7:32am MST
A U.S. soldier kneels at the memorial for Army Sgt. 1st Class Ramon Morris
and Spc. Wyatt Martin on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2014. The
soldier is assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Maj.
Vance Trenke
AP:
*US off war footing at year's end, but wars go on*
*WNU Editor:* I definitely do not see any light at the end of the tunnel.
Guess Who's Watching The Hen House?
During the election, we talked a bit about how the CIA and other spy
agencies worked hard it insert their own operatives into Congress as
members, with the object of getting control over oversight of their own
agencies. There were some successes (William Hurd in Texas) and some
failures (Kevin Strouse and Bobby McKenzie) but electing Members of
Congress isn't the only way the National Security State can keep control of
their shit. This week, investigative journalist Lee Fang, resting for *Republic
Report*, exposed another: high-paid lobbyists being hired by Intelligence
shills to ... more »
Top 100 Independent Tweeting Bloggers 2014
I know at least two people have been looking forward to this year's
independent bloggers' list. Sure, it's a bit different from the
curmudgeonly elder sibling, but that's all for the good. Here's where
blogging folk are keeping it real and (mostly) doing it because it's a
passion, not a payslip. If you want to geek out over definitions have a look
at last year's. If the commentators list is the top 40 as revealed by Radio
1 every Sunday afternoon, then think of this as your alternative/indie
chart tucked away in the pages of the *NME*.
Enough of that. Here's the list for 2014. How ... more »
Breaking: New Year dawns on schedule!
*THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015With us in a distant locale:* Yesterday, we
journeyed to the Hudson Valley to attend a bit of a memorial service.
The new year has dawned bright and clear in this locale. With apologies, we
expect to resume our current series on Saturday.
Untitled
*Climate change caused the AirAsia crash*
*You knew it, didn't you?*
The AirAsia jet in which 162 people lost their lives this week behaved in
ways "bordering on the edge of logic" according to Indonesian aviation
analyst Gerry Soejatman citing leaked information from the air crash
investigation team.
The Airbus 320-200 climbed in a way that was impossible to achieve by the
pilot, adding that it subsequently "didn't fall out of the sky like an
aeroplane", he told Fairfax Media.
"It was like a piece of metal being thrown down. It's really hard to
comprehend … The way it goes down... more »
Ukraine - Russia Situation - After the travails of 2014 , what lies ahead for 2015 ? Recent items of note touching upon the complicated geopolitical situation of Russia and Ukraine.
Tweets......
*zerohedge* @zerohedge · 11h11 hours ago
Guest Post: 2014 - A Russian Viewpoint http://www.
zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-31/guest-post-2014-russian-viewpoint …
*Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehner · 43m43 minutes ago
#Lithuania Adopts #Euro as #Russia Worries Rattle Baltics. Draghi Says Euro
Area Will Benefit From Lithuania. http://bloom.bg/1vuZaYi
*Bloomberg Business*
[image: View this content on business's website]
Lithuania Adopts Euro as Russia Worries Rattle Baltics
By *Bloomberg Business* @business
Lithuanians celebrated with fireworks and toasted champagn... more »
Untitled
*Student, 13, Shares Lunch, Gets Detention *
A 13-year-old boy at Weaverville Elementary School in California shared his
school lunch — a chicken burrito — with his friend who was hungry. For
this, he got detention. The food-sharing miscreant, Kyle Bradford, told
KRCRTV:
“It seemed like he couldn’t get a normal lunch so I just wanted to give
mine to him because I wasn’t really that hungry and it was just going to go
in the garbage if I didn’t eat it,” said Bradford.
But the Trinity Alps Unified School District has regulations that
prohibit students from sharing their mea... more »
Election Expulsions
[image: DSC03693]
*Bike paths to nowhere: this boondoggle travels along the HSR right of way
in Miaoli for a kilometer and then dies. Brilliant.*
Sorry about the light blogging, but I am swamped with work.
Well, it's a new year, but same old politics. First, Clara Chou, the talk
show host who accused the President of getting under the table money, six
million US bucks worth, from the Ting Hsin Group, has been expelled from
the KMT. The TT reports:
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday denied media personality
Clara Chou (周玉蔻) a chance to present herself at the party’s Centra... more »
Echo Chambers
Just a passing thought about the BBC News website's busy *Echo Chambers *
blog.
It's strapline is "Blogging global opinion, clearly" and its "About this
Blog" mission statement reads:
Echo Chambers unscrambles the noise of the global debate, from social media
to scholarly journals, Kansas City to Kathmandu.
Well, let's just put it this way: You won't read much from Kathmandu at *Echo
Chambers. *It's Kansas City all the way, being almost entirely a blog about
the U.S.A.
It's strapline should, therefore, be changed to "Blogging U.S. opinion,
clearly" and its "About this Blog" missio... more »
Iraq / Syria Regional War ( January 1 , 2015 ) - Battlefield and political news of note touching on Iraq and Syria .....
Links.....
*Can ISIS Extend Current Momentum In 2015?*
*Shi'ite Militias Redraw the Map in Central Iraq*
*Jordan Stopped ISIS Airstrikes After Pilot's Capture*
*US Begins Training Recruits; 231 Killed Across Iraq*
Syria Rebels: Obama Administration Ignored Early Plan to Stop ISIS
Is ISIS Winning Battle for Islamic Radicals' Hearts and Minds?
British Woman Held Over Syria Terror Offenses
Tweets....
*Rudaw English* @RudawEnglish · 3h3 hours ago
Pictures of #Peshmerga-ISIS confrontations on New Year's Eve http://
fb.me/77n3ZkQ95
*Rudaw English* @RudawEnglish · 3h3 hours ago
#S... more »
Tugging at the heartstrings
Here's a well-made point from Biased BBC:
deegee
December 31, 2014 at 12:50 pm
[image: Child-with-flag.png]
The BBC ends the year as it intends to continue. Above is a screen grab
from the BBC News homepage (International edition). Surely this fails every
test for neutrality? The ‘brave’ child with the Palestinian flag
‘confronts’ armed Israeli soldiers. Tugs at your heartstrings.
Some might call that *child abuse* but in reality the child was in no
danger unless, of course, someone off camera decides to up the ante. I
would call it blatant propaganda.
UN Security Council rejects Pal... more »
Here's to 2015!
Well, here it is then, 2015. Hope it's a good one!
*****
BBC Radio 4 is beginning the year by paying handsome tribute to one of its
star presenters, James Naughtie.
In honour of his famously long and elaborate questions on *Today* - each
consisting of a minimum of six sentences, an-over-50-words-long main clause
and at least 30 subordinates clauses - the station is broadcasting a
day-long dramatisation of the book which the *Today* man's questions most
frequently bring to the listener's mind: Tolstoy's *War and Peace*.
*War and P*e*ace *is often said to have a conservative bias ... more »
Happy New Year!
A.D. 2014 has been a great year. First of all, my mother celebrated her
69th birthday on December 6th. In 2005, when she was 59, she went missing
for a week during Hurricane Katrina. When the storm hit, she was alone at
my sister’s house in Meraux, which filled with water in five minutes as […]
I Survived Another Happy New Year!
WNU Editor: Groannnn .... I am getting too old for this .... blogging will
resume when I wake up.
Cartoon For Today
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)*
Videos: The Strength of The Egyptian Military In Egyptian Politics And Its Controversial Reconciliation With Qatar
*"Supporters of Egypt's military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi set fire to a
Qatari national flag during a demonstration outside the Qatari embassy in
Cairo on November 30, 2013 (AFP Photo/Mahmoud Khaled)" [Source: AFP,
"Egypt, Qatar plan reconciliation summit: diplomat" December 24, 2014].*
*Title: Mona El-Ghobashy on the Egyptian Military's Role in Curtailing
Democratization. Source: DU Center for Middle East Studies. Date Published:
September 21, 2014. Description:*
CMES Director Nader Hashemi sits down with Mona El-Ghobashy, former
Assistant Professor at Barnard College, to discus... more »
Johnny Palacios Hidalgo - natural surrealism - sublime
*Peruvian painter Johnny Palacios Hidalgo [1970] was born in Lima, Peru and
studied art between 1988-1998 in the National Art Museum and the National
School of Fine Arts.* [source TUTTART]
The only thing Free Planet can say about Johnny's work is, "Sublime."
Did President Obama Free A Nuclear Terrorist From Guantanamo?
*Photo:* Former Gitmo detainee Mohammad Zahir
*Frontpage Magazine:* *Obama Frees a Nuclear Terrorist*
*WNU Editor:* The 4 Guantanamo detainees who were recently released to
Afghanistan were let go on the recommendation of the Guantanamo Review Task
Force who deemed them .... "cleared for release." The implication is that
they had been "cleared" of any wrongdoing and their release is risk-free.
Apparently that is not true.
The Long War Journal did some digging and found a very different story .... *4
Gitmo detainees transferred to Afghanistan are veteran insurgents, files
allege*.... more »
Free Planet resolution - Pancakes Tomorrow - real life choices
*image from Bee Movie (2007)*"Pancakes Tomorrow," that's what I said last
night, and I meant it.
Pancakes, here in England, is not something one normally has for breakfast.
But last night I made the effort to 'make it happen'. I had the recipe, I
had the ingredients, I had the Canadian maple syrup. I had the intention to
make pancakes.
