Who Would Demonize Nature"
"Side With the Living: A Note to Those Who Would Demonize Nature" by Derrick Jensen "The other night I saw a commercial for a PBS program that breathlessly described how orcas “dominate” the oceans. And the nature program I had the misfortune to see before that talked of different species of bears “conquering” each other’s territories. The program repeatedly emphasized the powerful bite of one particular type of bear—making sure we got the point by always playing scary music when these bears were depicted—and only late in the program did viewers learn that these bears were exclusivel... more »
"All You Need..."
"The greatest wisdom is in simplicity: love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It's not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It's encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way." - Carlos Barrios
Quotes From Locals About The Fall of Mosul And The Collapse of Maliki's Army
*Source of quotes: The Guardian/Mona Mahmood*. "Everyone in Samara is happy with the fighters’ management of the city. They have proved to be professional and competent. We have water and power; there is a shortage in fuel because Maliki’s forces have cut the bridges between Samara and Baghdad. The fighters themselves did not harm or kill anyone as they swept forward. We as Sunni people have never been treated fairly by Maliki’s fanatic government and army. If it were not a sectarian army, it would have fought to the end but they fled as soon as things got serious. *A friend of mi... more »
"Fukushima Update, 6/12/14"
◆ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXdfKkr9_bs ◆ *“Is Fukushima Leaking … Or Are the the Reactors Wholly Uncontained?”* by Washington’s Blog, April 6, 2013 "You may have heard that TEPCO – the operator of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plants – announced a large leak of radioactive water. You may have heard that the cooling system in the spent fuel pools at Fukushima has failed for a second time in a month. This is newsworthy stuff… but completely misses the big picture. Japanese experts say that Fukushima is currently releasing up to 93 billion becquerels of radioactive cesiu... more »
Why shouldn't Leona Helmsley's greedy scumbag executors walk off with that cool $100M?
*Leona and Trouble (the doggy kind, that is):* *Those canny executors succeeded in wangling the pooch's $12M bequest down to $2M, with the rest going to no-doubt-admirable charities.* *by Ken* If your first response to the news is anything like mine, it will have something to do with the four scumbag executors (two of whom are grandsons of the legator) cashing in an unconscionable payday for their not quite seven years of servicing the $5.4B estate of the departed Queen of Mean, Leona Helmsley since her departure in August 2007. As James Fanelli writes in his DNAinfo New York repo... more »
Iraq is 'sliding into the unknown' - Martin Chulov Reports From Baghdad
*Link to the Source.* listen to ‘Iraq is 'sliding into the unknown' @MartinChulov reports from Baghdad’ on Audioboo
How can the US help Maliki when Maliki is the problem- But ISIS isn't?!
*ISIS is not the problem so what can be done about Maliki- should be the headline * *The answer looks to be a planned further destabilization with either a complete removal of Maliki or Maliki as a purposeless leader of a fiefdom.* *Before you read the information below please read** #1- The US Departure from Iraq was all Illusion!* *And- #2 Very Telling! US REBUFFED multiple prior Iraq requests to quash ISIS* *It's important for filling in the blank places* *Now onto the WP article* The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) genuinely stunning capture of Mosul, and advances acr... more »
Ukraine updates June12 , 2014 --- Gazprom seems to be tiring of Kiev games ( Gazprom not to postpone gas payment deadline for Ukraine anymore ) , no more delays and the bill is due June 16 , 2014 or else advance payment will kick in............ Status of South East Ukraine and did the Kiev Authorities use white phosphorus on civilians ? Wonder if the UN will bother to say anything about this ?
Gas talks clogged ...... Gazprom: Ukraine Gas Supplies Will Halt Monday Without PaymentCEO Urges Ukraine to Pay Its Bills by Jason Ditz, June 12, 2014 Print This | Share This Ukraine managed to duck a gas shutoff earlier this month, but after the latest round of talks on their debt and pricing disputes with Russian exporter Gazprom ended in a stalemate, they’re facing another. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller warned today that because of Ukraine’s sizable debt they are on a prepayment system, and if they don’t prepay for any gas, they won’t receive any. “If Ukraine pays for no volume at all... more »
AFT’s American Educator: Voice of the Rank and File or Tool of the Reformers?
