LAND DESTROYER
Islamic State Drone Program Study Reveals NATO Ratlines
July 30, 2018 ( Ulson Gunnar - NEO ) - Despite attempts by the US and European media to depict the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in cartoon villain terms, it was always clear to serious analysis that the terrorist organization's fighters, weapons, supplies and money were entering Syria and the result of extensive outside support. A look at any map of the Syrian conflict, regardless of its so
Who are Washington's "Revolutionaries" in Iran?
The US backed Iranian opposition are neither "revolutionary," nor even "in" Iran. Yet they have been designated as Washington's proxies of choice, and an alternative government they seek to place into power in Tehran. July 11, 2018 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - As the US-led proxy war in Syria reaches a relative stalemate and with time on Damascus and its allies' side, Washington's wider agenda of
US Propaganda: Time Magazine Takes Swipe at Thailand
July 15, 2018 ( Joseph Thomas - NEO ) - Time Magazine's article titled, " Thailand’s Leader Promised to Restore Democracy. Instead He's Tightening His Grip ," reflects Wall Street and Washington's growing displeasure with the current Thai government and its seemingly successful efforts to pivot the nation away from US-backed proxies including the ousted regime of Thaksin Shinawatra and his Pheu T
Liberals Leap to Defend Neo-Con Henchman McFaul
July 29, 2018 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - Were one to read the Washington Post's article on a Russian proposal regarding the questioning of suspects in various, ongoing US and Russia investigations, they would have imagined former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul was about to be shipped to a dungeon beneath the Kremlin for interrogation. The Washington Post's article, " Outrage erupts over
Bloomberg: "America's New World Order is Officially Dead"
July 23, 2018 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - Hal Brands - the Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments - pines of waning American hegemony in his op-ed in Bloomberg titled, " America's New World Order Is Officially Dead ." The sub-headline would further elab
Syria: The White Helmets' Final Performance
July 25, 2018 ( Tony Cartalucci - NEO ) - It is commonly known that when a ship is sinking, the crew does not board the lifeboats before the passengers. Most noble of all is when the captain and crew go down with the ship. Then with what level of ignobility should we assess the so-called "Syrian Civil Defense" more commonly referred to as the White Helmets? We are told that Syrian forces backed b
A VERY PUBLIC SOCIOLOGIST
Projecting Paranoia
A WACO week, geddit?? Corbyn supporters getting a hashtag trending is suddenly akin to apocalyptic cultists dying in a fire. At least according to Marina Hyde , one of the self-appointed political hygiene inspectors who make a living from saying a great deal about very little. In her 'A WACO week, as Corbynistas do politics in paranoid style' we learn two things. That she doesn't know what she's
On Fascist Heroes
You can tell a something about a movement by its heroes and martyrs. Take the workers' movement, for instance. At its most radical edge you have comrades like Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, murdered by the proto-fascist Freikorps militia at the behest of the post-WWI social democratic government of Germany. Both of them had impeccable records as activists, organisers and, in Luxemburg's case
Labour's Incompetent Handling of Anti-Semitism
Labour's dreadful anti-semitism debate has to change, so argues Barnaby Raine. And he's absolutely right - read the piece if you haven't already. The problem is, like so much in the Labour Party, the issue of anti-semitism was a factional football more or less from the moment it began making waves around the time of Jeremy Corbyn's election as Labour leader. It still is. For instance, while his p
A Twitter Thread on Corbynism
To mark #WeAreCorbyn , here's a thread of posts on what Corbynism is. First up, Why I Voted for Jeremy Corbyn | https://t.co/urtjnOqmPx | pic.twitter.com/F0ICsfD4m1 — Phil BC (@philbc3) August 2, 2018 Then, almost a year later, the prediction there was borne out because Labour intersected with the new class politics. | https://t.co/uW5mqGB85k | #WeAreCorbyn pic.twitter.com/lj6l7O5pmv — Phil BC (@
Batman Returns for the Super Nintendo
Ah, Batman. If you are of a, ahem, certain age you will know two popular cultural manifestations of the Caped Crusader. A child of the 60s, 70s and 80s will have at some point caught Batman the TV series with Adam West as our titular hero, and Burt Ward as Robin. In their campy way they thwacked and walloped an assortment of exotic but not-too superpowered villains. Favourites like The Joker, The
Alesso - Falling
Too tired to write tonight. And I want to finish off Roger Scruton's The Meaning of Conservatism . It doesn't come recommended.
