Monday, July 01, 2013

1 July - Blogs I'm Following

Scarborough Conservative ClubScarborough Conservative Club (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Der SpiegelDer Spiegel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
10:24am MDST

CIA DECIDED TO DUMP MORSI

Anon at aangirfan - 14 minutes ago
*Cairo on a busy day.* In Egypt, on 1 July 2013, the Army said it would step in if the politicians didn't settle the crisis within two days. "If the demands of the people are not realised within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces) ... to announce a *road map*for the future." Army boss Abdel Fattah *al-Sis*i says that the people have expressed their will with unprecedented clarity in the mass demonstrations and wasting more time will only increase the danger of division and violence. The army says it will oversee any *road map* "with the participation of... more »

EU Furious at NSA Spying

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 22 minutes ago
Edward Snowden (image by AK) * * * Europe demands answers about U.S. bugging claims* http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/01/world/europe/eu-nsa/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 By *Josh Levs *and* Catherine E. Shoichet*, CNN updated 10:34 AM EDT, Mon July 1, 2013 (CNN) -- The European Commission will sweep its offices for electronic listening devices and other security breaches following revelations of alleged U.S. surveillance programs targeting European leaders, a commission spokeswoman said Monday. The allegations, reported Sunday by the German news magazine Der Spiegel, threaten to derail neg... more »

happy canada day, a/k/a national stop harper day

laura k at wmtc - 43 minutes ago
This week, pollster Nik Nanos revealed that 51.5% of Canadian voters would not consider voting for the Conservative party, compared to 36.4% only seven months ago. I don't play the national pastime - election prediction - so I won't speculate about if or how this poll will translate on the ground. Whether we'll have to wait until 2015 to get rid of this corrupt, fraudulent, anti-democracy, anti-human, anti-labour, anti-environment, corporate government - and whether Canadian voters will be hoodwinked by another party with almost identical policies but a friendlier face (and famous l... more »

Many of the nearly 48 million Americans now on food stamps work extremely hard but are paid such low wages that they can't make ends meet without them.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 54 minutes ago
------------------------------ Greg Kaufmann on the Truth About American Poverty June 28, 2013 Original Here Greg Kaufmann, poverty correspondent for The Nation, says the poor in America are stereotyped and demonized in an effort to justify huge cuts in food stamps and other crucial programs for low-income Americans. “People are working and they’re not getting paid enough to feed their families, pay their utilities, pay for their housing, pay for the healthca... more »

From Snowden Crash to Anathem

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 1 hour ago
Germany benefits from US signal intelligence. When we consider the widespread industrial espionage carried out by the Chinese, it is helpful to remember France’s extensive track record of stealing secrets from its friends and neighbors.* Israel is a major espionage threat to the United States. The British collect a lot of intelligence on allies and adversaries, even if deploying fake rocks in Russia might Continue reading

A Network Explanation for the Rise of Global Social Issues

Charli Carpenter at Duck of Minerva - 1 hour ago
I am delighted to report that as of last Friday at 7:02pm I have completed final revisions on my latest book manuscript. This culminates a project on issue neglect that started with my observations about children born of war, emerged as a theory of “agenda-vetting,” and involved a detailed NSF-funded study of the rise and fall of Continue reading

Geocaching

Southern Man at Southern Man - 1 hour ago
Some random photos snapped while geocaching this weekend... Wild blackberries growing near one of the caches. They were delicious! Teen Daughter finds one after rock-climbing. One cache was just off these railroad tracks and commemorated a historic train that used to run down this line. Another was just off this wheat field. Geocaching often takes Southern Man onto roads seldom taken, which is one of the aspects of 'caching that he really enjoys. He bets Frost would have enjoyed it too.

Call rewrite!

Left I on the News at Left I on the News - 1 hour ago
AP does one of the most amazing jobs of rewriting history I've ever seen: Israel, which captured Gaza in 1967, withdrew in 2005. Hamas militants subsequently overran the area.

Rock Climbing

Southern Man at Southern Man - 1 hour ago
Teen Daughter makes her annual expedition to the indoor rock climbing gymin Southern City. Gearing up. "That one is *how* high?" "Put the camera down and take up the slack!" Defying gravity. Free climbing.

Get Your Head Around This | HonestReportingHonestReporting

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 hour ago
' Israel says it is willing to negotiate without preconditions, but has so far refused to meet Palestinian demands.' Only a Guardian or BBC journalist could write this without any thought as to ridiculousness of statement. Source here http://honestreporting.com/get-your-head-around-this/

REPORT FROM 'HIGH NORTH' SPACE CONFERENCE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago
*Swedish Peace Council V-P Agneta Norberg and Norwegian journalist Bard Wormdal share the locations of the satellite downlink stations at the two poles where Norway shares images with the US military* ** I am writing this from the Frankfurt, Germany airport where I have a three-hour layover on the way back to Boston. I flew early this morning from Kiruna to Stockholm. One of our new Global Network Advisory Board members, Luis-Gutierrez-Esparza (President of Latin-American Circle of International Studies) from Mexico was met with a big surprise after he left Kiruna. Early this morn... more »

CMS: \(2.93\sigma\) hint of a second Higgs boson at \(136.5\GeV\)

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 2 hours ago
Today's sensation is tomorrow's calibration. Or: Today's discovery is tomorrow's background. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's my pleasure to tell you that we are finally living in the tomorrow in the sense of these proverbs. CMS has finally published a paper that incorporates the \(125\)-\(126\GeV\) Higgs boson into the background. Properties of the observed Higgs-like resonance decaying into two photons(CMS PAS HIG-13-016) ATLAS and CMS are doing a superb precision work. One of the consequences is that their papers have been found to agree with the Standard Model immensely well. In fact,... more »

SCOTUS: Its OK if Generics Kill You

2old2care at Because I Can - 2 hours ago
According to Mike Papantonio - 70% of Americans use some type of pharmaceutical on a regular basis. According to the NY Times - 80% of those pharmaceuticals are generics. According to the Supreme Court - in a decision last week - generic brand pharmaceutical companies can maim you can blind you can kill you can cause the skin on your body to disintegrate can sterilize you or your children can cause damage to your unborn child *And there is nothing you can do about it.* *Nothing! Nada! Zip! * From the New York Times *A Damaging Decision on Generic Drugs* By THE EDIT... more »

The Zimmerman trial continues today!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 2 hours ago
*MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013* *Notes on propaganda and tribal disinformation:* The Zimmerman trial continues today. In her news report in the New York Times, Lizette Alvarez includes this maddening passage: ALVAREZ (7/1/13): The prosecution is also expected to call Chris Serino, the Sanford police officer who was the lead investigator in the case. *Mr. Serino, who said Mr. Zimmerman had a “little hero complex” and felt his statements sounded “scripted,” recommended a manslaughter charge.* But that testimony could get complicated. Mr. Serino later told the F.B.I. that he had been pressured... more »

Supreme Court: We Must ‘Expressly Invoke’ Our Rights to Have Them Upheld

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 2 hours ago
*In order to have your rights upheld in this country, do you now have to officially announce them out loud?*Melissa Melton Earlier this month, the same Supreme Court who found thatAmericans can be strip searched during an arrest for any offense also found that a person’s silence can, in fact, be used against him if he does not officially announce that he is invoking his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. The Atlantic Wire reported: Basically, if you’re ever in any trouble with police (no, we don’t condone breaking laws) and want to keep your mouth shut, you will need to announ... more »

Happy Canada Day and Born a White Male Day!

