Cold Hard Climate
Climate Ignorance - Compounded with Interest
10:40 pm MST
Picture Of The Day
Formation Flight The Thunderbirds, the Air Force's demonstration squadron, practice a delta formation to prepare for the Fort Lauderdale Air Show in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., May 6, 2016. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz
Is North Korea Developing A Dirty Bomb Drone?
*Popular Mechanics:** Experts: North Korea May Be Developing a Dirty Bomb Drone* Radioactive drone could sicken, make areas uninhabitable for years. A Korean think tank claims that North Korea is developing a drone capable of spreading lethal amounts of radioactivity over a wide area, sickening people and making areas unlivable. If true, the weapon is the latest in a series of nuclear or radiological weapons being developed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's regime. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Kim Jong-un may have begun to develop the drone in 2012, shortly a... more »
Will Trump And The Republicans Drown In Their Own Swamp-- What We Can Do To Help
Congress is back in town— and the very first thing the crooks in the undrained swamp hope to accomplish is to make the swamp safer— for the predators, in this case, themselves. Virginia hack Bob Goodlatte proposed a very popular amendment to the rules package that takes away the independence of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics by putting it under the authority of one of Congress’ most corrupted and partisan operations, the ironically-named Ethics Committee. Pelosi: "Republicans claim they want to 'drain the swamp,' but the night before the new Congress gets sworn in,... more »
WikiLeaks Julian Assange To Sean Hannity: Source For WikiLeaks Was Not Russian Government
*Real Clear Politics:* *Assange To Hannity: Source For WikiLeaks Was Not Russian Government* In an exclusive interview with FOX News Channel's Sean Hannity the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange said Russia was not the source for the DNC and John Podesta hacks. HANNITY: Can you say to the American people, unequivocally, that you did not get this information about the DNC, John Podesta's emails, can you tell the American people 1,000 percent that you did not get it from Russia or anybody associated with Russia? JULIAN ASSANGE: Yes. We can say, we have said, repeatedly that over t... more »
Musical Interlude: 2002, “Stella Maris”
2002, “Stella Maris” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HRk1nz5rds
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, a magnificent interstellar dust cloud by chance has assumed this recognizable shape. Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula, it is some 1,500 light-years distant, embedded in the vast Orion cloud complex. * Click image for larger size.* About five light-years "tall", the dark cloud is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is visible only because its obscuring dust is silhouetted against the glowing red emission nebula IC 434. Stars are forming within the dark cloud. Contrasting blue reflection nebula NGC 2023, surrounding a hot, young star, is at the lo... more »
The Poet: Langston Hughes, "Dreams"
*"Dreams"* "Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow." - Langston Hughes
Prioritising The Global Wars And Conflicts That A President Trump Will Be Facing
*PBS News Hour* *Micah Zenko, Foreign Policy:* *The Crisis Manager’s Cheat Sheet for 2017* It’s time to start setting priorities for the coming year of war and conflict. Speaking recently before a military-friendly audience in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Donald Trump indicated his intent to pursue a more constrained foreign policy in 2017 and beyond. “We’re all over the place fighting in areas that we shouldn’t be fighting in,” he decried. “This destructive cycle of intervention and chaos must finally come to an end.” Echoing noninterference perspectives more often heard in Beij... more »
“Why Stress Makes You Miserable”
*“Why Stress Makes You Miserable”* by Gisela Telis “Stress really does mess with your mind. A new study has found that chronic stress can create many of the brain changes associated with mood disorders by blocking a gene called neuritin- and that boosting the gene's activity can protect the brain from those disorders. The results provide new insight into the mechanisms behind depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, and could offer researchers a novel target for drugs to treat those conditions. Research has shown that mood disorders take a toll on patients' brains as well as on t... more »
The Rag Blog : METRO EVENT | ‘Celebrating The Rag’ at BookPeople
The editors of the acclaimed new book about Austin’s iconic underground newspaper will speak and sign books on Thursday, January 5. Event: ‘Celebrating the Rag’ What: Reading and Booksigning Who: Editors Thorne Dreyer, Alice Embree, Richard Croxdale When: Thursday, Jan. … finish reading The Rag Blog : *METRO EVENT* | ‘Celebrating The Rag’ at BookPeople
Chet Raymo, “The Sound And Fury”
*“The Sound And Fury”* by Chet Raymo “Not so long ago, I mentioned here Himmler and Heydrich, two of Hitler's most terrible henchmen. A friend said to me: "If there's no afterlife, no heaven or hell, then those two diabolical creatures got away with it. Their fate was no different than that of any one of their victims, an innocent child perhaps." And, yes, if there is no God who dispenses final justice, then we are left with an aching feeling of irresolution, of virtue unrewarded, of vice unpunished. Heydrich was gunned down by partisan assassins, and Himmler committed suicide a fe... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Fullerton, N. Dakota, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
Is Russia Providing Military Aid To The Afghan Taliban?
*Radio Free Europe:* *Dushanbe Probing Claim Taliban Tanks Being Repaired In Tajikistan* Tajik authorities are looking into claims by an Afghan official that Taliban tanks and other heavy weapons are being repaired by Russian engineers in Tajikistan. Muhammadjon Ulughkhojaev, a spokesman for Tajikistan’s border guard agency, said on January 2 that the allegations are "baseless." But he added he is unaware of all details of the allegations. Ulughkhojaev said the border guard agency “has been looking into the claim,” will study the Afghan media reports, and will report on the resul... more »
Benchley Tonight: Inspiration for the new year in "A Little Sermon on Success"
*As I mentioned right before Christmas, in this Holiday-Plus Season I've had it mind to bring back to bring back some of the treasure collection of pieces I presented way back when in the "Thurber (et al.) Tonight" series. As I pointed out, although last year I did in fact resurrect two pieces, both by the great Robert Benchley, "How to Get Things Done" in June and "Comedy Tonight: 'Why We Laugh -- or Do We?': Another 'Benchley Tonight' Resurrection" (in August), not only did we not get to any Thurber, we didn't even get to what's probably my all-time favorite Benchley piece, "A Lit... more »
"What If?"
"We like to look for patterns and find connections in unrelated events. This way we can explain them to ourselves. Life seems neater, or at least less messy. We need to feel we are in control: it is integral to our self-esteem. We also know, though we deny it, that we are not in control. So we settle for the illusions of control. What if we stopped fooling ourselves?" - Jessica Zafra
"The Ultimate Tragedy..."
