Saturday, May 14, 2016

14 May - Blogs I'm Following

10:28pm MDST

Pentagon Report: China Building Up Its Military Presence In The South China Sea

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 28 minutes ago
Photo taken on April 5, 2016 shows the lighthouse on Zhubi Reef of Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, south China. (Xinhua file photo) *Reuters:* *U.S. sees China boosting military presence after island-building spree* China is expected to add substantial military infrastructure, including surveillance systems, to artificial islands in the South China Sea this year, giving it long-term "civil-military bases" in the contested waters, the Pentagon said on Friday. In its annual report to Congress on China's military activities in 2015, the U.S. Defense Department estimated that C... more »

Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Charged With Fraud

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 28 minutes ago
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner says she is the victim of political persecution. Reuters *New York Times:* *Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Ex-Argentine President, Indicted on Financial Charge* BUENOS AIRES — A judge in Argentina on Friday indicted former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and other officials on charges of manipulating the nation’s Central Bank during the final months of her administration. Mrs. Kirchner and the officials are accused of entering into contracts to sell the Central Bank’s dollars at below-market rates during her presidency in order to shore up... more »

Venezuela’s President Has Declared A State Of Emergency

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 28 minutes ago
*The Guardian:* *Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro declares state of emergency* Beleaguered leader invokes power to ‘confront threats’ as US officials warn country could disintegrate Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, has declared a state of emergency, hours after US intelligence officials warned that the South American country could be on the brink of disintegration. The powers Maduro obtains after Friday night’s declaration allow him “to stabilise our country, and confront all the international and national threats against our fatherland in this moment”, the president said... more »

Main Highway Between The Afghan Capital of Kabul And The North Have Been Cut-Off By The Taliban

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 28 minutes ago
*New York Times*: *Taliban Cut Off Afghan Highway Linking Kabul to Northern Gateways* KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents have cut the main highway that links the capital with northern Afghanistan and neighboring countries for the past three days, according to Afghan officials in the area. After the Taliban ambushed police forces guarding a stretch of the national Ring Road in Baghlan Province on Thursday, fighting continued through Saturday and appeared likely to last longer, according to officials in the area. The northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif was cut off, as were road co... more »

Nigeria Hosts Security Summit On Boko Haram

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 28 minutes ago
*CNN*: *Boko Haram focus of U.N. Security Council, Nigerian summit* (CNN)World powers turned their focus to the Boko Haram terror group this weekend, with the U.N. Security Council citing its anxiety over the group's ties to ISIS as regional leaders gathered in Nigeria to devise ways to battle the Islamist extremist movement. In a presidential statement issued Friday, the Security Council expressed alarm at Boko Haram's links to ISIS and stressed that the group's activities "undermine the peace and stability of the West and Central African region." It also said it was concerned o... more »

Hezbollah Claims Syrian Sunni Rebels Were Behind Top Commander's Death

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 28 minutes ago
*New York Times*: *Hezbollah Says Military Leader Died in Artillery Attack* BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah declared Saturday that Mustafa Amine Badreddine, the senior commander who died in Syria this past week, had been killed in an artillery attack by insurgents whom the group has been fighting for the past four years. Hezbollah said in a statement that the killing would increase “our determination to continue the fight against these criminal gangs and defeat them,” blaming “takfiri groups,” a term for Islamist extremists that Hezbollah broadly applies to... more »

Syrian Forces Retake Deir al-Zor Hospital After 'Major' Islamic State Offensive

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 28 minutes ago
*Reuters*: *Syrian forces retake Deir al-Zor hospital after 'major' Islamic State offensive* Syrian government forces retook a hospital in Deir al-Zor after Islamic State attacked it on Saturday following a dawn offensive by the militants on the besieged eastern Syrian city, a war monitor and state media said. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year-long war, said Islamic State had killed at least 35 members of the Syrian armed forces and detained some medical staff from the hospital. The fighting in and around the hospital also kil... more »

A Sewer Is Open In Florida And Endless Dark Money Is Flowing Out Of It, Corrupting Politics

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 28 minutes ago
*Chuck Schumer has picked this garbage as the Florida Democratic Party's Senate nominee* It was almost 4 months ago that we started writing about the corrupt relationship between Patrick Murphy and Nicholas Mastroianni, II. At the time we wrote that a deceptive right-wing PAC, "Floridians for a Strong Middle Class," is funneling the corrupt money Murphy falsely claims to oppose, into his election bid. An entity run by Schumer/Wasserman Schultz related sleaze-ball Nicholas Mastroianni, II, called the "230 East 63rd-6 Trust LLC" just gave them $50,000 for Murphy's campaign. Mastroiann... more »

Peg with Pen: My response to Kerrie Dallman, CEA President, re: ...

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 43 minutes ago
Peg with Pen: My response to Kerrie Dallman, CEA President, re: ...: Yesterday morning I wrote a quick note on Facebook about Relay receiving approval as a "graduate" school which can now certify ... more »

Analysis Suggests Natural Gas, NOT Green Energy, Caused CO2 Emissions To Fall

Andrew Follett at The Stream - 1 hour ago
[image: Natural Gas Power Plant, Electricity, Energy] There's no link between the pro-green energy policies of states and falling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but there is a statistically significant link between falling CO2 and natural gas electricity, according to statistical analysis conducted by The Daily Caller News... more »

Islamic Terrorist Group Hezbollah Says Commander’s Death Won’t Deter Support for Syrian Government

BASSEM MROUE at The Stream - 1 hour ago
[image: Hezbollah] BEIRUT (AP) -- The Lebanese Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah said Saturday that the explosion in Damascus that killed its top militant commander was caused by insurgent shelling and vowed to continue fighting alongside the Syrian government until the rebels are... more »

Remembering Darwyn Cooke

Daniel Stack at 19th Level - 1 hour ago
The news worked its way through my newsfeeds this morning - Darwyn Cooke had passed away at the age of 53 due to an aggressive cancer. Cooke was one of my favorite writers and artists. When I discovered *DC: New Frontier* I was in absolute awe. He took the Silver Age of DC Comics, an era renowned for its goofiness, and ran with it, telling a mature story while someone remaining true to the original tales. *New Frontier *is the main reason my current superhero RPG campaign is set in the late 1950s. Earlier this year I reviewed that work. Though comic books exist as a visual medium,... more »

Who’s to blame for Trump? Conservatives are to blame for Trump.

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 2 hours ago
[image: Conservatives-Trump-720-330] “In the wake of Donald Trump’s ascent to dominance in the GOP, conservative leaders blame Republicans for the calamity. But they shouldn’t,” argues Craig Biddle. The should look to their own intellectual failure. Donald Trump represents the end of the road for American conservatism as an intellectual movement. But you already know this. If indeed there was ever anything intellectual about the movement at all. He is what happens when you shun any intellectual defence of the positions you claim to support: of individual rights, of freedom, ab... more »

A Look At The US Political Circus: Two Amazing Posts By Fellow Truth Seeker Buelahman: "The Trump Kabuki", And "She Came, She Saw, We Died"

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 2 hours ago
*I got caught up once again in my own real life just yesterday, when my "better half" got into a serious car accident... But just to let everyone know, she is OK, though I spent most of yesterday taking care of her and of course this blog was momentarily shelved...But I am back today, doing a bit of catching up as usual....* There have been so many comments and emails sent over the last from my friends and colleagues living in the formerly free nation called the United States of America, concerning the ongoing political circus show that we are witnessing called the "American Preside... more »

Hidden Energy - Dr. Hal Puthoff

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 3 hours ago
Lamb shift Casimir effect Zero-point energy Senior Lockheed Martin Research Scientist Boyd Bushman

the coming extinction of mankind on earth

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 3 hours ago
Bruce Pennington art We're on a train heading towards a brick wall at 200 miles per hour and our extinction and everyone knows it what will you do ?

Nature Boy

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 3 hours ago
The Greatest Thing

WATCH: College Students Can’t Explain the Difference Between Man and Woman

Casey Harper at The Stream - 3 hours ago
[image: Transgender] The Family Policy Institute of Washington released a video this week where it interviewed students at Seattle University about gender identity and transgender bathrooms. The students soon struggle to explain how gender is actually fluid ... kinda. "I don't think there is really any... more »

The Problem Of Fraud, Wrote Dante, Is That It "Gnaws Every Conscience"

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
So many New York state legislators and *leaders* of the legislature are currently in prison that when former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassu County) was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday, most New Yorkers, inured, just shrugged it off. After all, Republicans are on the verge of nominating Donald Trump for the presidency and the level of Trump's self-entitled corruption is of a magnitude hard to measure compared to poor nepotistic Skelos'. The federal judge sentenced Skelos' rotten son, Adam to six-and-a-half years in prison, even more than his father's... more »

Erdogan Accuses The West Of Caring More For Wildlife Than Syrian Lives

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 4 hours ago
Turkey’s President Erdogan believes that western countries care more about the rights of animals and gay people than the plight of 23 million Syrians. RT reports: “Shame on those who deny the sensitivity they show to the whales, seals and turtles in the sea to the right to life of 23 million Syrians,” Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying. “Shame on those who put their security, welfare and comforts ahead of other people’s survival,” the Turkish president said, addressing the crowd in the northwestern province of Kocaeli. He added that the West possessed a “mentality to shame, a r... more »

May 14th? No Man Made Global Warming Here!

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 4 hours ago
Long term readers here know *I do not belong to the man made global warming cult.* I don't believe lies. And I do not believe that which is simply not believable. We here in *southern Ontario* have had *an unbelievably cool spring*-* Leaves have only unfurled this past week-* Hubby and I rode bikes on Wednesday. While out and about it seemed finally spring had sprung. Though* we do appear to be a good two or three weeks behind what is the norm for us*. *Mother's day, saw no lilacs on the shrubs. A fond memory of my very first mothers day :)* My rhubarb is in full swing. Love that ... more »

Nevada Democratic Convention Turns Violent

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 5 hours ago
Fighting broke out between rival supporters of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton at the Democratic convention in Nevada on Saturday. Raw Story reports: Tensions were high between supporters of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the Las Vegas Sun reports. They apparently spilled over on the state convention floor. Fight just broke out. Someone got their credentials snatched pic.twitter.com/RnDSMxaiI4 — Laura Martin (@LauraKMM) May 14, 2016 People can be seen scuffling, and a woman says into a microphone, “We need a medic in the front, a... more »

Economic Betrayl hits the stomach

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 5 hours ago
How is it possible famland is down when food prices are astronomical?

Nations Collapsing before our Eyes

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 5 hours ago
I have been to Venezuela twice. The first time in 1985. It was my first trip outside North America. I loved that place and its loved us back. My second time was in the 90's. Things had changed, many people with sub machine guns wandering around defending barb wire. No it seems the country has collapsed. The right says its all socialism, I say likely corruption on the left and poison on the right. Plague on both houses. I am just sad. I was also to Brazil and Argentina. Wonderful places, abysmal leaders and followers. There is a great collapse. Japan, Spain, Italy or maybe a count... more »

Time to Fight for Life

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 5 hours ago

May 14: Three cheers for Norbert - Hip, hip....

Graeme Decarie at The Decarie Report - 5 hours ago
Yes, indeed. At least three big cheers for Norbert. I began reading today's Irving press with the usual sense of despair. The news section (the usual trivia) seemed to confirm it. Then there was the editorial on the crucial question of the day. Should provinces be allowed to charge a tariff on imported beer? (The editorial treats free trade - as do most newspapers in the industrialized world - as being a 'good', almost holy, thing. In fact, in the early days of industrialization, they all opposed free trade, and they did so with the full support of the capitalists in their populat... more »

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JR at GREENIE WATCH - 6 hours ago
*Global warming won’t just change the weather—it could trigger massive earthquakes and volcanoes (?)* *There's a grain of truth in what he says. Drastic warming would cause crustal uplift in circumpolar regions -- but all the rest is speculative, entirely dependent on CO2 causing warming. That there is no correlation between the two seems not to bother him* Bill McGuire is not optimistic about humanity’s future. In his book, Waking the Giant: How a changing climate triggers earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, he explains why. By his estimation, carbon dioxide emissions from h... more »

Canadians playing small beer

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 6 hours ago
[image: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau commented about needing an aide while on a trip to Quebec where she appeared as a spokesperson for Fillactive, an organization that promotes healthy activity for teenaged girls.] Your never going to be CinderallaHey Canada you have a Camelot couple. Do not bring them down into the hole your in. Let the world reveal in how lucky we are. We finaly hit a global home run and you want a replay. Conservatives I expect no better, but shame shame shame on the NDP.

Campaign '16: Media Lothario Wars

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 6 hours ago
Who's the more disgusting dirty old man, Donald Trump or Bill Clinton? Well, it kind of depends on which cheek of the duopoly you happen to favor. Fox News got the Lothario sweepstakes started on Friday, with the revelation that Clinton was much more frequent of a flyer on convicted billionaire sex offender Jeff Epstein's jet than inquiring minds ever cared to know. The Big Dog took more than 26 separate international trips on the "Lolita Express," giving a whole new meaning to the Clinton Global Initiative. The plane was so named because it contained a bed for pig-men to have sex wi... more »

The Ball Is In Trudeau's Court

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 6 hours ago
Justin Trudeau has done an admirable job of tending to his image, Murray Dobbin writes. But his real test as prime minister will be how he deals with the Isle of Man Tax Dodgers: By now most people are familiar with the KPMG tax "sham" uncovered by CBC News. The scheme involved at least 26 wealthy clients (minimum contribution, $5 million) for whom KPMG set up shell companies in the Isle of Man, one of many tax havens for the rich and large corporations. The Canada Revenue Agency initially said the scheme was "grossly negligent" and "intended to deceive." But 15 of the 26 partici... more »

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jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 6 hours ago
*An elitist university condemns elitism* EARLIER THIS week, Harvard President Drew Faust announced that students who participate in unrecognized single-gender social organizations will be ineligible for official leadership positions, and will not receive college endorsement for fellowships such as the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships. The policy is aimed at final clubs, technically unaffiliated groups whose presence plays a large role in shaping undergraduate social life. Most critiques of the new policy are disingenuous and intellectually lazy. “Free association,” its detractors ... more »

Pentagon Says ISIS Has Not Gained an Inch in Iraq for Over a Year

Russ Read at The Stream - 6 hours ago
[image: BAGHDAD, IRAQ - OCTOBER 1: Col. Steve Warren, the new spokesman for the US-led coalition in Iraq, speaks during an introduction of Let. Gen. Sean MacFarland s the new commander General of the US led coalition in Iraq on October 1, 2015 in Baghdad, Iraq. MacFarland is a three-star general in the United States Army. (Photo by Khalid Mohammed-Pool/Getty Images)] The spokesman for U.S. forces operating in Iraq claimed Friday that the Islamic State has been losing ground nearly continuously for the better part of a year. U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren's comments came during a video p... more »

Johnny Rockets Roponggi update (text no picture yes)

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 6 hours ago
See the red sign way up thats Johnny This is a burger joint that sits a little above the superhighway that bisects Roppongi from the sky. Its something about Japan that I can not take away. Even though its a burger joint that want more money from me and you. It tried the burger it was not fine, it was even worse considering that from a twenty I would not be able to pay the smallest bar fine. But something about Johnny Rocket an American Invention was sitting high above Roppongi a area long remembered for other affections, makes me want to sit there , coldly staring at all the peo... more »

Haliburton Girl

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 6 hours ago
Haliburton Girl was raised by wolves and can live on red meat cooking is optional which is ironic for teh naturally hot Haliburton girl needs no cosmetics to be Kardashian its just sunlight that makes her shine she had northern exposure and gives me northern lights all of the time Haliburton girl does not need GPS to navigate its a fluid calculation about the destination and if we do not arrive in good shape we are not turning back and driving into some lake by mistake Haliburton girl knows her man is just weakj he got all kinds of spiders running round his brain wanting to conque... more »

Lightning Kills Scores In Bangladesh Over 48 Hours

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 7 hours ago
More than 60 people have died after being struck by lightning in Bangladesh over the past two days, causing some panic among the local population. Most victims have been farmers working in their fields. VOA reports: After a nearly weeklong heat wave scorched Bangladesh, thunderstorms hit the country’s 14 districts Thursday. The storm produced lightning strikes that killed at least 33 people. Another series of lightning strikes Friday killed at least 23 other people. The lightning strikes also injured scores of other people in the past two days. Most of the people who died or were in... more »

Bay Area Voters Will Decide Next Month If They Want To Pay To Adapt To Sea Level Rise

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 7 hours ago
By Paul Homewood http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/05/12/3777790/bay-area-sea-level-rise-environmental-tax/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds From the loons at Climate Progress: California has long been a leader in tackling climate change. But in June, voters in the San Francisco Bay area will have the chance to take their state’s commitment to addressing the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation a step further. […]

French Intelligence Fail? US wages small "secret wars"..

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 7 hours ago
*Two seemingly unrelated news items? Related because they speak of state sponsored terrorism* *The alleged terror attack last year in Paris*- *French intelligence tracked but failed to thwart Paris attack: media * That headline says' it all-* french intelligence tracked but did not stop the Paris attack * Instead turning to attacking Syria- Seriously. *France* *changed its military strategy and started airstrikes in Syria *last year because of concerns months before the *attacks on* *Paris* that ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud was plotting to target a concert and take hostages, the A... more »

Systematic Bias in Media Framing of Risks to and from the Human Microbiome

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 7 hours ago
Yesterday I saw an article in USA Today (May 13, 2016, B1) that demonstrated the way the mainstream media incorporates subtle biases in their reporting. The bias is introduced by framing risks to the human microbiome as deriving from individualized "lifestyle" choices, such as diet and personal use of antibiotics with no discussion of the impact of industrial agriculture (such as widespread use of pesticides, herbicides, and arsenic) and widespread pollution by toxic elements freed from their matrices in industrial processes: Liz Scabo (May 13, 2016). White House Launches Effort ...more »

Louisiana Republicans Move to Punish ‘Sanctuary’ Cities

Josh Siegel at The Stream - 7 hours ago
[image: Police are parked near the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, Louisiana on July 24, 2015, following a deadly shooting the night before. A "drifter" with anti-government views randomly killed two women in a Louisiana movie theater and then took his own life as police closed in, authorities said. Police said John Houser initially tried to flee after shooting 13 rounds from a single handgun into a crowded cinema in Lafayette, Louisiana Thursday evening. AFP PHOTO/YURI GRIPAS (Photo credit should read YURI GRIPAS/AFP/Getty Images)] Louisiana Republicans and the state's attorney general ... more »

Four SF Supervisors Back the Frisco 5 Cause to Fire The Chief

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
*Left to right: Edwin Lindo, Ike Pinkston, Ilyich "Equipto" Sato and Sellassie Blackwell* *by Denise Sullivan* Five days after ending their hunger strike, on Thursday morning the Frisco 5 minus Maria Cristina Gutierrez, returned to the Mission Police Station at the corner of Valencia and 17th Streets in San Francisco to report back on their health and their intentions to build a movement for police reform, their one demand the same as it ever was: Fire SFPD Chief Greg Suhr. Against a backdrop of almost daily revelations regarding the toxicity of the department, and one day after ... more »

Halliburton Girl

Steve at GlobaLove Think Tank - 7 hours ago
Haliburton Girl was raised by wolves and can live on red meat cooking is optional which is ironic for teh naturally hot Haliburton girl needs no cosmetics to be Kardashian its just sunlight that makes her shine she had northern exposure and gives me northern lights all of the time Haliburton girl does not need GPS to navigate its a fluid calculation about the destination and if we do not arrive in good shape we are not turning back and driving into some lake by mistake Haliburton girl knows her man is just weakj he got all kinds of spiders running round his brain wanting to conque... more »

Putin And Trump Make Out In The Baltics

Edmondo Burr at Your News Wire - 7 hours ago
A mural of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has appeared along the side walks of Lithuania’s capital depicting the two men lip-locked in a friendly embrace. The mural, painted next to a barbecue restaurant in Vilnius, suggests that future relations between Russia and the U.S. would be cosy if Trump was to become president. Stars and Stripes reports: The mural, painted by local artist Mindaugas Bonanu, was unveiled by the co-owner of the Keule Ruke, Dominykas Ceckauskas, on Thursday. It has swiftly gained attention in both Lithuanian and i... more »

Oprresion and rule does not work

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 7 hours ago
If we are to exist we must go back to an animal model with not money just a community. Is this worse than extintion? I can be happy for life with nothing just one person.

Sitting firmly between two worlds

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 7 hours ago
Those not busy dieing and those bus being born and what is the brithdate that seperates them maybe its not a play station we can calculate cause we are just men and women living a fantasy if their is a God he she it is laughting its ass off at the foll;yu of me I do what I want to do the best I can but If I had unlimited power I believe I would make a better land but ultimatily fail becuase thje world is so complex and no God would be interested for even a short time in my life

‘He Ain’t My President’: Superintendent Loses It Over Obama’s Transgender Bathroom Decree

Casey Harper at The Stream - 8 hours ago
[image: Obama Transgender Restroom Mandate - 900] After news broke that President Barack Obama would tell all public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice, one Texas superintendent let him have it. Port Neches-Groves Superintendent Rodney Cavness told 12News that Obama's letter, which... more »

Riot Police Clash With Protesters In France

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 8 hours ago
French riot police clashed with protesters who were demonstrating against the governments controversial labor reforms The rallies have been taking place since the end of March, with hundreds of thousands taking to streets all over France. The protest turned violent on Saturday when riot police used tear gas to disperse the protesters who were building barricades, setting rubbish bins on fire and dismantling CCTV cameras on the streets in Rennes in Western France Press TV reports: Protesters were denouncing the Socialist government for what they see as iron fist tactics from law enfo... more »

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 9 hours ago
After having it on the shelf for many years, I've finally got round to reading *The Jungle* by Upton Sinclair. It's a socialist classic every bit as vital and necessary as the more celebrated *The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists* by Robert Tressell. As such, I'm not going to give any spoilers away, as much as one can spoil a book that's knocked around for 110 years. But I will make the case for you to read it. It follows the tribulations of Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant to the United States. Lured then as now by the promise of work and high wages, his illusions are quickly... more »

Booker And The Fifth Carbon Budget

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 10 hours ago
By Paul Homewood h/t Philip Bratby http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/14/the-fifth-carbon-budget—the-most-insane-act-passed-by-parliame/ Booker reports on the Fifth Carbon Budget: By the end of next month the most insane Act ever passed by Parliament is set to land us in a quite extraordinary situation vis-à-vis the rest of the European Union. This has nothing to do with […]

For What Is The Purpose Of Man? - A Quotation from Christina Conti

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 11 hours ago
Source: *Songstress Syren G+*

What's Worse, Stinking Rich Self-Funders Or Candidates Who Sell Their Souls For Contributions?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
*Florida politics is a case study in campaign finance corruption* If you like conservative spoiled rich kid Patrick Murphy-- and apparently voters along Florida's Treasure Coast do-- there's no reason why you wouldn't like conservative spoiled rich kid Randy Perkins, the newly-minted "Democrat" who's running for the congressional seat Murphy is giving up as he runs for the open Senate seat against progressive Democrat Alan Grayson. The DCCC certainly loves him as much as they love any corrupt conservative self-funder. Today, Murphy is mired in multiple fundraising scandals-- from a ... more »

Bill Clinton Was A Frequent Flier On Paedophiles Private Jet

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 11 hours ago
Former president Bill Clinton was a more frequent guest on a registered sex offender’s private jet than was previously reported. Newly released flight logs show that Clinton flew on convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous “Lolita Express” jet at least 26 times. Reports in January suggested that Clinton was on board the billionaire’s Boeing 727 on “only” 11 occasions, but documents obtained by Fox News show he flew with Epstein more than twice that amount even apparently ditching his Secret Service detail for at least five of the flights. RT reports: Between 2001 and 2003, wh... more »

ONCE AGAIN, THAT'S RICH: A pair of gaps in Atlanta's schools!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 12 hours ago
*SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2016Interlude—Our incomparable plans for next week:* According to Professor Reardon's new study, Atlanta's public schools feature large achievement gaps. We don't know if Reardon was able to adjust his data in response to the cascades of cheating which occurred in Atlanta's schools during some of the years in question. At any rate, this is the black-white achievement gap his study recorded for Atlanta, as reported by the New York Times: *Average achievement levels, grades 3-8Atlanta Public Schools* White students: 2.9 grades above average Black students: 1.5 gra... more »

Editor's Note

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
Blogging will return later this evening.

Incredible Video Of A Kurdish Fighter Using A MANPAD To Shoot Down A Turkish Cobra Attack Helicopter

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
*WNU Editor:* Turkey is claiming that two helicopter pilots were killed, and the crash was due to a technical fault .... *Turkey: 8 Soldiers Dead in Clash With PKK, Helicopter Crash *(AP).

Painted U.S. Air Force Planes Are Making A Comeback

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
(Photo: Courtesy FighterSweep.com) *Air Force Times:* *Throughout the Air Force, painted planes make a quiet comeback* It took 31 days to transform this otherwise dull gray F-15 Eagle into a colorful abstract worthy of its noble avian namesake. The powerful warplane is adorned with wisp-like feathers that stretch across its 43-foot wingspan and onto its fuselage. Its nest, Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon, is home to the the 173rd Fighter Wing and the Air Force's only F-15C training schoolhouse. The ramp holds 32 Eagles in all. But this bird — tail number AF79-041 — stands ... more »

Pentagon: China's Military Modernization Program Has Entered A 'New Phase'

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
(*Click on Image to Enlarge*) BEIJING, Jan. 11, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, front), also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), poses for a group photo during a meeting with the new heads of the reorganized organs of the CMC in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 11, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Gang) *Paul Mcleary, The Cable/Foreign Policy*: *Pentagon: Chinese Military Modernization Enters “New Phase”* China’s decades-long military modernization “entered a new phase” last year under the aggre... more »

US And Polish Leaders Break Ground For A New Missile Defense Site

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
*U.S. Department of Defense:* *Work Joins Groundbreaking for Ballistic Missile Defense Site in Poland* At a groundbreaking ceremony here for an Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site today, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work emphasized the system is for the protection of NATO members and not directed at Russia. As American and Polish flags fluttered in the breeze, Work and dignitaries including Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment Patrick Auroy tossed shovelfuls of dirt to signify the start of the construction p... more »

How The Pentagon's Cyber Bombs Work

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
Cadet 1st Class Jordan Keefer, center, coordinates cadet efforts to defend their network during the National Security Agency's Cyber Defense Exercise April 17, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Raymond McCoy). *Richard Forno and Anupam Joshi, The Conversation/Scientific American*: *How U.S. "Cyber Bombs" against Terrorists Really Work* Clusters of software and hardware are being aimed at ISIS and other outlaw groups. Recently, United States Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work publicly confirmed that the Pentagon’s Cyber Command was “dropping cyberbombs,” taking its ongoing battle again...more »

North Korea Seizes Russian Yacht

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
BBC *RT:* *North Korea seizes Russian yacht with crew in neutral waters* North Korean coast guards intercepted a Russian yacht in neutral waters and escorted it to a N. Korean port without giving an explanation on Friday. The Russian embassy in Pyongyang has demanded the immediate release of the Russian vessel and its crew. Sportsmen aboard the Elfin yacht were returning to Vladivostok from an international regatta in the South Korean port of Busan, when it was waylaid by what had appeared to be a fishing boat sailing under the North Korean flag. *Read more* .... *WNU Editor: *T... more »

Colour Images Of Europe Two Years After The End Of The Second World War

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 12 hours ago
A makeshift German grave sits in the Hurtgen Forest near Aachen, decorated with soldiers' helmets. Aachen was the westernmost city of Germany and was heavily damaged during the U.S. advance, which saw a month worth of fighting before the German garrison surrendered *Daily Mail:* *The scars of war: Stunning colour images reveal how Europe was still littered with graves, rusting planes and sunken battleships two years after its liberation from the Nazis* * Incredible photographs show Europe in 1947 as the continent reeled from the devastation of the Second World War * The surreal pic... more »

Billy Grahams Daughter – ‘9/11 Was God’s Punishment For Trans People’

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 12 hours ago
Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of famed evangelist Billy Graham, appeared on right wing radio show this week to tell listeners that God has forsaken the U.S. because of transgender rights She said God has abandoned Americans because of their attitude towards transgender rights, evolution and the separation of church and state and further claimed that the 9/11 terrorist attacks and bad weather were both “evidence that God has backed away,” as a result of policies in the US. The Telegraph reports: Mrs Graham Lotz, 67, who runs AnGeL Ministries, a church in North Carolina, added that th... more »

Media Fearmongers Zika Virus Risks … to Push Abortion/Birth Control Agenda?

Dustin Siggins at The Stream - 12 hours ago
[image: This Nov. 17, 2015 selfie photo provided by Sara Mujica shows her in Danbury, Conn. Mujica told the AP Monday, May 9, 2016, she tested positive for the Zika virus after after returning from a visit to her fiance in March in Honduras, where she learned she was pregnant. She said she has decided to keep the baby despite the possibility of birth defects. The mosquito-borne Zika virus can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brain damage. Mujica is Catholic and said she doesn't believe in abortion.] Last week, 17-year ... more »

Man With Part Of His Skull Missing Told He Is ‘Fit For Work’ By DWP

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 13 hours ago
A man who is partially paralysed and had half his skull removed after suffering a stroke, has been declared ‘fit for work’ by the Department for Work and Pensions and had his benefits cut. Kenny Bailey had a large piece of his skull removed to save his life after he suffered a massive stroke, is paralysed down his left side and suffers with severe memory problems. Despite his disabilities, the Father of two has been told his benefits are to be cut following a medical examination that was requested by the DWP. The Daily Star reports: His employment and support allowance which he uses ... more »

Still No Puerto Rico Bailout Deal, Conservatives Worried About Unintended Consequences

MARY CLARE JALONICK at The Stream - 13 hours ago
[image: House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans have missed a self-imposed deadline for a plan to help Puerto Rico manage $70 billion in debt, adjourning Friday without introducing a bill. Legislation was expected this week to create a control board to help... more »

Untitled

Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 13 hours ago
*From* *Jenna Orkin* Shell Spills Nearly 90,000 Gallons Of Oil Into Gulf Of Mexico The Coming Wide-Spread Use of Drones in Agriculture Blogger Who Reported on Ted Cruz' Father's Connection to Kennedy Assassination Found Dead Scenes From The Venezuela Apocalypse: "Countless Wounded" After 5,000 Loot Supermarket Looking For Food Venezuela's president declared a state of emergency in anticipation of an undercover Ice Caps Melt, Prehistoric Virus Escapes. No, It's Not a Movie. Hezbollah accuses Islamist extremists of killing its top military commander in Syria coupWhy Were Texas Game... more »

Resistance Meets Efforts to Re-Start Nuclear Power Plants in Japan

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 13 hours ago
The Mainichi reports that Chubu Electric has filed a request for a safety review with the NRA in order to restart the Hamaoka plant's No. 3 and 4 reactors but locals are resisting: No municipalities near Hamaoka nuclear plant want restart: survey. The Mainichi, May 14, 2016 (Mainichi Japan) http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160514/p2a/00m/0na/019000c None of the 11 municipalities within the 30-kilometer-radius urgent protective action planning zone (UPZ) around the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, want the power station's idled reactors restarted, a Ma... more »

Duckworth Panned, Grit Roasted, KIPP Cooked

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 13 hours ago
New York Times reviewer, Judith Shulevitz, concludes a negative review of Angela Duckworth's new book with this: You can’t blame Duckworth for how people apply her ideas, but she’s not shy about reducing them to nostrums that may trickle down in problematic ways. On the one hand, some of the “no excuses” charter schools that her research helped to shape have raised math and literacy scores among minority and poor students. On the other hand, a growing number of scholars as well as former teachers at those schools report that some of the schools, at least, feel more like prisons than... more »

Dartmouth Black Lives Matter Protesters Tear Down Memorial to Slain Police

Blake Neff at The Stream - 13 hours ago
[image: Black Lives Matter Tears Down Police Memorial] A controversy has erupted at Dartmouth College after a pro-police display was torn down by Black Lives Matter activists, who denounced it for memorializing the "perpetrators" of "state violence." In honor of National Police Week (which falls May 15-21), Dartmouth's... more »

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Signs Legislation Defunding $200,000 From Planned Parenthood

Rachel Alexander at The Stream - 13 hours ago
[image: Doug Ducey Governor Arizona - 900] Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey, who has championed conservative causes since entering office in 2015, signed a budget bill this week that eliminates $200,000 in spending for Planned Parenthood. According to The News & Observer, The budget also contains a... more »

Shell Oil Spill Dumps Nearly 90,000 Gallons Of Crude In Gulf Of Mexico

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 13 hours ago
An oil spill from Royal Dutch Shell’s offshore Brutus platform released 2,100 barrels of crude off Louisiana’s coast in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday. All drilling activities at Shell’s Brutus platform have been suspended. According to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the leak which was approximately 88,200 gallons,created a visible 2 mile by 13 mile oil slick in the sea about 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, The Huffington Post reports: The sheen is near Shell’s Glider Field, a group of four subsea wells whose production flows through a subsea m... more »

Bohmians' self-confidence evaporates as soon as they're expected to calculate anything

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 13 hours ago
*Photons are incompatible with the Bohmian picture* *And so is atomic emission and the energy conservation law* Bohmian mechanics is a framework (partly well-defined in some very special situations) proposed to replace the postulates of quantum mechanics by a new classical theory that largely borrows the mathematics controlling the state vector as if it were a classical wave; and that is supplemented with extra beables (in the only semi-successful example, positions of non-relativistic particles) that behave classically and whose trajectories are affected by the pilot wave. The theo... more »

Brexit, the movie

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 14 hours ago

Weekend reads: A peer reviewer goes on strike; why science should be more boring; publish or perish = less quality

Ivan Oransky at Retraction Watch - 14 hours ago
The week at Retraction Watch featured an economist being asked to review his own paper, and a new member of our leaderboard. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: When it comes to peer review for certain journals, Dave Fernig is on strike. “Science should be more boring,” says Valentin Amrhein. “The pressure to publish pushes down quality,” argues […] The post Weekend reads: A peer reviewer goes on strike; why science should be more boring; publish or perish = less quality appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Russian Yacht Seized By North Korea In Neutral Waters

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 14 hours ago
North Korean coast guards intercepted a Russian yacht with five crew members in neutral waters on Friday and escorted it to a port without giving an explanation. The yacht was reportedly returning with Russian athletes from an international competition in South Korea. The Russian embassy in Pyongyang has demanded the immediate release of the yacht and its crew. RT reports: Sportsmen aboard the Elfin yacht were returning to Vladivostok from an international regatta in the South Korean port of Busan, when it was waylaid by what had appeared to be a fishing boat sailing under the North... more »

Milwaukee Public Schools to Spend Almost $500,000 Pushing Black Lives Matter

Blake Neff at The Stream - 14 hours ago
[image: Black Lives Matter protesters marched from the Minneapolis 4th precinct police station to downtown on a circuitous route to the Hennepin County Government Plaza near City Hall on December 3, 2015.] Public schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are planning to spend nearly $500,000 of taxpayer money implementing a program that furthers the goals of Black Lives Matter. The $471,073 outlay in the proposed 2016-17 budget for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is included as one of many... more »

Big Pharma Won’t Let States Use Its Drugs for Lethal Injection Death Penalties

ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS at The Stream - 14 hours ago
[image: Death Penalty_Syringe_900] Pharmaceutical company Pfizer said Friday it was blocking use of its drugs in lethal injections, which means all federally approved drugmakers whose medications could be used for executions have now put them off limits. “Pfizer makes its products to enhance... more »

UN Panel Warns About Israel & Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Violations

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 15 hours ago
A United Nations panel against torture has warned about violations of human rights by the Israel and Saudi Arabia The committee warned against excessive force used by Israel against the Palestinians and human rights violations by Saudi’s. Press TV reports: In a Friday report called “Concluding Observations”, the Committee against Torture voiced concern about issues such as Israel’s administrative detention of Palestinians, the excessive use of force by Israeli forces against Palestinians, the conditions of Palestinian detainees, including hunger strikes and solitary confinements, th... more »

Standard of review on appeal from a commercial arbitration award will generally be reasonableness

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 15 hours ago
Ottawa (City) v. Coliseum Inc., 2016 ONCA 363: [31] The standard of review on appeal from a commercial arbitration award will generally be reasonableness. The leading case is *Sattva*, wherein Rothstein J. said, at para. 106: In the context of commercial arbitration, where appeals are restricted to questions of law, the standard of review will be reasonableness unless the question is one that would attract the correctness standard, such as constitutional questions or questions of law of central importance to the legal system as a whole and outside the adjudicator's expertis... more »

CO2 Reaches Tipping Point!

Paul Homewood at NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT - 15 hours ago
By Paul Homewood http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3586669/The-end-world-know-CO2-levels-reach-tipping-point-6-June-marking-milestone-global-warming.html We’re all going to die! From the Mail: 6 June may sound like an insignificant date to many, but it could mark a ‘tipping point’ in the world’s history, an expert has warned. An atmospheric measuring station at Cape Grim in Tasmania is expected to record a […]

Offended By The Gadarene Swine Republicans? Is America About To Be Taught A Lesson For Tolerating Toxic Garbage In Our Midst?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
Who knew what an advocate of an anti-trust agenda Trump is! He's now threatening to use political power against the owner of the *Washington Post*-- and using a distorted version of Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren terminology to do it-- for daring to investigate him during the campaign. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is, according to Trump, using the *Washington Post* as a political tool to keep his taxes low. "The whole system is rigged," he told Sean Hannity. "He’s using the *Washington Post*, which is peanuts, he’s using that for political purposes to save Amazon in terms o... more »

Mindfulness Meditation a Proven Alternative to Pills for Treating Depression

WTStaff at Waking Times - 15 hours ago
*Derrick Broze* - The results suggest a new choice for millions of people with recurrent depression on repeat prescriptions.

Cameroon Says Five Boko Haram Leaders Arrested, Dozens of Women and Children Freed

AP at The Stream - 15 hours ago
[image: NIGERIA-NIGER-UNREST-ISLAMISTS] YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) -- Cameroon’s government says the multinational joint forces fighting Boko Haram have arrested five leaders of the extremist group and freed dozens of women and children held captive. Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma said Saturday that the raids... more »

Afghan Government to Sign Peace Deal With Armed Group

LYNNE O'DONNELL & KARIM SHARIFI at The Stream - 15 hours ago
[image: In this Thursday, March 17, 2016 photo, Amin Karim, second right, an official of the Hezb-i-Islami Party, speaks as he leaves after a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan. An Afghan official says the government will finalize a peace deal with a notorious militant insurgent group within days. Ataullah Saleem, a deputy head of Kabul's High Peace Council, said on Saturday, May 14, an agreement with the armed wing of Hezb-i-Islami could be completed Sunday, after two years of negotiations. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)] KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The Afghan government is expected to fin... more »

Finally: Gov. Security Clearance Background Checks to Include Public Social Media

DEB RIECHMANN at The Stream - 16 hours ago
[image: social media - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Investigators can now probe Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites as a part of background checks for security clearances -- something that lawmakers said Friday was a classic case of the government playing catch-up with technology.... more »

GOP Chief: Trump is Trying to be Presidential

ALAN FRAM at The Stream - 16 hours ago
[image: Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus answers questions from The Associated Press about Thursday's face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump, the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., Friday, May 13, 2016, at RNC headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington. With the GOP both energized and torn over Trump's rise, Trump and Ryan pledged to work together despite their differences, though the speaker stopped short of a full-throated endorsement. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump has been try... more »

Russia Says ‘Foreign Interference’ To Blame For Coup In Brazil

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 16 hours ago
The CIA has an extensive record of carrying out covert operations around the globe which are aimed at destabilizing governments that refuse to comply with U.S. interests. On Thursday Michel Temer became the acting president in Brazil after a soft coup saw President Rousseff suspended. WikiLeaks has exposed the newly ‘selected’ interim president as having been an intelligence informant for the United States….so it looks like Brazil is back in Washington’s clutches The Russian Foreign Ministry spoke out against the efforts to oust Rousseff and had also pinned the move on “foreign inte...more »

Economic News & Views ( May 14 , 2016 ) Overview For Saturday ( 1. Venezuela Literally Is Falling Apart In Front Of Our Eyes. 2. Brazil's First Female President Has Been Suspended Facing An Impeachment Trial , Brazil Faces Myriad Challenges In The Months Ahead. 3. Argentina - Former President Kirchner Charged With Defrauding The State. 4. Greece In Focus - Germany Rejects Capped Interest Rates, Open To Discuss Greece’s Debt Relief After 2018. 5. Spain Updates - Huge Tire Dump Fire , Politics. 6. Turkey - EU Refugee Deal Updates. 7. Odds & Ends. )

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
Venezuela..... *jabbar kaddem Doaim* ‏@JDoaim 5m 5 minutes ago U.S. concern grows over possible *Venezuela* meltdown - officials | Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-idUSKCN0Y42MT … *Rubén Lagonell* ‏@rlagonell 7m 7 minutes ago Postcards from a failing state #*Venezuela* *Javier BlasVerified account* ‏@JavierBlas2 20m 20 minutes ago #Oil Watch: #*Venezuela* president declares 60-day state of emergency http://gu.com/p/4j7k3/stw #OPEC *Joshua GoodmanVerified account* ‏@APjoshgoodman 5h 5 hours ago Chinese bullet train in *Venezuela*... more »

Four Common Self-Refuting Statements Against Christianity and Absolute Truth

J. Warner Wallace at The Stream - 16 hours ago
[image: Self-Refuting Contradiction - 900] Suppose I began this article by asserting, "I can't write a word of English." You'd probably recognize the contradiction. My sentence betrays its own claim, doesn't it? Such is the nature of self-refuting statements. Wikipedia describes such utterances as "statements whose... more »

Trump and the Unfolding GOP Nomination Disaster

Erick Erickson at The Stream - 17 hours ago
[image: Donald Trump Disaster Destruction - 900] In Nebraska Tuesday night, with only Donald Trump still running for the Republican nomination, 40 percent of Nebraska’s Republican voters voted against him. In the last two weeks, Donald Trump has publicly declared that he does not need the Republican... more »

An 'Any Questions' consensus: BBC not biased

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 17 hours ago
Last night's *Any Questions *asked the question, "Does the BBC have a problem with impartiality?" The answer came back, "No!". All four panellists - a Tory, a Green, a Lib Dem and some from the Labour Party - agreed that there's no problem with BBC impartiality (though everyone makes minor slips from time to time). The Green and the Lib Dem said that the BBC is one of the jewels of our country. Its reputation for impartiality is known throughout the world and we take it for granted, they said. The Tory said he'd much prefer to shout at the *Today *programme occasionally than have... more »

British Soldiers To Sue MoD Over Controversial Anti-Malarial Drug

Carol Adl at Your News Wire - 17 hours ago
British soldiers are preparing to launch legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) over the effects of the anti-malarial drug Lariam. Lariam was prescribed to British troops operating overseas despite concerns regarding mental health side effects being known and other anti-malaria drugs being available The veterans say they have suffered hallucinations, severe depression, sleep deprivation and anxiety as a result of the medication RT reports: A law firm which specializes in military claims it has had up to 30 expressions of interest and the MoD has been notified of several ... more »

MEDIAFAIL: Is there no Internet in the Economist's Offices?

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 17 hours ago
*Taiwan is full of lovely mountain roads.* Ah, the Economist, still carrying a torch for Ma Ying-jeou. The most recent piece, Sizing Tsai Up, contains all the journalistic tropes we know and love. When the media lies, it usually does so by key omission, and the Economist is no exception. Consider this paragraph: *As for trade with China itself, it ballooned under the outgoing president, Ma Ying-jeou (as did Chinese tourism to the island). Indeed, Taiwan is one of very few countries to run a trade surplus with China, thanks mainly to contract manufacturing and exports of capital eq... more »

Trump Wants to Make a Deal

Rich Lowry at The Stream - 17 hours ago
[image: Donald Trump deal - 900] Prior to the 2012 election, Democrats had a theory: Republicans were in the grip of a “fever” that had led them to oppose and attempt to obstruct President Barack Obama at every turn. If Obama won a second term, the... more »

Pentecost: Rejoice! Our Comforter is Here

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 17 hours ago
[image: Church Sun Through Storm Pentecost Cross - 900] Recently I attended an evening church service several miles from my home. During the course of the evening as members gathered in small groups, a storm blew through, rattling windows and driving sheets of rain against the glass. Tree limbs... more »

Saturday morning reading

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 20 hours ago
Some Saturday morning reading (before we all head out into the sunshine): From Rod Liddle at the *Spectator*: And so it is with the BBC. At the recent puke-inducing Bafta awards ceremony, a lot of attention was paid to an impassioned and even tearful diatribe by one of the winners, the film director Peter Kosminsky. Peter won his award for the period bodice-ripping sludgefest that was Wolf Hall, which always induced in me a coma as soon as the title was sonorously announced by the continuity monkeys. So allow for a bit of private payback. An archetypal luvvie leftie, public school... more »

Comparing the Basic Cost of Living in the United States and China

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
[image: People are seen shopping in a supermarket in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China, on September 9, 2011. ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)] It took thirty five years but costs are now integrated with global costs. this also implies that farm incomes are equally robust. Where weakness exists is that pensions and wages are still weak and far below standards elsewhere. China now needs to engage in establishing a minimum income system that capitalizes the base properly and increases demand from the villages. That funds a burgeoning service industry and stabilizes the internal ... more »

How Brazil Hurtled Into a Preordained Political Tragedy

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
[image: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff delivers a speech during at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on April 29, 2016. (Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty Images)] She was politically inexperienced? This can never end well. Curiously though, this is all a triumph for democracy against the elites themselves. What is emerging is a shaken political system quite able to do its business. Everyone has the fresh example of a Luis doing it right. Changing out a weak and failing leader is no bad thing. We like to forget just how important Brazil actually is. It has most of the population o... more »

Chinese Banks’ Bad Debt Masquerade to End Soon

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
[image: A worker installs sign outside a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in Beijing. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)] It goes without saying that although the banking system looks like ours it is not. That also holds true with the rest of South East Asia. The banks here are a conduit for fiat money to be used to support economic growth. Getting the money back plays second fiddle to maintaining growth. This stream of money naturally is directed to the large mega corporations organized to absorb it all. These corporations tolerate even a nominal r... more »

US Navy Spies learned of Nazi Alliance with Extraterrestrials?

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
This of course reads like science fiction and begs the question of just why now are we hearing it. A careful read discloses no smoking gun at all but allusions and suggestions stuck on top of pretty ordinary chronologies. The main issue however is that the draconian narrative shows up here and that is understood as earth based but not alien at all. Worse the projected biology came about as part of a forty year old article in Scientific American and all additional information has been post this article. A written reference to Draconians dat...more »

Capitalism versus the Philosophers

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
This item brings some clarity into the great economic debate that is worthwhile. We really identify here three streams of thought that are central to understanding our economic system and their intersection with the political environment. For example i am bemused at the emergence of Bernie sanders as a champion of socialism. I would have thought that socialism was a dead letter in the USA on the basis of all elections for fifty years. All participants avoided the label. Yet along comes Bernie announcing he is a socialist and immediately collects a real viable constituency... more »

The Worst Thing about a Basic Income: You'll Never Get Rid of It

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 20 hours ago
This is nonsense but then economic theory has never been properly codified. First off, all social programs are patches used to avoid establishing a basic income protocol. They would not exist were they not necessary. The central purpose of a universal basic income protocol is to actually replace all those social programs including pensions and their like. That such a protocol need to be linked at the hip with market deliverables is also obvious. That it should also naturally incentivize is also obvious. The way that i recommend is to link the payment to a daily four h... more »

Straight into people's drawing rooms

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 21 hours ago
The *Victoria Derbyshire *show had a discussion on 'The Future of the BBC' this week. The assembled guests ranged from a viewer called Victoria (who "supports and loves the BBC") through to Ryan Bourne of the IEA (who wants to privatise the IEA). Tessa Jowell and Bill Cash were also on, along with former BBC/ITV executive Roger Laughton and pro-BBC writer Gail Renard. The discussion was a bit Tessa Jowell-heavy (she got *more* than four times as long as Ryan Bourne, for example, and nearly twice as long as Bill Cash) and Ryan Bourne only got one bite of the cherry whereas everyone... more »

Military Photo of the Day: The Destruction of a Japanese Cave in World War II

Shannon Henderson at The Stream - 21 hours ago
[image: Okinawa Marines Jap Cave Demolition - 900] A demolition crew from the 6th Marine Division watches dynamite charges explode and destroy a Japanese cave. Okinawa, May 1945. Robert M. Cusack. (Marine Corps) Exact Date Shot Unknown - Wikipedia

U.S. Intelligence: Venezuela Heading For A Collapse

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 21 hours ago
Anti-government protesters clash with police during a protest at Altamira square in Caracas March 10, 2014. REUTERS/Jorge Silva *Washington Post*: *U.S. intelligence officials: Venezuela could be headed for collapse* Venezuela, where clashes erupted this week between security forces and demonstrators protesting food shortages, power blackouts and political gridlock, may be headed toward an all-out popular uprising that could lead to the overthrow of its government this year, senior U.S. intelligence officials said. “You can hear the ice cracking,” an intelligence official said. “Y... more »

Dame Jenni asks a question

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 22 hours ago
Do you remember the controversy when *Woman's Hour *tried to ignore the mass assaults in Cologne (and elsewhere) on New Years Eve, despite being a feminist programme? Well... *Woman's Hour *had two Labour MPs on yesterday to discuss the EU referendum in the light of women's rights: Harriet Harman (Remain) and Gisela Stuart (Leave). Dame Jenni Murray carried out both interviews, and put *this* question to Ms. Stuart: We've talked about the men who are at the front of your campaign - and, equally, at the front of the other side. One interesting thing that came out was your Vote L... more »

The Islamic State Sets Its Sights On Tunisia

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 22 hours ago
*Washington Post*:* Islamic State, growing stronger in Libya, sets its sights on fragile neighbor Tunisia* BEN GUERDANE, Tunisia — The families arrived at the cemetery in the night carrying the bullet-riddled corpses of their sons and brothers, residents recalled. One by one, the bodies were placed in unmarked graves, outcasts even in death. The dead men had been fighters for the Islamic State. All Tunisians, they had crossed into Libya to join the terrorist group’s affiliate there. In March, they returned with other radicalized Tunisians in an attempt to seize Ben Guerdane, a smu... more »

Tweet For Today

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 22 hours ago
.@USAirForce Gen. Robinson is the new @NoradNorthcom Commander. Learn more about the command & its responsibilities. https://t.co/1fKTJTwS4a — U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) May 14, 2016

The End Is Nearing For The F-15, F-16, And F/A-18 Lines

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 22 hours ago
An Air Force F-15 'Eagle' and F-16 'Falcon' fly in formation with a Navy F-14 'Tomcat' and F-A-18 'Hornet' over the Atlantic Ocean during exercise Cope Snapper 2002 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West. Cope Snapper is a multi-aircraft exercise that engages dissimilar air combat training with on fighter data link and joint operations with the Navy and Air Force. The members involved in Cope Snapper consist of the 159th Fighter Wing from Louisiana, the 169th AGS McEntire Air National Guard from South Carolina, and the Navy's F/A-18 “Hornet” and F-14 “Tomcat” fighter jets. U.S. Air Fo... more »

“Somebody Will Do Something Stupid”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*“Somebody Will Do Something Stupid”* by James Quinn “Is it just me, or does it seem like we are moving inexorably towards a global confrontation? China claims some islands in the South China Sea and we attempt to provoke a military response by sending a US warship within 12 miles of the disputed islands. We accuse both China and Russia of cyber terrorism on a regular basis, even though we released the Stuxnet virus into the Iranian nuclear facilities and have used mass surveillance against people around the world, including allied leaders. We created ISIS as part of our grand stra...more »

"After US Enables Ballistic Missile System in Romania, Russia Commences HUGE Military Deployment"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*"After US Enables Ballistic Missile System in Romania, * *Russia Commences HUGE Military Deployment"* by Newsroom "Despite being warned by Russia that the deployment of an Anti Ballistic Missile (ABM) system in eastern Europe would be viewed as a direct threat to Russia, NATO did it anyway. A ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday announced the United States and its allies activated a land-based missile defense station in Romania, which will form part of a larger and controversial European shield. Senior US and NATO officials attended the Ribbon-cutting ceremony in Deveselu, southern R... more »

Musical Interlude: The Moody Blues, “The Voice”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
The Moody Blues, “The Voice” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA022YLGP6c

Musical Interlude: The Moody Blues, “Blue World”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
The Moody Blues, “Blue World” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBK3fXWnH50

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
“The striking spiral galaxy M104 is famous for its nearly edge-on profile featuring a broad ring of obscuring dust lanes. Seen in silhouette against an extensive bulge of stars, the swath of cosmic dust lends a broad brimmed hat-like appearance to the galaxy suggesting the more popular moniker, The Sombrero Galaxy. *Click image for larger size.* Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based Subaru data have been reprocessed with amateur color image data to create this sharp view of the well-known galaxy. The processing results in a natural color appearance and preserves details often lost ... more »

The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "Do You Remember?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*"Do You Remember?"* "Do you remember still the falling stars that like swift horses through the heavens raced and suddenly leaped across the hurdles of our wishes - do you recall? And we did make so many! For there were countless numbers of stars: each time we looked above we were astounded by the swiftness of their daring play, while in our hearts we felt safe and secure watching these brilliant bodies disintegrate, knowing somehow we had survived their fall." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Chet Raymo, “Body and Soul”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*“Body and Soul”* by Chet Raymo "More than three centuries ago, Pascal said, "Man considering himself is the great prodigy of nature. For he cannot conceive what his body is, even less what his spirit is, and least of all how body can be united with spirit." The French mathematician and philosopher lived at the dawn of the scientific era, but his words still ring true. We have sent spacecraft to the planets. We have listened to signals from the dawn of time. We have unraveled the mystery of starlight. We can even conceive what the body is. But the deeper human mystery remains: Wha... more »

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
Valley City, North Dakota, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

"One Of Two Things..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
“When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take a step into the darkness of unknown, we must believe one of two things will happen. There will be something solid to stand on, or we will be taught how to fly.” - Patrick Overton

Conquering Fear and Worry: "From Worrier to Warrior"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
"*From Worrier to Warrior"* by Dr. Judith Rich "Worry pretends to be necessary, but serves no useful purpose." - Eckhart Tolle "I don't look for 7-foot bars to jump over, I look around for 1-foot bars I can step over." - Warren Buffett "OK, I know things are getting pretty hairy out there. We are standing in the midst of a perfect storm. Remember this part about "standing in the midst". I'll get back to that idea. But here we are at this moment in time. The world financial markets are plummeting, our economy is on the verge of collapse, and for many people retirement just got a who... more »

"How It Really Is..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago

"Only One Significance..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
"How good is it to remember one's insignificance: that of a man among billions of men, of an animal amid billions of animals; and one's abode, the earth, a little grain of sand in comparison with Sirius and others, and one's life span in comparison with billions on billions of ages. There is only one significance, you are a worker. The assignment is inscribed in your reason and heart and expressed clearly and comprehensibly by the best among the beings similar to you. The reward for doing the assignment is immediately within you. But what the significance of the assignment is or of... more »

The Economy: “Heretical Thoughts And Doing The Unthinkable”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*“Heretical Thoughts And Doing The Unthinkable”* by Bill Bonner "*Heresy! *The Dow rose 222 points on Tuesday – or just over 1% - and everyone was exuberant...but things have not turned out well since. We agree with hedge-fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller: This is not a good time to be a U.S. stock market bull. Legendary former hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller is not an optimist at present, to put it mildly. Speaking at an investment conference in New York last week, George Soros’ former partner warned that, “Higher valuations, three more years of unproductive corporate be... more »

ENE News, "Fukushima Update 5/13/2016"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*Coast to Coast AM – ‘Fukushima & Nuclear Issues‘, Mar 31, 2016 * "Reporter: Many experts now believe Fukushima’s melted fuel burned through the concrete floors and has gone down into the groundwater. “No one yet knows how deeply those 3 cores melted into the ground. No one knows where the cores are” (AUDIO) At 42:00 in - Linda Moulton Howe, Regional Emmy Award-winning reporter: “Five years later now in March 2015, no one yet knows how deeply those three cores melted into the Fukushima ground.” At 44:30 - Howe: “In the first days of the March 2011 catastrophe, [nuclear engineer Ar... more »

Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 5/13/2016"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 5/13/2016"* by Greg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com "There was a new missile defense system installed in Romania. The U.S. says it is to protect Europe from an attack from a “rouge state.” Russia says this new missile defense site is a “direct threat to global and regional security.” Russia also says this is a “destructive action.” One Russian commentator said the missile deployment “...might even accelerate the slippery slope to nuclear war in a crisis.” Meanwhile, there is a new face-off in the South China Sea between China and the U.S. Navy. The U.S. says that Chin...more »

Musical Interlude: Deuter, “Sea & Silence”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
Deuter, “Sea & Silence” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yx7TpVDzQI

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
"Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 6744 is nearly 175,000 light-years across, larger than our own Milky Way. It lies some 30 million light-years distant in the southern constellation Pavo. We see the disk of the nearby island universe tilted towards our line of sight. Orientation and composition give a strong sense of depth to this colorful galaxy portrait that covers an area about the angular size of the full moon. *Click image for larger size.* This giant galaxy's yellowish core is dominated by the light from old, cool stars. Beyond the core, spiral arms filled with young blue star ... more »

Chet Raymo, “In Place of Belief”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*“In Place of Belief”* by Chet Raymo "A lightning storm the other night, slipping down from Florida. For an hour we sat on the terrace and watched the northern sky blaze with pyrotechnics, the best we'd ever seen, almost continuous rivers of electricity streaming between the clouds, clouds heaped like mountains and lit from within. After some particularly sky-filling explosions we could not resist applause. From horizon to horizon, from Andros to San Salvador the streamers ran, trailing their rumbles of far-off thunder. So much energy! Energy entirely beyond the human capacity to c... more »

"The Future..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
“We spend our whole lives worrying about the future, planning for the future, trying to predict the future, as if figuring it out will cushion the blow. But the future is always changing. The future is the home of our deepest fears and wildest hopes. But one thing is certain when it finally reveals itself. The future is never the way we imagined it.” - “Meredith,” “Grey's Anatomy”

Midday Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, "Oltremare"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
Ludovico Einaudi, "Oltremare" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8MzHqkNBwo

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France. Thanks for stopping by!

"8 Things to Remember When Everything Goes Wrong"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*"8 Things to Remember When Everything Goes Wrong"* by Marc Chernoff “Today, I’m sitting in my hospital bed waiting to have both my breasts removed. But in a strange way I feel like the lucky one. Up until now I have had no health problems. I’m a 69-year-old woman in the last room at the end of the hall before the pediatric division of the hospital begins. Over the past few hours I have watched dozens of cancer patients being wheeled by in wheelchairs and rolling beds. None of these patients could be a day older than 17.” That’s an entry from my grandmother’s journal, dated 9/16/19... more »

"Even Rats..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
"Even rats can only be kicked around for so long before they've had enough." - Joe Cowley

"How It Really Is- 'Precious Snowflakes'"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*Welcome to Reality, delicate ones...*

Picture Of The Day

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 23 hours ago
Uniformed participant dance during a mass rally and parade in the capital's main ceremonial square, a day after the ruling party wrapped up its first congress in 36 years by elevating him to party chairman, in Pyongyang, North Korea. May 10. © REUTERS/ DAMIR SAGOLJ *WNU Editor:* A photo gallery on the celebrations after the North Korea's Party Congress was concluded * can be seen here.*

Is Debbie Wasserman Schultz Fit To Be A Member Of Congress?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Watch the video above, where Steve Kornacki veers ever so slightly away from MSNBC's usual soft ball treatment of Establishment Democrats and freaks out DNC chair, #DebtTrapDebbie Wasserman Schultz, who promptly goes into zombie mode. The corrupt South Florida politician has never had a real electoral contest before and is petrified to debate Tim Canova, an economic policy expert driven by values and a policy agenda premised on helping ordinary working families, not by an agenda based on careerism like Wasserman Schultz's own. As Michael Sainato reported for *The Observer* last w... more »

Is Vladimir Putin The 21st Century’s Greatest Statesman?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Russian President Putin. TASS *Stephen Cohen, The Nation:* *Vladimir Putin: The 21st Century’s Greatest Statesman or Its Greatest Threat?* The demonization of Putin seems to answer the question, but is it balanced and factual? Nation contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com). This installment focuses on Putin’s policies at home and abroad since he became Russia’s leader in 2000. Cohen argues that a factual and balanced evaluation is of vital importance beca... more »

Checking Out RuneQuest 2 and Glorantha as a Grizzled Glorantha Newbie

Daniel Stack at 19th Level - 1 day ago
In the dark ages prior to the internet, learning about new games was extremely challenging. If no one in your circle was familiar with a game you depended on magazine reviews, advertisements, or your own purchases to learn about new games. My circles did not have anyone familiar with RuneQuest. There was a lot D&D and its variations and some people I knew played a lot of FASA Star Trek. I found my way to Chaosium games through a roundabout journey. The March 1985 issue of Dragon magazine featured "The Dolphins of Known Space", detailing Dolphins for Chaosium's *Ringworld *game. I ... more »

Putin And The Door Handle

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Reuters*:* Faulty door handle sabotages Putin's inspection of military equipment* An effort to show off the superiority of Russian military equipment backfired on Thursday when the door handle of a jeep fell off just as President Vladimir Putin was inspecting the vehicle. The Kremlin leader was being shown an array of military vehicles parked outside his residence in the southern resort of Sochi, including a Russian-made UAZ Patriot pick-up truck equipped with heavy machine guns. When Putin tried to open the front passenger-side door, it would not budge, according to a Reuters r... more »

The Census and the National Debt – Keeping the Slaves on the Plantation

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Christina Sarich* - We the people are collateral for debt held by the Federal government.

What Purpose Does A U.S. Military Build-Up In Europe Serves?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C) attends a conference at the main operation centre of the Russian armed forces, with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) and armed forces Chief-of-Staff Valery Gerasimov (R) in Moscow, June 6, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Michael Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin *Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg:* *U.S. Build-Up in Europe Serves No Purpose* While showing off some new UAZ Patriot pickup trucks armed with machine guns and grenade launchers to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, a general couldn't open the door of one of the trucks and, in his desperate... more »

Handy Dandy Icons Cheat-Sheet

Daniel Stack at 19th Level - 1 day ago
In the Icons games I've run thus far I've found myself stumbling a bit on task resolution levels of success and in adjudicating slams, stuns, and kill results. Additionally I've found we've not been doing much with Determination. While Determination isn't as important in Icons as Fate Points are in Fate, I'd still like to get some use out of them. With that in mind I've gone ahead and made a simple PDF capturing these essentials. I figured it might be handy for other folks so enjoy! Icons Screen

Uri Geller - Reputations

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 day ago
Remote Viewing

So, Wakanda is Basically Uganda... How Interesting...

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/Uganda.html Zionist Congress: The Uganda Proposal(August 26, 1903) ------------------------------ ------------------------------ When Theodor Herzl began his quest to establish a homeland for the Jewish people, he sought out the support of the great powers to help achieve his goal. In 1903, Herzl turned to Great Britain and met with Joseph Chamberlain, the British colonial secretary and others high ranking officials who agreed in principle to Jewish settlement in East Africa. At the Sixth Zionist Congress at Basel on August 26, 1903... more »

Friday Nerd Blogging: Superhero Oversight

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
Every time I think I am out, they pull me back in. No, not leading the mafia. Principal-agent theory. Yep, and I blame Stan Lee. How so? I saw the new Captain America: Civil Wars movie… explanation below the break: The entire movie is essentially about who guards the guardians (a title used more than […]

Islamic State Declares A State Of Emergency In Raqqa

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*CNN*: *U.S. official: ISIS declares state of emergency in self-declared capital* (CNN)U.S. military officials are closely watching social media and news reports that say ISIS believes it may soon come under siege in Raqqa, Syria, its self-declared capital. "We have seen this declaration of emergency in Raqqa, whatever that means," Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, told reporters Friday. "We know this enemy feels threatened, as they should." Media reports have indicated that ISIS is moving personnel around the city and trying to put up covers ... more »

Saving Private Ryan The True Story (Documentary)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*From YouTube*: Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" is one of the greatest war films ever made, capturing the sheer horror and brutality of combat. The film is famous for its realism, but how much of this epic drama is truly accurate? Was there a real Private Ryan? Uncover the real story behind this Hollywood blockbuster as we conduct tests with weapons experts and gain insights from war historians. Then hear the moving testimony of soldiers who landed at Normandy and meet the families whose tragic stories inspired the film.

Another California Election, Another Power Grab By Eli Broad And The Rest Of The Anti-Public Schools Billionaires

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
I live in the Los Feliz neighborhood of L.A. Our state Assemblyman, Mike Gatto, is termed out and we have a hot election here in the 43rd district. The favored candidate is Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian, a values-driven, long-time progressive, but he's coming under all the withering fire a secret SuperPAC can provide, this one from the charter school billionaires and their puppet candidate, Laura Friedman. This week I've gotten an average of one mailer per day from a completely fake parents-teachers astroturf outfit paid for by L.A.'s grand arch-villain Eli Broad, each maile... more »

Follow Up on Odd Contraption at Fukushima Daiichi

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 1 day ago
Its pulling something

Odd Contraption Hanging from Fukushima Crane

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 1 day ago
Atmospheric emissions have looked moderate on the webcams recently at Fukushima Daiichi. No reports available on ocean contamination as press coverage on Fukushima has dried up almost entirely. Webcam 1 today revealed something odd: It flashed red/yellow and white in no regular pattern: Very strange looking and the flashes were very bright.

Man Attacks Pro-Life Activists While Shouting He is ‘Not Violent’

Blake Neff at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: assault - 900] A pro-life activist group has released a video that shows a man angrily assaulting them for their anti-abortion activities while declaring his actions were "non-violent," and then being slapped with a criminal citation by police. The incident occurred May 10, 2016 near Gahanna... more »

Poll: Public Say Facebook is a Left-Wing Echo Chamber

Guy Bentley at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: Facebook - 900] Facebook users widely perceive a left-wing bias on their news feeds regardless of whether they are politically left, right or center. Facebook has vigorously denied allegations its news curators regularly block conservative news stories from trending. According to a former employee, stories... more »

An Old Phone Recording Surfaces of a Trump PR Guy Bragging About Trump — And He Sounds Like Trump

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER OUT: Donald Trump listens to a question during a break in the taping of MSNBC's 'Hardball with Chris Matthews,' at the University of Pennsylvania's Irvine Auditorium, Thursday, Nov. 18, 1999, in Philadelphia. Trump talked about the prospects of his running for President as the Reform Party candidate.] A lot of questions -- and a few eyebrows -- are being raised over a 25-year-old recording of a reporter at People magazine interviewing a man claiming to be a new PR spokesman for Donald Trump. Seems the guy who called himself “John Miller” and... more »

Thousands Line Streets to Honor US Navy SEAL Killed in Iraq

Julie Watson at The Stream - 1 day ago
[image: FILE - This undated U.S. Navy file photo shows Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Charles Keating IV, 31, of San Diego. The Navy SEALs are inviting people to line the streets in the military town of Coronado, to honor fallen SEAL Keating, as his remains are transported across the Coronado Bridge to San Diego to be buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, in Calif. The special warfare operator was killed May 3, 2016, in a gunbattle with Islamic State fighters in Iraq and is the third service member to die in the country since U.S. forces returned there in 2014. (U.S. Navy ... more »

Is What's Going On in Brazil Politics A (Soft, Light, Parliamentary, Peaceful, Constitutional, Democratic) Coup?

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Munthe) at Philosophical Comment - 1 day ago
Few, I assume, have missed the high level political developments in Brazil, where this night the Brazilian senate voted to impeach president Dilma Rousseff. Otherwise, some updates are here, here, here, here, to provide just a few. The process have been truly bizarre, as Dilma is ousted by and to the benefit of truly much more corrupt politicians than herself, for a sin which looks like a minor thing in context, not least the fact that the trick of hiding a budgetary deficit has been an accepted practice of Brazilian governments for a long time. In any case, the immediate result is... more »

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 13, 2016

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Robert S. Ford, Real Clear World*: *The Next President’s Big Iraq Problem* By the time President Barack Obama departs the White House in January 2017, the Islamic State’s territory in Iraq will be further reduced. Its fighters will formally control only a few isolated pockets, probably around Mosul in northwestern Iraq. The outgoing Obama administration can at least take comfort in the fact that its actions drained the Islamic State's resources and helped fighters claw back ISIS-held territory. However, Iraq will remain far from a success story, or at least not what Obama had hope... more »

The Ongoing Erosion of the Occult Agenda

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Zen Gardner* - The parasitic “powers that want to be” have a very real respect for people who “get it”.

Economic News , Data & Views ( May 13 , 2016 ) Overview For Friday The 13th ( 1. Markets & Market Related News - Quite A Disconnect From Friday's Retail Sales Report & Earning From The Major Retailers Themselves , US Treasury Yield Curve Flattening Underway 2's & 10's Compression Continues , S&P 500, Dow Sell Off, Log 3rd Straight Weekly Drop , China Stocks Drop For 4th Week In A Row , Accompanied By Commodities Carnage & Additional Items Of Note . 2. Brexit News For Friday. 3. EU-Turkey Refugee Crisis Deal On Life Support As Both Turkey And EU Dig Into Their Positions Deeper. 4. Greece In Focus - Creditor Talks Updates , Updates On Banks & NPL , Economic Data. 5. Libya In Focus . 6. Odds & Ends. )

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Markets..... *Charlie Bilello, CMT* ‏@MktOutperform 8h 8 hours ago Retail Sales, year-over-year (%) Overall: +3.0% ex-Autos: +3.0% ex-Autos/Gas: +4.4% *Charlie Bilello, CMT* ‏@MktOutperform 7h7 hours ago The Amazon Economy... $AMZN *zerohedge* ‏@zerohedge 2h 2 hours ago Stocks Bloody On Friday 13 As Treasury Curve Crashes To 9 Year Lows http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-05-1 3/stocks-bloody-friday-13-treasury-curve-crashes-9-year-lows … *Charlie Bilello, CMT* ‏@MktOutperform 8h 8 hours ago US Yield Curve near the flattest level of the expansion: 95 ... more »

OBAMA VISITS JAPAN / THREE GIFTS FOR AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 1 day ago
*Fuji the magnificent empowers all in its spiritual glow* *President Obama* *will **visit Japan** in late May for a Group of Seven summit but will enjoy an incredible opportunity to earn his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize by visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He must visit with some of the survivors and then offer sincere condolences with the promise to the world that we must never allow our national aims or differences to reach the point where the only answer is nuclear war: Allen L Roland, PhD* To experience Mount Fuji, which I have as a carrier based Navy high Altit... more »

Brazil Punished by Western Capitalists

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
The decision to oust Dilma Rousseff won't just rip Brazil apart politically, it will also threaten democracy and destabilize the region. Meanwhile, the U.S. stands to gain from the weakening of Dilma's leftist government. This is a tragic development and another indication that Washington continues to roll the dice like a riverboat gambler in its quest for global domination. Brazil's particular crime of course was participation in the alternative global economic development system called BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). So regime change is underway in Braz... more »

Michael Hudson has long believed to me and others as the top economist looking after the rights of the people of the US and Europe. However, my attention to this particular Hudson column was thanks to ace economist Paul Craig Roberts, who summerized it in this way: "In his May 9, 2016, speech to European medical professionals, Michael Hudson points out that the result of TTIP for Europe will be the privatization of health care systems with the associated much higher costs. Hudson’s accurate description of TTIP shows that politically powerful corporations have gained the power in Western “democracies” to sacrifice the welfare of all populations to corporate greed for profit regardless of the cost to peoples, countries, and societies."

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 1 day ago
------------------------------ MAY 11, 2016 The Dangers of Free Trade Agreements: TTIP's Threat to Europe's Elderly by Michael Hudson Buy his book The most obvious approach to look at how European care for the elderly will evolve is to project technological trends and the costs of people living longer as diagnostic equipment, drug treatments and other medical science continues to improve. This kind of projection shows a rising cost to society of pensions and health care, because a risin... more »

They're Perseverating

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
Just before Mike Duffy's acquittal, the leader of the Conservative caucus in the Senate, Leo Housakas, released the following statement: “In the event Senator Duffy is acquitted on all counts, he will immediately be reinstated to the Senate as a member in full standing with full pay and access to all office resources. Senator Duffy will be allowed to take his seat in the Chamber at the next scheduled sitting.” Now he's changed his tune. Even though Justice Viallancourt found Duffy's expenses legitimate, Housakas wants to review them. Michael Harris writes: Instead of turning th... more »

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