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Thomas Paine

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Monday, December 10, 2012

10 December - Blogs I'm Following

Photo of Nexen Building in Calgary, AB.
Photo of Nexen Building in Calgary, AB. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Whatever It Takes
Whatever It Takes (Photo credit: Osama Al-Eryani)
9:58 am MST


Nuevo puente visto desde el interior de la garganta de Ronda

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 5 minutes ago
[image: Puentes] *CODIGO HTML PARA PONER ESTA IMAGEN EN SU BLOG* (Un click para seleccionar, Control C para copiar y Control V para pegar) [image: Imagenes Gratis para Navidad y Año Nuevo 2013] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *imágenes de Paisajes* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Tight-Lipped on Louisiana

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 6 minutes ago
*I must be caught in a Louisiana liplock. * "Weather imperils explosive stockpile in Louisiana" by Holbrook Mohr | Associated Press, December 04, 2012 DOYLINE, La. — Weather could complicate the transfer of roughly *6 million pounds of explosives* that were *haphazardly stored* at an industrial site in northwestern Louisiana and led to the *evacuation* of a small town, a State Police spokeswoman said Monday.... Officials estimate that more than half of Doyline’s 800 residents heeded police advice to evacuate in advance of the cleanup at the Explo Systems Inc. site. Colonel Mike E... more »

"Harper's Nexen Decision Puts the Ball in Premier Brad Wall’s Court" - Erin Weir

leftdog at Buckdog - 12 minutes ago
* Sask NDP leadership candidate Erin Weir is calling for the provincial government to prepare for Chinese ownership of Nexen, which has 1,300 producing natural gas wells in Saskatchewan according to its last annual report. “The federal Conservative decision to approve the Nexen takeover means that provincial governments must manage Chinese-state ownership of our natural resources,” said Weir. “Prime Minister Harper has put the ball in Premier Wall’s court.” Harper’s statement approving the takeover acknowledged, “The larger purposes of state-owned enterprises may go well beyond th... more »

Velas decorativas para la cena de navidad

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 18 minutes ago
[image: Velas Decorativas] *CODIGO HTML PARA PONER ESTA IMAGEN EN SU BLOG* (Un click para seleccionar, Control C para copiar y Control V para pegar) [image: Imagenes Gratis para Navidad y Año Nuevo 2013] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *imágenes para navidad* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Leonard Susskind: black hole wars

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 23 minutes ago
If you have 51 minutes, you may want to watch this July 2012 talk. Leonard Susskind is offering a verbal version of the amusing story about black hole wars in which he and Gerard 't Hooft were defending the conservative side against the progressive chap named Stephen Hawking or Evil Karn Evil for short, while chatting in a house owned by a guy obsessed by self-promotion. Of course, the conservatives were right but even though you know the ultimate spoiler, you may find some cool stuff in the talk. He starts with the personality description of the heroes, continues with Laplace... more »

Russia hits back at U.S. over rights legislation

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 41 minutes ago
Russia's parliament moved on Monday to bar entry to the country for Americans who violate the rights of Russians, retaliating against U.S. legislation passed last week to punish Russian human rights abusers. The bill approved by the U.S. Senate on Thursday would deny entry to Russians allegedly involved in the 2009 prison death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who became a symbol of the abuse of Russians who challenge the state, and others accused of rights violations. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-russia-usa-idUSBRE8B90NN20121210

Europe backs Monti reforms as Italy crisis hits markets

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 41 minutes ago
European partners urged the next Italian government on Monday to stick to Prime Minister Mario Monti's reform agenda, after his decision to resign early and Silvio Berlusconi's return to frontline politics rattled financial markets. Monti's surprise weekend announcement that he would quit because Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party had withdrawn its support for his technocrat government pushed up Italy's borrowing costs and prompted a stock market sell-off. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-italy-vote-idUSBRE8B907420121210

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 10th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 50 minutes ago
Magnitude 4.3 Date-Time Monday, December 10, 2012 at 12:52:23 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 06:52:23 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 14.764°N, 92.538°W Depth 78.4 km (48.7 miles) Region OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO Distances 13 km (8 miles) WNW of Puerto Madero, Mexico

Catch of the Day

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 51 minutes ago
The Catch goes to Steve Kornacki, who points out that Newt Gingrich and Republicans in general have never owned up to being dead wrong about the Clinton tax increases: The refusal of Gingrich and most other Republicans to grapple with what actually happened in the 1990s is a major reason the GOP has maintained its absolutist anti-tax posture for the past two decades. They’ve alternately credited the 1994 elections, the ’97 capital gains tax cut, and the dot-com bubble with the surpluses of the late ‘90s – anything, it seems, to avoid acknowledging the reality that taxes went up on t... more »

The Mobira Cityman 1320

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 56 minutes ago
Before Nokia was Nokia, there was the Mobira Cityman 1320. Nice Joy Division soundtrack, albeit Isolation was a 1980 track.

Doctor Who?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 56 minutes ago
I found this rather good homemade trailer on YouTube, nice use of all the incarnations of The Doctor... It was created as a trailer for The First Question episode. The first question, the oldest question, hidden in plain sight being 'Doctor Who?'

TPP: Stop this Monster!

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 59 minutes ago
The TPP and the Slow-Motion Corporate Coup By Lori Wallach, Yes! Magazine 09 December 12*. http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14942-the-tpp-and-the-slow-motion-corporate-coup * ***What Would the TPP Do?* *[Excerpted] *Eleven countries are now involved-Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States-and there is an open invitation for more to join. Think of the TPP as a NAFTA on steroids, which could encompass half of the world. This is the largest, most potentially damaging agreement since the ... more »

THE FIRST TRIAL OF BRADLEY MANNING, AMERICAN HERO. ALL AMERICANS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS BUT WILL NEVER FIND IT IN THE SOCALLED "MAINSTREAM" MEDIA

éminence grise at Cherchez la Verite - 1 hour ago
------------------------------ * the**REALnews Permalink* December 1, 2012 *Manning Testifies About His Torture; Was it Aimed at Turning Him on Assange? * Michael Ratner: Manning describes cruel and unusual punishment; offers to plea to lesser charges *Watch full multipart Wikileaks, Assange, Manning* More at The Real News *Bio * Michael Ratner is President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) in New York and Chair of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights in Berli... more »

