Tuesday, December 31, 2013

31 Dec - Blogs I'm Following

9:59am MST

Inside The Surge An Interview With Prof Peter Mansoor Former Executive Officer To Gen Petraeus

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 22 minutes ago
The Surge in Iraq created a huge controversy in American politics when it started in 2007. There were arguments about whether the U.S. should send in more troops or withdraw its forces to solve Iraq’s increasing chaos. Since then there has been a lively discussion about how much of a factor the Surge was in combination with other events such as the sectarian cleansing of Baghdad, the Anbar Awakening, the Sons of Iraq, Moqtada al-Sadr’s cease fire, and more in reducing the violence in the country. To provide an inside view of the Surge is Professor Peter Mansoor the General Raymon... more »

#Commoncore opponents, a word please.

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 29 minutes ago
In recent weeks, I’ve seen a surge in Common Core opposition that is focused on the micro-examination of individual classroom assignments. Let me be clear at the outset: I oppose the Common Core State Standards. We’re clear on that, correct? All right. I’ve observed some interactions on a Facebook page called “Inappropriate Common Core Lessons.” the […]

BACK TO THE REAL STORY

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 52 minutes ago
Native News Online reports: One hundred and twenty-three winters ago, on December 29, 1890, some 150 Lakota men, women and children were massacred by the US 7th Calvary Regiment near Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Some estimate the actual number closer to 300. Snowfall was heavy that December week. The Lakota ancestors killed that day were left in brutal frigid wintry plains of the reservation before a burial party came to bury them in one mass grave. The photograph of Big Foot’s frozen and contorted body is a symbol for all American Indians of what happ... more »

Zionism, White Supremacy and the House of Bush

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 hour ago
*UN General Assembly Resolution 3379: * *Determines* that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination. *"As vice president, he personally spearheaded Operation Joshua, the 1985 rescue of Ethiopian Jewry, and was involved in every step of the U.S. military's manning and execution of that mission."* United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/86 "The General Assembly Decides to revoke the determination contained in its resolution 3379 (XXX) of 10 November 1975." *3379 (XXX). Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination* *The General Assembly,* *Recalling* its re... more »

Why Is Maryland taking Florida’s Place as PARCC Henchman?

educationalchemy at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 hour ago
By Morna McDermott http://www.educationalchemy Set out runnin’ but I take my time, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine -Grateful Dead- Is this any way to start off a new year? Are you scratching you head wondering…wondering why it is that Maryland has decided to become the PARCC fiscal agent? First of all, what […]

@johnkuhntx guest post: Five New Years Resolutions for Public Education Supporters

Timothy D. Slekar at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 hour ago
By: John Kuhn 2013 was a pivotal year for parents, teachers and students who support a free public education for American children. In California, Governor Jerry Brown refused to over-test the state’s students to satisfy bureaucratic demands for data, even in the face of federal threats to withhold Title 1 education funding. In Seattle, Jesse Hagopian and […]

New Unexplained Crop Circle Discovered In California (Videos)

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 hour ago
California Crop Circle... This looks an awful like an INTEL Pentium III chip in the middle....*I don't know if this a real crop circle, they are not common in California, and given the level of high tech in California and GPS steered farm equipment, producing such things with a tractor is not out of the question, and this is an INTEL Pentium CPU chip inside the circle... and then there's the 2nd video which shows some plasma like activity which has been seen in Wiltshire UK at crop circles there - but it has a "Blair Witch Project" movie vibe to it... hard to know... my reaction to ... more »

LAND OF SCRIPT: The Times reports!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 hour ago
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2013* *Part 2—The script about Benghazi:* In our view, Paul Krugman has been the nation’s Most Valuable Journalist over the past many years. Nine years ago, he was on a productive path, directed by an incomparable guide who only had at heart his not getting lost. For the Frost reference, just click this. Here’s what Krugman said: KRUGMAN (8/3/04): *Reading the Script* A message to my fellow journalists: check out media watch sites like campaigndesk.org, mediamatters.org and dailyhowler.com. It's good to see ourselves as others see us. *I've been finding The D... more »

Rep. Trey Gowdy: New York Times Doing PR Work For Hillary...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 hour ago
*"I want to congratulate the New York Times. It only took 15 months for them to figure out how to spell Benghazi. So in another 15 months maybe their reporting will actually catch up with the truth."*

The LFTR/Thorium Paradigm

Charles Barton at The Nuclear Green Revolution - 1 hour ago
*This post was written for the lamented Oil Drum, a blog that focused on resources, or the lack there of. This essay should be considered an homage to Kirk Sorensen. At the time I was working closely with Kirk. I felt it important to make his ideas known. TheLiquid Floride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) is Kirks Brand. It is the name kirk chose for the Molten Salt thorium breeder, inown in Oak Ridge as the MSBR, and elsewhere as the TMSR. Kirk asked me to make the brand name better known, and while I was being supportive of him, I wrote mainly about the LFTR/thorium paradigm.* *The LF... more »

New Year’s Resolutions from the State of Arizona

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 1 hour ago
A new sunrise New Year’s Resolutions from the State of Arizona: #1 Force President Obama and Attorney General Holder to come to Arizona to visit Operation Streamline…. so that we can permanently shut it down, with or without the assistance or actions of the above: *End this criminalization, dehumanization and for-profit scam!* #2 Force President Obama and Attorney General Holder to come to the border itself, including both, the killing fields and the militarized border walls. He needs to witness the effect of his own policies. *Bring the Wall... more »

Maryland Takes Florida’s Place-Why?

