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| English: Denis Rancourt, Professor of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| Christy Clark - CKNW Radio Station - Vancouver, BC (Photo credit: kk+) |
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| City of David and the Kidron Valley (Photo credit: Ian W Scott) |
For fans of inclusiveness and tolerance, it was a good night on the pizza line in Columbus
*You can hear Joel Diaz tell the story of what happened that night in the
Columbus pizza line via HuffPost Live here.*
*by Ken*
Since this story went viral you may well already have heard it, but it's a
pretty happy story, so I thought we'd just give it a run here.
Joel Diaz is the chief development officer for Ohio's AIDS Resource Center,
a Columbus resident, and last weekend he and his friend Ethan, "after a fun
night out in the Short North . . . ventured down the street to a popular
pizza truck called Mikey's Late Night Slice," accepting the harsh reality
of "the requisite wait... more »
Christy Clark Going Mobile, John Slater Going To Have A Knife Removed From His Back
*MLA: John Slater*
*Boundary-Similkameen*
------------------------------
*Elected:* 2009
*BRITISH COLUMBIA LIBERAL PARTY *
*Yes indeed *folks, remember how the BC Liberals stabbed Moe Gill in the
back, Moe Gill who signed up hundreds of new BC Liberal members and raised
a-lot money for his anticipated election campaign*...Then Rich Coleman *brow
beat Moe Gill with his stench and bellow, only to turn around and hand an
uncontested nomination to fellow white trasher Bob Plecas...A crude rude
move typical of this disgusting, lying, corrupt and inept BC Liberal
Government...
John Sla... more »
David W. Scott on self-represented litigants
Here
in the capital city Ottawa of the advanced nation that is Canada, a
Co-Chair of the national law firm BLG, Mr. David W. Scott, was quoted in
the following way in the city's Ottawa Citizen newspaper, on the topic
of self-represented litigants in Canadian courts [1]:
The jaundiced judicial attitude is a holdover from an earlier era, when
many of those who appeared in court without a lawyer
TOPPT - Transcript: A Conversation with Heather Tucci-Jarraf, Trustee of The One People's Public Trust
*NOTE: We are still reviewing this transcript, and it will change when we
insert words that were difficult to hear due to the phone connection. I
put it up in its raw draft state so the translators can get started on
translating it to other languages. -AK*
Hello everyone Brian here from the American Kabuki ground crew. I am so
incredibly thrilled to be here celebrating this beautiful moment of now
with all of the amazing beings who will be listening to this call over the
course of the coming days and weeks. Words couldn’t possibly express the
level of gratitude I feel for bein... more »
Japan’s Citizen Kane: A media mogul whose extraordinary life still shapes his country, for good and ill
In its year-end double issue, The Economist has an interesting short biography
of Matsutaro Shoriki, the long-time owner of Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's most
popular newspaper, and the founder of a media empire, which includes
Japan's largest private TV network. Mr. Shoriki also was a founder of
Japan's leading conservative political party, the LDP, and the founder of
its best professional baseball franchise, the Yomiuri Giants.
Here is an excerpt regarding the time Shoriki brought Babe Ruth to Japan:
The melding of commercial pragmatism with ideological dogma shaped much of
Shorik... more »
The Pope vs Paul Ryan
Ryan has long tried to fashion himself an image for Wisconsin voters as a
sturdy conservative Catholic. He's certainly been fanatically
anti-Choicebut Pope Benedict's New Year mass shows the basic divergence
between the
Catholicism of Ryan's anti-Choice/anti-gay zealotry and the Catholicism
of
one of the most conservative Popes in the last century. Ryan may try to
pass himself off as a loyal son of the Catholic Church but he has always
picked and chosen which parts of Catholicism he embraces and which parts
he
discards. And his stronger loyalty to Ayn Rand's reactionary social
theo... more »
Loughareema, Ireland's Vanishing Lake
The lake when full and visible. Photo courtesy: flower76young
Scotland has its vanishing village - Brigadoon - and Ireland has its
disappearing lake. Magic just seems to shroud the British Isles.
Loughareema. A sign posted along a roadside in far northeastern Ireland
proclaims this lake's existence, but depending on when you visit, it may or
may not be there. That's because Loughareema is Ireland's famous 'vanishing
lake.'
With phenomena like Loughareema, it's really no wonder that Ireland has
such a rich mythology attached to it, but there is a very simple scientific
reason for ... more »
Baked Canadian Bill Could Be Threat to National Security
A Kelowna bank teller has reported that she had heard of cases in which
several new polymer banknotes had melted together inside a car. Photo
courtesy: Nathan Denette, The Canadian Press Files , The Canadian Press via
vancouversun.com
The Canadian government has taken a lot of flack lately - on every level of
government. I happen to believe they deserve it; but, that is only my
humble opinion.
After much ado about nothing it turns out, the Bank of Canada released
their new banknotes - state of the art; harder to counterfeit; stronger;
harder to destroy; and, a step into the future... more »
Gentlemen prefer platinum coins
I
don't know if the newly fabled One Trillion Dollar Platinum Coin, would
work or not. Kevin Drum says it's illegal. But this fomer head of the US
Mint says there's no reason not to mint a platinum coin and Josh Barro
argues fiercely that we should. And though he never gets any credit,
Atrioshas been pushing the One Trillion Dollar Platinum Coin solution
for
literally, years.
If there's a chance it could shut down the GOP's hostage strategy, it's
worth trying. Our government wasn't built to function well under
extortion
by a minority with the most money.
I've seen a lot of calls t... more »
A Quick Note
I just wanted to let you know I am little behind on collecting some of the
comments. They have been received and will be forwarding them on. I
apologize for the lack of posts on the sister blog Obi Wan Kabuki, but that
will probably be lean for the coming week. Most of you know where you can
get those postings directly. But make sure you visit Sophia Love's posts
at O.K.
