Wednesday, January 01, 2014

1 Jan - Blogs I'm Following

English: Subcomandante Marcos and Comandante T...English: Subcomandante Marcos and Comandante Tacho in La Realidad, Chiapas, 1999. Deutsch: Subcomandante Marcos und Comandante Tacho in La Realidad, Chiapas, 1999. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2:46pm MST

That's why we build the wall

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 7 minutes ago
Via Charlie Pierce on the facebook, a brand new (to me) singer-songwriter from lovely Vermont.

Humanitarian assistance

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 28 minutes ago
Don't have much hope for this one passing, but at least it will bring the slow motion disaster that is our long term unemployed back into the news. First bill Harry Reid will bring to the floor in the new session will be a three month extension of unemployment benefits which expired on Saturday after the Boehner's Heartless House of Dysfunction skulked out town for *their*holiday joy without addressing the crisis. The Senate is expected to take up a bill sponsored by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.), which would temporarily extend the benefits without offsetting the... more »

Humor

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 37 minutes ago
If you will be in Philadelphia over the next few days, take note: 6th Annual AEA Economics Humor Session in Honor of Caroline Postelle Clotfelter At 8pm on Saturday Jan 4 2014 at the Philadelphia Marriott, Liberty Ballroom. With an introduction by Benjamin Franklin (aka Mark Skousen) and talks by Noah Smith, Karl Geisler, Yaniv Reingewertz, and stand-up economist Yoram Bauman. Free and open to the public!

Buffalo Bill is Dead and I'm Not Feeling So Hot, Myself

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 44 minutes ago
Seriously, perhaps today was the perfect day for Obama Care to kick in. I woke up later than usual this new year's morning, my tongue having been surreptitiously supplanted overnight with a little angora sweater after a couple of glasses of wine and a little cheap champagne (which isn't as decadent as you may think. Champagne typically doesn't come in four packs with screw-on caps). But today is officially the first time I've been insured since I lost my QC job in July 2002, which was the last time I'd been insured. There are a lot of details to hash out, such what my temp... more »

Zapatistas Marcos 'Paid Press not allowed in 20 Year Celebrations'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 hour ago
Subcomandante Marcos Reflects On 20th Anniversary Of Zapatista Rebellion In New Communique Marcos says 'paid press' won't be admitted to 20 Year Celebration By Latin Times/La Jornado As for the Zapatistas’ refusal to admit the press to the 20th anniversary celebrations, Marcos asks, “What have they done to make being a member of the media become a source of pride which doesn’t come at the

Snott Walker - Overall, An Embarassment to ALEC.

2old2care at Because I Can - 2 hours ago
I woke up this morning and felt remiss about the fact that I haven't been keeping up my end of the bargain with ALEC lately. Back in 2011 in a newsletter to ALEC chairs - ALEC deemed my blog a "radical opponent". For the past four months - life has gotten in the way of my writing - but not so much anymore. Here's to a prolific ALEC 2014 - please rejoin me for the ride! *<><><><><><><><><><* It was 3 years ago that Snott Walker on his first day in office he pushed thru bills and other reforms that were straight out of two ALEC reports: First his budget - which was based on an ... more »

Happy New Year

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 2 hours ago
Wishing a joyous and prosperous 2014 for everyone.

What a way to start the new year...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 2 hours ago
*with a bunch of things that make you shake your head in wonderment.* *In no particular order: * Commie Bill de Blasio is sworn in as New York's mayor at one minute after midnight with his "ex-lesbian" (wait - I thought you were born one way or another) wife holding some book or another and watched over by his daughter wearing a witch's hat and his hopelessly out of date son sporting a big afro and scruffy jeans. His first announcement is the imminent banning of horse drawn carriages in Central Park, because we all know what an important issue that is. Now read this and let it r... more »

Palestinian ambassador to Prague lethally played with explosives

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 2 hours ago
The year 2014 began dramatically in Prague. The top Palestinian diplomat in Czechia, Jamel Mohammed al-Jamal, was playing with a safebox in his new residence next to the embassy at the International Street, Prague-Suchdol. *The Palestinian ambassador with the new (tall) Czech president Miloš Zeman* The safebox was moved to the new residence from the offices of the old Palestinian embassy. At some moment, while he was playing, the explosives in the safebox detonated. He was moved to a hospital where he died in the afternoon, due to injuries that were incompatible with life. His ... more »

Moonlight on Tombstones: A Fright of Ghosts

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 2 hours ago
*Moonlight on Tombstones: A Fright of Ghosts* *By Scott Corrales, Inexplicata © 2014* Anyone would reasonably suppose that with the proliferation of ghost-and-paranormal shows on television (*Ghost Adventures, Dead Files, etc.*) the average citizen would be completely inured to stories chronicles of hauntings and proof of survival beyond the grave. However, the ghost story still has the power to petrify the reader of viewer, not only in the United States but around the world. Cemeteries – as a rule – are places to be shunned or at least given a wide berth, despite efforts aimed at ... more »

Challenger

Paul Coker at News Spike - 3 hours ago
A secret NASA tape reveals that the crew of the shuttle Challenger not only survived the explosion that ripped the vessel apart; they screamed, cried, cursed and prayed for three hellish minutes before they slammed into the Atlantic and perished on January 28, 1986. The tape is said to begin with a startled crewman screaming,"What happened? What happened? Oh God - No!" Screams and curses are heard- several crewmen begin to weep- and then others bid their families farewell. Two minutes forty-five seconds later the tape ends. That's when the shuttle's crew compartment, which remai... more »

"Honoring Life Changes: The Wisdom of Fear"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 3 hours ago
*"Honoring Life Changes: The Wisdom of Fear"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "Anything really worth doing in our lives will always have some fear attached to it. Anything worth doing will always have some fear attached to it. For example, having a baby, getting married, changing careers—all of these life changes can bring up deep fears. It helps to remember that this type of fear is good. It is your way of questioning whether you really want the new life these changes will bring. It is also a potent reminder that releasing and grieving the past is a necessary part of moving into th... more »