educationalchemy at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 hour ago
Post by Morna McDermott- http://www.educationalchemy.com Set out runnin’ but I take my time, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine -Grateful Dead- Is this any way to start off a new year? Are you scratching you head wondering…wondering why it is that Maryland has decided to become the PARCC fiscal agent? First of all, […]

Tristram Hunt on Education and Immigration

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 hour ago
"Just as broken clocks are right twice a day, even the *Daily Telegraph*occasionally prints the truth." I can't remember who coined it, but it's a cliche so commonplace that to cite it is to patronise one's audience. Unfortunately, that is what I'm going to do about the reception this ridiculous article received among people who really should know better. First things first, I have a current and former interest to declare. Tristram is my Member of Parliament. He's also my former employer. Right, that's out the way. On Saturday the *Telegraph* published snippets of an interview with ... more »

New Year's Eve Mix

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 2 hours ago
For the last hour of 2013. Note - play bottom to top... or top to bottom, or in any order, what do I care?

Knowledge Is Their Enemy

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 2 hours ago
Since they came to power, the Harperites have insisted that there are all kinds of things we can't afford. Their latest claim is that six Department of Fisheries and Oceans libraries no longer serve a purpose. In the digital age, they argue, the libraries simply take up space. But Andrew Nikiforuk writes that a secret government memo reveals that the government's claim has nothing to do with digitizing books: In fact, the document, a compendium of cuts to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans that can be read in its entirety at the bottom of this story, mentions only the "cullin... more »

2014: Will the Left Pull Their Heads Out of Their Asses?

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 2 hours ago
Will leftists finally figure out that an afternoon's protest isn't worth the energy that goes into organizing it? Will leftists finally figure out that if they believe that the government is comprised of psychopathic, inhuman murderers, then peaceful protest is useless? Will leftists finally figure out that if the state is a conglomeration of power-mad psychotic, inhuman, selfish murderers, armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry and forewarned by a massive surveillance network, ... that smashing a few windows isn't going to do shit against it? Will leftists finally clue in to ... more »

Egypt's Counter Revolution: As the Army solidifies power

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 2 hours ago
*Op-ed from NYT's* CAIRO — Egyptians who frequently take the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road have lately noticed tha*t the fee they usually pay to toll collectors now goes to the Ministry of Defense.* In a press conference in November*, the Minister of Transportation announced one of the armed forces’ companies had been granted legal rights, for 50 years, to develop the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road.* *The army, a state within a state that used to protect its interests from the shadows, is now taking bolder steps to cement its power and asserting, increasingly overtly, that it is accoun... more »

Tears Of Blood

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 2 hours ago
I didn't know when I would be able to write about this. It feels too raw in my system right now-- raw and not fully digested. When the standard Foder/Frommer/Lonely Planet guide books tell you what to do if you only have two days in Quito, they all mention Oswaldo Guayasamín's Capilla del Hombre (Chapel of Man). Maybe it was just the circumstances of the day but it was one of the most spiritually moving museums I've ever visited, beyond even Jesus' reputed birthplace in Bethlehem. A tribute to all the people of Latin America, Guayasamín's incredible art-- reminiscent of Picasso-m... more »

Gary Rubinstein on TFA and CC: Plus Predictions for 2014 and 2024!

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 3 hours ago
In his Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 2: Elisa Villanueva-Beard and Matt Kramer, Gary Rubinstein is primarily confronting the new leadership at Teach for America—and I recommend your reading the entire post—but I want to highlight what I think is a very succinct and accurate challenge to supporting Common Core: [click to enlarge] Rubinstein […]

Just Because Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Survived Doesn't Mean You Have Free Speech At Work

Donna Ballman at Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home - 3 hours ago
Unless you've been out of the country for the holidays, you probably heard about the brouhaha over *Duck Dynasty* patriarch Phil Robertson's anti-gay and racist comments. He was interviewed by GQ and made comments that got him suspended indefinitely by A&E Television Networks, LLC. That caused an uproar, with petitions from Robertson supporters flying and claims that A&E violated his First Amendment rights. He was then reinstated. Does this mean that you should let loose with your beliefs about race, women, gays, or religion at work or in your public social media? Heck no. You proba... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 3 hours ago
*Saints embracing anything can happen attitude ~Bradley Handwringer, WWLTV * *Ani DiFranco's plantation retreat canceled after online protests ~Alison Fensterstock* ~Editilla Hotellas~ I can't stand most of Mz DiFranco's bitchy angst'filled creepola fans. Hence, I got 2 tickets to see her perform at House of Blues, Jan 4th. because I've been enjoying her music since she was relentlessly driving around the country, selling her hand-made vinyl records (large round disks with small holes) out of the trunk of her beat-up little car. She is one of the most absolutely motherfucking badass ... more »

I'm switching to Malaysia Airlines

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 3 hours ago
Malaysia Airlines have banned under12s from the upper deck of their Airbus 380s. Please British Airways do the same for the upper deck of 747s and one cabin of each class. Meanwhile WestJet almost got my vote to, but it was an April's Fool

Strand Hit Record Sales in the Forest of Words

Martyn Daniels at Brave New World - 4 hours ago
DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG The Strand Bookstore in New York announces record sales over the Christmas period with the Monday before Christmas registering the biggest sales in its 86 year history. The Strand is The New York Bookstore and is run by the legendary and good friend Fred Bass and his daughter Nancy. They sell books; used, new, remaindered, high ticket and antiquarian and low priced bargains. It is an emporium of bookselling which has often featured in films, TV and been cited by many. Today with the well reported troubles of its neighbours at Barnes and Nobles and the often ... more »