Well, I didn't. The wife did. She did all the work on this one. *Pancakes
Tomorrow* was her idea. But it was a revelation (and, by jove, they were
tasty) in the sense that it was one of those moments in life where you
go... a Road to Damascus moment... more »
Government austerity cuts are being carried out without thought or care. So say top civil servants with no axe to grind. What are you going to do about it in this General Election Year?
The
Welfare State was hard won by generations of Britons before us. It is
as much an inherited right as is the unearned income received by some
from their inherited property and financial assets.
Doubtless the Welfare State can be reformed and improved. However,
evidence from independent top civil servants shows government reforms of
the Welfare State are not driven by well considered
When Worlds Collide.
World-views anyway.
Here are two therapeutic handbooks, both widely used in psychological
counseling.
The first is
The Christian World View of Psychology and Counseling
www.reformation.net/COR_Docs/Christian_Worldview_Psychology.pdf
Mr. George C. Scipione, Th.M., M.A., Chairman
Dr. Lawrence Crabb, Ph.D., Co-Chairman
Dr. Ed Payne, M.D., Co-Chairman
With contributions by members of the Psychology and Counseling Committee of
The Coalition on Revival
Dr. Jay Grimstead, D.Min., General Editor
Mr. E. Calvin Beisner, M.A., Assistant to the General Editor
*6. Scientific MethodWe affi... more »
The Pentagon’s Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions
The Pentagon’s New Year’s Resolutions -- Time
You make them, I make them, we all make them…but few of us keep them. In
keeping with the seasonal delusion, let’s imagine our favorite world’s
biggest office building is a sensate creature, and suffered shortcomings
and regrets just like the 25,000 humans who toil there:
Read more ....
My Comment: This list is from 2012 .... but it is still appropriate for
today.
Five Most Popular Posts for December
Most read this last month were:
1. Top 100 Tweeting Politics Commentators 2014
2. *The Sun* vs Russell Brand
3. Man Haron Monis: It's Not About Islam
4. How Not to Start a Trending Topic
5. Market Socialism: Basic Ideas
No prizes for guessing that my annual link-baity list came tops in
December. *It does so every year*. And the rest speak for themselves.
As I'm a touch hung over from last night's festivities, I'll eschew the
usual rambling and leave it there.
CIA Admits That They Were Responsible For At Least HALF Of All UFO Sightings In The 1950's And 60's
#1 most read on our #Bestof2014 list: Reports of unusual activity in the
skies in the '50s? It was us. http://t.co/BKr81M5OUN (PDF 9.26MB)
— CIA (@CIA) December 29, 2014
*Daily Mail:* CIA says at least HALF of all UFO sightings in the 1950's and
60's were spy planes, NOT aliens
*WNU Editor*: OK .... so they were responsible for half .... what about the
other half?
*More News On The CIA Admitting That They Were Responsible For At Least
HALF Of All UFO Sightings In The 1950's And 60's*
CIA Behind UFO Sightings in 1950s and 1960s -- Newsweek
UFO or CIA? Agency takes credit for '50s ... more »
2015: International Year of Light and Soils
*Man's evolving understanding of light*
Welcome to the year 2015 = MMXV = 13*5*31 (it took me a minute to write the
product in this nicely symmetric way). Hours ago, my hometown of Pilsen
(along with Mons, Belgium) became the European Capital of Culture. One of
the minor advantages is that whatever I will write on this blog in this
year will automatically become the official opinion of the European Union.
I could talk for hours about every place shown in this video. For example,
around 2:34-2:36, you see the spot where I enjoyed a collision with a big
dog in the summer. ;-) Big ce... more »
End of year notes
Well, this past year was certainly eventful. Some ups, some downs, some
progress, some setbacks, all of which is to be expected as we continue on
this journey. I'd like to close out 2014 with the following blog post which
will give readers some updates and include some final thoughts for the year
from yours truly. I'll keep this brief.
*First of all*, I am not hosting a radio program at the moment, obviously.
I simply do not have the time in my schedule right now. Also, I've felt a
bit fatigued lately. I just don't have the passion and energy at the
moment, and haven't for at least ... more »
Watch A Stunning Video Of Jets Being Launched From A U.S. Aircraft Carrier
*Business Insider/The Aviationist*:* Stunning GoPro Footage Brings You
Aboard An Aircraft Carrier During Fighter Launches*
*WNU Editor:* When we see airplanes on carriers .... it is usually from the
pilot's perspective. This one is different .... it is from the perspective
of the crew that prepares the jet for its launch.
From *YouTube*: The Catapult Topside Petty Officer's job is to ensure the
safety of all personnel on the flight deck during launching operations, and
to ensure the proper hook-up of the aircraft to the catapult. The video
starts with about one minute until launch... more »
2015 A Pivot Year.
Another year is upon us and in the midst of all the turmoil out there, i
think it is appropriate to make a few important predictions. Quite
honestly the pivot has already occured with the abrupt decline in the price
of oil from $95 to $50. Most expect a recovery. Do not count on it.
Better yet, organize your life to accommodate the removal of oil from all
our lives. Simple mass manufacturing can displace every oil based engine
inside of five years.
There is nothing we do on Earth that is more capable of changing how we all
live than the removal of the oil industry that pre... more »
Harvard Study: This is What Meditation Literally Does to the Brain
Good advice here also. It is really easier than most make it into. we
need to step back and not stress the mind. That is how it really works
best.
What we continue to show is that the process of relaxation and *intention *guides
the brain to enhance itself beneficially. I see no reason to describe this
process any other way. Intent is the one factor that everyone has left out
yet is is obvious.
Intend to become smart and voila, it occurs.
A physical assist is also available by hanging a northward pointing magnet
around your throat to stimulate the pineal g... more »
Problems Continue With The F-35. Program May Be Delayed For Four More Years!
Reuters
*Daily Beast (Dave Majumdar)*: *New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun
Until 2019 *
*WNU Editor*: Apparently the software is 4 years behind!?!?!?! And while
the F-35 will still be armed with missiles, its 25 mm cannon will not be
functional?!?!?! So much for the advocates of this program who have been
stating repeatedly that the F-35 is the *plane of the future for protecting
ground troops .... not the A-10*. More at this link .... *The Air Force's
Rationale For Retiring The A-10 Warthog Is Bullshit* (Fox Trot Alpha).
*More News On The F-35 Program's Problem In Not being ... more »
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Says He Is Open To High Level Talks With South Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the multiple-rocket launching drill
of women's sub-units under KPA Unit 851, in this undated photo released by
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang December 30,
2014. Credit: Reuters/KCNA
*Bloomberg*: *Kim Jong Un Says Open to ‘Highest-Level’ Talks With South
Korea*
*WNU Editor:* This is not the first time that the two Koreas have gone down
this road. if the past is any indication .... my advice will be to now be
optimistic.
*More News On North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Saying He Is Open To High
Level Talks With South... more »
Happy New Year 2015
*WNU Editor*: Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! And my prediction for the
new year is a simple one .... it is going to be an interesting 2015.
Lying Liars Still In Charge (Don't Ask - It's Really A Little Bit Late for the Citizens To Get Incensed) But Some Are Trying To Shine A Light
Happy Birthday, Patti Smith! 2015 will ring in either the wake-up call
we've all been awaiting since the election of our non-progressive nightmare
in 2008 or it will be the final death knell of representative democracy in
the United States of America. And there is nothing that can be done about
it. (If a largely turned-off or apathetic out of political PTSD population
doesn't get involved
The Next Generation Of NYPD Looks To Be About As Rotten As The Current One
Over the past few days we talked about the corrupting nature of the culture
of policing-- from the perspective of victims and from the perspective of good
apple police officers who were sickened by the entire filthy enterprise. By
now, everyone has read about the spoiled brat attitude the police took in
turning their backs on Mayor De Blasio last Saturday at the funeral of
slain policeman Rafael Ramos. Monday, De Blasio spoke at Madison Square
Garden at the graduation ceremonies for 884 new police officers from the
city's Police Academy. The assholes booed and heckled him, while h... more »
Celebrity Deaths 2014 (Video)
*WNU Editor:* I know that this video has nothing to do with wars and
conflicts .... but culture and entertainment does have an impact on all of
our lives .... and this is that one time in the year that this blog
acknowledges it.
Happy New Year To All Of My Readers
I have been laid up, so to speak, for the last few days with one heck of a
cold... But I am a stubborn and persistent blogger, and I want to send this
message off to everyone...
Happy New Year to all of my readers.... I am truly crossing my fingers that
this year will be one of good fortune for everyone.... But with the Jews
and their plans to implode the entire world economy this year, it could be
one of hardship and uncertainty....
Again, let us all hope for the best for this coming year... But always be
prepared for the worst!
More to come
NTS
RT Wraps Up The Events That Shaped 2014 (Video)
*WNU Editor: *A link to even more videos from RT on the events that shaped
2014 *are here*.
Site C Dam Not Required, British Columbia Could Save $15 Billion Dollars
That`s my answer to all provincial political parties, I would never give
money to the corrupt BC Liberal Government or party, the Greens are not a
political force as of yet and the BC NDP is lost in the wilderness,
although that hasn`t stopped them from sending me at least 300 emails in
the last two months asking for money...Requests coming in Carole James,
David Eby, John Horgan`s name and a dozen others, plus continual asks from
the Federal side of the NDP party for casholla....
