10:50 pm MST
Picture Of The Day
A search operation near the Black Sea coast at the crash site of the Russian Defense Ministry's Tu-154 aircraft. © SPUTNIK/ NINA ZOTINA
Swiss Army Bans Selfies Because Female Recruits Were Bending The Rules
BANNED: Army recruits are no longer allowed to post photos in uniform *Mirror:* *Frustrated Swiss army chiefs ban sexy selfies because female army recruits continue to flaunt the rules* Army has said it has found that new recruits, and mostly women, are obsessively taking snaps of themselves and posting them to their personal social media accounts Frustrated army commanders are growing increasingly furious with selfie-obsessed newbies constantly posting pictures of their military duty on social media. The Swiss army has said it has found that new recruits, and most specifically ... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Tijeras, New Mexico, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"Maslow's Pyramid Gets a Much Needed Renovation"
"Maslow's Pyramid Gets a Much Needed Renovation" by PhysOrg.com "If you have ever felt that your children are your life's work, then you may in fact be recognizing a high-level psychological need. Caring for your children, feeding them, nurturing them, educating them and making sure they get off on the right foot in life - all of the things that make parenting successful - may actually be deep rooted psychological urges that we fulfill as part of being human. Maslow's original hierarchy of needs: This is according to a team of psychologists who have updated a cornerstone of modern p... more »
Paul Ryan Fully Embraces Trump's Style Of Post-Factual Governance
Alan Grayson will be out of Congress in two weeks, but he’s not stopping. He just filed a bill that makes president’s tax returns releasable under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). His bill is H.R. 6507 ands Paul Ryan will make sure it’s never voted on while he’s Speaker of the House, something we plan to end after the 2018 congressional elections. Grayson explained to his constituents why he feels his new bill is necessary. “Donald Trump,” he wrote, “is the first major-party Presidential candidate in modern times who refused to release his tax returns. During the campaign, t... more »
"We All Know..."
“We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars... everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being. - Thornton Wilder
Israel Claims That They Have Evidence That President Obama Orchestrated The UN Resolution To End The Settlements
*The Guardian*:* Israel threatens to give Trump 'evidence' that Obama orchestrated UN resolution* Netanyahu allies claim ‘iron-clad information’ from Arab sources reveals Obama administration drafted document to end settlements, which US abstained from Israel has escalated its already furious war with the outgoing US administration, claiming that it has “rather hard” evidence that Barack Obama was behind a critical UN security council resolution criticising Israeli settlement building, and threatening to hand over the material to Donald Trump. The latest comments come a day afte... more »
"Compulsive Apologies: The Feeling Underneath"
*"Compulsive Apologies: The Feeling Underneath"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "Apologizing chronically can be a sign that you are not feeling that you have much self worth. Many people suffer with the tendency to apologize all the time, chronically, for everything. On the one hand, apologizing is a social convention that keeps interactions between people polite, and in that way it can be very helpful. On the other hand, if we find ourselves apologizing for everything, it might be time to look at why we feel compelled to say “I’m sorry” so often. Ultimately, saying you’re sorry is ... more »
Untitled
*From Jenna Orkin*Britain could 'indefinitely' pay billions for former EU workers' pensions despite Brexit How Europe's far right is already using the Berlin attack to exploit fears A new law in Taiwan is requiring workers take 2 days off a week 'We have never been embedded to this degree': US forces are stepping up their role in the fight for Mosul Watch an amazing 360 degree video of a MiG-29 flying to the edge of space *Maybe this all makes sense if you can understand the Russian commands. (Admittedly, we only spot-checked it.) Otherwise, we recommend a couple of joints fir... more »
Pamela Ellen Ferguson : METRO | An ecumenical gathering for Chanukah in Austin
Members of Austin Jewish Voice for Peace stage vigil at Texas State Capitol. By Pamela Ellen Ferguson | The Rag Blog | December 27, 2016 AUSTIN — Elaine Cohen, an activist with Austin Jewish Voice for Peace (AJVP) and a … finish reading Pamela Ellen Ferguson : *METRO* | An ecumenical gathering for Chanukah in Austin
Quote of the Day: “May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams…”
*“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”* ~ Neil Gaiman . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.
Is The United Nations A Place For People To Get Together And Have A Good Time?
The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2016 *Washington Examiner*: *Trump: UN just a 'club' for people to 'have a good time'* President-elect Trump Monday moved to diminish the United Nations, calling it "just a club" where people chat things up and enjoy themselves. "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!" Trump wrote in a tweet. Th... more »
Derrick Jensen, "Change"
*"Change"* by Derrick Jensen "History is predicated on at least two things, the first physical, the second perceptual. As always, the physical and the perceptual are intertwined. So far as the former, history is marked by change. An individual’s history can be seen as a series of welcomings and leavetakings, a growth in physical stature and abilities followed by a tailing off, a gradual exchange of these abilities for memories, experiences, and wisdom. Social histories are similarly marked by change. The deforestation of the Middle East to build the first cities. The first written... more »
Jerry Pournelle talks about China's orbital tests of the EMDrive as a bigger than Sputnik moment
Jerry Pournelle is a famed science fiction author who also had an interesting technology career Jerry Eugene Pournelle (born August 7, 1933) is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte. Pournelle was an intellectual protégé of Russell Kirk and Stefan T. Possony. Pournelle wrote numerous publications with Possony, including The Strategy of Technology (1970). The Strategy has been used as a textbook at the United States Military Academy (West Point), the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs), ... more »
China Tests Its Latest J-31 Stealth Jet Fighter
An earlier version of the J-31 stealth fighter pictured at the Zhuhai air show in southern China two years ago. Photo: Xinhua *South China Morning Post:* *China tests prototype of most advanced stealth fighter jet* Latest version of the fifth-generation J-31 fighter flown for first time on Friday, state media report China has tested the latest version of its fifth-generation stealth fighter, state media reported on Monday, as it tries to end the West’s monopoly on the world’s most advanced warplanes. The test comes as the nation flexes its military muscles, sending its sole aircr... more »
The War Grinds On In Eastern Ukraine
*Radio Free Europe:* *Ukrainian Army, Separatists Trade Accusations Of Cease-Fire Violations* The Ukrainian army and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have accused each other of violating a cease-fire that took effect just a day ago. The army press service said on December 25 that the separatists had fired 39 times at various government-controlled areas near the front line, despite the truce agreement. The military said the separatists shelled the Maryinka, Shirokine, Talakovka, and Vodyanoye residential neighborhoods in the Mariupol area. Ukrainian military positions... more »
Trump Administration's First Sex Scandal
As Americans we should all be happy that the first reported sex scandal in a Trump Administration *designed* for sex scandals, didn’t directly involve the predator-in-chief molesting any women a quarter his age. Instead, on Christmas Eve one of the original deplorables, former far right, unhinged Breitbart blogger, A.J. Delgado, who hasn’t been offered a job with the Trump administration beyond the transition team, posted and then deleted a couple of swipes at Jason Miller, who was named Trump’s Communications Director, something that drove the primitive/jealous Delgado insane. Aft... more »
A Comment; Blog Report 12/26/2016
Some of you have noticed that posting has at times "faltered" lately, not as many posts as before, and sometimes, like today, very few so far. I'm grateful for your concern, so let me explain where we've come from, and where we're going on this little blog. The first post was on August 14, 2008, 8 1/2 years ago. Always ad-free, and never made a penny, quite intentionally. As I type this Google Statistics and StatCounter show these totals: 37,657 posts; 4,701,798 page views; and 1,983,008 unique visitors from literally every country on Earth. Not a bad run... Countless hours of extr... more »
$160 billion hedge fund wants Artificial intelligence software to make 75% of all management decisions by 2022
The world’s largest hedge fund is building a piece of software to automate the day-to-day management of the firm, including hiring, firing and other strategic decision-making. Bridgewater Associates has a team of software engineers working on the project at the request of billionaire founder Ray Dalio, who wants to ensure the company can run according to his vision even when he’s not there The firm, which manages $160 billion, created the team of programmers specializing in analytics and artificial intelligence, dubbed the Systematized Intelligence Lab, in early 2015. The unit is he... more »
I saw Mommy kissing the continuing resolution
Drawing by Thomas Nast, 1881, via Wikipedia.Our beloved absent host surfaced on the Twitter to react to a piece of sublime idiocy from the tax crusader Grover Norquist: Norquist: Liberals see government the way kids see Santa https://t.co/gwls1JUs56 pic.twitter.com/86fskyXM7k — The Hill (@thehill) December 25, 2016 So your point is what, Grover? There is no government? Government is really your parents? https://t.co/eVc99er8AW — Steve M. (@nomoremister) December 25, 2016 It struck me that there's actually something to that; not, I mean, that government is a bishop from Anatolia who... more »
New Mosul Offensive 'To Be Launched Within Days'
*Reuters*: *Exclusive: Fresh advance in east Mosul to begin within days - U.S. commander* Iraqi forces will resume their push against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) inside Mosul in the coming days, a U.S. battlefield commander has told Reuters. The move would be a new phase of the two-month-old operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line in the city. The battle for Mosul, involving 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security forces and Shi'ite militiamen, is the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. ... more »
Around The Empire – Episode 2: Reporting From Syria Feat. Rania Khalek
Dan and Joanne talk to independent journalist Rania Khalek, who recently traveled to Syria. She shares what she witnessed and her conversations with Syrians. The post Around The Empire – Episode 2: Reporting From Syria Feat. Rania Khalek appeared first on Shadowproof.