“It would indeed be the ultimate tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more noble than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump.” - David Ormsby-Gore
“EPA Hid Planned Radiation Exposure 1,000s Of Times The Safe Water Drinking Act Limits"
*“EPA Hid Planned Radiation Exposure 1,000s Of * *Times The Safe Water Drinking Act Limits"* by Doug Owen Washington, DC — ”In the last days of the Obama Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is about to dramatically increase allowable public exposure to radioactivity to levels thousands of times above the maximum limits of the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to documents the agency surrendered in a federal lawsuit brought by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). These radical rollbacks cover the “intermediate period” following a radiation r... more »
Encryption is not the answer
Veering back into the real issues... those we can still hope to steer. Let's start with a cool, fun interview: I answer questions about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and why it is possible that these new, genius offspring of humanity may decide not to treat us badly. *== Snowden and surveillance ==* Matt Novik really tears into Edward Snowden, exaggerating a bit, but raising good points. My own complaint is more nuanced: that while Snowden did a service by forcing us to converse more vigorously about surveillance, he has since contributed very little to *solutions*. Sure, he’s joine... more »
Chris Hedges: The Hidden Tragedy of the Vietnam War
Dandelion Salad with Chris Hedges RT America on Jan 2, 2017 On this week’s episode of On Contact, Chris Hedges discusses the hidden tragedy of the Vietnam War with author of “Kill Anything that Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam”. Nick Turse uncovered documents that revealed systematic violence against civilians extending beyond the massacre […]
Religion, Dogma, and the Ancient "Gods"
I submitted a comment this morning on the American Thinker site, in response to another comment there which stated that "Communism is a religion." I wanted to distinguish between a "religion" (an institutionalized set of beliefs about God and man's relation to Him/Her--ancient man at one time worshipped the Goddess as the Highest) and "religiously-held ideas" (which includes those that do not purport to come from God, but are held inviolable, unquestionable, by their believers). Because false, divisive (to the point of war) dogmas are showing themselves generally ascendant over hon... more »
Bonus Quote of the Day: On the problem of the Trolley Problem
Today’s bonus quote comes from Robert Tracinski’s October, 2016, article ‘The Humanitarian with the Trolley’: *“The Trolley Problem is all the rage now when people write about self-driving cars … [It] is an old philosophical conundrum about a runaway streetcar, where you have to decide whether to pull a switch that will divert the trolley onto Track B--where it will kill a single person--thereby diverting it from Track A, where it would kill a whole crowd full of school kids who all look exactly like Oliver Twist from that old movie. You get the idea… “Ayn Rand's memo... more »
Syrian Peace Talks Suspended Due To Ceasefire Violations
*DW*: *Rebel groups in Syria suspend talks about peace negotiations* Syrian rebel groups have announced they are suspending talks about planned peace negotiations this month in the Kazakh capital, Astana. The rebels have blamed "violations" of the four-day old ceasefire deal. After what rebels have described as "violations" of the current ceasefire, 10 non-jihadi rebel groups said Monday they have refused to participate in further talks about planned peace negotiations with the Syrian government. "The regime and its allies have continued firing and committed many and large violatio... more »
Mississippi Private Prison Neglected Problems After Deadly Riot
A recently released Department of Justice audit found a Mississippi private prison—which holds over 2,500 immigrant prisoners, most of whom are Mexican nationals—failed to remedy serious problems with staffing and living conditions that led to a deadly riot in 2012. According to the audit [PDF], the Adams County Correctional Center suffered from chronic under-staffing The post Mississippi Private Prison Neglected Problems After Deadly Riot appeared first on Shadowproof.
Arctic Huskies DNA related to ancient Siberian wolf
*If you think that Arctic Huskies have a bit of wolf in them, you’re right. Siberian Huskies and Greenland slad dogs ratain DNA from the ancient, now extinct, Tianyr wolf from Siberia.* It’s thought that the very first travelers into the new world crossing the Beringia land bridge brought husky-like dogs with them from Siberia to the Arctic of North American and eventually to Greenland A new study published this week in the science journal Current Biology, found that Inuit Huskies can trace part of the lineage back to the Taimyr wolves of Siberia of some 35,000 years ago. The DNA s... more »
Disruptions in Asia and the world
Below are some slides given by Suraj Moraje, Managing Partner of McKinsey and Co. Manila, "No Ordinary Disruption", during the BWorld ASEAN Regional Forum last November 24, 2016 at Conrad Hotel, http://bweconomicforum.com/index.php/morning-session/. The commentaries are mine, not Suraj's. My first and last visit to Shenzhen, China was in 1998. There were many tall buildings already, roads are wide, but not as many as shown in the photo below. Good comparison by Suraj here. ASEAN economies are modernizing and urbanizing fast while keeping their average population young. Modern te... more »
ISIS responsible for Istanbul Night Club Attack? About that Santa Meme....
*I really want to address the whole Santa meme regarding this club attack-* After having looked high and low, *I cannot find one image of this perp dressed as Santa Claus.* A dark hat/jacket and pants, carrying a knapsack does not make a Santa Claus *Google image search for Santa Claus* *Can a reader please provide me an image of a red attired, fake white bearded perp at the Istanbul club? *- Two embedded videos in the previous post show nothing remotely like a Santa Claus as most commonly known and identified. *Until I can verify an image of a Santa Claus gunman- I'm not takin... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 2, 2017
The U.S. Capitol Building is lit at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts *Albert Hunt, Bloomberg*: *Republicans Face a Dangerous First 100 Days* Buckle up. The next 100 days in Washington will be tumultuous. Donald Trump and leading Republicans plan to overwhelm the 115th Congress, which convenes Tuesday, with a mind-numbing array of changes. By the end of April, they hope to have confirmed a new Supreme Court justice, cleared a huge infrastructure measure, and be well on the way to enacting big and permanent tax cuts along with sharp cutbacks in sp... more »
Viral Image Shows the Impact Oil Drilling is Having on the Amazon’s Waterways
*Anna Hunt* - Oil development in the Amazon continues to rise. The post Viral Image Shows the Impact Oil Drilling is Having on the Amazon’s Waterways appeared first on Waking Times.
Science vs. Mother Nature – Infant Formula Made from Human Breastmilk Proteins
*Nathaniel Mauka* - Our most fragile citizens are being poisoned and robbed of their natural health. The post Science vs. Mother Nature – Infant Formula Made from Human Breastmilk Proteins appeared first on Waking Times.
Seymour Hersh On Investigative Journalism and Ethics + Q&A
Dandelion Salad www.c-spanvideo.org Feb. 20, 2013 Seymour Hersh spoke about investigative journalism. In his remarks he talked about his experiences as a journalist, including writing about the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. Other topics included ethics and the use of anonymous sources, with questions on topic such as U.S. policy toward Iran, the use of […]
World News Briefs -- January 2, 2017 (Evening Edition)
*Washington Post:* Scores killed in Baghdad as militants strike with multiple car bombs IRBIL, Iraq — Five car bombs detonated in the Iraqi capital on Monday, marking a bloody start to the year as Iraq attempts to squeeze Islamic State militants from their last remaining territory in the country. Sixty-four people were killed in the attacks, according to a security official from Baghdad Operations Command, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the death toll. The worst bombing killed 30 people in a market in the Sadr City area of Baghdad... more »
Living Dead Liberalism
The liberal establishment is a thing. It exists and it has power, influence. *But it is not in charge*. Liberalism has its privileged place in our media output. It is the primary outlook of academia. It casts a wide net across our politics, claiming one party officially but finding adherents in whole and in part on the government and opposition benches, not to mention large numbers of the politically active and civic-minded. It's shared by senior people across the civil service, is *de rigeur* among celebrity, and is the common sense of millions of people. Yet its philosophy is at ... more »
Energy 87, Europe's rising electricity prices as more wind and solar are added
More wind and solar plants, more expensive electricity. This is shown in Europe (this graph), shown in the PH. Feed in tariff (FIT) rates will rise from 4 centavos/kWh in 2015, 12.40 centavos in 2016, to 23-25 centavos/kWh this year. Source: http://euanmearns.com/green-mythology-and-the-high-price-of-european-electricity/ Another data from Euan Mearns. Left chart is for industrial customers, right chart for household/residential customers. Source: http://euanmearns.com/energy-prices-in-europe/ A friend commented that "We should treat the subsidies as state support to explore alt... more »
Fantasies About Russia Could Doom Opposition to Trump by David Swanson
by David Swanson Writer, Dandelion Salad Let’s Try Democracy January 2, 2017 To many Democrats for whom killing a million people in Iraq just didn’t rise to the level of an impeachable offense, and who considered Obama’s bombing of eight nations and the creation of the drone murder program to be praiseworthy, Trump will be […]
U.S. Judge Halts ObamaCare Rule Covering Transgender Sex-changes and Abortions
[image: u-s-judge-halts-obamacare-rule-covering-transgender-sex-changes-and-abortions] A U.S. District Court judge issued an injunction against an HHS rule requiring health plans to cover sex-change operations and abortions in violation of their standards.
Bear Ears Monument Partial Win: Is Canadian Energy Fuels Uranium Mine Included or Excluded?
Note that the original Intertribal Coalition proposal for the Bear Ears Monument is to the far right. The BLM probably … Continue reading →
Pentagon: U.S.-Led Strikes In Iraq And Syria Have Killed At Least 188 Civilians Since 2014
A plume of smoke rises above a building during an air strike in Tikrit March 27, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani *Reuters:* *U.S.-led strikes in Iraq, Syria have killed at least 188 civilians: U.S. military* At least 188 civilians have been killed in U.S.-led strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria since the operation began in 2014, the U.S. military said in a statement on Monday. The Combined Joint Task Force, in its monthly assessment of civilian casualties from the U.S. coalition's operations against the militant group, said it was still assessing five reports of... more »
Energy & Environmental Newsletter -2/1/17
AWED Friends: Welcome to 2017 and the year’s first edition of the *Energy and Environmental Newsletter**!* It looks like it will be an exciting time, so fasten your seat belt... There continues to be so many Trump-related happenings, that I’ve set up two new *Newsletter *sections: *Trump & Energy*, and *Trump & Global Warming*. Some of the more informative Global Warming articles in this issue are: Obsolete Calculations of Cost of Carbon* (an extremely important matter!)* The Social Cost of Carbon Southern Baptist leaders defend Trump’s pick to lead EPA 100% Of US Warming Is Due To ... more »
Republican Of The Year Nominee #2: R-R-Reince Priebus
*America Off The Rails, Part 4* *by Noah* Back in 2011, the Republican Party, horrified that Barack Obama had integrated the White House two years previously, was looking for a man, the right man, who could properly audition the leading points of light in the party, with the idea of finding the perfect leader that could retake the White House and lead the party in its decades-long dream of fascism for America. As it turned out, the man they chose to direct the auditions made a mistake in auditioning and choosing Mittens Romney for 2012, but this year, in 2016, he struck nazi gol... more »
Around The Empire – Episode 3: War Reporter Elijah Magnier On Syria Peace Deal
War reporter Elijah Magnier joins Dan and Joanne for a discussion of the current Syria peace deal and its wider implications for the region and world. The post Around The Empire – Episode 3: War Reporter Elijah Magnier On Syria Peace Deal appeared first on Shadowproof.
2016 Marks Chicago's Deadliest Year Since 1996
[image: 2016-marks-chicago-s-deadliest-year-since-1996] Data released by the Chicago Police Department reveals that 2016 was the city’s deadliest year in 20 years, proving once more that strict gun laws do little to reduce gun violence and in fact turn law-abiding citizens into prey for criminals.
Washington Post Corrects Story of Russian Hack of Vermont Utility
[image: washington-post-corrects-story-of-russian-hack-of-vermont-utility] The *Washington Post* has corrected a story claiming Russians hacked a Vermont utility, claiming it was a falsehood. As quickly as the "hack" as exposed as a lie, it disappeared.
BWorld 100, Multinationals in the PH, what do they want?
* This is my article in BWorldEconomicForum, December 14, 2016. CAPITAL AND INVESTMENTS are like water — they go where they are welcome and accommodated. Small water tributaries merge with others to become a big river, a lake, or drain into the seas. In the same way, capital congregates in areas where they are protected and allowed entry and exit with the minimum restrictions and prohibitions. That is how some small countries and territories with fewer populations become wealthy and prosperous financial centers such as Singapore and Hong Kong. The subject of multinational corpor... more »
There is no Morality and no Such Thing as Ethics
Today’s affirmative action professoriate like to talk as though they own the moral high ground because they are not white men. It’s a big act. Even before the affirmative action professoriate came into being, the academic study of ethics and morality was suspect. To this day, when any scholar of ethics publishes a study exploring why people cheat, they tend to do the same things. Keep in mind, that for professors today in this climate of politically correct hysteria, ethics is a hot topic, and it is a fave topic when it comes to teaching undergrads. read more
Bald eagle found soaked in oil is rescued by wildlife rehabilitation center
The bald was found completely covered in oil in Grand Rapids, Man. It was taken into Winnipeg, where veterinarians are caring for it before it will be released back into the wild. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has been caring for the eagle since the end of November, when it was brought in. “Upon our examinations, the oiling was one of the worst cases we’ve seen, soaking deep into the feathers, down to the skin,” the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, stated on Facebook. When oil gets on birds, it can cause multiple problems, such as making it too heavy to fly and it mats and se... more »
the Khumric People - the Coelbren Language - the Electric Universe
yeah, I know, I was surprised, too how my 'earnest search for Ancient Britons' would collide head-on with my 'earnest interest in the electric universe'... but it just did. EXHIBIT A: EXHIBIT B: You can read exhibit B as a pure rendition of proto-Saturn's ingress into the Sun-system and the stripping of Mars and Venus and Earth from her purple-haze and thrusting them into solar orbit.
Why Did The White House Punish Russia For Hacking The Computers Of The DNC But Not China For Hacking U.S. Government Networks?
*Newsmax*: *Rep. Schiff: Unlike China's Hacks, Russia 'Weaponized' Data* President Barack Obama took a stance against Russia's intelligence hacks, issuing sanctions against Russian diplomats in the U.S., measures which were not imposed against China's hacks because Russia stole information and "weaponized it" unlike the Chinese, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday. "Here's what's different about what Russia did: They didn't just steal data, they weaponized it," Schiff told ABC's "This Week" host Jonathan Karl. "They dumped it during an election with a specific intent of influe... more »
Forced Vaccination: The Tragic Legacy of Jacobson v. Massachusetts
Posted 11/2/2016 *By Barbara Loe Fisher* *To activate and view hyperlinked references, please click here once and then click any superscripted number below to access a hyperlinked reference, or scroll down to the bottom of the article to view all hyperlinked references.* There is a lot of talk these days about the beliefs of judges who will be appointed by a new President to the U.S. Supreme Court. It is an important conversation because what those judges believe will be reflected in the legal decisions they make, decisions that could have consequences for centuries. In states w... more »
Teamsters’ Pension Plans Seek Massive Cuts to Retirees to Stay Solvent
[image: teamsters-pension-plans-seek-massive-cuts-to-retirees-to-stay-solvent] The U.S. taxpayer is the ultimate backstop when solemn promises to pay can't be kept.
Should All Important U.S. Government Messages Avoid Computer and Communication Networks?
*Newsweek: Donald Trump*:* "No Computer Is Safe" so Send Information by Courier* Cybersecurity concerns have led U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to proclaim “no computer is safe” and call for important messages to be delivered by courier rather than email. Trump’s remarks, made to reporters at a New Year’s Eve party at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, come amid claims from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russian hackers intervened in the 2016 presidential election to help the Republican candidate win the White House. On December 29, President Barack Obama ordered 35 Russian dipl... more »
Wrong anniversary?
How very disappointing! At the start of this week's *Beyond Belief,* marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, all of the experts debunked the story that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517. They told us they didn't think it happened and that all that actually happened was that Luther wrote a letter to (The Times) his archbishop in order to get an essentially academic debate going about indulgences. The first recorded account of the "great myth" of Luther nailing his theses to the church door dates from 1543 but the story gre... more »
Roger and out
In anticipation of tomorrow night's Radio 4 documentary *Climate Change: The Trump Card* from Roger Harrabin, here's a little Twitter action taking place tonight between the BBC's environment (activist) analyst and Lord Lawson/Dr Benny Peiser's Global Warming Policy Foundation: *Roger Harrabin **@RHarrabin*: *Top #Republican fears for grandchildren as #Trump derides #climatechange*. *http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38484730 * *GWPF @thegwpfcom*: @RHarrabin *why did you not mention that Ms Whitman is the President of a green energy lobby firm?* *Roger Harrabin **... more »
Impeach Obama? by Cindy Sheehan
by Cindy Sheehan Featured Writer Dandelion Salad Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox Blog Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox July 20, 2010 Recently, I received an email from Veterans for Peace (VFP) Chapter 136 in Central Florida asking me for an endorsement of its resolution to impeach Barack Obama. First of all, I would like to commend the Central Florida […]
CET Stats For 2016
By Paul Homewood http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/index.html The provisional CET numbers are now out for last year, with an annual mean temperature of 10.34C, almost exactly the same as 2015. A look at the trend line suggests that temperatures have effectively flatlined for at least twenty years now. A closer look at the period since 1980 […]
The Crumbling Consensus
By Paul Homewood Reposted from NoTricksZone: Climate science is supposed to be settled, right? We are told that there is an overwhelming agreement, or consensus, among scientists that most weather and climate changes that have occurred since the mid-20th century have been caused by human activity — our fossil fuel burning […]
#TopTen | No. 6: Friends don’t let friends listen to Stefan Molyneux
*Last year I wrote and posted 801 posts. This was the sixth most popular: an exposé of a retarded YouTube opportunist with an oft-unlikely following …* ------------------------------ *Friends Don’t Let Friends Listen to Stefan Molyneux* [image: 13962511_858290450938395_5615636067149177085_n] ONE OF THE LEAST attractive phenomena in more than a decade of unattractive things is the re-emergence into what passes for polite society of eugenics and explicit white supremacy. Even in places and from people I once thought I knew. (If you’re wondering, then I probably do mean you.) Wi... more »
After Bravely Calling Attention to Police Brutality, Colin Kaepernick Chosen for 49ers’ Highest Honor
[image: kaepernick]San Francisco 49ers players have voted for quarterback Colin Kaepernick to receive the Len Eshmont award, the team's most prestigious award.
Snopes Conveniently Silent on WaPost’s Dangerous Fake Story About Russia Hacking US Power Grid
[image: snopes]Snopes proved it doesn't deserve to be one of Facebook's arbiters of fake news, as it completely failed to debunk the Washington Post's fake story.
Mohawk Nation News 'Deranged Matrix'
DERANGED MATRIX Posted on January 2, 2017 Mohawk Nation News Please post & distribute. MNN. JAN. 2, 2017. Resistance starts with truth and plain speaking which defeats the corporate matrix. The American & European matrix is designed and controlled by the private corporation/US government. Rules are for profit for its shareholders and investors based on theft, murder, lying and cheating
New Chinese Naval Air Recruitment Video Shows China And Japan In A Tense Standoff
*South China Morning Post:* *PLA recruitment video features air force stand-off with Japan* Chinese fighters shown warning Japanese plane away from the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea A cartoon to highlight the promotion of senior cadres, a rap song about the five-year plan – China’s government is no longer confined by the same old propaganda tactics when it tries to influence the young. In the latest example, it has used video of a sensitive military operation near disputed islands to recruit young talent to the world’s largest standing armed forces. The recruitme... more »
Scientific Fraud, in the Abstract
Someone posted this scare story from November in the Low Carb and Paleo group on Facebook. Luckily I missed it at the time as I was busy with arguably more important things, but being on holiday now I think it warrants a little attention. It was an abstract - that's all for now - presented at a conference of the American Heart Association, based on data from the WHI study (Womens' Health Initiative - the follow-up from the huge, long-term study where lowering saturated fat in the diets of women seemed to cancel out all the expected benefits from improving carbohydrate quality and redu... more »
"2017: When The Wheels Finally Come Off"
*"2017: When The Wheels Finally Come Off"* by James Howard Kunstler “There is no other endeavor in which men and women of enormous intellectual power have shown total disregard for higher-order reasoning than monetary policy." - David Collum *"American Notes:* Apart from all the ill-feeling about the election, one constant ‘out there’ since November 8 is the Ayn Randian rapture that infects the money scene. Wall Street and big business believe that the country has passed through a magic portal into a new age of heroic businessmen-warriors (Trump, Rex T, Mnuchin, Wilbur Ross, et. al... more »
Rudd of the Antarctic
Very much under the "...and any other matters that take our fancy" remit included in our flexible blog title, here's a transcript of a compelling interview on today's *The World at One. * It surely does the world good that people like Lou Rudd are still taking on the explorer's burden and going where (almost) no man has gone before. Good luck to him and his team! *Shaun Ley*: A year ago Henry Worsley, a former army colonel, collapsed just 30 miles from achieving his objective: completing the first ever solo crossing of Antarctica. Inspired by his example six army reservists are... more »
"How do they make chickens into turkeys?"
Though some of its jokes mocking Christian beliefs were so near the knuckle (and maybe even beyond the knuckle) that had they, say, been about Islam then Miss Philomena Cunk might very well be in hiding tonight with police protection and only Salman Rushdie for company, *Cunk on Christmas *(written by Charlie Brooker & Co.) contained a lot of funny jokes. Such as: - Not all religious songs are quite so religious. In the 1970s groups like Slade reinvented the carol, appearing on our TV screens showcasing a new form of singing called 'shouting'. This music was loud, probabl... more »
24,091 Reported Dead And 39,205 Wounded In Iraq In 2016 (2nd Revision)
Violence in Iraq fluctuated throughout 2016. During the start of the year security incidents were in a steady decline until May and June when they went up slightly during the Islamic State’s spring offensive. They then continued to spiral downwards until August when attacks went up reaching a peak in November, before dipping again in December. In 2015 8,473 security incidents were recorded by tracking over 40 Iraqi, western and Asian media outlets each day. In 2016 there were 7,447, a decline of 1,026 showing overall that violence has declined since its peak in 2014 when the Islamic... more »
BREAKING NEWS: ALLEGED EMBODIMENT OF ZEITGEIST STILL VERY UNPOPULAR
You probably wouldn't know it from reading the political press, but President-elect Trump is still strikingly unpopular, as noted by Gallup: As Donald Trump prepares to take the presidential oath on Jan. 20, less than half of Americans are confident in his ability to handle an international crisis (46%), to use military force wisely (47%) or to prevent major scandals in his administration (44%). At least seven in 10 Americans were confident in Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in these areas before they took office. ... The results for Trump are based on a Dec. 7-11 Ga... more »
Mosul Campaign Day 77, Jan 1, 2017
Four new neighborhoods were freed in east Mosul, while fighting continued for several others. Karama, Intisar, Younis Sabawi, and Jaffa in the east were freed by a combination of the Golden Division and Federal Police. Salamwas being cleared as well, and there was still a struggle for Sumer, Palestine, Siha, Nassir and Shaimaa. The Islamic State was at work as well. At least two people were wounded by mortarfire, and a reporterwas injured in a separate incident. A suicide bomberkilled four and wounded 11 in Karama, and eleven car bombswere destroyed in Karama, Nassir, and in the so... more »
China Is In A Rush To Deploy A Stealth Air Force
A J-31 stealth fighter of Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force © Alex Lee / Reuters *David Axe, Daily Beast*: *Will China Fill the Skies With Stealth Jets?* The U.S. military depends on its edge over other air forces. China could be on the verge of wearing that edge away. China is one step closer to selling stealth jets to militaries around world, now that the latest copy of China’s newest stealth fighter has reportedly flown for the first time. The debut of FC-31 number two brings China closer to being an exporter of radar-evading warplanes—and draws the United States close... more »
The Assassins - Were killers of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey and the Istanbul nightclub patrons linked?
*Usual Suspect - Ankara Assassin* As the main$tream media Faksters, notably the BBC "Voice of Satan" gloat over the latest mass shooting by a "lone nut" this morning...more thoughtful bloggers, like Stephen Lendman ask "Who's Behind Istambul's nightclub attack?" By now, anyone who *doesn't* include *the CIA/Mossad Deep State cabal occupying Washington/Tel Aviv* in any list of suspects is absolutely stupid. Their criminal controlled media is practically salivating over all the gory details...making it a defacto confession. I don't see any commentary, however, *linking the massacre... more »
On Dumbledore...
*As there is a clear and present danger to same looming on its cruel harbinger it may be time to repost this:* Love. Our dearest tragedy. It is cherished or abused. One makes it; it is all we have! Love is hard to disabuse. But, we betray biology it seems, it's "sequenced" out... at long, long last, we've come to find... it's *Love* we care about! . Though, it's carved in stone with *bleeding *knives; Love's dancing on the wind. Love makes a burden easier, or it adds to it, my friend. Though portrayed in tastes and flavors that may dance upon the tongue, Love fills a mouth with a... more »
Facebook Partners With Data Brokers For More Information On Users
People regularly ask how Facebook, with its massive data management costs, can offer its service for free. The answer is simple, the product is you. The post Facebook Partners With Data Brokers For More Information On Users appeared first on Shadowproof.
Progressives Can Win-- But It Takes Clear Heads And Hard Work
Schumer and Trump are both authoritarian assholes and the *NY Post* report Sunday claiming Trump prefers Schumer to Mitch McConnell or Paul Ryan shouldn’t surprise anyone. Schumer and Trump speak the same language and have a certain outer-borough sensibility in common. Ryan, from Wisconsin, and McConnell, from Kentucky, might as well be from Uranus. No doubt each is trying to figure out how to best use the other in the upcoming Beltway drama starting too unfold. Apparently Schumer, who has a problem with self-control, told someone about a private phone conversation he had with Tr... more »
“I’m Gonna Make it Hurt!” Cop Suspended After His Own Son Filmed Him Brutally Beating His Sister
[image: child]A brave little boy filmed his police officer father beating his sister and posted it to YouTube to expose the child abuse.
A Better Hand Grenade And Lighter Armour For U.S. Soldiers In 2020
A soldier tosses a training grenade at Fort Harrison, Montana. U.S. Army Reserve photo *Defense Tech*: *Army Names Top 10 Modernization Efforts of 2016* The Army‘s “Top 10” modernization programs in 2016 range from a new hand grenade designed to be easier for lefthanders to throw to hydrogen-powered vehicles, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) said in a release Thursday. The improvements soldiers can look forward to include: 1. Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) grenade. Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey are developing an “ambidextrous” Enhanced Tactical Multi-... more »
Understanding KIPP Model Charter Schools: Part 16
Probably the most graphic display of the unchecked KIPP Model in action was played out in a KIPP school in Fresno, CA, where organizational zeal, moral blindness, and an absence of public oversight and accountability combined to create an abusive, inhumane school environment that remains a testament to the evils inherent in "no excuses" schooling. The KIPP Foundation pretends that the steroidal application of the kind of "no excuses" schooling implemented by Mr. Tschang at KIPP Fresno is something only in KIPP's past, but the searing narratives by former teachers provided as late as... more »
The Folly and Fraud of “Academic Freedom”
[image: the-folly-and-fraud-of-academic-freedom] If “academic freedom” isn’t the last refuge of a scoundrel, it certainly is a contender. And while academics generally defend the “principle” in principle, the reality is that “academic freedom” is a lie. Would we tolerate a professor enthusiastically advocating pedophilia, genocide, or slavery? How about Nazi beliefs? Is there anyone who wouldn’t draw lines, somewhere?
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. - Paul Krugman offers a warning about Donald Trump's immediate moves to normalize corruption and cronyism as the foundation of his administration. And the New York Times' editorial board points out that corporations are enabling Trump's false claims with the expectation that they'll be rewarded with public giveaways, while Jeff Spross highlights how Trump stands to bolster a cult of personality by making workers dependent on his favour. - Philip Inman examines the Resolution Foundation's research showing that workers without guarante... more »
Facts Force WaPost to Retract Viral Story on Russia Hacking US Power Grid — It was All Lies
[image: post]The Washington Post did it again, publishing fake news to scare people into believing The Russians hacked Vermont's power grid — but it simply didn't happen.
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*From Jenna Orkin* Smash open your piggy banks — £433 million of pound coins stored at home will become worthless in 2017 Creator of NSA’s Global Surveillance System Calls B.S. On Russian Hacking Report Google and Google Home promote fake news story about Obama 'shocking the country' by running for a third term ISIS is planning a chemical attack on Britain Thanks for the heads up. Costa Rica powered by renewable energy for over 250 days in 2016 CDC considers lowering lead level threshold by 30 percent First Public Electric Highway video. Houses of Worship Poised to Serve... more »
U.S. Generals: The Battle For Mosul Is Going Well
A U.S. soldier looks at weapons and ammunition belonging to Islamic State militants in the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq, December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari *Reuters*: *U.S. general sees Islamic State's capability waning in east Mosul* The declining effectiveness of Islamic State attacks against Iraqi forces in eastern Mosul suggests the militants are starting to run out of resources with the campaign in its third month, a U.S. general told Reuters. Since the U.S.-backed offensive began on Oct. 17, elite troops have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground ... more »
Westworld and AI: Experts Discuss the Future of Intelligent Machines
HBO's new series "Westworld" has a lot of us thinking about just how humanlike AI and robotics will become. The reality is—we're nowhere near the spectacular sophistication depicted in film and fiction. But the technology is quickly evolving, and machine learning algorithms are already evolving toward the kind of "generative code" that may one day produce truly self-aware AI. The post Westworld and AI: Experts Discuss the Future of Intelligent Machines appeared first on Futurism.