*The answer is HELL NO...!*
To be perfectly clear, Thomas Mulcair squandered Jack Layton`s foot in t... more »
Sandra Rambler 'Born and Die Apache'
By
Sandra Rambler, San Carlos Apache
Traditionally Speaking
Photo Jennifer Johnson
Apache Messenger
"The words of our ancestors still hold true today, 'You
are born an Apache! You will die as an Apache! Don’t ever act like the
White Man—the enemy!'"
How do you respond to a White Man whose name is Paul Gosar,
an Arizona Congressman who recently said, “
The Tender Carnivore
Paul Shepard was an animal with a PhD who made the astonishing discovery
that he really was an animal, and so was everyone else. This sort of
thinking makes us sweaty and nervous, because we prefer to believe that we
are the creator’s masterpiece — not the cousins of disgusting baboons and
orangutans. It’s insulting to call someone’s kid a cute animal.
Two-legged primates evolved as hunters and gatherers in healthy wild
habitats, living in groups of a dozen or so. These highly intelligent
animals were perfectly at home in natural surroundings, but today’s
two-legs are overwhelme... more »
The 50 Most Unforgettable Photos Of 2014
In June, ISIS took over the Iraqi city of Mosul. Kurdish peshmerga fighters
have led the fight against ISIS in Iraq. Here, a fighter held a grenade
launcher overlooking the edge of Mosul in September.
*WNU Editor:* The link to these 50 photos* is here*.
*Update: *Photographers Reveal The Stories Behind 2014's Most Powerful
Pictures (Business Insider).
"Party Like It's 1969!"; plus five New Year's wishes
*AMC sez, "Party Like It's 1969":* *This is no ordinary New Year's
libation. It's the Mad Men Champagne Cocktail.*
*by Ken*
From the folks at Mad Men Social Club (links onsite):
*The Mad Men Cocktail Guide: Party Like It's 1969!*
Want to make this evening's New Year's Eve bash a memorable one? Ditch the
pedestrian champagne flutes and mix things up with the *Mad Men* Cocktail
Guide. From Gimlets to Greyhounds, Mai Tais to Manhattans, you'll find
inspiration, ingredients, and instructions that'll have you ready for a
midnight toast to remember all year long. So when it's time to be... more »
U.S. Department of Defense: 2014 Year In Photos
U.S. special forces soldiers provide security while an Afghan special
forces soldier directs other Afghan soldiers during a firefight with
insurgents in the Gelan district in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, Feb. 8,
2014. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. David Devich
*WNU Editor*: The link to this impressive photo gallery *is here.*
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, folks!
Wishing you the very best in 2015, and thank you all for stopping by!
Dec. 31: "Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow"
"Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time;"
The lines above are proof that William Shakespeare must have read the
Irving press every day. That is probably why he became aware of creeping
in this petty pace.
The editorial advises us to "..reflect on 2014'. But the reflection is
pretty narrow, strictly local, stuff. The whole thing is really just
staring at the editor's unattractive belly button. Its closing advice is to
start a new slate to find solutions to issues. How's that for thoughtful
and precise advice?
And we all know that if anybod... more »
The White House Releases 'Best Photos Of 2014'
"The President sits for a 3D portrait being produced by the Smithsonian
Institution. There were so many cameras and strobe lights flashing but the
end result was kind of cool. See the video at here."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
*WNU Editor:* The White House link *is here*.
*Update #1:* From President Obama's emotional embrace with an Ebola
survivor to the First Lady's trip to China with her daughters: The White
House releases best photos of 2014 -- Daily Mail
*Update #2:* Bill Murray, Corvettes, and 3D portraits: these are the White
House's photos of the year -- The ... more »
NY Theater
My family and I have spent the past several days in New York City enjoying
some theater (and fine dining). We much enjoyed *A Gentleman's Guide to
Love and Murder*. But the revival of *Cabaret* with Emma Stone as Sally
Bowles and Alan Cumming as the Emcee was amazing. It is open only for a few
more months. I strongly recommend you see it if you can.
The Verge 50: The Most Important People Of 2014 (Video)
*WNU Editor:* A non-political/non-business list of the top 50 for 2014.
A Look At Some Of The Top Stories Of 2014
*Top News Stories For 2014*
World in 2014: the stories of the year -- The Telegraph
The Top 5 Events of 2014 -- George Friedman, Stratfor
Year in Review: The Top Stories of 2014 -- NBC
2014 Year in Review: The Events That Shaped a Turbulent Year -- Wall Street
Journal
Top International Stories of the Year 2014 -- Chosun Ilbo
2014: not such a bad year after all -- The Guardian
What (not) to look forward to in 2015: ISIS, life on Mars, Europe's mood --
Tim Lister, CNN
Here are the top military stories on Checkpoint in 2014 -- Washington Post
Stripes.com's top 10 most read stories... more »
man's failure
All war
is a symptom
of man's failure
as a thinking animal.
John Steinbeck
Musical Interlude: 2002, “Falling Through Time”
2002, “Falling Through Time”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn5SjXaxc74
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Drifting through the one-horned constellation Monoceros, these dusty
streamers and new born stars are part of the active Monoceros R2
star-forming region, embedded in a giant molecular cloud. The cosmic scene
was recorded by the VISTA survey telescope in near-infrared light. Visible
light images show dusty NGC 2170, seen here just right of center, as a
complex of bluish reflection nebulae.
*Click image for larger size.*
But this penetrating near-infrared view reveals telltale signs of ongoing
star formation and massive young stars otherwise hidden by the dust.
Energetic winds and r... more »
The Poet: John Gillespie Magee, Jr., "High Flight"
*"High Flight"*
"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent lifting mind I have t... more »
"Pass It On..."
"Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on;
'Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on;
Let it travel down the years,
Let it wipe another's tears.
Pass it on."
- Rev. Henry Burton
"Our Best Choice..."
"Good or bad, everything we do is our best choice at that moment."
- William Glasser
"Free Downloads: The Books Of Paulo Coelho"
*“Asking Questions”*
by Paulo Coelho
"Warriors of light always keep a certain gleam in their eyes. They are of
this world, they are part of the lives of other people and they set out on
their journey with no saddlebags and no sandals. They are often cowardly.
They do not always make the right decisions. They suffer over the most
trivial things, they have mean thoughts and sometimes believe they are
incapable of growing. They frequently deem themselves unworthy of any
blessing or miracle. They are not always quite sure what they are doing
here. They spend many sleepless nights, beli... more »
"And This Is The Weaving Of Human Living..."
"...and this is the weaving of human living:
of whose fabric each individual is a part;
each is intimately connected with the
bottom and the extremist reach of time:
and not one of these things nor one of these persons
is ever quite to be duplicated or replaced:
but each is a new and incommunicably tender life,
wounded in every breath, sustaining for a while,
without defense, the enormous assaults of the universe."
- James Agee,
"Now Let Us Praise Famous Men"
The Daily "Near You?"
Coppenbrügge, Niedersachsen, Germany.
Thanks for stopping by.
"Even The Biggest Failure..."
"The early bird catches the worm; a stitch in time saves nine. He who
hesitates is lost. We can't pretend we haven't been told. We've all heard
the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us
about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to ‘seize the day'. Still
sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes.
We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility
under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore, until we finally understand
for ourselves like Benjamin Franklin meant. That knowing is better than
wonder... more »
"Only This Moment..."
"Begin doing what you want to do now.
We are not living in eternity.
We have only this moment,
sparkling like a star in our hand-
and melting like a snowflake..."
- Marie Beyon Ray
"The Power..."
“If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on
behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with
the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine
yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it
will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but
thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change. We
do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need
inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”
— J. K. Rowling... more »
Creative Consumer Network: LIVE STREAMING alternative media in 5, 4, 3......
In 15 minutes the Creative Consumer Network will be going live, and we will
be live streaming our welcome at midnight GMT!!!
CCN: CREATIVE CONSUMER NETWORK: is going live January 1, 2015 at Midnight
GMT (4 PM PST/7 PM EST on Dec. 31)
Livestreaming of the Alternative Media for the Awakening Mind
WATCH CCN LIVE
http://www.consciousconsumernetwork.tv/
Selma
Johnson Conversation with Martin Luther King on Jan 15, 1965 (WH6501.04)
Listen:
Download: WAV MP3
Browse Johnson Finding Aids
Tape: WH6501.04
Conversation: 6736
Date: January 15, 1965
Details: Martin Luther King
Transcript:
*In responding to Dr. King's suggestion for the appointment of African
American to a Cabinet-level post, Johnson laid out his priorities on racial
matters, particularly in legislation and in Cabinet-level appointments.
Johnson and King discuss the importance of the Voting Rights Act in the
context of much broader legislation to help black Americans, especia... more »
Crackpot Utopia: The Year in Republican Crazy, Part 9
*• Pompous Blowhard of the Year Award: Bill O'Reilly• FOX "News" announces
new spinoff: The FOX Benghazi™ Shopping Channel!• Crazyspeak of the Year
nominee No. 11: DiGiorno Pizza*
*In Crackpot Utopia it was still the Year of Benghazi -- see No. 2.*
*Crackpot Utopia:* *A dream world as envisioned by republicans; a
manifestation or expression of the deranged, warped alternate universe
inhabited by republicans, at least in their minds. See also: Bachmannism,
Boehneresque.*
*by Noah*
*1. Pompous Blowhard of the Year Award: Bill O'Reilly*
When I thought about who deserved this awar... more »
The Top 10 Most Popular Natural Health Stories of 2014
*Anthony Gucciardi* - 2014 was a year full of victory, disturbing news, and
amazing findings in the world of natural health. Already, it’s easy to see
that 2015 will be even more interesting and eventful...
