photo.
10:35pm MST
The U.S. Air War Against The Islamic State Has Already Cost $5.5 Billion
Smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the
Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the
southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, October 18, 2014. Credit:
Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach
*Military Times:* *Air war against Islamic State group cost $5.5 billion*
The air war against the Islamic State group has cost the American taxpayer
$5.5 billion, roughly $11.2 million per day, a $2 million increase since
June, according to the latest Defense Department data.
The Air Force accounts for $3.75 billion — nearly 70 percent — of that ... more »
Have You Been Waiting To See Herr Trumpf And Cruz Go At It? Get The Popcorn
The picture *NY Times* in-house conservative, David Brooks, conjured up of
Ted Cruz is truly ugly. It's hard to imagine anyone reading it and
accepting Brooks' reporting and then ever vote for Cruz for *anything*, let
along president. What a horrible, horrible person, the antithesis of all of
the teachings of Jesus rolled up into one sad, desperate little man, driven
crazy by a psychotic father and with an innate need to dominate others. His
old college roommate warned us Cruz was already a monster back in the 1980s.
The word that came up most frequently when his former classmates ... more »
Rick Snyder Hasn't Been Arrested And The Bundy Gang Is Still Terrorizing Oregon, But Tamir Rice Got His
In 2009 I wanted a peaceful, unstressed vacation. I went to Bali, which
fits that bill perfectly. For excitement, though, I brought Dave Neiwert's
then brand new book, *The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the
American Right*, which isn't so much about Hate Talk Radio per se as it is
about the gradual transformation of mainstream conservatives to full blown
fascists and all the steps that lead in that direction. Neiwert wrote how
the conservative movement had become "a precursor to fascism," which he
defines as "explicitly antidemocratic, antiliberal, and corporatist, and... more »
U.S. Special Forces Are Now In Iraq Targeting ISIS Fighters, Commanders, And Leaders In Iraq And Syira
*Reuters*:* Special U.S. targeting force 'now in place' in Iraq: U.S.*
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new U.S. force of special operations troops has
arrived in Iraq and is preparing to work with Iraqi forces to go after
Islamic State targets, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday.
Carter disclosed the deployment in a broad speech to U.S. soldiers that
sought to underscore American efforts to accelerate the campaign against
Islamic State, both in Iraq and Syria.
"The specialized expeditionary targeting force I announced in December is
now in place and is preparing to work ... more »
Virginia State Senator Richard Black Speaks The Truth About Syria's War And ISIL's State Backers
*Video Title: US Senator: War in Syria was provoked by CIA-backed hardcore
jihadists. Source: Russia Insider. Date Published: January 13, 2016.
Description:*
Virginia state Senator Richard Black says the war in Syria “was not some
Arab Spring, when you had democracy-seekers with flowers in their hair,
seeking some wonderful utopia.” The state senator adds, “These were
hardcore jihadists, led by the Muslim Brotherhood with support from CIA,
MI6, and with the help from the Saudi Arabians and the Turks.
"Just cut loose of the Turks, cut loose of the Saudis, just Russia and the
United ... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin*
The new way police are surveilling you: Calculating your threat ‘score’
TSA To Stop Accepting Driver's Licenses From 9 U.S. States
Flooded householders near fracking zones face insurance double-whammy
Seven refugees 'thrown overboard' off coast of Italy fleeing Somalia
Canadians Panic As Food Prices Soar On Collapsing Currency
US Vaporizes "Millions" In Cash, Kills 7 Civilians In "Unusual" Strike On
ISIS "Bank"
GE To Cut 6,500 European Jobs
In Finland an anti-immigrant group called the 'Soldiers of Odin' are
patrolling the streets and worrying authorities
First... more »
U.S. Defense Secretary Carter Lays Out Plans To Retake Mosul And Raqqa And To Defeat The Islamic State
*VOA*: *Pentagon Chief Spells Out Strategy for Taking Back IS 'Power
Centers'*
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday spelled out the U.S.
strategy for retaking the Iraqi city of Mosul and Raqqa in Syria — cities
he called Islamic State's two power centers.
Carter spoke to troops from the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell,
Kentucky, who will soon be deployed to Iraq to help train Iraqi and Kurdish
forces in defeating the militants.
"ISIL [Islamic State] is a cancer that's threatening to spread," Carter
told them. "And like all cancers, you can't cure the disease ju... more »
The Economy: Gregory Mannarino, “Stock Market Dives Again! Technical Breakdowns Getting Worse”
“Stock Market Dives Again! Technical Breakdowns Getting Worse”
By Gregory Mannarino
- https://www.youtube.com/
"Just For Today"
*"Just For Today"*
"Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle
all my problems at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would
appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
Just for today I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham
Lincoln said, that "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to
be."
Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust
everything to my own desires, I will take my "luck" as it comes, and fit
myself to it.
Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will... more »
Canadians being set up for North American Union by currency manipulation?
*Canadians waiting for the penny (and loony) to drop*
For as long as I can remember, the banksters have been manipulating the
world financial markets to achieve their political ends. Whenever
something happens in the stock or bond markets...or the price of oil
plunges...we look to see the hidden (and not so hidden) geostrategic agenda
behind it.
Today...the Canadian dollar is taking a beating against the American dollar.
I ask myself...why is that? Why would the *American* dollar...dragged
down as it should be by trillions of dollars of debt, caused by endless
wars *be so stron... more »
In 1967, the CIA Created the Label Conspiracy Theorists
*Brendan D. Murphy* - Conspiracy theorists used to be accepted as normal.
The post In 1967, the CIA Created the Label Conspiracy Theorists appeared
first on Waking Times.
Free eBook: Navigating Trials in the New America
[image: navigating trials]
The church in America is slowly awakening from the distortion of 350 years
of dominance and prosperity. Until recently, being a Christian in America
has been viewed as normal, good, patriotic, culturally acceptable, even
beneficial. By and large, being a...
Continue reading *“Free eBook: Navigating Trials in the New America”* at
*desiringgod.org*.
Bonus Quote of the Day:
*"It was Thomas Edison who brought us electricity, not the Sierra Club. It
was the Wright brothers who got us off the ground, not the Federal Aviation
Administration. It was Henry Ford who ended the isolation of millions of
Americans by making the automobile affordable, not Ralph Nader. Those who
have helped the poor the most have not been those who have gone around
loudly expressing 'compassion' for the poor, but those who found ways to
make industry more productive and distribution more efficient, so that the
poor of today can afford things that the affluent of yesterd... more »
Major Chinese - Iranian Arms Deals In The Works?
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (L) shakes hands with his Chinese
counterpart Xi Jinping before the opening ceremony of the fourth Conference
on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in
Shanghai May 21, 2014.
*Joel Wuthnow, National Interest:* *Are Chinese Arms About to Flood Into
Iran?*
Ahead of Xi’s visit to Tehran, Sino-Iranian military cooperation looks to
expand.
China is often regarded as one of the prime beneficiaries of the Iran
nuclear deal, signed in July 2015 with the P5+1 countries. Under the deal,
Iran will limit its uranium enrichment an... more »
Fukushima Unit 1: It (whatever it is) was lowered INTO the reactor building
Perhaps this is how TEPCO injects nitrogen? Not sure...
Fukushima Unit 1: What's That?
Not sure what is being held by the crane over unit 1
Paul Ryan’s View on the State of the Union
[image: State of the Union]
WASHINGTON -- In a scathing response to President Obama’s State of the
Union Address, House Speaker Paul Ryan told USA TODAY on Wednesday that the
speech’s political tone toward Donald Trump and the Republican presidential
field “degrades the presidency.” Obama made...
Continue reading *“Paul Ryan’s View on the State of the Union”* at
*usatoday.com*.
A Hillary Clinton Presidency Would Bring Hell On Earth
*Hillary Clinton and Henry Kissinger: two of the ugliest and most immoral
creatures the good God has ever made. *
*An excerpt from, "Danse Macabre: Blessed Be the Bipartisans" by Chris
Floyd, January 13, 2016: *
"And so I said, 'We came, we saw, he died!' And now they've got death and
chaos up the wazoo! Have I not done well, Master?"
"Finished your training you have. Well you have done. But far yet must you
go your teacher to match. My words you recall when Cambodia we destroyed
with fire from the sky? 'It's an order, it's to be done. Anything that
flies on everything that moves.... more »
Egyptian Author Sayyid Al-Qemany: Al-Azhar Is a Terrorist Institution
Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the so-called center of Islamic learning *recently
urged* all Muslims to join the Saudi King's coalition of cowards in his wars against
freedom and democracy in the region. It has also arrogantly attacked
Christian and Shiite beliefs, accusing their adherents of *"sedition"* and *persecuting
them under the cover of scholarship.*
*An excerpt from, "Five Years After Obama Speech in Cairo, Egypt’s Muslim
President Gives Speech at same University To UNDO the Damage" by Ben
Barrack, shoebat.com, January 6, 2015: *
If you had to name a university in the worl... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On Current U.S. - Iran Relations And Why 10 U.S. Sailors Were Quickly Released
*Tim Mak & Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast*: *Iran Turns U.S. Sailors Into
Propaganda After Team Obama Plays Nice*
Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Kerry thanked Tehran for taking
good care of the servicemen they questionably captured.
Iranian state TV released a video Wednesday of a U.S. sailor apologizing
for crossing into the country’s territorial waters. The apology was
publicized hours after Vice President Joe Biden said the U.S. did not
apologize.
“It was a mistake, it was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake,” the
unnamed sailor said while being held in Ir... more »
Rip-off News round-up. Our pick of the last week's media (Thu 14th January)
Lawyers fees and
legal aid cuts block access to justice, warn top judges
In a stark message, the Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, the Lord
Chief Justice, said bringing legal action – or, alternatively, defending
oneself against litigation – has become “unaffordable” for most people. It has
led to ever-growing numbers of people representing themselves in court because
they cannot afford a lawyer,
A More Serious Threat than ISIS Was Neglected in Obama’s State of the Union Address
[image: Fatherhood, Father, Son, Family, Piggyback Ride, Sunset, Sunrise]
Everyone who watched President Obama's final State of the Union address
Tuesday night has an opinion about how he did, what he should have said and
what he shouldn't have said. For me the most glaring omission wasn't the
lack... more »
Obama, Putin Discuss By Phone Syria, Ukraine, Iran - Saudi Arabia, And North Korea
© Sputnik/ Aleksey Nikolskyi
*The Hill:* *Obama, Putin speak by phone about Syrian conflict*
President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on
Wednesday, the White House said.
Press secretary Josh Earnest said the two leaders discussed ongoing efforts
to bring an end to the civil war in Syria, abiding by the terms of a
ceasefire in Ukraine and cutting off support for pro-Russia separatists
there.
Earnest provided few other details about the call.
Despite their deep differences over the fate of Syrian President Bashar
Assad, the U.S. has been pressuring Mosc... more »
Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, “Whisper To Me”
Liquid Mind, “Whisper To Me”
- https://www.youtube.com/
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What is causing the picturesque ripples of supernova remnant SNR
0509-67.5? The ripples, as well as the greater nebula, were imaged in
unprecedented detail by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006 and again late
last year. The red color was recoded by a Hubble filter that left only the
light emitted by energetic hydrogen. The precise reason for the ripples
remains unknown, with two considered origin hypotheses relating them to
relatively dense portions of either ejected or impacted gas.
*Click image for larger size.*
The reason for the broader red glowing ring is more clear, with expa... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Cosmography of Myself”
*“The Cosmography of Myself”*
by Chet Raymo
“It was a common conceit of the Middle Ages and Renaissance to think of the
human self– body and soul– as a microcosm, a little world made cunningly of
elements and an angel-like sprite, a miniature version of the macroscosm,
the universe. So-called "correspondences" linked the microcosm and the
macrocosm. For example, each of the seven holes in the human head
corresponded to a celestial body- Sun, Moon, or one of the five known
planets. Astrology articulated a vast system of correspondences between the
peregrinations of stars and human l... more »
The Secret Of Surrender: Seeing The Illusion"
*"The Secret Of Surrender: Seeing The Illusion"*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
"Surrender should be seen as a great strength and comes when we let go of
trying to attain the impossible. Most of us were raised and live in a
culture that emphasizes the ideals of independence and control. The general
idea is that we are on our own and we don’t need any help from anyone else,
and if we are really successful it’s because we are in complete control.
However, true lasting success comes only with surrender, which is the
opposite of control. We cannot accomplish anything truly great on our ... more »
The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "Book of Hours II, 16"
*"Book of Hours II, 16"*
"How surely gravity's law,
strong as an ocean current,
takes hold of even the strongest thing
and pulls it toward the heart of the world.
Each thing-
each stone, blossom, child-
is held in place.
Only we, in our arrogance,
push out beyond what we belong to
for some empty freedom.
If we surrendered
to earth's intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.
Instead we entangle ourselves
in knots of our own making
and struggle, lonely and confused.
So, like children, we begin again
to learn from the things,
because they are in God's heart;
they have never left h... more »
"Ought To Be And Could Be..."
"If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you
treat him as if he
were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be
and could be."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Daily "Near You?"
Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. Thanks for stopping by.
Obama Warns: Global Warming Deniers Now Face the Disapproval of … Business Leaders!
[image: Business Leader Expert on Climate - 900]
In his final State of the Union speech, President Obama waved the dreaded
Consensus flag, and insisted only certain especially dim-witted lichen, now
extinct, could possibly still doubt global warming alarmism. Even though
there is new research suggesting that in... more »
Ten Detainees Leaving Gitmo in Bulk Transfer, Defense Officials Say
[image: ten detainees]
The U.S. military is preparing a bulk transfer of 10 detainees on Thursday
from its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, two defense officials
told Fox News. The transfer, amounting to about 10 percent of the remaining
prisoners, marks the...
Continue reading *“Ten Detainees Leaving Gitmo in Bulk Transfer, Defense
Officials Say”* at *foxnews.com*.
