Friday, May 02, 2014

2 May - Blogs I'm Following

map from CIA World Factbook 2002, converted fr...map from CIA World Factbook 2002, converted from original format (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
5:49pm MDST

Benghazi Again? Investigate the Damned NSA!

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 1 hour ago
Speaker of the House John Boehner on Friday announced that the Republicans will soon be setting up a special investigative tribunal to once again flog that long dead horse that is the Benghazi scandal. Now that the corporate scam that is the Affordable Health Care Act aka Obamacare is pretty much dead as a campaign issue the GOP is going to count on once again going back to the future in rolling out the blatant election year scam of yet another investigation into what it is that happened in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. You have to give it to the sleazy Republicans, they are pred... more »

My Town, Our Town, Your Town

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 1 hour ago
A short time ago, Peter Van Buren posted an article on TomDispatchthat addressed the central theme of his new book, *Ghosts of Tom Joad: A Story of the #99 Percent*. Van Buren used to be a State Department official who'd seen firsthand the excesses in Iraq that always seem to favor the 1% there. After 20+ years working for the kind folks at Foggy Bottom, he'd lost his job when he decided to turn whistleblower and expose some of those excesses and abuses of American taxpayer dollars. In "This is Not Your Land, This is Their Land", he'd profiled four communities: Atlantic Cit... more »

Gangs & Counter-gangs: Sir David Sterling, The SAS and the Post-Colonial Destabilisation of The Empire

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 hour ago
*"At the end of the war, SAS was disbanded, but it was soon revived to crush the Malay insurgency in Malaysia, and the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya. * *In his 1960 book Gangs and Countergangs, Col. Frank Kitson boasted that the British were covertly leading several large-scale Mau Mau units, and that many, if not all Mau Mau units had been synthetically created by the colonial authorities.* *This article appears in the October 13, 1995 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.*The SAS: Prince Philip's Manager of Terrorism by Joseph Brewda On the eve of the first of six schedule... more »

May 2: glimpses of responsible journalism...

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 2 hours ago
The front page actually has two stories that seem to belong there. The first one is about, I think, a much more serious problem than the story suggests. The wife of the president of U de Moncton was given a $200,000 contract to redecorate their house. The president says it wasn't him who did it; it was the Board of Governors. Yeah. I'm sure he protested, but they muscled him aside. Tough gangs these boards of governors. By the way, who sits on a board of governors and who dominates it? Usually, it's businessmen. Then he says the board did it because it noticed that many presidents ... more »

NRSC Clearly Understands They Can Lose South Dakota, But Guy Cecil Is Still Filled With Poutrage

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 2 hours ago
DSCC executive director Guy Cecil isn't thinking clearly... or doesn't give a shit if the Democrats keep control of the Senate or not. The battle over the Senate could well come down to one state: South Dakota... and Cecil, who rides roughshod over pathetic DSCC chairman Michael Bennet, refuses to play. When Beltway political reporter Alexandra Jaffe asked the question, Why Is Rick Weiland Getting Cold Shoulder?, there is never a mention of Cecil. No doubt he was just too busy trying to worm his way into the Hillary For President Campaign taking shape, but its hardly a secret that... more »

KIPP Teacher Asks: "Would we let this happen if the students were white middle class?"

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 3 hours ago
I interviewed a former KIPP teacher I will call Keith. Keith was highly successful at KIPP for longer than most teachers last at any KIPP, which is 1-2 years. Keith shared a great deal, and much of it I had heard from others: the 80-100 hour weeks, the silent lunches, the incessant chanting, the compulsive attention to detail, the straight lines of uniformed students, the clipboard for keeping track of the token economy, kids staying as late as 7 PM at school to finish homework they had failed to finish the night before, the singular focus on closing the test score gaps, the loss... more »

Ukraine Crisis: The Battle for Slavyansk

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 3 hours ago
*May 3, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - The unelected regime currently occupying Kiev, Ukraine, has once again attempted to crush multiplying uprisings across the nation's eastern and southern regions, after earlier setbacks. In the eastern city of Slavyansk, home to roughly 116,000 Ukrainians, the regime has unleashed helicopter gunships, armored vehicles, and special forces deployed by helicopter in a city-wide assault that has left many dead, and many more wounded. The city's defenders have downed several helicopters and have been clashing with regime forces throughout the day. B... more »

This story is about Tuscaloosa’s schools!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 4 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014* *And about schools near you:* In the current Atlantic, Nikole Hannah-Jones has written a lengthy, fascinating report about the racial history of the Tuscaloosa (City) public schools. She describes the way Tuscaloosa integrated its dual school system after being taken to court in 1975. Starting in 1979, the city began operating a single high school for all its students, white and black, and a single middle school. The new arrangement was “clumsy and unpopular,” Hannah-Jones writes, “but its consequences were profound.” Here’s the way it worked: HANNAH-JONES ... more »

Randi W. Blows An Easy One (For A Change)

Michael Paul Goldenberg at @ THE CHALK FACE - 4 hours ago
RANDI WEINGARTEN, LOOKING . . . CONFUSED. I love unions, but I have a hard time fathoming the leadership of contemporary American teachers’ unions. With so many glaring idiocies afloat from the world of education deform (aka GERM - as Pasi Sahlberg calls it), you’d think it would be impossible not to find incisive things […]

BEALE AFB DRONE PROTEST

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 5 hours ago
Direct action at Beale AFB in California by Veterans for Peace and others on April 29 following the reading of an indictment for war crimes. I lived on this base from 1969-1971 and graduated from nearby Wheatland High School. I hope to get to one of these protests at Beale at some point.

Friday Nerd Blogging Part Two: Who Says There is a Gap?

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 5 hours ago
One of the constant refrains one will hear in civil-military relations is that there is a gap between the civilians and the military–a deep, wide gap in values, perceptions and so on. Well, here is some proof (not great video) that the gap is over-rated: H/T to Mrs. Spew

BBC Trending update

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 5 hours ago
Ha!! Further to our post about BBC Trending, “Who is too young to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust” I see BBC Watch has just published this. The so-called ‘new law’ is not even a law. It is in fact “a new pedagogic programme of the Ministry of Education”. “The programme organises the exposure of the children to content on the subject of the Holocaust, from the early ages to high school, and *in each age group there is adjustment of the content to the developmental, cognitive and emotional abilities of the children to deal with the material.”* As I said, not a question of... more »

Medicine of plants

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 5 hours ago
Natural Supplements to help us get better... Below are the plants that will restore the normal functions of the stomach and or liver that is provided too much damage was not done because of "ingested poisons" or suicidal attempts. *Milk Thysle* The story goes that the milk Thysle plant was believed to give the expectant mothers increased lactation, It was also believed that the mottled white veins were caused by the drops of milk from the virgin mary when nursing baby Jesus. Apart from that, the fruit of the plant contains SILYMARIN a substance that promotes the SELF-... more »

mountain of the gods

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 5 hours ago
Mt. Nemrut

NEWS ROUND-UP

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 6 hours ago
*People in the Philippines staged major protests during Obama's visit to sign new agreements to allow US military bases to return to their country. The US was kicked out of the Philippines in 1992 and had to close its Navy and Air Force bases. * - At Beale AFB in California on Tuesday, the two main gates into the base for the first time during rush hour commute were successfully shut down,* simultaneously. *Thirteen people were arrested, six were veterans and three others had never done civil resistance before. Beale AFB hosts the Global Hawk (Surveillance drone),... more »

Playoff Break

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 6 hours ago
Now that we are in the second round I will be absorbed totally by the totality. Montreal has a real shot at the Cup. I can not comment on anything without that happy feeling. Unless the administration of the human world demonstratively changes for better or worse I got to say the Habitat is where I am living. If you are not a Montreal fan, I am sorry for you, may you find some other path to true joy.

Victim Fine Surcharge

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 6 hours ago
Tinker v. The Queen, 2014 ONCJ 208: Applicants have brought an application under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenging the s. 737 Victim Surcharge amendments, which came into effect on Oct. 24, 2013. Notice under the Courts of Justice Act s. 109 -- " I hold that the requirement in s. 737(2)(b) for a surcharge, where no fine is imposed on the offender, does infringe s. 7 of the Charter and cannot be saved by s. 1."

Rob Ford antics

LeDaro at LeDaro - 6 hours ago
The Colbert report. ;) Here is collection of antics:

Brandan Boyle-- Bipartisan When It Comes To One Thing: The Republican War Against Women

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 6 hours ago
I'm no fan of conservative-leaning New Dem Allyson Schwartz. Earlier today, I mentioned in passing how she was one of the bought-out Wall Street shills who voted with the GOP for Bush's anti-family bankruptcy bill. But there is one area where no one can deny Schwartz's heroic stature and that's when it comes to women's issues. She has been staunchy pro-Choice and a leader in the fight for women's health issues, no small matter. It would be tragic if one of Philadelphia's most ardent opponent's of women's health, an ambitious state legislator dear to the heart of the corrupt party ... more »

Cute Sophomore Student Council Campaign Video - Innovative and Unique with the bloopers at the end.

Sherrie Questioning All at Sherrie Questioning All - 6 hours ago
Something for your enjoyment and laugh (bloopers at the end). Here is my daughter's Sophomore Student Council campaign video, it had to be 30 seconds to one minute.. It is innovative and unique. We used the tricks our dog can do and incorporated them into her campaign. Her flyers had a picture of her and Shiraz. This video is the original campaign video but I added the bloopers at the end.

Climate Tricks 29: Bioethanol to Save the Planet, or Pollute the Planet?

