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10:32pm MST
10:32pm MST
Standardized tests versus grades
Sent to the South China Morning Post, Feb 18, 2016 Lovelyn Wong ("Assessment serves useful purpose," Feb 15) advises parents not to be too hasty in calling for an end to the Primary Three-Territory Wide System Assessment. Ms.Wong argues that tests help reveal students' weaknesses and help teachers improve their instruction. This argument has been used to justify increased testing in the United States as well. There is no evidence that it is true; in fact studies done at the secondary school level comparing grades teachers give students and standardized tests show that grades are an... more »
Musical Interlude: Amethystium, “Tinuviel”
Amethystium, “Tinuviel” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnLImUVeNFM
Will North Korea's Kim Jong-Un Go To War?
Reuters *Gordon G. Chang, Daily Beast:* *Will Kim Jong Un Go to War?* *With South Korea’s president flinging insults and his country losing important sources of income, Kim is facing a huge crisis—and it might just push him to the brink of invasion.* In a nationally televised speech Tuesday, South Korean President Park Geun Hye defended her controversial decision to close the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea. She also delivered comments sure to enrage Kim Jong Un, the leader of that destitute and dangerous state. For instance, she promised her government would take “stron... more »
Developing a Superhero Campaign: Inspirations For Superhero Gaming
I've been giving some more thought to a potential supers game. It still might not come to anything, but it's a fun exercise. Currently, I'm engaging in a bit of a catch-up on *Arrow *and *The Flash*. I've also seen the bulk of the first two seasons of *Agents of SHIELD*, but I'll admit to having lost interest. I'm also caught up on *Daredevil *and *Jessica Jones*. I mention all of these as of late I've found superhero television shows offer good inspiration on how to build a superhero game. Why not comic books? For me at least, I've found that comic books of late have been far to... more »
Remembering The Reasons On Why The United States Invaded Iraq In 2003?
*Max Fisher, VOX:* *America's unlearned lesson: the forgotten truth about why we invaded Iraq* Donald Trump finally said something so outrageous that the other candidates onstage and even the debate audience closed ranks against him. Here is what Trump did: He accused George W. Bush of launching the Iraq War based on a lie: *You do whatever you want. You call it whatever you want. I want to tell you. They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction, there were none. And they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass destruction.* Trump's 10-second history of... more »
Massive Car Bomb Explodes in Turkish Capital
[image: N8EqtaN3MeRvLRt2] A car bomb is believed to have killed 18 and injured 45 in the Turkish capital of Ankara Wednesday, with speculation the blast may have targeted a nearby military facility. Turkish media first reported a large explosion around 6:50 p.m.... more »
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U.S. Air-strikes Have Destroyed Hundreds Of Millions Of Islamic State Funds
This image from a video released by the U.S. military last month shows an airstrike targeting an ISIS cash and finance distribution center near Mosul, Iraq. *Reuters*: *Hundreds of millions of Islamic State funds destroyed in air strikes: U.S.* U.S.-led air strikes on Islamic State cash storage sites have cost the militant group hundreds of millions of dollars, a U.S. military spokesman said on Wednesday. The United States is trying to cut revenue to Islamic State - believed to be one of the best-funded militant groups in the world - through air strikes targeting its oil producti... more »
Contempt of Court? Obama Skipping Scalia’s Funeral
[image: In this Feb. 5, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama is asking Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding to help fight the Zika virus. In an announcement Monday, the White House said the money would be used to expand mosquito control programs, speed development of a vaccine, develop diagnostic tests and improve support for low-income pregnant women. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)] During a press briefing on Wednesday, the White House confirmed that Pr... more »
EPA Science Advisers Buck Enviro Pressure and Affirm ‘Fracking’ Is Safe
[image: Fracking, Shale Oil, Natural Gas, Gasoline, Hydraulic Fracturing, Hydraulic Platform, Oil Industry, Natural Gas Industry] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) science advisers affirmed the agency's findings of no "widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water" from hydraulic fracturing operations, despite reports from liberal media outlets claiming scientists disagree with EPA's landmark report. The EPA's Science Advisory Board... more »
Republican Feud Escalates as SC Gov. Nikki Haley Backs Rubio
[image: Nikki Haley] CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) -- A three-way feud among the GOP’s leading White House contenders escalated Wednesday, with Republican Ted Cruz daring Donald Trump to sue him and dismissing Marco Rubio’s charges of dishonesty just days before South Carolina’s high-stakes primary.... more »
White House Misses Deadline On Delivering Its Promised Islamic State Strategy To Congress