We are moving quite rapidly bringing more information forward, tools,
protocols, and whatever aid we can lend to understanding what has taken
place on planet earth with the Trust fund. Its a complex subje... more »
Fantino's Foot-In-Mouthitis Flares Again
Harper loose cannon Julian Fantino is at it again. Now safely distanced
from the F-35 fiasco, Fantino has been unleashed on the International
Cooperation portfolio.
His diplomatic prowess was demonstrated in *La Presse* where Fantino
announced Canadian aid to Haiti was being frozen. It turns out that nobody
notified the Haitians or, for that matter, Canada's ambassador to
Port-au-Prince either.
*Haitian ambassador to Canada Frantz Liautaud said the first he heard of
Mr. Fantino’s freeze on aid to Haiti was through this morning’s news. He’s
already contacted the Canadian Internat... more »
Elsewhere: Filibuster, Silly Polls, More
Sorry for the slow blogging today; we had a power outage here at Plain Blog
World Headquarters this morning (on top of a messed up night last night, as
those who noted the time stamp on the Watergate post might have noticed),
and next thing you know I hadn't actually wound up with anything to put
here.
I'll try to get back later with a baseball post...we'll see. Meanwhile, I
wrote an Ignore Those Polls! post about the House Republicans and issue
polling on the debt limit over at Greg's place. That episode reminded me of
Newt and Luntz in 1994/1995, but yesterday I suggested that per... more »
'US dollar will collapse in 2013'
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"Before We are Made" by Rilke
YouTube video description - [Channel: honkyoku]
"Before We are Made" by Ranier Maria Rilke (1875 -- 1926)
poem translated from the German and read by Dr. Richard Borofsky
www.beingtogether.com
shakuhachi flute & drums by Dr. Robert A. Jonas
nature videos & video editing by Robert A. Jonas
rbtjonas@aol.com www.emptybell.org
Translations of this poem, from German to English, differ.
One might translate the title as "Before our Beginning." In this particular
translation, Rich speaks of "welken words," which might be translated as
"numinous words."
Before the Beginning by Rainer Mari... more »
4.9 Magnitude Earthquake EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 4th January 2013
Magnitude
4.9
Date-Time
Friday, January 04, 2013 at 20:24:37 UTC
Saturday, January 05, 2013 at 06:24:37 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
5.427°S, 146.071°E
Depth
36.3 km (22.6 miles)
Region
EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Distances
37 km (22 miles) SE of Madang, Papua New Guinea
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake ECUADOR - 4th January 2013
Magnitude
4.7
Date-Time
Friday, January 04, 2013 at 19:46:24 UTC
Friday, January 04, 2013 at 02:46:24 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
1.586°S, 77.702°W
Depth
191.3 km (118.9 miles)
Region
ECUADOR
Distances
28 km (17 miles) ENE of Palora, Ecuador
Washington's Global Reign of Terror
*Source: Dees Illustration*.
Alternative title: USrael's global reign of terror.
Glenn Greenwald writes in his article, *"The 'war on terror' - by design -
can never end"*:
"There's no question that this "war" will continue indefinitely. There is
no question that US actions are the cause of that, the gasoline that fuels
the fire. The only question - and it's becoming less of a question for me
all the time - is whether this endless war is the intended result of US
actions or just an unwanted miscalculation.
It's increasingly hard to make the case that it's the latter. The US h... more »
Republicans Using Debt Ceiling As ‘Legislative Terrorism’
Rep. Grayson: Republicans Using Debt Ceiling As ‘Legislative Terrorism’ By
Eric W. Dolan Thursday, January 3, 2013 Rep. Alan
Grayson (D-FL) blasted Republicans on Thursday night for planning to use
the federal debt ceiling as leverage in the ongoing battle over government
spending. He said Republicans saw the debt ceiling as “a device to extract
concessions they
What next for Venezuela?
My colleague, Javier Corrales, has an excellent summary of the internal
political dynamics in Venezuela on the news yesterday of President Hugo
Chavez’s deteriorating health condition. Corrales reports that the
“Venezuelan government is busy preparing for the re-inauguration of the
country’s beloved president, Hugo Chávez, and also for his funeral.” The
timing of all of
Continue reading
Video 'The People Round Danced' Idle No More
Broadway train station
How Corrupt Are Members Of Corgress? Short Answer: Very Corrupt
*A uniquely American shame*
The congressional ethics committees are pitiful jokes-- and the joke is on
the American people. They are the center of congressional corruption,
protecting incumbents who get caught with their paws in the cookie jar. Two
weeks ago, one of Congress' most horrifying corrupt members, Buck McKeon,
was quietly let off the hook for his latest infraction. He's the last
Member of Congress standing who took big bribes from Countrywide, the only
"Friend of Angelo" who hasn't been defeated for reelection or forced to
retire. This kind of cover-up and white-wash is th... more »
Syrian Victims of USrael-AlQaeda Terror Are Starving To Death In The Cold
Video: Syrian refugees scrape out a living [Al Jazeera]
Video: Syrian Refugees in a Race Against Winter [AP]
Video: Syrian refugees seek shelter in Jordan - no comment [no comment TV]
Video: Global National : Syrian refugees struggle through winter [Global
Toronto]
Podcast No. 17: Interview with Iver Neumann
The seventeenth Duck of Minerva podcast features Iver Neumann of the London
School of Economics. Professor Neumann discusses his intellectual and
educational background and a small part of his copious academic output.
Topics incude post-structuralism, policy engagement, the practice turn,
popular culture and politics, and the Mongols. I should reiterate important
change to procedures. From now on,
Continue reading
Dine' Arlene Bowman 'Salmoncrates' Magic of salmon
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Club for Growth says jump, GOP replies -- how high
The ultra-conservative moneybags at the Club for Growth issued their
marching orders to the GOP, demanding Congress votes against relief aid for
Hurricane Sandy survivors still struggling to deal with the devastation
caused by the storm during the freezing cold of a New England winter. So 67
Republicans obediently voted against the first relief bill which was only
for $9.1 billion to allow federal flood insurance to meet its obligations.
Still to come, on a vote allegedly to be scheduled for January 15th, is the
additional $57 billion necessary to cover the costs of rebuilding the
... more »
Short term Senator Barney Frank?
Hell yes. At first he said he wasn't interested, but today Barney Frank
wants to be interim Senator from MA until the special election.
Frank said that the fiscal cliff deal that passed the House of
Representatives earlier this week and set the stage for a return to the
same legislative fight in a matter of months "means that February, March
and April are going to be among the most important months" for the American
economy. The outspoken Democrat indicated he would only hold the seat until
the statewide special election and has no designs of carving out a career
in the Senate, but... more »
I miss 'Episodes' - A Rule 5 Friday post - NSFW
Great acting, intelligent humour and of course a topless Labia...
Sophie Rundle Topless from Episodes - Follow... *by Badlandz*
To explain, Labia was the name of Matt Le Blanc's stalker.
Grand Chief Clearsky's letter to Obama
Grand
Chief Murray Clearsky's letter to President Obama
President Barak ObamaUnited States of AmericaThe White House1600
Pennsylvania AvenueWashington, DC 20500Dear President Obama,RE: Idle No
More – Canadian Indian Democratic movementAs the Grand Chief of the
Southern Chiefs Organization in Manitoba, Canada, it is my honor to
extend to you our heartfelt congratulations on your successful
The Daily "Near You?"
Kazakhstan. Thanks for stopping by.
"Belief vs. Fantasy"
*"Belief vs. Fantasy"*
Which one is real and why?
by MYei5
"When we are looking at the way we view the world, it is important to know
if that view is from belief or from fantasy. As we have previously spoken
about the topic of beliefs, how many of you are even really living by
genuine beliefs or are you actually living from fantasy? If you don’t know
the entire scope it is possible that your world is a world of ideals. An
ideal is a difficult thing to discuss sometimes because ideals are based on
concepts and concepts do not always consider all factors. Once we consider
all of w... more »
Southern Son Moves North
After a - well, let's say *tumultuous* - year Southern Son has elected to
head north and live with his mother for a time. Southern Man and Southern
Parents agree that this is a Good Thing.
This also means that, as of today, none of Southern Man's children live in
the same state as he. And that will be...different.
Judge denies Obama administration attempt to dismiss challenge to “no-fly” list
World Socialist Web Site
Eric London
A federal district court judge in California last week denied a motion by
Obama administration lawyers to dismiss a legal challenge to the “no-fly”
list brought by a young Malaysian woman, Rahinah Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, at the time a Stanford University Ph.D. candidate, was detained at
San Francisco International Airport on January 2, 2005 when she and her
daughter attempted to board a flight to her home country. She was intending
to fly home to present her doctoral research at a conference sponsored by
Stanford. Ibrahim was subjected to harsh treatm... more »
"Everything We Tell Ourselves About America and the World Is Wrong"
*"Everything We Tell Ourselves About *
*America and the World Is Wrong"*
By Charles Eisenstein
"Every culture has a Story of the People to give meaning to the world. Part
conscious and part unconscious, it consists of a matrix of agreements,
narratives, and symbols that tell us why we are here, where we are headed,
what is important, and even what is real. I think we are entering a new
phase in the dissolution of our Story of the People, and therefore, with
some lag time, of the edifice of civilization built on top of it.
Sometimes I feel intense nostalgia for the cultural myth... more »
Workers making $30,000 will take a bigger hit on their pay than those earning $500,000 under new fiscal deal
Middle-class workers will take a bigger hit to their income proportionately
than those earning between $200,000 and $500,000 under the new fiscal cliff
deal, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.
Earners in the latter group will pay an average 1.3 percent more - or an
additional $2,711 - in taxes this year, while workers making between
$30,000 and $200,000 will see their paychecks shrink by as much as 1.7
percent - or up to $1,784 - the D.C.-based think tank reported.
Overall, nearly 80 percent of households will pay more money to the federal
government as a result of th... more »
Cpl. Joshua Boston: 'I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America.'
*'YOU MA'AM HAVE OVERSTEPPED A LINE': JOSHUA BOSTON'S LETTER*
Senator Dianne Feinstein,
I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not
believe it is the government’s right to know what I own. Nor do I think it
prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group
of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime.
You ma’am have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine
Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the
evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I ma... more »
Drunken plane passenger is TAPED to his seat during flight to New York after 'trying to choke one woman and ranting the plane was going to crash'
A drunken passenger on a New York-bound intercontinental flight was
duct-taped to his seat by his fellow passengers after attacking one
woman
and screaming the plane was going to crash.
Passenger Andy Ellwood, who took a photo of the man restrained, wrote an
account of the incident on his Tumblr page.
'(Passenger) drank all of his duty free liquor on the flight from
Iceland
to JFK yesterday,' Ellwood wrote.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257281/The-moment-drunken-passenger-taped-seat-flight-New-York-trying-choke-woman-ranting-plane-going-crash.html
Phil space...
There are half a dozen ongoing missions to the solar system. 2012 was a
good year for space exploration. A number of interesting things have been
discovered.
The solar system is chock full of organic material. Curiosity is homing in on
definitive evidence of native Martian organics. MESSENGER has found remote
evidence of organic material like tar in the shady polar nooks of Mercury
(see picture). We are coming to know more about the methane cycle on Titan.
The other search is for water. People are a lot surer about the existence
of water in the solar system. There is a mountain-s... more »
Nazis secretly developed plot to drop radioactive bomb on New York from supersonic space rocket
Nazi chief Hermann Goering plotted to attack New York in a bizarre plot
involving a manned space rocket dropping a dirty bomb over the Manhattan
skyline.
Vying for Hitler's attention, the head of the German air-force, Hermann
Goering, set up a lab and a team of leading scientists to explore the
possibility of the radioactive attack on American soil.
Goering read the work of maverick Austrian engineer, Eugen Saenger and
particularly his belief that a space plane could be built.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2256953/Nazis-secretly-developed-plot-drop-radioactive-bomb-New-Y... more »
How Nikki and Sara Got Their Show
On
January 29, Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer go from being two
podcastersI like to being two podcasters I like who also have a late
night TV show.
MTV is launching *The Nikki & Sara Show*, a live comedy show
airing
Tuesdays. Here's a look at how these talented ladies got their
shot at
stardom.
Get More:
Nikki & Sara LIVE, Full Episodes
Could We Become Ungovernable?
Is Canada's federal government losing its connection with the Canadian
people? Are Canadians becoming estranged from those who govern them?
Two reports from December, one by Environics, the other from Samara Canada,
suggest that Harper no longer governs but merely rules an increasingly
unruly and disdainful populace.
*"Not only is voter turnout decreasing, but every year fewer Canadians are
getting involved in other kinds of political activities, like joining or
donating to political parties, signing petitions
or attending protests. If nothing is done to reverse this disturbing t... more »
MILLOY: EPA’s illegal human experiments could break Nuremberg Code
*Agency claims unfettered discretion in treatment of test subjects*
Washington Times
Steve Milloy
[image: Illustration EPA Human Experiments by Alexander Hunter for The
Washington Times]
The Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says no law empowers any
judge to stop it from conducting illegal scientific experiments on seniors,
children and the sick.
That astounding assertion will be tested Friday, when a federal district
court in Alexandria decides whether it has jurisdiction to hear claims made
by the American Tradition Institute that EPA researchers are exposing
unwary a... more »
"Non Nobis Solum..."
“Non nobis solum nati sumus."
(Not for ourselves alone are we born.)
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
Harper announces meeting with First Nation leadership Jan. 11, 2013
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces meeting with First Nations leadership
4 January 2013
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister
Stephen Harper today issued the following statement on a planned meeting
with a delegation of First Nations leaders coordinated by the Assembly
of First Nations:
"On January 24, 2012, I was pleased to participate in the historic
Crown-First Nations Gathering. On that
4.9 Magnitude Earthquake HALMAHERA, INDONESIA - 4th January 2013
Magnitude
4.9
Date-Time
Friday, January 04, 2013 at 17:59:14 UTC
Saturday, January 05, 2013 at 02:59:14 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
1.336°N, 127.095°E
Depth
129.3 km (80.3 miles)
Region
HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
Distances
68 km (42 miles) NNW of Kota Ternate, Indonesia
Impact on their families?
Corrupt
cops sentenced to house arrest, not jail, because the ordeal of being
investigated, tried, and convicted of corruption was difficult for them
and their families? I don't know, perhaps if the convicted had owned-up
to their crimes in the first place their families would not have been
put through a "catastrophic" 12 year ordeal. I fail to see how the
impact of long investigation and trial
Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki booked flights for the 9/11 hijackers
Within days of the 9/11 terrorist attacks the FBI suspected American Muslim
cleric Anwar al-Awlaki had booked flights for the hijackers.
The reason for the flights remains unclear, but 9/11 Commission report
later noted that the hijackers had used flights in the run-up to the
attacks to test security and surveillance.
Awlaki, who was born in New Mexico, had become the lead figure for al-Qaeda
and the offshoot al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the years after Osama
bin Laden went into hiding.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257223/Radical-American-born-cleric-Anwar-al-Aw... more »
"Obedience To Authority: Should We Trust The Government?"
*"Obedience To Authority: Should We Trust The Government?" *
By James Quinn
"Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they'll like this song?
Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Ooh ah,
Mother, should I build the wall?
Mother, should I run for president?
Mother, should I trust the government?
Mother, will they put me in the firing line?
Ooh ah,
Is it just a waste of time?"
Pink Floyd, "Mother"
"The lyrics to "Mother" had both a literal and figurative meaning for Roger
Waters. He was literally describing his overprotective single mother (his... more »
Broad Disciple with Checkered Past Becomes New MA Ed Chief
Teachers scoring a 2.77 out of 5.0 on the new evaluation schemes
proliferating across the U.S. would face some extra "professional
development" to grind out some higher scores next year. If you are MA
superintendent getting that score, however, and if you have been one of Eli
Broad's "chosen" rock stars for the past decade, then you could find
yourself selected by the governor to become the chief ed official in your
state. Such is the fate of Matt Malone (Broad Class of 2003), who recently
escaped the likelihood of being canned by the Brockton School Committee
just in time to be ... more »
SENATOR Barney Frank?
*"Coach, put me in!":* *"I'm not going to be coy, it's not anything I've
ever been good at. I've told the governor that I would now like, frankly,
to be a part of that." (I couldn't get the clip to embed, but you can view
it here.)*
*by Ken*
I saw some online link that referred to this as a "comeback" for Barney,
which seems pretty silly, since he doesn't have anything to come back from.
He wasn't pushed out of public office; he leapt. And while it's just a
caretaker role, until Massachusetts can organize a special election to
replace State-bound Sen. John Kerry, the idea of Barne... more »
Award Ballot
As promised, this is my post announcing that we’ve sent an email out with
the ballot for the 2013 OAIS awards.We believe that we sent one to everyone
that requested one before the deadline, as well as to a list of people that
we generated internally. If you did not receive one and requested one,
Continue reading
"Congress Sells America Down the River to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff"
*"Congress Sells America Down the River to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff"*
by Peter Schiff
“In a disgraceful show of political expediency, Congress put its own
political self-interest ahead of the national interest. They “saved” us
from a contrived crisis of their own making, only to condem us to far more
horrific fate when the real crisis arrives. This one will come not because
we went over the fiscal cliff, but because we avoided doing so. Going over
the fiscal cliff merely represented a small downpayment on the solution. By
failing to make it, the ultimate price we will inevitably pay ... more »
Big Ed Schultz explains the debt limit!
*FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013*
*More competent leadership, please:* Without any question, liberals are
facing a possible world of hurt as the debt limit approaches again.
Somehow, liberals need to convince the public—and major elites—that the
GOP's plan to hold the debt limit hostage must be rejected.
Big Ed Schultz was worried about that topic last night. And he wanted our
help:
SCHULTZ (1/3/13): Get your cell phones out. I want to know what you think. *Tonight’s
question: Will the American people fall for the Republican lies about the
debt ceiling? *
Text A for yes, text B for no, t... more »
How much are your taxes going up?
The Tax Policy Center has a calculator to answer that question.
Middle class families face paying 65% tax rate under Osborne's 'incoherent' clawback of child benefit, IFS warns
George
Osborne tax raid on child benefit was today torn apart by the
respected Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The think tank accused the Chancellor of ‘incoherence’ for linking state
help with raising children to the salary of the highest earner in a
family.
Affected families stand to lose an average of about £1,300 per year, it
warned with families with three or more children paying marginal tax
rates
of more than 65 per cent.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257083/Middle-class-families-face-paying-65-tax-rate-Osbornes-incoherent-clawback-child-benefit-IFS-warns.html
Argentinians Burn Sun In Row Over Falklands
Argentinian protesters have burned The Sun and Union Jack in Buenos Aires
as Falkland Islanders wrote an open letter to the country's president.
Copies of the newspaper advert and the flag were torched at a cruise
terminal in the capital after British Prime Minister David Cameron rejected
calls for talks on the disputed territory.
http://news.sky.com/story/1033203/argentinians-burn-sun-in-row-over-falklands
Protester stabs himself in stomach in South Korea - WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO
A Japanese special envoy arrived in South Korea on Friday to continue talks
aimed at improving diplomatic relations between the two countries. Shortly
before the envoy's arrival at Gimpo International Airport a demonstration
was held in which one man, Lim Chang-geun, mimicked hari-kiri by stabbing
himself in the stomach. Relations between South Korea and Japan have been
strained by a territorial dispute over rocky outcroppings that Korea calls
Dokdo and Japan calls Takeshima and which both claim. "Before sending us an
envoy, Japan should have apologized before the international com... more »
2013 Solar storms
NASA scientists expect to see increased solar activity in 2013 as the sun
reaches a stage of its cycle which makes it more prone to eruptions.
An Interesting Story
This story is filed November 27th, 2012.
In rural areas, a common corruption allegation is that the relatives or
friends of powerful militia commanders are thrown into classrooms to
collect a teacher's salary -- despite being unqualified to teach.
There's NATO "nation-building" for you!
Hey!
Schools and health centres built by the British in Afghanistan as part of
the military's counter-insurgency strategy are being forced to close down
because President Karzai's government cannot afford to pay for them, the
Guardian has learned.
Do you suppose some of those schools are the one... more »
Gatito en un sombrero con los ojos de diferente color
[image: Gatito en un sombrero]
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Fifth Generation, Maybe, But It's Still Gen 5.0
Harper DefMin, Peter MacKay, like a trained seal smacking its flippers,
constantly barks about the Lockheed F-35 being a "Fifth Generation" fighter
and, hence, oh so much superior to all the Gen 4.5-fighters on today's
market.
As *The Fifth Estate* noted in its expose on the stealth light bomber, the
"Fifth Generation" business was a term coined by Lockheed's marketing/PR
branch.
But if the F-35 is a 5th Gen warplane, it's very much a *Beta* issue. It's
prototypical, a complicated, hyper-expensive, gremlin-riddled, aerial
experiment that is still years away from its testing comp... more »
'Black Beauty' Meteorite Holds Water From Mars
Scientists are hailing the discovery of a fist-sized meteorite from Mars,
as a way to possibly unlock vital clues about the evolution of the planet.
Nasa says the rock, nicknamed Black Beauty, could tell them how Mars
changed from the warm and wet place it once was to its current cold and dry
state.
Discovered in Morocco's Sahara Desert in 2011, the 320g (11oz) space rock
contains 10 times more water than other Martian meteorites and could be the
first to have originated on the planet's surface or crust.
http://news.sky.com/story/1033365/mars-meteorite-is-water-rich-black-beauty
The Pinetrees Cattery Fire: Animals Killed As Fire Spreads Through Cattery
At least four cats have died and up to 18 others are missing after a fire
broke out at a cattery.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue service was called out in the early hours of
the morning to Pinetrees Cattery in Huntington, near Cannock.
Station manager Dermot Hogan said: "Firefighters arrived and found the
building well alight.
http://news.sky.com/story/1033401/animals-killed-as-fire-spreads-through-cattery
NEW WONKS ON THE BLOCK: New leadership needed!
*FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013*
*Part 4—Familiar hemming and hawing:* Progressives have a crying need for
smart intellectual leaders.
Has any movement ever had its brains beaten out in so many ways for so many
years? Without its members so much as noticing—without its members even
being *encouraged* to notice?
Progressives and liberals have had their brains beaten on an array of
policy matters. One example: Did anyone ever step up to challenge the
decades of disinformation about the way Social Security works?
Actually, no—no one did! Compounding the injury, major Democratic
politicians... more »
Pajarillo comiendo frutitas
[image: Pajarillos de colores]
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Victor for VA???
In victory for Va., judge rules EPA can’t regulate storm water as
pollutant By
Corinne Reilly, Published: January 3 The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/in-victory-for-va-judge-rules-epa-cant-regulate-storm-water-as-pollutant/2013/01/03/aee92fc2-5613-11e2-bf3e-76c0a789346f_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines[Excerpted]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority in
trying
to regulate storm water as it would a pollutant, a federal judge in
Alexandria ruled Thursday.
The decision, a victory for Fairfax County and Virginia Attorney General
... more »
EU says Iran not responded to nuclear talks proposal
The European Union has proposed a time and place for further talks on
Iran's nuclear program, but Iran has yet to respond, an EU spokesman said
on Friday.
Iran said earlier on Friday it had agreed to resume talks in January with
six major powers - represented by the EU - but the EU spokesman said Tehran
had not yet replied to proposals made on December 31.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/04/us-iran-nuclear-eu-idUSBRE9030DA20130104
White House says Congress must raise debt limit
The White House said on Friday it is vital for Congress to quickly resolve
future tax and spending feuds, and raise the U.S. borrowing authority to
avoid economic uncertainty.
"It is quite clear that the economy will be better if Congress does its job
and does what it routinely has done historically which is raise the debt
limit without problem," Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council
of Economic Advisers, said in an interview on Bloomberg television.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/04/us-usa-economy-whitehouse-idUSBRE9030JM20130104
Rocas en la playa paradisiaca
[image: Rocas en la playa]
*Nota:* Click aquí para ver más *imágenes de playas*
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Darkness Abides: A Tour of Haunted Structures
*DARKNESS ABIDES: A TOUR OF HAUNTED STRUCTURES*
*By Scott Corrales*
Haunted houses run the gamut from Great Britain's Borley Rectory,
studied
in the early days of paranormal research by the legendary Harry Price,
to
lesser known places like Madrid's Palacio de Linares. However, there are
thousands of others that occupy the vast middle ground in between. The
ones
examined in this article belong in this category.
Mexico's rich and varied paranormal history (see *"Ghosts of Old
Mexico"*in the February 2000 issue of FATE) includes places in which the
shadows of
the past s... more »
Hundreds flee in Tasmania as wildfires spread across Australia – Hobart records highest temperature since 1881 – ‘This has been an extraordinary day’
[image: The sun glows through smoke haze at Lake Repulse, 80km north-west
of Hobart. Tasmania suffered its most severe fire day in years on 4 January
2013, with a record 41.8 degrees in Hobart, the highest temperature since
1881. Kim Foale / Sydney Morning Herald]
By Andrew Darby and Nick Ralston
5 January 2013
(Sydney Morning Herald) – AT LEAST 80 homes have been lost and one man is
feared killed by a bushfire that swept down onto the Tasmanian town of
Dunalley, less than 60 kilometres from Hobart, in catastrophic conditions.
The bushfire sent hundreds fleeing and was on Friday n... more »
Your memories held to ransom - we can remember it for you - at the right price
I don't know why this only struck me this morning, I did mention it in a
post, in passing, but I think it really needs its own slot.
WE CAN REMEMBER IT FOR YOU, WHOLESALE is a short story by Philip K. Dick
first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in April 1966
and adapted for the screen in both 1990 and 2012. In the short story and
filsm, some random bloke goes to a 'virtual travel agent' where they
implant 'memories' of his trip to mars or whereever without him needing to
go there himself. A sort of cheaper version of doing a private James Bond.
This post isn't... more »
Perrito jugando en el campo de flores
[image: Perrito jugando en el campo]
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A Friend Who Would Eat Sushi
A dear friend announced last night that she would eat sushi tonight.
I told her, please do not eat sushi. So much of the seaweed on the market
is from Japan and Thailand. Japan has no centralized testing for its food
products. There is no evidence that the US has increased testing of
Japanese imports; in fact, the opposite may be true (standards may have
been loosened).
Fukushima poses an immediate and deadly threat to flora and fauna in thePacific Ocean.
See map of Fukushima radiation contamination at Woods Hole oceanographic
institute
https://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=67796&tid=... more »
Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 1.4.13"
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 1.4.13"*
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
"The Fiscal Cliff turned into a can kick on tax policy. Yes, they averted
some nasty tax increases for many Americans, but there were zero spending
cuts. In fact, the legislation added $4 trillion in debt!!! I’d say
President Obama won round one, but not by much. I have to give a little
credit to Democrats and Republicans for the compromise, but this is still
the “blame game theater.” Now, Republicans are going to demand cuts and
hold the debt ceiling over the President’s head. This is going to be much
nastier tha... more »
Cabaña en la nieve con personas jugando
[image: Cabaña en la nieve]
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Harper And The Conservative Party Seemed Determined To Tear Up And Totally Disregard Treaties Signed Between Canada And The First Nations
*Stephen Harper has an extremely bullying approach towards issues. In his
arrogance, he believed that he could merely change Treaties that exist
between Canada and the First Nations by sweeping legislative changes hidden
inside a massive Omnibus Bill.*
*
**He is wrong ... on all accounts.*
*
**Canada is a signatory to numerous Treaties with other nations. Not the
least of which are the treaties that exist between Canada and the First
Nations who originally owned the land that we now call The Dominion of
Canada. *
*
**Canada signed treaties with First Nations peoples recognizing them... more »
Paisaje de un bosque oscuro
[image: Bosque oscuro]
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Salt Lake City Home Show and a chance for free or discounted tickets
*My set of posts featuring all my new projects and organizations systems
start on Monday. I am so excited. I have made some huge FREE changes. I
just realized the other day that not a single piece of furniture in my
living room is the same and I didn't pay for any of them! Until then please
enjoy a post about one of my favorite places. *
My husband and I LOVE home shows. There is something about walking among
all the things that could be in our home that gets his brain working and
makes me a little giddy. I had the opportunity to go up to Salt Lake City
for a preview of the Salt L... more »
LEAH McGRATH GOODMAN PETITION
Police discover more bones inside chamber of horrors at Jersey ...
"Seeing as this is a numbers game, please urge at least one other person
(or many others) to sign this petition... It will make all the difference.
So long as the UK bars me from entering the country, its free press is not
guaranteed and the safety of its children remains in question. But as long
as this group grows, it shows it cannot and will not be silenced.
"With your help, I will see my visa restored in 2013.
"All the best – and happy holidays."
Leah
*Restore the visa of banned journalist Leah McGrath Goodman... more »
Cabaña en el bosque frente al lago
[image: Cabañas frente al lago]
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DHS Buys 200,000 More Rounds of Ammunition
While the Obama administration sets out to eviscerate the gun rights of
American citizens in the aftermath of Sandy Hook, earlier this week it was
announced that the Department of Homeland Security has awarded a company a
contract worth over $45,000 dollars to provide the DHS with 200,000 more
rounds of bullets.
This new purchase adds to the staggering figure of 1.6 billion rounds of
ammunition already secured by the DHS over the last 9 months alone.
A solicitation originally posted on the FedBizOpps.gov website on December
17 on behalf of the DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Ce... more »
CRISIS ACTORS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: and the winner is.......
(first let's set up the mood with a little crowd awards ceremony applause,
and picture maybe Alec Baldwin & Angelina Jolie & Matt Damon behind the
podium opening the nominee envelopes)
<
...and here we go! The nominees for *CRISIS ACTORS* Lifetime Achievement
Awards are:
*Nurse Nayirah* in: SADDAM INCUBATOR BABIES. Her *faked testimony* got us
into the first Iraq Gulf War under GHW Bush (hat tip to the PR firm *Hill &
Knowlton*):
*The Harley Guy* in: *STRUCTURAL FAILURE DUE TO FIRE*. This "random guy on
the street" had it all figured out, even though it took scientists ... more »
New Hope for Socio-Economic Integration
Richard Kahlenberg’s “From All Walks of Life, New Hope for School
Integration,” updates the evidence in favor of socio-economic integration
as the best single way to improve outcomes for poor children. He also
gives reason for measured hope that it can be expanded, perhaps replacing
failed test-driven attempts to improve poor schools. I remain unconvinced,
however, that Kahlenberg’s wisdom will be scaled up.
Kahlenberg summarizes research explaining that socio-economic integration
works because it involves all three of the essential factors of effective
schools. Low-income studen... more »
We don't want to end up like Norway, Cameron warns as he refuses to give up Britain's seat at the EU's table.... We don't want end up with low unemployment and growing Economy?
David Cameron today rejected the idea of Britain becoming a second class
member of the European Union, insisting he would not give up his place at
the Brussels ‘table’.
The Prime Minister gave his biggest hint yet that he will use his imminent
speech on Europe to rebuff calls from many in the Tory party for a radical
change in the UK’s membership of the EU.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257047/We-dont-want-end-like-Norway-Cameron-warns-refuses-Britains-seat-EUs-table.html
Norway - *Norway’s strong, oil-fueled economy looks set to stay that way in
2013, according to the co... more »
Activists Gather In Washington, D.C. For The Dis-inauguration Of Barack Hussein Obama
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Thoughts on Peer-Review Standards from a Junior Reviewer
This is a guest post by Peter S. Henne. Peter is a doctoral candidate at
Georgetown University. He formerly worked as a national security
consultant. His research focuses on terrorism and religious conflict; he
has also written on the role of faith in US foreign policy. During
2012-2013 he will be a fellow at the Miller
Continue reading
Friday Morning Linkage: Austerity Edition
Is the tide turning on the idea of austerity? Philip Pilkington takes issue
with this week’s New York Times feature story on how well the Latvians are
enduring austerity. The IMF thinks Latvia has gone too far. Last week, IMF
Director Christine Legarde warned Germany to go slower in making cuts. And,
yesterday, it (the
Continue reading
The Connecticut Elementary School Shooting: Where The Hell Are The Sandy Hook Bodies?
I came to the conclusion very shortly after the Sandy Hook shooting was
reported over the Jewish controlled MSM that it was all a massive
psy-ops. We all have watched as the Mainstream media brought out some
very bad actors to play the parts of the victims' "parents", as well as
officials that kept changing their stories. It does seem now that this was
a contrived episode for the sole purpose of brainwashing the already dumbed
down American public into accepting horrific gun control legislation and a
repeal of the 2nd amendment to the US Constitution.
I have received some very pu... more »
enbridge line 9: all pain and no gain for ontario, quebec, and new england
Have you heard about Line 9?
Enbridge has begun a process that would create a third option to get their
dirty tarsands oil out of Alberta to sell to the rest of the world. The
Keystone XL pipeline would stretch from Alberta to Nebraska. (Gee, what
could go wrong?) The Northern Gateway pipeline would see, impossibly, huge
supertankers threading through the rocky, island-dotted British Columbia
coast. (Another no-brainer.)
Under this third plan, Enbridge would reverse the flow in two existing
pipelines - Line 9 and the Portland-Montreal Line. Oil would flow from
Alberta through Sar... more »
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 4th January 2013
Magnitude
4.6
Date-Time
Friday, January 04, 2013 at 13:52:58 UTC
Friday, January 04, 2013 at 10:52:58 PM at epicenter
Location
36.910°N, 141.338°E
Depth
63.5 km (39.5 miles)
Region
NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances
43 km (26 miles) ESE (114°) from Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
Outrage over Hong Kong’s ‘shark fin rooftop’
[image: Thousands of shark fins drying in the sun cover the roof of a
factory building in Hong Kong on 2 January 2013. Shark poachers have moved
the shark fins to secluded rooftops instead of sidewalks – as they have
done in the past – to avoid public anger. Antony Dickson / AFP / Getty
Images]
Hong Kong, 3 January 2013 (AFP) – Hong Kong conservationists expressed
outrage Thursday after images emerged of a factory rooftop covered in
thousands of freshly sliced shark fins, as they called for curbs on the
"barbaric" trade.
The southern Chinese city is one of the world's biggest m... more »
Prosecution Orders Investigation Against the Muslim brotherhood: Did America Pay them 10 Billion Egyptian Pounds?
Egypt's Chief Public Prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim has ordered an investigation
in an accusation against the Muslim Brotherhood of receiving 10 billion
Egyptian pounds from the United States, asking for the sources of the
Brotherhood's money to be revealed.
The prosecutor referred the complaint to the state security prosecution to
investigate it.
The two plaintiffs claimed that the United States granted the Brotherhood
the money illegally to back its interests in the region.
Mitt Romney, who lost to Obama in November, had made similar accusations
during his campaign.
http://allafrica.... more »
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Dave Foley, 50.
A bit of good stuff:
1. Kevin Drum, anti-platinum coin.
2.But there's a White House petition for one now.
3. Norm Ornstein talked to Greg Sargent about the Speaker vote.
4. But Politico's Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan have the prize photo from
what really wasn't much of a revolt, much less a coup.
5. And I don't really agree with John Tabin's attempt to place DS9 on a
liberal/conservative scale, but I'm always up for a good appreciation of
that underappreciated series.
The Least Stressful Job of 2013: University Professor
That’s what Forbes claims in an article that’s generating much mirth in
academic social-media circles. University professors have a lot less stress
than most of us. Unless they teach summer school, they are off between May
and September and they enjoy long breaks during the school year, including
a month over Christmas and New Year’s and another chunk of
Continue reading
Lebanon asks for $180 million to aid Syrian refugees
Lebanon, now a haven for 170,000 Syrians fleeing civil war, has asked
foreign donors for $180 million to help care for them and said it will
register and recognize refugees after a year-long hiatus.
The Beirut government has officially sought to "dissociate" itself from the
21-month-old struggle in Syria, nervous about the destabilizing impact of
the increasingly sectarian conflict in its bigger neighbor on its own
delicate communal balance.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/04/us-syria-crisis-lebanon-refugees-idUSBRE9030GO20130104
Zero Dark Thirty: CIA Questioned Over Bin Laden Film Torture Scenes
US senators have demanded to know what the CIA told the makers of a
controversial film about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden about the use of
torture.
Zero Dark Thirty shows an al Qaeda figure undergoing waterboarding, which
simulates near-drowning, and other similar interrogation techniques before
eventually providing information that helps ultimately track down Bin Laden.
However, a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into the CIA's
detainee programme has previously concluded that such methods produced no
useful intelligence.
http://news.sky.com/story/1033244/zero-dark-thirt... more »
Bombs and Monsters
Sorry about the lack of posts this week. The year may be new, but it's
already getting old. I can't remember ever feeling so overwhelmed. At least
the last Congress is history, the lame duck session particularly having
been overrun by the one of the most bizarre bunch of political quacks in
recent memory. Some of them are back, their feathers ruffled, for another
paddle in the scummy Washington pond. F-bomb boy Boehner with cheek of tan
is still around, though having barely squeaked through for a new stint as
the Weeper Speaker.
The new year promises more of the same old, same old w... more »
Tax Evaders Named In Crackdown
The names and photographs of last year’s top tax cheats have been made
public as part of the Government’s efforts to crack down on evasion.
The 32 criminals have been sentenced to a combined 155 years and 10 months
behind bars, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said.
The move to publish their details is designed to shame tax cheats.
http://news.sky.com/story/1033239/tax-cheats-hmrc-publishes-names-and-photos
Is Miss McConnell Leading Senate Republicans Down The Obstructionist Path In Return For Campaign Contributions?
Yesterday Kentucky activists and union leaders rallied in front of the Gene
Snyder U.S. Courthouse & Customhouse building in downtown Louisville to
bring to public attention the findings of a new Public Campaign Action Fund
report that links McConnell’s unprecedented strategy of obstruction in the
Senate and his campaign donations from corporations benefiting from such
gridlock. The events was organized by the Kentucky AFL-CIO, Progress
Kentucky, Communications Workers of America IUE-CWA Local 761, and Common
Cause Kentucky.
The Public Campaign report, which asserts that “Kentucki... more »
Want to buy an ex-Royal Navy Type 22 frigate?
The British government are selling four... The four frigates are the HMS Chatham, HMS Campbeltown, HMS Cumberland and HMS Cornwall. All will be available for viewing from 25 February to 15 March 2013, Monday to Friday. I wonder how stringent the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) and other vetting process will be?
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