Where The Pacific Electric Ran (Photo credit: waltarrrrr)Longest Walk 4 Sacramento today Dec. 13, 2013
.
Thanks to Western Shoshone Long Walker Carl 'Bad Bear' Sampson for
sharing photos of the Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz today with
Censored News. The walkers five month journey culminates on Dec. 21 at
Alcatraz, with a Sovereignty Gathering at Oakland Friendship House on
Dec. 22.
Joe Oliver, Stephen Harper Oil Spill Response Fake Out
*Bitumen excluded from data for federal tanker study, documents reveal*
* The possible effects of a bitumen spill on Pacific waters were not
considered in the oil response preparedness report released last week by
the Harper government, the background data study reveals.....** The Genivar
study, however, does warn, that if the Enbridge Northern Gateway project
does go ahead, the spill risk from diluted bitumen carrying tankers in
Douglas Channel and along the north Pacific coast will jump from “low” or
“medium” to “very high.” If the twinning of the Kinder Morgan pipeline goes
ahea... more »
12 Academic Days of Christmas
Instead of the Monday linkage I thought I would start the 12 days of
Academic Christmas. It represents that ‘to do’ list we all struggle to
finish before the holidays. We’ll start with the first two and I’ll add
another one each day- feel free to add suggestions! On the first day of
Christmas my
Continue reading
Françafrique
*"Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century"*
François Mitterrand, then-minister of the Interior of France, 1957
*Clementine Churchill:* "General, you must not hate your friends more than
you hate your enemies"
*De Gaulle (in English):* "France has no friends, only interests."
Did Christie's Inability To Control Himself Just Queer His Chances To Run For President? Bridgegate
Last week I was stunned when I heard Rachel Maddow's first report on how
Chris Christie took revenge on a mayor for partisan differences by
essentially shutting down the traffic on the country's busiest bridge for a
few days. Turns out, it's the *world's* busiest bridge-- and Friday, Maddow
did a little update (above). The words "dangerous sociopath" come
immediately to mind. I wonder how many voters will see this as the ultimate
example of why a self-entitled bully like Christie must be kept as far away
from lethal power as possible. I sure hope so, because polls seem to show
he... more »
Sunday Question for Liberals
Same question, plus a bit more. What's the general consensus of neutral
experts going to be by, oh, the end of March on how the ACA is working?
Series of disasters? Surprisingly successful, given the fiasco in October?
Too soon to know? Or something else?
And what of Barack Obama's job in implementing the law. Presumably he'll
still be knocked for October, but among liberals, will it look not so bad
in retrospect? Sign of all that is wrong with his presidency? Demonstration
that he makes at least his share of mistakes, but is good at recovering
from them? Or something else?
Mobutu Sese Seko, Glenn Close and the AIDS Crisis
NOTE: The AIDS Crisis *began* in the Congo, in Kinshasa, around 1975.
It first affected the (hetrosexual) black urban upper and middle-classes of
the Congolese Civil Service, and is believed to have originated radiating
outwards from two brothels known to be frequented by government officials
and other elites as their primary or sole clientele.
AIDS in Africa is primarily a hetrosexual disease and intravenous drugs use
is incredibly rare.
The US Embassy in Kinshasa was the regional station for all of Southern
Africa - the illegal secret war in Angola was run from there, by Philip ... more »
Pope Francis
“There is nothing in the Exhortation that cannot be found in the social
Doctrine of the Church. I wasn’t speaking from a technical point of view,
what I was trying to do was to give a picture of what is going on. The only
specific quote I used was the one regarding the “trickle-down theories”
which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will
inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and social
inclusiveness in the world. The promise was that when the glass was full,
it would overflow, benefitting the poor. But what happens instead, is that
when the g... more »
TOP POLITICIAN; NAKED TEEN; ONE BILLION IN CASH
* Khadijah Azhari*
What links model Khdijah to a top politician?
*Top Moslem politician Luthfi, linked to illicit sex, money laundering and
huge bribes.*
Homophobic politicians who claim to be strong Christians or strong Moslems
are usually liars and crooks.
The scandal involving *Luthfi* began in January 2013.
This was when anti-corruption investigators raided a Jakarta hotel room and
found a man called *Ahmad* and a naked teenage student and 1 billion rupiah.
*Ahmad* is a personal aide to *Luthfi *Hasan Ishaaq
*Luthfi* Hasan Ishaaq was, until he was arrested, boss of Indonesia... more »
Who Needs the Debt Ceiling?
*Arguments about the U.S. debt ceiling refuse to go away. That’s a good
thing, say Russell Lamberti in this Guest Post. The singular brilliance of
the debt ceiling, he argues, is that it keeps reminding everyone that
there is a growing national debt that never seems to shrink. That is a
tremendous service to American citizens, and others, who live in the dark
regarding the borrowing machinations of their political overlords.*
US lawmakers reached a(nother) budget deal this week that will avert
sequester cuts and shutdowns. These fiscal “roadblocks” supposedly damaged
investor con... more »
Sunday Question for Conservatives
What's the general consensus of neutral experts going to be by, oh, the end
of March on how the ACA is working? Series of disasters? Surprisingly
successful, given the fiasco in October? Too soon to know? Or something
else?
Democracy Is A Cesspool In Iraq And Everywhere Else
*Source. *
Making the "world safe for democracy" is the dumbest idea man has ever come
up with in his political history on earth. It's not surprising that the
so-called leader who came up with this stupid slogan also gave the world
the rotten Federal Reserve Bank. Woodrow fucking Wilson. The idiot to
crown all idiots. A century later, Barack fucking Obama, a
liberal-progressive in the tradition of Wilson, wants to make Syria "safe
for democracy."
Enough of this bullshit. Democracy is a cesspool in Iraq and everywhere
else. The best thing Syria has going for it right now is Assad,... more »
THE WORLD'S LONG FESTERING TRUTH / ISRAEL IS AN ILLEGAL GARRISON STATE
*The Universal Declaration of human rights was adopted by the UN General
Assembly of the United Nations* *65 years ago this week.*
*The solution to the Israel / Palestinian problem starts and ends, as it
eventually did in South Africa, with the restoration of human rights. Now
the world's attention rightfully turns to the Garrison State of Israel
where apartheid still rules and 650,000 Israel settlers are illegally
living in Palestine territory: Allen L Roland *
*Gaza from within the Garrison State*
The Palestinian disintegration plot thickens as Gaza is recently flo... more »
THERE IS A WAR GOING ON
Following a deadly U.S. drone strike on civilians in Yemen, members of a
dozen peace groups wearing blue scarves gathered yesterday at the entrance
of CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. With guards and barricades on one
side and cars whizzing by on Rt. 123 on the other, they held a vigil in
memory of civilians, especially children, killed by U.S. drone bombings in
Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“The CIA touts that drones are accurate,” said Jack McHale of Pax Christi
USA to about 30 protestors from groups including CODEPINK and Veterans for
Peace. But, he said, according to ... more »
Hypocrisy, thy name is King
As NYSED Commissioner King’s traveling Common Core forum circus makes its
way around the Empire State we are seeing more and more hypocrisy from New
York’s educational leader. Example #1: “Special Interests” I have watched
several of the forums, read about others, and attended one. At the first
forum in Poughkeepsie King called parents and […]
Against the Ruin of the World
A Camellia, in Charleston, South Carolina
*Against the ruin of the world, there is only one defense - the creative
act.*
~ Kenneth Rexroth*, **World Outside the Window*
I found that quote in an essay written by Christy Rodgers which, thanks to
the creative commons license, I am able to re-post (with deep gratitude) in
its entirety, unmodified, other than to add some photographs. But let’s
first start with an update of the last couple of weeks, since I’ve been
very busy and unable to post here at Wit’s End. Does a road trip qualify
as a creative act - performance art, perhaps?
