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| Small yacht marina, Kyle of Lochalsh, Highland (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| English: Loch Alsh (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| English: , seen from castle, in the Scottish Highlands. Français : Le Loch Alsh, vu du château d'Eilean Donan, dans les Highlands d'Écosse. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| Iran Air 655 Strait of hormuz (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Happy New Year from all of us here at DWT!
*by Ken*
If there's one thing we can say with near-certainty about the new year,
it's that come Dec. 31, 2013, we'll be bitching and moaning about that
godforsaken year just (mercifully) past. So in fairness, approaching a
brand-new year that hasn't (yet) done a darned thing to us, I think we can
start with some "glass half-full" messaging, like the cartoon above and the
next couple.
*
**NOW FOR THE "GLASS HALF-EMPTY" POSITION . . .*
The nice thing is that at this point, from the vantage point of horrid old
2012, we can still wish for a safe, happy, and healthy new year for ... more »
Society's Collapse: "Teddy" the porcupine has WAY TOO MUCH corn on New Year's
*
Me (and Lynsey) wish all of our readers an industrious 2013, and hope that
you reach your goals. Ours is to acquire 1000 new subscribers to increase
the strength of our community, and to continue broadcasting freedom across
the world in real-time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.*
*We race towards success, together. May God guide and guard us all.*
*
**-- Matt*
Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money (Coming to an America near you)
The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble
neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges that he detains
mothers who can't pay their bills.
Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center
running. Now, a New York-based group filed a lawsuit this month in hopes of
forcing Pumwani to stop the practice.
Two mothers who live in a mud-wall and tin-roof slum near the maternity
hospital said Pumwani wouldn't let them leave after delivering their
babies. The bills the mothers couldn't afford were $60 and $160. Guards
with sticks w... more »
Iran test-fires missiles near Strait of Hormuz
Iran's navy says it has test-fired a range of weapons during ongoing
maneuvers near the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-fifth of the
world's oil supply.
The Monday report by the official IRNA news agency quotes exercise
spokesman Adm. Amir Rastgari as saying the Iranian-made air defense system
Raad, or Thunder, was among the weapons tested.
Iran says the system fires missiles with a range of 50 kilometers (30
miles), capable of hitting targets at 22,000 meters (75,000 feet).
He said torpedoes and underwater and surface-to-surface rockets were also
successfully tested.
h... more »
Large Shellfish Reef Newly Discovered Off The Coast of Scotland
Flame shells group together on the sea bed and their nests create a living
reef to support hundreds of other species. Photo courtesy: Marine
Scotland/PA
The discovery of a large shellfish reef on the west coast of the UK could
be the biggest find of its kind in the world, experts believe.
The reef, made up of more than 100 million brightly coloured and rare flame
shells, or Limaria hians, was found in Loch Alsh, a sea inlet between Skye
and the Scottish mainland. It covers an area of 4.6 sq miles (7.5 sq km)
and was discovered during a survey commissioned by Marine Scotland. It is ... more »
How to not teach physics
No
one learns physics from being taught physics. Therefore, the best way
to teach physics is to not teach physics.
It took me twenty years of teaching university physics to finally learn
this about teaching physics.
I would kill myself trying to explain the concepts, patiently and step
by step, repeating and re-casting, and on and on. I would grasp any sign
as a proof that my efforts were
Obama, Republicans reach deal on fiscal cliff; Senate vote expected tonight
*"President Obama and Senate Republicans reached a sweeping deal late
Monday that would let income taxes rise significantly for the first time in
more than two decades, fulfilling Obama’s promise to raise taxes on the
rich and averting the worst effects of the “fiscal cliff.”*
* *
* Vice President Biden arrived at the Capitol just after 9 p.m. to explain
the details of the pact he negotiated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-Ky.). A Senate vote on the package could be held by 10:30
p.m., beating a midnight deadline, Democratic aides said. The
Republican-controlled House... more »
In 2013, we can look forward to even savvy economic players like Starbucks' CEO paying heed to self-interested thugs and predators
*When I wrote about Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in March, I included this
clip from the company's annual shareholders' meeting.*
*"How could someone as well connected as Mr. Schultz get such a basic point
[about debt reduction and the economy] wrong? By talking to the wrong
people -- in particular, the people at Fix the Debt, who've been doing
their best to muddle the issue. . . .
"What's happening now is that all the ["deficit scold" Peter]
Peterson-funded groups are trying to exploit the fiscal cliff to push a
benefit-cutting agenda that has nothing to do with the current crisi... more »
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – "Baby"
Here's the original. There's a wild story behind this one.
Unit 2 Heat Rising, Unit 2 Glowing Blue Green Yesterday
Majia's Blog - 3 hours ago
[Disorder ?] A thermometer of reactor2 RPV indicating the rapid increase of
heat, it reached 152.1℃ on 12/30/2012 Posted by *Mochizuki* on December
30th, 2012 ·[Excerpted] According to Tepco’s plant parameter, a thermometer
(SUPPORT SKIRT TOP(TE-2-3-69K1)) of reactor2 is indicating the rapid
increase of temperature, it went over 100℃ at 5:00 of 12/26/2012.
It’s *152.1℃* at 11:00 12/30/2012.
Majia here: Yesterday unit 2 had a very definite blue-green glow after the
three level 5 earthquakes. That blue-green glow is not currently evident.
Here are screen-shots from yesterday.
<img a... more »
Happy New Year
A Happy New Year to all visitors, regular or otherwise, to my blog. I wish
you a happy, safe and prosperous 2013.
I am currently debating whether I should keep this bog running as it
currently does, I will let you know what I decide soon...
Belfast Car Bomb: Two Men Arrested Two men are arreste
Two men have been arrested in connection with a car bomb found underneath a
Belfast police officer's car on Sunday.
The men, aged 25 and 34, were detained in Belfast after the constable
discovered a bomb under his car at his home in the city on Sunday.
Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton revealed the officer was with his
wife and two young children when he checked the car as a matter of routine.
http://news.sky.com/story/1032007/belfast-car-bomb-two-men-arrested
Next Steps for EZLN
Monday, December 31, 2012The Zapatista Army of National Liberation
Announces Next Steps
Mexico
December 30, 2012
To the People of Mexico:
To the Peoples and Goverments of the World:
Brothers and Sisters:
Compañeros and compañeras:
This past December 21, 2012, in the pre-dawn hours, tens of thousands of
indigenous Zapatistas mobilized and we took over, peacefully and in
silence, 5 municipal seats in the Mexican southeastern state of Chiapas.