Russia Says Mass Graves Of Tortured Syrians Have Been Found In Eastern Aleppo
*RT:* *Mass graves of tortured civilians found in Aleppo – Russian MoD* Mass graves with dozens of bodies of civilians subjected to brutal torture have been discovered in Aleppo neighborhoods left by militants, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday. Many of the corpses were found with missing body parts, and most had gunshot wounds to the head, according to a statement by Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov. *“The completion of a uniquely large-scale humanitarian operation by the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Aleppo will destroy many of the ... more »
Death Toll Surges In Afghanistan To 30,000 War Dead In 2016
Taliban fighters posing with weapons in an undisclosed location in AfghanistanThomson Reuters *Voice of America*: *Officials Count Around 30,000 War Dead in Afghanistan This Year* ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — Hostilities in Afghanistan have left around 30,000 people dead and as many wounded, mostly insurgents, according to the latest official estimates. As of Sunday, counter-insurgency operations conducted by Afghan police and military forces around the country had left more than 18,500 "enemy" fighters dead and wounded 12,000 more, according to defense and interior ministry officials.... more »
A Ceasefire In Syria? - Not if the US & co Have Their Way!
After all these years of bloggin’ on Syria, it seems to me we are witnessing the best opportunity ever for a Syrian ceasefire. And, yet, there is this strange disconnect with the media coverage regarding Syria? We are supposed to believe, having been told for years now, that the cessation of fighting in Syria was always the goal. No military solution, just a political solution. The recent deal worked out between Russia, Turkey and Iran looks, to me, to be the closest the world has come to making/witnessing this cessation of hostilities actually taking place in Syria. An actual mov... more »
Pakistan, China, Russia To Hold Talks On Afghanistan This Tuesday
*Voice of America*: *China, Pakistan, Russia to Meet on Afghanistan, Angering Kabul Leaders* ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — Top Foreign Ministry officials from China, Pakistan and Russia will meet in Moscow on Tuesday to review what they perceive as a "gradually growing" threat to their frontiers posed by Islamic State extremists in Afghanistan. "This is an existing forum for undertaking informal discussions on issues of regional peace and stability, including the situation in Afghanistan," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told VOA. Pakistan's foreign secretary, Aizaz Ch... more »
U.S. Drone Pilots Defend Their Rules Of Engagement Over Afghanistan
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits armed with Hellfire missiles and a 500-pound bomb in a hanger at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Josh Smith/File Photo *Reuters*: *U.S. drone pilots defend tactics as Afghans question civilian toll* They are speaking about the same deadly drone war that the United States has been waging this year, but talk to the U.S. military and Afghan civilians and their conclusions about who is targeted are often starkly different. To the Americans, only enemy combatants were killed by missiles fired from unmanned aircraft in Afgha... more »
Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells repair damaged spine in humans in clinical trial in a breakthrough for regenerative medicine
Asterias Biotherapeutics (NYSE: AST) recently announced ground-breaking results restoring function to patients with spinal injuries from a Phase 1 clinical trial that were nothing short of astounding. AST's technology comes from one of the leading companies in regenerative medicine, BioTime, Inc., (NYSE: BTX) which spun off Asterias Biotherapeutics a few years ago and is also its largest shareholder. It is also worth pointing out that BioTime's CEO, Dr. Michael West, is one of the world's leading experts in regenerative and stem cell research Asterias Biotherapeutics is a leading b... more »
Foreign Donor Money Is Being Spent On Afghan Militias
IRIN *Afghanistan*: *Afghanistan funds abusive militias as US military 'ignores' situation, officials say* *Foreign donor money goes to Afghan spy agency, which arms groups intended to fight Taliban – but some militia leaders instead target local officials* The US military and the CIA are turning a blind eye as Afghanistan’s spy agency spends foreign donor money on militias which are committing human rights abuses that help destabilise the fragile country, according to local and western officials. The Afghan national directorate of security (NDS) arms strongmen ostensibly to figh... more »
Dakota 38 — 154 Years Ago Today, Govt Carried Out the Largest Mass Execution in US History
[image: execution]On this day in 1862, the US government conducted the largest public execution in history — after sentencing 38 Dakota men to death following unfair trials.
NATO Chief Auditor Yves Chandelon Found Dead In Suspicious Circumstances
hattip Ally! *AllyDecember 26, 2016 at 10:57 AM* *http://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2016/12/24/nato-chief-auditor-yves-chandelon-found-dead-in-suspicious-incident* *PennyDecember 26, 2016 at 3:17 PM* *http://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2016/12/24/nato-chief-auditor-yves-chandelon-found-dead-in-suspicious-incidentIsn't that interesting and very, very suspicious Allythank yousure smells like an assassination.my husband is a lefty and there is no way in hell he'd use his right hand, unless absolutely unavoidable (unnatural/not normal), - even though it's hard to be a lefty in a r... more »
“Exit, Hope and Change”
*“Exit, Hope and Change”* by Jim Kunstler “Yes, that was a gag. By now, anyone in this country still of sound mind knows that Barack Obama presided through eight years of remarkable continuity — of changeless conditions that left a great many hopeless. As the days of his tenure dwindle, what do we make of the departing 44th president? He played the role with cool-headed decorum, but that raises the question: was he just playing a role? From the get-go, he made himself hostage to some of the most sinister puppeteers of the Deep State: Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, and Tim Geithner o... more »
European Banks Settling Mortgage Securities Fraud Cases
Both German Deutsche Bank and Swiss Credit Suisse are settling charges with the U.S. government over their involvement in fraud in the mortgage market. The post European Banks Settling Mortgage Securities Fraud Cases appeared first on Shadowproof.