CRAIG MURRAY
The Ubiquity of Evil
My world view changed forever when, after 20 years in the Foreign Office, I saw colleagues I knew and liked go along with Britain’s complicity in the most terrible tortures, as detailed stunningly in the recent Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee Report. They also went along with keeping the policy secret, deliberately disregarding all normal record taking procedures, to the extent
Not Content with Constant Anti-Scottish Output, the BBC is Extending its Reach to Anti-Scottish Censorship.
The BBC’s success in taking down Wings Over Scotland’s YouTube channel – and Youtube’s complacent compliance with the BBC instruction – has a very dodgy foundation in law. Excerpts of copyright material may be published for purposes of “criticism, review or quotation” provided the source is acknowledged. As Wings would only use BBC material for review and criticism – they are hardly repeating it
No Trump, No Clinton, No NATO
Marina Hyde’s vicious and spiteful attack on Susan Sarandon and the Green Party points to the real danger of anti-Trump protest next week being hijacked by the neo-con warmonger franchise. The idea that those of us who do not want arch warmonger Clinton in power are therefore supporters of Trump is intellectually risible and politically dishonest. Yesterday the OPCW reported that, contrary to US
The Holes in the Official Skripal Story
In my last post I set out the official Government account of the events in the Skripal Case. Here I examine the credibility of this story. Next week I shall look at alternative explanations. Russia has a decade long secret programme of producing and stockpiling novichok nerve agents. It also has been training agents in secret assassination techniques, and British intelligence has a copy of the Ru
The Silence of the Whores
The mainstream media are making almost no effort today to fit Charlie Rowley’s account of his poisoning into the already ludicrous conspiracy theory being peddled by the government and intelligence agencies. ITV News gamely inserted the phrase “poisoned by a Russian nerve agent” into their exclusive interview with Charlie Rowley, an interview in which they managed to ask no penetrating questions
Dawn Sturgess
The terrible death of Dawn Sturgess casts a new shadow over the Salisbury Affair. Dawn appears to have been a popular and well grounded woman with close friend and family ties, whose life had taken a downward turn before being cruelly ended. The illogical, inconsistent and shifting government narrative over events in Salisbury and Amesbury had appeared so ludicrous as to be tragi-comic. Any sense
MAJIA'S BLOG
Recommended Essay on Human Capacity for Evil
Majia's Blog / 1d
I stumbled upon this highly recommended essay today: Noga Arikha (2018). How evil happens. Aeon Magazine. Available, https://aeon.co/essays/is-neuroscience-getting-closer-to-explaining-evil-behaviour?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=bb25c7f472-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_01_04_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_411a82e59d-bb25c7f472-70351921 Arikkha's account is very sophisticated in blending neuro
Hormesis: A Failed Paradigm
Majia's Blog / 3d
There is a paradigm of radiation protection that emphasizes the body's resilient repair mechanisms, even when confronted with double-strand DNA breaks. That paradigm is caused hormesis. There are many scientific challenges to hormesis. Here is a discussion of the latest challenge, which is derived from scientists' efforts to understand why CRISPR gene editing technology is producing genetic mutat
Uranium in Drinking Water: Is it Really Just Naturally Occurring?
