11:46 pm MST
Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, "Velvet Morning"
Liquid Mind, "Velvet Morning" Liquid Mind ® is the name used by Los Angeles composer and producer Chuck Wild of the best-selling Liquid Mind relaxation music albums. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp3BuiupOrc&feature=related
Qz.com: China Propagandize like Boss
*One of my favorite sights is this old railway viaduct.* If you are at all familiar with China anti-US propaganda, you'll instantly recognize familiar themes and seeming errors of this piece at qz.com on the people around Trump. It neatly dovetails with the emerging media consensus that writers can say whatever they want about Trump's China people, and no one in the media will question or factcheck it if it fits their ideological prejudices (as with Bloomberg earlier this week). The writer opens: US president-elect Donald J. Trump said that he doesn’t want to be “bound by a ‘one Ch... more »
Scotland-- Another Brexit Complication
When the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, the results were fairly close-- 17,410,742 votes to leave (51.9%) to 16,141,241 to stay (48.1%). It wasn't that close in Scotland, however, where most people wanted to remain in the EU. This was the breakdown in the U.K.'s constituent parts: *•* *England:* leave- 53.4%, stay 46.6% *•* *Scotland:* leave- 38.0%, stay 62.0% *•* *Wales:* leave -52.5%, stay- 47.5% *•* *Northern Ireland:* leave 44.2%, stay 55.8% London also voted to remain in the EU. The city has 32 boroughs-- ten for Inner London and 20 for Outer London. All of Inner Lon... more »
Artificial Intelligence is Helping Restore Vision
Microsoft is partnering with a prestigious eye hospital in India to help perfect AI powered computer diagnostics to the field of ophthalmology. Artificial intelligence is continually making great strides to integrate more in various healthcare settings, hopefully increasing the quality and availability of patient care. The post Artificial Intelligence is Helping Restore Vision appeared first on Futurism.
"A Look to the Heavens"
“In this evocative night skyscape a starry band of the Milky Way climbs over Yosemite Valley, Sierra Nevada Range, planet Earth. *Click image for larger size. * Jupiter is the brightest celestial beacon on the wintry scene, though. Standing nearly opposite the Sun in the constellation Taurus, the wandering planet joins yellowish Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster. Below, Orion always comes up sideways over a fence of mountains. And from there the twin stars of Gemini rise just across the Milky Way. As this peaceful winter night began, they followed Auriga the charioteer, its alph... more »
"Centering Ourselves: Gathering Our Straying Thoughts"
*"Centering Ourselves: * *Gathering Our Straying Thoughts"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "All too often our lives can be spread too thin and it becomes important to gather our thoughts and center ourselves to become whole again. When our thoughts are scattered in several directions at once and we are no longer conscious of what we are doing or why, it is time to center ourselves. When we center ourselves, we begin by acknowledging that we have become spread too thin and we are no longer unified inside. Our thoughts might be out of sync with our feelings, and our actions may be ou... more »
Ecuador’s Standing Rock is Happening Now – Can the World Save the Shuar?
*Dylan Charles* - Beyond Standing Rock, the world is in desperate need of environmental justice. The post Ecuador’s Standing Rock is Happening Now – Can the World Save the Shuar? appeared first on Waking Times.
"As Soon As We Quit Pretending..."
"The great teachings unanimously emphasize that all the peace, wisdom, and joy in the universe are already within us; we don't have to gain, develop, or attain them. We're like a child standing in a beautiful park with his eyes shut tight. We don't need to imagine trees, flowers, deer, birds, and sky; we merely need to open our eyes and realize what is already here, who we really are- as soon as we quit pretending we're small or unholy." - Author unknown
The Economy: "The System Is Crashing- The What, How And Why"
*The 'What':* *"The System Is Crashing, Prepare For Bank Confiscations, Shortages, Insurgency”* by Brandon Smith "What is the anatomy of a breakdown? The past eight years have been extremely difficult for the real economy. Central bank intervention has propped up the stock market at the expense of the main street economy, at the expense of middle class security, at the expense of jobs. And everyone knows that game can’t continue. The question is how it will play out, and how long the game will be. The Federal Reserve finally announced rate hikes– planning one incremental increase ... more »
Global Network History in Pictures
*During most of our 25 years of operation artist Will Park from Florida has provided us with art work to illustrate our concerns. * These photos below are from past Global Network (GN) annual conferences. They are not in any particular chronological order (was just too hard to put them that way on this blog). Each year we try to meet in a different country and place where the US has a space weapons base or a weapons production facility. We thank all of our members and friends over these last 25 years for helping spread the message of Keep Space for Peace! (Click on any of the phot... more »
U..S. Supplied Drones To The Ukraine Army Have Been Ineffective On The Front Lines
*Reuters*: *Exclusive: U.S.-supplied drones disappoint Ukraine at the front lines* Millions of dollars' worth of U.S.-supplied drones that Kiev had hoped would help in its war against Russian-backed separatists have proven ineffective against jamming and hacking, Ukrainian officials say. The 72 Raven RQ-11B Analog mini-drones were so disappointing following their arrival this summer that Natan Chazin, an advisor to Ukraine's military with deep knowledge of the country's drone program, said if it were up to him, he would return them. "From the beginning, it was the wrong decision ... more »
You Have More Power Than You Think-- Guest Post By Alice Marshall
A friend of mine in Fairfax County, Virginia recounted how this past election the Chair of the Fairfax Democrats had run her own canvassing operation because she was not satisfied with the one being run by the joint campaign. Every year Fairfax Democrats set up a joint campaign so that volunteers support every Democrat up for office rather than requiring each campaign to recruit their own volunteers. Fairfax Democrats win their elections, so clearly, this works. However, this year it seems that the Chair, who is an enthusiastic supporter of Hillary Clinton, was not pleased with th... more »
It’s The End of the World, But …
dandelionsalad at We Need More Brave Americans Like Sean Penn by Rocket Kirchner – Dandelion Salad - 5 hours ago
Dandelion Salad leftymathprof on Dec 19, 2016 Ecosystem collapse would kill us all. To avert that requires measures that are blocked by plutocracy. Ending plutocracy requires ending property and hierarchy, replacing them with a culture of sharing, caring, and networking that we all learned in kindergarten. It can’t be imposed by force. The first step […]
Is Russia's Military A Threat To NATO?
Military parade in Red Square. Wikipedia *Kris Osborn, National Interest*: *Is Russia a Military Threat to NATO?* How much of a threat do Russia's emerging 5th-generation stealth fighter, nuclear arsenal, high-tech air defenses, anti-satellite weapons, conventional army and submarines pose to NATO and the U.S.? Current tensions between Russia and NATO are leading many to carefully assess this question and examine the current state of weaponry and technological sophistication of the Russian military -- with a mind to better understanding the extent of the kinds of threats they may p... more »
Carbon Cycles by Arvid G. Högbom
*Carbon Cycles by Arvid G. Högbom* For centuries it was commonly believed that the Earth's climate is, and always has been, stable. The idea that the climate, on the contrary, has always changed has its origins with Ignaz Venetz who, in 1821, laid the foundations of our modern knowledge of the ice ages. The acceptance of glacial advance and retreat demands acceptance of a mechanism which will cause such events. That mechanism is climate change. The fact that our planet's climate has always changed is now a foundation - and a very sure foundation - of modern climate science. read... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Yuma, Arizona, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 21, 2016
*Katelyn Fossett, Politico*: *Is NATO Doomed?* *The former NATO second-in-command updates his fictionalized account of a war with Russia—and worries the transatlantic alliance could be gone in as little as five years.* After retiring from NATO as its second highest military official in 2014, Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff penned the ultimate war game: A 500-page fictionalized account of a war between Russia and NATO, titled, simply, War With Russia. The book, in the style of anti-appeasement tracts before World War II, is a plot-propelled warning about the dangers of Western acquiesce... more »
Previewing the Copeland By-Election
And so we say goodbye to Jamie Reed, who today announced he's retiring from politics for a job in public and community relations at Sellafield. A rare instance, as one wag put it, of quitting Parliament to spend more time with something of even greater toxicity. Rare also was Jamie to not use the occasion of his resignation to criticise Jeremy Corbyn. Perhaps after a bruising year for our party, the season of goodwill has more to do with his kinder, gentler resignation letter than tell of a dark conspiracy of silence threatening the party after a year of open warfare. Speculators a... more »
"How to Be Unpersuasive"
*"How to Be Unpersuasive"* by Scott Adams "I’ve been teaching you how to be persuasive for the past year. But I should also tell you what doesn’t work for changing people’s minds. *Analogies:* Analogies are good tools for explaining a concept to someone for the first time. But because analogies are imperfect they are the worst way to persuade. All discussions that involve analogies devolve into arguments about the quality of the analogy, not the underlying situation. *Hypocrisy:* Pundits like to point out that politicians often criticize others for the very things they have done. T... more »
DEAR WASHINGTON POST: YOU KNOW THIS HEADLINE IS PRO-TRUMP PROPAGANDA, RIGHT?
