U.S.
options in Syria shrivel as Islamists and Assad regime make gains
By Tim Lister, CNN
December 4, 2014 -- Updated 1817 GMT (0217 HKT)
A man drives his motorcycle through a puddle in Aleppo, Syria, on
Wednesday, November 26. The United Nations estimates more than 190,000
people have been killed in Syria ...10:24pm MST
OK, If You Were Still Wondering, Teabaggers-- Like The Know Nothing Party They Are Descendents Of-- Hate Immigrants
Wednesday "at high noon," the Tea Party's motley true believers, Michele
Bachmann, who resigned from Congress as part of a deal to avoid fraud
charges, Steve King and Ted Cruz, called for a massive demonstration in
Washington against King Obama's amnesty argle bargle. Bachmann on the TV
channel of systemic racism, Fox News: "I'm calling on your viewers to come
to DC on Wednesday, December 3, at high noon on the west steps of the
Capitol. We need to have a rally, and we need to go visit our senators and
visit our congressman, because nothing frightens a congressman like the
whites ... more »
Profiting from Preschool
Comment posted in response to "Poll: Californians strongly in favor of
preschool" Education Week December 4, 2014 and in response to "Poll shows
support for high-quality preschool," EdSource, Dec, 2, 2014.
Preschool would be great if it were really preschool. But it is now
"school." Preschool is now "academic," filled with academic standards and
tests. Every test given, (excuse me, every "assessment") is profit for the
.001%. (Eager parents, in fact, can download preschool tests (see e.g. tests
available at the oddly named "have fun teaching" website:
http://www.havefunteaching... more »
Inside The Battle For Kobane
*Inside Kobane: A City In Complete Ruins - And The One Secret Hospital Left
Standing Attempting To Put Back The Pieces Bit By Bit -- Daily Mail*
* The clinic is the only one left standing in the war-ravaged town that has
become a symbol for Syrian civil war
* The walls are splattered with blood as the small team of medics barely
have time to clean and sterilise
* Doctors are sometimes forced to operate by torchlight since power
generators regularly fail
Like much of this battered Syrian Kurdish border town on the front lines in
the battle against the Islamic State group, most of it... more »
Dirty Pictures from Creators of Ecstasy
*Film - *Documentary about Dr. Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin, the rogue chemist
who discovered Ecstasy and over 200 other mind-altering drugs.
The post Dirty Pictures from Creators of Ecstasy appeared first on Waking
Times.
Exxon CEO Just Knows Common Core Is the Answer
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are advertised on the CCSS
website as “ensuring all students are ready for success after high school”:
Today’s students are preparing to enter a world in which colleges and
businesses are demanding more than ever before. To ensure all students are
ready for success after high school, the Common Core State […]
Islamic State Fighters Continue To Hold Their Ground After Months Of Air Strikes And Ground Assaults
*Islamic State Cedes Little Ground Despite Air Attacks -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - They have made enemies across the globe and endured three
months of U.S.-led air strikes, but Islamic State fighters have surrendered
little of their self-declared caliphate to the broad sweep of forces
arrayed against them.
Across thousands of square miles in Syria and Iraq, the radical Islamists
face an unlikely mix of Iraqi and Syrian soldiers, Shi'ite and Kurdish
militias and rival Syrian Sunni Muslim rebels.
While they have lost towns on the edges of their Iraqi realm, especially in
ethnically mix... more »
Oil Price Cascades Ripples Through Global Economy ( December 4- 5 , 2014 ) - News of the Day focusing on impacts of falling oil prices ( and Ukraine politics hitting EU and benefitting Turkey as Russia cancels South Stream pipeline ) .......... Venezuela , Russia , Saudis , Turkey and GCC Nations , US by way of Shale Oil in focus ............
Tweets.....
*DAILY SABAH* @DailySabah 13m
13 minutes ago
#Russian switch to #Turkey forces #EU to reconsider pipeline stance http://
ow.ly/FomhH
[image: Embedded image permalink]
*zerohedge* @zerohedge · 26m26 minutes ago
Could Falling Oil Prices Spark A Financial Crisis? http://www.
zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-0
4/could-falling-oil-prices-spark-financial-crisis …
zerohedge
[image: View this content on zerohedge's website]
Could Falling Oil Prices Spark A Financial Crisis?
The oil and gas boom in the United States was made possible by the
extensive credit afforded to ... more »
War On the Horizon? (Don't Tell Anyone But Everyone Knows)
No Comment. (But you know me, so discreet!) (NSA Directive) Tomgram:
Engelhardt, War to the Horizon Posted by Tom Engelhardt December 4, 2014.
P.S. Today’s post is a companion piece to my previous essay, "Iraq 4.0?"
Tom Party On! The War Party Ascendant By Tom Engelhardt It was the end of
the road for Chuck Hagel last week and the Washington press corps couldn’t
have been more
U.S. Admits That It Failed In An Attempt To Rescue Luke Somers From His Al Qaeda Captors In Yemen
*Pentagon: Mission Failed To Rescue U.S. Hostage In Yemen -- USA Today*
WASHINGTON — U.S. commandos failed to rescue American journalist Luke
Somers in Yemen recently because he was not at the raid site, the Pentagon
acknowledged Thursday. Yemeni troops did rescue other hostages.
Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that the
operation included air and ground forces, but that Somers was "not present
at the targeted location. Details about the mission remain classified."
Kirby said the Pentagon was announcing the raid only to "provide accurate
informatio... more »
The Road to Awareness/Agape
(3 days of Love notes...)
1.
This is not an ordinary journey. It asks you to frequent places you'd
prefer to avoid. The awareness of who you are in every circumstance is not
comfortable at first.
There is only one thing to pack. It is called acceptance. There are at
least ten to leave behind:
-denial
-blame
-righteousness
-fault
-finger pointing
-justification
-anger
-vindication
-judgment
-reasons – *any*
You see, on this trip you'll confront yourself in every disguise. You'll
look like lovers, cheaters, liars, bosses, strangers, bullies, friends,
parents, siblings, ch... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy some
200 thousand light-years distant, lies 5 million year young star cluster
NGC 602. Surrounded by natal gas and dust, NGC 602 is featured in this
stunning Hubble image of the region.
*Click image for larger size.*
Fantastic ridges and swept back shapes strongly suggest that energetic
radiation and shock waves from NGC 602's massive young stars have eroded
the dusty material and triggered a progression of star formation moving
away from the cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the Small
Magellanic C... more »
"A Brief Crack Of Light..."
"The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our
existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness."
- Vladimir Nabokov
A slow and much needed goodbye to the education reform opposition.
In what may come as a surprise to some, or simply seep into the ether with
nary a glance, I have decided to fold up, close up, and shut down At the
Chalk Face altogether in the next few days. It’s been an interesting, what,
almost five years. To be honest, I think I’m done. […]
The Poet: Bliss Carman, "Earth Voices"
*"Earth Voices"*
"I heard the spring light whisper
Above the dancing stream,
'The world is made forever
In likeness of a dream.
I am the law of planets,
I am the guide of man;
The evening and the morning
Are fashioned to my plan.
I tint the dawn with crimson,
I tinge the sea with blue;
My track is in the desert,
My trail is in the dew.
I paint the hills with color,
And in my magic dome
I light the star of evening
To steer the traveler home.
Within the house of being,
I feed the lamp of truth
With tales of ancient wisdom
And prophecies of youth.'"
Bliss Carman, "Earth Voices"
"I Can Pretend..."
“I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean,
they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here I can
pretend... I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last
longer than moments. Gods come and Gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and
fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting
things that twinkle like fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can
pretend...”
- Olethros, in “Sandman”
The Daily "Near You?"
Willawarrin, New South Wales, Australia. Thanks for stopping by.
"Our Problem..."
“Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our
problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of
leaders, and millions have been killed because of this obedience. Our
problem is that people are obedient allover the world in the face of
poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is
that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves… and the
grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
- Howard Zinn
•
Yes, the grand thieves are running the country,
and *their* Masters live in ... more »
Islamic State Fighters Continue To Hold Their Ground After Months Of Air Strikes And Ground Assaults
*Islamic State Cedes Little Ground Despite Air Attacks -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - They have made enemies across the globe and endured three
months of U.S.-led air strikes, but Islamic State fighters have surrendered
little of their self-declared caliphate to the broad sweep of forces
arrayed against them.
Across thousands of square miles in Syria and Iraq, the radical Islamists
face an unlikely mix of Iraqi and Syrian soldiers, Shi'ite and Kurdish
militias and rival Syrian Sunni Muslim rebels.
While they have lost towns on the edges of their Iraqi realm, especially in
ethnically mix... more »
"One Day At A Time..."
"One day at a time - this is enough.
Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone;
and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come.
Live in the present,
and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering."
- Ida Scott Taylor
“Jon Stewart On Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision: 'I Honestly Don't Know What To Say'”
*“Jon Stewart On Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision:*
* 'I Honestly Don't Know What To Say'”*
By Ed Mazza
“The decision by a New York grand jury not to indict New York City police
officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Eric Garner prompted
protests throughout the city and across the nation. On Wednesday night's
"Daily Show," it also left Jon Stewart momentarily speechless."I don't
know, I honestly don't know what to say," he stammered. "If comedy is
tragedy plus time, I need more f*****g time," Stewart said. "But I would
really settle for less f*****g tragedy to be honest wi... more »
U.S. And Britain Vow To Not Abandon Afghanistan After Troops Leave
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (center) talks with Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani (right) and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah during a NATO
meeting in Brussels on December 2.
*U.S., Britain Pledge Not To Forsake Afghanistan After December Pullout --
Washington Post*
LONDON — The United States and Britain vowed Thursday that they will not
abandon Afghanistan even after international combat troops are withdrawn at
the end of the month, closing a chapter of a military engagement that began
in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Both U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry and... more »
ISAF Report: Afghan Soldier Who Killed Two-Star U.S. General In Kabul Acted Alone
U.S. Army Brigadier General Harold J. Greene is pictured in this August 25,
2005 handout photograph. Credit: REUTERS/U.S. Army/Handout
*Afghan Soldier Who Killed U.S. General Acted Independently: Report --
Reuters*
(Reuters) - An Afghan military policeman who fatally shot a U.S. general
and wounded more than a dozen other people at a training center in Kabul
apparently acted independently and had no links to the Taliban or other
extremist groups, according to a report released on Thursday.