Sourcebook: Flowcharts

Paul Coker at News Spike - 3 hours ago

Gardasil Injuries - Not A Coincidence

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 3 hours ago
As of November 2013 there have been 31,741 reported adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine, and the position of the Pharmaceutical companies which make the vaccine, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services which holds patents and profits on the vaccine, is that they are all a coincidence. Call your Congressman and tell them you want an investigation into the HPV vaccine and the damage it is causing to young men and women. Share this video with everyone you know far and wide! The Canary Party would like to send out a heartfelt Thank you to Alexis, Alisa, Britt, Bro... more »

Robert Scheer proposes "We know everything but learn nothing" as a slogan for our "intelligence" agencies

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
*"As The New York Times stated, the Benghazi incident has been billed as "the most significant attack on United States property in 11 years, since Sept. 11, 2001," an event that launched the much-ballyhooed war on terror. But as with that attack 11 years earlier, the perps turned out to be people the U.S. secret agencies had once trusted. . . ."We have left it to the secret state agents to determine the nature of our enemies, "the evil doers," and never dare to question how often their "evidence" gets it wrong. "* *-- Robert Scheer, in his first 2014 column,* "NSA, Benghazi and t... more »

LAND OF SCRIPT: Again, the text of what Susan Rice said!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 3 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014* *Interlude—Still being misreported:* Tomorrow, we will return to the New York Times’ front-page report about what happened in Benghazi. For our previous report, click here. In his lengthy front-page report, David Kirkpatrick shot down two key parts of last year’s script concerning Benghazi. Sadly, he left other parts of the script in place. More specifically, he misparaphrased what Susan Rice said when she appeared on the Sunday morning programs on September 16, 2012. He even flatly misquoted her at one point. Through these actions, Kirkpatrick keeps s... more »

Longest Walk 4 honors Bill Wahpepah

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 3 hours ago
Photos by Carl 'Bad Bear' Sampson. The Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz walked onto Alcatraz Island after a five month trek across this land. Bill Wahpepah was honored at the culmination of the walk at the Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland. More photos by Bad Bear at Alcatraz http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/12/bad-bears-photos-longest-walk-4-arrives.html

The Gay Plague

Paul Coker at News Spike - 4 hours ago
*...Scientists also discount any connection between the official outbreak of AIDS in 1981 and the experimental hepatitis B vaccine program (1978-1981) at the New York Blood Center in Manhattan that used gays as guinea pigs shortly before the epidemic. Researchers claim HIV incubated in Africa for more that a half century until AIDS broke out there in 1982. However, in the U.S. there was no incubation period for gay men. As soon as homosexuals signed up as guinea pigs for government-sponsored hepatitis B vaccine experiments, they began to die with a strange immunodeficiency of unk... more »

LAND OF SCRIPT: 81 percent of “staggering” isn’t!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 4 hours ago
*WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2014* *Interlude—Windy City script:* Truly, script is all around in this, our nation of script. This morning, Monica Davey writes the featured report in the New York Times National section. Her report concerns the drop in murders in Chicago in the past year. There’s nothing automatically “wrong” with that topic, which the Times gives very big play. But even as the new year began, our script alarms started to sound: DAVEY (1/1/14): *Chicago Killings Fall, as Officials Praise Progress* A year after this city, the third largest in the United States, drew natio... more »

Happy New Year

LeDaro at LeDaro - 4 hours ago

Mechanical Video Stabalizer

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 4 hours ago
Cant wait till they make it Go Pro size. H/T Sploid Maybe I will have to make a sub blog to keep up with others

2014 Promises To Be a Ripping New Annus

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 4 hours ago
While it may get horribilus before it gets any better, there is reason to hope: a leading IT research firm is predicting the resurgence of the Occupy movement on an even larger scale, the beginnings of a barter economy, and movement toward nonprofit-driven medical care instigated by activist volunteers. The information technology research firm, Gartner, which describes itself as “the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company" warns its clients not to be seen as culprits in the inevitable labor unrest, consumer boycotts, and mass social upheaval. Tycoons h... more »

Constitution 'exemption' zone spans 100 miles inland of US border ! How does translate ? Well , consider the map of the " Zone " , consider where you live and understand for 66 percent of Americans , the Constitution is already a relic !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
http://rt.com/usa/court-upholds-laptop-border-searches-041/ Constitution 'exemption' zone spans 100 miles inland of US border– judge Published time: December 31, 2013 23:15 Get short URL [image: AFP Photo / John Moore] AFP Photo / John Moore Share on tumblr Tags Court, Information Technology, Law,Police, USA A US federal judge has reaffirmed an Obama administration policy granting officials the authority to search Americans' laptops, citing a controversial premise that makes citizens within 100 miles of the border eligible for a police check. District Judge Edward Korman made his rulin... more »

Death does not take off for New Years holiday .........Palestinian Ambassador to Czech Republic dies after blast at residence Published time: January 01, 2014 13:19 Edited time: January 01, 2014 15:40 Get short URL AFP Photo / Eric Feferberg Share on tumblr Tags Accident, Blast, Europe The Palestinian ambassador in Prague has died after being fatally injured in an explosion that shook his official residence on Wednesday, Czech police said. Jamal al-Jamal died several hours after being taken to the hospital, authorities said. The blast occurred before midday in Internacionalni Street in the Suchdol neighbourhood, police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova. The Suchdol district houses many embassies and foreign diplomatic missions. The ambassador’s newly constructed residence has been set to become the Palestinian Embassy in the Czech Republic. The ambassador was with his family in the house as the explosion occurred, embassy spokesman Nabil el-Fahel said. He added that the cause of the incident is so far unknown. Between 10 and 20 police vehicles and a helicopter arrived at the embassy shortly after the explosion was reported to the emergency services. The scene where the explosion took place and part of the residential compound have been closed to traffic, Czech Radio reported. Explosives experts with sniffer dogs have inspected the building. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the blast happened when the diplomat tried to open a safe that had been moved from the embassy's old offices, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. There is no evidence that the explosion was a terrorist attack, Czech police said. There are conflicting reports as to whether anyone else was injured in the blast. Reuters reported that the ambassador was the sole victim of the explosion, while some local media cited by Itar-Tass say a woman, supposedly the ambassador’s relative, was also injured in the blast, according to a spokesman for the Motol hospital, where she is being treated.

