Monday, November 25, 2013

25 Nov - Blogs I'm Following II

High Royds solitary confinement - geograph.org...High Royds solitary confinement - geograph.org.uk - 1047059 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The notorious "Block 15" in the 1950...The notorious "Block 15" in the 1950s. Built before the war as a military prison, it became the camp's strict solitary confinement building. Cramped conditions, absence of basic sanitation, isolation from the outside world and the guards' brutality affected the inmates' health and sanity. (Greek) Haidari Municipality: Block 15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Army Capt. Suzanne Redente shows visitors the ...Army Capt. Suzanne Redente shows visitors the items issued to detainees at Joint Task Force Guantanamo’s Camp 5, Dec. 22. – JTF Guantanamo photo by Army Spc. Cody Black (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ca. 1875: Calico hoods were worn by all prison...ca. 1875: Calico hoods were worn by all prisoners in solitary confinement when outside their cells: the Pentonville system of reform tried to isolate prisoners from others in all possible ways. Picture taken at the Old Melbourne Gaol, Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: As designed, Camp 5 and Camp 6 were t...English: As designed, Camp 5 and Camp 6 were to have communal areas. But, by the time it was complete it was decided the captives were to be held in solitary confinement, and the communal areas were not made available to the captives. Under President Obama captives were allowed to mingle in the areas designed to be communal areas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Known as "klondike" or "the hol...Known as "klondike" or "the hole", this subterranean holding cell was the most severe form of solitary confinement. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
10:10pm MST

What's Texas Teabagger Ted Cruz Packin'?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 10 minutes ago
2016 GOP ticket? It's an unfortunate given, but there are people, mostly far right extremists divorced from both the mainstream and from reality, who pay attention to what the overly ambitious junior senator from Texas has to say. But not many other people do-- except the media, knowing Cruz is always willing to say anything at all to grab some headlines and raise himself some money. His latest is that Obama made the Senate Dems rein in the filibuster so that Obama can pack the courts to protect Obamacare. Normal people dismiss that kind of crazy talk, but, remember, Cruz wasn't a p... more »

Whatever Happened to the Fair Housing Act? and Why It Is Crucial to Fair Education

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 2 hours ago
Below is information on an amazing piece of investigative reporting, presented this past Saturday on This American Life. Please do have a look and listen. Also, see the opportunity to participate in the an ongoing investigation on school segregation. A Year Later, Feds Inch Forward on Fair Housing by Nikole Hannah-Jones ProPublica, Nov. 22, 2013, 11:43 a.m.by Jeff Larson and Nikole Hannah-Jones, ProPublica, Dec. 20 Tonight's episode of "This American Life" will feature a story based on ProPublica's yearlong investigation "Living Apart: How the Government Betrayed a Landmark Civ... more »

Whether in Richmond or in DC, GOP-ers make the case that they're mutant life forms -- possibly from Outer Space?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
*Virginia Board of Elections Chairman Charles E. Judd, former executive director of the state Republican party, certified Democrat Mark Herring's win in the attorney-general vote count but voiced concern about "the integrity of the vote count." He somehow neglected to mention Neville Chamberlain or Hitler.* *"In the eyes of Republicans, the agreement with Iran has a fatal flaw: It was negotiated by the Obama administration. This president could negotiate a treaty promoting baseball, motherhood and apple pie, and Republicans would brand it the next Munich."* *-- Dana Milbank, in his... more »

JFK50: None Dare Call it Treason

Paul Coker at News Spike - 3 hours ago
Plucked at random from Ron Paul's Facebook feed: General Paul Vallely is the co-author of "From Psy-Op to Mind War" with Gen. Michael Aquino, the MK-Delta Satanist, and is a core contributor and advisor to Fox News. "From PSYOP to Mindwar: The Psychology of Victory" is a military paper on psychological warfare, written by Lt. Col. Michael Aquino and Col. Paul E. Vallely in 1980. It was sent, writes Aquino, "to various governmental offices, agencies, commands and publications involved or interested in PSYOP." I think it bears a close read now, because it describes a top-down psy... more »

The 35 Greatest Easter Eggs From The "Doctor Who" 50th Anniversary

Zoe Brain at A.E.Brain - 3 hours ago
Click on picture to enter the Time Vortex

They knew how to make cough syrup in 1888

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 3 hours ago
[Hat tip Capitalism] Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Azadeh Zohrabi on CA Hunger Strikers, Solitary Confinement, and Herman Wallace

angola3news at Angola 3 News - 3 hours ago
*(Stayed tuned for footage of Robert King, speaking after Zohrabi, and the Q and A session afterwards.) * Azadeh Zohrabi has almost 10 years of experience visiting and advocating for people in California’s prisons. During this time, she has worked on a range of issues including improving the conditions of confinement for pregnant women and limiting the use of solitary confinement in both juvenile and adult institutions. Azadeh recently graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law and was awarded a Soros Justice Fellowship to work with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children ... more »

Bad Bear's Photos Longest Walk 4 walking toward Austin Nevada

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 4 hours ago
. The Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz walked from Eureka toward Austin, Nevada, today, through Western Shoshone country. Thanks to long walker Bad Bear Sampson for sharing photos with Censored News! The walkers are on the final stretch, the final month of the five month walk. Their route takes them through Paiute country next, then Carson City, Sacramento and on to Alcatraz for

MISSILE OFFENSE NOT NEEDED IN EUROPE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 4 hours ago
The Russian Foreign Minister's has commented that the Iran nuclear deal quashes the reasons for America to build a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe. Russia's long-regarded the radar as a national security threat, but the US maintains it is necessary to protect against so-called 'rogue states' - like Iran. Anoush Ehteshami, a Professor of International Relations and Head of the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University, joins RT to discuss this issue.

Fossil fuels improve the planet [updated]

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago
There are plenty of protestors around—many off Raglan today—wanting to tell you that fossil fuels are bad. But too few folk who benefit from them wanting to tell you how fossil fuels improve the planet. So thank goodness for Alex Epstein from the Center for Industrial Progress. *UPDATE*: Greenpeace’s Mike Szabo debates this point and others, bless him, at StephenBerry’s Facebook post… Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

For PM Stephen Harper ... 'Electability' Trumps Criminal Behaviour

leftdog at Buckdog - 4 hours ago
*"For the PM, electability apparently trumps criminal behaviour. Not a big seller in Conservative circles."* *(Michael Harris nails whats wrong with Stephen Harper in his November 24th iPolitics article. For Mr. Harper, no amount of lying, fabrication, Senate manipulation, RoboCalls etc matter if you can get re-elected. In Harper's world, Rob Ford is forgiven of everything if he remains 'electable').* *"Rob Ford and Mike Duffy may not prove to be the end of Stephen Harper, but they are the beginning of the end.* *To what must be the disbelief of his political base, the prime mini... more »

@drsteveperry wants to use a strap on, or strap up, or whatever it’s called. @edushyster

Shaun Johnson at @ THE CHALK FACE - 4 hours ago
The Edushyster has a really evocative piece up, a first person account, of that oddly aggressive charlatan and carpetbagger “Dr.” Steve Perry, whose EdD dissertation is insanely inadequate to keep forcing those initials upon us at every speaking engagement. A pathetic non-man, this Steve Perry is. Lame and limp. Tagged: capital prep, no excuses, steve […]

Why We Can't Have Good Health Insurance Nationwide (ObamaCare Is Scary To These Guys)

Obamacare (ACA) is quite scary to those who make big money by denying coverage and/or care to the healthy, sick, injured or dying. There is no argument about this. Not in the US anyway. If you'd like to know why "Obamacare" is failing, just read these few paragraphs (and click on the link if you'd like the whole schmear). The readers' comments are just too informative to be ignored. If you

Half of new Grek HIV cases are self inflicted - to receive 700 euro per month benefits ? So much for Greece recovery meme.......