Alan Grayson Introduces A Constitutional Amendment To End Gerrymandering
Isn't it time to end the anti-democratic practice of gerrymandering? No,
it's actually past time-- *way* past time. In 2012, for example, 59,645,531
Americans (48.8%) voted for Democrats running for Congress and 58,228,253
(47.6%) voted for Republicans. In a mathematically perfect world, the
Democrats would have 213 seats and the Republicans would have 207 seats.
That would have been a reflection of the popular will. Instead, largely
because of gerrymandered districts, the Republicans wound up with 234 seats
and the Democrats only got 201.
Let's look at it from a different perspec... more »
German TV Channel Changes Logo To Show Islamic Star And Crescent
German TV station Tele5 has changed its logo to represent German and
Turkish solidarity in the face of the recent terrorist attacks in Istanbul
which killed 10 German tourists. The new logo shows the Islamic star and
crescent of Turkey’s flag superimposed on the national tricolor. The change
in logo comes just two weeks after the New Year’s Eve sexual assaults on
revelers in Cologne by newly arrived migrants, that led to a rise of
anti-immigration sentiment in Germany and other European countries.
Breitbart reports: Tele5 justified the move on Twitter this afternoon,
saying that it... more »
Army Colonel Under Fire for Encouraging Troops to Improve Their ‘Spiritual Fitness’
[image: Representatives from Fort Stewart, Winn Army Community Hospital,
Army Medical Command, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah
District participated in a groundbreaking ceremony to signify the start of
construction of a $23.1 million hospital expansion project, Jan. 23, 2012.
The project, managed by the Savannah District and awarded to prime
contractor McCarthy Building Co., includes a 65,000 square foot expansion
and 1,000 square foot alteration to the existing 360,000 square-foot
medical facility.]
Army Col. Thomas Hundley has come under intense fire for writing a pos... more »
Military Photo of the Day: January 13, 2016
[image: Arizona Military Training-900]
A U.S. Air Force airman drives a forklift to retrieve a heavy equipment
training platform during an exercise at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., on Dec. 9,
2015. Thanks to Senior Airman Chris Massey for capturing this image!
Pro-Abortion Congressional Black Caucus Versus Pro-Life Congressman Sean Duffy
[image: Sean Duffy]
Racism. It's the go-to for liberals. Every institution of American life is
touched by it according to the racialists. Well, almost every one. Somehow,
the industry that kills, disproportionately, black human beings for a
profit isn't racist. It's "reproductive justice"!...
Continue reading *“Pro-Abortion Congressional Black Caucus Versus Pro-Life
Congressman Sean Duffy”* at *townhall.com*.
What We Don’t Know About Iran’s Capture and Release of U.S. Sailors
[image: capture and release]
It is too early to draw conclusions about the capture and release of 10
U.S. Navy personnel by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It's
clear, however, that the incident will be important to how supporters and
critics of the nuclear...
Continue reading *“What We Don’t Know About Iran’s Capture and Release of
U.S. Sailors”* at *blogs.wsj.com*.
What Arab Christians Think of Christianity and Islam: The Same, Different, and Not Their Business
[image: Iraqi Christians head to the Saint Joseph church in Arbil, the
capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, on August 6, 2015, during a rally
marking the first anniversary of an Islamic State (IS) group offensive on
Christian-populated areas in the Nineveh province. The IS assault was the
latest in a long series of disasters for Iraqi Christians, who have
repeatedly been attacked by jihadists since the 2003 overthrow of dictator
Saddam Hussein, pushing hundreds of thousands to flee abroad.]
"Of course we are not worshipping the same God," said Luther Awad, head of
the Egypt chap... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 13, 2016
*Michael Crowley, Politico:* *Obama's vision of the world clashes with TV
reality*
The president's State of the Union address depicted a world very different
from what most Americans are seeing and hearing on TV and from GOP
candidates.
President Obama portrayed his foreign policy as a level-headed, visionary
success on Tuesday night. But that’s an argument he’s made before — and so
far, Americans aren't buying it.
Recent polls show that about half of Americans disapprove of Obama's
handling of world affairs, largely thanks to fear over worldwide terrorist
attacks by the Islamic... more »
"The Questions..."
“I don't pretend we have all the answers.
But the questions are certainly worth thinking about.”
- Arthur C. Clarke
Jan. 13: What kind of a world do you live in?
The story of the day is that New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are joining in a
big sex-trade deal. It will give moose the right to cross provincial
boundaries in order to – you know. That's the biggest story in Section A.
Then there's the breaking story of a restaurant that got big coverage when
it was flooded. Now, it's getting big coverage for being repaired. In a
similar note, we have our third story about an elderly woman in poverty who
is struggling to live in a shack. And the sub-story is that her generous,
New Brunswick neighbours are helping her. And there is still not a word
a... more »
As We Shift - Feel the Wind Beneath our Wings
As we enter the second ½ of January, 2016, there is still Evidence of Ego
in our Efforts.
What shows up again and again – is us. We cannot escape ourselves or leave
ourselves behind.
We are the ones shifting, the ones asking, the ones wondering: if, when,
why and how. We are wasting our most valuable asset. No, it’s not time,
its emotion; *the wind beneath our wings.*
As we plan, we waste it. As we remember, it drifts away. Emotion is now.
It is here. It is not felt yesterday or tomorrow. It is useful only in
this moment.
This is a reference to power, and how to mainta... more »
Untitled
*State Rep. Neil Abramson (D- New Orleans) Sabotaged His Colleagues, His
Party, and His Governor ~CenLamar*
*How old family recipe from Louisiana cane country earned cult following
among New Orleans chefs ~Suzanne Pfefferle Tafur, Advocate*
Neoliberal Education and Laziness
Far be it for me to cast aspersions on someone's research, but the
following paper unearthed by Amir Sariaslan was like getting passed the
pissy biscuit. Published in *Educational Philosophy and Theory* (Vol 47
(5), 2015, pp 488-501), one Riyad A. Shahjahan contributed 'Being ‘Lazy’
and Slowing Down: Toward decolonizing time, our body, and pedagogy'. Its
abstract is ... interesting:
In recent years, scholars have critiqued norms of neoliberal higher
education (HE) by calling for embodied and anti-oppressive teaching and
learning. Implicit in these accounts, but lacking elaboration,... more »
WHO Admits That Smallpox Vaccine Created AIDS/HIV
The London Times wrote an article in 1987 that linked the smallpox vaccine
to the deadly spread of AIDS in the 1980’s. In the article (republished
below) it is admitted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) led a
huge campaign aimed at “eradicating smallpox” but may have also been
responsible for awakening what we know today to be the HIV virus. Smallpox
vaccine ‘triggered Aids virus’ The Aids epidemic may have been triggered by
the mass vaccination campaign which eradicated smallpox. The World Health
Organization, which masterminded the 13-year campaign, is studying new
scientif... more »
Russia Creates Law That Promises “Western Economic Collapse”
President Putin has created a new set of laws that, once passed by
Parliament, will create the worst “economic cyclone” the Western world has
ever seen, plunging the U.S. and Europe into a financial collapse. The
Security Council (SC) have stated that the new laws were drawn up over the
last year in order to deal with Western aggression against Russia. The law
states that all Russian companies, both public and private, must cease
paying over $700 billion in loan payments to any banks that have an
association with any country that currently has sanctions against Russia.
Whatdoesitme... more »
More Evidence Of Turkey And US Aiding ISIS
More evidence has emerged that reveals how Turkey directly aids ISIS, with
help from Washington and other NATO-allied countries. Foreign support lets
terrorist groups in Syria, Iraq and Libya thrive. Without it they’d become
a spent force, unable to operate effectively on their own – what media
scoundrels never explain, perpetuating the myth of US war on ISIS. On
January 10, London’s Guardian headlined “Isis ‘ran sophisticated
immigration operation” on Turkey-Syria border,” saying: Documents seized by
Kurdish forces dated December 2014 – March 2015 have ISIS “department of
immigrat... more »
ISIS Say They Plan On Detonating Gas Leak In Los Angeles
A US government insider has revealed that ISIS are planning to ignite the
leaking gas well in Porter Ranch in order to “detonate Los Angeles” and
flatten it. The gas leak, located in the Aliso Canyon gas field in Porter
Ranch, has been emitting tons of methane gas for the last few months, and
authorities have so far failed to plug the leak. Many have declared the
situation as the worst natural disaster since the BP oil spill.
Superstation95.com reports: The leak has pumped literally millions of cubic
feet of highly explosive methane and other natural gases into the
atmosphere nort... more »
World’s Oldest Living Man Found Aged 131 With 30 Year Old Daughter
Brazilian civil servants have discovered the world’s oldest living man
still going on strong at the age of 131 and drawing a pension. The man
lives with his wife who is 69 years his junior, eats three meals a day
and has three children, including a daughter aged thirty. Mail Online
reports: The Guinness Book of Records recognises 112-year-old Yasutaro
Koide from Japan as the oldest person alive. And Frenchwoman Jeanne
Calment, who died aged 122 in 1997, holds the record for the world’s
longest living person. But social security workers in Acre in north Brazil
today caused a stir by ... more »
The Agency of Multilateral Organizations
This is a guest post from Tana Johnson, an Assistant Professor at Duke
University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. I had the pleasure of editing
a reviews exchange on her important new book, Organizational Progeny. The
exchange just came out in the latest issue of International Politics
Reviews and features reviews from me (Josh), Tanisha Fazal, and Alexandru
Grigorescu, […]
The ACTUAL State of the Union #SOTU
Last night Obama delivered his annual State of the Union speech.
Here, however, in one array, is the *actual* State of the Union. Nowhere
near as pretty as his speech . . .
[image: 20150916_obo]
. . . which, in fact, folds like a pup tent in a storm under a simple
fact-check:
[Pic by Zero Hedge]
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
David Bowie's Death & The Absolute Human Right to Privacy
* A Rant:*
*David Bowie has died*. Everyone is surely aware of this by now. It's been
one of the top *WORLD *news stories for days. When at most it should have
been in the entertainment section. I myself shared a memory of attending a
concert. *However, I do not lament **the fact loudly, or at all, that I
was completely unaware of his illness or his struggle with illness. Though
I consider myself a fan of his work.*
*Had David Bowie chosen to share his plight with the world.* *That would
have been his choice to do so.* *But, he did not choose to share the
private details of his ... more »
World News Briefs -- January 16, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*Washington Post:* *Intense diplomacy between Secretary of State Kerry and
his Iranian counterpart to secure sailors’ release*
Secretary of State John F. Kerry spoke at least five times yesterday by
telephone with his Iranian counterpart in intense diplomacy that led to the
release Wednesday morning of 10 American sailors who were picked up and
detained overnight when their small ships strayed into Iranian waters the
day before.
Rapid resolution of the incident appeared to end a potential flash point
just as Iran and world powers moved toward implementation of a nuclear deal
expe... more »
Thorne Dreyer : RAG RADIO PODCASTS | Interviews with Philip Russell, Jonah Raskin, and Roy Casagranda
We discuss the sad state of Mexico under Enrique Peña Nieto; we reflect on
the lives of Jack London and Dalton Trumbo and do some California dreaming;
and, in a two-parter, we look at Iraq, Syria, and the U.S. role …
finish reading Thorne Dreyer :
*RAG RADIO PODCASTS* | Interviews with Philip Russell, Jonah Raskin, and
Roy Casagranda
Haley Responds to SOTU Backlash by Ripping Rubio, Bush
[image: Haley]
Facing backlash for her criticism of Donald Trump the night before, South
Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Wednesday said she has differences of
opinion with several other Republican presidential candidates. Haley told
reporters that she also disagrees with Sen....
Continue reading *“Haley Responds to SOTU Backlash by Ripping Rubio, Bush”*
at *thehill.com*.
Duck Commander Phil Robertson Endorses Ted Cruz
[image: Cruz Commander - 900]
The star of one of the nation's most popular reality television shows just
made Sen. Ted Cruz a happy, happy, happy presidential candidate. Duck
Commander Phil Robertson announced Wednesday that he has endorsed Cruz for
the White House, Fox News... more »
Start Gathering the Moving Boxes: White House to Soon Ramp Up Transition Planning
[image: White House 900 pixels]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House chief of staff says planning for the
transition to the next president will ramp up in early spring. Denis
McDonough says the process so far has been limited to “getting paper and
process in... more »
USGS Study Reveals Male Fish Turning Female Due To Pesticides
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have found disturbing
evidence of male fish turning female due to pesticide pollution. According
to new USGS study, scientists found large-scale evidence of intersex in
smallmouth and largemouth bass in Northeastern United States. Alternet.org
reports: The study, published in the journal Ecotoxicology and
Environmental Safety, looks at 19 U.S. National Wildlife Refuges and is the
first reconnaissance survey of this scope. The study found that the
prevalence of testicular oocytes across all samples was 85% and 27% for
male small- and l... more »
Russia Announce Successful Ebola Cure
Putin has announced that Russia have successfully developed the world’s
first vaccine to cure the Ebola virus. The vaccine, which is as yet
unnamed, has been registered in Russia after tests showed it to be
effective at curing the disease which has killed thousands of people in
west Africa. RIA Novosti news agency quoted Putin as saying, “We have good
news!“. “We have registered a drug against Ebola, which after the
corresponding tests has been shown to be highly effective, more effective
than the drugs used worldwide up to now.” Yahoo News reports: To date no
approved vaccine or t... more »
North Korea Says H-Bomb Can Obliterate Whole Of U.S.
Kim Jong-un has claimed that North Korea is prepared to detonate its H-bomb
which would completely obliterate the whole of the US “all at once”. North
Korean KCNA news agency claim that “The scientists and technicians of the
DPRK are in high spirit to detonate H-bombs … capable of wiping out the
whole territory of the US all at once“. RT.com reports: Along with the
‘wiping-out-US’ comments, Pyongyang added that the test “was neither to
‘threaten’ anyone nor to ‘provoke’ someone for a certain purpose.” “It was
a process indispensable for carrying out the WPK’s line on simultaneously
... more »
Putin’s Criticism Of The West Attracts Widespread Media Attention
Russian President Vladimir Putin was recently interviewed by German
newspaper BILD where he talked candidly about the deteriorating relations
between Russia and the West. In the interview, Putin criticises sanctions
against Russia as being designed push Russia into a war, saying that the
West has used Ukraine to further a geopolitical agenda with Russia.
