 |
| Damascus (Photo credit: sharnik) |
 |
| Damascus Panorama, Looking Southwards (Photo credit: spdl_n1) |
Cartoonists weigh in on the gun-violence crisis
[*Click on any of the cartoons to enlarge.*]
*by Ken*
I'm still impressed (and surprised) that normally reliably conservative
outposts like New York's Daily News and Post came out so unequivocally
against (as the Post put it) the gun nuttery toward which the nation has so
long turned a blind eye. Now the cartoonists are weighing in.
*YES, THE GUN-VIOLENCE PROBLEM IS COMPLEX --*
*BUT THERE'S SOME CLARITY ABOUT THIS CORE ELEMENT --*
*
**THERE'S ALSO PLENTY OF SKEPTICISM --*
About this new day that has dawned, about how sincere and how motivating
it's apt to prove.
#
December 24, 2012 – White Hats Report #47.1
*Twas the night before Christmas (Updated) *
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land,
The rats were all scurrying because Judgment Day is at hand;
Their stockings were filled with big lumps of coal,
It was their payment for trying to steal our soul;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of freedom danced in their heads;
With mama in her pj’s and I with my pipe,
Reading the media’s most recent NWO hype;
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my pipe to see what was the matter;
I moved to the door to peek through the crack,... more »
Syrian Military: Militants Using Chemical Weapons
Chemical weapons reportedly used by NATO-armed, funded terrorists near
Damascus.
*December 24, 2012* (LD) - PressTV has reported (more details via Fars News)
that chemical weapons have been used by militants fighting Syrian
government forces in Daraya, near Damascus. PressTV also reported that
threats have been made against Syria's ethnic minorities that their water
supplies will be poisoned by militants - this on the heels of the UN itself
warning of (and preemptively spinning) impending sectarian-driven genocide.
*Image: (via the Guardian) "Chemical containers in the Libyan des... more »
Aamjiwnaang First Nation blockade rail in support of Idle No More
Censored
News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Citizens of Aamjiwnaang First Nation continue a blockade of CN rail, in
support of the Idle No More movement. Aamjiwnaang Citizens are
indicating they will continue the blockade until Chief Teresa Spence is
granted a meeting with Prime Minister Harper, and there is recognition
of the historical injustice inflicted upon the community.
Want Citizenship in Taiwan? Peter Whittle with a great piece....
Longtime resident and government regulations boffin Peter Whittle has a
long article explaining a fairer path to citizenship for local long-term
expats and giving excellent background on the issue at Taiwanease.com. The
article addresses an outrageous unfairness in Taiwan citizenship rules: if
you immigrate to Taiwan, you must give up your original citizenship, but if
you are born here, you can hold two passports, no problem. A taste:
Ms. Hsiao was prompted to raise the proposal on behalf of two Pakistani
men, long-term residents of Taiwan with Taiwanese wives, who had applied
for ... more »
THE MYTH OF A TWO STATE SOLUTION
Moshe
Goldsmith, a Rabbi who immigrated to Israel from Brooklyn and who now
lives in the West Bank Israeli settlement of Itamar, summed up the true
intent of all of the Zionists of Israel when he told *UK Daily
Telegraph*reporter Nick Meo that; “The Israeli government and political
establishment
don't want a two-state solution, they won't say that because they are
just
worried about what Obama and the Europeans say”.
Neoconservatives, rather than outrightly deny they have no intention of
allowing the Palestinians to have their own state in a two-state
outcome, instead
they tell thei... more »
Gun Crazies Are A Threat To US National Security ...
*
-NRA President David Keene's Son Is a Serving 10 years For Road-Rage
Shooting *
* -Woman Decorating Church Shot; 1 Of 3 Killed In PA Shooting
-Gun Crazies Try To Deport Piers Morgan*
*-Assault Weapons Ban Talk Sparks Run on Gun Stores *
*-Hope for consensus on gun control diminishes *
*-Gun deaths top 100 post Sandy Hook*
"Settler Canadians"
Note
to the #idlenomore uprising: "Settler Canadian" is a well-intended but
divisive and couterproductive term. Some of you are engaging in
arguments about who is more authentic as an Indigenous person and who is
"allowed" to participate in the movement. This does three things.
First, it reproduces the mechanisms of colonialism by othering, by
constructing boundaries and in-groups. Second, these
Obama Would Deport Churchill - but Never Piers Morgan
A petition has been circulating the Internet to "deport" British citizen
and CNN Host Piers Morgan for his attacking of the Second Amendment and the
Bill of Rights on his television show.