*The Washington Post* has done a pretty good job dealing with Donald Trump -- certainly better than *The New York Times* or CNN -- but this headline suggests that even at the *Post* there's been some sipping of the Trump Kool-Aid: *After meeting with Trump, Boeing CEO relents on cost of Air Force One* Did that actually happen? Let's look at the story: “Cancel [the] order!” Donald Trump, the incoming president of the United States, tweeted ominously about a contract with Boeing to build Air Force One, the state-of-the-art airplanes he and future presidents will rely on. It took a ma... more »
World News Briefs -- December 21, 2016
*Daily Mail: Revealed: Tunisian asylum seeker wanted for Berlin massacre was jailed for four years in Italy for burning down a school and arrested three times in Germany before police lost him* * Terror suspect Anis Amri, 23, from Tunisa served four years in an Italian prison for an arson attack on a school * His ID was found in the footwell of the truck used in Monday's attack which claimed 12 lives and injured 48 * German security officials had Amri under close surveillance between March and September this year * He was suspected of dealing drugs and planning robberies to finananc... more »
"Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent"
*"Neuroscience Says Listening to This Song Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent"* By Melanie Curtin "Everyone knows they need to manage their stress. When things get difficult at work, school, or in your personal life, you can use as many tips, tricks, and techniques as you can get to calm your nerves. So here's a science-backed one: make a playlist of the 10 songs found to be the most relaxing on earth. Sound therapies have long been popular as a way of relaxing and restoring one's health. For centuries, indigenous cultures have used music to enhance well-being and improve health c... more »
White House Claims Over 80% Of Low-Skilled Jobs Will Be Automated
Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers claims jobs with a median wage paying less than $20 an hour have an 83% chance of being automated. The post White House Claims Over 80% Of Low-Skilled Jobs Will Be Automated appeared first on Shadowproof.
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 21, 2016
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Turkey's prime minister, after a news conference in Istanbul in 2012. Osman Orsal/Reuters *Military.com:* *US Sidelined as Russia, Turkey, Iran Plot Syria's Fate* The U.S. was reduced to the role of concerned bystander Tuesday as NATO-ally Turkey met in Moscow with Iran and Russia to plot Syria's fate following the fall of Aleppo and the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey. "We weren't invited," State Department spokesman John Kirby said of the Moscow meeting of foreign ministers, but Secretary of State J... more »
Rare Snow Fall in the Sahara Desert- Only Twice in Living Memory
*Would snow falling in the desert be consistent with AGW theory?* *Wonder what the temperature dipped too and stayed at for the snow to stay a day...??* *This is pretty darn special- Link * *The bizarre phenomenon was caught on camera by amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata.** “Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the dessert,*” he said. *“It is such a rare occurrence. It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos. The snow stayed for about a day and has now melted away.”* *This is only the second time in living memory that snow has fallen ... more »
Untitled
*The Big E: Emeril Lagasse ~Brett Martin, Garden & Gun**~Before the TV shows, the cookware, “Bam!,” and the rest, Emeril Lagasse was a young chef taking over the venerable Commander’s Palace, the launching pad for a career that would change the food world forever. Now, with his first new New Orleans spot in nearly two decades, he’s back to doing what he really loves*
Can President Trump jack up the shrinking execution rate the way Americans seem to want?
Death Penalty Information Center [*Click to enlarge*] *"The Death Penalty Information Center report notes that public-opinion polls show some decline in support for the death penalty, but the opposition has never achieved close to a majority. And, notwithstanding ambiguous poll numbers, politicians from Trump to Barack Obama understand that support for the death penalty, at least in some form, is less politically risky than opposition to it."* *-- Jeffrey Toobin, in today's newyorker.com "Daily Comment,"* "The Strange Case of the Ameican Death Penalty" *by Ken* The Death Penalty I... more »
School-to-Prison Pipeline Complete — New Law Makes Schoolyard Fights a Felony
[image: school]A draconian new state law turns the common school fight into a felony. Instead of detention, children will now face up to 4 years in prison.
Kremlin Spokesman: Almost All Levels of Russia-US Dialogue Frozen
Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov, pictured left with Vladimir Putin, said communication channels between Russia and the U.S. were 'frozen' *Sputnik:* *Almost All Levels of Russia-US Dialogue Frozen - Kremlin Spokesman* Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that nearly all levels of dialogue between Russia and the United States are in a frozen state. MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Almost all levels of the Russia-US dialogue are now frozen, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. "With the United States, nearly all levels of dialogue are in a frozen state. We do not communic... more »
China's military leaders talk up plans for the H-20 strategic bomber
An article published by the China Military Online website on 7 December has provided further insights into the requirements for China's new strategic bomber. China is developing a new long-range strategic bomber referred to in the article as the H-20. While General Ma gave no details of the programme, Rear Admiral Yin, who is also a regular media commentator on Chinese military developments, commented that as the "cruise missiles, nuclear weapons, and other weapons and equipment that will be carried by domestic strategic bombers are all in place", the time was right for China to de... more »
U.S. Returns 10,000 Acres Of Okinawa To Japan
US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (C) delivers a speech among Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) and US Forces Japan commander Lieutenant General Jerry P. Martinez (L) during a joint announcement on the return of American military to the island of Okinawa at the Abe's official resident in Tokyo on December 21, 2016. REUTERS/Toshfumi Kitamura *US News And World Report*: *U.S. Returning Okinawa Land to Japan* *Recent scandals have tarnished the U.S. military’s reputation on Okinawa, where there is fierce local resistance to its presence.* The United States is returning over... more »
Pregnancy is brain structure mind altering for at least two years
Pregnancy reduces grey matter in specific parts of a woman's brain, helping her bond with her baby and prepare for the demands of motherhood. Scans of 25 first-time mums showed these structural brain changes lasted for at least two years after giving birth. European researchers said the scale of brain changes during pregnancy were akin to those seen during adolescence. But they found no evidence of women's memory deteriorating. Many women have said they feel forgetful and emotional during pregnancy and put it down to "pregnancy" or "baby" brain - and, it seems, with good reason. T... more »
Professor Dyson attempts to sound off!
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016We need some clarity over here:* For decades, we liberals have been poorly served by our comedians. Also by our professors! Earlier this year, a University of Missouri professor made the most embarrassing statement yet. "I need some muscle over here," she embarrassingly said. Conservatives hear about statements like that. So do unaligned voters. In the process, they come to believe that we liberals are full of crap. That professor said a dumb thing, but we were sorry to learn that she lost her job. Everybody makes mistakes. That's even true of Profess... more »
Does Your Severance Agreement Have A Gotcha? Penn State Sues Former President For Hiding Sexual Molestation Charges
I see this kind of language in proposed severance agreements all the time. Something to the effect of, "Employee represents that he is unaware of any violations of any law, statute, ordinance or government regulation by Employer, its agents, employees, officers or directors." There are all kinds of problems with this seemingly benign language, as Penn State's former President may be about to find out. You see, Penn State is countersuing Graham Spanier, who sued them for breach of his severance contract. Their claim is that Spanier knew of the former football coach's sexual misconduc... more »
IEET Affiliate Scholar Steve Fuller Publish in Confero Journal
The Swedish philosophy journal Confero has just published a special issue on ‘Transhumanist Politics, Education and Design’, which includes an article by IEET Affiliate Scholar, Steve Fuller, on morphological freedom.
"How It Really Is"
"These 23 Celebrities Said They'll Leave The Country If Trump Wins" - http://townhall.com/ Well, big mouths, we're waiting... Adios! See ya bye! And good riddance...
Last Week's Military Flights Over Manhattan Was A 'Planning Relocation' Exercise For President-Elect Trump In The Event Of An Emergency
Military conducts air ‘training’ exercise over NYC, sparking a frenzy *DNA Info*: *Mysterious Manhattan Military Flyover Was Trump Rescue Exercise: Sources* MANHATTAN — A military airplane and two huge helicopters doing loops over Midtown last week were conducting an “emergency relocation” planning mission in case they needed to extract President-elect Donald Trump during an emergency or attack, DNAinfo New York has learned. The sight of the C-130 search-and-rescue aircraft and two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters making passes over the heart of "no-fly" Manhattan for 40 minutes Tuesda... more »
The Economy: “The Market Crooners Are F.O.S.”
*“The Market Crooners Are F.O.S.”* by Karl Denninger *"Facts:* • The S&P 500, and most of the DOW, garner a lot of their revenue (and earnings) overseas. • The Dollar has been on a tear for the last several months (since August, roughly) and is now trading at levels it has not since 2002 (!) • Said currency translation means that those foreign earnings are depreciated since foreign currency buys fewer dollars. • The S&P 500 is trading at historic highs on a cyclically-adjusted P/E basis, and well into "overvalued" territory even on simple trailing earnings. In fact on a CAPE basis th... more »
trends in public schooling since 1970
trends in public schooling since 1970 https://fee.org/articles/the-failure-of-public-schooling-in-one-chart/ while I have great fondness for some of the visuals I’ve created over the years (especially “two wagons” and “apple harvesting“), I confess that none of my creations have ever been as clear and convincing as the iconic graph on education spending and education outcomes created by the late Andrew Coulson. I can’t imagine anyone looking at his chart and not immediately realizing that you don’t get better results by pouring more money into the governme... more »
Letter From James Heappey
By Paul Homewood The Telegraph have printed this letter today from MP James Heappey, who is also a member of the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee: SIR – This year’s tight electricity margin follows a similar situation last year. National Grid has said that the situation is manageable, but it is understandable […]
When did Trump win the election?...