Sputniknews.com reports: “The sanctions of the West are designed not
to help Ukraine, but push Russia back geopolitically. They are foolish and
harm both sides,” the Russian President said during the interview, calling
Western sanc... more »
“Totally crappy:” Library magazine adds quotes from vendor without authors’ consent
Two librarians who wrote a feature story for the magazine American
Libraries say that editors added quotes from an educational company without
their consent. The feature, “Special Report: Digital Humanities in
Libraries,” was included in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of the magazine,
published by the American Libraries Association. It includes some data from
a survey conducted by the ALA and Gale — a […]
The post “Totally crappy:” Library magazine adds quotes from vendor without
authors’ consent appeared first on Retraction Watch.
California's charter school law repeal movement update
*“charter schools comprise a divisive and segregated sector” — Frankenberg,
E., Siegel-Hawley, G., Wang, J. (2011)*
[image: Voices Against Privatizing Public Education]
Voices Against Privatizing Public Education's (VAPPE) grassroots campaign
to repeal the 1992 charter school laws imposed on California by corporate
reactionaries Donald Fisher and Reed Hastings has been moving forward. In
addition to their online petition, they've established a contribution
committee, grown their endorsements, setup online fundraising, and have
submitted their final ballot proposition language.
R... more »
Syrian War News Updates -- January 13, 2016
*Reuters*: *Syria's rebels reject peace talks unless U.N. resolution
implemented*
Syrian rebel groups said on Wednesday they would not take part in peace
talks scheduled this month unless humanitarian articles in the latest U.N
resolution were implemented.
The groups, which include the powerful Islam Army, mentioned articles 12
and 13 of a resolution that was passed late last year, which calls on the
sides in Syria's civil war to allow humanitarian access to all in need and
cease attacks on civilians.
"We consider that implementing these articles is self-evident and a human
righ... more »
EPA ‘Lost’ Two Years Worth of Emails for Employee Who Colluded to Kill Pebble Mine
[image: The Bristol Bay watershed, where environmentalists argued the
Pebble Mine would affect salmon fishing.]
Government investigators looking into the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) rejection of the Pebble Mine project found 25 months of missing
emails from the account of an employee who allegedly played a major role in
derailing a crucial Alaska mine project.... more »
Cooler Heads Prevail: Iran And America Escape Escalation, Avoid A Catastrophic War Over A Minor Incident
* "Let us talk now, so that we do not become mad animals!" - Joost A. M.
Meerloo.*
"Of course, nothing in diplomacy is certain. Positions and policies can
change for the worse. We still must be on the lookout for false flags,
areas of miscommunication, and events taking on a life of their own.
History is full of wars where neither side was geared to go but had no
choice because issues of honour and pride got in the way of rational
calculations. Wars can start even after successful diplomatic deals. Once
preparations and threats are made, the battles usually follow. That is why
tal... more »
Fact Check: Top 10 Whoppers in Obama’s State of the Union
[image: WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: President Barack Obama delivers his
State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol
Hill January 12, 2016 in Washington, D.C. In his final State of the Union,
President Obama reflected on the past seven years in office and spoke on
topics including climate change, gun control, immigration and income
inequality. (Photo by Evan Vucci - Pool/Getty Images)]
President Barack Obama promised his final State of the Union address would
be short. Dana Bash of CNN called it "low-energy." One thing it was not was
accurate-or honest. H... more »
Evangelical Theologian Wayne Grudem Endorses Marco Rubio
[image: Wayne Grudem Poverty of Nations at FRC]
Evangelical theologian Wayne Grudem, who was recently announced as a member
of Marco Rubio’s religious liberty advisory board, has just endorsed Rubio
for president. Grudem, a professor of theology and biblical studies at
Phoenix Seminary, is a well known and... more »
Driver Cheats Death On The Hard Shoulder Of M25 Motorway
Parking in the emergency lane of the M25 motorway to inspect your
vehicle doesn’t take you away from the action happening around you, but
puts you right in it. A Driver nearly gets wiped out by a juggernaut as he
inspects his truck on the hard shoulder of the M25. The Daily Star reports:
Footage uploaded to YouTube shows the very instance the tyre explodes,
sending rubber flying all over the road. And soon after, a door-mounted
camera shows the driver on the hard shoulder climbing from his cab to check
the damage. steve twamley YouTube video: Despite the cars hurtling past, he
is un... more »
South Korea Opens Fire As Suspected North Korean Drone Crosses Border
The situation between the two Korea’s is escalating into war as South Korea
fired machine gun rounds towards the North, after a North Korean drone
briefly crossed their border. The North Korean drone was flying dozens of
meters (yards) south of the border and returned to the northern side
following the warning shots. South Korea is laying siege to the North after
bombarding it constantly across the border with loud propaganda and
annoying music. The North Koreans have responded by dropping leaflets at
the border with the South, calling them ‘Mad Dogs.’ The latest incident
follows a ... more »
The wacky world of the Oceanic Niño Index
By Paul Homewood There are various ways of measuring El Ninos/La
Ninas, and in reality every event is different to every other, just as with
any other weather event. Xmetman Bruce has his own take on the current El
Nino, which is well worth a read here. There seems […]
U.S. Air Force: A-10 Retirement Has Been Out on Hold Indefinitely
A-10s of the 81st Fighter Wing sit at Spangdahlem Air Base in 2012. At top
— A-10s from the 188th Fighter Wing take part in an exercise. Air Force
photos
*Defence One:* *Air Force to Delay A-10 Retirement, Thanks to ISIS*
After trying to retire the battle-tested Warthog for the past two years,
Air Force officials concede that the plane is key to the war on ISIS
The Air Force is shelving its immediate plans to retire the A-10 Warthog
attack plane, which has become critical to the U.S. bombing campaign
against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, Pentagon officials tell
Defens... more »
Javier Torres ufo photos Colima, Mexico 1958
Ufo flying out of lunar crater
Quote of the Day: “…the application of logic to experience.”
*“Any theory that propounds an opposition between the logical and the
empirical, represents a failure to grasp the nature of logic and its role
in human cognition. Man’s knowledge is not acquired by logic apart from
experience or by experience apart from logic, but by the application of
logic to experience. All truths are the product of the logical
identification of the facts of experience.”*
~ Leonard Peikoff (Source: *Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology* by
Ayn Rand. Chapter: ‘The Analytic Synthetic Dichotomy’, Page 112)
[Hat tip Anoop Verma]
Content is copyright PC.Blo... more »
The State of the Union
[image: Michael Ramirez - 1-13-16 - 900]
"LA County Supervisor On California Methane Leak: 'This Is A Mini-Chernobyl'"
*"LA County Supervisor On California Methane Leak: *
*'This Is A Mini-Chernobyl'"*
by RT
"The California gas company responsible for the storage site where methane
has been leaking from a damaged well for *over two months* has promised
action to stop the breach, while a Los Angeles County supervisor has
branded the situation a “mini-Chernobyl.” SoCal Gas said it was working on
a plan to siphon off and safely burn some of the leaking methane, a crisis
which has led to months of protests and the displacement of thousands of
families in the Los Angeles County community of Porter Ranch.... more »
"How It Really Is"
Yes, I bought some tickets too... lol
“Nuclear Radiation, Kierkegaard, and the Philosophy of Denial”
*“Nuclear Radiation, Kierkegaard, and the Philosophy of Denial”*
by Chris Busby
"It used to be, and indeed children are still taught in schools, that the
advances that have been made in the last five hundred years (antibiotics,
electricity, computers etc) resulted from the application of Science and
its overthrow of dogmatic belief. All ideas are put to the question in the *auto
da fe* of experiment: Galileo’s observations versus the Inquistion’s
biblical earth-centric world view and so forth. But over the same period,
the power of belief (in Jesus, Marxism, Allah, perhaps ‘Economic... more »
Does Iran Releasing Images of Captured Sailors Violate Geneva Convention? State Dept Won’t Say
[image: Geneva Convention]
The U.S. State Department declined to say Wednesday whether Iran violated
the Geneva Convention by putting captured U.S. Navy sailors on television
Tuesday after their two boats were seized in what Iran claims was its
territorial waters. The sailors -- nine men...
Continue reading *“Does Iran Releasing Images of Captured Sailors Violate
Geneva Convention? State Dept Won’t Say”* at *breitbart.com*.
Iran Releases Footage of US Sailor Apologizing for ‘Mistake’ after Capture
[image: sailor apologizing]
Iranian state-controlled news outlet Tasnim released video Wednesday
afternoon that shows a U.S. sailor apologizing for purportedly infringing
upon Tehran's sovereignty. On Tuesday, Iran seized two U.S. naval boats,
arguing they illegally entered Iran's territorial waters. The Pentagon said
they...
Continue reading *“Iran Releases Footage of US Sailor Apologizing for
‘Mistake’ after Capture”* at *breitbart.com*.
Jeb Coming to Life? Bush Moves Past Rubio to 3rd in New National Poll
[image: Jeb Bush]
New tracking poll information from Reuters confirms Donald Trump as the
frontrunner, but also breathes new life into the Jeb Bush campaign. As on
Tuesday, Jeb Bush had moved into third place nationally, with 10.6 percent
support. Bush edges Sen. Marco...
Continue reading *“Jeb Coming to Life? Bush Moves Past Rubio to 3rd in New
National Poll”* at *breitbart.com*.
Trump Flirts with 9/11 Truth to Score Political Points...and scares the bejesus out of the perps
*GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump*
Recently, Donald Trump came out and said that President Bill Clinton is
partially responsible for 9/11 because he didn't assassinate Osama bin Laden
when he had a chance. According to former CIA authorities, there were
about 10 opportunities to capture OBL but all were nixed by higher ups in
the US government...or the deep state "real" government.
9/11 truthers are getting a big chuckle out of Trump's inadvertent
(perhaps?) terrorizing of the 9/11 perps...by continually bringing up the
subject and *presenting the official 9/11 lies in such... more »
MUCH TO SPIRITUALLY DO AT 82
*The secret to living a spiritual human life is seeing through heart
centered eyes and realizing we are all part of a loving plan in action
wherein each of us has a part to play ~ if we will but listen and respond
to the call of our soul. It was Teilhard de Chardin who knew we were all
spiritual beings and that the portal to the soul was love ~ and that love
alone was capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and
fulfill them for it alone takes them and joins them to what is deepest
within themselves. My contribution to this universal truth is in
demons... more »
David Bowie and the Pet Shop Boys - Hallo Spaceboy
Let's not forget that The Duke occasionally made forays into dance music.
Not entirely successful, it has to be said, but this was probably his most
memorable effort. Alas, on this occasion he was following the eurodisco
pack rather than breaking new ground. But still.
Microsoft Issues Warning About Internet Explorer To All Windows Users
Technology and software giant Microsoft has issued a warning to all Windows
users to upgrade their Internet Explorer Browsers to the latest version
because of a security vulnerability. This week marked the end of support
for almost-all versions of Microsoft’s pre-installed web browser, Internet
Explorer. Microsoft recommends users to upgrade to Internet Explorer 11.
All previous versions will leave users vulnerable to viruses and malware
attacks. This is true even if they use other web browsers other than
Internet Explorer on Windows operated machines. The Daily Express reports:
Ea... more »
Steve Russell : ‘Y’all Qaeda’ militia musters at Oregon bird sanctuary on land claimed by the Paiutes
Unwelcome armed militants are occupying an empty building on federal land
considered sacred by a Native American tribe. By Steve Russell | The Rag
Blog | January 13, 2016 When I was an active trial court judge in Texas,
I … finish reading Steve Russell :
‘Y’all Qaeda’ militia musters at Oregon bird sanctuary on land claimed by
the Paiutes
Kurds Attack Assyrian Christian Village in Northern Syria
[image: Assyrian Christians - 400]
The collapse of Syria has set loose forces that the Assad regime had either
contained or appropriated to prop up its own rule, putting ethnic and
religious factions in dangerous new combinations and conflicts. One of
those conflicts might confound...
Continue reading *“Kurds Attack Assyrian Christian Village in Northern
Syria”* at *hotair.com*.
David Brooks’s Attack on Ted Cruz is Unjust
[image: David Brooks speaks at the Miller Center Forum, April 2011.]
I like David Brooks. I've read all his books and always read his columns in
the New York Times. His greatest asset is his ability to see subtleties and
nuances in issues that are incorrectly painted in black and white.... more »
Queen Elizabeth Promises To ‘Take Back America’ If Trump Elected
Queen Elizabeth has promised her subjects that she will authorize the UK to
invade the United States of America if Donald Trump is elected President in
November 2016. Buckingham Palace released a statement from her Majesty,
saying “Should Mr Trump be elected we will take back America by force and
place it once again under colonial rule“. The D.C. Brief reports: The
announcement has received mostly a positive response, but many critics have
seen the Queen as merely taking advantage of the swell of anti-Trump
feeling in the country after a petition calling for the banning of the real ... more »
Iran Posts Photos And 30-Second Videos Of Captured U.S. Sailors (Editor's Note: These Are Extremely Embarrassing)
*Politico*: *Controversy explodes over Iranian images of U.S. sailors*
Iran on Wednesday released a series of images and videos showing the 10
U.S. Navy sailors it apprehended Tuesday, inflaming the American debate
over their capture, including the question of whether the U.S. had formally
apologized for entering Iranian territory.
Iranian media — Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News Agency and
Tasnim News Agency — published roughly two-dozen photos and five videos,
two of which feature a male sailor apologizing and praising Iran’s
treatment.
