My Yahoo! I II
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U.S.S. Wyoming Shower-Gate Scandal Now Involves More Sailors
The USS Wyoming transits the Saint Marys River after departing Naval
Submarine Base Kings Bay Jan. 18, 2012. A dozen sailors are suspected of
viewing secretly recorded videos of their female shipmates undressing in a
submarine shower over a period of 10 months, according to an investigative
report. James Kimber/U.S. Navy
*Report: 12 Sailors Implicated In Submarine Shower Scandal -- Stars and
Stripes*
A dozen sailors are suspected of viewing secretly recorded videos of their
female shipmates undressing in a submarine shower over a period of 10
months, according to a new investigati... more »
What Does Japan's Snap Election Tomorrow Mean? More Than You Probably Know If You Read The American Media
If you're a regular *DWT* reader, you already know we're not big fans of fascists
like Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, going all the way back to when he
was palling around with George W. Bush when the latter was President.
Tomorrow, sullen Japanese voters go to the polls, probably to reelect the unpopular
and failed Abe to another term. Abenomics, his right-wing economic agenda--
pretty much the Paul Ryan budget-- has been a complete bust for Japan--
except for Big Business and the very wealthy. Like I said, pretty much the
Paul Ryan budget.
Public opinion polls conducted ah... more »
Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction l February 28-March 1, 2015 at The New York Academy of Medicine
▶ Helen's War: Portrait of a Dissident - YouTube
Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction l February 28-March
1, 2015 at The New York Academy of Medicine
A unique, two-day symposium at which an international panel of leading
experts in disarmament, political science, existential risk, anthropology,
medicine, nuclear weapons and other nuclear issues will be held at The New
York Academy of Medicine on Feb 28- March 1, 2015. The public is welcome.
A project of *The Helen Caldicott Foundation*
*Watch this space for information on how to register in advance.
Regis... more »
Warren Christopher - "SPHINX"
*"He's not that much of a wuss"*
*- James Baker III*
*“I think a lot of the strategizing in the script that I saw was somebody’s
hindsight rather than what we had to deal with in the immediate aftermath
of the election,” *Mr. Daley said. He added: *“The perception that Warren
Christopher was some wuss who got hoodwinked by Jim Baker is absolute
fantasy in the mind of somebody who is trying to make themselves out to be
bigger than they were.”*
*"Mayor Daley is stupider than Bush" **- Bro. Steve Cokely*
*"Sphinx is indeed reported to have had many Riddles, but this offered to
O... more »
Sunday Classics diary: I love this theme, especially when it's played like this.
*by Ken*
I love this theme. It's majestic, maybe even monumental, irresistibly
forward-moving, even swaggering, and at the same time tender and uplifting
-- if I could put it into words, I guess I wouldn't need the music.
Now, the theme can be played kinda fast:
And it can be played kinda slow:
And it can be played the way we just heard it:
*THIS LAST PERFORMANCE IS THE ONE THAT GOT MY ATTENTION THIS WEEK*
It has the qualities I mentioned above, but with an inner drive and
unforced momentum and at the same time a concentrated songfulness that
struck me as so beautiful ... more »
Pol. Ideology 59: On PostModern Politics
Last October, a faculty member of DLSU Political Science Department,
Antonio "Tonton" Contreras, wrote an article on "Savings, errata and
postmodern politics" and made a lousy conclusion that
“*the kind of politics that we have right now is postmodern.”*
Philippine politics is already "postmodern"???
Tonton cited this as an example, *"our Constitution being openly challenged
and undermined, without even mounting a coup. We have a Visiting Forces
Agreement that subordinates our sovereignty to another country."*
Last time I checked, foreign investors still cannot invest in areas that ... more »
Winston Churchill : Patron Saint of NeoConservatives & Humanitarian Bombers
Winston Churchill : Patron Saint of NeoConservatives & Humanitarian Bombers
from Spike EP on Vimeo.
"You will ask - 'What is our policy?'
I will say - 'It is to wage WAR!!' "
Lies
December 13, 2014 Lies told often enough do not become truth.
Torture is still torture, no matter how many times we call it enhanced
interrogation. War is still war, no matter how many times we call it
bringing peace. Subjugation … Continue reading →
Whatever state you live in, here's a reason to be proud
*For a better view of what each of these Northeastern states is worst at,
click to enlaurge.*
*by Ken*
Here's the explanation provided by Kate Peregrina ("a writer and English
teacher living in Spain") for this fascinating list-with-maps published on
Thrillist:
One thing that makes the US great: no two states are the same. That
diversity leads to distinct strengths and weaknesses, but how can you know
what makes North Dakota different from South Dakota, besides a made-up line
separating them?
Well, in the interest of showing that every state sucks in some way, we
picked out one ... more »
“We were too institutionally nervous of saying, isn’t immigration getting a little bit out of hand? And can we be critical of multiculturalism"?
Sometimes, especially in the Sunday papers, you find yourself reading one
of those long articles wrapped around interviews with someone interesting
but, instead of enjoying it, you seem to find yourself mostly whingeing
about the arrogant intrusiveness of the journalist behind the article.
You think: That journalist is only interested in using her subject to
appear more knowing, more intelligent, more interesting than her
interviewee, stamping her own ego on the interview like a giant 'LOOK AT
ME!' sign superimposed on a life-sized cardboard cutout of the chief
librarian of a pro... more »
Shocking Report: The CANADIAN Torture State!
I have been, like so many others, absolutely appalled by all the reports
that I have been reading about how the United States, a country that I used
to truly admire, has now become the very evil that it has always claimed to
be fighting against…. This is due to the fact that the United States has
openly been torturing its prisoners for decades and now has had to admit
that as fact to the entire world….
As a Canadian, I had always thought that Canada itself was never going to
sink as low as the United States, and torture or support torture of
prisoners…. However, according to this sh... more »
Musical Interlude: André Rieu, "Conquest of Paradise"
André Rieu, "Conquest of Paradise"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G2MCGmypaY&html5=1
"A Look to the Heavens"
“This remarkable synthetic color composite image was assembled from
archives of visible light and infrared astronomy image data. The field of
view spans the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), a massive spiral a mere 2.5 million
light-years away. In fact, with over twice the diameter of our own Milky
Way, Andromeda is the largest nearby galaxy.
*Click image for larger size.*
Andromeda's population of bright young blue stars lie along its sweeping
spiral arms, with the telltale reddish glow of star forming regions traced
in space- and ground-based visible light data. But infrared data from the
... more »
Chet Raymo, "The Sands of Time"
*"The Sands of Time"*
by Chet Raymo
“Here is a slab of 400-million-year-old Old Red Sandstone quarried from a
nearby hill and placed here by the Kerry County Council as part of a
seawall for Ventry Pier. On its face are beach ripples similar to those one
might see any day at low tide on the sand flats of Ventry Harbor.
Beach ripples inside a mountain! How did they get there? In a journal entry
for May 21, 1831, the fossilist Gideon Mantell recounts an expedition he
made with the great geologist Charles Lyell to a quarry at Horsham, in
southeastern England, where they observed slabs ... more »
"The Philosophy Of Being"
* "The Philosophy Of Being"*
By E D Detetcheverrie
"Outrageous to some, clarifying for others, a strange conversation meant to
provoke further thought. Now I know why they explain it in metaphors. The
truth seems surreal. We are inadequate to describe it concisely. Ask not if
you have strayed from the path; there is only one path, one way, and you
are always on it...
*Do they call it enlightenment because there is a light?*
It is not mere photons, and light is only one part of it.
*Who is in charge of it all?*
Yes, we are.
*Do the wicked receive their just reward?*
We shall all, u... more »
"Time..."
"Time is the substance from which I am made.
Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river;
it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger;
it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire."
- Jorge Luis Borges
"The Needs Of The Many..."
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one."
- Spock, "The Wrath of Khan"
The Daily "Near You?"
Pasco, Washington, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"He Ought To Have Spoken..."
"Qui tacet consentire videtur, ubi loqui debuit ac potuit."
("He who is silent is taken to agree; he ought to have spoken when he was
able to.")
- Latin proverb
"Fukushima Update, 12/13/14"
*"Fukushima Update, 12/13/14"*
“'Deadly' radioactive material up around 50,000,000%
at Fukushima plant in recent months-
Strontium-90 spikes to record level near ocean outside Reactor No. 2"
by ENE News
*"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds..."*
- Shiva
*Click image for larger size.*
• TEPCO: “Detailed Analysis Results in the Port of Fukushima Daiichi NPS,
around Discharge Channel and Bank Protection, Nov. 27, 2014: "Most recent
report on Strontium-90 concentration in underground observation hole No.