First... more »
A warning to teachers unions from collaborators in their demise, @teachplus
Teach Plus is a leadership development program (of sorts) for teachers in
urban schools. Now, good leadership to me sounds like someone who distrusts
party lines and examines issues from all angles. Our faculty was visited by
Teach Plus one morning for a brief presentation, a lot of which focusing,
oddly enough, on Common Core. […]
One Hundred KIPP 5th Graders in a Single Classroom on the Floor for a Week Until They "Earned" Their Desks
KIPP spends a great deal of money promoting their brand of total compliance
segregated charter schools as the tough love, no excuses solution for
schooling in urban communities disabled by poverty and the lack of hope.
KIPP and its billionaire supporters contend that we cannot wait for an end
to poverty to properly educate the children of the poor. No one I know
would disagree with this premise, but everyone I know disagrees with KIPP's
conception of what "properly educate" means.
KIPP sees no irony in requiring the poorest urban children who have
received the least in life to ear... more »
Sunday Classics: Three duets from three Verdi operas
*Marcelo Álvarez and Sondra Radvanovsky sing the Act II duet from Verdi's A
Masked Ball at the Met, Dec. 8, 2012.*
*by Ken*
In Friday's preview we heard answering soprano and tenor snippets from
three great Verdi duets, and I hope you heard what causes them, as I noted,
to blend in my head. I assume you also guessed that, although the act
numbers (I, II, and III) were given correctly, they weren't from the *same*Verdi opera.
Today we're going to listen to a larger chunk from each duet -- still not
the full scene, though perhaps one day we'll get to that. Even though the
full duets... more »
Lardbaugh Should Pick His Victims More Carefully: Picking On Pope Francis May Backfire
By Manifesto Joe
I don't know how many Roman Catholic "followers" Herr Rush Lardbaugh has,
but he risks alienating many of them when he trashes the new pontiff, Pope
Francis.
Quoting recent e-mail alerts, on his radio "show" Herr Lardbaugh apparently
referred to the pope as a "Marxist" and implied that Francis was bribed
into urging the church toward more tolerant, more charitable (perhaps more
CHRISTIAN) views about gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.
I confess to having a lot of blue-collar attitudes. When it comes to LGBT
causes, I can't say that I've ever had a do... more »
OFF THE AIR
Peter Woodruff and I have had a weekly radio show on WBOR at Bowdoin
College in Brunswick, Maine for the past six years. Peter works at Bath
Iron Works and is a loyal union man. We've had past union leaders on the
show. We talk politics, play commentaries, and put on good music connected
to our theme that night. Peter has been the stalwart spending hours each
week finding new music and timely commentaries for us to share with our
midcoast audience. How many listeners? Know one knows. I used to ask
folks to raise their hands high if they were listening so we could count
them... more »
Anecdotes on teacher evaluation, horror-show edition @NCTQ
The DCPS IMPACT is considered by many to be a model for the nation, or it
was in its heyday just a few years ago. It is now derided, disliked, and
distrusted by nearly every DCPS educator with whom I encounter. If not for
the impact of IMPACT, namely performance bonuses and the keeping of […]
LUNCH WITH THE FT - BETTY BOWERS
I meet Betty Bowers for lunch at *Taco John's* in Des Moines.
Betty is 'America's Best Christian' and she is keen to talk about the
greatest conspiracy of all - the conspiracy to promote bisexuality and
homosexuality.
"I can put you straight," says Betty, "Praise the Lord!"
Baptist Betty begins tucking in to her hard-shell taco, made with a
prefabricated shell.
"You know," says Betty "Even my pussy has become bisexual.
"The people promoting the gay agenda are putting strange things in cat food.
"And you know, my neighbour's son was recently seen wearing a pink shirt.
"And his ... more »
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, December 15th, 2013
Sunday again, and of course time for my weekly rant...
Is it just me? Or are others just as disgusted by the continuing world
wide praise for the mass murdering terrorist known as Nelson Mandela. I
for one cannot see what was so "great" about this man at all. He was a
Communist, a terrorist, and definitely a mass murderer. He spent years in
prison not for his stance against "Apartheid", but for his actions against
the South African government. He called for the violent overthrow of a
government, and rightfully should have been hanged for his acts of
terrorism against the South ... more »
SWP: 'Comrade X' Resigns
The below comes from 'Comrade X', the woman who, like 'Comrade W' made a
sexual assault complaint to the SWP's Dispute Commission about the alleged
behaviour of a former leading member. Again, it is worth reiterating that
"Delta" has never had charges brought against him and is entitled to the
presumption of innocence like anyone else. The scandal, the putrescent
stench has always been about the appalling handling of those allegations
and hounding of alleged sexual abuse survivors by active SWP'ers. As you
can see from X's resignation note (original here via Ciara Squires), her
exp... more »
Libya updates- December 15 , 2013 ....Oil ports in Eastern Libya remain closed by Political Bureau of Cyrenaica, conditions not met allegedly by Libya nominal government .....petrol crisis in Tripoli hits third week.....fifty tons of ammunition destroyed in Misrata - that is good news......Sarir power station alleged to be restored to normal power by Wednesday.....more trial delays for Qaddafi aides as expected.....
Breaking News – Jadhran now refuses to open oil terminals
*By **Aimen Eljali*.
[image: Jadhran speaking today in Ajdabia (Photo: Nabba TV)]
Jadhran speaking today in Ajdabia (Photo: Nabba TV)
*Tripoli, 15 December 2013:*
Ibrahim Jadhran, head of the self-styled Political Bureau of Cyrenaica, has
refused to reopen oil ports in the east of the country, as promised, on the
grounds that the authorities have failed to meet the conditions put forward
by his federalist movement.
Jadhran had said on Tuesday that he would reopen the oil export terminals
at Sidra, Ras Lanuf and Zueitina today on... more »
Snowden still has 1.7 million docs. NSA considering amnesty. Is amnesty for real or just a lie to get Snowden and his documents back in US hands ? And how far does this proposed amnesty extend - are all Federal and State law enforcement Agencies who could potentially charge Snowden with civil , criminal and administrative charges , fines actions of any and all types really on board ? And what about Congress and the President - these parties on board ?
http://www.businessinsider.com/nsa-officials-are-considering-an-amnesty-for-edward-snowden-in-exhange-for-secret-documents-2013-12
(
Amnesty won't happen... think of what that could open up ? )
NSA Officials Are Considering An Amnesty For Edward Snowden In Exchange
For
Secret Documents
[image: The Guardian]
SPENCER ACKERMAN, THE GUARDIAN
DEC. 15, 2013, 12:19 PM 261 2
-
- inShare
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-
- EMAIL
- MORE
[image: Edward Snowden]
Getty Images
National Security Agency officials are considering a controversial
amnesty
that would return Edward Snowden to the United States... more »
Shocked, Shocked, I Tell You
As the outrages pile up, so does the outrage fatigue. So I'll be brief:
Rich people get away with it. When plutocrats misbehave, they get special
meetings with the attorney general and set the terms for their own deferred
prosecution agreements. When garden variety rich people and spoiled brats
misbehave they either go to celebrity rehab, or get off on a novel defense
called *Affluenza.*
So here's an idea for all you poor slobs out there. Next time you get
arrested for robbing a bank because your unemployment and food stamps got
cut off, try pleading not guilty on grounds of *Indi... more »
Do you think charter schools “know how to do middle school really well?”