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 7 hours ago
The use of biofuels is one of the schemes invented by the climate alarmism and energy rationing movement to help "save the planet". By using organic materials like corn and sugar as additive or actual liquid fuel to vehicles, it is hoped that the use of petroleum products which emit CO2 that "pollute" the air and further raise greenhouse gases (GHGs) and warm the planet, will be lessened. There are a few bioethanol processing plants in the Philippines, riding on the Clean Air Act I think, that requires the use of biofuels nationwide. Now here's the twist. Residents, church and local... more »

Friday Nerd Blogging: Make Mine Marvel

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 7 hours ago
This summer may be the most Marvelous yet with Captain America 2, Spider-Man 2, X-Men Days of Future Past (otherwise X-Men First Class 2) and Guardians of the Galaxy. Sure, not all are by Marvel Studios but all are based on Marvel Characters. Do we need so many sequels (with GoG being essentially a sequel Continue reading

Alabama Makes Clear Parent Rights for Opting Out of State Tests

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 7 hours ago
From AL.com: . . . .“There’s been a lot of concern about the amount of standardized testing that the school system does,” Cox said. “It’s not just a Baldwin County issue; it’s all over the country. Every time the children turn around, they’re being tested for something, and more and more parents have become concerned about it.” Cox stressed that it is permissible for parents to opt out of the tests: *“There is no Alabama law or federal law that states they cannot opt their children out, which means that it is perfectly legal to do so,” he said. “There seems to be some confusion over ... more »

Mike's Story Part 11: Apprentice Devils

Jenna Orkin at From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog - 7 hours ago
*By **Jenna** Orkin* The reason Mike felt impelled to confess the burundanga episode had to do with an event that had taken place back home. FTW subscribers used to get news updates on a daily basis, if memory serves. One afternoon we opened the email to find a long account, supposedly from Mike, describing his life in Caracas as one of debauchery - drinking, whoring and blowing money which had been raised from those same subscribers after the computers were smashed and FTW's fate hung in the balance. (This chronology, too, is drawn from memory and may be inaccurate in som... more »

John Boehner will announce the formation of a select committee on Benghazi, led by Rep. Trey Gowdy...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 7 hours ago
*as my hubby just said, "It gives new meaning to kicking ass and taking names."* *Whoohoo!* Trey Gowdy back in October of 2013:

O’Reilly’s remarks about Donald Sterling!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 7 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014* *We regard this as good news:* Over the weekend, Cliven Bundy basically disappeared. The kooky rancher was blown away by Donald Sterling, the pitiful NBA owner. On Monday evening, Bill O’Reilly opened his Fox News program with extended remarks about Sterling. Below, we show you a large portion of what O’Reilly said. For background, see our previous post. We regard it as good news that Fox News viewers have been hearing these remarks and quite a few others like them. You’ll never be told about this at Salon, where you’re constantly propagandized and trained in... more »

Russia requests UN Security Council meeting after dawn raids on Slavyansk

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 8 hours ago
*Is Russia going to broach the topic of Russian peacekeepers at this meeting?* *The Security Council meeting begins at 1200 noon EST * The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at noon Eastern time to discuss Ukraine at the behest of Russia We have three sources for the news, video & images below* USA Today & Itar Tass & GMA* As Ukraine mounts a major assault Friday against pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, Russia has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the escalating violence. A spokesman for Russia's... more »

Doctor Who Tardis Bag Tutorial with Marissa from Rae Gun Ramblings

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 8 hours ago
*Today, I am so excited to have one of my favorite people in the whole word, Marissa from Rae Gun Ramblings, here to share a fantastic project. Marissa is a creative and sewing master, some of my favorite projects from her blog include her DIY Moby Wrap and her Fancy Nancy Dress Tutorial. If you are a Harry Potter fan, be sure to check out the amazing Harry Potter baby costumes in her shop! Make sure you check out her blog and leave some comment love! * [image: Step by step instructions for how to make your own Dr Who Tardis bag at Rae Gun Ramblings] I am so stinking excited to be he... more »

Synchronicity - A Friday Rule 5 post

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 8 hours ago
Yesterday I posted this piece about 'shocking' female body hair, with examples of Madonna, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Drew Barrymore and Lily Allen. Today I discovered this video of Kate Upton shaving... Synchronicity!

EYES OFF THE PRIZE: The things we liberals can’t be told!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 8 hours ago
*FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014* *Part 4—Saint Joan keeps us barefoot and clueless:* In large part, we agree with something we read in Salon. Can things like this be said at Salon? In a typically muddled piece designed to stir our liberal hate, Paul Rosenberg said something good about the racial attitudes of the American people: ROSENBERG (5/1/14): [Donald] Sterling’s self-immolating drama vividly illustrates what the questions involve. *It’s not just that Americans—unbeknownst to Sterling, Cliven Bundy and Limbaugh—have come to an overwhelming consensus that racism itself is evil, though tha... more »

"Pray for my brother ..."

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 8 hours ago
In keeping with my empty, trivial subject matter until such a time as I have time to think about more substantive things I bring you the laughable request of the teary-eyed Doug Ford that we all "pray" for his brother. What's moved Doug to tears this time, after all the other incidents of drinking and whoring and consorting with gangsters in order to enjoy their illegal substances? Could it be the nail in the coffin for Doug's dreams of continued political fame? Could it be that there are finally images available to the public and Rob and Doug can't even try to lie this time? A... more »

The Sacred Circle Poem by M.N. Hopkins

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 9 hours ago
If you would like to read more, please visit: *http://www.poemhunter.com/michael-hopkins*

Digby Wins the Hillman Prize

Batocchio at Vagabond Scholar - 9 hours ago
Congratulations to the incisive and indefatigable Digby for winning the 2014 Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism. You can read the Sidney Hillman Foundation's announcement here and her characteristically humble post on the matter here. (But surely you were reading her blog Hullabaloo already.)

The hoax of creative destruction

Nauman Sadiq at Incredible credulity - 9 hours ago
There is a condition in the European Union’s terms of union in which the under-developed countries of Europewho aspire to join the EU allowed free movement of goods only on the reciprocal condition that the developed countries will allow the free movement of labor. What’s obvious in this condition is the fact: that the free movement of goods (free trade) only benefits the countries who have a strong manufacturing base; and the free movement of workers only favor the under-developed countries where labor is cheap. Now, when the international financial institutions, like the IMF and ... more »

Things to do after finishing a book

Brandon Valeriano at Duck of Minerva - 9 hours ago
I just finished my cyber security book, provisionally titled Cyber Hype versus Cyber Reality. The feeling of loss has set in. I don’t know what to do with myself now, I am sleeping more than normal (but that could just be jet lag). Working on articles seems like too small a task. Starting a new Continue reading

Prospect Heights T Party Dumps the Tests

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 10 hours ago
Teachers at a New York City high school fired a shot across the bow of the concept of a nationalized education industry Thursday, becoming the first in that state to refuse to administer a standardized test tied to the controversial Common Core national standards. The boycott by teachers at Prospect Heights International School in Brooklyn comes amid a small but growing “opt out” movement in which thousands of parents across the country have refused to let their children sit for standardized tests tied to Common Core’s data-hungry student assessment industry. The state assessments a... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 10 hours ago
*Fracking opponents pack two St. Tammany meetings ~Faimon A. Roberts III, B.R. Advocate* *New levees could knock down the next Katrina, but are they enough? ~WVUE* *Could wind power knock down hurricane strength? ~WWLTV* *Subsea 7 Wins More Work from BP in the Gulf of Mexico ~Rob Almeida, gCaptain* *Fiya Fest Today! ~NOLA DEFENDER*

Donna Edwards To Helm The DCCC's Red To Blue Program

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 10 hours ago
I'm still in the beginning on the awesome new book by Elizabeth Warren, A Fighting Chance. I just read a few pages every night before going to bed and then meditate on it as a lesson of the day. I'm reading about her focus on bankruptcy and how her academic peers-- and the entire Establishment-- defined bankruptcy as a kind of moral failure for the men and women who had been forced into it, often through the kind of medical catastrophe that could devastate any family. People filing, her research showed, weren't "lazy bums"-- the preconception-- but, more often than not, ordinary f... more »

Tolerating Rot

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 10 hours ago
As Rob Ford heads off to rehab in Chicago, Carol Goar writes that Canadians are besotted with shameless politicians: A casual lawlessness has crept into the high offices of the land. It is not outright criminality, punishable by fines and jail time (at least not yet). It is an attitude among those entrusted with power that they don’t have to play by the rules; that wrongdoing carries no consequences; and that a half-hearted apology will set everything right. Besides Ford, she enumerates several other recent examples of political bad behaviour: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has... more »

Welcome to SC: A Heaping Stumbling-Bumbling Mess of Ineptitude

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 10 hours ago
Welcome to SC: A Heaping Stumbling-Bumbling Mess of Ineptitude. via Welcome to SC: A Heaping Stumbling-Bumbling Mess of Ineptitude.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

Non Farm payroll Friday - May 2 , 2014 -- Whopping 288K Jobs Added In April, Far Higher Than Expectations; Unemployment Rate Tumbles To 6.3% ....... But also note that labor participation fell to the lowest level since 1978 !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 10 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-02/one-million-people-dropped-out-labor-force-april-participation-rate-plummets-lowest- One Million People Dropped Out Of Labor Force In April: Participation Rate Plummets To Lowest Since 1978 [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/02/2014 08:54 -0400 - BLS - Bureau of Labor Statistics - Unemployment inShare And so the BLS is back to its old data fudging, because while the Establishment Survey job number was a whopper, and the biggest monthly addition since 2012, the Household Survey showed an actual d... more »

The KMT Brings order to the Galaxy

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 11 hours ago
*Noodle shop, Huaxin St.* The commentary on the nuke plant from the pro-nuke side is both comically stupid and revealing. South China Morning Post says it's time for a "rational" debate on energy in Taiwan. *But Taiwan, like Japan, has little choice but to consider nuclear power because it lacks the natural resources to generate electricity. *Taiwan's three operating nuclear power stations, two of them in New Taipei City in the north where the fourth is being built, have operated safely for many years, while providing nearly 20 per cent of the island's electricity. Taiwanese need ... more »

Kirov was murdered by a lone gunman

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 11 hours ago
"It must be asserted that to this day the circumstances surrounding Kirov's murder hide many things which are inexplicable and mysterious and demand a most careful examination. There are reasons for the suspicion that the killer of Kirov, Nikolaev, was assisted by someone from among the people whose duty it was protect the person of Kirov. A month and a half before the killing, Nikolaev was arrested on the grounds of suspicious behaviour, but he was released and not even searched. It is an unusually suspicious circumstance that when the Chekist [Borisov] assigned to protect Kirov wa... more »

War watch May 2 , 2014 - Syria ships out or has destroyed 92.5 percent of its chemical weapon arsenal , US makes nonsensical complaint that Syria is " stalling " by not getting the rest out of Latakia port ( said port located in Rebel controlled territory ) ........... 33 Killed, Scores Wounded in North Syria Barrel Bomb Strike Barrel Bomb Hit Marketplace, Started Fires ......... Afghanistan has another bloody day as a bomb explodes at a checkpoint killing at least 11 ( spring time means fighting season has begun in earnest )