The post The Top 10 Most Popular Natural Health Stories of 2014 appeared
first on Waking Times.
5 Ways to Stay Mindful in 2015
*Jennifer Sodini* - In order to stay strong, practicing mindfulness is an
excellent way to integrate the lessons of 2014 in to 2015, and the list
below contains 5 ways stay mindful in the year ahead.
The post 5 Ways to Stay Mindful in 2015 appeared first on Waking Times.
Top 14 Post of 2014
I can't believe 2014 is already over. It was a crazy year for Housewife
Eclectic. Lots of fun projects and recipes. Frozen was a big part of
Housewife Eclectic this year, as was Doctor Who. What would blogging be
without a little geek throw in? Here are the top posts of 2014 in no
particular order.
My daughter loves these Elsa and Anna Hair Bows. We still live and breathe
Frozen.
Technically part of 2013, this post went live just about a week before the
end of last year and it was far and away the most popular this year. Who
doesn't want an Frozen Anna Cloak?
We went on a crazy ... more »
Peace in the New Year!
Checking in from the Crooked River State Park next to the King's Bay
nuclear submarine base on the Georgia-Florida border. We vigiled at the
front gate of the navy base yesterday as workers were going home. I handed
out quite a few leaflets to drivers as I stood in the concrete strip in the
middle of the road in the lane exiting the base. Folks had to wait at a
traffic light so it was hard to avoid me. About a dozen of us were spread
out on various corners with signs, banners, and leaflets. I only received
3-4 negative responses as I kept wishing the drivers a Happy New Year.... more »
"How It Really Is"
Oh, if you "liked" 2014 you're just gonna *LOVE* 2015...
50 postales de Año Nuevo 2015 con nombres de personas para compartir
[image: 2015 Free Pictures]
[image: Año Nuevo 2015]
Esta es una MEGA colección de postales de año nuevo con nombres de
personas. Si no encuentra su nombre, puede solicitarlo en los comentarios
de Facebook aquí abajito. Gracias por ser parte de nuestra comunidad. ¡Feliz
Año Nuevo 2015!
Iraq / Syria Regional War Report ( December 26 - 27 , 2014 ) - Round of news and views touching on Regional War ..... Persistent report ( which might be dead wrong , but for what it's worth ) involves US accused of repeatedly dropping supplies and arms to ISIS positions in Iraq ( Iraq MP Hasan Salem ) ...... US withdraws advisors / personnel from Al Assad Airbase in Anbar Province ..... Jordan pilot ejected over Syria after technical failure , not hit by ISIS operated weapons ..... Special Focus on Aleppo , Syria battleground......
Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
Links....
*ISIS Has Governing Woes, But Retains Territory*
*US Massing Thousands of Vehicles in Kuwait for ISIS War*
*Syria Kills 50 in Airstrikes on ISIS-Held Towns*
*Rebels in Syria's Aleppo Announce 'Total Merger'*
*Kurds Kill 44 ISIS Fighters in Northeast Syria*
*US Preparing Surge of Military Contractors to Iraq*
*Iraqi Police: US Airstrike Kills ISIS Governor of Mosul*
Syria's War Enters New Year More Fragmented Than Ever
Turkey, Iraq Pledge More Military Cooperation in Fight Against ISIS
Lebanon's Hezbollah Detains 'Israeli Spy' in Its Ranks
Tweets......
*Rekka* @Rekka_K · ... more »
2015 Prediction: More Agent Provocateurs, Double Agents and Triple Double-Crossers
*Double agent draws gun on* *crowd after being outed at Berkley protests*
My mother had a "saying' for every occasion. Wise words drawn from history
or experience that served as cautionary lessons for her children. One of
them was, *"There's no honour amongst thieves"*. (Loosely drawn from
Shakespeare's Falstaff in *Henry 1V, Part I*). When a person or a nation
does not obey the law...they cannot be trusted by *anyone*, including their
fellow scofflaws.
Double agents surrounded us in 2014. We had the above "outing" of a double
agent at a demonstration in Berkley, California. ... more »
The Economy: Greg Hunter, “Rick Ackerman: ‘We are Definitely in a House of Cards Situation’”
*“Rick Ackerman: *
*‘We are Definitely in a House of Cards Situation’”*
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
“Financial analyst and newsletter writer Rick Ackerman is no stranger to
contrarian calls. At the beginning of 2014, he said forget about rising
interest rates because they were going down. They did. Now, Ackerman
predicts rates will go lower and will stay low for a long time. Ackerman
explains, “My perspective is that of a deflationist, and it’s been easy for
me to see. Even though we have inflation in certain things, the much bigger
picture is deflationary. *It is that huge $1 ... more »
Obamacare: “Again, An Admission You Were SCAMMED”
*“Again, An Admission You Were SCAMMED”*
by Karl Denninger
“And where are you, Boobus Americanus? You're not in the streets. You're
not picketing both the White House and The House of Representatives, nor
the Senate. You're not in front of Pelosi's home, or Boehner's, or any of
the other Congresscritters.
You're going to get drunk tonight, aren't you?
Good- go celebrate your consent to being robbed. Oh sure, you were robbed
by a thief in the night originally, but now you've consented to the
continued theft that flows into the coffers of the medical and insurance
"industries", lev... more »
Satire: “House Majority Whip Calls For Clearer Labeling Of White Supremacists”
*“House Majority Whip Calls For Clearer Labeling Of White Supremacists”*
by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “House Majority Whip Steve Scalise
(R-La.) said on Tuesday that he would introduce a new bill requiring
clearer labeling of white supremacists.The White Supremacist Labelling Act
of 2015 would require white supremacists to wear 4-inch-by-6-inch name tags
clearly designating them as members of an official hate group. “Right now,
it’s impossible to tell the difference between neo-Nazis and collectors of
WWII memorabilia,” Scalise said.
The Louisiana congressman ... more »
2015- A Happy New Year? A Year Humanity Takes Charge!
2015- what will it bring?
I admit to having not good feelings about 2015. Plenty of situations
ongoing.
*Ukraine*, *Turkey Pt 1 & Pt. 2*, *Syria.* Oil Prices. Russia. Banks.
Bail ins. NATO global tyranny. Etc.,
Rather then focus on the negative, let’s look at the positive aspects the
worsening global situation is bringing to fruition.
I've definitely come away with the impression that global awareness of the
psychopathy of those we have allowed to lead is has grown, greatly! Humans
are realizing a predator is stalking them. The human species is now moving
into the action s... more »
Driving In Costa Rica, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Driving in Costa Rica is.................interesting.
I found out from a friend recently that there are no driver's training
courses here. It is very apparent when driving, and Kurt and I only drive
from our house to town, which is about three miles away, only about 1 on
the highway. Here are some strange things you will encounter in Costa Rica
while driving. And for those of you who use your phone while driving? Not
even possible here with all the driving distractions.
1. People do not use blinkers. And those that do generally turn them on
to turn the opposite of which way t... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 31, 2014
*Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 31, 2014*
The Afghan war that didn't really end yesterday ended in defeat -- Dan
Murphy, CSM
Afghanistan ends 2014 with mix of violence, hope -- Lynne O'Donnell, AP
Obama Envoy John Allen: No 'Short-Term Solutions' for Stopping Islamic
State -- Interview Conducted By Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark, Spiegel
Online
The end of Christian communities in Iraq? -- Trudy Rubin, Stars and
Stripes/The Philadelphia Inquirer
Gaza Is Nowhere -- Roger Cohen, NYT
Mere borders will not contain Yemen’s wars -- Faisal Al Yafai, The National
... more »
How to Know Happiness
*Susan V. Ferguson*The realization that you never die changes your entire
attitude towards living and you have the opportunity to become less
attached to the perils, failures, and successes of your current identity
self...
The post How to Know Happiness appeared first on Waking Times.
The Face of Resistance: Censored News 2014
Thank you to all the photographers who contributed to Censored News!
Oil price war with Latin America threatens Canada’s oil patch?
*A price war is brewing* between Canada and Latin America over who will
satisfy U.S. Gulf Coast refiners’ hunger for heavy oil.
[image: Bank of Canada]
*The new Seaway Twin pipeline* will almost double the amount of heavy
Canadian crude coming to Gulf terminals and plants to about 400,000 barrels
a day starting in January, according to Calgary-based based ARC Financial
Corp. The shipments are growing even without the Keystone XL pipeline,
which has been delayed for six years because of environmental opposition.
Keystone,or a reasonable facsimile, will be come to pass...
The Canadi... more »
Jay Dyer - Dialectic Enlightenment & The Entertainment Industrial Complex
*This was a very timely interview, *considering the* psyop* movie *"The
Interview"* - *"The Interview" It is America and Americans that should be
offended !*
Then becoming aware of the true meaning of the word- *entertainment:*
"Entertainment"
PennyDecember 28, 2014 at 1:16 PM
Just as a point of interest I looked up the etymology of the word entertain
It seems interesting containing 'enter' and 'tain' the enter to me speaks
of entering your mind and the tain- searched that out
latin 'teneo', I hold. so it seemed it would suggest holding your mind? and
sure enough...
http://www.... more »
Artist Lecture - Robert Nickelsberg: Afghanistan: A Distant War
*Title: Artist Lecture - Robert Nickelsberg: Afghanistan: A Distant War.
