 |
| English: Renewable Energy. As seen from the road south of Bryn Llwyd. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Today
The most popular articles in your Feedly
New in blogger-following
NPR accidentally posts about a cat on its Facebook, now people want more of the cat
Accidentally posting personal stuff onto a work page is every social
media manager's worst nightmare. This time, after the last few days, it
came as a moment of relief. On Monday, an NPR staffer's accidental
Facebook post went viral, amassing more than 20,000 reactions at the
time of writing. It concerned none other than a cat named Ramona,
presumably belonging to the author of the post. SEE ALSO
New prehistoric marine predator discovered
Palaeontologists
have identified a new species that could shed light on the origins of
crocodiles. Nicknamed the 'Melksham Monster' after the town in ...
Solar power beat all other energy sources in 2016, but Trump still wants more coal
Listening to the Trump administration advocate for reviving coal, one
might get the impression that a fossil fuel resurgence is taking place
in the U.S. and abroad. However, the global statistics tell a far
different story about where the world is getting its energy, with
unprecedented thresholds crossed by renewable energy technologies like
solar and wind power. A major new report released Wedne
Matt Ridley: Never experienced anything like this — the climate debate “blackening”
Matt Ridley is about as gentlemanly, polite and sane a man as you’ve
ever likely to meet — which is exactly why the mob are so afraid of
letting him speak. Ridley even agrees that humans have caused most of
the warming in the last fifty years (I shall have to talk to him about
that). But this middle position is a potent threat. He’s walking the
very ground that threatens the Green Blob — there ar
Canberra’s “hottest ever” September record due to thermometer changes and a wind profiler
With only a million dollars a day it’s hard for the BoM to keep up with
their own stations. Luckily Bill Johnston has arrived to help out for
free. The BoM announced that it was Canberra’s hottest ever day last
week, but forgot to check whether the heat was due to the site moving
three times, changes in thermometers and a wind profiler they installed
themselves in 2010. Normally the BoM would det
Massacre in Las Vegas: It's the Guns, Stupid: 'BradCast' 10/2/2017
On today's BradCast , it's one of the darkest days in U.S. history.
Again. [ Audio link to show follows below. ] At least 58 are dead and
more than 500 were wounded in the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas on
Sunday, as a lone gunman rained down thousands of rounds from his fully
automatic rifles on to attendees at outdoor country music concert. The
shooter, reportedly a retired real estate inv
New in news
How to improve the school results: not extra maths but music, loads of it
A
Bradford primary school wants the world to know its newfound Sats
success is down to giving all children up to six hours of music a week
Abiha Nasir, aged nine, walks quietly into the small classroom, takes a
seat, adjusts her hijab and picks up the drumsticks. A shy smile spreads
across her face as she begins to play. She was just five when she
turned up at Feversham primary academy’s after-sch
Ginsburg Slaps Gorsuch in Gerrymandering Case
Jeffrey
Toobin on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s rebuttal of the
newest Justice, Neil Gorsuch, during oral arguments for Gill v. Whitford
on Tuesday.
Trump's Puerto Rico Visit Is a Political Disaster
Updated on October 3 at 2:36 p.m. Making his first appearance in
hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico since Maria’s landfall, President Trump
offered a hearty round of congratulations to federal relief efforts and
thanked the island’s governor. But the president also suggested Maria
was not a “real catastrophe,” made an odd and misleading comparison to
the death toll from Hurricane Katrina, and joked ab
Trump to Puerto Rico: your hurricane isn’t a “real catastrophe” like Katrina
And it’s “throwing our budget a little out of whack.” President Donald
Trump met with local leaders and federal responders shortly after
landing at an Air Force base in Carolina, Puerto Rico, for what was
supposed to be a briefing on the situation on the island. Instead, Trump
turned it into an opportunity to congratulate himself and the federal
government's response to the disaster and to say th
Trump and Las Vegas: With no Muslims to blame, Twitter troll falls silent
A man lays on top of a woman as others flee a country music festival
after a shooting on October 1, 2017 (Credit: Getty/David Becker) On
Monday morning, President Trump tweeted his “warm condolences” to the
people affected by America’s most deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas on
Sunday night. Apparently, he was under the impression that he was
expressing sympathy for the death of someone’s 94-year-
Time to shine: Solar power is fastest-growing source of new energy
Renewables accounted for two-thirds of new power added to world’s grids
last year, says International Energy Agency Solar power was the
fastest-growing source of new energy worldwide last year, outstripping
the growth in all other forms of power generation for the first time and
leading experts to hail a “new era”. Renewable energy accounted for
two-thirds of new power added to the world’s grids
New in science
Nobel physics prize awards discovery in gravitational waves (Update)
The Nobel Physics Prize 2017 has been awarded to three scientists for their discoveries in gravitational waves.
Nobel Prize Awarded for Sensational Gravitational Waves Discovery
Three
scientists who were integral in detecting these so-called gravitational
waves for the first time were awarded this year's Nobel Prize in
physics this morning.
