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Thomas Paine

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

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

15 January - Blogs I'm Following II

Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task...
Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force (Photo credit: Talk Radio News Service)
Eve Meyer -- Bold Magazine (November 1956) ......
Eve Meyer -- Bold Magazine (November 1956) ...item 1.. Barry Goldwater -- Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed (July 1964) ... (Photo credit: marsmet524)
"July 4th 1776. When our Declaration of I...
"July 4th 1776. When our Declaration of Indepedence was Signed Loyal Americans were of one mind to Protect Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." (Photo credit: The U.S. National Archives)
Independence Rock
Independence Rock (Photo credit: J. Stephen Conn)
Oberon
Oberon (Photo credit: Erick ))
October 17, 2008 Sarah Palin Rally in West Che...
October 17, 2008 Sarah Palin Rally in West Chester Ohio. John Boehner is alongside Sarah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
John Boehner
John Boehner (Photo credit: Keith Allison)
Justin Amash
Justin Amash (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
10:50 pm MST

The unsmart ones

Boris at The Galloping Beaver - 3 minutes ago
That would be the NRA dragging the president's kids into their little tantrum. It isn't like there life is going to get any easier from here on, but really!

Drought Gives Rise to New Crime

Pippa at Pippa's Place - Environmentally Speaking - 31 minutes ago
The round hay bales used on larger farms. Photo courtesy: Flickr/CC BY 2.0 Economics 101 says that, all else being equal, when the supply of something goes down, the price should go up. That's exactly what has been happening with hay in drought and wildfire-afflicted areas of the United States. In fact, many aren't ready to fork out the extra cash, or they simply can't locate a seller, because there's been a big resurgence of hay bale thefts. "Sheriffs in rural counties in Colorado, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas say the spike in hay thefts is part of a broader rise in agricultural c... more »

Citizens File Articles of Impeachment Against Obama

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 32 minutes ago
When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. There can no longer be any doubt – the forces of tyranny are running wild across our once great Republic. The time has come for all good men and women to rally to the aid of their country. We have now entered a historic crossroads that will decide the destiny of the United States. Ar... more »

A Tale Of Two House Republicans-- Justin Amash And Lynn Westmoreland... And The Asshole Factor

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 50 minutes ago
Boehner has something in his eye-- Justin Amash With Ron Paul no longer in Congress, libertarian Justin Amash (R-MI) now has a voting record second only to New Yorker Chris Gibson as the most consistently at odds with the House Republican leadership of anyone in the GOP caucus. Presumably that's why Boehner, Cantor and Ryan kicked him off the Budget Committee-- rather than the stated reason. (Boehner lapdog Lynn Westmoreland, always in a fierce contest with Gohmert for the title of "Dumbest Member of Congress," has told anyone who would listen that Amash was kicked off the committee ... more »

Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 50 minutes ago
Welcome back to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! Have you missed our weekly challenges as much as I have? I'm happy to be back and even happier to see you! Yesterday's POST included the changes we'll be making this year and we started things off with our first poll. If you haven't yet voted and commented, please do ... I'd love to know your thoughts on the subject. Ready to challenge yourself? Let's jump right in! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for information and a complete list of all the challenges we've taken on so far. The new year seems to beg us to sort th... more »

IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Speaking of Consciousness

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 1 hour ago
Image from TZA's photostream / Flickr. Speaking of consciousness The cardinal sin of philosophy, committed all too often, is to use terms that are ambiguous. By Bill Meacham / The Rag Blog / January 15, 2013 The philosophy club is currently studying Philosophy of Mind, a topic fraught with ambiguity. People use terms such as “mind,” “consciousness,” “awareness,” “experience,” and so forth as

dear god

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 2 hours ago

Musical Interlude: Enya, “Only Time”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 2 hours ago
Enya, “Only Time” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6g2BoHQGwk

creation

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 2 hours ago

Musical Interlude: Enya, Full Album: "The Best Of Enya"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 2 hours ago
Enya, Full album: "The Best Of Enya" Orinoco Flow 0:00 Caribbean Blue 4:32 Book Of Days 8:30 Anywhere Is 11:29 Only If... 15:16 The Celts 18:38 China Roses 21:38 Shepherd Moons 26:22 Ebudae 30:03 Storms In Africa 32:02 Watermark 36:16 Paint The Sky With Stars 38:44 Marble Halls 43:00 On My Way Home 46:58 The Memory Of Trees 50:38 Boadicea 54:58 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOtQ2vMxOl0

Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam Statement Jan. 15, 2013

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 3 hours ago
Press Statement From Chief Allan Adam regarding Highway 63 Roadblocks January 15, 2013 – Fort McMurray, AB – In the wake of Idle No More and the AFN’s calls for blockades, peaceful protests and a stall of the Canadian economy Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) has made waves with talk of potential long term blockades in Northern Alberta. “At this

HuffPost Live: Going To Tehran

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 3 hours ago
Source: *HuffPost Live*. Description: "Iran is the most serious U.S. foreign policy challenge. The policy approach is consistently unproductive. So how can the U.S. begin to appeal to its long time enemy?" Link: *Leveretts Discuss Going to Tehran on HuffPost Live*.

Obama Will Use Children as Props for Gun Control Announcement

Intercept at The Intercept - 3 hours ago
Help Us Transmit This Story Add to Your Blogger Account Put it On Facebook Tweet this post Print it from your printer Email and a collection of other outlets Try even more services

Chief Spence's Statement Jan. 14, 2013

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 3 hours ago

"Bipartisan" House GOP says: Can you really put a price on the defense of ignorance, bigotry, and hatred?

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
*Why, it's the all-Republican "bipartisan" majority of the House's "Bipartisan" Legal Advisory Group ("B"LAG)!* *"In a statement this week, House Democrats said the agreement was reached in secret and they weren't aware of it until late Monday."* *-- Chris Johnson, **reporting for the *Washington Blade* on the* *House GOP's secret doubling of the budget for defending DOMA* *by Ken* In October I wrote a post asking, "Does anyone believe the now-spent $1.5M is all 'Sunny John' Boehner will ram through for the defense of DOMA ignorance and hatred?" The $1.5M, you'll recall, was authori... more »

ALEC - You Do NOT Find This - at an NCSL Meeting

2old2care at Because I Can - 4 hours ago
I just forced myself to listen to a 10 minute presentation on a radio program sponsored by the extremist right-wing free-market radio station from the John Locke Foundation in North Carolina. They were talking about ALEC. In fact they were whining about how the American Legislative Exchange Council is being picked on by the left -whining, whining, whining. They spent ten minutes trying to get the listener to believe that ALEC is just like NCSL. I get so sick of that argument. While I was listening to it I thought of this quote from a PR Watch articlethat was released today (my em... more »

Berlusconi: Libya's "Revolution" is a FAKE!