San Cristobal, Chiapas. December 21, 2012In the cities of Palenque,
Altamirano, Las Margaritas, Ocosingo, and San Cristobal de las Casas, we ... more »
2013- The New Year
*2012 *
*
*
*2013*
*PEACE: REAL PEACE*
*PROSPERITY: REAL PROSPERITY*
*MEASURED BY HEALTH, HAPPINESS, FAMILY BONDS THAT ARE STRONG EXTENDING INTO
THE COMMUNITY, GOOD NEIGHBOURS & GOOD FRIENDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD*
*
*
*THE BEST TO YOU ALL!!!*
Why I Think Merkely/Udall Has It Wrong
On Senate reform, suppose you're in the group -- which according to what
they say publicly includes most leading Democratic Senators -- who wants to
find a middle ground between the current dysfunctional Senate on the one
hand and creating a House-like strict majority party rule on the other
hand. Yes, I know, there are plenty of people who just want to eliminate
the filibuster entirely, but let's put that argument aside; even if it's
correct, which I don't believe it is, it's not going to happen anyway right
now. So if you accept that a middle ground solution is what they should be... more »
Reports: Russia sends another naval ship to Syria
Reports: Russia sends another naval ship to Syria
Russian news agencies say the navy is sending another ship to the Syrian
port of Tartus, where Russia has a naval base.
The reports Sunday by the ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agency cited an
unidentified official in the military general staff as saying the
Novocherkassk, a large landing ship, has set sail from the Black Sea port
of Novorossiisk. The ship is expected to arrive in the Tartus area in early
January.
The reports gave no information on the ship's intent. But Russian diplomats
have said that Moscow is preparing a plan to ev... more »
Hillary Clinton 'Should Make Full Recovery'
Doctors treating US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a blood clot in
a vein between her brain and skull have said she should make a fully
recovery.
She was admitted to the New York Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday after the
discovery of the clot stemming from an accident earlier this month.
Mrs Clinton, 65, initially fell ill with a stomach bug that led to her
fainting and sustaining a concussion.
http://news.sky.com/story/1031720/hillary-clinton-should-make-full-recovery
Mohawk Nation News 'To Save our Mother'
MNN: TO SAVE OUR MOTHER
TO SAVE OUR MOTHER
MNN. Dec. 30, 2012
http://www.mohawknationnews.com
Our Mother Earth is instructing us to protect her from corporate Canada’s murder and rape.
The “Idle No More” movement to stop Omnibus Bill C-45 is gaining worldwide momentum. They too are listening to our Mother.
Canada’s chief financial officer, Jim Flaherty and
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 31st December 2012
Magnitude
4.6
Date-Time
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 21:37:35 UTC
Tuesday, January 01, 2013 at 07:37:35 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
6.949°S, 154.656°E
Depth
51 km (31.7 miles)
Region
BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Distances
115 km (71 miles) SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
Old Fashioned Family Planning
The bubble of cheap energy has enabled a sharp increase in food production,
and a sharp increase in population. All bubbles are temporary. The coming
decades will be a time of huge and turbulent change. Food production is
being threatened by rising energy costs, an increasingly unstable climate,
unsustainable water mining and soil mining, and the growth in
chemical-resistant pests, weeds, and pathogens.
We are approaching Peak Food, while population growth continues. It is
most perplexing that population remains a taboo subject for polite
conversation among friends and family, ... more »
Mollycoddling A Nation(Silencing Needed Dissent with Bribes)
Crude Rises on 'Cliff' Deal Hopes
Do you see that headline from CNBC stock market and business web site..
Crude oil rises on cliff deal hopes, there it is in a nut shell, capitalism
at its finest, crony capitalism that is, I have seen this pattern in spades
over the last 6 years, remember oil rising to $150.00 per barrel at the
same time the Wall Street meltdown/securities fraud/derivative
ponzi/mortgage pump and dump scandal...
Oil quickly fell down to $70 dollars per barrel as the world teetered on
economic collapse and as stimulus packages were implem... more »
Musical Interlude: 2002, "Starwalkers"
2002, "Starwalkers"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SovcBYRFIxw
•
"Let others lead small lives, but not you.
Let others argue over small things, but not you.
Let others cry over small hurts, but not you.
Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you."
- Jim Rohn
(Shock! Shock! Obama Gives In) Cyber-Sleuths Blocked Rove's Nefarious Election-Stealing Machinations: Deprogramming Progressives
Yes. Foretold on this blog and many others for a very long while. The
change candidate only changes from his promises to the powerless. What a
Shock: Obama Gives In – Bush Tax Cuts “Extended Permanently” by Scott
CreightonThe mythological "fiscal cliff", the new Red Menace, the
Islamo-fascist terrorist hiding under your bed, has done it's work. Obama
has been "forced" to cave in and is
Harper government bills that enraged First Nations and sparked Idle No More
*"The
federal government continued to strengthen our relationship with
First Nations over the last year."*
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
2012 Year End Statement
One of the first questions that people ask about the *Idle No More
movement*is what the movement is all about. While the historical
injustices
experienced by First Nations are too many to list, activists say the
current government is pushing through a range of new bills that violate
treaty rights.
"Never in history has there been so many bills regarding and impacting
First Nations been pushed through the House of Commons at o... more »
Is anyone surprised to find the NRA's fingerprints smudging our so-called health-care reform?
*What? "Crazy Wayne" LaPierre's mug atop a story about "health-care
reform"? Well, crazy the NRA's front man may be, but nobody has ever
accused the slimebag -- or his DC assault team -- of being ineffective.*
*by Ken*
Surprise is sometimes expressed about the tenacity and durability of the
right-wing interest groups on the workings of government, like the
gun-and-armaments lobby so ably fronted by the National Rifle Association.
What's often forgotten by those who are surprised is that those interests
aren't bolsterd by mere ideology. Indeed ideology as such is almost the
least o... more »
Central African Coup
"Rebels near Central African capital" by Lydia Polgreen and Josh Kron |
New York Times Syndication, December 28, 2012
JOHANNESBURG — Rebels on Thursday inched closer to the capital of the
Central African Republic, threatening to topple an elected government that
has had an unsteady grip on power for nearly a decade.
Thousands of *civilians fled cities and towns into dense forest* as
embassies and humanitarian aid organizations evacuated many of their staff
members from the capital, Bangui.
