Thursday, July 02, 2015

2 July - Blogs I'm Following

10:10pm MDST

Why the Culture Wars Refuse to Die

Heather Wilhelm at The Stream - 9 minutes ago

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One Weedy Species

gail zawacki at Wit's End - 27 minutes ago
Following is the transcript for my Fifth Dispatch from the Endocene. The Extinction Radio Link is embedded at the end, where my segment begins at 1:29 minutes in. The next installment airs Sunday, July 5. Thanks to all the producers and contributers for a truly unique show! Greetings listeners, and welcome to the fifth Dispatch from the Endocene. I want to thank Extinction Radio for hosting another episode on their website, where they will be posting links for further reading on the topics in this segment. Last week I said I expected to be talking about the ghastly moose situa... more »

Quote of the Day: On trusting your newspapers ...

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 hour ago
“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them. In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national o... more »

Late night musing , playing the " What If's " on things bugging me about Greece ....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 hour ago
Art of War..... Pian One.... - *If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.* Pian 6 ..... *All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved* Pian 11 [11.01] The principles of ... more »

Survey Shows New Attitudes About Food Safety, Shopping Preferences & Food Allergiess

WTStaff at Waking Times - 2 hours ago
*Infographic - *A growing share of the public is calling for GMO labeled foods and prefer organic foods. Here are some findings about shopping preferences based on a recent survey. The post Survey Shows New Attitudes About Food Safety, Shopping Preferences & Food Allergiess appeared first on Waking Times.

It was a dark an stormy night -- or actually not night at all. Happy 4th of July Weekend!

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 2 hours ago
*Photo by Mitch Waxman (c**lick to enlarge)* *"[S]ome jerk pulling the pin on a dud hand grenade while riding on the 7 train would be sufficient to shut the entire Subway system down for weeks while the Terror Warriors installed metal detectors and biometric sensors on every turnstile."* *-- from Mitch's blogpost yesterday,* "all signs" *by Ken* I don't know about you, but I need this weekend. I'm not a qualified dreamologist, but after escaping the office, I realized what I had on my mind was this photo my pal Mitch Waxman shared with readers of his *Newtown Pentacle* blog today.... more »

Civil Asset Forfeiture: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 2 hours ago
*Laura Krasovitzky* - Civil asset forfeiture laws give police the incentive to terrorize and steal from American citizens. The post Civil Asset Forfeiture: Guilty Until Proven Innocent appeared first on Waking Times.

Closing the Doors of Perception

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 2 hours ago
*Dylan Charles* - The world elite maintains in grip on humanity by keeping the doors of perception tightly shut. The post Closing the Doors of Perception appeared first on Waking Times.

The Greek Crisis: Greece - No To Austerity, Yes To Democracy!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 2 hours ago
The media all around the world has now been paying attention to the crisis unfolding right now in Greece... However, the Jew spew media is indeed trying to portray this crisis as "the sky is falling" if the Greeks do the right thing and tell the Jewish criminal bankers that created the mess in the first place to take a hike! It does appear that we are seeing these Jewish criminals do their utmost to strike fear in the Greek people with the notion that if they do vote NO in this weekend's referendum to decide their future, that there will be doom and gloom and Greece as a nation wou... more »

Typhoons for Tuesday

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 3 hours ago
Expecting guests.... _______________________ [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!

The "No alternative" Eurozone deal for Greece is the exact opposite we, the US, France, etc., have chosen for ourselves

Hari at Ripped-off Britons - 3 hours ago
KJ has it all explained to him by Fee, as usual... SOURCE BBC NEWS: Greek debt crisis: IMF says extra 50bn euros needed, criticises EU plans Greece will need an extra 50bn euros ($55bn) over the next three years to stabilise its finances under the existing, disputed bailout plans, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says. The IMF also cut its forecast for Greek economic growth from 2.5%

Rip-off News round-up. Our pick of the last week's media (Thu 2nd July)

Jake at Ripped-off Britons - 3 hours ago
Regulator demands energy firms end the madness where the POOREST are charged MORE Those least able to pay are being charged huge fees and forced to pay more for the energy they use by suppliers. Industry regulator Ofgem says there are now a record 7.2million prepayment gas and electricity meters in homes. But despite a big chunk of those being low incomes households, they pay higher prices

U.S. Operates Secret Drone Bases In Somalia

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
© US Air Force *Foreign Policy:* *Exclusive: U.S. Operates Drones From Secret Bases in Somalia* *Two decades after “Black Hawk Down,” U.S. special operations forces are back in East Africa’s most troubled nation. FP provides a rare window into their shadowy operations. * *KISMAYO, Somalia — Some say the Americans are everywhere. Some say they are nowhere. Still others say they are everywhere and nowhere at once. But the shadowy U.S. presence in this strategic port city in war-torn southern Somalia has clear consequences for anyone with a share of power here. That includes Somali ... more »

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- July 2, 2015

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
*Wall Street Journal: **Three Scenarios for Greece and the Eurozone * *Greece has crossed a threshold that no other advanced economy in history of the International Monetary Fund has passed: Defaulting to the world’s senior-most creditor.* *So, now what?* *As the clock counts down to Greece’s referendum Sunday that could determine the country’s fate in the eurozone, here’s a look at a handful of scenarios predicted by analysts and economists.* *All involve more pain for Greece’s battered economy, and some are more daunting than others.* *Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials... more »

World News Briefs -- July 2, 2015 (Evening Edition)

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 4 hours ago
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (centre L) meets Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd R) at a hotel in Vienna, Austria July 1, 2015. Reuters/Carlos Barria *Reuters:* *No breakthrough at Iran nuclear talks, ministers push for deal soon* *Tehran and world powers were still shy of a breakthrough at nuclear talks on Thursday as foreign ministers flew in to help push for a swift deal and resolve disputes over how sanctions could be lifted and how Iran's compliance would be monitored.* *Iran is in talks with the United States and five other powers - Britain, China, Fr... more »

The Worst Agreement in U.S. Diplomatic History

Charles Krauthammer at The Stream - 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON — The devil is not in the details. It’s in the entire conception of the Iran deal, animated by President Obama’s fantastical belief that he, uniquely, could achieve detente with a fanatical Islamist regime whose foundational purpose is to cleanse... The post The Worst Agreement in U.S. Diplomatic History appeared first on The Stream.

Why Smart Democrats Worry About Turnout From The Base In 2016

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 4 hours ago
Last week was a good one for the White House between the Supreme Court decisions on Obamacare, same-sex marriage, and redistricting and Obama's success in getting enough conservative, corporately owned Democrats-- primarily New Dems-- to vote with the GOP to pass Wall Street's trade agenda (Fast Track, as a prelude to TPP). The president's approval rating is back over 50%. But Democrats have reason to worry that by 2016 they may have a hard time getting their voters to the polls, as Alexis Simendinger has written for *Real Clear Politics*. Driven by a competing set of emotions: ... more »

As black churches burn, at least Ricky-Roo Santorum seems to be keeping his trap shut

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 4 hours ago
*Can someone explain what this picture is doing here? The Confederate battle flag has nothing to do with racism, or violence against African-Americans, does it? It's just about the Confederate "heritage." And wasn't the AME church shooting, and now all these church burnings, about hostility to religion?* *"The fact that the recent fires occurred so close together in the wake of the Charleston shooting could be cause for concern, said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The fires may be retaliation for the backlash against the Confederate flag that followed the shootings... more »

Musical Interlude: Mythos, “Solstice”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
Mythos, “Solstice” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFvCI2Zao-8

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
“It's the dim star, not the bright one, near the center of NGC 3132 that created this odd but beautiful planetary nebula. Nicknamed the Eight-Burst Nebula and the Southern Ring Nebula, the glowing gas originated in the outer layers of a star like our Sun. *Click image for larger size.* In this representative color picture, the hot blue pool of light seen surrounding this binary system is energized by the hot surface of the faint star. Although photographed to explore unusual symmetries, it's the asymmetries that help make this planetary nebula so intriguing. Neither the unusual shap... more »

"Longing..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
“All human eyes have longing in them.” - Ernesto Cardenal

"Eight Ways to Spot Emotional Manipulation"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
* "Eight Ways to Spot Emotional Manipulation"* by Laura Knight-Jadczyk "*1.* *There is no use in trying to be honest with an emotional manipulator.* You make a statement and it will be turned around. Example: I am really angry that you forgot my birthday. Response – “It makes me feel sad that you would think I would forget your birthday, I should have told you of the great personal stress I am facing at the moment – but you see I didn’t want to trouble you. You are right I should have put all this pain (don’t be surprised to see real tears at this point) aside and focused on your ... more »

Chet Raymo, “Seeing”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
*“Seeing”* by Chet Raymo "There was a moment yesterday evening when the elements conspired to evoke these few lines, spoken by Macbeth: "Light thickens, And the crow makes wing to the rooky woods, Good things of day begin to droop and drowse." The fading light. The crows gliding down the fields to the trees in Ballybeg: "Light thickens, And the crow makes wing to the rooky woods, Good things of day begin to droop and drowse." It's all there, in those few lines- the mysterious power of poetry to infuse the world with meaning, to anoint the wor... more »

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
Dundee, Dundee City, United Kingdom. Thanks for stopping by.