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-01/palestine-ambassador-prague-killed-bomb-explosion Palestine Ambassador To Prague Killed In Bomb Explosion [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/01/2014 10:41 -0500 - Czech inShare When it comes to political assassinations, 2014 is starting off with a bang, literally. Moments ago news broke that following an explosion in Prague, the Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic has just been killed. *Firefighters search an area after an explosion in Prague January 1, 2014. The Palestinian ambassador to Czech R... more »

Top 100 Independent Tweeting Bloggers 2013

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 5 hours ago
It's the list no one has been waiting for. We've had the list of bloggerswho dominate the Twitter feeds of folk interested in UK politics. And, as we know, it has grown progressively colonised by professionals. The list below is of the normal bloggers, of those political people who write independently of any media organisation, think tank or party. It's the list without most of the superstars and Twitter celebs. A couple more caveats to send you off to sleep with. I've been very picky with MPs in ways I weren't with the original list. The established definition of what counts as a b... more »

Fukushima nuclear debacle updates December 30 , 2013 - UN Official ‘Astounded’: Homeless are taken to work in Fukushima, ready to die — Pastor: “At end of month, they’re left with no pay” ...... Contamination from Cesium 134 , Cesium 137 , Strontium 90 and Tritium continues to increase - apart from Fukushima itself , how much of Japan is essentially a sacrifice zone ?

Catharsis Ours - 5 hours ago
Ex - SKF....... SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2013 Reuters Special Report: Japan's Homeless Recruited for Murky Fukushima Clean-Up Remember the State Secrecy Protection Law that passed on a Friday in November in Japan? One of my twitter followers commented, "Good timing. No one will remember it on Monday." Sure enough, the Japanese national media almost completely dropped their coverage the next Monday. So much for the citizens' right to know, and freedom of the press that they harped about when the Upper House was debating the bill. They said, almost all of them, *"If the law passes, ... more »

2014: The Year of Common Ground or Common Argument?

Angel Cintron Jr. at @ THE CHALK FACE - 6 hours ago
Hopefully, 2014 will be the year we find more common ground in education policy, and not entrenched special interests and protracted arguments. Although constructive critiques are healthy, the 24/7 all-you-can-tweet rants against CCSS, without offering practical solutions, is falling on deaf ears, at best. At worst, it’s creating an unproductive narrative that is moving any, […]

Revolt Down On The Farm

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 6 hours ago
Chris Hedges has a suggestion for anyone searching for a New Year's resolution: overthrow the speculators. His targets are the big banks, whose reach is global and who brought the economy to its knees in 2008. Now, five years later, they are bigger and their influence is greater. Hedges writes: Speculators at megabanks or investment firms such as Goldman Sachs are not, in a strict sense, capitalists. They do not make money from the means of production. Rather, they ignore or rewrite the law—ostensibly put in place to protect the vulnerable from the powerful—to steal from everyon... more »

Thailand: Next Anti-Regime Rally - January 13, 2014

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 7 hours ago
*Image: Regime's campaign poster with * *"idiot" spray-painted on it. The regime is * *the only party putting up posters, * *reminiscent of "elections" in North Korea.* *January 1, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci) - In protest of unelected dictator Thaksin Shinawatra and his proxy regime led by his own nepotist-appointed sister Yingluck Shinawatra, anti-regime protesters plan to shut down Thailand's capital of Bangkok starting on Monday, January 13, 2014. The necessity of continued mass mobilizations is due in part to the current regime's immense foreign backing - including across the West's ... more »

Happy Near Year's-- Your Tax Dollars Are Still Paying For Predator Drones That Slaughter Innocent Civilians

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
We've written about Buck McKeon's Drone Caucus-- they call it the Unmanned Systems Caucus-- before. It's little more than a way of exchanging bribes from drones makers for voters from some of Congresses sleaziest and most contemptible members. And, of course, like most Beltway bribery schemes, it's bipartisan. McKeon's co-chairman is George Bush's favorite Democrat, Blue Dog Henry Cuellar. Other Democrats on the take in this particular scheme are Hawaii's most corrupt politician, Colleen Hanabusa (New Dem), Bob Brady (the Philadelphia Machine boss), André Carson (New Dem-IN), Joe ... more »

Mohawk John Kane 'America's Greatest Public Execution'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 7 hours ago
America's Greatest Public Execution By John Karhiio Kane (Mohawk) Censored News The story of the executions in Mankato, Minnesota that would be the final chapter of the Dakota War of 1862 seems to always miss the mark, at least for me.  Thirty-eight Dakota men hanged the day after Christmas on an execution order signed by Abraham Lincoln has been characterized many ways even as this

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 7 hours ago
*GEAUX GEAUX GEAUX! GameDay: LSU Set for New Year's Clash with Iowa*

Mohawk Nation News 'Manufactured Time'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 7 hours ago
MANUFACTURED TIME Posted on January 1, 2014 MNN. January 1, 2014.  The natural calendar was usurpt and replaced with a corporate artificial one! Our calendar tied us our mother earth in the natural cycles of 13 moons and 28 days. To perfect the “divide and conquer” strategy, the Vatican had to first separate the people from natural time. In 1634 the new world order began. Natural thinking

Tri State/EQuIP Rubric

antiqueteacher60 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 7 hours ago
Reblogged from An Antique Teacher: http://www.engageny.org/resource/tri-state-quality-review-rubric-and-rating-process So, this little gem is finally making its way to my school, and I can't contain my excitement!! Finally, all those folks at Achieve (http://www.achieve.org/contributors) have developed a rubric to let me know how well my lesson planning aligns to the "shifts and rigor of the Common Core." Of course, […]

Andrew Marr's Good Samaritan

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 7 hours ago
You may have missed it when it was first published last month (I certainly did), but there's a fine article in the *Spectator *by Andrew Marr. It's a bit of a plug for his new book on drawing, but it opens with a beautifully-written anecdote: We live by simple stories. X has a stroke. X recovers; or doesn’t. But we live inside more complicated stories. Recovering from a stroke is a long haul; I still have an almost useless left arm and walk like a wildly intoxicated sailor. In my mid-fifties, my stroke has been a special excursion ticket into old age — socks and toenails a bewilde... more »

“A Question of Power”—Of Accountability and Teaching by Numbers

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 8 hours ago
\”A Question of Power\”—Of Accountability and Teaching by Numbers. via “A Question of Power”—Of Accountability and Teaching by Numbers.