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 4 hours ago
*"We Came, We Saw, He Died."* - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The same could not be said about Osama Bin Laden's departure. In that case, U.S. solders bravely went to Afghanistan, saw, and at the last minute were pulled back and prevented from killing Bin Laden in 2001 by their superiors in D.C. He later died of natural causes, hardly the spectacular ending to his life that is portrayed in "Zero Dark Thirty." There is zero truth in that film. Bin Laden's image as a menacing dragon who has the ability to escape the reach of the United States was central in the selling... more »

Another Virtue of Blogsphere Engagement?

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 5 hours ago
PM’s latest post, “Nobody cares about foreign policy” (note to self: we need a style manual to resolve whether, for example, post titles should be capitalized), was prompted by a proseminar we both attended on Monday. At this proseminar, the always-interesting and invariably thoughtful Elizabeth Saunders presented part of her book project: a paper entitled Continue reading

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 5 hours ago
“Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. * Click image for larger size.* Since the galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic exposures often result in an image that evokes a strong sense of depth. The effect is further enhanced in this sharp image by galaxies that lie beyond th... more »

American Lives Shorter and Less Healthy

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 6 hours ago
U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health. The National Academies Press Authors: Steven H. Woolf and Laudan Aron, Editors; Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries; Committee on Population; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice; Institute of Medicine [excerpted from the overview] The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and surv... more »

Jon Stewart battles a bit with Paul Krugman!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 6 hours ago
*TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013* *The key thing Jon Stewart knew:* Oof. By light years, Paul Krugman has been the most valuable player in upper end journalism over the past dozen years. That said, we have increasingly felt that his political judgments aren’t always as crisp as his understanding of policy. And uh-oh: Last night, Jon Stewart had a bit of fun at Krugman’s expense. We think the tape is worth watching. Click here. A bit of background: Last week, Stewart was mocking that trillion dollar coin before it rolled under that million pound couch. Krugman voiced his annoyance, even ... more »

Chet Raymo, “One Last Reflection About ‘The Middle Ground’"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
*“One Last Reflection About ‘The Middle Ground’"* by Chet Raymo "I have been reading again Karl Iagnemma's collection of stories “On the Nature of Human Romantic Attraction.” At the time my paperback edition was published (2004), Iagnemma was a research scientist in mechanical engineering at MIT. The stories in the collection all involve scientists of one sort or another trying to negotiate the bewildering no-man's land between the analytic and the romantic. ․ “You've got to live a little, take a little, And let your poor heart break a little...” Is there a middle ground betwe... more »

Highway Robbery in Massachusetts

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 6 hours ago
*I was driving home late at night and found this*: *"A new 0.16 percent transportation payroll tax that employers would pay on their employees’ wages; a 30-cent increase per gallon in the existing gas tax; an increase in the state sales tax from 6.25 percent to 7.75 percent; and an increase in the state income tax from 5.25 percent to approximately 5.66 percent.... a “green fee” that would be added to existing title and registration fees, and a vehicle-miles-traveled tax of 2.4 cents per milethat would collected at the annual safety inspection or by an onboard device.... * * **The o... more »

Paulo Coelho, "Porcupines and Solidarity"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
Paulo Coelho, "Porcupines and Solidarity" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auwxu6Ym1uc

This is a crisis...

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 7 hours ago
A large crisis. In fact, if you've got a moment, it's a twelve storey crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour portage, and an enormous sign on the roof, saying 'This Is a Large Crisis'. A large crisis requires a large plan. Get me two pencils and a pair of underpants.

"We Think..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
"We think we know...but tend to act...as if we know it...for a fact." - Robert Brault

If It's Always a Crisis...

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 7 hours ago
Philip Klein has been urging Republicans to act sensibly on the debt limit, but I'm going to have to call him out on this one: [I]t’s undeniable that Obama’s first term sent a clear message. For Obama to agree to cut spending, there needs to be a crisis. If Republicans don’t use crises as leverage, Obama will make lofty statements about deficit reduction without actually doing anything about it. Now, never mind that Klein here equates "deficit reduction" (which Obama has strongly supported by advocating tax increases) with "cut spending." He's pretty clearly interested mainly in the... more »

The power of music, dance and drums

noreply@blogger.com (deBeauxOs) at DAMMIT JANET! - 7 hours ago
[image: Four-year-old Lily Mervyn holds a sign at an Idle No More demonstration near Surrey, B.C., earlier this month. A teachable moment?] During the 2011 federal election campaign that Harper's CONtempt party *won* with a pathetic 39% of the popular vote, and with the support of CPC fraudulent tactics that likely included voter suppression in key ridings, I wrote this review of world-reknowned Mali musician Salif Keita's concert. As a result of political upheaval and regime changes in northern Africa, the tenuous balance of power in other countries has been disrupted, notably in ... more »

The Daily "Near You?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
Charlotte, Vermont, USA. Thanks for stopping by.

