Tuesday, July 23, 2013

23 July - Blogs I'm Following II

10:35pm MDST

12 fotos de cascadas hermosas para coleccionar

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 1 minute ago
*Ver más colecciones de imágenes*[image: Unirse a Banco de Imágenes en Facebook] [image: Seguir a Banco de Imágenes en Twitter] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por Rss] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por correo]

Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW) - Use Counter-Top Appliances or Eat Raw

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 25 minutes ago
Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! Wondering how to live greener? You've come to the right place. Each week we challenge ourselves to try a new task ... or "amp up" something we're already doing. We raise our awareness, learn from each other and develop Eco-friendly skills which will improve our lives and protect our planet. Doing so together gives us power ... the power to Change The World! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for information and a complete list of all the challenges we've taken on so far. This post contains great information and I encourage ... more »

Guarantee: The NSA Isn't The Only Outfit Spying On You

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 25 minutes ago
I picked up a thin volume that came in the mail the other day, lol...OMG!: What Every Student Needs to Know About Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship and Cyberbullying by Matt Ivester. I'm long past being a student. In fact, I'm past being a professor as well. But, as someone who spends a lot of my time online, I figured there would be some good lessons in this book I could benefit from. I figured correctly. As Jennifer Aaker, author and Stanford professor said, "We are at a critical point in technological history-- where social media is beginning to have more impact ... more »

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 34 minutes ago
*Historic suit seeks damages from 100 energy companies for Louisiana's coastal erosion ~Jeff Adelson, New Orleans Advocate* *Science to be key factor in lawsuit against oil and gas companies for coastal loss ~Bob Marshall, The Lens*

Jean Trounstine : The Plight of California's Prisons

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 41 minutes ago
Cruel and unusual: Overcrowded California prisons. Image from TheBusySignal.com. The plight of California's prisons: Hunger strike, sterilization, and valley fever While we complain of 100 degree heat and take solace in our air-conditioned homes, prisoners across the country are suffering -- and not just for their crimes. By Jean Trounstine / The Rag Blog / July 24, 2013 It’s been two

The Realist Report with John Friend

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 1 hour ago
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined yet again by Clement Pulaski of *TrueSonsofAbraham.com* to discuss his essays *Aryans Follow the Sun* and *Usury and the Corruption of American Society*. Please visit *The Realist Report* on TalkeShoe to download this and past episodes.

Does Copyright Stifle or Enable Creativity?

Martyn Daniels at Brave New World - 1 hour ago
Now and again you find a talk on copyright on TED from Johanna Blakely that makes you think and see things differently. Blakely challenges our values and what creates innovation and also the definition of utility. You find yourself asking if we are we approaching copyright in the right way for the 'creative' media industry sectors? The question remains how the creator makes money in a world of plagiarism. Perhaps its to do more with the democratization of fashion, recipes, jokes, etc. This forces designers and creators to go that extra mile and taking copying as a driver and not... more »

Weiner's weiner on display...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 hour ago
*again.* And people would actually vote for a man who finds it necessary to take pics of his penis? What has this country become?

Henry Geiger - Moonshine And Sunlight (1984)

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 hour ago
*Related: * * Henry Geiger - Symbol And Myth (1974).* *Henry Geiger - The Present And The Long View (1979)*. *Wikipedia:* Henry Geiger (1908?-15 February 1989) was the editor, publisher, and chief writer of MANAS Journal which published from 1948-1988. Abraham Maslow called him “the only small ‘p’ philosopher America has produced in this century.” *Wikipedia:* MANAS was an eight-page philosophical weekly written, edited, and published by Henry Geiger from 1948 until December 1988. Each issue typically contained several short essays that reflected on the human condition, exami... more »

Hedge Fund SAC to face criminal charges ? This follows civil charges against Steven Cohen by the SEC last week !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 hour ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-23/final-straw-sac-criminal-charges-be-filed-week The Final Straw For SAC: Criminal Charges To Be Filed This Week [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/23/2013 22:18 -0400 - Cohen - Insider Trading - SAC - Securities and Exchange Commission - Securities Fraud - Steve Cohen - Wall Street Journal It would appear the camel's back of the career of Steve Cohen and his firm SAC Capital has received its last straw. As the WSJ reports, Federal prosecutors plan to bring criminal charges against ... more »

NC Republican Taliban Gone Wild: Kills Voter Awareness HS Program to Pre-Register Students

Jim Horn at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 2 hours ago
The Koch Brothers’ chief henchman in North Carolina is Art Pope, who led the effort in Wake County to kill socioeconomic school integration a couple of years back. Wake County awoke from its slumber and ousted the racist school board members and the Broadie superintendent, and now things are starting to get back to normal. Now […]

Scranton , Pa faces 117 percent property tax to balance budget .... and that's before the city police and firefighter union pension issues get sorted out....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 2 hours ago
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/07/scranton-needs-117-property-tax-hike-to.html Tuesday, July 23, 2013 11:25 AM Scranton Needs 117% Property Tax Hike to Balance Budget; Simple Truth: Scranton is Bankrupt Those looking for the next city to go bankrupt should consider the possibilities in Scranton. The Pennsylvania Economy League projects Scranton could be looking at $18 million deficit, 117 percent tax hike in 2014. Scranton taxpayers could face a 117 percent increase in taxes next year as the city's finances continue to spiral out of control. A new analysis by t... more »

What happens when you try the Prisoners Dilemma on actual prisoners?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 2 hours ago
[image: image] So much of modern mainstream microeconomics is built on mathematical reasoning based on the so-called Prisoner’s Dilemma. But, as if to demonstrate the distance from the real world of the reasoning of mainstream economics, no-one had ever tested the Prisoner’s Dilemma on real prisoners. And when two Hamburg researchers did, what they found confounded the elegant mathematical reasoning relied on by economists. Not only did the prisoners cooperate far more than the alleged economists’ models say they would, they cooperated far more than students, on whom, to date, t... more »

The day Australia closed the door

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 3 hours ago
Australians aren’t just failing at cricket. They’re also failing at acting on that which they supposedly believe. This week they begin rejecting refugees arriving in Australia by boat, sending them instead to a concentration camp off Papua New Guinea. This in the name of a country and people who sing, in their national anthem: “*For those who've come across the seas*. *We've boundless plains to share…” * Turns out that’s just empty words and flatulence. [Hat tip Sandrine L.] Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihu... more »

The Detroit mess: "So now the deficit scolds have a new case to misinterpret" (Paul Krugman)

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
*-- Tim Eagan (click to enlarge)* *"Detroit does seem to have had especially bad governance, but for the most part the city was just an innocent victim of market forces. What? Market forces have victims? Of course they do."* *-- Paul Krugman, in his NYT column yesterday,* "Detroit, the New Greece" *by Ken* I suppose it would be going too far to suggest that the deficit hawks are giddy about the Detroit bankruptcy situation because of the opportunity it presents to stick it to working people -- or, better, still, *retired*working people. Oh, I think they're pretty happy about this. A... more »

" The Entire Western World is Detroit " opines Bill Holter......As Detroit awaits its bail in and hopes for an Obama bailout , let's follow the Cyprus situation ( first bail in ) and bail in on the way Spain ! Greece items of the day - more Troika tantrums at non actions from Greece !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 3 hours ago
(courtesy Bill Holter/Miles Franklin) The entire Western world is "Detroit" As you must know by now, Detroit is bankrupt and must restructure...somehow. They once were the manufacturing capital of the United States and the largest concentrated manufacturer in the world. They now have over 28% unemployment (actually much higher), and cannot afford to pay for even basic services and much of the city is "bombed out" as in destroyed. There are calls for all sorts of remedies such as private equity rebuilding and public (federal) bailouts. ALL of this misses the point... The p... more »

Dead Secretaries Society

Paul Coker at News Spike - 3 hours ago
Two case studies: Compare and Contrast "In Sex, Power & Murder, every detail of Chandra Levy's tempestuous affair with Congressman Gary Condit will be exposed. A young and beautiful intern is obsessed with an older married man, hoping to marry him and have his children. Little did she know of the long, sordid history that Condit brought with him into their relationship, a history he would never want revealed. This is a story of life in the political capital as never seen before." Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff, in a supposedly exclusive story, claimed Gary Condit had an a... more »

BC Government States No LNG Plants Online Until 2021, Two Election Cycles Away!

