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| NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 25: A halted building site is viewed in Manhattan on January 25, 2012 in New York City. Homeless activist group Picture the Homeless will release findings from a new study conducted with Hunter College in which a count of vacant buildings and lots in 20 of NYC's 59 community boards was conducted. The findings, which will be released tomorrow in full, found that vacant properties in New York City could house every homeless person and more. The report, 'Banking on Vacancy: Homelessness and Real Estate Speculation,' is the latest in a six-year campaign to document vacant properties in New York City. According to Coalition for the Homeless, in New York City 41,200 homeless men, women, and children sleep each night in municipal homeless shelters. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) |
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| NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 11: A New York City Police officer stands guard near the World Trade Center site on the morning of September 11, 2001 in New York City. New York City and the nation are commemorating the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on lower Manhattan which resulted in the deaths of 2,753 people when two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Security has been heightened in both New York City and Washington D.C. following a terrorist threat about a car bomb. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) |
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| The Heart and Soul nebulae are seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA's WISE telescope. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| English: The Heart Nebula - IC1805 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| English: Melotte 15, the central star cluster in the Heart Nebula (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 26: Employees of the online review site Yelp watch as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at the new East Coast headquarters of the tech company on October 26, 2011 in New York City. The Bloomberg administration has been heralding and working to facilitate the tech sector in New York City in hopes of making New York City a rival to Silicon Valley for start-up companies. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) |
But what has it got in its pocketses, eh?
You all know how much I love a good conspiracy theory and Romney's cheat
sheet is a great one. The campaign swears it was a handkerchief Mitt threw
on the podium at the first debate. But it surely is a little weird that it
bounced that hard when it hit the wood. And what did Romney try to put in
his breast pocket after the debate was over? It does seem odd that it
wouldn't fit.
Of course, it's not something that can ever be proven. Much like the
mysterious lump in George W's jacket back in 04, we'll never know for sure.
But it's certainly not beyond the pale to believe Romney is ca... more »
A Party of All the Talents #LibzConf2012
* Here's what I said to the #LibzConf2012 conference this morning*.
Good morning everyone.
My name is Peter. And I am a Recovering Libertarian.
It began for me around 30 years ago. It started small. Just me and a few
grams of Ayn Rand. But pretty soon I found myself with fellow addicts,
gathering together to drink in John Locke, imbibe Thomas Jefferson, and to
snort FA Hayek.
17 years ago we met in a small smoke-filled room to set about spreading our
addiction.
We had big plans for Project Libertarianz.
We met, and we plotted, and we set out to make a revoluti... more »
Urban Gadabout: For NY-ers, it's Open House New York Weekend AND What's Out There Weekend, plus catching up with Justin Ferate
*My basic principle regarding Justin Ferate's tours is that if Justin
thinks someplace is worth going, as long as my schedule permits, I'm going
with him. (See below for an update.*
*by Ken*
*SUNDAY CLASSICS PREVIEW NOTE*
Because of the remarkable doings on top for New Yorkers this weekend, I've
pushed this week's Sunday Classics preview back to *tomorrow at 6pm PT*.
We'll be setting the stage for Sunday's post, the next in the series
devoted to the story of Manon Lescaut and the Chévalier des Grieux --
bringing us closer to the destruction, not just of the relationship, but of
t... more »
White Flash on Fukushima TBS-JNN Cam
It is my opinion that Fukushima is in NO way contained:
The link was posted by WideAwake at Enenews
Wideawake: I think R1 glowing' and what you can see is inside, through
tent. This was last vid, cut to 1min 44! before jnn/tbs cam showed "an
error occured"!..it shows a flash (white screen out)
at 1.39 in.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/77637499/oct%205%20white%20flash%2016.28%2017.28jst.PNG5
Oct 17:28-18:28 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bnW0WYH6u0&feature=plcp
Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, “Thought Museum”
Liquid Mind, “Thought Museum”
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlLRw6OBqMQ&feature=g-vrec
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Sprawling across almost 200 light-years, emission nebula IC 1805 is a mix
of glowing interstellar gas and dark dust clouds. Derived from its
Valentine's-Day-approved shape, its nickname is the Heart Nebula.
*Click image for larger size. *
About 7,500 light-years away in the Perseus spiral arm of our galaxy,
stars were born in IC 1805. In fact, near the cosmic heart's center are the
massive hot stars of a newborn star cluster also known as Melotte 15, about
1.5 million years young. A little ironically, the Heart Nebula is located
in the constellation Cassiopeia. From Greek mythol... more »
The Poet: Mary Oliver, "Mysteries, Yes"
*"Mysteries, Yes"*
"Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity,
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads."
- Mary Oliver, "Evidence"
Radical Cleric Abu Hamza Deported From Britain
Radical cleric Abu Hamza is expected to arrive in the United States today
after he was deported from Britain along with four other terror suspects.
The men were onboard two planes which left a military airbase in Suffolk
late on Friday, Home Secretary Theresa May said.
The suspects had made last-ditch challenges against removal from the UK,
which were rejected by two High Court judges in London hours earlier.
Speaking after the US-bound flights had taken off, Mrs May said: "I can
confirm that tonight two planes have left RAF Mildenhall to transport Abu
Hamza, Babar Ahmad, Adel Abdu... more »
Cinéma vérité . . .
DEBKAfile
is a site that some love to hate, for its unabashedly pro-Israeli
orientation. However, there is a report that is worthy of attention
without reflexive knee-jerk: "Defecting Iranian cameraman brings CIA
priceless film of secret nuclear sites". According to the report, dated
October 5:
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s personal cameraman, Hassan Golkhanban,
who defected from his UN
Northerntruthseeker Laid Up For A Few Days...
I have been laid up for the last two days with what appears to be either a
severe cold, or even Influenza symptoms.... Only now have I actually spent
the time to do some reading of what has been really happening in the real
world via the alternative media....
It does appear that I caught what ever I am suffering from my son, who
caught it himself in his High School. He was sick for 6 days, and I am
hoping that I am able to recover much sooner... I am hoping that I am back
to my normal self in the next day or two....
I do appreciate everyone's patience. In the meantime, as before,... more »
Funny business
*"On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog."*
*"We worked for hours on this during the practice debates," said the
campaign manager Matt Rhoades. "We were, like, 'Mitt, if you find yourself
on the verge of saying something true, bite your tongue.'" . . . While Mr.
Romney's talent for lying was in evidence during the Republican primary
debates, it was nothing like the "mad skills" he displayed Wednesday night,
the campaign manager said.*
*-- The Borowitz Report for today,
"Debate Victory Validates Romney Strategy of Nonstop Lying"*
*by Ken*
The cartoon above is the "luscious" Pet... more »
Conservatives crack up over unemployment drop
As I said earlier, there was a half-way decent jobs report this morning.
