Tuesday, May 28, 2013

28 May - Blogs I'm Following

Nancy PelosiNancy Pelosi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  11:35am MDST

 

Real-time reports from the Washington Times!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 4 minutes ago
*TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013* *It happened in Benghazi:* Scripted within an inch of her life, Sharyl Attkisson was deeply confused in a recent C-Span appearance. Attkisson just didn’t get it! She couldn’t *imagine* where people ever got the idea that a spontaneous demonstration had occurred in connection with the deadly Benghazi attack. Nor could she see how that stupid YouTube video ever got into the story. It must have been a giant deception! Cooked up by Hillary Clinton! Right from the very first night! Attkisson was either lying or she’s just crazy—you can take your pick. Her C-Span... more »

No Available Fix for Politician Paranoia

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 28 minutes ago
I highly recommend a post by Ezra Klein today about money in politics. He's following up on an earlier item he did about money in the 2012 election cycle being overhyped; today he's taking on criticisms of that one. It's excellent: he doesn't back down on the basic point that the "campaign finance community" (as he puts it) overstates, and often dramatically overstates, the importance of campaign finance. One topic he covers, however, is one where I've become increasingly pessimistic over time: the way that raising money eats into the lives of elected officials. It's something that ... more »

Blue America Welcomes Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 35 minutes ago
You may have noticed that lately, the noisy right-wing Hate Machine has decided to take a little energy out of their stream of hatred and calumny usually reserved for Nancy Pelosi, to focus it on Keith Ellison (D-MN). After all, Keith, a very outspoken and articulate co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and only 49, will be in Congress long after Pelosi, 73, retires. Sean Hannity has declared a right-wing crusade against Ellison and spends an inordinate amount of energy smearing him. We've tried to have Keith's back. And today at 1pm (Central Time), 11am on the West C... more »

CEA Chair

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 40 minutes ago
Rumor has it that my friend and former student Jason Furman will be the next chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. If true, that is great news. Jason is smart, knowledgeable, and sensible. He does not come to the job with as long an academic track record as other recent picks, but he has far more policy-relevant experience and expertise.

Israel threatens to strike Russian missile shipments to Syria

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 42 minutes ago
*Link * *Israel’s* defence minister on Tuesday signalled that his military is prepared to strike shipments of advanced Russian weapons to Syria, in a rare implied threat to Moscow. Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon issued his warning shortly after a top Russian official said his government reserves the right to provide Syria with state-of-the-art S-300 air defence missiles. Israel has been lobbying Moscow to drop the sale, fearing the missiles would upset the balance of power in the region and could slip into the hands of hostile groups, including the Lebanese militant Hezbollah, a clo... more »

Another taste of test abstention data

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 42 minutes ago
As we continue to sift through the data from the survey, I wanted to offer the reader another taste. Here’s the list of tests refused this year. Now, I’ve learned two things from this. One, a great variety of assessments. And two, are you kidding me? How many products do we need and how much […]

Let's Talk Bodychecking

Catelli at Not Quite Unhinged - 43 minutes ago
This post is written by someone that has never played organized ice hockey. I barely watch the sport anymore. So if that kind of person talking about changing hockey pisses you off, I suggest you leave now. Hockey Canada has banned the practice of bodychecking in peewee hockey. If the numbers in this Ottawa Citizen article are to be believed (only because they are so striking) every year 12% of

El mono aquatico y su hermano perdido

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 1 hour ago
Tiene sentido? La hipotesis de que la raza humana una vez estuvo la mayoria de su tiempo en la orilla del mar y que por eso nosotros perdimos el exceso de pelo y aprendimos a caminar recto tiene su validez. La otra razon por la cual tiene su es la conveniencia que tiene el agua en lo del aseo personal, no es lo mismo limpiar el fondillo con una hoja y arena que agua aunque esa agua sea agua salada... El hecho de que aprendimos a caminar erecto y los gluteos maximus frotan al caminar...Que hicieron los primeros homoerectus cuando defecaban y las bacterias digestivas enpezaban a irr... more »

Jabberwocky

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 hour ago
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought. And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! and through and through The vorpal blade... more »

Justin Trudeau Steps Into A Pile Of Stinky 'Senate' Crap ......

leftdog at Buckdog - 1 hour ago
** *"We have 24 senators from Quebec and there are just six from Alberta and British Columbia. It's to our advantage. To want to abolish it is demagoguery ... We'll have to improve it."* *Justin Trudeau, Leader* *Liberal Party of Canada* *As more and more Canadians come around to the position of Canada's New Democrats on the unelected Senate ... guess what Justin Trudeau decides to spring on his party faithful?* *The political columnist with the Regina Leader-Post is bang on with today's offering:* *Trudeau lets PM off Senate hook* *"It must be reassuring to federal Conservative... more »

Taking Liberalism on Intervention Seriously: a 12-Step Program

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 1 hour ago
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Tim Dunne. He is Research Director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect at the University of Queensland and the past editor of the European Journal of International Relations. tl;dr warning: ~2400 words. In a recent lively and provocative post, Stephen Walt argues that liberal imperialists are like ‘neocons’ only more human rights-friendly. They Continue reading

In Defence of the Indefensible?

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 1 hour ago
The website of the English Defence League is an ugly sight. The graphics are decidedly Nazi-like, with the red cross of St. George looking disturbingly like the Iron-cross. For an outfit that claims to be fighting religiously-inspired intolerance, including but not limited to: *“**the denigration and oppression of women, the molestation of young children, the committing of so-called honour killings, homophobia, anti-Semitism” *you’d probably think they’d make an effort to sanitise their symbols and liberate their logo. Unsurprisingly, from their inception, the EDL have been writt... more »

Five Teens Reveal Debilitating Stories After Getting HPV The Vaccine by Rachel Porter

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 hour ago
Five teens reveal their debilitating stories after getting HPV vaccine by Rachel Porter, Daily Mail Food Freedom, 28 May, 2013 It has been hailed as the wonder jab that will prevent thousands of young women suffering the same terrible fate as Jade Goody. But as parents across Britain rush to have their daughters vaccinated, others are adamant that it has triggered alarming side-effects… *Below are the pictures and names of the six dears sacrificed for Corporate profits and under the pictures will be the link to their story from my source:* ** ** *Jade Goody supported calls to lo... more »

America Is Finished: 40 Statistics About The Fall Of The US Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 2 hours ago
I am indeed worried about where the economy here in Canada is going these days... Here in central Canada, there are less and less people purchasing big ticket items, and although most of the local shopping malls are full of people, few are actually buying anything! It does seem that there are indeed fewer Canadian dollars to go around, and the result is a severely weakening economic outlook here.....They call it a "recession" but I am leaning now on it being more of a full scale DEPRESSION! But what is happening in Canada right now is NOTHING compared to the complete mess that the ... more »

My 10 Favorite Picture Books

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 2 hours ago
My little girl loves to read. We read every day and if she had her way, we would read these 10 books over and over again. We have read these books so often that I have most of them memorized, my husband has some of them memorized and even my 4-year-old has a few of them memorized too. Here are our favorite picture books to read as a family with links to help you find them. Linking up to The Broke and the Bookish. Pinkalicious- My little girl is obsessed with this book, about a little girl who loves pink so much that she eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink. We love this boo... more »

To those who deny that the Nazis killed millions in Concentration Camps and/or who say the Israelis keep the Palestinians in concentration camps

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 2 hours ago
This is a short Pathe news piece about the opening up of some of the concentration camps at the end of the Second World War. If you watch nothing else, watch from 4:02 onwards to see what real concentration camp inmates look like. Here's two stills that I have posted before of dead Jews in concentration camps By way of contrast, here's the food available in Gaza

THE TURKEY-SYRIA CONNECTION

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago
The Global Network was represented at a peace conference in Turkey at the end of April. GN leaders Dave Webb (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the UK) and Agneta Norberg (Swedish Peace Council) are featured in this short video from that conference.

Black Comedy for Terror Tuesday

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 2 hours ago
From the Department of the Unintentionally Hilarious comes this observation from Senator Lindsey Graham on President Obama's ballyhooed Pivot to Peace: *At the end of the day,this is the most tone-deaf president I ever could imagine, making such a speech at a time when our homeland is trying to be attacked literally every day.* So here we have the top Congressional proponent of endless war on the global battlefield admitting that there is such a thing as blowback. And he actually wants it! By raining down drones from the skies, America is recklessly making itself a target for more ... more »

A War Without Name Is A War Without Meaning - Bacevich

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 2 hours ago
Retired U.S. Army colonel turned professor, Andrew Bacevich, says, when it comes to warfare, "*a rose by any other name*" just doesn't cut it. Bacevich tries on several names for the war of the past decade, looking for a proper fit. Here are his options - *The Long War; The War Against Al-Qaeda; The War For/Against/About Israel; The War For the Greater Middle East; the War Against Islam; and, perhaps by default, The Eternal War*. *Names bestow meaning. When it comes to war, a name attached to a date can shape our understanding of what the conflict was all about. To specify whe... more »

Rumours - NOT by Fleetwood Mac

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 2 hours ago
Oh dear, it looks as if certain sections of the media - old and new - never learn. Rumours that the violent attack on a prison officer at HMP Full Sutton had been led by Parviz Khan - a Muslim extremist found guilty of plotting to behead a British soldier - have been splashed by several newspapers and, inevitably, many on Twitter and, unfortunately, also on blogs followed suit. The Ministry of Justice press office, however, then put out this categorical statement on Twitter: *MoJ Press Office ‏@MoJPress 4hr* *Individual named by media in connection with incident at HMP Full Sutton... more »

A lesson in reform from, of all places, The Princess Bride

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 hours ago
Yesterday evening, I was thinking. Not too hard. But I was reminded of this classic scene from The Princess Bride. It’s a longer excerpt, but a good one. Read it, I’ll meet you at the bottom. “Pour the wine,” said the man in black. Vizzini filled the two goblets with deep-red liquid. The man in […]

Teachers College Convocation Turns into Protest Against Corporate Enablers,Tisch and Fuhrman

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 2 hours ago
I am just back from a weekend off and delighted to see a forwarded email on the Teachers College Convocation/Student Protest May 21. As you can see, the protest was quiet but very powerful, as these photos indicate (click to enlarge). This is the proudest I have been in a long time to be associated […]

Why Not Buy the Chinese Version Just Like Wal-Mart Does?