An investigation by the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) said the ins... more »
Can billionaire Wall Street brains outthink the rest of the NBA? Meet the 1-17 Philadelphia 76ers
*At least the 76ers are easy to find down there at the bottom of the NBA
Eastern Conference standings (from ESPN). If you're thinking they might
look less dismal in the Western Conference, it's currently anchored by the
Minnesota Timberwolves, who at 4-13 are 3½ games, er, better (for want of a
better word). Then again, the 76ers are riding a one-game winning streak.*
*"The players are not trying to lose; rather, the owners have assembled a
team with little hope of winning, thereby giving themselves a better chance
of obtaining a big-time star in next year’s draft."*
*-- the NYT's ... more »
Gaia Sophia Dreaming ~ Freedom Life 12/05 by harmonyofbeing | Spirituality Podcasts
Gaia Sophia Dreaming ~ Freedom Life 12/05 by harmonyofbeing | Spirituality
Podcasts
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 4, 2014
*The Chinese Century -- Joseph E. Stiglitz, Vanity Fair*
Without fanfare—indeed, with some misgivings about its new status—China has
just overtaken the United States as the world’s largest economy. This is,
and should be, a wake-up call—but not the kind most Americans might imagine.
When the history of 2014 is written, it will take note of a large fact that
has received little attention: 2014 was the last year in which the United
States could claim to be the world’s largest economic power. China enters
2015 in the top position, where it will likely remain for a very long time,
if n... more »
FOX "news" and the "SEATBELT HOLD"
*SEATBELT HOLD:*
FOX "news" is really news for scared white folks. They have been experts at
walking a fine line of being blatantly racist since their inception.
Lately, they have walked over the line and out of the closet.
If there is a white guy being harassed by law enforcement, especially a
millionaire white guy like Clive Bundy of the Bundy Ranch debacle, FOX
"news" came down squarely on the side of Bundy and against law enforcement.
Between saying "MUSLIMS" 100 times per hour, FOX rammed the legend of poor
old Clive Bundy down our throats 24x7 as well.
(above: Cliven Bundy)... more »
Chet Raymo, “Constant Palette”
*“Constant Palette”*
by Chet Raymo
“Tom reminds me of when I took him, as a little kid, to see the Rosetta
Stone in London's British Museum. He claims "vivid memories", which is more
than I can muster. And now he sends me these images of the Narmer Palette,
another inscribed Egyptian stone that strikes his fancy (click images to
enlarge).
If I ever saw a photograph of the Narmer Palette before, I don't recall it.
I can see why Tom is fascinated; this is a remarkable object in the
delicacy and complexity of its imagery.
Palette? Stones such as this were used for grinding pigments f... more »
Dec. 4: I am not a great hockey fan....
...but Jean Beliveau was one of only two players who could only hold me
spellbound in a game. The other was Maurice Richard who did it with his
intensity that charged the whole rink with an electricity that one could
feel. Beliveau could not have been more different. He skated with a sense
of grace and ease that reminded one of dancer on stage - but with a
deceptive speed and a sureness of where the puck was going to be.
Both were indifferent to fame. Richard had a humility that was with him all
this life. As for Beliveau, I met him only twice. The first was at a radio
station when ... more »
World News Briefs -- December 4, 2014 (Evening Edition)
A bank clerk counts Chinese yuan banknotes at a branch of Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China in Huaibei, Anhui province, June 8, 2012. Credit:
Reuters/Stringer
*China Overtakes The US As World's Largest Economy -- AOl.com*
The U.S. no longer boasts the world's largest economy.
China, the world's most populous country, has overtaken America to claim
the title of world's number one economic powerhouse, according to the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
By year's end, China's economic output will reach $17.6 trillion – the U.S.
will slide down to second with a mere $17.4 trilli... more »
Ukraine Coal and Electricity Crisis Updates ( December 4- 7 ) - Daily Updates as the Crisis in Ukraine appears set to come to a head.....
12 /4/14 ......
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/237763.html
Energy minister believes Ukraine should start importing electricity from
Russia
Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said
that the launch of imports of electricity from Russia is a required step.
"I know that we're holding talks on imports of electricity. I can say for
sure that at least this is a required step, despite its political
difficulty," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.
He did not manage to specify the exact terms of starting imports of Russian
electricity, ad... more »
Running The Table-- Monterey County, California
Miller and Bernal
In a year in which Democrats took a beating at the polls nationally,
California Governor Jerry Brown’s nearly 20-point win ranked at the top of
a run of state and local victories pulled off by Ace Smith's SCN
Strategies. Of the 10 general election campaigns they ran in 2014, they
didn’t lose one, although-- Hillary beware-- they saw a spectacular primary
loss in CA-33, where their centrist candidate, Wendy Greuel came in third.
Despite that, even competitors were impressed. David McCuan, a political
science professor at Sonoma State University: "Everything Ace Smith... more »
Stephen Cohen- A United Ukraine is Really a Divided Ukraine
*A 40 minute interview is linked below *
Stephen Cohen: A ‘United’ Ukraine Is Really a Divided Ukraine
[image: Petro Poroshenko]
*Petro Poroshenko (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)*
Stephen Cohen joined *The John Batchelor Show* earlier this week to discuss
Ukraine’s political and economic stability, or lack thereof. President
Poroshenko’s recent address to the new parliament of Ukraine is revealing,
Cohen says, because Poroshenko “strikes a triumphal note,” claiming victory
in the midst of war “because at last Ukraine is united.”
“The only way you could claim that it was now united,” Cohe... more »
"The Tsar meets the Sultan"
Written by a blogger for Transitions a "fellow" at the "McCain Institute
Next Generation Leader"
Transitions looks to be western affiliated- Linked to the Open Society
Foundation aka George Soros
*And if I did more digging, what else might I find?*
*Foreign Policy*
This oped is little more then trashy name calling, appeal to authority,
smear and just about every other propaganda/logical fallacy imaginable.
Until the last sentence
Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan --
perhaps the least popular Western leaders*( I would have thought Obama and
Netanyah... more »
A Litter Help
As you all know, I have been working on a new book and in the course of
that, I was looking at the November 3, 1957, sightings at White Sands
Proving Grounds, now White Sands Missile Range. According to the
information I have, one of the soldiers who saw the UFO (identified as the
Moon by Project Blue Book investigators) was unavailable for the Air Force
to interview a couple of days later. They were told that he was on a
three-day pass. The story told by a reporter in the area in 1957 was that
the man, James Wilbanks, had been put into the hospital.
In early August I sent a request... more »
GAIA PORTAL: Points of convergence clarify
*Points of convergence clarify*
by ÉirePort
Points of convergence clarify.
Intentions of Hue-manity awakened and hu-manity collective coalesce into a
unified collaboration.
Frequencies of Cosmic intention energetics permit Higher Navigation to
Star- Collectives.
Maturation of the hu-man being is essential and occurs quite rapidly in the
coming days.
Philanthropics flourish as continuities are awakened and unveiled.
Discrepencies in pathways dissolve quickly at this moment.
Restitutions are made.
Gaia-Higher awakens.
ÉirePort | December 4, 2014 at 08:18 | Categories: Uncatego... more »
Untitled
*Giving Away Louisiana: Fracking tax incentives ~Mark Ballard, The Advocate*
~Little-noticed program criticized as rebates could reach $1 billion per
year
Nombres de Mujeres y Mensajes en Rosas Rojas
Mensajes de Amor y Nombres de Mujeres en Imágenes con Rosas Rojas. Elije el
que más te guste y compártelos en las redes sociales.
Atlantic Monthly Magazine - [White] Supremacy by Stealth
News Spike - 6 hours ago
Death Aid - Nigeria from Spike EP on Vimeo.
*"I have considered the existence of God and decided that there is a fifty
fifty chance that God exists. Therefore, I propose to give Him the benefit
of the doubt. Now, what would this God want for the world? *
*He would want it well run. *
*I have viewed the peoples of the world and have come to the conclusion
that the English speaking race is the highest ideals of Justice, Liberty
and Peace. *
*Therefore, I shall devote the rest of my life to God's purpose and make
the world English. I shall work for the furtherance of the British Emp... more »
"empty...hollow...there is no plan, no plot, no narrative"
This, courtesy of George at *Biased BBC*, is an interesting way for a BBC
reporter/presenter to describe a British party leader. It comes from a
blogpost by Mark Mardell:
To watch David Cameron in action is as thrilling and as empty an experience
as watching a Hollywood blockbuster.
It seems impossible that he can survive the forces ranged against him, but
he buys time, survives for a precious minute, which gives him an hour,
which gives him a day.
But there is a hollowness too, for it dawns on the viewer that this is all
about survival, buying time until it is time to fight the n... more »
President Obama To Announce His New Defense Secretary Nominee Tomorrow
*Obama To Announce Defense Secretary Nominee Friday -- CBS*
President Obama will announce his nominee for the next Defense Secretary at
the White House on Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told
reporters Thursday.
The nominee is expected to be former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton
Carter, who became the sole focus of White House efforts to fill the post
earlier this week.
If nominated and confirmed by the Senate to replace outgoing Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel, who resigned last month, Carter would be President
Obama's fourth secretary of defense.
*Read more *....
*... more »
Ukrainians Are Fleeing To Europe
*Fleeing War And Crumbling Economy, Ukrainians Flock To Europe -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - Andriy left his home town in western Ukraine earlier this year
on a journey that brought him through the hands of shady traders in Poland
to one of the world's booming markets for illegal immigrants - London.
Fleeing the strife of war with Russian-backed fighters and a shattered
economy, Andriy is following a path similar to one taken by thousands of
his fellow Ukrainians who have traveled either eastwards to Russia or
westwards to the European Union.
"I don't want to fight in any war," said Andr... more »
Engels on History
At the moment I'm reading Daniel Bensaïd's book, *Marx For Our Times*. And
yes, it is excellent. I don't know, I spent a ridiculous amount of time
wrestling with Althusser and sundry poststructuralists 10-15 years ago
when, unbeknown to me, there was already a strain of post-Althusserian
French(ish) Marxism that had moved on and captured the critical, scientific
spirit of historical materialism. Poor old Louis made this possible but,
irony of ironies, wasn't able to accomplish that himself.
Bensaïd's book is especially good because of the demolition job it does on
recent myths the l... more »
The Zionist-Wasp Split of 1991 : Tomb Raiders - The Po'-Mo' Attack on Skull & Bones
*"They're all old, aging Maoists - second string Maoists! They're not even
the leading Maoists! And thanks to the progression of years, they've now
complete their Long March through the Institutions and have tenure, and
respectability..." *
*- Tarpley on the Post-Modernists of Rockefeller Univeristy and the the
Univeristy of Chicago, et al.*
Shh! Yale's Skull and Bones Admits Women
*By DENNIS HEVESIPublished: October 26, 1991*
Shrouding their deliberations in a silence worthy of the nation's most
famous secret society, members of Yale University's Skull and Bones --
Bonesmen ... more »
This Seems Appropriate: North Dakota Names Landfill After Criminal President Obama
The anger in America over the criminality of their President seems to be on
a rapid rise these days... The more I read REAL news via alternative news
sites, the more I see articles by people stating what everyone in America
is feeling these days, and that is their criminal President Barry
Soetoro/Davis/Obama (or what ever new name they might come up with via his
"birth certificates") is now out of control and is indeed leading the
United States into both criminal wars for Israel and accelerating the
nation's economic collapse.... The man truly is unfit to be President and
I do wond... more »
Serious new punishments for people purchasing sexual services
Canada's new prostitution law will go into effect December 6, criminalizing
the purchase of sex for the first time in Canadian history.
The bill criminalizes the buying of sex – or "obtain[ing] for
consideration… the sexual services of a person."
It is not immediately obvious what amounts to a sexual service. Full
prostitution would clearly be included. A government legal brief says
lap-dancing and masturbation in a massage parlour count as a "sexual
service" or prostitution, but not stripping or the production of
pornography.
The penalties for buying sexual services include j... more »
It's 1950's All Over Again in Missouri
Raw footage of the NAACP's Journey for Justice: Ferguson to Jefferson City
through Rosebud, Missouri. Local racists lined up along the highway as the
peaceful NAACP march went back - you can see and hear some of what happened.
The US is going back to the 1950's when it comes to race, income
inequality, foreign policy and more.
Read more about this incident *here*
#strikefastfood: low-wage workers in 150 cities will strike today
Two years ago, fast-food workers in New York City held a one-day strike. In
that historic action, the result of months and even years of organizing,
about 200 workers walked out of McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, and other
restaurants, to form the largest work stoppage in the history of fast-food.
In the process, they launched a movement.
In the two years since then, the movement has burgeoned, and now includes
thousands of workers all over the United States. Workers are rising against
shockingly low pay in an industry that rakes in billions. The CEOs of the
various fast-food companies "... more »
Reports Of A New Ukraine Ceasefire To Start On December 9
*New Ceasefire Agreed In Ukraine? -- Deutsche Welle*
Reports out of Ukraine suggest that the central government and the
separatists in the east have agreed to a complete ceasefire, to start on
December 9. An earlier accord, still in effect, has not stopped the
conflict.
President Petro Poroshenko issued a statement on his website on Thursday
saying that Ukraine's military would halt fire on December 9 in eastern
Ukraine, on a "Day of Silence."
Should the new truce deal hold, Poroshenko said, Ukraine would begin to
withdraw heavy weapons from the eastern frontline on the followin... more »
The Price of immigration?
The last time we mentioned BBC reporter Matthew Price it was in connection
to a tweet of his, spotted by *Biased BBC*'s DB:
"Israel, as a colony, cannot continue to exist" - interesting article -
http://t.co/NISKmAf1rk
— Matthew Price (@BBCMatthewPrice) August 6, 2014
The article that Matthew Price found so interesting virtually called for
the dismantling of the state of Israel:
It is time to call a spade a spade: Israel, as a colony, is a constant
source of violence and conflict. It is not an ex-colony, nor is it an
accepted part of the world for many. It is a territory in the Mid... more »
U.S. Secretary of State Kerry And Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Meet And Exchanged Sharp Comments On Ukraine
*Kerry, Lavrov Trade Barbs on Ukraine -- Voice of America*
LONDON — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov exchanged sharp comments on Ukraine at an international
meeting in Basel, Switzerland.
Secretary Kerry put the blame for the Ukraine crisis squarely on Russia,
with his Russian counterpart sitting nearby.
Kerry on Thursday accused Russia of providing weapons and other support to
separatists in eastern Ukraine, and violating the Minsk Protocol that it
helped negotiate, which called for a cease-fire and other steps to end the
crisis.
*Re... more »
After Today's Attack In Grozny, Russian Security Forces Have Been Put On 'High-Alert' In Moscow
*Russian Military On Alert In Moscow, Grozny Amid New Crisis -- News.com.au*
RUSSIAN authorities say gunmen travelling in several cars killed at least
three traffic police officers at a checkpoint in the capital of the restive
North Caucasus republic of Chechnya.
Although unrest is common in Russia’s North Caucasus, forceful security
measures adopted by iron-fisted Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov have spared
the city of Grozny of significant violence for several years.
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports Moscow has closed its airspace to
all civilian traffic.
Reports on Twitte... more »
Out there, in the Harpercarnage
Oh,
cupboardly man, I would not want to be in your shoes.
Here's the deal. As former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page put
it at a talk in Victoria a couple of years ago, he's untouchable. Mr.
Page lost a son, and in his mind there was nothing you or your minions
could do to him after that experience that would hurt him.
Major Mark Campbell is a very capable man maimed beyond most
bullshit on the horzen
bullshit on the horizen
bullshit on the march
it takes some time
to answer the
question when the time xomw
why should I provide the
spark?
Everyday and in everyway
its increaslingly harder
to mount an attack
on utes
even if they wear a headscarf
the most suited citizens
to big blood loss
are soon to join in
a revolutionary thing
for utes
what exactly
am I giving my
life for?
Terminator Genisys
The rules have been reset. Watch the first trailer for #TerminatorGenisys,
in cinemas July 2015. #HeIsBack
https://t.co/iE8oPzw8sx
Prequel? Sequel? Reboot? I'm confused!
Again
You may recall this criticism of the BBC featured in a previous post:
In traditional news style, an article is supposed to be structured as a
metaphorical “pyramid” of information, with the most important facts stated
as concisely as possible at the very top, and with each sentence more
details and more elaboration are added
But in the postmodern BBC “biased reporting style guide,” the pyramid is
intentionally inverted, such that the details you want to obscure are
hidden so far down in the article that no one will notice them. The only
reason to include these details at all is so... more »
Doctor Who Alien Tree Skirt
Hi again! Lorene here, back to share one more Doctor Who Christmas Tree
project.
Last Christmas, I made my favorite Whovian (that's Debra) a whole Doctor
Who tree, complete with a Weeping Angel tree topper, character tree skirt,
police box lighted sign, Doctors and companions garland, and oodles of
Doctor-inspired ornaments. Today you get to learn how I made the tree
skirt, which loosely translates into a semi-tutorial.
Doctor Who Christmas Tree Skirt
*Supplies*
These are amounts to make a small (approximately 34 inches in diameter)
tree skirt that fit a small 3 foot tree. Adjust... more »
Rudd Angry That U of Memphis Faculty Are Not Eagerly Embracing His Privatization Plans
Two days ago the University of Memphis Faculty Senate gave a big thumbs
down to President Rudd's private sweetheart deal with the bogus teacher
prep outfit, Relay School of Education. Not only did Rudd act as if he
could disregard the faculty governance structure of the university, but he
also seems to think that the College of Education does not need to vote on
a plan to create a teacher prep caste system inside that department.
So far Rudd's only rationale for the racist plan is that it is for the poor
black kids of Memphis. Is there some virtue that can be linked to offering
pr... more »
Russian President Putin Gives His Annual State Of The Nation Address
*Putin To Legislators: West Wants To Weaken Russia -- Voice of America*
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out Thursday at the United
States and its European allies, saying Western sanctions for Russia's
annexation of Crimea were just an excuse to weaken the country.
Delivering his annual state of the nation speech to legislators, Kremlin
officials and other leaders on Thursday, Putin said the sanctions are not
just a reaction of the U.S. and its allies over Russia's response to the
events and a coup in Ukraine.
"I am certain that if all this did not take place ... t... more »
Is The War In Chechnya About To Restart?
*Fierce Fighting in Grozny Raises Specter of ISIS Influence in Russia --
Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast*
*Hours before Russian President Putin’s annual address to the nation, the
Chechen capital saw the worst combat in years.*
MOSCOW — The capital of Chechnya, Grozny, seemed to blow up around 1:00
a.m. on Thursday morning. News about hundreds of insurgents occupying
schools, kindergartens and other state buildings and killing traffic
policemen on the way into the city appeared on social networks and was
passed from mouth to mouth. Artillery fire could be heard in Avtozavodsky
distric... more »
William French Smith and the Origins of Crack
*"The big side-story of this is that the Gary Webb story was broken in
August '96. *
*We were promised all these investigations. **Then... *
*Maxine Waters received a "smoking gun" letter from Reagan Attorney-General
William French Smith to Bill Casey, where it said the CIA no longer has to
report drug trafficking by its agents! *
*It's in writing!" **- Mike Ruppert *
*US to monitor a 'hot line' on city strife this summer*
*By With Analysis from Monitor Correspondents Around the World Edited by
Randy Shipp *
*MAY 29, 1981*
*WASHINGTON* — Attorney General William French Smith sa... more »
Beyond the Five Senses: The Powers Latent in Humankind
*Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D* - Human beings have many ways of gaining access to
legitimate knowledge that is beyond the five senses...
The post Beyond the Five Senses: The Powers Latent in Humankind appeared
first on Waking Times.
Islamist Rebels Launch Massive Attack On Chechnya's Capital Grozny
*At Least 20 Killed In Fighting In Russia's Chechnya -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - Gunmen attacked a police post and stormed a building on
Thursday in Grozny, capital of Russia's southern province of Chechnya,
killing 10 policemen in clashes in which 10 of the attackers were also
killed.
The bloodiest fighting in Chechnya for months erupted a few hours before
President Vladimir Putin said in a speech in Moscow he would defend Russia
against what he called attempts to dismember it.
The attack underlined the fragile security situation in Chechnya more than
a decade after Putin sent troop... more »
IMF: China Now Has The World's Largest Economy. America Is Number 2
A Bank of China branch under construction early this year in Guangzhou,
Guangdong Province.
*It’s Official: America Is Now No. 2 -- Market Watch*
*Hang on to your hats, America.*
And throw away that big, fat styrofoam finger while you’re about it.
There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it: We’re no longer No.
1. Today, we’re No. 2. Yes, it’s official. The Chinese economy just
overtook the United States economy to become the largest in the world. For
the first time since Ulysses S. Grant was president, America is not the
leading economic power on the planet.
It just hap... more »
The BBC v the media
I have to write something about “The BBC v the media.”
The BBC has hit back at critics who have questioned executive salaries,
asking whether licence payers are actually getting good value for money.
The BBC has issued, via Twitter, a rebuttal.
The Telegraph’s Anita Singh doesn’t seem convinced. She cites a number of
figures which make the BBC’s protestations of prudence seem slightly
disingenuous.
Danny Cohen has begged journalists to be “less of the critical friend and a
bit more of the friend” to the corporation.
What about the critics who feel the BBC is politically biased,
i... more »
The Zionist-WASP Split of 1991 - Yeltsin on a Tank
*"Now, this is real war...." *
*- Bro. Steve Cokely on The War Amongst the Whites, 1991*
The Soviet Coup : Day One, August 19th 1991 - Yeltsin on a Tank
from Spike EP on Vimeo.
*“The accounts reportedly given by the three imprisoned plotters suggest
that their coup was haphazardly planned. Mr. Pavlov, for example, said the
plotters simply hoped that the Supreme Soviet would approve their action
and that afterward "things would be worked out." Mr. Yazov said that at a
key meeting on Aug 18 at which the coup was planned, he, Mr. Kryuchkov and
a third plotter, Boris K. Pugo, former ... more »
House Democrats Sell Out And Back GOP Tax Extenders Bill-- So Why Should Anyone Vote For A Democrat (Other Than Gays)?
Our coverage of the tax extenders bill the lame duck session is dealing
with-- basically more tax breaks for the wealthy-- have all been about the
Senate and how the Democratic majority there can still maneuver. Wednesday,
though, it was the Republican-controlled House that went first. H.R. 5771
is euphemistically called Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 but it
increase taxes on poor people and green energy companies and is overly
generous to corporate hogs who don't pay their fair share of taxes. House
Ways and Means Committee chair Dave Camp (R-MI) is the sponsor and there
wa... more »
Chile: “Speculative Ufology Died After 21 December 2012”
*Source: Planeta UFO and Publimetro.comDate: 12.04.2014*
*Chile: “Speculative Ufology Died After 21 December 2012”*
*Rodrigo Bravo*, an army major and the foremost specialist of the UFO
phenomenon in Chile, comes clean with Publimetro about a subject that
creates tremendous attention in our country. From a critical perspective,
Bravo seeks to find the effects of anomalous aerial phenomena to contribute
toward aeronautical safety, more than to seek out its causes.
Chilean army major Rodrigo Bravo, 38, has twenty-one years of military
service behind him and has been the first Chile... more »
The Law: “Respect The Process? That's Being Lost Too”
*“Respect The Process? That's Being Lost Too”*
by Karl Denninger
“I have long believed that in general one should respect the process of the
law even when the result isn't what you believe should have occurred; after
all none of us are omniscient. But the recent perversion not once but
twice when it comes to cops killing civilians has shaken my belief in that
precept to the core, bringing it dangerously close to rupture.
In Ferguson the issue became race on both sides; those supporting the cop
essentially retreated to the argument that he was a thug (not being willing
to simply c... more »
Recycling Day
#Ferguson is the antebellum south's selfie. #FergusonDecision
#PrayForFerguson
— Robert Crawford (@jurassicpork59) November 25, 2014
I'm old enough to remember when cops used to be held to a higher standard
than everyone else, not a drastically lower one. #FergusonDecision
— Robert Crawford (@jurassicpork59) November 25, 2014
McCulloch's presser blamed social media & the net for the tensions in
#Ferguson; Just as they were to blame for the MLK & Rodney King riots.
— Robert Crawford (@jurassicpork59) November 26, 2014
#Ferguson is Occupy Wall Street's second wind. http://t.co/W9g3BH4... more »
The Economy: “You'd Have to Be Crazy to Buy This Hugely Popular Stock”
*“You'd Have to Be Crazy to Buy This Hugely Popular Stock”*
by Bill Bonner
“E-commerce giant Amazon.com has raised $6 billion in debt financing.
Investors readily throw their money into the River of No Returns. Lenders
are demanding a yield of 3.8% for Amazon's 10-year bonds. That's 150 basis
points over the US Treasury's 10-year borrowing costs. (A basis point is
1/100th of one percentage point.) Amazon's bond buyers worry neither about
the return on their money nor the return of their money.
Holders of the company's stock are even more sans souci. If you look up
Amazon's P/E rat... more »
World News Briefs -- December 4, 2014
*Al-Qaida in Yemen Threatens to Kill American Hostage -- Voice of America*
An al-Qaida group in Yemen released a video Thursday threatening to kill an
American hostage.
In the video, a member of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
threatens the life of Luke Somers, 33, an American journalist captured over
a year ago.
"'We give the American government a timeframe of three days from the
issuance of this statement to meet our demands about which they are aware,"
says the al-Qaeda member. "Otherwise, the American hostage held by us will
meet his inevitable fate."
At the end of ... more »
Killing someone with a hammer is up-close and personal...
*and has left me with almost nothing to say.*
Some news stories make me sit back and say, "Whoa."
Zemir Begic, a 32-year-old man who emigrated from war-torn Bosnia almost
two decades ago in search of a better life, was bludgeoned to death Sunday,
allegedly by a group of hammer-wielding teenagers, one of whom has been
charged as an adult. Begic was driving with his fiancee, Arijana
Mujkanovic, and a male passenger at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday in St. Louis
when five teenagers began pounding his vehicle with a hammer, according to
police. When Begic confronted them, he was struck in th... more »
The Zionist-WASP Split of 1991 : Joel Bainerman's "The Crimes of a President"
*BREAKING NEWS By JPOST.COM STAFF *
*06/02/2014 13:27*
*Writer Joel Bainerman to be buried Tuesday*
Researcher and writer Joel Bainerman, a former economics editor of The
Jerusalem Post, died on Saturday. His funeral will take place at 10 a.m.
on Tuesday in Zichron Ya’akov.
Born in Toronto in 1957, Bainerman wrote extensively about Israel and the
Middle East since he made aliya in 1983, working at the Post in the late
1980s. He was also business editor of the Israel Economist, edited two
monthly economic newsletters and authored two books, *Crimes of a
President: New Revela... more »
Grim Times in America
Protests erupted throughout New York City in the wake of a grand jury
giving a pass to the white police officer derisively known as the "Choke
Cop." Everywhere, that is, except Staten Island, the actual scene of Eric
Garner's death last summer.
The exact spot of the homicide was empty last night, save for the presence
of some wilted bouquets and a couple of reporters. Everyone was holding
marches and die-ins on the West Side Highway and Times Square and
Rockefeller Center.
Staten Island, that most outer of boroughs, is the base of New York City
Republican politics. Dan Donovan, the... more »
Breaking: Called away from our desks!
*THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014Will return tomorrow:*: We’ve been called away
from our desks. We’ll return to those desks tomorrow.
Le Gross Bill
Thinkinging about rocking about
when it was normal to have ten kids
and some would sucrour us for this
today and wll they should
but it was a differant time
where having sex made
having kids
and in the villiage
who wanted to be left behind/
The ten kids who where not Jean Beliviau
wandrered out and should illustrate
that not being great is an opition.
Fuck all the sirens we endure every day
my big fat butt is never goring to pay
because at the heart of what is important
today I am not beautiful
its so like a phillipinnes boxer
can I knock some sense into the world
with my fists
I know that... more »
Argentina: UFOs Over Gualeguaychú
*Source: Planeta UFO and El IntransigenteDate: 12.04.2014*
*Argentina: UFOs Over Gualeguaychú*
Carlos Rieger reports that various lights - unidentified flying objects -
have been seen over the Argentinean city of Gualeguaychú.
GUALEGUAYCHU - Carlos Rieger, a member of the *Ufología Gualeguaychú*
group, reported recent sightings of lights in the sky over the Nandubaysal
beach resort, the Pueblo Nuevo district and Plaza San Martin.
According to Rieger, lights were seen over the beach resort on Saturday,
November 22, which were also sighted over Pueblo Nuevo. He added that last
Tue... more »
We Can't Breathe!
*New York City last night (Photo by Ellen Davidson)*
Another not so
grand
Grand Jury
announcement
yesterday
Eric Garner
"I can't breathe"
choked to death
by NYC police
caught on tape
he was unarmed
once more
cops set free
no accountability
No justice
No peace!
In the US
an African American
killed every 28 hours by cops,
security guards or vigilantes
African American 22 times
more likely to be killed by cops
than a white person
Hands Up
Don't shoot!
Militarization of local
police
now serve and protect
the corporate oligarchy
Shut this shit down!
Mr. Big
is cutting off our
air supply... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 4, 2014
© REUTERS/ Ahmed Saad
*Ghost' Soldiers, Funding Issues, Lack of Morale, Unity Shatter Iraqi Army
-- Sputnik*
According to the recently revealed results of a governamental
investigation, practically every fifth soldier of the Iraqi armed forces
existed only on paper.
MOSCOW, December 4 (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — As the Iraqi Armed Forces
have suffered crushing defeats to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in
2014, the jihadists have not only captured half of Iraq's territory, but
also revealed the poor combat capabilities of the country's military.
Serious questions have b... more »
Rip-off News round-up. Our pick of the last week's media (Thu 4th December)
Autumn Statement:
George Osborne to shrink the State to its smallest since the 1930s
The Chancellor's spending plans mean the public spending
relative to the whole economy would be the smallest in 80 years, the Office for
Budget Responsibility (OBR) said. The OBR, the independent government forecaster,
said that Mr Osborne's tax and spending policies will require an austerity
programme in the
Why am I not surprised?
------------------------------
www.strategic-culture.org
UN report documents torture, police violence in US
The United Nations Committee Against Torture issued a lengthy report today
assessing the performance of the 156 countries whose governments have
ratified the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which took effect two decades ago.
The report subjected a major country to a wide-ranging critique, indicting
it for a long list of human rights violations including:
- Refusal to prosecute officials who engage in or sanction tort... more »
THIS Is Beyond Disgusting: US Congress Critters Pass "Israel Stategic Partnership" Bill!
I have long said that my country, Canada, is nothing more than a puppet of
Jewish interests and basically this nation that once prided itself on
actually being free is now nothing more than a satellite nation under the
full control of the criminals in the psychotic and insane state of
Israel... But no matter how bad Canada is, it pales in comparison to how
the United States and the criminals that run their Federal Government in
Washington DC pander and suck up to Israel.....
I just came across the following article, and after reading it in disgust,
realized that it belongs here for ... more »
Infinite Beings Don’t Wear Labels
*Stephen Parato* - Born into culture we are given labels to live by our
entire lives, yet this limits our human potential in significant ways...
The post Infinite Beings Don’t Wear Labels appeared first on Waking Times.
Monsier Belivea
I just some kind of shut down
due to the death
of Monsier BELI VE
WHAT he did on the ice
was noting compared
to his daily sacrifice
A man like this that
gets the chance to execl
well we all know that in
our islands of spin
even Le Gross Bill
would be attacked
for his we should
all just get along'
non political
shrill.
The fact is that our
democrats
are not there
to fill Canada
with glory
We got more
than enough of
this in WW1
and despite all
this
the Queen remains
as the back face
on any currency
we might advance
Do not get me started
about parisites that
can not be wiped
out
because... more »
Iraq Maintains Its Poor Ranking On Transparency International’s Corruption Index
Each December since 1995 Germany’s Transparency International has released
its annual Corruption Perceptions Index. The Index scores dozens of
countries’ governments on how corrupt they are. For the last several years
Iraq has been one of the worst offenders on the list.
Transparency International studies reports on corruption and uses them to
give scores from 0-100 to each country in its Index. In 2014 174 countrieswere
included with 0 being the worst possible score and 100 the best. This year
the countries with the ten lowest scores were Somalia and North Korea each
with an 8, S... more »
Montreal escapes the chance to be included in a movie with the fail in Minny
Win one for the Gipper. The coach speek to the players is part of legend.
In the other dressing room they sat in silance just salvating.
In that context was it ever a fiar contest?
The other side had no Gipper. Shoud they just ove concied being this was
totaly a stun gernate that imoboaized both sides, When you lose a contest
where GOD
was your co pilot how can you ever recover.
Can we just not call a spade a spade and say this is a geratic Frananstien
defence. What ever happened to spell check. MT has a theory very similar to
mine that in todays NHL talent is a thin wedge lever o... more »
Post Election Round up II, Ma Circles the Wagons Edition
[image: DSC03330]
*Dog finds shade.*
Well. My friend Ted reports that on Saturday morning, Judgment Day, when
Skynet annihilated the KMT, he was at his brother-in-law's funeral in
Hsinchu when the current KMT mayor showed up. The mayor handed out flowers
and did the "please vote for me, please vote for me" thing, then left. He
was so desperate/thorough, he was visiting funeral parlors the morning of
the election (!).
Jon Sullivan and Michal Thim had a fantastic piece in The National Interest
about the elections, seeing them as a new political realignment. Don't
miss!! Drinking last... more »
Make No Mistake. It's Madness
http://www.oddbloke.ca/
Some commentators have suggested that, after the Michael Sona trial, no
political party would be stupid enough to try any robocall shenanigans.
Linda McQuaig has her doubts:
If you’re a low-level political operative, the conviction of Conservative
party staffer Michael Sona for his role in the robocall scandal may well
have deterred you from committing voter fraud in the future.
But if you’re a *high*-level political operative, the outcome of Sona’s
trial probably left you emboldened.
After all, even though... more »
Future Wars Will Be Conducted From Space (Maybe)
*The Night Sky In December: A New Cold War Waged Not On Earth, But In Space
-- The Telegraph*
*A war not with nuclear-tipped missiles but with destructive laser beams,
travelling at the speed of light and reaching their targets 50,000 times
faster than today’s missiles.*
A new cold war seems certain to start within the next few decades, waged
not on Earth, but in space.
It would be carried on, not with nuclear-tipped missiles as before, but
with destructive laser beams. These, travelling at the speed of light, 670
million mph, would reach their targets 50,000 times faster than tod... more »
How We Create Reality
*Video* - By author Al Smith, this reading of the article 'How We Create
Reality' is a fascinating examination of the origins of some of greatest
issues...
The post How We Create Reality appeared first on Waking Times.
Fort Hood Shooting Victims May Receive Their Purple Hearts
*Photo*: Wikipedia
*Fort Hood Shooting Victims Will Soon Be Eligible To Receive Purple Heart
-- Washinghton Times*
Army Maj. Nidal Hasan spree domestic terrorism, not workplace violence
Victims of the Fort Hood shooting will soon be eligible to receive the
Purple Heart, with Congress pushing ahead with a policy change that would
officially recognize domestic terrorism as an issue, rather than the
“workplace violence” designation the Obama administration had used.
The issue has been contentious since the 2009 attack, with victims and
their family members saying Army Maj. Nidal Hasa... more »
7 Top Medical Procedures Whose Risks Far Exceed Their Benefit
*Dave Mihalovic* - "Some of the top medical procedures in the world involve
either radiating, poisoning or surgical removal of human tissue..."
The post 7 Top Medical Procedures Whose Risks Far Exceed Their Benefit
appeared first on Waking Times.
Urdu translator helped people pass driving theory tests by giving the correct answers per Birmingham Mail
The Birmingham Mail reports
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/urdu-translator-helped-people-pass-8113152
that
' An Urdu translator has been jailed for helping prospective HGV and bus
drivers cheat their way through theory tests.
An investigation into interpreter Muhammed Saeed, from Ralph Road in Alum
Rock, revealed he helped candidates pass by agreeing a code when he gave
them the correct answers.'
One thought, have the people who paid to cheat on their driving test had to
retake them?
Harkin: Democrats Were "Forced" By Conservatives To Make Obamacare Less Functional Than It Should Have Been
Tom Harkin decided to retire at age 75. Chuck Grassley, painfully senile
will be 83 when he runs in 2016 and wants another 6 year term
Tom Harkin must feel horrible. The 75 year, 5 term old Iowa populist, first
elected to Congress in 1975, is retiring from the U.S. Senate and a polar
opposite, crazed teabagger Joni Ernst, is taking his seat. Like Wall
Street's Chuck Schumer, who is anything but a populist and who isn't
retiring, Harkin was critical of the Affordable Care Act on his way out.
But not the way Schumer was. This week, Harkin told Alexander Bolton at *The
Hill* that the b... more »
Racial Tensions In America: How To Shut Ferguson Down
I am surprised that over a week now since Officer Darren Wilson was
PROPERLY found NOT GUILTY in regards to his shooting of the hoodlum Michael
Brown in Ferguson Missouri back in August, most of the American people
still do not get it.... The situation in Ferguson should have never
happened to start with, but the media combined with obvious agent
provocateurs have been doing their worse at still trying to stir up trouble
and create race wars all over America... Luckily, and thankfully by this
point it does appear that most of the riots have dissipated and the
criminal push for racia... more »
A Look At How The Pentagon Is Trying To Make Soldiers Stronger, Quicker, And Smarter
The HULC exoskeleton, which should let people carry up to 200 pounds with
ease. (Lockheed Martin)
*The Military Is Trying To Make Soldiers Stronger, Smarter, And More
Amphibious -- Susannah Locke, VOX*
In the past, much of military research has focused on building tools to
make soldiers more effective on the battlefield: more powerful guns, better
communications, stronger armor. But there is also research underway to
improve the human body itself. The US military, academic researchers, and
private companies are working together to maximize the capabilities of
soldiers' bodies and ... more »
A Recent History Of Expensive And Wasted Pentagon Programs
*Top 10 Failed Defense Programs of the RMA Era -- Stephen Rodriguez, War On
the Rocks *
On Nov. 15, 2014 at the Reagan National Defense Forum, former Secretary of
Defense Hagel announced a new “Defense Innovation Initiative” aimed at
discovering ways to improve America’s military dominance vis-à-vis emerging
peer competitors. In his speech, Secretary Hagel outlined a new Long-Range
Research and Development Planning Program to target technological
breakthroughs especially in “robotics, autonomous systems, miniaturization,
big data and advanced manufacturing, including 3-D printing.... more »
Is It Time For Japan To Consider Acquiring Nuclear Weapons?
*Time For Japan To Get Its Own Nuclear Weapons? -- Christine M. Leah,
National Interest*
A TNI Video Interview: Are America's nuclear forces the right size? Should
Japan consider acquiring its own nuclear weapons? We ask Yale Grand
Strategy Fellow Christine M. Leah.
Is it time for Japan to consider acquiring nuclear weapons?
What about America’s nuclear forces? Are they the right size for today’s
challenging international landscape?
TNI’s Executive Editor, Harry J. Kazianis, spoke with Christine M. Leah, a
postdoctoral Grand Strategy Fellow at Yale University to explore these
t... more »
Untitled
*Ferguson Schools Let Students Leave to Protest in Streets--Without
Notifying Parents*
Hundreds of students were allowed to leave several high schools in
Ferguson, Mo., Tuesday morning to protest in the city’s streets--a decision
the school district made without notifying the children’s parents before or
during the protest.
Teachers and administrators also walked with the students as they blocked
traffic and clogged congested intersections.
The students, primarily from McCluer, McCluer North and McCluer
South-Berkley high schools, crowded into the streets of Ferguson in the
early... more »
Untitled
*Google’s Top Engineers say: “Renewable Energy Simply Won’t Work”*
Two highly qualified Google engineers who have spent years studying and
trying to improve renewable energy technology have stated quite bluntly
that renewables will never permit the human race to cut CO2 emissions to
the levels demanded by climate activists. Whatever the future holds, it is
not a renewables-powered civilisation: such a thing is impossible.
Both men are Stanford PhDs, Ross Koningstein having trained in aerospace
engineering and David Fork in applied physics. These aren’t guys who fiddle
about with w... more »
Miscellaneous observations
I am neither an historian nor an expert on religion. In fact I am a secular
non-believer. But, and it’s a big but, putting myself in the shoes of the
average viewer/listener, I’m baffled about the media’s widespread lack of
curiosity about the status quo vis a vis Jewish prayer rights at
Jerusalem’s holiest place. To me it’s in the same bracket as the apparent
universal *acceptance* of Mahmoud Abbas’s boast that any future Palestinian
state will be entirely Jew-free in the light of a general willingness to
accuse *Israel* of apartheid-ism, especially in regard to this prospective
‘I... more »
Norway MOD To Evaluate An Acquisition Of New Submarines To Replace The Existing Ula class
.jpg)
[image: Ula class SSK]A project led by the Ministry of Defence has since
2007 studied Norway’s future submarine capability. Several options have
been looked at in the process.
The Government has now decided that the project will enter a definition
phase and evaluate an acquisition of new submarines to replace the existing
Ula class when it becomes obsolete.
Norway’s future submarine capability has been studied since 2007. The
studies have been conducted in two phases, both with thorough external
quality reviews before being presented.
Read more
The Usual Bullshit on Debt
The CBC News has a feature story about Canadians' household debt:
Canadians are falling deeper into debt, with *Equifax reporting* Wednesday
that they are carrying an average of $20,891 in non-mortgage loans.
As usual, this tragedy becomes an opportunity for debt advisors and
accounts to offer their services (for a fee naturally) to help Canadians
get out of their self-inflicted troubles:
Can we not take it as a given that Canadians of today are just as smart
(and just as stupid) as Canadians of fifty years ago? (Similarly, young
adults today are not lazier than young adults of the... more »
Navy Gets First Upgraded Fire Scout Unmanned Copter
[image: MQ-8C Fire Scout]Northrop Grumman Corp.‘s division in Rancho
Bernardo has delivered the first operational MQ-8C Fire Scout, an upgraded
unmanned helicopter for use off Navy ships.
The MQ-8C is an upgraded version of the existing MQ-8B Fire Scout using a
larger airframe. It can fly nearly twice as long and carry three times more
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads.
The earlier version of the craft was deployed for the first time last month
about the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth, which is based in San Diego.
Read more
The next James Bond film will be titled SPECTRE
The last time SPECTRE appeared in a Bond film was in Diamonds Are Forever.
SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and
Extortion...
Harder to remember than Time And Relative Dimension In Space...
Mises’s Century
We are still living with the consequences he predicted so long ago. This
is also a reminder that a man's body of work truly matters because one can
trace influences and improvements on insights. He also understood that
change from the top down is utterly impossible. Micro lending has been
already more influential and change making than the entire mass of global
governance and banking. It is the same lesson he taught and i fully agree
with because economics is first and last about the incremental community of
150 souls. This is an important reminder of an important thinker.. .*... more »
Growth of free Wi-Fi Transforming Africa
This is more an update on this vital topic. Quite simply modernism has
become ridiculously cheap and any farm boy can now access the global
library for small change and a hand me down device. all this is producing
a modernized young population now.
Africa is also the toughest single nut to crack and it is clearly cracked.
The rest of the world is also been sucked into this whirlwind of real
change.
For those riding the wind we must allow it to run its course and for new
life-ways to emerge. Throw in the elimination of poverty and we will be
half way there to global modern... more »
Heat A Room For Only 15 Cents A Day!
[image: SGfdgfa]
This is a neat piece of work and provides a neat compact source of radiant
heat that can make a lot of sense. Even a space with central heating which
is reasonably turned down substantially can benefit here.
Small space heaters are used this way as well and for the same reason.
It is also a great way to use tools at hand as well.
*Heat A Room For Only 15 Cents A Day!*
*Jade Small | November 15, 2014*
*http://www.the-open-mind.com/heat-a-room-for-only-15-cents-a-day/#SY2A7rGh1DDt5tRj.99*
*Wanting to cut costs on the energy bill, especially now that temperatu... more »
Scientists Found Something Strange When They Looked At The Brains Of Stoners
[image: girl smoking marijuana weed] It is easy to forget in recent
coverage on marijuana, that it is a highly active drug that needs to be
used with great care. Smoking it was always plain stupid. Now perhaps we
can discover safe ways to use it as needed. Better yet we need to find a
safe method for recreational smoking or ingestion and we need to provide
informed consent also. This item certainly makes the case. What is certain
is that physical changes do take place and the brain quite naturally
rewires to accommodate those changes. Some of those changes are
emotional. It... more »
Graphs at a glance: Government reforms of Higher Education and Family Health created thousands more Administrator jobs, but no more teachers or nurses.
Some
interesting graphs we stumbled across during our general research show
how Administrators have been the big winners from reforms in both the
Higher Education and the Family Health sectors.
It would be interesting to know if this is the case in other areas of
the Public Sector. If you come across any more, please email them to us
to graphs@rippedoffbritons.com
1) National Audit Office
Iranian Airstrikes In Iraq Suggest Warming Relations With US, Maybe Even Coordination
[image: IRIAF F-4 Phanton]Iranian jets conducted airstrikes against Sunni
extremists in Iraq last week along the two countries' border, according to
various media reports.
The U.S. has not officially confirmed the airstrikes, although U.S.
officials have said they did take place, and Iran has denied them. But if
the airstrikes took place, the U.S. likely knew about them, experts said,
and tolerated them.
This would mark a momentous shift in relations between Washington and
Tehran, analysts said, even if the U.S. had not coordinated the airstrikes
with Iran -- which the Pentagon's... more »
China Conducts Third Flight Test of Hypersonic Strike Vehicle
[image: Wu-14 hypersonic glide vehicle]China conducted the third flight
test of a new hypersonic missile this week as part of its strategic nuclear
program and efforts to develop delivery vehicles capable of defeating U.S.
countermeasures, defense officials said.
The flight test of the developmental Wu-14 hypersonic glide vehicle was
monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies Tuesday during a flight test in
western China.
The latest flight test followed earlier tests of the Wu-14 on Jan. 9 and
Aug. 7. The three tests indicate that China’s development of a strike
vehicle capable of tra... more »
INS Vikramaditya not fully operational yet
_with_a_Sea_Harrier.jpg)
[image: INS Vikramaditya]The 45,400-tonne INS Vikramaditya, the largest
Indian aircraft carrier procured from Russia at a cost of $2.3 million, is
still to get a close-in weapon system (CIWS) and hence will not be fully
operational.
For the aircraft carrier that stands nearly 23-deck tall, CIWS is critical
if the vessel has to be deployed in forward areas, said Navy sources.
Vice admiral Anil Chopra, flag officer commanding-in-chief of the Western
Naval Command, said, “A close-in weapon system will be fitted when the
carrier goes for a refit, which can happen sooner or later.”
Rea... more »
Ship-builder poised for $4 billion contract for 2nd of new class of carrier
[image: USS John F. Kennedy]The U.S. Navy intends to award Huntington
Ingalls Industries Inc. a contract early next year, potentially for more
than $4 billion, to build the second of a new class of aircraft carriers.
"The Navy is still negotiating with the company to reach a fair and
reasonable price, and we hope to do that as soon as possible," Commander
Thurraya Kent, a spokeswoman for the service, said in an email. "Early 2015
is still" the intended contract award date, she said this week.
The ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, is the second of three planned in the
new carrier class.... more »
Future USNS Brunswick Keel Authenticated
[image: USNS Brunswick (JHSV 6) was authenticated]The keel of the future
USNS Brunswick (JHSV 6) was authenticated at the Austal U.S.A. shipyard in
Mobile, Dec. 2.
Longtime civil servant and ship sponsor, Alma B. Booterbaugh served as the
keel authenticator, etching her initials into the keel plate to verify that
the ship's keel was "truly and fairly" laid.
"We're honored to have Mrs. Booterbaugh here today from the secretary of
the Navy's office," said Capt. Henry Stevens, Strategic and Theater Sealift
program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO), Ships.
Read more
Nigeria may buy JF-17 Thunder fighters from Pakistan
[image: JF-17 Thunder]After purchasing two stealth frigates from China,
Nigeria may order one or two fighter squadrons of the JF-17 Thunder
multirole fighters jointly developed by China and Pakistan, Iranian defense
expert Farhan Bokhari wrote in an article for Jane's Defence Weekly on Dec.
2.
Designed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and Pakistan Aeronautical
Complex, the JF-17 Thunder is also known as FC-1 Xiaolong in China. More
than 50 JF-17 fighters have entered service with the Pakistan Air Force
since 2007.
The 26th and 16th squadrons of the Pakistan Air Force are the fir... more »
Navy technical board to assess service life of INS Viraat
[image: INS Viraat]The Indian Navy has appointed a technical board (TB) to
assess how long the aircraft carrier INS Viraat can serve the force.
"Technical board has been formed to check if Viraat can serve," Vice
Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commander in Chief of the Western Naval
Command, told reporters today on the eve of Navy Day.
When asked if Viraat will go together with country's largest aircraft
carrier INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant (presently under-construction at
the Cochin Shipyard), Chopra said, "Viraat is an old ship and we have
operated her for past 27 years."
... more »
Iran equips Mirage fighters with homemade missile system
[image: Mirage F1BQ]Iran’s defense ministry has domestically produced a
cruise missile system for its Mirage fighters.
The system is mounted on Army’s Air force Mirage fighter jets, the Islamic
Republic’s Tasnim news agency reported Dec. 3.
Iran’s air force reportedly has at least 12 operational Mirage fighters.
Read more
Wachovski-kin's Jupiter Ascending has a new release date, February 6th in UK/USA cinemas + SPECTRE
*JUPITER ASCENDING* (Feb 6 2015)
*In the future, a young destitute human woman gets targeted for
assassination by the Queen of the Universe, and begins her destiny to
finish the Queen's reign.*
Directors: *Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski*
Writers: *Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski*
Stars: *Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne...*
*but who and what is this?*
*BOND 24 NEWS JUST IN:* Daniel Craig reprises his role as everybody's
favourite MI6 thug aka James Bond, Sam Mendes directs once more and BBC
Sherlock Holmes's nemesis Moriarty aka Andrew Scott is the evil dude in
what's being... more »
Turkish navy to conduct exercises in the Aegean during talks
[image: Ahmet Davutoglu]Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is due in
Athens for talks on Friday amid a tense atmosphere between Greece and
Turkey, which has been exacerbated by the neighboring country’s decision to
carry out naval exercises in the Aegean while discussions take place in the
Greek capital.
Turkish ships and submarines have been conducting exercises in the northern
and southeastern Aegean, near the Greek islands of Limnos, Kastelorizo, Ro
and Strongyli since the start of the week.
Although the operations had been planned much earlier, the maritime order
(also kno... more »
India’s First Vikrant-Class Aircraft Carrier To Be Commissioned By 2019
[image: INS Vikrant]Indian Navy’s first indigenous Vikrant-class aircraft
carrier being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited will be commissioned by
2019; and the plans to build a second one will be initiated soon, announced
Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Naval
Command, at a press conference held on-board the INS Vikramaditya on
Wednesday.
Vice Admiral Chopra discussed several important matters pertaining to the
Indian Navy at its annual interaction with the media held at the massive
aircraft carrier.
He also hinted at the decommissioning of the ov... more »
India Expedites Submarine Modernization Plans
[image: Type 039 (Song) class SSK]India is moving ahead with efforts to
modernize its submarine fleet amid concerns over China's growing naval
presence in the Indian Ocean.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government accelerated the bidding process
for six new diesel-electric submarines. These are in addition to six
similar submarines under construction by a French company in Mumbai.
The push comes just months after a stand-off along the disputed border
dividing India and China in the Himalayas, and as Chinese submarines have
docked in Sri Lanka, the island nation off India's southern... more »
Amazon Retail Stays Online
It had been predicted that when Amazon acquired a 17 year lease at 7 West 34
th Street opposite the Empire State Building and that it was going to
finally come over to the other side and open up a retail store.
It was also mooted that it could be a 'call and collect' base for Manhattan
customers, offering them same day collection of purchases. We have seen
Amazon open up collection points within stores and with partners such as
The Post Office in the UK, but to date they have not opened a dedicated one
in their own name on the High Street. Frankly, why would they when they
have ple... more »
Weird German climate commercials
*German sex: only dressed and in the dark*
My homeland belongs to the broader German civilization space. Germans are
ahead in many things. What is waiting for us if we pursue their strategy to
"fight the climate change"?
Barbara Hendricks, the German minister of the environment (SPD), has spent
$2 million of the taxpayer money to produce the Together Is the Climate
Change (my translation can't be perfect, can it?) video clips.
What can we learn from our German neighbors? Well, in this video, the wife
– a musician – *closes the window* because she doesn't want to listen to
the zom... more »
Female Sailors Secretly Videotaped Showering on Submarines
.jpg)
[image: USS Wyoming (SSBN-742)]Some of the Navy's first female submariners
were secretly videotaped while undressing and showering on board the USS
Wyoming, a ballistic missile submarine, service officials confirmed
Wednesday.
Navy officials are investigating a 24-year old male sailor who is accused
of making and distributing the videos, according to a Nov. 14 incident
report circulated among the service's senior leaders, according to Navy
Times, which first reported the story.
The male sailor has only been identified as a second class petty officer,
according to Navy Times.
Rea... more »
7500 (2014)
1975159
Watch Movie 7500 Full MovieFull Movie 7500 Full Movie HD with duration 97
Min and broadcast on 2014-05-16 and MPAA rating is 35.
- *Original Title :* 7500
- *Movie title in your country :* 7500
- *Year of movie :* 2014
- *Genres of movie :* Horror, Mystery, Thriller,
- *Status of movie :* Released
- *Release date of movie :* 2014-05-16
- *Companies of movie :* Vertigo Entertainment, CBS Films, Ozla
Pictures, Ozla Productions,
- *Countries of movie :* Japan, United States of America,
- *Language of movie :* 日本語, English,
- *Durationof movie ... more »
U.S. Admiral: North Korea Is Asia’s Biggest Security Threat
*North Korea Is Asia’s Biggest Security Threat, U.S. Admiral Says --
Bloomberg*
The reclusive North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un is the biggest threat to
security in Asia, the nominee to become the next commander of U.S. Pacific
Command told members of Congress.
“Our most volatile and dangerous threat is North Korea, with its quest for
nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them intercontinentally,” Admiral
Harry Harris said yesterday during his nomination hearing before the Senate
Armed Services Committee.
As head of Pacific Command, Harris would be responsible for the U.S.’s ... more »
All That Glitters Isn't Gold, Even Gold - The Potential & Perils of Precious Metals
New Eastern Outlook
Ulson Gunnar
December 4, 2014
In times of socioeconomic turmoil, gold receives renewed interest. It is
seen as a means of exchange with enduring value that can transcend the
various currencies that generally displace its use during times of economic
growth and stability. However, it must be remembered that gold's value is
only as good as the markets within which it is traded. If they collapse,
gold's value may become highly unpredictable.
*For Gold, Perception is Everything *
Much of gold's value is a matter of perception. Gold's enduring value can
be owed to ... more »
Benjamin Fulford - December 2, 2014: Over 20 national governments to be overthrown as cabal take-down begins, CIA sources say
*The views below are solely those of Benjamin Fulford and not necessarily
of this blog. Consider the data but always use your inner guidance on all
data you read. Comments in red italics are mine. -AK*
*Over 20 national governments to be overthrown as cabal take-down begins,
CIA sources say *
by Benjamin Fulford
Thursday, December 4, 2014
The Satanic Nazionist cabal that seized power in the West is about to be
taken down and the result will be the toppling of over 20 governments,
including those at of the United States, Japan and the UK, CIA, Pentagon
and MI6 sources say. M... more »
Iraq / Syria Regional War Update ( December 4 , 2014 ) - Political intrigue ( From DC / Iraq / Syria ) , State of play on the battlefields , State of play regarding periphery nations ( Saudi Arabia / Libya / Turkey / Lebanon )
Links....
*Sen. Corker: US Was Poised for 10-Hour Syria War in 2013*
*Sen. Rand Paul Introduces War Declaration Against ISIS*
*Kerry Praises ISIS War, Says It’ll Take Years*
Thousands of Syrian Refugees Stranded in Turkish Minefield: Rights Group
Poverty Fuels Tensions as Syrian Refugees Brace for Another Winter
The West Is to Blame for Syrian Conflict, Says Saudi Prince
Tweets.....
*Al Arabiya English* @AlArabiya_Eng 4m4 minutes ago
#Iraqi official: 23,000 ‘ghost’ retirees received $1 bn in salaries http://
ara.tv/jbs39
Al Arabiya English
[image: View this content o... more »
Atheist Billboard is NOT Protected Speech
Fox News today featured a story of Atheists who have once again erected a
billboard in the Bible Belt state of Tennessee mocking Christianity. The
comments section contained comments, most of which were made by those who
oppose its atheistic message. However, it also contained comments made by
trolling supporters of the billboard. As one would expect, they proffered
their usual platitudes complaining about how Christians are anti-American
for opposing it, contending that it is their "constitutional right" to make
such blasphemous attacks. There were also those who claimed to ... more »
U.S. Navy To Award The Contract For Building The Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) In 2015
*Huntington Poised for $4 Billion U.S. Naval Carrier Order -- Bloomberg*
The U.S. Navy intends to award Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII) a
contract early next year, potentially for more than $4 billion, to build
the second of a new class of aircraft carriers.
“The Navy is still negotiating with the company to reach a fair and
reasonable price, and we hope to do that as soon as possible,” Commander
Thurraya Kent, a spokeswoman for the service, said in an e-mail. “Early
2015 is still” the intended contract award date, she said this week.
The ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, is... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
"This huge ball of stars predates our Sun. Long before humankind evolved,
before dinosaurs roamed, and even before our Earth existed, ancient globs
of stars condensed and orbited a young Milky Way Galaxy. Of the 200 or so
globular clusters that survive today, Omega Centauri is the largest,
containing over ten million stars. Omega Centauri is also the brightest
globular cluster, at apparent visual magnitude 3.9 it is visible to
southern observers with the unaided eye.
* Click image for larger size.*
Cataloged as NGC 5139, Omega Centauri is about 18,000 light-years away and
150 light... more »
Chet Raymo, “Strange”
*“Strange”*
by Chet Raymo
“In a review in the “New York Times” Book Review, Daniel Handler writes:
“And strange? Well, let's get this straight: All great books are strange.
Every lasting work of literature since the very weird "Beowulf" has been
strange, not only because it grapples with the strangeness around us, but
also because the effect of originality is startling, making even the oldest
books feel like brand new stories.”
Strange: Out-of-the-ordinary, unusual, curious. "The strangeness around
us," says Handler. There is a paradox here. What could be less strange than
the wo... more »
A Walton’s Plan to “Fix Public Education.” Uh huh.
I used to shop at Walmart. In September 2012, I couldn’t bring myself to do
so anymore. Several months prior, in April 2012, I began investigating the
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) right around the time
that watchdog group Common Cause filed its original whistle blower
complaint against “nonprofit” ALEC for its lobbying of legislatures
nationwide to […]
Jeb Bush Says He Won't Pander To The Right-WIng Yahoos Who Dominate The Republican Primary System... So There!
After all the dust settles and the fuss dies down, this is what Hillary
will be facing
Yesterday started with a bang for people handicapping the Republican 2016
presidential nomination. Ohio junior Senator Rob Portman, George W. Bush's
spectacularly failed Director of Management and Budget and (earlier) Trade
Rep, said he won't be running for president (nor, presumably, the job most
people thought more likely, vice president). Recent polls showed him
hovering around zero percent, even less than also-rans like Rick Perry
(2%), John Kasich (2%), Bobby Jindal (2%), Marco Rubio (2%) and ... more »
U.S. Navy Investigating If Female Officers Were Secretly Filmed While Showering Aboard The Subamrine USS Wyoming
USS Wyoming (SSBN-742) approaches Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.; 9
January 2009. Wikipedia
*Navy Investigating If Female Officers Were Secretly Recorded On Submarine
-- Washington Post*
The Navy is investigating reports that some of the first women ever
assigned to a Navy submarine were secretly recorded on video while
showering, a Navy official said.
The incidents allegedly occurred on the USS Wyoming, an Ohio-class
ballistic missile submarine that is based in Kings Bay, Ga. The Navy first
learned of the allegations last month, and launched an investigation along
with the ... more »
Mary Oliver, "Evidence"
*"Mysteries, Yes"*
"Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity,
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads."
- Mary Oliver, "Evidence"
The Daily "Near You?"
Gila, New Mexico, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
Free Download: Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
"Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil."
- Marcus Aurelius
"Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was the
Roman emperor from 161 to his death in 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as
co-emperor from 161 until Lucius' death in 169. He was the last of the
"Five Good Emperors", and is also considered one of the most important
Stoic philosophers. His tenure was marked by wars in Asia against a
revitalized Parthian Empire, and with Germanic tribes along the Limes
Germanicus into Gaul and across the Danube.... more »
“No Escape from Existential Reality”
*“No Escape from Existential Reality”*
by Sartre
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
- Philip K. Dick
"Finally agreement! No one can dispute the reality that we all will die.
Since most choose to block out this fate or find it discomforting to
consider, the roots of denial are sown. Refusal to confront the one great
similarity that all humans share, is a trait that has greatly affected our
political and social lives. Life is to be lived, no doubt. But how you live
it greatly depends upon how you treat the final ending.
Death, freedom, existentia... more »
Paulo Coelho, “Change and Renewal”
*“Change and Renewal”*
by Paulo Coelho
“When winter arrives, the trees must sigh in sadness as they see their
leaves falling. They say: ‘We will never be like we were before.’ Of
course. Or still, what is the meaning of renewing oneself? The next leaves
will have their own nature, they pertain to a new summer that approaches
and which will never be like the one that passed.
Living means changing– and the seasons repeat these lessons to us every
year. Changing means going through a period of depression: we still don’t
know the new and we have to forget everything we used to know. Bu... more »
China Will Have More Naval Ships Than The U.S. By 2020
A Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet conducted the year's
first open-sea training exercise in the West Pacific Ocean on Thursday
morning after sailing through the Miyako Strait as scheduled, military
sources revealed. (Xinhua/Li Yun)
*Report: Chinese Navy’s Fleet Will Outnumber U.S. by 2020 -- Defense Tech*
China has plans to grow its navy to 351 ships by 2020 as the Chinese
continue to develop their military’s ability to strike global targets,
according to a new report.
The 2014 U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommended to
Congress the U.S. Nav... more »
This video was called to my attention by Paul Craig Roberts, who drew from it this conclusion: "Governments at every level in America, state, local, and federal, have created an army of psychopaths under the rubric of police who murder and brutalize the citizens who are taxed to pay the salaries of their tormentors. Some Americans are so brainwashed and subservient that they provide knee-jerk justifications of every criminal assault by the goon thugs on the public. You know a population has degenerated into nothing when it defends its oppressors."
------------------------------
*This is What Happens When You Call The Cops*
By Martin Armstrong
Armstrong Economics
December 2, 2014
http://youtu.be/IlY9C6pzxKc
There is a new music video that is going viral entitled This is What
Happens When You Call The Cops. It is a shocking video putting together
numerous clips of Police Brutality that is very disturbing to say the
least. It has captured the stark transformation of the police into a
militaristic force far removed from the old days.
The days of Norman Rockwell are gone and this is what I fear is unfolding
as the Domestic War ... more »
Is Ashton Carter The Next U.S. Secretary of Defense. Or A False Story?
An Italian journalist created a fake Twitter account in the name of likely
US Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter on Tuesday, fooling reporters
and bringing a torrent of phone calls to the White House and the Pentagon
*White House Won't Confirm Nomination Of Former Pentagon Official Ashton
Carter As Defense Secretary After A FAKE Twitter Account Broke News Of His
Selection -- Daily Mail*
* White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest refused to say if Carter would
be the next secretary of defense
* An Italian journalist-hoaxer had claimed to be the former deputy
secretary and tweet... more »
Rudd Angry that U of Memphis Faculty Won't Accept Privatization Agenda
The University of Memphis Faculty Senate yesterday rejected the university
president's plan to cut a sweetheart deal with a corporation to provide
punishing, paternalistic preparation for teachers trained to go into
Memphis schools with impoverished children.
Reports from eyewitnesses describe a sulking and angry President Rudd, who
offered no defense for his actions beyond the insipid claim that he was
giving free rent to Relay for the poor children of Memphis.
Below is the deal signed by Rudd behind closed doors without any vetting
among faculty, either inside or outside the Co... more »
Top U.S. General In Africa: Islamic State Has Set Up Training Camps In Libya
Various Islamist militant groups are competing for power in eastern Libya.
BBC
*Islamic State Has Training Camps In Libya, Warns US Commander -- The
Telegraph*
*Army General David Rodriguez says US keeping a close eye on growing camp
of militants.*
The Islamic State group, which overran large areas of Iraq and Syria, has
set up training camps in eastern Libya and the American military is closely
monitoring the situation, a top US general said Wednesday.
Western countries have been increasingly worried that Libya's political
turmoil could provide fertile ground for Islamic extremi... more »
U.S. And Iranian Forces Are Operating In Separate Areas In Iraq
*Iran Attacked Islamic State Forces in Iraq -- WSJ*
U.S. Not Coordinating With Tehran on Airstrikes
Iran launched airstrikes in recent days against Islamic State forces along
its border with Iraq, an effort to exert more military influence in the
region in the face of America’s resurgent role.
It was the first public disclosure of Iranian air force attacks on Islamic
State in Iraq. Iran didn't coordinate the strikes or share intelligence
with the U.S., officials from both countries said Wednesday, showing that
even though their interests in fighting Islamic State are aligning, ther... more »
Star Watch: Selling the "Gunsmoke" belt buckle? Say it ain't so, Burt R!
*Lot 148 of 676*: *A gold tone Gunsmoke belt buckle designed by Al Shelton
for the Wyler Foundry, engraved on the back, "To My Longtime Friend Burt
Reynolds from Al Shelton" (2 5/8 by 3 1/2)*
*by Ken*
Sure, I could be ranting about those gosh-darn Republicans, or the clueless
clods in the Customer Non-Care Dept. of a certain magazine I could name but
won't (except to say that it rhymes with "You Corker"). But tonight's news
won't wait. There's not much more than a week for you to study the 676 lots
that make up Julien's Auctions' offering of "Property From The Life and
Career of B... more »
Birdman (2014)
Download Birdman HDWatch Movie Birdman High Quality with duration 119 Min
and broadcast on 2014-10-17 with MPAA rating is 32.
2562232
2562232
*Original Title :* Birdman
*Movie title in your country :* Birdman
*Year of movie :* 2014
*Genres of movie :* Comedy, Drama,
*Status of movie :* Released
*Release date of movie :* 2014-10-17
*Companies of movie :* Worldview Entertainment, New Regency Pictures,
*Countries of movie :* United States of America,
*Language of movie :* English,
*Durationof movie :* 119 Min
*Average vote of movie :* 8.9
*Youtube ID of movie :* 2bqh-... more »
On Literature & J.M. Keynes: Standing Upright Here
*This is a guest post by **Mark Hubbard** from his **Life Behind the IRon
Drape** blog. He reckons it’s his biggest, brightest, best and most
important post ever – and these few words here are just a taste…*
*‘Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art – the
art of words.' - *Ursula Le Guin
*‘Not I, some child born in a marvellous year, Will learn the trick of
standing upright here.’ *- from the Allen Curnow poem "The Skeleton of the
Great Moa in the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch"
From time to time on my blog I ramble through matters literary. In m... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 3, 2014
*U.S. Walks Fine, Awkward Line When Addressing Iranian Airstrikes In Iraq
-- Dan Lamonthe, Washington Post*
Iranian fighter jets are now said to be bombing the Islamic State militant
group in Iraq. It’s an escalation in Tehran’s presence there — and a
development that has forced U.S. officials to walk a fine line while
addressing it.
The latest example came Wednesday, when Secretary of State John F. Kerry
was asked if he was aware of any Iranian airstrikes in Iraq, and whether he
thought they were helpful in the fight against the militants. He declined
to confirm whether any occu... more »
US Considers "safe zone" aka Kurdistan expansion in Syria
*Expanding the war on Syria works out so well for the Israeli/Kurdish tag
team.*
Just ignore the spin from Washington Post about creating a * "safe zone",*
anyone who has been reading here would or should know, this is about
creating Kurdistan. A nation born of political expediency, same as Israel.
*U.S. considers opening new front against Islamic State to create a safe
zone in Syria*
Creating a "safe zone"- Gives one the warm fuzzies, no?
So let's read all about it!
The Obama administration is weighing the* opening of a new front i*n the
air war against the Islamic State in Syria... more »
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