1-17: 990,000 Bq/liter (Results published Nov. 27, 2014. Sample taken Oct... more »
U.S. House Approves Bill to Give Apache Lands to Foreign Corporation
Apache Warrior Geronimo
http://lastrealindians.com/house-approves-bill-to-give-apache-lands-to-foreign-corporation/
*House Approves Bill to Give Apache Lands to Foreign Corporation*
On December 4th, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) *which included a provision to transfer 2,400 acres of Apache
ancestral and ceremonial lands to a foreign mining company.*
“Since time immemorial people have gone there. That’s part of our ancestral
homeland. We’ve had dancers in that area forever – sunrise dancers – and
coming-of-age ceremonies for our young girls that bec... more »
“Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America’
*“Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America’*
by Linda Tirado
“I once lost a whole truck over a few hundred bucks. It had been towed, and
when I called the company they told me they’d need a few hundred dollars
for the fee. I didn’t have a few hundred dollars. So I told them when I got
paid next and that I’d call back then. It was a huge pain in the ass for
those days. It was the rainy season, and I wound up walking to work, adding
another six miles or so a day to my imaginary pedometer. It was my own
fault that I’d been towed, really, and I spent more than a couple hours
ruing my... more »
DARTH VADER UNMASKED / DICK CHENEY
*In the fictional Star Wars trilogy, Darth Vader was **depicted as a
ruthless cyborg who served the dark Galactic Empire whereas in real life
Dick Cheney is a ruthless human cyborg, fueled by a transplanted heart,
whose self-professed travels to the dark side served and greatly influenced
a darkening and morally corrupt American Empire. It is Cheney who
enthusiastically introduced torture as a means to obtain confessions to
9/11 in order to both avoid responsibility for his own actions regarding
the planning and implementation of America's greatest act of treason ~ as
well as see... more »
Lack Of Intelligence Doesn't Hurt Conservative Candidates With Conservative Voters
"You don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate, though," giggled
conservative Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor on the big screen. He was unseated
by an undistinguished right-wing extremist, Tom Cotton, 476,309 (56.5%) to
332,669 (39.5%). I don't know how much his remarks to Bill Maher played
into his defeat. I don't know how much Arkansas voters care about IQ test
results or intelligence in their elected officials at all for that matter.
And this week, a neighboring state's governor, Rick Perry, was playing up
on that sentiment in his "I'm back and I'm different this time" plea... more »
Satire: "Citigroup to Move Headquarters to U.S. Capitol Building"
*"Citigroup to Move Headquarters to U.S. Capitol Building"*
by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— "The banking giant Citigroup announced on
Friday that it would move its headquarters from New York to the U.S.
Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C., in early 2015. Tracy Klugian, a
spokesperson for Citi, said that the company had leased thirty thousand
square feet of prime real estate on the floor of the House of
Representatives and would be interviewing “world-class architects” to
redesign the space to suit its needs.
According to sources, Citi successfully outbid other ... more »
Ezra Levant And Brian Lilly, On Tour and Invisible
Ezra and Brian’s execrable adventure
Contributors to The Straight Goods send me articles, stories and a myriad
of varied data,...
Most stuff we`ve perused or seen already, other stuff is filed for possible
future use and sometimes the material is so funny, so interesting that an
instant post must be cobbled together..
Today is instant post cobbling day..
My contributing friend David B sent me this...
I watch Sunnews, Ezra Levant, Brian Lilly...Michael Coren..And the Sunnews
Skankettes with their sleeveless attire obsession...I don`t watch Sunnews
for news, or great reporting, not ... more »
Remembering The Battle Of The Bulge 70 Years Ago Today
*Americans And Belgians Mark 70th Anniversary Of Battle Of The Bulge -- The
Guardian*
* Participant: ‘We must never forget what happened in 1944’
* US lost 10,000 dead repelling German Ardennes offensive
Braving snowy weather, Americans and Belgians gathered in the Ardennes on
Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of one of the biggest and bloodiest
US battles of the second world war, the Battle of the Bulge.
Jean-Claude Klepper, 62, of Virton, Belgium, and his 15-year-old daughter
Aurélie dressed up like US GIs to mark the occasion.
“We must never forget what happened in 1944,” t... more »
Christy Clark`s LNG Obsession Crashes Down In Economic Landslide(No Plan B)
When will the BC Liberal Government get their head out of the sand and move
on, when will Christy Clark shut her fat mouth and stop blathering about
LNG..
The market on LNG has changed, there is a world glut of LNG at present,
that glut will only grow larger when a dozen actual under construction LNG
facilities come online in the next 2 years..
Christy Clark in New York blathering gibberish to Bloomberg, embarrassing
everyone, including blindsiding her own chosen cabinet ministers..
Leaving Bill Bennett and others having to invent excuses on the fly to
explain away Christy Cl... more »
What Plants Talk About
*What Plants Talk About - *Plants do behave and lead anything but solitary
and sedentary lives.
The post What Plants Talk About appeared first on Waking Times.
MNN 'INDIAN GIVERS!'
INDIAN
GIVERS!
INDIAN GIVERS!
Please post & distribute. Nia:wen. MNN. 12 Dec. 2014. One day
in 1975 while I was sitting at my desk in Indian Affairs, Harry Chapman,
the Registrar, show...
View on mohawknationnews.com
Preview by Yahoo
The 5 Most Lethal Weapons Of War For The U.S. Air Force
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit over the Pacific Ocean in May 2006. Wikipedia
*The U.S. Air Force's 5 Most Lethal Weapons of War -- National Interest*
*America's air force from the F-22 to ICBM's is unmatched. Here is five
reasons why. *
The U.S. Air Force is by far the most capable air arm on the planet. In
addition to proper training and rigorous doctrine, the Air Force needs
modern weapons to keep ahead of potential competitors. Over the past
decade, America’s lead in the air has started to erode as Russia has slowly
been recovering from the collapse of the Soviet Union and China ha... more »
After Obamacare
Republicans in Congress talk regularly about repealing the Affordable Care
Act, aka Obamacare. They have not, however, said much about what they will
replace it with. One possibility is the plan described here.
Suspected ‘LuxLeaks’ whistleblower hit with theft charges
© Emmanuel Dunand, AFP | A flag in the streets of Luxemburg.
*Don't you love how the first reaction of government is not protection of
the people from corruption but the protection of themselves? -AK*
http://www.france24.com/en/20141213-luxleaks-suspect-whistleblower-charged-theft-juncker-tax-avoidance/
Suspected ‘LuxLeaks’ whistleblower hit with theft charges
Text by FRANCE 24
Latest update : 2014-12-13
A Frenchman suspected of having leaked thousands of pages of documents that
could jeopardize multinational companies – and the new president of the
European Commission – over tax... more »
Untitled
Two things for Greece voters to consider as they ponder the looming
Presidential vote (s)
1) Voting for the current Coalition - where has that road taken you ?
2) Red or blue pill , Greece ?
Tweets......
*Kathimerini English *@ekathimerini · 2h2 hours ago
Gap between SYRIZA and New Democracy closing, says poll http://
dlvr.it/7pj6px
*Kathimerini English *@ekathimerini · 2h2 hours ago
Samaras seen ruling out deal with opposition, wants president or snap
elections http://dlvr.it/7pj5MT
*Kathimerini English *@ekathimerini · 2h2 hours ago
Tsipr... more »
The U.S. War Against The Islamic State Is Being Done In Secret
An F/A-18C Hornet from the Strike Fighter Squadron 94 makes an arrested
recovery on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson as the
ship conducts flight operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations
supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, Dec. 4, 2014. U.S. Navy photo by
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob G. Sisco
*US Providing Little Information To Judge Progress Against Islamic State --
Stars and Stripes/McClatchy News*
WASHINGTON — The American war against the Islamic State has become the most
opaque conflict the United States has undertaken in more than two decad... more »
EVIDENCE OF A MASSIVE THERMONUCLEAR EXPLOSION ON MARS IN THE PAST
http://lifeonmars.pub/articles/mars-thermonuclear-explosion/#more-34
*EVIDENCE OF A MASSIVE THERMONUCLEAR EXPLOSION ON MARS IN THE PAST:*
*The Cydonian Hypothesis and Fermi’s Paradox*
J.E. Brandenburg
Abstract : The Fermi Paradox is the unexpected silence of the cosmos under
the Assumption of Mediocrity, in a cosmos known to have abundant planets
and life precursor chemicals. On Mars, the nearest Earthlike planet in the
cosmos, the concentration of 129Xe in the Martian atmosphere, the evidence
from 80Kr abundance of intense 1014/cm2 flux over the Northern young part
of Mars, an... more »
Entropy, temperature are not fixed linear operators
*Similarly fields in GR. A simple demonstration of "state dependence" in
quantum gravity*
Kyriakos Papadodimas and Suvrat Raju have demonstrated that it's possible
to embed operators describing the fields in the black hole interior into
the Hilbert space of a black hole so that all the usual principles
approximately hold.