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 2 hours ago
A confidential Pentagon report leaked to the *Washington Post* accuses hackers of stealing the designs of many of America's most advanced weapons systems. *Experts warn that the electronic intrusions gave China access to advanced technology that could accelerate the development of its weapons systems and weaken the U.S. military advantage in a future conflict.* * * *Some of the weapons form the backbone of the Pentagon’s regional **missile defense for Asia, Europe and the Persian Gulf. The designs included those for the advanced Patriot missile system, known as PAC-3; an Army syste... more »

Iraq’s Protest Movement Splits Over Federalism

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 3 hours ago
Since December 2012 there have been demonstrations throughout Anbar, Ninewa, Diyala, Tamim, and Salahaddin provinces over the perceived marginalization of Sunnis by the central government. Since that time the protesters have faced many divisions over leadership and tactics. That continues to the present day with the issue of federalism, being the newest point of contention within the movement. Raising the issue of federalism at Friday prayers in Fallujah has led to two clashes in May 2013 (*AP*) The issue of whether to make Sunni provinces of Iraq their own federal regions has bec... more »

PBS NEWSHOUR VIDEO: Iraq Attacks Are Worst Insurgent Violence In Years

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 3 hours ago
Watch Iraq Attacks are Worst Insurgent Violence in Years on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

The Highs on Wall Street are Hocus Pocus

2old2care at Because I Can - 3 hours ago
Hocus Pocus Slight of Hand Prestidigitation Flim Flam Remember hearing or reading something like this? The subprime mess has triggered the most destructivefinancial crisis since the stock market crash of 1929. It’s not surprising, then, that the hunt is on for culprits. And for many, there’s no reason to look beyond financial derivatives in general, and credit derivatives in particular. Or something like this? 600,000,000,000,000? *Oct 17, 2008 8:00 PM EDT* If some banks are too big to fail, $600 trillion has become the number too big to question. That's $600,000,000,000,000—the ... more »

Who will inspect the inspectors general?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 3 hours ago
*TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013* *We believe Abraham Lincoln said that:* Yesterday morning, we did a spit take at the bagel joint. The cause of our lapse was a front-page report in the New York Times. Confessore and Luo reported on the way conservative groups (and others) seeking tax-exempt status were spindled and mutilated by the IRS. We aren’t experts on this matter, but we thought the reporters began to get inside some of the paradoxes involved in this issue. We were especially struck by this pushback against Inspector General George, who has been cast in the hero role in this heavily n... more »

WHO IS SHARYL ATTKISSON: She may want your millions, mister!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 4 hours ago
*TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013* *Part 2—In search of employment from Fox:* At this point, is CBS TV star Sharyl Attkisson pursuing employment at Fox? We’d give at least even money. The story began on April 12, when Politico’s Dylan Byers reported that Attkisson was “in talks to leave CBS News ahead of contract.” Sources were citing “disputes between Attkisson and network executives, including CBS Evening News executive producer Patricia Shevlin,” Byers reported. He said specifics about the dispute were not available. On May 8, the Washington Post offered a full-length profile of Attkisson,... more »

Progress Map of Marijuana Laws

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
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Adventures in Grocery Shopping: When Food Isn’t Food

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
*Here are just a few examples in the (ever-growing) ‘Food Not Fit to Eat’ category.* Aaron Dykes and Melissa Melton In what is sure to be a continuing series,TruthstreamMedia.com documented just a few stand out items while browsing through the grocery store. There were lots of healthy, organic choices, as well as lots of other … stuff. Let’s face it! It’s a target rich environment: food just isn’t food anymore. That is, the stuff being marketed to us all under an endless array of recognizable brand names and beneficial-sounding buzz terms. We could probably choose an item at random... more »

Obama at Annapolis

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
Stephen Lendman Obama represents the worst of rogue leadership. He's a war criminal multiple times over. He's guilty of numerous other crimes. He belongs in prison, not high office. On May 24, he addressed Naval Academy graduates. Why any showed up they'll have to explain. So does why those doing so didn't diss him. The 2013 graduates include 1,047 men and women. Nearly three-fourths are navy ensigns. The others are marine lieutenants, three air force ones, and 16 foreign exchange students. Midshipmen are required to take an Oath of Office, stating: Having been appointed a midsh... more »

In The Internet Age, Do We Need Representative Government? Is Congress Out of Date?

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
Don't people already vote electronically? Brandon Pierce From when we are small children in Social Studies class, we are conditioned to understand the system of government that oversees the spending of our paychecks, the creation and enforcement of our laws, and the actions that the military takes on our behalf. Representation is the concept behind it that is touted as the greatest sign of a democratic and free society. You know the old war cries. Taxation without Representation! Well, our system of government works on a system of representation. How many of us think about what th... more »

Where are Your Fed Tax $$ Being Spent?

2old2care at Because I Can - 4 hours ago
A *new web site on WhiteHouse.gov* let's you calculate where your personal tax dollars will be spent. It gives you a dollar by dollar report by category of where your Federal taxes will be spent. It is located *here*: http://www.whitehouse.gov/2012-taxreceipt Look at each one of the catergories listed. The categories listed add up to 100%. EVERY single one of them is being CUT by the RepubliCONS- except national defense. EVERY single one of them is being decimated by the RepubliCONS - yet you and I keep paying in our taxes. It is interesting to me that one half of a one percent is ... more »

‘See Something, Say Something’: DHS Pushes Fear on Indy 500

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
Melissa Melton Homeland Security is quickly taking over all our major sporting events. What’s next? Shopping malls? Hospitals? Grocery stores? (Terrorists gotta eat, after all). Your porch? The TSA has caught a lot of terrorists you know (or none ever). *MELISSA MELTON is a co-founder of TruthstreamMedia.com where this video first appeared. She is an experienced researcher, graphic artist and investigative journalist with a passion for liberty and a dedication to truth. Her aim is to expose the New World Order for what it is — a prison for the human soul from which we must break... more »

Lindsey Graham's Homosexuality And... Syria

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 4 hours ago
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is, in essence, one thing above all else-- a self-loathing, closeted homosexual whose fear of exposure motivates everything else in his miserable life. Lindsey Graham should not be in the Senate or in government service at all. He is obsessed with his own homosexuality. His life in the dark, dank closet, trembling with fear that "the rednecks" will find out, has made him a practiced liar and has stoked a severe mental illness. He doesn't know the truth from the lies any longer. Last week we saw the tremendous damage this gay person is doing to the LGBT commun... more »

‘Common Core’ Nationalizes and Dumbs Down Public School Curriculum

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
Dees Illustration Dr. Ron Paul In addition to shredding civil liberties, launching a utopian global war for democracy, and going on a spending spree that would make LBJ blush, the so-called “conservative” Bush administration dramatically increased federal control over education via the “No Child Left Behind” act. During my time in Congress I heard nothing but complaints about this law from teachers, administrators, and, most importantly, students and parents. Most of the complaints concerned No Child Left Behind’s testing requirements, which encouraged educators to “teach to the t... more »

Trumped charges against Cyprus revealed ! Will the Bank of Cyprus emerge from Administration by the end of July or is this a pipe dream ?

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/05/more-on-the-trumped-up-charges-against-cyprus.html TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 More on the Trumped-Up Charges Against Cyprus As readers may recall, the Eurozone decided to make an example of Cyprus by using it to set the precedent of raiding deposits to fund a bailout (query: is a self-bailout even properly called a bailout?). Admittedly, if you are going to let your banking sector get to be 800% to 900% of GDP, you had better be sure your banks have really good assets and lots of equity, and the authorities look to have been remiss in that regard. An... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 4 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Gordon Willis, 82. And some good stuff, which certainly isn't what I would have called that new Star Trek movie. Wow, what a clunker... 1. Correlation, or causation? Close call -- from Chris Blattman. 2. I think Paul Krugman is essentially correct on differences right now between liberals and conservatives -- and that it's not an inherent difference, but one that happens to be the case now, essentially through (in my view) historical accident. 3. On the Monkey Cage: David Schleicher on the direct election of US Senators. Interesting. 4. And Monica Gray brings us ... more »

How the Shadow Government Took Over

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
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OKINAWA SAME STORY

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 4 hours ago
Video on Okinawa visit by Peace Nomad. Last February, some South Korean people, including Peace Nomad, led by Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyeon visited the fields of struggle opposing US bases in Okinawa. It included Futenma AFB, Henoko, and Takae. “In that fields struggling for peace, we met another Gangjeong and people of Okinawa who have same mind with us.”

Ford Nation and Obamabots

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 4 hours ago
"Ford Nation" (the amorphous group of ignorant yahoos who believe that taxation is evil and that public services they like should be free and who therefore like ignorant yahoo Rob Ford) stands fairly firm at 25% of the Toronto electorate. This is even after their hero is accused of having been video recorded smoking crack with the gangsters that Ford Nation and its daily gospel the *Toronto Sun* refer to as the scum of the earth for the violence and mayhem and human suffering they cause. If they were paying attention, they'd know that the Toronto Star, the Globe & Mail and the Natio... more »

The attempt to destroy the individual

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 5 hours ago
Jon Rappoport “What is finished is the idea that this great country is dedicated to the freedom and flourishing of every individual in it. It’s the individual that’s finished. It’s the single, solitary human being that’s finished. It’s every single one of you out there that’s finished. Because this is no longer a nation of independent individuals. It’s a nation of some two hundred odd million transistorized, deodorized, whiter-than-white, steel-belted bodies, totally unnecessary as human beings and as replaceable as piston rods.” — Howard Beale, in Paddy Chayefsky’s 1976 film, *Ne... more »

ALEC Legislators - Mercenaries in the War on Public Good

2old2care at Because I Can - 5 hours ago
There’s an excellent read on *Common Dreams* this morning by John Atcheson: *In Memoriam: Putting American Democracy on Sale* There’s an all-out assault on the public sector. Unions are being busted; public programs are being starved into incompetence and that incompetence is being used as justification for further assaults on the credibility and effectiveness of the pubic sector. This two step has been used against the post-office, teachers, firefighters, transportation workers—anyone in the public sector. And under the guise of “necessary” austerity (in a time of rapidly shrin... more »

Israeli Government in trouble and facing collapse over Ultra - Orthodox conscription issue

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
http://www.juancole.com/2013/05/orthodox-conscription-government.html Could Ulra-Orthodox Conscription issue bring down the Israeli Government? Posted on 05/28/2013 by Juan Cole Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist, secular Yesh Atid party, has threatened to withdraw from the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu unless a proposed bill is passed into law that would conscript most young men from the Haredi or Ultra-Orthodox community into the Israeli army. Many in the far right wing Likud Party are reluctant to takes this step. In parliamentary systems... more »

Now Is The Time

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 5 hours ago
From the day he took power, Stephen Harper -- like Rob Ford -- has viewed the parliamentary press corps as maggots. Edward Greenspon writes in the*Toronto Star *: When he came into office, Harper threw out long-held rules of government-press engagement. He sowed fear and showed favouritism. Access was severely restricted and doled out based on perceived friendliness of given journalists. Public servants were forbidden from providing background on serious policy matters. A system was introduced by which the PMO, rather than the gallery, decided who could ask questions at press conf... more »

Hey Monsanto, Did You Hear That?

