The front page of the Toronto Star after Barack Obama's 2008 election, which reads, "A dream fulfilled" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Barbican Hall, near to London, City of London, Great Britain. The concert hall at The Barbican. On stage, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Chorus, awaiting their conductor Sir Colin Davis, at the start of his 80th birthday Gala Concert. We were treated to Gidon Kremer playing the Elgar Violin Concerto, and Mozart's Requiem. Both were superb performances, and I would have been happy to have heard either piece on its own, but the combination made for a sublime evening. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Sunday Classics (double) preview: Enter the bird-catcher; exit Sir Colin Davis
*Colin Davis (1927-2013) at home*
*by Ken*
As I must have mentioned, one of my core LPs in the early
getting-to-know-music stage was a budget Seraphim issue of a disc of Mozart
overtures conducted by Colin Davis early in his career. There were fine
performances of all these indispensable piece, and my recollection is that
I played that LP a lot.
The subject of my complicated feelings about Sir Colin, who died on April
15 at 85, as a conductor has come up occasionally in these posts, and I'm
afraid I'm going to need to rehash it in order to memorialize him properly,
though I'm goi... more »
Mayor Ford will survive the crack scandal
The most recent scandal to touch Toronto's mayor, Rob Ford, involves
allegations he smokes crack cocaine. Now, the allegations come second hand
in the Toronto Star, and while the Star is a very legitimate newspaper it
is also famously feuding with Mayor Ford. Some Toronto Star reporters saw a
video tape and based on what they saw concluded Mayor Ford was smoking
crack. Maybe they misunderstood, were intentionally misled or were just
mistaken in what they saw.
It is possible the allegations against Mayor Ford are false or perhaps
dated (none of the apparent current references suppos... more »
This Shows That There Is Hope Yet For Our Future: 15 Year Old California Student Gets High Mark For Report On Very Controversial Subject!
I have long been troubled by the total ignorance of the general public
today to the real truths about our past, and the dangers that our world
faces today. It is so alarming that few people are aware of the frauds of
our history, and the dangers we face today by the Jewish criminal elite
that is out for total world domination and our enslavement. It comes down
to this... There are fewer and fewer critical thinkers around today. The
youth of today are being indoctrinated through the public education system
into being nothing more than robotic zombies for the evil Jewish controlle... more »
European wrap - 500 billion NPL bombastic situation..... Hollande asks ECB to go all in japanese style ..... How long before the French see billboards along roadsides featuring Sarkozy saying " Miss me yet ? "
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-17/europes-eur-500-billion-ticking-npltime-bomb
*
Home
Europe's EUR 500 Billion Ticking NPLTime Bomb
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/17/2013 20:14 -0400
- European Central Bank
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Monetary Policy
- non-performing loans
- Portugal
- Unemployment
Europe's non-performing loan problem is such an issue that there is
increasing bluster that the ECB may take this garbage on to its balance
sheet since policymakers realize that bad debts and non-pe... more »
House of Snakes: US Natural Resources Committee targets Indian lands
Ola
Cassadore Davis
By Brenda Norrell
Photo: Ola Cassadore Davis spent her life defending Apache sacred lands.
Photo by Sandra Rambler.
Censored News
The US House's Natural Resources Committee plans extensive seizures of
lands and resources to benefit private corporations and the US military.
First on the list of this US House of Snakes is a land exchange opposed
by San Carlos Apaches,
Wallin Walks Cap'n Harper's Plank
Earlier today, Harper-appointed senator Pam Wallin purported to "recuse"
herself from the Conservative caucus pending the outcome of a forensic
audit into her expenses.
Nice try, Pam. According to *CTV, *Pam actually did the "PMO Perp Walk."
She didn't so much leave as she was shown the door after Harper's big guns
got a gander at the preliminary audit report.
Nice of the "independent" auditors to give Harper the heads up, no?
"*...a source told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that the audit has
already raised serious questions about Wallin’s spending, which involves
hun... more »
Next step in computers
I want rwo, Yo quiero dos
Seed Newsvine
Justice Stevens's grandkids may not care, but he has some things to get off his chest
*by Ken*
Admittedly, as subject categories go, the category "Most Charming
Utterance
Uttered by the Late New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner" doesn't
promise to be especially broad or arresting. That said, the most
charming
utterance I'm aware of The Boss uttering was in a respone to a question
about the cartoonish version of himself incorporated as a
*Seinfeld*recurring caricature during the period when, improbably and
often
disastrously, George Costanza worked for the Yankees.
The caricature was actually surprisingly gentle, but still, George had
ample reason to be resent... more »
Friedrich Hölderlin - Sung Beneath the Alps
Related:
*Friedrich Hölderlin - Love*.
*Friedrich Hölderlin - The Gods*.
*Friedrich Hölderlin - The Time of Socrates*.
*Friedrich Hölderlin - To the Sun-God*.
*Friedrich Hölderlin - Ganymede*.
*Friedrich Hölderlin - Vulcan*.
*Friedrich Hölderlin - The Blind Singer*.
Source: *Selected Poems of Friedrich Hölderlin. Translated by Maxine
Chernoff and Paul Hoover.* 2008. Omnidawn Publishing: Richmond, California.
Pg*. *141-43.
*Friedrich Hölderlin - Sung Beneath the Alps*
Holy innocence, that men and gods
Love the most! either inside the house
Or out of doors, you sit at th... more »
Friday Nerd Blogging: Ultimate Mashup
This weekend marks the debut of the next Star Trek movie: So Dark, Oh So
Dark 2. To mark the occasion: Two years to go!
Grasping at strawmen
There's no doubt the IRS was ham-handed in its handling of the tax-exempt
applications after Citizen United. I've yet to see that they did anything
against the law. Which is a problem to be sure. It suggests maybe we should
be agitating to change the damn laws. Not that that's going to happen.
Instead we have everyone looking to grind their own axe against the sharp
edge of this pseudoscandal. That of course includes the "Obama has failed
me" crowd of the left. Garance jumps in with this damning bit of evidence.
On noes, there was no surge in applications in 2010. Quick fire more
pe... more »
Mining 20: Miscellaneous Comments on Mining
Below are several comments I got in my various exchanges in facebook on the
subject, made last week.
-------------
*Froi Vincenton*: IMHO, irresponsible mining exists in the Philippines
because of several institutional factors. When I say 'institutional
factors' I'm referring to government regulations and restrictions. The
following are some institutional factors that encourage irresponsible
mining:
1. The institutional/constitutional prohibition on ownership of mining
lands. History has it that private property ownership promotes responsible
business and proprietorial activities. ... more »
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*Who does the Mississippi really belong to? ~Bob Marshall*
Everything Is Rigged, Everything Corrupted (Thank You, Matt!)
Since we know how little the U.S. agencies do now to protect the U.S.
consumer interest (being administered by those who benefit from the
opposite), I thought it might be enlightening to research what other
countries are doing. And it is. I read Matt Taibbi. Religiously. Thank Matt
every day. By the way, the comments to Taibbi's essay are worth the
admission price alone! Everything Is
Elsewhere: Campaign Finance, Leaks, More
I don't think I've done one of these all week...I was waiting for some
columns to go live, but I guess I'll go ahead now with at least one of them
up.
So: at TAP today, I make the case for floors, not ceilings, and strong
disclosure. I used to think it had the added virtue of being a good
compromise between the Democratic and Republican positions, but that's
before Republicans flipped on disclosure (they're now mostly against). Not
that it was ever all that likely to ever happen anyway.
The best thing I wrote all week, I think, is one at PP on the topic of
leaks -- saying that pres... more »
“The IRS Is Seeing Everything You Do Online”
* *
*“The IRS Is Seeing Everything You Do Online”*
By Michael Kling
“The IRS may be watching your online activities — including what you post
on social media sites, what you sell online, even what you write in emails
and text messages. Some tax experts and civil liberties groups are
disturbed by what they call the agency's secretive practices. Taxpayers
know little about how it uses big data and "robo-audits." "It's well-known
in the tax community, but not many people outside of it are aware of this
big expansion of data and computer use," Edward Zelinsky, a tax expert at
Cardozo... more »
HELD FOR ELEVEN YEARS WITHOUT BEING CHARGED
May 16 marks a dark milestone in the history of the world's most maligned
prison - 100 days of a mass hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay. Out of 166
inmates - 130 are on strike according to prisoners, while the military only
admits to 102. At least a third of them are being force fed - a procedure
recognized by various medical organizations as painful enough to constitute
torture. And by all accounts - there's no end in sight to the protest.
The last few minutes of the video feature Lt. Col. Barry Wingard (Judge
Advocate General US Air Force) who comes down hard on Obama for continuin... more »
For no raisin
A non-definitive list of Roger the Alien’s alter-egos:
*Dr. Jordan Edilstein *
*Professor Baxter*
*Krispy Kreme McDonald's *
*Kevin Bacon *
*Horse Renoir*
*Predator *
*Chilly*
*Cousin Phil*
*Parker Peters*
*Laura Vanderbooben *
*Luke Fondleberg *
*Scotch Bingington*
*Sholanda Dykes *
*Sidney Huffman*
*Mr. Mustachos *
*Warren Beanstalk*
CONTROL THE MEDIA - CONTROL THE PUBLIC MIND
Charles and David Koch are among the richest people in the world, and are
known for supporting right-wing causes. The rumor that the billionaires
might buy the Tribune Company is hitting a nerve in liberal corners of the
U.S. Among the prized media outlets that are part of the Tribune Company
are the Chicago Tribune, and the LA Times newspapers.