Source: CUNYQueensborough. Date Published: October 7, 2014. Description:*
Renowned photographer Robert Nickelsberg will address the brutality and
suffering amid the stunning beauty of the convulsions that have devasted
Afghanistan.
The lecture will include an extraordinary portfolio of images, accompanied
by incisive commentary, that explain the country's tragic history.
Sponsored by the QCC Art Gallery and Military and Veterans Services.
"Nickelsberg, a photographer, came to Afghanistan for the first time i... more »
World News Briefs -- December 31, 2014
*MIDDLE EAST*
U.S.-led forces launch *10 air strikes in Syria, Iraq*.
Syria Kurds control *70 percent of besieged Kobani: monitor*.
Kurds in new Islamic State *group offensive in Iraq*.
Iraqi forces *'recapture Dhuluiya from Islamic State'*.
Shi'ite militias expand influence, *redraw map in central Iraq*.
Houthis killed in *Yemen suicide bombing*. At least 23 killed in Yemen
suicide bombing: *state news agency*.
Palestinians join* International Criminal Court*. Palestinians* decide to
join ICC*.
Netanyahu threatens *Israeli response to ICC approach*.
Iran says new U.S. sanction... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 31, 2014
A Canadian Army crewman stands inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter flying
over Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, July 5, 2011. (BAZ
RATNER/BAZ RATNER/REUTERS)
*Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 31, 2014*
Iran and Iraq Deepen Defense Ties, Sign Pact -- Defense News
Iran in new deal to boost Iraq army -- Al Arabiya/AFP
Iranian Navy's AB-212 Helicopters Destroy Targets in Massive Wargames --
Fars News Agency
Russian Naval Destroyer Leaves English Channel, Enters North Sea -- Sputnik
Russia's second Black Sea Fleet Varshavyanka sub to take northern deepwater
tr... more »
Censored News 2014: Defending the Sacred and Exposing the Exploiters
Censored
News Photos
Around the world, the struggle to defend Mother Earth and human rights,
and expose the exploiters is maintained by the good hearts as a sacred
trust
by Brenda Norrell
Censored News
The year of 2014 was a difficult one for many, and the struggles to
defend the earth and defend human rights were fought with sacrifice
around the world. The most viewed articles at
The Testing Front for 2015 Will Not Be About Annual Testing
Reading a piece in Politico this morning by Caitlin Emma puts into focus a
number of potential developments for the lucrative world of testing
accountability in 2015. There is, of course, the Republican feint led by
the ethically-challenged Lamar Alexander, who is trying to cut a deal with
the ethically-challenged Rhonda Weingarten to get approval on a new ESEA
reauthorization that would hasten the charter takeover.
Will Weingarten cut a deal to reduce the number of tests in exchange for
support of Alexander's plan to kill Title I by passing the money down to
his red state cronie... more »
5 Trends You Will See Intensify in 2015
*Marco Torres & Michael Forrester* - Those who want change are putting
their neck out and standing up for what they believe in. Others are
satisfied with following the blind...
The post 5 Trends You Will See Intensify in 2015 appeared first on Waking
Times.
Jordan Has Suspended Military Actions Against The Islamic State Since The Capture Of Its Pilot
*The Hill:* *Official: Jordan halts ISIS strikes after capture*
*WNU Editor:* The wrong message to send to the Islamic State .... but I
guess there is a lot of internal politics at play within Jordan
*Update:* Jordan Stops Bombing ISIS After Jet Goes Down In Syria (NPR)
The Taliban Are At The Gates Of Kabul
*Washington Post:* *Kabul was eerie and dangerous under the Taliban. It
feels that way again*.
*WNU Editor:* A depressing read from the Washington Post .... and probably
very accurate. The above video is from Al Jazeera .... and it is discussion
on what is the future of Afghanistan.
What is my prediction .... when the winter season is over and the opium
harvest has been brought in .... the war in Afghanistan is going to erupt
to a level not seen since the Taliban came to power. Do not be surprise if
a major city .... like Kandahar .... is hit with continuous and bloody
warfare.
Report: U.S. Wants To Re-Engage With Russia
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Reuters/Kevin
Lamarque)
*Bloomberg (Josh Rogin)*: *Inside Obama’s Secret Outreach to Russia*
*WNU Editor: *It is not going to happen .... and the reason why comes down
to trust .... both sides do not trust each other. My prediction .... U.S. -
Russian relations are going to be in the "toilet" for a long time, and will
continue to be there long after the crisis in Ukraine has come to past.
The Muslim Churchill: His Greatest Quotes
*Today, the New World Order is waging Global War on Islam (GWOI) launched
by the satanic 9/11 inside job. Yet any Muslim who advocates self-defense,
even in the most tepid language, risks being sent to Guantanamo.*
*Below are some Churchill quotes to inspire those defending Islam. (And
I'm not talking about CIA/Mossad mercenaries like the idiots of ISIS and
Beaucoup Haram.) *
*For the source of the quotes, see:
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/12/31/muslim-churchill/*
*Quotes by the Islamic Churchill*
"It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in
do... more »
Untitled
*New Year's Eve brings warning for those planning to use Uber in New
Orleans ~WDSU*
*French Quarter signs attest to jitters over violent crime ~Caitlan
McNally, N.O. Advocate *
*Lafitte Greenway to open in Spring 2015 ~Jeanie Riese, Gambit*
*Tonight: 15 New Year's Eve concerts in New Orleans ~Gambit *
Standing Up For Ed Snowden?
Saturday we asked if you would hide Ed Snowden in your home, to protect him
from the American National Security State, the way heroes during World War
II hid Jews and Resistance fighters from the Nazis at great personal risk.
Before Snowden was granted asylum in Russia-- provoking the CIA coup in
Ukraine and American sanctions that are destroying Russia's economy-- he
addressed a handful of Russian officials, lawyers and human rights advocacy
organizations on July 12 at Sheremetyevo Airport. As a follow-up to
Saturday's post, I'd like to offer Snowden's verbatim address:
Hello. ... more »
Terror in the Big Apple
When two New York City police officers were shot to death this month, they
were parked in front of a public housing project during an anti-terrorism
training exercise. That just about says it all.
Cop union boss Patrick Lynch is actually correct about there being a war in
the Big Apple. But it's not only a war of the cops against a liberal
Democratic mayor and against the people protesting police brutality. It's
the war of neoliberalism against the poor and working classes, and it's
been going on for decades. The cops function to ease the gentrification
process, and to contain the d... more »
Oliver Stone: The CIA's 'Fingerprints' Are All Over Ukraine
Oliver Stone with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Facebook
*Hollywood Reporter*: *Oliver Stone on Ukraine Protests: "The Truth Is Not
Being Aired in the West"*
*WNU Editor: *Oliver Stone's Facebook post on this topic *is here*. Not
surprising .... the comments thread is overwhelmingly negative.
What is my take .... while it is true that the U.S. has been involved in
shaping Ukrainian politics for years .... *Senior U.S. Diplomat Admits That
The U.S. Has Spent $5 Billion To Influence The Ukrainian Government* ....
it is also true that this part of the world has seen it... more »
Yankton Sioux seeks dismissal of Transcanada's KXL tarsands permit
Faith Spotted Eagle
YANKTON SIOUX, IHANKTONWAN, SEEKS DISMISSAL OF TRANSCANADA’S BID FOR SD PUC PERMIT STATUS ON JANUARY 6, 2014
By YANKTON SIOUX TRIBE
Thomasina Realbird, Yankton Sioux
Faith Spotted Eagle, Ihanktonwan Treaty Chair
Censored News
Wednesday, December 31, 2015
YANKTON SIOUX NATION -- In a determined move, the Yankton Sioux Tribe will square off with Transcanada on
.jpg)
2,000,000!
Inexplicata Podcasts covering items from UFO / paranormal history in Spain,
Latin America and the Caribbean
Living With Falling Oil
By now it's no secret that the declining price of oil and introduced a
certain level of economic uncertainly as we close out the year. I won't
pretend to be an expert on the economics of it all but for the curious I
will say that while I find it concerning and I find myself paying careful
attention to it these days, I'm not overly worried or freaking out things.
I can only give the perspective of one person working in the heart of
Canada's oil patch here. Work has slowed down in recent weeks but part of
that was due of course to the Christmas holiday. I try to keep my nose to
gr... more »
The Syrian Regine Is Running Out Of Soldiers
Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Business Insider: *The Assad Regime Is Running Low On Soldiers*
*My Comment:* Introducing conscription in order to have enough soldiers to
fight in this messy and horrific civil war is not going to go over well
.... especially when one looks at the high casualty rates for those who
have served (100,000 killed in the past 3 1/2 years .... a force of 300,000
at the beginning of he conflict .... to a force of 150,000 today). People
are now getting tired of this civil war .... *Some Alawites are beginning
to question their support for Syria’s Assad* (Wash... more »
Top ten things you need to know about 2015
1) Oil prices defying gravity giving rise to to a worldwide thinking that
something about pricing is out of control. More importantly than that there
has to be a big back story to this collapse. I was a bleiber in peak oil
and that has to say the least not been the trend, and if will continue in
2015. I would just have to remind the fans of foment, Thomas Malthus may
have been wrong for nearly at thousand years, but his logic has to touch
home on a planet with an eco death vibe. The same people that told you
smoking was good for your are supporting a selfish campaigned to convince ... more »
Amazing 96 Year Old Yogini Attains World Record
*Video - *This 96-year-old woman now holds the World Record for being the
oldest yoga instructor.