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 5 hours ago
Dylan Charles This past Saturday, May 25th, 2013, millions of people worldwide publicly protested against Monsanto, the corporation that has become the driving force and the figure head behind the effort to monopolize control of food and to genetically modify staple crops to become dependent on toxic chemicals. This may have been the largest ever unified protest against a single company, which is a monumental achievement for the movement against GMO’s, against seed patents and for the labeling of foods and products made with genetically modified ingredients. Protesting against Mo... more »

Thought you'd get free care if you fell sick in Spain?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 5 hours ago
Apparently not, as 'Britons held hostage by foreign hospitals', EHIC or not. http://www.th-eu-nit.com/index.php/articles/2346-thought-youd-get-free-care-if-you-fell-sick-in-spain-britons-held-hostage-by-foreign-hospitals

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 5 hours ago
*Have You Followed Sean Payton’s New Twitter Account Yet? ~Saints Tailgate* *Large eyesores wearing on Algiers neighbors ~Allen Powell, The Advocate * *Lakefront visitors anxious for end to construction projects, detours ~WWLTV * *No increase in New Orleans area rents seen, despite insurance worries * *The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Budgeting The River ~Bob Marshall, WWNO* *jewel bush: Adventures in local eating* *Sweet Dreams Popup Menu ~Nola Smokehouse* *Jimmy’s Music Club may be on its way back to presenting live music ~Uptown Messenger*

The Humanoid Conspiracy

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 5 hours ago
*The Humanoid Conspiracy* is the latest addition to the *INEXPLICATA*library at Scribd.com - a compilation of all the humanoid / CE3K writings we have published over the years in a more readily accessible format - and a conmemoration of the 40-year gulf which separates us from 1973, "The Year of the Humanoids". *Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/144137452/The-Humanoid-Conspiracy* Inexplicata Podcasts covering items from UFO / paranormal history in Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean

Heuristic ideas about bounded prime gaps

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 6 hours ago
*Why Yitang Zhang's proof is probably far less fundamental than the claim* Yitang Zhang worked at Subway before he would land a mathematics job. And when he did, he wasn't publishing almost anything for years before he would offer a proof of something rather important weeks ago. That turned the name of the popular math instructor in New Hampshire into one of the most well-known names of number theorists in the world. Some increasingly popular links are: Bounded gaps between primes (Zhang's technical paper) ------------------------------ Philosophy behind the proof (Math Overflow) ... more »

Why does Israel shoot at members of the Press?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 6 hours ago
The answer, at least according to this video, is quite simple - Palestinian terrorists use the Press as cover. It is inconceivable that the British and American Media don't know that this goes on, so I can only assume that they don't report it because they are anti-Israel.

Stephen Walt on Israel, Palestine and the Need for Open Debate in U.S. Media

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 7 hours ago
Video Title: Stephen Walt on Israel, Palestine and the Need for Open Debate in U.S. Media. YouTube Video Description - [Channel: Middle East Policy Council. Published on May 1, 2013]: Dr. Stephen Walt (Professor of International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University) blames the "illegitimate" actions of the Israel lobby for stifling debate on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by repeatedly labeling critics of Israel as anti-Semitic and isolating them in the realm of politics, academia and the media. Despite the continued effectiveness of this strategy,... more »

Phils/Taiwan Take 7: Linkfest and Pocket Analysis edition

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 7 hours ago
*A road warrior weaves through rush hour traffic on a narrow Taipei street. Lovin' the new Sigma 17-70mm lens.* The Taiwan/Phils mess, some recent stuff.... - Ritual slaughter: David Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, "grilled" by the legislature. Lawmakers -- especially the DPP's emptyheaded support of the gov't -- helped feed Taipei's botched response. Hinting that Lin, who probably had no hand in the real decision making, should resign, is unconscionable. - Manila, Taipei, will reach consensus after the probe. Which will naturally be what Taipei wants it to... more »

Gobekli Tepi and the Library of the Sphinx

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 8 hours ago
What is extremely important here is that Gobekli Tepe confirms that there existed stone working skill able to build the Sphinx over 10,000 years ago as indicated by weathering studies. This was the core objection to the conjecture. What is also clear is that there is no sign of a high civilization. These two sites could have been centers of knowledge acting independent of any such non existent civilization. It certainly has been suggested before for Giza, or I have at least suggested just that. Yet this does conform to our knowledge of the ending of the Ice Age with ... more »

Chung ho Kim, Freedom Factory Ltd.

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 8 hours ago
Seoul, S. Korea -- While waiting for an available room in my hotel at Somerset Palace Seoul, I visited a good friend that I have met for the first time in 2005, Dr. Chung ho Kim. Chung ho used to be the President of the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE), a free market think tank in Seoul. He resigned last year from CFE and concentrated teaching Law and Economics at Yonsei University, a big and hilly private university in this city. After an Atlas and Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia conference in Phuket, Thailand in 2005, I met him again in 2006 when I attended the Asia Pacific Ta... more »

Is this an example of the BBC's inability to meet a self-imposed deadline?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 9 hours ago
Leanne Buckle 23 Apr to me Dear Audience Member The Committee’s decisions of 11 April are written up as minutes and are then ratified at the following month’s meeting before being distributed – so you should receive the Trustees’ decision around mid-May. Yours faithfully Leanne Buckle Today is 28 May, somewhat later than mid-May but response I have had not. I will email Ms Buckle and see what the latest excuse is. UPDATE: It seems that Ms Buckle is taking a long weekend: I am out of the office until Wednesday, 29 May and will respond to your email on my return. Best wishes... more »

THE TERRORISTS BEHIND WOOLWICH...

Anon at aangirfan - 10 hours ago
*Yasmin, the pole dancer, and daughter of Omar Bakri Mohammed.* *The Woolwich 'terrorist' Michael Adebolajo* was taught about Islamic militancy by the preacher *Omar Bakri Mohammed.* Woolwich Attack and the Changing Nature of Terrorism | Chatham House. *Bakri* Omar Bakri Mohammed's busty blonde daughter, Yasmin, is a topless pole-dancer. Yasmin, a single mother, performs in London clubs. *A pole dancer. Starrgrrrl * *She told The Sun: I'm willing to go topless if the venue is right.' * Reportedly, 'she has been leading a wild double life thrashing about on stage in pole dancin... more »

Memorial Day 2013

Batocchio at Vagabond Scholar - 10 hours ago
The Bad: It's been 10 years since the (Second) Iraq War started, leading to many a retrospective. I find it depressing but not surprising that so many hawks have learned so little, and so many still insist that they were wrong for the right reasons, while those damn hippies were right for the wrong reasons. It's all bullshit, of course. Worse than the merely unrepentant hawks are the rabid

The Trouble With the Enlightenment

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 10 hours ago
All of our civilization is a child of the enlightenment. What is not properly understood is that it was actually a moment in which critical mass was achieved in terms of the intellectual endeavor and that critical mass was facilitated by the steady rise of the printing press and far more critically the rise of a general education which naturally liberated the gifted few. It did not matter that a million children learned just enough to read the bible, it was way more important that the one in a thousand was identified and brought forward. General education was a sieve to... more »

Learning to Like the Lady

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 10 hours ago
As outsiders, we quickly forget and about that other time warp country of Burma. So a little interpretation is welcome and a reminder that the future there is optimistic as least as it has broken stasis. It can degenerate into lawlessness if the military were to disintegrate, but that looks unlikely. The foolish usually fail to understand that the military in a backward country is the only real organizing force available. Thus it becomes the natural partner for major modernizing investment. It enemy is corruption, but that is usually far worse at the political and p... more »

John Mack and Alien Abduction

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 10 hours ago
I have always been uncomfortable with the alien abduction phenomena. This is mostly because of the possibility of applying the Luminous Dream conjecture which is a way of eliminating the sheer lack of physical evidence of almost any kind but merely begs understanding human auto imagination. The continuing stream of abductee reports and a couple of specific independent eyewitness reports makes this increasingly difficult. Without question the experience all wraps around the collection of physical data from the victims, while occasionally becoming a short conversation, muc... more »

FSA's Terrorist Attacks Against Christians And Kurds In Syria

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 10 hours ago
*Story #1*: *"Armed rebels attacked a village in Syria's Western province of Homs and slaughtered all its Christian residents on Monday*." (Ahlul Bayt News Agency). Excerpt: The armed rebels affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) raided the Christian-populated al-Duvair village in Reef (outskirts of) Homs near the border with Lebanon today and massacred all its civilian residents, including women and children. *Story #2*: *"Jihadist groups of FSA kidnapped 700 civilian Kurds between Aleppo & Efrin. They hijacked vehicles too."* ( Amed News Agency via Twitter). Meanwhile, John "... more »

"Libertarian" Koch Brothers Have Taken Tens of Millions in Subsidies

Kenneth Thomas at Middle Class Political Economist - 10 hours ago
The Cato Institute, originally the Charles Koch Foundation, is one of the most influential libertarian think tanks in the country. With both Charles and David Koch on its board of directors, Cato has produced numerous studies on the evils of corporate subsidies (which it calls "corporate welfare"), dating back at least to the 1990s. Supposedly, Charles Koch himself (via Wikipedia) is opposed to "corporate welfare," and plans to oppose it this year. I guess I'll believe it when I see it. As previously discussed in Dirt Diggers Digest, Koch Industries has received many subsidies over ... more »

To defeat Islamic terror, we must first acknowledge what it is | Melanie Phillips (part 2)

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 11 hours ago
'Now the Prime Minister says he will crack down on such extremism. Yet after the Woolwich atrocity, he claimed it was 'a betrayal of Islam' and that 'there is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act'. The London Mayor Boris Johnson went even further, claiming: 'It is completely wrong to blame this killing on the religion of Islam' and that the cause was simply the killers' 'warped and deluded mindset'. Yet the video footage of the killers — who had shouted 'Allahu Akhbar' when butchering Drummer Rigby — records one of them citing verses in the Koran exhorting the f... more »

