English: A little boy washes his cutlery in a dirty pool of water at Bou Sra Waterfall near Sen Monorom in the Mondulkiri province in Cambodia's east. Picture taken on 16 March 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Kids on a road near Rishikesh, India. They are probably siblings and hanging around while their parents are busy building the road. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum shows his find, Jakarta Indonesia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Street children in Cebu (Philippines). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Greens & Labour discover MMP
If you’ve wondered how the National Party has managed nearly three full terms of government despite doing nothing a ruling Labour Government would also have done, one reason is that Her Majesty’s Opposition is so inept. Case in point: MMP has now been in operation in this country for the last seven elections. Seven. And both leading opposition parties agitated for its introduction. Yet after three crushing defeats by the Blue Team these mental giants have only just now discovered they should work together to defeat National. No, you’re right. You can’t make this stuff up. .. C... more »
Susan St John v Lindsay Mitchell on child poverty
Social science academic and would-be policy-maker Susan St John takes issue with Lindsay Mitchell’s report, blogged here yesterday, that found a strong correlation between relative child poverty and single-parent families, saying *We can agree with her that sole parents and their children have higher rates of child poverty compared to married or defacto couples with children.* *But around 50% of poor children come from two-parent households. * Which is pretty much what Lindsay’s report says as well, i.e., *51% of children in poverty live in single parent families.Single pa... more »
U.S. Convoy in Czech Republic 'Mooned"
RT reports: A Czech veteran opposed to the “aggressive missions” of the US in Europe was arrested this weekend for 'mooning' a US military convoy heading to the Russian border to perform war games. Martin Zapletal, a member of a group of Czech and Slovakian soldiers opposed to NATO, described the US soldiers as* “aggressors, killers and occupiers”* as Dragoon Ride II paraded through their country heading eastward. Police arrested Zapletal who is understood to be facing charges of *“disorderly conduct,”* for which he could be jailed for up to the three years. More than 1,400... more »
Memorial Day Parade in Maine
There was a forecast for steady rain today at the same time we were set to take part in the Memorial Day parade from Topsham to Brunswick, Maine. Our local group PeaceWorks and Maine Veterans For Peace lined up as we do each year and thank goodness the rain held off til the end of the parade. The theme of the parade this year was "Remember Pearl Harbor" - another incendiary memory that the military industrial complex keeps alive in order to sell endless war and weapons. Our PeaceWorks planning committee agreed that we would riff off the 'Pearl Harbor' theme in order to bring the ... more »
Who Will Protect Social Security From Paul Ryan? Not Trump-- And Not Any Corrupt Conservatives From Either Party
Over the weekend, the *NY Times* speculated that the "early optimism" in the Clinton camp for an easy landslide win against a Trump campaign weighed down with so much baggage "is evaporating." The hopeless party hacks and mercenary lobbyists who control her dull, utterly conventional campaign have no idea how to fight Trump. "In the corridors of Congress, on airplane shuttles between New York and Washington, at donor gatherings and on conference calls, anxiety is spreading through the Democratic Party that Mrs. Clinton is struggling to find her footing. While she enjoys many demog... more »
The Top 5 Misconceptions About Objectivists
Many folk harbour many misconsceptions about Objectivists. Despite popular belief to the contrary however we don’t eat babies for every breakfast. We don’t all hate Van Gogh. And there is vast disagreement over how many candles to use on our Ayn Rand shrine. So here to clean up your many misconceptions is Sunny Lohman’s thoroughly researched and completely authoratitive guide to The Top 5 Misconceptions About Objectivists. There. Done. Although I never did like Star Trek. . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.
Easy Red, White and Blue Bubble Necklaces
We love bubble necklaces in our house. My girls have one for just about every occasion. They add such a cute element to each outfit that I can't seem to help buying them in each color. Yes, I said buy. While I love almost every kind of crafting, jewelry making has remained way over my head. I have always assumed that bubble necklaces would be too hard to make. When Fizzy Pops contacted me and asked if I wanted to try my hand at making them, I hesitantly agreed. I love the necklaces, but jewelry making has always seemed so frustrating. But, I made my first necklaces this weekend an... more »
Before You Apply at KIPP or Another "No Excuses" School . . .
KIPP continues its job fairs this summer, trying to fill the many slots left by teachers too exhausted or too fed up to continue. Here is one example of a job fair in Houston: If you are thinking about applying to work at KIPP or any other "no excuses" school, I hope you will read what 25 former "no excuses" teachers had to say about working at these schools:
Miley Cyrus - The Backyard Sessions - "Jolene"
https://youtu.be/wOwblaKmyVw Miley Cyrus can sing!
How Do Normal People View Trump And Trumpism In The Rest Of The World?
It's always worth hearing what people across the world are are listening to about our country. And when it comes to mainstream Arab coverage, *al-Arabiya*'s Hisham Melhem's analysis is especially worthwhile. Melhem has been trying to explain the Trump phenomenon to folks in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, Algeria and Kuwait. He explains Trump's rise in terms of angry masses of Republican voters. And he predicts that history show "that the United States of America, the strongest, most influential country in history circa 2016 held an elect... more »
Quote of the Day: On success
*"For I have a single definition of success: you look in the mirror every evening, and wonder if you disappoint the person you were at 18, right before the age when people start getting corrupted by life. Let him or her be the only judge; not your reputation, not your wealth, not your standing in the community, not the decorations on your lapel. If you do not feel ashamed, you are successful. All other definitions of success are modern constructions; fragile modern constructions."* ~ Nassim Taleb . [Hat tip Scott Powell] . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permis... more »
Editor's Note
Taking care of some visitors from overseas tonight. Blogging will return tomorrow morning.
Accommodation Supplement = Landlord Subsidy
The govt’s Accommodation Supplement has been getting air time today because of long-term mistakes in how it’s been paid, and because it received an $80 million increase in the budget. Did you know how much this Accommodation Supplement costs taxpayers every year? $2.2billion is the answer, paid out every year to 286,000 people who qualify for it. (That’s around $8000 each per year, in case you were wondering, the total amount being far more than even most ministries are able to spend every year, paid to more than half of the 450,000 or so rental households.) Do you know where ... more »
Au revoir
For my final post before I officially begin my two-week holiday in Raqqa, here's a Bank Holiday Monday smorgasbord... ****** *Today* I was going to begin it with John Humphrys's interview with Jackie Walker, but Sue and Sarah AB have absolutely nailed it already. "Bungled" is *le mot juste*. My original thoughts were to outline JH's interviewing here with phrases like "gumming" and "whacking her with a moth-eaten feather duster" but "bungled" is a much more precise way of putting it. JH was simultaneously woefully under-prepared and distressingly OTT. She walked all over him ... more »
Untitled
*Where Credentialism has led* *Burlington College closes under unwanted spotlight* Burlington College closed its doors for good on Friday. Burlington College, once a thriving school for artists, now looks abandoned and bereft. The huge red-and-white sign congratulating graduates remains, but faculty name placards have been pulled from the walls. Empty nails line the corridors, and the front doors are locked. After 44 years of operation, the college closed for good on Friday. And the timing couldn’t be worse: As they salvage artwork and pack up classrooms, former students a... more »
Hoopa Valley Tribe Slams San Luis Settlement Agreement
Photo of Trinity River below Lewiston Dam by Dan Bacher. Hoopa Valley Tribe: San Luis Settlement Agreement Will 'Condemn Tribe to Poverty' by Dan Bacher Censored News On May 24, the Hoopa Valley Tribe from Northern California filed its objection to two bills proposed in the House of Representatives to implement the controversial San Luis Settlement Agreement, saying the
Top Vietnamese Communist Leader Thanks Veteran American Anti-War Activists For Their Support In Winning The War
*Photo*: Viet Cong Leader Nguyễn Thị Bình. Wikipedia *Daily Caller:* *Vietnamese Communist Leader Says US Anti-War Activists Helped Their Victory* In the weeks leading up to Memorial Day and President Barack Obama’s scheduled trip to Vietnam, a prominent Vietcong communist leader privately thanked American anti-war activists for helping defeat the U.S.-allied government in Vietnam in the 1970s, saying protest demonstrations throughout the United States were “extremely important in contributing to Vietnam’s victory.” For Vietnamese guerrilla leader Madam Nguyen Thi Binh, who sent ... more »
Altered Beast for the MegaDrive/Genesis
"Wise from your gwave!" An entire generation of gamers were introduced to Sega's 16-bit wonder machine with those very words. Grab your pack-in copy of *Altered Beast*, slam it in the slot, hit start and straight away your spanking new console was making like Jonathan Ross. Bwilliant. For folks of a certain age, no introduction is necessary for this game. It's fondly remembered and hated in equal measure because of its ubiquity and simple beat 'em up gameplay. And if you didn't have a MegaDrive, it was hard to escape as it was one of those rare games that got converted to every mac... more »
Doctors Fear Scarring Bug Disease Brought to Europe by Migrants
[image: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - OCTOBER 26 Shafiqa,14, waits for treatment at a free specialized clinic for leishmaniasis supported by World Health Organization (WHO) October 26, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a parasite transmitted by a tiny sandfly that can lead to severe scarring, often on the face. Leishmaniasis plagues Afghanistan's poor, who often sleep on the floor, and the disease isn't a priority for the government and its aid donors who are grappling with infant mortality, tuberculosis, malaria and trauma. The most common form of the disease i... more »
Untitled
*Climate skepticism a winner for Trump* Americans who fear Muslim terrorists love Donald Trump, as do Americans who want to keep out illegal Mexican immigrants. Trade protectionists and foreign-policy isolationists also love Trump. These voting groups, all part of the Trump coalition and all marginalized by elites because of their stance would see themselves as vindicated and count themselves as winners should Trump become president of the United States. But other important groups, little discussed by the punditry, also embrace Trump for validating the causes that animate them, al... more »
Russia Is Developing Its Own Railgun
(Click on Image to Enlarge) *Sputnik News: **Russia Developing Own Railgun on Par With US 'Battlefield Meteorite'* The US newest weapon, the railgun, is of no surprise to Moscow and Russia is also developing one of its own, the first deputy of the Russian upper house’s Defense and Security Committee said Monday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier, the Wall Street Journal published the first pictures of the railgun, in development for a decade. Transforming a 25-pound projectile into nothing short of a battlefield meteorite obliterating anything on its path, the weapon does not use gunpowd... more »
Editor's Note
World News Briefs (Evening Edition) and Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials will return tomorrow evening.
