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| English: Governor Bobby Jindal talks to residents of Krotz Springs, LA, during the 2011 flooding of the Mississippi River (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Meet & Greet (#MtaGt) - June - USAgain
Welcome
to Meet & Greet, a regular series designed to grow our green
community.
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of ... more » No, G.K. Chesterton Was Not Gay-- But Ralph Reed Was
Bill Maher had some fun with right wing hustler and hypocrite Ralph Reed on
his show Friday night. Reed, the head of the so-called Faith and Freedom
Coalition, a GOP front group dedicated to electing right-wing Republicans
to office by suckering paranoid and superstitious rubes, will host
well-known libertine and glutton, Chris Christie at their annual conference
on June 20. Others playing patty-cake with Reed are GOP presidential and
vice presidential aspirants, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal,
Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santoru... more »
To Jindal: Dump Common Core, PARCC, and White
Governor Bobby Jindal is apparently trying to muster up the courage to
remove Louisiana from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and associated
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC)
assessments that he signed Louisiana on for in the first place. Of course,
Jindal has changed his position due to his national political ambitions. […]
Weekend in Paradise
Had a nice, relaxing weekend.
My fav costa rica shirt and my fav 9 month old boy**
Saturday, our plates were delivered for the bikes (temporary plates), so we
can legally drive them now. Yay! Weirdly, we had to pick them up from the
bus station window in Jaco, but that was easy. Had date night on Saturday
and went to Caliche's Wishbone. I had the mahi burrito again, which is
amazing. Walked around Jaco for a bit and then home for the night.
Today was nice as well. Slept in (for us anyway) then went on our morning
run (which was hot today). Hung out in the pool for a while and ... more »
Chellis Glendinning : Celebrating the ‘Grito de Libertad’ in Bolivia
Joining in the patriotic frenzy with Evo Morales, goose-stepping soldiers,
lots of white paint… and, oh yes, the marching bands… By Chellis
Glendinning | The Rag Blog | June 8, 2014 SUCRE, Bolivia — Independence Day
in Sucre was the … finish reading Chellis Glendinning :
Celebrating the ‘Grito de Libertad’ in Bolivia
Jack A. Smith : A left solution to climate change
Climate deniers in Congress, exasperating as they are, constitute the
farcical sideshow of a much bigger economic and political three-ring circus
known as U.S.A. Inc. By Jack A. Smith | The Rag Blog | June 8, 2014 Climate
change is … finish reading Jack A. Smith :
A left solution to climate change
A Grave And Historic Mistake: Turkey's PM Erdogan Seeks To Turn Hagia Sophia Back Into A Mosque Simply To Win An Election
*Wikipedia: *
Hagia Sophia is a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica (church),
later an imperial mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the
date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as an Eastern
Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople,[1]
except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic
cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May
1453 until 1931. It was then secularized and opened as a museum on 1
February 1935.
*An excerpt from, "Hagia Sophia caught between politics, histo... more »
MI6 Hit-Piece on Paula Yates - September 19th 2000
*ROCK chick, earth mother, Jezebel, journalist, manipulator, victim,
survivor, prey: Paula Yates was all of those things, and sometimes none of
them, so you would never be certain who she was going to be on any
particular day.*
*I say this as though I knew her - and of course, I didn't*, I met her only
on a handful of occasions, when she appeared, variously, as bitch, vixen,
sweetheart, Lolita and long-suffering wife. But like the rest of the
nation, I felt as if I did know her, because I had seen her on a more or
less daily basis for the past 18 years, decorously posed for women'... more »
for those who believe meat-eating can be ethical: in praise of beretta farms
I've mentioned Beretta Farms in many different posts over the years, but
I've never specifically blogged about them. With grilling season underway,
it's time to give Beretta a shout-out.
When I learned about the horrors of factory farming, first from reading Michael
Pollan, and later through other sources, I knew I needed to change my
eating habits. I needed to translate my knowledge into action, but I was at
a loss for what to do.
In the 1990s, I had eaten a vegetarian (almost vegan) diet for more than
two years, but it didn't work for me, and I gave it up. I certainly don't
eat m... more »
Lynn Miles Benefit
A benefit for longtime activist Lynn Miles. An amazing line-up of
performers.
_______________________
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its
sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores
of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
Are You Ready For Nuclear War? — Paul Craig Roberts
Paul Craig RobertsInstitute for Political EconomyJune 3, 2014 Pay close
attention to Steven Starr’s guest column, “The Lethality of Nuclear
Weapons.”
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2014/05/30/lethality-nuclear-weapons/
Washington thinks nuclear war can be won and is planning for a first strike
on Russia, and perhaps China, in order to prevent any challenge to
Washington’s world hegemony.
The plan is far advanced, and the implementation of the plan is underway.
As I have reported previously, US strategic doctrine was changed and the
role of nuclear missiles was elevated from a re... more »
Cyber Hacking and malware Updates June 6 , 2014 -- There Is A New OpenSSL Bug That May Be More Dangerous Than Heartbleed ....... ‘Operation Tovar’ Targets ‘Gameover’ ZeuS Botnet, CryptoLocker Scourge ........ Hacking ATMS
Catharsis Ours - 3 hours ago
Business Insider.....
There Is A New OpenSSL Bug That May Be More Dangerous Than Heartbleed
[image: The Guardian]
- TOM BREWSTER, THE GUARDIAN
- JUN. 6, 2014, 7:20 AM
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Lisa Eadicicco
More critical weaknesses have been uncovered in the OpenSSL web encryption
standard, just two months after the disclosure of the notorious Heartbleed
vulnerability affecting the same technology.
Tatsuya Hayashi, the researcher who found one of the critical bugs, told
the Guardian that t... more »
"6 Right-Wing Lunacies This Week: I’m Not A Scientist But I’m Going to Wage War On Science Anyway"
*"6 Right-Wing Lunacies This Week: *
*I’m Not A Scientist But I’m Going to Wage War On Science Anyway"*
*Carbon dioxide is good for plants, why do we have to limit it?*
By Janet Allon
*"1. Gavin McInnes: White liberals love Neil deGrasse Tyson so much he
could defecate on them. *Gavin McInnes, ousted founder of Vice, now noted
for racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments, obviously has all the
right credentials to be invited onto Fox for some sober commentary about
important things.
Just kidding. He was invited on the show to spew hateful and vile things
and that’s just what he ... more »
Bye-bye, Bert! Or: RIP, Bert Cooper [CAUTION: like-mad "Mad Men" spoiler alert]
The stars in the sky,
the moon on high,
they're great for you and me,
because they're free.
The moon belongs to everyone.
The best things in life are free.
The stars belong to everyone.
They gleam there for you and me.
The flowers in spring,
the robins that sing,
the sunbeams that shine,
they're yours, they're mine.
And love can come to everyone.
The best things in life are free.
The moon belongs to everyone.
The best things in life are free.
*-- lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy DeSylva,music by Ray Henderson (1927)*
*"The moon mission connects to the story in various ways. People are
r... more »
Fukushima nuclear debacle Update - June 8 , 2014 -- Focus on decrepit state of the Fukushima facility , examination of vastly understated levels of radiation contamination , " just sad " decontamination efforts , anecdotal evidence of individuals suffering from radiation sickness ...
Fukushima Diary.....
2 tanks leaked 4.0m3 of contaminated water for 2 months without noticed /
250,000,000 Bq of “radioactive material”
Posted by *Mochizuki* on June 7th, 2014 · 4 Comments
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↑ The ground where the contaminated water has been absorbed for 2 months.