Five Most Popular Posts for December

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 9 hours ago
The five most read posts of the month were: 1. The Top 100 Tweeting Bloggers of 2013 2. SWP: Comrade X Resigns 3. Ian Watkins and Narcissism 4. Jack Monroe and the Sociology of Selling Out 5. The Politics of Envy I've been a bit distracted this month, but I knew the clickbait of the top 100 would do the business - as it does every year. Also, as per, the obligatory SWP post does well. There is one more post to come about them but hopefully it will be the last one for a very long time. Given the media interest, it's not surprising to see Jack Monroe and Ian Watkins in there. And no d... more »

Inexplicata on Scribd.com

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 9 hours ago
A heartfelt thanks to our Inexplicata readers for sending us over the 13,000 mark on Scribd.com - Best wishes for 2014! Inexplicata Podcasts covering items from UFO / paranormal history in Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 9 hours ago
Over on their blogs, Noah Smith and David Henderson have some compelling observations about respect. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that treating others with respect, regardless of economic or social class, is crucial to a well-functioning civil society. It is also simply good manners. As a personal code of conduct, I have long aimed to treat the guy pumping my gas with the same respect as the President of Harvard (or the United States). I will take exception with Noah's idea that we should "redistribute respect." Respect is not rival. We can increase the respect for some... more »

Jade sees the light

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 9 hours ago
There was a BBC-style *Pilgrim's Progress *story on last night's *The World Tonight. * Radio One's *Newsbeat *had canvassed its listeners for their views on immigration from Romania and Bulgaria. One girl, Jade from Bradford, had expressed reservations, so BBC reporter Jim Taylor took her to Romania to see what she made of it. Can you guess what happened? I guessed even before the report started. I just *knew* that Jim would help Jade 'see the light' and change her mind. And, lo, it came to pass: *Jim*: Time for Jade to reflect on what she's seen in Romania and whether it's cha... more »

Play it down again, Sam

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 10 hours ago
One of the most regular charges over the Romania-Bulgaria story is that it has tried to underplay the likely number of immigrants from those two countries. There was a definite case of it doing just that back in April when the BBC attempted to spin a *Newsnight *survey into the likely numbers with the headline *Few planning to migrate to UK - poll *when their survey results actually implied that some 350,000 Romanians and Bulgarians might eventually come to our shores (which isn't 'few' in anyone's book). This is still the message BBC reporters are sending out. Here's the BBC's Ma... more »

Happy 2014!

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 10 hours ago
Well, here were are in 2014. Whoo-hoo! Plus no hangover. Double whoo-hoo!! Now back to business. *Biased BBC*'s Alan highlighted the reporting of Phil Mackie on Radio 5 Live, noting the BBC man's determined effort to rubbish the *Sun*'s reporting on the Bulgarian-Romanian immigration story. Alan accuses Phil Mackie and the BBC in general of playing the race too, in seeking out and then leading on the accusations of racism against the UK media make by a Romanian official. Alan then tracks Phil's tweets and observes that they are all pushing the same angle. Indeed they are: The ... more »

Another 20 Navy Sailors: USS Ronald Reagan crew with thyroid cancers, leukemia, brain tumors, bleeding, blindness after Fukushima disaster — Young kids developing problems — Gov’t and Tepco involved in major conspiracy

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 10 hours ago
[image: ENENews.com – Energy News] Published: December 12th, 2013 at 1:02 am ET By ENENewsNuclear Hotseat #129, Dec. 10, 2013: *At 27:00 in* *Charles Bonner, attorney representing sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan*: They’re not only going to the rescue by jumping into the water and rescuing people out of the water, but they were drinking desalinated sea water, bathing in it, until finally the captain of the USS Ronald Reagan alarmed people that they were encountering high levels of radiation. As a result of this exposure, the 51 sailors that we represent right now have come down w... more »

Study: Dead sea creatures covered 98% of seafloor last year about 150 miles off California coast; Unprecedented, had been below 1% prior to event — ‘Major’ changes began in spring 2011

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 10 hours ago
[image: ENENews.com – Energy News] Published: December 11th, 2013 By ENENews National Geographic, Nov. 22, 2013: [...] “In the 24 years of this study, the past 2 years have been the biggest amounts of this detritus by far,” said study leader Christine Huffard, a marine biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California. [...] In March 2012, less than one percent of the seafloor beneath Station M [located 145 miles west of the coast of California between Santa Barbara and Monterey] was covered in dead sea salps. By July 1, more than 98 percent of it was covered ... more »

Sherlock's back tonight

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 10 hours ago
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman return as Sherlock and Dr Watson in The Empty Hearse, episode one of the third series of Sherlock which returns to BBC 1 tonight. In the meantime, here's the prequel...

A Source Of Inspiration In 2014 - Forget Not Your Obligation To Those Yet To Come

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 11 hours ago
*Some samples of the writings:* This is our message to mankind through you. Look to the stars, but walk calmly upon the Earth. The Earth changes will be many. Man must learn how emotions, thoughts, and discipline of spirit are connected to nature. We come to say, have faith in all good and positive enterprises and wish for the good of all. Increase the integrity of your being and be one who can offer a better way to all he comes in contact with. Come to the realization that all life is connected. Forget not your obligation to the future. Your obligation to give direction to tho... more »

Looking For Help With GE Foods Tour In The Montreal, Hudson and Ottawa Area Of Canada in February 2014

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 11 hours ago
Are you interested in hosting or helping out with the GE Foods Tour in Montreal / Hudson / Ottawa area? The organizing committee are looking for volunteers and concerned folks to help out with filling up the gaps in Feb. 2014. Please send your comments and suggestions to GEFoods.Tour@gmail.com thank you. #GEfoodstour #ThierryVrain #ShivChopra #GMOs #TonyMitra #gmofreecanada Looking for volunteers and concerned folks to help out, with filling a gap in Feb 2014 in and around Montreal / Hudson / Ottawa area. Comments and suggestions welcome. *Source:* *GMO Free Canada*

Sovereignty 101:Installment 5 - Worship, Ownership, Bullsh*t

Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 12 hours ago
For the past week, the amount of synchronicities that have been happening has been astounding. I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as "coincidence", and this past week has hardened that belief into granite. In the past 48 hours alone, I have had several conversations with completely different people that have all touched on the same subjects- even to the point of being sent the same video by 3 different people who do not know, nor have any contact with each other. Reading Sophia's article below is just another example of a long line of synchronicities that has been... more »

New Year's Resolution - question, interrogate and cross-examine the dream.

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 12 hours ago
*this morning's eye*in fact it's not even something I intentionally want to happen, it began last night, my first lucid QUESTIONING, INTERROGATION AND CROSS-EXAMINATION of the dream. The funny thing is I have no 'content' to relate as that was all erased before this dreamer was allowed to wake up, just the 'knowledge' that I spent last night 'not going along with the dream'. I remember things happening in the dream, things my dreaming self would normally 'go along with'. But last night was VERY DIFFERENT, I felt my 'real self' come out and start to question the actions of this (no... more »

How the NSA hacks PCs, phones, routers, hard disks 'at speed of light': Spy tech catalog leaks - It's not as bad as you thought - it's much worse

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 12 hours ago
*How the NSA hacks PCs, phones, routers, hard disks 'at speed of light': Spy tech catalog leaks - It's not as bad as you thought - it's much worse* http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/31/nsa_weapons_catalogue_promises_pwnage_at_the_speed_of_light/ By Iain Thomson, 31st December 2013 *Analysis* A leaked NSA cyber-arms catalog has shed light on the technologies US and UK spies use to infiltrate and remotely control PCs, routers, firewalls, phones and software from some of the biggest names in IT. The exploits, often delivered via the web, provide clandestine backdoor access across... more »

It is hard to find the bright side of 2013 because there has been so little good news to choose from. Whereas it is equally hard to find the dark side, not because there is so little to choose from, rather because such monstrous things are never mentioned by the so-called "mainstream media." The second video below is a splendid tale of just one part of what continues to go wrong with the entire western world.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 12 hours ago
------------------------------ http://youtu.be/t7AiUuzdKu8 Top 5 Most Inspirational Stories of 2013 *breakingtheset * *Published on Dec 23, 2013* Abby Martin highlights a few of the most uplifting and encouraging news stories of 2013, from organ printing to Snowden's heroism. http://youtu.be/hi_YHxMomds Why MP George Galloway is Killing Tony Blair *breakingtheset* *Published on Dec 18, 2013 * Abby Martin speaks with British Parliamentarian George Galloway, discussing his upcoming film 'The Killing of Tony Blair', and his brand new show on RT, 'Sputnik: Orbiting the worl... more »

Asking for Help

Breaking The Silence at Removing The Shackles - 12 hours ago
I have over the past three days been thoroughly told off by several people. .... I can take a hint, lol, so I will write this even though it makes me uncomfortable. I have my own personal journey issues that I am working on, just as everyone else is. One of my issues is "asking for help". I have a tendency to try to do everything myself and asking for help with anything makes me..... uncomfortable. I've been thoroughly lectured on this subject by many people over the past year. One of the things that my awesome friend Pete said to me last year was that by NOT asking for help, ... more »

My New Year’s Post

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 12 hours ago
When I awoke on December 31st, I planned to write my New Year’s post. However, AFT’s 10 Myths rattled my cage, so I spent the better part of the day writing my response. For me, 2013 has been a remarkable year. How my life has changed, and much of it due to this blog. I attended college for […]

Musical Interlude: Kevin Kern, “Above the Clouds”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 14 hours ago
Kevin Kern, “Above the Clouds” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvxDYTt3Tpo

2014 PREDICTIONS

Anon at aangirfan - 14 hours ago
*"Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio and Taurus people have been undergoing plenty of trials and tribulations, Higgins said, but are due for a big payoff. Their long roads will calm down toward the end of 2014's summer." *Seers offer their predictions for 2014 *The World Economic Forum*'s *Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014* lists its *top ten forthcoming trends*: Aangirfan's comments are in GREEN. *1.* Rising societal tensions in the Middle East and North Africa. *The CIA may have decided to topple the rulers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.* *Scotland will vote NO to independence, showi... more »

A healthy and happy new year to all from all of us here at DWT

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 16 hours ago
*"Either cheer up or take off the hat."* *by Ken* As I hinted in my post earlier today, "Ready for New Year's Eve? We've got the *New Yorker* cartoon crew to help get you psyched," I squirreled away one more of the *New Yorker* New Year's cartoons gathered by cartoon editor Bob Mankoff in his blogpost "New Year, Old Laughs" -- the one above -- for later use, and I think you'll agree that it's just dripping with the New Year's Eve spirit. And in that spirit, let's turn the proceedings over to Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. *HAPPY NEW YEAR!* #

what you believe

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 16 hours ago
"the truth has nothing to do... with what you believe."

the end of suffering

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 16 hours ago

New Years is not complete without some of our future theme songs...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 17 hours ago
*starting off with our number one theme song.* Let's make those dems bite the dust in 2014! *Another One Bites the Dust * Freddy Mercury (September 1946 - November 1991) and Queen *We all need the help of our friends...* *You all have a piece of my heart...* *Happy New Year*

GREAT NEWS FROM NTS!

Passionate Pragmatist at Northerntruthseeker - 18 hours ago
*Revised: part of Brian's message was missing in the first email - * *They did the angiogram this morning and held me for observation for most of the afternoon, and just returned me to this hospital earlier this evening!* *Now for the great news... All test show NO heart problems at all... No blockage and nothing wrong with my aorta..* *This is now leaving the doctors stymied and saying that the problem may have been due to a viral infection.* *I am so relieved and I may be returning* *Home soon...* *I will send more messages soon. It does look like the New Year is at least st... more »

December 31, 2013 Oddity - why does some trader think an unusual tail risk bet involving 9800 S&P January weekly puts ( which expire in ten days ) is a good play ? Someone know something , someone heard something...... just a hedge of some exotic type ? Something to ponder , guess we see what happens , if anything , in ten days !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 19 hours ago
Odd ..... http://www.optionmonster.com/news/article.php?page=spx_draws_unusual_tail_risk_play_89345.html December 31, 2013 Tue 9:48 AM CT SPX draws unusual 'tail risk' play Chris McKhann | chris.mckhann@optionmonster.com SPX: SEE CHART GET CHAIN FIND STRATEGIES An unusual and strongly bearish position is apparently looking for the S&P 500 to plummet by the end of next week. optionMONSTER's Depth Charge system shows that a trader bought 9,800 January Weekly 1475 puts that expire in 10 days, for the ask price of $0.20. These are new positions, as the previous open interest at that ... more »

2013 in Review -- A Prayer to the Janitor of Lunacy,* Part 2: Remember when Reagan cut funds for insane asylums?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 19 hours ago
*Storms, guns, bombs, free stuff, and the secret gay life of Obama: Some top Republican lies of 2013* *[*TO MEET THE JANITOR OF LUNACY, SEE PART 1]* *Plum loco, stone stoopid, or pathologically dishonest? You be the judge.* *by Noah* I'm calling this "*Some* top Republican lies" because everyone else does "Top 10s" or "Top 20s," but I see no reason to come up with some arbitrary round number. Besides, with the Crackpot Party there's always another lie, and chances are very good that the corporate media will be all too willing to repeat them all without examining their veracity. Th... more »

Hey You! Shut up!

Capt. Fogg at The Impolitic - 20 hours ago
Yes, you. By Capt. Fogg It's the time of year at which I start to bitch and moan more than usual about what *you *have been doing to my language in that pathetically passionate and Sisyphean pursuit of being like the cool kids, the hip, with-it, urban, hang around the mall texting, thug pretending Clearasil crowd you wish you were like instead of the afraid-to-grow-up nerd with the 6000 word vocabulary you are. Don't take comfort in the idea that I'm the only one. I have allies. Lake Superior State University may be seeking status by publishing their annual list of banned w... more »

2013 in Photos

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 20 hours ago
These are some gorgeous photos from my home state of Arizona. Arizona is often stereotyped in the media because its people are independent and strong. Amazing photography...

Lightning Round--Year End Edition in Review Edition Edition of 2013 Edition

Jay Allbritton at Jay Allbritton - 21 hours ago
*NYTimes*: Six months ago, Russia passed a law that limited what they broadly define as "homosexual propaganda." Journalist Mark Gevisser looks atlife in one of the areas where the ban was piloted. *Open Culture*: Kate Rix offers a primer on the International Children’s Digital Library, which collects "outstanding children's books from all over the world." *Ethan Siegel*: 2013 saw the birth of a new island near Japan that is provisionally called Niijima, which is Japanese for new island. *The Good the Bad and the Unknown*: Blogger acompleteunknown posted the top 11 albums of 2013.... more »

Is this IT? Have Surface Nuclear Fires Broke Out at Fukushima Daiichi?

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 21 hours ago
The TBS cam is down again. The TEPCO cam was caught running a loop yesterday by an Enenewser. TEPCO has announced it is taking a one week vacation over the holiday (see Fukushima Dairy here). Plant conditions looked bad before the TBS cam went down. Steam was seen coming from unit 3, but the volume was relatively small. However, smoke (indisputably) was seen at the plant, but it was not coming from units 1-4 (maybe unit 5 or 6? See here). Additionally, pixilation of both the TBS and TEPCO cams had worsened significantly (see here). Some strange phenomena had also been sighted (se... more »

Antarctic global warming expeditionists trapped in ice may have to be rescued by helicopter ..... the irony is quite obvious !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 21 hours ago
Icebound Antarctic ship awaits helicopter rescueBy KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated PressUpdated 7:57 am, Tuesday, December 31, 2013 1 of 4 VIEW: LARGER | HIDE - [image: In this image provided by Australasian Antarctic Expedition/Footloose Fotography the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy is trapped in thick Antarctic ice 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart, Australia, Friday, Dec. 27, 2013. The research ship, with 74 scientists, tourists and crew on board, has been on a research expedition to Antarctica, when it got stuck Tuesday after a blizzard's whipping winds ... more »

'Fight terrorists until full elimination': Putin changes New Year address after Volgograd terror attacks ......... Are the recent attacks in Volgograd a warning or likely precursor to events that will unfold during Olympic games in February ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 22 hours ago
http://www.infowars.com/volgograd-bombings-cias-chechen-assets-attack-russia-ahead-of-winter-olympics/http://rt.com/news/putin-address-volgograd-terrorism-035/ Volgograd Bombings: CIA’s Chechen Assets Attack Russia Ahead of Winter Olympics - [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] Attacks likely precursor to events that will unfold during Olympic games in February *Kurt Nimmo* Infowars.com December 31, 2013 Responsibility for deadly attacks in t... more »

The Most Misnamed OS From APPLE

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 22 hours ago
By American Kabuki December 31, 2013 I don't do many software reviews on this blog, not because I can't, I'm actually very qualified to do just that, but that's not the general topic of this blog. My late best friend Rodney O. Lain once ran a the "iBrotha" Mac blog from St. Paul Minneapolis. This was before anyone was blogging anything. It was actually Rodney who made me realize that writing articles on the web could have an impact on the world. Rodney's choice of impact, was to evangelize for Mac. See Rodney once had religion, actually wanted to be a preacher but then realized... more »

Windows Not Only Sending Your Info To NSA/CIA/MS Every Second But Also Sending Easy Hacks)

The Only Thing We Have to Fear...Is the CIA America's Greediest: Koch Brothers, 'Libertarians' Who Hate the Free Market It's no joke, folks. And most of us in the programming world have known about this possibility/probability for evah. Of course, it wouldn't exist if everyone owning a Windows machine were a tech-school grad who could adjust the settings as needed (ha! just kidding!).