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 2 hours ago
The idea came to me last year that celebrating Canada Day would be as meaningful to me as celebrating having been born a white male. It would be racist and sexist of me to celebrate having been born a white male. Sure, there have been some great achievements from white males; Michelangelo, Isaac Newton, Arthur Schopenhauer. But we've also done a lot of damage too. The thing is though, for me, it's just something lucky. I'm lucky to have been born a white male. Even though things haven't entirely panned-out for me so far as a steady income goes, I've been very fortunate in a lot of o... more »

Obama Pledges Billions to Boost Africa's Infrastructure

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 2 hours ago
More like "AfriCON" Joe Wright Obama's 100 million dollar trip to Africa is controversial enough, as the U.S. taxpayer has been further burdened during worsening economic conditions at home. To add insult to injury, Obama has pledged a minimum of $7 billion dollars to boost access to electricity across parts of Africa. As highlighted in the video below, "Power Africa" will add better capacity to 20 million homes and commercial entities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania over the next 5 years. Naturally this is being couched in presumed economic benefits for A... more »

He's Got the Whole World In His Ears

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 2 hours ago
*Rrrrring, rrrrrring*. *Barack Obama*: Yeah. *Angela Merkel*: World War II ended 70 years ago, Herr President. J. Edgar Hoover is dead. And we find out from *Der Spiegel* you're still bugging us! At this very moment in time, you are bugging me telling you that you're bugging me. *Was zeum Teufel*? *Barack Obama*: Angela, Angela, Angela. Did I ever tell you you're the best looking German chancellor in the room? Remember when we chatted at the G-8 and I assured you we are not spying on you and that we only collect your emails and phone calls to keep the World safe from the World? Mea... more »

More Than A Million Protesters Pack Tahrir Square Demanding President Morsi Step Down

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 3 hours ago
*Youtube* Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

Chinese Paper: The Mainland Brides of Taiwan...

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 3 hours ago
*A Taiwan bride to be and her groom to be get prepped for weddings photos at a 7-11 outside Houli. The nearby area is a popular site for weddings photos, a consumer tradition.* A Chinese paper had an article on a new 22,000-strong political party founded by Chinese brides. Ever heard of it? Lu, 48, is the chairperson of the Chinese Production Party (中华生产党), which she founded in 2010 to fight for the rights of mainland-Chinese immigrants in Taiwan. The party, which has more than 22,000 members, has become an essential player in Taiwan's political landscape. .......... "I want main... more »

Vermont Decriminalizes Marijuana Starting Monday

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 3 hours ago
Phillip Smith As of Monday, Vermont will be the 17th state to decriminalize marijuana possession. A bill passed earlier this year goes into effect then. The measure, House Bill 200, was sponsored by Rep. Christopher Pearson (P-Burlington), with a tripartisan group of 38 cosponsors. It ends criminal penalties for the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana or five grams of hashish and replaces them with fines of $200 for a first offense, $300 for a second offense, and $500 for subsequent offenses. Possession of more than an ounce remains a criminal offense, as does cultivation of... more »

USDA Was Storing Monsanto’s Unapproved GM Wheat in Seed Vault

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 3 hours ago
*How did genetically modified wheat escape and taint the fields of American farmers? The unsettling case remains unexplained, but traces back to a USDA seed vault.*Aaron Dykes and Melissa Melton According a recent article in the Denver Post, the unapproved strain of genetically modified (GM) wheat that tainted fields in Oregon and prompted a lawsuit from farmers was, in fact, being stored in a government seed bank in Fort Collins, Colorado. This location is the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NGCRP), operated by the USDA on the Colorado State University campus a... more »

36 Hard Questions About The U.S. Economy That The Mainstream Media Should Be Asking

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 3 hours ago
image source Michael Snyder If the economy is improving, then why aren't things getting better for most average Americans? They tell us that the unemployment rate is going down, but the percentage of Americans that are actually working is exactly the same it was three years ago. They tell us that American families are in better financial shape now, but real disposable income is falling rapidly. They tell us that inflation is low, but every time we go shopping at the grocery store the prices just seem to keep going up. They tell us that the economic crisis is over, and yet poverty... more »

Big Money Invented Paul Ryan To Work For Them, Not For Teabaggers

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
Palin's not happy with the Republican Party Establishment-- and she claims she may be ready to bolt and start one of her own. No one represents that Establishment better than Paul Ryan. Ryan's a packaged product, courtesy of Wall Street and Madison Avenue. That's all he's ever been and Boehner was more than happy to boost him into the chair of the Budget Committee to please the banksters both serve. Recall, if you will, Ryan's first big effort for the criminal banksters who lifted him out of obscurity. It's September 2008 and the GOP kleptocrats are winding up their last months i... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 3 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Genevieve Bujold, 71. And a bit of good stuff: 1. Jonathan Chait on Glen Greenwald. 2. Mark Kirk's return to the Senate, from Matthew Cooper. 3. And Seth Masket on convenient anti-majoritarianism.

New Orleans' Achilles Heel

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 3 hours ago
*New Orleans' Achilles Heel: a Storm Surge on the Mississippi River? ~Dr. Jeff Masters, Wunderblog* *Guest MMQB: Jabari Greer on post-bounty Saints; an inspirational tale*

Russian Forces to provide security at US Events - this pursuant to a deal signed last week between FEMA and the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry ? Why the heck has this been rolled out now ? ? And by the way , such a deal is a blatant constitutional violation , not that obeying and following the Constitution has been an impediment for years ! where the heck is the media , where are conservatives and liberals on this major matter ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 3 hours ago
Russian Forces to Provide “Security” At US Events - [image: The Alex Jones Channel][image: Alex Jones Show podcast][image: Prison Planet TV][image: Infowars.com Twitter][image: Alex Jones' Facebook][image: Infowars store] FEMA signs deal with Russian Emergency Situations Ministry to “exchange experts” *Paul Joseph Watson* Infowars.com July 1, 2013 As part of a deal signed last week in Washington DC between the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and FEMA, Russian officials will provide “security at mass events” in the United States, a scenario that won’t sit well with A... more »

7 Future Methods of Mind Control

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 3 hours ago
image source Nicholas West The mission of a small "elite" group to control the masses is nothing new. It has always been a tool implemented in the form of propaganda used to alter perception and thus steer the direction of large populations. The modern methods of mind control are in many ways merely higher-tech extensions of what always has been predictably successful: religion, sports, politics, education, etc. With the advent of television, a whole new world was opened up for would-be controllers, as news media was easily corporatized and made uniform enough to translate core m... more »

Candy Poppers for July 4th

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 3 hours ago
One of our favorite traditions for the 4th of July is making Candy Poppers to bring to the fireworks with us. These festive poppers are meant to be broken open by pulling both sides of the tissue paper and they reveal a surprise of candy inside. They are perfect for the holiday! You will need: - Tissue Paper - Scrapbook Paper - Tape - Things to decorate your poppers (I used glitter tape, but you can use markers or stickers.) - Candy Measure your candy against your scrapbook paper, you just want to make sure you have enough room for all of your candy ... more »

DAZED MEETS CONFUSED: Brian Williams reporting!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 4 hours ago
*MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013* *Part 1—Nobody cares about kids:* Last week, the federal government released a major report about academic achievement within the nation’s schools. News flash: High-minded claims to the side, nobody actually cares about children! Perhaps for that reason, Brian Williams was the only network anchor who mentioned this major report. But alas! Because nobody actually cares about children, Williams devoted just 68 words to the subject in Thursday evening’s report. Nobody actually cares about kids—but people do care about public schools, sometimes for unfortunate... more »

‘Aubade,’ by Philip Larkin

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago
I work all day, and get half-drunk at night. Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare. In time the curtain-edges will grow light. Till then I see what's really always there: Unresting death, a whole day nearer now, Making all thought impossible but how And where and when I shall myself die. Arid interrogation: yet the dread Of dying, and being dead, Flashes afresh to hold and horrify. The mind blanks at the glare. Not in remorse - The good not done, the love not given, time Torn off unused - nor wretchedly because An only life can take so long to climb Clear of its wrong be... more »

ALEC - The Extremists of the GOP

2old2care at Because I Can - 4 hours ago
People – it is time to recognize the fact that members of the American Legislative Exchange Council are extremist ultra-conservatives. ALEC members do not represent the mainstream – they are an extremist wing of the RepubliCON party. Most recent Example From Founding member of the American Legislative John Kasich: Ohio Abortion Restrictions: Gov. John Kasich Signs NewState Budget Containing Anti-Abortion Measures Posted: 07/01/2013 12:04 am EDT | Updated: 07/01/2013 1:18 am EDT Ohio Abortion Restrictions Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 59 on Sunday night, which inclu... more »

