Tommy Franks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Library of Congress description: "Photograph shows President Jimmy Carter shaking hands with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty on the grounds of the White House." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Cover of Margaret ThatcherTarget has a new problem - More trouble for Target after 40,000 gift cards sold over the holidays fail to work ! This occurs as the massive debit and credit card debacle is still an unsolved crime !
Catharsis Ours - 10 minutes ago
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531660/MORE-trouble-Target-40-000-gift-cards-sold-holidays-not-properly-activated.html
More trouble for Target after 40,000 gift cards sold over the holidays fail
to work
- Target failed to scan the correct barcode on thousands of gift cards
-
- Shoppers being told the cards have no value when at the check out
-
- Target urged shoppers to seek help in-store or by calling the number
on the back of their gift card
-
- It comes 10 days after the store suffered a major data breach, leaving
hackers to get their hands o... more »
The Grating Magpie
Some sounds really set my nerves on edge. One is the sound of magpies in
spring and summer.
Their harsh, grating cackle makes me think of machine gun fire.
With that thought comes an association of magpies with viciousness and
murder.
Many's the early summer morning when I've awoken to the sound of that
cackle and the subsequent squawks of panic, desperation and fear from
other, smaller birds as their myriad babies face butchery at the sharp
beaks of raiding magpies.
Yes, I know that's anthropomorphic, sentimental, irrational twaddle on my
part, and that I - a grown man - should be ... more »
FRIENDS OF SIR JIMMY SAVILE
*1.* Sir Jimmy Savile is known to have had dinner with* Admiral Sir Michael
Boyce*, Chief of the UK Defence Staff at the time of 9 11. (
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)
*Admiral Sir Michael Boyce and General Tommy Franks*
*2.* Savile visited Israel in 1975 to advise *Israel's President Ephraim
Katzir* on a matter of security. Savile addressed the cabinet of Menachem
Begin. Savile was also a friend of President Sadat's wife. (JIMMY SAVILE
FIXED IT FOR ISRAEL).
*Begin, Sadat, Katzir*
*3. *Savile spent 11 consecutive Christmases at the home of *Margaret
Thatcher.*
*Margaret Thatch... more »
John Friend on Inside the Eye - Live! w/ Dennis Fetcho
I was a guest on Dennis Fetcho's radio program *Inside the Eye -
Live!*this morning during the second hour. We talked about a lot of
different
subjects, including *the recent ADL attack on yours truly*, the *fake
"Holocaust" narrative of WWII*, and media manipulation. You can download
the program *here*.
Bringing Qatar Down A Notch or Two: Egypt Summons Qatar's Ambassador
Population of Qatar: 2 million. Population of Egypt: 84 million. Qatar is
upset with Egypt's political decisions? Too bad. Qatar: Kindly Shut The
Fuck Up. If you love the Muslim Brotherhood so much then make them your
rulers in your neck of the woods and leave the Egyptian people and nation
alone to decide their fate. Don't act like war can't be brought to your
doorstep and don't pretend that you live in some kind of oasis in the
middle of hell.
An excerpt from, *"Egypt summons Qatari envoy after criticisms of
crackdown"* Reuters, January 4:
*Egypt's foreign ministry summoned... more »
Cleverness Sends Us (All of Us) Over the Edge (Yay, Neanderthals?)
Don't you just hate it when you miss a good book? I know I do (take a look
at one I'm currently kicking myself over). All hominids have African
ancestors. Some of them migrated to Asia, where Neanderthals first walked
onto the stage. Some Neanderthals moved to Europe maybe 300,000 years ago,
where they hung out in cool temperate forests. Their primary weapon was a
heavy thrusting spear
Live from Planet BBC...
Radio 4's Immigration: Good for Whom? was billed by the BBC as a debate
between "two leading liberal thinkers" - Prof Paul Collier of Oxford
University and David Goodhart of the centre-left Demos think tank - and
Nazek Ramadan of Migrant Voices and Susie Symes, Chair of the Museum of
Immigration and Diversity. It was hosted by *The World Tonight*'s Ritula
Shah.
It was wholly predictable that it would be a classic BBC discussion,
"neatly balanced between two wary left-wing supporters of mass immigration
and two enthusiastic left-wing supporters of mass immigration." And so it
prov... more »
What Mattered This Week?
Last time here before the big move...
I'm certainly on board with Greg Sargent's comments this week that the spin
over the first few days of ACA exchange plans kicking in doesn't matter.
As far as what does matter on this holiday week...I'm sort of thinking that
Kerry's continuing press on Israel/Palestine might matter. How, I'm not
sure. And perhaps it doesn't really...very hard to tell. But I'll go with
that one.
What do you have? What do you think mattered this week?
Ripley’s Botched Attack on Ravitch: A Euro Is Not a Dollar
In December 2011, writer Amanda Ripley published a post in which she tried
hard to discredit education historian Diane Ravitch’s claim that the US
poverty level is a factor in the 2009 PISA rankings. Even though Ripley’s
piece is over two years old, I only read it yesterday. In her smug attempt
to discredit Ravitch’s interpretation of […]
How to Help the Working Poor
Click here to read my column in Sunday's* NY Times*.
A note from an administrator on new bathroom policies. Hilarity.
I give it to you in all its glory. And I will emphasize what particular
gem, whereby students checking in and out of the bathroom helps meet a
common core standard (or CCS). Who knew that every thing I do on a daily
basis, from taking a leak to brushing my teeth, could be applied […]
LAND OF SCRIPT: What should Schieffer do?
*SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014*
*Epilogue—Inventing the script about Rice:* It’s stunning to see the way
our upper-end, elite “journalism” works.
The higher up the ladder one goes, the more pathetic the conduct becomes.
The more the work is tied to script in this, our nation of script.
The more a star’s “journalistic” disasters will be enabled by silence.
In September 2012, a powerful script took shape about the attack in
Benghazi. In last Sunday’s New York Times, David Kirkpatrick debunked two
key parts of that script, while leaving Susan Rice lodged beneath the bus.
