Pont du Gard, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Detail of the Roman stonework on the Pont du Gard (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: The Gardon or Gard (Occitan and French: Gardon, Gard) is a river in southern France. The Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard crosses the Gardon. De Gardon of de Gard is een zijrivier van de Rhône. De rivier is bekend van de Romeinse Pont du Gard. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Side view of the Pont du Gard, showing the three rows of arches (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: The "Salpêtrière" cave, near the "pont-du-Gard" roman aqueduct (Remoulins, Gard), France Français : La grotte de la Salpêtrière, a coté du Pont-du-Gard (Remoulins, Gard), France (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Français : "Le Pont du Gard". Huile sur toile. H. 2.42 m, L. 2.42 m (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"You Can't Buy Prosperity"
* *
*"You Can't Buy Prosperity"*
by Bill Bonner
"Gold rose $24 per ounce yesterday. The Dow fell 12 points. The smart money
is using this dip to buy gold. Why? Because the world's major stock
markets... currencies... and economies all depend on reckless measures by
central banks. In the short run, the central banks can make things appear
safe and stable. How? By making lending money at ultra-low rates the norm.
It's hard for major players to go broke; they can just refinance. But in
the long run, those same policies can lead to instability, bubbles... and
disaster.
Too bad, but... more »
Weekend Fun 41: Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Other Politicians
Newly elected Sen. Nancy Binay ranked 5th out of 12 Senators recently
proclaimed by the Comelec. Being a never-heard political personality
nationwide until November 2012, she suddenly shot up in the top 15
candidates when she was drafted by UNA in December 2012. The rest is
history. Below is her political pedigree.
Some political cartoons during the campaign period, below.
Well, the joke is now on the voters, you and me included.
On the part of #1, Sen. Grace Poe who got 20.15 million votes, almost two
million higher than the 2nd placer Loren Legarda who got 18.48 million,
there ... more »
cantabria and asturias, day one
Today we fulfilled a travel wish we've harboured for many, many years. We
saw two sets of paleolithic cave paintings.
* * * *
The day started out a bit interesting, with an early-morning phone call
that appeared to be from our dogsitter, scaring me (although it turned out
to be a mistake), and a non-working shower. While we ate breakfast, the
desk clerk wanted to tell us the shower was fixed, so she wrote this on a
scrap of paper: "The bath this one are repaired. Forgives the
inconvenience." I have no doubt my Spanish sounds equally amusing.
We had to wait for the tourist informati... more »
madrid to segovia to cantabria
Getting out of Madrid was a whole lot easier than getting in. We found our
way to the highway easily, and had a short drive to the town of Segovia, to
see its famous Roman aqueduct. It's pretty amazing to see a gigantic,
completely intact stone aqueduct right in the middle of a town: see here.
It's about 32 kilometres (20 miles) long, 28.5 metres (93.5 feet) tall at
its highest point, and made of more than 20,000 stones, and not a drop of
mortar.
Years ago, we saw the Pont du Gard, a famous three-tiered Roman aqueduct in
France. We went way out of our way to see it, and were well r... more »
Harper's Parade of Perps with Perks - Part 4
Please welcome Senators David Tkachuk, Marjory LeBreton and Carolyn Stewart
Olsen to the growing family scandal of Steve's Parade of Perps with Perks.
While Steve is still going with the lone topgun chief of staff on the Duffy
knoll with the chequebook story from his temporary hideout in South
America, his perps at home are busy fucking that up for him.
We were most relieved to hear from Senator Tkachuk that even though he was
soliciting advice from the Prime Minister's Office on how to do his audit
of Duffy, and Nigel Wright was calling him up wanting to know "When is this
thing... more »
How Many More Teachers Have to Quit Before Things Change?
Another teacher leaving the profession she loves because she says it no
longer exists under the current high stakes testing regime. Filed under:
CHALK FACE: General News & Commentary Tagged: education reform, high stakes
testing, insanity, Teachers Quit
Activist arrested delivering complaint on White Clay liquor stores
Deep
Green Resistance activist T.R. McKenzie arrested, while delivering this
complaint on White Clay liquor stores bordering Pine Ridge, South
Dakota:
http://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/activist-arrested-while-trying-to-file-complaint-against-whiteclay-store/article_898d93f3-18ca-5038-95a0-254c9dcca005.html
Jefferson,
South Dakota
May 24, 2013
All the world is a stage
One of the (relatively) recent innovations in the horror/thriller genres
has been found footage[1]. The appeal of the horror genre is, if it’s
effective, it takes you inside a terrifying scenario but leaves you
completely safe. The result is not terror but exhilaration. Found footage
removes another barrier to the suspension of disbelief. The genre’s
weakness is, of course, when it goes beyond the stage any believable
character simply drop the camera and run.
But what is that stage?
The vital element in reports of the Woolwich murder has been
citizen-gathered footage. Harvested m... more »
John W. Whitehead, “The Age of Authoritarianism"
* *
*“The Age of Authoritarianism: *
*Government of the Politicians, by the Military, for the Corporations”*
By John W. Whitehead
“Force alone cannot make us safe. We cannot use force everywhere that a
radical ideology takes root; and in the absence of a strategy that reduces
the well-spring of extremism, a perpetual war– through drones or Special
Forces or troop deployments– will prove self-defeating, and alter our
country in troubling ways.” - Barack Obama, May 23, 2013
“President Obama’s declaration that “America is at a crossroads” in the
fight against terror, a fight that i... more »
Rebranding? No. But Get Ready to Govern
Paul Waldman has a nice post today about GOP "rebranding." He's quite
right: ideological shifts, real or perceived, do far less to explain
electoral results than basic economic performance and other "retrospective
voting" things.
In particular: I think it's very likely that a Democrat would have won in
1992 even if there had been no DLC. And I think that at best Democrats have
a very narrow national advantage based on perceived Republican extremism,
almost certainly smaller than the presidential vote margin in 2008 and 2012.
However, as I've said before: that doesn't mean that party... more »
Tesla-- I wonder What Libertarians Think Of The Authoritarians Who Run The North Carolina GOP
I'm in the middle of buying a Tesla. My neighbor swears by his and, to me,
it seems like the car least likely to pollute the planet. I have solar
energy in my house so it won't even cost me anything to charge up the
battery a few times a week. But, I couldn't just walk into a dealership and
buy one. I had to do the whole process online. Works for me... but I don't
live in North Carolina. I'll come back to that in a second.
The big news about Tesla this week was two-fold; first, many auto magazines
are calling it the best care ever.
The new all-electric Tesla S sedan is not just ... more »
Obamacare, it's lowering costs
There was some article going around a week or so ago where one of the big
health insurers was claiming rates would rise by something like 384%
because of Obamacare. Which unsurprisingly turns out to be pure bullcrap.
The news out of California, our biggest state with some 7.1 million
uninsured residents, is rates are going to be significantly lower than even
neutral observers had predicted.
I couldn't access the original New Republic piece. Apparently you need to
be a subscriber now to read it, but Ed Kilgore has a good summary:
Based on the premiums that insurers have submitted f... more »
Face first into the culture
We spent a lot of time talking about culture in the Cuso International
training we took in Canada before moving to Honduras last year. The course
facilitators cautioned us repeatedly that real cultural differences go much
deeper than the clothing styles, language, food and general habits of a
country that a foreigner first notices.
They were right. It’s the “soft culture” stuff you have to watch out for –
the things you tend not to see until they trip you up.
For instance, I now recognize that I’m much too direct in my interactions
with people here. I give people a quick hello and t... more »
RT: 'Environmental genocide' Native Americans quit talks over Keystone XL pipeline
‘Environmental genocide’: Native Americans quit talks over Keystone XL pipeline
By RT
http://rt.com/usa/native-americans-keystone-pipeline-475/
People opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline gather in prayer in Fullerton, Nebraska (AFP Photo / Guillaume Mayer)
Leaders from 11 Native American tribes stormed out of
a
ANNOUNCEMENT: Launching i2
ANNOUNCEMENT Launching i2: Innovative Innovators FAQs What is i2? i2 is a
venture designed to recruit and train educators without any experience or
expertise in innovation, entrepreneurship, or cagebusting to serve as
consultants for innovators, entrepreneurs, and cagebusters. Who will i2
serve? Innovators stuck in an innovation rut. Entrepreneurs (and
Edupreneurs) trapped inside the entrepreneurial […]
Hermann Hesse - Seasons of the Soul
*"The Seasons of the Soul: The Poetic Guidance and Spiritual Wisdom of
Hermann Hesse."* Translated by Ludwig Max Fischer. Foreword by Andrew
Harvey.
Video Title: Hermann Hesse - Seasons of the Soul. Source: YouTube Channel
HesseSeasons. Uploaded on February 13, 2012.·
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Part 6:
Part 7:
Part 8:
Sally Bercow at the High Court
Was I alone not surprised by today's verdict at the high court? No.
Britain's libel laws are notoriously wide and all-encompassing. You could
be forgiven for thinking that elasticity is not entirely accidental, seeing
as our courts are places where tremendous sums can be won or lost. Then
there's the small matter of libel law firms making a killing from the
wealthy people who engage their services too. But of course, it wouldn't be
the done thing to suggest that there may be a link between the two
*innocent face*.
Anyway, there's a couple of quick points I want to make about this. ... more »
The new gym class in PA, 112 questions? Really?
A bubble test for gym. Stay classy. But I have to mention the following. I
am actually a former ACE-certified personal trainer. I know this stuff. And
these are pretty terrible questions about weight training. Leg press is a
compound exercise that also works out the hamstrings. Weight training
rarely uses the push-pull concept anymore. […]
Toddler Testing
Ed. Dept. Launches Competition for Kindergarten Entry Assessments
“Kindergarten-entry assessments are designed to measure a child’s
“essential domains of school readiness,” which include language and
literacy development, cognition and general early knowledge, readiness to
learn, physical well-being, and social and emotional development.” @the
chalkface is developing the “NON essential domains of school readiness”
kindergarten entry […]
Explaining John McCain
Jonathan Chait considers John McCain's career, on the occasion of McCain's
recent Tea Party bashing and immigration bipartisanship, and concludes that
it's all about national security:
The basic way to understand McCain is that neoconservative foreign policy
is his ideological core. Everything else about his ideology can shift
radically depending on his ambitions, circumstances, and whom he’s most
angry with at any given moment. He favored immigration reform under George
W. Bush, abandoned it to refashion himself as a “build the dang fence”
border hawk, and, in the wake of last Nove... more »
Three cheers for the wisdom of Kevin Drum!
*FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013*
*And three cheers for Victoria Nuland:* We’re very glad to see Kevin Drum
adopt this posture regarding Victoria Nuland:
DRUM: (5/24/13): Rice, of course, has already been attacked by Republicans
about as viciously and shamelessly as any State Department lieutenant in
recent memory. But it's worth keeping in mind that there is a difference
between the two women. In the Benghazi affair, Rice did nothing wrong, but
she also did nothing especially noteworthy. *Nuland, as near as I can tell,
actually did yeoman work. The first draft of the CIA talking points was
s... more »
Arizona police stalking activists: Chilling effect on human rights
Report author Beau Hodai: Chilling effects of US police spying
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
TUCSON – While violent crime soared in southern Arizona and the
economy was collapsing, police were spending enormous amounts of time
and money to spy on human rights activists, primarily by stalking them
on Facebook and placing an undercover police officer in Occupy
Fascism the Founding Fathers Never Imagined
The Founding Fathers could have prevented America’s spiral into corporate
fascism, but they likely never imagined Americans would sit idly by and
allow their elected representatives to cede the government to corporations.
From PoliticusUSA
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the fascist states of america
and to the plutocracy for which it stands
one nation controlled by corporations
with no representation for me.
If you do not really know what fascism is – don't guess at it, you better
educate yourself – cause it is here folks – if you think you live in a
repr... more »
THE REFUSAL TO FIGHT: Finally, Rachel tries to fight!
*FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013*
*Part 4—Creates an embarrassing mess:* For eight solid months, the career
liberal world let Susan Rice twist in the wind—and through her, Barack
Obama.
All manner of bullroar concerning Benghazi was pimped all over the nation.
But on The One True Liberal Channel, the children said nothing. Except for
Brother Hayes, who initially fell for the con!
Before we’re done, we’ll speculate about the reasons behind this refusal to
fight. But last Wednesday evening, May 15, in the 9 PM hour, Rachel Maddow
finally tried to fight back against the Benghazi bullroar.
When ... more »
It's Time to Rein In the Prime Minister's Office
If Stephen Harper wants to operate a quasi-criminal enterprise on the
public dime then he has to take full responsibility for it.
The Prime Minister's Office is his and his alone. He decides who works
there and he decides what they do or don't do. It is funded from the
public purse but is accountable to no one save the prime minister.
The Harper PMO is not only unaccountable, it's opaque. What goes on in
there goes on behind closed doors. There is no transparency whatsoever at
least until something leaks out or erupts. In other words, it's perfectly
designed for corruption. I... more »
Who really owns the money in your savings account?...
*hint: it's not you.*
I know this is a holiday weekend and readership will be low - as it should
be. Spending time with family and friends is important. If you are lucky
enough to have three days off, spend a wee bit of that time reading a few
of the articles I've linked, and discussing your future with your family.
As with everything you read, do your own research and "trust but verify."
In our household we believe in being prepared. No - we don't have a
gazillion years of food put away and haven't built a bunker. We *do* have
a nice pantry and if we are snowed in or the elect... more »
Mysterious Contaminant Shuts Down N.H. Wells
Rachel Rindfleisch at Contaminated Nation - Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste locations - 5 hours ago
By: Nathan Lamb
A New Hampshire town is seeking relief from a mysterious contaminant that
has shut down local wells for more than a year, according to this story
from the Eagle Tribune.
The Town of Atkinson is eying a $3 million plan to extend water service to
a cluster of 34 homes that have been without drinking water since 2011.
The wells are contaminated with 1,4-Diozane, a probable carcinogen that can
also cause liver and kidney damage. According to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), 1,4-Diozane is a synthetic industrial chemical
that can quickly migrate through soil a... more »
Woolwich Beheading: A False Flag to usher in Internet Policing?
The terrorist UK government has announced plans to rush through
legislation destroying all internet privacy and allowing for the permanent
storing of every email, skype conversation, internet search, web browse,
blog posting etc. According to the lying parasites in Westminster, the
Communications Data Bill is the only safe-guard we have against 'terrorism'
and had it been in place this week, the soldier murdered in Woolwich would
still be alive. This is absolute, complete and utter, bullshit.
Everyone who saw the 'news' reports of the beheading in Woolwich was
rightly alarmed and... more »
Anishinabe Terrance Nelson: White privilege and tabloid journalism
Anishinabe Terrance Nelson: White privilege and tabloid journalism
By Terrance Nelson
First Nation Roseau River Anishinabe
May 24, 2013
Terrance Nelson's response to article 'Beyond the Pale,' by Charlotte Allen, in Weekly Standard:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/beyond-pale_724717.html
Charlotte, your Geography is wrong. The Gateway pipeline is not in
Alaska, it is
Wherein Pope Francis wins me over
As I've said before, I'm not an atheist. Neither am I particularly
religious though I did suffer from Catholic envy when I was young and I
collect Catholic religious items now. Because they're beautiful. However,
I've never had any great love for the Pope. In fact I found the whole
concept of the papacy somewhat insulting. So I'm surprised to find myself
liking Pope Francis so much. He doesn't talk or behave like the others
before him, at least in my lifetime.
This homily he gave on the theme culture of encounter is the foundation of
peace rather knocked me out. I mean when have yo... more »
Judicial officers properly judge their own conduct
R. v. S.M., 2013 ONCA 333 holds there is no difficulty with judicial
officers judging their own conduct:
[23] As noted, the applicant submits that this court should take into
consideration that the trial judge was assessing her own conduct. I do not
see the relevance of this point. There are many occasions on which judges
must assess their own conduct, such as the appropriateness of particular
jury instructions and rulings on mistrial applications for reasonable
apprehension of bias. In such circumstances, it is assumed that judges
execute their functions in a judicious and... more »
Kijji and Tim Bosma
Could Kijji be found liable for the wrongful death of Tim Bosma?
The question is not trivial as enormous numbers of people, previously
unknown to each other, now meet online to trade goods, services or find a
new boyfriend or girlfriend.
The question revolves around the concept of negligence. Basically the law
imposes liability if someone was careless in a situation where they ought
to have known their carelessness could cause harm and harm occurred. Now
that's a mouthful of a sentence but it breaks down easily enough.
Did Kijji know that its web trading site could put someone in... more »
Of 9-Billion, More than Half will Endure Water Shortage
It's not a big problem, yet, in Canada and most of us wouldn't know there's
a problem at all. But much of our world, including the United States, is
already experiencing serious freshwater challenges.
Global warming plays a huge role in the worsening freshwater crisis. A
warmer atmosphere holds more water vapour and that triggers a variety of
consequences from providing additional energy to fuel severe storm events
to disruptions of the very precipitation patterns that enabled the creation
and growth of our civilization. In the future places that already have
enough or too much ... more »
Republicans In Congress Hike The Cost Of Education For Poorest Students
Boehner puppet, John Kline (R-MN)
Last week, we warned that John Kline's House Education and Workforce
Committee was dead set on raising the cost of college education. When
Elizabeth Warren's amendment to lower the cost of student loans to 0.75%,
just like the banksters get, it was voted down, every Republican plus
Colorado New Dem Jared Polis voting against it in committee. Yesterday, the
full House voted on Kline's awful bill, which Democrats are calling the
Make College Less Affordable Act, and it passed 221-198 all but 8
Republicans-- most of whom, like GOP crackpots Louie Gohmer... more »
Tim Curry
I hear today that Tim Curry has had a major stroke. I wish him a full
recovery.
Here's Tim at his finest...
'Sweet Transvestite' from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Haudenosaunee statement on tribal councils
Greetings
from the Chiefs, Clanmothers, Faithkeepers, and people of the
Haudenosaunee Six Nations Confederacy, People of the Longhouse.
The Grand Council of Chiefs would like to take this time to remind its
citizens of the Haudenosaunee position on imposed elected Band and
Tribal councils and our proposed remedy to standardize governance within
the domain of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
Don't want to go to war no more
Second day analysis is coming in on Obama's foreign policy speech and this NYT
editorial sees what Obama did there:
President Obama’s speech on Thursday was the most important statement on
counterterrorism policy since the 2001 attacks, a momentous turning point
in post-9/11 America. For the first time, a president stated clearly and
unequivocally that the state of perpetual warfare that began nearly 12
years ago is unsustainable for a democracy and must come to an end in the
not-too-distant future.
Our POTUS effectively declared the war on terror over. No more axis of
evil. No mo... more »
Florida manatees dying in record numbers – 11 percent of total population died in January-May 2013 period
[image: Florida manatees are facing serious and imminent threats. In 2013,
combined causes of death have taken a much larger toll on the manatee
population. According to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Commission, 585 manatees have died as of 2 May 2013, approximately 11
percent of their total population. Photo: Carol Grant / OceanGrant.com]
By Jennifer Mishler
23 May 2013
(Sea Shepherd Jacksonville) – Manatees are beloved here in Florida, and we
saw just how much at this year’s Manatee Festival in Crystal River raising
awareness about the endangered animals. Aside fr... more »
If the Conservatives hoped that the Senate Scandal would distract voters from the missing $3.1 Billion tax dollar Scandal - IT WORKED!!
[image: Progressive Bloggers]* *
*“That, in light of $3.1 billion of missing funds outlined in Chapter Eight
of the 2013 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada, an order of the
House do issue for the following documents from 2001 to the present,
allowing for redaction based on national security: (a) all Public Security
and Anti-Terrorism annual reports submitted to the Treasury Board
Secretariat; (b) all Treasury Board submissions made as part of the
Initiative; (c) all departmental evaluations of the Initiative; (d) the
Treasury Board corporate database established to mon... more »
Pilot Attacks UFO
As mentioned in an earlier post, there were pilots at the Citizen Hearing
who told of intercepts of UFOs in which the craft were fired on but the
bullets and missiles had no effect on the alien craft. I met the pilot of
one of those missions just outside the National Press Club right after our
panel on Roswell had finished. He was standing with Stan Friedman who
called me over to look at a two page document from the US Department of
Defense with a stamped date of June 3, 1980.
I read it over and noticed that it said, “The pilot, according to a third
party, intercepted the vehicle [... more »
Killing civilians
In his speech yesterday, President Obama talked about how we just *had* to
kill people with drones, because, you see, even if we could capture those
"terrorists" (he meant "alleged terrorists," of course, he's a
Constitutional professor, you know), it might "pose profound risks to our
troops and local civilians." He could have stopped at "our troops," though,
because we know for a fact that the "local civilians" part was just a sop
for the suckers in the cheap seats. How do we know that? Because the drone
which killed Anwar al-Awlaki's son Abdulrahman, was aimed at an outdoor
cafe! ... more »
GAY PLOT IN JAKARTA
*East Indies*
Joost was in line for one of the very top jobs.
But Joost was accused of having tried to seduce a man.
Joost was then murdered.
His rival got the top job.
*From the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC.*
Joost Schouten worked for the Dutch East India Company, the VOC.
The VOC encouraged its employees to marry Indonesian women.
This resulted in many divorces and abandoned children.
Those who did not want to marry Indonesians made use of prostitutes.
*Sin and Sodomy in the Dutch East Indies*
*Dutch East Indies.*
Many of the employees of the VOC were single and gay.
Asian... more »
Road Trip: 99 44/100% Pure
On Wednesday Southern Man embarked on a road trip that would encompass Branson,
Missouri (two nights) and then Kansas City to here Teen Daughter perform in
a piano recital and then bring her back home for the summer.
It *almost* worked out that way.