The rebel group, an amalgamation of several factions fighting under the
name ‘‘Seleka Coali... more »
Crisis in the Congo
*Related(?): **Around Africa: Calling the Congo*
"Congo leader says Rwanda aids revolt" Associated Press, July 30, 2012
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Congo’s president accused Rwanda
of backing a *new rebellion* in Congo’s east and called their support an *open
secret*.
President Joseph Kabila told journalists late Saturday that the government
will investigate accusations that Uganda may also be backing the M23
rebellion in the east, though the country said it was not involved.
The uprising has brought the *worst violence in years* to the already
volatile Congo. It has *... more »
Fiscal Cliffs Notes
Judging by the rumors coming out of the media, it appears that we have a
deal to avert the fiscal cliff. This is troubling on a number of levels.
First, the deal will be agreed to by the outgoing Congress–what we at the
Duck are ashamed to call the lame-duck session–instead of the Congress just
Continue reading
Musical Interlude: Ottmar Liebert, "Heart Still Beating"
Ottmar Liebert, "Heart Still Beating"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNJXflfneQo
Censored News Readers' Heroes and Tribute to Russell Means 2012
Russell Means, seen in this 1995 file photo,
passed to the Spirit World on October 22, 2012.
He was 72. (Kirk McCoy/Los Angeles Times/MCT)
Censored News Heroes and Tribute to Russell Means
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/12/censored-news-readers-heroes-and.html
The Native American heroes for 2012 selected by Censored News readers are Debra and Alex
Something to get the party started
"Delilah" - This version is by the Leningrad Cowboys and the Russian Army
Choir... A great version and I think I'll be posting more of the Leningrad
Cowboys cover versions in 2013.
Taxmageddon is upon us! It's the Fiscal Cliff!
Seems too late to stop us from going over the fiscal cliff. Good, say I.
The fiscal cliff, or better, the fiscal bluff (don't know who coined that,
but it is much better than the idea of a sudden drop off that ‘fiscal
cliff’ brings to mind, and it also calls up the idea of a poker bluff,
which I like) is more likely because because negotiations to avoid going
over the bluff or cliff or whatever have broken down due to John Boehner's
House having gone home.
Both sides, of course, wanted very badly to screw the common man in favor
of their rich campaign donors and the various lobbyi... more »
'Heavy Handed' Harper Happy That Canada Is #1 Nation For Business - Too Bad It's Not #1 Nation For Its CITIZENS!!
*Stephen Harper is a bully who despises democracy for getting in the way of
his plan to further enrich the interests of the wealthy.*
*By ramming hundreds of pieces of legislation through in his infamous
'Omnibus Bills' he attempts to hide details and to prevent debate in the
nation.*
*
**The sooner Stephen Harper is no longer Prime Minister of Canada, the
better that average working Canadians will be.*
*
**Happy New Year to everyone who spoke out or acted out against the Harper
Gang this year.*
*-Winnipeg Free Press*
Untitled
*PREDICTABLE AND OTHERWISE PART 2*
*RECENT REBELLIONS:*
* Once more it has been an extended time since I posted here. All this
time I have been quite (excessively ?) active on Facebook, Almost always
reposting the stories of others. If this blog continues to exist it has to
have some purpose. I think that its purpose is to be a sounding board for
my own personal opinions. Too bad that it can no longer be a collection of
links to other anarchist sites. All my links got dumped into the aether
when I foolishly signed up for the 'new look' Blogger. Live and learn I
guess, though I g... more »
5.2 Magnitude Earthquake BALLENY ISLANDS REGION - 31st December 2012
Magnitude
5.2
Date-Time
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 20:02:04 UTC
Tuesday, January 01, 2013 at 06:02:04 AM at epicenter
Location
61.596°S, 154.288°E
Depth
10 km (6.2 miles)
Region
BALLENY ISLANDS REGION
Distances
666 km (413 miles) NW of Young Island,
Remembrance
A repost ...
I had no sisters or brothers growing up -- a kindred spirit, but something
more than a brother -- my first sisters were at the Brethren/Hutterite farm
where I lived awhile in the early seventies. Sisterhood has come on strong
of late, though. And last best.
She's written this poem, and I asked if I could share it here.*
*
*Remember*When I am gone
Remember that once I laughed
Great gulping gasps
of delighted rollicking roars
of merriment
That once I delightedly ran over the
new spring grass
with tender bare feet
feeling each blade bend
beneath them -
and the sharp scent o... more »
Happy New Year!
*Happy New Year, folks! *
I wish you all the very best for 2013, and good luck to us all.
- CP
The Case for Fossil Fuel Divestment
Major investors are beginning to sense danger from the fossil fuel bubble
we're in and are demanding corporations divest their fossil fuel
investments. This spells trouble ahead, particularly for the most
carbon-intensive fossil fuels and, yes, I mean the Athabasca Tar Sands.
The president of the business advocacy, *Ceres,* Mindy Lubber, outlines the
powerful case for fossil fuel divestment.
*We cannot simply accept Wall Street refrains that divesting is hard
because fossil fuels are embedded in our economy, and are profitable to
boot. Such thinking denies the ‘true’ negative cost... more »
Angola's Election
*And why they are important enough to appear in my paper*:
"Angola’s ruling party wins 73 percent of vote" Associated Press, September
03, 2012
LUANDA, Angola — President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’s ruling party has won
73 percent of the national vote assuring his government, in power for 32
years, another five years in power....
Both opposition parties criticized the elections for not being free and
fair.
The elections were largely peaceful and relatively well-organized in this
former Portuguese colony of 21 million that is *Africa’s second largest oil
producer*, a diplomatic obser... more »
Eulogizing Ethiopia's Prime Minister
*War criminals always receive the kindest words.... *
"Ethiopia gives Meles Zenawi state funeral" Associated Press, September 03,
2012
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Thousands of mourners gathered near a public square
in Ethiopia’s capital on Sunday to pay their final respects to Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi, who was praised for lifting many out of poverty but
vilified by some for restricting freedoms.
It's the war crimes against the Somalis and the Ogaden* that I find
vilifying.*
Meles, who ruled for 21 years, died Aug. 20 of an undisclosed illness in a
Belgian hospital. He was 57. Durin... more »
Squatters storm Pope's Embassy in Paris: Riot police called in as activists stage protest over homeless immigrant row
Riot
police were called to the Vatican Embassy in Paris today after it was
occupied by campaigners for homeless immigrants.
The invasion of a sacred diplomatic space was being viewed with ‘extreme
seriousness’, said an officer at the scene, who added that ‘around fifty
people had got inside’.
