10 pm MST
Midnight Meme Of The Day!
*by Noah* This is what the Republican Party stands for now. It's not as if it wasn't before, but, they've really ratified it this time, so clearly, so bigly and so proudly. Over the first two days of their all in defense of their Dear Leader in his impeachment "trial," the republicans expended a great amount of energy and an even greater amount of bullshit in order to make sure we all know exactly where they stand. To Republicans, the criminality of asking foreign nations to get involved in our election campaigns and the treason of encouraging election interference is of no import... more »
For, Our Views & Opinions Have Been Built Upon - A Quotation by M.N. Hopkins
*For, our views, our opinions have been built upon layers and layers of lies. The lies are so thick and convoluted that we no longer have the ability to think or act in a clear and determined manner. This is just the result of many centuries of continuing problems without resolution.* *© ** M.N. Hopkins* *Note: During this month of January 2020 I intend to release one to two of my quotations which were taken from earlier inspirational writings going back 23 years to today. I will also post any newly inspired quotations or poems written during this month of January, 202... more »
The Dead Zone Downstream: Gulf Edition
The cost of modern agriculture, as measured by a growing oxygen-free patch in the Gulf of Mexico.
Pakistan May Get Out Of The FATF Grey List Soon
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions, with the objectives of the to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the […]
"The People Of Today..."
"The people of today have no nobility. They do not even know what it means to be noble of heart. There is no strength of character; there is only emotion. We live in a worldwide society of emotion-based actions, emotion-based thinking, emotion-based words. People do things because they feel like it, they think things ruled by their emotions to think it and they say things because in that moment it's what they are feeling. Character does, thinks and says from a place of core identity and truth. "This is my truth, thus I will do it, think it, speak it." Nobility means strength of cha... more »
"Sheep Comforts Wounded Dog & The Story Behind It"
*"Sheep Comforts Wounded Dog & The Story Behind It"* by Thema Newsroom "A photo of a sheep and a dog has gone viral.Nothing new here, as it is not the first time it happens. Animal photos attract the attention of people all the time. But what makes this picture special and has moved the people so much is the story behind it. In the photo, one can see a sheep comforting a wounded Georgian Shepherd dog moments after the dog defended their herd from a pack of wolves. The photo was allegedly taken on January 22nd somewhere in the Caucasus mountains." - http://en.protothema.gr/
No Longer Will.....A Quotation by M.N. Hopkins
*No longer will lies and falsehood bind together human community. Mankind now seeks a better way and one that will insure a future that allows for a creativity and expression of what is best within your humanity. No longer will the hollow words be accepted while actions are allowed to be reactive rather than proactive.* *© ** M.N. Hopkins* *To read more of my poems & quotations, please click on the link below:* *Poems & Quotations by M.N. Hopkins* *or visit:* *Pinterest*
Morrison's double-down in the face of his political problems
It was billed as an opportunity for Scott Morrison to "reset" after a disastrous start to the political year. But in the end, a defensive Morrison doubled down, writes David Speers.
Is colonic irrigation effective for improving wellbeing, and is it safe?
After the excesses of Christmas and New Year, you may be looking for a quick fix for that bloated, lethargic feeling. But is colonic irrigation — often touted as a detoxifying therapy — effective and safe?
Quiet Australians speak up on climate change action
For the first time in their lives, Rod and Margot Cunich are so angry about a political issue they are taking action. And they are not the only ones.
Victoria announces second coronavirus case while Queensland confirms its first
Just In - 22 hours ago
A Victorian man just back from China and a Chinese national visiting Queensland are the most recent confirmed carriers of the coronavirus, bringing the number of cases nationally to seven.
Court releases shocking video of man punching female cop at AFL game
A man who punched a female police officer in the head at an AFL game in Geelong last year, is sentenced to six months' jail under mandatory sentencing laws designed to protect emergency service workers.
Councillor compares colleagues to 'Osama Green Laden' for wanting to replace fireworks
An Adelaide city councillor cautions opponents to not become the "Taliban wing" of the council for supporting an investigation into replacing New Year's Eve fireworks with a drone or light display.
RSPCA hits back at claims about accommodating volunteers on Kangaroo Island
The RSPCA has been inundated with thousands of requests from people looking to volunteer on Kangaroo Island, but is being accused by some of seeking handouts from those impacted by the fires.
'Leper colony' or a positive contribution: Coronavirus quarantine splits Christmas Island
Locals have raised questions about the surprise news that Christmas Island will house Australian evacuees caught up in China's coronavirus outbreak.
