Wednesday, February 27, 2019

27 February - My Feedly! - 1 of 2

Today
The insights you need to get the inside edge


FAVORITES

Everything I Know About Conspiracies I Learned From The Beatles
Vinnie Caggiano (aka Vincognito) joins us to discuss everyone's favourite subjects: The Beatles and conspiracy theories. From the wacky to the laughable to the thought-provoking, join us for this surprisingly thorough dissection of conspiracy lore surrounding The Beatles and their place in the manufactured mass media universe.
Quick! Tell the PM: Pumped Hydro is not a “generator”. It’s a $2 – $4b energy chewing “renewables” bandaid.
No more excuses for sloppy, inaccurate language. How can you run a country with falsehoods? Hydropower is a generator. Pumped Hydro is giant appliance that sucks electricity and gives you back some later. In a system with reliable baseload generators it is superfluous, redundant, and entirely unnecessary. It is an expense we don’t have to have, didn’t need, and don’t want to pay for. It can only

BLOGGER-FOLLOWING

Watch the noice moment when the 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' cast is told Season 7 is happening
Shows get renewed all the time, but it's not often we get to see the news delivered to their hardworking cast and crew. On Wednesday, NBC renewed Brooklyn Nine-Nine for a seventh season, and the news was broken during a table read with the show's cast and crew. SEE ALSO: 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Season 6 thrives in unexpected spotlight Needless to say, they were ecstatic. Dirk Blocker, who stars as D
'A Star Is Born' dives back into theaters with a special extended cut
After winning an Oscar for best original song, A Star Is Born is returning to theaters for one week with some new bonus footage. A Star Is Born is taking its Oscar victory lap starting on Friday at more than 1,100 theaters, giving fans and new viewers a chance to see 12 minutes of bonus footage, The Hollywood Reporter reported Wednesday. The new footage includes extended song performances, new so
Stone Cold America-Killers
As former "great guy" and trusted factotum Michael Cohen testifies in Congress, the right's media calls him a "convicted liar," and we keep waiting for other media to point out the obvious. Alas, it's important to remember that Democratic politicians are absolutely dismal at the art of polemic. They will yatter about grownup things like violations of trust and the law, when we desperately need to
'Ice tsunami' thunders ashore on Lake Erie
Huge chunks of ice thrust ashore by strong winds have been forming walls up to 40ft high in Ontario and New York. The spectacular and unnerving phenom...
Cohen Testifies, Charges Trump Violated Law with Payoffs While in Office: 'BradCast' 2/27/2019
On today's BradCast : As you may have heard, Donald Trump's former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen publicly testified under oath for some 7 hours in the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. We're all over it today with special coverage. [ Audio link to show is posted below. ] Among the "highlights" were Cohen's detailed allegations --- along with supporting documentation --- rev
Michael Cohen Testifies Before House Oversight Committee
Livestream. Via: CSPAN: Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee about various investigations relative to the 2016 Trump presidential campaign.

NEWS

Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Just Lay Groundwork for Democrats to Subpoena Trump’s Tax Returns?
The freshman lawmaker asked Michael Cohen some pointed questions about the president's finances.
9 Striking Moments From Michael Cohen’s Testimony
Updated at 5:52 p.m. ET on February 27 In his long-awaited testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Michael Cohen summed up his former employer this way: “I know what Mr. Trump is: He is a racist, he is a con man, and he is a cheat.” The comment from President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer was one of many striking moments in Wednesday’s hearing, Cohen’s first public app
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Warns Michael Cohen to Leave Lying to Professionals
Andy Borowitz jokes that the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has offered a lesson in professional lying to Michael Cohen.
Cohen Testimony Leaves Kim Jong Un Doubting Whether Trump Can Be Trusted
Andy Borowitz jokes about Kim Jong Un watching Michael Cohen’s testimony before Congress and getting nervous about his dealings with Donald Trump.
Michael Cohen’s parting shot: I fear what happens if Trump loses in 2020
“This behavior denigrates the office of the president, and it’s simply un-American.” Michael Cohen closed his remarkable testimony before Congress on Wednesday with an opaque but alarming warning about what could happen if President Donald Trump loses the 2020 election and some words addressed directly to his former boss. “My loyalty to Mr. Trump has cost me everything: my family’s happiness, fri
Michael Cohen says Trump knew of WikiLeaks plan to release hacked DNC emails – live
The president’s former lawyer has begun his explosive public testimony before the House oversight committee Support the Guardian’s independent journalism that brings clarity to this critical moment. Make a contribution 4.12pm GMT Jordan says Cohen is here because he is aggrieved at not getting a job at the White House. Cohen denies that. Jordan insists that, actually, yes, Cohen is here because h

