10:42pm MST
Good News: Energy Policy And The Innate Flaws Of Conservatism
Yesterday Gaius did a post about the rate of ice collapse in Antarctica. In
light of that piece, I'd like to introduce you to an uncharacteristically
good news post at Vice's *Motherboard* by Nafeez Ahmed, How Solar Power
Could Slay The Fossil Fuel Empire By 2030. Please read it in the context of what
Matt Cartwright (D-PA) is doing in Congress to combat the dangers of the
fracking industry and what freshman Ted Lieu (D-CA) says his top priority
is in Congress: "I am going to wake up every day thinking about how we can
mitigate climate change, because if we don't solve the problem... more »
Gold Report ( December 16 , 2014 ) - Gunvor exits physical gold due to concerns of fraudulently documented gold ( Gunvor exiting before the ponzi comes apart ) ...... Will Russia sell its gold due to the financial squeeze play...... India to examine its present gold policy after big spurt in imports for November ......Manipulations by Central Bankers examined ....... Austria planning to repatriate its gold from London.... China gold demand underestimated ( naturally ) ........ Jesse covers today's interesting day !
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-16/commodity-trading-giant-exits-physical-gold-due-lack-physical-documented-origin
Commodity Trading Giant Exits Physical Gold Due To "Lack Of Physical With A
Documented Origin"
[image: Tyler Durden's picture]
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/16/2014 22:35 -0500
- 8.5%
- Copper
- Deutsche Bank
- Germany
- headlines
- Natural Gas
- Precious Metals
- Reality
inShare
Back in March, otherwise very under-the-radar Swiss commodities trading
giant Gunvor and the fifth largest oil trader in the world, made headlines... more »
Pity the Politicians...Caught between a Rock and a Hard Place!
*The Rock....the elite cabalist masters and their media pittbulls:*
*and the Hard Place....the people awakening*
Australian Shooting HOAX: BUSTED!!! The So Called "Arab Terrorist Gun Man" Was Not Even There!
Australia, you are right now being so screwed over... The criminals behind
the fraud Sydney shooting that just occurred are right now working with
both your criminal government and your own Jew spew media in LYING to every
one of you! That Sydney "shooting" was so phoney, and has all the
earmarks of definitely being a planned operation just to scare the people
of Australia into supporting the fraud war against "ISIS"!
I had put up previous articles about this fraud that have already shown
clear evidence that the shooting is a scam... But now I want to present
some fabulous evidenc... more »
Mohawk Nation News 'OLD TIME REMOVAL!'
OLD
TIME REMOVAL!
OLD TIME REMOVAL!
Please post & distribute. Nia:wen. MNN. DEC. 16, 2014. This
letter was send to the Governor General of Canada, Hon. David Johnson,
on December 16: "...
View on mohawknationnews.com
Preview by Yahoo
Musical Interlude: Deuter, “Black Velvet Flirt”
Deuter, “Black Velvet Flirt”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qWFCocIfXI&list=RD9qWFCocIfXI
This is part of a playlist, let it continue...
Kahlil Gibran, "Beyond My Solitude"
*"Beyond My Solitude"*
"Beyond my solitude is another solitude,
and to him who dwells therein,
my aloneness is a crowded market-place and my silence a confusion of sounds.
Too young am I and too restless to seek that above-solitude.
The voices of yonder valley still hold my ears,
and its shadows bar my way and I cannot go.
Beyond these hills is a grove of enchantment and to him who dwells therein,
my peace is but a whirlwind and my enchantment an illusion.
Too young am I and too riotous to seek that sacred grove.
The taste of blood is clinging in my mouth,
and the bow and the ... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 6744 is nearly 175,000 light-years
across, larger than our own Milky Way. It lies some 30 million light-years
distant in the southern constellation Pavo. We see the disk of the nearby
island universe tilted towards our line of sight. Orientation and
composition give a strong sense of depth to this colorful galaxy portrait
that covers an area about the angular size of the full moon.
*Click image for larger size.*
This giant galaxy's yellowish core is dominated by the light from old, cool
stars. Beyond the core, spiral arms filled with young blue star ... more »
“Native American Words of Wisdom”
*“Native American Words of Wisdom”*
Uploaded by firefly4tori
"This video is dedicated to all North American tribes people. It is my
interpretation of Native American quotes, proverbs, and prayer. The song,
"Crow and Weasel", was composed by Nancy Rumble. The contributing artists
to the song are Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumble. Thank you to all the people
who have allowed me to use these photos and music in the making of this
video. No profit has been made from the production of this video or its
existence. All photo and music copyrights are reserved to their rightful
owners."
-http:... more »
"Our Finest Moments..."
“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are
feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in
such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out
of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”
- M. Scott Peck
Chet Raymo, “Grimm Business”
*“Grimm Business”*
by Chet Raymo
"The American artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was a superb draftsman.
He also veered successfully towards impressionism. He could be pompously
formal, or endearingly sentimental. But here is the painting that seems to
have evoked more comment and analysis than any other, "The Daughters of
Edward Darley Boit, painted in Paris in 1882. It normally resides in
Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, but it is currently on display at the Prado
in Madrid, paired with Velazquez's "Las Meninas" (1651). "Las Meninas",
although widely considered a masterpiece, ha... more »
"Relating to the Negative: The Danger of Repression"
*"Relating to the Negative: The Danger of Repression"*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
"When negative thoughts arise it is best to address them rather than
pushing them down where they will surface again. For the last several
years, there has been a lot of focus on the power of positive thinking.
Many people have come to misinterpret this wisdom to mean that it is not
okay to have a bad mood or a negative thought or feeling. This can lend a
kind of superficiality to their relationship with life and relationships
with other people. It can also lead them to feel that if a negative thou... more »
This is What Solidarity Looks Like
Yesterday, we, a coalition of Black folks+Asian Allies+White Allies
shutdown the Oakland Police Headquarters. Allies locked themselves to
multiple entrances, blocked off all surrounding intersections, and raised a
"Black Lives Matter" flag, while Black folk held space to honor the lives
that have been stolen from us.
We shut it down for over 4hrs 28min. 4 hours is the time that Mike Brown's
body was left on the ground after being murdered by Ferguson PD, and 28
mins symbolizes that every 28 hrs a black person is murdered by polices,
security officers, or vigilantes.
We will conti... more »
Do we really and truly believe that in-the-trenches defenders of freedom can never bend the "rules"?
*by Ken*
At Daily Kos, Shaun King yesterday put up a fine little post called "Midtown
NYPD commanding officer posts, then immediately deletes, outrageous tweet,"
which is pretty startling in its own right but also raises interesting
questions. Here's what Shaun posted:
NYPD commanding officer Edward Winski decided to post something
inspirational on Twitter for Motivational Monday, but quickly deleted it. [*Note:
This link will take you to a age that says, appropriately enough, "Sorry,
that page doesn't exist!* -- Ed.] The quote is from Jack Nicholson, playing
Col. Jessup in the m... more »
Rising Radiation in Phoenix Across Time
Majia's Blog - 3 hours ago
Using EPA Radnet data, I've identified periods of high radiation levels in
southern, US west-coast cities (excluding initial releases in spring 2011):
PERIOD 1: October 2011 – January 2012 (this period was documented as a high
release period in Japan by Japanese scientists - see here)
PERIOD 2: November 2013 – January 2014
PERIOD 3: November 2012 – January 2014
These periods cannot be explained by seasonal variation alone or plant
refueling in the US alone because levels were not elevated during the
fall/winter of October 2012 – January 2013.
The jet stream is lower over the US... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Paris, Ile-de-France, France. Thanks for stopping by.
"If We're Lucky..."
“Maybe we accept the dream has become a nightmare. We tell ourselves that
reality is better. We convince ourselves it’s better that we never dream at
all. But, the strongest of us, the most determined of us, holds on to the
dream or we find ourselves faced with a fresh dream we never considered. We
wake to find ourselves, against all odds, feeling hopeful. And, if we’re
lucky, we realize in the face of everything, in the face of life the true
dream is being able to dream at all.”
- Dr. Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy"
The Poet: May Sarton, "Now I Become Myself"
*"Now I Become Myself"*
“Now I become myself. It's taken
Time, many years and places,
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
"hurry, you will be dead before -----"
(What? Before you reach the morning?
or the end of the poem, is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)
Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!
Now there is time and Time is young.
O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move,
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the Sun!”... more »
Top 10 Posts for 2014
December is a time of year to review your year almost gone, and make up a
few best-of lists
So according to readership and the analytics of Mr Google, these right here
were the best posts at NOT PC this 2014, in order:
1. “I decided to write this after I noticed that western libertarians
have unaccountably developed a soft spot for Russian president Vladimir
Putin.”
*Putin’s Libertarians* – Mikhail Svetov
2. “As Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott heads to the Northern
Territory to live in an aboriginal community for a week, honouring an
election promise ... more »
Nine days with Amtrak
I was away for awhile. It was sad -- selling my mom and dad's little
single-wide in the little retirement park by the river.
The journeying itself was good for me, though. I've been across the country
on trains, but these were epic coach-class marathons. This time, I could
afford to go sleepers all the way, so I did. Much time for reflection.
THE WU WEI OF TEACHING
Wu Wei (Ooo way) is the ancient Chinese art of planned, or practiced
spontaneity, an artistic skill many of us should acquire. An article in the
NYT science section on Dec 16, 2014 entitled “*A Mediation on the Art of
Not Trying*” described it as “the art of not really trying.” You may know
it as, “Relax. Just be yourself. Act Naturally”.
It is when we “flow”, or what we do well seems effortless to others. The
paradox is odd. When one tries not to try, one automatically fails at it.
The smile looks forced, the speech sounds over rehearsed. The conversation
feel forced. We tighten u... more »
The Taliban - Pakistan Conflict Is Going To Get Worse
*Pakistan’s War With The Taliban May Be About To Get Worse -- Naina
Bajekal, Time*
It's not clear if the massacre of at least 132 school children means the
Taliban has weakened or remains strong
The Taliban’s attack on a Peshawar school that left at least 132 school
children and nine members of staff dead on Tuesday was described by Maryam
Nawaz Sharif, the daughter of the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as
“the biggest human tragedy Pakistan may have ever seen”.