Job growth was revised up to a fairly respectable number and more
significantly, unemployment claims dropped to a four year low. So the cons
went into a major meltdown. They just can't believe after all their hard
work at sabotaging the economy, that damn lazy blah POTUS refuses to fail.
With former GE CEO (and apparently senile) Jack Welch leading the pack, the
internets are swarming with distraught cons darkly muttering about the
damned convenience of an emerging gleam of hope of real recovery on the
horizon... more »
Untitled
U.S. proposes ban on polar bear trade
[image: A polar bear and her two cubs walk along the shore of Hudson Bay
near Churchill, Man., in 2007.]*A polar bear and her two cubs walk along
the shore of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Man., in 2007. (Canadian Press)*
Related StoriesArviat, Nunavut, resident wants more polar bear tags
The United States is again lobbying for an international ban on the trade
of polar bear parts, after a previous attempt failed in 2010.
Chet Raymo, "The Darkness Without And The Darkness Within"
*"The Darkness Without And The Darkness Within"*
by Chet Raymo
"The two great themes of John Updike's fiction are sex and religion. For
his male protagonists, religion functions mostly as a fence- not to
constrain their carnal hankerings, but to make the "grass" looks greener on
the other side. Toward the end of "Villages", almost as a throwaway, Updike
offers three "evidential arguments" for the truths of Christianity.
The first is our wish to live forever, "however tedious the actual
experience of eternal consciousness might be." Updike is remarkably well
informed about scien... more »
I'm Not Like My Father - J. Trudeau
When it comes right down to it, Justin Trudeau really has just one thing
going for him, his youth. It's sad that he doesn't seem to want that
getting in his way.
Trudeau showed he's simply a younger version of the traditional,
celo-packaged Liberal hack when he hemmed and hawed about Enbridge and the
Northern Gateway pipeline. The route is bad, he said.
Really, that's it? The route is bad? Trudeau is barely a quarter notch
past Ignatieff on that. The route is bad.
Trudeau doesn't seem able to discuss the tar sands in the context of fossil
fuels and what that's going to mea... more »
Great Saturday Night Video
Mitt Romney Style ( with a little lying Ryan)
Mitt Romney Style: College Humor's Romney 'Gangnam Style' Parody
About Three Minutes
Watch is here (has the F word once at the beginning)
Full Screen is best.
Watch is >>>>HERE<<<<
Living Beneath the Drones Overhead
The villagers hear them. They know the distinctive buzzing sound of the American
drones patrolling overhead that the villagers call "mosquitoes."
*The US missile-attacks destroy militant training compounds and cars but
they also hit mosques, homes, religious schools and civilian vehicles.*
*I witnessed the fear, stress and depression this causes for the tribal
communities on a visit to the region in May. *
*The drones do not suddenly appear over the horizon, carry out the attack
and leave. At any given time of the day, at least four are hovering in the
sky, emitting a distinctive... more »
"How Can That Be?"
"When someone is impatient and says, "I haven't got all day,"
I always wonder, How can that be? How can you not have all day?"
- George Carlin
"Habitual Anger: Unblocking the Ally"
*"Habitual Anger: Unblocking the Ally"*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
"Anger can easily become our go-to emotion; to remedy, start noticing when
and why you get angry. Sometimes when we feel anger, it is coming from a
deep place that demands acknowledgment and expression. At these times, it
is important that we find healthy ways to honor our anger, remembering how
dangerous it is to repress it. However, anger can also become a habit, our
go-to emotion whenever things go wrong. Often this is because, for whatever
reason, we feel more comfortable expressing anger than we do other ... more »
Obama: The Man Who Wasn't There
*Source: The New Yorker*.
Truthiness
Last night I responded to Chris Selley's tweet promoting his opinion piece
in the NatPo.
No acknowledgement. So I'll post what I cited in my tweets to him.
This jumped out and seemed scientifically incorrect to me; I found stats to
challenge it.
“It’s a fraught issue, which stirs emotions on each side,” Ms. Newman
wrote, in the Telegraph piece that touched off this controversy. “Is it
right that we terminate pregnancies, which might, with the medical care now
available, result in healthy babies?
That "healthy babies" claim sounded suspiciously like the glurging over
that pro-lia... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Coquille, Oregon, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
Who's Afraid of Nell Scharff?
Now, if you've read *The Atlantic*'s piece on the "writing revolution"
(I'll review this in another post) you may have picked up on the name Nell
Scharff, but you may also have just paid her no attention. She is
introduced in the piece and identified in this way.
Her [New Dorp principal] decision in 2008 to focus on how teachers
supported writing inside each classroom was not popular. “Most teachers,”
said Nell Scharff, an instructional expert DeAngelis hired, “entered into
the process with a strongly negative attitude.” They were doing their job,
they told her hotly. New Dorp stud... more »
"No Wonder..."
"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction.
Fiction has to make sense."
- Mark Twain
Q Day 8: Ethics Question
Okay, last one. Thanks for all the questions, and sorry I couldn't get to
them all -- I just went through and answered a bunch in comments on the
original post. But I'll end with a morbid one about political ethics, from
Matt Glassman:
If a major party POTUS nominee discovered that he had serious but probably
treatable cancer in October, would you want him to tell the American people
before the election (potentially altering the outcome), or wait until after
he/she won to disclose it?
Hmm...that's a good one, and I'm fighting the urge to say "depends." I
mean, how "probable" is pro... more »
Arizona Border Patrol Agent's Murder Brings Chilling Questions
*By Brenda Norrell*
*Censored News*
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Updated Friday, Oct. 5, at 5:30 pm
Photo Nicholas Ivie
TUCSON -- When Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Ivie was shot and killed on the
border near Naco on Tuesday, Tucson television Channel 4, KVOA, broadcast
an eerie report.
It began with a resident speaking of the guns that the US let flow to
Mexico‘s drug cartels, referring to the ATF’s Project Gunrunner.
Then, the news report showed Ivie’s body on a stretcher and being
transported to the Tucson hospital. Ivie’s body was escorted by Border
Patrol agents and a large... more »
Vangelis, "Conquest of Paradise 1492"
Vangelis, "Conquest of Paradise 1492"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TM2jqv0jEOQ
"Columbus Day? Thanks, No..."
"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didn't
have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents. Without a
prison, there can be no delinquents. We had no locks nor keys and therefore
among us there were no thieves. When someone was so poor that he couldn't
afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all
as a gift. We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private
property. We didn't know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a
human being was not determined by his wealth. We had no written laws... more »
Q Day 7: Politician Skills
An anonymous commenter asks:
You talk a lot about how being a good President is largely about being a
good *politician*. One of the reasons you think Carter was a poor
president, I take it, is that he viewed himself as above politics and did
not take seriously, once in office, the job of leading his party and
fighting partisan battles.
That said, my question is this: Did Obama's debate performance on Wednesday
change your opinion on him? Joe Klein said something like, it's hard to
imagine this Obama (i.e., the debate version) even being able to
communicate effectively to do his job... more »
Hessdalen UFO phenomenon in a new light
address-withheld@my.opera.com.invalid (Dr. John v. Kampen) at - 6 hours ago
Link: http://youtu.be/wDK96oh0jTY
More about HERA you'll find here. An overview of the Hessdalen phenomenon
is at this link. Here is an Italian scientific source. The Italian Soso
Tracker equipment for HERA is described here. Commentary from Dr. Massimo
Teodorani. In short: since 1981 the Hessdalen phenomena are with us. They
are often described as "Ufo" related, which blurs scientific research and
conclusions. However, this 'model'-phenomenon may shed more light on
Ufo-sightings elsewhere, requiring far more investigation and far less
digital camera fraud. It is a fascinating pheno... more »
"There Is Always Something..."
"Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is
always
something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a
leaf."
- Albert Schweitzer
21st Century Battlefield: Race Of Drones
Israel is the world's largest exporter of drones, CNN reported Tuesday,
noting that the Jewish state now sells unmanned aerial vehicles and related
technologies to a variety of countries.
But Israel's booming drone industry is just a symptom of a global trend.
Only 10 years ago the US had a virtual monopoly on drones, but now more
than 70 countries own some type of an unmanned aircraft – although just a
small number of those nations possess armed drones.
According to the report, the explosion in drone technology promises to
change the way nations conduct war and threatens to begin... more »
“What An Astronaut's Camera Sees at Night”
*“What An Astronaut's Camera Sees at Night”*
By Ryan Grenoble
"Ever wonder what an astronaut aboard the International Space Station
(ISS) sees at night? A new video posted to YouTube has pulled back the
curtain on that mystery, and the results are spectacular. The video, simply
titled "What an Astronaut's Camera Sees at Night," features a voiceover by
Dr. Justin Wilkinson, a scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
For nearly five minutes, Dr. Wilkinson points out features of the Earth's
geography as the ISS soars above major population centers, mountain ranges,
an... more »
Turkey, Syria and Israel: Mortar Shells and the Mavi Marmara
Getting back to Syria and more but first rehashing and flashbacking!
Then getting to the false flag being needed to create the buffer zone. Will
this succeed?
I hope not.
Wednesday Sept 3/12, *5 Turks *were killed by mortar fire, claimed by
Turkey to have come from Syrian Army. The problem with that scenario? *Turkey
knew that was false.*
Turkey knew it was* not the Syrian Army* that had fired the mortar. Turkey
conspired with their NATO backed terror bunch the FSA, a group that Turkey
has both birthed and nurtured, to create a false flag attack to justify
upping the ante in the... more »
Was Mitt Talking to ALEC???
It seemed interesting to me (in retrospect) that when Mitt-Wit was
commenting on "the economy" at the debate on Wednesday night.
What things would I cut from spending? Well, first of all, I will eliminate
all programs by this test, if they don't pass it: Is the program so
critical it's worth borrowing money from China to pay for it? And if not,
I'll get rid of it. Obamacare's on my list.
I apologize, Mr. President. I use that term with all respect, by the way.
OBAMA: I like it.
ROMNEY: Good. OK, good. So I'll get rid of that.
I'm sorry, Jim, I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'... more »
Breaking news, B. P. Deepwater horizon Spill comes back to life, oil sheening for miles, more to come.
* *It looks like the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has
sprung back to life, this was expected by many experts, and to think Terry
Lake, British Columbia`s Environment minister is calling for the offshore
oil and gas drilling moratorium to be lifted, good gawd Terry Lake, you are
so stunned and so in the pocket of Enbridge, May14th 2012....Enjoy your
last days idiot!*____________________**Breaking news: New oil sheen near
site of Deepwater Horizon disaster*
* 47 3*
*2 Comments*
*Here we go again. Federal officials acknowledge that they’re investigating
a new oi... more »
What Mitt Romney did on his Labor Day weekend!
*FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012*
*From the land of the snark and the snide:* We’ve been re-watching
Wednesday night’s debate.
Obama is doing better this time. It’s amazing how much expectations affect
what a person sees.
That said, most people who watched the Wednesday night fight thought Romney
walked off with the prize. He seemed brisker, more aggressive, more focused.
It seemed he might have prepared himself a bit more thoroughly. That
possibility made us recall the snark and the snide we had seen on some
cable TV shows.
It was Monday evening, September 3—Labor Day itself! The GOP had... more »
Q Day 6: State Judge Selection
Respectful Opposition asks,
Do you favor increased or decreased politicization in the realm of judge
selection on a state level? My state, Missouri, is considering a referendum
that would make their selection a much more partisan process. My law
professor father hates it, and my political science professor loves it.
I've never understood why the federal system isn't the best one for the
states: have the governor nominate them, have the state senate confirm
them, end of story. I don't think it's a horrible violation of democracy or
justice, so I'm okay with states choosing their own ... more »
Gary DeLong, Another Lockstep Republican Making Believe He's A "Moderate"
There's a fight going on in the new 47th House District in California. In
one corner is Democrat Alan Lowenthal, a respected state Senator with a
solid progressive record. In the other corner is Republican Long Beach City
Councilman Gary DeLong and his U.S. Chamber of Commerce attack dogs, who
just recently dropped $300,000 in negative TV ads against Lowenthal, part
of a multimillion dollar effort to defeat California progressives and even
moderate Democrats. Nearly all the Chamber money is going to help
reactionary Republicans, although they managed to find themselves two
reactio... more »
American Hero Gwenyth Todd Speaks With Kerry Cassidy of Project Camelot
Gwenyth Todd was an Adviser to the U.S. Navy and a former staff member at
the National Security Council. She stopped a U.S. war with Iran in 2007.
For more information about her background and strange story, check out the
following articles:
Juan Cole - *Plot to Provoke war with Iran thwarted by Navy analyst*.
Kevin Barrett/Veterans Today - *Gwenyth Todd: Richard Clarke a 9/11 person
of interest*.
Gordon Duff/Veterans Today - *The Truth About the 2007 Invasion of Iran and
the Woman Who Stopped It*.
This interview took place on September 26, 2012. Skip to the 5 minute mark.
5.4 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE COAST OF GUATEMALA - 5th October 2012
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake has struck OFF THE COAST OF GUATEMALA at a depth
of 6.6 km (4.1 miles), the quake hit at 18:22:52 UTC Friday 5th October 2012
The epicenter was 137 km (85 miles) Southwest of Puerto San Jose, Guatemala
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake BANDA SEA - 5th October 2012
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck the BANDA SEA at a depth of 157.2 km
(97.7 miles), the quake hit at 18:08:19 UTC Friday 5th October 2012
The epicenter was 242 km (150 miles) Northwest of Saumlaki, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHERN PERU - 5th October 2012
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck SOUTHERN PERU at a depth of 185.2 km
(115.1 miles), the quake hit at 17:56:01 UTC Friday 5th October 2012
The epicenter was 20 km (12.4 miles) NNW of Santa Lucia, Peru
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake GULF OF CALIFORNIA - 5th October 2012
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck the GULF OF CALIFORNIA at a depth of
1 km (0.6 miles), the quake hit at 20:02:08 UTC Friday 5th October 2012
The epicenter was 115 km (71 miles) ENE of San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Mitt-Wit - Right Wing Extremist
I didn’t get to watch the debate on Wednesday – so I had the joy of
struggling through the transcript and there were a few things that popped
out at me (in addition to the massive LIES that Mitt-Wit kept telling –
over and over and over again and his insistent, constant interruptions when
he thought he had the right to keep going when it wasn’t his turn anymore).
The good thing of working with the transcript is I can give you direct
quotes of what Mitt-Wit said.
Today on the radio I heard the current right-wing party referred to
multiple times as “extremist”. When you have a righ... more »
Satire: "Debate Victory Validates Romney Strategy of Nonstop Lying"
*"Debate Victory Validates Romney Strategy of Nonstop Lying"*
by Andy Borowitz
NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)— "Taking a victory lap after their
candidate’s win in the first Presidential debate Wednesday night, Romney
campaign insiders today attributed his success to his strategic use of
relentless lying. “We worked for hours on this during the practice
debates,” said the campaign manager Matt Rhoades. “We were, like, ‘Mitt, if
you find yourself on the verge of saying something true, bite your tongue.’
”
Mr. Rhoades said that the nominee was allowed to say his real name and
ac... more »
Q Day 5: Labor Day and the Campaigns
Rich Beckman asks:
It seems like all my life I have heard that voters do not pay attention to
the presidential election until after Labor Day. I did not hear that once
this summer and it seems like (from the polls) they had all made up their
minds long before Labor Day.
I've been hearing this a bunch this year, and I think it somewhat conflates
a couple of things.
There was an old tradition that the *campaign* didn't start until Labor
Day. I'm not sure how true that ever was (as long as I can remember, it was
mentioned only as an old tradition now violated), but remember that there... more »
Pesticide Use Ramping Up As GM Backfires
Pesticide use ramping up as GMO crop technology backfires--study. Reuters.
-
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/usa-study-pesticides-idUSL1E8L202I20121002
[Excerpted] U.S. farmers are using more hazardous pesticides to fight weeds
and insects due largely to heavy adoption of genetically modified crop
technologies that are sparking a rise of "superweeds" and hard-to-kill
insects, according to a newly released study.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49250120
Genetically engineered crops have led to an increase in overall pesticide
use, by 404 million pounds from the time they were intr... more »
Two Articles on Secret Radiation Tests on Hapless U.S. Citizens
Revealed: Army Scientists Secretly Sprayed St Louis with ‘radioactive’
Particles for YEARS to Test Chemical Warfare Technology Posted on the 01
October 2012 by Earth First! Newswire
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210415/Revealed-Army-scientists-secretly-sprayed-St-Louis-radioactive-particles-YEARS-test-chemical-warfare-technology.html#ixzz285QxmkrX
[Excerpted] The United States Military conducted top secret experiments
on
the citizens of St. Louis, Missouri, for years, exposing them to
radioactive compounds, a researcher has claimed.
While it was known that the governm... more »
Podcast No. 11 - Interview with Janice Bially Mattern
The eleventh episode of the Duck of Minerva Podcast just went live. In it,
I interview Janice Bially Mattern of the National University of Singapore.
Her first monograph is *Ordering International Politics: Identity, Crisis,
and Representational Force *(Routledge, 2005).
*Contents *
- Front Matter
- An Intellectual Introduction
- Ordering International Politics
- Transnational Organized Crime
- Hierarchy, Emotion, and Transnational Criminals
- The Multivocality of Mattern's Work
- Styles of Reasoning in IR
- Taking Over the International Studies Review
... more »
"When Politics Contaminates Everything: Live Free Or Fly"
*"When Politics Contaminates Everything:*
* Live Free Or Fly"*
by Addison Wiggin
“Romney and Obama are both extraordinarily talented and smart,” writes
Jeffrey Tucker, reacting to two Harvard Law grads “debating” this week.
“That’s what it takes to pull off the world’s biggest hoax. They must
shamelessly play along with the expectation that they are masterminds of
history’s largest and most expansive government with thousands of
departments, millions and millions of regulations, astonishingly complex
networks of graft and corruption and legacy content dating back more than a
cen... more »
The greatest orator of our generation?
Ezra Levant's review of the first presidential debate held in Denver on
October 3, 2012.
I am so pleased that Barack Obama has finally been caught out for the fraud
that he is. I know that the BBC and most of the US media have been
protecting Barack Obama for years and won't stop now but it seems that the
US public have finally been exposed to the truth.
US Temperatures Have Been Falsely Adjusted According to the Level of Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
Steven Goddard in recent months has been presenting evidence on his
real-science site of fraudulent manipulation, by NASA and other renowned
federal scientific institutions, of the temperature data used by climate
scientists to promulgate global warming hysteria. Goddard has presented the
following graph, showing that adjustments made to the US temperature
records have systematically lowered past temperatures and raised more
recent ones, to give a false indication of warming over the past century
and more:
The indicated adjustments looked familiar to me, as being like the actual
c... more »
Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 10.5.12"
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 10.5.12"*
by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
"The first Presidential debate is wrapped up, and it looks like Republican
challenger Mitt Romney scored a big victory against President Obama. Romney
zinged Obama a couple of times and looked way more prepared than the
President. When Obama brought up the nearly $3 billion in tax credits given
to oil and gas companies, Romney fired back with $90 billion to green
energy companies, most of which have failed or are not making a profit.
Romney also scored points describing the way “Obama Care” was pushed
through withou... more »
The UK Establishment: Riddled with pædophile scum
The following is republished from The Tap (
http://the-tap.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/jimmy-savile-obe-at-last-kids-can-rest.html).
Not only is the late Jimmy Savile exposed as a child molesters; he is but
one of many who have infested the 'celebrity' clique who shape the values
of the gullible public. Savile abused children for decades and was
protected by the Windsors, and the Government, as well as assorted
pædophiles in the police, media and other branches of the Establishment; he
was even *knighted* by the anti-humans who rule our troubled land. Now
that his sickening behaviour ... more »
Deasy the Dauphine of LAUSD returns to his "let them eat ebooks" theme
*"These "data-driven" investors are not so much interested in students'
scores, as in the opportunities to cut costs by using online technology...