*when asked that question, Sean Hannity said that Trump won the election the day he rode down that escalator.* An article over at *American Thinker* made me recall June, 16th, 2015, when I watched him come down the escalator. As surprised as the rest of the world, I immediately said, "Yes!" Not just "yes", but, "Hell yes!" I didn't know why I reacted that way since I knew little about Trump. I knew he had a TV program, owned a bunch of real estate, and had an unfortunate marriage to his second wife. I had only watched his show once, but did admire his no -nonsense cut-to-the-ch... more »
Canada Defends $15-billion Arms Deal With Saudi Arabia In Canadian Courts
A convoy of vehicles, including a Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) and a Leopard 2A6M Main Battle Tank from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, during an operation in Kandahar Province © Reuters *Globe and Mail*: *Professor has no legal right to fight Saudi arms deal, Ottawa says* Federal government lawyers say a University of Montreal law professor who is challenging a $15-billion sale of combat vehicles to Saudi Arabia has no business fighting it in court because he is not personally a victim of a crime under humanitarian law. Daniel Turp, a professor a... more »
Oskar Linke, Blue Book and the CIA
As many of you know, I’m writing a book which is no surprise because I’m always writing a book of some kind. Sometimes they are even about UFOs. As I was wading through the material, I came across a sighting that Dr. J. Allen Hynek had reported in his *The Hynek UFO Report.*The details were a little confusing and a typo or two made it even more confusing but I think I have straightened that out, which isn’t important here. J. Allen Hynek According to Hynek, on July 9, 1952 (or rather the date of the report) Oscar Linke and his daughter saw a UFO in what would have been East Germa... more »
"Screw the Way Things Are, I Want Out"
*"Screw the Way Things Are, I Want Out"* by Paul Rosenberg "This is a beautiful planet, filled, in the main, with decent, cooperative humans. And yet, I want out. Give me any kind of functional spaceship and any reasonable chance, and I’ll take it. This place is anti-human. It chokes the best that’s in us, aggressively and self-righteously. I was struck not long ago by a comment of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s, in which he expressed the same kind of feeling: "I ought to have… become a star in the sky. Instead of which I have remained stuck on earth…" All of us who’ve had a moment of trans... more »
Inexact computing can improve quality of supercomputing answers by 1,000 times
omputer scientists from Rice University, Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have used one of Isaac Newton’s numerical methods to demonstrate how “inexact computing” can dramatically improve the quality of simulations run on supercomputers. The research is summarized in a paper on the preprint server ArXiv and is part of an ongoing effort by scientists at Rice University’s Center for Computing at the Margins (RUCCAM) to dramatically improve the resolution of weather and climate models with new ultra-efficient approaches to supercomputing. ... more »
The U.S. Navy's Newest Destroyer Is A Procurement Disaster
DDG 1000, U.S. Navy's Zumwalt Class of multi-mission guided missile destroyer © Reuters *NRO*: *How the Navy’s Zumwalt-Class Destroyers Ran Aground* *Billed as the Navy’s stealth wonder-ship of the future, the USS Zumwalt destroyer has turned into a procurement boondoggle. * On November 22, while the world watched, the U.S. Navy’s newest, most complex warship ground to a stop in the middle of the Panama Canal, both propellers seized, leaving the ship dead in the water. The warship, the USS Zumwalt, DDG-1000, had to be towed out of the canal. While not as embarrassing as watching ... more »
George Washington couldn't tell a lie!
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016Some others can't tell the truth:* Rather famously, George Washington, the nation's first president, couldn't tell a lie. We know that because he said so—more precisely, because he was said to have said so. At any rate, Washington's reported statement defined a powerful norm. It was long believed to be a virtue—public figures should tell the truth. "I will never lie to you?" In 1976, Candidate Carter actually *did* say that, or at least we think he did. Indeed, as recently as 1999 and 2000, reporters were so committed to the concept of telling the tru... more »
Massive Manhunt For Suspect In Berlin Terror Attack
Anis Amri is wanted by German police in connection with the Berlin Christmas market attack. Credit German Federal Police *New York Times*: *Germany Seeks Tunisian in Connection With Berlin Christmas Market Attack* BERLIN — A young Tunisian who was denied asylum in Germany and was considered a potential security risk was being sought across Europe on Wednesday, as the authorities pursued the attacker who plowed into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday. The attack killed 12 people and wounded 48, 12 of whom remain in serious condition. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility f... more »
The #ChristmasMyths, #4: The Birthplace and Surroundings of the Little Baby Jesus
*Part of a continuing series1 looking at the pagan origins of the Christmas Myths, one day at a time. Today, the cunning tale and the pagan origins of where Jesus was said to be born…* [image: image] JESUS WAS BORN IN a manger (a trough or a box) and visited by shepherds, say the authors of *Luke*.2 No, say the authors of *Matthew*, he was born in a house in which he and Mary were visited by an unconfirmed number of wandering vagrants from the East (*three* being a later gloss). And there were no little drummer boys. (Although Grace Jones almost manages to make you wish the... more »
U.S. embassy sings a Czech carol
Ivana Trump, the first wife who gave the name to the Donald, expressed her desire to become a new U.S. ambassador to Prague, a plan that is enthusiastically supported by the Czech president. But there's a problem. There also exists the old ambassador, Obama's former classmate Andrew Schapiro. And maybe he likes the job. *It took me some time to see that the name of the video is "Veselé Vánoce, Happy Holidays". Needless to say, the translation of "Veselé Vánoce" to English is "Merry Christmas", not "Happy Holidays"... Thank God, there's been no war on "Merry Christmas" in Czechia. ... more »
Only Makes Sense that Spacex would use Raptor Engines for upgrading Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
The Spacex Raptor engines are a family of cryogenic, methane-fueled, rocket engines. The engines are specifically intended to power both high-performance lower and upper stages of the Interplanetary Transport Ssystem launch vehicle that Elon Musk is championing to support substantial new technological and economic capabilities in the area of interplanetary spaceflight, particularly with respect to a long-term aim of colonizing Mars. The engine will be powered by densified liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX), rather than the RP-1 kerosene and LOX used in all previous Falcon 9 rock... more »
GAIA PORTAL: Butterfly Essence comes to the fore
*Butterfly Essence comes to the fore* by ÉirePort Butterfly Essence comes to the fore. Static paradigms abandoned and released. Surrogates are charged. Flasks of compliance are stirred. Mastrichts are moved to the Light. ÉirePort | December 21, 2016 at 11:11 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-B7
Robots Are the Way to Secure Our Future, and the U.S. Is Being Left Behind
Businessman Mark Cuban says he would take 100 billion of the government's proposed $1 trillion dollars in infrastructure investment and invest it in robotics. Cuban believes the U.S. is falling behind China in the robotics industry and that we really need to invest in R&D. The post Robots Are the Way to Secure Our Future, and the U.S. Is Being Left Behind appeared first on Futurism.
Hospitalized Patients Treated by Female Doctors Show Lower Mortality
*From the Seattle Municipal Archives* *by Gaius Publius* We're getting off the Trump Train for a minute for something remarkable. I was bowled over by the results of this study and wanted to pass them on. From the Harvard School of Public Health: *Hospitalized patients treated by female physicians show lower mortality, readmission rates* Boston, MA – Elderly hospitalized patients treated by female physicians are less likely to die within 30 days of admission, or to be readmitted within 30 days of discharge, than those cared for by male physicians, according to a new study led by ... more »
What the Dickens?
When even diehard American fans of the literary inventor of Christmas can't get along, can we really expect the rest of the country to declare a political truce in honor of the season? A feud between two New York factions of the international Charles Dickens Fellowship has been simmering for so long (two decades) that members can't even remember the initial cause. It might have had something to do with who broke a rented VHS tape of an old Oliver Twist movie. Or it might have had something to do with the leader of one faction having a dual career as a Franciscan friar and a parole ... more »
Police Testify Against Fellow Cop Who Killed Unarmed Father with 41 Shots, He Still May Get Job Back
[image: father]A mistrial was declared in a case against a Garland, TX police officer, accused of the "reckless" killing of an unarmed father following a chase.
Journal issues three notices for plant biologist, two citing manipulation
Researchers have retracted a paper from a plant journal after a probe found problems with several figures. According to the new retraction notice in The Plant Cell, some figures in the paper were manipulated, as well as “inappropriately duplicated and reused from a previous publication.” The authors assert that they believe the conclusions remain valid. […] The post Journal issues three notices for plant biologist, two citing manipulation appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Mosul Campaign Day 65, Dec 20, 2016
There was fighting in east Mosul but no news of any advances. The Islamic State firedmortars into three neighborhoods, and launched two suicide bombers who were killed. Around 250 homes in the Bakr neighborhood have been abandoned due to the constant shelling. The Iraqi forces (ISF) were also firing artillery at south Mosul. For the second day Ghazlani was hit. The southern front has been stalled for almost a month and a half now, and this artillery fire was one of the first signs of life. Al Sumaria also reported that families in the western half of the city were afraid that IS g... more »
NY Cop-Turned Coke Dealer Arrested After Police Find 4 Bodies Buried in His Yard
[image: murder]A retired crooked cop has been arrested for murder after authorities discovered the bodies of four missing men on buried on his property.
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Why Y?
A professor emails me: My students have the pleasure to use your economics textbook. I have one question: where the symbol "Y" for GDP comes from? All the others, we could detect, such as NX , NCO, etc. My students are curious, and I could not give them a good answer. My unsatisfying response: To be honest, I don't know. It is an old convention to use Y to denote real GDP, and I am just following that. But I don't know where or why the convention began. If anyone knows the history and reason for this notation, please email me.
YEAR(S) IN REVIEW: Most Consequential Narrative of the Year(s)!
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016Part 3—From Whitewater through to the emails:* On August 3, 2004, the New York Times' Paul Krugman was right on target, as he routinely has been. He was explored a striking new concept, a striking new concept called "script." Headline included: KRUGMAN (8/3/04): *Reading the Script* A message to my fellow journalists: check out media watch sites like campaigndesk.org, mediamatters.org and dailyhowler.com. It's good to see ourselves as others see us. *I've been finding The Daily Howler's concept of a media ''script,'' a story line that shapes coverage... more »
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*From Jenna Orkin *HORROR IN BERLIN This photographer carried on working in the face of a Turkish assassin Bail-Ins Coming To Italy? World’s Oldest Bank “Survival Rests On Savers” Berlin Police Says It Arrested "The Wrong Man": Truck Attacker Is "Armed, Still At Large" Monte Paschi Private Bailout On Edge Of Collapse As "Potential Anchor Investors Balk" Commuter-In-Chief: Obama Sets New Single-Day Clemency Record; More Than Previous 11 Presidents Combined Saddam Hussein's CIA Interrogator Admits Being Convinced He Should Have Been Left In Power Bombshell testimony file... more »
International Update
*Returning the US Navy's Drone* *Two Viewpoints* On Tuesday, 20 December, China returned the US Navy the underwater drone that it captured on 15 December in the South China Sea off the coast of Luzon. *China's Perspective* According to a statement by the Ministry of National Defense, the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) was returned in a smooth hand-off at noon, following amicable discussions on the matter. The handover occurred in international waters some 90 kilometers northwest of the Philippines' Subic Bay, near the area in the South China Sea where the drone was captured las... more »
Video Allegedly Shows Youtuber Kicked Off Delta Plane for ‘Speaking Arabic’
[image: plane]For speaking to his mother on the phone in Arabic, the YouTuber says he was thrown off the plane after passengers expressed their fear of the language.