'Time is ticking': Landholders, community express anger over Inland Rail consultation
A 1,700-kilometre freight rail link from Melbourne to Brisbane is met with widespread criticism over the proposed route that requires new corridors to be constructed through farmland in southern Queensland, the Inland Rail Senate inquiry hears.
Christmas Party CCTV footage to be shown at trial after WA Treasurer's former adviser denies assault
Former WA Government senior media advisor Stephen Kaless will face a two-day trial after pleading not guilty to indecently assaulting a female colleague at a staff Christmas party last month.
'Ramping up': Sixteen people, including 2yo, tested for deadly coronavirus in NSW
The number of people in NSW under investigation for coronavirus jumps from six to 16 but NSW Health says there is no cause for alarm and testing is simply "ramping up".
Light plane crashes into ocean, two survivors swim ashore
Just In - 22 hours ago
A light plane crashes into the ocean off Queensland's Fraser Island, with the pilot and a passenger both surviving and swimming ashore to waiting paramedics.
Scott Morrison distances himself from sports grants scandal plaguing his Government
The Prime Minister insists his office played no role in assessing sports grants funding but has refused to outline why the Cabinet approved more than $40 million in extra funding for the program just weeks before the federal election.
Nicola Gobbo demanded $30m payout to 'walk away', Lawyer X inquiry hears
Lawyer X royal commission hears Nicola Gobbo, the disgraced criminal barrister who turned on her own clients, demanded an eye-watering payday from Victoria Police for her services.
Streamlined bushfire assistance still too hard for many farmers
Farmers say they are still "falling through the cracks" of state and Federal Government assistance after the bushfires.
Threat eases from out-of-control bushfire burning near Donnybrook in WA
Just In - 22 hours ago
A fast-moving bushfire is burning out of control north-east of the WA town of Donnybrook, in the state's South West region, but an emergency warning has been downgraded to a watch and act.
Dairy industry digests plan to consolidate governance
A major restructure looms for the Australian dairy industry, however some state-based advocacy organisations are concerned the proposal misses the mark.
Simona Halep shows why she may be the favourite to win the Australian Open
Just In - 22 hours ago
There are high hopes for Ash Barty, but former world number one Simon Halep shows why many consider her to be the top contender to win the women's title in Melbourne after a ruthless display in the quarter-finals.
China travellers urged to stay home, evacuated Australians to be held on Christmas Island
Just In - 22 hours ago
Scott Morrison says the Federal Government will try to evacuate "isolated and vulnerable Australians" trapped in China because of the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
Kansas becomes 4th state with unconstitutional “ag-gag” law
Federal judges did not much like the newer laws to protect animal agriculture from prying eyes. So-called “ag-gag” laws adopted during the last decade in Utah, Idaho, and Iowa were struck mainly down as unconstitutional when challenged by animal rights activists. Kansas, North Dakota, and Montana, however, adopted ag-gag laws 30 years ago. Those statutes... Continue Reading
Beach Beat: Food safety guinea pigs
Those folks at PBS have done it again. They’ve aired a provocative piece that will stun you. It’s about the man behind the so-called Poison Squad. Sounds scary doesn’t it. It’s fascinating. You won’t be able to look away. It’s the documentary film “The Poison Squad” and it premiered last night on the PBS series... Continue Reading
Diners warned about potential hepatitis A exposure, urged to seek vaccination
Health officials in New Zealand have warned people who ate at a restaurant about possible hepatitis A exposure. Canterbury District Health Board’s public health team are advising people who ate at Madam Woo Christchurch on 255 St Asaph Street at any time on Jan. 15 or 17 that they may have been exposed to to... Continue Reading
Judge rules death was not due to food poisoning from restaurant
A Spanish court has ruled the death of a woman was because of natural causes and not due to food poisoning at a restaurant that has a Michelin star. The ruling was made in December 2019 by a judge at the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV) and an investigation into the... Continue Reading
These 5 Submarines Could Destroy The World In 30 Minutes
*TNI Staff* *Security, * And there isn't any way to stop them. *Key Point:* In some cases—as in the case of the Ohio-class submarine during the height of the Cold War—even a single vessel could reduce as many as 288 city-sized targets into radioactive ash in less than 30 minutes. While they have thankfully never been used during a shooting war, nuclear-powered submarines carrying nuclear-tipped missiles are the most deadly weapons mankind has ever devised. In some cases—as in the case of the Ohio-class submarine during the height of the Cold War—even a single vessel could reduce... more »
Wonder Woman and the Fantasy of Ancient Female Warriors