Climber Feels Guilty Over Wife’s Death On Everest
A heartbroken husband has blamed himself for his wife’s death on Everest after leaving her alone on the mountain while he continued climbing the summit. ITV reports: Australian couple Robert Gropel and his wife Maria Strydom were on a joint trip to ascend the mountain when she became ill near the peak. He asked if she would mind waiting while he carried on, not realising that she had developed altitude sickness which would claim her life within hours. “I asked: ‘Do you mind if I go on,’ and she said: ‘Yes, you go on, I’ll wait for you here’,” he said in a tearful interview describin... more »
Study Links Artificial Sweeteners To Type 2 Diabetes
A new study by York University in Toronto warns that artificial sweeteners can cause type 2 diabetes. The sugar alternatives, noticeably aspartame, causes changes in gut bacteria, which in turn can lead to glucose intolerance. Sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame and sucralose, are used widely in western diets and are found in a multitude of foods and drinks. Activist Post reports: While the medical industry continues to promote artificial sweeteners as a healthy alternative to sugar, and while major food corporations insert these alternatives into food products unnecessarily, res...more »
Link on Atomic Vets
Clyde Haberman. Veterans of Atomic Test Blasts: No Warning, and Late Amends. The New York Times, May 29, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/us/veterans-of-atomic-test-blasts-no-warning-and-late-amends.html?emc=edit_th_20160530&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=32962000&_r=0*Required to sign a secrecy oath, atomic veterans were experimental subjects for studying the effects of atomic fallout....* * Here is a link to the US Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments: http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/radiation/ *
Entrenched Class Hierarchies
It turns out that today's wealthy individuals in Florence share the same surname as the richest families their 600 years ago: Josh Zumbrun. May 19, 2016. The Wealthy in Florence Today Are the Same Families as 600 Years Ago.The Wall Street Journal, http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2016/05/19/the-wealthy-in-florence-today-are-the-same-families-as-600-years-ago/ Researchers compared data on Florentine taxpayers in 1427 against tax data in 2011 and found about 900 surnames still present in Florence. They find strong evidence that socioeconomic status is incredibly persistent. The wealth... more »
Was TEPCO Injecting Nitrogen into Unit 1 Yesterday?
I presume that this contraption, which I've seen before, is used to inject nitrogen into unit 1. In the past, emissions have been reduced after this treatment, but today's emissions don't seem to have been impacted much by yesterday's infusion:
NATO To Raise Military In Poland After Warsaw Summit In July
*DW:* *NATO urges members to stand up to 'Russian military assertiveness'* NATO has urged member nations to stand up to what it calls "Russia's military assertiveness." The head of the military alliance has also pledged to strengthen the alliance's forces along its eastern borders. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in Warsaw to lay the groundwork for NATO's July summit, said: "I expect leaders at Warsaw to agree on an enhanced forward presence in the east of the alliance." "An attack on any ally will be swiftly met by the forces from across the alliance, from both sides of ... more »
Turkish President Erdogan Accuses Russia Of Arming Kurdish PKK Militants In Their War Against Turkey
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by his wife Emine Erdogan, greets supporters during a rally to mark the 563rd anniversary of the conquest of the city by Ottoman Turks, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer *Reuters*: *Turkey's Erdogan accuses Russia of arming PKK militants* Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has accused Russia of providing anti-aircraft weaponry and rockets to militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), government officials said on Monday, confirming reports in local media. Speaking to reporters on board his airplane after... more »
#DebtTrapDebbie Loves Corrupt PACs And Corrupt PACs Love #DebtTrapDebbie Back
*Is she schmearing cream cheese on your bagel?* This spring we've had occasion to explain the workings of the sleazy lobbyist and consultant-driven CBC PAC. Although many of the PAC's board are conservative Democrats, it really isn;'t about ideology as much as it's about corruption and careerism. Conservative Democrat Angela Rye is on both boards. Recently the Bernie-hating Rye (of Impact Strategies), who is currently angling for a job at the centrist-friendly MSNBC, blasted "white progressives" on her Twitter account for pointing out that the CBC is a virtual vacuum cleaner for br... more »
Coastguard rescues suspected migrants off Kent coast per BBC News
This BBC report http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36407685 begins: 'Eighteen Albanians, who are believed to be migrants, are among 20 people to have been rescued from a boat off the Kent coast in the English Channel.' Surely the word illegal should appear between be and migrants. Else the word invaders should replace migrants.
President Obama's Visit To Hiroshima Is Panned By Critics On Both The Right And Left
*Dave Boyer, The Washington Times:* *Obama’s Hiroshima visit panned by critics on left, right* President Obama burnished his legacy as the president who went to Hiroshima, but critics on the left and right say the historic visit probably won’t make a bit of difference for his dream of a world without nuclear weapons. “In terms of his avowed goal of nuclear disarmament, no,” said Dean Cheng, a specialist on Asia and national security at the Heritage Foundation. “The Chinese aren’t going to give up nuclear weapons, the Russians aren’t going to give up nuclear weapons.” Peace group... more »
The Crown
*Purple.* "Now mark me, how I will undo myself; I give this heavy weight from off my head And this unwieldy sceptre from my hand, The pride of kingly sway from out my heart; With mine own tears I wash away my balm, With mine own hands I give away my crown, With mine own tongue deny my sacred state, With mine own breath release all duty's rites: All pomp and majesty I do forswear; My manors, rents, revenues I forego; My acts, decrees, and statutes I deny: God pardon all oaths that are broke to me! God keep all vows unbroke that swear to thee! Make me, that nothing have, with... more »
Bill Kristol Teases an ‘Impressive’ Independent Candidate is Getting in the Race
[image: Mystery-candidate-900] Bill Kristol has lit a political fire this Memorial Day weekend, hot enough to cook steaks. The conservative pundit and editor of The Weekly Standard sent out a tweet Sunday declaring that an “impressive” independent candidate is set to jump into the... more »
Mafia Expert Says The UK Is The Most Corrupt Country In The World
A world-renowned expert on the Italian mafia, journalist Roberto Saviano, says the UK is “the most corrupt country in the world”. Saviano has spent more than a decade exposing the criminal dealings of the Italian Mafia. Speaking at Britains Hay festival, the anti-mafia journalist said British financial services made the UK the world’s most corrupt nation He told the audience : “If I asked you what is the most corrupt place on Earth, you might well tell me it’s Afghanistan, maybe Greece, Nigeria, the South of Italy, and I will tell you it’s the UK” “It’s not the bureaucracy, it’s not ... more »
Under President Obama 2,500 Americans Have Died in Afghanistan And Iraq
U.S. President Barack Obama places a challenge coin on a memorial as he and first lady Michelle Obama pay their respects for the dead soldiers at the conclusion of service in Fort Hood, Texas April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque *Rolling Stone*: *Some 2,500 Americans Have Died in Afghanistan and Iraq Under Obama* *Under Obama, America has been at war for longer than under any other U.S. president* In Barack Obama's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention — the speech that catapulted him onto the national stage — the bright-eyed, loose-limbed senator from Illin... more »
The importance of Quds Day (Friday, July 1st this year)
Quds News Agency - How do you see the essentiality of the day of Quds in light of the current regional upheavals in the Middle East? Quds Day reminds us that the liberation of Palestine is the single most unifying issue among Muslims, and the key to achieving peace in the Middle East and the world. - Many are of the idea that the freedom seeking character of Imam Khomeini prompted him to designate al-Quds day, what is your opinion? Imam Khomeini was a visionary leader who embodied the true Islamic principles of standing up for justice and struggling against oppression. He li... more »
Sadr Takes Over Protests In Iraq’s Capital But What’s Next?
In May 2016 the Sadrists confirmed their control of the Baghdad protest movement. The demonstrations originally started in the south and spread to Baghdad in July 2015. Secular civic groups and the Communist Party were the early organizers of the movement. In the spring of 2016 however, Moqtada al-Sadr decided to co-opt the weekly marches in the capital in an attempt to make him the pre-eminent party boss in Iraqi politics. That didn’t work out as planned, but Sadr has kept up pressure on the government each Friday in Baghdad. On May 20, 2016 the Sadrists took over the Green Zone... more »
CawRANT Events #25
*CawRANT Events #25* Another gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest and here I am plunking way at my laptop keyboard. *Time for my 25th CawRANT! Coincidentally*, I'm closing in on my *500th* post. When that occurs I'll do a reflection post. Looking over my CawRANT file, there are a lot of updates to post on issues covered in the last few weeks. *It's Official - There Was a Coup in Brazil* First, we have Paul Craig Roberts posting last night that certain pundits are concluding there was a recent coup (by the usual suspects) done in Brazil. I called it a coup back on ...... Thurs... more »
A Growing War Of Words Between China And The U.S.
U.S. fighter jets are put on standby at a U.S. aircraft carrier near the South China Sea. (Photo : Reuters) *South China Morning Post/AP*:* US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter warns China against building ‘Great Wall of self-isolation’* China has sought to strengthen its claim to almost the entire South China Sea by building new islands atop coral outcroppings and adding airstrips, harbours and military infrastructure. China could be erecting “a Great Wall of self-isolation” with its increasingly provocative moves against its neighbours, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said on Frid... more »
Five U.N. Soldiers Killed In Ambush In Central Mali
*Reuters*: *Five U.N. soldiers killed in central Mali attack* Five United Nations peacekeepers were killed and one other seriously injured in an ambush in central Mali on Sunday, the United Nations said. A convoy of soldiers in the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was attacked 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Sevaré, the U.N. said. The nationalities of the soldiers were not released and so far no group had taken responsibility for the attack. It comes 10 days after five MINUSMA peacekeepers from Chad were killed in an ambush in the northern... more »
Tweet For Today
How it happened: from Chad's independence to the conviction of Hissene Habre pic.twitter.com/5tL1sdQP3k — AFP Africa (@AFPAfrica) May 30, 2016
Former Chad Leader Hissene Habre Sentenced To Life For Committing War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity
*Reuters*: *Chad's ex-leader Habre, Cold War-era ally of West, gets life in prison for atrocities* Former Chad president Hissene Habre, a Cold War ally of the West, was convicted on Monday of war crimes and crimes against humanity for ordering the killing and torture of thousands of political opponents during his eight-year rule. The verdict capped a 16-year battle by victims and rights campaigners to bring the former strongman to justice in Senegal, where he fled after being toppled in a 1990 coup in his impoverished central African nation. Habre, 73, was sentenced to life in pr... more »
The When And Where 1.2 Million Americans Died Fighting Wars Since The American revolkution
*ABC News:* *Memorial Day: When and Where 1.2M People Died Fighting for America* At least 1.2 million people have died fighting for America during its wars dating back 241 years, according to Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs data. Most died in battle, while many others never landed abroad but are no less honored on this Memorial Day. Here’s a by-the-numbers breakdown of when and where they died, as of May 27, starting with the American Revolution: *Read more* .... more »
World News Briefs -- May 30, 2016
Kurdish Peshmerga forces keep watch in a village east of Mosul, Iraq, May 29, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari *The Guardian*: *Kurdish forces in big push against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria* *Peshmerga fighters tighten noose around Mosul as Iraqi forces target Falluja and Syrians advance north of Raqqa stronghold* Kurdish peshmerga forces backed by the US-led coalition have launched attacks on Islamic State east of Mosul as the campaign to oust the militants stepped up with three offensives across Iraq and Syria. As the peshmerga assault got under way, Iraqi forces were gathering ... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- May 30, 2016
*Paul Floyd, Stratfor*:* Remembering America's Allies on Memorial Day* This year on Memorial Day, Stratfor would like to consider the countless individuals from across the globe who have worked and fought alongside the U.S. military. Memorial Day in the United States is dedicated to remembering the men and women who served and who died in service to country and mission. Yet these dedicated personnel are not alone; they are assisted by other foreign nations and by the security forces and civilian residents of the country in which the U.S. military is operating. Many brave individua... more »
Police Recommend Indicting Mrs Netanyahu Over Misuse Of Public Funds
Israeli police have recommended bringing criminal charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife on suspicion of misuse of state funds, according to reports in the Israeli media A criminal investigation into suspected mismanagement in the running of the Netanyahu’s residences was ordered by Israel’s attorney general last year. The potential charges against Sara Netanyahu are based on three separate counts, including the ordering of food and private chefs for family events, the employment of a carer for Netanyahu’s father, and affairs surrounding the prime minister’s reside... more »
Emergency Ward
blast comming no abulance needed all lockal and the tentecals are mul clloured tbut not wanteed here in any nothrren lights viewing oh my god there is no god and I am not smart enougth for physics
Golden Age Memories?