Kirkpatrick named... more »
THE HUNGER GAMES
- Our Gov. LePage (right-wing Republican corporate hack) is running for
reelection on the backs of the poor. He wants to drain "welfare" in order
to kill it. In Maine's largest city of Portland the governor has decided
to move the state welfare office from the downtown area out near the
airport which means folks, already without transportation, will have even
more difficulty getting there. Very slimy politics.
- It reminds me of when I was attending the University of Florida after
getting out of the Air Force. I was using the GI Bill to pay school but... more »
Out of the mouth of a merely far-right-winger comes a cry of pain at the peril from far-far-far-right-wingers in West Virginia
*"Career-long tool of the mining industry" Shelley Moore Capito*
*by Ken*
As I've mentioned, I sometimes get my best insight into the minds, such as
they are, of the far-far-far-right-wingers from the merely
far-right-wingers. (Wasn't it Freud who said, "It takes one to know one"?)
By now it's no surprise to hear the MFRWs tsk-tsk-ing the FFFRWs. Ever
since the screaming insanity of the FFFRWs began reaching deafening
proportions during the later years of the reign of "Chimpy the Prez" Bush,
the sound finally began to reach the nervous systems of the MFRWs.
Among the more prominen... more »
Kate Braun : Waxing Crescent Moon is Time to Set New Goals
Moon
Musings: The Waxing Crescent Moon -- which falls on January 4–5, 2014,
is a time to set goals for positive changes in your life.
Waxing crescent moon. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | January 3, 2013
Waxing moons are times to set new goals, recognize new objectives,
promote new growth, and set forces in motion to help you achieve these
goals, objectives,
Why Aren't Prep Schools Following Corporate Reforms?
Reblogged from Diane Ravitch's blog: This is a terrific article about the
elite prep schools and the fact that they do not follow the "reforms" that
are now pushed by the U.S. Department of Education, the Gates Foundation,
the Broad Foundation, and other corporate reformers. Here are some quotes
from the article: Go ahead and […]
Thailand: Civil War is Impossible
But terrorism dressed as "civil war" likely. Vigilance and swift, decisive
action against regime's leadership can stop it.
*January 4, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci) - The embattled regime of Thailand's
Thaksin Shinawatra and his substantial Western backers are attempting to
hold peace, stability, and the nation's future hostage in order to extort
from Thailand the perpetuation of their current grip on power. Chief among
their threats is the myth of an impending "civil war."
Unfortunately for them, and despite their best efforts, in order to have a
"civil war," you must first have a divi... more »
Nashville School Board Backs Away from Pearson Nonsense-Based Reading Test
During the early years of the Reading First corporate feeding frenzy that
dumped a cool billion dollars a year into worthless reading programs
blessed by crackpot, Reid Lyon, and a handful of his corrupt cronies housed
principally at the University of Oregon, a reading assessment called DIBELS
became required if your state or city wanted a shot the Reading First grants.
It is based, essentially, on counting how many nonsense syllables a child
can correctly identify in 60 seconds.
Surprise--Pearson has developed its own brand of nonsense based reading
assessments marketed under the... more »
Most Distant Galaxy Disproves Palin's Young Universe Theory
*by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy*
Texas astronomers have utterly disproved Sarah Palin! They have discovered
the most DISTANT object in the universe, an object some 13.7 billion light
years from earth. The light we see from that galaxy began its journey
toward the earth some 13.7 billion years ago. Therefore, Palin's young
universe of a mere 6,000 years is false and Palin is unfit to teach a
grammar school, let alone, run a nation.
Palin believes that the age of the universe is but a mere 6,000 years, a
figure that she (or her preacher man) may have concocted by adding up the... more »
Buy your own birth control...
*instead of getting "free" birth control after, of course, paying
exorbitant monthly premiums and a huge deductible.*
Seriously, are people really that stupid? Silly question.
We have a world spinning out of control, massive unemployment, completely
unsustainable personal and national debt, and all these loons can talk
about is the "war on women?"
From Doug Ross:
Archdiocese of New York: Obamacare exemptions granted to any and all...
except those with Judeo-Christian belief No exemption for you, little
ladies.
Immaculate conception
Because it's cold outside and the news is stupid.
GUEST no more. Welcome John Kuhn to our lineup!
Revered Superintendent John Kuhn joined our erudite rabble here At the
Chalk Face. Let us all welcome him. Check out his author page here and we
look forward to JOHN KUHN: Empowering Educators. Tagged: at the chalk face,
john kuhn, superintendent
“How Are We Supposed To Live?” Michigan Workers Discover Obamacare Means Impoverishment
[image: Political Outcast]
Posted By Mark Horne on Dec 30, 2013
[image: obama pharaoh]
NBC does some actual reporting on Obamacare. This is what is happening all
over the country.
*The 41 employees of Extreme Dodge in Jackson, Mich., are very familiar
with trade-ins, but this year they’re learning about trade-offs as they
come face to face with the new realities of health care. A few workers say
they’re getting a great deal, but most have a severe case of sticker shock.*
*“I feel like I’ve been taken to the cleaners,” said Neal Campbell, a
salesman.*
*The news was presented at... more »
Maui Needs You Help - Ride The GMO Legislation Wave To A Healthier Hawaii
Maui follows Kaua'i's lead: Bill introduced to require disclosure of
pesticides & GMOs, as well as buffer zones between GMO crops and schools,
medical facilities, daycare facilities and similar operations. Its goal is
"to inform the public ...and protect against direct, indirect and
cumulative negative health impacts."
Maui needs your help: Please email Councilmember Riki Hokama
Tell him, as a visitor to Maui - you don't want to be poisoned on your
vacation. Ask him to pass the GMO/Pesticide Bill!.