"Be Who You Are..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Seuss

"The Grass Is Greenest..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
"The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be." - Robert Fulghum

"Words You Hate To Hear"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
"Words You Hate To Hear" by Stanley Fish "There is a class of utterances that, when encountered, produces irritation, distress and, in some cases, the desire to kill. You hear or read one of these and your heart sinks. Everyone will have his or her (non)favorites. Mine is a three-word announcement on the TV screen, “To Be Continued,” which says, “I know that you have become invested in this story and are eager to find out how it ends, but you’re going to have to wait for a few days or a week or a month or forever.” In the great order of things, it is only a minor inconvenience, but... more »

This Blind Veteran Overcame All Odds to Complete Ironman

Rachel Alexander at The Stream - 5 hours ago
Retired Army Maj. Scott Smiley defied all odds last Sunday when he became the first blind veteran to successfully complete an Ironman. The race in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, took place during record-breaking temperatures, causing 188 competitors to drop out of the... The post This Blind Veteran Overcame All Odds to Complete Ironman appeared first on The Stream.

Homosexuals getting "married" doesn't affect me one tiny little bit...w/Update

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 5 hours ago
*except when it does.* * Rowan County (Kentucky) Clerk Kim Davis is now facing litigation because of her refusal to issue marriage licenses.* The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky filed a class action lawsuit on Thursday, saying Rowan County and its clerk are depriving citizens of their constitutional rights to be legally permitted to marry in their home county. The ACLU will represent four couples from Rowan County, not all of which are in same-sex relationships. The couples named in the suit are April Miller and Karen Roberts; Shantel Burke and Stephen Napier; Jody Fe... more »

"Great result unless you're poor / old / vulnerable / a single parent / not obsessed with money. Well done"

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 5 hours ago
Just another one for the collection (found because he's got a documentary on Radio 4 today)... "All opinions expressed are personal and not linked to the BBC", says the BBC's Mobeen Azhar. In that spirit, here's Mobeen of the BBC's reaction to the general election result in May (purely personal, not linked to the BBC, of course - despite him mentioning the BBC in his Twitter blurb): Great result unless you're poor / old / vulnerable / a single parent / not obsessed with money. Well done #selfishBritain #GE15 — Mobeen Azhar (@Mobeen_Azhar) May 8, 2015

Happy Second of July

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 5 hours ago
*The promise of liberty that America once represented is tarnished, but still worth celebrating says David Boaz in this guest post. Maybe even today …* America’s Fourth of July holiday is America’s Independence Day, celebrating our Declaration of Independence, in which we declared ourselves, in Lincoln’s words, “a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” The holiday weekend would start today if John Adams had his way. It was on July 2, 1776, that the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. O... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 5 hours ago

The Economy: "Recession Time Bomb Ticking Faster, Louder"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 5 hours ago
*"Recession Time Bomb Ticking Faster, Louder"* by Paul B. Farrell “Yes, the clock’s ticking louder, louder, warns the Economist, “only a matter of time before the next recession strikes.” Unfortunately, the “rich world is not ready.” America’s not prepared. You are not ready. Get it? America’s 95 million investors are at huge risk. Remember the $10 trillion losses in the crash and recession of 2007-2009? The $8 trillion lost after the dot-com technology crash and recession of 2000-2003? This is the third big recession of the century. Yes, America will lose trillions again. Especial... more »

Fewer Americans Seeking Work Than Any Time in Past 28 Years

Rachel Alexander at The Stream - 5 hours ago
This spring saw a smaller proportion of American adults employed or seeking work than at any time since 1977, according to a newly-released White House jobs report. Despite the 2009 recession being long over, millions of Americans are leaving the labor force... The post Fewer Americans Seeking Work Than Any Time in Past 28 Years appeared first on The Stream.

Interview: Brzezinski on Russia: 'We Are Already In a Cold War'

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 5 hours ago
*In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE,* Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was US President Jimmy Carter's national security advisor from 1877 to 1981, talks about the new Cold War. Now 87, Brzezinski works for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. *SPIEGEL ONLINE:* Mr. Brzezinski, are we seeing the beginning of a new Cold War between Russia and the US? *Brzezinski:* We are already in a Cold War. Whether it will become hot is fortunately still less than likely. *SPIEGEL ONLINE:* The last Cold War lasted more than 40 years. Will it last that long this... more »

DC Bumps Its Minimum Wage To Highest in U.S. But Activists Still Want More

Rachel Alexander at The Stream - 5 hours ago
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser was proud to announce Wednesday the minimum-wage hike that took effect that day, though just across town activists were still fighting for more. At $9.50, the District of Columbia minimum wage was already higher than... The post DC Bumps Its Minimum Wage To Highest in U.S. But Activists Still Want More appeared first on The Stream.

Islamic State Militants ‘Destroy Palmyra Statues’

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 5 hours ago
The Islamic State group has published photographs of militants destroying what it says are artifacts looted from the ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria. Six statues are shown being hit with sledgehammers while a crowd looks on. The jihadist group... The post Islamic State Militants ‘Destroy Palmyra Statues’ appeared first on The Stream.

Obama Administration Stopping Redskins’ Return to D.C.

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 5 hours ago
The Obama administration does not want the Washington Redskins playing their home games in D.C. because of issues stemming from the team’s name. The Redskins have been engaging in early talks about a potential stadium re-location into downtown D.C. — the... The post Obama Administration Stopping Redskins’ Return to D.C. appeared first on The Stream.

Today is World UFO Day

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 6 hours ago

Sphere Alliance Message #8

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 6 hours ago
*As received by Denise:* *A question from xx: what are these codes? 99 99 888 55 11 11 1 33 44 77 8* *Yes, Yes and Yes we say with joy and profound pleasure that you are recognizing and acknowledging our signs to you. Numerical, binary and trinary. All meant to return you to full remembrance. * *We know you struggle with the amnesia, the forgetting; it is all coming to an end. * *The joy of full remembrance will be fraught with pain and joy. Pain because you will recall the hardest of times; joy because you will know that you have come through it and it is over. ... more »

Splitting a case

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 6 hours ago
R. v. Graziano, 2015 ONCA 49: [37] ... The proper approach would have been to consider whether permitting the Crown to call Hogan in reply offended the rule that prohibits the Crown from splitting its case. In *Krause v. The Queen* (1986), 29 C.C.C. (3d) 385 (S.C.C.), at pp. 390-91, McIntyre J. set out the rule against case-splitting and its rationale: The general rule is that the Crown, or in civil matters the plaintiff, will not be allowed to split its case. The Crown or the plaintiff must produce and enter in its own case all the clearly relevant evidence it has, or that ... more »

The Economy: “Here is How The Next Crisis Will Play Out”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
*“Here is How The Next Crisis Will Play Out”* by Phoenix Capital Research "As I noted yesterday, the Fuse on the Global Debt Bomb has been lit. We are now officially in the Crisis to which the 2008 Meltdown was just the warm up. The process will take time to unfold. The Tech Bubble, arguably the single biggest stock market bubble of all time, was both obvious to investors AND isolated to a single asset class: stocks. In spite of this, it took two years for stocks to finally bottom. In contrast, the current Crisis that we are facing involves bonds… the bedrock of the financial syste... more »

The Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Defeat and the Looming Tax Threat

Rachel Alexander at The Stream - 6 hours ago
Now that the Supreme Court has made same-sex ‘marriage’ the law of the land, everyone is wondering how it will affect religious institutions and businesses that have conscientious objections. Currently, churches, religious schools and charities enjoy nonprofit status, and donations... The post The Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Defeat and the Looming Tax Threat appeared first on The Stream.

Pamunkey Indian Tribe Becomes 1st in Virginia Granted Federal Recognition

Al Perrotta at The Stream - 6 hours ago
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Department of Interior granted federal recognition to a Virginia Indian tribe for the first time on Thursday, more than 400 years after the first permanent English settlers encountered those Indians. The federal designation allows the... The post Pamunkey Indian Tribe Becomes 1st in Virginia Granted Federal Recognition appeared first on The Stream.

Netflix, Ted Sarandos and What Comes After TV

RJ Moeller at The Stream - 6 hours ago
Ted Sarandos, the chief of content and programming at Netflix, says the company isn’t trying to outdo TV, it’s trying to do something completely different. When Netflix released the first season of House of Cards to the world, every episode... The post Netflix, Ted Sarandos and What Comes After TV appeared first on The Stream.

Coolidge: The Best President You Don’t Know?

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 6 hours ago
This weekend marks the 143rd birthday of the best president you (probably) don’t know: Calvin Coolidge. Most presidents are judged by what they do in office. For instance, they are expected to “do something” about the economy even if their... The post Coolidge: The Best President You Don’t Know? appeared first on The Stream.

Supplemental: Robert E. Lee was a very fine man!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 6 hours ago
*THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015Also, new thoughts from Frank Bruni:* Yesterday, Elias Isquith got it right about Frank Bruni’s latest. Or at least, he started an important discussion. But first, let’s consider last Friday’s column by David Brooks! Personally, we’re not a fan of Brooks Derangement Syndrome. That said, Brooks is becoming extremely strange in his new career as a TED Talk character guru. This was never more apparent than when he decided to ponder the greatness of General Robert E. Lee. We can think of few discussions which matter less at this point than an attempt to cipher ... more »

Why Oncologists Don’t Like Baking Soda Cancer Treatment

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 6 hours ago
*Dave Mihalovic* - Doctors and pharmaceutical companies know that baking soda works. The post Why Oncologists Don’t Like Baking Soda Cancer Treatment appeared first on Waking Times.