It probably would have been more plausible if the petition were to simply
revoke his work visa and replace it with a B-2 "Vacation, Tourism,
Pleasure" visa, which could prevent him from working in the US. Seriously,
I realize that the purpose is to require "White House response" but I can't
imagine Obama would "deport" the guy to England for attacking the Second
Amendment when he himself is assaul... more »
Released FBI documents reveal plans to assassinate OWS activists
*
*
*Note: the documents were redacted, so its not clear "who" was going to
target OWS leaders... -AK*
*
* http://www.presstv.com/usdetail/279777.html
*Released FBI documents reveal plans to assassinate OWS activists*
Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:8PM
Jason Leopold, an investigative journalist for Truth-Out, has obtained FBI
documents - through the Freedom of Information Act - relating to Occupy
Wall Street. Most of the pages in the documents are redacted, and show
concerns of cyber threats against the financial sector. However, there are
questions of assassination plots against Occupy activi... more »
Fiji Unveils New Currency Without Queen Elizabeth's Portrait
LOL!!! A bug has replaced the Queen!!!
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsworld.php?id=914737
December 12, 2012 12:46 PM
*Fiji Unveils New Currency Without Queen Elizabeth's Portrait*
SUVA, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau on
Wednesday unveiled the country's new banknotes and coins that no longer
feature British Queen Elizabeth II's portrait.
Xinhua news agency reports over the last 78 years, Fiji's currency has
featured members of the British royal family from King George V to Queen
Elizabeth II.
In launching the new banknotes and coins, Nailatikau s... more »
The newThe new constitution and the polarization of Egyptian society
Since the fifth day after the start of the January 25thRevolution, the
strategy of the Muslim Brotherhood and their political arm, “The Justice
and Freedom Party”, has been based on lies and deception. Such a strategy
is not based on intelligence, rationale, or clever thinking. The revolution
ended by replacing one authoritarian regime with another.
The new constitution has been ratified by 63% of voters, according to the
national election committee. There have been reports issued by journalists,
human rights organizations, and some judicial observers, that claim that
the election... more »
Second Amendment solutions
To be clear, I support gun rights for responsible owners. I know many of
them intimately. But this happened all across America in the week after the
Newtown massacre. At gun shows. Where not everyone does a background check.
More than 200 people lined up at each of three entrances on Saturday
morning to pay the $8 entrance fee to the Will Rogers Memorial Center in
Fort Worth, which has an exhibit hall spanning 25 acres. They crowded the
aisles of the show and stood two-deep at booths for assault weapons and
ammunition clips.
At all three shows the attendees were overwhelmingly whi... more »
Of hunger strikes, CON pigs tweeting about bacon, and #IdleNoMore
As I stood on Parliament Hill in solidarity with #IdleNoMore activists
and
protesters I was reminded that the ancestors of those whose
*revendications*I supported, taught my ancestors how to survive the
harsh winters of Turtle
Island.
Were it not for the extraordinary generosity that the Anishinabek, Cree,
Abenaki and perhaps even Iroquois peoples extended to Europeans,
settlement
after settlement would have succumbed to the challenges and dangers the
natural environment posed. Famine, and diseases attributed to
malnutrition, killed many colonists.
This is particularly ironic si... more »
Is Scott Brown maybe NOT destined to sneak his way back into the Senate?
*One thing I'll freely concede is that Scott is, or leastwise was, mighty
purty. But that's not really a credential for the U.S. Seante, is it?*
*by Ken*
In my occasional (these days) reflective moments, I ponder why it bothers
me so much that Scott Brown may slither his way back into the Senate as a
result of the appointment of Sen. John Kerry to succeed Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton. Howie, you may recall, expressed concern about that, but
much greater concern about the ascension of NJ Sen. Bob Menendez to the
chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. I don't lose sleep over... more »
Poof: The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Poofness ~ The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Merry Christmas
12/23/2012
Greetings and Salutations;
Hope you all are enjoying the holidays, as best you can. Some of you
heard, some folks have hit the banks already. Some will deny such a thing
because they don’t know anyone who went. That’s ok, there are
non-disclosures that get signed, which locks people’s lips for 90 days.