2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to LIGO Black Hole Researchers
Rainer
Weiss of M.I.T. and his Caltech collaborators Kip Thorne and Barry
Barish discovered ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves.
Nobel Prize in Physics 2017: Gravitational waves
The
Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 goes to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, and
Kip S. Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the
observation of gravitational waves."
Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things?
Intelligence is not the same as critical thinking and the difference matters -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Surrounded by potential: New science in converting biomass
In
every plant—from trees to crops—there exists a substance that makes up
its wood or stems, fiber, and cell walls. This substance is a complex
natural polymer called lignin, and it is the second largest renewable
carbon source on the planet after cellulose.
New in youtube
Ellen Isn't Giving Up Hope in the Midst of Devastating Events
Despite the fact there's so much going on in the world right now, Ellen
still believes there's a lot more good in the world than bad. Over the
past 15 seasons, Ellen has met many people who do good in the world, and
these are just some of them. Take a look back at these everyday heroes
who have helped make the world a better place. From: TheEllenShow
Rita Ora Performs 'Your Song'
International pop star Rita Ora took the stage to sing her latest single, "Your Song," on Ellen. From: TheEllenShow
See China's 'Dead Sea' Become a Rainbow | National Geographic
This ancient salt lake in China is home to a strange phenomenon. Every
so often the lake will change colors as a reaction to extreme heat. ➡
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic:
National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science,
exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists,
photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets
Slow Lorises Rescued From Illegal Pet Trade | National Geographic
Officials in West Sumatra, Indonesia, rescued nine slow lorises from
being sold on the illegal pet market. ➡ Subscribe:
http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National
Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration,
and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers,
journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that
AUTOMATICA - Robots Vs. Music - Nigel Stanford
Get the Album or Video in 4k: ► NigelStanford.com/v/a-/Automatica Cast:
Nigel Stanford , Shahir Daud , Timur Civan and Roman Bilichenko
Zhu + Nero - "Dreams"
Directed by: Elliott Sellers and Erik Ferguson CG artist: Erik Ferguson
Edited and colored by: Elliott Sellers elliottsellers.com
erikferguson.co.uk Cast: Elliott Sellers
New in The Corbett Report
Why Do You Eat Bacon and Eggs?
Because
the Beech-Nut Packing Company told you to, that's why. But don't take
it from me, take it from the man who engineered the campaign himself,
Edward Bernays. So what other ideas have been woven so thoroughly into
the fabric of our society that we no longer even stop to think about
them?
Meet Edward Bernays, Master of Propaganda
You’ve heard of his uncle Sigmund, so how come you’ve never heard of
him? In this classic episode from The Corbett Report archives James
dishes the dirt on Edward Bernays, Freud’s American nephew. Learn how to
break societal taboos, get the public to demand poison in the water,
and prep the way for an overthrow of a foreign government from the man
who literally wrote the book on propaganda!
Interview 1302 – Financial Survival in the China World Order
[audio
mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2017-09-28%20Financial%20Survival.mp3"][/audio]
James Corbett joins Alfred Adask for his bi-monthly appearance on
Financial Survival. They discuss James' presentation on "Echoes of WWI"
and how the Chinese-led "alternative" infrastructure is part and parcel
of the predetermined globalist "solution" to the coming crisis.
Financial Survival in the China World Order
James Corbett joins Alfred Adask for his bi-monthly appearance on
Financial Survival. They discuss James’ presentation on “Echoes of WWI”
and how the Chinese-led “alternative” infrastructure is part and parcel
of the predetermined globalist “solution” to the coming crisis.
Interview 1303 – James Corbett on The Dignitary Podcast
[audio
mp3="http://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2017-10-01%20The%20Dignitary.mp3"][/audio]
James Corbett joins Jacob Isbell of The Dignitary podcast for a
wide-ranging introduction to The Corbett Report and the Corbett
world-view.
New in The EnvironmentaList
An Unlikely Alliance Holds Strong against Keystone XL
In
the fields of Nebraska, Jane Kleeb has grown a bipartisan coalition of
farmers, ranchers, tribes and environmental advocates to fight an
international pipeline
Reflections on Houston in a Time of Contradiction
From city strangled by fossil fuels, a call to fight for a more equitable future
Phillips 66 Seeks to Increase Number of Oil Tankers on San Francisco Bay
Proposal could pose risk to local communities and wildlife
The Coal Battle Shifts to Southeast Asia
As China and India shift away from coal, the fight to end use of this dirty fuel is moving south
First-of-its-Kind Lawsuit Seeks Legal Rights for the Colorado River
Case could establish foothold for rights of nature in American courts, say activists
Portuguese Kids to Sue 47 EU Governments Over Climate Change
Children from region hit by country's worst forest fires seek crowdfunding for lawsuit
New in The Rules of Exposition
The pause after "but"
I
first noticed it while watching Star Trek: Next Generation. Every time
Mr. Worf used the word "but" in a sentence, the pause came after the
"but". These days, everybody says it that way. The pause after "but"
implies a comma after "but" in the writing. A pause before "but", where
it should be, implies a comma before "but" in the writing. THIS but THAT
That's how I see it. THIS but THAT That's ho
New in A.E.Brain
There's a pattern here...