Story Continued Below
“It was... more »
John Kerry’s ‘Troubling’ Omission from Charlie Hebdo Terror Attack Statement
[image: Charlie Hebdo terror attack]
Following his statement marking the first anniversary of a series of deadly
Islamist attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Paris
kosher supermarket, Secretary of State John Kerry is being criticized for
what he left out: any mention...
Continue reading *“John Kerry’s ‘Troubling’ Omission from Charlie Hebdo
Terror Attack Statement”* at *theblaze.com*.
Digging for the Truth Can Get Controversial
This is the scandalous episode of the German political satire program 'Die
Anstalt' about the media leaders' ties to lobby organisations and their use
of enemy images in the Ukrainian conflict.
Josef Joffe and Jochen Bittner – a publisher-editor and political editor of
the major German newspaper ‘Zeit’ got an injunction against ZDF to prevent
this episode of 'Die Anstalt' from being publicly available as it questions
the impartiality of the two Zeit journalist... more »
Islamic State Claim Pakistan Consulate Attack In Afghanistan
*New York Times:* *ISIS Claims Assault That Killed 7 Near Pakistani
Consulate in Afghanistan*
JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Islamic State militants in Afghanistan claimed
their first attack on a major city on Wednesday, after an assault near the
Pakistani Consulate in Jalalabad that killed at least seven members of the
Afghan security forces.
The claim, posted on the Telegram channel used by the Islamic State’s
central command to announce attacks, was a sign that the main group in
Syria and Iraq is increasingly willing to tout its Afghan affiliate as a
supported group, even as officia... more »
Not worth the wait after all
So *Woman's Hour *finally got round to covering the attacks on women in
Germany and Sweden this morning, devoting the first 18 minutes of the
programme to the subject.
It was, however, much as might have been expected - a group of people
sharing the same similar, narrow, left-liberal, feminist outlook agreeing
with each other and uniting in condemnation of 'right-wing' people who
don't think like them, put centre stage and stage-managed by the BBC.
The guests consisted of two left-leaning journalists, Joan Smith of *The
Independent *and Imke Henkel of *Die Zeit *(last heard on Sun... more »
Supplemental: War for succession flares up again!
*WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2016Concerning Bill Clinton's alleged past conduct:*
We humans! By our nature, we aren't obsessively moral.
Despite our best efforts to sing the praises of our own species, this basic
fact has tended to surface down through the years. Consider Tom Hollander's
new book, Dynasty, a history of the first five Roman emperors.
Michiko Kakutani reviewed the book for the New York Times. In this passage,
she cites a rather large number:
KAKUTANI (1/8/16): Mr. Holland...uses his knowledge of the period (which
starts with the murder of Julius Caesar and concludes with... more »
Obama’s Chief of Staff Promises ‘Audacious Executive Action’ in Final Year
[image: McDonough - 400]
White House chief of staff Denis McDonough pushed back against the notion
his president is played out in the wake of his last State of the Union
address, promising "audacious executive action" in Barack Obama's final
year in office. During...
Continue reading *“Obama’s Chief of Staff Promises ‘Audacious Executive
Action’ in Final Year”* at *nationalreview.com*.
Conservative Author on How to Build a Better Conservative Media
[image: Matt Lewis - 400]
Conservative columnist Matt Lewis is warning in his new book that while the
conservative movement has benefited from a surging conservative media,
aspects of that media may be leading to a “dumbing down” of the movement.
In Too Dumb to...
Continue reading *“Conservative Author on How to Build a Better
Conservative Media”* at *washingtonexaminer.com*.
Kenya Forcing Churches, Religious Organizations to Register With Government
[image: Kenyan Christians - 400]
Kenya’s evangelical churches have condemned government plans to make it
tougher for religious bodies and clerics from all faiths to operate. The
move was aimed at stopping the growth of evangelical churches, said the
Evangelical Alliance of Kenya. But a...
Continue reading *“Kenya Forcing Churches, Religious Organizations to
Register With Government”* at *bbc.com*.
From Homeless Drug Addict to Ministry Leader
[image: Ken Barun]
Ken Barun served President Ronald Reagan in the White House and helped
found the Ronald McDonald House Charities, building it into one of the
largest and most innovative charities in the world. Now he is the chief of
staff for...
Continue reading *“From Homeless Drug Addict to Ministry Leader”* at
*worldmag.com*.
North Korea Not Welcomed At Davos
*Financial Times:* *North Korea no longer invited to Davos*
An invitation for a North Korean delegation, led by the communist state’s
foreign minister, to attend the World Economic Form in Davos has been
revoked after the country earlier this month announced that it had
detonated a mini hydrogen bomb.
It may come as a surprise to some that North Korea had been invited to
attend the annual gathering in the Swiss ski resort in the first place,
writes Nathalie Thomas.
*Read more* ....
*More News On North Korea Being Dis-invited From The World Economic Forum
At Davos*
World Economic... more »
The Disconnected Electorate... w/Update
*how many of them vote?*
Most of the people in North Idaho, in particular the older citizens, are
politically aware and very conservative. We have a few libtards roaming
about, but they are a lonely bunch, and we treat them as curiosities.
I didn't watch the SOTU because I was attending the second session of a
seminar on how to get your book published. The presenter is a "local"
published author. I have "local" in quotes because he is a transplant to
our area. A very nice fellow, who has held a myriad of exciting and
diverse jobs.
Last night, the subject of character names was ... more »
Obama Touts Low Gas Prices, Then Promises to Make Energy More Expensive
[image: President Barack Obama gestures as he gives his State of the Union
address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington,
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)]
After President Barack Obama touted record-low gasoline prices during his
tenure in his State of the Union address Tuesday, he quickly promised to
make energy more expensive for Americans by making oil and coal "reflect
the costs" of global warming.... more »
State Department: We Did NOT Apologize to Iran for Captured Sailors
[image: 10 US Navy Sailors Held by Iran at Gunpoint - 900]
Previous reports from a semi-official news agency in Iran claimed that the
U.S. had apologized in order to regain custody of 10 U.S. sailors, but a
State Department spokesman said Wednesday that this claim is absolutely
false. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard... more »
Kansas Governor Defunds Planned Parenthood
[image: defund Planned Parenthood - 900]
Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback announced Tuesday at his State of the
State address that he ordered the Kansas health secretary to stop all
Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood. "Trafficking of #?babybodyparts is
antithetical to our belief in human dignity,"... more »
Congress Poised to Strike Down EPA’s Massive ‘Waters of the US’ Rule
[image: EPA - 900]
House lawmakers are poised to pass legislation repealing what is probably
the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) most controversial regulation:
an attempt to expand its authority over bodies of water across the country.
The House will vote Wednesday on a bill... more »
Iran Releases Footage Of US Sailors Being Detained
Footage has been released showing the moment that Iranian forces detained
10 US sailors. The sailors were taken into custody as their boats crossed
into Iran’s territorial waters on Tuesday. The images followed the release
of the sailors earlier on Wednesday. RT reports: Dressed in camouflage
uniforms, the sailors can be seen kneeling on the deck of the patrol boat,
with hands on their heads. They are then shown seated in a room, being
given tea, bottled water and food by their Iranian hosts. BREAKING VIDEO:
Iran state TV footage of moment of arresting 2 US boats & personnel
pic.t... more »
N. Korea Boasts That Its H-Bomb Is 'Capable Of Wiping Out The US At Once’
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a visit to the Ministry of
the People's Armed Forces on the occasion of the new year, in this undated
photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on
January 10, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA
*Daily Mail:* *North Korea boasts it is now capable of wiping out 'the
whole of the US at once' with new hydrogen bombs*
* Declaration comes after pariah state claims to have tested hydrogen bomb
* Scientists 'are in high spirit to detonate H-bombs of hundreds of
megatons'
* Also showed footage of ballistic missile it claims can deliver nu... more »
Wall Street Reviews What Sanders Plans for Wall Street
*The office of Guggenheim Partners (source). The family started the
investment firm because it "wanted to make its money work harder."*
*by Gaius Publius*
This has been mentioned in a number of places (for example, here), but the
whole document is worth studying as a document. It was produced by a Wall
Street analyst who looks at and describes the Sanders plan for sweeping
Wall Street reform — for example, for breaking up the big banks, among
other proposals. Like much analysis of this type, it's insider-to-insider
talk, thus dispassionate and mainly accurate in description, in ad... more »
South Korea Fires Warning Shots At A North Korean Drone Over DMZ
*BBC*: *South Korea fires warning shots at 'N Korea drone' over DMZ*
South Korean soldiers have fired warning shots at a suspected North Korean
drone flown across the heavily fortified border.
Yonhap news agency cited officials saying that soldiers fired about 20
rounds before the craft turned back.
Earlier, South Korea's president urged China to impose the strongest
possible sanctions against North Korea, following its apparent nuclear test.
Pyongyang claims it has tested a hydrogen bomb.
That claim is doubted by experts, who say the blast, though probably
nuclear, was not big en... more »
Did Poor Timing in One Poll Knock Rand Paul Out of the GOP Debate?
[image: Rand Paul - 400]
Rand Paul appears to be a victim of bad timing. The Kentucky senator has
failed to catch fire like some of his fellow GOP presidential candidates,
but the Fox Business Network decision to boot him for the first time off...
Continue reading *“Did Poor Timing in One Poll Knock Rand Paul Out of the
GOP Debate?”* at *politico.com*.
Cameras Catch Joint Chiefs of Staff Stone-Faced Reaction to Obama’s SOTU
[image: Military leaders - 400]
President Barack Obama received a total of 67 rounds of applause during his
final State of the Union address Tuesday, down from 85 last year. However,
as PBS notes, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reserved their applause throughout
the speech....
Continue reading *“Cameras Catch Joint Chiefs of Staff Stone-Faced Reaction
to Obama’s SOTU”* at *theblaze.com*.
Russian Man Skiing At Over 80 Mph On Public Road
A Russian man has been seen skiing Siberian highways at speeds of up to 130
Kmh. The Russian daredevil is a professional skier who likes being towed
behind a car at 36 metres per second on wintry roads, inches away from
oncoming traffic and icy barriers. People are warned not to repeat what
they witness. Sputnik reports: The footage was shot by a group
of professional stuntmen who warned other people from any attempts
to repeat the stunt. Siberian TimesYouTube video: The video has rapidly
gained popularity on Russian social media, however not many people have
praised such an extreme... more »
Shorter SOTU
The minute Michelle Obama walked into the hall wearing her blinding $2,000
dayglow yellow designer dress, I sort of figured Hubby would be giving us
the full Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm schmaltz in his valedictory State of
the Union spiel.
Barack did not disappoint, of course. His oratory always delivers. Despite
numerous cracks in the content, there were no cracks in the rich baritone
stereophonic sound. Nearly half the country was still drunk on his
optimistic kool-aid this morning. Nearly half the country is still not
tired of his purple state purple prose, because despite what D... more »
Is The Price For Oil About To Cash To $10/Barrel?
*The Telegraph*: *Oil could crash to $10 a barrel, warn investment bank
bears*
Petrol prices could fall back to levels last seen in 2009 as major banks
say there is no bottom in sight for the world's lopsided market.
Oil prices have crashed to below $30-a-barrel amid warnings the rout could
reach as low as $10 and bring down petrol prices to levels last seen in
2009.
Standard Chartered became the latest major bank to downgrade its oil
outlook to $10, joining the likes of Goldman Sachs, RBS and Morgan Stanley
in making ultra-bearish calls as prices have collapsed by 15pc this year... more »
Second of 3 retractions appears for biologist, the result of “a substantial number of falsifications”
A cell biologist who falsifed Western blots has notched a
second retraction, with one more expected after a investigation at Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore. First author Sudarsanareddy
Lokireddy, now apparently a research fellow at Harvard, did not agree to
the retraction, the result of “a substantial number of falsifications.” In
December, we covered the results of the NTU […]
The post Second of 3 retractions appears for biologist, the result of “a
substantial number of falsifications” appeared first on Retraction Watch.
European Court Rules Bosses Can Snoop On Employees’ Private Messages
According to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, employers have
the right to monitor their workers’ online private messages. The Strasbourg
court sided with the employer of a Romanian engineer who was dismissed from
his job after using Yahoo Messenger to communicate with his fiancée and
brother while at work. The Independent reports: Bogdan Mihai Barbulescu was
asked to create the Yahoo account in order to answer clients’ queries. In
2007, he was approached by his employers and told that they had been
monitoring his chats over several days, citing the company policy that ... more »
Fatal Alabama Police Shooting Caught On Camera
BuzzFeed News have revealed video footage of Alabama police shooting an
unarmed passenger during a traffic stop in 2013. The video which had not
been previously released to the public shows two police officers from
Alabama fatally shooting unarmed black man, Cameron Massey, while he was a
passenger in a car during a traffic stop in October 2013. The attorney
representing the family of the slain man, refutes police’s claims of self
defense in the face of imminent danger. Buzz Feed reports: Albert Samaha
YouTube video: The video, which has not been previously released publicly,
contai... more »
Nikki Haley Confirms She Targeted Trump in SOTU Response and That GOP Leaders Approved the Text Beforehand
[image: Nikki Haley - 400]
Nikki Haley, the South Carolina governor hand-picked by House Speaker Rep.
Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to
give the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union
addressed, confirmed Wednesday morning that she did...
Continue reading *“Nikki Haley Confirms She Targeted Trump in SOTU Response
and That GOP Leaders Approved the Text Beforehand”* at *breitbart.com*.
Iran Navy Commander: Iranian Missiles Locked On US Aircraft Carrier After 10 US Navy Sailors Were Arrested
USS Harry S. Truman (Wikimedia)
*Fars News Agency*:* IRGC Navy Commander: Iranian Missiles Locked on US
Aircraft Carrier*
TEHRAN (FNA)- Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Rear
Admiral Ali Fadavi blamed the US navy for its excited and unprofessional
moves after Iran arrested 10 US marines for trespassing on its territorial
waters, warning that his forces' coast-to-sea missiles were awaiting orders
to hit the American aircraft carrier deployed in the region.
The IRGC seized two US Navy boats on Tuesday and detained them on Iran's
Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. N... more »
World News Briefs -- January 13, 2016
*Daily Mail: **'The most powerful nation on earth... it's not even close':
Obama heralds America's 'optimism and work ethic' in his final State of the
Union address in attack on Trump's past glory 'hot air'*
* 'There have been those who told us to fear the future... promising to
restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening
America under control,' he said. 'And each time, we overcame those fears'
* The speech was Obama's eighth and final SOTU and he used the address to
take on his critics, particularly those in the Republican Party running for
president,... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 13, 2016
U.S. President Barack Obama waves at the conclusion of his final State of
the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington January 12,
2016. REUTERS/Evan Vucci/Pool
*The Hill:* *Obama re-ups call for ISIS war authorization*
President Obama uses part of his State of the Union address Tuesday to once
again push Congress to pass an authorization for the use of military force
against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“If this Congress is serious about winning this war and wants to send a
message to our troops and the world, you should finally authorize the use
... more »
BWorld 38, Climate change and the need for cheap energy
* This is my article in BusinessWorld yesterday.
Climate changes from warming to cooling to warming to cooling, in endless
natural and cyclical pattern. A period of global warming for decades is
followed by a period of global cooling, which also lasts for decades. So
global warming has precedents, it is not “unprecedented.”
There was global warming in the past when there was not even a single car
or coal power plant. This chart shows that modern warm period that peaked
in the last century was not exceptional or scary.
Energy policies in many countries have been heavily distorted... more »
VA GOP Bill Would Require Schools To Verify Children’s Genitals
A new bill filed this week by Virginia Delegate Mark Cole would require
that schools ensure students are using restrooms that correlate to their
“correct anatomical sex”. The bill defines anatomical sex as: the physical
condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s
anatomy. Under the legislation, any student who violates the bathroom rules
could be fined $50 by law enforcement. As noted by Crooks and Liars, under
the bills definition, the only way for anyone to determine such a thing
would be to examine the student’s genitalia as they enter the restroom.
Peaco... more »
Browne and Dunn applied to lead to new trial
R v Abdulle, 2016 ABCA 5:
[11] The rule in *Browne v Dunn* requires counsel to put a matter
to a witness if counsel intends to present contradictory evidence on that
matter through a later witness: *Werkman* at para 7. Where the rule is
breached, the trial judge may take the failure into account in assessing
credibility: *Werkman* at para 9. The failure to cross-examine must relate
to matters of substance. Where the evidence is of little significance in
the overall context of the case, the failure to cross-examine should have
no effect on the assessment of credibility: *R ... more »
Did The U.S. Apologize (Or Not) To Iran To Gain The Release Of Their Sailors?
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden attends a meeting between President Barack
Obama and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in the Oval Office at the White
House in Washington December 9, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
*WNU Editor*: Vice President Biden claims that no apology was issued .... *Biden:
Iran didn't want or get apology for boats incident* (CBS). The Iranians are
saying otherwise .... *Iran frees trespassing US sailors after Americans
apologized* (Press TV). Who to believe?
What Obama Got Wrong in the State of the Union
[image: President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with U.S. Vice President
Joe Biden as U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R) looks on after
delivering the State of the Union speech before members of Congress in the
House chamber of the U.S. Capitol January 12, 2016 in Washington, DC.]
Heritage Foundation experts weighed in on the policies President Barack
Obama mentioned in his last State of the Union address. Here is what they
had to say after the president's speech. Economy Education Foreign Policy
and National Security Climate Change Health Care... more »
THE YEAR OF THE LIBERAL: At UVa and on other stage sets!
*WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2016Part 3—The year of liberal script:* In the
realm of journalism, was 2015 really "The Year of the Liberal?"
That's what it says around here—and we don't mean for that award to be
understood as a compliment.
At sites like The Maddow Show and the new Salon, 2015 was the year of
liberal dumbing-down, as we noted last week. But at UVa and on other stage
sets, it was also the year of liberal narrative—the year of liberal script.
In 2015, the emerging liberal/progressive world displayed a new, basic part
of its developing culture. For better or worse—opinions... more »
Iran Has Released 10 US Navy Sailors Who 'Strayed' In Iranian Waters (News Round-up)
*New York Times*: *Iran Releases U.S. Sailors Accused of ‘Trespassing’*
TEHRAN — Iran has released two United States Navy patrol boats and 10 crew
members who were described as “trespassing” in Iranian waters near a major
naval base, state news media reported on Wednesday.
The Pentagon and the State Department said that one of the boats had
experienced mechanical problems en route to Bahrain from Kuwait on a
routine mission on Tuesday, and the Iranians appeared to have accepted that
explanation.
The release was announced shortly before 10 a.m. on an Iranian state-run
news channel... more »
Security In Iraq, Jan 1-7, 2016
2016 got off to a violent start in Iraq. There was a surge in operations by
the Islamic State. First, the group was trying to make up for the loss of
central Ramadi by carrying out a wave of attacks in western Anbar. It was
also continuing with its winter offensive against the Kurds in Ninewa. That
along with the discovery of a few mass graves with victims of IS led to a
bloody week in Iraq.
There were 150 reported security incidents in the first week of January.
That was the most attacks since the first week of August 2015 when there
were 154. Insurgent activity has been going d... more »
Teachers in High Poverty Schools Get Lower Evaluation Scores
Did you ever believe that using test scores to evaluate and reward teachers
could be a disincentive to teaching in high poverty schools? You were
right.
From Chicago:
Teachers who score the lowest under the district’s relatively new
evaluation system are overrepresented in schools with the highest
concentration of poor students, according to a new report that looks for
the first time at how teachers’ scores correlate with characteristics such
as student poverty, teacher race and school climate.
Issued Tuesday by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research,
the report ... more »
Airplane Manufacturer Airbus Has Revealed A 'Drone Killer' System That Can Disable UAVs
Airbus has revealed a new 'drone killer' system that can automatically
monitor an area - and disable the drone by jamming its signals if it spots
one.
*Daily Mail*: *Airbus reveals 'drone killer' camera system that can
automatically detect and disable UAVs *
* Cameras and sensors can scan large areas
* Signals can be 'spoofed' to allow operators to hijack it
* Drone can also be jammed to stop in functioning
* System can work out exactly where it is being controlled from
They have begun a growing threat to airports, power stations and even
public events.
Now, Airbus has revealed a n... more »
Can Britain Win Its Battle of Ideas Against Radical Muslims Without the Divine Source of Its Ideas? Probably Not.
[image: English Church_Westminster Abbey_900]
Possibly no other country in the Western world has invested more than
Britain in fighting the appeal of Islamic extremism. Last October the
government launched a Counter-Extremism Strategy with great determination.
Prime Minister David Cameron described the fight against "this... more »
It’s Cruz vs. Trump and Rubio vs. Carson in Home-Stretch Iowa Poll
[image: Ted Cruz Iowa]
Four candidates have pulled away from the field in the final weeks before
voting begins, according to a Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register
survey. Less than three weeks before Iowa caucus-goers cast the first votes
of the 2016 presidential election, the Republican contest...
Continue reading *“It’s Cruz vs. Trump and Rubio vs. Carson in Home-Stretch
Iowa Poll”* at *bloomberg.com*.
What 52 Lawmakers Said about Obama’s State of the Union Speech
[image: President Barack Obama waves as he walks back up the aisle at
conclusion of his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress
on Capitol Hill January 12, 2016 in Washington, D.C.]
President Barack Obama delivered his seventh and final State of the Union
Address Tuesday night, repeatedly emphasizing the need for Americans on
both sides of the political spectrum to come together to advance the nation
as a whole. "Will we... more »
Krishnamurti on Quieting the Mind
*Wes Annac* - An encouragement of liberation from the distractions, desires
and habits of the mind by one of the greatest spiritual teachers.
The post Krishnamurti on Quieting the Mind appeared first on Waking Times.
Learn What the Controllers Have Planned for Your Brain
*Catherine J. Frompovich* - A recently-released 22 minute video that
explains what the controllers have planned for everyone’s brain!
The post Learn What the Controllers Have Planned for Your Brain appeared
first on Waking Times.
Court denies appeal of HIV fraudster’s 57-month prison sentence
An appeals court has affirmed the stiff prison sentence for Dong-Pyou Han,
the former Iowa State University researcher who faked the results of an HIV
vaccine experiment in rabbits. In July 2015, Han was sentenced to 57 months
in prison, and ordered to repay more than $7 million to the U.S. National
Institutes of Health. […]
The post Court denies appeal of HIV fraudster’s 57-month prison sentence
appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Free will of particles and people
*It's so simple*
This text is a simple attempt to rephrase the recent thoughts about the
free will (including the content of the comments) in a way that is more
organized according to the philosophers' jargon.
Philosophers have debated the "free will" for centuries. The basic question
is whether the free will exists but philosophers love to ask a different
"first" question:
Is the free will *compatible* with the determinism of the Universe?
Those who answer "Yes, compatible" are called "compatibilist". Those who
answer "No, incompatible" are called incompatibilists. Now, many peopl... more »
On Economic Policies, There Are Reactionaries, A Conservative And A Progressive
All the Republican candidates' tax plans head in the same direction-- an
upward redistribution of wealth for the rich. In other words, regardless of
which Republican you pick, if he or she is elected to the White House, the
rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer and the middle class will
continue to disappear. But Monday, writing for *Politico*, Ben White
reported on why economists across the spectrum see Trump's plan as far
worse than any of the other's. To start, were Trump's plan ever to be
enacted, it would guarantee a recession, a recession who's most hard hit
victims... more »
Nikki Haley Delivers the GOP Response … and Delivers
[image: FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2015, photo. South Carolina Gov. Nikki
Haley speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. Americans should
resist "the siren call of the angriest voices" in how it treats immigrants,
Haley said Jan. 12, 2016, as the GOP used its formal response to President
Barack Obama's State of the Union address to try softening the tough stance
embraced by some of the GOP's leading presidential candidates. (AP
Photo/Evan Vucci)]
South Carolina’s Governor Nikki Haley was given the traditionally thankless
task of delivering the official GOP response to President ... more »
Royal Bank Of Scotland Economists: 'SELL EVERYTHING!!!!!'
© Lucas Jackson / Reuters
*The Guardian*: *Sell everything ahead of stock market crash, say RBS
economists*
*Royal Bank of Scotland warns of ‘cataclysmic’ year with slumps in shares
and oil and advises clients to shift to bonds.*
Investors face a “cataclysmic year” where stock markets could fall by up to
20% and oil could slump to $16 a barrel, economists at the Royal Bank of
Scotland have warned.
In a note to its clients the bank said: “Sell everything except high
quality bonds. This is about return of capital, not return on capital. In a
crowded hall, exit doors are small.” It ... more »
Norfolk’s Keeping Rivers Cool Initiative
By Paul Homewood h/t Dave Ward
http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/farming/tree_planting_project_aims_to_cool_norfolk_s_rivers_1_4372850
Nutter alert in Norwich! The EDP reports: The Norfolk Rivers Trust,
working in partnership with the Environment Agency, is planting 1,300 trees
along the banks of the River Bure and the River Yare under the Keeping
Rivers Cool initiative. The project aims to reduce […]
Both Sides In The Somali Conflict Want To play Soccer
Somali boys play football at Mogadishu’s popular Lido Beach. Photo: Reuters
*New York Daily News*: *Al Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab invited
to enter Somalia soccer tournament despite history of violence: 'We are not
against them and they are not against us'*
The leader of Somali’s soccer federation wants to play ball with Al Shabaab.
The Al Qaeda-linked militant group was invited to participate in Somalia's
soccer tournament, despite the group's resentment toward the sport and
history of bloodshed, including deadly attacks during the 2010 World Cup.
Abdiqani Said Arab, th... more »
Valentine's Day Rice Krispies Pops
All things pink and red haven't just been at our craft table and in our
printables, they are popping up in the kitchen too. Today I am sharing one
of our favorite treats to make for Valentine's Day. They are festive and so
easy to make them coordinate whatever event you are throwing! If you are
really in a pinch for time, you could use store bought treats and just dip
them in chocolate!
You will need:
- half a stick of butter
- 1 bag of marshmallows (10 or 16 OZ)
- 1 box of Rice Krispies (If you use a 16 OZ bag of marshmallows, you
might want a box and a little e... more »
"Happiness"
*"Happiness"*
"You can't eat happiness
You can't buy it. You can't wear it.
You can't drive it, or drink it, or sell it, or steal it.
You can't lock it away. You can't negotiate for it.
You can't win it, you can't marry it, you can't inherit it,
you can't cheat it. You can't smoke it, or inject it,
or rent it or borrow it. You can't campaign for it
or beg for it, or talk other people into giving you theirs.
You can live happiness. You can create it. You can be it.
You can give it to others. You can enjoy it. You can share it.
You can claim it. You can have as much as you wish.
You can en... more »
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Attends Pre-trial Hearing
*Daily Mail:** Sgt Bowe Bergdahl appears in court in military attire as
lawyers consider how to handle 300,000 pages of classified documents before
trial begins this summer*
* Bergdahl faces 25 years for desertion and misbehavior before the enemy
* He is yet to enter plea, was in court for second pretrial hearing on
Tuesday
* Lawyers have to wade through 300,000 pages of papers for the case
* Meanwhile, Bergdahl's own telling of his story continues on Serial
Sgt Bowe Bergdahl has appeared in court for his pre-trial hearing.