Some may have heard some old contracts are being paid out. Don’t be
surprised to find out the big O people were not the first on the list to be
paid out, the point being, all is orderly and the oldest stuff goes first... more »
Massive protests rock India over vicious gang rape; riots everywhere; reporter shot dead; 1 woman raped every 20 minutes across country
A journalist has been killed in violent demonstrations against sex attacks
in India as police failed to contain fresh violence.
A television reporter, 36, was reportedly shot dead when officers opened
fire on a protest in Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, over an attack
on a film actress.
The star, known as Momoko, was dragged from stage in full public view last
week by an armed militant who tried to rape her. She managed to fight him
off and fled.
Momoko, also a popular model, has waived her right to anonymity to make a
public appeal for her attacker's arrest.
Crowds in Manip... more »
ALEC Policy - FAILS - AGAIN!!!!
From the Daily Kos
The Wisconsin State Journal reported over the weekend that a private
company hired by the Scott Walker administration to provide janitorial
services in the state capitol building has been fired - for damaging the
expensive marble floors in the building.
State officials have fired a cleaning company they believe may have
damaged or stained marble floors in the Capitol, said Wisconsin Department
of Administration spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis.
The damage appears to have occurred when a cleaning solution or other
liquid leaked from a floor-scrubbing machine... more »
Russian military presence in Syria poses challenge to US-led intervention
Russian military advisers are manning some of Syria's more sophisticated
air defences – something that would complicate any future US-led
intervention, the Guardian has learned.
The advisers have been deployed with new surface-to-air systems and
upgrades of old systems, which Moscow has supplied to the Assad regime
since the Syrian revolution broke out 21 months ago.
The depth and complexity of Syria's anti-aircraft defences mean that any
direct western campaign, in support of a no-fly zone or in the form of
punitive air strikes against the leadership, would be costly, protracted
a... more »
Released FBI documents reveal plans to assassinate OWS activists
PressTV
Jason Leopold, an investigative journalist for Truth-Out, has obtained FBI
documents - through the Freedom of Information Act - relating to Occupy
Wall Street. Most of the pages in the documents are redacted, and show
concerns of cyber threats against the financial sector. However, there are
questions of assassination plots against Occupy activists in Houston,
Texas. Because the documents have redactions, it is not clear who or what
group was planning the assassinations.
On page 61, the section reads: “An identified [redacted] of October planned
to engage in sniper attac... more »
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, December 23rd, 2012
I have said before that I cannot always post articles every day of the week
in this blog... Saturday was a day spent first with some last minute
Christmas shopping, and then spending the evening with friends for our
annual Christmas get together..Therefore my posting any new articles
yesterday was delayed...
I must say that the items of conversations in the party last night were
most interesting... We discussed the usual Sports, and then turned to some
world and political issues. There were a lot of people discussing the
recent "massacre" in Newtown, Connecticut, and they showed th... more »
North Korea could have U.S. within missile range, says South
This month's rocket launch by reclusive North Korea shows it has likely
developed the technology, long suspected in the West, to fire a warhead
more than 10,000 km (6,200 miles), South Korean officials said on Sunday,
putting the U.S. West Coast in range.
North Korea said the December 12 launch put a weather satellite in orbit
but critics say it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to
mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.
North Korea is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under U.N.
sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons ... more »
Julian Assange: expect 1 million new WikiLeaks
Julian Assange has said (video) that WikiLeaks is preparing to publish 1m
new secret government documents as he marked six months of refuge in the
Ecuadorean embassy in London with a speech from its balcony on Thursday.
The WikiLeaks founder has remained in the embassy to avoid arrest and
extradition to Sweden on suspicion of sexual offences. There is a permanent
police guard and Assange will be arrested if he leaves the premises.
About 80 supporters gathered on Thursday night to hear Assange speak. They
carried candles and held placards reading, "Don't shoot the messenger" and
"Don... more »
Hydrogen Sonata Forum wrap-up
Just to collect all the links from our Forum on Iain M. Banks’ The Hydrogen
Sonata into one coherent place: Chris Brown: A Triumphant Return to
Form | Gerard van der Ree: Learning from Utopia | Iver B. Neumann: Religion
and the Sublime | Patrick Thaddeus Jackson: Actors on the Sci-Fi
Stage | Dan Nexon: To Sim, Perchance to Dream | and Iain M. Banks’ reply
Continue reading
D-FOX: Please contact us if you can read this
To D-fox: if you're reading this, please contact us at
thecomingcrisis@gmail.com. It's important -- we believe.
