It's spring - and snowed
10:42pm MDST
10:42pm MDST
Three Solutions to the Death Problem
*Video - *Discussion of Ernest Becker’s three main solutions to the death problem: the religious solution, the romantic solution, and the acceptance that death is inevitable. The post Three Solutions to the Death Problem appeared first on Waking Times .
Ukrainian Oligarchs Have Been The Biggest Donors To The Clinton's Foundation
*Zero Hedge:* *Clinton Foundation’s Deep Financial Ties to Ukrainian Oligarch Revealed* *Clinton Foundation’s Deep Financial Ties to Ukrainian Oligarch Who Pushed for Closer Ties to EU Revealed* *Between 2009 and 2013, including when Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state, the Clinton Foundation received at least $8.6 million from the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, according to that foundation, which is based in Kiev, Ukraine. It was created by Mr. Pinchuk, whose fortune stems from a pipe-making company. He served two terms as an elected member of the Ukrainian Parliament and is a propo... more »
FARC Threatens To End Its Ceasefire In Colombia
*VOA/Reuters:* *FARC Threatens to End Its Truce in Colombia * *HAVANA - Colombia's Marxist-led FARC guerrillas threatened Thursday to end a unilateral truce that has been in place since December unless the government of President Juan Manuel Santos called off military attacks on rebel positions.The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia called its truce at Christmastime, and Santos responded March 10 by announcing Colombia's armed forces would halt aerial bombing raids for one month, saying the reprieve could be extended if the FARC continued its cease-fire.* *Update #1:* FARC ca... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Is this what will become of our Milky Way Galaxy? Perhaps if we collide with the Andromeda Galaxy in a few billion years, it might. Pictured below is NGC 7252, a jumble of stars created by a huge collision between two large galaxies. The collision will take hundreds of millions of years and so is effectively caught frozen in time in the above image. The resulting pandemonium has been dubbed the Atoms-for-Peace galaxy because of its similarity to a cartoon of a large atom. *Click image for larger size.* The above image was taken recently by the MPG/ESO 2.2 meter telescope in Chile. ... more »
Chet Raymo, “Out Of Eden”
* “Out Of Eden”* by Chet Raymo “The Maori of New Zealand imagined the original man with his head planted firmly in the earth, an ocean issuing from his mouth, in his groin a gum tree, clouds on his feet. What are we to make of this upside-down Adam? No head-in-the-clouds this fellow. His tattooed noggin is fixed in the soil like a tuber. Arms spread like an ocean-going outrigger canoe. Heart and lungs smoldering in the hearth of his chest. Only the soles of his feet keeping the sky from crushing him out. Looks good to me. Humankind as integral to nature. Earth, water, fire, air. T... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Tangerang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia. Thanks for stopping by.
The Poet: James Broughton, "Having Come This Far"
*"Having Come This Far"* "I've been through what my through was to be, I did what I could and couldn't. I was never sure how I would get there. I nourished an ardor for thresholds, for stepping stones and for ladders, I discovered detour and ditch. I swam in the high tides of greed, I built sandcastles to house my dreams. I survived the sunburns of love. No longer do I hunt for targets. I've climbed all the summits I need to, and I've eaten my share of lotus. Now I give praise and thanks for what could not be avoided, and for every foolhardy choice. I cherish my wounds and their cur... more »
Yemen Is Now Part Of The Proxy War Between Iran And Saudi Arabia
*Con Coughlin, The Telegraph:* *Yemen is a battlefield for Saudi Arabia and Iran* *The latest atrocity in Yemen, which claimed nearly 150 lives on Friday, appears part of a proxy war between the Middle East's two superpowers * *Of all the wars that have ravaged the Middle East since the outbreak of the so-called Arab Spring four years ago, the bitter rivalry between the more fanatical adherents of Sunni and Shia Islam has now emerged as the region’s defining conflict.* *The deadly series of suicide bomb attacks in Yemen on Friday, which are reported to have claimed the lives of n... more »
Russia Delivers A Nuclear Threat To Denmark
*IBTimes:* Danish Warships Could Be Targeted By Russian Nuclear Missiles If Denmark Joins NATO Shield, Diplomat Says *Russia's ambassador to Denmark warned Saturday that Danish warships could become targets for Russian nuclear missiles if the country joins a U.S.-led NATO missile defense shield expansion. NATO has expanded the highly sophisticated, largely U.S.-funded system in Europe since 2002. But Russia has increasingly griped about the expansion since the start of the crisis in Ukraine, which has pushed East-West relations to their lowest point since the Cold War era.* *WNU ... more »
Russian Subs Near The Coast Of Britain?
A new Russian nuclear submarine, Yuri Dolgoruky, seen in the water area of the Sevmash factory in the northern city of Arkhangelsk, Russia *The Telegraph:* *Did Russian submarine nearly drag Scottish fishing trawler to watery grave?* *A fishing crew have claimed their boat was nearly dragged underwater by a submarine - but there were no British vessels in the area A trawler captain has claimed his boat was nearly dragged to a watery grave by a rogue Russian submarine while fishing off the Scottish coast.Angus Macleod said he and his four crew were "extremely lucky" after hi... more »
Medical Watch: So, March Madness is the season for vasectomies?
*Um, you're gonna have to write your own caption on this one.* *by Ken* Now hold on just a doggone second here. These reports aren't all coming out of *The Onion*, are they? Amazingly, it doesn't seem so. There really does seem to have been a *New York* Mag Intelligencer post, "Men Now Scheduling Vasectomies As Excuse to Stay Home and Watch March Madness" (featuring the Iowa Clinic graphic I've placed atop this post), which drew on an *Iowa Gazette* piece, "NCAA Tourney: Brackets, upsets, vasectomies?" And the *NY Mag* post spawned a specifically feminist take on *The Frisky*: *... more »
The U.S. Marines Are Looking For 'A Few Good Women'
*CBS 60 Minutes:* *A Few Good Women* *The Marines are looking for a few good women to serve in combat but, after more than two years of trying, no woman has made it through the grueling infantry officer schoolRemember that old recruiting ad the Marines are "...looking for a few good men?" Well, now they're looking for a few good women as well. The Armed Services have been ordered to open all their ground combat units to women by the end of this year - or else give the secretary of defense a good reason why not.For the Marines that means accepting female volunteers into their I... more »
Islamic State Has Posted The Names And Addresses Of 100 US Service Personnel And Is Telling Its Followers To Behead Them
Image source: Screen grab *Washington Times*: *Islamic State posts kill list with purported addresses of U.S. military personnel* *A group affiliated with the Islamic State published a list of addresses purportedly belonging to about 100 U.S. service members late Friday night, calling for their beheadings.* *The self-identified “Islamic State Hacking Division” claimed to have obtained the information by hacking into military servers, databases and emails, The Blaze reported Saturday.* *The online document contains names and photos along with some of the addresses.* *WNU Editor*:... more »
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker for the Sega MegaDrive/Genesis
If you weren't a certain age in the late 1980s, it's difficult to describe how massive Michael Jackson was. Almost six years dead, he's a bit of a joke. The man with the plastic face and an alleged unhealthy interest in children. If you weren't there, it's hard to get a handle on what he was about. At the peak of his powers in the late 80s Jackson was part of the elite of megastardom, a space he occupied with few figures - Madonna, perhaps Prince, assorted bankable Hollywood folk. He carried about him a venerable aura. The press, of course, had a field day with Jackson before *those... more »
Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei: 'Death To America'
*Euronews/AP/Reuters*: *‘Death to America’: Iran’s Supreme Leader accuses the US of ‘bullying’* *The deadline is looming for a deal to be struck on Iran’s nuclear programme and it seems the country’s Supreme Leader is feeling the pressure.* *Ali Khamenei has the last word on all matters of state. Long mistrustful of Tehran’s main negotiating partner in the ongoing talks, he used a recent speech in Iran’s second-largest city Mashdad, to lash out at the US.* *During his discourse in the Imam Reza Shrine, he accused Washington of ‘bullying’ and trying to turn Iranians against Isla... more »
Untitled
*New Orleans Revives a Historic Marketplace ~Elisabeth Hutchinson, Garden & Gun*
If We Treated Alcohol the Way We Treat Weed
*Video - *This ironically funny video from BuzzFeed shows what could possibly happen if we treated marijuana the way we do alcohol and vice versa. The post If We Treated Alcohol the Way We Treat Weed appeared first on Waking Times.
March 21: Something your will not see in the Irving papers.....
,,,And maybe not here, either. I am late because my computer is acting strangely. I have, for hours, been attempting to send a book review to you. It's called Irving vs. Irving. But every attempt fouls up my computer........ No use. It won't copy the text in any readable form. So, here's the scoop. The book is by CBC journalist Jacques Poitras. The full title is "Irving vs. Irving: Feuding Billionaires and the Stories they Won't Tell", You can get it through Viking Press. Good luck in looking for it in a New Brunswick bookstore or a New Brunswick library. The reviewer is sociology ... more »
Culture Watch: Have you checked lately to make sure you've got shoes on each of your feet?
All photos by Mitch Waxman *by Ken* As a serial stuff-loser my own personal stuff, I'm all too aware of how easy it is to lose, er, stuff -- anytime, anyplace. But you'd think there are certain limits that aren't easily breached. Like we all know the old saying about how you'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on. Especially in my "glass half full" bursts of optimism, Iike to think that if you lost your head, you'd notice -- and it wouldn't be left behind on the pavement or the gutter to catch the eye of, say, some strolling photographer. Like our pal Mitch Waxman. This winter ... more »
Quotes of the Day: On the ahistorical Jesus
"One would naturally expect that the Lord Jesus Christ would be sufficiently important to receive ample notice in the literature of his time, and that extensive biographical material would be available. He was observed by multitudes of people, and his own followers numbered into the hundreds (1 Cor. 15:6), whose witness was still living in the middle of the first century. As a matter of fact, the amount of information concerning him is comparatively meager. Aside from the four Gospels, and a few scattered allusions in the epistles, contemporary history is almost silent concerning ... more »
Mohawk Nation News 'Pogie Boogie'
POGIE BOOGIE Posted on March 21, 2015 Mohawk Nation News Please post and distribute. Nia:wen. MNN. 21 Mar. 2015. Canada has until March 29th to appeal the Bank of Canada case. Lawyer Rocco Galati has twice won the case against the CROWN, Queen, Attorney General, Finance Minister and Minister of National Revenue. They conspired with the IMF, Financial Stability Board FSB and the Bank
One Peoples Roundtable Welcomes back Lily Earth- Mon Mar 23, 2015
Last weeks One People Roundtable Discussion with Lily Earth and Goz was a huge success, and brought out a LOT of interesting conversation over the past few days.... and lots of questions. So this coming Monday Lisa, Brian and I will welcome back Lily Earth to dig into all of this information even deeper, and to answer some questions from last weeks show. Lily and I have had several very in depth conversations recently about CERN and what they are really using it for. As I discussed on the Transpicuous News Midweek report on Wednesday night, CERN is running their so called "god pa... more »
Lenten drama
I was slightly worried, you may recall, that the *Daily Mail*'s Quentin Letts might lower the quality of the superb series of *Lent Talks* now running on BBC Radio 4. I needn't have worried. Quentin managed to hit the spot again. He was typically jaunty, but not without this moments of depth. His theme was the theatrical potential of the Passion story, as realised in the medieval mystery plays that he, his family, friends and neighbours, still perform from time to time. Here are some samples: Is it disrespectful to compare Holy Week to a drama? I hope not. Drama can be a form... more »
World War II myths fuel Western crimes
Freshman US Senator Tom Cotton already has two claims to fame. First he wrote a letter to Iran in an effort to sabotage his own President’s diplomatic efforts and start a war. And then he set an all-time record by invoking Hitler in less than one minute during his first Senate speech. Sen. Cotton thus stands condemned under Godwin’s Law, which states that whoever mentions Hitler first automatically loses the debate. “Playing the Hitler card” is widely reviled. Yet people like Cotton cannot resist the temptation… full story: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/03/21/ww2myths/
A Good Day at BIW
*Hee Eun Park (Silver) with message from Jeju Island at BIW today. (Photo by the Pizza King)* - Just over 50 folks turned out today for the weekly Lenten season vigil at Bath Iron Works (BIW). Thanks to Lisa Savage and CodePink Maine for bringing a big bus load of people from Portland and Brunswick to the event. Lisa created and led a great skit that is being put onto YouTube as I write this. It was cold and wet on this new spring day. Maureen Kehoe-Ostensen with the Smilin' Trees Disarmament Farm in Hope, Maine reminded us that this is now spring, even if ... more »
'fergal keaning'
And while I'm 'borrowing' stuff from Alan at *Biased BBC*, I'd also like to recommend another of his 'spots': a fine, insightful piece from Mark Lawson in the *Guardian*. Mark Lawson compares the two *News at Ten*s - the one on BBC One and the other on ITV - and finds that the BBC *wasn't* the serious, straight, analytic one. The BBC programme was more populist in feel, full of simplistic gimmicks and 'operatic' turns from its star reporters (Fergal Keane and Robert Peston), and contained 'news items' which then turned out to be little more than plugs for upcoming BBC programmes.... more »
Why is Jason Kenney Lying?
Jason Kenney is blatantly lying when he says Russian jets buzzed a Canadian frigate. NATO doesn't back him up. The frigate captain isn't speaking out because to do so would be to contradict the defense minister. Kenney is lying because he's shameless. He doesn't care that sane Canadians know that he's lying or that other NATO leaders, or anyone else in the world community thinks he's an idiot. Kenney is lying because it will help him win the Ukrainian-Canadian fascist vote. Kenney is lying because there is no accountability in this country and he knows he can get away with it.
Uber economist Michael Hudson tells us in plain words why European countries are rushing to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Hint: The World Bank presses everywhere for privatization of public utilities and basic infrastructure, and then makes loans to the governments to develop these infrastructures, after which they sell them cheap to American buyers, who will create monopolies and turn those infrastructures into a rent extraction machines squeezing out interest, dividends, and management fees, all of which are paid to the Americans.
------------------------------ Original Here ------------------------------ *Europe Tilts East Towards China (1/2)* Michael Hudson Report: Britain, Germany, France and Italy are among those who joined Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in an expression of their discontent over World Bank polices that force developing countries to depend on the US - *March 20, 2015 * https://youtu.be/wuZ2MC00fVY *Bio ... more »
The 15 Top War Zones In The World
Residents arrive on foot to inspect their homes in Homs on May 14, 2014. The fall of Syria's third largest city to government forces was a major blow to the opposition and a boost for Assad. *Business Insider:* *The world's 15 worst war zones* *Sadly, with fighting and wars raging across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia, death tolls are on the rise in conflict zones around the globe. The past year has been one of the worst in recent memory.Some of the worst bloodshed has been occurring in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, but all areas are tragic.Here are the most ... more »
Is the BBC deliberately undermining a critical MP?
(h/t Alan at *Biased BBC*) The BBC now has an enemy in parliament: Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen MP. He writes in the *Telegraph* that he is "going to war" with the corporation because he's "sick of its bias and misrepresentations". Mr. Bridgen is the MP who led the charge for the decriminalisation of non-payment of the licence fee because it amounts to some 12% of all magistrates cases in this country. The BBC publicly disagreed with him and, according to Mr Bridgen, its ex-employees in the House of Lords have been successful in delaying his bill for another two years. He's not... more »
I need new tires
Usually I buy Canadian Tire but they have not put their Goodyear low running Resistance tires on sale. I just spotted some Yokohammas that look like they could do Omaha.
The Deliberate Darkening of the Emerald Isle
When people in England think of Ireland, we tend to think of a country which is fiercely patriotic and is practically exclusively Irish. Whether this is a good or bad thing, depends upon whether one is involved in the sectarianism in the north of the country. There are those who despise the Irish Republic, blaming the ordinary people for the actions of the IRA. This is an absurdity. The IRA was created by the British State to act as a counter-balance to the Orange Order - both of them being fully Masonic and answering ultimately to the foul creatures who infest Buckingham Palace ... more »
Why? listen to the experts!
If humans put all kinds of productive activity into making the planet sustainable according to the experts who believe in such science, and the science is wrong what happens? Well the opportunity cost of all that activity is lost if we had found better way to use resources. That would be sad for the MAN. Most of us would appreciate the cleaner air and less garbage. We would spend less money to move our transport around and power our man cave. It would be no big thang! If the scientists are right the planet becomes uninhabitable!! Which risk do you want to take?
"We Hate Truth"
*"We Hate Truth"* by Richard M. Dolan "Blaise Pascal once wrote that unhappiness in this world could be eliminated if only people learned to sit quietly in their rooms. We constantly pursue outside stimulation. Anything will do. From all types of games and trivial pursuits, right up to joining the local navy and engaging in wholesale plunder. The reason, Pascal argued further, is that most of us are unable to bear the poverty of our own minds. We have few thoughts to begin with, and when we do ponder our lives, we realize our weaknesses, our immoralities, and especially our mortali... more »
An Iranian Nuclear Deal Will Mean More Oil (And Lower Prices) On The Open Markets Within Months
Reuters *Fuel Fix/Bloomberg*: *More Iran oil may flow within months of deal, officials say* *World powers have offered to suspend U.S. and European oil sanctions against Iran within months of signing an agreement if the Islamic Republic adopts strict limits verified by intrusive inspections of its nuclear program for at least a decade, according to U.S. and European officials.* *Limits on Iran’s oil exports would be suspended after Iran complies with an initial set of restrictions, such as disconnecting the majority of its centrifuges and submitting them for verification, accordi... more »
Untitled
Will U.S. let ‘bad things’ happen to Israel over Netanyahu’s rejection of Palestinian state? By Joel Greenberg March 20, 2015McClatchy Foreign Staff JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to form a new government after his election victory this week, but already he faces what could be a substantial shift in relations with the United States. For the third straight day, the Obama administration signaled Friday that it remains furious at Netanyahu’s pre-election statement ruling out a Palestinian state while he is prime minister and that it will recalibrate i... more »
ZEROHEDGE: Justice Department Rolls Out An Early Form Of Capital Controls In America
*Justice Department Rolls Out An Early Form Of Capital Controls In America* Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2015 22:51 -0400 Something stunning took place earlier this week, and it quietly snuck by, unnoticed by anyone as the "all important" FOMC meeting was looming. That something could have been taken straight out of the playbook of either Cyprus, or Greece, or the USSR "evil empire", or all three. This is how the WSJ explained it: The U.S. Justice Department’s criminal head said banks may need to go beyond filing suspicious activity reports when they encounter a risky... more »
ZEROHEDGE: U.S. Begs Russia to Remain in ‘SWIFT’ - The One Bank Fails Again
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-20/us-begs-russia-remain-%E2%80%98swift%E2%80%99-one-bank-fails-again U.S. Begs Russia to Remain in ‘SWIFT’ - The One Bank Fails Again Submitted by Sprott Money on 03/20/2015 11:51 -0400 ........Submitted by Bullion Bulls Canada - Written by Jeff Nielson Does it get any funnier than this? Well, arguably, we’ve already seen an even funnier episode from these financial “Wile E. Coyotes”. But let’s begin with a look at the most recent “botched operation” by the psychopaths of the One Bank. To any readers with even a moderate comprehension of g...more »
Musical Interlude: Moody Blues, “Candle of Life”
The Moody Blues, “Candle of Life” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=062qph0IqYE Part of a playlist... enjoy.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry: Substantial Progress Made With Iran
*Bloomberg*:* Iran Talks Parties See Agreement Possible as Differences Remain* *(Bloomberg) -- A final agreement is possible in Iran’s nuclear talks, even as differences remain before diplomats return to the negotiating table to seek a resolution next week, both sides said on Saturday.* *After six days of discussions in Lausanne, Switzerland, ended without a deal on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said “substantial progress” had been made. Negotiators from the U.S. and five other nations are seeking to ensure that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program is peaceful in e... more »
Joel Achenbach shares some "Uplifting thoughts about Doomsday"
*Um, Joel, "uplifting thoughts about Doomsday"?* *"My computer is already a lot smarter than I am. Even my phone is. I didn't expect to live to the day when I wasn't as smart as a phone. . . ."The future isn't simply something that happens, but rather it's something that we'll actively create, through hard choices, clever engineering and social progress. I believe that."* *-- the *Washington Post *'s outstanding science writer JoelAchenbach, in* "Uplifting thoughts about Doomsday" *by Ken* The other day, in writing about John McPhee's interesting *New Yorker* piece on "frames of... more »
The Poet: Dylan Thomas, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
"The finest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. He who does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle." - Albert Einstein *"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"* by Dylan Thomas "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that... more »
"A Flight Through The Heavens"
*"A Flight Through The Universe"* “This animated flight through the universe was made by Miguel Aragon of Johns Hopkins University with Mark Subbarao of the Adler Planetarium and Alex Szalay of Johns Hopkins. There are close to 400,000 galaxies in the animation, with images of the actual galaxies in these positions (or in some cases their near cousins in type) derived from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7. And this is “only” about 400,000 galaxies in their actual positions, or just 0.0003% of the galaxies in the Universe, at most. Vast as this slice of the universe ... more »
Joachim Hagopian, a West Point graduate and former US Army Officer analizes his country's propensity for going to war (222 out of its 239 years) and reports an event that took place last week unnoticed by both MSM and independent sources: British royalty Prince William was sent to China to quietly sign a deal to become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) "...a sign that the powers of Europe are seeking a non-violent resolution to its regional conflict that carries the devastating potential of triggering World War III."
------------------------------ Global Shift in the Balance of Power Is Moving from West to East Posted by Joachim Hagopian on March 19, 2015 A major recent event last week largely went unnoticed by both MSM and independent news sources alike. ------------------------------ By Joachim Hagopian The British are apparently jumping ship away from the US dollar/petrodollar in an overt effort to align itself more closely with the BRICS alliance as it seeks a new standard international currency. For several years Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa (BRICS) have been preparing th... more »
Applying the BBC's 'compassion pill'
There was an interesting closing discussion on one of the BBC's favoured topics (at the moment), the housing crisis, on this morning's *Today*. It featured the famous left-leaning economic commentator Will Hutton from the Work Foundation and (the somewhat-less-famous) Naomi Clayton from the Centre for Cities (an offshoot of the left-leaning IPPR think tank). Naomi, by sheer coincidence, used to work for Will at the Work Foundation, so that was nice. And they pretty much agreed about everything too, which was also nice. Plus no one mentioned immigration, which was nicest of all. ... more »
No clairvoyants win a Prague contest
For three months, clairvoyants, psychics, and fortune tellers in Prague – and Czechia – have had the opportunity to win $4,000 in a very easy way. Just arrive to the Nový Smíchov mall, paranormally look through the safe box over there, see what's inside (or be a prophet or soothsayer and predict the objects that would be written in this blog post), and write the correct answer – "a *toothbrush*, a [restaurant] *bill*, and a *walnut* [marble would be tolerated]" – to a web form. *Socialite, sponsor, and trader Václav Dejčmar (who co-hosted my black hole talk in Prague-Barrandov in ... more »
"The Song of Amergin"
*"The Song of Amergin"* by Chet Raymo "It is commonly called "The Song of Amergin," and it is reputed to be the first poem composed in Ireland, by one of the "Milesian princes" who colonized the island several hundred years before the birth of Christ. *"The Song of Amergin"* "I am the wind on the sea. I am the ocean wave. I am the sound of the billows. I am the seven-horned stag. I am the hawk on the cliff. I am the dewdrop in sunlight. I am the fairest of flowers. I am the raging boar. I am the salmon in the deep pool. I am the lake on the plain. I am the meaning of the poem. I am the ... more »
Chet Raymo, "The Song of Amergin"
"The Song of Amergin" by Chet Raymo "It is commonly called "The Song of Amergin," and it is reputed to be the first poem composed in Ireland, by one of the "Milesian princes" who colonized the island several hundred years before the birth of Christ. "The Song of Amergin" "I am the wind on the sea. I am the ocean wave. I am the sound of the billows. I am the seven-horned stag. I am the hawk on the cliff. I am the dewdrop in sunlight. I am the fairest of flowers. I am the raging boar. I am the salmon in the deep pool. I am the lake on the plain. I am the meaning of the poem. I am the poin... more »
"History..."
"History cannot be permanently falsified; the myth cannot stand up to the scrutiny of research; the sinister web will be brought into the light and torn to pieces, however artfully it has been spun." - Dr. Jakob Ruchti, 1915
Here Is A List Of All The Problems With The F-35
Two F-35B aircraft fly in formation over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in September 2013. *Business Insider:* *Pentagon: Here are all the problems with the F-35* *The US military's fifth-generation fighter is no stranger to controversy. The F-35, which comes with an estimated $1.5 trillion pricetag over the life of the program, has faced numerous hurdles and delays. Most recently, there have been concerns over its computer systems' vulnerability, and Chinese hackers have possibly stolen classified data related to the project.The F-35's construction has continued, and it is be... more »
NYTimes Gets It Wrong on Effects of NCLB
To see the NYTimes Editorial Board lie about education issues is entirely expected, but to see the same in news stories is a bit more disconcerting. This is from a piece yesterday on the fate of No Child Left Behind: No Child Left Behind required the public release of test scores by race, sex, disability and family income. The release of those subgroups’ scores is broadly considered a success, bringing transparency that focused attention on children needing the most assistance, and helping to shrink achievement gaps. In 2013, Stanford researchers concluded something quite different:... more »
The Great GMO Legitimation Crisis
RINF, The 4th Media, Global Research, Countercurrents Author of ‘Altered Genes, Twisted Truth’ Steven Druker recently talked of how back in the seventies a group of molecular biologists formed part of a scientific elite that sought to allay fears about genetic engineering by putting a positive spin on it. At the same time, critics of this emerging technology were increasingly depicted as being little more than non-scientists who expressed ignorant but well-meaning concerns about science and genetic engineering. This continues today, but the attacks on critics are becoming more vici... more »
Supplemental: Accents and earth tones and speech fees oh my!
*SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2015It happens every fourth spring:* On Monday, we’ll start our “spring training” preview of the coverage of the 2016 campaign. We’ll focus on the likely coverage of Hillary Clinton. We’ll consider the challenge this likely coverage will likely present to Democrats, progressives and liberals. For today, let’s loosen up the old throwing arm with a pair of news reports. One report concerns Candidate Walker. One concerns Candidate Clinton. Good lord! Two weeks ago, the analysts thought that our past efforts with Patrick Healy were producing those good results. H... more »
U.S. Northern Command: Russian Cruise Missile Threat Is Growing
Russia's KH-101 long-range cruise missile / National Air and Space Intelligence Center *Washington Free Beacon:* *Northcom: Russian Cruise Missile Threat to U.S. Grows* *U.S. defenses ‘over-matched’ for missile threats.Russia is developing a long-range cruise missile that poses a new threat to the United States, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command warned this week.“Russia is progressing toward its goal of deploying long-range, conventionally-armed cruise missiles with ever increasing stand-off launch distances on its heavy bombers, submarines, and surface combatants, au... more »
Musings On Iraq In The News
I was cited in Craig Whiteside’s “Mosul: A Bridge Too Far?” in War On The Rocks, and in "The Islamic State is Losing, But No One Is Winning" by Aron Lund for The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Finally, I was also cited in the new book by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan *ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror*.
Finally! WHO Acknowledges Round-Up Carcinogenic Risk
Round-Up has been studied for decades and the documented health risks have been denied and or trivialized. Finally, a sea change: Bunge, Jacob (2015, March 21). Health Agency Finds Risk in Herbicide. The Wall Street Journal, B3. [Excerpted] Glyphosate, the herbicide widely marketed by Monsanto Co and other companies, likely has the potential to cause cancer in humans, a World Health Organization agency said Friday. Majia Here: Research conducted in Europe found severe long-term carcinogenic and reproductive effects from regular consumption of Round-Up ready agricultural products.... more »
Journey for Existence greets dawn at Baca/Prewitt, NM
By Nihigaal bee lina Censored News We have been blessed by the holy mist (áha) this Spring morning as we greeted the dawn with white corn. We have embarked on the 350 miles from Tsoodził to Dook'o'osłid today. We met at sunrise at the Baca/Prewitt chapter house. This is the location where the proposed 130 mile Pinon Pipeline will end. If this pipeline is approved it will increase the
The Nation Investigates Cuomo Sewer
*Read this important piece here.*
20 Health Benefits of Thyme Oil
*John Summerly* - Thyme is an incredibly potent yet simple herb affecting multiple systems in the body, and thyme oil is capable of treating dozens of diseases. The post 20 Health Benefits of Thyme Oil appeared first on Waking Times.
Why The Chinese Fear U.S. Missile Defense
Roving Sands THAAD Launcher *Harry J. Kazianis, National Interest*: *Why China Fears U.S. Missile Defenses* *North Korea loves to cause trouble--except this time China might be the one on the recieving end.* *Well it seems we might want to hold off on all the predictions of Seoul and Beijing joining hands and riding off into the sunset as Asia’s new power couple--at least for now.* *China is quite upset at the prospect of South Korea acquiring America’s latest missile defense platform, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD for short. However, Xi Jinping might want to red... more »
"You don't say!"
"You don't say!" That was my reaction to Kate Adie saying, "The Palestinian territory of Gaza is no stranger to this programme" on today's *From Our Own Correspondent*. She added that Gaza is ...no stranger to conflict either. In recent years, devastating conflicts with Israel have left much of the Strip in ruins, while blockades of its borders have meant shortages of many basic goods, as well as anger, resentment and a sense of isolation. Yet another Gaza story followed. Tim Whewell went in pursuit of the only grand piano in (what he called) that "besieged concrete warren on t... more »
The Thought of Love’s Victory
*Ida Lawrence* - We are born with a task, and that is to uncover ourselves. Why were we separated from divinity within and caused to forget in the first place? The post The Thought of Love’s Victory appeared first on Waking Times.
Poor analogy
Jonathan Freedland has written a vitriolic analysis of Netanyahu’s victory in the recent Israeli elections. It is headed: *“Netanyahu sank into the moral gutter - and there will be consequences.”* (one of which is inflammatory rhetoric like Freedland’s.) That’s his privilege, and as they say, no-one is forced to buy the Guardian. But was it wise of the BBC to single out this article in their paper review (Today 18:20) this morning, and in particular to use this silly, inappropriate, off-key analogy to quote from, verbatim? “Imagine if a US president broadcast such a message, warni... more »
The Coming Pressure on the DPP
*Nantou 54.* Some links for today... Alan Romberg over at the Hoover Institution on the current political situation in Taiwan in the context of cross-strait relations. Some of the footnotes are quite interesting; the main text is a richly-sourced attack on the DPP for daring to resist China and emphasizing DPP disunity and failure to serve Beijing while downplaying or hiding KMT disunity. Note that Romberg manages to write a long piece without ever using the term *faction*, thus making a whole slew of KMT problems disappear (for example). If you want to understand what's going on ... more »
U.S. Missile Defense Program Facing A Major Review
Wikipedia *Reuters*: *Pentagon plans hard look at missile defense programs* *(Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department has launched a major review of missile defense programs and capabilities, after military commanders called the current strategy "unsustainable" given tough budget pressures and rising threats around the world.* *Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described the review in a Feb. 4 memo to top officers in the U.S. Army and Navy, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.* *This year's review would also cover regional ballistic missile defense issues, the global reac... more »
(Slightly Rigged) Caption Contest!
One of my fave people on Twitter, Karen Geier retweeted this image this morning. WTF is it? Who made it? What on earth is it titled? I slapped the image itself into Google Image and came up with a bunch of links to stories like "15 of the Weirdest Sculptures in the World," for example, this one. Another of my fave people on Twitter took a more direct route. @fernhilldammit I started to google "statue naked man", and "kicking babies" came up automatically! — FuzzyWuzzy (@_Confessor) March 21, 2015 This is what he came up with. Public parks are not a place you would expect to s... more »
The Growing Rift Between Israel And The U.S.
Netanyahu and Obama. Photo: Jim Young/ Reuters *New York Times*: *White House Antagonism Toward Netanyahu Grows* *WASHINGTON — The White House is stepping up its antagonism toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite his victory in this week’s elections, signaling that it is in no rush to repair a historic rift between the United States and Israel.* *The sharpened tone indicates that the Obama administration may be re-evaluating its relationship with its closest ally in the Middle East, having lost patience with Mr. Netanyahu in the closing days of an election campaign in whi... more »
Why do we not launch commercial aircraft
A 747 taking off has been described as lighting your local gas station on fire and then flying it over the neighourhood. Surely not a 21st century best practice. Imagine the engines not firing until the plane reached flight speed? Think aboot it.
U.S. Evacuating The Last Of Its Special Operations Forces Out Of Yemen
*CNN:* *Sources: U.S. pulling last of its Special Operations forces out of Yemen* *Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)The U.S. military is in the process of evacuating about 100 Special Operations forces members from the Al Anad airbase in Yemen due to that country's deteriorating security situation, sources in the region familiar with the situation told CNN.* *Those being evacuated are the last American troops stationed in the Arab nation, which is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the terrorist group also known as AQAP. The United States closed its embassy in Sanaa last month, after Hou... more »
The Other Current U.S. Regime Change Operation
*"If There’s a Threat On This Continent, It’s the US" - Ecuador Foreign Minister* As Latin American leaders respond to US President Barack Obama's declaration that Venezuela poses a “national security threat,” Sputnik’s Karina Stenquist sat down for an exclusive interview with Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño to discuss relations between the US and Latin America. Citing unrest in Venezuela, Obama issued an executive order on March 9 declaring that country to be national security threat and announcing sanctions against seven officials, marking a high point in tensions be... more »
Untitled
*Movement on fracking in St. Tammany Parish likely to change in coming weeks ~Faimon A. Roberts III, Advocate* *City Hall errors on tax forms cause headaches for New Orleans employees ~Charles Maldonado, N.O. Advocate* *Who’s in charge of regulating commercial drones? ~WGNO* *Delta Queen heads to New Orleans for restoration ~WWL* *N.O. musicians worry budget cuts could affect their health care ~Sabrina Wilson, WVUE*
Ukraine Oligarch Kolomoisky & his thug army break into Ukraine State Oil Office.
Two sources for all the info below and scroll down to a video showing Kolomoisky and his thugs exiting the building!* Reuters **&* *BBV* *A raid by a group of armed men in combat fatigues on a state-owned oil company in the Ukrainian capital Kiev caused uproar in parliament on Friday and thrust banking billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky into the spotlight.Two parliamentary deputies accused Kolomoisky of sending the masked men into the offices of UkrTransNafta late on Thursday night after it was announced that its chairman, an ally of the 52-year-old oligarch, had been sacked.Kolomois... more »
Aaron Schock Prison Watch
The House that Boehner Built Just over a year ago, we started wondering if Aaron Schock's crush on tough-guy Mafia thug Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm and his menacing blue eyes could lead the soon-to-be ex-congressmen to eventually share a prison cell at a Club Fed somewhere. They cooked up an illegal donor sharing scheme that ensnared both campaigns. Next step for Grimm is sentencing and, presumably, appeals, although he pled guilty already. Next step for Schock... well, that mess is just beginning. A couple of days ago Schock's father stumbled onto local TV news to tell reporters th... more »
U.S. Special Forces Are Adding Social Media And Information Warfare To Their List Of Responsibilities
Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command *Washington Times: **Special Ops targets social media* *U.S. special operations forces, elite commandos engaged in high-risk operations around the world, are adding a new focus to their portfolio of activities: social media and other unconventional information warfare threats.“Social media is another component of unconventional strategies, and the security environment in general, that is playing a central role in recruiting individuals to causes,” Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Special Operati... more »
Stirring Up More Chaos in Europe
A convoy of US Army military vehicles, mostly IAV Stryker armoured personnel carriers, departed the military base in Tapa, Estonia Saturday. The 1,770 km (1,100 miles) tour through six European countries (Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Germany) will end at Vilseck in Germany. The trek is being called the "Dragoon Ride," after the unit’s name – the Dragoons. The tour is aimed at demonstrating strength and solidarity to US and NATO allies in eastern Europe, according to U.S. Army Europe spokesman Lt. Col. Craig Childs. Notice in the video an American GI ...more »
The Future Is In Our Hands
http://www.cbc.ca/ There was a time, Murray Dobbins writes, when Canadians were highly engaged with their governments. We possessed a high degree of civic literacy: That was the so-called golden age of capitalism and it wasn't just because of expanding government services. It was so-called because of a much broader and well-informed citizen engagement -- both through social movements and as individual citizens. The level of trust in government was much higher than it is today. And absent from the picture were the factors ... more »
The Pentagon Confirms For The First Time That Israel Has Nuclear Weapons
Israel’s Negev Nuclear Research Center near Dimona. Red circle indicates plutonium separation facility for nuclear weapons production. Google Earth/Digital Globe photo. At top—Israeli air force photo *William Greidner, The Nation:* *It’s Official: The Pentagon Finally Admitted That Israel Has Nuclear Weapons, Too* *While the Washington press corps obsessed over Hillary Clinton’s e-mails at the State Department, reporters were missing a far more important story about government secrets. After five decades of pretending otherwise, the Pentagon has reluctantly confirmed that Israel do... more »
Jon Donnison gets a mention on 'Newswatch'
If you recall, Jon Donnison's latest Twitter spat concerned an accusation that his reporting from Vanuatu was "pretentious (award-hunting) crap". Well, that wasn't the only criticism his Vanuatu coverage has received. This week's *Newswatch *showed a clip of a BBC News report in which JD picked up a Bible from a ruined school, showed it to the camera, then chucked it away. A viewer wrote to the BBC: I was disgusted to see your reporter throw a copy of the Bible onto the ground. I'm an atheist, but find such contemptuous disregard for any religious work offensive. I'll bet you w... more »
Russians Continue To Leave Russia
(*Click on Image to Enlarge*) Wikipedia *Strategy Page*: *Winning: Russia Gains Crimea But Loses Over A Million Russians* *Since Russia began invading and trying to annex parts of Ukraine in 2014 there has been a substantial shift in population. Since early 2014 nearly two million people have left Russia. More than half these were Westerners (including many from East European countries) working in Russia, providing skills that Russia did not have. The rest were Russians, most of them highly educated and with similar skills to the departing Westerners. What all these migrants had ... more »
i survive another march break and live to tell the tale
I'm still providing library services to teens, and I'm still loving my job. March Break is one of our big-ticket items. I'm expected to plan and provide a week-long lineup of free programs for teens. I strive for a variety of programming - some tech-y, some crafty, some movement, some just for socializing and fun. Here's what we did this year. Stop-Motion Movies: Working in groups, teens created their own short animated movies, using the library's tablets and a variety of materials - Lego, Play-Doh, plastic animals, and so on. We were amazed at the creativity on display in the room.... more »
Ukraine's Oligarchs Go To War Against Each Other
*Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg:* *Ukraine's Oligarchs Are at War (Again)* *Ending the destructive power that billionaires exercised over Ukrainian politics was an important goal of last year's "revolution of dignity" in Kiev, yet some of the more civic-minded of these businessmen wound up running the country anyhow. They now seem to have gone back to their old ways.* *Even before the chocolate mogul Petro Poroshenko became president last year, Igor Kolomoisky (net worth $1.3 billion) was appointed governor of his native Dnipropetrovsk region. Now, the two so-called oligarchs are l... more »
Untitled
*Parents' anger after British school bans pupils from watching the eclipse for 'cultural and religious' reasons - but the headteacher refuses to say what they are* Pupils at a primary school were banned from watching today's once-in-a-generation eclipse because of 'religious and cultural reasons', it has emerged. Parents of children at North Primary School in Southall, London, said they were 'outraged' by the decision and claimed it showed a triumph of 'religious superstition' over scientific education. Phil Belman, whose seven-year-old daughter goes to the school, met with inte... more »
EU Approach to eBooks Is Nonsense
This week four cultural ministers from four powerhouses; Italy, Poland, France and Germany jointly requested that the EU Commission should think again about the rate of tax for ebooks. This comes only weeks after the EU High Court ruled against France and Luxemburg and stated that ebooks are different from physical books. They want the same rate applied as physical books so countries such as the UK would have zero tax on both, as opposed to zero on physical and 20% on digital. We all recognise that Western Europe is a block of democratic free trading nations with significant eco... more »
Untitled
*"Arctic" apples could be better than organics* After years of research and extensive field testing, the Okanagan’s own GMO apple is going to the big leagues. Genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) are routinely attacked by urban organic activists in spite of the fact that not a single ailment has ever been linked to this technology. And now, as a testament to the baselessness of such attacks, the rights to the GMO Arctic Apple have been purchased by the U.S. biotechnology company Intrexon (owners of GMO salmon), for the princely sum of $41 million. This acquisition stands as a te... more »
Some of the news that's fit to print
Sticking with matters party political, it's always interesting to see which political stories the BBC chooses to report - and which it chooses *not* to report. The lead story in this morning's *Times *was: *Hedge fund millionaire is Labour’s covert donor* One of Labour’s biggest private donors is a wealthy hedge fund boss whose identity the party has repeatedly refused to reveal. Martin Taylor, who has held at least one private meeting with Ed Miliband, has been unmasked as the mystery benefactor who has given the party almost £600,000 in three years. The revelation will provoke ... more »
‘Crisis level’: Report says many govt. officials in US convicted of child porn, sex abuse crimes
Thank you Justin for republishing this article below. We have to keep the pressure on! THIS is the moment when the alternative media can shine a blazing light on the Paedophilia crimes that are rampant through all aspects of Governments, Judicial systems, Religious Organizations, Schools, and Child Welfare Organizations. It is up to us to keep publishing these articles and to keep pushing the envelope forward into the public's eye. d ‘Crisis level’: Report says many govt. officials in US convicted of child porn, sex abuse crimes More disclosure has been coming out recently ... more »
A Tale of Two Parties on 'Newsnight'
I suspect that supporters of the Labour Party would have been much happier watching last night's *Newsnight *than UKIP supporters. A speech by Labour's Tristram Hunt was giving top billing, a report by Chris Cook and an interview by Evan Davis. Chris Cook's report gave Mr Hunt's ideas a respectful airing and Evan Davis then gave him an interruption-free interview - though Evan did preface their discussion with a comment about an (unnamed) education blogger having described Tristram's speech as "cliche-ridden". Tristram's interview with Evan was certainly cliche-ridden. Given his ... more »
Saturday Interview: Joy Garner
Joy Garner is is a Labour councillor representing Burslem Park ward on Stoke-on-Trent City Council. She is the cabinet member for housing, neighbourhoods, and communities. Joy was also Labour's candidate in Staffordshire for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections back in 2012. In those rare moments she's not doing political work, Joy can be found tweeting here. *Do you also find social media useful for activist-y things?* Yes - to those who are already connected. Many people in Stoke-on-Trent still have no home computers. *Have you been ever tempted to take up blogging?* Yes... more »
Australia’s First F-35A Pilot Takes Flight
Australia first F-35A pilot, Squadron Leader Andrew Jackson, yesterday [AEST] took his first flight in an F-35A aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, United States. The flight was on the morning of Wednesday 17 March (US CST) in a United States Air Force F-35A aircraft, as the Australian F-35A aircraft are currently located at Luke Air Force Base, in anticipation of the opening of the international pilot training centre in mid 2015. SQNLDR Jackson will continue his intensive training program over the coming months. The F-35A (commonly known as the Joint Strike Fighter) will me... more »
THAAD usable against China's DF-31 missile: Global Times
[image: DF-31 (CSS-9) ICBM]The US's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-ballistic missile system which will be deployed to South Korea can potentially pose a threat to China's national security as it has the ability to monitor the People's Liberation Army's DF-31 intercontential ballistic missile, according to Chinese nationlist tabloid, the Global Times. "A neighboring country can have its own opinion on the possible deployment of the THAAD system here, sert up by US forces in South Korea," said Kim Min-seok, the spokesman of the South Korean Defense Ministry on Mar. 16 regar... more »
US to deliver 5 PC-12 surveillance aircraft to Afghan special forces
[image: U-28A aircraft, the military version of the Swiss Pilatus PC-12]The United States will deliver five more Pilatus PC-12 surveillance aircraft to Afghan National Army (ANA) special forces. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) officials said the planes will be delivered in the near future and based on a contract concluded in 2012. Gen. Dawlat Waziri said the Afghan special forces have already receivved 13 Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and are in service with the 777 unit of the Afghan army special forces. Read more
UK mothballs quarter of Apache fleet with end of Afghan ops
[image: Apache AH-Mk.1]The UK has mothballed a quarter of its AgustaWestland-Boeing WAH-64 Apache Longbow AH.1 helicopters following the end of combat operations in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed to IHS Jane's on 19 March. In January, 16 of the British Army's 66 Apaches (67 were procured, but one was lost in an accident in Helmand Province) were placed into storage, leaving a force of 50 helicopters now operating out of Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk. "The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review and 2012 Planning Round identified the need to adjust the Apach... more »
Bill Gates: He could feed the world... but instead he'll just poison it.
Do you know what I could do with $36 BILLION Dollars? I could clean up the worlds oceans, create clean water solutions for people on every continent, grow enough food- healthily without the use of pesticides, herbicides or GMO seeds- for every man, woman and child on the planet, AND provide clean energy for every person to use. What DID Bill Gates do with $36 BILLION Dollars? He paralyzed thousands of children with vaccines, sterilized thousands of women and girls with vaccines, he supported McDonalds, Coca Cola, Big Pharma, Big Oil and private Prison Corporations. d Bill Ga... more »
Russia developing aircraft fleet that will deploy army, tanks anywhere on earth 'within hours'
In the future, a fleet of heavy transport aircraft, developed by Russia, will move a strategic unit of 400 Armata tanks, with ammunition, to anywhere in the world at hypersonic speed, enabling Moscow to launch a global military response within hours. According to a new design specification from the Military-Industrial Commission in Moscow, the aircraft, dubbed PAK TA, will fly at a speed of up to 2,000 km/h and carry impressively high payload of up to 200 tons. It will also have a range of at least 7,000 kilometers, rt.com reported. One of the main functions of the heavy transport ... more »
French carrier in Indian waters for drill
[image: FS Charles de Gaulle CV]French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, heading a battlegroup of ships involved in strikes against the Islamic State from the Persian Gulf, will be in the Arabian Sea next month for 10 days of war games with the Indian Navy. The exercise, the latest of a series named "Varuna", will also involve India's aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, other Indian warships and a submarine. The nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle carries on board the navalised Rafale fighter jet that also landed on and took off from the American USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrie... more »
056 corvette suitable for PLA Navy defense in South China Sea
[image: Type 056 FS]As China launched its 25th Type 056 corvette on Mar. 19, the Sina Military Network based in Beijing said the PLA Navy will be able to control the disputed South China Sea with between 10 and 20 of such vessels. China is estimated to be building at least 40 Type 056 corvettes with a pricetag of US$8 billion to compete against the United States' littoral combat ships deployed to the Asia-Pacific region. The US Navy plans to operate four littoral combat ships from its base in Singapore by 2018 according to the Diplomat, an online current affairs magazine based in ... more »
Unveiled: China's New Naval Base in the South China Sea
Longpo naval base Recent reports talk about China’s possible establishment of a “fourth” naval fleet with jurisdiction over the Indian Ocean region (IOR), joining the existing North Sea Fleet, East Sea Fleet, and South Sea Fleet. This mysterious fourth fleet will supposedly be based on Hainan Island—even though the island falls under the jurisdiction of the South Sea Fleet and is some distance away from the IOR. For that reason, many see a prospective Chinese fleet covering the IOR to be either entirely speculative or, at best, a hollow force existing in name only. Read more
Graphs at a Glance: Spending our property wealth led to the economic crash in 2008. What will spending our pension pots lead to?
Dickens' fictional optimist Mr.Micawber stated the secret to his happiness was to have an income larger than his expenditure. Dickensian optimistic fictionalist George Osborne devised a way to dodge this restriction of income threatening to stand in the way of his happiness. George conceived a way to lower our incomes (low pay recovery and welfare cuts) and yet increase our household
Northcom: Russian Cruise Missile Threat to U.S. Grows
[image: Kh-101 cruise missile]Russia is developing a long-range cruise missile that poses a new threat to the United States, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command warned this week. “Russia is progressing toward its goal of deploying long-range, conventionally-armed cruise missiles with ever increasing stand-off launch distances on its heavy bombers, submarines, and surface combatants, augmenting the Kremlin’s toolkit of flexible deterrent options short of the nuclear threshold,” Adm. William Gortney, Northcom chief who heads the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Co... more »
Economic Report - News and Views ( March 21 -22 , 2015 Weekend Edition ) Greece - Post Europe Summit Crisis Talks End With Greece In Its Usual Place ( Behind the eight ball , with less time and cash on hand ) ...... Austria's HETA Bank Bailed Out By Germany ........ Ukraine Items Of Note ( Natural Gas Talks With Russia , US Taxpayers To Guarantee Ukraine Bond Issuance ) ....... Russia Looks to Eurasian Currency Union , Note Reserves Dip Once Again ..... Italy's Taxation Reaches New Levels ...... Japan Set To Experience Hyperinflation .....
Tweets...... *fred walton* @fredwalton216 5m 5 minutes ago http://ekathimerini.com | Attention turns to reforms list following talks in Brussels http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_artic les_wsite1_1_20/03/2015_548427 … via @*ekathimerini* *Albert Broomhead* @albertjohn 5m 5 minutes ago Juncker announces €2billion EU funding to tackle Greece’s humanitarian crisis http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2015/03/20/jun cker-announces-e2billion-eu-funding-to-tackle-greeces-humanitarian-crisis/ … via @*keeptalkingGR* *Albert Broomhead* @albertjohn 8m 8 minutes ago #*Greec... more »
China price coming for fighter planes, submarines, destroyers and other weapons
[image: Type 041 (Yuan) class) SSK]Countries importing weapons used to have to buy second hand cold war weapons will be being more capable replicas of American and Russian weapons for two to four times lower cost. Joseph E. Lin writes about the flood of cheap weapons that will flood the global market in Foreign Policy. China's weapons in general will not be more powerful or superior to the Russian and American systems but they will be competitive in capability but at lower cost. China has reverse engineered and stolen Russian, French and American military technology. Read more
MENA Report ( Weekend Edition March 21 -22 , 2015 ) - Iraq / Syria Regional War Updates...... Yemen Conflict - bombings at Shi'a Mosques kill and injury hundreds ..... ISIS makes hay in chaotic Libya .....Boko Haram mayhem continues as Nigeria gets closer to its delayed Election.... Kuwait and Afghanistan items of note.... Iran nuclear talks take a break as the West meets to consolidates its positions on sanctions
3/21/15 Links.... *142 Killed in Bombings of Yemen Shi'ite Mosques* *US Officials: ISIS Making Serious Inroads in Libya* *Operation to Retake Tikrit Stalled by Heavy Casualties, Discord* *ISIS Bomber Kills 35 Kurds in Northeast Syria* *Over 1,000 May Already Be Dead in Tikrit Battle; 43 Killed Across Iraq* Retreating Boko Haram Leaves Mass of Throat-Slit Corpses Near Nigerian Town Over 45,000 Egyptians Flee Libya After ISIS Beheadings Anti-Aircraft Guns Fire at Planes Over Yemen's Aden Presidential Compound: Government Sources A Day After a Killing, Afghans React in Horror, but ... more »
Buried Story on Clintons/FED Part of Price Letting Banks Get Away with Bank/Citizen Robbery? (Our Gov't Now Funds Creation of Financial Schemes Instead of Products) U.S. Orchestrating Color Revolutions Everywhere But U.S. (and Russia Invasion) (Who's Pushing That Diplomas Means Jobs?) Farewell, Danny
Fare thee well, Danny boy. You fared us well. You always told us the truth when so few other journalists even thought that was a good thing. We'll miss you. Danny Schechter, the News Dissector, Dies on Iraq Invasion Anniversary_ _ _ _ _ _ _ And you thought all those banker deaths were accidental? Jethro knows there's no such thing as an accident. Particularly so many convenient accidents.
Ukraine In Crisis -- News Updates March 21, 2015
*Bloomberg*: *Rebels Plan Offensive in East as Ukraine Fortifies Key Port* *(Bloomberg) -- Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine are preparing for a new offensive to expand their territory, signaling a six-week-old truce is in danger of crumbling.* *“We’ll try to push them from here to hell because we’re tired of them killing civilians with indiscriminate fire,” Alexander Khodakovsky, who commands the 3,500-man Vostok Brigade, said in an interview at his headquarters in Donetsk. The campaign may start in the “foreseeable future,” according to Khodakovsky, who also heads the secur... more »
Mushroom Pesticide with Paul Stamets
*[image: paul-stamets-mushrooms]* Right now the Monsanto protocols are emerging as serious missteps whose damage happens to be global. Yet pesticides as a protocol are economically convenient even if they can be generally avoided at some expense. So yes we need a seriously safe and effective pesticide protocol. This work may well be the answer. Best it fits well into the steady rise of organic farming which will naturally displace the whole industrial food industry as consumers more and more simply switch over. Thanks to the extensive public education program underway, we are... more »
The Man Who Plants Trees:
No. Ten years does not produce a mature forest. Far from it. what is shown here is that forest soils must be deep and that it is mandatory to start with a deep starter soil for the initial seeding. It is really common sense, but it takes real effort that needs to also be mechanized We have seriously contemplated using straw bails on top of a barren wasteland using potatoes to act as a starter for a new organic garden. The difficulty will be arranging a good supply of material to produce a deep soil. Straw is obvious along with manure, all chopped into the base soi... more »
New Titanium-Making Process
This is important. Titanium has been difficult to fabricate forever. This has meant slow adoption and great expense whenever used. Thus it is prioritized to minimize actual usage when in reality it should be maximized in terms of usage. If the pricing is correct, it can finally compete directly with aluminum alloys for a far larger share of the aeronautical market and many other places. It will still take a lot of time to implement but that goes with the territory. . *New Titanium-Making Process Could Result in Lighter Aircraft* *A new process could extend the use of ... more »
The Human Energy Field and DNA: How You Choose Your Genes
Let us go seriously further down the road. The energy field or the light body is a dark matter construct of dark matter particles that have been called dipoles and here electron positron pairs. Actual structure remains unproven. Way more important the scalability is that of an electron and it is uniform. These particles form a natural matrix wrapping photonic energy mostly in the form of figure eight strips known as Mobius strips. These strips exist in two dimensions only but allow number. I could hardly ask for a better conceptualization for a dynamic three dimensional computer... more »
Top U.S. - Russian Defense Officials Are Not Talking To Each Other
*Photo:* Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. © ITAR-TASS/Alexei Nikolsky *ITAR-TASS*: *Deputy minister: Russian defense minister will answer if US defense secretary makes a call* *According to the official, Russia does not seek confrontation between US and NATO* *MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. If US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter decides to "make a call" to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, there will be "no negative answer," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told RT on Thursday.* *"If, for example, minister of defense of the United States decides to make a ... more »
Russian Military Exercises Send A Message To NATO
A Russian Viktor III-class submarine. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense. *Newsweek*: *Russian Navy Carries Out Mock Attack on Nuclear Submarine* *Russian naval units launched an air-and-sea practice offensive on a nuclear submarine today in the Barents Sea, which Russia shares with Norway. The drill is part of Russia’s massive snap military drills which are due to continue until 21 March.* *The ‘strike and search group’, as the Russian Ministry of Defence referred to it, from the navy’s Northern Fleet comprised of Tu-142 ‘Bear’ naval aviation reconnaissance bombers and... more »
Why Are The Russians Using A Former Secret Norwegian Submarine Base?
An image of the inside of the base from Olavsvern's website. olavsvern.no *Elisabeth Braw, Newsweek*: *The Secret Norwegian Submarine Base Being Rented by the Russians* *Norway is ruing the day it sold off a key submarine base near the Russian border and now, with President Putin flexing his muscles in the region, there is growing alarm among Nato chiefs that the west has left itself woefully unprotected.* *Only six years ago, Norwegian politicians decided that Russia no longer posed a significant threat and that it was time to sell its top secret base called Olavsvern, which was... more »
A Family Business of Perpetual War
*Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland, speaking to Ukrainian and other business leaders at the National Press Club in Washington on Dec. 13, 2013, at a meeting sponsored by Chevron.* *Exclusive*: Victoria Nuland and Robert Kagan have a great mom-and-pop business going. From the State Department, she generates wars and – from op-ed pages – he demands Congress buy more weapons. There’s a pay-off, too, as grateful military contractors kick in money to think tanks where other Kagans work, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry Neoconservative pundit Robert K... more »
There Is No Money For The U.S. Navy's Next Generational Nuclear Submarine
SSBN-726 Ohio-Class FBM Submarines. FAS.org *DoD Buzz:* *Navy’s Next Generational Nuclear Submarine Fund Has No Money* *The Navy and Congress have yet to find money for a newly created account designed to pay for the services’ fleet of next-generation nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines slated to begin service in 2031 – the Ohio Replacement Program.* *The special fund is a product of the concern from lawmakers and admirals that the cost of the Ohio Replacement program would bankrupt the rest of the Navy’s shipbuilding budget.* *As a result, the 2015 National Defense Authoriz... more »
If the Moon Landings Were Real, Then Why is NASA Stumped by This?
*Buck Rogers* - If in the 1960's we were able to successfully overcome the challenge of reaching the moon and beyond, then why is it an issue now? The post If the Moon Landings Were Real, Then Why is NASA Stumped by This? appeared first on Waking Times.
A Plea Deal In The 'Works' For Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl?
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com *FOX News:** White House trying to get Bergdahl to strike a deal?* *Retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer claimed Thursday that the White House is trying to get Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to strike a deal in order to avoid a potentially embarrassing trial for the administration. "They want this to go away as quietly as possible," Shaffer, a former military intelligence officer, said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom." President Obama faced criticism for trading Bergdahl, accused by some of deserting, for five Taliban leaders being held at Guantana... more »
If Norman Lear isn't an "Iconic Character of Comedy," who is? (And a mensch besides)
*Wednesday night at the Museum of the Moving Image, Norman will also be signing copies of his book. I know from Howie how hard he worked on it, and how much it mattered to him. I wouldn't be surprised if I pick up a copy at the museum bookshop.* *by Ken* For a lot of us, Norman Lear is twice a hero. First, and most conspicuously, he changed the face of television. When Alan Alda appeared at the Museum of the Moving Image on that magical night in October 2013, as the first in an "ongoing series" called *Iconic Characters of Comedy* presented jointly by MoMI and the Comedy Hall of F... more »
Foreign Aid 16: ADB on OFW Remittances
A news report last Wednesday, March 18, 2015. I think the ADB President, Takehiko Nakao, is wrong here. OFW remittances are private funds, 100% of it, not PH government or ADB fund. Why would he suggest that remittances "be intermediated for public investments such as infrastructure"? Remittances by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), some $25 B last year, are several times larger, and sevveral times more useful, than foreign aid money, WB + ADB + USAID, etc. combined. Foreign aid is government to government. That is why foreign aid is often tainted with corruption and wastes. Remit... more »
Northerntruthseeker Taking A Bit Of A Break...
I want to inform everyone that I am taking a bit of a hiatus for the next two weeks just to get some much needed rest and relaxation... I will still do my best at getting the Sunday rants out, and I do plan on having a few live shows in the evening with my good friend Whitewraithe at "Turbulent Times" over the next week...... But in the meantime I will be trying to refrain as much as possible from writing articles while I actually get some much needed rest to try to "recharge my batteries", so to speak.. It has been a grueling last few weeks with my work load, and many projects aro... more »
Former CIA Director General Petraeus: Iran-Backed Militias Not The Islamic State Are The Biggest threats In Iraq
*Photo:* CIA Director Petraeus *Washington Post*: *Petraeus: The Islamic State isn’t our biggest problem in Iraq* *Gen. David H. Petraeus, who commanded U.S. troops in Iraq during the 2007-2008 surge, was back in that country last week for the first time in more than three years. He was attending the annual Sulaimani Forum, a get-together of Iraqi leaders, thinkers and academics, at the American University of Iraq - Sulaimani in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region.* *In his most expansive comments yet on the latest crisis in Iraq and Syria, he answered written questions from The Post... more »
Drought? What water policy?
*Normally a flooded arm of the Liyu Reservoir in Miaoli* Yeh Chieh-ting of Ketagalan Media passed around this piece on the water shortage from Storm. It describes things quite succinctly: this is the worst drought in 67 years. In the last three years we've had only two typhoons, which we depend on to fill our reservoirs -- the usual figure is that 80% of our water arrives in the summer typhoons -- but it hasn't been arriving. Two weeks ago when I went down to Laochijia in Pingtung I was appalled and terrified to see the rivers running in trickles or dry completely. A friend of mine... more »
Tonight's Movie Is 'The Missiles Of October' (1974)
From *YouTube*: William Devane and Martin Sheen star in this 1974 made-for-TV docu-drama about the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.
Taichung: Charity Book Sale Sunday
*Location of Caowu Square on corner of Yingcai and Gongzheng Roads, south side of Hotel One, the tallest building in Taichung.* Moving this post back up to the top... Today and tomorrow AmCham Taichung is hosting a book sale and bazaar for charity, with food, live music, and book sales. Come and enjoy! I've put a map in the image at the top of this post, many people don't seem to know where it is. Book Exchange and Bazaar 2015 捐書義賣文創市集 Today at 11:00am 草悟廣場 (Caowu Square, opposite Hotel ONE) 西區英才路534號 (Hotel one亞緻大飯店旁), _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments belo... more »
UN Caves to Israeli pressure on IDF abuse of Children
*UN Caves to Israeli Pressure on IDF abuse of Children* *The total lack of coverage on this important news story is alarming- After all western nations care so much for children. Allegedly?** Reality is of course completely opposite of the typical lying spin we get from the corporate, war mongering, manipulative media* *Does the IDF abuse children? Is the sky blue? Does the sun shine? Do we breath air?* *The obvious answer to each of those 4 questions is, of course, YES!* The 'only democracy' in the ME has a military that thrives on child abuse and murder. A fact the IDF seems to we... more »
spaceship earth
We are all astronauts Buchminster Fuller conversation
From Anti-Capitalism to Little Englandism
I'm not an avid follower of Paul Kingsnorth's work, but I do remember his *One No, Many Yeses*. This was a contribution - some may say cash-in - to the burgeoning library on the internationalist, anti-capitalist, and fashionably networky movement of sundry NGOs, anarchists and occasional Trots of the early part of the last decade. As something of a radical travelogue, our Paul flitted from country to country giving us the low down on the Zapatistas (of course), the G8 summit in Genoa, hung out with gold miners in New Guinea, and all other kinds of things. It was an uncritical celeb... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- March 20, 2015
*Ellias Groll, Passport/Foreign Policy:* *Twin Suicide Bombings in Yemen May Mark Islamic State Foray Into Yemen* A barrage of suicide bombings struck two mosques in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Friday killing at least 137 and wounding some 350 others who attended the typically crowded Friday prayer sessions, according to media reports. Twitter accounts linked to the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, according the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online jihadi activity. The attacks targeted Houthi mosques in the capital, and online statements called them... more »
Alas, poor Judas
This week's *Start the Week *certainly got my brain going - despite it being, in many ways, the epitome of a BBC left-liberal-biased programme. Its theme was shame and betrayal. Under the chairpersonage of its impeccably left-liberal presenter Tom Sutcliffe (of the *Guardian/*BBC), self-proclaimed left-winger Jon Ronson, anti-'corporate' academic/campaigner Jennifer Jacquet, liberal Catholic Peter Stanford, and Michael Buffong, artistic director of *Talawa* (on to talk about left-leaning playwright Arthur Miller), discussed those very matters. My listening experience ran, roughly...more »
Dexys Midnight Runners - Burn It Down
Dexys Midnight Runners - Burn It Down: https://youtu.be/8OgTNCeW3sU The best intro ever?
World News Briefs -- March 20, 2015 (Evenig Edition)
*Daily Mail*: *Massacred as they prayed at two mosques: Suicide bombers kill at least 142 after blowing themselves up in Yemen* * * WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Four bombers launch two attacks* Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques in Sanaa targeted during midday prayers* A further 351 people have been wounded, medical officials reported* Islamic State claimed responsibility and said it was a 'blessed operation'Multiple suicide bombings on two mosques in Yemen's capital today have left hundreds killed or injured. Four bombers wearing explosive belts targeted the Badr and al-Hashoosh ... more »
Apache Leaders Guard Sacred from McCain's Copper Mining
Photo courtesy Sandra Rambler By Sandra Rambler, San Carlos Apache Censored News On March 18, San Carlos Apache Tribal Vice-Chairman Tao Etpison and Peridot District Councilman Wendsler Nosie, Sr., stand guard at Gaan Canyon at one of the most sacred and holy dwelling places of the Apache Mountain Spirit Dancers while tribal members are joined by Indigenous Peoples in occupying
A Simple Trick on How to See Without Glasses
*Video -* This video shows a simple trick on how to see clearly without glasses and explains the science behind it. The post A Simple Trick on How to See Without Glasses appeared first on Waking Times.
We want to keep Ian Welsh slaving away at his computer, don't we?
*"I am fundraising to determine how much I’ll write this year. If you value my writing, and want more of it, please consider donating."* *-- Ian Welsh, during his just-about-doneianwelsh.net fund-raising drive* *by Ken* It's time (actually, almost past time) to show Ian Welsh how much we value his blog-writing. Apologies for my bad timing -- I should have gotten to this a couple of weeks ago, and in this case timeliness would have been a boon. Because while I'm sure Ian Welsh isn't going to turn away contributions that come in after he's rung the gong on this year's fund-raising... more »
UK Judge Dismisses Pandora's Box
Well my friends, I said to watch how this rolls out. This is the first official salvo to the public to try and negate the Hampstead Heath Childrens story. This is exactly what I suspected they would do: the paedophilia aspect to this case is not "questionable", it is the SATANIC CULT aspect that is what terrifies not only the controllers of the paedophiles.... but makes the media have a complete freak out. The public has seen enough of the paedophilia cases being brought forward - albeit, "old" cases, from "before"- that the accusations of these two children of sexual assault... more »
Flash Crash of the Dollar: Unicorns still Farting Rainbows
According to the Western Media economists, everything is just sun shine and moon beams, unicorns are farting rainbows and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is called "The Stock Market", and "Economic Recovery"..... Meanwhile....... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-20/when-worlds-reserve-currency-flash-crashed-i-haven%E2%80%99t-seen-anything-it-financial-cris When The World's Reserve Currency Flash Crashed: "I Haven’t Seen Anything Like It Since The Financial Crisis’ [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2015 14:23 -0400 On Wednesday afte... more »
Islamic State: The liberal-left's take (via the BBC)
Tonight's *PM *discussed Islamic State and its seemingly relentless advance, with gruesome terrorist IS attacks in recent days in Libya, Tunisia and Yemen. I made notes...and, for the sake of not wasting them, here they are... To my mind Islamic State *is* now a (terrorist) state, no longer 'so-called', indubitably Islamic, and Iran-like in its exporting of terrorism and Nazi Germany-like in its viciousness, genocidal instincts and sheer evil...(please feel free to disagree)... Strongly left-wing but often astute *Independent* columnist Patrick Cockburn was one of the guests on... more »
Aisha North: An Equinox update
An Equinox update as channeled by Aisha north March 20, 2015 Once again we are delighted to have the opportunity to commune with you in this manner. For we come with a message of joy, one that will be called out from the mountain tops, not just in your realms, but in ours as well. For now, the waters have parted and the risen will arise, the New will come forth and the old will fade away for never to return. The advancement of the light is such, no like has ever before been seen, and so, what you have sown, you will finally harvest. For you are the ones who brought the light ... more »
Transpicuous News Midweek: March 18, 2015: Museum Madness, CERN Dances, and China's AIIB Steals the Show
Good evening everyone. Here is the Video archive of Transpicuous News Midweek Report from Wednesday, March 18th, 2015. I will say in advance.... not my best report. Between choking on a potato chip for the first 20 minutes and being slightly distracted by ... well, let's just say "distracted" and leave it at that. lol. I promise I'll pull my socks up and get my act together for Sunday's TN report. d TUNISIA: Hostages and shootings at Bardo Museum..... perhaps? http://removingtheshackles.blogspot.ca/2015/03/tunisia-hostages-and-shootings-at-bardo.html News Links for this r... more »
Our government has been cooking the books on employment for many months now. So the 100 thousand Americans who cannot find a decent paying job are blaming themselves for their predicament. In the meantime, Janet Yellen, is planning the Fed's next move based on the false data exposed here. Whatever this leads to can't be good for anyone but the top 1%.
------------------------------ Something Strange Is Going On With Nonfarm Payrolls [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/17/2015 17:30 -0400 Let's start with the basics: why is there a majority consensus that the Fed will hike rates after it removes its "patient" language tomorrow? One simple reason: non-farm payrolls. As reported earlier in the month, following the report of March's expectations smashing 295,000 jobs added, there have now been a 13 consecutive months of 200K+ payroll months... ... something which together with the 5.5% unemployment ra... more »
The U.S. Tallys The Cost In It's War Against The Islamic State
*Reuters*: *U.S. has flown 2,320 strikes against Islamic State at a cost of $1.83 bln -official* *(Reuters) - The U.S. military has flown 2,320 air strikes against Islamic State militants since Aug. 8 at a cost of $1.83 billion, hitting thousands of targets including tanks, oil infrastructure and fighting positions, the Pentagon said on Thursday.* *The strikes by U.S. forces amounted to about 80 percent of the total number carried out by a multinational coalition. In all, the partners have flown 2,893 air strikes, with 1,631 in Iraq and 1,262 in Syria, hitting 5,314 targets.* *M... more »
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