No One Is Safe In North Korea

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 6 hours ago
*NK News*: *No one is safe in Kim Jong Un’s court* *When it comes to ruthlessness, North Korea’s leader surpasses his father and grandfather Much speculation surrounds the fate of Hyon Yong Chol, the North Korean defense minister who was allegedly purged and executed in late April, but not immediately removed from all video footage. However, this controversy should not obscure one important fact: In the last three years the North Korean military, political and security police bureaucracy have been subjected to a purge on a scale not seen since at least the late 1960s.It seems ... more »

George Takei Should Stop Explaining Black History to Clarence Thomas

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 7 hours ago
In a nasty, racist rant captured by a Fox affiliate in Arizona, former Star Trek actor-turned-gay rights activist George Takei lashed out at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, calling him a “clown in black face.” Takei’s explosive verbal diarrhea, which... The post George Takei Should Stop Explaining Black History to Clarence Thomas appeared first on The Stream.

Pope’s Compassion for the Poor Doesn’t Acknowledge Benefits of Free Markets

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 7 hours ago
Pope Francis will begin a tour of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay on Sunday, returning to the continent of his birth for the first time since his election in 2013 and visiting areas of extreme poverty. Peter Johnson, the Acton Institute’s... The post Pope’s Compassion for the Poor Doesn’t Acknowledge Benefits of Free Markets appeared first on The Stream.

USPS to Offer Elvis Presley Greatest Hits CD with Stamp

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 7 hours ago
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service is offering an Elvis Presley greatest hits CD to go along with a new commemorative stamp. “ELVIS FOREVER” will be available online and in select post offices beginning Aug. 12 along with... The post USPS to Offer Elvis Presley Greatest Hits CD with Stamp appeared first on The Stream.

Living for the Lord in a Pre-Christian West

Deacon Keith Fournier at The Stream - 7 hours ago
It is time to stop opining over whether we are living in a post-Christian, neo-pagan or post-modernist age. One of the unintended consequences of that debate is to focus us wrongly on the past, rather than point us, with hope, toward the... The post Living for the Lord in a Pre-Christian West appeared first on The Stream.

Oh my God! Roy Greenslade of the Graun agrees with the Daily Mail!

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 7 hours ago
Crikey, Roy Greenslade of the *Guardian *is praising the *Daily Mail*! *[Pause, while blog author Craig is revived by smelling salts by fellow blog author Sue, who then faints herself on hearing about Professor Greenslade's unprecedented behaviour].* Less surprisingly perhaps, he's praising the *Daily Mail* for praising the BBC (whilst, being who he is, also adding the odd sly dig at the *Daily Mail*). What the prof approves of is this from the *Mail*'s latest editorial: Full marks to the BBC for resisting political pressure to drop the term ‘Islamic State’, the name by which mem... more »

Notes on the Greek Crisis

Phil at All That Is Solid ... - 7 hours ago
Crisis? Since 2009, when has Greece not been in crisis? What the people of Greece have suffered is nothing less than a permanent depression that has since its economy collapse by almost a quarter and hundreds of thousands of its young people have fled abroad in search of work. Meanwhile, public spending has been cut to the bone in an austerity programme the likes of George Osborne can but aspire to, and has seen it return surpluses of around six per cent of GDP to the treasury. However, instead of investing and allowing that money to recirculate, to grind the cogs of the Greek econ... more »

Three Countries Have No Relations With The U.S.

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 7 hours ago
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay. Rick Wilking / Reuters *Matt Schiavenza, The Atlantic:* *After Cuba: The Only 3 Countries That Have No Relations With the U.S.* *Why is one of them Bhutan?* *On Wednesday, the United States and Cuba announced that they would reopen embassies in each other’s capitals, thus restoring diplomatic relations for the first time since 1961. The agreement doesn’t mean that Washington-Havana ties will go back to where they were before Fidel Castro’s revolution: Congress still maintains an economic embar... more »

U.S. Military Morale At 'Rock Bottom' Again

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 7 hours ago
Army soldiers and a civilian have a group discussion during the Army Master Resilience Training course held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2013. (Photo: Mark Abueg, U.S. Army) *USA Today:* *Army morale low despite 6-year, $287M optimism program* *More than half of some 770,000 soldiers are pessimistic about their future in the military and nearly as many are unhappy in their jobs, despite a six-year, $287 million campaign to make troops more optimistic and resilient, findings obtained by USA TODAY show.Twelve months of data through early 2015 show that 403,564 soldiers, or 52%, scor... more »

A Common Error in Pedagogy

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 8 hours ago
I happened to be flipping through another introductory economics textbook. (Yes, some people have the temerity to try to compete with my favorite textbook.) I noticed an error that is, unfortunately, all too common in how introductory economics is taught. I won't mention which book it is, because I am quite fond of the authors, and because my goal here is not to pick on one particular book but rather to draw attention to a more pervasive problem. The issue is how one applies welfare economics to understand price controls, such as rent control and minimum-wage laws. The sin that th... more »

What the Other Side of the Moon Looks Like

WTStaff at Waking Times - 8 hours ago
*Video - *Get a glimpse of what the other side of the moon looks like - the side which can't be seen from the earth. The post What the Other Side of the Moon Looks Like appeared first on Waking Times.

USA Get Out of Ukraine!

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 8 hours ago
Hundreds stage protest in front of US embassy in Kiev. The video above speaks for itself - the movement against US occupation and colonization of Ukraine is growing by the day. Increasingly citizens in Kiev are showing their determined support for the self-defense forces in eastern Ukraine (Donbass) that are still daily being shelled by Kiev's 'National Guard' (neo-Nazi units). The US Army is currently training Kiev's 'National Guard' in western Ukraine. Apparently during the training in western Ukraine the food is quite good and the accommodations are to the liking of the US GI'... more »

Gay Teacher Files Federal Discrimination Lawsuit Against Catholic School

Nancy Flory at The Stream - 8 hours ago
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage last Friday, a gay teacher who formerly served as band director at Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia has filed a federal lawsuit against the Catholic school claiming discrimination because of... The post Gay Teacher Files Federal Discrimination Lawsuit Against Catholic School appeared first on The Stream.

Webb to Challenge Clinton for Democratic Nomination

Tom Sileo at The Stream - 8 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb announced his presidential campaign on Thursday, opening a long-shot bid against Hillary Rodham Clinton and a field of Democratic rivals for the party’s nomination. Webb, in an announcement posted on his campaign... The post Webb to Challenge Clinton for Democratic Nomination appeared first on The Stream.

Bosnia and modern jihadism

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 8 hours ago
This is a ruminative post, written after reading a BBC online article by *Newsnight*'s Mark Urban (written in advance of tonight's *Newsnight*). It's ruminative because I found Mark Urban's piece interesting and insightful, yet I've got issues. The piece is headlined *Bosnia: The cradle of modern jihadism *and makes a persuasive case that the war in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s (rather than Afghanistan in the 1980s) marked the true starting point for the kind of brutal, Western-hating jihadism that we're all far too familiar with today. A Saudi fighter who went to Bosnia at th... more »

Cover Up – Mainstream Reporting on Fukushima a Joke

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 8 hours ago
*Terence Newton* - A close examination of the mainstream media's pathetic coverage of Fukushima. The post Cover Up – Mainstream Reporting on Fukushima a Joke appeared first on Waking Times.

California Enacts Vaccine Law That Forces Parents to Choose Between Human Rights and Civil Rights

Barbara Loe Fisher at Vaccine Awakening - 9 hours ago
Posted 7/2/2015 *by Barbara Loe Fisher * From flash to bang, it took the politically powerful corporate, medical trade and government lobbyists just six months this year to gut the human right to informed consent to medical risk taking and the civil right to a school education in California. They did it by enacting a new law (SB 277) signed by Governor Jerry Brown on June 29, 2015 that denies parents the legal right to file a personal belief exemption to vaccination for religious and conscientious beliefs so their children can attend school. In order to sign the bill into law, Gov... more »

Handling Questions about Homosexuality: A Guide for Christians

Dennis Jernigan at The Stream - 9 hours ago
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23 NASB.) It seems not a day goes by without someone — or... The post Handling Questions about Homosexuality: A Guide for Christians appeared first on The Stream.

Following the Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Ruling: A Call to Action This Sunday

Rick Scarborough, Mathew Staver & Deacon Keith Fournier at The Stream - 9 hours ago
There are times in history when people have to make choices. We are living in such a time. In March the three of us (Rick Scarborough, Mathew Staver and Deacon Keith Fournier) posted our Pledge of Solidarity to Defend Marriage,... The post Following the Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Ruling: A Call to Action This Sunday appeared first on The Stream.