Phone calls are even better: to Councilmember Riki Hokama: ask him to bring
up C... more »
Could robots soon have brains that function like HUMANS? Computer chip that carries out tasks without being asked - and learns from its mistakes - to go on sale
[image: MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories]
- *The chip can mimic the human ability for perception, action, and
thought*
- *It will improve everything from navigation to speech, and facial
recognition*
- *The chip's memory will function as synapses would in the brain, with
processors acting as neurons*
- *It could also one day create systems that perform better than humans*
By Ellie Zolfagharifard
*PUBLISHED:* 07:59 EST, 2 January 2014
Computers are about to enter an age where they can perceive, act and even
think for themselves, us... more »
From @johnkuhntx: Ed Reform’s Atari Problem
My cousin John Michael had the first Atari I ever saw. Not long after, my
cousin Philip got one. I went to their houses every chance I got, and while
I was there I hogged their video game machines as much as I could. I still
remember the spongy feel and new plastic smell of […]
The Devil in the Details
Since American students now rank a dismal 21st in scientific
proficiency among their global peers, it should come as no surprise that
four in ten American adults do not believe in the evolution of species.
According to a recent Pew poll, the number of people denying that human
beings slowly evolved over millions of years is about the same as it was
four years ago. The main difference is that the belief gap appears to
be widening based upon political party affiliation:
In 2009, 54% of Republicans and 64% of Democrats said humans have evolved
over time, a difference of 10 percentage ... more »
Getting something off her chest
Lucky Putin.
*Russian President Vladimir Putin gets an eye-opening experience as he is
confronted by a topless demonstrator with a message written on her back
during a tour of the Hanover Fair in Hanover, Germany, on April 8. He was
accompanied by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.*NBC.
I think Putin is having fun and thinking bring on more. :)
Fukushima nuclear debacle updates - January 4 , 2014 - Completely deficient of Souls Japan and Tepco - note Tepco attempts to fleece employes out of relocation funds ......This follows pimping of the homeless to do deadly Fukushima clean up work - crimal syndicates have their hands in this blood pie as well ( nothing to see here folks , move along ) , sadly the homeless don't even se their full pay ( which is only minimum wage ) as two thirds is skimmed off - and some of the homeles actually wind up in debt through the arrangement ( which is why I call this pimping the homeless ) !
Ex SKF.....
http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2014/01/tepco-demands-its-own-employees-to.html
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2014
TEPCO Demands Its Own Employees to Return the Nuclear Accident Compensation
Money, Mainichi Shinbun Says
This has got to be a new low for TEPCO, though TEPCO continues to surprise.
From Mainichi Shinbun (1/4/2014; part):
福島原発事故避難:東電 社員に賠償金返還を要求
TEPCO demands employees who were displaced by Fukushima I NPP accident to
return [part of] the compensation money
東京電力福島第１原発事故による避難に伴う賠償金を巡り、東電が昨春以降、社員に対し既に支払った１人当たり数百万円から千数百万円の賠償金を、事実上返還するよう求めていることが関係者の証言で分かった。確認されただけで、総額は１億円を超... more »
Bitcoin news for January 1 , 2014 - A look back at 2013 , a look ahead !
Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
2013 in review.....
http://www.coindesk.com/china-cyberspace-bitcoin-2013-in-review/
From China to Cyberspace: Bitcoin’s Year in Review
John Law (@scotonomist) | Published on December 31, 2013 at 06:00 GMT |
*News*
inShare3
Share
54
*Welcome to CoinDesk’s Yearly Review 2013 – a look at the five hottest,
most controversial and thought-provoking events in the world of digital
currency through the eyes of skepticism and wonder. Your host … John Law.*
It is a legal requirement for journalists to write an end-of-year roundup,
and John Law is nothing if not law-abiding. One valid set of ... more »
Wounded Knee Photos 1890 -- 1973
More photos at Denver Post
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2014/01/02/wounded-knee-1890-1973-photos/
BBC Bias and Normalcy Bias
The first weekend *BBC Breakfast* paper review of the year featured the man
who is evidently the programme's most regular paper reviewer, Simon
Fanshawe.
Simon is a writer, broadcaster and Labour Party supporter. He holds strong
views and doesn't hold back from expressing them.
Take this morning.
In the first paper review he began by gloating over Nick Griffin's
bankruptcy, denounced the 'Daily Express' as "scandalous" for its reporting
of the Romania-Bulgaria immigration story, attacked politicians for jumping
on the anti-immigration bandwagon, extolled the economic benefits o... more »
Buenos Aires: La Chacarita Cemetery in Pictures
In preparing the *Moonlight on Tombstones* article I requested the
assistance of journalist and photographer *Marcelo Metayer*, who most
graciously agreed to provide photographs for the section on the La
Chacarita Cemetery in his native Buenos Aires, whose landmarks and
monuments he has chronicled in visual form. The photos of this extensive
necropolis, housing the remains of politicians, artists and musical giants
like Carlos Gardel, the best known Tango singer of the 20th century, truly
deserve to be presented separately for the enjoyment of *INEXPLICATA*’s
readers, so that the ce... more »
Thatcher's Ugly Children
The longer a leader stays, the more his or her party takes on the leader's
personality. That's certainly the case with Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
Andrew Coyne writes that, whatever good news the Conservatives may have to
deliver, it gets drowned out by their in your face ugliness:
How could a government presiding over such a strong economy be so
unpopular? It is unusual enough for a governing party to fall, and stay,
below 30% in the polls. But to do so in good times? Unheard of. And while
governments sometimes are obliged to take a hit early in their tenure,
traditionally th... more »
Untitled
*Saints face challenges in playoff game with Eagles ~Ramon Antonio Vargas*
*A different team, a different time ~Ashley Morris*
*Why would Governorcist Bobby Jindal open a $4M contract with NYC-based
Corporate Turn-Around Specialists? ~WVUE*
~*Alvarez & Marsal* is being asked to look at health and human services,
transportation, public safety, revenue, debt collection, facility
management and other general management and financial issues for the state,
with a goal of saving tax dollars.