However, by lunchtime there had been no arrests, and the protesters had
pledged to leave peacefully after making their point, said the police
officer.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255281/Squatters-storm-Vatican-Embassy-Paris-Riot-police-called-activists-stage-protest-homeless-immigr... more »
"Thoughts For The New Year"
“What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of a year.”
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's
words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a... more »
The Cheque Is In the Mail, Yeah Sure.
What if you got that old lie - from your insurance company? Relax, that's
almost sure not to happen but you might as well expect potentially big
changes in your insurance dealings in the coming years. Coverage is going
to become more expensive and the range of risks covered is going to narrow.
The miners' canary is the United States where insurers are starting to
hunker down. *Ceres* looks at the "Stormy Future for U.S.
Property/Casualty Insurers".
*Today, rising losses related to extreme weather events are
significantly impacting the insurance industry and will
increasingly c... more »
Morgan Gliedman arrested with her Occupy Wall Street boyfriend after cops find 'a bomb and weapons' in their NYC apartment
The daughter of a prominent New York doctor and her Occupy Wall
Street-organizer boyfriend were arrested after police discovered an
explosive used for making bombs and a cache of weapons in their upscale New
York City apartment, it was claimed.
Morgan Gliedman, 27, and Aaron Greene, 31, were taken away from their home
in Manhattan's pricey Greenwich Village on Saturday.
Gliedman, who is nine months pregnant, remains in jail, where she is likely
to stay until at least New Year's Day, the Manhattan District Attorney's
Office told MailOnline.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2... more »
Second terrorist bomb found near Northern Ireland police station as officers investigating first foiled attack reveal policeman target was about to take family for a drive
A
second viable pipe bomb-type device has been discovered near a police
station in Northern Ireland.
Elderly residents were evacuated from their homes in Tandragee, Co
Armagh,
but have been allowed to return as the security alert has ended.
Army technical officers examined the object close to the gates of the
town's Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) station, a short
distance
south of Portadown.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2254940/Second-terrorist-bomb-near-Northern-Ireland-police-station-officers-investigating-foiled-attack-reveal-policeman-target-family-drive.html
How to Live to a Ripe Old Age
This is how it is going to be everywhere. The benefits are plainly obvious
and good health at a hundred is plausible and possible. Meat once a week is
good enough light alcohol on occasion is fine and beneficial and working a
couple hours in your garden is a really good plan. I am not organized for
that yet but it is on my list over the next three years.
I must say though that reaching my age, one discovers that all those
unhappy people who drink and smoke are no longer about anyway and it be
comes really easy to develop sound habits.
And yes, nuts are a great idea as t... more »
The Neverending Quest for a More Redistributionist Tax System
I just listened to President Obama's latest remarks on fiscal policy. This
passage caught my attention:
I want to make clear that any agreement we have to deal with these
automatic spending cuts that are being threatened for next month, those
also have to be balanced, because, remember, my principle always has been
let’s do things in a balanced, responsible way. And that means the revenues
have to be part of the equation in turning off the sequester and
eliminating these automatic spending cuts, as well as spending cuts.
Now, the same is true for any future deficit agreement. Obvi... more »
Saying Goodbye to Ghana's President
*His death was unexpected, huh? *
"Mourners gather for Ghanaian president’s funeral" Associated Press, August
11, 2012
ACCRA, Ghana — World leaders joined thousands of Ghanaians on Friday for
the funeral of President John Atta Mills, who came to symbolize Ghana’s
maturing democracy in a region long plagued by coups and disputed votes.
Atta Mills, 68, came to power in 2009 after winning the closest election in
the country’s history. The peaceful transition of leadership after that
vote was lauded as was the swift and orderly inauguration of the country’s
vice president last month fo... more »
Greenwich Village couple busted with cache of weapons, bombmaking explosives
Morgan Gliedman: daughter of privilege
Decades before *terrorist* became synonymous with *Islamic radical* in the
minds of most Americans, the United States had left-wing actors like the
Weathermen who murdered innocents and robbed banks to push their pro-Soviet
cause.
Today, the New York Post is reporting that a well-educated and wealthy
left-wing couple associated with the far-left Occupy Wall Street movment
has been arrested on terrorist charges.
The privileged daughter of a prominent city doctor, and her boyfriend — a
Harvard grad and *Occupy Wall Street activist* — have ... more »
"Why We're Addicted to New Year's Hope...and How to Make the Most of It"
* "Why We're Addicted to New Year's Hope...*
*and How to Make the Most of It"*
by Kelly McGonigal, PhD
“Do you think you are smarter, nicer, or funnier than most people you
know? Most people answer yes, a quirk psychologists call the
"better-than-average" effect. Although it's statistically impossible,
everyone likes to think of themselves as at least one standard deviation
above the norm.
Our positive illusions aren't totally self-centered, though. We have the
same faith in our sports teams. A recent study from Yale found that
football fans always expect their favorite team to... more »
Ivory Coast Investigations
"New mass graves found near site of Ivory Coast attack" by Robbie
Corey-Boulet | Associated Press, November 07, 2012
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Up to 10 new *mass graves* have been discovered near
the site of a July attack on a *camp for displaced people*, officials said
Tuesday, amid allegations that initial *casualty totals were downplayed* to
*mask killings carried out by the national army*.
*
**I don't think they have to worry. *
*
**Related: World Court Whitewashes Ivory Coast War Crimes*
*Going nowhere for the obvious reasons. *
Rights groups claim *summary executions* were carr... more »
Admission of Unauthorized Chemical Spraying in St. Louis
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Tell Them All - We Want Our Canada Back
As the year draws to a close I fear for the future of our country.
Our degeneration into a petro-state has exacted a heavy price on Canada and
our people and what we can hope to be in the difficult years that lie
ahead. It is as though we can no longer afford to do what is right and
good.
We were once respected around the world for our fairness and commitment to
peace and resolution. Now we're respected in corporate boardrooms and on
generals' plotting tables. We have "stepped up to the plate" and joined
the Big Boys in whacking the living Hell out of the little boys.
It pass... more »
Police launch manhunt for 'terror suspect' Ibrahim Magag who went missing on Boxing Day... while under close surveillance
A terror suspect who was under close police surveillance has gone missing,
it emerged this evening.
Counter terrorism detectives today appealed to the public for help in
tracing 28-year-old Ibrahim Magag who was last seen on Boxing Day.
He is believed to have absconded from a terror control order known as a
Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures notice (TPIM).