Following up this article.. *2 Contaminated water tanks overflowed /
9,800,000 Bq/m3 of All β / “Rainwater leaking into the tanks since last
year”* [URL]
On 6/4/2014, Tepco announced the 2 tanks have been leaking 4.0m3 of
contaminated water ... more »
Harry Targ : Obama’s ‘glass is half-empty’ foreign policy
It is the non-military parts of the Obama speech that peace activists
should mobilize around, weak as they are. By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog |
June 8, 2014 President Obama has retrenched U.S. global engagement in a
way … finish reading Harry Targ :
Obama’s ‘glass is half-empty’ foreign policy
June 8: Too much.....
I curse myself for writing this on a Sunday evening when I could be doing
something more useful like dozing in the sun on the balcony. It's just that
I have too much on my mind.
Saturday's edition of the Times and Transcript was appalling. It was
written with the style and empty-headed sensationalism of one of the
magazines at the supermarket that has headlines like "Advisers shocked as
Obama and Putin embrace, kiss on meeting".
We were given a picture of a city in terror - and were reassured by the
mayor and business leaders that it would survive. Come off it! That sort of
gush w... more »
Sisi takes office in Egypt | Journal + Dancing in the streets of Cairo for Sisi
*Morsi was called "the most important man in the Middle East" by Time
Magazine just months before he was kicked out of office by the Egyptian
people in concert with the Egyptian army. This is just another example that
shows the media in the United States has lost touch with the world, and
especially with events in the Middle East. Journalists should be treated
like doctors. If they get it wrong once, let alone over and over again,
then people should stop going back to them for their so-called expertise.
Time Magazine, The New York Crimes, CNN, Al Jazeera, and other major media
orga... more »
Mike's Story Part 44 - The Importance of Being Ernest
*February 13, 2007*
*Missing Ten Grand, Continued:*
* “Dumb question: How do we know it wasn’t just some employee who
scribbled a signature, said, ‘Sorry, my dad’s taken ill,’ and quit the next
day?”*
* Mike nodded. “You have enough bills, the Mylar can be scanned. You
don’t know what Mylar is? It’s a code like RF fucking ID.” He took out a
fifty dollar bill and held it up to the light. Towards one of the short
edges a lead line was visible. I knew about that line but didn't know its
name.*
* “A postal worker would have scanned it and taken it to an Inspector,"
he we... more »
“Shy Boy And His Friend Shock the Audience With 'The Prayer'“
“Shy Boy And His Friend Shock the Audience With 'The Prayer'“
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7knUFWY2P44
Untitled
*Saints' Vaccaro doesn't plan to tone down his style of play ~Bret Martel,
WWLTV*
*James Gill: Time has come for settlement on coast damage ~New Orleans
Advocate*
*Quin Hillyer: On new terminal, questions must be aired*
Pakistan Update -- June 8 , 2014 -- Heavy fighting reported at Karachi airport Group attacks cargo terminal with guns and grenades, with at least five people killed, medical sources say...........
Heavy fighting reported at Karachi airport
Group attacks cargo terminal with guns and grenades, with at least five
people killed, medical sources say.
Last updated: 08 Jun 2014 21:53
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Smoke and fire illuminate the sky above Jinnah airport in Karachi [AP]
Heavily armed gunmen have attacked a terminal at the busiest airport in
Karachi, with at least five people killed as flights were suspended and the
army was called in, officials have said.
An unk... more »
Free Download: “The Poems of William Wordsworth”
*“The World Is Too Much With Us”*
by William Wordsworth
“The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight o... more »
England, my England
So much to drone on about, so little time.
Tom Shakespeare's *A Point of View, Bring back the Heptarchy! *(written up
here), is very much a Radio 4 'point of view', pro-EU and unsympathetic to
the concept of England as a unified, sovereign country.
We're still at the stage where Roger Scruton is the *only *right-winger to
host this programme in the past four years. What does *that* say about BBC
impartiality?
Tom, who has a degree in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic [though that doesn't
stop him repeatedly banging on about science and 'scientism'], trots out
the old 'hippy' view o... more »
The Nature Of Conservatism-- A Sick And Deranged War Against Women
The stories coming out of India and Pakistan about the murders of women
last week have been gut-wrenching. Both were primitive and barbaric acts
within the context of conservative and patriarchal culture that deem women
less than human. Mulayam Singh Yadav, from Uttar Pradesh's governing party,
was widely quoted in the media as saying "Boys will be boys" in response to
the brutal gang rapes and murders of two girls from a poor family. The
police tried covering the whole incident up. When I heard about it on the
radio, I nearly threw up.
And, make no mistake, this kind of brutalit... more »
Managing Ed Miliband
I've said this before, and I'll repeat it until I'm blue in the face. There
is a current leader of a political party. His time in office has been
marked by division, of colleagues going to war over who would be his
successor, of backbench rebellions and open disloyalty, of habitually
prevaricating in the face of crisis. There's him, and then there's Ed
Miliband. Next to the Prime Minister, Ed's leadership has made the
political weather on energy bills, zero hour contracts, low pay, Syria, and
phone hacking. For the first time since 1992, Ed has been the first leader
of a major part... more »
Buraq's wings for sale!
Vis-à-vis this morning's *Broadcasting House *on Radio 4, guest-presented
by Nick Robinson (he of the famous toenails), I'm inclined to agree with ChrisH
at *Biased-BBC *that the decision to put Michael Gove "In the
Psychiatrist's Chair" [the responsibility for which I'd lay on the
programme's production team] is suggestive of the way the contemptuous
left-liberal *bien pensant *world, including the BBC, regards Mr Gove.
After all, when, say, Harriet Harman was going through her 'denial' phase
over the 'NCCL-paedophile scandal', *BH *didn't haul her in [in absentia]
for psychologi... more »
Sunday Morning Crap Fest: McCain Plays the 9/11 Card
Normally the Sunday morning 'news' shows are a spectacle of spin, bullshit
and official talking points largely centering around more wars, legalizing
torture and protecting the US government surveillance machine and the
ability to spy and collect data on everyone. Today, in the Bowe Bergdhal
smear campaign edition the deranged old bastard from Arizona John McCain
has outdid everyone in blaming the five Taliban prisoners from Gitmo who
were swapped for Bergdahl as being responsible for 9/11. It is as
outlandish as any of Dick Cheney's lies about Saddam Hussein working to
bring abou... more »
American Dreamin'
On this hot and steamy, Summer dreamy, hammock-sleepy Sunday.
By Capt. Fogg
I happened to have CNN on the other day and they were airing another one of
their puff pieces on "The American Dream," one of those annoying
reflections on how the land of opportunity is failing to be a land of
opportunity. I find it annoying because of the assumption that the USA is
somehow a unique place when it comes to providing upward mobility, a more
honest name for a dream that, let's face it, is* everyone's* dream. I've
seen figures that argue for other countries -- quite a number of other
coun... more »
Motor City Bankruptcy Updates ( June 8 , 2014 ) -- Detroit roll dice considerably by projecting constant casino revenues through 2013 ! Considering the financial fortunes of Detroit residents , let alone the recent history of Atlantic City ( and Illinois , Indian , Iowa , Nevada , Pennsylvania , Missouri and Connecticut ) , makes wonder how such projection can withstand scrutiny ? The Death And Decay Of Detroit, As Seen From The Streets ......