*Christian-Georges Schwentzel* *History, Americas* Wonder Woman embodies the male fantasy of warrior women. When the film Wonder Woman is released in early June, it will surely join the blockbuster ranks of other recent comic book-inspired film franchises, including Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and X-Men. But that’s not just because it features a sword-wielding Gal Gadot in knee-high boots and a metal bodice. Wonder Woman has long been a bestselling creation, originally imagined in 1941 by the psychologist William Moulton Marston, and the film follows some of the main plot lines... more »
The Islamic State Remains An Undefeated Threat
*Brian Glyn Williams* *Security, * [image: https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC1480D0D4A0&share=true] There are still as many as 30,000 Islamic State fighters in the Middle East. In a series of bloody campaigns from 2014 to 2019, a multinational military coalition drove the Islamic State group, often known as ISIS, out of much of the Iraqi and Syrian territory that the strict militant theocracy had brutally governed. But the Pentagon and the United Nations both estimate that the group still has as many as 30,000 active insurgents in the regi... more »
The Origin of India's Love for Light Skin
*Neha Mishra, Ronald Hall* *economy, Asia* [image: Reuters] In India, a light complexion is associated with power, status and beauty, fueling an innovative and growing market of skin-bleaching products. “Let’s scrub out that tan” is a common refrain in beauty parlours in India, where girls grow up with constant reminders that only fair skin is beautiful. From Sunday classified ads touting the marriageability of an “MBA graduate. 5-½ ft. English medium. Fair complexion” to elderly aunties advising young women to apply saffron paste to “maintain your skin whiter and smoother”, th... more »
Tweets For Today
Ghost town. Drone images by @AFPTV journalist @LeoRamirezAFP in Wuhan, shows how deserted the central Chinese city has become under lockdown over the #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/b7RcrkZkmC — AFP news agency (@AFP) January 29, 2020 Xi's Disease: Panda-emic Of Our Times@GordonGChang @batchelorshow @johnrobb @marcorubio @ChiefAusArmy @ScottAdamsSays @hkpoliceforce @JapanEmbDC @tomricks1 @SenRickScott @WarRoom2020 @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/jTUJtGYcua — Michael Yon (@Michael_Yon) January 29, 2020 U.S. President Donald Trump proposed creating a Palestinian state as part of ... more »
January 29th – 2020 Presidential Politics – Trump Administration Day #1105
In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and … Continue reading →
Wednesday January 29th – Open Thread
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those … Continue reading →
Harvard Chemistry Department Head Is Charged With Lying To US Officials About His Ties To Chinese Research Agencies
*Reuters:* *U.S. charges target alleged Chinese spying at Harvard, Boston institutions* (Reuters) - A Harvard University department chair and two Chinese nationals who were researchers at Boston University and a Boston hospital were charged on Tuesday with lying about their alleged links to the Chinese government. The charges are part of an aggressive effort by U.S. authorities to block what they say are Chinese attempts to steal American scientific and technological advances. “This is a very carefully directed effort by the Chinese government to fill what it views as its own s... more »
"Alea Iacta Est"
*"Alea Iacta Est"* “Alea iacta est is a Latin phrase attributed by Suetonius to Julius Caesar on January 10, 49 B.C. as he led his army across the Rubicon river in Northern Italy. With this step, he entered Italy at the head of his army in defiance of the Senate and began his long civil war against Pompey and the Optimates. The phrase, either in the original Latin or in translation, is used in many languages to indicate that events have passed a point of no return. The historian Frances Titchener has given a stylized description of the context of Caesar's pronouncement: "We know f... more »
"The Game Of Chance"
*"The Game Of Chance"* by The Zman "Chance plays an underappreciated role in human affairs. Whether it is the weather or human error, unexpected events often change the course of history. The death of Ogedei Khan in 1242 halted the Mongol invasion of Europe. Constantine having a strange dream prior to the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, advanced the cause of Christianity in Europe. The shifting winds at Salamis allowed the Greeks to defeat the superior Persian navy. Chance is often a player in human affairs. A recent example is what happened in Iran. According to news reports, the e... more »
Forcing The U.S. To Accept Immigrants Who Will Become Public Charges (2)
* Who runs the federal government of the United States? Is it the elected President and members of Congress? Or is it a permanent bureaucracy committed to expansion of its own size and power, together with a critical mass (potentially well less than a majority) of sympathetic federal judges who can be called upon as necessary to strike down any disfavored policy initiative from the elected branches? * Or, in an even more cynical formulation, is it that the elected officeholders can run policy when they are Democrats, but when Republicans are elected the bureaucrats get to rule with ... more »
Picture Of The Day
A staff member from a local sanitation and epidemic prevention team checks body temperature of a passenger in a car at a toll station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, January 23. China Daily via REUTERS *WNU Editor: *The above picture is from this photo-gallery .... *Inside Wuhan after China quarantines virus-hit city* (Reuters).
