10:42pm MDST
Ukraine Military Facing A Draft Dodger Crisis
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko (2nd L) listens to explanations as he inspects a military drill, with the National Security and Defence Council Oleksandr Turchynov (L) seen nearby, at a training ground near the city of Mykolaiv April 25, 2015. Reuters/Mykola Lazarenko/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters *Washington Post:* *Ukraine’s military mobilization undermined by draft dodgers* *KIEV, Ukraine — As the country’s eastern conflict drags into a second year, Ukraine’s military leaders are trying to learn from past mistakes.* *They are trying to be better... more »
The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "Beyond Undoing"
*"Beyond Undoing"* "Why, then have to be human? Oh, not because happiness exists, Nor out of curiosity... But because being here means so much; Because everything here, Vanishing so quickly, seems to need us, And strangely keeps calling to us... To have been Here once, completely, even if only once, To have been at one with the earth - This is beyond undoing." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
"It Comes, Then, To This..."
"It comes, then, to this: that to be "viable", livable, or merely practical, life must be lived as a game - and the "must" here expresses a condition, not a commandment. It must be lived in the spirit of play rather than work, and the conflicts which it involves must be carried on in the realization that no species, or party to a game, can survive without its natural antagonists, its beloved enemies, its indispensable opponents. For to "love your enemies" is to love them *as* enemies; it is not necessarily a clever device for winning them over to your side. The lion lies down with ... more »
FBI Investigating Islamic State Terror Threat Within The U.S.
Photo from Drudge Report *CNN:* *Officials: FBI probes possible ISIS-inspired threat * *(CNN)The FBI is investigating a possible ISIS-inspired terrorist threat in the United States, law enforcement officials said Saturday.* *The investigation originated from intercepted chatter and other intelligence information that led officials to believe a possible plot could be in the works, the officials said.* *No arrests have been made. It's not clear whether the threat is real or aspirational.* *The exact nature of the threat couldn't be learned. One official said it focused on parts o... more »
Russian Hackers Had Access To President Obama's Unclassified Emails
Emails that President Obama sent and received were breached last year, senior officials said. Credit Zach Gibson/The New York Times *New York Times: **Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say* *WASHINGTON — Some of President Obama’s email correspondence was swept up by Russian hackers last year in a breach of the White House’s unclassified computer system that was far more intrusive and worrisome than has been publicly acknowledged, according to senior American officials briefed on the investigation.* *The hackers, who also got deeply into the State Departm... more »
A North Vietnamese Commando Reflects On How His Team Sunk The U.S. Aircraft Carrrier USNS Card During The Vietnam War
This photograph, taken on May 2 1964, showed the USNS Card in Saigon after it was attacked by Viet Cong commandos of the 65th Special Operations Group. Wikipedia *Vietnam.net:* *Commando recalls sinking of US aircraft carrier* *VietNamNet Bridge – Seventy-nine-year-old former Vietnamese commando Lam Son Nao still feels uncomfortable whenever he thinks about the moment he tried to recover 84 kilos of explosives that had been left near the USNS Core aircraft carrier. * *Recalling the event of 52 years ago during a recent interview at his home in HCM City, Nao said he first conducted... more »
The Sun Never Sets On America’s Special-Operations Forces
(Click on Image to Enlarge) *Wall Street Journal*:* New Way the U.S. Projects Power Around the Globe: Commandos* *Over the past year, special-operations forces have landed in 81 countries, mostly to train local troops to fight so Americans don’t have to.* *MAO, Chad—“Is this good?” yelled the U.S. Special Forces sergeant. “No!”* *He waved a paper target showing the dismal marksmanship of the Chadian commandos he was here to teach. Dozens of bullet holes intended for the silhouette’s vital organs were instead scattered in an array of flesh wounds and outright misses.* *The Chad... more »
Can we be neutral on the question of affirmative action in the hiring of university professors? -- A radical perspective
By Denis G. Rancourt "Affirmative action" means imposing positive discrimination or quotas for members of disadvantaged groups. In the case of a university department, it means imposing a hiring practice designed to select more candidates from disadvantaged groups. One view is that the tenured professors of the academic department should have total professional independence to select the
Smart Meters Exposed! Adverse Health Effects from EMF Revealed
*Video -* Pennsylvania Smart Meter Awareness has sent out two Press Releases regarding the increasing adverse health effects from smart meter radio-frequency non-ionizing radiation. Here's a glance at what was revealed in these letters. The post Smart Meters Exposed! Adverse Health Effects from EMF Revealed appeared first on Waking Times.
Real History Revealed: 100 Years Ago TODAY, Allied Forces Launch Ill Fated Attack On Gallipoli Peninsula
Being a student of real history and not the bull crap that is spewed by the media and through our so called "history text books", I am amazed at the little we do know about what really happened, and especially the great wars of the last century..... I again want to present some factual evidence here that helps clear up some of those mysteries.... I have always been amazed at the battles that occurred during the so called 'Great War' which is of course, World War I, and one battle that I did study in great detail during my school years and have been always puzzled as to WHY it happen... more »
History Watch: As Dr. Henry Chickenkisser" said so famously, "History is just one damned thing after another"
"*For more on Robert Grossman's should-be-legendary character Dr. Henry Chickenkisser and his should-be-legendary quote, check out this April 2007 post.* *by Ken* I've mentioned before the free writing workshop for seniors offered on Wednesday afternoons by the New York Transit Museum in association with the New York Writers Coalition, and I couldn't resist the new session in the spring-summer program calendar," which started this week. Hey, it beats most anything else I could be doing these Wednesday afternoons. Like sitting at my desk, to pick a not-quite-random example. (So f... more »
The Fraud Of ISIS Exposed: Iraqi Forces Seize ISRAELI Supplied Weapons From Captured "ISIS" Positions
** One quick note... I have been busy the last few days taking care of family issues... Again, I want to thank everyone for their patience in waiting for new articles at this blog... In my absence, I always say to everyone to take a look at those who I call the "Finest bloggers that I know" that I have listed in the left hand side of this blog... NTS...* I do spend a lot of time at local coffee shops with friends and just to unwind... I recently was again in the local "Tim Hortons" restaurant talking to a few friends and colleagues, and again I was astounded as to the ignorance and ... more »
Lenin and Hitler vs Grant Shapps
When you're dealing with the broad sweep of history, of the collective efforts of billions of people as they produce, consume, go to war, and compelled to struggle among themselves for scarce resources, what role for the individual personality? For the majority of us, the point is moot. The vast majority of us will have our latter day three score years and ten, and fade into the background noise of the human story, though the digital footprint we leave behind will probably endure long after our immediate circle of family, friends, and acquaintances have shuffled off too. Some, howe... more »
"Galloway, be praised!"