What's Really Behind All The Noise About An Early Withdrawal From Afghanistan? It's Not What You Think

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
Karzai was in Washington last week and suddenly there was all this talkabout how U.S. troops, despite his panic, would be leaving Afghanistan sooner rather than later-- and perhaps leaving no troops behind to prop up Karzai's weak government which isn't seen as legitimate by wide swathes of the population. In fact, Karzai is from the same sub-tribe as Shah Shuja, who was restored, briefly, to the throne by the British in the First Afghan War (1838-'42) and of whom Dost Muhammad told his people, "The Shah is now a servant of the Kafir infidels." When the British left Afghanistan, Sh... more »

Texas prepares to jail any federal official attempting to enforce gun restrictions

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 8 hours ago
A Texas lawmaker says he plans to file the Firearms Protection Act, which would make any federal laws that may be passed by Congress or imposed by Presidential order which would ban or restrict ownership of semi-automatic firearms or limit the size of gun magazines illegal in the state, 1200 WOAI news reports. Republican Rep. Steve Toth says his measure also calls for felony criminal charges to be filed against any federal official who tries to enforce the rule in the state. "If a federal official comes into the state of Texas to enforce the federal executive order, that person i... more »

Employment Support Allowance Standard Letter

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 8 hours ago
I reproduce below is the standard letter the Department for Work and Pensions sends to anyone who complains directly to them about their experience of a Work Capability Assessment, subsequent changes to their Employment Support Allowance, or the very real harassment people suffer from so-called "work providers". Though written by a civil servant and not an explicitly political document, the letter is pretty appalling. Witness the repeat use of ideologically-loaded terms like 'claimant' and 'entitlement'. Notice how the sentences are carefully constructed to undermine the notion tha... more »

Mass. Manipulation of State Economic Numbers

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 8 hours ago
*As austerity once again comes to Massachusetts!* *"The state had expected to issue an income tax reduction in January, which would have been triggered automatically by sustained growth. For only the second time in recent years, the state was expected to shave the income tax by .05 percent, but the disappointing tax collections of the fall canceled that plan"* *That explains the recent stories over the preceding months talking down the Massachusetts economy after talking it up for years, even though the cut amounted to 1/20th -- that's 1/20th -- of ONE CENT! They even want to keep ... more »

What is causing so many raccoons to develop brain cancer?

Rich Rifkin at Lexicon Daily - 9 hours ago
 A raccoon's brain with a cancerous tumor. The San Francisco Chronicle today has a story which solves one mysteryabout raccoons but leaves open another. The first is why some raccoons were displaying baffling, un-raccoon-like behavior. "A lot of the calls were, 'There's a raccoon sitting on my porch and he hasn't moved all day, and I open the door and he doesn't move,' and that's not normal," said (Melanie) Piazza, the director of animal care at WildCare, a wildlife refuge in San Rafael and one of several Bay Area care centers baffled in recent years by a rise in strange raccoon... more »

"What Can You Do?"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
"What can you do against the lunatic who is more intelligent than yourself, who gives your arguments a fair hearing and then simply persists in his lunacy?" - George Orwell

成龙美国

Barbara Diamond at American Scofflaw - 9 hours ago

Satire: “Republicans Accuse Obama of Using Position as President to Lead Country”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
*“Republicans Accuse Obama of Using * *Position as President to Lead Country”* by Andy Borowitz WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “Responding to reports that President Obama is considering signing as many as nineteen executive orders on gun control, Republicans in Congress unleashed a blistering attack on him today, accusing Mr. Obama of “cynically and systematically using his position as President to lead the country.” Spearheading the offensive was Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas), who charged the President with the “wanton exploitation of powers that are legally granted to him ... more »

"If You Really..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
"If you make people think that they are thinking, they will love you; but if you really make them think, they will hate you." - Aristotle

"Your Brain Is Flawed- 12 Scientific Reasons Human Beings Are Wildly Irrational"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
*"Your Brain Is Flawed- * *12 Scientific Reasons Human Beings Are Wildly Irrational"* By George Dvorsky "While flaws in our judgment help us process information more efficiently, they lead us to make grave mistakes. The human brain is capable of 1016 processes per second, which makes it far more powerful than any computer currently in existence. But that doesn't mean our brains don't have major limitations. The lowly calculator can do math thousands of times better than we can, and our memories are often less than useless — plus, we're subject to cognitive biases, those annoyin... more »

Mercury Contamination Worsening, Adding to Our Damaged Genome

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 9 hours ago
Published on Thursday, January 10, 2013 by Common Dreams: Poisoned Planet: Doubling of Ocean Mercury Levels Threatens Global Health UN report exposes toxic legacy of coal, gold, and a world bent on extraction- Beth Brogan, staff writer http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/10-1 [Excerpted] The world's rivers, lakes, and oceans are suffering the severe consequences of modern industrial mercury pollution, according to a new UN report, which also warns the health of the entire planet and its inhabitants face a perilous future if serious action is not soon taken. Hundreds of t... more »

Nada mas romántico que regalar flores el 14 de febrero

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 10 hours ago
[image: Nada mas romantico que regalar rosas el 14 de febrero] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de Rosas* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Catch of the Day

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 10 hours ago
I didn't get around to this one yesterday, but you know who earned one? Barack Obama, for batting aside a Jackie Calmes question about whether he socializes enough. After first explaining that "I like a good party" (which, true or not, sounded about as convincing as Graham Chapman's colonel protesting that "nobody likes a good laugh more than I do), Obama continued with a very nice riff on how presidenting really works. I'm going to put the whole long thing below the fold, but the key quote? "You know -- and the reason that, you know, in many cases, Congress votes the way they do, o... more »

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake GUERRERO, MEXICO - 15th January 2013

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 10 hours ago
Magnitude 5.0 Date-Time Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 19:20:27 UTC Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 01:20:27 PM at epicenter Location 16.664°N, 98.203°W Depth 22.7 km (14.1 miles) Region 0 Distances 23 km (14 miles) E (94°) from Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico

Linda flor de loto sobre el agua verde y fresca

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 10 hours ago
[image: Linda flor de loto sobre en agua] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de flores* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

5.4 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS - 15th January 2013

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 10 hours ago
Magnitude 5.4 Date-Time Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 19:04:35 UTC Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 07:04:35 AM at epicenter Location 34.722°S, 178.901°E Depth 170.6 km (106.0 miles) Region SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS Distances 372 km (231 miles) NE of Whitianga, New Zealand

Number of U.S. working poor families grows as wealth gap widens

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 10 hours ago
[image: A man and his children sleep in a car outside the venue of a dental camp, hoping to get a free checkup, in Wise, Virginia. About 10.4 million working poor families -- or 47.5 million Americans -- now live near poverty. Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post via Getty Images] By Susan Heavey 15 January 2013 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of U.S. families struggling with poverty despite parents being employed continued to grow in 2011 as more people returned to work but mostly at lower-paying service jobs, an analysis released on Tuesday shows. More working parents... more »

Barack Obama 'says Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't know what is good for Israel'

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 10 hours ago
Barack Obama sees Benjamin Netanyahu as a "political coward" whose policies pose a greater threat to Israel's existence than Iran's nuclear programme because he does not know what is in the country's best interests, it has been claimed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9803490/Barack-Obama-says-Benjamin-Netanyahu-doesnt-know-what-is-good-for-Israel.html

Britain needs a European strategy....Couldn't Agree more, Get out while you still can!