Breitbart Editor: Trans Activism a Plot Against Dumb People Two of the
editors of Breitbart, Neil Munro and Alex Marlow, had a rather bizarre
conversation on the Breitbart Daily radio show about transgenderism.
They think that activism for trans equality is really about clever
people making society too difficult to navigate for dumb people. Munro
claimed the push for transgender rights is “a prep
New in Activist Teacher
Cause of USA Meltdown and Collapse of Civil Rights
By
Denis Rancourt, PhDPublished at Dissident Voice:
https://dissidentvoice.org/2017/09/cause-of-usa-meltdown-and-collapse-of-civil-rights/
SUMMARY: Societies of social animals, including humans, are dominance
hierarchies. Civil rights are codified in law to protect mechanisms of
essential counter measures against excessive exploitation of the
hierarchy by elite classes, which destabilizes the
New in Amused Cynicism
Catalonia will become independent
Spanish police are using violence to prevent people from voting in
Catalonia’s independence referendum, which Spain describes as “illegal”.
Here’s some Spanish riot police about to fire into protestors: From the
Guardian: More video footage of police brutality against voters in
Barcelona has appeared. The video shows police hitting people in the
crowd with batons while voters hold up their hands.
Internet rage caused by inability to understand probability
Some people don’t get probability, and this leads to Internet rage.
Here’s Scott Alexander, on IQ : If you really understand the idea of a
statistical predictor – if you have that gear in your brain at a
fundamental level – then social science isn’t scary. You can read about
IQ, or heredity, or stereotypes, or gender differences, or whatever, and
you can say – ah, there’s a slight tendency for on
Can the USA survive tribalism?
Andrew Sullivan wonders whether the USA can survive tribalism : Over
the past couple of decades in America, the enduring, complicated divides
of ideology, geography, party, class, religion, and race have mutated
into something deeper, simpler to map, and therefore much more ominous. I
don’t just mean the rise of political polarization (although that’s how
it often expresses itself), nor the rise
How many female MPs and MSPs should there be?
I. A House of Commons committee proposes changes to increase the number
of women MPs : The government has rejected all six proposals to give
parliament more equal female representation, prepared by the Commons’
women and equalities committee, including fines for parties that do not
select enough women as candidates. The women and equalities committee
chair, Maria Miller, said the response showed
New in Angola 3 News
A3 Newsletter: Vincent Simmons, Leonard Peltier, Non-Unanimous Jurys and more
A3 Newsletter, Sept 27, 2017: Continuing the Struggle to Free Political
Prisoners Albert and Robert continue tirelessly traveling around the
country and the world, bringing attention to other cases and issues
around the criminal "in"justice system here in the USA and in other
countries that they visit. Last month, they traveled to Washington DC
for the Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March. P
New in Big Dan's Big Blog
Rightwing "Fake News" This Week: "Fake Boobs" For Boobs
I've noticed all of these rightwing "news" story's this weekend, so I
know what Rush LimpDick, WILKuKluxKlan (insert your local KKK Entercom
AM radio channel), FOX, "news", Mark Lice (lol), Luke Warm Waterski,
Aaron DYKE (lol DYKE), etc,...Breitbart, all those big,tough, bald fat
guys with CPAP and go to CPAC, they have LIFELOCK, RED/WHITE/BLUE
backgrounds everywhere, on their books, etc...they i
Can
Rush Limbaugh And/Or Rightwing Channels Be Sued Who Broadcast Him For
Saying Hurricane Irma Was A "Liberal Hoax"? How Many Died Because Of
This?
Our local rightwing radio ENTERCOM EIB NETWORK 103.1 WILKKK the Ku Klux
Klan headquarters broadcasts Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh via WILKKK or
YOUR local rightwing KKK channel told his DITTOHEAD listeners HURRICANE
IRMA WAS A LIBERAL HOAX. Now how many DITTOHEADS didn't leave their
homes in Florida and DIED because of Rush Limbaugh AND THE CHANNEL THAT
BROADCASTED THIS??? I guarantee you at leas
New in Cherchez la Verite
How to be a patriotic American. Think you know how? I bet you don't, but you should learn how ...before it's too late.
Patriots and Protesters Should Take a Knee for the Constitution By John
W. Whitehead “Seems like in the past 15 years or so the idea of
patriotism has changed some. More polarized, more tied to political or
ideological views. I’ve never seen patriotism or the flag connected to
either ; I see the flag more as the symbol of a nation that allows the
freedom to express those ideas. That alone deserve
Paul
Craig Roberts: “Trump’s UN speech makes it clear that Trump’s
presidency, in terms of his campaign promise to remove Washington from
the “policeman of the world” role, exit the Middle East, and repair the
damaged relations with Russia, is over." And “The CIA and the
military/security complex are in full control of the US government.”
