11:11pm MDST
Scooters, Trees, and More!
Scooters delivered today! Of course, they forgot the temp plates, so we cannot really drive them yet, but that did not stop us from test driving them in the yard and the private streets of our little neighborhood. They are not as easy as they look. I am great at driving in a straight line, but turns kinda scare me. I am getting better though. Wore helmets and did all the right safety things. :). I think we are really going to like them. Temp plates getting delivered tomorrow. More trees have been going into the yard. We went to a nursery yesterday and got some fan palms... more »
Is There A Reasonable Democratic Strategy For Mississippi?
Democrats regularly win statewide races in Maine and South Dakota, though DSCC executive director Guy Cecil, some kind of a self-loathing Beltway creature, has written off both states to the Republicans in November. He's much more excited about spending DSCC millions down in Mississippi on behalf of homophobic, anti-Choice Blue Dog Travis Childers. Don't forget, the last two times Democrats won Senate seats in Mississippi were when John Stennis was reelected in 1982, having first become a senator in 1947, and when James Eastland was reelected in 1972, having first become a senator... more »
Very Important Article That Answers The Important Question: WHY Is There No Russian Intervention In Ukraine?
Everyone has been watching all the lies coming from the Jewish run media these days about the Ukrainian puppet regime in Kiev turning their army on their own people in eastern Ukraine.... We have seen the lies coming from our jew spew news claiming that the people of eastern Ukraine, who rightfully have voted in referendums to decide their future, are suddenly "Russian rebels" and "terrorists".... The truth is of course that these are innocent people who have indeed decided that their future is not with the criminals in Kiev and enslavement to the IMF... And now we are watching as ... more »
Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 Mystery - June 5 , 2014 ..... With the pings being discounted but the Authorities determined to continue fruitlessly searching in the Indian Ocean anyway , funny we now see a new " witness account " surface ! SYDNEY: Australia is investigating an account from a sailor who said she may have seen Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on fire, as officials said the hunt for the plane could dive much deeper............ SYDNEY: Emirates chief Tim Clark has reportedly questioned why fighter jets did not intercept Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 when it veered widely off course, but said he believed the missing plane will be found.........
Email Facebook 22 SYDNEY: Australia is investigating an account from a sailor who said she may have seen Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on fire, as officials said the hunt for the plane could dive much deeper. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the search at the request of the Malaysian government, is looking at the claim from a British yachtswoman made this week. "The ATSB received... a message from a member of the public, reporting that they had seen what they believed to be a burning aircraft in the sky above the Indian Ocean on the night of the di... more »
Tax Cut 19: Letter to Sen. Sonny Angara Re. SB 2149
This is my letter to Sen. Sonny Angara today, sent to his sensonnyangara@yahoo.com. His other email ad, edgardo.sonny@gmail.com as indicated in the Senate website, is bouncing. Photo is from his facebook profile. I will post this letter in his fb and twitter accounts as well. ------------- 06 June 2014 *Sen. Sonny M. Angara* Senate of the Philippines Pasay City Dear Sen. Angara, We support your intention to simplify and reduce the number of tax brackets for personal income from seven to five, and reduce the top marginal tax rate from 32 percent to 25 percent by January 2017, as c... more »
WE WERE LIED TO.....
Brock McIntosh interviewed from Washington, DC. He fought with Army National Guard in Afghanistan from November 2008 to August 2009. McIntosh was based near where Bowe Bergdahl was captured. McIntosh had later applied for conscientious objector status and joined Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Waste and mysterious spending in Afghanistan after our alleged wind down of military forces - June 5 , 2014 ......... Why doesn't anyone question this ?? What Would Afghan Spending Buy At Home ? Trashed: U.S. Gear in Afghanistan to be Sold, Scrapped Billions worth of equipment will be left in a country with a legacy of foreign invasion. ........
More taxpayer looting and to achieve what exactly ? http://whowhatwhy.com/2014/06/03/what-would-afghan-spending-buy-at-home/ What Would Afghan Spending Buy At Home? [image: Print This Post] Print This Post By Russ Baker< on Jun 3, 2014 [image: 1]Most of the stories headlining how President Obama plans to cut troops in Afghanistan as part of his planned exit from that country have not bothered to provide numbers on U.S. military spending there. A few have, but almost in passing. For example, CNN doesn’t indicate the current levels of spending, but notes that Tony Blinken, Obama’s de... more »
Chicago’s George Schmidt on Martin Koldyke, “Golden Apples,” and School “Turnaround”
On June 4, 2014, I posted this piece by a guest writer, a Chicago area teacher, who has concerns about Martin Koldyke’s “Golden Apples” teacher recognition program. Her concern is that the “Golden Apples” program is a benevolently-disguised, self-serving effort for Koldyke to use teachers to staff his Academy for Urban Leadership “turnaround” schools (AULS). The […]
Greece getting set to explode back into the news - in a negative fashion ? June 5 , 2014 --- Haris Theocharis, the Troika-supported general secretary of Greece’s public revenues was forced to resign following press leaks about "government discontent" at his handling of tax issues - most notably the retroactive taxation of gains on Greek government bonds. AsKeepTalkingGreece notes, Theocharis was a hardliner, a devoted supporter of the loan agreements and their implementation and kept loading the Greek taxpayers with new burdens and exorbitant fines. However, the resignation of the country's top tax-collector is "a cause of serious concern," according to EU spokespersons ......... .... Greek Government unexpectedly closed the Parliament for summer break
EU Warns Greece Is "A Cause Of Serious Concern" As Top Tax-Collector Resigns [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/05/2014 12:11 -0400 - Greece inShare1 Haris Theocharis, the Troika-supported general secretary of Greece’s public revenues was forced to resign following press leaks about "government discontent" at his handling of tax issues - most notably the retroactive taxation of gains on Greek government bonds. AsKeepTalkingGreece notes, Theocharis was a hardliner, a devoted supporter of the loan agreements and their implementation and kept loading... more »
If the rabid right-wing beast Dan Backer really wants a "thank you," it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility
*The rabid right-wing beast behind "Stop Hillary PAC" and assorted other right-wing degradations wants his copycat nemesis to acknowledge his "legal brilliance."* *by Ken* It appears that the doody-sucking beast Dan Backer wants a thank you, specifically from Hillary Clinton. As reported by the Washington Post's "In the Loop" team ("Dan Backer has an anti-Hillary PAC -- and says Clinton owes him a heartfelt 'thank you'"), the Rabid Beast Backer, architect of the Stop Hillary PAC is tickled to note that his sworn enemy has had formed on her behalf a PAC called Ready for Hillary whi... more »
Musical Interlude: Leonard Cohen, "Anthem"
Leonard Cohen, "Anthem" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ma5tF6TJpA
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. Since the galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic exposures often result in an image that evokes a strong sense of depth. The effect is further enhanced in this sharp image by galaxies that lie beyond the gorgeous island universe. *Click i... more »
Paulo Coelho, “Closing Cycles”
*“Closing Cycles”* by Paulo Coelho [Several times I've received via Internet some texts attributed to me, which I did not write, as the text below. I made several changes and decided to post it here. - Paulo Coelho] "One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through. Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters – whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished. Did you lose your job? Has... more »
"Perspective..."
"There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world. The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be." - Douglas Adams
Friday Morning Ramble: Bank That, and Walk Away
Well, they always said ACT was a party with convictions. Boom, boom! So what about about a political party with three convicted criminals? Three strikes and they’re out? Boom boom. I freely confess to never having any respect for the Minister for Rhyming Slang, so I’m not really going to start talking about him now. So what else of more importance has been happening around the place? Here’s some things I spotted around the traps of more importance. Like remembering Tiananmen, 25 years on… [image: image] “Twenty-five years ago in Tiananmen Square, China’s Communist regime massacr... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Still Small Voice”
*“The Still Small Voice”* by Chet Raymo "There is a power in nature, restless and terrible- storm, wildfire, earthquake, tidal wave. There is a delicacy too, to which we attend with a more perceptive eye and ear- the woolly bear caterpillar in the grass, the red-tailed hawk circling high and silent above the meadow, the six-dotted shadow of the water strider on the bottom of the pond. I think of lines from a poem of Grace Schulman, a poem called “In Place of Belief”: “...I would eavesdrop, spy, and keep watch on the chance, however slight, that the unseen might dazzle into sight.” ... more »
"Life..."