Life for the human animal on this earth measured by the mean for millions if not billions of years has been brutish nasty and short Perhaps teh epitomy of hypocrats Winston Chirchill said of the British Empire its greatest achievements via the navy which brought it no setting sun where Rum Sodomy and the Lash I was born in 1958 a love child of the Hungarian uprising God obviously did not want me to be a communist cause he raised me from birth in Canada At the time of my revolutionary birth the average lifespan for a white man in America was 66 years. Today I am 57 and like so many of m... more »
Model and actress watch: The old sex scandals of Columnist Blow!
*MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016For whom the gong show tolls:* We weren't planning to post today. Then, we read Charles Blow. Headline included, his column starts as shown below. On display is a twenty-year breakdown on the part of the people we still regard as our journalists: BLOW (5/30/16): *The Ghosts of Old Sex ScandalsWe are now being forced to relive the decades-old sex scandals of Bill Clinton,* as Donald Trump tries desperately to shield and inoculate himself from well-earned charges of misogyny. I say, if we must go there, let’s go all the way. Let’s do this dirty laundry, as K... more »
"Abortion Can No More Be Legislated Than Niagara Falls Can Be Dammed with a Spoon"
*Former right-wing evangelical Frank Schaeffer confesses his sins (seriously)* *by Gaius Publius* Another in our series, "They knew and they didn't care." The video above shows ex-evangelical minister Frank Schaeffer talking about the birth of the anti-choice movement and how it's responsible, among other things, for the presidency of George W. Bush. Schaeffer on that: "We [the anti-choice part of the right-wing movement] created that audience — alienated, angry people convinced of their own victimhood. So, they became a majority while the mainstream media slept, and when everybod... more »
Chyralis Life Raft no chance on the right
Life for the human animal on this earth measured by the mean for millions if not billions of years has been brutish nasty and short Perhaps teh epitome of hypocrites Winston Churchill said of the British Empire its greatest achievements via the navy which brought it no setting sun where Rum Sodomy and the Lash I was born in 1958 a love child of the Hungarian uprising God obviously did not want me to be a communist cause he raised me from birth in Canada At the time of my revolutionary birth the average lifespan for a white man in America was 66 years. Today I am 57 and like so ma... more »
Former Banker And Zurich Insurance CEO Martin Senn Found Dead
A former banker and Swiss insurance company CEO has been found dead in an apparent suicide at a holiday resort. It comes three years after a former chief financial officer of Switzerland’s Zurich Insurance Group was also found dead after committing suicide. The Independent reports: Zurich Insurance Group said Martin Senn, who ran the company for six years until last December, killed himself on Friday. He was 59. Swiss police from the eastern Graubünden region were called to a holiday resort apartment in the town of Klosters, near Davos, regional police spokesman Roman Rueegg said. H... more »
The President Marks Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
[image: A rose is visible on a seat before President Barack Obama speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater of Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 30, 2016, during a Memorial Day ceremony. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)] ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- President Barack Obama laid a wreath Monday at the Tomb of the Unknowns to honor members of the military who died serving their country. Obama’s appearance at Arlington National Cemetery carries on a longstanding presidential tradition... more »
Ice Painting and Strawberry Lime Jam!
[image: Get It Together Link Party]Don't miss another week of the #BloggersGetSocial Get It Together link party. We pin, tweet, and/or Facebook share ALL of the posts here! We are all about networking, action, and accountability. While that link up was focused on social media networks, this NEW and improved link up is co-hosted by some of my favorite blog buddies and features #BloggersGetSocial! Bloggers Get Social is a network and accountability group, and I created it with the hopes of bringing new and veteran bloggers together to collaborate on their goals. With this link up, we ... more »
Source: Trump Secretly Supports Cutting Social Security
[image: Donald Trump speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.] The presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has allegedly said that he supports cutting Social Security "from a moral standpoint." According to an unnamed source cited by Bloomberg, Trump has stated he believes that the failing program should be cut,... more »
Control the Masses
Excellent documentary on the origins of the corporate oligarchy figuring out how to use mass psychology to control the people. Long but highly educational video.
What If We Are The ‘Bad Guys?’
*Irwin Ozborne* - "We were told to just shoot people, and the officers would take care of us."
Trump Dumps All 3 Legs of Reagan’s 3-Legged Conservative Stool
[image: Donald Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C.] Donald J. Trump has yet to build a border wall with Mexican money, but with a withering tweet against Dr. Russell Moore he has completed an act of de-construction that most would have thought impossible: Trump has won the Republican... more »
How Far Into Darkness Will the World Fall?
*Phillip J. Watt* - We do have the solutions and capacity to transform this world we all share.
Trapped Baby Elephant Rescued From Drain In Sri Lanka
An elephant calf has been rescued after getting trapped in an uncovered drain in Sri Lanka. Local residents in the port of Hambantota joined forces with rescue workers and wildlife officials to free the stuck animal. BBC YouTube video: The baby elephant was taken for treatment with a suspected broken leg, according to the BBC. Officials used basic tools like hammers and chisels to free the animal.
Two math papers are too similar, both retracted
A mathematician has lost two publications that overlap substantially. In this case, it’s easy to see how editors were duped (as it were). Both journals received the papers within a few months of each other, and then published them in quick succession; both have since been retracted. The papers share a first author, Jin Li, affiliated with Jiujiang University in China. […] The post Two math papers are too similar, both retracted appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Ireland Becomes Third EU State To Defend BDS Movement
The Irish government has said that the global boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement represents a “legitimate” means of protest “intended to pressure Israel into ending the occupation.” This is another blow to the Israeli campaign to criminalize Palestine solidarity activism, following an announcement by the Netherlands last week supporting its people’s right to join the BDS movement against Israel. The Electronic Intifada reports: In the Irish parliament on Thursday, foreign minister Charles Flanagan stated that “while the government does not itself support such a policy,... more »
Excellent LOTR actual Photos of Kiwi
[image: Coming Home] Be sure to look at some of the other photos, fantastic stuff. H/T stuck in customs
Man Flogged In Public For Alleged Adultery In Nigeria
A video from Nigeria shows an alleged adulterer being caned in public as punishment for having sex with a married woman. The man accused of adultery was beaten with a stick in front of a distressed crowd. Warning: Distressing content RT reports: The man was allegedly caught having sex with a married woman and for this, he was marched around the unnamed community before being flogged in public to deter other potential adulterers, Nigerian media reported. In the video the man can be seen attempting to get up, but is grabbed and put back on the bench for further beating. He attempts to... more »
Live Wire Falls On Bus Killing Students In India
Two Indian students have died after being electrocuted when a live wire fell on their school bus in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. The bus was full of students returning from a picnic on Sunday evening when the incident occurred. The BBC reports: At least 30 students were injured and are receiving treatment in hospital. Police have launched an investigation. It is not clear how the live wire fell on the bus, but media reports said it happened after some students pulled at a tree that was touching the cables. Some reports said it was a coconut tree, while others said the wire... more »
Heavy Fighting Is Being Reported Between Philippine Soldiers And Muslim Rebels In The South Of The Country
Image from Wikipedia *Al Jazeera*: *Philippine army 'kills scores' in Maute rebel clashes* Scores of fighters and two soldiers killed during battle between Maute rebel group and army, military spokesman says. Intense fighting between Philippine troops and a little-known group apparently inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has killed 54 fighters in the country's south, officials said. Regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said on Monday that the operations against the Maute rebel group began last Thursday in southern Lanao del Sur province's Butig to... more »
Japan Military Put On Alert For Possible North Korean Missile Test
*Reuters:* *Japan puts military on alert for possible North Korea missile launch* Japan put its military on alert on Monday for a possible North Korean ballistic missile firing, while South Korea also said it had detected evidence of launch preparations, officials from Japan and South Korea said. Tension in the region has been high since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and followed that with a satellite launch and test launches of various missiles. Japan ordered naval destroyers and anti-ballistic missile Patriot batteries to be ready to shoot down any pr... more »
Poll: Just 1% Of Russians Approved of U.S. Leadership In 2015
*Gallop: **Russians' Approval of U.S. Leadership Drops to Record 1%* * Rating in Russia is lowest in a decade for U.S. * Median approval stable at 45% worldwide * Image of U.S. leadership improves in Europe, the Americas WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Just 1% of Russians approved of U.S. leadership in 2015 -- the worst rating in the world last year and the lowest approval Gallup has measured for the U.S. in the past decade. Remarkably, this is even worse than their previous record-low 4% approval in 2014. The current record-low rating of 1% in Russia reflects the increasingly tense relations ... more »
Islamic State Selling Sex Slaves On Facebook
Former Yazidi sex slave Nadia Taha told the UN Security Council in February that children as young as nine are being raped by ISIS fighters *Washington Post:* *ISIS fighters seem to be trying to sell sex slaves online* The woman is young, perhaps 18, with olive skin and dark bangs that droop onto her face. In the Facebook photo, she attempts to smile but doesn’t look at her photographer. The caption mentions a single biographical fact: She is for sale. “To all the bros thinking about buying a slave, this one is $8,000,” begins the May 20 Facebook posting, which was attributed to a... more »
Military Operations Have Begun To Retake The Iraqi City Of Fallujah From The Islamic State
*CNN*: *Iraq begins operation to liberate Falluja* (CNN)Iraqi forces have started an operation to retake the ISIS stronghold of Falluja with the help of Iraqi and coalition air support, Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasoul said on Iraqi state TV. "With God's blessing we have launched the third phase of the operation to storm the center of Falluja city -- by our heroes in the counterterrorism forces, units of the Iraqi army and Anbar police," Rasoul said. "There is heavy air cover for this operation from our heroes in the Iraqi air force and the coalition." Iraqi forces retook th... more »
Paint Your Homes White, Jobsworths Warn
By Paul Homewood h/t Stewgreen http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/28/paint-your-homes-white-to-protect-from-heatwaves-officials-warn/?cid=sf27196506+sf27196506 At the start of every summer, we get nonsense like this. From the Telegraph: Homeowners should paint their property white to protect themselves from heatwaves, the Government has advised as it warned that people start dying from the heat at just 24.5C. Metal blinds and […]
EU Preparing New Tax ID Numbers For Everyone, Including British
The groundwork is being laid for everybody in Europe to be given new tax ID numbers, in preparation for moving to electronic money. Under plans by Brussels every working person in the EU is to be given a personal European Taxpayer Identification Number. The move, which has been dubbed “yet another signpost to Superstate”, follows the decision by the EU Parliament’s economic affairs committee to rubber stamp a plan by Commissioners to create a “common corporate consolidated tax base”. Armstrong Economics reports: They are using a National Insurance number pretense to disguise the rea... more »
Military Photo of the Day: The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery
[image: Memorial Day] Soldiers with the U.S. Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) brave a hot and humid day on May 26, 2016, to ensure that everyone interred at Arlington National Cemetery is honored on Memorial Day. My grandparents were inurned...more »
Abandon God, and Science Will Die
[image: God_the_Geometer] Every educated person ought to study the ancient world. What we will find in those cultures is extraordinary and fascinating, such that thousands of Western scholars have spent their lifetimes mining the riches of these complex nations, without ever exhausting... more »
3 phase four pole AC electric motors
[image: windings] Yes it matters.