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 10 hours ago
On Friday, we are told, David Cameron is going to make a major speech about Britain and Europe. Don't hold your breath. His government does not have any strategy for dealing with Europe, and that reality is not likely to change. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f5634080-58fe-11e2-99e6-00144feab49a.html

Ricas frutas jugosas nutritivas y saludables

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 10 hours ago
[image: Ricas frutas jugosas y nutritivas] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de frutas* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

El corazón que representa al amor

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 10 hours ago
[image: El corazón que representa al amor] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de amor* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Another Amazing Tax From Massachusetts

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 10 hours ago
*At least my Globe still comes tax-free, and any such move would really be a stake in the heart of the centuries-old tradition of print. * "Mass. prods Amazon to collect sales taxes" by Michael B. Farrell | Globe Staff, November 21, 2012 The Patrick administration is pressing *Amazon.com* Inc. to *begin collecting sales taxes* from Massachusetts customers as early as next year, arguing it is no longer exempt under federal law from charging the tax. * **Who reads books anymore?* Under federal law, online retailers do not have to collect sales taxes from Massachusetts buyers unless ... more »

Record BC Coal Exports to China, Record Chinese Deaths Attributed To Air Pollution

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 10 hours ago
*Update "A blanket of toxic air that has blocked out the sun across most of north China is dominating social media and looming as a serious health and political challenge. Visibility was reduced to a few hundred metres for much of the weekend in the Chinese capital and many of the city's 20 million residents went online to vent their frustration about "apocalyptic" and "post-apocalyptic" conditions. The Beijing News covered the story with the headline "Blown the Charts", showing that several air monitoring stations were recording levels higher than their indexes could cope with... more »

4.1 Magnitude Earthquake CENTRAL IRAN - 15th January 2013

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 10 hours ago
Magnitude ML 4.1 Region CENTRAL IRAN Date time 2013-01-15 18:37:11.5 UTC Location 33.41 N ; 56.98 E Depth 10 km Distances 22 km S Tabas, Iran

A Comic on GDP Accounting

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 10 hours ago
A friend recommends this comic as a way to motivate a class discussion of GDP.

Regalo para los enamorados en el día del amor y la amistad

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 10 hours ago
[image: El regalo de los enamorados] *Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de amor* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

NIXON, ROCKEFELLER, DULLES, LANSKY, NAZIS, CIA, BUSH

Anon at aangirfan - 10 hours ago
Richard Nixon's secret backers included: *1.* Allan Dulles, friend of the Nazis, boss of the CIA, and agent of the Rockefellers. *2.* The bankers who wanted the Federal Reserve to remain private. *3.* The Mafia, led by Meyer Lansky. In other words, a mixture of Jews, Nazis, oligarchs and gangsters. Politician Jerry Voorhis advocated public ownership of the Federal Reserve System. Voorhis claimed that, in 1945, 'big Eastern financial interests,' arranged for Nixon to stand against Voorhis and defeat him. (Source: The Arrogance of Power by Anthony Summers; The Nixon Administration... more »

Obama To Unveil Gun Proposals Wednesday

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
President Barack Obama will unveil "a package of concrete proposals" to curb gun violence on Wednesday, the White House has said. Vice President Joe Biden, who Mr Obama directed to lead a panel tasked with creating the proposals, will join the president at the White House at 11.45am to announce the measures. http://news.sky.com/story/1038520/obama-to-unveil-gun-proposals-wednesday

Obama will unveil gun control plan Wednesday as it's revealed he's weighing 19 executive orders that would not require approval of Congress

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
President Obama is weighing 19 different gun control measures that he could enforce without congressional approval as he prepares to unveil on Wednesday a comprehensive plan to address gun violence. Vice President Joe Biden discussed some of the measures with House Democrats during a meeting Monday, after Obama confirmed during the final press conference of his first term that he was prepared to side-step Congress to strengthen laws regulating firearms. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262821/President-Obama-expected-unveil-gun-control-plan-early-Wednesday-revealed-hes-weighi... more »

Vctory in Tucson: Visioning, Declaring, and Ensuring it

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 11 hours ago
*TRUTHOUT * By Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, SpeakOut | Op-Ed "*It is not what we want, it is what we will.*" - Tupac Enrique Acosta of Tonatierra, Phoenix Consider the prism of Tucson's battle to defend Raza or Mexican-American Studies (MAS). It has recently been suggested by some MAS supporters that MAS is now dead. MAS is a discipline. For some, it’s a movement and still yet for others, it is a spirit. For me, it is a sub-discipline, part of the larger Indigenous story of this continent. What perhaps is meant is that the former TUSD-program - as it formerly operated - is n... more »

Mohawk Nation News: Owistah, Diagnosis and Cure

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 11 hours ago
OWISTAH, DIAGNOSIS & CURE Mohawk Nation News http://www.mohawknationnews.com  Posted on January 15, 2013   OWISTAH, DIAGNOSIS & CURE  MNN.  Shawn Atleo, of the Assembly of First Nations, is on sick leave after the disastrous January 11 meeting between him, the corporate chiefs and Prime Minister Harper.  While you are resting, we hope you will become of a

Internet Meme - True Story

Catelli at Not Quite Unhinged - 11 hours ago
Back in 1989 I was an indifferent High School student taking Grade 12 Chemistry. On the Chemistry final (that I was well on my way to failing) we had the question "Is Hell Exothermic or Endothermic?" My answer, I swear, was nearly identical to the one listed here at Snopes.com Imagine my surprise when I received an e-mail from my sister around 1996/1997 forwarding the claim that this answer was

UFOs 'spotted over Texas': Oil workers claim to have seen flying saucers

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Oil workers in the Eagle Ford Shale drilling territory claim to have seen unidentified objects in the sky several times since last October with the most recent photo surfacing last week. A security camera even caught a shaky, black-and-white image of lights in the sky which workers believe to be a flying saucer hovering over a well site. New drilling projects at the oil fields have created an economic boom which has seen scores of new workers pour into an otherwise economically-starved region. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262558/Howdy-partners-Oil-workers-claim-witn... more »

Adam Greene Attack: Dashcam captures moment driver having diabetic shock was kicked FIVE times in the head by cop who thought he was drunk

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Brett Seekatz, a police sergeant in Las Vegas, was caught on tape beating Adam Greene after he was dragged from his car while suffering severe hyperglycemia. Greene was awarded nearly $300,000 in damages last year but Seekatz wasn't charged with a crime. The alarming incident, which took place on a Nevada highway in 2010, is now being investigated by a federal grand jury. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262746/Brett-Seekatz-beating-Federal-grand-jury-reviewing-case-officer-kicked-man-diabetic-shock-FIVE-times-dashboard-cam.html

How Many Members Of Congress Does The NRA Own?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 11 hours ago
When right-wing huckster and NRA president David Keene went on CNN's *State of the Union* Sunday and boasted to Candy Crowley that Congress will not pass a ban on assault weapons, he was counting on the effect of the $16,147,440 his group spent in federal election in the 2012 election cycle alone to trump the expressed will of the American people. Of the direct legalistic bribes they made to office holders and candidates, 88% went to Republicans and 12% went to Democrats. Aside from the bribes, the NRA spent $10,765,834 in independent expenditures, mostly against Democrats or for ... more »

Discernment

John Carroll at Dying in Haiti - 11 hours ago
It is just never a good idea if someone is going to "discern" whether you will receive medical care or not.

1,000 Chinese cats discovered in cramped cages following road accident

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
These pictures capture the moment animal lovers come to the rescue of more than 1,000 cats found starving, thirsty and cramped in cages on the back of a crashed lorry in China. The cats were destined for the restaurants of Guangdong until the road accident in Changsha, Hunan province delayed the journey by 24 hours and enabled the 50 locals to rescue them. They were nursed with food, water and milk before being packed off to Changsha Small Animal Protection Association for treatment. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262662/Volunteers-save-1-000-cats-dining-table-discovering... more »

Indian girl, seven, is raped in school toilet sparking fresh protests and arrest of headmistress for negligence of duty

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Hundreds of people surrounded a school in India to protest after a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped in the toilets next door to the headmistress's office. The girl was attacked at Deepvihar high school, which also has a primary faculty, in the city of Vasco da Gama in Goa yesterday. The incident is the latest in a series of horrific rape cases which have besieged India and caused widespread protests. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262768/Indian-girl-seven-raped-school-toilet-sparking-fresh-protests-arrest-headmistress-negligence-duty.html

Eighteen severed human heads are discovered by customs agents at Chicago's O'Hare airport

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
A suspicious shipment containing 18 severed human heads was discovered at a U.S. airport yesterday. Customs agents found the human heads, still covered in skin, at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, but have declined to further discuss their condition. U.S. Customs and Border Protection are currently investigating whether the foreign shipment are legitimate medical specimens. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262601/Eighteen-severed-human-heads-discovered-customs-agents-Chicagos-OHare-airport.html

Austerity 'could last for ten more years as Government struggles to bring spending under control'

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Britain faces another 10 years of austerity as the government struggles to repair the country’s battered finances, a hard-hitting report warns today. The vast deficit racked up by Labour will not be eliminated until after 2020 and possibly not until 2023, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The report also warns that Britain will be stripped of its coveted AAA credit rating as the national debt spirals further out of control. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262506/CEBR-Austerity-years.html

'No refunds, no exchanges, no gift vouchers': Collapsed HMV under fire as it refuses to accept vouchers it was selling until YESTERDAY

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
The music chain's demise would cost 4,000 jobs and make it the second household name on the British high street to go under in the first weeks of the year. Last-ditch rescue talks failed to find a solution and HMV's banks said they were unwilling to go on lending the firm money. But as the company stood on the brink of administration it continued selling gift cards - only to announce days later that the cards were now worthless. Bosses insist they are searching for a solution, and CEO Trevor Moore - former boss of failed high street chain Jessops - says he is 'confident' that the v... more »

Anthony Stubbs: Police searching for 16-year-old schoolboy who disappeared weeks after becoming a father find a body

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Police searching for a young father who vanished more than a month ago say they have found a body they believe to be his. Anthony Stubbs, 16, was last seen on November 25 when he left his home in Leyland, Lancashire, to visit his mother’s house nearby. Anthony, who has a four-month-old daughter, Lily, with girlfriend Charlotte Mason, has not been seen since. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262535/Police-searching-16-year-old-schoolboy-Anthony-Stubbs-disappeared-weeks-father-body.html

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 11 hours ago

The Sandy Hook Shooting Exposed (Did Sandy Hook Really Happen?)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 12 hours ago
Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below. Sharing on Reddit and Newsvine will help the most.

"Aaron Swartz, Hero and Martyr"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 12 hours ago
*"Aaron Swartz, Hero and Martyr"* by Jeffrey Tucker "My apologies for the sad tone of this piece, but a hero has fallen and we need to pay him tribute — and make sure his death is not in vain. Every turning point in the history of civilization has its champions and its opponents. The opponents of the digital age are those who use the power of the state to keep the population in a state of ignorance, even though the technology is at hand to universalize knowledge through digital networks. The main weapon they use is known as “intellectual property,” even though the monopoly censo... more »

Death toll from Rebel Double Bombing at Aleppo University rises to 52

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
Rebels have used car bombs and suicide attacks in fighting government forces and attacking government-controlled areas. Which includes unarmed civilians and now Universities

Syrian officers beg al-Assad to help gain their freedom from rebels

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
Two captured Syrian military officers are begging President Bashar al-Assad to help free them from rebels. On Tuesday, a video was posted online purportedly showing the two men, who said they were abducted last October by the Free Syrian Army, a loosely organized group of Syrians who have been fighting for nearly two years to oust al-Assad. In the video, Staff Brigadier Hussein Allouch, an engineer from the Armored Vehicles Department, and Gen. Brig. Ahmed Raeidi are shown begging al-Assad -- a fellow Alawite -- to help them. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/15/world/syria-civil-war/... more »

