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| English: Auckland Town Hall (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Harry Targ : The Central American refugees are 21st century descendants of imperialism
The popular narratives about the horrific migration ignore the history of
U.S.-inspired violence in the region and the economic devastation caused by
neoliberal economic policies. By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | July 20, 2014
A military coup in … finish reading Harry Targ :
The Central American refugees are 21st century descendants of imperialism
What I’ll Be Reading While Off The Grid
As of tomorrow I am turning on my “vacation” auto-responder, ceasing
blogging for a bit, and hitting the road for some combined
business/leisure. Highlights will include: Some Colorado conference travel
to present my research findings to one of the activist communities whose
work I profiled in my book London for a week of exploratory research among
NGOs
Continue reading
Israeli raids lead to massacre in Gaza's Shejaiya
Israeli raids lead to massacre in Gaza's Shejaiya. Source: Middle East Eye.
Date Published: July 20.
INTERNATIONAL CRASH INVESTIGATION TEAM SLOW IN SHOWING UP
Fascinating and troubling story emerging from eastern Ukraine. The
international crash investigation team appears to be huddled in Kiev and
not being in any hurry to come to crash site to begin their investigation.
Local self-defense forces, already accused by Obama and the western media
for the crime, appear to be stalling knowing that plane victims bodies are
decomposing in the hot weather and making a serious investigation more
difficult.
Why the delays in getting the international team to the crash site?
[For subtitles click the "captions" button next to the "settings" wheel ... more »
Quote of the day: On responding to Wagner
“… opera audiences … are responding to the heightened atmosphere
of the music-dramas which, as Thomas Mann put it, “implies that the
highest and best available to man is a life cast in the *heroic* mould.’”
- Simon Williams, *Wagner and the Romantic Hero*
- HERALD: ‘Concert review: *Tristan und Isolde*, Auckland Town Hall’
- HERALD: 'The agony and the ecstacy'
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
Field Notes From a Lagging Indicator
*By William Neil*
*Introduction:*
Anyone with a social conscience or who has just followed the news since
2010 knows that the struggle for decent health care is not an issue that
can stand isolated from other intimately intertwined factors, although our
medical and political system tries to keep it that way. My tale is not
unique….it has been already lived by millions if not tens of millions of
others, and the pattern by now has become a familiar horror story, if not a
drill: a medical crisis leads to an income crisis which leads to a housing
crisis…which can in turn create a fu... more »
Northern Cross Sanity Break
*Resting in Lower Baling with my good friends Kenji and Jeff.*
Saturday and Sunday I ignored my currently enormous workload and rode one
of favorite routes, the Northern Cross Island Highway from Yongning Metro
to Yilan Train Station with my redoubtable friends Kenji and Jeff. Click on
Read More to see more....
*ROUTE NOTES*: This is an easy two day ride. From Yongning Metro, the last
stop on the blue line, head southwest on the 3 until you reach the 108. You
can head all the way to the alternate 7 but then you have to fight the
traffic on the alternate 7?
TRICKY PART: Follow th... more »
Hopelessness And The Rise Of Fascism
All that money sloshing around the political system is so important because
it is primarily used to brainwash low-info voters. If you have a
brother-in-law you've probably experienced it first hand. Propaganda trumps
reason and self-interest, especially for the half the population with
double-digit IQs. "When people are [already] misinformed," wrote Professor
Marty Kaplan, founding director of the USC's Norman Lear Center, "giving
them facts to correct those errors only makes them cling to their beliefs
more tenaciously. More and better facts don’t turn low-information voters
into... more »
The Most Important Book for Humanity Right Now is Available for Free
*The most important book for humanity right now is available for free!*
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Rockets From Gaza? Human Shields? Tunnels? Again?
(above, REALLY LOOK at how tiny Gaza is, and how tiny it is compared to
Israel and the entire Middle East...the TINY little black box in the
upper-left of the map really brings it home to you how small Gaza is...it
is about 6 miles across in some spots)
Practically the entire world's 99% (not governments or the 1%) are against
the Israeli's brutal attack against the Palestinians in Gaza. Their reason,
though, is different than mine. They are against one of the top 5 nuclear
powers using their full force against civilians, women, children...but
begin with accepting the "news" stori... more »
The Middle East Friendship Chart
“Friendship” might be the wrong title. It’s not clear that Iraq, among
others, is even friends with itself – let alone the Palestinian Authority
and its separate heads.
[image: image]
Head to Slate for the full interactive chart.
[Hat tip Vinay Kolhatkar]
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
“Civilians Fleeing Gaza City Neighborhood After Israeli Strike Say They Have Nowhere To Go”
*“Civilians Fleeing Gaza City Neighborhood After*
* Israeli Strike Say They Have Nowhere To Go”*
by Sophia Jones
GAZA CITY - “Just after sunrise on Sunday, Zeinab, a young Palestinian
mother, ran out of her house in Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood with her
husband and barefoot 5-year-old daughter. With the sound of Israeli drones
overhead and air strikes and tank shelling all around, Zeinab watched as
her neighbors poured into the streets and began to run. So she did the same.
“We were running, and [the Israeli Army] was attacking behind us,” she
said, sitting within the safety... more »
Antiwar video by award-winning songwriter Tabitha Elkins
*YouTube *
Who says there is a shortage of protest music in the music scene these
days? Proof positive is the new song penned by singer-songwriter Tabitha
Elkins - whose output so far has ranged from Hard Bop Jazz to acoustic folk
rock - and whose self-penned anti-war song takes on news propaganda and the
culture of violence.