An intriguing tweet
Some people - including BBC history programme presenters like Radio 4 *Making History *presenter Tom Holland - enjoy tweeting. They even tweet as they read books. Tom Holland is presently spending his Boxing Day evening reading *Sunday Times *political editor Tim Shipman's *All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class *and tweeting as he goes*. * Tom's latest tweet about Tim's book evidently deals with Chapter 17, *Aunty Beeb*, and reads: That would certainly be a fair point (and echoes points made here, at News-watch and elsewhere), but precisely wha... more »
Trump’s Cabinet: The Church of Neoliberal Evangelicals + Abby Martin: 2016–Year in Review
Dandelion Salad TheRealNews on Dec 26, 2016 Professor Henry Giroux says the appointments signal a future of more war and violent military interventions, and an embrace of Islamophobia. Transcript *** Paul Jay and Abby Martin Say Goodbye to 2016 with Abby Martin TheRealNews on Dec 21, 2016 Paul Jay and Abby Martin discuss the critical […]
Pantomime season
Russell Brand visits Scrooge Being rather ill and in some pain this Christmas Day I heard much more of BBC Radio 4 than I intended to, and it wouldn't at all be in the spirit of *A Christmas Carol *if I didn't acknowledge that I actually very much enjoyed most of what I heard. ****** As far as Radio 4 is concerned I really do wish it could be Christmas everyday. It was an exceptional day's broadcasting, this Christmas Day. Over the past year, however, my abiding affection for the station (despite all the bias) has taken a palpable hit. Why? Because I've felt that Radio 4 has chang... more »
5 Predictions for 2017!
*#1. The Democrat Party Will Become the Party of Angry Black People* read more
Should Reckless, Greed-Driven Banks Be Public Utilities— Rather Than Swords Of Damocles Hanging Over the Heads Of Society?
If you’ve been to Europe recently or if you look at European media sources you’re probably aware of the enormity of the Italian banking crisis and of the fears that the contagion from the crisis will have world-wide repercussions. Trump hasn’t tweeted about it yet so it isn’t really being covered by US mass media. We asked an old friend, Ellen Brown, author of, among other books, *Web of Debt* and * The Public Bank Solution*, to give us an overview of the crisis so that *DWT* readers won’t be blindsided if the crash comes. I know many of our readers listen to her twice-monthly rad... more »
Regis Tremblay's New Film
A shocking documentary that traces the origins of American genocides, military interventions and wars from the 15th Century when the white, colonial explorers first came to the Americas to the very present. American Exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny and the right to claim the land and its resources as their own are the foundation of American foreign policy in the 21st Century that have humanity on the brink of extinction.
Dog too injured to move saved by companion who protects her from trains
Cold, injured and stranded on a train track for two days, this terrified dog faced certain death. But thanks to her loving companion who faithfully protected her until help arrived, Lucy survived the horrifying ordeal. She was too injured to move from the tracks in Ukraine but her male friend Panda kept her alive by curling up next to her and pushing her head down when trains zoomed over. If locals in Uzhgorod came too close, then Panda barked to scare them away. The pair were found by Denis Malafeyev, who shared a heart-racing video of the dogs dodging a train which sped over ... more »
Sorry State of Australian Science Curriculum
Letter from *Dr Judy Ryan* re the *Sorry State of the * *Australian Science Curriculum* Dear Minister Simon Birmingham and all Educators, We are writing to you to express our deep concern re the politicisation and subsequent deterioration of Australia’s Science Curriculum. Our students are now ranked lower by comparison to developing nations. They are also ranked lower than their peers from three decades earlier. What has gone wrong? The evidence below indicates that almost three generations of Australians have been subjected to a subversive, pseudo-science based curriculum. Th... more »
‘Child Exploitation Officer’ Caught Distributing Child Porn on Duty — Busted AGAIN, Gets 12 Years
[image: child]This despicable cop was the Child Exploitation Officer, in charge of helping children who were victims of the very crimes he was committing.
In some ways the next four years could be worse than the last eight...
*why do I say that?* Because libtards never quit. They believe they sit on the right hand of God and possess all the goodness and justice available to mankind. If it wasn't for them the world would devolve into chaos and meanness. They believe that with every cell of their miserable bodies. Instead of crawling quietly back under their rocks, they will instead double down on their attacks against any and everything that contains a modicum of decency. Silly me - I thought for awhile that we patriots would have nothing to talk about for the next four years. Instead, we'll have pl... more »
Radiation and Chemotherapy Age Bodies and Cause Future Cancers
Radiation and chemotherapy are normalized treatment protocols that are believed by many to cause cancer and age cells: Laurie McGinley. December 25, 2016. A new urgency to protect survivors of childhood cancer. The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-new-urgency-to-protect-survivors-of-childhood-cancer/2016/12/25/f29abb92-c0a8-11e6-afd9-f038f753dc29_story.html?utm_term=.a9d181b75141&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1 One of medicine’s greatest successes is the sharp rise in survival rates for children with cancer. But the flip side of that success is th... more »
Obama, Netanyahu, the West Bank, Iran, and the sweet taste of settling the score
Just because I’m pro-American doesn’t mean I have to be pro-Trump. And just because I’m an enthusiastic Zionist — a believer that Israel has a right not only to exist, but to do so as a specifically Jewish state —doesn’t mean I have to have anything except utter contempt for Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. That said, let me change the subject for just a moment and recall a column written many years ago by Jimmy Breslin for a wonderful and now defunct newspaper called The New York Herald-Tribune, may it rest in peace. Breslin told a story about a character named Marvin ... more »
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Monday, December 26th, 2016
[image: rant-jpeg-b] Yes, you are reading this right...It is MONDAY, and not Sunday... It is indeed time for my weekly rant...I alway say, better late than never.... I woke up today to one of the worst Blizzards in this part of central Canada in well over a decade.. Right now, there is as much as 40cm (16 inches for you Americans on the old scale...) on the ground, with high winds to boot.... The weather channel here in central Canada had forecasted the possibility of this amount of snow and high winds, but considering the last storm actually stayed further south in the United Stat... more »
For Christmas Day (observed), by popular demand the gala Sunday Classics " 'Nutcracker' (the Whole Deal)" returns!
*The March from the Opening Tableau of The Nutcracker (in the Nutcracker Suite, the first of the "Characteristic Dances" that follow the "Miniature Overture") is performed by the Maryinsky Theater Ballet, with the orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev.* *by Ken* Herewith a change of plan since last night's "Hopeful holiday musical greeting from G. F. Handel -- and another from L. van Beethoven" (necessitated, as already foreseen, by the arduousness of reformatting-for-reuse, as originally intended, the 2011 post containing the whole of Part I of *Messiah*): Instead we have a (heav... more »
California Man Arrested, Charged with Driving Under the Influence — Of Caffeine
[image: caffeine]Cops have violated the inside of a man's body looking for 'illegal' drugs -- since they found nothing, they are charging him with the 'legal' drug, caffeine.
A Deeper Understanding of Technocracy
*Jon Rappoport* - Technocracy is the basic agenda and plan for ruling global society from above. The post A Deeper Understanding of Technocracy appeared first on Waking Times.
Mosul Campaign Day 70, Dec 25, 2016
There was heavy fighting across east Mosul for the last two days. On December 24 there were clashes in eight neighborhoods. December 25 there were attacks in five areasof the city that included at least four car bombs. The Islamic State also carried out operations against the Hashd west of Tal Afar and in the south in Albu Saif with another two vehicle bombs being destroyed. The Golden Division also went on the offensive for the first time in almost a week attacking the Qudsneighborhood that had been freed twice before. Other units were clearing freed areas of IEDs. The U.S. also s... more »
Editor's Note
Your humble editor is very tired today .... and now the GF wants to go out, have lunch, and see a movie later this afternoon. Sighhh .... I will continue my Christmas cheer for one more day .... but I am going to back to normal blogging tomorrow.
Tearful reminders
Barbara Plett-Usher, this week I didn't realise, until BBC Watch pointed it out today, that the BBC News website still features (in full) a transcript of Barbara Plett's infamous 'tears for Arafat' broadcast. That's the one where she said, "Yet when the helicopter carrying the frail old man [Yasser Arafat] rose above his ruined compound, I started to cry... without warning", and which - after a struggle - even the BBC governors had to admit went too far and breached the BBC's impartiality guidelines. Reading the piece in full (it was originally broadcast on *From Our Own Correspo... more »
Anonymous’ Journalist Released after 4 Years in Jail — Vows Never to Back Down
[image: journalist]Barrett Brown, the activist and journalist known best for his work with anonymous, was recently released from jail after serving a brutal 4-year sentence.