Syrian Ceasefire Enabled Terrorists To Recover From Their Losses
A senior Iranian official has said that the ceasefire in Syria had been imposed in order to save foreign-backed militants from a total defeat. According to Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the truce (which was brokered by the US and Russia and went into effect across Syria on February 27) actually helped the terrorist groups recover from their losses. Press TV reports: “In Syria, humiliating defeats of the terrorist groups which have the backing of certain regional countries, led to the imposition of a ceasefire that helped them recover in... more »
Obama’s Hiroshima Speech Reflects His Unrealistic View of History
[image: Japan Obama Hiroshima] President Barack Obama's speech at Hiroshima was a poignant discourse on the horrors of war. He spoke eloquently of the death of innocent lives and the hope for a better tomorrow. But his trip is fraught with the potential for... more »
Chick-fil-a Restaurants Honor Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day
[image: American Flag, Roses, Memorial Day, Funeral, Fallen Soldiers] This Memorial Day, two Chick-fil-a branches in Alabama have prepared a special tribute to those who gave their lives for the freedom of this country. Both locations, one in Gardendale and one in Fultondale, have assembled missing man tables to commemorate our fallen... more »
Finnish universities must now use courts to revoke degrees
A court in Finland has ruled that universities must go through the court system if they want to revoke a degree. In a precedent-setting decision, a body dubbed “the court of last resort in administrative cases” in Finland ruled that universities must apply to them to revoke someone’s degree. The ruling, which occurred this month, took place after a […] The post Finnish universities must now use courts to revoke degrees appeared first on Retraction Watch.
The Party Of The Young
Tim Harper wrote his last column yesterday. In it, he reviewed the state of Canada's three major parties -- which have all held conventions in the last four months: The three gatherings have provided a real-time barometer on the state of politics in this country. New Democrats chose a coup and chaos by deposing leader Tom Mulcair last month and their short-term prospects look grim. Conservatives this weekend were waiting to see whether their so-called A-listers will actually run for their leadership or whether a perceived prospect of another seven years in opposition will give... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* Putin Vows Retaliation Over US Missile Shield; Warns Poland, Romania Now In The "Cross Hairs" Fact Checkers Prove That 91% of the Things Donald Trump Says Are False Bartenders are winning Cuba's embrace of capitalism — and doctors are losing 2 high-schoolers designed huts for the homeless that cost less than $3,000 It looks like super-bugs have finally built resistance to our 'drug of last resort' THE CONSPIRACY CANDIDATE? 13 outlandish theories Donald Trump has floated on the campaign trail Oil discoveries haven't been this low since 1952 Cash-Strapped ISI... more »
John Humphrys, recruiting sergeant
No blogging time for me for a few days, but I recommend Sarah AB’s article on Harry’s Place about John Humphrys’s bungled interview with Jackie Walker. I wholeheartedly agree with Sarah AB: “He did not do a very good job. She was introduced as having been suspended for comments she made about Israel. Although a discussion of Israel prompted her remarks, this isn’t an accurate summary of the reasons for her suspension. He also failed to pick up on the significance of the term ‘chief financiers’ or take issue with the dubious nature of some ‘historical’ accounts of the relations... more »
Mainstream Science is a Religion
*Makia Freeman* - Materialist science has tried to convince us that everything can be explained with solid atoms.
Are We 'Sleepwalking' Into A War With Russia?
File photo: British soldiers aboard tanks © Reuters *Richard Sakwa, The Conversation:* *West could sleepwalk into a Doomsday war with Russia – it’s time to wake up* Since the Ukraine crisis exploded into civil conflict and war in 2013, we have known that we live in troubled times. It has become increasingly clear that the peace order in Europe, established at the end of the Cold War in 1989, is unstable. The arrangements made at that time appear to have generated more conflicts than they were able to resolve. While the European Union claimed at certain points to be a peace project ... more »
UFO Caught On Video In The Sky Close To Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
*Daily Mail*: *Bizarre 'UFO craft' captured on film 'floating with the clouds' close to a US military base in Ohio* * The craft was seen floating in the sky close to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base * The base has been the subject of multiple sightings since the end of WWII Footage has emerged that appears to show a UFO flying over a US military base. The video, which was uploaded to YouTube, was shot by a couple in Dayton, Ohio, as they were watching the sunset from their home. The film shows a mystery object in the sky, floating in the air with its pointed end facing downwa... more »
To Appeal to More Minorities, GOP and Conservatives Need to Make a Real Faith Connection
[image: Trump Neutral Face - 900] Last week, I discussed the unique position Republicans find themselves in with minorities this election cycle. Their presumptive nominee is exceptionally unappealing to people of color, while the urgency to broaden their party's appeal is greater than it has ever... more »
Pretend to Believe In Free Will Or Else You Will Make Bad Choices
[image: Puppets] I want to be nice about this, but believing that we do not have free will is dumb. If you’re stung by this opinion, and do believe we lack free will, then remember: I had no choice but to call... more »
Iraqi Forces Backed by U.S.-Led Coalition Push Into Fallujah as ISIS Bombs Baghdad
[image: Security forces and citizens inspect the scene after a bomb explosion at an outdoor market in Baghdad's northern neighborhood of Shaab, Iraq, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. A bomb at an outdoor market in a Shiite-dominated Baghdad neighborhood on Tuesday, killing and wounding dozens of civilians, a police official said, the latest in a wave of deadly militant attacks far from the front lines in the country's north and west where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)] BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi forces started pushing into the city of Fallujah on Mo... more »
Trump: Illegals Treated Better Than Vets, and He’ll Change That
[image: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters and bikers at a Rolling Thunder rally at the National Mall in Washington, Sunday, May 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)] GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said Sunday at a biker rally in Washington, D.C. that illegal immigrants are often treated better than veterans. In advance of Memorial Day, Trump gave a rousing speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where... more »
Cake-Wielding Activist Attacks German Socialist For Suggesting Modest Limits on Migrant Influx
[image: hqdefault] Sahra Wagenknecht, a member of parliament for Germany's Left party, was hit in the face with a chocolate cake Saturday for suggesting Germany should have a limit on the number of refugees it accepts. The Left party's meeting in the... more »
How Heavy An Electoral Anchor Will Trump Be For Republican Congressmen In November?
While Hillary and Bernie fine-tune their respective approaches to combatting Trump in the general election, it isn't just presidential candidates who will be running against him. Yesterday, Al Franken (D-MN), who won't be up for re-election until 2020, sent out a fundraising e-mail slamming Trump. What could be worse than a Republican Senate that blocks President Obama’s ideas? Okay, yes, a Republican Senate that blocks President Obama’s ideas while releasing hundreds of venomous beaked sea snakes into the Senate chamber-- that would be worse. But that’s not what I’m talking abo... more »
ISIS Attacks Kill 24 In Baghdad As Iraqi Forces Enter Falluja
Bomb attacks in the north and northeast of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Monday, have killed at least 24 people and injured dozens more. ISIS claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings as Iraqi forces entered Falluja, the latest phase in the week-long operation to capture the terrorists’ stronghold near the Iraqi capital. The Iraqi army, supported by Iranian-backed Shia militia, began the operation to recapture Falluja on May 23rd by tightening its siege around the city, 30 miles west of Baghdad, and has now started a direct assault. Tens of thousands of civilians are believe... more »
Video Shows Capabilities Of New German Tank
A video showing the capabilities of a new German tank, the MBT Revolution, has appeared on the internet. The tank is a modular upgrade of an ex-German Leopard 2A4 main battle tank. The video shows German technology company Rheinmetall’s MBT Revolution modular upgrade program, as a way of modifying main battle tanks for specific needs. Sputnik reports: The video is said to have been posted on the German group Rheinmetall’s official YouTube channel, according to the website warspot.ru. The vehicle, according to the developers, is planned to become a serious competitor to Armata tanks, ... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( May 30 , 2016 ) Quick Hits On Memorial Day (US) ( 1. Markets & Market Moving News : ECB Having Difficulty Generating Inflation Despite Spending 1000 BN Since March Of 2015 ; German Import Prices Fall 6.6% In April In Biggest Drop Since 2009 , But Note May CPI + 0.1 Y/Y and + 0.3 M/M ; USD Bets Jump On Fed Signals ; WMPs Bringing Default Risks Higher In China - Iron Ore Futures Fall to 3 Month & Yuan Fix Set At Lowest Level Since Feb 2011 ; Abe Postpones Sales Tax , Nikkei Jumps 1.4% . 2. Greece News For Monday : Deal With Creditors Not Quite Completed , Hurdles Remain ; Economic Data For Monday. 3.Libya Updates For Monday. 4. Odds & Ends. )
Markets & Market Moving News.... *zerohedge* @zerohedge 5m 5 minutes ago GERMANY MAY PREL. CPI +0.1% Y/Y, +0.3% M/M, APR -0.1% Y/Y *jeroen blokland* @jsblokland 3h 3 hours ago The #ECB spent EUR 1000 bln. since March last year, without getting any #inflation in return! (ht @Schuldensuehner) *Bloomberg MarketsVerified account* @markets 5h 5 hours ago 'June Jitters' due to: -Brexit vote -Fed hike? -*OPEC* *meeting*-Spanish election http:// bloom.bg/20QhyMz via @anoojad *Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehner 5h 5 hours ago Deflationary forces remain.... more »
NATO Assembly Calls for Military Buildup to Deter Russian Aggression
[image: NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Alexander Vershbow Speaks at the Parliamentary Assembly's Spring session in Tirana, Albania, Monday, May 30, 2016. NATO's Parliamentary Assembly urged alliance members Monday to stand up to Russia's military assertiveness and to do a better job sharing the burden of collective defense. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)] TIRANA, Albania (AP) -- NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly urged alliance members Monday to stand up to Russia’s military assertiveness and to do a better job sharing the burden of collective defense. A unanimously approved declara... more »
What Obama’s Bathroom Directive Really Does
[image: bathroom directive] On May 13, the Obama administration sent a letter to public schools on the topic of transgender students and where they use the restroom. But the directive, issued as "significant guidance," didn't just apply to the bathrooms. It also... more »
Study: Green Energy Doesn’t Work Without Energy Storage That Doesn’t Exist Yet
[image: Green Energy, Wind Power, Wind Energy, Wind Turbines, Solar Power, Solar Energy, Solar Panels] Scientists from the University of East Anglia found wind and solar power can't compete with conventional electricity without economical energy storage systems that don't exist. The research published Friday concludes without economical energy storage systems, wind and solar power simply aren't... more »
James Robison and Sheila Walsh Bring Message of Hope and Courage to Pastors
[image: James Robison Sheila Walsh - 900] Family Research Council's Watchmen on the Wall conference was marked by powerful personal testimonies and calls to prayer and to radical trust in Jesus. The Stream's own James Robison and Sheila Walsh testified to the power of God's work in their... more »
Ready for the King James Emoji Bible?