U.S. Intelligence Warned The U.S. Government That Their Computer Data Networks Were Insecure To Hackers

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 9 hours ago
*Shane Harris, Daily Beast:* *Spies Warned Feds About OPM Mega-Hack Danger* *U.S. intelligence agencies initially refused to share data with OPM, the now-infamously insecure arm of the government. Then the spies apparently handed over their files anyway.* *Five years ago, U.S. officials refused to merge a database containing classified personnel records of intelligence-agency employees with another run by the Office of Personnel Management, fearing that if the two systems were linked, it could expose the personal information of covert operatives to leakers and hackers.* *Those co... more »

The Economy: "The 'Beer Theory of Credit Quality'”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
*"The 'Beer Theory of Credit Quality'”* by Bill Bonner "Yesterday, U.S. stocks ended in the green. Investors bent over to pick up a few pennies in the stock market. They didn’t notice the huge steamroller headed their way. The Dow rose 138 points – or about 1% – after the mainstream media reported that “macroeconomic obstacles” in the ongoing Greek drama were being removed. By that it meant that the situation was calming down… with the Greeks and the Germans agreeing to work things out in an orderly way. *So Far So Good in Greece: *Here’s a firsthand report directly from one of o... more »

Word games

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 9 hours ago
I agree with Nick. Very much so in fact. Here are some extracts: The BBC looks like it is buckling under political pressure, as it so often does. Instead of telling Cameron that his behaviour *[on 'Today'] *demeaned his office, the *Today* programme was referring to the ‘so-called Islamic State’ this morning. If this carries on, the BBC will soon be reporting on ‘the supposedly Democratic Republic of Congo’ and ‘the alleged Netherlands’. Sycophantic MPs, meanwhile, are using ‘Daesh’ in the Commons. No one, not Cameron, the SNP, Lucas, Johnson or Goldsmith admitted that they were a... more »

A rant from Mark Mardell

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 10 hours ago
Mark Mardell was fond of editorialising when he acted as the BBC's North America editor. Curiously, he obviously *still* believes it's appropriate to sound off in a highly opinionated fashion - even though he's now a presenter on Radio 4's *The World at One *and *The World This Weekend*. Even by *his* standards though, his latest blogpost - *Cameron is not asking the big question on Islamic State - *is stonkingly opinionated. And on a highly controversial subject too. He mocks David Cameron for saying that Islamic State poses an "existential threat" to the UK: One has to have ... more »

Life Is Not Good For An Ex-Russian FSB Agent Who Decided To Defect To The FBI

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
Portland, Oregon *Chris McGreal, The Guardian:* *Russian defectors living the dead end of the American dream in distant Oregon* *For Janosh and Victorya, who in Russia lived as a former bag man for a Moscow bank and an FSB agent, the dream of a life as defectors has been plagued by spats with the FBI, and an unexpected life in a city they’d never heard of* *The Russian who now goes by the name of Janosh Neumann had a clear plan for how things would unfold once he crossed the threshold of the US embassy on the Caribbean island he chose as his hideout.* *Neumann would offer the CIA... more »

Iran And Saudi Arabia Are Waging Media War Over Yemen

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*NDTV/Reuters*: *Iran Wages Media Onslaught Against Saudis Over Yemen War* *Dubai: Cut off from Yemen and its allies there by a Saudi-led military campaign, Iran has intensified a media counter-offensive against Riyadh, accusing its regional rival of inflicting catastrophic suffering while presenting itself as a blameless peacemaker.* *Iranian state media have given blanket coverage in Arabic, Farsi and English to the three-month-old war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and Sunni Arab allies have been bombing the Iranian-allied Houthi faction for over three months.* *The violence h... more »

Pentagon 'Worried' about Inter-Space War

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 10 hours ago
The Pentagon has released a new National Military Strategy, the first since 2011, listing ISIS, Iran, China and Russia as major security threats. RT's Gayane Chichakyan reports. Note the reference to Pentagon concerns about "inter-space war with a major power". This is code lingo to Congress that the aerospace industry wants more *$$$* for space warfare research, development, testing and deployment. The industry has long maintained that the space domination program will be the largest industrial project in world history necessitating a dedicated funding source. Some years ago ... more »

Yemen War News Updates -- July 2, 2015

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 10 hours ago
*Reuters:* *Civilians in Yemen's Aden struggle to survive fighting, shortages – Red Cross* *Civilians struggling to survive street battles and Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen's southern port city of Aden are also facing shrinking supplies of food and fuel, a senior official from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.Hunger and disease are threatening the 1 million residents of Aden, now a war zone caught between local militiamen and Houthi fighters, Bertrand Lamon told Reuters in Geneva."The general level of food stocks in Aden has been dramatically reduced b... more »

The Feds Will Collect Psychosocial Data On Your Child

RJ Moeller at The Stream - 10 hours ago
Government of the people and by the people should not plumb and manipulate our kids’ psychosocial date, especially when so many kids can still hardly read. Every year, hundreds of thousands of U.S. students take the National Assessment of Educational... The post The Feds Will Collect Psychosocial Data On Your Child appeared first on The Stream.

NASCAR Tracks to Fans: Don’t Fly Confederate Flag

Tom Sileo at The Stream - 10 hours ago
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR’s national series tracks announced Thursday that they are asking fans to refrain from displaying the Confederate flag at races following the deadly attack at a South Carolina church two weeks ago. The facilities vowed... The post NASCAR Tracks to Fans: Don’t Fly Confederate Flag appeared first on The Stream.

Yesterday's Event at Fukushima Daiichi

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 11 hours ago
What caused yesterday's event, visualized here from afar in a screenshot from the Futaba cam: Some commentators suggest that uranium gas is emerging from cracks in the ground as the melted corium under the Daiichi plant fissions in a seemingly endless dance of neutron feast and famine, as described by Potrblog (here). I simply lack the expertise to assess the situation fully. That said, I have assembled a growing body of facts reported by TEPCO, the Japanese Government, the media, and scientific authorities that support the following conclusions: 1. At least one of the melted co...more »

Mohawk Nation News 'All Hail the Killer Crown'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 11 hours ago
ALL HAIL THE KILLER CROWN Posted on July 2, 2015 Please post & distribute. Nia:wen. MNN. JULY 2, 2015. All those who took an oath to the CROWN are guilty of genocide of ongwe’hon:weh. All the wrongs to us and our mother have to be made completely right to the “satisfaction” of the Great Peace. These criminals and all those colonial settlers who are benefiting from the genocide must be

"Acute EU Dissatisfaction Syndrome"

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 11 hours ago
There was an interesting exchange a couple of days ago on *Today *between John Humphrys and the BBC's Europe editor, Katya Adler. Others have commented on this, but I'd just like to add a few thoughts of my own - and a full transcription. Let's start with the transcription: *John Humphrys*: Let me turn to our Europe editor, Katya Adler, who is also in Athens. And Katya, it was interesting that Mr Vemicos chose to talk about 70 years of the European Union bringing peace to the continent; in other words, talking in terms that seems to acknowledge, as a number of people do now, don... more »

A Look At China's Artificial Island Building Project At Sea Level

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 11 hours ago
*CBS:* *China: "Nothing to hide" on islands, but no peeking!* *As China continues to reclaim land in the South China Sea, the government is not allowing any reporters to see the islands, but CBS News correspondent Seth Doane got as close as any westerner might.A reef belonging to China is close to an atoll claimed by Vietnam, and not far from a shoal belonging to the Philippines.Pag-asa, claimed by China and inhabited by Filipinos is just 13-miles from Subi Reef, one of the islands the Chinese have been creating.China denied CBS News access to the artificial islands, which c... more »

World News Briefs -- July 2, 2015

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 11 hours ago
*Reuters*: *Greeks head toward Sunday vote in anger and confusion* *As Greece heads to a referendum on Sunday that could decide its future in the euro zone, long queues at cash machines have become the most potent symbol of the cost of the deadlock between the left-wing government and its international lenders.* *Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' rejection of what he terms the "blackmail" of EU and IMF creditors demanding spending cuts and tax hikes has so angered Greece's partners that there is no hope of reconciliation before Sunday's vote on the issue.* *MIDDLE EAST* Iraqi forc... more »

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 2, 2015

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 11 hours ago
*Voice of America:* *China Expands Military Facilities on Man-Made Islands* *China has nearly completed a military-length runway on one of the artificial islands it has built in the disputed South China Sea, according to satellite photos published by a maritime monitoring group.* *The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) says China continues to pave and mark the 3,000-meter airstrip, which analysts say is capable of accommodating any plane in China's air force fleet.* *Additional military facilities - including two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, a... more »

NATO: Alliance Concerned about Greek Crisis

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 11 hours ago
*6:55 p.m.* NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the military alliance is concerned about the financial turmoil in Greece, which is a member of the 28-nation group. Stoltenberg called Greece "a staunch ally and a committed ally" on Thursday. He said the Greek government stands by its "commitments in the alliance. This good for Greece and good for NATO." Speaking at a press conference in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, Stoltenberg said NATO was following European Union efforts "very closely" and that a solution to Greece's economic problems would be good for Greece, the EU a... more »

It’s a Progressive Disease

Ken Blackwell at The Stream - 11 hours ago
Do you feel like America has gone crazy? The Supreme Court’s outrageous decisions in the Obamacare and same-sex marriage cases, in which the Court simply ignored the plain meanings of words and the Constitution, and thumbed its nose at the... The post It’s a Progressive Disease appeared first on The Stream.

‘Extremely Unsettling’ Threat Spurs July 4th Security Boost

Tom Sileo at The Stream - 11 hours ago
U.S. law enforcement officials are boosting security measures ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, authorities said. More police are being deployed to prominent locations because of concerns of terrorist threats, including some from suspected ISIS supporters in the U.S.... The post ‘Extremely Unsettling’ Threat Spurs July 4th Security Boost appeared first on The Stream.