To defeat Islamic terror, we must first acknowledge what it is | Melanie Phillips

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 11 hours ago
'The Government has been extraordinarily reluctant to do this — because it refuses to face the blindingly obvious fact that this extremism is religious in nature. It arises from an interpretation of Islam which takes the words of the Koran literally as a command to kill unbelievers in a jihad, or holy war, in order to impose strict Islamic tenets on the rest of the world.' More here http://melaniephillips.com/to-defeat-islamic-terror-we-must-first-acknowledge-what-it-is

Smoluchowski, Milanković: birthdays

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 11 hours ago
Two Slavic, Austrian-Hungarian physicists were introduced to the sunlight on May 28th. Marian Smoluchowski was born as a Pole in Austria in 1872; Milutin Milanković was born as a Serb in (then) Croatia, Kingdom of Hungary, in 1879. Smoluchowski was a statistical physicist; Milanković was a climatologist, astronomer, geophysicist – and also a construction engineer. Marian Smoluchowski was born to an upper-class family near Vienna. He studied physics in Vienna; Exner and Stefan were among his teachers. His research followed the tradition of Ludwig Boltzmann from the beginning. When ... more »

Asghar Khan: India An Imagined Enemy - YouTube

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 11 hours ago
Pakistani General admits that Pakistan started every war with India and that the threat to Pakistan of. India is imaginary. '**Asghar Khan - former Chief of the Pakistan Air Force, Chairman of the Tehrik-e-Istaqlaal political party, and a man renowned for his integrity and clarity - argues against the official anti-India ideology of Pakistan. He explains how: (a) India does not constitute a national threat and has no interest in swallowing Pakistan; (b) all wars between the two countries were started by Pakistan; (c) the Maharaja of Kashmir may not have acceded to India had Pa... more »

31 charts that will destroy your faith in humanity

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 11 hours ago
You might recall a series of 31 charts I linked to last week showing the optimists are right: human activity is making the world a better place in which to live. As you’d expect, however, the pessimists were out in force. So if these 31 charts will restore your faith in humanity, then these 31 charts will destroy it. Buahahaha. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

The Realist Report with John Friend

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 12 hours ago
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by two special guests: Eli James of *Anglo-SaxonIsrael.com* and Dana Antiochus from *Renegade Broadcasting*. Eli and Dana will be having a friendly discussion about Christianity and other spiritual issues, European history, and related matters. Tune in for what will surely be an interesting conversation! Calls will be taken towards the end of the program. You can download the entire program *here*, or subscribe to the American Nationalist Network via iTunes *here*. Thanks for listening everyone!

Do you know the way to Timbuktu?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 12 hours ago
[image: image] You wouldn’t know it now, but Islam was once a historically moderate and intellectual religion. Yes, true story. The seat of science and civilisation a thousand years ago was in the Muslim world—largely because the Muslim world had become the repository of Greek manuscripts that would otherwise have been destroyed by Europe’s barbarians. Aristotle and his works are important leading players in this historical drama. In a parallel to the story of how Aristotle’s own manuscripts were rescued from destruction by savages, scholars at Timbuktu’s Ahmed Baba Institute r... more »

Chen Shui-bian back to the DPP?

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 12 hours ago
*Snack time in the alleys across from NTU.* Several months ago I asked foreigners who were wasting their time appealing for the medical parole of Chen Shui-bian to stop and think about what they are doing. I then observed: Were Chen ever to get out, he would go back to seeking the limelight, encouraging splits within the DPP in order to aggrandize his own faction and friends, and so on. Both the China Post and Taipei Times pieces essentially say the same thing even though they disagree. When Chen gets out he is going to re-enter pan-Green politics, sucking up time, effort, resourc... more »

The Woolwich murderer, says Ian Welsh, is "a bad man," but "not as bad as the men we put in office"

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 13 hours ago
*"When Tony Blair and George W. Bush are put in front of war crimes trials, along with Rumsfeld and many others, we can talk. Till then, our 'justice' isn’t, it’s just tribalism dressed up in the name of justice, because it picks and chooses amongst murderers, letting the greatest of them, the ones with the most blood on their hands, walk free."* *-- Ian Welsh, in a new post,* "The Moral Calculus of the Woolwich Murder" *by Ken* I don't say that our friend Ian Welsh doesn't mean exactly what he says, that "on the scale of bad, immoral things," the murder of that soldier in London ... more »

Growing Food - A Different Take

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 13 hours ago
Our last survey asked "Which green-living practice has been the toughest for you?" The results show that growing food ranks as the hardest activity: [image: Toughest Green Living Activity Survey Results] The "other" category, which tied for first place, included these comments: - Buying eco friendly furniture! - I don't have the space to grow my own food but I do support my farmers market each weekend! :) - Purchasing goods that are local and affordable (clothing for example)- I compromise by purchasing a lot from goodwill, but the new stuff...it's hard to stomach p... more »

Chas Freeman — U.S. Grand Strategy

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 13 hours ago
Read: *"Israel’s Fraying Image and Its Implications"* by Chas W. Freeman, Jr., retired American diplomat and author. "He most notably worked as the main interpreter for Richard Nixon in his 1972 China visit and as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1989 to 1992, where he dealt with issues related to the Persian Gulf War. He is a past president of the Middle East Policy Council, co-chair of the U.S. China Policy Foundation and a Lifetime Director of the Atlantic Council" (*Wikipedia*). Video Title: Chas Freeman — U.S. Grand Strategy. YouTube Video Description - [Chann... more »

Spanish debt explosion and pension promises which can't be met = 22 - 45 drop in pension benefits ..........US threatens UK that EU might nix US - EU trade deal as to the UK .....German thoughts regarding the Financial Transaction Tax - Germany not warming up to the idea on the table....

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/05/evolution-of-spanish-public-debt-and.html Monday, May 27, 2013 8:24 PM Evolution of Spanish Public Debt and Pension Promises Inquiring minds may be interested in a chart of Spanish public debt over time to see how the policies of Spain and the Troika are working out in practice. *Evolution of Spanish Public Debt Over Time * I picked that chart up from estrategiastendencias. My stab at a translation of text regarding public debt reads "Spanish banks are deluded. They must think we are going to save them from the assets that they... more »

Japanese markets open with another wild ride - rumors of even more QE set off the fireworks at the open , let's see where it ends.....

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 14 hours ago
[image: NIKKEI 225 (^N225)] another wild ride....... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-28/japan-central-bank-admits-sending-schizoprenic-signals-market-jgb-liquidity-evaporat Japan Central Bank Admits Sending Schizophrenic Signals To Market As JGB Liquidity "Evaporates" [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/28/2013 07:45 -0400 - Bank of America - Bank of America - Bond - Federal Reserve - Gross Domestic Product - Japan - Merrill - Merrill Lynch - Monetary Base - Nomura - POMO - POMO - Region... more »

Stevie's Tar Baby . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 15 hours ago
THE BEAVER LAKE CREE JUDGMENT: The Most Important Tar Sands Case You’ve Never Heard Of. That's what Carol Linnitt at DESMOG CANADA contends. Do click on the link for more. Sure they’re bad for the environment, for human health, and for wildlife, but we rarely stop to wonder if the Alberta tar sands are in fact unconstitutional. But the constitutional standing of the tar sands – one of

CCSS + iPad + Kindergarten = ?

Chris Cerrone at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 15 hours ago
= tablet time instead of : play time discovery time creative time nap time sharing time outside time … Follow the author on twitter @stoptesting15 Filed under: CHRIS CERRONE: The "Parentucator"

'Research fishery' for Queen conch and the tragedy of the commons

paul at Paying attention - 16 hours ago
Sometimes news stories just set off all kinds of alarm bells. Honduras has apparently learned from Japan’s bogus scientific whaling program, which lets that country’s operators kill 900 whales a year - and sell the meat - in the name of science. The Honduran government has announced a Queen conch fishery, justified as “a research and evaluation project for monitoring giant snail populations.” It looks more like a way around restrictions on the fishery. A lot of people have seen golden Queen conch shells, with their pink-tinged centres and classic spiral shape. They were a popular souven... more »

cantabria to gernika and bilbao, part 2

laura k at wmtc - 16 hours ago
In the Guggenheim, we took audioguides as a substitute for a tour of the building, which in this season are only in Spanish. The audioguide is included with admission, and available in a huge range of languages, including Catalan - clearly a political statement from Basque Bilbao. We joined many other people standing in the atrium, the focal point of the interior, listening to the audioguide and looking around at the dizzying curves and cubes and ramps. The atrium is strange and wonderful. Outside on the patio, you are suddenly on the prow of a ship, a theme that is echoed many time... more »

cantabria to gernika and bilbao, part 1

laura k at wmtc - 16 hours ago
I almost forgot to mention, we had some interesting news from home. Everything is fine now, but Essie had her hands full for a while! I warned Essie about the danger of skunks in our backyard after dark: absolutely never, *ever* let the dogs run out into the backyard after dark!! I've lost track of how many times our dogs have been skunked, and I'm determined to make sure it never happens again. But there's no accounting for early-morning skunks! Maybe this skunk was an early riser or maybe he was staggering home from an all-nighter, but either way, a skunk and our dogs greeted eac... more »

Greens: Reciting the rail mantra while reality passes them by

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 16 hours ago
The Greens constantly push public transport as the ideal transport system for every city, every passenger, every transport case. See what I mean: Motorists' petrol taxes should go to increasing public transport, they say. Hang everything else and get the Auckland City Rail Link built, they say. Scrap the Kapiti Expressway plan and build more public transport, they say. Scrap the Puhoi-Wellsford highway, they say, and build more public transport. Scrap Transmission Gully, they say, and build more public transport. Their mantra, a never-ending refrain, is more rail, fewer roads—an... more »

RESOLUTION TO THE PALESTINE-ISRAEL CONUNDRUM: FOUR OPTIONS – ONLY ONE VIABLE

For decades the resolution to the Palestine-Israel conundrum has proved elusive and the reason for that has been staring us in the face for years. The fact is; the elitists of both sides want all of the lands that were once Palestine and that are now Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, for their respective selves. The Zionists want all of the lands – and then some – in order to realise their dream of creating a Greater Israel while on the other side of the coin there are some elitist Palestinians who want a nation free of all Jews. These are both ‘one state for one people’ opt... more »