Majia's Blog / 9d
Uranium in drinking water occurs naturally but uranium levels in drinking water are rising nationally. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/contaminant.php?contamcode=X006#.W1ny5cInbcc The change in concentration is often attributed to natural processes related to depleting ground water supplies. Although one cannot discount the role of "natural processes" in causing elevated uranium levels in drinking w
Social Engineering: The Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, i360 and Social Science One
Majia's Blog / 13d
The socially conservative and economic libertarian Koch brothers are intent on SOCIAL ENGINEERING America in their vision. Social engineering was developed in the early twentieth century as a means for controlling populations by engineering their aspirations, lifestyles, and day-to-day habits. Social engineering in the early 20th century was described by Rachel Lemov in her fantastic book, World
Last Train Out of Hungary
Majia's Blog / 15d
I met a woman whose uncle was on the last train out of Hungary before the borders were closed to people escaping Nazi persecution. She said that her mother had seen the shift to fascism because she had been working with Jewish refugees escaping Nazi occupied regions. Her mother left before most of her community. Fascism arrived incrementally. The signs were visible but people could not see the pa
UNIVERSE TODAY
Uh oh, Mars Doesn’t Have Enough Carbon Dioxide to be Terraformed
For almost a century now, the concept of terraforming has been explored at length by both science fiction writers and scientists alike. Much like setting foot on another planet or traveling to the nearest star, the idea of altering an uninhabitable planet to make it suitable for humans is a dream many hope to see accomplished someday. At present, much of that hope and speculation is aimed at our
With All These New Planets Found in the Habitable Zone, Maybe it’s Time to Fine Tune the Habitable Zone
In the past few decades, thousands of extra-solar planets have been discovered within our galaxy. As of July 28th, 2018 , a total of 3,374 extra-solar planets have been confirmed in 2,814 planetary systems. While the majority of these planets have been gas giants, an increasing number have been terrestrial (i.e. rocky) in nature and were found to be orbiting within their stars’ respective habitab
Einstein Was Right… Again! Successful Test of General Relativity Near a Supermassive Black Hole
In 1915, Albert Einstein published his famous Theory of General Relativity , which provided a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space and time. This theory gave rise to the modern theory of gravitation and revolutionized our understanding of physics. Even though a century has passed since then, scientists are still conducting experiments that confirm his theory’s predictio
The Coldest Place in Space Has Been Created. Next Challenge, Coldest Place in the Universe
Despite decades of ongoing research, scientists are trying to understand how the four fundamental forces of the Universe fit together. Whereas quantum mechanics can explain how three of these forces things work together on the smallest of scales (electromagnetism, weak and strong nuclear forces), General Relativity explains how things behaves on the largest of scales (i.e. gravity). In this respe
Look at This Adorable Pen-Sized Booster, Perfect for Tiny Satellites
When it comes to space exploration, the motto “keep it simple” isn’t always followed! For the most part, satellites, spacecraft, telescopes, and the many other technologies that allow humans to study and explore the Universe are the result of highly-technical and complex feats of engineering. But sometimes, it is the simplest ideas that offer the most innovative solutions. This is especially true
Five Teams Compete to Design a 3D Printed Mars Habitat for NASA
If and when we decide to go to Mars (and stay there), the Martian settlers will face some serious challenges. For one, the planet is extremely cold compared to Earth, averaging at about -63 °C (-82°F), which is comparable to cold night in Antarctica. On top of that, there’s the incredibly thin atmosphere that is unbreathable to humans and terrestrial creatures. Add to that the radiation, and you
DAVID CLIMENHAGA'S ALBERTA DIARY
The Grande Prairie Hospital saga: PC political motives, terrible planning, and past ministerial meddling haunt project
The battle between Alberta government officials and a Calgary construction company over long delays building a new hospital in Grande Prairie that boiled over this week is more than a mere political he-said/she-said story. There’s a backstory that started the late days of Alberta’s 44-year Tory Dynasty – partly acknowledged earlier this week, interestingly, by a former Progressive Conservative in
Respected community advocate and educator Janis Irwin to seek NDP nomination in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood
Former high school teacher, vice-principal, university lecturer and education curriculum specialist Janis Irwin announced to a packed auditorium of supporters last night she will seek the NDP nomination in the Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood riding. Ms. Irwin will have to forgive me for introducing her this way. Her news release acknowledged her background as an educator, but emphasized her work as a
Sudden closing of polling oversight group could mean Albertans never see report on botched Calgary polls
If you were wondering about that inquiry by the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association into inaccurate polling that marred the October 2017 Calgary civic election, don’t hold your breath. Publication of the inquiry by three panelists engaged by the national standards association for public opinion research companies was expected soon – until the MRIA issued a terse statement this morning
The poll puts Jason Kenney’s UCP in slam-dunk range over NDP; the pollster has a bit of a history
Yesterday, United Conservative Party MLAs were Tweeting around a graphic from a new poll that showed their party with a wide lead over the New Democratic Party in all regions of Alberta, including the Edmonton area, which lately has been seen as an NDP stronghold. Mysteriously, the UCPers didn’t include any information in their Tweets about who did the poll. My guess is that was because the polls
Surely it’s time for us in the reality based community to act on our convictions as decisively as conservatives do
Surely it’s time for the reality based community – that’s us, my progressive friends – to start making some new democratic realities! In 2015, as you will recall, many of us overcame our reservations and voted for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals on the basis of his firm, clear, unequivocal promise to introduce democratic electoral reform to Canada. Call me naïve, but I for one believed him. It didn’t h
Didn’t care or didn’t know? UCP MLAs endorse author of offensive social media posts for nomination
Well, that certainly didn’t take long! Mere hours after AlbertaPolitics.ca published its semi-satirical, semi-serious “Jimmy the Geek” Vegas odds piece about the potential for bozo eruptions among the current members of the United Conservative Party Legislative Caucus than, well, some of the bozos erupted. Yesterday’s AlbertaPolitics.ca post assigned Rick Strankman, MLA for Drumheller-Stettler an
ADRIENNE'S CORNER
The commie/marxist/libtards line up to smear Judge Brett Kavanaugh...