According to DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, charter schools “know how to
do middle school really well.” When it comes to defining the phrase “really
well,” are education reformers basing their narrative on quantity over
quality, i.e. proficiency rates versus growth? What do you –
@thechalkfacers – think? In this piece, you can compare the data […]
"According to [Washington's] self-righteous doctrine, America is the indispensable country." "A person might wonder what is exceptional and indispensable about a government that is a reincarnation of Nazi Germany in every respect. People propagandized into the belief that they are the world’s special people inevitably lose their humanity." "With the exception of the ACLU, constitutional rights groups and independent Internet voices, the American people including the Christian churches have accepted their government’s criminality and immorality with scant protest." -- Paul Craig Roberts
------------------------------
*Washington Drives the World Toward War — Paul Craig Roberts*
------------------------------
December 15, 2013 | Original Here Go
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*Washington Drives the World Toward War*
Paul Craig Roberts
Washington has had the US at war for 12 years: Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia,
Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, and almost Syria, which could still happen, with
Iran waiting in the wings. These wars have been expensive in terms of
money, prestige, and deaths and injuries of bo... more »
Crown must prove the offence particularized
R. v. Sadeghi-Jebelli, 2013 ONCA 747:
[23] When the Crown charges an accused with an offence, and
particularizes the way the offence was committed, it must prove the offence
as particularized in the charge. The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed this
principle in *R. v. Saunders*, [1990] 1 SCR 1020 at 1023. McLachlin J.
said: "It is a fundamental principle of criminal law, that the offence, as
particularized in the charge, must be proved". So, for example, if the
Crown charges an accused with trafficking in heroin, it cannot, without an
amendment to the charge, obtain a co... more »
Fukushima updates - December 15 , 2013 - highly contaminated water in gutters and trenches - source may be reactor buildings...... #Fukushima I NPP: Workers Cleaning Out and Water-Proofing the Drainage Channel in Effort to Prevent Contaminated Water from Flowing into Ocean ( pity the poor workers doing that slave labor ) .... Fukushima is death by a thousand lies from Tepco and Government of Japan
drainage related issues - with high radiation naturally .......
http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/12/high-level-of-contamination-in-gutter-near-reactor2-tepco-doesnt-mention-the-possibility-of-reactor2-leakage/
High
level of contamination in gutter near reactor2 / Tepco doesn’t mention
the possibility of reactor2 leakage
Posted by *Mochizuki* on December 14th, 2013 · 2 Comments
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*Note : If you are from the international mass media, Don’t read this
site
before taking a contact with me.*
Along a drain, ... more »
They Call That Accountability
Last week, the Harper government announced that it was going to tighten the
rules on the transportation of petroleum by rail. But, for this government,
the proclamation of the rules and the enforcement of them are mutually
exclusive propositions. Cutbacks cripple enforcement. David McGuinty says:
“My first concern is the cuts (are) beginning to take effect on the good
people at Transport Canada,” he says. “There’s a serious capacity crisis.”
Phil Gibson writes that the Harper government doesn't take the Ministry of
Transportation seriously:
Transport Canada has been “victimized... more »
Who is Watching the President...? - Part 247
"The VIP section was where Obama and dozens of other dignitaries sat,
including former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. This area was
protected by a short pane of protective glass that covered only those in
the first row of seats. Obama and his wife were several rows back.
Large crowds were allowed to gather in front of where Obama sat, with *no
visible security nearby.*
When Obama made his way to the stage to deliver his speech, a South African
sign-language interpreter stood an arm's length away. *This man later
described himself as schizophrenic with violent tendenc... more »
Vietnamese Woman Rendered Stateless in cruel, hypocritical, racist act
The Taiwan government renders a Vietnamese woman stateless for the crime of
having an extramarital affair. This move, so obviously racist in every
way... well, no need to comment further. FrozenGarlic describes:
A few days ago, the media gave a tiny bit of coverage to the case of Wu
Tsui-heng (武翠姮). Wu, who is originally from Vietnam, came to Taiwan in 2005
for work, married a Taiwanese man in 2006, got ROC citizenship in 2010, and
gave up her Vietnamese citizenship. She had an extramarital affair, and her
husband divorced her in 2011. This week the government notified her that it
... more »
Texas Is Afflicted By Affluenza
Growing up, I never knew any rich people. I'm sure I saw some in movies and
on TV but it was like the tooth fairy or a white Santa Claus… not real. I
had aspirations but they weren't tarnished and perverted by a lust for
money; I was lucky. Susan Berman was my first wealthy friend. Like most
wealthy heirs, her money was inherited from criminals. Her father was a Las
Vegas mobster, David "Davie the Jew" Berman, a bank robber, crime boss of
Minneapolis and, finally, a pioneer in the Vegas gambling business in
association with the Genovese Family, Moe Sedway and Bugsy Siegel. Her
pa... more »
Untitled
* George Rodrigue dies at 69*
*~Please also see: Musings of an Artist's Wife* *And Statement from the
Rodrigue Family *
*It’s Not A Trap ~The Angry Who Dat*
*Saints vs. Rams 2013: Game Time, TV Schedule, Online Streaming, Radio,
Odds and More ~Canal Street Chronicles*
*Legislative auditor won’t review legality of levee board’s contract ~Jeff
Adelson, New Orleans Advocate*
*Extra Caffeine Please ~Slabbed*
*Sunday: Big Nine Social Aid and Pleasure Club second line parade ~Big Red
Cotton, Gambit*
Prioritization of Individualized Programs has Completed
*Prioritization of Individualized Programs has Completed*
by ÉirePort
Prioritization of individualized programs has completed.
Analysis of relevant Star Pattern contributions has begun and will continue
for necessary time period.
*Meritorious(1) procurements take precedence.*
Flashes of Higher Light may be noticed as upgrades continue.
ÉirePort | December 15, 2013 at 10:42
URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-qQ
*(1) meritorious*
Syllabification: (mer·i·to·ri·ous)
Pronunciation: /ˈmeriˌtôrēəs/
adjective
deserving reward or praise:
a medal for meritorious conduct
Law, chiefly North American ... more »
The BBC v free schools (2)
As you may recall, various right-leaning commentators took the BBC to task
for spinning a recent report about free schools to make it look worse than
it was. They accused the BBC of having an "anti-free schools bias".