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
Half Of New Greek HIV Cases Are Self-Inflicted To Receive €700 Per Month Benefits, Study Finds [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/25/2013 11:19 -0500 - European Central Bank - Greece - International Monetary Fund inShare2 When one reads the following stunning, and tragic, excerpt from the World Health Organization's recent report "Review of social determinants and the health divide in the WHO European Region: final report" what can one say but... *Grecovery.* From the WHO: *Case study: countries’ experiences of financial crisis - Greec... more »

Libya updates November 25 , 2013 - Security issues are top line news items of the day from forgotten Libya....

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 4 hours ago
Security.... BREAKING NEWS: Zeidan in Benghazi for emergency talks *By Ahmed Elumami*. [image: Zeidan in Benghazi this evening] Zeidan in Benghazi this evening with military commanders (seated) including Abd Nasser Bousnina (left), Wanis Bukhamada (middle) and Chief of Staff Abdulsalam Jadallah Al-Obaidi (right) (*Photo: Official Government Facebook page*) *Tripoli, 25 November 2013*: Prime Minister Ali Zeidan is in Benghazi for emergency talks with local security heads, following this morning’s violent clashes between Benghazi Special Forces and Ansar Al-Sharia. Zeidan, who returned... more »

Asbury Park NJ Where is the Democracy?

Judy Rabin at Schools Matter - 5 hours ago
Seems to be an epidemic across the country. Democracy? What's that? In the new world of test and punish from the corporate cronies, democracy is history. Of course, the Christie Administration is only looking out for the best interests of the students, you know the guy who has done so much for NJ public schools that a court had to reinstate $500 million in aid to poor districts. This *Asbury Park Press* reporter has her work cut out for her. Perhaps someone should tip her off to the new normal when it comes to poverty stricken school districts who don't know how to work hard and b... more »

BC Ferries And BC Liberal Revenge Towards NDP Held Ridings

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 5 hours ago
*Written by Grant G* Last Friday on the cutting edge of the ledge radio program on cknw featuring Keith Baldrey, Vaughn Palmer and Bill Good....I don`t believe I have ever heard such a disgusting excuse filled, wafflegabfest in all my life, clearly those three stooges have shown their true colours, their true agenda, they lied, bullshitted and fought with every caller, those stooges not only argued with every caller(BC Ferry story callers) they repeated every BC Liberal spin doctor talking point...It was shameful, disgusting and grounds for formal complaints to the Canadian Broa... more »

Radio Documentary Podcast on Hate Crime and Hate Crime Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Christian Munthe) at Philosophical Comment - 5 hours ago
I've been blogging a bit before about activities coming out of a European research project I've been involved with together with my colleague David Brax, *When Law and Hate Collide*. The earlier posts, containing links to presentations, videos from conferences, actual proposed lines of reasoning om particular topics and so on is here. Our own main input about the philosophy of hate crime, besides an upcoming special issue of the *Journal of Interpersonal Violence* is the *Philosophy of Hate Crime Anthology*, which can be downloaded in whole from the project website - the *Introductio... more »

The Realist Report with John Friend

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 5 hours ago
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined once again by Dr. Eric Karlstrom. Dr. Karlstrom and I will be talking about the "Global Warming" hoax, Dr. Karlstrom's views of 9/11, and mind control via mass media, culture distortion, and social engineering. You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit *The Realist Report* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs. Below are relevant links for this program: - *Climate Change Hoax Exposed by John Friend - American Free Press* - *How the Controllers Control Us? The Co-Option and Cor... more »

Mohawk John Kane: Our ''Special Month" -- Almost in the Bag

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 6 hours ago
Our “Special Month” — Almost in the Bag By Mohawk John Kane Censored News So as we head into the final week of National Native American Heritage Month as proclaimed by the 44th Rahnatakaias, or as I call it, our “special month,” we get to witness another misappropriation of our culture or, at the very least, another great falsehood of American history, the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving.

THE RNA WORLD:CHAPTER ONE

mollymew at Molly'sBlog - 6 hours ago
*THE RNA WORLD: CHAPTER 1* The RNA World: Third Edition. Raymond F. Gesteland, Thomas R. Cech and John F. Atkins eds., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor New York 2006. ISBN: 0-87969-739-3 *In the beginning was the nucleoside, and the nucleoside was of the tribe of base and the tribe of pentose. And it was null and void, and then "let there be phosphate" was said in the beginning.* It is almost orthodoxy that prior to modern life whose genetic information is contained in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) there was a world in which RNA (ribonucleic acid) wa... more »

Referendum: Can’t vote, won’t vote

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 6 hours ago
The question asks: [image: image] My answer is, “No I don’t.” Which would no doubt please David Cunliffe, Russel Norman et al if I voted that way, which is the only alternative the voting paper allows me. But my *full *answer is “No I don’t, because I support the Government selling off *100%*…” The 49% is a pathetic and destructive halfway house, offering none of the benefits of removing businesses from government management, and all of the problems. It maintains the fiction that government is a good manager of real assets. It maintains all the monopolistic nastiness associated ... more »

be still

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 6 hours ago
"To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." Lao Tzu

Fukushima updates - November 25 , 2013..... As Tepco sets out to remove spent fuel rods from the Spent Fuel pool for Reactor building 4 , concerns abound ... ..... tracking radiation to the US West Coast

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 6 hours ago
Energy News...... 04:01 PM EST on November 25th, 2013 | 11 comments Editors: Fukushima giving top nuclear scientists nightmares — Writer from L.A.: Radioactive plume crossing Pacific is what’s keeping me up at night 11:31 AM EST on November 25th, 2013 | 25 comments NHK: ‘Particles’ impairing visibility in Fukushima pool — Will try to remove spent fuel Tuesday, said to be “one of most dangerous operations ever attempted in nuclear history” — Tepco concerned about sabotage, warns media about filming 01:17 AM EST on November 25th, 2013 | 45 comments Scientist back from Japan: Melt-th... more »

Stupid Empiricism and the Conservative Party

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 6 hours ago
The Crosbyisation of politics. A phrase that hardly rolls off the tongue and is, therefore, unlikely to remain a fixture of the British political lexicon for long. But what it describes is true enough. Between now and May 2015, everything conceivable will be hauled out from their dirty tricks box and thrown in Labour's path. So much for Dave's pledge to end Punch and Judy politics. Now, of course, I'm the last one likely to let the Tories off the hook. They do not have to bring politics down to the gutter level, there is always free choice. But their decision to go with a strategy t... more »

ObamaCare updates November 25 , 2013 - Congressional Dems ready to flip the white house and turn on Obama IF the Healthcare.gov website is still a dud come December 1 , 2013 ? Besides isn't the website just a symptom for the worsening condition of the whole of ObamaCare ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 6 hours ago
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/11/25/democrats-set-to-turn-on-obama-if-healthcare-gov-isnt-ready-next-week/ Democrats set to turn on Obama if Healthcare.gov isn’t ready next week POSTED AT 3:41 PM ON NOVEMBER 25, 2013 BY ALLAHPUNDIT Pure, sweet, schadenfreudean goodness from Politico. See now why I think there’s a chance that those new Iran sanctions pass with veto-proof majorities? Turns out, after three years and a half years of development plus two months of frantic triage to Healthcare.gov, Democrats are finally ready to hold the White House accountable for its giant O-Care f... more »