Thieves target ATMs - news way to rob the bank..... Not just here in the US but apparently a global criminal agenda !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
Thieves In Europe Are Using USB Sticks To Clean Out ATMs [image: The Telegraph] Matthew Sparkes, THE TELEGRAPH 54 MINUTES AGO 0 - - inShare - - - EMAIL - MORE *[image: Thumb Drive Wide]bfishadow via Flickr* *A gang of thieves targeted cash machines belonging to an unnamed European bank by uploading malicious software that would spit out banknotes on command* Criminals targeted a string of cash machines by cutting holes in the fascia to reach a USB port and upload malicious code that would spit out banknotes on command. Speakers at the Chaos Computing Congress... more »

Hamas in their own words

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 5 hours ago
The ultimate goal of the Hamas movement is to establish Islam worldwide, Hamas minister Fathi Hammad declared during a recent public address in Gaza. “We shall liberate our land, Allah willing. We shall liberate our Al-Aqsa Mosque, and our cities and villages, as a prelude to the establishment of the future Islamic Caliphate. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are at the threshold of a global Islamic civilization era,” Hammad proclaimed. “The fuel and spearhead of this era will be Gaza, and its mujahideen and leaders will be from Gaza, Allah willing,” he added. He then appealed to... more »

Thailand: Protest Leaders Demand Justice for Fallen Protesters and Policeman

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 6 hours ago
*December 31, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - On December 26, 2013, in Din Daeng district, Bangkok where protesters clashed with police in an attempt to disrupt the regime's sham elections in which only Thaksin Shinawatra's illegitimate political party will run unopposed, there were two deaths and scores injured. The moment Police Sergeant Major Narong Pitisit was injured, the regime's propagandists began exploiting his and his family's tragedy by immediately blaming protesters battling police in the streets. He would later die, and immediately, the regime made a political spectacle out ... more »

Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline And Stephen \harper`s Con Party, Both Going Down Hard!

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 6 hours ago
The reckoning of reality merges with delusional future forecasts to create a modern day tragic Shakespearian play, politicos promising a smorgasbord of prosperity, wealth for all, health for all, education, world travel, a lifestyle made for kings and queens, for the rich and famous, for you, for average Dick and Jane, for everyone and all one has to do to receive these heavenly gifts is to accept, allow and endorse unabated resource extraction, to allow pipelines, drilling, water exploitation and the inevitable poisoned environments... A mere 100,000 people in Canada work in re... more »

Thailand: Protest Leaders Demand Justice for Fallen Protesters and Policeman

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 6 hours ago
*December 31, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - On December 26, 2013, in Din Daeng district, Bangkok where protesters clashed with police in an attempt to disrupt the regime's sham elections in which only Thaksin Shinawatra's illegitimate political party will run unopposed, there were two deaths and scores injured. The moment Police Sergeant Major Narong Pitisit was injured, the regime's propagandists began exploiting his and his family's tragedy by immediately blaming protesters battling police in the streets. He would later die, and immediately, the regime made a political spectacle out ... more »

The 10 Best Dance Tunes of 2013

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 6 hours ago
Tradition time. 10. *As We Collide (Orjan Nilsen Remix)* by Christian Burns, Paul Oakenfold and Jes 9. *Need U (100%)* by Duke Dumont feat. A*M*E 8. *Axis* by Pet Shop Boys 7. *Magenta* by Giuseppe Ottaviani with Ferry Corsten 6. *Try to be a Headliner (DoubleV Mashup)* by Jorn van Deynhoven vs Sunlounger feat. Zara Taylor 5. *When a Fire Starts to Burn* by Disclosure 4. *Cheops (Original Mix)* by Matt Bukovski, Andy Elliass and Abys 3. *Ramelia (Tribute to Amelia)* by Ram and Susana 2. *Count On Me* by Chase and Status feat. Moko Just wow. It has been a vintage year all-round... more »

WORKING FOR THE SPOOKS

Anon at aangirfan - 8 hours ago
Above we see Richard Dart, who is white and middle-class. Allegedly Richard Dart became a Moslem and plotted to attack soldiers in Royal Wootton Bassett in the UK. It is assumed, by some, that he was mind-controlled by MI5, and that his role was to make Moslems look bad. RICHARD DART Above we see David Shayler who worked for MI5 and who then became a whistleblower. It is assumed that he has been mind-controlled by MI5. David Shayler has claimed that he is the messiah. Renegade MI5 officer *Khalid Yasin* Khalid Yasin was raised as a Christian in Harlem, New York. He lived ... more »

Farewell To 2013 - You've Served Us Well

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 8 hours ago
*I wish you all a lovely new year in 2014. I would * *think that it will be a fast moving year full of even more changes than 2013. * *The poem below is more of a proposal than a prediction. A nice dream to be formed into a reality by the individual dreamers if and when we so please. In my world view, we are the ones who form human community together. Mother Earth takes care of Herself and the Divine is an eternal source of inspiration.* *Note: The poem below was written over a year ago for the new year of 2013 but is still a good proposal for perhaps the rest of the 21s... more »

"The Daily Mail, it's shit, isn't it?" Ha, ha, ha, ha.