The U.S. Eye In The Sky Over Iraq And Syria
The E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System is the only airborne platform in operation that can maintain realtime surveillance over a corps-sized area of the battlefield. A joint Air Force - Army program, the Joint STARS uses a multi-mode side looking radar to detect, track, and classify moving ground vehicles in all conditions deep behind enemy lines. (U.S. Air Force photo). *New York Times*: *Aboard a U.S. Eye in the Sky, Staring Down ISIS in Iraq and Syria* ABOARD A JOINT STARS SURVEILLANCE PLANE, Over Northern Iraq — Flying at 30,000 feet, the powerful radar aboard ... more »
Russian Airstrikes Supporting Turkish Troops but US Support Lacking. Not a surprise.
*It was reported here on more then one occasion that the US was NOT supporting Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield- This lack of support news had come from main stream sources though the news garnered minimal coverage- still it was present. But, mostly ignored.* Just *a few* posts covering the disconnect between the US & Turkey regarding Operation Euphrates Shield: - *August 2016: Turkey to US Keep Manbij Promise... * - *September 2016: Turkey and Russia Discuss Deal...* - *November 07/2016: US Led Coalition Should Stop Turkey's Advances Towards Raqqa * - *November 18/... more »
Pileup: A Nasty Background To Higgs Plus Top Pairs ?
Today while I was having a shower I happened to think at how cool it is that we can actually measure the rate of production, in single hadron-hadron collisions, of multiple elementary particles. A graph like the one below, now routinely produced by ATLAS and CMS whenever they collect more data or switch to a higher center-of-mass energy, looks "natural" to produce, but it is actually surprising that we indeed can pull it off - it requred careful design choices in a number of ways. I wish to discuss one of these here. read more
The Top 10 U.S. Military Stories of 2016
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Vice President-elect Mike Pence (R) greet retired Marine General James Mattis in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo *Military.com:* T*he Top 10 U.S. Military Stories of 2016* The following are the Military.com editorial team's picks for the most important military news stories of the year. *Read more *.... *WNU Editor:* No arguments on the #1 top U.S> military story of 2016.
Beware Anti-“Pseudo-Science” Agitation
By Denis G. Rancourt, PhD I was asked to write this short article to be published in the January newsletter of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS). A longer version of the article, with references, will be published in 2017 SAFS conference proceeding. If we accept an operational definition of “pseudo-science” as whatever any critic of so-called “pseudo-science” probably
MIT Scientist Explains Why Modern Wheat is Causing So Many Health Problems
*Anna Hunt* - Gluten intolerance and celiac disease are the results of toxic wheat. The post MIT Scientist Explains Why Modern Wheat is Causing So Many Health Problems appeared first on Waking Times.
After Silencing Walmart, Police Union Demands Amazon Remove ‘Offensive’ Black Lives Matter Shirt
[image: blm-shirts]The Fraternal Order of Police is hypocritically attempting to force a nationwide safe-space for themselves by censoring black lives matter apparel.
Cops Raid Wrong Home Then Humiliate Family By Posting Photos Of Them Handcuffed On Snapchat
[image: home]NYPD police officers just raided the wrong home and then posted photos of the innocent family in handcuffs to Snapchat.
2016/2017
I rarely tweet myself but I did actually send someone a 'Merry Christmas!' via Twitter on Christmas Eve and received a reply saying, "I think it's been a good year", to which I replied saying, "So do I. Here's to 2017!" (We were talking politics, of course). Stephen Pollard has a fine piece in *The Times *today expressing much the same sentiment, headlined "For me, it’s been an annus mirabilis". It begins: I barely seem to have had a conversation this past week without it ending in a cheery “Let’s hope 2017 is better!” — as if it’s a statement of the blindingly obvious with which... more »
Another opinion piece from Mr Marr
Andrew Marr has certainly kicked up quite a festive flurry of controversy with his *New Statesman *article *An optimist's guide to Brexit*. He's essentially called for Remoaners to stop remoaning and seize the invigorating, exciting opportunities that Brexit could bring. His piece begins: You hear it in the dingy corners of a crumbling Westminster Palace, at discreetly expensive restaurants and in noxious, Christmas-festooned pubs. You hear it from former prime ministers and lowly special advisers, and even from foreign leaders. “Brexit will not happen.” It cannot actually happen... more »
Pontius Pilate and the EU referendum
I'm an admirer of Howard Jacobson and his latest *A Point of View *was a typically powerfully-written piece - albeit powerfully wrong. That it didn't persuade me is probably the result of one of two things: either (a) that I'm a 'post-truth' Brexiteer type who refuses to see the truth of his argument or (b) that his argument was weak, self-serving and full of fatal (self-)contradictions. (Happily for me, as you can see I've gone with the second alternative.) It was one of those pieces where, though claiming he hadn't taken a side himself, the speaker did little else but take one... more »
President Obama Believes He Would Have Won The 2016 Presidential Election If He Was The Candidate
*CNN:* *Obama's exit interview: Hope and change can still win elections* Arguing that Americans still subscribe to his vision of progressive change, President Barack Obama asserted in an interview recently he could have succeeded in this year's election if he was eligible to run. "I am confident in this vision because I'm confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it," Obama told his former senior adviser David Axelrod in an interview for the "The Axe Files" podcast, produced by the Universit... more »
Christmas in Maine
- It's cold in Maine today with snow on the ground. Tomorrow it is predicted to be much warmer with snow turning to rain. It's been like that alot this winter - cold and warm - back and forth. Our bodies get confused as they begin to adapt to the cold and then it turns warm again. Lots of people we know are sick including MB who can't seem to shake her rough cough. - We had a lovely Christmas day made particularly special by a lunch date with our high school neighbor Leann who we befriended soon after moving to Bath nine years ago. She so kindly ... more »
Cosplay Nazis. Yeah, sure. It's not only that. =UPDATED=
*Thanks, China. You're even occupying our air.* *UPDATE*: Kerim Friedman has some very useful commentary on this incident. Also, re the MC's comments on the Wushe cosplay incident below, a Keen Observer pointed out to me that it might have simply been shouted out in the heat of the moment. I haven't commented more because I don't feel I have a clear understanding of why Nazi kitsch is so popular here. ***** Everyone is now aware of the totally tasteless and stupid cosplay event in which students from a high school in Hsinchu dressed up as Nazis (report in Chinese). The Jewish Cente... more »
Lesson not learned: Researchers copied a master’s thesis — twice
A material science journal has retracted a paper after learning the authors took most of the content from a master’s thesis – and added the author as a co-author without his knowledge. The authors must have really liked this thesis – they lost another paper in 2015 for copying from the same document. Both retracted […] The post Lesson not learned: Researchers copied a master’s thesis — twice appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Hard Times For Cuba In 2017
President Obama and his family react along with Cuban President Raul Castro during an exhibition baseball game in Havana. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) *WNU Editor: *The AP is predicting hard times for Cuba in 2017 .... *Cuban President Raul Castro faces deep problems in 2017* (AP). What's my take .... I agree. The end of the Venezuelan oil subsidy has got to hurt, but it is going to be offset by the boom in the tourism trade and money transfers from Cuban Americans to family members in Cuba. But Cuba needs tens of billions in new infrastructure and the proper management skills to handle... more »
Facebook Fake News Flagging System Gives Orwell a Lesson in Censorship
*Brendan D. Murphy* - Facebook’s arrogance and contempt for its users may yet be its undoing. The post Facebook Fake News Flagging System Gives Orwell a Lesson in Censorship appeared first on Waking Times.