An Army judge is considering how to handle more than 300,0... more »
Obama’s State of Delusion Address
[image: Obama state of the Union__compressed]
President Obama's final State of the Union address was a patchwork quilt of
leftist talking points, pseudo-patriotic rah-rah, false statements,
manipulative rhetoric and evasions. To write a coherent response would
convey the false impression that the speech itself held together.... more »
ISIS in Afghanistan Claim Pakistan Consulate Attack, 7 Killed
[image: An Afghan man carries two schoolgirls away from a clash site, in
Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Jan. 13,
2016. Several members of the Afghan security forces were killed Wednesday
after unidentified gunmen attacked the Pakistani consulate in a volatile
eastern province, an official said on Wednesday.]
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The Islamic State group claimed responsibility
for an attack on a Pakistani consulate in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday,
which Afghan officials said left at least seven members of the security
forces dead. In a state... more »
Former Pastors Report Lack of Support Led to Abandoning Pastorate
[image: former pastors]
No sabbatical. No help with counseling. No clear picture of what's
expected. Hundreds of former senior pastors say these were the crucial
elements missing from the final churches they led before quitting the
pastorate. A recent study by LifeWay Research...
Continue reading *“Former Pastors Report Lack of Support Led to Abandoning
Pastorate”* at *lifewayresearch.com*.
"What Is Hope?"
*"What Is Hope?"*
by Rubin Alves
"What is hope? It is the pre-sentiment that imagination is more real and
reality is less real than it looks. It is the hunch that the overwhelming
brutality of facts that oppress and repress us is not the last word. It is
the suspicion that reality is more complex than the realists want us to
believe. That the frontiers of the possible are not determined by the
limits of the actual; and in a miraculous and unexplained way, life is
opening creative events which will light the way to freedom and
resurrection. But the two - suffering and hope - must li... more »
"Aristeia..."
"The Greeks took for granted a warrior-ethic ("aristeia," the virtues,
values, culture and competence of "aristoi") not just between man and
nature, and one city and another, and in the competitive contests (agones)
between one person or point of view and another, but most especially
between the individual mind striving for illumination and the vast
surrounding obscure chaos of all that we do not know or understand or, as
yet, have the resources to master. Humans from the earliest days of their
lives have already planted their feet on one of two paths, one leading
toward self-illum... more »
Iran Releases 10 US Sailors Held In Gulf
The ten US sailors who were captured by Revolutionary Guards after entering
Iranian waters have been released. The US military confirmed the sailors’
release after the Guards issued a statement claiming they were freed into
international waters after an apology from Washington. The statement read
:“We decided to release them after conducting a technical investigation and
consultations with our national security officials, and also after
establishing that their trespassing into the waters of the Islamic Republic
was unintentional and also receiving apology from them” Press TV reports:... more »
What Gives In North Korea?
http://www.theguardian.com/
We in the West look at Kim Jong Un as a madman -- young though he be. And
perhaps he is mad. But the story isn't that simple. Tom Walkom provides
some context:
There is an armistice signed by North Korea and the U.S. But there is no
peace treaty. When North Korea sabre-rattles, or when South Korea responds
in kind, each believes it is responding rationally to the provocations of
an implacable enemy.
Neither side is blameless in this. The U.S. never did agree to the
political talks required by the armistice... more »
"Ripples"
*"Ripples"*
by James W. Foley
"Drop a pebble in the water and with just a splash it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.
Drop a pebble in the water and in a minute you forget,
But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You've disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.
Drop an unkind or careless word and in a minute it is gone;
B... more »
Michigan National Guard, FEMA Help Flint Amid Water Crisis
[image: Maurice Rice organizes cases of water at the Joy Tabernacle Church
on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Flint, Mich. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder pledged
Monday that officials would make contact with every household in Flint to
check whether residents have bottled water and a filter.]
FLINT, Mich. (AP) -- Members of the Michigan National Guard are headed to
Flint to help dole out bottled water, filters and other supplies to
residents dealing with a drinking water crisis that began months ago. Gov.
Rick Snyder activated... more »
GOP to Obama: You Have No ISIS Plan
[image: obama barack]
Congressional Republicans ripped President Obama for failing to come up
with a plan to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after he
accused them of exaggerating the terror threat in his final State of the
Union address....
Continue reading *“GOP to Obama: You Have No ISIS Plan”* at *thehill.com*.
Judge Calls for Jackie to Release Documents in Rolling Stone Lawsuit
[image: Rolling Stone U. Va]
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- A federal judge said Tuesday that a young woman who
was the central figure in a sensational Rolling Stone story of a gang rape
at the University of Virginia will have to turn over documents related to...
Continue reading *“Judge Calls for Jackie to Release Documents in Rolling
Stone Lawsuit”* at *washingtonpost.com*.
Turkey Arrests 1 in Connection with Istanbul Suicide Attack
[image: German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere left, listens to his
Turkish counterpart Efkan Ala, right, during a joint news conference in
Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in
the heart of Istanbul's historic district on Tuesday, killing 10 foreigners
— most of them German tourists — and wounding 15 other people in the latest
in a string of attacks by the Islamic extremists targeting westerners.]
ISTANBUL (AP) -- Turkish police have arrested one person in connection with
the suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed 10 foreigners, most of them
... more »
The Stream’s John Zmirak Joins Eric Metaxas to Discuss Muslim Rape Gangs in Europe
[image: Eric Metaxas]
Textbook Sales Manager in New O’Keefe Undercover Video: Common Core ‘All about the Money’
[image: Common Core]
Conservative activist James O'Keefe has released a new undercover video,
which he says proves Common Core education standards are simply a play by
textbook publishers to make money by selling modified textbooks. O'Keefe's
Project Veritas first released his video Tuesday morning through The Daily
Mail.... more »
Sanders Pulls Even With Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, While Biden Intervenes
[image: Bernie Crowding Hillary - 900]
Just three weeks before the Iowa caucus, Bernie Sanders has pulled even
with Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic voters in both Iowa and New
Hampshire, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll, and he
would do better in the general election... more »
Untitled
*Oxford University's senior leaders tell students who shut down
'open-minded' debate amid Cecil Rhodes controversy 'we should never
tolerate intolerance'*
Oxford University’s most senior leaders have launched a stinging attack on
campus zealots who shut down debate with so-called ‘no-platforming’
policies.
Louise Richardson, the new Vice Chancellor, and Chancellor Chris Patten,
said yesterday that students must learn the value of engaging with
‘objectionable’ ideas in universities.
They said youngsters must understand the true nature of freedom of inquiry,
which can involve dis... more »
Somerset Floods – Rainfall Was Not Unprecedented, So Why Did The Levels Flood?
By Paul Homewood I mentioned about progress on the Somerset Flood
Action Plan last week. We have not had any rainfall anywhere near as much
as the winter of 2013/14 since, so it is difficult to say whether the Plan
will totally solve flooding problems. But a look at the local rainfall
records […]
Untitled
*Billionaires Claim To Fight Global Warming*
*Private funding of energy research is fine. They might even come up with
something useful. That whatever they come up with will affect the earth's
temperature is however vanishingly unlikely. It could only do so if the
figure for the climate sensitivity to CO2 was substantial -- and all the
evidence is that it is negligible -- if it is positive at allSo what gives?
It is just rich people buying approval for themselves: Good PR*
The path toward acting on global warming is a long one, fraught with red
tape and slow political proc... more »
Fighting for the Soul of the Republican Party
[image: Ryan and Scott - 900]
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA -- At a time and day -- 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday --
when most Americans are sleeping in, the Kemp Forum on Expanding
Opportunity convened in the capacious Columbia, South Carolina, convention
center. Even at 8:15, it was tough... more »
Sanders Ad Burst Coincides with Upward Movement in Polls
[image: In this Jan. 11, 2016, photo, Democratic presidential candidate,
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, argues a point during the Brown & Black Forum,
in Des Moines, Iowa. Sanders has been putting up major advertising cash to
seize momentum heading into the Democratic presidential primary _
outspending his rival Hillary Clinton just as voters are beginning to pay
attention to the race. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bernie Sanders has been putting up major advertising
cash to seize momentum heading into the Democratic presidential primaries
-- outspending his rival Hil... more »
S. Korea Fires Warning Shots after North Korean Drone Seen
[image: South Korean President Park Geun-hye answers to a reporter's
question during her news conference at the Presidential Blue House in
Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. Park on Wednesday urged North
Korea's only major ally, China, to help punish Pyongyang's recent nuclear
test with the strongest possible international sanctions.]
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea on Wednesday fired 20 machine gun
warning shots after a North Korean drone briefly crossed the rivals’
border, officials said, the first shots fired in a Cold War-style standoff
between the Koreas in... more »
USC Students Required to Detail Sexual History before Registering for Classes
[image: USC]
A mandatory online course at the University of Southern California (USC)
asks students to disclose the number of sexual encounters they have had
over the past three months and teaches students to ask for consent by
saying "how far would...
Continue reading *“USC Students Required to Detail Sexual History before
Registering for Classes”* at *campusreform.org*.
Economic News , Data & Views ( January 13 , 2016 ) Europe ( 1. Anti-Semitism Hits Marseille , France . 2. Refugee/ Economic Migration / Border Security Items . 3. Greece - Troika Talks Items. 4. EZ Data Splash. 5. Spanish Parliament Voting For Speaker Proceeding. 6. Russia- Ukraine Items Of Note. 7. Odds & Ends. ) Asia In Focus ( 1. China Improving Export/ Import Data Fails To Lift Stocks In China. 2. South Korea Trade Data & Bank Lending Data Released. 3. New Zealand House Price Data Slows Y/Y for Dec . 4. Iran Denies Knowledge Of Call For Early OPEC Meeting. 5. Japan - BOJ Buys Corporate Bonds At Negative Yield For The First Time . 6. Brazil Rules Out Foreign Bond Sales For 2016. 7. Commodity Crush Continues - OPEC Basket Less than 26 USD. )
Evening wrap......
*Simon Ting* @simonting 5m5 minutes ago
2015 Local Gov't Debts outstanding 3.8 trln RMB, 2016 may +1 trln more...
*zerohedge* @zerohedge 38m38 minutes ago
Hong Kong Dollar De-Pegging Risk Spikes As Yuan Slides, China Stocks Drop
To 2-Year Lows http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-1
3/japanese-stocks-plunge-china-bond-yields-hit-record-low-after-pboc-injects-25-billio
…
*Haidi Lun 伦海迪* @HaidiLun 2m
32 minutes ago
Big miss on Japan core machinery orders, -14.4% m/m in November (est
-7.9%), first drop in 3 months. +1.2% y/y (est +6.3%). Vol... more »
U.S. Navy Sailors Held by Iran Are Released with Their Boats
[image: This picture released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, shows detained American Navy sailors in an
undisclosed location in Iran. Iranian state television is reporting that
all 10 U.S. sailors detained by Iran after entering its territorial waters
have been released.]
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- All 10 U.S. Navy sailors detained by Iran after
drifting into its territorial waters a day earlier have been freed, the
U.S. and Iran said Wednesday. The Navy said the American crewmembers
returned safely and there... more »
United Nations: International Migration Is Exploding
*DW:* *UN reports 244 million migrants, including 20 million refugees in
2015 report*
In its latest report, the United Nations has reported a 41 percent rise in
the number of migrants over the last 15 years. Of 244 million migrants
registered last year, 20 million were refugees.
Two thirds of all international migrants were reported to be living in only
20 countries, with the largest number - about a fifth of the total - living
in the United States. After the US, Germany, Russia and Saudi Arabia
registered the largest number of migrants.
"The number of international migrants worl... more »
Musical Interlude: Gandalf, “Blossoms Unfolding”
Gandalf, “Blossoms Unfolding”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRf9scJDbb8
Musical Interlude: Hans Zimmer, “Time”
Hans Zimmer, “Time”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuAGGZNfUkU
"Time goes, you say? Ah no!
Alas, Time stays, *we* go."
~ Henry Austin Dobson
The Soviet 'Death Star' And The End Of The Soviet Program To Militarise Space
Image: Wikimedia Commons/Defense Intelligence Agency.
*Steve Weintz, National Interest*:* The Rise and Fall of the Soviet 'Death
Star'*
Polyus was designed to destroy satellites with a one-megawatt laser.
The ambitions of the United States and the Soviet Union, late in the Cold
War, to launch massive weapons into outer space sounds like a fever dream
today. Few however know just how serious it got, with the USSR making
impressive progress on plans for a so-called “Red Death Star” to be
launched into orbit.
Despite signing a 1972 anti–ballistic missile treaty with the United
State... more »
Why Planned Parenthood Had an Even Worse Year Than You Think
It got red hot this year and generally stayed that way. I also do not see
the pressure abating easily. Those doctored videos served their purpose
admirably. The horse has long bolted and truth is staggering after to undo
some of the damage.
What is happening is a societal shift in attitudes. I expect major
rethinking to take place and to see a lot less abortions allowed. The
moral problem has not gone away and has come more clearly into focus.
We will still not have a final solution but we will certainly have an
adjustment.
.
*Why Planned Parenthood Had an Even Worse Year... more »
The Storm That Will Unfreeze the North Pole
Not so quick of course. This is no different than a blizzard in July. We
have had a lot of erratic weather but the real effect is much less than is
often imagine.
However it was a nice break i am sure for the brief spell that it lasted.
I would like to see measure of net heat applied on daily basis. Almost
impossible to measure but it is worth actually trying. We are mapping a
blog of heat chasing across the ice and then sliding back out to sea with
or without significant losses..
.
*The Storm That Will Unfreeze the North Pole*
*It caps off a month—and year—of weird weather... more »
A Functional Medicine Approach to Cancer
We are all obviously reading the same literature and reaching the same
conclusions. What emerges is that all other treatments aside and many may
be necessary, it is critical to change over the 'soil' to make conditions
inhospitable to cancer.
We almost need a formal healing retreat in which folks can receive the
support to properly heal and change out their life style as well. It can
even be used as a training environment and an ayahausca center as well.
We have got to get past the protocol of handing over a wish list and hoping
that the patient can do the rest himself. It is o... more »
UK Breaks with Obama on Muslim Terror Threat
All political parties must in words and deeds eschew violence. Anything
else is fascism or some such totalitarian ideology grasping to seize power
by any means possible. Inevitably it attracts like and the leadership soon
beats others into submission.
Every such organization funnels the violence into a front organization in
order to keep their political skirts clean. It is their silence and lack
of action to prevent such activity that confirms their intent.
The Egyptian military is not stupid either. They let them hang themselves
before they rounded up the activists once ag... more »
Why Are Amazon's Data Centres In The 'Heart' Of Spy Country?
Amazon Data Center CNN
*The Atlantic*: *Why Amazon's Data Centers Are Hidden in Spy Country*
The company powers much of the Internet, but its cloud facilities are
difficult to find.
Once in a while—not quite often enough to be a crisis, but just often
enough to be a trope—people in the United States will freak out because a
huge number of highly popular websites and services have suddenly gone
down. For an interminable period of torture (usually about 1-3 hours, tops)
there is no Instagram to browse, no Tinder to swipe, no Github to push to,
no Netflix to And Chill.
When this hap... more »
Medical Report Reveals Vitamin D3 Kills Cancer Cells
A new medical report has revealed that vitamin D3 is effective at killing
cancer cells following a trial involving patients with an aggressive form
of breast cancer (IBC). The research uses the active form of D3,
calcitriol, delivered by quantum dots to IBC tumors. Naturalblaze.com
reports: Quantum dots are engineered, miniscule delivery vehicles which can
maneuver directly to a tumor site. Our skin can actually manufacture enough
levels of calcitriol (vitamin D) in as little as 15 minutes of sunlight per
24 hours. What will hinder this process is sunscreen and how dark we are,
the ... more »
Tweet For Today
Four-way war in #Aleppo, northern #Syria. Map by @edmaps, crudely edited by
me Arrow: recent attack Line: key road pic.twitter.com/f7nL1ZOQj5
— Aron Lund (@aronlund) January 8, 2016
Why Is A CIA-Backed Company Grabbing Commercial Real Estate In Palo Alto
*CNBC*: *The CIA-backed start-up that's taking over Palo Alto*
Downtown Palo Alto, the heart and soul of Silicon Valley and former home to
Google, Facebook and PayPal, is slowly turning into a scene out of "Lord of
the Rings."
Palantir Technologies, a highly secretive software developer whose name is
derived from a magical crystal ball in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel, has
been gobbling up real estate in the upscale home of Stanford University,
and — according to critics — uprooting a vibrant start-up ecosystem in the
process.
Unlike its start-up predecessors, which outgrew the c... more »
Trump's Name Now Has Cooties Among Groups He Markets His Crap To-- The SOTU May Accelerate That
Even before President Obama slammed Trumpf's divisive, ugly bigotry during
tonight's State of the Union address-- never mentioning his name-- people
were noticing fresh cracks in the Trump edifice. "That’s why we need to
reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This
isn’t a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding
what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it
respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every
faith. His Holiness, Pope Francis, told this body from the very spot I
... more »
Marriage of strings and loops again?
*No, thank you.*
People often behave in funny ways – and the human chemistry is hard to
predict. That's why the marriages may sometimes look surprising to the
external world, too. Over the weekend, Rupert Murdoch engaged retired
supermodel Jerry Hall,
congratulations, and the wedding is imminent. During her career, she has
protested things like the expansion of an airport – it's probably what
makes Rupert excited. Well, it's not easy to marry different scientific
theories if they're genuinely different. They may only marry if they're
shown compatible and, in the case of sufficien... more »
Refugee Crisis: Police Officer Admits ‘We Can’t Arrest Them’
A German police officer has revealed that law enforcement are unable to
arrest refugees amid a violent refugee crisis in Germany. The officer,
referred to as Bernd K., said many incidents involving excessive violence,
sexual assaults and racism by refugees are being kept a secret by the
government. “At first, mostly families with children – who looked educated
and spoke English – were coming here,” the officer said. “Meanwhile, 95
percent of refugees are now single men.” RT.com reports: Swedish police
accused of covering up mass sexual assaults by refugees at music festival
https:... more »
Obama Offers Upbeat View of Nation in Final State of the Union Address
[image: President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address
before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday,
Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)]
Before a packed House gallery and millions of his fellow countrymen,
President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address
Tuesday night, offering a rosy portrait of his accomplishments in office
and declaring that America can only have the future it wants... more »
Picture Of The Day
*Leader Meeting *
Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right, makes remarks as he and Secretary of
State John Kerry meet with Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario,
center left, and Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, left, at the
State Department in Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 2016. The leaders met to
discuss matters of mutual importance. DoD photo by Air Force Senior Master
Sgt. Adrian Cadiz
Why The U.S. Should Be Concerned That China Is Building A Base In Africa
*James Poulos, The Week:* *China is building its first military base in
Africa. America should be very nervous.*
Africa is likely to become one of the biggest stories of 2016, and not
because of some horrific new disease or harrowing new war. Instead, an
unprecedented new dynamic is about to shape the continent. The U.S. and
China, major powers with a minor footprint, are both poised for much deeper
and more direct involvement in African affairs.
And rather than finding themselves on a crash course, they're facing a more
complex — and, for America, unnerving — situation. Thanks to... more »
GOP Race Hasn’t Stuck to the Script
[image: SIMI VALLEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Republican presidential candidates
Donald Trump (L) and Jeb Bush argue during the presidential debates at the
Reagan Library on September 16, 2015 in Simi Valley, California.]
According to conventional wisdom, the GOP nominates the guy whose turn it
is, while the Democrats look for a savior. As Bill Clinton once said, “In
every presidential election, Democrats want to fall in love. Republicans
just fall in line.”... more »
Activists Infiltrate Government Crisis Actors Terrorism Drill
Activists have managed to infiltrate and film a mock bioterrorism drill in
Texas, confirming the fact that the government use crisis actors in staged
terrorist events. The video lends weight to claims by alternative media
that ‘real’ terrorist incidents also use crisis actors pointing to the fact
that they are actually false flag events. Officials from the Dallas County
Department of Health and Human Services suspended the First Amendment once
they discovered that activists were filming the top-secret military
exercise, telling the activists “you don’t have rights”. Brettsanders.me
... more »
Wasserman Schultz Thinks She Gets To Decide Which Racial Group You Need To Be In To Run For Congress
Mind your own business
Wassermann Schultz and some of her cronies, Lois Frankel for one, are
trying to get Val Demings elected to Congress in the Orlando area,
specifically in the very redistricted 10th CD, currently occupied by Daniel
"Taliban Dan" Webster. The new district is way too blue for Webster-- under
the new lines, Obama would have beaten Romney 60.7% to 38.4% instead of
losing to Romney 53.3% to 42.5%-- and he's district shopping now, although
will most likely wind up in FL-11, since Rich Nugent is retiring and the
district is safely red. The changes, obviously are demogra... more »
Iran Says It Will Release Snooping Sailors On Wednesday
Tehran have told the United States that they will return the ten sailors
who are currently being held hostage by Iran in the Gulf, by Wednesday.
Two U.S. Navy vessels were held in Iranian custody on Tuesday as the boats
travelled one mile within Iranian territory without permission. Iranian
officials have accused America of attempting to ‘snoop’ around Iranian
waters, but agreed to return the sailors aboard the vessels after John F.
Kerry spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif about the
incident. Washingtonpost.com reports: Kerry “made the case very strongly”
to Z... more »
Big Changes Are Occurring In China's Military
(*Click on Image to Enlarge*)
BEIJING, Jan. 11, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, front),
also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee
and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), poses for a group
photo during a meeting with the new heads of the reorganized organs of the
CMC in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 11, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
*CCTV*: *China reshuffles military headquarters*
BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- China has reorganized its four military
headquarters -- staff, politics, logistics and armaments -- into 15 new
agenc... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin*
Meanwhile In Chicago, 120 People Shot In First 10 Days Of 2016
Meet "Beware" - The New Police Tool That Data-Mines Your Life
Chinese Shipyards "Vanish" As Baltic Dry Collapses To New Record Low
The Company Behind LA's Methane Disaster Knew Its Well Was Leaking 24 Years
Ago
Nigerian Currency Collapses After Central Bank Halts Dollar Sales To Stall
"Hyperinflation Monster"
Iran Seizes 2 US Navy Boats, Crewmen For "Illegally Entering Iranian Waters"
Forget $20 Oil: StanChart Says "Prices Could Fall As Low As $10 A Barrel"
Massive Coverup Exposed In Sweden As Media, ... more »
Canadian Media Outlet Caught Lying About People Starving In Madaya, Syria!
With the good guys, the Syrian government forces, winning the war in Syria
to take their country back from the criminal US/Israel/NATO cabal, the
criminals that have wanted Syria destroyed and Bashar al-Assad removed from
power, have become increasingly desperate in their vain attempts to
convince a more skeptical world that "intervention" is required to "save"
Syria...
It has been so disgusting to watch the liars in the Jew spew media across
this planet put out bullshit reports that Bashar al-Assad is a "butcher"
against his own people, or that he has "gassed" his people as well..... more »
Why The U.S. Cannot Match The Propaganda Produced By The Islamic State
*William McCants & Clint Watts, Daily Beast:* *Why the U.S. Can’t Make a
Magazine Like ISIS*
*ISIS’s propaganda success isn’t just online. Its magazine, Dabiq, is read
all over the world. If only the U.S. government was so creative and
effective.*
The Obama Administration attributes much of ISIS’s success at communicating
to its technological savvy, which has elevated the group to a global media
and terrorist phenomenon. The president has gone so far as to say that the
Paris attackers were a “bunch of killers with good social media.”
Despite the praise heaped on the so-called Isla... more »
AP Source: NFL Committee Picks Combined Stadium over Rams’ Bid
[image: Oakland Raiders fans Griz Jones, left, and Ray Perez make their
case for keeping the NFL football team in Oakland outside the hotel where
NFL owners are meeting Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Houston to discuss
possible relocation to Los Angeles.]
HOUSTON (AP) -- An NFL committee exploring moving teams to Los Angeles has
recommended the combined stadium proposal involving Oakland and San Diego
over St. Louis owner Stan Kroenke’s ambitious plan for another venue, a
person with knowledge of the... more »
Making a Murderer Subject Steven Avery Files Appeal
[image: In this March 13, 2007 file photo, Steven Avery listens to
testimony in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton,
Wis. Avery, a convicted killer who is the subject of the Netflix series
“Making a Murderer” filed a new appeal seeking his release Tuesday, Jan.
12, 2016 in an appeals court in Madison, Wi. Avery was convicted of
first-degree intentional homicide in the death of photographer Teresa
Halbach a decade ago.]
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A convicted killer who’s the subject of the Netflix
series “Making a Murderer” has filed an appeal saying authorities used an
... more »
Monsanto’s Chemicals Make Their Way Into 85% of Personal Hygiene Cotton Products
*Alex Pietrowski* - Monsanto's glyphosate is seeping into your body through
personal hygiene products.
The post Monsanto’s Chemicals Make Their Way Into 85% of Personal Hygiene
Cotton Products appeared first on Waking Times.
US Official: National Intelligence Chief’s Personal Online Accounts Hacked
[image: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Just months after reports that someone was hacking CIA
Director John Brennan’s personal email, a U.S. intelligence official is
confirming that online personal accounts linked to Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper also have been hacked. DNI... more »
Imagining David Bowie in Hell
[image: David Bowie - 400]
Born in 1977 to young parents, I grew up with a lot of that era's music in
my home. My father's record collection had quite a range, from the Beatles
to the Doobie Brothers, Chicago to Dire Straits, The Eagles...
Continue reading *“Imagining David Bowie in Hell”* at *onepeterfive.com*.
My Nazi Legacy: A Film about Guilt and Memory
[image: My Nazi Legacy]
Like many other descendants of Holocaust victims, Philippe Sands wanted to
find out more about the circumstances of their deaths. The lawyer and
academic, author of Lawless World and Torture Team, travelled to the
Ukrainian city of Lviv in 2010,...
Continue reading *“My Nazi Legacy: A Film about Guilt and Memory”* at
*prospectmagazine.co.uk*.
The EU and the Left are Lying About Poland’s Pro-Life Government
[image: Polish Flag (Cross of Light) - 900]
Julius Caesar: I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice
refuse: was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; Poles elected
a Jew as the President, Aleksander Kwasniewski, and another as the Foreign
Minister, Bronislaw Geremek....
Continue reading *“The EU and the Left are Lying About Poland’s Pro-Life
Government”* at *currenteventspoland.com*.
Time For Obama To Tell The Truth About Paris Climate Agreement
Tom Harris
Executive Director, International Climate Science Coalition
In his final State of the Union address this evening, President Obama will
almost certainly highlight the role his administration played in securing
the Paris Agreement on climate change. Following the announcement of the
accord last December, he tweeted:
“This is huge: Almost every country in the world just signed on to the
#ParisAgreement on climate change—thanks to American leadership.”— Barack
Obama (@BarackObama) December 12, 2015
But what Obama did not tell Americans, and will undoubtedly not admit
tonight... more »
This was the way public sector unions had to go down, if they do go down #Friedrichs
To be honest, I’ve had to play catch up on the Friedrichs v. CTA case that
is currently before the Supreme Court. Please read the details of the case
if you’re at all about to comment on the issue. Progressive-minded folks,
which includes the bulk of anti-reform educators, see this as the final
undoing of public […]
(Bonus) Quote of the Day: What causes poverty?
*“What causes poverty? Nothing. It’s the original state, the default and
starting point. The real question is, what causes prosperity?”*
~ Per Bylund
.
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
Is There Much Difference, Policy-Wise, Between Cruz, Rubio, Herr Trumpf And Ryan?