*Dangerous Winter Blast Plunging into Central and Eastern U.S. this Weekend
~DisasterMap.net*~*"[P... more »
Turkey political corruption updates - January 4 , 2014 - Key comments from President Gul - Turkish President Abdullah Gül has emphasized the importance of the conclusion without outside intervention of an ongoing major graft investigation, which has shaken the roots of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and led to the resignation of three ministers. ...... Parliament Speaker Cemel Cicek : Independence of judiciary done away with ..... EP rapporteur Oomen-Ruijten: International plot claims ‘pure nonsense'
President Gül warns against intervention in judicial process
[image: Read Comment]
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[image: Add to Google]
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[image: President Gül warns against intervention in judicial process]
Turkish President Abdullah Gül (Photo: Today's Zaman)
3 January 2014 /TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH REUTERS, İSTANBUL
Turkish President Abdullah Gül has emphasized the importance of the
conclusion without outside intervention of an ongoing major graft
investigation, which has shaken the roots of the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) and led to the resignation of three ministers.
Gül also underlined the inde... more »
Trip Advisor's "12 trips of a lifetime"
*Soar in a balloon above unique landscapes*: *This is the most striking
image of the Trip Advisor "12 trips of a lifetime," and looks like it might
indeed be a cool thing to do -- except for someone with a pathological
terror of heights, who probably has no business in a balloon. (Click on the
photo to enlarge it.)*
*by Ken*
[*Click to enlarge*]You'll be pleased to hear that Howie is back on terra
firma, in Quito (Ecuador), after his sea galavant around the storied
Galápagos Islands.
Long-time readers know that his travels often take him to
off-the-beaten-path destinations, whil... more »
Transsexuals and the Legal System - Scottish Edition
From the Daily Record:
A TRANSGENDER woman has demanded an apology from bungling sheriff court
workers who sent an offensive note with her divorce papers.
Becky Kent was stunned when she read a handwritten memo which officials had
forgotten to remove from her paperwork. It was stuck on top of her divorce
decree and sent to her.
The scribbled Post-it note read: “Colin it’s right!!! Man – changed his
name to woman’s name – statutory declaration attached!!! Takes all sorts!!”
The letter had also been addressed “Dear Sir”.
Doesn't exactly give one warm fuzzies about being treated respec... more »
CCSS: The Black Hole of Education
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Common Core is “Obamacore.”
No? If you haven’t, then you’ve been living under a rock, somewhere. Yes,
the infamous Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has drawn criticism from
the political left, and the right. It’s fascinating to witness both sides
of the political spectrum unite against […]
No, Maurice, It Won't Happen Here
Canadians, especially Canadians who don't follow the Culture Wars® in the
US, may be shocked by how endangered abortion rights are becoming down
south.
In fact, the Guttmacher Institute reports that fetus fetishists had another
banner year in 2013.
The New York Times reports:
“I think we are at a potential turning point-- either access to abortion
will be dramatically restricted in the coming year or perhaps the pushback
will begin,” said Suzanne Goldberg, director of the Center for Gender and
Sexuality Law at Columbia University.
The anti-abortion groups, for their part, feel e... more »
Not Taking Sides (says Lucy Winkett)
At times like this I almost regret leaving Biased-BBC because our “Is”
readership is comparatively limited, and our contributions come and go more
or less unremarked. We don’t promote ourselves or spam other blogs with
links and ads. Maybe we should, but we don’t.
We don’t orchestrate festivals or raise money for massive publicity stunts
either.
Speaking for myself, the obscurity of “Is” doesn’t bother me, until
something like Bethlehem Unwrapped comes along.
As many people as possible should be made aware of what was wrong with it.
I detect that Lucy Winkett herself is even be... more »
Gorby, Mrs T and John Redwood
Sticking with Radio 4's *UK Confidential *and those fascinating 1984
National Archive releases, the programme featured extracts from the
exchanges between Mrs Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev at their famous first
meeting in December of that year - and very interesting they were too.
What we didn't hear on Martha Kearney's programme was some of the added
detail contained in the reports of the meeting.
For that you have to listen to archivist Simon Demissie on the podcast from
the National Archive.
Here are a couple of examples:
At one point Thatcher does question him on the poin... more »
Harper's LMFAO Program
*CBC* : "Effective Dec.31, 2013, the government will no longer approve *labour
market opinion applications* from employers looking to hire foreign workers
in the sex trade industry, a spokesperson for the department of Employment
and Social Development Canada told CBC News. An LMO is usually required to
prove the need to hire a temporary foreign worker over a Canadian one."
Usually. Usually you need an LMO to prove there's no Canadian looking for
the same work. Unless of course you're an Alberta employer looking to hire
some temporary foreign workers as steam-fitters, pipe-fitters,... more »
JFK50: Henry Cabot Lodge
Telephone Conversation Between President Johnson and Senator Richard
Russell, Washington, May 27, 1964, 10:55 p.m.
Johnson: One of our big problems there, Dick, the biggest, between us and I
don't want this repeated to anybody, is Lodge.
Russell: I know it.
Johnson: He ain't worth a damn.
Russell: Why, of course.
Johnson: And he can't work with anybody. He won't let anybody else work. We
get the best USIA man to put all on all the radios and try to get them to
be loyal to the government and to be fighting and quit deserting.
Russell: He thinks he's the emperor out t... more »
HPV Vaccines: My Journey Through Gardasil Injuries by Elizabeth Wagner
ElizabethFinding Hope after a Gardasil Disaster
By Elizabeth Wagner, Minnesota
Sane Vax, Inc, 25 September 2014
I thought an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. Little did I
realize how my simple decision to add Gardasil to my cancer prevention
strategy would result in so many new health conditions. Sometimes, I wish
it were possible to get unvaccinated.
Prior to Gardasil, I was an extremely healthy and active 26 year old woman.
I was always involved in sports and worked out five times per week. I was
enjoying a successful career and on my way up the corporate ladder.... more »
Dr. David Acer, Dentistry and the AIDS Crisis
*"Three years into the Acer investigation, I had fallen deeply into a U.S.
Government cover-up... [t]he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and Florida health officials had covered up almost all of the
incriminating evidence linking Dr. Acer to thirty six serial killers
studied by the FBI."*
*"I was forced to conclude the authorities covered up the evidence
implicating Dr. Acer to prevent the media, and subsequently the public,
from probing into his background. The legal testimony in the case indicated
he believed he was dying of a virus that the government had create... more »
The Validity of Marriage after Transition in the US
From Indiana Public Media:
Sanders says the ruling will likely serve as an example when this issue
comes up in other courts.
“Around the country there are probably more couples in this situation than
many people realize.” Sanders says. “That is a couple who was male and
female at the time being married and then one of them transitioned genders
and many of them wished to stay married.”
Sanders says couples in this situation need confirmation their marriage
won’t become void automatically if one of the parties undergoes a gender
change.
Sanders says the Indiana appellate court’s decisi... more »
Herbalism, Not Big Pharma, is Oldest and Most Effective Medicine by Christina Sarich
For Better Health
Herbalism, Not Big Pharma, is Oldest and Most Effective Medicine
by Christina Sarich
Natural Society. 2 January 2014
*While many pharmaceutical medications are disruptive to the overall
functioning of the body, numerous herbs actually support the natural
healing powers of our own bodies. Herbs can be so effective at healing that
we are still using them even after thousands of years.* A primary reason
many of us frown on herbal medicine in modern times is because mainstream
Western medicine shuns it. Big pharma spends billions of dollars to make
sure we buy paten... more »
USA VERSUS ISRAEL...
[image: Friends for Ever]
*Iranian kids by Hamed Saber*
Zbigniew Brzezinski sees Eurasia (Europe and Asia), as the center of global
power.
Brzezinski believes that the USA must ensure that no country, other than
the USA, should be allowed to dominate Eurasia.
Hence the policy of 'divide and rule'.
Hence bombs in Volgograd and Lebanon.
The journalist Pepe Escobar has written about pitting Sunni against Shi'ite
and Arabs against Iranians.
*All in Play in the New Great Game * / *Asia Times *
Pepe Escobar refers to various rivalries:
*1.* The USA versus China.
*2.* Iran (Shi'ite... more »
Free will is hard to define but it exists
Sabine Hossenfelder wrote an essay arguing that the free will doesn't exist
even though she can't quite define the concept. To decide whether the free
will "exists", I think it's almost necessary to define what this concept
means. Wikipedia says:
Free will is the ability of agents to make choices unconstrained by certain
factors. Factors of historical concern have included metaphysical
constraints (such as logical, nomological, or theological determinism),
physical constraints (such as chains or imprisonment), social constraints
(such as threat of punishment or censure), and mental ... more »
The Real 'Alien' Prequel - banned film idea
Woah, what was that?
I thought the Alien Franchise was for adults, oh well. I just got banned
from Prometheus 2 forum, which I love, for posting a sesries of scenes
(that might (or might not) be in chronological order) for a REAL ALIEN
PREQUEL, which Prometheus clearly wasn't, it 'seeming to be' a REBOOT of
the entire 'alien' franchise. Weird how this ties in to my 'something got
stolen' dream of this morning.
Anyway, (and luckily) I made a back-up of the post - the first time I've
ever done this, usually I just type away on forums and to Hell with the Mod
Cons or 'consequences'. ... more »
UK Conspiritorial
The National Archive at Kew has released the official Cabinet papers from
1984 under the thirty-year rule.
Their website contains a half-hour podcast where two of the archivists at
Kew run through the highlights from the latest batch. Both are excellent,
engaging speakers and what they have to say is very interesting and
pleasingly free of obvious spin.
Every year at this time Martha Kearney presents *UK Confidential, *an hour
long Radio 4 special devoted to the latest release*. *This too was very
interesting and covered much the same ground as the National Archive
podcast - th... more »
Updates On Syria [1.4]: Syria Informs The UN Of Turkey's Systematic Support For Jihadist Terrorists, More Than Half of Syria's Manufacturing Industry Has Been Destroyed, Syrian National Council Says It Will Not Attend Geneva II Conference
*1. An excerpt from, "Ankara suspected of arming jihadists in Syria" by
Semih Idiz, Al-Monitor, January 3:*
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is already having to cope
with a major scandal that has severely undermined his claim of being a
relentless fighter against corruption in high places, is now faced with a
fresh crisis involving Syria that has the potential to not only
further undermine his credibility but also to damage Turkey’s ties with its
Western allies.
*The latest debacle follows a scoop by mass circulation daily Hurriyet
involving a truck laden with weap... more »
dream - selling the dream - advertising space in your sleep time?
very weird things are happening in the dream time, the sleep time, the
other life of this 48-y.o. blogger.
On New Year's Day it was the realisation that I could deny ANY DREAM
CONTENT, question it, just say "No!" to it, if I wanted.
Last night i.e. four days later, it was AN ACTUAL ADVERTISEMENT for a
product/service: I literally woke up I got so angry. Where my dream time
had been quite quiet since NYD's "No!", I had been having an abnormally
vivid and lively series of dreams. Dream after dream after dream. Question
has to be asked, "Why is a 48-y.o. man like myself still experie... more »
Friday Baseball Post
It's Hall of Fame time. Can't miss this one.
As we all know, this year's ballot for the real voters is unlike any normal
one: instead of being about which marginal guys deserve to be in, it's
about dealing with the strategy of what to do with far more deserving
players than the rules allow. There was a bit of this last year, but now
it's getting silly.
So. Some sorting is in order. Last year I had nine easy choices: Bonds,
Clemens, Biggio, Piazza, Schilling, McGwire, Raines, Trammell, and Bagwell,
all of whom are back this year. Then I had three bubble guys, and said I
would have v... more »
The Way We Were
Congratulations to all my friends who were born in the 1930's, 1940's,
50's, 60's, 70's, and the early 1980s -
[image: Pledge-Allegiance-1950s]
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they
carried us and lived in houses made of asbestos.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products, loads of bacon and
processed meat, tuna from a can, and we didn't get tested for diabetes or
cervical cancer.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured
lead-based paints.
We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cab... more »
Wise Wisdom for 2014
*Earlier today, I received these images from my daughter and wanted to
share them with everyone. Feel free to pass them on.*
[image: importantimage] [image: creationimage] [image: truthimage] [image:
conspiracytheoristimage]
*Whitewraithe~*
VIDEO - AGENDA: Grinding America Down
The Most Important Documentary On America Ever; Destroying America From
Within
*by: Josey Wales*
There is nothing that is taking place in America today that can’t be
understood by examining the 100-year history of the efforts to
destroy America from within.
This is a documentary that takes an in-depth look at the root of our
decline in America; socialism with the ultimate goal of global communism.
This documentary also lays out names and dates and groups that have an
active and growing agenda to bring America down to a third-world country,
from Karl Marx to the Fabian Socialists t... more »
SOCIAL JUSTICE: U.S. shocking redistribution of wealth in the past five years
*WW~Notes: Here ya go, this is "socialism" plain and simple. The political
progressives call it "social justice." Justice for who - I wonder?*
[image: richpoor]
Anyone reviewing the data is likely to conclude that there must be some
mistake. It doesn't seem possible that one out of twenty American families
could each have made a million dollars since Obama became President, while
the average American family's net worth has barely recovered. But the
evidence comes from numerous reputable sources.
Some conservatives continue to claim that President Obama is unfriendly to
business, ... more »
Life in the emerging American Police State: What's in store for our freedoms in 2014?
[image: policedhs]
In Harold Ramis' classic 1993 comedy *Groundhog Day*, TV weatherman Phil
Connors (played by Bill Murray) is forced to live the same day over and
over again until he not only gains some insight into his life but changes
his priorities. Similarly, as I illustrate in my book *A Government of
Wolves: The Emerging American Police State*, we in the emerging American
police state find ourselves reliving the same set of circumstances over and
over again - egregious surveillance, strip searches, police shootings of
unarmed citizens, government spying, the criminalizatio... more »
Untitled
*Saints Fans Use Secret Weapon Against The Philadelphia Eagles ~Saints
Tailgate*
Sunday Classics preview: Two Scherzos
[*This preview begins the second part of a three-part Bruckner series,
begun December 6-8 with "Bruckner's Fourth Symphony -- four stories for
four movements," a reprise of a January 2010 post I've always been fond of.
This Bruckner Seventh preview post appeared originally in July 2012. The
Bruckner series -- and, I'm projecting, Sunday Classics -- will conclude
with a new post on the Ninth Symphony.* -- Ken]
*by Ken*
In writing recently about the structure of Tchaikovsky's string sextet *Souvenir
de Florence*, I noted that it employs a particular movement format:
an opening move... more »
“Cold U.S. Temperatures Expected To Break Records As 'Polar Vortex' Blasts Midwest”
*“Cold U.S. Temperatures Expected To Break *
*Records **As 'Polar Vortex' Blasts Midwest”*
By Carson Walker
“The weather warnings are dire: Life threatening wind chills. Historic cold
outbreak. Bitter cold temperatures. Winter is normally cold, but starting
Sunday tundra-like temperatures are poised to deliver a rare and
potentially dangerous sledgehammer blow to much of the Midwest, driving
temperatures so far below zero that records will shatter. One reason? A
"polar vortex," as one meteorologist calls it, which will send cold air
piled up at the North Pole down to the U.S., funn... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Blown by fast winds from a hot, massive star, this cosmic bubble is huge.
Cataloged as Sharpless 2-308 it lies some 5,200 light-years away toward the
constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major) and covers slightly more of the
sky than a Full Moon. That corresponds to a diameter of 60 light-years at
its estimated distance.
*Click image for larger size.*
The massive star that created the bubble, a Wolf-Rayet star, is the bright
one near the center of the nebula. Wolf-Rayet stars have over 20 times the
mass of the Sun and are thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova phase of
massive sta... more »
Phil Everly...
*January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014 *
*RIP *
Real Life Consequences of Corporate Education Deform
There's no shortage of education blogs and information about how utterly
worthless and destructive current education policy is for the United
States. There are mounds of factual, scientific evidence based on thousands
of academic studies on the destructive education policies that continue to
dumb down the nation's next generation. There are enough books and
documents to fill the Capitol rotunda ten times over, but nothing has
changed.
As public school districts scramble to prepare for and implement Common
Core, more high stakes standardized testing. and canned, scripted
curriculum... more »
MAKE A MOVE
*An activist stands at the entrance to the CIA headquarters protesting the
US drone attack in Yemen that recently killed a total of 17 innocent people*
"People are practical. They want change but feel powerless, alone, do not
want to be the blade of grass that sticks up above the others and is cut
down. They wait for a sign from someone else who will make the first move,
or the second. And at certain times in history, there are intrepid people
who take the risk that if they make that first move others will follow
quickly enough to prevent their being cut down. And if we understand thi... more »
2013 in Review -- A Prayer to the Janitor of Lunacy,* Part 5: Everyone's a critic, including me
*Some people really try my patience(Bill-O, Howie Kurtz, E. W. Jackson, et
al.)*
*[*TO MEET THE JANITOR OF LUNACY, SEE PART 1]*
*by Noah*
What would any Quote of the Year contest be without one of the Republican
Party's leading spokesweirdos, Bill O'Reilly. I think the most interesting
question about this man is: Is he merely Archie Bunker with a TV show? Or
is Roger Ailes broadcasting lunatic Republican propaganda from a remote
insane asylum that's buried deep in a lead-shielded mountain somewhere. As
the clip above shows, homophobia is not new turf for Bill-O.
This is a deepl... more »
Letter to George W. Bush Iraqis, Including Children, Continue to Die or Suffer Terribly
*By Ralph Nader*
George W. Bush
George W. Bush Presidential Center
PO Box 560887
Dallas, Texas, 57356
Dear Mr. Bush:
January 03, 2014 "Information Clearing House - A few days ago I received a *personalized
letter* from your Presidential Center which included a solicitation card
for donations that actually provided words for my reply. They included “I’m
honored to help tell the story of the Bush Presidency” and “I’m thrilled
that the Bush Institute is advancing timeless principles and practical
solutions to the challenges facing our world.” (Below were categories of
“tax-deduct... more »
Mohawk Nation News 'Owner's Manual'
OWNER’S
MANUAL
Posted on January 3, 2014
MNN. Jan. 3, 2014. Oneida comedian and American Indian Movement AIM
advocate, Charlie Hill, left us with many great insights. He said that
we Indigenous have the “owner’s manual” to Turtle Island. We can fix it
because It’s ours. The Kiainerekowa, Great Law of Peace, is our owner’s
manual. Our job is to pass along the peace to the rest of the
Friday Nerd Blogging: IR Meets the Cold
What is better than one Nazi Zombie movie? Two of them! Yes, we have a
sequel:
Buffy Sainte-Marie 'The Charlie Hill Award'
Special
thanks to Buffy Saint-Marie for sharing this tribute with Censored News
which honors Oneida-Cree Comedian Charlie HIll
Hi,
Here’s a letter I wrote 6 years ago to some Native American philanthropy
groups who were discussing whom they should fund: I thought Charlie
Hill. Although at the time there wasn't the response I'd hoped for to
fund our non-establishment off-the-grid unique
Judge should not discourage correction of interpreter by counsel
R. v. S.D.S., 2014 ONCA 4:
The appellant's counsel was fluent in Portuguese, and objected at times to
the accuracy of the interpretation. The trial judge seemed to treat this
as if counsel was offering a personal, competing expert opinion and
instructed him to refrain from correcting the interpreter. The trial judge
should not have discouraged these interventions.
happy new year from wmtc
On January 1, 2013, I was still in library school, and working as a library
page. Allan's book proposal was still sitting on a publisher's desk. We
were living at G's Court, and had no thought of moving.
In 2013, in order of appearance:
- Allan got a book contract,
- I got a promotion from page to circulation clerk,
- I finished my Master's degree,
- We went to Spain (plus London and Paris),
- I got my first librarian position, part-time,
- I broke my foot,
- Our basement, Allan's office, was destroyed by a sewage flood,
- We moved,
- The Red Sox won the World Series!
- Allan wrote a book... more »
murdoch mysteries, abortion on tv, and maybe an anti-war reference, too
I always like to have a detective-mystery series to follow. I try many of
them, like a few, and watch several episodes in a row as downtime
relaxation. I recently started the Canadian "Murdoch Mysteries," which
takes place in Toronto at the turn of the 20th Century. Back when we still
had cable TV, I frequently saw promos for Murdoch Mysteries, but I thought
it looked kind of cheesy. But when I recently clicked on it through
Netflix, I discovered it's actually quite good. I'm now well into Season 2,
and I'm finding the mysteries not obvious and the character development
absorbing.
... more »
new year's resolutions from our man woody guthrie
According to the good folks at WoodGuthrie.org, our hero Woody Guthrie
wrote these New Year's resolutions, which he called "rulin's," in 1943.
Happily for us, an admirer at another website has transcribed them. Woody's
rulin's are by turns sweet ("learn people better"), fanciful ("dream
good"), and practical ("wear clean clothes"). Some are downright hilarious:
"wash teeth if any".
33. Wake Up And Fight
32. Make Up Your Mind
31. Love Everybody
30. Love Pete
29. Love Papa
28. Love Mama
27. Help Win War — Beat Fascism
26. Dance Better
25. Play And Sing Good
24. Send Mary And K... more »
Political Scandal and Indifference
Let's look at what you would've won. No more privatisations. No market
fundamentalism. An extension of trade union rights. A thriving mining
industry using the most advanced technology in the world. A joined up
approach to finance and industry. A strong labour movement. Communities
proud of their history. All under three successive Labour governments,
dating from 1987 to 2001. It was a time that saw the 1945 settlement
strengthened and deepened. Social democracy renewed was the common sense of
the age, so much so that they wrote it into the European Union's
constitution. Britain, b... more »
Right Wing Crack Addicts Trey Radel And Rob Ford Believe They're Above The Law
Right wing slobs Rob Ford and Trey Radel
Manmohan Singh has been Prime Minister of India for a decade. This morning,
he announced he would not run again in order to make way for young blood. I
understand the feeling and it was certainly the way I felt when I decided
to leave Warner Bros. The only way for people to move up is for people at
the top to move on. Singh is backing Rahul Gandhi (age 43, son of Rajiv
Gandhi) for the job. There is fear in India that the far right has a chance
of taking over with neo-fascist bigot Narendra Modi becoming the next Prime
Minister. Modi is compara... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Bomoseen, Vermont, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
“The Better Angels Of Our Nature”
*“The Better Angels Of Our Nature: *
* How Charles Dickens Influenced Abraham Lincoln" *
by Gene Griessman, Ph.D.
“Here’s the story of an obscure but beautiful quotation from Charles
Dickens that found its way into the First Inaugural Address by Abraham
Lincoln. n 1861, before his inauguration, Lincoln showed a draft of what
he intended to say to William Seward, his Secretary of State. Seward
recommended that Lincoln conclude with conciliatory words, and sketched out
a few sentences for Lincoln to consider.
Seward’s rough draft, which has been preserved, contains the expression
“... more »
Chet Raymo, “Sailing to the Moon”
*“Sailing to the Moon”*
by Chet Raymo
“It's like fishing in the dark.
Our thoughts are the hooks,
Our hearts the new bait.”
"And so, China has soft-landed a rover on the Moon. A splendid achievement
of which that nation must be very proud. I'm proud too, for humankind.
I think of what Thomas Merton wrote in “Thoughts in Solitude”, at a time
when some far-seeing rocket scientists were considering the real
possibility of going to our sister satellite: "What can we gain by sailing
to the moon, if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from
ourselves."
I've read much of ... more »
Beware of Data Sharing Cheerleaders Offering Webinars
Perhaps the most sobering component of the privatization push is its
unprecedented demand for data collection (data “mining”) on American
students. Data mining is not just an American issue. However, on the
American front, two education activists have been at the forefront of the
fight against this mammoth student data collection: Louisiana’s Jason
France (here’s a great […]
Memories Of Choral Society
Southern Man has been a lover of classical music since childhood. He still
remembers every work on the classical LP that Southern Father would put on
the living-room stereo at night, turned up just enough that Southern Lad
could hear them from his bed. And he would pursue music for the rest of his
childhood as well, becoming at least somewhat proficient on piano (and less
so on violin) by his high-school years. In college there was no question of
majoring in music - there is no way that he'd ever be good enough to
support himself with such - and Southern Man embraced the STEM fields ... more »
Bill Whittle: It's up to us...
*to reclaim our country. *
You betcha!
John Fortune R.I.P.
John Fortune was a satirical genius, here's one of his duets with John Bird
as they explain the workings of the 'Markets' especially with regard to the
2008 crisis and the subprime market.
John Fortune will be missed...
The Harper Government's latest Big Lie
Well,
it has a bag-load hauled out at those times when it is tactically
expedient. This one however, is a slam-dunk.
Remember Jason Kenney telling us all how the rules on foreign workers
were going to be tightened up? Well it turns out they were ... and they
weren't. Canadians now go to the head of the line for non-union
sex-work. For anything else, you wait until the union's busted by
flooding
DON'T PANIC ON THE ECONOMY
Government debt is said to be dangerously high.
(Debt to GDP ratios for 2014 may be *109% in the USA and 95% in the Euro
area*)
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) research paper is warning of* high
inflation*, *a tax on savings* and *governments defaulting on their debts*.
The research paper may be wrong.
*The UK had VERY high debts in 1816, but boomed, and reduced debt, in the
century that followed.*
*The UK and USA should not necessarily be worrying about levels of debt.*
Between 1949 and 1966, UK debt was mostly over 100% of GDP.
Yet growth was a healthy 3.19 % on average.... more »
Stephen Harper an expert flip-floper
He is good at it but one of these days he is going to land on his head.
Senate scandal might do it.
Sorry the picture is very small. Camera was at a distance and was not
allowed to be any closer.:)
Geocaching At The Lake
At this point Southern Man is actually hobbling along pretty well so he is
starting to go after geocaches that require a little walking. This one was
at a large area lake (hidden in that evergreen tree) and Southern Man stood
and admired the beautiful day and watched the sailboats for a while before
working his way down that (relatively modest) slope to nab the cache.
“A Simple Economic Truth America's Super Rich Don't Want Us to Know About”
*“A Simple Economic Truth America's Super Rich Don't Want Us to Know About”*
By Thom Hartmann
“For the past 32 years, Americans have been living a lie. It's a lie that
helps out rich people and screws working people, and it's a lie that needs
to be called out. The people promoting this lie - most all of them rich
people themselves - have been so good at promoting this lie that pretty
much everybody believes it. It's even asserted as fact, without
contradiction, in the mainstream media. But it's a lie.
The lie is that raising income taxes on rich people and hugely profitable
compan... more »
Christmas Party
Yes, there will be Dirty Santa.
Southern Man spent the entire evening *right there* on that couch with his
foot up but the camera got passed around so there were plenty of pics.
A lovely couple.
Another lovely couple; Southern Man's Bible discussion group leader and his
fiancée.
Whoo hoo, look at our presents! Southern Man would soon steal those dark
chocolate truffles...
...but she was able to obtain this lovely plaque to replace them. Yes, it's
one of Southern Man's favorite verses and will be carved into his fireplace
mantlepiece someday.
What's a party without a little ... more »
Amnesty International says: Drop the vengeance! Free Albert Woodfox!
Featured below is the full text of an action alert for Albert Woodfox,
released today by Amnesty International, timed to build public pressure in
the days leading up to Albert's oral arguments in New Orleans on Tuesday,
January 7.
*(PHOTO: Michael Mable, the brother of Albert Woodfox, speaks at the press
conference and delivery of petition to free Albert at the Louisiana State
Capitol on Oct.21, 2013.)*
This could be the end of Albert Woodfox's 40-year plus prison nightmare, if
you act now.
On Tuesday morning, Jan. 7, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans
will hold a hear... more »
“2014 Will Bring More Social Collapse”
*“2014 Will Bring More Social Collapse”*
by Paul Craig Roberts
2014 is upon us. For a person who graduated from Georgia Tech in 1961, a
year in which the class ring showed the same date right side up or upside
down, the 21st century was a science fiction concept associated with
Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, “2001: A Space Odyssey.” To us George Orwell’s
1984 seemed so far in the future we would never get there. Now it is 30
years in the past.
Did we get there in Orwell’s sense? In terms of surveillance technology, we
are far beyond Orwell’s imagination. In terms of the unaccountabi... more »
Surgery
Today was spent busily waiting, first for an ultrasound (part of the
aforementioned physical exam of last Monday) and then surgery on that
busted leg. The Bone Doc had alluded to not only putting a plate on the
bone but any number of pins and screws to hold the rest of the ankle
together but Southern Man put in a mild protest and asked that the ankle be
left to heal on its own and then through the magic of modern anesthesia it
was three hours later and he was in the recovery room getting dressed (yes,
his memory kicks in as he is struggling to pull his pants on). There was no
cast, ... more »
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