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 11 hours ago
Syria ..... US Accuses Syria of ‘Stalling’ on Chemical DisarmamentClaims They're Keeping Useless Chemicals as 'Leverage' by Jason Ditz, May 01, 2014 Print This | Share This The Obama Administration continues to rail at what has by all other accounts been a very successful chemical weapons disarmament in Syria, accusing the nation of “stalling” because they fell slightly short of a self-imposed deadline to have all the chemicals out of the country by last Friday. Syria got only 92.5% out by then. Syria has struggled to get those shipments out of the country through Latakia port, as ... more »

Consciousness, The reality of our situation and Matrix Design

Sherrie Questioning All at Sherrie Questioning All - 11 hours ago
Gregg Braden explains consciousness in this short video. How our mind and heart are electromagnetic energy together. It is through the energy of our heart that is 5000 times stronger than our mind energy, we draw and create all things around us. It is through gratitude and Love we create more than just thinking in our power of attraction and the laws of attraction. I have sincerely and

Laws of physics cannot be hacked

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 11 hours ago
*Hackers of physics do not beat Nature; they only fool people* Shaun Maguire, a PhD student who blogs together with John Preskill, spent his childhood hacking computers. It is natural for him to do the same thing to Nature: Hacking nature: loopholes in the laws of physics A source of the (especially young) people's excitement about physics is their desire to beat the old laws of Nature and to hack into systems around us. To get unlimited moves in the Candy Crush Saga. To make a compromise with a vendor machine: to acquire the chocolate while paying no money. To be able to subscribe... more »

Battleground Ukraine: A Comprehensive Summary (From A Russian Perspective) ----- A different perspective , even for those secure in their own viewpoints , take a gander and ponder ..... As offered for " westerners needing to understand what is really happening in both the Ukraine and the wider Anglo-US-NATO globalisation drive ... "

Catharsis Ours - 11 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-30/battleground-ukraine-comprehensive-summary-russian-perspective Battleground Ukraine: A Comprehensive Summary (From A Russian Perspective) [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/30/2014 20:04 -0400 - Afghanistan - Brazil - China - Corruption - FBI - France - Germany - Greece - Hungary - International Monetary Fund - Iran - Iraq - Israel - Kuwait - Mexico - Middle East - Napoleon - Poland - Reality - Saudi Arabia - Time Magazi... more »

Hard Men of Letters

martin-j at tamplins entire - 12 hours ago
Mary Beard’s insightful (and suitably uncomfortable) lecture on the suppression of the public voice of women is a good starting point for a more general discussion of oppressive language in the digital age. This is no small matter of etiquette. Abuse is not everyone’s cup of tea. While some revel in it, many others are put off from bothering to contribute. This is not just an infringement of their rights but a loss for us all. It allows the oppressive a greater say than other, perhaps more rewarding, commentators. First then, why might someone tend to lace their postings with aggres... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 14 hours ago

Silence Is A State Of Mind - An Insight by Michael Brine

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 14 hours ago
[image: Silence State of Mind M. Brine]Source of poster: http://notesalongthepath.com/2014/04/30/silence-is-a-state-of-mind-a-guest-post-by-michael-brine/#respond

Paul Craig Roberts, “US Economy Is A House Of Cards”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 14 hours ago
*“US Economy Is A House Of Cards”* by Paul Craig Roberts “The US economy is a house of cards. Every aspect of it is fraudulent, and the illusion of recovery is created with fraudulent statistics. American capitalism itself is an illusion. All financial markets are rigged. Massive liquidity poured into financial markets by the Federal Reserve’s Quantitative Easing inflates stock and bond prices and drives interest rates, which are supposed to be a measure of the cost of capital, to zero or negative, with the implication that capital is so abundant that its cost is zero and can be ha... more »

“Why Right-Wingers Think the Way They Do: The Fascinating Psychological Origins of Political Ideology”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 14 hours ago
*“Why Right-Wingers Think the Way They Do: * *The Fascinating Psychological Origins of Political Ideology”* By Chris Mooney “If you want one experiment that perfectly captures what science is learning about the deep-seated differences between liberals and conservatives, you need go no further than "BeanFest". It’s a simple learning video game in which the player is presented with a variety of cartoon beans in different shapes and sizes, with different numbers of dots on them. When each new type of bean is presented, the player must choose whether or not to accept it—without knowing,... more »

Greg Hunter, “Weekly News Wrap-Up 5.2.14”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 14 hours ago
*“Weekly News Wrap-Up 5.2.14”* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com “There is a new revelation in the Benghazi, Libya, tragedy where four Americans were murdered in a terror attack on September 11, 2012. An email has surfaced that some are calling a “smoking gun” because it lays out the talking points to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice in prep for the Sunday talk shows. Rice said the attack was motivated by a protest because of an anti-Islamic video. There was no protest, and the video did not cause an attack. Everyone on the ground in Libya knew this was a well-planned terror attack by a... more »

MBDA’s advanced air defence system for the British Army enters assessment phase

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 15 hours ago
[image: FLAADSLand system]A £36M contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been placed with MBDA for the Land variant of the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADSLand). This will fund an Assessment Phase that will demonstrate the adaptation and evolution of core weapon system subsystems (e.g. command & control) for the land environment, and prepare for the transition from Rapier Field Standard C (FSC) in British Army service. TheFLAADSLandsystem will provide the British Army with a world leading Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) system that will be one of the most a... more »

Turkey inducts EDH-standard T129 attack helicopters

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 15 hours ago
[image: T129 attack helicopters]Ankara has formally inducted the first nine Turkish Aerospace Industries T129 attack helicopters, marking the end of deliveries of the interim-standard EDH model. Derived from the AgustaWestland AW129 by TAI and Aselsan under Turkey’s ATAK requirement, deliveries of the rotorcraft began in April 2012. The EDH model is designed to cover an urgent operational need to replace some of the Turkish army’s Bell AH-1 Cobras, but lacks the anti-tank missiles to be carried by the eventual T129B variant. Read more

New Developments at North Korea’s Sohae Complex

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 15 hours ago
[image: Sohae Complex]Recent commercial satellite imagery indicates that North Korea is conducting a number of significant activities at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station (“Tongchang-ri”) related to the development of larger space launch vehicles (SLVs) and long-range ballistic missiles. Specifically, these activities are: - One and maybe more engine tests of what is probably the first stage of a KN-08 road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) were conducted in late March/early April 2014. With this latest activity, three KN-08 rocket engine test serie... more »

Supporting RAF Tornado aircraft until their retirement

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 15 hours ago
[image: Tornado F3]We have agreed with the UK Ministry of Defence a £125 million extension to the support contract provided by us for the RAF’s Tornado GR4 fleet until the aircraft are due to be retired in 2019. With the changes to the contract, an estimated £90 million saving to the UK Ministry of Defence has been identified through greater efficiencies in fleet management. The contract amendment builds on from the original and highly successful Availability Transformation: Tornado Aircraft Contract (ATTAC) which initially started in 2006 and was due to expire in 2016. Read more

Turkey extends missile defense bids further

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: FD-2000 (HQ-9) missile defence systen]Turkey has extended the validity of bids in a multi-billion dollar missile defense system tender for the second time despite having provisionally awarded the deal to China, a senior Turkish defense official said. Turkey’s NATO allies voiced concern when it said in September it had chosen China’s FD-2000 missile defence system over rival offers from Franco-Italian Eurosam and U.S.-listed Raytheon Co. It said China offered the most competitive terms and would allow co-production in Turkey. The official said the bids from Eurosam and Raythe... more »

Akash surface-to-air missile testfired

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: Akash surface to air missile]India on Thursday successfully testfired indigenously-developed surface-to-air Akash missile with a strike range of 25 km and capability to carry warhead of 60 kgs from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur as part of a user-trial. Describing the launch as successful, Defence sources said that the sophisticated missile was testfired at about 10.58 hours from launch complex-3 of the Interim Test Range. “The mission was successful. The trial was conducted by Indian Air Force personnel,” ITR Director M V K V Prasad said. Read more

Boeing Flies Production Configuration AH-6i Light Helicopter for the 1st Time

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance helicopter]Boeing's AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance helicopter has flown for the first time in its production configuration, moving the program another step closer to full-scale production while continuing to prove the helicopter's close air support and attack capabilities. Boeing pilots flew the aircraft for less than 20-minutes at low speeds in forward, rearward and sideward flight at low elevations during a recent test. Future tests will expand the flight envelope over the next several months. "This first AH-6 flight in the production... more »

Harris Corporation Awarded $19 Million Avionics Production Contract by Boeing for the U.S. Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: F/A-18E Super Hornet]Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has received a two-year, $19 million full-rate production contract to provide key avionics components that will enhance flight crews' targeting capabilities on the U.S. Navy's F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. The Distributed Targeting System will significantly improve the aircraft's networking capabilities, enhance targeting precision and shorten the time period from target sensing to shooting. "Start of full-rate production is a key milestone in the F/A-18 E... more »

Demography 21: China Overtaking the US' GDP Size in 2014?