Counter terrorism detectives urged anyone who sees Magag to ring 999
immediately. He was last seen in north London.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255394/Ibrahim-Magag-Police-launch-manhunt-terror-suspect-w... more »
to boldly go: in which captain james t. kirk returns to my tv
I am so enjoying re-watching the original Star Trek series, in order, from
the beginning, on my US Netflix/Roku.
I half-dread writing about "Star Trek TOS", because of... well, you know.
The whole Star Trek thing. The whole sci-fi thing. If you read the "what
i'm watching" and "what i'm reading" posts on wmtc, you know I am not a
science fiction aficionado. *Obviously* I am not a Trekkie or a Trekker. I
don't know or care about Star Trek trivia. Shatner* memes can be mildly
amusing, but that's something that other people do. I just like this show.
(This is a problem when you casual... more »
2012 Resolutions- How I Failed and Succeeded
I am a big believer in setting New Years Resolution. I set somewhere around
20 each year. I like setting goals in general and the beginning of the year
just offers itself as a reminder to make my list. I don't normally share my
resolutions with anybody but my husband, but since one of my 2013
resolutions is to be more open, I am going to start a day early. These were
the things I wanted to accomplish in 2012, some I completed and some I
failed miserably at.
1. Read 30 books, including Tarzan. - I usually set a much higher book
reading goal, but in 2012 I wanted to focus on other thi... more »
Extrapolating Radiation Effects: The Problems With Laboratory Research
Efforts to predict the toxic genomic effects of chemicals and radiation
typically involve one or both of the following extrapolations:
1. Effects for humans are extrapolated from effects on animals studied in
labs
2. Low dose effects are extrapolated from high dose effects in lab animals.
As Gary E. Marchant notes in his chapter on Toxicgenomics and Environmental
regulation: "risk assessors have had to rely on models to extrapolate
results from high to low dose levels." p. 12
Each of these extrapolations poses problems.
For example, Marchant notes that "A finding that gene expres... more »
Kenyan Chaos
*I'll bet they need some **help**, 'eh?*
"48 slain in attack on village in Kenya" Associated Press, August 23, 2012
MOMBASA, Kenya — Hundreds of *farmers attacked a village*, *killing at
least 48* people in southeastern Kenya in an *escalation of ongoing clashes*between the
*farming and pastoral communities over land and resources*, an official
said Wednesday.
Some people were *burned to death in their houses*, while others were *hacked
to death or shot* with arrows, said Tana River region police chief Joseph
Kavoo.
The majority of those killed were *women and children*, said area ... more »
'Oompa Loompa' Attack: Police Hunt Pair
Police are hunting two men dressed as 'Oompa Loompa' characters who, along
with two other people, attacked a man in a city centre.
The 28-year-old victim suffered cuts to his face, nose and lip, as well as
two black eyes, after being confronted by the pair, posing as the fictional
chocolate factory workers, as he left a kebab house in Norwich.
The 'Oompa Loompas', accompanied by a man and a woman not wearing fancy
dress, attacked the man in the early hours of Thursday on Prince of Wales
Road, officers said.
http://news.sky.com/story/1031937/oompa-loompa-attack-police-hunt-pair
TODAY! Alaska Rally to Oppose Shell Drilling in Arctic
MEDIA ADVISORY
Alaska groups and Tribes Rally to oppose Shell drilling in the Arctic Dec. 31, 2012
12:00 pm noon Rally at the intersection of E. 36th & A street Anchorage, Alaska
Contact:
Carl Wassilie: 907- 382-3403 Alaska’s Big Village Network
Nikos Pastos: 907-764-2561 Center for Water Advocacy
Delice Calcote: 907-563-9334 Alaska Inter-Tribal Council
What:
12:
Malcolm Levesconte's Body found in the sea near Dover
A pub landlord who vanished after £30,000 disappeared from a Christmas
thrift fund has been found dead.
Police have confirmed that a body found in the sea near Dover is the body
of Malcolm Levesconte, a pub landlord from Shrewton.
http://news.sky.com/story/1031910/pub-landlord-found-dead-after-theft
4.4 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE GUATEMALA - 31st December 2012
Magnitude
4.4
Date-Time
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 15:33:53 UTC
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 09:33:53 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
14.083°N, 92.184°W
Depth
62.4 km (38.8 miles)
Region
OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
Distances
37 km (22 miles) SW of Champerico, Guatemala
Fails of the year - women's edition
I think the overall message of these is 'avoid alcohol'!
The Idiocracy Files, Part 5: The U.S. $enate Meets with Its Landlord
*"And the banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking
crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby
on Capitol Hill. And, frankly, they own the place."*
*-- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), May 2009*
*by Noah*
On June 13 of this year, almost exactly three years after the above quote
from one of the few of the more honest men in Washington, the U.S. Senate
Banking Committee gave us more of what Congress does best: a classic
dog-and-pony show, a farce meant for public consumption, to be cut down,
shined up and packaged for the nightly news by ... more »
Politics: A New Catastrophe Reinsurance Risk
In a new report out today on the state of the catastrophe reinsurance
industry, Willis Re has this interesting passage (here in PDF):
Superstorm Sandy has yet again demonstrated the danger of overreliance on
catastrophe models, due to the complexity of the original loss as well as
the emergence of a new and as yet unmodeled uncertainty: the politicization
of policy form interpretation. Buyers who have relied on covers with
indexed, non-indemnity triggers may yet find their reinsurance protections
do not respond to Superstorm Sandy loss recoveries in the way they had
planned.
What... more »
Oliver Stone to RT: ‘US has become an Orwellian state’
Americans are living in an Orwellian state argue Academy Award-winning
director Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick, as they sit down with RT
to discuss US foreign policy and the Obama administration’s disregard for
the rule of law.
Both argue that Obama is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and that people have
forgiven him a lot because of the “nightmare of the Bush presidency that
preceded him.”
“He has taken all the Bush changes he basically put them into the
establishment, he has codified them,” Stone told RT. “It is an Orwellian
state. It might not be oppressive on the surfac... more »
The exceptional U.S. wildfire season of 2012 – The top 5 U.S. wildfires of 2012
[image: Aerial view of the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire, Wunderphoto
submitted by AZMountaineer21. wunderground.com]
By Dr. Jeff Masters
31 December 2012
The 2012 U.S. fire season was the 3rd worst in U.S. history, with 9.2
million acres burned – an area larger than the state of Maryland. Since the National
Interagency Fire Center began keeping records in 1960, only two years have
seen more area burned – 2006, when 9.9 million acres burned, and 2007, when
9.3 million acres burned. Although the 2012 fire season was close to a
record for most acreage burned, the total number of f... more »
Updated: Normalized Hurricane Losses 1900-2012
The graph above shows an updated estimate of the 1900 to 2012 normalized
hurricane losses for the United States. The normalization methodology is
described in Pielke et al. 2008 (here in PDF) and the data presented in the
graph comes from the ICAT Damage Estimator, which extends the analysis of
Pielke at al. through 2011.