SCIENCE

Nintendo Announces Pokémon Sword And Shield For Switch
Generation eight of Pokémon is officially here, as this morning Nintendo announced Pokémon Sword and Shield , to release this fall on the Switch. The pair of games are three-dimensional and cel-shaded, looking better than any Pokémon we’ve seen before. Read more...
Yeast produce low-cost, high-quality cannabinoids
University of California, Berkeley, synthetic biologists have engineered brewer's yeast to produce marijuana's main ingredients—mind-altering THC and non-psychoactive CBD—as well as novel cannabinoids not found in the plant itself.
Forget Growing Weed—Make Yeast Spit Out CBD and THC Instead
Yeast gives us beer and bread. Now researchers have engineered it to do something more improbable: manufacturing the cannabis compounds CBD and THC.
How'd the Cohen Hearing Go? That Depends on Your Filter Bubble
On social media and on partisan sites, the talk of Michael Cohen's hearing in the House Oversight Committee split into like-minded echo chambers.
Dark matter may be hitting the right note in small galaxies
Dark matter may scatter against each other only when they hit the right energy, says international team of researchers in new study.
More support for Planet Nine
Corresponding with the three-year anniversary of their announcement hypothesizing the existence of a ninth planet in the solar system, Caltech's Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin are publishing a pair of papers analyzing the evidence for Planet Nine's existence.

VETERANS TODAY

Ram-Headed Sphinx of Gebel el-Silsila
Archaeologists discovered a ram-headed sphinx dating back some 3,700 years at a famous site in Egypt. Photos: The Ram-Headed Sphinx of Gebel el-Silsila by Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor Lost sphinx The broken head of a ram-headed sphinx sticks out of the rubble in the Egyptian desert. Workers and archaeologists at the Gebel el-Silsila quarry […]
Tiny Frog: Big Find
Oldest Frog Relative from North America Could Fit on Your Pinky Finger By Laura Geggel, Associate Editor for Live Science It’s possible that during the Triassic period, the crocodile-like phytosaur snapped at a frog-like creature, but missed. It’s a good thing it did, because 216 million years later, paleontologists have found the fossils of these […]
Uninsured Rate Stays at About 9%
High-deductible health plans becoming increasingly popular by Joyce Frieden, News Editor for Medpage Today A little more than 9% of Americans were uninsured during the first 9 months of 2018, according to survey data released Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics. A total of 29.7 million people of all ages (9.2%) were uninsured at […]
The History of Evil, Alex Thomson (video)
America and Russia are no more than fiefdom’s of the bloodline inheritors of Roman brutality…. Suggest you watch the whole thing. Things missed here, assumptions that bloodline families turn to Satan and evil out of belief and choice, rather than through voluntary joinings with non-corporeal entities that lived on an environment of suffering. Past this, […]
Washington AG Announces Intent To Sue Over Title X Rule
“President Trump is inserting his politics between a woman and her healthcare provider” by Joyce Frieden, New Editor for MedPage Today Washington state attorney general Bob Ferguson announced plans Monday to sue the Trump administration over the rule it announced Friday barring physicians and other healthcare providers from mentioning the possibility of abortion to pregnant women seeking […]
Share a Cell with Trump? Israeli AG Preparing to Indict Netanyahu On Bribery Charge
The Israeli prime minister reportedly shortened his visit to Russia and will return to Israel tonight because of the reports of an indictment, per the Times of Israel. The bribery scandal that’s surrounded Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may finally reach a head, as Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is poised to recommend bribery charges, according to Israeli […]

YOUTUBE

An SPMS Story - Im Still Kenny
Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis sucks! One mans journey with the disease echoes—"I'm still here." Client: WebMD VP of Editorial Content: Stephanie Snipes EP of Original Content: Courtney Dixon Creative by Coat of Arms Featuring Kenny Dyer Produced and Directed by Clara Lehmann & Jonathan Lacocque Written by Clara Lehmann, Jonathan Lacocque, & Samm Hodges Edited by Jonathan Lacocque & Sam
Ellen Pays Tribute to Beloved Guest Lisa Jarmon - EXTENDED VERSION
Ellen paid tribute to Lisa Jarmon, one of the most memorable guests who's ever been on the show. Lisa recently passed away after a battle with breast cancer. Ellen took a look back at some of her favorite moments with her inspirational guest. #LisaJarmon #TheEllenShow #Ellen From: TheEllenShow
Ellen and ‘The Lucky 13’ Celebrate the Life of Lisa Jarmon
Ellen welcomed eight of her former guests who all bonded with the late Lisa Jarmon when they returned for the 2,000th show in 2013. Calling themselves “The Lucky 13,” they shared how Lisa lived with joy, and impacted their lives with her positivity and kindness. Plus, Ellen announced the start of The Lisa Jarmon Fund, which will provide funds for other deserving people who share the same qualitie
Returning to Fukushima | Explorer
The Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant in Fukushima suffered a meltdown in 2011. Now, Japan has a plan for residents to return to the area. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe ➡ Watch all clips of Explorer here: http://bit.ly/WatchExplorer ➡ Get More Explorer: http://bit.ly/MoreExplorer ➡ EXPLORER AIRS MONDAYS 10/9c. About Explorer: Explorer, the longest-running documentary series in cable television
A Brief History of Grand Canyon National Park | National Geographic
Take a look at Grand Canyon National Park's first 100 years. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible. G
POCKET
-WATCH ON YOUR PHONE WITH HEADPHONES- "POCKET" is this week's Staff Pick Premiere. Read more about it here: vimeo.com/blog/post/pocket Cast: Pickpocket , Mishka Kornai and Zach Wechter