It's a brave move for a new artist, but Tabitha, who played all of the
instruments on the song herself, stands by her stance, explaining, "People
need to start speaking up and thinking for themselves. The culture of
violence and war is not the answer." ... more »
Calling All Hackers: Help Us Build an Open Wireless Router
Peter Echersley, Jacob Hoffman-Andrews, and Ranga Krishnan
*EFF*
EFF is releasing an experimental hacker alpha release of wireless router
software specifically designed to support secure, shareable Open Wireless
networks. We will be officially launching the Open Wireless Router today at
the HOPE X (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference in New York City, aiming to
bring aboard members of the hacker community. This release is a work in
progress and is intended only for developers and people willing to deal
with the bleeding edge.
The software aims to do several things that existi... more »
Politics as horse race
It’s not exactly a contest of ideas out there on the hustings. Not that
you’d know if any ideas were being debated, not if media reports were all
you had to go on.
The media, as always, steer clear of ideas and talk only about the race.
The polls. The “gaffes.” The details of the campaign to come, without the
ideas around which campaigns are supposed to centre. Politics as horse race.
And the polls, the polls! If the polls are reported as your opinion about
the parties, but all you heard about the parties is the polls, from whence
and based on what would you form your opinions?
... more »
China, my China
*Our regular Asian/Australian correspondent Suzuki Samurai has more book
recommendations for you…*
* The twenty-first century, it is said, is going to be China's century. The
story is a fascinating one, and will be more so as it unfolds. Alas, the
masses of information that most people use to form this story they get from
China's propaganda apparatchiks through an often gooey-eyed and incurious
western media – bushels more chaff than wheat. There is little doubt
however, that China is a far better place than it was just a few decades
ago. How it navigates the stormy waters of the... more »
The People Who Gather On The Hills of Sderot To Watch Bombing of Gaza Are Not Scum
It's important not to paint the people who gather on the hills of Sderot in
Israel to watch the bombing of Gaza with a wide brush. Those *who threaten
journalists* belong in a different category. Simply put, they are assholes.
But they're not the only ones who attend these viewing parties. The
experience for most is cathartic. It is more positive for them being there
than staying locked inside a bomb shelter underground, and it's hard to
blame them for feeling that way.
We should not place too much emphasis on this phenomenon, and instead focus
our attention on the causes of this wa... more »
Mining 40: MICC and its Proposed 79 Percent Effective Tax Rate
Early this month, the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) has
proposed an effective mining tax rate of 79 percent. From BWorld, July 07,
2014,
*“We are dismayed that the MICC has moved forward with a proposed increased
tax policy without taking into consideration comments and observations not
only from the mining industry that will be directly affected by said policy
but by authoritative third parties,” CoMP said.*
*The MICC proposed a payment of 10% of gross revenue, or 55% of the
Adjusted Net Mining Revenue, whichever may be higher.*
Perhaps the MICC, in particular the ... more »
Restaurant Reviews
I have been living in Costa Rica for a little over 2 months now, and wanted
to share a post about places we have eaten and our thoughts. Some we have
eaten at other times before we moved here as well. It's hard to pick
favorites, as we like different places for different reasons and food.
Here goes though. I will update this list as we try different places as
well and will try to post links to those that have websites.
1. Green Room Café. We have eaten here twice for dinner since moving
here. A couple local people recommended it to me, and we finally tried
it. Awesome place.... more »
In Response to Bill Wraga's Review of The Mismeasure of Education
University of Georgia professor, Bill Wraga, offered a review of *The
Mismeasure of Education* in the UGA-based *Journal of Language and Literacy
Education*. Because we feel strongly that, while everyone has a right to
his own perspective, she does not have a right to her own facts.
Therefore, we offered *JOLLE *a corrective to the more glaring inaccuracies
in Dr. Wraga's review. We received this response to our proposed rejoinder
from Principal Editor of *JOLLE*, Michelle Falter:
Dear Mr. Horn,
The Editorial board regrets to inform you that we are not accepting
responses to bo... more »
Whitewraithe's RANT for July 20, 2014
Here we are, at the arrival of another Sunday and it's time for the weekly
RANT and one hell-of-a rant it will be.
I'm so angry at the bloodsucking, murderous, Jew-run "new world order" if I
had supernatural powers you can be sure I'd be a bloody raging storm
destroying everything that they love with the first being the Federal
Reserve and the ability to create money out of nothing - for all time.
But, I digress. I just had to get that feeling out of my system. The
carnage and destruction to Gaza with the added murder of nearly 300
innocent people on yet another Malaysian 777 ... more »
Ministry of Propaganda Spins Shootdown of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17
*“It’s an insult to human reason and to the legitimacy of this institution
to suggest that anyone other than the regime carried out this attack.”*
*-President Barack Obama – Speech to United Nations on Syria gas attack*
*“I will be voting to give the president of the United States the authority
to use force – if necessary – to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe
that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real
and grave threat to our security.”*
*- Senator John Kerry*
The notorious and legendary Nazi propagandist Paul Joseph Goebbels would be
in sheer a... more »
Did Mikey Suits (R-Staten Island) Bring In A New Lawyer For The Plea Bargain?
Domenic Recchia is one of the worst of Steve Israel's awful, garden variety
mystery meat careerist candidates for Congress, a scandal in-waiting. When
Israel recruited him, there was little chance he could have beaten Staten
Island's Mafia-connected incumbent, Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm. And that
despite a district that has been rapidly turning bluer and bluer-- in 2008,
McCain bested Obama there, 51-48% and 4 years later Obama beat McCain
52-47%-- voters, particularly of the Staten Island variety, were happy
enough with their dumbed-down tough guy, thuggish congressman. And then ... more »
Amazing Maps
At the risk of crashing the side bar and making the blog look untidy (don't
you hate it when that happens?), here are some gems from a Twitter feed
called Amazing Maps. This sort of thing is right up my street (which
appears on several maps though not on Amazing Maps):
*Heavy metal bands per 100,000 people*
*How many players from each world cup squad play abroad*
*Age of Sexual Consent in Europe*
*The Second Largest Religion by U.S. State*
*How often countries vote with the United States at the UN*
*The disease most likely to kill you by country*
*Where does you... more »
Untitled
METRO EVENT | Beverly Baker Moore says ‘party like it’s 1969′ at Thorne’s
69th Birthday Bash, Aug. 1, at Maria’s in Austin.