6.2 Magnitude Earthquake PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE - 15th January 2013

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
Magnitude 6.2 Date-Time Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 16:09:37 UTC Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 05:09:37 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 62.580°S, 161.397°W Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) Region PACIFIC-ANTARCTIC RIDGE Distances 1029 km (639 miles) ENE of Scott Island Bank, Antarctica

New Higgses at \(90-105\GeV\), \(\tan\beta=6\)

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 12 hours ago
A few days ago, I wanted to write about a new paper Recent Developments in HiggsBounds and a Preview of HiggsSignals (PDF) by Philip Bechtle and 6 co-authors. I decided there had been too many articles about SUSY fits on this blog. However, even an enemy of SUSY named Tommaso Dorigo positively mentioned that paper so I decided a comment should be here, too. They discuss games with (similar authors') publicly available program HiggsBounds and its various versions (3.8.0 and 4.0.0) which unifies the constraints from LEP, Tevatron, and LHC experiments. Feel free to click at the link i... more »

France expected to more than triple Mali troop numbers

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
France is expected to more than triple its troop numbers in Mali as raids continue on Islamist insurgents following overnight air strikes on a small town that had been seized by the rebels. Sources close to the French defence minister said the number of French troops deployed in the west African country would "gradually" reach 2,500. There are currently 800 French troops in Mali, with hundreds more on the way over the next few days. France carried out a fifth day of air strikes in a vast desert area seized last year by an Islamist alliance, which combines al-Qaida's north African w... more »

Francois Hollande says France only committed to restoring order in Mali

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
France will end its intervention in Mali and pull its forces out once the West African country has returned to being stable and safe with a solid political system, French president Francois Hollande said on Tuesday. *(like you left Libya in a Stable and Safe Political System?)* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9803415/Francois-Hollande-says-France-only-committed-to-restoring-order-in-Mali.html

Three Ways Stephen Harper Aided al Qaeda in Mali

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 12 hours ago
Scott Taylor of *Espirit de Corps* magazine indicts Stephen Harper for repeatedly aiding al Qaeda in Mali and now turning his back on the mess he helped create.

The Walmart-White House Connection, Revisited

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 12 hours ago
Walmart has been getting some well-deserved bad press lately. Squelchingunion activity, paying abysmal wages, violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing officials in Mexico and elsewhere, neglecting hazardous conditions in its off-shore manufacturing plants.... the list goes on and on. The fact that the Walmart heirs now possess more wealth than the bottom 40% of all Americans combined only adds fuel to the fire. So what more opportunistic time for Walmart, with the assistance of the Obama Administration, the *New York Times* and other media giants, to stage another pu... more »

The 3 Percent Cut to Social Security, A.K.A. the Chained CPI, Means A Cut In Your Lifestyle

Is there anyone left out there that doesn't realize that the magic words "chained CPI" mean permanent cuts in benefits for which we've already paid? The 3 Percent Cut to Social Security, A.K.A. the Chained CPI Monday, 14 January 2013 By Dean Baker, Truthout (Image: Social Security via Shutterstock) According to inside-Washington gossip, Congress and the president are going to do exactly

"Economic Advice To Congress"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 12 hours ago
“Don’t let your mouth write no check that your tail can’t cash.” - Bo Diddley “$16 Trillion U.S. DEBT - A Visual Perspective” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFP-2_iDYMU From 2010... it's a *lot* worse now, folks... - CP

John Ibbitson - Media Troll

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 12 hours ago
NOTE: I've decide that I'm too busy to finish this right now. I'll post as is and finish when i can. It will (eventually!) be a response to this: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-needs-to-stay-the-course-in-winter-of-native-discontent/article7311834/ A troll lived under the bridge in the story "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." A troll is a mythical creature - an ugly, greedy, vicious thing. But the origin of the term "internet troll" came out of the habit of some people on internet discussion boards and what-not, to post nasty, vicious, outrageous comments that wou... more »

Mental health and guns...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 13 hours ago
*be very careful when you say you want stronger restrictions on the mentally ill owning firearms.* Did you know that ADD and ADHD are considered "mental illnesses" by the so-called experts? Think about the hundreds of thousands of kids who are given dangerous drugs rather than teaching them in a way that is compatible with how their brains function. My guess? None of them will ever be able to purchase a firearm. I have ADD. I do not have a mental illness. I do not have a disability. I would, however, be much more interested in that little green ball while my friends were line... more »

Senators Doing It Right

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 13 hours ago
Chuck Schumer today finally said that he would support confirming Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. This set off plenty of guffaws on the twitter machine, as savvy journalists pointed out that of course a leading, loyal, partisan Democrat would support Barack Obama's nominee for a cabinet position. And, yes, that's true as far as it goes. But the focus on whether Hagel will be confirmed (and he'll still need some Republican votes, or else a GOP willingness to allow confirmation by simple majority) misses that what Schumer was up to was a perfectly legitimate and meaningful part... more »

"Why Americans Are Broke, And Getting Further In Debt"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 13 hours ago
*"Why Americans Are Broke, And Getting Further In Debt"* by Tyler Durden *"I'm in debt. I am a true American."* -Balki Bartokomous "Just as the president reminded us yesterday we are not a deadbeat nation, merely borrowing money today to pay the bills of yesterday, so, as the NY Times reports in this all-too-real article, many of the citizens of the US are also living not just paycheck-to-paycheck but short-term-loan-to-short-term-loan. As one debt-consolidation service noted "They've been borrowing just to meet payments on previous loans; it builds on itself." Rings an awful... more »

Drum versus dumb: The way the upper-end press corps reasons!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 13 hours ago
*TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013* *David Gregory knows how to count:* Three cheers for Slate’s Dave Weigel, who has done a highly unusual thing. But first: Even as Kevin Drum’s detailed report was breaking every rule in the book, Maureen Dowd was helping us see the actual way the upper-end “press corps” reasons. (For yesterday’s award-winning post about Drum, go ahead—just click this.) Dowd was discussing a serious topic—the need for full inclusion of women at all levels of government. But as she started, she gave us a taste of what was to come: DOWD (1/13/13): President Obama ran prom... more »

10 Imágenes de amor para el Día de San Valentín

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 13 hours ago
Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