do we care? Well - I sure don't. It appears the main concern is Roe v Wade, because dead babies reign supreme in their minds. No "ladies" - it's not "my body, my choice." That baby has it's very own body, separate from your body. It has it's very own little heart and God has given it a sweet little soul - all it's very own. But you, because you're irresponsible and just hate like hell to be incon
Off to history club and roaming about while Trump kicks some ass at NATO...
thank you President Trump. I surely do hope we have clouds since I can see them so much better now. And maybe I will run into Baby Doll Chad Prather again while shopping at the liquor store. And........ Trump kicks some German ass at NATO summit: Amazon Today Up to 30% off select musical instruments from Yamaha, Shure , and more Great Deals in Health and Beauty
It's a wonderful Monday - the commie/marxist/libtards have melted into puddles...
time to get it together . In case you were wondering how much crazier the left could become, check out what Brian Stetler of CNN Fake News has to say: Newsbusters: ‘Cannot Be Trusted’: CNN Promotes Conspiracies After Slamming Liar Trump President Trump was set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, and the liberal media were in full campaign mode as they pushed speculation the Pr
Hannity on Fire: FISA court was abused for political gain...
when are heads going to roll??? When!? More: Bunkerville: Clapper rats out Obama – Obama behind the whole Trump thing Virtual Mirage: A Note on Sealed Indictments Super Deals at Amazon Today's Deals in Health and Personal Care Back to School Supplies I love back to school even though it's been decades since I've "gone back to school." Who doesn't need 6 rulers in different colors or erasers shape
This is how Donald Trump makes me feel...
and it's also how you do the boogie-woogie for you youngsters out there. The first couple is the first I've seen who come close to champions Maeva and William. HAPPY STOMP 2016 - HENRIC and JOANNA STILLMAN Isn't Joanna just the prettiest little gal? However Maeva and William are still the best! William Mauvais - Maeva Truntzer Moscow Christmas Swing Dance Camp 2012 The following video of Maeva an
While Trump handles the business of our country, Peter Strozok sneers at you - the citizens...
because that's what the "elites" think about you. His skanky paramour, Lisa Page, had originally defied her subpoena from Congress and refused to show up for her interview. She has now agreed to testify privately on Friday. Privately? Don't we, the dirt people, have a right to hear her testimony? Here's what bothers me about this whole mess. Nothing ever happens. It seems as though every member o
IS THE BBC BIASED?
Best of frenz
Is the BBC biased? / 12h
Ha! By pure coincidence, Rod Liddle has produced a perfect analysis of Ahed Tamimi’s conversation with Krishnan Guru-Murthy on yesterday’s Channel 4 news. “The present crisis within the Labour party reminds me of the time when I was filming a television documentary in Palestine a few years back. One after another the interviewees lined up in that flyblown, arid landscape. Grizzled old thugs from
Tommy Robinson derangement syndrome
Is the BBC biased? / 14h
I was puzzled by the Spectator’s decision to republish Douglas Murray’s piece about Owen Jones , which was first penned in August 2014, during Israel’s infamous retaliatory action against Hamas. A 4th anniversary, perhaps? Owen Jones was lying, plain and simple. I can’t quite tell if the article has been updated, but not to worry, it’s still as pertinent as it was the first time around. Owen's st
The BBC outfoxes Fox....just
Is the BBC biased? / 15h
...elves...breaking news about ourselves....breaking news about ourselves...breaking news about ours... Here's something from the BBC News Press Team . (Please stand to attention and take your hands out of your pockets!) That made me smile. Given how low an opinion BBC types have of Fox News, here's the BBC boasting that Katty Kay, Anthony Zurcher, Jon Sopel and Co. are just about equal with Fox
Mark Easton commits a statistical blunder
Is the BBC biased? / 16h
If you were listening to Radio 4's Today yesterday you might have heard an hourly report by Mark Easton on the latest press release from the Trussell Trust, Britain's largest food bank provider, on 'holiday hunger' among school children, plus - if you were up early enough - an interview with Mark Easton on the same subject during which Mark stressed the "growing seriousness" of the problem and th
Mad World
The BBC has been under attack for bias again this week. You can probably put aside the celebratory bottles of Prosecco or (for Nigel Farage fans) magnificent English beer though. The attacks have been without substance. (You might even call them 'fake news'.) Nonetheless, the BBC has been preoccupied with them and heavily on the defensive about them. Examples? Well, there was Kirsty Wark on Newsn
Radical chic at the BBC
Rod Liddle is on fine form in The Sunday Times this morning , accusing the BBC of "radical chic attitudinising" for broadcasting Raja Shehadeh's Where the Line is Drawn as Radio 4's Book of the Week this past week. Sue described the same Book of the Week earlier this week as "unadulterated pro-Palestinian propaganda in the form of the creepiest passive-aggressive grievance-mongering" and having h
NORTHERNTRUTHSEEKER
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Fiasco Continues: Even MORE Money Being Poured Into This Endless Money Pit Of Waste!
