Relics of St. Demetrius at the Aghios Demetrios Basilica in Thessaloniki. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: The interior of an Eastern Orthodox Church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The View
10:38pm MDST
Review - "We Are The Destroyers" by D.K.Lindler
A good story can entertain while delivering an important lesson. Unlike instructional books, fiction often reaches us on an emotional level and, when that happens, we tend to remember both the book and the message. [image: Review - "We Are The Destroyers" by D.K.Lindler] I was invited to read *We Are The Destroyers* by D.K.Lindler. The Scenario This is the story of a dying planet. Over consumption and environmental abuse have caused food shortages; so, to feed a rapidly growing population, synthetic foods are created. While these fake foods solve the hunger problem, they cause seriou... more »
A Prayer For Ukraine, Yemen, And All The Other Countries That Are Under The Stress of War
*Title: Eastern Orthodox Christian Call to Prayer "Come Let us Worship" Chant. Source: AlveusLacuna. Date Published: November 28, 2011. Description:* English Translation: Come let us worship and fall down before Christ, Our King and our God. Save us O Son of God, who art risen from the dead As we chant to Thee: Allelluia.
Social “justice”?
How often have you heard someone from the commentariat say “we should be judged by how we treat the poor/the children/the disadvantaged/he least advantaged/the under-privileged/the differently abled/the at-risk/the insert-favourite-allegedly-downtrodden-class.” The class being so treated (or *mis*treated, it’s alleged) generally has the great virtue that it hasn’t asked the commentator to talk for them. (And by “we” this group with the stolen virtue mean everyone who pays taxes, which often excludes themselves. And by “judged” they mean if “we” don’t cough up then we don’t care.... more »
Islamic State 'Withdraws' From The Ancient Syrian City Of Palmyra. Heavy Casualties Reported On Both Sides
*BBC: **Syria conflict: IS 'withdraws' from ancient Palmyra* *Islamic State militants have been pushed back from the ancient Syrian site of Palmyra, officials and a monitoring group say.* *Militants seized part of the town of Tadmur on Saturday, which is located on a strategic east-west route next to Palmyra's World Heritage-listed ruins.* *Nearly 300 have reportedly died in four days of fighting.* *Meanwhile, the number of militants reported killed in a rare US ground raid in Syria on Saturday rose to 32.* *The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, sa... more »
Yemen Five Day Ceasefire Has Ended. Arab Coalition Air Strikes Have Resumed
*Al Jazeera*:* Arab coalition resumes Yemen air strikes as truce end*s *Coalition warplanes target Houthi rebel positions in Al-Sawlaban and Al-Arish in Aden province, Saudi officials say.* *Arab coalition nations have resumed air strikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen as a UN envoy called for an extension of a five-day humanitarian ceasefire that expired late Sunday.* *The coalition targeted Houthi rebel positions in Al-Sawlaban and Al-Arish in Aden province, Saudi military officials said early on Monday.* *Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-backed channel, reported that Saudi troops were... more »
Peg with Pen: A response to Derek Briggs and the Denver Post re:...
Peg with Pen: A response to Derek Briggs and the Denver Post re:...: My comment in response to the Denver Post piece titled: PARCC adviser: opt-out 'propaganda' mischaracterizes comments I heard abo... more »
Iraqi Forces Have Been Routed In Anbar Province. Last Of Security Forces Flee The City Of Ramadi
*VOA:* *Islamic State Claims to Seize Ramadi * *The Islamic State group on Sunday claimed to have seized the Iraqi provincial capital of Ramadi, giving the militants their largest victory this year after days of intense clashes.* *In Washington, the Pentagon refused to confirm the IS statement, saying only that Ramadi remains "fluid and contested." But others, including a spokesman for the governor of Anbar province, said government solders were fleeing the city.* *WNU Editor*: To say that this is a disaster is an understatement. The U.S. reaction to the fall of the city has sadl... more »
Is Britian's Trident Submarine A Disaster That Is About To Happen?
© Flickr/ UK Ministry of Defence *Daily Mail:** Submariner on run after he says 'Trident's unsafe': Fugitive claims security lapses put UK on brink of nuclear disaster* ** Sailor William McNeilly claimed Britain is on verge of 'nuclear catastrophe'* ** Navy seaman, 25, said security checks are ignored on Trident submarines* ** Mr McNeilly, missing since April, said nuclear subs were a terror target* ** Royal Navy denies 'unsubstantiated personal views' of a junior sailor* *A Royl Navy submariner was on the run last night after claiming Britain is on the brink of a nuclear disaster be... more »
"Mad Men" Watch: If it works for advertising guys, why shouldn't it work for engineers?
*DILBERT by Scott Adams* *Dilbert (gasp!) makes his move!* *by Ken* As some of you may recall, at the time this post posts I'll be at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, with as many other *Mad Men* fans as they can pack into the joint for a celebration culminating in watching tonight's series finale on the big screen. So tonight I thought I'd throw open the question, "Is Don Draper a phenomenon unique to the advertising business, or are there Don Drapers in all walks of life? And we start with Nerdworld. Here's Dilbert's claim to Draperdom. Picking up from the ab... more »
Does Russia Fear An Iranian Nuclear Deal?