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 16 hours ago
The IMF's World Economic Outlook (WEO) came out last month. I checked some numbers, particularly GDP size via Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) valuation. The top 4 are still the US, China, India, Japan, in that order. China will overtake the US by 2019, with a projected GDP size of $22.41 trillion for China and $22.09 trillion for the US. Then there was an article from The Economist that was well-circulated yesterday. Here is the short article and the chart. Crowning the dragon April 30th 2014 *UNTIL 1890 China was the world’s largest economy, before America surpassed it. By the end o... more »

Lawmakers Defend F-22 Whistleblowers

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: F-22 Raptor]Two prominent lawmakers have sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel asking him to order the rapid completion of a nearly two-year long investigation into an Air National Guard pilot who publically spoke about safety concerns with the F-22 Raptor. "We're two years down the line and the Inspector General's report has still not been issued," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told reporters May 1. Warner sent the letter along with Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Il., to help ensure that the two F-22 pilots that brought attention to the issue do not receive retaliation for spea... more »

Japan puts early-warning aircraft on Okinawa amid China's moves

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: E-2C Hawkeye]Japan has permanently assigned a new early-warning aircraft unit to Naha Air Base on Okinawa in response to Chinese probing around its southern island chain, officials say. The Asahi Shimbun reported that four E-2C aircraft and approximately 130 members of the Japan Air Self Defense Force have been permanently repositioned from Misawa Air Base in northern Japan. The aircraft from the 603rd Airborne Unit will be responsible for surveillance and patrolling the peripheral airspace of the southwestern region, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman. Read more

Untitled

JR at GREENIE WATCH - 16 hours ago
*Lord Lawson gets a forum* *The essay excerpted below is based on the text of a speech given to the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment at the University of Bath* There is something odd about the global warming debate — or the climate change debate, as we are now expected to call it, since global warming has for the time being come to a halt. I have never shied away from controversy, nor — for example, as Chancellor — worried about being unpopular if I believed that what I was saying and doing was in the public interest. But I have never in my life experienced t... more »

Carrier Abraham Lincoln marks overhaul milestone

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Upper-Level Structure]The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln is marking a milestone as part of its refueling and complex overhaul at a shipyard in Newport News. Huntington Ingalls Industries says shipbuilders recently placed a new upper-level structure on top of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier's island, which is similar to an airport control tower. The structure will contain the ship's primary flight control systems when outfitted and serves as the platform for many of its various radars and antenna systems. Read more

Lawmaker Says Sequester Could Force Navy to Drop to Eight Carriers

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: USS John C. Stennis]The Navy will have a huge fight on its hands to keep the current fleet of carriers at 11, U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said May 1 in discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “They will have a devil of a time keeping them at eight carriers,” he said. The main culprit for this, Smith said, would be the return of sequestration in fiscal 2016, as the Navy has to balance building Littoral Combat Ships, Virginia-class submarines and destroyers along with refueling costs f... more »

How immigration benefits some but not the majority

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 16 hours ago
Four people are going out together for the day Each contributes £100 so the group has £400 to spend - 4 x £100 = £400 They then discover that number 4 has invited someone else to join them – number 5 Number 5 is poorer but is willing to pay £50 Number 4 tells the others that the group can now afford a better day out as it has £450 instead of £400 - (4 x £100) + (1 x £50) = £450 instead of 4 x £100 However, number 1 does the sums and works out that they now have only £90 each to spend rather than £100 - £450/5 = £90 rather than £400/4 = £100 The others think he is wrong, because if... more »

China, Russia Military Ties Deepen With Naval Drill in East China Sea

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 16 hours ago
[image: Type 052C (Luyang) class DDG]On Wednesday, China announced that it plans to hold joint naval drills with Russia in the East China Sea later this month. “These drills are regular exercises held by China and Russia’s navies, and the purpose is to deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries, to raise the ability to jointly deal with maritime security threats,” China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement published on its website. Voice of America reports that the joint naval drills will be held in late May off the coast of Shanghai. Read more

I Am A Gardasil Survivor From Canada by Jenny Keats

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 16 hours ago
[image: I survived Gardasil]JennyI am a Gardasil Survivor By Jenny Keats Guelph, Ontario, Canada Sane Vax, Inc. 30 April 2014 *We will not give up, or give in – we are HPV vaccine survivors!* I struggled for years to finally reach the point where I thought my life was as close to perfect as it was going to get. That was before Gardasil. Now, everything is different. I was just beginning to really live my life to the fullest. I started taking the courses I would need to attend college to become a Veterinary Technician. I only have two mathematics courses left to take. I loved ... more »

Deadspinning and Black Sports Online....... on the Donald Sterling fiasco ( check out Bomani - listen to the WHOLE thing - once he gets warmed up , he sets the roof on fire! ) ....... and Jameis " Crab Legs " Winston

Catharsis Ours - 17 hours ago
Sterling's offensive behavior was no secret for years [image: Facebook Share] 0 inShare [image: Share] [image: Email] [image: Print] By Franz Lidz [image: Decrease font] [image: Enlarge font] [image: Donald Sterling] Donald Sterling, who bought the Clippers in 1981, is the NBA's longest-tenured owner. Danny Moloshok/AP Shortly after the Clippers made Danny Manning the top pick of the 1988 NBA draft, team owner Donald Sterling invited the player and his agent, Ron Grinker, to talk contract in Beverly Hills. It was recounted to me how Sterling lounged around his mansion in a bathrobe ope... more »

CBC. Public Broadcasting Goes To The Wall.

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 17 hours ago
*The Crumbling Mainstream Press and Media in Canada.* Written by Robin Mathews Part Three. The CBC. Public Broadcasting Goes To The Wall. *It was “The National”, and it was April 24.* I don’t very often watch television, and so the experience was shocking – to watch on a large screen what is believed by many to be one of the most informative news productions in Canada. Not a television watcher, I saw - perhaps – what others don’t normally see: “Infopropaganda” – a combination of show business, technological sleight-of-hand, “celebrity”, dress-up, make-up, and... more »

Dancin' With Rahm And Cory-- Our New Guest Blogger Is No Fan Of The Third Way Politicians

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 19 hours ago
Last week, *Politico* ran a story about Rahm Emanuel's narcisistic television show on CNN, Chicagoland. Hadas Gold's [no relation to Ari Gold] article accused Rahm and his team of colluding with CNN. Gold asserted that Rahm and his staff would read over scripts, direct camera angles, and oversee music selection in order to yield an artistic result that painted the Mayor and his administration in a good light. So yes, while much of Chicago burned, Rahm was busy looking at himself on "Final Cut." More than 700 emails show that the production team, led by executive producer Marc L... more »

The 2008 Common Core Sales Job: Part One

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 20 hours ago
In 2008, the National Governors Association (NGA), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and Achieve, Inc., released a report, Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-class Education. The Gates and GE foundations funded the report. The content of this report begs for careful examination. Thus, I plan to examine it closely in […]

Peaches and Heroin

Spike EP at News Spike - 21 hours ago
"Whenever anyone dies without a physician in attendance to certify the cause of death, it is the duty of the *local coroner *or *medical examiner*to investigate, to have an autopsy performed if indicated, and then formally *to determine and record the cause of death. * No coroner, of course, wants to be in a position of having to answer *"I don't know"* to such queries. A coroner is supposed to know--- and if he doesn't know, he is supposed to find out. At some point in the history of heroin addiction, probably in the early 1940s, the custom arose among coroners and medical examine... more »

Iraq Election Updates ... May 1 , 2014 -- Sunni discontent likely to rise ( Iraq Vote Sets Stage for Another Sectarian Battle Most of Anbar Polling Places Never Opened .... ) .........

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 21 hours ago
Anti war ..... Iraq Vote Sets Stage for Another Sectarian BattleMost of Anbar Polling Places Never Opened by Jason Ditz, April 30, 2014 Print This | Share This Iraq went to vote today in its first post-occupation national election. The vote largelywent off smoothly, which officials attributed to security forces across the nation. From al-Qaeda’s perspective, there was really no need to attack the polling places, however, as the vote itself is liable to be more destabilizing for the country than anything they could’ve done. The 2010 election saw a Sunni-dominated secular bloc winning... more »

Why is everyone just jumping ugly on Justice Nino "Loop-de-loop" Scalia for his big booboo? After all, Justice Clarence AGREED with him

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 22 hours ago
*Maybe it comes down to this: Who's the bigger dope, the clown who makes the colossal legal booboo (left) or the one who says, "That goes for me too" (right)?* *by Ken* I'm grateful to Daily Kos's Pollwatcher for calling my attention to the story, but I have to take exception with the headline "Uh-Oh, Scalia Screws Up Royally. Time To Retire." Oh, I'm not disagreeing with the part about Justice Nino screwing up royally. That's true and hilarious. I just don't see why he should think about retiring. Just because of the suggestion that he's lost his marbles? What marbles? He once h... more »

My own moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 22 hours ago
I'm making a major life shift this month. The path is uncertain but too enticing to refuse. [Image via and via]

Fukushima Updates - April 30 , 2014 -- THREE WORD SUMMARY - " It's all lies " from government ( and Tepco ) .......Slow death of Japan reflected by steadily rising cancer occurrences ( when doctors and Hospitals will bother to do their jobs and actually test folks ) , slow admission that all hope is gone regarding stopping leaks at the Fukushima Reactors , slow walk admission that official data regarding radiation releases previously were way , way off ( so can you disregard any data presented now regarding radiation releases / leaks / contamination of land , sea and foods too ) .....

Catharsis Ours - 22 hours ago
Energy News....... 02:05 PM EST on April 30th, 2014 | 27 comments AP: “This town is dead”… Locals feel Fukushima plant could explode any minute; Yearly ‘safe’ radiation levels exceeded “in a matter of a few hours” — TV: “Fukushima evacuees complain of health problems”; Nearly 70% of households affected 11:43 AM EST on April 30th, 2014 | 36 comments NHK: Officials admit it may be impossible to stop leaking at Fukushima reactors — Will be investigating ‘bottom of containment vessels’ for holes — Gov’t asking engineers from outside Japan for help with melted fuel (VIDEOS) 09:51 AM EST... more »

Gold and Silver News and Views - May 1 , 2014 --- Ahead of Friday Non Farm Payroll Report ( a day for much mischief and manipulation of gold and silver ) , items of note from Jesse's Crossroads Cafe , Investment Dynamics and Gata ...... Overt manipulations , the sense something isn't just not right but rather seriously wrong , shrinkage at both COMEX and GLD ( 21 tons since mid- April ) ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 23 hours ago
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2014/05/gold-daily-and-silver-weekly-charts-non.html ( For all of the charts referenced , head to the link above ... ) 01 MAY 2014 Gold Daily and Silver Weekly Charts - Non-Farm Payrolls Tomorrow "Every century is like every other, and to those who live in it seems worse than all times before it... God alone knows the day and the hour when that will at length be, which He is ever threatening; meanwhile, thus much of comfort do we gain from what has been hitherto, not to despond, not to be dismayed, not to be anxious, at the troubles which ... more »

Bitcoin news April 30 , 2014 -- US Lawyer: Mt. Gox Settlement Proposal Could Make Former Users Whole ....... Why Banks Hate Bitcoin, What Banks Do And Why We No Longer Need Them ...... MasterCard pays lobbyists to focus on Bitcoin ........ New US Treasury FinCEN Ruling Clarifies , Money Transmission Status Of Renting Bitcoin , Miners And Hashing Power

Catharsis Ours - 23 hours ago
Coin Desk ...... US Lawyer: Mt. Gox Settlement Proposal Could Make Former Users Whole Pete Rizzo (@pete_rizzo_) | Published on April 30, 2014 at 21:30 BST | *Analysis, Law, Mt. Gox, News* inShare2 Share 16 [image: judge, mt. gox] The ongoing legal battle over the future of Mt. Gox took a sudden turnon 29th April, when it was announced that Sunlot Holdings, the investor group seeking to buy what remains of the business, and lawyers representing the company’s global consumer creditors had struck a settlement deal. Under that proposal, former exchange users would support Sunlot’s bid ... more »

Birdie Africa

Spike EP at News Spike - 23 hours ago
An effort to rout a separatist group touched off a fire that killed 11 people, including 5 children. By MARGALIT FOX Published: September 27, 2013 When the boy ran from the house, he was burned over a fifth of his body and so malnourished that at 13 he looked like a child of 9. He had never been to school and could not read, write, use a toothbrush or tell time. His mother would die in the fire he had fled. Yet after years of rehabilitation from injuries physical and psychological, he graduated from high school, served in the Army, became a father and made a career as a long-h... more »

Self representation by non-lawyer for a one person corporation a norm

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 23 hours ago
Darrell Waisberg v. J. Kirby Inwood, 2014 ONSC 2282: [89] As noted by J.W. Quinn J in *Lamond v. Smith* (2004), 11 C.P.C. (6 th) 104 (ON SC), the historical reluctance of superior courts to grant leave to a corporation to be represented by a non-lawyer has little merit in the case of a one-person company. Self-represented parties are a fact of daily life in the courts. Mr. Inwood will be before the court, representing himself, whether or not he is also allowed to represent his companies. While the plaintiff may have legitimate concerns about Mr. Inwood's ability to fulfill, on... more »

Always Clear You Browser Cache and History, Always Say "No" to Cookies

Paul Coker at News Spike - 23 hours ago
*From my last visit to The Daily Telegraph (MI6/Hollinger) website.* Bugger. They're onto me - bet they've even opened a new file, now.... *GCHQ: It looks like a great, big government arsehole.* *Funny, that.* Oh, well. In for a penny, in for a pound. Have this, ya buggers: *Professor Pritchard of Gonville and Cauis College Cambridge* is the leading recruiter for *MI6* agents. He identifies and recruits the most intellectual geniuses for *MI6*. The following three people are members of *MI6*, an organisation which forms this supposed great country's intelligence service. It... more »

Friday Morning Ramble, The ‘New Tool’ Edition

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
[image: image] David Parker has a new tool. Oddly enough, the tool invokes compulsion. *Parker’s Plan is Anti-Innovation & Prosperity: Why There Must Be No Compulsory Kiwisaver.* – Mark Hubbard, LIFE BEHIND THE IRON DRAPE Oh, and if you read the fine print:* “Labour may look at controlling immigration as a way to affect housing demand and general price inflation.” *And there are more signs that Labour is putting out the welcome mat to Peters… *Always read the fine print...* – KEEPING STOCK “Mr Cunliffe, cc Mr Parker, that mess of pottage you called a 'Big Tool' and all the cond... more »

German TV- Who were the Maidan Snipers?

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
Broadcast on german state television on the 10.4.2014 this investigative report presents evidence for their having been snipers from among the ranks of the opposition, shooting at their own people at Independence Square (Maidan) in Kiev. The show is called Monitor, and it was screened on WDR which is part of the state broadcaster

The common core: A bad solution aimed at the wrong problem

skrashen at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Sent to Newsweek Alexander Nazaryan ("Sorry, Louis C.K., but You’re Wrong About Common Core," May 1) says our schools need the increased "rigor" of the common core because they are so bad: "China, South Korea and Germany are leaving us in the chalk dust, most Americans can barely find America on the map ...". Not so. When researchers control for the effect of poverty, American students' international test scores are at the top of the world. Our overall scores are unspectacular (but not terrible) because we have so much child poverty, 24%, the second highest among all economica... more »

A N A M N E S I A ( a loss of forgetfulness )

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 day ago
ANAMNESIA : a loss of forgetfulness from StrangeLoop on Vimeo. A N A M N E S I A ( a loss of forgetfulness ) for the interactive net-narrative visit : www.anamnesia.net a TeachingMachine production in association with the Institute for Cinema Studies presented by Brainfeeder director / animator David Wexler ( Strangeloop ) assistant director Micah Nelson producer Jake Bloch executive producer Wai Trask story by Strangeloop and Darryl Cobb *with a special acknowledgement to Leigh J. McCloskey string compositions and arrangements Gavin Gamboa and Jake Bloch sound design MonoPo... more »

Ontario Budget

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
Would raise the income eligibility threshold for legal aid services to allow an additional one million low-income Ontarians to be able to find a lawyer

Why not visit Tuscaloosa?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014* *We find those photos pleasing:* Tomorrow, we plan to resume our series of posts about the Tuscaloosa schools. In the meantime, why not visit Tuscaloosa itself? In yesterday's installment, we linked you to photos of black and white kids together in the Tuscaloosa schools (city and surrounding county). We think those photos are pleasing. We’re glad those Alabama kids are getting that kind of experience. We’re grateful to the many people who are making those schools function. And of course, we believe in those kids. Do you have some other suggestion? Aside f... more »

Fake "Moderate" Republicans Like Susan Collins Defeated The Minimum Wage Increase-- What Next?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
The vote yesterday to shut down the Republican Party filibuster of the minimum wage bill ended badly, 54 in favor, 41 opposed (not counting Harry Reid who had to switch his vote to oppose so he can bring the bill up again later). It needed 60 votes to overcome the filibuster. Five votes shy. The only Republican to cross the aisle and vote with the Democrats was Bob Corker of Tennessee, meaning Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Dean Heller (R-NV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rob Portman (R-OH) weren't in the moderate mood yesterday or are perhaps never in the moderate mood on ... more »

Harper Conservatives REFUSE Inquiry Into Report Of 1000 Murdered And Missing Aboriginal Women In Canada

leftdog at Buckdog - 1 day ago
*Call it what you like. I call it what it is ..... racism.* *"OTTAWA - The Conservative government is resisting renewed calls for an inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls despite a media report that suggests there may be hundreds more cases than previously thought.* *Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney was asked Thursday to finally call a inquiry in light of a report by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that Canada may be home to more than 1,000 cases of murdered and missing women.* *His answer, in short: no* Montreal Gazette

Natives get restless RE Hillary Clinton!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014* *Collins and Chozick start up:* We’ll admit it. We can’t quite believe that Hillary Clinton could win in 2016. We’re not saying she *can’t* win, since she certainly can. We’re saying we have our nagging doubts. If you watch MSNBC, you’re being propagandized differently. A few weeks ago, the children filled your heads with sugarplums about how far Clinton is ahead of leading Republicans. Joy Reid pleasured us rubes while guest hosting at Hardball. We were struck by how *small* Clinton’s margins were: REID (4/16/14): We’ve got new polling on possible preside... more »

Recommended reading

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
BBC Watch has posted a series of articles forensically deconstructing Jeremy Bowen’s recent series of reports about the expiration of the Middle East ‘peace deadline’, Mahmoud Abbas’s joint venture with Hamas and John Kerry’s clumsy remarks about Israel and apartheid. The latest post reveals some relevant background (which Bowen’s reporting conceals) surrounding the ‘man-in-a-cave’ broadcast, in which a Palestinian man is presented to us as a helpless victim of Israeli racism, when in fact Khaled al-Zeer is a known agitator with a criminal record. There’s a pattern here, the BBC tak... more »

More Competition

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 1 day ago
Steve Cecchetti and Kim Schoenholtz are blogging, mainly on issues related to money and banking. The blog seems meant to complement and promote their textbook. Who would ever think to use a blog for such a purpose?

Under the ice

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago

The EU's 20 absurdities: a poll

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 1 day ago
Around May 24th, the citizens of EU countries will vote deputies to the European Parliament. This "parliament" isn't terribly important – for example, it is not allowed to propose any legislation (it is the only "parliament" in the world with this minor defect) but we may still think that it's important that the right people will be able to speak on that forum. Various parties opposing the creeping European unifications are expected to make a strong showing – taking over approximately 1/3 of the Parliament. We will probably see that the Euroskeptics are far from being a uniform bo... more »

BBC Trending

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
A new-to-me category of the online BBC website is titled “BBC Trending” This article looks like little more than a gratuitous attempt to garner and gloat over the Israel-bashing and holocaust-denigrating comments that are bound to follow barely hidden under a threadbare cloak of *innocent face* concerned ‘inquiry’. Creepy and mischievous. The comments below the line illustrate the inevitable. “ *Who is too young to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust? A new law in Israel means kindergarten children will be taught about the Nazi genocide for the first time, triggering an acer... more »

Ottawa's 1.2 million requests for private information from telecommunications companies

LeDaro at LeDaro - 1 day ago
If this does not upset you then I don't know what will. Harper regime is watching you.