Northerntruthseeker / 4h
It has been a while since I last put up an article on one of my "pet peeves" aka the F35 so called "fighter plane" fiasco... I have put up at least a dozen articles over these last few years covering the fallacies and waste of the entire Lockheed Martin F35 fiasco, and how this 'fighter aircraft' is such a horrific piece of garbage... BUT now according to the following article from the Investment
While Americans Sleep In The Streets Of Their Crumbling Cities, The US Congress Is About To Give Another $38 BILLION To The Psychotic State Of Israel
Northerntruthseeker / 5h
I have been watching America go to hell over the last while, and I find it so disgusting to actually witness for myself in my visits to America about how far that once great nation has indeed fallen.... In my last venture to America last year, I could not help but to notice all of the homeless people living in the streets of so many formerly great cities, and I found that revolting enough... On to
Northerntruthseeker Starting Up Newest Round Of Home Renovations... New Articles At This Blog Over Next While Will Be Sparse
Northerntruthseeker / 5h
I have been busy once again over these last few days getting supplies, parts, and tools for my newest upcoming round of home renovations.... I will be tied up with these "home improvement" projects over the next few weeks, and thus new articles at this blog will probably be sparse... Unless the criminal Jewish elite pull off something that is indeed earth shattering... I want to once again thank e
The Global Warming Scam: Get Ready, Canada... You Are About To Be Royally Fleeced By The Fraudulent Upcoming Carbon Tax Swindle!
Northerntruthseeker / 2d
Living in Canada, I am so pissed off these days that most of my fellow Canuckleheads are too brain dead to realize how badly they are about to be fleeced with this upcoming "carbon tax" scam.....I have already written hundreds of articles over the last ten years showing how the entire "Global Warming" pretext is a massive fraud and how our governments are willing to play their own citizens as suck
It's Time To Drop The Jew Taboo!
Northerntruthseeker / 3d
There have been so many out there that have screamed that I am nothing more than an 'antisemite' when I write my articles at this blog.... I honestly cannot understand these individuals that try to hurl that slur at myself and so many others in the real truth movement and how they miss the entire point of my writings... First that I am not this "antisemite" as they claim for that word in itself is
The Mystery Of Malaysian Flight MH370 Continues: Malaysian Government Releases Its "Final Report" But Misses Fact That MH370 = MH17!
Northerntruthseeker / 3d
It has now been well over 4 years since Malaysian flight MH370 "disappeared" shortly after it took off on the morning of March 8th, 2014 from Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia on a scheduled flight to China... Shortly after its take off, the plane suddenly veered off course and began a flight into the Indian Ocean only to disappear from radar and into the annals of the unknown..... There have been
CENSORED NEWS
Acoma Pueblo Maurus Chino Anti-War Statement: From Conquistador Butchers to ROTC
Censored News / 7h
Greed, violence and entitlement have scarred this sacred land Censored News publishes this great work of Acoma Pueblo Maurus Chino again, as Santa Fe ends celebration of Conquistador and apologizes to Pueblos Statement by Maurus Chino, for the March 19, 2011 rally commemorating the Iraqi War, Albuquerque, NM (Moment of silence for the brave ones alive and dead who stand and stood for the
Swedish Boat to Gaza -- Passengers Seized, Now in Israeli Prison
Censored News / 10h
Swedish boat in Freedom Flotilla to Gaza overtaken by Israeli military. Passengers onboard taken to Israeli prison. Those onboard are from Sweden, Britian, France, Spain, Germany and Canada. Captain John Turnbull is from Vancouver, Canada.