Border Run to Nicaragua from Herradura
In Costa Rica, you have to leave the country every 90 days and re-enter if
you are not a resident. Technically, if you have applied to be a resident,
you do not have to do this, however, there is another law that says if you
do not leave every day and are not a resident, you cannot legally drive and
your insurance is invalid. So, even though Kurt and I have applied for
residency, we still had to do this border run in order to still be able to
legally drive in the country.
Kurt was coming up on his 90 days on August 1, so we decided to go on
Friday together and get on the same sched... more »
BBC journalist: "Whenever I see Netanyahu I remember what happened to ex-PM Sharon! There's GOD wooo!"
The ever-vigilant DB at* Biased BBC *has spotlighted a tweet from impartial
BBC World Service journalist Naziru Mikailu ("views here are personal!")...
Whenever I see Netanyahu I remember what happened to ex-PM Sharon! There's
GOD wooo! #Gaza #Israel
— Naziru Mikail (@nazirumikailu) July 20, 2014
As DB notes, Ariel Sharon died after being in a coma for several years.
To which may be added a further impartial tweet:
I wonder what PM Netanyahu will tell the world after massacring 500 people
in Gaza - mostly women & children. #GazaUnderAttack
— Naziru Mikail (@nazirumikailu) July 20... more »
Biasless in Gaza, at the BBC with Roger Bolton?
This week's *Feedback *dealt with the issue of BBC bias over the latest
Israel-Palestinian conflict.
First came two listeners from one side of the argument:
My name's Jean Fitzpatrick and I live in London. I wish the BBC would give
more time to hear the Palestinian voice, the Palestinian side, so it's not
so much that it's only about Israel but we don't hear the Palestinian
voice, the Palestinian situation.
My name's Jenny Hardacre. I'm calling from Cambridge. The current coverage,
I think it is very one-sided. I don't think they present the Palestinian
perspective at all and t... more »
Blasphemy! Kerry Slips Up and Criticizes Israel
If you have to five one thing to the babbling ass who is the sitting
Secretary of State of the USA! USA! USA! he is certainly is consistent.
During John "Skull and Bones" Kerry's five show whirlwind tour of the
Sunday morning propaganda circuit to gin up support behind a coordinated
campaign to frame Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the shooting down of
Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 on Thursday the man with the ongoing and
incurable case of diarrhea of the mouth slipped up in the worst possible
place - Fox News.
Kerry has inflamed pro-Israel sentiment by daring to drop the prove... more »
Untitled
*Saints 2014 training camp preview ~Ramon Antonio Vargas*
Untitled
*St. Tammany parish flood control board nominees scarce ~Faimon A. Roberts*
*Political Horizons: Congressional candidates not regular voters ~Mark
Ballard*
*New Orleans RTA firm unveils $3.5 billion, 30-year transit expansion
vision ~Richard Rainey*
*Portland cargo bike disaster drill: When Cascadia earthquake hits, city's
bicyclists will deliver relief ~Oregonian*
*White sugarcane aphids, making a mess in milo ~Elton Robinson, Delta Farm
Press*
*Lagunitas Coming to Louisiana ~The Beer Buddha*
Absolute Reason Why the U.S. could have been behind MH17 being shot down. U.S. was in conflict with Russia for Europe's Energy Needs
The U.S. and the U.K. are calling on all the European countries to get
behind Russian sanctions. They want the EU to stop using Russian energy,
especially Gazprom. Hillary Clinton directly said the EU has to stop using
Gazprom. The U.S. has been in a conflict with Russia to get the EU to
import the U.S. energy, but the EU has had a stronger relationship with
Russia for energy. Now it is
Missile Guidance System being smuggled into Ukraine in June intercepted in Finland. Won't say who going to. Ukraine shot down airliner in 2001 with BUK missile
I have uncovered the fact that Finland intercepted a shipment of missile
guidance systems being smuggled into Ukraine from Vietnam. They will not
say who was the intended recipient in Ukraine. Ukraine shot down an
airliner in 2001 with BUK 300 missile, first they denied it and then had to
admit it. NATO had two airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) planes in
the air at the time of
Federal Court Rules Against Huntsville's Segregated Caste System of Schools
From Alternet, a clip:
. . . . "The record in this case is not as clear as the Board suggests, and
the fact that the district integrated the student bodies of many of its
schools in the early 1970s does not automatically lead to the conclusion
that the district does not currently operate a dual system," she wrote. She
pointed out that not only were many schools still segregated, but the
opportunity to take advanced classes also appeared linked to race.
She noted testimony from a white mother who withdrew her child from a
predominantly black high school because it offered fewer advan... more »
'Free Palestine!' World marches to protest Gaza victims
The BBC showed only a few SECONDS of the London march. And in Paris
pro-Palestinian marches are now ILLEGAL.
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John Kerry's Sunday Morning Orgy of Bullshit
The last time that Secretary of Skull and Bones John Kerry hit for the
cycle on the Sunday morning “news” shows he was pushing a war on Syria that
was based on shaky evidence that to this day has not been substantiated.
Whirlwind John and his incurable case of diarrhea of the mouth appeared on
all five of the Sabbath day feasts of bullshit that far too many Americans
believe are credible discussion forums rather than the interlocked
propaganda dispersal systems that they are in reality. Kerry was seeking to
exploit the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over a war zone... more »
METRO EVENT | Beverly Baker Moore: Thorne’s 69th Birthday Bash to be social event of the year!
So let’s raise a margarita to the old guy… and party like it’s 1969! By
Beverly Baker Moore | The Rag Blog | July 20, 2014 Event: Thorne’s 69th
Birthday Bash Place: Maria’s Taco Xpress Address: 2529 S. Lamar Blvd. …
finish reading *METRO EVENT* | Beverly Baker Moore: Thorne’s 69th Birthday
Bash to be social event of the year!
Retired Border Control Officer tells the truth about asymmetric warfare...a must see video
*I don't believe he says anything a thinking person has not already figured
out, but it's nice to be validated.*
This really is a "need to see" video. It was posted on July 19th and
already has over 31K views.
H/T Clash Daily
*Asymmetric warfare* is war between belligerents whose relative military
power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differs
significantly.
*Asymmetric warfare* can describe a conflict in which the resources of two
belligerents differ in essence and in the struggle, interact and attempt to
exploit each other's characteristic weaknesses. Such... more »
What Happened to the Malaysian Airliner?
Anthony Freda Art Paul Craig Roberts
Washington’s propaganda machine is in such high gear that we are in danger
of losing the facts that we do have.
One fact is that the separatists *do not* have the expensive Buk
anti-aircraft missile system or the trained personnel to operate it.
Another fact is that the separatists have no incentive to shoot down an
airliner and neither does Russia. Anyone can tell the difference between
low-flying attack aircraft and an airliner at 33,000 feet.
The Ukrainians do have Buk anti-aircraft missile systems, and a Buk battery
was operational ... more »
Ghost of Sunday Classics: When the night wind howls in the chimney cowls
*With update, in which I actually include the texts and music for the
meeting of the two Bad Barts*
*Carole Round in the 1999 SavoyNet Performing Group Ruddigore*
*DAME HANNAH* [*quoting the burning witch*]:
"Each lord of Ruddigore,
despite his best endeavour,
shall do one crime, or more,
once every day forever.
This doom he can't defy,
however he may try.
For should he stay
his hand, that day
in torture he shall die!"
[*We heard the story in full in this week's preview, "The Witch's Curse."*]
*Gillian Knight (ms), Dame Hannah; Orchestra or the Royal Opera House,
Covent Gardn, Isid... more »
Palestine vs. Israel: An Immoral Conflict Devoid of Balance
Steven MacMillan
*Activist Post*
The recent Israeli bombardment of Gaza is the latest example of the lack of
equilibrium in a conflict that has been intermittently fought since the
establishment of Israel in 1948. Following the killing of 3 Israeli
teenagers last month, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered
the 4th largest military on the planet to conduct air, land and sea attacks
on the densely populated Gaza Strip, which has left over 340 Palestinians
dead – 75% of which are civilians, compared to 5 Israelis killed.
Netanyahu was quick to blame Hamas for th... more »
NSA Employees Get Off on Nude Pics Per New Snowden Interview
Not that it is any great surprise considering the level of corruption and
abuse of power that permeates the entire American system these days but one
of the fringe benefits of the NSA snooping programs is the ability to
gather and drool over amateur pornography and naked pictures to take the
edge off of a boring day at work. In a new exclusive interview conducted by
The Guardian with former government contractor turned NSA whistleblower
Edward Snowden the perusing of such personal and intimate material for fun
is but one of the many bits of information discussed with the American
... more »
Masters of War and Hypocrisy
What a difference a body count makes.
Over the weekend, a numerical tie was reached between the corpses littering
a field of Ukrainian sunflowers and the corpses spread out within the Gaza
outdoor prison. The temporary parity achieved was 298 people in each
locale. The Ukrainian crash death toll is static, while the Gazan
casualties keep piling up. Today alone, an additional 87 Palestinians and
13 Israeli soldiers died.
The plane crash victims have engendered the usual official outrage from
government officials pretending to be capable of such a normal human
emotion. Photos and lif... more »
(Zombie Country? At Least the Consensus) Bombshell Study: America's Wealthy Even More Obscenely Rich Than Anybody Thought
Happy Midsummer's Nightmare! Or at least a Zombie Jamboree? In approaching
this subject, let us first address the historical situation of the Obama
administration. The task of museums, like that of history generally, is to
document periods of great change. The task facing the makers of the Obama
museum, however, will be pretty much exactly the opposite: How to document
a time when
Livesay [Haiti] Weblog: Our eyes are open, but do we see?
Livesay [Haiti] Weblog: Our eyes are open, but do we see?: I learned a
while back that kids that grow up abroad can grow up with an entirely
different experience than their parents. Th... more »
Asymmetric Warfare in Gaza: "The Gate of Hell has Opened"
"The gate of hell has opened"
Mass runaways from Shijaia toward UNRWA centers of #Gaza!
Courtesy: @Mohammed Y. Ismail
Is the Israel/Palestine conflict a classic case of *Asymmetric warfare?*
In his recent article, Asymmetric Warfare in Gaza, Paul R. Pillar, provides
significant insights about the use of the term in relationship to the
ongoing conflict and recent attacks:
Perhaps the usual use of the term *asymmetric warfare* has contributed to
warping our ability to evaluate what has been going on in this conflict...In
major, glaring respects, however, this conflict is... more »
John Holdren: The Energy/Climate-Change Challenge & the Role of Nuclear ...
John Holdren is President Obama's science advisor. ROD adams blog, ATOMIC
insights, has recently carried a couple of posts, regarding nuclear
proliferation avoidance. There are questions that can be raised about
Holdren's account. For example a family of reactors that do not require
enriched fuel exists. Holdren undoubtedly knows this. Such reactors, called
CANDUs, would appear exempt from Holdrens proliferation concerns. Various
methods of desposinf of so called nuclear waste, have been tested by
scientists, and found viable. The choice of which method to use is a
politics rather... more »
RIP James Garner
Jimmy was one of my best friends growing up. Not that I ever met him or
even came within a thousand miles of his physical presence. He had a unique
screen power that made us friends for life. Rockford files on the pavement,
twisting the Firebird 180 degrees to escape the goverment. The Rockford
Files is my all time favorite show. James Rockford is one of my greatest
life coaches. Once again a giant has left the set, never to be replaced, a
insoluble loss to our culture.
New Aftermath Video of Gentle Giant, Eric Garner, Murdered by NYPD
Daily Mail
*Despite Garner's dire medical condition being apparent to the
still-building crowd, many cops stand around casually talking with each
other, some can even be heard laughing.*
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CNN: Death comes early in Gaza
CNN
*Children and youth are often the victims of the violence in Gaza. CNN's
Ben Wedeman reports.*
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It's Sunday: You know what that means...
*Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES*
and
*Silly Sunday at Woodsterman's place*
Prostitution Again
There seems to be a lot of rhetoric on both sides of the
abolition/de-criminalization/legalization debate. Very often this rhetoric
backs up some valuable insights.
Personally, I can't see that I'd ever use the services of a prostitute.
There's too much of coercion and desperation in that line of work. I can't
even see myself getting a high-price "escort" (assuming I could afford it)
because of the continuities between the exploited victims of human
traffickers and the drug addicts and the confident, highly remunerated
"lady of the evening."
(Pornography; now THAT's a different mat... more »
Prepping As a Form of Personal Activism
Gaye Levy
Backdoor Survival
There are some days when I feel as though I am out there in the world
alone, fighting a battle that can not be seen or heard. The battle is one
of preparedness and is one I endure day in and day out in spite of my best
effort to step away and live a normal, middle class, mainstream life.
I have given a lot of thought to this and even though I tell strangers that
I am a “crazy old prepper lady”, in my heart of hearts I know that I am
doing both myself and every other prepper-type a disservice by minimizing
the importance of embracing preparedness a... more »
Police Play NSA: Warrantless Data Collection the New Normal?
*ReasonTV*
Sacramento sheriff's deputies have been playing NSA. They tool around town
with suitcase-sized StingRay surveillance devices in their squad cars,
scooping up cellphone data from whomever happens to be within a one-mile
radius. The deputies have reportedly been doing their shady business
without warrants, and dozens of law enforcement agencies nationwide may be
doing likewise.
But hey, what's the big deal? After all, the feds say it's OK.
Visit Reason.com
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Netanyahu and Rahm Emmanuel Agree: Never Let a Crisis Go To Waste
Brandon Turbeville
While the world is focused on the questions surrounding the Malaysian
flight that crashed in Ukraine on July 17 and the aftermath that will
result from it, another campaign of genocide in a long list of campaigns of
genocide is taking place in Gaza.
After days of both air and sea-based military strikes against Palestinians
living Gaza, Israeli tanks have crossed the border and are now pushing even
deeper into the tiny sliver of land.
According to Israeli military statements, Israel has called up 48,000
reserve troops as well as 18,000 additional soldiers... more »
Two Ways Bird Declines Are Linked to Chemical Pesticides
Heather Callaghan
*Activist Post*
*Netherlands researchers fear the second coming of Silent Spring*
"Neonicotinoids were always regarded as selective toxins. But our results
suggest that they may affect the entire ecosystem," says Hans de Kroon of
Radboud University and co-author of a study recently published in *Nature*
journal.
It's not just the bees. There are at least two ways that
neonicotinoid pesticides dramatically affect the bird population.
Neonicotinoids are growing in the world market to become the most widely
used pesticides and are often used to treat seeds - ... more »
MCGOVERN SHARES CONTEXT ON PLANE SHOOTDOWN
Barack Obama claims the US has firm evidence that the plane was shot down
by a missile, fired from an area controlled by anti-Kiev fighters. He also
accuses Russia of supporting them. Nevertheless US president agrees to
Putin's calls to conduct transparent investigation and says it's too early
to say who and why shot down the plane. Ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern see the
situation as isolation for President Poroshenko.
John Holdren: The Energy/Climate-Change Challenge & the Role of Nuclear ...
John Holdren is President Obama's science advisor. ROD adams blog, ATOMIC
insights, has recently carried a couple of posts, regarding nuclear
proliferation avoidance. There are questions that can be raised about
Holdren's account. For example a family of reactors that do not require
enriched fuel exists. Holdren undoubtedly knows this. Such reactors, called
CANDUs, would appear exempt from Holdrens proliferation concerns. Various
methods of desposinf of so called nuclear waste, have been tested by
scientists, and found viable. The choice of which method to use is a
politics rather... more »
Former State Department Exec Calls E.O. 12333 a “Legal Loophole” for Spying on Americans
e-mail your rep *here* Rainey Reitman
*Electronic Frontier Foundation*
“What kind of data is the NSA collecting on millions, or hundreds of
millions, of Americans?"
That’s the question John Napier Tye, a former State Department section
chief for Internet freedom, calls on the government to answer in his powerful
op-ed published today by the *Washington** Post*. In it, Tye calls the
NSA's surveillance operations abroad, conducted under Executive Order
12333, a threat to American democracy, stating that this power “authorizes
collection of the content of communications, not ju... more »
The Purge: Anarchy PARODY
*Julie Borowski*
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MH17: Weathering the Propaganda Firestorm
Tony Cartalucci
The level of unsubstantiated propaganda being directed against Russia
regarding the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has reached
unprecedented lows.
There is tangible desperation across Western media establishments, their
political spheres, and within their corporate-financier funded policy
think-tanks as they attempt to reassert their agenda and narrative not only
upon the crisis in Ukraine, but upon the entire world as their weakening
grip becomes apparent to all.
The dangerous desperation emanating from the West follows the latest in a
series of ... more »
NEA, SEIU, and Eli Broad
At the recent AFT and NEA coronations, there was news about new linkages
with SEIU, whose former president, Andy Stern, had close ties with Broad,
Gates, and Obama (Stern had a choice seat in the Obama box at the
Inauguration Parade).
Below is part of a post I did in 2007, a day or so after a big fund-raiser
in Los Angles for charter chain, Green Dot Public [sic] Schools, Inc. To
the left of Broad in the pic is Green Dot CEO and reliable attack dog,
Steve Barr. To the right of Broad is his equally reliable poodle, Andy
Stern. Broad coughed up $10 million that evening.
*Green Do... more »
Hillary Tells EU to Use MH17 Tragedy to Find Alternatives to Gazprom (dollar dumping gas giant)
Activist Post
Ah, now the agenda is starting to make a bit more sense. Hillary Clinton
doesn't want a good crisis to go to waste. She told Charlie Rose that her
recommendation to the European Union is to take advantage of the shot-down
MH17 tragedy to "Immediately accelerate efforts to find alternatives to
Gazprom."
Moscow-based Gazprom is the largest producer of natural gas in the world
and one of the globe's largest companies. A few weeks back on June 26th they
announced that they would settle contracts with China using yuan or rubles
instead of dollars. This move came a... more »
DID ANYBODY HAVE A MOTIVE?
Professor of Russian Studies Stephen Cohen (Princeton & New York
University) on what this incident could mean for the region. His most
recent article for *The Nation* magazine is "The Silence of American Hawks
About Kiev’s Atrocities."
We Need Duffy's Emails
There has been a lot of public befuddlement -- including from Mike Duffy's
lawyer -- as to why the senator has been charged with accepting a bribe,
while Nigel Wright has been given a free ride. The official explanation
seems to be that everything hangs on one word --"corruptly." To be
convicted, Wright would have to have acted in a corrupt manner. It's a
difficult standard of proof, because it assumes corrupt intention --
something which runs against the grain of Wright's public persona. He is
seen as a man who sees, hears and does no evil.
Michael Spratt writes that the decisio... more »
Peter King (R-NY) Knows More About Terrorism Than The Media Acknowledges
Last night I came across a Newsmax article entitled Peter King: Harry
Reid's Denial of 'Broken' Border Hampers Reform. We're not regular Newsmax
readers around here, but... well, we're here to do it, so you don't have to.
As you might expect, it was your typical, hypocritical Peter King diatribe.
The first two-thirds of the piece focused on immigration, and it was funny
to see King attempt to straddle the fence, so to speak. Before 2010, King
was a hardliner on immigration who opposed any form of amnesty; now he’s
taken a more conciliatory tone without appearing too accommodating, ... more »
Untitled
*Court Rules Against Woman Challenging University’s Race-Based Admissions
Standards*
On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled against
Abigail Fisher in her ongoing battle against the University of Texas at
Austin for discriminating against her based on race. The court upheld the
university’s admissions policy which uses racial and ethnic preferences to
achieve “diversity” on campus.
Texas adopted a plan in the mid-1990s that automatically admitted Texas
students in the top 10 percent of their high school class to all
state-funded universities. Following a ... more »
"Priorities of "human rights" protesters"
Priorities of "human rights" protesters: http://youtu.be/SaLjLfT6Pl8
The Onion - Deadly Super Rainbow Tears Through West Coast - a rainbow looking for its stolen gold?
in this neck of the woods i.e. Free Planet, is a big fan of 'the ability to
tell it like it is' through SATIRE.
Here's a new one (and destined to be a classic) from The Onion News
Network: *Dozens in California are killed after a powerful Super Rainbow
burns a trail of destruction across the state.*
"Or is this merely a rainbow looking for its stolen gold?" Jesus Christ AD
12.
Long live the power pyramid - death to Free Planet - War World rules you scurvy dogs
|
It seems that nothing is able to bring *HUMANITY* (the slave race of a
ruling hierarchy) back from the brink.
You've proven, time and time again, that a FREE PLANET of Creativity,
Passion and Kinship just doesn't interest you. At all. Long live the power
pyramid that crushes you because of your own ignorance. You won't be
remembered when you're *ERASED IN THE NAME OF **PROFIT*.
This will most likely be a WAR WORLD until the end of time.
"You know, you're dead for a lot longer than you're alive."
Navy says farewell to the C-9 Skytrain II aircraft
[image: C-9B Skytrain II]Ending its 41-year commitment to a workhorse
aircraft, the U.S. Navy retired the last C-9B Skytrain II on June 28 to
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group
based in Tucson, Arizona.
As of January, the Navy had four C-9B aircraft remaining in its inventory —
one was retired in February and two were transferred to Marine Transport
Squadron (VMR) 1 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina,
where they will continue service until replacement aircraft are purchased.
In 2001, C-40A aircraft began replacing the C-9... more »
MC-27J ITAF test results
[image: MC-27J Spartan]ATK announced that the ATK and Finmeccanica-Alenia
Aermacchi have successfully completed the first phase of ground and flight
testing of the fully configured multi-mission MC-27J tactical transport
aircraft with the support of the Italian Air Force (ITAF).
The series of tests exceeded all test objectives and demonstrated the
accuracy of ATK’s side-mounted GAU-23 30mm cannon.
The ITAF MC-27J aircraft was modified with an L-3 Wescam MX-15Di
Electro-Optical and Infrared Turret mounted under the nose of the aircraft
to support multi-mission applications such as a... more »
DPRK blasts Security Council's criticism of missile launches
[image: Skud tactical ballistic missile]The Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK) will further build up its strength to protect itself if the UN
Security Council fails to perform its duty in a fair and just manner, the
Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
All military measures taken by the Korean People's Army, including firing
tactical rockets, are the exercise of its right to protect the sovereignty
and security of the country against the U.S. nuclear threat, the ministry
said in a statement, which slammed a note released to the press by the UN
Security Council that called th... more »
Untitled
*Climate data from air, land, sea and ice in 2013 reflect trends of a
warming planet; Increases in temperature, sea level and CO2 observed*
*The Warmists at NOAA are clutching at straws here. 1). They say that just
three countries in the Southern hemisphere had record high temperatures.
But if it's GLOBAL warming, shouldn't the high temperatures have happened
in more countries than that? Nothing in the Northern hemisphere? If a
phenomenon is not global it is local and of no use in upholding Warmist
dogma. There are plenty of local weather influences.2). And it's a wonder... more »
Greece To Spend EUR 1B on Army Modernization
[image: HS Kanaris (Elli class frigate)]Greek Defense Ministry is planning
a large-scale modernization of the army which will cost a minimum of EUR 1B.
Currently, the modernization program is up for consideration in the
parliamentary defense committee. If approved, the plan will be launched by
the end of July, according to local media, cited by Bulgarian private TV
station BTV.
A total of 36 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems will be modernized.
Another part of the funds will go for the transportation of American
Oshkosh HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck) from the US to... more »
Missile that downed MH17 is Indian Navy's primary defensive weapon
[image: The 3S-90 missile launcher fires one of her 9M317 (SA-N-11,
navalised SA-17) surface to air missiles during her sea trials]The missile
that downed Malaysian Airlines' Flight MH 17 over Ukraine is also the
Indian Navy's principal protective missile, defending its warships
including the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, far out at sea.
The Buk missile's naval variant the "Shtil", dubbed the SA-17 "Grizzly" by
NATO, was inducted on board the three Russian-built Talwar class frigates
beginning in 2003 and their follow-on class, the three Teg class frigates,
beginning 2012.
An... more »
USS Elrod back in Norfolk having completed its final deployment
.jpg)
[image: USS Elrod (FFG-55)]The frigate Elrod made her last homecoming
Saturday morning having completed a final six-month deployment to 6th
Fleet. The 29-year-old ship is to be decommissioned Jan. 30 and sold to a
foreign military.
The frigate shed its historic role of anti-submarine warfare and brought a
Fire Scout detachment to provide unmanned surveillance to Africa
Partnership Station off that continent’s western coast.
The crew also teamed with the amphibious assault ship Bataan on June 6 to
rescue 282 mariners from a small ship sinking near Malta in the
Mediterranean Sea. It... more »
France secures $1.7b deal in Egypt to sell four naval frigates
[image: Gowind class corvette]France has secured its first major military
contract in Egypt in about 20 years with a 1 billion euros (S$1.7 billion)
deal to sell four naval frigates, a French diplomatic source said on
Saturday.
Paris and Cairo have enjoyed close economic ties in the past but turmoil in
the north African state since former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted has
left Western governments wary of signing contracts, especially in the
defence sector.
"We have good bilateral relations," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius
said in Cairo after meeting Egyptian President... more »
CAG pulls up IAF for grounding AN-32 transport planes
[image: An-32 Cline]The Air Force was on Friday chided by the Comptroller
and Auditor General (CAG) for an ‘avoidable expenditure’ of Rs 227 crore
modernization programme of its 105 Soviet-origin An-32 transport aircraft
and the grounding of over 50 percent of the fleet due to delay in creating
upgrade facilities.
The CAG in its report tabled in Lok Sabha said IAF procured 17 engines in
2007 and 100 engines in 2009 for the Antonv-32 transport fleet.
"IAF had paid USD 719,500 (Rs 3.16 crore) per engine against the contract
of June 2007, whereas, it had to pay USD 10,90,000 (Rs 5.43 c... more »
Untitled
*Compassion and the Damage Done: Maximizing The Hurt of A Very Tragic Death
~Varg Vargus, The Chicory*
Rigged BBC audiences?
Another group who have a habit of gathering outside BBC buildings to
noisily protest against what they see as BBC bias are Scottish
nationalists. They have held many a demonstration outside the BBC's
headquarters in Scotland at Pacific Quay, Glasgow over the past year.
Another protest will probably be on the way then if today's *Sunday Times* is
anything to go by:
*Better Together ‘tipped off’ on BBC debates*
SCOTTISH nationalists have voiced fresh concerns about the BBC’s approach
to the independence referendum, suggesting a production company organising
debates for the corporat... more »
"Grave Faults..."
“Only the following items should be considered to be grave faults: not
respecting another's rights; allowing oneself to be paralyzed by fear;
feeling guilty; believing that one does not deserve the good or ill that
happens in one's life; being a coward. We will love our enemies, but not
make alliances with them. They were placed in our path in order to test our
sword, and we should, out of respect for them, struggle against them. We
will choose our enemies.”
― Paulo Coelho, "Like the Flowing River"
Aristotle, Virtue And Elizabeth Warren
The other day I visited my old campus-- Stony Brook-- for the first time in
exactly 45 years. I was there to begin a relationship with a program that
assists high school kids from financially strapped backgrounds envision
themselves going to college and the succeeding in college. Great program!
It's called EOP/AIM-- Educational Opportunity Program/Advancement on
Individual Merit. The kids in the program have a significantly higher rate
of graduation than the general college population does. While I was talking
to the students about my experiences at Stony Brook and how those
exper... more »
"Toads..."
“A man who has blown all his options can't afford the luxury of changing
his ways. He has to capitalize on whatever he has left, and he can't afford
to admit — no matter how often he's reminded of it — that every day of his
life takes him farther and farther down a blind alley... Very few toads in
this world are Prince Charmings in disguise. Most are simply toads... and
they are going to stay that way... Toads don't make laws or change any
basic structures, but one or two rooty insights can work powerful changes
in the way they get through life. A toad who believes he got a raw deal... more »
"U.S. Complicity Brought Up to Date" in Israel's War Against Gaza
Title: "U.S. Complicity Brought Up to Date" in Israel's War Against Gaza.
Source: The Real News. Date Published: July 19, 2014. Description:
Phyllis Bennis says the calls in Israeli for genocide against Gaza are not
only coming from fringe elements in the political establishment
Special Report: Malaysian Flight False Flag Evidence Revealed.
Less than 24 hours after the devastating attack that downed Malaysian
Airlines Flight MH17, Neocons and their state-run media would have us
believe the case is closed...before an investigation has even been
launched. We break down the repetitive false-flag narrative.
*You can visit our MH17 article archive here. **Poll: Who do you think
shot down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17?*
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Ghost of Sunday Classics preview: The Witch's Curse
*Dame Hannah (Maya Stroshane) tells the impressionable young village
bridesmaids the story of the Witch's Curse in Brown University Gilbert and
Sullivan's 2010 Ruddigore.*
*by Ken*
We first pondered "The Witch's Curse," though at the time I wasn't able to
enable you to *hear* it, in a June 2007 post called "'Laws? I don't obey no
stinkin' laws!' Are Chimpy the Prez and his partner in crime 'Big Dick'
Cheney blood brothers of the Bad Baronets of Ruddigore?," in response to a *Washington
Post* report, "'Signing Statements' Study Finds Administration Has Ignored
Laws." Right-wing scu... more »
I've Never Seen the Israel / Palestine Conflict Illustrated More Uniquely Than This
Films for Action
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“The Nightmare of Gaza Continues”
*“The Nightmare of Gaza Continues” *
by James Zogby
“I can only imagine the horror in Gaza today as Israel intensifies its
assault of that overcrowded, impoverished strip. It is a continuing
nightmare story of pain and loss, of trauma and devastation. The
heartbreaking numbers by themselves tell part of the story - with hundreds
killed, thousands wounded, tens of thousands without homes, and now 600,000
without water. But the story of Gaza is more than these numbers and this
current assault.
Even in earlier times, Gaza could be a nightmare. In the early 1990's, I
spent time in Ja... more »
David McReynolds : In opposition to Israeli actions, and to anti-Semitism
It is a grave error to attack Jews anywhere based on the actions of the
Israeli government. By David McReynolds | The Rag Blog | July 20, 2014 In
recent days there has been a flurry of anti-Semitic outbursts in …
finish reading David McReynolds :
In opposition to Israeli actions, and to anti-Semitism
Part Five. (A rational idea from Abu Marzouk?)
Over at H/P, something that Mehdi and his supporters ought to consider, and
reflect upon. Something I’ve wondered myself has allegedly been articulated
by one member of Hamas, no less.
Given that the conflict is becoming more intractable than ever, owing to
the incitement instilled from cradle to grave through the Hamas/UNWRA
education system - (I sometimes idly wonder whether Mahmoud Abbas is
*really* a genuine partner for peace after all, and when he assures his
people in Arabic that his peacemaking strategy is for the Western world
only and all part of the ‘slow Jihad’, he’s on... more »
Part four. (Headache)
I saw an episode of Head to Head, Al Jazeera’s answer to .... I don’t know
what, a kind of debate or something. The person in charge is Mehdi Hasan
posing as Islam’s answer to Stephen Sackur. He must think of himself as a
thoughtful interlocutor whose penetrating questions and mental agility will
slay his opponent with one or two crushing blows. He is wrong. He comes
across as a bully, a hypocrite; lazy of thought and shallow.
The production gathers together an anti-Zionist mob - their version of our
very own baying, smirking Question Time audience - well they would,
wouldn’t t... more »
Part three (Incitement)
Further to that horrendous demo outside the BBC against the BBC’s perceived
pro-Israel bias, Douglas Murray has a serious piece on the Gatestone
Institute blog.
Behind their smiles and the increasingly competent public relations that
the pro-Hamas faction is managing in Britain, it is possible for some
people to forget that what brings these people out is one simple thing: a
hatred of the Jewish state and a desire to see it annihilated by the
terrorists of Hamas or anyone else at hand.
There are those who will say this is a not-sufficiently-nuanced
observation, that the motives of... more »
Breaking: Dan Markel, Florida State Law Professor and founder of the PrawfsBlawg, has died from a gunshot wound...w/Upate
*TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)--* The Florida State University community is
mourning the loss of a law professor who was shot and killed.
According to an email sent out by the school to students, Dan Markel was
taken to the hospital after being shot Friday. He died from his injuries
Saturday morning.
According to the Florida State University Law School website, Markel
primarily taught criminal law. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2001.
Funeral arrangements will be made by his family in his hometown of Toronto.
A memorial service is planned in Tallahassee for Sunday, July 20 at ... more »
Part two. (The one about Lyse Doucet)
Another bit of footage we’ve been shown repeatedly on the BBC is Lyse
Doucet’s response to the evacuation of families moving out of the way of
potential bombardment or a possible IDF ground invasion. The IDF give out
warnings against a background of heavy criticism from the sages in the
media. Damned if you do damned if you don’t.
The bit of film is on a loop, with Lyse’s voice-over telling us that people
are fleeing, “but where are they supposed to go.... (what about the
designated UNWRA camps?).... taking with them “as much as they can carry.”
“True Too” has commented on it here... more »
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