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-detroit-rolls-dice-by-relying-on-casino-cash--2014-08
( What could go wrong by banking on gambling revenues like this ? )
Detroit Is Rolling The Dice By Relying On Casino Cash
[image: Reuters]
- TIM REID AND MICHAEL ERMAN, REUTERS
- JUN. 8, 2014, 8:51 AM
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[image: The Motor City Casino and Hotel is seen near downtown Detroit,
Michigan October 23, 2013. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook]
Thomson Reuters
The Motor City Casino and Hotel is seen near downtown Detroit... more »
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, June 8th, 2014
[image: rant-jpeg-b]
Sunday, and again it does seem that I have so much to catch up on.... I
will cover some subjects that I missed out on this last week during some
much needed rest in my usual rant...
Yes, I have been taking a lot more time off recently from writing here... I
have long decided to take time to get myself into better shape and to
actually enjoy this too short summer here in central Canada. Readers
remember back in December of last year when I had that "heart condition"
scare that basically did scare the crap out of me... I decided there and
then that I would not ... more »
Obama hints at possible military action in Syria
*Here *
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signaled Tuesday he would consider U.S.
military action against Syria if "hard, effective evidence" is found to
bolster intelligence that chemical weapons have been used in the 2-year-old
civil war. Among the potential options being readied for him: weapons and
ammunition for the Syrian rebels.
Despite such planning, Obama appealed for patience during a White House
news conference*, saying he needed more conclusive evidence about how and
when chemical weapons detected by U.S. intelligence agencies were used and
who deployed them. *If thos... more »
Thomas Cohen of S*C*U*M and the Book of Judith
*"We, as a people need to be asking ourselves - for Revolution, would you
be prepared to go to bed with somebody, to have sex with somebody whom you
did not love, and did not like...?"*
*- Bro. Steve Cokely*
*"Hey, G.I. - you wan' girlfriend, Vietnam? *
*You wan' sucky-sucky?*
*Me love you **long-time..."*
*- The South Vietnamese Revolutionary Vanguard*
*"I have a girl who's pussy is so good, if you threw it up into the air, it
would turn into sunshine..."*
*"Sunshine" from Harlem Nights - single-handedly took-down The Man with the
Power of Womanhood.*
*Former US Secretary of De... more »
SWEDEN LOST NEUTRALITY & BECOMING MILITARIZED
Swedish and Finnish leaders have reinvigorated a push for their
traditionally non-aligned countries to join NATO, in the face of what they
say is a Russian threat. But does Russia really pose a threat to European
security, or has it become a convenient scapegoat for growing militarism in
Europe? How can Russia and the western world end the conflict in Ukraine,
and rebuild peace by peace? Oksana is joined by the founder of the
Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, Dr Jan Oberg, to
examine these issues.
The US Ambassador to Sweden is currently right-winger Mark Brz... more »
Giles Fraser jumps the shark
Giles Fraser (front), with Alan Rusbridger (back)
*CiF Watch* has picked up on a quite extraordinary lapse of judgement from
former dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, Giles Fraser.
Giles, as you know, is now a *Guardian* editorial writer. He's also a
longstanding BBC *Thought for the Day *speaker and is a regular panelist on
Radio 4's *The Moral Maze.*
Given that his latest article gives an insight into the way people like
Giles think [including, perhaps, people at the *Guardian *and the BBC], I
thought I'd better share it with you here.
Giles isn't exactly known for his logic but th... more »
The Global Mind War of the Day of 9/11
*"There is also evidence in some cases that people’s brainwaves can
synchronize with the rhythm of the electromagnetic waves generated in the
earth’s ionosphere. When people say they "feel" an impending earthquake or
other planetary events, such as weather changes, it is possible that they
may be reacting to the actual physical signals that occur in the earth’s
field prior to the event. *
*While it is not difficult to conceive that life-forms embedded in the
earth’s magnetic fields could be affected by modulations in these
fields, it is a more far-reaching proposition to sugg... more »
Spesifikasi dan Harga Nokia Lumia 520 Terbaru 2014
Spesifikasi
dan Harga Nokia Lumia 520 Terbaru 2014 | Nokia Lumia 520 adalah
smartphone yang berjalan pada os windows yang berukuran cukup besar
yaitu 4 inchi, layar pada handphone ini juga pernah menggunakan
tekhnologi IPS kapasitif yang bisa mempromosikan afdol untuk agan jika
anda senang dalam memakai handphone ini, dan prosesor dengan spesifikasi
dual core sudah nimbul pada handphone ini
US Puppet Chocolate King to Push Ukraine Closer to War With Russia
Meeting with President Barack Obama during the narcissist in chief's
whirlwind European tour last week, newly minted US puppet Petro Porshenko
aka "the Chocolate King" finalized his deal with the devil and will
continue the frantic push towards war with Russia on behalf of his western
puppeteers. The election of Poroshenko is as legitimate as the coup to oust
democratically elected president Viktor Yanokoyvch was but after months of
incompetent, politically tone deaf rule by Arseniy Yatsenyuk - or as he is
known in the terms of endearment of US State Department neocon in charge of
... more »
Odd tidings in the news June 8 , 2014 -- SECRET EUROPEAN CASH LIMITS IN PLACE ........ VIDEO: PSYCHOLOGIST CONCERNED ABOUT MENTAL STABILITY OF PRESIDENT: OBAMA MAY NOT BE “SANE” ....... OBAMACARE: WATCH OUT, HERE COMES “PREDICTIVE MODELING” ....... BEIJING-BASED IMF? LAGARDE PONDERS CHINA GAINING ON U.S. ECONOMY ....... CAN THE MILITARY ACTUALLY PUT VOICES IN YOUR HEAD? CHOMSKY: OBAMA ‘DETERMINED TO DEMOLISH THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES’
http://www.infowars.com/secret-european-cash-limits-in-place/
SECRET EUROPEAN CASH LIMITS IN PLACE
[image: Secret European Cash Limits in Place]
*by* MARK KEMPTON | JUNE 8, 2014
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------------------------------
Some of you might remember the recent scandal where #HSBC tried to impose
cash withdraw limits on their accounts:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-25861717
*Well it turns out that was just a trial balloon, to see how the public
might react to withdraw limits ... more »
Doug Noland's Friday Missive " Credit Allocation " June 6, 2014 ..... Examining 2007 with current period - Doug sees the following : Federal Reserve Credit has been this cycles’ prevailing source of liquidity, “money” distorting pricing, risk perceptions and the flow of finance through both the markets and real economy. Importantly, this key source of financial Credit is supposedly ending in a few short months. And like 2007, highly speculative financial Bubble markets choose to disregard fundamental prospects and instead go into destabilizing blow-off mode. Indeed, deteriorating prospects – along with accompanying shorting and hedging – provide market melt-up fuel ; Doug also examines current period with period between WW1 and 1929 : I have repeatedly drawn parallels between the current extraordinarily protracted Credit Cycle and that from the WWI to 1929 period. Both share similar characteristics of profound technological advancement, “globalization,” financial innovation, experimental activism in monetary management and resulting prolonged Credit, speculative and economic cycles.; final observation : The next “risk off” period will find participants contemplating a marketplace without constant Federal Reserve liquidity injections. The markets will fret about life without an open-ended Fed QE backstop. Will the Fed be there with its typical timely reinsurance – or might a divided Fed struggle to live up to Dr. Bernanke’s promises? For now, it’s exuberance – emboldened by the notion that persistent “deflation” risks will keep global central bankers in an accommodating and experimental mood........
http://www.prudentbear.com/2014/06/credit-allocation.html#.U5Sf_5RdWI1
DOUG NOLAND
[image: Print Friendly and PDF]Credit AllocationJune 6, 2014 posted by Doug
Noland
Signs of an upside dislocation
Total (financial and non-financial) Credit jumped $484bn during Q1 to a
record $59.399 TN, or 347% of GDP. Although economic growth faltered during
the period, Q1 2014 Total Non-Financial Debt (NFD) expanded at a 5.0% rate.