"Life... is not about how fast you run or even with what degree of grace. It's about perseverance, about staying on your feet and slogging forward no matter what." - Dean Koontz
The Poet: John Keats, "The Human Seasons"
*"The Human Seasons"* "Four Seasons fill the measure of the year; There are four seasons in the mind of man: He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear Takes in all beauty with an easy span: He has his Summer, when luxuriously Spring's honied cud of youthful thought he loves To ruminate, and by such dreaming high Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings He furleth close; contented so to look On mists in idleness—to let fair things Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook. He has his Winter too of pale misfeature, Or else he would forego his mortal natur...more »
Limit the Amount of Times People Have the Power of Life or Death Over You (Plus Prostitution)
Seems reasonable no? The power of employers over their workers in an increasingly neoliberal economic order is one such intolerable situation. "Workers as Citizens" is the most efficient way I know of for bringing that state of affairs to an end. Say! I know what else I can write about! The harper regime says that its new prostitution law mirrors the new "Nordic Model" of prostitution legislation. In the Nordic Model, prostitution is seen as institutionalized sexual violence, with the prostitutes as the victims. To combat it, the laws only target the users of the prostitutes' servi... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Basseterre, Saint George Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis Thanks for stopping by.
“End of Economic Man Revisited”
*“End of Economic Man Revisited”* by Christopher Quigley “In 1939 Peter F. Drucker wrote "The End of Economic Man: The Origins of Totalitarianism". Its publication caused a sensation. When Winston Churchill became prime minister of Great Britain he gave the order to include the book in the kit issued to every graduate of a British Officer's Candidate School. A year previously Churchill had reviewed the publication. It impressed him because he realized that something fundamental had happened in the world with the rise of Fascisms and he wished his officers to understand what they we... more »
Lynch Mob Rule: Hailey Idaho Surrenders to the Terrorists
This is a pretty dismal day to live in America or more accurately to live in *The Homeland*. The America that we knew has been gone for quite some time now although enough remains, at least in cosmetic terms to pretend that one day it may come back – it is never coming back. The vicious, sleazy and most of all cowardly attacks on Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the man just released from five years as a prisoner of the Taliban in Afghanistan are evidence that any vestiges of a free and fair country are now gone. The haters have always been there but this disgusting display of venom is a p... more »
Ron Jacobs : BOOKS | A ‘Bohemian’ comic rhapsody
Paul Buhle and David Berger’s graphic history is a fascinating collection of personalities, their lives drawn in a manner equal to the stories they tell. By Ron Jacobs | The Rag Blog | June 5, 2014 [Bohemians: A Graphic History … finish reading Ron Jacobs : *BOOKS* | A ‘Bohemian’ comic rhapsody
“The Battle of Midway”
*“The Battle of Midway”* By Frederick Sheehan “The Battle of Midway was fought 72 years ago, from June 4, 1942 to June 7, 1942. Air strikes from U.S. aircraft carriers maimed beyond repair the four Japanese aircraft carriers. The Japanese fleet, and Japan, never recovered. Less than six months earlier, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack swept across the Pacific. Franklin Roosevelt, in his "Day of Infamy" speech, told the damage: "Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air fo... more »
An armed robber may rely on self defence against a home owner?
*R. v. Mohamed*, 2014 ONCA 442 seems to hold an intruder may rely on self defence against a homeowner. Some might find such ruling odd. The Court holds: [49] I understand the concern raised by the Crown but do not agree that it provides a basis to restrict the interpretation of s. 35 in the manner suggested. At the outset, I note that s. 35 is not limited to cases where the accused kills or even seriously injures the victim. It also governs the use of lesser defensive force by a person to repel a victim who has been unjustifiably “assaulted” or “provoked” and responds viole... more »
Loser-Pays Costs Regime in Estate Litigation
* Feinstein v. Freedman*, 2014 ONCA 446: [13] The loser-pays regime generally applies to estate litigation, such that successful parties are entitled to have their reasonable costs paid by the unsuccessful parties and that costs are usually only payable from an estate where the litigation arose out of the actions of the testator or was reasonably necessary to ensure the proper administration of the estate: *McDougald Estate v. Gooderham*, [2005] O.J. No. 2432 (C.A.), at paras. 78, 80, 85, 91; and *Vance Estate v. Vance Estate*, 2010 ONSC 4944, at para. 4.
Jon Stewart's Versus Oliver North's Expertise? (You Be the Judge)
It doesn't get much better for those end-of-your-rope times than this, does it? (Okay, they could reinstitute the progressive tax rates before Reagan (or even Clinton), but I'm not holding my breath on that one.) Daily Show host Jon Stewart sarcastically commended Fox News on Wednesday for inviting convicted felon and former Army Lt. Col. Oliver North to comment on the U.S. deal to free POW
Global Temperature Update: No global warming at all for 17 years 9 months
[image: Climate Depot] *'212 months without global warming represents more than half the 423-month satellite data record, which began in January 1979'* *'Recent extreme weather cannot be blamed on global warming, because there has not been any global warming'* By: Marc Morano - Climate Depot May 4, 2014 *Special to Climate Depot * *By Christopher Monckton of Brenchley,* According to the RSS satellite data, whose value for April 2014 is just in, the global warming trend in the 17 years 9 months since August 1996 is zero. The 212 months without global warming represents more than ha... more »
Austrian artist Wilhelm Bernatzik - Gate to Paradise, 1906
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many thanks to Francisco Philipe Cruz for bringing to my attention this excellent oil on canvas - Gate To Paradise by Austrian artist Wilhelm Bernatzik.
Free Download: Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities"
“Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, In yours and my discharge.” - William Shakepeare, “The Tempest”, Act 2, scene 1, 245–254 "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way." - Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two... more »
The Economy: "The Wealth Divide Never Wider"
*"The Wealth Divide Never Wider"* by James Hall "How many times do you have to be hit over the head before you realize who is hitting you?" - Harry S. Truman "The Robber Barons of the 19th and 20th century had nothing over the elites of today’s globalist transnational financial conglomerates. The Richest Americans, listed in Forbes conceals the real power that controls the economy. Net worth is deficient in gauging dominance in financial commercialism and monetary preeminence. The Top 50 Highest-Paid CEOs as reported by ABC News ties into Michael Hiltzik’s account that CEO-to-worke... more »
“This Will Set Off a Trigger Warning...”
*“This Will Set Off a Trigger Warning...” * by Bill Bonner "According to the Wall Street Journal, the latest buffoonery college students pay for are “trigger warnings.” The idea is that some books may contain passages or words that are offensive to some readers. Who determines what is offensive to whom has not been clarified. But apparently, even a popular and well-known novel, such as Huckleberry Finn, may have words that trigger a sense of outrage, indignation or humiliation. Delicate students need to be warned so they can avoid these things. Meanwhile, Washington is under press... more »
Untitled
*AG recommends veto for levee board lawsuits bill ~New Orleans Advocate* *~ Caldwell wrote Jindal that the bill’s wording carries “the potential for an unintended effect on the state’s, or a local governmental entity’s, claims against BP related to the Deepwater Horizon incident.”** But Jindal’s top legal adviser disagreed, saying the views expressed during a Wednesday morning meeting were “the same as those offered by the opponents of the bill.” Thomas L. Enright Jr., the governor’s executive counsel, wrote Caldwell on Wednesday, “I must respectfully disagree that the proper course ... more »
China's Naked Officials
-by Qiao Li As a young, aspired citizen, I try to fulfill my share of "American dream" by working to become a homeowner in Pasadena, California. It didn’t take long for us to realize that our meager savings limited what we can buy, but what surprised me more was the number of "cash-offer" deals that out-bided us everywhere! How did we get accustomed to cash-only offers? And how could our housing market possibly be affected by corruption in China? The outsourcing of China’s "naked officials" might help to explain why. "Naked officials" (裸体官员) are Chinese bureaucrats who send their ... more »
REFUGEE CRISIS BEGINS
Heavy artillery strikes on Eastern Ukraine have left the area on the brink of a humanitarian crisis: activists say the water supply in several cities in the region has been cut off. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes and crossed the border with Russia - where temporary refugee camps have been set up. And even more are expected to come, as Paula Slier has been finding out.