Furthermore, “At the UN Trump actually threatened to wipe North Korea
off of the face of the earth.” He added to this threat threats against
Venezuela and Iran.” And he concludes that “It is only the US
government, which is not a government of the people, that has ever
threatened another country with total destruction as Trump did to North
Korea in the CIA’s UN speech.”
More Thoughts on Trump’s UN Declaration of War Against Iran and North
Korea September 19, 2017 | Categories: Articles & Columns | More
Thoughts on Trump’s UN Declaration of War Against Iran and North Korea
Paul Craig Roberts Trump’s UN speech makes it clear that Trump’s
presidency, in terms of his campaign promise to remove Washington from
the “policeman of the world” role, exit the Middle East,
Blogger’s
background: I am an American physicist with 200 frequently cited
publications who was a Democrat but who now eschews both major parties. I
am also a member of the Election Defense Alliance, which has studied
hacked elections in the US ever since George Bush’s supposed reelection
(it was rigged). And I can assure you that it is physically impossible
for someone in Russia to hack an American election without their
infiltration of many hackers into the US, all speaking perfect English,
and all finding ways to infiltrate hundreds of polling places without a
single one being noticed as an outsider. The only good thing I can say
about Trump is that he took the word of Vladimir Putin that the Russians
didn’t hack Hillary Clinton’s election (although he only did this
mainly to continue illegal businesses in Russia). Fortunately, “…thanks
to an exacting forensic examination of the available evidence by the
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), an organization
of…
Will special counsel Mueller examine the DNC server, source of the
great Russiagate caper? September 3, 2017 | Categories: Guest
Contributions | Former federal prosecutor George Parry read the report
by the association of Veteran Intelligence Professionals. which
conclusively proves that there was no hacking of the DNC computer and
that the information was downloaded from within the DNC and then
New in Dr Cintli
Indigenous Studies and Consciousness Generationally Delayed
I've long-wondered why an Indigenous consciousness exists among some
Mexicans/Chicanos/Central Americans and other peoples from this
continent, while not in others, considering that all are generally
products of colonization? This phenomenon is often most stark when many
reject the notion of celebrating a "Hispanic heritage" at the expense of
subjugating their primarily Indigenous-African and mix
Enriqueta Vasquez: Eminent Historian for "The Women of La Raza"
I
am going to go out on an (academic) limb and call The Women of La Raza
by Enriqueta Vasquez both a treasure and a living codex. I will also say
this about Enriqueta herself: Vive en la sabiduri a -- she lives in
wisdom, wisdom of an elder, wisdom of the elders, an elder who also
leaves footprints and also walks in beauty. Her words and generational
knowledge are gifts to us, and I will say that
The National Council of La Raza's Name Change: A National Capitulation
The National Council of La Raza's Name Change: A National Capitulation
Thursday, September 07, 2017 By Roberto Rodriguez , Speakout | Op-Ed The
National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) recent name change to UnidosUS is
bizarre and incomprehensible and its rationale that their name was "
getting in the way of their mission " strains credulity, especially
because it was also purportedly trying to be mo
New in Greg Mankiw's Blog
What I am reading
Two of my favorite young macroeconomists (and former students) have a new essay on Identification in Macroeconomics .
A Reading List
Every
few years, I teach (in addition to ec 10) a freshman seminar for about a
dozen students. The seminar is essentially a book group for students
who are taking introductory economics concurrently or who have advanced
placement credit in economics. Here is a list of this year's books: The
Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner On Liberty, by John Stuart
Mill Capitalism and Freedom, by Milton
More on the Economics of Healthcare
Back
in July, I wrote a NY Times column about the economics of healthcare.
Yesterday, my friend John Cochrane posted a lengthy response . I won't
take the time to reply to all of John's points, but like everything John
writes, his post is provocative and thoughtful. So I would encourage
people to read it and decide for themselves. John is certainly correct
when he speculates about my motivation in
New in Middle East Today
The 2017 Census Report
During the last week of September 2017, the Census Department began
releasing the result of the 2017 census survey. Abu Bakr el Guindi,
director of the Census Department, stated that the population increase
in Egypt is the most dangerous threat society is facing. At present,
Egypt population exceeds 104.2 million people, close to 10 million are
living outside of Egypt. Egypt’s rate of population
The Problem of Illiteracy in the Arab World
The UN has designated the month of September of each year to work
towards the elimination of world illiteracy. It calls for governments
that have a high rate of illiteracy to reexamine their educational
strategy and introduce new methods to help to lower the illiteracy
rates. Illiteracy in the Arab world is still very high. It is estimated
that half of the nearly 400 million people cannot read or
The UN Human Right Report
The UN Human Rights organization has recently issued its annual report.
It revealed that Turkey and Israel are the most abuser of human rights.
It also listed China, India, Pakistan, Minimar and Venezuela are also
abuser of human rights (Al Nahar Newspaper,9/22/2017). Andrew Gilmore,
Assistant Director of Human Rights organization, stated in the Report
that there are cases individual kidnapping,
New in News Center PK
Integrated Border Management: Scope, Challenges and Framework for Pakistan
by Rashid Munir Siddiqui (2017) Table of Contents Abstract 3
Introduction: … Integrated Border Management: Scope, Challenges and
Framework for Pakistan is a post from News Center Pk .
New in Paying attention
Sadly, not the weirdest moment in my newspaper career (Spoiler alert: Charges were stayed)
Newspaper pleads not guilty RED DEER, Alta. (CP) — The Red Deer
Advocate has pleaded not guilty to incitement to commit a criminal
offence, a charge that resulted from a controversy over abstract metal
sculptures one resident described as “piles of rusted out snowplow
blades.” The Advocate was charged last month under a rarely used section
of the Criminal Code as a result of a column June 30. The
New in Pesticide Action Network
Dicamba drift? This is on you, Monsanto.
Like a wildfire burning out of control, the epidemic of dicamba drift
blowing across 20 states this summer has already damaged over three
million acres of soybean cropland. Adding to the list of some 2,200
reported herbicide injuries are likely many more damaged acres of fruit
and vegetable farms, vineyards, trees, home gardens, hedgerows and plant
habitats critical to pollinators and other wildl
Celebrating Dolores
At age 87, political activist Dolores Huerta is getting some
long-overdue recognition for the central role she's played for years in
the farmworker movement. It's a role well worth celebrating. The
documentary film Dolores , produced by director Peter Bratt, is now in
theaters. The film puts Huerta's decades of organizing front and center
where it should be, rather than portraying her as a "sidek
PAN UK report shows schoolkids at risk
A report released earlier this month from Pesticide Action Network
(PAN) UK found that children across England are exposed to significant
pesticide residues in the government’s “School Fruit & Veg Scheme.”
Food for Thought documents more than 123 different pesticides on school
produce, and calls on officials to source more local, organic produce to
protect schoolchildren’s health. The report draw
Science for Solutions: Save the brains
This post is part one in our “Science for Solutions” blog series that
amplifies scientist voices and underscores the importance of independent
science as the foundation for evidence-based policymaking and narrative
shifts. With pesticide drift sweeping across the South and Midwest this
summer, and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s recent decision to keep
the brain-harming pesticide chlorpyrifos on
Science for Solutions: Healthy soil for the win!
This post is part two in our “Science for Solutions” blog series that
amplifies scientist voices and underscores the importance of independent
science as the foundation for evidence-based policymaking and narrative
shifts. In these troubled times I’m eager to find rays of hope. In the
world of food and farming, one such glimmer is the growing recognition
by gardeners and farmers, consumers and po
Dicamba drift? This is on you, Monsanto.
Like a wildfire burning out of control, the epidemic of dicamba drift
blowing across 20 states this summer has already damaged over three
million acres of soybean cropland. Learn more Slideshow Category: Flex
Slider
New in Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home
Job Or Self-Employment Lost Because Of Hurricane? You May Qualify For Disaster Unemployment Assistance
Folks who normally don't qualify for unemployment assistance, such as
business owners, may qualify for Disaster Unemployment Assistance if
they are unable to work due to one of the hurricanes that hit the U.S.
Even if you only lost your job for a short time, you should look into
this. It's your money, after all. This is part of what your payroll
taxes have been paying for. Here's what the Benefit
If My Office Is Closed Due To A Hurricane Do I Get Paid?
With
Texas recovering from Harvey and Irma bearing down on Florida right
now, I thought I'd re-run this popular and necessary column. Whether
you’re entitled to be paid when the office is closed depends on whether
you are “exempt” salaried or not. Just being salaried doesn’t
necessarily mean you aren’t entitled to overtime. It’s possible to be
salaried and still non-exempt from the requirements of
OSHA Protects You From Dangerous Working Conditions Post-Hurricane
I'm
getting lots of calls and emails about employers making employees work
in conditions they deem unsafe. Here's what OSHA says about workplace
safety: You have the right to a safe workplace . The Occupational Safety
and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from
being killed or seriously harmed at work. The law requires that
employers provide their employees with working con
New in Syria Comment
KRG Targets Minorities Ahead of Kurdistan Independence Referendum — Part Two: Annexing Christian Lands
Part One of this two-part series, on the exploitation of the Yazidi
Genocide for political purposes, can be accessed here . By Matthew
Barber On the same day that the Kurdistan referendum on independence was
held, the Assyrian Confederation of Europe (ACE) released a report
(primarily authored by Reine Hanna but to which I also contributed) on
the situation of Iraq’s Assyrian Christians. Over 100
Will the U.S. Abandon the Kurds of Syria Once ISIS is Destroyed? by Landis, Itani, Simon
Will the U.S. Abandon the Kurds of Syria Once ISIS is Destroyed? by
Joshua Landis, Faysal Itani, Steven Simon For Syria Comment , 1 October
2017 Faysal Itani , a Senior Fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the