You can help buy the newspapers *here*
Silly kippers
OK, OK, OK, there has been the frankly wonderful mobbing of Nigel Falange
in Edinburgh. Comrades, I think we’ve found the model for dealing with UKIP
public appearances.
But better than that, it turns out a major UKIP donor, a Greek shipping
tycoon called, made a coffee table book called Women in Trousers. The main
contention of the book was that Women in Trouserswere behaving in a
‘hostile’ manner by deliberately making themselves unattractive to men.
So far so crass (proof, if you needed more, that there's no such thing as
single-issue bigotry - UKIP is a crank magnet): but the ... more »
Satire: “A Letter from John Boehner”
* *
*“A Letter from John Boehner”*
by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “Today Speaker of the House John Boehner
issued the following letter to the American people:
"Dear American People,
Yesterday, your hardworking House Republicans tried, once again, and
failed, once again, to repeal Obamacare. And I really thought we had a good
chance this time. That’s because we were all united in our hatred for this
infernal and takes-too-long-to-read law. Every last one of us cast his vote
to strike it down, from crazy little Paul Ryan to that arrogant bastard
Eric Cantor. An... more »
Tea Party Crackpots Shouldn't Be Investigated?
I'm not a tax accountable and I'm not an election attorney. But I do run a
PAC and we have an accountant and an attorney on retainer to keep us from
running afoul of the FEC's and IRS' myriad arcane rules and regulations. A
few years ago, a notorious GOP shill complained that we were coordinating
our campaign efforts with Nancy Pelosi. We sent in so much paperwork
showing that we were working at cross-purposes to Pelosi by spending
hundreds of thousands of dollars against Blue Dog Democrats she was helping
to defend that the "case" was immediately thrown out. This was while Bush
... more »
Electronic Zombies, The Disgrace of Today`s Youth
*Written by Grant G*
Kinder Morgan expansion, before we get too carried away, the Iron Workers
bridge, also known as the second narrows bridge needs a real good look,
with the prospect of multiple oil tankers daily..
Second narrows bridge is also a train bridge, this requires raising and
lowering the lower train portion of the bridge everytime a vessel passes,
with more and more trains, with more and more tankers a tunnel is required
for the train section of the bridge, there is also major dredging required,
in other words we need a new second narrows bridge, a widening of t... more »
The biggest Benghazi scandal
In a startling new first, Major Garrett called Republicans liars -- on the
teevee. Never would have expected Major to be the one to break that taboo.
Kevin Drum, who lately has dropped his old squishy style in a favor of a
refreshingly bold persona, sums up the details of the GOP's ratfuckery:
So here's what happened. Republicans in Congress saw copies of these emails
two months ago and did nothing with them. It was obvious that they showed
little more than routine interagency haggling. Then, riding high after last
week's Benghazi hearings, someone got the bright idea of leaking ... more »
Time for Some Nominations. A Lot of Nominations
(UPDATED)
Today's news, outside of the continuing scandal stuff, is Greg Sargent's
big scoop that Harry Reid is tentatively planning for July to be
nominations month -- complete with the threat of majority-imposed reform. I
already wrote about it as a chess move over at PP today (I think Reid did
well), and I probably should write something at some point about what the
substance of the threat in terms of Senate rules and procedures. But
there's one more point that's important to get to:
If Harry Reid is willing to spend serious floor time on nominations, he
needs more nominees. Lot... more »
Online Forum by Parents Across America – The Parent Trigger from California to Florida
Online Forum by @parentsacrossam The Parent Trigger from California to
Florida parentrigger.eventbrite.com#LAUSD twitter.com/PESJA_LA/statu… —
PESJA Los Angeles (@PESJA_LA) May 17, 2013 Sunday, May 26, 2013 from 12:30
PM to 1:30 PM (PDT) We will be hearing from Lori Yuan, a parent in Adelanto
who fought the Parent Trigger at her school, and Parents Across America […]
Chris Hayes enjoyed watching Wednesday’s Hardball!
*FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013*
*We had a different reaction:* We were struck by several things Chris Hayes
said on last night's All In.
For starters, we were struck by this:
HAYES (5/16/13): Let’s talk about Benghazi first. *Here is my take on
Benghazi. It is what we like to call in the business a nothing-burger.*There is nothing there.
We were struck by this airy dismissal because we remembered Hayes’ original
take on this topic. Last October, he wolfed that nothing-burger down,
complete with all the condiments.
Everybody makes mistakes. Hayes’ mistake concerning Benghazi came with the
... more »
First Voices Indigenous Radio: Plagiarism infects Indian country news
First Voices Indigenous Radio
Host Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Cheyenne River Lakota
Listen:
http://firstvoicesindigenousradio.org/program_archives
JOHN KARHIIO KANE (Mohawk) (www.letstalknativepride.blogspot.com)
Discusses the "exclusivity zone" being used as a method to urge the
Seneca Nation of the Haudenosaunee to pay the half a billion dollars
owed to New York State. Under the casino compact
Rep. Mike Kelly Receives Standing Ovation at Ways & Means Hearing on IRS Scandal ...
*I heard this and was cheering by the time he finished. *
我在美国超市的一天. 您可能需要呕吐！
http://beartales.me/2013/01/14/the-latest-crop-of-walmartians/
While we wait.
While we are waiting, let’s forgive. Let’s forgive everyone. Beginning
with ourselves, we can change everything. You have most likely heard of
Ho’oponopono. Here is a link to a description: Ho'oponopono
Essentially, there are four things to do/say/think. These are simple
statements, and it matters not in which order they are done. They can be
spoken aloud, written down, or whispered within.
*I am so sorry.* *Please forgive me.* *I love you.* *Thank you.* Their
power rests in their simplicity. These are ideas we are familiar with. There
is nothing to learn, no s... more »
Grizzly Versus Go-Pro
If you've spent any time in grizzly territory, chances are you have
wondered at some point what it might be like if you found yourself face to
face with the big brown bear. Wonder no more.
Crews filming *The Great Bear StakeOut* had a Go-Pro camera attached to a
rock, hoping to catch some grizzly video. The bear, and her cub, thought
it looked tasty. So here, for your weekend amusement, is what you never,
ever want to see in person.
Now it's been a real bitch of a week and so I think I'll take my leave.
Have a great holiday weekend everyone. Next week is bound to be better.
Emissions Rising at Daiichi Now visible on TBS Cam
http://www.youtube.com/user/tbsnewsi/featured
Tepco cam looking "wavy" March 18 3:09
GAO report finds evidence of cheating in 33 states
Here’s the report. I would go on to say that any school that engages in
explicit test preparation is already “cheating.” Filed under: CHALK FACE:
General News & Commentary Tagged: accountability, cheating, gao, testing
Alien Prequel Reboot - David Cronenberg to direct - set in Satanic New York, London, Paris, Munich...
a couple of weeks ago, I came up with the amazing (or so I thought) Forget
Prometheus post, it was a chucklesome yarn of pre-historic giger-man in the
Garden of Eden.
It was all right and kinda served an exculpatory purpose but since then,
I've got OBSESSED with the idea that, "If only David Cronenberg had been
offered the Alien Sequel or Alien Prequel." you know rather than Aliens or
Prometheus having been made, respectively.
Had Giger's people put the artist together with Cronenberg's people in the
1980's we might have got something that was more related to the Giger
paintings' ... more »
The Permanent Warfare State Comes Clean, Are You Listening?
It's official. The United States of America is a permanent warfare state.
Perhaps now the country should adopt the flag Mark Twain designed for this
very occasion.
At a Senate hearing this week, Michael Sheehan, assistant secretary of
defense for special operations, testified that the American war on al Qaeda
will go on for at least another 10 to 20-years, minimum. That pretty much
is what you call the "foreseeable future" and that then marks the explicit
recognition of America as the world's one and only permanent warfare state.
*Last October, senior Obama officials anonymo... more »
GUEST POST: What the Baltimore Sun Won’t Publish
The following is a “readers response” I sent to the Baltimore Sun in
response to a commentary posted in the newspaper. Sadly I have had no
reply. I am not holding my breath. Silence and ignorance are tools of the
oppressive reform movement. Informed community members are a danger to
their efforts. Lost in Translation: A response […]
The Economy: “Has Dr. Bernankenstein Created a New Monster?”
* *
*“Has Dr. Bernankenstein Created a New Monster?”*
by Bill Bonner
"When a man is up to no good, it doesn't help that he gets lucky. A fellow
goes to rob your house. He finds the door unlocked. He enters without
breaking. He steals everything. Mission accomplished. Later on, he is
arrested for robbing a bank. He gets 10 years in the slammer. He would have
been better off if he had found the door locked tight... and gave up!