AFT’s 10 Myths: Unyielding Devotion to the Common Core

deutsch29 at @ THE CHALK FACE - 23 hours ago
In my hands I am holding the latest issue of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) quarterly publication, American Educator. It is open to page 43, Tools for Teachers: 10 Myths About the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The piece was written by AFT’s Educational Issues Department. Their position is one of unreserved support for CCSS. Of course. I […]

Quick Movie Review

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 23 hours ago
I just saw *American Hustle*. Great movie, loosely based on the Abscam investigation. Much better than *Gravity*, the other movie I have seen recently that got rave reviews.

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 23 hours ago
*John Barry to reign as king of Krewe du Vieux ~Will Coviello, Gambit *

Ready for New Year's Eve? We've got the "New Yorker" cartoon crew to help get you psyched

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 23 hours ago
*"Just one more holiday to hit us upside our heads," says New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff in his latest e-newsletter/blogpost, "New Year, Old Laughs" -- more of this post in a moment. (Click on this cartoon and most of our others in this post to enlarge.)* *by Ken* It's hard to ramp up to the appropriate level of festivity with this smack-dab midweek New Year's, especially if you're expected to be at your work station until today's closing whistle sounds. (Let's just say that I was at my desk until that whistle.) So I thought we could all use some professional inspiritizatio... more »

Public School Renewal 2014 and Beyond

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
Jim Horn The public education renewal agenda embraces the values of democracy, fair play, inclusion, equal opportunity, and public school governance structure and operations of the people, by the people, and for the people. The new public school agenda welcomes the participation of philanthropists, business, and industry to do what they are most capable of doing, which is to provide resources and strategies to create opportunities in communities where hope is in short supply, and to fund initiatives that educators, social scientists, and citizens agree will grow healthy communities... more »

Have pitching phenom Masashiro Tanaka and the Rakuten Golden Eagles crafted a clever secret scheme to circumvent the Posting System Agreement limits ? MLB seems to think so - MLB will prevent Masahiro Tanaka from donating to the Rakuten Golden Eagles ...... More on MLB's version of pitching " Hunger Games " as clubs race to toss 17 million a year or perhaps more at a MLB untested but uber legendary japanese pitching ace !

Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.pinstripealley.com/2013/12/28/5250634/masahiro-tanaka-mlb-donation-rakuten-investigate-posting-system MLB will prevent Masahiro Tanaka from donating to the Rakuten Golden Eagles By Jason Cohen  @Jason00Cohen on Dec 28 2013, 11:00a 5 David Manning-USA TODAY Sports MLB plans to investigate any dealings that could infringe upon the new posting system, that includes the idea that Masahiro Tanaka wants to donate money to his old team TWEET (3) SHARE  SHARE 5 COMMENTS Under the new posting system, the Japanese team will receive a maximum of $20 million for their player, an... more »

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN SYRIA

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
The United Nations is warning Syria has become the most serious humanitarian crisis in the last 20 years. People are now starving and suffering from the winter cold. The US-NATO military alliance, led by the CIA, helped get this mess going by training and arming the so-called "insurgency" in their idiotic attempt to topple the Syrian government and install their own puppet. Saudi Arabia emptied their jails and sent scores of fundamentalists to join the disparate Al-Quida forces that streamed into Syria from across the region. The faked up sarin gas story, that Obama tried to us... more »

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Wishing you all the best for 2014!

Sovereignty 101:Installment 5 - Worship, Ownership, Bullsh*t

Sophia Love at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
The whole idea that a person could have ownership over anything or anyone else was projected into your origin at a critical point. Precise characteristics were included; genetically reproduced in a specific fashion – for slavery to be possible. Since then, what has been reinforced into the psyche of man is that an exalted being made him – a capitol G-O-D. This G-O-D had knowledge, power and ability that man did not have access to. Space vehicles reinforced the charade – G-O-D descended from the heavens. With this dialogue running through the background of man’s every th... more »

Happy New Year!

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
Have a great 2014. I'm off to party like it's 1999 - minus the dread that the world's about to end in a Y2K-induced meltdown. Happy New Year!

Random thoughts for the New Year and some food porn...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 day ago
*of course, you realize that you're really celebrating my birthday. Right?* Yep, like it or not, at 13 minutes to midnight I will be a really, really old 68 - which is definitely better than the alternative. My reward? I get to work today. My loyal following at the grocery store where I work will get to eat buckets of hot wings lovingly prepared by moi. However, come January 1st I will be having a feast fit for a queen. Afternoon nibbles: Homemade clam dip with Granny Goose dip chips, celery, green onions, radishes, and cherry peppers. Moving on to salad: Follow... more »

INSIDE THE DISUNIFIED EU

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
Disagreement between EU member states is growing as its newest members Bulgaria and Romania prepare to gain the same rights as other citizens. Freedom of movement and banking are driving a wedge between nations that fear the flood of benefit hungry immigrants and unfair competition as Polly Boiko reports.