Middle East, questioned whether the United States would stand by the
Kurds of north Syria, a prediction that I made in a recent interview
with Avery Edelman at Syria Direct. This is what F
KRG Targets Minorities Ahead of Kurdistan Independence Referendum — Part One: Exploiting the Yazidi Genocide
Part Two of this two-part series, on the efforts of the KDP to annex
Assyrian Christian areas of the Nineveh Plain to the KRI, can be
accessed here . Large signage placed in the Chamishko IDP camp near
Zakho for displaced Yazidis. The imagery includes Masoud Barzani’s face
above the Yazidi Sharfeddin Temple in Sinjar, scenes from the Yazidi
Genocide, and Peshmerga with the Kurdistan flag. The Kur
Iraqi Minorities Face a Dilemma in Kurdish Independence
By Saad Babir After gaining control of much of Iraq and Syria, the
Islamic State jihadist movement (IS) and other Sunni extremists
committed grave atrocities and international human rights violations
against non-Sunni minorities, including perhaps the most extreme crime
of all, the genocide that was perpetrated against Yazidis, Christians,
and Shia Muslims. As IS is gradually defeated on the batt
Kurdish Independence and the Unheard Yazidi Voice — by Murad Ismael
This article was originally published Sept. 22, 2017 on al-Arabiya and
can be accessed here . by Murad Ismael Yazidis have a population of
about a half million people in Iraq. Their voting power in the upcoming
independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) marks
nearly ten percent of eligible voters, which would suggest that the
beleaguered minority group has an important politica
Mahdi al-Harati: a Libyan Force Multiplier
By @tamhussein Mahdi al-Harati Sitting across Mahdi al-Harati in the
hotel lobby it is difficult to see why anyone would want this quiet
Libyan dead. His insulin rests on the low table alongside his sugarless
coffee and with him is his over-protective doctor and friend. But you
need to look closer, there is his trademark military cap worn even
inside the lobby, accompanied by wrap round shades; t
New in The Ergosphere
Most people are idiots. Case in point:
I
bring you to this page at arguments.com. Direct quote: The 12 flywheels
employed by electricity users and utilities store about 77 MW of
energy.If a presumptive energy blogger does not know the difference
between MW and MWh, one should be removed directly from one's keyboard
and publicly flogged. I can find no putative author or contact address
on this blog. This is probably a good thing...
New in The Straight Goods
Where is John Horgan?...Affordability in Canada, Seniors Living in Poverty, Provincial Clawbacks and Medical Necessities
Written by Grant G I received an email from a regular reader of The
Straight Goods.... The man, a senior in a residential government run
carehome emailed me...asking me to talk to John Horgan about an issue
that affects many low income seniors....The man's frustration was on two
fronts...the first being, clawbacks....there are many seniors in
British Columbia who are on, classified as disabled,..
Laurie Throness and Daryll Plecas-The Sickness and The Sanity and "A Political Masterstroke"
Written by Grant G What a fascinating last 6 months, a never ending
elections, missteps, bad political advice and toxic rot that infected
the entire BC Liberal Party Lots of nasty chatter in regards to Daryll
Plecas taking to position of Speaker of the House, Liberal party huffed
and puffed and tossed Daryll out of the party, constituents who voted
for Plecas under a Liberal banner are shouting r
New in thwap's schoolyard
Humanity Is Doomed: Part 636,898
Here's a deluded Hillary-Bot at "Montreal Simon" blog : I worry though,
the "both sides are equally bad" progressive zombies are starting up,
aided by a con media. Someone replies: I'm not sure, but I may be a
progressive zombie. If I am, do I still get to be a snowflake? How about
a cuck? Anonymous deluded Hillary-Bot answers: Do you think Hillary
Clinton's flaws were so bad that the world needs
Late September Heat Wave
To hear the global warming experts tell it; We're going to COOK man!
We're going to FRY! Methane is rising up from the bottom of the Arctic
Ocean. The permafrost will melt and more methane will explode out of the
earth. Shrinking polar ice will mean less white reflecting the Sun's
rays back into space and more dark ocean water absorbing heat. The
eco-systems of the oceans will be devastated and s
Instant Gratification
You can't get the things you want instantly. You can't have a big
protest and then expect that the powers that be will magically see the
light, act against their self-interest and grant you all your demands.
It takes sustained campaigns that inflict actual damage on elite
structures and power and etc., ... before anything important will
happen. You know, a BIG reason why politicians have been sla
Oh Lonesome Me
There was one part of Russell Brand's book that affected me. The human
need for community. He says that consumer capitalism destroys so many of
the opportunities for community. Brand himself mentions religions and
sport teams. I confess to sometimes casting wistful glances at the
church groups/ethnic communities/extended families/workplace friends
that I see cavorting merrily in Sunnybrook Park w
New in Vaccine Awakening
Is the Childhood Vaccine Schedule Safe?