Couple Forced to Destroy 40yo Pond on Their Own Property Because Govt Owns the Rainwater
[image: pond]An Oregon couple is facing stiff consequences because the government says they don't have a right to the water in their own 40-year-old pond.
Mohammed Shami, India cricketer, defends wife against Twitter trolls per BBC News who have to twist this into an Indian issue not a Muslim one
This BBC report on Mohammed Shami's wife's troubles http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-38434941 follows the BBC's usual anti India and pro Islam narrative. 'Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami has criticised social media users who have been trolling his wife because of her choice of clothes. The pacer posted a picture of his wife on Facebook and Twitter on Sunday, with the words "beautiful moments". But some users told him to "follow Islam" and "ensure that she wears the hijab and modest clothes". ... Some people commented that the cricketer should be "shameful" for "allow... more »
What’s Behind President Obama’s Attacks On Russian President Putin
*Michael Jabara Carley, Strategic-Culture Foundation*: *A Loser’s Malice: What’s Behind Obama’s Attacks on Putin* Relations between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Barack Obama are poisoned and irretrievably damaged. It’s therefore a good thing that Obama is leaving office on 20 January. Bad US-Russian relations are of course nothing new. Since the Anglo-American war against Iraq in 2003, the US-Russian relationship has been headed downhill. For Obama, it appears that everything has gotten personal. The US president often acts like a petulant adolescent, jealous ... more »
travel safety in egypt vs anywhere else in the world
When I tell people I'm going to Egypt, they are happy and excited for me. Then, almost everyone asks me if it's safe there, and says, "Be careful." The recent incident in Berlin has caused me to reflect on why this is. First: *I am not complaining about friends expressing concern for my safety.* I know that they are coming from a place of care and concern. But they are also coming from a place of fear. The media has conditioned us to think of the Middle East as inherently unstable and unsafe. Add to that the violence during and after the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and western fears t... more »
Genuflecting In Tandem
At first glance, an alliance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin might seem strange. But it's not, really. Andrew Nikiforuk writes that what unites the two men is a petro-bond: The basic facts are self-evident: the world still runs on fossil fuels (86 per cent of our energy consumption) and Russia now tops the list of petroleum’s three main global players with production of 10 million barrels a day. Next comes Saudi Arabia, followed by the United States at nine million barrels — a short-term feat largely engineered by the brute force of hydraulic fracturing. (The U.S. still mu... more »
What Are The Odds That Trump Blunders Into A Major Middle East War?
*Israel's friends? Really?* The American right— from right-wing Democrats like Joe Manchin to the National Review and Weekly Standard to fire-breathing assholes like Ted Cruz, Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin and, of course, el President-elect Señor Trumpanzee— is melting down over the relatively benign UN Security Council resolution that went un-vetoed by the Obama Administration. Texas defunder, Ted Cruz, said that he will make sure the UN doesn’t;’t get any more American money unless they reverse the decision. The vote was 14-0 to tell Israel to stop stealing Palestinian land for Is... more »
Chinese Aircraft Carrier Enters The Disputed Waters Of The South China Sea
J-15 fighter jets on the Liaoning aircraft carrier. © Kyodo *Reuters:* *Chinese carrier enters South China Sea amid renewed tension* A group of Chinese warships led by the country's sole aircraft carrier entered the top half of the South China Sea on Monday after passing south of Taiwan, the self-ruled island's Defense Ministry said of what China has termed a routine exercise. The move comes amid renewed tension over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own, ineligible for state-to-state relations, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's telephone call with the island's presid... more »
Unarmed Revolution at Standing Rock: Defeating the Enemy with Prayer and Peace
*"The more you create positive energy, the more you are in prayer, sending a voice, the more fearless you walk. We are defeating an empire." Chase IronEyes* "All the people here are committed to standing for a new reality. This fight is symbolic, reaching mythological proportions. The people are heroes, the giants are ready to be slain, the rebirth is happening, material comfort is forgone, spiritual guidance changes the very archetypes & dynamics of power. The great usurpation of our spirits, the oppression of all by debt, capital, currency & materiality is exposed as the artific... more »
If You’re Going To The Arctic, Don’t Bother Packing That Bikini!
By Paul Homewood Temperatures at the North Pole could reach freezing point, claimed the BBC on Saturday. In reality temperatures never got higher than about minus 10C. While this was still less cold than usual, it was due to an incursion of milder air from the Atlantic across a very narrow front. Most […]
Watch Genetic Roulette for Free (58 min) Until January 1, 2017
As you gather around with friends and family this holiday season, give them a gift that can change their lives. Use this *link* to watch the one hour version of *Genetic Roulette—The Gamble of Our Lives* together. This award-winning film by Jeffrey Smith has convinced more people to avoid eating GMOs than any other film, book, TV show, article, or anything else for that matter. Send *this link* to those you love with heart-felt encouragement for them to watch it before it expires at midnight on January 1. This is, after all, the time to make New Year’s resolutions. And eating non-GM... more »
What George Michael Meant
2016 continues to exact a grim toll among the celebrity set, and the latest victim is George Michael. There are few things I can add to the stock obituaries proliferating across news sites, except for what he meant to me. Because, among all the other much loved celebrities who met their demise this year, George Michael was perhaps the one I felt closest to. This closeness, of course, is an illusion, an effect of how the celebrity system in the advanced industrial societies work. As we've discussed previously: As celebrity has become even more ubiquitous, the option is there - and i... more »
Untitled
*Bloomberg's Fake News on School Shooting Numbers* Billionaire gun-hater Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety is at it again. The Huffington Post used some phony Everytown statistics to push a little “fake news” when it ran a story claiming that since the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 there have been more than 200 school shootings. This non-critical piece of reporting did not question the validity of statistics from the overtly anti-gun Bloomberg-funded organization. Instead, in typical leftist fashion, they applied narrow terminology as broadly and loosely as po... more »
Untitled
*Warmists have a lot to answer for: It's not just a harmless cult* *Baby survives parents' global warming suicide pact. This does sound like fake news but it comes from a reputable conservative newspaper* A seven-month-old girl survived for three days alone with a bullet in her chest after being shot by her parents as part of a suicide pact over their fears about global warming. Francisco Lotero, 56, and Miriam Coletti, 23, shot their daughter and her toddler brother before killing themselves. Their son Francisco, two, died instantly after being hit in the back. However, their un... more »
Climate Scare Declared Officially Over - Error In Model Calculations Discovered
This happens to be a very legitimate study. The whole model is directly flawed and predicts no such thing as Global Warming. This is no joke. The underlying mathematical model was erroneous and the correction makes the results disappear. Plenty of other issues plagued the narrative and made it suspect. After all that data had better alternative explanations anyway. Even the visible warming of the Arctic is simply a recovery from the Little Ice Age to the Medieval Warm spell. The far more important question is that we do not know what caused the Little Ice Age. That is so... more »
The Giants of Doddridge County
This report is actually recent and confirms the suppression of knowledge of giants under the aegis of the Smithsonian. The time span of this behavior properly runs from around 1910 when i suspect Smithsonian collections were cleaned out of any evidence of giants until well past 1950. This is two generations and all institutional memory would then be dead or retired. The good news is that we have a fresh generation of newspaper writers. It also confirms, as is normal anyway, that such reports are cribbed from a copy of the researchers notes as a first cut. When that report is th... more »
The Tradition of the Piasa
It was scaled and it flew. Sounds awfully like a dragon. Which begs that question. Pterodactyls generally lack dragon like characteristics but do fly. Thus we come back to the dragon. The scaly skin, the lack of hair or feathers conforming with a large creature, a somewhat human head whatever that may mean, and effective wings. It also eats plenty of meat and is certainly a carnivore. It really sounds more like a serpent with robust flying system. Could the tail be also bouyant? Considering just how many real cryptids we have dug up this is no different except that ... more »
Donald Trump, military dictator (or: Dick Daring, boy reporter)
[image: images] What Trump taught us is that we have entered a completely new media age. Thanks to technology and social media you are able to go directly over the heads of all others, including government and speak directly to the people. Better yet, be simple and controversial however you actually think. Then do it often and when it no longer works, merely disavow. After all it was not on the New York times. Keep doing this and it becomes entertainment at the least. Yet he arrives at the Presidency with almost a clean slate to establish his policy agenda merely hinted ... more »
So, This Is a Happy Christmas? War Is Not Over (The Regulars Are Coming!) A New McCarthyism? (The Haunting of the Snowden Embarrassment) USA Officially Has the Disease Kleptocracy (Bowing To Oligarch Trump) Christmas Carpool Karaoke
(If any readers of this blog would like to make a contribution to its operation, please chime the "Donate" bell at the top left of the site. Thank you for your continued fellowship. And Happy Christmas to all with wishes for a peaceful new year.) Christmas Day, 1971 - 2016 So this is Christmas And what have you done Another year over And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas I hope
Rumor of the White Wolf
It started with an anonymous gift that arrived in the mail -- a white wolf mask -- that was eerily transformative. (cue the background music) Small, heroic, children held off the White Wolf as long as they were able, bravely defending hearth and home. They aggressively defended the gifts that Santa left under the tree. The police investigation is still ongoing and the identity of the evil White Wolf is still undetermined. Law enforcement ascertained that the wolf also likes warm home made chocolate chip cookies. .