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 4 hours ago
Yesterday I explained how Rich Coleman is full of shit about the Japanese market for LNG from British Columbia, I also pointed out as did others how the BC Liberal`s claims of(before the election) that B.C. LNG would eliminate British Columbia`s debt, pay for bridge tolls, pay off crown debts at BC Hydro, BC Ferries, eliminate sales tax and also add$hundreds of billions of dollars into a prosperity fund for future generations, ...Those pre-election BC Liberal claims went from those outlandish claims to how LNG revenue over 30 years "*would help eliminate the debt*"... And today ... more »

SEC charges Texas Man with running Bitcoin denominated ponzi scheme - actually , it you look back to when the story first broke ( and the ponzi schemer ran away ) , the value opined to be lost was 5 million...... As of today , the value lost was about 48 million million ( using a price of 94.5 ) ..... looking back to the prior high of around 230 , you looking at lost alleged value of at least 110 million ! Be careful out here folks ! Mt Gox info from their website for your consideration....Changes to their deposit procedures and also their statement on their July 4 , 2013 resumption of withdrawals and improved banking ( just who are their new banking partners - why not just say whom ) ...... backlog talk is a concern and why does it take so long to process deposits ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
http://www.infowars.com/sec-charges-texas-man-with-running-bitcoin-denominated-ponzi-scheme/ SEC Charges Texas Man With Running Bitcoin-Denominated Ponzi Scheme - [image: The Alex Jones Channel][image: Alex Jones Show podcast][image: Prison Planet TV][image: Infowars.com Twitter][image: Alex Jones' Facebook][image: Infowars store] *zerohedge.com* July 23, 2013 That didn’t take long. *From the SEC:* The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a Texas man and his company with defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme involving Bitcoin, a virtual currency traded on onl... more »

A LAKE IN MAINE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 5 hours ago
Sebago Tar Sands Demonstration from Regis Tremblay on Vimeo. On Saturday, July 20, 2013, 350 Maine conducted a wonderful "teach-in" at Sebago Lake to inform the public about the dangers of fossil fuels, and specifically Tar-sands. The Canadians want to reverse the flow of the Portland to Montreal pipeline to move filthy, dirty Tar-sands oil down through Maine, 500 feet from Sebago Lake, to Portland to be shipped to China and other places. 200 people took part in the festivities and street (lake) theater. 350.org founder, Bill McKibben spoke to the crowd and took part in the activ... more »

Today Detroit, tomorrow the world

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 5 hours ago
[image: image] If you discount the life-giving value of continuing economic growth and progress, then check out what happens in a city that has abandoned both. It teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. Members of the City Council have simply stopped showing up for work. Whole blocks are seemingly abandoned. Emergency calls to 9-1-1 take, on average, almost an hour for help to arrive. Police solve – this is apparently true – 8.7% of crimes. 8.7%! The only reason the sky-high crime rate isn’t higher is, apparently, a shortage of available innocent victims. And look at this description... more »

From Nor-man Gold-man Today

2old2care at Because I Can - 6 hours ago
[image: Justice for You] American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Posted on Monday, July 22, 2013 We need to get the word out about this. Will you help? http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed

When a Railroad Goes Deadbeat

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 6 hours ago
You guessed it, we're talking Montreal, Maine & Atlantic, the railroad company that incinerated the luckless villagers of Lac Megantic, Quebec. MM&A has stopped paying contractors working on the clean-up of the disaster causing the town to demand $4-million within 48-hours to pay the contractors MM&A itself hired. MM&A chairman and jester, Special Ed Burkhardt isn't taking calls. I'm guessing he's not planning on leaving his sanctuary in the States to put in another appearance in Quebec anytime soon either.

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 6 hours ago
*Algiers Point Business Owners, Commuters Fight for Ferries in Council ~Tyler William Black, NOLA DEFENDER *

Massachusetts Voters Didn't Replace Scott Brown With Elizabeth Warren Because They Wanted Her To Sit Still And Listen To Her Elders

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
The Senate wound up with 11 freshmen after the 2012 elections, 6 graduates from the House 4 from state government and one-- Elizabeth Warren-- direct from outside the grubby, hidebound realm of electoral politics: *•* Jeff Flake (R-AZ) *•* Chris Murphy (D-CT) *•* Mazie Hirono (D-HI) *•* Joe Donnelly (D-IN) *•* Angus King (I-ME) *•* Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) *•* Deb Fischer (R-NE) *•* Martin Heinrich (D-NM) *•* Ted Cruz (R-TX) *•* Tim Kaine (D-VA) *•* Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) The plutocrats who put Ted Cruz in office have a very long list of nihilistic expectations attached to their boy--... more »

Say It Ain't So: The EU Designates Hezbollah As A Terrorist Organization

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 7 hours ago
*The EU is a joke.* On Monday, the European Union designated Hezbollah, a Lebanese resistance movement and political party, as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State John Kerry *said in a statement* in response to the decision: "This designation will have a significant impact on Hezbollah’s ability to operate freely in Europe by enabling European law enforcement agencies to crack down on Hezbollah’s fundraising, logistical activity, and terrorist plotting on European soil." This is just a silly statement by Kerry and an even sillier decision by the EU. Hezbollah has not ... more »

What are the “Big Issues” of International Politics, and How Should Journals Address Them?

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 7 hours ago
A common complaint among international-relations scholars is that our journals don’t sufficiently engage with big, new, and pressing issues of world politics. Those that do, on the other hand, often get criticized for a lack of rigor. I’ve made this complaint before, in the context of the financial crisis, and Kate Weaver offered some thoughts Continue reading

Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, "Teach Me to Whisper"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
Liquid Mind, "Teach Me to Whisper" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L0iCAIOJXQ

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of a small galaxy group a mere 60 million light-years away toward the intimidating constellation Cetus. Seen edge-on, the island universe spans about 100,000 light-years, similar in size to our own Milky Way. * Click image for larger size.* Colorful, spiky stars in this cosmic portrait of NGC 1055 are in the foreground, well within the Milky Way. But along with a smattering of more distant background galaxies, the deep image also reveals a curious box-shaped inner halo extending far above and below this galaxy's dusty pl... more »

The Poet: William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
*"The Second Coming"* *․ * "Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and t... more »

So the world’s most highly paid beneficiaries had a baby [update 2]

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 7 hours ago
Yes, William Windsor and his wife are mong the world’s most highly paid beneficiaries. So why is the whole world going nuts about two beneficiaries popping out a sprog? *UPDATE 1*: “In a just world, this innocent child would be going up for adoption, since its family would have been imprisoned for crimes against humanity.” – Hamilton Nolan *UPDATE 2*: Non-monarchist Robert Tracinski suggests we could do a lot worse than the House of Windsor… One of the reasons I don't begrudge the House of Windsor any of their wealth or fame is that they didn't win it, historically, through brut... more »

"A Meter Is Running..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
"...the monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should want roses. For some reason or other man looks for the miracle, and to accomplish it he will wade through blood. He will debauch himself with ideas, he will reduce himself to a shadow if for only one second of his life he can close his eyes to the hideousness of reality. Everything is endured- disgrace, humiliation, poverty, war, crime, ennui- in the belief that overnight something will occur, a miracle, which will render life tolerable. And all the w... more »

"A Grindstone..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
"Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us." - L. Thomas Holdcraft

Chet Raymo

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
"Soul" by Chet Raymo "There is a moment early in Stefan Zweig's The Post Office Girl when the eponymous heroine has a moment of illumination: "In this instant, shaken to her very depths, this ecstatic human being has a first inkling that the soul is made of stuff so mysteriously elastic that a single event can make it big enough to contain the infinite." Two interesting thoughts here. First, that the soul is elastic. This is a rather different notion of the human soul than the one I was raised with. We were taught that the soul - the essential self - is created fully formed at t... more »

"Free Will"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
*"Free Will"* "In the beginning, love was created and it was good. Yet, as it is with all things, love is a choice. In the now, a bond is created, and it is good. Yet, as it is with all things, a bond is a choice. In each tomorrow, the future will be created, and it can be good. Yet, as it is with all things, the future is a choice. As the love of yesterday binds the present into a touch towards every tomorrow, Do not vow to renew your choices on your first, your fifth, or your fiftieth anniversary, Rather, from this moment go forth vowing. Go forth vowing to choose gently, cele... more »

Seven years for shooting at police in Kimmirut

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 8 hours ago
R v Utye 2013 NUCJ 14: 1. [1] On July 28, 2012, the early morning peace and tranquility of Kimmirut was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Two members of the RCMP and a youth were inside the police detachment when the attack began. A hail of bullets penetrated the detachment building and the marked police vehicle parked outside.

What is malicious re-assignment? by Michelle Gunderson. proud member of the Chicago Teachers’Union

Timothy D. Slekar at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
It is a conversation educators dread. An administrator calls you for a “chat”. “By the way,” they say, “Instead of teaching 8th grade next year, it best suits our needs for you to teach kindergarten.” Every educator knows what this means. While the teacher in the scenario still has a job and is teaching a […]

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. Thanks for stopping by.

"A New 'Drake' Equation for Potential of Life"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
"A New 'Drake' Equation for Potential of Life" by Nancy Atkinson "The famed Drake equation estimates the number of technologically advanced civilizations that might exist in our Galaxy. But is there a way to mathematically quantify a habitat’s potential for hosting life? “At present, there is no easy way of directly comparing the suitability of different environments as a habitat for life" said Dr. Axel Hagermann, who proposed a method to find a "habitability index" at the European Planetary Science Congress. "The classical definition of a habitable environment," said Hagermann, "i... more »

Lamar W. Hankins : Texas Sen. Donna Campbell's Dishonesty on Abortion

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 8 hours ago
Texas Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, speaks to an anti-abortion group outside the state capitol in Austin, Monday, July 1, 2013. Photo by Eric Gay / AP. Extremism trumps libertarian views: Donna Campbell’s dishonesty on abortion Campbell allows her extremist views opposing the constitutional right of a woman to seek an abortion to interfere with a physician’s normal practice of

"The Web Gallery of Art"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
"The Web Gallery of Art" "The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 22,600 reproductions. It was started in 1996 as a topical site of the Renaissance art, originated in the Italian city-states of the 14th century and spread to other countries in the 15th and 16th centuries. Intending to present Renaissance art as comprehensively as possible, the scope of the collection was later extended to show it... more »

Black Elk, "The Sacred Pipe"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
"The Sun, the Light of the world. I hear him coming. I see his face as he comes. He makes the beings on earth happy And they rejoice. O, Wakan Tanka, I offer to You this world of Light." - Black Elk, "The Sacred Pipe"

