10:41pm MDST
China’s Answer to Teen Internet Addiction
*Video -* Can Internet overuse result in destructive behaviors? Here's a short film that offers a glimpse into a correctional facility set up for young Internet addicts in China. The post China’s Answer to Teen Internet Addiction appeared first on Waking Times.
A Look At Lethal American Weapons Of War
The USS Carl Vinson leads the USS Bunker Hill and the USS Halsey during a passing exercise with Indian navy ships during Exercise Malabar 2012 in the Indian Ocean, April 16, 2012. The Vinson, Bunker Hill and Halsey comprise Carrier Strike Group 1 and are participating in the annual bilateral naval field training exercise with the Indian navy to advance multinational maritime relationships and mutual security issues. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman George M. Bell *Dave Majumdar, National Interest:* *The 5 Most Lethal American Weapons of War Ever* *America didn't become a military superp... more »
An eighth-grader can't wear an incendiary T-shirt like this in a class photo, can she?
*Apparently she can't in Owensville, Ohio, where her school principal ordered the T-shirt Photoshopped out. (Sophie, the student in question, supplied this photo of herself holding the T-shirt to the website Women You Should Know.)* *by Ken* Just this afternoon in my previous post I was reduced to spluttering in the face of the continued misunderstanding emanating from the Vatican, which doesn't quite get that female people are people just like male people are. Of course the Vatican isn't alone. The Vatican motto enshrined by Pope John Paul II and Pope Cardinal Ratguts, and appare... more »
Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, "Awakening (Cosmic Sea)"
Liquid Mind, "Awakening (Cosmic Sea)" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCa4dpKyzwo
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) Volans. Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a pronounced central bar give it a hook-shaped appearance. This deep color image also shows the arms' obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions surrounding a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars. But the star forming regions seem more concentrated along the drawn-out (right side) spiral arm. The distorted structure is likely the result... more »
Chet Raymo, “Sanctus”
*“Sanctus”* by Chet Raymo “Early in Claire Messud's new novel, “The Woman Upstairs”, the narrator asks herself and others whether they would rather be able to fly or be invisible. I suspect most who visit this blog would prefer to fly. Me too. Until lately. More on that later. For now I want to ask a less frivolous question, one more likely to split down the middle: Do you prefer, as a matter of personal taste, Romanesque or Gothic? Gothic aspires, Romanesque inspires. Gothic soars. Romanesque hunkers. Gothic seeks to let go of the earth. Romanesque grips like a barnacle. Gothic f... more »
The Poet: Kuroda Saburo, "I Am Completely Different"
*"I Am Completely Different"* "I am completely different. Though I am wearing the same tie as yesterday, am as poor as yesterday, as good for nothing as yesterday, today I am completely different. Though I am wearing the same clothes, am as drunk as yesterday, living as clumsily as yesterday, nevertheless today I am completely different. Ah... I patiently close my eyes on all the grins and smirks, on all the twisted smiles and horse laughs- and glimpse then, inside me one beautiful white butterfly fluttering towards tomorrow." - Kuroda Saburo
300 U.S. Army Trainers Have Arrived In Ukraine
*New York Times*: *U.S. Army Trainers Arrive in Ukraine* *MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday warned that the arrival of several hundred American military trainers in Ukraine could “destabilize the situation” in the country’s southeast, where a cease-fire between government troops and Russian-backed separatists is barely holding.* *On Friday, the United States Army announced that about 300 troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Italy, had arrived in western Ukraine this week for Operation Fearless Guardian, a six-month training rotation for three battalions of Ukraine’s Natio... more »
Experiences in Ukraine & Russia
Sharon Tennison, author of "The Power of Impossible Ideas", talks about Russian history, Vladimir Putin, the crisis in Ukraine, and offers insights in building a win-win relationship between the United States and Russia. This program was aired on KMVT15 Community Media.
“The Checker Shadow Illusion: Do We Perceive Reality?”
*“The Checker Shadow Illusion: Do We Perceive Reality?”* by Jerry Coyne ․ “I recently finished Steve Pinker’s "The Blank Slate" (recommended!), and in one chapter was taken by his discussion about whether human senses perceive a real, external reality or whether that reality is somehow “constructed” socially or by our senses. If you’ve read the book, you know that Pinker comes down on the “it’s real” side (this solution is obvious to all but a moron*)—but not always: what we perceive as “real” is sometimes distorted by our expectations. That, of course, is the basis of optical illu... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"The Web Gallery of Art"
"The Web Gallery of Art" "The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 22,600 reproductions. It was started in 1996 as a topical site of the Renaissance art, originated in the Italian city-states of the 14th century and spread to other countries in the 15th and 16th centuries. Intending to present Renaissance art as comprehensively as possible, the scope of the collection was later extended to show its M... more »
"Choose Your Side..."
"We Americans have a saying: "It's more important what you stand for than who you stand with." I do not rely upon peer opinion to decide what is right and what is wrong. I make those decisions for myself, and even if I discover that every other human alive chose differently, that doesn't mean I was wrong. There comes a time in every man's life when he has to choose sides. I have chosen my side. I am comfortable with my decision. I do not think everyone on my side is a saint, but I know that those on the other side are much, much worse. Sometimes a man with too broad a perspective ... more »
“Stumbling Toward the Ultimate Confrontation: US-NATO Antics in the Nuclear Playground”
*“Stumbling Toward the Ultimate Confrontation:* * US-NATO Antics in the Nuclear Playground”* by Brian Cloughley Voutenay sur Cure, France - “The commander of US-NATO forces, the vigorously vocal General Breedlove, stated on April 7 that the military alliance’s planners “have been working tirelessly to enhance NATO’s Response Force and implement the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, and today our progress is manifested in the rapid deployments we see happening in locations across the Alliance.” Breedlove is the man who declared on March 5 that Russia had sent combat troops and ...more »
Tonight's Movie Is The Longest Day (1962)
*WNU Editor:* I have always loved this film .... a war classic in every-way.
"How It Really Is"
"What opinions the masses hold, or do not hold, is looked on as a matter of indifference. They can be granted intellectual liberty because they have no intellect." - George Orwell, "1984"
Serbian President’s Plane takes Harrowing Plunge- US concerns about Serbian/Russian Cooperation?
*Serbian President’s Plane take Harrowing Plunge-* *Happenstance? Or something more sinister?* An engine on an aging (perception management?) Serbian government plane carrying the president failed on Friday, sending the aircraft into a horrifying 60-second plunge over the Adriatic Sea, according to Serbian officials and news reports. The plane, bound for Rome, safely returned to Belgrade, the Serbian capital, after the pilot managed to steady it The aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 50, was carrying 10 people, including the president and four political advisers, and it took off from the... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 17, 2015
*Dan Murphy, CSM*: *Most senior Baathist general to evade US in Iraq reported killed. Does it matter?* *Douri was the King of Clubs in the playing cards that the US distributed as its most-wanted list after invading Iraq and had linked up with the Islamic State.Gen. Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most senior member of the Baath Party leadership to escape following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, was killed today north of Baghdad, according to the governor of Salahuddin Province. Douri's name was one to conjure with before the US invasion - he was one of the organizers of the mas... more »
Credit to Nicola...