The central question, says education entrepreneur John Katzman is "How do
we use technology so that we require fewer qualified teachers?"" — Jeff Faux
*
[image: Plutocratic priest of privatization LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy]A
"RIFed" (laid off) Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teacher posted
a link to an *LA Times* piece on my facebook page this morning with the
following note: "I'm laid off, but let's buy more equipment.... more »
"Who or What Is the Enemy?"
*"Who or What Is the Enemy?"*
by Stefan Molyneux
"There is a scene in the movie "Barfly" where a woman turns to the main
character and says “I can’t stand people. I hate them. Do you hate them?”
He turns to her and drawls, “No, but I seem to feel better when they’re not
around.”
By his own report, Albert Nock didn’t like people very much. “Someone asked
me years ago if it were true that I disliked Jews, and I replied that it
was certainly true, not at all because they are Jews, but because they are
folks, and I don’t like folks.” He never cried as a child, and as a young
man he... more »
31 Days of Photo Props: Single Flowers
A lot of times when it comes to photos, we have this idea that more is
better. A lot of the times more is just distracting. While I love big
bouquets of flowers, and had one at my own wedding, for bridal portraits
single flowers are often the ticket.
A single flower adds the pop of color against a white dress that you are
looking for, without distracting from the beautiful bride.
I often suggest to a bride that she bring both a bouquet and a single
flower to her bridal shoot to give variety. Often times brides think they
are going to love the bouquet and end up loving the single ... more »
Protect The Greater Canyonlands of Utah
Protect The Greater Canyonlands
Q Day 4: Technology and Political Information
An anonymous commenter asks:
What are the biggest ways that technology and the Internet have changed the
way we consume political news and make political decisions over the past 30
years? Have those changes impacted election outcomes, in your opinion? Can
you make a sci-fi guess about how elections and electoral politics will
look in the next 30 years?
The biggest difference in how we get our political information over the
last thirty years is the rise, or really the revival, of the partisan press.
Some of that appears to be technology related, right? I don't know actually
know tha... more »
"Welcome To The Collapse: Gas Shortage Begins In California, Gas Stations Closing"
*"Welcome To The Collapse: *
*Gas Shortage Begins In California, Gas Stations Closing"*
by Josey Wales
"More evidence of the systemic breakdown happening here is California. Gas
shortages are happening to LA and is spreading to San Francisco. If you
live in California it’s time to stock pile at least one tank’s worth of
gas. You may not make it out… Gasoline station owners in the Los Angeles
area including Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) are beginning to shut pumps as
the state’s oil refiners started rationing supplies and spot prices surged
to a record.
Valero Energy Corp. (... more »
Mental health break
Good unemployment numbers, sort of ok jobs report, so wingers are in melt
down mode. The crazy on the internets today is so toxic, here's a little heart
melting story that will restore your faith in humanity.
These ducks were rescued from a hoarder, who was keeping over 160 fowl in
filthy, overcrowded conditions. The neglected birds had never even seen a
pond. But the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary has nursed them back to
health, repairing infections, injured feet, and nutritional deficiencies —
and now you can watch these newly rehabilitated duckies learn to swim.
They’re a bit c... more »
HOW MEMORY WORKS
[image: Untitled]
*By* Le merle étourdi
We remember the time we kissed a very pretty teen.
Our memories help us to imagine the future.
We imagine a long happy relationship.
We forget what the teen's mother looked like when she was not wearing her
make up, or her wig.
We remember seeing George Bush with Rafsanjani in the Hotel George V.
Or was it the Hotel Crillon? (BUSH.)
Or was it somewhere else?
[image: Pearson's Popular Postcards]
By lovedaylemon
Our memories help us to imagine the future.
Our memories did not evolve so that we can remember.
Our memories evolved so that we ca... more »
Science Corrupted
Misconduct Widespread in Retracted Science Papers, Study Finds By CARL
ZIMMER
Published: October 1, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/science/study-finds-fraud-is-widespread-in-retracted-scientific-papers.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121002
[Excerpted] Last year the journal Nature reported an alarming increase
in
the number of retractions of scientific papers — a tenfold rise in the
previous decade, to more than 300 a year across the scientific
literature.
Other studies have suggested that most of these retractions resulted
from
honest errors. But a deeper analysi... more »
Describe The Goal, Not The Step
As Southern Man was busily working this morning he noted this post at Armed
and Dangerous and followed it to a nice article entitled How To Ask
Questions The Smart Way. While intended for hackers software developers it
was generally good advice, and one section read like this:
Describe the goal, not the step
If you are trying to find out how to do something (as opposed to reporting
a bug), begin by describing the goal. Only then describe the particular
step towards it that you are blocked on.
Southern Man makes this error *all the time*. In particular, the way he
makes this error ... more »
Q Day 3: Clinton/Tsongas?
I'm not sure why, but Ron E. asks:
What do you think would have been the election results in 1992 if, say,
Paul Tsongas had won the Democratic nomination? You can choose whether you
think Ross Perot would still have run under that scenario or not.
OK, I do like this question.
To begin with, you can never get into a politician's head, but generally
I'd say that as far as I know Perot was motivated by his ego and his hatred
of George H.W. Bush, so nothing there. On the other hand, as Steve Kornacki
would note Perot didn't really affect the outcome.
As far as Tsongas...I've probably m... more »
After Benghazi, is al Qaeda back?....CIA Never Left, Did they?
*When trying to understand a strange action by the U.S. government, I have
found it's usually best explained by incompetence rather than conspiracy. *
Republicans have claimed that the Obama Administration deliberately
deceived the American public about the terrorist attack in Benghazi by
describing it as a spontaneous mob uprising rather than a planned operation.
But if the Administration knew from the start that it was a terrorist
attack, did it really think that it could conceal this from the world? That
the Libyan government would make no investigation? That there would be no
e... more »
Syrian rebels say they will kill Iranian Unarmed hostages
*CNN) -- Syrian rebels said they will start executing a group of about 48
Shiite pilgrims from Iran if Tehran and Damascus do not comply with their
demands, according to a video posted on YouTube this week.*
The pilgrims were abducted in August.
In the video, a rebel officer dressed in camouflage, standing in front of
what appeared to be a group of hostages, addressed the Iranian and Syrian
governments.
The officer said his group had tried to negotiate with Syrian authorities
for the hostages' release, in exchange for that of rebels held in regime
prisons, but those efforts failed... more »
E.J. Dionne and the change in the times!
*FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012*
*The template for last night’s confusion:* Until a few moments ago, we
hadn’t seen this column by E. J. Dionne.
It appeared in yesterday’s Washington Post—in the late editions.
Dionne’s piece was written on the fly after Wednesday night’s debate. It’s
grossly misleading regarding its substance—but it does show the change in
the times.
Dionne was reacting to Romney’s statements at the debate about his tax cut
proposal. Here’s how the column starts:
DIONNE (10/4/12): *The strangest aspect of Wednesday night’s debate was
Mitt Romney’s decision to change his ... more »
Barbara Kay Lies Again
Last night Barbara Kay and I had this exchange over her column and my
response to it.
@fernhilldammit The 1989 Holly Howe study using a N.Y. IA registry has
never been refuted or withdrawn.
— Barbara Kay (@BarbaraRKay) October 5, 2012
(The Howe study is the only link in her piece backing up her 'abortion
causes breast cancer' lie.)
Withdrawing a paper is a very big deal indeed and rarely happens. But
science consists of refutation and refinement. I was curious what others --
scientists and non-scientists -- had to say about this particular study.
First, I regular Googled 'H.L. How... more »
Who is arming the Syrian conflict?
*(CNN) -- Syria's shelling of a border town in Turkey has sparked fears
that President Bashar al-Assad's attempt to snuff out a rebellion at home
could turn into a damaging regional war between the two neighbors.*
Five civilians, all women and children, in the town of Akcakale were killed
by Syrian artillery rounds in the worst single case of violence on the
Turkish side of the border since Syria's unrest began last year.
While Syria hasn't confirmed its motive for firing into Turkey, rebels
fighting an 18-month war against the Assad regime have allegedly been using
positions on th... more »
Turkish military returns fire after mortar shell from Syria lands in farmland in Hatay province
Turkey has reportedly returned fire after a shell fired from Syria landed
on its territory close to their common border.
NTV private news said the shell from Syria landed in the Turkish town of
Altinozu, in Hatay province near the border, triggering an immediate
response from Turkish forces.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
More follows...
5.1 Magnitude Earthquake EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN - 5th October 2012
5.1 Magnitude Earthquake SULAWESI, INDONESIA - 5th October 2012
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake has struck SULAWESI, INDONESIA at a depth of 100
km (62 miles), the quake hit at 15:44:07 UTC Friday 5th October 2012
The epicenter was 61 km (37.8 miles) Southwest of Mobagu, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Turkey warns "not far" from war after Syrian attack
*(Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned on Friday his
country was "not far" from war with Syria following cross-border attacks
this week - words which highlighted the danger that the uprising against
Syrian President Bashar al-Asaad will drag in its neighbours.*
In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Erdogan warned the Assad
government it would be making a fatal mistake if it picked a fight with
Turkey.
The speech followed a Syrian mortar barrage on a town in southeast Turkey
that killed five people on Tuesday.
Turkish artillery bombarded Syrian military... more »
Glenn Greenwald Keynote - With Liberty and Justice for Some
Skip to the 5 minute mark.
Jeffrey Simpson Pronounces Northern Gateway D.O.A.
Globe & Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson writes that the
Enbridge/Harper/China Northern Gateway pipeline proposal is dead - stone
cold dead.
*To survive, the Gateway pipeline would have to push past the growing
opposition of British Columbians in general, the opposition of the current
Liberal provincial government and the NDP government likely to replace it
next year, the unanimous opposition of environmentalists, considerable
opposition from at least some of the aboriginal groups along the route and,
if all this were not enough, the likelihood of prolonged court battles.*
*What’s ... more »
Mitt Romney-- Bad Dog!
I couldn't watch that debate on Wednesday. I knew it would suck. I watched
the first 20 minutes and it sucked... so I went hiking in the hills behind
my house and got back just as it was ending. I had a nice walk. And, of
course, now I've read all about it and watched the YouTubes, etc. Before I
left, I tweeted about what I was seeing (about 10 minutes into the debate).
I was stunned and surprised-- though I'm not sure I should have been-- and
I imagine the President was as well. Greg Sargent imagined it the same way
I did: "At yesterday’s debate, Obama repeatedly appeared genuinel... more »
Presidents, Bill Clinton and Roswell
As we investigated the Roswell case, the question frequently came up about
what the presidents knew about UFOs and Roswell. I had always been of the
opinion that a president can learn pretty much all that he wants to know
because he is the head of the government. All he needs to do is ask the
right questions of the right people… and if they refuse to answer, he could
fire them and ask their successors the questions.
I had been of the opinion that the president, as the head of the government
had many important problems to solve, and that UFOs were not at the top of
the list. With wa... more »
Q Day 2: Gerrymandering
Jacob H. asks:
Are there any alternatives to gerrymandering? Making political geography
the domain of elected state legislatures seems like a recipe for trouble...
Are there alternatives? Sure. The big one would be to get away from
single-member districts. It's certainly possible for states to elect all
Members of the House, for example, at-large, the way that Senators are
elected. Sure, that would be goofy in a state the size of California, but
you could do it. Or you could have a proportional representation scheme.
But if you stick to single-member districts...if gerrymandering is... more »
Libyan protesters storm congress over government line-up
*TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Protesters stormed the headquarters of Libya's
national congress on Thursday angry about the new prime minister's proposed
government line-up, saying it was not fully representative of the North
African country.*
Between 100 and 150 demonstrators from the western town of Zawiyah walked
into the main room where congress meets, forcing the cancellation of a
special session to study Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur's
nominations for his transitional government.
Abushagur nominated his cabinet on Wednesday for approval by the national
congress, presenting a ... more »
Lloyds Banking Group and Co-op hit by 'system error'
*Two major banking groups have suffered from system errors which have been
causing problems for customers.
*
Users of Lloyds TSB debit cards, ATMs, and the bank's online banking
service complained of difficulties, along with customers at the Halifax.
But a group spokeswoman said the problem was now fixed and a backlog of
transactions was being worked through.
The Co-operative Bank also admitted to suffering from a "temporary issue"
with its systems.
A spokeswoman for the Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group, said the
hitches were the result of a "systems failure", which had affect... more »
VIDEO Daryl Hannah and Eleanor Fairchild defend family farm from tarsands pipeline
*UPDATE OCT 5th 3:00AM* - Both Daryl and Eleanor have been safely released
from jail. After their courageous action to defend Eleanor’s farm,
TransCanada’s construction crews worked all night long to speedily bulldoze
and burn piles of her precious trees. More photos can be found here.
MORE at Tarsands Blockade
www.tarsandsblockdade.org
*PHOTOS*
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/10/daryl-hannah-arrested-with-elderly.html
Joe Rogan Podcast #273 - Amber Lyon
"I just hope that the American people realize that they are being fed
propaganda with the Iran situation now, and the same people behind Iraq,
same forces, are behind this push to get us in Iran." - Amber Lyon.