A Definite Must See Video: Sherrie Telling It Like It Is! The Truth About 9-11, Sandy Hook, AND Who The REAL Conspiracy Theorists Are Now!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 13 hours ago
I have been under constant fire since I posted up material in this blog concerning the quite obvious set up and very criminal operation conducted at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut last month. I and others in what I call the REAL truth movement saw through the bullcrap put out by the government and the criminal Jewish controlled media almost from the moment that this "shooting" took place, and we smelled a rat. Since that time, we have stuck to our guns, and realized this was a set up and a fraudulent operation for the sole purpose of convincing an already dumb... more »

Law enforcement has no duty to defend or protect you as an individual...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 13 hours ago
*bet you didn't know that. * That's right, people. If you want real protection, it would have to be bought and paid for by you. In most cases the duty of the police is to string yellow crime scene tape, pick up spent shells, and take statements from witnesses - that is if any are still alive. Not to besmirch the police since in most scenarios they will do their best to help most citizens, but the fact remains - *they don't have to. * Listen to Keith Morgan, president of West Virginia Citizen's Defense League, destroy the wimpy libtard host on "State Journal's Decision Makers" on ... more »

Florida Python Hunt: Only 11 Snared So Far

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 13 hours ago
Florida wildlife officials say just 11 Burmese pythons were killed during the first three days of a public hunt for the invasive species in the Everglades. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said more than 1,000 people from more than 30 states registered to compete in the month-long Python Challenge. The snakes killed since the competition began Saturday will be processed by the University of Florida. http://news.sky.com/story/1038427/florida-python-hunt-only-11-snared-so-far

'Submerged in Symbolism' - An occult analysis of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 13 hours ago
This is a great interview with Robert Richard Hieronimus. The main focus is his 2002 book, *"Inside the Yellow Submarine: The Making of The Beatles Animated Classic,"* but it branches off into other areas of his life and work. YouTube Video Description - [Channel: conspiroTV]: In an interview recorded on June 26th 2012 to mark the latest re-release of The Beatles' 1968 animated movie 'Yellow Submarine' on DVD and Blu-ray, ConspiroTV' chats to symbologist, artist, author, researcher and radio-host Robert Richard Hieronimus Ph.D. His 2002 book, 'Inside the Yellow Submarine: The M... more »

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 15th January 2013

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 13 hours ago
Magnitude 4.3 Date-Time Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 13:42:58 UTC Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 07:42:58 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 15.872°N, 92.311°W Depth 200.8 km (124.8 miles) Region CHIAPAS, MEXICO Distances 12 km (7 miles) NNW of Chicomuselo, Mexico

Paying Just $11 a Day, Subcontractors Ripping Off Fukushima Nuclear Accident Decontamination Workers

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 13 hours ago
The Tokyo Shimbun has discovered that workers involved with national government controlled cleanup projects resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are being ripped off by subcontractors. Despite being able to rent lodging facilities from the government and others for free or for very little money, contractors forcibly deduct inflated accommodation and meal charges from workers’ pay. When the 10,000 yen (US$111) a day “danger pay” provided to contractors by the government (read: taxpayers) is taken into consideration, it means the contractors them... more »

Extreme Misrepresentation: USGCRP and the Case of Floods

noreply@blogger.com (Roger Pielke, Jr.) at Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog - 13 hours ago
The US Global Change Research Program has released a draft national assessment on climate change (here in PDF) and its impacts in the United States, as required by The US Global Change Research Act of 1990 (which incidentally was the subject of my 1994 PhD dissertation). There has been much excitement and froth in the media. Here I explain that in an area where I have expertise on, extremes and their impacts, the report is well out of step with the scientific literature, including the very literature it cites and conclusions of the IPCC. Questions should (but probably won't) be as... more »

Dear 'Idle No More' Supporters ... Did you vote in the last election? That's how we will get rid of Harper!

leftdog at Buckdog - 13 hours ago
*If you would like to see an end to the Harper administration, you need to vote and get other like minded people to vote. Elections Canada indicates that there was a much lower turnout of First Nations voters in the last Federal Election. Remember .. Conservatives get out and vote for Harper. Those of us who oppose Harper's policies MUST get out and vote against him!* * **There is a reason that Harper and his Conservatives are nervous about 'Idle No More'. There is a reason that Ezra Levant and Sun News Network are viciously attacking the movement. It's because they know that an or... more »

The First Totally Digital Public Library?

Martyn Daniels at Brave New World - 13 hours ago
We knew an exclusive digital public library was coming and to many it makes good sense for civic communities to mix their digital and physical offer to members. Now Bexar County, Texas, has announced its plans to become the first totally digital US public library. It is claimed that the initiative came to County Judge Nelson W. Wolff after he read Steve Jobs’s biography. He claims he was inspired to believe that future generations will have little use for hardcover or paperback renditions. As a result the new ‘BiblioTech’ system plans to make thousands of e-books available for coun... more »

Nobody cares about foreign policy

PM at Duck of Minerva - 13 hours ago
It bears repeating that nobody votes on foreign policy, and most folks don’t know anything about it anyway (remember that a nontrivial number of Americans think South Korea is our greatest enemy). I’ll quote myself: [N]obody gives a damn about foreign policy. Theories of democratic responsiveness and empirical models of foreign policy choice need to Continue reading

The Mine Kafun — An Amazing Invention That Could Save Lives And Make the World a Safer Place

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 13 hours ago
Mine Kafon | Callum Cooper from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo. We all know that life can be cruel, but f*ew things in this world are crueller than landmines that can indiscriminately maim or kill innocent civilians,* young or old, decades after they’ve been planted. If ever you needed proof of human foolishness, you only have to think about the countless hidden landmines still buried in different parts of the world, perhaps long forgotten by the people who planted them, but still as capable as ever of maiming or killing unsuspecting victims. Sadly, *mines continue even today to be ... more »

Sunday Globe Special: California Cold Snap

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 13 hours ago
*Maybe the global warming fart mist can warm them up*: "Californians deal with a cold snap; Records could fall as frost takes aim at beaches" Associated Press, January 13, 2013 SAN DIEGO — Californians are bundling up with sweaters and gloves and stocking up on firewood as they endure a *winter storm* that has brought very *unseasonable freezing temperatures*. The National Weather Service said *records could fall* as the cold snap extends into the weekend. ‘‘It’s *only going to get colder*,’’ specialist Bonnie Bartling of the Weather Service said.... Freeze warnings were issued fo... more »

Hey, NYTimes: Garfield HS Teachers Made News

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 14 hours ago
From Peter DeWitt's Ed Week Blog: 19 teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington refused to administer the district required Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) to ninth grade students on January 9th. After many years of out of control high stakes testing in the U.S. it was bound to happen sooner or later. It was another example of some strong teachers who are putting the needs of their students first. English teacher Kit McCormick said she "*has no problem with state testing, or testing in general. But they say this particular test has a number of problems, everything f... more »

Mercury emissions increase in developing countries

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 14 hours ago
[image: Crude methods of gold extraction can also expose miners to very high levels of lead toxicity. Children gold miners in Nigeria suffer the twin effects of mercury and lead poisoning. Photo: greenfudge.org] United Nations, New York, 10 January 2013 (UPI) – People in developing countries are facing increasing health and environmental risks linked to exposure to mercury, a U.N. report says. Parts of Africa, Asia and South America are at risk of increasing emissions of mercury into the environment, mostly the use of the toxic element in small-scale gold mining and through the b... more »

Sunday Globe Special: Kill All the Lawyers

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 14 hours ago
*You will feel that way after reading this*: "New England Law head draws scrutiny for his pay; A princely paycheck for dean of unheralded school" by Michael Rezendes and Christina Pazzanese | Globe Staff | Globe Correspondent, January 13, 2013 New England Law, Boston has operated in the shadows of the ­region’s more prestigious law schools for decades, trailing so far behind in some measures of excellence that US News & World ­Report does not include the downtown campus in its widely read ranking of 145 better law schools in the nation. Yet the school’s longtime dean, John F. O’B... more »

Obama prepares public to accept first Iranian nuclear test

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 14 hours ago
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told an Israeli TV interviewer Monday night, Jan. 14 that his government had spent billions of shekels to outfit Israel’s Defense Forces with offensive and defensive options which were hitherto lacking. He stressed Israel is obliged to be extremely strong – whether to stand up to the Iranian nuclear threat and the extremist Islamist wave lashing the Arab world – or to make peace. Earlier Monday, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz ceremonially installed Maj. Gen. Gady Eisenkott as deputy C.-of-S, after the state attorney had approved his taking up t... more »

China shuts factories in latest bid to cut pollution levels – ‘Once people have no water, no air, no land – something will happen’

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 14 hours ago
[image: Palaces in the Forbidden City are seen during the heavy smog in Beijing, China, 14 January 2013. Photo: Imaginechina via AP Images] 14 January 2013 (Bloomberg News) – China shut dozens of factories and pulled government cars off the road to limit pollution that hit hazardous levels for a third day, as state media said Beijing was becoming more famous for its smog than its culture or food. A cold front and strong winds tonight are forecast to clear the smog and pollution levels will be “good” in the next two days, Beijing’s environmental agency said in a briefing yesterday... more »

Rhino poaching hits new record in 2012

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 14 hours ago
[image: Indian rhino with its horn sawed off, 2007. A cut-off horn may help keep poachers away, but doesn't guarantee it. Photo: Rhett A. Butler / mongabay.com] 11 January 2013 (mongabay.com) – 668 rhinos were killed in South Africa during 2012 according to new figures released by the South African government. The total, which represents a 49 percent rise over the 448 killed in 2011, reveals the heavy toll the black market trade in rhino horn is taking on one of Africa's best known and most endangered animals. The figures show that 425 rhino deaths occurred in Kruger National Par... more »

PEDDLING RHEE: Fuzzy claims, no actual numbers!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 14 hours ago
*TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013* *Part 2—What happened to Washington test scores:* Did test scores rise in the DC schools because of Michelle Rhee's “reforms?” Last weekend, readers of the Washington Post were told that test scores *did * go up. But they were offered no data. (For part 1 in this award-winning series, see yesterday's DAILY HOWLER.) Over the weekend, the Post went into Full Rhee Mode, as is its periodic wont. In a trio of reports, the paper defined the wonders of the nation’s new “education celebrity” while defending her against claims of cheating on the DC-CAS, the Dist... more »

Herb School - How To Make Your Own Birch Leaf Oil and Tea

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 15 hours ago
 Birch Forest. Source of the picture: http://www.dw.de/forests-provide-a-range-of-healthy-remedies/a-15823835  Herb School. First Day Of Class *This information was from a Swedish Television program called, Herb School if translated into English that was a TV show in Sweden in which it was shown how to use fresh Birch leaves as a healing herb. You must live in a Northern area where the Birch tree grows to try your hand at being more health care self-reliant. * *There were 2 methods of use shown. * *The first was on how to make a Birch leaf oil:* 1. Put a handful of fre... more »

New water lows for Great Lakes could drain local economies – ‘In years past, there was always a buffer. That buffer’s gone.’

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 15 hours ago
[image: In 2012, water levels in Lake Michigan, pictured, and Lake Huron fell to record low levels for December. Photo: Jeff Haynes / AFP / Getty Images] By Mike Pearson 14 January 2013 (CNN) – Chris Berkey makes his living plying the often treacherous waters of the Great Lakes, delivering staples like cement to industries nestled in the myriad harbors that dot a coastline that's equal to nearly half of the circumference of the globe. It's not glamorous work, but it is critical to the U.S. economy. And it's getting harder. Water levels in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron fell to rec... more »

Extinction looms as Indonesia opens forests for logging – ‘We’ll see the extinction of all the charismatic species in 10 to 20 years’

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 15 hours ago
[image: Deforestation in Aceh, Indonesia. A new government plan will allow for companies to exploit Indonesian forests, threatening orang-utans, tigers, Sumatran rhinos, and other endangered species. Photo: Getty Images] By Michael Bachelard, Indonesia correspondent for Fairfax Media 15 January 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – Some of the richest and most biodiverse forests in Indonesia will soon be opened up for commercial exploitation under a plan drafted by the new government of Aceh. The chairman of the Aceh parliament's spatial planning committee, Mr Anwar (who goes by only on... more »

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