Tony Bennett and Mike Pence’s CECI

Doug Martin at Schools Matter - 7 hours ago
ByDoug Martin Since my first article where I outedthe vast amount of taxpayer money Pence is paying staff at his Center for Education and Career Innovation (CECI) to usurp supt. of public education Glenda Ritz, Mike Claytor, an accountant and Democratic candidate for state auditor, has publically called for an audit of Pence’s new dual education agency, saying the CECI violates Hoosier government spending rules and “should also be transparent and its finances and information should be available to everyone.” Democratic lawmaker Scott Pelath followed Claytor, telling the *Northwes... more »

Is Henry Waxman Vulnerable… From The Left? Meet Marianne Williamson, Congressional Candidate

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
Henry Waxman has been an effective and well-respected legislator from the West Side of Los Angeles. First elected in 1974, the 74 year old progressive Democrat is serving his 20th term in Congress. He's the ex-Chairman and now Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. No Republican opponent has ever gotten to 35% against him and most haven't even gotten to 30%, His closest call ever was last year when multimillionaire real estate mogul Bill Bloomberg, a not so stealth Republican, ran against him as an independent. The result was 171,860 (54%) to 146,660 (46%). Blo... more »

Midnight Movie Review - Catching Fire

Southern Man at Southern Man - 7 hours ago
Southern Man has always permitted his children to see midnight premiers of their favorites so after work today he made the two-hour (actually three-and-a-half this time due to a spectacular wreck on the rush-hour interstate) to fetch Teen Daughter and (with her mother's blessing) bring her back to Southern City for the midnight premier of *The Hunger Games: Catching Fire* and a day off from school on Friday. This is Teen Daughter's favorite book of the *Hunger Games* trilogy and the film did not disappoint. Solid acting and terrific production values make this one a sequel that i... more »

JFK50: The View from The Kremlin

Paul Coker at News Spike - 7 hours ago

Book Review: John Owens’ Confessions of a Bad Teacher

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 7 hours ago
I teach. I blog. I speak publicly. I advocate. I advise. I counsel. Not much time left for reading for pleasure. However, from the very opening paragraphs of John Owens’ firsthand account of the contemporary, reform-beaten American classroom, Confessions of a Bad Teacher, I was hooked: After we read the section of Homer’s The Odyssey […]

Monday Music

Southern Man at Southern Man - 7 hours ago
*I know you're out there, somewhere,somewhere you can hear my voiceand I will find you, somehow,and somehow I'll return again to you.* Nothing quite like the Moody Blues to make you a little wistful for lost loves. Another is here, posted while thinking about that same lost love...

Mouse study finds gut microorganisms may determine cancer treatment outcome

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 7 hours ago
Mouse study finds gut microorganisms may determine cancer treatment outcome Seed Newsvine

Can't spell conservative without the con

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 8 hours ago
And by con I mean lying, dissembling, inhumane ideologues who put politics above the public health and safety. In particular, I'm talking about today's alleged scoop by Tucker Carlson's vanity project, The Daily Crapper which breathlessly announced Cleveland Clinic is cutting staff because Obamacare: The Cleveland Clinic, which is ranked among the top four U.S. hospitals, is making layoffs and cutting its budget more than $100 million as a direct result of the Affordable Care Act, the Daily Caller has learned. “The cuts for 2014, about half of those are related to the Affordable ... more »

Exit one cricketer

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 8 hours ago
A firestorm of sledging erupted in the first Ashes test between England and Australian, and now England batsman Jonathan Trott is heading home, citing a mental illness. These things may be related, or they may not. But Trott’s public statement will hardly help him. A weakness of character, Ian Chappell once said memorably, is like a weakness around off stump. Something to exploit. However long it takes him to recover, Trott can look forward to being well exploited next time he appears at the crease. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to r... more »

Monday Linkages: ugly women are more competent?

Megan MacKenzie at Duck of Minerva - 8 hours ago
Two steps forward, two steps back. Just as three women completed training in the Marines for the first time- and as the US Military works to integrate women in to the combat arms, a top female US Colonel has lost her job because she asked for “average looking women” to be used in communications. Col. Continue reading

Why We Get Majorities Wrong

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 8 hours ago
Matt Glassman comments on my earlier post on majorities: I totally understand why people are so keen to get rid of the filibuster. I cannot for the life of me understand why --- given the shining example of majority-rule just a football field south of the Senate --- they do not understand that there are both positive and negative consequences to doing so. I think I know the answer to this one, although I'll admit it's speculative. And the answer is...political culture. Or, if you prefer, poor education. Basically, there's incredibly widespread belief about two things in the US, on... more »

Mug Tree Bracelet Holder

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 8 hours ago
I love gifts that have a homemade touch, without the hours of work that often comes with a completely homemade gift. This fun bracelet holder comes together quickly with a little bit of prep work and a little bit of drying time. Pair it with a couple of fabulous bracelets and you have a fantastic gift. You will need: A Mug Tree ( I was able to thrift a few of them for about $1 a piece) Sand paper or a Sander Spray Paint If you have an small electric sander, the prep work takes about a minute. If you need to sand by hand the prep work will take a little bit longer, but it is still... more »

Quote of the Day: On the Iranian ‘breakthrough’ [updated]

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 8 hours ago
"We are in essence paying Iran $5 billion to $10 billion, which it can use to continue enriching and of course sponsoring terrorists. The communist adage that capitalists would sell them the rope to hang the capitalist is turned on its head; we are now paying our enemies to manufacture the rope.” - Jennifer Rubin, “The Iran deal makes clear it pays to enrich,” WASHINGTON POST [Hat tip Terry V.] *UPDATE*: On the other hand: “The principal benefit of the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 nations on November 23 is that Iran and the United States were able to down to talk a... more »

Mexico: Alleged UFO over Guanajuato

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 9 hours ago
*Source: Planeta UFO and Starmedia.comDate: 14 November 2013* *Mexico: Alleged UFO over Guanajuato* *By Carlos Fredo* Mexicans witnessed an alleged triangular UFO flying over the skies of León, Guanajuato. The alleged UFO was recorded on video on 14 November in León in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The recording is from the [YouTube] channel belonging to “jmhz71” and it displays a triangular object flying across Mexican skies at high speed. León is Mexico’s seventh metropolitan area with slightly more than 1,650,000 residents and it has been a site for unidentified flying ... more »

JFK50: "Raul"

Paul Coker at News Spike - 9 hours ago
*"Raul" in the company of Lee Harvey Oswald, * *New Orleans, Louisiana, August 9th, 1963* Lee Oswald was the treasurer and sole member of the New Orleans chapter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee; the men with him have never been formally identified, acknowledged or investigated. *From the Court Transcript of King Family vs. Jowers et al., (1999)* *Q.* Now, he mentioned this figure, Raul, having picked up the money at one point in time and delivered a weapon. Did he identify a photo spread – of a photo spread did he identify a photograph of him for you? *A.* Yes, he did. ... more »

Lily Allen says it's Hard Out Here

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 9 hours ago
Lily Allen is back and her tongue is firmly in her cheek.

Big Anti-TPP Protest At Obama Fundraiser Today

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 10 hours ago
A few weeks ago a friend invited me to a formal dinner at which former L.A. area congressman David Dreier, a mainstream conservative, would be delivering a keynote address. I had nothing better to do-- and it was at Culina, a restaurant with a good reputation I'd been meaning to try-- so I went. The restaurant was OK, but nothing I would go try again. Dreier was even worse. You may have missed it, but John Kerry asked him to represent the U.S. at the Bali Democracy Forum, a key meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders. Dreier, whose congressional career was ruined when a revolt among homop... more »

Love Canal in 2013

Love Canal Today

Hermosa colección especial de Navidad

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FOTOFRONTERA - 10 hours ago

E Car out of the box

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 10 hours ago
This battery car has a trailer with a gas generator. So with a little inconvenience no more range anxiety. Its one way to have your battery cake and eat your unlimited range at the same time. Around town leave the trailer at home. Its a really cool solution that has been towed around for decades. See all the details at Jalopnik. The brains behind this and much of the EV world is AC Propulsion.