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 8 hours ago
Radio 4 comedians are a notoriously political lot. It's not that surprising then that a whole clutch of them - Mark Steel, "the renowned Jeremy Hardy" and *15 Minute Musical*'s Dave Cohen - is taking part in that dispiriting stunt, 'Bethlehem Unwrapped' (as Sue notes in her previous post.) Not surprising, but still depressing. The majority of Radio 4 comedians are on the Left politically and they aren't shy of expressing their political opinions on BBC programme after BBC programme - from *The News Quiz *to *The Infinite Monkey Cage, *from *The Brig Society *to *The Mark Steel L... more »

Einstein's equations from first law of thermodynamics in AdS

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 9 hours ago
First, Nima Arkani-Hamed (IAS) and Jaroslav Trnka (Caltech) have released another amplituhedron preprint, Into the Amplituhedron, in which they expose the amplituhedron origin of various QFT rules applied to cuts – the unitarity double cut, the multicollinear limit (which explains why the amplitude is sometimes the exponential of something simpler), and other cuts (whose properties emerge from the shape of \(d\)-dimensional faces of the amplituhedron). But there's another intriguing hep-th paper published on the last day of 2013 (even if we overlook the remaining dozens of papers): ... more »

Hermosas postales con mensajes de Año Nuevo 2014

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 9 hours ago

Musical Interlude: Leonard Cohen, "Hallelujah"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 10 hours ago
Leonard Cohen, "Hallelujah" "I did my best, it wasn't much, I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch. I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you. And even though It all went wrong I'll stand before the Lord of Song With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah"

Updates On Syria [12.31]: Syrian Interim Government Seeks To Establish A Presence In Syria, Info About Chemical Weapons Transport Sites Has Been Leaked To Al-Qaeda, Geneva II Conference Is Three Weeks Away

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 11 hours ago
*1. An excerpt from, "Syrian interim government hopes to open offices in Syria" by Mohammad al-Makki Ahmad, Al Monitor, December 30:* *The deputy prime minister of the Syrian interim government, Iyad Qudsi, said that the priority of the government lies in “establishing offices [in Syria] and communicating with our people so as to embrace them.”* He refused to consider the interim government as “a government in exile or a temporary government.” He also talked about “a detailed work program that will be presented before all supporters and the world’s nations, *confirming that this gov... more »

"Fukushima Radiation Hits San Francisco"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 11 hours ago
*"Fukushima Radiation Hits San Francisco"* "This shocking video was taken December 23rd 2013 with a quality Geiger Counter at Pacifica State Beach (Surfers Beach), California. Location:http://bit.ly/1g26Zjm Geiger Counter used: -http://www.geigercounters.com/Inspector.htm Background radiation is 30 CPM. Near the ocean it’s 150 CPM. The fine mist coming from the ocean waves seems to be what makes the Geiger Counter jump". - http://topinfopost.com/2013/12/26/fukushima-radiation-hits-san-francisco ◆ Update, 12/2013: - http://coyoteprime-runningcauseicantfly.blogspot.com/ Fukushima r... more »

With a new year bearing down, braving a bold look into the future

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
XXXX, in the Dec. 23 & 30 *New Yorker* *By some measures, 2014 is already looking like tough times.* *by Ken* Probably you were aware, but we're *just this close* to starting a whole new year. I know it happened last year just about this same time, but that's no help. (Look how *that* turned out!) Naturally it would be nice to have some sort of advance information as to what the new year has in store, so when I stumbled across an invitation -- as I was riffling through my e-mail -- to check out my astrological forecast, I thought I'd click through. What I found was at once more sp... more »

Paul Wellstone More Prescient on Education in 2014

freetoteach at Schools Matter - 13 hours ago
Nine years ago, New Year's Eve 2005, the year I started blogging at SchoolsMatter, I was a graduate student in education and I posted Paul Wellstone's speech from Teacher's College Columbia University in 2000. At the time, before No Child Left Behind became law, Wellstone was a lone voice in Congress, a lone voice in the wilderness in a sea of corruption and ignorance about education policy. Wellstone was also one of a few senators who voted against the War in Iraq. Pass his message on to teachers, parents and students. Pass it on to your local, state and national representatives... more »

Disfruta esta hermosa colección de imágenes del 2014

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 13 hours ago

SAVE THE ARCTIC FROM DIRTY OIL

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 13 hours ago
The video Shell doesn't want you to see from Greenpeace on Vimeo.

goddess

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 14 hours ago
artemis

Walmart's Walton Foundation Doubling Efforts to Privatize K-12 Education

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 14 hours ago
The Walton Foundation remains the leader in the support of school voucher programs, which have consistently demonstrated their failure to provide quality education. What they do provide is consistent with Walmart's plan to offer cheap and shoddy products to the poor. If you have any option of buy anywhere else in 2014, exercise your option. From the Washington Post, a clip: The Walton Family Foundation is pumping $6 million into a Washington-based group that promotes private school vouchers in D.C. and around the country — a donation that it hopes will double the number of student... more »

2013 in Review: A Prayer to the Janitor of Lunacy, Part 1 -- Take a bow, Repugs!

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 14 hours ago
*No sooner do we finish rerunning Noah's 2012 "Year in Review" series than he's ready, having apparently chained himself to his computer, to tackle 2013! Herewith the initial installment.* -- Ed. *Carnival's "Cruise to the 13th century"*: *As the cruise ship Carnival Triumph drifts helplessly, its engines kaput, in the vicinity of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula on February 11, this boat dispatched by the Coast Guard cutter Vigorous keeps an eye out.* *by Noah* *Janitor of lunacyParalyze my infancyPetrify the empty cradleBring hope to them and meJanitor of tyrannyTe... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 15 hours ago
*"It wasn't a blank slate" ~Megan Braden-Perry, Gambit *

Putin and the Saudis

Paul Coker at News Spike - 15 hours ago
*Bandar told Putin:** "I can give you a guarantee to protect the Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea next year. * *The Chechen groups that threaten the security of the games are controlled by us, and they will not move in the Syrian territory’s direction without coordinating with us. * *Putin: “We know that you have supported the Chechen terrorist groups for a decade. * *And that support, which you have frankly talked about just now, is completely incompatible with the common objectives of fighting global terrorism that you mentioned.* Russian President,... more »