TSB Bank - EXPECT MORE

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 8 hours ago

"The Magicians Sheep"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
* * * "The Magicians Sheep"* by G.I. Gurdjieff "There is an Eastern tale that speaks about a very rich magician who had a great many sheep. But at the same time this magician was very mean. He did not want to hire shepherds, nor did he want to erect a fence about the pasture where the sheep were grazing. The sheep consequently often wandered into the forest, fell into ravines and so on, and above all, they ran away, for they knew that the magician wanted their flesh and their skins, and this they did not like. At last the magician found a remedy. He hypnotized his sheep and sugge... more »

Paulo Coelho, “Forget This Idea of Seeking Happiness”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
*“Forget This Idea of Seeking Happiness”* by Paulo Coelho “Countries where income is under US$ 10,000 a year are countries where the majority of the population is unhappy. However, it was discovered that from that figure upwards, monetary difference is not all that important. A scientific study conducted on the 400 richest persons in the United States shows that they are only slightly happier than those who earn US$ 20,000. The logical consequence: of course, poverty is something unacceptable, but the old saying that “money does not bring happiness” is being proved in laboratori... more »

Tiwesdæg: the Left-hand of Linkage

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 8 hours ago
Just a handful of things today…. Michael Krepon: “inferred vs. demonstrable deterrence.” Election fraud, the 1862 election, and the outcome of the Civil War. Matt Fay likes the new Lieber and Press article on nuclear terrorism. “Prisoner’s Dilemma” is a metaphor, but I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone tried it Continue reading

About Those Israel Academic Study Trips…

Jon Western at Duck of Minerva - 8 hours ago
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Kavita Khory, Professor of Political Science at Mount Holyoke College. Last spring the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Boston invited me to participate in a weeklong study tour to Israel. Designed for scholars of international relations, political science, and public policy, the purpose of the educational tour was Continue reading

The Plastic at the end of the world

Capt. Fogg at The Impolitic - 8 hours ago
By Capt. Fogg It's impossible to sum up American culture these days. It's a farrago of barbarian freak chic, phony Euro faddism, retro-futurism and gross slob-snobbery. That's only a sample, of course. There are more sub-cultures, cults of style and lack thereof than I care to or can enumerate, but when a plain old cup of plain old coffee becomes an "Americano" even in the heart of America -- when Wendy's serves "Tuscan" hamburgers, when anything from dogfood to doughnuts, not made entirely by robots is "Artisinal" (and perhaps Tuscan as well) I might have to stop using the word... more »

HOLDING THE BABY

Anon at aangirfan - 8 hours ago
*Just like that.* We can now see the large baby. Lady Colin Campbell claims that a French cook gave birth to the Queen's mother. Prince Albert Victor had sex with boy prostitutes, allegedly, and had an affair with a shopgirl who gave him a child, allegedly. Robert Brown claims to be the illegitimate son of Princess Margaret. King Edward VIII married Wallis Simpson who, reportedly, was a man. *http://www.mirror.co.uk/* * *There had been speculation that Kate Middleton was going to have twins. *Jacintha Saldanha*, who was one of Kate's nurses in the Royal Marsden, died in myst... more »

Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks Dead On Arrival (Just As I Have Always Said!)

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 9 hours ago
I have said in countless articles before that the entire Israel/Palestinian "Peace Process" is nothing more than a sham and a total fraud. The facts are simple... Israel absolutely does not want peace with the Palestinians, ever.... They want territory, and they want the Palestinians OUT of Palestine, period! I want to present the following article that comes from the Activist Post website, at www.activistpost.com, by author Stephen Lendman. It is entitled: "Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks Dead On Arrival", and it backs up everything that I have said many times that the entire Pea... more »

'... it's a black boy'

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 9 hours ago
The strangest reaction to the news of the birth of 'the Royal Baby... Most odd!

The Carefully Engineered Ascendancy of Public Stupidity

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 9 hours ago
Maybe people who had survived the Great Depression and World War II were a little more wary, spent a little more time looking over their shoulders. The postwar years gave rise to a period of insight and enlightenment that was abruptly arrested in the late 70's, early 80's with the arrival on the world scene of leaders like Reagan and Thatcher. According to professor and renowned culture critic, Henry Giroux, they and their minions ushered in what has become the era of public stupidity. Here are a few excerpts from Giroux's timely warning. I hope they will pique your interest en... more »

No Use Suing Over Spilled Wine, Eh?

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 9 hours ago
This one's going to pull at your heartstrings. It concerns an overlooked group of victims of Hurricane Sandy who may have suffered enormous losses into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars from the deluge. Can you feel the pity welling up yet? Who are these people? They're super-rich folks, the type who have really valuable wine collections so precious that they entrusted their treasured vintages to a special wine cellar for safekeeping. *For the New York high-flyers who entrusted their vintage wines to a high-tech Manhattan storage cellar, 24-hour security and... more »

Nerissa and Katherine

Paul Coker at News Spike - 9 hours ago
*John Herbert Bowes-Lyon death notice from the Times, 11 Feb. 1930, page 17. The text reads:* * * *"MR. JOHN BOWES-LYON. The Duke and Duchess of York were present at the funeral at St. Paul's, Walden, yesterday, of the Hon. John Herbert Bowes-Lyon. The service, which was conducted by the Rev. H. S. C. Whitehouse (the vicar), was of the simplest character.* * * *"The chief mourners word the Hon. Mrs. John. Bowes-Lyon (widow), the Earl and Countess of Strathmore (parents), Lord and Lady Glamis (brother and sister-in-law), the Duke and Duchess of York (brother-in-law and sister), t... more »

Brunette Wings

Sophia Love at AMERICAN KABUKI - 9 hours ago
Its quiet here this morning, and cooler. The birds are not calling to each other, but chirping amongst themselves. A hawk soars overhead while the cicadas are silent. In the distance there are storm clouds. All seems not waiting so much as watching… what is coming is gonna be wild. The preparations have been made. There’s not much to say to each other now, we are down to the doing. By all reports we are feeling isolated yet no longer confused; we know who we are and what we came to do. What burns through us now is a knowing. The truth of who you are has spoken. Whis... more »

Cliche amnesty

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 9 hours ago
Perhaps we need a cliche amnesty for "organic" and "bureaucratic", which have come to mean stuff-happening-that-I-like and stuff-happening-that-I-don't-like. Organic is a really bad metaphor for socialist politics. Organic (in this context) signifies ineluctable development. Organic development under capitalism is the expanded reproduction of capital. Socialist organisations are not organic; they do not develop according to progressively unfolding laws but according to a well-judged collective will.

Rosie

Paul Coker at News Spike - 9 hours ago
She was born into an Irish American family at her parents' home in Brookline, Massachusetts, and named *Rose Marie Kennedy* after her mother, but was commonly called *Rosemary. * To her family, she was known as *Rosie.* *The Kennedy Family at Hyannis Port, 4th September 1931. * L-R: Robert Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy, Jean Kennedy (on lap of) Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (behind) Patricia Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (behind)* Rosemary Kennedy. * Edward Kennedy was not born yet. Dog in foreground is "Buddy". Rose sent Rosema... more »

We keep returning to this editorial!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 9 hours ago
*TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013* *It still doesn’t seem to make sense:* Thanks to Kevin Drum’s work on the topic, we often wonder if the nation’s improved test scores are in part a reflection of lead abatement. Lead has been removed from the air. Lead paint has been removed from walls. This improvement in the environment would tend to make children smarter. On the other hand: When we read the New York Times, we sometimes wonder if some unknown environmental factor is making our ruling elites much dumber. By now, we’ve returned, several times, to this July 15 editorial, “Trayvon Martin’s L... more »

Tom Hayden : Trayvon Martin and the Super-Predator Myth

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 9 hours ago
Photo by Joshua Trujillo / AP Images / SeattlePI.com The super-predator myth: Trayvon died for our sins The evidence of a violently divided America can be understood in the failure of the criminal justice system, where rationality and objectivity are supposed to prevail By Tom Hayden / The Rag Blog / July 23, 2013 For Trayvon Martin and his family I feel a sadness that will not lift.