Russian President Putin and Security Council Secretary Ivanov listen to then Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Rouhani during their meeting in the Moscow's Kremlin. *Elena Holodny, Business Insider:* *Why Russia fears an Iran nuclear deal* *Immediately after six world powers, including Russia, reached an interim deal with Iran on curbing its nuclear program, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree lifting a ban on the delivery of S-300 anti-missile rocket systems and Moscow announced the start of an oil-for-goods swap with Iran.* *Russia's actions made it look as though Te... more »
Manageable Costs, Expendable Lives: Senior Pakistani General Takes Al Jazeera Host To School About The Reality of The Global War on Terror
*General Durrani thinks he's a mafioso. * The Pakistani general in the interview below comes across as an evil scumbag, but at least he's honest. And he deserves respect for his honesty. His counterparts in the military-intelligence professions around the world, especially in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, England, and Israel, are nowhere near as honest about the consequences of their pro-terrorism policies. Pakistan has shredded Afghanistan up by arming terrorists and warlords over the decades, and the consequence of its brazen policy has been the emergence of terrorism in its own neck o... more »
Beneficiary calls for conscription
So one young beneficiary would “dread to think where I’d be without the Army” – says it has done “amazing things” for him and the rest of his family of beneficiaries– and on that basis wants conscription, compulsory military service, for *all* young people. As if the lives of all young people were the property of the state, to dispose of as they wish. Of all the statist violations of individual rights in a mixed economy, the military draft is the worst. It is an abrogation of rights. It negates man's fundamental right—the right to life—and establishes the fundamental principle of... more »
Turbulent Times Show TONIGHT At 8PM CDT (9PM EDT) On Blogtalk Radio
Yes, Whitewraithe and myself are indeed going to have a new Turbulent Times show tonight at 8PM Central Daylight Time on Blogtalk radio... Tonight, we will again start off by discussing some major current events that have happened in our sick world, and then the second part of the show will concentrate on several subjects that Whitewraithe herself has chosen including a discussion of the recent article entitled: "Demonic Shock Troops From Another Dimension"... It will be a lively broadcast and I hope that everyone will tune in... Here is the live feed link: http://tobtr.com/s/762... more »
Broadcast Premier of 'On Sacred Ground'
Broadcast Premier of Standing On Sacred Ground Series Begins May 17, 2015 STANDING ON SACRED GROUND took nearly eight years to complete and focuses on eight threatened cultures—one fight. Using ancient wisdom and modern courage, indigenous communities around the world protect lands of spiritual and ecological significance for future generations.This new series exposes governmental,
*UPDATE* May 17, 2015 Hardin Montana jail: How Private Prison Developers Prey on Desperate Towns
*UPDATE* May 17, 2015I have returned to this article to find that both videos are not availableDo you remember when all of this was going on? It was over 5 years ago and nobody seems to be concerned about it. However, privatized industry is happening on an accelerated scale, and it concerns me that so much information is no longer on Youtube. <~~ The video that was here is missing and has no information as to why it is blocked TPMMuckraker Justin Elliott | October 12, 2009, 3:14PM With the unraveling of the deal for the shadowy American Privat... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Bright star Markab anchors this dusty skyscape. At the top right corner of the frame, Markab itself marks a corner of an asterism known as the Great Square, found within the boundaries of the constellation Pegasus, the flying horse. The wide and deep telescopic view rides along for some 5 degrees or about 10 times the angular diameter of the Full Moon, with blue reflection nebulae scattered around the scene. * Click image for larger size.* And even though this line-of-sight looks away from the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, it covers a region known to be filled with nearby molecular... more »
"The Wonder Of Life..."
"We live in radical times surrounded by tasks that seem impossible. It has become our collective fate to be alive in a time of great tragedies, to live in a period of overwhelming disasters and to stand at the edge of sweeping changes. The river of life is flooding before us, and a tide of poisons affect the air we breathe and the waters we drink and even tarnish the dreams of those who are young and as yet innocent. The snake-bitten condition has already spread throughout the collective body. However, it is in troubled times that it becomes most important to remember that the wond... more »
"Life Is Hard?"
"Life is hard? True- but let's love it anyhow, though it breaks every bone in our bodies." - Edward Abbey
Chet Raymo, “Les Matins Du Monde”
* “Les Matins Du Monde”* by Chet Raymo "Thirteen billion years ago it was morning in the universe." So began a story in the New York Times about new studies of the earliest galaxies. The Hubble Space Telescope and the giant Subaru and Keck Telescopes on Mauna Kea in Hawaii are turning back the curtain on the birthing room of the first stars- colossal spheres of primeval hydrogen and helium, hundreds of times as massive as the Sun, that lived and died in violence, forging heavy elements, seeding creation with the stuff of planets and life. Tous les matins du monde sont sans retour:... more »
“6 Steps to Release Your Fear and Feel Peaceful”
*“6 Steps to Release Your Fear and Feel Peaceful”* by Nicolas Perrin “We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.” ~ Mary Catherine Bateson “It was a balmy spring morning and I started my day as per usual, but I soon realized that my mind was entertaining fearful thoughts about my financial insecurity. With many new ventures within the seedling stage, my income flow was erratic and unpredictable, while my financial responsibilities were consistent and guaranteed. At the time I ignored these thoughts as “petty,” like a parent dismissing a crying child after a mild fal... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Fairfax, Iowa, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
The Poet: John O’Donohue, "For The Time Of Necessary Decision"
*"For The Time Of Necessary Decision"* "The mind of time is hard to read. We can never predict what it will bring, Nor even from all that is already gone Can we say what form it finally takes; For time gathers its moments secretly. Often we only know it’s time to change When a force has built inside the heart That leaves us uneasy as we are. Perhaps the work we do has lost its soul, Or the love where we once belonged Calls nothing alive in us anymore. We drift through this gray, increasing nowhere Until we stand before a threshold we know We have to cross to come alive once more. May w... more »
Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet, On Time"
"On Time" "And an astronomer said, "Master, what of Time?" And he answered: "You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable. You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons. Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing. Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness, And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream. And that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered t... more »
"Know That It Is You..."
“We look at the evil of others because we know evil through our own behavior. We never forgive those who injure us because we believe that we would never be forgiven. We tell painful truth to our neighbor because we want to hide it from ourselves. We show our strength so that no-one can see our fragility. That is why, whenever you are judging your brother, know that it is you who are on trial.” - Okakura Kakuso
"How It Really Is"
*Civilized? *
Peltier on Passing of Roselyn Jumping Bull
Message from Leonard Peltier on the passing of Roselyn Jumping BullMay 17, 2015Greetings my People, friends and supporters.It is always hard to accept the passing of our elders, especially when it is one who has spent so many years of their life fighting for their People's survival.For me, Roselyn's passing is very difficult because i knew her personally. She was a great friend, a loyal
Is Mendacity A Republican Party Core Value?
Every political conservative I ever met was a both a hypocrite and a liar-- by nature. This week we saw the quintessential Republican, Tennessee Congressman Scott DesJarlais (who represents Murfreesboro, Lynchburg, Shelbysville and the suburbs west of Chattanooga), vote against the right of a woman to exercise Choice in her own reproductive health. Only 4 Republicans voted against their heinous bill introduced by closet queen and anti-woman psychopath Trent Franks (R-AZ) but DesJarlais's vote was special. DesJarlais had encouraged his ex-wife to have two abortions and pressured on... more »
Housing tax: Two quotes, two comments
*“In the end, yesterday’s announcement looks a lot like political theatre. As ministers, and the Reserve Bank, have rightly noted previously, CGTs don’t change the character of house price cycles, and attenuated ones like this are even less likely to. Some will feel better that ‘something is being done,’ but it will just divert attention, and policy and legislative time, away from measures that grapple with the real issues.” 1* COMMENT: It looks a lot like political theatre to this government, and last weeks’ Reserve Bank meddling makes it a two-cast drama. But while its off-Bro... more »
Opportunity Is the New Austerity
President Obama took a theatrically brave stance last week when he lambasted Fox News for using the horrible word "leeches" to describe poor people. Unfortunately, despite his indignant verbiage, this is not exactly the same thing as directly advocating for the poor themselves. Obama's words are a way to make liberals and MSNBC feel vindicated. It's a way to deflect our attention from this government's de facto war on the poor, and frame the media narrative into just one more he said-she said bickerfest between the two legacy parties. Just who on Fox called them leeches, and when, ... more »
La Tumba de George Adamski
En el verano del 2001 tuvimos la oportunidad de visitar la tumba del controvertido contactado George Adamski, cuya trayectoria hemos abordado en Arcana Mundi (ver: "Adamski: Aventuras en el desierto" por el investigador Jerome Clarke, entrevistando a contemporáneos del contactado californiano). En círculos platillistas, siempre se hizo hincapié sobre el hecho de que Adamski haya sido enterrado en el cementerio Arlington en las afueras de Washington, D.C. - sugiriendo que la talla del "Profesor" Adamski haya merecido semejante honor, puesto que los héroes de la nación americana recib... more »
"When the Washington-financed and orchestrated “Orange Revolution” failed to deliver Ukraine into Washington’s hands, Washington spent $5 billion dollars over the next decade cultivating and grooming Ukrainian politicians and creating Washington-funded NGOs capable of organizing mass protests in Kiev." "The democratically elected Ukrainian government was overthrown, and Washington’s chosen puppets were put in office as per the intercepted telephone call between Victoria Nuland the US ambassador in Kiev." -- from Paul Craig Roberts interview below
http://impactglassman.blogspot.mx/2015/02/paul-craig-roberts-is-interviewed-by.html ------------------------------ As a young woman, Victoria Nuland showed her contempt for Ukrainians Victoria Nuland was in an exchange program and became a counselor at a Soviet children’s camp in Odessa in 1982. One of the ways she amused herself was to throw sunflower seeds into the dirt and laugh at the little Ukrainian children as they picked up and ate the dirty seeds. A Russian girl, also a counselor at the camp, got into a fight with her because of Nuland’s treatment of those children. Vi... more »
"The Great Lie"
Steppenwolf, “Monster” 1968. How relevant today, too. And we haven’t learned a goddamned thing since...
"A Civilized Society..."
"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents. Without a prison, there can be no delinquents. We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves. When someone was so poor that he couldn't afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift. We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property. We didn't know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being was not determined by his wealth. We had no written laws l... more »
"Namaste"
*"Namaste"* "In India when people meet and part they say Namaste, which means: My soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you Where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you Of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place in you Where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, There is only one of us." - Sanskrit English Disctionary, University of Koeln, Germany http://spokensanskrit.de/
WORLDWIDE SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION HAPPENING
*Art design by Cameron Gray / Click on photo to enlarge* *As Teilhard de Chardin once correctly wrote ~ We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience ~ for right now the innate evolutionary forces of love and light are manifesting on the planet and they are demanding that we all participate and find our role in this rapidly evolving loving plan in action: Allen L Roland, Ph.D* I am observing a strange and wonderful phenomenon in my ongoing work as a heart centered consultant, advisor and mentor ~ *people are ... more »
Continued from above...
------------------------------ Victoria Nuland is a terrorist. She should be banned from Russia. Victoria Nuland visits Moscow May 17-18. *From Sputnik News [i]* *Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland will visit Moscow on May 17 and 18 to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements on Ukraine, the US State Department said in a statement Sunday. * *MOSCOW (Sputnik) — During her visit, Nuland will meet with senior Russian government officials and civil society representatives. In addition to the Ukraine peace process, she is... more »
we movie to canada: wmtc annual movie awards, 2014-15 edition
Thanks to everything-on-demand media, and no thanks to my schedule that doesn't permit me nearly enough time for baseball, Movie Season now runs all year, at least marginally. These annual awards now document the movies and TV series we've seen from Opening Day to Opening Day. To recap my silly rating systems: - Canadian musicians and comedians (2006-07 and 2007-08) - my beverage of choice (2008-09) - famous people who died during the past year (2009-10) - where I'd like to be (2010-11) - vegetables (2011-12) (I was out of ideas!) - Big Life Events in a year full of Big Life Changes (20... more »
If True, Pakistan Is Making A Big Strategic And Political Mistake
*Excerpts from, "US officials: 'Saudis set to buy nuclear weapons from Pakistan'" by Yasmin Kaye, International Business Times, May 17, 2015:* Saudi Arabia is said to have taken the "strategic decision" to acquire "off-the-shelf" nuclear weapons from ally Pakistan, senior US officials told the Sunday Times. "For the Saudis the moment has come," a former US defence official told the Sunday Times last week. "There has been a long-standing agreement in place with the Pakistanis and the House of Saud has now made the strategic decision to move forward." "We know this stuff is availabl... more »
Loving angels (instead)
The Catholics seem to be all over the place. Not so long ago they blamed the Jews for killing Jesus, which accounted for a great deal of Catholic antisemitism back in the day. Then Pope Benedict XVl decided to forgive them. Unfortunately Pope Francis might have decided to *un*forgive them again, since he’s about to recognise a Palestinian State and canonise two 19th c. Palestinian nuns in an attempt to “strengthen the Christian presence in the Middle East at a time when when hundreds of thousands of Arab Christians are fleeing Islamic violence.” Does that compute? I don’t quite... more »
Bias at the BBC World Service
As a teenager (in the '80s) I used to listen to the BBC World Service quite regularly. (Come to think of it, I also used to listen to Radio Tirana from communist Albania for a laugh. Typical teenager, eh?) Oddly, I don't do now, and haven't done for years - even though, for most of that time, I helped pay for it. I've often read on sites where people comment about BBC bias (from *Biased BBC *to the *Telegraph *and beyond) that the BBC World Service is actually *the* place, these days, to hear the BBC in full biased flow (largely our of earshot of British license fee payers). Th... more »
Arguing Over Trivia
Rather than chase footnotes, I thought I would chase some trivia because that’s what we seem to be doing here lately. I had thought that once the body in the slides was identified as an unfortunate child from hundreds of years ago, we could be done with that discussion. What more could be said? Arguments about the number of ribs or the other deformities, which could be the result of a “natural” mummification, seem to be useless. It really doesn’t matter at this point because the mummy has been identified, its location has been identified, and what happened to it has been identified. ... more »
5 Most Mysterious Sounds Ever Recorded
*Video - *From mysterious sounds in the sky to strange sounds in the sea, here are the top strange noises reported around the world. The post 5 Most Mysterious Sounds Ever Recorded appeared first on Waking Times.
Ref Rodriguez's school scandals unreported by LA School Report?
*“Of course, the network of power and privilege that eases access to the Ivy League isn’t severed at matriculation—it supports the scions of the superrich throughout. Further emails from the Sony hack show the Lynton nepotism machine gearing up for his elder daughter, Eloise, an undergraduate at Harvard who found herself unable to get into a very popular class with Dr. Jerome Groopman, a New Yorker writer and professor of biology.” — Sam Biddle* [image: Jamie Alter-Lynton's Deasy (LA) School Report] Jamie Alter-Lynton's blog byline should read "what Deasy wants you to think is real... more »
Living large or living small, both have pains we can not rub out
Hi Optimism Prime, Hope your eye is better but if not you know you will be a star at talk like a pirate day, done without props. I find it easy to talk to you because thou I have never met you I glottal think we are siblings from something our parents did MICHANICAL in their youth but will never reveal even on the deathbed. No one should regret great sex dispite the inappropriate unsancionted nature of the event. That why I am a brother instead of sperm flushed away. I am the older brother. The bullshit and blank stares I have endured, you have seen the same thing, but ten years... more »
"Ubuntu"
*"Ubuntu" * "I am what I am because of who we all are." - A definition offered by Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee. "Archbishop Desmond Tutu offered a definition in a 1999 book: “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, based from a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.” Tutu further explained Ubuntu in 2008: “One of the sayings in our count... more »
Alternatives to the Price System
This article makes the case for social, rather than financial, incentives. I am not convinced, but it should generate an interesting class discussion.
"How Are Things Going, Joe?
“You go up to a man, and you say, "How are things going, Joe?" and he says, "Oh fine, fine — couldn't be better." And you look into his eyes, and you see things really couldn't be much worse. When you get right down to it, everybody's having a perfectly lousy time of it, and I mean *everybody*. And the hell of it is, nothing seems to help much.” - Kurt Vonnegut
Sunday Classics snapshots: Aren't the jolly boys and girls of "The Gondoliers" really somebodies after all?
*"The Piazzetta in Venice, Looking East with the Doge's Palace, the Columns of Saint Mark and Saint Theodore, the Riva degli Schiavoni and the Bacino di San Marco," oil painting by Bernardo Bellotto (1722-1780)* *GILBERT and SULLIVAN: The Gondoliers: Act I, Francesco, Good morrow, pretty maids . . . Antonio, For the merriest fellows are we* *During the previous chorus, in which the* CONTADINE* (peasant girls) have been discovered in the Piazzetta in Venice arranging floral bouquets,* ANTONIO, FRANCESCO, GIORGIO, *and other* GONDOLIERS *have entered unobserved by the girls -- at fir... more »
Putin plays hockey, scores 8 goals and even got into a "hockey fight"
*UPDATE: May 17, 2015* In other Hockey news: Hockey world championship: Canada cruises to gold over Russia *Putin Playing Hockey* Putin plays hockey, scores 8 goals and even gets into "hockey fight" MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has played in an exhibition hockey game and scored one goal after another on assists from retired NHL players. Putin’s team won 18 to 6, with eight of those goals made by the 62-year-old president, most of them on assists from NHL stars Pavel Bure and Valeri Kamensky. Three of the remaining goals were scored by Russia’s defence minister. The game... more »
Apropos of absolutely nothing...
One of the things about blogging is that even if you've got absolutely nothing to say you still feel impelled to say something. So, here goes!... The quiz on this morning's otherwise delightful *Broadcasting House *featured the alarm calls of sundry angry blackbirds (my favourite birds). What news event of the week did they remind Radio 4 listeners of? My immediate thought was, oh, it must be something to do with the hysterical squawking of many on the Left at the general election result (which, if you're so inclined, you may also extend to the BBC). Or, alternatively, something to... more »
“So Many People Are Badly Traumatized by Life in America: It's Time We Admit It”
*“So Many People Are Badly Traumatized by Life in America:* * It's Time We Admit It”* From a crushing economy, to government spying, to endless wars, are we breaking down? By Lynn Stuart Parramore “Recently Don Hazen, the executive editor of AlterNet, asked me to think about trauma in the context of America’s political system. As I sifted through my thoughts on this topic, I began to sense an enormous weight in my body and a paralysis in my brain. What could I say? What could I possibly offer to my fellow citizens? Or to myself? After six years writing about the financial crisis... more »
The head of the BBC's Political Research Unit gets it wrong (again)
There's an interesting piece from the head of the BBC's Political Research Unit, David Cowling, on the BBC website entitled, *Election 2015: How the opinion polls got it wrong*. David argues that the pollsters are being unfairly harangued: Following the outcome of the 2015 general election, a mixture of anger and contempt was showered on the pollsters who had spent six weeks suggesting a different result. *[Yes, and not least by Andrew Marr!]* I understand those feelings, but I do not share them. It's a characteristically clearly-written piece, but, on reading it, my trust in the ... more »
Kootenay Country
With the election behind us, the sky still blissfully above us and the weather warming I am hopeful of using some of my days off to get out and explore further afield. I have a couple destinations in mind (okay, more like 5 or 6) for some bird watching trips that I hope to make later this summer that I hope I can pull off. This all reminded me that I had failed to mention my last little trip to BC which I had actually taken early last year. I meant to blog about it but the post languished half-written and then faded into obscurity until I came across the photos from it earlier th... more »
U.S. Defense Official: Saudis Arabia To Buy Nuclear Weapons From Pakistan
*The Australian/The Times*: *Saudis to buy nuclear weapons from Pakistan, US officials say* *Saudi Arabia has taken the “strategic decision” to acquire “off the shelf” atomic weapons from Pakistan, risking a new arms race in the Middle East, senior US officials say.* *The move by the Gulf kingdom, which has financed much of Islamabad’s nuclear program over the past three decades, comes amid growing anger among Sunni Arab states over a deal backed by US President Barack Obama, which they fear could allow Shia Iran to develop a nuclear bomb.* *The agreement, due to be finalised nex... more »
Armed Forces Day Quotes 2015: 15 Inspirational Sayings
Armed Forces Day is typically marked by events and ceremonies aimed at commemorating the sacrifices made by those in uniform. Creative Commons *IBTimes*: *Armed Forces Day Quotes 2015: 15 Inspirational Sayings That Honor The Sacrifices Made By US Troops* *Armed Forces Day honors the men and women who are currently serving the U.S. at home and abroad. The day, which falls on the third Saturday in May, is typically marked by events and ceremonies that observe the sacrifices made by those in uniform.* *The day was first observed in 1950 following the creation of the Department of D... more »
How The Running Man is Our Reality
*Jay Dyer* - Make no mistake about it, we are only a few years away from the dystopian future of The Running Man. The post How The Running Man is Our Reality appeared first on Waking Times.
Zerohedge: Leading German Keynesian Economist Calls For Cash Ban
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-16/cash-ban-calls-continue-german-economist-says-bills-and-coins-obsoleteLeading German Keynesian Economist Calls For Cash Ban [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/16/2015 23:15 -0400 It’s official: the world has gone central-planner crazy. Monetary policy, whether in the form of “conventional” methods such as the micromanagement of policy rates or so-called “unconventional” measures such as QE, has proven utterly ineffective when it comes to both “smoothing out” the business cycle and reigniting economic growth in t... more »
ZEROHEDGE: The War On Cash Destroys A Small Entrepreneur
*You know the real shame of this is the really big money laundering goes on with tankers full of crude oil (which is very fungible), real estate transactions, and through organized religion (which get a lot of cash donations). As usual the government takes the "arrest the usual suspects" approach rather than go to where the problem is really at... This is not about money laundering, its about back door currency controls. Currently, if you are a millionaire and want to transfer money around the world, money that lawfully belongs to you, you will find it very difficult to do just ... more »
Disaster In Iraq’s Adhamiya Neighborhood Averted
On May 13, 2015 as pilgrims were heading to the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad’s Kadhimiya district a rumor spread that there was a suicide bomber emerging from neighboring Adhamiya. That set off a mob, which stormed into Adhamiya and burned 17 houses, five cars, and the investment department of the Sunni Endowment. Four people were burned to death inside their home, and seventeen others were wounded. The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were called in to put down the rioting, and Prime Minister Haider Abadi orderedanyone arrested there to be prosecuted. Later the commander of the Baghdad... more »
10 Proven Health Benefits of Coconut Oil (No. 3 is Best)
*Kris Gunnars* - Here are the top 10 health benefits of coconut oil that have been experimentally confirmed in human studies. The post 10 Proven Health Benefits of Coconut Oil (No. 3 is Best) appeared first on Waking Times.
Canadians, before you vote, remember the Liberals
There is no point replacing Harper with a brainless twit who will continue to drive Canada in the same direction. Trudeau is no Trudeau, when it comes to Canadian independence and fundamental values. Trudeau is the continuation of the new Liberal line: Paul Martin, Stéphane Dion, Michael Ignatieff ... Martin destroyed the party by infighting to veer the country clearly towards US interests
Did Pope Francis call Mohammad Abbas an Angel of Peace?...
*apparently not. * *From DaTechGuy:* *Pope Francis & the MSM : Steven Kruiser gets it* Almost since the day he was elected I’ve been telling people that the MSM is spinning Pope Francis’ actual words, but my warnings have been to no avail. So you can’t imagine how great it is to see Steven Kruiser get it *What has befuddled me and several of my conservative friends who are also devout Roman Catholics is the willingness of our conservative friends to take news about this pope at face value from MSM outlets that aren’t trusted for anything else.* He’s referring to this AP story t... more »
Resistance to US Bases on Okinawa
Thousands have been marching in Okinawa and across Japan in protest against the planned relocation of a US military base in Okinawa. The protesters criticized the Japanese government, who appear to be turning a deaf ear to the locals. The protests began on Friday with about 1,200 people in Okinawa, as the island marked the 43rd anniversary of its reversion to Japanese sovereignty, and continued into Sunday gathering thousands of people. On Saturday, protestors marched around the US Futenma airbase in Ginowan city in Okinawa. About 2,600 people across Japan from Hokkaido to Nagasa... more »
Bill Clinton in Haiti
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Patrick Moynihan, a Catholic deacon who is the president of The Haitian Project and head of its Louverture Cleary School, in Haiti, for gifted but poor children. Our paths crossed because Patrick was helping to launch a course in introductory economics at the school, and my publisher generously donated copies of my favorite textbook. Patrick recently sent me a link to his article about the role Bill Clinton has played in Haiti. It is not a pretty picture.
With An Eye On Russia The Baltic States Are Stepping Up Their Military Exercises
*Washington Post:* *Fearing Russian expansion, Baltic nations step up military exercises* *TAPA, Estonia — A year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula because he said he feared NATO’s expansion. This week, U.S. tanks were cutting up the Estonian countryside just 65 miles from the Russian border in response to local fears about Russia’s expansionism.* *From destroyers in the Baltic Sea to paratroopers over Georgia’s skies to camouflaged reservists in Estonia’s birch forests, drills across the former Eastern Bloc this past week were a stark new si... more »
Another Ukraine War This Summer?
A Pro-Russian separatist walks past a destroyed tank at Savur-Mohyla, a hill east of the city of Donetsk, August 28, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov *Michael Weiss and James Miller, Daily Beast*: *New Putin Invasion Coming This Summer* *Moscow says it’s sticking to a ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, it’s piling up troops and weapons for something that doesn’t look so peaceful.* *The war in Ukraine may have faded largely from international headlines, but Vladimir Putin’s drip-drip invasion continues. In the last two weeks, forensic evidence, some of which has been reported by ... more »
A Major Shift In The Chinese Nuclear Posture
Chinese missile launchers. China Daily Mail *New York Times*: *China Making Some Missiles More Powerful* *WASHINGTON — After decades of maintaining a minimal nuclear force, China has re-engineered many of its long-range ballistic missiles to carry multiple warheads, a step that federal officials and policy analysts say appears designed to give pause to the United States as it prepares to deploy more robust missile defenses in the Pacific.* *What makes China’s decision particularly notable is that the technology of miniaturizing warheads and putting three or more atop a single missi... more »
How to Turn Milk Into Healthy Probiotic Medicine
*Anna Hunt* - Here are two ways you can turn milk into a much healthier, and more economical probiotic rich medicine. The post How to Turn Milk Into Healthy Probiotic Medicine appeared first on Waking Times.
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, May 17th, 2015
[image: rant-jpeg-b] Yes, it is Sunday, and time again for my weekly rant... This is Victoria Day holiday weekend here in Jew occupied Canada... Tomorrow is officially the day that we in Canada honor that fraud Jewess that sat on the British throne for most of the 19th century until her death in 1901. Again, I am troubled that this nation continues to pledge its allegiance to those phonies occupying the throne in a foreign land... Honestly, it is about time the criminal government in Ottawa does the right thing and renames this holiday for someone who was actually CANADIAN..... ... more »
Darin LaHood Is Not Ray LaHood
The special election to replace Republican scam artist Aaron Schock in IL-18 isn't until September 10, but the July 7 Republican primary in this weirdly gerrymandered district, which carefully skirts Peoria, Springfield and Bloomington to create a safe home for Republicans in central Illinois, is the key to who will follow Schock into Congress. And the overwhelming favorite is state Senator Darin LaHood, son of Ray LaHood, the mainstream conservative who preceded Schock as the district's congressman before serving as Barack Obama's Secretary of Transportation. His two GOP opponent... more »
Nuclear Mess in Ukraine
Unacceptable nuclear storage in western Ukraine - dangerous and environmentally irresponsible.
President Obama And America's Arab Allies In The Middle East Are Pursuing Opposite Policies And Strategies
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *Frida Ghitis, CNN:* *Obama, Arab nations dance to different tunes* *(CNN)What we have been watching is a carefully choreographed diplomatic dance, starring President Barack Obama and the Arab leaders who came to the United States for high-level talks at Camp David, Maryland. But the truth is that Obama's dance partners started moving to a different beat even before they arrived.* *After a day of meetings at the presidential retreat, Obama appeared to take questions from reporters alone, declaring there will now be an expanded relationship as a resul... more »
Shades of Vietnam In Today's War Against The Islamic State?
BBC *Richard Fernandez, PJ Media:* *ISIS in Ramadi: Like the Tet 1968?* *If Syria is — in the words of Al Arabiya’s Washington correspondent Nadia Bilbassy — likely to be remembered as Obama’s Rwanda, will the ISIS offensive now underway in Iraq go down as the president’s Tet? Their attack on the city of Ramadi caught the media by surprise and the first reports coming out of the city were tinged with an alarm born of shock.* *(CNN)The months-long fight for the key central Iraqi city of Ramadi now appears to be going ISIS’s way, with the Islamist extremist group capturing police h... more »
Sunday Song
Guantanamera | Playing For Change from Playing For Change on Vimeo.
Untitled
*Fairfax County School Board Member: Vote to Adopt ‘Gender Identity’ Protection Is ‘Federal Overreach'* The Fairfax County Public School Board in Virginia voted Thursday to add “gender identity” as a protected class to its non-discrimination policy despite heated remarks during the meeting from parents who are concerned about the implications of the change. Fairfax County School Board member Elizabeth Schultz, the only member who voted against the change, said the Board was warned by a local school official that federal funding could be pulled if the change was not adopted. She c...more »
Untitled
*No, Antarctica Is Not Experiencing Rapid Ice Melt* Antarctic sea ice is so expansive that researchers are exploring ways to avoid more embarrassing mishaps. Writing in The Daily Caller, Michael Bastasch says, “50 scientists have gathered in Tasmania to discuss more accurate ways to predict Antarctic sea ice levels so researchers don’t get stuck in ice pack when traveling southward.” So it was richly ironic when CBS News reported this week that “Antarctica is melting from above and below.” The article, which documents a new alarming study on how global warming is supposedly eating... more »
The Specials and a duetting female singer - The good and the not so good
The good, with Amy Winehouse from 2009 The not so good with Lily Allen at Glastonbury in 2007 - I am quite a fan of Lily Allen but she manages to ruin Gangsters for me here
Greece recap ( May 17 , 2015 ) - Review of recent events on Creditor Talks status , financial status and payment calendar for June ( IMF ) , internal and external politics .
Tweets...... Greece...... *fred walton* @fredwalton216 29s 29 seconds ago http://ekathimerini.com | To Potami chief pledges to back government over deal http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_artic les_wsite1_1_17/05/2015_550101 … via @*ekathimerini* The Greek Analyst retweeted *Mehreen* @MehreenKhn · 1h1 hour ago Tsipras didn't know about Greece's SDR account at IMF. Wrote to Juncker, Lagarde & Draghi saying they would default http://www. ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_17/05/2015_550106 … The Greek Analyst retweeted *Yannis Koutsomitis* @YanniKout... more »
Clearing Your Mind with these Easy Meditation Tips
*Meme - *Here's a list of easy meditation tips to help you clear the mind and connect with this ancient practice. The post Clearing Your Mind with these Easy Meditation Tips appeared first on Waking Times.
A Sad State of Affairs
http://s378.photobucket.com/ Susan Delacourt writes that the Conservative proposal for leaders debates is a shining example of what she calls Harperology 101: He likes rules, as long as he’s making them, not so much when others do. (See Supreme Court of Canada rulings, independent watchdogs, etc.) His Conservative candidates have been no-shows at election debates in their ridings for years now, through several elections. And of course, Harper is famously and proudly dismissive of the mainstream media. Add that all up, and what other outc... more »
Harper History, Part 5B - G20, Census Axed, Contempt.
*June 2010 – Mar 2011* In this the second half of part 5 of the ongoing Harper History series intended to remind our citizens exactly how little respect the Harper Regime has for our Democracy we touch upon the G20 fiasco, the killing of the census and the inability of the PBO to get information as to how the 'stimulus' funds were spent. Parliament continued to be 'dysfunctional' with the opposition seeming unable to hold Harper to account despite his refusal to release the information necessary for them to make informed decisions for fear of precipitating an election they were not ... more »
Jeb Bush Confronted By College Student: 'Your Brother Created ISIS'
*Women are showing their power! Wow... -AK* *Jeb Bush Confronted By College Student: 'Your Brother Created ISIS'* The Huffington Post | By Marina Fang Posted: 05/13/2015 11:33 pm EDT Updated: 05/14/2015 10:59 am EDT A college student told likely GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush on Wednesday that his brother, former President George W. Bush, was to blame for the rise of the Islamic State. The heated confrontation took place at a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada, according to The New York Times. Ivy Ziedrich, 19, a student at the University of Nevada, approached the former Fl... more »
Sublimatrix - A Andrew Gonzalez - Uli Rising
airbrush artist A Andrew Gonzales's work has always held a great fascination for this Free Planet writer, but his new(er) works are moving in a lovely GRAPHIC direction with the addition of these black shapes, layered embossing and the solid drop-shadowing. Lovely stuff, inspirational; literally.
(He Must Die! Good Kills?) Are You Tired Yet of Callous Rich People Destroying Your World? (They Re-Poisoned a Precious Liquid Lifeline Where Activists Have Spent Decades Dealing with PCBs Previously Dumped in by General Electric, Which Designed the Reactors at Fukushima) Cornel West Really F*cked Now? (Or Just Indulging In Too Much Truth Telling?) Tangled Webs or Just Craziness Defining the New Political Norm
But why do they wear flight suits when killing from stateside consoles? Good kills? As if. But they so are it seems.* You wonder how they sleep at night . . . in their cushy beds . . . with their busty mistresses . . . and French champagne and Iranian caviar . . . don't you? Don't you wish you were getting their profits? And not just their debts/devastation? Lack of Oversight of Charter
Why Labour Lost: A Scottish Perspective
I certainly don't agree with all of what is said here. For instance, it assumes much of the English and Welsh political landscape is similar to Scotland. The piece below, however, contains some very uncomfortable truths for all Labour people. I'll be writing about the Labour leadership later on, but it behoves us all to pause and reflect on some of the disastrous decisions made over the last five years. This originally appeared on Labour Hame as a comment, and came to me by way of the excellent Mutterings from the Left blog. "I am so tired of the word “nationalism” being branded ab... more »
Islamic State Leader Declares ‘Islam Was Never A Religion Of Peace. Islam Is The Religion Of Fighting’
A man purported to be the reclusive leader of the militant Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi makes his first public appearance at a mosque in the center of Iraq's second city, Mosul, according to a video recording posted on the Internet on July 5, 2014. Reuters *Daily Mail:* *ISIS leader declares ‘Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is the religion of fighting’ as he calls on Muslims to ‘fight for the Caliphate’ in new audio message * ** Message purportedly from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, not heard from in months* ** Says: 'Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is the relig... more »
Was The Islamic State Leader Killed By U.S. Special Forces Just A Mid Level Commander?
*The Guardian*: *Doubt cast over seniority of Isis leader killed by US special forces in Syria raid* ** Defense secretary hails death of Abu Sayyaf as ‘significant blow’* ** Isis specialist says man killed was ‘very close’ to chief spokesman* *US special forces entered Syria on Friday night and killed a mid-ranking leader of the Islamic State, in only the second raid of its kind since operations against the terror group began more than a year ago.* *The Pentagon said the raid killed Abu Sayyaf, who it said was an instrumental figure in black market oil smuggling. Iraqi officials, ... more »
What Was Once Science Fiction is Becoming Reality As The Pentagon Invests In Robots, Lasers, And New Technologies
Fingertip: The US Air Force unveiled insect-sized spies 'as tiny as bumblebees' that could not be detected and would be able to fly into buildings *Washington Post:* *Military pushes for emergency robots as skeptics worry about lethal uses* *It’s 6-foot-2, with laser eyes and vise-grip hands. It can walk over a mess of jagged cinder blocks, cut a hole in a wall, even drive a car. And soon, Leo, Lockheed Martin’s humanoid robot, will move from the development lab to a boot camp for robots, where a platoon’s worth of the semiautonomous mechanical species will be tested to see if the... more »
How Did Jesus Get to be So Hot? Where Popular Images of Jesus Came From
*Valerie Tarico - *Christians depict Jesus in a form that best suits their own culture and purposes, so where does his image come from? The post How Did Jesus Get to be So Hot? Where Popular Images of Jesus Came From appeared first on Waking Times.
For Queen and Country : The Italian Job, GLADIO and Elite Paedophilia
I was thinking about The Italian Job yesterday, for the first time in years. Many people blame NATO Intelligence sphere of influence terrorism under GLADIO and the Propaganda Due Lodge for the Years of Lead in Italy and the social and political chaos that lasted for almost two decades that followed on from the Hot Autumn of 1969 - large sections of the political economy of Italy and the social infrastructure just spontaneous fell apart and stopped working for no clear reason. I personally feel it can all be traced back to computer virus authored by Benny Hill that got fed into the... more »
Culture and Zeitgeist Watch: Everywhere you look, it's Cromwellmania! (Or, what makes Thomas C a man for our time?)
*[1]* *[2]* *In the longish first clip Mark Rylance, who plays Thomas Cromwell, and director Peter Kosminsky talk about their TV miniseries Wolf Hall, in an interview in the Tower of London which was aired on BBC the night before the series' final episode. In the shorter second clip, Mark talks about creating his Cromwell.* *"To all the qualities that make him such a remarkable actor, we must now add that Mark Rylance is a great lurker. . . . [As Cromwell] Rylance can watch proceedings in so many ways -- anxiously, quizzically, with an air of quiet satisfaction or wry amusement or... more »
Russia 'Shows-Off' Their Battle Robots
*RT:* *Russian battle robots shoot armored targets during field trials (VIDEO)* *Russian battle robots armed with machine-guns, cannons and anti-tank missile launchers have undergone successful field trials, destroying all designated targets – including armored vehicles – at a maximum range, according to military sources.Russia has successfully tested the robotic systems of the Uran family in a complex exercise at Rayevsky testing range range in Novorossiysk on Thursday, defense sources told a number of Russian news agencies. As compared to previous trials which tested robots i... more »
Pentagon Credit Cards Used For Gambling And Adult Entertainment
*Bloomberg:* *Pentagon Credit Cards Used at Adult Clubs* *Defense Department credit cards were used to charge personal expenses at casinos and “adult entertainment establishments” including a Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club and the Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club in Las Vegas, according to the Pentagon’s inspector general.* *An audit found that military and civilian personnel used the cards, intended for authorized government travel, to charge $952,258 at casinos and $96,576 at adult clubs in the year that ended on June 30, 2014.* *Taxpayers didn’t have to pay for excursions to strip clubs a... more »
Kiev Forces Continue to Violate Minsk-2 Agreements
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is supposed to be monitoring the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine under the Minsk-2 agreement. Many local citizens have been complaining that OSCE teams are always several days late in arriving after innocent villages are being shelled by the US-NATO backed Kiev regime's armed forces.Here is a short video showing a OSCE team arrive in Sakhanka village in eastern Ukraine that has been repeatedly shelled in recent weeks by Kiev forces. Several civilians have been killed. All of this is being done in violation of the Mins... more »
Top Iranian Ayatollah: ‘U.S. Is Hallucinating About Access To Military Sites For Nuclear Inspections'
TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran's Provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani underlined that Iran will never allow inspection of its military sites under the pretext of inspections by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or as part of a final agreement with the world powers. *FARS News Agency:* *Senior Cleric: Iran May Never Allow Inspection of Military Sites* *Addressing a large and fervent congregation of people on Tehran University campus on Friday, Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani pointed to Iran-Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus... more »
Spread this around.
It's "as if in 2005 we would have erased retroactively all of the audits that Sheila Fraser did in the sponsorship scandal" or "if there are allegations of electoral fraud, we would decide to pass a law to retroactively eliminate and erase all investigations," she explained.
KMTitanic 10: The Ship is Foundering
*A bright new day is dawning.* *Ruth: So this is the ship they say is unsinkable.Cal Hockley: It is unsinkable. God himself could not sink this ship.* Twenty-five years I've been watching Taiwan politics. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed them so much. I went off to Guguan on my bike yesterday planning to ignore the internet. I just wanted to come home to find everything resolved. Instead, it became more of a mess. Not that I'm disappointed or anything. The day opened with Apple Daily publishing an interview with President Ma Ying-jeou, who more or less ripped Eric Chu, t... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
"What's going on in the center of this spiral galaxy? Named the Sombrero Galaxy for its hat-like resemblance, M104 features a prominent dust lane and a bright halo of stars and globular clusters. Reasons for the Sombrero's hat-like appearance include an unusually large and extended central bulge of stars, and dark prominent dust lanes that appear in a disk that we see nearly edge-on. *Click image for larger size.* Billions of old stars cause the diffuse glow of the extended central bulge. Close inspection of the bulge in the above photograph shows many points of light that are actua... more »
"The World..."
"The world is your exercise-book, the pages on which you do your sums. It is not reality, although you can express reality there if you wish. You are also free to write nonsense, or lies, or to tear the pages." - Richard Bach, "Illusions"
Washington To Gulf Royals: You Idiots Are On Your Own
*Creators of ISIS pose for the cameras at Camp David. Source of photo: Andrew Harnik, Associated Press.* *An excerpt from, "Obama: No Mideast NATO, but US committed to Security of Arab Gulf States" by Juan Cole, May 15, 2015: * The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council came to meet President Barack Obama at Camp David in search of a renewed, formalized US commitment to their security. *They came away disappointed. Though they did get firm oral commitments, there is no prospect of formal treaty obligations binding the US to defend them.* The GCC was formed in 1981 to strengthen... more »
Musings On Iraq in the News
My interview with Dr. Abbas Kadhim was mentioned in “Iraq Counts on Magic Wands to Stop ISIS,” by Jacob Siegel for the Daily Beast.
U.S. - Chinese Relations Need A Reset
John Kerry (left) and Wang Yi both pledged to further US-China co-operation *Shannon Tiezzi, The Diplomat:* *What’s Wrong With US-China Relations?* *A round-up of the recent debate over the U.S.-China relationship, and how best to fix it.* *Those interested in China, particularly on a foreign policy front, have likely noticed a burgeoning debate in the United States over how best to deal with China’s “assertive” behavior in the South China Sea, cyber space, and elsewhere. Today’s links round-up pulls together the various pieces of the debate, which will have enormous consequences ... more »
Looking ahead...
In times gone by here at *Is the BBC biased? *I would often predict and preview the following day's *Sunday *on Radio 4. Well, as I've already looked at the *Sunday* website, the time for prediction has passed. The time for previewing, however, still remains. *[Update:...as does the time for updating*.] So... ...the programme I've repeatedly (and some might say 'endlessly') described as "the broadcast version of the liberal catholic magazine *The Tablet"* [of which main *Sunday *presenter Edward Stourton has long been a trustee] is, apparently, going to feature a segment that the... more »
The Best Free or Cheap Disneyland Souvenirs
Disneyland is hands down my favorite place in the world to take my kids. There is nothing as magical as watching your child experience Disney for the first or 20th time. While I think Disney is worth every penny, it can get pricey fast. Especially if your kids want to bring home a lot of souvenirs. But souvenirs in the park *don't have to be* expensive. In fact, you can get some AMAZING ones for little or nothing at all. Here are some of my favorite cheap but amazing souvenirs: - *Animators Academy *— This was probably one of my favorite things from the whole trip.... more »
Terrorism Is Indeed A Fraud: US Intelligence Officer Admits That Every Single Terrorist Attack In US Was A "False Flag" Attack!
I was in the local coffee shop this morning where I usually hang out, and I was sitting at a table with a few regulars talking about everything from sports to politics to world affairs... As usual some of the conversation shifted over to the state of the world and I was again, as usual, shocked to hear several members of our group again talk about "terrorism" and the frauds of "Al Qaeda" and of course "ISIS" as if these were all real... I did one thing this time and kept my mouth shut and just listened to what others were saying and I was astonished... It seems again that we do have ... more »
Differences Remain Between The U.S. And China On The Territorial Dispute In The South China Sea
*Reuters*: *U.S., China clash over disputed South China Sea* *The United States and China clashed over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea on Saturday, as China's foreign minister asserted its sovereignty to reclaim reefs saying its determination to protect its interests is "as hard as a rock".* *After a private meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi showed no sign of backing down despite Kerry urging China to take action to reduce tension in the South China Sea.* *"With regard to construction on the Nansha islands and reefs, thi... more »
Crisis In Burundi -- News Updates May 16, 2015
*BBC*: *Burundi 'coup plotters' appear in court* *Eighteen people have appeared in court in Burundi accused of helping to organise a failed coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza, lawyers and relatives said.* *They are reported to include an army general and two police commissioners.* *Gen Godefroid Niyombare, who launched the coup bid on Wednesday, is said to be still on the run.* *Earlier, President Nkurunziza thanked the army for thwarting the coup and appealed for calm.* *Crisis In Burundi -- News Updates May 16, 2015* Burundi coup fails, president back in country, protest... more »
Mali Peace Accord Is Signed But Main Rebel Group Boycotts The Deal
*Channel News Asia/AFP*: *Mali government signs peace deal in absence of rebels* *Mali's government and several armed groups signed a peace accord in a ceremony attended by numerous heads-of-state but missing the crucial backing of the main Tuareg-led rebel groups.* *BAMAKO: Mali's government and several armed groups signed a peace accord on Friday (May 15) in a ceremony attended by numerous heads-of-state but missing the crucial backing of the main Tuareg-led rebel groups.* *The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) had provisionally initialled the document a day earlier but is...more »
Annals of the Right-Wing Right to Lie: Ryan, Boehner, and Amtrak
*"Thank God for human error!" says Rep. Paul "Don't Hate Me 'Cause I'm Stoopid" Ryan. And thank God, he and his fellow right-wing lying nutjobs are no doubt saying, that right-wingers have their Official U.S. Right to Lie. If you want to watch the Burbling Boobster, you'll find the clip here.* *by Ken* Ah, you have to hand it to the Fox Noisemakers and their golden boy, Rep. Paul "Don't Hate Me 'Cause I'm Stoopid" Ryan. It's like the kid who, fearing that his parents suspected he was wearing his sister's underwear, thought he could distract them by suddenly declaring angrily, "Just... more »
THIS Is Beyond A Travesty Of Justice: Innocent Patsy For Boston Bombing Fraud To Be Put To Death!
I sometimes wonder why I ever take a day off.... It seems that when I take some time off and not put up any important news at this blog, something very important happens that I miss... Such is the case with the final verdict in the fraud Boston Bombing kangaroo court trial for the innocent victim, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. It appears that the final verdict has indeed been passed and this totally innocent man has now been sentenced to DEATH! It is indeed a travesty of justice and one that everyone should be up in arms about... To better understand the verdict in that farcical trial in B... more »
Breathe on, Mishal, Breathe on
Is this a (blog-slowing) example of BBC bias, or just a fabulous track from (near) Bristol's finest?
Clark Demonstrates Her Respect
This toxic bitch has no respect or regard for what you or I or anyone else wants. She wants what she wants because she wants it and you can go pound sand. If it suits her narcissistic purposes to announce a death in your family she doesn't care if you specifically request that she not do it - she's going to do it anyway. Surely there is a better use for the oxygen she uses up.
Utterly Sickening
Well NATO finally tells the truth about what they think of themselves as they sing "We are the world". In their drunken stupor NATO foreign ministers let their guard down at the end of a meeting in Antalya, Turkey. They sing "We are saving our own lives" but in truth they are taking millions of innocent lives with their endless wars on behalf of corporate capitalism. Worst off they are not one bit connected to the real spirit of the song..... more »
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