Corporate borrowings grew at a robust 9.3% pace, up from Q4’s 7.7% and Q1
2013’s 7.2%. Federal government debt mounted at a 7.1% rate, down from Q4’s
11.6% and Q1 201... more »
Ghost of Sunday Classics: Nocturne!
*MENDELSSOHN: Notturno from A Midsummer Night's Dream (incidental music),
Op. 61*
*Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam), George Szell, cond. Decca, recorded
Dec. 2-4, 1957*
*Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, cond. Broadcast
performance, May 23, 1969*
*by Ken*
A much-loved little piece latched onto my brain this weeko. It was the
"Nocturne" from Mendelssohn's *Midsummer Night's Dream* incidental music,
and it really still hasn't let go. That's the sort of thing that might once
have triggered a post, especially since we don't seem to have spent as much
time as I ... more »
Iran nuclear talks updates ( June 8 , 2014 ) ........U.S. planning a meeting on the side with Iran as July nuclear deal deadline approaches ...... Senior U.S., Iranian officials to meet Monday-Tuesday in Geneva: U.S.
Hot Air ....
U.S. planning a meeting on the side with Iran as July nuclear deal deadline
approaches
POSTED AT 7:01 PM ON JUNE 7, 2014 BY ERIKA JOHNSEN
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The United States and the other P5+1 powers have been working with Iranian
officials to bring the interim deal reached last November to its full-scale
comprehensive resolution, with representatives all meeting up most recently
in Vienna last month — but those talks evidently didn’t go all that well.
This week, *Reuters* reported that analysts and diplomats aren’t feeling
remo... more »
Bill Gates Steps from Behind the Curtain in Hopes of Saving Common Core
The Gates Foundation has provided Lindsay Layton of the Washington Post a
story that is intended put a band-aid on the bleeding out of the Common
Core Standards. It's worth reading for an appreciation of how desperate
Gates is to save his billion dollar baby from going down the drain, like
his other self-serving educational thought disorders.
With access to Gates and a bit of polished skullduggery on how David
Coleman and Gene Wilhoit took the corporate case for Achieve, Inc.
standards to Bill and Melinda for funding, Gates and the oligarchs hope to
relieve the Obama Administration... more »
New Blogs May/June 2014
It's not the first Sunday of the month. But I *did* forget to post this
last week. So here you go, new(ish) blogs!
1. Birmingham Labour (Labour)
2. Ellis Cashmore (Unaligned/Sociology) (Twitter)
3. Feminist Killjoys (Unaligned/Feminist)
4. Gabriel Vents (Unaligned)
5. Great Moments in Leftism (Unaligned/Satire) (Twitter)
6. Jane Clare Jones (Unaligned/Feminist) (Twitter)
7. John D Turner (Unaligned (Twitter)
8. Latent Freud (Unaligned) (Twitter)
9. Libertarians to Gulags (Labour) (Twitter)
10. Manchester Left Writers (Unaligned) (Twitter)
11. Nurse Boothroyd (Unaligned)
12. Strategic Miso... more »
AVOIDING THE DARK HEART
- I am trying not to get a dark heart. That's why I put the George
Harrison song on the blog today....beware of darkness..... Watch out now,
take care....Beware of greedy leaders....They take you where you should not
go.
- It's hard though to watch the global war machine punishing so many
innocent people around the world and not feel it.... my heart weeps and
wails. I am furious with my own corporate-dominated 'government' and I
know there is little I can do to directly impact Washington and damn near
everyone else knows it as well. That's why... more »
The quest to clear out Gitmo ( June 8 , 2014 ) - White House agenda faces GOP opposition .....
New York Post .....
Obama to free Gitmo terrorist ‘because he took up yoga’
By Paul Sperry
June 7, 2014 | 9:56pm
Modal Trigger
[image: Obama to free Gitmo terrorist ‘because he took up yoga’]
Detainees in orange jumpsuits sit in a holding area under the eyes of
military police during in-processing to the temporary detention facility at
Camp X-Ray of Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.Photo: Reuters
MORE ON:GUANTANAMO BAY
Obama is driving the country to ruin
Obama: Released terrorists could 'absolutely' return to battle
Obama's killer deal
Jihadi release may come back to haunt US
If you though... more »
Lest the Trojan Horses bolt...
Did you hear today's *The World This Weekend*?
Well, before we get to that.....a representative comment at *Biased BBC*
today reads:
DJ says:
June 8, 2014 at 1:43 pm
And then there’s the meta-context: the BBC is trying to spin this as a
story about *Tori Splitz* – in other words another dullsville Westminister
village story only of interest to the boys in the bubble. They’ll do
anything to avoid dealing with the central issue that everything us crazed
Islamophobes said would happen has happened (also, everything the BBC ever
said has been proven to be a lie).
People who are ... more »
what i'm reading: the book thief, an anti-war novel
I'm sure many of you have read *The Book Thief*, Markus Zusak's youth novel
about a German girl and her (non-biological) family during World War II. If
you haven't yet read it, I recommend it.
I had little interest in reading this book. I picked it up for professional
reasons: it has been one of the most popular youth novels since its
publication in 2005, and I intended to skim it, to get the gist. This book
didn't care what I had in mind. The opening was so intriguing that I kept
reading, and before long I was completely engrossed.
In our culture, there aren't many books or movies... more »
this year's garden-ette and sweet dogs in their small backyard
Here are some visuals for this post.
This year's crop, we hope: eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and thyme.
As you can see, it's a fraction of the backyard we used to have, and kind
of bare. But it does the job! We're putting a canopy over the patio.
"Wither thou goest...". Diego is pledged to Tala. Wherever Tala is, the big
boy is right beside her.
This goes all the way back to when she was first rehabbing from her spine
injury. Three years ago:
And today.
More here on Flickr.
Chicago Teacher Adam Heehan On How Common Core Threatens Good Teaching
from Chicago SunTimes:
I teach Financial Literacy as a semester-long social studies course in a
Chicago public high school. This quarter we focused on professional skills.
My students must find living arrangements on a fixed salary, then explain
their plan to the class.
Students must calculate their biweekly net pay (based on last quarter’s
grades, e.g. an “A” earns you $42,000 a year), and living expenses and
search for a place to live on websites such as Craigslist. They quickly
realize that students who earn a higher income have an easier time finding
a good place to live, while ... more »
Zombie Resurrection
*New York Times* restaurant critic turned op-ed columnist Frank Bruni has
reanimated the long-discredited generational theft blame game -- accusing
Boomers rather than Banksters of creating the dire straits a whole lost
generation of young Americans finds itself thrashing in.
The cult of plutocratic austerians, who'd temporarily retreated to their
crypts when Thomas Picketty and wealth inequality became all the rage, are
back on another rampage, this time trying to disguise themselves as fun
young hipsters.
From their money pit they arise, clawing their way into Bruni's Sunday
... more »
Hollywood Accredits The Memes: Aliens
*"Cannot swords be turned to plowshares? Can we and all nations not live in
peace? In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how
much unites all the members of humanity. *
*Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this
common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide
would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. *
*And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us..?"*
*Ronald Reagan,*
*Address to United Nations General Assembly *
*(21 September 1987)*
*German flying disc, ... more »
The well-meaning liberals of the world aren’t going to like the front page of the Washington Post
How Bill Gates bought us the Common Core. Thank you, and it wasn’t even my
birthday. As a matter of fact, our right-wing brothers and sisters might
not like this either since they believe this is a massive communist
conspiracy. I’m also doubting, however, that many teachers know about this.