Guest Post: By Bianca Tanis Teachers are dosed with Common Core propaganda daily. A few times a year, this comes in the form of the American Federation of Teachers’ quarterly journal, American Educator. It is not surprising that the summer 2014 issue (which focuses primarily on early childhood) is chock full of “career and college ready” […]
The US Departure from Iraq was all Illusion!
*A bit of history- 2011- Much needed background* Barack Obama has made good on one of his election promises, announcing: "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over." The Iraqis' assertion of their sovereignty – meaning no legal immunity for US troops – was the deal-breaker, and 39,000 US soldiers will leave Iraq by the end of the year. Jonathan Steele wrote that the Iraq war was over and the US had learned "that putting western boots on the ground in a foreign war, particularly in a Muslim country, is madness".* Yet this madness may continue in a different guise, ... more »
Bitcoin updates June 12 , 2014 -- US Marshals to auction 18 million USD in bitcoin from Silk Road bust ....... Bitfinex distancing itself from Bitstamp........Google joins Yahoo in offering bitcoin prices ....... Latest news in the MT Gox bankruptcy.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-12/virtual-currency-slides-fbi-prepares-dump-144341-silk-road-bitcoins Virtual Currency Slides As FBI Prepares To Dump 144,341 "Silk-Road" Bitcoins [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/12/2014 16:54 -0400 - Bitcoin - FBI inShare The FBI announces it is preparing to sell the 144,341 Bitcoins that were collected during raids in the online drug market Silk Road. While the WSJ reports, the timing and sales method are unclear, it is already weighing on the virtual currency as the Bitcoin traders front run the Fed... more »
Obama Doubles Down on Iraq War Catastrophe
When you find yourself in a hole the smart idea is to stop digging, that is unless it is a grave. With the situation in Iraq deteriorating by the minute, thanks to the neocon ideologues who goaded George W. Bush into attacking and invading the country in 2003 the now fully blossomed leader of the imperial war machine is prepared to once again sink more American blood and treasure into the Mesopotamian meat-grinder rather than stand up on his hind legs to the keening squealing of the war pigs. The grand "Shock and Awe" adventure of using the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as a... more »
Karen Lewis on the Vergara Decision and What It Means
Karen Lewis points to the corporate boot-licking study by Raj Chetty that speculates on how much income would be added if the worst teachers (based on VAM, hah!) were replaced by average teachers. The Chetty study was used as the principal documentation to support the court decision in California to roll back teacher tenure. Read here excerpts from Bruce Baker's takedown of the Chetty study.
No excuse required, it's Kate Upton on a Sports Illustrated shoot - Rule 5 Post - NSFW
Does a Kate Upton post need a reason?
POST VERGARA FALL OUT: Nothing says it any better than this from Brian Jones:
POST VERGARA FALL OUT: Nothing says it any better than this from Brian Jones:.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
Sam Smith, "Why Bother?" (Excerpt)
"Why Bother?" (Excerpt) by Sam Smith "H. L. Mencken once said that the liberation of the human mind has best been furthered by those who "heaved dead cats into sanctuaries and then went roistering down the highways of the world, proving . . . that doubt, after all, was safe - that the god in the sanctuary was a fraud." Mencken made it sound easier than it is. It is a lifetime's work to clear away enough debris of fraudulent divinities, false premises, and fatuous fantasies to experience a glasnost of the soul, to strip away enough lies that have been painted on our minds, layer aft... more »
The Poet: Carl Sandburg, "What Shall He Tell That Son?"