Australian Daily Wind Power Generation Data – Tuesday 28th January 2020
By Anton Lang ~ This Post details the daily wind power generation data for the AEMO coverage area in Australia. For the background information, refer to the Introductory Post at this link. Each image is shown here at a smaller size to fit on the page alongside the data for that day. If you click […]
WashPost Impeachment Shock: Poll Finds Trump ‘In Better Shape’ Now
By Randy Hall ~ Most people across the country remember that during the 2016 presidential election, polls declared that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton would win the White House in a landslide. As you might expect, the folks who conducted those surveys have been trying to regain their standing ever since. With that in mind, the […]
Hypocrites Preaching Green
By Ronald Stein ~ If you don’t know who Tom Steyer is, you should. He’s the guy riding in the internal combustion powered limousine that drops Al Gore off at his speaking engagements. Mr. Steyer, a billionaire former hedge fund manager, who has become the most influential environmentalist in American politics, made his billions from the […]
‘Danger, Danger, Danger’: 4 Highlights From Final Day Of Defense Arguments In Impeachment Trial
By Fred Lucas ~ President Donald Trump’s lawyers briskly completed final arguments against removing their client from office Tuesday, taking a fraction of the 24 hours allotted to them in the Senate impeachment trial. Their wrapup Tuesday after less than two hours—following two hours Saturday and eight hours Monday—was a stark contrast from House Democrats’ […]
BREXIT – T-2days – NSFW! 17 Million F-Offs
2 Days To BREXIT. Party before the plague hits! NSFW F-Bomb Song. Continue reading →
Salty Water Rice
Chiba develops rice that grows in brackish water and alkaline soils. Continue reading →
50 U.S. Service Members Have Been Diagnosed With Traumatic Brain Injuries After Iranian Missile Strike
U.S. soldiers inspect the site where an Iranian missile hit at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar, Iraq, Jan. 13, 2020.John Davison/Reuters, FILE *Daily Mail/AP:* *Pentagon now says 50 U.S. soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries in the Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi base in retaliation for killing Soleimani after Trump initially said they were 'just headaches'* * Pentagon raised the number from 34 to 50 on Tuesday after the January 8 attack * New total total belies President Trump's claim that no Americans were harmed * He then sparked outrage by saying the injured troops suffe... more »
Can Bernie Win A State Like Utah? He's Got A Better Chance Than Status Quo Joe Does
In 2016 Trump did poorly in Utah, a state where his amorality-- and worse-- is not appreciated. He came in third in the Republican caucuses: *•* Ted Cruz- 122,587 (69.2%) *•* John Kasich- 29,773 (16.8%) *•* Trumpanzee- 24,864 (14.0) Utah isn't exactly a blue state-- the PVI is R+20, same as Oklahoma and redder than every Southern state, West Virginia and Idaho-- but more people voted for Bernie on caucus day than for Trump. This is how the Utah Democratic caucuses went: *•* Bernie- 61,333 (79.3%) *•* Hillary- 15,666 (20.3%) Yeah, more than twice as many people voted for Bernie ... more »
Are We On The Verge Of A Global Epidemic?
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Ted Regencia, Al Jazeera:* *Could China's coronavirus outbreak become a global epidemic?* WHO chief 'confident' of Beijing's response as Singapore expert says number of cases abroad better gauge of contagion. Public health experts in Hong Kong on Monday raised alarms that there could be thousands of more carriers of a deadly new coronavirus in China and called for the enforcement of "draconian" travel curbs to prevent a global epidemic. As of Tuesday, China had confirmed 106 deaths, including the first death in the capital, Beijing. It also reported... more »
Senator Graham Predicts Deliberative Conclusion on Friday…
With Wednesday and Thursday scheduled for senators questions, the date for any other deliberative action would most likely be Friday. During an interview with Martha MacCallum Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham predicts the potential for the conclusion to any further deliberative … Continue reading →
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