Video: First Nation Larry Commodore Home after Being Injured and Imprisoned by Israeli Forces -- Freedom Flotilla to Gaza Attacked
Censored News / 12h
Watch video interview at Real News: https://therealnews.com/stories/israeli-commandos-brutally-attack-freedom-flotilla-activists-in-international-waters
Contact Lost with Swedish Boat to Gaza
Censored News / 1d
Swedish Boat to Gaza believed to be under Israeli Military Attack, after all contact lost .https://stg2018.wordpress.com/category/ship-to-gaza-sweden/
Defenders Lock Down in Colorado over Caged and Imprisoned Migrant Children at ICE
Censored News / 1d
Unicorn Riot reporting live on Thursday -- "All eight folks who were detained by police after blockading the driveway entrances to the #ICE #Denver Field Office have been freed from custody. Seven of them were dropped off on the side of a road by police, instead of being brought to jail. More updates to come." #OccupyICE Defenders Lock Down in Colorado over Caged and Imprisoned Migrant
First Nation elder on his way home, after Freedom Flotilla to Gaza attacked by Israeli military
Censored News / 1d
Larry Commodore, Sto:lo First Nation, on his way home, after he was injured and imprisoned when the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza was attacked by Israeli military By Canada Boat to Gaza Censored News Larry Commodore, elder and former chief of the Stó:lō First Nation (near Chilliwack, B.C.) is finally on his way home. Larry is shown on the right of the photo next to the Palestinian ambassador to
NOT PC
QotD: "What most differentiates religion from philosophy, however, is how religion arrives at its answers...."
Not PC / 5h
"What most differentiates religion from philosophy, however, is how religion arrives at its answers. A philosophy seeks evidence and logical arguments for its conclusions. A religion, no matter how much theologians may argue back and forth about points of dogma, remains just that: dogma. A religion advocates its basic tenets on faith, which means in the absence of evidence and logical argument, a
Two trolls in mud time
Not PC / 2d
The two Canadian ethno-nationalists arrived last night to continue trolling everybody in the country -- as they've been doing so well for the last month -- and if I had been give their hundred-dollar ticket price* every time I've been asked if I'm going tonight to their hoe-down, I'd have been able to pay for my own lawyers, with enough left over to hire a hall to put on an alternative show. The
QotD: "If the purpose of international trade is to create jobs, then why bother accepting anything at all in return from foreigners?"
Not PC / 3d
"If the purpose of international trade is to create jobs, then why bother accepting anything in return from foreigners? As Bastiat pointed out, more jobs in export industries would be created if the government arranged for all workers in export industries to produce tons of goods, have all of these goods loaded on to ships, and then have all of these ships and all of their cargoes sunk in the mid
BONUS QotD: "Nations don’t trade with each other, and trade is not a war."
Not PC / 3d
"Nations don’t trade with each other, and trade is not a war." ~ Jeff Jacoby, from his latest Boston Globe oped . . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with link and attribution.
QotD: “In 1976, Mao single-handedly and dramatically changed the direction of global poverty with one simple act: he died.”
“In 1976, Mao single-handedly and dramatically changed the direction of global poverty with one simple act: he died.” Stephen Radelet, from his book The Great Surge Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with link and attribution.
Trump's new trade policy: "... when it stops moving, subsidise it."
Ronald Reagan once explained the philosophy of modern government being "if it moves, tax it; if it keeps moving, regulate it; if it stops moving, subsidise it." With his global trade war, Trump has now written a new chapter in this credo. To "ease the pain" of Trump's trade war, which has bitten everywhere but most painfully (electorally) in the pockets of the mid-western voting classes, the econ
OBSIDIAN WINGS
Hugo Voting: Short Fiction
Obsidian Wings / 6d
by Doctor Science The struggle continues ! Again, based on my Goodreads ratings . Best Novella 5 ☆: All Systems Red by Martha Wells | The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang . Deciding which of these to rank higher is the purest form of torture. It's possible I love All Systems Red more (because ♥Murderbot♥), but Black Tides seems to me to be a better-written story. Also, Red has already won the N
Amazon's Business Model Is a Performance
by Doctor Science Yesterday was Amazon "Prime Day", and workers for Amazon in Spain and other European countries were on strike (I don't know if this had anything to do with the site's technical problems ). Amazon is a notoriously terrible employer, but when I look at how CEO Jeff Bezos is running the company and what his business model seems to be, the bad working conditions and low pay aren't t
speaking of unrepresentative branches of government...