SANDY HOOK POLICE REPORT CONTAINS NO EVIDENCE THAT MASS SHOOTING TOOK PLACE AND STRENGTHENS NOTION THAT EVENT WAS A FABRICATED HOAX

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
http://www.blacklistednews.com/Sandy_Hook_Police_Report_Contains_No_Evidence_That_Mass_Shooting_Took_Place_And_Strengthens_Notion_That_Event_Was_A_Fabricated_Hoax/31582/0/5/5/Y/M.html SANDY HOOK POLICE REPORT CONTAINS NO EVIDENCE THAT MASS SHOOTING TOOK PLACE AND STRENGTHENS NOTION THAT EVENT WAS A FABRICATED HOAX SOURCE: LEE ROGERS, BLACKLISTED NEWS The full police investigation into the alleged Sandy Hook mass shooting has finally been released to the public. The release contains thousands of documents including hours of video footage and numerous photographs pertaining to the in... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 16 hours ago
Hoya cinnamomifolia is a vine that comes from the island of Java. This is its flower.

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 16 hours ago
*Our New Orleans Saints Coach Payton's Monday Review and Looking head to Eagles* * Well if it gets the Saints a road playoff win... ~Library Chronicles*

Wave of Radiation from Fukushima Will Be 10 Times Bigger than All of the Radiation from Nuclear Tests Combined

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 17 hours ago
December 22, 2013 by WashingtonsBlog Putting Fukushima In PerspectiveThere was *no* background radioactive cesiumbefore above-ground nuclear testing and nuclear accidents started. Wikipedia provides some details on the distribution of cesium-137 due to human activities: Small amounts of caesium-134 and caesium-137 were released into the environment during nearly all nuclear weapon tests and some nuclear accidents, most notably the Chernobyl disaster. *** *Caesium-137 is unique in that it is totally anthropogenic*. Unlike most other radioisotopes, caesium-137 is not produced from its ... more »

Egypt's Generals Arrest Four Al Jazeera Journalists

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 17 hours ago
A lot of journalists today are also spies, government contractors, and members of political parties and cults. Journalists are not heroes. The occupation of "journalist" has been stained in most countries, and this is largely due to the actions of journalists themselves, with the exception of a brave few, who almost always end up dead or work as pariahs. Journalists are not pure actors on the civic stage who have a disinterested outlook on political events and the forces that shape history, but political voices who abuse their medium and craft and serve as propaganda voices for a pa... more »

Jobs in the US Economy 1948-2011

noreply@blogger.com (Roger Pielke, Jr.) at Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog - 18 hours ago
The figure above shows data on employment in the US economy 1948 to 2011 across 10 sectors. The data comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. There is a discontinuity in the data in 1998, when category definitions were changed. and we have not tried to standardize across that discontinuity. In addition, the graph shows "full time equivalents" rather than the frequently used full- and part-time employment series. Some numbers: - In 1948 the US had 48.0 million FTE jobs. - In 2011 the US had 122.6 million FTE jobs. - From 1948 to 2011 the US added 74.6 million FTE jobs, a... more »

Is Saudi Arabia's Prince Bandar Behind Volgograd Attacks?

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 18 hours ago
There are pieces of shit in this universe, and then there's Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia. Some emperors and heads of states like President Bush have their saving graces and can be forgiven, but not so with Bandar, this fuckhead needs to be six feet underground for humanity to move forward and prosper. What positive thing does his stupid government contribute to the Middle East or world civilization? Nothing but terror comes from his regime. Israel can stand up and say "Hey, look, we have an ancient and biblical history, we have contributed scientists and inventors to the human rac... more »

Slow Arc

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 18 hours ago
It has taken some time to divine what God is responsible for and what is humankind. The results have not been pretty despite the perpertrators defense that they were just doing Gods work and against that will there is no defence. So fucking little ladies at the age of fourteen was somehow more noble than taking little boys who were years from being teens. I say you are all fucked up and deserve to die, but why does my PM look at your troubles and it brings a tear to his eye.

Ruled by Crazy

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 18 hours ago
Look you all went to school with these guys. Tell us the truth if you are not comprised.

Human Pussy no better than a goat

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 18 hours ago
Well it depends upon which depends you wear. So many humans fail when it comes to removing children s underwear. So if you want to keep a British stiff uper lip you have to wonder how they have so many children who did not serve for country and queen. Why the fuck do so many Britions seem to want to fuck off. These crazy motherfuckers used babies to jerk off.

Do not abuse your serfs

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 18 hours ago
That is the lesson of history. The Chinese built a six thousand year empire on that concept. And to give a tip to the dull edge of the sword, most of the admin was done by eunuchs. Its a war between human dignigy and the man. We are losing. Plan B is terrorism. Is that were the MAN wants us to be? Overpopulation, using two times the earths resources every cycle, these are all things the MAN understands naturally. He also understands better than anyone the law of unintended consequences. Its a power struggle between mass extinction and preserving the genome.