I'm not quite sure why this has been haunting me all day, but as no one else (anywhere) seems to have been commenting on it *in detai*l I will... The end of last night's leaders debate ended with Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP going up and shaking hands with Natalie Bennett of the Greens and Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru. All three of them then hugged. (That certainly *has* been well commented upon). Ed Miliband, hanging back, then approached and Nicola Sturgeon shook hands with him, as (in her wake) did the Plaid and Green leaders (in that order). Nigel Farage remained isolated at his p... more »
Untitled
*Sitting ducks: FEMA elevation standards leave us vulnerable to the next big flood ~K.C. King, The Lens* *The Other Gulf Oil Disaster: Chronic Offshore Pollution ~Sky Truth* *~Map shows other oil spills since the BP disaster *
Evan wants to focus on gay rights...during the BBC NI leaders' debate
Sorry, but more election-related matters remain on my mind... Please imagine (if you can) that the BBC's socially conservative critics are correct about the BBC having a strong liberal bias, socially-speaking, and that the corporation - as they claim - holds social conservatives in disdain (institutionally-speaking). How, do you think, would such a biased BBC treat social conservatives, as compared to social liberals, in, say, a party political debate? Would the BBC interviewer, by instinct, challenge/interrupt the socially-conservative politicians much more than than socially-li... more »
World News Briefs -- April 17, 2015 (Evening Edition)
*Voice of America: **Intense Yemen Bombing, Al-Qaida Advance * *Heavy airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition continued Friday in Yemen, while al-Qaida made gains in the country's east.The Sunni Arab-led coalition carried out bombings in several cities, including the capital, Sana'a, the country's second-largest city, Taiz, and the southern port city of Aden.The coalition is targeting Shi'ite Houthi rebels, who are believed to be backed by Iran.* *MIDDLE EAST* Yemeni army tries to safeguard oil fields *as Qaeda fighters advance*. Former president defiant as *humanitarian toll mou... more »
Who Is Murdering The Ukraine Government's Opponents?
*CNN*: *Who's killing allies of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych?* *Kiev, Ukraine (CNN)The question haunting Kiev is this: Who might be murdering allies of Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovych?* *The idea that this might be happening is not entirely new. But it muscled its way to the fore again this week with two high-profile shooting deaths in the Ukrainian capital -- one of a former member of parliament with ties to Yanukovych, the other of a Ukrainian journalist known for his pro-Russian views.* *Oleg Kalashnikov, the former member of parliament, was shot... more »
The Vatican calls an early end to -- but doesn't abandon -- the old regime's inquisition into American nuns
*NYT caption: "Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious at the Vatican on Thursday. Pool photo by L'Osservatore Romano"* *"Women are not capable, in the Vatican's mind, of governing others or even themselves. Is it any wonder so many nuns have left the orders or avoided joining them? Who wants to be bullied?"* *-- Garry Wills, writing in NYRB in 2012* *by Ken* As of now, it looks as if you can choose your spin on the Vatican's sudden wrapping up, two years ahead of schedule, of its inquisition into the bad behavior of American nuns, whi... more »
Backyard Fairy Garden
Ever since we watched the Tinkerbell movie that featured a fairy house, it is pretty much all my daughter has talked about. She has begged and begged for a fairy garden in our backyard and I have spent time finding just the right elements. The biggest thing for me was finding a container that would work, we tried flower pots before and most of them were just way too small for what we wanted to create. I found this crate with a flower arrangement in it at a thrift store and knew it was perfect for what we needed. We used for our fairy garden: - Crate - Filler for the crate ... more »
Mother's Day Giveaway! $500 in Giftcards!
Welcome to the Make it Easy for Mom this Mother's Day Giveaway, generously sponsored by Medi-Pals! Do you struggle with giving your child medication or vitamins? Medi-Pals medication dispensers are going to make your life so much easier! Medi-Pals dispensers are available in 3 whimsical characters that are familiar for your child, easy for the caregiver to use, and most importantly, ensure that the child is always getting the accurate dosage of medicine. Key benefits of Medi-Pals pacifier medicine dispensers: - They're softer than a straight syringe, and the syringe sits snugly... more »
End of the debate?
Before I leave the subject... I must note that others have put forward points that readers familiar to this blog will doubtless already be well aware of - points we've (repeatedly) endorsed in the past (in connection with BBC One's *Question Time*)... Doublethinker and John Anderson, commenting at *Biased BBC*, made the same point that people like Janet Daley and Nigel Farage have previously made (over the past couple of years): *Doublethinker:* As to the bias of the audience there are only two explanations, either it was selected with a large far left bias, or those who weren’... more »
Great Letters on Testing and Opt Out from NY Times
*Link here * *To the Editor:* Re “Some Parents Oppose Standardized Testing in Principle, but Not in Practice” (news article, April 14): On April 15 and 16, the days after a record number of students “opted out” of New York State standardized tests in English language arts, not a single word in this paper was dedicated to this groundswell of grass-roots opposition to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s testing and evaluation scheme. While statistics are difficult to compile, it is clear that parents, in large numbers, are openly protesting what they see as state political leaders eroding the qua... more »
Democracy Now's Coverage of Opt Out
And here is Juan Gonzalez' editorial in *New York Daily News* today.
The Science Behind Torsion Fields
*Brendan D. Murphy* - Torsion fields are generated by spin and/or by angular momentum; any object or particle that spins produces torsion waves and possesses its own unique torsion field. The post The Science Behind Torsion Fields appeared first on Waking Times.
How to Know if You Are Getting Vitamin D from Sun Exposure
*Video - *This informational video by Dr. Mercola shows you how to find out if you're getting enough vitamin D from sun exposure depending on where you live and when you're outside. The post How to Know if You Are Getting Vitamin D from Sun Exposure appeared first on Waking Times.
Is The Israeli Miltiary Option Against Iran Off The Table Because Of Russian S-300 Missiles?
Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems move along a central street during a rehearsal for a military parade in Moscow, May 4, 2009. REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin *Noga Tarnopolsky, Reuters*: *Would a new Russian missile system make Israeli airstrikes on Iran impossible?* *Israeli responses to the news that Russia would lift a voluntary ban on the sale of weapons to Iran and provide state-of-the-art air defense systems to the Islamic Republic have ranged from concern to seeming panic.* *Some experts fear that the S-300 missiles could take away Israel’s (or even the United Stat... more »
ICM, UKIP and the BBC
Nigel Farage is still sticking to his guns following last night leaders' debate and *that *audience, going after both the BBC and opinion pollsters ICM: Sometimes these things go wrong, sometimes you get groups who apply to be on programmes who perhaps aren't as truthful on their applications as they could be. In this case, the BBC gave the job to a polling company called ICM who are famous for getting everything about Ukip wrong and that I think was the mistake. Am I going to make a complaint? I've got an election to fight. What matters isn't the 200 people in the room, what rea... more »
"Boo!" - The Official Response
Still on the subject of that BBC debate and that audience... The BBC's official response to complaints about the audience last night showing a left-wing bias runs (in full) as follows: All the broadcasters and the political parties agreed that the appropriate way to recruit audiences for debates was to ask a respected independent polling organisation to do the job on our behalf. That was the case for all the debates in 2010, for the Clegg/Farage debates last year, as well as for both the debates during this campaign - ICM has an established track record of recruiting the audience... more »
Top U.S. General: U.S. Military Option Against Iran Still Intact Despite Russian S-300 Missiles
*Reuters:* *U.S. military option in Iran 'intact' despite Russian missiles: U.S. General* *(Reuters) - The U.S. military option to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and encourage a diplomatic solution, remains intact despite Russia's decision to deliver its S-300 missile defense system to Tehran, the top U.S. general said on Thursday."We've known about the potential for that system to be sold to Iran for several years and have accounted for it in all of our planning," General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conferenc... more »
April 17: Another stinker.
But, to start on a happy note, read section C4, 'Big Sister Shares Open Letter with Words of Advice for Little Sister'. This is by Isabelle Agnew, one of the student columnists whose columns now appear, one a day in the Life section. And to really get the flavour of this, imagine you are the little sister who is turning 15. And imagine this is appearing as a birthday card to you. Anyone who can read this without being touched has a heart made of pig iron. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The rest of the paper is business as ... more »
The Cost Of The U.S. War Against The Islamic State Has Passed The $2 Billion Mark
A pair of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles fly over northern Iraq after conducting airstrikes in Syria, in this U.S. Air Force handout photo taken early in the morning of September 23, 2014. (Reuters/U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Matthew) *The Hill:* *Cost of ISIS war passes $2 billion mark* *The cost of U.S. military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has surpassed the $2 billion mark.The figure is based on the Pentagon’s cost update from last month, provided to The Hill by Defense Department spokesman Bill Urban."As of Mar. 26, 2015, the total cost... more »
Top U.S. General: Losing Ramadi To The Islamic State Is 'Not A Big deal'
*Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast:* *Pentagon Chief: Losing Ramadi to ISIS Would Not Be a Big Deal* *Iraqi forces are battling ISIS for control of the city, but General Martin Dempsey is playing down the stakes—and playing up the importance of the oil-rich Baiji, another ISIS target.If the Iraqi city of Ramadi, which is under imminent threat from ISIS, fell into jihadist hands, would it matter?According to Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not really. The bigger threat, he says, is the other city ISIS is moving in on—the oil-rich central ci... more »
In NY, 13.6 Percent of Students Refused ELA Tests This Week
This impressive number of test refusers is sure to jump when the Math Common Core testing starts next week in New York.