[image: Emoji Bible] If you think that the King James Version is unapproachable, worrieth not. The Bible will soon be coming to a language that you can . Bible Emoji, the self-proclaimed “Scripture 4 Millennials,” was published on Apple iBooks Sunday. The creator of Bible Emoji, publicly... more »
Indian Man Stakes Wife In IPL Gambling And Loses
A gambling man from Uttar Pradesh, India, lost his wife after she was put at stake in an Indian Premier League (IPL) betting game. The matter came to light after the wife started getting harassed for the bet and the husband went AWOL. Local police are looking into the matter while the gambling husband from the Govindnagar region is still at large. Zee News reports: The matter came to light after Ravinder Singh’s fellow gamblers began harassing his wife Jasmeet Kaur, prompting her to approach the local police with the help of social activists. The police have registered a case, while... more »
Monday Links
*My first mango ice of the year, hopefully many to follow.* - Taiwan does SIM cards right. US internet: we laff at you. - Taiwan dollar to get killed - Tsai visits military bases - I hope it is a tongue-in-cheek commentary... - Tainan-to-Penghu ferry service launches - Manthorpe on Tsai and China - How Taiwan should handle the SCS court ruling - Solidarity with poll: DPP popularity crests as Tsai takes office - The rise of Taiwanese horror films at the News Lens - Jenna on the dorm restrictions being protested at Fu Jen Catholic U - Making everyone laugh, ... more »
Military Veteran Finds a Mission Nursing Fellow Vets at VA
[image: In this Monday, May 2, 2016 photo, Tom Alligood, a veteran and certified nursing assistant, speaks during an interview at the Dorn Veterans Administration Hospital in Columbia, S.C., Alligood knows all about the bad press suggesting the nation isn’t properly caring for its veterans. The nurse assistant and former Army tanker says he’s where he needs to be, working at a Veterans Administration hospital in South Carolina. He says it saved him. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)] COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Nursing assistant Tom Alligood wears camouflage scrubs during his emergency room shifts a... more »
The change of the significance level by 0.7 sigma doesn't justify any "big words"
*Rajesh: the next, tenth season of TBBT may be the last one* Adam Falkowski often acts as a reasonable (and educated) man. But I think that his title CMS: Higgs to mu tau is going away is a typical example of the insane exaggeration or distortion that I would expect from unethical journalistic hyenas, not from a particle physicist. What's going on? Both ATLAS and CMS have shown some weak hints of a possible "flavor violation", namely the possible decay of the \(125\GeV\) Higgs boson to a strange lepton pair\[ h \to \mu^\pm \tau^\mp \] Note that the muon and the tau are "similar" b... more »
The Gambia, or I am so naive, I still believe in a reality outside journalism
*Local trick for using the Yoyo card/Easycard: keep it inside the cellphone case, and just swipe the phone....* The strange trifecta of Gambia, Kenya, and tourism in "punishing" Tsai has now become a Journalistic Fact: a claim widely share among journalists, that is largely false. Indeed, one of the fascinating things about it is that it is a fact scrupulously honored by pro-Taiwan and pro-China writers. I wrote in The Diplomat a while ago: The wide but erroneous evaluation of the affair of the Kenyan phone scammers as a move by Beijing to pressure Tsai Ing-wen simply shows how the... more »
Paul Douglas’ Claims Don’t Stand Up To Scrutiny
By Paul Homewood http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/may/27/meteorologists-are-seeing-global-warmings-effect-on-the-weather I return to that piece in the Guardian last week, in which US meteorologist claims that he can see global warming’s effect on weather. It is sometimes useful to look at things at the local level. Douglas, who lives in Minneapolis, claims that rainfall rates are increasing there and […]
The Death of Freedom
You move to the left seeking what's right Then light the candle to guide your sight You think you are a free man in a world of fools But freemen are nothing but slaves, but tools The Empire crashed in forty-five but the dream survived, Imperialism's alive. They work thirty six hours to make you shoes Corporates uinterested in their views of What is just, of what is fair so long as the dollar increases its share. As long as it does what do you care? The flags still fluttering, the nations still there. The Union Jack is red, white and blue The Stars and Stripes of similar hue You'd have tho... more »
At Arlington
[image: Arlington National Cemetery flags- 90000] I was not a tourist during my first visit to Arlington National Cemetery. I was a scared and shaken 16-year-old there to say goodbye my father. I have limited memory of being on that sacred hill. Only a couple scattered... more »
Socialists are murdering the economy of Venezuela right now
Venezuela is becoming the latest role model for nations that are incapable of curing themselves from leftism and from the leftists before it's too late. The country is sitting on a huge amount of oil. Petroleum accounts for more than 50% of the GDP. So you may imagine that the low prices near $25 a barrel earlier in this year didn't help. But the prices are back around $50 and even when they were closer to $100 two years ago, things began to look really bad for Venezuela. Hugo Chávez, the Bolshevik dictator, took over in 1999 and was dragging his country towards a socialist "paradi... more »
"The Greatest Thing..."
"We are one knot in a great web of being, building out of the vast past and (with luck) continuing billions of years into the future, until the sun dies, the last of its energy reaches Earth, and our local light goes out. The most appropriate response to the world is to realize, with awe, the ferocious mystery of being alive in it. And act accordingly. The worst thing anyone should be able to say about their life is also the greatest thing anyone can say: 'I tried my best." - Carl Safina
Musical Interlude: 2002, "Remember Now"
2002, "Remember Now" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq4qjI8VVzg
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Mars will look good in Earth's skies over the next few days -- but not this good. To get a view this amazing, a spacecraft had to actually visit the red planet. Running across the image center, though, is one the largest canyons in the Solar System. Named Valles Marineris, the grand valley extends over 3,000 kilometers long, spans as much as 600 kilometers across, and delves as much as 8 kilometers deep. By comparison, the Earth's Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA is 800 kilometers long, 30 kilometers across, and 1.8 kilometers deep. *Click image for larger size.* The origin of the Vall... more »
Chet Raymo, “We Are Such Stuff...”
*“We Are Such Stuff...”* by Chet Raymo “Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears, and sometimes voices, That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep, Will make me sleep again.” "Caliban is talking to Stephano and Trinculo in Shakespeare's “Tempest”, telling them not to be "afeard" of the mysterious place they find themselves, an island seemingly beset with magic, strangeness, ineffable presences. And you and I, and, yes, all of us, find ourselves inexplicably th... more »
David Foster Wallace, "Kenyon Commencement Speech, 2005"
*"Kenyon Commencement Speech, 2005"* by David Foster Wallace "If anybody feels like perspiring, I'd advise you to go ahead, because I'm sure going to. In fact I'm gonna. Greetings and congratulations to Kenyon's graduating class of 2005. There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?" This is a standard requirement of US commencement...more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Lodi, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by! I couldn't resist! One of those days... lol
"And While I'm At It... Diversity?"
*Click image for larger size.* *Diversity, you say? What's up with this, HuffPo?* *If that were a corporate board of all white males you'd * *have 17 heart attacks and 9 strokes over it! Hypocrites...*
"It Never Ceases To Surprise Me..."
"It never ceases to surprise me at the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." - Thomas Raynesford Lounsbury
"How It Really Is"
◆ *To paraphrase the scene in "No Country for Old Men":* Deputy Wendell: “It's whoop-ass, ain't it, Sheriff?” Sheriff Bell: “If it ain't, it'll do till the whoop-ass gets here.” *Well, the whoop-ass has arrived...* *Again paraphrasing...* "That's not whoop-ass... *THIS* is whoop-ass." *"'Guccifer' And The Kremlin's 20,000 Hacked Emails-* * In The Eye Of Hillary's Perfect Storm"* - http://www.zerohedge.com/ *“Game Over: EmailGate Just Crippled the Clinton Express”* - http://observer.com/ *And best of all:* *FBI/DOJ Criminal Indictments? Deservedly...* *Yeah... hit the road, Hilly... * ... more »
"What Must We Do?"
"We stand on a mountain pass in the midst of whirling snow and blinding mist, through which we get glimpses now and then of paths which may be deceptive. If we stand still we shall be frozen to death. If we take the wrong road we shall be dashed to pieces. We do not certainly know whether there is any right one. What must we do? Be strong and of a good courage. Act for the best, hope for the best, and take what comes... If death ends all, we cannot meet death better." - Fitzjames Stephen
"The Pig Farmer"
*"The Pig Farmer"* by John Robbins "One day in Iowa I met a particular gentleman— and I use that term, gentleman, frankly, only because I am trying to be polite, for that is certainly not how I saw him at the time. He owned and ran what he called a “pork production facility.” I, on the other hand, would have called it a pig Auschwitz. The conditions were brutal. The pigs were confined in cages that were barely larger than their own bodies, with the cages stacked on top of each other in tiers, three high. The sides and the bottoms of the cages were steel slats, so that excrement fro... more »
"What's He To Do Then?"