Mechanical characters mass-produced by Disney, cyborgs at Harvard

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 10 hours ago
Apologies to TRF readers – I was too busy these days: traveling, swimming, walking, and more. Here's a recreational blog entry. In the following video, you may see some cute mechanical puppets displaying some highly realistic motion: In fact, Disney Research has a whole infrastructure to mass-produce toys of various kinds. If that's too mundane and old-fashioned a piece of technology for you, let's try something else. Nature Materials just published a paper Macroporous nanowire nanoelectronic scaffolds for synthetic tissues by a Harvard-HMS-MIT collaboration. They develop ... more »

The #commoncore is the #royalbaby of #edreform…

Chalk Face, PhD at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 10 hours ago
That is, born of tremendous hype to parents of outrageous privilege whose credentials as human beings are that they were themselves born of privilege and so on for completely arbitrary and manufactured reasons, generally without merit, yet painfully, painfully average in almost every way. We plebes, we add meaning to it all, behave as if […]

Your survey once again used incorrectly, we told you so. @rweingarten @AFTunion #teach13

Chalk Face, PhD at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 10 hours ago
In discussions on the Common Core, regardless of the available critiques, I always seem to get this idea that there is overwhelming and strong support for the CCSS from ALL teachers. You read that, ALL TEACHERS! To wit: @thechalkface AFT: 75% of teachers support CCSS but say haven’t had enough time 2 understand & put […]

Season of drought

risa bear at A Way to Live - 10 hours ago
It is so dry now, my desiccated friend spits in the bowl of his pipe before applying flame to its bitter balm, for some kind of balance. We tread on rustling mulch to study rustling leaves, folded in desperate prayer, of what will surely be, still, next year, an orchard and a kitchen garden if -- large if -- the well does not run dry. Everywhere flit wasps, sipping at beetles' abdomens, having small aphids for dessert. The birds have capped their singing, panting in small shade. "Ninety, ninety, ninety-three and ninety, ninety-seven today, and ninety yet for all the week ahead, with thi... more »

ALEC Board Member - Moffitt (NC) Stealing City Water System

2old2care at Because I Can - 10 hours ago
I saw this - this morning and really could not grasp what I had read. *In our part of the state, legislators associated with the pro-privatization, pro-corporatization group ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) took the shocking step of having the state seize Asheville’s award-winning public water system without compensation. Locals fear this is the first step in privatizing one of the purest watersheds in the country.* *State legislation that intentionally and with malice, STEALS a cities water system.* So I went looking for more* and found this* An informational s... more »

Dan Shen Root – Natural Chinese Medicine for Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Attacks, and GMO Damage by Christina Sarich

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 10 hours ago
Source: http://www.salviatruth.com/ Dan Shen Root – Natural Chinese Medicine for Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Attacks, and GMO Damage by Christina Sarich Natural Society, 23 July 2013 The oldest written reference to Dan Shen has been uncovered in *Shen Nun Ben Cao* (*The Divine Husbandman’s Classic of the Materia Medica*), dated at about 200 CE. Dan Shen root, otherwise known as Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge, (and sometimes referred to as Red Sage or Chinese Sage) is an incredible super food or herb used traditionally in Chinese medicine for numerous ailments includingthe improvement ... more »

Capital Income Taxation

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 11 hours ago
Alan Viard offers his perspective on this key debate.

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 11 hours ago
*City orders boil water advisory for Carrollton area where water main break floods streets ~New Orleans Advocate* *Arial photographs of Gas Cloud over rig blowout in Gulf Coast ~On Wings of Care *

The Feral Hogs of High Finance

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 11 hours ago
The *Toronto Star's* Richard Gwyn chronicles how the masters of high finance have fallen low. *Today the status of the professions of banking and of financial management is nearer to that long occupied — most times quite unfairly so, in fact — by used car dealers.* ** *A couple of weeks ago, a senior member of the august U.S. Federal Reserve Bank used the phrase “feral hogs” to describe the actions of some in the banking industry.* ** *According to a retired Goldman Sachs vice-president, the managers of this financial company refer to their own clients as “muppets,” while the co... more »

Iraq’s Shiite Militias Trying To Impose Religious Beliefs On Baghdad Again

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 11 hours ago
Besides the daily regimen of bombings and shootings Iraq has also witnessed a number of attacks upon clubs, bars, cafes, liquor stores, and women since 2003. This year is no different with reports emerging of a number of closures, beatings, and drive by shootings of various businesses in Baghdad. While no one has been named, it is widely believed that Shiite militias are responsible. Several politicians have come out in support of these operations, claiming that they are enforcing the public’s morals and restrictions during Ramadan. The government on the other hand has issued a nu... more »

Fascism And Contemporary Canada. Locating The Canadian Conservative Government Led By Stephen Harper. Part One.

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 11 hours ago
Written by rmathew@telus.net The fact is surprising and alarming. A phrase that would have been impossible to speak in Canada before the Stephen Harper-led Conservative entry into Canadian politics is now almost an accepted expression. Language is not meaningless - even the federal Conservative cabinet’s Orwellian mask-language has meaning … paid attention to. “Democracy” in the mouths of Stephen Harper and John Baird and James Moore means increasing environmental irresponsibility, increasing government by private corporations, and the total disregard of Canadian wishes, on ... more »

Don't Minnesota Voters Deserve A Choice? Joe Perske Is NOT A Choice... In Fact, He's Anti-Choice

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
Hard to imagine, but MN-06 is likely to wind up with someone WORSE than Bachmann! Drowning in scandal and extremism-- and facing a rematch with Jim Graves, the Democrat who nearly beat her last year-- Bachmann was uncharacteristically wise to announce her retirement from Congress. The Republicans are finding some other lunatic-- probably right-wing lobbyist Tom Emmer-- to represent Minnesota's 6th CD. Although the DCCC ignored Graves last year, they were as stunned by his success as Bachmann was and they promised to help him next year. Not counting outside money, Bachmann spent $11,... more »

This is How We Look to the Neighbours

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 11 hours ago
Here's a fascinating photograph showing how Earth appears from Saturn. The image was taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. We're that blue dot just below the bottom ring. We are indeed the "pale blue dot" mentioned by Carl Sagan in 1990. Here's another, black and white, of Earth and our moon taken by Cassini. These photographs were made possible when Saturn briefly shaded Cassini from the sun's rays.

War against Iran, Iraq and Syria?

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 12 hours ago
Anonymous left a Pipelinestan piece from* Pepe Escobar @ AT:* Thanks, it works very well with the pieces I already had set aside for today's post. So......here we go Picture Iraqi Oil Minister Abdelkarim al-Luaybi, Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw, and the current Iranian caretaker Oil Minister Mohammad Aliabadi getting together in the port of Assalouyeh, southern Iran, to* ** to sign a memorandum of understanding for the construction of the Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline, no less. * Pipelinestan is one of the fundamental reasons *(but,not the only reason)*for the proxy war in Syri... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 12 hours ago

The Economy: "Goodbye, Motor City"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 12 hours ago
* * *"Goodbye, Motor City"* by Bill Bonner "Yesterday, US stocks went nowhere. But gold? It shot up $43 per ounce. If you’ve been following these diaries, you know why. Gold is not the only money. But it’s the only kind the works in our extended economy. Today, we approach the same story from a different angle. It is the story of what happens next – when the growing power of zombies meets declining available resources. Motor City has been flattened. Now it’s being scrapped. The largest municipal bankruptcy in history. Detroit was once one of the richest, and most dynamic, cities... more »

What are children being told?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 12 hours ago
*TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013* *About the Zimmerman verdict:* What are children being told about the killing of Trayvon Martin? About the Zimmerman verdict? On the morning after the verdict, Benjamin Jealous raised this question. He spoke with Candy Crowley as part of an error-riddled State of the Union program. All the hacks stated their favorite fake facts. Jealous was deeply concerned: JEALOUS (7/14/13): We should listen for our young people and search with them when they ask how is it that young Trayvon Martin could be killed by George Zimmerman and George Zimmerman gets no time wh... more »

Kids Craft: Painted Canvas Shoes

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 12 hours ago
It seems like the longer the summer goes on, the more bored my daughter gets. We are both looking forward to school and activities it brings with it. I have been trying to have a craft for my daughter to do every day, to keep her busy. A day a few weeks ago, my daughter slipped on her canvas shoes, the shoes were pretty dingy looking and I light bulb went off. I grabbed a garbage sack (to paint on), some foam brushes and my box of acrylic paint. We sat outside in the shade and painted her shoes together. You will need: Canvas Shoes, they can be new or old acrylic paint foam brushe... more »

“The Joys of Living”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 13 hours ago
* * *“The Joys of Living”* by Jeffrey Tucker "What are you complaining about all the time?” people sometimes ask me. “I’m just about as free as I want to be.” Here’s the problem. How can we really know what we want if we’ve never had it before? The less free we are, the less we know what freedom feels like and how it shapes who we are. The more dependent on government we become, the less we crave independence. This is why it is important to find literature that takes us out of our present moment and introduces us to different ways of thinking. We have to imagine a different ideal... more »

Where's the Outrage?

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 13 hours ago
Let's see what I can do with this article by Richard Eskow entitled "Where the Hell Is the Outrage?" on Common Dreams. From the first breaths of life to the last, our lives are being stolen out from under us. From infant care and early education to Social Security and Medicare, the dominant economic ideology is demanding more lifelong sacrifices from the vulnerable to appease the gods of wealth. Well, harper already kiboshed the long-overdue national daycare program that Paul ("Mr. Dithers") Martin coughed up to try to preserve his government after decades of austerity. Our schools ... more »

“The Joys of Living”; Free Downloads of Orison Swett Marden

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 13 hours ago
* * *“The Joys of Living”* by Orison Swett Marden “Resolve every morning that you will get the most out of that day, not of some day in the future, when you are better off, when you have a family, when your children are grown up, when you have overcome your difficulties. You never will overcome them all. You will never be able to eliminate all the things which annoy, trouble, and cause friction in your life. You will never get rid of all the little enemies of your happiness, the hundred and one little annoyances, but you can make the most of things as they are. The reason why ou... more »

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 13 hours ago
*A New Start ~Moosedenied **~ Welcome back to the most wonderful time of the year, bitches! Hope you're ready to put pretty much everything else on the back burner for the next six months. By all accounts, the Saints have had themselves one hell of a positive offseason. For example, they're one of a dwindling handful of NFL teams who managed to make it through the last six months without any of their players murdering anyone. So we've got that going for us. High five? Gotta love that high-character locker room! Word on the street is that (so far) even John Jenkins has been obtaining ... more »

Did Stephen Harper Tell Premier Brad Wall To Tone Down Any Talk About Abolishing The Senate?