Trumpf isn't all that motivated by policy. Like 19th Century American
showman, businessman, huckster and poilitician P.T. Barnun-- one of Herr's
role-models and heroes-- his primary motivation was always and in all
things to "put money in my own coffers." Policy-wise, Trumpf is...
incoherent and, if you want to be kind, "flexible." He has no guiding
principles other than self-aggrandizement. I suppose Rubio comes closest to
that kind of attitude-- although on a more junior level than a seasoned
cynic like Herr-- but Cruz and Ryan are the true believers in the rotgut,
anti-humanity... more »
Report: Oklahoma the Most Pro-Life State, Washington Most Pro-Abortion
[image: most pro-life]
Americans United for Life today released its annual report about the most
pro-life and pro-abortion states when it comes to passing pro-life
legislation that protects women and unborn children. In a change since the
2015 report, Oklahoma overtook Louisiana and...
Continue reading *“Report: Oklahoma the Most Pro-Life State, Washington
Most Pro-Abortion”* at *lifenews.com*.
Two Women Rescued from Alleged Human Traffickers
[image: human traffickers]
RAWLINS -- A young woman who was allegedly the victim of human trafficking
mouthed the words "help me" to a Wyoming Highway Patrol officer last week
at the Shell station in Walcott Junction, resulting in the arrest of a
California...
Continue reading *“Two Women Rescued from Alleged Human Traffickers”* at
*rawlinstimes.com*.
Jan.12: Hello, Irving press? There's a huge fracking disast--hello?
*Full fathom five thy father lies;Of his bones are coral made;Those are
pearls that were his eyes;Nothing of him that doth fade,But doth suffer a
sea-changeInto something rich and strange.Sea-nymphs hourly ring his
knell:Ding-dong.Hark! now I hear them — Ding-dong, bell.*
Feeling the need to start today's Irving press with an intelligent column,
I turned to C4 to read the column by student editor Jana Giles, a student
at Moncton High. She feels we get dosed with too much Shakespeare in our
schools. I agree.
I really got a dose because I went to Montreal High just a few yea... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What's California doing in space? Drifting through the Orion Arm of the
spiral Milky Way Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of
California on the west coast of the United States. Our own Sun also lies
within the Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,500 light-years from the
California Nebula.
*Click image for larger size.*
Also known as NGC 1499, the classic emission nebula is around 100
light-years long. On the featured image, the most prominent glow of the
California Nebula is the red light characteristic of hydrogen atoms
recombining with long lost electrons, st... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Journey”
*“The Journey”*
by Chet Raymo
"Here's a deep-deep sky map of the universe from the March 9, 2006 issue of
Nature. The horizontal scale is a 360 view right around the sky; the
vertical gaps at 6 hours and 24 hours are the parts of the universe that
are blocked to our view by the disk of our own Milky Way Galaxy. The
vertical scale - distance from Earth - is logarithmic (10, 100, 1000, etc.)
measured in megaparsecs (a parsec equals 3.26 light-years). Across the top
is the Big Bang, and the oldest and most distant thing we can see, the
cosmic microwave background, the radiation of the... more »
"When Eyes Are Blinders of the Soul"
*"When Eyes Are Blinders of the Soul"*
By Peter Michaelson
"One way to diminish our suffering is to become conscious of when our eyes
go looking for something that upsets us. Another way is to be watchful of
what our imagination is up to. Just as sponges can soak up dirty water as
easily as clean water, our eyes can also take in impressions from the world
around us that leak misery into our soul. We like to think we use our
visual faculty in pursuit of pleasure, but we also use it to entertain old
hurts, grievances, and longings. Our eyes go looking for pleasure and
stimulation-but... more »
The Poet: Mary Oliver, "What I Have Learned So Far"
*"What I Have Learned So Far"*
"Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I
not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,
looking into the shining world? Because, properly
attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.
Can one be passionate about the just, the
ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
to no labor in its cause? I don't think so.
All summations have a beginning, all effect has a
story, all kindness begins with the sown seed.
Thought buds toward radiance. The gospel of
light is the crossroads of- indolence, or action.
Be ignited, or be gone."
~... more »
5 U.S. National Security Problems That Will Not Be Brought Up In Tonight's 'State Of The Union' Address
*Daily Signal:** 5 National Security Problems You Won’t Hear From Obama’s
State of the Union*
President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union address will address a
range of topics, and almost certainly include foreign policy and national
security in some fashion.
Unfortunately, the president seems set in his misguided ways on national
defense. Here are five things that Obama should say in his State of the
Union address, but almost certainly won’t:
*WNU Editor*: There are a lot more national security problems than 5 ....
but I expect nothing new from tonight's speech on the "Sta... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Duluth, Minnesota, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
"Thoughts on Evil, Human Nature"
*"Thoughts on Evil, Human Nature"*
by W. Christopher Epler
"Carl Sagan, author and astrophysicist from Cornell, used to wonder if
atomic weaponry would be the nemesis of most "advanced species". A flight
of fancy of sorts since whales and elephants are certainly advanced species
but don't feel the need for technology (and should we patronize them for
this since they aren't rapidly destroying the planet?). Is it possible that
much of science and technology are actually synonyms of self destructive
stupidity? A kind of short sighted greed, perhaps.
In any event, what has now totally ... more »
"That One..."
“Man gives every reason for his conduct save one, every excuse for his
crimes save one,
every plea for his safety save one; and that one is his cowardice.”
- George Bernard Shaw
“Rescreening Dr. Strangelove”
*“Rescreening Dr. Strangelove”*
By Hugh Iglarsh
"A friend of mine saw Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned
to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” when it first opened in Paris in 1964.
He and his American army friends were rolling on the floor throughout. The
French audience, however, sat in stony silence. It wasn’t a comedy to them;
it was a documentary. What is it now? In general, Hollywood is America
dreaming – but Strangelove is something different, a “nightmare comedy,” in
Kubrick’s words. It is prophecy disguised as farce – the finest dramatic
analysis we have of... more »
New Center for Medical Progress Video: ‘HARVEST’ — Planned Parenthood’s Custom Abortions for Better Baby Parts
[image: Planned Parenthood sting video - 900]
The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) on Tuesday released a powerful recap
of excerpts from its series of undercover videos of the abortion industry.
Entitled “Harvest,” the video shows top executives from Planned Parenthood
and StemExpress nonchalantly discussing the dismembering, purchasing and
shipping of... more »
Iran Seizes Two U.S. Navy Boats, Detains 10 Sailors
*Navy Times:* *Pentagon: 10 U.S. sailors taken into Iranian custody to be
returned*
Ten sailors and two boats were taken into Iranian custody Tuesday after
their patrol boats drifted into Iranian-claimed waters, according to two
defense officials.
The riverine sailors are believed to have drifted into Iranian territory
after having mechanical issues with their boats. The defense officials said
Secretary of State John Kerry was immediately involved and Iran has agreed
to turn the sailors and vessels over, though they have not been turned over
as of 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( January 12 , 2016 ) Asia In Focus ( 1. Iran hold sailors from two US Boats - just before SOTU Address. 2. Oil & #CommodityCrush items - metals crushed along with oil , Baltic Freight Index hits latest cycle low. 3. Global currencies in focus vs USD. 4. China items of note . 5. Odds & Ends ) Europe in Focus ( Greece - Troika related items - debt resolution , First Review of latest Greece Bailout . 2. Refugee related items & Border security . 3. Doctor's strike causes major disruptions at UK Hospitals and medical procedures. 4. BP slashes 4,000 jobs. 5. Istanbul blast today in tourist areas - German tourists among dead and seriously wounded. 6. Spanish Election Updates - Formation of Gov't still at standstill. 7. Odd & Ends. )
Evening Wrap......
Emerging Nations , Commodities & Asia.....
*The Daily Beast* @thedailybeast 55m
55 minutes ago
BREAKING: Iran will hold US sailors through the State of the Union and into
tomorrow http://thebea.st/1ngxkCL
*Simon Ting* @simonting 5m
5 minutes ago
Since Dama is rushing to banks to exchange RMB for USD, banks in 1st-tier
cities request client to make reservation in advance for >USD1k
*Darryl Zaontz CFA* @HuxleysRazor 7m7 minutes ago
Darryl Zaontz CFA Retweeted People's Daily,China
Here are the *China* BOT figures
Darryl Zaontz CFA... more »
Untitled
*East bank levee authority sees membership shakeup for new year ~Mark
Schleifstein*
*Abita Springs loses another round in legal battle against planned well
~Advocate *
Refugee Madness In Europe: The Consequences of WWI Still Reverberate A 100 Years Later
*"The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East" by Eugene
Rogan (2015). *
*An excerpt from, "Crime Seems to Be Surging in Germany, from New Refugees"
by Eric Zuesse, Washington's Blog, January 11, 2016:*
German Economic News (Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten, or DWN) headlined
on January 11th, “Security Situation in Germany Is Out of Control,” and
reported: “The former chief of Austrian Constitutional Protection, Gert
Polli, holds that a radical policy-change is essential for Germany
regarding immigration. The new phenomena of mass crime can no longer be
concealed fr... more »
Slow Cookers Could Be Lethal
Some slow cookers should carry a health warning. Cookers made in the 1970s
containing lead could be giving you food poisoning and slowly killing you,
according to experts. The Daily Record reports: Boffins have given a
warning about using the old-style pots to make family dinners because they
may have unsafe levels of lead. In fact, the dangerous element could be
slowly poisoning your every meal, according to the experts. Consumer
reporter Bill Gebhardt of Salt Lake City’s KUTV conducted an investigation
into the lead content in kitchen tools in 2004. What he found about slow
cooker... more »
China’s New Military Base in Africa Sign Of Deep Ties With Continent
As China expands its military and economic influence in Africa, the United
States should feel “very nervous,” according to journalist James Poulos.
China is planning to build a military base on the horn of Africa in
Djibouti. It could be the first step toward Beijing’s deeper involvement
with the continent. Sputnik reports: Last year, China began talks with
Djibouti to install a “logistics hub” and airfield in the east African
nation. “Over the past few years both countries’ friendly cooperative
relationship has kept on developing, and in all areas there is practical
cooperation,” C... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 12, 2016
President Barack Obama reacts while talking about Newtown and other mass
killings during an event held to announce new gun control measures at the
White House in Washington January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
*Robert L. Borosage, Reuters*:* Has Obama really changed America?*
Is Barack Obama a transformational president? That was his ambition: to be
more, as he put it, like Ronald Reagan than Bill Clinton, to launch a new
era, not simply tack to the prevailing winds of the old.
Not surprisingly, as the president readies his final State of the Union
Address, the issue is conteste... more »
Comrades Harrabin & Black, And Their Wealthy Friends In The Renewable Industry!
By Paul Homewood
https://twitter.com/rharrabin/status/686977566654214144
https://twitter.com/rharrabin/status/686977566654214144 On Comrade
Harrabin’s twitter today appeared this little item from the ECIU, who of
course are run by the Comrade’s erstwhile buddy at the BBC, Richard Black.
Black, as we know, is well paid by various progressive foundations to
propagate global warming propaganda. You might […]
Globally, 99% of all paleoclimatic temperature studies compiled show a prominent warming during Medieval Warm Period (MWP)
Mention the Medieval Warm Period and the shrill bluster their way out of
addressing it by saying that it was only a Northern Hemisphere phenomenon.
Like almost all the other shrill pronouncements, that is wrong.
Frequently this blog has pointed the shrill naysayers to CO2 Science's MWP
project
http://www.co2science.org/data/mwp/mwpp.php
Now, a new study has been published (Climate Depot - Link):
Project team: Dr. Sebastian Luening, Prof. Dr. Fritz Vahrenholt (authors of
‘The neglected sun‘)
*Project*
*Cartography of the Medieval Warm Period: Online atlas of a poorly
understood war... more »
Iran Says US Navy Boats Were ‘Snooping’ Sailors Arrested
Iranian media have reported the two US Navy boats detained in the Persian
Gulf had illegally traveled more than a mile into Iran’s territorial
waters. According to Fars news agency: The GPS equipment confiscated by
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy forces would “prove that the American
ships were ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters.” The two boats each had
several 50. cal guns and were “snooping around” in Iranian waters, Fars
News Agency says — Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) January 12, 2016 It
was reported earlier that two small U.S. Navy boats with a crew of 10 were
detained b... more »
Comrade Harrabin Is Late To The Party
By Paul Homewood h/t Joe Public You read it here first!!!
https://twitter.com/rharrabin/status/686977566654214144 To which there
is a rather suitable reply! Of course, as I revealed a few days ago,
October 1903 was a good deal wetter with 218mm of rain, compared with the
“so called” record rainfall […]
Putin Orders 100,000 Troops With Atomic Weapons To Prepare For NATO
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an order authorizing the
deployment of 100,000 Russian troops to the Western Front, equipped with
atomic weapons, to prepare for an expected counter-attack by NATO forces
due to Russia’s nuclear strike against CERN in Switzerland. NATO are
expected to counter Russia’s efforts to obliterate CERN’s
underground research site, who the Kremlin say have successfully unlocked
“interdimensional communication and travel”. Whatdoesitmean.com reports:
Evidence supporting that CERN has “unlocked” this feared Nazi secret
weapon, this report continues,... more »
FDA, EPA To Build Their Own Private Army To Intimidate Public
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) are creating their own private armies equipped with
military-style equipment, in order to enforce compliance of their
regulations against non-compliant U.S. citizens. Farmers can now be
subjected to military raids by the EPA if they find the farmers to be in
violation of their policies. Naturalnews.com reports: The regulatory police
state has arrived When an “environmental” protection agency is building its
own private army with military weapons, body armor and assault gear, you
know something h... more »
World News Briefs -- January 12, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*New York Times*: *Iran Holds Two U.S. Navy Boats After Mechanical
Problems, Officials Say*
WASHINGTON — The crews of two small Navy boats were picked up by the
Iranian authorities on Tuesday after commanders lost contact with the
vessels, and Pentagon officials said that Iran had agreed to return the
sailors soon.
An official said that the boats appeared to have drifted into Iranian
territorial waters after one of them experienced mechanical problems. A
military official said that the boats were moving between Kuwait and
Bahrain when contact was lost.
*MIDDLE EAST*
Suicide bom... more »
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