YOUR SURVEILLANCE $$$ AT WORK

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 18 hours ago
The corporate oligarchy runs the US and significant parts of the world by using agencies like the NSA and the CIA to guide the propaganda and war machine. Note the part near the end of the video about the NSA intercepting all computers that are sold on the commercial market and implanting chips in them so they can track all of us with every key stroke we make. Over the top? These guys inside the national security complex hate having the light of truth shined on them. They are afraid at some point the public will turn on them - thus their naming of Snowden as a treasonous trait... more »

Recopilación de Imágenes para Año Nuevo 2014

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 18 hours ago
Las mejores Imágenes de Año Nuevo 2014 (15 ilustraciones) Celebra este Año Nuevo con estas hermosas imágenes Postales de Año Nuevo 2014 con mensajes bonitos Las mejores Imágenes para fin de Año Gratis Imágenes fantásticas de Año Nuevo 2014 Imágenes con mensajes de Año Nuevo realmente fabulosas Imágenes de Año Nuevo con mensajes de felicitaciones muy hermosas Imágenes de Navidad, Año Nuevo y postales con mensajes para compartir

If predators are scamming billions and billions via for-profit hospice "care," isn't this why we have the death penalty?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 18 hours ago
*Profits up in California*: *The average profit per patient has grown steadily. The combination of more patients and far greater profit per patient has pushed overall inflation-adjusted profit up more than tenfold.*(click to enlarge; from washingtonpost.com) *by Ken* In a moment I'm going to back up a bit to try to enable you to understand why I was so shocked, and found my gut so clenched, upon reading an online teaser Thursday night for an investigative report in the *Washington Post*'s "Cost of Healing" series which appeared on Friday's front page, "Medicare rules create a boom... more »

Headlines adding up to a Sum we do not want to see

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 19 hours ago
I wish I was the NSA then I could do an emperical measure. Like a sniper making a mile long shot. But all I got is my degree in History. And I say something is seriously off. We are in a bad , bad place with no relief.

"The Oyster and the Cormorant"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
* "The Oyster and the Cormorant"* by CoyotePrime . “Brandt's Cormorants feed either singly or in flocks, and are adaptable in prey choice and undersea habitat. It feeds on small fish from the surface to sea floor, obtaining them, like all cormorants, by pursuit diving using its feet for propulsion. Prey is often what is most common: in central California, rockfish from the genus Sebastes is the most commonly taken, but off British Columbia, it is Pacific Herring. Brandt's Cormorant have been observed foraging at depths of over 40 feet.”-WikiPedia Westport is a small fishing town on... more »

Some actually existing politics

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 19 hours ago
A small sample of 2013's most misleading statistics. The point about junk stats as a form of debate is they are pumped into the news cycle every day. By the time any of them are rebutted in any way (not usually on a front page or top of a news bulletin) quite often they have settled in popular consciousness, even if it's just as an impression, e.g. Britain is 'flooded' with immigrants, public sector workers have 'gold plated' pensions, disabled people are 'skivers'. This is truthiness in action. The lack of a functioning counter-hegemony makes it very difficult to fight.

"Courage"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
* "Courage"* Summer in Washington state is an incredibly delightful time, bright warm sun in a panorama of pure green unlike anywhere else. Winters are another matter entirely, and it’s common for rain to fall daily for months on end, a 24 hour a day onslaught of endless gray and gloom. Frequently animals like raccoons, mice or squirrels will burrow into the walls and roofs of homes, trying to find a warm and dry place to nest. And so it was one afternoon that the house cat suddenly and frantically charged across the living room into the corner, howling ferociously at something w... more »

"Bravery: "The Killings Fields of Gaza""

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 19 hours ago
*"The Killings Fields of Gaza"* by Colin Green "Revelations from Israeli sources such as ‘Breaking the Silence’ and ‘Physicians for Human Rights-Israel’ that the Israeli assaults on Gaza in 2008/9 (Cast Lead) and 2012 (Pillars of Defence) were planned many months ahead pose many questions about the real motives for the seven year siege and these massive attacks on a helpless concentration of impoverished and imprisoned people. Let us then pose just some of those questions and seek objective answers to: *Why does the international community and UN allow Israel to blockade and besie... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 20 hours ago

2013 / THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 20 hours ago
*The tide is rapidly closing in on this year but there is still time to reflect on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of 2013 ~ which I summarize as the Good with the political emergence of Elizabeth Warren, the Bad reality of the growing poverty and social inequality of America and the persistent Ugly eye sore and continuing injustice of Guantanamo: Allen L Roland* *I'm glad 2014 is coming to a close* ~ I'm tired of living on the edge, of watching the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, of witnessing the seeming triumph of selfishness over altruism, of experiencing the sl... more »

Las mejores Imágenes de Año Nuevo 2014

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 21 hours ago

In Cyber Security, it is the little things that matter…

Brandon Valeriano at Duck of Minerva - 21 hours ago
I really like the point of this brief little article on a “cyber attack” against a power plant. The money quote highlighted from the Foreign Policy article, “A shooter could get 200 yards away with a .22 rifle and take the whole thing out…A metal sheet that would block the transformer from view…[is] a lot Continue reading

what i'm reading: the immortal life of henrietta lacks, by rebecca skloot

laura k at wmtc - 21 hours ago
I've just finished *The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks*, by Rebecca Skloot. I’m sure many of you have read it, but if you have not, please run to your local library or bookstore or website and borrow, purchase, or download a copy immediately. This book is literary nonfiction of the highest order, a melding of social, cultural, and science history, and a triumph of research and writing. Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman, a poor tobacco farmer who lived near and in Baltimore. Henrietta died of cancer in 1951, at the age of 31. She left behind five children, destined for... more »

Penultimate Call for Blogging Awards Nominations

Jon Western at Duck of Minerva - 21 hours ago
One week left for nominations. Please send us your nominations — you can email us a nomination directly or post in the Comments thread below. Here’s what we have so far for each category: Best Blog (Individual) Deborah Brautigam at China in Africa Jay Ulfelder at Dart Throwing Chimp Kan Opalo at An Africanist Perspective Tom Pepinsky Blog Continue reading

LEAKED Confession: Cesspool Of Greek-German Corruption

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 21 hours ago
*LEAKED Confession: Cesspool Of Greek-German Corruption* December 30th, 2013 http://investmentwatchblog.com/leaked-confession-cesspool-of-greek-german-corruption/ Wolf Richter www.testosteronepit.com www.amazon.com/author/wolfrichter Apparently, it has been impossible to sell Greece any weapons at all, not even a water pistol, without bribing officials at the Defense Ministry. Corruption is so pandemic that Transparency International awarded Greece once again the dubious honor of being the most corrupt country in the EU. For 2013, Greece ended up in 80th place of the 177 countri... more »

What's sauce for the goose...