So the latest news from the Congressional Budget Office is not good,
either. Now the politicians can stop worrying about deficits... and
continue to rob ... more »
Neurological Diseases in Adults Growing
Rates of ADHD, autism, Parkinsons, and Alzheimers are growing, among other
diseases.
A couple of days ago I examined environmentally caused genetic damage in
children here.
Today I examine a recent study on rates of neurological diseases diagnosed
in adults.
The study found incidences of neurologically-induced death are increasing.
The diseases appear to be emerging earlier (i.e., affecting more people
under age 55). Here is the citation and abstract:
Pritchard C, Mayers, A, Baldwin D. Changing patterns of neurological
mortality in the 10 major developed countries 1979-2010. Pu... more »
Another Harper Black Eye for Canada
In today's *Guardian*, another look at the lengths the Harper regime goes
to crush dissent, especially informed dissent, in Canada. Another shameful
black mark on Canada's international reputation, courtesy of our prime
ministerial bully and his thuggish minions.
This story is about enviro-artist Franke James and how she was targeted by
the Harper machine - even as far away as Croatia - because of her views on
climate change and outspoken opposition to the Tar Sands.
I won't go through the disgusting details. Follow the link if you want to
read it for yourself.
SELL GOOGLE; BILDERBERG
Sell Google?
*Google may copy Apple's steep share price drop.*
* http://www.ft.com/*
Apple's shares have crashed 40 per cent since autumn 2012.
"Since 2010, Google’s forward price to earnings ratio has surpassed Apple's
(about 15x for Google vs 12x for Apple).
"Yet, the multiples adjusted for growth show Apple’s trading at a
consistent premium. The implication: there is plenty of room for more
adjustment in these already volatile shares."
Google accused of ‘devious’ tax behaviour / Court rules against Google on
search feature
*Reportedly, Google is in bed with Bilderberg.*
*... more »
Corrupt House Agriculture Committee Slashes Food Stamps Unmercifully-- With Help From Ann Kuster
Last year, the Blue Dogs only managed to elect one mangy freshman,
homophobic conservative Texas state Rep. Pete Gallego. Obama beat McCain in
his district (TX-23) 50-49% in 2008 and Romney beat Obama this last time,
51-48%. Gallego managed to edge weak GOP freshman Francisco "Quico" Canseco
96,477 (50%) to 87,255 (46%), after beating Ciro Rodriguez in a primary
runoff in this heavily Hispanic district that hugs the Rio Grande border
with Mexico from just north of Laredo to just south of El Paso.
Thursday morning I wasn't surprised to see Gallego tweeting away how on
Wednesday ni... more »
Some Friday evening Penny from Big Bang Theory
I'm still behind with my Big Bang Theory watching but here's an image from
the recent episode, 'The Tenure Turbulence', that I haven't seen but looks
well worth watching... Penny's gravity defying bosom.
Now that's gravity defying and rather impressive.
Greg Hunter, “Weekly News Wrap-Up 5/17/13”
*“Weekly News Wrap-Up 5/17/13”*
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
"This Week’s Wrap-Up series of stories I call “Scandal-topia.” Benghazi,
IRS targeting conservative groups, Department of Justice seizing phone
records of the Associated Press (AP) and yet another sex abuse scandal in
the U.S. military. While all of these stories are important, they are
taking our eyes off other stories of great importance. Let’s run down the
list:
Benghazi, the White House is releasing some emails, but Republicans want
many more released. The left wants to paint this as a “witch hunt,” but
l... more »
William Happer on CNBC
Things have improved a little bit in the attitude of the media to the
climate debate.
*Click here if you don't see a proper video above.*
This is what Princeton physicist Prof Will Happer was allowed to point out
on TV – and it wasn't even Fox News! ;-)
400 ppm of CO2 is nothing special, 1,000 ppm of CO2 would be beneficial for
the productivity of agriculture – which has already gone up a little bit,
thanks to the slightly increased CO2 levels. The Earth has seen
concentrations as high as 4,000 ppm or higher. It wasn't during the era of
humans – but the era of humans is a tiny... more »
Schools as Prisons
Please read my new piece at Truthout connecting education reform with the
New Jim Crow Era: Education Reform in the New Jim Crow Era There are
significant parallels between the war on drugs and market-oriented
education reform, and both create an underclass – especially among African
American males, according to Thomas, who traces the history. […]
Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness
Much better than expected, with lots of shout outs for us old-time fans but
also making it clear that this is an alternate timeline and Abrams is free
to take the series in unexpected new directions. Southern Man had carefully
avoided reviews and spoiler posts so he was delightfully surprised by The
Reveal. This was also Southern Man's first foray into IMAX 3D, which was
pretty awesome but left him with something of a headache. Perhaps the
excessive lens flare had something to do with that.
Why, yes, the *USS Enterprise* does get pulverized. As usual. Also, smoke
In Space!
The Cost of Wind Part II
In Part I, we explored past and present wind costs and noted rapid
inflation. This was the first step in an exploration of David Roberts'
claim that renewable electricity was less expensive than nuclear generated
electricity, but there are many other factors that I did not touch on or
barely mentioned in Part I that require further exploration.
Nuclear reactors typically generate ninety percent of their faceplate
electrical capacity. That ninety percent is called "capacity factor".
Reactors are typically taken off line for maintenance at periods when
electrical demand is not at its... more »
When You Suck at Opposition, You Betray the Public
It's not just the government that owes a duty to the country, the
opposition also owes a solemn duty to the public. That's the lesson that's
inescapable from the past couple of federal elections and this week's
devastating electoral debacle here in British Columbia.
When you run in an election, you're obviously in it to win. But, if you
don't make it, you're seeking to serve as the opposition. It's not some
consolation prize, your reward for losing, it's that other job you were
seeking, just in case. You're promising to serve the public as a foil to
government, to work on polic... more »
Weekend Fun 40: Bank Robbery and Management
I got this from facebook. Witty story, enjoy.
------------
There was this robbery in Guangzhou , the robber shouted to everyone: "All
don't move, money belongs to the state, life belongs to you".
Everyone in the bank laid down quietly.
This is called "Mind Changing Concept --> Changing the conventional way of
thinking".
--------------
One lady lay on the table provocatively, the robber shouted at her "Please
be civilised! This is a robbery and not a rape!"
This is called "Being Professional --> Focus only on what you are trained
to do!"
---------------
When the robbers got back, ... more »
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*They ~New Orleans Slate*
*~Meanwhile I'm still curious. I'm asking the same questions I asked when
Cho/Loughner/Holmes/Lanza pointed guns at people. What went wrong? Why
didn't someone notice a problem? What makes a young man that alienated,
that marginalized, that cold and heartless? I see a video, it's jerky. A
young black man in a white shirt and blue jeans steps out from next to a
stoop near a corner, raises his hand, points the gun at people dancing in
the street, suddenly the people scatter, some falling hard on the ground.
He turns and runs, not looking back. That's calculate... more »
Democracy Now! Obama Worse Than Nixon? Obama spies on AP reporters
Obama
Worse Than Nixon? Pentagon Papers Attorney Decries AP Phone Probe,
Julian Assange Persecution
By Democracy Now!
Also see: Obama administration locks up whistleblowers
We are joined by James Goodale, the general counsel for The New York
Times during the Pentagon Papers crackdown. He discusses how the Justice
Department's disclosure of secretly subpoenaed phone records of
journalists
Obama's Bulworth Moment
#DoYourJobGOP & stop acting like the legislative arm of the NRA, NOM and
the Koch brothers. #Warren2016 #p2 #p21 #tlot #UniteBlue #Libcrib
— Robert Crawford (@jurassicpork59) May 17, 2013
The *New York Times* yesterday published a piece quoting Obama aides
as saying the president often fantasizes about having a Bulworth moment.
Obviously, that will never happen because while Obama would be shooting
from the hip, he'd also be shooting himself in the foot because he's also
the cause or at least the owner of many of the problems facing us today.
However, to liberals who have ... more »
Attention Civics Teachers
I mentioned that we had local election in Texas this past weekend...here's
one result I missed that may be of interest. One of the small-town school
boards around here had a one-vote election. No, not a one-vote
margin...well, that too. A one vote election.
It happened in the Lytle school district, in Lytle, Texas. It's a small
town to begin with, population about 2400, although the school district
must be bigger -- there are apparently 1700 students involved. Local
elections normally include city council and tax measures as well as school
board, but none of the council elections we... more »
Do You Trust the RCMP to Investigate the Duffy Scandal?
So we're going to let the RCMP get to the bottom of this senate expense
scandal that now extends straight to the top of the Prime Minister's Office.
I wish that gave me hope. It doesn't.
Ever since former and subsequently disgraced Commissioner Zaccardelli
conjured up notions in mid-election of a phantom investigation that helped
Steve Harper sweep the Martin government out of power, the RCMP appeared
decidedly bent.