Should Facebook Censor the News?
In the era of information wars knowledge of the past is perhaps the only way we can remain anchored to reality. Such collective memory shouldn’t only consist of an accurate record of the facts, but would also include a sense of the history of knowledge and inforwar itself. http://ieet.org/archive/book-burning-1492.jpg
Patent Battle Over CRISPR Gene Editing
The Scientist goes to court for a CRISPR patent interference case at the US Patent and Trademark Office
"Look to This Day!"
“Look to this day! For it is the very life of life. In its brief course lie all the verities and realities of your existence: The bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty; Today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness And every tomorrow a vision of hope.” - Kalidasa ○ *"Sonnets To Orpheus, Part Two, XII"* "Want the Change. Be inspired by the flame Where everything shines as it disappears. The artist, when sketching, loves nothing so much as the curve of the body as it turns away. What locks itself in sameness has congealed. Is it safer to be gray and n... more »
Tweet For Today
Watch George Michael Perform Live: 5 Memorable Videos https://t.co/LiYjqIDUZq — The New York Times (@nytimes) December 26, 2016 Madonna, Elton John lead tributes for George Michael https://t.co/iHcqadWVT1 pic.twitter.com/5bHw1TOVB9 — AFP news agency (@AFP) December 26, 2016
Top U.S. General In Iraq: 'It Will Take 2 Years To Defeat The Islamic State'
Brigitte N. Brantley,TSgt,USAF/Defense.gov *Kimberly Dozier, Daily Beast*: *Top U.S. General: Two More Years to Beat ISIS* *It wasn’t that long ago that the Pentagon was talking about taking down ISIS’s strongholds ASAP. Now, victory might not come until late 2018. Maybe* The general commanding coalition forces in Iraq predicts it will take two years of hard fighting to clear the so-called Islamic State from its twin capitals of Mosul and Raqqa, and then to burn out the remnants that will likely flee to the vast empty desert between Syria and Iraq. In a Christmas Day sit-down with... more »
Christmas In Moscow (Picture Of The Day)
Tverskaya Street decorated for the New Year. © Sputnik/ Alexander Vilf New Year decorations on Red Square in Moscow. © Sputnik/ Evgeny Biyatov *WNU Editor:* The photo gallery is here .... *Most Magical Night of the Year: Moscow Getting Ready for New Year Celebrations* (Sputnik).
Musical Interlude: Afshin, “Prayer of Change”
Afshin, “Prayer of Change” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75SGQ65QhaU Onward, into the new day...
Russian President Putin Talks About The 1917 Revolution
© Sputnik/ Alexey Filippov *Sputnik*: *Necessary to Work Toward Reconciliation When Recalling 1917 Revolution - Putin* Ahead of the centennial of the 1917 revolutionary events in Russia it is important to move toward reconciliation rather than enlarging the gap in society when recalling the revolution, President Vladimir Putin said Friday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) – In 1917, Russia witnessed two revolutions, in February and in October. By the end of the year the imperial rule in the state was over and the first Soviet government was established. "In the conditions when we now recall the ... more »
2017: A Year of Transition and Trouble
*December 24, 2016* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Predictions aside, there are obvious trends, plots, and paradigm shifts that will continue onward into the new year, that geopolitical observers should be distinctively aware of. *1. The War in Syria is Not Over * The United States conspired as early as 2007 to overthrow the government of Syria through the use of armed militants - particularly those aligned to Al Qaeda and who enjoy state sponsorship from America's Persian Gulf allies. The goal of eliminating the Syrian government was not an isolated objective, but rather fits into a mu... more »
A hopeful holiday musical greeting from G. F. Handel -- and another from L. van Beethoven
*HANDEL: Messiah: No. 2, Accompagnato, "Comfort ye"* Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. -- *Isaiah* 40:1-3 *by Ken* Last night ( For Christmas Eve, we hark unto the openings of Berlioz's *Childhood of Christ* and Handel's *Messiah*") I took a stab at explaining how it came that, given this year's unusual three-day Chris... more »
"A Look to the Christmas Heavens"
“Clouds of glowing hydrogen gas fill this colorful skyscape in the faint but fanciful constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. A star forming region cataloged as NGC 2264, the complex jumble of cosmic gas and dust is about 2,700 light-years distant and mixes reddish emission nebulae excited by energetic light from newborn stars with dark interstellar dust clouds. Where the otherwise obscuring dust clouds lie close to the hot, young stars they also reflect starlight, forming blue reflection nebulae. *Click image for larger size.* The tall, telescopic mosaic image stands up about 3/4 degr... more »
Remembering The Fall Of The Soviet Union 25 Years Ago
*WNU Editor*: 25 years .... wow .... how time flies. When I think of how life was in the Soviet Union .... and now .... what life is like today. Sighhh .... I am just shaking my head .... the memories are too many. That is why if given a choice .... I would rather live in the new Russia of today in a heart-beat .... warts and all .... because it is infinitely far better than what it was then. As to those Russians who long for those days .... I know only too well who these people are ....they are those who miss the days when they had privilege and power .... and cannot understand w... more »
A Look At Russian, U.S., And Islamic State/Al Qaeda Styles Of Urban Warfare
A general view shows a damaged street with sandbags used as barriers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, Syria March 6, 2015. REUTERS/Hosam Katan/File Photo *David Kilcullen, The Australian*: *Terror, Aleppo and Mosul: three styles of urban warfare* As Aleppo’s ordeal ends, Americans and their allies are in their own urban fight around Mosul. These twin battles illustrate how the world’s militaries have been forced to relearn combat in cities. Three distinct styles — we might loosely call them the Russian, “caliphate” and American schools of urban warfare — are having a direct imp... more »
US Forces Have Been Embed Deeper With Iraqi Forces To Retake Mosul
*ABC News Online:* *Mosul: US embeds more extensively to help Iraqis retake northern city from Islamic State* US forces assisting Iraqi troops in the battle lo retake Mosul from Islamic State (IS) are embedding more extensively, a senior commander has confirmed, in a move that could accelerate a two-month-old campaign which has slackened after quick initial advances. More than 5,000 American service members are currently deployed in Iraq as part of an international coalition advising local forces. In October, Defence Minister Marise Payne confirmed that Australia had about 80 per... more »
Russian Plane, Headed For Syria, Carrying Iconic Entertainers, Crashes. No Survivors
Planes crash. I realize that. Sometimes, some plane crashes are very, very suspicious. *This crash is one of those suspicious ones. *When I first saw the news this morning three initial thoughts crossed my mind- *Timing. Timing. Timing * *And after taking the time to read- more impressions began to form-* *1st the Timing?* * -Aleppo's liberation. * *- Ambassador Assassinated. * *- Deal with Turkey and Iran* *- And finally Christmas* *2-Plane heading to Syria* *3- Cultural Icon * *This famed group was apparently a cultural icon- A big part of the Russian narrative* *So the demise ... more »
Isaac Newton: Money Must Have Fixed Quantity of Precious Metal
In Isabel Paterson’s classic book *The God Of The Machine*, there is an informative discussion on the nature of sound money in the chapter, “Why Real Money Is Indispensable.” Paterson says that the economists who advocate fiat money (paper currency not redeemable in gold) are below the mental level of savages. She shows that the economic prosperity of a nation directly linked to the soundness of its currency. When money gets debased, economic activity comes to a standstill. She says that “the material used for money must be durable, divisible, incorruptible, portable, not easily im... more »
George Michael, Protest Singer-- RIP
SONY Records— they were still called CBS at the time— had just bought my independent label, 415 Records and I was over in England hanging out with the Clash, Generation X, the Boomtown Rats and Wire and scouting for bands I could sign to 415 now that we would have CBS’ marketing muscle behind us. I met a young unknown singer from a small indie label, Innervision, George Michael and he played me a tape of a kind of protest song called Wham Rap. It was a little slick for 415 but… 415 could change. One thing I knew instantaneously— it was a hit. Another thing I knew: this kid was goi... more »
Samantha Power’s Syria Problem?