Immigration: Good for Whom?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
Incidentally, Radio 4 will be broadcasting an immigration debate tomorrow night - also provoked, no doubt, by the end on border controls on Romanians and Bulgarians - called *Immigration: Good for Whom? * The programme's website blurb states, "In the past year, two leading liberal thinkers have published controversial books warning against the dangers of excessive levels of immigration." The programme will feature both of those "liberal thinkers" - Prof Paul Collier of Oxford University and David Goodhart from the Demos think tank. Against them will be pitted Nazek Ramadan of Migr... more »

The modernist invention of “Judeo-Christianity”

Passionate Pragmatist at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
[image: Judeo] Since the end of the Second World War we have been bombarded from all sides with references to the West’s “Judeo-Christian religion,” and “our Judeo-Christian heritage.” Politicians regularly invoke these principles, and even religious leaders trumpet the phrase as if it were a self-evident truth. So sacrosanct is this concept, that even secular leaders make appeals to it. In fact, in America, Judeo-Christianity is nearly secular, and almost always mentioned alongside concepts such as liberty, equality, and democracy – themselves purely concepts which are secular in n... more »

The Realist Report - Reflecting on 2013

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 1 day ago
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be reviewing events of the past year, and discuss what to expect in 2014. Tom in Connecticut and Dave Mansfield will be participating in this informal broadcast. Calls will be taken throughout the program. You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit *The Realist Report* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs. Below are relevant links for this program: - *White Man March* - March 15, 2014 - *The Fourteen Words in 2014* - Kyle Hunt - *End of year notes* - John Friend (This is from New Year... more »

An Nou Fericit!

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
As everyone now seems to be aware, tomorrow - 1 January 2014 - we in Britain will be saying *An Nou Fericit!* and *Щастлива Нова Година!*('Happy New Year!') to the first of an unknown number of Romanians and Bulgarian immigrants as border controls are lifted. Among those expected Romanian and Bulgarians newcomers, the most eagerly anticipated arrivals are surely the Roma. Bunting is presently being put out across the length and breadth of the country to welcome them - and, no, they won't steal it all! Putting its own bunting out, BBC Radio 4 broadcast an interesting documentary ... more »

Khordokovsky: He is free, but, his money is still imprisoned? Stichting!

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
Yes, this is a long one. And the third post of the day! But, I do hope you take the time to read it all. Most interesting stuff. Don't miss two previous postings. So much going on! Khordokovsky- fascinating stuff. Especially the Stichting! * 2nd post-* *Experts fear Russia attacks are terrorist probes ahead of Sochi Olympics* *1st posting Egypt's Counter Revolution: As the Army solidifies power* ** Recently, a certain oligarch was freed. But, his wealth remains out of reach? * *Perhaps because it was not really his wealth? * *Despite common themes and memes, Putin is not the issue w... more »

Exit strategies have been completed for all Hue-Beings currently operating in multiple dimensions that include 3D and 4D

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
*Hmmm...this could be read two ways...one of the more obscure ones... -Bill* *Exit strategies have been completed for all Hue-Beings currently operating in multiple dimensions that include 3D and 4D* by ÉirePort Exit strategies have been completed for all Hue-Beings currently operating in multiple dimensions that include 3D and 4D. "Higher Dimensionals only" operators are not affected. "Exit strategies" are individual and may take various forms suited to each Hue-Being involved. Significant energies are required at the current moment to maintain any 3D-4D involvement, and "High... more »

God Help Us Every One.

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 1 day ago
When I was a kid, I remember looking forward to staying up to watch the ball drop on Times Square and fireworks from where ever the three channels available to us would broadcast them from. Long before heartless corporate prick Dick Clark parlayed New Year's Eve into a second career, we'd inevitably hear Guy Lombado conducting "Auld Lang Syne" in his shiny tuxedo. Part of the excitement in staying up to watch the New Year's festivities as a kid was the sense of hope, not nearly unjustified, that the new year would be better than the last. Indeed, I'm old enough to remember the... more »

Experts fear Russia attacks are terrorist probes ahead of Sochi Olympics

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
As I read through the article, that will be linked below our flashback, a few questions and thoughts come to mind: 1-Are “counter- terrorism” experts telling us their tactics have changed ? 2-And that they are employing ethnic Russians ? In response to Russia cleaning house of their Islamist mercs? 3-Are they hoping that Russia has not caught on to that shift or alternative to the Islamist mercenary? 4- Or is the whole ethnic slav angle a means to foment division in Russia? If you read or reread the post from January 2011 you should/would be aware that an ethnic Russian allegedly a... more »

Canada US Free Trade Deal turns 25

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 1 day ago
Free Trade sounds like a great theory. In practice it does not work for society because there is no fair trade. The corporations use free trade to whipsaw workers to the lowest common denominator. As the Star reports: Post-FTA/NAFTA, Canada has regressed to its traditional status as a resource exporter. Exports of unprocessed and barely processed resources now account for almost two-thirds of Canada’s goods exports, from 40 per cent just before the turn of the century. Value-added products have shrunk from almost 60 per cent of exports to roughly one-third in 2012. Canada would hav... more »

Meet The D.C. Insiders Backing Colleen Hanabusa's Bid To Oust Progressive Senator Brian Schatz

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
The worst U.S. drone advocates, Buck McKeon and Colleen Hanabusa When Hawai`i Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa rails against the "D.C. insiders" backing Brian Schatz, she's talking about Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Jeff Merkley, Elizabeth Warren, public employees, environmentalistsand other progressives. She doesn't mention the D.C. insiders bankrolling *her* campaign to oust Schatz from the U.S. Senate in the Aug. 9 Democratic primary. That's because the military-industry complex isn't popular with voters. For the first time since its founding in 1991, the Congressional Progressive... more »

Emerging script about public schools?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2013* *Things we heard over Christmas vacation:* Over the Christmas break, it occurred to us that we were hearing an emerging script about the public schools. Prevailing script about public schools has largely come from the corporate center. Everyone knows the basic elements of this script: *Basic parts of the standard public school script:* Our public schools are a disaster. No progress has been recorded. Indeed, we’ve been moving backwards! Miraculous Finland, the light of the world, shows us the various ways to proceed. It’s all the teachers’ fault, what wit... more »

Father Guido Sarducci’s 5-Minute Charter School?

Angel Cintron Jr. at @ THE CHALK FACE - 1 day ago
For my last 2013 post, I’m opting to rely on comedy. Given the rapid growth of charter schools, I can’t help but wonder what Father Guido Sarducci would propose? Perhaps, the “5-Minute University” business model can branch out and become the 5-Minute Charter School? Sounds like a solid business model. Any investors interested in chartering […]
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