"What Shall He Tell That Son?" "A father sees a son nearing manhood. What shall he tell that son? 'Life is hard; be steel; be a rock.' And this might stand him for the storms and serve him for humdrum and monotony and guide him amid sudden betrayals and tighten him for slack moments. 'Life is a soft loam; be gentle; go easy.' And this too might serve him. Brutes have been gentled where lashes failed. The growth of a frail flower in a path up has sometimes shattered and split a rock. A tough will counts. So does desire. So does a rich soft wanting. Without rich wanting nothing arrives. Tell... more »
A Call to Establish the Anti-Wahabi Block of Nations
*Anyone find it interesting that all of them have brand-new designer trainers, and nobody can see if they're white mercenaries...? * *Ex-SAS most likely.* The fork-tongued BBC liars are talking out of both sides of their mouths again - stressing that al-Baghdadi's group seeks to establish "a single Islamic[no, a single SUNNI] Caliphate", stretching across Iraq, Syria, "and parts of other countries as well" [meaning they want to attack Iran (but not Saudi Arabia, Oman or Qatar), ethnically cleanse the Shi'ia apostates and wipe them from the face of the Earth], they also stress "the ... more »
Another Reason why the Lipid Hypothesis is Bunk
The lipid hypothesis, as evry fule kno, predicts that eating saturated fat causes elevation of serum cholesterol or LDL which then plays a causal role in cardiovascular heart disease. How or why no-one knows but the feeling out there is that saturated fat causes bad cholesterol and heart disease. The notion is, as they say, entrenched; it is a meme more widely believed now than any religious dogma. Unlike the unknowable nature of God, the lipid hypothesis can be disproved by multiple lines of evidence. Here is one. Animal fat is a blend of saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and... more »
Hanabusa: Why The Republican Wing Of The Democratic Party Is Failing In Hawaii Again
*Hanabusa’s conservative record comes back to haunt her in progressive Hawaii; electorate not supporting her efforts to cut earned benefits, increase militarism and fight the EPA* Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa is badly trailing progressive Brian Schatz in her bid to oust him from the Senate in Hawaii’s August 9th primary. And she woke up on June 11th to read a headline in the state’s biggest newspaper (the Honolulu *Star-Advertiser*) that probably confirms her political career’s demise: *Group links Hanabusa to 'threat' against Medicare* Beltway pundits and consultants of cours... more »
Fighting Vergara in California and Elsewhere
As a former legal historian and inner city teacher, I’m offended by Judge Rolf Treu’s one sentence legal justification of the key issue in Vergara v California. The judge ruled for Students Matter and struck down the hard-won rights of teachers based on a citation of California legal precedents that seems facile to me. Some […]
THE JAIL-GO-ROUND
*The Colbert Report* Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,The Colbert Report on Facebook,Video Archive
“The Powerful Anti-'Redskins' Ad the NFL Refuses to Air”
*“The Powerful Anti-'Redskins' Ad the NFL Refuses to Air”* By Janet Allon “During this weekend's highly anticipated NBA final, an ad that the NFL does not want to air will hit the airwaves. It is a powerful and moving plea to change the offensive Washington Redskins name and mascot produced by a group called the National Congress of American Indians. The ad runs through a list of words that Native Americans actually call themselves: proud, forgotten, Navajo, mother, survivor, Inuit, patriot, underserved . . . and many more. It's quite a long and enlightening list, accompanied by bea... more »
Ordo Templis Orientis
*"Sex-magick"* is a loaded term with all sorts of connotations.... It is, quite simply, a method of sublimating sexual energy to the will of the magician in a variety of rituals, for a variety of purposes, using the sexual practice appropriate to the desired end. Thus, everything from the missionary position to sodomy to masturbation has a magical analogue and refers to a different quality of occult power. The choice of partner is also a matter for some concern, and the practice of sex-magic has become so refined by later initiates of the Order that even the specific days of a wo... more »
What We Tolerate (and for Whom) v. What the Rich Demand: On Teacher Quality
What We Tolerate (and for Whom) v. What the Rich Demand: On Teacher Quality. via What We Tolerate (and for Whom) v. What the Rich Demand: On Teacher Quality.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
Vibrational Frequencies
Yes, and Yes. Stupid is as Stupid does. Anyone who has ever done *DMT* or had a Near-Death Experience (same thing), or reads DC Comics understands that all matter is merely energy compressed into a slow vibration. One of the ways vibrational frequencies (or "*consciousness*") can be altered, increased of shifted downwards is by means of inducing *sympathetic resonance*. If you are habituated in a saturation environment of *AC/DC*, your existence will be mediated in terms of Whiskey, screaming, dirty sex, fat hookers, leather and bad-assery. If you are habituated in a sa... more »
Why Iraq Will Lose and Why Syria Has Won.
*"It will give our young people a comprehensive education... to make up for their Comprehensive Education."* *- Hacker* The universally maligned, slaughtered and abused Iraqi Armies of 1990-1 and 2003, (at the time of Desert Storm, *the fourth largest Army in the world*), was comprised for it's enlisted ranks almost entirely of *teenaged conscripts*, commanded by experienced, battle-hardened officers, schooled in Soviet war doctrine, who were all veterans of a major and very attritional war. *Demolished Iraqi vehicles line the Highway of Death on 18 April 1991.* *Demolished vehic... more »
Brian Jones: "If teacher tenure prevented achievement, Mississippi would have stellar schools. . ."
from NYTimes: *Brian Jones, a former New York City public school teacher, is the Green Party's candidate for lieutenant governor of New York. He blogs at "No Struggle, No Progress." He is on Twitter.* UPDATED JUNE 12, 2014, 12:55 PM America is the land of misdirected anger. This time, teachers in California are on the receiving end. That is not to say that public school parents in the state shouldn't be angry. In the last decade, billions have been cut from California’s K-12 budget. A public school system that used to be the envy of the nation has been starved to death. Budget cuts ha... more »
Brian Jones: "If tenure prevented achievement, Mississippi would have stellar schools..."
From the NYTimes: Brian Jones, a former New York City public school teacher, is the Green Party's candidate for lieutenant governor of New York. He blogs at "No Struggle, No Progress." He is on Twitter. UPDATED JUNE 12, 2014, 12:55 PM America is the land of misdirected anger. This time, teachers in California are on the receiving end. That is not to say that public school parents in the state shouldn't be angry. In the last decade, billions have been cut from California’s K-12 budget. A public school system that used to be the envy of the nation has been starved to death. Budget cuts ... more »
UKRAINE SOLDIERS LEAVING PIRATE SHIP
Ukrainian soldiers are in mutiny. They are jumping ship because they've come to realize that the pirate captains are really working for the US-NATO war machine and only want to create a civil war. On top of that evil the corporate masters of the newly installed President Poroshenko in Kiev don't even want to pay their conscripts to do their killing for them....or feed them.....or house them. These pirate masters are amazingly greedy. (I think it comes from deep deep personal insecurity. These damaged humans rise in these authoritarian structures and we suffer.) Their greed is... more »
Supplemental: Do higher “standards” produce more learning?
*THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014* *It’s funny you should ask, since it looks like no one else did:* In last Sunday’s Washington Post, Lyndsey Layton offered a 3700-word report about the way Bill Gates has spread his billions around to create and promote the Common Core. Has he really spent *billions *on Common Core? We’re not sure. Amazingly, Layton reports that the Gates Foundation has spent $3.4 billion since 1999 to advance Gates’ views on education. About $650 million of that went to a project, long abandoned, to create smaller high schools. That leaves $2.7 billion going somewhere e... more »
Untitled
*America’s Fracking Boom Spreads ~Tom Ashbrook, On Point NPR* *Fracking to be topic of North Shore forum Friday* *Braithwaite levee sits unfinished with hurricane season underway ~Mike Perlstein, WWLTV * *Legislative resolution tells Corps to find mitigation land elsewhere ~Jacob Batte, Houma Courier**~**State legislators unanimously passed a NIMPY (Not In My Parish Y'all) resolution last month that urges the Corps of Engineers to find property outside of Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes to compensate for hurricane protection in Orleans Parish. * *Man making good time in histori... more »
June 12: Enough
A newspaper should reveal the extent of a society's sorrow. And it should express its own - in opinion columns. But there is a point at which working on emotions is no longer sorrow, but exploitation of sorrow. In the old days, that was called "sob sister" reporting. It's an abuse of readers. And it's disgusting. And it has characterized all the TandT reporting on the murders of three police. Check the page 1 headline. "Danny to work with another Mountie". And so we have yet another picture and a long story about Danny the dog. Does that help us in any way to understand what has happ... more »
This Putrid Election
Vote for the thieving assholes to stop the psychotic, stupid, monsters' party! What a choice. I voted for the milquestoast Liberal-lite party, thank you very much. Horwath's problem is that she doesn't have enough analysis and enough faith in socialism to push back against the hegemony of stupid bullshit. Instead, she tries to accommodate it. Don't ask me about any other party until we get proportional representation.
CIA IS SURPRISED?
*CALL IT ALL MR. BIG* CIA director Brennan is surprised CIA is getting such a bad rap alongside it's historic bad rep They feel sad no one likes them no love for CIA anywhere except on Wall Street and inside the dark Pentagon The killers got no friends folks figuring out CIA the nest of the pirates who are out to loot us all Iraq on fire Syria war Ukraine breaking up Afghanistan always raging someone has to control the heroin trade and the fossil fuels the CIA does alongside their friends in the mob Call it all Mr. Big That is your short course in US foreign policy.
That Full-page Union-bashing Ad in USA Today
Remember that five-story billboard in Times Square in December 2013 and the accompanying full-page ad in the New York Times blaming American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten for 2012 US PISA scores? Both were the work of a union-busting “nonprofit,” the deceptively-named Center for Union Facts. Well, on June 12, 2014, the same union-busting group posted this full-page ad celebrating […]
Obama: Al Qaeda is "on the run"...
*Um - no they're not.* * ‘Taking a nap’: Obama team accused of underestimating Iraq unrest * *In other new:* Dave Brat won the primary over Eric Cantor because of "Jew hatred." Really? and Thousands upon thousands of children have become pawns in the immigration battle. They are also receiving better medical care than our vets. and Obama will undoubtedly head to the golf course this weekend. and Feedly is down again. Arrrrrrrgh! and I'm going out to lunch with a friend.
Crazed Oklahoma Republican Candidate Says He Loves God So Much That He Wants To Kill Gay People
Monday, we looked at the tiny handful of homophobic Democrats-- like Blue Dogs John Barrow (GA), Dan Lipinski (IL) and Collin Peterson (MN)-- left in Congress. Most homophobes-- and haters and bigots of all persuasions-- know which party to gravitate to these days: the GOP. Reactionaries like Barrow, Lipinski and Peterson may be against equality for the LGBT community-- ior lacking in the courage to stand up for it-- but at least they're not advocating stoning gays to death. Meet Oklahoma teabagger Scott Esk. This may not be your father's Republican Party, but it is *today's* Repub... more »
The New spaceship Enterprice, FTL travel
The scientific concept of Space/time.... In the view of this author time itself does not Exist. What we call 'time' is just a measurement of how much daylight passes or remains. Each tick/second mark of the clock is a mere measurement of the distance/spin traveled by our planet. Thus 'TIME' is very different on Mars. Every instance we describe a ANY PROCESS, we use the spin/distance/travel of our planet as a BENCHMARK Details for the engine mathematics here... NASA/JSC is implementing an advanced propulsion physics laboratory, informally known as "Eagleworks", to pursue prop... more »
Mike's Story Part 48 SHTF
*By **Jenna** Orkin* *February 17, 2007 From Mike to his psychiatrist:* * 1. I have not gone for the blood levels yet. I will go Monday after fasting from 9 PM Sunday. Thursday night I was so upset over the stolen $10,000 I woke up at 3 AM and chugged about a pint of OJ and then realized what I had done. I didn't start the fast again on Friday because we had a late dinner engagegment. So I'll fast Sunday and have the levels drawn Monday AM. Sorry.* * 2. But more, I put myself and Jenna thru hell on Tursday night. I was overwhelmed with the belief that anything I ever tried t... more »
DARK MATTER AND ENERGY IS REALLY LOVE AND URGE TO UNITE
*It's time to drop the bombshell ~ 97% of the universe is composed of Dark Matter and Dark energy but I maintain that it is really invisible to the human eye and is in actuality Light matter and Light energy for it represents a **Unified Field** of love and soul consciousness, that exists beyond time and space, whose principle property is the universal urge to unite ~ within which light and even gravity is a condition of state. As such, the basic glue of the universe is Love: Allen L Roland, PhD* *We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings... more »
Clashes Between the Islamic State and the Baathist Naqshibandi As Both Try To Expand
As the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) cuts a path across northern and central Iraq other insurgent groups are attempting to take advantage of the situation. There have been reports that the Baathist Jaysh Rijal al-Tariqa al-Naqshibandi (JRTN) were active in the taking of Tikrit and are operating in Mosul as well. With the general collapse of the security forces in Mosul, northern and central Salahaddin and western Tikrit it is only natural that other armed groups would make their move to seize territory as well. This good time for the insurgency belies the internal c... more »
The Pereyra Case: Humans or Humanoids?
*Source: Planeta UFO and F.A.O. (Fundación Argentina de Ovnilogia)Date: 06.12.2014* *The Pereyra Case: Humans or Humanoids?* *By Luis Burgos* The following case occurred in a major year for Argentinean ufology, as was the 1965 flap. The coherence of the eyewitness report and the details of the event place it among the classic cases of close encounters of the third kind (CE3K) to the extent that Pereyra insists to this day that he came across "a Russian" on that occasion. Years ago, Ing. José Marengo, deceased, told me that this case had been among the most impressive of all his ... more »
Maths GCSE Unit 2 exam tomorrow? Here's what might be happening behind you in the exam hall...
Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller there...
Lemonade Cheesecake and Watermelon Cookies
This summer has just been flying by! I can't even believe it's already been another week. We are excited to start another party and share the features from last week. Jonie from Just Between Friends will be the one picking her favorites this week. [image: You're invited header 2] Jesseca | Holly | Jonie | Debra We have been having so much fun this summer. You can probably tell by the lack of new posts over on my site that the fun just keep coming! I thought it would be fun to share with you a couple of summer posts that I think you will want to use at some point this summer. [image... more »
Bill Whittle: Why Benghazi Matters...(video)
Benghazi matters, because it goes directly to the two most important qualities in our elected officials: *Competence*, and *Character*.
THE ROLE OF THE GAPS: At the age of 3!
*THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014* *Part 4—The gaps come early and often:* How do some American kids get a head start on their literacy? On Monday, New York Times readers were given a delightful portrait of this process. In an essay on the op-ed page, Pamela Druckerman introduced us to her 5-year-old twins. This mother’s boys are 5 years old. They share a World Cup obsession: DRUCKERMAN (6/9/14): At dinner recently, one of my 5-year-old twins announced that he intended to learn Croatian. This didn’t surprise me. *Mealtimes at our house have become low-level colloquia on international affa...more »
Duelling Grammarians
One might think that English grammar, even more than its lexicon, would be something that would have long been intrinsically understood, and little in need of explication or improvement. And yet, the services of a dictionary having proven valuable, that of a printed *grammar* seemed a logical step -- after all, Latin Grammars were vital school textbooks, and the idea that English should be more like Latin, or at least described in Latin terms, caught on widely. We owe most of our grammatical terminology -- adjective (from *adiectus*, "to annex a territory"), to preposition (from *p... more »
Obama Bombs
*By Alice Ross* Cross-posted from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism Two drone strikes have hit North Waziristan in Pakistan’s tribal northwest, reportedly killing 16 people and ending the longest pause in drone strikes of Obama’s presidency. Prior to these attacks there had not been a drone strike in Pakistan since Christmas Day. The Pakistani government had requested that the US stop carrying out strikes to allow peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) to take place, sources close to the negotiations told the Bureau in February. But terrorist attacks and retaliatory air... more »
ANGER IN EUROPE
Economist Richard Wolff discusses recent EU parliament elections.
Zeman's speech on Arabs, Islam, and Israel's independence
*Czech president wins the hearts of some Israel supporters* Two weeks ago, I shouldn't have missed Czech president Miloš Zeman's speech in Prague's Hilton – on the Israel's independence day. Here is a translation from the Czech original. *Speech of the president of the republic on the Israel's Independence Day banquet* *May 27th, 2014* Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your invitation to this celebration of Israel's Independence Day. In the Czech Republic, dozens of state holidays commemorating the independence are being marked every year. I may arrive to some of them, I am to... more »
"Stand with Israel" license plates officially sanctioned in South Carolina
As if America couldn't get any more subservient and slavish to international Jewry and the fraudulent Jewish regime occupying Palestine, the state of South Carolina is now offering drivers there specially designed license plates which read: *"South Carolina Stands with Israel"*. Expect other states to follow suit in the near future. *The Jewish Press* reports: By an Act signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley on June 2 and effective immediately, the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is permitted to issue to car owners in South Carolina special license plates. Those specia... more »
Very Telling! US REBUFFED multiple prior Iraq requests to quash ISIS
*This is interesting!* *As the threat from Sunni militants in western Iraq escalated* last month*, (May?) Prime Minister Nuri Kamal *al-Maliki secretly asked the Obama administration to consider carrying out airstrikes against extremist staging areas*, according to Iraqi and American officials.But I*raq’s appeals for a military response have so far been rebuffed* by the White House. As I mentioned in yesterday's post (in reference to US humvees being conveniently left, or moved, for easy access) it has been obvious for some time that ISIS has been on the move. *Yesterday's post- T... more »
911 Blowback
I believe without reason that 911 was a manufactured event. The world was at peace and some authors were saying it was the end of history. Most people in the world lived in peace and where focused on improving the neighbourhood not the airport. Into this poketeam village wandered a zealot with a RPG and and AK47. Death for him was merely the entry ticket to the models bar that George kansasta blew. The powers that be thought that peace would emasulate the Industrial Military Complex. The Sunni thought the Shia should die. Thus a a marriage of similar thought promulgated throughout t...more »
SWA flight attendant - stand-up - just do what we say and nobody gets hurt
somebody REALLY wants to 'give up the day job' and go on the stand-up circuit ... fifteen million views already.
IT'S ITALY
I took one of those Facebook tests this morning to see "what country I am best suited to live in". They ask a series of questions and then give you the answer. When my perfect place popped up I had a great laugh. It came up as Italy. My mom was Italian which might have had just a bit of impact on my answers to the questions. Here is what they wrote about my responses...sounds about right to me. You are complex person, yet you enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Your idea of a great day is to spend some time by the water, or have coffee [tea] next to your favorite landmark, the... more »
Now The Light Comes Forward To......by M.N. Hopkins
*Now, the Light comes forward to enrich and enlighten and illuminate all those who have forgotten their true natures and lost sight of their true connection to the Source Of All Life here on planet Earth.* M.N. Hopkins
Republican Party Kills Elizabeth Warren's Student Loan Refinancing Bill With Another Filibuster
Yesterday, the Republicans successfully filibustered Elizabeth Warren's Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act. All 44 cosponsors are Democrats and all 38 filibusterers were Republicans. It needed 60 votes but fell 4 short. Murkowski (R-AK) and Corker (R-TN) somewhat fearlessly crossing the aisle and Susan Collins (R-ME)-- living in total dread of Democratic challenger Shenna Bellows-- reluctantly tagging along. Yes, she voted to end the filibuster but put that in the context of what her her pal, right wing extremist Rick Santorum, candidly said. Mike Lux reporting from ... more »
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