Their construction doesn't imply that certain questions about the
perceptions of the infalling observer have unambiguous answers – indeed,
one may worry about the non-uniqueness implied by their construction. But I
am convinced that the *existence* of the embeddi... more »
Musings On Iraq In The News
My article on whether Iraq’s militias can successfully be integrated within
the security forces was mentioned in the Council on Foreign Relations blog From
the Potomac to the Euphrates. My article on the security situation in the
first week of December 2014 was reprinted by Notizie Geopolitichefrom
Italy.
Dec. 13: General stuff to catch up on.
I started this on the evening of Dec. 12 because there was so much stuff
that needed the commentary we aren't likely to see in Irving press.
Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll write the one I would normally have done for today.
1. The Irving press and shale gas. Take a close look at their news stories
about shale gas - and their columns about it. What's happening here is a
scandal.
If you follow any major advertising campaign, it constantly reinforces the
points (usually just two or three points and usually very subtle ones) that
sell the product it's shilling for. Take a look at shale gas comm... more »
THE AGE OF BELIEF: True belief will often be false!
*FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2014Part 4—The age of the perfect story:* How can you
tell that you’re reading a novelized account of some situation, as opposed
to a real news report?
How can you tell that a journalist is fashioning a preconceived narrative—a
well-shaped story designed to lead you in a preferred direction?
Sometimes, the novelized elements of the report are staring you right in
the face! For one possible example, this was the third paragraph of Sabrina
Rubin Erdely’s now-famous report, A Rape on Campus:
ERDELY (11/19/14): Four weeks into UVA's 2012 school year, 18-year-old ... more »
Fake Military Leaders Scam Millions in China
This is an old gag and the sheer effrontery takes your breathe away. Yet
you wonder just what they were thinking. This only works in a well timed
hit and run scam. They appear to have forgotten that last little detail.
What makes it truly stupid is that they have invited the wrath of those on
high who will certainly make it their business to bury them. Can you
imagine someone doing this to either the FBI or the CIA and expecting to
get away with it? As an aside we do have lone wolfs out there who have
read too many novels and are really stupid enough to try. I have met a
... more »
David Stockman: Crony Capitalism Will Be Very Hard to Uproot
[image: Stockman And Reagan]
Realistically cash and credit is largely created by government and through
licensed financial intermediaries. All this leads to an individual
approving applications for funding and individuals applying. labeling it
as crony capitalism is a disservice to both.
The real problem is to ensure that intentions leading to the decision are
actually met and that regulation itself does not twart the efficent
operation of this process. Weak high level ethical structures will bring
about financial disaster.
In the real world, the difference betw... more »
The Return of the Black Bears
[image: A black bear is seen at the Maine Willdlife Park in New Gloucester,
Maine, on July 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)]
I hate to bring this up but we are talking about the inevitable. Bear
populations are expanding explosively and that population will need
continuous culling. That need should be taken advantage of to produce a
food product. To do it properly it may become needful to capture the bears
in order to fatten them for a short period and to allow the gaminess to
disappear.
Bear meat in particular was used to produce the original equival... more »
The Speech That Sealed JFK’s Fate
[image: The Speech That Sealed JFK's Fate - Freedom Outpost]
This same elite now face something that money cannot escape. It will be a
global contraction the like of which is presently unimaginable. That means
that cash itself will be impossible to place. In many regards we are
already there. Investment levels are now dropping globally. It will not be
long before paychecks begin to disappear.
The first difficulty is that the USA has failed to correctly recapitalize
its middle class in order to clean up the real estate sector. The Chinese
of course have simply failed to capita... more »
160,000 Iraqi Christians Have Fled Mosul
Displaced Iraqi people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence in
the Iraqi town of Sinjar west of Mosul, walk at the Qadia camp on the
outskirts of Dohuk province December 7, 2014.
Image by: Stringer/Iraq/Reuters
*At Least 160,000 Iraqi Christians Flee Mosul: Iraqi MP -- Press TV*
At least 160,000 Iraqi Christians have been forced out of their homes in
the city of Mosul after the ISIL Takfiri terrorists seized Iraq's
second-largest city in June, a Christian lawmaker says.
"Christian families have been displaced from the city because of violence
and death threats from this ... more »
Will The Center Hold?
No, not a character from a Harry Turtledove alternative history novel
The go-along-to-get-along crowd-- the 2 transpartisan Beltway party
establishments-- were happy enough how the Cromnibus vote went down
Thursday night. But those with actual political-- rather than transactional
or careerist-- agendas are frustrated. Below is a Friday morning quote from
GOP neo-Nazi extremist Bryan Fischer; nothing short of impeachment and the
reinstitution of slavery would make him and his ilk happy.
Author Richard Kirsch is a Senior Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and his
Friday post at the ... more »
How to suffocate "the liberal case for reducing immigration"
The following feature on the same edition of *Newsnight *focused on
immigration.
The trailed angle was that it would entail "the liberal case for reducing
immigration", but the interview with the "liberal" making that case was
preceded by a report by *Newsnight*'s policy editor, Chris Cook (formerly
of the *FT*).
We, and others, have found pro-immigration bias in some of Chris Cook's
earlier *Newsnight *reporting and, here, his facts and figures - except for
those concerning public opinion - were more helpful to the pro-immigration
camp than to the anti-immigration camp. His 'ta... more »
What Does David Rudd Owe to Wall Street Hedge Funds?
David Rudd, President of University of Memphis, thought he was pulling a
fast one that would never be questioned. By abusing the authority of his
office to cut a deal with hedge funders and corporate charter school
operators to use public resources to recruit a cadre of white prison guard
teachers for Memphis's blackest and poorest schools, he somehow believed
that taxpayers would roll over. What he didn't know is that Tennessee
citizens would want to know why Rudd is planning to provide free space and
resources for a corporate education reform franchise, at the same time that
he ... more »
Newest Islamic State Pamphlet Justifies Rape And Sexual Slavery
*Isis Releases 'Abhorrent' Sex Slaves Pamphlet With 27 Tips For Militants
On Taking, Punishing And Raping Female Captives -- The Independent*
The 'Q and A' describes women captured by the group as 'merely property'
The Isis militant group has released what appears to be an “abhorrent”
pamphlet providing its followers with guidelines on how to capture, keep
and sexually abuse female slaves.
Published before the CIA report into the “enhanced interrogation” of
suspected militant detainees, it specifically rules out the use of torture.
But what it does provide is a sickeningly matter-... more »
Perhaps We'd Rather Be in Philadelphia
from Ken Derstine:
The Philadelphia City Council has unanimously passed a resolution calling
on the School Reform Commission to "analyze the financial and human impact
of standardized testing, and to identify strategies to minimize its use,
and to request a waiver of the Keystone Exams from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania in order to adopt assessments that better serve local needs
and priorities." http://goo.gl/wXWwv
There is an important debate going on in the Philadelphia Public School
Notebook after a supporter of standardized testing, who is concerned about
the impact of opt... more »
Fukushima Daiichi Dec 11 23:02
Majia's Blog - 13 hours ago
<img alt="" height="258"
src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAeUAAAE6CAIAAACnOt3PAAAgAElEQVR4nOy96bcdxZUnmmfKzMh5ns8833PufCUBls0gEDMYpHs1AJrBkgADMpMERhYaQAMIkAVmnkFIQrMEEgKMKava9Wy/9exydXX36/4H+sv7UN/rfdgn48bJPPdKLlf1esPdK9dZeTIjI2P87V/s2BFJLVg4vmDh+MLxiclj4cSChRN3Lhi/486FP75z4R13LrxjwfiChYsWTiweX7R00ZK7Fi25e/HSe5bcdc+Su5YtvXvyWHLXPYuX3j2x+K7xRUsWTixeOL4IjvGJRYsWLVmy9O57lq1YsXLVqtVr4Fi5avXKVatXrFy1fMXKZctXEMfyZcuXL1sWHsuXR28tX7F8+Yrl4ZV7li2/Z9ny5ctXLF+xEo5ly1cuW7b8nmXL7lm27J5lRFTLli9bvmLZihUrVqxcsXIVecCDK1aEV8IAK1euhnSuXL165cpOauHty1cQR+fvyhWdY1UnqlWrVq5atXLV6lWr16xes2Z1mHH... more »
(Jamie Dimon/Obama Whip Votes To Approve Bill Banishing Dodd-Frank New Rules - It's Good To Have Liberal Friends?) 17 Disgraceful Facts Buried In The Senate’s 600 Page Torture Report (Slain MassMutual Exec Held Wall Street “Trade Secrets” )
BREAKING! JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon helped whip votes JPMorgan Chase CEO
Jamie Dimon made calls to lawmakers on Thursday urging them to support the
“cromnibus” spending bill, House Financial Services Committee ranking
member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) told reporters. Dimon's involvement came
amid progressive outrage that the House cromnibus included a provision that
they said would weaken
China's role in the Silver paper market: The Art of War
Many people are coming out and pointing fingers at the manipulation and
complete fraud of the various precious metals markets- especially silver
and gold. Not even the actual physical metals, but the paper holdings that
supposedly are being traded all over the planet daily. This article
actually gave a pretty good outline of the silver paper market
manipulation, yet I completely disagree with the authors conclusions.