Toby Young, in particular, specifically charged BBC online education
correspondent Hannah Richardson with having written a "misleading article",
accusing her of "Left-wing bias".
Just to test the grounds for this allegation, I've checked back through the
BBC News website and tracked down all of Hannah's articles which focus (to
a lesser or greater extent) on the iss... more »
A T Shirt for Princeton Students
Princeton University--the ivy league school known for its policy of "grade
deflation"--has been experiencing a small outbreak of Meningitis B, for
which students are now being vaccinated. Hence, this T shirt:
Dreams: Behind the Wall of Sleep
*Behind the Walls of Sleep*
By Scott Corrales (c) 2013
*“But the dream is your enemy…”- Kate Bush*
Research into dreams became mainstream in the 1960s thanks to the
pioneering work of Dr. William Dement into the nature of sleep and
dreaming. By the 1970s, even astronomer Carl Sagan was venturing into this
territory in the pages of his landmark The Dragons of Eden from an
anthropological and medical standpoint. “Statistical studies,” he writes,
“have been made of the most common categories of dreams – studies which, at
least to some extent, ought to illuminate the nature of dreams... more »
What constitutes a religion?
This morning's *Sunday *with Edward Stourton did mostly what you would
expect *Sunday *with Edward Stourton to do. There were segments dealing
with two of the programme's main obsessions - same-sex marriage and
priestly abuse within the Catholic Church - plus three distinct features on
Nelson 'Madiba' Mandela.
The report on same-sex marriage featured a balanced range of voices but did
what such reports tend to do on *Sunday*: End with the liberal point of
view. (One day, when I've got some spare time, I'll properly test that
hypothesis out). It looked at the continuing debate with... more »
Dr Rima Laibow - you heal yourself - 9/11 missile legacy
I was randomly talking to a person who turned out to be a Hypnotherapist
the other day and the summary of that conversation is, "You hear yourself."
Sure the hypnotherapist has a hand in putting your mind in the right
attitude to heal itself, but the hypnotherpist doesn't heal you, you heal
yourself.
I kinda like how Rima Laibow explains how 'gut feeling' is based on the
amount of SERATONIN in the gut as compared to the brain: the gut is an
'emotional entity'.
Here's another person who also believes that, "You heal yourself," Dr Rima
Laibow, wife of Major Albert Stubblebein III:
... more »
AGE OF CONSENT?
Child marriage.
Roman women were married off at the age of thirteen.
"In the middle ages, Girls were as young as 12 when they married, and boys
as young as 17.
*"Most of the time, women didn't even know the man before they wed.*
"The arrangement of the marriage was based on monetary worth."
Marriage - Medieval Times
"The good bourgeois of fifteenth-century Siena ... remained convinced that,
whatever the preacher said, *it was still better for their boys to chase
boys than to mess with the virginity of girls of their own class."*
*Sin, sex and the very alien morality of the Romans... more »
What America would look like without the EPA
Pretty much like Shanghai:
For the seventh day this month, Shanghai officials have warned children and
the elderly to stay inside in a city where 24 hours exposed to the
off-the-charts pollution would have hazardous consequences to one’s health.
Hundreds of flights and sporting events have been cancelled, while face
masks and air purifiers sold out in stores. All week, the pollution level
hovered at “heavily” and “severely” polluted, according to Shanghai’s Air
Quality Index, at up to 31 times the recommended levels. [...]
Officials have ordered vehicles off the road to curb air ... more »
Your moment of Zen
"Monster Sled" at Fenway starting 12/28. [photo via RedSox]
For uncertainty principle, against philosophy
Scott Aaronson was asked five questions about the "progress in philosophy".
In this text, I will replace his talkative nonsensical answers by the
concise and correct ones and clarify some of his minuderstandings of
quantum mechanics, too.
OK, the first question is:
1. Why are you so interested in philosophy? And what is the social value of
philosophy, from your perspective?
The social value of philosophy was hiding in its role of a subject that
used to attract – and, to a lesser extent, still attracts – high-IQ people
and makes them think about important questions. Historically, ph... more »
Hegemonic Warfare Watch: ADIZziness, while in Taiwan... *Sigh*
Well, well. The depressing global situation, which pits hegemonic powers
against each other, when they need to be attacking global warming and the
global economic downturn, just got a little more depressing this week with
the US claim that a Chinese ship had attempted to ram a US ship shadowing
the task force around the Chinese carrier Liaoning (WashTimes, Reuters,
WantChinaTimes). Such ramming actions are normal for the Chinese, as we
have seen over the years, and the incident has the ring of truth.
Meanwhile, back in ADIZ land, the commentary on China's new ADIZ is like a
signal ... more »
Merry Christmas From Parliament Hill ,2013 Edition
*Merry Christmas From Parliament Hill ,2013 Edition*
*Written by Robin Mathews*
T’is some days before Christmas, and all through The House
The PM’s voice drones. He’s attempting to douse
The things being said there that all know are true
And replace them with rancid and festering brew.
His MPs are trained seals, with nary a brain –
“Elected” there by voters, completely in vain.
His Office is full of appointees with might -
All ‘Truthful’ And ‘Honest’, ‘Upholding The Wright’.
They strong-arm whoever might step out of line.
Or they bribe (if it wor... more »
Old House on the way
I set out to put in some kilometers on the bike yesterday. Intending to
ride down to the coast, I hopped on the 140, and then, as so often is the
case, I had a never-been-on-this-road moment, and turned down the oddly
named Chung-Miao 47 (this intersection). This turned out to be a pleasant,
gentle downward sloping ride all the way to Yuanli through rice fields and
old farmhouses. At one point I passed this old house and said to myself
"Hmm, original wood! Have to have a look!"
I turned into the driveway, where a man in his forties was eating
breakfast. I asked if I could see the h... more »
Execs Got Bailout Bonuses/Pensioners Get Permanent Cuts? (Investing In Prestige - It's Not Charity, Folks!) JP Morgan Chase, the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act and the Corruption of America (Vampires Continue To Suck!)
They can own the mass media, who misrepresent every important event, but
they cannot own our perceptions of it and them. We know when the Congress,
whom we've elected to represent the interests of millions of common
citizens, pass laws against our interests and in favor of those who pass
riches to them for votes that favor their interests, industries and
personal wealth. We are not confused.
Sandy Hook Hoax One Year Later: Fantastic Video - Sandy Hook Hoax Oscars Nominees 2013!
It is now just over one year since the Sandy Hook operation in Newtown
Connecticut involving the use of poor actors, a fully compliant media in
the hoax, and some other high paid shills…. I have yet to see any evidence
that convinces me that this was real, and more and more from what I have
seen and what has been sent to me by fellow real truth seekers, I am
absolutely convinced that this was indeed an operation carried out to shock
the American people into being fully compliant in the acceptance of more
freedoms curtailed, and to push for gun control on the entire American
nation!... more »
Third Way Strikes Back-- And Strikes Out
You know the famous old audio clip of FDR welcoming the hatred of Wall
Street plutocrats? It was a long speech but, by far, that line, about
welcoming the hatred of America's villains, got the loudest and most
sustained applause. I don't mean to equate Adam Green of the PCCC with FDR,
but if I were giving him any advise I would tell him to welcome the hatred
the consultant-driven world of hacks that Buzzfeed services. "The group is
seen as an irritant and a drain, a parasite on liberal successes and a
direct-marketing machine better at raising money than at changing policy or
win... more »
Common Core Math and Teaching to the PISA Test
Student Achievement Partners is the outfit headed by David Coleman that
Achieve, Inc. and Bill Gates hired to write the Common Core corporate
standards. Along with his two partners, Susan Pimentel and Jason Zimba, SAP
raked in $3,942,566 in tax exempt money during 2011, alone (see 990 here).