MH17 - The Big Western Lie--that keeps flying around the world

greencrow at Greencrow As The Crow Flies - 11 hours ago
*MH17 Wreakage* The other day I met with someone that I know and trust. We talked about quite a few things. Eventually, our conversation strayed over to an area that we seldom discuss...international geopolitics. Believe it or not, I rarely discuss geopolitics with my friends and family...for obvious reasons. My views are so "out there" that I've learned that most people cannot "handle the truth" and so don't go there. But during my conversation with 'T" we roamed around the current happenings and ended up on the topic of *MH17. * To my shock and horror...*T was convinced that ... more »

Introduction to double field theory 1/2

LuboÅ¡ Motl at The Reference Frame - 11 hours ago
*Guest blog by Olaf Hohm of MIT* First of all I would like to thank LuboÅ¡ for giving me the opportunity to write a guest blog on double field theory (previously mentioned here). This is a subject that in some sense is rather old, almost as old as string theory, but that has seen a remarkable revival over the last five years or so and that, as a consequence, has reached a level of maturity comparable to that of many other sub-disciplines of string theory. In spite of this, double field theory is viewed by some as a somewhat esoteric theory in which unphysical higher-dimensional space... more »

Who Makes the Cut for First GOP Presidential Debate?

Tom Sileo at The Stream - 12 hours ago
For GOP presidential candidates, winning the right to participate in the first debate on Fox News next month means they’ll have to be ranked as one of the top 10 contenders, but that ranking may well depend on which polls... The post Who Makes the Cut for First GOP Presidential Debate? appeared first on The Stream.

Philosopher Kings, Rings and Things

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 12 hours ago
*Zen Gardner* - In ancient days there were philosopher kings and queens, sages and wise councils who led, or rather encouraged, mankind. The post Philosopher Kings, Rings and Things appeared first on Waking Times.

Down to One

gail zawacki at Wit's End - 12 hours ago

LOW-COUNTRY CADENCES: Dr. King’s peculiar ideas!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 12 hours ago
*THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015Part 4—Community rather than tribe:* Dr. King was 28 when he wrote Stride Toward Freedom. (Five years later, he published the embarrassingly titled book, Strength to Love.) Stride Toward Freedom plainly *wasn’t* an eighth grade graduation address. Its author was a fully grown man who’d already had a wealth of experience. These experiences had helped him test his views. Example: At age 27, Dr. King’s home had been firebombed, in the night, with his wife and baby daughter inside. In response, Dr. King had made one of the most unusual public statements in A... more »

Chinese stocks tumble again, ignoring Beijing's blandishments

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 12 hours ago
Investors look at computer screens showing stock information at a brokerage house in Shanghai, May 26, 2015. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/02/us-markets-china-idUSKCN0PC06S20150702 Markets | Thu Jul 2, 2015 5:57am EDT *Chinese stocks tumble again, ignoring Beijing's blandishments* SHANGHAI | By Pete Sweeney Reuters/Aly Song *China stocks fell sharply again on Thursday, fighting off fresh moves by regulators to restore confidence and raising questions about how much more firepower Beijing can bring to bear before a full-scale panic sets in.* Shanghai's benchmark share index ... more »

Argentina: Cattleman Blames Herd Death on Chupacabras

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 12 hours ago
*Source: Informate Salta Date: 06.30.2015* *Argentina: Cattleman Blames Herd Death on Chupacabras* The cattleman, over the course of the weekend, visited his property located in the Cuña Muerta wilderness of Tartagal, discovering that two cows and two goats had been mysteriously slain. The four animals were missing their tongues and entrails, with no visible traces of blood. In his complaint to the police, the cattleman stated that the notorious character known as the Chupacabras could be to blame. [*The same news source reported another case last year, which appears below -- SC... more »

Scott Walker to Officially Enter 2016 Presidential Race

Tom Sileo at The Stream - 13 hours ago
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a preacher’s son who withstood a recall election spawned by his fight with public employee unions, is joining the crowded Republican presidential race, aides said. The 47-year-old Walker planned to file the... The post Scott Walker to Officially Enter 2016 Presidential Race appeared first on The Stream.

Links/Open Thread (Neoliberal Edition)

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 13 hours ago
*"Graft is a byword in American life today. It is law where no other law is obeyed. It is underminding the country. Virtue, honor, truth and the law have all vanished from our life."* -- Convicted mobster Al Capone, Liberty Magazine interview, Oct. 17, 1931. *** Puerto Rico needs debt relief *(New York Times)*: A bill allowing the territory's government to restructure its debt in bankruptcy court is currently before Congress, "but has not advanced due to the opposition of some hedge funds." (also see my previous post.) *** Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson claims that... more »

'Beyond Belief': Muhammed and Aisha

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 13 hours ago
Sahih al-Bukhari, 7:62:64 & 65 This week's *Beyond Belief *on Radio 4 was quite a bad-tempered affair at times. It featured two Muslim converts and an infidel, and the two Muslim converts were surprisingly rude on occasions to the infidel - historian Tom Holland. *(Ed - Fancy that! Who knew that Muslim converts could be so uptight and huffy?)* The programme discussed the Hadiths - the collected stories and traditions about Muhammed compiled after his death and held in high importance by Muslims. The programme's guests were (to cite the descriptions provided by the BBC): *Jonathan B... more »

First Look at Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs

RJ Moeller at The Stream - 13 hours ago
Writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) are bringing biographer Walter Isaacson’s best-selling study of Steve Jobs to life on the silver screen this fall. The aptly named Steve Jobs stars Michael Fassbender and Seth... The post First Look at Aaron Sorkin’s *Steve Jobs* appeared first on The Stream.

Israel - A Terror State

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 13 hours ago
- It is outrageous that Israel once again used its military to stop and board the most recent attempt to bring aid and solidarity to the people of Gaza. Pro-Palestinian activists aboard a Swedish vessel tried and failed to reach Gaza this week. The activists were detained and are being deported. - The United Church of Christ (UCC) announced on June 30 that the plenary of the 30th General Synod taking place in Cleveland passed Resolution #4, calling for boycotts and divestment from companies that profit from Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands. "I... more »

Girl, 15, arrested in east London over terror offence per BBC News

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 13 hours ago
The BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33368286 thus: 'A 15-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence.' What are the odds?

Violence On the Decline In Iraq

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 13 hours ago
June saw a slight uptick in attacks in Iraq, but casualties were lower than May. The majority of the violence during the month was in Baghdad, Anbar, and Salahaddin, which has been true for most of the year. There were also a large number of fatalities in Ninewa due to Islamic State executions. Overall, attacks have been steadily going down after the start of the year. Musings On Iraq counted 623 security incidents in June 2015. At the start of the month attacks were relatively low, but then began increasing towards the end, especially during the fourth week. There were an average ... more »

July 2: this will probably be a short blog because...

Graeme Decarie at The Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad - 13 hours ago
...I have to be at the shore at noon, sitting on a bluff overlooking either the salt water (if the tide's in) or the sandbars (if it's out) while I languidly eat a magnificent lunch, perhaps served to me by my granddaughter. Meanwhile, I have received a URL from a reader that is very timely because it illustrates a point I made yesterday. The news is not usually much help in understanding what's going on. To understand it, we need analysis to give it context and meaning. This one is exactly what I was talking about - an analysis offered by a person of very high qualifications in the ... more »

Russia Reacts To The Pentagon's 2015 Military Strategy

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and Defense Secretary Ash Carter brief the press at the Pentagon, July 1, 2015. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Hinton *Reuters*: *Russia calls new U.S. military strategy confrontational* *MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia denounced a new U.S. military strategy that accuses Moscow of failing to respect its neighbors' sovereignty as "confrontational" on Thursday, saying it would set back efforts to improve relations.* *The Pentagon has updated the U.S. National Military Strategy to take into account ch... more »

How Russia Handles Those Who Have Debt Problems

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
The region with the largest number of people unable to travel abroad due to unpaid debt is Sverdlovsk. Sergei Nikolayev / Vedomosti *Moscow Times:* *Millions Barred From Leaving Russia Due to Unpaid Debt* *More than 6 million Russians face bans on vacationing abroad this summer due to a law prohibiting anyone with more than 10,000 rubles ($180) in unpaid debt from leaving the country, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday.* *In accordance with Russian legislation, anyone who owes more than 10,000 rubles in unpaid bank credit, alimony, taxes, community service payments or fines i... more »

When Real Democrats Run Against Corporate Cutouts

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 14 hours ago
Voters in Wisconsin want to hear what Bernie has to say Not even the dual Republican clown shows of Chris Christie and Donald Trump are drawing anywhere near the crowds Bernie Sanders is bringing in. Even bolstered by Paul LePage on the eve of his impeachment isn't doing anything to make Christie look like a viable popular contender, and not even handing out $50 bills to pretend "supporters" is managing to do much for Trump. Last night Bernie spoke to a capacity crowd at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum (which the corporatists call the Alliant Energy Center) in Madison. People had war... more »

Baby Steps for Skynet

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 14 hours ago
Its started.

BBC to cut more than 1,000 jobs - not enough...

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 14 hours ago
These two areas of cuts in the BBC article struck me: 'Cutting out management layers, reducing management levels from up to 10 in places to seven Reducing management roles, bringing down the number of senior positions' What more can I say... More BBC navel gazing here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33363225

Is Armenia About To Have A Revolution?