*Dead Ringers *is another of those BBC exceptions which proves the rule. That it *is* an exception is perhaps proved by the fact that I actually find it quite funny - which for a Radio 4 comedy that *isn't* *I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue *is pretty rare. Here are my favourite bits from this week's edition: *Evan Davis:* Hello, and welcome to the exclusive leaders' interviews here on the BBC. I know Paxman's already interviewed the leaders on prime time TV but I like to do everything Jeremy Paxman does, only two months later. I'm joined by Ed Miliband. Hello. *Ed Miliband:* Thanks ... more »
Mike Honda Has A Transgender Granddaughter; She's Lucky She Wasn't Born Into A Republican Family
Frank Townsend Bow was born the same day as me-- February 20-- but half a century earlier. He served as a conservative Republican congressman from northeast Ohio's 16th District from 1951 until he died in 1972. When he died, Richard Nixon wrote that he was-- deeply saddened to learn of the death of Representative Frank Bow of Ohio. In over 20 years of outstanding service in the Congress, Frank Bow earned respect as a man of energy, principle, and dedication. As ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee, he was a strong voice for fiscal responsibility, repeated... more »
Gerry Rose: Greek Tragedy and Statecraft
*Video Title: Gerry Rose: Greek Tragedy and Statecraft. Source: OaklandLYM. Date Published: July 28, 2012. Description: * March 5th, 1996 Chicago Il. Gerry Rose lectures on Greek tragedy and statecraft, demonstrating why Shelley claimed that "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world". It is entirely lawful that Shakespeare should accomplish in four plays of some hundred pages, what the two most prominent historians of Rome, Edward Gibbon and Theodor Mommsen, could not do in several thousands. For, from its very inception, Classical tragedy took its impulse from the qu... more »
The US Government and its "prestitute" mainstrem media now utter nothing but lies. And now that the American people begin to wise up, the goverment is beginning to redefine a truth-teller as a terrorist. George Orwell may be turning over in his grave.
------------------------------ *Truth Is Washington’s Enemy — Paul Craig Roberts * ------------------------------ April 21, 2015 | Original Here Go here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter Truth Is Washington’s Enemy Paul Craig Roberts US Representative Ed Royce (R, CA) is busy at work destroying the possibility of truth being spoken in the US. On April 15 at a hearing before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs of which Royce is chairman, Royce made use of two minor presstitutes to help him redefine all who take excepti... more »
Warning About Aliens On Earth
This reads like a genuine sharing of information and must be at least thought about. Rather critically it informs us that disclosure is scheduled for three years from now. That would be in the first half of 2018. More critically it confirms that aliens are interfacing with humanity on a need to know basis for plausibly seventy five years. What is revealed here is confirmation of knowledge and contact and that the aliens have become impatient with their human 'handlers' as is quite reasonable after seventy five years. Better yet, it confirms that arrangements have been made... more »
Vicious Attack on Dr. Oz Waged by Biotech Mafia
What we have exposed is a handful of paid shills who toss science to the wind while pushing corporate agendas. This is not surprising at all, except that they rarely are so stupid as to completely identify themselves. The Media may have not done their homework originally but it is likely that they will simply drop the issue allowing it the fifteen minutes of fame it has already got. This was actually a pretty silly attempt to discredit Oz and speaks to puffed up egos. The best response to these clowns is to have a literature sleuth review all their papers searching for plagiar... more »
Native Americans Reveal Secrets Of Bigfoot
This report should have had greater circulation in the past but it is also unsurprising that it has been ignored. Without our present understanding of natural animal communication it all sounds bogus. what has happened is that the Sasquatch has retained their mind to mind communication capacity while ours were deliberately turned off i suspect 4,000 years ago. The purpose was to accelerate our mental evolution. This report confirms and extends naturally a number of conjectures related to the Sasquatch. A lot of new information is also added that is important. The most sig... more »
Mysterious 'Yellow Balls' in Space
[image: Volunteers using the web-based Milky Way Project brought star-forming features nicknamed "yellowballs" to the attention of researchers, who later showed that they are a phase of massive star formation.] This is actually amusing. welcome to empirical science. I learned this lesson many years ago when I noted that a disproportionate number of ore bodies were located adjacent to major roadways. It is all about eyeballs. Enough eyeballs actually cancel out the natural innate tendency to see what is expected rather than what is anomalous. Of course that means almost ever... more »
April 25: Good for Brent Mazerolle
"All Moncton schools to go under review". That's the headline on A1. And, like every such report I've seen in this province, it's all about costs and efficiency as if education were a sort of assembly line. Everything gets treated as it were a business. But education is not a business. It's about people. It's about giving people opportunity. It's about stimulating minds. It's about the future of this province. It's about families. It's about the very different needs of many students and many families. I have yet to see the slightest consideration given to any of this. This governm... more »
ISIS “We’ve Arrived” in Yemen & threaten the Houthis
I do wonder if the US and company can accidentally, more then once, drop them weapons? Perhaps Israel can accidentally drop weapons also? RT The Islamic State has declared its official presence in war-torn Yemen as the jihadists posted a video online, threating to “cut the throats” of Shiite Houthi rebels. *Like most Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL) videos, the 9-minute-long clip was professionally shot and edited - with CGs and catchy background music. * *Of course, it's professionally shot and edited! * *I feel a flashback coming on...ISIS: Online Campaigns/Slick Productions... more »
Back to the Future at 'Dateline'
This week's *Dateline London *on the BBC News Channel (and on BBC World, for any passing non-Brits) reverted to type again. Again. Lacking a right-winger (no Janet Daley, no Alex Deane, this week), the left-packed panel - Nabila Ramdani, Marc Roche, David Aaronovitch, plus impartial BBC Turkish correspondent Safak Timur - did what left-wing *Dateline *panels usually do on the subject of British politics: They agreed. Specifically, they agreed that the Tories were behaving wickedly and foolishly in stoking up fears of an SNP-'guided' Labour minority government. Their condemnatio... more »
Untitled
*Louisiana may have been overpaid in tobacco settlement, $17 million too much~Mark Ballard *
Saudi Arabia Continues To Pump More Oil
*Fuel Fix*: *Saudi Arabia’s solution to global oil glut: Pump even more crude* *Saudi Arabia has a response to the global surplus of oil: Raise output to near-record levels and then pump even more.* *The world’s biggest oil exporter, having abandoned last year its role of keeping global markets in balance, now has incentive to maximize output and undermine rival producers by using its reserve capacity, according to Citigroup Inc. and UBS AG. Just meeting its own domestic demand this summer will require a lot more fuel, others estimate.* *The increase — a snub to fellow OPEC mem... more »
A Full Ride
These blue skies that seem to float above me are teeming with birds. It is spring, and turf wars as well as unbridled enthusiasm fill the air. It is a gorgeous day. It’s been more than a month since there was a palpable shift in frequency and the changes are still coming fast and furious. In a single week of March, *four people* in my family were hospitalized. Since then, there have been several more accidents, illnesses and losses. A lot of us are having a very hard time. Things are not exactly the same; that much is clear. And yet, well, they are. The backyard birds squabbl... more »
An inter-Cameron clan feud?