The post Amazing 96 Year Old Yogini Attains World Record appeared first on Waking
Times.
Jebber VS Hillary
If this happens its the signal to the world
that in the USA democracy is dead.
USA USA USA USA USA
sounds like Kim cheer to me.
Five More Guantanamo Inmates Are Released
FOX News: *US releases 5 more Guantanamo Bay prisoners, sends them to
Kazakhstan*
*My Comment*: So much for listening to the objections from Congress. At
this rate .... there will only be a handful of inmates left in Guantanamo
by the middle of 2015.
*More News On Five More Guantanamo Inmates Being Released*
Five Guantánamo Prisoners Are Released to Kazakhstan -- New York Times
Pentagon, moving to close Guantanamo, sends five prisoners to Kazakhstan --
Washington Post
U.S. sends five Guantanamo prisoners to Kazakhstan for resettlement --
Reuters
5 more Guantanamo Bay detainees tra... more »
Staten Island Republican Mobster Mikey Suits: "I Know I'm A Moral Man, A Man Of Integrity"
The media is implying that Boehner pushed Grimm into resigning. It may be
true; we'll probably never know for sure since Grimm's resignation from
Congress well may have been part of a plea deal with the Feds to keep him
from getting a long, long prison term. Forcing elected officials out of
office-- even organized crime figures like Grimm-- isn't something that
gets talked about publicly in America. "After much thought and prayer, I
have made the very difficult decision to step down from Congress effective
Jan. 5," Grimm said in a statment Monday evening. "This decision is made
wi... more »
ISIS transfers Peshmerga fighters to Syria- US drops weapons to ISIS in Iraq!
That is not the headline to the article. The post title is how I see this
incident.
I have written more then one post on the symbiosis that exists between some
of the Kurds and ISIS.
Yes, I get flak for it. Shrugs shoulders. Oh, well. I got to call it as I
see it. And that is how I see this!
This transfer of fighters took place right around Christmas
(IraqiNews.com)* December 28/2014*The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
stated, that the* ISIS organization has arrested 70 Peshmerga forces
members and transferred them from Iraq to the Shaddadi City, which is
considered an ISIS stro... more »
Shop-lifting as a revolutionary act
I got nothing.
That was just something I heard from an anarchist recently.
If you want proof of the Left's incapacity to shape the world, there you
have it.
Jesus fucking christ.
A Thought For The New Year
http://www.canada.com/
Andrew Coyne ends the year with a surprising -- for him -- admission. When
it comes to a contest of ideas, he writes, the Left is winning:
It wasn’t until late in the year that it dawned on me: the left is winning.
I don’t mean this in a partisan sense. If the NDP represents the left, it
had a terrible year, fading in the polls federally, turning in a miserable
showing in the Ontario election and losing two mayoral races, in Winnipeg
and Toronto, it had earlier been favoured to win.
But in the contest of ideas... more »
Untitled
*Green Prospers Because None Dare Call it Treason!*
By Rich Kozlovich
The title of this article is based on a quote from Sir John Harington who
said “Treason doth never prosper, what's the reason[?] "For if it prosper,
none dare call it treason”. It seems to me that Harington was explaining
how important it is that treason must be defined and called to account for
what it is in order to prevent the success of traitors. Because if their
treason should proper - none can dare risk calling it treason any longer –
that opportunity would have passed because the traitors are now in cha... more »
The Future is about TIME
Are we able to predict the next five years any better than we did the last
five?
What is very clear is that technology and how we apply it is not only
changing what we consume, but what we create, how we discover it, value it,
share it and is changing our very culture. It was once said that we were no
longer listening to music but starting to make it, no longer reading but
starting to write our own stories, no longer just watching TV and films but
starting to make them. Today these statements are very real and the tools
and technology to create media is available to all, along wi... more »
Untitled
*Essays that champion educational freedom*
*Book review of "COMMON GROUND ON COMMON CORE", Edited by Kirsten Lombard*
Over the last several years, Common Core education standards have become an
increasingly important issue for parents and teachers, as they see how
children are affected by the policy. Yet, the details of what exactly
Common Core is, how it works and how it came to be remain hopelessly
complex and difficult for the novice to understand. In the face of slick
advertising campaigns by Common Core’s corporate backers and lofty speeches
from politicians, the truth can be ... more »
What Will Be The International Flashpoints For 2015
Islamic State fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of
northern Raqqa province, June 30, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer
Reuters: *After turbulent 2014, next year may be no calmer*
*My Comment: *Here are my predictions on what will be the major flashpoints
for 2015 .... Russia/Ukraine coupled with a even greater worsening in ties
between the West and Russia, the war against the Islamic State and the
ongoing civil war in Syria, the continuing rise of the Taliban in
Afghanistan, another financial crisis brought on by too much debt and
crashing oil prices, China's e... more »
German Politicians Want An Inquiry On U.S. - NATO Taliban 'Hit List' For Drone Strikes
Photo from The Danger Room
Spiegel Online: *Obama's Lists: A Dubious History of Targeted Killings in
Afghanistan*
*My Comment*: If more reports like this one continue to come out .... it
would not surprise me to see a movement growing (especially in Europe) to
have top U.S. officials .... President Obama included .... to be indicted
for war crimes. Whether or not that day in court will happen is something
that we will have to wait and see (I personally doubt that it will happen)
.... but sanctioning certain targets for assassination is making a lot of
people uncomfortable .... in N... more »
Iraq / Syria Regional War ( December 31 , 2014 ) - News from the battlefields , political items of note - as well as items touching upon neighboring nations ......
Links....
Hundreds Killed During Liberation of Duluiya in Iraq
Iraqis Bicker Over Liberating Mosul
US Military Drops Weapons in Areas Held by ISIS in Iraq
Syria: Army Lets Civilians Escape Siege
Tweets.....
Acid Jordi retweeted
*الرقة تذبح بصمت *@Raqqa_Sl 2m
2 minutes ago
#Syria the Airstrike target Ali Dham School and Social Security #Syria
PHOTO : FOR Social Security NOW
[image: Embedded image permalink]
*Charles Lister* @Charles_Lister 41m
41 minutes ago
Image allegedly shows a US-supplied BGM 71E-3B TOW missile system captured
by Jabhat al-Nusra in #Idlib, #... more »
Polygamy in the UK - the benefits (system)
Polygamy in the United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Polygamous marriages may not be performed in the United Kingdom, and if a
polygamous marriage is performed, the already-married person may be guilty
of the crime of bigamy.
Polygamous marriages legally performed in another country where the law
allows it are not recognized for pension, immigration or citizenship
purposes.[1] However, they may be recognized for the purposes of welfare
benefits. This decision was not made without controversy, and there have
been protests against it.[2] None the less, it is unofficia... more »
Top 10 News in 2014, Happy New Year 2015
Happy New Year friends.
May we be even happier in 2015 compared to 2014 and previous years.
Well, there are reasons for optimism, and here is my list of the
*Top 10 global news of 2014*
*1. Economics 1, Cheap oil.*
Thank you competitive capitalism for reasserting yourself. OPEC
cartelization and cronyism is boink, shale oil and gas capitalism is cool.
We have entered a world of rising abundance. The on-going cheap world oil
further affirms that.
That's for the last five years. Here is the chart for the last 45 years.
*2. Economics 2, Inequality de Piketty*
Inequality is good and ... more »
Iraq Kills 300 Islamic State Fighters In A Major Battle North Of Baghdad
BBC: *Iraqi forces 'recapture Dhuluiya from Islamic State'*
*WNU Editor:* If these reports are accurate .... it is a huge victory for
the Iraqi army. This also suggests that the Islamic State is not very good
at defending sites when confronted by an organized military opposition.
*More News On The Battle For Dhuluiya*
Iraqi forces 'retake Dhuluiyah from ISIL' -- Al Jazeera
Iraqi forces clear Dhuluiyah of ISIS jihadis: commanders -- Daily Star/AFP
Iraqi forces recapture town in Salahudin province -- Xinhuanet
Top Ten Dance Songs 2014
The last day of the year and there's one final item of business for this
blog to transact. *It's tradition*.
10. *Loving Me Wrong* by Stanton Warriors
9. *Delorean Dynamite* by Todd Terje
8. *F For You* by Disclosure feat. Mary J Blige
7. *Conjure Superstar* by Maceo Plex (NSFW!)
6. *Love Taking Over* by Dusky
5. *Rather Be* by Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne
4. *Flicker* by Porter Robinson
3. *All I See* by Bondax
2. *Now I Feel Good* by Starsmith
2014 was dismal for all sorts of reasons, and that was true for dance music
too. This year not one single piece of trance made the li... more »
North Korea Is Doing Everything In It's Power To Stop the Movie 'The Interview' From Entering The Country
Business Insider/The Telegraph: *North Korea Has A Dedicated Military Team
To Keep The Interview Out Of The Country*
*My Comment:* When it comes to North Korea .... nothing surprises me ....
nothing. But it looks like the case from the FBI citing North Korea as the
main culprit behind the cyber attack against Sony is falling apart .... *FBI
Won’t Stop Blaming North Korea for Sony Hack -- Despite New Evidence *(Shane
Harris, Daily Beast).