How to Get Internet Service in Aouchtam Morocco

        AMERICAN KABUKI at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
As many of you know Aouchtam sits in a steep valley and has really poor cell and 3G data reception because there is no local Moroc Telecom cell tower, the nearest ones are near Oued Laou and Amsa which are a few kilometers away. The Internet issue is problem for all the bloggers currently here. I wish I could take credit for this idea but it was suggested by our resident Russian engineer Levon... I love the way Russian's think! But I did build it and test it out and it does indeed work well! Basically its a D-LINK 3G router available at Marjane in Morocco (the Walmart of Morocc... more »

Ineffective assistance of counsel

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
*R. v. Zheng,* 2014 ONCA 345: [22] In *R v. Archer*, (2005) 293 O.A.C. 56, at paras. 119-21, this Court summarized the principles relating to an appellate court’s analysis of a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. The appellant must demonstrate: (i) that the material facts in support of the claim have been established on a balance of probabilities, where those facts are contested; (ii) that counsel’s acts or omissions amounted to incompetence; and (iii) that counsel’s ineffective representation caused a miscarriage of justice. Trial counsel’s performance at trial is ... more »

anti-Soviet ops heating up for the cold war

Carlos at Viva Bolivia - 1 day ago
Things are heating up in the Crimea - now that it is part of Russia, the New York Times is writing about how bad it is since a Ukranian was not able to get good service at the consulate. As if after the US 'annexing' Iraq and Afghanistan the natives were able to get any service at all anywhere... So Professor Cohen at NYU is now telling us we are in the middle of a cold war. Cold wars seem to go all over the globe...they include media wars and trade wars, with a umber of Soviets now blacklisted from the US and US citizens barred from doing business with them. And in all Soviet frien... more »

METRO | Lamar W. Hankins : Rick Perry investigation may have legs

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 1 day ago
Did Governor Perry try to strong-arm Rosemary Lehmberg into resigning? Upon reflection, some of the criminal complaints against Perry may have a legitimate basis. By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | May 1, 2014 AUSTIN — When they … finish reading *METRO* | Lamar W. Hankins : Rick Perry investigation may have legs

Eighty activists intercepted Russian tanker carrying first Arctic oil

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
Early this morning, 80 activists intercepted a Russian oil tanker, delaying it from docking in Rotterdam harbour. The tanker was carrying the very first oil from icy Arctic waters.Among the activists were #Arctic30 members Sini, Faiza, Tomasz, Phil, Gizem, Pete and Anne Mie, who spent 2 months in a Russian prison last year following a peaceful protest at the very same platform this oil came

Ukrainian Crisis Was Always About Containing Russia

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 1 day ago
A secret no more, NATO's continued existence is hegemonic in nature - its meddling in Ukraine an act of war against Russia. *Image: NATO expands. Who is the aggressor? **May 1, 2014 *(Tony Cartalucci - LD) - To careful and honest observers of the events unfolding in Ukraine, it was clear from the beginning that the US and EU through NATO were creating unrest in an attempt to foster regime change in Kiev. They had done so already, admittedly according to the Guardian which would admit in its 2004 article, “US campaign behind the turmoil in Kiev,” that: *…while the gains of the oran... more »

Class Struggle as a Process of Production

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 1 day ago
I have just finished Michael Lebowitz's *Beyond 'Capital'*, which is a truly extraordinary book. In lieu of a proper post this evening, here's a small chunk. Just as every activity of the worker alters her as a subject who enters into all activities, similarly the process in which workers struggle for themselves is also a process of production, a process of purposeful activity in which they produce themselves in an altered way. They develop new needs in struggle, an altered hierarchy of needs. Even though the needs that they attempt to satisfy do not in themselves go beyond capital,... more »

MAY DAY: LET THE WORKERS BUILD RAIL

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
*Let the Workers Build Rail * Let the workers build rail and let their children have life We need to transform diversify convert swords into plowshares it says so in a holy book some call it the word of god others say it just makes good sense better use of our resources sitting on the train gazing out the window as the world passes by I want to go back to the way the good lord made us wise advice swords into plowshares In the present the swords rule the land is paved over car parks the earth cries out for breath we don't hear our minds occupied *$$$* and success our hearts hard... more »

Rigging The System-- Our Congress In Action

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
If there's one lesson I'm getting out of the new Elizabeth Warren book, A Fighting Chance, so far, it's that the system is rigged-- fixed against ordinary Americas to favor economic and political elites. "Economic and political elites"... where is the line that even differentiates them these days? In an essay Bob Borosage wrote for Truthout, Corporate Tax Breaks: How Congress Rigs The Rules, he starts with a quote from Warren: *The game is rigged and the American people know that. They get it right down to their toes.* Most people may roll their eyes when they hear a phrase like "... more »

The look of a racial pseudo-discussion!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014* *When experts pretend to discuss:* What do pseudo-discussions look like? Consider the pseudo-discussion of the term “Uncle Tom” on Don Lemon’s CNN program last night. Last weekend, Rep. Bennie Thompson dropped the UT-bomb on Clarence Thomas. He then defended his use of the term to CNN’s Dana Bash, who didn't seem to know how to question him about it. (Basic question: Are such insults OK? As always, opinions may differ.) Was it OK to drop that bomb? Last night, Professor Ogletree offered this analysis: OGLETREE (4/30/14): I'm a good friend of Bennie Thomps... more »

what i'm reading: what's a dog for by john homans

laura k at wmtc - 1 day ago
John Homans' *What's a Dog For? The Surprising History, Science, Philosophy, and Politics of Man's Best Friend* is my kind of dog book. I don't care for memoirs of heartwarming doggie hijinks or heartbreaking rescue odysseys. I've lived those stories myself, and books of that sort don't advance my knowledge of the species I've shared most of my life with. I am endlessly fascinated by canine behaviour - by what we know, and don't know, about dogs. So is John Homans. Homans is the executive editor of New York magazine, and before he adopted his lab-mix Stella, was a relative novice a... more »

Almost Half of Worcester Central School Students Refuse State Tests

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
from the Times Journal: Jim Poole *4/30/2014* Nearly half the students at Worcester Central School refused to take mandated tests in third through eighth grades. Thanks to a concerted social media effort, 45 percent of the students--maybe the highest percentage in the state--opted out of the English Language Arts and math tests. Repercussions for the school lie in the future and are unclear, according to Superintendent Bill Diamond. Fed up with mandates and standardized tests, Stacy Serdy, the mother of three elementary students, led the social media efforts. "It really has ... more »

The one hundred and eighty ninth weekly "No shit Sherlock" award

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
The Commentator reveals that 'Leaked documents reveal Tory spinners in intensive anti-UKIP media briefings - The Commentator. No shit, Sherlock.

TRUTHOUT: Taking Back Cinco

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 1 day ago
TAKING BACK CINCO: http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/23422-taking-back-cinco Thursday, 01 May 2014 09:26 By Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, Truthout | Op ED From no acknowledgment at all, to a proud celebration of "Mexican-ness," to a commercialized beerfest, Cinco de Mayo has seen many transformations in the last half-century. It is time to transform it again and recover meaning. I grew up before Cinco de Mayo was celebrated in this country. I grew up at a time when Cinco de Mayo became a day that celebrated a victory (May 5, 1862) by an underdog, a ragtag Mexican army that repelled ... more »

May Day Mayday

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago
The best part about May 1st is that the April 30th midnight deadline for more annoying-than-usual Democratic fund-raising has passed. Here's a typical example, titled "Crumbling Down" -- Karen: The FEC deadline at midnight is a big deal. If we don't meet our goal, we will fall behind.* If we fall behind, we risk our work crumbling down because the Koch brothers' chosen candidates will walk into office.* We can't afford to let these guys to win. We have to fight back. *If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:* *Expres... more »

The Art of Removing the Rotten Core

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Coming on the heels of the rapacious profiteering and privatizing scheme of NCLB, and designed in the dark by a tiny team of technocrats led by the prissy Platonist, David Coleman, the Common Core was doomed from the start. Designed, without doubt, to be the testing delivery system to guarantee another generation of harder tests and more school meltdowns and subsequent takeovers, the arrogant education antiquarians in charge of CorpEd's strategies seriously under-estimated the wrath and power of parents, teachers, students, and the man on the street. The fight, for sure, is not o... more »

EYES OFF THE PRIZE: Where in the world was the so-called press?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014* *Part 3—Ostracizing the blowhard:* In this morning’s Washington Post, E. J. Dionne—a very careful person—offers some pleasing pabulum. Dionne offers some pleasing pap about the recent conduct of NBA players. As he closes, he ladles this spoonload of porridge: DIONNE (5/1/14): The NBA players showed how possessing real power can bring about change within a few media cycles. Their voices would be welcomed by those trying to stop efforts to rob rank-and-file African Americans and others with low incomes of democracy’s most fundamental right. *It’s nice that Oba... more »

May 1: Today, we have the comment of the century.

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 1 day ago
The only story in Section A worth reading - and even that only for a sort of bitter amusement - is "Tories set to tackle spending:: premier". Wow! The Flash in person. It took him four years to recognize there is a problem - and it's a problem New Brunswick has had for a very, very long time. And he's going to do something about it. Yep. He's going to order cabinet ministers to stay within their budgets. Well, that should wrap it up. The problem is that neither he nor Mr. Gallant has given the slightest indication of any understanding what has caused our economic problem in the fi... more »

You can get anything you want

Capt. Fogg at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
By Capt. Fogg You hear a lot about "enlightened self-interest" and mostly from people who think Ayn Rand's fiction illustrates a paved path to a better world. Of course I can't argue against enlightenment in principle or against the fact that as living beings we must put self-interest on a high plane. My problem though, is with the slipperiness of the term. In general it resembles self-interest wearing a nice Sunday suit, but everyone has his own ideas, from the ascetic practicing Ahimsa, to the libertine, to the employer or Investor amassing wealth. It's hard to pin down, but you... more »

The Mystery Of Malaysian Flight MH370's Disappearance Continues: Jim Stone's Flight 370 Summary Report

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
Over 55 days now, and the trolls, liars, and misfits in our so called "mainstream media" are continuing their lies and deceptions about Malaysian flight MH370's "mysterious" disappearance... They continue to promote the LIES that this aircraft turned southward after definitely turning west towards the US military installation at Diego Garcia, and are still parroting the laughable fraud that the aircraft "crashed" in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia in very deep water.....I have long given up on these clowns and their lying BS, for we all know the truth now that this aircr... more »

To wax or not to wax, that is the question

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
The subject o body hair seems to becoming more and more of an issue as the relatively recent supremacy of the waxed female body is challenged. A film 'Secret Garden' examines the issue, here's a preview Meanwhile The Mirror is shocked by the display of female body hair, as the headline reveals: 'Madonna's not the only one to flaunt hairy armpits - here's more famous faces who forgot to shave' Here's that shocking Madonna image... Gosh! I'm lost for words. Don't The Mirror's 3AM team ever see real women? It's interesting that The Mirror believes that women must have forgotten to ... more »

Revisiting James Baldwin’s “Black English”

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
Revisiting James Baldwin’s “Black English”. via Revisiting James Baldwin’s “Black English”.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

Very Important Video: The (US) Federal Reserve Explained In 7 Minutes

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
The United States of America is entering its final stages before it collapses... It can no longer project the power it once did across the globe, and the nation is now one of destitution, ruination, and poverty... That sadly is fact.... The other fact is that most of the American people, who I have always admired for decades, are totally unaware of their upcoming demise... I have said it before that many will wake up one day with their economy collapsed and their nation in ruins, and only then will they be asking: "What the HELL just happened"... At that point it will be too late to... more »

Plaintain: This Little Weed Is One Of The Most Useful Medicines On The Planet by Jess Smith

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 day ago
[image: not weed weed]This Little Weed is one of the Most Useful Medicines on the Planet by Jess Smith You’ve stepped on it, ignored it, and tried to eradicate it from your lawn. However, this innocuous little weed is one of the most useful medicines on the planet, just begging to be harvested. There are two major types of plantain in BC, Canada: Lance and Broadleaf. Generally, all 200-plus varieties of plantain yield the same results. It grows especially well in poor, rocky soil (such as driveways) and is often seen alongside dandelion. More often than not, you will see plantain ... more »

The Global Warming Fraud: The Deadly Diesel Deception

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
The Global Warming scare is a massive hoax and swindle..... Right now we are watching as our planet is going through a natural cooling phase due to diminished solar radiation output from our Yellow Dwarf star, Sol.... This is a natural cycle that has gone on for billions of years..... But the fraudsters and hucksters behind the Global Warming fraud are still pushing their criminal agenda forward and are right now trying to convince our governments to fleece their own citizens with more taxation through the scam of "carbon taxes" to "curb Carbon Dioxide emissions"... For this artic... more »

Urban Nomad Film Festival May 9-18th

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 1 day ago
In the coming week; from May 9th up till May 18th, the Urban Nomad 2014 Film Festival will be running at the Lux Cinema in the Ximen area. This has a whole slew of 21 documentaries and films with something for everyone's taste. Go to www.urbannomad.tw for full schedule also found at urbannomad.blogspot.tw _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*Deal would derail coastal lawsuit ~Mark Ballard, New Orleans Advocate* *Prospective St. Roch Market tenants say city too slow to act ~WWLTV * *I-Team: Perricone, Mann surrender federal licenses ~WDSU* *Lee Zurik Investigation: Questions abound in Alario's campaign spending reports ~WVUE* *Art at the intersection ~Sharon Litwin, NolaVie* *Fruit-based drink gives entertaining, healthy alternative ~Keyle Peveto*

Rob fucking Ford

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 day ago
Busy day, as par yooshoo-al. But I can't resist typing something about the cretinous poster-boy for right-wing failure; Rob Ford. It's in all the papers, yeez can read about it yerselves if you haven't already. Rob Ford was supposedly smoking crack about last weekend at his sister's place. And he was drunk and belligerent in public last Monday. There's a video for the crack smoking and audio of the drinking. Oh, and "Ford Nation"? Any statements you make about his economic achievements and how they outweigh his gigantic hypocrisy and obnoxiousness just show you for the deluded ignor... more »

British Healthcare Fact of the Day

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 1 day ago
"In Britain, even though they're already paying for the National Health Service, six million Brits—two-thirds of citizens earning more than $78,700—now buy private health insurance. Meanwhile, more than 50,000 travel out of the U.K. annually, spending more than $250 million, to receive treatment more readily than they can at home." Source.

Discussing Research Methodology with the Gates Foundation

John Thompson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
Rick Hess, in “A Small Request for My Friends at Gates,” was kind enough to urge the Gates Foundation to consider three of my research proposals. Rick Cantrell, the Senior Program Officer for Research and Data, responded to Rick’s post. Dr. Cantrell and I talked for nearly 1-1/2 hours. I would again like to thank […]

Donald Sterling: It's Not Just The Racism... It's The Grotesque And Oppressive Nature Of Economic Inequality Writ Large

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Sterling's wife, Rochelle, is suing his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, claiming she received more than $2.5 million in lavish gifts from the Clippers owner, including a $1.8 million duplex, a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover You've probably read a *lot* more about Republican Donald Sterling than you have about Dr. Gloria Bromell Tinubu, the Democratic nominee for SC-07. That's the way the media works. It's a big deal that Sterling, a lifelong racist and sociopathic bigot, is barred from even *attending* an NBA game... for life. It looks like at least three teams nudged the NBA into... more »

Bring back firing squads?

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
From The Plague, by Albert Camus: "Have you ever seen a man shot by a firing squad? No, of course not; the spectators are hand-picked and it's like a private party, you need an invitation. The result is that you've gleaned your ideas about it from books and pictures. A post, a blindfolded man, some soldiers in the offing. But the real isn't a bit like that. Do you know that the firing-squad stands only a yard and a half from the condemned man? Do you know that if the victim took two steps forward his chest would touch the rifles? Do you know that, at this short range, the soldiers... more »

Untitled

jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 1 day ago
*GOP's Common Core Re-brand Hustle* By Michelle Malkin This weekend on "Fox News Sunday," anchor Chris Wallace credited his guest, Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, with leading the nation as the "first state to fall out of the Common Core national education standards." If only it were true. Wallace didn't do his homework. And presidential aspirant Pence was too busy daydreaming about 2016 to correct him. Reality check: Last week, Pence faced the anger of hundreds of Indiana parents, educators and activists at a public Indiana Business Roundtable meeting to discuss his phony ch... more »

Labour Racketeering

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
There has been a lot of sound and fury of late about the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. Terry Glavin writes that the program was set up in 1974 to ease bottlenecks in the labour markets. But, in 2002, the Chretien government instituted the "Pilot Project for Hiring Foreign Workers in Occupations that Require Lower Levels of Formal Training." That is when the train went off the rails. And, under Stephen Harper, the Pilot Project became official government policy: Just how many guest workers are we talking about anyway? The numbers appear to be far, far larger than is generally... more »

We need to vote out NC ALEC Legislators

2old2care at Because I Can - 1 day ago
Saw this tweet last night and thought - well... ask and you shall receive More garbage for public schools in North Carolina. We need to vote out all of the #ALEC legislators http://t.co/JbHkUOxopV #ncpol — Eric Bracke (@EricCBracke) April 30, 2014 But remember - this is only a partial list because ALECers hide their membership - because they know what they are doing is wrong and they are ashamed. Really - get rid of these slimeballs that belong to the extremist, pro-corporate American Legislative Exchange Council. *North Carolina - Past and Present* Austin Allran NC Tom Apodaca... more »

Syria Updates May 1 , 2014 --- Various updates regarding the ongoing Syria Wars , One pitting the Government vs against insurgents / jihadists / mercenaries - and their funding sources and freedom fighters , the other ongoing War is internal among the various insurgents / jihadists / mercenaries and their funding sources and freedom fighters ...... news on the political fronts - domestic and international ......

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Syria ...... http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/05/al_qaeda_in_kurdista.php 'Al Qaeda in Kurdistan' breaks ranks with ISIS over Syria By BILL ROGGIOMay 1, 2014 A group calling itself "al Qaeda in Kurdistan" sided with al Qaeda's emir against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham in the ongoing dispute over control of the jihad in Syria. In doing so, the group also renewed its pledge of "allegiance" to Ayman al Zawahiri and Mullah Mohammad Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, and said it would fight the ISIS if needed. Al Qaeda in Kurdistan released its statement on ... more »

Can't John Kerry Just Shut the Hell Up?

Donn Marten at Carrying a Flag - 1 day ago
Secretary of State John F. Kerry is off the chain, continuing to spew so many allegations without proof that he could be a permanent replacement for the blowhard Congressman Mike Rogers on the Sunday morning 'news' show circuit. It is pretty obvious by now that the neocons best laid plans to stick it to Vladimir Putin by launching a coup in Kiev while the Russian leader was distracted by the Sochi Olympics has gone up like a bag of flaming dogshit. The US-EU-NATO debacle in Ukraine has all of the hallmarks of a neoconservative foreign policy misadventure and is going swimmingly, l... more »

The Limits of Self-defense, the Threat of Violent Right-wing Extremism and the Job of Leviathan

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Munthe) at Philosophical Comment - 1 day ago
One night, I'm being attacked in my home by a right wing extremist neighbour, who doesn't like the anti-racism slogan on my door. He catches me by surprise when I come home from this evening's grocery shopping and, armed with a stick and bottle, he forces himself into my hall as I unlock and open my door. Inside, he starts to push me further in, yelling violent threats and hitting me. But I manage to regain the initiative, because a friend of mine is sitting in my living room, waiting for me to return, for us to prepare some dinner together, and when she joins me, we outnumber the e... more »

Six string pheno papers

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 1 day ago
*It's the first of May:* time to read the Czech children's most memorized poem, Karel Hynek Mácha's romantic 1836 poem "Máj". Try the translation by Edith Pargeter or James Naughton or the translation to some other languages(including some audios). May Day turned out to be a busy day on the arXiv, especially when it comes to papers on string (and string-inspired) phenomenology. I will briefly mention six papers, including three articles on string inflation. First, Savas Dimopoulos, Kiel Howe, and John March-Russell of Stanford-Oxford (a perfect rhyme, indeed) wrote about Maximally... more »

Notes from the Road: Some Observations about What is Wrong with the Good Fight

Doug Martin at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
by Doug Martin During my talk recently to the Southeast Education Task Force in Indianapolis, a member of the Indiana Department of Education said there wasn’t a manufactured crisis in education, that our kids were indeed, many of them, failing. She quoted some Ph.D who appeared with Condi Rice recently, the former Bush official who has a Exxon tankernamed after her and helped the profiteers handsomely by sending our kids off to a war in Iraq to die along the side of the road. Luckily, John Harris Loflin, a social justice activist in Indy, responded, pointing out that measuring ... more »

Musical Interlude: Era, “Avetino”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Era, “Avetino” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGSek7n9kS8

Five Most Popular Posts for April

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 1 day ago
The five most popular posts of the month were: 1. A Defence of the SWP 2. UKIP's Turn to the Workers 3. What is Len McCluskey Trying to Achieve? 4. Peaches Geldof and Celebrity 5. UKIP, Politics and Populism That hundreds and hundreds and hundreds flock to read stuff about the SWP never ceases to amaze me. What is it about our movement that causes disproportionate numbers of fine activists, socialists and not a few keyboard class warriors to pour over what is a diminutive and rapidly diminishing political party? It would take me a while with my finest sociology hat on to come up wit... more »

Happy May Day 2014

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 day ago
May Day. Also known as Labour Day. In many countries, May Day is also Labor Day. This originates with the United States labor movement in the late 19th Century. On May 1, 1886, unions across the country went on strike, demanding that the standard workday be shortened to eight hours. The organizers of these strikes included socialists, anarchists, and others in organized labor movements. Rioting in Chicago's Haymarket Square on May 4th including a bomb thrown by an anarchist led to the deaths of a dozen people (including several police officers) and the injury of over 100 more. ... more »

Turkey's Whirling Dervishes - Why did modern dance lose its spin?

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET BLOG - 1 day ago
everything in this universe spins, or has spin, and I was wondering when the act of dancing lost its spin factor. Look at kids when they do the happy dance, what do they do? Spin, on the spot or in groups. Spinning (and laughing) is a natural part of what Nature is. But apart from the recent break-dancing (back-spinning craze), these days, dancing is a one-plane stepping ritual, usually guarding a hand bag on the dance floor. You move from one side to the other, stepping with your left foot, then stepping with your right foot. Sometimes there's a flip, a hand clap or a turn. Bu... more »

KC-390 Prototype Final Assembly Underway At Embraer

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: KC-390]Embraer will begin final assembly of the first KC-390 multirole tanker transport at the end of April, marking a major milestone in the Brazilian company’s ambitious plans to diversify into the military airlifter market. The fuselage, empennage and wing sections of the first aircraft are being completed prior to assembly at a specially built production site at Gaviao Peixoto, Embraer’s extensive test facility near Araraquara in south-central Brazil. The final body join, expected to take around three weeks, starts the clock ticking on a fast-paced development-and-test... more »

Two new missile corvettes to join Russia's Caspian flotilla

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: Buyan class FS]Russia's two newest missile corvettes, the Grad Sviyazhsk and the Uglich, have successfully undergone navy sea trials and will be assigned to the Caspian flotilla by July, a spokesman for the Southern Military District said Wednesday. "The two ships are due to join the Russian navy at the end of the first half of 2014. Most likely, they will be assigned to the Caspian flotilla by July 1," the spokesman said. He added the pair will be the first Buyan-M-class corvettes to join the Caspian flotilla. Read more

Russia Starts Combat Helicopter Training Flights on Baltic Border

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: Mi-28NE Havoc]A newly formed Russian army helicopter brigade has begun training flights in the northwest of the country near the borders with the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, a spokesman for the Western Military District said Wednesday. “Helicopters of the army aviation brigade of the Western Military District, based in the Pskov region, have begun regular training flights in the skies over northwestern Russia,” Col. Oleg Kochetkov said. Kochetkov said the flights involve dozens of Mi-28N Night Hunter and Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters as well as Mi-8MTV-5 and Mi... more »

Push for Growler jets points to military growth despite spending cap

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: EA-18G Growler]It wasn't looking good for the Growlers. The Boeing-made fighter jets, used to jam enemy radar, were left out of the Pentagon's budget for next year. And with spending strictly limited by a budget cap, the plane seemed headed for extinction. But in reality, the Growlers aren't dead yet. Like dozens of other programs, the EA-18G Airborne Electric Attack Aircraft, as they're officially known, have ended up on something called the "unfunded priorities list," an inventory of what the Pentagon would like to buy if it had several extra billion dollars to spend. Sec... more »

Sweden appoints new Swiss ambassador amid fighter jet scandal

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: JAS-39 Gripen]Sweden appointed a new ambassador to Switzerland Wednesday, a day after a media report that the current envoy lobbied Swiss parliamentarians to promote the sale of Swedish fighter jets. The Swedish government denied any links between the replacement of Per Thoeresson and the planned sale of 22 Gripen aircraft -- approved by the Swiss parliament last year, but still pending a May 18 referendum on financing. "Everyone working at the (Swedish) foreign ministry is part of a rotation system," foreign ministry spokeswoman Catalina Axelsson told AFP. Read more

Nimitz sets sail for flight deck qualification

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: USS Nimitz (CVN 68)]The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) got underway April 28 for the first time since returning from a nine-month deployment in December 2013. Nimitz set sail for a routine flight deck certification. Completing flight deck certification is essential in preserving the ship’s warfighting capabilities. “We are excited to get back to sea,” said Capt. Jeff Ruth, commanding officer of Nimitz. “The crew has worked hard to maintain the ship since we returned from deployment. We are motivated to get back out and make sure our ability to launch and recover aircr... more »

Defence officials scramble to figure out details of military force heading to Europe

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: HMCS Regina]Although Canada’s CF-18s are joining NATO units in what the Conservative government says is a show of force over the crisis in Ukraine, defence officials can’t yet say whether the warplanes are going to be armed. Clarity on Canada’s role in the crisis didn’t improve Wednesday with the announcement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that a Canadian frigate in the Arabian Sea will join NATO maritime forces responding to the situation in eastern Europe. Department of National Defence officials couldn’t provide details such as where the ship is headed and when it migh... more »

Frigate combat systems to be upgraded

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: HMNZS Te Kaha]A Canadian company has won a large contract to upgrade the combat systems on two New Zealand navy frigates. The contract is worth $446,000 and will involve work on the radar, missile and sonar systems on the HMNZS Te Kaha and HMNZS Te Mana. The work will be carried out by Lockheed Martin Canada, and is due to begin in 2016. Read more

Philippine Navy eyes French frigates

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: FS Prairial]Amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the government is looking at French frigates for the Philippine Navy’s use. Naval officials were given a tour yesterday of the French Navy’s surveillance frigate Prairial – a 93.5-meter ship with both military and civilian characteristics, making it ideal for multiple purposes including disaster relief and other humanitarian missions, operations against piracy and international drug trafficking, and territorial patrol. The Prairial is one of two French warships deployed in the Pacific – one in Tahiti and the other... more »

B&W Announces $195 Million in Naval Reactors Contracts and Orders

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: USS George H.W. Bush]The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) announced today that its subsidiary B&W Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. (B&W NOG) has received contracts and orders from the U.S. Naval Reactors Program worth approximately $195 million. Four new incrementally funded contracts totaling $76.8 million were awarded for engineering design, fabrication and further development work on the Ohio-class submarine replacement program. A new contract valued at $18.8 million was also awarded for disassembly and recovery of highly enriched uranium materials in FY2014. Read more

Western Military “Monitors” Turn Up in Eastern Ukraine

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 1 day ago
*May 1, 2014 *(Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Bloomberg reported in their article, “Russia Faces More Sanctions as Monitors Held in Ukraine,” that: *In Ukraine, pro-Russian militants yesterday captured a bus carrying observers sent by member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a 57-nation group that includes Russia and the U.S. focusing on conflict prevention and preserving human rights, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on its website. They were holding 13 people hostage in Slovyansk, it said. * *The observers — who include four Germans and c... more »

Funding to Replace Nuclear Subs Up in the Air

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 1 day ago
[image: USS Main]A key U.S. House panel leader says Congress won’t create a special funding stream for nuclear-armed submarines this year, but he thinks the idea of bankrolling the vessels outside of the Navy’s strained shipbuilding budget is almost certain in the long term. Representative Randy Forbes (R-Va.) told reporters on Tuesday morning that replacing today’s Ohio-class ballistic-missile vessels “is a national strategic concern” that cannot be allowed to fall victim to an already underfunded naval ship-procurement plan in coming decades. That plan, by his estimates, is $4 bil... more »
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APTN Investigates

Savage a film by Lisa Jackson - Production StillsSavage a film by Lisa Jackson - Production Stills (Photo credit: Kris Krug)
Car Show 2009 Portage La Prairie Manitoba CanadaCar Show 2009 Portage La Prairie Manitoba Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Portage La Prairie Manitoba CanadaPortage La Prairie Manitoba Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Aurora Borealis at Bird's Hill Park, Winnipeg,...Aurora Borealis at Bird's Hill Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Photo credit: AJ Batac)
APTN National News » Investigates
News that not only informs, but inspires
Lawyer who ripped off residential school survivors suspended
April-30-14 4:36 PM
It’s news thousands of Indian Residential School survivors have been waiting for. Calgary lawyer David Blott has been suspended from practising by the Law Society of Alberta.
Media files
Blottphoto1-150x150.jpghttp://aptn.ca/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/04/Blottphoto1-150x150.jpg (5.2 KB)
TAX FREE Promo
April-28-14 2:27 PM
A CASE FOR GENOCIDE
April-25-14 5:17 PM
A case for genocide not easy to make
April-25-14 2:11 PM
By Rob Smith APTN Investigates More and more Indigenous people like James Louie may be coming forward accusing governments of genocide, but it’s a long road ahead if they want to prove it in a court of law. Louie journeyed to the United Nations in 2007 to testify before the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous [...]
LOST CANADIANS
April-21-14 10:16 AM
By Cullen Crozier APTN Investigates Up until a few years ago, most of Canada had never heard of the term “Lost Canadian” – referring to the nearly one million people who were being denied their Canadian citizenship mainly due to outdated and discriminatory aspects of Canada’s citizenship law. And according to citizenship advocate and founder [...]
Law firm under investigation employs lawyers involved in politics
April-16-14 4:23 PM
By Kathleen Martens APTN Investigates WINNIPEG – One former and one current Manitoba politician are part of a law firm that is being accused of mishandling the compensation claims of Indian Residential School survivors. Rana Bokhari, leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, and John Prystanski, a former Winnipeg city councillor, are named as staff lawyers [...]
LOVE TO HATE
April-11-14 7:51 PM
You can find love online… or more easily, hate
April-11-14 1:26 PM
By Melissa Ridgen APTN Investigates The Beaulieu family home in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba is no different than most Canadian homes: light-spirited, full of laughter and love, home cooking and pride. A stark contrast to what they read about Aboriginal people when they venture online to social media sites or news comment sections. “I’ve seen [...]
Six Nations Lodge
April-04-14 8:00 PM
Elders in nursing home victims of theft
April-04-14 1:29 PM
By Annette Francis  APTN Investigates When it comes to theft, an Elder’s lodge is the last place you’d expect it to happen. Especially on a First Nation. But that’s exactly what took place at the Iroquois lodge, located on Six Nations of the Grand River territory in Ontario. That’s where Donna Russell’s seven-year battle began. [...]
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