Wednesday, December 10, 2014

10 Dec - Blogs I'm Following

10:35pm MST

Ed Felien : In Minneapolis, demonstrators protest institutional racism

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 18 minutes ago
They ask city government to stand at the side of poor people and people of color, rather than standing over them with a club. By Ed Felien | The Rag Blog | December 11, 2014 [Demonstrations in reaction to police … finish reading Ed Felien : In Minneapolis, demonstrators protest institutional racism

Russia's Chief of General Staff Discusses The Russian Military, NATO, And The Rise Of The Islamic State

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 23 minutes ago
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) and newly-appointed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov in the Kremlin in Moscow, on November 9, 2012 *Russia's Chief Of Staff: U.S. Provided Financial, Technical Aid To IS -- Radio Free Europe* Russia's chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said on December 10 that the United States had provided financial and technical assistance to the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria in the past. Speaking at a meeting of foreign military attaches Gerasimov set out Russia's position on a variety of issues relating to international securit... more »

Why I haven't Blogged about Politics recently

Zoe Brain at A.E.Brain - 29 minutes ago
First Dog On the Moon captures it exactly. Every Night Something Atrocious.

Are Corruption And America's Politics Inexorably Intertwined? And Where Is It Worst?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 35 minutes ago
It isn't easy to figure out who is the most corrupt politician in America. But it also isn't impossible We write about political corruption a lot here at *DWT*. Yesterday we saw the bipartisanship of corruption by looking at corrupt Cuomo Democrats in New York and corrupt oil-sell outs among Republican attorneys generals in red states like Oklahoma. And this month Harvard University's Center for Ethics released a report. "Although corruption is not endemic in America," they wrote, "as it is in several other countries, it does exist. According to the Justice Department, in the last tw... more »

Mohawk Nation News 'CIA TORTURE INC.'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 57 minutes ago
CIA TORTURE INC. CIA TORTURE INC.   Please post & distribute. Nia:wen. MNN. Dec. 10, 2014. Will and Kate represent the British monarchy, which is "white privilege". They arrived in New York... View on mohawknationnews.com Preview by Yahoo

Russian Air Force Increases Flights Near Western Airspace

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 hour ago
*Russian Military Ramps Up Flights Near Western Airspace -- CNN* Washington (CNN) -- Russia unexpectedly flew military aircraft into the Baltic Sea region on both Saturday and Sunday, in an action closely monitored by U.S. and NATO intelligence, a U.S. official confirmed to CNN. About a dozen Russian aircraft including bombers, and refueling aircraft flew off Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea on Saturday. NATO aircraft as well as aircraft from Sweden and Finland monitored the Russian flights, the official said. Then on Sunday, the Russians again flew about a dozen aircraft including ... more »

Global Jihadi Groups Killed More Than 5000 People In November

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 hour ago
*Jihadist Violence 'Killed 5,000 In November' -- BBC* More than 5,000 people worldwide died in November as a result of jihadist violence, a BBC study has revealed. The four worst-affected countries were Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Syria, accounting for 80% of all deaths. The investigation - co-ordinated with the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) - recorded a total of 664 attacks in 14 countries. It aims to quantify the human cost of jihadi violence in one month, and to offer a snapshot of a complex movement. *Read more* .... *More News On Claims Tha... more »

CIA is Lying

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago
Sen. Mark Udall accused the CIA of "lying" about the effectiveness of torture, called for the resignation of its director and blasted President Barack Obama's handling of the spy agency on the Senate floor Wednesday. In a 48-minute speech, the Colorado Democrat called on Obama to "purge his administration" of CIA officials, including Director John Brennan, involved in the interrogation techniques detailed in a new Senate Intelligence Committee report.

Seeking a Unified Movement in Maine

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago

Torture as War Victory: ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ and the torture reports

Megan MacKenzie at Duck of Minerva - 3 hours ago
This post is the first of our ‘Throwback Thursday” series, where we re-publish an earlier post on a topic that is currently in the news, or is receiving renewed attention or debate. This original post was published February 23rd 2013 (right before the Oscars) but the main arguments about the utility and rational behind torture Continue reading

U.S. Navy Successfully Tests Super Precise Laser Weapon System In The Persian Gulf

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
*Zap Wars: U.S. Navy Successfully Tests Laser Weapon in the Persian Gulf -- Time* *Service says ray gun can handle multiple threats at 59 cents a shot * For decades, the Pentagon has been saying that laser weapons are just around the corner. Thursday, the U.S. military finally turned that corner. The Navy announced that it had deployed and fired a laser weapon this fall aboard a warship in the Persian Gulf. During a series of test shots, the laser hit and destroyed targets mounted atop a small boat, blasted a six-foot drone from the sky, and destroyed other moving targets. *Read ... more »

Torture?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 3 hours ago
I’ve been too busy to catch up properly with the report on CIA torture that came out this week, but it looks like this is another report that’s been misreported. From reports of it I’d heard on local media, I’d assumed the report recounted widespread and barbaric torture that was ultimately ineffective in extracting information, and was now very properly being condemned. Turns out that out of 39 captured terrorists there were precisely *three* who were waterboarded. Waterboarding is not exactly comfortable, but depending how you classify being forced to listen Neil Diamond then th... more »

Rip-off News round-up. Our pick of the last week's media (Thu 11th December)

Hari at Ripped-off Britons - 3 hours ago
Blackmail: Premier Foods promises to rethink controversial 'pay-and-stay' fees imposed on suppliers after widespread condemnation by business leaders Last week, the BBC's Newsnight disclosed that Premier, one of the UK's biggest food manufacturers, had asked for money from its suppliers, otherwise it would end their contracts. One supplier called it "blackmail", and the government said it was

U.K. Requests Help From NATO In Search For Unknown Sub In Scottish Waters

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
At the height of the operation, five aircraft from four different nations were working with Royal Navy ships in the search for the mystery vessel near Faslane, Scotland *Britain Calls On NATO Allies To Help In Submarine Hunt: Media -- Reuters* LONDON (Reuters) - NATO allies sent patrol planes to help Britain scour the waters off its western Scottish coast after a submarine's periscope was spotted, in a search reminiscent of the Cold War, media reported. Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it had received help from NATO allies in an operation, but declined to go into further de... more »

America Unearthed: Son of the Custer Treasure

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 3 hours ago
I couldn’t help myself and I got sucked into another episode of *America Unearthed*. This one about the lost treasure of George Custer, yeah, that guy who managed to get about half of the Seventh Cavalry killed in June, 1876. Contrary to what the program said, he wasn’t that smart of a guy and his problem at the Little Big Horn was that he didn’t have another Union unit out there to come to his rescue. This had happened during the Civil War, where he rode too far forward to an attack and another unit had to bail him out. Anyway, there was talk that Custer left the Dakotas on the ca... more »

The sports-edifice complex: Follow the money where the sun don't shine

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
Mark Matcho for *ESPN The Magazine* *"Since 2005, North American municipalities have allocated more than $8 billion to stadium projects without so much as a public vote, says Tim Kellison, an assistant professor at the University of Florida studying stadium financing. 'A lot of it happens under the radar,' he says. 'Decisions can be made very quickly.' "* *-- from "Public cut out of stadium votes" by MinaKimes, in the Dec. 8 issue of ESPN The Magazine* *by Ken* Just how far under the radar does it go, this business of dumping public money into sports edifices for the benefit of r... more »

Safety advice for the holidays

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 3 hours ago
Since holiday season is almost upon us, it’s time for a holiday safety warning. Please, take care of yourself out there these holidays. A recent joint study conducted by the Department of Health and the Department of Motor Vehicles indicates that *23%* of traffic accidents are alcohol related. This means that the remaining *77%* are caused by arseholes who drink bottled water, Starbucks, soda, juice, energy drinks and shit like that. Therefore, beware of those who do not drink alcohol. They cause three times as many accidents. Be careful out there. Content is copyright PC.Blo... more »

A Third Of All Russian Diplomats Work For Russian Intelligence

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 3 hours ago
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Security Council. One European expert estimates that at least a third of Russia's diplomats work for Putin's intelligence agencies. Alexei Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Reuters *Russian Spies Return to Europe in 'New Cold War' -- Elisabeth Bra, Newsweek * Earlier this month, experts convened in Brussels for a conference titled 'The Second Cold War: Heating Up?' Even among the plethora of current 'New Cold War' themed events, this one stood out: the organiser, Latvian MEP Tatjana Zdanoka, has been accused of being a Russian... more »

New Video Shows U.S. Tanks Crossing Into Latvia

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
*WNU Editor:* Reports of U.S. tanks being deployed to Latvia were* made last month* ... this new video shows this deployment has already happened. Here is an easy prediction .... this arms buildup is not going to calm tensions between Russia and the West. *Hat Tip:* *Zero Hedge*

Former U.S. Democrat Senator Bob Kerrey Blasts His Former Colleagues For Their CIA Torture Report

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
Former Sen. Kerrey at an event in 2007. (Reuters) *Sen. Bob Kerrey: Partisan Torture Report Fails America -- Bob Kerrey, USA Today* Intelligence agencies need guidance to do better, Senate Democrats failed to provide it. I regret having to write a piece that is critical of the Democratic members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Most of them are former colleagues and friends. I hope they will remain friends after reading this. For eight years I served on this committee. I know how difficult and important the work of providing tough and fair oversight of our nation's ... more »