*Washington Examiner:* *White House misses deadline to deliver Islamic State strategy to Capitol Hill* The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Tuesday that the administration is essentially sending troops into the "wilderness with a compass, but no map" after it failed to deliver a strategy to defeat the Islamic State by Monday's deadline. The fiscal 2016 National Defense Authorization Act required the administration to provide a strategy to counter violent extremism by Monday, a deadline it missed. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said the failure to come through is ... more »
Pope Francis Urges Governments to ‘Open Hearts’ to Migrants
[image: Pope Francis stands a platform near the U.S.-Mexico border fence along the Rio Grande, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, as seen from in El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. Francis made the sign of the cross and blessed hundreds of people gathered in El Paso.] CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) -- In a moment filled with powerful political symbolism, Pope Francis prayed Wednesday at Mexico’s dusty northern border for the thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach the United States and appealed for governments... more »
This Government Agency Offends the Constitution and Needs to be Eliminated
[image: Richard Cordray - 900] A little-known federal government agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, imposes enormous costs on consumers and financial service providers through costly and unwarranted command-and-control regulation. What's more, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau runs afoul of the constitutionally mandated separation of... more »
Unforeseen Consequences Of Social And Economic Dysfunction In 2016
Richard Florida writes about social and economic theories in the context of a changing urban environment. He teaches at the University of Toronto and his best known books are *The Rise of the Creative Class*, *Cities and the Creative Class* and *The Flight of the Creative Class*, which make the case that the accellorated economic development in urban areas is attributable to an open, accepting and dynamic environment because of what he calls "high bohemians" or the "creative class"-- artists, musicians, gays, technology nerds. Although some critics dismiss his work as elitist, he's... more »
Rip-off News round-up. Our pick of the last week's media (Thu 18th February)
GSK fined £38m for stifling drug competition “at the expense of the NHS and taxpayers” Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been fined £37.6m by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). It relates to £50m of payments made to rivals for them to effectively delay the release of the anti-depressant paroxetine drug. GSK's branded version of the drug, Seroxat, was then able to continue its
How Much Would Ted Cruz’s Tax Proposal Cost?
[image: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a rally at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing & Technology in Florence, S.C., Monday Feb. 15, 2016.] According to a cost analysis by the Tax Policy Center -- a Washington, D.C.-based research center -- released Tuesday, Republican 2016 hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz's tax proposal would cost $8.6 trillion over the course of a decade. In addition to adding... more »
What the Pope Missed: The Land of Tigers, Hydras and Heroin
By Frontera NorteSur Censored News Editor's note: On his journey to Mexico this week, Pope Francisco visited Chiapas, Mexico City, Mexico state, Morelia and Ciudad Juarez. During his stops the Pope made general references to many burning issues confronting Mexico- drug violence, human trafficking, the breakdown of the social fabric, the marginalization of the nation's original peoples,
One Of Hillary Clinton's Emails Discussed An Afghan National’s Ties To The CIA
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com *FOX News:* *Clinton email chain discussed Afghan national's CIA ties, official says* EXCLUSIVE: One of the classified email chains discovered on Hillary Clinton’s personal unsecured server discussed an Afghan national’s ties to the CIA and a report that he was on the agency’s payroll, a U.S. government official with knowledge of the document told Fox News. The discussion of a foreign national working with the U.S. government raises security implications – an executive order signed by President Obama said unauthorized disclosures are “pre... more »
US Considers Air Support to "Afrin" Kurds aka Khorasan- Goading Turkey & False Flag Alert
*Remember the dreaded terror group: Khorasan? I’ll remind the readers of the air strikes the US undertook to ‘target’ Khorosan. Conveniently located in north western Syria at the Turkish border. I had my suspicions way back about “Khorosan” * *First up! Pentagon** US Willing to Consider Air Support for Afrin Kurds in N Syria* *The US military will look into the possibility of supporting from the air the Afrin Kurds’ advances in northern Syria against Daesh, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters on Wednesday.* pic from Sputnik *"Right now our airp... more »
Site C dam.....BC LIberals Can't Make A Business Case for Proceeding, Either Can Business in Vancouver Magazine
Christy Clark's BC Liberal gang of con artists Site C Dam Boondoggle.....Even business friendly promoters are laughing at the BC Liberal's pure fiscal stupidity.....From BIV Magazine *___________* *https://www.biv.com/must-read/#stalled-power-outlook-not-slowing-9-billion-site-c* *Stalled power outlook not slowing $9 billion Site C dam project* *BC Hydro’s second-quarter financials reveal lower demand from large industrial customers in depressed energy and commodities market* * Feb. 16, 2016, 9 a.m. * * Mining & Energy* * By Timothy Renshaw * *BC Hydro’s second-quarter... more »
Saudi Plans for Syria Ground Invasion: Bluff or a Disaster in the Making?
*President Obama laughing at Saudi Arabia's invasion plan for Syria.* *Title: Saudi Plans for Syria Ground Invasion: Bluff or a Disaster in the Making? Source: The Real News. Date Published: February 16, 2016. Description:* Vijay Prashad and Paul Jay discuss the potential consequences of a Saudi-Turkish invasion of Syria, more likely aimed at Assad than ISIS and on a collision course with Russia (1/2)
Saudi Arabia Has Nukes?
* 7th century religious thinking with 21st century weapons = Armageddon.* "Saudi Arabia has talked for years about acquiring a bomb from the Pakistanis. “The House of Saud has now made the strategic decision to move forward,” a former US defense official said." (*Source*). *Title: Saudi Political Analyst Dahham Al-‘Anzi: KSA Has Obtained Nuclear Bomb. Test May Be Held Soon. Source: MEMRITVVideos. Date Published: February 16, 2016. Description: * Saudi political analyst Dahham Al-‘Anzi spoke on Russia Today Arabic TV channel on February 15 and claimed that Saudi Arabia has obtained ... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What strange world is this? Earth. In the foreground of the featured image are the Pinnacles, unusual rock spires in Nambung National Park in Western Australia. Made of ancient sea shells (limestone), how these human-sized picturesque spires formed remains unknown. In the background, just past the end of the central Pinnacle, is a bright crescent Moon. The eerie glow around the Moon is mostly zodiacal light, sunlight reflected by dust grains orbiting between the planets in the Solar System. *Click image for larger size.* Arching across the top is the central band of our Milky Way Ga... more »
"The Supreme Paradox"
*"The Supreme Paradox"* by Robert Ardrey ․ "Man is a fraction of the animal world… We are not so unique as we should like to believe. The problem of man’s original nature imposes itself upon any human solution. Amity – as Darwin guessed but did not explore – is as much a product of evolutionary forces as contest and enmity. In the evolution of any social species including the human, natural selection places as heavy a penalty on failure in peace as failure in battle. ․ A certain justification has existed until now, in my opinion, for submission of the insurgent specialists to the cen... more »
"Why Are You Here?"
* "Why Are You Here?"* by Robert Lanza, M.D. "Why do you happen to be alive on this lush little planet with its warm sun and coconut trees? And at just the right time in the history of the universe? The surface of the molten earth has cooled, but it's not too cold. And it's not too hot; the sun hasn't expanded enough to melt the Earth's surface with its searing gas yet. Even setting aside the issue of being here and now, the probability of random physical laws and events leading to this point is less than winning every lottery there ever was. Biocentrism, a new theory of everythin... more »
Chet Raymo, "Lessons"
"Lessons" by Chet Raymo "There is a four-line poem by Yeats, called "Gratitude to the Unknown Instructors": "What they undertook to do They brought to pass; All things hang like a drop of dew Upon a blade of grass." Like so many of the short poems of Yeats, it is hard to know what the poet had in mind, who exactly were the unknown instructors, and if unknown how could they instruct. But as I opened my volume of The Poems this morning, at random, as in the old days people opened the Bible and pointed a finger at a random passage seeking advice or instruction, this is the poem that p... more »
RAF Typhoons Intercept Two Russian Bombers Heading For UK
RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled on Wednesday to intercept two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers heading towards UK airspace. The Telegraph reports: The Typhoon jets were dispatched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Wednesday afternoon following the security alert. An RAF spokesman said the situation was “on-going” and was not uncommon. He said: “We have Typhoons up on a quick reaction alert. The situation is on-going.” It is believed the aircraft are with the Long Range Aviation branch of the Russian military. They have never penetrated UK airspace. Typhoon jets can be deployed i...more »
Canada's Terror Patsies Trial Update. Assault on Justice in the "Five Eyes"?