When it comes to the question of China, the vast majority of financial and
economic experts lack an important understanding of one thing: Dynasty. And
because th... more »
Twelve Years Ago
It's worth memorialising some of the trials and tribulations the FedSat
team underwent when it came to building that bird.
Originally, the task was contracted to SIL - Space Innovations Limited
SIL is a space engineering company that specializes in the design and
manufacture of satellite products, subsystems and complete small
satellites, which generally weigh between 50 and 500 kilograms. This type
of Earth orbiting satellite is often used for scientific and remote sensing
applications. They could also form the basis of satellites for
constellations similar to Teledesic, Globelsta... more »
The Oxygen of Publicity
One BBC programme I did catch this week was Thursday night's *Newsnight. *
I wish I hadn't. The opening item was as bad a piece of BBC reporting as
I've heard in a long time.
The lead story concerned the conviction of 35-year old Runa Khan, a Muslim
woman from Luton, for inciting terrorism. She was sentenced to five years
for encouraging jihadi activity (including suicide bombings) on Facebook.
Under the editorship of Ian Katz, *Newsnight *has pursued an active policy
of interviewing 'British' Islamist terrorists and their sympathisers.
Several *Newsnight *reporters (Richard Watso... more »
The Architect Of The CIA's "Enhanced Interrogation" Program And The Man Who Personally Waterboarded Accused 9/11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Speaks Out
*Exclusive: Psychologist Not Named In Torture Report Confirms His Role in
CIA Interrogation Program -- Jason Leopol, Vice News*
A retired Air Force psychologist widely considered the architect of the
CIA's "enhanced interrogation" program confirmed to VICE News today what
has been an open secret for the past decade — that he was under contract to
the agency after 9/11 and that he was "part" of the program.
Dr. James Mitchell has been identified in dozens of news reports and
investigations conducted by Congress and human rights groups as being the
central figure who devised the CI... more »
Who will rendition the renditioners?
Eric Holder reading my letter
Sent to: http://www.justice.gov/contact-us
Attorney General Eric Holder
United States Department of Justice
Washington, DC
Dear Attorney General Holder,
As I understand it, your office has determined that so-called extraordinary
rendition is perfectly legal. In your view, it is legal, Constitutional,
and 100% kosher to kidnap people and transport them to countries where they
will be harshly interrogated, tortured, and/or extrajudicially executed.
As an American who proudly partakes of our nation's can-do entrepreneurial
spirit, I sense a business oppor... more »
Syrian No-Fly-Zone a Bid to Save Al Qaeda
*December 13, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Recent strikes on Syria by
Israel have been alleged to be part of a regional plan by the US, Saudi
Arabia, Turkey and Israel to establish a no-fly-zone (NFZ) over Syria, just
as NATO did in Libya in 2011 effectively handing the entire nation over to
Al Qaeda and now "Islamic State" terrorists. DEBKA File has suggested in
its article, "Israel air strikes wiped out Russian hardware for thwarting
US no-fly zone plan over Syria," that:
*High-ranking American military sources revealed Monday, Dec. 8, that
Israel’s air strikes near Damascus ... more »
Gardasil: I Should Have Researched First by Paula
Gardasil: I should have researched first
By Paula
Alzey, Germany
When I received my first Gardasil-Vaccination/Immunization at the beginning
of the Easter holidays in 2014, I felt very uncomfortable. It felt as if I
had been injected with something viscous, like dough or batter.
The spot in which the needle was pricked, was very thick and hard.
Furthermore, it hurt and I directly fainted at the ambulance. I was put on
a lounger and after a short while I was able to stand up again. We didn`t
do anything to combat the pain because I thought it`s something like a
bruise.
One day l... more »
Heavy Fighting Reported Throughout Afghanistan
The Afghan mountains are reflected in the visor of a US Army Airborne
window gunner. The Afghan army has said it killed more than fifty
insurgents in the past 48 hours. Photograph: Mark Wilson/ Reuters
*Dozens Killed In Afghanistan Fighting As Foreign Troops Head Home --
Sydney Morning Herald*
Kabul: The Afghan Taliban killed a Supreme Court official, a dozen mine
clearers and several national and foreign soldiers but also suffered heavy
losses from intensifying violence ahead of the withdrawal of most
international troops in the next two weeks.
In Kabul on Saturday, a bomb ripped... more »
A Brief Look At The History Of The SR-71 Blackbird (Photo Gallery Included)
*Rare Photos Of The SR-71 Blackbird Show Its Amazing History -- Gizmodo *
The SR-71 Blackbird is, without a doubt, the most advanced aeroplane ever
built in relation to the technology available at the time. It broke all
aviation records, it flew incredible missions, and it became the stuff of
legend. Lockheed Martin published its history in this collection of high
resolution scans of old photos.
*Read more* ....
*WNU Editor: *To enlarge the photos click on them .... the hi-res look for
each photo is impressive.
Growing Fears That Drones Can Be Used As Terror Weapons
A MQ-1 Predator drone Photo: REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Lt Col Leslie Pratt
*Drones 'Could Be Used As Flying Bombs For Terror Attack On Passenger Jet'
-- The Telegraph*
*Terrorists could "with impunity" fly multiple drones to take out passenger
aircraft, a leading expert warns, following report into 'near-miss' at
Heathrow Airport *
Drones could be used as flying bombs by terrorists to take down a passenger
aircraft, according to a leading expert, who called for improved security
measures to deal with the “gaping hole” in the national defences.
Prof David H Dunn, of the University of... more »
Prediction: CitiGroup Will Finance Pat Toomey's Reelection Bid-- But Not Elizabeth Warren's
When Ronald Reagan hustled off to Washington in 1975 to declare that he was
challenging Jerry Ford's reelection bid-- Ford eventually won the
Republican Party convention battle on the first ballot-- he made a
typically nice-sounding but superficial speech. "Our nation's capital has
become the seat of a 'buddy' system that functions for its own benefit--
increasingly insensitive to the needs of the American worker who supports
it with his taxes. Today it is difficult to find leaders who are
independent of the forces that have brought us our problem... If America is
to survive and g... more »
U.S. Sending Heavy Weapons to Latvia
Just 300 km from the Russian border. Ain't no doubt that Washington
continues to stir the war pot in the region.
Messages From Higher Self - Don't Look For Recognition And Validation
Source:
*https://plus.google.com/u/0/116550793025117941917/posts*
The Need For Drone Operators Is At An All Time High
*Predator, Reaper Crew Training at All Time High As Demand Continues --
National Defense*
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico — Inside what looks like a small
shipping container, in a tiny space crammed with rows of electronics and
stacks of video displays, a pilot practices flying the MQ-9 Reaper with an
instructor hovering behind.
To the pilot’s right is the “sensor,” who operates the Reaper’s different
cameras used to hone in on a target. The sensor is listening closely to his
own instructor, who is leaning over him, gesturing at some incoming video
footage.
“Your screen is l... more »
A Peak Into Lockheed Martin's 'Skunk Works'
*Under Pressure, Lockheed Opens Up About Secret Weapons Unit -- Reuters*
Dec 10 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp , the Pentagon's No. 1 weapons
supplier, has rarely felt the need to blow its horn about its
secrecy-shrouded crown jewel - until now.
"Skunk Works," Lockheed's business for developing weapons outside the
company's main chain of command, is starting to lift the veil in a sign of
fierce pressure to win new orders and protect its brand as military budgets
shrink.
The pride of Lockheed, Skunk Works has been celebrated since it developed
the first jet fighter in 143 days d... more »
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Punch, Judy, Nigel and Ol' Russ
It's been a bit busy in recent days, so there's not been much time to watch
the BBC.
I have enjoyed reading all about this week's *Question Time *though, and am
going to relay what I can gather from what I've read.
From the kind of blogs I read, it appears that Nigel Farage more than held
his own, that Russell Brand flopped badly, that Camilla Cavendish of the *Times
*was brilliant, that Labour's Mary Creagh was useless and that Conservative
Penny Mordaunt was...well, no one said much about her, so who knows?
The stars of the show though, apparently, were the audience who, after... more »
Untitled
*Mark LeVine Unhinged on Facebook*
by Cinnamon Stillwell
*There is an old saying that profanity is the attempt of a weak mind to
express itself forcibly. At that rate, UC Irvine has one professor with a
very weak mind -- JRThe emotional and intellectual infant himself*
UC Irvine history professor Mark LeVine, who recently suffered a meltdown
after being called "anti-Israeli," has since proven the point by posting
this profanity-laden, unhinged rant on Facebook:
"People like Carey Nelson and other "machers" [Yiddish for a self-important
person] in the American Jewish community... more »
Untitled
*'Climate Change’ Ranks Dead Last in United Nations' Own Survey*
Delegates from 190 nations attending the United Nations’ summit
in Lima, Peru this week are pushing for “net zero emissions” and “full
decarbonization by 2050” to battle climate change.
But more than seven million people who responded to a recent U.N. global
survey ranked climate concerns at the very bottom of their priorities.
“A good education” topped the 16-item priority list in all demographic and
geographic categories, followed by “better healthcare,” “better job
opportunities,” and “an honest and responsive gov... more »
Enhanced Categories (Menu) to include individual post
The Blogger Labels gadget (Categories) only display the labels
title/heading without listing the individual posts labeled with that label.
Many are not happy with that. They wants the individual posts also listed
under that label heading.
While that is not provided for by the Blogger Label gadget, it can be done
using the HTML/Javascript gadget, but it has to be done manually.
Let us describe how it can be done using this blog (Robotics for Children)
as an example:
There are 2 individual posts each (as of 13 December 2014) for these 2
labels - Sensors and Building from scratch.
Ty... more »
Argentina: Unknown Objects Over the Iguazú Falls
*Source: Planeta UFO and PrimeraEdicionweb.com.arDate:12.13.2014*
*Argentina: Unknown Objects Over the Iguazú Falls*
A similar incident occurred in 2011. This time, we will have to wait.
A park ranger recorded the transit of an unidentified flying object over
Iguazú National Park. The park administration, however, has decided not to
release the images for the time being.
Iguazú National Park is investigating whether an unidentified flying object
(UFO) had flown over the Iguazú Falls a few days ago.
It was evening and access to Iguazú National Park was closed when a park
ranger s... more »
Saturday Interview: Andrew Coates
Andrew Coates is from Ipswich and is perhaps the left's best-known
Francophile. A veteran of the far left in France and Britain and noted for
his Pabloist heresy, Coatesy's thoughts can be found over at the Tendance
and on Twitter here.
*What has been your best blogging experience?*
The debate on *Hitch 22: A Memoir* by Christopher Hitchens (it received 324
comments).
This cleared the air about a lot of issues opposing the 'decents' and the
Euston Manifesto types against the left. It really launched the blog
*Have you any blogging advice for new starters?*
Write about things y... more »
Banning Tom Jones, the New Seekers and Vanessa Williams
For many years now I've been writing furious letters to parliament, the
*Guardian* and the BBC demanding that broadcasters ban the New Seekers'
song *I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing*.
Every time I hear that song and its grossly offensive refrain, "I'd like to
teach the world to sing/In perfect harmony", I am reminded of my own
complete inability to sing in tune.
My tone-deaf singing once severely embarrassed me at a party. My wildly
off-key performance of Queen's *Don't Stop Me Now *was awarded a 1/10 and
an "Ouch! Don't give up the day job!" crack from an interactive karaok... more »
Airbus Helicopters delivers first Tiger HAD Block 2 attack helicopters to the French Army
[image: Tiger HAD Block 2]The French Army’s Tiger combat helicopter fleet
expanded yesterday with Airbus Helicopters’ delivery of the first two
attack helicopters in the HAD Block 2 version, following its qualification
by the French General Directorate for Armament on November 21.
These two Tigers will join those already in service for the military, which
have proven their capabilities during operational deployments in
Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Somalia, Libya and Mali.
The “Block 2” version brings additional enhancements that now offer the
full capacity of the HAD ... more »
Indigenous nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant to head out for sea trials
[image: INS Arihant]India's quest for a secure seaborne nuclear deterrent
is set for a giant stride when its first indigenously constructed nuclear
submarine the INS Arihant begins sea trials next week.
Naval sources indicated a casting-off date of Monday, December 15, and
preparations are currently underway at the Shipbuilding Centre,
Visakhapatnam to ensure a smooth sail out for the 6,000-tonne nuclear
powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN).
"It will be a surfaced sortie, but a great milestone nevertheless," naval
officials told India Today.
Read more
ISIS ‘shoots down’ Iraqi helicopter, killing pilots
[image: IrAF EC635]Iraqi officials on Saturday said Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS) militants shot down Iraqi helicopter near Samarra, killing
two pilots onboard and raising fresh concerns about the extremists' ability
to attack aircraft amid ongoing U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.
The attack happened in the Shiite holy city of Samarra, about 95 kilometers
(60 miles) north of Baghdad. A senior Defense Ministry official told The
Associated Press the Sunni militants used a shoulder-fired rocket launcher
to shoot down the EC635 helicopter on the outskirts of the city.
An army of... more »
Sometimes you need them; sometimes you don't.
Oddly, I try to avoid colons and semicolons. They make sentences depend on
other sentences in a burdensome way. I think they create difficulty for the
reader. They create difficulty for me when I proofread: What is the
mysterious connection between these sentences, that the author is trying to
convey? And why doesn't he just say it outright?
Oddly, I try to avoid colons and semicolons; they make sentences depend on
other sentences in a burdensome way. I think they create difficulty for the
reader: They create difficulty for me when I proofread.
Northrop Grumman Celebrates First APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar Engineering, Manufacturing and Development Delivery
[image: APG-83 SABR]Northrop Grumman Corporation, today marked the delivery
of its first engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) APG-83
Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) to Lockheed Martin.
Northrop Grumman's APG-83 SABR was competitively selected by Lockheed
Martin for the F-16 Radar Modernization program to support U.S. and Taiwan
Air Force F-16 upgrade programs.
Within 16 months of contract award, the company successfully completed all
design reviews and delivered the first engineering, manufacturing and
development (EMD) radar to Lockheed Martin.
Read more
New Cold War: Su-35 Fighter Jets Could be Supplied to China from Russia Next Year, Official Says
[image: Su-35 Flanker-E]A top official with Russian contractor Sukhoi said
Russia will supply “standard” versions of the Su-35 combat aircraft to
China, a report said.
Speaking with IHS Jane’s 360, Sukhoi first deputy director general Boris
Bregma said that a “contract will be signed at the end of 2014 or at the
beginning of 2015.”
“There are no obvious political or technical reasons hindering the signing
of the contract. The only thing to be done is the elaborate consideration
of some details and technical issues,” he added.
Read more
US army to build exclusive airport for two drones
[image: MQ-1B Gray Eagle]The US army is reportedly building an airport in
Texas, US, exclusively for two of its most commonly used drones Gray Eagle
and Shadow.
The army's corps of engineers at Fort Worth, Texas, has awarded a $33m
contract to design-build firm SGS to build a 150-acre unmanned aircraft
launch and recovery complex at Fort Bliss.
Fort Bliss currently hosts Apache and Black Hawk helicopters and will
eventually shelter the two drones.
Read more
US Navy Tests Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
The U.S. Navy completed tests on the GhostSwimmer unmanned underwater
vehicle (UUV) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story
(JEBLC-FS), Dec. 11.
GhostSwimmer is the latest in a series of science-fiction-turned-reality
projects developed by the chief of naval operations' Rapid Innovation Cell
(CRIC) project, Silent NEMO, an experiment that explores the possible uses
for biomimetic, unmanned underwater vehicles in the fleet.
Over the past several weeks, Boston Engineering's tuna-sized device has
been gathering data at JEBLC-FS on tides, varied currents, wakes, and
weath... more »
USS Ford expected in 2016 but doubts remain
A year after her christening, an aircraft carrier named for President
Gerald R. Ford remains on target for delivery to the Navy in March 2016,
but also continues to carry a stigma of technological glitches, cost
overruns and delays that have dogged the Pentagon's newest ship.
Late last month, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO)
released a follow-up report on the USS Ford, saying while the Navy now
expects the cost at delivery to remain at $12.9-billion, that may be for a
ship still lacking some of the technological advances it was expected to
include.
Adding thos... more »
Graphs at a glance: OECD report shows greater inequality is bad for growth. So why are the Tories pushing up inequality by cutting back the welfare state?
J.P.Morgan,
in his time a successful banker, said:
“A man always has two reasons for doing anything. The good reason, and
the real reason”.
“Doing”: The Tory led government is squeezing benefits by freezing,
cutting and capping them.
They claim “the good reason” is to push the feckless unemployed off
their dependency on benefits into jobs. Make them economically
productive, thereby boosting
First Algerian Meko frigate floated
[image: MEKO A-200 frigate]The first of two Algerian Navy Meko A200
frigates has been undocked and floated at a dockyard in Kiel, Germany.
The vessel was floated during a ceremony on December 5, reports IHS Jane's
Navy International.
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) received the 2.17 billion euro ($2.7
billion) contract for the two frigates, plus an option for two more, in
March 2012.
Read more
Russian Navy to receive new modification of Project 22350 frigates — chief commander
[image: Admiral Kasatonov]Russia’s Navy plans to receive more than 15
Project 22350 frigates and its Project 22350M modification, Navy’s Chief
Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov told reporters on Friday.
“In the near future the Navy plans to receive more than 15 Project 22350
frigates and their Project 22350M modification. These warships will make
backbones of naval groupings in the Arctic Region, the Atlantic and the
Mediterranean Sea,” Chirkov said.
The Admiral Kasatonov, the second Project 22350 frigate, was set afloat at
the Northern Wharf in Russian northern capital St. Petersbur... more »
Saab Receives Order for HMS Södermanland Overhaul
[image: HMS Södermanland]Defence and security company Saab has received an
order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to overhaul
the Swedish Navy submarine HMS Södermanland. The order covers the period
2014-2016 and is valued at SEK121 million.
The order is part of the letter of intent regarding Swedish armed forces’
underwater capabilities, which was announced on 9 June 2014 and covers the
period 2015-2024.
The overhaul includes the necessary measures to ensure the submarine's
operational availability.
Read more
ROC naval chief visits the US to discuss the transfer of submarine technology
[image: Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate]Admiral Chen Yeong-kang, the
commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Navy secretly visited the
United States last week to discuss the transfer of submarine technology to
Taiwan according to our sister newspaper, China Times on Dec. 12.
Chen's visit to Washington was confirmed by Ed Royce, the chairperson of
the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, who said that he met Chen on Dec.
10. While Chen was in Washington, the United States announced the sale of
four Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates to Taiwan.
Beijing openly criticized Washingt... more »
Brazilian President Opens First Stage of Submarine Shipyard
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, attended the opening, in the
municipality of Itaguaí, of the first stage of a shipyard to build five
submarines, one of them of nuclear propulsion.
The current stage includes the main building of the Shipyard complex and
Naval Base of the Brazilian Navy, work that should be concluded in 2021,
according to sources of the Presidency of the Republic.
With an investment of nine billion reais (3,5 billion dollars), this
facility is part of the development program of submarines, which will allow
Brazil to build these ships, thanks to technology transfe... more »
Indigenous production of submarines delayed: Parrikar
[image: Scorpene class SSK]Indigenous production of submarines for the
Indian Navy has been delayed due to infrastructural constraints, problems
relating to absorption of new technologies and import of warship-grade
steel, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.
"The delay in construction of Project 75 submarines is attributed to
teething problems in absorption of new technologues, delay in augmentation
of industrial infrastructure at Mazagon Dockyard Limited and delay in
procurement" of various items, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said in
reply to a written question on indigenous pr... more »
Russian tactical missiles are still among the best
[image: KH-31PM (AS-17 Krypton)]Russia is keeping pace with the U.S. in the
field of long-range precision tactical weaponry, and in some areas it even
has an advantage.
RIR presents three main new missiles that will be employed by the Russian
armed forces starting 2015.
*The KH-35U Uran*
Russia’s principal new defense product is the winged KH-35U Uran missile.
Its special feature is its unique self-guided head, which is immune to
enemy radar interference. It works in two modes: active, when the missile
turns on its guiding head for a split second to find the target, and
passive, w... more »
A typical recent climate alarmist PhD
*Gerrit Holl: a mindless parrot on a mission to spread the "consensus"*
A week ago or so, I wanted to look how many of my 1,900+ answers at Physics
Stack Exchange have a negative overall number of "upvotes minus downvotes".
There is a hundred of zero-score ones (some of them have been accepted,
however) but only two answers boast a negative score.
In one case, a guy was confused about the spontaneous symmetry breaking,
the difference between two configurations' being the same and their being
related by a symmetry. If the degree of confusion exceeds a critical
threshold, it's hard t... more »
How Greenpeace Wrecked One of the Most Sacred Places in the Americas
"This has been done without any respect for our laws," Peru's deputy
minister for culture Luis Jaime Castillo told the press, calling
Greenpeace's actions "thoughtless, insensitive, illegal, irresponsible and
absolutely pre-meditated."
He explained further: "It was done in the middle of the night. They went
ahead and stepped on our hummingbird, and looking at the pictures we can
see there's very severe damage. Nobody can go on these lines without
permission—not even the president of Peru!"
Greenpeace are apparently sorry, big deal. They've done major, maybe
irreparable damage to... more »
"What has 57 heads, 12 controllers and 321 editors...?"
The UK Press Gazette says the answer is 'BBC News'.
The BBC was asked under the Freedom of Information Act to say how many job
titles in the news division (which comprises 7,598 staff) contain certain
words. According to the FoI results then, BBC News has:
321 editors
173 directors
826 assistants
363 producers
57 heads.
12 controllers
16 coordinators
34 deputies
20 executive
6 managers
Fewer than half of BBC News staff have "journalist" in their job title. 14
people have "change" in their job titles, six have "coordinating and six
"managing".
The Press Gazette also reminds us tha... more »
What’s Happening with Climate Negotiations in Lima?
The annual climate negotiations are wrapping up in Lima, Peru tonight or
likely tomorrow. Negotiators are working through the night in overtime as
they seek to hammer out a blueprint that will serve as the negotiating
template for next year. This is the meeting before next year’s big meeting
in Paris when expectations are high
Continue reading
An Analysis On The Strength Of The Russian Military
Vladimir Putin (C) shakes hands with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during
a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, November 24,
2014. Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Reuters
*How Strong Is The Russian Military? -- Jonathan Masters, Newsweek *
The Russian military suffered years of neglect after the Soviet collapse
and no longer casts the shadow of a global superpower. However, the Russian
armed forces are in the midst of a historic overhaul with significant
consequences for Eurasian politics and security.
Russian officials say the reforms are necessary to br... more »
Will Falling Oil Prices Severely Impact Russia?
*Why Russia’s Unfazed By Falling Oil Prices -- Zero Hedge*
*Oil is not quite as powerful a weapon against modern-day Russia as one
might think.*
By arguing that the slump in oil prices will finish off Russia just like it
did the Soviet Union, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, writing in the Daily
Telegraph, is forgetting how far Russia has come since those dark days.
It is true that the USSR couldn’t cope with falling oil revenues and that
Saudi Arabia is credited with helping to break up the former empire by
dramatically increasing oil production from 2 million to 10 million barrels
per ... more »
Will OPEC Win The Oil War?
*Oil Wars: Why OPEC Will Win -- Roger Andrews, Oil Price*
In the green corner we have the US shale producers. In the red corner we
have the oil exporting countries of OPEC. Assuming the fight is fought to a
conclusion, who wins?
OPEC wins. The US shale producers will shut down first. The reasons are:
• The US shale producers are motivated by economics, and all other things
being equal will have an incentive to cut production at or around the point
where production cost exceeds sales price.
• The OPEC countries are motivated by social imperatives. They have
historically used their... more »
USAID Exposed in Cuba - What it Tells Us About US Subversion Worldwide
*December 13, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - Revealed in an Associated
Press (AP) investigation, the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) had for two years attempted to create and exploit a
social network within Cuba for the purpose of sparking unrest and
overthrowing the Cuban government. The program was an abject failure,
primarily because the Cuban government took the necessary measures to
investigate, interrogate, and otherwise disrupt what was foreign-backed
sedition.
AP would reveal in its report titled, "US co-opted Cuba's hip-hop scene to
spark change... more »
We Are Change
*We Are Change - Video on how Israel is supporting ISIS*
*Excellent Summary on Middle East Geostrategic Politics*
Folks, unlike *the BBC* (Biggest and Best Calumny) discussed in my previous
post, this video and the alternative news source wearechange.org...is what
real alternative news is all about. Thankfully, we have these news sources
which we should support, especially as we get closer to the "end game"
described in this video..... and in this excellent article by one of my fav
bloggers, Paul Craig Roberts.
Real Americans love torture 'cause it's not just manly, it's FUN -- just ask Jack Bauer
*In the end there was one band of terrorists even torture couldn't help
Jack Bauer wipe out: ax-wielding network programmers.*
*"Sometimes, it seems, the drama of torture is too great to resist; even
when producers know how dangerous and damaging it is in the real world."*
*-- NPR's Eric Deggans,* this morning on *Morning Edition*
*"There's just one problem with these scenes, according to former FBI agent
and interrogation expert Joe Navarro: 'None of it works,' he says. 'I've
done thousands of interviews, and I can tell you, none of [the TV torture
stuff] works.' "*
*-- from Eric D... more »
Musical Interlude: Chuck Wild, “Liquid Mind V: Serenity - Awakening”
“Liquid Mind is deeply relaxing and soothing music for relief
of stress and anxiety, meditation, healing.
Chuck Wild, “Liquid Mind V: Serenity - Awakening”
Images courtesy of ESA, NASA and The Hubble Space Telescope.”
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCa4dpKyzwo&feature=related
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Which part of this picture do you find more interesting- the land or the
sky? Advocates for the land might cite the beauty of the ancient domes of
the Bungle Bungle Range in Western Australia. These picturesque domes
appear as huge layered beehives and are made of sandstones and
conglomerates deposited over 350 million years ago.
*Click image for larger size.*
Advocates for the sky might laud the beauty of the Milky Way's central band
shown arching from horizon to horizon. The photogenic Milky Way band formed
over 10 billion years ago and now includes many well-known nebulae and
br... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Journey”
*“The Journey”*
by Chet Raymo
"Here's a deep-deep sky map of the universe from the March 9, 2006 issue of
Nature. The horizontal scale is a 360 view right around the sky; the
vertical gaps at 6 hours and 24 hours are the parts of the universe that
are blocked to our view by the disk of our own Milky Way Galaxy. The
vertical scale - distance from Earth - is logarithmic (10, 100, 1000, etc.)
measured in megaparsecs (a parsec equals 3.26 light-years). Across the top
is the Big Bang, and the oldest and most distant thing we can see, the
cosmic microwave background, the radiation of the... 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 »
"One Big Road..."
“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you're riding through the
ruts,
don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy.
Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake up and live!”
- Bob Marley
"10 Lies You Were Tricked Into Believing"
*"10 Lies You Were Tricked Into Believing"*
by Marc
"Today, it’s time to learn something new, by unlearning ten lies you
thought were true.
* 1. Alone means lonely.* ‘Alone’ doesn’t always mean lonely, and
‘relationship’ doesn’t always mean happy. Being alone will never cause as
much loneliness as the wrong relationship. If things don’t feel right, take
a break and spend some time with number one you. Find yourself first.
Appreciate your own worth. And next time you’re in a relationship that’s
sinking, you’ll be prepared to swim to safety.
*2. Happiness comes when you have ... more »
"Parts of the One: Ants and Bees, a Metaphor"
* "Parts of the One: Ants and Bees, a Metaphor"*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
"We can learn a lot from watching ants and bees living in community and
working for the greater good. When we see ants and bees out in the world,
we often see just one, but this belies the reality of their situation. More
than any other species, ants and bees function as parts of a whole. They
cannot and do not survive as individuals; they survive as members of a
group, and the group’s survival is the implicit goal of each individual’s
life. There is no concept of life outside the group, so even to use t... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
Our government has decided that the too-big-to-jail banks are also too big the bail OUT. Therefore, it is a given that the next banks to crash will refinance themselves by bailing IN, which means conficating their depositors' money. Theoretically, we are all protected by deposit insurance up to $250,000, but the FDIC doesn't have enough to remburse one bank's loss, much less if they all collapse at once. Moral: If you have money deposited in one of the big banks, get out PRONTO and put it in a credit union.
------------------------------
USAWatchDog interview on new bail-in rules 12-9-14
Posted on December 10, 2014 by Ellen Brown
http://youtu.be/Ey20x-VlDYQ
*Published on YouTube Dec 9, 2014*
When a financial crash does happen, you can forget about getting immediate
access to your money. Ellen Brown of The Web of Debt Blog says, “The banks
will say, well, we don’t have it. All the money goes into one big pool
since Glass Steagall was repealed. They are allowed to gamble with that
money and that’s what they do. I think maybe Bank of America is the most
vulnerable because of Merrill Lync... more »
Paulo Coelho, “The Well of Madness”
* “The Well of Madness”*
by Paulo Coelho
“A powerful wizard, who wanted to destroy an entire kingdom, placed a magic
potion in the well from which all the inhabitants drank. Whoever drank that
water would go mad. The following morning, the whole population drank from
the well and they all went mad, apart from the king and his family, who had
a well set aside for them alone, which the magician had not managed to
poison.
The king was worried and tried to control the population by issuing a
series of edicts governing security and public health. The policemen and
inspectors, however, ... more »
The U.S. Navy's LCS Fleet To Be Upgraded
The Navy is phasing in littoral combat ships such as the USS Freedom to
replace aging Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, Avenger-class mine
countermeasure ships and Osprey-class coastal mine hunters.
James R. Evans/U.S. Navy
*The U.S. Navy’s New Warship Is the U.S. Navy’s Old Warship … With More
Weapons -- David Axe, War Is Boring*
*Littoral Combat Ship gets upgrades to become a frigate*
Back in the 1990s, the U.S. Navy came up with a radical plan to replace its
tried-and-true Perry-class frigates, at the time the sailing branch’s most
numerous surface warship.
The idea was to b... more »
Yowza, is Republicrook ex-Guv "Virginia Slick" Bob McDonnell going away for 10 years? (Or maybe more!)
*One shuffle closer to the chain gang?* *As Howie asked in September, when
the jury dropped the hammer on Governor Bob and Mrs. Governor Bob, "After
Throwing His Own Christian Wife Under The Bus, Whose Wife Will Bob
McDonnell Be In Prison?"*
*by Ken*
When we last dallied with "Slick Bob" McDonnell, he and his wife -- the
onetime love of his life and indispensable partner in his political career,
whom he had taken to portraying publicly as That Crazy Bitch (as I put it
in July, "Man, what a dingbat ex-VA First Lady Mo McD is! Yes, the Dingbat
Defense emerges as the McDonnells' secr... more »
no idea
What is the difference between
an "asshole" and a "REAL ASSHOLE" ?
The "asshole" knows he's an "asshole",
the "REAL ASSHOLE" has no idea !
A Look At The U.S. Navy's Newest Underwater Drone
*U.S. Navy's Newest Addition To Fleet Could Be a Robotic Spy 'Fish' --
Daily Press*
*It's a fish. It's a sub. No, it's Nemo.*
The Navy's newest drone is an underwater robot disguised as a fish — a tuna
to be more specific, though the project has been dubbed Silent Nemo, after
the popular Disney film about a clown fish.
Currently under testing by the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation
Cell and Boston Engineering, the unmanned underwater vehicle is able to
make tight turns and move through the water quietly, making it ideal for
surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Once... more »
Is There a Conspiracy to Bring Honest Money to the World?
*Isaac Davis* - Freedom for the human race begins with freedom from
servitude to corrupt money. Is there a secret plan to make this happen?
The post Is There a Conspiracy to Bring Honest Money to the World? appeared
first on Waking Times.
The Movie Tonight Is 'Hell In The Pacific' (1968)
*From Wikipedia:*The film contains little dialogue, and much like its
predecessor – the film *None but the Brave* – is not dubbed or sub-titled,
thus authentically portraying the frustration of restricted communication
between the Japanese- and English-speaking. The film was entirely shot in
the Rock Islands of Palau in the north Pacific Ocean, near the Philippines
in the Philippine Sea.
The film was originally released with a rather abrupt ending, one that left
many dissatisfied with the outcome of the struggle these men endured. The
subsequent DVD release has an alternative endi... more »
Could or Would the US bail out it's own oil sector (and the banks)??
* The question asked by GE news (MSNBC)*
*link*
An economist who correctly predicted the fall in oil price this year has
told CNBC that *the U.S. government could look to bail out its energy
sector in 2015 *as the commodity's low price starts hitting the country's
economy.
"The U.S. energy sector is clearly important," Steen Jakobsen, the chief
economist at Danish investment bank Saxo Bank, told CNBC Wednesday. "They
are paramount to the long-term strategic issue that the U.S. will be
self-dependent on oil."
Jakobsen is part of team that puts together an annual "outrageous
predic... more »
The Real You
*Video* - Alan Watts inspires us with this important message about the
meaning of your life.
The post The Real You appeared first on Waking Times.
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- Dcember 12, 2014
Photo from Cypress Mail
*The Outlook On A Ukraine Stalemate -- Anatole Kaletsky, New York
Times/Reuters*
LONDON — The “day of silence” observed this week by the Ukrainian Army and
its pro-Russia rebel opponents was an event of enormous importance for
global economics as well as geopolitics. The cease-fire’s success confirmed
that the truce agreed to on Sept. 5 is mostly holding, despite some
localized fighting and the almost unanimous predictions of Western pundits
that the war would quickly resume. The durability of the truce suggests
that relations between Kiev and Moscow are gr... more »
Hugh Nibley - "The Human Condition"
*Wikipedia: *
Hugh Winder Nibley (March 27, 1910 – February 24, 2005) was an American
author, Mormon apologist, and professor at Brigham Young University (BYU).
A prolific author and professor of Biblical and Mormon scripture at BYU, he
was fluent in numerous languages, including Classical Latin, Greek, Hebrew,
Egyptian, Coptic, Arabic, German, French, English, Italian, and Spanish. He
studied Dutch and Russian during World War II. He also studied Old
Bulgarian and Old English, and his fluency in Old Norse was reportedly
sufficient to enable him to read an entire encyclopedia in N... more »
Face-Sitting and Freedom
From the marches, rallies and strikes of the labour movement through
Reclaim the Night and slutwalk set pieces, occupations outside St Paul's,
sit-ins, teach-ins, kiss-ins, die-ins, hashtags seething with rebellion,
round-robin emails, flash mobs and naked bike rides; the repertoire of
modern protest is a multifaceted thing. Surely everything that can be has
taken place under the contentious sun. Or perhaps not. This afternoon a
group of protesters gathered outside the Palace of Westminster and ... sat
on each others' faces. Hardly a mass action to be sure, but its heavy
trailering... more »
The Movie Tonight Is 'Hell In The Pacific' (1968)
*From Wikipedia:*The film contains little dialogue, and much like its
predecessor – the film *None but the Brave* – is not dubbed or sub-titled,
thus authentically portraying the frustration of restricted communication
between the Japanese- and English-speaking. The film was entirely shot in
the Rock Islands of Palau in the north Pacific Ocean, near the Philippines
in the Philippine Sea.
The film was originally released with a rather abrupt ending, one that left
many dissatisfied with the outcome of the struggle these men endured. The
subsequent DVD release has an alternative endi... more »
World News Briefs -- December 12, 2014
*Congress Passes Tougher Russia Sanctions But Gives Obama Leeway --
Bloomberg Businessweek*
The U.S. Congress has voted for tougher sanctions to punish Russia for its
intervention in Ukraine, moving beyond steps the White House and European
Union have been willing to take while giving President Barack Obama leeway
in applying most of the provisions.
The Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, which passed the Senate and House
unanimously, authorizes -- but doesn’t require -- providing lethal
assistance to Ukraine’s military as well as sweeping sanctions on Russia’s
energy sector. Th... more »
"Presenting The $303 Trillion In Derivatives That US Taxpayers Are Now On The Hook For"
*"Presenting The $303 Trillion In Derivatives That *
*US Taxpayers Are Now On The Hook For"*
by OCC
"Courtesy of the Cronybus(sic) last minute passage, government was provided
a quid-pro-quo $1.1 trillion spending allowance with Wall Street's blessing
in exchange for assuring banks that taxpayers would be on the hook for yet
another bailout, as a result of the swaps push-out provision, after
incorporating explicit Citigroup language that allows financial
institutions to trade certain financial derivatives from subsidiaries that
are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, expl... more »
Russian Foreign Ministry: Moscow Will Not Bend To US Diktat
*Photo:* Russia's Foreign Ministry. © ITAR-TASS/Gennady Khamelyanin
*Moscow Not To Bend To US Diktat — Russian Foreign Ministry -- ITAR-TASS*
*The comment came in response to US plans to exert economic and military
pressure on Russia over alleged breaches of the Russia-US Intermediate
Range Nuclear Forces Treaty*
MOSCOW, December 12 /TASS/. Moscow will not bend to US diktat, Russian
Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
The Ministry’s comment came in response to US plans to exert economic and
military pressure on Russia over alleged breaches of the Russia-US
Intermediate Range Nuclea... more »
Why do they not just quit?
All the nutbars believe in natural law. So to try and keep human performace
at a price the world can not afford is going against natural law.
Entertianment is what we do as humans, it has replaced picking nates from
other apes as number one.
Time after time the powers that be fail miserably when they try to make
something humans have always accepted a toll highway. Make me wait this is
reasonable but after a year, its mine. Dead media that might have some life
in my world. If your smart you would sell it to me in a pristine fourm
without all the bullshit. I would pay.Today the price ... more »
Did You Help Elect Matt Cartwright To Congress? Here's What You Got For It
In 2012 Blue America encouraged Matt Cartwright to run against entrenched
Blue Dog and cororoate whote Tim Holden in eastern Pennsylvania. We raised
consciousness and contributions for Cartwright and we ran a concerted I.E.
campaign in the district. Our #1 focus in all of our activities: Holden's
shilling for the fracking industry, based on the key role Holden played in
helping the GOP pass the Halliburton Loophole which opened the fracking
floodgates. We ran billboards like the one above and Facebook and Google
ads like these two:
Holden even stooped to a personal attack on... more »
Russian Foreign Ministry Reacts Angrily To US Senate Bill To Arm Ukraine And To Impose More Sanctions On Russia
*Moscow Slams New US Law on Lethal Aid to Ukraine as 'Confrontational' --
Sputnik*
The Ukraine Freedom Support Act approved by both houses of the US Congress
causes deep regret as it bears "an openly confrontational nature", Russian
Foreign Ministry's spokesman said Friday.
MOSCOW, December 12 (Sputnik) — Moscow sharply criticized on Friday the
adoption of a US Congress bill aimed at providing lethal and non-lethal aid
to Ukraine and imposing additional sanctions against Russia.
"The Ukraine Freedom Support Act approved by both houses of the US Congress
without debate and proper v... more »
Spending bill passed: Would someone please tell me what the hell's going on?...
*because I'm totally flummoxed, which is similar to being confused, only
worse.*
Obama "appeared" to side with the Republicans on the budget bill.
Conservatives in the Congress are pissed at the old guard in the GOP.
Libtards are mad at Obama. Pelosi is disappointed in Obama, and Elizabeth
Warren has emerged as a hero, and a very strong contender to be our next
president.
Of course, I don't believe any of this Kabuki theater going on in DC. I
don't believe Pelosi is "disappointed" in Obama. I don't believe that
Warren, a communist sympathizer to her core, is really pissed at ... more »
bobby keys, 1943-2014
Terrible news for the music world this week, and for the world of
unabashed, unrepentant, hard partying rock-and-roll.
I have loved Bobby Keys for as long as I've known of his existence, which
is to say a very long time. If you read *Life*, Keith Richards' memoirs,
you know a few good Bobby Keys stories. And if you love the music of the
Rolling Stones' best years, you've been loving Bobby Keys, too.
Keith and Bobby shared a birthday, and much of their lives. The death of
Bobby Keys hits Stones' fans with a special kind of force.
Bobby Keys: Bruce Weber writes about him here.
"Torture Is Exactly Who We Are"
*"Torture Is Exactly Who We Are"*
by Missy Beattie
"I could not read the names without weeping—a list of the tortured
detainees. I stared at each name, lingering, imagining, feeling. I thought
of the euphemism, enhanced interrogation, like collateral damage, a
manipulation of words to mitigate the depravity by making the unacceptable
sound less repugnant.
Torture by any other name is still torture. Defending the CIA’s violations,
former CIA Director Michael Hayden said this really wasn’t legally torture,
but “we knew as bad as these people were, we were doing this to fellow
human ... more »
Canada Blocks NAFTA Investigation Into British Columbia Fish Farm Impacts on Wild Salmon
For Immediate Release, December 12, 2014
Contact:
Alexandra Morton, (250) 974-7086Jeff Miller, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 499-9185
Canada Blocks NAFTA Investigation Into British Columbia Fish Farm Impacts on Wild Salmon
Decision Threatens Salmon Runs
Selling Space
Today is my space day for sure. I began the morning by having a one hour
meeting with a Danish woman via Skype who is writing her academic
dissertation on the moral/ethical consequences of private space flight and
planetary colonization. She was refreshingly aware of most of the nuances
of corporate driven space technology issues today. I can't wait to see her
final paper.
Following that I began work on the Global Network's next newsletter called Space
Alert! As I was sorting through various documents I came across the video
above. This is a promo piece for the annual Space Sy... more »
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