I must just add something about the tailpiece to today's *Today *on Radio 4 - an election discussion between (a) side-splitting left-wing comedienne *Rhona Cameron*, a lifelong Labour voter who's still voting Labour this time despite really, really, really liking Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP (because she lives in London and can't vote SNP); (b) *Martin Rowson*, the self-declared 'far-left' Labour-defending, Tory-bashing *Guardian *cartoonist; and, 'for balance', (c) right-wing U.S. humourist* P.J. O'Rourke* ("the rightwinger it's OK for lefties to like," according to the *Guardian*)... more »
“Radiophobia” and the Politics of Social Contagion
The metaphors of “contagion” and “pollution” have long been deployed by political and mainstream media authorities to describe the mass media dissemination of oppositional discourses contesting dominant frameworks of risk. For example, recently, the National Science Foundation funded research aimed at studying “social epidemics” of purportedly propagating and misinforming “memes” (i.e., propagating ideas or “discourses”): Ajit Pai (2014, October 17) The government wants to study ‘social pollution’ on Twitter. The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/truthy... more »
Inflated human trafficking statistics serve nobody
Found myself making a long, ranty comment on a Facebook thread this morning and realized, hey, that could be a blog post. Those of us who write for food appreciate writing that lends itself to more than one application. So here's the article that started everything, a Washington Post piece on the vast and profoundly misleading inflation of human-trafficking figures around the world, and why that has happened. Posting it on Facebook brought out some interesting comments from people I don't usually interact with, but in the end I feel like we had the chance for a good... more »
The Pineal Gland Pyramid and Lucid Dreams
*Meme - *The pineal gland pyramid below shows how lucid dreams can enable us to contact another form of intelligence, which the ancient Egyptians considered to be associated with the star Sirius. In essence, one's lucid dreams are one's personal stargate. The post The Pineal Gland Pyramid and Lucid Dreams appeared first on Waking Times.
The U.S. Government Continues To Refuse Discussing Its Drone Attacks
CIA Director John Brennan, left, and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers listen to remarks by President Obama on Friday at the headquarters of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters) *Washington Post:* *U.S. government’s refusal to discuss drone attacks comes under fire* *The vehicles were separated only by several car lengths when the missile struck.* *The main target of the CIA drone strike in April last year was a Toyota carrying 11 armed men suspected of being part of an al-Qaeda plot to attack a military outpost in central Yeme... more »
"Thanks again for contacting us"
Meanwhile, over at *BBC Watch*, Hadar has been tirelessly posting some "classic" BBC Complaints department responses to various reasonable complaints about the Beeb's coverage of matters related to Israel... BBC responds to complaints about Jeremy Bowen’s ‘Today’ interview BBC responds to complaint about Jeremy Bowen’s ‘Holocaust card’ Tweet BBC responds to complaints about Jeremy Bowen’s interview with Khaled Masha’al (I don't know about you, but I'm spotting a recurring factor there.) If your blood pressure can stand it, please give them a read. Even the Titanic had fewer boile... more »
The Pentagon Gets Ready For Cyber Warfare
*New York Times*: *Pentagon Announces New Strategy for Cyberwarfare* *SAN FRANCISCO — The Pentagon on Thursday took a major step designed to instill a measure of fear in potential cyberadversaries, releasing a new strategy that for the first time explicitly discusses the circumstances under which cyberweapons could be used against an attacker, and naming the countries it says present the greatest threat: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.* *The policy, announced in a speech at Stanford University by Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, represents the fourth time in four months th... more »
So what happened to the Comcast-TWC deal? Not enough lobbying, or not good enough lobbying?
*"They talked a lot about the benefits, and how much they were going to invest in Time Warner Cable and improve the service it provided, but every time you talked about industry consolidation and the incentive they would have to leverage their market power to hurt competition, they gave us unsatisfactory answers."* *-- an unnamed senior Senate staff aide, quoted by the NYT's Eric Lipton regarding Comcast's massive lobbying efforts for its takeover of Time Warner Cable* *"No amount of public-interest commitments to diversity would remedy the consumer harm a merged Comcast-Time Warn... more »
Proving BBC bias - a case study (Paul Lewis on 'Money Box')
If there's one BBC presenter that everyone seems to like, it's Paul Lewis from Radio 4's *Money Box.* Few people have a bad word to say about him, and he's someone who rarely, if ever, gets criticised for bias. He's a wonderful presenter, and a great credit to the BBC, and... *Evan Davis (interrupting):* There's a 'but' coming, isn't there? What is it with you Paddington-hating bloggers and your hate-filled 'but's? Surely it's patriotic to be uncritical of the BBC? Shut it, Evan! But, yes, you're right for once. There *is* a 'but' coming, because Paul Lewis's interview with UK... more »
Isarel Launches Airstrikes Along The Lebanese - Syrian Border
An Israel Air Force F-15 taking off. Photo by Daniel Bar-On *L.A. Times:* *Israeli planes strike targets in Syria, Arab media report* *Israeli warplanes struck military targets in Syria early Saturday, according to media reports that were not confirmed by Israeli or Syrian officials.* *According to Arab media and pro-opposition sources in Syria, the strikes targeted several bases belonging to Syrian missile brigades in the mountainous Qalamoun region near the Syrian-Lebanese border.* *The targets reportedly were Syrian army brigades said to keep long-range missiles and other str... more »
Secret Hezbollah Drone Airstrip Discovered In Lebanon
Satellite imagery of the Hizbullah airstrip in northeast Lebanon taken on 19 June 2014. (Google / CNES / Astrium / IHS) *IHS Jane's 360*: *Hizbullah airstrip revealed* *Lebanon's militant Shia group, Hizbullah, has constructed an airstrip in the northern Bekaa Valley for its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), an analysis of satellite images suggests.* *Located in a remote and sparsely populated area 10 km south of the town of Hermel and 18 km west of the Syrian border, the airstrip was built sometime between 27 February 2013 and 19 June 2014, according to imagery that recently bec... more »
Vincent Reynouard: Two Years Prison, a Victory for Revisionism?
*Still free pending appeal, V. Reynouard responds to his sentencing to two years in prison on 11/02/2015 and reflects on why revisionists' calls for public debate are met with repression.* *Visit Vincent's website and send him some support!* *http://www.phdnm.org/index.html* *And watch the video which "French justice" wants to send a man to prison for two years for (French only): * *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNc58tINu2A* *________________________________________* There are currently 9 days left to support my Indiegogo campaign entitled *Support John Friend's Free Speech... more »
Randall Garrison (NDP) Questions for Blaney, MacKay at C-51 Hearings
Today I'm going to look at the questions for minister's Blaney and MacKay provided by the NDP's Randall Garrison. *Mr. Randall Garrison: * Thanks to all the witnesses who are here today. I know for the Minister of Justice it's relatively rare to appear in this committee, so I give particular thanks to him for being here today. I want to start with a question for him. There has a been a lot of public concern expressed by legal experts, including former judges, about the broad nature of the new offence in the Criminal Code, about the lower threshold for detention and peace ... more »
Supplemental: At the Post and the Times, they get letters!
*SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015What Richard Cohen said:* Two weekends ago, we ascended the stage at Benny’s Bar and Grill in Potomac, Maryland. We were taking part in the establishment’s “Journalists in comedy” night. We followed Clarence Page, the sanest person in journalism today. But why was *he* subjecting himself to the miseries which could ensue? “We’re just here to find out why you’re here,” we told him when he arrived. “When we learn why *you’re* here, we’re leaving.” Page couldn’t exactly explain his presence. And so we ascended the stage. Eventually, we discussed the “Problem... more »
AEC 11: Trade and Economic Development is Social Development
I arrived yesterday afternoon from Kuala Lumpur, after attending half-day of Day 1 (April 22) and half-day of Day 2 (April 23) where I was one of three speakers in a panel workshop on "Will Greater Economic Liberalisation Actually Help the Poor in ASEAN?", sponsored by IDEAS, SEANET and ACSC/APF 2015. Have to skip the morning plenary of Day 2 because I was not feeling well and had to stay in my hotel room. This news from interaksyon, I attended that townhall meeting/plenary in the afternoon of Day 1 at Wisma CMA in KL. The report says, *"Charles Santiago, opposition member of parl... more »
More Defeats For The Syrian Military
Rebel fighters celebrate with their weapons as they pose in Jisr al-Shughour town, after they took control of the area April 25, 2015. Reuters/Ammar Abdullah *Reuters*: *Islamist fighters seize Syria's Jisr al-Shughour, army says redeploys* *(Reuters) - Islamist insurgents including al-Qaeda's wing in Syria, Nusra Front, captured the northwestern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour on Saturday, for the first time in the four-year-old conflict.* *Syrian state media said the army had redeployed to the town's surroundings "to avoid civilian casualties". They said the army was battling ... more »
What Would Happen If There Was A War In Space
*Mark Hat, VICE:* *We Asked a Military Expert What Would Happen if There Were a War in Space* *Earlier this month, at the annual Space Symposium, members of the US military quietly but clearly voiced their concern that war is coming to space. Soon after officials announced that the Pentagon is looking for $5.5 billion to build up its space defense systems by 2020, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James straight up admitted that, looking at the layout of modern space exploration, the US now believes it's facing new and evolving threats to everything it owns above earth."We need ... more »
U.S. Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Will Launch On Its Fourth Mystery Mission In May
An X-37B undergoes inspection after landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Credit: USAF *Space.com:* *Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane to Fly Again Next Month* *The United States Air Force's X-37B space plane will launch on its fourth mystery mission next month.* *The unmanned X-37B space plane, which looks like a miniature version of NASA's now-retired space shuttle orbiter, is scheduled to blast off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 20.* *More News On The U.S. Air Force's X-37B Space Plane May Lau... more »
Secwepemc: Stop Mt Polley Mine from Reopening April 29, 2015
. Kanahus Manuel Secwepemc Woman's Warrior Society
A Look At How China's Space Program Began
*Photo: *The launch of Long March 3B Rocket, Xichang Satellite Center, China.Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ AAxanderr *The Diplomat:* *The Humble Beginnings of China's Space Program* *Plus, the PLAN’s birthday, China in the Middle East, and the truth about Hong Kong’s election plan. Friday China links.* *In a fascinating piece yesterday, Xinhua traced the origins of China’s space program, an exercise inspired by the 45th anniversary of China’s first satellite launch. The Dongfanghong-1 was launched on April 24, 1970, the culmination of years of research – and far from the end of ... more »
Top General At U.S. Space Command: 'I Am Not NASA'
*CBS:* *Critical U.S. satellites vulnerable?* *U.S. and China locked in a high stakes contest over satellites that are critical to national security and everyday life* *U.S. officials have become concerned about China's anti-satellite capabilities, which could potentially threaten the satellites that give the U.S. military its edge on the battlefield and provide the GPS signals that smartphones, ATMs, and power grids use. David Martin reports on this competition high above the Earth on the next edition of 60 Minutes, Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.* *Martin provides a rare look... more »
Massive Earthquake Hits Nepal
*Daily Mail:* *More than 700 dead and homes and offices collapse as massive earthquake rocks Nepal destroying historic 19th-century tower* ** A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal today causing massive damage in the capital Kathmandu* ** Officials said 758 were killed and warned the death toll could rise as rescue teams are still searching for survivors * ** The effects were felt in neighbouring countries with at least 20 dead in India, six in Tibet and two in Bangladesh * ** Quake also triggered a massive avalanche on Mount Everest killing eight people and injuring at le... more »
Hillary Clinton as change agent says things that should have every American completely outraged......
*and yet, how many spiritually corrupt people would vote for this woman? * Am I the only one who sees the danger? Listen to what she said at the 2015 Women in the World Summit: *starting at about the 8:00 mark (emphasis mine)* “Far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth, and laws don’t count for much if they’re not enforced. Rights have to exist in practice — not just on paper." “Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will, *and deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed. * Not... more »
Lanto: Shine Your Radiance
[image: Acended Master Lanto - Engraving] *Master Lanto: Shine Your Radiance* *Channeled by Fran Zepeda**April 23, 2015 * Greetings, I AM Master Lanto, greeting you from afar, yet right next to you in your field of Light if you allow me. I wish to speak to you about Radiance. Radiance is comprised of many things. Exalt within your own Radiance, for it is the spark that drives your Soul. It is YOU in your essential form. It is All-That-Is. *You are awash in your own Radiance when you bow to yourself and accept all that is YOU in its purest form: LOVE. *Loving yourself and accepting ... more »
Syria-New Israeli Airstrikes? Syrian Opposition genuflects to Israel & Angelina Jolie Performs
Breaking News: Has Israel launched multiple airstrikes in recent days? Opposition video, uploaded to Youtube, just isn’t enough for me, so, can’t be sure- Definitely needs confirming, but, here is the reporting on this news *LA Times* Israeli warplanes* (allegedly)* *struck military targets in Syria early Saturday,* according to media reports that were not confirmed by Israeli or Syrian officials. According to Arab media and pro-opposition sources in Syria,* the strikes **(allegedly) **targeted several bases belonging to Syrian missile brigades in the mountainous Qalamoun region ... more »
Ted Cruz And The Gays
Mati, Ian and Ted Just in case Ted Cruz was embarrassed when it came out this week that he had held a fundraiser at the Central Park penthouse home of gay New York hoteliers Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner (where a 23-year-old man had OD-ed and died last fall), he was ready with some anti-LGBT legislation immediately after the event-- two bills in fact! Still eager for the evangelical/bigotry vote that is so crucial in GOP primary contests (especially in places like Iowa and South Carolina), Cruz is trying to establish a constitutional amendment that would shield states that define ... more »
The Case for Trade
Click here to read my piece in Sunday's *NY Times*.
Congratulations, Roland
Roland Fryer has won the John Bates Clark Award. The past three winners have been Roland Fryer (Harvard faculty), Matthew Gentzkow (Harvard undergrad and PhD), and Raj Chetty (Harvard undergrad, PhD, and faculty).
Commentariat Central
Consider this your weekend open thread to comment/kvetch about whatever, within reason or unreason as the case may be. As promised, here's the dump of my New York Times comments from the past week or so, (excluding the ones already embedded in blog-posts here) in no particular order. Links to the original op-eds and articles are provided for your contextual pleasure. *Clinton Rules* (Paul Krugman) 9/24: The real Clinton scandals have harmed millions of people. They are NAFTA, the repeal of Glass-Steagall and the end of direct cash aid to the poor. The Clintons have had some shady ... more »
EU Frustrations With Greece Grows On How It Is Handling Its Debt Crisis
*Financial Times*: *EU frustration over Greece boils over at eurogroup meeting* *Months of mounting tensions between Greece and its creditors boiled over at a high-level EU meeting on Friday with eurozone finance ministers angrily accusing their Greek counterpart of backtracking on commitments and failing to grasp the deep differences that still divide them.* *Athens is running desperately short of cash and many eurozone officials fear that, without an agreement to release some of the remaining €7.2bn in its bailout programme, the government could default as early as mid-May. * *... more »
God Save the qUEEN
Ultimate Rule is complete Death It strike me like a slingshot of Anarchy that God did not care who ruled Yet the ones both clever and bloodthirsty made magcifincant careers of telling us they were the MAN So we continue this centuries old Battle between personal violence and the good of the state and when they become entwined look out there are only two outcomes in the long term a scorched earth for the enemy and a security state at home So God save the qUEEN The first LGBT ruler.
The MAN speaks English ONLY thats his Blindside
Language is culture thats 101 in understanding differance of expression and life vocabulary Like the myth of Senimellia sense of snow but for sure the Inuit have a boatload of expressions for the white stuff way more than the sea insects a lobster fisherman from Newfoudland would use to describe his catch It used to be a salior who never saw a parrot describing thier whises realy he was in the old country where the planet did not conspire to kill him and what richese there are and they are many become shared like high school But at the end of the day dispite all the outreach and pr... more »
Mudras: The Healing Power of Your Hands
*Tanaaz - *Did you know that your hands hold an innate healing power that has been used for centuries? There are hundreds of mudras but here are some that are most common. The post Mudras: The Healing Power of Your Hands appeared first on Waking Times.
USA Thanks for Poverty
From protest at US embassy in Kiev, Ukraine. This kind of talk and protest can get you killed in Kiev these days by the neo-Nazi government backed by US-NATO. Takes brave and desperate people to do this kind of action.
Untitled
*Anger after white people and men are banned from 'anti-racism' rally at British university* A students’ union has been accused of racism and sexism after banning white people and men from an event to promote equality. Those studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, were invited to the students’ union meeting to discuss ‘diversifying the curriculum’. But they were shocked when an organiser told white people and men ‘not to come’ as it was only open to BME [black and minority ethnic] women. The union eventually backed down after a backlash from students, one of whom described ... more »
The Esoteric World of David Lynch and Twin Peaks
*Jay Dyer* - If you’ve ever sensed the flimsy, thin veneer of what parades itself as the good ole US of A, and felt a bit like you’ve been sold a fake, then David Lynch’s Twin Peaks is a series you must see. The post The Esoteric World of David Lynch and Twin Peaks appeared first on Waking Times.
Economic News and Views ( April 25 , 2015 ) - Greece Talks with Troika destined to go to the last hour of the last day , expect talk of Grext / Grimbo / Default / threats / Promises / spiking yields for GR debt - and then there will be a deal - and after that deal , there will be another one ....... Additional items of note elsewhere in Euroland !
Tweets.... Wolf Richter and 3 others follow *Joseph Jett* @josephjett 4m 4 minutes ago Germany hints at preparations of a Plan B on *Greece*: RIGA (Reuters) - German Finance Minister ... http://bit.ly/1E3iAem via @josephjett Reuters Top News [image: Photo published for Germany hints at preparations of a Plan B on Greece] Germany hints at preparations of a Plan B on Greece By Reuters Top News @Reuters German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble hinted on Saturday that Berlin was preparing for a possible Greek default, drawing a parallel with the secrecy of German reunification p... more »
Untitled
*New Survey Shows TV Weathercasters have been bullied into accepting global warming* TV weather forecasters aren't always climate change experts. But they are often responsible for informing the public about climate change impacts in real time, so it's important that they accurately reflect the science. Fortunately, a new survey from George Mason University provides some hope in that regard. It found that more than nine out of ten broadcast meteorologists acknowledge that climate change is happening, and about two-thirds say human activities play a significant role. This represe... more »
Aboriginals to UN: Halt Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Western Australia
Aboriginals to UN: Halt Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Western Australia By Kimberley Land Council in Western Australia http://www.klc.org.au/news-media/newsroom/news-detail/2015/04/22/klc-condemns-community-closures-at-united-nations Censored News April 23, 2015 Kimberley Land Council condemns community closures at United Nations Apr 22, 2015The Kimberley Land
Chile: Controversy Over the Calbuco Volcano "UFO"
*INEXPLICATA* decided not to run this story earlier this week when an eruption of Chile's Calbuco Volcano not only created a spectacle seen around the world thanks to the Internet, but also featured a very strange light or set of lights. Chilean researcher *Rodrigo Fuenzalida* advised other researchers and media that the lights were, in fact, those of a military helicopter surveying the eruption. However, the fact that the light source remained static before suddenly vanishing has caused many to wonder if it could have in fact been an anomaly. The possibility of extraterrestrial o... more »
Surprising Facts About Recycling in the US
*Infographic - *How does the U.S. compare to other countries when it comes to recycling? Which US cities could improve their recycling efforts? The post Surprising Facts About Recycling in the US appeared first on Waking Times.
MENA Report (April 25 , 2015 ) - Yemen Regional Proxy War rolls on , as does the toll on civilians ...... Iran nuclear Talks on media back burner for now ........Iraq - Syria Regional War - meat grinder continues with no resolution in sight ....... Libya continues in its Failed State Status ........ Migrants fleeing War Zones present Europe blowback from its adventures
Links.... *Kerry Endorses Saudi War While Houthis Resist* *ISIS Offensives Stretch Iraq's Elite Troops Thin* *AIPAC vs. Pro-Israel Republicans on Iran* *Over 550 Civilians Killed So Far in Saudi War on Yemen* *US Ships Move Away From Yemen Coast* *Iraq Claims Hundreds of ISIS Fighters Killed in Anbar Battle* *Former IAEA Inspector: Accusations Against Iran, But Little Proof* 46 Killed in Iraq, Including Army Division Commander Iraq Lacks DNA Results to Test Body of Saddam Deputy Former Yemen President Urges Rebels to Comply With Security Council Decisions Libyan General: EU Mi... more »
"Blowback"
According to Julia Hartley-Brewer at the *Spectator*, (h/t Alan at *Biased BBC*), Labour pulled off a cynical stunt yesterday morning, and the BBC fell for it. They apparently briefed the press - or was it just the BBC? - that Ed Miliband was going to blame David Cameron personally for causing the present mass loss of lives in the Med by destablising Libya. That condemnation never happened - and may never have been intended to happen. Still, it led the news all day. ("One of Miliband’s closest aides justified it to me, with the words: ‘We got into the papers, didn’t we?’", says ... more »
Steve Dissapointed Canadian
Steve disappointed Canadian Disappointed because our first past the post system allows absolute rule by a small minority It allows Governments to ignore best practices For example the National Energy plan Can you imagine if Canada treated its oil like Norway Canadian would have a heritage fund in the trillions instead of deficits for generations and dividends for Exxon If we had free and fair trade most of our Auto jobs would not be moving to a narco state Its well proven that incompetence is not a political sin Therefore the people getting paid to not know things they know cont... more »
Some immigration facts
Two charts from the IPPR's investigation into Britain's Immigrants that I think are interesting. The first shows how the 1997-2010 Labour government opened Britain's borders in a deliberate move to massively increase immigration into the UK; both to 'rub the right's noses in diversity' and to create a Labour voting bloc that would ensure permanent Labour government. The second shows the differences between the nationalities of immigrants in terms of willingness to work.
Bearing down on Nigel
News-watch's David Keighley has written a fine piece about the Evan Davis-Nigel Farage interview at *Conservative Woman, *describing it as "another clumsy but brutal ad hominem attack": His [Evan Davis's] approach to the interview was yet another example of the BBC’s ‘painting by numbers’ approach to Ukip. The main intent was to show that all those who support such policies – and Nigel Farage in particular - are dangerous, bigoted racists. Accordingly, the tone and mannerisms he adopted were those of a superior, enlightened being dealing with something rather unpleasant adhering ... more »
Forget the "Editing" Hype: Human Genome Action Painting Attempted in China
Recently, there's been a lot of hype around what's been referred to as *genome editing*. What it's all about is that there's a new bioetechnological strategy for effecting genetic modification in organisms, called CRISPR/Cas9, that has shown promise in facilitating more precise and specific changes of a genome more effectively than before. This is an important advance for laboratory biology research, as the effecting of specific genetic changes in the genome of organisms and study of how these "behave" in response to various stimuli, in different environments, and reproductively o... more »
Woe on Anglesey
I've only been to Anglesey on a day trip, so I'm no expert on the political situation there. That wouldn't necessarily stop a BBC reporter from sounding off authoritatively, of course. After spending just a few hours in some far-flung constituency, they always manage to sound like experts. ...as we discovered when *Today*'s chief reporter Matthew Price dropped in on Penrith and the Border a few week's back and found a place of woe - cuts, alienation and unemployment (even though the constituency has less than 1% unemployment!). Katie Razzall went to Anglesey for last night's *New... more »
Argentina-China deal over FC-1 Xiaolong won't include anti-ship missiles
[image: FC-1/JF-17 Thunder]Beijing is not likely to provide Buenos Aires with anti-ship missiles as part of a deal whereby Argentina will purchase FC-1 Xiaolong multirole fighters from China, as Beijing does not want to upset the UK, according to Military Parade based in Moscow on April 22. Earlier reports suggested that Argentina was looking to purchase between 12 and 24 FC-1 or J-10 fighters from China. Eventually, Argentina chose to purchase the Xiaolong because the country's air force concluded that Block 2, the upgraded version of the FC-1 is more suitable to the nation's combat... more »
Zimbabwe: Air Force Jet Crashes in Gweru
[image: K-8 Karakorum]Two Air Force of Zimbabwe pilots escaped death by a whisker when their plane crashed at an open area in Gweru yesterday after developing a fault. Zimbabwe National Army director-general responsible for policy, public relations and international affairs Brigadier-General John Mupande confirmed the incident, saying investigations were underway to determine the exact cause of the accident. "The Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Constantine Chiwenga commended the pilots for having taken all precautionary measures that saved the lives of people and further ... more »
RAAF keen to buy armed drones, dispatches personnel to the US to learn how to remotely pilot Reaper aircraft
[image: MQ-9 Reaper]Aerial drones equipped with missiles could soon be added to Australia’s military shopping list after the RAAF sent personnel to the US to learn how to pilot unmanned Reaper aircraft. The Federal Government plans to buy a fleet of giant unarmed, unmanned Triton surveillance aircraft, which will be housed at Adelaide’s Edinburgh Air Force base. The RAAF is also interested in buying armed American Reaper drones, which can be used as attack aircraft. Read more
A-10 Makes Emergency Landing in Iraq After Engine Failure
[image: A-10 Thunderbolt II]A "catastrophic" engine failure aboard an A-10 Thunderbolt on a mission over Iraq forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing at the al-Asad airbase where U.S. Marines have been training Iraqi forces in in contested Anbar province, U.S. Central Command confirmed Friday. Col. Patrick Ryder, a CentCom spokesman, told a Pentagon briefing that the engine failure was "not uncommon" for combat aircraft. "It was just one of those things that happen when you’re operating high-performance aircraft," Ryder said of the engine failure. Read more
India receives first upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft
[image: IAF Mirage 2000]The Indian Air Force today received the first two upgraded Mirage-2000 aircrafts from France under a Rs 10,000 crore deal. The two upgraded aircraft, flown in by IAF pilots from France covering Greece, Egypt and Qatar in over seven days, landed at the Gwalior Air Force Station. On arrival, the two aircraft were accorded the traditional 'Water Cannon Salute'. Read more
Launch Date Set for 4th Flight of X-37B Spaceplane
[image: X-37B Spaceplane]The U.S. Air Force says it will launch an unmanned X-37B spaceplane for a fourth mission no earlier than May 20. Built by Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems of El Segundo, California, the X-37Bs are reusable unmanned orbital maneuvering vehicles that launch atop an expendable rocket and return to Earth much like NASA’s now-retired space shuttle and glides in for a runway landing. The Air Force declined to say which of the two X-37B spaceplanes the service will use for the mission. Read more
Men in black – NATO’s cybermen
[image: Men in black]There are six men. All dressed in black like the ones in the famous movie. They have black cases too but they are not using their technology to erase your memory. Their name: NATO Rapid Reaction Team, or RRT. Their aim: to provide assistance to NATO nations or facilities suffering a cyber attack. He is one of six civilian members of the RRT who can be deployed to NATO sites, in operational theatres or in support of an Ally, in order to provide technical assistance or respond to incidents arising from a cyber attack. Cyber threats are becoming more intense and c... more »
US aircraft carrier heading away from Yemen: officials
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[image: USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)]A US aircraft carrier and a guided-missile cruiser are leaving the waters off Yemen and heading back to the Gulf after an Iranian naval convoy also turned back from the area, officials said Friday. The carrier and the cruiser, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Normandy, had deployed to the region this week amid signs of a possible showdown with the Iranian flotilla. Washington suspected the convoy of carrying weapons destined for Shia Huthi rebels in Yemen. The Roosevelt and the Normandy are expected to re-enter the Gulf “very soon,” sai... more »
US seeks access to Philippine bases as part of Asia pivot
The United States has asked for access to eight military bases in the Philippines to rotate troops, aircraft, and ships as Washington shifts its forces to Asia and as China expands its military presence in the South China Sea. At least eight locations in the Philippines have been identified as possible sites where US troops, planes and ships will be rotated through a series of military training and exercises, Philippine General Gregorio Catapang, military chief, told local television network ABS-CBN on Friday. In a speech in Arizona on Friday, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter outline... more »
The German Shipbuilding Rebound
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[image: SAS Spioenkop (F147)]German shipbuilding has made a significant turnaround. The country’s shipbuilding industry has seen increases in the number of employees, orders and deliveries compared to 2013, according to the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industries Association (VSM). The special shipbuilding sector drove this growth, as 20 of the 34 delivered new builds could be classified as high-quality special vessels or naval units. Although VSM announces its annual balance officially in May of each year, MR was able to obtain some early insights into the results. “The order in... more »
China to provide 110 fighter jets to Pakistan
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[image: JF-17 Thunder]Pakistan will acquire 110 latest JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from China as the two countries forge closer economic and defence cooperation following President Xi Jinping's visit here earlier this week, a media report said today. Radio Pakistan reported that China will deliver the first batch of 50 jets over a period of three years. The Head of Chinese Aircraft Industry told a Chinese daily that under the contract signed between the two countries, Pakistan will receive a total of 110 JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft from China. Read more
Israel's hidden depths
Israel has quietly become a submarine superpower. The Navy's transition into a long-term strategic arm is currently taking place, making this branch of the armed forces of crucial importance to Israel's national security and deterrent capability, with its option to go further, deeper and more quietly, and for extended periods. A few months ago, the Navy received its fourth submarine, INS Tanin (crocodile), a German-built Dolphin class submarine. And, if all goes well, the fifth submarine, INS Rahav, is expected to arrive in Israel in about six months. Read more
New seagoing tugboat "Alexander Piskunov" joins Russian Navy's auxiliary fleet
[image: Alexander Piskunov]The tug "Alexander Piskunov," built at Khabarovsk Shipyard (part of Far Eastern Centre of Shipbuilding and Ship Repair) has entered service with the Pacific Fleet's auxiliaries, the ECSSR press release said. A ceremony of hoisting flag of auxiliary fleet was held at Berth No 33 of Korabelnaya embankment of Vladivostok. This is the first support vessel in the Pacific Fleet named after Captain, Cap. 1 rank Alexander Piskunov, who was chief of the Pacific Fleet's service fleet in 1998-2009. Read more
France and Russia agree 'terms' on warship contract
[image: Vladivostok LHD]France and Russia have all-but reached agreement to terminate a contract for two warships. French president Francois Hollande and Russian leader Vladimir Putin discussed the delivery, or not, of the “Mistral” vessels at a meeting in the margins of genocide solemnities in Yerevan on Friday (24 April). Coming out of the meeting, Hollande told press that if the ships aren’t delivered, then he has reached agreement on the “terms” of a “repayment” to Moscow. Read more
U.S. Congress Threatens To Cut The Defense Secretary Budget Over Bergdahl Investigation
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *FOX News:** House panel threatens to cut defense secretary budget over Bergdahl stonewalling* *The head of a powerful House panel is threatening to withhold defense funding over the department's alleged stonewalling in a probe of the controversial swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had initially pledged to respond to questions, when lawmakers first demanded to know why the Pentagon had not given Congress the requisite 30-day notice before proceeding with the May 31 prisoner trade. But nearl... more »
People's evolving opinions about quantum gravity
About nine years ago, a movement trying to (largely or entirely) "replace" string theory research with would-be "competitors" culminated. Unproductive critics and third-class researchers disconnected from the last 30 years in physics were often marketed as peer of top string theorists – and sometimes as something better. However, aside from the cheap anti-science populism, there has never been any substance in their claims, and one can't really run on "promises" indefinitely. For a while, the theory group at the Perimeter Institute operated as a fan club of Lee Smolin's of a sort – ... more »
Poland Blocks The Russian ‘Night Wolves’ Motorcycle Group From Entering The EU
*The Guardian*: *Poland refuses to let biker gang follow Red Army route through country* *The Night Wolves, a group loyal to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, planned to ride across Poland to mark second world war anniversary* *Poland has said it will not allow a nationalist biker gang loyal to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to enter the country as part of the group’s second world war commemorations.* *The Night Wolves had planned to ride through Poland next week to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the conflict. Their plan was to cross several European countries on th... more »
China's South China Sea Records are Fakes
*The Taitung plain from above...* I linked to this a few days ago when Bonnet alerted me to this, but it is important enough to deserve its own notice. Francis-Xavier Bonnet, the scholar of South China Sea claims, has demonstrated that the early Chinese claims are all fake (direct download link). The abstract to whet your appetite: Several authors writing about the Chinese claim to the Paracel Islands have dated the first official Chinese expedition to these islands to 1902. However, none of these writers have been able to show any records of this expedition taking place. In fact,... more »
Who does the BBC's Allegra say is "a very admirably modest politician"?
A tweet from *Newsnight*'s political editor last night... Really enjoyed interviewing @LeanneWood yesterday in beautiful Bangor uni. A very admirably modest politician. pic.twitter.com/369jmpKelx — Allegra Stratton (@BBCAllegra) April 24, 2015 ...drew the following response this morning from the author of 'The Welfare State We're In': BBC interviewer would never be so complimentary about a UKIP or Tory politician. #BBCbias https://t.co/xJrNeLlL4W — James Bartholomew (@JGBartholomew) April 25, 2015
Russian General Staff: U.S. Behind All Recent And Ongoing Armed Conflicts Across The Globe
Head of the Main Operations Directorate of the HQ of Russia’s Armed Forces Andrey Kartapolov (RIA Novosti / Vadim Savitskii) *Sputnik*: *US ‘Masterminds’ All Present-Day Military Conflicts – Russian General Staff* *The United States and their allies have used military force more than 50 times over the past decade, with six US operations ending in local armed conflicts.* *MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The United States is behind all recent and ongoing armed conflicts across the globe, a senior Russian General Staff official said Friday.* *"The United States has single-handedly masterminded... more »
Regarding the farcical prosecution of Oskar Groening, the "Accountant of Auschwitz"
Every month or so, a European government, usually Germany and almost always at the behest of international Jewry, arrests an old man for allegedly being "complicit in the Holocaust." This has been going on for decades now, with *the outrageous prosecution and vilification* of John Demjanjuk perhaps being the most notorious example in recent years. These ridiculous witch hunts provide ample fodder for the Jewish owned and controlled mass media to further perpetuate and reinforce *the entirely fraudulent Jewish "Holocaust" narrative of WWII*, in addition to demonizing and slandering N... more »
Guns 'n Girls: Women at War (Photo Gallery)
US Army soldier Norma Gonzales reads a magazine next to fellow soldiers while waiting to be ferried by a helicopter to different US military bases in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. © REUTERS/ Erik De Castro/Files *WNU Editor:* A little break form war and mayhem .... the photo gallery *starts here*.
KMT round up
*The entrance to the Baonon bikeway. This is the old Japanese coastal highway. As I recall, there's no information anywhere along this road that gives this fact. One of the key effects, and probably, key functions, of the new tourism infrastructure in Taiwan is eliminating history by turning it into homogenized and identical leisure facilities with no location in time and no relation to the past. That is just as true of the so-called Old Streets. * The Miaoli county government, long a KMT redoubt, isn't going to get a bailout from the central government: The Finance Ministry (財政部)... more »
Mr. Scott Needs A Dictionary
You know a government is in trouble when it needs a Minister of Accountability, Transparency and Transformation. Really, shouldn't these be things a government should strive for anyway? But no. Apparently in Alberta we need an entire bureaucracy to monitor the integrity of all its other bureaucracies. It's also apparent that our own MLA, Don Scott, wasn't following the Premier's "look in the mirror" advice, when, as associate minister for accountability, transparency and transformation, he took a rather pricey jaunt to Poland. I think Mr. Scott really needs a dictionary to look ... more »
Wooden Shoes? Heads up for Possible False Flag
*Wooden shoes are symbols of concentration camps? Whaaaaaaat?!* According a video I have uploaded below...the logo for the upcoming *JADE HELM military drills* has a lot of hidden meaning....and it nooooot good. First...here's the logo which I first saw today: Look in the middle of the logo...you'll see the outline of a wooden shoe. Apparently wooden shoes are what the prisoners wore in WWII concentration camps. According to the video below, the sword means army (weapons) and the arrows mean airforce (drones). So, this logo is saying that the entities behind the JADE HELM dril... more »
Time-Lapse Video Of The Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Passing Through The Suez Canal
*Hat Tip*: Naval Open Source INTelligence
Omar Khadr, the "James Bond of Jihad", is granted bail.
National Post : "One way or another, Omar Khadr will soon be a free man. On Friday, moments after judge J.M. Ross of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta granted the 28-year-old Toronto native bail from an Edmonton-area jail pending appeal of his war crimes conviction in the United States, the government announced — as predictably as day follows night — that it would appeal." The government did not argue that Khadr posed any danger to Canada but rather that his release would show disrespect for the US justice system. You know - this justice system. It's difficult for those of us... more »
American Politics: A House of Mirrors
*April 25, 2015* (Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - A house of mirrors is an immersive, highly distorted and intentionally confusing version of reality. Those walking its corridors are sometimes amused and sometimes frightened by the disorienting experience, but luckily for them, it is only temporary. There is an exit, and they will walk through it, back to reality. But what if one existed their entire lives in such a distorted reality and knew of no exits? Would they convince themselves that these distorted images reflected back at them were in fact reality no matter how unnatural they appea... more »
Islamic State Bans Nike Because It Sounds Like ‘Sex’ In Arabic
Screenshot from youtube.com video *RT:* *No ‘swooshing’: ISIS reportedly bans Nike because it sounds like ‘sex’ in Arabic* *Unverified reports suggests that the Islamic State has banned Nike apparel because the brand’s name sounds like the term for sexual intercourse in Arabic. Militants have reportedly been ordered to get rid of smutty-sounding sportswear.* *The Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) headquarters in Raqqa issued what claims to be a leaflet warning jihadists against using any Nike products. The punishments for both seller and buyer of Nike goods range from a small fi... more »
Musical Interlude: Karunesh, “Zen Breakfast”
Karunesh, “Zen Breakfast” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljReXbJEv8o
"A Look to the Heavens"
"A bright spiral galaxy of the northern sky, Messier 63 is about 25 million light-years distant in the loyal constellation Canes Venatici. Also cataloged as NGC 5055, the majestic island universe is nearly 100,000 light-years across, about the size of our own Milky Way. Known by the popular moniker, The Sunflower Galaxy, M63 sports a bright yellowish core and sweeping blue spiral arms, streaked with cosmic dust lanes and dotted with pink star forming regions. *Click image for larger size.* This deep exposure also reveals an enormous but dim arc extending far into the halo above the ... more »
Does Biblical Evidence Present God as Evil?
*Video - *In this video, the narrator argues that the God, as presented by the Bible, is inherently evil, and offers Biblical evidence of how God condones many types of heinous crimes. The post Does Biblical Evidence Present God as Evil? appeared first on Waking Times.
The City Of Kandahar Has Dramically Changed In The Past 2 Decades
*Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post:* *The last time I saw Kandahar, it was a remote Taliban bastion. How that’s changed.* *KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – What a difference two decades make.When I last visited this southern Afghan city – the cradle of the Taliban insurgency - I flew in on a plane chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The airstrip was tiny, as was the airport. The city was a backwater, with no more than a few hundred thousand people, if that. It was the summer of 1996, and brutally hot.And oh yes, the Taliban controlled the city – and much of Afg... more »
Food Watch: "Herbing up" with Ellie Krieger
*Ellie is interviewed by Family First's Marijo Tinlin.* *by Ken* Since we were just talking about food in my 3pm PT post, from the New Fulton Fish Market, I thought this might be a good opportunity to slip in this latest mailing from Ellie Krieger, a registered dietitian who's an interesting combination of a nutritionist who's serious about both nutrition and food (I've got two of her cookbooks). Ellie has had her own Food Network show, *Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger*, which I enjoyed a lot, and she maintains an active website (not to mention the usual Facebook and Twitter s... more »
Chet Raymo, "Why Not?"
*"Why Not?"* by Chet Raymo "A few days ago reader Liz asked: "If we are all one and made out of the same material- then the things that we make are made out of the same material. But they are not animate. Why not?" At first glance, this might seem like a naive question, one that we all know the answer to. On reflection, it turns out to be terribly profound. Or should I have said, "wonderfully profound"? Yes, everything, animate and inanimate, is made of the same stuff - the 92 naturally-occurring elements - but all of the animate things we know about are made mainly of carbon comp... more »
"A Strange Game..."
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play." - Joshua, "War Games" "There is a word, a concept, in Zen Buddhism that doesn't quite translate perfectly into the English language: Mu. Mu is the response given by a Zen monk to a question that cannot be meaningfully answered. It suggest that the question's premises are not real, that there is a state of emptiness that lies beyond yes and no, that the asker should unask the question - indeed, that anyone who would ask such a question in the first place might well to question his entire perspective on life. Though the word wa... more »
“The Parable of the Frogs: ‘Hell is Truth Seen Too Late’"
* “The Parable of the Frogs: ‘Hell is Truth Seen Too Late’"* by Morris Berman "One who knows “enough is enough” always has enough." –Tao Te Ching “What does it take to produce large-scale social change? Most historians, if you catch them in an honest moment, will admit that the popular levers of social change, such as education or legislation, are bogus; they don’t really amount to very much. What does make a difference–and then only potentially–is massive systemic breakdown, such as occurred in the United States in the fall of 2008. It was the greatest market crash since 19... more »
"Being Against Evil..."
"Being against evil doesn't make you good.” - Ernest Hemingway, “Islands in the Stream”
The Daily "Near You?"
Greenwood, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"Do You Feel Useful?"
*"Do You Feel Useful?"* by Paulo Coelho "Ask a flower in the field: ‘Do you feel useful? After all, you do nothing but produce the same flowers over and over?’ And the flower will answer: ‘I am beautiful, and beauty is my reason for living.’ Ask the river: ‘Do you feel useful, given that all you do is to keep flowing in the same direction?’ And the river will answer: ‘I’m not trying to be useful, I’m trying to be a river.’ Nothing in this world is useless in the eyes of God. Not a leaf from a tree falls, not a hair from your head, not even an insect dies because it was of no use. ... more »
"The Life Yoiu Have Left..."
“The life you have left is a gift. Cherish it. Enjoy it now, to the fullest. Do what matters, now.” ~ Leo Babauta
“Taking a Time Out: You Are Not Crazy”
*“Taking a Time Out: You Are Not Crazy”* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM “Sometimes as adults, we just need a time out to refocus and gather ourselves before starting out again. Most of us feel a little crazy from time to time. Periods of high stress can make us feel like we’re losing it, as can being surrounded by people whose values are very different from our own. Losing a significant relationship and moving into a new life situation are other events that can cause us to feel off kilter. Circumstances like these recur in our lives, and they naturally affect our mental stability. ... more »
death by cannon
Counter-protester with her daughters at a civil liberties rally by black people, Bogalusa, Louisiana, 1965 Toffs and Toughs – The famous photo by Jimmy Sime that illustrates the class divide in pre-war Britain, 1937 The last commercial sailing ship, Pamir, to round Cape Horn in 1949 Searchlights on the Rock of Gibraltar, 1942 James Dean posing in the coffin in the local undertaker in his home town in the year of his car crash and ensuing death, January 1955 Major General Horatio Gordon Robley with his collection of tattooed Maori heads, 1895 Japanese guard
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