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 22 hours ago

Margaret Spellings, propagandist!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 22 hours ago
*MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2013* *The Washington Post rides again:* Margaret Spellings was education secretary under President George W. Bush. She’s also a propagandist. The Washington Post doesn’t care. Last Friday, the Post published this hapless column by Spellings. Because the column is riddled with errors, it shouldn’t have gone into print. That said, Spellings’ column followed a set of scripts the mainstream press has long found quite congenial. This has especially been true at the Post, which has a financial conflict of interest with respect to certain types of education “reform.... more »

"Fukushima Update, 12/30/2013"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 22 hours ago
*"Fukushima Update, 12/30/2013"* By Susan Duclos, et al "Earlier I reported that Unit #3 of the Fukushima nuclear plants was steaming, multiple times just this past week and in another report we found out that dust, rain, fog, food and water are all ways that radiation can enter the human body. Now Turner Radio Network has spoken to some experts and are issuing a major urgent alert for the West Coast of the US about the radiation that could possibly hit them, in a massive way, in the next three to five days. The area around #3 is so 'hot' and dangerous that people cannot even go ... more »

“Key Zeitgeist and Anthropology Trends 2014: What If The Unexpected Happens?”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 22 hours ago
*“Key Zeitgeist and Anthropology Trends 2014: What If The Unexpected Happens?”* By DK Matai *"OPPOSITES:* 2014 is likely to be a year of Opposites: *a) *Moving forwards in the digital world and moving backwards in the analogue world; *b)* Balancing business and personal life becomes a key challenge whilst distinguishing between the increasingly blurred work and home-life boundaries; *c)* Emotional and social ups and downs and coping with roller-coaster extreme mood swings within others and oneself; *d) *Periods of fast moving complexity punctuated by periods of relative calm – e... more »

Has The American Mass Media Turned Itself Into An Arm Of A Government Propaganda Machine?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 22 hours ago
One month ago, to the day, we looked at a fascinating bit of interaction, billed as a *HARDtalk* interview, between Glenn Greenwald and a British government stooge who broadcasts propaganda on the BBC, Stephen Sackur, the voice of Establishment Group Think. You can hit that link above and watch the interview if you'd like because Greenwald refrerred to it Friday in a German computer conference, Hamburg's 30th annual Chaos Communication Congress on Friday. Greenwald's keynote address accused the media establishment of being "guilty of failing significantly with respect to accomplis... more »

To Common Core Enablers: The Friend of My Enemy Is My Enemy

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 23 hours ago
Common Corers talk of the need for internationally-benchmarked standards and curriculum. By this they pretend to mean relinquishing the wafer-thin, NCLB-inspired drive-by curriculums that demand that students ingest an endless stream of subject matter infobits that are later excreted or regurgitated on command, whereupon the remains are probed and dissected for signs of meaning among the digitized acres of psychometric scat. Common Corers talk of learning that is deep rather than broad, thick rather than thin, learning that calls for less picking and more chewing. Unfortunately, t... more »

Pamela Wallin keeping in shape

LeDaro at LeDaro - 23 hours ago
Sorry about the picture being shaky. Mike Duffy was handling the camera..:)

Best of Housewife Eclectic in 2013

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 23 hours ago
Looking back over 2013, I can't believe that it has come and gone already. So much has changed for me and Housewife Eclectic in 2013, and I can't wait to carry those changes into 2014. I have plans for some fantastic projects and some amazing recipes for the new year, a few that will debut later this week. I can't thank Housewife Eclectic's 2013 sponsors enough. I worked with some amazing people and companies this year! Here as decided by the pages with the post views are the top projects and posts from 2013. 1. How to Make a Little Girl's Dress from an Adult T-shirt. I LOVE this pr... more »

Granny Jan: Barack Obama Sucks...at Being a Macho Man (must see video)...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 23 hours ago
*from our very own Granny Jan (who has been mysteriously MIA) - and we thank her.*

“Life in the Emerging American Police State: What’s in Store for Our Freedoms in 2014?”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
*“Life in the Emerging American Police State:* * What’s in Store for Our Freedoms in 2014?”* By John W. Whitehead “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” —George Santayana, "The Life of Reason", Vol. 1 "In Harold Ramis’ classic 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day”, TV weatherman Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) is forced to live the same day over and over again until he not only gains some insight into his life but changes his priorities. Similarly, as I illustrate in my book “A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State”, we in the emerging Am... more »

Thailand: Violent, Homophobic Regime Supporters Plan "Secession"

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 23 hours ago
*December 30, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - Singapore's "The Straits Times" reports in their article, "Thai protests: 'Red shirts' plan to hit back Leader warns of retaliation if Yingluck government is forced to cede power," that: ANGRY "red shirts" in northern Thailand are preparing to hit back as anti-government protests in Bangkok are set to enter their third month. Having stayed largely in the background, the red shirts, who propelled the Puea Thai party to power in 2011, are upset by what they see as a weak government response to the protesters' attempts to paralyse the capital a... more »