The massacre follows a relative lull in violence in Pakistan since the
attack on the country’s biggest airport ... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 16, 2014
*What Do The Pakistan Taliban Want? -- Laura Smith-Spark and Tim Lister,
CNN*
(CNN) -- The scene was horrifying. Gunmen stalked through the school,
shooting children as they cowered under benches and booby-trapping
buildings with homemade explosives.
When the siege finally ended, Pakistan was left reeling and the world
wondering: Who would do such a thing? And what do they hope to achieve?
The identity of the group behind the massacre at the army-run school in
Peshawar is no mystery.
The Pakistan Taliban -- who have long conducted an insurgency against the
Pakistani government a... more »
The Oil Coup- US/Saudi dirty dealing- Kissinger Replay?
Well I lied! Can't get away from this dam blog. Poor hubby- Love ya lots!
Anyway this just hit my inbox and it's a doozy. Ties in nicely with the
preceding post- *Ellen Brown: The Global Banker Coup- Bail ins and more*
*The latest*-* The Oil Coup- Mike Whitney*
December 16, 2014
*US-Saudi Subterfuge Send Stocks and Credit Reeling*
*“John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, allegedly struck a deal with King
Abdullah in September under which the Saudis would sell crude at below the
prevailing market price.* That would help explain why the price has been
falling at a time when, given th... more »
Citizens, Beasts or Gods?
Keeping up with the current engagement with artificial intelligence (AI) is
a full time task. Today in the New York Times, two (here and here) lead
articles in the technology section were about AI, and another discussed the
future of robotics and AI and the workforce. As I blogged last week, the
coming economic future
Continue reading
One People Round Table Dec 16-2014- VIDEO
http://the-one-network.org/one-people-round-table-dec-16-2014/
One People Round Table Dec 16-2014
16 December 2014
*The One People Show is back…..*
Lisa Harrison, Brian Kelly and Dani Arnold McKenny invite you to join them
each week as they discuss, and at times, debate, world events, mainstream
headlines and this ongoing global shift.
Today’s discussion went into the ongoing research and findings around the
former OPPT.
Ellen Brown: The Global Banker Coup- Bail ins and more
As mentioned last week-
Could or Would the US bail out it's own oil sector (and the banks)??
At that time I refreshed readers memories on several previous posts
regarding the bail in or haircut scenario
*There won't be a bailout. It will be haircuts. Remember? The plans have
been made. *
*This banker scam was first mentioned in 2013 and recently below- Going
Global!*
*Links back to the two 2013 posts are included in the post from Nov 11/2014*
*Banksters: Global Haircuts= Global Plunder. Legalizing the theft of your
savings.*
*Pt.1: Giving Canadians and everyone, everywhere a Cypriot ... more »
Whooping Cough hits California- 90% of patients vaccinated
*Sorry to cause anymore cognitive dissonance. Well actually, I am not!
Vaccination has been sold to us as infallible. A panacea for all that ails
us. And far too many believe such nonsense*
*Is such foolish belief a threat to the human species and it's survival. As
our planet is fouled. Our food is degraded. Our water filthied. Should we
hold the misguided belief that vaccines are miracle cures. Or should we
accept that first of all we are deluding ourselves and even worse making
weaker future generations. It's time to evaluate, with eyes wide open,
exactly what we have done to our... more »
Quote of the Day: ‘From Sydney to Peshawar’
“The current war is very different from the second world war. Our enemy is
not so very different. But the casualties to date are infinitely lower and
most populations around the world do not yet face anything like the threat
that they faced back then. But this war is also several times longer
already. And to a greater extent than any previous war in history, it is
being played out as much in terms of public opinion via the media (witness
the Sydney gunman’s use of Facebook and YouTube) as in the cafes of Sydney
and the schools of Northern Pakistan. The drip-drip of negative news co... more »
Israel-Palestine As An Issue Inside Democratic Politics
Israel's enforcer inside the Democratic Party
Most bloggers I know hate talking about the Israel-Palestine mess. It's
been a problem since before the battle of Jericho and no problem anywhere
on earth looks as intractable. And discussing it in blogs is a no-win
situation. It's an existential problem for both camps-- and by "it," I mean
even a square inch in the desert. One thing that does drove me crazy,
however, and that I have been willing to write about, are American
politicians who put Israel's interests before America's interests-- not
just in specific matters that involve Israe... more »
World News Briefs -- December 16, 2014
*Taliban Go On Killing Spree At Pakistan School, 132 Students Dead --
Reuters*
(Reuters) - At least 132 students and nine staff members were killed on
Tuesday when Taliban gunmen broke into a school in the Pakistani city of
Peshawar and opened fire, witnesses said, in the bloodiest massacre the
country has seen for years.
More than eight hours after militants slipped into the heavily guarded
compound through a back entrance, the army declared the operation to flush
them out over, and said that all nine insurgents had been killed.
The attack on a military-run high school attended ... more »
Canada revisits "Homeland Missile Defence" ?
*This one got past me. As I am sure it did many Canadians.*
*Via an email....*
* MDAA Alert: *
*Canada Revisits Homeland Missile Defense*
*June 3, 2014 *
The Canadian Senate Chambers
Dear Members and Friends,
*Deputy NORAD Commander Lieutenant General Alain Parent (RCAF) testified on
North American missile defense issues before the Canadian Senate yesterday.
The Canadian Parliament is currently reviewing its 2005 decision not to
participate in the U.S. North American ballistic missile defense
architecture. Two former Canadian defense ministers have stated that the
time has ... more »
Standard of review on appeal of admissibility of hearsay
R. v. Mullings, 2014 ONCA 895:
[28] The standard of review on an appeal of a ruling on the
admissibility of hearsay evidence is correctness: *R. v. Duong*, 2007 ONCA
68, 84 O.R. (3d) 515, at para. 54. As the respondent notes, however, this
analysis is generally fact-specific and deference should be given to the
trial judge's weighing of the factors going to the reliability of the
statement. As this court observed in *R. v. S.S.*, 2008 ONCA 140, 232
C.C.C. (3d) 158, at para. 30:
As long as the trial judge addressed the factors germane to the reliability
of the hearsay state... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 16, 2014
*Photo*: Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters.
*State Department Backs Off Controversial ASAT Test Ban Proposal --
Washington Free Beacon*
*Pentagon, military opposing space weapons testing ban.*
The Obama administration is shelving a controversial arms control
initiative that would ban destructive tests of anti-satellite weapons
following opposition from the Pentagon over concerns the ban would limit
U.S. space activities, according to defense and congressional officials.
The arms control plan, first disclosed by the Washington Free Beacon last
month, was confirmed by Rose Gottemoelle... more »
The Affair
The best new TV show this year, at least among those I have seen, is
Showtime's *The Affair*. It is a compellingly written and acted drama and
crime story told, alternately, from two perspectives. If you want to check
out the first episode, you can do so here. (One of the lead actors is
Dominic West, who played McNulty in *The Wire*, another of the all-time
great TV shows.)
Jim Murphy and Saving Scottish Labour
The victories of Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale in the Scottish Labour
leadership elections have invited much comment. Some of it warm and
friendly, but a great deal not. Indeed, soon after Saturday's results were
announced obituaries (like this) have been pouring in from the left. True,
many who are so minded wish Scottish Labour little other than ill and can't
wait for the party north of the border to shuffle off this mortal coil, but
wanting something and having it happen are not the same. As readers know,
Jim wasn't my choice, but that doesn't mean I think Scottish Labour is
doom... more »
Australian Shooting HOAX! Wake Up Australia, You Are Being Conned!
The so called "shooting" in Sydney Australia at that "Lindt Chocolate Cafe"
(That alone makes me laugh) is over, and it is time to call this for what
it really is... A massive fraud and hoax! I have been pouring over so
much material over the last two days, and there has been additional
information coming via my comment section, and I can definitely call this
fraud for what it is... A massive hoax and con game on the Australian
people....
For this article, I want to present some interesting material that I have
come across for everyone to see and hear.... First, I want to present ... more »
A New Day. A New Barbarity.
*“Slay the idolaters wherever you find them…” - *Quran, Ch. 9:5
*“When you encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads until you have
made a great slaughter among them….”*
- Quran, Ch. 47:4
If it was heartening yesterday to see Muslim leaders here and in Australia
condemn the chocolate shop gunman, then it was sickening to be reminded
overnight that mass killing in the name of 'the religion of peace' is still
nonetheless very much a thing.
That we find it impossible to get ourselves inside the head of someone who
is driven by their religion to murder 132 schoolchildren in... more »
Iraq's Northern Kurdish Leader Blames Former Iraq PM Maliki For The Collapse Of The Iraq Army
Barzani, in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya's Rima Maktabi,
expressed Kurdish readiness to liberate Mosul from ISIS forces. (Al Arabiya)
*Exclusive: Barzani Blames Maliki For Iraq Army Collapse -- Al Arabiya*
The president of Iraq’s northern Kurdish region, Masoud Barzani, blamed on
Monday former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the collapse of the
Iraqi army in the face of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
earlier this year.
In an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya's Rima Maktabi, Barzani also said
the swift collapse of the Iraqi army came after substantia... more »
Obama: We're 'Hammering' The Islamic State
*Obama: We're 'Hammering' Islamic State -- USA Today*
President Obama struck an aggressive and optimistic tone Monday about
U.S.-led efforts to roll back the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, saying
the jihadist group is now on the defensive.
"Along with our coalition partners, we are hammering these terrorists,"
Obama told troops at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
"Taking out their fighters, their commanders, hundreds of vehicles and
tanks, nearly 200 oil and gas facilities, the infrastructure that funds
their terror."