"You've seed how things goes in the world o' men. You've knowed men to be low-down and mean. You've seed ol' Death at his tricks... Ever' man wants life to be a fine thing, and a easy. 'Tis fine, boy, powerful fine, but 'tain't easy. Life knocks a man down and he gits up and it knocks him down agin. I've been uneasy all my life... I've wanted life to be easy for you. Easier'n 'twas for me. A man's heart aches, seein' his young uns face the world. Knowin' they got to get their guts tore out, the way his was tore. I wanted to spare you, long as I could. I wanted you to frolic with you... more »
Rightwing Nuthouse: “5 Insane Right-Wing Moments This Week"
*“5 Insane Right-Wing Moments This Week:* * Sarah Palin Invents Bizarre Nickname for Trump”* by Janet Allon “Where does one begin when a major party nominee comes out and tells Californians that the drought they have been experiencing for several years does not exist? One place is with the woman who, if she did not start the march toward our current idiocracy, greatly accelerated it and continues to pour gasoline on its tinder pile. Sarah Palin was making the rounds for Trump this week, warming up the crowds, spewing what can only be described as some of the most moronic batsh*t the...more »
Musical Interlude: 2002, “We Meet Again”
2002, “We Meet Again” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryOLhmiECu4&html5=1
"A Look to the Heavens"
“The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary nebulae in the sky. Its more familiar outlines are seen in the brighter central region of the nebula in this impressive wide-angle view. But the composite image combines many short and long exposures to also reveal an extremely faint outer halo. At an estimated distance of 3,000 light-years, the faint outer halo is over 5 light-years across. *Click image for larger size.* Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase in the life of a sun-like star. More recently, some planetary nebulae are found to ha... more »
"Happily Men Don't Realize..."
"Happily men don't realize how stupid they are, or half the world would commit suicide. Knowledge is a will-of-the-wisp, fluttering ever out of the traveller's reach; and a weary journey must be endured before it is even seen. It is only when a man knows a good deal that he discovers how unfathomable is his ignorance. The man who knows nothing is satisfied that there is nothing to know, consequently that he knows everything; and you may more easily persuade him that the moon is made of green cheese than that he is not omniscient." - W. Somerset Maugham
"Memory, Meanings, Moments and Madness: Wanderers In No Man's Land"
"Memory, Meanings, Moments and Madness: Wanderers In No Man's Land" by Chris Floyd "Zachary Mason's remarkable novel, "The Lost Books of the Odyssey," is based on a grain of fact. Before the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey were crystallized and canonized in the books of Homer sometime in the 8th century B.C., various (and often conflicting) tales of the Trojan War and its heroes had floated around in various forms for hundreds of years. Some of these variants survive in fragments of other ancient works, like ghostly echoes of alternative universes. Mason's intriguing fictional c... more »
"The Courage..."
“God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right, even though I think it is hopeless.” - Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
"What Really Happened to The Vietnam POW/MIA's? Deliberately Sacrificed: The Evidence"
*"What Really Happened to The Vietnam POW/MIA's?* Deliberately Sacrificed: The Evidence" by Ron Utz, Sydney Schanberg "If Sydney Schanberg’s claims about the fate of American POW/MIAs are indeed correct, they reveal the lethal consequences of America’s overweening national pride. After all, his history is a simple one. Following the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the Vietnamese refused to return their French POWs unless Paris agreed to pay financial compensation for the war. The French leaders paid the money and got their men back. Similarly, the Vietnamese refused to return their ...more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Durham, N. Carolina, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
"Memorial Day: A Day to Pause, Think and Remember"
*"Memorial Day: * *A Day to Pause, Think and Remember"* by Robert L. Dilenschneider "Memorial Day is Monday, and most of us have plans for the holiday weekend: enjoying the first taste of summer, entertaining with friends, or just relaxing. This will always be part of what the Memorial Day weekend is all about. The other part, as we all know, is about honoring this country’s fallen heroes. We live in the greatest nation in the world only because time and time again brave men and women have been willing to fight for the freedoms we all too often take for granted. Memorial Day began ... more »
"A Dreamer..."
And why does it make you sad to see how everything hangs by such thin and whimsical threads? Because you're a dreamer, an incredible dreamer, with a tiny spark hidden somewhere inside you which cannot die, which even you cannot kill or quench and which tortures you horribly because all the odds are against its continual burning. In the midst of the foulest decay and putrid savagery, this spark speaks to you of beauty, of human warmth and kindness, of goodness, of greatness, of heroism, of martyrdom, and it speaks to you of love." - Eldridge Cleaver
On This Memorial Day, My Favorite Military Tribute Video
My Comment: Every Memorial Day this is the video that I play .... and tonight is no exception. After 32 million views .... this video is probably the most watched military tribute video out there .... and deservedly so.
Tweet For Today
Views from the annual #RollingThunder "Ride for Freedom" in Washington, DC pic.twitter.com/xmDsnCpqNg — AFP news agency (@AFP) May 29, 2016
Picture Of The Day
Soldiers place American flags in front of headstones during "Flags In" at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., May 26, 2016. The soldiers are assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard." Soldiers assigned to the regiment placed approximately 230,000 flags during the event, with each of the cemetery's headstones receiving a flag for the Memorial Day holiday. Army photo by Rachel Larue
Syrian Top Opposition Negotiator Quits Over Failed Peace Talks
Member of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) Mohamed Alloush of the Jaysh al Islam attends a news conference aside of Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, April 19, 2016. REUTERS/DENIS BALIBOUSE/FILES *Reuters:** Syrian opposition negotiator quits after peace talks' failure* The chief peace negotiator of Syria's mainstream opposition said on Sunday he was resigning over the failure of the U.N.- backed Geneva peace talks to bring a political settlement and to ease the plight of Syrians living in besieged rebel-held areas. Mohammed Alloush, who is also the representative of t... more »
U.S. Bans Cluster Bomb Sales To Saudi Arabia
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *VOA*: *Report: White House Suspends Cluster Bomb Transfers to Saudi Arabia* A leading U.S.-based foreign policy journal says the White House has quietly suspended the transfer of cluster bombs to ally Saudi Arabia, in response to the Sunni kingdom's aerial war against Shi'ite rebels in Yemen. Foreign Policy magazine, in a news story published Friday, quoted an unnamed senior U.S. official as saying a hold was placed on such shipments following reports that the Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi rebels used the controversial munitions in civilian area... more »
New U.S. Air Force Tanker Delivery Is Being Delayed Because Of Boom Problems
Boeing KC-46 tanker (left) flying alongside the older KC-135 © / AFP *Defense One:* *New Air Force Tanker Delayed Because It Can’t Refuel Planes* *Boeing has eaten $1.3 billion trying to fix their KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling plane. Now new aircraft, USAF decision to buy more, pushed back months.* Boeing will not meet its contractual deadline to deliver 18 KC-46 tankers to the Air Force by August 2017 due to design problems with the plane’s refueling boom. The delay, announced on Friday afternoon before the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the United States, comes after countless... more »
Canadians Forces Believed To Be Fighting Near Mosul
Courtesy of DND Canadian special forces are shown in this photo helping Kurdish troops in northern Iraq. Courtesy of DND *National Post/Ottawa Citizen*: *Canadian special forces on the front lines with Kurds aiming to retake Iraqi city from ISIL, U.S. says* U.S. military officers say that Canadian special forces are on the front lines of a new offensive in Iraq to retake villages from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant east of Mosul. The coalition troops were spotted with Kurdish forces as they prepared for battle on Sunday. As many as 5,500 Kurdish troops are attempting to ... more »
Energy 68, China's coal and Germany's renewables
Reposting two recent articles here. The first is a bit long, click the article if you want to see the full paper. Enjoy. ------------ *Is China’s Use Of Coal Really Declining?* David Campbell Global Warming Policy Forum, 16 May 2016 … there has been no departure from China’s policy of expansion of coal-fired generation capacity, and the rate of installation continues at the astronomical rates. China was responsible for 80% of the entire world’s increase in coal consumption this century and now consumes as much coal as the rest of the world combined. Coal-fired capacity has increased... more »
The French Revolt
France is really rocking with labor protests and those by youth who see little future for themselves. The French determination to sustain these protests over time is both inspiring and tactically smart - as they recognize that one off events just won't do the job. Sadly we don't get to see many videos that show anything but the violence in the streets - this one above at least gives us some glimpse into the larger issues which the French movements are upset about. I hope to find more videos about what is happening in France. I would appreciate anyone that can point me in the ... more »
Film Review: X-Men: Apocalypse
Katniss and Sansa's big adventure? I'm probably an interesting viewer for X-Men: Apocalypse. While I followed the X-Men and related titles throughout the 1980s, by the 1990s doing so became rather difficult, with a few gazillion interconnected X-books. I'd pretty much stopped trying to follow the X-books by the time Apocalypse became a major character. I'd witnessed him in the early issues of X-Factor but that was about it. With that background, my wife and I saw X-Men: Apocalypse this evening. Though I could certainly nitpick, in broad strokes we both enjoyed it. It takes place... more »
The police should mind their own drinking business, not ours
The grey ones are trying to limit Auckland’s night life. Auckland police are calling for council to set bar closing times at 3am. Council want it to remain at 4am. Punters and bar owners? Well, most of us would like to have a drink when we would like to have a drink, really. Eric Crampton reviews the standard arguments for forcing bars to close earlier. He has found in summary *that changes in regulated hours of operation shifted the timing of harms with no particular effect on their severity.* That’s a guarded way of saying that punters would get an hour less fun for no effe... more »
Tavis Smiley's Smart Interview With Bernie
Bernie has been doing a media blitz here in California-- and the polling in the primary has changed radically. A couple weeks ago, all the headlines about the horse race were about how Hillary was leading by double digits. The contest to win the June 7 race is now a dead heat. I wondered, though, who in Bernie's campaign suggested he do the John and Ken circus on KFI. That was a bad idea. John and Ken are babbling clowns of a Trumpian nature. They epitomize what's wrong with the media in America and their show is the last place for a serious candidate to go. I think Bernie caught... more »
A Memorial Day Pictorial: Soldiers and Sailors at Ease
[image: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Esgar A. Castro plays soccer with students at Bethel Seventh-day Adventist School in Punta Gorda, Belize, June 17, 2014, during Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2014.U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Esgar A. Castro plays soccer with students at Bethel Seventh-day Adventist School in Punta Gorda, Belize, June 17, 2014, during Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2014.] As we head into Memorial Day and hopefully pause with hushed gratefulness at the sacrifice of those who risked their lives for our nation and, in some cases, “gave the last full measure ... more »
Shocking New Details Emerge From Slain Taliban Leader Mullah Monsoor's Passport Information And Travel History
Last time, Wali Muhammad toured Iran twice via road. *Dunya News*: *Dunya News obtains Wali Muhammad's travel details* QUETTA (Web Desk) – Wali Muhammad, a person who was killed in a suspected US drone attack on a car in Nushki on Saturday, had travelled 18 times broad between 2006 and 2016, documents obtained by Dunya News revealed on Monday. Wali first left for Iran’s Taftan on 18 February 2016 and returned to Pakistan on March 10. Then again he visited Taftan on 25 April 2016 and returned on May 21. He travelled through Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport 15 times and once ... more »
Has The U.S. Failed Spectacularly In Afghanistan?