Update and correction on NTS

Passionate Pragmatist at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
*Just received more news from Brian a few minutes ago.* *First, the correction - the cardiologist will be doing an Angiogram where they insert a tube into the aorta to clear the minor blockage, instead of and angioplasty which is a repair.* *The procedure is scheduled for Friday, January 3rd. He'll be in hospital at least until the following Monday for post-op observation. Lets hope everything goes well.* *Brian has his Blackberry with him but the hospital has no wi-fi internet capability. If anyone would like to contact him please email me at passionatepragmatist@gmail.com and ... more »

Iraq’s PM Maliki Goes From Offensive Against Al Qaeda To Crackdown On Anbar Protestors

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 1 day ago
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki just turned a military tragedy, which rallied much of the country behind the government, into a campaign against the Anbar protest movement. In the middle of December 2013 Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) set up an elaborate trap, which resulted in the death of much of the leadership of the Army’s 7thDivision. Baghdad then launched a massive military campaign in Anbar that almost all parties and much of the public supported. In the midst of this offensive however, the prime minister decided to go after the Anbar demonstrators by claiming that they were behind... more »

You (and Harper) already blew it!!

Dave at The Galloping Beaver - 1 day ago
Harper knob polisher, Michael Den Tandt offers up the results of gazing at the Conservative crystal ball with a set of 2014 predictions on what to expect from (missing in action) Harper. It's actually quite stunning. Den Tandt pines away for the "Charm Offensive" he has oft predicted from Harper but which has never happened. It seems to escape Den Tandt that Harper doesn't have it in him and if

Wells Fargo in $591 million Fannie Mae settlement

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
Dec. 30, 2013, 9:14 a.m. EST *Wells Fargo in $591 million Fannie Mae settlement* By Saabira Chaudhuri http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wells-fargo-pays-591-mln-in-fannie-mae-settlement-2013-12-30 Wells Fargo & Co. on Monday reached a $591 million deal with Fannie Mae to settle claims that it sold defective mortgages to the government-controlled home-loan financier. Adjusted for credits related to previous repurchases, Wells Fargo will pay $541 million. As of the end of its third quarter, the largest mortgage lender in the U.S. had accrued for the cost of the settlement in full. ... more »

Out, Out, Damned Year

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago
Stuff to make the coffee burble out of your nose on a gloomy Monday morn: Americans named President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the world's most admired living man and woman in 2013, according to a Gallup poll released on Monday. OMG, you declare in disbelief? Be heartened, Sardonickists. Because they only asked a thousand people out of a population of 300+ million. Because despite winning this dubious popularity contest, Barack is fully 16 percentage points less popular with a thousand people than he was a year ago. Even Hillary, who has been winn... more »

CIA BUSY IN RUSSIA?

Anon at aangirfan - 1 day ago
*The December 2013 bus bombing in Volgograd.* *Arthur Atayev*, of Russia’s *Institute of Strategic Research* says that *the organisers of the attacks in VOLGOGRAD "are located outside Russia* (*presumably the CIA and its friends*). "And they have been launching destabilizing attacks in Russia for a long time in order to reduce its foreign policy influence..." *Volgograd attacks are attempt to open internal front, spread panic, chaos*... RT Saudi Arabia's spy chief Prince Bandar allegedly told the Russians: “I can give you a guarantee to protect the Winter Olympics next year. The ... more »

SNOWED IN

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
We had more snow last night and are running out of places to put it. Next Thursday and Friday the weather report says we will get up to 16 inches more of snow. That will be a nightmare. The last couple years we didn't get much snow at all. But climate change experts predict that some places will get more drought and other places will be wetter in the future. The predictions are that Maine will be a wet place and this winter's snowfall could be a sign of the times. We have five doors on our big house so we've got to keep them cleared with paths open to each. In addition we need... more »

LAND OF SCRIPT: Krugman says one of the fevers has broken!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2013* *Part 1—Land of many outbreaks:* In today’s column, Paul Krugman says that one of the fevers has broken. We’re not sure that Krugman is right, although he certainly may be. To us, his evidence seems a bit thin. Time will tell! But as he starts, Krugman describes one of the fevered regimes under which this nation has labored. An obvious question comes to mind: How can this possibly happen? KRUGMAN (12/30/13): In 2012 President Obama, ever hopeful that reason would prevail, predicted that his re-election would finally break the G.O.P.’s “fever.” It didn... more »

TFA/KIPP Teacher Talks of Shame, Isolation, Burnout

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
From Cloaking Inequity: *Graduating from college, I was energized and ready to take my place on the front line of education reform by becoming part of the Teach For America Corps. Many entering corps members are captured by the convincing sales pitch of TFA recruiters on campus. While I did meet with one of these recruiters who reinforced my decision to join, I had also spent time in my undergraduate coursework studying parts of education reform, including charter schools and Teach For America. I knew the criticisms, but I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was wrong about ... more »

Sol Flips it's Magnetic poles.... or not?

Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 1 day ago
So after all the hype, it would seem that our lovely Sol has flipped it's magnetic poles..... at least, that's what main stream news story is saying. However, I can find not a single mention of it on NASA's website.... then again, this is NASA that we are talking about, so the fact that they haven't updated their news section since December 26th, 2013, really isn't that much of an indicator. Below is a video from NASA, and another video that discusses the news article. What I DO find interesting is that neither Solarham, SuspiciousObservers, Watchers, nor any other sites I usual... more »

“They ask only opportunity”: Helen Keller and Those Who Will Not See

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
\”They ask only opportunity\”: Helen Keller and Those Who Will Not See. via “They ask only opportunity”: Helen Keller and Those Who Will Not See.

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