*More News On Doubts Being Raised That North Korea Was Responsible For The
Sony Cyber Attack*
Experts doubt North Korea was behind the big Sony ... more »
Pope Francis is the Man who Would Not be King
The church was never meant to anoint a king. Now we have a pope who clearly
understands that. In fact applying his influence correctly, the church
could usher in the true kingdom of heaven as an imitation of Jesus and his
brilliant demonstration of the Rule of Twelve.
We are due also. The current econimic model is literally about to dissolve,
just as fast as we can produce automobile motors. That ends the fuel tax on
all incomes globally and hte surplus of cash washing around the economy
will underwrite a total rebuilding of our economy.
As one can expect change is coming so... more »
Scientists Link Autism To These Toxic Chemicals During Fetal Development
[image: fetus]
This work is tightening up the story for autism. Add in the recent
knowledge of pathological changes in the brain as well and we have clear
targets for the first time. Again, the circumstantial linkage between
roundup and brain defects leading to autism is compelling and convincing.
Yet regulators are sitting on their hands.
Add in the bee collapse and it is becoming clear that our chemical
protocols as well as our chemical fertilizer systems are becoming
unsustainable. Thus transition to organics could well become mandatory and
completely necessary.
This pu... more »
Mysterious Origin of the Viking Sword Ulfberht
[image: An Ulfberht sword displayed at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum,
Nuremberg, Germany. (Martin Kraft/Wikimedia Commons)]
How does one recreate master craftsmanship derived from millennia of
empirical research that has been lost? At least they still make real
Samurai swords.
It is this that has made these famous swords almost mystical in reputation.
Here we get further hints regarding what went into such craftsmanship.
The sword has at least been replicated and that is a great step.
.
*A Step Closer to the Mysterious Origin of the Viking Sword Ulfberht*
*By Tara Mac... more »
It Looks Like NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Is Going To Stay In Russia
Intriguing image from Citizenfour of Ed Snowden and his girlfriend making
food together in Moscow, via @NewYorker pic.twitter.com/vVu3lHvpDw
— Tom Parfitt (@parfitt_tom) October 11, 2014
RT: *Meet Edward Snowden’s new friend: Rick the dog*
*WNU Editor:* I openly speculated last year that Edward Snowden must be an
idiot to give up his Hawaiian home, well paying job, and a girlfriend who
was devoted to him .... for principle and getting stuck for the rest of his
life in Moscow. Hmmmm .... if the above picture is any indication .... I
was clearly wrong about the girlfriend. As to him... more »
Global Maps from Orbiting Carbon Observatory
This is very important because it clearly uncouples fossil fuel co2 from
the burning of savanna in the southern hemisphere and makes our whole
global CO2 story dicey. Remember we use only Hawaii and now it is
clearly driven by rising southern hemisphere CO2. Worse we can no longer
apply that number to the Norther Hemisphere at all.
It could well be that we have been wrong all the way along. Our proxy may
only be measuring the trend in agricultural waste burning in the tropics.
Better yet the only CO2 hot spot is China as fully expected in the northern
hemisphere. What... more »
Russia's Government Budget Is Being Squeezed By Lower Oil Prices
*Reuters: *As oil falls, Russia choked by military, social spending
*My Comment:* President Obama was right when he said that the only thing
that was keeping the Russian economy afloat was high oil prices .... and if
prices were to go down, they would impact their economy directly .... *Russian
economy attacked through oil prices – Obama (RT)*. As a result some hard
decisions will need to be made by Putin next year .... and basically it all
comes down to "guns or butter". His closest aides and advisers are telling
Putin to cut the military budget .... *Russia Has To Slash Military ... more »
OPEC Price War Deepens
The Telegraph: *Brent oil hits new low as Opec price war deepens slump*
*My Comment:* Enjoy it while it lasts.
*More News On Declining Oil Prices*
Oil Set for Biggest Slump Since 2008 as OPEC Battles U.S. Shale -- Bloomberg
OPEC Resolve on Supply Promises No Calm for Oil Markets: Energy -- Bloomberg
OPEC oil output hits six-month low in December on Libya -- Reuters
Why Oil Will Probably Stay Cheap in 2015 -- Jordan Weissmann, Slate
Saudi Arabia's Playing The Oil Market The Right Way For The Lowest Cost
Producer, Almost Like Standard Oil -- Tim Worstall, Forbes
Are low oil prices here... more »
To York, PA: What Charter Schools USA Employees Think of Charter Schools USA
York, Pennsylvania, schools are facing being handed over to a for-profit
charter school company, Charter Schools USA, via court order. The York
schools are broke, and one man, David Meckley, has been chosen by the state
to fix York’s money problems. For some reason, Meckley believes that
handing over York’s schools to a profit-driven company will solve […]
Before The Selma March Massacre There Was B. Bumble & The Stingers And... Tchaikovosky
With apologies to Ken-- and in recognition of all the work he's done to
make sure everyone at *DWT* knows everything there is to know about *The
Nutcracker*-- I wanted to mention something not many people do remember
about the score to that 1892 ballet. First though, by way of a little
refresher, this is a performance by the Cologne New Philharmonic Orchestra
under the direction of Volker Hartung, filmed in Hamburg, February 1, 2009.
Officially Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite op.71a, it is better known in
America as the *March of the Toy Soldiers*. And there was a 1962 version,
... more »
For Ukraine This Has Been The Worst Year Since World War II
Euronews: *Ukraine turns its back on its ‘worst year since World War II’*
*My Comment:* It has been a year and a half since I last visited Ukraine
.... it feels like a decade. And I must confess .... when I was last there
.... the last thing that was on my mind was the possibility of unrest,
civil disorder, revolution, civil war, and economic collapse. Yup .... my
mind and focus was on places like Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc ....
but never on my backyard. I guess this is why the video below hits home ....
It Looks Like NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Is Going To Stay In Russia
Intriguing image from Citizenfour of Ed Snowden and his girlfriend making
food together in Moscow, via @NewYorker pic.twitter.com/vVu3lHvpDw
— Tom Parfitt (@parfitt_tom) October 11, 2014
RT: *Meet Edward Snowden’s new friend: Rick the dog*
*WNU Editor:* I openly speculated last year that Edward Snowden must be an
idiot to give up his Hawaiian home, well paying job, and a girlfriend who
was devoted to him .... for principle and getting stuck for the rest of his
life in Moscow. Hmmmm .... if the above picture is any indication .... I
was clearly wrong about the girlfriend. As to him... more »
Russian Foreign Minister: New U.S. Sanctions Will End Russian Cooperation On Iran And Syria
US Secretary of State John Kerry meets Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov. (Reuters)
IBTimes: *Russia warns West's increasing sanctions could end cooperation on
Syria, Iran*
*WNU Editor:* U.S. - Russian relations are in tatters .... and as a result
Russia has little if any interest to now help the U.S. on any issue. The
same can be said about the U.S. .... they also have zero interest in
helping Russia on any issue. As to the threat from Russian Foreign Minister
Lavrov that Russia will end cooperation with the U.S. on Iran and Syria
.... from where I am standing .... they hav... more »
Musical Interlude: Ocarina, "Song Of Ocarina"
Ocarina, "Song Of Ocarina"
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EneCMurZRpY
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What's going on in the center of this spiral galaxy? Named the Sombrero
Galaxy for its hat-like resemblance, M104 features a prominent dust lane
and a bright halo of stars and globular clusters. Reasons for the
Sombrero's hat-like appearance include an unusually large and extended
central bulge of stars, and dark prominent dust lanes that appear in a disk
that we see nearly edge-on.
*Click image for larger size.*
Billions of old stars cause the diffuse glow of the extended central bulge.
Close inspection of the bulge in the above photograph shows many points of
light that are actua... more »
"It Come, Then, To This..."
"It comes, then, to this: that to be "viable", livable, or merely
practical, life must be lived as a game - and the "must" here expresses a
condition, not a commandment. It must be lived in the spirit of play rather
than work, and the conflicts which it involves must be carried on in the
realization that no species, or party to a game, can survive without its
natural antagonists, its beloved enemies, its indispensable opponents. For
to "love your enemies" is to love them *as *enemies; it is not necessarily
a clever device for winning them over to your side. The lion lies down with
... more »
Was The Peshawar School Attack A False Flag Black Op By The ISI, Blackwater, And The CIA?
For documentation, background info, and details of the Peshawar school
attack check out Aangirfan's post from December 18 called, *"Security
Services Did Peshawar School Massacre." *
There are many interesting things in that post that the media hasn't
reported on, like the fact that there was a first aid drill going on prior
to the attack. Also, the army and police arrived late to the scene of the
crime despite the building being a highly valued military school where
Pakistani officers send their children. Those two details immediately raise
suspicion about this attack.
The first... more »
Did The U.S. Offer A Prisoner Swap With Iran?