Posted
10/01/2017 By Barbara Loe Fisher Is the childhood vaccine schedule
safe? 1 In 1953, health officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control told doctors to give children 16 doses of four vaccines by age
six. 2 In 1983, it was 23 doses of 7 vaccines by age six. 3 In 2013, it
was 69 doses of 16 vaccines by age 18, with 50 doses given by age six. 4
With infants and children in America getting
New in Vagabond Scholar
Labor Day 2017
Happy
Labor Day! It’s too easy to take for granted the important victories of
the labor movement in the past, and also to overlook the attacks on
workers’ right in the present. Some good pieces for the day: The Nation,
"The Rollback of Pro-Worker Policies Since Trump Took Office Is
Staggering": Last week, as most of us in the United States were riveted
by Hurricane Harvey’s descent on Texas,
New in Welcome to Pottersville 2 (Blogging Against Fascism!)
U.S.
Cares Nought for Its Citizens - Watch Out Puerto Rico! And VI and
Guam!!! (Merkel and Hillary Out? Not Far Enough!) Germany Out of the EU?
(Senate Refuses to Stop Endless War) Venezuela Stops Accepting $$$
(Shut Up Jamie Dimon!) J.P. Passes (Dems A Joke?) Seth Rich Never Going
Away (Bannon Still Skunking) Exotic "New" Trump Plague? (SMASH the
Duopoly!)
Imagine,
if you will, how much money has been taken off the table of
jobs-creation to pay for these "stars." Who said there were no good jobs
being created? Cree Dangles Millions in Incentives for Its New CEONaomi
Klein strikes again. Or is it just that U.S. "leadership" can only get
their policies passed during "manufactured" crises? Or will today's
natural ones suffice for those no longer
(Happy
Un-Labor Day?) Liars Figuring Still (Stop Democracy Now!) Junior
Soprano Unleashed: As*hole Defined (Ignorant/Racist USA!) Empire of
Never-Ending Debt? (White Lashed) Vouchered Rahm? (After Liberalism?
When?) Watershed History Moment (New International Economics Needed)
Hillary Hype Resented?
Sorry
that this is a ridiculously long one, but I'm catching up as I've been
on long-term hiatus due to desperate economic circumstances . . . just
grab a tall, cold one; you may need a refill. Many of us do constantly
these days. A brief moment of clarity for the jobs-bereft (as well as
the life-bereft (h/t to D. Trump's "Have a good time!" to the desperate
refugees as he scrambled back to
New in What Is Sustainable
The Last of the Nomads
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Yatungka and her
husband Warri, the last two Mandildjara people to live in the
traditional way on the Western Gibson Desert of Australia. William
Peasley wrote their saga in The Last of the Nomads . Aborigines have one
of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth. They have lived in
Australia for at least 40,000 years, some say 60,000. Nomads f
The Life and Adventures of William Buckley
William Buckley was born in Cheshire, England in 1780. He was trained
to be a bricklayer, but the monotonous work bored him. He joined the
militia and was a soldier for four years. Then, he met some scruffy
lads, and got busted for receiving stolen property. In 1803, he was
rewarded for his mischief with a one-way nine-month pleasure cruise to a
luxurious resort for white trash in Middle of Nowhe
Against the Grain
James C. Scott teaches political science and anthropology at Yale. He’s
a smooth writer and a deep thinker. A while back, he decided to update
two lectures on agrarian societies that he had been giving for 20 years.
He began studying recent research and — gasp! — realized that
significant portions of traditional textbook history had the strong odor
of moldy cultural myths. So, a quick update proj
Surviving the 21st Century
In the old Three Stooges comedies, whenever Curly did something dumb,
angry Moe gave him a dope slap (SMACK!). With regard to humankind’s war
on the future, a number of thinkers have been inspired to write
passionate dope slap books, including Man and Nature (1864),
Conservation of Natural Resources (1910), Checking the Waste (1911), Our
Vanishing Wild Life (1913). Dope slap books are a two-step:
New in Wide Asleep in America
Citations Needed, Episode 11: The Deficit Racket, Part I - The Single-Payer Propaganda War
The
idea that the United States is "running out of money" and have to
"tighten our belts" is a common trope in American media; the premise
that the US government is like a household that must balance its books
is largely taken for granted by liberal and right-wing outlets alike.
But is this premise correct? Is it true that the United States is
over-budget and ready to explode with insolvency?
Citations Needed, Episode 10: Ableism and the Ethics of Calling Trump “Crazy”
Rolling
Stone ran an article by Matt Taibbi called, "The Madness of Donald
Trump," accompanied with this artwork by Victor Juhasz. "Insane."
"Crazy." "Batshit." "Totally fucking nuts." Trump's mental health and
cognitive capacity is the subject of much speculation, joke-making, and
earnest concern. But how should the subject be approached by the media?