Dr Jacques Gauthier – The Jewish Claim to Jerusalem: The Case Under International Law | BBC Watch

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 10 hours ago
http://bbcwatch.org/2013/11/23/dr-jacques-gauthier-the-jewish-claim-to-jerusalem-the-case-under-international-law A fascinating watch...

Mexico: New UFO Reports from Homún and Tecoh (Yucatan)

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 10 hours ago
*Source: HOY and Planeta UFODate: 21 November 2013* *Mexico: New UFO Reports from Homún and Tecoh (Yucatan)* *By Jorge Moreno – SIPSE* MERIDA, Yucatan – In recent days I received reports about alleged UFO sightings in the bordering municipalities of Homún and Tecoh, and according to the time and description given, it could be the very same object. Mario Poot, from Homún, and Ermilo Maas, from Tecoh (not known to one another) reported that on Saturday 16 November they saw an object similar to the traditional flying saucers, emitting a blue light, making no noise, and flying at low... more »

American Indian Movement: History of Struggle and Hope

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 10 hours ago
American Indian Movement: History of Struggle and Hope By Brenda Norrell Censored News Exclusive SAN FRANCISCO -- The sixth annual AIM West Conference began Monday morning with a prayer and drum song. Lakotas Bill Means and Madonna Thunder Hawk were among the first to arrive at the gathering, which includes presentations today and tomorrow, the annual un-thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday and

The Most Important Question Facing the American Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Roger Pielke, Jr.) at Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog - 11 hours ago
The WSJ today interviews Larry Summers who makes a case for why policy makers should be focusing more attention on growth policy rather than deficits: We've had 10 bipartisan budget processes. We've had zero bipartisan growth processes. We've had budget summits up the yin-yang. We've had no growth summits. We have gotten the idea that addressing the deficit is the defining challenge facing the country. . . . . . if you take the longest-run deficit and take the official forecasts, if we increase the growth rate by two-tenths of 1%, you solve the entire identified fiscal-gap problem... more »

JFK50: Lesser-noted Consequences Following President Kennedy's Death - High Altitude Auroral Research

Paul Coker at News Spike - 11 hours ago
*Q. Mr. President, it has been the stated policy, as you said earlier, for this Government to restrict outer space for peaceful objectives only. * *Will not the proposed H-bomb explosion 500 miles up jeopardize this policy and objective?* *THE PRESIDENT. * *No, I don't think so. * *I don't think so. * *I know there's been disturbance about the Van Allen belt...* *but Van Allen says it's not going to affect the belt....* *May 9th, 1962* The term* "cosmic rays" *became taboo in serious scientific discourse - in spite of the fact that the cosmic rays and the enormous belts of n... more »

Mohawk Nation News 'This Ole House'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 11 hours ago
THIS OLE HOUSE  Mohawk Nation News MNN. Nov. 25, 2013. 80 members of the Cree Nation of the isolated Attawapiskat community on James Bay in northern Ontario have been suddenly flown out. The women, children, babies, elders and men have been placed in motel rooms in Kapuskasing. Nobody knows for how long. Their government-provided clapboard houses have burnt down. In the meantime the

Coming soon: CON revisionist history, with a dump of tarsands on the side.

noreply@blogger.com (deBeauxOs) at DAMMIT JANET! - 11 hours ago
The stunning artifact above is featured in Vodou, a magnificent exhitionthat will close at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, on February 23, 2014. I have seen it twice and I hope to see it again and again before it leaves town. Ça vaut vraiment le déplacement. Here's one review. Entrance to the CMC is free on Thursdays after 5pm, and that includes Vodou. If CPC Harper government is dumbing down the Canadian Museum of Civilization, it might also turn its laser-like gaze to other cultural institutions that it can defile and degrade to please its political base. *... more »

Time to Roast #PeterPeeper

noreply@blogger.com (fern hill) at DAMMIT JANET! - 11 hours ago
Remember this from February this year? The Conservative government has abandoned its controversial and much-maligned Internet surveillance bill, legislation it once claimed was crucial to stopping child pornographers. Less than a year ago support for Bill C-30, the so-called Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, was presented to Canadians by the government as a binary choice. "He can either stand with us or stand with the child pornographers," Public Safety Minister Vic Toews scolded a Liberal critic in the House of Commons last February. The comment set off a public fi... more »

Are you for or against compliance?

Burcu Bayram at Duck of Minerva - 11 hours ago
Last week, I finally had the opportunity to read Lisa Martin’s recent piece on compliance entitled Against Compliance. Prof. Martin meticulously evaluates the literature on compliance and concludes that compliance is the wrong dependent variable to uncover the causal effect of international law on state behavior. Martin’s review of compliance studies is comprehensive and her Continue reading

Caption Contest

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 11 hours ago
Sometimes, captions just write themselves. Doesn't stop me from trying, though. But this caption should warm the cockles of any liberal heart sick to death of seeing bilge pumped out annually by right wing nut bags who still get put on our nation's bookshelves. Plus, there's something stomach-churning about an increasingly dirty-minded, sex-obsessed pedophile like Rush Limbaugh writing a children's book. Maybe he should've entitled it, "How I Spent My Summer on Hispaniola" and Palin could've named her holiday book, "A Child's Christmas and Wails." So, shame me. Show me wha... more »

Argentina: Humanoids at Pampa de Agnia, Chubut (1978)

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 12 hours ago
*Source: Planeta UFODate: 11.25.2013* *Dr. Roberto Banchs: Humanoids at Pampa de Agnia, Chubut (1978)* Driving two F-100 pickup trucks, Alfredo Giannoni and Jorge Castillo were faced with the prospect of a 634 kilometer drive along National Route 25, linking the communities of Trelew and Esquel, communities located in the Province of Chubut. They had departed at 19:00 hours on 12 October 1978, driving at an average speed of 80 Kmh. Upon reaching the Las Chapas Wilderness, Castillo overtook his companion and remained at a close distance. Around 22:00, and some 10-15 Km after Las ... more »

THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM IS GRATEFULNESS / DONATION LETTER

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 12 hours ago
*Gratefulness opens the door of the heart and acknowledges our interconnectedness with others and our essential oneness with a **Unified Field of love and soul consciousness which exists beyond time and space and whose principle property is the urge to unite. Gratefulness is the path to our heart centered destiny: Allen L Roland* *"If there were no real propensity to unite, even at a prodigiously rudimentary level, indeed, in the molecule itself, it would be impossible for love to appear higher up in the 'hominized' or human form" **Teilhard de Chardin* *Love is ... more »

With half Honduran votes counted, two candidates claim victory

paul at Paying attention - 12 hours ago
Juan Orlando Hernandez (centre, white shirt) leads supporters in election night prayer It’s never a great thing when two candidates claim election victory and the ballot counting stalls just past the halfway point. That’s the situation in Honduras this morning, with National Party presidential candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez and Libre leader Xiomara Castro Zelaya claiming victory. (It does make you appreciate the custom in Canada of waiting for rivals to concede defeat.) When the TSE - the Honduran version of Elections Canada - quit counting at midnight, Orlando had 34 per cent of th... more »

Rushing into high-tech testing

skrashen at Schools Matter - 12 hours ago
Sent to the Buffalo News, Nov. 25. Buffalo educators are concerned about whether students are tech-savvy enough to take the new computerized tests, and whether districts will have up-to-date equipment. (Pencils out, keyboards in for future exams," Nov, 25). But only a few people are asking whether we should rushing into high-tech testing. Williamsville Superintendent Martzloff points out that the tests will be expensive. The cost of setting up online testing, replacement equipment regularly will indeed be enormous and will continue to escalate as new "progress" is made in techn... more »

Is the Affordable Care Act reducing healthcare costs?