The armed forces identification card of Iranian-American Amir Mirza Hekmati
is seen in this undated still image taken from video in an undisclosed
location made available to Reuters TV on January 9, 2012. Credit:
Reuters/via Reuters TV
*Reuters*: U.S. calls for release of Americans in Iran, denies swap deal
*WNU Editor:* The U.S. is denying these reports .... but this White House
has a history of making deals with groups that they vowed they would not
make deals with .... especially when it came to hostages/prisoners.
*More News On Reports Of A U.S. Offer To Swap Prisoners With Ira... more »
The Magister's Apprentice : Clara Oswin/Oswald and the Secret War Inside Freemasonry
*Magician, Magickian, Mage, Magus or Magister...?*
*"You know what's even rarer in this world? Second chances - I don't even
know who to thank..."*
*The Reverand Mr Magister.*
*Magister, High Priest of Azæl the Fallen Angel,*
*Practioner of the Black Arts and Occult Science of the Dæmons of Dæmos*
*Magickian.*
*The Twelth Doctor - Who Dresses like a Magician.*
*Honking, Great, Unfinished Pyramid, situated right in the middle of
Central London...*
*...and situated in direct opposition to the 3 W Offices...*
*Aka, The Master's TARDIS, aka Cyber-Control.*
"On his return, Wren sub... more »
Venezuela Is On The Brink Of Default
Time: *Low Oil Prices Pushing Venezuela Towards Default*
*WNU Editor*: The lineups (see the above video) remind me of the old
Soviet Union .... all this wealth .... but everyone (with the exception of
those at the top in government) are poor.
*More News On Venezuela's Economic Crisis *
Venezuela Confirms Recession, Highest Inflation in Americas -- VOA
Venezuela's president blames opposition for deep recession -- AP
Maduro blames plunging oil prices on U.S. 'war' vs Russia, Venezuela --
Reuters
Venezuela accuses US of starting oil war to 'destroy' Russia and Venezuela --
Al Jazeera... more »
E. J. Dionne Jr. urges that "all sides stop fighting and pool their energies to easing the marriage and family crisis that is engulfing working-class Americans"
*Says E.J.: "Kenworthy’s argument is that we can 'successfully embrace both
flexibility and security, both competition and social justice.' His wish
list is a straightforward set of progressive initiatives."*
*"We now seem to be living in the Age of High C, a period when every fight
is Armageddon, every foe is a monster, and every issue is either the key to
national survival or the doorway to ruin. . . ."When I look around, I see a
lot of liberals who live quite traditional family lives and even go
regularly to churches, synagogues and mosques. I see a lot of conservatives
who a... more »
7 Under-Reported Conflicts In 2014
A gun fight between loyalists of former president Francois Bozize and
ex-rebels who ousted him killed nearly 55 people in Central African
Republic. (Photo : Twitter)
*Washington Post:* *7 awful conflicts that were under-reported in 2014*
*WNU Editor:* Libya, Yemen, Assam, The Sudans, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Somalia/Kenya .... 7 conflicts that are always covered by this blog. I
would also add .... Central African Republic, Mali, Colombia, and Congo.
Chet Raymo, “Holy Ignorance”
*“Holy Ignorance” *
by Chet Raymo
“At a press conference in 2002, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
famously explained foreign policy: “There are known knowns; there are
things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to
say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also
unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know." The same can be
said of science.
The textbooks are full of known knowns. We are quite confident affirming
the circulation of the blood, the distance to the Sun, the common descent
of animals and plants. I sit h... more »
Dec. 30+: Lord love a duck....
...the Irving press is still plunging.
On p. A1, the big story is a human interest, shed a happy tear story about
a South Korean family here in Moncton that is going to be allowed to stay
here.
But that's not the real story at all. The real story is that they were
admitted to Canada in 2003, worked hard to set up a successful business,
then were told by Canada Immigration in 2011 to go back to South Korea. But
public pressure forced Canada Immigration to back off. This is not really a
story about a happy ending for the family. It's a story about the bizarre
behaviour of Immigration... more »
Libya Updates ( December 30 , 2014 ) -- Oil tanks still burn at Al Sidra as the conflicts rage on ..... EU threatens both sides with sanctions - as if ? News of the day from the war torn and troubled nation ....
Tweets......
*Caleb Weiss* @Weissenberg7 3h
3 hours ago
Ansar al Sharia #*Libya* operating a checkpoint in #*Benghazi*
Retweeted 38 times
*Zaid Benjamin* @zaidbenjamin Dec 29
#IS claims responsibility for the beheading of activist Abdelsalam
Al-Bargathi who was abducted in #*Benghazi* #*Libya*
[image: Embedded image permalink]
*LibyaAlHurra* @LibyaAlHurraTV · 6h6 hours ago
Tobruk Medical Center:18 wounded including 3 children,1 Bangladeshi
national,1 head injury,1 in ICU. The others have various injuries.#Libya
LibyaAlHurra retweeted
*Good M... more »
The Poet: Rolf Jacobsen, "When They Sleep"
"When They Sleep"
"All people are children when they sleep.
There's no war in them then.
They open their hands and breathe
in that quiet rhythm heaven has given them.
They pucker their lips like small children
and open their hands halfway,
soldiers and statesmen, servants and masters.
The stars stand guard
and a haze veils the sky,
a few hours when no one will do anybody harm.
If only we could speak to one another then
when our hearts are half-open flowers.
Words like golden bees
would drift in.
God, teach me the language of sleep."
- Rolf Jacobsen,
"The Roads Have Come to an End Now"
"Life is A Journey- Don't Be Afraid"
"Life is A Journey- Don't Be Afraid"
Author Unknown
"Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys,
celebrations and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our
destination, our purpose in life. The road will not always be smooth; in
fact, throughout our travels, we will encounter many challenges. Some of
these challenges will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith.
Along the way, we may stumble upon obstacles that will come between the
paths that we are destined to take. In order to follow the right path, we
must overcome these obstacles. S... more »
"No Bragging Point..."
“It shouldn’t be a bragging point that “Oh, I don’t get involved in
politics,” as if that makes you somehow cleaner. No, that makes you
derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would
have a much harder time of it if so many people didn’t insist on their
right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable.”
– Bill Maher
Kahlil Gibran, “Children of Gods, Scions of Apes”
*“Children of Gods, Scions of Apes”*
by Kahlil Gibran
"All that you see was and is for your sake. The numerous books, uncanny
markings, and beautiful thoughts are the ghosts of souls who preceded you.
The speech they weave is a link between you and your human siblings. The
consequences that cause sorrow and rapture are the seeds that the past has
sown in the field of the soul, and by which the future shall profit.
My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to love what the people abhor and
to show good will toward the one they hate. It showed me that Love is a
property not of the ... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Horton, Michigan, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
Musical Interlude: Leonard Cohen, “Anthem”
Leonard Cohen, “Anthem”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ma5tF6TJpA
“I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd,
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud,
and they're gonna hear from me...”
Good luck, and God help us all, in 2015...
"The American People Are Utterly Clueless About What Is Going To Happen As We Enter 2015"
*"The American People Are Utterly Clueless About*
* What Is Going To Happen As We Enter 2015"*
by Michael Snyder
"The American people are feeling really good right about now. For example, Gallup’s
economic confidence index has hit the highest level that we have seen since
the last recession. In addition, nearly half of all Americans believe that
2015 will be a better year than 2014 was, and only about 10 percent believe
that it will be a worse year. And a lot of people are generally feeling
quite good about the people that have been leading our nation. According to
Gallup, once agai... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 30, 2014
*Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 30, 2014*
As AirAsia debris found, Indonesia learns from Malaysia mistakes -- Jeffrey
Hutton, CSM
Who Will Get AsiaAir 8501’s Black Boxes? -- Clive Irving, Daily Beast
Iran Is Getting Away With Murder -- Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic
An opening in Afghanistan: Kabul’s deal with Pakistan -- Amir Taheri, New
York Post
FBI Fixated on North Korea for Sony Hack Despite New Evidence -- Shane
Harris, Daily Beast
China’s economic vulnerabilities -- Peter Drysdale, East Asia Forum
Ebola Leaves West African Economies Ailing Heading Into... more »
World News Briefs -- December 30, 2014 (Evening Edition)
*MIDDLE EAST*
UN Security Council* rejects Palestinian resolution*. UN rejects
Palestinian resolution* to end Israel's occupation*.
U.S.-led coalition air strikes *hit Islamic State in Syria, Iraq*.
Islamic State group *claims suicide attack in Iraq*. ISIS claims car bomb *targeting
Syria gas plant.*
Residents of eastern Syria create* popular resistance group to battle IS*.
US does not back *UN Palestinian statehood resolution*.
Iran says nuclear talks set for Jan 15, *vows to stand firm*.
U.S. names more *Iran targets for sanctions*. US Treasury *enforces Iranian
sanctions*.
... more »
Taliban Claim Victory Over NATO, But They Were Never The Target
If it helps their morale to claim victory over NATO, then have at it. Shoot
your crappy guns in the air, repeat your AllahuAkbars and celebrate like
fools.
But the Taliban was never the real target of NATO operations in
Afghanistan, and neither was the invented al-Qaeda, so for the Taliban to
claim victory is pathetic. Waiting out a foreign army on your own soil is
nothing to brag about. That's what you're supposed to do, as Chris Rock
would say.
If the Taliban defeats the corrupt and deceitful army of Pakistan on
Pakistani soil, only then will they have the right to brag.
The U... more »
They Say The Wars Are Ending, But It Appears That They Will Still Go On
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