THE CORBETT REPORT

Episode 353 – The Crisis of Science
[audio mp3="https://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/episode353-lq.mp3"][/audio] In recent years, the public has gradually discovered that there is a crisis in science. But what is the problem? And how bad is it, really? Today on The Corbett Report we shine a spotlight on the series of interrelated crises that are exposing the way institutional science is practiced today, and what it means for an increa
The Crisis of Science
In recent years, the public has gradually discovered that there is a crisis in science. But what is the problem? And how bad is it, really? Today on The Corbett Report we shine a spotlight on the series of interrelated crises that are exposing the way institutional science is practiced today, and what it means for an increasingly science-dependent society.
Young Blood, Dog DNA, MSM Death Watch – New World Next Week
This week on the New World Next Week: FDA cracks down on young blood infusions; dog dna testing generates controversy; and the dinosaur media is on death watch.
Interview 1423 – Vinnie Caggiano on Beatles Conspiracies
[audio mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2019-02-25%20Vinnie%20Caggiano.mp3"][/audio] Vinnie Caggiano (aka Vincognito) joins us to discuss everyone's favourite subjects: The Beatles and conspiracy theories. From the wacky to the laughable to the thought-provoking, join us for this surprisingly thorough dissection of conspiracy lore surrounding The Beatles and their place in the manufactured m

A CLOSER LOOK: JODY PATERSON

Flying over Fish City: The Movie
Apart from the sunshine, heat, nice people and good food down here in Honduras, where we are vacationing until March 10, I am mad for the snorkelling. Utila is a small, rustic island (think Hornby Island, if you're from BC) on the Caribbean coast. It's the remarkably less touristy sister island to Roatan, and one of my favourite places in the world for chilling out for a few weeks in the dead of w

AMUSED CYNICISM

ANGOLA 3 NEWS

A3 Newsletter: So Much to Celebrate
( PHOTO: Guests of King and Kenyatta's home-warming last month. From left to right, General Rico, Deidre, Donna, Robert, Angela, Albert, Gwendolyn and Malik .) A3 Newsletter: So Much to Celebrate Happy Anniversary! At long, long, long last... From 1998 to 2016, we sent a newsletter annually commemorating another year that King, Herman and Albert remained in prison. It is such a great joy to be ab

ARMSCONTROLWONK

Ending the Korean War
This post is authored by Shea Cotton The upcoming Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi has revived the prospect of formally ending the Korean War. Much of the ongoing conversation presents this possibility only in vague terms, or focuses on whether Trump should make some type of peace “declaration”. There has been a lot of discussion on this specific option …
War Drums on the Subcontinent (Again)
Quote of the week: “Some look for scapegoats, others look for conspiracies, but this much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleansing of our society can remove this sickness from our land.” – Robert Kennedy, April 5, 1968 in Cleveland, one day after Martin Luther King’s assassination Imran Khan has …
The Demise of the INF and the Munich Security Conference
Judging from Twitter, the Munich Security Conference is talking about the demise of the INF Treaty. Jeffrey, back in California after his sojourn to Vermont and Aaron revisit INF pods of the past to focus on what really matters: Getting Taylor Swift to cover Nena’s 99 Luftballoons. Previous Podcast Episodes about this Topic: INF Basing …
The DPRK’s Monuments Men
Many observers have noted that North Korea’s external propaganda shifted over the course of 2018 as nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles were replaced with an emphasis on economic development. Notably, North Korea’s military parade on September 9 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK did not include any long-range missiles associated with the …
Cleaning Up Trash
Verse of the week: Long, too long America, Traveling roads all even and peaceful you learn’d from joys and prosperity only, But now, ah now, to learn from crises of anguish, advancing, grappling with direst fate and recoiling not, And now to conceive and show to the world what your children en-masse really are — …
The 2019 Nuclear Threat Assessment for South Asia
Quote of the week: “India’s rapidly worsening air pollution is causing about 1.1 million people to die prematurely each year and is now surpassing China’s as the deadliest in the world, a new study of global air pollution shows… Deaths caused by air pollution grew to 4.2 million in 2015 from 3.5 million in 1990. — …