*Daniel L. Davis, Time*: *The U.S. Has Failed ‘Spectacularly’ in Afghanistan* *Daniel L. Davis is a retired Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army.* Here are 3 ways to repair the damage. According to its official website, the U.S. Department of State seeks to help promote “a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere.” That is a praiseworthy objective to be sure. Unfortunately, when it comes to the U.S.’s government’s effort in Afghanistan, it has failed to achieve this. Spectac... more »
A Look At The U.S. Navy's Railgun
Wall Street Journal: *A First Look at America’s Supergun* The Navy’s experimental railgun fires a hardened projectile at staggering velocity—a battlefield meteorite with the power to blow holes in enemy ships and level terrorist camps. DAHLGREN, Va.—A warning siren bellowed through the concrete bunker of a top-secret Naval facility where U.S. military engineers prepared to demonstrate a weapon for which there is little defense. Officials huddled at a video screen for a first look at a deadly new supergun that can fire a 25-pound projectile through seven steel plates and leave a 5... more »
Homeless People Being Abducted And Sent To FEMA Camps, Claims Insider
Homeless people in American cities are being ’rounded up and disappeared’ by FEMA operatives, according to a suicide note left behind by a government insider. Describing the phenomenon as ‘human street sweeping’, the insider says the abduction of homeless people is the first stage of a FEMA plot to turn 800 internment camps across the country into fully operational prisons. The government insider, who we can now reveal was a US Customs Agent based in New York City, wrote a lengthy suicide note exposing plans the government has for its people. The note, which was leaked by a member ...more »
Hillary Clinton To Be Indicted, Cover-Up Underway
The Huffington Post removed an article on Sunday afternoon claiming that the FBI plans to indict Hillary Clinton on charges of federal racketeering. Journalist Frank Huguenard wrote an article entitled “Hillary Clinton to be Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges,” which has since been deleted, suggesting that Hillary may be about to be arrested by the FBI. In the original article, Huguenard says: The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a United States Federal Law passed in 1970 that was designed to provide a tool for law enforcement agencies to fight org... more »
‘They Stood For Something and We Owe Them Something’: Reagan’s 1986 Memorial Day Speech
[image: Ronald Reagan - 900] America's beloved 40th president, Ronald Reagan, spoke at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day in 1986. His speech reminds us to be thankful for the valor of others and that Memorial Day is a time to remember the... more »
Gunman Among at Least 2 Dead in Houston Shooting
[image: Houston Shooting] HOUSTON (AP) -- A gunman and at least one other person were killed Sunday, authorities said, as many shots were fired in a Houston neighborhood where police had urged people to remain in their homes. Police spokesman John Cannon says...more »
Quote of the Day: On ‘leadership’
*“My observation is that ‘leadership’ has become a corporate wank-word, a catch-all to describe a fuzzy mélange of personal and organisational actions and behaviours… [H]igh-profile organisations, aided and abetted by the media, take words like ‘leadership’ and use them to create complexity and opacity where none should exist.”* ~ by Sam Steele from his latest article at the Footy Almanac titled ‘Does Leadership Matter?’ . *RELATED POSTS*: - “There is no such thing as ‘World Leaders.’ The media's incessant use of the term, ‘world leaders,’ is getting on my nerves. The... more »
Price Gouging in Flint? Water Pipe Fix Nearly Doubles in Price
[image: flint-water-top - 900] Replacing Flint's lead-tainted water pipes could cost nearly double than previously thought, according to a report acquired by the Detroit Free Press Saturday. Engineering company Rowe Professional Services said the average cost for replacing the damaged and corrupted water lines would be $7,500 per replacement.... more »
#ChickenTrump And The California Smelt
#ChickenTrump backed out of his debate with Bernie because he's unfamiliar with-- and basically, uninterested in-- policy. His idea of a debate is name calling or arguing with an intellectual weakling like Marco Rubio over which one of them has a smaller penis. I wonder when he'll start worming out of general election debates. He knew he couldn't stand up to Ted Cruz-- and never debated him-- and he knows he can't standup to Bernie, which is my he chickened out of that one after agreeing to it; but I bet he won't even be able to get on a stage and debate with Hillary. And if he do... more »
The "great man" theory of history
*Trumpeters may have never heard of the "great man" theory of history, or realised the connection with the "strong man" who litters history's most destructive moments, but their latest hero is offering historians new material to document the hypothesis, says Jeffrey Tucker in this Guest Post.* The Founding Father of Fascism *Thomas Carlyle fits the bill in every respect* Have you heard of the “great man” theory of history? The meaning is obvious from the words. The idea is that history moves in epochal shifts under the leadership of visionary, bold, often ruthless men who ma... more »
Child poverty: the real cause
The latest NZ study on child poverty has formed a strong conclusion based upon a strong correlation between child poverty and …. well, guess for yourself what is the most strongly correlated with child poverty (as measured in a relative sense). Is it: 1. Unemployment; or 2. Uncaring governments spending too litle on benefits; or 3. Parents spending too much on drink and smokes; or 4. Single-parent families. If you picked number 4, then give yourself a big tick. The strongest correlation the survey found was between children in relative poverty and the lack of two parents to care... more »
Vietnamese Communist Leader Says US Anti-War Activists Helped Their Victory
[image: Seen here are pickets demonstrating against the Vietnam War as they march through downtown Philadelphia, Pa, March, 26 1966. (AP Photo/Bill Ingraham)] In the weeks leading up to Memorial Day and President Barack Obama's scheduled trip to Vietnam, a prominent Vietcong communist leader privately thanked American anti-war activists for helping defeat the U.S.-allied government in Vietnam in the 1970s, saying protest demonstrations... more »
A good point re immigration
' Here's a point which both sides in the Brexit debate seem to have completely missed.This past year there has been a record level of uncontrollable migration which has topped 1/3 of a million people. Most of them are from Bulgaria, and Romania, do not have jobs and will be entitled to access our benefits, housing, NHS education, and other services.No one ever seems to have the figures for how much this is costing the UK. If each person takes just £1000 which is extremely low then the total cost of £3.3 billion pa ! If, as is more likely they are taking £10K pa each then the total... more »
Untitled
*Harvard hearts gibberish* *But Leftists love a black whiner. As far as one can make out, the speaker is complaining about black oppression in the past and saying he has risen above that. The idea that he personally has been oppressed is ludicrous. Oppressed people don't usually graduate from Harvard. He has in fact almost certainly been most privileged by Harvard's affirmative action policies. Harvard's admission policies are heavily and consciously racist -- with Jews and blacks privileged and Asian enrolments kept down* Graduation speeches can be a torrid affair. But not ... more »
A housing crisis, four decades on
Housing crises? They’ve been with us for decades – and the answers to them are no secret. It’s not that the solutions that are in short supply, it’s the political will. I have in front of me a book that’s been on my shelf for more than thirty years… [image: HCrisis] Every answer to this present housing crisis in there, and has been known for decades. You can see just from the chapter headings that that because the causes of virtually every housing crisis are political, the solutions to every housing crisis are the same: - Part I: The Underlying Contributing Factors o Chap... more »
SUPPORT THE TROOPS / EMPTY WORDS FOR BETRAYED DISABLED VETERANS
*Pause this Memorial Day for a few moments and watch this documentary on how America has in many ways treated many of its active duty veterans like Lab Rats for the past 100 years ~ from WW I through the Gulf Wars, and still continues to pander or answer to the Military Industrial Complex: Allen L Roland, PhD and Disabled US Navy Veteran. * On Memorial Day, politicians will speak at patriotic ceremonies all over the country and repeat their favourite mantra *"Support the troops." * This message is hammered, along with parades and gun salutes, into the American psyche at eve... more »
Untitled
*Trump freaks the Greenies* WHEN you think of saving the planet, Donald Trump probably isn’t exactly the first name to come to mind. He’s previously described global warming as “an expensive hoax!”, warned Obama that the Environmental Protective Agency is “an impediment to both growth and jobs”, and admitted he’s “not a big believer in man-made climate change”. But the Republican frontrunner’s latest speech was something next-level. Speaking at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, the capital of oil-rich North Dakota, Trump proudly trumpeted a series of anti-env... more »
14 thoughts on watching how i met your mother (first time through so no spoilers please!)
I was watching MASH when Netflix pulled the plug on our VPN. I found a new VPN... but now MASH is gone. One day I hope to finish the end-to-end rewatch. But right then, my comedy-before-bed slot was left hanging. I tried "How I Met Your Mother," and I was very happily surprised. *I have not watched or read ahead, so please do not even allude to the ending. I understand many fans hated it, ok? No need to fill me in.* How I love "How I Met Your Mother". 1. Smart, character-driven comedy. Not easy to find. 2. Great female characters. Generally non-sexist, even anti-sexist. 3. Around S... more »
Debunking the Yeti
When I was much younger my mind was so open you could have driven a bus through it. Not that I was gullible (*I always knew that was a word in the dictionary*), but when it came to strange phenomena you could sign me up for every cranky belief going. UFO's and the conspiracies surrounding them were a favourite, but everything else - Loch Ness Monster, ghoulies and ghosties, supernaturally things, I was game for the lot. Now (much) older and wiser, a part of me is gratified whenever long-standing mysteries are debunked and sensible, scientific explanations are offered. And so Channel... more »
Syrian Rebels Counter ISIS Offensive, Retake Two Villages
[image: Syrian Rebels Launch Offensive on Government-held City] BEIRUT (AP) -- Activists say Syrian rebels have retaken two villages from Islamic State militants as they fight to undo gains made by the extremist group in a surprise offensive in Syria’s north Friday that displaced over 100,000 people. The... more »
Libertarians Nominate Ex-New Mexico Gov. Johnson for President, Again
[image: Former Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.] ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Libertarian Party has nominated former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson as its presidential candidate, just as it did in 2012. Delegates to the party’s convention in Orlando on Sunday picked Johnson on the second ballot... more »
Israeli Deputy Minister Admits He Has Visited Syria’s Aleppo
Israeli deputy minister Ayoub Kara has acknowledged that he paid a clandestine visit to Syria’s Aleppo, which is under the control of ISIS terrorists. Kara, a prominent member of the right-wing Likud Party, admitted on Saturday that he had visited Syria during the five year long conflict, according to a report by Haaretz When asked about the danger involved in such a trip, Kara said, “I’m not a man who’s afraid, because I’m a believer, and one who believes isn’t afraid.” The Syrian army and its allies have been fighting to regain control of the country’s second city from ISIS terr... more »
All scientific papers will be accessible for free by 2020, EU announces
https://www.rt.com/news/344749-scientific-papers-free-research/ *All scientific papers will be accessible for free by 2020, EU announces* Published time: 29 May, 2016 11:18 © Stefan Wermuth / Reuters In an unprecedented move, European science authorities have announced that all online research papers shall be made free by 2020. The measure will be a major step on the way to the EU’s Open Science initiative. Europe’s Competitiveness Council, which decided on the measure during a two-day meeting in Brussels, has been campaigning hard for OA (open access) privileges. One such milesto... more »
The Courage of Joan of Arc, Woman of Faith — On the Anniversary of Her Death
[image: Joan of Arc Painting - 900] I always thought Joan of Arc was something of a medieval legend, embellished over the centuries in a hundred paintings, novels, and films. I couldn't have been more wrong. Rummaging through the treasure of cheap French texts in the Kindle... more »
Teacher Dishes Details Behind the Latest Legal Crusade on Union Dues
[image: Ronald Robinson - 900] A Michigan teacher who's on a crusade against alleged union strong arm tactics said he tried to play by the rules, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation, and when he left his union, they billed him anyway.... more »
Illinois Mandate for Abortion, Birth Control Referrals Goes to Governor’s Desk
[image: Abortion Law, Judge's Gavel, Pro-Life] Abortion advocates are on the verge of forcing Illinois’ pro-life medical professionals, pharmacists and crisis pregnancy center volunteers to refer women for abortions and birth control, in violation of what opponents say is a constitutional right to religious liberty. Last week,... more »
Missing Japanese Boy Left In Bear Infested Mountain As ‘Punishment’
The parents of a missing seven-year-old boy have admitted to police that the child was abandoned in bear infested mountains in northern Japan, as a “punishment.” The seven-year-old boy has been missing for two days. His parents initially told police that he had got lost during a family walk. The Independent reports: More than 150 rescue workers are searching for Yamato Tanooka, who has been missing for two days, after his parents left him alone on Saturday in Nanae, Hokkaido – an island in northern Japan whose woods are known to be home to wild bears. Yamato’s parents initially tol...more »
More Than 700 Feared Dead in Recent Mediterranean Crossings
[image: In this May 25, 2016 file photo made available by the Italian Navy, people try to jump in the water right before their boat overturns off the Libyan coast. Over 700 migrants are feared dead in three Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks south of Italy in the last few days as they tried desperately to reach Europe in unseaworthy smuggling boats, the U.N. refugee agency said Sunday, May 29, 2016.] POZZALLO, Sicily (AP) -- Survivor accounts have pushed to more than 700 the number of migrants feared dead in Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks over three days in the past week, even as European sh... more »
Sanctimonious Turd Alert: Ken Starr
*- by Noah* Were you under the misapprehension that you would never have to hear the name Ken Starr, ever again? Fear not! Sure, one could only hope that Ken Starr and his bad name would slither back under the rock from which he came, but the evil ones never really disappear. At the very least, they leave a trail. Thanks to a recent article in the *New York Times*, however, we are offered a glimpse at Starr’s pathetic attempt to reinvent himself as a normal, well-adjusted human. Starr was once a federal judge in the Reagan administration and he was once the Solicitor General un... more »
Quick AK Update...
By American Kabuki Just a quick update to let you know the graduation went well. My daughter has her diploma and is enjoying the summer and preparing for grad school. *Thank you all so much for helping make that trip possible!* The trip went very well, I decided to return early given the predicted weather in Texas and the difficulty navigating central Texas roads in rain When I left I was in the most intense rain/hail storm of my life in Brady Texas, and had to park under a gas station canopy to keep the rental car from being destroyed. The rain did not arrive for two day... more »
Rare Gorilla Shot Dead At Zoo After 4-Year-Old Falls Into Enclosure
A rare 17 year old western lowland gorilla was deliberately shot and killed after a 4-year-old boy fell 12 feet into the moat surrounding his enclosure at Cincinnati zoo. Zoo workers killed Harambe, a 400 pound male gorilla after he played for 10 minutes with the little boy who later needed hospitalization. Cincinnati reports: Cincinnati police and emergency crews responded to a report of a child falling into the exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden at about 4 p.m. Saturday. Police confirmed the child was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center near the zo... more »
US Congress To Build Real ‘Ministry Of Truth’
New legislation is being introduced in the US House of Representatives which, if passed, will create a real life “Ministry of Truth” as depicted in George Orwell’s 1984 novel. The H.R. 5181 bill aims to create a department responsible for creating U.S. propaganda in order to counter efforts by Russia and China’s spread of disinformation. H.R. 5181, or the Countering Information Warfare Act of 2016, is sponsored by Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) who co-authored the bill with Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA). The Big Brother-style legislation would set up a Center for Information An... more »
War With Russia Looms As Turkey Enter Syria
Turkey have sent its troops across the Syrian border and advanced 700 meters towards Aleppo, increasing chances of a war with Russia. Russia have previously pledged to defend Kurdish militia in Syria in the event of a Turkish invasion, and so the military advancement by Turkish soldiers into Syria may trigger a larger war between the two countries. “Russia will respond to the invasion. It goes about not only the Kurds – Russia will defend the territorial integrity of Syria,” the head of the Syrian Kurdistan in Moscow, Rodi Osman, told Bloomberg back in February. Pravdareport.com re... more »
Tony Blair Says He Will Reject And Fight War Crimes Accusations
Tony Blair has issued a scathing counter-attack on those who are calling for his arrest and demanding that he face a war crimes trial for the war in Iraq. The former British Prime Minister told the BBC that he might reject the finding of the Chilcot inquiry if it attempts to suggest he lied to the British public in the build-up to the 2003 Iraq war. Independent.co.uk reports: Claiming he hasn’t seen a copy of the report the former Prime Minister added that he “looks forward” to participating in a debate about its findings. “Make no mistake about that,” Mr Blair said. It is understo... more »
Trump Reveals His Presidential Campaign Is Completely Broke
Donald Trump has privately admitted that his campaign have completely run out of money, and has called an urgent meeting with Senate Republicans to ask for additional funding. Stunned Republican officials have been asked by the Trump campaign for additional finance in order to fight attacks from Hillary Clinton in the next couple of months, saying that they have no money to be able to run television ads. As the Washington Examiner explains, The notice came when Paul Manafort, Trump’s senior advisor, met with a group of Senate Republican chiefs of staff for lunch last week, sources ...more »
John Lydon Claims BBC Punished Him Over Savile Whistleblowing
Sex Pistols star John Lydon has claimed that BBC bosses ‘blacklisted’ him and the band from appearing on BBC shows after he exposed Jimmy Savile as being a Paedophile back in 1978. Lydon gave an interview to Radio 1 in which he claimed Savile was a “hypocrite … into all kinds of seediness … that we’re not allowed to talk about“. The BBC subsequently shelved the Jimmy Savile claims by the Sex Pistol star, which later turned out to be true after hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse against the DJ came to light after Savile’s death in 2011. Dailymail.co.uk reports: ‘If you said any... more »
More Than 700 Migrants Feared Dead In Three Mediterranean Shipwrecks
Three separate shipwrecks in the Mediterranean in the last week are thought to have claimed the lives of more than 700 people who were trying to reach Europe, according to the UN’s refuge agency. The incidents happened on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after thousands set sail from Libya for Italy in an eight-day period. Carlotta Sami, a spokeswoman for UNHCR, told AP on Sunday that an estimated 100 people were missing from a smugglers’ boat which capsized Wednesday. Aother 550 other migrants and refugees are also missing from a smuggling boat that capsized Thursday morning after le... more »
Just Like Elvis
Statement by the President on the Death of Elvis Presley August 17, 1977 Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable. More than 20 years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense, and he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country.
NATO Backed Kurds Move on Mosul- Canadians and/or Americans on Frontlines?
Going long- *US or Canadian Forces Believed to Be Fighting Near Mosul, Iraq* Let’s start by talking about the US or Canadians on the front lines, alongside Kurdish militia/terrorists including PKK/YPG etc., moving towards the main city of Mosul- An offensive that began today- Sunday morning in Iraq. * Iraq is 7 hours ahead of eastern standard time*. (Keep that in mind) *Servicemen from the U.S.-led coalition were seen near the front line* of a new offensive in northern Iraq launched on Sunday by Kurdish peshmerga forces that aims to retake a handful of villages from Islamic State e... more »
Chinese Doughnuts!
Don't these look amazing! These are one of my favorite treats and now I can make them at home! [image: post signature]
Sanders Says Hillary Email Scandal Is Too Big To Ignore Now
Bernie Sanders has changed his mind over Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server whilst she was Secretary of State, saying that the issue has become a matter of public concern. Just months after Sanders announced that Americans were “sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” he told Bill Maher that the public now need answers. In an interview on Friday on the “Real Time with Bill Maher” show, Sanders was asked if the Clinton email scandal had become large enough for him to reconsider his refusal to confront her on the issue. Sanders responded by saying “it has”. “... more »
Top ISIS Commander Found Alive In Iraq, USA Did Not Kill Him
An top ISIS commander, thought to have been killed by U.S. forces, has been filmed recently in Iraq, showing that he is very much alive and well. Despite claims by the U.S. government that they had killed ISIS operative Abu Omar al-Shishani last March, the commander was caught on camera in Iraq’s Fallujah battlefield fighting the Iraqi army. Almasdarnews.com reports: The red-beard Georgian veteran was reported dead several times; most recently last March when the Pentagon announced that al-Shishani was killed in an airstrike near the town of al-Shaddadi in eastern Syria. Al-Shishan... more »
Obama Administration Begs Court Not To Depose Hillary Clinton
The Obama administration have pleaded with a court to prevent former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from being deposed in a case connected to her use of a private email server. The Justice Department filed a court motion saying they opposed efforts by legal counsel representing legal watchdog Judicial Watch in trying to force Clinton to testify. The feds say that the organisation are trying to “dramatically expand the scope of the lawsuit”. Thehill.com reports: Judicial Watch is “seeking instead to transform these proceedings into a wide-ranging inquiry into matters beyond the ... more »
Economic News & Views ( May 29 , 2016 ) Quick Hits For Sunday May 29th ( 1. Greece In Focus - Updates On Creditor Talks , Privatization Progress , General Economic Activity , Refugee Situation On Greece. 2. Refugee Crisis in General , Not Just Greece Epicenter For Europe Crisis - Also , Internally Displaced Civilians in Syria & Iraq .3. Turkey - News De Jour. )
Greece...... *Yannis Koutsomitis* @YanniKouts 6m 6 minutes ago The Greek government and the Institutions remain at odds over prior actions http://greekcrisisnotes.blogspot.com/2016/05/greek- government-and-institutions-fail.html …#Greece *Manos Giakoumis* @ManosGiakoumis 11m 11 minutes ago #Greece and institutions did not reach an agreement during conference call re solidarity grant (EKAS) (via @capitalgr). *Manos Giakoumis* @ManosGiakoumis 10h 10 hours ago #Eurogroup decisions on debt relief measures cld result in savings of 226 mln in 2017 & 1.1 bln in 1st... more »
Gaia Portal: Stealth movements are no more
*Stealth movements are no more* by ÉirePort Stealth movements are no more. Darkness faded by the Inner Light. Half measures are discarded, as fullness of Light incorporates. Stories are told for all to enjoy. ÉirePort | May 29, 2016 at 09:09 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-yy
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