Tom Hayden : The negotiated release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
Public opinion supports Bergdahl but Republicans and neocons are grumbling about his anti-war statements and rumors that he went AWOL. By Tom Hayden | The Rag Blog | June 5, 2014 After the negotiated release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, I … finish reading Tom Hayden : The negotiated release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
Jonah Raskin : INTERVIEW | Howard Machtinger on the old-yet-never-forgotten American War in Vietnam
Anti-war activist Howie Machtinger, veteran of SDS and the Weather Underground, believes we should get the facts straight about Vietnam. By Jonah Raskin | The Rag Blog | June 5, 2014 Vietnam was near the heart of Howard Machtinger’s life … finish reading Jonah Raskin : *INTERVIEW* | Howard Machtinger on the old-yet-never-forgotten American War in Vietnam
RoboCon CREEPshow trial of Michael Sona
At left is the draft statement robocall trial star witness and Guelph Con campaign worker Andrew Prescott sent to the accused, Michael Sona, in July 2013. Read it first. Really. Three freaking years later and three days into the CREEPshow trial charging Michael Sona with sending robocalls out to more than 6,000 Guelph voters in the May 2, 2011 federal election directing them to the wrong poll locations, a couple of new things stand out. It was indeed Andrew Prescott who logged out of his own account at RackNine on election day only to log back in again a few minutes later on the ... more »
Explore- Classical Trivium,Magic Mushrooms,CIA, Zionism and more
*ht freethinker- who brought this video to my attention* I usually catch all of Jan Irvin's stuff, but, missed this one completely. Sigh...... Can't be everywhere at all times. Quite a thought provoking interview. Or not. Maybe, offensive? Or not. Guess that all depends on you, the individual. If information/knowledge, charges up brain cells and inspires rational discussion then we should at least consider that different or challenging information gained from exposure to a broad range of topics? Believe it or not this is the first I have ever heard of Joshua Blakeny! Though he is i... more »
KIPP Links, Including Research and Commentary
A reader in California asked for some links, and here is the result I will share with you, too. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, not even for SM. A start, nonetheless. One thing you should note from this first link below is that non-profit charters schools are a myth, thanks to some handiwork by Clinton before he left office. http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2014/04/americas-top-corporate-education.html Here is an essay review on Jay Mathews' book, Work Hard, Be Nice: http://www.edrev.info/essays/v12n3index.html Here are some links with interview data. I will share the rest ... more »
Thoughts On The Murder Of RCMP Officers In New Brunswick ...
I live within two blocks of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan. Every single member of the RCMP has received their training here at the RCMP Depot. The history of this facility and location dates back to the days of the old North West Mounted Police and the Riel Rebellion. Living in such close proximity to the training academy, it's a routine sight for me to see the raw, short haired recruits jogging their daily quota of kilometers as part of basic training. I own two dogs and we walk twice every day along the banks of Wascana Creek beside the RCMP... more »
Matthew Tisdale, who spat in train conductor's face, walks free from court | Mail Online
It's only at the end of this Daily Mail article that the punchline appears http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2648851/Thug-tried-board-train-without-paying-spat-female-ticket-collectors-face-threw-HER-train-walks-free-court.html The article concerns a young man who spat in a railway ticket inspector's face when asked for the valid train ticket that he did not have. Being modern post Labour Britain, there was no custodial sentence passed. You can read the whole story at the link above. But the punchline is here: 'He was formerly a successful young man who had achieved much in s... more »
Supplemental: The size of our gaps versus Korea’s!
*THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014* *A very large challenge for schools:* We just keep reprinting that striking passage from Eduardo Porter’s Economic Scene column. Our achievement gaps are large. The challenge this creates for schools is almost never discussed in our impoverished education discourse, which mainly involves reciting sound-bites from elite “education reformers.” In the passage shown below, Porter describes a deeply challenging state of affairs. Based on our dozen years in the classroom, this strikes us as the most significant portrait we’ve ever read of American schools: PORTE... more »
Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight On Fire Heading for Arabian Sea
This report has the ring of authenticity to it and it also conforms to the most plausible scenario. Thus we have two points created by actual eyeballs. This plane took a westerly heading after a major battery fire broke out in the cargo hold and overwhelmed the crew and the passengers. In the four minutes or so left to the crew to live, one of them took the plane up to extreme height to plausibly blow out a window to possibly clear the cockpit of smoke, then put the plane into a dive to take it down to 10,000 feet where it might be possible for passengers to survive. At the same ... more »
How Crop Rotation Can Replace GMO Poisons to Grow Better Food
[image: WIKI - Crops] This article reminds us that the use of Roundup is solely about stacking on the repetitions which is obviously a bad practice anyway. That is why it has become necessary for what are essentially factory farms that Stalin would have loved. There never was a cfompleeling bilogical reason and this ityem powerfully reinforces that argument. It is a sad state of affairs and really demands a full regulatory intervention. I suspect if a country like Canada decided to end all roundup based protocols and effectively forced the industry to which to rotation organic a... more »
Prehistoric Girl's Bones in Underwater Cave Helps Link ancient and Native Americans
Central to the peopling of the Americas was the coastal migration along the Pacific littoral. This placed the Bering genome from one end to the other of the Americas. It also happened quickly as well. I also suspect that it happened earlier that 13,000 BP, but may also have happened twice after the effects of the Pleistocene Nonconformity around 12900 BP. Inland migration took a lot longer and surely ran into similar peoples coming off the Atlantic Seaboard. Inland peoples had to master their local biome and that always takes a long time. It is also naturally one long step... more »
Extensive Cell Phone Use Linked to Triple Brain Cancer Risk
I have not addressed this for a long time and it is good to see that the science is conforming to what I did observe among acquaintances. The good news is that the effect is actually getting less, but that care does need to be exercised. If you need to use it a lot, get ear plugs and all that. The brain is the most vulnerable, while the rest of the body pretty well does okay. After all it is typically necessary to move the phone when it activates. Otherwise I expect the problem as it stands to abate. It never became a visible epidemic, but do not tell that to the survivors... more »
Happy Belated Birthday To Lawyers, Guns and Money
One of my favorite blogs turned ten this past weekend. Lawyers, Guns and Money was an early entrant to the IR blogosphere and Rob Farley and his crew are some of its most well-known voices. Last weekend they ran a series of anniversary reflections which I hope you’ll surf on over and read. They’re all amazing, Continue reading
The Public “Conscience” and Killer Robots
At my side event presentation at the UN CCW Experts Meeting on Autonomous Weapons last month, I presented public opinion data showing strong US opposition to the idea of deploying such weapons. Since the panel was specifically focused on “morality and ethics” and since my remarks were on measuring the public “conscience” per se rather Continue reading
Why the Tories Want Fracking
While the bulk of the commentariat have picked up on the recall plans in yesterday's Queen's speech, the government's single-minded pursuit of fracking has caused less excitement. Philip Pearson of the TUC sums it up: * Removing the responsibility for companies to notify individual landowners of their intention to frack. * Underground access: proposing changes to trespass laws that would give fracking companies the right to drill under homes and businesses without permission. * Proposing to introduce “standard” environmental permits which will normally remove the right of local peop... more »
IN HIS OWN WORDS
*Bowe Bergdahl prepares for graduation from basic training near Fort Benning in Georgia.* Rolling Stone magazine has done a big story on Bergdahl. Below are some excerpts. You can see the full story *here* On June 27, 2009, he sent what would be his final e-mail to his parents. It was a lengthy message documenting his complete disillusionment with the war effort. He opened it by addressing it simply to "mom, dad." "The future is too good to waste on lies," Bowe wrote. "And life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to spend it helping fools with thei... more »
The BBC told a fairy tale about Richard Dawkins. Now they've apologised. And they all lived happily ever after.
BBC Radio 4 Today producer just phoned me to apologise. Apology accepted. Now I'm off to snorkel near New Guinea. — Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) June 5, 2014 So, the BBC have been forced to apologise to Richard Dawkins. On bended knees. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Radio 4's *Today *misquoted the 'selfish genius' as saying that fairy tales are harmful to children and falsely implied that he wants to ban Santa Claus. It seems that they had borne him ... more »
June 5: A day of silence in Moncton....
After killing three policemen and wounding two, a gunman escaped into heavy woods that press into Moncton, often almost into the downtown area. And those woods are connected to the even heavier forest beyond the city. But the police seem to have done a very good job of containing him. I have no doubt the city should and will organize memorial service for the victims of the shooting. I would urge it also to go to great lengths to offer comfort and practical help to the families of the victims. _____________________________________________________________________________ I don't have... more »
Bill Whittle: Is Obama evil or stupid?...(video)
*how about both, Bill?* Odumbo is a sock puppet. He's a not very bright useful idiot. What makes him really stupid is the fact that he thinks he matters when the reality is he no more than a ceremonial ribbon cutter. His handlers keep him very busy doing inconsequential stuff while telling him how brilliant he is. He believes it. Dope Take a gander at his schedule for today (h/t White House Dossier) *9:40 am CEST ||* Participates in a G-7 meeting on the global economy; Justus Lipsius Building, Brussels, Belgium *10:50 am ||* Joins G-7 leaders for a family photo *11:05 am ||* ... more »
Would People Still Run For Congress If They Couldn't Be Lobbyists Afterwards?