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 14 hours ago
*Martin Vladimirov, OilPrice.com: **Could Armenia Be The Next Ukraine?* *When Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of the Russian Federation Council's International Relations Committee, said the protests in Armenia against a 16.7 percent power price hike follow a color revolution scenario sponsored by Western powers, many commentators rushed to compare the crisis in Yerevan with the 2014 protests in Kyiv that toppled the pro-Russian president, Victor Yanukovych.* *However, the street protests in Armenia have more to do with the overall economic situation in the country than with proxy ... more »

Honey Sesame Chicken

Seth R. Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 14 hours ago
It's hard to beat a craving for good Chinese food. Unfortunately, it's hard to find a good Chinese food place where we live. It's OK, you can feel sad for us. That being the case, we've learned to make many Chinese dishes of our own. Some are complex, but many like this Honey Sesame Chicken are simple, quick and easy and include ingredients that are familiar to most people. INGREDIENTS*Chicken Ingredients* 1½ lbs chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch pieces ½ cup flour ¼ cup cornstarch ½ tsp salt ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp paprika ½ tsp pepper ½ cup water *Honey Sauce Ingredients* ½ cup hon... more »

Carter: U.S. Most Warlike Country on Earth

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 15 hours ago
Former President Jimmy Carter: "We are the most warlike country on earth, we are a laggard in addressing the problem of global warming for instance, and we are now violating about ten of the thirty paragraphs in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is something we should look upon as opportunities or duties for the future." Generally good words from Carter but one key point he is wrong about - you can't have the biggest military in the world and at the same time be the "champion of peace". Those two things don't fit together.

Untitled

jonjayray at EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL - 15 hours ago
*UK: 100 extremists a year lecture at universities: Fanatics given a platform to spread hatred of the West despite ministers demanding crackdown on radicalism * Universities are providing a platform for more than 100 Islamist extremists every year, a disturbing report will reveal next week. The fanatics are being allowed to make speeches at leading academic institutions despite ministers calling for a crackdown on radicalism. The study says that more than 20 students who attended UK universities have been convicted of terrorism, or have lost their lives waging jihad in Syria. The... more »

Egypt Is Facing A Growing Islamic Insurgency

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 15 hours ago
*Bloomberg*: *Week of Islamist Militant Violence Lays Bare Threat Facing Egypt* *Egypt’s military said it was firmly in control of the Sinai peninsula after beating back the fiercest assault yet by Islamist militants behind a week of violence that has laid bare the growing threat facing the nation.* *The day-long battle between Egypt’s security forces and militants linked to the Islamic State on Wednesday left 17 soldiers and more than 100 jihadists dead, the military said in a televised statement. As fighting had unfolded, officials in Sinai said as many as 64 security personnel ... more »

Am I Bovvered?

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 15 hours ago
‘Why oh why’ are we so worried about the families who go to Syria allegedly to join Islamic State, (ISIL, ISIS, and/or Daesh)? The UK is still a free country isn’t it? If they want to join a Caliphate that’s their business and I don’t care. As long as they aren’t allowed come back as though nothing has happened, should they be in a position to try. “A family of 12 from Luton, including a baby and two grandparents, could have travelled to Syria after going missing, police have said. They have not been seen since 17 May after visiting their home country of Bangladesh. It is believed... more »

Active shooter navy yard...... here comes the false flag!!

D ... Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 15 hours ago
Active shooter navy yard...... here comes the false flag!! from my skype room: I'm calling this right now!! This is a false flag- listen to the interview- this guy is definitely a crisis actor- listen to his very calm recitation of the events, relaxed demeanour..... listen to the three different editing glitches where they've cut the video just slightly off by a second..... listen to the news guy say to him right at the end: "talk to you soon" Click the link to watch the video (sorry, can't embed it here) and see the photos. http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/07/02/active-shoo... more »

Untitled

JR at GREENIE WATCH - 15 hours ago
*The church of global warming* *The new rosary: "Hail warming, full of grace, blessed art thou among climates and blessed is the fruit of thy womb panic"* In his latest offering, conservative Australian cartoonist ZEG is unhappy with the Pope's backing of what Zeg insists on calling "anthropological" global warming. Zeg seems to be a bit of a Latinist too. That gobbledegook above the Pope's head in the toon is not dog Latin but real Latin. It translates as, "The crack-brained poison of Rome". *Radiation hormesis rediscovered* *Panic merchants of all kinds insist that har... more »

Alone At Last

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 15 hours ago
http://www.quickmeme.com/ Stephen Harper's allies are abandoning him. At last count, 46 of the 166 Conservatives who rode into Ottawa in 2011 have left the Harper stable. Andrew Coyne writes: It isn’t just the half-dozen ministers who have, just months before the election, announced their retirements, in some cases (John Baird) without so much as a day’s notice, in others (James Moore) without a word of acknowledgment from the prime minister. It isn’t the two dozen other MPs who will not be running again, or the notable absence of star...more »

U.S. Congress considers mandating vaccinations for all school children

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 16 hours ago
*something about the Disneyland-Measles Hoax seemed very serious to me, as I saw real quick how vicious that the BigPharma trolls were attacking, right from the get-go . . then we get the Mandatory Vaccination Bill that passes in California . . NO EXEMPTIONS ALLOWED, except for "medical" reasons, as if a doctor is going to risk their precious career writing them - I mean, the word is, even a child who has already had vaccine damage will not be considered medically exempt from the next round of poison dictated for them by these medical fascists . . then, 3rd “Alternative” Prominent ... more »

What’s the Difference Between Juicing and Blending?

WTStaff at Waking Times - 16 hours ago
*Infographic - *Here's a comprehensive comparison of the differences between juicing and blending, along with some tips to make better juices and smoothies. The post What’s the Difference Between Juicing and Blending? appeared first on Waking Times.

Sphere Alliance Message #7

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 16 hours ago
As received by Denise... Another message today: 1 July 2015 *A question: Why the rain in Pennsylvania?* *It is the purification of the aquifers of Gaia so damaged by mining and drilling. Yes the overabundance of rain is annoying to some, but it too shall pass and all will be well. Think of it as a long, well deserved shower for a very tired, dirty worker who is extremely exhausted and overworked. That is all.* *When will you appear in the sky?* *We are already in the sky. You do not see us yet. Your perception is not yet fine tuned. Sometimes we feel like an overlooked su... more »

Globalist Agenda Watch 2015: Update 51 Guess who’s running the new BRICS Bank

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 17 hours ago
http://redefininggod.com/2015/07/globalist-agenda-watch-2015-update-51-guess-whos-running-the-new-brics-bank/ *Globalist Agenda Watch 2015: Update 51 – Guess who’s running the new BRICS Bank * While examining Eastern press reports of the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum for news that went largely unnoticed in the West, I came across a Greek Reporter article titled Greek PM Tsipras Meets with Gazprom Chief, BRICS Delegation in St Petersburg. It contained this telling section… *«* *also met with representatives of the new development bank for BRICS countries,... more »

Girl Power

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 17 hours ago
I’ll tell you what you want what you really really want. Yesterday’s Woman’s Hour was devoted to a poll. Which lucky lady would the listeners choose as the most influential woman of the year? Last year the ‘winner’ was Doreen Lawrence, and to save you the agony of suspense, this year’s winner was Nicola Sturgeon. That’s the kinda poll it is. The only surprise was the inclusion of the admirable Camilla Cavendish. She was next to, (one place lower than) Katherine Viner, Editor-in-chief of the Graun, Alan Rusbridger’s replacement and rabid anti-Israel campaigner. None of the other ... more »

Economic News , Data and Views ( July 2 , 2015 ) - Broader Europe & Asia In Focus ( Items of note from Italy , Spain EZ in general , China ) ..... Greece - center of universe these days , in focus ( Items touching on the Referendum , state of play of domestic & international politics / creditor talks , polling and more ! )

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 17 hours ago
Broader Europe & Asia ..... *Holger Zschaepitz* ‏@Schuldensuehner 4h4 hours ago The #eurozone has underperformed since the single currency launched. http:// ind.pn/1FT7PIR [image: Embedded image permalink] - *Ansa English News* ‏@ansa_english 30m 30 minutes ago Obama, Renzi talk about Greece, terrorism in call: Leaders stress need for close coordination http://bit.ly/1KuGdAr *Ansa English News* ‏@ansa_english 15h 15 hours ago Renzi meets Merkel amid hopes: Premier tells Athens to respect rules, adopt reforms http://bit.ly/1f1Rqge *The Spain Report* ‏@thespai... more »

Leaked: TPP Will Establish International Court Allowing Corporations to Sue States, Taxpayers

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 17 hours ago
[image: Ghostgen] 01 Jul 2015 From Wikileaks: WikiLeaks releases today the “Investment Chapter” from the secret negotiations of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreement. The document adds to the previous WikiLeaks publications of the chapters for Intellectual Property Rights (November 2013) and the Environment (January 2014). The TPP Investment Chapter, published today, is dated 20 January 2015. The document is classified and supposed to be kept secret for four years after the entry into force of the TPP agreement or, if no agreement is reached, for four years from the close ... more »

Exclusive: Latest Details on Kongsberg NSM-SL (Submarine Launch) Weapon System

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 18 hours ago
[image: Sublaunched Naval Strike Missile]Kongsberg is still working on a submarine launched variant of its Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and is cooperating with Babock and Nammo for this project. The information was confirmed to Navy Recognition by a Kongsberg official. We first revealed the existence of this project last year during Balt Military Expo, a maritime defense exhibition held every two years in Poland. Norway is fully funding the development of JSM (Joint Strike Missile), an air-launched version of NSM (Naval Strike Missile). The JSM will provide F-35 and other fighter airc... more »

Austal's Littoral Combat Ship 6 Completes Acceptance Trials

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 18 hours ago
[image: USS Jackson (LCS-6)]Austal Limited is pleased to announce that Littoral Combat Ship 6 (LCS 6), the future USS Jackson, has successfully completed US Navy acceptance trials. The trials, the last significant milestone before delivery, were undertaken in the Gulf of Mexico and involved comprehensive testing of the vessel’s major systems and equipment by the US Navy. Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said it was pleasing that acceptance trials on LCS 6 had been successfully completed. Read more

"...and that would not preserve the BBC's impartiality"

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 18 hours ago
Some newspaper headlines aren't being entirely fair to the BBC in implying that Tony Hall said the corporation must be "fair" with Islamic State - I can't see the word "fair" or "unfair" anywhere in Lord Hall's reply to Conservative MP Rehman Chishti - and yet the words "fair" and "unfair" are the very ones which are doing the rounds and causing the BBC some problems (see, for example, the comments threads below the *Times *and *Telegraph *articles). [I know. Your heart must be bleeding for them too]. What the BBC Director-General actually wrote is that the word Da'esh is "a pejo... more »

Fincantieri and Finmeccanica were awarded the contract for one Amphibious Unit (LHD) for the Italian Navy

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
[image: 20.000t Multifunctional Ship]Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and reference player in the naval shipbuilding industry, and Finmeccanica, Italy’s leading manufacturer in the high technology sector, have been awarded the contract for the construction and equipment of one multipurpose amphibious unit (LHD) for the Italian Navy. The total value of the contract is over 1.1 billion euros, with Fincantieri’s share amounting to approx. 853 million euros and Finmeccanica's to about 273 million euros. The delivery of the unit is scheduled in 2022. The con... more »

Russia to deploy 1st Bastion silo-based coastal missile system in Crimea by 2020

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
[image: Bastion (Club=K) missile system]Russia will deploy its first Bastion silo-based surface-to-ship missile system in Crimea to cover the Black Sea area within the next five years, a source with the Russian Navy main staff told Interfax-AVN on Thursday. "The first Bastion silo-based surface-to-ship missile system will be deployed in Crimea within the next five years. It will use both the currently existing Yakhont anti-ship [missiles] and prospected missile systems being developed at the moment, which will be capable of destroying any target in the Black Sea area," the source sa... more »

Australia to upgrade main air base in New South Wales

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
Australia's fleet of fighter planes will benefit from a 211-million-U.S. dollar redevelopment announced by the Australian government on Wednesday. Much of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base at Williamtown, near Newcastle in New South Wales, will be demolished or renovated as the facility is upgraded in time for delivery of 58 F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, beginning in late 2018. Williamtown is home to over half Australia's fighter aircraft, as well as the Wedgetail Airborne and Early Warning and Control Fleet. It directly employs 3,000 military and commercial pe... more »

Singapore To Upgrade F-16 Fighter With AESA Radar

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
[image: AN/APG-83 SABR AESA radar]The Singapore Air Force (RSAF) plans to upgrade its F-16 fleet with new Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar. The Electronically Scanned Array Radar represents a significant capability upgrade, extending the F-16's detection range and enabling the fighter aircraft to track and engage multiple targets at greater distances, RSAF announced Tuesday. The upgrade will also equip the F-16s with an all-weather, ground-attack capability, enabling it to strike targets with more capable precision munitions such as the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (L... more »

Live fire test sees F-16 shoot down a drone

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
Modern warfare is increasingly fought remotely. Unmanned drones fly over hostile locations monitoring the situation, or even attacking key targets. Inevitably, the use of such drones is going to spread, and there will be a need to take out enemy drones. Until we have the scary situation of drones fighting drones, we have F-16 fighter pilots. The video you see is of a live fire exercise over the North Sea where a Danish F-16 shoots down a remote drone in mid-air. The missiles being used are heat-seeking and radar-guided AIM types. During the test the pilot used the AIM-9L Sidewinde... more »

USAF conducts tests using E-3G AWACS during Exercise Northern Edge 2015

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
[image: E-3G Sentry]The US Air Force's (USAF) 964th and 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron (AACS) have conducted tests using E-3G airborne warning and control system (AWACS) during the Exercise Northern Edge 2015. During the test, AWACS surveyed 100 fighters, bombers and refuelling tankers in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. The mission included threat detection, improvisation, and air battle management. 964th AACS mission crew commander major Dan Sprunger said: "We provide the command and control of the aircraft. It's our job to oversee what's going on, and in-real time, ma... more »

Defence white paper: public repeatedly pushed for nuclear subs

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
[image: Virginia class SSN]The issue of whether Australia should operate nuclear-powered submarines was raised repeatedly during public consultations with the expert panel advising the Abbot­t government on its defence white paper. Defence Minister Kevin Andrews released in Perth yesterday a report on public attitudes compiled by the panel headed by the head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, Peter Jennings. Mr Jennings told *The Australian* the question most frequently asked by those concerned about the capability of the Australian Defence Force was why the n... more »

Pentagon says damning report of F-35 troubles ‘doesn’t tell the entire story’

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 19 hours ago
[image: F-35B Lightning II]The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the $400 billion futuristic jet program that so many love to hate, found itself, once again, in the crosshairs this week when a popular military blog published a report from a test pilot who apparently found its performance less than stellar. “Test pilot admits the F-35 can’t dogfight,” read the headline in War is Boring. “New stealth fighter is dead meat in air battle.” By now, after years of media beating up the most expensive weapons program in the history of the U.S. military, the Pentagon’s joint program office and Lockh... more »

U.S. Troops Feel Abandoned In Afghanistan

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 20 hours ago
*WND:* *U.S. troops in Afghanistan 'feel abandoned'* *Intel officer: 'We're essentially waiting for politicians to pull the plug'WASHINGTON – ISIS is beginning to extend its influence into Afghanistan, but the Obama administration no longer is giving the country priority, and the 10,000 American troops that remain are feeling abandoned, a U.S. intelligence officer has told Joseph Farah’s G2 BulletinThe officer, who is stationed in Afghanistan and has requested anonymity for security reasons, paints a bleak picture in a war zone that is apparently all but forgotten after a... more »

NATO navies should beef up against Russia: commanders

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: Shtorm CV]NATO should beef up its maritime arm in response to the rising threat from an increasingly "bold" and "aggressive" Russia, commanders said on Wednesday. The 28-member defense alliance's naval forces have in recent years focused on issues such as counter-terrorism and piracy, but speakers at a London conference said the group needed to prepare more to counter Russian military ambitions. "Russian international maritime presence has grown significantly in recent years, specifically since the Ukraine crisis erupted in 2014," senior NATO commander General Adrian Bradsh... more »

Boskalis wins EUR35 million Portsmouth dredging contract

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: TSHD Crestway]Dutch dredging major Royal Boskalis Westminster has been awarded a contract from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) of the UK Ministry of Defence for capital dredging of the approach channel to the port of Portsmouth. The contract is worth EUR35 million (USD39 million) and dredging is due to commence in 2H/2015. A Royal Navy base since 1194, Portsmouth is home to many of its surface ships, including destroyers, frigates, mine countermeasures, and fishery protection squadrons. Read more

Britain still arming Israel despite fear weapons will be used against Gaza

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: Hermes 900 UAS]The Government has been accused of ignoring its own evidence that British weaponry may have been used by Israel in its assault on Gaza last year after fresh arms deals worth £4m were approved by Britain within weeks of the conflict. Figures seen by The Independent reveal that the UK gave the go-ahead for dozens of military exports to Israel, including components for drones and air-to-surface missiles, in the immediate aftermath of Operation Protective Edge, which claimed more than 2,000 lives, including those of hundreds of Palestinian civilians. Campaigners... more »

Russia To Launch Bulava Ballistic Missiles In Military Exercises By End Of 2015

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: Bulava ICBM launch]Russia plans to perform several test launches of its Bulava ballistic missiles by the end of 2015, according to a report. The launches will occur just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the expansion of Russia’s nuclear arsenal in a move that sparked international criticism and NATO countermeasures. “Several launches are being planned by the end of the year,” a source within Russia’s Navy told Russian-owned Tass. The Bulava ballistic missiles will be launched from Russia’s Borey-class submarines, though additional information on the tes... more »

PLA to put five Type 094 ballistic missile subs into service

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: Type 094 (Jin) class SSBN]After a visit by a Chinese Type 039A Yuan-class diesel-electric submarine to the port of Karachi in Pakistan on May 22, the Times of India has said that the People's Liberation Army Navy will eventually put five Type 094 Jin-class ballistic missile submarines equipped with JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) into service. While the Indian Navy possesses only 13 conventionally powered submarines, China already has 51 diesel-electric and five nuclear-powered submarines and will put five Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic missi... more »

Japan subs option driven by politics not merit warns inquiry

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 20 hours ago
[image: Soryu class SSK]Japan's involvement in the Abbott government's $20 billion acquisition process for new submarines is driven by political imperative rather than merit and the current approach should be scrapped and replaced with a fairer limited tender, a parliamentary inquiry has found. The majority finding comes in the final report in to naval shipbuilding handed down by the Senate Economics Legislation References Committee on Wednesday The committee has taken evidence from naval shipbuilding experts across Australia for months. Read more

New Pacific Russian Nuclear Missile Submarine Facility Could Open by October

Ko Savonije at Naval Open Source INTelligence - 21 hours ago
Kamchatka Naval Base Upgrades to the Russian Navy’s ballistic nuclear missile submarine (SSBN) base in the Pacific could be completed by October, Russian Navy chief Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Wednesday according to Russian state-controlled media. The improvements to the Russian Navy’s boomer base on the Kamchatka peninsula will include improvements that will allow the operation of the new Project 955 Borei-class submarines. “The system for basing the Borei-class strategic submarines in Kamchatka is moving along according to schedule and the work will be completed by October 1 of ... more »