Ecuadorian Natives Detain Govt Troops as State Attempts to Give Their Land Away to Big Oil
[image: ecuador]The move in Ecuador is a stark contrast to the subjugation of Native Americans and DAPL protesters by militarized police working on behalf of oil interests.
Assassination of the Russian ambassador a big loss for Turkey
Sibel Oktay, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Global Studies, University of Illinois at Springfield at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 15 hours ago
The latest victim of Turkey’s climate of insecurity is Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey. Karlov was assassinated Dec. 19 by a 22-year-old police officer. Disguised as a security guard in a black suit, the gunman stood behind Karlov as the ambassador was speaking in an art gallery just yards from the U.S. embassy. “Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria!” he shouted as he pulled the trigger. Karlov’s death will have consequences reaching far beyond Ankara. Following the terrorist attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport in June 2016, I explained Turkey’s foreign pol... more »
Are Brazilians Latinos? What their identity struggle tells us about race in America
Frances Negrón-Muntaner, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University at Politics + Society – The Conversation - 15 hours ago
Bikini waxes, keratin hair blowouts and all-you-can-eat steakhouses. In the United States, all three are closely associated with the word “Brazilian.” Yet, although none of these things are linked to Latino identity, one of the questions that journalists frequently ask me is, “Are Brazilians Latinos?” Surprisingly, many Brazilian-Americans also ask me the same question. As one of my students put it, “Because ‘Brazilian’ is not an option in any census, job or college form, you get older and wonder, where do I fit in?” The confusion is warranted. It illuminates how U.S. public dis... more »
The top 10 retractions of 2016
It’s that time again, when top-10 lists start appearing — and we’re no exception. So check out our list of the 10 most noteworthy retractions of the year, posted by our friends at The Scientist. Like Retraction Watch? Consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our growth. You can also follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, […] The post The top 10 retractions of 2016 appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Editor's Note
I am finishing up on a number of projects right now. Which means that I am stuck in meetings again this morning. This all should end by Friday .... and regular blogging will return to WNU by this weekend. In the meantime .... blogging will return later this afternoon.
The U.S. Has Attempted To Influence 81 Foreign Elections Between 1946 And 2000
*L.A. Times:* *The U.S. is no stranger to interfering in the elections of other countries* The CIA has accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 presidential election by hacking into Democratic and Republican computer networks and selectively releasing emails. But critics might point out the U.S. has done similar things. The U.S. has a long history of attempting to influence presidential elections in other countries – it’s done so as many as 81 times between 1946 and 2000, according to a database amassed by political scientist Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University. That number... more »
Memphis KIPP Calls It Quits
The KIPP school in Memphis that denied my access when I was writing my book on "no excuses" charters has decided to close shop. It was the Memphis KIPP that had been taken over by the ASD because it had remained in the bottom five percent of public schools since its opening in 2008. Because the school had to accept children from the neighborhood and could not recruit from the region, it's test scores remained in the basement. When KIPP faces a situation like this, which represents a drag on the KIPP brand, they always cut and run. Or call it karma.
AI Songwriter Gets an A for Effort on Its Kubrickian Christmas Song
Using 100 hours of Christmas music to get the basics of a melody, a new technology called "neural karaoke" helped a computer write a Christmas song. Someday, more advanced versions of the program could serve as a virtual coach for wannabe stars on X Factor, The Voice, and America’s Got Talent." The post AI Songwriter Gets an A for Effort on Its Kubrickian Christmas Song appeared first on Futurism.
The Largest Astronomical Project in Existence Just Got Upgraded to Search for Alien Life
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array had some new Band 5 receivers installed that greatly improve the wavelengths detectable by the array. This could increase the ease of finding water on celestial bodies, and thereby help scientists on the long road to finding alien life. The post The Largest Astronomical Project in Existence Just Got Upgraded to Search for Alien Life appeared first on Futurism.
Innocent Mother Kidnapped by Cops, Jailed 7 Weeks, Because of 20yo Clerical Error
[image: jail]A mother to a six-year-old boy was jailed for 49 days without bond because inept bureaucrats made an egregious clerical error.
The Weather Was Just a Bit Brisk
Having spent the bulk of my working life either north of 60 or in the provincial "norths", I'm rather accustomed to long, cold winters. I've lived places where your eyelids will freeze together, I've had more than a few bouts of frostbite, I've managed through a few blizzards, I've developed (some) patience when it comes to dealing with how the cold can slow things down and I've mastered the art of dressing in layers, or at least I like to think I have. While I'm used to it to a certain extent, its doesn't necessarily mean that I have to LIKE it, however, and the past couple wee... more »
The Great Wall Of Trump? Texas Isn't As Sure As You Might Think
*"A Cruz Administration will fulfill the promise Congress made to the American people almost 10 years ago by completing all 700 miles of priority fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border."* Trump claims he won a landslide. He didn't. He won a narrow electoral college victory and lost the actual election by close to 3 million votes. The final tally was Clinton 65,844,594 to Trump 62,979,616. It was a 48.2-46.1% win for Clinton. Trump did have a genuine landslide in Wyoming though. A strange throwback of a state where less than 1% of the population is Black, the score in Wyoming was Trum... more »
Picture Of The Day
*Lion Team* Marines fire an FGM-148 Javelin missile during live-fire training as part of Platinum Lion, a training exercise at the Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, Dec. 15, 2016. The exercise brought together eight NATO allies and partner nations to strengthen security and regional defenses in Eastern Europe. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Michelle Reif
Tweet For Today
Morning Briefing: Here's what you need to know to start your day https://t.co/KBnqMJJX16 pic.twitter.com/jlvUaEGSWx — The New York Times (@nytimes) December 21, 2016
Berlin Market Attack: This One Does Smell Like A False Flag Attack!
Two days ago, we all saw the reports via the Jew spew media and of course the alternative media, of an "attack" in Berlin, where a truck slammed into a market killing (allegedly) some 12 patrons and wounding some 50 others....Over the last few days, I have indeed been watching the reports as they flowed in, and noticed very quickly how the liars in the Jew spew media were very quick to call this one a "terrorist" attack... I for one waited for one key word to come out before I called this one a false flag attack, and lo and behold that word came out yesterday when the Jew spew media... more »
METALLICA'S JAMES HETFIELD DEFINES "ELITIST" THE SAME WAY TRUMP VOTERS DO
James Hetfield of Metallica is tired of the "elitist" Bay Area: James Hetfield, the co-founder and lead singer for the successful heavy metal band Metallica, left his home in the San Francisco Bay Area because of an 'elitist' attitude. In an interview Friday with radio talk show host Joe Rogan, Hetfield says that after decades of living in Northern California, he grew tired of the negative reaction from locals who did not look kindly upon his political views and lifestyle choices.... Hetfield says that in the Bay Area, 'there was an elitist attitude there -- that if you weren't the... more »
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*Traditional Assigned-District Public Schools ‘May Be An Endangered Species’* Judging by the results of a parental satisfaction survey, traditional assigned-district public schools “may be an endangered species,” according to a new report from Education Next. The first-of -its-kind survey, which was released Tuesday in Washington, D.C., compared parental satisfaction ratings for traditional assigned-district public schools, private/parochial schools, district schools-of-choice such as magnet schools, and publicly funded charter schools. “Among the four sectors, parents of studen... more »
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*Earth's temperatures have always bounced up and down* *Temperature reconstructions for the last 10,000 years based on a wide range of proxy data are reported below. They show that it has in the past been both warmer and cooler than it is today. Present temperatures are nothing unusual in Earth's history. Nothing manmade is needed to explain the current temperature averages. And note that this data concerns the Arctic, the favourite area of the Warmists* Holocene climate change in Arctic Canada and Greenland Jason P. Briner et al. Abstract This synthesis paper summarizes pu... more »
Robert Paul Wolff On Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Pure Reason
Professor Robert Paul Wolff is an anarchist in politics and Marxist in economics. But a Professor who is devoted to anarchism and Marxism is, in my view, qualified for elucidating Immanuel Kant’s philosophical system. After all, Kant’s ideas are the basis on which the structure of Marxism and anarchism is built. I find Wolff's lecture series on Kant’s *The Critique of Pure Reason* very interesting and informative. In these lectures Wolff explores not only Kant’s ideas but also the range of philosophical disputes that Kant was trying to grapple with. Kant lived in a period in whic... more »
For 40 Years Johnson & Johnson Hid Baby Powder Ovarian Cancer Connection
*Alex Pietrowski* - The link between talcum and cancer was established in the 1970's. The post For 40 Years Johnson & Johnson Hid Baby Powder Ovarian Cancer Connection appeared first on Waking Times.
Mainstream Media Normalizing Geoengineering for Saving the Planet
*Nathaniel Mauka* - Weather modification is now being presented as a necessary evil. The post Mainstream Media Normalizing Geoengineering for Saving the Planet appeared first on Waking Times.
“As the Coup Against Trump Fails, the Threat Against His Life Rises”
*“As the Coup Against Trump Fails, the Threat Against His Life Rises”* by Paul Craig Roberts “The use of the presstitute media to deny Trump the Republican presidential nomination failed. The use of the presstitute media to deny Trump victory in the presidential election failed. The vote recount failed. The effort to sway the Electoral College failed. But the effort continues. The CIA report on Russia's alleged interference in the US presidential election ordered by Obama is in process. Faked evidence is a hallmark of CIA operations. In their determination to seal Trump's ears agai... more »
Consistent histories aren't inconsistent
*The prohibited inconsistency of histories in the formalism is synonymous with Bohr's complementarity* The de Broglie-Bohm pilot wave theory and the many worlds interpretation are the two most widespread "alternative axiomatic systems" that are claimed to compete with the proper, Copenhagen or neo-Copenhagen, quantum mechanics. The Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber "objective spontaneous random collapse" theories are a distant third and other "frameworks" meant to replace the postulates of quantum mechanics are pretty much incoherent even at the level of the grammar. Both the pilot wave theory... more »
The Future of American Involvement in the UN
*Editorial Note:* Before I go forward on the issue of the future of American involvement in the United Nations, I would like to welcome our readers from France. Google stats show that on any given day we receive roughly equal viewing from Russia and the US and only slightly less from France. Please feel free to comment and join the discussion. In the coming year, there will be more international discussions of issues in Africa that are of special interest to French foreign policy. *Now, What about the U. N.?* Reading tea leaves is not my speciality and neither is casting runes. The ... more »
Pour en finir avec les accusations d’eugénisme
Le transhumanisme se retrouve régulièrement accusé d’eugénisme. Ces accusations sont-elles fondées ? http://ieet.org/archive/dna.jpg
Bill Whittle with a little video explaining much but especially the history of anti slavery in the USA
https://youtu.be/ZU28SUTuIoc
The Dino-Chickens Are Coming
What few have properly woken up to yet is that fowl generally are a powerful agricultural tool and the chicken in particular. As is have posted, it can be trusted to take an enclosed block of soil and completely toss it down to at least a foot while extracting all possible edibles including seeds. Larger versions may have equally useful abilities such as stripping a block of woodland. Of course these critters are famously stupid. Thus we will always have a management problem unless we can figure out how to use mind communication. That is likely practical and certainly will be... more »
Odds Hillary Won Primaries Without Widespread Fraud: 1 in 77 Billion
What this spells out is that we are certainly dealing with massive vote rigging in favor of Hilary. This work is dealing with the primary season and it was used to eliminate Sanders. It also means that it was not possible to affect the bulk of what is the electoral college but it could hugely affect the popular vote. It is actually highly reasonable that the so called popular vote win is an total sham and generated by loading friendly polls with false ballets. As the infrastructure for doing this existed for the Primaries, this was completely possible. The super g... more »
First Dinosaur Tail Found Preserved in Amber
What has become fairly clear is that the transition from aquatic dinosaurs to land based dinosaurs demanded true insulation and we got this in the form of feathers. Flying was a much later development. The larger creatures had the body mass to do without as we observe in Africa today. However all smaller creatures demand protection. Thus we have the advent of fathers however evolved. It had to have happened just in order for the family of dinosaurs to arise which makes it almost a first step. I do suspect that the tyrannosaurus Rex is a land modified Crocodile that likely we... more »
Maybe God Just Wanted me to see what it was like to be African-American?
What makes this type of harassment so egregious is that the local police can be so easily involved directly in it. It is not just some local bully boys who you can at least sic the police on. That is still a poor response but it is a beginning. The quickest way to end this behavior is to simply impound all vehicles used until they can explain their behavior to a judge. Then take your time setting up a court date. Really inconvenience in exchange for inconvenience and a record of the misdemeanor. Actually fair and effective.. Failure to enforce such laws can be taken then as ... more »
Corporate Media Is Just As Dangerous As Fake News Sites
While the danger posed by fake news sites like Breitbart is very real, so too is the danger posed by corporate-controlled news entities. They are the ones who pushed the Iraq lies, the Y2K fears, and the countless panic-inducing stories about diseases that only infected a handful of Americans. The Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.
Obama bans oil drilling 'permanently' in millions of acres of ocean -per BBC News
This BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38387525 exults in the banning of future oil drilling in the arctic. 'Outgoing US President Barack Obama has permanently banned offshore oil and gas drilling in the "vast majority" of US-owned northern waters. Mr Obama designated areas in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans as "indefinitely off limits" to future leasing.' I do wonder whether the real reason for this decision is environmental or ideological, or maybe even to protect the Saudi Arabian oil industry income, inshallah...
Mark Zuckerberg has made a Jarvis Artificial Intelligence for his home
So far this year, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO) built a simple AI that he can talk to on his phone and computer, that can control his home, including lights, temperature, appliances, music and security, that learns my tastes and patterns, that can learn new words and concepts, and that can even entertain his daughter Max. It uses several artificial intelligence techniques, including natural language processing, speech recognition, face recognition, and reinforcement learning, written in Python, PHP and Objective C. He explained what he built and what he learned along the way. Befo... more »
China says tests of Propellentless EMDrive on Tiangong 2 space station were successful
Dr. Chen Yue, Director of Commercial Satellite Technology for the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) announced on December 10, 2016 that not only has China successfully tested EmDrives technology in its laboratories, but that a proof-of-concept is currently undergoing zero-g testing in orbit (according to the International Business Times, this test is taking place on the Tiangong 2 space station). Scientists with the China Academy of Space Technology claim NASA’s results ‘re-confirm’ what they’d already achieved, and have plans to implement it in satellites ‘as quickly as poss... more »
Still No Evidence On The Russian Hacking Story?
*Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept:* *Anonymous Leaks to the WashPost About the CIA’s Russia Beliefs Are No Substitute for Evidence* The Washington Post late Friday night published an explosive story that, in many ways, is classic American journalism of the worst sort: The key claims are based exclusively on the unverified assertions of anonymous officials, who in turn are disseminating their own claims about what the CIA purportedly believes, all based on evidence that remains completely secret. These unnamed sources told the Post that “the CIA has concluded in a secret assessment t... more »
China To Donald Trump On Seized U.S. Navy Drone: 'We Do Not Like The Word Steal'
China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 17, 2016 *The Hill*:* China hits Trump's comments on naval drone: We don’t like the word ‘steal'* China on Monday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s assertion that it had stolen an unmanned drone in the South China Sea last week. “We don’t like the word ‘steal’ — the word is absolutely inaccurate,” said Hua Chunying, the spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to Bloomber... more »
First Korean APR-1400 nuclear reactor enters commercial operation
The first Korean-designed Advanced Pressurised Reactor-1400 (APR-1400) officially entered commercial operation on 12 December. Unit 3 of the Shin Kori nuclear power plant in the south east of South Korea was connected to the grid in January. *Shin Kori units 3 and 4 (Image: KHNP)* Construction of Shin Kori 3 began in October 2008. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) was issued with an operating licence for the unit by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in late October 2015. The reactor achieved first criticality on 29 December and was connected to the grid on 15 January. ... more »
The U.S. And The U.K. Have Vastly Different Estimates On Numbers Of Islamic State Fighters Killed
*The Hill:* *UK, US have vastly different estimates of total ISIS fighters killed* The U.S. and the United Kingdom have offered vastly different estimates of the number of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters killed since the international coalition began bombing the group in 2014, according to CNN. U.K. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon estimated on Thursday that 25,000 ISIS fighters had been killed during the campaign. He made the remark while speaking to reporters alongside Defense Secretary Ash Carter. *Read more* .... *WNU Editor:* They do not even know how many ... more »
U.S. Left Out Of Recent Syrian Peace Talks
United States Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a statement on the situation in Aleppo, Syria at the State Department in Washington U.S., December 15, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron *Reuters:* *U.S. plays down absence from Moscow talks on Syria, says not 'sidelined'* The United States on Tuesday sought to downplay its absence from talks on the Syrian conflict among Russia, Iran and Turkey in Moscow, saying it was not a "snub" and did not reflect a decline of U.S. influence in the Middle East. However, President Barack Obama's decision to offer only limited support to moderate re... more »
Afghanistan Has More Generals Than The U.S. MIlitary
Seventy three Afghan Army officers graduated from the Afghan Army Command and Staff College’s Command and General Staff College course. The mission is to provide professional military education for First Lieutenants to Major Generals (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Nevison) *Mujib Mashal, New York Times*: *Being an Afghan General Is Nice Work if You Can Get It. And Many Do.* *Afghanistan may struggle to recruit enough soldiers for its armed forces, but it’s swimming in generals.* The country has close to 1,000 officers of general rank on its books — more than the United S... more »
China Buys Sao Tome, saves Taiwan taxpayers millions
*Look! A free meme for you!* The big news is that Sao Tome switched from the ROC to the PRC today. Reuters reports. This is another symbolic act with no concrete costs, which will generate media hysteria but probably benefits Taiwan. China cannot knock out too many allies, because it needs the ROC to exist and support its territorial claims, as well as maintain that Taiwan is part of China and someday deliver Taiwan to China. One of the props of the ROC are its "diplomatic allies", countries which recognize it, and not the PRC, as China. Gaining allies is always paid for by the swe... more »
The #ChristmasMyths, #3: The Song of the Heavenly Host
*Part of a continuing series* looking at the pagan origins of the Christmas Myths, one day at a time. Today: the story of lonely shepherds, and what a flock of angels does to them late at night …* SO, THERE YOU ARE out there abiding in your fields, minding your own sheep flock’s business –a shepherd watching your flock by night—and all of a sudden this old angel shows up, and then another, and then another—until out there in your back paddock you’ve pretty much got the whole Heavenly Host flying about just above the campfire. And then they all start singing--and prett...more »
Nurturing The Swamp... Making It More Dangerous And Powerful
Feeling vaguely sickened by the parade of Wall Street predators Trump has recruited as a cabinet? Did you expect something different? Trump is a man who will be in violation of the Constitution immediately upon taking office since his business empire has a steady flow of money coming if from a myriad of foreign sources, many of which are connected to foreign governments or from individuals connected to foreign governments. That concern is discussed in the video above by Norman Eisen, a co-founder of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the former U.S. Ambassad... more »
Musical Interlude: 2002, “Summer of 300 Years”
2002, “Summer of 300 Years” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYVENvQirmk
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Big, beautiful NGC 5584 is more that 50,000 light-years across and lies 72 million light-years away toward the constellation Virgo. The winding spiral arms of this gorgeous island universe are loaded with luminous young star clusters and dark dust lanes. Still, for earthbound astronomers NGC 5584 is not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy. *Click image for larger size.* Home to some 250 Cepheid variable stars and a recent Type Ia supernova explosion, key objects for astronomical distance determinations, NGC 5584 is one of 8 galaxies used in a new study that includes additional... more »
"The Eternal Silence Of Infinite Spaces..."