BUCKDOG

Senator Dave Tkachuk (former Principal Secretary to Saskatchewan Premier Grant Devine) Calls For Liberals To Be Killed
There is something VERY wrong with Right Wing thinking in Canada .. it is becoming more extreme, more violent and more intolerant of democracy. Here is Saskatchewan Conservative Senator Tkachuk demanding that protesting truckers KILL members / supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada!! This is totally unacceptable in our Canadian society & democracy!!! Senator Tkachuk was the former Principal Sec

CRAIG MURRAY

UK Rejects International Court of Justice Opinion on the Chagos Islands
In parliament, Alan Duncan for the government has just rejected yesterday’s stunning result at the International Court of Justice, where British occupation of the Chagos Islands was found unlawful by a majority of 13 to 1, with all the judges from EU countries amongst those finding against the UK. This represents a serious escalation in the UK’s rejection of multilateralism and international law
The Funny Tinge Group Ltd is a Boon to the SNP
It did not take me long to be proved right about this tweet, as the Funny Tinge Group Ltd was immediately promoted to a seat on BBC Question Time, and are going to be there next week too. The BBC no longer has Westminster’s third party on QT every week, or given much airtime on other news and current affairs programmes, on the grounds the SNP are a “regional body” and thus not entitled to the con
Democracy and the Corrupt Seven
I have heard it argued again and again on television this last 48 hours that it is deeply undemocratic for the electorate to be offered a choice that is any more complicated than between Red Tories and Blue Tories. It is apparently unthinkable and deeply wrong that Corbyn’s standard German style social democracy – which is routinely labeled “hard left” and “communist” – should be proffered to vot
When is a British Person Not British?
The attitude to immigrants which is betrayed by the stripping of citizenship from Shamima Begum is truly appalling. A British citizen, born in the UK, is deemed to be a citizen of another country they have never seen, because their immigrant parents came from there. To refuse to accept first generation Britons are Britons, as in Windrush, was bad enough. To claim that second generation Britons ar
From Karachi to Caracas
I am finding Karachi an interesting place from which to view the world. Four US Presidents have visited Pakistan – Eisenhower, Nixon, Clinton and Bush Jr. Each of them visited a military dictator, in the friendliest of terms. No American President has ever visited a civilian government of Pakistan. The Americans have always been far too busy plotting the next coup. More recent neo-con practice ha
Craig is in Jacobabad
Just a quick note to say that Craig has been in contact and he is fine but currently in Jacobabad, Pakistan with no reliable internet access. He knows some people have been wondering if all is okay, so this post is just to confirm all’s well and he’ll be back online when he can. Site Admin. The post Craig is in Jacobabad appeared first on Craig Murray .

DR CINTLI

Maya Maiz Conf March 1 Event: Yazmin Novelo & Online art auction
The featured artwork today in support of the Maya Maiz Conference on April 24th-28th in Arizona is "Maizyolotl" by Mario Chacon. Chacon is an educator and a long time Chicano movement activist going back to the 1960s. After going to school at UCLA, he later moved to San Diego where he has been painting for many, many years. This particular piece pays homage to the sacred Maiz of this continent. I

FREE PLANET

Star Citizen - sandbox gaming vs scripted gaming
CIG asleep at the wheel... ..why the hell are the makers of Star Citizen not spotting this? They've got telemetry, server-time, play-styles and preferred content of EVERYONE WHO'S IN THE 'VERSE right now. And why are they not seeing that Sandbox Gameplay run by the Players for the Players is the only thing the majority of them are interested in? 50-man battles. Pirate-bounty missions. Drug courie
Settled Science Cosmology: where do these people go to school?
this is the best question Don Scott of the Electric Universe 'natural philosophers' Group has ever asked, "Where do these people go to school?" and by 'these people' he means the imbeciles who religiously chant the same old cosmological collision/gravity sermon. Well, I'll tell you where they, they go to CIS or CORPORATE INDOCTRINATION SCHOOL, "Science is a religion," now. Nothing more. Nothing le
Star Citizen: still can't work out what it's supposed to be...
slave up, bitches six years down the terminal development road, "Still can't work out what Star Citizen's supposed to be?" Is it a team game? Is it a slave renderer? Is it a racing, flying, swimming, stamina sport? Is it a way to spend a few hours with friends you like? Is it a never-ending ever-expanding second-life simulator with all the essential life-values and implications of simulated reali
Star Citizen: twenty short stories
clean HUD with Free Look QETing Not really happy with the way CIG are treating their multiplayer game Star Citizen, so I decided to write my own shor stories, twenty of them, to illustrate how delicious I think Star Citizen could be - if only they were making an interactive sandbox... so, I've just resurrected at Levski, and I've left my skanky hab, and I'm running down the corridors... I'm never
Electric Universe - mainstream cosmology starting to accept - electricity pervades space
this is great news: looks like mainstream cosmology and physics publications are now publishing more and more articles PROVING that this is an Electric Universe. It's taking a while to get concensus, but I think we'll get there. The explosion-gravity model is dead. Long live the Electric Universe.