leftdog at Buckdog - 13 hours ago
[image: Progressive Bloggers]* * *We have a bit of a political mystery in Saskatchewan today. * *Recently, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall stated very clearly that he had changed his mind on the Canadian Senate. Rather than trying to 'fix' the unelected, undemocratic institution, Wall said that he now favoured abolition. In fact, Wall quickly arranged for a referendum of members of his Saskatchewan Party to reverse their existing policy on Senate reform.* * **What was interesting during Wall's 'abolition' pronouncements, was the fact that Prime Minister Stephen Harper had no comment... more »

C'mon, Reporters, Really????? (Yet Again)

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 13 hours ago
Another one? This time (and it was yesterday; just caught it now), Huffington Post gives us a story about how Mike Lee, the Tea Partying Utah Senator, is threatening that Republicans will shut the government down in order to defund the Affordable Care Act. Down in the story, it is revealed that Lee speaks for a group of a dozen or so Republican Senators. That's not very many! But what the story doesn't tell you is even more important: Mike Lee isn't going to vote for the continuing resolution no matter what. He, and the others in his camp, aren't going to be in any negotiations over... more »

UNWRA fund Camp Jihad

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 13 hours ago
In one part, campers are encouraged to chant: "With God's help and our own strength we will wage war. And with education and jihad we will return!" At another point, a camp instructor brands Jews as "wolves." Ah the peace loving, Israel & Jew hating Palestinians and their similarly minded United Nations supporters. *Thanks to Jihad Watch for the spot.*

Israeli/Palestinian Peace Talks: Dead on Arrival

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 13 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] Dees Illustration Stephen Lendman So-called peace talks are fake. They're a sham. They've always been this way. Decades of talks were stillborn from inception. This time's no different. Chances for a just peace are ZERO. Palestinians have no say. Believing otherwise defies reality. Israel deplores peace. So does Washington. They're jointly running things. Both nations are longstanding imperial partners. They prioritize violence and instability. Peace defeats their agenda. They don't negotiate. They demand. It bears repeat... more »

SERVANTS TO CRUMP: Alvarez hears a second shot!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 14 hours ago
*TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013* *Part 2—Truly heinous conduct:* Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida on Sunday evening, February 26. The Orlando Sentinel is the local big-city daily. Except for a brief crime report on February 28, the Sentinel began to cover the case on March 9. In that initial news report, the Sentinel reported that Tracy Martin had called for George Zimmerman’s arrest at a news conference in Orlando. Later in her report, Rene Stutzman described the state of the investigation and noted some points of agreement: STUTZMAN (3/9/12): Police are still inves... more »

US Justice Department Official: Executive Branch Holds No Accountability to Courts Over Drone Strikes

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 14 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] image source Paul Lawrance Judge Rosemary M. Collyer of the United States District Court challenged the Obama administration’s claim that courts have no power over targeted drone killings of American citizens overseas last week during a hearing where the government requested to dismiss a lawsuit filed by relatives of three Americans killed in two drone strikes in Yemen. On Friday Judge Collyer asked Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brain Hauck, “Are you saying that a US citizen targeted by the United States in a foreign c... more »

Time (part 2)

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 14 hours ago
Last night I posted some video of Steve Cram's 1500m world record run from 1985. I know that I could post any number of Seb Coe or Steve Ovett runs over the same distance or the Mile but instead here's a little remembered race over two miles between Steve Ovett and Henry Rono from 1978... What a great run but it's scary how old this tape looks...

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Victims of a Toxic Civilization

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 14 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] Daisy Luther Sometimes even worse than having a mysterious illness is the fact that no one in the medical profession believes that you have this illness. Or, still worse than that, they don’t believe that the illness even exists. Imagine being desperately ill and having your doctor tell you that it’s all in your head. Imagine being so incredibly ill that you are wasting away in front of your family’s eyes, and having your physician prescribe you psychiatric medications. Imagine that in your search for answers, you spend eve... more »

Federal Services Data hub: mysterious, centralized database will contain tons of your private data

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 14 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] Madison Ruppert While many news outlets are discussing the exposure of the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, far fewer are discussing the “Federal Data Services Hub,” a database created by the Affordable Care Act. The hub will allow access to one of the largest centralized collections of personal data in American history, perhaps even dwarfing the Next Generation Identification program and its predecessor, Secure Communities. Stephen Parente, finance professor t the University of Minnesota, and Paul Howard, d... more »

The Obama Family Goes on a Much-Needed Vacation…Again

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 14 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] Kimberly Paxton The Obama family needs a vacation. After all, it’s been almost a month since they returned from the $100 million taxpayer-funded African safari. (Yep, that’s right – ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.) Since then, the President has been busy trying to browbeat other countries into turning over Ed Snowden and spending a great deal of time involving himself in the case of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. It’s hard work being the driving force behind an assault on privacy while also maintaining a position as the R... more »

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New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 14 hours ago
*Sheriff Gusman keeps jail plans under wraps ~John Simerman, New Orleans Advocate* *Trouble in the Garden District ~Robert Morris, Gambit* *Entergy offers to greatly increase utility rates ~Mark Ballard* *NOPD manpower down while homicide solve rate going up ~WVUE* *The Lens honored for website, charter schools coverage, investigative reporting* *Le bijou sur le Bayou Teche* The brown pelican became Louisiana’s state bird in 1966---but where were the pelicans? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website tells us that pelicans nearly disappeared from North American between the late ... more »

Humanity is the worst obstacle to it's own higher learning.......

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 14 hours ago
*The context for this saying is the conforming oppression of society upon the unique individual.* * **"Humanity is the worst obstacle to it's own higher learning. More then anything else that might be cited (such as language skills or imaginative facilities) this is what makes our species unique. We are encouraged by society to serve and perpetuate the given order, not the higher order of evolutional striving"* *John Lash* *Thoughts?*

Runaway Train

gail zawacki at Wit's End - 15 hours ago
A facebook conversation reminded me of the cartoon video "Runaway", which I first posted three years ago. I was surprised when I looked on youtube and saw that despite winning many awards it has received only fewer than 15,000 views, because I think it is one of the most marvelous animations I have ever seen (right up there with Steve Cutts’ masterpiece “Man“ which has received over 4 million). It's especially sad because it took the filmmaker, Cordell Barker, eight *years *to complete the hand-drawn animation...to say nothing of the excellent score that illuminates it, written by ... more »

Get Your Common Corporate Test for Just $29.95, or Wait for the Fire Sale

Jim Horn at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 15 hours ago
One of the two ginormous Common Corp consortia, PARCC, finally priced their product line yesterday. The $29.95 per student does not include costs for professional development, diagnostic tests, formative tests, interim tests, speaking and listening tests (required), or any of the necessary technology infrastructure costs for installation, training, security, and repairs resulting from unplanned breakdowns, […]

Edu-Terrorists - An ALEC Policy Item?

2old2care at Because I Can - 15 hours ago
BURNING books - would never be accepted by our society. So the conservative movement appears to have hatched a new way of "burning books" - remove the books from circulation. Three things that I want to bring to your attention before we start this entry. 1. ALEC is an organization of ultra-conservative right wing extremists. ALEC is an extremist organization – they are NOT centrists or moderates. 2. Many ALEC members are on the Board of Regents of universities across the United States. 3. Being exposed to alternate views of thinking is a way of refining your thought process. Peopl... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 15 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Daniel Radcliffe, 24. Plus some good stuff: 1. Steve Kornacki on how Chris Christie may have a serious campaign finance dilemma in 2016. 2. Bruce Reed's political education. 3. Good Ezra Klein interview with *This Town* author Mark Leibovich. Actually, the good parts are mostly the questions, but worth reading for that.

#PARCC releases cost assessments. Even $1.00 is too much on this nonsense

Chalk Face, PhD at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 15 hours ago
The counters of beans can rejoice: PARCC will “only” cost states on average of $29.95 per student for both ELA and math. Good thing they kept it under $30, or like the special at Wal-Mart on the Hal Leonard Play Guitar Today! kit, I wouldn’t have bought it. Does this $29.95 include a volume discount? I’m not […]

Is Fred Upton Still Fit To Represent Ordinary Working Families In Southwest Michigan?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
Michigan could be a very fertile hunting ground for the DCCC. All that stands in the way is its own chairman, former Center Aisle Caucus big-shot and founder who refuses to allow the DCCC to target any of his former frat brothers, no matter how detestable they are. And in Michigan that means free passes for some very vulnerable Republicans: Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee; Dave Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; Mike Rogers, chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence. Aside from being powerful committee chairs-- and pals of ... more »

Muslim Brotherhood Works For Israel- Why Am I Not Surprised?