That worsened when Harper appointed the first civilian Commissioner of the
force, a veteran Tory operative, Bill Elliott, who made a complete hash of
the job until ... more »
Hypothetical (or not) exercise on inBloom, data, and student privacy
Here’s a little thought experiment. Big Data advocates like inBloom are
proposing to collect about 400 data points on every student in states that
contract with this company. That’s a pretty long list. Presented as such,
it may seem fairly innocuous. Your child’s school already has this
information on file for the most part. All […]
Untitled
*Dan Shea talks about the end of Times-Picayune as a daily and job cuts ~
WWLTV*
The Newseum’s Decision to Drop Palestinian Journalists from Memorial Prompts Varied Responses
The
Journalists Memorial, located in the Newseum in Washington, D.C., pays
tribute to reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have died
reporting the news.
(Photo Credit: Chicago Sun-Times / Newseum)
Earlier this week, Washington D.C.'s Newseum buckled to pressure applied
by Israel lobby groups and omitted the names of two Palestinian news
cameramen, Hussam Salama and Mahmoud
ANOTHER MISSILE OFFENSE TEST
On Wednesday, May 15 the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) ran another
test of its Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor. The agency said the
test was a success.
The dummy (target) missile was launched from the Navy's Pacific Missile
Test Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. The SM-3 interceptor missile was
fired from a Navy Aegis cruiser (USS Lake Erie). The MDA's cost for the
test was $32 million (not counting the costs to the Navy).
The SM-3 interceptor missiles cost between $12-15 million each. The
follow-on version of these missiles will double in price.
The Navy curre... more »
If tweeting is an art, Weingarten is no Picasso. She's barely a George W.
Reblogged from Fred Klonsky: "Tweeting is an art." Randi is to Twitter as
George W is to painting. The trouble all began when American Federation of
Teachers President issued a statement in support of the We Are
One/Cullerton bill. The bill, SB2404 is Senate President Cullerton's
attempt to circumvent the pension protection provision of the […]
Exposing Corruption - Some Tips From Nicholas Johnson
Exposing Corruption - Some Tips
1 - The people closest to those in charge are usually the most disgruntled.
2 - Public records are a pain yet they are the best source of information.
3 - Never obtain information illegally.
4 - Seek out that individual (if possible) that wants to avoid the outcome.
5 - Report all incidents as they occur to the defining legal entities.
6 - Make public your findings ASAP
7 - Messages sent via social sites are public not displaying IP addresses
8 - Know God
*Nicholas Johnson's Blog*
**
Leaked papers show UK government will backtrack on tar sands extraction being classified as highly polluting
[image: Environmental campaigners dressed as bankers protest outside the
RBS Headquarters at Gogarburn in Edinburgh ahead of the bank's AGM, 19
April 2011. Human rights and environmental campaigners dressed as
oil-addicted bankers drinking from oil cans, demanded an end to the bank's
support for the fossil fuel industry. They were joined by several Canadian
First Nations representatives who arrived to personally urge for RBS to
cease financing tar sands companies extracting oil on their lands. Photo:
Richard Scott / MAVERICK]
By Lorna Howarth
17 May 2013
(The Ecologist) – The UK ... more »
Obama tweet gives Australia climate researcher 31 million reasons to celebrate – ‘Ninety-seven percent of scientists agree: climate change is real, man-made, and dangerous’
[image: U.S. President Barack Obama's tweet on 16 May 2013 reads
'Ninety-seven percent of scientists agree: climate change is real,
man-made, and dangerous.' Graphic: Twitter]
By Peter Hannam, Carbon economy editor
17 May 2013
(Sydney Morning Herald) – It's the social media equivalent of hitting the
jackpot: having your study tweeted by US President Barack Obama.
Australian researcher John Cook, an expert in climate change communication,
was inundated with requests for interviews by US media outlets after Obama
took to Twitter to endorse his project's final report.
“It was pretty... more »
With rising seas, America’s birthplace could disappear – ‘We were thinking it’s another 100 years, another 150 years. You know, it could be much closer.’
[image: A re-created section of the fort wall in the English colony of
Jamestown, Va., sits on top of the original post holes. The fort was
thought to have been lost to the James River, but was rediscovered by
excavations that began in 1994. Since then, approximately 2 million
artifacts have been recovered. The Jamestown site is threatened with sea
level rise caused by global warming. Photo: John W. Poole / NPR]
By Christopher Joyce
14 May 2013
(NPR) – By the end of the century, the birthplace of America may be
underwater.
The first successful English colony in America was at Jam... more »
Whither Progressivism?
*by Fred Drumlevitch*
**
*(cross-posted from http://freddrumlevitch.blogspot.com/)*
Why do we blog? Do progressive political bloggers and the more structured
progressive information sources matter, in the context of contemporary
mainstream media’s massive footprint? What is the nature of mainstream
media’s betrayal of democracy? How are mathematical models of infection
relevant to dissent? Most important, what is to be done to advance
progressivism? Those seemingly diverse questions are in fact intimately
related, and can provide useful guidance as we strive to reverse the
decades-l... more »
NBC TODAY VIDEO: Woodward On Bush, Iraq, 2009
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
NBC MEET THE PRESS VIDEO: Hayden: We Got Iraq WMD Report Wrong
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
A Little Test for Test Junkies (and Time Traveling with Vonnegut)
If you are a proponent of testing, please take the following test: 1) Do
you think public education is currently fulfilling its purpose in the U.S.?
[If you answer "No," please continue.] 2) Did you know that public schools
began to depend heavily on testing in the early 2oth century? [If you
answer "Yes," please […]
It is presumed that Parliament intends crimes to have a subjective fault element
*R. v. A.D.H.,* 2013 SCC 28, just released, holds child abandonment
requires a subjective fault to be proven. In so doing the Court notes a
presumption that crimes require a subjective fault:
An important part of the context in which we must interpret s. 218 is the
presumption that Parliament intends crimes to have a subjective fault
element. The Court has stated and relied on this interpretative principle
on many occasions: see, e.g., *Watts** v. The Queen*, [1953] 1 S.C.R. 505,
at p. 511; *R. v. Rees*, [1956] S.C.R. 640, at p. 652; *Beaver v. The Queen*,
[1957] S.C.R. 531, at pp... more »
BULLROAR OVER BENGHAZI: Return of the famous old Clinton Rules!
*FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013*
*Part 5—The ultimate insult revealed*: An eight-month insult to your
intelligence will be revealed in Sunday’s Washington Post.
No one will notice that this has occurred. But still!
The deconstruction will be performed by Michael Hirsh. He will be
identified as “the National Journal’s chief correspondent.”
In the paper’s Outlook section, Hirsh will publish a piece bearing this
headline: “Five Myths About Benghazi.” This highly instructive piece has
already been posted on-line.
As he examines the first of those five myths, Hirsh will tell Post readers
what ... more »
More Books
Reading Susan George's book *Another World Is Possible If ...* , Susan
George has been writing great, readable stuff since the 1970s. I've read *A
Fate Worse Than Debt* and *How the Other Half Dies*. If you want a good
introduction to the political-economic history of the postwar period and
how we've found ourselves in this sorry state, I'd recommend giving her
books a try.
What makes this work a little depressing is that it's from 2004, and in it,
George makes the entirely reasonable argument that if there's to be any
hope for social justice in the world, then the population of E... more »
Earthquake Rocks Ottawa and Toronto - May 17th, 2013
An earthquake rocked Ottawa and Toronto today at approx. 9:43 AM.
The shaking lasted approx. 20 to 30 seconds, starting with smaller shakes
and then leading into larger quakes for a big finish.
The last earthquake of similar magnitude was in June 2010 and was a 5.0.(See Earthquake
strikes Ontario, Quebec & New York )
Earthquake Canada has confirmed that a 4.8 magnitude earthquake originated
in Braeside, Ont., in the Ottawa Valley at 9:43 AM Friday.
“It was obviously widely felt if it reached Toronto,” said seismologist
John Adams. He will be able to provide more information sho... more »
MN Legislature: Smokers to Subsidize Billionaire Ziggy Wilkes
They are trying to paint it at a "health" issue to raise cigarette taxes -
bullshit.
A "health" issue that just happens to fund the Viking stadium.
A "health" issue that just happens to put more money in Ziggy's bank
account - after all - he's only worth $1.3 BILLION .
Corporate welfare for Ziggy Wilf.
Minnesota gave Ziggy a sweetheart deal on his new stadium.
As I have noted before the damn thing isn't going to cost him one penny in
the long-run.
Minnesota was going to fund the stadium with electronic pulltabs - which
has been an absolute bust.
Since they couldn't get the gamblers... more »
Phils/Taiwan Mess Roundup 4: No animal has lower IQ than a nationalist mob screaming for blood
*
* *Looking back at his life, it seemed to him that he had been struggling
all the time to dam a flood, which, whenever he had checked it, had broken
through at a new place, setting him his work to do again. It was the flood
of Force Majeur.*
The image above is the kind of bullshit that is all over Facebook and the
bulletin boards this week, a depressing cycle of stupidity and ignorance
morally legitimated by nationalist posturing. The Taiwan media is awful.
Most Taiwanese have no idea how their fisherman behave overseas or about
any of the politics of the issue. They couldn't te... more »
Climate change brings disease threat for polar bears – ‘There are a number of diseases now observed in Arctic animals that were not previously seen’
[image: Sow Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) near Kaktovik, Barter Island,
Alaska, 2007. Photo: Alan Wilson]
By Shaoni Bhattacharya
15 May 2013
(New Scientist) – With its habitats shrinking and food supplies dwindling,
the fate of the polar bear looks grim in the face of climate change. Now
comes news that the iconic Arctic mammal may face another potentially
devastating threat: it may be particularly vulnerable to new pathogens
moving northwards as a result of warming.
Diana Weber, who works at both the New College of Florida, Sarasota, and
the American Museum of Natural History i... more »
Chicago students are fighting back!
There’s some really creative resistance happening in Chicago. The massive
school closures there have ignited a great conflagration. For all of the
Mayor’s apparent political wisdom, how could city officials assume this
would happen without a fight? Well, I have a few links for you. First,
watch the video. Then, check out At the Chalk […]
barcelona to granada
We are relaxing recuperating in our room in the Hotel Molinas in Granada,
in the south of Spain. File this day under all's well that ends well.
Our last night in Barcelona, we had a tapas dinner at El Bixto, where we
had gone two nights earlier. We got caught in the pouring rain on the way
home, the first bad weather we've seen on the whole trip.
In the morning we took the metro to pick up our rental car, then braved a
minor nightmare making it back to the hotel, what with poorly signed
roundabouts, one-way streets, no parking, and Allan re-learning how to
drive a stick shift. (It ... more »
Noem (SD - ALEC ALUM) Considers Bid for Senate
From *The Hill*:
*Rep. Noem in 'conversations' about potential Senate bid in South Dakota*
By Alexandra Jaffe - 05/16/13 03:30 PM ET
Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) is discussing the possibility of mounting a
Senate campaign in 2014, telling The Hill she's had "some conversations"
with groups about running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Tim Johnson
(D).
Noem said she doesn't expect to make a decision for "several months" on
whether she'd challenge former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds in the
Republican primary.
"We're still watching the race. We haven't made up our minds on what we'... more »
War watch - May 14 , 2013.... Afghanistan , Pakistan , Yemen and Iraq in focus....
Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago
Afghanistan news of the day.....
Leaving Afghanistan to Cost US $7 BillionOngoing Fighting to Increase Costs
by Jason Ditz, May 13, 2013
Print This | Share This
The US military never does anything cheap, and that includes withdrawing
troops. Officials had been reporting vaguely about the costs of Afghan
withdrawal rising, and analysts now say it could cost in excess of $7
billion.
Though it may not sound like a lot in the grand scheme of things, with the
Pentagon spending hundreds of billions of dollars on the occupation
annually, $7 billion is an enormous amount of money to spend ju... more »
Toxic Vapors a Problem at Wisconsin Apartment Complex
Rachel Rindfleisch at Contaminated Nation - Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste locations - 15 hours ago
By: Nathan Lamb
An affordable housing facility at an old Wisconsin factory is coping with
toxic fumes from the building’s industrial past, according to this story
from the Appleton Post Crescent newspaper.
An underground ventilation system is the latest step to alleviate recently
discovered trichloroethylene (TCE) fumes at the Wire Works Apartments in
Appleton. Located beneath the building foundation, the system draws toxic
fumes out of contaminated soil at the site and uses fans to discharge the
fumes above the building’s roof.
A spokesperson from the Department of Natural Resour... more »
Boehnercare Passes The House
Thursday there were 3 votes leading up to Boehner's 37th attempt to repeal
the Affordable Care Act and allow the big insurance companies to pick the
pockets of every American who needs a doctor once again. This time Boehner
gave the dubious honor of introducing the waste-of-time bill to Tea Party
queen Michele Bachmann, who also has the dubious honor of being the first
Republican incumbent so certain she's going to lose her reelection that
she's already started running TV ads in her district. Pelosi was still
disparagingly calling the bill Boehnercare.
There were 3 votes leading u... more »
Friday Morning Linkage
Syttende mai! Remembering Kenneth Waltz Erica Chenoweth and Kathleen
Gallagher Cunningham put together a special issue of the Journal of Peace
Research on nonviolence. (Free access through July 31). A New Deal for
Fragile States: spoiler alert — national leadership and ownership of
agendas are key. In other IRS news — don’t F@#$ with adjuncts… 3-d
Continue reading
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Peter Gerety, 73.
And the good stuff:
1. Sean Trende on House districts and the GOP advantage. No, not
gerrymandering.
2. Good Ed Kilgore on "political correctness." As I've said: most of this
is all about conflating politics and etiquette. Be polite, and most of the
problem melts away.
3. An employer survey shows minimal planned changes in reaction to ACA
kicking in -- very few intend to drop insurance or to fire or hire in order
to game the system; the biggest planned change has to do with manipulating
workers hours to keep them from qualifying, but even there ... more »
Untitled
*Corps of Engineers declares massive hurricane project complete: No
Warranty / No Return ~John Snell, WVUE*
*Governor's state of emergency proclamation ~WNOE*
*Eyes still watching MS River ~Rory Doyle, Bolivar Commercial*
*Head defers to Landrieu in rewriting of food truck ordinance ~Danny
Monteverde*
*What's To Become Of The New Orleans Food Truck Scene? ~Poppy Tooker, WWNO*
*Some oil spill cleanup workers say exposure to chemicals left them sick ~
WWL*
*USA: Legislation Authorizes Study of Entire Mississippi River Basin ~Dredging
Today*
*Cripple Creek tackles fair housing with ‘... more »
The Henchman's Curse
Two of Stephen Harper's senate appointments have been shoved out of the
Conservative caucus. The Senate was their reward for doing the Prime
Minister's dirty work. But one of life's axioms is that what goes around
comes around.
Patrick Brazeau helped Stephen Harper kill the Kelowna Accord. It was
Brazeau, the deputy national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples,
who supported Harper during the 2006 election. The Assembly of First
Nations backed Paul Martin and the Accord. Michael Harris writes:
It was the age-old battle over reserve and non-reserve aboriginals and the
dif... more »
'DuffyGate' now expands to include political interference in SunNewsNetwork application to CRTC .....
**
[image: Progressive Bloggers]
*"You know people at the CRTC, This is an important decision on Sun Media.
They (CRTC) have to play with the team and support Sun Media’s request.”*
*CTV*
.*Sen. Mike Duffy attempted to influence the Canadian Radio-Television and
Telecommunications Commission’s upcoming decision involving the
right-leaning Sun News Network, a source has told CTV News.*
*** A well-placed source told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife that
Duffy approached a Conservative insider with connections to the CRTC three
weeks ago to discuss Sun Media, which is asking the... more »
CPS Rips Babies From Parents Over Legal Medical Marijuana
*Reason TV*
The story of Daisy Bram is precisely why we must end the prohibition of
marijuana. The Brams had their lives destroyed for growing legal medical
pot. Their peaceful country homestead was raided, they were charged with
intent to sell, and their kids thrown in foster care. All over a flower
that is legal for them to grow in their state. What kind of a society is
okay with this?
Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter:
Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.
Sharing on Reddit and Newsvine will help the most.
... more »
3 Robbers Stick Victim in Gun Closet
Image Amanda Warren
A Houston, Texas neighborhood recently plagued by crime praised the efforts
of an unlikely hero; a young man who didn't really want to be in a gun
fight that day.
Recently, three armed crooks broke into a man's home to find the
homeowner's son. They shoved him into a closet - which just happened to be
his dad's gun haven.
When it was safe the young man grabbed a gun to go downstairs where the
20-year-old armed intruder fired at him and missed....
The resident fired and hit the armed intruder twice - once in the neck, and
once in the ... more »
Russia makes strategic moves regarding Syria ..... Qatar and Saudia - battle for control of the Syrian rebellion , the Syrian rebel forces - and even more important , natural gas supremacy is the hiddne price for member of the nations using Syria as their natural gas / pipeline war proxy pawns !
« Breaking News »Four Russian S-300 batteries shipped to Syria
DEBKA*file* May 17, 2013, 9:00 AM (GMT+02:00)
Moscow reports that four batteries of S-300 systems with 100-150
simultaneously deployable, guided anti-aircraft missiles have already been
shipped to Syria complete with Russian military “adviser” crews.*DEBKAfile:* An
Israeli strike to smash this weapon in Syria could not avoid hitting
its Russian crews.
« Breaking News »Russia sends Syria upgraded anti-ship cruise missiles
DEBKA*file* May 17, 2013, 8:55 AM (GMT+02:00)
US officials report the delivery to the Syrian govern... more »
"The Controversy of Zion" by Douglas Reed
.
This book is a masterpiece, one the very best I have read. Unpublished,
because of its controversial subject matter for years, it is now available
in the USA and the UK. It is also available free as a PDF.
As an introduction to this great work I can do no better than to reproduce
commentaries (below) written by Dane, Knud Eriksen*.*
Douglas Reed and the Jews
*by Knud Eriksen*
In *Dronten* *no. 4* (“*T**he Dodo*”) I first mentioned the once world
famous foreign correspondent and author, Douglas Reed, who went from being
widely known and respected before, during and after the I... more »
Austrian Banks balk at Bad Bank Bailout .... Overnight news from Asia and Europe .. May 17 , 2013 !
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-16/austrian-good-banks-baulk-bad-bank-bailout
Austrian "Good" Banks Balk At Bad-Bank Bailout
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/16/2013 21:18 -0400
- Bad Bank
- Creditors
- Gross Domestic Product
- Ireland
- Italy
- Reuters
Since 2009, when Hypo Alpe Adria was 'nationalized', the Austrian
government has dumped more than EUR2 billion into the troubled bank. It
remains on life-support but this time the government-proposed 'aid' being
offered is running into a wall. *The rest of Austria's ban... more »
Harvey Organ Evening Report for Gold and Silver - May 14 , 2013 ! Comex losing more physical even as the GLD ETF inventory remains static .... Additional news and views to consider......
Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-14/jpm-eligible-gold-plunges-new-record-low-and-why-it-could-have-been-much-worse
( So this works until registered gold goes bye bye - then what ? )
<h1 class="title" style="color: black; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight:
bold; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom:
Verizon secretly handed over phone records of AP reporters to the federal government
image: herzobgr/Flickr Madison Ruppert
As the Obama administration is hit by scandal after scandal, it was
revealed that Verizon wireless handed over private data belonging to
journalists with the Associated Press last year without any hesitation or
questions asked.
Interestingly, the Associated Press said the decision to publish the
article that reportedly sparked the investigation was only made after consulting
the White House and the CIA.
This latest news came as congressional critics said the investigation damaged
press freedom and the White House claimed they were ignorant o... more »
Google Maps refurbish promotes ads and personalizes facts
*Google has unveiled a novel version of its Maps web service, which it says
has been rebuilt from the ground up.* The redesign aims to personalize the
product, deciding what to label to best match each user's happiness. It
also features new icons highlighting businesses running ads and promotions,
which superimpose the map.
This may create the maps more attractive to advertisers who have tended to
focus on Google's key search page and rival platforms. *Google has
exhausted huge sums developing its maps service, licensing third-party
conten... more »
10 Amazing Charts That Demonstrate The Death Of The American Worker
Michael Snyder
The middle class American worker is in danger of becoming an endangered
species. The politicians are not telling you the truth, and the mainstream
media is certainly not telling you the truth, but the reality is that there
is nothing but bad news on the horizon for workers in the United States.
In the old days, when the big corporations that dominate our society did
well, that also meant good things for American workers since those
corporations would need more of us to work for them. But in the emerging
one world economic system that our economy is being merged in... more »
How to Share Difficult Information with Friends
*Youtube*
http://www.ThriveMovement.com
Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter:
Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.
Sharing on Reddit and Newsvine will help the most.
Robo Raven: New 3D-Printed Drone Mimics Nature
Nicholas West
The march toward developing drones that mimic nature continues unabated.
Robobee has received a lot of attention lately for taking flight as a
possible replacement pollinator for the declining natural bee population,
while also offering the dual-use swarm surveillance and
weapons' capabilities sought after by the military.
The latest drone to come out of development utilizes 3D-printed components
to produce a first of its kind: independently flapping wings. So effective
is its mimicry, that product developers documented Robo Raven being
attacked by a real hawk in the... more »
New Gun Tech to Make "Smart" Shooters
*Activist Post*
Austin, Texas has emerged as the premier site for advanced gun tech.
Defense Distributed has now famously tested its fully 3D-printed handgun there
(and had the blueprints subsequently restricted by the State Department),
and Austin has been the chosen site for testing for a new "smart" rifle
that is already drawing the type of attention to suggest that it, too, will
cause an uproar.
Utilizing a color graphics display, laser targeting, and an autonomous
system of computer algorithms to judge the perfect shot, years of practice
are reduced to pulling the trigger and... more »
Fatah's Drive Against "Normalization" :: Gatestone Institute
'... how can there ever be a peace process when any Palestinian who meets
with an Israeli is immediately denounced as a traitor? It is worth noting
that most of these denunciations are coming from the "moderate" Fatah, and
not from Hamas.'
File under PA hypocrisy.
More here http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3719/fatah-israel-normalization
No shit Sherlock
Report in papers that using a mobile phone raises blood pressure...
No shit Sherlock
Blood Clot Risk Management
We already know all this, but showing it statistically is always good. As
also expected, plenty of walking along with a well managed weight are the
two best things that one can do.
My father lived from diagnosis at age 57 through 86 by pretty well living
those two realities. He made a point to put time daily into his garden. It
does not sound like much but all your muscles are gently worked doing this.
In fact, it is long overdue to revisit our assumptions on exercise.
Progressive training serves no purpose most of our lives. It is to reach a
necessary standard that t... more »
Progressive Coronary Artery Calcium Buildup
What this tells us is that measuring the change in calcium buildup just
happens to be a strong predictor of heart disease. This can be independent
of other symptoms. In fact it would be beneficial to have a way to even
determine that progression throughout life.
It says nothing about cause and effect and we certainly have seen plenty
of speculation. The nanobacteria concept was at least somewhat convincing.
The fact remains that the calcium must crystallize and that remains
unclear. It certainly will not be because there is any actual imbalance in
the blood unless some... more »
My birthday present
My daughter's birthday present to me. Isn't it wonderful?
_______________________
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its
sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores
of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
The Universe
"Everyone's scared. Few carry on.
I mean really carry on, as if it were your reason for being."
"Keep calm,"
The Universe
"Thoughts become things... choose the good ones!"
- www.tut.com
What is 'The Special One' planning?
Nicely done but what does Arsene Wenger sound so much like Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
Free Planet - A World Without Profit - real freedom
you hear it all the time from revolutionists and anti-Illuminati-ists, "We
want the freedom to do what we want to do."
But that's psychopathic thinking, groinal or egotistical thinking. Within a
couple generations you're back to Square One, sequestering off territories
for 'your tribe' and fighting wars of protectionism for 'your interests'.
You're very soon concerned (again) with Bottom Line, Productivity and
Dividend for donators to your cause; tribune. Nobody will help 'your
country' to benefit from Planetary Rape. It just don't work. It just kills
everything but 'our army'. Prof... more »
What Everybody Got Wrong About Tesla
What Tesla has clearly done is produce a viable electric vehicle that the
well heeled customer accepts as good enough. That positions the company for
the next decades in which the massive ongoing investment in battery
technology and self driving technology will converge to meet performance
needs, while operating outside the traditional business model of the
automobile industry.
This company is completely ready for the oncoming automobile battery that
provides a range of several hundred miles. When that happens its
competitors will have to face accepting the complete rewor... more »
Population Recalculated
Global population statistics were long overdue for a proper recalculation
merely based on better historical analysis. It is obvious that the globe
will be modernized by 2050. At that point population growth will be
naturally neutral and even negative while lengthening lifespans will keep
the bubble up for a while thereafter. Then it must deflate.
What is inevitable is modernization and fertility control by mothers. This
will bring about a sociological change in our culture to support superior
fertility, but that also naturally creates a check point. A country wishing
to ... more »
Time for some Joy Division
I love this track from the first Joy Division album 'Unknown Pleasures'.
For a real insight into Ian Cutis, you must watch the film 'Control', it's
seriously moving.
String theory = Bayesian inference?
The following paper by Jonathan Heckman of Harvard is either wrong, or
trivial, or revolutionary:
Statistical Inference and String Theory
I don't understand it so far but Jonathan claims that one may derive the
equations of general relativity – and, in fact, the equations of string
theory – from something as general as Bayesian inference by a collective of
agents.
It sounds really bizarre because the Bayesian inference seems to be a
totally generic framework that may be applied anywhere and that says
nothing else about "what the theories should look like" while general
relativi... more »
LENA DUNHAM; ED MILIBAND
*Lena Dunham. *"Lena Dunham ('Girls') - Best TV Comedy Director".
The Jerusalem Post has produced its latest list of the 20 most influential
Jews.
In number *18* position is *Lena Dunham, *filmmaker and actress, born in
Jew York City.[3]
*Ann Dunham, mother of President Obama, reportedly.*
Lena Dunham's father, Carroll Dunham, is a painter of "overtly sexualized
pop art".
*Carroll Dunham art.*
Lena Dunham's mother, Laurie Simmons, is a photographer and designer who
creates artistic domestic scenes with dolls.[4][5]
*Carroll Dunham and Laurie Simmons.*
*
*
*Ann Dunham's paren... more »
Important endorsements for Monica Ratliff for LAUSD Board of Education
Professor Diane Ravitch — Monica Ratliff for Los Angeles School Board There
is a big race in Los Angeles on May 21. It is a run-off that will determine
who controls the board. There are two candidates. One–Monica Ratliff–is a
working classroom teacher, the other worked on the staff of
corporate-friendly Mayor Villaraigosa and has […]
Obamağan - Face of State Terrorism In The 21st Century
*Obama**ğan Is Bringing Death and Destruction To Syria In The Name of
Democracy.*
On Thursday, May 16, U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan *held a press conference outside the White House* to
discuss their enthusiastic support for Al-Qaeda in Syria, as well as other
pressing issues.
Both are leaders of the world's biggest terrorist states. America and
Turkey lead the world in various uncivilized and undemocratic categories,
from the torture of innocent victims to the number of repressive
anti-terror laws.
Press freedom in both America and... more »
Duffy Out of Conservative Caucus. He Wants to Do the Right Thing.
Mike Duffy has departed the Conservative caucus.
*"...the Prime Minister’s Office appears to have been blindsided by Duffy’s
claims that he had arranged his own loan with Royal Bank of Canada to cover
the repayment. *
*“There are a growing number of questions about Mr. Duffy’s conduct that
don’t have answers. Mr. Duffy will have to answer as an independent senator,”
a government official said Thursday night. *
**
*Duffy’s claim that he had secured a bank loan was a complete surprise to
senior government officials and appears to have sparked his departure from
the Conservative caucu... more »
Your moment of Zen
This was our private playground when I was a teen, long before they turned
it into Tarywile Park. Danbury, CT. [John Andrew Zanzal photo]
[click to embiggen]
COULD SYRIAN CIVIL WAR PROTAGONISTS JOIN FORCES TO TAKE ON ISRAEL?
The interference by Israel in the civil war in Syria may have outcomes that
Israel may not want – or, on the other hand, perhaps they do. Either way,
they’re taking a risk that could draw in Israeli citizens as casualties.
By attacking Syria with air strikes on weapons which the Israelis say were
bound for Syria’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, and doing so while flying in
Lebanese airspace, Israel is clearly deliberately provoking both Hezbollah
and Syria.
If Israel attacks Syria again and Syria decides to retaliate then a whole
new war front will open up which could possibly be a gam... more »
You will not take my country from me...
*listen...*
Gleefully stolen from *Capitalist Preservation*
Review - Chi Bar
Do you ever crave something sweet but avoid sugary, unhealthy candy bars?
Like me, you might browse the granola or energy bar selections thinking
that they contain nutritious ingredients ... and then feel disappointed
seeing things like hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup on the
label. The few wholesome bars on the shelves often lack flavor or a
pleasant texture ... I tried a sample which made me think of sawdust.
[image: organic chi bar]
The kind folks at Chi Foods invited me to try Chi Bars.
Before agreeing, I visited their site to learn about the product. Words
like U... more »
Christy Clark and the Manning Centre for Building Conservatives
In March 2012, Christy Clark gave the opening remarks to the Ottawa Manning
Centre Networking Conference, the yearly "conservative family reunion".
She was introduced by her then chief of staff, former senior Harper
advisor, Enbridge lobbyist, and Alberta 'firewall manifesto' signatory Ken
Boessenkool, who was her very first campaign manager back in 2010.
"We have a duty to Canada" to easy the flow of products to Asia, she told
her audience at the Manning Centre [a year ago]. "We support pipelines in
British Columbia."
BC Conservative leader John Cummins was not invited.
Mannin... more »
Paul Ryan Gets A Letter From A Constituent
Hey Paul Ryan!
What do you think of the $52 billion in profits to the US Treasury made by
the government taking over student lending?
Haven't heard you praising the outcome of a "Government Takeover."
Why?
Could it be that those profits would have been gravy profits to your
benefactors?
It sure seems to me this is an excellent example of Government gone right.
I understand why this is not something you would not like to discuss. Like
a wealthy guy (hmm... you!) paying for a private school college education
on the Social Security benefits you want to cut.
Same with Obamacare. Yo... more »
Great Short Video By Snordelhans...Warning! Iran HAS The Bomb!
With the failure at this moment in the sick Israeli/US attempts to get
their regional war going in the Middle East through Syria, the Jewish media
has now began their push for an invasion of Iran (again) through the usual
false claims that Iran is "months away" from building a nuclear device....
We have heard the same lies for years now, and I hope that this time people
are no longer taking the bait...
To help show the sad history of the vain attempts by the criminals in both
the terrorist state of Israel, and their useless idiot slaves in the United
States, to get a war on Iran goi... more »
49:1 Is Not 50:50
Forty-Nine to One is not Fifty-Fifty. Climate change denialists like to
spread it on thick and claim there's some fierce debate over the reality of
anthropogenic global warming and there are a good many disinformed,
misinformed and simply delusional types who think there is no consensus and
it's a toss up.
That's simply garbage served up by people who manufacture garbage for
people willing to consume garbage.
Yet another peer-reviewed study into the great body of climate change
research studies finds 97.1% endorse the consensus view while a miserably
underwhelming 1.9% reject the... more »
WSJ: Wal-Mart Crafts Own Bangladesh Safety Plan
Banjo, S., Zimmerman, A., & Kapner, S (May 15, 2013)Wall Street Journal, p.
B1.
[Excerpted] Wal-Mart Stores Inc. broke with major European retailers on
Tuesday by announcing its own plan for improving safety at Bangladesh
garment factories....
The proliferation of competing proposals may undermine their effectiveness,
some experts said, and voluntary efforts have a poor track record. "Without
a legally binding contract that the European retailers have signed, it's
just putting lipstick on a pig," said Bob Ross, a critic of sweatshops who
teaches sociology at Clark University in Wo... more »
FRIDAY MORNING RAMBLE: The boring bloody budget edition
*Anyone have links to good Budget commentary? Because I struggled to stay
awake throughout Bill’s self-justifying dirge, so failed to post my own.
(And I’m betting I’m not the only one who so struggled.) How about you add
good links in the comments, if you have any, and I’ll add them up here as I
see them. In the meantime, while Americans were sleeping…*
[image: Photo: SHARE if you think politicians like Obama are the reason we
need term limits!]
One measure of today’s housing crisis: Remember when a new subdivision
wasn’t national news?
*New subdivision gets green light* – RADIO... more »
Paulo Coelho, “The Well of Madness”
* “The Well of Madness”*
by Paulo Coelho
“A powerful wizard, who wanted to destroy an entire kingdom, placed a
magic potion in the well from which all the inhabitants drank. Whoever
drank that water would go mad. The following morning, the whole population
drank from the well and they all went mad, apart from the king and his
family, who had a well set aside for them alone, which the magician had not
managed to poison.
The king was worried and tried to control the population by issuing a
series of edicts governing security and public health. The policemen and
inspectors, howev... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Keauhou, Hawaii, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
Satire: “Republicans Agree to Stop Using Word “Scandal” in Every Sentence If Obama Resigns”
* *
*“Republicans Agree to Stop Using Word “Scandal”*
* in Every Sentence If Obama Resigns”
*by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “Arguing that the American people are
sick and tired of hearing the word “scandal,” a growing chorus of
Republican lawmakers said they would stop using the word “scandal” in every
sentence if President Obama resigns from office immediately. “Mr.
President, for the past week, the American people have heard nothing but
scandal,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California). “Scandal, scandal,
scandal, and more scandal.” “You have called for inves... more »
More you, as needed . . .
'
HEAP BIG BREAKTHROUGH: According to George Dvorsky at io9, scientists
have made human stem cells by Dolly-type cloning. Check out his article,
"Scientists Use Cloning to Create Embryonic Stem Cells".
The Godsquad's gonna freak . . . but the 'Genie' is out of the bottle,
er, test-tube. Essentially your unique DNA can be used to grow more you
to fix things that need fixing with you. Now,
Ian Hutchinson: The Scientism Delusion
Related: *Prof. Ian Hutchinson - Monopolising Knowledge: A Refutation of
Scientism*.
Title: Ian Hutchinson: The Scientism Delusion. YouTube Video Description -
[Channel: VeritasForum. Published on May 5, 2012]:
http://www.veritas.org/talks - Since its beginning, science has
demonstrated its uncapped ability to uncover and explain our universe... or
has it? MIT Professor and Christian Ian Hutchinson argues that the fairly
recent view that science can explain everything, or scientism, makes
unrealistic promises of the scientific method. Instead, Hutchinson opens up
a world in whic... more »
Civilized Humanity: Obama and Erdogan Must Go
The administrations of Obama and Erdogan are supporting Al-Qaeda and other
terrorist groups in Syria financially, militarily, and logistically. They
must go in order for civilized humanity to get a chance at life in that
region, and in this century.
DOWN TO THE DOCTOR’S: “Oh teachers are my lessons done? I cannot do another one.”
*[image: _McGrath001]This week, Libz leader Dr Richard McGrath wonders what
about registering a teacher makes them safe?*
Boyish Labour MP and teachers' pet Chris Hipkins seems convinced that if
teachers in charter schools aren't registered, children will be at risk and
the sky will fall.
I thank him for his concern. We can all be reassured that where a teacher
is registered and under scrutiny of the Teachers Council, our children will
be secure...