Hostess Payed Out Bonuses While Shorting Employee Pension Payments

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 1 hour ago
Today the Wall Street Journal reports "Hostess Maneuver Deprived Pension" 12/10/2012 p. C1 by J. Jargon, R. Feintzeig and M. Spector [Excerpted] Hostess Brands Inc said it used wages that were supposed to help fund employee pensions for the company's operations as it sank toward bankruptcy.... Gregory Rayburn, Hostess' chief executive officer, said in an interview it is 'terrible' that employee wages earmarked for the pension were steered elsewhere..." Majia here: However, in November CNN reported that a bankrupcy judge had approved BONUSES for executives: Judge OKs bonuses for ex... more »

Untitled

éminence grise at Cherchez la Verite - 1 hour ago
*Bradley Manning: A Window Into The American Soul* ------------------------------ December 3, 2012 | *Original Here* Liberty consists of government being ruled by law and citizens having control over law. This was the way our founding fathers set up the US Constitution. It is the Constitution that defines the United States. Every member of the government and the armed forces swears allegiance to the Constitution–not to the government or to the president or to a political party or to an ideology–to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. Today the emphasis n... more »

Protecting New Jersey from future storms will cost billions

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 1 hour ago
[image: This aerial photo shows the destroyed homes left in the wake of superstorm Sandy on Wednesday, 31 October 2012, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. New Jersey got the brunt of Sandy, which made landfall in the state and killed six people. A peak of 2.7 million customers were without power. Mike Groll / AP Photo] By James M. O'Neill, staff writer 9 December 2012 (The Record) – The price of protecting New Jersey from rising sea levels and the devastation of future storms is breathtaking, making it seem at times that the problem is insurmountable. Some options that have been flo... more »

Climate skeptics swayed by consensus, not evidence

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 1 hour ago
[image: A billboard in Chicago, paid for by The Heartland Institute, along the inbound Eisenhower Expressway in Maywood, Illinois. The billboards compare supporters of climate science to Ted Kaczynski, Charles Manson, and Fidel Castro. Photograph: The Heartland Institute] By Tia Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer 7 December 2012 (LiveScience.com) – Conservatives are less likely to accept the reality of human-caused climate science when presented with supporting scientific evidence. But tell them that 99 out of 100 climate scientists agree on the subject, and conservatives will be m... more »

5 Strange (but True) Health Tips by Lisa Garber

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 2 hours ago
5 Strange (but True) Health Tipsby Lisa Garber Natural Society, 10 December 2012 *Big Pharma and conventional medicine have made us accustomed to reaching for an over-the-counter drug when we experience an itch or ache. Nature’s medicine cabinet, however, is bursting with healthier and less expensive remedies. Here are 5 strange but true health tips you might not know about.* ** ** *1. Stop Bleeding with this Spice* Nearly every kitchen is equipped with this humble hero. Black pepper is naturally analgesic, antibacterial, and antiseptic, and it won’t sting when you sprinkle it ont... more »

Study finds the costs of climate change can be mitigated if economic activity moves in response

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 2 hours ago
[image: A new study find that economic effects of global warming can be mitigated if humans move northward. Jac Depczyk / The Economist] [This is a very interesting bit of research, but it strikes Desdemona as a case of the broken window fallacy, writ large.] 8 December 2012 (The Economist) – When Superstorm Sandy roared ashore in late October and the lights of lower Manhattan went out, New Yorkers were given a stark vision of a possible future. Climate-change science is still a realm of great uncertainty but there is consensus that the planet is warming dangerously and that peopl... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 2 hours ago
*Fuck You, Pelicans Are Awesome* *~Oh, it splashes around in the water and gulps down fish that are just swimming by, that's not hunting*, is a thing that fools say. While it's true that the White Pelican dips its head underwater and scoops out the fish, that's not the pelican we're talking about here. The Brown Pelican is the state bird of Louisiana, and it's the only species of pelican that dives to catch its prey. The Brown Pelican is a raptor, without the stupid purple dinosaur logo. It cruises above the water, its eyesight so good that it can see fish beneath the surface from 60... more »

international human rights day: write a letter, save a life

laura k at wmtc - 2 hours ago
Join the biggest human rights event of the year. Write a letter. Save a life. Write For Rights FAQ People you can write for. Don't: - be intimidated by the numbers of cases. - be overwhelmed, thinking you have to write 10 or 20 letters. - be cynical, thinking a letter does nothing. - be too busy. You can find 15 minutes. Do: - resolve to write one letter, or maybe two. - plan a time to write, today or tomorrow. - pick a case that resonates with you. - know that public pressure helps - that's why Amnesty has developed this program. - offer someone comfort to someone in extreme... more »

Nahuatl Classes and Tucson Update

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 2 hours ago
Teaching Nahuatl without writing This week, on December 14, the court-appointed special master is slated to turn in the unitary desegregation plan for Tucson Unified School District. While subject to interpretation, most of the draft plan was favorable towards the work of the former Mexican American Studies department. The draft plan called for the expansion of culturally relevant Latino and African American classes, virtually into all levels of K-12 within TUSD. It also calls for transparency of the Federal desegregation monies, allotted to remedy the historically serenaded dis... more »

Syria: US "designating" terrorists to use down the road...