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 15 hours ago
When the latest uprising in Egypt occurred just last month, I knew something did not seem right... We had the reports of Morsi forced to step down by the Egyptian military and news that he would be replaced by someone out of the "Muslim Brotherhood".... But for the longest time, I had a nagging feeling that the so called Muslim Brotherhood was absolutely not as they seemed.... I had warned in previous articles and rants that it seems that this group had a hidden agenda of tearing Egypt apart, which was exactly what the criminal and terrorist state of Israel has long desired! Well, l... more »

Dolphins identifies each other by name

Megaan at Current news updates, World current news - 16 hours ago
*Scientists have found additional evidence that dolphins call each other by name. *Study has revealed that the marine mammals use a unique whistle to recognize each other. A team from the University of St Andrews in Scotland found that when the animals hear their own call played back to them, they respond. The study is published in the actions of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr Vincent Janik, from the university's Sea Mammal Research Unit, supposed Dolphins live in this three-dimensional environment, offshore without any kind of landmarks and they need to stay jointly as a g... more »

Pulling Apart

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 16 hours ago
For those who view economics as a morality play, Detroit's bankruptcy is another example of an economic sinner in the hands of an angry god. For those who view economics as a Darwinian test of survival, Detroit is just another species that didn't make the cut. The truth is that Detroit illustrates the consequences of the economic policies of the last thirty-five years. For the city -- like the American middle class itself -- has been hollowed out. Consider, Robert Reich writes, the following: Detroit is a devastatingly poor, mostly black, increasingly abandoned island in the mids... more »

Defence of fair comment requires factual foundation disclosed or obvious to audience

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 16 hours ago
Mainstream Canada v. Staniford, 2013 BCCA 341 holds: [24] In order for the defence of fair comment to succeed, it is necessary for the comment to have a factual foundation or factual substratum. The comment must be an expression of opinion on a known set of facts, and the audience must be in a position to assess or evaluate the comment. The rationale for this requirement was explained over a century ago in the South African case decided by the Transvaal Supreme Court in *Roos v. Stent and Pretoria Printing Works, Ltd.*,* *1909 T.S. 988 at 998 per Innes C.J.: But it is ob... more »

Fukushima updates - FUBAR continues at the Godzilla Nuclear Facility , radiation contamination updates !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 16 hours ago
[Nothing settled] Steam from reactor3 again Posted by *Mochizuki* on July 23rd, 2013 · 1 Comment Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services Following up this article..*Thermography shows 50℃ on operation floor of “steaming” reactor3* [URL] On 7/23/2013, Tepco announced they observed *the “steam” coming out from the same location of reactor3 again.* Tepco was stating it was the rainwater heated on the top of the RPV. There is no abnormality in the plant parameter and the monitoring post according to Tepco. This is a follow-up report on the statuse... more »

Good morning!

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 17 hours ago

Spain introduces draconian profit caps for the solar industry - watch the solar industry die in spain !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 17 hours ago
http://rt.com/business/spain-solar-energy-bankruptcy-451/ Spain’s solar industry to collapse as govt introduces draconian profit caps Get short URL Published time: July 23, 2013 10:52 [image: This handout picture released by Gemasolar shows the Torresol Energy Gemasolar thermasolar plant in Fuentes de Andalucia near Sevilla, southern Spain. (AFP Photo/Gemasolar)] This handout picture released by Gemasolar shows the Torresol Energy Gemasolar thermasolar plant in Fuentes de Andalucia near Sevilla, southern Spain. (AFP Photo/Gemasolar) Share on tumblr Tags Economy, Energy, Europe, Prices... more »

Don Martin Agrees With Me

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 17 hours ago
Don Martin agrees with me about the rumours of stephen harper's political death: The reality is this: *1. *Stephen Harper has a firm grip on the Conservative leadership and will, without any self-doubt or hesitation, fight the next election, supremely confident in securing another victory. ... Harper has dedicated his political life to defeating Liberals and smearing the party leaders with attack ads. To meekly run away from ominous polling which, for the moment anyway, favors a Trudeau reincarnation would humiliate Harper personally and taint his fearless-leader legacy politicall... more »

It Got Them Killed: Jacintha Saldanha

Paul Coker at News Spike - 18 hours ago
*Jacintha Saldanha* *1966 - 2012* *Cause of Death:* Suidcided by MI5 Signature "Tragic Wanking Accident" (Autoerotic Asphyxiation) **** *Likely Suspects:* MI5 and the Royals And the Bodyguard of Lies. * * *These are the emails I nearly sent in to the Blairite vulture Keith Vaz, Westminster Coroner's Office and Private Eye last December, before thinking better of it...* * * * * " Detective Chief Inspector James Harman of the Met told the hearing: “Jacintha Saldanha was found by a colleague and a member of security hanging from a scarf attached to a wardrobe. Th... more »

The Grand Overview - the jump into a New Age?

address-withheld@my.opera.com.invalid (Dr. John v. Kampen) at - 18 hours ago
Link: http://youtu.be/6OsuiRmexWk - click in picture to start this film! *Who was "there"* has experienced "it"... Who wasn't "there" still needs to find out what life means. Yet, I am still concerned about the stupidity of claims like: "So the astronauts have become New Age Air heads..." in the commentaries to this film. There are people who never learn (or even want that). John

Sourcebook: Jumpers

Paul Coker at News Spike - 19 hours ago

Pornography filters for the UK

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 20 hours ago
I see that David Cameron has decided that he must 'do something' about children accessing porn on the internet and thus he's decided that everybody will be denied access to porn unless they opt to be able to access it. Hmm, I foresee a few problems: 1. *Proxy Servers* - Has David Cameron ever heard of proxy servers? These nifty web services allow you to access any website from anywhere, so long as you can access the proxy server. Using the proxy server means that you can surf anything your heart (or other bodily organ) desires and there's nothing that the UK government can do about ... more »

The Coup Saved Egypt . . . And Developments In Syria

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 20 hours ago
*Source of picture*.* * *I. The Coup Saved Egypt.* Read: *"Muslim Brotherhood Wanted Egypt’s Break-Up for Israel with a “Free Army.”* An excerpt from, *"Egypt: do you support a military coup d’état in Egypt?"*by Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, July 16, 2013. "I would like to point out that there was no possible solution to the Egyptian crisis other than the intervention of the army, which explains why 33 million Egyptians took to the streets to celebrate the coup d’état. The choice was not between democracy and a coup d’état, but between a coup d’état and civil war. I dep... more »

It's a small small small Con world

Alison at Creekside - 20 hours ago
*Top Conservative party operative says she didn’t know of plan to cover Duffy expense tab*, reads the headline. Nor did she speak to Nigel Wright or Senator Gerstein about it apparently. That top party op is Pierre Poilievre's ex, Jenni Byrne - Conservative Party director of political operations, national Con campaign director during the 2011 election, and Steve's once and perhaps future director of issues management in the PMO. But then when you read the article, it turns out to be the Con Party spokesy Fred DeLorey answering all the reporter's questions on Byrne's behalf by ema... more »

EFN Asia 25: The ASEAN Economic Community in 2015

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 20 hours ago
The Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia http://efnasia.org/ posted today a new report on scooping of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) future, less than two years from now. I already like the current set up, especially the visa-free entry to visit any of the nine other members of the 10 member-countries of the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) for visits less than 30 days, or less than 15 days in some countries. Thus, it is very convenient for me and other Filipinos to visit Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok and other cities in the region. Once the AEC... more »

ANTI-WAR STORY DURING CIVIL WAR

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 21 hours ago
By David Swanson Copperhead was a name for Northern Democrats opposed to the Civil War. Now it's also the name of a remarkable new film: CopperheadTheMovie.com. This is not the first film about a family opposed to the Civil War. Many will probably recall the 1965 film *Shenandoah* starring Jimmy Stewart. But * Copperhead* is the one to see. This is a war movie that neither sanitizes war nor pornographies it. This is a war movie set far away from the war, in upstate New York to be precise -- just as all of our wars today are far away from all 50 states. It's an unpredictable movi... more »

ROYAL BABY'S NAME

Anon at aangirfan - 21 hours ago
*http://www.dailymail.co.uk/* Here are the possible names for the royal baby, and the odds quoted by the bookies. *Benjamin / Binyamin* is a favourite name for the new royal baby. Bookies offer odds of 2/1 on the name Benjamin. *Michael* is now 5/1. Kate's father is called Michael. *Ronald* is 6/1. Kate's maternal grandfather was called Ronald. BBC radio suggested that the name *Qatar Airways* was a possible name for the royal baby, if a sponsorhip deal can be worked out in time. Qatar Airways is 100/1 *Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge* * * *Adolphus* is 10/1 *Sir Ja... more »

General Dempsey lays out Syria War Options to the Senate Armed Services Committee - Get ready for a billion a month hit for the taxpayers ( for maintaining a no fly zone ) and understand that's the low ball number ( like we saw low ball figures for Iraq ) ...... And a no fly zone won't be effective anyway due to the nature of the War .....Bottom line - to make a difference , you're looking at thousands of boots on the ground in Syria - to support Al Qaeda radicals that will take the fight to Israel once Assad is defeated ....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 21 hours ago
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/22/us-military-intervention-syria * * * In a move to end the legislative standoff over his renomination, Dempsey wrote that each option under consideration would be costly and uncertain. Arming and training the rebels, the least-riskiest option, would cost "$500m per year initially", require "several hundred to several thousand troops" and risk arming al-Qaida-aligned extremist forces amongst the rebels or "inadvertent association with war crimes due to vetting difficulties". Limited air strikes would require "hundreds of aircraft, ships, ... more »

ON THE STREETS IN MANILA

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 21 hours ago
It was a hot day in Manila yesterday as I spent several hours marching with Bayan (diverse coalition of groups that coordinated the protest). In the first photo above you can find me on the left side near the front of the march. A couple of hours later I was invited to speak to the crowd about the US "pivot" in the region. The march and rally took place on the 16-lane Commonwealth Avenue that leads to the Filipino Congress building. Groups applied to hold the rally near the Congress as the president was delivering his SONA (State of the nation address) but the courts backed the ... more »