by russell In the SCOTUS post, Sebastian raised the problem of the Supreme Court making rulings that result in laws and policies that do not reflect the will of the people, i.e., do not align with what the majority of people want. Which is something to be concerned about. If governance drifts too far from the popular will, we have trouble. Then, this , from the Washington Post, appears in my in-b
Bread at the Fair
Obsidian Wings / 7d
Part Three of a Series by JanieM Today I went to the 2018 Maine Artisan Bread Fair at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. I fulfilled my main goal, which was to buy some heritage wheat flours from Maine Grains . Their “Sirvinta” variety won’t be available until after this year’s harvest, but I got a bag of Red Fife and a bag of Øland to try out in my daily sourdough. All I know is that these flours are ma
Hugo Voting: Novels and Such
Obsidian Wings / 10d
by Doctor Science It's getting down to the wire (again) for Hugo Awards voting, so I'm going to finalize my ballot by writing about it for you. This year I've made things easier on myself by using goodreads to keep track of what I've read and what I thought about it at the time. I can sort a category by the number of Stars I gave each entry, then think about how I divide the ties. The Hugo Awards
The Epitome
Obsidian Wings / 12d
Awfully quiet around here. In case you're bored and you feel like going on a treasure hunt, some dictionary has lost its definition of sanctimony. It was last seen roaming around the countryside in the guise of a tall guy with a self-satisfied smile on his face. Geez, what an asshole. [ Hat tip to Anne Laurie at BJ .] [Edited to correct the link.]
THE VIEW FROM TAIWAN
Explaining Canada's China Policy
A net-acquaintance posted this to a discussion group.. ____ describes the organization accurately. Leading members have much to offer, in particular deep background on Power Corporation, a huge corporation and major player all over the world which has somehow managed to fly below the radar of Canadian citizens for many decades. Power Corporation has virtually dictated China policy to all Canadian
"Ethnic Chinese" Round 2
Beetle in aboriginal colors Financial Times reporter Ben Bland tweeted this Twitter thread around . 1. Here follows a short thread on why Beijing’s ratcheting up of pressure on Hong Kong and Taiwan should be issues of global concern, highlighting a wider clash of values as the world’s most powerful authoritarian state grows in influence and determination. It would be great if this idea got into t
Does cross-Strait tourism induce peace? Evidence from survey data on Chinese tourists and non-tourists"
On the 193 in Hualien, one of my favorite roads. From "Does cross-Strait tourism induce peace? Evidence from survey data on Chinese tourists and non-tourists" Hsin-Hsin Pan, Wen-Chin Wu, and Yu-Tzung Chang, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific Volume 0, (2018) 1–33. The authors surveyed Chinese who had never been to Taiwan (China sample), and Chinese who had come as group tourists and inde
Lin Gets Boost in Taichung + Polls
And so the Chinese end up giving Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung a boost in a tight race with the KMT's Lu ( Taipei Times ) as their cancellation of the East Asian Youth Games works in Lin's favor: Asked who should be responsible for the incident, 40.5 percent said Beijing, while 31.5 percent said the Taiwanese government. Despite the cancelation, 71.1 percent of respondents said that the city shoul
“Images of the Late Homeland”
From Youtube : Yang Shun-Fa is a worker artist from Taiwan. He’s been working in a steel factory for 33 years. In his spare time, he likes taking pictures. He spent 3 years recording the coastal erosion and ground subsidence in the west of Taiwan, and created the photography series “Images of the Late Homeland”. During the shooting, he and his car were once nearly swallowed by the sea. Through th
Law and Order, Rhetoric and Reality
Contemplating the walk home.... The Taipei Times featured an interview with the new Minister of the Interior, Hsu Kuo-yung, today... According to official statistics, there were more than 450,000 criminal cases in 2008, but by last year, the number across the nation had dropped to 290,000 — including fighting and slander cases. Last year’s amendments to the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條
ORGANIZING NOTES
Keep Space for Peace Week
Organizing Notes / 17h
Click on poster for a better view We urge you to help us spread word about the poster and our theme for Space week this year which is ‘No Space Force’ – the proposal by Trump to create a separate military service whose mission would be the ‘domination of space’ for US power projection and more. The posters can be ordered by sending us $3 per copy or 12 copies for $10. You can pay by sending a che
Where did you learn what you know about Russia & Putin?