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 2 hours ago
Spin from Washington.. Creating the next MEK? I* would definitely call this prepping the story line for future narrative creation. Ready when needed* The Rise of Al Qaeda in Syria- *Which nations aided the rise of NATO's Al Qaeda in Syria?* President Barack Obama's administration is* **reportedly** * (*when and if necessary)* planning to designate the Syrian jihadist group *Jabhat al-Nusra * ("the Support Front") as a terrorist organization. The group, which was first announced in late January 2012, has become a growing part of the armed opposition due to its fighting prowess -- pe... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 2 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Kenneth Branagh, 52. I believe I'm one of maybe half a dozen people who liked his Love's Labour's Lost. Good stuff? Right here: 1. For better inside-game reporting on Congress, by Brendan Nyhan. 2. Jared Bernstein on spending, revenues, and deficits. 3. Senate trivia! Also Senate history in general. Molly Redden talks to official Senate historian Donald Ritchie. 4. And I could just link to everything Ta-Nehisi Coates writes. No one can touch him. Here's one.

ten years too many: stop secret trials in canada

laura k at wmtc - 2 hours ago
Today, International Human Rights Day, marks ten years since Mohamed Harkat was arrested under a so-called Security Certificate. Security Certificates allow for arrests, prosecutions, and imprisonments *outside the rule of law*. Those people caught in the Security Certificate trap can be detained for indefinite periods of time, including years in solitary confinement (an internationally recognized form of torture), without being charged or granted access to the information used against them. They can be deported to face imprisonment, torture or death after being labelled terrorists.... more »

Daily Links, December 10, 2012

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 2 hours ago
*The flower of a sensitive plant.* *BLOGS*: - Eyedoc strikes gold: the first appearance of the language term *Hoklo *in the West*.* - Global Voices on the Student Protests against Next Media - Far Eastern Sweet Potato shows once again how China manages US policy makers through the deployment of "anger" which is not a visceral reaction, but calculated policy used to manage relations with foreign nations. Taiwanese F-16 pilots had a chance to participate in realistic military exercises with the US, but it was canceled by Washington policymakers because --... more »

Is Rick Snyder Preparing For A Great Blue Resurgence In Michigan?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 2 hours ago
The speaker in the clip above is a Michigan state Rep from Grand Rapids, Brandon Dillon and, as you can see, Rep. Dillon is fuming about the House Republicans jamming through Right to Work for Less legislation in the lame duck session with no public input, no hearings, and no opportunity for amendments. Republicans will lose 5 seats in the House in January-- and this bill passed by 4. "That’s shameful," he told his Republican colleagues. "That’s not democracy. This is where democracy goes to die today. Because the majority in this state who lost 52% of the vote in state House rac... more »

Health Benefits of Thyme: Medicinal Uses of a Favorite Herb by Susan Patterson

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 3 hours ago
Health Benefits of Thyme: Medicinal Uses of a Favorite Herb by Susan Patterson Natural Society, 9 December 2012 *The aromatic thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) plant is a perennial and woody shrub harnessing square stems and attractive flowers. A member of the mint family, thyme is an herb that originates in the Mediterranean basin and has a number of varieties, each with its own distinctive oil composition. Thyme is a powerful herb, popular in aromatherapy – so it must be used with caution and care. Do know, though, that the health benefits of thyme are very real.* ** Thymus vularis ct. li... more »

Things Fall Apart

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 3 hours ago
Not all Conservative MP's agreed with Stephen Harper on the Nexan Energy deal. James Bazan wrote to one of his constituents in Manitoba: “I would like to note that I am strongly opposed to this deal, and I have raised my concerns directly with cabinet as well as with the prime minister. As I have stated to my colleagues in cabinet, due to China’s dismal record on human rights and freedoms, I take particular exception to allowing a state-owned company from China to purchase a Canadian company. The Communist Chinese government continues to fail to grant even the most basic of human... more »

in memoriam 832F

laura k at wmtc - 3 hours ago
Tragic. Criminal. Completely unnecessary. The alpha female known as 832F is dead. She was murdered. Yellowstone National Park’s best-known wolf, beloved by many tourists and valued by scientists who tracked its movements, was shot and killed on Thursday outside the park’s boundaries, Wyoming wildlife officials reported. The wolf, known as 832F to researchers, was the alpha female of the park’s highly visible Lamar Canyon pack and had become so well known that some wildlife watchers referred to her as a “rock star.” The animal had been a tourist favorite for most of the past six yea... more »

The EU's "peace prize" sparks protest

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 3 hours ago
I find myself a bit short of time. Bare with me, please? The EU's "peace prize" sparks protest, for the obvious reason that it is as much a farce as Obomba's peace prize Around 1,000 people have marched through Oslo to protest against the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union. Fifty organisations held the torch-lit march on the eve of the award. *They say the EU is "undemocratic" and maintains a large military even during an economic downturn.* A similar protest was also held outside the offices of the European Parliament in Dublin this evening. Of course it is ... more »

That Whole F-35 Thing

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 3 hours ago
Okay, help me out here people. What's going on? It looks like the KPMG audit is forcing the harpercon regime to "rethink" its commitment to the F-35 fighter. Seems, just like everybody said, that this was really a $40 billion (plus) expenditure and not the $15 billion it was first touted as. So what? So what if it's $40 billion? Why is that supposed to matter to the harpercons? (This is where I need your help in explaining things to me.) If bloggers and the Parliamentary Budget Officer and others, knew this, presumably the government and its advisers knew this. Right? And, aren't t... more »

Armed Robbery: Boys Aged 7 And 11 Detained

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 3 hours ago
Image: The older of the two boys turns up after being freed by police, as the stunned victim is interviewed by a TV reporter in Oregon. Two boys, aged just seven and 11, have been accused of trying to rob a woman at gunpoint, police in Oregon have revealed. The older boy had a loaded handgun in his pocket when officers found him outside a church in Portland on Saturday. Amy Garrett, 22, claimed the pair had threatened her as she waited for her parents in the family's truck in the church car park. http://news.sky.com/story/1023262/armed-robbery-boys-aged-7-and-11-detained

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 10th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 3 hours ago
Magnitude 4.6 Date-Time Monday, December 10, 2012 at 12:43:24 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 10:43:24 PM at epicenter Location 37.575°N, 143.555°E Depth 34.2 km (21.3 miles) Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN Distances 241 km (150 miles) ENE (76°) from Iwaki, Honshu, Japan

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 3 hours ago

Democratic Socialists vs. America First Populists

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 4 hours ago
* * *SARTRE, Contributing Writer* * * *"It's time to fundamentally change the way that we do business in Washington.* *To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative.* *That will demand new thinking and a new sense of responsibility for every dollar that is spent." * * *Barack Obama [image: sheep_cartoon1.jpg] Democratic Socialists vs. America First Populists How many times do you have to hear that going off the financial cliff is a failure of controlling spendi... more »