"The eternal silence of infinite spaces frightens me. Why now rather than then? Who has put me here? By whose order and direction have this place and time have been ascribed to me? We travel in a vast sphere, always drifting in the uncertain, pulled from one side to another. Whenever we find a fixed point to attach and to fasten ourselves, it shifts and leaves us; and if we follow it, it eludes our grasp, slips past us, and vanishes for ever. Nothing stays for us. This is our natural condition, most contrary to our inclination; we burn with desires to find solid ground and an ultima... more »
“Fake News? It’s All Fake!”
*“Fake News? It’s All Fake!”* by Bill Bonner “Life is one long struggle in the dark.” – Lucretius "In January of this year, the Empire Herald reported that a ‘meth-addled couple’ had eaten a homeless man in New York City’s Central Park. Later, Now8News reported that a can of cookie dough had ‘exploded in a woman’s vagina’; the woman was alleged to be shoplifting. Yesterday’s big news: Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was shot and killed. The assailant looked a lot like a 21st-century version of Gavrilo Princip, who lit the fuse for the First World War by assassinating Archduke Franz ... more »
Ed Felien : Putin’s puppet and the really big deal
All Trump has to do is help the Russians build their pipeline through Afghanistan. By Ed Felien | The Rag Blog | December 20, 2016 It’s the biggest deal he’s ever done. If he gets this done, he’s the richest, … finish reading Ed Felien : Putin’s puppet and the really big deal
How Much Pain Do The Republicans Have To Inflict On The Working Class Before Voters Start Wondering What Happened with All Those Trumpy Promises?
Earlier today we ended the morning post with a comment on something Matt Taibbi mentioned in a recent *Rolling Stone* column, namely that Trump's recent appointments from Goldman "are absolute proof that his 'populist' message was a crock all along." Can anyone doubt it? Sure... More than half the country is living in a state of reality denial. That's really how Trump got elected. The pain headed their way is likely to wake them up... quickly. Moments later... this piece from Dante Chinni in the *Wall Street Journal*: Trump Counties Would See Big Impact From Obamacare Repeal. His... more »
Why our CO2 emissions do not increase Atmosphere CO2
The following reblogged from edberry.com Why our CO2 emissions do not increase Atmosphere CO2 *This paper is open for critical scientific and editorial review and comment. – Ed* *by Edwin Berry, PhD, Atmospheric Physics* *The genius of Al Gore* Give Al Gore an A for marketing and an F for science. But, hey, we all know the sale is in the marketing. The genius of Al Gore was to make his invalid myth simple: 1. Our CO2 emissions increase Atmosphere CO2, and 2. Atmosphere CO2 heats the Earth. What could be simpler? Al Gore assumed his two invalid claims were true. ... more »
New Thermoelectrics with ZT over 7, could have twice the efficiency of combustion engines, fridges and be lighter, smaller and more reliable
The search for thermoelectrics with higher figures of merit (ZT) will never stop due to the demand of heat harvesting. Single layer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), namely MX2 (where M is a transition metal and X is a chalcogen) that have electronic band gaps are among the new materials that have been the focus of such research. Here, we investigate the thermoelectric transport properties of hybrid armchair-edged TMDs nanoribbons, by using the nonequilibrium Green's function technique combined with the first principles and molecular dynamics methods. They found a ZT as high a... more »
Obstacle avoidance: The challenge for drone package delivery
Michael Braasch, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Ohio University at Science + Technology – The Conversation - 1 day ago
Look out! Delivery drone illustration via shutterstock.com The world’s first drone deliveries have begun trial runs in the United Kingdom and the U.S. Once primarily used by militaries, small quadcopter and octocopter drones are now so commonplace they are for sale at home improvement stores and toy stores. People are flying drones for fun, for entertainment and for commercial purposes as diverse as filmmaking and farming. All these uses have one thing in common: The drone’s human operator is required by law to be able to see the drone at all times. Why? The answer is simple: to ma... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Covington, Louisiana, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
Researchers at Japan Tokai University found a room temperature Superconductor with critical temperature near the melting point of Tin
Researchers at Tokai University have created materials obtained by bringing n-alkanes into contact with graphite which are capable of conducting electricity with almost no energy loss at room temperature. They report that the sudden jump in resistance showing a phase transition is observed in the materials during heating by two-probe resistance measurement. The measured critical temperatures of the materials consisting of pitch-based graphite fibers and n-alkanes having 7-16 carbon atoms range from 363.08 to 504.24 K (231 Celsius) and the transition widths range between 0.15 and 3.0... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- Dcember 20, 2016
*Alan Gomez, USA TODAY*: *Berlin attack latest in disturbing terror trend* If the truck attack on a crowded Berlin market that killed a dozen people sounded familiar, that's because it follows a disturbing trend of terrorism that requires little organization, manpower or technological know-how. Whether the Berlin rampage represents the latest lone wolf attack or is the latest example of an Islamic State operative able to conceal his ties to the terrorist organization worries authorities. *Read more* .... *Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 20, 2016* Attack on Berl...more »
World News Briefs -- December 20, 2016
*Daily Mail:* *Where is the Berlin Christmas market killer? German police FREE Pakistani suspect after admitting he is wrong man - as ISIS praise 'soldier' who killed 12 * * Security sources have no clue where the armed real killer is after questioning wrong man for 12 hours * Senior police chief said: 'We have wrong man. Perpetrator is armed, at large and can cause further damage' * Arrested Pakistani asylum seeker Naved B, 23, entered country under false name and has criminal record * Tonight German prosecutors said the suspect had been released because of insufficient evidence ... more »
"I Believe..."; “The Mantua Lovers”
“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.” - Robert Fulghum ◆ *“The Mantua Lovers”* "Entwined neolithic skeletal remains excavated in Mantua, Italy in February, 2007. Buried between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago, the prehistoric pair are believed to have been a man and a woman and are thought to have died young, as their teeth were found intact. Double burials duri... more »
The Wikileaks Persuasion You Missed"
"*The Wikileaks Persuasion You Missed"* by Scott Adams "Do you remember when Wikileaks first started releasing the hacked emails from the DNC? Julian Assange told us the good stuff was coming later. Then some more emails were released, but still no good stuff. Just stuff. But the really, really good stuff was coming, Assange assured us. Not this next release perhaps, but soon. Just wait. And then it never came. There was no good stuff in those emails. There was plenty of little stuff. But nothing that moves elections. Time passes. Memories fade. If you were to ask the average voter... more »
Survey Reveals Nearly 50% of Americans Favor a Universal Basic Income
In a survey of 500 people of various ages, 46 percent of respondents were in favor of the idea of a universal basic income, 35 percent opposed, and 19 percent undecided. A UBI system could be the best, most practical way to deal with the widespread unemployment likely to follow the continued automation of jobs currently held by people. The post Survey Reveals Nearly 50% of Americans Favor a Universal Basic Income appeared first on Futurism.
Lewis Logan: Jesus was an anti-imperialist
dandelionsalad at We Need More Brave Americans Like Sean Penn by Rocket Kirchner – Dandelion Salad - 1 day ago
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/ Luke 19:41-45 – BibleGateway.com 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when […]
The Control Matrix Scrambles to Keep the Slaves on the Plantation
*Dylan Charles* - Desperation is the driving force behind their new attempts at censorship. The post The Control Matrix Scrambles to Keep the Slaves on the Plantation appeared first on Waking Times.
"Into This Very Moment..."
"Hope is always about the future. And it isn't always good news. Sometimes, hope can imprison us with belief or expectation that something will happen in the future to change our lives. Similarly hopelessness isn't always about despair. Hopelessness can bring us right into this very moment and answer all of life's most difficult questions. Who am I? Where am I? What does this mean? And what now?" - Daniel Gottlieb
Changing It
I can't think of anything that Barack did that I wouldn't want President Trump to un-do. Since he used his pen and his phone to do most of it (except for ObamaCare that collapsed under it own weight), we're fortunate.
"Are You A Deplorable?"
*"Are You A Deplorable?"* by Charles Hugh-Smith via OfTwoMinds blog "Regardless of your ethnicity, class or religion, if you perceive the institutions that govern American life as corrupted, riddled with favoritism and spin or as broken, you’re a Deplorable. Are you a Deplorable? The answer might surprise you. Take this short quiz to find out. *1. *If you agree with this characterization of American Elites: “The self-satisfied cosmopolitan culture that sprang up among the affluent 20% or so of the industrial world’s population, who became convinced that the temporary ascendancy of... more »
Russia,Iran,Turkey: Guarantors of the Moscow Declaration
*“Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to facilitate the drafting of an agreement, which is already being negotiated, between the Syrian government and the opposition, and to become its guarantors,“ *the declaration read. *Guarantor? Interesting word.* *Iran, Turkey and Russia have agreed to be the Guarantors of an agreement being made between the Syrian government &opposition- I suppose we’ll know soon enough what that agreement entails* *Compiled from multiple articles* The Star Trilateral cooperation between Russia, Iran, and Turkey is the most effective way to settle the Syria... more »
Margaret Randall : VERSE | Two poems
Words Have we moved beyond word time, beyond the poet’s terrain where words describe events or pull us into new orbits of wonder and release? Words: those beautiful evocations strung together to birth ideas, whispered as comfort, sung as … finish reading Margaret Randall : *VERSE* | Two poems
Henry Mecredy : Camaro: Successful, but a waste
What possible need was there for another car like the Mustang? By Henry Mecredy | The Rag Blog | December 20, 2016 This is Henry Mecredy’s second Rag Blog article about design, function, and the social good in automotive engineering. … finish reading Henry Mecredy : Camaro: Successful, but a waste
Remembering Lily Jayne Summers
I wrote an unexpected obituary earlier this year for a comrade, and it saddens me to be doing so again. Stoke and Swansea Labour Party activist Lily Jayne Summers has passed away after a short illness. She was 23. To lose a sparring partner, a comrade, and a friend is always difficult. But at such a young age, it's horrifying. I got to know Lily through social media about three years ago, and we'd occasionally meet up over tea and cake. As a self-described liberal socialist, Lily wore that badge not so much as a tilt to the right or nod to LibDem friendliness, but as a label reject... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 20, 2016
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan (C) meets with his Russian and Syrian counterparts, Sergei Shoigu (L) and Fahd Jassem al-Freij, in Tehran, on June 9, 2016. (Photo by IRNA) *Al Arabiya*: *Iran forms joint military HQ with Russia in Syria* The Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani revealed on Tuesday that Iran has established joint military headquarters with Russia in Syria, without specifying its location. Regarding the visit of the representative of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran and his meeting with some ... more »
Doctor Who Christmas Tree
I have the greatest best friend in the whole world. You may think that you do, but ask yourself, "has my best friend made me a Doctor Who Christmas Tree?" I thought not. Every year, Lorene and I do the 12 days of Christmas for each other and each year it has become increasingly Doctor Who centered. A few years ago she created an AMAZING Doctor Who Christmas tree for me and has since give me ornaments for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Some of the ornaments she purchased and some of them she created, I have listed everything below so you can have an amazing Doctor Who tree too.... more »
Exposing Donald Drumpf: America, Your New President May Indeed Be Just Another Jewish Controlled Lackey - Heads Of Mossad Just "Briefed" Trump Staff!
Well, America, you now have your next President of the United States... Donald J Drumpf just survived the "coup" by the criminal Democratic Party that was trying to get their Queen, Killary the psychotic Clinton, into the White House.... But that "coup" failed miserably as the Electoral College just confirmed Drumpf as the 45th President of the United States as of his inauguration come January 20th, 2017.... Lets face the facts here... America had no real choice in the last "selection".... The only choices were between a psychotic lunatic that would have had America into World War I... more »
Mosul Campaign Day 64, Dec 19, 2016
The Mosul campaign has slowed down considerably. The Iraqi forces (ISF) were still trying to take the Salam Hospital in the Wahda district of southeast Mosul and attackeda neighboring area. The ISF also killedfour suicide bombers. In the west, the Hashd were attackedtwiceand the Tal Afar airport hit by mortar fire. The decrease in operations is due to exhaustion, the ISF stalling in the north, south and west, and the Iraqi command revisingits game plan. Part of the new strategy is to shift forces from the north and south to the east to assist the Golden and 9th Divisions. Federal ... more »
Hours After Russian Ambassador Assassinated, Top Russian Diplomat Found Murdered in His Home
[image: diplomat]Only hours after the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was assassinated on video in Ankara, a high-ranking Russian diplomat shared the same fate.
DeVos: a product of bipartisan embrace of failed, racist “school choice” policies
*“I stand behind the charter school… movement, because parents do deserve greater choice” — Hillary Rodham Clinton* With both mainstream presidential candidates publicly stating they believed in the white supremacist notion of school choice, it wasn’t hard to see the Trump nomination of someone as extreme as Betsy DeVos as being possible. How these abject, failed policies play out in reality is instructive. Vice on Detroit: *School choice gutted Detroit’s public schools. The rest of the country is next.*
Rev. Chris Hedges: Christmas, Charity, Anti-Empire and the Revolutionary Jesus + Transcript
dandelionsalad at We Need More Brave Americans Like Sean Penn by Rocket Kirchner – Dandelion Salad - 1 day ago
Dandelion Salad Originally published Dec. 24, 2014 with Chris Hedges TheRealNews on Dec 24, 2014 Rev. Chris Hedges and Rev. David Bullock discuss the real meaning of Christmas with Paul Jay. * Transcript Chris Hedges: “…I think, [the] fundamental message of the gospel is anticapitalist, anti-imperialist. Remember when Jesus is taken to the desert by […]
India passes UK to become the fifth largest economy on a nominal GDP basis
The devaluation of the British pound has resulted in India's nominal GDP exceeding the UK. India is now the fifth or sixth largest economy in the world based on nominal (exchange rate) GDP UK, India and France are nearly tied based on exchange rate. The value of the pound declined by 20% over the last 12 months. UK’s 2016 GDP of GBP 1.87 trillion converts to $2.29 trillion at exchange rate of ~GBP 0.81 per $1. India’s GDP of INR 153 trillion converts to $2.30 trillion at exchange rate of ~INR 66.6 per $1. France has a GDP of about 2.22 trillion euro. This converts to $2.3 trillio... more »
Why you can’t fry eggs (or testicles) with a cellphone
Timothy J. Jorgensen, Director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program and Associate Professor of Radiation Medicine, Georgetown University at Science + Technology – The Conversation - 1 day ago
Pocket your phone without worry. Phone image via www.shutterstock.com. A minor craze in men’s underwear fashions these days seems to be briefs that shield the genitals from cellphone radiation. The sales claim is that these products protect the testicles from the harmful effects of the radio waves emitted by cellphones, and therefore help maintain a robust sperm count and high fertility. These undergarments may shield the testicles from radiation, but do male cellphone users really risk infertility? The notion that electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency range can cause mal... more »
Kelly describes "corrupt" coverage of Trump!
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016Mika belts out a warning:* The Washington Post's Eric Wemple has posted an interesting interview with Megyn Kelly. At one point, Kelly describes the thinking behind some of the coverage of Candidate Trump. Why did people air those uninterrupted Trump rallies? Kelly explains it thusly: KELLY (12/19/16): I think that in particular in the primary season, very few people were offering any critical Trump coverage, virtually anywhere...And in particular, *some of these folks who put on his campaign rallies, Erik. His campaign rallies, not a policy speech, jus... more »
How Did Trump Win-- And What Can We Learn From That?
I hope you weren't surprised yesterday when el President-elect Señor Trumpanzee won the electoral college-- and only lost 2 "faithless electors" (half the number Clinton lost). Over the course of the last two weeks, Blue America got a couple dozens letters asking why we weren't participating in the attempts to get the Republican electors to vote against Trump. I patiently responded to each letter that that isn't what Blue America does. We don't send out phony-baloney petitions-- used to build big e-mail lists-- and we don't ask our members to contribute money to wasteful bullshit ... more »
World's first spintronics-based artificial intelligence
Researchers at Tohoku University have, for the first time, successfully demonstrated the basic operation of spintronics-based artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence, which emulates the information processing function of the brain that can quickly execute complex and complicated tasks such as image recognition and weather prediction, has attracted growing attention and has already been partly put to practical use. The currently-used artificial intelligence works on the conventional framework of semiconductor-based integrated circuit technology. However, this lacks the comp... more »
Obama’s Legacy: Leaving Indefinite Military Detention Regime Intact
The Obama administration will pass on a legal regime that enables President-elect Donald Trump to indefinitely hold alleged terrorism suspects away from any battlefield. The post Obama’s Legacy: Leaving Indefinite Military Detention Regime Intact appeared first on Shadowproof.
Growing Violence In Congo Over The President's Decision To Stay In Power
*Washington Post*: *Up to 20 dead in clashes in Congo over president’s decision to stay in power* KINSHASA, Congo — Security forces clashed with protesters in the capital of the Congo on Tuesday, leaving up to 20 people dead, as a political crisis escalated over the president’s refusal to step down at the end of his formal term. The demonstrations were scattered across Kinshasa, a sprawling city of 12 million, and quickly put down by heavily armed soldiers and police. Young men set tires aflame and threw rocks at police, who responded with tear gas. There were few details about t... more »
Was The Russian Ambassador Assassination a Hoax?
shouted “Allahu Akbar” (#1 sign of a false flag) and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience. *http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-ambassador-to-turkey-andrey-karlov-shot-ankara/* The ambassador was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photo exhibition in the capital when the attack occurred cbsnews.com I saw the photos the alleged AP photographer shot, and said: "This is the bravest photographer I've ever seen." Upon further review, it may be the dead giveaway that the etire event was a planed hit, and the photographer knew he... more »
Before you leave for the holiday season: Nominate your friends for The Duckies!
Grades are in, reviews submitted, and I’m headed out for the holiday season. I hope you are wrapping up the semester and/or enjoying a well-deserved break. Please remember to submit your nominations for the 2017 Duckies before the end of the year. And, please remember to attend the The Duckies at ISA: Thursday, February 23rd at […]
Richard Nixon Told Donald Trump In 1987 That He Would Be A Winner If He Ran 'For Office'
*WNU Editor:* More on this Nixon letter to Trump here .... *Trump plans personal touch for Oval Office wall* (Politico).
East Aleppo Evacuated; Western Intelligence Officers Captured? Media Confessions
Turkey and Russia brokered an evacuation deal for East Aleppo, and more in our global news round-up The post East Aleppo Evacuated; Western Intelligence Officers Captured? Media Confessions appeared first on Shadowproof.
BWorld 97, Direction of trade of Asian economies
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last December 08, 2016. Global free trade should result in commodity price equalization across countries over the long term. Any price differences can largely be explained only by the costs of shipping, insurance, and trade administration. Since full global free trade is not taking place yet and it is the regional free trade agreements (FTAs) that are predominant, countries’ exports and imports are diverted more to their neighbors or nearby economies in the FTAs. The gravity model of trade captures this preferential shift in trade. The emergen... more »
Stratbase-ADRi's Pilipinas Conference 2016
Last December 08, 2016, Stratbase-Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi) held a big "Pilipinas Conference 2016" at The Conservatory, Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati. I was invited, I came, good event. Panel 1 on Federalism debate. Stratbase-ADRi President Dindo Manhit and Former DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario (3rd and 4th) joined the panel in the group photo: Left to right, Atty. Anthony Abad (Moderator), Dr. Ronald Mendoza (Dean, Ateneo School of Government), Dr. Paul Hutchcroft (Professor of Political and Social Change, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian Nation... more »
Massive Oil Spill Under Farmer’s Crop 3 Years Ago — Still Not Cleaned Up — 200 Miles from DAPL
[image: spill]In 2013, a crude oil leak the size of 13 football fields was discovered in a wheat field — but three years later, the cleanup is less than one-third complete.
Has President-Elect Trump Embraced ‘Richard Nixon's Madman Theory’ On Foreign Policy
Liza Minelli, backstage at Carnegie Hall in New York in June 1987, hangs out with Henry and Nancy Kissinger, as well as Donald and Ivana Trump. (File) *Washington Post:* *The Daily 202: Donald Trump embraces the risky ‘Madman Theory’ on foreign policy* *THE BIG IDEA: Donald Trump appears to have embraced, with gusto, Richard Nixon’s “Madman Theory” of foreign policy.* He thinks he can use his reputation for unpredictability and lack of respect for long-standing international norms to unnerve and then intimidate America’s adversaries into making concessions that they would not oth... more »
Leaked Pentagon Memo: Russia Will Not Be A Top Defense Priority For The Incoming Trump Administration
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stands with retired Marine Gen. James Mattis following their meeting at the main clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar *Chicago Tribune/Foreign Policy:* *Russia missing from Trump's top defense priorities, according to DoD memo * A Pentagon memo outlining the incoming Trump administration's top "defense priorities" identifies defeating the Islamic State, eliminating budget caps, developing a new cyber strategy, and finding greater efficiencies as the president-elect's primary co... more »
Josh Marshall speaks out on the white working class!
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016May not care much for Those People:* Based on last month's election disaster, is it possible that Democrats should pay more attention to the circumstances, needs and experiences of white working class voters? Would that make sense from a political perspective? Would it make sense as a matter of basic fairness, humanity, decency? It seems to us that the answers are yes. That said, we're amazed by the hostility that seems to pour forth in some quarters when such bland suggestions are advanced. Consider yesterday's post by the irate Josh Marshall. In fair... more »
Putin Calls Out Assassination of Ambassador as ‘Clearly Provocative’ to ‘Undermine Peace in Syria’
[image: assassination]The assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was labeled by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “clearly provocative act.”
'Pregnancy fluid' reverses aging bones
Cells in the amniotic fluid that surrounds a developing baby can revive ageing and weak bones, say UK scientists. The discovery could help babies with genetic diseases, elderly people and even astronauts, they say. The findings in mice, published in Scientific Reports, showed cells in the fluid strengthened bone and cut fractures by 80%. Human clinical trials are planned within the next two years. *Brittle bones* The amniotic fluid protects the baby and helps it develop inside the mother's womb. It also contains stem cells that are the building blocks of other tissues. Nature S... more »
Roadmap for Polymer-Based Additive Manufacturing
dditive manufacturing (AM) is a high-priority technology growth area for U.S. manufacturers. Innovative AM processes that fabricate parts layer-by-layer directly from a 3-D digital model have great potential for producing high-value, complex, individually customized parts. Companies are beginning to use AM as a tool for reducing time to market, improving product quality, and reducing the cost to manufacture products. Metal-based AM parts are already in use in a number of applications, including automotive engines, aircraft assemblies, power tools, and manufacturing tools. In suppor... more »
Autonomous Drones Are Delivering the Mail in France
France's postal service has begun testing delivery drones that can travel 12 miles at speeds of up to nearly 19 mph while carrying a parcel weighing up to 6.6 pounds. Drone delivery is just one of many ways that technology and AI is poised to replace human workers in the future, an inevitability that must be dealt with as soon as possible. The post Autonomous Drones Are Delivering the Mail in France appeared first on Futurism.
Mark Zuckerberg Just Unveiled His Newest Creation, an AI Named Jarvis
Inspired by Jarvis in Iron Man, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg built an AI system to run his home and help him with work. Throughout the process, Zuckerberg realized we are still far off from understanding how artificial intelligence learns. The post Mark Zuckerberg Just Unveiled His Newest Creation, an AI Named Jarvis appeared first on Futurism.
Autonomous Public Transport: The Future of the Urban Commute [INFOGRAPHIC]
Public transportation is rapidly evolving—with all the recent advances in driverless vehicles, it's natural that the urban commute should become a prime focus for this new technology. Forward-looking cities, transport services, and car manufacturers are all looking to road test the autonomous tech of the future. The post Autonomous Public Transport: The Future of the Urban Commute [INFOGRAPHIC] appeared first on Futurism.
Parkour! Watch This Animal-Inspired Robot Spring Off Walls
These are the most vertically agile robots in the world. The post Parkour! Watch This Animal-Inspired Robot Spring Off Walls appeared first on Futurism.
Challenges and Changes
Setting aside detailed politics, for now... but not the underlying issue... Now that intellect and curiosity are threatened species in America, let's all nurture them wherever we can. One method: I often dip in to give brief answers to the curious on Quora. We’ve collected some of these queries - and my responses - on my secondary (Wordpress) blog. I explore questions like... “What has been the impact of science fiction books on readers?” and “Can you name a concept that is rarely explored in science fiction?” and ‘What are some science fiction novels with a memorable protagonist? Ot... more »
Torvosaurus tanneri
[image: Torvosaurus tanneri]The specimen of Torvosaurus tanneri is currently on display in Madrid, Spain. The genus Torvosaurus includes a unique species of megalosaurid therapod dinosaur. Torvosaurus are found in the Morrison Formation, western United States but spread widely with specimens of the same species being unearthed in Europe in the Lourinha Formation near Lisbon, Portugal. Torvosaurus were one of the largest and most robust carnivores of the Jurassic. These "savage lizards" were true to their name. read more
The #ChristmasMyths. #2: The Star of Bethlehem
*Part of a continuing series looking at the pagan origins of the Christmas Myths, one day at a time. (Introduction is here.) Today, the story of three mendicants and a star.* *We Three Kings of Orient areOne on a tractor, Two in a CarOne on a scooter Tooting his hooterFollowing yonder star …* ~ Fred Dagg*, ‘The Authorised Version’* [image: CARTOON BY CHRIS MADDEN, USED BY PERMISSION] LONG BEFORE THE GREAT Fred Dagg first sang or the *Bethlehem Star* burst into print, Jesus was born under a star that guided three wise men to his stable door, stopping at Herod’s palace to ask t... more »
President-Elect Trump Fires Back At Former President Clinton's Election Comments
Bill Clinton stated that I called him after the election. Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations). He "doesn't know much" ... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2016 especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states ( and more). They focused on wrong states — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2016 *FOX News*: *Trump fires back at Bill Clinton over election comments* Donald Trump fired back at Bill Clinton on Tuesday after the former president was quoted mocking the incoming president’s int... more »
Trafford CCGT Still Can’t Get Finance
By Paul Homewood h/t Joe Public http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2016/12/manchester-gas-plant-gives-up-450m-subsidy.html?utm_content=bufferb0e58&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer It looks like Carlton Power have given up the ghost with their proposed new CCGT plant at Trafford. From PEI: The owners of the 2GW Carlton gas-fired power plant in Manchester have given up a £450m subsidy, part of the UK’s capacity market scheme, […]
Al Jewsra in Syria breaks UN Truce to burn busses in Aleppo Evacuation Effort--viewed in context
*Syria rebel terrorists, outed as former members* *of Al Nusra, **have been caught* *on video attacking Aleppo evacuation buses*. This was the post I was working on yesterday...started it the night before...before I got sidelined by the *news of the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey*. Looking at it again this morning, I see that it is, in fact, connected with the assassination, in that *both crimes were committed by the same purveyor of international Terror...the rogue Ziofascist element in the CIA*. Here is the story from December 19th and I will have my thoughts ... more »
Co-author of retraction record-holder likely fabricated his own data, analysis shows
In 2012, John Carlisle, a British anesthesiologist, demonstrated conclusively using statistics that Yoshitaka Fujii had faked data in many studies. Fujii — as followers of this blog well know — now holds the record for most retractions by an individual author (183). Carlisle’s work accomplished two things: It put to rest any doubt that problems […] The post Co-author of retraction record-holder likely fabricated his own data, analysis shows appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Suspect In Berlin Terror Attack Released. German Capital On High Alert
*Washington Post*: *Berlin on high alert as suspect search resumes in Christmas market attack* BERLIN — The German capital was on high alert Tuesday with one or more suspects still at large in the deadly truck assault on a Christmas market, an act Chancellor Angela Merkel decried as a presumed “terror attack.” The only suspect, a Pakistani asylum seeker taken into custody shortly after Monday’s bloodshed, was released by police late Tuesday because of insufficient evidence. It left police scrambling for fresh leads in the assault that left 12 dead and 52 injured after a truck carr... more »
Trump Names the Enemy and the Reason...
*and we thank him.* Notice key words in his statement: - Civilians - Terror attacks - Christmas - Islamist terrorists - Christians - Eradicated - Freedom loving "Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today’s horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday. ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide n... more »
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