Coleman has had a number of other pursuits, including helping to found
Michelle Rhee's Students First, and more recently being elevated to the top
spot at ETS.
Zimba, on the other hand, remains the guiding math light for the SAPs,
whose staff has grown from 3 to 27. On December 13, SAP issued t... more »
With the mercy of the Lord, we survive yet another SantaCon
*NYT caption*: "*Here Comes SantaCon (Despite the Snow and Rain)*: *The
annual costumed bar crawl, which has faced complaints from New York
residents, went on despite the snow and cold temperatures."*
*"For us, it's a tradition. And nothing is going to stop us."*
*-- Amber Tyson, 32, who drove from Philadelphia to NewJersey, then took
three trains to get to SantaCon NYC*
*by Ken*
For those of us unendowed with Holiday Spirit, it's the darkest of many
fairly dim days strung from about Halloween (or is it Labor Day now?)
through New Year's and beyond.
I suppose it's just another pr... more »
The Rabbit has landed
From Universe Today :
China scored a stunning, history making success with the successful
touchdown of the ambitious Chang’e-3 probe with the ‘Yutu’ rover on the
surface of the Moon today, Dec. 14, on the country’s first ever attempt to
conduct a landing on an extraterrestrial body.
The dramatic Chang’e-3 soft landing on the lava filled plains of the Bay of
Rainbows occurred at about 8:11 am EST, 9:11 p.m. Beijing local time, 1311
GMT today.
The monumental feat is the first landing on the Moon by any entity in
nearly four decades. It was broadcast live on CCTV, China’s state run
... more »
Horus the Avenger on The Realist Report
Subscribe to *The Realist Report on YouTube*
Check out *WhiteRabbitRadio.net*
Subscribe to *WhiteRabbitRadioTV on YouTube*
*The Mantra*
*ASIA FOR THE ASIANS, AFRICA FOR THE AFRICANS, WHITE COUNTRIES FOR
EVERYBODY!*
*Everybody says there is this RACE problem. Everybody says this RACE
problem will be solved when the third world pours into EVERY white country
and ONLY into white countries.*
*The Netherlands and Belgium are just as crowded as Japan or Taiwan, but
nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve this RACE problem by bringing in
millions of third worlders and quote ass... more »
Having it All? A Male Academic’s Perspective
With Thanksgiving behind us and the winter holidays and family time
approaching, the season encourages some stock-taking and reflection. We at
the Duck have been having a bit of behind the scenes emailing about the
challenges of finding child care, and I wanted to recount a happier story
from my own experience here at the
Continue reading
Dan Bacher's Photo Essay Native Americans protest at California Capitol
Dec.
13 Bay Delta Conservation Plan Protest Photo Essay
by Dan Bacher
Censored News
"Turn the pages and you’ll discover what William Burroughs meant when
he observed that, 'a paranoid schizophrenic is simply someone who’s
discovered what’s going on,'" quipped Bill Jennings, Executive Director
of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and board member of
Updates On Syria [12.14]: Washington Publicly Backs Al-Qaeda Sympathizers, Al-Qaeda Kidnaps 120 Kurdish Civilians, US-Backed Jihadists In Syria Pose Security Threat To Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics
*1. An excerpt from, "US Open to Backing Syria’s Islamist Rebels" by Jason
Ditz, AntiWar.com, December 13:*
But the goal must go on, apparently, and the White House now says its open
to the idea of throwing its support behind the Islamic Front, a Salafist
group that was involved in mass kidnappings and executions earlier this weekon the outskirts of Damascus.
All the US is asking is that they disavow al-Qaeda, who was also involved
in those executions. *It wouldn’t do for the US to be backing al-Qaeda, you
see, but backing their ideological brethren so long as they’re at least
nomin... more »
Movie Review - The Desolation of Smaug
Today was the last day of classes so Southern Man celebrated with a light
dinner and drinks and then a double feature, in glorious IMAX 3D, of *The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey* at 8:30 and then the midnight release of *The
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug*.
Southern Man's fears (expressed in his original review of *An Unexpected
Journey*) were put to rest tonight. Peter Jackson is handling the
light-adventure and comic elements of the book with aplomb; for example,
the conversation of the Mirkwood spiders is revealed only when Bilbo puts
on The Ring. The film also clears up a ... more »
ObamaCare Updates December 14 , 2013 - Healthcare.gov fixed ? Don't bank on it ! October 1st and December 1st deadlines have come and gone , website woes continue.....And come January , more confusion likely as those folks who believe they signed up ( and perhaps even paid that first premium ) , find out the latest circle of hell from Obamacare and Healthcare.gov ! And as far as getting folks to pay - we shall how that plays out but it's not going swimmingly so far ...... Obamacare has even lost the confidence of the uninsured at this point ? That was a major part / point of this effort , right ?....
Weekend items - but first the prior post !
Catharsis Ours: *ObamaCare updates* - *December 9* - 13 , 2013 - top *...*
Fixes they say ? Well , Fixes is not exactly the same as fixed......
WSJ: About those Healthcare.gov fixes …
POSTED AT 2:01 PM ON DECEMBER 14, 2013 BY ED MORRISSEY
The Obama administration insisted that they would have a working web portal
for ObamaCare by October 1st, but they couldn’t even get people within a
dozen clicks of determining their eligibility. Kathleen Sebelius tried
pretending that all was well more than once in live events, only to have
the webs... more »
That Your Flight Not Be in Winter
December 14, 2013 First thing this morning, even before turning on the
light, I peered through the slats on the venetian blind to check for
snowfall during the night. Up here in north Springfield, we’ve had about
seven inches over … Continue reading →
Mike Pence, His Artist Wife, and the Death of Art in Indiana Schools
By Doug Martin
By now, most teachers in Indiana know that Mike Pence’s wife Karen is a
former art teacher in the public schools. But living in the Strict Father
world* dictated by her husband, Pence’s wife hasn’t publicly spoken about
the corporatization of Indiana education (which is merely another example
of abuse against women—in this case, teachers—and children) and has
remained silent about how school privatization and tax slashing (which her
husband is calling for more of) detrimentally affect school art in the
Hoosier state.
Those who have mentioned the arts have been mout... more »
So What Do Santa Clarita Republicans Think Of Buck McKeon's Hand-picked Successor?
This week the Santa Clarita Valley Republican Assembly posted a resolution
they had just passed on their Facebook page. Short version: "thanks, but no
thanks." Santa Clarita Republicans-- not to mention *normal* people in
Santa Clarita, absolutely detest Tony Strickland, the carpetbagger who
switched districts from CA-26 to CA-25 this month. (People in CA-26 who
contributed money because they preferred him to Julia Brownley, are just
out of luck. He's not giving anyone their money back.) Anyway, here's the
resolution:
WHEREAS; California's 25th congressional seat is a safe Repub... more »
And now for something completely different...