Harper Pal Busted in Panama

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 16 hours ago
Arthur Porter has been nabbed by authorities in Panama. The Montreal hospital administrator has been on the run for some time. Three years ago Porter was appointed by Stephen Harper to serve as chairman of SIRC, the watchdog panel overseeing CSIS, Canada's spy agency. Porter was subsequently accused to taking kickbacks from SNC-Lavelin Group (is that all they do?) on a 1.3-billion dollar hospital construction and maintenance contract. Porter and his wife split for the Bahamas where he claimed to be too sick with stage four cancer to return to Canada to face the music. Apparen... more »

Joe Crowley-- Making The Republican Party Look Less Singularly Horrible

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 16 hours ago
Dangerous douche bags Huckabee and Crowley... with guitars Earlier today, we mentioned in passing, that Joe Crowley is one of the most corrupt Members of Congress... in *history*, and that he's been facilitating corrupt relationships between freshmen New Dems-- he's the ex-Chairman of the Big Business-owned coalition of anti-working family Democrats. Then I realized it's been *months* since we've covered Crowley. Since the Juniper Park Civic Association first published the piece below in March 2012, Queens Democratic boss, Crowley, has been given a formal position inside the House De... more »

Greens: Reciting the rail mantra while reality passes them by

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 16 hours ago
The Greens constantly push public transport as the ideal transport system for every city, every passenger, every transport case. See what I mean: Motorists' petrol taxes should go to increasing public transport, they say. Hang everything else and get the Auckland City Rail Link built, they say. Scrap the Kapiti Expressway plan and build more public transport, they say. Scrap the Puhoi-Wellsford highway, they say, and build more public transport. Scrap Transmission Gully, they say, and build more public transport. Their mantra, a never-ending refrain, is more rail, fewer roads—an... more »

The Rise of Global Civilization: A Conversation with Kishore Mahbubani (The National Interest)

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 16 hours ago
*"The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World"* By Kishore Mahbubani. An excerpt from the review of the book by Tom Nagorski in The Wall Street Journal on March 19, 2013, called, *"A New Concert of Nations"*: The Indian scholar Brahma Challaney recently gave a talk at the Asia Society in New York about the coming global water-supply crisis. It was a dispiriting forecast: drought and pollution, even wars over water. That same morning brought dreary news from other fronts: a fresh threat from North Korea, another atrocity in Syria, a frightening smog alert fr... more »

One Step Closer……

peggyrobertson at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 16 hours ago
Every time a child takes a high stakes test we are one step closer to the end of public education. Keep that in mind next year – especially if you are a student and/or have a child that doesn’t mind the test – know that the action of taking the test in fact is assisting […]

PM Stephen Harper's Hand Picked Former Head Of The Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) Arrested For Fraud & Gov't Fraud

leftdog at Buckdog - 16 hours ago
** [image: Progressive Bloggers] *Issues management for the Harper Conservatives just keeps moving from 'bad' to 'worse':* * * *"Arthur Porter, the well-connected oncologist and hospital administer whom Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed three years ago to oversee Canada’s spy agency, was arrested with his wife in Panama on charges of fraud against the Quebec government.* ***The charges relate to his alleged role in the handling of a $1.3-billion Montreal hospital construction and maintenance contract, awarded to troubled engineering giant SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. in 2010.* ***T... more »

Panda in tree

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 16 hours ago

Europe end Arms embargo for Syrian rebels as the war to control of Europe's natural gas supply ses another chess move ....Europe check to Russia

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 17 hours ago
Martin Chulov explains that the US has put its faith in *Salam Idriss*, the commander of the Free Syrian Army, as someone who can be trusted to be supplied with weapons via Saudi Arabia: A reluctant US administration has lately settled on Salam Idriss, the commander of the umbrella guerilla group, the Free Syria Army, as a leader in whom it is prepared to take a risk. Dealings between Idriss and the US military have stepped up in recent months, both in Jordan and Turkey, where small groups of Syrian rebels are being trained. An influx of Saudi supplied weapons that crossed the Jorda... more »

Medea Benjamin : Why I spoke Out at Obama's Foreign Policy Speech

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 17 hours ago
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the political activist group CodePink, is removed by security after speaking out against President Barack Obama during his foreign policy speech Thursday. Photo by Kevin Dietsch  / UPI. Image from Common Dreams. Why I spoke out at  Obama's foreign policy speech Or, Why Obama's policies themselves, not those who speak out against them, are rude. By Medea

MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 17 hours ago

Miners, if you can't afford safety then get out

CREEKKEEPER at BP Slick - 17 hours ago
Miners, if you can't afford safety then get out TAHU POTIKI OPINION: Our South Island communities are being courted and consulted a little more vigorously than usual, thanks to an opportunity for the big mining companies to explore our ocean floors for signs of gas and oil. These companies have known for a long time that there is potential for extraction in a number of offshore sites but, for one reason or another, the numbers simply haven't stacked up or the political environment has not been conducive. But things are different now and it seems the best opportunity to make some mo... more »

Catarinas refrescandose sobre el agua cristalina

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 17 hours ago
[image: Catarinas refrescandose sobre el agua cristalina] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de catarinas* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Muñequitos de cartón recolectando frutos

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 17 hours ago
[image: Muñequitos de cartón recolectando frutas] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de muñequitos* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Mascotas pequeñas y tiernas en el jardín

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 18 hours ago
[image: Mascotas pequeñas y tiernas en el jardín] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de mascotas* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Hermoso árbol bajo el cielo de colores

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 18 hours ago
[image: Hermoso árbol bajo el cielo de colores] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de árboles* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Gone to the dogs

Jody Paterson at A Closer Look: Jody Paterson - 18 hours ago
One of the best and worst things about life in Copan Ruinas is all the dogs that roam the streets. What's bad is that many of them are sick and starving, and at endless risk of being the next victims of the municipally organized purges that are organized every once in a while to "control" the stray-dog situation. What's good is that a dog lover can gain a whole lot of new friends just by putting out bowls of dog food and water on a regular basis. I love the many dogs that pass by our house every morning now for a snack and some affection. It's not easy to make human friends i... more »

“Sullivan Ballou’s Letter Home”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 18 hours ago
“Sullivan Ballou’s Letter Home” From “The Civil War”, by Ken Burns - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhj-fOOAXtM

Free Trade 29: The Asian Century

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 18 hours ago
One measurement of economic growth or expansion of material wealth other than growth rate in gross domestic product (GDP) is the absolute increase in GDP size between two reference points or years. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) was released in April 2013, and it has a more accurate measurement or estimation of country GDP for 2012 compared to WEO’s October 2012 issue. Here are the largest economies in the world based on their nominal GDP (ie, unadjusted for inflation), 15 years gap from 1997 to 2012. Five Asian countries are able to land in the top 20: Japan, China,... more »

Reconsidering the Khan Academy

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 18 hours ago
Ever wonder how you can become an educator, education expert, or education reformer? Well, since 60 Minutes has bought into the most recent con-de-jure, the Khan Academy, let’s consider how people become educators. How about Secretary of Education Arne Duncan? Peter Smagorinsky puts it best: “Let’s trace his path to the presidential Cabinet. One of […]

“For the Fallen”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 18 hours ago
* * *“For the Fallen”* by Laurence Binyon "Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres. There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. They mingl... more »

“Was It Not As In The Old Days”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 18 hours ago
“Was It Not As In The Old Days” “This is a quote written in 1880 by Pvt. Barry Benson, Army Of Northern Virginia. It was made famous by Shelby Foote in the documentary "Civil War" by Ken Burns.” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwEYtQtnutM

Steve Bassett and the Citizen Hearing

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 19 hours ago
*(Blogger’s Note: **There are those who have asked about the logistics of the Citizen Hearing. Steve Bassett has supplied some of that information in an email sent to a great many people. For those who might have missed it, and who have an interest in this sort of thing, I reprint that email below. Questions about it should be addressed to Bassett. While I did participate in the Hearing, I had no role in creating, organizing, selecting witnesses, or any other aspect of the Hearing*.)* * *Citizen Hearing on Disclosure (CHD) *(Main site) www.citizenhearing.org By the numbers: The C... more »

René Guénon On The Need For Creating An Understanding Between The East And The West

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 19 hours ago
Below is an excerpt from René Guénon's 1927 book called, *"The Crisis of the Modern World."* Translated by Marco Pallis, Arthur Osborne, and Richard C. Nicholson. Sophia Perennis: Hillsdale, New York. 2004. Pg. 31-32. "To be resolutely 'anti-modern' is not to be in any way 'anti-Western'; on the contrary, it only means making an effort to save the West from its own confusion. In any case, no Easterner who is faithful to his own tradition would view matters differently, and it is certain that there are far fewer opponents of the West as such---an attitude that makes no sense---than... more »

solidaridad: Crenshaw Student Forum – Community Standing up to Deasy’s Racist Reconstitution

rdsathene at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 19 hours ago
solidaridad: Crenshaw Student Forum – Community Standing up to Deasy’s Racist Reconstitution. Anyone in the Los Angeles area interested in preserving public education is encouraged to attend and support this event. Filed under: ROBERT D. SKEELS: Schools Matter Tagged: Crenshaw HS, John Deasy, lausd, neoliberalism, privatization, Reconstitution, resistance, Struggle

One More of Reagan's Chickens Finally Home to Roost?