Southern Man is a sucker for those three-day two-night mini-vacations where
you pay next to nothing but have to listen to the two-hour timeshare spiel.
And for the first time ever he decided to take a trip *all by himself* and
do what he wanted to do. Which would be eat, drink, and geocache.
This is what cachers refer to as "level fou... more »
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Greg Briley, 48. One of my Blue Sox heroes, long ago.
Sometimes, that 24 year old season is the peak.
Sorry for the slow start today, but there's still time for the good stuff:
1. Richard Arenberg on the Senate floor skirmishes.
2. Fred Kaplan on Obama's national security speech.
3. And Brad DeLong on, well, the economy.
OBAMA CONTINUES TO JUSTIFY DRONES
Less than 24 hours after she interrupted President Obama’s major speech on
the future of the secret drone war and Guantánamo, CodePink co-founder
Medea Benjamin describes why she repeatedly interrupted Obama’s address.
Benjamin, the author of "Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control,"
criticized Obama for failing to explain why a U.S. drone in Yemen killed
the teenage U.S. citizen Abdulrahman al-Awlaki in 2011.
"I was very disappointed. He said that his policy is to capture, not kill.
That’s just not true. I know personally of many incidents where it would
have been very easy to ... more »
A Day of Professional Development…or Professional Discouragement?
Yesterday, I attended a day of Professional Development offered by our
local BOCES Center. The title “Math and Technology Integration” sounded
fairly benign, and I agreed to attend when asked by my Principal if I would
be interested. The day long “training” also included some prizes – an iPad
and an iPevo document camera for […]
In Honor of Jay Carney
I can’t be the only one disturbed by the triumph of (aging) hipsters and
nerds that is the Obama Administration.
Friday Morning Linkage
More of the same with the Syrian opposition. Will H. Moore really takes
issue with Jonathan Panikoff on how to think about what comes next in
Syria. Visualizing the Syrian conflict with the new GDELT event data set.
GDELT is about to go live (in the next couple of days or week) with daily
updates
Continue reading
Call for Papers: 2013 International Studies Association-Northeast Annual Conference
When: 8-9 November 2013 Where: at the Providence Biltmore, Providence, RI,
USA Submissions accepted 5 – 28 June 2013 The annual conference of
the International Studies Association-Northeast (ISA-NE) will be held 8-9
November 2013 at the Providence Biltmore in Providence, Rhode Island.
ISA-NE invites paper and panel proposals on any subject related to
international studies, broadly defined.
Continue reading
True Colours
Why can’t David Cameron and Boris and the BBC believe what “the Moslems”
are telling them? Choudary and Co. are open and honest. Transparency is
what we like, no?
The obvious answer is before our very eyes, but due to circumstances beyond
our control we can’t admit it. There are so many Muslim and right-on voters
in this country, and understandably, no-one dares to risk rocking the boat.
Okay, so violence and barbarity are nothing to do with Islam, eh? Says who?
Moderate Muslims, who insist that violent Jihad is a perversion of the real
Islam?
Why should anyone actually believe ... more »
This Day In The Debasement of Canadian Democracy
*Our top story:* A federal judge ruled yesterday that fraud definitely
occurred in the six riding elections where the results were challenged
citizens supported by the Council of Canadians. The judge also ruled that
the fraud and voter suppression was almost definitely carried out with the
harpercon party's CIMS voter database. The judge did not, however, assign
guilt for the fraud to anyone. Nor did the judge overturn the six election
results.
harpercon scum and their scuzzball loyalists are claiming that they have
been vindicated.
Add this to the treasonous Supreme Court of Cana... more »
GMO: No One Is Perfect-- Not Even Elizabeth Warren
What about the corporate AgriBusiness predators?
America is embarrassingly overdue to have a woman president. Golda Meir,
Indira Gandi and Margaret Thatcher headed their countries' governments in
very dicey times. And aside from them, women have been heads of government
in Germany, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Argentina, Portugal, Bolivia, Norway,
Iceland, the Philippines, France, Chile, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Poland,
Turkey, Canada, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and over a
dozen other countries... including both Burundi and Rwanda. But electing a
woman just because she's a woman... more »
Daiichi This Morning
Majia's Blog - 8 hours ago
Conditions have remained relatively unchanged for the last two hours
I've
watched this morning. Conditions look much better than yesterday, albeit
very pixilated.
<img alt=""
src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAATQAAACwCAIAAAAOtQWyAAAgAElEQVR4nOy7SbMsuZUeqF0veiFTtyjm+DLzvTtGhLtjPBNmH2O4U76XyWQlWVXaldV/1T/oVe+lXS/aTCVmLy5nMtUss1pUyfgZLAKAA8ePA/j8AAfwf/fDDz/88MMPv/zlLz/66KOb/0VxdXWltWZm/Cv+in8jIKJ/90rOf/zHfzwcDvS/LuCv+Cv+reHX5PyHf/iH+/t7/1f8FX/Fvxr8mpx///d//+bNm91f8Vf8Ff86cDgcfk3O77///qc//enVn8e73/v9F8S/BoH/gjr8iz/OvxT+ud33Py/5Y1ff/StugX9LePfu3bt3766urm5ubn5Nzl/84hcfffTR9e9... more »
SENATE DEFEATS GMO AMENDMENT
The United States Senate decided again Thursday that it simply does not
want to let states tell people whether or not they are eating genetically
modified food.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly -- 71 to 27 -- against an amendment to the
sweeping farm bill, squashing a measure that would not have required
labeling of genetically modified organisms, but merely would have let
states decide if they wanted to require such labeling.
Muslim Acts of Beheading in the West :: Daniel Pipes
Daniel Pipes has to plenty of examples here.
He uses these to illustrate his claim that '... throat slitting and
beheading are Islamically sanctioned forms of execution.'
The Obama Plan to Allow Casino Capitalists to Set Student Loan Interest Rates
With the one year extension on student loan rates set to expire July 1, the
President is following his standard negotiating strategy of carving out a
position just to the left of proto-fascists’ mouthpiece, John Boehner: the
President has come out in favor of allowing the manipulators of Wall Street
to determine interest rates for […]
March Against Monsanto Everywhere - May 25, 2013
*For more information visit:*
**
http://occupy-monsanto.com/march-against-monsanto-may-25-2013/
Delaware’s Sussex county declines to vote on proposed sea-level rise responses – Republican council member says climate scientists ‘Have no facts … no science. It’s almost B.S., to be honest with you.’
[image: A Delaware committee completed recommendations for dealing with
sea-level rise, which threatens the state's coastline, such as this section
of Fowler Beach seen on 22 May 2013. Photo: GARY EMEIGH / THE NEWS JOURNAL]
By Jeff Montgomery
24 May 2013
(The News Journal) – In a symbolic blow to state climate change adaption
efforts, the Delaware county with most at stake in future sea-level rise
forecasts abruptly declined to take any stand on the issue Thursday as a
state panel approved dozens of recommendations for dealing with the threat.
Jeff Shockley, Sussex County delegat... more »
U.K. Beheading Shows: It's Time To Fight the Doctrine of Jihad - The Huffington Post
A fascinating article by Tarek Fatah in the Huffington Post
'As a Muslim, I can say without fear, the latest terror attack has a basis
in Islam and it's time for us Muslims to dig our heads out of the sand.
...
The armed jihad launched against the infidels, is clearly promoted by the
20th-century writings of such Islamists as Syed Qutb and Hassan al-Banna of
the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the late Syed Maudoodi of
Jamaat-e-Islami of Indo-Pakistan.In his book Towards Understanding Islam,
Maudoodi exhorts ordinary Muslims to launch jihad, as in armed struggle,
against non-Muslim... more »
Pipelines and Geopolitics: Russia and the race for Mediterranean Basin Energy resources
Of course, for Russia to be in a race for resources there would have to be
other competitor/racers.
How many posts have I done on pipeline politics and the race/competition to
control resources..?
I can’t even answer that myself. But I am putting up, yet, another one!
If you have been following along for more then five years now, you should
be aware of this situation.
If you haven’t been following along and are unaware of this situation,
where have you been?
And, boy have you got a lot of catching up to do!
*The most recent posts talking pipeline politics can be found:*
From* the la... more »
The Phony Conservative
For anyone who has been paying attention, it's been evident for a long time
that Stephen Harper is a phony. There has always been a chasm between what
he says and what he does. The Duffy-Wright Affair has once again
illustrated that chasm. Michael Harris writes that Harper is no conservative
:
Stephen Harper has forgotten that real conservatives care about values
lived, not values espoused. They detest dishonesty, sleaziness and abuse of
office. All three of those traits drip from the PMO/Senate scandal like
poison from a boil. Before scurrying away to an insignificant Perrier-fes... more »
The London Killing False Flag Attack: London's False Flag Even More Pathetic Than The Boston "Bombing"!
I have been truly surprised by the comments I received thanks to my last
article calling into question this entire London "beheading" of a UK
soldier in broad daylight in Woolwich, a suburb of London, England. It has
been pathetic to see that commentators take pot shots at myself for being
the messenger..... I have been questioning this murder in Woolwich since it
first happened two days ago, and I am standing firm on the thought that
this is another "false flag" attack to strike fear into the general
public....
Just this morning, I came across a very revealing article, thanks to D... more »
Colorado state climatologist says the High Park Fire gave him the courage to talk about climate change – ‘I have feared persecution at times in the past. I don’t fear it now.’
[image: Colorado state climatologist Nolan Doesken. The High Park Fire gave
him the courage to talk about climate change. Photo: The Coloradoan]
By Bobby Magill
23 May 2013
(The Coloradoan) – Nolan Doesken used to have a hard time talking about
climate change.
The topic has become so politically combustible that some scientists and
researchers find it difficult to speak of or write about.
But, after the High Park Fire swept the foothills in 2012, Doesken decided
to talk more openly about the reasons behind Colorado’s changing weather
when talking to the agriculture community.
... more »
LOVE RADIO
- Been a busy couple days of radio. My weekly radio show at WBOR (along
with co-host Peter Woodruff) in Brunswick got moved to Wednesday from 6-8
pm for the summer season. Our theme this week was war trauma and we played
some of the talk by Dr. Paula Caplan from last weekends Veterans for Peace
symposium on the same subject. Peter rounded up a bunch of good music to
go along with the theme as well.
- Last night I was invited to do an interview on WMPG radio in Portland
about drones. The timing was quite perfect as Obama had just given his big
drone ... more »
Just Say No: “Big egos don’t produce success”
I thought I was about to read yet another news story about Michelle Rhee
and DC schools when I saw this headline: Big egos don’t produce success,
study finds Instead, I found an article about research addressing students
who feel entitled. Yet, I cannot help thinking that the headline from
Australian Geographic is a potential […]
Russia to evacuate Arctic station over melting ice – ‘No chance of surviving through this summer’
[image: Russia's North Pole 40 (SP-40) research station, drifting on an ice
floe near Canada. There are fears the situation could become an emergency
amid rapidly declining Arctic ice coverage, and the nuclear ice-breaker
'Yamal' was sent to evacuate the station on 31 May 2013. Photo: Russian
Natural Resources Ministry and Ecology]
23 May 2013 (BBC) – A Russian drifting Arctic research station is to be
evacuated because the ice field around it is melting, the environment
ministry in Moscow reports.
The ministry has ordered an evacuation plan to be drawn up within three
days for N... more »
Might As Well Face It, You're Addicted To Drones
Yesterday's endless airy words about endless treasury-depleting wars from
the Motormouth-in-Chief were last seen hovering somewhere over the blighted heap of
waste formerly known as the Motor City. The monstrous rhetoric cloud is now
believed to be headed west toward his hometown of Chicago, where nearly 50
public schools in poor neighborhoods are being closed to make room for more
profits for real estate developers and the other denizens of the ruling
class. From there, it will emphysemically wheeze its way to the site of an
interstate bridge collapse in Washington State.
As he ex... more »
Federal Civil Rights Complaint Filed Against Bloomberg’s DOE
Could this be the first significant step in the beginning of the end of
school resegregation in America? From the Education Law Center: Federal
Civil Rights Complaint Brought by Parents and Community Groups Parents and
community groups filed a complaint with the federal Education Department’s
Office of Civil Rights, on May 20, 2013. They charge the New […]
The Rout In Spain | Zero Hedge
A truly scary article.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-24/rout-spain
Sanders - Older Americans Act & Republicans Don't Give a Damn
*Older Americans Act Reauthorization Introduced*
WASHINGTON - May 23 - Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate
Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, today introduced legislation to
reauthorize and strengthen the Older Americans Act which supports Meals on
Wheels and other critical programs for seniors.
“With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, our country’s growing
population of seniors includes many who rely on these critical programs to
help them stay in their own homes and communities,” said Sanders (I-Vt.).
Speaking at an Older Americans Summit, Sanders and others... more »
OPPT Email and Website No Longer Active
The OPPT web site peoplestrust1776.org and related email addresses are no
longer active.
OPPT was a temporary tool now replaced by the UV Ixchange.
Schoolcuts: Amazing resources on Chicago schools crisis
I was directed towards the following site for information on the Chicago
school disruptions. It has absolutely everything you need to know. But one
of the things I was wondering, which prompted the suggestion for
Schoolcuts, was the kinds of re-routing kids would have to experience. I
asked for an exemplary route and was given William […]
13 Things Every Teen Needs To Know About Workplace Rights
School’s out for summer! Or it will be soon, and many teens will start
summer jobs or even their very first real job. Yet schools do little, if
anything, to prepare teens for the realities of the workplace. I’m always
shocked when I encounter teens whose parents drag them to me after they
suffer workplace abuse with no idea they have any rights at all.
So, if you’re a teen entering the workplace or thinking of applying for a
job, read this. If you’re a parent, friend or relative of a teen who is
entering the workforce, please print this and show it to them.
Here are 13 things te... more »
Obama's War Speech Interrupted by Peace Activist
Peace activist Medea Benjamin of Code Pink heckled Obama during his
anticipated foreign policy speech today. As he was trying to pass the buck
for closing Guantanamo to Congress, Benjamin shouts "You're Commander in
Chief, you can close Guantanamo." Watch the exchange below:
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Breaking: No Mention of "Liberty" Allowed During Hershberger Raw Milk Trial
Heather Callaghan
*Activist Post*
Things are coming to a fiery head in Baraboo, Wisconsin this week as
supporters, big league food freedom heroes, and non-corporate media
activists gather outside the court house in solidarity to support fresh
food farmer Vernon Hershberger. The big trial started on Monday and
reportedly goes until Friday.
As you may have heard, Hershberger is facing over two years prison time and
$10,000 in fines for four criminal misdemeanor charges aimed at him for
providing fresh food to his community through members in agreement - mainly
for breaking a holdin... more »
As Chinese military hackers renew cyber attacks on the Us Electrical grid , consider the state of US nuclear plants !
http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Chinese-Military-Renews-Cyber-Attacks-Focusing-on-US-Electrical-Grid.html
Chinese Military Renews Cyber-Attacks, Focusing on US Electrical Grid
By James Burgess | Thu, 23 May 2013 21:47 | 0
In February the US government named and shamed Chinese hackers who had been
attacking, and stealing secret data from US companies. A report compiled by
Mandiant, a private security company that helps companies and government
agencies defend themselves from hackers, listed the organisations that had
stolen numerous government documents, and items of ... more »
It Can't Happen Here
*Larken Rose*
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Obama...
our the commander in chief.
H/T* Moonbattery *
The collusion & deception in the Gulf deepen with a new well at MC253, 0.7mile from BP’s Blown Macondo well.
It was no coincidence that two US Navy (USN) submarines were despatched to
the Macondo site on the eve of the 20 April 2010 DWH “accident”. Apparently
their covert mission of sinking the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) with a military
secret “Death Ray” weapon (also known as Directed Energy Weapon used to
dustify 3 WTC buildings in 9/11) was aborted prematurely after puncturing a
hole on the DWH helipad. Their real target was one of the two float
pontoons (beneath the helipad) in order to sink the burning DWH; the real
reason for the mysterious elongated hole on DWH heli-landing deck which ... more »
Danny Vendramini - Neanderthal: Profile of a super predator
PLANET OF THE APES happened in man's early history, so says Danny
Vendramini, author of the book Them and Us: How Neanderthal predation
created modern humans.
*Drawing upon the latest scientific evidence*, Vendramini suggests that
over a period of 15,000 years mankind was AT WAR with a race of ferocious
ape-like creatures who hunted and raped early humans to the brink of
extinction before the humans fought back and eradicated them.
This enemy was THE NEANDERTHALS...
Untitled
*Up to 20 named storms this hurricane season ~Molly Wold, The Advocate*
*'Extremely Active' Atlantic Hurricane Season Predicted ~Jon Hamilton*
*Sales tax holiday this weekend for hurricane supplies ~WDSU*
*Pump station upgraded for hurricane season ~Chance Ryan*
*Army Corps Of Engineers command change on eve of hurricane season ~Paul
Murphy*
*A wetland project where? ~John Snell*
*Amazing stomach-turning pictures of 'termite apocalypse' over New Orleans!~Daily
Mail*
*[image: Critters be Crawling: The Formosan termites flew across the New
Orleans area in their tens of thousands la... more »
Operation Swill - Scores of Restaurants and Bars in New Jersey busted for selling caramel colored rubbing alcohol as top shelf scotch !
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2330116/Scores-TGI-Fridays-New-Jersey-busted-selling-caramel-colored-rubbing-alcohol-shelf-scotch-statewide-crackdown-dubbed-Operation-Swill.html
(
Inflation rears its head at TGIF's restaurants in New Jersey ? )
Scores of TGI Fridays in New Jersey 'busted for selling caramel-colored
rubbing alcohol as top-shelf scotch' in statewide crackdown dubbed
Operation Swill
By ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER
*PUBLISHED:* 23:49 EST, 23 May 2013 | *UPDATED:* 00:02 EST, 24 May 2013
- Comments (14)
- Share
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At one bar... more »
European Good Data ( German IFO Business Confidence better than expected ) is badly received by European markets as the need for more ECB rate cuts off the table for this moment ! Meanwhile , Japan's Nikkei acts like a cat on a hot tin roof as zigs and zags depend on the latest commentary from Central Banker Kuroda ! Proving once again there are no markets , just interventions.... on that note , no POMO today to prop US markets - Happy holidays !
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-24/bizarro-time-better-data-sends-stocks-lower
Bizarro Time As Better Data Sends Stocks Lower
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/24/2013 06:56 -0400
- Bloomberg News
- BLS
- Bond
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Carry Trade
- Central Banks
- Continuing Claims
- European Central Bank
- Gross Domestic Product
- Initial Jobless Claims
- Japan
- Jim Reid
- LTRO
- Markit
- Monetary Policy
- Morgan Stanley
- New Home Sales
- Nikkei
- POMO ... more »
White Tiger's Coat Downward to One Change in a Gene
*Chinese scientists have acquired new insights into how white tigers get
their colouration. The researchers have traced the cause to a single change
in a gene known to drive pigmentation in a host of animals, including
humans.* White tigers are a rare alternative of the customary orange Bengal
sub-species. Today, they are found exclusively in captive programmers
where the limited numbers are interbred to maintain the distinctive fur
colour.
Shu-Jin Luo of Peking University and colleagues report in the journal
Current Biology how they investigated the genetics of a family of ti... more »
Spain spends 680 million on a submarine that is too heavy and would sink to the Ocean floor - were the designers reflecting on Spain's Bank bailout for design parameters ?
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/17307567/mass-sell-off-in-spains-bankia-hit-small-investors/
Mass sell-off in Spain's Bankia hit small
investors
ReutersMay 24, 2013, 6:25 am
[image: UK-BANKIA-SHARES:Mass sell-off in Spain s Bankia hit small
investors]
massive losses on Thursday as the stock plunged by more than 50 percent
amid an abnormally high volume of trading which the stock market regulator
said would be looked at closely.
Tens of thousands of small savers, who were often missold preference shares
and hybrid debt in Bankia, swapped their investment for ord... more »
Japan watch - JGB bond market updates , Bank of Japan meeting and translation of BOJ meeting by the one and only Iraq former Minister of Information.......
Catharsis Ours - 12 hours ago
Japanese Government Bonds
Japan Government Bond Yields
2Y:
- *Current*0.12
- *1M Ago*0.13
- *1Y Ago*<span class="ticker_data" style="background-attachment:
initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent;
background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position:
initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width:
0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width:
0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666;
font-size: 9px; font-weight: normal; left:
Ed Steer's gold and Silver Report - May 24 , 2013 ... News , views and Data from Thursday !
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2013/05/monetary-rapture-incredible.html
23 MAY 2013
Monetary Rapture: The Incredible Disappearing Gold Inventories - Ocean
Receding
“I am persuaded that big changes are coming to long standing global
currency arrangements.“
Jesse
Gold is flowing from weaker hands to stronger hands, from speculators to
central banks and wealthy investors, the multitudes in China and India, and
in general from West to East.
Nick Laird of Sharelynx.com does some incredible work tracking and charting
almost every aspect of the gold and silver markets. His si... more »
Sheldon Glashow on future of HEP in the U.S.
*...plus a wonderful interview with Nima about HEP and failures of science
popularization at the end...*
Sheldon Glashow, a co-father of the electroweak theory, wrote a 6-page
essay about
Particle Physics in The United States, A Personal View
It is as phenomenological or experiment-oriented as you can get. Glashow
complains that the SSC was cancelled, America lost its leadership in
high-energy physics, and the next collider after the LHC is unlikely to be
built in the U.S., too.
He offers his personal views on different kinds of experiments and
different things they may try to det... more »
Lagarde faces French Court as Hollande Government seeks to push her out the door if charged with corruption - aiding and abetting fraud and embezzlement ....And when do the other criminal posers in the EU / ECB get similar scrutiny ?
http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/eu-big-four-felons-revealed/
EU BIG FOUR FELONS REVEALED:
Net closing on Troikanauts as Lagarde faces French Court
[image: dragglum]*Draghi, M. **aka Supermario.*Italian gangster and former
Goldman Sachs 5-Star witch running the ECB prong of the Troika. Wanted for
questioning in relation to disappearance of:
* Eurozone capital-flight data
* Bondholders’ rights in relation to Greek bailout
* Depositors’ rights in relation to Cyprus bailin
* Industrial-scale countefeiting of euro currency
[image: laghair] *Lagarde, C. **aka Frufru Sanscerveau*. US F... more »
Did Governor Cuomo threaten Sheriffs in New York to shut up or face removal if they persist in criticizing New York's gun control law ?
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Sheriffs-Cuomo-asked-for-silence-4532930.php
Sheriffs: Cuomo asked for silenceLaw officials say governor tried to quiet
criticism of gun lawBy Jimmy VielkindUpdated 7:18 am, Tuesday, May 21, 2013
1 of 5
VIEW: LARGER | HIDE
- [image: Governor Andrew Cuomo held a cabinet meeting today May 20,
2013 in the Red Room of the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times
Union) Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN / 00022489A]
Governor Andrew Cuomo held a cabinet meeting today May 20, 2013 in the
Red Room of the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/... more »
Extinction Event for Louisiana and Gulf of Mexico ? Ties together hydraulic fracking and its impacts on destabilizing the North American Craton plate , the Louisiana sinkhole and connection to the Deep Horizon events .... good stuff to ponder.....
Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago
http://lasinkhole.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/dire-warning-for-louisiana-gulf-of-mexico-collapse-scenario/
Dire Warning for Louisiana! Gulf of Mexico Collapse Scenario.
MAY 21, 2013 BY FLYINGCUTTLEFISH
24
Massive Explosive Potential in Louisiana and Gulf of Mexico. Doomsday?
By Freedomrox
[snip] . . . The Oil layer nearby known as “Big Hum” cannot account for all
of the methane pressures Bayou Corne is expressing. If the drilling keeps
up next to the Eastern walls by the Australian Drilling Operations….then *a
total collapse of the Eastern wall is a very high probability*. Pressurized
... more »
Harvey Organ's Gold and Silver Report - Data , News and Views for May 21 , 2013 - GLD ETF inventory liquidation continues - 8.42 more tons leave as liquidation occurring there rather than at Comex today ........ Comex relatively quiet today as far as transactions - but how long can that last ? ......
Catharsis Ours - 14 hours ago
http://harveyorgan.blogspot.com/2013/05/bankers-arrive-at-usual-time-to-blast.html
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Bankers arrive at usual time to blast gold/silver/comex gold inventories
decline again/Swiss banks block gold from moving into private vaults/Bill
Holter's paper today on Bullion bank runs/
Gold closed down $6.50 to $1377.80 (comex closing time). Silver fell by 13
cents to $22.44 (comex closing time)
In the access market at 5 pm gold and silver are the following :
gold: $1375.80.
silver: $22.45
Gold was on a tear last night reaching $1400.00 by 2 am est last night,
before the... more »
WOOLWICH: FALSE FLAG: INSIDE JOB: FAKE
*In Woolwich:*
"I asked the on-site police officer in our school:
"I bet your briefing this morning at the station was an intense one.
"*Officer: *I was expecting exactly that, but it was just too odd.* I asked
why there's no briefing*, believing we'd be told which streets to be in and
what to look out for, but no. Nothing. It was as if it hadn't happened.
"'In fact, the skipper said 'it didn't happen.'
*"He told me he didn't recognise any of the officers on his own patch at
the scene either nor any of the members of the public, despite always
seeing the same people."*
*Woolwich... more »
ECAT Test Work Excellent and Demonstrates Over Unity
Remember Rossi's and Focardi's ECAT technology? The noise has died down
and excess optimism has now withered away. Today though we have this
excellent independent test that clearly shows that the device is really
working. I include Jed's review which makes the important point regarding
the quality of the work done. Notice just now long it took to do this right.
The take home is that the ECAT came through rigorous and skilled testing
with flying colors. We have a real heat source that can be used safely.
Theory becomes irrelevant simply because it can be delivered. Recall o... more »
End Game in Syria?
Yes, it appears that the rebels are losing as they must when outside
intervention is ruled out. The Arab Spring confronted the dictatorships
head on and gave then a choice of retreat or a blood bath. Libya chose the
bloodbath and that was stopped by overwhelming US power. Belatedly, the
Obama administration is waking up to this reality and is now trying to
muster support for intervention before the rebel collapse.
Unfortunately, imposing a no fly zone now is pretty dicey after two years
of hard fighting.
The truth has always been that a Sunni dominated Syria is very much... more »
UFO Sightings in Canada Dramatically Increase
The sheer variety of shape and coloration is now surprising and not
particularly commented on before. More important is that 2012 saw a sharp
increase in reported sightings. I have to think that at least several other
sightings occurred for everyone actually reported. From my own experience I
have received several excellent reports from friends who realized that they
could trust me after many unrelated conversations.
Not everybody has a personal story but from the subset that I interact
with, I would say that ten percent of the population has observed and
perhaps a third ... more »
Revising Darwin’s Sinking-Island Theory
It amazes me that folks are still pitching the idea that we will see
radical sea level shifts over the next two hundred years. That is complete
nonsense. It accepts the worse case scenario of our climate modeling regime
gone mad. It will still happen in geological time as we swing through our
orbit about Sirius. This is of course not understood at all but is a
surprisingly real conjecture.
Better though this item cleans up some unfinished business for myself
related to the serious release of water since the last Ice Age.
I would like to see coral reefs established a... more »
Free Shopping App Let’s You Boycott Monsanto and Others by Christina Sarich
http://www.buycott.com/
Shopping App Let’s You Boycott Monsanto and Others
by Christina Sarich
Natural Society, 17 May 2013
A new free app called ‘Buycott’ allows you to use your Android or iPhone to
analyze products and determine if you’re supporting Monsanto’s GMOs, Big
Food companies who are damaging your health, or simply low quality products.
Have you ever wished you could own a parrot that sat on your shoulder and
said, “squak! don’t buy that’ as you ambled through a grocery store or
retail shop, purchasing something like toilet paper or a box of macaroni
shells that would... more »
Snippets
In Arkansas (USA), young people who wear baggy pants that partially expose
their underwear are breaking the law. The state signed a bill banning
students from wearing revealing clothing. Donna Morey, president of the
Arkansas Education Association, said the bill would help to improve the
learning environment in schools. The lawmakers also felt the bill will help
youth become better prepared for entering the work world where more
appropriate attire is expected. School districts in the state are reviewing
their dress codes to make sure they adhered to the new law.
A primary school in... more »
Palo Alto mass killer of Ukulele Orchestra caught
I guess that many female readers would call this guy a heart-throb.
More importantly, however, Kevin Dahlgren (*1992) of Palo Alto is a mass
killer who has murdered a Czech family of four in Brno, the second largest
country in Czechia and the capital of Moravia (130 miles southeast of
Prague).
A San Francisco Chronicle blog explains that he had some identity crisis
and had to leave his family. The family hoped that his psychological state
would improve overseas.
So he went to Czechia to teach English. Unfortunately, a family of four –
the Harok family (my research using publicly ... more »
Quotable Quotes
Many Japanese use the word Zen, but very few understand what it really is.
Zen sees the whole universe as one's own true self. It says that heaven,
earth, and man grew from the same root and everything in this world is
interrelated.
- Nyogen Senzaki
The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is
stillness in movement can the spiritual rhythm appear which pervades all
heaven and earth.
- Saikontan
Every existing thing sentient or non-sentient, is holy in essence. From
this realization arises the certainty that everything and everyone, no
matter how low... more »
Asian Correspondent: Taiwan Botches It and ON VACATION
A remarkably perspicacious piece from a singular correspondent. If I do say
so myself....
Also, the awesome political scientist Ketty Chen has a new blog. Enjoy.
Further enjoy this well-intentioned piece in the Washington Post taking the
Administration to task for its Taiwan-blindness.
I'm off biking in the mountains far away from the world this weekend. So
your comments will not be posted until Monday. My apologies.
_______________________
[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... more »
Greg Hunter“Weekly News Wrap-Up 5.24.13”
* *
*“Weekly News Wrap-Up 5.24.13”*
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
“The IRS scandal of targeting conservative groups is messy, and the Obama
Administration is going to look like it was drug through a hog lot before
it’s through. Lois Lerner, who was in charge of overseeing tax exempt
groups, was put on administrative leave (with pay) after she pled the 5th.
Funny thing though, before she pled, she made a statement that said she
basically did nothing wrong. Then she answered a question and used her
Constitutional right to not self-incriminate. Republican lawmakers say
because s... more »
The Doors – "Riders on the Storm"
There
are many great Doors songs to choose from, but I have to agree with
Digby that this is one of the best for featuring Ray Manzarek. RIP.
PA TV rebroadcast video: "Let every person know that I do not compromise" - PMW Bulletins
"Let all religions know that I do not make truces"
"Let every person know that I do not compromise"
More words of peace from the Palestinian Authority
More here http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=9056
Not Just a Symbolic Victory, Judge Slams Thug Conservatives for Robo-Calls.
Maude Barlow puts the robo-call decision in perspective.
*Just hours ago the long-awaited Federal Court ruling on election fraud was
released...*
*
In a clear and bold statement, Judge Richard Mosley wrote: "I find that
electoral fraud occurred during the 41st General Election."
While his ruling stopped short of annulling election results, this is a
powerful victory for Kay Burkhart, Ken Ferance, Yvonne Kafka, Bill Kerr, Sandra
McEwing, Tom Parlee, Jeff Reid and Peggy Walsh Craig – the eight brave
Canadian voters who launched their legal challenges and the thousands of us
who contin... more »
Imagine A World Without the Post Office Or Public Schools (Don't . . . PLEASE!) And All This Austerity, Whether in Greece or Chicago, "Just So the 0.001% Uberwealthy Can Continue To Get Richer and Richer Courtesy of Year After Year of Flawed Monetary and Fiscal Policy Even As the Real World Around Them Burns."
(Click here for the full story.) Get involved! Let's save our public
institutions! And all this Austerity, whether in Greece or Chicago, "just
so the 0.001% uberwealthy can continue to get richer and richer courtesy of
a year after year of flawed monetary and fiscal policy, even as the real
world around them burns." As our friends at Down With Tyranny impart: As
the NYT reports, in
Your moment of Zen
Loretta Young, 1931 edition. [graphic via]
So Called 'Booming' Saskatchewan (the home of publicly funded health care) FAILS In Health Care Performance
*(Click on image to enlarge ... )*
*
**Saskatchewan is the home of publicly funded healthcare in Canada.
Unfortunately, under the stewardship of Premier Brad Wall and his right
leaning Saskatchewan Party administration, public health care performance
has fallen to an embarrassing #FAIL.*
*
**"When it comes to maintaining a healthy province, Saskatchewan gets a
poor grade.*
*A new report by the Conference Board of Canada examines more than 90
factors, giving Saskatchewan a “D” grade for overall health-care
performance.*
*“We know that there’s great patient-centred care being delivered... more »
Rudolf Steiner On The Modern World's Rejection of The Soul
Below is an excerpt from Lecture One of Rudolf Steiner's 1919 lecture
series called, *"The Influences of Lucifer and Ahriman."*
"What numbers of people there are today who no longer value the spirit for
the sake of the spirit or the soul for the sake of the soul! They are out
to absorb from cultural life only what is regarded as “useful.” This is a
significant and mysterious factor in the life of modern humanity and one
that must be lifted into the full light of consciousness. Average citizens,
who work assiduously in their offices from morning till evening and then go
through the h... more »
Review - Celadon Road Sunscreen
I like being outdoors. I like fresh air, hiking, walking and exploring
nature. Sunburn ... not so much! Discomfort aside, sunburns are dangerous
and can cause cancer.
My skin is sensitive! When outdoors, I burn within minutes. Covering up and
sticking to shaded areas helps but it doesn't always fit in with my
activities. So, I use sunscreen ... always.
Choosing an effective sunscreen (without harmful ingredients) which
moisturizes, stays on when swimming or sweating, and doesn't harm the earth
is tricky business.
Amanda Arkans, from Celadon Road, invited me to try 20 SPF Sunscre... more »
Remember When Rahm Emanuel Was The Worst Thing About DC? Well, Of Course, Now He's The Worst Thing About Chicago
If you're interested in the space where education policy, politics and
humor come together, you should be checking out EduShyster.com frequently.
The site is premised on that fact that "behind every faddish, jargon-filled
plan is a dirty little scheme that ends up making somebody a lot of money.
The scary thing is that these fools are winning, and the only way to fight
back is to expose the edushysters for the hypocritical charlatans that they
are." This week they have a depraved Rahm Emanuel in their sites.
The final “vote” on which Chicago Public Schools to shutter may be a done... more »
U of Alberta Conf this weekend: Taiwan in dynamic transition
H-ASIA
May 23, 2013
CONF Taiwan in Dynamic Transition
*********************************
TAIWAN IN DYNAMIC TRANSITION CONFERENCE
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
May 25-26, 2013
Stollery Executive Development Centre 5-40A
Description
The international conference “Taiwan in Dynamic Transition,” hosted by the
Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Alberta, will take
place on May 25-26. At the conference, distinguished scholars from
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United
States will present original research on some of the most s... more »
“There is a Problem Here” – Journalist John Merrow
“There is a problem here” (Houston, We have a problem) John Merrow on what
his wife’s response to the what is going on in this test driven, punish the
teachers education deform. Thank you Shaun and Tim for bringing us some
real journalism and journalist John Merrow on Rhee, DC and High Stakes
Testing
Testinghttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/chalkface/2013/05/23/special-episode-of-at-the-chalk-face-w-john-merrow
[…]
Park Avenue - Why Poverty: The Movie
“Money is used to buy results – that is the problem.”
“America's became a place where money buys everything.”
The Alex Gibney Movie
104,000+ views as of tonight
59 minutes
*Park Avenue: money, power and the American dream - Why Poverty?*
A must see for everyone
A definite must see for the people of Wisconsin.
DRONE STRIKES – FOR OBAMA CIVILIAN DEATHS ARE O.K. BECAUSE THE ENEMY KILL CIVILIANS AS WELL
DRONE STRIKES – FOR OBAMA CIVILIAN DEATHS ARE O.K. BECAUSE THE ENEMY KILL
CIVILIANS AS WELL
In a speech to the National Defense University yesterday outlining his new
policies regarding the use of drones in targeted killings US President
Obama told his audience;
*…before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no
civilians will be killed or injured – the highest standard we can set.*
*This last point is critical, because much of the criticism about drone
strikes – at home and abroad – understandably centers on reports of
civilian casualties. There is a wide gap betwe... more »
Who wouldn't pony up $12 for a beer imported all the way from Chicago?
*The "imported" beer on the left, Goose Island, may be a splendid brew, but
imported it's not, unless you count its Chicago provenance as such.*
*by Ken*
At my very first job, more than a few summers ago, I was stationed
primarily in the company's order-processing and accounts-receivable
department, one feature of which was an entire long wall lined with file
cabinets that contained the order account records. Yes, this will give you
an idea just how many summers ago it was; at the time, it would never have
occurred to anyone to do any of the order processing, or store any of the
a... more »
Bill Bonner, “The Siege of Vicksburg”
*“The Siege of Vicksburg”*
by Bill Bonner
"The Battle of Vicksburg was the turning point of the war," explained the
guide at the Old Court House Museum in Mississippi. "The whole economy of
the South west of the Appalachians depended on the Mississippi River.
That's how we got our food and cotton to market. We floated it down the
river to New Orleans. And Vicksburg was the key to the Mississippi. You can
see that we're up here on a bluff. From these heights, small artillery
could control the river. That's why the Yankees were so determined to take
Vicksburg."
More on that in a... more »
Gladue principles do not trump other sentencing criteria
R. v. Killiktee, 2013 ONCA 332 holds that Gladue principles are factors but
not necessarily dispositive factors in sentencing:
[3] Further, in our opinion, the sentencing judge gave proper
effect to *Gladue *principles. Her reasons demonstrate great sensitivity
to them. She held, however, that while rehabilitative and *Gladue* objectives
must inform a fit sentence, they do not automatically trump other
sentencing objectives. The sentencing judge recognized that a fit sentence
must meet rehabilitative goals but that in this case public safety was
paramount. We see no erro... more »
Fukushima updates - May 23 , 2013 ......Struggles to maintain staff at Fukushima Dai - ichi Nuclear Plant .....radioactive contamination around facility , strontium - 90 and plutonium being found around plant , offshore ......
http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2013/05/ap-fukushima-i-nuke-plant-struggles-to.html
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013
AP: #Fukushima I Nuke Plant "Struggles to Keep Staff", and "Happy" Has
Cumulative Radiation Exposure of Over 300 Millisieverts
The worker who tweeted from the plant for two years, "Happy", has a
cumulative radiation exposure of *more than 300 millisieverts* from 20
years of working in the nuclear industry, according to the AP article that
extensively quotes him.
The article says the reason for the veterans like "Happy" quitting the
Fukushima I Nuke Plant job is their cumulative rad... more »
Wow! A tremendous media report about high stakes testing.
Western New York has been a hot bed of high-stakes testing resistance this
year. This media report from our local CBS affiliate is the most
comprehensive look at assessment issues I have seen anywhere in the
“mainstream media”. Thank you to @RachelKingston4 for the detailed
research. Follow the author on twitter @stoptesting15 Filed under: CHRIS […]
Leo Buscaglia, “Loving Each Other”
* “Loving Each Other”*
by Leo Buscaglia
“Emotional detachment, maintaining our distance from others, is being
prescribed as a solution for avoiding pain. Neglect and abuse of children
and the aged is a growing problem. Social and religious institutions, which
in the past helped to set standards of behavior and brought people together
in companionship, are actively downgraded. Individualism, independence, and
personal freedom are valued above love, commitment, and cooperation.
Examining the complex nature involved in loving each other (the dynamic and
everchanging nature of two o... more »
Medwyn Goodall, “Eye of the Wolf”
- Medwyn Goodall, “Eye of the Wolf”
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBuSKPD2jY0
“Our Scars”
* “Our Scars”*
by Pramiti Sapru
"Scars; they seem so beautiful at times. I’ve got many, deep and shallow.
They aren’t self-inflicted, well consciously they aren’t. They cover my
arms, my legs, even my fingers are painted with them. To others it might
seem like a cry for help or a careless attitude but for me it’s my whole
life story engraved on me. Every scar, every bruise has a life of its own
and a space in my heart. They either remind me of a place or a person.
Sadly, there is no magic wand to rub them off of your body. Even if they
fade away over the years, the impact still ... more »
IRS - Gate news of the day - Lerner put on paid leave after refusing to resign ? After blowing Fifth Amendment posture by giving her statement before the House Committee , she's set up to be held in Contempt when she's called back !
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-23/irs-lois-lerner-put-involuntary-paid-vacation
IRS' Lois Lerner Put On Involuntary Paid Vacation
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/23/2013 18:56 -0400
- Barack Obama
The IRS' Lois Lerner may not be the most proficient when it comes to hiding
years of *alleged *conservative group persecution, or subsequently pleading
the fifth and avoiding self-incrimination in what she dubs is a perfectly
legal misunderstanding even as she makes on the record statements defending
her innocence, but when it comes to being put... more »
"A Lion Fight..."
"It's good to be scared. It means you still have something to lose. So
chin up. Put your shoulders back, walk proud, strut a little. Don't lick
your wounds: celebrate them. The scars you bear are the signs of a
competitor. You're in a lion fight. Just because you didn't win doesn't
mean you don't know how to roar."
- "Dr. Meredith Grey", "Grey's Anatomy"
Obama redefines the war on terror
President
Obama gave a foreign policy speech this afternoon. Do yourself a
favor. Read the whole speech before you read any of the instant punditry
and take it as gospel. If you're out of free reads at the NYT, Booman
has itand he also has one of the more temperate takes on it.
It was a huge and complex speech. A speech that takes some time to
process
fully. Maybe it was just too complicated in a world that now operates
mostly in 140 character quips and expects on demand gratification. The
initial wave of analysis I've seen was rife with cherry picked points
that
offer a ride on fav... more »
Musical Interlude: Adiemus, “Adiemus”
Adiemus, “Adiemus”
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL8kZ-iVk90
More curious deaths!? The two FBI agents Involved in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's Arrest??
*I can only say...fall out from the Boston Marathon bombing is still
falling out?!*
*As if* *The curious killing of Ibrahim Todashev and the very tenuous link
to Boston *
*wasn't enough to pique one's curiosity, we also have* *the sudden
accidental death of two FBI agents involved in the arrest of Dzhokhar
Tsarnev** (Thanks Nikola!) ** *
*
**Nikola must have been pondering the amazing coincidence of Mr Todashev
dying in Florida while FBI agents connected to Boston were falling out of
helicopters. Same as I was, because here is the FBI press release, that I
was looking at just befor... more »
Two FBI Agents mystery deaths during training exercise ......Shooting death of a friend of Tsarnaev - not charged with any crimes and certainly not tied in Boston bombings , yet somehow shot to death under circumstances still not clear..... loose ends being cleaned up here ?
2 FBI Agents Involved in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's Arrest Have Been Killed During
a Training ExerciseMay 23, 2013
Print Version
*Source: **Economic Policy Journal**
*
Accrording to a statement from the FBI, two FBI special agents were killed
last Friday during a training exercise off the coast of Virginia Beach,
Virginia. Special Agent Christopher Lorek and Special Agent Stephen Shaw
were members of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, part of the Critical
Incident Response Group based at Quantico, Virginia. The cause of the
incident is under review, the FBI said.
Prison Plane reports tha... more »
Japan overviews for May 23 , 2013....Kyle Bass explains why Japan's QE program will prove insufficient....Nikkei has risen 86 percent in a matter of a few months - yet after one down day , CME hikes margin on Nikkei by 33 percent ? Richard Koo warns of beginning of end for Japanese Economy.....ECB's Weidmann wishes Japan good luck in the experiments ...
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-24/nikkei-futures-resume-rout
Nikkei Futures Resume Plunge
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/24/2013 08:25 -0400
- Japan
- Nikkei
- recovery
Japanese stocks had another violent night with *record trading volumes* on
the TOPIX. The early 'buy the dip mentality' rapidly escalated into
sell-Mortimer-sell as the Nikkei 225 dropped another 1000 points after the
lunch break. A late day recovery managed to close the index just in the
green and all could relax that the world was once again a better place
th... more »
FRIDAY MORNING RAMBLE: The No Mo Fomoco Edition
[image: image]
Australian (and New Zealand unionists boast how Australian unions have made
labour rates in Australia among the world’s highest. Perhaps they should
also reflect how they’ve made Australian manufacturing among the world’s
most uncompetitive. So much so that even billions of dollars in government
subsidies—amounting to tens of thousands of dollars per car—isn’t enough to
save car manufacturing in Australia. Or any manufacturing at all…
*Ford closure shows subsidies a waste of money* – C.I.S.
*Ford to shut down its Australian manufacturing operation* – Sinclair
Dav... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Sémalens, Midi-Pyrenees, France. Thanks for stopping by.
IMF Chief Christine Lagarde set to be forced to resign if charged with corruption ? French Minister in Hollande Government says she has to go if placed under investigation...... Spanish Banks need 10 billion more euros - or is it 100 billion euros .... get your money out of European Banks now ! Fourth day of riots in Sweden reveal ugly side of Nordic model......UK attack from lone wolfs will increase says UK islamic intelligence asset..... Stocks in Europe actually react to bad news as being bad - will gravity still apply on Friday ?
French minister says IMF boss Christine Lagarde ‘must resign’ if charged
with fraud, embezzlement scam
- [image: The Alex Jones Channel][image: Alex Jones Show podcast][image:
Prison Planet TV][image: Infowars.com Twitter][image: Alex Jones'
Facebook][image: Infowars store]
*Peter Allen*
Daily Mail
May 23, 2013
Christine Lagarde, *photo by International Students’ Committee, via
Wikimedia Commons*
Pressure mounted on Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary
Fund, today, when a French government minister said that she would have to
resign if she was charged wi... more »
“The Secret to Letting Go of Every Fear”
* “The Secret to Letting Go of Every Fear”*
By VividLife
“Are you afraid of some condition in your life? Here’s a life-transforming
secret: that seemingly scary condition, whatever it may be, is not the
problem. It is your reaction that is fearful. This is why if you will
become conscious of your condition instead of afraid of it, you will change
forever your relationship with fear.
It is only within this special kind of inner-relationship that there is
real safety, because now you are interacting with fear in an entirely new
way. You are no longer letting it dictate to you how ... more »
"Feeling Fed Up with Humanity, In the World and in Ourselves"
* *
*"Feeling Fed Up with Humanity, In the World and in Ourselves"*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
"We are all capable of the best and the worst that humanity has to offer
and knowing this allows us to find compassion. From time to time, we may
all feel fed up with humanity, whether it’s from learning about what’s
going on around the world, or what’s going on next door. There are always
situations that leave us feeling as if people are simply not capable of
behaving in a way that is coming from a place of awareness. Often it seems
as if people are actually geared to handle things... more »
Saskatchewan Senator David Tkachuk Has Long History With Corrupt Conservative Governments ...
[image: Progressive Bloggers]
*In the dying days of the corrupt Conservative administration of Brian
Mulroney, David Tkachuk was named as a senator from the province of
Saskatchewan. A patronage reward to the undemocratic, unelected Senate was
thanks for the many years he served as Principle Secretary to
Saskatchewan's Conservative Premier Grant Devine. *
*For those who need a reminder, Grant Devine oversaw one of the most
corrupt governments in Canadian history. Grant Devine was premier of
Saskatchewan for two terms, holding power from 1982- 1991:*
*"Saskatchewan Tories in Fraud... more »
"How It Really Is"
Deeply concerned about the future of the nation, well educated,
literate and fully informed citizens discuss the current situation...
or don't.
Self-Loathing Closet Case Lindsey Graham Shafts The LGBT Community
When California's most rabidly homophobic state Senator, Roy Ashburn
(R-Bakersfield) was arrested for drunken driving and discovered with a
young male prostitute in his car, I was impressed with how quickly he came
to terms with how disastrous his life in the closet had been.
Something happened that I guess caused me to realize that. When I was in
sixth grade, the police had a raid in the sand dunes [near San Luis Obispo]
and a bunch of gay men were arrested, probably charged with indecent
activity. That sticks in my mind — the publicity and the shame around it.
One of my teacher... more »
"The Most Costly Of All Follies..."
"The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably
not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind. The truth, indeed, is
something that mankind, for some mysterious reason, instinctively dislikes.
Every man who tries to tell it is unpopular, and even when, by the sheer
strength of his case, he prevails, he is put down as a scoundrel."
- H.L. Mencken
I know, I know, "Oh, that could never happen here..."
- CP
Carlin Romano - America the Radical
*"America the Philosophical"* by Carlin Romano.
*Wikiepdia:*
Carlin Romano is an American writer and educator. He was cited for
"bringing new vitality to the classic essay across a formidable array of
topics," as a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in criticism.
Romano is a critic-at-large for the The Chronicle of Higher Education. He
was a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer for many years. He teaches at
Ursinus College and the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for
Communication. He previously taught philosophy at Bennington College.
Title: Carlin Romano - Ame... more »
"Why Bernanke and His Pals Are Terrified- Now, Mr. Spock!"
* *
*"Why Bernanke and His Pals Are Terrified"* (5/22/13)
By Graham Summers
"Two big events have occurred/ are occurring.
1) Chicago Fed President, Charles Evans who is one of the biggest pushers
for QE, stated that the Fed has “the appropriate monetary policy in place”
and that the economy is “improving quite a lot.”
2) The Bank of Japan is beginning a two-day policy meeting today.
Regarding #1, Evans has been one of the biggest pushers for more QE.
Throughout 2011 and 2012, every time he appeared on TV he stated that the
Fed should do more. So for Evans to suddenly change his t... more »
Weitzman on Climate Change
Wisdom from my Harvard colleague Marty Weitzman.
Eating "Greek" Yogurt - STOP!
*For every three or four ounces of milk, Chobani and other companies can
produce only one ounc*e of creamy Greek yogurt. The rest becomes acid whey.
It’s a thin, runny waste product that can’t simply be dumped. Not only
would that be illegal, but whey decomposition is toxic to the natural
environment, robbing oxygen from streams and rivers. That could turn a
waterway into what one expert calls a “dead sea,” destroying aquatic life
over potentially large areas. Spills of cheese whey, a cousin of Greek
yogurt whey, have killed tens of thousands of fish around the country in
recent y... more »
Philosopher ~ Warrior ~ Angel
We are here on purpose. The focus of our journey thus far has been to
wake ourselves and each other up. We’ve served as reminders and mirrors
and helpers for each other. Sometimes with a hug, sometimes with a bit
more force, we’ve been saying “Hey, I know you! Remember me? It’s almost
time. Let’s do this.”
Today, there are two points to share. I suggest listening to the music
here while you read.
The first is that not all of us angels are the cherub types. I’ve run
into many, DreamHopper included, who fit into another style, completely
self defined. A... more »
"Preparing for Economic Collapse: Learning From The Past - A Personal Account"
* *
*"Preparing for Economic Collapse:
Learning From The Past - A Personal Account"*
by FerFAL
“How can I prepare for an economic collapse?” is one of the most common
questions I get. It usually takes me a second to start to explain how
complex such a question is. It’s like asking an auto mechanic, “Say, how do
you build a car?” or asking a computer engineer, “What’s all that stuff
inside my laptop?”
I do have some first-hand experience in this matter, though. The economy in
my country, Argentina, has gone through various crises, but none as large
as when the economy collapsed in... more »
Scandals unite House GOP
Scandalmania has been very good for GOP unity. All Republicans agree what's
bad for Obama is very good for them. And Mr. Boehner has been kind enough
to only bring the kind of bills to the floor that give the crazy
conservatives opportunites to prove their crackpot cred for the folks back
home. The question is, how long can it last?
Aware that the unity is fragile, the conservative group Heritage Action for
America sent a warning to Boehner and Cantor, urging them to keep the focus
on the scandals and “avoid bringing any legislation to the House Floor that
could expose or highlight... more »
Mitch McConnell spins the scandals
Gotta give him some credit for wringing the most value out of
pseudoscandal. Taking to the WaPo op-ed page, Mitch McConnell sees an
opportunity to quash big money donor disclosure:
[R]ecent efforts to revive the so-called Disclose Act suggest that these
tactics are alive and well in Washington. This bill, which would force
grass-roots groups to make their member and donor lists public, may seem
benign to some. But as a longtime defender of the First Amendment, I have
always seen it for what it is: a backdoor effort to discourage those who
disagree with the Obama administration from... more »
Our interview with John Merrow: Everything you need to know
Sorry to keep reminding everyone, but this story needs to continue getting
coverage. It’s the “lynchpin”, I believe, to this entire iteration of
“education reform” we are experiencing at present. Remember, 7PM EST, right
here. Once we’ve heard from Mr. Merrow, we’ll take some calls. Now, here’s
a link to a comprehensive PDF of Merrow’s […]
Weird YouTube Juxtaposition--Art Class Freak Out Clicks Through to the 36 Chambers
This is the first in an ongoing series of YouTube clips that link to other
YouTube clips that have nothing to do with one another. The first clip
comes via this tweet from singer Liz Phair:
She should join a band. Art Student Freak Out, Smashes Painting:
youtu.be/Zy85h4MJQos via @youtube
— Liz Phair (@PhizLair) May 23, 2013
If you could make it through that barrage of the word "like" used as a
vocalized pause to the part where she goes Peter Townsend on her own
painting then perhaps you can answer these questions:
1. Was that staged?
2. If so, why? To get street cred? For t... more »
Anjem Choudary - "It is not allowed to target innocent people"
On the Channel 4 News tonight Anjem Choudary used this well worn line that
in Islam "It is not allowed to target innocent people" and the interviewer
seemed to accept this.
Unfortunately for Anjem Choudary, some of us have good memories. Here's
Anjem Choudary from 2009:
"When we say innocent people we mean Muslims, as far as non-Muslims are
concerned they have not accepted Islam and as far as we are concerned that
is a crime against God... As far as Muslims are concerned, you are innocent
if you are a Muslim, then you are innocent in the eyes of God. If you are a
non-Muslim then yo... more »
UNSAID ISSUE BEHIND RISING VETERAN'S SUICIDE RATE IS SHAME BASED GUILT
**
**
**
*The unsaid issue behind the rising vet suicide rate is shame based guilt
regarding killing experiences, which violence inducing psychotropic drugs
can only numb ~ but my heart centered counseling program in California can
and has successfully facilitated self-healing, self-forgiveness and inner
transformation, and all without drugs: Dr Allen L Roland*
No one really talks about the psychic damage that combat veterans feel when
they take someone's life, regardless of the military situation ~ *but the
effect is real and usually manifests itself as shame based guilt whereas ... more »
RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : Journalism Prof Robert Jensen is 'Arguing for Our Lives'
Robert Jensen in the studios of KOOP in Austin, Texas, Friday, May 10, 2013. Photos by William Michael Hanks / The Rag Blog.
Rag Radio podcast:
Journalism professor and activist
Robert Jensen is 'Arguing for Our Lives'
"I feel what I’m often doing is kind of a remedial course in how to see the world." -- Robert Jensen on Rag Radio
By Thorne Dreyer / The Rag Blog / May 23, 2013
Author,
Sri Srinivasan Confirmed
Sri Srinivasan was confirmed unanimously this afternoon, 97-0, for a
position on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. He was originally nominated on
June 11, 2012 for a position vacant since November 1, 2008.
So there's one obvious point, and one huge question.
The point: yes, it's absolutely ridiculous that a unanimous pick took
eleven months. The only somewhat reasonable part of the delay was in the
run-up to the 2012 election; it's traditional for the out-party to drag
their feet to prevent confirmations just before an election, even though
Republicans in this case push that to (and... more »
Wisconsin - America's Greece Thanks to Walker
*From HuffPo *
*Before Wisconsin, Greece was seen as a case study of what not to do *during
troubled economic times. A safety net destroyed, public unions decimated
and massive corporate tax breaks that did nothing to help their economy,
leading only to skyrocketing unemployment and a faltering GDP. Now,
Wisconsin sadly serves as a parallel study, with an economy sinking into
severe long term job losses, far behind the national pace of job growth.
Scott Walker and his tea party cohorts bought the snake oil of austerity.
They forced the Badger State to drink it. And Wisconsin's famil... more »
BEWARE of Biased Partisan Economic Rankings
Be well informed
Be sure to read both sides of the issue.
Don't make the mistake of accepting partisan - one-sided arguments when it
comes to the economic health of your state.
*Study: State “Business Climate” Rankings Based on Flawed Data, Have No
Policy Value Washington, DC*
Prominent studies that purport to measure and rank the states’ “business
climates” are actually politicized grab - bags of data. They have no
predictive value and should not be used to inform public policies. Those
are the main conclusions of a new study published today by Good Jobs First
. “Grading Places: ... more »
Greta Van Susteren and Lindsey Graham just keep deceiving the public!
*THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013*
*Last night, the edification never stopped on Fox:* In an earlier post, we
documented Greta Van Susteren’s ongoing grisly misconduct.
Greta keeps playing her viewers for fools, several million at a time.
(Last night’s numbers still aren’t in. But last Wednesday, May 15, Greta
had 2.12 million viewers at 10 PM, with more getting conned by her 1 AM
rerun. By way of contrast, Lawrence had 685,000 viewers at 10 PM that night
on The One True Liberal Channel.)
Whatever! Greta keeps saying she has no idea where Susan Rice got that
crazy tale about the spontaneous... more »
The B.C. Election, May 14, 2013. A National Tragedy
.
The B.C. Election, May 14, 2013. A National Tragedy
*Written by Robin Mathews *
Begin at the beginning. The power figures at the centre of the B.C. New
Democratic Party and the major, experienced MLAs in the legislature sold
out the people of British Columbia, and Canada. That is the beginning and
the end of the election story.
Other commentary may provide interesting footnotes. For instance: that the
polls did it. The Green Party did it. The outside strategists did it. The
propaganda, financing and organization of the neo-liberal campaign did it.
Dix’s pipeline flip-f... more »
Mohawk Nation News 'Double Jeopardy'
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Posted on May 23, 2013
MNN. May 22, 2013. Canada and Israel are “bosom
buddies” settler colonists. Both exist by dispossessing or displacing
Indigenous people for our land and resources. They call their autocratic
governing systems “liberal democracies” which have no accountability
for their theft and crimes against humanity. These bogus corpo-nations
Study finds alarming declines in U.S. amphibians, even in protected areas – Many species will disappear from half of habitats in 20 years
[image: A Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae) scans the
landscape in Yosemite National Park. A 2013 USGS study confirmed that U.S.
amphibian populations are declining at precipitous rates. Photo: Devin
Edmonds / USGS]
By Timothy B. Wheeler
22 May 2013
(The Baltimore Sun) – Some of springtime's more notable heralds appear to
be fading away, as a new study finds frogs, toads and salamanders
disappearing at an alarming rate across the United States.
In what they say is the first analysis of its kind, scientists with the
U.S. Geological Survey and a couple of universities... more »
Too Big To Fail Again
Just 12 banks control almost 70% of total bank assets. This week at a
Banking Committee hearing, Elizabeth Warren grilled Treasury Secretary Jack
Lew about capping the size of the Too Big To Fail banks. He danced around
her questions and sounds as full of crap as any GOP bank shill who's
looking forward to his future on Wall Street. Notice in Lew's weasely,
misleading answers he says "we" shouldn't do anything because we're in the
middle of implementing Dodd-Frank. But mostly what they're doing with Dodd
Frank is figuring out how to water it down, eviscerate it and make it more
a... more »
The curious killing of Ibrahim Todashev and the very tenuous link to Boston
When I first read the news about this killing, my first thoughts were:
Timely. Convenient. And wondered is this about tying up loose ends?
*Dead men tell no tales.* *But, many tales can be told about dead men.*
*Interesting interview with friend:*
-Ibrahim was supposed to go home to see his parents had he not been killed
by the FBI agent
-The friend mentions FBI having had multiple previous meetings with
Ibrahim. The difference being at this last meeting Ibrahim ended up dead.
Just before he was going to leave the country to visit his parents in
Chechnya.
- The *FBI agent, nam... more »
Ministerial Boycott Of Iraq’s Cabinet Over Protests Breaking Down
In the wake of arrest warrants being issued for former Finance Minister
Rafi Issawi’s bodyguards in December 2012, protests and an eventual boycott
of the cabinet by several ministers began. The Agricultural Minister Izz
al-Din al-Dawla left in March 2013 after demonstrators were killed and
wounded by security forces in Mosul. Industry Minister Ahmad Nasser
al-Dalli Karbuli, Technology Minister Abdul al-Karim al-Samarraie, and
Education Minister Mohammed Tamim followed suit after the Hawija incident
in April. Tamim is now returning to the council of ministers, while Dawla
has also... more »
Innovator (n.)
Innovator (n.) – A person with no experience, expertise, education, or
training in a field, but an abundance of ideas and an endless compulsion to
share those ideas. See also entrepreneur. FREE definition sponsored by i2
i2: The Innovative Innovator “Monetizing my megalomania from outside the
box!” About: Having no background or experience in innovation, […]
I have a question for all of the media concerning #cpsclosings
So many questions about yesterday’s stunning example of disaster capitalism
in Chicago. Remember when CTU went on strike in September and the media
blamed the greedy teachers of harming the children? Yes, much pearl
clutching ensued. Where is the media on this one? Who’s the real threat to
“the children” in this case? Yeah, that’s what […]
MILTON KEYNES - SPOOKY CHARITIES
*Hanslope Park*
*
*Milton Keynes is a spooky town in Buckinhamshire in the UK.
*Hanslope Park*, on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, houses Her Majesty's
Government Communications Centre.
It is one of MI6's main spy bases.
*Milton Keynes is home to Bletchley Park, the UK spy base where, during
World war II, cryptographers broke German codes.*
*
*
Former MI6 spy Richard Tomlinson once had a job, that MI6 had found for
him, with Jackie Stewart’s Formula One team in Milton Keynes.
(The Truthseeker)
*Errol Barnett*
Spooky Errol Barnett, an anchor and correspondent for spooky CNN, is fr... more »
Dept. of Missing the Point (Kinsley ed.)
A wonderful example of the myopia of the deficit scolds...
The background is that Michael Kinsley wrote a particularly bad column last
week about "austerity," a key point of which was based on factually
incorrect memories of what went wrong in the 1970s; as you can imagine,
this earned him plenty of corrections and dismissals from people who used
access to accurate economic and government policy statistics.
Kinsley was quite taken aback by this, apparently, and wrote a follow up to
defend himself. Dan Drezner has already pointed out that Kinsley is still
relying on the same inaccur... more »
Education Revolution
I'd like to introduce another blog I will be managing: School's Out. Check
it out! This post pretty much sums it up.
More Species Collapse
Fears, D. (22 May 2013) Frog, toad and salamander populations
plummeting,
U.S. survey finds', The Washington Post,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/frog-toad-and-salamander-populations-plummeting-us-survey-finds/2013/05/22/459c1c9e-c2f3-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines
[Excerpted] Frogs, toads and salamanders continue to vanish from the
American landscape at an alarming pace, with seven species — including
Colorado’s boreal toad and Nevada’s yellow-legged frog — facing 50
percent
drops in their numbers within seven years if the current rate... more »
The wages of our refusal to fight!
*THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013*
*Congressman Jordan just couldn’t hold it in:* Each night, on The One True
Liberal Channel, the millionaire children keep forgetting to fight.
When one team refuses to fight, the other team can say what it likes. In
the New York Times, Jeremy Peters reports on yesterday’s congressional
hearing concerning the IRS:
PETERS (5/23/13): *At times, committee members could hardly conceal their
contempt for the I.R.S. and the Obama White House.*
Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, tried to link the I.R.S.
scandal with other controversies that are dogging ... more »
Mississippi Sets a Record for Unreported Subsidies
As I have written before, when states announce a major new investment, it
is far more likely that the announced subsidy is an underestimate than an
overestimate. A new Good Jobs First study commissioned by the United Auto
Workers unearths a new example of this, which I believe is the largest
underestimate ever: Nissan in Mississippi.
When Nissan announced in 2000 that it had chosen Madison County,
Mississippi, just north of Jackson, as the site for a new assembly
facility, it was reported that the project had received $295 million in
subsidies (at a present value of $289.7 million, ... more »
Police State: Liberty Activist Illegally Searched and Arrested After Kokesh Hearing
*Activist Post*
"Your megaphone might be a weapon," says the arresting officer to liberty
activist and former Marine Kyle Prouty when he asked why he was being
detained.
Five members of The Panic Hour were followed into the City Hall rail
station in Center City Philadelphia after attending an arraignment hearing
for Adam Kokesh and Nikki Allen Poe who were kidnapped from a peaceful
marijuana rally on 5/18/13.
While quietly waiting for a train, Kyle Prouty was illegally searched and
detained by SEPTA police officer Nicole Lawson at 3:20pm on 5/20/13 after
refusing to show ID. You ... more »
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