On a more positive note (and to change the subject), there was a lovely
programme on Radio 4 this morning hosted by pianist and academic (and
occasional Radio 3 presenter) David Owen Norris on the musical interests of
the 'peasant poet' John Clare.
This episode, the first in a new series called *The Playlist Series, *had a
fascinating subject, a likeable presenter, and three interesting (and
interested) guests - and the music the presenter unearthed included a
pleasant folksong, a delightfully smutty song and a particularly beautiful
arrangement of another folksong as arranged by ... more »
Guess Who Really Wants Common Core Now? Principals!
On December 13, 2013, I received an email informing me that the National
Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) has conducted two
surveys and has found that “principals overwhelmingly support the CCSS
(Common Core State Standards) initiative.” My first thought: “Here we go
again.” Another survey (this time two surveys) in which stakeholders forced
to implement […]
Burbling away
I feel a bit like the BBC at the moment: All I can talk about is Nelson
Mandela. So here's another post on the same subject.
Tomorrow will see extensive coverage of the great man's funeral on BBC
One, the BBC News Channel, the BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and 5Live
and, frankly, it's even getting too much for the BBC's Kate Adie.
DB at *Biased BBC* has transcribed part of an interview she gave to the BBC
World Service:
Paul Henley: Kate how are you taking to the Mandela coverage that has been
pretty much across all the airwaves for the past week?
Kate Adie: It’s not been “pret... more »
Ron Burgundy's Ashes verdict | Video | Watch TV Show | Sky Sports
http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/cricket/9072387/ron-burgundy's-ashes-verdict
Kim Jong-un and the Purge
After decades of loyal service to the Kim dynasty, "despicable human scum
... who was worse than a dog" was probably not the epitaph Chang Song-thaek
hoped for. But the very public and very final defenestration of the
"traitor for all ages" says a couple of things I think professional
Kimologists and the BBC are missing. The idea the "Great Comrade", or
whatever absurd title he's using this week, offed his uncle to secure his
power is true. But making that kind of observation is a bit like saying
Lehman Brothers collapsed because it ran out of money. It doesn't grasp the
underlying... more »
Some fictional books
How I Survived an Hour with a Sprained Finger
Celestial Homecare Omnibus
Death: a User's Manual
A Biography of Men Who Had Greatness Thrust Upon Them
The Chums of Chance Nearly Crash into the Kremlin
Mr T
Me and T
For the Last Time I'm Not Mr T
An Answer for Night Hags
Confronting the Faceless
Where's Waldo? The Representation of Everyman in Emerson
The Last Loan Shark of Bodega Bay
Azathoth and Other Horrors
Astrology Applied to Horse Racing
The Joye of Snackes
The Novelisation of Caddy Shack
Things That Can Happen in European Politics
Prefects Who Gained Power
How Water is Made
Fauna of t... more »
Open letter to Ford Motor Company
Dear
Ford,
Don't ever think I don't like my new Fusion Energi. It's literally the
best car I've ever had. But you have made some extremely annoying,
unsettling or just plain counter-productive decisions (or bugs) in the
software, and I wish you'd fix them.
Some of these are weird behaviors that have no obvious explanation:
The other day I was on a relatively long trip driving on cruise
I have wasted my entire life, all my talents, all my artistic promise.
*I remember when THIS is all I wanted to do.*I did this post a couple days
ago, CORPORATE WAR VETERAN.
It was called this because I sorta chickened out a bit. I had called it
'reality slams right into my face' and then went and turned it into yet
another anti-corporate rant, which I'm sure you're all very tired of.
Truth is, I was looking back on where I might have gone as an artist and I
came to the conclusion "I have wasted all the artistic talents, promise,
life I may have had," it's not you, it's me.
That Red Hedz painting there is indicatibe of the sort of BALLS OUT art I
alw... more »
From Newpeak To Nospeak
We learned in the Throne Speech that the Harper government was consumer
friendly. But this week -- when Canadians learned that they would be paying
more for less service from the Post Office -- the House of Commons was
empty. Andrew Coyne writes:
Not only was the House of Commons conveniently shuttered, but neither the
minister responsible, Lisa Raitt, nor any Canada Post executives were on
hand to answer questions regarding this drastic reduction in public
services. But then, in this they were only following the example set by the
prime minister, who has for months avoided answer... more »
PEDOPHILES, OUTED BLOGGER, POLITICIANS
*Von Gloeden*
*In Italy, a 60-year-old man took in an 11-year-old disadvantaged girl and
they became lovers.*
The 60-year-old man works in social services in the Italian town of
Catanzaro, and had taken responsibility for the 11-year-old girl’s care.
The relationship was discovered when the police raided the man’s home and
found the pair in bed.
The man was given a five year jail sentence.
*An Italian court has now annulled the jail sentence, because the man and
the girl had a “romantic relationship,” and the girl claimed she is in love
with the man. *
In Italy, the age of conse... more »
Bad News for New PhDs
From *The Chronicle of Higher Education*:
Economics Ph.D.'s on the academic job market had fewer jobs to apply for in
2013 than a year earlier, according to new data from the American Economic
Association. The number of new academic job openings listed with the
association fell 6.6 percent, to 1,924, in 2013. However, the number of
nonacademic jobs rose slightly, from 856 to 866. Overall the number of new
jobs fell 4.3 percent in 2013, to 2,790.
Hunkered down
It's not unheard of to be snowed in here; we're near the 45th parallel in
the Northern Hemisphere, after all. But it is relatively rare, as our
location, a bit over two hours' drive from the Pacific, gives us some
moderation from the weather they get on the other side of the mountains.
The snow line often drops to 2000 feet, but seldom reaches the valley floor.
It *is* rare, though, these days, to see temperatures drop below zero here.
I'm not sure I have seen it happen in my thirty-seven years in residence.
But so it was this time; ten inches of snow and five degrees below zero
F... more »
Government Investment in the Technology Sector
You
all regularly read Mike Moffat and are aware of his opposition to
Ontario Premier Wynne's announced investment in Cisco, right? If not,
fix that will you?
While I don't necessarily agree that “this easily ranks as the worst
public policy of 2013” I do agree that it is a horrible policy that will
not do anything to decrease unemployment. And I also think this is one
of those times
Habitual Driver Alert
"Snow
doesn't actually make some drivers worse, but it sure increases the
contrast." @vickersty
Ever feel your mind suddenly shift how it conceptualizes a topic? That
tweet did that for me. It was that proverbial "puzzle piece clicking
into place" moment authors like to describe in their novels.
Every winter, right after the first snowfall, there's an annual griping
about how drivers start
CALLING FOR CONVERSION
*An aerial view of Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard in Maine*
I was out at the Advent vigil at BIW today. It was about 10 degrees though
felt much colder with the breeze coming off the river. There were 10 of us
there for the second to last of the weekly Advent season vigils.