Greece: anarchists claim to be behind Golden Dawn attack

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 4 hours ago
An organization called Informal Anarchic Federation has claimed responsibility for a dynamite attack last Tuesday against the neo-nazi Greek Golden Dawn party in the north-western district of Aspropirgos in Athens. The claim was sent Saturday to the Indymedia website which posted it on the internet. Police officials have not established whether the claim is authentic. In the past, Italian citizens active in the anarchist group were involved in sending an envelope containing explosives to the director of an immigration center in Gradisca d'Isonzo in 2009 and envelopes containing exp... more »

Portugal: Hunters Startled by UFOs in Serra de Grandola

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 4 hours ago
*Portugal: Hunters Startled by UFO in Serra de Grandola* *By Luis Romao* [*Portuguese UFO researcher Nuno Alves posted this interesting item to Guillermo Giménez’s Planeta UFO site. It is a message directly sent by the eyewitness regarding his unusual experience – SC*] This event took place on the evening of 31 August of this very same year, 2012. I was in the company of two friends, both of them hunters, who saw exactly the same thing. We live in Grandola, and hunt wild boar for sport in Serra de Grandola and Santiago do Cacém. I have been hunting for nearly 30 years a... more »

CrossTalk: Separatism Surge

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 4 hours ago

Biking Weekend in the South

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 4 hours ago
Went offline for a couple of days to visit friends down south and test my new toy, my Tokina 100mm macro as a travel lens. We're heading for Sabah again in February, perhaps to ride the length of North Borneo (if you'd like to come, contact me), so I thought I'd see how the lens worked on the road. Meanwhile had a great time revisiting some nifty little places I'd enjoyed two years ago when I did Pingtung County for the County government. Click on the *READ MORE* for more more more. On Saturday night we stopped at the market to pick up some fruit. This vendor posed for me as I hun... more »

Maya denounce doomsday theory

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 4 hours ago

Israel will act if Hezbollah gets Syrian WMDs

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 4 hours ago
Ambassador to the US says Israel has "a very clear red line" on Syrian chemical weapons, but also supports Obama's red line. Israel will act if Syria passes chemical weapons into Hezbollah's hands, Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren warned on Sunday. "We have a very clear red line about those weapons passing into the wrong hands," Oren told Fox News. http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=295290

4.4 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 10th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 4 hours ago
Magnitude 4.4 Date-Time Monday, December 10, 2012 at 11:11:44 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 09:11:44 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 37.938°N, 143.737°E Depth 36.6 km (22.7 miles) Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN Distances 216 km (134 miles) SE of Ofunato, Japan

Egypt crisis: Morsi gives army arrest powers before vote

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 4 hours ago
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions in the run-up to a controversial referendum on a new constitution. The army has also been given the power of arrest. Mr Morsi has tried to calm public anger by annulling a decree giving him huge powers, but rejected a call to scrap the 15 December constitutional vote. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20661758

Iranian warships dock in Sudan

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 4 hours ago
Two Iranian navy warships arrived Saturday morning in Port Sudan, in the second such visit to Sudan within two months, eyewitnesses and officials said. "These visits by Iranian navy warships to Sudan come in the framework of routine exercises by navy forces of friendly nations," Col. Khaled Saad al-Sawarmy, the official spokesman for the Sudanese armed forces, told CNN. "They aim to accomplish political and diplomatic goals in addition to securing and policing the ports and waters." http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/08/world/africa/sudan-iran-ships/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

U.S. helping underwrite Syrian rebel training on securing chemical weapons

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
The United States and some European allies are using defense contractors to train Syrian rebels on how to secure chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria, a senior U.S. official and several senior diplomats told CNN Sunday. The training, which is taking place in Jordan and Turkey, involves how to monitor and secure stockpiles and handle weapons sites and materials, according to the sources. Some of the contractors are on the ground in Syria working with the rebels to monitor some of the sites, according to one of the officials. The nationality of the trainers was not disclosed, though t... more »

Six Die As Freezing 'Beast' Hits Balkans

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
Blizzards and freezing temperatures have killed at least six people in the Balkans, as rescue teams struggle to cope with the conditions. Heavy snowfall blocked roads, closed airports, and shut down public transport across the region. In Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina, 50cm (20ins) of snow fell in just a few hours leaving scores of motorists trapped in their cars. http://news.sky.com/story/1023219/six-die-as-freezing-beast-hits-balkans

NASA satellite captures red-hot lava flowing from a volcano that has erupted in Russia after lying dormant for 36 years

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
The aerial images reveal ash and lava continuing to spew forth from the Plosky Tolbachik volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, which burst into activity on November 27. Lava coursing from the mouth of the volcano is reported to have destroyed two research camps and forced schools in nearby villages to close. NASA released images captured by its Earth Observing 1 satellite last week. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245648/Plosky-Tolbachik-volcano-erupts-NASA-satellite-captures-red-hot-lava-flowing-Russia.html

The moment Obama shook hands with the rapper who sang 'kill those f****** Yankees': Outrage in America as Gangnam sensation Psy performs for President at charity concert

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
PSY showed off his signature dance moves while performing 'Gangnam Style,' which has the most watched YouTube video in history. The rapper, born Park Jae-sang, performed at a White House charity event on Sunday, despite a deeply controversial performance in 2004 that has shocked and outraged American fans. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245696/Moment-Obama-shook-hands-Gangnam-Style-rapper-PSY-sang-kill-f----Yankees.html

Protest over peace prize: Thousand take to the streets in Oslo to march against European Union being given prestigious Nobel award

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
Around 1,000 protesters marched in Oslo yesterday against the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union. Peace and human rights campaigners and members of political groups held the torch-lit protest as various EU leaders arrived in Norway, where they will collect the award today. The protesters argued the EU is undemocratic and maintains a large military even as it suffers an economic downturn. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245656/Oslo-protest-Nobel-Peace-Prize-Thousand-march-European-Union-given-prestigious-award.html

'Openly reading a book related to a historically and racially abhorrent subject'

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 5 hours ago
The censorship of free speech in the United States is scary but does anyone think there is much more freedom of speech at UCL or Oxford University, let alone SOAS?

Japan Atomic may have to decommission plant as active fault found

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
Japan Atomic Power Co. may have to decommission one of its reactors after seismologists concluded the plant is sitting over an active faultline, potentially the first permanent shutdown of a nuclear unit in Japan since the Fukushima disaster last year. "There is no way we can carry out safety assessments for a restart," the chairman of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), Shunichi Tanaka, said on Monday at an open meeting after being presented with an assessment there is an active fault under the No. 2 reactor at the Tsuruga nuclear plant. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012... more »

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 10th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
Magnitude 4.9 Date-Time Monday, December 10, 2012 at 09:09:35 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 07:09:35 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 37.794°N, 143.608°E Depth 30.5 km (19.0 miles) Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN Distances 214 km (132 miles) ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION - 10th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 5 hours ago
Add captionMagnitude 4.7 Date-Time Monday, December 10, 2012 at 08:41:41 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 05:41:41 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 32.255°N, 141.301°E Depth 7 km (4.3 miles) (poorly constrained) Region IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION Distances 167 km (103 miles) ESE of Hachijo-jima, Japan

LOCKDOWN AT JOYCEVILLE INSTITUTION FOLLOWING MAJOR DISTURBANCE

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 6 hours ago
Kingston, Ontario, December 9, 2012 – At approximately 8:00 a.m., on December 9, 2012, inmates at Joyceville Institution initiated a peaceful protest on one range. Despite negotiations, the protest escalated into a major disturbance a few hours later when the 25 inmates began to barricade their doors, cover their windows and refuse to return to their cells. The disturbance continued into the afternoon, with some damage to government property. At approximately 5:15 p.m., all 25 inmates involved in the disturbance returned to their cells. There were no injuries to staff or to inma... more »

Klaus: speech at Euro Business Breakfast

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 6 hours ago
*Mlýnec Restaurant, Novotný's footbridge, Prague, December 7th, 2012* *Translation from klaus.cz* Time flies very fast. It seems to me that our previous meeting didn't take place one year ago but just several weeks ago. And not only that. I feel tempted to say that it may be possible to repeat my contribution from the last year because I am afraid that *the basic characteristics – the situation in our country as well as the situation in Europe – haven't changed during that year*. And if they have, it was a change to the worse. Because diverse unfavorable trends have continued, the si... more »

Monday Morning Linkage

Vikash Yadav at Duck of Minerva - 6 hours ago
Morning Ducks! Here’s your Monday morning round-up: South Asia: The US has informed the UN, in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, that the US military detained more than 200 teens for about a year at a time on average in a military prison next to Bagram Airfield. Most of the Continue reading

IBM chip: light to speed up internet services

Megaan at Current news updates, World current news - 7 hours ago
*IBM says it has developed a chip that makes it easier to shuttle data about through pulses of light instead of using electrical signals.*Information of the development is to be obtainable at the International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco later. The team has made it possible for this conversion procedure to take place on a computer chip that integrates optical components side-by-side with electrical circuits on the same piece of silicon, and can be mass produced at a moderately cheap price. According to the team behind the development using light, rather than the flow... more »

Boxing and Politics 2: Pacquiao Loses, Long Live Pacquiao

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 8 hours ago
After Manny Pacquiao's loss to Juan Marquez yesterday, facebook and other social media was peppered with different opinions and observations by different people. I was at CCP yesterday watching my daughter and many other young ballerinas in a play, "The Nutcracker". Besides, I was not interested to see a live Pacquiao fight anymore. I just want him to be a boxer and an athlete, never as a politician and legislator at the same time. Since he chose to be both, my interest in him has waned although my respect for him as a boxer is still there. I posted this today in my facebook status... more »

North Korea extends rocket launch window due to "technical problems"

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
North Korea has extended the window for a widely condemned long-range rocket launch by a week after discovering a "technical deficiency", the isolated state's news agency said on Monday. The launch, viewed by the United States, Japan and South Korea as a test for developing a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, had been scheduled for December 10-22 to coincide with the first anniversary of the death of former North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-korea-north-rocket-idUSBRE8B902120121210

Jenni Rivera Feared Dead in Plane Crash

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
Mexcian-American singer Jenni Rivera is feared to have died in a plane crash after wreckage was found with no survivors. Rivera, who was born in California to Mexican parents, has sold more than 15 million records and has huge numbers of fans on both sides of the border. The wreckage of the small aircraft in which she is believed to have been travelling hours after a concert was discovered in northern Mexico on Sunday. http://news.sky.com/story/1023092/jenni-rivera-singer-killed-in-plane-crash

ZENO'S PARADOX; FREE WILL; CONSCIOUSNESS

Anon at aangirfan - 8 hours ago
Website for this image You are going to walk to the shop. First you travel half the distance. You are not there yet. There is another half to travel. Then you travel the next half of the distance. You are not there yet. After this you must travel the next half. You are not there yet. There is always a 'half' left to travel. You can never get to the shop. There are an infinite number of halfway points, and so according to logic, you'll never be able to get anywhere. So, we have a paradox, something that must be true but which, obviously, is not true. This paradox was inven... more »

EU receives Nobel for building "continent of peace"

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
The European Union will receive the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo on Monday, honored by the Norwegian committee for bringing decades of peace and democracy to Europe after the horrors and division of two world wars. Looking beyond the current, deep malaise Europe finds itself in with slumping growth, soaring unemployment and countries unable to pay their debts, the Nobel committee has instead focused on what the EU has done over the past 60 years to reconcile the disparate, warring corners of the 'old continent'. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-nobel-eu... more »

EU less than peaceful ahead of Nobel ceremony

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
The Nobel committee considers the European Union a big project for peace and understanding. But ahead of the award ceremony, the EU is busy nit-picking and quibbling. When the Chairman of the Nobel Committee, Thorbjörn Jagland, announced the decision on October 12th, 2012 in Oslo, the audience reacted with surprised whispering. But the committee said its decision made sense: The EU deserved the Nobel Peace Prize because "the Union and its forerunners have over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe." And that, acc... more »

Egypt crisis: Morsi orders military to keep order

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
Egypt's President Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions in the run-up to a referendum on the constitution. The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says the move will raise fears that Egypt is moving back towards military rule. Mr Morsi has tried to calm days of protests by annulling a decree giving him huge powers, but a 15 December vote on a new constitution is to go ahead. Opposition leaders rejected the move and called for protests on Tuesday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20661758

Eleven Dead after Bus Falls in Pond in Central China

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
Eleven people were killed and over 20 injured after a passenger bus swerved off the road in central China’s Henan province falling in a roadside pond, Xinhua news agency reported. Nine people died at the scene of the accident drowning in the pond and two more critically injured passengers died later in a hospital bringing the death toll to 11. http://en.ria.ru/world/20121210/178038720.html

At Least Six Killed, Over 40 Injured in Guatemala Bus Crash

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
At least six people were killed and over 40 injured after a passenger bus crashed plunging into a 30 meters (almost 100 feet) deep ravine in the southwest of Guatemala, local media reported. Four people, including two teenagers, died at the scene of the accident, while two more died later in a hospital. Many of the injured remain hospitalized in a critical condition. Police say the accident could be caused by driver’s violation of a speed limit, failure in the braking system of the vehicle or because the bus was overloaded. http://en.ria.ru/world/20121210/178036455.html

Crews respond to chemical spill near Sherwood Park, Canada

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
Emergency crews are cleaning up after a hydrochloric acid spill near Sherwood Park. Two Hazmat crews along with a Hazmat specialist responded to Panther Industries at 120 Avenue and 28 Street just before 10:30 Sunday morning. The company’s assistant manager told CTV News they had recently installed new tanks for the chemical. http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/crews-respond-to-chemical-spill-near-sherwood-park-1.1072321

Storms with strong winds, possible tornado, damage homes in northern Arkansas

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
Authorities say a strong storm that included a possible tornado has caused one minor injury and damaged homes and buildings in northern Arkansas. National Weather Service meteorologist John Robinson in Little Rock says three mobile homes, a duplex, three barns, and four outbuildings were damaged in the storms early Sunday afternoon about four miles west of Viola in Fulton County. Robinson says there are also about 100 electric customers without power in the area along U.S. Highway 62. A Fulton County sheriff's dispatcher says one witness reported that the storm included a small torn...more »

Duchess hoax: Australian presenters 'gutted and heartbroken'

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
The Australian radio hosts at the centre of the royal hospital hoax say they are "gutted and heartbroken' over the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha. Mrs Saldanha was found dead on Friday, three days after taking the hoax call. Mel Greig and Michael Christian wept as they said "not a minute goes by where we don't think about her family". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20662352

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES - 10th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
Magnitude M 5.0 Region MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES Date time 2012-12-10 00:18:30.2 UTC Location 7.12 N ; 126.52 E Depth 10 km Distances 3 km E San ignacio, Philippines

Two States and Conrad Black

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 9 hours ago
Has it never occurred to the dead enders that their game has allowed Israel a strategy of outright absorption of all the lands of the West Bank. All Israel needs to do unilaterally is to designate three Palestinian urban enclaves connected by a transportation corridor between them. One such enclave would be the urban portion of Gaza to the Egyptian border providing a port of entry on the Sea and into Egypt, A second enclave as part of Jerusalem and a third enclave on the border of Jordan providing access to Jordan and a conduit to the Mediterranean for Jordan. Once t... more »

Sonic Weapons?

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 9 hours ago
This is a good overview of the topic and the correct conclusion is that it is completely ineffective as a potential weapon and remains a solution in search of a meaningful problem. Otherwise good scientific fun and well worth the read. Even the legend of brown sound is debunked as non existent and can be tossed into the bins of urban legends. Some things are just too good to be true. Otherwise this is a primer of the topic that is useful to have seen. *Could A Sonic Weapon Make Your Head Explode?* *Infrasonic sound can have very unusual non-auditory effects on the bo... more »

The Elizabeth Lake Devil

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 9 hours ago
When it comes to large nocturnal flying creatures we have seen reports that describe several possibilities. The easy one is the Thunderbird which appears to be an Andean Condor. Another is a plausible giant owl that is possibly a known Old World Owl that could be the Moth-man. There is also a giant vampire bat also represented in a size not much smaller than reported for real in Central America that could be the Chupacabra. In short we have three real creatures operating nocturnally who could either easily scale up or with which the witnesses saw a size that was not there at... more »

Hades Cave

arclein at Terra Forming Terra - 9 hours ago
This is quite a story. It already had a long prehistory when it was sealed off at the beginning of the Bronze Age. This meant that its importance was not then lost. That it became an archetype for Hades is completely convincing here. The access tunnel may have remained open allowing some later use, although the death of those entrapped suggest otherwise or at least not until much later if at all. As stated, we are likely to uncover artifacts going back deep in time as adjacent caves have Neanderthal artifacts. This also suggest that this region has remained above sea leve... more »

Wikileaks - like Twitter - just enough rope to hang yourself?

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 9 hours ago
*WikiLeaks Tapes shows up corporate media, celebrates citizen journalists By Cathy Vogan The Wikileaks Tapes Directed by Cathy Vogan Featuring John Pilger, Noam Chomsky, Christine Assange, Daniel Ellsberg, Mary Kostakidis, Senator Scott Lundlam, Julian Morrow & many more Two-disc DVD* That was the advert for Cathy Vogan's new two-disc DVD The Wikileaks Tapes. And it got me to wondering, "Like TWITTER, which has seen so many employees 'hanging themselves in public with their gaddamn'd Free Speech, has WIKILEAKS just become a place where 'those who want to share the truth' (say, ... more »

Clouds by Zach Sobiech

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 10 hours ago
*Published on Dec 5, 2012* Zach Sobiech, of Lakeland, Minnesota, doesn't go far without his guitar in tow. Facing months to live, 17-year-old Zach is turning to music - writing and performing songs as a way to say goodbye to his friends and family. Zach was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2009. Since his diagnosis, Zach has endured several surgeries and months of chemo. In May, 2012, the cancer spread to his pelvis and lungs. There are no known effective treatments left. As Zach fights to live, he remains the same joyful soul he has always been. He still smiles as bright... more »

Adolf Hitler addresses the Hitler Youth

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 10 hours ago
Video found at *JewishProblem.com*:

POOF: Peace Comes Now

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 11 hours ago
*Peace Comes Now * Sun, 9 Dec 2012 17:35:30 *"Here Comes The Sun"* Beatles Here comes the sun, here comes the sun And I say it's all right Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here Here comes the sun, here comes the sun And I say it's all right Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here Here comes the sun, here comes the sun And I say it's all right Sun, sun, sun, here it comes Sun, sun, sun, here it comes ... more »

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 10th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Magnitude 4.8 Date-Time Monday, December 10, 2012 at 00:09:53 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 10:09:53 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 37.684°N, 143.754°E Depth 33.9 km (21.1 miles) Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN Distances 230 km (142 miles) ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 9th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Magnitude 4.9 Date-Time Sunday, December 09, 2012 at 23:56:36 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 09:56:36 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 37.502°N, 143.831°E Depth 34 km (21.1 miles) Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN Distances 244 km (151 miles) ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 9th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Magnitude 5.0 Date-Time Sunday, December 09, 2012 at 23:50:35 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 09:50:35 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 37.458°N, 143.781°E Depth 37.9 km (23.6 miles) Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN Distances 242 km (150 miles) ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake NORTH INDIAN OCEAN - 9th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Magnitude 4.7 Date-Time Sunday, December 09, 2012 at 23:13:21 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 05:13:21 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 1.625°N, 89.607°E Depth 14.7 km (9.1 miles) Region NORTH INDIAN OCEAN Distances 759 km (471 miles) W of Sinabang, Indonesia

5.6 Magnitude Earthquake MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES - 9th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Magnitude 5.6 Date-Time Sunday, December 09, 2012 at 21:45:34 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 05:45:34 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 6.718°N, 126.184°E Depth 56 km (34.8 miles) Region MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES Distances 8 km (4 miles) E of Talisay, Philippines

5.2 Magnitude Earthquake TONGA - 9th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Magnitude 5.2 Date-Time Sunday, December 09, 2012 at 20:52:38 UTC Monday, December 10, 2012 at 10:52:38 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 16.155°S, 174.224°W Depth 129.7 km (80.6 miles) Region TONGA Distances 55 km (34 miles) WSW of Hihifo, Tonga

We Need Schools To Turn Out More Robots For The Workplace?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 12 hours ago
When I was a senior executive at Warner Bros, I used to drive our head of human resources crazy. She claimed my requirements for people to work in my office were down right insane. I insisted that my assistants be able to discuss not just music, film, art and popular culture but also literature, history and current events. She kept asking me how many words per minute I needed them to type. My longtime assistant, Ilene, was a Columbia grad who was not just more educated but also smarter than most of the company's senior executives, many of whom had a zero more on the end of their p... more »

Coming Crisis December/Christmas Help-a-thon! (Let's make the next 72 hours a success! New posts appear below)

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
*We can't survive without your support.* *================================* *Do you visit us each day?* *Would you like us to stay online?* *Like to know how you can help?* *Please contribute right now. * Without your financial support, we couldn't do all the work we do, including delivering the news to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can give a one-time donation, or subscribe monthly, both of which help tremendously. *One-time donation* Small donation $5.00 USD Medium donation $10.00 USD Large donation $20.00 USD Saviour donation $50.00 USD True friend of... more »

NATO Appears to be Rushing for Syria Conclusion

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 12 hours ago
Syria & the Fall of Princes on Agenda for Gulf Monarchies | RT Interview with Webster Tarpley. *December 8, 2012* (RT - Tarpley.net) ....

Finding Fear and Faith in Georgia

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 12 hours ago
*Hey, what can I say, my newspaper is full of it.... * "Murder case reveals alleged terrorist plot; Prosecutor says soldiers killed 2 to protect plans" by Russ Bynum | Associated Press, August 28, 2012 LUDOWICI, Ga. — Four Army soldiers based in southeast Georgia killed a former comrade and his girlfriend to protect an *anarchist militia group*they formed that *stockpiled assault weapons* and *plotted a range of antigovernment attacks*, prosecutors told a judge Monday. * **So which government agency were they working for?* A prosecutor in Long County, near the Army post Fort Stewa... more »

Animation in a Parallel Universe

Jay Allbritton at Jay Allbritton - 13 hours ago
We're lucky there's a Family Guy/Simpsons parallel universe illustration by... *someone*. I couldn't find the source. I tried for like eight minutes. If anyone knows who drew this let me know so I can give them credit. It's quite rad (h/t Elijah Black of the *Pretty Good Podcast*).

Steve Harper, the Manchurian Candidate

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 13 hours ago
In the course of but one week Steve Harper deals a massive blow to America's biggest and plainly distressed defence contractor *and* approves the transfer, to America's biggest geopolitical rival, 300,000 acres of prime Albertan Tar Sands. This is the same guy who came to power having nary a good word to say about the People's Republic, who seemingly castigated them at every turn. The same guy who supposedly wanted a foreign and military policy in lockstep with Washington. Now it's Steve who's turned. First word leaks out that Canada is finally going to ditch the Lockheed F-35... more »

Mississippi Post Runs Dry

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 13 hours ago
*That's what happens when you stop reading a newspaper. * "Low water may block Mississippi barge traffic" by Jim Salter and Jim Suhr | Associated Press, November 18, 2012 ST. LOUIS — The *stubborn drought* that has gripped the Midwest for much of the year has *left the Mighty Mississippi critically low* — and it will get even lower if the Army Corps of Engineers presses ahead with plans to reduce the flow from a Missouri River dam. Mississippi River interests fear the reduced flow will force a *halt to barge traffic* at the river’s midpoint. They warn that the *economic fallout w... more »

Paris hit by wave of street muggings and grave robberies

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 14 hours ago
Austerity-struck Paris has been hit by a wave of street muggings and grave robberies with thieves prepared to exhume bodies to steal gold and jewellery. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9732943/Paris-hit-by-wave-of-street-muggings-and-grave-robberies.html

Oops!

Way Way Up at Fort McMurray Adventures - 14 hours ago
Well, after a streak of more than two years, it finally came to end an end late this afternoon as I managed to injure myself on the job. Thankfully it's none too serious and I'm already cleared for work in the morning. So while I'm annoyed with myself I know there are certainly a lot worse ways to get hurt so as I told my foreman at the end of the day, I think I'll put the horse shoe back in and go buy a lottery ticket now. In case your wondering, I'm fine, Mom. Although I'm pretty sure I may have uttered a few bad words immediately afterward.