Today Willis Re released a report (here in PDF) on the state of the
reinsurance industry, and presents an estimated $20-25 billion in insured
losses for Sandy. As is conventionally done, to arrive at total losses for
2012 I have doubled the $25B figure to arrive ... more »
Chef Meyer in the land of Che Guevara
This last day of 2012 has a good feel to it, and when thinking of Bolivia I
see some harbingers of good for 2013. So it is appropriate to end this year
with an upbeat article about the famous chef Claus Meyer, who is in Bolivia
using local ingredients to create a new style. Appropriate - as this
country has conrtibuted so much gastronomically to the world - what with
the potato and so many other members of the Solanaceous family - Brazil
nuts (see post on this blog about them, most are actually grown in
Bolivia), etc.
Hopefully when I make my trip to Bolivia Chef Meyer's eatery will... more »
Prediction isn't the right method to learn about the past
*Happy New Year 2013 = 33 * 61!*
The last day of the year is a natural moment for a blog entry about time.
At various moments, I wanted to write about the things that the year 2012
brought us.
The most important event in science was the discovery of the \(126\GeV\)
Higgs boson (something that made me $500 richer but that's of course the
least important consequence of the discovery) but those of us who were
following the events and thinking about them rationally have known about
the \(126\GeV\) Higgs boson since December 2011.
Lots of other generic popular science sources recall the... more »
Housing Deal Fails to Prosecute Criminal Misdeeds
Settlement Expected on Past Abuses in Home Loans By Jessica
Silver-Greenberg, The New York Times 31 December 12 Published: December
30,
2012 *
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/business/settlement-expected-with-banks-over-home-loans.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121231&_r=0
*
[Excerpted]
Banking regulators are close to a $10 billion settlement with
14 banks that would end the government's efforts to hold lenders
responsible for foreclosure abuses like faulty paperwork and excessive
fees
that may have led to evictions, according to people with knowledge of
the
discussions.... more »
andy barrie, war resister, awarded order of canada
Congratulations
to Andy Barrie, former CBC broadcaster, on being awarded
the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour. This CBC
storysays that Barrie "left the U.S. and moved to Canada during the
Vietnam
War". But if you listen to this interview, you will hear how Barry
"left"
and "moved": he had volunteered for the war in Vietnam, then deserted,
and
fled to Canada.
Andy Barrie is a war resister, and was a deserter. (Do you hear that,
Jason
Kenney? Andy *volunteered* and *deserted*, and he was still allowed to
stay.) Andy has been a longtime and active supporter of the... more »
Climate Central: Hurricane Sandy tops list of 2012 extreme weather and climate events
[image: Aerial view of coastal flooding in Mantoloking, New Jersey, after
Hurricane Sandy, taken from a New Jersey Air National Guard Helicopter.
NJNG / Scott Anema]
By Andrew Freedman, Michael Lemonick, and Dan Yawitz
27 December 2012
(Climate Central) – From unprecedented heat waves that shattered "Dust
Bowl" era records from the 1930s, to Hurricane Sandy, which devastated
coastal New Jersey and New York, 2012 was the year Mother Nature had it out
for the U.S. No country on Earth rivaled the U.S. in 2012 in terms of
extreme weather and climate events, as one rare episode after a... more »
NYE Links
Happy New Year to all. While you’re sticking the bubbly in the fridge and
mapping out 2013 resolutions, consider nominating your favorite blogs for
the 2013 OAIS awards sponsored by the Duck. Tomorrow is the deadline for
nominations. See Dan’s last update on current nominees for more
information. The heavy bias toward counterinsurgency links in
Continue reading
Signing off for today...
*to celebrate my birthday by doing some shopping.*
*
**First I'm headed to Black Sheep Sporting Goods in Coeur d'Alene. Gosh,
wonder what I'm going to buy...*
*Then a quick stop at Tomato Street for a light lunch.*
*Next up is Hobby Lobby:*
After a quick stop at the grocery store (I just may eat a doughnut there),
it's home to make dinner.
*Salad:*
*King Crab Legs:*
*Shredded Potato Casserole:*
*To all my readers:*
*Have a safe and sane New Year's Eve. *
It's Monday...
*what's going on.*
Nice Deb: Yes, Fascism Has Come to America
Lonely Conservative: Obama Admin: We Will Force Americans To Violate Their
Faith
Diogenes: How far we’ve fallen when the biggest resistance to tyranny is
done by arts and crafts stores.
Maggie's Notebook: First They Came For The Guns…
T.L. in Exile: You Have Been Drafted
MOTUS: A Very Special MOTUS Retrospective: the Best of 2012
2012: Year of Deception and Distraction
And so 2012 draws to an end. This year has been one marked by the outright
lies of the Establishment and of self-appointed leaders, and the
willingness of the masses to believe them.
The Mayan Calendar ended on the 21st of December, and with it the New Age
fantasy that the world itself would end. The amazing ability of the Mayans
to produce an accurate calendar which lasted for 5,125 years (calculated
from 13 b'ak'tuns of 144,000 days each) was cited as proof that by not
continuing the calendar after that period, they must have believed that the
world would end. Isn't it more li... more »
Ukraine rescuers fish man out of 18 meter well
Rescuers help a man to safety after his fall into a 18-metre (59 feet) well
in Ukraine.
Norovirus: World health systems battle superbug
Poor Larry isn't looking too good. He's pale and clammy and he's been
projectile vomiting over and over again while his carers just stand by and
watch.
Yet their lack of concern for Larry is made up for by their intense
interest in how far splashes of his vomit can fly, and how effectively they
evade attempts to clean them up.
Larry is a "humanoid simulated vomiting system" designed to help scientists
analyze contagion. And like millions around the world right now, he's
struggling with norovirus - a disease one British expert describes as "the
Ferrari of the virus world".
http://w... more »
Teresa Cowley Missing From North Sea Ferry from Hull to Rotterdam
Police say they fear for the safety of a woman who went missing from a
North Sea ferry.