Naked Bill O'Reilly . . . and My Five Wishes for 2013
*Oh, the horror! (See No. 5 below.)*
*by Noah*
[*Yesterday Noah had predictions for 2013. Today he moves on to some wishes for
the new year.* -- Ed.]
*1. A Bankster Gets His*
A crossbow? An extra-large gigunda knife in the back thrown from ten feet?
A crowd of über-angry middle-class machete-wielding citizens out for
vengeful blood? A simple flaming pit suddenly opening up under Jamie
Dimon's thousand-dollar shoes? Snakes on Lord Bankfiend's plane? To me any
of these would suffice. All of them would suffice more. I think all of us
must learn to give back. Does that make me a bad... more »
Mitt Romney, reluctant candidate
They're still doing post mortems on Romney's failed bid for POTUS. Boston
Globe rehash is pretty good if you're not sick of these yet. This part is
the only thing that's new and much mockery of Tagg's claim ensued on the
social nets.
More than being reticent, Romney was at first far from sold on a second
presidential run. Haunted by his 2008 loss, he initially told his family he
would not do it. While candidates often try to portray themselves as
reluctant, Tagg insisted his father’s stance was genuine.
“He wanted to be president less than anyone I’ve met in my life. He had no
d... more »
America’s Hype over WMD: Five Invasion Plots, Three Continents, Identical Lies
Global Research
Felicity Arbuthnot
[image: Bush1_Hitler]
*“I do not understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. We have
definitely adopted the position at the Peace Conference of arguing in
favour of the retention of gas as a permanent method of warfare…. I am
strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised
tribes.”*(Winston S. Churchill, 1874-1965, from War Office minute, 12th
May 1919.)
As the sabre rattling against Syria gets ever louder, the allegations
ever
wilder and double standards, stirring, plotting and terrorist financing
(sorry: “aiding the legiti... more »
Fra Giovanni, "Written on Christmas Eve, 1513"
"Written on Christmas Eve, 1513"
"I salute you. I am your friend, and my love for you goes deep. There is
nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much, very much,
that, while I cannot give it, you can take. No heaven can come to us unless
our hearts find rest in it today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future
which is not hidden in this present little instant. Take peace! The gloom
of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy.
There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see. And to see, we
have only to look. I beseech you to ... more »
If more guns is crazy, Wayne LaPierre doesn't want to be sane
Hot on the heels of the most bizarre press conference ever, NRA chief Wayne
LaPierre is making the rounds of the bobblehead shows to defend the NRA's
hare-brained position on gun regulation, that being, there should be
absolutely no additional regulation whatsoever. Surprisingly, Dancing Dave
challenged that idiotic NRA stand:
GREGORY: This is a matter of logic, Mr. LaPierre, because anybody watching
this is going to say ‘hey wait a minute. I just heard Mr. LaPierre say that
the standard is we should try anything that might reduce the violence. And
you’re telling me that it’s not ... more »
"Can You Keep Christmas?"
"Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to
remember what other people have done for you? To remember the weakness and
loneliness of people who are growing old? Are you willing to believe that
love is the strongest thing in the world... stronger than hate, stronger
than evil, stronger than death? Then you can keep Christmas! But you can
never keep it alone."
- Henry van Dyke
"Many Thanks- An Internet Merry Christmas!"
*"Many Thanks- An Internet Merry Christmas!"*
Author Unknown
"As we finish up the year 2011, I want to thank all of you for your
educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and
have little chance of recovery!
I no longer open a bathroom door without using a paper towel, or have the
waitress put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the
bacteria on the lemon peel.
I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last
person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.
I can't sit down on the hotel bedspre... more »
"My Grown-Up Christmas Wish"
"No more lives torn apart,
That wars will never start,
And time will heal our hearts.
Every man will have a friend,
That right will always win,
And love will never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas List."
- Author Unknown
Sunday Question for Liberals
Sticking with the theme: what's a Christmas (or other appropriate holiday)
gift that you would like to give to a Democratic or liberal leader?
Zionist lobbies seek to restrict Press TV activities in US: William Spring
PressTV
United States Zionist lobby groups seek to limit the activities of Press TV
in America over fears of losing the propaganda war, a human rights activist
tells *Press TV*.
This is while the US House of Representatives has recently approved a
‘defense bill’ that includes new anti-Iran sanctions on broadcasting,
another almost USD500 million for the Israeli regime’s missile systems and
approximately USD89 billion for its war in Afghanistan.