One of the vigilers, a long-time local person, said that she felt the
workers "get our message" but they are just in a place of fear where they
worry about maintaining their comfortable lifestyle. Many of the workers
are driving in "style" as they leave the shipyard in their big V-8 pick-up
trucks. A very h... more »
$50 Gordman's Giftcard Giveaway for last minute shopping!
[image: Gordmans giveaway]
Can you believe that there is just over 10 days until Christmas? I still
have so many things to make and wrap before the big day!
Luckily Gordmans wants to help you with your last minute Christmas Shopping
. Take the Stress out of the holidays and head on over to Gordmans. They
have great deals and everything you need to check everyone off your list.
They are actually where I found my oversized polo shirt that I used in this
post. I’ve teamed up with Gordmans, Utah Sweet Savings, Raegun Ramblings
and Our Thrifty Ideas to offer one lucky reader a $50 Gordma... more »
Republican War Against Women Leads To More Dysfunction In The U.S. Senate
The senators had to stay up past their bedtimes Wednesday and Thurdsay
because Miss McConnell is having another one of his pointless hissy fits. A
career-long hater of democracy-- and someone who had pledged to obstruct
everything President Obama set out to accomplish, including even the
orderly functioning of government, McConnell has ramped up his now-failed
agenda of blocking all presidential nominations but pointless delaying
tactics. He's desperate and he's a fool and even Republicans see that now.
Friday morning at 7AM Deborah Lee James was confirmed to be Secretary of
the A... more »
What Mattered This Week?
The confirmations. I think I said this before, but put aside the drama (and
real importance) of the Senate rules fight: the nominations at stake,
especially those three DC Circuit picks, are quite important.
Of course the various Mandela memorial flaps don't matter, but you all knew
that.
What else? It was a pretty newsy week, seemed to me. What do you have? What
do you think mattered this week?
Phoning it in Again
This also happens to be my Twitter avatar for the rest of the year,
although I must say I've been a bit more productive than this incarnation
of Santa Claus. You'll make my nice list if you mail this to Megyn Kelly at
Fox.
Anyway, with Scott Carson, Buffalo Bull, Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull
and Arthur Conan-Doyle chasing down Jack the Ripper throughout the East End
of London in the denouement of Tatterdemalion, plus doing the usual
Christmas thing and keeping the household running, there's been no time for
real-time blogging (although I've got the annual bizarre Christ... more »
Faith-Based Education Reform: Common Core as Standards-and-Testing Redux
Faith-Based Education Reform: Common Core as Standards-and-Testing Redux.
via Faith-Based Education Reform: Common Core as Standards-and-Testing
Redux.
Dear Education Reformers: A Thank You Letter From Any CEO in the Future
Dear Education Reformers, I wish to sincerely thank you for your
determination and resolve in implementing rigorous standards in computation
and comprehension. Undoubtedly, my current staff is the smartest workforce
I’ve ever employed. Each employee has remarkable mathematical computational
skills. I’m simply amazed at the their ability to analyze complex manuals
and technical reports. Although […]
VISIONS OF PISA: The liberal world fails!
*SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013*
*Epilogue—What Zakaria said:* For our money, liberal reaction to the new
PISA scores was often remarkably clueless.
The most remarkable liberal error involved the apparent acceptance of our
nation’s new elite cult.
According to the new cult of the PISA, we should consider the PISA, nothing
else, when we talk about test scores.
We shouldn’t discuss American scores on the TIMSS. Most important, those
large score gains on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the
NAEP) must never be discussed.
In her reactions to the new PISA scores, Diane Ra... more »
Pearson Agrees to Pay $7.7 Million for Using Foundation to Advance Corporate Profits
This past week the Pearson Foundation agreed to pay $7.7 million to settle
a charge that the Foundation had used charitable and tax-exempt assets to
further Pearson profits. The amount of the settlement represents .0077% of
Pearson profits for 2012.
Following the widespread adoption of Common Core corporate standards that
resulted from race to the top incentives, Pearson saw its profits soar in
2011 by an amazing 72%.
Here is a link to an earlier post on Pearson-Gate, which provides the seedy
details of Pearson's influence peddling.
And below are details of the settlement:
NEW ... more »
Real-time global wind map
*Programmers! See this web page with the source etc.*
I just saw an amazing tweet by Pakistani string theorist Amer Iqbal (whom I
know from Harvard) and you have to see it:
Real-time global wind map (earth.nullschool.net)
It's beautiful, fast, and hopefully accurate.
Using the usual gestures (dragging with the left mouse button, mouse wheel
etc.), you may rotate the globe, zoom it in/out, and/or focus on the region
you are interested in. The wind flows are visualized by animated flying
green jets, sort of.
It may take a few seconds for the wind data to load and for the green ... more »
Trifecta: Why Obamacare will give the rich the best health care in America, and how the poor will get worse...
*listen carefully to what Ezekiel Emanuel says.*
The Star Of Bethlehem
*From http://www.bethlehemstar.net/ click the link for footnotes, etc*
*It’s an astronomical mystery.* A strange star is claimed to have appeared
at the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. This site is an investigation of the
story found in the Biblical Gospel of Matthew, a story often called the
‘Star of Bethlehem.’ It brings the words of Roman and Jewish historians
alongside the visions of ancient prophets. It mixes “modern” mathematicians
with murderous turmoil in the Roman imperial court. It combines all these
with astronomical facts which no one disputes. And it concludes that the
... more »
Spain in focus - December 14 , 2013 - Debt to GDP surges to new record high , Catalan party leaders agree to slef rule referendum - Spanish Government of course has other ideas on that subject !
*Spanish Debt-To-GDP Surges To New Record High*
*[image: Tyler Durden's picture]*
*Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/13/2013 20:04 -0500 - recovery - Reuters
- UnemploymentinShare2 The last 2 years have seen the clearest indication
of the health of Spain deteriorate at its fastest rate on record. In spite
of constant reassurances from Rajoy et al. that recovery is here, as we
noted here, it's not just unemployment that is dogging Spain; and now -
having risen at a stunning 25.8 percentage points in the last 2 years, as
Reuters reports,Spain's debt-to-GDP has hit 93.4% - t... more »
#2 Most Powerful Man In North Korea Was Executed. Dick Cheney… Still Off The Table
I'm a big fan of accountability-- especially for people who society rewards
with positions of trust, honor and generous livings. Cheney, for example,
committed treason against the U.S. Constitution, but his crimes were taken
"off the table" and there was never a trial or justice. That encourages
others to repeat his behavior. Not so in North Korea, an odd place to hold
up as a paragon of… anything.