Teresa Cowley, from Mickleover, Derby, was last seen heading towards the
deck of the Pride of Rotterdam ferry in the early hours of Friday.
The 43-year-old's disappearance is being investigated by Harbour Police in
the Dutch port of Rotterdam, who are liaising with Derbyshire police.
http://news.sky.com/story/1031884/fears-for-woman-missing-from-north-sea-ferry
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA - 31st December 2012
Magnitude
4.5
Date-Time
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 15:11:59 UTC
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 05:11:59 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
52.788°N, 171.431°E
Depth
48.4 km (30.1 miles)
Region
NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
Distances
118 km (73 miles) W of Attu Station, Alaska
Dear Canadian Racists: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!
Seriously. I'm nauseous from the stench of your hypocrisy, selfishness,
ignorance, stupidity, whining and lying. Just can it!
From the stooges in charge of our corporate media, to our illegitimate
regime of morons, thugs, frauds, religious freaks and self-hating
closet-cases, all the way down to huckster preachers like whatsisface of
the "Caledonia Wake-up Call" (or whatever) to the grassroots of
mouth-breathing, shit-headed scum like KKKate MakkkMillan and her brood at
SDA.
The Sixth Estate blog brought this atrocity to my attention. It's from the *Globe
& Mail*. [You know, corp... more »
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake GUERRERO, MEXICO - 31st December 2012
Magnitude
4.0
Date-Time
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 15:00:16 UTC
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 09:00:16 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
16.625°N, 98.755°W
Depth
35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Region
GUERRERO, MEXICO
Distances
7 km (4 miles) NE of Marquelia, Mexico
Catch of the Day
Here's one for Ezra Klein, who summed up the GOP extremely well by pointing
to a Marco Rubio tweet. Ezra:
Today’s Republican Party thinks the key problem America faces is
out-of-control entitlement spending. But cutting entitlement spending is
unpopular and the GOP’s coalition relies heavily on seniors. And so they
don’t want to propose entitlement cuts. If possible, they’d even like to
attack President Obama for proposing entitlement cuts. But they also want
to see entitlements cut and will refuse to solve the fiscal cliff or raise
the debt ceiling unless there are entitlement cuts... more »
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE GUATEMALA - 31st December 2012
Magnitude
4.5
Date-Time
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 14:21:28 UTC
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 08:21:28 AM at epicenter
Location
14.306°N, 92.027°W
Depth
62.7 km (39.0 miles)
Region
OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
Distances
12 km (7 miles) W of Champerico, Guatemala
Breaking: We’re reliably told that it’s New Year’s Eve!
*MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2012*
*With all that the evening entails:* Has it really been twenty-nine years
since we did the Richmond Comedy Club with Bill Maher on this, the most
disappointing night in all of American show business?
Due to Bill’s surprising deportment, millions of people now claim they were
there. Let’s just say that Bill, whom we’ve always admired except when he's
wrong, went over the daiquiri cliff.
We plan to do a half-Howler tomorrow. What does this seasonal mess mean to
us? All week long, we will have questions for the new year—and we'll even
have some topics we d... more »
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA - 31st December 2012
Magnitude
4.7
Date-Time
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 14:15:23 UTC
Monday, December 31, 2012 at 11:15:23 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
7.683°S, 128.402°E
Depth
82.2 km (51.1 miles)
Region
KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
Distances
323 km (200 miles) W of Saumlaki, Indonesia
Bargaining Chips and Chomping Chains
How can I put this delicately? If you are old, or if aging is in your
future plans, your president just doesn't seem to think your life is worth
very much. That average $1200 monthly Social Security check you've
been counting on? Way too extravagant for Barack Obama's refined
sensibilities.
In the past, he has been more circumspect about his plans for a "balanced
approach" in which the little people share the sacrifice are sacrificed to
the predators of the financial class. But yesterday, he got his machismo
up. It probably had a lot to do with being mere inches away from fellow
... more »
Paul Krugman hits the nail on the head!
*MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2012*
*Dueling portraits of Maya MacGuineas:* Paul Krugman keeps telling the same
story well.
Today, he starts his column with Starbuck’s version of Steve Jobs. He
discusses Howard Schultz, a man who is said to be spreading confusion about
our budget mess:
KRUGMAN (12/31/12): *Brewing Up Confusion*
*Howard Schultz, the C.E.O. of Starbucks, has a reputation as a good guy, a
man who supports worthy causes.* And he presumably thought he would add to
that reputation when he posted an open letter urging his employees to
promote fiscal bipartisanship by writing “... more »
The Connecticut Elementary School Shooting: Video By Ken O'Keefe -Sandy Hook False Flag Psy-Op
It should be obvious to everyone by now that the Sandy Hook elementary
school shooting of December 14th, was definitely a Psy-Op conducted by
criminals, especially those within the US Government itself, to convince
the American public to surrender their guns and repeal the 2nd Amendment of
the US Constitution. Everything told by our media, and government
officials, about this "shooting" has to this point been proven to be false
and a pack of lies. It is definitely time that everyone call out these
scoundrels for spinning their pack of lies to the public!
I came across a most interes... more »
North Korean New Year: First ever Fireworks Display
North Korea welcomes 2013 with reportedly the first ever New Year's
fireworks display the country has held.
It follows one of the most impressive New Year fireworks displays which
took place in Sydney, Australia, as it became the second major city to
welcome 2013.
http://news.sky.com/story/1031731/fireworks-first-for-north-korean-new-year
NEW WONKS ON THE BLOCK: Who are these guys!
MON*DAY, DECEMBER 31, 2012*
*Part 1—Did Ezra Klein really mean that:* We were struck by several
year-end lists at the Washington Post.
For one example, we were struck by Glenn Kessler’s list of “the biggest
Pinocchios [sic] of 2012.” (To peruse that list, click here.)
The biggest “Pinocchios” of the past year? In our view, this is part of the
muddled logic of the modern fact-check. Kessler doesn’t seem to have a
clear, pre-existing term for what it is he’s checking. We would assume he’s
correcting “misstatements,” or something of that ilk. Why not use the term?)