Obama also told the troops: "More than a thou... more »
Satire: “Warren’s Display of Backbone Threatens Career as Democrat”
*“Warren’s Display of Backbone Threatens Career as Democrat”*
by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “What some insiders are calling a “rash
display of backbone” last week could endanger Senator Elizabeth Warren’s
career as a Democrat, leading party operatives say. Harland Dorrinson, a
strategist who has guided the campaigns of dozens of Democratic candidates
said that the Massachusetts legislator’s “recklessly truthful” tirade about
banks left him “smacking my head.”
“She stood up for what she believed in and didn’t try to water it down,” he
said. “That is a serious vi... more »
Report: The Iraqi Army And The Islamic State Are Now Preparing Themselves For The Battle Of Mosul
A member of the Iraqi security forces takes his position with his weapon
during an intensive security deployment on the outskirts of Samarra, south
of Mosul
*The Battle For Mosul: When And How? -- Rudaw*
With all eyes on Mosul, there is much speculation over the timing of an
expected assault to retake Iraq’s second-largest city from the Islamic
State (ISIS).
Planners are busy laying out a scheme for liberating Mosul; Kurdish
President Massoud Barzani has said the Peshmerga will play only a
supporting role in the fight for the city.
Mosul officials warn that the fight for Iraq’s s... more »
Public Funding of Fake Clinics in Alberta: The Wrap
We have some catching up to do.
We revealed that public funds from the Alberta Lottery Fund were being
handed over to fake clinics and profiled the first lucky fake clinic, Central
Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre Society (Red Deer), here.
Part 2 on Medicine Hat Pregnancy Support Society. And Part 3 on Hinton
Crisis Pregnancy Association.
We published a letter by Celia Posnyiak asking Alberta Culture about that
funding and another asking the mayor of Hinton about its creative
additional funding of local fetus freaks through photo radar money.
We heard from the mayor of Hinton.
And ... more »
They Want It All
Military madness
wants it all
Pentagon complaining
'ain't got enough'
Nuclear subs
going to cost
17% more
12 new ones
(why you say?)
going to cost $92 billion
*$$$* is extracted
from the hides
of the people
be sure
that collapsing
infrastructure
won't get funded
nor the unraveling
web of
human life
War is a sickness
a sign of the
dark and broken
hearts
Cleanse my heart
heal my soul
douse my fire
and rage
in the healing
waters of justice
and true peace
Oh great spirit
please give me
strength
to keep
bearing witness
to my own
frailty
and to the
humanity
of us all
let us retreat
int... more »
More Machine Than Man
*The Daily Show*
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily
Show on Facebook
Iris Scans at Syrian Refugee Camps: A Brave New World?
*Syrian refugees in Jordan get cash payments from the UN Refugee Agency
through an eye scan*
The Daily Star (Lebanon) reports:
Biometric scanning: Earlier this year, aid workers started adding all
Syrian refugees arriving in Jordan to a biometric database upon
registration. As well as improving the accuracy and efficiency of records
and avoiding duplication, the biometric system has enabled cash payments to
be issued through Hollywood-movie-style iris scans. It is the first time
UNHCR has distributed cash this way.
In partnership with Cairo Amman Bank, refugees eligible for cash han... more »
Islamic State Using Bombs Containing Live SCORPIONS In An Effort To Spread Panic Throughout Iraq
Scorpion bomb used against the Roman Empire. Flickr
*ISIS Using Bombs Containing Live SCORPIONS In Effort To Spread Panic, In
Tactic Used 2,000 Years Ago Against Romans -- Daily Mail*
* Canisters packed with the creatures are being blasted into Iraqi towns
* They do not cause mass causalities but have serious psychological impact
* The tactic was first used by Iraqis in the desert city of Hatra in
198-199AD
* They would pack clay pots full of scorpions and hurl them at Roman armies
Militants fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq have unveiled their latest
terror tactic - bombs conta... more »
Censored News Heroes in Resistance Awards 2014
Censored
News Photographer of the Year Robyn Jackson, Dineh
Censored News Heroes in Resistance Awards
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
Leonard Peltier
Censored News readers have selected their heroes to be honored as Heroes
in Resistance. The Lifetime Achievement Awards honor Leonard Peltier,
Debra and Alex White Plume, Billy Frank, Jr., Lehman Brightman and Dineh
and Hopi elders.
The Islamic State Releases Pictures Of A Mass Execution In Tirkit, Iraq
The first of three pictures released by ISIS showing a mass public
execution in Tikrit.
*ISIS Releases Pictures Of Mass Execution In Tikrit -- Rudaw*
BAGHDAD, Iraq – The Islamic State (ISIS) has released pictures of a mass
public execution of 13 people in the northern city of Tikrit, accusing them
of being anti-jihadi Sunni tribesemen.
In three different pictures posted on the Internet, ISIS gunmen in black
are seen standing behind a row of kneeling men in orange suits.
The next picture shows them right after execution, with the third
photograph showing the dead bodies dragged int... more »
Heavy Fighting Reported Throughout Syria
Rebel fighters stand near tanks inside al-Hamidiyeh base, one of two
military posts they took control of from forces loyal to Syria's President
Bashar al-Assad in the northwestern province of Idlib December 15, 2014.
REUTERS/Stringer
*Around 180 Syrian Soldiers, Jihadists Reported Killed In Battle For Base
-- Reuters*
(Reuters) - Around 100 Syrian soldiers and 80 Islamist fighters were killed
during a two-day battle in which insurgents captured the Wadi al-Deif
military base, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group
said on Tuesday.
The Britain-based group said I... more »
Dec. 15: You have to learn how to hate....
Harper has been the latest in a long line of Canadian prime ministers who
have taught hatred. Recently, he's been big on denouncing communism - and
pronouncing it "evil". That's surely an odd thing to do with a system that
doesn't exist any more and, in fact, never existed. (Contrary to popular
belief and to their own claims, Russia, China and Cuba have never been
communist - just as Canada and the US have never really been capitalist.
As for the "evil" part, only humans can be evil. Evil is a spiritual
condition. Trees, rocks, and mountains cannot be evil. Economic systems
cannot b... more »
All We Like Sheep
Then one fog-of-war Christmas Eve, pollsters came to say: *Americans with
all their might, Proclaim that torture is all right.*
Well, what else could we expect? If people are fine with presidential drone
assassinations, what's a little waterboarding and rectal rape-feeding and
sleep deprivation? From the *Washington Post*:
*A majority of Americans believe that the harsh interrogation techniques
used on terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were
justified, even as about half the public says the treatment amounted to
torture, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News ... more »
For The First Time Since The Announcement Of The Ceasefire, No Fighting Is Reported Overnight In Eastern Ukraine
A pro-Russian separatists tank is seen on a road near the village of
Rozsypne, eastern Ukraine, Dec. 15, 2014.
*Ukraine's Poroshenko Hails First Full Overnight Truce in Rebel East --
VOA/Reuters*
KYIV — Ukraine's separatist east passed the night into Tuesday without any
shooting, President Petro Poroshenko said, hailing the first such stretch
of calm as a positive signal for the next steps in a peace plan.
Army chief of staff Viktor Muzhenko also stressed progress had been made on
the implementation of the cease-fire, but said one Ukrainian soldier had
since been killed on Tuesday... more »
Gasoline Intensity of the US Economy at Recent Low (Take Two)
Thanks much to David Appell in the comments, who motivated me to take a
second look at this analysis. I had been using a subset of total gasoline
consumption in an earlier analysis, and he correctly points out that a more
comprehensive measure is better. So this post has subsequently been revised.
Today the US EIA announced that projected household gasoline consumption in
2015 is expected to be the lowest in 11 years. That motivated me to update a
graph I did a few years ago on the gasoline intensity of the US economy,
defined as the total expenditures at the pump by US consumers as... more »
Why Everyone Should Come Together To Get Money Out of the Elections Process (Because It Buys the Laws Banksters Want)
Love it or leave it, Paul Krugman nails the money men who now rule the U.S.
And it's up to US to ensure that the crooks are not let out of the box.
Again. Can anyone say "Robert Rubin" Without a sardonic laugh? He certainly
left Citi sitting pretty. Wall Street’s RevengeDodd-Frank Damaged in the
Budget BillDEC. 14, 2014 Paul Krugman On Wall Street, 2010 was the year of
“Obama rage,”
Swan case dismissed, Colville Members for Justice Respond
Swan v. Colville Business Council Dismissed
Colville Members for Justice Respond
By Joe Fry, Media Coordinator
Colville Members for Justice
Dec. 13, 2014
Censored News
Further action now being considered, which may include federal complaint
Yvonne Swan
In an order filed on December 2, 2014, in the Court of Appeals of The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Chief
Will Plunging Oil Prices Will Lead To More Global Tensions In 2015?
*Plunging Oil 'To Spark More Global Tensions' In 2015 -- CENT News*
United Kingdom - The oil market faces an uncertain outlook in 2015 as
tumbling prices resulting from global oversupply stoke geopolitical
tensions in key producers of crude, analysts say.
Oil prices have lost around half their value since June, punished by
abundant supplies, a stronger dollar and weak demand in the faltering world
economy.
Losses accelerated in late November when the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) -- which pumps out one-third of the world's oil
-- decided against cutting its... more »
Republicans Look At Jeb Bush... And Shudder In Horror
Cringe-worthy... even for Republicans
*This Week*, a right-wing webste, is more in tune with the ideas
right-of-center writers like David Frum than with the crazy fascist and
racist stuff you get from other GOP-oriented media. Yesterday, after
*Politico* reported that GOP Establishment figures Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush
are both planning to run for president in 2016, they were one of many
Republican outlets wringing their hands over the prospect of-- let's face
it-- another Bush. Jeb confirmed everyone's worst fears on his Facebook page
this morning. Romney, according to *Politico*, is... more »
"How It Really Is"
You'd better believe it, too...
Hundreds of school children dead in Pakistan: Libtards attack religion...
*all religion, as the cause.*
Because everyone knows how dangerous marauding Christians are.
Every time I get to peek into the mind of a libtard I'm shocked.
Check this out from Huff and Puff.
Article:
*Taliban Kills More Than 100 Children In Pakistan School Attack*
Some of the Comments:
*Religious leaders of all faiths should bow your heads in shame. For
generations you have preached intolerance. It is your bigotry that inspires
religious fanatics of all faiths to murder in the name of GOD. I pray that
GOD damns you all.*
*Religion is a disease.*
*Yep, they are all cults.*... more »
“Want to Know Who Really Runs the United States? Read On...”
*“Want to Know Who Really Runs the United States?*
* Read On...”*
by Bill Bonner
“Dow down 99 points yesterday. Gold fell $28 an ounce – its fourth straight
day of losses. Stock markets have been slipping all over the world,
especially in Europe. But outside of Russia, and maybe Greece, so far there
is no sign of real panic. That will come later.
We're spending this week in Washington, zombie watching. Yesterday, we
spent the evening in the lobby of The Willard hotel. A choir sang carols.
"Hark the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King!"
In one corner a group of cronies s... more »
How Russia Is Bolstering Its Arsenal Amid Tensions With The West
*How Russia Is Bolstering Its Arsenal Amid Tensions With The West: Fighter
Jets, Tanks, Missiles And A New Nuclear Submarine On Kremlin’s Shopping
List As Military Spending Rises By 85% Over Five Years -- Daily Mail*
* Russia now the world's third biggest arms dealer after the U.S. and the UK
* Experts say most of the $31billion in sales is down to Kremlin orders
* Moscow's military expenditure has more than doubled since 2004
Russia is going on a huge military shopping spree for warplanes, tanks,
missiles and submarines as tensions with Nato and the U.S. continue to
escalate.
Kre... more »
Russian Military Forces Conducted Major Military Drills Near NATO Borders Last Week
Russian troops stand after a training exercise in the village of Nikinci,
west from Belgrade, November 14, 2014. Marko Djuric/REUTERS
*Putin Orders Snap Military Drills On NATO Border -- Newsweek*
Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered snap military drills for Russian
armed forces in the Baltic region to test Russia’s “battle-readiness”, a
ministry of defence spokesperson told Russian news agency Interfax today.
“A self-sufficient, multi-purpose army of air, sea and land units was
assembled in the period of less than a day in the Kaliningrad area,
consisting of units from all bra... more »
Health costs: The New York Times does it again!
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014Arranges to hide the big picture:* On the front
page of today’s New York Times, the paper has done it again.
Elisabeth Rosenthal writes her latest lengthy report concerning the
outlandish costs of American health care. In the process, she hides the big
picture—“buries the lede”—in familiar, remarkable fashion.
In today’s report, Rosenthal focuses on the wildly varying cost of a
certain medical procedure. Headline included, this is the way she starts:
ROSENTHAL (12/16/14):
*The Odd Math of Medical Tests: One Scan, Two Prices, Both HighLen Charlap,
a ret... more »
Russia's Ruble Continues To Crash. So What Will Happen Next?
*Oil's Crashing And Russia's Imploding, So It's Time To Start Asking What
Will Happen Next ... -- Henry Blodget, Business Insider*
The price of oil has fallen by half since this summer. The Russian ruble
has collapsed. A bored, belligerent, and megalomaniacal dictator with a
massive military is on the march ...
So, what will happen next?
Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer says Vladimir Putin's response to this
escalating crisis is likely to be "geopolitical," which doesn't sound
comforting.
So what's in store for global markets and economies?
*Read more *....
*More News On Russia's Ec... more »
Is Death Even Real?
*Video* - This mind-blowing video by Kurzgesagt asks the big questions,
what is life? Is death real?
The post Is Death Even Real? appeared first on Waking Times.
Taliban Launch Major Offensive Near The Afghan - Pakistan Border
A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter lands while coalition troops prepare
for the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and U.S. Army
XVIII Airborne Corps end-of-mission ceremony on North Kabul International
Airport in Afghanistan, Dec. 8, 2014. The command's five-year mission was
to neutralize the insurgency in specified areas and support improved
governance and development, in order to protect the Afghan people and
provide a secure environment for sustainable peace. U.S. Air Force photo by
Staff Sgt. Perry Aston
*Taliban Fighters Mount Offensive Near Afghan Border... more »
8 Ways Magic Mushrooms Explain Santa Story
*Douglas Main* - The story of Santa and his flying reindeer can be traced
to an unlikely source: hallucinogenic or "magic" mushrooms, according to
one theory...
The post 8 Ways Magic Mushrooms Explain Santa Story appeared first on Waking
Times.
"Thanks, Social Media – Our Average Attention Span Is Now Shorter Than Goldfish"
*“Watch Out for Your Eyeballs!”*
By Chris
"Technology has drastically changed how we interact with one another.
Twenty years ago I couldn't operate as I do now. I am communicating with
you, our lovely readers on a MacBook from a beach resort town in New
Zealand. I've had conference calls throughout my day with people in Hong
Kong, Beijing, Thailand, Los Angeles and New York. This is a normal day for
me. My average day doesn't look distinctly different when I'm in Singapore
or anywhere else. Information flows are now near seamless and instant.
At the same time there is a plethora of... more »
Ukrainian PM Appeals For Financial Help From The EU And Military Assistance From NATO
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) welcomes Ukraine's Prime
Minister Arseny Yatseniuk prior to a meeting at NATO headquarters in
Brussels December 15, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Eric Vidal
*Ukrainian PM Appeals To EU For Immediate Financial Aid -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk appealed to the
European Union for urgent financial aid on Monday, saying the government
was doing all it could to fix a shattered economy but needed help.
A year of revolution and war with pro-Russian separatists has pushed
Ukraine's hryvnia currency to record lows and cr... more »
Children ‘Clean’ Oil Spill With Kitchen Utensils in Bangladesh
*Jeremy Hance* - Bangladesh struggles to deal with devastating oil spill in
world's largest mangrove forest, home to dolphins and tigers...
The post Children ‘Clean’ Oil Spill With Kitchen Utensils in Bangladesh
appeared first on Waking Times.
Over 150 School Children Slaughtered By Taliban Assault In Pakistan
*'Our Classmates Were Shot In Front Of Us… I Felt Bullets Flying Past My
Head': Boy Aged 10 Recounts Horror Of Seeing Friends Gunned Down In
Pakistani School Slaughter As Taliban Fighters Massacred More Than 100
Children -- Daily Mail*
* Gunmen in Peshawar entered school and started shooting at random
* One terrorist blew himself up in a classroom containing 60 children
* Teacher set on fire in front of pupils, with the children forced to watch
* Army commandos quickly arrived at the scene and exchanged fire
* School was stormed by nine gunmen in military fatigues, it was reported
... more »
Editor's Note
Regular readers of this blog know that my business partner lost his
daughter almost two weeks ago. Her body was finally released by the coroner
early this morning, and I have been helping him with the arrangements. I
just got to my office and the first thing that I see on the BBC news is the
massacre of 130 school children (and climbing) at a Pakistan school.
Memories of the *massacre of Beslan* now comes to mind.
Sighhh ....
There are a lot of evil people in the world.
Blogging will resume within the hour.
Quick and Easy Reindeer Cookies with Nestle Tollhouse
Thanks to Nestle Toll House for sponsoring today's discussion.
My 6-year-old and I have loved baking together this holiday season. She
helped me decorate her own birthday cake last week and had an absolute
blast. She wanted to make reindeer cookies but everything I found was too
complicated for her attention span, so we decided to make these darling
cookies using Nestle Tollhouse Rolled and Ready Cookie Sheets. They let you
cut and shape the cookie anyway you want, bake and decorate all within a
relatively small period of time. They are perfect for baking with kids.
You will need:... more »
Sara X goes classical but still uses her breasts (vaguely NSFW)
This time Sara X Mills accompanies Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. I think Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart would have approved!
Iranian Airpower In Iraq
In November 2014 an Iranian jet was filmed carrying out a bombing mission
in Iraq’s Diyala province. Iran was already known to have mobilized its
militia allies, sent in advisers, military equipment, brought in Lebanon’s
Hezbollah to help Baghdad, and the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guars
Quds Force General Qasim Suleimani is all over social media seen providing
leadership to Iraqi forces. Sending in air support seemed like the next
natural step for Iran’s strategy in Iraq.
Iranian F-4 jet filmed flying missions over Diyala (*Al Jazeera*)
Iranian planes supported an Iraqi mi... more »
The Hidden History of China’s Secret Societies
*Mehmet Sabeheddin* - Audiences around the world have been entertained by
wild and colourful portrayals of Chinese secret societies...
The post The Hidden History of China’s Secret Societies appeared first on Waking
Times.
War by Media Propaganda Machine
*From John Pilger’s address to the Logan Symposium, "Building an Alliance
Against Secrecy, Surveillance & Censorship," organized by the Centre for
Investigative Journalism, London, December, 2014.*
“The suppression of the truth about Ukraine is one of the most complete
news blackouts I can remember. The biggest Western military build-up in the
Caucasus and eastern Europe since World War II is blacked out. Washington's
secret aid to Kiev and its neo-Nazi brigades, responsible for war crimes
against the population of eastern Ukraine, is blacked out. Evidence that
contradicts propaga... more »
Is The Brain The Receiver Of Consciousness?
*Arjun Walia* - Consciousness is the way we perceive and observe our world,
the way we think, our intentions, feelings, emotions and more...
The post Is The Brain The Receiver Of Consciousness? appeared first on Waking
Times.
What Could Andrea Horwath Have Done?
The Ontario Liberal majority government has allowed them to show off all
their worst attributes. The main thing that Ontario Liberals seem to like
to do is to waste billions and billions of taxpayers' dollars on boondoggle
gifts to their friends in the private sector. (Of course, if they didn't,
those private-sector scum would enthusiastically pour all their resources
into the Tea-Baggers in the Ontario PC Party.)
But that's no excuse. When corporate criminals are extorting you and trying
to get you to destroy the living standards of hundreds of thousands of
people, you should use t... more »
Women sold as sex slaves in Islamic State markets, says UN official
JPost reports
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Women-sold-as-sex-slaves-in-Islamic-State-markets-says-UNs-Valerie-Amos-384804
that:
'The situation for Syrian women has worsened since July at the hands of
Islamic State, said Valerie Amos, the UN's under-secretary-general for
humanitarian affairs and emergency relief.
She described how women and female children as young as 12 are enslaved and
sexually abused. "Women captured as slaves by [Islamic State] have been
sold in markets in Raqqa. Some are sold to individual men. Others are kept
by [Islamic State] in rest houses and face m... more »
Shrinking ruble: Russian calmness impresses me
Thanks to the excess oil (not only) from fracking, the price dropped below
$59 for the first time in a long time.
And because of this drop combined with the Russian dependence on the income
from fossil fuels and because of sanctions against Russia that have almost
cut the world's largest territory from loans, plus the hysteria surrounding
these moves, the Russian currency dropped from 32 rubles per dollar in
October 2013 to the high of 93.5 rubles per dollar earlier today. The ruble
has recovered some ground since that time (to 80 now) but it may have been
temporary.
The drop fro... more »
Coalition Time?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca
After the latest EKOS poll, there has been a lot of talk about a
Liberal-NDP coalition. Frank Graves claims that's what the majority of
Canadian voters want. But, Chantal Hebert writes, that's not what the two
respective party leaders want:
This fall, their mutual obsession with each other has tended to blind them
to other big-picture considerations with posturing and positioning
regularly taking precedence over the fight against a common Conservative
foe.
Think of Justin Trudeau’s opposition to Canada... more »
Obama Partners Up With Big Business And The Republicans To Screw Over American Workers With The TPP
If there's one lesson Obama should learn from Bill Clinton's presidency,
it's around NAFTA, which has been a catastrophe for the American middle and
working class-- and pretty much everyone else it's impacted other than a
handful of oligarchs and plutocrats. Instead, Obama is determined to
deliver for Big Business the same way Clinton did. Like Clinton, he's partnering
up with Republicans on horrendous trade policy, namely the TPP. Obama,
apparently, thinks the TPP is an opportunity to make a legacy mark. I
guess... but a really bad one, like Bill Clinton's on NAFTA.
Obama is fa... more »
Grisly Peshawar Slaughter - Who Created Taliban, Who Still Funds Them?
*December 16, 2014* (Tony Cartalucci - LD) Taliban militants stormed an
army public school in the northern city of Peshawar, killing over 100,
including many young students. It is believed up to 10 militants took part
in the attack, dressed as soldiers to first infiltrate the school's grounds
before beginning the attack.
While the details of the attack are forthcoming, the background of the
Taliban and the persistent threat it represents is well established, though
often spun across the Western media.
*Who Put the Taliban into Power? Who is Funding them Now? *
In the 1980's the ... more »
Untitled
*Presidential Hopefuls Eye School Choice Expansions*
Immediately after a rousing re-election that made him a hot candidate for
president in 2016, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced his policy
priorities for his second term: Repealing Common Core and expanding school
choice.
Not to be outdone, this week Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who also has been
exploring a presidential run and would find Walker a tough cookie to munch,
announced his priorities for the legislative session that opens this
January. They include expanding Indiana’s statewide voucher program, which
has grown into t... more »
Untitled
*Weather Records Keep Falling: Cold, Snow and Ice*
Record setting cold and snow, not global warming, became the norm in
November 2014. According to Ice Age Now: Four Thousand eight hundred fifty
six locations in the U.S. set daily record low-high temperatures in
November and another 4,121 saw record lows at least one day in November.
For the month as a whole, 94 locations set a new monthly record low and
1435 locations set an average record low-high temperature for the month as
a whole. Indeed, for the year-to-date, nearly 28,000 locations saw record
lows during 2014, and another ... more »
A Christmas carol reimagined (vaguely NSFW)
Sara X Mills plays Jingle Bells in an interesting manner.
Musical breasts, whatever will they think of next!
Free Planet will be released by War World - the white cat will save us all
*inspirational image (c) David Myers*
War World is that place where you live now, guarded by the White Cat of
Faedon.
G3 == Galactic Gambling Game.
Free Planet will soon reap the rewards of this crass social experiment, in
your name.
Updated: Stereo Ahead and Stereo Behind Solar Image for today...
I noticed something unusual with this animated GIF image from the Stereo
Ahead and Stereo behind satellite images... if you look at the sun as if it
were a clear green marble, it appears like there's a grain to the marble
from front to back... almost like there's an energy blowing from back to
front towards the earth....through the sun. Perhaps its just a visual
effect from the way the images are mapped on the surface of a globe but I
wonder...
Originally posted at: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Updated: 18:33 GMT
A reader wrote:
Hi Bill ;-) Maybe you find the answer here i... more »
Inelia Benz: The message is Clear – YOU are POWERFUL and They Don’t Want You to Know it.
*This reminds me a bit of Blossom Goodchild's message she received about
"nothing really matters", not the drama, not the ups or downs of life...
for it is all within the illusion, but the experiences of it all are life
changing when we recognize our own power and who we ARE and what we can
create. -AK*
Inelia Benz: The message is Clear – YOU are POWERFUL and They Don’t Want
You to Know it.
Reposted from:
http://goldenageofgaia.com/2014/12/15/inelia-benz-the-message-is-clear-you-are-powerful-and-they-dont-want-you-to-know-it/
Originally posted at:
https://ascension101.com/en... more »
The "Shape-Shifting Sheik" and the "Sydney Siege"
Suspect had multiple aliases, granted political asylum by
Australian government, interviewed by Australian media, spent years as fake
pro-Western "Shia'a cleric" condemning Iran and Syria before recently
"converting" to Sunni and supporting ISIS.
*December 16, 2014 *(Tony Cartalucci - LD) - Another embarrassing chapter
has unfolded for Western intelligence and security communities in the wake
of the so-called "Sydney Siege." The suspect named by the media as "Man
Haron Monis" also has gone by the names "Manteghi Boroujerdi" and "Mohammad
Hassan Manteghi" and was an individual now c... more »
U.S. Air Force Approves Full Rate Production for Lockheed Martin’s JASSM®-ER
The U.S. Air Force has approved full rate production for Lockheed Martin’s
Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER).
JASSM-ER successfully completed U.S. Air Force Initial Operational Test and
Evaluation (IOT&E) flight testing in 2013. During IOT&E, the program had a
95 percent success rate, scoring 20 successes in 21 flights. Lots 11 and 12
of the JASSM contract awarded in December 2013 included 100 ER missiles.
“The full rate production decision demonstrates that our customer, at all
levels of the U.S. Air Force, has confidence in JASSM-ER,” said Jason
De... more »
First JSF fighter jets will arrive in the Netherlands in 2019
[image: RNLAF F-35A Lightning II]The first JSF jet fighter aircraft will
arrive in the Netherlands in 2019, ministers have told MPs. The Netherlands
will buy eight aircraft a year from 2019, taking the total to 37.
The first of the jet fighters will be stationed at the airforce base in
Leeuwarden. Later, the base at Volkel will also be equipped to take them.
The JSF is replacing the current fleet of ageing F-16 jets.
Most of the JSFs will be used for training purposes and to defend Dutch air
space. Just four will be available for military missions abroad, the
cabinet said in its 5... more »
Protected species
Brilliant cartoon from Bruce MacKinnon illustrating Canada's unprecedented
decision to opt out of 76 of 77 resolutions *not* to trade in endangered or
protected species like manatees, turtles, and swallowtail butterflies at
last year's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species [CITES]
Environment Canada has not explained why they won't support the bans but
it's possibly related to pique at the proposed ban on commercial trade in
polar bear parts put forward at CITES by the US and backed by Russia, which
banned polar bear hunting in 1956. The other polar bear regions... more »
Iraq / Syria Regional War Updates ( December 16 , 2014 ) Political and battlefield items of note.....Iraq / Syria / Lebanon / Iran in focus !
Links....
*Obama: No Safe Haven For ISIS*
*Al-Qaeda Factions Seize Key Syrian Army Bases*
101 Killed in Iraq, but Thousands Are Missing
Dana Gas Says Kurdish Regional Government Risks Sanctions After Missing
$100m Payment Deadline
European Union Backs UN Plan for Syrian Truce
About 300 Chinese Said Fighting Alongside ISIS in Middle East
'We Must Negotiate With ISIS': Senior Mediator
Tweets.....
*niqash* @niqash 2m
2 minutes ago
Great story on Iraqi PM al-Abadi walking a fine political line, with
fascinating behind-scenes info, by @tarangoNYT http://nyti.ms/1zZOKpF
*T... more »
Links for Tuesday
*Temple celebration in Jhuolan.*
Enjoy some links....
________________
*Daily Links*
- *SPECIAL*: Fellow Taichunger and cyclist Michael Le Houllier's
excellent video presentation on Taiwan's status and why history shows
China does not own Taiwan.
- Japan Times: Taiwan's voters say "hands off".
- Cole on CPI Blog: China policy not as important as local issues in
election
- Taiwan dives into competition for Yuan hub status
- Smangus way bringing prosperity to Smangus.
- Taiwan provides cams for interiors of five major conference centers.
- One Malaysian par... more »
Fatboy Slim on the making of his hit single 'Rockafeller Skank'
A great track and an interesting video from Bose that gives some insight
into the creation of Norman Cook aka Fat Boy Slim's masterpiece Rockafeller
Skank.
Parallels of History
"The torture report notes that at least three detainees were threatened
with harm to their families. Interrogators implied to Nashiri that his
mother would be brought in front of him and sexually abused. The report
also notes one detainee was told his mother’s throat would be cut. It is
not clear which detainee this references." - *Oliver Laughland, "How the
CIA tortured its detainees" The Guardian, December 9, 2014.*
"Roy Medvedev tells the following two stories from the Soviet experience:
Stanislav Kosior's. . . captors, unable to break him with torture, brought
his sixteen-year... more »
El Nino Should Keep Polar Vortex at Bay
[image: Environment Canada expects it to generally be warmer than normal in
Canada's western and Atlantic provinces.]
This is good news. It appears that we will dodge a nasty winter which will
be welcome after what we have been handed the past few years. Extra cold
is always hard to take however well prepared you are. Just remember. You
only need your gas line to freeze up in the wrong place once.
So be prepared anyway and be conscious of the present risks. Fortunately
most of us run none at all.
In the meantime, the freeze up is plenty early enough and it is going to... more »
Water on Earth
[image: Picture of Earth showing if all, liquid fresh, and the water in
rivers and lakes were put into spheres..]This is a wonderful graphic simply
because it places the Earth's gross water content into the correct
perspective when we look at other planets. It also informs us of one
major inference. Any water rich comet that was sized toward perhaps a
third of the Earth.s diameter could easily deliver all the waqter and
organic volitiles needed to produce our present situation. The conjecture
was always plausible but this illustrates it completely. We also are
provided with t... more »
The Islamic State Reshapes the Middle East
As George makes abundantly clear, all the players in the Middle East have
been able to stay home for a long time and rely on the USA fix things. USA
withdrawal opened the door to the sudden emeegence of the Islamic State and
set the cat amoung these pigeons and they are pigeons.
If we are going to accept the promotion of extended tribal nationalism,
then this is a march to an emergent Kurdistan at the least and a small
Alawite nation as well. Several other such Key city States can also be
created to resolve historical conflicts. That is the present
conceptualization. It is o... more »
Gratin of Hearty Greens
This is off topic of course, but finding a way to enjoy kale has generally
eluded me for a long time. This may do the trick. Tom writes on
agricultural topics for mother jones and occasionally throws in his
adventures in eating as is appropriate for a writer covering the natural
farm movement.
Since natural gardens seem to demand ample kale, it seems wise to make sure
that this particular veggie can be successfully made fit to eat. So there
is a point here. All i know for sure is that i am eating it every week and
i still do not enjoy it. HW Bush spurned broccoli and when i... more »
RAF's £150million stealth fighter jet could 'shut down' after overheating fears
[image: RAF F-35B Lightning II]The disclosure is another embarrassing
setback in the development of what is supposed to be the world’s most
sophisticated fighter given that the aircraft is likely to fly most of its
combat missions in hot climates.
The problem emerged last week at Luke airforce base in the United States
where the F-35 Lightning 11 aircraft is being tested.
The F-35, the most expensive aircraft ever produced, is designed to use its
fuel as a cooling agent.
Read more
IAF Scrambles Jets after Hamas Drone Scare
[image: A Hamas drone (Photo: Al Qassam Brigade’s Arabic Website)]Hamas’s
military wing launched a drone above the skies of Gaza City during a parade
on Sunday, increasing the Israeli Air Force’s alertness level.
The drone, which was locally manufactured, caused the air force to scramble
jets to the area, Channel 2 reported. The drone is said to have carried the
logo of the Qassam Brigades, the name of Hamas’s military wing.
The unmanned aircraft did not cross into Israeli airspace.
Read more
China to deploy world's largest coast guard ship next year
[image: Haijing 2901]A ship with a displacement of 10,000 tons is set to be
deployed by the China Coast Guard next year, the largest coast guard vessel
in the world, according to Shanghai-based New Outlook.
On Dec. 13 a Chinese netizen uploaded a picture of the ship at the Shanghai
Jiangnan Shipyard, which shows that the country's first coast guard ship to
break the 10,000 ton displacement mark is already in water and the
paintwork is almost complete.
The vessel, the Haijing 2901, is bigger than any of the Japan Coast Guard
ships, making it the biggest coast guard ship in the world... more »
Landscape of some M-theory \(G_2\) compactifications: 50 million shapes
The first hep-th paper today is
The Landscape of M-theory Compactifications on Seven-Manifolds with \(G_2\)
Holonomy
by David Morrison and James Halverson. The most important classes or
descriptions of superstring/M-theory compactifications (or solutions) that
produce realistic physics are
1. heterotic \(E_8\times E_8\) strings on Calabi-Yau three-folds, string
theorists' oldest promising horse
2. heterotic Hořava-Witten M-theory limit with the same gauge group, on
Calabi-Yaus times a line interval
3. type IIB flux vacua – almost equivalently, F-theory on Calabi-Yau
... more »
Nuclear-Armed Subs May Cost U.S. 17% More, Budget Office Finds
[image: Successor class SSBN]The U.S. Navy’s plan to build as many as 12
new submarines armed with nuclear missiles may cost $92 billion, 17 percent
more than the $79 billion the service has estimated, according to the
Congressional Budget Office.
The estimate in the budget office’s annual review of Navy shipbuilding
raises new questions about the service’s acquisition strategy to replace
its aging Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines.
The findings underscore comments this month by the Pentagon’s top weapons
buyer that the new submarine and other initiatives to upgrade or replace... more »
Stennis qualifies for flight operations
[image: USS John C. Stennis]Bremerton-based USS John C. Stennis completed
flight deck qualifications Friday after a 16-month, $240 million
maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate
Maintenance Facility.
The aircraft carrier and its crew departed Dec. 1 for the waters off
Southern California to meet Carrier Air Wing Nine and conduct flight
operations for the first time since its last deployment a year and a half
ago. For many, it was their first time participating in flight operations.
"It's scary but exciting at the same time," said logistics specialist
Seam... more »
Oil Price Crash and related items Updates - December 16 , 014 - Russia equities remain under pressure , EM currencies remain under pressure ...Brent falls below 60 , WTI falls below 55 as oil remains under pressure ....Bank of Russia 650 BPS sudden interest rate hike stems ruble fall - for now .... Gulf Markets remain under pressure ( Dubai , Abu Dhabi , Saudi and Qatar markets quaking once again ) ......
Operative Words for the Day - Under Pressure !
Tweets.....
*Russian Market* @russian_market · 6m6 minutes ago
Russian Market -5.6% Gazprom -9.7% Lukoil -8.6% Vtb -6.3% Sberbank -9.7%
Rosneft -9.6% Surgut -10.6% Sistema -18%
*Russian Market* @russian_market · 33m33 minutes ago
Turkish Lira vs $: 2.3389
Canadian Dollar vs $: 1.1656 Indian Rupee vs. $: 63.43 Brazilian Real vs.
$: 2.6958 Ruble vs $: 62 - Ouch
*Russian Market* @russian_market · 2h2 hours ago
Whoosh! Ruble is strong after the last night affair. - Elvira, don't be shy
next time. See you on January 30.
[image... more »
Lockheed Martin Selected To Continue Building MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems For U.S. Navy
[image: MK-41 Vertical Launching Systems (VLS)]The U.S. Navy awarded
Lockheed Martin a $235 million contract to continue building MK 41 Vertical
Launching Systems (VLS) with options that, if exercised, would increase the
value to $356 million.
The VLS fires a wide range of missiles, primarily off of U.S. Navy cruisers
and destroyers. Since the first launcher rolled off of the Lockheed Martin
production line in 1984, the systems have been combat proven with more than
3,800 successful firings worldwide, deployment by the U.S. and 12 allied
navies on nearly 200 ships representing 21 sh... more »
Avio Aero to Supply Gas Turbine to Power Italy’s Eighth FREMM Frigate
[image: LM2500+G4 gas turbine]GE Marine has received an order to supply one
LM2500+G4 aeroderivative marine gas turbine to Avio Aero of Turin, Italy, a
GE Aviation business, the company announced in a Dec. 15 release.
The gas turbine will power the Italian Navy’s eighth Frigate European
Multi-Mission (FREMM).
Through Avio Aero, at least 17 LM2500+G4 gas turbines are expected to
provide propulsion for the Italian-French-Moroccan FREMM program, which
includes eight ships each for the Italian and French navies and one ship
for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
Read more
Ultra to Supply Towed Arrays to Be Used by Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN)
[image: Ultra's towed array]Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems Inc. (Ultra)
is pleased to announce that it will supply towed arrays to its sister
company, UK-based Ultra Electronics Sonar Systems, that will ultimately be
used by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), as reported on 21st July 2014.
The Sonar Systems business announced a contract valued at approximately
$18M (CAD) to supply two Sea Sentor Surface Ship Torpedo Defence systems
for the RNZN Frigate Systems Upgrade (FSU) programme.
Ultra's towed array is the key acoustic sensor for Sea Sentor, a system
installed in naval shi... more »
INS Arihant embarks on its first sea trials
[image: INS Arihant]The country's first indigenous nuclear submarine INS
Arihant tested the waters on Monday with Union defence minister Manohar
Parrikar flagging of its first sea trials from the Eastern Naval Command
(ENC) base here.
The vessel's sea acceptance trails (SATs) became a reality almost 18 months
after it passed its harbour acceptance trails (HATs) at the ENC's ship
building centre (SBC).
The 6,000-tonne vessel, with an 83MW pressurised light water reactor at its
core for propulsion, was visible in the waters off the Vizag coast when it
was coming out from the Vizag P... more »
UK election threat to nuclear deterrent
[image: Vanguard class SSBN]The UK would need to abandon its independent
nuclear deterrent if Labour wants to form a coalition after the general
election with the Scottish National party, Plaid Cymru or the Greens, the
leaders of all three parties have warned.
While all three parties have long backed the abolition of the nuclear
deterrent, opinion polls suggest they will win additional seats in May and
could hold the balance of power at Westminster.
In a joint press conference on Monday, they said they would not enter
government with Labour unless they secured a pledge not to renew ... more »
Royal Navy Subs To Get Upgraded Spearfish Torpedo
[image: Spearfish torpedo]Royal Navy submarines are to be equipped with an
upgraded version of the Spearfish heavyweight torpedo in a £270 million
deal announced Monday by the British Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems
Maritime Services.
The midlife update includes a new insensitive munitions warhead, a more
capable fiber optic data link between the launch vessel and the weapon, as
well as a change to the fuel system to improve safety.
The deal took longer to negotiate than expected and the entry into service
is later than originally planned, said a spokesman for the MoD.
Read more
Robots, drones to boost Russian 5th gen nuclear subs’ arsenal
[image: Severodvinsk SSN]Russia’s fifth generation nuclear submarines will
be armed with robots and underwater drones in addition to conventional
weaponry.
"The new [fifth] generation [of submarines] will be equipped with both
contemporary weapons and those currently being developed,” Nikolay
Novoselov, deputy CEO of the Malakhit design engineering bureau, told
RIA-Novosti.
“We’re talking about battle robots which can be released by the submarine,
and a type of underwater drone,” he explained.
Read more
Alaska`s Killer Salmon Shark and Captain Stephen Brown the Bold Faced Liar
A gorgeous documentary on Alaska and Northern BC`s coast...
The scenery is stunning, nature in the raw, exciting, horrifying,
informative..
Salmon...Sharks...Birds...Otters...Clean pristine water..
Click the above video..45 minutes in paradise, popcorn and twizzlers not
included.
Before you watch the video..
3 stories caught the persuader`s eyes today....The first story...That Orca
whale that died, the member of our southern pod...The autopsy revealed she
was starved for food...In other words she died of starvation...That is not
a good sign for British Columbia waters..
http... more »
PARCC Attrition from 2011 to 2014: Not Looking Good for Pearson
Several years ago, education giant Pearson must have had some high hopes
for the profits it would rake in with the spring 2015 Partnership for
Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments related
to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). That was before the reality of
slenderized, 2015 PARCC customer base came to […]
Russia Moves To Defuse Its Currency Crisis
*Russia Defends Ruble With Biggest Rate Rise Since 1998 -- Bloomberg*
Russia took its biggest step yet to shore up the ruble and defuse the
currency crisis threatening its stricken economy.
In a surprise announcement just before 1 a.m. in Moscow, the Russian
central bank said it would raise its key interest rate to 17 percent from
10.5 percent, effective today. The move was the largest single increase
since 1998, when Russian rates soared past 100 percent and the government
defaulted on debt.
The news prompted an immediate gain in the ruble, with one-month ruble
forwards up 1.6 p... more »
Don't Ever Accuse Ted Cruz Of Being Worthless-- He Upended The Whole NRA Strategy To Prevent Vivek Murthy's Confirmation
Roy Blunt voted against confirming Vivek Murthy today. There was never any
chance whatsoever that he would vote for confirmation. Obama nominated
Murthy to be surgeon general just over a year and a month ago. The NRA ,
who have made the nomination into a cause célèbre-- flipped out and the
senators they control decided to obstruct the confirmation process--
although after he had made it through the Senate Health Committee hearings
last February. The absence of a Surgeon General was felt most acutely in
the context of the battle to protect the country from Ebola. Republicans ,
tho... more »
2014 Has Been A Deadly Year For Reporters Covering War Zones And Conflicts
Most dangerous countries in 2014: Gaza (16 killed), Syria (13), Pakistan
(12), Iraq (10), Ukraine (9), Mexico (8), Afghanistan (6), Honduras (5),
Somalia (5), Brazil (4), Central African Republic (4), Cambodia (3), Guinea
(3), Paraguay (3), and Philippines (3).
*2014 Terrible Year for Journalists With 128 Killed in 32 Countries: Report
-- Sputnik*
According to the report the year 2014 has been "terrible" for journalists
around the world, with 128 killed.
GENEVA, December 15 (Sputnik) – The year 2014 has been "terrible" for
journalists around the world, with 128 killed in 32 countr... more »
Koch Group On The EPA: 'At Least The CIA Isn't Torturing Americans' | ThinkProgress
The American Energy Alliance is testing out a new tactic for fighting the
Environmental Protection Agency: comparing the agency’s proposed
regulations to torture tactics committed against terror suspects at
Guantanamo Bay.
In a short blog post and comic posted Friday, the pro-fossil fuel
non-profit said the EPA’s proposed limits on smog-forming pollutants and
carbon dioxide were comparable to tactics outlined in the Senate
Intelligence Committee’s recently released report investigating the CIA’s
use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” in the aftermath of the 9/11
terrorist a... more »
Germany Gambles on Alternative Energy
*Video - *What are some of the ways that Germany is investing in
alternative energy?
The post Germany Gambles on Alternative Energy appeared first on Waking
Times.
Picture Of The Day
*STAGGERED FORMATION*
Twenty-four Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft prepare to take off on Dyess
Air Force Base, Texas, in support of exercise Joint Forcible Entry 14B,
Dec. 6, 2014. Eleven of the aircraft are model C-130H Hercules and 13 are
C-130J Super Hercules. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexander
Guerrero
Why Do You Think Dick Cheney Is In The "news" So Much Speaking FOR Torture? Because He Directed 911 From A Bunker Under The White House And Needed FALSE CONFESSIONS By Muslims Via Torture
Dick Cheney, neo-cons, and the Mossad did 911, and then the CIA tortured
Muslims into false confessions (that's all that torture is for: *FALSE
CONFESSIONS*) knowing they didn't do 911. False Flags like 911 blaming the
Muslims persist to this day. See: ISIS.
When you talk about torture, you must keep in mind the CIA tortured Muslims
and fully knew Muslims didn't do 911.
*Timeline Of Dick Cheney's Actions On 911*
*CHENEY, HALLIBURTON, THE BUSH FAMILY, AND ASBESTOS - On 9/11: Was the
Asbestos-Laced World Trade Center "Disposable"?*
*CIA tortured innocents to hide 9/11 false flag. Se... more »
Russian Subs In Scottish And Swedish Waters. What Does It Mean?
*What The Russian Sub In Scottish Waters Really Says About Putin's View Of
The West -- Trevor Royle, Herald Scotland*
*A feather of disturbed water was all it took to reveal the presence of a
Russian submarine off the west coast of Scotland.*
Betrayed by its high-powered periscope, the vessel then disappeared,
triggering a fruitless search that sent all manner of unwelcome messages to
the Westminster Government.
Firstly, it is a reminder that the UK's armed forces lack a suitable
maritime patrol aircraft after scrapping the Nimrod equivalent in 2011 and,
secondly, the uncompromisi... more »
"Exodus" Story Reveals Bible's Dishonesty
*By MARC McDONALD*
Although some might be loath to admit it, many educated adults (even
non-fundamentalist Christians) are aware that the Bible is perhaps not the
best source of history.
I mean, how many people still take the story of Adam and Eve seriously any
more? But I suspect that most people are still unaware of just how totally
wrong the Bible is as far as anything remotely approaching real history.
This wouldn't be that big a deal, except for the fact that so many people
take the Bible very seriously as a profound book of wisdom. The massive and
growing population of Fundam... more »
To torture or . . . um, what was the other option again? Oh, right, NOT to torture (ha-ha-ha!)
*"I’d do it again in a minute."*
*-- "Big Dick" Cheney ("The Biggest Dick of Them All"),Sunday on Meet the
Press*
*by Ken*
Let's table for a moment the question of what exactly the "it" in question
is in this pithy quote. After all, I imagine it applies equally well to
every dastardly deed done and every monstrous policy advocated and
implemented in the entire squalid, life-denying and -destroying career and
life of "Big Dick" Cheney, aka "The Biggest Dick of Them All." This is a
creature who would leave no stone unturned, no decent person unscrewed in
pursuit of his life's goal... more »
Poll: Majority Of Americans Say Torture Was Justified
*Poll: More Americans Think CIA Program Was Justified Than Not -- Wall
Street Journal*
*Pew Research Survey Finds 51% Think CIA Practices Were Warranted*
WASHINGTON—Americans who believe the Central Intelligence Agency’s
post-Sept. 11 interrogation and detention program was justified
significantly outnumber those who don’t think it was warranted, according
to a poll released Monday.
A survey conducted by Pew Research Center found 51% of Americans think the
CIA practices were warranted, compared with 29% who said the techniques
were not, and 20% who didn’t express an opinion. A ma... more »
Bank of Russia hikes unexpectedly interest rates 650 BPS in unscheduled meeting - December 16 , 2014 - Ruble crashing along with oil causes desperation move ?
*zerohedge* @zerohedge · 4m4 minutes ago
The First Sellside Reactions Trickle In: "17% Rate Hike Not Enough"
According To Citi, JPM http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-1
5/first-sellside-reactions-trickle-17-rate-hike-not-enough-according-citi-jpm
…
zerohedge
The First Sellside Reactions Trickle In: "17% Rate Hike Not Enough"...
Two short hours ago Russia shocked everyone with an unprecedented rate hike
sending the nation's various interest rates some 650 bps higher. Well,
according to the initial sellside responses, as...
View on web
Okay , this time the Kraken really ... more »
Navajo Nation buys ceremonial masks at Paris auction, rescues masks
Navajo
delegation calls repatriation efforts a success
“These masks are spiritual beings and the Navajo people have strong
connections with them. We need to regard them as such.” Vice President
Rex Lee Jim.
By Navajo Nation
Censored News
English and German
PARIS—The Navajo delegation on a mission to Paris, led by Navajo Nation
Vice President Rex Lee Jim was successful in their repatriation
Waging War Against The Islamic Satte From An Aircraft Carrier
An F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Strike Fighter Squadron 81 launches from
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 John Philip Wagner Jr.
*A Desert War On ISIS, Fought From A Floating City -- New York Times*
ABOARD THE U.S.S. CARL VINSON, in the Persian Gulf — More than a dozen Navy
F/A-18 warplanes roar off this aircraft carrier every day to attack Islamic
State targets in support of Iraqi tro... more »
Santa's Drunk and Rudolph Just Shit on My Roof
It looks as if Santa's driving drunk and the only indication I've
gotten that he's flown over Casa de Pottersville is reindeer shit on my
roof. Ole St. Nick's so far off course even fucking NORAD can't find him
and the only yule logs I've seen are the ones Popeye leaves in his cat
litter box.
So, in light of Santa's empty sack, yours truly had to break down and
buy a brand new battery from AAA when I found myself needing to use my
booster pack literally every time I wanted to start the nearly 17 year-old
Ford Taurus. Triple A was nickle and diming me to death, insisting my... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 15, 2014
*Sydney Siege: How The Siege Came To A Bloody End -- Anthony Klan, The
Australian*
THE hostage crisis at Sydney’s Lindt cafe ended at 2.10am when three
gunshots rang out in quick succession, followed by a volley of gunfire.
Armed police stormed the premises and a number of injured hostages were
immediately rushed to hospital.
The 16-hour siege ended following a day of frenzy, when more recently an
eerie calm had fallen over Sydney’s business heart; throngs of onlookers
and gawkers had mostly vacated, and police officers and rescue workers
milled silently about the city’s cordoned... more »
Syria: EU Jet Fuel Ban & Syrian Army takes back territory north of Aleppo
*EU jet fuel ban for Syria*
The EU led by the UK is doing what it can to make the defence of Syrian
territory from NATO’s terrorist mercs more difficult then it already has
been! - Possibly readying for when NATO bombs kill Syrian civilians
enmasse?
"Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood welcomes the EU’s agreement to
a UK-proposed ban on jet fuel exports to the Syrian regime.
The UK has campaigned to take this step as jet fuel enables the Syrian
regime’s air force to kill its own people, including with barrel bombs.
*Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood said:*
Tobia... more »
Innkeeping with the Times
*This week Bernard Darnton accidentally offends an indigenous homosexual
donkey.*
[image: image]On Sunday I took my angel and my shepherd to church for their
annual booster shot of Christianity. I like to go to the nativity play and
give them a small dose of Mary and Joseph to go alongside Diwali’s Rama and
Sita, Pegasus and the Chimaera (from one of the less likely chapters in *The
Iliad*), and a rather saucy graphic novel featuring Rhinemaidens. It’s
absurdity, sex, and violence -- that is, culture -- all the way in our
house.
At one point, the somewhat non-traditional nativity... more »
World News Briefs -- December 15, 2014 (Evening Edition)
*THREE DEAD IN BLOODY END TO SYDNEY SIEGE: Two Hostages Die And Muslim
Extremist Gunned Down As Police Storm Martin Place Café With Assault Rifles
And Stun Grenades Moments After People Fled -- Daily Mail*
* Police stormed the cafe in central Sydney where a gunman held hostages
for more than 16 hours
* Police moved in firing automatic weapons and throwing grenades as
hostages were seen fleeing in terror from cafe
* Live TV footage showed hostages running frantically from the cafe at
shortly after 2am in small groups
* It came hours after Man Haron Monis was named as the gunman hold... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What connects the Sun to the Moon? Many answers have been given throughout
history, but in the case of today's featured image, it appears to be the
plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. The 16-image panorama was taken in Capitol
Reef National Park, Utah, USA where two sandstone monoliths- the Temple of
the Moon on the right and the Temple of the Sun on the left- rise
dramatically from the desert.
*Click image for larger size.*
Each natural monument stands about 100 meters tall and survives from the
Jurassic period 160 million years ago. Even older are many of the stars and
nebulas that do... more »
Electric Driving the Hypermarkt
Not only are electric cars increasingly mainstream, by 2016 likely all the
flagship vehicles in the world will be at least a mild hybrid. Joining the
bleeding edge hypercars that are already electric. Look how far we have
come since the Honda Insight pioneered the technology in 1999.
The 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari retails for $1.3 million US before HST. It
totals only 960 HP with 160 of that eclectically charged.
The 2015 Porsche 918 is only about $900,000. The big deal is that it is a
plug in hybrid, a true electric car. IMHO it was hit like many Porsche
models with a bit of an ugly stic... more »
Wall Street Loves Cheap Labor
John R. MacArthur of *Harper’s Magazine* says that Republicans and
Democrats alike are abandoning the republic in pursuit of big bucks.
Al Qaeda's Faction Shows Off U.S. Supplied Anti-Tank Weapon
*Al-Qaeda Faction In Syria Claims To Have U.S.-Supplied Anti-Tank Weapon --
Washington Post*
As extremist rebels in Syria lay claim to fresh weapons, a new video
circulating online purports to show an al-Qaeda-linked group fielding
U.S.-supplied anti-tank weapons that may have been intended for more
moderate factions in the conflict.
In early November, the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra ousted two
U.S.-supplied moderate factions, Harak Hazam and the Syrian Revolutionary
Front, from their strongholds in northern Idlib province. Although al-Nusra
was thought to have seized signifi... more »
Encounters With Nature
Paul Shepard was a pioneer in human ecology, a young field that studies the
relationship between humans and their habitats. The decades of his career
were an exciting time. New research was challenging myths about low impact
(“primitive”) cultures, and scholars were starting to contemplate
environmental ethics. He hoped that growing awareness might end
humankind’s war on the planet, but as his hair got grayer, his
disillusionment grew. Enlightenment takes time.
*Encounters With Nature* is a collection of Shepard’s essays, some of which
reveal his thinking near the end of his da... more »
Should Anyone Be Punished For That Whole Torture Thing? Or No?
Apparently Dick Cheney thinks he caught bin Laden by torturing some people
down in Guantánamo. He seemed out of his mind in his *Meet The Press*
appearance yesterday. "I'd do it again in a minute," is as good a reason
for indicting him and trying him as any I've ever heard. And he has "no
regrets." If the justice system was working properly, he would.
Interestingly, Members of Parliament, from both side of their aisle, are
pressuring-- to no avail of course-- David Cameron for an official judicial
inquiry into the U.K.'s role into the Cheney torture program. Unlike
Cheney, U.K. C... more »
The Beautiful Milky Way
*Video -* Amazing footage of the stars from Spain's highest mountain, El
Teide.
The post The Beautiful Milky Way appeared first on Waking Times.
First, do no harm...
Upon successfully completing their basic training, and before they take on
the years of residency that will allow them to practice their science,
skills and craft in a medical specialty of their choice, medical students pledge
to the principals of the Hippocratic Oath*.
In Ontario, the specific application of that pledge came under scrutiny in
the last year with regard to women's reproductive health rights. In its
modern form, the Oath is centred upon patient care. "*... Above all, I must
not play at God.*"
DJ! has been covering this issue from the outset, here, and here.
*Ontario... more »
Chet Raymo, “Being Human”
*“Being Human”*
by Chet Raymo
“I've been thinking a lot about hands lately. Or, rather, a hand.
Specifically my right hand, which has developed an annoying tremor. I never
paid much attention to my hands before. Hands pretty much operate on
automatic pilot. It doesn't take a lot of conscious decision-making to
scratch your nose. Or button your shirt. Hands follow the brain rather like
an obedient dog trots alongside its master. But now my right hand clamors
for attention like an unruly pup. So I find myself looking at my hand with
more awareness than before, and realizing more than ... more »
"We Work In The Dark..."
"We work in the dark. We do what we can to battle with the evil that would
otherwise destroy us. But, a man's fate is defined as not a choice but a
calling. Yet sometimes the weight of this burden causes us to falter,
breaching the fragile fortress of our mind, allowing the monsters without
to turn within and we are left alone, staring into the abyss... into the
laughing face of madness."
- David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder"
Oriah Mountain Dreamer, "The Invitation"
*"The Invitation"*
"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you
ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk
looking
like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know
if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened
by
life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further
pain!
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mi... more »
"What Mark Will You Leave On The World?"
*"What Mark Will You Leave On The World?" *
by Maria Rodale
"As some of you know, this time of year is my favorite time to truly
reflect on the past and the future. Things seem to slow down enough that
there's finally time to ponder and think and plan and dream. The questions
and thoughts change as I get older. When I was younger, it was more about
what I wanted to accomplish (although I still have a VERY ambitious list
for that). Now, it's a little bit more of what do I want to leave behind?
The thing about life and reality is that it is so fleeting. Things that
seem huge and vast... more »
Man Haron Monis: It's Not About Islam
What a sad end to the Sydney cafe siege. The gunman, one Man Haron Monis
lies dead, but not before he murdered two others. Thankfully, incidents
like this are quite rare in Western societies and when hostage taking does
happen, it tends to either be a spur of the moment thing in the commission
of a crime or an awful episode in a pattern of dysfunctional family
relationships. When people are held to highlight a cause or make political
points then it tends to get written off - as this is already being - as the
work of a lone oddball. To explain the motives of someone like Monis, one
... more »
“The Christmas Truce of 1914”
*“The Christmas Truce of 1914”*
by Simon Rees
“You are standing up to your knees in the slime of a waterlogged trench. It
is the evening of 24 December 1914 and you are on the dreaded Western
Front. Stooped over, you wade across to the firing step and take over the
watch. Having exchanged pleasantries, your bleary-eyed and mud-spattered
colleague shuffles off towards his dug out. Despite the horrors and the
hardships, your morale is high and you believe that in the New Year the
nation's army march towards a glorious victory.
But for now you stamp your feet in a vain attempt to keep... more »
Top 25 Ways to Detox from Pesticides, Heavy Metals and Enviro-Toxins
*Christina Sarich* - If you are endlessly tired, irritable, have trouble
losing weight, or feel depressed, you might be suffering from the
environmental onslaught of toxins...
The post Top 25 Ways to Detox from Pesticides, Heavy Metals and
Enviro-Toxins appeared first on Waking Times.
Are You a Karma Yogi?
*Brendan D. Murphy* - Peace, contentment and abiding happiness are within
you right now. It is not what you do that will eventually bring you these
things; no, these things are what you are...
The post Are You a Karma Yogi? appeared first on Waking Times.
The Daily "Near You?"
Bayville, New Jersey, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
The Poet: Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
*“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”*
by Robert Frost
“Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before... more »
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