Press TV has conducted an interview with William Spring, a human rights
activist from London, to further discuss the issue. Spring is... more »
Russ Roberts talks with John Taylor
Previous installments are here.
Happy Festivus, People of Earth
I got a lot of problems with you people!
Christmas past
I'm posting Christmas graphics every day at my other place, but since no
one reads that blog maybe I should post a few here since it's almost that
time. Love antique Christmas cards. This one is from 1870.
[graphic via Mental Floss More cards at the link]
And for those who hate the holiday and want a little bah humbug to brighten
their day, this was billed as the saddest Christmas album ever. Haven't
seen a fact check on it, but guessing it could be true.
[graphic via Pour Me Coffee]
Master list of Antidepressant/SSRI Related Violence
I knew this was a problem given the people I know who have died from
taking these drug and using handguns to kill themselves, but this list is
amazing and a wake up call to congress and gun control advocates that the
problem is more than just guns, its the drugs people are taking.
The combination of antidepressants and guns are a much more serious
problem than drinking and driving. Where are the Mothers Against
Antidepressants? Surely enough mothers are sick and tired of their
children dying in school shootings? Where are the calls for to hold
the pharmaceutical indust... more »
Sunday Question for Conservatives
Let's have some fun: what's a Christmas (or other appropriate holiday) gift
that you would like to give to a Republican or conservative leader?
Kauilapele: Now that Video…”’2012 A-Z’ – A Galaxial Event of Disneyesque Proportion”
*Now that Video…”’2012 A-Z’ – A Galaxial Event of Disneyesque Proportion”*
Posted on 2012/12/23 by kauilapele
Okay, I’ve viewed this once. It’s a little over an hour long, but if you
just want to listen to a bit, I’d suggest going to 20 minutes and view from
there. I was completely “drawn in” by this one. Jelaila Starr just emailed
her latest message with this video in it. Made a lot of “connection-sense”
to me. And fun to watch.
“Joy Paradigm” Grid Fully Enabled
*
* *
* *“Joy Paradigm” Grid Fully Enabled*
by ÉirePort
"Joy Paradigm" Grid has been fully enabled as of the 12-23-12, as result
of Cosmic Alignment. Resistance is futile. Resistance is no longer possible.
Individual human co-alignment with this Joy Paradigm Grid comes step by
step, individual by individual, yet expect to see entire groups align
instantly. New Joy Paradigm Grid supports strongly such alignments. As veil
has been largely lifted, these Joy Paradigm Grid group alignments will be
visible to all.
ÉirePort | December 23, 2012 at 17:01
URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-5R
Hunger and homelessness rise in U.S. cities
[image: A homeless man in New York City using a unique shelter heated by
exhaust from buildings, 20 December 2012. ParaSITE]
20 December 2012 (Reuters) – Across the United States, the number of hungry
and homeless people is growing, and budget fights at the federal level are
threatening the aid many need to survive, the U.S. Conference of Mayors
said on Thursday.
Amidst the holiday season of family feasts and corporate dinners, the
mayors released a report that found requests for emergency food assistance
rose in 21 out of the 25 cities it surveyed in 2012 and remained at the
sam... more »
Sunday Classics: It's "The Nutcracker" -- the whole deal! (Again!)
*Since we already saw the "Nutcracker Suite" sequence of Disney's
Fantasiawith Friday night's preview, I thought to kick off we'd just
look at this
little teaser from Helgi Tómasson's San Francisco Ballet staging.*
*by Ken*
[*To repeat, this is an "encore presentation" of last year's complete-
Nutcracker post, which I thought came out pretty darned well. You
probably
think it's a huge labor-saver just running a post "rerun." Perhaps I
thought so too, but it never works out that way.*]
The plan is pretty simple. As promised in Friday night's preview, when
we
heard two quite different... more »
"What Going Over The 'Fiscal Cliff' Would Mean..."