At any rate, Kess... more »
Untitled
*Brees: Payton's return will be ''eye-opener''*
*Street lights still out along I-10 in N.O. East, year after deadly 40-car
pileup *
*What I was Loving in 2012 ~He Said/She Said NOLA*
*In Memoriam: 2012 ~WWOZ*
Finally... Justice For Víctor Jara-- But War Criminal Henry Kissinger Is Still On The Loose
The song above, "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") is one of
Víctor Jara's classic songs. You need to know who this guy was. On
September 11, 1973, Nixon, Kissinger and the CIA gave the go-ahead for a
violent fascist coup against Chile's democratically elected government. The
presidential palace was bombed and shelled and Chile's beloved president,
Salvator Allende, was murdered. But that was just the beginning. Within
hours of Allende's murder thousands of his supporters were rounded up
(eventually 80,000) and herded into a stadium and many were tortured
(40,000) an... more »
Secret Human Testing Revealed in Declassified U.S. Army Documents; Lawsuit Follows
Dees Illustration Nicholas West
It is always a challenge attempting to describe how sick and power mad are
some of the elite who have taken up positions within the
military-industrial-scientific complex. However, it is becoming easier, as
more of their past demented actions are coming to light with such a
preponderance of evidence that even the most naive must take notice. These
actions only hint at what is likely going on all around us today, as well
as the future plans of those who see the planet Earth as nothing more than
a giant Petri dish.
The video below covers Dr. Lisa Mar... more »
22 killed in three attacks in Nigeria
At least 22 people have been killed in three separate attacks in
northeastern Nigeria since Friday, including 15 Christians shot Sunday
inside a church, according to officials.
The violence began early Friday when unidentified gunmen raided a village
in Musari, in Borno state, killing five people, said Joint Task Force Lt.
Col. Sagir Musa. JTF troops responded, and a gun battle ensued. Three of
the attackers were killed, and troops recovered weapons and ammunition.
Musa declined to provide further details of the attack.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/30/world/africa/nigeria-violence... more »
Out of Touch
There is no love lost between Stephen Harper and Joe Clark. When Clark's
official portrait was hung in the Centre Block four years ago, Stephane
Dion and Paul Martin attended the ceremony. But, breaking with tradition,
Harper managed to be away in Europe.
So, when Clark came out in support of Theresa Spence last week, it's a sure
bet that Mr. Harper was not pleased. Michael Harris writes:
But for a former prime minister, and a Conservative one at that, to pay his
respects to Chief Spence presents a challenge to the sitting PM. After all,
Harper has shown himself to be the Tin Man... more »
Map shows a dot for everyone of the 308,450,225 people logged in the U.S. Census...and it even shows people living in New York's Central Park
This stunning map of the United States puts a dot down for every one of
the
308,450,225 people recorded in the 2010 Census - illustrating perfectly
the
population density of the nation and how large swathes are empty.
The visualization of the huge numbers involved allows the user to zoom
in
to see some pretty unusual quirks of the once-in-a decade survey, which
includes a number of individuals designated as living in New York's
Central
Park.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255002/Stunning-map-shows-dot-308-450-225-people-logged-U-S-Census--shows-people-living-New-Yorks-Cent... more »
Police tighten New Year's Eve security as Times Square emerges as potential terrorist target
When revelers pack Times Square for the annual New Year's eve
celebration
on Monday night, police will observe a tradition of their own: giving
them
lots of company.
Each year, the New York Police Department assigns thousands of extra
patrols to festivities - in ways seen and unseen - to control the crowd
and
watch for any signs of trouble.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2254936/Times-Square-Police-tighten-New-Years-Eve-security-spot-emerges-potential-terrorist-target.html
Daily Links, Monday, Dec 31, 2012
Happy New Year to you all! What can we pick up from the blogs this week?
*BLOGS*:
- Drew's marvelous pics from this year.
- Oz's takedown of the ROC denial that Honduras is switching to the PRC.
- Taiwanese Identity on land takeovers for "development".
- Taiwan to start oil exploration in South China Sea. A move guaranteed
to peeve the states in the area for no real gain for Taiwan. Phils vs
Taiwan, this time. The Ma gov't policy of using the Senkakus to unsettle
relations with Japan and the US and the South China Sea to unsettle
relations with its southern n... more »
Lostprophets Singer Ian Watkins In Court On Abuse Charges
Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has appeared in court to face allegations
of plotting to rape a baby.
The 35-year-old, whose band has sold more than 3.5m records worldwide, was
arrested with two women earlier this month.
As well as being charged with conspiring to rape a child under the age of
13, Watkins faces five other sex abuse charges.
http://news.sky.com/story/1031842/lostprophets-singer-in-court-on-abuse-charges
The Community Reinvestment Act is remembered and allocated its share of the blame at last
The reason blog reports that:
''twas Wall Street greed what done it, some folks say, when it comes to
explaining the spectacular housing meltdown of recent years, which had its
roots in a great many astonishingly risky loans.
Other folks suggest that the federal government just may have played
something of a role in inducing, even strong-arming, banks to take risks
they otherwise would have avoided. Specifically, the Community Reinvestment
Act and related policy pressures are pointed to as culprits, part of a
government effort to extend home-ownership in lower-income neighborhoods. ... more »
Recumbent Weekend
My friend Michael Cannon recently purchased a recumbent bike due to
recurring back pain and other issues. We rode from Taichung to Kaohsiung
for two days this weekend, down the 3 and then to the 1. Michael got lots
of attention from passers-by (Michael's post is here). The ride was nice in
good weather on Saturday, a wonderful and easy 120 kms for me, but Sunday's
ride from Chiayi started in pouring rain and cold and blasting winds, and
ended in the cold and Kaohsiung traffic, on Rte 1. Still, it was lots of
fun watching people honk and yell at Michael, and video, photo, and stop
... more »
Warren Jeffs followers 'prepare for end of the world' TONIGHT
Followers of cult leader, Warren Jeffs, who is behind bars for sexually
assaulting young girls, are reportedly preparing for the end of the world
tomorrow, after their former leader warned of Armageddon before midnight.
The only supermarket and major meeting point of the Fundamentalist Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints community across the movement's key
sites - Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah - has been closed, and an
expert in the sect has warned CNN the preparations could be a dangerous
signal.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255093/Warren-Jeffs-fol... more »
‘Unemployed Man Who Refused A Job Because He Didn't Want To Get Up At 8am’
listen to ‘Unemployed Man Who Refused A Job Because He Didn't Want To Get Up At 8am’ on Audioboo LBC's Julia Hartley-Brewer was discussing whether benefit cards are a good idea but this call diverted the discussion somewhat as this caller revealed that he was recently offered a job, but didn’t want to have to get up at 8:00 in the morning. I think this makes the point about the difference between strivers and shirkers more eloquently than any politician’s speech. As an aside can you imagine a BBC presenter being that shocked by such a caller? Most would side with him.
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