Curious News Items ( December 10 , 2014 ) - US Treasury issuing Survival Kits For its Employees ...... Ukraine Government slashing and burning its public sector ( even as it admits it needs billions more in bailout monies - so that it can buy natural gas , coal and electricity from their Russian enemies ) ..... Venezuela edges closer to default ..... ECB's Draghi in check or checkmate regarding QE ......President Obama seeks unlimited war powers allegedly to fight ISIS ..... Greece slip sliding away - once again......Michael Scheuer defends torture program he designed for the CIA ( separated from birth from actor in Bourne Ultimatum ) .... More Fukushima nuclear disaster to chew on !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
Odd tidings ..... [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Why Is The US Treasury Quietly Ordering "Survival Kits" For US Bankers?Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/10/2014 - 15:32 The Department of *Treasury is spending $200,000 on survival kits* for all of its employees who oversee the federal banking system, according to a new solicitation. As FreeBeacon reports, *survival kits will be delivered to every major bank in the United States* and includes a solar blanket, food bar, water-purification tablets, and dust mask (among other things). *The question, obviously, is just what do they know ... more »

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 10, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
*Bank of America Sees $50 Oil As Opec Dies -- Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph* "Our biggest worry is the end of the liquidity cycle. The Fed is done. The reach for yield that we have seen since 2009 is going into reverse”, said Bank of America. The Opec oil cartel no longer exists in any meaningful sense and crude prices will slump to $50 a barrel over coming months as market forces shake out the weakest producers, Bank of America has warned. Revolutionary changes sweeping the world’s energy industry will drive down the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG), creating a “mu... more »

Is The White House Preparing To Purge The CIA?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
*White House Pushes Back Against Calls For CIA Purge -- Boston Globe/Bloomberg News* WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s spokesman Wednesday defended Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan against a call in Congress for his resignation, while refusing to say whether the president agreed with his contention that brutal interrogation methods saved lives. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama retains confidence in his CIA chief and rejected the suggestion by Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, that Obama ‘‘purge’’ his administration of anyone connected to the tortu... more »

International Reaction To The U.S. Senate's CIA Torture Report

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
*Blame, Praise, Shrug: Global Media Covers U.S. Torture -- Bloomberg Businessweek* Condemnation of U.S. torture dominated global media, sometimes accompanied by admiration for the political culture that produced the report on the CIA’s past treatment of terrorism suspects. Reaction to the report released on Dec. 9 by Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee was plastered across the front pages of the world’s newspapers -- or, in some cases, relegated to the middle sections by bigger local stories. The following is a roundup of some of the coverage from outside the U.S.: *... more »

Critics Of The U.S. Senate's CIA Torture Report Voice Their Concerns

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 5 hours ago
*Ex-CIA Officials Say Torture Report Is One-Sided, Flawed -- Reuters* (Reuters) - A group of former top-ranking CIA officials disputed a U.S. Senate committee's finding that the agency's interrogation techniques produced no valuable intelligence, saying such work had saved thousands of lives. Former CIA directors George Tenet, Porter Goss and Michael Hayden, along with three ex-deputy directors, wrote in an op-ed article published on Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal that the Senate Intelligence Committee report also was wrong in saying the agency had been deceptive about its ... more »

The BBC once again doing their best to protect their Labour friends (part 2)

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 5 hours ago
In amongst all of the BBC's almost hysterical coverage of the NHS's 'privatisation' there seems to be one factor missing, PFI. I haven't heard or seen a mention. The left-of-centre New Statesman manages to report that: 'To save the NHS, Labour must face the ugly truth of PFI debts Labour is right to focus on rescuing the NHS from the harm done by this government, but must face the truth that it was the party that introduced private finance into the health service in the first place. ... ...if Miliband is serious about rescuing the NHS, there is an ugly truth to face. The NHS i... more »

wild ride

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 5 hours ago
Frank Frazetta Painting with Fire

Time for Taiwan: Anytime for Taiwan Contest

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 5 hours ago
This is an NT$2 million contest, with the grand prize of a trip around the world. Here I am promoting and explaining it on FTV. _______________________ [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!

Never Make The Game Harder Than It Has To Be (K.I.S.S.- Keep It Simple St—d)

David Greene at Schools Matter - 6 hours ago
This is another essay written by my buddy Bernie Keller. From September 2011 through December 2011, I was sent to work in eleven different schools, a different school every week. For thirty-two years, I worked as a teacher of English at Adlai Stevenson high School. This means that in four months, I was sent to more schools than I had ever been sent to work at in over three decades! I don’t know about you, but this statistic tells me there is a problem, since the schools I’ve been sent to, especially those that are not doing well, represent the “external” solution to today’s educat... more »

Wee Davey

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 6 hours ago
And the waitress is thinking about DDD cause his tip are higher than his height and this is something an expericence waitrees can document we all live in fear of little men Napolean made this clear Litttle me doing great things well thats no longer relevant So now we are in the era of size matters six foot wonders who have generally made a boolax of everything All the best worn hookers complian about the friction from the member who if given a chance could never explain why he has a beautiful treasuer at home but in his eye he wants a painted lady to explain why he never was the man wh... more »

Pt 2- CIA Torture as an oppotunity for human experimentation!

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 6 hours ago
Following up on the post from yesterday: CIA Torture Report- Why not mention CIA doctors & Human Experimentation? Meet the Psychologists Who Helped the CIA Torture * The spin that **“Neither psychologist had any experience as an interrogator” is irrelevant*-* Ignore it! This mind virus is promoted so the incompetence meme can be pushed. I am calling bullshit- straight out on that! These two men weren't there to interrogate. Why would they have needed experience in that regard. They were their to aid in the torture by assisting the perpetrators of the abuse and gather information ... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago

Treasury Department Seeking Survival Kits For Bank Employees

D ... Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 6 hours ago
This document was issued by the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of Currencies- part of the United States Treasury Dept) on December 4th 2014, with an offer Due Date of December 18th 2014. Treasury Department Seeking Survival Kits For Bank Employees Emergency masks, solar blankets to be delivered to every major bank in the U.S. December 10, 2014 1:00 pm [image: AP] AP BY: Elizabeth Harrington December 10, 2014 1:00 pm The Department of Treasury is seeking to order survival kits for all of its employees who oversee the federal banking system, according to a new solicitation. The e... more »

Inequality? It’s education, not redistribution, stupid [updated]

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 6 hours ago
So the OECD working paper1 trumpeted in the last few days about “inequality” in New Zealand – reported as saying "income inequality stunts NZ growth" – turns out to say something subtly different, says* NBR*’s Nevil Gibson. The four-page summary report … has been seized on by the media the opposition as a “failure of trickle down economics” and a case for higher taxes on the rich and more redistribution to the poor. In fact, this is not the case. The main reason is the dated nature of statistical material, while the policy suggestions carry a heavy caveat that “Redistribution... more »

Michael James : Coin, Durango & Hannibal: On the road with Jesse James, 1979

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 7 hours ago
By noon Jesse and I were on the road, rolling west toward Durango, Colorado, to visit my ex-pro-football-playing friend David Meggyesy. By Michael James | The Rag Blog | December 10, 2014 [In this series, Michael James is sharing images … finish reading Michael James : Coin, Durango & Hannibal: On the road with Jesse James, 1979

“Eleven Reason’s I’m Ashamed to Be an American”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
*“Eleven Reason’s I’m Ashamed to Be an American”* by Dave Lindorff “I’m going to say it: I am ashamed to be a US citizen. This doesn’t come easily, because having lived abroad and seen some pretty nasty places in my time, I know there are a lot of great things about this country, and a lot of great people who live here, but lately, I’ve reached the conclusion that the US is a sick and twisted country, in which the bad far outweighs the good. I can remember first feeling revolted about my country several times. The first was when I realized, at the tender age of 17, what an atrocity... more »

Wall Street Strikes Again-- Against America

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
By this morning, progressives started signaling that they're not getting on board with the two corrupt Beltway party establishments' intention of using the last minute/must pass omnibus appropriations bill-- to keep the government open-- as an excuse for some especially ugly legislation they could otherwise not pass. Jim McDermott (D-WA) was as clear as a bell: "Republicans in Congress got burned for shutting the government down last year. They are clearly not going to let that happen again. However, their price for keeping the government running is a 2015 Omnibus Bill that conta... more »

Moody's: Who Is Worst Hit And Who Benefits Most From Plunging Oil Prices

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 7 hours ago
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Oil Price Slide: Moody's Estimates Who Is Worst Hit and who benefits most -- IBTimes* All the oil exporters do not face the same degree of negative impact of the oil price slide, and similarly, major importing countries see the positive impact of lower prices in varying degrees, Moody's Investors Service said on Wednesday. Russia and Venezuela are the worst hit among exporters as they depend heavily on the oil revenues while countries such as Saudi Arabia are better placed as they have better fiscal buffers. Mexico will also be resilient given its l... more »

The Economy: Greg Hunter, “Big Banks Will Take Depositors Money In Next Crash”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
*“Big Banks Will Take Depositors Money In Next Crash”* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com “The G-20 met recently in Australia to make new banking rules for the next financial calamity. Financial reform advocate Ellen Brown says these new rules will allow banks to take money from depositors and pensioners globally. Brown explains,“It became rules we agreed to actually implement. There was no treaty, and Congress didn’t agree to all this. They use words so that it’s not obvious to tell what they have done, but what they did was say, basically, that we, the governments, are no longer goi... more »

With Oil Revenues Plunging, Venezuela Is Facing A Major Economic Crisis

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 7 hours ago
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a cabinet meeting at Miraflores Palace in Caracas in this December 2, 2014 handout photo provided by Miraflores Palace. Credit: Reuters/Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters *Falling Oil Prices Turn Up The Heat On Venezuela’s Maduro -- Time* Oil and gas accounts for a quarter of Venezuela's economy, which was already struggling when global oil prices turned south, compounding Nicolás Maduro's political woes On Nov. 27, as the OPEC oil cartel gathered in Vienna to discuss falling oil prices, the front page of Venezuela’s anti-gover... more »

An activist tweets

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 8 hours ago
Following on from the previous post, one pro-Palestinian BBC Australia reporter simply isn't prepared to hold his own counsel on today's events near Ramallah: VIDEO of Palestinian Min Ziad Abu Ein death is inconclusive but shows Israeli soldiers doing nothing to help him. https://t.co/vrFuTflr2n — Jon Donnison (@JonDonnison) December 10, 2014

Roll on another open home

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 8 hours ago
For many people, attending open homes is work. This Dutch real estate agency made it fun … by adding a roller coaster. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

A Case Study

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 8 hours ago
The BBC can often be found focusing on a particular story across a broad range of its output (radio, TV, website). That's the way the BBC tends to operate. Thus, this evening (as of 7 o'clock, when I began writing this post), the BBC News website is leading with the story that 50% of us take prescription drugs. As did Radio 4's 6 o'clock news bulletin. And as did BBC One's News at Six. [ITV News, in contrast, led with the weather]. However, the BBC isn't a complete monolith and certain programmes can, it seems, opt out and go with their own agenda. And so, tonight's *PM *deci... more »

Dec. 10: Why the surprise?