We often refer to certain prominent Members of Congress as "crooks" and bribe takers-- particularly Debbie Wasserman Schultz (New Dem-FL), Buck McKeon (R-CA), Steve Israel (Blue Dog-NY), and Joe Crowley (New Dem-NY). Wasserman Schultz, who's in debt to the tune of just over a million dollars, is the 3rd poorest Member of Congress and McKeon is the 4th poorest, with a gaggle of unemployable relatives dependent on him, a $943,000 debt and an unrivaled record of grotesque corruption. Israel, a classic failure in everything he's ever tried, is the 6th poorest member and owes close to...more »
WHY ARE SO MANY MORE TEACHERS “RETIRING”?
WHY ARE SO MANY MORE TEACHERS “RETIRING”?.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
THE MORAL COST OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM
*Space shuttle Challenger unnecessarily blows up shortly after liftoff on January 26, 1986 * *American exceptionalism becomes unforgivable when human beings become expendable in order to save costs, make deadlines or protect image and nowhere is that more evident than in the disaster of Space shuttle Challenger on January 26, 1987 along with its seven crew members ~ and all because of a faulty booster O ring seal which NASA managers ignored in order to stick to their timetable. Unfortunately, this was later the same story for the Space shuttle Columbia disaster, with its seven cr... more »
Oryx and Crake coming to HBO!!!!
I am not a huge Margaret Atwood fan, but her book Onyx and Crake was number four on my 25 greatest books of all time. Its the first book in the MaddAddam Trilogy. No spoilers but its a terrific book with a plot entirely plausible. I expect it will be a huge hit. Margaret is going to get America thinking aboot the future.
The segue into June
The roses on the Rose Gate are a little more than half done for this year. When new branches spring out toward us or our guests, I tuck them back among their companions, thus building a shape we find pleasing. I don't know the variety; they were here when we got here 21 years ago. I moved the bush three times, but not to good places as it has a climbing habit. So the obvious thing was to split the root ball and plant on either side of the gate, where it's very happy. Warm days and cold nights. The garden did not mind my gamble to put things out early -- the pie cherries are ripen... more »
I have to agree with Ann Barnhardt...
*who has put into words what I've been thinking.* I'm exhausted and losing any ability to be "outraged" about the scandal du jour. From Ann Barnhardt: [...]And each day there is a new crime, and the frequency of the crimes themselves is the means by which they keep you distracted and wallowing in what I can only describe as a masturbatory impotence driven by a false fantasy of your own “outrage”. Your “outrage” is no more real than the pornographic fantasies people use to masturbate sexually. And every 36 hours – like clockwork – you are handed a new vector for your “outrage” f... more »
HE GONE INJUN
Bergdahl went injun just like dances with wolves I went injun in the Black Hills and Badlands the drums, the history, the present Going injun means you don't follow the party line anymore the Army story Those on horses and helicopters are sent to kill and steal lands they demonize the 'savages' the 'commies' the 'terrorists' works every time Bergdahl has stories to tell but who will listen? The media and right-wing charge against Bergdahl is intended to make others fear doing similar things makes the public afraid to hear or feel his words My bet is Bergdahl made some friends am... more »
Jews demand more state funding, "Shoah" indoctrination & "hate speech" legislation
It should be perfectly clear to anyone paying attention to current affairs and politics that the organized Jewish community is the most cohesive and effective organized political lobbying force in Western politics today. In the United States, for example, the organized Jewish community and its various political lobbies - AIPAC, the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, etc. - essentially control the United States government, the electoral process, and both major political parties, dictating or heavily influencing and shaping both domestic and foreign policy. A simila... more »
Clueless Krugman
Paul Krugman, the Princeton professor, NY Times columnist and Nobel Prize winner, has put up a post today at the NYT in response to my letter in today's *Financial Times*. For years, Krugman has called me names and hid his critique behind vague allusions to my moral turpitude. In typical Krugman fashion he does that today too -- now I'm accused of pretending to hold views that I don't. Um, OK. But let's set the drama aside and look at some data and analyses, because for the first time Krugman has engaged the substance of one of my arguments. And what he displays does not reflect we... more »
THE SIZE OF THE GAPS: Some painful statistics!
*THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014* *Part 4—A societal challenge:* Within our student population, the gaps—the so-called “achievement gaps”—show up early and often. Indeed, the gaps exist before our students are even technically students! Case in point: Last year, in the New York Times, Stanford professor Sean Reardon described the way children from affluent families are pulling away from their middle-class peers in academic attainment. In the course of explaining this new dynamic, Reardon described an early gap—and a societal challenge: REARDON (4/28/13): It may seem counterintuitive, but s... more »
The Pope, "walls", and the BBC's David Willey
*BBC Watch*'s latest post on the BBC's reporting of the Pope's visit to the Middle East takes the BBC's veteran Rome correspondent David Willey [their "Vatican expert"] to task. Hadar is spot-on in describing his article (*Pope Francis cements reputation for deft diplomacy*) as reading in parts "more like a PR communique than a report by an impartial BBC journalist". There's been quite a whiff of that about much of David Willey's reporting about Pope Francis since his election as pope - in contrast to his evident dislike for Pope Benedict XVI. [There's a faint reminder of that h... more »
Mike's Story Part 41 - Perfect Cup of Coffee
*By **Jenna** Orkin* *January 21, 2007* * Last night we had our first argument. Mike wanted me to put the hosting fees for the archived website on my credit card. I wanted to know what responsibilities I was signing up for if it came to getting sued. I’ve always maintained that FTW’s treatment of T 17’s could land them in copyright trouble. * * T-17's, or Title 17's, were a critical wing of FTW in which Mike or occasionally, one of the rest of us, commented on a mainstream news item. This was where the research Rice Farmer and I did ended up. We both sent links, some... more »
Why is eBook Metadata So Hard?
Today many continue to pour the physical book content into the digital container and believe that they have addressed the digital opportunity. However many have also adopted the same approach to contextural data, metadata, bibliographic, burbs etc. It’s as if we think that what works in the physical world is equally applicable in the digital one. Is this blind faith approach down to a conscious decision to do as little as necessary and incur as little cost as possible, or is it a fundamental misunderstanding of the digital environment? Some would suggest that it’s like continuing ... more »
Ukraine-o-Mania: Eye Candy Crush Edition
The only thing more absurd than Barack Obama cheaply bribing a multi-billionaire Ukrainian candy magnate with bushels of bulletproof vests and night goggles is the notion that a grainy "leaked" video of Obama exercising in a public Polish gym constitutes a security breach. If Obama and his Secret Service detail didn't want amateur cell phone footage of himself pumping iron and grinding on an elliptical trainer in order to spread his everyman manliness throughout the world, we never would have been able to feast our starving eyes upon it. The president, so beleaguered at home from th... more »
THIS ISSUE - LESLIE MANNING
The latest edition of *This Issue* features Leslie Manning. Leslie is a Quaker and an active peace and social justice person and a member of the new group in Bath called Midcoast Citizens for Sustainable Economies. She talks about the need for conversion/diversification of the military industrial complex in Maine and invites the public to attend a forum on the subject that will be held on June 27. Leslie formerly served as deputy director of the Bureau of Labor Standards for Maine’s Department of Labor during the previous administration.
You Pay Taxes? Guess Who Doesn't
Tuesday we were looking at the nexus of democracy-destroying avarice and the outsourcing of public services to private companies. I saw a report from our friends from Americans for Tax Fairness that reveals how WalMart was able to get around $104 million in taxes by handing out lavish "performance-based bonuses to top executives. How's that for a sound use of tax payer money? That's a government subsidy for the very richest-- combined with social interest loopholes that big corporations pay politicians to insert in appropriations bills. A full $40 million was clipped off their ta... more »
US Economic Data June 5 , 2014 -- Challenger Job Cuts Soar 45%; Most Layoffs Since Feb 2013 .......Initial Claims Miss, Rise 8k On Week
Challenger Job Cuts Soar 45%; Most Layoffs Since Feb 2013 [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/05/2014 07:38 -0400 inShare1 Did it snow again in May? It seems the hopes for a pent-up demand-based bounce post the weather doldrums has once again been dashed by the hard data. Challenger, Gray, & Christmas just announced that job cuts soared by 45.5% year-over-year in May, the biggest annual rise in 9 months. However, what is perhaps even more worrisome is the*actual number of layoffs, around 53,000, was the highest since February 2013*. The layoffs in the Sou... more »
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*Two Students Suspended From Public School After Refusing To Pray To Allah* Recently, a pair of young boys in Cheshire, England was suspended from school after refusing to pray to Allah. The prayer was designed to be a “practical demonstration” of how Muslims worship. The demonstration likely stems from pressure from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who have been demanding that the country make significant accommodations for Muslim students. CAIR’s has even provided instructional materials called “An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices” which asks scho... more »
His Way
Much has been written about Stephen Harper's increasing isolation. Michael Harris writes that isolation was in plain sight when Harper chose Canada's new privacy commissioner: The man named as Canada’s new privacy commissioner, Daniel Therrien, placed dead last in the competition for the job in the opinion of the selection committee that interviewed all six candidates. He was considered by the panel to be a work-a-day deputy minister — competent, not brilliant. Therrien was not even interviewed by the panel at the same time as the five other competitors — all of whom had direct e... more »
A reader writes....