Organizing Notes / 1d
Who is manufacturing the anti-Putin, anti-Russian hype all across the west? Who benefits from the increasing dangerous tensions between the US-NATO and Russia? How much do you independently know about Russia that you did not learn from the mainstream media? What do you know about the period following the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991? Who were the 'Harvard boys' that were sent in by
My trip to Russia
Organizing Notes / 2d
I'm starting to work on my Russian Visa application process. My plan is to visit Moscow and Crimea in the middle of October on a humanitarian Visa. The idea is to meet Russian people in preparation for a study tour that I will be organizing in the spring of 2019 (late April to early May). We want to take some of our GN members and friends to try to cut through the manufactured fog that engulfs th
Learning how to live
Organizing Notes / 2d
Dr. Cornel West Lecture 'Politics in the Humanities' at Brown University (2018). Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, political activist, social critic, author, and public intellectual. The son of a Baptist minister, West focuses on the role of race, gender, and class in American society and the means by which people act and react to their "radical conditionedness."
Netanyahu: We own the U.S.
Organizing Notes / 2d
In a leaked tape, Benjamin Netanyahu boasts about making Trump pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. This will not make the evening news.
Imagine this....
Organizing Notes / 3d
Imagine this Canada and Mexico declare that because Washington is crazy and unpredictable they feel insecure and need protection thus Ottawa and Mexico City have invited Russia and China to set up joint military bases in both their countries at various points along the US northern and southern borders to defend them against an increasingly hostile Washington How might that go down in the District
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Pakistan Considers Mass Privitization Drive As It Seeks IMF Bail out!
Was I 'wrong' on Imran Khan? It doesn't appear so. The question is:Was the 5/6 eyes media, mainstream and alt, up to their usual tricks? Financial Times "Imran Khan plans to place state-owned companies into fund away from government control" So Imran Khan is going to put the companies it private hands then? " Imran Khan will place all of Pakistan’s state-owned companies into a special fund to be
Israel’s Implausible, Dark Night & Torches Heist of Iranian Nuclear Secrets
National Post “Last year, the spies began planning a heist that one senior Israeli intelligence official said bore a strong resemblance to George Clooney’s adventures in “Oceans 11.” This absurd tale is the reason, so we’re told, that Trump was convinced to pull out of the JCPOA/P5+1. It’s so Hollywood . The whole narrative. Complete with the above reference to George Clooney’s Oceans 11. But not
Trump U.S. Ties to NATO ‘Very Strong’- Condemns Russia
Choosing to intentionally ignore all the white noise (meaningless or distracting commotion, hubbub, or chatter) about the NATO summit and opting instead to cut to the chase ( focus on what is important) immediately below... Trump claims victory on NATO Military Spending & Trump signs a NATO declaration at odds with his own statements- Strongly condemning Russia Trump at NATO Summit Despite his at
RAND: Time To Make A Deal on Syria? Like Pompeo's Offer To Iran?
RAND : Military Industrial Complex Linked- Time to make a deal on Syria? Trump Putin Summit Pending “Although U.S. leverage is much diminished by the Assad regime's recent gains, there are still opportunities for Washington and Russia to achieve a settlement that preserves some U.S. interests” I was thinking just that with regard to the southern front- The US had just lost some leverage in any ne
Montreal’s Sensationally Speculative Heat Wave Death Stats
Yah, last week was hot. That said it’s July so heat is what should be expected. Years ago it used to be hotter for longer periods of times. Hubby and I have had a veggie garden for 26 years now. We used to plant cool weather veggies earlier (April)- but for the past several years it’s been to cool to do that- Soil to cold and wet. For that matter it’s been too cool to plant tomatoes, eggplant and
Pepe Escobar:Eagle Meets Bear Summit- No Takfiri Left Behind
Was hoping to get to this last week- no such luck- Still worth reading. I'm omitting the parts about the recent success in Daraa including the taking of the very strategic border crossing between Jordan and Syria since that was all covered in friday's post: What of Daraa? Israel Warns Syria- "Rebels" Reach
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