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 8 hours ago
I apologize to the TandT. It thought it would give little attention to the CIA torture scandal.. To my surprise, it devoted one of the longest stories I have ever seen in this paper. But I am puzzled by it. Why does the story display shock and surprise that the CIA has been using torture? It's been well known for over a dozen years. There have been stories about it, pictures of it, videos. There are thousands of web sites from reputable sources that deal with this. Just check google for torture US - and list Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Guatemala, US prisons.....and the list goes on.... more »

Panic Is Growing In OPEC As Oil Prices Continue To Plunge And Forceasts Are Predicting Even Lower Prices

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 8 hours ago
*Oil Resumes Drop as Iran Sees $40 If There’s OPEC Discord -- Bloomberg* Brent crude fell near to a five-year low as OPEC said it expects demand for its crude next year to be the lowest since 2003. West Texas Intermediate also sank. Futures slid as much as 2.2 percent in London. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries lowered its estimate for demand for its crude in 2015 by about 300,000 barrels a day to 28.9 million. Crude could fall as low as $40 a barrel amid a price war or if divisions emerge in OPEC, said an official at Iran’s oil ministry. The U.S. Energy Informati... more »

There is a real climate catastrophe that doesn’t get talked about enough

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 8 hours ago
There is a very real climate catastrophe that rarely if ever gets talked about, says John Stossel. People argue about whether the "consensus" of scientists is that we face disaster because of global warming. Instead of debating whether man's greenhouse gasses will raise temperatures, we should argue about how we gauge disasters, argues John Stossel. And instead of talking about "climate change"—of which there will always be some, with or without human influence—we should focus on "climate catastrophe," weather that actually kills people. Those catastrophes, measured in lost lives,... more »

Washington Perpetuates The Cycle of Terrorism In The Middle East With US-Made Jihadist Textbooks

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 8 hours ago
*The Taliban and the Islamic State would be nowhere without the United States. Every time they blow themselves up in an Afghan market or a Syrian school in the name of Jihad they should chant "America is Great." Without Washington, these terrorist groups would have no arms, no money, no training, and no textbooks to continue the cycle of terrorism for the next generation of brainwashed Jihadists.* *An excerpt from, "Taliban Using Jihadist Textbooks…Supplied by the U.S." Blacklisted News, December 10, 2014: * "The USAID textbooks, however, are still being used, only now by the Tali... more »

Thick D - Insatiable

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 8 hours ago
No time for a blog post this evening, so here's an overlooked house cut from 2002. To hear *Insatiable* is to love it.

The BBC once again doing their best to protect their Labour friends (part 1)

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 8 hours ago
In all of the copious coverage of the CIA 'torture' claims of recent days I haven't heard or seen mention of possible British participation in or even just knowledge of these activities. By way of contrast The Telegraph report: 'The US Torture report provides reams of uncomfortable details about the CIA’s use of torture that was authorised by the administration of George W Bush, but for Britons it leaves one key question unanswered. What did Tony Blair, then Prime Minister, and Jack Straw, then Foreign Secretary, know of a CIA torture programme that was sanctioned at the very high... more »

THE AGE OF BELIEF: What should universities do?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 9 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014Part 3—Rolling Stone fails to ask:* Let’s return to yesterday’s question. Did a college student tell Rolling Stone that this event occurred? ERDELY (11/19/14): This past spring, in separate incidents, both Emily Renda and Jackie were harassed outside bars on the Corner by men who recognized them from presentations and called them "cunt" and "feminazi bitch." *One flung a bottle at Jackie that broke on the side of her face, leaving a blood-red bruise around her eye.* She e-mailed [Dean Nicole] Eramo so they could discuss the attack—and discuss another ... more »

Restoring Faith

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 9 hours ago
Some days I worry that the USA and by extension the Western world has become the evil empire. We know all the worst of the Soviet Union. Yet its not inconceivable that on a human level it was more sympathetic to the human condition than the Western World today. In the USSR everyone knew that dissent was a one way ticket to someplace even more unpleasant. I hope not to get off track but in China today its much the same way. The Chinese will put up with a lot, but you never critique the Emperor. President Obama inherited a chalice not only poisoned but so full of leaks the dosage wa... more »

Global Consciousness & The Noosphere

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 9 hours ago
*Damien Lafont* - We are indeed in a world made of connections and that is what gives us more energy and what makes us feel alive... The post Global Consciousness & The Noosphere appeared first on Waking Times .

National Menorah at White House reveals who runs America

The Realist Report at The Realist Report - 9 hours ago
*The Jerusalem Post* recently published an article reporting that Vice President Joe Biden will participate in the lighting of the National Menorah on display at the White House in Washington, DC, revealing who really runs America. It's not White Christian men, as the Jewish owned and controlled mass media would have us believe, that's for sure. Vice President Joe Biden will assist in the lighting this year of the Hanukka menorah on the ellipse in front of the White House. Biden’s participation on December 16, the first night of the holiday, marks *the 35th anniversary* of the firs... more »

It's December 10th...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 10 hours ago
*and it's 45° with a high of 54° predicted.* I'm headed out to trim trees and fill potholes in our road. I guess the Republicans gave the house away to Obama. Pigs... No offense to pigs intended.

Lead dogs

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 10 hours ago

Bear

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 10 hours ago

British Columbia`s LNG Industry Is Officially Dead And Buried, John Horgan Goes To Ground

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 11 hours ago
Good day readers, as you know The Straight Goods almost single handed has debunked and shredded the BC Liberal`s LNG bullshit spin, dismantled BC Liberal advertised LNG job numbers, tore apart their revenue forecasts, blasted Christy Clark`s LNG clucking from beak to egg-laying butt...This website was ahead of the curve, ahead of Reuters, CNBC..Ahead of everyone...Christy Clark proclaimed yesterday that Petronas was a done deal, she lies..Furthermore, Petronas announced in the public domain that if indeed they were to build an LNG plant...Of $11 billion in spending on their LELU i... more »

Realitas : Deceit surrounding Soekarno's Inheritance-Assets (1963 Nov 12-14, Green Hilton Agreement)

Gforce at Zionist Made2Happen Disasters - 11 hours ago
- aired on MetroTV, Indonesia on 13 Aug, 2014. http://sejarah.kompasiana.com/2014/08/18/realitas-tipu-tipu-harta-warisan-bung-karno-green-hilton-agreement-669195.html Realitas: Tipu-tipu Harta Warisan Bung Karno (Green Hilton Agreement) HL | 18 August 2014 | 17:58 Dibaca: * 3235 * Review by Arnold Adoe. *Reality: Deceit surrounding Soekarno's Inheritance-Assets (Green Hilton Agreement)* - aired on MetroTV on 11 Aug, 2014. HL| 18 August 2014 | 17:58 [image: Green Hilton Agreement (sbrgbr: 4bpblogspot)] Green Hilton Agreement (sbrgbr: 4bpblogspot) [image:... more »

What's The Difference Between A Conservative And A Reactionary Or A Fascist?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
19th century American poet, essayist and champion of individual freedoms, Ralph Waldo Emerson, had a pretty good definition of what it means to be a conservative in his *The Conduct of Life*: "All conservatives are such from personal defects. They have been effeminated by position of nature, born halt and blind, through luxury of their parents, and can only, like invalids, act on the defensive." Sounds about right to me, although the mass media they own sure doesn't paint them so, not in the 21st century. In fact, reading the Beltway-centric media about politics can only leave the... more »

Seeking nominees for Censored News Heroes in Resistance Awards

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 11 hours ago
Censored News Photos Seeking nominees for Censored News Heroes in Resistance  Censored News will honor our heroes. Please send us the names of your heroes, so we can honor those who made a difference in 2014. Please include grassroots people, media, and all other heroes.  Also, please nominate heroes for Censored News Lifetime of Resistance Award. Thank you! brendanorrell@gmail.com

Renewed push for clemency for Leonard Peltier

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 12 hours ago
. Renewed push for clemency for Leonard Peltier  Media Contact: Jack Magee Email: jacko@dublin.com Dec. 10, 2014  Press statement posted at Censored News December 10th, International Human Rights Day, marks the beginning of a Human Rights Action Center (www.humanrightsactioncenter.org) global campaign to seek clemency for Native American Leonard Peltier. Peltier, now 70 years of age

MeTA 18: More Financial Independence, More Stakeholders Participation

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 12 hours ago
The Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) Philippines will be conducting meetings and fora next year related to health transparency and its own financial sustainability. It is a UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded project conducted in seven developing countries including the Philippines. Thus, while MeTA is classified as a non-government organization (NGO), technically it is a government-funded organization (GFO). Despite this fact, MeTA-PH is providing the regular venue for multistakeholder discussions on medicines and healthcare in general in the Philippine... more »

The Chinese Nostradamus

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 12 hours ago
*John Chambers* - Does the warrior, politician, prognosticator of the future and explorer of ancient “New Age” lore known as Liu Ji or Liu Bowen have the right to be called “the Chinese Nostradamus?” The post The Chinese Nostradamus appeared first on Waking Times.

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 12 hours ago
*Louisiana has ambitious $50B plan to fight wetlands erosion, but will it work? ~The Advocate*

Is it the "Guardian" of Judea or Observer of Zion? Lefty Censorship.

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 12 hours ago
While reading at Gilad Atzmon's I stumbled across a post of his*, linked below.* After reading through I knew the article he referenced was linked here when it was first published! Although it dealt with a previously covered topic it was nice to see the subject get such a prominent mention in a more broadly read outlet then my little blog. Sadly, that article cost it's author Nafeez Ahmed his job, for daring to point out the simple fact that Israel covets energy wealth that belongs to Gaza. *For Shame!* *Gilad Atzmon* *"**GA: Being the subversive mind who coined the above observatio... more »

Not the 'Exceptional Nation' After All

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 12 hours ago
The just released CIA torture report drives the final deadly stake through the dark heart of American exceptionalism. The US is a corrupt, brutal, depraved, mob-run, bankrupt, greedy, warlike corporate entity. Any claims that "USA is #1" or "We are the greatest country in the history of the planet" have now been forever put to rest. It just ain't so. The report indicates that these were just some of the 'techniques' used to interrogate prisoners: - Rectal feeding and rehydration - a ‘lunch tray’ consisting of hummus, pasta with sauce, nuts and raisins was ‘pureed and re... more »

Abolish the CIA

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 12 hours ago
The Central Intelligence Agency, as far as I can tell, serves one major purpose. And that is of a taxpayer-funded criminal enterprise. Among the many hats it wears are: secret paramilitary wing of the White House, money launderer, drug and arms dealer (Iran-Contra) associate of the Mafia (Castro assassination plot) fomenter of coups, and overthrower of democratically elected governments. (the latest in Ukraine.) Its ostensible, official function as a gatherer of intelligence has, from all indications, been an abysmal failure for its entire 60-plus year life. The CIA failed to see ... more »

There's a million stories in the big city

Jody Paterson at A Closer Look: Jody Paterson - 13 hours ago
Horse cart man and cotton candy vendor at the end of their day, Managua Oh, for a good newspaper that had an appetite for day-in-the-life stories from Nicaragua. I can't walk a block without being intrigued by yet another person scratching out what passes for a living in some unusual way, and would love an excuse to be talking to each of them about what their work days are like. There are the fire jugglers and the windshield washer guys at the big intersections, for instance. Are they putting in long days scratching for one or two *cordobas *from the handful of drivers who ... more »

This South African Farmer is Doing Something Wonderful for His Community

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 13 hours ago
*Video* - This is the inspiring story of Phakamani, a young farmer teaching rural South African youth to grow their own food... The post This South African Farmer is Doing Something Wonderful for His Community appeared first on Waking Times.

Musical Interlude: “Celtic Music - Relaxing And Beautiful Mix”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 13 hours ago
*“Celtic Music - Relaxing And Beautiful Mix”* “New Age music is an umbrella term for various down tempo music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often associated with environmentalism and New Age spirituality. The harmonies in New Age music are generally modal, consonant, or include a drone bass. The melodies are sometimes recordings of nature sounds and used as an introduc... more »

Spiritual Ecology

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 13 hours ago
*Llewelllyn Vaughan-Lee* - Reconnecting to the sacred as a means to heal ourselves and the environment. The post Spiritual Ecology appeared first on Waking Times.

Matter of Honour!

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 13 hours ago
Its a matter of honour and i will have to kill you for it Times change when you realize that in many dressing rooms stepping on the crest is a death sentance. I will kill you for what\ If I kill someone I also have death Sometimes there is a war or great conflict where I must extingihs your musk. I just wonder really if this is still going on? The cavemen are going to attack us with diry bombs are they not pathetic and should our response not be equally thought out and genuillly patriotic.

"Subliminal Programming"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 13 hours ago
*“Subliminal Affirmations for Clearing Negativity (30 Minutes of Rain)”* “This 30 minute video has the following list of affirmations embedded and looped in the audio track. Use this while you unwind and relax or to reprogram your subconscious while, and/or while you sleep.” I am the master of my thoughts. I choose to think ONLY positive thoughts. I remain positive even in difficult or stressful situations. I am always at peace. I am always aware of my emotions. I release any negative thoughts quickly and easily. All of my positive thoughts are VERY powerful. Any negative thoughts I may h... more »

"Affirmations: Words of Wisdom"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 13 hours ago
*"Affirmations: Words of Wisdom"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "Our minds accept as truth the critical statements we tell ourselves, but it can also accept our positive affirmations. The words we speak and think hold great sway over the kind of life that we create for ourselves. Many people live their lives plagued by negative thoughts and never even realize this. They tell themselves and others that they are doomed to fail, not good enough, or not worthy of love, yet they are amazed when their reality starts reflecting these words. Just as the subconscious mind accepts as truth ... more »

CIA tortured innocents to hide 9/11 false flag

Kevin Barrett at truthjihad.com blog - 13 hours ago
*Is the newly-released US Senate report on CIA torture a limited hangout?* It certainly looks that way. The report tells one very important half of the truth. But it leaves out the other, even more important half. The Senate report reveals that the CIA engaged in long-term, viciously brutal torture of "terror suspects" under the false pretense of trying to extract information. In fact, the torturers knew full well that such long-term torture is completely useless…at least if the purpose is to extract timely, accurate data. But it works wonders for extracting false confessions…an... more »

Editor's Note

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 13 hours ago
Regular readers of this blog know that one my closest friends/and business partner suffered a loss in his family a few days ago. I will need to be with him and his family today .... therefore blogging will return later today.

"Afformations: Change Your Life!"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 14 hours ago
*"Afformations: Change Your Life!"* by Noah St. John, Ph.D. "Afformations are empowering questions (NOT “affirmations”) that immediately change your subconscious thought patterns from negative to positive. The staggering realization I made was that you create your reality in two ways: by the statements you say to yourself and others, and by the questions you ask yourself and others. Traditional success teachers have focused a great deal of energy telling you to change your statements; no one had fully realized, or shown how to harness, the awesome power of what happens when you cha... more »

Attacks and Casualties In Iraq See Large Drop In 3rd Week of November 2014

MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 14 hours ago
The third week of November 2014 saw a sizeable decrease in both dead and wounded in Iraq. This was due to the continued low rate of reported security incidents in the country. In the provinces the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and insurgents continued to fight for control of central and eastern Anbar. In Babil, the Islamic State (IS) has been pushed out of its long time base in Jurf al-Sakhr and has relocated to the north. The capital saw more car bombs, while there was a sizeable clash in Abu Ghraib to the west. The ISF and peshmerga launched a coordinated campaign in eastern Diyal... more »

Shakespeare Couldn't Write

Spike EP at News Spike - 14 hours ago
*Tom Stoppard is clearly aware of these problems.* *Stupid, Stupid, Lemon Stupid.* *Alois Hitler (Junior).* *Alois Hitler Senior was illiterate, but had a lot of money.* *He was a playboy.* *And until the age of 35, he was Alois Shicklgruber.* *Shakespeare wasn't Shakespeare and Hitler wasn't Hitler.* *"Shakespeare" was Christopher Marlowe * *and "Adolph Hitler"/Hittler/Heidler was Adolph Shicklgruber.* *(PROBABLY)* *EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG.*

Taiwan Says ‘No’ to Close China Ties

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
[image: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (2nd R leaves a polling station after voting in Taipei on Nov. 29, 2014. Unease about his pro-China policies contributed to the KMT's crushing electoral defeat in local races across the country (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images)] China gets to make the first installment on it reward for imperial arrogance. Hong Kong does matter, because Taiwan expects no better. The voters no longer like what they can see. And why should they? They are continuing to do better day after day and they are sure that they can see off any Chinese adventurism.Add in th... more »

Lake Effect Snow

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
[image: Lake Effect Snow: How Nature's Greatest Snow Machine Works] I grew up been well exposed to the lake effect in the lee of Lake Huron. it was called the snow belt for good reason. This year Buffalo really caught it. Rather clearly, the weather holiday is totally over and we are back to the full winters i grew up with. This alway seemed to mean three three day blizzards every winter that filled up the snow fences and left deep snow in the woods. It also meant unscheduled school holidays as well as transportation shut down. It all added up to Novemver, December, Jan... more »

Military Units Attack US on Daily Basis

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
[image: A Chinese soldier stands guard in the Chinese Defense Ministry's Bayi Building in Beijing on Sept. 9, 2013. An estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese soldiers are involved in hacking the computers of other nations' governments and businesses. (Alexander F. Yuan-Pool/Getty Images)] The central problem is that Chinese intelligence gathering happens to be a global effort and is directed primarily at soft targets that can also be profitable. This has strongly assisted Chinese corporations with access to gain commercial advantage at least on the basis of ride price competition.... more »

The Self is Moral

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 14 hours ago
[image: 'Moral features are the chief dimension by which we judge'; detail from The Conversion of Saint Paul by Caravaggio 1600-1601. Photo courtesy Wikimedia] This is a difficult idea that demands analysis and the take home to start with in this item is that our unique self is driven by our plausibly hard wired moral sense. That is something to contemplate. We are wired to know right from wrong and aberations will thus actually have a physical expression as well. There are hints of this been true but understanding the centrality of moral knowledge makes it a plausible ... more »

Bill C-639 (Amended!)

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 14 hours ago
Dr. Dawg talks about it here. Another private member's bill that has the full backing of the harpercon government. This one will criminalize people who peacefully "interfere" with the "enjoyment" of "critical infrastructure." This includes 10-year sentences for protesters who block the building of a pipeline to bring bitumen to the BC coast where it will spill into the coastal waters and devastate them. Or the oil pipeline itself (built below standards by underpaid foreign labour) will leak and flood the lands of one of Canada's First Nations. Cue the shit-heads both at that *Nation... more »

Gaia Sophia Dreaming ~ Living in the Heart ~ Dreaming Truth into Reality

Mars Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 14 hours ago
Aloha ~ Fly with us on a Magical Mystical Wave as we connect in the Heart and Share ~ We Love hearing from you ~ tune in dive deep explore expand create and have fun while Living in the Heart ~ Dreaming Truth into Reality ~ Harmony of Being ~ Freedom Life ~ Wisdom Goddesses ~ Gaia Sophia ~ Kali Ma ~ Awareness ~ Imagination ~ All Is Self ~ Self Is All ~ Heart Soul Essence ~ Eternal Now ~ Beyond Limiting Mental Constructs and Belief Systems ~ Transcending Linear Time and Space ~ Releasing All Fears ~ True Divine Source ~ Living in the Core of Creation ~ One Heart One Love ~ Lokahi ... more »

Bill Donahue - Learn 'Hidden Meanings' of the Bible

Mars Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 14 hours ago
*Hidden Meanings* *Get truth delivered to your inbox every week.* Subscribe to GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING by Email

"The World You Desired..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 15 hours ago
“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul peris... more »

Harnessing The Energy Of The Young

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 15 hours ago
http://www.vice.com/ Generational conflict awaits Canadians -- unless the young are brought into the political process. And Franks Graves' latest polling suggests that is not happening. Graves reports: Among younger Canadians there is clear sense that the playing field is tilted to favour older voters. This perception may be grounded in harsh realities about how the economy, our democracy and our public institutions are performing. The youth vote is increasingly irrelevant to the business of winning elections — so political age... more »

Who Gets Fucked When DC Republicrats Decide To Compromise? Not The Koch Brothers, Wall Street Or The Adelsons

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
Well, the regular working families are the ones who take it in the neck, of course. Republicans grudgingly prepared to not shut down the government by bragging to their extremist fringe that they would still enforce plenty of pain on the poor people their party is perpetually at war with. As John Nichols wrote last week for *The Nation*, "the problem with bipartisanship as it is currently understood is that, for the most part, cooperation in Congress serves the elites that already are living large thanks to federal tax policies that redistribute wealth upward." As we pointed out, ... more »

People Now Like To Get Their News From The Internet

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 15 hours ago
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Pew: 75% 'Better Informed' Because Of Internet News Sites, Don't Feel 'Overloaded' -- Washington Examiner* The Internet is revolutionizing news consumption, with more than seven in 10 telling Pew Research Center that they are better informed than they were five years ago because of the news websites they visit daily. In Pew’s latest survey of Internet use, 75 percent said they are “better informed” about national news, and a near equal 74 percent on international news. Just as importantly, 72 percent said that having so much information at their fin... more »

The Chinese Military Has A HUGE Corruption Problem

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 15 hours ago
Midas touch: Former PLA Lieutenant General Gu Junshan would bribe officials by filling up a Mercedes with gold bars and simply handing over the keys, according to a recent magazine report in Hong Kong *'Gold-Obsessed' Chinese Officer's Graft Case Worth $5 Billion: Magazine -- Reuters* (Reuters) - A former senior Chinese military officer was obsessed with gold and often ferried gold bars for bribes in a luxury car, a Hong Kong magazine reported on Monday, in connection with a graft case which investigators estimate is worth some $5 billion. The government charged Lieutenant General... more »

11 Things Guaranteed to Depress Your Immune System

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 16 hours ago
*Mae Chan* - Knowing the things that damage your immune system can make a big difference in how long and how often you encounter illness. The post 11 Things Guaranteed to Depress Your Immune System appeared first on Waking Times.

The CIA Turned America Into The Land of Anal Rape

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 16 hours ago
It is painful to watch television news on any regular day, but a day like yesterday was really hard. It was a horror show. But I couldn't look away completely. I watched CNN for a few moments, and saw a CIA lawyer who was instrumental in approving torture techniques tearing up a bit. He put on an emotional and very artful act for the cameras to draw sympathy from the viewers. The only words I got out of his conversation with Wolf Blitzer were "rectal feeding." That shocked the hell out of me. Is this how low America has stooped? The Mullah regime in Iran is famous for anal rape, so ... more »

Libya Updates ( December 10 , 2014 ) Libya looted monies found in South Africa ..... UN led peace talks postponed ...... State of Play - Libya Battlefield

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
Tweets.... *Good Morning Libya* @Morning_LY · 2h2 hours ago Found in South Africa … #Libya’s trillions http://bit.ly/1vO04ny IOL News [image: View this content on IOL News's website] Found in SA … Libya’s trillions - Politics | IOL News | IOL.co.za By IOL News @IOL Government caught in wrangle over stash of Libyan loot in South African warehouses View on web *Good Morning Libya* @Morning_LY · 4h4 hours ago Al Arabiya - U.N. postpones start of new #Libya peace talks http:// ara.tv/zuysz Al Arabiya English [image: View this content on Al Arabiya English's website] U.N. postpo... more »

Human Rights Day Blast from the Past

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 16 hours ago
*A Taiwan beer truck at the Miaoli marathon this weekend.* As this blog slowly returns to normal after the election crush, I'd like to observe that today is Dec 10, Human Rights Day, and the anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident in 1979, a watershed moment in the history of Taiwan. The leaders of the democracy movement in Taiwan, including current K-town mayor Chen Chu, were arrested and imprisoned, and they and the lawyers who defended them, including Su Tseng-chang and Chen Shui-bian, gained lasting fame, becoming stalwarts of the DPP. In honor of their sacrifices, I present this ... more »

Iraq / Syria Regional War Updates ( December 10 , 2014 ) Political state of play ( US domestic politics and international items of note ) , State of play on battlefield , CIA torture update , Lebanon and Israel intrigue , ISIS chemical weapon threat - real or not ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
Links...... *Obama Wants Options for Ground Troops in Iraq* *Sen. Paul Slams Kerry's Limitless ISIS War Authorization Call* *Iraq PM Pushes Hagel for More Arms, More Airstrikes* *CIA Tortured Many, Lied Often, Gained Little Intel* *CIA Interrogation Report: The 20 Key Findings* *17 Disgraceful Facts Buried in the Senate's 600-Page Torture Report* Tweets..... *Syria Deeply* ‏@SyriaDeeply 1m 1 minute ago Prominent Syrian human rights defenders – the Douma Four – remain missing a year after their abduction http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/12/0 9/syria-no-word-4-abducted-activis... more »

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jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 16 hours ago
*‘This Isn’t Education, It’s Indoctrination’: Notre Dame Offers Seminar On White Privilege* The University of Notre Dame is offering a one hour credit seminar discussing the critical issue of white privilege. The class is being offered in the spring semester of 2015. In the course registrar, the course is listed as Sociology 25280 and is named “White Privilege Seminar.” The course will meet eight times next semester for two hours each time. The course description goes into more detail as to the logistics of the class. “This six-week preparatory class is designed to educate and t... more »

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JR at GREENIE WATCH - 16 hours ago
*A physicist who ignores physics* *A very complacent-looking Isaac TamblynThe amusing article below is written by Isaac Tamblyn, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. So what is his argument for doing something about alleged global warming? Is it anything from physics? No. The authorities he quotes are public opinion polls. Public opinion poll physics must be a new low in physics* I do not believe that climate change deniers exist. I have heard the statistics and have seen the graphs, but I am not convinced. So I do what t... more »

Lost in the Hills of Miaoli

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 17 hours ago
Still recovering, but this weekend I did a lovely long ride in the hills of Miaoli. Got thoroughly lost and ended up being out for a couple of hours longer than I had planned. But it was a beautiful day, and I was in the company of my friend Iris, a strong rider who somehow found it in herself to forgive me for getting her lost. Click READ more to read more... There is no map of this ride, because I got lost. We rode over to Jhuolan in Miaoli, and then went out Zhongzheng Road, the Miaoli 54-1, which follows a steep climb through a cemetery. The 54-1 has a good work/reward ratio, ... more »

Wendy's : "Dave is On the Square"

Spike EP at News Spike - 18 hours ago
*TROWEL* An implement of Operative Masonry, which has been adopted by Speculative Freemasons as the peculiar working-tool of the Master's Degree. By this implement, and its use in Operative Masonry to spread the cement which binds all the parts of the building into one common mass, we are taught to spread the cement of affection and kindness, which unites all the members of the Masonic family, wheresoever dispersed over the globe, into one companionship of Brotherly Love and an old custom in an Oxford Lodge, England, gave it prominence as a jewel, and as a symbol it goes back to t... more »

8 Affirmations to Repeat Each Morning

Waking Times at Waking Times - 18 hours ago
*Meme -* The power of intention can have a profound impact on your life. The post 8 Affirmations to Repeat Each Morning appeared first on Waking Times.

French Navy Evaluated the Future F3R Standard of the Rafale with Meteor Missiles

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 18 hours ago
[image: Rafale launching Meteor missile]From 1st to 4th December 2014, pilots of the French Navy Naval Aviation Practical Experimentation Center (centre d’expérimentations pratiques de l’aéronautique navale - CEPA) participated in the first evaluation campaign of the Rafale's future F3R standard. This campaign allowed the French Navy to test the fire control of the new MBDA Meteor long range air to air missile in an operational context (while in flight) and to propose improvements to the system. Thanks to the range of the Meteor missile and the detection range of the new active el... more »

US Marine Corps flies data link-equipped MALD-J® for first time

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 18 hours ago
[image: ADM-160C MALD-J]The U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force successfully collaborated with Raytheon Company for the first flight demonstration of a Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J®) equipped with a radio data link. Adding the data link expands the weapon's situational awareness and allows for in-flight targeting adjustments. Raytheon flew a captive carry mission from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma to support a Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructor exercise. Read more

Slouching Towards Rex-84 : LBJ and the Battle Against Martial Law

Spike EP at News Spike - 18 hours ago
*Watts, August 1965* *Berkley, December 2014* *"I'm not going to send anyone out there* [to California]* that *[the] *State doesn't ask for - I don't want to completely admit that City government, State Government, County government is impotent in this country and 'I'm a Dictator'... And if the Governor of the State asks me, as Wallace did, 'I'm financially unable,' or 'I have no power to do this', then I'll move in two minutes..." **- Lyndon Baines Johnson, August 14th 1965* LBJ and Joseph Califano, 8/14/1965, 8.09PM from Spike EP on Vimeo. * "The Secretary of the Army was Cyr... more »

Alternative Media and the MH17 JIT Reversal

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 18 hours ago
*December 10, 2014* (Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - After weeks of protests and growing suspicion, Dutch authorities overseeing the investigation of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have finally included Malaysia as a member of its Joint Investigation Team (JIT). Malaysia had made it clear it was immensely displeased with its inexplicable exclusion from JIT formed after the downing of MH17 over eastern Ukraine. Including NATO members (Belgium and the Netherlands), a defacto NATO collaborator (Australia) and a potential culprit in the air disaster (Ukraine), Malaysia's exclusion looked to be a ... more »

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D ... Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 19 hours ago
If a picture is worth a thousand words... this one is worth at least a million bit coins!!! Data Data Data folks!! Love D

LeBron James vs. The House of Windsor

Spike EP at News Spike - 19 hours ago
*They're at it again...* *Question : Is not the Daily Telegraph breaking Royal Protocol by (still) filing her press clippings under "Kate Middleton" and not "HRH The Dutchess of Cambridge"...?* *Does the house organ of MI6 know something is coming which we don't...?* *She is a born commoner, after all...* African Depopulation - The True Reason for Bob Geldof's Knighthood from Spike EP on Vimeo. Ethiopian charity scam. Millions of dollars in Western aid for victims of the Ethiopian famine of 1984-85 was siphoned off by rebels to buy weapons, a BBC investigation finds. Form... more »

Eurofighter Typhoon completes first live firings of Meteor missile

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
[image: Meteor missile]BAE Systems has completed the first in a series of live firings of the Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile from Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft at the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Hebrides firing range in the UK. Supported by MBDA, Selex, Qinetiq and the MoD, the trials demonstrate the effective operation of the Meteor missile with Typhoon, while expanding the jettison envelope by conducting firings at different altitudes and speeds. The trials also evaluate the interface of Meteor with the Typhoon weapon system for both pre-launch priming and post-la... more »

NEB: Rubber-stamping pipelines and boasting about it

Boris at The Galloping Beaver - 19 hours ago
Hostile to the public interest. Conservative Party agent. Oil sector agent. In league with Satan. Pick your description, either the formerly respectable National Energy Board, which you pay for, will not help you understand and possibly object to an oil or gas development in your neighbourhood. Fascism. Now read this.

Britainnic

Spike EP at News Spike - 19 hours ago

Latest F-35 Flaw Makes Jet Problematic for Israel

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: F-35B Lightning II]Not even off the lot, the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet is turning into an even bigger lemon than first anticipated by Israeli politicians who fought the deal forced on the Jewish State with a U.S. military aid package by the White House. A story published over the weekend on the U.S. Air Force website revealed “the F-35 has a fuel temperature threshold, and may not function properly if the fuel temperature is too high.” The problem was troubling enough that seven USAF bases are testing new ways to “mitigate any possible aircraft shutdowns due to high f... more »

Navy Could Test Aerial Refueling on X-47B in 2015

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: X-47B UCLASS]If the Navy can get the resources, it plans to test an aerial refueling capability on its experimental carrier-launched unmanned aerial vehicle, the X-47B, as early as next year, Naval Air Systems Command officials told USNI News on Tuesday. The move follows a $64 million June 2014 contract award to Northrop Grumman that extended the testing schedule of the Navy’s two X-47Bs on carriers and continue autonomous aerial refueling (AAR) research as part of the Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System demonstration (UCAS-D) program. “Those efforts include additional [carrie... more »

Chinese Military Bomber Aircraft Fly Menacingly Near Japan Islands; Analysts Say Guam Base Can Be Under Threat

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: H-6 Badger]An incident involving a slew of Chinese military aircraft, including bombers, trying to transgress Japan's air space has been reported. The incident happened on Dec 6 and it is said that the aircraft were capable of posing a threat to Guam military base of the U.S. army. The Chinese provocation was in the area between Japan's Okinawa's island and Miyako island. The incident came up amidst some recent warmth in China-Japan relations after the APEC summit in Beijing. Read more

U.S. spending bill adds $1.46 billion for military to buy 15 Boeing jets

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: EA-18G Growler]A spending bill agreed by lawmakers from the U.S. House and Senate provides $554.2 billion in funding for the U.S. military in fiscal 2015, including $1.46 billion for 15 EA-18G electronic attack jets built by Boeing Co. A summary of the $1.1 trillion "omnibus" bill released late Tuesday said the base appropriation for the Pentagon would be $490.2 billion, with $64 billion in additional war funding. The measure also includes $112 million in emergency funds to respond to the Ebola crisis. Read more

Russian specialists to service India’s Vikramaditya carrier on permanent basis

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: INS Vikramaditya]A special group of Russian specialists will be responsible for the post-guarantee maintenance of India’s aircraft carrier The Vikramaditya in India on the permanent basis, the general director of the naval shipyard Sevmash, Mikhail Budnichenko, told TASS in an interview. The Vikramaditya (formerly The Admiral Gorshkov) was upgraded at the Sevmash shipyard. Since its handover to India in November 2013, it has spent more than 220 days on the high seas. The warranty period expired on November 16. Read more

AI Capable US Anti-Ship Missile Spooks Russia, Lavrov Vows To Retaliate

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 21 hours ago
The United States is spooking Russia yet again with its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile or LRASM. The latest weapon from U.S. is built with artificial intelligence -- capable of sending messages to multiple missiles of its kind in what could be describe as a spider-web communication system. The built in AI makes several missiles capable of independently strategising an offense against its enemy. The missile can also send threat signals and coordinates to other war ships and aircrafts within the battlefield. It can traverse waters at high-subsonic speeds, independently correcting it... more »

Meet the Barracuda - the First Warship India Will Export

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 21 hours ago
[image: CGS Barracuda]Coast Guard Ship Barracuda - a 75 ft by 15 ft vessel which can house 20-odd sailors - may be a small by warship standards, but it is a great leap for India. Barracuda - designed and built by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders - is India first warship which is to be exported. Mauritius is buying it for Rs. 350 crore. It will be handed over to Mauritius in another 10 days. Two more ships are under construction at the Goa Shipyard - another Defence Public Sector Unit - and will be sold to Sri Lanka. Read more

MIT's terror against Walter Lewin's lectures is unacceptable

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 21 hours ago
*Banned lectures and rewritten history resemble Nazism* Prof Walter Lewin has been a hero of the open courses. His online MIT courses on physics – usually "rather elementary" physics – have attracted millions of viewers. You may perhaps find some cool videos on YouTube. Dilaton has noticed an MIT press release (see also NYT) that proudly informs that a student has complained about some online communication with Lewin. A committee has determined that he has violated a "sexual harassment" regulation at MIT. The result? They removed all of his videos from MIT websites and declared t... more »

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 21 hours ago
“Why are there faint rings around this spiral galaxy? Possibly because the galaxy, NGC 4911, is being pulled at by its neighbors as it falls into the enormous Coma Cluster of Galaxies. If NGC 4911 ends up like most of the galaxies in the central Coma cluster, it will become a yellowish elliptical galaxy, losing not only its outer layers, but dust, gas, and its cadre of surrounding satellite galaxies as well. Currently, however, this process is just beginning. *Click image for larger size.* Visible in the above deep image from the Hubble Space Telescope are NGC 4911's bright nucleus... more »

Navy has to ask French for help in hunt for 'Russian submarine' thanks to defence cuts

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 21 hours ago
[image: Scrapped Nimrod]Britain was forced to call on its NATO allies for maritime aircraft to help hunt for a suspected foreign submarine after the Government scrapped its own patrol planes in defence cuts. At the height of the operation, five aircraft from four different nations were working with Royal Navy ships in the search for the mystery vessel. Since the Government scrapped its Nimrods in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review - claiming it would save £2billion over a decade - the UK has lacked a specialist maritime patrol aircraft. Read more

Rattled by Chinese submarines, India joins other nations in rebuilding fleet

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 21 hours ago
[image: INS Chakra]India is speeding up a navy modernisation programme and leaning on its neighbours to curb Chinese submarine activity in the Indian Ocean, as nations in the region become increasingly jittery over Beijing's growing undersea prowess. Just months after a stand-off along the disputed border dividing India and China in the Himalayas, Chinese submarines have shown up in Sri Lanka, the island nation off India's southern coast. China has also strengthened ties with the Maldives, the Indian Ocean archipelago. China's moves reflect its determination to beef up its presence ... more »

Climate Tricks 35:Follow the Money, Trillions of $$$

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 21 hours ago
One reason why the ecological movement is persistent on "man-made warming/CC" is because they are targeting amount of money, hundreds of billions of dollars per year, not per decade or one time payment. See various reports below. Hey taxpayers of rich countries, will you remain rich if this large-scale extortion is implemented via the UN and other multilateral bodies (WB, ADB, IMF, etc.)? (1) From interaksyon, Dec. 6, 2014 *Developing countries may need up to $500 billion per year by 2050 to adapt to the ravages of climate change, dwarfing previous estimates, a UN report said Frid... more »

Lamar W. Hankins : A problem with authority

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 23 hours ago
By the age of 20, I was aware of the frequent exercise of authority in illegitimate, violent, corrupt, and otherwise abusive ways. By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | December 9, 2014 The recent cases in both Ferguson, … finish reading Lamar W. Hankins : A problem with authority

The Order of the Golden Ratio in Space-Time

Waking Times at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Anna Hunt - *Researchers from South Africa claim that the golden ratio can be seen in the topology of space-time, giving the argument that the ratio keeps the entire Universe in order. The post The Order of the Golden Ratio in Space-Time appeared first on Waking Times.

Re. release of the "Senate Torture Report," what might Beethoven's Don Florestan and Donna Leonore have to say?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*"We need reliable intelligence," Young Johnny McCranky said today on the Senate floor. And, he insisted, "Torture produces more misleading information than actionable intelligence."* *by Ken* Earlier this evening Howie wrote about the will-they-or-won't-they-release-it situation of the "executive summary" of what I'm just going to call the Senate Torture Report. And he already had me thinking about it yesterday when he passed along the above clip of Young Johnny McCranky on the Senate floor. As it happened, I took a half sick day this morning, and listened on the radio on to ong... more »

You Can Keep Your Money, EU Jackasses, Just Stop Funding ISIS Terrorists

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
*For ISIS's immoral and criminal leaders, money has no religious significance, so they're more than willing to take Kafir (infidel) money if the price is right. They're more of a criminal enterprise, with links to many intelligence agencies, both regional and Western, than a serious religious movement that seeks the reform of Sunni Muslim states.* An excerpt from, *"EU announces $12.3 million in aid for Syrian civilians in Turkey, Syria"* Al-Akhbar, December 9, 2014: The European Union on Tuesday announced 10 million euros ($12.3 million) in new humanitarian aid for Syrian civili... more »

Living in a Resource Based Economy

Waking Times at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Video - *We are intrinsically connected to the planet. How do we go about living in a way that allows the human race to live well? The post Living in a Resource Based Economy appeared first on Waking Times.

Vladimir Putin after many months of trying to make peace with the war-mongering U.S. and its European vassals: "We will protect the diversity of the world. We will tell the truth to people abroad, so that everyone can see the real and not distorted and false image of Russia. We will actively promote business and humanitarian relations, as well as scientific, education and cultural relations. We will do this even if some governments attempt to create a new iron curtain around Russia. We will never enter the path of self-isolation, xenophobia, suspicion and the search for enemies. All this is evidence of weakness, while we are strong and confident. "

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 1 day ago
------------------------------ *http://www.vineyardsaker.it/* THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 Disgusted, Russia officially gives up any pretense of "dialog" with the AngloZionist Empire Dear friends, The full address of President Putin to the Federal Assembly is now available online and, since this is a very long text, I will not re-post it here. What I propose to do here is to bring to your attention four verbatim excerpts from his speech with some key segments bolded out. Most of the speech was on economic and internal matters, but I think that these four points and, especially, th... more »

Note first that THE CRUX is a western businessman's journal. It is not political. Thus, it does not take a position as to whether Russia deserves the sanctions hung on it, or whether the allegations are all lies originated by the U.S. (the actual truth). Rather, it provides strong data showing that the EU is severely, and irrevesibly, damaging their economies solely to please Washington. It is one thing for the EU countries to be vassals of Washington but quite another to sacrifice the well being of their citizens by acquiscing to Washinton's crushing demands without the slightest protest.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 1 day ago
------------------------------ You might not believe who’s benefiting from the sanctions on Russia*From Mike “Mish” Shedlock at Global Economic Trend Analysis:* Image from bob via Flickr European sanctions on Russia have hurt the EU far more than Russia. Moreover, Europe has lost key machinery contracts to China, and those contracts will likely stay with China even after sanctions are lifted. Please consider Europe Feels Sting in the Tail of Russia Sanctions. *At a technology fair in Moscow last month, European executives faced the new reality of doing business in Russia since t... more »

Compromise: Pardon Bush, Execute Cheney And Let's Move On From This Whole Torture Thing

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had an ironic idea this week-- Obama pardoning Bush and Cheney for torture, making the point that what they did is illegal. The Obama administration could still take measures to hold accountable the officials who authorized torture. Some of the statutes of limitations have run out, but not all of them have. And the release of the Senate's report provides a blueprint for criminal investigations, even if that's not what the intelligence committee set out to do.

Global taxpayers and honest businesses stump up to cover the countless billions lost to “industrial scale” tax dodging

Hari at Ripped-off Britons - 1 day ago
SOURCE GUARDIAN: PriceWaterhouseCoopers chief Kevin Nicholson denies lying over tax deals Kevin Nicholson is PwC UK’s head of tax, and worked as an HM Revenue and Customs tax inspector in the early 1990s. In January 2014 Nicholson told parliament’s Public Accounts Committee that PwC did not “mass market” tax products or sell tax avoidance “schemes” to clients. But in November this year,

Compromise: Pardon Bush, Execute Cheney And Let's Move On From This Whole Torture Thing

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had an ironic idea this week-- Obama pardoning Bush and Cheney for torture, making the point that what they did is illegal. The Obama administration could still take measures to hold accountable the officials who authorized torture. Some of the statutes of limitations have run out, but not all of them have. And the release of the Senate's report provides a blueprint for criminal investigations, even if that's not what the intelligence committee set out to do. But let's face it: Mr. Obama is not inclined to... more »

Racism vs. Love, Compassion and Knowledge

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Daniel Dowling* - What we see as problems are actually brilliant and compassionate ways for us to recognize the imbalances that lead to hate and racism... The post Racism vs. Love, Compassion and Knowledge appeared first on Waking Times.

Chet Raymo, "The Red Tent"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*"The Red Tent"* by Chet Raymo “Looking back, I would have to say that the greatest scientific achievement of my lifetime is the discovery of the secret of the DNA and the consequent sequencing of the human genome. You will hear the latter compared to the building of the atomic bomb, or putting a man on the moon. It is more, much more. It is an end and a beginning. It is the end of the reign of the gods. No one knows yet what is beginning. Anita Diamant's “The Red Tent” comes to mind, a novelistic retelling of the biblical story of Jacob and his wives and children from the point o... more »

Dangerous Murmurings Pulse from Hulse

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
*Guest post by Stephen Berry from **Affordable Auckland* Anyone who reads between the lines of politician gobbledygook should be very worried by comments about rental tenancy tenure made by Auckland’s Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse . Following the release of the ‘Residential Mobility’ report from the *Growing Up in New Zealand* study, which shows high levels of residential movement in young families, Ms. Hulse says she is “disturbed” by findings that “a high proportion of our most vulnerable, being children, have unstable accommodation in the first years of their lives.” [image: _Quo... more »

money talks

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 day ago

World News Briefs -- December 9, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against ISIL" on Capitol Hill in Washington December 9, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas *Kerry Urges Flexibility In U.S. War Powers Against Islamic State -- Reuters* (Reuters) - Any congressional authorization of U.S. military force against Islamic State should be flexible and not limit the fight to Iraq and Syria, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday. The authorization should also not restrict U.S. President Barack Obama in depl... more »

Musical Interlude: Ed Van Fleet, “Children of the Clouds”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Ed Van Fleet, “Children of the Clouds” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlecWVGotEs

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Athens, Attiki, Greece. Thanks for stopping by.

Putin’s Failures Leave Russia Reeling

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 1 day ago
[image: Image: Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama] The first price a nation pays for reckless aggression is the complete unity of all potential enemies that it may face. Even talking a good war is dangerous as the Kaiser learned a century ago. and this article is quite right. All the begging in the world by the USA could not have produced a more advantageous playing field for the USA and NATO. Putin has even given them strategic options that they can morally take while blaming Putin. One of those is a NATO deep sea fleet in Romania on the Black Sea. This secures the Dardanelles... more »

Is Low Vitimin D Deadly?

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 1 day ago
This study is very welcome. we are now going from a strong suspicion that vitamin D deficiency was deleterious to certainty. Better the next step is to actually determine what is the best way to overcome this deficiency or to establish if an excess is possibly good for us also. We are using supplements blindly at the moment without real assurance that it is correct or sufficient. I personally take 2000 mgs every day based on anecdotal evidence. Hopefully we will actually know soon. *IS LOW VITAMIN D DEADLY?* *Posted by Stine Rasmussen-U. Copenhagen on November 19, 2014 * *htt... more »

How to See an Aura

Waking Times at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Video - *This video walks you through how to see a person's aura. The post How to See an Aura appeared first on Waking Times.

CIA Torture Report- Why not mention CIA doctors & Human Experimentation?

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
*Not one mainstream media outlet is mentioning this important fact.* Skirting the issue. Talking around it. But, let's be honest here. *The 'torture' gave the medical establishment a perfect opportunity to experiment on human beings-* It's heinous to think about. But let's not kid ourselves. It happened! And if you foolishly think it didn't.... because you are that naive? I am going to relink a post from 2009 just for you! The news contained in this post from 09 made clear that *medical professionals monitored these persons, while they were being tortured, for the purpose of determ... more »

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 9, 2014

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*U.S. Military On High Alert Over CIA Report -- The Hill* Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered military commanders to be on high alert to respond to any security threats over the release of a report detailing the CIA's controversial interrogation practices. “I’ve directed all of our combatant commanders to have all their commands on alert because we want to be prepared, just in case,” Hagel said on CNN Tuesday. But the outgoing Pentagon chief also said he knew of no “specific” threats over the report. He added that the Defense Department had worked with investigators to limi... more »

Malcolm Guite - The Great Dance: Love and the Virtues from Dante to Lewis

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
"priest, poet, rock'n'roller. I play in Mystery Train, and am chaplain at glorious Girton College Cambridge and St. Edward's King and Martyr" - from Malcolm Guite's Twitter bio. Check out *Malcolm Guite's website* and *his Twitter account*. *Video Title: Malcolm Guite - 2014 C.S. Lewis Summer Institute. Source: CSLewisFoundation. Date Published: October 15, 2014. Description:* This is a video of Malcolm Guite’s plenary address titled “The Great Dance: Love and the Virtues from Dante to Lewis” from the 2014 C.S. Lewis Summer Institute.

Leo Buscaglia, “Loving Each Other”; "Risks"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
* “Loving Each Other”* by Leo Buscaglia “Emotional detachment, maintaining our distance from others, is being prescribed as a solution for avoiding pain. Neglect and abuse of children and the aged is a growing problem. Social and religious institutions, which in the past helped to set standards of behavior and brought people together in companionship, are actively downgraded. Individualism, independence, and personal freedom are valued above love, commitment, and cooperation. Like everyone I know, my life, too, has been a long series of interwoven relationships, both good and bad. ... more »

The Poet: Robert Graves, “Warning To Children”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*“Warning To Children”* by Robert Graves “Children, if you dare to think Of the greatness, rareness, muchness Fewness of this precious only Endless world in which you say You live, you think of things like this: Blocks of slate enclosing dappled Red and green, enclosing tawny Yellow nets, enclosing white And black acres of dominoes, Where a neat brown paper parcel Tempts you to untie the string. In the parcel a small island, On the island a large tree, On the tree a husky fruit. Strip the husk and pare the rind off: In the kernel you will see Blocks of slate enclosed by dappled Red and gr... more »

My Take On The Release Of The U.S. Senate's CIA Torture Report

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*My Comment:* A year and a half ago NSA leaker Edward Snowden released documents that detailed America's surveillance and spy programs on our enemies, allies, and even on U.S. citizens .... airing America's dirty laundry for everyone to see .... and as a result got condemned as a traitor by the same U.S. senators who are today praising and applauding themselves for doing the same thing with the release of the CIA torture report. And in the meantime .... the CIA's drone program that targets for assassination enemy threats to the U.S. .... while usually killing scores of civilians i... more »

A3 Newsletter: Give Albert Woodfox a Hug for the Holidays; Please Take Action!

angola3news at Angola 3 News - 1 day ago
*(PHOTO: Albert Woodfox embraces Herman Wallace)* In Homer Louisiana, Albert Woodfox remains in his cell - 42 years in solitary and held under increasingly severe restrictions. From the unnecessary and extensive use of the black-box during transport, to the 'catch-22' system making it impossible for Albert to have contact visits, it appears that the response to his most recent court victory is to continue turning the screws ever tighter. Not surprisingly, the Louisiana Attorney General has filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit Court asking them to review their recent ruling that ... more »

Reactions, Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On The Release Of The CIA Torture Report

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Did Torture Yield Results? Expected Report On CIA Practices Sparks Controversy -- Arthur Bright, CSM* A five-year Senate investigation into the CIA's use of torture and other practices that violate international law has US embassies on alert around the world. US embassies and military bases abroad are bracing for the expected release today of the Senate's controversial report on the CIA's use of torture during the Bush administration. The 480-page document reveals the results of Senate investigation into the CIA's use of torture and other techniques that violate international l... more »

Report: Building regulation helps make homes unaffordable

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
Speaking of problems with innovative building – barriers to using the sort of building techniques that makes homes affordable for first-time buyers, and profitable for speculative builders to build for them – a recent NZIER report into the barriers to innovation in housing found that the problem is not builders or buyers, both of whom would be happy to innovate, but … well, I’ll let the report speak for itself: *The regulatory environment and building consent authorities are the top barriers to innovation and productivity.* I swear I did not write that sentence myself. But I did m... more »

Expect The Lawsuits To Start Coming In After The Release Of The U.S. Senate's CIA Torture Report

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein discusses a newly released Intelligence Committee report on the CIA's anti-terrorism tactics, in the U.S. Senate in Washington, Dec. 9, 2014. Reuters *Lawyers Believe Torture Report Will Help Prosecution of CIA Agents in Europe -- Vivienne Walt, Time * *The Senate Committee's explicit description of US torture may facilitate legal action* The lawyers of those who’ve spent years in U.S. detention centers like Guantánamo Bay did not expect any surprises in the Senate’s torture report, which described the CIA’s tactics as “br... more »

U.S. MIlitary And Diplomatic Outposts Overseas Prepare For Blow-Back After The Release Of The CIA Torture Report

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
U.S. Marines prepare to depart Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Oct. 27, 2014. Omar Sobhani—Reuters *2,000 Marines on Alert Ahead of CIA Torture Report -- Time/NBC* Troops in and around the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea prepare to deal with potential threats following the report's release Around 2,000 U.S. Marines have been placed on alert in preparation for Tuesday’s release of a report on CIA torture against terror suspects. The personnel, who are based in and around the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea, were put on alert to deal with potential threats following the relea... more »

"The Game Is Rigged: Why Americans Keep Losing to the Police State"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
*"The Game Is Rigged: * *Why Americans Keep Losing to the Police State"* By John W. Whitehead “The truth is that the State is a conspiracy designed not only to exploit, but above all to corrupt its citizens.” - Leo Tolstoy "My 7-year-old granddaughter has suddenly developed a keen interest in card games: Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Old Maid, Blackjack, and War. We’ve fallen into a set pattern now: every time we play, she deals the cards, and I pretend not to see her stacking the deck in her favor. And of course, I always lose. I don’t mind losing to my granddaughter at Old Maid, knowing... more »

Questioning the “warmest year” narrative

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
“The buzz is intensifying about 2014 possibly being the warmest year globally in the historical temperature record,” notes climatologist Judith Curry, pointing to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) press release of 3 Dec: 2014 on course to be one of the hottest, possibly hottest, on record. Curry, scientist Roy Spencer (who gathers satellite temperature records) and authors Matt Ridley and Ezra Levant all reckon that’s spin, not science. Let’s ask them some questions… Q: How can it be the warmest year on record when the year isn’t yet over? Judith Curry: *The year isn’t... more »

Republican Party Embraces The South's Knee-Jerk Racism

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
This was probably employed against your antecedents when they immigrated too Last week the House passed Ted Yoho's Know Nothing bill, the Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014 (H.R. 5759) 219-197. There were 17 Republican co-sponsors, proud racists and bigots like Lou Barletta (R-PA), Mo Brooks (R-AL), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Robert Pittinger (R-NC), Ann Wagner (R-MO), David Jolly (R-FL) John Kline (R-MN), the last two of whom are in swing districts a competent DCCC would have won last month. Only 7 Republicans voted against the blatant racism of their party to oppose Yoho's ugly bi... more »

Emailing MPs about BBC bias

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
In my campaigning salad days (in the run-up to the 2010 general election), when I used to regularly email my concerns about BBC bias to potentially susceptible shadow cabinet ministers, backbench MPs, MEPs, peers and journalists, I'd often find myself in a difficult moral position when it came to their replies. Some of them were decidedly forthright about the BBC - and their staff, answering on their behalf, could be even more indiscreet. All of this would have made great 'copy' for my old blog but, as emails are private conversations, it didn't feel right to share them with the... more »

The REAL Reason For The Ferguson Riots: Mom And Pop Small Businesses Refused To Sell!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
With the "riots" in Ferguson winding down, thankfully, there should now be some analysis of what the hell went wrong, and how the riots occurred in the first place... Too many people have been roped by the criminals in our media and the scumbags running our governments into the fraud of "race wars", and there definitely must have been another reason for all these riots, looting, and burning of businesses in Ferguson, Missouri... I smelled a rat from the very beginning, simply because it did not make any sense at all! Well, lo and behold, there seems to be a definite ulterior motive ... more »

Findings of the CIA Torture Report

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 1 day ago
Here are the 20 key findings of the Senate report into the CIA. Black armband day for the USA's democratic/human rights credentials. The abuse of detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been documented well enough. Papers have been littered with reports of the CIA's "advanced interrogation techniques" for years. Complicity on the part of other Western governments with the programme of extraordinary rendition is virtually common knowledge. We may accept the banality of many everyday evils, but when the veil is torn asunder it's funny how the CIA's sordid, brutal,

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