On Jun 5, 2014, at 2:20 AM, (a reader) wrote: Hi AK, I just wanted you to be wary of Linda D's channelling messages. She is a wonderful lady and while I know she has her best interest at heart, you need to read between the lines of the messages. If we love ourselves, we love all! Love is key, but it's more than love (source), it's light (awareness), it's movement (creation), feeling (consciences) and intent (reality). While this message is positive, it has the undertones of we need "mother's" help. We don't! What her truth is not always THE truth. We need see it's more than ... more »
Five Guys, Bergdahl and Freedom Fries
(By *American Zen*'s Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari Goldstein.) "*Your son's out now. If you really don't, no longer want to look like a member of the Taliban, you don't have to look like a member of the Taliban. Are you out of razors?*" - Brian Kilmeade, Fox "News" To those of us who don't relentlessly look at everything from a political prism, the POW trade of five Taliban prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was a geopolitical masterstroke. Regardless of his countless war crimes for which he is and will surely be found guilty, Barack Obama can always look at this an... more »
Love, The Great Uniter by M.N. Hopkins
*Yes, Love, the great uniter. Not fear induced behaviours, but the actions of those of great faith and love who can see beyond appearances to the Heart of All Matter.* M.N. Hopkins
It's time BC teachers realized that the woman in the pink shirt is a bloody bully
Christy Clark takes credit for creating Pink Shirt Day, an initiative intended to combat the bullying that occurs in BC schoolyards. It was a useful illusion to help her fulfill her political ambitions. There's only one problem: Christy Clark is one of the most notorious bullies in British Columbia. Christy Clark is the one who tore up collective agreements, repeatedly violated the
Hagel Escalates Obama's Warning to Allies: US Support for NATO Could Be at Risk
[image: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel]NATO defense ministers struggled to find a response to Russia's Ukraine incursion, hemmed in by financial constraints, U.S. demands that Europe raise defense spending and a desire not to provoke the Kremlin. "I am troubled that many nations appear content for their defense spending to continue declining," U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told his counterparts from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 28 member states in Brussels today, according to an e-mailed text of his comments. . . . The alliance is divided with Poland and the t... more »
Trojan Horses
Last night's *Newsnight *led with the row between Theresa May and Michael Gove over the Trojan Horse affair. After the party politics aspect was dealt with, Jeremy Paxman interviewed Maajid Nawaz, chairman of the Quilliam Foundation, and Ibrahim Hewitt, founder of the Al Aqsa Primary School, about Muslim extremism in schools. Normally when a softly-spoken social conservative is subjected to sustained interruptions from an aggressive social liberal and when the BBC interviewer conducting the affair not only allows this to happen but even joins in (to some extent), I would instincti... more »
Pimping Death: Obama Goes to Europe
President Barack Obama has ducked out of the country at a convenient time to avoid the madness unleashed among the domestic authoritarian fascist demographic over the trade of five Taliban members from Gitmo for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. While the growing lynch mob that is being fully encouraged and abetted by Republican political operatives to maximize election year turnout resembling something that one would expect in 1933 Germany Mr. Obama is slinking around in Eastern Europe as America's top weapons salesman in using the trumped up Putin is rebuilding the Soviet Empire hoax to ... more »
Fluoride=Lower IQ/Bone Damage=Intentional Poisoning • Dr David Kennedy
FLUORIDEGATE An American Tragedy by - Dr. David Kennedy
The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz
In *The Big Fat Surprise, *investigative journalist Nina Teicholz reveals the unthinkable: that everything we thought we knew about dietary fat is wrong. She documents how the low-fat nutrition advice of the past sixty years has amounted to a vast uncontrolled experiment on the entire population, with disastrous consequences for our health. For decades, we have been told that the best possible diet involves cutting back on fat, especially saturated fat, and that if we are not getting healthier or thinner it must be because we are not trying hard enough. But what if the low-fat di... more »
DCNS receives €1bn Corvette procurement order from Egypt
[image: Gowind-class corvette]French shipyard group DCNS has reportedly received a €1bn order from Egypt for four Gowind-class corvettes, fighting off competition from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the Dutch Damen Schelde group. The scope of the contract includes two vessels with an option for two more, one of which will be built in France before being transported to Egypt, reported the French news agency La Tribune. The DCNS Gowind 2,400t variant, selected by Egypt, will integrate the French shipyard's proprietary SETIS combat management system, in addition to MBDA's a... more »
U.S. Deploys B-52s To Europe
[image: B-52 Stratofortress]The U.S. Air Force plans to temporarily deploy heavy bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons to Europe one day after President Barack Obama announced he would increase the U.S. military presence in the region. Two B-52 Stratofortresses bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and a pair from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, and Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, arrived at Royal Air Force Fairford, England, on Wednesday, where airmen will train and integrate with U.S. and allied military forces in the region, the Air Force said in a... more »
Iraq F-16s: First Of 36 To Be Delivered This Week
[image: F-16 Fighting Falcon]This week, Reuters reports, Lockheed Martin Corp will deliver the first of 36 F-16 fighter jets to Iraq, giving Iraq the capability of defending its “3,600 km of borders” according to Iraqi Ambassador Lukman Faily, who spoke with Reuters through a telephone interview. Faily will travel to Lockheed’s Fort Worth, Texas plant for a Thursday ceremony at which Lockheed and the U.S. government will formally deliver the first F-16 fighter jet to Iraq. A group of three or four new jets will be ferried to Iraq by the end of the year. Read more
Marine fighter jet crashes destroys three homes after crashing into San Diego neighborhood... and miraculously nobody was hurt
Quiet suburban life in a neighborhood outside San Diego came to a smashing halt Wednesday afternoon when an aging U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet crashed into three homes and burst into flames. Miraculously, no one was hurt. The pilot of the AV-8B Harrier safely ejected before it crashed into a home in Imperial Valley, California, near the Mexican border about 4.30pm, Pacific Time. Three homes were damaged and at least one destroyed in impact and subsequent blaze. Read more
AFM set to receive first brand new helicopter
[image: AW139]The Armed Forces of Malta are expecting to take delivery of a brand new Augusta AW139 helicopter at the end of the month. A first picture of the helicopter was issued today. It will be the first time in the history of the AFM that it would be taking delivery of a brand new helicopter. Another is on order. Both are co-financed by the EU. The contract for the first helicopter amounted to some €20.3m including the aircraft, spares, ground support and training. Read more
Three fast attack crafts commissioned to protect offshore assets
[image: Vice Admiral Anil Chopra]Adding strength to the Eastern Naval Command’s capability in fulfilling its mandate of maritime safety and security of the offshore development areas (ODAs) and coastal security three fast attack crafts were commissioned by Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. The three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) – T-35, T-36 and T-37 – constituting the 83rd Squadron are lightly armed surface craft capable of operating at high seas as well as in coastal waters. They are capable of day a... more »
Is the message from the recent Message from the Bilderberg meeting ( Late May - Early June , 2014 ) - Obama must " eliminate " Putin from relevance or else ?
Catharsis Ours - 19 hours ago
First , let's look at the agenda ...... http://www.infowars.com/leaked-secret-agenda-from-bilderberg-2014-revealed/ LEAKED SECRET AGENDA FROM BILDERBERG 2014 REVEALEDThis is why it's critical to follow the most powerful group in the world [image: Leaked Secret Agenda From Bilderberg 2014 Revealed] *by* KIT DANIELS | INFOWARS.COM | MAY 30, 2014 [image: Share on Facebook]628[image: Tweet about this on Twitter]188[image: Share on Google+]0 ------------------------------ Bilderberg, the annual gathering of the world’s most powerful politicians and business magnates, is clearly shaping... more »
Just a few extremists?
We are told by the vast majority of politicians, self-appointed community leaders and the left-wing dominated dhimmi media that most Muslims are moderate and don't support stoning adulterers or killing apostates. There's an example here where the quoted fact is simply ignored and the 'vast majority' claims are made over and over again.... This video would seem to indicate that their position might not be entirely correct... That video was from a conference in Norway, do you think that one held in Britain would show anything radically different?
A Moment With Nature: "El Teide Spain Time Lapse"
“El Teide Spain Time lapse: beautiful time lapse sequence from TSO Photography, taken over a 7 day period on El Teide - Spain's highest mountain. Breathtaking scenes set to piano soundtrack.” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPW-5GvA03M
Markets have drifted the past couple days on ECB Watch -Updates -- Draghi Reveals More: Will Do Targeted LTRO, Suspends Sterilization, Prepares ABS Purchases; No QE Revealed............. NIRP Has Arrived: Europe Officially Enters The "Monetary Twilight Zone"............ ECB Decision-Day ( June 5 , 2014 ) Guide (In 5 Simple Questions) ... Question 6 - What will make the most money for the Banksters ?
Update .... http://www.theguardian.com/business/blog/2014/jun/05/european-central-bank-ecb-markets-rate-cuts-stimulus-business-live 1.39pm BST ECB outlines new €400bn LTRO *This is big. *Draghi is outlining the terms of a new Long-Term Refinancing Operation - designed to help banks lend to small companies and help the "real economy". It will be €400bn in total, and priced at a mere 10 basis points over the refinancing rate (now just 0.15%) Banks will be able to borrow up to 7% of the total value of their loans to the 'non-financial' parts of the economy, and they can't use mortgage l... more »
NAS Whidbey to get six P8-A squadrons
The Navy has decided to base six P-8A squadrons at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station at the close of the Environmental Impact Study. The decision was published in the Federal Register April 25.The Navy weighed two alternatives during the EIS process and chose the option to base six fleet squadrons at NAS Whidbey and six fleet squadrons plus the replacement squadron at Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. Congressman Rick Larsen issued a statement lauding the Navy’s decision to base the six P-8A squadrons at NAS Whidbey. Read more
War Watch June 5 , 2014 -- Updates on Syria situation and ongoing Civil War in Iraq ....... Winding down of Afghanistan War continues ( War waste detailed - There is roughly $36 billion of U.S. military equipment currently in Afghanistan, which in its used state is now worth about $8 billion. Of that, only $3 billion to $4 billion worth will be shipped out of the country, largely by air, and on to foreign ports for the return journey home. The rest will be destroyed, given away or perhaps sold..)
Syria..... Syrian al-Qaeda Holding 150 Kurdish Students HostageAQI Captured Students en Route to Final Exam by Jason Ditz, June 04, 2014 Print This | Share This Last Friday’s report of 193 Kurdish civilians kidnapped in Aleppo Province by al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) is one of the single largest kidnapping incidents in the ongoing Syrian Civil War. Details are now emerging on the identities of the victims. Previously reported as an attack on a village or villages, locals now say the 193 were mostly students, and that they were kidnapped in several ambushes of groups of students and parent... more »
INS Sindhurakshak lifted from Mumbai harbour floor in massive salvage operation
A salvage firm raised the stricken naval submarine INS Sindhurakshak in Mumbai harbour on Tuesday evening. Sources say the submarine, which exploded and sank on August 14 last year killing 18 crew members, was slowly lifted from the harbour floor where it lay for nearly 10 months and placed it on a special barge. Indian naval personnel hoisted the naval ensign on the submarine. Read more
Safety scare on Gorshkov
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[image: INS Vikramaditya (R33) with a Sea Harrier]A new fighter jet of the Indian Navy was partly damaged after a “hard landing” on the deck of the INS Vikramaditya today, less than a month after the aircraft carrier was declared “fully operational”. The carrier — earlier called Admiral Gorshkov — and the aircraft were bought with a lot of taxpayer money and after years of delay. The incident calls to question a history of tardiness in procurement of weapons-platforms, combined with challenges thrown to Arun Jaitley, who has succeeded A.K. Antony as defence minister. Read more
Navy seeks guided deck-gun shell
[image: 5-inch deck gun]The Navy wants to arm its cruisers and destroyers with shells-turned-missiles that would bring naval gunnery and the 5-inch deck gun into the age of the smart bomb. The to-be-developed 5-inch shell should have twice the range of current shells used against land targets, ships and fast boats, according to a May 9 request for information. A spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command stressed this was an opening salvo see what’s possible — not the start of a procurement process for such a shell. Read more
Ukraine Updates - June 5 , 2014 - Status on the Kiev Government action against South East Ukraine ..... Sanctions status ( Tokyo and Europe grow weary of imposing further sanctions ) ...... Status of natural Gas talks between ukraine and Russia - Russia still expects payment on arrears June 10 , 2014
Ukraine Military Claims to Kill Over 300 in SlovyanskCivilians Fleeing City as Attacks Move Into Second Day by Jason Ditz, June 04, 2014 Print This | Share This Reports of fighting yesterday in Slovyansk have continued to grow, with reports that the Ukrainian ground troops that invaded the city are escalating their offensive, and civilians are fleeing en masse. Ukraine’s military has claimed “more than 300″ rebels were killed and at least 500 others wounded in and around Slovyansk in the last 24 hours, a figure that seems dramatically higher than anything supported by rebel comments. ... more »
Syria: Elections Are a Battle Won, But the War Goes On
*June 5, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - It is hard for even the West to deny that the recent election was a huge success for the government in Damascus, stamping out the illusion of a divided Syria. The country is mired in protracted conflict not because of a "popular uprising," but because of a premeditated proxy war organized by the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia (and involving other NATO-GCC members) as early as 2007 - this confirmed in Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh's 2007 New Yorker report titled, "The Redirection." The proxy war is admittedly lost - but it woul... more »
Marshall Tuck's white male friend Dax Shepard 'splains that cultural sterilization isn't "real racism"
*When I taught in the Los Angeles Unified Schools, I openly opposed the Vietnam War and was critical of the system’s race policies. Fortunately, I was never threatened with dismissal, I belonged to a union. — Professor Rodolfo F. Acuña* [image: Los Angeles Students and Community Protesting Marshall Tuck's racist decision to kill Ethnic Studies at Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. Photo by Robert D. Skeels.] Students Protesting Marshall Tuck's racist decision to kill Ethnic Studies. Photo by Robert D. Skeels. Eli Broad's California State Superintendent of Public Instruction hop... more »
Russia to Use Nuclear Fleet in Arctic Rescue Missions
[image: Yamal Nuclear Icebreaker]Russia's Emergency Ministry plans to use nuclear icebreakers for the first time in response to large-scale emergencies in the Russian Arctic. Recently, Russia has been actively developing its northern territories, including hydrocarbon production and the Northern Sea Route, which is to form an alternative to traditional oil transport routes from Europe to Asia. The total value of raw materials in the Russian Arctic is estimated at more than $30 trillion. In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unified system of deployment for navy sur... more »
India closely watching Russian move to sell attack helicopters to Pakistan
[image: Mi-35 Hind]India is closely tracking Russia's move to directly supply Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan by lifting an informal arms embargo. But officials here also say that Russian arms have in any case been surreptitiously finding their way to Pakistan through China for years now. "Yes, there is some concern here. But then, other countries like the US and France also sell their weaponry to both sides of the line of control. If the French sell Agosta-90B submarines to Pakistan, they sell the Scorpene submarines to us," said a senior defence official. Read more
Trident II D5 Missile Reaches 150 Successful Test Flights
[image: UGM-133 Trident II ICBM]The U.S. Navy’s Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile, built by Lockheed Martin, has achieved 150 successful test flights, setting a new reliability record for large ballistic missiles. The Navy launched two unarmed missiles June 2 in the Atlantic Ocean from a submerged Ohio-class submarine, marking the 149th and 150th successful test flights of the missile since design completion in 1989. The test flights were part of a demonstration and shakedown operation, which the Navy uses to certify a submarine for deployment following an overhaul. Read more
Brand new $1.5 billion pride of Australia's fleet crippled after electrical meltdown during sea trials
[image: Nuship Canberra]A civilian crew damaged a $1.5 billion 27,000 tonne warship to be known as HMAS Canberra, when they took it out on a test cruise between Sydney and Melbourne, it has been reported. The hull of the Landing Helicopter Dock was damaged and its electrical systems melted down during the ship’s first 'shakedown cruise', which tests a ship’s performance before it enters service. The crew from Teekay Shipping Corporation who crewed the vessel encountered two problems, both of which were the result of user error, reported The Daily Telegraph. Read more
Unit 4 Emissions April - May 2014
Majia's Blog - 21 hours ago