Rich Coleman, Running On Empty Promises, More Uncomfortable LNG Facts

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 22 hours ago
If one reads page 6 of the below PDF file......First off, the below linked PDF was written before Shinzo Abe secured his grip on power in Japan`s election yesterday...Shinzo Abe now has a strong majority...And written here on several occasions, Shinzo Abe is fast tracking the restart of Japan`s nuclear facilities.. In the below report, they specifically state that Japan as a LNG market, Japan`s current use of LNG could decline by 67% or more depending on how much of their nuclear power is brought back online...(page 6) The below report also states that future LNG estimated dema... more »

Dear North Carolina Colleagues

Kris Nielsen at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 22 hours ago
You know what I miss about North Carolina? Go on, guess. It’s what every former transplant says. I miss the ability to order sweet tea in any restaurant I go to and I miss BBQ pulled pork that actually has a smoky taste. Syracuse just hasn’t found the charm in those two things yet. I […]

The One People 22/23 July 2013 – Ginger’s Show Notes & Comments

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 22 hours ago
* * * * *The One People 22/23 July 2013 – Ginger’s Show Notes & Comments* Posted on 2013/07/22 by kauilapele Host: Lisa, Bob, Chris, Brian Special Guests: Caleb Skinner, Kiri [show link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thecollectiveimagination/2013/07/23/the-one-people ] “Events are stacking up . . . “ and I highly recommend listening to this show, as I cannot adequately take notes (nor transcribers transcribe) of the frequencies of real passion . . . combined very significant information imparted by both Caleb and Kiri. Also the comments made by the hosts are very important to hear.... more »

GAIA PORTAL: All Aspects of “humanity to Hue-Manity” Mass Transition have been Initiated…

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 22 hours ago
* * * * *All Aspects of “humanity to Hue-Manity” Mass Transition have been Initiated…* by ÉirePort Shimmering sparkles of Higher Energetic Dimensions are appearing to many, as 5-7D Gaia presents herself in anticipation of humanity recognition. All aspects of "humanity to hue-manity" mass transition have been initiated and progress appears as anticipated, although extremely slowly for some. High degree of care for those with fragile "shock" layers is being called for by Gaia at this time. Many of Higher Realms are active on Gaia surface as Gaia Inner Realms as full awakening proce... more »

Counterfeit Drugs 7: WHO, InterPol and IFPMA on SFFC

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 22 hours ago
The spurious/falsely-labelled/falsified/counterfeit (SFFC) medicines or simply counterfeit medicines is a big public health problem. Patients who take such fake and/or substandard drugs will not experience improvement from their illness unless their immune system is strong enough. At worse, their condition might even worsen as the disease can mutate and evolve into something more complicated, and can even result to death. While the more commonly faked medicines are those patented or newly-introduced ones and hence, are priced high, even cheaper but popular generic drugs are also cou... more »

In the Belly Of The Whale - Two California Swimmers Almost Go the Way of Jonah

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 22 hours ago
They were just out for a little whale watching

Mechanical Turk and Experiments in the Social Sciences

Josh Busby at Duck of Minerva - 23 hours ago
Amazon created a platform called Mechanical Turk that allows Requesters to create small tasks (Human Intelligence Tasks or HITs) that Workers can perform for an extremely modest fee such as 25 or 50 cents per task.* Because the site can be used to collect survey data, it has become a boon for social scientists interested in Continue reading

Abigail

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 1 day ago
*Ver más colecciones de imágenes*[image: Unirse a Banco de Imágenes en Facebook] [image: Seguir a Banco de Imágenes en Twitter] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por Rss] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por correo]

Review - Pur Footwear by Planet Shoes

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 1 day ago
Do you wear Eco-friendly shoes? If you're like me, knowing which materials are safe (and which brands use them) is a mind-boggling mystery. Sure, we know that plastics are bad and we avoid toxic glues. But what about cotton, leather and latex? Are they Eco-friendly? Here's a hint ... not always. The situation becomes very complicated when we consider a material's origin, how it's processed, it's life cycle and how long it takes to biodegrade (if ever). Add to that the final product and how it is packaged and transported. Shoes are made up of different parts ... the heel, feather,... more »

Do The Rich Want To Kill The Rest Of Us? No, Of Course Not! Who Would Be Their Servants, Slaves And Customers?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Don't mention Thomas Jefferson to Texas nutbag Ted Cruz As soon as the Texas plutocrats won control over the state Board of Education, through their pathetic Tea Party puppets, one of the first orders of business was to eliminate Thomas Jefferson from the history books. Dangerous revolutionary, that Jefferson, with his subversive ideas. I wonder how long it will take for them to move against historical Jesus too. This account is from 2010: After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board of Education on Friday approved a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative ... more »

The Realist Report with John Friend

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 1 day ago
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined by *Brother Ryan*of the Christian Patriot & Truth Ministry. Be sure to visit *Brother Ryan's TruTube page* where you can view some of the videos he has produced. Please visit *The Realist Report* on TalkeShoe to download this and past episodes.

New Video By "Snordelhans" Exposes Edward Snowden - Are We Being Treated As Suckers Again?

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
When the Edward Snowden/NSA trouble first started last month, I too was originally thinking that this man was a hero to the American people by his escaping the United States with valuable information that could both expose the criminality of the NSA and the entire Barry Soetoro regime in Washington. However, it has been well over a month since Snowden left the US, and I am deeply troubled by the simple fact that if this man is truly legitimate, he should have already put out valuable information that could possibly bring down the entire corrupt NSA organization. But to this day, he... more »

Alan Waldman: ‘Jonathan Creek’ is Clever Brit Whodunnit Series Featuring an Illusionist

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 1 day ago
Waldman's film and TV treasures you may have missed: Alan Davies’s character solves locked-room mysteries and many other crimes with seemingly inexplicable aspects. By Alan Waldman / The Rag Blog / July 22, 2013 [In his weekly column, Alan Waldman reviews some of his favorite films and TV series that readers may have missed, including TV dramas, mysteries, and comedies from Canada, England,

"Death's Other Kingdom: Heraclitus On The Life of The Foolish And The Wise" By Herbert Granger

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
*The Fragments of Heraclitus.* Below is an excerpt from, *"Death's Other Kingdom: Heraclitus On The Life of The Foolish And The Wise"* by Herbert Granger, Professor of Philosophy at Wayne State University. Source: *Classical Philology*, Vol. 95, No. 3 (Jul., 2000), pp. 260-281. Published by The University of Chicago Press. The excerpt below is from Pg. 260-264. The common stock of humanity has no understanding of the nature of reality, thinks Heraclitus, and only a very few humans ever comprehend it. A significant number of fragments comment on the epistemic condition of the co... more »

What Pledged Money?

John Carroll at Dying in Haiti - 1 day ago
#Haiti...Emergency Department Waiting Room--Saint Catherine's Hospital Cite Soleil http://t.co/jMAd8kXkk3 — John A. Carroll (@haitianhearts) July 23, 2013

Ryan Brauns cops a 65 game suspension for violating Baseball's PEDs policy - A-Rod , Cruz and the rest of the Balco crew on deck ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Ryan Braun suspended ( takes the deal ..... ) the take from Deadspin..... [image: Ryan Braun Suspended For The Rest Of The Season] L Ryan Braun Suspended For The Rest Of The Season And here we go. The first of Bud's Biogenesis Babies, Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will be suspended for the remainder of the season, 65 games. Braun released a brief statement: “As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it... more »

It's a boy! (Come on, you're burning up with Royal Fever. You know you are!)

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*Let's leave Krugman on Detroit for tomorrow* Guardian *caption, posted early today: "A correspondent for Mother and Baby magazine sets up a tent outside St. Mary's hospital in London, where the Duchess of Cambridge will give birth."* *by Ken* As I write, we don't know what the name of the new little prince, eventual heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, will be. So what do you say we call him Thurman? Or maybe Pete? How about Lamont? Or Francis? What, you mean we don't get a say? Come on, Kate and Will, wouldn't a Prince Calvin be, like, a... more »

Summer sex scandals and gangster trials!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013* *Our fatuous values watch:* The fatuous values of the Times should never be overlooked. Over the weekend, our Fatuous Values Watch continued to roll along. On Saturday, Gail Collins’ latest column bore a headline which was rather high in self-awareness: “Sex Scandals in the Sun” The next day, Maureen Dowd was back from France. She was back in her seat at that gangster trial in Boston: DOWD (7/21/13): *A Tender Gangster Romance* It was a subtle distinction, for a psychopath. *“I loved her,” Stevie “The Rifleman” Flemmi said of his onetime girlfriend, Deb... more »

As Edward Snowden prepares to be allowed to leave the Moscow Airport , recent NSA updates continue to flow.....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
American whistleblower to leave Moscow airport by Wednesday Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:53PM 25 43 Edward Snowden Former contractor of the US National Security Agency Edward Snowden is set to leave the transit area of Moscow’s main international airport on Wednesday after one month, his lawyer said. "He should get this certificate (allowing him to leave the airport) shortly," Russian attorney Anatoly Kucherena was quoted as saying by Reuters on Monday. He added that the American leaker would move to the city center and cancelled his possible trip to Latin America due to safety measures.... more »