Machines That Learn Are Invading, and Utterly Transforming, Our Lives
Machine learning is an algorithm-based approach to artificial intelligence that's quietly realizing the old dream of "thinking machines." Whether you know it or not, machine learning is already influencing the way we live our lives—it touches on many aspects of daily life, from the economy, to medicine, health care, autonomous tech, scientific research, and even internet-based shopping. The post Machines That Learn Are Invading, and Utterly Transforming, Our Lives appeared first on Futurism.
Google’s Software Will Soon Be Able To Detect Diseases In Seconds
It is aimed at detecting two diseases: macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. The post Google’s Software Will Soon Be Able To Detect Diseases In Seconds appeared first on Futurism.
“They Divide Us to Control Us” — Nick Cannon Destroys the Two-Party Paradigm and Govt Control
[image: control]Nick Cannon reveals how the establishment uses divisive party politics and institutional racism to easily control the population.
Another Setback for Big Taxi: Uber, Lyft OK'd to Serve Atlanta Airport
[image: another-setback-for-big-taxi-uber-lyft-ok-d-to-serve-atlanta-airport] The free market, left to its own devices, destroys as it creates. Efforts to repeal this economic law continue to fail.
The Threat Of Mass Migration Looms For Venezuela
*Washington Post*: *Hungry Venezuelans flood Brazilian towns, as threat of mass migration looms* PACARAIMA, Brazil — Rosibel Diaz used to affectionately call her 4-year-old son “my chubby boy.” She couldn’t stand it when he started going hungry. So in November, Diaz packed up her family’s possessions and boarded a bus with the boy and her 11-month-old daughter to escape Venezuela’s famished interior. She now lives under a blue tarp in a trash-strewn alleyway of this Brazilian border village, where she begs for food. “I won’t go back,” said the rail-thin mother, who lost her job as... more »
The Death of Clintonism is the Death of the Democratic Party
The political autopsies are still streaming in. Incredulity will do that. Democratic apologists' reactions range from impotent head-scratching to impotent rage. Witness Peter Daou's ongoing meltdown and Kurt Eichenwald being tempted to punch one of his own readers. The Democratic Party has seemingly moved on by spinning their wheels in the same muck that had kept them out of a simultaneous majority in both chambers since 2008 by firing Harry Reid as Senate Minority Leader and replacing him with Chuck Schumer (D-Wall Street) and reinstalling the aging Nancy Pelosi as House ... more »
Penny for your thoughts has been hacked
*Penny for your thoughts* The year is getting off to a very weird start. Canadian blogging colleague, Penny for your thoughts, was hacked last night and her blog was missing some important features and basically "frozen". Penny is a specialist on the middle east and has written thousands of posts on her blog detailing the myriad of Western military efforts to destroy the nations and their societies and cultures in that part of the world. Not many bloggers have the patience and ability to sort through the multiple veils of obfuscation and "fake news" put up by the usual suspe... more »
Good News: Washington Frozen Out of Syria Peace Plan
[image: good-news-washington-frozen-out-of-syria-peace-plan] As the US mainstream media obsessed last week about Russia's supposed “hacking” of the US elections and President Obama’s final round of Russia sanctions in response, something very important was taking place under the media radar. As a result of a meeting between foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey last month, a ceasefire in Syria has been worked out and is being implemented. So far it appears to be holding, and after nearly six years of horrible warfare the people of Syria are finally facing the possibility of ... more »
Researcher loses 4th paper flagged by misconduct probe
A researcher in Germany has logged her fourth retraction following an investigation by her former employer that found evidence of scientific misconduct. The latest retraction for Tina Wenz in the Journal of Applied Physiology mentions the probe at the University of Cologne in Germany, which recommended retracting six of her papers. One had already been […] The post Researcher loses 4th paper flagged by misconduct probe appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Improve Learning: Ban Laptops in Classrooms
A law professor at Pace U. presents his researched reasons for banning laptops in his classes: . . . . To restore the focus-training function of the classroom, I stopped allowing laptops in class early in my teaching career. Since then research has confirmed the wisdom of my choice. Focus is crucial, and we do best when monotasking: Even disruptions of a few seconds can derail one’s train of thought. Students process information better when they take notes — they don’t just transcribe, as they do with laptops, but they think and record those thoughts. Laptops or tablets can underm... more »
8yo Boy Tortured to Death After Multiple Cops Ignored his Injuries and Allowed the Abuse to Continue
[image: abuse]Nine different cops ignored multiple abuse complaints including severe injuries clearly present on the boy's face and body.
A Plea for Cease Fire in the New American Civil War, Part II—The Case for Civility and a Changed Tone of Debate
Consider these two presidential statements: “Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!”—President-Elect Donald Trump’s New Year’s Twitter greeting “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, […]
Global Network Membership Form 2017
*The Global Network's 2015 annual space organizing conference was held in Kyoto, Japan. We took a side trip to the Ukawa village along the coast to join villagers who have been protesting against the deployment of a US 'missile defense' radar aimed at China.* *Working 25 Years to Stop the Militarization and Nuclearization of Space* Membership in the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space is open to all organizations and individuals. Please add__________________________________to the Global Network membership list. *(Organization/Individual N... more »
TRUMP MIGHT NOT GET HIS FULL CABINET RIGHT AWAY -- AND SO WHAT?
Democrats are reminding us that they intend to slow the approval process for President Trump's Cabinet nominees: Democratic senators plan to aggressively target eight of Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees in the coming weeks and are pushing to stretch their confirmation votes into March.... Such delays would upend Republican hopes of quickly holding hearings and confirming most of Trump’s top picks on Inauguration Day.... Incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that Democrats will home in especially on Rex Til... more »
Don't Give Up
For those of us who take the threat of climate change seriously, the future doesn't look bright. Thomas Homer-Dixon writes: Now we also have to face the reality that Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States is calamitous for the fight against climate change. Because Mr. Trump and his key cabinet nominees are deeply committed to promoting carbon-based energy industries, they’re not inclined to believe that climate change is a pressing danger or even, in the case of some of nominees, real. The president-elect himself is ignorant of basic science and has an almost po... more »
World News Briefs -- January 2, 2017
*The Guardian*: *Turkey arrests eight over nightclub attack as Isis claims responsibility* Gunman not among those detained, while Turkish military says it has carried out raids on Isis targets in Syria in response to attack Turkish police have reportedly arrested eight people in connection with the gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people on New Year’s Eve, as Islamic State claimed responsibility for the atrocity. The gunman, who escaped after the attack and who is believed to be from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, was not among the eight detained by anti-terrorism sq... more »
The Republican War Against The Elderly
Every time Trump was questioned about Republican plans to gut Medicare and Social Security, he said he would not allow it, that he would “improve it.” That’s what Paul Ryan, Mike Pence and Tom Price say too— they want to make it “better.” Sounds better than saying they want to destroy it, huh? On Sunday Fox Business ran a report by Sean Williams that points to the Republican “reform” efforts financially crippling most seniors. He started by pointing out 6 in 10 seniors are reliant on Social Security and that over 80% of “pre-retirees will rely, to some degree, on Social Security ... more »
Oh no it isn't!
One BBC drama I *did* watch and enjoy was the very silly and very, very funny *Peter Pan Goes Wrong* on New Year's Eve. It's something that nearly everyone seems to have liked (which is unusual for the BBC these days). I might even have already re-watched it. (Audience: Oh no you haven't! Me: SHUT UP!!!!!)
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 2, 2017
*Washington Times*: *North Korea prepares for new round of nuclear weapons tests* North Korea is reportedly in the final stages for a new round of nuclear weapons tests, Pyongyang announced Sunday. The tests are focused on the country’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile, North Korean President Kim Jong-un said in a nationally televised speech on New Year’s Day, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap News “Research and development of cutting edge arms equipment is actively progressing and … test launch preparation is in its last stage,” Mr. Kim said. The new weapon,... more »
Some ‘child migrants’ to UK as old as 29, according to age assessments per Metro News - not a word from the pro unlimited immigration BBC
Some of the unaccompanied child migrants who entered into the UK are as old as 29, according to an assessment by officials. Assessments carried out by social workers in the UK suggest some of the lone child refugees who entered Britain earlier this year may have lied about their age. Figures obtained by the Mail on Sunday from 50 authorities across the country following tests carried out between 2013 and 2016 imply 465 asylum seekers were over 18. An FoI request revealed one man was assessed at almost twice as old as he claimed. The refugee, assessed by Hampshire County Council i... more »
If We Had Our way: New Year’s Resolutions for the New Congress
[image: if-we-had-our-way-new-year-s-resolutions-for-the-new-congress] Donald Trump’s election, and his nomination of some small-government, freedom-oriented aides, ushers in hope that smothering government will be curtailed. Here’s what we’d do.
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*Scottish Nationalist government ‘is failing poorest’ as student debt rises sharply* Students in Scotland are struggling under a growing mountain of debt, with cuts to grants and bursaries blamed for a steep rise over the past decade. The amount owed by undergraduates and college students has soared by 42 per cent since 2007 and findings by impartial Scottish parliament researchers reveal that the sharpest increase has come in recent years. In the past two years the average loan for a Scottish student has gone up by almost a third to £10,500. The SNP has maintained free tuition ... more »
Some Of The Top Videos Of 2016 From Stars And Stripes
*WNU Editor:* This is from the *"Best of 2016"* from Stars and Stripes.
A Visit To Israel
I am spending a week in Israel to visit three physics institutes for colloquia and seminars: the Tel Aviv University (where I gave a colloquium yesterday), the Haifa Technion (where I am giving a seminar today), and the Weizmann institute in Rehovot (where I'll speak next Wednesday). read more
"Contains some strong language and some sexual content"
An Agatha Christie character shows off her pussy on BBC One There are quite a few very Agatha Christie fans in my family (and not only the older members), so any adaptation gets watched. BBC One's latest version of *The Witness For The Prosecution *didn't get good reviews from them. It was far too dimly-lit for starters and it just didn't feel like Agatha Christie, they said. And Peter Hitchens agrees with them. His review is a brilliant piece of writing - so much so that I'm going to copy and paste it all for once: *Indulgent BBC has its history wrong, again* Agatha Christie’s ... more »
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*PROOF of global warming(!)* *A delightful article below by Thomas Levenson, a professor of science WRITING. He applies his writing profession to explain and prove global warming. It's a long article with a lot of initial throat-clearing but rather than bother with the superficialities there, I reproduce below just his attempt to get down to tintacks in a 3-part argument. But that argument is very simplistic and in fact falls at the first hurdle.1). He begins by harking way back to the original Arrhenius experiment to prove that CO2 does cause warming. I could argu... more »
Tips For Transitioning Your Toddler From a Crib to a Bed
On Thanksgiving night last year we decided to make the leap and put our two-year-old into a "big kid" bed. It was honestly one of the best decisions we have ever made. Our daughter went from having trouble sleeping every night to sleeping through the night. Moving our daughter to a big bed has been such a good experience that I wanted to share the things that we did that made it so wonderful! *Toddler Proof The Room*- Make sure the room is safe for your little one if they get up and wander the room. For us this meant outlet covers and making sure that older sister picks up smalls... more »
Will America's Future Nuclear Arsenal Be Safe From Hackers?
*Patrick Tucker, The Atlantic*: *Will America's Nuclear Weapons Always Be Safe From Hackers?* The future arsenal will be networked, presenting unique security challenges for the U.S. Air Force. Future nuclear missiles may be siloed but, unlike their predecessors, they’ll exhibit “some level of connectivity to the rest of the warfighting system,” according to Werner J.A. Dahm, the chair of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. That opens up new potential for nuclear mishaps that, until now, have never been a part of Pentagon planning. In 2017, the board will undertake a study to... more »
The triad making up the purported"PRIME CREATOR"A Session with Loie - December 29,2016
December 29, 2016 By American Kabuki I've been noticing a lot of "Prime Creator" references of late. Amazingly from people who should know better. Anything billing itself as *"PRIME"* is separation from what is. There is no one higher than or lower than Source. All are Source. ALL IS ONE. This is were it gets into ALLUSIONS, creating names, to create a belief in others of something that may not be so. Source is the ALL, and identifies with the ALL, and loves the ALL. It is ALL essencea, All forms and no forms, ALL Lineages, ALL BEINGS. It has full context of ALL the exper... more »
I don't agree with Nick
The closing discussion on this morning's *Today *opened with Nick Robinson saying: Many words have already been written about what this new year will bring. One thing is certain: We will witness the longest, the toughest, the most complex international negotiations in this country's recent history - the Brexit negotiations, of course, which will begin once Article 50 is triggered by the end of March. Tim Martin of Wetherspoon's and football agent Rachel Anderson *didn't* agree with Nick. Both said it needn't be difficult at all.
Missing the point
The BBC News website's report on Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the atrocious nightclub massacre in Istanbul tells us various things about IS's statement: (a) that it claims it was behind the attack, (b) that it says it was carried out by "a heroic soldier" and (c) that it accuses Turkey of shedding the blood of Muslims in Syria. Something, however, is missing from the BBC's account of the IS statement. The terrorist group's statement, as quoted by the *Guardian,* says: In continuation of the blessed operations that Islamic State is conducting against the *protector... more »
One in 68…When “Better Diagnosing” is Really “Over-diagnosing”
By Anne Dachel In March 2014 the autism went from one in every 88 children in the U.S. (released in 2012) to one in every 68. Then in March of 2016 the Centers for Disease Control again estimated the rate...
What Would a Saudi-Iran War Look Like?
*Foreign Policy*: *What Would a Saudi-Iran War Look Like? Don’t look now, but it is already here* When asked to address the question of what a Saudi-Iran war would look like, my first instinct is to ask the reader to look around because it is already happening. As the futurist William Gibson noted, “the future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.” Already, Saudi Arabia and Iran are killing each other’s proxies, and indirectly are killing each other’s advisors and troops, in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia’s Shiite Eastern Province. The future is likely... more »
South Africa’s New Coal Power Station “Great For The Country”
By Paul Homewood h/t Ian Sims http://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/2017-is-going-to-be-a-big-one/ar-BBxMfVS?li=BBqfP3n&ocid=wispr MSN report from South Africa: Durban – It’s going to be a bumper year for the country with much optimism from experts about what is in store for 2017. From major international events to new plans and projects for local government, experts say there […]
Nothing but the truth (2)
*The New World: Nothing but the Truth* certainly made for a provocative start to the week. It began with a montage featuring (a) the £350 million figure (which Jo Fidgen later said "Was THE Fact of the EU referendum campaign"), (b) Donald Trump claiming that some US Muslims celebrated after 9/11 and (c) Michael Gove on experts. These were the programme's opening "post-truth" examples (all coming from the political Right/pro-Brexit camp). The £350 million figure featured again later. "I'll come clean. I'm a liberal. I'm flipping terrified", said Jo Fidgen. A series of experts -... more »
The Danish Air Force Shows What The F-35 Can Do
*Popular Mechanics*: *Royal Danish Air Force Shows Off the F-35's Coolest Tricks* *It's the fighter's best clip reel to date.* The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is the largest defense program ever created. The effort to produce three variants of the plane is billions of dollars over budget and at least five years behind schedule. At least ten countries will buy an estimated 3,100 of the controversial jets through 2035. The tiny nation of Denmark, looking to replace its venerable 48-strong F-16A Fighting Falcon fleet, is purchasing 27 F-35As. And the country's armed forces, t... more »
Nothing but the truth (1)
Radio 4 has started the week this week with *The New World: Nothing but the Truth *- a look at "post-truth". As the programme started I screengrabbed BBC presenter Jo Fidgen's Twitter feed blurb: Ironically, having stated "Have opinions outside office hours" there, she almost immediately stated on Radio 4 programme this morning (during office hours): I'll come clean. I'm a liberal. I'm flipping terrified. Curiously during the programme her Twitter feed's blurb changed. Less than half an hour after I screengrabbed the above, it now said: Maybe she realised that she couldn't r... more »
Nautilus' disillusioned ex-physicist
Bob Henderson wrote an autobiography for Nautil.Us (via CIP): What Does Any of This Have To Do with Physics? ------------------------------ Einstein and Feynman ushered me into grad school, reality ushered me out. He's a Rochester theoretical physics PhD who had come to the grad school after he read some New Agey pop-science books and left a cushy engineering job. He grew disillusioned and at the time of the PhD defense, he decided to switch to Wall Street which he left in 2012, i.e. 15 years later, and became a science writer. While the content of the article is annoying, I think th... more »
This Is Why The F/A-18 Is An Impressive Plane
*Popular Mechanics:** Why the F/A-18 Is Such a Badass Plane* The 35-year odyssey of the mighty Hornet. On the first day of the Persian Gulf War, four F/A-18Cs took off from the USS Saratoga to bomb an airfield in southwestern Iraq. These F/A-18s were heavy. Each carried four MK 84 2000-lb. bombs, two AIM-7 Sparrows, two AIM-9L Sidewinders, and a centerline drop tank. As the Hornets from VFA-81 (the "Sunliners") made their approach, an E-2 Hawkeye airborne control aircraft passed word to the pilots: Two Iraqi MiG-21s were on the hunt. The MiGs turned to intercept the Hornets, closi... more »
DARPA hands off LUKE Arm to Military Medical Center
It’s that time of the month where we all come together and exchange gifts. Keeping this in mind, DARPA showed some holiday spirit when it provided Walter Reed National Military Medical Center the greatest gift the 21st century can offer: LUKE – the most revolutionary bionic arm available to date! http://ieet.org/archive/military-arm.png
"The BBC has secretly secured £300,000 from the European Union since the Brexit vote on June 23"
The *Daily Express* has a striking story today about the BBC headlined *EU Broadcasting Corporation: BBC impartiality fears over secret MILLIONS from Brussels*. Though the *Express* doesn't acknowledge the fact, it seems that the story was originally broken just before Christmas at *Heat Street *by Miles Goslett: *The BBC has secretly secured £300,000 from the European Union since the Brexit vote on June 23.* *Heat Street has established that the broadcaster is participating in what is known as a ‘Horizon 2020’ research and development project for which it collected the sum of ... more »
You Cannot Buy This CIA Calendar
The cover of a new CIA calendar features the painting “An Air Combat First,” by Keith Woodcock, from the CIA Art Gallery, created in 2005. (Keith Woodcock/FGAvA, ASAA) *Washington Post*: *A CIA calendar the CIA gift shop refuses to sell? Yes, and here’s the strange story behind it.* “Far Side” cartoons, Ansel Adams landscapes, underwater dogs — so cliche. Why settle for a humdrum wall calendar in 2017 when you can track your days with CIA paintings showing agency operatives stealing secrets, killing off enemies or even getting killed themselves? January features a painting of a CI... more »
Why Earth may someday look like Mars
Every minute, 400 pounds of hydrogen and almost 7 pounds of helium escape from Earth’s atmosphere into outer space. Astrophysicist Anjali Tripathi studies the phenomenon of atmospheric escape, and in this fascinating and accessible talk, she considers how this process might one day (a few billion years from now) turn our blue planet red.
Satellite spots Massive Gravity Anomaly in Antarctica
What it has observed is a gravity anomaly. What makes it incredibly important is that it is almost diametrically opposite the center of Hudson Bay in Canada. Why this is important is that it conforms to a truly bizarre conjecture. First though, far less bizarre and thoroughly supported by facts on the ground is that our crust tilted thirty degrees south along this geodesic around 12900 BP after been impacted directly in the ice Cap by a targeted comet. After that human colonies established agriculture globally and repopulated the surface as part of a mission to terraform E... more »
True to Form: Western Ballet vs. Classical Chinese Dance
*[image: The starting point for ballet is perfection in outer form, whereas the inner quality called “bearing” is the root of all movement and expression in classical Chinese dance. (Shen Yun Performing Arts)]* Most of us fall far short in understanding ballet let alone Chinese Dance. This item elucidates both through the act of comparison. It is remarkable to see two completely different traditions side by side using mostly the same tools. We need to see more of that in other arts as well. In fact we need to make a discipline out of comparing arts, rather than the arts themselve... more »
Why Sequoyah’s Cherokee Syllabary Looked like the Circassian Alphabet
[image: Why Sequoyah’s Cherokee Syllabary Looked like the Circassian Alphabet] As locally understood cryptic script, it was the obvious choice for a local script. That changed quickly and soon enough english script dominated. Yet we learn a lot of the various strains of peoples learning to live in what was a vast rich country, None of it is truly important except as part of a historical narrative. . *Why Sequoyah’s Cherokee Syllabary Looked like the Circassian Alphabet* *Posted by Richard Thornton | Dec 18, 2016 * *| https://peopleofonefire.com/why-sequoyahs-che... more »
Moana's Tragedy of the Commons
Delightful bit of mythology interpretation in view of modern understanding. Disney is really good at doing that. Much of our culture demands this type of teaching tool and let us hope to see much more of it. Our own work has uncovered an expansive alternate history supported by nasty things called evidence that presents humanity moving through history in much this way. What about those Indians who rode red deer? I do not need to go to New Zealand to find great material. All good stuff. * Jeffrey Tucker * *Saturday, December 17, 2016* * https://fee.org/articles/does-moana-o... more »
Is Russia's GRU Putin's Secret Weapon?
Vladimir Putin and Sergei Ivanov at the headquarters of Russia’s main intelligence department, the GRU, in 2006. Photograph: Dmitri Astakhov/AFP *Michael Weiss, Daily Beast:* *The GRU: Putin’s No-Longer-So-Secret Weapon* Long regarded as the understudy of the infamous KGB and its successor services, Russian military intelligence is now front and center in the Moscow-Washington showdown. It says something about the ingrained rivalry between the various fiefdoms of Russian espionage that the founder of Soviet military intelligence, Leon Trotsky, had an ice-ax driven into his head in ... more »
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#NEWSGRAPHIC #2016 65.3 million people across the planet officially displaced @AFP pic.twitter.com/2ldZ9m0t0V — AFP news agency (@AFP) December 30, 2016
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