[0:27:17 - 0:27:29].
"We should be a nation of heroes." - Joe Rogan.
Graph of the Day: Decline in Coral Cover of the Great Barrier Reef, 1985-2012
[image: Decline in coral cover of the Great Barrier Reef, 1985-2012. Box
plots indicate the percentiles (25%, 50%, and 75%) of the coral cover
distributions within each year and suggest a substantial decline in coral
cover over the 27-year period. De’ath, et al., 2012]
ABSTRACT: The world’s coral reefs are being degraded, and the need to
reduce local pressures to offset the effects of increasing global pressures
is now widely recognized. This study investigates the spatial and temporal
dynamics of coral cover, identifies the main drivers of coral mortality, and
quantifies the rates ... more »
Drought stressing U.S. farmers and ranchers – ‘If it’s doing this for the next two years, I can’t see us being able to keep going’
[image: For Wayne Boschert and his wife, the 2012 drought has meant no room
for luxury. They have canceled the trip to St. Martin that they take every
January. Dilip Vishwanat for The New York Times]
BUTLER, Missouri – They have canceled vacations. Their children are
forgoing out-of-state colleges for cheaper ones close to home. They are
delaying doctor’s visits, selling off land handed down through generations
and resisting luxuries like new smartphones.
And then there is the stress — sleepless nights, grumpiness and, in one
extreme case, seizures.
Lost amid the withered crops... more »
The Real News - Elements in Iran and US that Want War
The Real News:
Larry Wilkerson: After recent meetings with Iranian leaders, it's clear the
US has lost the ability to understand how other states see their interests.
Watchdog Warns Of Power Shortages By 2015
*A report by the energy regulator warns of the prospect of higher bills and
the potential for power shortages because of falling spare capacity in
electricity generation.*
Ofgem's first Electricity Capacity Assessment for the Government forecasts
a reduction in generation margins over the next four years, falling from
14% to 4% over the winter of 2015/16.
One reason for the deterioration is that coal-fired power stations are
closing earlier than expected under EU environmental legislation, forcing
the UK to import more gas to compensate and therefore risk costs rising.
The watchdo... more »
Krugman outlines a major misstatement!
*FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012*
*But the New York Times offers no fact-check:* This morning, in his New
York Times column, Paul Krugman outlines a major misstatement by Mitt
Romney at Wednesday night’s debate.
What do you call a misstatement like this? As his column begins, Krugman
samples various names:
KRUGMAN (10/5/12): *Romney's Sick Joke*
“No. 1,” declared Mitt Romney in Wednesday’s debate, “pre-existing
conditions are covered under my plan.” No, they aren’t—as Mr. Romney’s own
advisers have conceded in the past, and did again after the debate.
*Was Mr. Romney lying?* Well, either... more »
South Africa's Amplats fires 12,000 wildcat strikers
*(Reuters) - The world's largest platinum producer, Anglo American
Platinum, fired 12,000 workers taking part in a three-week illegal strike
on Friday, following through on tough talk over wildcat stoppages in South
African mines.*
Two months of labor unrest has spread from mines to other parts of Africa's
biggest economy, causing political problems for President Jacob Zuma and
his ruling African National Congress (ANC), the veteran liberation movement
long closely tied to unions.
Shell said on Friday it could not honor fuel delivery contracts around
Johannesburg because of a two-... more »
Merkel to visit Greece as money running out
*(Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will make her first visit to
Greece next week since the euro zone debt crisis erupted, in a show of
support for Athens after it said it will run out of money at the end of
November without fresh international aid.*
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras hailed the trip as a very positive
development at a time when his country is locked in negotiations with euro
zone and IMF creditors who are holding back some 31.5 billion euros ($41
billion) in urgently needed loans.
"The key is liquidity. That is why the next credit tranche is so importan... more »
TURKEY ATTACKS SYRIA; 'CIA TO DESTROY JORDAN'
*Turkey not in the best of health.*
A mortar shell 'fired from Syria' killed five people in Akçakale, in Turkey.
"It was by no means clear which side was responsible for the shelling,
however, and some commentators in Turkey suggested that it could have been
deliberately staged with the aim of provoking a Turkish intervention."
Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has said that the
Western-backed 'rebels' might deliberately provoke fighting on the border
with the aim of drawing Turkey into the conflict."
Turkey attacks Syria after stray shelling
On 3 October 2012, Tu... more »
Actual ad on Craigslist
Yes, people, it's now come to this. On top of vetting your prior employers
and undergoing the humiliation of a criminal and credit background check,
drug screening and a physical and being asked to turn over our Facebook
passwords, now we have to submit to a hair follicle test. Which is one step
away from DNA testing.
The fact that this ad is both ungrammatical and misspelled only heightens
the irony that this fascist fuck is gainfully employed while I remain
unemployed for the fourth straight year.
HIV cases
"Specifically,
today's decisions said that in order to obtain a conviction
for aggravated sexual assault, the Crown must show that an accused
person
failed to disclose his or her HIV status despite there being "a
realistic
possibility" of transmission.
It replaces a previous legal standard that required the Crown to show
lack
of disclosure in a situation involving "a significant risk of bodily
harm.""
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/hiv-disclosure-can-be-waived-under-certain-conditions-top-court/article4591389/?service=mobile
Cleric Abu Hamza Loses Extradition Appeal
*A UK High Court judge has ruled radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza can now be
extradited to the United States to face terror charges.*
Applications to prevent extradition orders against four other terror
suspects - Babar Ahmad, Syed Talha Ahsan, Khaled al Fawwaz and Adel Abdul
Bary - have all also been dismissed.
Judge Sir John Thomas ruled that all five can now be extradited immediately.
After the verdict was announced a spokesman for Ahmad read out a statement,
in front of the Royal Courts of Justice.
He said: "I leave with my head held high having won the moral victory." Read
More
Q Day 1: Jobs Report
longwalkdownlyndale asks:
How important is today's jobs report (unemployment fell to 7.8%!) compared
to the coverage of the debate? And do you know if this changes the
"fundamentals" models in any significant way at all? Or are those sorta set
predicting a close election with Obama as a slight favorite? Superficially
it seems to me that it will squash the "Romney Won" debate meme and makes
his over/under talking point about 8% unemployment look pretty foolish.
Hey, I can outsource this one to John Sides, who has an excellent item up
already:
The shortest answer is: probably not muc... more »
Conservative Cabinet Minister Gerry Ritz's 'Death By A Thousand Cold Cuts'
*"That it took XL Foods until Thursday to not only take full responsibility
for the E. Coli outbreak at its Brooks plant, but also to say anything
about the issue at all says much. One might have thought that corporations
would be more capable in these type of circumstances, given that the gold
standard was established in 2008 by Maple Leaf Foods' handling of the
Listeriosis crisis that led to 22 deaths nationwide.*
* But the truth is that food corporations aren't directly accountable to
the public. They are accountable to government regulators and we must rely
on government to insu... more »
JIM LEHRER’S RERUN: On MSNBC, the confusion was general!
*FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012*
*Part 2—Poisoned fruit of a potted plant:* A striking factual misstatement
was made in Wednesday’s debate.
We don’t refer to Mitt Romney’s confusing statement about his proposed tax
plan. (“First of all, I don't have a $5 trillion tax cut. I don't have a
tax cut of a scale that you're talking about.”)
That statement should have been challenged and clarified (see below). But
it isn’t exactly “wrong.” It pretty much ain’t a “misstatement.”
No, the factual misstatement to which we refer was made by Barack Obama!
Responding to Romney’s representation, Obama m... more »
BAE/EADS Mega Merger 'On Brink Of Collapse'
*Fears are growing that the planned 'mega merger' between BAE Systems and
EADS is at risk because of the equity demands of European Governments.
*
Germany's Spiegel magazine, citing Government sources, has claimed that
French demands have brought the £38bn deal to the brink of collapse.
It reported that Britain wanted to prevent at all costs any one state
owning more than 10% of the merged defence and aerospace company but France
was insisting it should hold more than that while obtaining the option to
buy even more shares later on.
More follows...
Sexual consent vitiated only where misrepresentation leads to a significant risk of serious bodily
R. v. Mabior, 2012 SCC 47 has upheld the test for when consent to sexual
activity is vitiated. The Court holds:
This Court, in Cuerrier, established that failure to disclose that one has
HIV may constitute fraud vitiating consent to sexual relations under s.
265(3)(c) Cr. C. Because HIV poses a risk of serious bodily harm, the
operative offence is one of aggravated sexual assault (s. 273 Cr. C.). To
obtain a conviction under ss. 265(3)(c) and 273, the Crown must show,
beyond a reasonable doubt, that the complainant's consent to sexual
intercourse was vitiated by the accused's... more »
Sheldon Glashow: Does science evolve through blind chance or Intelligent Design?
Five months ago or so, Honeywell organized a series of lectures by the
Nobel laureate Sheldon Glashow at the Czech Technical University (ČVUT) in
Prague.
The lecture you can watch now asked the question whether science evolves by
chance or by design.
It's a sort of a fun, light, philosophically and historically loaded talk.
Maybe the number of the historical episodes will be boring for you: he
could be a professional historian of science right away.
*Typical Czech engineering students are listening to Glashow. ;-)*
But if you like the first part, continue with Part 2 and P... more »
Lies and consequences
By Capt. Fogg
I think there's a kind of hysteresis in politics. You get a certain effect
from telling a bold lie, but you don't lose nearly all that gain by
retracting it, so it pays to lie. You may gain 100,000 votes by saying
your opponent is a cannibal, but if you only lose 30 or 40 thousand when
you admit "I was wrong to say that" why not keep lying? There's no limit
to how many you can tell and a good part of the public, who really wanted
to hear bad things about the other side will tell themselves you were
forced to retract it by "the liberals" and it's really true - he's a... more »
Question Day
It's about time for one of these...regulars know the drill. Leave your
questions in comments below, or email them, or via twitter, and I'll get to
as many as I can. Apologies in advance if I don't get to yours. Of course I
suppose that elections questions are the most obvious ones right now, but
I'll take whatever you have, as usual.
Looking forward to it!
Video: Weathergirl Goes Rogue 2: Still Hot, Still Crazy
It's still hot and that's crazy, but important people aren't talking about
it. Your favourite weather presenter is back with more of the bad news you
hate to love. More videos at Deep Rogue Ram.
Weathergirl Goes Rogue 2: Still Hot, Still Crazy
Technorati Tags: global warming,climate change,coal,conflict,North America,
agriculture,crop failure,famine
Untitled
*Council approves vendor permits ~Danny Monteverde, The Advocate*
*Jimmy Graham: "He Paved the Way for Me"*
*A Timely Record……..a Comncnts Opinion ~Whodat Warriors*
*Mysterious tremors raise questions across the bayou ~Daily Comet*
*Hurricane Isaac deals blow to two critical bird nesting islands ~WWLTV*
*NO City Council passes ordinance requiring permits for vendors at second
lines*
No Gateway
Northern Gateway, Jeffrey Simpson writes this morning, is dead:
Yes, regulatory hearings before the National Energy Board will continue
until the NEB approves the project. And yes, Enbridge will keep pushing for
it. And yes, the Harper government, which is so publicly committed to the
project, will continue to extol its virtues as part of the need to get
Canadian resources to Asia.
But it will never happen:
To survive, the Gateway pipeline would have to push past the growing
opposition of British Columbians in general, the opposition of the current
Liberal provincial government ... more »
Georgia's election: Will Saakashvili play Spoiler? You can bet he will!
*Recall this post from a couple days ago?* * Georgia: Saakashvili’s
election loss. Will he relinquish power?*
Before Turkey false flagged on Syria? It was an important post, in my
opinion, for the very question I asked in the title. With more then a year
left on his term, will Saakashvili relinquish power?
I will repeat from the previous post the West seems to be very sanguine
that all is well in Georgia. When reality tells us they should not be. It
makes me suspicious.
"Much can happen in a year. Perhaps Ms Clinton was very happy with the
facade of "democracy" at this time. "
... more »
Climate-change denial getting harder to defend, but ‘skeptics’ keep shifting their arguments
[image: Drought-damaged corn plants stand in a field during harvest in Le
Roy, Illinois, 11 September 2012. Daniel Acker / Bloomberg]
By Glen M. MacDonald
4 October 2012
It was a long hot summer.
The United States experienced the warmest July in its history, with more
than 3,000 heat records broken across the country. Overall, the summer was
the nation's third warmest on record and comes in a year that is turning
out to be the hottest ever. High temperatures along with low precipitation
generated drought conditions across 60% of the Lower 48 states, which
affected 70% of the corn... more »
Friday Morning Linkage
- Georgetown University's debate coach comments (video) on the first
presidential debate of 2012.
- PM's not the only one to respond to John Quiggin's post on the US
Navy; Robert Farley also has a lot to say.
- Jeremy Keenan provides an overview of the Mali civil war at *allAfrica*
.
- The Syrian civil war continues.
- Michael Krepon revisits Robert Jervis' *The Meaning of the Nuclear
Revolution*.
- Ryan Evans: "All Politics and Civil War is Local: Helmand's
Micro-Conflicts."
- Dave Schuler riffs on Walter Russel Mead's analysis of Mitt Romney's... more »
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