GRASS BASED HEALTH

Sodfather on Diet Doctor Podcast!
Thank you, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt for posting (and for all you're doing throught Diet Doctor !) and thanks to Dr. Bret Scher for the interview. That was fun! A transcript has been prepared and posted here. If you're interested in the Low Carb or Ketongenic diets, I recommend Dr. Eenfeldt's excellent website. Great information is available for free, with more available by subscription. Sodfather app

GREG MANKIW'S BLOG

If you are in North Carolina...
...you can hear me speak on Wednesday of this week. Click here for information .
Econ Theory Summer Camp
Graduate students with an interest in economic theory and/or finance will be interested in this opportunity , run by my colleague Eric Maskin.
Campbell McConnell
With sadness, I note the passing of economist Campbell McConnell . I never met him, but it is hard not to be impressed. He wrote the first edition his introductory textbook around 1960, and it has been one of the best-sellers ever since. Even today, about 60 years later in its 21st edition, it is the main competitor of my favorite textbook . Here is an old NY Times article about his book, when its
Ec 10 Guest Lecturers
Here are the guest lecturers for ec 10 this semester. How many do you recognize? (Click on image to enlarge.)

LAND DESTROYER

US Defeat in Syria: The Wrong End of "Might Makes Right"
February 23, 2019 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - With Damascus and its allies firmly in control of Syria and its future – the war having been decided on the ground rather than "politically" as envisioned by Western politicians, media, and policymakers - the US proxy war against Syria has all but failed. Despite the obvious defeat - and as contemporary American history has illustrated - the US will u
This Map Shows a Trillion-Dollar Reason Why US is Backing Terrorism in Western China
February 26, 2019 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - As part of a larger, concerted effort to encircle and contain China, an ongoing disinformation campaign has been waged by the Western media against Beijing's massive global infrastructure building spree known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). A recent and particularly appalling example of this comes from a Business Insider article titled, " This
Is China Building a "Police State" or Countering Western-sponsored Terrorism?
February 1, 2019 ( Joseph Thomas - NEO ) - Recent headlines across American and European news agencies have focused on the rise of a so-called Chinese "police state," specifically in regards to security infrastructure put in place in China's western region of Xinjiang. Articles like Bloomberg's " Inside the Vast Police State at the Heart of China’s Belt and Road " and the Economist's " China has
Yemen: US "Accidentally" Arming Al Qaeda (Again)
February 15, 2019 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - US weapons are once again falling into the hands of militants fighting in one of Washington's many proxy wars - this time in Yemen - the militants being fighters of local Al Qaeda affiliates. CNN in its article, " Sold to an ally, lost to an enemy ," would admit: Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have transferred American-made weapons to al Qaed
Who Gains from Turning Europe into a Potential Nuclear Battlefield?
February 20, 2019 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - The United States and its NATO partners are attempting to make the case for Washington's decision to abandon the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Claims that the Russian Federation has been violating the treaty have yet to be substantiated with anything resembling credible evidence. Also missing is any rational explanation as to why Rus
The US Syria Withdrawal and the Myth of the Islamic State's "Return"
February 7, 2019 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - At face value - the notion that the US occupation of Syria is key to preventing the return of the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS) to Syrian territory is unconvincing. Regions west of the Euphrates River where ISIS had previously thrived have since been permanently taken back by the Syrian Arab Army and its Russian and Iranian allies - quite obviously

LEFT I ON THE NEWS

Headlines for Feb. 22, 2018
Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted time slot. Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Feb. 22, 2019 *Threatening U.S., Putin Promises Russians Both Missiles and Butter https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/20/world/europe/russia-missile-threat.html “doubling down on threats against the United
Headlines for Feb. 15, 2019
Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted time slot. Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Feb. 15, 2019 U.S. Sanctions Are Aimed at Venezuela’s Oil. Its Citizens May Suffer First. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/world/americas/venezuela-sanctions-maduro.html There’s no “may” about it, and
Headlines for Feb. 8, 2019
Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted time slot. Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Feb. 8, 2019 Who’s Afraid of Socialism? The new Democratic agenda sure looks like government control over the means of production. https://www.wsj.com/articles/whos-afraid-of-socialism-11549498364 [WSJ
Headlines for Feb. 1, 2019
Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio . Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted time slot. Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Feb. 1, 2019 Donald Trump’s ‘Axis of Evil’: Pompeo, Bolton & Abrams https://www.mintpressnews.com/venezuela-donald-trump-axis-of-evil-pompeo-bolton-abrams/254289/ Headline of the week The GOP has become

MIDDLE CLASS POLITICAL ECONOMIST

Amazon defeated in New York; more to come
In the biggest ever defeat for a subsidized project in history, Amazon announced yesterday that it was canceling its planned half of HQ2 for New York City, which was to receive subsidies worth at least $3.133 billion . After facing months of public opposition, the company provided a Valentine's Day present in the form of capitulation. Amazon showed that, like Electrolux, its efforts to extract max
Electrolux closing Memphis plant; Economic development malpractice leaves Tennesse holding the bag
On January 31, Electrolux announced (h/t Alan Freeman, ipolitics.ca ) that it would be closing its new (2012) factory in Memphis, Tennessee, by the end of 2020. This facility, you may recall, was a subsidized relocation from L'Assomption, Quebec (a Montreal suburb) that had an aid intensity of at least 99%! Yes, Tennessee state and local governments gave Electrolux a free factory ($188.3 million a
Foxconn is flailing in Wisconsin (Insert your joke here.)
In what may end up as the biggest economic development failure in U.S. history, Foxconn announced Wednesday that its $10 billion Wisconsin factory will not be a factory. Instead, the company says, it will still create 13,000 jobs, but these will be research jobs rather than manufacturing ones. I'll believe it when I see it. Accompanied by an almost $4.8 billion subsidy package as estimated by Good

MIDDLE EAST TODAY

The Global Weather Changes and its Negative Impact on the Arab World
Recently the Arab World Council on Water met in Cairo on February 8, 2019 to discuss the present water shortage in Arab countries. Egypt which is the most populated country in the Arab world, is classified as water poverty stricken. Most of its water, 95%, come from the Nile River which starts beyond its national borders. The other two major rivers in the Arab world, the Euphrates and Tigers rive

NOT QUITE UNHINGED

It's harder to quit then I thought....
Once you kick the Twitter habit, you realize how much of a habit it really was. It's ingrained in me to look for the (now deleted) Twitter app on my phone, launch a twitter tab in my web browser, etc. etc. I still catch myself doing it over 72 hours later. Another surprising effect. I am sleeping better. I've now had 4 straight nights of good solid sleep. I can't remember the last time that
And I'm done...
Done with Social Media. Done with all of it. It was fun at the beginning, but it's not anymore. I will miss many of you, but this is Goodbye.

OBSIDIAN WINGS

Reparations
by wj I’d been thinking about a post on the topic. Both the more usual (relatively speaking) position on concerning blacks for slavery, and Senator Warren’s recent comment regarding Native Americans. Then 538 came along and gave me a hook to hang it on: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-americans-think-about-reparations-and-other-race-related-questions/ The first, obvious, and generally i
Some thoughts on anthem protesting
by liberal japonicus Of course, right after Russell posts, I get an article that pushes me to post. Never fails. Eight players from the Ole Miss men's basketball team knelt during the national anthem before Saturday's home game against Georgia in response to a Confederacy rally near the arena. We've never had a discussion about the whole kneeling during the anthem thing, partly because sports isn
land, spreading out so far and wide...
by russell This popped up on my FB feed, courtesy of a friend who is an architectural engineer. It's a breakdown of how land is used in the lower 48. I have no point to make about it, I just found it fascinating. Some interesting (to me, anyway) points: urban areas - 3.6% of land area, 80% of the people live there only about 20% of crop land is used to grow stuff that humans actually eat more tha
How to handicap the 2020 Democratic Primary: a view from the base
by Doctor Science If you're going to do horse race journalism , at least do it right. I'm writing as a long-time member of the Democratic Party base, a rank-and-file voter and regular volunteer. There are certain factors that come up when I and other Democrats talk about 2020, talk that began months ago. Now we're entering the invisible primary, with more discussion to sort out which candidates w
(In)Security – Weekend Open Thread
by wj These musings about the American approach to security are not actually motivated by this week’s activities around Trump’s fantasy wall and its supporters. Although there are some obvious implications. Rather, they stem from the trip I took last week to Brussels. Specifically, about my observations concerning airport security in Europe, as opposed to at US airports. One obvious difference is
Invisible
by JanieM The summer after my sophomore year in high school I bought the junior math textbook, taught myself Algebra II and Trig, and asked if I could take senior math that year. The principal – let’s call him Father S – was reluctant to allow it, but my math teacher, Mrs. W, was supportive. In the face of Father S’s reluctance, Mrs. W gave me a test, which I aced, after which she told Father S t