Harvey Organ's Gold and Silver Report - July 22 , 2013 Data from today , News and Views on the prcious metals !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://harveyorgan.blogspot.com/2013/07/total-comex-gold-falls-again-to-6885.html Monday, July 22, 2013 Total comex gold falls again to 6.885 million oz/Spain starts to borrow funds from its pension fund to pay out/ Gold and silver explode Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen: Gold exploded up $42.60 to $1336.40 (comex closing time ). Silver was also up by $1.05 to $20. 50 (comex closing time) In the access market at 5:00 pm, gold and silver finished trading at the following prices : gold: $1335.90 silver: $20.55 It seems that our specs are in deep trouble with the commercials net ... more »

(No Democracy In USA? - JC) They've Failed Right Along: These Are Not Smart Guys (Obama's Easily Impressed?) and How Ayn Rand Destroyed Sears/K-Mart and the Rest of Middle-Class America (Stock Buybacks Only Manipulate Stock Prices)

But, first, lookee what Jimmy Carter finally said on one of his overseas missions! President Carter Says America Has No Functioning DemocracyNow, isn’t that curious? As at the same time Carter is saying that about our democracy and the importance of whistle-blowing, our current US president, Barack Obama, who is, by-the-way, a civil liberties attorney, is on the record repeatedly expressing

News of the day for Europe - focus on Spain ( Spain borrows from Social Security Fund to pay pensions - note Social Security Fund almost exclusively composed of spanish sovereign debt ! Rajoy finally agrees to answer questions in Parliament regarding the ever swelling corruption issues ) , Portugal's political situation takes a respite - despite that a second bailout will still be needed ) , Greece's strikes continue - Teachers today , Medical Doctors Wednesday , Europe's debt continues to rise not surprisingly the PIIGS have the largest increases ! Italian Doctors strike today - Italy becoming Greek by the day !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-22/insolvent-spain-forced-borrow-social-security-fund-pay-pensions Insolvent Spain Forced To "Borrow" From Social Security Fund To Pay Pensions [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/22/2013 15:56 -0400 - Gross Domestic Product - Reality - Reserve Fund - Reuters - Unemployment Spain's slow-motion implosion into an insolvent singularity has been one of the most amusing sideshows for over a year. The chief reason for this is the sheer schizophrenic and absurdist polarity between the sad reality, visi... more »

Brian Kelly: The Will of The People

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
*Brian Kelly: The Will of The People* *This is a conversation that Brian Kelly had in "another room" .... it deserved to be read by everyone. Thank you Brian- Well said!! -D* *I concur D. -AK* Posted by Brian Kelly I made this comment on a thread in another room and thought it worth sharing. It was in response to accusations that Courtesy Notices are causing "serious suffering." Please feel free to share as you see fit :) I have yet to come across one person who is "seriously suffering" as a result of using a Courtesy Notice, which as we made very clear above is NOT an official... more »

So, is there any reason EQC shouldn’t shut up shop?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
EQC is bankrupt. There, someone had to say it. EQC is not some benevolent organisation with bags of money ready to swoop down at times of need to dispense capital. It is an organisation with no capital at all that is just a roadblock to those trying to rebuild after disaster. Even before the Christchurch earthquake, the Earthquake Commission was skating on thin financial ice. Set up by government after the Napier earthquake to pay for earthquake damage out of government savings, rather than by taxing or borrowing, by the time the ground shook under Canterbury the ambition had ... more »

ScienceDaily..."What are you doing Dave? Dave?"

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 1 day ago
When can we teach them pain? Abraham Ben Judea Microchips That Mimic the Brain: Novel Microchips Imitate the Brain's Information Processing in Real Time July 22, 2013 — Novel microchips imitate the brain's information processing in real time. Neuroinformatics researchers from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich together with colleagues from the EU and US demonstrate how complex cognitive abilities can be incorporated into electronic systems made with so-called neuromorphic chips: They show how to assemble and configure these electronic systems to function in a way similar... more »

Thinking About the Seven Year Post-Doc

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 1 day ago
This piece is really interesting. It is written by Radhika Nagpal who was on the tenure track at Harvard but treated the experience like a seven year post-doc. That is, she didn’t focus on what it took to get tenure there, because, well, most folks don’t get tenure. Instead, Nagpal focused on pursuing the most Continue reading

Elsewhere: Cruz, More

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
My Saturday column for Salon warned liberals not to root for Ted Cruz. If you read that, you might also want to read Michael Tomasky's argument today that liberals *should* root for Ted Cruz. His case is pretty much what I was writing against; he basically takes it as a given that Cruz would have no chance to win, and works from there. The piece generated tons of comments, most of them ranging from hostile to contemptuous. Quite a few were with Tomasky's point of view -- that Cruz obviously couldn't win. A lot of them were on the order of: Cruz could never pivot back to the center!... more »

Poverty Matters Redux

plthomasedd at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
The “poverty is not destiny” mantra is wearing thin as a cousin to the “no excuses” movement in education that demonizes teachers and schools serving high-poverty and minority children. The ugly truth is that both slogans are simply rhetorical strategies for NOT facing inequity, for avoiding confronting the privileged who tend to be the ones […]

IS GLOBAL WARMING SERIOUS? IF SO, HOW DO WE KNOW IT, AND WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING ABOUT IT?

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 1 day ago
------------------------------ Here below I have embed two videos from a Global Climate Change Conference held in 2008. Each of these videos is an hour long, and each features two speakers who keep to their allotted half-hour slots. If you are not a scientist, you may suppose that you will not be able to understand any of the speakers. However, I am going to help you by providing the immediately following figure. The "secret" is to first understand the principle of a simple *x-y* graph (* x* is the horizontal axis and *y *is the vertical axis) and then take note of what x and y sta... more »

Oily secrets . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 1 day ago
KEYSTONE XL May Actually Raise American Gas Prices — that's the title of an article by TRUTHOUT. Stevie ain't gonna like it: “Keystone XL is not an economic benefit to Americans who will see higher gas prices and bear all the risks of the pipeline,” said report author Judy Dugan in a press release. “The pipeline is being built through America, but not for Americans.” The report reinforces

We Need More Affordable Homes, Prime Minister, Not More Subsidies

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
*Guest post by Stephen Berry* Tinkering with subsidised KiwiSaver allowances and “start-up help” won’t help Aucklanders facing paying seven times their household income for their first home. With the median house price in the city now at over $550,000, the government is considering lifting the $400,000 price cap for KiwiSaver first-home buyer deposit subsidies in Auckland. Unless the structural issues causing house price inflation are addressed however then instead of spurring new building activity, any increases in subsidy will feed directly into prices. The key here is spurr... more »

Five minutes of research could have spared us this uninformed prattle on InSite

Jody Paterson at A Closer Look: Jody Paterson - 1 day ago
It almost felt good to experience the righteous rage rising in me this morning when I read that uninformed column by Licia Corbella in the Calgary Herald trying to draw a link between the overdose death of actor Cory Monteith and Vancouver's supervised injection site. I'd forgotten how much I love to hate lazy, ignorant commentary, so deliciously wide open to being torn apart by anyone with the slightest understanding of the issue at hand. How long would it have taken for Corbella to have gone to the Insite web site and learned more about the services, the clients, the lives sa... more »

ANONYMOUS: Senator Dianne Feinstein has received over $698,244 from NSA affiliates in political donations, since the formation of PRISM in 2007

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
Anonymous Operation NSA's first target: Californian Senator Dianne Feinstein. She has taken over $698,000 in bribes from security and defense contractors to vote in favor of them and against you. - See more at: http://xrepublic.tv/node/4463 ** * * * * *Video transcript:* Greetings Californian State Senator Dianne Feinstein. We are Anonymous. Did you think that your actions against the citizens of this country would go unnoticed? Did you think that we the people, would not respond to your gruesome dishonesty? We have been watching. In accordance with phase II of #Op NSA we... more »

Bullshit Meter Off-The-Charts With ABC "news" Story About Zimmerman Saving Family From Overturned Truck

Big Dan at Big Dan's Big Blog - 1 day ago
Remember this story from the joke news site The Onion last week? *"George Zimmerman Wins Florida State Lottery"* Well guess what? ABC branch of the government "news" propaganda outlet has topped The Onion with this story that immediately enters the bullshit charts top-10 with a bullet: *George Zimmerman Emerged From Hiding for Truck Crash Rescue* I put the SAME PICTURE from The Onion for the ABC "news" story, too. Why not? It's worse than The Onion story! Let's see: no names of the victims (they don't want to reward Zimmerman?) (update: ABC has now said the family was the Ger... more »

Ex-Mobil Executive Spills The Beans About How Big Oil Is Fracking Up The Planet

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
The head of the California Democratic Party's Environmental Caucus, R.L. Miller, is starting up a national Climate Hawks Vote project. She was instrumental in getting a resolution calling for a moratorium on fracking through the sometimes tepid California Democratic Party and many of us know her as an intrepid environmental blogger at *Daily Kos*. The other day she and I talked about how we could work together to help defend environmental champion and Climate Change realist Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), who's being challenged by a New Dem sellout to pollution special interest lobby... more »

FUKUSHIMA DEADLY UPDATE / SILENCE REMAINS SUPREME

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 1 day ago
*Fukushima is here, it is no longer a Japanese problem ~ it is a growing world problem which is still being ignored. Here's an update on my report of May 14,2013 where I demonstrated that a creeping and never ending deadly fog of radiation, invisible to the eye but not to the immune system, continues to blanket the West Coast while its human cost is barely being mentioned ~ mainly due to a worldwide media blackout : Allen L Roland* *The Fukushima Genie that was released over two years ago is still spouting and leaking forth deadly radiation while silence remains supr... more » 
 
For a WTF moment, compare the above to
 

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