I either hear glowing endorsements […]
Jacques Vallee - Heretic Amongst Heretics
German flying disc with anti-aircraft gun, circa 1947.
Norwegian "Ghost Rocket" Lights
*"Jim Oberg, who is a specialist in the Russian space program, pointed out
to me that some of the sightings that I published from the Soviet Union--a
strange yellowish crescent seen going through the sky by many people in the
Soviet Union--that those were rocket tests that were illegal under the Salt
agreement; and obviously, they couldn't hide it in the sky. . . so the
government planted the story that there was a flying saucer, and that got
into the newspapers. *
*Again, the UFO research... more »
Strip Clubs Criminalized By New Prostitution Legislation? Could well be
"Whereas the Parliament of Canada recognizes the social harm caused by the
objectification of the human body and the commodification of sexual
activity"
This is part of the preamble to Bill C-36, the "Protection of Communities
and Exploited Persons Act".
Note the objectification of the human body is seen as a social harm to be
stopped - and heavy criminal penalties are imposed.
Anyone paying for "sexual services" is guilty of an offence with mandatory
minimum sentences. The Act provides:
286.1 (1) Everyone who, in any place, obtains for consideration, or
communicates with anyo... more »
Bangin' The Nanny: The Framing of Michael Hutchence
*"Perhaps you should try and figure it out for yourself!!*
*Got off, GOT OFF?? I think the question should be who tried to get him
on! *
*You figure it out!"*
"In a July 1998 interview that appeared in a fan newsletter, *Colin Diamond*,
Hutchence's attorney and former executor of his estate, was asked about the
vocalist's September 1996 opium bust and his defense that the narcotic was
planted by police.
*"Perhaps you should try and figure it out for yourself!", *Diamond
snapped.
Anita Debeny and Peaches Geldof (*DECEASED*)
"*Michael and Paula were out of the country and du... more »
How Will History Judge Tim Geithner?
In her new book, A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren tries really hard to
find nice things to say about Tim Geithner. But reading between the lines,
it's very clear that she had, at best, mixed feelings about his role as
Wall Street's man inside the Obama Administration. Geithner's own book, *Stress
Test*, hasn't been as well received as Warren's. Matt Stoller:
*Stress Test* is an important book, because Tim Geithner is an important
man. Economist Thomas Piketty may be explaining essential social dynamics
of inequality, and Elizabeth Warren may be describing the need for
American... more »
Untitled
*How Finnish Education Really Works*
*It is highly selective at all levels. And selectivity SHOULD yield higher
performance*
… American reformers have been smitten with the Finnish school system for a
couple of years now, but they have not really fully understood that it is
NOT what they think it is, nor will it magically cure what ails American
schools. And, being that I am Finnish (duo citizen w/ USA); have a mother
who taught English & German in Finland; have HKI U professor cousins whose
kids are in Finnish schools; I feel that I can burst the Common Core bubble
by telling al... more »
Ukraine Updates ( June 8 , 2014 ) -- EU-Ukraine-Russia gas talks due in Brussels on Monday - Russian energy ministry ..... The source said the meeting’s agenda would include gas prices for Ukraine, and by June 10 the Ukrainian side was expected to settle all the issues of the overdue payments........ Status on fighting in South East Ukraine .....
Itar Tass
Natural Gas Talks ....
EU-Ukraine-Russia gas talks due in Brussels on Monday - Russian energy
ministry
Economy
June 08, 11:31 UTC+4
The source said the meeting’s agenda would include gas prices for Ukraine
© EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
MOSCOW, June 08 /ITAR-TASS/. A tripartite meeting of representatives of the
European Union, Ukraine and Russia is due in Brussels on Monday, an
official representative of Russia’s ministry of energy said on Sunday.
Yatsetyuk says Ukraine not ready to do without Russian gas
The source said the meeting’s agenda would include gas prices for Ukraine,
a... more »
The Killer of the RCMP Officers in Moncton
What was up with Justin Bourque? I saw his facebook page and it's obvious
he's a symptom of Canada's infection from the right-wing disease and
garbage epidemic in the USA. Pictures of Sarah Palin and rants against
"liberals" and gun-worshiping. There was also a bizarre condemnation of
social inequality and professions of anti-authoritarianism. Which is the
big tragedy of these sorts of simpletons. Sarah Palin was the VP candidate
for a party that is totally about perpetuating and increasing social
inequality. For all their drooling idiocy about "elites," right-wing
populists don't k... more »
China's missing metal scheme aka ponzi scheme updates ( June 8 , 2014 ) -- Western Banks Scramble As China's "Rehypothecation Evaporation" Goes Global ( Citigroup , Standard Chartered , ABN Amro , BNP Paribus , Natixis and Standard Bank might be Banks who have made loans against potential phantom collateral ..... Trading houses such as Mercuria Energy , Glencore might be bag holders or exposed to fraud here ) ......
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-08/pboc-hits-panic-button-strengthens-currency-most-20-months
PBOC Hits Panic Button: Strengthens Currency By Most In 20 Months
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/08/2014 21:54 -0400
- Barclays
- Carry Trade
- China
- fixed
- Shadow Banking
- Volatility
inShare
On the heels of growing contagion concerns regarding shadow banking
collateral and the "rehypothecation evaporation" and this weekend's 'odd'
Chinese trade data (big drop in imports, no doubt impacted by dramatic
commodity invoi... more »
Other Voices - ( June 7 , 2014 ) -- EU lost its foreign policy sovereignty to US – Marine Le Pen to RT ....... Unvarnished Ukraine Update; Steen Jakobsen on Impact of Ukraine on Germany ....... ‘Obama defending legitimacy of Ukraine’s election signals the bankruptcy of US foreign policy’
http://rt.com/news/164372-marine-le-pen-preview/
EU lost its foreign policy sovereignty to US – Marine Le Pen to RT
Published time: June 07, 2014 03:05
Edited time: June 07, 2014 10:11
Get short URL
[image: French National Front (FN) president Marine Le Pen (AFP Photo /
Fred Dufour)]
French National Front (FN) president Marine Le Pen (AFP Photo / Fred Dufour)
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Conflict, EU, France, Opposition, Politics
The EU has lost control of its foreign policy to Washington, France's
National Front leader Marine Le Pen told RT, calling the bloc's diplomacy a
“catastrophe” in w... more »
WORTH A WATCH
Grab their fossil fuels, agricultural land, force GMO production, install
US-NATO 'missile defense' systems there......the list goes on.
Do you see the corporate agenda?
Backed up by the fascist thugs.
Wake up dear friends from our long sleep. Rip Van Winkle no more.
Self Interest Is Their Only Interest
The Harper government is all about politics, all the time. Policy is not
about improvement. And it's certainly not about seeking out expert advice.
It's about exploiting personal advantage. Consider the proposed
prostitution legislation, Bill C-36. Michael den Tandt writes:
At a stroke, the Harper government has won itself and the country an
emotional, divisive debate over values and social policy, one that breaks
down along classic social conservative/progressive lines, and one the
Tories must know they will ultimately lose. And perhaps that’s the whole
point: another big bust-... more »
Maths GCSE tomorrow? This may be what's happening behind you in the exam hall...
Alexander Armstrong demonstrating what exam invigilators get up to...
Why Is France Building Warships For Russia?
[image: Vladivostok LHD]France has really done it this time — the country
is apparently going ahead with a plan to sell Russia two Mistral-class
amphibious assault ships, a move which is understandably none too popular
with NATO and its member states, who understandably wonder if this is the
best time for NATO to be arming Russia.