Unit 4 has had MAJOR emissions over the last two months. I remember that nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen told us that the zirconium encased nuclear fuel rods could off-gas radionuclides in the absence of outright 'fire' if damaged fuel becomes hot enough. I think these screenshots are pretty strong evidence that fuel in the vicinity of unit 4 has become hot enough to produce massive emission events: APRIL 22, 2014 (more screenshots https://www.dropbox.com/s/56yvnvax3vglmch/April%2022%202014.pdf) <img alt="" height="249" src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAeIAAAEt... more »
Russian nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomakh to go on sea trial on June 10 -11
[image: Borei class SSBN]Severodvinsk-based military shipyard Sevmash will put Project 955 Borei-class strategic nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomakh on sea trials in the White Sea on June 10-11, a source in defense industrial sector told ITAR-TASS on Wednesday. “A missile-carrying submarine cruiser will have to go on one more sea trial in July,” the source said. During these sea trials the crew of the missile carrier will check all warship systems, including navigation, radio-electronic systems and sailing features on sea trials. Read more
Hidden away in the BBC's newspaper review
Hidden away in the BBC's newspaper review here are two interesting items that won't be headline news on the BBC itself. First 'Firms make a "killing" from Private Finance Initiatives awarded under Labour, says the Independent. Companies given contracts to build and maintain schools for 25 years are doubling their money by selling them on, it says.' This is 'no shit, Sherlock' territory but if this could be laid at the door of the Conservative lead government then this would be headline news on the BBC where the bile would be flowing over 'privatisation'. However as it relates t... more »
Australian Boy Given Gardasil HPV Vaccine Against His Mother’s Wishes
[image: vaccine science?] Boy given Gardasil HPV vaccine against mother’s wishes Sne Vax, Inc., 5 June 2014 *An article in the Gold Coast Bulletin* *reports a 15 year old boy has been given the Gardasil HPV vaccine against his mother’s explicit wishes which were made clear on a consent form.*[1] According to the article, Ms Blakemore’s son *“came home from school last Tuesday and said he had been given the vaccination after he was told to sign his own consent form”*.[2] Ms Blakemore said: *“My son doesn’t comprehend that sort of stuff, they don’t actually get the other side of... more »
Stops at \(200\GeV\), a \(W^+W^-\) anomaly may be screaming
While supersymmetry remains the most well motivated candidate for new physics, it seems that all the observations at the LHC up to the \(8\TeV\) run in 2012 show that no new physics is needed and all "excessively bold and obvious" proposals for new physics – those that could explain the unbearable lightness of Higgs' being – have been excluded. The Standard Model seems to be a more "thrifty" theory than any other bottom-up effective phenomenological model, and because there's no significant contradiction between the Standard Model and the LHC data, one is expected to pick the 40-yea... more »
Bob Geldof: Mind Warrior
Death Aid : Bob Geldof - Mind Warrior from Spike EP on Vimeo. Excerpt from - *Helter Skelter, Gimme Shelter: The CIA's War Against the Sixties Counter-Culture* *From Monterey Pop to Altamont - OPERATION CHAOS* by Mae Brussell, November 1976 (unpublished) American and British pop/rock music during the 60's created an art form that has been described as one of the most important cultural revolutions in history. Within a few years, between 1968 and 1976, many of the most famous names associated with this early movement were dead. Mama Cass Elliott (earlier with the Mamas and Pa... more »
The Privy Council Oath
*"You do swear by Almighty God to be a true and faithful Servant unto the Queen's Majesty, as one of Her Majesty's Privy Council. You will not know or understand of any manner of thing to be attempted, done, or spoken against Her Majesty's Person, Honour, Crown, or Dignity Royal, but you will lett and withstand the same to the uttermost of your Power, and either cause it to be revealed to Her Majesty Herself, or to such of Her Privy Council as shall advertise Her Majesty of the same. * *You will, in all things to be moved, treated, and debated in Council, faithfully and truly ... more »
Thailand 4: Three Fingers vs. Martial Law
This news report quickly caught my attention this week. Huh? Thailand's new dictators, they are nuts? The military being fully armed always, has a different mindset compared to civilians, like search and destroy, neutralize and disarm training. So when they deal with civilian movements like flashing three fingers, they become paranoid, onion-skinned, *pikon*. Why did they even consider arresting people who only flash 3 fingers? A Thai friend, Jyoti, sent me this disturbing, BIG Brother/Government youtube clip by the Bangkok Post (BP) last June 01, 2014, in my facebook wall. *"A ... more »
Bergdahl and the Band of Brothers Dilemma: understanding the ‘patriot’/’traitor’ debate
Let’s be honest, the circumstances surrounding the ‘prisoner swap’ between Bowe Bergdahl and five high-ranking Taliban prisoners in Guantanamo Bay just don’t add up. The initial narrative President Obama pitched of the prisoner swap as a signal of successful negotiations, a necessary response for a fellow soldier whose health was in jeopardy, and further evidence Continue reading
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*EPA’s next wave of job-killing and impoverishing CO2 regulations* *Unleashing EPA bureaucrats on American livelihoods, living standards and liberties* David Rothbard and Craig Rucker Supported by nothing but assumptions, faulty computer models and outright falsifications of what is actually happening on our planet, President Obama, his Environmental Protection Agency and their allies have issued more economy-crushing rules that they say will prevent dangerous manmade climate change . Under the latest EPA regulatory onslaught (645 pages of new rules, released June 2), by 2030 sta... more »
Fukushuma Threatens Pacific: Interview
My recent interview with Voice of Russia: Fukushima is human-engineered crisis that threatens health of Pacific Ocean - expert Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_06_03/Fukushima-is-human-engineered-crisis-that-threatens-health-of-Pacific-Ocean-expert-7002/
Musical Interlude: Logos, “Cheminement”
Logos, “Cheminement” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOuXP8aVWHU
It's Not Totally Fair To Blame The End Of The World As We Know It On Republicans, When The Culprits Are Corrupt Conservatives Across The Spectrum
*Miami Herald* columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., writing today for the *National Memo*, made a reasonable point: While Our Planet Melts, GOP Pleads Ignorance. It was illustrated by a portrait of John Boehner. It is irreversible now. And there’s a word that should get everybody’s attention. Last month, two groups of scientists, publishing separately in the journals Science and Geophysical Research Letters, issued reports that came to alarmingly similar conclusions: The melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet has reached a point of no return. If greenhouse gases stopped spewing forth t... more »
How serious are you about local products?
[image: How serious are you about local products?]*Would you spend more* *for local products?*I recently read an interesting Facebook discussion on our friend, Rewinn's, page. He asked if people would be willing to pay a premium for locally produced products. The answers were interesting. Some people talked about the "catch 22" of poverty. Others mentioned the need to support local economies. As I read through the answers, I wondered if "greenies" would answer the question in a similar fashion. We all know that local products are "greener" than products which travel across the worl... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“This skyscape finds an esthetic balance of interstellar dust and gas residing in the suburbs of the nebula rich constellation of Orion. Reflecting the light of bright star Rigel, Beta Orionis, the jutting, bluish chin of the Witch Head Nebula is at the upper left. *Click image for larger size.* Whiskers tracing the red glow of hydrogen gas ionized by ultraviolet starlight seem to connect that infamous visage with smaller nebulae, like dusty reflection nebula NGC 1788 at the right. Strong winds from Orion's bright stars have also shaped NGC 1788, and likely triggered the formation o... more »
High-Frequency Trading Goes Fairly To Highest Bidder? (After Charges of Running a Price-Fixing Cartel on Nasdaq in the 90s, Wall Street Banks Are Now Trading Their Own Stocks in Darkness)
And you thought the banks' behavior was going to improve after the fines? Obviously the fines were just the opening shot in the new "fixed game for the banks" scheme. It's a great deal. Really. They pay a percentage of their profits to the regularly outraged regulators, and commence to do it again. But this time even bigger and more blatantly (and much darker). Let's see them catch us now
Spycraft Updates June 4 , 2014 .........How The West Spies On The Middle East: The Location Of The GCHQ's Top Secret Internet Spy Base Revealed ....... NATO’s merry-go-round electronic surveillance in the Black Sea
How The West Spies On The Middle East: The Location Of The GCHQ's Top Secret Internet Spy Base Revealed [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/04/2014 21:44 -0400 - Australia - Google - Iran - Iraq - Kuwait - Middle East - New Zealand - Saudi Arabia - SPY inShare It has been a year since the first of many Edward Snowden's groundbreaking revelations (which promptly relegated yetanother conspiracy theory into the compost heap of conspiracy facts) exposing not only the ubiquitous tentacles of the NSA, and its UK-equ... more »
Is the Bowe Bergdahl "official story " even accurate ? ( June 1 , 2014 ) Did the US swap high value Gitmo Detainees for a man alleged to be a deserter by a fellow soldier in Afghanistan at the time ? Read the articles and tweets and make your own mind up ? Early Saturday it was announced by the administration that the only American prisoner of war in the Afghanistan was released in exchange for 5 Guantanamo Bay terrorists being set free to Qatar. The circumstances of the capture of Bowe Bergdahl had been in question long before his release – supposedly he had wandered off and captured by the Taliban. But a soldier on Twitter is claiming that the official story is untrue, and has posted his version of the events that led to Bowe’s capture .........
Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
The expected backlash begins..... There Is Already A Big Backlash Against The Deal To Free An American Prisoner Of War - MICHAEL B. KELLEY - - JUN. 2, 2014, 7:47 AM - 286 - 1 - FACEBOOK - LINKEDIN - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - PRINT - EMAIL <img alt="bowe bergdahl" border="0" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/538c5f6869beddbd5afdc369-1153-865/bowe-bergda
Libya updates June 4 , 2014 --Breaking News: Suicide attack near Hafter compound kills 3 and injures 4 ( rumors of Hafter wounded may or may not be accurate ) ....... Swiss Red Cross worker murdered in Sirte ........ Congressman seized from Tripoli home ........ Breaking news: Thinni travels to Benghazi
Breaking News: Suicide attack near Hafter compound kills 3 and injures 4 *By Noora Ibrahim.* *Benghazi, 4 June 2014:* A massive car bomb blast has killed three and injured four after a suicide bomber detonated explosives one kilometre from General Khalifa Hafter’s compound south of Benghazi. Spokesman for Hafter’s forces Mohammed Hijezi told the *Libya Herald *that the attack was believed to have an attempt on the general’s life. However, he said the bomber had detonated his device in a car, packed with explosives, after he was unable to enter the compound in Ghot Sultan, 45 kilometr... more »
ANDROMEDA – EQUITARIAN SHIP – CURRENT STATE OF HUMAN AFFAIRS
http://sacredascensionmerkaba.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/andromeda-equitarian-ship-current-state-of-human-affairs/ *ANDROMEDA – EQUITARIAN SHIP – CURRENT STATE OF HUMAN AFFAIRS * BY ANNAMERKABA JUNE 3, 2014 The Andromeda council welcomes you aboard the Equitarian ship. The Equitarian ship. For indeed the life giving energies of the life force currently in play on planet earth have given rise to the subterranean cultures to ascend from the east to the west, from the north to the south. And so, as we begin the following discussion of the present affairs of the human culture and genome... more »
Bang for the Buck
A few days ago, there was this story about fetus fetishists being "upset" over funding of morning-after pills under the Maternal Health Initiative. (Note to editors: the word "stupid" is only one character more than "upset" and way more accurate.) Anti-abortion activists say the federal government has broken its pledge to leave abortion out of its maternal health initiative, just as Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrapped up an international summit Friday with a fresh commitment of $3.5 billion to improve maternal health around the world. The issue is the morning-after pill, a.k.a. ... more »
Edward Abbey, "Benedicto"
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where d...more »
Copper and Aluminum " ponzi scheme " coming apart ? June 4 - 5 , 2014 China Scrambling After "Discovering" Thousands Of Tons Of Rehypothecated Copper, Aluminum Missing ..... How bad might this get ? Consider the following ........“We have heard that some banks in China are offering financing against photocopied warehouse receipts,” one metals trader told MetalBulletin (login required), which first broke the news of the investigation and export freeze. There is currently a hold on all commodities that have been used as collateral for financing, which includes iron ore, aluminum, alumina and bauxite, and aluminum ore,MetalBulletin said. + One big question is who will be left holding the loan losses on the “missing” materials, which could be as high as $300 million, Metal Bulletin editor Alex Harrison told Quartz. Another uncertainty is whether these investigations will spread to other locations where metals are stored, which could ultimately affect the price and availability of credit though China......... the rumored size of the problem is rising fast—the value of the metals reportedly involved in the investigation started at “$250 million last week [and has] already risen to in excess of $1 billion,” a second Metal Bulletin report said today.
More On China's "Missing Commodity" Scandal: Fallout Spreads As Banks Get Involved [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/05/2014 15:53 -0400 - Bond - China - Copper - default - Futures market - None - Reuters - Shadow Banking inShare3 While we have warned about the problem with near-infinitely rehypothecated physical/funding commodities/metals, be they gold or copper, many times in the past, and most recently here, it was only yesterday that China finally admitted it has a major problem involving not just the commoditi... more »
Chet Raymo, “Google Earth”
*“Google Earth”* by Chet Raymo “Although the main action is now going to be on Saturday, I’ll be occasionally posting on other days of the week; perhaps Anne or Tom too. What follows is a few words on Chattanooga, where Mr. Fix-It takes place, setting the scene, so to speak. East Tennessee is topologically a series of parallel northeast-southwest tending ridges and valleys, a continuation of the Ridge and Valley Province of western Virginia and central Pennsylvania. The Tennessee River, as a well-behaved river should, flows down along one of these valleys, meandering this way and ... more »
The Daily "Near You?
Tijeras, New Mexico, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
Harvard Study Confirms Fluoride Reduces Children's IQ
*( here you go . . . the truth is coming out into the Mainstream about a lot of things . . a few weeks ago the Air Force ADMITTED that they completely 'manage' the ionosphere . . and now here is a HARVARD STUDY ADMITTING THAT FLUORIDE DAMAGES THE BRAINS OF CHILDREN . . shoot, one day they might even admit that THEY'RE DOING IT ON PURPOSE, but don't count on it . . .so, be prepared for the next eye-roll with information that cannot be waved away . . even though they will wave it away, at first . . )* [image: healthy-living] Dr. Joseph Mercola Physician and author Posted: 01/28/... more »
Remembering Tiananmen (or not): One crime you don't want to be caught committing in China today is "picking quarrels"
To prevent any commemoration of the anniversary, the government has, according to Chinese Human Rights Defenders, an activist group, "detained, disappeared or summoned" dozens of lawyers, activists, artists, and journalists. Unlike in past years, this sweep -- the largest round of detentions in China since the Arab Spring -- has targeted not only attempts at public protests but also memorials in private homes. *The lawyer Pu Zhiqiang and four others who attended a private meeting to commemorate the crackdown were detained under a newly expansive violation known as "picking quarrel... more »
“8 Outrageous Right-Wing Statements This Week: Defending Gun Rights for Psychopaths Edition”
*“8 Outrageous Right-Wing Statements This Week: * *Defending Gun Rights for Psychopaths Edition”* by Janet Allon "*1.* *Joe the Plumber: Your dead kids don’t trump my right to have a gun. *Now seems like a good time to once again call Sen. John McCain on the carpet for unleashing, not only the plague that is Sarah Palin on the country, but this scourge that is Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plumber.” Someone really needs to permanently clog up the drainpipe through which the sewage of “Joe the Plumber’s” ideas flow. Even the NRA decided to lay low after the Santa B... more »
A Chicago Teacher Questions Martin Koldyke’s “Golden Apples” Program
A few days ago, a Chicago teacher contacted me to make me aware of a program in Chicago, the “Golden Apple” program, one that supposedly rewards good teachers yet seems more like a front to supply a temporary teaching staff in schools that businessman Martin Koldyke has taken control of in the all-too-common corporate reform […]
Kiev puppets (on NATO orders, no doubt) to impose martial law in the East
Link The Ukrainian government said Wednesday it is developing a plan to impose martial law in eastern Ukraine, signaling its resolve to continue pushing with the fight against a pro-Russian separatist rebellion that has raged for weeks. The move would allow the government to evacuate *(terrorize and kill)* civilians from militant-controlled areas, freeing up Ukraine's armed forces to begin a full-scale military operation to regain control Ukraine (puppet) has *accused* rebel forces of hiding behind civilians, which has slowed the government's advance. As the government has stepp... more »
Links...for now
*A tiny spider hangs in the balance.* I'll have a couple of posts up tonight, but for now, enjoy... - If you read one thing today, let it be this discussion of the Sunflower Movement by Albert Wu in the LA Review of Books. Great piece. - Financial ties with China prove worrisome to Hong Kong banks. The situation is already similar for Taiwan and we haven't even been annexed yet. - Wreckage in Taiwan Strait solves mystery of missing plane from 50 years ago - What would push America towards war with China? Dump Taiwan, of course - China won't go to court wit... more »
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