The ACT Party is dead.

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 14 hours ago
If the ACT Party had ever been true to their principles themselves, they would have much to say to the people of Christchurch—whohave had their property rights stripped, their property stolen from them, and their city turned into a welfare project. But like the rest of the people of New Zealand, the people of Christchurch are never going to listen again to a word the ACT Party say. See: They’re not going to listen to a word they say because they’ve poisoned their own message. Because as a coalition partner they’ve voted for every brutality imposed on the people of Christchurch by... more »

The Myth of Khomeini

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 14 hours ago
*The man who railed against America, famously labeling it "The Great Satan," was put into power by America's secret deep state. * "Persecuted by the despot, expelled from the country, Khomeini was the idol and conscience of the people. To destroy the myth of Khomeini was to destroy something holy, to shatter the hopes of the wronged and the humiliated." - Ryszard Kapuscinski, *"Shah of Shahs."* [1]. The history of world events and political figures in the 20th century that we get in classrooms, textbooks, newspapers, and films is a fiction. Here are two examples of a world event... more »

There's a silver lining to the FCC's plan to rewrite the law to accommodate Rupert M (and Rupert M wannabes)

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 15 hours ago
*Rupert M under glass*: *Who besides a few left-wing malcontents thinks that Rupert M himself (aka "Mr. Democracy") and Rupert M wannabes should be forced to do stuff they don't, you know, wanna do?* *"People think a billion dollars buys you a President, but they're wrong. It barely gets you a lemon like Mitt Romney."* *-- billionaire Sheldon Adelson, as quoted in the Borowitz Report* "Billionaires Warn Higher Taxes Could Prevent Them from Buying Politicians" *by Ken* I know there's a lot of consternation on our crazy wide-eyed socialist side of the political spectrum over the FCC... more »

Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 15 hours ago
Samson. He brought the house down.

“The number of children dying from assaults each year has not changed in more than a decade”

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 16 hours ago
A news item appeared this morning that set me wondering about the efficacy, or not, of her anti-smacking law. You’ll recall that Sue Bradford, Helen Clark and John Key between them agreed four years ago to ban parents disciplining their children by smacking. This, we were told by Bradford, Clark and Key—and by virtually the entirety of the chattering classes—would stop parents beating and killing their children. How has it worked out? Well, that this was never about evidence-based harm reduction can be understood when you realise the evidence for how this worked out has never r... more »

Nobody's right if everybody's wrong

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 16 hours ago
[xkcd cartoon] Atrios touched on the nerdrage earlier and links to Digby this afternoon who did the longer. I've been watching this explode on the internets myself so I'll take the medium. We go through this internal bickering every time the Hill shakes itself out of its stupor and tackles a big issue. You're either too shrill or too trusting. Too combative or too accomodating. A warrior for the cause or a tool of the establishment. Conflicts over priorities are the curse of diversity. But the strength of our diversity in in our combined voice. Nobody is doing it wrong. Everybod... more »

Harper's Athabascan Desperation or How Stephen Harper Became Beijing's Bum Boy

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 17 hours ago
Canada's best Tar Sands journo, Andrew Nikiforuk, reveals the rank desperation that drove Stephen Harper into the service of China's Communist regime on the Nexen takeover. It's an ugly story and one that every voting Canadian needs to read. This is a disaster that could blow up in Canada's face. A huge h/t to Troy Thomas for this one.

Iran condemns US nuclear test

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 17 hours ago
Iran condemned arch foe the United States on Saturday for conducting a limited nuclear test, saying it showed Washington's "inattention to full disarmament," the state television website reported. The US Energy Department said it conducted a "subcritical" test at an underground site in Nevada on Wednesday to study the behaviour of nuclear materials without triggering an atomic explosion. It was its first since February last year. http://www.france24.com/en/20121208-iran-condemns-us-nuclear-test *Matt's summary:* Just so I get it correct: IRAN: Experienced the suffering and destruct... more »

Egypt’s President Morsi prays for destruction of Jews: not enough for Zawahiri who wants full implementation of Sharia law…CatholicismUSA | CatholicismUSA

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 17 hours ago
http://www.CatholicismUSA.com/egypts-president-morsi-prays-for-destruction-of-jews-not-enough-for-zawahiri-who-wants-full-implementation-of-sharia-law/ Remember President Morsi is the choice of the Muslim Brotherhood, the organisation that the BBC's Middle East editor described as moderate & peaceful. 'nuff said?

Parasites on Parade

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 17 hours ago
All you have to do is part with one million George Washington smackeroos, and your corporation people will get *exclusive* access to the festivities at the Second Coming of Obama next month. This means that all the little people will be *excluded* and will not be around to breathe on you or otherwise disturb your VIP *exclusivity* during your foray inside the Beltway.* * If you didn't get your invitation yet, don't despair. They were delivered, en masse, via email, and merely give the illusion of being engraved. They are actually kind of cheap and tawdry-looking. And the spelling s... more »

Appearing on National Progressive Talk Radio Tonight

Kenneth Thomas at Middle Class Political Economist - 17 hours ago
Sorry for the short notice, but I will be on Lane Prophet's live call-in show on National Progressive Talk Radio at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific for one hour. I'll be talking about the so-called "fiscal cliff" and, probably subsidies as well. Here is the announcement from NPTR: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/national-progressive-talk-radio/2012/12/10/the-fiscal-cliff--kenneth-thomas--nptr-29 If you want to call in, the number is 347-326-9690.

Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, December 9th, 2012

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 17 hours ago
I had one hectic day yesterday running around doing errands most of the day, and then spending the evening with family and friends. Therefore there were no articles in this blog for yesterday. I have said that family comes first and that this blog sometimes has to wait.... Well, another Sunday, and time for my weekly rant.... Lets just say that in spite of the "ceasefire" in the Israeli murderous attack on the Gaza Strip, things are still heating up in the Middle East.... The criminals in NATO and Israel were not able to destroy Gaza, or have been unable to get their war on Iran... more »

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