Islamic State Takes Credit For Today's Suicide Car Bombing Near The U.S. Consulate In Erbil, Iraq
Smoke rises from the site of a bomb attack in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, April 17, 2015. Reuters/Stringer *Reuters:* *Deadly car bomb targets U.S. consulate in Iraq's Erbil * *(Reuters) - A car bombing at the entrance to the U.S. consulate in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region killed at least one person and wounded five others on Friday the local mayor said.* *The State Department said no U.S. personnel were killed in the blast that it said was caused by a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device" that went off right outside the entrance to the heavily gua... more »
Psychedelics, Consciousness & the Birth of Civilization
*Graham Hancock* - The "spirit world" and its inhabitants are real, that supernatural powers and nonphysical beings do exist, and that human consciousness may, under certain special circumstances, be liberated from the body... The post Psychedelics, Consciousness & the Birth of Civilization appeared first on Waking Times.
Social Media Pic-keting: I Do NOT Consent!!
There I was, just skimming through Skype to catch up on missed messages, and there, in several skype rooms I found this. So I hopped over to Facebook..... WOW!!!!! *I LOVE IT!!!* Thank you DW! We ARE Unified! To this.... I Consent d
On the Star Wars Episode VII Trailer
Behold. Okay, so it's not mahoosively spectacular or anything, but when casting my cynical eye over the trailer earlier I was not expecting the kind of gut reaction that came at me. It was a strange tingly blast of nostalgia, something last felt had when I played an old game for the first time in 20 years or have caught an earful of a song that hasn't troubled me for a long time. There was none of this nonsense when the prequels did the rounds in the early 00s, nor did any occasion the special editions upon their re-release back when your author was t'yoof. Here's the thing. I'm ... more »
U.S. Generals Believe Saudi Arabia's Military Intervention In Yemen Is A 'Bad Idea' That Is Doomed To Fail
*Al Jazeera:* *US generals: Saudi intervention in Yemen ‘a bad idea’* *Analysis: Some top officers question Washington’s support for Riyadh-led intervention, which they say is doomed.John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has accused the Obama administration of going soft on Iran’s regional ambitions in pursuit of what he sees as a bad nuclear agreement with Tehran, and has praised “our Arab partners” for intervening in Yemen. “The prospect of radical groups like Iranian-backed Houthi militants” was “more than [U.S. Arab allies] could withst... more »
Fast Track Introduced into Senate & House; Wyden Proud of His Role
*More true than you know; China wins big if TPP passes (source) * *by Gaius Publius* What we anticipated has occurred. Fast Track, the necessary precursor to the TPP (next-NAFTA) "trade" agreement, has been introduced into the Senate and the House. They're calling it the Hatch-Wyden-Ryan bill, and well they should. ("Ryan" is Paul Ryan, by the way.) Bottom lines first: - Wyden should lose his job over this, and may. - All of Obama's "good guy" cred is falling fast. Anyone who "gets" TPP knows he's cashing out or selling out. (Polite talk is that he believes his own BS.... more »
Blacks in America
*Malcolm X - American Activist and Hero to All Races* Here's an interesting interview with an American Black activist. He's saying that what is going on in the USA...between the overwhelmingly white police forces and blacks is coming close to genocide. There is no doubt the incidents of white-on-black police/authoritarian violence have escalated. I am going to make a few suggestions about what's behind this rise in violence and what can be done about it. I'm not saying I'm totally right. Obviously those who live in the US would have a better idea of what is going on than I do. ... more »
"How to Not Pay Your Mortgage… and Get Away With It"
*"How to Not Pay Your Mortgage… and Get Away With It"* by Bill Bonner Gualfin (“End of the Road”), Argentina - "We were invited to lunch with our closest neighbors. We decided to go on horseback, training for a long ride coming up this weekend. It took five hours to reach next door. Then another five hours to get back. “Nothing was worse than the wine business in Argentina last year,” said Raul over lunch. Raul operates a vineyard in the neighboring valley. “We got paid about $2.50 a bottle and it cost about $3.50 to make a bottle." “Hey…” we replied. “We grow grapes. We sold our w... more »
Yemen War News Updates -- April 17, 2015
*L.A. Times:* *At least 150,000 displaced by fighting in Yemen, U.N. reports* *Amid punishing hardships on the ground, at least 150,000 people have been displaced by the conflict raging in Yemen, the United Nations said Friday, and the death toll – almost certainly underreported – has surpassed 750.* *Dozens of schools, mosques, hospitals, airports, bridges and factories have been hit in a concerted Saudi Arabia-led campaign of bombardment that is now in its fourth week, the U.N. said.* *The Sunni Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the support of Washington, has taken aim at Ir... more »
ISIS: Online Campaigns/Slick Productions and Western Connections!
*ISIS: A Social network or Terrorist network? * *Haaretz-By Zvi Bar'el *: *"Long before it started making inroads into Iraq and Syria, Islamic State recognized the importance of a strong online campaign and slick presentation. Indeed, its Web presence may be its lasting legacy"* *How about ISIS as a global NATO media campaign* *Before we get into this article,* I ask that readers keep in mind the massive spying done on social media, globally. Then ask yourself how it is possible that ISIS -* the terror that is allegedly threatening the entire world- * can maintain this huge global ... more »
ZEROHEDGE: Conspiracy Theorists, Bloggers Compared To ISIS During Congressional Hearing
Conspiracy Theorists, Bloggers Compared To ISIS During Congressional Hearing [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/16/2015 23:00 -0400 Submitted by Paul Joseph Watson via PrisonPlanet.com, Bloggers, conspiracy theorists and people who challenge establishment narratives on the Internet were all likened to ISIS terrorists during a chilling Congressional hearing which took place yesterday. The hearing, hosted by the House Foreign Relations Committee, was titled “Confronting Russia’s Weaponization of Information,” and accused Russian state broadcaster RT of ... more »
World News Briefs -- April 17, 2015
*Reuters*: *Iraqi forces fight IS militants at gates of Anbar provincial capital* *(Reuters) - Iraqi security forces fought Islamic State militants at the gates of the western city of Ramadi on Friday, and local authorities warned it was in danger of falling unless reinforcements arrived soon.* *Police sources and provincial council members said the militants were no more than half a kilometer from the center of the capital of Anbar province, and many residents were rushing to leave, waving white flags.* *MIDDLE EAST* Former president defiant as *humanitarian toll mounts in Yeme... more »
WHY LINCOLN STILL MATTERS TODAY
*On the anniversary of Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, 150 years ago, I pause to reflect on this giant of a man and 16th President who represents all the moral qualities we would hope our current Presidents embody ~ and yet we remain so bitterly disappointed when few if any of these Presidential pretenders can approach the moral timbre of our greatest president: Allen L Roland, Ph.D* *“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” ~ Abraham Lincoln* *Abraham Lincoln is still a symbol... more »
This Initiative Could Bring Free Fresh Produce to Your Neighborhood
*Video -* Imagine walking down your street and finding free fresh produce ready for the picking. The Food is Free Project is creating a repeatable model of growing food and community. The post This Initiative Could Bring Free Fresh Produce to Your Neighborhood appeared first on Waking Times.
Comparing World Crises
On my second day in Belgium, the Atlantik-Brücke conference, a Canada-Germany conversation, got underway and was immediately quite interesting. The opening session had two speakers that provided broad surveys of the world’s crises, and I was struck that there seemed to be some comparisons that did not work for me. Why? Because some crises are […]
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 17, 2015
*Bloomberg:* *China May Gain Control of South China Sea, U.S. Navy Says* *China’s island building program in the South China Sea may result in it gaining control of some of the world’s most important waterways, the U.S.’s most senior military commander for Asia said.* *“If this activity continues at pace, is that it -- those would give them de facto control” of the maritime territory they claim, Admiral Samuel Locklear, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, told the U.S. Senate. Locklear said China could install long-range detection radars, base warships and warplanes on the islands,... more »
Support John Friend's Free Speech! - Update
Back *on March 4th*, I set up an Indiegogo Fundraiser entitled *Support John Friend's Free Speech! *Here is how I described the Fundraiser on Indiegogo: Hello, my name is John Friend, and I am an independent journalist, blogger, and radio host. I maintain *TheRealistReport.com*, where you can find all of my personal writings, blog posts, radio appearances, and radio programs. My writings and radio programs focus primarily on issues relating to 9/11 and the so-called "Global War on Terrorism," WWII historical revisionism, the organized international Jewish community, media deception... more »
Governor Haslam Wants to Allow CorpEd's Barbic to Recruit Outside ASD School Boundaries
Tennessee's Achievement School District (ASD) was sold on the premise that its charter schools replace the lowest scoring public schools in the state, and in the process the corporate charters would *raise the scores for the bottom 5 percent of public school populations up into the top 25 percent within five years.* State test score data would be used to label schools for "priority status," and the ASD would be free to use the list to target schools, beginning with those with the best real estate value, for shutdown and charter conversion. A former CEO (Chris Barbic) of a Texas ch... more »
An Interactive Map On U.S. Military Deployments During The Obama Administration
*Beaufort Gazette*: *Interactive map: Military deployment in the Obama administration* *Where have our military personnel been deployed under Obama by branch and year?* *This heat map shows total U.S. military deployment from 2009-2014, visualizing how and where focuses have shifted over the years. Use the drop-down menu to filter by Air Force, Navy, Army, or Marine Corps. The interactive graph shows the breakdown of total military troops by service and the relative numbers of each branch.* *Some interesting facts gathered from the data:* *WNU Editor:* The U.S. military has defi... more »
ZEROHEDGE: Global Futures Slide After Worldwide Bloomberg Outage, China Tumbles On Short Selling Boost
Global Futures Slide After Worldwide Bloomberg Outage, China Tumbles On Short Selling Boost [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/17/2015 06:44 -0400 Just as China was closing for trade and Europe was opening, something previously unseen happened: no, not another another GPIF or Virtu inspired marketwide stop squeeze, those are quite recurring these days. It was virtually every Bloomberg terminal around the globe suddenly going dark. This promptly led to widespread panic among traders mostly in Europe, who were flying blind and unable to chat with other,... more »
U.S. is Now Importing Organic Corn to Satisfy Consumer Demand
*Heather Callaghan* - U.S. consumers are coming into awareness about how their food affects their health and want superior products... The post U.S. is Now Importing Organic Corn to Satisfy Consumer Demand appeared first on Waking Times.
Former Saddam Hussein Deputy And Top Iraqi Militant Head Killed In Iraq
A file photograph shows Izzat Ibrahim chairman of the ruling Revolutionary Command Council during a military celebration in Baghdad February 16, 2003 *Reuters*: *Hussein aide, insurgent leader al-Douri reported killed in Iraq: Iraqi governor* *(Reuters) - A former aide to late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and a leader of Iraq's insurgency, Ezzat Ibrahim al-Douri, may have been killed by Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militias involved in an operation against insurgent forces.* *Raed al-Jubouri, the governor of Salahuddin province, told al-Arabiya television that al-Douri had been kill... more »
#WealthyLive$Matter (one in a continuing series)
ESPN personality Britt McHenry has taken one for the team, graciously accepting a one-week suspension from her job as sideline eye candy and tweeting out an apology after she got caught in the act of poor-shaming a towing company employee. It seems that Britt, who makes her living playing for the cameras, failed to recognize that she was live on CCTV when she spewed her invective. Actually, she just kind of drawled out her invective in Not-Everyday AmericanSpeak. She sounds like a cross between Thurston Howell III and a character in *Heathers*: Not only was she miffed at having ... more »
Scientists Have Warned for Years that Monsanto’s Roundup Causes Cancer
*Barbara Minton* - This stuff causes cancer, they've known it for years, and they approved it anyway. The post Scientists Have Warned for Years that Monsanto’s Roundup Causes Cancer appeared first on Waking Times.
Greece near the abyss
Greece has survived April 9th, the first possible date of the default. Some people moved the deadline to May 9th (weekend), others to May 12th. We hear that it could come in late May or June, too. Check this debt timeline. The government could actually be able to raise cash from the Greek citizens, the patriots who want to support their communists in charge and who know that things will be even worse if and when the government goes bust. No foreigners are buying the new Greek debt anymore but the domestic lenders could be a factor that was underestimated. Because Greece has vigorous... more »
(A3 Newsletter) The Waiting Game: 43 Years of Innocence; Still Incarcerated; Still Isolated
*(PHOTO: Albert Woodfox in 1998)* Today marks 43 years since Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace were first placed in solitary confinement for a crime they didn't commit. We now await a decision from Federal Judge James Brady regarding Albert's request for bail, expected any week. Featured below are messages from both Albert and Robert King. New artwork by longtime A3 supporter Rigo 23 is displayed alongside a poem written by Albert back in 1998 entitled I Wait. Who could have imagined that 17 years later, in 2015, he would still be in solitary confinement, still waiting for justice? ... more »
Wisconsin Is In Play-- But No One Has Told The DCCC
Republicans are afraid that unless their nominee wins a couple of blue states, they're doomed to another painful Electoral College defeat. New Jersey voters have made it clear that there's no way their governor, Chris Christie, will get their votes. Most New Jersey voters say he's unfit to be president. Christie says even if he loses New Jersey's 14 electoral votes, he can still pick up New Hampshire (4 votes) and Pennsylvania (20 votes). Pennsylvania shares a lot of media coverage with much of New Jersey and Christie says that's why he will win the state. Except the New Jersey co... more »
More 'Security' For The White House
*CBS:* *"Anti-climb" spikes to be added to White House fence* *The National Park Service and the Secret Service plan to add spikes atop the White House fence.The spikes, described to CBS News as "pencil protrusions," are temporary "anti-climb" measures.The plan is expected to get the approval of the National Capital Planning Commission on May 7. Construction would begin thereafter.Permanent security renovations to the White House complex are expected to be approved later this year. Construction would start in summer or fall 2016. * *Update:* White House fence may get spikes... more »
Germany Will Not Permit Russian Biker Club To Drive To Berlin To Celebrate The 70th Anniversary Of The End Of The Second World War
The Night Wolves biker gang. Image: nwrussia.info *Sputnik*: *Germany to Ban Russian Bikers From Organizing WWII Victory Rally to Berlin* *The Russian biker-club "Night Wolves" decided to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over fascism by organizing a bike journey from Moscow to Berlin. However, German authorities will not permit the club to drive to the German capital, according to the German newspaper “Die Welt”.* *Berlin authorities will not give the Russian biker club "Night Wolves” permission to organize a bike tour in honor of the Allied victory in World W... more »
The US Navy Is Developing Lasers To Be Mounted On Light Vehicles
*Daily Mail*: *The jeep that can down a drone: US Navy reveals anti-UAV weapon that can fire lasers from a moving vehicle* ** Designed for use on light tactical vehicles such as the Humvee* ** Initial trials with low power lasers have already taken place* ** The 30kW system is expected to be ready for field testing in 2016 * *Enemy drones have become a major threat on the battlefield, and the UU Navy hopes a roof mounted laser could be the answer.* *Its Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move program, commonly referred to as GBAD, allowing controllers to simply drive th...more »
Dan Bacher 'Governor Jerry Brown rips the green mask off his tunnels plan'
Governor Jerry Brown rips the green mask off his tunnels plan By Dan Bacher Censored News Governor Jerry Brown has finally admitted what most Californians have known all along – the “conservation” and “habitat restoration” components of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan have been nothing but window dressing for the twin tunnels water grab, potentially the most environmentally
Vern Lee: 'Navajo Right to Vote Discarded'
Letter to Editor By Vern Lee Censored News People's right to vote is sacred and sovereign. In August of 2014 people gave a lot of thought, discussions, and prayers to cast their VOTES in the Navajo Nation 2014 Primary Election. Their VOTES for Navajo Nation President was discarded and made NULL and VOID by the Navajo Nation Chief Justice. Using technicality and POLITICAL maneuvering
Dip Tech
A new ceramic printing method has made me thinkaboot how cool things can be. The work above: toilet stall doors.
More Kiev Death Squad News
*A Kiev tank displays their true colors in the current civil war against self-defense forces in eastern Ukraine who are resisting the US-NATO backed neo-Nazi regime* - I am on bus and then train from Maine to Washington DC to be part of a workshop on the US military 'pivot' into the Asia-Pacific. The workshop will be part of the Ecumenical Lobby Days at the capital where a thousand Christian activists are scheduled to attend. - More disturbing news from Kiev, Ukraine as the leader of a recent protest at the US Embassy has been killed by death squads. (You mi... more »
China's Anti-Satellite Test Was 'Successful' Last Year
Image Credit: Flickr/ thebadastronomer *Breaking Defense*: *Chinese ASAT Test Was ‘Successful:’ Lt. Gen. Raymond * *COLORADO SPRINGS: We’ve known for some time that China conducted an anti-satellite test July 23 last year, but we learned today that that test was “successful” even if it didn’t destroy anything.* *China has successfully placed low earth orbit satellites at risk, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jay Raymond told an overflow audience at the annual Warfighters Lunch at the Space Symposium here. “Soon every satellite in every orbit will be able to be held at risk,” the head of the 14... more »
Oglala Commemoration Leonard Peltier Day 2015
http://www.oglalacommemoration.com/2015event.html Oglala Commemoration Auction Page http://www.oglalacommemoration.com/auction Bracelet is one item on the Auction page
A Look At How Israel Kept Its Nuclear Weapons Program Secret
Lead image by Courtesy of National Security Archives. *Avner Cohen and William Burr, Politico:* *How Israel Hid Its Secret Nuclear Weapons Program* *An exclusive look inside newly declassified documents shows how Israel blocked U.S. efforts to uncover its secret nuclear reactor.* *For decades, the world has known that the massive Israeli facility near Dimona, in the Negev Desert, was the key to its secret nuclear project. Yet, for decades, the world—and Israel—knew that Israel had once misleadingly referred to it as a “textile factory.” Until now, though, we’ve never known how th... more »
Posing As A World Leader
http://www.ndtv.com/ Ostensibly, Indian Prime Minister Modi is in Canada to sign a uranium deal and ease visa restrictions between the two countries. Don't believe it. Tim Harper writes: Take a look at the receiving line at the airport in Toronto and Vancouver for Modi. There you will find Conservative MPs with some of the largest Indo-Canadian populations shaking hands as the cameras whirred. There was Brad Butt of Mississauga—Streetsville, where 19 per cent of the population is of South Asian heritage, and there was Bob Dech... more »
One Last Look At The Real Economy Before It Implodes - Part 5
Brandon Smith Since I began writing analysis for the liberty movement more than eight years ago, I have always said that we will know when the endgame of the globalists is upon us when the criminals come out into the light of day and admit to their crimes. At that moment, it will be because they no longer fear either the repercussions or their plans being obstructed. As I plan to show in this installment of my series on the hidden fiscal collapse of America, the endgame has indeed arrived. At the very least, the international elites seem to think success is within their grasp, for... more »
Signs That The Elite Are Feverishly Preparing For Something BIG
Michael Snyder What in the world are the elite up to? In recent days, we have learned that the New York Fed is moving a lot of operations to Chicago because of concerns about what a “natural disaster” could do, the federal government is buying 62 million rounds of ammunition commonly used in AR-15 semi-automatic rifles for “training” purposes, and NORAD is moving back into Cheyenne Mountain because it is “EMP-hardened”. In addition, government authorities have scheduled a whole host of unusual “training exercises” all over the nation. So are the elite doing all of this in order... more »
Political Pedophilia: An open source investigation
By James Corbett As more and more information surfaces on both sides of the Atlantic about the pedophilia rings operating in the highest echelons of political, business and entertainment circles, even the establishment press is being forced to cover the story. But is the very same establishment that covered up these horrors for decades going to break the dam on this sensitive and paradigm-changing information? Of course not. Join us today on The Corbett Report as we explore how the alternative media can help shape the open source investigation into the practice of political pedoph... more »
Tampering with Smart Meters on the Smart Grid
Catherine J. Frompovich There have been a lot of theories about what could happen when Smart Meters (SMs) are tampered with and customers receive “false-reading, tampered-with” utility bills—water, gas, or electric—when hackers access the porous microwave networks that transmit in-the-house information that electric SMs constantly collect, then radio-transmit via microwaves back to utilities home offices. That’s not some “pie-in-the-sky” theory; it’s of great concern to security experts! According to Sally Ward-Foxton of Crosstalk (Oct. 2012) But this increasing ‘digitalisat... more »
Dear Farmers: U.S. is Now Importing Organic Corn to Satisfy Consumer Demand
Heather Callaghan There are three things driving a surge in organic imports: 1. U.S. farmers have been systematically pushed into growing mostly GMO crops; grown primarily for fuel, animal feed and cheap processed foods. Russia even used our food supply as an example for the EU to dump us and join them instead. 2. U.S. consumers are not only demanding fresh, organic produce as well as non-GMO convenience foods - but also want *meat, dairy and eggs from animals that were fed non-GMO or organic feed*. 3. Other countries primarily grow non-GE crops, and plent... more »
Media Attacks Assad as Terrorists Attack Civilians
Source Brandon Turbeville As the Syrian Easter celebration began to draw to a close, residents of Aleppo were met with rocket attacks that were apparently aimed at killing civilians. The attacks, which took place in government-held territory, were the result of Nusra/ISIS terrorists funded by the West to overthrow the secular government of Bashar al-Assad. Syrian news reporters were on the ground shortly after the attacks so as to catch footage of victims being excavated from the rubble and others being treated for their wounds at the hospital. Sources inside Syria have descri... more »
How To End Sandwich Noncompetes?: Tie Them To CEO Pay
*Problem 1: CEO Pay Gap* CEO pay has been in the news a lot lately, and for good reason. CEOs make, on average, about 300 times what their average workers make. Hillary Clinton has made CEO pay part of her campaign. Where CEO pay jumped an average 13% in 2014, rank and file workers saw only a 2% average increase. Fast food CEOs make $5859/hour, while their rank and file suffer below the poverty level at minimum wage. The pay gap at Disney between the CEO and median worker wages is 2238 to one. And then there's this guy, who slashed his $1 million/year salary at Gravity Payments to ... more »
BREAKING: We're off on a mission of national import!
*FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015Also, Gail Collins knows script:* We've been called away from our desks on a mission of national import. No posts are expected today. In our absence, please accept this required script-read from the high columnist Collins: COLLINS (4/16/15): Hillary Clinton is off and running and thinking about you all the time, everyday American. Right now she’s probably in her van, someplace on the Interstate highway system, wondering how you’re doing. [...] But what does it all mean for you? How are you going to come up with an opinion about a campaign where the first-... more »
“Watch Jon Stewart Crush Dick Cheney In Epic Takedown Over Iran”
*“Watch Jon Stewart Crush Dick Cheney In Epic Takedown Over Iran”* By Ed Mazza "Plenty of viewers will be sad to see Jon Stewart leave "The Daily Show" later this year. It's a safe bet that former Vice President Dick Cheney won't be one of them. Last week, Cheney made headlines when he attacked President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, saying "I can't think of a more terrible burden to leave the next president than what Obama is creating here." On Thursday night's "Daily Show," Stewart fired back. "Really? You can't think of an administration that left a more terrible burden?... more »
Ed Miliband - a retrospective (part 1)
I was browsing through my blog looking for pieces about Ed Miliband, there's over 200, and I came across this one from 2008, entitled 'Democracy Gordon Brown style'. What's interesting is the appearance of both Ed Miliband and his brother David, both happy to toe the line that the Lisbon Treaty was not the same as the 'abandined' EU Constitution. Here's what I wrote at the time: 'Gordon Brown is as fundamentally dishonest as Tony Blair was and his behaviour over the EU Treaty is nothing short of disgusting. Gordon Brown was part of the team that wrote the last Labour manifesto, ... more »
Hilary & October Surprise 2012 : Purported Leaked Benghazi E-mail
*"Now, that story about David Cameron is not true.* *But I feel what tells us about David Cameron is true."* *- Stewart Lee* CONFIDENTIAL November 12, 2012 For: Hillary From: Sid Re: Petraeus/October Surprise My operative theory on Petraeus scandal is that it became an October Surprise that failed. Forcing the scandal public and his resignation would have been the trifecta--leaks, Benghazi, then Petraeus--allowing Romney to argue that Obama had created a national security collapse. It would have overtaken the end of the campaign. My thought is that Leahy should be in this... more »
Untitled
*The Battle for New Orleans ~Eric Velasco, Politico* *FEMA OKs nonfederal levees in N.O. East * *BP's oil spill payments: Are they enough? ~David Hammer, WWL* *Fish supplies are good 5 years after BP spill, but there are other problems ~Rob Masson, WVUE* *Decade-old oil leak in Gulf of Mexico may be far worse than reported ~AP, via N.O. Advocate * *The Listening Post Asks: Preservation And/Or Development? ~Kate Richardson* *NORTH AMERICAN TIRE & RETREAD EXPO* *Music Box announces 'Super Secret' concert to accompany New Orleans Jazz Fest ~Doug MacCash* *NOLA Life Stories: George ... more »
Greg Hunter, "Weekly New Wrap-Up, 4/17/15"
*"Weekly New Wrap-Up, 4/17/15"* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "Congress is going to get a say in the upcoming deal to curtail Iran’s nuclear program. Congress has a veto proof majority they will require the President to allow Congress to give its approval. Just this weekend, the President said that the “GOP had overstepped in foreign affairs” according to the AP. Of course, that is preposterous; and, meanwhile, the AP continues to push the idea of a so-called “emerging deal.” There is no deal, and with Congress now involved, there is going to be no deal. You simply cannot have... more »
Navy League 2015: Boeing developing kit to upgrade Harpoon missiles for extended range
[image: Boeing Harpoon Block II missile]Boeing is developing a kit to upgrade existing Harpoon Block II missiles for extended range, in the hope of attracting interest from the US Navy's (USN's) new frigate programme, officials announced on 14 April. Called Harpoon Next Generation, the new version would include a more fuel-efficient engine, additional fuel, and a smaller 300-pound class warhead, company officials told reporters at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space symposium in National Harbor, Maryland. "We're looking at doubling the range of Harpoon from 67 nm to 134 nm," said Jim Bro... more »
DECLARATION OF NON-CONSENT
This is my Declaration of Non-Consent Published as a Public Notice on April 16th, 2015 THIS IS MY DECLARATION OF FREEDOM FROM ALL CONTROL AND AUTHORITY STRUCTURES THAT INTERFERE WITH MY FREE WILL *I DO NOT CONSENT* I DO NOT CONSENT to having any human being, living being, machine, entity, person, corporation, secret group, or their representatives, their bosses, their off world allies, anyone working for or with any of the above: to spy, to look into, to watch, or in any way invade my PRIVACY for any reason. Privacy is defined as: my own unique personal life experience. Each experie... more »
Roundtable Discussion- With Bradley Love- Video Archive
Good morning everyone! For everyone who's been waiting (some not so patiently, lol) Here is the Video archive of the One People Roundtable Discussion from Tuesday April 14th, 2015, with our special guest, Bradley Loves. On the show we began a huge trek down several rabbit holes- some of which we've traversed before, but some were new ones, where we worked together to connect some rather interesting dots. I can guarantee that we will be talking to Brad again very soon on the Roundtable as even more information has come to light SINCE this discussion- some of which I brought out on T... more »
Ukraine's Antonov Bureau showcases its new transport aircraft
Ukrainian aircraft producer Antonov Bureau has unveiled its newly-constructed transport aircraft, designed for both military and civilian purposes. Antonov Bureau made its name back in Soviet times - primarily for its cargo planes. Antonovs are still used in 80 countries all over the globe and are valued for their reliability. Read more
Israel to get first F-35s in 2016
[image: F-35A Lightning II]Two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters will arrive in Israel in December 2016, making the Israeli Air Force (IAF) the first outside of the United States to receive the fifth-generation combat aircraft, a senior Lockheed Martin official said on 15 April. The two jets are among 33 F-35s that Israel currently has on order. The defence establishment is keen to acquire another 17 in the coming years to form two full squadrons. Five pilots and a squadron commander from Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel have been selected to become the co... more »
Russia Threatens NATO Over Missile Shield
[image: Patriot battery]Russia’s top general warned European countries planning to host installations for a U.S.-led missile-defense shield that Russian forces would be forced to target them. “Nonnuclear powers where missile-defense installations are being installed have become the objects of priority response,” Gen. Valery Gerasimov said, referring to Poland and Romania. The comments came at a defense conference in Moscow where a series of high-level Russian leaders repeatedly warned of perceived threats that the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization posed to modern Russi... more »
Boeing Awarded $321M DoD Contract for Apache Attack Helicopter Work
[image: AH-64E Apache Longbow]The Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a handful of contracts Wednesday, led by a $321.8 million deal with The Boeing Company. The cost-plus-incentive-fee undefinitized Army contract tasks Boeing with finishing the base line Apache attack helicopter, as well as the integration of modifications. At the time of the award, $51.46 million in fiscal 2015 research, development, testing, and evaluation funds were indebted. Read more
Finnish fighter planes in the Netherlands and Baltics for exercises
[image: F/A-18 Hornet]Six Finnish Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft are currently in the Netherlands taking part in multi-national exercises under the auspices of the NATO Partnership for Peace programme. Next week, two Finnish fighters will be flying training missions over the Baltic States. The Finnish fighters involved in the exercise in the Netherlands are flying out of the Leeuwarden airbase in the north of that country. The multi-national exercises are, in the main, being flown over the North Sea. Approximately 50 aircraft from 10 countries are participating in the exercise. F... more »
MENA Report ( April 17 , 2015 ) Iraq / Syria Regional War in focus ...... Yemen War in focus .... Libya in focus .......Global fight vs ISIS in focus !
Links.... *Al-Qaeda Captures Yemen Airport, Oil Terminal* *Resilient ISIS Presses Attack in Ramadi, Baiji* *Iraqi PM: ISIS Could Become Unstoppable* *313 Killed in Iraq as Fighting Increases on Two Fronts* *Battling for Dominance, ISIS and al-Qaeda Employ Different Strategies* *Yemen's 'New VP' Urges Army Factions to Fight Houthis, Back Saudis* More Than 2,000 Families Flee Iraqi City of Ramadi as ISIS Advances Putin Defends Iran Missile Deal as Increasing Security in Light of Yemen Tweets..... *libyaherald* @libyaherald · 11h11 hours ago Minister of Economy meets presiden... more »
Europe offers Typhoon fighters to Indonesia, promises local assembly
[image: Eurofighter Typhoon]European consortium Eurofighter GmbH has offered its Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighters to Indonesia with the promise that a final assembly facility would be set up in the Southeast Asian country if Jakarta chooses the warplane. As Indonesia plans a replacement of its existing fighter-jet fleet, delegates from Eurofighter arrived in Jakarta over the weekend to begin a series of demonstrations aimed at underlining the full scope of the offer from the four-nation consortium, the company said on April 16. While emphasising that choosing the Typhoons wil... more »
China complains Japanese air, sea surveillance raises safety risks
[image: JASDF F-15 Eagle]China's Defence Ministry complained on Friday that Japanese surveillance activities threatened the safety of Chinese ships and aircraft, raising the issue after Japan said earlier this week that its jet fighter scrambles had hit levels unseen since the Cold War. Japan's air force said the increased number of scrambles were in response to Russian bombers probing its northern skies and Chinese combat aircraft intruding into its southern air space. China's Defence Ministry, in a statement faxed to Reuters, said that Chinese air force activities accorded with bo... more »
Su-22 Fighter Jets Collide Over Vietnam, Fate Of Pilots Unknown
[image: Su-22UM-3K Fitter]Two Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jets crashed after colliding mid-air in central Vietnam on Thursday during a training mission, Xinhua news reported. The two pilots of the jets reportedly ejected but are missing. The incident, involving the aircraft from Air Division 370, took place in central Binh Thuan province, the VNExpress online newspaper reported. Vietnam's air force fleet mainly comprises of ageing, Russian-made fighter jets, according to defense industry websites. Read more
China Building Aircraft Runway in Disputed Spratly Islands
[image: Spratly Islands archipelago]China is building a concrete runway on an island in the South China Sea’s contested waters that will be capable of handling military aircraft when finished, satellite images released Thursday show. The first section of the runway appears like a piece of gray ribbon on an image taken last month of Fiery Cross Reef, part of the Spratly Islands, an archipelago claimed by at least three other countries. Adjacent to the runway, work is underway on an apron for taxiing and parking planes. The runway, which is expected to be about 10,000 feet long — enou... more »
INS Vikrant set to undock next month
[image: INS Vikrant]India is working on two separate projects to ramp up sea-borne aircraft carriers capability. The under construction indigenous 40,000 tonne INS Vikrant is slated to ‘undock’ from its building pontoon at Kochi next month, while India’s biggest naval warship and aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, is under a minor ‘re-fit’ to complete its Close-In Warfare System (CIWS), a protection from incoming enemy missiles. Vice Admiral Ashok Subedar, Controller, Warship Production and Acquisition, told the media today, “In May this we will undock the INS Vikrant. As much... more »
Lockheed Martin Not Studying AAW for Aegis Ashore for MDA
[image: Aegis Ashore installation]Lockheed Martin is not currently studying adding an anti-air warfare (AAW) capability to the Navy’s two Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense (BMD) installations in Romania and Poland for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the company said on Thursday correcting comments made by a company official last week during a briefing on the program. In a statement, the company said its official misspoke and the comments were based on dated information. “Lockheed Martin is not under any taking by the MDA to implement AAW at this time for Aegis Ashore,” read ... more »
Navy's new destroyer to be launched into sea on Sunday
[image: INS Visakhapatnam]Navy's new destroyer, Visakhapatnam, with enhanced capability to operate in nuclear, biological and chemical atmosphere, will be launched in Mumbai on Sunday. The ship is the first of the four follow follow-up order of the Kolkata class warships and will give a major flip to India's maritime capabilities when it is inducted in 2018. Launch of the ship means that it is being put into the sea. The total cost of the project is little over Rs 29,600 Crores. Read more
Economic News , Data and Views ( April 17 , 2015 ) - Latest updates of note on Greece ( Schauble and Varoufakis Speeches and Q&A at Brookings Institute , Latest information re : Creditor Talks / Lagarde and S&P comments / Grexit ponderings / GR Banks with Units abroad directed to dispose of GR debt ) ..... German ten year bund creep closer to 0 % ..... Asian market snippets , Europe pre- open items of note ...... Russia nixes Ukraine debt restructure on 3 billion euro loan , Ukraine restructure items and state of play in Ukraine ......
Tweets..... *fred walton* @fredwalton216 12s13 seconds ago fred walton retweeted Kathimerini English Brief sideline chat with President Obama . Serious talks with Draghi and Lew set for Friday evening and night ! fred walton added, *Kathimerini English *@ekathimerini Obama calls for flexibility in Greek reform talks in brief exchange with Varoufakis http://dlvr.it/9R1RJN *fred walton* @fredwalton216 10s10 seconds ago fred walton retweeted Yves Smith Yves Smith examines default and grexit ... a good read ! fred walton added, *Yves Smith* @yvessmith Greece: Default or ... more »
DCNS Starts the Construction of the First GOWIND® 2500 Corvette for the Egyptian Navy
[image: Gowind class FS]This vessel is the first of a series of four units that will be delivered to Egypt before 2019. The cutting of the first metal sheets for the first GOWIND® 2500 corvette built in Lorient symbolises the launch of the ambitious industrial program conducted by DCNS for the Egyptian Navy. It includes the construction of four latest-generation corvettes, both in France and Egypt. The delivery of the first vessel is slated for 2017, i.e., less than four years after the signature of the contract last summer. Read more
INS Vikramaditya to get its own missile shield soon
[image: INS Vikramaditya (R33)]The country's largest and most powerful warship, aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, will finally get its own missile shield soon. The Navy will cannibalize an Israeli Barak-I anti-missile defence system from frigate INS Godavari, which will be decommissioned shortly, for the carrier. Under a $2.33 billion deal with Russia, the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov or INS Vikramaditya was inducted by the Navy in November 2013. With 45 MiG-29Ks ordered for another $2 billion to operate from its deck, the carrier is the costliest single weapon platform the country... more »
Any schedule delays would risk Navy's 'No. 1 acquisition program'
[image: Ohio class SSBN]Any further delay on a roughly $80 billion program to replace aging nuclear submarines will “risk the most survivable leg of the Nation’s nuclear triad,” a Pentagon official said referring to the trio of submarines, ballistic missiles and heavy bombers used to deter war. Arthur Hopkins, the Pentagon's nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs chief, was on a panel of defense officials testifying before a House Armed Services subcommittee on Wednesday about funding for nuclear forces and the urgency tied to replacing the aging Ohio-class ballistic miss... more »
Def Committee Report on shipyards for P75-I Project this month
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[image: Scorpene class SSK]The high-level committee of the Defence Ministry, which will identify shipyards capable of building country's next six conventional submarines under a Rs 50,000-crore scheme, will submit its report by this month end. Besides the state-run shipyards, private players like Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company, in which Anil Ambani-led Reliance has announced to pick up a controlling stake, is eyeing the mega deal. The Committee has visited all the shipyards in the country and will submit its report by April end, Vice Admi... more »
Hawking's disease kills Czechia's youngest prime minister (45)
Approximately one year ago, the public was getting increasingly certain that Mr Stanislav Gross was suffering from a very serious – and probably fatal – illness. *This is actually not a photoshopped image. He allowed to be photographed in this form.* For some time, media speculated he had cancer; or just a minor injury affecting the spinal chord, and so on. At some moment, the picture became rather solid. Gross was tortured by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The neurons controlling voluntary muscles start to die. You can't move, speak, and swallow too well, and at the end, y... more »
Pope Francis to Host Major Summit on Climate Change
[image: Pope Francis has become an outspoken advocate on environmental issues. giulio napolitano / Shutterstock.com] How lovely. However, since the issue has been declared settled, I am not quite sure just why they think the Pope should also step up to do much of the same except to perhaps take practical advantage of his well established infallibility. Way more important though is that the real theme appears to be about environmental husbandry. Climate is slowly sliding to the back of the bus and real problems may now get addressed. At least we have a position coming and i hav... more »
Islamophobia in the USA: The Case of The Arabic Language
[image: arabic alphabet] Islamophobia is rubbish. What we have is a human reaction to awful Islamic actions that are promoted as the road to force your submission to Allah. Try walking down the street waving a swastika. This will earn the same reaction for the exact same reasons. Quite bluntly, it you choose to associate with dogs or even condone dogs you will be likely treated as a dog. Reading a sacred national text in translation is always done respectively with permission and with explanation. In that way it can be treated respectively. Otherw... more »
10 of the World's Superfoods Also Destroy Cancer Cells
This makes a short inventory of what we do recognize as visibly effective. How any of it works for a late stage cancer situation remains controversial and mostly suspect. And of course a healthy immune system may be all you need for eralier stages and all these veggies promote just that. The main thing of course is to learn just how to use all these products and to then integrate them into your daily diet. Difficult enough but then ten items is not too much. Maybe i will take my recently mastered turmeric ginger brew and add it to green tea to give the gre... more »
A Healthy Public Domain Generates Millions in Economic Value
Essentially I write for the public domain. In practice all creators do as well. Copy write law is useful the minute hard cash is spent to produce a commercial product. Yet today, the only cost incurred by a writer is his time and in my example the blog is effectively a day book for producing raw copy that is not meant to be published. It is meant to be shared though and the internet opens the door to a massive audience who make the effort to find your content. In the meantime the writer gains a readership and serious feedback. Today i know over three million eyeballs have r... more »
Xi’s Submarine Sale Raises Indian Ocean Nuclear Clash Risk
[image: Agosta 90B class SSK]Soon a brash naval captain may pose a bigger risk of triggering a nuclear crisis between India and Pakistan than a religious terrorist. China is likely to conclude a sale of eight conventional submarines during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Islamabad on April 20, more than doubling Pakistan’s fleet. Analysts say it may be the first step in helping Pakistan gain the ability to fire nuclear weapons at sea, keeping pace with rival India. Read more
Ed Miliband - clear and concise?
Ed Miliband from 2011, sticking to a predetermined answer come what may. Remember this video when the Labour Party and the BBC tell you how intelligent, capable and normal Ed Miliband is. If the BBC wasn't happy to act as the media and propaganda arms of the Labour Party then this video would have featured strongly in BBC 'satirical' news programmes, but it didn't. Compare that with how often John Redwood's failure to know the Welsh National (Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau) anthem was played. As with the video of Gordon Brown picking his nose in the Chanmber of the House of Commons, this...more »
U.S. Sec. Of The Navy: The F-35C Will Be The Navy's Last Manned Strike Jet
Reuters *USNI:* *Mabus: F-35 Will Be ‘Last Manned Strike Fighter’ the Navy, Marines ‘Will Ever Buy or Fly’* *NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be “almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly,” signaling key assumptions in the Navy’s aviation future as the service prepares to develop follow-ons to the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.* *“Unmanned systems, particularly autonomous ones, have to be the new normal in ever-increasing areas,... more »
U.S. Army Morale Is Still Low
*USA Today:* *Army morale low despite 6-year, $287M optimism program* *More than half of some 770,000 soldiers are pessimistic about their future in the military and nearly as many are unhappy in their jobs, despite a six-year, $287 million campaign to make troops more optimistic and resilient, findings obtained by USA TODAY show.Twelve months of data through early 2015 show that 403,564 soldiers, or 52%, scored badly in the area of optimism, agreeing with statements such as "I rarely count on good things happening to me." Forty-eight percent have little satisfaction in or commit... more »
Picture Of The Day
(*Click on Image to Enlarge*) © REUTERS/ Rosa Panggabean/Antara Foto *WNU Editor*: So this is what a burnt F-16 on the tarmac looks like .... nasty .... *Indonesian F-16 Jet Catches Fire During Take-Off* (Sputnik).
Trans-Pacific Partnership Talks Classified as State Secrets!
Don’t Keep the Trans-Pacific Partnership Talks Secret By MARGOT E. KAMINSKI APRIL 14, 2015 The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/14/opinion/dont-keep-trade-talks-secret.html?emc=edit_th_20150414&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=32962000 COLUMBUS, Ohio — WHEN WikiLeaks recently released a chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, critics and proponents of the deal resumed wrestling over its complicated contents. But a cover page of the leaked document points to a different problem: It announces that the draft text is classified by the United States government. E... more »
Today
Screenshots from Fukushima 4/17 2:27 AM. It was not raining: Radiation levels continue to be moderately elevated in northern Japan and in Miyagi according to Netc.
Ukraine a Vector for GMO Poison's Spread Through EU
*April 17, 2015* (Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - When the Washington Post chooses to pen an insulting, condescending editorial targeting entire nations speaking up against Western impropriety, one can just as well assume the precise opposite of whatever narrative the Post is trying to push forward is true. Regarding American biotech companies and their attempts to infest the planet with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and in particular their attempts to corrupt the whole of Europe with their unwanted poison through a backdoor (Ukraine), has prompted Russia to speak up for their Eastern... more »
Will Iran Be Able To Dominate The Middle East Using Russia's S-300 Missile System?
Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters *Will Cathcart, Daily Beast:* *Putin Uses the S-300 Missile to Dominate Its Neighbors. Now Iran Can, Too.* *Israel isn’t the only country that will be threatened if S-300 missile systems arrive in Iran. The Saudis and Turks had better be worried as well.TBILISI, Georgia—As the Kremlin lifts its ban on the delivery of S-300 missiles to Iran, and as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claims the air defense systems “will not put at risk the security of any state in the region, including Israel,” a palpable irony hangs in the air here. For years, Rus... more »
8 Simple Steps to Forgive Even the Unforgivable
*Christina Sarich* - Stopping the inner rage of unforgiveness can be easier than you think. The post 8 Simple Steps to Forgive Even the Unforgivable appeared first on Waking Times.
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Bright clusters and nebulae abound in the ancient northern constellation of Auriga. The region includes the open star cluster M38, emission nebula IC 410 with Tadpoles, Auriga's own Flaming Star Nebula IC 405, and this interesting pair IC 417 (lower left) and NGC 1931. An imaginative eye toward the expansive IC 417 and diminutive NGC 1931 suggests a cosmic spider and fly. *Click image for larger size.* About 10,000 light-years distant, both represent young, open star clusters formed in interstellar clouds and still embedded in glowing hydrogen gas. For scale, the more compact NGC 1...more »
Chet Raymo, “Making Peace”
*“Making Peace”* by Chet Raymo "An issue of “Science” (May 18, 2012) was devoted to human conflict. If I can summarize 60 pages of discussion: It's US versus THEM. It seems our long evolutionary history has favored group solidarity. Empathy and cooperation within the group; distrust and aggression toward those outside. The first groups were those of kin, tribes, and then ethnicity. As societies grew, groups identified themselves in more complex ways. Some researches would suggest that religions evolved as group adhesives. WE are moral, beautiful, enlightened, favored by God. THEY a... more »
Paulo Coelho, "The Power Of The Word"
*"The Power Of The Word"* by Paulo Coelho "Of all the powerful weapons of destruction that man has invented, the most terrible – and the most cowardly – is the word. Knives and firearms leave traces of blood. Bombs shake whole buildings and streets. Poisons can always be detected. But a destructive word can provoke Evil without leaving behind it a single clue. Check to see if you yourself are using this weapon. Children are subject to years of conditioning by their parents, artists are mercilessly pilloried, women are systematically undermined by remarks made by their husbands, the... more »
All hail Hubble, the Little Telescope That Could -- and meet the "Mystic Mountatin" pillar of dust and gas it captured
*Achenblog caption: "A star-forming region in the Carina Nebula, seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Livio and Hubble 20th anniversary team"* *"So here is one of the big insights about outer space: It’s big. And it’s full of big stuff. I know I’m threatening to go over everyone’s head here with the scientific and technical language. Sorry, it just makes me feel smarter to sling the jargon."* *-- Joel Achenbach, in his Achenblog post today* *by Ken* The last time we visited with *Washington Post* ace science writer Joel Achenbach, he was excited, as he often ... more »
Greece's Debt Crisis Has Crippled Its Military
Several reports have surfaced of Turkish frigates entering Greek territorial waters Murad Sezer/Reuters *Elisabeth Braw, Newsweek*: *Lack of Fuel Leaves Greek Military Helpless in Face of Turkish Aggression* *Greece can no longer defend itself against Turkish military aggression because its financial woes are crippling its armed forces.* *Speaking exclusively to Newsweek, Prof Costas Koliopoulos, a military expert at Panteion University in Athens says: “Turkey is the reason we have very large armed forces. And now Turkey is sensing a shift in the balance of power. Their increased... more »
"What A Coward Knows..."
"Courage and conviction are powerful weapons against an enemy who depends only on fists or guns. Animals know when you are afraid; a coward knows when you are not." - David Seabury
The Daily "Near You?"
Houston, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"Just Once..."
"But because truly being here is so much; because everything here apparently needs us, this fleeting world, which in some strange way keeps calling to us. Us, the most fleeting of all. Once for each thing. Just once; no more. And we too, just once. And never again. But to have been this once, completely, even if only once: to have been at one with the earth, seems beyond undoing." - Rainer Maria Rilke
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