ORWELL'S BASTARD

The Yellow Vests of Canada. Aren't they ADORABLE?
I know, I know. Maybe I'm getting too old for this shit. Maybe I found another hobby. Who knows? But I just couldn't not share the wit and wisdom to be found in this -- hey! Who said "paranoid fever swamp?" I'll thank you not to finish my sentences for me, and -- hey! Who said "wannabe MAGAheads?" That's just rude ! Patriotic Canadians™, top to bottom, they are. Ask them about George Soros next.

PAYING ATTENTION

My Tyee piece: Budget’s inequality measures a start, but more progress depends on us
Governments don’t talk about inequality much these days. The B.C. government’s Throne Speech didn’t even include the word. And while the provincial budget took useful steps to address growing inequality, it also showed how decades of anti-tax rhetoric have limited governments’ options — at least if they hope to get re-elected. Take the BC Child Opportunity Benefit, the initiative most clearly tar

REAL HISTORY BLOG

The Washington Post tells the truth about the RFK asssassination
Every now and then, someone steps up and becomes a media hero. Today, the hero is Washington Post report Tom Jackman. He's been on the True Crime beat for decades and has a Pulitzer Prize to his credit. He is the only reporter who has dared to report on my work as the serious news event that it is, and for that I will be forever grateful. This isn't about me. This is about his work. He took the

SARDONICKY

Those Poor, Put-Upon Corporate Democrats
In the guise of a concern-trolling piece about the plight of Democratic "moderates" within a party moving left, the New York Times has once again managed to correlate socialism with anti-Semitism. This false narrative, of which British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn was heretofore the most prominent villain, turns on its ear the historical and actual association of fascism and anti-Semitism. On this
Kids Over Capitalism
Since presidential contender Elizabeth Warren recently asserted that she is "a capitalist to my bones," it should come as no surprise that her plan for universal child care in the United States is modeled on the market-based kludge known as Obamacare. Rather than the government-run systems operating in other social democratic countries, Warren's plan is predicated upon government payments to for-
Coup-Coup For Democracy
Mere hours after unleashing a series of angry tweets accusing the FBI of plotting a coup to overthrow him, Donald Trump managed to get in a leisurely round of golf at his Florida club before going the Feds one better and showing them who's still the boss. You see, the FBI planned their coup in the dark. Trump actually staged a televised rally in broad daylight on President's Day, no less, to offi
New York Times Calls Yellow Vests An "Invasion"
The protesters of France certainly have a nerve. The New York Times editorial board grouses that not only do they lack the requisite leader, a set of specific demands, or a detailed political platform, the Yellow Vests "show no signs of ending their weekly invasions of the capital any time soon." The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "invasion" as: 1) an act of invading, especially incurs
Breaking Up With #Russiagate Is Hard To Do
Caught up in a thorny Russophobic propaganda trap of their own making, Democratic presidential contenders are feebly trying extricate themselves from it without getting too badly scratched in the process. Ignoring, if not outright disowning, designated national hero Robert Mueller is especially hard to do when most of the corporate news "resistance" to Trump in the last two years has revolved aro
State of the Bunion 2019: The Heel That Spurred
I used to have such fun deconstructing Barack Obama's State of the Union speeches, digging under the multiple layers of obfuscation and soaring double-talk and platitudes to finally arrive at the essential neoliberal message of reassurance to the Masters of the Universe. W ith Donald Trump , though, there is no such need to parse. What you hear is what you get. And fact-checking is a wasted effor

