4:35pm MDST
"How It Really Is"
◆ Cartoon inspired by this iconic image:
Sunni Mufti of Iraq Rafie Al-Rifai Justifies Anti-Government Rebellion [Source: MEMRI TV]
"I'd like to ask Al-Sistani and other religious authorities that have issued similar fatwas, and all the religious leaders who replaced their clerical robes with military fatigues, in response to this call. . .I would like to ask Al-Sistani: Where were your fatwas when the Americans occupied Iraq? . . . The Iraqi government is entirely sectarian." - Sunni Mufti of Iraq Rafie Al-Rifai. Why did Iraqi Shiite cleric Al-Sistani not call for Jihad against American troops when they occupied Baghdad but called for Jihad immediately after a small band of ISIS terrorists and some former Sad... more »
"Regret..."
"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." - Sydney J. Harris
The BC Northern Gateway Pipeline 21
21 Con MPs from BC who apparently side with Enbridge rather than BC. Kerry-Lynne Findlay : "NEB JRP conducted a rigorous/independent science-based review, heard from 1450+ parties & reviewed over 175K pages of evidence" Mark Warawa : "Panel heard +1450 participants, reviewed +175,000 pages of evidence & 9,000 letters Concluded pipeline n public interest, can build safely" Bob Zimmer : "The National Energy Board (NEB) Joint Review Panel conducted a rigorous, independent, science-based review, hearing from over 1450 participants in 21 communities and reviewing over 175 000 pages o... more »
Biggest event in Human History
Was it the invention of the wheel? Maybe the sail. Discovery of Steel or the internal combustion engine. What about the microprocessor. These are all tools not part of history. Humans using tools well and not so well is history. The biggest event in human history was the Holocaust. Wiping out the native peoples of American and Africa, slavery in general are horrible. But in context they were taking care of business. A mechanical process contrived to kill millions of people, millions of neighbors, millions of fellow citizens has to be the low point of humanity. I believe most things... more »
"Something You Already Know..."
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you... more »
"A Short Recap For Our Young People"
*"A Short Recap For Our Young People"* by Karl Denninger "From the "speech" I posted (that no High School or College would ever ask me to give)- but a bit more direct and to-the-point. This is specifically aimed at all the young people who go along to get along, who do the minimum they can get by with, who suck off those around them (whether it be parents, boyfriends, girlfriends or otherwise) and who refuse to exhibit the basic principle of never give up; get stomped on in the ladder of life but make them mash your fingers to bloody stumps- never, ever let go or stop trying to ea... more »
Uncertain News
The hundreds of you wacky enough to read what I say have been asking me when *Steve live* will arrive. This is a great undertaking. I do not want to come off half cocked. Credibility is the most important value proposition of those who spend their precious time on your testament. My brand is my brand and I am not COKE. Pravda means truth, the New York Times, NBC and all the mainstream media mean corporate. That is why my news channel will be called the Uncertain news. I will report the news with lots of alleged, not provable, circumstance only. If I had to pick one blog that would p...more »
"Proof the Stock Market Is Being Rigged"
*"Proof the Stock Market Is Being Rigged" * by Bill Bonner "We are still reeling. Yesterday, we reported that central banks are major buyers of stocks. Their policy of suppressing yields on bonds has pushed them to stretch for higher returns in the stock market. A recent report by a central bank research and advisory group called the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) calculates that central banks around the world have lost out on $200-250 billion in interest income on their bond portfolios. In other words, central banks are victims of their own depressed in... more »
Who Would Jesus Ex-Communicate?
Monday Agence France-Presse reported that Pope Francis denounced those getting rich through speculation in financial markets, sounding a good deal milder than Jesus did when he denounced the banksters-- as the money changers of his day are called now-- at the Temple in Jerusalem, sealing his fate. I have no doubt that if Pope Francis got as harsh as Jesus towards the banksters, he would also meet an unnatural and gruesome fate. "It is increasingly intolerable that financial markets are shaping the destiny of peoples rather than serving their needs, or that the few derive immense ... more »
WHY PARENTS SHOULD NOT FEAR TEACHER TENURE
WHY PARENTS SHOULD NOT FEAR TEACHER TENURE. Now co-authored with NYS paren’t leader, Glen Dalgleish.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
WHY PARENTS SHOULD NOT FEAR TEACHER TENURE
Now co-authored with NYS parent leader, Glen Dalgleish. WHY PARENTS SHOULD NOT FEAR TEACHER TENURE.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
Someone asked Brigitte Gabriel about so-called "peaceful" Muslims and got an outstanding answer...
*made all the more outstanding, in my opinion, by the number of times Ms Gabriel used the word "irrelevant." * Why, you ask? Because I have a horrible time pronouncing that word. Relevant usually comes out "revelent" or something really weird. Before using either relevant or irrelevant I have to pause and sort out my tongue. She received a standing ovation for her answer during the Benghazi Panel. I love listening to this woman.
Bye bye Paxo
It's Jeremy Paxman's last *Newsnight *tonight. In all my years of blogging about BBC bias, even when I was at my fiercest, I never thought of Paxo in a bad way. Whether presenting *Newsnight *and *The Day Today, *or reading out questions on *University Challenge, *or fronting history documentaries, he's always been a class act. He didn't just give Michael Howard a grilling, he gave all and sundry a grilling (when needs demanded) - including, at times, his own BBC colleagues (Paul Mason and Peter O'Hanraha-hanrahan spring to mind). His boredom with *Newsnight *has been pretty obv... more »
Supplemental: Same as it ever was!
*WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2014* *The New York Times, keeping it gloomy:* All our test scores are going up—unless you read the New York Times and other major newspapers. As we’ve long told you, our newspapers report the gaps but hide the gains. To appearances, they mainly exist to recite elite narratives about our allegedly stagnant or failing schools. Consider a recent example: In Sunday’s New York Times, Javier Hernandez wrote a long and rambling front-page report about the Common Core. We were struck by this account of the state of our schools as of 2009: HERNANDEZ (6/15/14): *In 200...more »
BREAKING NEWS: Louisiana Governor Jindal Drops PARCC and Common Core
Jindal just finished a press conference. His words, summarized: PARCC selection did not comply with La state law requiring a bidding process– this voids PARCC agreement. Jindal has asked for a financial audit of PARCC spending and an open, competitive bidding process for assessment. He said that suspending PARCC is what he was able to do immediately via executive order. […]
Chuck Todd: WSJ/NBC Poll "Disaster for the President"...
*“Essentially the public is saying your presidency is over.”* No it's not. He has a pen and a golf club. He wants for nothing and could couldn't care less about any poll. via the Washington Free Beacon:
FROM A HORSE’S MOUTH:
FROM A HORSE’S MOUTH:.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
Generally, a party to a civil action cannot appeal on the basis of some aspect of trial procedure to which it did not object
*Harris v. Leikin Group Inc.*, 2014 ONCA 479: [53] As a general rule, a party to a civil action cannot appeal on the basis of some aspect of trial procedure to which it did not object or sit on an objection only to raise it once it learns of an unfavourable result: see *Marshall v. Watson Wyatt & Co.* (2002), 57 O.R. (3d) 813 (C.A.), at paras. 14-15; *Leader Media Productions Ltd. v. Sentinel Hill Alliance Atlantis Equicap Limited Partnership* (2008), 90 O.R. (3d) 561 (C.A.), leave to appeal refused, [2008] S.C.C.A. No. 394, at paras. 50-51.
Sitting in the driver's seat of a truly inoperable motor vehicle cannot lead to a conviction for care and control
*R v. Lu*, [2013] O.J. No. 836 holds that: 30 Reading the case law, it would appear that many judges obscure the distinction, but I am of the view that sitting in the driver's seat of a truly inoperable motor vehicle will not lead to a conviction for care and control, even where there is no attempt to rebut the presumption. 31 I find that this particular vehicle was indeed "inoperable" and therefore did not constitute a realistic risk of danger to persons or property, and thus notwithstanding the presumption in section 258(1)(a), the defenda... more »
Corporate Propaganda Government, Stephen Harper`s Bed Of Fleas
*Written by Grant G* A thing of beauty isn`t it, watching Stephen Harper squirm from scandal, to lie, to betrayal, from hiding in parliament backrooms to slithering under countless rock bottoms... The coward, Harper the mouse that muttered, Harper had no courage to take ownership of Enbridge`s Northern Gateway approval decision, instead of a press conference and answering questions old Harper merely released a 4 paragraph government statement on the federal website, pretending this decision was just business as usual, ....Ah but it wasn`t, Joe Oliver calling BCers radicals, ec... more »
The Realist Report - Alex from Chile
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by Alex from Chile. Alex is a regular listener to The Realist Report, and has undertaken a project to translate Andrew Carrington Hitchcock's epic work *The Synagogue of Satan* into a number of European languages. Alex and I will be discussing his project and related subjects. You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit the *AFP Radio Network* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs. Below are relevant links for this program: - *#SELFIE (Official music video) - The Chainsmokers* (Ba... more »
Taking Back The Wisconsin State Senate-- Meet Penny Bernard Schaber
With Steve Israel running the DCCC there is no chance of the Democrats winning back the House, literally, none whatsoever. Israel is leaving too many vulnerable Republicans on the table and squandering DCCC money on ridiculous races that aren't long shots, but NO SHOTS. People think I'm being apocryphal when I say he's flushing resources down a toilet with a PVI of R+15. But I'm being literal. Israel is trying to get fellow Blue Dogs elected in impossibly red districts-- in Arkansas he's working to elect conservative Democrats in districts that have PVIs of R+8, R+14 and R+15 and... more »
Eggtastic Egg Rolls
For whatever reason, my husband has been on an egg roll kick lately. He spends his nights dreaming up new egg roll possibilities – mostly with ingredients that you'd think have no business in an egg roll. That is, until you try it. I'll share his egg rolls creations with you over the next few weeks, but today's recipe kicked it all off. I know, egg rolls for breakfast sound weird. But it has quickly become my favorite breakfast dish. And it's so easy to make. INGREDIENTS6 large eggs 1 jalapeño, finely diced Small handful cilantro, finely chopped Shredded cheese 1 package bacon Egg r... more »
THE GAPS IN TUSCALOOSA: What should we do?
*WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2014* *Part 3—One lone simple solution:* Nikole Hannah-Jones went to Tuscaloosa to explore a certain problem. While she was there, she ran into a much larger problem. In our view, she largely finessed the problem in her 10,000 word report, “Segregation Now...”. Hannah-Jones went to Tuscaloosa to explore a problem she refers to as “resegregation.” It’s a problem which largely can’t be solved—but while she was there, she encountered the gaps. She encountered the gaps at Central High, an all-black high school in a city whose student population is roughly 80 perce...more »
AAVE
The history of African-American Vernacular English is not unlike that of other dialects of US English -- migration (although forced, and ending in enslavement), partial assimilation with English, and (in the end) a significant contribution to our national linguistic strength and variety. And yet, more so than any other dialect, it's been haunted by a distorting shadow in popular culture, from the 1830's until the present, from Minstrelsy to R&B to Hip-hop. Its authentic cultural productions have always had to compete with imitation, parody, and appropriation. Blackface Minstrelsy m... more »
Clark's pension costs taxpayers $76k a year, but disability rate increase not 'affordable'
Premier Christy Clark scores top marks for hypocrisy in explaining why British Columbians on disability benefits, and their children, should live in poverty. Clark said this week that she knows the benefits, frozen since 2007, are too low. But British Columbia is just too poor to provide any increase. That will have to wait for some unknown future when it is “affordable,” she said. But Clark believes it’s perfectly affordable to have taxpayers contribute $76,000 a year to fund her pension. A single parent with one child on disability benefits in British Columbia - someone like Clark ... more »
The neocons continue their plan for a preemptive nuclear first strike on Russia, a country that is no longer communist, is threatening no one, and has even refrained from sending troops into Ukraine to stop the slaughter of Russian speakers by the viscious government illegally emplaced in Kiev by the CIA. The idiots in Washington are oblivious of the fact that such a nuclear strike could destroy the entire human race. And the clueless American public, continuing to believe every govenment lie regurgitated by the despicable "mainstream media", is cheering them on. I'm an old man who has lived a full life, but I deeply fear for our children and grandchildren. So, please, please wake up America before it's too late!
------------------------------ *OpEdNews Op Eds 6/14/2014 at 11:08:12* Indications that the U.S. Is Planning a Nuclear Attack Against Russia *By Eric Zuesse (about the author)* Permalink Related Topic(s): Nuclear Weapons; Obama Administration; PNAC Neocon Project For A New American C; President Barack Obama POTUS; Putin; Russia; Ukraine opednews.com On Wednesday, June 11th, CNN headlined "U.S. Sends B-2 Stealth Bombers to Europe," and reported that "they arrived in Europe this week for training." Wikipedia notes that B-2s were "originally designed primarily as a nuclear ... more »
The Need To Reform Iraq’s Educations System Interview With Christine Van Den Toorn
The current security crisis has increased the ethnosectarian tensions within Iraq. Public discourse and news reports are full of remarks about the “war” between Sunnis and Shiites and the tensions between Arabs and Kurds. One possible way to overcome these divisions is through Iraq’s education system. Many both inside and out of Iraq have talked about the need to reform Iraq’s schools. The textbooks and curriculum are out of date, there are questions about the skills that are taught, etc. Not only that but a reformed curriculum can show the shared experiences of all Iraqis, and p... more »
WE PLAN EVERYTHING
I once saw a news spot that showed Bush's Secretary of War Donald Rumsfeld coming out of the Pentagon telling the cameras (about the Iraq ‘quagmire’), “We plan everything.” This article below is right on the mark. Bruce The Brutal Logic of a Self-Seeking Empire Is Open-Ended Chaos the Desired US-Israeli Aim in the Middle East? by THOMAS S. HARRINGTON During the last week we have seen Sunni militias take control of ever-greater swathes of eastern Syria and western Iraq. In the mainstream media, the analysis of this emerging reality has been predictably idiotic, basically cente... more »
NPR Pretends NCTQ Is Not an Advocacy Think Tank
Posted as comment at NPR: NCTQ and Kate Walsh got their start with federal grant money from the Bush Administration to promote NCLB with misleading op-eds in leading newspapers and magazines under the guise of a research institution. Follow links here: http://www.schoolsmatter.info/... As a advocacy think tank supported by corporate ed reformers, NCTQ continues its pretense as a legitimate research firm, all the while following the ideological demands of reformers who want to get rid of legitimate teacher education programs in favor of TFA and its many emulators. The fact that NPR co... more »
How To Sell a War
Starting a war without saying you're starting a war takes a lot of finesse and sleight of hand. The first order of business is to carefully disseminate the propaganda in order to make escalation of state-sponsored violence and bloodshed palatable to the American public. Step One: pretend to be caught flat-footed by a brand new jihadist group called ISIS, which all the trillion-dollar intelligence agencies collecting all the emails and phone calls in the world never even saw coming. Second: dust off the corpses of all the discredited neocons and war criminals of the Bush era, put the... more »
Untitled
*Suit filed to block fracking as drillers seek permit ~Faimon A Roberts III* *Jindal Kochsucker on East bank levee authority pushes to consider dismissing its environmental lawsuit against energy companies ~Mark Schleifstein* *What Will Come Of New Orleans' Empty, Damaged School Buildings? ~Eve Troeh, WWNO* *Bayou Boogaloo goes on the road to spread N.O. culture ~WWLTV * *Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s Ben Jaffe talks about the musical traditions of New Orleans ~Angelle Barbazon, The Elkhart Truth *
Akash ready for induction into Army: DRDO
The DRDO-developed air defence missile system was successfully test-fired by the Army and hit an unmanned aerial vehicle. Moving towards induction into operational service, the DRDO-developed Akash air defence missile system was on Wednesday successfully test-fired by the Army and hit an unmanned aerial vehicle. Buoyed by the success of the air defence system, which has been in the making for over two decades now as part of the Integrated Missile Development Programme, the DRDO said the missile has a great potential for being exported because of its cost. Read more
Ten Rationales Why a Bioregional State and an Ecological Reformation Are Better Than Other Methods of Greening
*"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." -- Thomas Jefferson* *Introduction* This is a short summary from another paper. It is mostly about *why *betting *alone *on singular ideological, political Green parties may always be a failure for green politics. Inversely it is equally an argument why other paths are more fruitful for those seeking to green our world: like encouragements of wider *geographical and cross-linked social *identifications of an Ecological Citizenship and an Ecological Reformation (instead of only an ideological p... more »
#StopJebNow
A clip from the Wall Street Journal: *Education policy was Jeb Bush’s political salvation. After his first bid for Florida governor in 1994 ended in defeat, he threw himself into founding the state’s first charter school in a blighted Miami neighborhood. He went on to serve two terms as the state’s “education governor” and become a national policy expert.* *Twenty years later, education policy has become a potential liability, should Mr. Bush run for president in 2016, because of his support for the national academic standards known as Common Core. The initiative is increasingly vie... more »
An award from Political Clown Parade...
*and I am truly honored!* From Curmudgeon at *Political Clown Parade,* who is an outstanding blogger and Photoshop expert extraordinaire: [...]These bloggers are but a few of the brave and resolute men and women who hold down jobs and raise their families while standing guard over liberty. They don’t have big advertising on their sites nor do they have a bevy of contributing writers. They pore over information and bring their opinions to their readers in order to inform and warn. They have the keen zest of the citizen whose patriotism is of the lusty type that causes them to take ... more »
L'état, c'est moi
By Capt. Fogg Brent Douglass Cole has described himself as a * “sovereign American Citizen attempting to thwart the obvious conspiracy and subterfuges of powers inimical to the United States.” * Yes, these Sovereign Citizen folks are few and deliberately far between but they're like an appendage of something large and pervasive and disturbing. Cole for some reason fancies himself “a statutory Attorney General of the United States”which he'd have a hard time explaining, at least to me, since if each man is sovereign, the entire concept of a United States and a government with electe... more »
Mike's Story Part 54 - Q and A
*By **Jenna** Orkin* A couple of emails came in from a colleague of Mike's who's versed in his work going back to the nineties. They raise valid points which force me to articulate the thinking behind this account, a useful exercise in itself. Email 1:* On Rosebud, I wonder if you go too far. Although I suppose at this point, it's all or nothing, but I wonder.* * Much of this detail is known only by you. * * I think the comparison with Citizen Kane is inappropriate. Kane was a fraud, morally ambivalent, miserable, pathetic, a liar. He was only a mess and nothing else. He... more »
HARTMANN WITH COHEN ON IRAQ, UKRAINE & RUSSIA
Thom Hartmann discusses the current situation in Iraq, the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the prospects of a new Cold War with Stephen Cohen of *The Nation*, author of the book "Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War". Much to learn here.
Untitled
*Apology* No posts today. I have just had surgery on my right hand to remove a small cancer. So I am supposed to give my hand a rest for a couple of days. But you can't keep a good blogger down for long so I should be back soon.
Just Because You Don't Hear Republicans Screaming About Strides Towards LGBT Equality, It Doesn't Mean They Aren't Working To Curtail Them
Shenna Bellows has a record of fighting for equality. Susan Collins has a record of dragging her feet and compromising away basic rights for people I imagine that immigration activists must stay awake late into the night from time to time wondering what gay activists did that they didn't to get such incredible treatment for their platform. And advocates for economic equality must be ready to commit suicide over the same question. No identity group seems to have made out as well, after 6 years of the Obama presidency, as the LGBT community. Their activists worked hard and worked smart... more »
He Can't Let Go
Lawrence Martin writes that, if logic prevailed, Stephen Harper would be heading for the exit -- particularly in the wake of Ontario's recent election: You don’t have to be a reader of tea leaves to see the message. Hardly anyone is talking about it, but these and many other considerations suggest Mr. Harper should be seriously contemplating his future. It’s possible he can recoup enough of his support to score a minority victory next year. But where would that get him? Opposition parties would soon gang up to send that minority packing. As for the chance of Mr. Harper’s winning ... more »
Mexico: Unknown Object Captured on Camera
This just in from *Ana Luisa Cid*: "Video from May 3, 2014 (Cocoyoc, Morelos, Mexico) taken by *Héctor Ramirez Villanueva*. The witness states that a special sensation caused him to turn and look exactly at the sighting location. He has recorded UFOs on many occasions." Video at: *http://youtu.be/lVWzhXC1gFw* Inexplicata Podcasts covering items from UFO / paranormal history in Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean
When Men's Bodies Meet Side-Saddle Trunks
Fashion has boldly gone where no style has explored before. If 2014 will be remembered for anything lighthearted, it will be the side-saddle swimming trunks. Late to the comment party as per, this product - as modelled by self-styled 'Gay Kardashians', Bobby Norris and Harry Derbidge from TOWIE - manages the tricky task of undermining *and* reinforcing traditional notions of masculinity. That, and it has got people talking. *Just how do they stay up?* Capital has fully colonised women's bodies. Potions 'n' lotions, make up, hair removal, and so on, every conceivable facet of the fe... more »
Increasing Carbon Intensity of Global Energy Consumption
I have been continuing to look at the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2014, which was released earlier this week. It is a wonderful resource, kudos to BP. The graph above shows the carbon intensity of global energy consumption from 1965 to 2013. Specifically, it shows the amount of carbon emissions (in tons) for every "ton of oil equivalent" consumed in the global economy. Thus, the consumption data includes both carbon intensive sources of energy (coal, gas, oil) and also the less carbon intensive sources (hydro, wind, solar, nuclear, etc.). The graph shows that global ener... more »
How the Islamist Group Islamic State Is Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL or ISIS ) displaced Al Qaeda ( and it's leader al - Zawahri ) as the top Islamist Group in the world - While al-Zawahri is sitting stagnant in a safe house, ISIL’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has taken control of nearly a third of Iraq and much of Syria, amassed a fortune that rivals the economy of some small states, and commandeered millions of dollars’ worth of state-of-the-art American-made weaponry." ........ While ISIL gets headlines , note the Sunni tribes claim the advances in Iraq as part of a Sunni uprising against PM Maliki ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/17/us-syria-iraq-alqaeda-insight-idUSKBN0ES1KN20140617 Iraqi Islamists' gains pose challenge to al Qaeda leader BY MARIAM KAROUNY AND PAUL TAYLOR Tue Jun 17, 2014 9:59am EDT 22 COMMENTS - - inShare14 - Share this - - Email - Print [image: Armed Iraqi security forces personnel take their positions during clashes with the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the city of Ramadi, May 17, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer] Armed Iraqi security forces personnel take their positions during clashes with the al Qaeda-li... more »
China missing commodity scandal widens June 18 , 2014 -- Copper, Iron Ore, Rebar, Rubber, and now Cotton are all at multi-year lows as the Qingdao CCFD ponzi probe continues to broaden to all the commodities we warned about previously...... In a major development , Chinese commodities trading firm CITIC admission that over half of its 220,000 tonnes of alumina are missing ........... The Bank Of England Lost 755 Tonnes Of Gold In 2013 ( note UK net gold trade over same period was almost 1600 tonnes ) ......
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-17/cotton-crushed-4-year-lows-qingdao-commodity-ponzi-probe-widens CITIC Missing Half Its Alumina, Seeks Legal Action As Qingdao Rehypothecation Scandal Goes Nuclear [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/17/2014 21:52 -0400 - China - Copper - Hong Kong - Lehman - None - Renminbi - Reuters - Volatility inShare5 Copper, Iron Ore, Rebar, Rubber, and now Cotton are all at multi-year lows as the *Qingdao CCFD ponzi probe continues to **broaden* to all the commodities we warned about pre... more »
The Benghazi "Ringleader" Capture Diversion
In a very conveniently timed announcement the story was launched that US Special Forces troops have captured a man named Ahmed Abu Khattala, described as the “ringleader” of the September 11, 2012 attacks on the Benghazi embassy compound that resulted in the death of four Americans including US Ambassador Christopher Stephens and millions of dollars burned in political partisan witch hunts. The news of the capture of Khattala brings back memories of how all of those al Qaeda number three men were either caught or killed whenever the Bush administration needed media cover or to sco... more »
Ukraine Updates - June 15 , 2014 ---- A review of the chief news items of the day touching on diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine situation , the ongoing Civil War in South East Ukraine and the Natural Gas talks between Russia / Ukraine and the EU ......
Catharsis Ours - 11 hours ago
Itar Tass Diplomacy..... http://en.itar-tass.com/world/736103 Source: Western countries at UN SC block Russia’s statement condemning attack on embassy World June 15, 3:36 UTC+4 The UK, the U.S. and France were among those who blocked the draft statement for the press, which condemns the attacks on the embassy in Kiev <div class="b-material-text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; clear: both; margin... more »
ONR selects RADA’s RPS-42 Tactical Volume Surveillance Radar System
[image: RPS-42 Tactical Volume Surveillance Radar System]The US Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR) has selected RADA Electronic Industries' RPS-42 tactical volume surveillance radar system for its ground-based air defense (GBAD) directed energy (DE) On-The-Move (OTM) Development Program. The future naval capability development programme is aimed at representing a vehicle-mounted on-the-move short-range air-defence laser system to overcome low observable/low radar cross section (LO/LRCS) threats to Marine Corps forces, including UAS. With delivery scheduled for July 2014, the new sy... more »
Another reason to detest the United Nations
A spokesperson for United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday night that the UN has no "concrete evidence" that Eyal Yifrah, 19, Naftali Frenkel, 16, and Gilad Sha'ar, 16, were "actually" kidnapped by Hamas terrorists last Thursday. The spokesperson, Farhan Haq, was quoted by Voice of Israel public radio as saying the UN does not have an independent investigative unit that could confirm the kidnapping. Making Haq's words more confusing is the fact that Ban already condemned the kidnapping on Saturday, noting particularly that two of the kidnapped Israeli stude... more »
Russian Navy to Equip Fifth-Generation Submarines With Military Robots
[image: Yasen class SSN]Russian fifth-generation submarines will be armed with military robots, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy said. "The combat capabilities of the multipurpose nuclear and conventional submarines will be improved in the future through integration of promising robotic systems into their weaponry," admiral Viktor Chirkov said on Tuesday. He stressed that tough laws of shipbuilding demand to avoid pauses in the creation of new generations of submarines. This is due to the construction time, cyclical use of ships and submarines, and the rapid development of sc... more »
50 years of Red Arrows – tribute film launched
Commuters at London’s Victoria station got the chance to meet pilots from the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows today (17th June). The event was held to launch a nostalgic film that celebrates 50 flying seasons of the Red Arrows. We put the film was together as a tribute to all the Teams past and present. Read more
Northrop Grumman, US Navy Increase MQ-8B Fire Scout's Visual Reach with a Modernized Radar
[image: MQ-8B Fire Scout]Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy demonstrated a new multimode maritime surveillance radar on the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter that will drastically enhance long-range imaging and search capabilities for Navy commanders. Warfighters will now have the latest in radar technology to pair with their current electro-optical infrared payload. Integrating this new radar system will provide the MQ-8B Fire Scout with essential operational capabilities in all tactical environments and will improve how it addresses threats in real-world scenarios.... more »
Lockheed Martin’s DAGR and HELLFIRE II Missiles Score Direct Hits During Ground-Vehicle Launch Tests
Lockheed Martin successfully fired HELLFIRE and DAGR missiles from its Long Range Surveillance and Attack Vehicle (LRSAV) turreted weapon system during recent ground-to-ground tests at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The LRSAV is a fully integrated, turreted, ground-vehicle weapon system. It uses advanced missile and weapon control-system technologies and a newly developed 15-inch, spherical, mast-mounted electro-optical/infrared sensor to enable targeting and employment of missiles from a wide range of surface platforms. During the tests, the vehicle-mounted LRSAV system launched a...more »
Contrary to Claims, Arihant not Prepared for Sea Trials
[image: INS Arihant]Contrary to claims, India’s first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant is still not ready for sea trails, a stage critical for testing the vessel’s systems and weapons before it can be commissioned into the Navy. Arihant’s miniaturised nuclear reactor, built with Russian help, had gone critical in last August and since then the 6,000-tonne vessel has been put through a series of harbour acceptance trials, which could take a few more months, according to top navy sources here. The vessel, powered by a 83-MW pressurised light-water reactor operated wit... more »
US in Iraq: Geopolitical Arsonists Seek to Burn Region
*June 18, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - When a fire is raging, firefighters are called - not the arsonist who started it, especially if they return to the scene of the crime dragging a barrel of gasoline behind them. Yet, this is precisely what the US proposes - that they - the geopolitical arsonists - be allowed to return to Iraq to extinguish the threat of heavily armed sectarian militants streaming from NATO territory in Turkey and edging ever closer to Baghdad. *ISIS: Made in USA * The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a creation of the United States and its Persian ... more »
Defense denies Blackhawk, Stinger sales to Iraq
[image: UH-60M Blackhawk]The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday denied the United States sold to Iraq Blackhawk helicopters or Stinger missiles, contradicting newly published reports that say those weapons may have fallen into the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (Syria), or ISIS, when it captured military bases last week outside Mosul, Iraq. While the U.S. never has sold the Stinger or its MANPAD, or man-portable air defense, version, Defense Department spokesman Navy Commander William Speaks told WND the U.S. did sell to Iraq an Integrated Air Defense, or IAD, sy... more »
Defense Giants Score Poorly on Arms Development
[image: BAE Systems]Northrop Grumman Corp., maker of unmanned systems including the Global Hawk drone, and Raytheon Co., the world’s largest missile-maker, rank at the bottom of the pack in weapons development performance, according to a new report from the Defense Department. The acquisition document, called the 2014 Performance of the Defense Acquisition System and released last week, compared the Pentagon’s top contractors in terms of their ability to develop and produce weapons systems on time and on budget. The report analyzed contracts for major defense acquisition programs ov... more »
BAE Systems challenges Lockheed on F-16 upgrades
[image: ROCAF F-16]Inside a hangar at Alliance Airport, two F-16s await a major overhaul. The fighter jets, which arrived from South Korea last month, will be the first to be worked over by engineers at BAE Systems, a British company that won a $1.3 billion contract to install new avionics and other systems on that country's fleet of about 130 F-16s. To handle the work, BAE has set up shop at Alliance in space formerly occupied by Bell Helicopter. It has hired 175 workers, plans to expand its workforce to 300 by the end of the year and broke ground on a 40,000-square-foot expansion... more »
Unmanned convoy passes second driving demo
[image: Unmanned convoy]The Army’s Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and Lockheed Martin passed the latest round of tests validating the ability of driverless military-truck convoys to operate safely in a variety of environments. In the most recent demonstrations, the Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System (AMAS) completed a series of fully autonomous convoy tests involving an unmanned leader vehicle followed by a convoy of up to six additional, autonomous follower vehicles operating at speeds as high as 40 mph. The tests doubled the length and speed... more »
9 Year Old Daniel Bissonnette Tells Friends How To Get Moms & Dads To Buy Organic
[image: Foto]Source:* https://www.facebook.com/DanielRBissonnette*
White House opposes Cole's rescue of AWACS planes
[image: E-3A Sentry]The White House came out strongly on Tuesday against the defense spending bill set to be considered by the full U.S. House this week and specifically cited a provision that would protect AWACS planes stationed at Tinker Air Force Base. A statement from the White House budget office says a section of the spending bill authored by Rep. Tom Cole "would prevent the Air Force from using funds to divest or to disestablish any units of the active or reserve component associated with E-3 airborne warning and control system aircraft. "This provision would force the Air Fo... more »
Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier: Will the UK get a pair?
[image: Queen Elizabeth II class aircraft carrier]"Madness." That is how one former head of the Royal Navy described the situation currently facing the UK's huge aircraft carrier programme. Lord West, a former First Sea Lord, has recently dismissed the Royal Navy's total number of escort ships a "national disgrace." He was talking to ITV News as we visited Britain's newest aircraft carrier in Rosyth - just days before the Queen goes there to name the ship after herself. Read more
I$I$: Islamic State of Israel And The States
*I$I$: Islamic State of Israel and the States. * The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham is in reality the Islamic State of Israel and the States. All objective historians, journalists, and commentators should refer to I$I$ by this name. It more honestly reflects the true identities of the string-pullers behind this terrorist organization, who have played the most important role in its rise to power in Syria and Iraq. Make no doubt, the diabolical rulers of the US and Israel are rejoicing at the fact that I$I$ has swept across Iraq at such a rapid pace. But, in order to deflect publ... more »
PM likely to induct warship INS Kolkata in Mumbai soon
[image: INS Kolkata]After dedicating aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to induct India's largest indigenously-built warship INS Kolkata in Mumbai in the next few weeks. The Prime Minister has already been invited to induct the warship, which is constructed by the Mazagon Dockyards Limited and has been designed by the Navy's design bureau, defence officials said. The 6,800 tonne destroyer, which is over three years behind schedule, is a technology demonstrator and will showcase a giant leap in shipbuilding technology for India, t... more »
PLA cannot compete with US F-22 fighters: Japanese media
[image: F-22 Raptor]The People's Liberation Army Air Force and Navy Air Force would be unable to challenge US aerial superiority over the Far East because an American F-22 fighter is capable of defeating 20 fourth-generation Chinese fighters in aerial combat, according to the latest issue of the Tokyo-based right-leaning SAPIO magazine. Facing the challenge of China's maritime expansion, Japan has equipped its Escort Flotilla 2 based in Sasebo and Escort Flotilla 4 based in Kure — which would be responsible for a potential naval operation over the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu ... more »
Frigate budget blows out
[image: HMNZS Te Kaha]An upgrade of the navy’s two frigates has resulted in a budget blow-out of almost $30 million and the HMNZS Te Kaha being out of the water for almost a year longer than expected. Parliament’s foreign affairs committee yesterday heard that an upgrade to the platform systems on Te Kaha and Te Mana had suffered major setbacks as the ‘‘stretched’’ contractor struggled with the workload. Defence Secretary Helene Quilter said the work on Te Kaha had cost $6m more than budgeted and taken 11 months longer than expected, while the work on Te Mana required additional fun... more »
Russia's top-secret nuclear submarine comes into service
On June 17, the new Project-885 Yasen-class multi-purpose nuclear submarine joined the ranks of the Russian Navy’s fleet. The creation of this nuclear submarine should have become a revolution for the Soviet submarine fleet, but owing to the economic problems of the 1990s the project was mothballed. The key feature of the Yasen-class submarine, which still remains one of the Russian defense industry’s most closely guarded projects, is its universality, previously unachievable either by its Russian predecessors or their foreign equivalents. Read more
The Use Of Pesticides On Bee-Attracting Plants Needs To Stop Altogether- Susan Kegley, Phd
[image: Foto: NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK IS JUNE 16 - 22, 2014. Take action to help SAVE THE BEES & ALL POLLINATORS. Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement and Orchard Supply Hardware are marketing and selling plants as “bee-friendly” when, in fact, many of them are bee-killing. Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides applied as seed treatments, and are taken up by the roots and distributed through the entire plant. Neonics harm bees even at very low levels. Stop buying plants from these stores until they remove neonic-treated plants from their nurseries. How can you be assured that y... more »
Shiite Iraqi Poets to ISIS: Bring It On, We Have Dug Your Graves (Source: MEMRI TV)
*"(Former Emir) Hamad is a little kitten, who growls like a tiger." - Iraqi poet Zayd Al-Salami.* Title: Shiite Iraqi Poets to ISIS: Bring It On, We Have Dug Your Graves. Source: MEMRI TV. Date Published: June 17, 2014. Excerpts from the video: "ISIS people, Jerusalem is in the hands of the Jews. Only a few kilometers separate you from Palestine. If you throw the agal of your keffiyah, it will land in Tel Aviv. Your prostitution matches that of the prostitute Israel. Or is it forbidden?! Fighting Israel is haraam?! They are your brothers. You were breastfed on apostasy together.... more »
Viewer Discretion Advised - ISIS Atrocities in Mosul (Source: MEMRI TV)
Title: Viewer Discretion Advised - ISIS Atrocities in Mosul. Source: MEMRI TV. Date Published: June 17.
Maya Angelou (1928–2014)
Maya Angelou has died. Her health hadn't been good for a while, so her friend and fellow writer Nikki Giovanni said it wasn't a surprise. Although it's sad to see Angelou go, there's no denying that she lead a very full life. She was one of the most memorable and inspiring speakers I heard in college, and afterward I kept an eye out for her other appearances. I'm far from alone in admiring
By-election: The Empty Chair in the Room
When I heard about the all-candidates debate in town tonight for the June 30 by-election, my interest was piqued. Here was a chance to see the candidates and hear their stances on the issues affecting our region. I even considered booking today off as I was due to work so that I could attend. In the end though it turns out I wouldn't be hearing from all the candidates because one of them would not be attending. There would be an empty chair in the room. I can understand candidates having busy schedules during an election campaign though I have to wonder what could be so pressin... more »
While Republicans Bicker, Whine, Posture And Stab Each Other In The Back, Obama Keeps His Eye On The Ball-- Captures Ahmed Abu Khatallah
The sick and obstructionist Republican peanut gallery-- largely driven by the vile racist neo-Confederates in their caucus-- seems to be incapable of accepting the reality that the American people elected Barack Obama, an African-American, to the presidency… twice. Like their top donors, they have never recognized Obama's legitimacy and have been content to sit on their fat asses for the last 6 years hatching plots and conspiring with Hate Talk Radio clowns to invent "scandals" like "Benghazi!" Meanwhile, the president, exasperated, has just done what he could to fulfilled his con... more »
Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - Grey Water
Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! Wondering how to live greener? You've come to the right place. Each week we challenge ourselves to try a new task ... or "amp up" something we're already doing. We raise our awareness, learn from each other and develop Eco-friendly skills which will improve our lives and protect our planet. Doing so together gives us power ... the power to Change The World! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for information and a complete list of all the challenges we've taken on so far. This post contains great information and I encourage ... more »
Untitled
*Helis seeks approval today for north shore fracking site ~WVUE* *Attorney General Buddy Caldwell should intervene in coastal damages lawsuit ~Oliver Houck* *Judge Sets May 2015 Date for BP Investors’ Suit Over Oil Spill ~Nate Raymond, Insurance Journal** ~Hat Tweet @stuartsmithlaw* *Arbitrator to decide Jimmy Graham’s grievance with Saints ~Ramon Antonio Vargas, New Orleans Advocate * *Report ranks La. second to last in compensating crime victims ~WWLTV* *The sign painters of New Orleans ~Alex Woodward, Gambit * *NOLA History: Voodoo and St. John’s Eve ~Edward Branley, GONOLA* *G... more »
Iraqi PM Maliki Is Saying What Needed To Be Said
"We hold them responsible for supporting these groups financially and morally, and for the outcome of that - which includes crimes that may qualify as genocide: the spilling of Iraqi blood, the destruction of Iraqi state institutions and historic and religious sites," the Iraqi government said of Riyadh in a statement. (*Source: Eye Witness News, "Iraq's al-Maliki accuses Saudis of 'genocide'"*). *An excerpt from, "Iraqi Government Accuses Saudi Arabia of Supporting Potential Iraqi Genocide" by Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate, June 17:* *The government of Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Ma... more »
Untitled
*British boffin tells Obama's science advisor: You're wrong on climate change* A top British scientist has come out with new research flatly contradicting the idea that extremely cold winters in North America – like the one just past – will become more frequent due to global warming. This new analysis disagrees completely with the assessment of President Obama's personal science advisor. Dr James Screen of Exeter uni in England is a mathematician who has been studying the arctic ice sheet for several years. According to a university announcement highlighting his latest research: ... more »
Fukushima ongoing nuclear disaster updates ( June 17 - 18 , 2014 ) -- Trouble reported with inner ‘ice wall’ at Fukushima; Highly radioactive water underground won’t freeze — Tepco: “We can’t make temperature low enough” after trying for months; Fluctuating water levels beneath Unit 2 blamed — Expert: Ground can liquify around reactors, form sinkholes ( Why am I not surprised that Tepco is in the midst of creating another unintended clusterfuck ? ) ...... [Photo] Japanese rice ingredient manufactured in Fukushima is sold in Australia ( anyone stupid enough to eat food products from Fukushima is cruising for an internal bruising ! ) ....... Several earthquakes in Japan - two offshore Fukushima at M 5.5 ......
Fukushima Diary..... Preceding frozen water wall hasn’t worked since April Posted by *Mochizuki* on June 17th, 2014 · 9 Comments Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services Related to this article.. Fukushima worker “Frozen wall was originally designed to stand with clay wall but they removed to cut the cost.” [URL] A preceding part of the frozen water wall hasn’t been frozen for over a month, according to Tepco. Tepco has started installing the frozen water underground wall to isolate 4 reactor buildings in Fukushima plant. Preceding the wall, ... more »
A Moment With The Sea: John Denver, “Calypso”
John Denver, “Calypso” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35x_rwyBh-8
“Thinking Like a Mountain”
*“Thinking Like a Mountain”* By Aldo Leopold . "For I have learned to look on nature, not as in the hour of thoughtless youth, but hearing oftentimes the still, sad music of humanity." - William Wordsworth “A deep chesty bawl echoes from rimrock to rimrock, rolls down the mountain, and fades into the far blackness of the night. It is an outburst of wild defiant sorrow, and of contempt for all the adversities of the world. Every living thing (and perhaps many a dead one as well) pays heed to that call. To the deer it is a reminder of the way of all flesh, to the pine a forecast of m... more »
John (Fire) Lame Deer, "On Natural Diversity…"
"On Natural Diversity…" by John (Fire) Lame Deer "Even animals of the same kind – two deer, two owls – will behave differently from each other. I have studied many plants. The leaves of one plant, on the same stem – none is exactly alike. On all the earth there is not one leaf that is exactly like another. The Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, likes it that way. He only sketches out the path of life roughly for all the creatures on earth, shows them where to go, where to arrive at, but leaves them to find their own way to get there. He wants them to act independently according to their own... more »
"Of Sound Mind..."
“A man who is "of sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key.” - Paul Valéry, “Mauvaises Pensées et Autres”, 1942
"Remember..."
“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” - Emily Kimbrough
Don’t call them liberals, but don’t call them progressives either
*Guest post by Brian Micklethewait* I strongly agree with Americans Dan Klein and Kevin Frei that “liberal” and “liberalism” are words that should never be relinquished to those who don’t believe in liberty. They have started something called Liberalism Unrelinquished. Good for them. We the undersigned affirm the original arc of liberalism, and the intention not to relinquish the term *liberal* to the trends, semantic and institutional, toward the governmentalization of social affairs. Way back in 2010, I did a posting at the UK site Samizdata entitled ‘They are not liberals and ... more »
Are We Being Suckered Again? Busted! US Trained ISIS At Secret Jordan Base!
I indeed have been watching all the reports coming out of Iraq, especially when it comes to this "ISIS/ISIL" army that is running rampant in the northern part of that nation. This "army" that suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere has supposedly most of the US puppet regime in Baghdad's army on the run, and is now threatening to march into Baghdad itself.... We have received so many interesting and laughable stories coming out of the Jew spew media over the last few days about this ISIS/ISIL being the latest and greatest "terrorist" group and suddenly and magically a "thre... more »
Roald Dahl - British Spy, Adept of OTO and Children's Author
RAF Air Attaché Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl "The Irregulars", Operation Intrepid 1940-1945 Washington DC *CROWLEY*: *“Let him train himself to think BACKWARDS by external means, as set forth here following:* *(a) Let him learn to write BACKWARDS. . .**(b) Let him learn to walk BACKWARDS. . .**(c) Let him. . . listen to phonograph records REVERSED.**(d) Let him practice speaking BACKWARDS. . .**(e) Let him learn to read BACKWARDS. . .**(f) Instead of saying “I am he” let him say “eh ma I”* *(Crowley, Aliester. Magick:Liber ABA, book four, 1994 Ordo Templi Orientis ediiton, p. 639)* ... more »
Is Weingarten Really Against VAM? Or Was Her Conversion “A Sham”?
In January 2014, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten finally stated that she is completely opposed to using value added modeling (VAM) as a component on teacher evaluations. As Audrey Amrein-Beardsley notes on her blog, Vamboozled: …Randi Weingarten, the current president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), has (finally) expressed her full opposition against using […]
Musical Interlude: Bryan EL, “Interstellar”
Bryan EL, “Interstellar” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZnWxltGzKw
"Join With Those..."
"Join with those who sing songs, tell stories, enjoy life, because happiness is contagious. Join those who walk with their heads high even when they have tears in their eyes. Avoid those who have never shed a tear." - Paulo Coelho
"A Look to the Heavens"
"A favorite target for astronomers, big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is one of the brighter galaxies not found in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Pegasus and similar in size to our own Milky Way Galaxy, NGC 7331 is often imaged as the foreground of a visual grouping that includes an intriguing assortment of background galaxies some ten times farther away. This striking image of the well-studied island universe and environs was produced using data from the Calar Alto Observatory in southern Spain. ... more »
Chet Raymo, “Why Cranes Fly”
*“Why Cranes Fly”* by Chet Raymo "There were a few Comments here recently about herons, from right around the world. What is the power of this bird to touch our minds and hearts? The naturalist Aldo Leopold was intimately familiar with the cranes of Wisconsin, cousins of our New England great blue heron, the Irish gray heron, and Adam2's aosagi from Japan, and wondered about their ability to move us so deeply. In A Sand County Almanac he watches as a crane "springs his ungainly hulk into the air and flails the morning sun with mighty wings." Our ability to perceive beauty in nature... more »
When The Elite showed its hand in 1973, there was barely a whimper
When The Elite showed its hand By Jon Rappoport June 16, 2014 www.nomorefakenews.com In a minute, I'm going to print a stunning 1978 conversation between a US reporter and two members of the Trilateral Commission. I discovered the conversation in the late 1980s, and ever since then, I've been looking at it from various angles, finding new implications. Here, I want to point out that the conversation was public knowledge at the time. Anyone who was anyone in Washington politics, in media, in think-tanks, had access to it. Understood its meaning. But no one shouted from the rooftop...more »
Oh no, not more on Iraq?!
*Of course Marc Thiessen is an idiot, an ignoramus, a lunatic, and a thug, but does everyone know this? Like his editors at the Washington Post? They publish stuff like this, after all, without labeling it as "toxic ravings of an idiot, ignoramus, lunatic, and thug."* What can the United States do? It has already done quite a bit, of course. The invasion of Iraq, in 2003, by destroying the Iraqi state, empowered the Shiite majority—Maliki in particular. As long as American troops remained in Iraq, they could restrain Maliki and his Shiite brethren from their worst sectarian impulse... more »
Little Jimmy Scott, 1925-2014: He wanted all of it
Just heard the news that singer Jimmy Scott, “the jazz vocalist with "more pain and prettiness in his voice than any singer anywhere",” has died. "He sang like no one else," said saxophonist Dexter Gordon. "Ahead of the beat. Behind the beat. In a haunting high-pitched voice that was neither male nor female but both at the same time." … Kallmann syndrome, a condition that halted Jimmy's hormonal growth, left him with an alto voice that remained unchanged. "Some thought he was a woman in drag," said Gordon. "He caught hell for being different – not just as a singer, but as... more »
David P. Hamilton : SPORT | Was the Spurs win a symbolic victory for the left?
Besides the triumph of the Spurs’ collectivism over the Heat’s individualism, internationalism won over Americanism. By David P. Hamilton | The Rag Blog | June 17, 2014 How is the victory of a major professional sports franchise, the San Antonio … finish reading David P. Hamilton : *SPORT* | Was the Spurs win a symbolic victory for the left?
Untitled
FRONT PAGE | David Hamilton says the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Heat was a ‘symbolic victory for the left.’
Percy Shelley
*"...at Plas Tan-Yr-Allt... he had allegedly been... attacked during the night by a man who may have been... an intelligence agent.* I Quote The Enemy: "Some believed his death was not accidental, that Shelley was depressed in those days and wanted to die. Others said that he did not know how to navigate; or that pirates mistook the boat for Byron's and attacked him; or even more fantastical stories. There is a small amount of material, though scattered and contradictory, describing that Shelley may have been murdered for political reasons. Previously, at Plas Tan-Yr-Allt, the Re... more »
[Video] Iraq: Dramatic Images of Shia Preparing to Fight (Source: Wall Street Journal)
*The president of the United States is the biggest arms dealer in the world. * "US and allies arm ISIS in Syria. US arms Maliki in Iraq. ISIS and Maliki use arms to fight each other. A very twisted game." - *Rania Khalek*. The Iran-Iraq war comes to mind, when Washington cynically armed both sides to keep the war going for as long as possible. Instead of directing their animus at their real enemies in Washington and Tel Aviv, Sunnis and Shiites are mindlessly fighting each other to the benefit of their murderers and torturers. Stupidity has a high price. The criminal and inhuman g... more »
The Truth about Savings and Consumption
Time to squelch again the popular myth that consumption drives the economy. Fact is: Consumption is the *final*, not the *efficient*, cause of production. The efficient cause is savings, which can be said to represent the opposite of consumption: they represent *unconsumed* goods. Consumption is the end of production, and a *dead end*, as far as the productive process is concerned. The worker who produces so little that he consumes everything he earns, carries his own weight economically, but contributes nothing to future production. The worker who has a modest savings account, an... more »
Mary Austin - Freddie Mercury's Girlfriend
"The pair shared a bedsit and then moved into a modest one-bedroom flat in nearby Holland Road. They were blissfully happy but hadn’t discussed a future together. *‘Then, when I was 23 he gave me a big box on Christmas Day. Inside was another box, then another and so it went on. It was like one of his playful games. Eventually, I found a lovely jade ring inside the last small box. * *‘I looked at it and was speechless. I remember thinking, “I don’t understand what’s going on.” It wasn’t what I’d expected at all. So I asked him, “Which hand should I put this on?” And he said, “Ring... more »
"Knowledge, Intelligence..."
“Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used.” "It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas. If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you. On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot distinguis... more »
JACKPOT! Speculators Win Big as Iraq Shuts Down Refinery
Nothing can collapse the economic house of cards that is the phony Obama recovery faster than a massive spike in prices - oil and food or simply just oil as the black gold drives damned near everything and keeping the hoax of the "recovery" alive is getting tougher by the day for the big boys and their footstool at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. With the brutal wave of violence raging through Iraq, still a mystery as to the exact cause but the US warmongers supplying arms to religious zealots including admitted cannibals is a probable factor the early winners are already in and they are t... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Ft. Worth, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
Humanity: The Poet: Robinson Jeffers, "Love That"
"This photo, taken during the 1994 Sudan famine, won a “Pulitzer prize.” It shows a famine stricken child crawling towards a United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away. The vulture is waiting for the child to die so he can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including photographer Kevin Carter, who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken. Three months later he committed suicide due to depression." *"Love That"* by Robinson Jeffers "Then what is the answer?— Not to be deluded by dreams. To know that great civilizati... more »
"Feeling Fed Up with Humanity, In the World and in Ourselves"
*"Feeling Fed Up with Humanity, In the World and in Ourselves"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "We are all capable of the best and the worst that humanity has to offer and knowing this allows us to find compassion. From time to time, we may all feel fed up with humanity, whether it’s from learning about what’s going on around the world, or what’s going on next door. There are always situations that leave us feeling as if people are simply not capable of behaving in a way that is coming from a place of awareness. Often it seems as if people are actually geared to handle things in th... more »
Satire: "Dick Cheney: 'My Thoughts and Prayers Are With the Iraqi Oil Wells'”
*"Dick Cheney: 'My Thoughts and Prayers Are With the Iraqi Oil Wells'”* by Andy Borowitz JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING (The Borowitz Report)— "Former Vice-President Dick Cheney broke his silence about the crisis in Iraq on Tuesday, telling reporters, “My thoughts and prayers are with the Iraqi oil wells.” Speaking from his Wyoming ranch, Cheney said that he had planned to remain quiet about the current state of affairs in Iraq, but “thinking about those oil wells has kept me up at night. If Dick Cheney won’t speak for the Iraqi oil wells, who will?” he said. Cheney indicated that, as of no... more »
All Lies and Jest
Wit's End - 23 hours ago
And I am just a poor boy. Though my story’s seldom told, I have squandered my resistancewal For a pocketful of mumbles, Such are promises All lies and jest Still, a man hears what he wants to hear And disregards the rest. from *The Boxer* ~ Paul Simon This photo of Portland, Oregon was shared by David Lange, who blogs at WindSpiritKeeper. It captures and epitomizes much of the tumultuous wreckage that is driving the world ever more horrendously and violently askew - crass advertisement, artificially cheap energy borrowed from the future of our children, mindless addictions to things ... more »
Fuck the Jews
They are attractive and smart and have a culture of success. I have spent enough time in Malaysai to scope out the place. A furry headed orthodox Jew could live there without press covey, They are very mindful of political opinion. In fact for over twenty years the main guy who wanted to stop all the partisans and sycophants from sucking up all the wealth of the nation has been on trial for Sodomy. I am not making this up. This guy has been on trial for Sodomy for twenty years. Jew you could live there full batty hat and log robes and trailing wife to your hearts connent without p... more »
Given a Real Choice, Weingarten Goes With the Proven Corporate Education Stooge
You have to love the way Weingarten apologizes for Malloy, who has been the consistent enemy of teachers for 4 years. A clip: *Malloy . . . upset Connecticut teachers in 2012 when he said, “Basically the only thing you have to do is show up for four years. Do that, and tenure is yours.”* *In an interview outside the convention hall Tuesday, Weingarten said Malloy has privately expressed regret for those remarks.* *“He was very regretful for the statement,” Weingarten told a group of reporters.* What will it take for hard-working dues-paying teachers to bounce this corporate boot ... more »
“Debt, Civic Decay, Global Disorder - Fourth Turning Accelerating”
*“Debt, Civic Decay, Global Disorder - Fourth Turning Accelerating”* by James Quinn “In retrospect, the spark might seem as ominous as a financial crash, as ordinary as a national election, or as trivial as a Tea Party. The catalyst will unfold according to a basic Crisis dynamic that underlies all of these scenarios: An initial spark will trigger a chain reaction of unyielding responses and further emergencies. The core elements of these scenarios (debt, civic decay, global disorder) will matter more than the details, which the catalyst will juxtapose and connect in some unknowable... more »
Can There Still Be Doubt That Il Doofus' Iraq Invasion Was A Grotesque Mistake?
By Manifesto Joe Day by day I am reminded of April 1975, when the South Vietnamese "government" was being toppled. President Gerald Ford actually wanted to send U.S. troops back to Vietnam as it became clearer that the South would be unable to survive. Congress, overwhelmingly Democratic after the 1974 midterm elections, said no. Hell no. This time, a half-Republican Congress seems ambivalent, and President Obama appears to have been bamboozled by the military establishment. As an early opponent of Il Doofus' foolish invasion of Iraq, Obama should know that you can't fix stupid. An...more »
Iraqi Awakening Opposition / ISIS aka ISIL / Baathists / Sunni Tribal Fighters of various loyalties except to the Iraq Government launch attack on Baghdad ( June 15 - 16 , 2014 ) ......... Follow various detailed tweets ( Mark and Kami ) setting forth the very fast moving events in Iraq as Operation Baghdad is apparently well underway . Embassies including the US Embassy . Baghdad's Airport closed and taking fire , the Green Zone being shelled - As noted by in one tweet , might Baghdad fall before Damascus ? ISIS approach Kurd with peace deal ( will they take it ? )
Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Updates - late afternoon / Evening tweets .... Always ( FWIW ) *The New Yorkers* @TischNewYorkers · 22m Iraqi rebels have occupied most of al-Taji military base (north of Baghdad) #Iraq - *The New Yorkers* @TischNewYorkers · 25m Heavy fighting near Baghdad International Airport #Iraq *The New Yorkers* @TischNewYorkers · 30m Iraqi rebels have occupied 3 more areas in Baqubah #Iraq *The New Yorkers* @TischNewYorkers · 3h Iraqi rebels control the old road between Fallujah and Baghdad #Iraq *The New Yorkers* @TischNewYorkers · 3h Our reporters in Baghdad say 2 big explosions have ro... more »
Make Prayers to the Raven
In 1976 and 1977, anthropologist Richard Nelson lived with the Koyukon people of northwestern Alaska. Their vast forested homeland is in the region where the Koyukuk River feeds into the Yukon River. They are Athapaskan people, and they live inland from the Inupiaq Eskimos, who inhabit the coastal region to the west. When Russian explorers found the Koyukon in 1838, they already had tobacco, iron pots, and other stuff, acquired via trade with Eskimos. They had already been hammered by smallpox. In 1898, they experienced a sudden infestation of gold prospectors; luckily, their s... more »
The Economy: “A Survivor's Guide to the World of Funny Money”
*“A Survivor's Guide to the World of Funny Money”* by Bill Bonner “The longer the world lives with its funny money, the funnier things get. Here's a headline from yesterday's "Financial Times": "Central banks pour money into equities." We paused. We collected our thoughts. And we wondered: What the hell? From the FT: "A cluster of central banking investors has become major players on world equity markets." That was the conclusion of a central bank research and advisory group called the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), which goes on to warn that this tr... more »
AFT’s Weingarten Supports Malloy, and Likely, Cuomo
On June 16, 2014, I wrote a post in which I wondered what American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten would say on June 17 at the official AFL-CIO endorsement of the re-election of blatantly-anti-teacher, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy. Here is what the Connecticut Mirror had to offer by way of Weingarten’s participation in endorsing an undeniably […]
Eric Cantor And John Boehner Could Never Do The Kind Of Harm To The Democrats That Steve Israel Does
Another vulnerable Republican Israel made sure would have no opponent Anti-immigrant extremists who follow the lead of Steve King (R-IA) in the House, have been dancing around clicking their heals, claiming that Eric Cantor lost last week because he was "soft" on Hispanics and was opposed enough to giving them a pathway to citizenship. That isn't why he lost his primary, nor is it true that Cantor was sympathetic to the legitimate goals of immigrant reform groups. As he made clear in the expensive directing mailings he did to every Republican voters in VA-07, he was personally respon... more »
Making my intentions clear
People are not dogs or cattle. Yet for most of human history they have been treated that way, Darwin would not be surprised. This exists today. We have not moved forward so far we can sit back. Slavery is a real thing in most countries and prostitution exits in every country with a blind eye or a licence to fuck. When the rubber hits the road Asia is blow out, Africa is a fender bender but the middle east is a full blown car crash. There is no need for this bad traffic. Northern European nations have life more or less sorted out. Slave wages make slave products Chinese production ... more »
Chris Lintott on 'The Life Scientific'
The* Sky at Night*'s Dr Chris Lintott was Jim Al Khalili's guest on *The Life Scientific *this morning. I remember his first appearances on *The Sky at Night. *He struck me as being very young but highly knowledgeable. I've liked him ever since. He was very much in the right place at the right time as regards the school he was sent to - namely Torquay Boys' Grammar School. Two members of staff there had already "put themselves through the hell of running teenage discos in the school hall" to raise enough money to build an observatory at the school - a full-blown observatory with a ... more »
Roundup Review
Just hunkering down on the radio they are all about the storm but I hope it will miss me cause when I think of the weather its always warm If this planet has turned against us and denined our biggest thursts do we have enough rockets to take out what with mother nature gave us trust Do we need more roundup more GMO frankenstiens when on the beaches like Normandy people died by thousands to prevent toxic substance from being forced down the throat there are victims that are so toxic they can not be put to ground.
Is the BBC’s coverage of rural England distorted by a metropolitan bias?
Something to look out for... According to *The Times*' media editor Alex Spence, a BBC Trust report from former civil servant/BBC insider Heather Hancock is to be published this week which will say that "the BBC’s coverage of rural England is distorted by a metropolitan bias" and that "the public broadcaster’s news and current affairs programmes too often fail to reflect the wide range of interests outside of England’s main urban centres." The BBC Trust commissioned it, Alex Spence says, in an attempt "to examine whether the BBC’s reporting on rural matters, such as badger culls ... more »
What we have wrong on transit
There are two ways to do transit. The Hong Kong way or the Vienna way. Toronto is not adopting either model they are doing it the KL (Kula Lumpur) way. Wien (Austria) says the most important concept of transit is to plan so you do not need it. Hong Kong says if I move 6 million people before breakfast I will make a great profit. Toronto decide.
Price of Gas Vs News of Threat Matix
*I can not produce it everything in one dot in the top corner.*
Expect a teachers' strike in September
The chances of reaching a new teachers’ contract this month range from slim to none. There can always be breakthroughs when both parties sit down and bargain seriously, especially with the help of a mediator. But that usually requires some preconditions. The number of outstanding issues needs to be reduced, and the distance between employer and union positions narrowed. The negotiators need to have prepared their principals - politicians and union members, in this case - for inevitable compromises. And both sides need to feel under pressure to reach an agreement. None of those are in... more »
Tom Hayden : The madness in Iraq and the comeback of the neocons
The original blame for this disaster is on the Bush administration, but also on all those who succumbed to a Superpower Syndrome, which claimed we could redesign the Middle East. By Tom Hayden | The Rag Blog | June 17, … finish reading Tom Hayden : The madness in Iraq and the comeback of the neocons
Kate Braun : Celebrate vitality, creativity, abundance at Summer Solstice
It starts a time of reflection, contemplation, and evaluation of where you are, what you have done, what has been left undone, and why. By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | June 17, 2014 “The sun appears to stop/And … finish reading Kate Braun : Celebrate vitality, creativity, abundance at Summer Solstice
Supplemental: Keeping the focus on “resegregation!”
*TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014* *Bouie survives the real stats:* In her lengthy report, “Segregation Now...,” Nikole Hannah-Jones focused on the alleged “resegregation” of Tuscaloosa’s public schools. She said this “resegregation” is occurring all over the country, especially in the South. Are American schools being “resegregated?” Early in her report, Hannah-Jones offered this deeply flawed statistical comparison: HANNAH-JONES (4/16/14): In 1972, due to strong federal enforcement, only about 25 percent of black students in the South attended schools in which at least nine out of 10 stu... more »
TRUTH IS ALWAYS HARD TO SWALLOW
British journalist tells the truth on Ukrainian TV about what is going on in eastern Ukraine (Donbas) and the stunned looks on the faces of those in the audience is more than precious. They are not used to hearing anything from the Kiev oligarchy controlled TV except lies, omissions and distortions. It would be the equivalent of us hearing from someone on American corporate controlled TV acknowledging that our country is run by an oil-i-garchy and that our wars are not being fought for 'freedom and democracy' but rather for the corporate interests that control our government.
June 17:Moncton's priorities
The Scots have a profound sense of sinning, and a constant need to repent. That's why they suffer Presbyterianism. That's why the national dish is haggis, a dish that needs lots of ketchup to kill the taste of parts of a sheep I would rather not mention. That's why the ancient scots invented a game of throwing rocks along frozen streams in winter while freezing in their kilts and saying, "We're havin' some fun, ay? (There isn't much else to do in Scotland in winter.) (Oh, a small correction. ancient Scots didn't wear kilts. They were invented by an English factory owner in the nine... more »
The Realist Report - Andrew Carrington Hitchcock
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined once again by Andrew Carrington Hitchcock. Andrew and I will be discussing his books *The Synagogue of Satan* and *In the Name of Yahweh*. Calls are welcomed! You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit the *AFP Radio Network* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs. Below are relevant links for this program: - *Test Your Holocaust Knowledge!* - *Lying Jew Holohoaxer Dr. Caroline Sturdy-Colls Cancels Speaking Engagement After Daily Stormer Call to Action - Daily Stormer* - *J... more »
Do You Favor Sending Troops Into Iraq Again? Put A Sock In It
Although the TV networks seem certain that lots of war talk from the unprosecuted war criminals who lied us into the Iraq War on their networks last time, is good for ad revenue, the American people are unconvinced by the same old arguments being trotted out by the same out neocons and drooling spokesmen for the war profiteers. And it isn't just Fox. CNN and even MSNBC have been a cavalcade of warmongers who should have been lined up against walls and shot years ago-- Paul Bremer, John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz, Bill Kristol, Rove, McCain, Lindsey Graham... I think even Mitt Romney ... more »
Does the Ukraine occupy Russian Territory? Ukraine attempts one sided demarcation
Recall this previous post? Ukraine has no demarcated borders? At the time I wondered, is this correct? Could Ukraine have no internationally recognized demarcated border? This does indeed look to be correct. *Ukraine has NO demarcated border. * Ukraine is presently, attempting to unilaterally demarcate a border. Russia isn't going to recognize this land grab. *So, Ukraine having no demarcated border is acknowledged by Ukrainian officials!* *Which begs the question- What is the Ukraine? Is it really just a borderland? * *No demarcated borders means Crimea was not part of Ukrain... more »
Sir Elton John
*Sir Elton John - Knighted for Service to AIDS* *(Not service to AIDS Relief, service to AIDS)* *Note the cock&balls hanging from his right ear.* *It's not politically correct to call him a creepy old poof, but he is.* *"Ladies and Gentlemen, by all rights, I shouldn't be here.* *I should be dead. Six foot under, in a wooden box.* *Every day I ask myself, "How did I survive..?"* *Because the AIDS Disease is caused by a virus..."* *Candle in the Wind 1997 sold 11 million physical copies in the United States alone, and at least 3.5 million copies in the UK.* *The proceeds of which, ... more »
Mike's Story Part 53 - Klutz
*By **Jenna** Orkin* *Today was a more normal day - we went to the bank, ordered joint checks, talked, joked, watched part of Command - The Far Side of the World, with Russell Crowe. Another he-man’s movie about male bonding during hardship; a stalwart leader.* * I pointed out what progress this represented but Mike assured me he felt as depressed as ever.* * “I want you to know I don’t think I’m going to make it,” he said.* * I never know if his occasional cheerfulness stems from the knowledge that he's holding onto suicide as a way out. Psychologists have observed that p... more »
6 Year Anniversary Of Musings On Iraq
Today is the six year anniversary of Musings On Iraq. What started off as a point of interest in 2001 and then a hobby by 2002 has now obviously become a passion of mine. Thank you to all the readers and especially to all the people who have been willing to take to me about Iraq.
FLYING DUTCHMAN SOARS IN WORLD CUP
*Robin van Persie of the Netherlands scores the team's first goal with a diving header in the first half during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group B match between Spain and Netherlands at Arena Fonte Nova on June 13, 2014 in Salvador, Brazil. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) * *There is always a moment in a major sporting event when a spectacular shot or throw captures the true essence of the sport and that moment this year was Robin van Persie's on the fly header which tied the game with Spain and shocked the world with its uninhibited audacity, brilliance and joy and also e... more »
IMF states headquarters may be in China in future and U.S. is blocking emerging countries. Christine Lagarde and IMF are Frustrated. China in UK securing Trade Deals right now
The U.S. is grasping at their waning control of the IMF, which is frustrating Christine Lagarde and other countries. Lagarde said the IMF needs to make reforms but the U.S. has been blocking them. The IMF is suppose to be headquartered in the largest economy and that is going to be China in the future. Lagarde said the U.S. is blocking China, India and Brazil who are coming up strong from
WHY DON'T THEY LOVE US IN IRAQ?
Winning hearts and minds in Iraq. Why aren't they loyal to the US interests? The translator was likely giving the Iraqi police trainees a new recipe for hummus rather than passing on these 'words of wisdom' from the US military trainer.
Peter Smagorinsky: Response to the new NCTQ Teacher Prep Review
Peter Smagorinsky: Response to the new NCTQ Teacher Prep Review. via Peter Smagorinsky: Response to the new NCTQ Teacher Prep Review.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
PREVIEW: New Film Opening June 17, 2014 – “NCTQ Hill”
PREVIEW: New Film Opening June 17, 2014 – “NCTQ Hill”. via PREVIEW: New Film Opening June 17, 2014 – “NCTQ Hill”.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
The Islamic State of Iraq Attempts To Create A State in Syria And Iraq Interview With Aaron Zelin
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) recently seized control of wide swaths of northern and central Iraq in June 2014. In Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, ISIS has issued a charter for how it will be run. Long before that the Islamic State was administering sections of Syria such as the city of Raqqa. This is a new turn for the organization, which is far more notorious for its terrorist attacks. To help explain how ISIS has tried to create its own proto-state is Aaron Zelin who is the Richard Borow Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and also runs ... more »
Freddie
*'It was Freddie's decision to finally end it all. He chose the time to die,'* Mary recalls in a whisper. *'He knew it was coming. The quality of his life had changed so dramatically and he was in more pain every day. * *He was losing his sight. His body became weaker as he suffered mild fits. It was so distressing to see him deteriorating in this way. * *One day he decided enough was enough and stopped all the medical supplements that were keeping him going. * *The overwhelming thing for me was that he was just so incredibly brave. * *He looked death in the face and said, "Fine... more »
THE GAPS IN TUSCALOOSA: First, you embellish!
*TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014* *Part 2—This dog doesn’t parse:* First, you embellish. All too often, that’s the way journalists create interest in an alleged problem. In a lengthy study of Tuscaloosa’s schools, Nikole Hannah-Jones focused on an alleged problem which basically can’t be solved—the problem of “segregation” in our public schools. Writing for ProPublica and The Atlantic, Hannah-Jones produced a 10,000-word report on the “resegregation” of Tuscaloosa’s schools. Her report is fascinating, but we’d have to say the embellishments started early and came fairly often. Building ... more »
WAR AND MORE WAR
- I got the photo above from my dear friend Will Park in Florida. He wrote, "Look how early our children are 'prepped' to love things military and war. No wonder so few care about peace and justice." The future generations are being 'prepped' for a life of endless war to aid the corporations that control our government and have turned us into nothing more than a glorified resource extraction service. - I am convinced that after being thrown out of Iraq (largely because Iraq refused to give US troops legal immunity from their attacks on the Iraqi pe... more »
The Starbucks, ASU, and Pearson Scam
If you thought wow! yesterday when Starbucks announced that CoffeeCorp will fund its employees' college educations from here on out, look a little closer before you fill up your mug. First off, Arizona State has joined the state-run exploitation college model perfected by the University of Maryland, whereby overseas military personnel and the stateside poor pay for junk degrees while funding lavish campus health clubs and libraries that only the on-campus college crowd can take advantage of. UMaryland's profits were $350 million annually in 2012. ASU hopes to be raking in $200... more »
Some Tories pushing to dump Tim Hudak immediately
Story Probably a mistake -- Hudak did lose an election he should have won (and he did that twice) but there is no election coming for some time. Dumping him now would just lead to confusion (and give the deputy leader a leg up). Also running a campaign now would exclude some of the possible (*but very credible*) dark horses - say Richard Ciano for example -- which may, of course, be why some are pushing for an immediate replacement.
The recent appointment of a Federal Court Judge to the Quebec Court of Appeal may well be invalid
Rocco Galati is challenging the nomination of Justice Robert Mainville of the Federal Court to the Quebec Court of Appeal, as announced Friday by Justice Minister Peter MacKay. Rocco may well have a decent technical argument. And following the technical reading given by the Supreme Court of Canada to the appointments process in *Nadon* [*Reference re Supreme Court Act, ss. 5 and 6* 2014 SCC 21] the Court may well be inclined to a technical argument. Judges and judicial officers are not members of their respective provincial or territorial bars. Hence in Ontario the professional co... more »
Staying a Law Society Discipline Matter for Inordinate Delay in Proceeding
The Hearing Panel in *Law Society of Upper Canada v. Davies Bagambiire* 2012 ONLSHP0122 summarized the test for a stay for inordinate delay in proceeding as follows: [20] In considering the *Blencoe *[2000 SCC 44 (CanLII), 2000 SCC 44] decision and the authorities that have followed it, it is clear that the test for this panel to apply is to determine: (i) whether there was inordinate delay; and (ii) if so, did the delay cause prejudice to the Lawyer’s ability to have a fair hearing or cause other prejudice to him that constitutes an abuse of... more »
Not-so-gentle news from the East
Oh dear, Canada's Gentle Island is showing a narsty streak of intolerance, yea, verily, even bullying. The presentation of an award meant to honour a pro-choice group over the weekend was postponed because the organizer was concerned about safety. Alex Maine, project director for the Isleawards, told CBC News he received 30 to 40 emails and calls protesting his group's decision to honour the P.E.I. Reproductive Rights Organization. "I would say that they had threatening attitude, but not directly threatening," said Maine. And it gets worse. Disappointed to see that the #PEI Right ... more »
Ukraine-Russia Near "Serious Conflict" Following Gas Transit Pipeline Explosion ( June 17 , 2014 ) ... With 2 Russian TV journalists killed in recent days and on the heels of Russia's cutting off Ukraine's gas supply for non-payment, Interfax is reporting that: *EXPLOSION ON UKRAINE GAS TRANSIT PIPELINE REPORTED: IFX *INTERFAX CITES UKRAINE INTERIOR MINISTRY ON GAS PIPELINE BLAST ....
Putin has been biding hit time regarding Ukraine . Is that time up ? http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-time-has-come-for-putin-to-make.html ( H/T to Kev ! ) TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014 The time has come for Putin to make the most important decision of his Presidency Today I would like to just share two thoughts with you and suggest that each and every one of you come to his/her own conclusions. First, Russia was literally "sucked into" WWI by the Germany. Russia did not have to enter the war as Russia herself was not attacked. "Only" Serbia was. Russia was not ready to ... more »
EFN Asia 39: Rainer Adam's Farewell Letter
I received this warm, friendly and well-written farewell letter today from Rainer Adam. I have met him first time -- along with many Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) officials, Asian free marketers and friends -- in 2004, 10 years ago in Hong Kong, for the Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia conference. After that, I would meet him yearly except in 2007 and 2009, for the annual EFN conferences or some FNF major events here in Manila. Cool guy, always smiling. When I first met him in 2004, I immediately thought that he looked like Eric Clapton, among my favorite rock st... more »
NEW DRONE FILM
DRONES follows two Nevada desert-based drone operators as they pilot an unmanned craft over Afghanistan. Surveilling a possible terrorist hideout, the pilots face a range of complicated moral dilemmas when they are ordered to kill a suspected terrorist and, consequently, many innocent bystanders — including children. DRONES explores the complex moral issues facing a US military that relies more and more heavily on the remote use of unmanned drones to execute its strategies.
Our Dear Leaders
@Formosanation passed this around on Twitter today. That's President Ma Ying-jeou in the vibrant red and black in the first panel. _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
David Evans' notch-filter theory of the climate is infinitely fine-tuned
*The required notch filter itself is the key disease showing that the particular solar model is almost certainly incorrect* More than two months ago, Jo Nova's partner David Evans sent a group of people including your humble correspondent impressively looking and formally convincing documents about a new solar theory of the climate. I have spent many hours with reading them and thinking about them, exchanging e-mails with David, and so on. Because the documents were rather long, I needed an hour at the very beginning to see what the model really says, but that was followed by many o... more »
Untitled
*Student Attacks on U.S. Teachers Up 34.5%; Record 209,800 in 2011-12 School Year* A record 209,800 primary and secondary school teachers reported being physically attacked by a student during the 2011-2012 school year, according to new data released Tuesday by the federal government. That was up 34.5 percent from the previous record of 156,000 teachers who were attacked by students in the 2007-2008 school year. The data was published in "Indicators of School Crime and Safety," which was released yesterday by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Departmen... more »
Fox lies, America dies
By Capt. Fogg "You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" asked Joseph Welch of "tailgunner Joe" McCarthy, for decades the prototype for the vicious, unscrupulous and dishonest Republican Jihadist. The unstated but nearly universally understood answer was "hell no." McCarthy has been somewhat de-demonized after years of propaganda and revision, but compared to what we had in 1954, at the height of the Communist witch hunt, the wealthy Corporate Political monsters now stomping on America like something from a 50's Jap... more »
When Bill Moyers Refers To "The Lap Dogs In Congress" He Isn't Just Talking About Jeb Hensarling And The Republicans
The House passed *Dodd-Frank* on Decenmber 11, 2009 without a single Republican vote. As always, the Republicans were for the crooked banksters-- but so were 26 Democrats. Most of those Democrats have since been fired by the voters-- or forced to resign-- and only 6 remain in Congress today: *•* Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem-AZ) *•* Peter Visclosky (IN) *•* Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC) *•* Marcy Kaptur (OH) *•* Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR) *•* Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX) Many of the ones who were driven out of office are now well-paid lobbyists on K Street. We've been urging you to read... more »
It's Driving Him Crazy
Popular wisdom holds that Stephen Harper's incandescent hatred of Pierre Trudeau is rooted in the National Energy Program. But, Michael Harris writes, it goes much deeper than that: Stephen Harper’s real fight is not with the Supreme Court *per se*, but with the 1982 Constitution that created the charter. The problem for the Supreme Court is that it has the sole responsibility to assess *all* laws passed by Parliament against their interpretation of the charter. That means laws sometimes get struck down — although Parliament always has the option of responding with another law. U... more »
Paul Craig Roberts considers Vladimir Putin to be the top world leader because he is willing compromise with other world powers in order to avoid conflicts (particularly nuclear war). By contrast, the U.S. has recently changed its nuclear war model from "mutually assured destruction" (MAD) to the notion that the U.S. can win a war by "first strike" (INSANE). PCR regards today's U.S. government to be "the greatest collection of dangeous fools in world history."
------------------------------ *Downloading MP3 / Broadcast Interviews Are For Individual Listening Use And NOT For Reproduction Or Redistribution And Are The Sole Property Of ©King World News. However, Linking Directly To The Desired Interview Page Is Permitted and Encouraged.* Blogger's Note: Following the instructions above, I commend the reader to go to the original, where this very germane on-radio interview will play shortly after you click the link below: http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/Broadcast/Entries/2014/6/12_Dr._Paul_Craig_Roberts.html Dr. Paul Craig Roberts -... more »
US-made Stinger missiles have likely fallen into ISIS hands, officials say
[image: ISIS]U.S. officials with access to the latest U.S. intelligence on Iraq told Fox News it "appears likely/probable" that U.S.-made Stinger missiles have fallen into the hands of Sunni insurgents. It is possible that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters acquired them from army bases they have taken over in recent days, the sources said. The Stinger missile is a shoulder-fired surface-to-air weapon that is used against aircraft. Read more
US-made Stinger missiles fall into ISIS hands
' U.S. officials with access to the latest U.S. intelligence on Iraq told Fox News it "appears likely/probable" that U.S.-made Stinger missiles have fallen into the hands of Sunni insurgents. It is possible that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters acquired them from army bases they have taken over in recent days, the sources said. The Stinger missile is a shoulder-fired surface-to-air weapon that is used against aircraft.' Maybe flying to India and the Far East has just become a little more risky. More here http://pamelageller.com/2014/06/us-made-stinger-missile... more »
NCTQ: “their remedies are part of the disease”
NCTQ: “their remedies are part of the disease”. via NCTQ: “their remedies are part of the disease”.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
What you should be reading
*A dragon among the lychees.* 1. China Post goes all in for independence. Not kidding, the second page of this is mind-blowing coming from the Taiwan-denyin' KMT-lovin' China Post. 2. Commonwealth on the vast wealth gap that is choking the life out of Taiwan. Another superb effort. 3. Banks exposure to China at record high. China has the local financial industry exactly where it wants it. Some other links..... ___________________ *Daily Links*: - Tsai Ing-wen, a notable person of Hakka descent - AAUP comes out with statement on Confucius Institutes - Macau becoming too dep... more »
Giveaway: Princess Festival in West Jordan
This year, the Princess Festival is being held in multiple locations, including West Jordan. We love the Princess Festival. My daughter loves getting all dolled up and spending the day with her favorite princesses. She loves all of the fun and I love that the festival is focused on teaching girls to be good, kind people, not on looks. At last year's festival, my daughter and her friends went on a "bear hunt" and one of the characters taught them a song about not being afraid, we have sung the song many times since the festival whenever my daughter was feeling particularly scared ab... more »
The Truth About US Troops "Sent to Iraq"
*Image: US troops aren't going "to Iraq." They are going to bolster security at the US Embassy in Baghdad. Attempts to portray the routine move as an "intervention" is a ploy to undermine the credibility and sovereignty of the Iraqi government. **June 17, 2014 *(Tony Cartalucci - LD) - Indeed, nearly 300 troops are being prepared to deploy to Iraq, as they would be to any nation on Earth where a US embassy is located, and may possibly require evacuation. It is in no way an "intervention" or a gesture of "assistance" to the government of a destabilized country. However, in Iraq, W... more »
Bombs Away! Neocons Set for Sequel in Iraq
*"Anyone can go to Baghdad. Real men go to Tehran"* *-unnamed Bush administration official* Mistakenly left for dead after the wet dream of the conquest of the Middle East commencing with the US attack and invasion on Iraq unraveled far short of the glorious thousand year American Reich that the ideologues envisioned, leaving them discredited and for the most part ousted during the latter years of the lamentable George W. Bush regime the neocons are now resurgent and this time they are not leaving power again. The post September 11, 2001 era after the tragic and horrific attacks on ... more »
How to Use Garlic As a Medicine
How to Use Garlic As a Medicine Natural Health Care For You, 16 June 2014 Garlic is one of the most healing foods worldwide. Besides cure colds and flu due to its antibacterial effects, it is also used in other situations. If you suffer from any of these problems, read how to use garlic as a medicine : - Hair Loss If you have a problem with hair loss, garlic is the right solution for you. It only takes you cover the whole head of garlic oil or garlic fresh cracked once a week and massage your head around 10 minutes and then wash your hair with your favorite shampoo. The res... more »
John Oliver funnily interviews Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking has demonstrated that he's a good comedian once again. John Oliver asked many important questions about the Universe, the alien life, the dictatorship by robots, and his abilities to date someone in a parallel universe. Stephen Hawking could offer deep answers about all these questions. At least I hope that Hawking has actively participated in this exchange – that it wasn't fully engineered by the writers in HBO that recently aired the interview. I am actually sure that Stephen Hawking had to actively participate in writing the answers. In particular, his an... more »
RAF Flying High In New Chinook Helicopter
The first of the RAF’s fourteen new Chinook helicopters have been unveiled today by the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, following its entry into service on time. During a visit to RAF Odiham in Hampshire, the home of the Chinook force, Philip Hammond also announced a new £115 million agreement with Boeing Defence UK to maintain the engines of the RAF’s increased fleet of 60 Chinooks. A move that will replace five existing support contracts with one arrangement, saving the taxpayer over £20 million. The first of 14 Chinook Mark 6 helicopters, which were ordered in 2011 as part o...more »
Musical Interlude: Deuter, “Black Velvet Flirt”
Deuter, “Black Velvet Flirt” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qWFCocIfXI
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment