Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign (Photo credit: Barack Obama)
twitter fail image (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Ghost of Sunday Classics: Nocturne!
*MENDELSSOHN: Notturno from A Midsummer Night's Dream (incidental music),
Op. 61*
*Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam), George Szell, cond. Decca, recorded
Dec. 2-4, 1957*
*Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, cond. Broadcast
performance, May 23, 1969*
*by Ken*
A much-loved little piece latched onto my brain this weeko. It was the
"Nocturne" from Mendelssohn's *Midsummer Night's Dream* incidental music,
and it really still hasn't let go. That's the sort of thing that might once
have triggered a post, especially since we don't seem to have spent as much
time as I ... more »
Iran nuclear talks updates ( June 8 , 2014 ) ........U.S. planning a meeting on the side with Iran as July nuclear deal deadline approaches ...... Senior U.S., Iranian officials to meet Monday-Tuesday in Geneva: U.S.
Hot Air ....
U.S. planning a meeting on the side with Iran as July nuclear deal deadline
approaches
POSTED AT 7:01 PM ON JUNE 7, 2014 BY ERIKA JOHNSEN
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The United States and the other P5+1 powers have been working with Iranian
officials to bring the interim deal reached last November to its full-scale
comprehensive resolution, with representatives all meeting up most recently
in Vienna last month — but those talks evidently didn’t go all that well.
This week, *Reuters* reported that analysts and diplomats aren’t feeling
remo... more »
Bill Gates Steps from Behind the Curtain in Hopes of Saving Common Core
The Gates Foundation has provided Lindsay Layton of the Washington Post a
story that is intended put a band-aid on the bleeding out of the Common
Core Standards. It's worth reading for an appreciation of how desperate
Gates is to save his billion dollar baby from going down the drain, like
his other self-serving educational thought disorders.
With access to Gates and a bit of polished skullduggery on how David
Coleman and Gene Wilhoit took the corporate case for Achieve, Inc.
standards to Bill and Melinda for funding, Gates and the oligarchs hope to
relieve the Obama Administration... more »
New Blogs May/June 2014
It's not the first Sunday of the month. But I *did* forget to post this
last week. So here you go, new(ish) blogs!
1. Birmingham Labour (Labour)
2. Ellis Cashmore (Unaligned/Sociology) (Twitter)
3. Feminist Killjoys (Unaligned/Feminist)
4. Gabriel Vents (Unaligned)
5. Great Moments in Leftism (Unaligned/Satire) (Twitter)
6. Jane Clare Jones (Unaligned/Feminist) (Twitter)
7. John D Turner (Unaligned (Twitter)
8. Latent Freud (Unaligned) (Twitter)
9. Libertarians to Gulags (Labour) (Twitter)
10. Manchester Left Writers (Unaligned) (Twitter)
11. Nurse Boothroyd (Unaligned)
12. Strategic Miso... more »
AVOIDING THE DARK HEART
- I am trying not to get a dark heart. That's why I put the George
Harrison song on the blog today....beware of darkness..... Watch out now,
take care....Beware of greedy leaders....They take you where you should not
go.
- It's hard though to watch the global war machine punishing so many
innocent people around the world and not feel it.... my heart weeps and
wails. I am furious with my own corporate-dominated 'government' and I
know there is little I can do to impact Washington and damn near everyone
else knows it as well. That's why it is so... more »
The quest to clear out Gitmo ( June 8 , 2014 ) - White House agenda faces GOP opposition .....
New York Post .....
Obama to free Gitmo terrorist ‘because he took up yoga’
By Paul Sperry
June 7, 2014 | 9:56pm
Modal Trigger
[image: Obama to free Gitmo terrorist ‘because he took up yoga’]
Detainees in orange jumpsuits sit in a holding area under the eyes of
military police during in-processing to the temporary detention facility at
Camp X-Ray of Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.Photo: Reuters
MORE ON:GUANTANAMO BAY
Obama is driving the country to ruin
Obama: Released terrorists could 'absolutely' return to battle
Obama's killer deal
Jihadi release may come back to haunt US
If you though... more »
Lest the Trojan Horses bolt...
Did you hear today's *The World This Weekend*?
Well, before we get to that.....a representative comment at *Biased BBC*
today reads:
DJ says:
June 8, 2014 at 1:43 pm
And then there’s the meta-context: the BBC is trying to spin this as a
story about *Tori Splitz* – in other words another dullsville Westminister
village story only of interest to the boys in the bubble. They’ll do
anything to avoid dealing with the central issue that everything us crazed
Islamophobes said would happen has happened (also, everything the BBC ever
said has been proven to be a lie).
People who are ... more »
what i'm reading: the book thief, an anti-war novel
I'm sure many of you have read *The Book Thief*, Markus Zusak's youth novel
about a German girl and her (non-biological) family during World War II. If
you haven't yet read it, I recommend it.
I had little interest in reading this book. I picked it up for professional
reasons: it has been one of the most popular youth novels since its
publication in 2005, and I intended to skim it, to get the gist. This book
didn't care what I had in mind. The opening was so intriguing that I kept
reading, and before long I was completely engrossed.
In our culture, there aren't many books or movies... more »
this year's garden-ette and sweet dogs in their small backyard
Here are some visuals for this post.
This year's crop, we hope: eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and thyme.
As you can see, it's a fraction of the backyard we used to have, and kind
of bare. But it does the job! We're putting a canopy over the patio.
"Wither thou goest...". Diego is pledged to Tala. Wherever Tala is, the big
boy is right beside her.
This goes all the way back to when she was first rehabbing from her spine
injury. Three years ago:
And today.
More here on Flickr.
Chicago Teacher Adam Heehan On How Common Core Threatens Good Teaching
from Chicago SunTimes:
I teach Financial Literacy as a semester-long social studies course in a
Chicago public high school. This quarter we focused on professional skills.
My students must find living arrangements on a fixed salary, then explain
their plan to the class.
Students must calculate their biweekly net pay (based on last quarter’s
grades, e.g. an “A” earns you $42,000 a year), and living expenses and
search for a place to live on websites such as Craigslist. They quickly
realize that students who earn a higher income have an easier time finding
a good place to live, while ... more »
Zombie Resurrection
*New York Times* restaurant critic turned op-ed columnist Frank Bruni has
reanimated the long-discredited generational theft blame game -- accusing
Boomers rather than Banksters of creating the dire straits a whole lost
generation of young Americans finds itself thrashing in.
The cult of plutocratic austerians, who'd temporarily retreated to their
crypts when Thomas Picketty and wealth inequality became all the rage, are
back on another rampage, this time trying to disguise themselves as fun
young hipsters.
From their money pit they arise, clawing their way into Bruni's Sunday
... more »
Hollywood Accredits The Memes: Aliens
*"Cannot swords be turned to plowshares? Can we and all nations not live in
peace? In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how
much unites all the members of humanity. *
*Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this
common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide
would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. *
*And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us..?"*
*Ronald Reagan,*
*Address to United Nations General Assembly *
*(21 September 1987)*
*German flying disc, ... more »
The well-meaning liberals of the world aren’t going to like the front page of the Washington Post
How Bill Gates bought us the Common Core. Thank you, and it wasn’t even my
birthday. As a matter of fact, our right-wing brothers and sisters might
not like this either since they believe this is a massive communist
conspiracy. I’m also doubting, however, that many teachers know about this.
I either hear glowing endorsements […]
Jacques Vallee - Heretic Amongst Heretics
German flying disc with anti-aircraft gun, circa 1947.
Norwegian "Ghost Rocket" Lights
*"Jim Oberg, who is a specialist in the Russian space program, pointed out
to me that some of the sightings that I published from the Soviet Union--a
strange yellowish crescent seen going through the sky by many people in the
Soviet Union--that those were rocket tests that were illegal under the Salt
agreement; and obviously, they couldn't hide it in the sky. . . so the
government planted the story that there was a flying saucer, and that got
into the newspapers. *
*Again, the UFO research... more »
Strip Clubs Criminalized By New Prostitution Legislation? Could well be
"Whereas the Parliament of Canada recognizes the social harm caused by the
objectification of the human body and the commodification of sexual
activity"
This is part of the preamble to Bill C-36, the "Protection of Communities
and Exploited Persons Act".
Note the objectification of the human body is seen as a social harm to be
stopped - and heavy criminal penalties are imposed.
Anyone paying for "sexual services" is guilty of an offence with mandatory
minimum sentences. The Act provides:
286.1 (1) Everyone who, in any place, obtains for consideration, or
communicates with anyo... more »
Bangin' The Nanny: The Framing of Michael Hutchence
*"Perhaps you should try and figure it out for yourself!!*
*Got off, GOT OFF?? I think the question should be who tried to get him
on! *
*You figure it out!"*
"In a July 1998 interview that appeared in a fan newsletter, *Colin Diamond*,
Hutchence's attorney and former executor of his estate, was asked about the
vocalist's September 1996 opium bust and his defense that the narcotic was
planted by police.
*"Perhaps you should try and figure it out for yourself!", *Diamond
snapped.
Anita Debeny and Peaches Geldof (*DECEASED*)
"*Michael and Paula were out of the country and du... more »
How Will History Judge Tim Geithner?
In her new book, A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren tries really hard to
find nice things to say about Tim Geithner. But reading between the lines,
it's very clear that she had, at best, mixed feelings about his role as
Wall Street's man inside the Obama Administration. Geithner's own book, *Stress
Test*, hasn't been as well received as Warren's. Matt Stoller:
*Stress Test* is an important book, because Tim Geithner is an important
man. Economist Thomas Piketty may be explaining essential social dynamics
of inequality, and Elizabeth Warren may be describing the need for
American... more »
Untitled
*How Finnish Education Really Works*
*It is highly selective at all levels. And selectivity SHOULD yield higher
performance*
… American reformers have been smitten with the Finnish school system for a
couple of years now, but they have not really fully understood that it is
NOT what they think it is, nor will it magically cure what ails American
schools. And, being that I am Finnish (duo citizen w/ USA); have a mother
who taught English & German in Finland; have HKI U professor cousins whose
kids are in Finnish schools; I feel that I can burst the Common Core bubble
by telling al... more »
Ukraine Updates ( June 8 , 2014 ) -- EU-Ukraine-Russia gas talks due in Brussels on Monday - Russian energy ministry ..... The source said the meeting’s agenda would include gas prices for Ukraine, and by June 10 the Ukrainian side was expected to settle all the issues of the overdue payments........ Status on fighting in South East Ukraine .....
Itar Tass
Natural Gas Talks ....
EU-Ukraine-Russia gas talks due in Brussels on Monday - Russian energy
ministry
Economy
June 08, 11:31 UTC+4
The source said the meeting’s agenda would include gas prices for Ukraine
© EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
MOSCOW, June 08 /ITAR-TASS/. A tripartite meeting of representatives of the
European Union, Ukraine and Russia is due in Brussels on Monday, an
official representative of Russia’s ministry of energy said on Sunday.
Yatsetyuk says Ukraine not ready to do without Russian gas
The source said the meeting’s agenda would include gas prices for Ukraine,
a... more »
The Killer of the RCMP Officers in Moncton
What was up with Justin Bourque? I saw his facebook page and it's obvious
he's a symptom of Canada's infection from the right-wing disease and
garbage epidemic in the USA. Pictures of Sarah Palin and rants against
"liberals" and gun-worshiping. There was also a bizarre condemnation of
social inequality and professions of anti-authoritarianism. Which is the
big tragedy of these sorts of simpletons. Sarah Palin was the VP candidate
for a party that is totally about perpetuating and increasing social
inequality. For all their drooling idiocy about "elites," right-wing
populists don't k... more »
China's missing metal scheme aka ponzi scheme updates ( June 8 , 2014 ) -- Western Banks Scramble As China's "Rehypothecation Evaporation" Goes Global ( Citigroup , Standard Chartered , ABN Amro , BNP Paribus , Natixis and Standard Bank might be Banks who have made loans against potential phantom collateral ..... Trading houses such as Mercuria Energy , Glencore might be bag holders or exposed to fraud here ) ......
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-07/western-banks-scramble-chinas-rehypothecation-evaporation-goes-global
Western Banks Scramble As China's "Rehypothecation Evaporation" Goes Global
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/07/2014 18:38 -0400
- Backwardation
- China
- Citigroup
- Contango
- Copper
- default
- Futures market
- Monetary Base
- notional value
- Shadow Banking
- Standard Chartered
- Stress Test
- Volatility
- Wall Street Journal
- Yuan
inShare22
While we have warned about t... more »
Other Voices - ( June 7 , 2014 ) -- EU lost its foreign policy sovereignty to US – Marine Le Pen to RT ....... Unvarnished Ukraine Update; Steen Jakobsen on Impact of Ukraine on Germany ....... ‘Obama defending legitimacy of Ukraine’s election signals the bankruptcy of US foreign policy’
http://rt.com/news/164372-marine-le-pen-preview/
EU lost its foreign policy sovereignty to US – Marine Le Pen to RT
Published time: June 07, 2014 03:05
Edited time: June 07, 2014 10:11
Get short URL
[image: French National Front (FN) president Marine Le Pen (AFP Photo /
Fred Dufour)]
French National Front (FN) president Marine Le Pen (AFP Photo / Fred Dufour)
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Conflict, EU, France, Opposition, Politics
The EU has lost control of its foreign policy to Washington, France's
National Front leader Marine Le Pen told RT, calling the bloc's diplomacy a
“catastrophe” in w... more »
WORTH A WATCH
Grab their fossil fuels, agricultural land, force GMO production, install
US-NATO 'missile defense' systems there......the list goes on.
Do you see the corporate agenda?
Backed up by the fascist thugs.
Wake up dear friends from our long sleep. Rip Van Winkle no more.
Self Interest Is Their Only Interest
The Harper government is all about politics, all the time. Policy is not
about improvement. And it's certainly not about seeking out expert advice.
It's about exploiting personal advantage. Consider the proposed
prostitution legislation, Bill C-36. Michael den Tandt writes:
At a stroke, the Harper government has won itself and the country an
emotional, divisive debate over values and social policy, one that breaks
down along classic social conservative/progressive lines, and one the
Tories must know they will ultimately lose. And perhaps that’s the whole
point: another big bust-... more »
Maths GCSE tomorrow? This may be what's happening behind you in the exam hall...
Alexander Armstrong demonstrating what exam invigilators get up to...
Why Is France Building Warships For Russia?
[image: Vladivostok LHD]France has really done it this time — the country
is apparently going ahead with a plan to sell Russia two Mistral-class
amphibious assault ships, a move which is understandably none too popular
with NATO and its member states, who understandably wonder if this is the
best time for NATO to be arming Russia.
Or to paraphrase Vladimir Lenin, NATO wonders whether it's selling Russia
the rope with which Russia will hang it.
The Mistral is a modern, advanced amphibious assault ship capable of
carrying up to 900 troops, a tank battalion, and 16 to 35 helicopters.
... more »
Arrival of new fighter jet at least 4 years away
[image: F-35C Lightning II]The stealthy and controversial F-35C fighter jet
will replace the F/A-18 Super Hornets commonly seen buzzing over Boca Chica
Field, but the question is when.
Their arrival appears to be at least four years away, but that figure is in
no way set in stone.
Navy leadership announced in March that it was cutting its order for the
new jets nearly in half over the next five years, starting in the fiscal
year 2015, due to budget concerns surrounding the jet, which has been
plagued by cost overruns, delays and development problems.
Read more
PM Modi to sail on board INS Vikramaditya
[image: INS Vikramaditya]Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sail on INS
Vikramaditya, the largest warship of the Indian Navy, off the coast of Goa
on June 14.
He will dedicate the warship, India's second aircraft carrier after INS
Virat, to the nation on that day, Navy sources said today.
The warship is already in the Arabian Sea.
Read more
PLA to deploy its largest supply ship to South China Sea
[image: PLA Navy Type 903A replenishment ship]The People's Liberation Army
Navy is set to deploy at least one of its Type 903A comprehensive supply
ships to the disputed South China Sea to strengthen its force projection
capability in the area, reports China's nationalistic Global Times tabloid.
China recently launched its fifth and largest Type 903A supply ship, the
Fuchi, on May 31 in Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province. With
the capability to carry 11,000 tonnes of cargo, the 23,000-tonne Type 903A
can provide fuel and rations to Chinese warships operating in the open... more »
Untitled
*World War II Skeletons Washed From Graves by Rising Seas*
*Hang on just a cotton-picking minute! When things that were submerged
become unsubmerged in littoral (coastal) areas, that is due to a sea-level
FALL. Rising seas cover things up. So these uncoverings are exactly the
OPPOSITE of what Warmists predict. And below is a handy-dandy chart
showing exactly what we would expect: Marshall island sea levels have been
falling recently. Ain't facts pesky things?*
Skeletons of World War II soldiers are being washed from their graves by
the rising Pacific Ocean as global warmin... more »
Sunday at the Breakfast Table with Ed
This morning's *Sunday *on Radio 4 began with: *Israeli President Shimon
Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas will join Pope Francis
at the Vatican on Sunday to pray for peace in the Middle East. Alan
Johnston assesses the significance of the meeting.*
Edward Stourton talked first to a softly-spoken female BBC journalist [*ed
- no, it was actually the BBC's Alan Johnston*]. Ed described the meeting
as "a very significant gesture, I suppose" and the softly-spoken female BBC
journalist [*ed - No, no, no! It was Alan Johnston*] described it as "an
island of hope in the ... more »
Topical wisdom from one of my most favoritest education books of all-time
We are where we are in public education right now because of you. Yes, you.
No, not you, dear reader, but the rest of you. Willful ignorance, it’s
called. There was a time when I cared a great deal about the divisions of
labor in the education workforce. I wrote this in 2009: Moreover, Sugg […]
Vive la Reine!
There were some sour comments on Twitter last night about the closing piece on
yesterday's *PM* [and those agreeing with Robert Peston's view that the BBC
is pro-establishment might have tutted too had they heard it], but I myself
very much enjoyed John Laurenson's piece on why the French like our Queen.
*John Laurenson*: The Queen doesn't speak French like a native - how
horrible would that be! - but she does speak it rather well. She's an even
quite lyrical Francophile. "Paris is a light that glimmers in our
imaginations", she said. And the people of Paris are quite keen on her t... more »
Japan, Australia to finalise submarine deal, strengthen military ties
[image: Soryu class SSK]A huge submarine deal is on the table this week
when Japan and Australia meet to shore up their military relationship, as
the security architecture of the Asia-Pacific shifts to meet the challenge
of a rising China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defence Minister Itsunori
Onodera will play hosts in Tokyo on Wednesday to Julie Bishop and David
Johnston, their respective opposite numbers, for the fifth round of
so-called "2+2" talks.
High on the agenda will be discussions on the transfer of Japanese
submarine technology to Australia, with Canberr... more »
The Unwritten Rules of AMERICAN IR? (or, things American IR scholars don’t always know about ‘doing’ IR ‘in the rest of the world’)
Laura Sjoberg recently wrote a post listing “The Unwritten Rules of IR.”
While it is an interesting review of some of the power relations,
maneuvering, and indeed game-playing that goes on in the field, it also
captured a particular American (maybe even just a personal) experience of
being an IR scholar. Of course this makes
Continue reading
Join The Ban High Fructose Corn Syrup Movement
[image: HFCS Infographic]*Source of poster: *
*http://foodidentitytheft.com/*
Thai Coup Ushers in Organic Farming Initiative
*June 2, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - After the May 22 coup in Southeast
Asia's Thailand, the new military-led government has revealed agricultural
reforms based on sustainable, organic agriculture - an unprecedented and
progressive departure from the unsustainable populist subsidies that
proceeded it in Thailand, and that can be found in various degrees of
failure around the world. The Royal Thai Army's General Prayuth Chan-ocha
gave a basic summary of the reforms in a speech made before the nation late
May, stating:
*We are trying to find measures to fix the prices of agricult... more »
It's Time For America To Elect A Woman President-- One Who Isn't Jaded And Compromised By The Corrupt Political System
This morning, writing for the *NY Times*, Natalie Kitroeff looks at why its
so hard for young people in New York to buy-- or even rent-- homes. And her
culprit: student debt. "More students," she writes, "are taking out bigger
loans than ever before, and in the last 10 years alone, education debt
tripled, reaching over $1 trillion. A record number of college students are
graduating knee deep in a financial hole before they begin their adult
lives."
Data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York suggests that the
relationship between student loan debt and the housing marke... more »
Student Activist Roughed up at Chinese Culture University
Two men rough up a student activist calling for suspension of the Taoyuan
Aerotropolis project and public hearings on the project. Note end of video
when kid is flung against the wall and then dragged by his hair. Are these
men university staff?
_______________________
[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!
Only 43 to Go: Oklahoma Becomes Second State to Ditch Common Core
http://www.newsok.com/article/4888114
Opt Out Proves to Be Good Option in Waco
kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen
"Maybe..."
“Maybe we accept the dream has become a nightmare. We tell ourselves that
reality is better. We convince ourselves it’s better that we never dream at
all. But, the strongest of us, the most determined of us, holds on to the
dream or we find ourselves faced with a fresh dream we never considered. We
wake to find ourselves, against all odds, feeling hopeful. And, if we’re
lucky, we realize in the face of everything, in the face of life, the true
dream is being able to dream at all.”
- Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy"
"Americans are very susceptible to propaganda. They seem to have a special taste for it." "In America hate and the cultivation of hate is alive and well. But not a single moral virtue is." -- Paul Craig Roberts "If you should think these are over statements, be sure to test your beliefs against Paul Craig Roberts' deep scholarship." -- David L. Griscom
------------------------------
*The Lies Grow More Audacious — Paul Craig Roberts*
------------------------------
June 6, 2014 | Original Here Go
here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter
The Lies Grow More Audacious
Paul Craig Roberts
If there were any doubts that Western “leaders” live in a fantasy
make-believe world constructed out of their own lies, the G-7 meeting and
70th anniversary celebration of the Normandy landing dispelled the doubts.
The howlers issuing from these occasions are enough to split your sides.... more »
Could It Happen Here? UK Parents Arrested Because Their Child Is Obese
*(oh, how they love the children, you know, the village's children . .
and they are so concerned about our mental health, as well . . . two of the
main tools they have at their disposal and using, and will use them
increasingly if we don't find the courage to say "No.")*Saturday, June 7,
2014
Chris Carrington
*Activist Post*
*A couple has been arrested by police on suspicion of cruelty and neglect
of their obese child.*
A 49-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk,
were questioned by officers over the child’s care and released on bail.
Police said interv... more »
Union Leadership that Teachers and Children Can Believe In--Really!
from the Globe, where the editorial board's head is about to explode:
NORTHAMPTON — Don’t make the mistake of talking about “teacher training” to
Barbara Madeloni.
“Oh, please don’t use the word training,” she chided a reporter. “We
educate teachers. We don’t train them. We train dogs. And I love dogs.”
Beacon Hill better get used to that sharply pointed, confrontational style.
The 57-year-old former psychologist turned teacher won her race by openly
criticizing the current union president, Paul Toner, for his record of
negotiating with — rather than fighting — officials on the deve... more »
Inigo Montoya challenges common core testing program
Comment on Ed Week blog, ELLs Test-Drive New English-Language Proficiency
AssessmentsPosted at: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the
language/2014/06/wida_field_testing_new_english.html
Inigo Montoya: *You* keep using that *word**.*I do not think it *means what
you think it means**. ... (from: The Princess Bride). *
We are told that ELLs are about to "test drive" the "New English-Language
Proficiency Assessments." (June 5).
What does "test-drive" mean? I suspect it means that basic diagnostics such
as internal reliability and item-analysis will be done. I suspect that it
d... more »
Amidst the abiding craziness, we channel some cheerily crazed communications beeped by the Zeitgeist
Tom Toles, *Washington Post* [*click to enlarge*]
*by Ken*
The political craziness level has, at least for the time being, flipped me
out, and I refuse to let it crowd out some swell times I've been having on
to such nifty places as The Players, the theatrical club founded by the
great actor Edwin Booth on Gramercy Park South (a Municipal Art Society
Tour with Matt Postal), Coney Island (a Municipal Art Society walking tour
with Norman Oder), and the former Brooklyn Navy Yard (now a burgeoning
industrial park, with tours offered by Turnstile Tours in conjunction with
the Brooklyn ... more »
Musical Interlude: Alan Parsons Project, "Ammonia Avenue"
Alan Parsons Project, "Ammonia Avenue"
*Lyrics:*
"Is there no sign of light as we stand in the darkness,
Watching the sun arise?
Is there no sign of life as we gaze at the waters,
Into the strangers eyes?
And who are we to criticize or scorn the things that they do?
For we shall seek and we shall find ammonia avenue...
If we call for the proof and we question the answers,
Only the doubt will grow.
Are we blind to the truth or a sign to believe in?
Only the wise will know...
And word by word they handed down the light that shines today.
And those who came at first to scoff, remained be... more »
Koch City? (How PBS Lost the P and Gained (A Few Very Wealthy) Private Owners) A 6-Inch-Long Black Box Redaction of Everyone the Fed Chairman Spoke To or Met With (Regulator Was Dining and Schmoozing With Citi Execs) and Who Are Those Regulators Anyway? (It's A Very Exclusive Club and You're Not Admitted To Its Meetings)
The news isn't all bad. Er, but wait. Maybe not not. BREAKING! Bank of
America Corp. BAC +0.71% is in talks to pay at least $12 billion to settle
civil probes by the Justice Department and a number of states into the
bank's alleged handling of shoddy mortgages, an amount that could raise the
government tab for the bank's precrisis conduct to more than $18 billion,
according to people
The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "All Will Come Again"
*"All Will Come Again"*
by Rainer Maria Rilke
"All will come again into its strength:
the fields undivided, the waters undammed,
the trees towering and the walls built low.
And in the valleys, people as strong and varied as the land.
And no churches where God
is imprisoned and lamented
like a trapped and wounded animal.
The houses welcoming all who knock
and a sense of boundless offering
in all relations, and in you and me.
No yearning for an afterlife, no looking beyond,
no belittling of death,
but only longing for what belongs to us
and serving earth, lest we remain unused."
"A Look to the Heavens"
“The Sleeping Beauty galaxy may appear peaceful at first sight but it is
actually tossing and turning. In an unexpected twist, recent observations
have shown that the gas in the outer regions of this photogenic spiral is
rotating in the opposite direction from all of the stars! Collisions
between gas in the inner and outer regions are creating many hot blue stars
and pink emission nebula.
*Click image for larger size.*
The above image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2001 and
released in 2004. The fascinating internal motions of M64, also cataloged
as NGC 4826, are thought... more »
“The Checker Shadow Illusion: Do We Perceive Reality?”
*“The Checker Shadow Illusion: Do We Perceive Reality?”*
by Jerry Coyne
․
“I recently finished Steve Pinker’s "The Blank Slate" (recommended!), and
in one chapter was taken by his discussion about whether human senses
perceive a real, external reality or whether that reality is somehow
“constructed” socially or by our senses. If you’ve read the book, you know
that Pinker comes down on the “it’s real” side (this solution is obvious to
all but a moron*)—but not always: what we perceive as “real” is sometimes
distorted by our expectations. That, of course, is the basis of optical
illu... more »
“The Individual vs. The Illusion Of Consensus Reality”
*“The Individual vs. The Illusion Of Consensus Reality”*
by Jon Rappoport
“This is such a supercharged subject, I could start from a dozen places.
But let’s begin here: the individual is unique, because he is he. He is
unique because he has his own ideas, because he has his own desires,
because he has his own power. That power belongs to no one else. In
particular, it doesn’t belong to the State. The State will try, will always
try to suggest that it is granting power to the individual, but this is a
lie. It’s an illusion broadcast with ill-intent.
While everyone else is trying to... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Uses of Enchantment”
* “The Uses of Enchantment”*
by Chet Raymo
“There was a time when every wood, every tree, was thought to be inhabited
by spirits called dryads, every pool and stream by naiads. Even not so long
ago, our road here in Ireland was called "the fairies' road." The world, we
say, was enchanted- every stone and plant infused with an animate spirit.
Science put paid to all that, chased the spirits from their woods and
pools, drove the fairies from their hills. Disenchanted the landscape.
Well, maybe not. It depends on how you define enchantment.
Remember those spider webs I wrote about th... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Butterworth, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Thanks for stopping by.
“The Results Are In: America Is Dumb and on the Road to Getting Dumber”
*“The Results Are In: *
*America Is Dumb and on the Road to Getting Dumber”*
By CJ Werleman
“The success of National Geographic’s “Cosmos” might appear to offer a
glimmer of hope that America is ready to break free of the
anti-intellectualism movement that has left this country in the wake of
other developed nations when it comes to scientific literacy. But the deep
structural and cultural obstacles in American society for attaining
intellectual enlightenment will erase any short-term good news moments like
popularity of a TV show. America remains a scientifically ignorant nation
... more »
Ukraine: Losing control of porous border & Putin "inspired" separatists
*Been a busy day here..*
So don't miss-*Car bomb in Kiev ? Very Unclear.* Which is looking very
hoaxish.
And the 3 part essay written in 1947 - *The Lost Tools of Learning- Dorothy
Sayers Part 1*
- A treatise that is both prophetic and offering up a solution
*1st- Porous borders between the Ukraine and Russia- *Take a look at google
earth. The East of Ukraine, well actually most of Ukraine was a gift from
Russia, but I had taken a look some months ago at specific areas along the
"border". Farmers fields, wooded areas, streets with houses all indicative
of once having been common gr... more »
William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation... more »
Authentic reforms from Dr. Krashen. Address poverty, and ensure access to books to preempt summer learning loss!
*Providing more access to interesting reading material by investing in
public libraries and librarians is an excellent way to deal with summer
learning loss. — Dr. Stephen D. Krashen*
Yesterday morning at teacher sent me a Dr. Edward Haertel paper discussing
the unreliability of Value Added Measures. I saw an interesting figure in
the paper regarding "summer learning loss" that started me working on an
infographic. After creating the graphic and posting the corresponding
tweet, I noticed that Dr. Paul Thomas had tweeted a new post by Professor
Krashen on essentially the same topic... more »
Michael Hutchence, the Mafia and East Timor
*"John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy - Malcolm, and Martin... These were
extraordinary people, who could make you move in masses, and forget about
the Birds of the Day.*
*Let me break it down for you even more: it was the the killing of the
Charismatics - they were white, and they were black..."*
*- Bro. Steve Cokely*
From left to right:
*Peaches Geldof *(DECEASED)*,* *Michael Hutchence *(DECEASED), *Paula Yates
*(DECEASED); Pixie & Fifi-Trixabelle Geldof.
*WARNING: Some Graphic Images Ahead - NSFW.*
*Excerpts from: THE COVERT WAR AGAINST ROCK -- by Alex Constatine*
"Hutchence was a p... more »
"There Are Times..."
"There are times, however, and this is one of them, when even being right
feels wrong. What do you say, for instance, about a generation that has
been taught that rain is poison and sex is death? If making love might be
fatal and if a cool spring breeze on any summer afternoon can turn a
crystal blue lake into a puddle of black poison right in front of your
eyes, there is not much left except TV and relentless masturbation. It's a
strange world. Some people get rich and others eat s**t and die. Who knows?
If there is in fact, a heaven and a hell, all we know for sure is that hell
w... more »
THE REAL STORY IN UKRAINE
*Tightening the U.S. Grip on Western Europe*
*Washington’s Iron Curtain in Ukraine*
*by DIANA JOHNSTONE*
*NATO leaders are currently acting out a deliberate charade in Europe,
designed to reconstruct an Iron Curtain between Russia and the West.*
*With astonishing unanimity, NATO leaders feign surprise at events they
planned months in advance. Events that they deliberately triggered are
being misrepresented as sudden, astonishing, unjustified “Russian
aggression”. The United States and the European Union undertook an
aggressive provocation in Ukraine that they knew would force ... more »
Saturday Live
The problem with writing a blog about BBC bias is that, by the very nature
of the subject matter, you end up being negative about things most of the
time - or, more accurately, you end up sounding like a right miserable
so-and-on. So both Sue and myself occasionally like to post the occasional
random piece in praise of something we've heard on the BBC.
Today's random post involves this morning's *Saturday Live *on Radio 4.
The show's main guest was the independent-minded and opinionated head of
the National Trust, Sir Simon Jenkins. He was there to plug his new book, '*England's... more »
"Restorative Slumber: The Importance of Napping"
* "Restorative Slumber: The Importance of Napping"*
by the DailyOm
"A short nap during the afternoon is common in many countries and can
provide an energy boost and clearer senses. As we focus on the many
obligations we gladly undertake in order to create the lives we want, sleep
is often the first activity that we sacrifice. We’re compelled by both
external and internal pressures to be productive during many of our waking
hours. While this can lead to great feats of accomplishment, it also
disrupts the body’s natural cycles and leaves us craving rest. Napping
represents a pleasura... more »
"Why Are You Waiting?"
"If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make,
who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?"
~ Stephen Levine
Psychology: “When You're Living in the Past”
*“When You're Living in the Past”*
by Karen Ann Kennedy
“Do you spend a lot of time reminiscing about the past? If the answer is
yes, that's okay. Thinking fondly about the past and looking back at the
way things used to be isn't a bad thing until it is. There is a difference
between thinking about the past and living in it. Sometimes we live in the
past because it's familiar- we know what happened; there are no surprises.
Think about why you watch your reruns of your favorite old sitcoms over and
over again. This is what happens when we live in the past. We choose to
live there be... more »
A comment on a new report critical of co-locations in NYC, from a co-location insider @dianeravitch @edprogress @eduquity
I am a K teacher in a public school that co-locates with a charter. Our
school is at a temporary site on the first and third floors of a building,
while the charter is on the second. Although, we share a playground and
“cafetorium” on the first floor. My anecdotes could fill volumes on what […]
"More Lies: Health And Obesity"
*"More Lies: Health And Obesity"*
by Karl Denninger
“This sort of horsecrap feel-good garbage ought to ***** you off. Especially
in this case because if you believe it that act of stupidity may kill you.
There's a disturbing truth that is emerging from the science of obesity.
After years of study, it's becoming apparent that it's nearly impossible to
permanently lose weight. We all think we know someone in that rare group.
They become the legends - the friend of a friend, the brother-in-law, the
neighbor - the ones who really did it. But if we check back after five or
10 years, the... more »
Something New Under the Sun
A verse* in the Old Testament proclaims, “there is no new thing under the
sun.” These words come from a low-tech era when nomadic herders diminished
their ecosystem so slowly that little change was noticeable to the passing
generations. *Something New Under the Sun* is the title of J. R. McNeill’s
environmental history of the twentieth century. It describes a high-tech
era when industrial society got thoroughly sloshed on cheap energy, and
went on a berserk rampage, smashing everything.
With the emergence of agriculture, the relationship between humankind and
the ecosystem took ... more »
As The GOP Doubles Down On Homophobia, Do Gay Republicans Have A Role To Play Any Longer?
Right wing hedge fund operator and vulture capitalist Paul Singer may be
best known as one of the money bags behind Mitt Romney but the ardent
defender of the prerogatives of the one percent and their right to rule
without interference from government (he's been on an anti-*Dodd Frank*
jihad, for example) is also one of the biggest supporters of bombing Iran
and of gay equality inside the reaches of the Republican Party and its
right-wing satellite groups. Odd combination? His son is gay and married
his husband in 2009 and Singer is a Zionist... and a billionaire. Its all
about hi... more »
Down the Memory Hole
June 7, 2014 About 14 million American and allied soldiers (including all
military services) died in WW II. Of those, about a half million were
Americans. Surprisingly, (to me, at least) three to four million were
Chinese and over eight … Continue reading →
Montreal Simon Does FetusBaggers!
Back here I asked for someone with mad Photoshop skillz to meld a couple of
images.
Look who answered the call! One of the best and most inimitable! Montreal
Simon hisownself.
Doesn't that perfectly capture the creepy insanity of TeaBaggers' obsession
with feti?
Thank you so much, Simon. I think I'm developing a wee obsession of my own
now -- what can I blog about that needs that illustration?
Johnson's Dictionary
In one particularly memorable episode of Blackadder," Ink and Incapability,"
when the Prince Regent (played by Hugh Laurie) asks Dr. Johnson (played by
Robbie Coltrane) what his new *Dictionary* is good for, the learned Doctor
declares that "It is a book that tells you what English words mean." "I
*know* what English words mean," replies the prince, "I *speak* English!
You must be a bit of a thicko!"
And indeed, one may well ask, why do we need a Dictionary of our *own*
language? After all, numerous English writers, from Chaucer to Spencer to
Shakespeare, got along quite well witho... more »
Apollo - Dance
Coming from the DJ booth this evening is a little number from 2002. Place
your handbag on the floor and ... dance.
Jewish news outlets openly promote "anti-Semitic stereotypes"
The organized Jewish community, led by the extremely well-funded and highly
influential Anti-Defamation League, *is constantly warning the world* about "rising
anti-Semitism", hysterically raging against and decrying the promotion of
"anti-Semitic stereotypes" (no matter how factual or obviously observable
those "anti-Semitic stereotypes" actually are). The ADL recently conducted
a world-wide survey in an effort to gauge "anti-Semitic attitudes" on a
global scale, asking participants whether or not they agreed with "an index
of 11 statements that the ADL believes suggest anti-Jewish ... more »
The Lost Tools of Learning- Dorothy Sayers Part 1
*Following up on the subject of the Trivium as discussed in- *Explore-
Classical Trivium,Magic Mushrooms,CIA, Zionism and more Jan Irvin has an
entire Trivium Study learning section at his site Gnostic Media I have
been refreshing myself in this area....the last couple of days.
It's good stuff!
*In all my years of blogging, I had never come across essay until just
yesterday? *
*I broke it into 3 parts so if you can't spend all the time needed you can
come back to it. That said, you absolutely should read all of the parts. In
it's totality this composition provides an excellent ana... more »
Dorothy Sayer- The Lost Tools of Learning- Part 3
*Continued on from Part 2*
*Part 1 Here*
*S*cience, in the Poll-Parrot period, arranges itself naturally and easily
around collections--the identifying and naming of specimens and, in
general, the kind of thing that used to be called "natural philosophy." To
know the name and properties of things is, at this age, a satisfaction in
itself; to recognize a devil's coach-horse at sight, and assure one's
foolish elders, that, in spite of its appearance, it does not sting; to be
able to pick out Cassiopeia and the Pleiades, and perhaps even to know who
Cassiopeia and the Pleiades were; t... more »
Dorothy Sayer- The Lost Tools of Learning Pt 2
Continued from- The Lost Tools of Learning- Dorothy Sayers Part 1
"*S*ubjects" of some kind there must be, of course. One cannot learn the
theory of grammar without learning an actual language, or learn to argue
and orate without speaking about something in particular. The debating
subjects of the Middle Ages were drawn largely from theology, or from the
ethics and history of antiquity. Often, indeed, they became stereotyped,
especially towards the end of the period, and the far-fetched and
wire-drawn absurdities of Scholastic argument fretted Milton and provide
food for merriment ... more »
Steve Israel Digs Up Another Batch Of Losers To Waste DCCC Money On
There were a lot of Democrats who won tough primaries last Tuesday, but
there was only one that caused an orgy of twitter ecstasy from the DCCC:
Petey Pie, Steve Israel's flawed New Dem who would like to get into
Congress so he can help the Republicans cut Social Security benefits for
retirees while increasing his perceived value as a lobbyist, when he goes
back to his original profession. The DCCC celebrated that Aguilar and the
Credit Union PAC were able to effectively smear progressive labor lawyer
Eloise Reyes so that he was able to eke out a weak second-place victory in
the ... more »
Interesting picture
I found this picture on the internet.
Harper seems to use similar illusion.
He wants to eradicate literacy within a generation
Poor Becky Milligan, presenting *PM* tonight on Radio 4 and reporting on
Michael Gove's pledge to end illiteracy and innumeracy: Quote from Becky
(just now, 14.09 in):
He wants to eradicate literacy within a generation.
War Watch ( June 7 , 2014 ) -- Libya political instability continues as power struggles between Islamists and the Militia forces of Hafter intensify ........ Iraq Death dealing continues - Islamists attempt to take Mosul ....... Rice: US Offers ‘Lethal and Non-Lethal’ Aid to Syrian Rebels US Ramping Up Involvement in Civil War
Libya .......
Libya's spy chief resigns amid power struggle
Salem al-Hassi submits resignation to parliament as violence intensifies in
the country's east.
Last updated: 06 Jun 2014 09:29
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At least 10 rockets were reportedly fired on a Benghazi district, setting
fire to warehouses [Al Jazeera]
Libya's intelligence chief has resigned amid an intensifying power struggle
between the Islamist-dominated parliament and a rival interim government.
Sp... more »
Musings On Iraq In The News
I was cited in Dr. Michael Knights report “ISIL’s Stand in the
Ramadi-Falluja Corridor,” for the CTC Sentinel, May 2014, and in the newly
published *Iraq In Crisis* by the Center for Strategic and International
Studies. EPIC's podcast "Season 2 premier: Preventing a "Lost Generation"
of Syrian children" also contains a short interview with me.
Saturday...
I'm off to work early today.
Play nice while I'm gone. Keep the sand in the sandbox, share the toys,
and use your indoor voices.
Thank you.
June 7: Sensationalism vs. news
Much of today's news is about the killing of three police officers, about
public sympathy, and the arrest of a man charged with the killings. But for
all those pages of print, it tells us almost nothing.
Most of it is just sensationalism. People want to read anything they can
get on a story like this, so journalists churn out page after page of
irrelevant information - and even of invention. On A2, the mayor says
Moncton's spirit is not broken. Is it really possible anyone thought it
would be? Terrible as this was, cities all over the world experience this
on a a regular basis.
We... more »
"The BBC will try to dampen it down"
As it's a blogpost [and, thus, not Paywall-bound], I think Damian
Thompson's latest post can [just for once] be highlighted in full:
*Radical Islam in secular schools: now the shocking truth emerges*
"Students' understanding of the arts, different cultures and other beliefs
are limited." That's one of the complaints about Birmingham schools made by
Ofsted in their leaked report. It sounds like a relatively mild criticism.
Not so. What the Trojan Horse scandal has revealed is that leaders of the
Muslim community in Birmingham have been creating a Wahhabi-inspired
counterculture in se... more »
How not to write a headline
Thoughts of Abdel Bari Atwan and Yasmin Alibhai Brown need banishing...
...with a re-tweet (from Stephen Pollard) of a comment by former Associated
Press Washington bureau chief, Ron Fournier:
*How not to write a headline*
Atwan is still 'Top of the Dateline Pops'
You may recall that, in the early days of this blog (November 2012), I
tallied up the number of appearances made by all the guests who have
appeared on Gavin Esler's globally-transmitted *Dateline London *[BBC News
Channel here in the UK, BBC World everywhere else].
I'd kept a list of every panel from 8 June 2009 to 29 May 2010, and then
from 30 October 2010 right through to 10 November 2012 and, through the
magic of simple addition, found that the guest who had appeared most on the
show throughout that period with 40 appearances (compared to his nearest
rival, *Die Welt*'s Thoma... more »
NSA Reform is Dead: Tech Companies Must Act to Protect Us Now
Not that it is surprising that the NSA Stasi is protected by a firewall of
entrenched and corrupt members of our pathetic excuse for a legislative
branch - the US Congress remains the number one enemy of the American
people - and that any sort of effective reform in the aftermath of the
Snowden leaks has always been dead on arrival. The USA Freedom Act seemed
to be a perfect counterpart to the fascist USAPATRIOT Act when it was
introduced, with the backing of US Representative James Sensenbrenner who
was largely responsible for the latter monstrosity but as the establishment
stall... more »
Untitled
*UK: Graduates fill 20% of low-skilled jobs as university boom leaves huge
numbers over-qualified*
One in five workers in low-skilled jobs now hold degrees, a report
published today warns.
The growing number of workers who are over-qualified for their role is
largely the result of a huge expansion in university education, according
to centre-left think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Its report, Winning the Global Race, casts serious doubt on the
Government’s drive to boost economic growth by encouraging more young
people to study for degrees.
The IPPR say... more »
Some links
_______________
*Daily Links*:
- CSIS Pacnet #42 from Joseph Bosco on Tiananmen and how China should
look to Taiwan.
- Ben Goren at American Citizens for Taiwan Blog on Tiananmen,
Democracy, and Taiwan
- J Michael at Thinking Taiwan: Why Taiwan should pay attention to
Tiananmen.
- Michael Cannings with great review of The Languages of Taiwan while
Taiwan Explorer comments on the Tongyong vs Hanyu Pinyin argument.
- CSIS with survey of power and order in Asia.
- The incident of the stickers on the CKS statue...
- Fagan with nice pics from Rooster Mounta... more »
Why Would Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz Vote To Send Patients Like This To Prison?
A radio host asked me a few days ago why Debbie Wasserman Schultz was one
of the 17 mostly right-wing Democrats in the House to cross the aisle and
vote with the Republicans against a bill to lighten up on medical marijuana
in states that have legalized it. I suggested that with anything involving
Wasserman Schultz, one of the most transactional politicians in Congress,
just follow the money. This week Americans for Safe Access were asking a
similar question-- in the form of the above TV ad.
Wasserman Schultz's constituents favor medical marijuana legalization-- and overwhelmingly... more »
A Name That Will Live In Infamy
We once had to wait weeks, Andrew Coyne writes, for a new Harperian abuse
of power. Now it happens daily. The latest example is the government's
proposed legislation on prostitution:
It was expected the government would opt for the “Nordic model,”
criminalizing the purchase of sex rather than the sale, as a replacement —
a contentious but tenable response to the Court’s decision. It was not
expected it would, in effect, fling the ruling back in the Court’s face.
Not content with leaving the impugned provisions, but for a few cosmetic
changes, essentially intact, the government imp... more »
Car bomb in Kiev ? Very Unclear.
Definitely in need of more info!
I am finding the imagery in the YouTube video inconsistent with what is
being reported and shown below. The video shows multiple cars destroyed
and a building seriously damaged.
* The YouTube imagery makes me think of Syria......but I don't know?*
*Car Blast Near Ukrainian President HQ*
A* car bomb* exploded in Kiev near the headquarters of Ukrainian president
Petro Poroshenko, just as he was being sworn into office on Saturday
morning.
*The blast* went off in central Kiev about 10:00 am local time (07:00 GMT)
near the presidential administ... more »
Robert Peston accuses the BBC of having a pro-establishment, right-wing bias
Do you believe that the BBC has a left-liberal bias, and that it tends to
follow the lead of the *Guardian *more than it does the *Mail *and
*Telegraph*?
I've spent some five years arguing that kind of thing - as have the massed
ranks of other posters and commenters from blogs like *Biased BBC *to the
*Spectator*, from the *Telegraph* to *Breitbart London*.
Several present and former BBC presenters have also said as much - from
Peter Sissons to John Humphrys, from Jeff Randall to Andrew Marr, from
Helen Boaden to Mark Thompson.
Another famous BBC name has now joined the debate ... more »
Free Market Environmentalism
I have always believed in this type of environmentalism -- individuals,
private enterprises, civil society initiative in environmental conservation
with returns to their investments and effort.
I started planting trees in a private farm owned by the family of a
deceased friend in UP, Mil Millora, in 1992. It was limited planting,
something like 300 seedlings I think, various species of mahogany, acacia
auri, acacia mangium, eucalyptus deglupta, and agoho/Benguet pine. I liked
the experience of tree planting in a private farm, not in a public land
that is owned by everyone and no one... more »
Mike's Story Part 43 - Ten Grand
*By **Jenna** Orkin*
*January 28, 2007*
*It’s 8:15 pm and Mike’s gone to bed, partly because he wants to get up
early since the water’s going to be off tomorrow for six hours; partly
because he’s wiped out by t**he loss of the book sale - $10,000. It helped
to get the rage off his chest, first expressed to Ray as "disappointment,"
then vented fully in a longer email:*
* MCR to Ray, Ken, (his agent and general factotum) with me bcc’ed:*
* The fact that we have been unable to connect with Mr. X [the
prospective buyer of the surplus copies of Crossing the Rubicon] is very... more »
Newark: Post-match analysis
So how did the BBC report the result of the Newark by-election? Were they
biased?
Plenty of people think so as you can see from the following small sample of
opinion:
*Getting fed up with all the #BBC right-wing bias. First praising UKIP now
saying #Newark a disaster for Labour.— Jenny Howarth (@Jenny_Musings) June
6, 2014*
*How many times has Farage been on telly yet today, to celebrate UKIP's
glorious not winning a bye-election.....? #bbcbias— Ade Couper
(@bigade1665) June 6, 2014*
*@michelleconfess @darrenbjohn @natalieben Ex-MP - not ex-Tory. BBC bias
against Greens unmi... more »
"I feel like a Leonard Cohen record. Nobody listens to me."
The Rolling Stones' heart-lifting decision to ignore all the bullying BDS
campaigners and perform in Israel, as discussed by Sue, recalls another
all-time rock legend who stood up for his beliefs and performed in Israel
in 2009 in the face of similar bullying from Israel haters, namely Leonard
Cohen.
If you missed it, please catch while you can Radio 4's excellent, coherent
abridgement of Liel Leibovitz's biography, *A Broken Hallelujah, *as its *Book
of the Week. *
He's had quite a life.
AUSTRALIAN NEOCON GOVERNMENT PRAISED BY U.S. NEOCONS
The Tony Abbott-led neoconservative government of Australia, renowned for
its xenophobic intolerance of boatpeople and its hatred of Islam, has been
praised by US neoconservatives for its recently announced change of stance
toward Israel’s settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In the neoconservative online magazine and blog, *Commentary*,
neoconservative propagandist Tom Wilson writes:
*…it would appear that there has been a radical and bold break with the
international consensus: Australia has announced that it will no longer
refer to East Jerusalem as “occupied ... more »
The Face of Boe explained - For all those people who are missing Doctor Who
The Face of Boe explained, albeit with terrible on-screen spelling...
For Doctor Who geeks only!
Ma Gov't Rep Bullshits the US on Radar =UPDATED=
*Miaoli county, near Tiangou.*
The Washington Times reports:
The [Cong. J Randy] Forbes proposal calls for the Pentagon’s Missile
Defense Agency to explore the costs and benefits of merging a Taiwanese
early-warning radar, which has the ability to peer deep into China, with
the U.S. military’s own missile defense and sensor systems.
Mr. Jieh said two to four “long-range early-warning radars” have been built
along Taiwan’s western coastline, but some in Taiwan are resisting the idea
of expanding the system.
“*President Ma has been enduring so much domestic pressure, questioning,
... more »
F-35 and Typhoon fly together for the first time
[image: F-35 Lightning II & Eurofighter Typhoon]This is the first time that
the F35 and Typhoon have flown together during which the aircraft performed
their first airborne link during interoperability testing.
Interoperability between the F35 and Typhoon is being optimised through a
series of simulated scenarios led by ourselves on behalf of the UK customer
which allows operators, pilots and engineers to ensure the interoperability
of both platforms and allows any refinements to be made early on in the
design and development phase, saving time and money in the process.
Source
Israel deploys Iron Dome near Syrian border at Golan Heights
[image: Israeli Iron Dome battery]Israel’s military has deployed its Iron
Dome missile and rocket defense system near the frontier with Syria.
Military sources said the Israel Air Force has stationed an Iron Dome
battery near the Golan Heights, divided between Israel and Syria. They said
the battery was meant to protect against rocket and mortar fire from either
Lebanon or Syria.
“There has been an alert of such a threat,” a source said.
Read more
Former Nike Missile Site up for sale in Hecker Illinois
A former Cold War Missile base in Hecker Illinois is up for sale and set to
hit the auction block on July 12.
The historic site once guarded the St. Louis region against a possible
nuclear strike.
The Shutter Nike Missile Base is tucked away behind a gated fence near the
Monroe County Village of Hecker Illinois with a population of about 500.
Read more
Schiebel demonstrates the CAMCOPTER® S-100 maritime capabilities for the Brazilian Navy
[image: CAMCOPTER® S-100]Schiebel´s dedication to the maritime domain and
its ability to respond to the evolving unmanned systems requirements lead
to a series of trials for the Brazilian Navy from 2nd to 5th June near San
Pedro, Brazil, from the Brazilian Amazonas Class Ship APA.
Schiebel’s unmanned helicopter CAMCOPTER® S-100 convinced representatives
of the Brazilian Navy and Ministry of Defense of its outstanding
capabilities as a VTOL UAS (Unmanned Air System), after series of sorties
were flown from the sea near San Pedro, Brazil (160 km east from Rio de
Janeiro).
In suppor... more »
Navy plan for carrier-based drones takes flak from lawmakers
[image: X-47B UAS]A U.S. Navy plan for aircraft carrier-based drones has
launched a dogfight in Washington over the role of the robotic planes in
combat.
The Navy has asked contractors for reconnaissance drones — essentially spy
planes, with only limited ability to carry out bombing missions behind
enemy lines.
But key congressional leaders want cutting-edge warplanes, stealthy drones
that can attack key targets in contested areas with little more than a
mouse click.
Read more
Inflation and BICEP2: Steinhardt is missing the whole point
If the BICEP2's discovery of the primordial gravitational waves is valid,
and I am confident that the evidence still strongly suggests that it is,
then Paul Steinhardt, Neil Turok, and Roger Penrose are perhaps the world's
three sorest losers because the absence of such primordial gravitational
waves were what these men self-confidently predicted as a consequence of
their bold idiosyncratic "cosmologies".
However, Physics World hired Neil Turok, Science Friday interviewed Roger
Penrose, and Nature now asked Paul Steinhardt to inform us about the status
and the future of cosmology.
... more »
Is The Fed's Gold Ponzi Scheme About To Pop?
I have been tracking this story closely for the past several years, once I
understood that it is completely possible to fabricate false gold bars
using tungsten blanks covered with a rind of pure gold. That established
the remarkable source of apparent open market gold during the last decade
of the twentieth century.
Since then any remaining good delivery gold has been shipped to the East
until it too has obviously run out. Thus it is plausible to me that the USA
has only the fake bad delivery bars left. Their unbelievable behavior
certainly supports that.
More unbelievable ... more »
Ancient Bamboo Medical Books Uncovered in China Belonged to Legendary Bian Que
This is a wonderful story that will surely promote plenty of additional
excavation. Yet it is only around two thousand years old. It continues to
be difficult to originate sources that date before three thousand years and
these may simply have never properly existed. I am forever hopeful.
Alchemical works appear to also largely originate from the same third
millennia and are still been pieced together and interpreted. Whatever has
been reported to me so far has been particularly influential mostly because
it revealed empirical results that then triggered a reevaluation of t... more »
More Messages from the Dead
Here is some more data on the common immediate contact with a recently
deceased member of one’s circle. The surprise is that it is vastly more
common to the point of stating it is universal but often unreported or
unidentified.
What is true is that we have no need to expect much from an individual in
the spirit form, or at least no more than they presented alive. You do not
suddenly become well informed or better engaged with available
circumstance. I also suspect that you are parked pending a next trip
around the block.
I bring this up because we were conflating angels and... more »
The Rosicrucian Vision
This outlines the apparent history and apparent influence of what must be
described as the quintessential secret society. It also argues rather well
that underlying all this type of activity was an urge to preserve aspects
of gnostic teachings as surely did the Albigensians as well and the
Templars. For all that, secrecy was the hallmark and always in serious
opposition with religious orthodoxy.
Thus we are describing outbursts of enthusiasm for Gnosticism when all knew
full well this was long established heresy. It may never start out that
way but it opened the door.
In my... more »
Italy cuts steel for another FREMM frigate
[image: FREMM FFG]Steel has been cut this week at an Italian shipyard for
the seventh FREMM multi-mission frigate for the Italian Navy.
The frigate will be 474 feet long, 65 feet in the beam and displace 7,728
tons. Its speed will be more than 27 knots, while its range will be more
than 7,600 miles at 15 knots.
Fincantieri, which is building the ship at a location near Genoa, said the
frigate will be delivered to the Italian Navy in 2018.
Read more
Nuclear-powered submarine Yekaterinburg leaves slip dock of Zvezdochka Shipyard
[image: Project 667BDRM (Delta IV) class SSBN]Strategic nuclear-powered
submarine Yekaterinburg (project 667BDRM) has left the slip dock of Ship
Repair Center ‘Zvezdochka’, the system says in its press release.
The construction of Project 667BDRM Delfin-class (Delta IV) submarines
commenced in 1981 at Northern Machine-Building Enterprise (Sevmash). In
1984-1990, RF Navy was expanded with seven ships of this type. As of today,
RF Navy numbers six submarines of Project 667BDRM. In 1999-2012, all the
ships of this project underwent interim overhaul and modernization at
Zvezdochka Shipy... more »
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