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 12 hours ago
1. The case for "yes." 2. The case for "no."

Majorities

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 13 hours ago
Ezra Klein writes last week (my emphasis): So the question here isn't so much about the change in power now as it is in the change in power over time. That change doesn't clearly favor Democrats or Republicans. Rather, *it favors majorities over minorities*. And a corrective on that front has been overdue for decades. The only thing worse than a Senate where the majority has the power to govern is one where it doesn't. I'm going to keep banging this one in, because it's terribly important. Removing the filibuster doesn't favor "majorities." It favors one particular majority. Not a ... more »

The Rebirth Of Al Qaeda In Iraq, An Interview With Jessica Lewis Of The Institute For The Study Of War

Joel Wing at MUSINGS ON IRAQ - 13 hours ago
Al Qaeda in Iraq has gone through a resurgence this year. It wasn’t long ago that the group was on the decline with much of its leadership arrested or killed, and many of its cells broken up. Now it is responsible for more and more mass casualty bombings, it has re-established its presence in the provinces, and is operating in Syria that has allowed it access to new funds, personnel, and material. To help explain the rebirth of Al Qaeda in Iraq is Jessica Lewis the research director at the Institute for the Study of War and author of several recent reports on the Islamist group. ... more »

Rick Perlstein starts to get it right!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 13 hours ago
*MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2013* *The analysts start to cheer:* We did a little snarking last week about Rick Perlstein’s “name-calling” in a recent piece. Having snarked, let us offer half a cheer. That’s what the analysts started to do in response to one part of Perlstein’s report about the treatment of “Camelot” by the 60s-era press corps. Perlstein smacks the legendary Theodore White for his serial sycophancy, first toward President Kennedy, then toward President Nixon. At one point, he brought the analysts right out of their chairs. Is Rick Perlstein allowed to say this? Plainly, n... more »

LHO50: Private First Class Lee Harvey Oswald, United States MarineCorps.

Paul Coker at News Spike - 13 hours ago
*"A policeman hit me."* November 23rd, 1963 *Private First Class Lee Harvey Oswald, United States Marine Corps.* October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963 *Semper Fi.* From the Warren Commission photo appendix, caption reads: *"Lee Harvey Oswald ironing diapers"* *NOTE: Not all of the following is true. But most of it is. Error correction and fact checking will be provided where relevant, but this is the most complete and accurate general account.* "Lee Harvey Oswald was born in New Orleans on 18th October, 1939. His father, Robert Oswald, died two months before his son was bor... more »

Small mercies

sue at Is the BBC biased? - 13 hours ago
Historic mistake Yesterday’s treatment of ‘The Deal’ by BBC News 24 wasn’t too bad. That is, taking into consideration that the deal brokered by Kerry and Mother Theresa Ashton is perceived as a life-changing stride towards World Peace and Apple Pie, at least there was a lengthy interview with Daniel Taub on BBC News 24, which granted him ample space to put Israel’s case. It’s true that despite Andrew Neil’s attempts to have Saudi Arabia added to the meagre list of party poopers, Israel is still seen, by the BBC at least, as the lone spoilsport. *“The western media concentrates o... more »

Rush Limbaugh, Liberal Trailblazer

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 13 hours ago
An economist from UMass-Amherst (that storied home of austerity debunking) posits that the latest right wing conspiracy theory may be having the serendipitous effect of giving Single Payer health care a much-needed shot of adrenaline. Writes Nancy Folbre in today's *New York Times* Economix blog: Rush Limbaugh’s take on the disastrous rollout of the Affordable Care Actcould, ironically, warm the hearts of those at the other end of the political spectrum. He contends that President Obama knew all along that the Affordable Care Act would crash and burn, but pushed it through so that t... more »

Privatized Custodial Services Bring Corporate Windfalls and Dirty Schools to Memphis

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 13 hours ago
Since school fragmentation consolidation went into effect in Shelby County (Memphis) Schools, the lawyers in charge of SCS have been trying to save every dime they can to pay for the $212 million dollar donut hole created to pay for corporate welfare charter reform schools for the urban poor. Part of the savings came by way of relieving staff custodians of their jobs as the County accepted an offers from bottom-feeding outfit in Knoxville, GCA, to save money by privatizing cleaning services. In the process, those workers who re-applied for their jobs had union affiliation eliminate... more »

The mainstream media (the propaganda arm of a corrupt government) does not tell you things like this. People are homeless because the too-big-to-jail big banks stole their homes by mortgage fraud, middle-class American jobs have been off shored, and Republican idiots on Congress recenty caused the government to weaken the economy by furloughing most its employees.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 13 hours ago
------------------------------ More Than 600,000 Americans Are Homeless On Any Given Night BY BRYCE COVERT ON NOVEMBER 22, 2013 at 9:03AM CREDIT: Wikimedia More than 600,000 Americans are homeless on a given night, according to the latest government data, which conducts a count on a specific night in January every year. Nearly a quarter are children and a third were living in unsheltered places like parks, cars, or abandoned buildings. The number of people who are chronically homeless, or who have been continuously homeless for more than one year or experienced... more »

JFK50: The New US Ambassador to Japan

Paul Coker at News Spike - 13 hours ago

ObamaCare news November 22 -24 , 2013 - Word of the Day - Delay ! As in : New delay: Deadline for ObamaCare enrollment moved back from December 15th to 23rd .... And : HHS delays 2015 enrollment to … just past the midterm elections ...... And how many people have actually ' enrolled " - well it true " enrollment involves following CMS guidelines which requirement payment of the first premium , the answer cannot be 106 ,000 . Since we have also heard the back end has not yet been built , is the correct answer ZERO ? Speaking of ZEROS , did HHS officials commit perjury or obstruction of Congress in their testimony before Congress ( CNN breaks story " Anonymous shopper " function was functional , despite testimony by Henry Chao to the contrary ) ..... Direct enrollment by insurance companies next desperate hail mary pass ? Any questions that Healthcare.gov won't be fixed anytime in the near term ? Florida , Texas and Ohio will take part in pilot hail mary pass program in the hope that something works right ! Will anyone mention to potential direct enrollees that if they go this route , forget getting a subsidy ?

Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago
Saturday.... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-11-23/1-week-left-until-november-30-obama-scrambles-boost-obamacare-enrollment-propaganda- With 1 Week Left Until November 30 Obama Scrambles To Boost Obamacare Enrollment; Propaganda Enters Overdrive Mode [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/23/2013 11:12 -0500 - Florida - Insurance Companies - Obama Administration - Obamacare - Ohio - Reuters - White House inShare With just a week to go until the Obama-promised "all clear" healthcare.gov date of November 30, the preside... more »

EU will throw €180 billion to the climate loo

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 14 hours ago
Jo Nova has pointed out that the European Union plans to spend a staggering 20% of its budget for the years 2014-2020 for totally wasteful projects justified by nothing else than the climate pseudoscience. You should understand that the EU is just an international structure "above" the member states so its budget is a small fraction of the total budgets of the individual governments. But the figure 20% still translates to unbelievable €180 billion i.e. €30 billion a year. And be sure that the EU clowns would love to be "role models" for national governments in the whole world, anywa... more »

DREAM SCHOLARSHIPS MAJOR REVERSAL: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 14 hours ago
When the national Hispanic Scholarship Fund announces is decision to reverse its policy regarding DREAM students, that will have been half the battle in the realm of scholarship eligibility. For 37 years, DREAM students were not eligible to apply or receive HSF scholarships. During that time HSF has disbursed more than $400 million in scholarships to 1.5 million students. When the decision is announced, DREAM-DACA (Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals) students will become eligible for the HSF scholarships for this funding cycle. The HSF is the largest scholarship fund, foundation ... more »

Anishinaabe Terrance Nelson 'US and Iran sign deal'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 14 hours ago
By Terrance Nelson Roseau River Anishinaabe Censored News Hey Dennis, Remember last year, October 6, 2012. The Winnipeg Sun had me on the front page pictured with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under the Caption, Dumb and Dumber. Dumb under President Ahmadinejad and Dumber under my picture.  You and I went to Tehran at a time when United States and Israel were threatening to

When is the Sun not a Sun?

Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 14 hours ago
Post by Halo Child. When is the Sun not a Sun?.... ..... When it's a Star! Apparently, two nights ago the Planetary alignment formed a 6 pointed star with our Sol in the centre. The next morning, that video was taken. I will also note here that the evening of the alignment a huge amount of people felt huge energetic movement/rushes/flashes at approximately 10pm UST Interesting, no? [image: Nikki Bordeau's photo.]

Why do some incidents get widely discussed?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 14 hours ago
*MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2013* *The tragedy of Cheryl Mangum:* As you may have noticed, some topics and incidents get widely discussed by our press and pundit corps. Other topics and incidents may *not* get widely discussed. On Saturday, the New York Times gave 83 words to a very unfortunate incident involving a person who long ago seemed to need help. The Times ran copy from the AP. This was all the Times published, headline included: NEW YORK TIMES (11/23/13): *North Carolina: Woman in Duke Case Guilty in Killing* *The woman who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse player... more »

FROM THE FIELDS TO NEGOTIATING TABLE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 14 hours ago
The film features Michael Peña in the title role of Cesar Chavez, the Mexican-American labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, who fought for workers’ rights and became an icon in the Latino community after his death.My first organizing job was working for the United Farm Workers (UFW) from 1978-1980. I was sent to the union headquarters in California for a month of training. Cesar Chavez took the four of us who were new staff into his office and told us stories about the founding of the union. (I almost beat him in ping pong one day but he made a huge comeback ... more »

Decades More War In Afghanistan? Billions More Stolen From U.S. Taxpayers?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
Apparently, President Obama didn't really mean "complete," at least not in the sense anyone ever uses that word, when he said the transition out of Afghanistan would be complete by the end of 2014. As Maddow reported-- in the video below-- the plan is to have "an enduring presence in Afghanistan even after the *war* is technically over." And that means U.S. troops, not to mention billions of taxpayer dollars sinking into that blackbox hellhole. With the help of Richard Engel, Maddow started getting the word out that there are plans to formalize an agreement to prolong some sort ... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 15 hours ago
The entire alphabet as found on butterfly wings. [Kjell Bloch Sanved photo via My modern Met and M. Hush]

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 15 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Tim Armstrong, 47. Plenty of good stuff for a holiday week: 1. Four pieces -- Greg Koger, Barbara Sinclair, Aaron Belkin, and Richard Arenberg -- on the post-nuclear Senate. 2. Another one, from David Mayhew. 3. And another from Sarah Binder. I suppose she's right that the Senate will never quite "become the House" -- something I'm guilty of saying. However, I do think the risk (or, if you like it, the promise) of it coming close enough is sufficient that it's only a misdemeanor, not a felony, to use it as a shorthand. 4. Mark Goldberg on the Iran deal. 5. Fr... more »

Time To Resign?

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 15 hours ago
Over the weekend, Tom Walkom wrote that, if Stephen Harper were as smart as his enablers claim he is, he would declare victory and resign. Harper has achieved much of what he set out to do: First, he is a political success. He managed to knit two parties at daggers drawn, Reform and the old Progressive Conservatives, into a coherent machine. He won three elections with that machine. He made his Conservative Party competitive again in the crucial ridings around Toronto — while holding onto the West and (briefly) making major inroads into Quebec. He has successfully refocused the... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 15 hours ago
*Whodat Nation represents in Ratlanta ~Jack Cavanaugh, Rant Sports* New Orleans Saints: Who Dat Nation Represents In Atlanta Falcons’ Territory Read more at http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2013/11/24/new-orleans-saints-who-dat-nation-represents-in-atlanta-falcons-territory/?FyU5iva6UZHy72cd.99 New Orleans Saints: Who Dat Nation Represents In Atlanta Falcons’ Territory Read more at http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2013/11/24/new-orleans-saints-who-dat-nation-represents-in-atlanta-falcons-territory/?FyU5iva6UZHy72cd.99 New Orleans Saints: Who Dat Nation Represents In Atlanta Falcons’ Territory R... more »

Europe Watch November 25 , 2013 Greece ( and Italy as well ) are puppies begging for treats from their Troikan and EU masters ...... latest absurdity from France - dissent squashed as France deploys Stasi type tactics against Founder of Website " Hollande Resignation " , who is arrested by thirty policemen and has his car impounded - for the high crime of .....insulting the President ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago
France..... Sunday, November 24, 2013 2:50 PM Founder of French Website "Hollande Resignation" Arrested, Car Impounded for "Insulting the President" On charges of "*insulting the president*", thirty policemen arrested the founder of the French website "http://hollande-démission.fr/" last week and impounded his car according to a translation from Les Observateurs. The website owner and four passengers were detained for 16 hours. " *Démission*" means resignation. Here is a translated excerpt from the "*hollande-démission*" site that got the website owner arrested. You get the feel... more »

Guilty plea major mitigating factor on sentence even in murder

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 15 hours ago
*R. v. Alariaq,* 2013 NUCJ 27 makes very clear the importance of a guilty plea in mitigation on sentencing: [16] In determining the appropriate period of parole ineligibility, the Criminal Code tells me to consider the character of the offender, the nature of the offence, and the circumstances surrounding its commission, which in this case are horrendous. [17] It is hard to imagine a more pointless death than that of Karl Qinnuayuaq, whose only fault apparently was being part of the family that offered assistance to Mathewsie Alariaq when he had nowhere else to live. ... more »

Snowy Day

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 15 hours ago

Syria updates November 25 , 2013 - US finally sends aid to Syrian FSA Rebels - which is promptly seized by Al Qaeda Rebels and to rub salt in the wound , FSA Commanders captured by Al Qaeda and currently awaiting trial by Al Qaeda ... Updates on the fighting around Damascus - Rebels take large losses ...Alleged Syria peace conference set for January 22 , 2014 - based on the position of Al Qaeda regarding these talks , if it even occurs , nothing will happen notable !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 15 hours ago
Al-Qaeda Seizes US Aid Warehouse From Syrian RebelsUS Aid Finally Reached Syria, Almost Immediately Was Seized by Jason Ditz, November 24, 2013 Print This | Share This The Obama Administration’s plans to provide arms and other equipment to secular Syrian rebels took a lot of planning, but finally began in earnest in recent days, as massive amounts of goods bound for the Free Syrian Army (FSA) started crossing the border from Reyhanli, Turkey into a warehouse in Atmeh, in northern Syria. The plan was controversial, with a lot of fear that the goods would eventually start falling into... more »

Syrian Peace Talks to Begin on January 22/2014

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 15 hours ago
This is the third date set for the Geneva Peace talks... First was in November. Second was supposed to be next month. Now we have a January 22/2014 date. *NYT's* The Syrian government and opposition will hold their first negotiations in Geneva on Jan. 22, a spokesman for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday after a meeting among American, Russian and U.N. officials. *“We will go to Geneva with a mission of hope,” *the spokesman, Martin Nesirky, said in a statement. He added that the aim of the conference would be the creation of a transitional government bas... more »

Motao goes to Alishan

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 16 hours ago
*The Motao. Pure fun on wheels.* Swamped with work I did the only sane thing and ignored it to spend two lovely days biking over Alishan and nearby mountains. The Bike Gods rewarded my faith with prime weather. Even better, a friend who is introducing a new bike and motorcycle camera called the Motao to the market here sent me a free one to test on the trip. What fun I had! As you will see. Motao's Taiwan retailer is www.hands.com.tw -- Tailung Hands. They have 11 stores in Taiwan from K-town to Taipei. You can find them in Breeze and Sogo. Unless I tell you a pic is from the Motao... more »

OUTSCORING FINLAND: On the TIMSS!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 16 hours ago
*MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2013* *Part 1—When the gong show started:* It all began in December 2001. Early that month, the OECD released the first test scores from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the brainchild it had devised to measure “critical thinking.” On that somewhat unconventional measure, Finland scored at the top of the world, producing mild consternation. From that day to this, journalists from various countries have taken the free trip to Finland to attempt to figure out how the Finns do it. (Or perhaps just to *pretend* to try to figure it out.) U... more »

Open Your Eyes - A Poem by A.M. Veller

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 16 hours ago
*YOUR WORLD IS AN ILLUSION* *From the day you were born you have been CONDITIONED.* *Your schools taught you to be quiet, neutral, and dumb.* *Your media DESENSITIZED you to the suffering of your fellow human beings, and the sytem slowly ISOLATED you until it somehow felt normal to feel ALONE on a planet with 8 BILLION other people on it.* *You worked hard for the FUTURE with the rewards always just around the next corner or just up the next step.* *EVERYTHING WAS FOR TOMORROW BUT TOMORROW * *NEVER CAME, and you realized too late that you never lived at all.* *Something was mi... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 16 hours ago
*Cultural economy run amuck ~Library Chronicles* *Amid rejuvenation, some city neighborhoods struggle with blight, abandonment ~Jaquetta White, New Orleans Advocate* *Crackdown on Frenchmen Street flusters businesses ~Casey Ferrand, WDSU* *Hogs damaging levees in Jefferson Parish ~AP* *Public Hearing Tuesday Regarding Salt Dome Regulations ~LEAN* *Oil Spill Judge 'Deeply Disappointed' in BP ~Paul M. Barrett, Business Week* *Rigs-to-Reefs Builds Needed Habitat for Gulf Seafood ~Gulf Seafood Institute* *Louisiana Shrimp Cornbread*

Sleepwalkers of the World, Wake Up and Take Over

hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 16 hours ago
originally published on CounterPunch As ever more work’s combined with ever more stress – among other results – people sleep less and less. And, as various spectacular pseudo-events dominate the public’s reputedly shrinking attention span (a phenomenon indistinct from the shrinking span of the reputedly public itself), it should come as little surprise that the Center for Disease Control’s nearly year-old finding that sleep deprivation has reached epidemic proportions has failed to generate significant public outcry. To be sure, no small degree of irony inheres in the fact that th... more »

An ExPat Academic Thanksgiving

Brandon Valeriano at Duck of Minerva - 17 hours ago
It is time for an academic Thanksgiving (at least it is for me, flew home early because it was Reading Week in the UK), that time of year when we give thanks for when our ancestral academic Deans fed us when we were hungry. Something like that…cornucopia with grants, laptops, and travel funds. Who knows Continue reading

Doctor Who - The Day of the Doctor (post 1)

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 17 hours ago
I watched this Doctor Who special episode yesterday and enjoyed many parts of it but found others to be overblown and maybe a little silly! One line especially jarred with me, "Never give-up, never surrender" - that's from the wonderful sci-fi film Galaxy Quest (the wrong franchise)...

Is playing for the England cricket team that stressful?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 17 hours ago
Then opening batsman Marcus Trescothick left the 2005-06 tour of India and the 2006-07 Ashes tour of Australia with a stress-related condition. Now Jonathan Trott has left the current Ashes tour of Australia because of a long-standing stress-related condition. Now I understand stress-related illness, boy do I understand it... And I don't want to minimise its seriousness but could Jonathan Trott's condition possibly be the first case of *Mitchell Johnsonitis*? Of course there might be a non-cricketing explanation as to why Jonathan Trott is depressed... Jonathan Trott supports Totten... more »

The Dance of Life

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 19 hours ago
Thanks to Ed, for forwarding this link... Dance of Life by Clement Farah

Reduce Footprints Is On Hiatus!

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 20 hours ago
[image: Reduce Footprints is on hiatus.]

GOVERNMENT DEATH SQUAD REVEALED

Anon at aangirfan - 20 hours ago
*Boston attack carried out by agents of the government?* According to the BBC, innocent UK civilians were murdered by a UK military death squad. Undercover soldiers killed unarmed civilians - BBC News - 21 November 2013/ British Army's secret 'terror unit' Military Reaction Force shot dead innocent civilians - Belfast Telegraph‎ Share this page - Email - Print - Share - Facebook - Twitter Ex-members of the UK's *Military Reaction Force* (MRF) have told the BBC that they carried out a series of drive-by shootings of civilians. *Sandy Hook attack carried out ... more »

Banks 'destroying small firms': Cable report accuses RBS and Lloyds of 'unscrupulous' practices. Probe claims RBS and Lloyds have deliberately caused small firms to fail.

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 20 hours ago
*What's unstated here is how much of this is going on in banks that are not state backed/owned... -Bill* Banks 'destroying small firms': Cable report accuses RBS and Lloyds of 'unscrupulous' practices *Probe claims RBS and Lloyds have deliberately caused small firms to fail. **RBS, 80 per cent owned by taxpayer, referred to financial watchdogs. **Bank claims it tried to help the businesses, 'but can't save all of them'* http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2512791/Banks-ruin-firms-just-make-killing-RBS-Lloyds-branded-unscrupulous-profiteers.html By RUPERT STEINER PUBLISHED: 17:26... more »

Fred Kavli: 1927-2013

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 21 hours ago
On Thursday November 21nd, Fred Kavli (86†) died in Santa Barbara after a surgery of a rare cancer that sucks bile from the liver. He was a famous sponsor of science institutes and science jobs. Kavli was born in a small Norwegian village in 1927. During the Nazi occupation of Norway, he was 14 and and together with his brother, he began to build his bifuel corporation (well, wood pellet fuel for cars). He found his father's 13 years in San Francisco inspiring, so he wanted to move to California. With no sponsor, his visa application was rejected. He first moved to Montreal, Can... more »

Christy Clark`s Newest LNG Investor, The Deforester

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 23 hours ago
*Indonesia billionaire proposes small-scale LNG export plant in B.C.* [image: Printer-friendly version] *Latest Oil and Gas News: * *March 11, 2013* *- Controversial Indonesian billionaire Sukanto Tanoto has purchased an industrial site in Squamish, B.C., 30 miles north of Vancouver, for the purposes of exporting LNG. The self-educated entrepreneur has been criticized for environmental practices elsewhere in his $12 billion industrial empire, raising questions about his B.C. venture. Environmental watchers say Tanoto's logging company has a checkered record in cutting down Indones... more »