U.S. Will Not Permit The Arab States To Supply The Kurds With Heavy Weapons In Their War Against The Islamic State

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 21 hours ago
Asaib Ahl al-Haq Shi'ite militia fighters from the south of Iraq and Kurdish peshmerga forces walk with their weapons as they take control of Sulaiman Pek from the Islamist State militants, in the northwest of Tikrit city September 1, 2014. Reuters/Youssef Boudlal *The Telegraph*: *US blocks attempts by Arab allies to fly heavy weapons directly to Kurds to fight Islamic State* *Middle East allies accuse Barack Obama and David Cameron of failing to show strategic leadership in fight against Islamic State The United States has blocked attempts by its Middle East allies to fly h... more »

Free Planet - the global lending library - return it in as good a state as you borrowed it

Mike Philbin at Mike Philbin's free planet blog - 21 hours ago
*this represents knowledge as cherished asset.*this is not about getting a book/DVD back before they start imposing fines, this is about those self-centred fucks who keep a book/DVD out for longer than their alloted time or never bring it back. I'm talking about the for-profitists, the patent-protectists, the elite and their private armies of rampant global despotism. Did I go too far? Rare, I know, but I'll plod on, stoically... how can we help FREE PLANET replenish its seas, rewild its mountains, restock its plains so that there's a fair mix of grey vs yellow, a fair share of red... more »

The Hindu: an interview with Ed Witten

LuboÅ¡ Motl at The Reference Frame - 21 hours ago
A big portion of the world's string theorists gathered in Bengalúru, India last week. The local newspapers have published a couple of stories – e.g. about Ashoke Sen etc. One fresh interview in The Hindu is titled ‘Supersymmetry may show up at the new run of LHC’ Å ubaÅ¡rý Desikan has talked to Edward Witten who was introduced as the "world's only physicist who has won the Fields Medal". Much like in most interviews since 2006 or so, the first question was a deeply unoriginal one about the empirical character of string theory. Witten answered that physicists are interested in string t... more »

Israel's Army Chief For The North: Hezbollah Is In 'Strategic Distress'

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 21 hours ago
Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Director of the IDF Military Intelligence, Speaking at the 12th Annual Herzliya Conference in 2012. *Business Insider/Times of Israel:* *Senior IDF officer: Hezbollah is in 'strategic distress'* *Nine years after the Second Lebanon War, the army’s chief commander in the north said last week that a future round of fighting against Hezbollah will be conducted across two fronts.* *“It’s clear to me that the next campaign against Hezbollah will take place in Syria and in Lebanon,” said OC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi at an evening devoted to the sit... more »

"Washington is brewing armageddon. But Greece can save us. All the Greek people need to do is to support their government and insist that their government, the first in awhile to represent the interests of the Greek people, give the finger to the corrupt EU, default on the debt, and turn to Russia." -- Paul Craig Roberts

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 22 hours ago
------------------------------ *Greece Again Can Save The West — Paul Craig Roberts * ------------------------------ July 1, 2015 | Original Here Go here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter Paul Craig Roberts Like Marathon, Thermopylae, Plateau and Mycale roughly 2,500 years ago, Western freedom again depends on Greece. Today Washington and its empire of European vassal states are playing the part of the Persian Empire, and belatedly the Greeks have formed a government, Syriza, that refuses to submit to the Washington Empi... more »

Johnny Hazard : Marathon three-day protest at Bellas Artes in Mexico City

Thorne Dreyer at The Rag Blog - 22 hours ago
‘Plantón’ at cultural center plaza remembers 43 disappeared education students. By Johnny Hazard | The Rag Blog | July 2, 2015 MEXICO CITY — Nine months after the forced disappearance of 43 education students, a three-mile march culminated in the … finish reading Johnny Hazard : Marathon three-day protest at Bellas Artes in Mexico City

Nihigaal bee lina 'Dine' Warriors Take a Stand!'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 22 hours ago
. By Nihigaal bee lina Censored News We are 85 miles into the journey to Dibé Nistaa. We walked 5 days, rested 1, made ceremonial offerings 2 days and successfully pulled off 3 events. The hottest day we walked through was 106 degrees. Today we hid from the heat in a tunnel beneath the old highway 89 five miles outside of Bodaway/Gap. As we came into Gap, we walked into a rain

Why Recruits Flock To Join The Islamic State

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 22 hours ago
*Photo:* Captured Islamic State fighter Mohammed Ibrahim, photographed at a prison in Erbil, Iraq. Christian Werner/ DER SPIEGEL *Katrin Kuntz, Speigel Online*: *The Allure of the Islamic State: Money and Status Attract Fighters* *A bricklayer got a $60 a month raise by trading his construction tools for a Kalashnikov and becoming a soldier for the Islamic State. Subsidies and other benefits appear to be part of the holy war's allure for some.* *The prisoner enters the room with his eyes blind-folded, with stiff and uncertain steps. He's shaking and doesn't seem to know where he i... more »

On Radio Wehrwolf w/ Dion of Renegade Broadcasting

The Realist Report at The Realist Report - 23 hours ago
Earlier this evening, I was a guest on *Radio Wehrwolf with Dion*, which aired live on Renegade Broadcasting. In this rather informal, laid-back interview, Dion and I discussed the alleged shooting at a historic Black church in Charleston, South Carolina and the anti-White political and cultural agendas being promoted and advanced as a result. We delved into a number of related and unrelated topics as well. You can download the full program *here*.

Tensions Between China And Its Neighbors Continues To Grow Over The South China Sea

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
Map of Spratly Islands detailing occupation by neighboring countries, includes map of coral reefs. Reuters *Reuters*: *Images show Chinese airstrip on man-made Spratly island nearly finished * *China has almost finished building a 3,000-metre-long (10,000-foot) airstrip on one of its artificial islands in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, new satellite photographs of the area show.* *A U.S. military commander had told Reuters in May that the airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef could be operational by year-end, although the June 28 images suggest that could now be... more »

Russians Do Not Trust Americans And Americans Do Not Trust Russians

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*Washington Times: **Russians’ hatred for Americans is now turning lethal* *MOSCOW — Anti-Americanism is on the rise in Russia, and the consequences are sometimes lethal.Late last week, a 45-year-old Russian beat an acquaintance to death with his fists after a drinking session in Yaroslavl, a city some 160 miles from Moscow. The motive? The victim revealed he often traveled abroad, and his vodka-frazzled assailant told police that he thought he was neutralizing “an American spy.”This may be an extreme case, but attitudes toward the United States have never been worse in post-So... more »

US Distracted by Rainbows & Flags as Global Banking Meltdown Begins

WakingTimes at Waking Times - 1 day ago
*Hanzei E.* - The debt locomotive speeds towards us while we stand on the tracks, debating rainbows and flags. The post US Distracted by Rainbows & Flags as Global Banking Meltdown Begins appeared first on Waking Times.

Happy Canada Day To My Readers

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
I have been very busy today, celebrating Canada Day with family and friends... I just got in from a great party with lots of food and drink, and I figured I would send off this message to all of my Canadian readers.... Yes, it is Canada Day... One hundred and forty-eight years ago, the British Imperial government in London England passed into law the creation of the "Dominion of Canada" with full self governance for the first 4 provinces of Canada, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia... The "nation" of Canada was officially born.... Now 148 years later, the Canadian nat... more »

Gander, Pan-Am 103 and all the Guns & Heroin

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
"Gander Air Crash Inquiry May Shock" *by John Picton (from the "The Toronto Star", 1/28/90)* Shocking testimony will likely be heard at a planned inquiry into the Gander air crash to open in Washington next month. It will concern a set of mysterious coffin-size boxes said to have been put secretly on the plane. And it will be the result of detective work done by two private investigators who have looked into the crash -although their findings will describe two different scenarios. The plane, an Arrow Air DC-8, was carrying 248 U.S. service personnel and a crew of eight ... more »

Join the Bath Parade on July 4

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
PeaceWorks invites you to join with us in Bath on July 4 for what is told is the "largest parade in Maine". This year we will be using many props made by Natasha Mayers from Whitefield. We'll also have other props and banners proclaiming our theme of conversion of the war machine, climate change, and the need for real sustainable living on our Mother Earth. We'll meet at 9:30 am on the corner of Congress Ave & Lincoln St in Bath by the cemetery. We will be entry # 54 in the parade

World War III Is Becoming More Possible With Each Passing Day

War News Updates Editor at War News Updates - 1 day ago
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Max Fisher, VOX*: *How World War III became possible* *A nuclear conflict with Russia is likelier than you thinkIt was in August 2014 that the real danger began, and that we heard the first warnings of war. That month, unmarked Russian troops covertly invaded eastern Ukraine, where the separatist conflict had grown out of its control. The Russian air force began harassing the neighboring Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are members of NATO. The US pledged that it would uphold its commitment to defend those countries as if the... more »

Dare we dream of a day when we won't have The Donald to kick around anymore? (Soon, please!!!)

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*Macy's joins the ranks of companies cutting the cord* *Ooh, this isn't quite what The Donald said originally, is it?* *by Ken* There are mysteries that, even as the begin to fade from view, actually become more rather than less mysterious. As you may have noticed, a number of companies that have had business ties with Donald Trump have taken steps to extricate themselves from the unholy grasp since his bizarre, grotesque, repellent performance announcing his 2016 presidential candidacy. Bizarre *or* grotesque *or* repellent Corporate America can live with. Possibly even any two ... more »