BLOGGER-FOLLOWING
Forecast-the-facts has no facts left — just demands that newspapers do inflammatory namecalling
… Forecast the Facts wants newspapers to label anyone who disagrees with them as mentally deficient deniers. Climate change is settled, beyond debate, and the evidence is overwhelming, but the the team with all that certainty seems awfullly scared that the public might listen to their critics. Look at the first line of their defining statement Who We Are: “Forecast the Facts is dedicated to ensur
Rihanna was just named Dior's first black brand ambassador
It's only taken 69 years, but finally luxury French house Dior, has its first black campaign star in Rihanna See also: The unofficial theme of New York Fashion Week is diversity Dior confirmed in March that Rihanna was to be the house's latest celebrity model, but the advertorials rolled out Tuesday with steamy images of the 28-year old singer. "It feels fantastic,” she said to MTV. “It is su
Online sharing is not digital leadership
Using social media to share with your community? It’s a start, but it’s not enough. Using social media to connect with other educators? That’s awesome, but that’s not enough either. Using what you’ve learned from social media to significantly change the day-to-day learning experiences of students (and teachers)? Now you’re getting somewhere… In other words, the branding and the PLN work is great.
The new meat-on-meat Thickburger will be topped with a hot dog and potato chips
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are cramming a summer cookout into one burger. The upcoming menu item is made with a beef patty that is topped with a split hot dog. The meaty duo sits on a layer of Lay's potato chips between hamburger buns. Ketchup, mustard, tomato, red onion, pickles and American cheese will be thrown in, too. The burger will have 1,030 calories and 64 grams of fat. "The hot dog is
THE ENVIRONMENTALIST20 unread articles // actions
Getting Past Scientized Scrutiny
Too often, reporting on food and agriculture treats science as a singular source of truth
Fighting Fossils, Letting Go of Regulatory Law
Oregon county embraces a community rights approach to challenge local liquefied natural gas terminal
Former Orca Trainer John Hargrove on the SeaWorld ‘Facade’
Blackfish star slams the marine entertainment giant for ‘disgusting’ treatment of whales
THE CORBETT REPORT32 unread articles // actions
Interview 1040 – Financial Survival: The Global Tax Grid Cometh
Every week James appears on Financial Survival with Alfred Adask to discuss news, economics and current events. This week they discuss the Eurozone meltdown and the unlikelihood of a Grexit, why more Americans are renouncing their citizenship than ever, and how a global tax grid is being constructed behind the scenes as a cornerstone of world government.
The Secret Life of Timothy McVeigh (video)
Timothy McVeigh. We’ve been told so much about him, the Oklahoma City bombing, and what it meant for America. But what if it’s all a lie? Join us today for this special Corbett Report podcastumentary as we examine the multiple trucks, multiple bombs, government informants, faked executions and other pieces of information suggesting that McVeigh […]
Episode 305 – The Secret Life of Timothy McVeigh
[audio mp3="https://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/episode304-lq.mp3"][/audio]Timothy McVeigh. We've been told so much about him, the Oklahoma City bombing, and what it meant for America. But what if it's all a lie? Join us today for this special Corbett Report podcastumentary as we examine the multiple trucks, multiple bombs, government informants, faked executions and other pieces of inform
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE3 unread articles // actions
Original Wisdom
Original Wisdom is an unforgettable book. Like all humans, author Robert Wolff was born a wild animal, ready to enjoy a pleasant life, romping around in a tropical wilderness. He grew up in Sumatra, the son of Dutch parents. His father was a doctor. The young lad suffered the misfortune of being educated by the dominant culture. It trained him for an unnatural life of schedules, destinations,
Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain a Consumer Society
We live in a fantasy world. We have blind faith that we’ll be able to sustainably feed nine or ten billion people in 2050, a wish-based belief. We have blind faith that technology will vaporize all challenges that appear in our path over the coming centuries. Economic growth will continue forever. We’ll celebrate a glorious victory over climate change by switching to safe, clean renewable ener
The End of Nature
Long, long ago, in scorching-hot 1988, Bill McKibben was busy writing The End of Nature, a book that cranked up the global warming warning sirens. It was the first climate change book written for non-scientists, and it was a smash hit. It makes an eloquent effort to convince those entranced by the dominant culture to radically change their thinking and lifestyles, this week if possible, because
VAGABOND SCHOLAR1 unread article // actions
National Poetry Month 2015
April is National Poetry Month. As usual, I'll link the wonderful Favorite Poem Project. For this year, I wanted to feature a lovely poem that I wasn't familiar with before this year. (At a memorial service for my favorite professor, one of his daughters read it.) Monet Refuses the Operation By Lisel Mueller Doctor, you say there are no haloes around the streetlights in Paris and what I
A WAY TO LIVE3 unread articles // actions
Two titles to be found in first characters of each line
(Praying for rain)Perhaps the seedlings were better off inside,Really. She's never sure what's best for them,All down the years trying peat pots, blocks,Yanking down flats from storage, penciling markers, Ingratiating herself with baked soils,Now trying perlite, vermiculite, moss,Getting out lamps and heaters, rotating flats,Fighting intruding snails, mice and ratsOr even knotweed and morning-glor
Sit tight
Beloved is back from one of her journeys and is seeing to the rhubarb and the animals. Here are the Welsummers, still good looking and productive at age three. They are laid back and curious.New Khaki Campbell ducklings have been brought home and are settled in the "rabbit" cages to grow up a bit before being introduced to the flock. Half of them we are raising for a friend who lives nea
We're none the less here
April was much chillier than "winter" here and growth of some, though not all, things has been slowed. The lettuce and other greens seemed chuffed about the cold, which is irritating about them as they also complain when it gets hot. The broadbeans, elephant garlic, and rhubarb however are going gangbusters, but they always do.I've walked around some and I think we will have decent raspb
A.E.BRAIN1 unread article // actions
F-0180 Aerial Test of Torpedo
The second US cruise missile - though the first was a close contemporary. Yes, this was Rocket Science, 1919 style. Had the Great War continued, development wouldn't have been delayed, and it would have been in service by late 1919 in the strategic bombardment role - probably at night and in cloudy conditions, as it was a fairly easy target.May I present - the "Kettering Bug"
ACTIVIST TEACHER7 unread articles // actions
Interesting reader-suggested links about learning and schooling
An avid reader of this blog, contacted me and suggested these very interesting links about schools and about learning: Authoritarian Schooling: A Catalogue of Damage compiled by David Gribble Annenberg Learner: Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum Meaningful Learning Research Group Articles How we confuse symbols and things Student Alternative
On the increasing legal suppression of freedom of thought and expression in so-called free and democratic societies
By Denis G. Rancourt Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties. --John Milton, Areopagitica, 1644 My main overriding message is far from new: that freedom of thought, opinion, and expression is the very basis of a fair society. That freedom of speech is the foundational individual right for a truly democratic system to exist or
Etudiants(es), soyez sérieux(ses) ...
Vous vous êtes fait avoir. Vous ne pouvez voir l’évidence. Lorsque la logique, l’évidence est affirmée, vous la rejetez catégoriquement ou faites la sourde oreille. Pour dire les choses de manière crue : Vous êtes des travailleurs dans une économie complètement contrôlée. Les secteurs de l’éducation et du service professionnel sont tous deux partie intégrante du même système d’extraction de
Can we be neutral on the question of affirmative action in the hiring of university professors? -- A radical perspective
By Denis G. Rancourt "Affirmative action" means imposing positive discrimination or quotas for members of disadvantaged groups. In the case of a university department, it means imposing a hiring practice designed to select more candidates from disadvantaged groups. One view is that the tenured professors of the academic department should have total professional independence to select the
WIDE ASLEEP IN AMERICA4 unread articles // actions
Larry Mendte Gets It So Wrong:How Persistent Iraq Mythologies Inspire Bad Analysis on Iran
Earlier this week, Kayvon Afshari, communications director for the American Iranian Council, appeared on Another Thing with veteran broadcaster Larry Mendte to discuss the state of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and the prospect, in the face of powerful opposition, of a final deal being reached in the coming weeks. While Afshari's pro-diplomacy optimism was backed up by important
Correcting Rachel Maddow on Her Analysis of the New Iran Deal Framework
Most people are neither interested in nor informed about the minutiae and technical details of Iran's nuclear program, or any nuclear program for that matter. That's perfectly understandable. When MSNBC host Rachel Maddow opened her show tonight with a lengthy segment on nuclear technology, bomb-making, and the amazing news from Lausanne, Switzerland today, she revealed how one can be
AP's Iran Infographic is Ignorant on IAEA Inspections
Accompanying an otherwise eyeroll-worthy article about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu's temper tantrum following yesterday's announcement of a nuclear deal framework between Iran, the United States, Russia, France, Great Britain, China, and Germany, the Associated Press has put together an infographic about what the emerging details of the deal mean. Here it is: Whoever put
Vox Errata: On Nuclear Framework, Explanatory Journalism Site Has Some More 'Splaining To Do
As soon as the framework for a comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers was announced in Lausanne, Switzerland on April 2, Vox.com content manager Max Fisher came out strongly in favor of the agreement's reported details. While his optimism is certainly welcome, his understanding of some key details leaves something to be desired. Unfortunately, for someone who writes about
ALLEN L ROLAND'S WEBLOG4 unread articles // actions
My Living Will / Updated
Allen L Roland at 81 going on 82 years youngSince I’m approaching 82 and partially disabled with a military service related condition, it’s time to update my Living Will along with a promise ~ inspired of course by the irrepressible Paul Rudnick of the New Yorker: Allen L Roland, Ph.D"Me and Merle were talking, ain't many of us left ~ We were chuckling about that. Where'd everybo
Give 'Em Hell, Bernie / The Game Is On
Admit it, most of us know the political system is rigged, that most Americans have been marginalizedand silenced by a growing plutocracy and that corporations are now firmly in control, that a truly honest politician is an oxymoron, that is until now ~ Bernie Sanders is a lifeboat in a sea of political deception and lost hope. Bernie is an honest Independent politician who cares enough now in 201
Obama'S Drone Assassinations And Tpp = Tough Patooties, People
CEO Obama rules Plutocracy through fear, intimidation and secrecySenators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown have recently sent a letter to President Obama confronting the White House bluntly on the secrecy surrounding the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) and the impact it could have on the American economy and legal system ~ but in the process this letter demonstrates to me that the American peopl
Band Of Brothers #15 / Healing Wounded Hearts Through Heart Centered Action
Once again, the magic of love and gratefulness applied through heart centered action leads eight veterans with PTSD to another choice in their life but also to a greater sense of themselves, their purpose and their ability to give and receive love: Allen L Roland, Ph.D“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ~ Albert Einst
THE WHITE HATS REPORT1 unread article // actions
April 14, 2015 – White Hats Report WE’RE BACK!
After much soul searching, it’s been decided to restart The White Hats Report website in an effort to continue the work begun over 4 years and 47 reports ago. At that time, we suspended our reporting as other matters had to take precedence. In the meantime, Kerry Cassidy graciously provided me blog space on her Project Camelot website wherein I offered submissions periodically for posting and so
BIG DAN'S BIG BLOG2 unread articles // actions
Pam Geller and the Garland Texas "Shooting": They Just Won't Stop The FALSE FLAGS
Enemies within the gates ruining America (rightwing media calls her a "patriot"): Jewish Zionist Mossad Agent Pam GellerThere are so many FALSE FLAGS in this country that it seems like I can't get onto another subject when another one comes up to write about. This time Jewish anti-Islam hatemonger Pam Geller was involved. How can someone have a "job" that solely involves puttin
Freddie Gray Protest In Baltimore; Once Again, "Officials'' Try To Discredit A Protest With Agent Provocateurs STAGED "LOOTING" Pictures
I wrote a post on the Ferguson protests about how "officials" dispatch agent provocateurs to protests to discredit peaceful protests and how it is a plan to shift the focus of the "news" from the actual peaceful protesters to (fake) "LOOTERS" complete with STAGED PHOTOS of "LOOTING" so then everyone talks about the "LOOTERS" instead of the real pro
BLOOD & TREASURE1 unread article // actions
a letter from the hearse chasers
Just over a week ago we got a letter addressed to my stepson. This happens occasionally, though he's long since moved out. We bin the obvious junk and keep the other stuff for when he comes home on a visit. But this time my partner decided to invoke a mum's privilege to poke her nose into her offspring's business. The letter was from a company called Estate Research, “a firm of genealogists who s
BP SLICK1 unread article // actions
Byron Encalade, Voices From The Gulf
Byron Encalade, Voices From The Gulf.Drew Landry (left Byron Encalade (right) ((Click to enlarge))The second in a series of interviews with South Louisiana Fishermen, Drew Landry took me to Byron Encalade, in East Pointe A-LA Hache, LA, a small fishing village in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. He engages in harvesting seafood, oysters and shrimp; also in transporting seafood along the gulf coast
BRAVE NEW WORLD1 unread article // actions
Are Enhanced eBooks a Digital Grail?
What is the state of the ebook market and are there significant differences between the various different market segments and geographical regions?The question is not new and there are a significant number of opinions on the answers. However, different markets move at different speeds and sometimes in different direction and facts are often out of date and views often reflect vested interests. The
BUCKDOG1 unread article // actions
How Stephen Harper Created the Duffy/Senate Mess ......
In a May, 2013 Buckdog post, I told you how the Duffy/Harper mess got started ...May 20, 2013:"When Stephen Harper decided to add Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy to Canada's unelected, undemocratic Senate, he started in motion a series of events that has ultimately become an ugly, nasty political scandal.For starters, neither Duffy nor Wallin qualified for senate appointment as representatives o
THE STRAIGHT GOODS7 unread articles // actions
Skeena River Estuary, Life-blood Of Our Environment(Move Your Site Petronas)
This is why Petronas will never get social license to build at their chosen Lelu island site..Move along Petronas, find another site..And to you, the people, the public, get off your lazy asses and read, learn, complain, report, protest...Stop listening to corrupt lazy corporate owned media...The below information is available in more detail in a PDF link below...The PDF file link has pretty pict
Why Petronas LNG Proposal Is Caput(podcast) and Meet Murray Christoff, The Racist Port Simpson Councilor
A very good discussion on Petronas`s LNG proposal takes place in this podcast, ...Petronas and the Christy Clark Government have failed to have any meaningful discussions with First Nations...Time for another supreme court law suit, this time against Petronas and the BC Government..First things first, listen to the below podcast, (20 minutes) http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/bcalmanac_20150511_1
Norway’s Oil Riches. Canada’s Poverty. Guess Why?
Norway’s Oil Riches. Canada’s Poverty. Guess Why? Written by Robin Mathews/May 2015Finally, and one might say suddenly, Norway’s experience, and Canada’s, with Oil Revenue Savings are under a bright light of comparison. It’s a painful comparison … for Canada. Especially since (a) Canada has far greater fossil fuel production and reserves than Norway, and (b) Canada began operating a non-renewa
Election Promises Meet Decision Desk( The Rachel Notley Era Begins)
Written by Grant GElection promises meet decision desk"Hope and Change"......I remember when Barack Obama inspired a nation to believe, inspired the world too, feels like a longtime ago....Mr. Obama achieved only the easy part, changing from George Bush the lessor to someone with functioning brain cells put the world at ease, for about 90 days before the signs were apparent, "Hope a
THE ORIGINAL BLOGGER TIPS AND TRICKS1 unread article // actions
How to enable meta description for blog and posts
Meta description for both blog and post for Blogger is disabled by default. It is good for SEO as well as increasing the chance that people searching for something related to your blog or posts will click on the search results to get to your blog and posts.With this default set, when you compose a post, you will not see an option to enter search description for a post and typically this screenshot
THE HIGH-FAT HEP C DIET1 unread article // actions
Chemical Atherogenesis - the alternative hypothesis.
In 1977, when I was 19, and shortly before I cut my hair and joined a punk group, I worked as an apple picker in Upper Moutere, near Mapua, in the Tasman district of New Zealand.The orchard was an eerie pace - no insects, no weeds, it even seemed that birds didn't fly over it, they certainly never ate the fruit. The fruit we picked had a white film on it. One of the guys I worked with drove the
NEWS CENTER PK1 unread article // actions
Another major quake hits Nepal, toppling damaged buildings
A major earthquake hit a remote mountainous region of Nepal on Tuesday, killing at least four people, triggering landslides and toppling buildings less than three weeks after the country was ravaged by its worst quake in decades. Rescue helicopters were immediately sent to districts northeast of the capital of Kathmandu that Nepal believes were hardest hit by the magnitude 7.3 quake. The governmen
CREEKSIDE6 unread articles // actions
Cons, Libs pass C-51 anti-terrorism law.
CBC, May 6, 2015 : Bill C-51 passes by margin of 183 to 96. "The federal government's controversial new anti-terrorism bill has won the approval of the House of Commons.The Anti-Terrorism Act, also known as Bill C-51, easily passed third reading by a margin of 183 to 96, thanks to the Conservative government's majority and the promised support of the third-party Liberals."April 1, 2015 :
Hey, federal political parties - this is how it's done.
In three days Albertans go to the polls. Here's how that's looking as of yesterday :As part of his election platform, Calgary-Klein Green Party candidate Noel Keough made a great case for raising corporate taxes in Alberta - the lowest in the country - by just 2% in order to raise $12-billion annually for Alberta's decimated public coffers : An environmental design prof at the University of Calaga
The Duffy Tarsands Diaries
Never mind the Senate vagaries on where Duffy actually resides or whether all his porking out at the public trough is criminal or just Senate-business-as-usual. Forget all that. Of the various narratives emerging from the Duffy trial, the story that should be getting a lot more attention is that Con Party fundraiser Senator Mike Duffy appears to have served as a behind-the-scenes go-between betwee
Omar Khadr, the "James Bond of Jihad", is granted bail.
National Post : "One way or another, Omar Khadr will soon be a free man.On Friday, moments after judge J.M. Ross of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta granted the 28-year-old Toronto native bail from an Edmonton-area jail pending appeal of his war crimes conviction in the United States, the government announced — as predictably as day follows night — that it would appeal."The governme
DAMMIT JANET!5 unread articles // actions
Abuse of Power All Round
Up-front, a few things that should not have to be said, but given the nature of this discussion, here they are.First, I will not establish my feminist or anti-VAW cred.Second, I have nothing but disgust for the moronic, hateful, and well past its best-by date "prank" of yahoos' yelling FHRITP during telly reporters' live shots.It is clearly symptomatic of the institutionalized and tacitl
It's Not Easy Being a Fetus Freak in Saskatchewan
Despite being decisively smacked down by the Minister of Health last April, Saskatchewan Pro-Life continues to stomp their little feet demanding parental consent for abortion (click to embiggen letter). Yesterday, they staged another of their lame underground gasline markers display.Oddly, the MASSIVE event got no media coverage, but there was this on Twitter.#FlagDisplay of 10,000 flags in Regina
Charter Challenge on Abortion Statistics
I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been a single mainstream media story on this.So, here goes with my version of an interesting looming conflict over reproductive rights in Ontario.First, the players. One is amateur statistician and serial shrieeeeker, Pat Maloney. Another is the Dominionist (reluctant) revealer of Conservative leadership candidates' abortion stances, Association for Reformed Poli
Fetus Freaks: They're Slow But They're Stupid
Good gord. Regular readers of DJ! know how highly we esteem the intelligence and moral compass of the fetus freaks, but this should be embarrassing even for them. Let's hop into the Way Back Machine. On November 8 last year, we reported that the Trillium Foundation, the granting agency for Ontario's gaming proceeds, rescinded the second year of a two-year $84K grant to a fake clinic.There was some
DR CINTLI6 unread articles // actions
"Not Counting Mexicans or Indians":
I am reposting this at the top because it is the one article that people keep asking about an dlooking for ove rthe past several months. Please share."Not Counting Mexicans or Indians": The Many Tentacles of State Violence Against Black-Brown-Indigenous Communities"They tried to bury us, but they didn't know we were seeds." - Popul Vuh* VIOLENCE AGAINST BLACK/BROWN-INDIGENOUS
From Truthout: Time to Commemorate Cinco de Mayo With Sobriety Runs
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/30515-time-to-commemorate-cinco-de-mayo-with-sobriety-runs
Please Share And Start Planning For Next Year'S Cinco:
Taking Back Cinco de MayoBy Roberto Rodriguez (Dr. Cintli)The weekend is coming up and you are looking forward to Cinco de Mayo, but this year, knowing that this is when many people denigrate Mexican people, you are determined not to insult Mexican people. What to do? Here’s a simple guide:#1: Do not attempt to dress up or speak like a Mexican.#2: Do not confuse this day with September 16 or Mexi
Celebrate true tradition of Cinco de Mayo
Celebrate true tradition of Cinco de Mayohttp://tucson.com/news/opinion/column/guest/celebrate-true-tradition-of-cinco-de-mayo/article_85850170-3a67-5599-86e6-59c6d82e8836.htmlRespond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinionsubmittRoberto Rodriguez -- Credit: submitt54 minutes ago • By Roberto Rodriguez Special to the Arizona Daily StarCelebrate another wayFor information on the Cin
FORT MCMURRAY ADVENTURES7 unread articles // actions
Waking Up In Vegas With A Stranger
Well wasn't that quite the election? When things change here, they have a history of changing in a big way and last night was no exception. No doubt a few long-time PC'ers feel like they've woken up in Vegas with a hangover next to a crack whore. And while I expected the government to take a hit, I certainly wasn't expecting an implosion. In many ways, we have wiped the slate here and are star
Mike Allen: The Wrong Choice for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo
Shortly before the 2012 election, we saw the creation of two new ridings here in response to our region's growing population. Fort McMurray and the surrounding municipality of Wood Buffalo was split creating the new ridings of Fort McMurray-Conklin and Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. It was supposed to give Fort McMurray greater clout in Edmonton. Unfortunately, 2012 saw the election of Mike Allen
Don Scott: The Wrong Choice for Fort McMurray-Conklin
As I suspected, Don Scott and the PC machine are getting desperate. Clearly it isn't business as usual. He is being forced to defend his first term but many long-time PC supporters are giving up on him. So desperate, in fact, that Scott's only play seems to be attack his Wildrose and NDP opposition. Forced to defend a budget that is clearly unpopular with Albertans, Scott accuses Wildrose lead
Politicians and School VP's Behaving Badly
When I saw a headline about Premier Prentice trying to defend the actions of yet another of his hapless MLA's, I knew just knew that this one had to do with one of our local clowns. Like a bad hangover, Minnesota Mike keeps hanging around. It really is ridiculous that Prentice tries to defend him. I'm not sure what part about how 3-Way Mike broke the law of a foreign country can be defended.
THE EARTH AND MAN: SETTING THE STAGE4 unread articles // actions
The Ocean and the Ill-Defined "Climate"
The Tallbloke site says "ocean makes climate", with 2 graphs. My response: I don't know whether the last "430 words" [of the original post, linked to by tallbloke] address the direction of energy flow, but these two graphs do not. The ocean covers 70% of the surface, so one would worry if variations in the GMST and the GMSST did not largely agree. What these graphs tell me--and
"In Search of the Lost Chord" of Reason In Our Time
The Jo Nova site reports on the cancellation of a Bjorn Lomborg "consensus center" which, as I understand it, was to be devoted--at least partially--to reporting the truth about the ridiculously high cost of alarmist climate policies. Readers here should read that Jo Nova post, then my following response: On April 25, 2011 (six months after my Venus/Earth temperatures comparison, which d
Still Obsessing On Climate Sensitivity
Bishop Hill and ClimateAudit have both given space to the latest round of obsessing about CO2 "climate sensitivity", by scientist Nic Lewis. I respond to the following quote in Lewis's latest posting: "Since the climate system takes many centuries to equilibrate..." Translation: None of us know--and really don't believe we CAN know, for "many centuries" yet--what we a
Those Who Forget the Past
I have submitted the following comment to the notalotofpeopleknowthat site, where it is stated that the global mean surface temperature has been flat for the last 20 years: It is 25 years. Remember you heard it from me first. I have tried to inform the climate debaters on the blogosphere a number of times over the last 4 years, that the temperatures between 2010 and 2012 were tracking those betwee
WELCOME BACK TO POTTERSVILLE7 unread articles // actions
Publish and Perish
OK, so the Kindle version of Tatterdemalion went live two weeks ago and after the first day bump, what's known as the curiosity factor, it sold seven copies. Since that day, it's gone downhill. I partly blame myself for that since I have a better instinct for publicity and marketing than an actual talent for it. But after endless delays and endless typos I've had to iron out since I'm a
Jack the Ripper's at Large
The wait is over. Well, for me, at least. You've heard me yammering on about Tatterdemalion, my Caleb Carr-esque historical psychological thriller. Well, I finally uploaded it on Kindle last night and it went live today. You can find it right here for the low price of $4.99 (not a bad price to pay for a thriller that's nearly 200,000 words-long). And, as any author can tell you, books ten
Fifty Shades of Gray, Black and Blue
(By American Zen's Mike Flannigan.) "Running while black is not probable cause. Felony running doesn’t exist, and you can’t arrest someone for looking you in the eye." - Billy Murphy, Gray family attorney At first it may look as if the highly suspicious death of Freddy Gray, the 25 year-old African American who was arrested April 12 and died last Sunday morning, will see some sat
TELLING THE HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTU...1 unread article // actions
Keelty, Howard And Ruddock And The Secret Deal To Execute Australians
I suspect that Mick Keelty, John Howard and Philip Ruddock are pleased that the two Bali Nine boys were shot to death in the early hours of Wednesday morning of the 29 April 2015 as it finalises a plan first hatched back in April 2005. It was then that Lee Rush, the father of Scott Rush, one of the gang members of a drug smuggling operation, realising that his son was about to fly to Bali in orde
GREG MANKIW'S BLOG9 unread articles // actions
Why I invest in index funds
The NY Times reports:For investors in hedge funds, like big pension funds, 2014 was not a lucrative year. But for those who managed their money, the pay was spectacular. The top 25 hedge fund managers reaped $11.62 billion in compensation in 2014, according to an annual ranking published on Tuesday by Institutional Investor’s Alpha magazine. That collective payday came even as hedge funds, once hi
Where I will be on Monday
Here:40 years later- The relevance of Okun’s "Equality and Efficiency: The Big Tradeoff"
TABLE OF WISDOM.COM1 unread article // actions
As the saying goes, everything happen for a reason. I love the irony of this eruption occurring on "Earth Day"...
As the saying goes, everything happen for a reason. I love the irony of this eruption occurring on "Earth Day". It doesn't appear the Earth likes these pagan socialists very much.It looks as though Earth may have been trying to send a message to the leftists who were worshiping it on "Earth Day". They like to talk about the Earth in anthropomorphic terms, so here it is loud a
SYRIA COMMENT4 unread articles // actions
“Did Ali Mamlouk, Assad’s Spy Chief, Try to Carry out a Coup?” by Joshua Landis
[Addendum: 3 hours after posting: A trusted source says that Mamlouk has been working as normal this past week.] I have been asked about what I think of the latest Telegraph news story that claims that Ali Mamlouk, the head of intelligence in Damascus, has been arrested for trying to carry out a coup and […] The post “Did Ali Mamlouk, Assad’s Spy Chief, Try to Carry out a Coup?” by Joshua Landis a
“The evolving humanitarian response to the Syrian crisis,” by Marika Sosnowski
The evolving humanitarian response to the Syrian crisis Marika Sosnowski – @MikiSosnowski – http://marikasosnowski.com/ For Syria Comment, May 2015 In 2015, the UN has requested a staggering US$8.4 billion to help 18 million people within Syria and the immediate region. This is a huge sum and the largest humanitarian appeal in UN history. Five years […] The post “The evolving humanitarian response
How Far is Hezbollah Willing to Go in Syria?
How Far is Hezbollah Willing to Go in Syria? By Vahik Soghom, BA. AUB, MA. Univ of St. Andrews, Humboldt Univ of Berlin For Syria Comment April 20, 2015 The melting of snow in the Qalamoun mountains signals the end of the especially harsh winter of 2015. By extension, it opens the door for the […] The post How Far is Hezbollah Willing to Go in Syria? appeared first on Syria Comment.
HRW: “ISIS Escapees Describe Systematic Rape”
Human Rights Watch today released new findings about IS’ sexual enslavement project that targeted Yazidi women and girls. Their report, entitled “ISIS Escapees Describe Systematic Rape,” contains many new interviews with survivors who escaped IS, some as young as 12 years old, who describe the forms of abuse experienced while in captivity. The report also […] The post HRW: “ISIS Escapees Describe
SCREW YOU GUYS, I'M GOING HOME4 unread articles // actions
What Did The Florida Legislature Do For Employees? Diddly squat, with one silly exception
I previously wrote about a plethora of bills our legislators filed that might help employees in our anti-employee state. Pregnancy: This is the one silly exception to the utter lack of pro-employee bills by the legislature. It adds "pregnancy" to the list of prohibited types of discrimination under the Florida Civil Rights Act. Only problem is that the Florida Supreme Court already deci
Supremes to Employers: No, We Won't Make EEOC Force You To Settle
In one of the most bizarre employer appeals I've ever seen, a company called Mach Mining asked the Supreme Court to dismiss a suit by EEOC because EEOC didn't engage in sufficient conciliation efforts. Conciliation is a fancy term for trying to settle a case. It's done after EEOC makes one of those rare findings of "cause" for a discrimination charge.*That's right: this was an employer’s
Madison Enacts Law Protecting Atheists Against Discrimination (But Atheists Are Already Protected Against Religious Discrimination Under Title VII)
While the anti-discrimination ordinance enacted in Madison, Wisconsin adding “nonreligion” to the list of protected categories was touted as the first of its kind in the nation, that’s not quite true. While it may well be the first ordinance specifically protecting those who have no religion, there is already a federal law protecting atheists against work place discrimination.Under Title VII, the
How To End Sandwich Noncompetes?: Tie Them To CEO Pay
Problem 1: CEO Pay GapCEO pay has been in the news a lot lately, and for good reason. CEOs make, on average, about 300 times what their average workers make. Hillary Clinton has made CEO pay part of her campaign. Where CEO pay jumped an average 13% in 2014, rank and file workers saw only a 2% average increase. Fast food CEOs make $5859/hour, while their rank and file suffer below the poverty level
WIT'S END1 unread article // actions
This Petty Place
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to dayTo the last syllable of recorded time,And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!Life's but a walking shadow, a poor playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stageAnd then is heard no more: it is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and fury,Signifying nothing.Handpr
ROGER PIELKE JR.'S BLOG8 unread articles // actions
Thoughts on the New Science Advisory Structure of the European Commission
Today, the European Commission released its new plans for science advice under Jean-Claude Juncker, the EC President. The new structure comes after Juncker terminated the office of the Chief Scientific Advisor, led by Anne Glover, which was put in place by his predecessor, Juan Manuel Barosso. The new structure is shown visually in the figure at the top of this post.While there are many details of
Evaluating UK Election Predictions
UPDATE: I have a piece up at the Guardian with draws upon and extends this analysis. See it here. Comments welcomed!Back in March, I posted up a survey of thirteen various forecasts for the outcome of the UK election and promised to perform an evaluation when the results were in. Well the results are in. Let's jump right into the evaluation. After that, I'll offer some more general comments about
Handicapping the UK General Election
I am trained as a political scientist but I am in no way an expert in UK politics. With that out of the way, I thought it might be fun and educational (both for me) to have a go at making sense of the upcoming UK election. So please read on and comment if you'd like.The UK parliament has 650 seats, which means that a majority is 326 seats. Presently, the UK is governed by a coalition of the Conser
Focus of Attention in 10 Years of Charlie Hebdo Covers
The graph above and accompanying analysis comes from Jean-François Mignot and Céline Goffette writing the Le Monde last February. The graph shows a content analysis of more than 10 years of Charlie Hebdo covers from 2005 to 2015. Of 523 covers, religion was the subject of 38, and of those 38, Islam was the subject of just 7.Charlie Hebdo is in the news this week because its staff has been given
PHILOSOPHICAL COMMENT4 unread articles // actions
The Philosophy of Hate Crime: Special Section Edited by Myself And David Brax Published By The Journal of Interpersonal Violence
I have been posting a few times over the last couple of years about themes, events and media linked my engagement in research on philosophical and ethical aspects of hate crimes, hate crime law, and policy relating to this. The engagement originates from my participation in the European Commission funded project When Law and Hate Collide, and I'm now happy to be able to announce the final publicat
Five Observations About Conscientious Objection in Health Care
This connects a little bit to a post not long ago, by my Canadian bioethics colleague Udo Schuklenk on his Ethx Blog, on the topic of conscientious objection in health care. The reason is that my country's rapidly shrinking Christian Democrat party has just elected itself a new leader – Ebba Busch Thor (see image to the left), and the echo of the affirmative acclamation at the party's national con
The Inevitable Endpoint of EU Refugee and Border Policy Spells Genocide
There has been abundant reporting recently on the continuously ongoing exercise in inhumanity that is European Union refugee policy. Alas, the focus is often on singular incident, such as the recent tragedy of the sunken both that had at least 700 die of drowning in the Mediterranean (here, here, here). However, already several month ago, BBC reported that in the course of just a few months last y
Forget the "Editing" Hype: Human Genome Action Painting Attempted in China
Recently, there's been a lot of hype around what's been referred to as genome editing. What it's all about is that there's a new bioetechnological strategy for effecting genetic modification in organisms, called CRISPR/Cas9, that has shown promise in facilitating more precise and specific changes of a genome more effectively than before. This is an important advance for laboratory biology research
WMTC4 unread articles // actions
what i'm reading: salt sugar fat by michael moss
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss is an excellent addition to a bookshelf that includes works by Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Marian Nestle and others who write about the health of our food and the un-health of the industrial food system. Moss lifts the curtain on the giant corporations that engineer and market convenience foods and processed foods. What he reveals i
everything is political: "george washington zapped here" on bewitched
You may recall that my current comedy-before-bed TV sleep aid is a sitcom from my childhood: "Bewitched". I've been thoroughly enjoying watching its ridiculous, predictable humour and sometimes surprising messaging. I was in the middle of the eighth and final season when Netflix pulled the show. (Argh!) But thanks to our amazing world of media, I was able to switch over to YouTube, viewe
icymi: indiana woman sentenced to 20 years in prison for failed pregnancy
This month, four decades of anti-woman, anti-abortion hysteria in the US hit a new low. Last August, an Indiana woman sought medical attention after a premature delivery resulted in the death of the fetus. The emergency-room doctor called the police. In April, that woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison.From WaPo:Indiana woman jailed for “feticide.” It’s never happened before....Informed that o
today! fight for fifteen on 4-15
Today, working people across North America - and the world - will rally, demonstrate, and go on strike for two demands: fifteen and fairness.In the US, fast-food workers are joined by childcare workers, contract (adjunct) teachers, and other low-wage earners, as this movement continues to grow. They will demonstrate in more than 50 cities. They are demanding 15 and a union: a $15/hour minimum wage
PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK6 unread articles // actions
Catching the drift in Iowa
What does it take to recruit a group of Iowa farmers and rural residents to an all-day, indoor training on one of the first beautiful days of spring? An issue as serious as pesticide drift. A few weeks ago PAN Staff Scientist Emily Marquez and I led PAN’s fourth Drift Catcher training in Grinnell, Iowa. The Drift Catcher is a long-standing PAN program that uses community air monitoring to documen
Newest news on bee-harming neonics
Guess what? Two more studies have confirmed that neonicotinoid insecticides (aka "neonics") are bad for bees. One study documented neonics' impacts on wild bees, which hasn't been looked at much to date. The second found that bees show a preference for neonic-laced food. A third report from the European Academies Science Advisory Council underscores the importance of the ecosystem servi
Guest blog: Toward safer malaria control solutions
A new World Malaria Day is around the corner and we at PAN applaud the strides made to combat this deadly disease over the past year. Next month we’ll be closely following discussions at the Conference of Parties of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (aka the “POPs Treaty”) in Geneva. This is the body that banned DDT globally back in 2004, except for limited and specific us
Got worms? Why healthy soil matters.
I’ve been an earthworm fan for decades. At my Oakland, California home I dump vegetable scraps into a big plastic bin with worms. Once or twice a year I collect incredibly rich worm compost, teaming with roly-poly bugs (isopods), worms — and billions of critters I can’t see. My garden plants love it, and it’s free. In agricultural soils, worms (different kinds, but worms nevertheless) can contrib
MANIFESTO JOE'S TEXAS BLUES1 unread article // actions
On Jade Helm 15, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Panders To Right-Wing Kooks
By Manifesto JoeI suppose it should come as no surprise, but Texas' new governor, Greg Abbott, is a politician made up of as much pond scum as his predecessor, Rick "El Pendejo" Perry. Abbott's reaction to Jade Helm 15, the military exercise planned for Texas and other parts of the Southwest, is ample evidence of that.Abbott put out an announcement that he will have the state National Gu
MIDDLE CLASS POLITICAL ECONOMIST4 unread articles // actions
TPP blocked, at least for now
Breaking news: The United States Senate failed to end a filibuster on giving the President fast-track negotiating authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and any future deals for a six-year period.According to The New York Times, the bill failed with only a 52-45 majority for it, when 60 votes were needed to end the filibuster.
Why subsidize data centers?
A number of authors (Good Jobs First, David Cay Johnston, me, and me, among others) have pointed out that data centers (aka server farms) in the United States create very few jobs, yet receive state and local government subsidies that routinely exceed $1 million per job. I'm sure you already know that numbers like those make me ill: the typical automobile assembly plant will receive $150,000 or so
Moving the goal posts on ACA success
Right. So the the same day that I posted about the substantial fall in the uninsured rate for adults that we have seen since Obamacare went into effect, a conservative writes at the Wall Street Journal making exactly the same arguments that Matt Yglesias had refuted. Cliff Asness writes in the WSJ:That more people would be insured was never in dispute. If you mandate that people buy something, pen
Oh, look! The uninsured rate fell again!
As any conservative can tell you, Obamacare is a job-killing "train wreck." Not only is it a job killer, there is no way that it could possibly work. Except, of course, it does.When I last visited this issue, the percentage of adults without health insurance had fallen from its peak of 18.0% in the third quarter of 2013 to 13.4% in the second quarter of 2014. Now, as Gallup (via Matt Ygl
PAYING ATTENTION3 unread articles // actions
Six thoughts on that Alberta election
Six thoughts on the Alberta election.First, this is not that wild a swing. Rachel Notley is a moderate. That’s how she got elected. And, with occasional exceptions like Ralph Klein in his first years, the province’s Conservative governments haven’t been extreme either, with a populist willingness to spend on health and education, and even arts, when it’s politically useful. That’s how they kept ge
Six thoughts on that Alberta election
Six thoughts on the Alberta election.First, this is not that wild a swing. Rachel Notley is a moderate. That’s how she got elected. And, with occasional exceptions like Ralph Klein in his first years, the province’s Conservative governments haven’t been extreme either, with a populist willingness to spend on health and education, and even arts, when it’s politically useful. That’s how they kept ge
Another bleak update for Postmedia
It looks like Postmedia has moved into asset-strip mode, based on its latest quarterly report.The results were dismal, as they have been every quarter since the corporation bought the newspapers of near-bankrupt Canwest in 2010. Revenues are down 11.3 per cent for the first six months of the fiscal year, about $42 million. Expenses were down 10.8 per cent, or $32 million.Postmedia management appea
OUR MANMADE DISASTERS1 unread article // actions
Best candidate to Replace Najib? What about Anwar Ibrahim?
SAVE MALAYSIAWritten by Zaid Ibrahimhttp://www.zaid.my/current/save-malaysia/UMNO president and Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Razak is about to be replaced by his enemies in the party.Whilst spending my weekend in a small Japanese village near Tomakomai in Hokkaido, Japan, I received a call from an UMNO source that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was meeting UMNO bigwigs including Tun Daim Zainuddin, D
ORWELL'S BASTARD1 unread article // actions
Don't like carding? @TPSboard, @TorontoPolice, @TPAca team up for a giant F.U. | #TOpoli
[View the story "New face at @TorontoPolice? Whatever" on Storify]Aw, come on, you old sourpuss! Can it really be that bad?
A CLOSER LOOK: JODY PATERSON1 unread article // actions
Inflated human trafficking statistics serve nobody
Found myself making a long, ranty comment on a Facebook thread this morning and realized, hey, that could be a blog post. Those of us who write for food appreciate writing that lends itself to more than one application. So here's the article that started everything, a Washington Post piece on the vast and profoundly misleading inflation of human-trafficking figures around the world, and
NEWS FROM ATLANTIS.3 unread articles // actions
Another Silver-Spoon Parasite Slithers Forth
I do not watch the brain-washing instrument known as television. I flick through the radio when I am driving, in order to avoid the nauseous propaganda and sickening Americanisation which is spewed across the airwaves. I do not read Establishment 'news' papers, as they are just another aspect of the lying manipulative machine which laughingly calls itself the free press. In spite of a concerted
George the Dragon Slayer is no friend of England
Today is 'saint' George's Day. Not long ago, I would have been joining in the calls for today to be a national holiday, and bemoaning the fact that whereas Scotland, Wales and Ireland celebrate their national days, we do not. At the risk of upsetting people who wrap themselves in the Cross of 'saint' George and become English nationalists for one day a year, I think we need to take a step back f
Stop the Invasion of Europe!
Europe is dying. The Judaic entity is destroying Europe by flooding our homeland with millions of outsiders who have nothing in common with us, in terms of ancestry, culture, spirituality or standards to live by. People are arriving in horrific numbers - with 11,000 swarming over from North Africa by boats, in just 6 days. This is not migration, this is invasion. The once fictional novel, the
NOT QUITE UNHINGED2 unread articles // actions
Mob Justice Rules
It was with some qualms that I joined in the social media hunt to name and shame the men that had verbally harassed CityNews reporter Shauna Hunt. I'm not supportive of the social justice mob and it's desire for vengeance. It's never clear if the mob is interested in punishment or reform. It was beyond any doubt that what these men had done was reprehensible. But when one was fired from his job,
Best Tech Support Answer Ever
Back in the mid-nineties I was a Computer Science Co-op student. We are all eager to get out into the work force and find out what "real" IT work was. After our first work semester we returned to class and swapped stories. Of course the most popular stores were about the dumb-ass users we had to support. This was back in the day of 486 processers, DOS 5.x and Widnows 3.1, but the followi
THE RULES OF EXPOSITION1 unread article // actions
It has to look right
In high school I took an art class. We had to draw stuff and paint stuff, you know. (I.m such an aficionado!) There was an odd-looking tree outside our house, and I painted that. The teacher didn't like it.I wish I could remember her name.It was a big old tree, with a tiny little branch sticking out the side of it a foot or two above the ground. Weird: trees don't look like that. That was why I wa
NORTHERNTRUTHSEEKER32 unread articles // actions
This Is Sickening: Criminal Harper Regime Gives Gift Of Vaccines In Honor Of New "Royal Princess".
I and others have been trying our best to get the message out to everyone for a very long time about the dangers of vaccines and the simple fact that NOBODY should go and take vaccines into their bodies, period.... The facts are absolutely true and easily backed by research that vaccines are poisonous to the human body and anyone that is gullible enough to allow themselves to roll up their sleeves
Demonic Shock Troops From Another Dimension
For some 35 years now, I have known that there is a great evil on our planet that wants nothing more than to have each and every one of us turned into slaves with them being the masters of the planet... I have had a very hard time trying to understand how these creatures could be so evil and wanting to see the rest of us dead! It truly boggles the mind....Whitewraithe who writes the PragmaticWitn
Criminal Harper Regime In Canada Prepared To Ram Through Fraud "Anti-Terror" Legislation Despite Widespread Outcry From Canadians!
I honestly am so disgusted to call myself a Canadian these days... The criminal Harper regime that occupies Parliament in Ottawa has constantly done everything it can to make this once proud and free nation look like a war mongering nation bent on destroying other nations as well as enslave its own civilians at home... It is disgusting that most Canadians are absolutely oblivious to the fact that
The Baltimore Riots: HERE Is The Real Truth About These Riots - A Set Up By The Government Themselves!
I have been watching all the Jew spew news reports over the last few days about the riots taking place in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, much like everyone else and from what I have been seeing, nothing at all makes any sense as to WHY these riots are even occurring... We have the Jew spew media reporters going absolutely hog wild with their reports, and in many of their reports I see so ma
WWF - LATEST NEWS10 unread articles // actions
WWF: ASEAN regional banks and investors behind on Environmental, Social and Governance standards
Singapore – A WWF report finds an alarming gap between regional ASEAN financial institutions and the environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards adopted by their international counterparts. Moreover, WWF reports a similar shortfall exists between regional financial regulations on responsible lending guidelines and corporate sustainability disclosure requirements as compared to their coun
Shell Arctic exploration conditional approval "a backward move"
In what WWF-US has termed "a backward move" the US government has given conditional approval to Royal Dutch Shell to conduct exploratory drilling for oil in the Chukchi Sea in America's Arctic ocean.WWF strongly opposed this decision and over the past several months has shared voices of concern with the government from more than 100,000 supporters. The drilling site is 70 miles from the
More for Australia to do before reef World Heritage decision
Next month the status of the Great Barrier Reef will be debated by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. WWF-Australia and the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) have issued list of urgent actions needed from the Queensland state and Australian federal governments before countries gather in Bonn, Germany for that meeting.The following actions are based largely on commitments promised to
Sámi student activist recognized with top international youth conservation award
Swedish youth conservation leader and indigenous people's advocate Isak Utsi has won this year's WWF International President's Award – the global conservation organization's top accolade to recognize outstanding leadership in young conservationists from around the world.Studying for a Bachelor's Degree in Political Sciences at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden, Isak Utsi is focusing on the
OBSIDIAN WINGS19 unread articles // actions
Synergy
by wj Synergy can be defined as the interaction of two inputs to produce a greater impact than either alone. Or, to put it another way, as two phenomena which reinforce each other. Earlier this week, there was a Conversation on Poverty panel discussion at Georgetown University. It included religious leaders, who seem to be making a push to make the problems of poverty back into the kind of moral
Bridges Too Far
by Doctor Science I took a rather exhausting road trip Wednesday through Friday. I was already supposed to pick Sprog the Younger up at her Boston Area Liberal Arts College on Thursday morning, which involves driving up to my parents' place in northeastern CT on Wednesday, picking up Sprog on Thursday, staying overnight with the folks, then driving back to NJ on Friday. The trip is spread out like
Totally Texas Takeover Thread!
by Ugh I have here in my hand* a list of military units that are known to the Secretary of Defense as being involved in the upcoming annexation of Texas and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the invasion inside the Defense Department. Pay no attention to the Defense Department officials standing in front of the curtain! Amerika! I mean, a "military takeover of Texas"? In w
Two books: "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis, and "Redshirts" by John Scalzi
by Doctor Science What do they have in common? Nothing I can think of, except I've talked about both today and I'm copypasting my remarks here, for reference and so other people can chime in. Talk about books! It's one of my favorite things. Redshirts by John Scalzi. John Ringo decided to Explain It All To You: Understanding SJW logic and why it is destroying science fiction. He changed his mind
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