Reagan's Chickens Home to Roost? By William Boardman Reader Supported News 22 May 13he guilty get some breathing room, but not safety yet Former members of the Reagan administration are breathing easier, now that they are somewhat less likely to face criminal charges for their part in the Guatemalan genocide of 1982-1983, supported by Reagan policies.The threat that former officials might

News Corp can't find DoJ notice on Rosen subpoena

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 19 hours ago
Well how interesting. Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation says they don't know nothing 'bout any subpoena: News Corporation said on Sunday that it had no record of being notified by the Justice Department nearly three years ago of a subpoena for the telephone records of a reporter at its Fox News cable channel. The company’s chief legal counsel at the time also said that he had never seen material from the government related to the subpoena. The Justice Department says they notified News Corporation on Aug. 27, 2010, that it had seized Rosen phone records by fax, email, and certifi... more »

In case you were wondering, apartheid totally apt, #cpsclosings

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 20 hours ago
I’m researching something else. But I encountered the following article from the Baltimore Sun in 1986. During apartheid, they closed 30 Black schools at once and it was a BIG deal. In Chicago, IL, United States, in 2013, they’re closing 50. Wow. Also found this curious passage in an earlier article, perhaps from the 50s or […]

Local doc presses BP claims

CREEKKEEPER at BP Slick - 20 hours ago
Local doc presses BP claims [image: Mike Robichaux] JOHN DeSANTIS | TRI-PARISH TIMES Mike Robichaux Posted: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 11:42 am By JOHN DeSANTIS Senior Staff Writer In the weeks, months and years following the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, Dr. Mike Robichaux drew international attention as he cared for people he maintains were sickened by the incident’s aftermath, occasionally advocating on their behalf within the legal system. And he’s not done. The Mathews physician, who calls himself a “simple country doctor,” has been busy with a letter-writing campaig... more »

Cabañas a orilla del gran lago verde

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 20 hours ago
[image: Cabañas a orillas del gran lago verde] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de DEFINIR*Sin lugar a duda este es uno de los mejores lugares para relajarse ,meditar, escribir y escuchar el cantar de los animales respirando aire puro y fresco. Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

One Small Point on ACA Implementation

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 20 hours ago
I have a post up at Plum Line about a familiar topic to regular readers here -- that Affordable Care Act polling now is unlikely to predict much about how people will react to the law once it's implemented. I'll add one more point, however. There's a possible press bias involved which might help the ACA. For the most part, the people who are helped the most the Obamacare -- people who did not have health insurance, wanted it, and will be able to get it through the exchanges, in many cases with subsidies that really will make it affordable -- are not opinion leaders. There's one exce... more »

Grassroots Voters Need To Defeat The Wall Street-owned New Dems

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 20 hours ago
Wall St. shills Crowley & Himes, leading freshmen to slaughter Early this morning we saw how California voters drove the obstructionist Republicans away from the levers of power and made it impossible for them to obstruct government. And the result was a $60 billion deficit turned into a $4 billion surplus. At the bottom of the post, though, is a video from San Francisco progressive Senator Mark Leno warning that not all Democrats are... Democrats. An Arizona political pal of mine was grousing yesterday about the support he had given freshman Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. "She knows bet... more »

A Good Day To Remember Civil-Military Relations

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 20 hours ago
Today is Memorial Day in this U.S., which leads to all kinds of silly debates about whether this holiday celebrates just the dead killed in America’s wars or the Veterans as well since there is Veteran’s Day in November (which is Armistice Day everywhere else). The other silly debate that seems to occur around this Continue reading

WOOLWICH BOOBS

Anon at aangirfan - 20 hours ago
*Justine Rigden, girlfriend of Catholic/Moslem/ alleged MI5 agent Michael Adebolajo.* "I do not believe that two men would drive a car onto a pavement and crush a fella in civilian clothes against a road sign* on the off chance that he was a soldier.* "Then, having done so, *untangle him from the road sign* – because at the speed that car hit the road sign it would have nigh on cut poor Lee Rigby in half – mop the major blood loss up, and then move him away and cut his fucking head off." *STOP. STEP BACK… AND THINK* *Michael, the terrorist - Among his friends on Facebook are tw... more »

A JEJU KIND OF WEEKEND HERE IN MAINE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 20 hours ago
On Saturday Regis Tremblay held the first public showing of his new 80-minute film about Jeju Island called The Ghosts of Jeju at the Brunswick, Maine public library. At least 70 people turned out and much to the delightful surprise of everyone, at the end of the documentary, the audience rose as one and clapped along with the lively music that played as images of protesting South Koreans flashed across the screen. People loved the film and some of the comments included things like: This is the best documentary I've ever seen. High praise indeed. Then early this morning membe... more »

Introducing Old School Sean

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 20 hours ago
We like to (and by we I mean I/me) repurpose various Internet memes for education. You can Google Search “Old Economy Steve.” That’s a new one for me. So, I thought I would introduce you all to “Old School Sean.” Enjoy. And, please, make your own. Here are some samples. Filed under: CHALK FACE: General […]

Bello anochecer en la isla rocosa

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 21 hours ago
[image: Bello anochecer en la isla rocosa] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de anochecer* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Olwen Hamer for Europe

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 21 hours ago
Right now, bemused Labour Party members across the country are getting bombarded with emails. That can only mean one thing: there's a selection on. This time it's the turn of the hopefuls who will be standing for Labour in next year's elections to the European Parliament. Now, readers will know the voting system for this set of elections is not entirely straight forward. Luckily, this 2009 video produced by the Greens in the North West explains the D'Hondt system very clearly. Party members will shortly receive ballot papers and be invited to rank order the shortlisted candidates i... more »

Ave exótica alimentando a su pequeño pajarito

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 21 hours ago
[image: Ave exótica alimentando a su pequeño pajarito] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de aves*Una de las aves mas hermosas con bellos colores, volando por los grandes paisajes para que todo podamos mirar lo bíen que disfrutan su libertad y el amor con que alimentan a sus pequeñas crías. Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Ford Scandal on Crack

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 22 hours ago
Gawker has published an account that supposedly links the controversial video said to show Toronto mayor Rob Ford with drug dealers smoking crack with the murder of an individual who may have been killed over it. Gawker claims a Ford City Hall staffer passed along to detectives the street and unit number where the video was said to be kept. Really? Someone in City Hall knew where the video that Rob Ford now says doesn't exist previously existed? Today Rob Ford's press secretary and deputy press secretary abruptly resigned. The just up and quit. Hmm, I wonder what that's about... more »

Curtailing cross examination on credibility only rarely

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 22 hours ago
R. v. R.D., 2013 ONCA 343 holds: [33] Second, although a trial judge has a responsibility to protect a witness from harassing, repetitive or irrelevant cross-examination, defence counsel's cross-examination of the complainant was none of these things. The question itself that the trial judge stopped the complainant from answering – "and here in court I gave you another opportunity to tell the truth, and instead you lied again" – was an entirely proper question. It seems to me a trial judge should be very cautious about limiting cross-examination that goes directly to a witne... more »

Mohawk Nation News 'Obesogen'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 22 hours ago
OBESOGEN Posted on May 27, 2013 1 MNN. May 27, 2013. Big government and big business are one and the same in a true fascist state like Canada. Instead of stopping big companies like Monsanto and McDonalds from poisoning the people through gene manipulation, they are directly creating the obesity problem. “Obesogen” is a foreign chemical compound that

As we celebrate Memorial Day and those who in many cases made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our way of life and allow us to pursue happiness , liberty and justice for all ........ we have to look around at what's happening in our country. We are been divided - not just by and across racial and religious divisions , we are being divided across economic , financial chasms - a wealth effect for some is a poverty effect and living for today effect for many more Americans. Americans are being divided / separated - even more so than in the past , from Law Enforcement in their communities , protesters are being deemed and treated as domestic terrorists , the heavy arm of the State becomes an every day ordinary set of circumstances , violence is becoming mind numbingly and casually a norm ! Those who seek to protect and respect , let alone act on Constitutional rights are scorned or even beaten down or tasered. Is the American Dream over ?

fredw at Catharsis Ours - 22 hours ago
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/05/activists-tasered-and-arrested.html Thursday, May 23, 2013 Activists Tasered and Arrested Protesting Holder and Bank Fraud *Activist Post* * *More than two dozen arrests have followed in the wake of multi-day protests in various locations targeting the Department of Justice and their dereliction of duty to prosecute the involvement of major banks in foreclosure fraud. Protests began several days ago at law firm Covington & Burling where Attorney General Holder was formerly a partner. Holder's connection to the law firm is seen to represent the co... more »

Another Harper/Enbridge Lie Sent Straight to the Bottom

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 22 hours ago
It seems there's nothing that Enbridge and its government underlings won't do or say to mislead the public into believing that shipping bitumen via tankers through B.C.'s treacherous coastal waters is actually safe. One of their favourite lies is to claim that the product they'll be shipping, diluted bitumen or dilbit, actually floats. They want the public misled into believing the stuff floats and, therefore, can be recovered by oil spill scavenger vessels, booms, etc. *B*U*L*L*S*H*I*T* *Some diluted bitumen products will sink in fresh and brackish marine waters in less than 2... more »

"Islam" defacement on war memorials in London park - Atlas Shrugs

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 22 hours ago
'Vandals have daubed the word Islam in spray paint on war memorials in Green Park and Hyde Park in London' More here http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/05/islam-defacement-on-war-memorials-in-london-park.html

"Remembering the Dead"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 23 hours ago
* * *"Remembering the Dead"* by Bill Bonner "Today is the day set aside by the US federal government for us to remember our war dead. Here at the Diary of a Rogue Economist, we always do as we are told. So, today, we will turn our thoughts back to Vicksburg, Mississippi... which gave the country enough corpses to remember... and from where we've just returned. We were born south of the Mason-Dixon line. More importantly, we were born south of Pratt Street in Baltimore, giving us Southern tendencies from the start. Even as a child, we felt a sentimental attachment to the Old South... more »

Average Palestinian Attacker Just 12-14 Years Old, IDF Colonel Says | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 23 hours ago
When you hear the anti Semites who masquerade as pro Palestinians decrying Israel's arresting of Palestinian children, remember this: ' IDF Colonel Yaniv Alaluf said that the average Palestinian attacker behind recent rock and firebomb attacks on Israeli drivers is only "12-14 years old," Israel National News reported. At a meeting in the Etzion region in Judea and Samaria, Alaluf met with residents to address concerns over the increase in rock and firebomb attacks on drivers in the region. A report from Israel's domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, revealed there were 90 attack... more »

Are 'settlements' the main or even just the primary block to peace?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 23 hours ago
'An average reader of this article would go away convinced that building in communities in Judea & Samaria is the main issue preventing a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. So let's take a look at just some of what the BBC has to airbrush out of its 'peace process' narrative, as presented in this article and many others, in order to promote that chimera to its audiences. 1. The Palestinian Authority's insistence on the 'right of return' for refugees: a scenario which would bring about the end of Israel as a Jewish state. 2. The Palestinian Authority's refusal to... more »

Barbie Sleeping Bag From a Pot Holder

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 day ago
[image: Barbie Sleeping Bag From a Hot Pad] My absolute favorite things to make, are the things that absolutely delight my 4-year-old. I love that little while after I finish a project for her, or her dolls when she thinks I am an absolute rock star. It is even better when that project took hardly any time or money. My little girl has been asking for Barbie sleeping bags forever. My mom made me some when I was a little girl and after seeing them in a picture from my childhood, she would ask for some on a daily basis. I was looking for an easier way than making them completely fro... more »

Nearly Two-Thirds of Britons Expect a Serious Clash Between British (sic) Muslims | EuropeNews

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
'Nearly two-thirds of people believe there will be a 'clash of civilisations' between British Muslims and white Britons in the wake of the murder of a British soldier in Woolwich, a new poll shows. The number of those who believe such a clash is inevitable has increased by 9% from last year. There has also been a small increase in the proportion of people who believe British Muslims pose a serious threat to democracy, up to 34% on Thursday and Friday from 30% in November 2012, according to the YouGov survey of 1,839 adults.' More here http://europenews.dk/en/node/68035?utm_sour... more »

Is Adam Schiff Changing His Tune-- Or Just Playing Smart Politics In A New District That's WAY More Progressive Than He Is?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
In 2000, I was especially excited about defeating radical right freshman and impeachment manager, Jim Rogan in the district next door. I didn't know much about the Democratic state senator running against him, Adam Schiff, only that he was a Democrat. I was kind of naive about DC politics back then. The online grassroots model of fundraising Blue America uses hadn't been invented yet and I helped Schiff raise money the old fashioned way. I maxed out to him personally and got all my colleagues at Warner Bros and in the music business to contribute as well. The race turned into the s... more »

dying for profit

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 day ago
They go to fight for freedom, but they are dying for conquest !!! (War Is a Racket) (the arms industry) (permanent war economy) (list of arms manufacturers) (military industrial complex)

Military Drones Are Inherently Fascistic and the CIA Needs to be Reigned In

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 1 day ago
Majia here: Recently I posted links to 2 articles documenting that drones were used to kill far more people than al-Qaida leaders: Obama Administration Lied About Drone Targets By Natasha Lennard, Salon 17 April 13http://www.salon.com/2013/04/10/obama_administration_lied_about_drone_targets/ [Excerpted] Investigative reports and on-the-ground testimonies have made it public knowledge that far more people than al-Qaida leaders are killed by drone strikes. The U.K.’s Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) estimates that in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia over 1,o00 civilians may have b... more »

Another Reader's Comment

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 1 day ago
Bee`May 25, 2013 at 9:56 AM I discovered Enenews via Washington's blog during the BP Gulf disaster: the image of someone with gaping wounds bleeding in the kitchen while the dinner party chattered on was excruciating - then came the explosions at Daiichi and the image of a demonic infected wound seeping & spewing for eternity... and the stupid dinner party continued! I was going quietly crazy at Christmas 2011, when finally in early 2012 Sen. Wyden went to Fukushima and started calling for "an international response" so we mobilized to support his initiative, to no avail... 5/22/1... more »

Judicial cut and paste

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
Cojocaru v B.C 2013 SCC 30 deals with judicial "cut and paste" and, broadly put, approves it: [49] In summary, courts in Canada and elsewhere have held that copying in reasons for judgment is not, in itself, grounds for setting the judge's decision aside. However, if the incorporation of the material of others would lead a reasonable person apprised of all the relevant facts to conclude that the trial judge has not put his or her mind to the issues and made an independent decision based on the evidence and the law, the presumption of judicial integrity is... more »

war is a racket

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 day ago
Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940) was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps (the highest rank authorized at that time), an outspoken critic of U.S. military adventurism, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. During his 34-year career as a Marine, he participated in military actions in the Philippines, China, in Central America and the Caribbean during the Banana Wars, and France in World War I. By the end of his career, he had received 16 medals, five for heroism. He is one of 19 men to twice receive the Medal of Honor, ... more »

Biking: the Michaels do the NE hills

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 1 day ago
This weekend I finally had time to do another two days of riding in the beautiful places of Taiwan. This time we rode in the hills east of Taipei, an area I had long wanted to explore, but had never been able to find a weekend when I had time and the weather was good. Finally I just threw caution to the wind and decided to go and damn the weather. Sure enough, the bike gods reward the faithful, and we had two days of excellent weather. Above a shaft of sunlight catches a woman in a Ruifang alleyway. All the pics were taken with my Canon EOS 550D and my new Sigma 17-70mm lens. Click... more »

Economist and white-collar criminologist, Bill Black, reports on the recent Senate grilling of Apple. He begins "Senator Levin continues to do virtually the only real investigation being done in the United States of the elite entities. And he has summarized this as Apple achieving the holy grail of tax evasion, which is that Apple has succeeded in creating the stateless corporation that makes literally tens of billions of dollars and pays taxes to absolutely no one. And at the hearing that was just conducted, it turned into a love fest for Apple instead of a crackdown on this behavior..."

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 1 day ago
------------------------------ * the**REALnews Permalink* *Apple Achieves Holy Grail of Tax Avoidance* Bill Black: Senate questions CEO Tim Cook how company earned $30 billion in 'international' profits while paying zero taxes - May 23, 13 More at The Real News *Bio* William K. Black, author of THE BEST WAY TO ROB A BANK IS TO OWN ONE, teaches economics and law at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC). He was the Executive Director of the Institute for Fraud Prevention from 2005-2007. He has ta... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*Saints Kenny Stills Helps Feed Oklahoma Tornado Victims ~Saints Tailgate*

Oh Boo Hoo! ... 'Conservative Caucus Horrifically Depressed " - Hill Times

leftdog at Buckdog - 1 day ago
** [image: Progressive Bloggers] * * * I had a good belly laugh at the headline on today's Hill Times article: * *"PM’s Conservative caucus ‘horrifically depressed’ about Senate expenses scandal, brand takes big hit, say Tories"* * **"The majority-governing Conservative caucus is “horrifically depressed” and “disappointed” that three of their Senators appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper are embroiled in an explosive housing and travel expense scandal that is putting a major blow to their brand and party, say Conservatives and political insiders. * *** “Caucus is horrificall... more »

The human rights fly in the CETA ointment

Alison at Creekside - 1 day ago
I'm sure Liberal Senator Joan Fraser was speaking for all of us when she expressed her displeasure at the idea that Europe seeks to link the Canada-EU trade deal to human rights. Referring to the Strategic Partnership Agreement, CETA's parallel political companion, Senator Rivers explained : The SPA would enshrine "our common commitment to human rights, to certain common values and to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons," Liberal Senator Joan Fraser said in the Senate on April 18. However, "the problem is that in the European formula they want to include a clause that would make... more »

Memorial Day, 2013

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 1 day ago
This is a post I'd written four years ago for Memorial Day 2009. At the time, I didn't think anything would change, certainly not under Obama, who, just as Bush had with Iraq, had his little surge in Afghanistan, an 11½ year-long boondoggle that by conspicuous relief almost makes Iraq look like the Revolutionary War. Even moreso than avarice and racial prejudice, the one facet of humankind that has remained unaltered is our propensity for waging war on each other. When even armchair liberals at the Rand Corporation or elsewhere tell us that war is a regrettable but necessar... more »

Memorial Day

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
I'll mostly be over at Greg's place today, but wanted to pop in at least once to wish everyone a nice Memorial Day. I'll contribute one item, really a follow-up to the weekend questions. There was one new coalition death in Afghanistan recorded yesterday. It was the first one in ten days -- ending a streak which had dramatically improved the pace of May casualties after a very disappointing first half of the month. The death yesterday put this month's coalition total up to 25. That's the highest this year (and in fact the highest since September), but that's to be expected given the... more »

Memorial Day...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*God bless our troops. * *I will never forget those of you who spit on our returning Vietnam veterans. Most of my readers are too young to remember. I do...* The Eagle Cried "The Eagle Cried" Written and recorded by US Army Major J Billington. This song was written in honor of the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans, who did not receive the hero's welcome that they deserved when they came home from the fight. This song was written for and performed at the 13th Combat Aviation Battalion Reunion at Fort Rucker, Alabama, held on May 15, 2010. To the Vietnam veterans that may find a... more »

Honoring Those Who Spoke Out

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago
As MSNBC host Chris Hayes discovered to his surprise and chagrin last year, you don't criticize the term "war heroes" on Memorial Day and get away with it. Here are his fateful words: Why do I feel so uncomfortable about the word 'hero'? I feel uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war. I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect the memory of anyone that’s fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism, you know, hail of gunfire, rescuing ... more »

WHO IS SHARYL ATTKISSON: Crazy!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013* *Part 1—Successor to Cline and Perot:* Crazily, Sharyl Attkisson is a major correspondent for CBS News. What makes Attkisson’s position at CBS News so crazy? Consider what happened on Sunday, May 12, when she sat for a 42-minute appearance on C-Span’s Washington Journal. To watch the whole session, click this. Host Steve Scully said he wanted to start with Benghazi, which had been in the news that week. More specifically, Scully inquired about the possible change in Hillary Clinton’s role within this long-running story. “I want to begin with the reporting o... more »

Ready for This? Black P.R.

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 1 day ago
It's all the rage among China's powerful political class, Black PR. With the ongoing crackdown on political corruption in the People's Republic, dodgy Chinese pols are becoming worried about what's available about them online. And, in an internet savvy country like China, there's always a solution - for a price. *"...crooked Chinese politicians are paying to vanish from sight, with all negative stories about them scrubbed from the internet.* *"'It does not matter how big or sensitive the story is, we can make it disappear,' promised a manager at Yage Times, China's largest and mo... more »

Skagit Bridge Collapse

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 1 day ago
Before we all rush to judgment here I would like to make a couple of comments. I saw this bridge for the first time back in the seventies and it was obsolete then. I was surprised to see such a bridge on such an important artery at all. Usually by then the road has been shifted and a modern bridge is carrying the primary load. It also goes without saying that bumpers are in place along the sides to handle glancing blows. So unless something really happened with the load itself, this really makes little sense at all. However something else also happened, The truck was p... more »

Molecular Catalyst for Alzheimer's

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 1 day ago
Read this and we get the sense that intervention is becoming plausible for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. We obviously have a long ways to go unless we get simply luck, yet the shape of the problem is be coming really clear. We have several core problems with human biology. Arthritis and brain disease have been the great debilitators of the aging. Cancer has been a general early killer and can be thought of as largely separate. Yet the three provide a deadly obstacle course for natural aging. Eliminate all three and stabilize circulatory problems and we have the royal road ... more »

Hemp Farming Seriously Begins

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 1 day ago
Let it be said that the battle is about to be joined. The law is bone stupid with zero scientific rational. Now the Fed will be likely forced to defend its nonsense. The real reason that it has been illegal is a little simpler. Any rogue farmer can place a small handful of the active plants among his hemp plants and make it nigh impossible for it to be detected. It will be back to the glory days of the moonshiners. Yet the momentum for changing all these laws is nicely building, so sooner or later the war on drugs will be reformulated and this nonsense will end. By ... more »

Francis Kelsey and Thalidomide

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 1 day ago
This item is a powerful and timely reminder regarding the profound extent to which a private interest is prepared to betray the common interest even in medicine. At present the commons is locked in battle with Big Pharma, Big Banks and Big Agriculture who are all patently pressing wrong headed but lucrative agendas. What is worse by far is that it has become possible for the whole political establishment to be outright bought in order to shill these private interests. Let us also not forget big insurance and its ugly stepdaughter healthcare. In all cases, big has bec... more »

Ayurvedic Herbs Treat Brain and Lung Cancers: Some with 90% Success Rate by Christina Sarich

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 day ago
Ayurvedic Herbs Treat Brain and Lung Cancers: Some with 90% Success Rate by Christina Sarich Natural Society, 27 May 2013 With cancer cures seeping into mainstream media from natural health practitioners almost weekly now, it makes one wonder why anyone would subject themselves to chemotherapy and radiation, since there is *growing evidence that it poisons the body* and simply causes the cancer cells to become temporarily dormant only to return later in fuller force. While these treatments are often used unnecessarily to ‘treat’ cancer patients, there are other, less invasive c... more »

"Hero of War"–Rise Against Song Captures Iraq War Veteran’s Tragic Experience

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
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Writing Contest: EXPOSE Agenda 21

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
*1st place receives a $500 cash prize 2nd place receives a $250 cash prize* *Activist Post* Agenda 21 wears a green cloak of caring and happiness to hide its much darker trappings. By utilizing universal concerns such as the environment and the economy, this United Nations program has co-opted legitimate activism to create a many-tentacled beast that aims to get it hooks into local communities across the globe . . . by stealth. At its heart, Agenda 21 is a communitarian system -- essentially collectivism -- where the very nature of the human desire to connect and cooperate with one... more »

What Happens When Voters Just Eliminate The Nihilist Republicans From Government?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Puppet Pat might want to call Jerry Brown and get a lesson in being a governor California has no statewide Republicans in office. Many of the Democrats in the legislature are conservative corporate whores but at least the Republicans are relegated to the sidelines and can't even obstruct the smooth functioning of government any longer. In 2012, the Democrats won 2/3s majorities in each house of the legislature. They won 4 more seats in the state Senate, for a total of 29 to the GOP's 10. The Dems gained 3 Assembly seats, bringing the partisan split to 55 to 25. Republicans can no lo... more »

Hasan Nasrallah 1988 video: "Lebanon should not be an Islamic republic on its own, but rather, part of the Greater Islamic Republic"

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
'Lebanon should not be an Islamic republic on its own, but rather, part of the Greater Islamic Republic, governed by the Master of Time [the Mahdi], and his rightful deputy, the Jurisprudent Ruler, Imam Khomeini," he said.' More here http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/nasrallah-1988-video-lebanon-should-not.html But not on the Hezbollah supporting BBC.

Millions March Against Monsanto: A Global Awakening Covered Up By The Media

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
Daisy Luther Over 2 million people peacefully took to streets around the world to protest the poisoning of the global food supply by the biotech giant, Monsanto. Not surprisingly, the mainstream media has been pretty quiet about the event. After relentless phone calls and emails by protesters, some coverage has finally been achieved, preventing the event from being completely blacked out. The same article was published throughout global media, including Yahoo, CTV, Huffington Post, ABC News, and the UK Guardian. The article downplayed the magnitude of the March and the importanc... more »

Unhappy Green Economy: People + Planet = Profit

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
*Something’s happening! Wherever you are in the world …. if you’re awake – then listen! it’s time to help! Moves are afoot to replace our broken economy with something altogether different, and change our world forever. This is urgent – because it’s about the *future*, and YOU can change the course.* Julie Beal The UN’s cult of Happiness and the plan to measure our well-being are just one part of a most audacious plan – to measure and price EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF NATURE, so long as it provides a ‘service’. The new Green Economy is backed by bankers and the Fortune 500 and all me... more »

Dr. Freud Would Be Fascinated

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
When historians sit down and -- with the advantage of hindsight -- evaluate the Harper years, they will certainly mention the Wright-Duffy Affair. They may conclude that it was the beginning of the end for Stephen Harper. But they will also point out, as does Lawrence Martin, that Wright-Duffy was only one of the prime minister's serial abuses of power -- the Afghan prisoners episode, the F35 debacle, and Harper's two prorogations of Parliament. When they put these incidents in context, they may conclude that prorogation was Harper's prime directive. Paul Wells wrote in* Maclean'... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*Groups oppose Duck plan ~Danny Monteverde, The Advocate * *People across the State of Louisiana are getting hip to the Buddy system ~Slabbed* *Big Cities Winning The Battle For Information Jobs, New Orleans ranked 3rd ~Forbes* *Hurricane Preparedness: A Practical Guide ~NOLA DEFENDER* *Crews prepare for hurricane season by participating in lifesaving skills drills ~Allison Braxton* *Rock to sinkhole ratio a mystery ~David J. Mitchell* *Low gas prices roil energy economics in Gulf ~Billy Gunn* *Demand, crowded shipyards fuel supply vessel deals* *Chef Cody Carroll Crowned King o... more »

March Against Monsanto A Major Success! Anthony Gucciardi Video Coverage Coming Soon

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 day ago
March Against Monsanto A Major Success! Anthony Gucciardi Video Coverage Coming Soon by Anthony Gucciardi Natural Society, 27 May 2013 The March Against Monsanto has been a major success, generating mass awareness across the nation and the globe alike as millions marched into the streets of major cities and towns to voice their opposition against Monsanto’s monopoly on the food supply at large. While I was travelling away from my new headquarters in Austin, Texas, I was able to head to the local March Against Monsanto here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and catch as nearly 1,00... more »

US Violations of Our 3D Printer Rights via ‘Bogeymen’?

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
*3-D Apocalypse Zombies with Plastic Guns will get you and yours…* Which is likelier: being shot with a 3D-printed plastic gun, or getting burned in a car fire? image source Tracy Turner 1990s, Netscape or Internet Explorer? For those who have not followed the Open Source Movement – while many or most of you were arguing Mac or Windows, Free BSD was doing cartwheels where Mac System 6 and Windows 3.1 (both could play music CD’s, neither could surf the web) could barely stay booted-up. But deceased Steve Jobs and Monsanto’s Michael Taylor could well surpass Bill Gates' position as ... more »

Journalist: Yara Abbas killed by NATO mercenary fire in Qusair, Syria

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
Or Qussayr ? NATO merc terrorists snipers killed her as she reported from the town Syrian Army is taking back from NATO's rebels. Sniper fire killed a well-known Syrian journalist working for a Syrian television channel near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Monday, the state news agency said. Yara Abbas, a reporter for the al-Ikhbariya news channel, was killed near Debaa airport in Homs province. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad there have been trying to recapture the base from the rebels seeking to oust him. Syria TV said Abbas, in her mid-twenties, was targeted by "terror... more »

Monsanto Wins Fight to Take Away State Food Labeling Rights

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
*YouTube* Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) fought hard to give his state and others the right to label GMO foods, but faced nonsensical opposition from Monsanto-bought Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). Did reason win? Subscribe to The Young Turk's Channel Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

Get Off the Pot

antiqueteacher60 at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
Something has been nagging in my brain for a while now. It was a comment left on one of my posts about being tired that said “Shit or get off the pot.” When the comment was posted, my mouse hovered over the “unapprove” button, but then I thought to myself that the comment, while I […]

Shadow Justice: Secret UK courts break up families

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
*YouTube* A secret court in the UK has put some people behind bars just for trying to take care of their own relatives. One woman whose father was pronounced 'mentally ill' was locked away. But since the hearings are behind closed doors, it's hard to know why. Subscribe to RT's Channel Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

40 Statistics About The Fall Of The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
image source Michael Snyder If you know someone that actually believes that the U.S. economy is in good shape, just show them the statistics in this article. When you step back and look at the long-term trends, it is undeniable what is happening to us. We are in the midst of a horrifying economic decline that is the result of decades of very bad decisions. 30 years ago, the U.S. national debt was about one trillion dollars. Today, it is almost 17 trillion dollars. 40 years ago, the total amount of debt in the United States was about 2 trillion dollars. Today, it is more than 56 ... more »

As rockets hit Beirut and Hezbollah vows victory in Syria, fears of wider regional war increase

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
A 107mm rocket image source: imp_navigator/Flickr Madison Ruppert The fear of a widespread regional war has increased as two rockets hit Beirut, Lebanon on Sunday and the head of Hezbollah said they would continue fighting on the government’s side in Syria. The rockets hit a Shi’ite Muslim district of the Lebanese capital just one day after at least 28 people were killed and 250 injured in Sunni-Alawite violence in the Lebanese city of Tripoli. The rocket attack in Beirut is quite noteworthy since, as the Christian Science Monitor noted, it was the first of its kind since 1990. T... more »

Man United By Union - A Poem by M.N. Hopkins

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 1 day ago
Man United By Union ** *Each expresses Beauty. * ** *Each in their own way.* *Filtered through their culture and traditions.* ** *United and Unions are made by man* *And are myths and illusions created by the human ego.* ** *One can only be United in Love.* ** *A Union formed when the heart joins with other hearts.* ** *Then will manifest.* ** *Beauty expressed in Love.* ** *United by a Union formed between the hearts.* ** *Formed together among the hearts of Man.* ** *M.N. Hopkins* *Note:* This poem came to me while watching the Eurovision Song Contest on TV. Many were expressing... more »

Rand Paul Still Seeking "Due Process" Answers for Drone Strikes

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 1 day ago
*Activist Post* This week the Department of Justice finally admitted that the U.S. has indeed killed American citizens with drones. President Obama followed up this admission with a "war on terror" policy speech. Although Obama spoke of a less aggressive stance on drones, the administration maintains that top secret evidence and his advisers provide sufficient "due process" when targeting Americans suspected of being a terrorist for assassination. Rand Paul (R-KY) disagrees. Appearing Sunday on ABC's "This Week" Paul said he was pleased that the president is finally addressing th... more »

Unemployable

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 day ago
At one point in his extended temper tantrum on his wingnut radio program, Councillor Doug Ford disparaged his council colleagues: Coun. Ford suggested that most of his fellow councillors would be unemployable if they weren't in the positions they were at City Hall. "Do you know something, Rob? I'll tell you right now, the vast majority couldn't get a job. I'll tell you that right now and that's fact," he said. That's rich, coming from a guy who inherited the family firm. To be fair though, Doug is apparently capable of being the boss of a firm that is well up and running. Perhaps he ... more »

Abbas doesn't want a peace that means a viable Jewish state of Israel

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Abbas-Just-peace-must-include-refugees-prisoners-314417
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