Keep The Militarism Out Of It

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 4 hours ago
It's traditional to look back at our history on Canada Day. And on this Canada Day -- our 146th -- the Harper government has decided to review whether we teach our history the "right" way. Specifically, it feels that not enough emphasis is placed on our military prowess. Tom Walkom writes, in *The Toronto Star*, that Canada Day is a day for nationalism, not jingoism. The government is correct, he says, when it claims that Canadian citizenship has been devalued: Where the Conservative government is off base, however, is in its attempts to refocus history solely on Canada’s military... more »

"Liberal" means "Free"

Len Hart at The Existentialist Cowboy - 4 hours ago
*by Len Hart, the Existentialist Cowboy* I grew up among people obsessed with “demons” and the scariest “demon” of all was the “Red Menace”. We were kept in a state of fear –fear of commies (found under beds or outhouses apparently), fear of “labor” (strikers were called unpatriotic) and the most lethal smear of all: LIBERALS. I looked it up. “Liberal” means “free”. I dared to asked teachers: “What's wrong with being free?” I never got an intelligent or satisfying response, at least one that could be heard among the gasps. If Karl Marx had been a communist, so what? The so-called '... more »

Monday Monday

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 4 hours ago
*Major ferry changes in effect today ~Jeff Adelson, Advocate New Orleans Bureau* *Hurricane season shows signs of being very active ~WWL* *Exquisite Corps awards SLUFDRRP contract* *Coast Gaurd Commerical Fishing Vessel Program to be Held in Dulac* *Shrimp season to close in some Louisiana waters ~WDSU* *Orleans DA slams new discovery law ~John Simerman* *Advocates for disabled press for veto session ~Melinda Deslatte* *Animal Rescue New Orleans: Keep pets safe and calm during fireworks* *Things to do for Essence Fest, a checklist*

NAEP and the Mapping of the School Integration/Achievement Gap

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 hours ago
Below are some charts from the most recent 2012 NAEP Long Term Trends Report. They show trends in Reading scores that compare white-black student scores, followed by white-Latino student scores. (The same trends can be found in the Math scores, which are not offered here.) I ask to examine them to trace the trends in […]

One of my heroes - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 5 hours ago
If you don't know the story of Ayaan Hirsi Ali then you should do some reading, she's an inspirational person as well as rather beautiful.

Canada Day

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 5 hours ago

Israeli stamps in US passport get student deported from UK « FresnoZionism.org — ציונות פרסנו

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 6 hours ago
Is the UK becoming a no go zone for people who've visited Israel? Will Muslims in the British immigration service increasingly target people who've visited Israel? Will people who are obviously Jewish be next? If this had been a Muslim who'd visited Saudi Arabia the 'human rights' lobby would be up in arms, but as it's a Jew, not a word. Tells you all you need to know. More here http://fresnozionism.org/2013/06/israeli-stamps-in-us-passport-get-student-deported-from-uk/

Snappy Sound Bites, Lazy Journalists and Teacher Bashing

Activism in paradise - Voices from down under at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 hours ago
New Zealand’s education minister, Hekia Parata, said this weekend four consecutive years of quality teaching eliminates any trace of socio-economic disadvantage for the student. In her now typical teacher-bashing way, she went on to say “In New Zealand we provide 13 years. You’d think it would not be too much to expect that four of […]

Monday Morning Linkage

Vikash Yadav at Duck of Minerva - 7 hours ago
Hi Duck friends. Here are some links to start your week… Liao Yiwu served four years in prison for reciting his poem “Massacre” in memory of the 1989 Tienanmen Square protests. His horrifying prison memoir reminds us that “China remains a prison of the mind: prosperity without liberty.” More importantly, the memoir show the ways Continue reading

5 Poison ‘Medicines’ Women Should Avoid and Replace with Natural Remedies by Christina Sarich

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 7 hours ago
5 Poison ‘Medicines’ Women Should Avoid and Replace with Natural Remedies by Christina Sarich Natural Society, 1 July 2013 While science is always developing, the western world is slow to alter its ways in the face of evidence pointing to the dangers or inefficiency of new medicine and realizations that old treatments could replace current medicines. As ludicrous as this sounds, it is no different than some of the decisions we make with our health. Everyone could make some beneficial changes, and a woman’s well-being is often neglected due to these hard-sticking myths about our... more »

Researchers Cram More Info into Fiber Optics

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 7 hours ago
It has actually been astonishing to watch the climb of fiber optic capacity over the past four decades. This is one more notching up of that capacity. Beyond that we are obviously also approaching another building boom of new cable capacity as the 2000 peak has now been absorbed. At the same time the global market for internet demand in terms of users has also effectively tripled while actual throughput demand has increased by several orders of magnitude. We are not complete yet but we now can see the shape of the future and it is certainly the interactive holodec. It w... more »

Chinese Mathematician Discovers Groundbreaking Proof on Prime Numbers

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 7 hours ago
This is a very interesting result and not what I would have expected. It is not the proof but that a finite bound exists to the infinite progression of this solution set. Intuitively, it should not. Congratulations as usual and it is always gratifying when the press actually notices an obscure result in Mathematics. Of course, Epoch could hardly resist poking the Chinese regime to make sure that Chinese glory is missing. It might be time to revisit the limit as x goes to mathematical infinity for 1/x. *Chinese Mathematician Discovers Groundbreaking Proof on Prime N... more »

Will New Tectonic Fault System Kill the Atlantic?

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 7 hours ago
Well maybe. Otherwise I expect the Atlantic to grow a great deal more. I am not comfortable that we really have an understanding of all this. Recall that the Pacific occupies an entire half of the globe and I recognize no available mechanism able to send a continent onto that slab. It behaves as if we would have to observe massive outpourings that quickly built up a continent. This extension is the natural extension of a long established East West subduction zone that swallowed the Tethys Sea as the Pacific expanded. What appears to be happening is that continents are now ... more »

Modified HIV Eliminates Terminal Cancer

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 7 hours ago
We never mention the long shots that do not work, but this one is important. The HIV virus had been altered to prevent the disease itself and simply exploited its unique behavior to alter the immune system. This actually is an excellent protocol because it massively strengthens the effectiveness of the immune system in the face of full blown cancer. It should be effective against all cancers as most cancers have also denatured the body's own immune system in order to thrive. It is likely too soon for a written report, but this video tells us all about it. *Doctors Take A... more »

Sam Jenkins - REALITY MANAGEMENT - is WIFI alive?

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 7 hours ago
"Every life form on this planet ... can be *controlled*," Sam Jenkins discusses so-called Synthetic Telepathy (that's psychokinesis and mind control) aka *this Hell Planet*. In fact, with these so-called Synthetic Telepathy whistleblowers getting braver every day, is this Edward Snowden PRISM story just a cover for THE REAL CORPORATE WAR AGENDA i.e. use of this extra-dimensional technology? Is it even 'earth based' machinery or something from 'another world'? New word, for me, MENTICIDE: the death of 'your' thoughts. Is this what 'hearing the voices' now means? Are there more peo... more »

Five Most Popular Posts for June

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 8 hours ago
The five most read posts of the month were: 1. Some Problems with the People's Assembly 2. Labour and Rebuilding Social Security 3. Iain Banks on Life after Capitalism 4. How Not to Cover Abusive Relationships 5. Privilege Checking and Reflexivity While it's not nice to poop anyone's party, my post examining some of the structural tensions at the heart of the People's Assembly scooped up plenty of views and with it a handful of denunciations elsewhere. Jolly good show. As ever, there's always a post that doesn't get the audience it rightly deserves. On this occasion I'm going to go... more »

Arab Spring Prompts Arab-Israeli Christians to Reevaluate Israel « Commentary Magazine

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 8 hours ago
News from Israel re Arab Christians that you won't find reported on the anti-Israel BBC. 'Thus it's worth listening to what these Israeli Christians have to say: that Israel is actually the one place in the region where Arab Christians enjoy security; elsewhere, they are oppressed by their fellow Arab Muslims.' More here http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/06/28/arab-spring-prompts-arab-israeli-christians-to-reevaluate-israel/

MICHAEL JACKSON WORKED FOR A 'CIA FRONT COMPANY'.