Jang Song Thaek was the Cheney of North Korea. He was the top advisor to
the relatively young North Korean hereditary ruler. (They don't call it a
king or a monarch there but that's wh... more »
Ukraine Protests - live updates for December 14 , 2013 and highlights from December 13 , 2013....
http://rt.com/news/kiev-protests-integration-clashes-873/
Mass protests in Kiev: LIVE UPDATES
Published time: December 07, 2013 05:35
Edited time: December 14, 2013 12:43
Get short URL
[image: Pro-European integration protesters gather at a meal area during a
rally in central Kiev, December 13, 2013 (Reuters / Vasily Fedosenko)]
Pro-European integration protesters gather at a meal area during a rally in
central Kiev, December 13, 2013 (Reuters / Vasily Fedosenko)
Share on tumblr
Tags
Accident, Clashes, Conflict, Opposition,Police, Protest, Rally, Tymoshenko,
Ukraine, Yanukovich
Hundreds... more »
Jefferson, Washington and Separation of Church and State
*by Len Hart, The Existentialist Cowboy *
There may be millions of people in the United States who do not share our
founders' reverance for what Thomas Jeffeson called the "wall of
seperation" between church and state. Many throughout the ranks of the
religious right wing, for example, are eager to court bigots and fanatics,
promising them a "theocracy" in exhange for their "souls". The following
excerpt is typical of a "movement" to create an American Theocracy:
If conservatives are smart, we will make the GOP a relic of the past, and
will go to the polls and vote the "Jesus Christ... more »
NCTQ’s Free Pass in an Era of Press-Release Journalism
A controversial shock-jock-type right-wing pundit spoke as a guest of a
conservative student group at my university a few years ago (she has since
returned with less fanfare). When I made a passing comment about her lack
of credibility, a student in one of my introduction education courses noted
that this pundit had footnotes in […]
Untitled
*British Petroleum's outta-be-illegal advert uses Emeril as example of
abuses in oil spill settlement *
*City dismisses disputed charges against tour guides, cabbies ~Clair
Galofaro, New Orleans Advocate*
*Crews work to move 1,500-ton school for new Mid-City medical center
~Rachael Wulff, WDSU*
*Critical Conditions: Sheri Fink’s ‘Five Days at Memorial’ ~Sherwin B.
Nuland, NYT*
*Army Corps awards $8.1 million contract to replace bridge in Jefferson
Parish*
*OSHA Cites Geismar Plant For 6 Safety Violations ~WWNO*
*Heart of Louisiana: Mayor of Keachi ~WVUE*
*N.O. musicians pitch in... more »
China unmanned lunar probe successfully lands on the Moon today ! First such soft landing by any Nation since 1976 !
Chinese unmanned spacecraft lands on moon
BY PETE SWEENEY
SHANGHAI Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:01am EST
0 COMMENTS
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[image: The Long March-3B rocket carrying the Chang'e-3 lunar probe blasts
off from the launch pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan
province December 2, 2013. REUTERS/China Daily]
1 OF 2. The Long March-3B rocket carrying the Chang'e-3 lunar probe blasts
off from the launch pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan
province December 2, 2013.
CREDIT: REUTERS/CHINA DAILY
(Reuters) - China landed ... more »
TURN Chapters of AFT Take Lead in "Share My Lessons" Common Core Marathon
In the December 13 issue of *Inside AFT* (yes, I am an AFT member), I found
this, which got me wondering:
*Share My Lesson* has been on the move recently. This weekend will mark the
third of three Share My Lesson marathon weekends the AFT has hosted over
the last month. The sessions are nonstop events where teachers from all
over the country come together to brainstorm, share lessons, learn how to
assess the extent to which a lesson plan aligns with the Common Core State
Standards, and apply that knowledge as they review and rate resources on
Share My Lesson. With a marathon in Pro... more »
Thailand: Breaking Down Reuters' "Class" Lies by the Numbers
Baseless narrative disingenuously portrays Thailand as divided along class,
rather than united against regime.
*December 14, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - Thailand's embattled regime has
long fashioned itself as the champion of the nation's north and northeast
rural poor - and its opponents, essentially the rest of the nation - as
aloft elitists which also inexplicably includes hardworking middle class,
and much of the nation's central and south, including laborers and farmers.
It is a myth that the regime's extensive Western backers are also helping
perpetuate, but is one that is easi... more »
The oldest telephone in the world?
The above is an image of a 1,200 year old telephone as held in the
Smithsonian Collection, you can read more here. But this is an excerpt:
'The gourd-and-twine device, created 1,200 to 1,400 years ago, remains
tantalizingly functional—and too fragile to test out. “This is unique,”
NMAI curator Ramiro Matos, an anthropologist and archaeologist who
specializes in the study of the central Andes, tells me. “Only one was ever
discovered. It comes from the consciousness of an indigenous society with
no written language.”
We’ll never know the trial and error that went into its creation. ... more »
DEPRAVED PENGUINS
In 1911, George Murray Levick documented homosexual behaviour in Penguinsat Cape
Adare.
He described this behaviour as "depraved".
His report was considered too shocking for public release, and it was
suppressed until 2012.
Some of the readers of this blog are like Levick.
According to scientist Petter Bøckman: "No species has been found in which
homosexual behaviour has not been shown to exist, with the exception of
species that never have sex at all, such as sea urchins and aphis."
In most human societies throughout history, males who had male lovers were
not labeled as homo... more »
DNAs Hidden Language
.... a second hidden language within our DNA, eh?
http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/upiUPI-20131212-174536-3107
Scientists find second, 'hidden' language in human genetic code
UPI 12/12/2013 11:12:42 PM
SEATTLE, Dec. 12 (UPI) --
U.S. geneticists say a second code hiding within DNA changes how scientists
read its instructions and interpret mutations to make sense of health and
disease.
Since the genetic code was deciphered in the 1960s, scientists have assumed
it was used exclusively to write information about proteins, but University
of Washington scientists say they've disc... more »
Dafydd Fell of SOAS to speak this week in Taipei
Dr Fell is also speaking Kaohsiung on the 24th but no details available yet.
主講人：Dr. DAFYDD J. FELL(the Director of the SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies,
University of London, UK)
題 目：Publishing in Taiwan Studies: Opportunities and Challenges
時 間：2013年12月19日（四）14:00-16:00
地 點：802室
主辦單位：中央研究院台灣史研究所、社會學研究所、中興大學人文社會科學研究中心
~~歡迎報名參加~~ Here is the link:
http://140.109.185.220/academic_01_look.php?no=420&page=1
_______________________
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its
sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores
of links to othe... more »
Tycho Brahe: birthday
*Another anniversary:* Andrei Sakharov died on this day in 1989. A Russian
dissident, a mastermind of their H-bomb, peace activist, and the author of
the conditions needed for baryogenesis.
Today, the Google Doodle Booble reminds us of Tycho Brahe:
His name has appeared in nine TRF blog posts so this is the tenth one.
Tycho Brahe was born on December 14th, 1546, to a top-tier aristocratic
family in Scania, Denmark (now South Sweden). He would attend a Latin
school (age: 6-12 years; Latin is a subject for babies, of course), then
study philosophy and rhetoric in Copenhagen (age: ... more »
Tom in CT on The Realist Report
Subscribe to *The Realist Report on YouTube*
Strategic Partnership with foreign government trumps Homeland Austerity.
in this special SMR or Saturday Morning Report, Free Planet is going to use
EDITORIAL CONTENT and links directly from today's excellent Citizens for
Legitimate Government newsletter, edited by Lori Price.
*Congress triples Obama's request on defense cooperation with Israel**
--Defense cooperation funding, to which Israel contributes, is separate
from the $3.1 billion Israel receives in defense assistance as part of a
10-year package.* 12 Dec 2013 The final version of the congressional
defense budget triples the Obama administration's request for funding for
joint U.S.-Israel defense... more »
A Christmas message from BC's biggest liar
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