*It's WSJ, okay? Read between the lines and leave some comments* *I couldn't pass on this prime example of perception management via the msm * As Aleppo falls, the* anti-genocide activist* (??) turned U.N. ambassador argues that Syria differs from past crises in which the U.S. intervened When Samantha Power’s 7-year-old son recently asked her, “Why are all the kids in Syria always painted white or gray?” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations recalls wishing that she had a better answer. Her son, who had* often heard his mother talking about the country’s agonizing civil war,(??)... more »
A Look At 5 Major Historical Military Events That Occurred On Christmas Day
Leutze's depiction of Washington's attack on the Hessians at Trenton. Wikipedia *Business Insider*: *5 momentous military events that took place on Christmas Day* Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays on earth. But that doesn't mean that conflicts simply freeze every December 25th. Here's a look at some of the major military events that have fallen on Christmas, a date with a surprisingly rich history. *Read more* .... more »
Merry Christmas
From our home to yours. Happy Holidays.
Afghanistan's First Female Pilot Is Requests Asylum In The U.S.
*Daily Mail:* *'I'm scared for my life': First Afghan female pilot in the country's military since fall of the Taliban who defied death threats to take to the skies seeks asylum in the US* * Capt. Niloofar Rahmani, 25, is the first female pilot in the Afghani military since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 * She and her family have been forced to move several times after receiving death threats from the Taliban * Rahmani was awarded the US Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award in 2015 * She traveled to the US last summer for training with the US Air Force in Arkn... more »
Our conception of God isn't big enough
By Kevin Barrett, Veterans Today Editor According to Aldous Huxley, the brain’s main function is not to create consciousness, but to reduce it. That would explain why primates with very big brains start wars, excrete in drinking water, vote for major party candidates in national elections, and otherwise exhibit a level of consciousness far below that of your average self-respecting rock. Here is the Huxley quote in full: To make biological survival possible, Mind at Large has to be funnelled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system. Huxley’s point, a good one, is ... more »
Native American firefighters fighting wildfires across the country
Firefighting crews from several Native American tribes have been battling the deadly wildfires in Sevier County. “We had a lot of Native American crews — Navajo, Apache, and others — on this fire,” said Warren Bielenberg, a spokesman at the wildfire command center. "This is because this fire hit when most of the fire crews across the country had shut down for the end of fire season. The Native American crews were the only ones still active.” Bielenberg said among the crews in Sevier County are the Navajo Scout Type 2 Initial Attack Crew, Mescalero Apache, Fort Apache No. 1, Hopi 1,... more »
Singer George Michael Is Dead At 53
*Daily Mail*: *BREAKING NEWS: George Michael dies peacefully at his home in Oxfordshire on Christmas Day, aged 53 * * Wham! singer, 53, died at his home in Goring, Oxfordshire this afternoon, his publicist announced * Popstar Michael had previously fallen ill with pneumonia in 2011 and had battled substance abuse * However, the medical circumstances around artist's death are yet to be released at this point * Elton John has led the tributes to the star on social media and called him the 'kindest, most generous soul' George Michael has died at his home in Oxfordshire. The musician... more »
Peace on Earth
Clearing my spam this morning, my moderator sent me this choice morsel to enjoy, posted as a comment by a regular troll. Contemplate that the author of this screed took time out on Christmas Day to sit down and pen this very special, thoughtful and caring message... *May you contact Aids , Ebola and a massive dose of Anal Rot , in the New Year , Faggwell You truly are a Vile little Rat that needs to see the inside of an Oven We ALL know you are an INSANE JEW LOVING WAR MONGER that Hates the White Race Merry Christmas from TRUMP and the Deplorable's [sic]* Nice. . [image: Post... more »
Christmas 1914: When Rank and File Imposed Truce During Imperialist War by Henry Hagins
Dandelion Salad by Henry Hagins Workers World, Dec. 16, 2014 Originally published Dec. 24, 2015 December 25, 2016 The “Christmas Truce of 1914” was a short-lived, unofficial lull in combat between two antagonistic rival forces, determined to exercise military, political and economic supremacy over each other in Europe and in the colonized world, to which […]
Will The Democrats Give The GOP Any Payback For Merrick Garland? Meet Joe Donnelly
I’ve never been very enthusiastic about Obama’s final Supreme Court pick, Merrick Garland, but he was the president and he’s the one who gets to pick Supreme Court nominees, not me. And not the opposition party. But the opposition party figured out how to do it— and it looks like they’ll get away with it— basically because Chuck Schumer shoved unelectable Senate candidates down Democratic voters’ throats, particularly Patrick Murphy (FL), Katie McGinty (PA), Ted Strickland (OH), Patty Judge (IA) and Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ). Despite polling showing that Joe Sestak would have won the P... more »
Ziofascist Rogue CIA Cabal Murders Entire Russian Choir on Christmas Day
*Red Army Choir Sings Silent Night* Can you just imagine the planning session for the terror bombing of the Russian Choir on Christmas Day? Picture a slimy, dark cavern or bunker deep under the Virginia hills. A group of fat, greasy men are sitting around a table, drinking scotch from the bottle...oblivious of the heavy stench of Sulphur hanging in the air. One of them chortles: "I know! We'll bomb the plane carrying the choir to sing in Syria on Christmas Day! That will show them!" He brushes the hair back from his flat, slanted forehead, showing two small horns protruding o... more »
Progress towards next-generation solar cells
Scientists have identified an unexpected cause of poor performance in a new class of flexible and cheap solar cells, bringing them closer to market. Solar cells are the building blocks of photovoltaic solar panels. They are made from light-absorbing materials that convert sunlight into electricity. Normally the light-absorbing material is silicon, which has an energy-intensive manufacturing process. In the new study, scientists looked at solar cells made from materials known as perovskites. These can be produced cheaply from chemicals mixed into printable or sprayable ink, which the... more »
Oskar Linke - Update
The thing about the Internet is that it allows you to communicate with people all over the country and all over the world which helps us get at the truth. For example, J. Allen Hynek said the Oskar Linke UFO landing story was in the Project Blue Book files, so I looked for it. Hynek dated the case as July 9, 1952, but other sources said the sighting was June 17, 1950. I searched the Blue Book index around those dates. July 1952 was a period of intense activity and while, at other times in other years, the index might feature all the sightings received during two or three months on ... more »
Russia should begin production of the 3M22 hypersonic missile in 2017
In March 2016, the Russian Defense Industry began tests of the new Tsirkon 3M22 hypersonic missile, which is designed to be carried by advanced and modernized warships and submarines. Production of the missile is expected to be launched in 2017. The Admiral Nakhimov and the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruisers will be the first to receive the new weapons. On October 25, Russia successfully tested a hypersonic warhead for advanced intercontinental missiles. The hypersonic vehicle (known under the development codename Izdelie 4202) was launched from a range in the Orenburg R... more »
Imperial College of London makes world's most heat resistant material at 4232 kelvin
Researchers have discovered that tantalum carbide and hafnium carbide materials can withstand scorching temperatures of nearly 4000 degrees Celsius. Being able to withstand temperatures of nearly 4000°C could pave the way for both materials to be used in ever more extreme environments, such as in heat resistant shielding for the next generation of hypersonic space vehicles. Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are refractory ceramics, meaning they are extraordinarily resistant to heat. Their ability to withstand extremely harsh environments means that refractory ceramic... more »
Ebola vaccine provides high protection against disease
An experimental Ebola vaccine was highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea, according to results published in The Lancet. The vaccine is the first to prevent infection from one of the most lethal known pathogens, and the findings add weight to early trial results published last year. The vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, was studied in a trial involving 11,841 people in Guinea during 2015. Among the 5,837 people who received the vaccine, no Ebola cases were recorded 10 days or more after vaccination. In comparison, there were 23 cases 10 days or more after va... more »
Colorado Animal Shelter Celebrates When All Its Dogs Adopted in Time for Christmas
*“What happens when your last available dog gets adopted? Volunteers jump into the kennels to celebrate!”* One Colorado animal shelter has a lot to celebrate this Christmas. All of the dogs at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, a nonprofit animal shelter in Colorado Springs, have been adopted thanks to the shelter's "Bring Them Home for the Holidays" campaign. The shelter waived pet adoption fees for those wanting to take home a furry friend before the holidays. A video of the staffers cheering the shelter's empty cages quickly went viral on Facebook with more than 150... more »
First true brain to brain communication could start in 2017 because of recent huge advances
The first true brain-to-brain communication in people could start next year, thanks to huge recent advances. Early attempts won’t quite resemble telepathy as we often imagine it. Our brains work in unique ways, and the way each of us thinks about a concept is influenced by our experiences and memories. This results in different patterns of brain activity, but if neuroscientists can learn one individual’s patterns, they may be able to trigger certain thoughts in that person’s brain. In theory, they could then use someone else’s brain activity to trigger these thoughts. Researchers h... more »
Bruce Cockburn: Night Train (music video)
Dandelion Salad April 21, 2006 From: chauncygard Maoist Internationalist Movement pres… Source Lyrics: Not a knife throw from here you can hear the night train passing That’s the sound somebody makes when they’re getting away Leaving next week’s hanging jury far behind them Prisoner only of the choices they’ve made Night train Ice cube in […]
Merry Christmas to all!
Dandelion Salad Merry Christmas to all! Glory to God in His Highest, Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men from the archives: Rev. Chris Hedges: Christmas, Charity, Anti-Empire and the Revolutionary Jesus + Transcript Christmas In Hell by Rocket Kirchner The Jewish Roots of Christianity Christmas Dawn: The Shepherds Glorified God For All They Had Seen In case […]
Tragic death of the Alexandrov choir is a big loss for Russian culture
Way too many well-known people died in recent days. Physicist Sidney Drell. George Michael. Astronauts John Glenn and Piers Sellers. Russian drinkers of methanol-based bath lotion (cause of death: high ethanol taxation). Czech actress Luba Skořepová was another. Vesna Vulović, a Serbian flight attendant, died on the same day, December 23rd. She's been a remarkable entry in the Guinness book of records. In 1972, a Yugoslav aircraft exploded 10 kilometers above a Czechoslovak village miles from East Germany – village that is paradoxically called Sorbian Chemnitz [Stoneville] (Sorbs we... more »
As US Berates Russia For Political Meddling, It Openly Meddles in China
*December 26, 2016 *(Joseph Thomas - NEO) - Despite a concerted backlash against what US political leaders and policymakers claim is Russian interference in America's internal politics, the US continues to openly interfere in the internal politics of other nations worldwide, including most recently, China. *Berating Russia Over Alleged Hacks * In an effort to redirect attention and blame for America's unravelling political fabric, the US political establishment and its media has spent an inordinate amount of time blaming Russia for allegedly "hacking US elections" by infiltrating... more »
Turkish President Erdogan Seeks President-Elect Trump's Support In The War Against The Islamic State
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (L) and his US counterpart-to-be Donald Trump. Daily Sabah *Bloomberg:* *Turkey Moves Arms to Syria Border, Seeks Trump’s Backing in War* * President vows to move toward Manbij after al-Bab in Syria * Erdogan urges U.S. to cooperate with Turkey instead of Kurds Turkey’s military deployed tanks and guns on the Syrian border as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged joint action with the Trump administration against Islamic State in its de facto capital, Raqqa. The deployment, including long-range guns and armored personnel carriers, followed Erdogan’s r... more »
Noah's Christmas card to FOX "News"
*by Noah* I woke up this morning and, filled with Christmas spirit, thought it would be very generous of me to send a Christmas card to someone or some entity that I despise and hold in 100% contempt. How better to combat evil in the world than to make a kind gesture? Democrats do this with republicans all the time, and it works so well, doesn’t it? So, here it is: my Christmas card to FOX "News," because it will both enrage them and confuse their tiny little short-circuited minds. You see, on the one hand, sending the paragon of Goebbels-style “news” a Christmas card is a way t... more »
Mexico: UFOs Reported Over the Mérida-Tixkokob Highway
*Source: PLANETA UFO and SIPSEDate: 12.22.2016An article by Jorge Moreno for SIPSEhttp://sipse.com/milenio/avistamientos-fenomeno-ovni-carretera-merida-tixkokob-235553.html* *Mexico: UFOs Reported Over the Mérida-Tixkokob Highway* MERIDA, Yucatan - With two new UFO sighting reports along the Mérida-Tixkokob Highway, this stretch of road is becoming known due to sightings of this sort. Localities such as Ticul and the Muna and Homún roads are also UFO hotspots. Reports came from employees working on the construction of a highway exit toward Tixkokob: "We were heading home in la... more »
André Rieu, "Jingle Bells"
André Rieu, "Jingle Bells" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqDigoGBsko
The Holiday Moves Forward
Seasonal Snapshots: The LL Tree with presents this morning My youngest daughter, Emilie on Christmas morning, wearing a very progressive unicorn onesie (right). It's the perfect gift for a rabid Trump supporter...
MSNBC it wasn't 'fake news' that lost Hillary Clinton the US Presidential Election
https://youtu.be/-AeQ_PgVG3o And note that revelation near the end. The USA really dodged a bullet not having Hillary 'control freak' Clinton as President.
Mosul Campaign Day 69, Dec 24, 2016
There was some movement on the eastern and western fronts. The Iraqi forces (ISF) freed two towns in the east, while the Hashd liberated a village in the west. The Ghazlani base in southern Mosul continued to be shelled as well. Some Iraqi papers claimed this showed that the Mosul campaign was back in action, but as of now this appeared to be more like minor clearing operations. Otherwise, the Golden Division was removing IEDs from the Zuhur neighborhood in east Mosul, and the Hashd was still working on securing the roadsaround Tal Afar. Members of Kataib Hezbollah and the Imam Ali... more »
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