Anon at aangirfan - 9 hours ago
Michael Jackson worked for a 'CIA-front organisation with links to child abuse'. *Michael Jackson worked for AmeriCares, reported to be a front for the CIA, and reported to have links to pedophile rings.* Anonymous commented on the post "MICHAEL JACKSON, FBI FILES, ISRAEL": "John DeCamp's book *The Franklin Coverup...* links the Boys Town Nebraska pedophile ring to Father John Ritter whose best friend was Bob Macauley of Americares... *"Americares, in the 1990s, took Michael Jackson on their airlift to Sarajevo, one of their many intel missions." * (This was at the time when t... more »

Bugging Brussels: New Snowden leak claims NSA spies on EU diplomats

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 9 hours ago
latest revelations from Der Spiegel magazine, featured on RT with the title *Bugging Brussels: New Snowden leak claims NSA spies on EU diplomats*... This story front page news on the printed version of The Guardian newspaper, this morning, and you can read up on it at this link or click the DROPMIRE screengrab below. PROFIT is the only reason for all this intel/abuse *PANOPTICON CROWS SUPPLEMENTAL:*

America spying on Germany, EU

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 9 hours ago
*An ugly image of a double-faced, hypocritical America emerges* *Off-topic, philosopher's birthday:* One of the greatest polymaths of the history, Gottfried von Leibniz, was born on July 1st, 1646. See this biography written in 2008. His father, a professor of moral philosophy in Leipzig, East of Germany (who was half-German, half-Sorbian i.e. Slavic: I couldn't understand a Sorbian song, looks like a countryside Czech dialect pronoucation of Polish words inspired by some Yugoslav speakers), died when Gottfried was six. From that moment on, he had access to the dad's huge library an... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 10 hours ago
Blue starfish. [photo via]

Inventor(s) of the Day: Recommended Reading List

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 11 hours ago
Adam Mossoff is another writer who’s fascinated by invention and discovery. Friends and colleagues have been asking me with increasing frequency for recommendations of the books I’ve read on these subjects. I’m happy to provide this list, as these books have deepened my understanding of the history of science and technology, as well as the nature of innovation and the role of patents in securing the fruits of productive labors to innovators. I have in fact relied on many of these books in producing my scholarship, including my article on the Sewing Machine War of the 1850s[demon... more »

Meet & Greet Monday (#MtaGt) - Jen and Joey Go Green

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 12 hours ago
Welcome to Meet & Greet Monday, a regular series designed to grow our green community. [image: A link-up for green blogs on Reduce Footprints Blog] Banner by Art Ist Grab our banner for your site:
A link-up for green blogs on 
Reduce Footprints Blog *The rules:* 1. Use the link-up tool below to share your green-living blog or collection of environment... more »

People For The American Way Makes The Case For Defeating Conservatives

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 12 hours ago
Yesterday we tried our hand at explaining how the Supreme Court's narrowly partisan decision to void the Voting Rights Act is a catastrophe that is not ameliorated by the nice pat on the head they have the LGBT community the following day. Few organizations have fought harder and as effectively as People For the American Way when it comes to LGBT equality. This week, the organization's president, Michael Keegan, warned about the consequences of the Voting Rights Act decision, warning that we MUST remember what they did in 2016. It's been a week of mixed emotions for those of us w... more »

Google Reader Alternatives For Housewife Eclectic

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 13 hours ago
Google Reader is officially going away tomorrow. I am a little sad to lose my reader of choice, but I have signed up with some Google Reader alternatives and I am excited to try them all out. Feedly and Bloglovin' are both Google Reader alternatives. You can follow Housewife Eclectic on either one with the buttons below. [image: follow us in feedly] [image: Follow on Bloglovin] Not using a reader? You can follow Housewife Eclectic by e-mail by adding your e-mail address to the subscription blog below. Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner If you would rather get your ... more »

Spies?

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 13 hours ago

Gold manipulation - one aspect or tool of the Empire of Fraud and Deception - used by the United States of Banksters ...... Stephen Lendman and Gordo Gecko tie things together - control frauds , the War machine , government surveillance and controls of citizens , reverse robin hood activities .... the whole nine yards ! !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 13 hours ago
Friday, June 28, 2013 http://www.gekkosblog.com/2013/06/the-great-comex-paper-gold-dump-online.htmlThe Great Comex Paper Gold Dump: Online Real-Time Physical Gold Price Datasource So, Gold is apparently “falling” again? But is it? *Really?* * * Before we can answer that question, first we must ask - What is “Gold Price”? Even more significantly, why the hell is Gold and its price so important anyways? So lets’ begin. *An Empire of Fraud and Deception* * * The US Government – operating today under the control of an international banking cartel/mafia – is running a global empire whose... more »

Pozo de los deseos en Camlica, Istanbul.

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
*Ver más colecciones de imágenes*[image: Unirse a Banco de Imágenes en Facebook] [image: Seguir a Banco de Imágenes en Twitter] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por Rss] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por correo]

Erupción del Volcán ubicado en el Monte Ararat

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
*Ver más colecciones de imágenes*[image: Unirse a Banco de Imágenes en Facebook] [image: Seguir a Banco de Imágenes en Twitter] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por Rss] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por correo]

Recámara Burg Al Arab en los Emiratos Árabes

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
*Ver más colecciones de imágenes*[image: Unirse a Banco de Imágenes en Facebook] [image: Seguir a Banco de Imágenes en Twitter] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por Rss] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por correo]

Nissan Versa Note (Autos compactos del año)

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
*Ver más colecciones de imágenes*[image: Unirse a Banco de Imágenes en Facebook] [image: Seguir a Banco de Imágenes en Twitter] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por Rss] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por correo]

Diseño modernista y adorable de una sala alfombrada

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
*Ver más colecciones de imágenes*[image: Unirse a Banco de Imágenes en Facebook] [image: Seguir a Banco de Imágenes en Twitter] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por Rss] [image: Suscribirse a Banco de Imágenes por correo]

DOWN TO THE DOCTOR’S: Parekura Horomia's seat should be left unfilled

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 14 hours ago
[image: _richardmcgrath]*Libertarianz leader Dr Richard McGrath wasn’t the only one who didn’t vote in the weekend’s poorly attended Maori-only by-election.* The by-election result in Ikaroa-Rawhiti was an embarrassment for everyone involved, which the final count confirms was very few indeed. Voter turnout in this race-based seat was abysmal, suggesting very firmly that Parekura Horomia's seat in Parliament should be left empty rather then filling it with another bum. Overall, 67% of eligible voters boycotted this by-election, despite massive taxpayer-funded publicity. The Labo... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 14 hours ago
*Park for Sale! ~Neighborland Is Not A Neighbor*

Untitled

Kevin Wood at The Galloping Beaver - 14 hours ago
Look at any newspaper, watch any newscast, and compare the amount of space and time given to actual hard news (breaking events, politics, court, natural disaster, policy, war, events of community and/or global significance, local crime)  opinion (arts reviews, political punditry, letters to the editor, columnists),  useful practical information (recipes, DIY tips, travel stories about places

The Egyptian Second Revolution of June 30, 2013

Hani Fakhouri at Middle East Today - 14 hours ago
The massive protest movement of June 30, 2013 has been taking place in more than 19 public squares in cities all over Egypt, where people in the millions are calling on President Morsi to resign. All these massive protests reflect the second stage of the stalled revolution of January 25, 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood were not the ones who started the revolution, but they ended up stealing it and ignoring its objectives, which were “Aish, freedom and social justice”. From the beginning, the Muslim Brotherhood through their political arm “The Justice and Freedom Party” began to imple... more »

Zapatistas Marcos 'Classmates v. The Students'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 14 hours ago
Inicio / Comunicado traduccion jun302013 Classmates V. The Students Classmates V. The Students. June 2013. To the adherents of the Sexta in Mexico and in the world: To the Little Zapatista School invitees: Compañeros, compañeroas, compañeras: Here we are posting some data to give you an idea of the type of plebes…err, that is, people, who will be your