SCREW YOU GUYS, I'M GOING HOME

Can My Employer Enforce A Noncompete Agreement I Never Signed?
Many times, employees ask me if their employer can enforce a noncompete or nonsolicitation agreement they never signed. The short answer is no, at least in Florida. The Florida noncompete statute says: (1) Notwithstanding s. 542.18 and subsection (2), enforcement of contracts that restrict or prohibit competition during or after the term of restrictive covenants, so long as such contracts are reas
Age Discrimination In Hiring Is (Mostly) Illegal. Here Are 3 Ways To Prove It
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals says it is not illegal to refuse to hire older employees . They followed the 11th Circuit in this. Fortunately for those of you not living in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia or Alabama, age discrimination in hiring is still illegal under Federal law, until the Supreme Court says otherwise. It's also still illegal here in Florida and other states that
How To Tell If You Were Targeted For Layoff Due To Age
Layoffs seem to come in waves, and I'm seeing more of them right after the holidays, and there have been some big layoff announcements . If another recession kicks in, we'll see even more. Older employees, along with the disabled and pregnant employees, are the most targeted employees in layoffs. There seems to be an assumption that the "old guys" will be retiring soon anyhow so it doesn't matter.
If My Office Is Closed Due To Snow Or Ice, Do I Get Paid?
It's that time of year again. With 75% of the country getting hit by the polar vortex , I thought I'd better re-run this ever-popular and necessary piece. Whether you’re entitled to be paid when the office is closed depends on whether you are “exempt” salaried or not. Just being salaried doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t entitled to overtime. It’s possible to be salaried and still non-exempt fro

THE HIGH-FAT HEP C DIET

Two important new papers on climate change.
People in the LCHF community can be resistant to considering climate change and greenhouse gas levels because this argument can be used to shift the goalposts in a clumsy, overt fashion in order to sidestep the evidence on health and keep everyone eating nutrient-poor diets. Our critics even use these manufactured opportunities to resuscitate their zombie saturated fat and TMAO hypotheses, knowin

THE STRAIGHT GOODS

Sounds of the Orca........A Straights Goods Muse
Written by grant G Sometimes even slushy wet snow can send one's mind to drift, to times of youth, to times with family. .. Friday morning, too much unexpected snow, with regular visitors and a long steep path down to the house snow-clearing was a must, yikes, even cleared and salted the snow overwhelms.... 4 inches of snow between morning and noon, enough to keep me hopping then it stops in a bl
Steelhead LNG is Wanting the BC Government to Build them a pipeline to Vancouver Island's Westcoast using taxpayer dollars
Written by Grant G As many of you must have heard......Steelhead LNG has stopped all activity at their proposed "Floating LNG plant" Sarita Bay location. This is not a surprise, this proposal was always a ponzi scheme, a pump and dump operation... Contrary to media reports, Steelhead LNG is NOT an LNG company, they have no assets, no lng infrastructure, they have no part of any energy operation,
Keith Baldrey,Michael Smyth,Sean Leslie,STOOGES
This article was posted by me March 14th/2010......9 years ago...Today, February 13th/2019...Vaughn Palmer finally reported on the crimes the BC Liberals foisted on BC Hydro ratepayer..and wild salmon....the thing is..Where was Vaughn Palmer a decade ago...how come I knew, Norm Farrell....but Vaughn Palmer legislative reporter didn't?...Vaughn knew..so did Bill Good and Keith Baldrey..and Michael

THWAP'S SCHOOLYARD

The SNC-Lavalin "Non-Scandal"
Just so we're clear: The "Deferred Prosecutions Agreements" thing was quietly slipped into a Liberal omnibus bill and received no public scrutiny. DPA's were desired by SNC-Lavalin : There, a giant engineering multinational — SNC Lavalin — is engaged in a campaign to import deferred agreements into Canada. Why? Well, for one thing, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has charged the SNC Lavalin and
Dupes n' Super Radicals
I liked this recent CounterPunch essay by Patrick Walker: " Venezuelan Coup Democrats Vomit on Green New Deal. " In it, Walker argues that any activist group that utlilizes electoral politics in its campaigns needs to call-out those politicians when they support such abominations as regime change in Venezuela. For those of us leftists who put faith in politically oriented movements—like the Sunri
How To Transition To A Sustainable Society
I'm a Canadian. Which means I live in a country strongly influenced by British parliamentary traditions and British history. It also means I'm heavily influenced by US-American political and social history. And, obviously, US-American traditions were heavily based on British ones. The long and the short of it is that Canada is an heir to a politics of "gradualism" (at least since the 17th Century
Random Musings About the Wilson-Raybould Affair
Ah, what the hell. Here we go: I wasn't too aware of the existence of Jody Wilson-Raybould, until Canada's first Indigenous Attorney General was demoted to Veteran's Affairs. This happened right before lying scum-bag Justin Trudeau was going to begin implementing his policy of respectful, nation-to-nation relations with Canada's First Nations, all in the spirit of reconciliation and of honouring
Niki Ashton Displays Wisdom on Venezuela Crisis: Media Shits Itself
[If only I'd worked harder and gotten this out sooner! The whole Venezuelan Regime-Change farce would have collapsed! Unable to convince myself that blogging isn't a waste of time, I hemmed and hawed and procrastinated for so 

No comments: