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| Location of Alpha Centauri in the constellation Centaurus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Giveaway: Slide the City
One of my favorite activities as a child was playing on the slip n' slide
during the summer. As I grew the slip n' slide became less fun because
there just wasn't enough of it, but now Slide the City is putting the fun
back in slip n' slides. Slide the City is coming to Salt Lake City and
bringing with them a 1,000 foot water slide. It will stretch from the
Captiol building to the Salt Lake Temple and be one awesome ride.
Slide The City is a free weekend event open to the public with tickets to
ride the slide available for purchase. The event will require the street to
be shut down... more »
The Poet: Joy Harjo, "A Map to the Next World"
*"A Map to the Next World"*
"In the last days of the fourth world I wished to make a map
for those who would climb through the hole in the sky.
My only tools were the desires of humans as they emerged from the killing
fields,
from the bedrooms and the kitchens.
For the soul is a wanderer with many hands and feet.
The map must be of sand and can't be read by ordinary light.
It must carry fire to the next tribal town, for renewal of spirit.
In the legend are instructions on the language of the land,
how it was we forgot to acknowledge the gift, as if we were not in it or of
it.
Take not... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
"The glare of Alpha Centauri, one of the brightest stars in planet Earth's
night sky, floods the left side of this southern skyscape. A mere 4.3
light-years distant, Alpha Centauri actually consists of two component
stars similar in size to the Sun, locked in a mutual orbit. Much smaller
and cooler, a third member of the same star system, Proxima Centauri, lies
outside this field of view.
* Click image for larger size.*
Still, the telescopic scene does reveal often overlooked denizens of the
Milky Way's crowded galactic plane that lie beyond the glare of Alpha
Centauri, including a ... more »
“7 Ways to Tell If You’re Not Currently Living Your Highest Purpose in Life”
*“7 Ways to Tell If You’re Not Currently *
*Living Your Highest Purpose in Life”*
By Jacob Sokol
*1. You’re not waking up excited in the morning.* If you’re not excited (or
at least enthusiastic) in the morning – then you’re most likely not living
your highest purpose. If you’re waking up a couple of days each week with a
monotonous feeling of having to do this again today – that’s probably a
sign that you’re “off purpose.” When you’re Living On Purpose, you wake up
excited in the morning because a personally exciting life awaits you.
“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mir... more »
"Stained Glass..."
“People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun
is out,
but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there
is a light within.”
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Chet Raymo, “To Look And To Know”
*“To Look And To Know”*
by Chet Raymo
“Screws, rivets, ball bearings, pins, axles, couplings, belts, chains,
gears, flywheels, levers, rods, ratchets, brakes, pipes, pistons, valves,
springs, cranks, cams, pulleys. I have just spent an afternoon perusing
again Leonardo da Vinci's Notebooks, or facsimiles thereof. Anyone with an
interest in engineering cannot turn these pages without pleasure. What an
explosion of ingenuity! A mind racing pell-mell through an encyclopedia of
mechanical contrivance, moving at such frenetic speed that application gets
left in the lurch. Everything is ... more »
"Illusions..."
“Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us
to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint
when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are
dashed to pieces.”
- Sigmund Freud
How Steve Israel's Democratic Mystery Meat Candidates Alienate Democratic Voters
Yesterday we saw that may more Americans have been leaving the two corrupt
Beltway political parties and re-registering as independents. As Emma White
pointed out, independents "are skeptical of the political system and doubt
that it will produce outcomes that satisfy them." Moments later Rocky Lara,
a garden variety Steve Israel mystery meat candidate who has exactly no
chance whatsoever to win in her. happily announced she had been endorsed by
Israel's band of right-wing fake Dems, the Blue Dogs.
She somehow tried blaming incumbent Steve Pearce, who is at least up front
about hi... more »
The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "Sunset"
*"Sunset"*
“Slowly the west reaches for clothes of new colors
which it passes to a row of ancient trees.
You look, and soon these two worlds both leave you,
one part climbs toward heaven, one sinks to earth,
leaving you, not really belonging to either,
not so helplessly dark as that house that is silent,
not so unswervingly given to the eternal as that thing
that turns to a star each night and climbs–
leaving you (it is impossible to untangle the threads)
your own life, timid and standing high and growing,
so that, sometimes blocked in, sometimes reaching out,
one moment your life is a ... more »
Afghan Presidential Campaign reaches solution to Runoff Vote Controversy ( July 12 , 2014 ) -- Afghan rivals agree to UN-supervised recount John Kerry says Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will abide by audit of entire presidential poll to settle dispute.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/07/afghan-rivals-agree-un-supervised-recount-201471219451977537.html
Afghan rivals agree to UN-supervised recount
John Kerry says Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani will abide by audit of
entire presidential poll to settle dispute.
Last updated: 12 Jul 2014 19:53
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The two rival candidates in Afghanistan's presidential election have agreed
to abide by the results of a UN-supervised recount of the entire poll... more »
ONE YEAR IN THE SLAMMER
After carrying out a peaceful protests at the Hancock air field in
Syracuse, New York where U.S. drones are piloted remotely, Mary Anne Grady
Flores was sentenced to a year in prison.
Mary Anne had been issued an order of protection aimed at keeping her away
from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base after she participated in an act
of civil disobedience there in 2012. Last year, Grady Flores says she
attended another peace action, but did not participate, instead
photographing it from the roadway, beyond what she believed was the base's
boundary. She was later told the base's pro... more »
CUPE Ontario has the right idea: Sex work regs ought to be about workers' rights
CUPE is my new favourite union now that CUPE Ontario president Fred
Hahn has written a piece in the National Post saying the thing Canadians
should be aiming for in laws and regulations around the adult, consensual
sex industry is a safer workplace for sex workers.
So true. The violence and vulnerability that Justice Minister Peter
McKay keeps going on about as he tries to push through the flawed and
dangerous Bill C-36 exists primarily because sex workers don't enjoy any of
the standard workplace protections that the rest of the country's workers
rely on. When you're a sex ... more »
"This Land is Mine" and Marketing the Tools of Occupation
Nina Paley's "A brief history of the land called
Israel/Palestine/Canaan/the Levant" and a Who's-killing-who viewer's guide
Some news headlines from yesterday and today ..
Haaretz :* Israel's international credit to pound Gaza is running out*
Businessweek : *Israel Tells Gazans to Leave Homes Before Intensified
Attacks*
CP : *Canada Accuses UN Official Of Unfairly Criticizing Israeli Operation
In Gaza *
G&M *: **Harper confirms Canada’s support for Israel in conversation with
Netanyahu*
Media Co-op : *Canadian hands involved in Gaza bombings*
Real News Network interviews Shi... more »
When Joanie met Andy: We meet Doonesbury's Andy Lippincott
*by Ken*
In this brave new world of Permanent Except-on-Sunday *Doonesbury*
Flashbacks -- er, "Classic Doonesbury" -- there is consolation in the
reality that the *Doonesbury* archive isn't a bad place to be stranded.
There's a lot of stuff here that I myself missed the first time around, and
it's been great to catch up on the earlier adventures of characters I only
later came to know and cherish.
In particular, as regular readers know, I've been fascinated to encounter
highlights of the life and times of Joanie Caucus before she became the
Joanie Caucus I've known. When last we ... more »
US should "follow" Kiev's lead & act unilaterally on sanctions- Canada does
Let's be absolutely clear- The fascist government in Kiev is not acting
unilaterally, in any way shape or form.
So the idea that the US should follow Kiev's lead is absurd. I couldn't
believe anyone, anywhere, accepts that narrative at face value.
Does this WP editorial suggest to readers that Europe is not as willing to
fall on the sword for the US as even I had believed? And covered previously?
*Trigger a cold war to make it easier (for the US) to annex Europe *
* Or*
*"Toward a Europe Whole & Free" Via NATO global dominance *
It is spin from the Washington Post, of course.
Germa... more »
“The Universe: For Every Grain Of Sand On Earth”
*“The Universe: *
*For Every Grain Of Sand On Earth”*
by Wait But Why
“Some people stick with the traditional, feeling struck by the epic beauty
or blown away by the insane scale of the universe. Personally, I go for the
old “existential meltdown followed by acting weird for the next half hour.”
But everyone feels *something.*
A really starry sky seems vast- but all we’re looking at is our very local
neighborhood. On the very best nights, we can see up to about 2,500 stars
(roughly one hundred-millionth of the stars in our galaxy), and almost all
of them are less than 1,000 light ye... more »
ABC News Tells Viewers That Scenes Of Destruction In Gaza Are In Israel
(Before It's News)
Saturday, July 12, 2014
[image: Profile image]
By N. Morgan
If you have ever wondered if mainstream media is intentionally out to
deceive you, this should answer that question. Diane Sawyer of NBC showed
footage of a bombing in Palestinian and misrepresented it as Israeli
victims. NBC along with other media outlets have proven they will change
the news to fit this regime’s intentions or to cover their crimes. This is
just another example of either incompetency or straight out deception.
On her Twitter account on Tuesday, Mrs. Sawyer apologized saying,” I want
t... more »
The Unpeopled
July 12, 2014 The world rushes into madness again as the crumbling Empire
which designates itself indispensable becomes, in fact if not in its
fictions, dispensable and the exceptional people who rule the Empire and
its vassal states around the … Continue reading →
@the Chalk Face radio Sunday at 6:00 pm Eastern. #chalktalk #CrazyinCO.
Tomorrow night @the chalk face radio. Another installment of “Crazy in
Colorado.” We will be talking to bully journalist Karin Malchow. Karin just
doesn’t understand how paid for reports and internal board press releases
can be passed off as news to the public. We will try and help her
understand “priority journalism.” Also we’ll be […]
Wasted Taxes/Happy Lobbyists-- Subsidizing Billion Dollar Corporations Through The Export-Import Banks
Once there was a time… when we knew what it meant to be a Democrat. I
remember it. It was the party of the working and middle classes, not
another party of Big Business and Wall Street. I can't pinpoint the exact
change but one inflection point was when George H.W. Bush was unable to
pass NAFTA and Bill Clinton went to Wall Street and said he could do it for
them-- the political birth of Rahm Emanuel… and the beginning of a downward
spiral for Democrats.
Friday, David Sirota pointed out that there was a time when the
Export-Import Bank was supported by Republicans and opposed by ... more »
Terror Trains (This Is What We Reap When We Allow Media Manipulators To STOP Oil Replacement by Alternative Energy Sources) At Issue Is Who Shall Rule The World
As the bombing continues in the Gaza and Ukraine (see below) we learn about
the ecological bombing the forces of darkness (true, ultimate darkness)
have brought much closer to home. And it's not the worst bombing
ecologically that we've suffered. From the illuminative Karen Garcia (you
gotta love those Garcias!): From the Del Marva News Journal: Rail companies
balked at states
Untitled
*2014 Saints roster maybe the strongest one ever on paper, Archie Manning
says ~Ramon Antonio Vargus*
Untitled
*Family points finger at OPP after released bipolar woman struck in crash
~N.O. Advocate*
*Post-Katrina Politics in New Orleans ~Charlie Cook, National Journal*
*Homeless camp concerns grow over aggressive panhandling ~WWLTV*
*Rental demand in metro area soars to new heights ~WVUE*
*Generous retirement benefit boost slipped into bill for State Police Col.
Mike Edmonson on last day of legislative session ~Louisiana Voice*
July 12: What's going on?
Ain't nothing going on in Section A of Friday's paper.
In C, page 5, we have a headline "Pension report favours province's pension
reforms". The sub-head tells us the N.B. Superintendent of pensions is one
of the authors of the report. There is one thing it doesn't tell us; and
there is a question it doesn't ask.
It tells us that the report comes from the C.D.Howe Institute. What it
doesn't tell us is that this is a fancy name for what is, in fact, a
propaganda house for big business. It has no interest in human needs and,
indeed, no understanding of them. It's aim, it's only aim, i... more »
Dearth of Earthworms in Ontario
The Wall Street Journal reports “Worm Shortage Bites Fishing Trade” (2014,
July 12-13), p. A5
Apparently Ontario is the center of commercial picking of the earthworms
(nightcrawlers) used as fishing bait. The worms are actually “hand-picked
in the wild” and then shipped south in the millions.
This year has been the biggest collapse in Ontario’s nightcrawlers in at
least 26 years, according to the article. Bad weather in Ontario caused a
delay in Spring (March-May) picking and the shortages due to delays were
exacerbated by “a dry May” that “kept the moisture-loving creatures
b... more »
Missile-destroying Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle Intercepts Target
[image: Ground-based Interceptor]Raytheon’s Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle
destroyed an intercontinental ballistic missile target in space on Sunday,
marking the first successful intercept for the latest variant of the EKV
and the ninth for the overall program.
“This is an important moment for our nation,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence,
president of Raytheon Missile Systems. “The successful test reflects the
tireless systems-engineering work by a joint government-industry team to
ensure the U.S. is protected from long-range ballistic missiles.”
The intercept took place during a Missile D... more »
I have coined an new word " Prepperation (TM)"
*Prepperation (TM) - the act of actively preparing or thinkingaboot
TEOTWAWKI. One who practices prepperation is a Prepperationalist (TM)*
*Copyright bitches, when the end of the world comes, I will trade the use
of this word for food.*
*These other people forgot to TM it.*
The Beast
A new e bike that tickles my fancy. They claim for use less than 10KM a day
the solar panels on the battery case will do the charging. The top model
($3500 CDN) claims a 45KM range with a top speed of 32 KM/hr.
Well done people! You can help kickstart it here. I have added it to my shopping
list for the end times.
Climate Change Hits Hard in Nevada
If you really want to understand the pickle the Southwest USA is now in
watch Cadillac Desert. Its a fascinating 1997 documentary about water
management. Red Red Flags should be going off all over America. Twenty five
% of America's agricultural output is produced in deserts. When things can
no longer move forward they stop.
@the Chalk Face radio Sunday at 6:00 pm Eastern. #chalktalk #CrazyinCO.
Tomorrow night @the chalk face radio. Another installment of “Crazy in
Colorado.” We will be talking to bully journalist Karin Malchow. Karin just
doesn’t understand how paid for reports and internal board press releases
can be passed off as news to the public. We will try and help her
understand “priority journalism.” Also we’ll be […]
Saturday Interview: Jim Jepps
*Imitation, nay, outright plagiarism is the highest form of flattery. In
this spirit find below the first in a regular Saturday feature carrying on
the fine tradition established by the late Norman Geras. Eagle-eyed readers
might spot a resemblance/"adaptation" of some of Norm's questions. So, from
now on look forward to the low down from activists, bloggers, political
types and other cool cats. And we kick off the series with ...*
Jim Jepps is a political activist in Camden, London. He's written for a
variety of publications and is involved in the *The North London Star*,
launched... more »
Latest Democrat Fundraising Scam: Obama Impeachment Looming
Bereft of ideas, loathed by many progressives as unable to continue to
maintain the illusion that they are not eaten to the core by corruption the
Democrats, facing an epic ass-kicking come November are fundraising off of
the fear tactic that the so-called Tea Party contingent is going to impeach
President Barack Obama. This is ridiculous and really, when it comes right
down to it the bastard deserves to be impeached although not for any of the
silly horseshit that John Boehner and Sarah Palin are accusing him of.
Obama, like ALL US presidents are by definition war criminals and an... more »
RIP- Tommy Ramone-- Thank God For The Ramones… Or We Could Still Be Listening To Journey
*Alan Grayson: "None of the Ramones started as a Ramone. But now we are all
Ramones."*
Yesterday Thomas Erdelyi-- Tommy Ramone-- passed away, age 62, after a
struggle with bile duct cancer. He was the band's original manager but by
the time they were ready to record their eponymous first album, he was also
the drummer. He stayed with the band for their first 3 studio albums,
*Ramones*, *Leave Home* and *Rocket to Russia*, as well as their first live
album *It's Alive* and co-produced the latter three. (He also produced *Road
to Ruin* and *Too Tough to Die* and the Replacements' c... more »
How many children?
I’ve been quiet recently because people on other websites have tackled
specific instances of unfair reporting more assiduously than I have been
able to.
BBC Watch in particular regularly highlights errors and thoughtless
statements made by interviewers and reporters, which are apt to compound
misunderstandings and confuse the public in the name of clarification and
impartiality.
Yolande Knell and Jeremy Bowen have been particularly unhelpful recently.
Knell is in Gaza to “tell your story” like Alan Johnston before her, but
that shouldn’t mean spouting untrue propaganda such as the ... more »
Northerntruthseeker Vacation Alert
Yes, I am taking a much needed vacation break, or as my friend Digger in
the UK says… A 'tea up' …. It is long overdue, and hopefully will
alleviate some of the stress that I have been going through over the last
while….
I will be bringing a portable laptop with me to keep me up to speed on what
is really going on in the world…..
I have asked my friend, Whitewraithe, if she wants to give it a whirl at
putting up a weekly "rant" over the next few weeks in my absence and she
said she would give it a shot….. It will be interesting to read and I can
guarantee it will be just as infor... more »
The Genocide Of The People Of Gaza: Is THIS Not A War Crime? Israel Purposely Targeting Hospitals In Gaza!
Yes, the assault on the innocent people of Gaza continues unabated as of
today… The criminal and psychotic state of Israel is well into its
murderous rampage on the largest open air concentration camp on the planet
known as the Gaza Strip and it continues to use the outright LIE that the
attacks are in "response" to "rocket attacks" originating from that strip!
The fact is that there is no way in hell considering how much Israel has
surveillance and control over the strip that materials for making such
rockets is even possible for the people of Gaza… That is why I smell
another rat... more »
Open letter to Ellie Herman, or how Green Dot's Marco Petruzzi's special education policies hurt everyone including their own administrators
*"It is not legally or morally acceptable that these so-called "schools of
choice" that are concentrated in urban communities and supported with
public funds, should be permitted to operate as segregated learning
environments where students are more isolated by race, socioeconomic class,
disability, and language than the public school district from which they
were drawn." — COPAA*
[image: Marco Petruzzi takes pride in Green Dot Charter Corporation's
discrimination against special needs students]
Wall Street privatization darling Marco Petruzzi (above) led a beleaguered
Green Dot th... more »
Supplemental: Education reporting in the Post!
*SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2014*
*The latest sorry example:* We’re often amazed by the education reporting
in the Washington Post.
Thursday produced the latest example. Education reporter Emma Brown
published a news report bearing this headline:
“Critics of D.C. education policies question test score gains.”
Test score gains are always subject to (competent) challenge, of course.
That said, we were struck by the part of Brown’s report which we've posted
below.
In this passage, Brown refers to Ellen Weiss, one of the “education
advocates” who says the District’s test score gains overstate... more »
It's Saturday...
*what's going on.*
Moonbattery: Some Blacks Can Smell the Coffee Regarding Demographic
Transformation
Conservative Hideout 2.0: Border Crisis, ISIS, IRS, VA, Benghazi, NSA,
Fast & Furious and more = Half Month Vacay for Obama
Clash Daily: PREPARE FOR INVASION: Mexico and Guatemala Partner Up And
Make Fast Track For Illegals to Cross the Border
All the Right Snark: DIANNY RANTS: Have You Had Enough?
IOwnTheWorld: Obama’s TSA: allowing illegals to fly without identification
Out of nothing, nature makes something.
*Reposted from 2013... big changes coming, time to learn adaptation
skills.... -AK*
From: http://www.kk.org/outofcontrol/ch24-b.html
*Excerpt from the book Out of Control, by Kevin Kelly*
*Out of nothing, nature makes something.*
First there is hard rock planet; then there is life, lots of it. First
barren hills; then brooks with fish and cattails and red-winged blackbirds.
First an acorn; then an oak tree forest.
I'd like to be able to do that. First a hunk of metal; then a robot. First
some wires; then a mind. First some old genes; then a dinosaur.
How do you make something ... more »
Insolvable Problems Really Aren't
The Israel-Palestine tragedy isn't insolvable. It simply isn't the case
that the peace-loving people of Israel will be forever doomed to their
tragic "self-defence" against the insane death-cultist Palestinian Arabs.
It seems like an insolvable problem to some observers because they think
that the weak, barely armed Palestinians are irrationally hurling
themselves against the benevolent and wise and heavily armed and powerful
Israelis out of vile anti-Semitism and nationalist delusions and infernal
Muslim blood-lust. The reality, of course, is that bigoted Israeli
expansionists are ... more »
Musings On Iraq In The News
I was mentioned in Tom Ricks post “Iraq, the unraveling (XXXVIII): Will it
exist in 5 years?” at his Best Defense blog on Foreign Policy, and quoted
in Hayder al-Khoei's "Why are Iraq's politicians dithering as their country
burns?" on CNN. I was interviewed for this article "Islamic State issues
wages to government employees in Mosul" in the Middle East Eye, and EPIC
talked with me about the current situation in Iraq in its latest Podcast "An
Iraq Update: A Look At The Iraqi Security Crisis."
REUTERS VIDEO: ISIL Parades Military Hardware In Syria
1st few vehicles were all captured in Iraq and taken to Syria
Following Rhonda's Advice: Be a "Little Badass"
With salary and benefits at $550,000 a year, it won't be easy to pry
Weingarten from her offices at AFT. But following the advice she offered
teachers at the convention, here are a few ways teachers might be a "little
BadAss":
1) Place pickets outside AFT and NEA headquarters until policies and
leadership change to protect children, teachers, and parents, rather than
exploit them.
2) Disrupt every meeting of AFT and NEA with pro-children and pro-education
pickets.
3) Write letters to your local newspaper outlining the corruption of AFT
and NEA misleadership.
4) Organize a real u... more »
Judge Throws Out Unconstitutional Florida Republican Gerrymandering Of Congressional Districts
There was a virtual earthquake in Florida politics Thursday when Leon
County Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis threw out Florida's congressional map.
The grubby Florida legislature has a long and sordid history of
gerrymandering the state to create congressional districts for themselves
and their allies and this has featured collusion from both parties, so not
just slime-ball former Republican legislators like Ander Crenshaw, Daniel
Webster, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Adam Putnam and Lincoln Diaz-Balart who
created congressional districts for themselves but equally sleazy and
corrupt Dem... more »
That Will Take Some Doing
http://bookdome.com/
Stephen Harper came to Ottawa like a bull in a china shop -- determined to
get his way in all things, even if it meant destroying the shop in the
process. But, Carol Goar writes, the bull has been wounded:
It took a while to find the chinks in Stephen Harper’s armour. But
Canadians have done it now.
They are chipping away at the prime minister’s policies on everything from
electoral reform to military procurement. Advocacy groups have raised red
flags, the media have highligh... more »
Belarus sold two "Stilet" missile systems to Azerbaijan
[image: T38 stiletto]Belarusian "Tetraedr" company, which is engaged in the
development of advanced electronic systems of armaments and modernization
of air defense, has already sold two "Stilet" type missile systems to
Azerbaijan.
As reports "Armenpress", referring to Azerbaijani media, Igor Novikov, head
of the department of the Belarusian company "Tetraedr", in a conversation
with journalists said that two "Stilet" systems had been already delivered
to Azerbaijan and the company now holds a large order.
The company also suspended cooperation with Kiev KB "Ray" to develop a new
... more »
Untitled
*UK: Boys losing out in university gender gap: Nearly 95,000 more women
apply for degrees to start this autumn*
The gender gap in the race for university places is bigger than ever as
young men become a ‘disadvantaged’ group on campus.
Nearly 95,000 more women than men applied to start degree courses this
autumn as girls’ success at school translated into university applications.
Demand among both sexes rose this year despite £9,000-a-year tuition fees
but applications from women grew faster, increasing four per cent against
men’s three per cent.
Figures published by the Universit... more »
The Health Benefits Of Boneset (Eupatorium Perfoliatum)
BONESET, Eupatorium perfoliatum
Strangely enough, this boneset herb has nothing to do with a broken bone.
This is another herb that was introduced to us from our friends, the Native
American Indians. They used it to fight flu and fevers. When they tried to
describe the terrible pain that was felt in the bones and the muscles from
the fever of influenza, they called it “break bone fever.” This fever make
you feel like your bones were breaking. From this name “break bone fever”
the name modified to “boneset.”
Boneset is a perennial plant that grows to about four or five feet tall
wi... more »
Tennis, taxes, patriotism, and jealousy
Taxes are a form of institutionalized theft. When they get too high,
subjectively or objectively, successful people start to escape – covertly
or overtly – the nation that is stealing in this way. That's why Depardieu
became a Russian chap.
Czech tennis players (plus some other athletes) generally employ their
residence in Monaco to get rid of their Czech taxes. It is totally legal
and understandable. Our best female tennis player is open and honest about
it and I appreciate it. Needless to say, if I could legally save millions
in this way (and if I found the amount of paperwork "... more »
Bravo To Beech-Nut Baby Foods Company.
[image: Foto: Beech-Nut is leaving Gerber in the dust and has announced
that they are going through Non-GMO Project Verification for ALL Beech-Nut
baby foods. On the company's website: “We believe the Non-GMO Project's
seal is a good fit for our products, because the seal is trustworthy,
defensible, transparent, and (most importantly) requires ongoing testing.”
Beech-Nut is owned by the Swiss branded consumer-goods firm Hero Group.
We'd like to thank Beech-Nut for understanding that American babies should
not be eating Roundup drenched, pesticide-producing GMOs and for doing the
rig... more »
Debate on 'Dateline'
Having spent so many posts on this blog bemoaning the bias of Gavin Esler's *Dateline
London - *especially the way that bias so often results in a soggy *bien
pensant *consensus where *all* the panelists agree with each other - it's
good to report that today's *Dateline *most definitely did *not* achieve a
cosy consensus. Very far from it...
...especially on the issue of the present Israel-Gaza conflict.
The panel split three-against-one, with Algerian journalist Nabila Ramdani
representing the Palestinian side, and the others (liberal U.S. writer
Michael Goldfarb, left-wing Frenc... more »
PH finalizing P2.68B air defense radar deal with Israel
[image: Elta ELM-2288 AD-Star radar]The Philippines is fast tracking the
acquisition of air defense surveillance radars from Israel’s Elta Systems
so it can monitor intrusions in its air space.
The project worth P2.68 billion ($62.85 million*) will fund the
installation of radar systems in Palawan to cover the West Philippines Sea
(South China Sea) and old radar sites Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro
and Pasuquin Air Station in Ilocos Norte.
“Palawan is a new location but even the old ones have to be restored or we
have to build new basing facilities. This is part of the overall ... more »
EXACTO Demonstrates First-Ever Guided .50-Caliber Bullets
DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program recently
conducted the first successful live-fire tests demonstrating in-flight
guidance of .50-caliber bullets.
This video shows EXACTO rounds maneuvering in flight to hit targets that
are offset from where the sniper rifle is aimed.
EXACTO’s specially designed ammunition and real-time optical guidance
system help track and direct projectiles to their targets by compensating
for weather, wind, target movement and other factors that could impede
successful hits.
Read more
Embraer to partner with Saab on fighter jets for Brazil air force
[image: Gripen NG]Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer will partner with
Sweden's Saab in the development and manufacture of 36 Gripen NG fighter
jets for Brazil's air force, the two companies said in a press release
Friday.
Embraer and Saab, which was awarded a $4.5 billion fighter-jet contract
from Brazil late last year, signed a memorandum of understanding to partner
in joint program management for the Brazilian air force's so-called F-X2
Project.
"Under this agreement, Embraer will perform a leading role in the overall
program performance as well as undertake an extensive share of ... more »
U.S. Navy maintains grounding order for F-35 fighter jets
[image: F-35C Lightning II]The U.S. Navy on Friday maintained a grounding
order for F-35 B-model and C-model fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin
Corp, saying it was still not clear what caused a massive engine failure on
an Air Force F-35 jet on June 23.
"At this time, I do not have sufficient information to return the F-35B and
F-35C fleet to flight," Vice Admiral David Dunaway, who heads the Navy's
Air Systems Command, said in an update to a fleetwide grounding order
issued by U.S. officials on July 3. A copy of the document was obtained by
Reuters.
Dunaway said in the document... more »
Brasil v Germany World Cup semi-final with no Brazilian players
The World Cup semi-final between Germany and Brazil with no Brazilian
players.
http://youtu.be/gBF9MUsNUkQ
Not too far removed from how easy it felt at the time!
Untitled
*Hurricane Katrina defies comparisons ~Jarvis DeBerry*
America Sets Sail: New Class Of Amphib, LHA-6, Leaves Shipyard
After five years in the shipyard, the first of a new class of Navy
amphibious warship set sail today from its Pascagoula, Miss. birthsite for
San Francisco, headed for the fleet. LHA-6 will be commissioned as the USS
America this October.
America has been controversial in the military and on this website. I’ve
argued the LHA-6 is a dead end in naval design, because in order to carry
more aircraft — MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, F-35B Joint Strike Fighter
jump-jets — it sacrifices the well deck required to launch landing craft
and amtracs, which sort of takes the “amphibious” out of “amp... more »
N. Korea vows to boost nuclear forces against U.S. threat
[image: USS George Washington]North Korea threatened Saturday to strengthen
its nuclear forces as a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier prepares to
take part in joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan.
The 97,000-ton supercarrier USS George Washington arrived at South Korea's
southeastern port city of Busan on Friday to participate in naval drills
with the South Korean Navy in the country's southwest sea from July 16-21.
The carrier is also set to participate in a search and rescue exercise with
South Korean and Japanese maritime forces in waters south of the southern
... more »
Congressman Says Wrong Time to Dry Dock Cruisers
[image: USS Lake Erie]Lawmakers overseeing the nation's sea service believe
that the U.S. Navy's plans to pull half of its cruiser fleet out of
commission for expensive upgrades will send these critical missile boats to
an early grave.
Currently, the Navy has 22 missile cruisers that serve as key players in
the air defense of the service's aircraft carrier groups. These cruisers
provide ballistic missile defense but also serve as the command and control
ship for larger, guided missile destroyers, Navy officials said.
Navy leaders, testifying Thursday before the House Armed Services ... more »
Indian Navy takes delivery of INS Kolkata
INS Kolkata, the indigenously built lead ship of the Kolkata-class
guided-missile destroyers, has been delivered to the Indian Navy, following
extensive sea trials and tests at the Mazgaon Dock (MDL), India.
The MDL-built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessel's official commissioning
ceremony could be held in a month's time.
MDL chief managing director rear admiral (retired) R.K. Shrawat was quoted
by the Asian Age as saying that the destroyer will be called Yard 701, but
will be designated as INS Kolkata after the ceremony.
Read more
France may have just what DND needs
[image: Dassault Rafale]A phalanx of major French defence firms is lining
up to provide Canada with new warships and planes, in hopes of prying a
share of the biggest Canadian military hardware bonanza since the Second
World War away from U.S. industry heavyweight Lockheed Martin.
In the process the French appear to be offering the Harper government a
timely and politically salable off-ramp from its multiyear,
multibillion-dollar procurement mess.
What remains to be seen is whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper and
cabinet have the wit and wherewithal to seize the opportunity, or w... more »
Britains future frigate: A look at the Type 26 Global Combat Ship
[image: Type 26 Global Combat Ship]The shake up of the armed forces is well
underway, with the UK moving forward with plans for its future of defence
and security. This has seen numerous projects announced and completed for
use on the land, in the air, and sea.
One of the biggest recent procurement projects going through the system is
the replacement of the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates.
The al-new replacement Type 26 will also have a primary role as a
specialist anti-submarine warfare ship, but it will be expected to be
inherently flexible in capability and able to carry out a wid... more »
RIMPAC 2014 Participants Conduct Sinking Exercise
Live fire from ships, submarines and aircraft participating in the Rim of
the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2014 sank the decommissioned USS Ogden (LPD
5) at 7:28 p.m. Thursday, July 10, in waters 15,000 feet deep, 55 nautical
miles northwest of Kauai.
Units from the Republic of Korea, Norway and the United States participated
in the sinking exercise (SINKEX), which provided them the opportunity to
gain proficiency in tactics, targeting and live firing against a surface
target at sea
“The SINKEX is just one of the unique training opportunities offered at
RIMPAC on the state-of-the-art... more »
No TTIP Day Of Action All Across The UK On 12 July 2014
Source: http://weownit.org.uk/blog/hands-our-public-services-say-no-ttip
For a better understanding of what is at stake, please view the video you
can view by clicking on the link below:
*http://vimeo.com/98116253*
Does anyone else struggle with movement in the classroom?
This from the Answer Sheet: In the following post, Angela Hanscom, a
pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of TimberNook, a
nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and
independent play outdoors in New England, suggests yet another reason more
children are being diagnosed with ADHD, whether or not they really have it:
the amount […]
What is important about poetry from the First World War? + Santanu Das on First World War poetry
What is important about poetry from the First World War? Source: Oxford
Academic (Oxford University Press). Date Published: June 23, 2014.
Description:
As we approach the centenary, Jon Stallworthy looks at what was significant
about the First World War in marking such a major shift in war poetry. From
Julian Grenfell to Wilfred Owen, he maps the change in attitudes to the
horrors they witnessed.
Santanu Das on First World War poetry. Source: Cambridge Academic Books.
Date Published: June 26, 2014. Description:
In the run up to the centenary of the First World War Santanu Das t... more »
Three Year Anniversary!
Today marks the three-year anniversary of Middle Class Political Economist.
It's hard to believe I've been at this for three years!
According to Blogger, I've had over 480,000 page views in that time. I want
to thank everyone for reading, commenting, and emailing me. I owe a debt of
gratitude to all those who have helped promote my blog, including Marty
Pflugrath at BartCop Entertainment, Mark Thoma, Brad DeLong, Laffy at The
Political Carnival, the folks behind Mike's Blog Roundup at Crooks & Liars,
Mike the Mad Biologist, Lynn Parramore at AlterNet, and Dan Crawford at
Angry Bear.... more »
Crumbs Bake Shop (2003-2014?)
*Among the pictures I found when I looked at the still-there Crumbs website
today was this one, which originally I thought was too heartbreaking to
reproduce. Then I thought it would help us remember all those people who
found out suddenly this week that they were out of work. If it's any
comfort to the young lady on the far right, it wouldn't have made any
difference if she'd had her Crumbs cap for the photo.*
*by Ken*
Okay, it may be premature to write an obituary for Crumbs Bake Shops. The
NYT's Sydney Ember is now reporting: "Crumbs Cupcakes May Live Another Day."
It’s not ove... more »
Thomas Lynch on the turmoil in Iraq
Thomas Lynch on the turmoil in Iraq. Source: CCTV America. Date Published:
July 11, 2014. Description:
For more on the turmoil in Iraq, we are joined by Thomas Lynch. He is a
research fellow for South Asia and the Near East at the Institute of
National Strategic Studies here in Washington DC, and he also writes and
lectures on the Middle East.
July 11: just annoyed. that's all..
It's late Friday night. I should be in bed doing crossword puzzles. But
It's been a bloody annoying day - starting with a CTV "news" report on
Palestine. And once annoyance after another came to me mind that I must
write about some day. Not tonight. Tonight is just about things I should
write about - and I thought maybe it might get you thinking, and sending in
things that have always bugged you.
1. The CTV news on Palestine was so biased and ignorant it was painful to
watch. These TV news bits with there exquisitely coiffed women news
readers, and the men, usually men, who claim t... more »
Satire: “LeBron Congratulates People of Cleveland on Having Him Back”
*“LeBron Congratulates People of Cleveland on Having Him Back”*
by Andy Borowitz
CLEVELAND (The Borowitz Report) — “In an emotional speech to the people of
Cleveland on Friday, N.B.A. superstar LeBron James congratulated them on
“realizing the incredible dream of having me back.” Appearing as a
fifty-foot hologram projected on the side of Quicken Loans Arena, James
seemed on the verge of tears several times as he praised the city for
achieving what he called “a goal no words can describe.” “The city of
Cleveland has taken some hard knocks over the years,” James said. “But here
you ... more »
Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Updates ( July 11 , 2014 ) Today's 6.8 quake near Fukushima is the second notable quake in less than a week for Japan ........... Plant status , updates regarding remediation attempts ......
Fukushima Diary.....
[Breaking] M6.8 hit Fukushima offshore / No update on Fukushima plant status[image:
[Breaking] M6.8 hit Fukushima offshore / No update on Fukushima plant
status]
219 30 0 1
July 11, 2014
At 4:22 7/12/2014 (JST), a strong earthquake of M6.8 hit Fukushima offshore.
The maximum seismic intensity was 4.
In area where Fukushima nuclear plant is located, it was 3. The epicenter
was approx. 10km deep.
At this moment, no update on Fukushima plant situation has been published.
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/
http://weathernews.jp/quake/
M5.8 quake hit South part of ... more »
Direct from Zhongshan: In which I enter the Video Import Business, without even knowing it
*Wouldn't you guess Zhongshan is lovely this time of year? I hope if when
my DVDs arrive, they have not only nice pictures from home but maybe some
amusing stories.*
*by Ken*
We all know how Jerry Seinfeld and in particular his friend George Costanza
lurked on the fringes of the import-export business. Little did I imagine
that one day I would find myself too on the periphery of this noble
calling. If When I actually get my stuff, I think I will qualify more or
less officially as a *video importer*.
Which brings us to the picturesque Chinese metropolis depicted above. Ah,
Zhongsh... more »
Time Is Running Out - Iraq Edition
Whenever
the United States or its partners in war crimes face a seemingly
intractable foreign adversary - one that refuses to simply yield to
Western domination or diktat - the "ticking clock" paradigm is invoked,
lending a fierce urgency to the threats, ultimatums, and bullying
demands made by government officials. For them, time is always running
out.
Whether it's the non-existent "
Ukraine Updates ( July 11 , 2014 ) -- State of play in the ongoing civil war between Kiev and Federalists in South East Ukraine ...... Latest in the ongoing natural gas talks ( nothing will happen until Europe feels cold weather )
http://rt.com/news/172160-east-ukraine-military-killed/
'At least 30' Ukrainian military killed as militia shell convoy with Grad
rockets
Published time: July 11, 2014 18:28
Edited time: July 11, 2014 19:54
Get short URL
[image: image from @soborna_com]
image from @soborna_com
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Ukraine turmoil
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Arms, Conflict, Military, Opposition,Politics, Ukraine
Dozens of Ukraine’s government troops have been reportedly killed after
local militia shelled pro-Kiev military forces with Grad rocket launchers.
President Poroshenko has vowed “killing hundreds” for each deceased... more »
Russia Likely to Extend Political Asylum for Patriotic Snowden
At this point it is difficult to see the Obama administration, the
warmongering neocons at the State Department and the constantly squealing
authoritarian freaks in Congress getting any bigger bug up their asses than
the one that they already have embedded there against Russian leader
Vladimir Putin so it remains to be seen how much weeping and gnashing of
the teeth will occur now that the word out of Russia is that NSA
whistleblower Edward Snowden's asylum is likely to be extended. This would
be great news for those of us in *The Homeland* and the larger world
outside who value t... more »
"Confessions of a Former Child Laborer"
*"Confessions of a Former Child Laborer" *
by Bill Bonner
"I wish we could get into that painfulness stuff."
– One luggage handler to another, overheard in the airport in Paris
"Today, exceptionally, we write about something we know something about:
painfulness. This is our translation of a new concept in French labor law.
It involves something called "la pénibilité," which refers to the
difficulty, suffering or pain, involved in a job. Sitting at a desk in an
air-conditioned office involves little or no pénibilité. Carrying heavy
roof tiles up a steep ladder in the rain, by contras... more »
RUSSELL BRAND ON FOX NEWS & ISIS
Let's not forget that the US and NATO have been funding, directing, and
training ISIS in Jordan in recent years. ISIS was being used to take down
Syria and were of no concern until they turned on Iraq. Blow back it is
called.
Nothing In America Could Be As Bad As The KGB, The Stasi, The Gestapo And The SS… Right?
Tuesday we took a quick look at the story of how the NSA's war against
patriotic whistleblower Tom Drake persuaded Ed Snowden to move outside the
system to expose the criminal activities the government was perpetrating
against the American people. In the story we met William Binney. Up top is
the short documentary Laura Poitras did for the *NY Times* about Binney in
2012. It should scare your socks off.
Binney was a top intelligence officer/code breaker with the NSA for over 30
years. Like Drake-- and with Drake-- he was a by-the-book, patriotic
whistleblower when Bush and Cheney... more »
WORKER OWNED COOPS
As Americans are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the profit-driven
motives of big business, a documentary airing on PBS this month endeavors
to bring to light the worker-owned cooperative model that has begun to take
hold in many sectors throughout North America.
Shift Change, by filmmakers Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin, tells the
"little known" stories behind some of the most successful worker-owned
businesses in North America and Spain.
UKIE FASCISTS WANT MORE AID FROM U.S.
Canadian activist Roger Annis shares:
The internet is flooded with videos of the killings and rampages by
[Kiev's] fascist militias in eastern Ukraine. The fascists like to boast
about their murders and rampages. Here is one video of a battalion of the
neo-Nazi Right Sector near the village of Karlovka, southeast Ukraine on
July 6. Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh addresses his ‘troops’ shortly
after they had engaged in a skirmish with self defense fighters. Below is
the translated text of his remarks. Note the close ties with the Ukraine
army and U.S. advisors that Yarosh ackno... more »
Untitled
*Flood Authority gives 17th Street Canal levee an 'all clear' ~WVUE*
*AG: 'Big Oil' lawsuit supporter's term is over ~WWL*
*For New Orleans coroner Jeffrey Rouse, a battle to restore trust and win
new funds ~Richard A. Webster*
*A look back at the roots of The Lens’ Squandered Heritage ~Karen Gadbois*
*Southeast Louisiana NWS officials learn lessons from Hurricane Arthur
~WDSU*
*Shrimp prices up as season closes ~Xerxes Wilson, Daily Comet*
*Tainted Legacy: Wealthy and powerful vs. big oil ~WWLTV *
*Land grab in Rapides: lawyer buys 2200 acres surrounding black family and
then fen... more »
NATURE TO DESTROY JEJU NAVAL BASE
Regis Tremblay writes:
This is a beautifully done short film showing the recent storm that just
brushed Jeju, but did great damage to the caissons that will be the docks
for the base. From Korean Director, Cho, Sung Bong.
This open water naval base being constructed on Jeju Island, South Korea to
port US warships is a contradiction in nature. When big typhoons come to
this area they will continually over power the man-made breakwater walls
being built with cement. The Samsung construction corporation that has the
contract to build the base will have to keep repairing the breakw... more »
The SWP's Moral Vacuity
Revolutionary politics has long been a fringe pursuit in Britain. The
parties and organisations representing this tradition have barely got two
activists to rub together. It has next to zero purchase in the media and as
for elections, forget it. Yet when it comes to ambition, it's vaulting.
Self-described revolutionary socialists seek nothing less than the seizure
of power and the building of a new, more democratic society. Therefore in
the 15 or so years I saw myself as part of the "movement", I approached
questions of theory and practice through this lens. How do we get from the
p... more »
Supplemental: The second question from Terry Gross!
*FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2014*
*A peculiar follow-up question:* This morning, the New York Times continues
with its new story.
Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees aren’t just for the Washington Post any
more! This is the way Amy Chozick starts her new report:
CHOZICK (7/11/14): Of all the headaches of her current book tour—the
declining sales, the constant travel, *the interviews that generated unkind
headlines about her family’s wealth*—this one may sting Hillary Rodham
Clinton the most: Her memoir, “Hard Choices,” has just been toppled from
its spot on the best-seller list by a sensational... more »
THE OTHER BLITZKRIEG
I read yesterday that the US-NATO puppets in Kiev were moving heavy
artillery and tanks near their border with Crimea. The Kiev thugs have
been told to start a war with Russia by drawing them into eastern Ukraine.
Russia would only take such a step to protect the people who have called
for regional autonomy and are now being daily attacked by Kiev's
neo-fascist led army. But so far Russia has not taken the bait.The puppet masters back in Washington, London and at NATO HQ in Brussels
are likely pounding the table in furry. They have to force Kiev to be even
more provocative in... more »
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