The 1st Amendment Isn't What it Use to Be

2old2care at Because I Can - 14 hours ago
Today I watched a documentary on Free Speech TV Denver in 5 Days It is a documentary that details the planning and the actual demonstrations at the 2008 DNC convention in Denver. I came away dismayed. Police infiltration of the protest planning. Phone tapping of the protest planners. Labeling ordinary citizens using their first amendment rights as terrorists. Intentional illegal detention by the Denver police. Uncalled for violence by the Denver police Denver PD doing everything to make the situation more confrontational than it needed to be. My uncle was the town cop in the town ... more »

More Pre-Arnold UFO Sightings

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 15 hours ago
I have been chasing sightings that predate Arnold, but just those made in the months prior to that rather than in the years earlier. I’ve been looking for documentation that proves a sighting was pre-Arnold, meaning that it was published in some form before June 24, 1947. My luck has been sporadic. I’ve found some but there are more out there. The trick was to figure out where to look. There are many cases that were reported after Arnold but that were made prior to him. For example, there is a report from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma dated May 17, 1947, made by Byron Savage who said tha... more »

The ZAP Report 6-30-2013

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 15 hours ago
Greetings and Salutations, Many of you have have asked us to pass along your questions for ZAP to respond. Below are a few questions and answers that you may be extremely interested in. From ZAP..........HI ALL Q&A Every week we hear "this is the week" for us to get deliveries, after a while we become immune to the propaganda. We see nothing week after week yet are asked to believe that all is going well and we will be greatly rewarded for our patience without any logic or reasoning behind the statements. You may see progress at higher levels moving funds all around the world... more »

The Supreme Court sends a message to would-be job discriminators: Discriminate away, baby!

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
*The new president signs the Lilly Ledbetter Act in January 2009, with Lilly Ledbetter visible seen behind him and members of Congress looking on.* *by Ken* Howie has already called attention to the Roberts Court's extremist coup with its Voting Rights Act slapdown. I suppose it's possible that the five thug-justices really don't understand what they did, but the signs all over the country are that the message has been received by the country's vote suppressors, indeed all the felons who have been toiling so prodigiously to disenfranchise people they don't like. Last week he wrote:... more »

Edward Snowden is screwed

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 15 hours ago
For guy who's smart enough to hack into the NSA's database, Ed Snowden was shockingly unprepared for the aftermath of publicly admitting his crime. For one thing, he clearly didn't think through his route to asylum thoroughly. It's like he believed he could just cleverly sneak aroung the globe until he found a comfortable home in self-imposed exile where he would live out his days as a folk hero or something. It's as if, in his head, he was living out a spy novel but Snowden's immediate reality is grimin ways that suggest an unhappy ending to his story. Ecuadorian President Rafael C... more »

Don’t tolerate Islam, condemn it.

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 15 hours ago
Don’t tolerate Islam, says Craig Biddle, condemn it. How do you square this with the right to freedom of religion? In answering, Biddle discusses the difference between respecting rights and being tolerant, the fallacy of package-dealing, the nature of Islam, and the fundamental reason so few Westerners are able to categorically condemn a religion that calls for their death. Exhibit One for Biddle’s argument, from many thousands: *Singing in the Rain (the Islamic Version*): "Smiling sisters shot dead for dancing in the rain: Pakistani girls, 15 and 16, killed along with their mo... more »

ALEC- Screwing You - 1 Paycheck at a Time

2old2care at Because I Can - 15 hours ago
ALEC and ALEC Corporations make me so damn mad some days I CRY - because of the damage that ALEC, ALEC legislators, and their ALEC corporations are doing to the American people. Today I cried. I HATE ALEC and everything it stands for. In March I introduced my readers to the ALEC Electronic Pay Choice Act. I can't even begin to imagine how many decades ALEC and their Corporate buddies have been sitting around talking about this piece of malicious legislation. A piece of pro-corporate ALEC legislation that takes money out of the pockets of Americans and puts it into the pockets of t... more »

ALEC - Taking Away Your Rights - One Paycheck at a Time

2old2care at Because I Can - 15 hours ago
In March I introduced my readers to the ALEC Electronic Pay Choice Act. A piece of pro-corporate ALEC legislation that takes money out of the pockets of Americans and puts it into the pockets of the corporations - for no other reason than - becausetheycan and becausetheywantitall. Another piece of pro-corporate ALEC legislation that takes away the rights of citizens to bank as they choose. As I noted in that blog entry: I bet executives wouldn't put up with this kind of payroll crap from their employer - I'd like to see them get their paycheck on a debit card I... more »

Apparently, ANYONE can open a charter school now #NCSC13

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 16 hours ago
I’m sure you heard about the wonderful slate of speakers available at the 2013 National Charter Schools Conference, which includes hit hip hop artist Pitbull. Yeah! Well, I have a couple of alternatives. Or, yes, the Kimye National Achievement Academy of the Arts and Media!! Tagged: arne duncan, charter schools, kanye west, kardashian, kimye, lindsay […]

Untitled

2old2care at Because I Can - 16 hours ago
I bet executives wouldn't put up with this kind of payroll crap from their employer - I'd like to see them get their paycheck on a debit card I bet a legislator wouldn't put up this kind of payroll crap from the state government- I'd like to see them get their paycheck on a debit card READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY!! *However, an employer that elects not to pay wages or salaries in accordance with clause (i) or (ii)* (Meaning hard cash or hard check) *shall be permitted to pay wages or salaries by credit to a prepaid debit card or card account in acco... more »

Thank you, thank you, thank you Mr Key

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 16 hours ago
[image: Petrol_Taxes[3]] Wasn’t it exciting to discover this morning that from this day forth you and I will pay 3 cents a litre more* to the government to fill up our cars, to partially pay for just a few of the many monuments the Prime Minister announced last week. That’s the *multi-billion dollars worth of monuments—*roads, bridges, tunnels, stadia—that Mr Key and Mr Joyce will open, and you and I and our grandchildren will have to pay for. Understand that this will not be the *only* imposition to pay for the many grand schemes the Prime Minister announced. “Motorists are bein... more »

Quote of the Day: How to kill the author

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 17 hours ago
“The [U.S.] Constitution’s framers had it right. Soviet-style repression is not necessary to diminish authors’ output and influence. Just devalue their copyrights.” - Scott Turow, writing in the *New York Times* on “The Slow Death of the American Author” Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)

ACTION: Restore the Voting Rights Act

2old2care at Because I Can - 17 hours ago
Within hours of SCOTUS gutting the Voting Rights Amendment – Republican states were implementing laws and reinstating gerrymandering of districts – to make sure everybody can’t vote. *Please support the ACLU today to tell* *Congress: Restore the Voting Rights Act* 27,733 people support this campaign. Help us get to 30,000! A county in Texas recently submitted a request to change its polling place to a historically segregated private country club, presenting a huge discouragement to people of color seeking to vote. If not for key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, that change mi... more »

The Economy: "Sympathy for the Luddites"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 17 hours ago
* * *"Sympathy for the Luddites"* by Paul Krugman "In 1786, the cloth workers of Leeds, a wool-industry center in northern England, issued a protest against the growing use of “scribbling” machines, which were taking over a task formerly performed by skilled labor. “How are those men, thus thrown out of employ to provide for their families?” asked the petitioners. “And what are they to put their children apprentice to?” Those weren’t foolish questions. Mechanization eventually — that is, after a couple of generations — led to a broad rise in British living standards. But it’s f... more »

Fast Food, the Non-GMO Style, and Awesome

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 17 hours ago
Bruce and Marsha Weinstein *Awesome Foods* Catherine J. Frompovich In today’s extremely busy lifestyles, food choices often wind up being something fast, on the run, or munchies out of cellophane bags, which usually are nothing more than ‘Frankenfood’ gussied up to appeal to deadened taste buds. If you’re like me, you don’t have a taste for, nor want to buy, any of those quick fixes whose ingredient labels take a degree in food chemistry to understand. Furthermore, the sinister part of an ingredient label anymore—especially in the USA—is what’s not listed, i.e., genetically modif... more »

Foreign Boots on American Soil: Russia To Share Military “Security Experts” With U.S. During Emergencies