*"What Going Over The 'Fiscal Cliff' Would Mean..."*
By Lori Montgomery, The Washington Post
"Two years the leaders of a presidential commission rolled out a startling
plan to dig the nation out of debt. After decades of profligacy, they said,
Washington must tell people to work longer, pay higher taxes and expect
less in retirement. Lawmakers recoiled from the blunt prescriptions of
Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Alan K. Simpson. But their plan has
since been heralded by both parties as a model of clear-eyed sacrifice, and
policymakers say the moment has come to live up to... more »
Plastic chokes oceans and trashes beaches
[image: Plastic and other debris pollute a beach on Midway Island, 20
August 2012. Daisy Gilardini / Danita Delimont Photography / Newscom]
By Karin Schulze
23 December 2012
(SPIEGEL) – A new exhibition in Hamburg seeks to alert people to the
dangers of the plastic in our daily lives, painting a stark picture of how
it accumulates in the world's oceans. It reveals how plastic particles can
enter into the food chain and return to us through our dinner plates.
The unsightly mess is a must see for anyone who wants to have a bad
conscience for the right reason during the orgy of cons... more »
Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 12.21.12"
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 12.21.12"*
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
"Don’t expect a debt deal Christmas present. It ain’t going to happen. This
is a political football. It is also about putting blame on the other party
and getting a deal that hurts the other party’s base the worst. Solving
this debt crisis problem will involve real pain and sacrifice if we ever
want to balance the budget. Even the so-called Erskine-Bowles plan only
meant a total of $4 trillion to the budget over the next decade. That plan
slowed the growth of government, forget about actually cutting it. What
Con... more »
John Friend on What's Ailing the World? with Dr. Rebecca Carley
I was on *Dr. Rebecca Carley's radio program* What's Ailing the World? on *The
Micro Effect Radio Network *yesterday morning. We discussed the Sandy Hook
"shooting" hoax and related matters. You can download the first half of the
show *here*, and the second half *here*.
Why Poor Kids Fail in College
*The New York Times *today has a very interesting and detailed analysis
of
stalled class mobility and the failure of university education to
eliminate
barriers to mobility. The story follows working class female students
success in graduating from high school and failure to graduate from
college
For Poor, Leap to College Often Ends in a Hard Fall. Jason De Parle and
Kitty Bennett (contributing to research). December 22, 2012 The New York
Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poor-students-struggle-as-class-plays-a-greater-role-in-success.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit... more »
Statement of SWP Democratic Opposition
-
And there I was just minding my own business when this below tumbled into
my inbox. Readers may be aware from a number of discussions at Socialist
Unity and the *Weekly Worker* that a handful of members have been expelled
in the lead up to the SWP's conference in early January. Under the rules,
SWP members can form a faction in the three month period leading up to
their annual meeting. It would appear from internet grapevine gossip that
the four members in question fell foul of the central committee's expulsion
compulsion for daring to communicate with each other outside the party'... more »
Have a Very Classist Christmas
Until I read all about it in *The Huffington Post*, I never would have
known that I have permission from the Obamas to start celebrating. Until
they boarded Air Force One for their annual jaunt to Hawaii, we hoi
polloi had supposedly been agonizing over the Fiscal Cliff right along with
them. So as long as the first family can take some time off, we can too.
Because this is a democracy, where everybody who does their fair share and
plays by the same rules gets a fair shake, and gets it good and hard.
It's that most wonderful time of the year, when Barack and Michelle deliver
their a... more »
If it Bleeds it Leads, So Let it Bleed
(By *American Zen*'s Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari)
"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to have a good guy with
a gun." - *NRA VP Wayne LaPierre, December 21, 2012*
If one were to take Maureen Dowd's dry sarcasm literally (and I'm
afraid many liberals do), then the NRA is wrongly anathematizing the MSM
that she represents and that the 4th Estate is being used as a scapegoat,
an innocent victim that's not actually accountable for the atmosphere of
fear the NRA's Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre rightly pointed out
at his Friday presser.
Of cou... more »
Parker and Douthat and Robinson oh my!
*SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012*
*The sad state of pundit culture:* We were struck this morning by the sad
state of pundit culture.
In the Washington Post, Kathleen Parker’s column takes us back to an
earlier, more innocent era. Parker falls back on two favorite old tales,
one concerning Michael Dukakis, the other concerning Richard Nixon.
Did Dukakis really lose the election because of his ride in that tank? As a
candidate, was Nixon really “sweat-soaked?” Actually no. But for decades,
treasured old stories like these have driven the work of our pundits.
These treasured old stories a... more »
Stevie does Gangnam . . .
ACCORDING TO HUFFINGTON, the Air Farce has nailed it. Delightful!
Fiscal Cliff - Yeah, Baby!!!, Let's Do It.
I have been ready to go over the fiscal cliff for months now.
I don’t fear it.
As a matter of fact I look forward to it – I think it can be a moment of
awakening for both parties.
This morning on The Hill I saw this
Conservatives urge GOP leaders to be bold, prepare to go over cliff
And thought – oh shit, the GOP and I agree.
But it is really a RepubliCON “bait and switch” if you read the whole
article.
The article is full of juicy little tidbits.
My emphasis throughout
Conservative activists who helped doom Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio)
fiscal Plan B say *Republicans must be p... more »
If harper Kills Chief Spence
Is it possible? Is harper so debased that he'd actually let Chief Spence
die rather than agree to a meeting between First Nations leaders, himself
and the Crown? Personally, I don't think so (although the overall lack of
media attention to this gripping story might try to make it possible for
harper to get away with that). I think, while he's tweeting inanities and
filling his mind with empty thoughts about Christmas, harper will let
Spence starve until she requires hospitalization, perhaps suffers permanent
organ damage, and then he'll agree to a meeting where nothing will be
discu... more »
Doug Ross: The 2012 Fabulous 50 Blog Awards...
*announced.*
I've collected my badge. Sigh.
[image: Winner - 2012 Fabulous 50 Blog Awards]
Stevie needs a reading . . .
THE HR GIGER TAROT SET. Awesome.
trials of a student librarian: readers' advisory, the library thing i love best
Of all the aspects of librarianship that I know about, the piece I'm most
excited about is readers' advisory.
Readers' advisory is the library term for answering that important
question... *"What to read next?"* Questions like, "Do you have any more
books like this one?", "I'm tired of reading mysteries, I need something
different," and "I loved this book, I want another just like it," are all
about readers' advisory.
I was surprised to learn that adult readers ask library staff for book
recommendations all the time. In my own reading, I am guided by almost
exclusively by book rev... more »
NHS Alexandra Hospital apologises to 38 families for appalling care that saw a patient starve to death
An NHS hospital has apologised to 38 families after a patient starved to
death and it left other dying people screaming in pain.
Alexandra Hospital in Redditch is writing to 38 families after a massive
legal action that exposed years of bad practice, ranging from nurses
taunting patients to leaving an elderly woman unwashed for 11 weeks.
In one of the worst cases, a man had starvation recorded as the cause of
his death after being treated at the hospital for two months.
Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, said last night that he was “disgusted
and appalled” by what the families had ... more »
Israel backs Russia’s avowal that Syrian chemical arms are secure “for now”
“At the moment, [Syria’s] chemical weapons are under control,” said senior
Israeli defense official Amos Gilad Sunday, Dec. 23, echoing the statement
by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Saturday that “the Syrian
government has “consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations
amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu then said enigmatically: “We are facing a
near possibility of far-reaching changes in the Syrian regime with
ramifications for the sensitive weaponry [chemical, biological] present
there.”
Li... more »
Behind The Numbers
When Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page released a report two weeks
ago, which documented the average annual salary of a federal employee as
$114,100, there were howls from the usual critics. Andrew Jackson writes:
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation was quick to jump on the report of the Parliamentary
Budget Office on federal government pay and compensation, saying that it
provided “shocking numbers on the overly generous compensation of federal
government employees.” Echoing similarly-exaggerated claims by the Canadian
Federation of Independent Business and other employer gr... more »
Mysterious death prompts Person authorities to seize dog (Very strange)
Questions surrounding a man's death over the weekend prompted Person
County authorities to seize a pitbull. Deputies found the body of Eugene
Cameron, 65, of Henderson, under a carport at 1189 Semora Road, west of
Roxboro, late Saturday. Family members said he was checking on the house
while his friend was out of town. Witnesses said that Cameron was found
naked, with his clothes balled up beside him, and bloody dog paw prints
surrounded him. He had a severe injury to his right arm that could have
caused him to bleed out, and the injury was consistent with a dog bite,
according to ... more »
American Dream Fades for Generation Y Professionals
After being dismissed from her job as a Midtown Manhattan securities
attorney in October 2009, Christina Tretter-Herriger hitched a used horse
trailer to her Dodge Ram pickup and drove 1,628 miles to Texas.
The 32-year-old lawyer sold skin-care products in Houston before finding
work as the assistant general counsel of a futures-trading firm where an
irate customer punctuated a recorded voice-mail message with gunfire.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-21/american-dream-fades-for-generation-y-professionals.html
A New Beginning is Here
*Press For Truth*
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Welcome to Boehnerville
Saw this on the TV this morning and had to chuckle.
Hadn't seen it before - thought I'd share in case others had not seen it
either.
The Hydrogen Sonata Forum: Iain M. Banks Replies
General Warning: this is emphatically not a spoiler-free Forum! Hence all
of the text all of the contributions will be safely below the fold, and
only the identifying information for the author of the contribution will be
here for even causal browsers to see. Iain M. Banks is a celebrated author
of both science fiction
Continue reading
Sunday Globe Special: South African Zombies
*I thought that was a Haitian thing. *
*
**‘‘The ARVs are called the ‘Lazarus drug’ because people rise up and walk’’
*
"South Africa improves in fighting HIV-AIDS" by Carley Petesch |
Associated Press, December 02, 2012
JOHANNESBURG — Stories of hope and progress are readily available on World
AIDS Day 2012 in sub-Saharan Africa, where *deaths* from *AIDS-related
causes* have declined by 32 percent from *1.8 million* in 2005 to *1.2
million* in 2011, according to the latest UNAIDS report....
*
**An ongoing Holocaust. *
Themba Lethu clinic, with government funding [from] the Unite... more »
A Life of Indentured Servitude for a Chance at a College Diploma: When the American Dream Goes Nightmare
Recently the NYTimes shows signs of coming out of its corporate cocoon to
do real investigative reporting again. The recent story on WalMart
corruption was terrific, and in this story, the Times looks at the
deepening of the categorical inequality as it plays out in the higher
education arena.
The story is based in Galveston, TX, and the charts and graphs, alone, are
worth the price of the Sunday paper. If democracy is to have a chance in
the U. S., and if the American dream is to be anything other than a
worn-out pipe dream, it will not be under the current crush of rapacious ... more »
Untitled
*New Orleans Saints fan photos ~WDSU *
*Profit Island purchase could restart work on Comite Diversion Canal *
*Farmers using new methods ~Sable Lefrere*
*Happy Festivus fo'da rest of us!*
Boehner's Already Low Popularity Takes A Hit But Is He Vulnerable?
Boehner knows he can count on Steve Israel for a free pass again
The GOP smear machine went to work on Pelosi many years ago and
systematically turned her into a symbol of loathing for the right-wing/Fox
News/hate talk radio base. They did their worst to turn her into a divisive
figure, an untrustworthy "other" and put millions and millions of campaign
dollars into tying all their electoral targets to her. Democrats had done
something similarly with Tom DeLay, the difference being that DeLay is a
convicted criminal, a zealot for the interests of plutocrats and an
unhinged extremist. ... more »
I Missed the AIDS Conference
*I'm sorry, readers. I just didn't have time to attend.... *
"US pledges $150m more to fight AIDS" by Lauran Neergaard | Associated
Press, July 24, 2012
WASHINGTON — Science now has the tools to slash the spread of HIV even
without a vaccine — and the *United States* is *donating an extra $150
million* to help poor countries put them in place, the Obama administration
told the world’s largest AIDS conference Monday.
*
**Such chump change when you consider the trillions spent on wars and Wall
Street. And not to be insensitive on the matter, but now Americans are
being told to accep... more »
*SIGH* Miramar Hotel BOT Project gets conditional EIA approval
[image: Taitong]
*A list of build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects in Taitung county.
Following the developer credo: there is no place so beautiful that it can't
use more concrete.*
The Taipei Times reports:
The controversial construction of Miramar Resort Village at Taitung
County’s Shanyuan Bay (杉原灣) gained conditional approval from a seventh
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) meeting yesterday, despite heated
debate over the legitimacy of the project and the EIA meeting.
According to the Taipei Times, the project was created to get around the
environmental impact assessment (... more »
tell stephen harper you support chief theresa spence and idle no more
As Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence enters her twelfth day without food,
solidarity actions with the IdleNoMore aboriginal movement are growing
throughout Canada and around the globe.
In Winnipeg, demonstrators blocked the Trans Canada Highway. In freezing
weather in Edmonton, protesters filled downtown streets. At least 1,000
people came out in the snow in Ottawa. In Toronto, supporters filled Dundas
Square with a flash-mob round dance. Hundreds protested in Iqaluit,
Yellowknife and Whitehorse. In Vancouver, Montreal, Saskatoon, and Sudbury, people
took to the streets.
Aborigina... more »
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