Freedom Flame Awards, More Photos

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 23 hours ago
It was a big day indeed, and a big night, November 10, 2013, at the beautiful San Diego Gardens, Intramuros, Manila. This is in an open area between Pamantasan ng Maynila and Manila Hotel. See my earlier story of the awards with photos. There were many guests that night. The big event of the FNF was the 20th anniversary of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), Nov. 9-11 held at Manila Hotel. CALD is the organization of politicians affiliated with either a Liberal Party or Democratic Party in Asian countries. CALD is one of the two big projects of FNF in Asia, along ... more »

Heather Mizeur (D-MD) Is Helping Make Marijuana Legalization Part Of The Progressive Agenda

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Back during the summer, I wrote about a Democratic candidate for governor, Heather Mizeur. If she wins, Heather would be the first woman governor of Maryland and the first openly gay governor in the country. But as she says, she’s not running to make history, she’s running to make a difference. And over the past several weeks, her campaign has lived up to the progressive dream we knew her candidacy would be. In Maryland, the gubernatorial candidates pick their lieutenant governor before the primary, and Heather wasn’t afraid to make a bold choice-- she now has a progressive chang... more »

JFK50: Why I Have Absolutely No Intention of Paying My License Fee

Spike EP at News Spike - 1 day ago
JFK50: Why I Have Absolutely No Intention of Paying My License Fee from Spike EP on Vimeo. If it's not important, then why are they still lying about it...?

Tlakatl: What it Means to be Human: A brief Synopsis

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 1 day ago
Opening --> *Tlakatl: What it Means to be Human* *All-Day Student/Community Symposium* *A brief Synopsis* *Nov 19, 2013* Whatever I write here is but a glimpse of what happened on Tues Nov 19 at the “Tlakatl: What it Means to be Human” symposium at the University of Arizona. Many photographs were taken and much was videotaped… and this here too is but a brief synopsis that will give you a feel for this event, but it does not approximate conveying the historic nature of the gathering. (Videotape of much of the symposium will be released as soon as all the permissions are gathered.... more »

Common Core, Aligned Curriculum, and Other NGA/Duncan-decided Issues

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
In this post, I would like to offer information on the beginnings of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and its interconnectedness with other so-called reforms. I refer to three documents (all linked below) from June 2008, June 2009, and June 2010. My initial purpose in examining these documents was to ascertain the admitted connection […]

Massachusetts Halts Common Core - Damaging to Students

Judy Rabin at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Hold on there - wait. There is still intellectual curiosity and common sense in Massachusetts. There are now 15 states pushing back on the Common Core and PARCC. From Brittany Corons,The Foundry For one thing, as Sandra Stotsky—one of the leaders of Massachusetts’s 1993 education reform movement who resigned from the Common Core review committee—argued, the diminished emphasis on literature would actually be damaging to students. Stotsky, now professor of education reform *emerita *at the University of Arkansas, says: [Common Core’s] misplaced stress on informational texts reflects... more »

Right-wingers on the filibuster -- it's the old Ralph Kramden con: "Heads I win, tails you lose"

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
*"If a Senate majority demonstrates it can make such a change once, there are no rules which binds a majority, and all future majorities will feel free to exercise the same power, not just on judges and executive appointments but on legislation."* *-- Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)* *"You will no doubt come to regret this, and you may regret it a lot sooner than you think."* *-- Sen. "Miss Mitch" McConnell (R-KY)* *by Ken* You do see the difference between what Senator Levin and Miss Mitch are saying, don't you? Senator Levin is talking about the real prospect of a "tyranny of the major... more »

WE AIN'T GETTING OUT OF AFGHANISTAN

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
ABC’s *World News with Diane Sawyer* revealed a new report from John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which claims the United States has paid more than $150 million to Afghan companies that may have helped finance terror attacks on U.S. soldiers and assets in Afghanistan. In a related story from *The Washington Post* about the new Afghanistan permanent basing agreement now being negotiated with the Obama administration: "The United States can maintain up to nine bases, and American troops and support contractors will be able to enter Af... more »

CONSEQUENCES OF THE US PIVOT TO ASIA-PACIFIC

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
US Plans to Expand War Games in Ecologically Rich Mariana Islands by Zoe Loftus-Farren Naval training exercises threaten local communities and environmentThe United States military assumed control the Mariana Islands during World War II and has been waging war on the environment there ever since. Recent proposals to expand the range for Navy training exercises in this archipelago in the northwestern Pacific Ocean represent the latest frontier in this battle, and could be devastating to local communities as well as wildlife. By many accounts, military trainings have already had a t... more »

A song for the (barely) defeated

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
Here’s John Lennon on this morning’s result: Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

Lange - Drifting Away

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 day ago
Every lecturer I've ever known has told their students *not* to leave their work to the last minute. And yet, without exception, every lecturer I've ever known leaves it to the last possible moment to churn out their papers and their lectures. Who then am I to go against this inglorious grain? It does mean there will be no proper blogging tonight. So here, have a ditty.

DOING HOWARD ZINN

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
Matt Damon reads the words of historian and activist Howard Zinn...."We need a declaration of inter-dependence."

The Carlyle Connection (Documentary)

Mark Daniels at Global Political Awakening - 1 day ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] A revealing documentary about the international world of private equity banking. The Carlyle Group, one of the largest investment banks in the world, is based in Washington and has accumulated its capital mainly by investments in the defence industry. On their list of employees are people like Lou Gerstner (former chairman of IBM), George Bush Sr., James Baker III, John Major (former British Prime Minister) and Fidel Ramos (former Prime Minister of the Philippines). The Carlyle Group invests in areas that are closely tied ... more »

Blossom Goodchild - November 21, 2013

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
*Heather said that Blossom almost let the entire cat out of the bag today...read on if you want a glimpse of what is coming... -AK* Blossom Goodchild - November 21, 2013 What ho chaps! Back again! I have been RIDICULOUSLY tired these last few weeks ... anything to do with what's going on, or is it just 'normal life'? *We would send cheering greetings back to you* *and as always **it is exciting and endearing to be within your company once again. The tiredness you are experiencing ... and indeed many ... is far more than the average day to day exhaustion! The energies that ARE to e... more »

Fraudsters

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 1 day ago
Fraudsters can be very convincing, and very charming. Allan Titford was not at all charming, but he did convince a lot of people he was genuine in saying he’d been wronged by the Government and the Waitangi Tribunal. Turns out however, on the judgement of the courts, that much of what he said was made up—that he himself was responsible for the arsons he clamed had been committed by local Maori, Te Roroa—that their campaign to drive him off his land by violence and intimidation, in which he claimed the government and police colluded, was fiction and not fact. Or, in the judgemen... more »

Pepe Escobar- Follow the Money: How lobby interests are spinning Iran nuclear deal

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
There is a video available at the link. I can't embed it unfortunately. Do take the six minutes to watch it Pepe rightly calls the beginning of the "spin war" and assumes the spin war will continue for the next six months.... I agree He also states that Iran has no interest in breaking the deal. None. Therefore, they won't. Reference is made back to the news of clandestine meetings, mentioned in the previous post. *....P5+1 make a deal with Iran. Israel steams. Clandestine Meetings* *Anyway........ here is Pepe from RT* Iran’s nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of world powers in Genev... more »

Iran-- Good Deal?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
A few weeks ago Zbigniew Brzezinski, responding to another anti-Iran *NY Times* editorial, mused to his Twitter followers, "Do our Middle East "allies" really have our best interests at heart when they clamor for us to go to war for them?" Those allies are are Israel, Saudi Arabia and it's Gulf satellites and Turkey, all with their own national interests and obviously the answer to the question is "no." When Israel, for example, judged its own national interests at stake in the summer of 1967, it bombed and torpedoed the USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 Americans an... more »
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