On this week's episode of Citations
Citations Needed News Brief: Morgan Freeman vs. Putin Almighty
On
the latest Patrons-Only Citations Needed News Brief, Adam and I look at
the embarrassing launch of a new Red Scare group called the Committee
to Investigate Russia (CIR). Their inaugural video features an extremely
earnest Morgan Freeman fear-mongering about the Russian "attack" on
Amurica and the necessity to now "save democracy." The CIR Advisory
Board boasts at least four hard-right,
Citations Needed, Episode 09: Liberal Media Throws #J20 Activists Under the Bus
The
Hashtag Resistance warms up to rightwing ghouls David Frum and Evan
McMullin while ignoring anti-Trump protesters facing 80 years in federal
prison. In the wake of Trump’s unexpected win, the “Resistance” to
Trump displayed by many in liberal media has been a toxic combination of
gratuitous smears of left activists and ignoring their existence
altogether. As over 200 people — including
Citations Needed, Episode 08: The Human Rights Concern Troll Industrial Complex
Samantha
Power The concept of human rights has served as the underlying moral
foundation of the United States’s role in the world since the end of
World War II. The conceit that the U.S. has been a dedicated and earnest
promoter of “freedom”, “democracy,” and “human rights” throughout the
world — even if, at times, a “flawed” one — is a defining narrative,
largely taken for granted by major
Citations Needed, News Brief: Harvey, Climate Change and Snitch Reporters
On
this Citations Needed News Brief, we discuss the media's fear of
covering Harvey in the context of race, class, and the manifest threat
of climate change. We are joined by Katherine Krueger of Splinter News
to talk about journalist narcs and the criminalization of survival.
*****
New in WPB/NYC and Anything Else; A Green Rights Collection
New in WWF - Latest News
The Mediterranean Sea: incomparable wealth in steep decline
Rome, Italy – Along its 46,000km coastline, the Mediterranean Sea
supports around 150 million people living along its shores. The report
Reviving the Economy of the Mediterranean Sea: Actions for a sustainable
future , launched today, shows that the Mediterranean Sea plays a
fundamental role in the region's economy but that the sea's underlying
natural asset base – which supports much of the econ
French-led Global Pact for the Environment opportunity to strengthen momentum on climate action
NEW YORK (19 September 2017 ) – As climate change, biodiversity loss
and environmental degradation continue to impact the wellbeing of
millions worldwide, the Global Pact for the Environment, presented by
French President Emmanuel Macron at the UN General Assembly today,
should enjoy the support of all world leaders, urges WWF. The
initiative, first announced at a conference in Paris in June, off
New IPCC report to include science of attributing extreme events to climate change
BERLIN, Germany (11 September 2017 ) - The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) has approved the outlines of its Sixth Assessment
Report (AR6) at a meeting in Montreal this week. Dr Stephen Cornelius,
Chief Adviser on Climate Change at WWF-UK said: "IPCC Assessment Reports
are the authoritative source of information on climate change. The
wide-ranging reports cover all aspects of clim
Mondi and WWF extend strategic partnership by three years
Mondi Group and WWF International announced today that they have
renewed their global partnership for a further three years. In 2014
Mondi entered into a three-year global partnership with WWF, focusing on
promoting environmental stewardship in the packaging and paper sector.
This global partnership has now been extended by another three years,
becoming the longest standing WWF International part
New in Is the BBC biased?
Recommended Reading
For more on Nick Robinson's 'Ain't the BBC wonderful?' speech ,
delivered at the Nick Robinson Self-Appreciation Society, please take a
read of News-watch's take on it (which ties in closely with this shrewd
comment from our own latest open thread ).
Not bashing Sir Alan
In contrast, the BBC's account of Boris's Remain-backing deputy Sir
Alan Duncan claim that working class voters threw "a tantrum" during the
Brexit is given the softest treatment by the BBC News website. The
article essentially just reports his pro-immigration speech without
criticism for the first 12 paragraphs and then tags on 2 paragraphs of
criticism from the new UKIP leader. Compare that to
Bashing Boris
Boris has done it again - according to the media. The media is full of
criticism of his statement that the Libyan city of Sirte could become
the "next Dubai" if they "clear the dead bodies away". Tellingly
however, different media outlets report the story in different ways.
Reading Sky's account , yes you get all the critics of Boris but you
also get Boris's rejection of their criticism: Shame pe
Extremely random thoughts
Nick Robinson has spoken . It's actually sounds like quite an
interesting speech. Of course, Nick thinks the BBC is pretty much
getting it about right and that the BBC is much 'greater' and much more
'super' (one for Reggie Perrin fans) than mean, dodgy old social media,
but he also cites an old Steve Hewlett programme on Channel 4 that
deliberately set out to shine the spotlight on voices that g
Damned statistics
I knew I’d seen that image somewhere before. Oh yes, here it is. (And
here is a QT spreadsheet :) Statistics are one thing; how they’re
interpreted is another. Julia H-B said she was fed up with being the
only Brexiteer in the Q.T. village “most of the time”. Guido says Julia
H-B is right, and so does Craig, but not about “always being the sole
Leaver on Q.T. panels”. Craig has found that she has
Where has JonDon gone?
Regular readers of this blog will, perhaps, be interested in the latest
Jon Donnison news. I just heard him now on PM reporting on the Uber
story. Yes, the great man has abandoned his beloved Gazan shore and his
far -from-beloved Australian shore and has been posted back to Blighty.
I'm sure he'll be his usual 'impartial' self in London (and, yes, that's
sarc
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment