North American P-51 Mustang at ILA 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)10:28pm MDST
Yes, euthanasia is already happening in NZ
Everyone who’s ever watched someone they love dying already knows this, and will have a story… *Euthanasia is already happening in NZ* *Doctors and nurses are playing increasing roles in prescribing, supplying or administering drugs that may hasten a patient’s death, according to new research. * *A University of Auckland study anonymously surveyed 650 GPs. * *Sixteen reported prescribing, supplying or administering a drug with the explicit intention of bringing death about more quickly. * *But in 15 of those cases, it was nurses who administered the drugs. * *Resea... more »
Did The U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq Opened The Door For The Islamic State To Walk In?
*Washington Times*: *U.S. troop withdrawal let Islamic State enter Iraq, military leaders say* A number of former and current military leaders who were in power when all U.S. troops left Iraq are saying today that the complete exit left the door open for the Islamic State’s land grab. The assessment comes from the Army chief of staff, a former Marine commandant, a former U.S. Central Command chief, a former defense secretary and, privately, from the officer now running the war in Iraq against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS. The question is: Will these lessons-lea... more »
Hours Before A Truce Is To Be Declared, Heavy Fighting Is Being Reported At Yemen's Biggest Air Base
*Reuters*: *Houthis, Saudi-led forces battle for Yemen's biggest air base* Yemeni forces allied with a Saudi-led coalition fought Houthi militia for control of the country's largest air base north of Aden on Sunday, hours before a humanitarian truce declared by the coalition was meant to start, residents said. The al-Anad base, 50 km (30 miles) from the southern port city, has been held by the Iranian-allied Houthi movement for much of a fourth-month-old civil war and commands the approaches to Aden. The Arab coalition on Saturday announced a ceasefire to take effect at 11.59 p.m... more »
Louisiana Shooting: Cut/Paste My FALSE FLAG SHOOTER FORMULA To See If It's A FALSE FLAG
*Louisiana "LONE NUT GUNMAN" story looks like a FALSE FLAG because it hits so many bullet items in the "FALSE FLAG SHOOTING FORMULA":* Here's my FALSE FLAG SHOOTER FORMULA which I refer to in my last post *U.S.A. FALSE FLAG NATION: Chattanooga Shooting Looks Like A FALSE FLAG* and my post *Now That "THE MANIFESTO" Story Has Come Out, The South Carolina Shooting Is Beyond A Doubt A FALSE FLAG* and several other posts over the years (they did 3 quick FALSE FLAG SHOOTINGS alternating WHITE SUPREMACIST/MUSLIM/WHITE SUPREMACIST): – "news" immediately refers to shooter as a "LONE NUT GU... more »
Turkey Wants A Buffer Zone In Northern Syria
*Wall Street Journal:* *U.S.-Turkey Deal Paves Way to Set Up Buffer Zone in Northern Syria* Western-backed rebels will try to carve out safe area The deal allowing U.S. planes to use Turkish bases to strike Islamic State militants is paving the way for establishment of a de facto no-fly zone in northern Syria, Turkish and American officials said. The broad sketches of the understanding include eventually relying on moderate Syrian rebels to help take control of a buffer zone along the Turkish border, according to a Turkish official who spoke on Sunday. Turkey has pledged to use i... more »
Turkey Calls For An Emergency NATO Meeting To Discuss The Islamic State And The Kurdish PKK
*Al Jazeera:* *NATO calls emergency meeting after Turkey's request* Council comprising diplomats from 28 NATO allies to meet amid Turkish security operations against Kurdish PKK and ISIL. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general, has called an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss security at the request of Turkey after last week's suicide bombing there and ongoing Turkish security operations on two fronts. NATO said in a statement on Sunday that the North Atlantic Council, which includes the ambassadors of all 28 NATO allies, would meet following a request by Turkey to hold con...more »
The story of Chapo Guzmán's celebrated jailbreak just keeps becoming more and more bewildering
*NYRB accompanies Alma Guillermoprieto's post with this photo of "a Mexican federal police officer inspecting Chapo Guzmán’s escape tunnel, July 16, 2016."* *by Ken* I've held off trying to deal with the bizarre story of the July 11 jailbreak of master Mexican drug cartelist Chapo Guzmán because there isn't any aspect of the story that makes the tiniest grain of sense, and I kept figuring that if we waited awhile, some missing pieces of the puzzle would begin to form a picture of some sort. Instead, not just the additional facts but the added speculations have only compounded the... more »
Best marks, goals, kicks and tackles, Rd 17
.You don’t have to know anything about AFL to enjoy this week’s best marks, goals, kicks,and tackles! Not just the world’s most libertarian team sport, but also the most fast-moving …and just *what* is he doing up there in number 7! Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
"A Look to the Heavens"
"What caused this outburst of V838 Mon? For reasons unknown, star V838 Mon's outer surface suddenly greatly expanded with the result that it became the brightest star in the entire Milky Way Galaxy in January 2002. Then, just as suddenly, it faded. A stellar flash like this had never been seen before- supernovas and novas expel matter out into space. *Click image for larger size.* Although the V838 Mon flash appears to expel material into space, what is seen in the above image from the Hubble Space Telescope is actually an outwardly moving light echo of the bright flash. In a light e... more »
Chet Raymo, “Daybreak”
*“Daybreak”* by Chet Raymo “I may have been in the last generation of youngsters who grew up with an awareness of the works of Maxfield Parrish. The children's' books he illustrated were still in circulation. Reproductions of his works appeared with some regularity in books and magazines meant for kids, and they were commonly framed for children's rooms. To me, they represented a fantasy world, a never-never land of make-believe. Those skies! The blues! The golds! The luminous mists! The billowing clouds like castles in the air! The unearthly light that sugarcoats trees and crags! ... more »
Top 10 ‘Ramble’ links, voted by readers
So each week I have a bet with myself which of the links from my Friday Morning Ramble links will be clickbait, and which internet poison. I gave myself half a point this week. The ones that looked like catnip, in order of popularity… 1. Tesla just did something big in the car world 2. This is What the History of Camera Sales Looks Like with Smartphones Included [supplementary: I, Pencil. Extended Commentary: Creative Destruction] 3. Fact Check: The Washington Post on Donald Trump and John McCain 4. I spent the last 15 years trying to become an American. I've f... more »
"Never..."
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, NEVER. In nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in, except to conviction of honor, and good sense. Never yield to force, never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” - Winston Churchill
Hegemonic Warfare Watch: Drilling in the Senkakus
[image: DSC07349] *She sits... and watches.* The Nelson Report (no link, have to subscribe) reports: SUMMARY: the long-simmering Japan-China contest over maritime sovereignty and resources in the Senkakus (Daiyou in Beijing and Taipei) reached a new crisis point *today with China denying the informally presumed "median line" and saying it had the right to go after oil and natural gas anywhere it wants.* In short, that per the controversial "9-Dash Line" declarations which are seen by much of Asia as China's way of claiming control over virtually the entire East and South China Sea... more »
Trump Just Saying What A Lot Of Republicans Really Think
by Manifesto Joe I don't find it surprising at all that billionaire Donald Trump has pulled out in front of the Republican Klown Kar, with 24% in one recent poll. He's just saying what a lot of Republicans privately think, but seldom say out loud for fear of sounding like ignorant bigots and xenophobes (which, of course, many are). Trump, whose singular business acumen includes four company bankruptcies, claims that as president he would know how to make America great again. Looking at him I think the trick is to be born rich. With the recent trip to Laredo, Texas, and the "Hispani... more »
preparing for the inevitable and diego's mid-term report card
As the days count down until we move from house to apartment, I'm having trouble shaking my sadness. I'm very aware of the privileged position I'm in. We were able to find a really nice apartment, and although moving is expensive, we'll be able to absorb it. Right now we have a ridiculous amount of space for two people, so it's not like it will hurt us to downsize. But all that awareness takes place in my rational brain. In my heart, I am so sad, both for myself and for Tala. We lived in apartment with dogs for almost our entire time in New York. I always said dogs could have a goo... more »
Progress and Destruction
Primeval slime walking fish and monkees a few great apes stalking neanderthals and man hunting and gathering turning to farms paved over for factories and product driven weath begot marketing and market driven companies which always crash and from the wreckage grew consumer choosing products and now we are through
Fukushima Update: "Your Radiation This Week No 14"
*"Your Radiation This Week No 14"* By Bob Nichols San Francisco, July 24, 2015 – "Good Day, this is “Your Radiation This Week.” These are the recorded Radiation Highs that affected people this past 29 days around the United States and in your neighborhood. Let’s get right to it. *Listed in Counts per Minute, a Count is One Radioactive Decay Registered by the Instrument. High radiation counts are shown from June 24 to July 29, 2015. Radiation counts are noted and and the types of radiation counted are listed. Uncounted radiation types make the actual Rad Count higher and more dange... more »
Bernie Sanders Was On "Meet The Press" This Morning-- Looking Very Presidential
Bernie Sanders was a guest on *Meet the Press* today. Chuck Todd tried playing "gotcha"-- and repeatedly failed. Bernie explained his positions on gun control, BlackLivesMatter and how economic inequality is impacting American democracy, something Todd tried turning into a comparison between Bernie and Trump. Watch the whole 7-minute interview above, think about why Bernie is the *only* candidate-- from either party-- with higher favorables than unfavorables in both Iowa and New Hampshire, and then consider the serious idea of helping break the back of corporate rule in America ... more »
Witch doctors are “infiltrating” South Auckland.
South Auckland “community leaders” are warning that “witch doctors” are “infiltrating” South Auckland. *Warnings are being issued about black magic-practicing witch doctors said to be swarming into South Auckland and exploiting vulnerable people. … "They are here to suck money out of people. They are leaving people in a very devastated state -- suffering mentally, psychologically ... after losing large sums of money," she said. "It has got to a stage where South Auckland is swarming with [them].”* They promise the earth, suck you dry, and deliver nothing but misery in r... more »
Sphere Alliance Message #35 What was the Tesseract in My NDE?
*Comments in red are AK,* *comments in blue are Denise... -AK* *I almost didn't post this one. I talked to some friends and they reminded me what Heather says... all the data, not one piece missing. I didn't want anyone to think I was pretending to be ANYONE's savior... you save yourself by coming to understand who you be... a creative aspect of Source... all I can say for sure is that I refused to be their DESTROYER... I thought the tesseract was something different... but was not sure just what... * *This was the last remaining big question I had from this life... Thanks an... more »
Obama Rebuked by Kenyan President
According to The Hill: *"Kenyan president rebukes Obama’s gay rights message"!*(Read here) Perhaps we can swap Kenyan Presidents with them. I don't know about theirs but he seems more intelligent and trustworthy than ours. During the joint press conference with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Obama claimed that *“as an African-American in the United States, I am painfully aware of the history of what happens when people are treated differently under the law.”* The diplomacy with which President Kenyatta responded to Obama's impertinence was impressive. He probably had no idea ... more »
A Yankee in Middle Earth: Differences between US and NZ police
*Our guest poster this morning, Monica Beth, observes her new New Zealand home through her native American eye. Today: Preliminary perspective on differences between US and NZ police.* I was stopped by a cop last night, and will recount the event at the end. Feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment, but please read this before you do. To be fair, a routine complaint I’ve seen here in NZ in several different places online is that police do not respond to crime fast enough, mostly theft. So the police here seem to err on the side of neglect rather than force, but it can oft... more »
Our latest introspective post
Blogs (we*b logs*) were always meant to be essentially personal. They can, of course, do anything....except, perhaps, exceed the speed of light, bring about cold fusion in the laboratory or work out how on earth Marcus Brigstocke has managed to build such a successful a career at the BBC... ...but, yes, they *were* always meant to be personal. In that spirit, *Is the BBC biased? *is just me and Sue being personal. There may be a campaigning edge from time to time (and so there should be), but it was meant originally to be a way for me and Sue to say what we think about the BBC (a... more »
Economic News and Views ( July 26 , 2015 ) - Greece Updates ( Varoufakis Plan B Debacle may have legs as Ambrose Evans - Pritchard has confirmed via two participants on the call Varoufakis's comments were in fact made - and thus , even as the Talks for the Third Bailout loom next week , Tsipras has a new headache caused by his former Finance Minister..... Apart from Varoufakis , controversy looms from a possible new round of prior actions required from Greece ..... As new Talks lurch into being , will another bridge loan be required for Greece to meet August Creditor payments ? ) Broader Europe - Italy , Russia , Ukraine , Germany , UK , Finland , Poland in focus ! ! )
Afternoon Tweets ! Greece..... Frances Coppola retweeted *Yanis Varoufakis *@ yanisvaroufakis 3h3 hours ago So, I was going to "hijack" Greek citizens' tax file numbers? Impressed by my defamers' imagination.http://www. ekathimerini.com/199945/article /ekathimerini/news/varoufakis-claims-had-approval-to-plan-parallel-banking-system … *A Evans-Pritchard *@ AmbroseEP 4m 4 minutes ago I spoke to 2 people in London WHO listened to Varoufakis comments on Plan B. Confirm everything. My view: @ *ekathimerini* got legitimate scoop *Mehreen* @MehreenKhn 56s 57 s... more »
The Churchill Option and The Colson Way
It may be the greatest speech in political history. Winston Churchill delivered what is commonly called “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” on June 4, 1940. To the modern ear who hears the audio, Britain’s Prime Minister sounds downright laconic... The post The Churchill Option and The Colson Way appeared first on The Stream.
The F-35 Program Could Cripple U.S. Defense For Decades To Come
*National Review:* *The F-35: Throwing Good Money after Bad* The F-35 program could cripple U.S. defense for decades to come. “You could argue it [the F-35] was already one of the biggest white elephants in history a long time ago,” stated former U.K. defense chief Nick Harvey in a May interview. Harvey then doubled down, saying there is “not a cat in hell’s chance” the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) would be combat-ready by 2018. While it is noteworthy that a person of Harvey’s stature would level such harsh criticisms, his statement merely reflects the conclusions of reports by the... more »
Planned Parenthood Pres.: ‘Most Disgusting Part’ about Undercover Videos is They Were Undercover
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said the “most disgusting part” about undercover videos showing officials discussing aborted fetal organs is the pro-life activists who made them were deceitful to get access. “The most disgusting part of this to me is... The post Planned Parenthood Pres.: ‘Most Disgusting Part’ about Undercover Videos is They Were Undercover appeared first on The Stream.
Will Robots Really Take Over? That Depends
Hitchcock’s Bates Motel film is scary? The i-care-bot (what I like to refer to as the i-[can’t]-care-bot) is scary too. And it’s real. Get this: Inside the Japanese hotel where the front desk is staffed by ROBOTS and guests scan their faces to... The post Will Robots Really Take Over? That Depends appeared first on The Stream.
Commentariat Central
I'm taking a bit of a blogging break, but meanwhile here are a few of my (fairly) recent *New York* *Times* comments, along with some other links of interest. Please feel free to leave your own comments, either on or off-topic. Charles Blow, *Questions About the Sandra Bland Case: * The video and audio of the traffic stop of Sandra Bland sent a chill right up my spine. When police officers can stalk, threaten, harass, assault, arrest, injure and kill black people for the crime of merely existing, I think it's high time that the USA declares itself a state sponsor of terrorism. As... more »
July 26: This and that...
I read the New York Times with caution these days. But I was impressed by the following opinion column in it. After years of staring with glazed eyes at the Irving press, it's a pleasure to read an opinion column that actually is an opinion. I fear, though, that the prominence of Donald Trump is even worse than the columnist says. When Donald Trump speaks, it's not just him who shows hysteria and fear and hatred. It's the whole Republican party and, worse, it's a large portion of the whole American population. That instability and near-insanity is the result of an overstated national... more »
Kumbaya
Well, our Google Blogger stats show that (despite a lack of comments) *"A Special Edition Broadcast Live from East London Mosque" *has proved to be our super soaraway smash hit post of the day (thanks, perhaps, to a kindly tweet from a prominent anti-BBC tweeter)... Thank you for reading it (and please don't be so shy about commenting). I'm especially pleased about that as it's the only post of mine today that (I think) *really *nails the BBC on the issue of bias - and does so on an issue that truly matters. (As does Sue's one-and-only post today). I have to say that I thought tha... more »
Rightwing Nuthouse: “6 Right-Wing Doozies This Week: Trump Lets His Fascist Flag Fly”
*“6 Right-Wing Doozies This Week: * *Trump Lets His Fascist Flag Fly”* by Janet Allon *"1. Donald Trump takes his fascist tendencies out for a spin. *For such a huge bully, Donald Trump sure is a whiny thing. On the one hand, he — much like the Glenn Close character in "Fatal Attraction" — will not be ignored (see next item). On the other hand, he does not like when people say mean things about him. Whah whah whah. The blowhard Republican frontrunner had a little hissy fit this week after the Des Moines Register published an editorial suggesting he should quit running for president... more »
Sunday Classics snapshots: Jon Vickers in consolatory, even happy mode
*"Froh, froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen"* Gladly, like the heavenly bodies which he set on their courses, through the splendor of the firmament; thus, brothers, you should run your race, like a hero going to conquest. *Jon Vickers, tenor; London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Pierre Monteux, cond. Westminster-MCA-DG, recorded June 1962* *Jon Vickers, tenor; Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel, cond. CBS/Sony, recorded Oct. 13-15, 1978* -- from the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony *by Ken* Last week I put together, from audio clips we'd already heard ov... more »
Stephen Harper: Final Curtain
I posted the video below while ago. I hope come October 2015 it will be final curtain for Stephen Harper. It is about hosting the G8 and G20 meeting in Toronto and spending $1.1 billion on it. He loves every opportunity for photo-op to promote himself.
Taliban Seize Major Afghan Police Base After Mass Surrender
*BBC:* *Taliban seizes Afghan police base after mass surrender* The Taliban have seized a police base in northern Afghanistan and captured scores of officers after three days of fighting, officials say. More than 100 officers surrendered at the base in Badakhshan province. They were released after reportedly handing over their weapons. The surrender was the largest by Afghan security forces since Nato ended its combat mission in December. The Taliban have stepped up attacks during their annual spring offensive. A police spokesman said the officers were freed following a deal betwee... more »
Corbynmania
The whole Jeremy Corbyn phenomenon is very strange. From the way some people tell it, it's as if Beatlemania has been reborn in the cause of an elderly, bearded far-leftist. Of course, much of that mania may be down to the distorting efforts of left-dominated social media echo chambers like Twitter, whose views bear very little resemblance to what most people actually think, as well as a lot of media hype and a few probably dodgy opinion polls.... ...but there's no denying (I think) that Mr Corbyn is doing himself proud at the moment. His quiet, earnest, straightforward manne... more »
Walmart Announces Infant Car Seat Designed to Prevent Hot Car Deaths
(CNN)Walmart and Evenflo announced this week a new infant car seat with technology designed to remind drivers of their backseat passengers, and stop children from dying in hot cars. In most new cars, an alert sounds if a driver or... The post Walmart Announces Infant Car Seat Designed to Prevent Hot Car Deaths appeared first on The Stream.
‘Internet-scale anonymity’: Researchers unveil high-speed Tor alternative
*Good to see an alternative to Tor coming out, Tor is extremely slow... -AK* http://www.rt.com/news/310753-hornet-anonymous-network-tor/ Published time: 25 Jul, 2015 23:50 Edited time: 25 Jul, 2015 23:57 An international team of researchers have presented a new routing network they say paves the way for internet-scale anonymity.” A more secure alternative to the Tor, the new HORNET suggests better scaling and much greater browsing speeds. The “High-speed Onion Routing at the Network Layer” (HORNET) was developed by five researchers from the UK, the USA and Switzerland. A research... more »
Funday
Can there ever be too many videos about inter-species frolicking: critters having fun and playing together? We've seen a lot of crazy stuff but we've never seen anything like this Posted by The Pet Collective on dimanche 4 janvier 2015 No.
Colombia Has Suspended Bombing Raids Against FARC Rebels
*Reuters*: *Colombia's Santos orders halt to air raids on FARC rebels* Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos ordered a halt to air raids against FARC rebel camps as the government seeks to cool hostilities with the Marxist group while the two sides hammer out a peace accord to end five decades of war. Santos's decision on Saturday came just days after a unilateral ceasefire by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) went into effect, providing a breakthrough in talks threatened by a recent escalation of battlefield violence. "This will mean fewer deaths, less sufferin... more »
Syrian President: Army Is Strained By War
*BBC:* *Syria: President Assad admits army strained by war* *The Syrian army has been forced to give up some areas in order to retain others in the war against rebels, now in its fifth year, President Bashar al-Assad has acknowledged.* *The Syrian leader also said the army faced a shortage of soldiers.* *A day earlier, he declared an amnesty for draft-dodgers and deserters.* *The conflict is thought to have left more than 230,000 dead and displaced millions. Vast areas are no longer under government control.* *WNU editor*: Not an upbeat assessment on the war from the Syrian Pre... more »
Hezbollah Leader" Iran Will Not Abandon Us
*VOA:* *Hezbollah Chief: Iran's Support to Continue After Nuclear Deal* The Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah says it can still count on support from Iran, even after Tehran signed a nuclear deal with six global powers. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah told supporters Saturday that "Iran's relationship with its allies is based on ideological grounds and come before the political interests." Iran has been the chief backer and arms supplier to Hezbollah, which the United States regards as a terrorist group for threatening the West and calling for the destruction of Israel. Hezbollah... more »
Iranian Leader Tweets Graphic of Obama with Gun to Head
Iran’s supreme leader tweeted a graphic Saturday that appears to depict President Obama holding a gun to his head as Britain relaxed its travel advice to the nation, citing decreased hostility under the Iranian government. “US president has said he could... The post Iranian Leader Tweets Graphic of Obama with Gun to Head appeared first on The Stream.
Iran Begins Its Charm Offensive With Its Arab Neighbours Over Its Nuclear Deal
*Reuters:* *Iran launches charm offensive among wary Gulf Arabs* Iran's foreign minister called on Sunday for a united front among all Middle Eastern nations to fight militancy, in his first regional trip after reaching a nuclear deal with world powers that raised concerns among Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors. "Any threat to one country is a threat to all... No country can solve regional problems without the help of others," Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a news conference hosted by the Iranian embassy in Kuwait. Zarif earlier met Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah and his Kuwaiti cou... more »
Cart and Horse
Following Adam Wishart’s misrepresentation of the volatile Al-Aqsa Mosque situation, the BBC has done it again. As BBC Watch points out, they’ve reported the recent violence by muddling up ‘cause and effect’. You can read what actually happened on the Times of Israel online. *Palestinian rioters attack police on Temple Mount *“Dozens of masked Palestinian protesters hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at police officers on the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem’s Old City Sunday morning, before being pushed back into the Al-Aqsa Mosque by security forces who were ru... more »
Will Guyana's Border Dispute With Venezuela Lead To War?
*Image:* The disputed region is two-third of Guyana's national territory. (Venezuela Analysis) *AFP*: *Guyana says Venezuelan claim is threat to its survival* Washington (AFP) - Guyana's territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela represents a threat to its very survival, President David Granger warned Friday in Washington. After a recent offshore oil find, the row between the two countries has escalated, with Venezuela laying claim to a huge swathe of Guyana's territory. "Guyana at the moment is facing a challenge to its survival by a larger state," Granger told guests at the... more »
The Death Toll From Islamic Militants Attacks Are Spreading Throughout Africa
*Vocativ:* *Jihadists Have Killed Tens of Thousands Across 18 African Countries* Islamic militant groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to fan across the continent. The recent terror attacks in Tunisia and Egypt represent only a fraction of terrorist killings committed throughout Africa in the last few years, according to recent statistics published in the Economist. The figures, compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, reveal just how far Islamist militants have stretched across the continent. Extremist groups affiliated with ISIS and al-Qaeda and other ... more »
Baroness Warsi on the 'Marr Show'
Andrew Marr's interview with Baroness Warsi this morning found the Conservative peer vigorously batting for British Muslims again. She accentuated the positive and eliminated the negative as best she could (which, being Baroness Warsi, wasn't that well to be honest). Thus (according to her): the polling evidence shows that British Muslims are more patriotic than the rest of us Brits; let's not forget the far-right; the nutcases are a tiny "isolated" minority, and you'll find them in all communities anyway; there's not much support for ISIS among British Muslims; Muslims are vict... more »
The Eviel Steve
The evil Steve and are we not all together in this life for one reason or another My evil nature lies in my head which thinks it is bigger than all in the homestead I grew up in a small town so my feeling could be true but on a global scale I am just Kardashin envy me and you. I am not bitter I am better and more together with the humanity I have seen from both thirty thousand feed and ground zero above the planet is a complex place and as humans we should try to simplify but our masters can never resist cutting off the challenge at birth with radical non fore skin circumcision J... more »
"Never, Ever Surrender..."
“But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for.” - Paulo Coelho • “It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated...it is finished when it surrenders.” - Ben Stein • *Never,* *ever* *surrender...* *"When I'm Back On My Feet Again"* "Gonna break these chains around me. Gonna learn to fly again... May be hard, may be hard But I'll do... more »
"Claiming Our Feelings: Passive Aggressive Behavior"
* "Claiming Our Feelings: Passive Aggressive Behavior"* by The DailyOm "The way to end passive aggressive behavior on your part or others’ is with complete honesty and truth in any situation. If you’ve ever found yourself repressing your anger and behaving in other ways to get your point across, you may be someone who is adept at engaging in passive-aggressive behavior. Although passive-aggressive behavior is recognized as a psychological disorder, it also describes the behavior that many people use to cope with confrontational situations. Such behavior has the outward appearance of... more »
Dream
i dream of you on concrete worn where pylons scratch the sodium dawn i dream of you on tarmac tracks where tyres weep on fractured cracks i dream of you on metal torn where skyrise greets the pigeon morn i dream of you on wheels of wire where petrol burns a poison fire i dream of you on digital screens trapped inside cruel machines i dream of you on billboards bright seen by all both day and night i dream of you in taxi ranks where fares are paid with little thanks i dream of you in neon light no doubt i'll dream of you tonight cocaine jesus 2005
They Give Life
The land of Old Faithful wasn’t always so lush. Two decades ago, Yellowstone National Park was the victim of defoliation, erosion and an unbalanced ecosystem. But in 1995, everything changed.
The Meaning of Life
I suppose it’s a bit more of an anecdote than a commentary. Twenty-two years ago and it seems like last week. Isn’t that something old people say? The aftermath from the previous night’s whirlwind revelry had become all too familiar.... The post The Meaning of Life appeared first on The Stream.
Closing Words From Ukraine Teach-In
Our friend Martha Spiess filmed the Ukraine Teach-In here in Bath, Maine last Friday night. She is still working on the video of the event. She quickly though posted this bit from the closing of the event where I read a letter from a Ukrainian citizen living in Odessa. I'd asked this person to send a short report that I could share at the event.
Iran Executes Nearly 700 in Just Six Months, Including Religious Minorities Convicted of ‘Enmity Against God’
A human rights group has recorded nearly 700 executions, including those of members of ethnic and religious minorities convicted of “enmity against God,” in just a little over six months in the Shiite Muslim nation of Iran, which put people... The post Iran Executes Nearly 700 in Just Six Months, Including Religious Minorities Convicted of ‘Enmity Against God’ appeared first on The Stream.
ANALYSIS: With Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Legal, Democrats Could Lose Big in the 2016 Election
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to make gay marriage legal nationwide was a significant victory for liberals. In next year’s election, however, the decision will hurt Democrats. Success, after all, presents it own set of challenges. As sociologists Mayer Zald... The post ANALYSIS: With Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Legal, Democrats Could Lose Big in the 2016 Election appeared first on The Stream.
Musings On Iraq In The News
An old article I wrote for Tom Ricks’ Best Defense on top 10 Iraq news sites to read was republished at Foreign Policy. My interview with Michael Weiss on the Islamic State was mentioned in Radio Open Source.
"What A Privilege!"
“Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, “This is what I need.” It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment- not discouragement- you will find the strength there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures, followed by wreckage, were the incident... more »
"Our Fate..."
"It seems to me that almost all our sadnesses are moments of tension, which we feel as paralysis because we no longer hear our astonished emotions living. Because we are alone with the unfamiliar presence that has entered us; because everything we trust and are used to is for a moment taken away from us; because we stand in the midst of a transition where we cannot remain standing. That is why the sadness passes: the new presence inside us, the presence that has been added, has entered our heart, has gone into its innermost chamber and is no longer even there, - is already in our b... more »
"The Gates Made Of Light..."
“The way the soul is with the senses and the intellect is like a creek. When desire weeds grow thick, intelligence can’t flow, and the soul creatures stay hidden. But sometimes the reasonable clarity runs so strong it sweeps the clogged stream open. No longer weeping and frustrated, your being grows as powerful as your wantings were before, more so. Laughing and satisfied, the masterful flow lets creations of the soul appear. You look down, and it’s lucid dreaming. The gates made of light swing open. You see in.” - Rumi
"The Limit Of Our Sight..."
"Life is eternal and love is immortal; And death is only a horizon, And a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - Rossiter W. Raymond
"Cognitive Dissonance & the Human Mind"
"Cognitive Dissonance & the Human Mind" by Dan Eden "When “Robbie” the robot was told to shoot a weapon at a man in the movie Forbidden Planet, his electronic brain sparked and short-circuited. His creator had programmed him to never harm a human and so the conflicting ideas paralyzed him. Human beings often are presented with opposing thoughts also, but our brains have developed a way of resolving these conflicts through a process call cognitive dissonance. We are taught, like “Robbie,” that killing is prohibited — but what about war? And many anti-abortionists support the death p... more »
You learn something new every day
(h/t Deegee) Back briefly to* that *documentary, *The Train that Divides Jerusalem, *and a piece by Jerry Lewis in the *Jerusalem Post *about the controversy it caused headlined *BBC under fire for documentary on Jerusalem Light Rail. * It gives an interesting insight into the BBC complaints process: The program, which had its first broadcast last Monday evening, pulled in an estimated 1.7 million viewers, which a BBC representative told *The Jerusalem Post *is an average audience for such broadcasts. What was also disclosed later the following day was that the BBC had received ... more »
The MSR Potential
I wrote "Scaling the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor: The Big Lots Reactor and the Aim High Reactor" in early 2009. It was a case study in which I attempted to sumerize much of what I had learned about the potential of the Liquid Floride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) during the two previous years. One of the comments on the original March 2009post by Bill Hannahan pointed me into what has become my short term direction *"The most important thing I learned form the LeBlanc lecture is the fact that we can build a once through MSR that produces high temperature high pressure steam using ¼ ... more »
10 Reasons Why You Should Use Coconut Oil
*Meme - *Whether applied topically or ingested, coconut oil is believed to provide numerous health benefits and many common ailments. The post 10 Reasons Why You Should Use Coconut Oil appeared first on Waking Times.
U.S. Chamber Gearing Up To Defeat GOP Extremists?
The Tea Party Caucus seems to have disappeared with Michele Bachmann and has been largely replaced by the more serious and policy-centric House Freedom Caucus. But the House Freedom Caucus has been very careful to *not* publish its membership list. What's left of the Tea Party Caucus is chaired by Kansas crackpot Tim Huelskamp. Huelskamp is also a self-admitted member of the Freedom Caucus (of which Jim Jordan of Ohio is chairman). There are 27 known members of the Freedom Caucus: *•* Jim Jordan (R-OH) *•* Matt Salmon (R-AZ) *•* Justin Amash (R-MI) *•* John Fleming (R-LA) *•* Scot... more »
"No Greater Burden..."
"No greater burden can be borne by an individual than to know no one cares or understands.” - Arthur H. Stainback
Has The Edward Snowden NSA Leaks Help The Islamic State?
*Photo:* Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and Edward Snwoden *Daily Mail:* *How ISIS relies on Edward Snowden's leaks to outsmart Western intelligence: Militants now use encrypted channels and couriers to avoid detection* * US military and intelligence officials say ISIS commanders learned spycraft tips from leaked classified files * Western analysts are having trouble cracking militants' encrypted channels ISIS militants have picked up a few vital spycraft techniques from a trove of classified documents leaked by Edward Snowden that are helping them stay one step ahead ... more »
The Satanic Temple to unveil 'Baphomet' monument in Detroit
*Detroit Metro Times* By Lee DeVito on Sat, Jul 11, 2015 [image: COURTESY PHOTO] *[Updated 12 p.m. July 11, 2015: The event, originally to be held at Bert's Warehouse Theatre, has now been moved to an undisclosed location.] [Updated 12 p.m. July 3, 2015: The Satanic Temple has taken issue with our description of the organization as an "atheist activist group." We apologize for the misrepresentation.] Originally posted June 18, 2015:* Atheist activist group The Satanic Temple is apparently making good on its mission to erect a statue of Satan, originally intended for an ult... more »
A Look At The Operational Structure Of The Islamic State
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said to be the Islamic State's leader, in an image taken from the website of a militant group last July. Credit via Reuters *New York Times: **ISIS Leader Takes Steps to Ensure Group’s Survival* WASHINGTON — The Islamic State’s reclusive leader has empowered his inner circle of deputies as well as regional commanders in Syria and Iraq with wide-ranging authority, a plan to ensure that if he or other top figures are killed, the organization will quickly adapt and continue fighting, American and Iraqi intelligence officials say. The officials say the leader, Abu... more »
Newly Released Photos From The National Archives Show Bush And Cheney After 9/11
*Daily Mail:* *Feet up: Striking never-before-seen shots from inside the White House show how Dick Cheney and George W Bush reacted to 9/11 as the full horror of the attacks unfolded* In one photo, then-Vice President Dick Cheney rests his feet on his desk as he watches a live TV news report of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In another, he sits beside his wife after they were both frog-marched by Secret Service agents to a secure basement in the White House. And in a later shot, he takes his glasses off and clasps his hands together before he and his spouse are flown to an undisclos... more »
Shrooms for breakfast that's what I eat, everybody should do the same for better nutritian or to exceed human performance to get paid
Oberon the overload once asked me do I eat shrooms for breakfast and I could not disagree speaking figural in my mind but I have never been that high in realty but I get so much buzz by osmosis when the cops pull me over and itt a death threat today if you do not butter them you could be toast Moly Moly Mondebenum created by man to save civilisation Get on the train man your mind is a weapon mostly used against yourself if you want freedom you have to break the mental shackles in a hard way praying to god or paying Tony Robbins will move you forward an inch but we need a mile Shrooms for... more »
Shrooms for breakfast thats what I eat, everybody should do the same for better nutrition
Oberon the overload once asked me do I eat shrooms for breakfast and I could not disagree speaking figural in my mind but I have never been that high in reality but I get so much buzz by osmosis when the cops pull me over and itt a death threat today if you do not butter them you could be toast Moly Moly Mondebenum created by man to save civilisation Get on the train man your mind is a weapon mostly used against yourself if you want freedom you have to break the mental shackles in a hard way praying to god or paying Tony Robbins will move you forward an inch but we need a mile Shrooms... more »
Rearming Japan - No War with China, No More Hiroshima-Nagasaki, Defend Article 9
Four of us from Maine (Mary Beth Sullivan, Leann Moran, Jason Rawn, and me) are making our journey today to Boston and then we fly on to Japan very early on Monday morning. (Mainer Regis Tremblay has already arrived in Japan heading to Okinawa.) All of us will meet in Kyoto for the Global Network's 23rd annual space organizing conference there which begins on July 29 til Aug 2. The US has deployed a 'missile defense' radar aimed at China in the Kyoto prefecture and the local activists opposing that base invited us to meet in their community. Global Network members are coming fr... more »
Good Sunday Morning
Of the Law Societies of Upper Canada and Nunavut
Another opinion
Talking about opinions. Here's another, regarding Libya: *Sarah Smith, BBC Scotland:* Britain and France were at the forefront of NATO intervention... *Andrew Marr (interrupting)*: ...of "liberating" it and turning it into what is now another failed state.
Untitled
*How High School Nearly Destroyed Me, and Why School Choice Matters* Many say school choice is a dangerous idea because it turns parents and students into customers and teachers into something like service providers. In my experience, the absence of school choice turns parents and students into captives with no ability to make decisions that would improve educational opportunities. My time at Dover High School (DHS), located in a small city in southern New Hampshire, was not what most people would call normal. What started as a simple medical annoyance when I was in junior high sc... more »
Not a fan of Boris?
BBC Scotland's Sarah Smith is much more used to being accused of anti-SNP, anti-independence bias by massed armies of furious cybernats, so this post might make a pleasant change for her... Here's her not-entirely-impartial-sounding take on Boris on the 'Marr Show': Well, if you're trying to combine being Mayor of London *and* being and MP *and *having a newspaper column *and *write a book at the same time, it doesn't look as if you're terribly serious about your politics, does it? Or it *might *look as if you're *very* serious about your politics, Sarah - i.e. very ambitious - if... more »
The right kind of 'militants'
There was an exchange between Andrew Marr and BBC Scotland's Sarah Smith during this morning press review that went as follows: *Sarah Smith (BBC)*: Operation Stack, which is all these freight trucks stacked up on the M20 southbound, and Kent Police warning that that is going to be in place all day today as well. So that means there's up to 5 hour delays for holiday makers trying to get through the Channel Tunnel. Absolutely miserable for them, but worth noting in this story as well...it talks about another migrant who was trying to climb on top of a train this week and was killed... more »
"Many thanks for that, Shaun"
Andy Marr make a bit of a blunder this morning. You may already have heard about it. He said, "Many thanks for that, Shaun" to newsreader Sian Lloyd. A Twitter frenzy doubtless ensued (though I haven't looked to make sure) accusing him of having made a sexist Freudian slip, showing that he *really* believes that all newsreaders should be male, *#everydaysexism*, and that he should be sacked. Incidentally, why are all female presenters of *BBC Breakfast *called Sian? First there was Sian Williams, and now there's Sian Lloyd and Sian Munchetty. Andy wasn't having a good morning be... more »
Untitled
*"Salon" discusses using courts to punish climate deniers.* *Bring it on! Skeptics should be looking forward to this. A court case would be a great opportunity to expose the hollowness of the global warming scare. You can see why "Salon" is very tentative about the idea. For political reasons, the Dutch government could not mount a defense on the basis of the science but other individuals and bodies would not be under that constraint. Al Gore's movie was declared inaccurate by a British court but it would have much more impact if the whole hoax was declared inconclusive by a c... more »
A New Report Reveals How Jihadi John May Be on the Run from ISIS for This Unexpected Reason
ISIS’ golden boy, Jihadi John, the Kuwaiti-born terrorist who was behind the taped beheadings of American, British and Japanese nationals, may actually be on the run from the Islamic State. According to Metro: Mohammed Emwazi is thought to have left IS several... The post A New Report Reveals How Jihadi John May Be on the Run from ISIS for This Unexpected Reason appeared first on The Stream.
What Many Americans Get Wrong about States Rights
Last weekend’s Ku Klux Klan rally outside the South Carolina capitol building highlights the poignancy and divisiveness inherent in flying the Confederate battle flag, a symbol often associated with racial intolerance. Predictably, Confederate apologists have trotted out the “states’ rights” explanation... The post What Many Americans Get Wrong about States Rights appeared first on The Stream.
ANALYSIS: Looking Away from Abortion
IN an essay in his 1976 collection, “Mortal Lessons,” the physician Richard Selzer describes a strange suburban scene. People go outside in the morning in his neighborhood, after the garbage trucks have passed, and find “a foreignness upon the pavement,”... The post ANALYSIS: Looking Away from Abortion appeared first on The Stream.
He Really Does Think We're Stupid
http://www.pressprogress.ca/ For the last two years, Stephen Harper has claimed that he is "delaying," not refusing to appoint Senators. On Friday, he said -- unequivocally -- that he was refusing to appoint Senators. Campbell Clark writes: The government is already fighting a court case brought by a Vancouver lawyer, Aniz Alani, who argues that Mr. Harper’s refusal to appoint senators over the past two years, and the PM’s statements that he doesn’t see any need to fill the vacancies, amounts to a breach of his constitutional duty.... more »
Mostly Leftist World Mayors Issue Bold Statement at Vatican Climate Conference
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Mayors from around the world declared Tuesday that climate change is real, man-made and must be stopped as a matter of moral imperative, gathering at the Vatican to announce new measures to fight global warming and... The post Mostly Leftist World Mayors Issue Bold Statement at Vatican Climate Conference appeared first on The Stream.
Star-Studded Opening Ceremony for LA’s Special Olympics
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Special Olympic World Games kicked off Saturday in Los Angeles as 6,500 athletes from 165 countries streamed into the Memorial Coliseum to cheers and roars. The athletes will participate in 25 sports over nine days,... The post Star-Studded Opening Ceremony for LA’s Special Olympics appeared first on The Stream.
Hard left plot to infiltrate Labour race per The Sunday Times
'HARRIET HARMAN has been urged to suspend the Labour leadership race after evidence emerged that hard left infiltration is fuelling a huge surge in party membership. More than 140,000 new activists are projected to have joined by the deadline for registration to vote, a rise of more than two thirds since the election, with many signing up to back the hard left candidate Jeremy Corbyn. The Communist party of Great Britain has called on supporters to join and back Corbyn as part of its revolutionary "strategy" while Green party activists have also been discussing how to vote for hi... more »
Harper History, Part 7 – Suppressed Information – Advertising Overload
In reviewing the events for this period I was struck by how important is is to look back at the undemocratic and secretive actions of the Harper regime, even I, who has written frequently and consistently on this subject had forgotten so many of the things done to diminish our governance. This just 2 or 3 years ago, and remember what they do is a much better measure of their ideology than what they say!. The amount of effort being put into suppressing information and controlling the message continued to increase substantially as the Harper regime consolidated their centralization of... more »
Conservative Catholics Drive Plunge in Papal Approval
NEW YORK (AP) — Two months ahead of his first trip to the U.S., Pope Francis’ approval rating among Americans has plummeted, driven mostly by a decline among political conservatives and Roman Catholics, according to a new Gallup poll released... The post Conservative Catholics Drive Plunge in Papal Approval appeared first on The Stream.
Trump Bashes Walker and Bans Reporters in Iowa
OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump opened up a line of attack Saturday on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, accusing the leader in recent polls in Iowa of running his neighboring state into financial trouble. It’s the latest... The post Trump Bashes Walker and Bans Reporters in Iowa appeared first on The Stream.
Sphere Alliance Message #34 Message to Oliver Troll
*Denise in blue. The Sphere Alliance calls Oliver Troll "OL". -AK* -----Original Message----- From: Oliver Troll To: Denise Sent: Fri, Jul 24, 2015 1:24 pm Subject: Concerning the private messages.. Hi Denice, I hope you are well.. There is particular one part I don't get with the *Private Message* from the other day that our friends gave me. *" OL has one last important part of this beautiful experiment. She is arriving for you OL."* Is it possible to clarify? Hugs Ollie From Denise Hi Ollie! I am away visiting my parents so I am not checking email as much as normal -- ... more »
What is Sexual Harrassment?
Sexual harrassment is a type of discrimination based on sex. It involves unwelcome comments or actions based on sex usually taking place more than once over a period of time. An obvious example of sexual harrassment would be an employer demanding sexual favours in return for continuing employment. A less obvious example would be sexually related comments or jokes at work or school that make someone uncomfortable. An even less obvious example would be where someone is subjected to extra scrutiny at work or school, without any sexual overtones, merely because of their gender. ...more »
Jeremy Corbyn and Hard Left "Infiltration"
The press are not neutral arbiters when it comes to the Labour leadership contest. If they can use the debates between party members as a way of deepening divisions in the party, they will. At the forefront of these attempts is the so-called quality "paper of record" *The Times*, which of late is transforming itself into a straight propaganda sheet. Earlier this week, a fairly innocuous piece by Charles Falconer setting out his support for Andy Burnham was spiked with the headline "Women are not tough enough to lead Labour". It was misleading bollocks as he said nothing of the sort.... more »
Jeremy Corbyn: It's the way he tell 'em
To lighten the mood, here are some of Jeremy Corbyn's funniest jokes. Radio 4's *News Quiz *is apparently considering hiring him to partner up with Jeremy Hardy each week. The station controller hopes that Jeremy Corbyn's arrival will shift the programme's political centre of gravity away from Mark Steel and Jeremy Hardy and back towards the centre ground, thus fending off those pesky allegations of left-wing bias.
Ravi Zacharias with James Robison: Hope For America — Suffering’s Part
The Stream gave Ravi Zacharias some questions to address as he and James and Betty Robison discussed the future of America and Western civilization. One of those questions: How do we deal with our fears about what is happening to American culture? Ravi answered... The post Ravi Zacharias with James Robison: Hope For America — Suffering’s Part appeared first on The Stream.
Investment liberalization, trends and lessons
Capital, like labor and technology, simply wants to be mobile across islands, provinces, countries and continents. They are like migratory birds and large fishes/mammals, they go to areas that are hospitable to them, allow them to survive and flourish. Economies that are more open to global trade tend to attract more foreign direct investments (FDI), like Hong Kong and Singapore, but Japan has a different story. Data is from UNCTAD, World Investment Report (WIR) 2015, http://www.unctad.org/fdistatistics. This table is from a paper produced by my sister's auditing firm. I will blog... more »
SAFE Boats International receives order for two additional Mk VI Patrol Boats from U.S. Navy
SAFE Boats International (SBI) has been awarded a contract modification to provide the United States Navy two (2) additional Mk VI Patrol Boats (Mk VI PB). The contract modification exercises the options available on the second Mk VI procurement contract, which was awarded to SAFE Boats in June of 2014. This brings the total number of Mk VI boats to be built by SAFE Boats to 12. The Mk VI PB is the Navy's next generation Patrol Boat and will become a part of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command's (NECC) fleet of combatant craft. NECC will utilize the Mk VI PB to provide operati... more »
Russian Navy to Get Over 20 Ship-Borne Fighter Jets by Year-End
[image: MiG-29K Fulcrum-D]The warplanes will serve as a backbone for a new aviation unit within the Northern Feet. "To boost the Navy’s aviation component, the work is underway to equip the Navy Aviation [branch] with MiG-29K. This work began in 2013 and will be finalized in 2015," the press service said in a statement, adding the Navy will get more than 20 MiGs. Russia has been stepping up its presence in the Arctic since late 2014 when it revised its military doctrine to declare the region an area of its interest. Read more
North Dakota’s Cold War-era radar station gets a facelift
A military radar installation in remote northeastern North Dakota that was established more than 40 years ago to track enemy ballistic missiles in a time of tense international relations is moving its living and working conditions out of the Cold War era. The Cavalier Air Force Station has seen limited improvements since it was built in the early 1970s to deter the Soviet Union’s nuclear arsenal. But the base is getting a major facelift. The improvements include a recently constructed row of single-family houses, rehabilitation to an alert facility, a planned new dormitory for sin... more »
"Palestinians murdering striped hyena"
https://youtu.be/eqc3tvc8-IE Why would someone do that? Why is stoning a poor lost wild animal acceptable? How sick are these people?
"Abdul’s eyes glint like a tiger in the Arabian desert"
Talking about Peter Oborne...(were we?)... Sarah AB at *Harry's Place *links today to a superb spoof of Peter Oborne's latest *Guardian *piece over at *King of Dawah*. Peter Oborne's *Guardian *article takes the form of what Sarah describes as "a fawning interview with Abdul Wahid, the head of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain". She rightly calls the piece "appalling". The *Guardian*'s commentariat don't seem very taken with it either, if all the top-rated comments are anything to go by. Anyhow, here's a brief taste of *King of Dawah*'s parody: Walking in Ealing on a summers day on the w... more »
UK cleric Anjem Choudary defends beheading of non-Muslim civilians during war
https://youtu.be/aVy_-lHO3Q4 If only 10% of what Anjem Choudary says about the requirements of Islam are true, then it's still a scary prospect.
Augmenting operational strength: IAF in the process of inducting more aircraft
[image: Su-30MKI Flanker]Augmenting its operational strength, the IAF is in the process of inducting additional Su-30 MKI aircraft manufactured under licence by HAL and Light Combat Aircraft ( LCA), which is manufactured indigenously by HAL, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the Lok Sabha. He said that the requirement of fighter aircraft is periodically reviewed to ensure that the IAF meets its operational needs. Speaking on the India-France joint statement issued by the two countries during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France, Parrikar said that India has inf... more »
Over P82 B poured in for upgrade of AFP; P50 B released under Noy
[image: FA-50 Golden Eagle]The government has released more than P82 billion to upgrade the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) since 1996. However, it is still considered one of the weakest in the region, a condition that has been blamed on limited resources, changing priorities of administrations and stalled implementation of the modernization program. Data obtained by The STAR showed that a total of P82.48 billion has been disbursed to the program, which started when Republic Act No. 7898 took effect in 1995. The law gave the AFP the opportunity to moderniz... more »
"A Special Edition Broadcast Live from East London Mosque"
Go back to 2010 and you find Andrew Gilligan writing the following in the *Telegraph*: As I’ve noted, the BBC has this year broadcast a couple of programmes that were essentially propaganda for the hardline East London Mosque. The programmes faithfully followed the mosque’s PR script that it is a beacon of liberalism and tolerance; only mosque officials and supporters were interviewed. The substantial evidence of the East London Mosque’s links with extremist and hate preachers was entirely ignored, and the mosque’s many critics, Muslim and non-Muslim, were nowhere to be heard. W... more »
Military Photo of the Day: July 26, 2015
U.S. and Estonian soldiers land safely after conducting a joint training airborne jump in Estonia on July 23, 2015. Thank you to all these soldiers for their service and sacrifice! The post Military Photo of the Day: July 26, 2015 appeared first on The Stream.
Neil Young: Monsanto Is Seeding Fear (Remaining Proud of U.S. Leadership After 9/11) They Had No Idea What Was Happening (And They Took Their Time Figuring Out How to Portray It)
UK Police Confirm Ongoing Criminal Investigation of Journalists Who Worked With Snowden Fossil Fuel Companies Impose More in Climate Costs Than They Make in Profits The Politics of Timber Theft NEIL YOUNG: The Importance of GMO Labeling25 July 15 Message From Neil Young - As I write this, the dark act is up for a vote in the House of Representatives; representatives of the people.
Russia to Build 5th-Gen. Nuclear Subs by 2020 in Push to Modernize Military
[image: Kirov class Battle Cruiser]The construction of fifth-generation nuclear-powered submarines could begin at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia by 2020, the company’s general director Mikhail Budnichenko said. “The modernization of the shipyard’s capacity is actively underway to ensure the construction of advanced submarines. This process will provide a platform for the future construction of new-generation boats,” Budnichenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti. He added that at the moment, the company buys new equipment and machinery, updates slipway, and reconstructs ... more »
Updated: Sphere Alliance Message #33 On the Circumstances my Murder
*AK commentary in red,* *AK questions in blue* This was a bit of a *"holy fuck"*! moment this morning to realize I had been murdered by an unnamed galactic agency or agent. Fortunately Source had different plans for me. The illness was very severe and caused a great deal of difficulty for my family, and the $350,000 medical bill required that I declare Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California. I was in ICU in Encinitas California for 30 days, and spent another 30 days in subacute care. It took me a month of rehab to learn to feed myself and walk again (at first under oxygen support)... more »
Steel predator of the Northern Fleet: A tour of the Akula nuclear sub
[image: RFS Dmitry Donskoi SSN]On July 26, Russia marks Navy Day, an annual celebration in honor of the country’s fleet. To mark the occasion, RBTH correspondent Oleg Kuleshov ventured inside the largest submarine in the world, an Akula-class vessel, where he found out more about the conditions on board – as well as the initiation rites servicemen undergo to become a real submariner. At the end of June the Dmitry Donskoi nuclear submarine left Severodvinsk, the principal base of the Northern Fleet. It entered the White Sea on a mission, one objective of which is to interact with Rus... more »
Can oil companies be eliminating concerned Arctic researchers by lightnings?
In April 2013, I noticed that two of the co-authors of a paper about the Arctic accidentally died within a short period of time. A pretty lady collided with a truck while biking; and a man got drunk during a New Year Eve's party and fell from the staircase. They were sad events but I semi-seriously proposed that those accidents weren't quite accidents. Peter Wadhams, an old colleague of those folks who previously claimed that methane bubbles in the Arctic will erase 1/2 of the mankind's wealth, liked my idea and publicly articulated it yesterday. These people must have been assas... more »
2002, “An Ocean Apart”; “Challenge from Heaven”
2002, “An Ocean Apart” - http://www.youtube.com/ 2002, “Challenge from Heaven” https://www.youtube.com/
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly constellation Corvus, two large galaxies collided. But the stars in the two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, don't collide in the course of the ponderous event, lasting hundreds of millions of years. Instead, their large clouds of molecular gas and dust do, triggering furious episodes of star formation near the center of the cosmic wreckage. *Click image for larger size.* Spanning about 500 thousand light-years, this stunning view also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far from the scene of the accident by grav... more »
"Hope..."
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies." - Tim Robbins, "The Shawshank Redemption"
Turkey Launches Air Strikes Against Kurdish Forces In Northern Iraq
*New York Times*: *Turkey Attacks Kurdish Militant Camps in Northern Iraq* ISTANBUL — Turkish fighter jets, which on Friday attacked Islamic State targets in Syria, have launched a wave of airstrikes in northern Iraq, targeting camps of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party for the first time in four years, the prime minister’s office said Saturday. The Iraq raids, which began late Friday and continued into Saturday, effectively ended an unstable two-year cease-fire between the Turkish government and the Kurdish militants, also known by the initials of their Kurdish name, P.K.K. A... more »
Islamic State And Other Extremist Groups Are Enslaving, Killing And Uprooting Christians Throughout The Middle East
Members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have desecrated a church in the northern city of Mosul. (Screengrab from ISIS video) *Eliza Griswold, New York Times:* *Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East?* ISIS and other extremist movements across the region are enslaving, killing and uprooting Christians, with no aid in sight. There was something about Diyaa that his wife’s brothers didn’t like. He was a tyrant, they said, who, after 14 years of marriage, wouldn’t let their sister, Rana, 31, have her own mobile phone. He isolated her from friends and family,... more »
Here’s Why Police Brutality Lives On
*Infographic - *Only a small percent of victims of police brutality receive the justice they deserve. This infographic shows us why. The post Here’s Why Police Brutality Lives On appeared first on Waking Times .
Kevin Cooper is Guilty; That’s a ‘Death Row’ Story
Last year, CNN’s Death Row Stories ran an episode about a California woman convicted of first-degree murder and then freed when a federal judge overturned the verdict because prosecutors had withheld evidence. I had a few issues with the episode,... The post Kevin Cooper is Guilty; That’s a ‘Death Row’ Story appeared first on The Stream.
Is Moldova The Most Corrupt Country In Europe?
*Paul Radu, Mihai Munteanu, and Iggy Ostanin, Bellingcat*: *Grand Theft Moldova* The bank theft was so outsized and bold that citizens of the Republic of Moldova came out in the streets this past May by the thousands to protest: “We want our billion back!” They used the number — US$ 1 billion – that news accounts reported had gone missing from three Moldovan banks in November of 2014. Unsure who to blame, the protestors denounced the government, politicians, banks and organized crime. The theft was a serious setback for Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries, with a gross do... more »
The Poet: Margaret Atwood, "The Moment"
"The Moment" "The moment when, after many years of hard work and a long voyage you stand in the centre of your room, house, half-acre, square mile, island, country, knowing at last how you got there, and say, I own this, is the same moment when the trees unloose their soft arms from around you, the birds take back their language, the cliffs fissure and collapse, the air moves back from you like a wave and you can't breathe. No, they whisper. You own nothing. You were a visitor, time after time climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming. We never belonged to you. You never found ... more »
Health: “Wish Fulfillment? No. But Dreams Do Have Meaning”
*“Wish Fulfillment? No. But Dreams Do Have Meaning”* By Tiffany Sharples "Dreams may not be the secret window into the frustrated desires of the unconscious that Sigmund Freud first posited in 1899, but growing evidence suggests that dreams — and, more so, sleep — are powerfully connected to the processing of human emotion. According to new research presented last week at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle, adequate sleep may underpin our ability to understand complex emotions properly in waking life. "Sleep essentially is resetting the m... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
La Porte, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"Forgive, Forget..."
"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naïve forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." - Thomas Szasz
The United Kingdom Prepares For War Against Jihadists On Its Streets
The report was published in error on National Police Chiefs Council website and taken down after being seen by the Mail on Sunday *Daily Mail:* *Revealed: Secret plan to put 5,000 heavily-armed troops on streets of Britain to fight jihadis in event of a terror attack* * Operation Temperer would see troops guard key targets with armed police * Plans drawn up by police chiefs and discussed by top Government officials * Would be triggered by Cobra committee in event of simultaneous attacks * Paris attacks convinced authorities military would be needed if UK hit A top secret plan for the ... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Meaning Of Life?”
*“The Meaning Of Life?”* by Chet Raymo "There is only one meaning of life, the act of living itself." – Erich Fromm "I had heard from a high-school student in the midwest who had read my book 'Skeptics and True Believers,' in which, as you may know, I take to task all forms of faith that lack an empirical basis, including astrology and supernaturalist religion. He writes: "Are we just meaningless beasts roaming a meaningless Earth with the sole purpose of popping out babies so we can raise them to live longer, more meaningless lives?" A good question, the best question. What we ha... more »
Saudi Airstrikes Kill 120 In Yemen
*BBC*: *Saudis declare Yemen ceasefire, as air strike 'kills 120'* The Saudi-led coalition is to suspend bombardment of rebels in Yemen for five days, so aid can reach civilians. The truce will come into force from midnight on Sunday, according to the official Saudi news agency. However, the coalition said it reserved the right to respond to "military activity or movement" by Houthi rebels during the ceasefire. The announcement followed air strikes in Taiz province, which reportedly killed 120 people, including civilians. *More News On The War In Yemen* Evidence Grows of Saudi-... more »
Syria's President Assad Announces Amnesty For Draft Dodgers
*Reuters:* *Syria's Assad announces amnesty for draft dodgers - Syrian TV* BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday announced an amnesty for men at home and abroad who have dodged conscription, to help bolster the ranks of an army severely depleted by four years of battling armed insurgents. The decree, announced on state television, pardons those who violated Syria's conscription law, an offence punishable by imprisonment and sometimes death. It underscores the government's difficulty in mobilising men to help fight a protracted war in the face of a bloody ...more »
Food Watch: How will you be celebrating National Lasagna Day (coming up Wednesday)?
*by Ken* It's so hard keeping track of all these important holidays! At least we've got some advance notice for this biggie. Once I was alerted to the momentous event, I turned up an entry on a slightly odd nevertheless clearly caring site called Altius Directory, which I didn't know anything about (and apparently wasn't curious enough to explore further). It's safe to say, though, that the people at Altius, or at any rate somebody at Altius, have/has lasagna in their (his/her) heart, and that lasagna-heartnedness will take us a long way in our anticipation of Wednesday's festivi... more »
The F-35's Gatling Gun Has Only Enough Bullets To Fire For 4 Seconds
*U.S. Air Force*:* Ground testing for F-35 gun conducted at Edwards AFB* EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Test Force is in the process of testing the F-35A Lightning II’s newest munitions asset, a four-barrel Gatling gun that fires 25 mm rounds known as the GAU-22/A. Unlike the Marine Corps and Navy variants, the GAU-22/A is integrated internally to the F-35A. In the other variants, the gun is mounted to the outside as a pod. A similar weapon, GAU-12, has been used on the AV-8B Harrier. The first phase of testing started June 9, wh... more »
Two killed/ 4 wounded Attack on Military Vehicle in Turkey
Two killed, four wounded as a result of an attack on a military vehicle in Turkey baku, Azerbaijan, July 26*Trend:* Terrorists blew up a military vehicle which was carrying troops in the province of Diyarbakir, Turkey. As a result, two soldiers were killed, four wounded, Milliyet reported. The wounded soldiers were taken to hospital. Diyarbakir, Turkey- further east and deeper into Turkish territory- heading towards Iran Interesting location * Don't Miss, must read, with multiple updates:* Turkey: Creating "Safe Zones", Fighting for it's Survival, Turkey's letter to UN * Turkey by... more »
"I Am Here - I Am Here..."
"An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature. But there is also purpose in that life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces. A creative life and a life of enjoyment are banned to him. But not only creativeness and enjoyment are meaningful. If ... more »
"Take Care..."
"Take care to get what you like in life, or you will be forced to like what you get." - George Bernard Shaw
"There May Be..."
"There may be trouble ahead, But while there’s moonlight and music and love and romance, Let’s face the music and dance." - Irving Berlin, 1888-1989, American songwriter, “Follow the Fleet”
The Hidden Awakening Inside Religion
*Soren Dreier* - If Jesus hadn’t been, would we even have that concept of a better world? The post The Hidden Awakening Inside Religion appeared first on Waking Times .
Gabrielle Penney, 20, and Kyle O’Neill, 26
These two troglodytes decided that it would be cool to go on vacation and leave a 9 week old puppy locked in the bathroom of their apartment - for 2 weeks. Here's the thing. At some point in the future one or both of them are quite likely to become parents. In a perfect world not together but still... What does some poor unsuspecting human child have in store ?
"Why Aussies are the world's biggest losers"
If there's one thing I think we can be pretty sure about it's that the BBC's former Gaza correspondent Jon Donnison hasn't exactly warmed to his re-assignment as the BBC's Australia correspondent. Or to Australia. Or to (non-Muslim) Australians. His contempt for each and every one of them has been palpable. You may have heard his latest report from a few days ago - now published online too - into how bad Australia's gambling problem is. It was a complete jeremiad (a word coined in honour of Jeremy Bowen's reporting from Israel, obviously). I will admit that I was instantly scepti... more »
Olive Oil Prices Surge Due to Drought and Disease in Spain and Italy
Salads have rarely been so expensively dressed after a combination of drought and disease pushed the price of olive oil up 10% so far this year, amid warnings from suppliers that harvests are the worst they have seen. The Italian... The post Olive Oil Prices Surge Due to Drought and Disease in Spain and Italy appeared first on The Stream.
ANALYSIS: Boehner Wants More ‘Facts’ Before Ending Planned Parenthood Funding. Here are 8.
House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that he wants to put “facts first” before using the appropriations process to end federal funding to Planned Parenthood. The most recent reports of harvesting and selling body parts from aborted unborn babies have renewed the... The post ANALYSIS: Boehner Wants More ‘Facts’ Before Ending Planned Parenthood Funding. Here are 8. appeared first on The Stream.
Six Years After Feds Raised Minimum Wage: What Were the Economic Results?
Six years ago Friday marked the last time since the federal minimum wage was increased, and now with talks of raising it again, here is a look back at its impact. The federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25 per... The post Six Years After Feds Raised Minimum Wage: What Were the Economic Results? appeared first on The Stream.
Turks Bomb ISIS … but also the Kurds, Who are Fighting ISIS
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s sudden willingness to join the fight against the Islamic State group is a sign that it’s afraid of losing clout with the U.S., but its second front against Kurdish rebels in Iraq on Saturday could... The post Turks Bomb ISIS … but also the Kurds, Who are Fighting ISIS appeared first on The Stream.
House Preps $3 Billion Veterans Affairs Bailout to Avoid August Hospital Closures
House Republicans next week are expected to call up and pass a last-minute bill that would let the Department of Veterans Affairs repurpose more than $3 billion in its budget, a change that’s needed to ensure VA hospitals can stay... The post House Preps $3 Billion Veterans Affairs Bailout to Avoid August Hospital Closures appeared first on The Stream.
"Picked Out a Coffin Yet? Take Ibuprofen and Die"
*"Picked Out a Coffin Yet? Take Ibuprofen and Die"* by Mike Whitney "Today we know that the risk of heart attack and stroke may occur early in treatment, even in the first weeks. There is no period of use shown to be without risk," says Judy Racoosin, M.D., M.P.H., deputy director of FDAs Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Addiction Products. - FDA website In case you missed it: The FDA has just issued a warning on various prescription and non-prescription drugs that Americans ingest by the boatload. As it happens, these seemingly benign pain relievers can kill you even if you ... more »
UPDATED 7/25/15: SPHERE ALLIANCE MESSAGE #32 DNA Projects, Disease and Implants on and in Humanity
Updated July 26, 2015 *Dearest BILL/AK. You stated firmly the request for another choice of words for our regrets. WE HEREWITH HUMBLY and RESPECTFULLY REQUEST the CLEMENCY that you stated. WE acknowledge the use of WORDs can be a conundrum and the transmitting of such through the HUMAN vessel is one of many filters. WE DID SAY "BEG YOUR PARDON", YES, BUT OUR HEARTS DESIRE CLEMENCY.* *WITH GREAT LOVE< RESPECT AND ADMIRATION,* *WE SEND YOU UNDENDING JOY* *OUR LOVE AND OUR UNDERSTANDING.* *THIS WE SAY HUMBLY< THANK YOU, FORGIVE US* *END TRANSMISSION.* *Text below changed to "CLEMEN...more »
In-Depth: Europe Braces for a Revolutionary Leftist Backlash after Greek Drama
A pre-revolutionary fervour is sweeping Europe. “The atmosphere is a little similar to the time after 1968 in Europe. I can feel, maybe not a revolutionary mood, but something like widespread impatience”. These were the words of European council president... The post In-Depth: Europe Braces for a Revolutionary Leftist Backlash after Greek Drama appeared first on The Stream.
Sphere Alliance Message #31 On the nature of the Golden Orb
*AK: Perhaps you can ask this for me?* In 2012 I think, I was a sleep in bed with my then wife who had the flu. She woke me up later in the night asking me if I saw the golden orb that flew threw the glass window. I thought at that moment it was the fever she had talking. She explained this gold ball of light flew thru the glass and moved around the room, when it saw that she saw it… it flew behind the plastic vertical blinds but the rays of light from the orb still came through the slats. Then it flew out and thru the glass into the night. The next morning it looked lik... more »
UPDATE: The streets of New York are not a healthy place for young alligators
*by Ken* Even by the time my little piece appeared here last night, there was a sad sequel. It seemed a harmless enough little story: a small alligator observed making its way along Ninth Avenue at 205th Street in Northern Manhattan's Inwood neighborhood. We thought we left the poor creature safely in the custody of the NYPD, but further developments developed, as I learned from this pass-along from Noah, who keeps track of these things. The cops did their part, but it was to no avail. *Alligator found in upper Manhattan has died, but cause of death is a mystery* by Lisa L. Cola... more »
The Siren's Call
It's a funny thing, this blogging lark.... ....and it's also a funny thing how easy it is to slip into 'socialmediaspeak' - like beginning a post by saying, "It's a funny thing, this blogging lark", and then adding a few dots after it (for some strange reason)........................ I very much enjoyed Brendan O'Neill piece at the *Spectator *this week bemoaning the fact that we're increasingly giving up our privacy, thanks to the social media bug, by blabbing about our every move. It's a piece I read whilst working out on a treadmill (positioning my copy of the *Speccie* on the... more »
Sphere Alliance Message #30 Questions from Arthur and AK
On 7/25/15, at 4:15 PM, Arthur Koberinski wrote: If i were to ask a question.... I would ask in complete transparency....Why or for what purpose does the inbodiment of Arthur Koberinski remain disconnect or in a state of non remembrance.... (chuckle) AK: AND if they can answer the same question for me (AK/BILL) because its been running thru my head for some time, and its been a great deal of frustration that I do not have remembrance to the degree that Heather does. I get snippets or snap shots, yet I remember sitting in some Heated Galactic Council discussions but could never re... more »
FBI Chief on why agents should visit the Holocaust museum
The fact that the FBI makes all of its agents visit the "Holocaust" museum tells you everything you need to know about who runs America.
July 25: the many faces of fascism
Oh, you won't find any fascism in Section A news. In fact, you won't find anything in section A news. The headline on the front page assures us the provincial government won't force bilingualism on civil servants. This is in response to a report which suggested it aim for bilingualism in the TOP RANKS of the civil service WITHIN FIVE YEARS. The government's reply is in the first paragraph of the story, the only part of the story that most newspapers readers will read, along with the headline It gives the impression that howling mobs of Acadians ar
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