Or to paraphrase Vladimir Lenin, NATO wonders whether it's selling Russia
the rope with which Russia will hang it.
The Mistral is a modern, advanced amphibious assault ship capable of
carrying up to 900 troops, a tank battalion, and 16 to 35 helicopters.
... more »
Arrival of new fighter jet at least 4 years away
[image: F-35C Lightning II]The stealthy and controversial F-35C fighter jet
will replace the F/A-18 Super Hornets commonly seen buzzing over Boca Chica
Field, but the question is when.
Their arrival appears to be at least four years away, but that figure is in
no way set in stone.
Navy leadership announced in March that it was cutting its order for the
new jets nearly in half over the next five years, starting in the fiscal
year 2015, due to budget concerns surrounding the jet, which has been
plagued by cost overruns, delays and development problems.
Read more
PM Modi to sail on board INS Vikramaditya
[image: INS Vikramaditya]Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sail on INS
Vikramaditya, the largest warship of the Indian Navy, off the coast of Goa
on June 14.
He will dedicate the warship, India's second aircraft carrier after INS
Virat, to the nation on that day, Navy sources said today.
The warship is already in the Arabian Sea.
Read more
PLA to deploy its largest supply ship to South China Sea
[image: PLA Navy Type 903A replenishment ship]The People's Liberation Army
Navy is set to deploy at least one of its Type 903A comprehensive supply
ships to the disputed South China Sea to strengthen its force projection
capability in the area, reports China's nationalistic Global Times tabloid.
China recently launched its fifth and largest Type 903A supply ship, the
Fuchi, on May 31 in Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province. With
the capability to carry 11,000 tonnes of cargo, the 23,000-tonne Type 903A
can provide fuel and rations to Chinese warships operating in the open... more »
Untitled
*World War II Skeletons Washed From Graves by Rising Seas*
*Hang on just a cotton-picking minute! When things that were submerged
become unsubmerged in littoral (coastal) areas, that is due to a sea-level
FALL. Rising seas cover things up. So these uncoverings are exactly the
OPPOSITE of what Warmists predict. And below is a handy-dandy chart
showing exactly what we would expect: Marshall island sea levels have been
falling recently. Ain't facts pesky things?*
Skeletons of World War II soldiers are being washed from their graves by
the rising Pacific Ocean as global warmin... more »
Sunday at the Breakfast Table with Ed
This morning's *Sunday *on Radio 4 began with: *Israeli President Shimon
Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas will join Pope Francis
at the Vatican on Sunday to pray for peace in the Middle East. Alan
Johnston assesses the significance of the meeting.*
Edward Stourton talked first to a softly-spoken female BBC journalist [*ed
- no, it was actually the BBC's Alan Johnston*]. Ed described the meeting
as "a very significant gesture, I suppose" and the softly-spoken female BBC
journalist [*ed - No, no, no! It was Alan Johnston*] described it as "an
island of hope in the ... more »
Topical wisdom from one of my most favoritest education books of all-time
We are where we are in public education right now because of you. Yes, you.
No, not you, dear reader, but the rest of you. Willful ignorance, it’s
called. There was a time when I cared a great deal about the divisions of
labor in the education workforce. I wrote this in 2009: Moreover, Sugg […]
Vive la Reine!
There were some sour comments on Twitter last night about the closing piece on
yesterday's *PM* [and those agreeing with Robert Peston's view that the BBC
is pro-establishment might have tutted too had they heard it], but I myself
very much enjoyed John Laurenson's piece on why the French like our Queen.
*John Laurenson*: The Queen doesn't speak French like a native - how
horrible would that be! - but she does speak it rather well. She's an even
quite lyrical Francophile. "Paris is a light that glimmers in our
imaginations", she said. And the people of Paris are quite keen on her t... more »
Japan, Australia to finalise submarine deal, strengthen military ties
[image: Soryu class SSK]A huge submarine deal is on the table this week
when Japan and Australia meet to shore up their military relationship, as
the security architecture of the Asia-Pacific shifts to meet the challenge
of a rising China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defence Minister Itsunori
Onodera will play hosts in Tokyo on Wednesday to Julie Bishop and David
Johnston, their respective opposite numbers, for the fifth round of
so-called "2+2" talks.
High on the agenda will be discussions on the transfer of Japanese
submarine technology to Australia, with Canberr... more »
The Unwritten Rules of AMERICAN IR? (or, things American IR scholars don’t always know about ‘doing’ IR ‘in the rest of the world’)
Laura Sjoberg recently wrote a post listing “The Unwritten Rules of IR.”
While it is an interesting review of some of the power relations,
maneuvering, and indeed game-playing that goes on in the field, it also
captured a particular American (maybe even just a personal) experience of
being an IR scholar. Of course this makes
Continue reading
Join The Ban High Fructose Corn Syrup Movement
[image: HFCS Infographic]*Source of poster: *
*http://foodidentitytheft.com/*
Thai Coup Ushers in Organic Farming Initiative
*June 2, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - After the May 22 coup in Southeast
Asia's Thailand, the new military-led government has revealed agricultural
reforms based on sustainable, organic agriculture - an unprecedented and
progressive departure from the unsustainable populist subsidies that
proceeded it in Thailand, and that can be found in various degrees of
failure around the world. The Royal Thai Army's General Prayuth Chan-ocha
gave a basic summary of the reforms in a speech made before the nation late
May, stating:
*We are trying to find measures to fix the prices of agricult... more »
It's Time For America To Elect A Woman President-- One Who Isn't Jaded And Compromised By The Corrupt Political System
This morning, writing for the *NY Times*, Natalie Kitroeff looks at why its
so hard for young people in New York to buy-- or even rent-- homes. And her
culprit: student debt. "More students," she writes, "are taking out bigger
loans than ever before, and in the last 10 years alone, education debt
tripled, reaching over $1 trillion. A record number of college students are
graduating knee deep in a financial hole before they begin their adult
lives."
Data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York suggests that the
relationship between student loan debt and the housing marke... more »
Student Activist Roughed up at Chinese Culture University
Two men rough up a student activist calling for suspension of the Taoyuan
Aerotropolis project and public hearings on the project. Note end of video
when kid is flung against the wall and then dragged by his hair. Are these
men university staff?
_______________________
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its
sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores
of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
Only 43 to Go: Oklahoma Becomes Second State to Ditch Common Core
http://www.newsok.com/article/4888114
Opt Out Proves to Be Good Option in Waco
kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen
"Maybe..."
“Maybe we accept the dream has become a nightmare. We tell ourselves that
reality is better. We convince ourselves it’s better that we never dream at
all. But, the strongest of us, the most determined of us, holds on to the
dream or we find ourselves faced with a fresh dream we never considered. We
wake to find ourselves, against all odds, feeling hopeful. And, if we’re
lucky, we realize in the face of everything, in the face of life, the true
dream is being able to dream at all.”
- Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy"
"Americans are very susceptible to propaganda. They seem to have a special taste for it." "In America hate and the cultivation of hate is alive and well. But not a single moral virtue is." -- Paul Craig Roberts "If you should think these are over statements, be sure to test your beliefs against Paul Craig Roberts' deep scholarship." -- David L. Griscom
------------------------------
*The Lies Grow More Audacious — Paul Craig Roberts*
------------------------------
June 6, 2014 | Original Here Go
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The Lies Grow More Audacious
Paul Craig Roberts
If there were any doubts that Western “leaders” live in a fantasy
make-believe world constructed out of their own lies, the G-7 meeting and
70th anniversary celebration of the Normandy landing dispelled the doubts.
The howlers issuing from these occasions are enough to split your sides.... more »
Could It Happen Here? UK Parents Arrested Because Their Child Is Obese
*(oh, how they love the children, you know, the village's children . .
and they are so concerned about our mental health, as well . . . two of the
main tools they have at their disposal and using, and will use them
increasingly if we don't find the courage to say "No.")*Saturday, June 7,
2014
Chris Carrington
*Activist Post*
*A couple has been arrested by police on suspicion of cruelty and neglect
of their obese child.*
A 49-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk,
were questioned by officers over the child’s care and released on bail.
Police said interv... more »
Union Leadership that Teachers and Children Can Believe In--Really!
from the Globe, where the editorial board's head is about to explode:
NORTHAMPTON — Don’t make the mistake of talking about “teacher training” to
Barbara Madeloni.
“Oh, please don’t use the word training,” she chided a reporter. “We
educate teachers. We don’t train them. We train dogs. And I love dogs.”
Beacon Hill better get used to that sharply pointed, confrontational style.
The 57-year-old former psychologist turned teacher won her race by openly
criticizing the current union president, Paul Toner, for his record of
negotiating with — rather than fighting — officials on the deve... more »
Inigo Montoya challenges common core testing program
Comment on Ed Week blog, ELLs Test-Drive New English-Language Proficiency
AssessmentsPosted at: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the
language/2014/06/wida_field_testing_new_english.html
Inigo Montoya: *You* keep using that *word**.*I do not think it *means what
you think it means**. ... (from: The Princess Bride). *
We are told that ELLs are about to "test drive" the "New English-Language
Proficiency Assessments." (June 5).
What does "test-drive" mean? I suspect it means that basic diagnostics such
as internal reliability and item-analysis will be done. I suspect that it
d... more »
Amidst the abiding craziness, we channel some cheerily crazed communications beeped by the Zeitgeist
Tom Toles, *Washington Post* [*click to enlarge*]
*by Ken*
The political craziness level has, at least for the time being, flipped me
out, and I refuse to let it crowd out some swell times I've been having on
to such nifty places as The Players, the theatrical club founded by the
great actor Edwin Booth on Gramercy Park South (a Municipal Art Society
Tour with Matt Postal), Coney Island (a Municipal Art Society walking tour
with Norman Oder), and the former Brooklyn Navy Yard (now a burgeoning
industrial park, with tours offered by Turnstile Tours in conjunction with
the Brooklyn ... more »
Musical Interlude: Alan Parsons Project, "Ammonia Avenue"
Alan Parsons Project, "Ammonia Avenue"
*Lyrics:*
"Is there no sign of light as we stand in the darkness,
Watching the sun arise?
Is there no sign of life as we gaze at the waters,
Into the strangers eyes?
And who are we to criticize or scorn the things that they do?
For we shall seek and we shall find ammonia avenue...
If we call for the proof and we question the answers,
Only the doubt will grow.
Are we blind to the truth or a sign to believe in?
Only the wise will know...
And word by word they handed down the light that shines today.
And those who came at first to scoff, remained be... more »
Koch City? (How PBS Lost the P and Gained (A Few Very Wealthy) Private Owners) A 6-Inch-Long Black Box Redaction of Everyone the Fed Chairman Spoke To or Met With (Regulator Was Dining and Schmoozing With Citi Execs) and Who Are Those Regulators Anyway? (It's A Very Exclusive Club and You're Not Admitted To Its Meetings)
The news isn't all bad. Er, but wait. Maybe not not. BREAKING! Bank of
America Corp. BAC +0.71% is in talks to pay at least $12 billion to settle
civil probes by the Justice Department and a number of states into the
bank's alleged handling of shoddy mortgages, an amount that could raise the
government tab for the bank's precrisis conduct to more than $18 billion,
according to people
The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "All Will Come Again"
*"All Will Come Again"*
by Rainer Maria Rilke
"All will come again into its strength:
the fields undivided, the waters undammed,
the trees towering and the walls built low.
And in the valleys, people as strong and varied as the land.
And no churches where God
is imprisoned and lamented
like a trapped and wounded animal.
The houses welcoming all who knock
and a sense of boundless offering
in all relations, and in you and me.
No yearning for an afterlife, no looking beyond,
no belittling of death,
but only longing for what belongs to us
and serving earth, lest we remain unused."
"A Look to the Heavens"
“The Sleeping Beauty galaxy may appear peaceful at first sight but it is
actually tossing and turning. In an unexpected twist, recent observations
have shown that the gas in the outer regions of this photogenic spiral is
rotating in the opposite direction from all of the stars! Collisions
between gas in the inner and outer regions are creating many hot blue stars
and pink emission nebula.
*Click image for larger size.*
The above image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2001 and
released in 2004. The fascinating internal motions of M64, also cataloged
as NGC 4826, are thought... more »
“The Checker Shadow Illusion: Do We Perceive Reality?”
*“The Checker Shadow Illusion: Do We Perceive Reality?”*
by Jerry Coyne
․
“I recently finished Steve Pinker’s "The Blank Slate" (recommended!), and
in one chapter was taken by his discussion about whether human senses
perceive a real, external reality or whether that reality is somehow
“constructed” socially or by our senses. If you’ve read the book, you know
that Pinker comes down on the “it’s real” side (this solution is obvious to
all but a moron*)—but not always: what we perceive as “real” is sometimes
distorted by our expectations. That, of course, is the basis of optical
illu... more »
“The Individual vs. The Illusion Of Consensus Reality”
*“The Individual vs. The Illusion Of Consensus Reality”*
by Jon Rappoport
“This is such a supercharged subject, I could start from a dozen places.
But let’s begin here: the individual is unique, because he is he. He is
unique because he has his own ideas, because he has his own desires,
because he has his own power. That power belongs to no one else. In
particular, it doesn’t belong to the State. The State will try, will always
try to suggest that it is granting power to the individual, but this is a
lie. It’s an illusion broadcast with ill-intent.
While everyone else is trying to... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Uses of Enchantment”
* “The Uses of Enchantment”*
by Chet Raymo
“There was a time when every wood, every tree, was thought to be inhabited
by spirits called dryads, every pool and stream by naiads. Even not so long
ago, our road here in Ireland was called "the fairies' road." The world, we
say, was enchanted- every stone and plant infused with an animate spirit.
Science put paid to all that, chased the spirits from their woods and
pools, drove the fairies from their hills. Disenchanted the landscape.
Well, maybe not. It depends on how you define enchantment.
Remember those spider webs I wrote about th... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Butterworth, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Thanks for stopping by.
“The Results Are In: America Is Dumb and on the Road to Getting Dumber”
*“The Results Are In: *
*America Is Dumb and on the Road to Getting Dumber”*
By CJ Werleman
“The success of National Geographic’s “Cosmos” might appear to offer a
glimmer of hope that America is ready to break free of the
anti-intellectualism movement that has left this country in the wake of
other developed nations when it comes to scientific literacy. But the deep
structural and cultural obstacles in American society for attaining
intellectual enlightenment will erase any short-term good news moments like
popularity of a TV show. America remains a scientifically ignorant nation
... more »
Ukraine: Losing control of porous border & Putin "inspired" separatists
*Been a busy day here..*
So don't miss-*Car bomb in Kiev ? Very Unclear.* Which is looking very
hoaxish.