*Registered teacher James Parker admitted at least 74 charges of sexual
offending young boys. He is still on the register of teache... more »
Common Core Meme Break
A little more light-hearted way to sum up the reality. Yes, I need a little
brain break. Filed under: KRIS NIELSEN: First, Do No Harm Tagged: common
core
Anybody Heard of the 'Government Telecommunications and Informatics Service?'
My Duffy post earlier today seems to have drawn the attention of some
Ottawa outfit called the Government Telecommunications and Informatics
Service. Anyone know anything about them?
Untitled
*Benefit for shooting victims May 23 at Tip’s!*
*Fund for Deb Cotton *
Off with their heads
Yet another ritualistic resignation at the IRS, as required by the optics
under what passes for civil society these days.
An internal IRS memo says Joseph Grant, commissioner of the agency’s tax
exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. Grant joins
Steven Miller, who was forced to resign as acting IRS commissioner on
Wednesday.
Grant joined the IRS in 2005.
But Booman is right. In a sane society, this is what should have happened
to Tea Party group tax exemptions.
I am infuriated by these stories about Tea Party groups who are complaining
that seeking tax-exe... more »
How did we become the Evil Empire?
*I received this essay a few days ago. I have edited the text for
readability, and corrected the English idioms and expression, English is
not the author's first language, but it remains essentially as given in the
narrative. I think you can feel the love of the writer for his flawed and
well meaning father who thought he was doing his patriotic duty for his
country but awakened too late to realize he was working for corrupt bankers
and business interests. Particularly interesting is how his father's love
for his son caused him to confess the true nature of his work and that ke... more »
Southern Man Rescues A Turtle
Southern Man saw this good-sized common snapping turtle (*chelydra
serpentina*) trying to cross six lands of traffic...
He was a Beast, easily capable of taking a finger. Southern Man managed to
get him by the tail and put him by the side of the road. Yes, Southern Man
knows you're not supposed to do that but it was all he could manage at the
time.
And then Southern Man found a box and transported The Beast to The Land.
Here he is near the dock pilings.
The Beast wasn't too happy about having been moved by his tail and then
scooped into a box but The Land is and always will be a... more »
Mothers Day 2013
The ever beautiful Southern Mother.
Southern Father unloads conduit from The Titan.
Stella is a Good Dog!
Choral Concert
It's time for Teen Daughter's Spring Choral Concert - why, yes, she does
have a solo part - so Southern Man and Southern Mother made the drive Up
North to see her.
Southern Mother in the crowd.
Yes, Teen Daughter is right in the middle of this photo. Not that you can
tell.
Dinner at Twisters.
Drop-off at school the next morning, where Teen Daughter (as she often
does) declined to be photographed.
Of course there was geocaching. Southern Man snuck in a couple after
dropping off Teen Daughter and before heading back to the hotel for
Southern Mother.
One was in this beautiful... more »
Singles Dance
It's the once-monthly singles dance! Whoo hoo!
Hey, why aren't you dancing?
Pool Sharks
As before *none* of the actual dance-floor pics came out, and few of the
low-light shots. Southern Man must wean himself from "auto" and actually
learn how to use his fancy new camera.
“Truth Is Offensive”
* *
*“Truth Is Offensive”*
by Paul Craig Roberts
“In America truth is offensive. If you tell the truth, you are offensive. I
am offensive. Michael Hudson is offensive. Gerald Celente is offensive.
Herman Daly is offensive. Nomi Prins is offensive. Pam Martens is
offensive. Chris Hedges is offensive. Chris Floyd is offensive. John Pilger
is offensive. Noam Chomsky is offensive. Harvey Silverglate is offensive.
Naomi Wolf is offensive. Stephen Lendman is offensive. David Ray Griffin is
offensive. Ellen Brown is offensive.
Fortunately, many others are offensive. But how long before... more »
Lightning Round--Koch Boycott App, Second Term Jinx, Arrested Development Trailer, Crazy Map, Laura Marling, Cat Opens Doors, More
*Forbes:
*Want to boycott the Koch Brothers, but it's too hard because they
own half the shit in the grocery store? Well, now there's an app for
that.
Until they buy Apple or something.* *
*TPM: *Josh Marshall doesn't think that President Obama is likely to be
impeached, but he sees parallels to 1998.*** *
*Rolling Stone: *Jillian Mapes breaks down the new *Arrested
Development*trailer that has me more excited than nervous about the
return of the show.
**
*i09: *This map shows a circle on planet Earth that contains more people
than live outside the circle.
Valerie Pieris made this map... more »
Rob Portman Has A Shovel And He Keeps Digging That Hole Deeper
Rob and Wayne's fabulous adventure
I suppose if one of Senator Portman's family members was bowling and some
idiot with a gun in his shorts pocket accidentally shot him, Portman would
change his mind on gun safety regulations... in a couple of years. Until
then, Portman could just continue lying by claiming he did vote yes on
background checks for criminals, terrorists and insane people wanting to
buy guns. But Portman voted NO on background checks. Portman voted NO on
deterring firearms trafficking. Portman voted NO on regulating military
grade assault weapons. Portman voted NO on r... more »
Iraq’s Troubled Agricultural Sector
In May 2013 Deputy Agricultural Minister Ghazi Obeidi told the press that
Iraq’s farm sector was booming. He claimed that the country would soon be
meeting domestic demand for fruits, vegetables, and wheat. Obeidi went on
to state that was due to the Agricultural Ministry’s policies, which
include the banning of certain imports, and providing new crops to help
Iraqi farmers. Agriculture is one of the most important industries after
oil and gas. It is the second largest employer, and one-third of the
population lives in rural areas. Currently the countryside is suffering
from high ... more »
Al-Qaeda Supporting Bullies Afraid Of A Little Rain
Flashback: *"Guess who isn’t afraid of a little rain? Mitt Romney attends
rally, shakes hands of vets in downpour."*
If We're Going To Do This With Drones, Why Does Anyone Need the F-35?
With the launch yesterday of the X-47B from the deck of the USS George HW
Bush, the case for the F-35 just got a lot weaker.
The X-47B is a prototype of a U.S. Navy UCAV or unmanned combat air
vehicle. It's a stealth light bomber which is pretty much the same sort of
aircraft as the F-35 only without the guy inside.
The X-47B is intended to penetrate hostile airspace, undetected, drop a
couple of bombs on a heavily defended, high-value target and then try to
get back out again. The F-35 is intended to penetrate hostile airspace,
undetected, drop a couple of bombs on a heavily d... more »
The cost of repealing Obamacare
Not talking about the costs as related to health care or the deficit. This
is simply the cost to the taxpayer for the time it takes Congress to keep
producing these "message bills" the crackpot cons insist on repeatedly
bringing to the floor in order to impress the rubes back home.
Steve Daines represents Montana, which, at last count, takes in $1.92 of
money from big government Beltway solutions for every dollar in taxes
Montanas send to the rest of us. And, by the time the House arranged to
define the word "quixotic" for the ages for the 33rd time, which was almost
a year ago, t... more »
Pennsylvania business and military leaders lack 8th grade writing skills.
Someone has to say it! Pennsylvania business and military leaders lack 8th
grade writing skills and need a serious academic intervention before they
make one more stupid suggestion about teaching, learning, child
development, and public schools. As reported today in The Triadvocate,
Mission Readiness (a supposed “nonpartisan” group) released: All Children
Prepared for Success: Common […]
The Price of War
The folks at *UpWorthy* have published a photo-perspective showing the
faces of soldiers taken before, during and after war. Here's one
example. Follow the link above to see the rest.
President Trumps Arne’s Celebration of Astounding and Amazing and Extraordinary Teachers with Charter School Week
I haven’t been able to say anything printable about Obama’s dissing of
teachers that accompanied his Proclamation declaring Charter Schools Week
on Friday before the beginning of last week’s Teacher Appreciation Week.
Obama’s odious Proclamation did not deter his corporate jackrabbit at ED,
however, from posting his own notice of celebration on that began on […]
What the Heck's Going On With the Obamaites? The Law Behind the A.P. Phone-Record Scandal Is Ours, So, Holder Like Arctic Ice Is Gone? STFU Grads & Be Glad Your Masters Have Jobs
The difference in the two parties today (if you listen to their true
concerns about environmental and economic devastation in light of the
rapidly oncoming (as we breathe) sacred fracking/shale oil
climate-destroying missions) seems to be "in how enthusiastically the
lemmings should march towards the cliff." Is "intelligence a lethal
mutation?" (Watch the video below for the unsurprising
GOP agree: Feed the rich, starve the poor
Rebuffing Democratic attempts to stop this inhumane pandering to special
interests, Republicans rammed a bill through committee that starves
children of the poor and impoverished olds in order to give more money to
wealthy corporate farmers.
A Republican-controlled panel in the U.S. House of Representatives on
Wednesday approved the biggest cuts in food stamps for the poor in a
generation and a potentially expensive expansion of federally subsidized
crop insurance. [...]
Almost half the savings in the House bill would come from a $20.5 billion
cut over 10 years in spending on f... more »
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