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 17 hours ago
Mac Slavo Rumors have circulated for years about the possibility of foreign troops being deployed on U.S. soil in the event of a widespread declaration of a national emergency. For quite some time there have been anecdotal reports to support the claim that the U.N., Russia and other nations would be used in a policing capacity should some critical event befall our nation. The fear should such a scenario take place has been that these soldiers would act under the banner of their own flags, ignoring the fundamental protections afforded to our citizens, leaving Americans under the j... more »

EMP Attack and Solar Storms, Part II: Cascading Failures and Nuclear Meltdown

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 17 hours ago
image source Kevin Hayden (TruthIsTreason.net) Some time ago, we discussed the broad implications of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack, such as that from an aerial detonation of a nuclear device, and the similar effects of a large solar storm or coronal mass ejection from the sun. In that discussion, we looked at the overall aspects of the crisis, including interruptions to our trucking industry, which in turn would represent a massive failure in our food, health, and fuel delivery systems. Other topics included traffic gridlock, potential vehicle failure, and briefly, what to... more »

The Hidden World Found in Symbols

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 17 hours ago
Eric Draven In order to fully grasp and understand society, control, agendas, it helps to understand symbols and why they are prevalent. Symbols are a part of our daily lives but for most people they often go unseen. During our lives, at some point or another, every human being experiences an “a-ha” moment. That millisecond of conscious thought, in time and space, when someone realizes that the world is nothing like they thought it was. From that moment on, they start seeing the world in a whole new way. It is almost as if the proverbial rose-colored glasses simply fell to the gr... more »

Government report reveals encryption actually thwarted wiretaps for the first time on record

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 17 hours ago
image credit: ideonexus/Flickr Madison Ruppert According to an official U.S. government report, four wiretaps have been thwarted by encryption, something which has never happened since such records have been collected. This comes after as it was revealed that the National Security Agency’s massive surveillance program even spied on European diplomats. Meanwhile, the Army has blocked the Guardian over security concerns related to the information being put out about the surveillance program. This latest revelation came in a report from the U.S. Administrative Office of the Courts, ... more »

An Open Letter to New Teach for America Recruits

Katie Osgood at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 17 hours ago
Dear New TFA Recruits, It is summertime, which for those of you newly accepted into Teach for America, means you are enduring the long hard days of Institute. I congratulate you on being accepted into this prestigious program. You clearly have demonstrated intelligence, passion, and leadership in order to make it this far. And now […]

America: Government by Terror, Torture and Tyranny

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 17 hours ago
Stephen Lendman America governs lawlessly. Out-of-control rogues run things. Conditions go from bad to worse. Tyranny threatens everyone. So does possible global war. Fear-mongering, saber rattling, hot wars, proxy ones, drone ones, geopolitical ones, financial ones, anti-populist ones, mass incarceration, censorship, lawless sanctions, subversion, sabotage, targeted assassinations, mass murder, cyberwar, and horrific draconian harshness reflect out-of control governance gone mad. Lying is official policy. So is state terror. Independent governments aren't tolerated. They're targ... more »

Getting Started: Prepping For a Two-Week Power Outage

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 18 hours ago
Daisy Luther If you’re new to preparedness, you may be reading some of the excellent and informative websites out there and feeling quite quite overwhelmed. While many sites recommend a one-year supply of food, manual tools, and a bug out lodge in the forest, it’s vital to realize that is a long-term goal, not a starting point. A great starting point for someone who is just getting started on a preparedness journey is prepping specifically for a two-week power outage. If you can comfortably survive for two weeks without electricity, you will be in a far better position than most ... more »

“Washington Is Driving The World Towards The Final War”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 18 hours ago
* * *“Washington Is Driving The World Towards The Final War” * By Paul Craig Roberts “V For Vendetta,” a film that portrays evil in a futuristic England as a proxy for the evil that exists today in America, ends with the defeat of evil. But this is a movie in which the hero has super powers. If you have not seen this film, you should watch it. It might wake you up and give you courage. This shows that, at least among some filmmakers, the desire for liberty still exists. Whether the desire for liberty exists in America remains to be seen. If Americans can overcome their gullibilit... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 18 hours ago
Lotus blossom waterfall, Bali. [photo via]

Egypt's Re-Revolution in full gear as millions protest Morsi Government !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 18 hours ago
http://rt.com/news/egypt-anniversary-morsi-protests-444/ 4 dead, scores injured as millions take to the streets in Egypt to demand Morsi resignation Get short URL Published time: June 30, 2013 18:00 Huge crowds have gathered across Egypt to demand the resignation of President Mohammed Morsi on the first anniversary of his inauguration. But Morsi loyalists are staging counter-demonstrations, saying they will defend the leader with all means available. Four people have been killed and over 200 injured on Sunday as millions took to the streets. All four dead were shot in Nile Valley t... more »

The Police State in action: Men arrested for walking in England.

Rufus News From Atlantis at News From Atlantis. - 19 hours ago
The UK is a basket case. Our sad and troubled land is ruled by Talmudic tyrants who impose their will with their well-paid thugs in uniform, the police. Those who disagree with the ruling political orthodoxy can expect to be taken against their will by armed criminals, to be held in a place from which they cannot leave, and then after enduring this ordeal, be forced into a corrupt legal system which will be used to either rubber-stamp their kidnapping, or force them to pay money to a system which has long passed beyond having any credibility. In London, two men were arrested for t... more »

Sunday Classics: In "The Flying Dutchman" Wagner shows there's more than one way to get from Act I to Act II and from Act II to Act III

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 19 hours ago
*by Ken* In our earlier post about Wagner's *Flying Dutchman* we heard the Norwegian sea captain Daland return home from a perilous voyage bringing a guest, none other than the Flying Dutchman to meet (and hopefully entrance) his daughter, Senta. Then we left the two potential lovers alone for their long scene, and I would have liked to return for the end of Act II, as Daland returns. Here is that little fragment. *DALAND*: Forgive me! My people will stay outside no longer; each time we return home you know there is a feast. I would enhance it. Therefore I come to ask if it can be ... more »

El Nino - Global Warming Link Found

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 20 hours ago
The *El Nino - Southern Oscillation* (ENSO) has, for the first time, been linked to global warming. A team of researchers examining tree ring evidence from the past seven hundred years finds that ENSO events have increased in frequency since the onset of global warming. *Spawning droughts, floods, and other weather disturbances world-wide, the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) impacts the daily life of millions of people. During El Niño, Atlantic hurricane activity wanes and rainfall in Hawaii decreases while Pacific winter storms shift southward, elevating the risk of floo... more »

California chalk protester hit with gag order for protesting Bank of America!

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 21 hours ago
Jeff Olson, Chalk Activist Facing 13 years in jail for protesting Bank of America * * http://rt.com/usa/chalk-olson-diego-san-404/ *California chalk protester hit with gag order* Published time: June 28, 2013 20:56 Edited time: June 29, 2013 08:19 Reuters / Darryl Webb A California man facing more than a decade in prison for writing with chalk on public sidewalks has been told he’s barred from discussing the details of his controversial case outside of court. *Judge Howard Shore* issued a gag-order in a San Diego, California courtroom this week against Jeff Olson, *a 40-year-old a... more »

Rick Perry - This is god - Take Your Meds

2old2care at Because I Can - 21 hours ago
Couln't help it. Great Sunday humor *Stolen from BlueStreet Journal* Gov Perry God Here The voice in your head is not me Take your meds.

Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, June 30th, 2013

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 21 hours ago
It is now Sunday, June 30th, 2013, and it is time for my weekly rant of what I see is wrong and sometimes right in this world... First things first... I want to wish all of my fellow Canadians a Happy Canada Day tomorrow, July 1st, 2013. It is supposed to be a day to celebrate being Canadian... But considering what I have seen from the criminal Harper regime in Ottawa over the last while, there is little here to be truly happy about... Yes, the province of Alberta has just endured one of the worse floods in their history, with much of Calgary and surrounding communities inundated ... more »

'PM' With a Vengeance

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 21 hours ago
Time for another trawl through a week's worth of Radio 4's *PM*. Maybe the apocalyptic imagery used in last week's post was nearer the mark than might have been expected given that Eddie Mair seems to have vanished off the face of the earth, Rapture-like, and that we poor sinners were 'left behind' with Carolyn Quinn and Jane Garvey (the 'two beasts'?) Or maybe Eddie was just on holiday. Occam's Razor suggests that the Rapture is the likelier explanation. Anyhow, the programme seemed duller without him. Oh, and Ritula Shah turned up on Saturday. You can always tell it's her by the ... more »

Thank you!

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 21 hours ago
This is late, and I apologize for that. I think I thanked everyone in person by email, but if there's anyone I missed in email, please accept my apologies. Thank you to everyone who donated! The need has been met. And thank you to those who couldn't donate, I know your heart is with me too as so many of you expressed. These are tough times, but better times are coming soon! I love you all!

Girls shot in honour killing 'were murdered for making video of themselves dancing in the rain' - Independent.ie

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 22 hours ago
: Two teenage sisters and their mother were murdered in a Pakistan honour killing after a video emerged of them dancing in the rain. According to reports the two girls, aged just 15 and 16, were shot dead last Sunday alongside their mother after the girls' step-brother and accomplices carried out the attack to "restore the family's honour". The alleged killer, named as Khutore, reportedly carried out the attack after local men had seen the grainy video footage of the girls, named as Noor Basra and Noor Sheza, dancing during a downpour outside their home in Chilas, in the northern... more »

WE ENVISION SOMETHING BETTER

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 22 hours ago
Anne Braden: Southern Patriot provides an in-depth portrait of the legendary Southern organizer and journalist whose life long activism exemplified what progressive white people can do to fight racism. She was labeled a "race traitor" by white supremacists and praised by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

BBC News - Can we make ourselves happier?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 22 hours ago
One interesting line: 'Having children lowers your happiness levels, but your happiness increases when they grow up and leave home.' So overall overall who's happier, those who had children or those that didn't? http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23097143

The language of Shakespeare, Milton and Joyce...

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 23 hours ago
Put to such noble use here... I'm being sarcastic, just in case you couldn't tell. This was sent to Owen Jones on the occasion of his writing an article about the English Defence League. A wise man noted Stephen Yaxley-Lennon doesn't say these sorts of things when he goes on TV. "It's almost as though fascists consciously misrepresent their views for opportunistic gain or something".

Was investigative journalist Michael Hasting's death last week in a high-speed single-car automobile crash a bizare accident? Or was he assassinated by someone hacking into his car's controls?

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 23 hours ago
------------------------------ Bush advisor: Hastings crash ‘consistent with a car cyberattack’ Published time: June 25, 2013 16:19 Edited time: June 26, 2013 15:59 Original here A former cybersecurity advisor to President George W. Bush says a sophisticated computer hack could have been the cause of the automobile accident that claimed the life of journalist Michael Hastings last week in Los Angeles. Richard Clarke, a State Department official-turned-special advisor to several United ... more »

It's Now Admitted That Anti-War Activists Were and Are Targeted as Terrorists and Who Gets Money From Halliburton? (No Secrets Anymore - Just Ennui?) Ask Alan Anything!

Again, it's not really "news" that anti-war activists have been targeted as domestic terrorists. We were told this years ago when they were arrested and imprisoned (along with all the other legal protesters) during both the Democratic and Republican Conventions. The news then (pretty much totally ignored by the distracted populace) was why and who was benefitting from it? What is new is that

Why won’t the Times report Beastie Boy’s age!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 23 hours ago
*SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2013* *Overworked editor backslides:* In late May, we swung into action. As always, we got you results! At the New York Times, public editor Margaret Sullivan was turning into a cheerleader. When we noted this obvious fact, she authored two consecutive columns about substantive topics. Sullivan’s hard-copy column only appears twice a month. But on June 2 and June 16, she tackled actual topics. This morning, Sullivan backslides. Exhausted by two weeks of work, she seems to be saying, “No mas!” Last Sunday, Sullivan offered no column. This week, she says she’s on a... more »

Digital Dementia-- Is It For Real?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 23 hours ago
Roland's my closest friend. I call his cell phone at least once a day. But I have no idea what his number is. I press a button on my cell and his phone is automatically "dialed." If I lost my phone, I wouldn't be able to contact him. Oh, wait, I could. All I would have to do is go to my computer and type in the first 3 or 4 letters of his screen name and his e-mail address would come up. If I was at another computer, though, I wouldn't be able to e-mail him either. I only know the first 3 or 4 letters of his rather complicated screen name. Everything comes up kind of automatically ... more »

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 23 hours ago
Remember all the talk about western forces being out of Afghanistan in 2014? Well, that deal is off now. NATO has quietly decided it will keep advisers in Afghanistan until 2020 or until we totally take leave of our senses. The problem is the Afghan army - the one we've had a dozen years to create which works out to twice as long as we took to launch, fight and win WWII. It seems in the land of the most warlike peoples on the planet, twelve years isn't nearly long enough to establish a viable army capable of defending its central government. Twelve's not enough, maybe eighte... more »

Happy Pride

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 23 hours ago
Here's an article from the Globe & Mail about it. I have no idea what I'm doing. I just googled these things. And the first tune on the radio that I knew was explicitly gay:

O Canada, you'll always be my girl

Jody Paterson at A Closer Look: Jody Paterson - 23 hours ago
Dear Canada: It’s been a year and a half since we parted, and I know I said some mean things in those emotional days toward the end. But I’ve been thinking about you a lot today. I saw a photo of you on Facebook, with that bright blue sky and sharp sunlight that I remember so well from the days when everything was going right. And suddenly I was lost in a thousand memories of the good times we had together. Putting some distance between us has been good for me. There were times when I loved your temperate spirit and tidy habits, but I hated that 1000-yard stare you’d get in your... more »

MN GreenTree - Screwing Homeowners - Shame On You!

2old2care at Because I Can - 1 day ago
*Green Tree Servicing LLC* 345 St. Peter Street St. Paul, MN 55102 800 643 0202 From Salon.com All of this has come to a head in a class-action lawsuit filed by Leonard Law Office in Massachusetts against Green Tree Servicing, a non-bank servicer based in St. Paul, Minn. Of course, servicers like Green Tree, Nationstar and Ocwen have terrible reputations as among the worst servicers in the country (worse than Bank of America, if you can imagine that). Among the charges Leonard Law Office made against Green Tree were claims that the servicer imposed illegal fees to process any ki... more »

PRISM's Conduit Into Your Life

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 1 day ago
The *Washington Post* has published a series of U.S. National Security Agency slides showing the conduits through which data flows into the American government's computer banks. The first column, PRISM Providers, identifies companies actively in the PRISM loop - Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, YouTube, even Apple. Fortunately none of us ever have anything to do with any of those outfits, right?

EU slams Gaza over executions | Maan News Agency

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
' Describing the death penalty as cruel and inhuman, the EU said the sentences were "failing to provide deterrence to criminal behavior, and representing an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.": Drapes this verdict coming from their beloved EU, don't expect much coverage of this from the BBC. The BBC's hatred of Israel outranks almost every other factor in determining news coverage. More here http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=609674

BBC News - Mid-East talks 'within reach' - US secretary of state

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
The BBC. piece on the prospects of peace talks does concentrated on what Israel is being asked to do in order for talks to take place, yes it's 'settlements' again; Michael White will be happy. I found this extract interesting: ' Among other issues, Mr Abbas is said to be pushing Israel to release the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners.' No BBC interest in what these prisoners were convicted for? Of course not. More here http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23118403

Do you boycott Israeli products so as to support the Palestinians?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
Why, Mahmoud Abbas eats Israeli grapes. Mind you who can blame him, after all they're very good grapes.

KISSINGER WANTS MOSLEM COUNTRIES SPLIT UP

Anon at aangirfan - 1 day ago
*Morsi supporters fly the al Qaeda flag in Cairo, June 2013* The CIA's al Qaeda is ready to fight for the Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt. *Morsi supporters, Egypt, June 2013. ** *#June30 : Apocalypse Now "Live Updated" "A Christian exodus is being planned for the Middle East by Washington, Tel Aviv, and Brussels..." End Of Times: Yinon Plan and the "Clash of Civilizations" *Armed Morsi supporters in Cairo, June 2013. *#June30 : Apocalypse Now "Live Updated" *According to Oded Yinon, in February 1982:* *"Breaking Egypt down territorially into distinct geographical regions is the po... more »

ALECer Fronts SCOTUS Prop 8 Case

2old2care at Because I Can - 1 day ago
You read the news every single day - you see the names: Hollingsworth v Perry After a California law defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman was struck down by the state supreme court as contrary to the state constitution, California voters adopted Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to overrule the state supreme court’s decision. Represented by prominent attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, two same-sex couples filed a federal legal challenge to Proposition 8 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on May 27, 2009. In August of ... more »

Sunday Question for Liberals

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
Same question as the one for conservatives, also leaning on the 4th of July week and my Salon column yesterday about the importance of elections: What politicians are you most proud of having supported?

You don't have to be religious to help - but the people who do mostly seem to be

paul at Paying attention - 1 day ago
I’d certainly argue that you don’t have to believe in God to help others. It seems a natural thing to to do for any thinking, feeling creature. But it’s striking that the people who actually show up to help in Honduras are driven by their faiths. A posse from a Louisianan church was here this month to help an orphanage/care home in Copan Ruinas. They built beds for the kids, with cupboards for personal stuff. They worked hard, dealt with the inevitable problems and left the home much better off. The kids were big fans of the guys. The new units replaced wrecked beds with stinking mat... more »

Why PA sets preconditions - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
'The time has come to reveal the Palestinians' true colors. While world leaders attempt to cajole and nudge the two sides into negotiations, only one side consistently says it is ready to sit face to face without preconditions - Israel . The Palestinians, on the other hand, refuse to meet unless Israel agrees in advance to several demands. This should be a red flag indicator of their disingenuous intentions.' More here http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4398456,00.html

Get a TNTP Math Teacher and Neutralize Poverty Today!

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
Every time I think I’ve discovered the bottom of the corporate education (Corped) sewer, I find out that there is more down there where that came from. The New Teacher Network, which was managed for awhile by the Queen of Real Pain and Fake Gain, Michelle Rhee, keeps piling it up. With a combination of […]

Gaiman’s Mythical Folding of Childhood into Adulthood | the becoming radical

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
Gaiman’s Mythical Folding of Childhood into Adulthood | the becoming radical.

New Orleans vulnerable to storm surge on the Mississippi - even after all of the storm / flooding defense upgrades ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
As we approach Hurricane Season , is New Orleans still vulnerable even after the upgrades to its flood defenses after Katrina ? http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog New Orleans' Achilles Heel: a Storm Surge on the Mississippi River? Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 7:23 PM GMT on June 27, 2013+60 In the wake of the unthinkable devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, Congress approved a $14.5 billion upgrade to the city's flood defenses--the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS), a 139-mile system o... more »

Durbin Calls out ALEC - Again!

2old2care at Because I Can - 1 day ago
Yesterday while I was lurking around tweet rolls I saw these three tweets. *Sen Durbin from IL asks NALEO to ask their sponsors if they continue to fund right wing ALEC* *Thank you Senator Durbin for speaking truth to power at NALEO event today. Investigate ALEC and their financial supporters.* And Durbin - was right on! A bunch of the sponsors were ALEC corporate members - a huge bunch! *NALEO * The NALEO Annual Conference provides direct access to our nation's top executive and legislative leaders. This is an unparalleled opportunity for attendees. Welcome to the National Assoc... more »

Sunday Question for Conservatives

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
Here's one for the week leading up to July 4th. Long-time readers will recall that I'm an advocate of particularly celebrating politics and politicians on the 4th; I also have a new column at Salon this week on the importance of elections (warning, conservatives: you won't like my examples, but the piece should work with examples of your own). At any rate, this gets to the question: what politician are you proudest to have supported?

Common Core Seuss Standards? Perhaps. #commoncore

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
From an educator: We do not like the Common Core.It tells us not of what’s in storeUnless the kids don’t pass their testsOur futures will be put to rest. The kids will cry, struggle and fretAnd not learn to THINK, (the worst thing yet)The only thing that will occupy mindsIs finding the RIGHT answer every […]

Where’s @NCTQ on this one? Lazy. Pathetic. Ideology.

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
What the hell are you paying for then? Tagged: arizona, azteacherprep, teacher preparation

United Opt Out to release a national Declaration of Independence this Thursday, VIDEO

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 1 day ago
The group United Opt Out is about to take, what I think to be, a major and much more aggressive stance towards the current regime of Arne Duncan and his sycophants. Please watch the following teaser for the release of UOO’s Declaration of Independence this coming July 4th. Also look ahead to state-by-state refusal guides. […]

Harvey Organ's Gold and Silver Report - June 27 , 2013 ...Data , news and views

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
Two great articles from Jessie's blogspot below..... Gold Daily And Silver Weekly Charts - End of Quarter, Stealth Confiscation There is intraday commentary *here*. I think it is important. One remarkable thing about today's market action was the rebound in the miners even as gold underwent another waterfall bear raid of selling down to the 1200 level. While one can assign any motives they wish to the speculation about if and why there is a *stealth confiscation* happening, I do believe that the trigger for this was the request from Germany to have their sovereign gold returned... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*RSD’s Watered-down Incremental Miracle and Continued Fiscal Embarrassment ~ Mercedes Schneider* *Gill: ‘Enforceable obligation’ no tax* *Stephanie Grace: Jindal will serve as foil for next governor* * What about us brain dead slobs? ~Library Chronicles* *Child shooting solutions elusive ~Clair Galofaro, Advocate N.O. * *SeafoodSource.com: Gulf Shrimp Prices Soar on Disease Scare, CVDs*

FEC Quarter Ends Today; Should You Care?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Today's the end of the FEC fundraising quarter and I want to refer you to a post yesterday you may have missed about real bipartisanship, bipartisanship based on compromising that genuinely works for both sides, not compromise based on a combination of opportunism, bribery and one side betraying core values. Some Members of Congress-- virtually all the Republicans, all the New Dems and every single Blue Dog for example-- finance their political careers by taking legalistic bribes from special interests like Wall Street banks, armaments makers and/or Big Oil. Blue America has been ... more »

16 Dairy Free Recipes and Creative Showcase Link-up

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 day ago
A little while ago, my sister found out that one of her little boys is allergic to all things dairy. They tried just changing his diet, but he still go his hands on the dairy-laden food. In an effort to help her little boy, my sister decided to take her entire family completely dairy free, so this post today is dedicated to her and her efforts. I hope she will be able to find some great foods from this list. Make sure to visit each individual site for the recipe. Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Soy Nut Butter Cookies by Food Allergy Mama The Best Fruit Salad with Dairy Free Option ... more »

The Fevered Dreams Of Blue-Eyed Sheiks

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 1 day ago
Not seeing the forest for the trees. It's the classic characterization of tunnel vision. An updated version of the old saw might be not seeing the shale for the pipeline. That, writes Jeffrey Simpson, is the disease which afflicts our present political masters: Recently, the U.S. Energy Information Agency produced an estimate that the U.S. has almost 60 billion barrels of “technically recoverable” shale oil. Now, “technically recoverable” does not mean that all this supply will be used. Nor does it mean, however, that supplies the agency knows about today will not increase, perhap... more »

Why Britain didn't put a man on the moon

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
"There's nothing to be gained in the way of hot spicy food or Olympic athletes" Al Muray makes total sense as always!

Some of the best cricket catches ever

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
Just like me in my prime...

Who Is Really Besieging Gaza? :: Gatestone Institute

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
An absolutely fascinating article. ' It is Hamas, not Israel, which is besieging Gaza. Those who claim to be concerned about the Palestinians in Gaza would actually do more good for these fine people if they stopped attacking Israel and instead switched their focus to addressing the true source of the Gazans' poverty, suffering and oppression: Hamas.' I await the BBC's coverage of this story... Yeah right! More here http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3453/besieging-gaza
Enhanced by Zemanta