And the 3 part essay written in 1947 - *The Lost Tools of Learning- Dorothy
Sayers Part 1*
- A treatise that is both prophetic and offering up a solution
*1st- Porous borders between the Ukraine and Russia- *Take a look at google
earth. The East of Ukraine, well actually most of Ukraine was a gift from
Russia, but I had taken a look some months ago at specific areas along the
"border". Farmers fields, wooded areas, streets with houses all indicative
of once having been common gr... more »
William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation... more »
Authentic reforms from Dr. Krashen. Address poverty, and ensure access to books to preempt summer learning loss!
*Providing more access to interesting reading material by investing in
public libraries and librarians is an excellent way to deal with summer
learning loss. — Dr. Stephen D. Krashen*
Yesterday morning at teacher sent me a Dr. Edward Haertel paper discussing
the unreliability of Value Added Measures. I saw an interesting figure in
the paper regarding "summer learning loss" that started me working on an
infographic. After creating the graphic and posting the corresponding
tweet, I noticed that Dr. Paul Thomas had tweeted a new post by Professor
Krashen on essentially the same topic... more »
Michael Hutchence, the Mafia and East Timor
*"John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy - Malcolm, and Martin... These were
extraordinary people, who could make you move in masses, and forget about
the Birds of the Day.*
*Let me break it down for you even more: it was the the killing of the
Charismatics - they were white, and they were black..."*
*- Bro. Steve Cokely*
From left to right:
*Peaches Geldof *(DECEASED)*,* *Michael Hutchence *(DECEASED), *Paula Yates
*(DECEASED); Pixie & Fifi-Trixabelle Geldof.
*WARNING: Some Graphic Images Ahead - NSFW.*
*Excerpts from: THE COVERT WAR AGAINST ROCK -- by Alex Constatine*
"Hutchence was a p... more »
"There Are Times..."
"There are times, however, and this is one of them, when even being right
feels wrong. What do you say, for instance, about a generation that has
been taught that rain is poison and sex is death? If making love might be
fatal and if a cool spring breeze on any summer afternoon can turn a
crystal blue lake into a puddle of black poison right in front of your
eyes, there is not much left except TV and relentless masturbation. It's a
strange world. Some people get rich and others eat s**t and die. Who knows?
If there is in fact, a heaven and a hell, all we know for sure is that hell
w... more »
THE REAL STORY IN UKRAINE
*Tightening the U.S. Grip on Western Europe*
*Washington’s Iron Curtain in Ukraine*
*by DIANA JOHNSTONE*
*NATO leaders are currently acting out a deliberate charade in Europe,
designed to reconstruct an Iron Curtain between Russia and the West.*
*With astonishing unanimity, NATO leaders feign surprise at events they
planned months in advance. Events that they deliberately triggered are
being misrepresented as sudden, astonishing, unjustified “Russian
aggression”. The United States and the European Union undertook an
aggressive provocation in Ukraine that they knew would force ... more »
Saturday Live
The problem with writing a blog about BBC bias is that, by the very nature
of the subject matter, you end up being negative about things most of the
time - or, more accurately, you end up sounding like a right miserable
so-and-on. So both Sue and myself occasionally like to post the occasional
random piece in praise of something we've heard on the BBC.
Today's random post involves this morning's *Saturday Live *on Radio 4.
The show's main guest was the independent-minded and opinionated head of
the National Trust, Sir Simon Jenkins. He was there to plug his new book, '*England's... more »
"Restorative Slumber: The Importance of Napping"
* "Restorative Slumber: The Importance of Napping"*
by the DailyOm
"A short nap during the afternoon is common in many countries and can
provide an energy boost and clearer senses. As we focus on the many
obligations we gladly undertake in order to create the lives we want, sleep
is often the first activity that we sacrifice. We’re compelled by both
external and internal pressures to be productive during many of our waking
hours. While this can lead to great feats of accomplishment, it also
disrupts the body’s natural cycles and leaves us craving rest. Napping
represents a pleasura... more »
"Why Are You Waiting?"
"If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make,
who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?"
~ Stephen Levine
Psychology: “When You're Living in the Past”
*“When You're Living in the Past”*
by Karen Ann Kennedy
“Do you spend a lot of time reminiscing about the past? If the answer is
yes, that's okay. Thinking fondly about the past and looking back at the
way things used to be isn't a bad thing until it is. There is a difference
between thinking about the past and living in it. Sometimes we live in the
past because it's familiar- we know what happened; there are no surprises.
Think about why you watch your reruns of your favorite old sitcoms over and
over again. This is what happens when we live in the past. We choose to
live there be... more »
A comment on a new report critical of co-locations in NYC, from a co-location insider @dianeravitch @edprogress @eduquity
I am a K teacher in a public school that co-locates with a charter. Our
school is at a temporary site on the first and third floors of a building,
while the charter is on the second. Although, we share a playground and
“cafetorium” on the first floor. My anecdotes could fill volumes on what […]
"More Lies: Health And Obesity"
*"More Lies: Health And Obesity"*
by Karl Denninger
“This sort of horsecrap feel-good garbage ought to ***** you off. Especially
in this case because if you believe it that act of stupidity may kill you.
There's a disturbing truth that is emerging from the science of obesity.
After years of study, it's becoming apparent that it's nearly impossible to
permanently lose weight. We all think we know someone in that rare group.
They become the legends - the friend of a friend, the brother-in-law, the
neighbor - the ones who really did it. But if we check back after five or
10 years, the... more »
Something New Under the Sun
A verse* in the Old Testament proclaims, “there is no new thing under the
sun.” These words come from a low-tech era when nomadic herders diminished
their ecosystem so slowly that little change was noticeable to the passing
generations. *Something New Under the Sun* is the title of J. R. McNeill’s
environmental history of the twentieth century. It describes a high-tech
era when industrial society got thoroughly sloshed on cheap energy, and
went on a berserk rampage, smashing everything.
With the emergence of agriculture, the relationship between humankind and
the ecosystem took ... more »
As The GOP Doubles Down On Homophobia, Do Gay Republicans Have A Role To Play Any Longer?
Right wing hedge fund operator and vulture capitalist Paul Singer may be
best known as one of the money bags behind Mitt Romney but the ardent
defender of the prerogatives of the one percent and their right to rule
without interference from government (he's been on an anti-*Dodd Frank*
jihad, for example) is also one of the biggest supporters of bombing Iran
and of gay equality inside the reaches of the Republican Party and its
right-wing satellite groups. Odd combination? His son is gay and married
his husband in 2009 and Singer is a Zionist... and a billionaire. Its all
about hi... more »
Down the Memory Hole
June 7, 2014 About 14 million American and allied soldiers (including all
military services) died in WW II. Of those, about a half million were
Americans. Surprisingly, (to me, at least) three to four million were
Chinese and over eight … Continue reading →
Montreal Simon Does FetusBaggers!
Back here I asked for someone with mad Photoshop skillz to meld a couple of
images.
Look who answered the call! One of the best and most inimitable! Montreal
Simon hisownself.
Doesn't that perfectly capture the creepy insanity of TeaBaggers' obsession
with feti?
Thank you so much, Simon. I think I'm developing a wee obsession of my own
now -- what can I blog about that needs that illustration?
Johnson's Dictionary
In one particularly memorable episode of Blackadder," Ink and Incapability,"
when the Prince Regent (played by Hugh Laurie) asks Dr. Johnson (played by
Robbie Coltrane) what his new *Dictionary* is good for, the learned Doctor
declares that "It is a book that tells you what English words mean." "I
*know* what English words mean," replies the prince, "I *speak* English!
You must be a bit of a thicko!"
And indeed, one may well ask, why do we need a Dictionary of our *own*
language? After all, numerous English writers, from Chaucer to Spencer to
Shakespeare, got along quite well witho... more »
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