*Statue of "Justice" outside of the Vancouver, BC Courthouse* There's a big media hullabaloo going on south of the border regarding the death of US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. I am not too familiar with the man or his jurisprudential record. It seems as though he was a "conservative" justice and perhaps the only conservative on the Supreme Court at the time of his death. There's a lot of controversy in the alternative media surrounding the circumstances of his death at the age of 79. Did he die as reported of a heart attack? Or, was he murdered (speculation swirls that he... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( February 17 , 2016 ) Overview ( 1. Japan Trade Data For January - Not good. 2. Stocks vs Oil - Returns Since March 2009 . 3. A Look at Global Equities - Positve YTD. Emerging Markets Starring Presently . ) Europe In Focus ( 1. UK-EU Talks / Brexit Items . 2. Refugee Crisis / Border Security. 3. Ankara Attack Turkey - Syria Situation. 4. Ukraine Political Situation - The Day After The Failed Vote Of No confidence . 5. Spain Political Updates De Jour. 6.Greece Items Of Note Today
Overview...... *David Ingles* @DavidInglesTV 8m8 minutes ago #BREAKING Japan's January trade data out... not good. Exports -12.9% (est. -10.9%) Imports -18% (-15.8%) Deficit at $1.04B *FxMacro* @fxmacro 7m 7 minutes ago JAPAN JAN IMPORTS POST 13TH STRAIGHT Y/Y DROP 1 retweet2 likes *FxMacro* @fxmacro 8m8 minutes ago JAPAN JAN EXPORTS TO CHINA -17.5% Y/Y, 6TH STRAIGHT DROP *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 1h 1 hour ago Since March 9, 2009... S&P 500: +223% Crude: -33% Still believe the S&P needs higher Oil? http://stks.co/h3yE9 *Charlie... more »
Leonard Peltier Rally in Reno Photos
Thank you to Buck Sampson, Carl Bad Bear Sampson and all our Western Shoshone friends for sharing photos of the American Indian Movement's Rally for Leonard Peltier in Reno, Nevada. More photos from Bad Bear of the Rally at: http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2016/02/bad-bears-photos-reno-aim-rally-for.html
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 17, 2016
*Sam Heller, VICE News*: *The Battle for Aleppo Shows That US Strategy in Syria Is in Tatters* The countryside north of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, is the latest crucial battlefield in the Syrian civil war — and it could also become the place where the United States' strategy to combat the so-called Islamic State in Syria falls apart. The US-led coalition had been backing Aleppo rebels who were trying to capture the last stretch of border with Turkey controlled by the Islamic State, but those rebels were left stranded after a new offensive by Syrian regime forces earlier this m... more »
US Has Blown Up Hundreds of Millions of ISIS Cash
[image: : U.S.-led coalition spokesman Col. Steve Warren addresses media during a press conference at the Embassy of the United States in Baghdad, Iraq on December 21, 2015.] The U.S. and its allies are putting the squeeze on ISIS finances by targeting and blowing up money reserves worth "hundreds of millions of dollars." U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force -- Operation Inherent... more »
My family and other bloggers
We bloggers tend to become a little incestuous. We pat each other on the back, link to each other and I suppose we create our own little bubble. Some might say we regurgitate, plagiarise, gossip, and preach to the choir. Perhaps we’re almost as biased against the BBC as the BBC is biased against our politically incorrect viewpoints. Perhaps we *all* try hard not to let our biases cloud our ability to see the bigger picture. But the BBC hardly ever entertains the possibility that it could be at fault, and it’s powerful enough not to care. The area of biased broadcasting that intere... more »
US Accuses China Amid Signs of Missiles on Disputed Island
[image: Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for photographers as she arrives for a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. China's moves to assert its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea are expected to be a key agenda item during a visit to Beijing Wednesday by Bishop.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States warned Wednesday of rising tensions in the South China Sea after China appeared to have placed a surface-to-air missile system on a disputed island. Taiwan’s defense ministry said t... more »
Radioactive Material Stolen in Iraq Raises Security Fears
[image: Dirty Bomb Drill - 900] Iraq is scrambling to find “highly dangerous” radioactive material stolen last year, Reuters is reporting, based on an environmental ministry document and confirmed by seven security, environmental and provincial officials. The officials fear the material could be used as a weapon... more »
As we Shift - Being the Observer
So what does it mean to shift to 4D or another dimension or a Golden Age? What does it look like here, now, on a frigid, quiet Midwestern US afternoon to an average human in 2016? Here’s what is noticed and considered. Perhaps it’ll resonate for you as well. Please share your own noticing’s. We are associative beings. In this way, we can help each other. There have been moments when I’ve watched myself. It’s as if full emotional engagement is no longer a guarantee. I can play a game, lead a children’s group, or carry on a conversation without all of me being there; yet full... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Reedsburg, Wisconsin, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "The Apple Orchard"
*"The Apple Orchard"* "Come let us watch the sun go down and walk in twilight through the orchard's green. Does it not seem as if we had for long collected, saved and harbored within us old memories? To find releases and seek new hopes, remembering half-forgotten joys, mingled with darkness coming from within, as we randomly voice our thoughts aloud wandering beneath these harvest-laden trees reminiscent of Durer woodcuts, branches which, bent under the fully ripened fruit, wait patiently, trying to outlast, to serve another season's hundred days of toil, straining, uncomplaining, by not ...more »
"Unfair..."
"I think it's unfair, but they have the right as fallible, screwed-up humans to be unfair; that's the human condition." - Albert Ellis
"'Yes People' Finding Freedom in 'No'"
*"'Yes People' Finding Freedom in 'No'"* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM "Saying No to somebody when we are used to saying Yes can be challenging as we fear we will be rejected. Many of us, from childhood on, are taught that saying yes is right and saying no is wrong. We learn that acceding to demands allows us to avoid conflict and criticism, please people, earn praise, and prove that we care for the important people in our lives. Yet the right to say no is indelibly intertwined with the ability to make choices. When we sense we are limited in our options, compelled to say yes even... more »
Spain: Army Has Investigated Four "UFO Incidents" in Tarragona Province
*Source: PLANETA UFO and Diari de TarragonaDate: 02.15.2016* *Spain: Army Has Investigated Four "UFO Incidents" in the Province* *By Raul Cosano* The Reus Air Base and the Tarragona Coast were the location for sightings by pilots and controllers. No conclusions were reached from these investigations. The CIA has just declassified hundreds of documents regarding the possible existence of alien life in various parts of the planet. These abstracts have been made public and detail investigations and images of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) mostly between 1940 and 1960. The materi... more »
World News Briefs -- February 17, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*France 24:* *Dozens killed as large explosion rocks Turkish capital Ankara* Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens wounded in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces' headquarters, parliament and other government buildings. The Turkish military condemned what it described as a "contemptible and dastardly" attack on the buses as they waited at traffic lights in the administrative heart of the city. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said 28 people including soldiers and civilians had been ... more »
Donald Trump Says He Approves Of Torture
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump has explicitly come out and said that he is willing to go beyond waterboarding. Donald Trump reiterated his support for torture at an event at a retirement community in Bluffton, South Carolina on Wednesday; “Torture works, okay folks?…Believe me, it works,” he campaigned. CBS News reports: During a question and answer session moderated by South Carolina State Rep. Bill Herbkersman, Trump was asked whether he would approve of waterboarding. “Absolutely,” Trump said, as he has said before. But there was more. “I said I’ll approve it immediat... more »
Untitled
*An attempt to use the law to shut up a windmill critic fails* *As a reward for her efforts to assist New Englanders threatened by industrial wind energy, citizen advocate Annette Smith was sued for practicing law. Fortunately this sham was resolved shortly, in favor of common sense* The Vermont Attorney General’s Office has closed its investigation into a complaint about Annette Smith’s actions in various proceedings before the Public Service Board (PSB). The Office has closed the investigation without further action. "This Office considers the matter closed," The AG's office s... more »
Most Americans don't understand what is going on in Syria, and those who think they know believe its citizens are trying to overthrough the (supposidly) represive government headed by (the democraticlly-elected) Assad ...and that the Russians have been bombing the supposed freedom fighters. All of this is propaganda spread by the crazed Americal neoconsevatives who literally own the U.S. government and plan to dominate the rest of the world ...or die destroying it (together with all the rest of us) in a nuclear holocaust. Below, Paul Craig Roberts explains what is REALLY going on in Syria and who is actually attacking it. Hint: not Russia, who to the contrary is defending it from ISIS/ISIL/Islamist State/ Daesh plus their providers, Washington, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Read the history below to learn where things are heading now.
------------------------------ *The Neoconservatives Are Brewing A Wider War In Syria — Paul Craig Roberts * ------------------------------ February 14, 2016 | Original Here Go here to sign up to receive email notice of this news letter The Neoconservatives Are Brewing A Wider War In Syria Paul Craig Roberts While you are enjoying your Sunday, the insane neoconservatives who control Western foreign policy and their Turkish and Saudi Arabian vassals might be preparing the end of the world. Any person who relies on Western media has no accu... more »
Kate Braun : Energy of Waxing Gibbous Moon points towards future
Moon Musings: The Second Quarter or Waxing Gibbous Moon falls on February 19-21, 2016. By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | February 17, 2016 Lord Sun is in Aquarius, manifesting energies that prompt us to think of the future, … finish reading Kate Braun : Energy of Waxing Gibbous Moon points towards future
China Offers Reward For Decoding Ancient Gold Coins
A Chinese museum is offering a reward to anyone who can decode the inscriptions written on six gold coins found in China’s Hunan province. The coins which are hundreds of years old were first unearthed on a farm in the 1960s, where they had been kept inside a small glazed pot. The BBC reports: They arrived at Jinshi City’s museum in the 1980s, and archaeologists have been puzzling over their markings ever since, the Xinhua news agency reports. Now the museum says it’ll hand out 10,000 yuan ($1,500; £1,100) to anyone who can help to shed light on the meaning of the coins’ etchings. T...more »
Cruz Calls Press Conference to Counter Attacks from Trump and Rubio
[image: Ted Cruz - 900] SENECA, S.C. (AP) -- Ted Cruz defended his trustworthiness and aired his grievances against Republican rivals Wednesday, saying Donald Trump’s threatened lawsuit over a campaign ad would be dismissed as frivolous and Marco Rubio has no evidence to back up... more »
Jeb Bush Packs A Monogrammed Gun With Nazi History
Jeb Bush made a campaign stop on Tuesday at a gun manufacturer in Columbia, Ohio. The Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush tweeted a picture of his handgun manufactured by a company which has a history linked to arming the Nazis during World War two, and is currently a leading supplier to the U.S. military. The gun represents “America”, according to Bush, both the manufacturer and the country. The Washington Post reports: The short tweet includes only the word “America.” (with a period for emphasis) and a picture of a .45-caliber handgun engraved with his name: “Gov. Jeb Bush.”... more »
Feb. 17: a slow day for news in the irving press.
We'll pass lightly over section A news. As always all of it is either overblown or just plain trivial. The editorialist is not pleased at the idea of a one-day provincial holiday in New Brunswick. It quotes the Canadian Federation of Independent Business as seeing this as a threat to civilization, itself. The editorial is not well-focussed, and it offers almost no evidence of anything. Par for the course. Norbert attacks some of the churches for taking the issue of abortion to court. This could have been a reasonable topic. But this sample is just a rant. It's also out of touch wi... more »
China Angry That Ted Cruz and the U.S. Senate Want to Rename an American Street
[image: Xiaobo2 - 900] Sen. Ted Cruz angered Communist Chinese politicians with a bill that would rename a Washington, D.C. street where the Chinese Embassy is located after a jailed democracy activist. The Senate bill, which was sponsored by the presidential candidate, would change the address... more »
Ukraine's Political Crisis Continues
*VOA*: *Ukraine's Government Faces Fresh Problems, at Home, Abroad* Ukraine's government faced fresh challenges at home and abroad Wednesday, when a major political party withdrew from the governing coalition and Russia filed suit against the country over a $3 billion Eurobond debt. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced her Fatherland party was leaving Ukraine's governing coalition, which she criticized as an obstacle to reforms. Tymoshenko, who leads the smallest of the coalition's four factions, accused its participants of colluding to protect their seats. *Read more... more »
Reforming The Fed-- A Guest Post From Mike Gatto
An old friend of mine is running for the state Assembly. I've discouraged her and told her the legislature in Sacramento is so riven with corruption and cronyism that nothing meaningful can get done. Fortunately, she's chosen to ignore me. I say "fortunately" because despite the institutional corruption in Sacramento, determined legislators, willing to spend years fighting the establishment-- the way Ted Lieu did when he was in the Assembly and then the Senate-- can and do break through. My old friend running now, Eloise Reyes, is a person like that. But so is a new friend, my own... more »
Who should you listen to?...
*yourself.* *You need to listen to yourself.* God gifted us all with intuition - what I call my "Spidey sense." Not listening to your intuition, your inner voice, can have dire consequences, as I found out many years ago. It can get even get you killed. Does this mean you should ignore facts, logic, and analysis? Of course not. Facts, logic, and analysis make it possible for our intuition to work properly. In order to make our best decisions, we need a balance of intuition -- which serves to bridge the gap between instinct and reasoning -- and rational thinking, according to ... more »
Healthy Conferences for Native Americans? Only the rich need apply
Non-profits in Indian country have a lot to hide: Follow the money By Brenda Norrell Censored News Healthy Conferences for Native Americans? Only the rich need apply. The non-profits have a lot to hide. It is puzzling why Native American diabetes and food sovereignty conferences recently have been charging $500 to register. I don't know a single person who can afford
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley Endorses Rubio; Jeb Bush ‘Disappointed’
[image: Nikki Haley] BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) -- The Latest on the 2016 race for president, three days out from the South Carolina Republican primary (all times local): 3:19 p.m. GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush says he is “disappointed” that South Carolina Gov. Nikki...more »
Bomb Attack 500 Meters From Turkey's Parliament Kills 28
*Reuters*: Car bomb attack on military in Turkish capital kills 28 Twenty-eight people were killed and dozens wounded in Turkey's capital Ankara on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated next to military buses near the armed forces' headquarters, parliament and other government buildings. The Turkish military condemned what it described as a terrorist attack on the buses as they waited at traffic lights in the administrative heart of the city. A government spokesman said 28 people had been killed and 61 wounded in the blast, which took place near a busy intersection... more »
Democratic Economists against Sanders
In an open letter, Alan Krueger, Austan Goolsbee, Christina Romer, and Laura D’Andrea Tyson (all past CEA chairs under Democratic presidents) take the Sanders campaign to task for its departure from solid economics. To read about the outlandish claims that they are criticizing, click here. What they do not point out, however, is both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have rejected the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which all four economists strongly supported in this letter. Mr. Sanders is not alone in his appeal to populism and his willingness to throw mainstream economics under the ... more »
Gladio 2.0 In Ankara
*To truly defeat ISIS Erdogan must go.* *An excerpt from, "Today's Attack In Ankara Could Be A False Flag Incident" by b, Moon of Alabama, February 17, 2016:* The attack was near a Turkish military headquarter in Ankara. The announced numbers of wounded and killed are still increasing by the minute. *Turkey will likely blame the Turkish Kurdish PKK for this incident and will extend the blame to the Syrian Kurdish version of the PKK, the YPG. But if this is not a Turkish stage-managed false flag attack it is more likely an Islamic State terror attack than one by the PKK.* Turkey's ... more »
No Country For Old Conservative White Men
* Every sane person's reaction to the news that there was no autopsy for Justice Scalia. De mortuis nil nisi bonum. * Political assassinations are rare, yet they still are a normal part of politics in every polity, and in every age. In basket case countries, like North Korea for example, a top general is killed every other week because he wore the wrong uniform that day. But, in more advanced countries like the U.S., the assassinations of top officials is only done in extreme circumstances and to advance a specific political agenda, sometimes good and sometimes bad, depending on yo... more »
Impossible To Ignore – In 2015 Alone Massive 250 Peer Reviewed Scientific Papers Cast Doubt On Climate Science
By Paul Homewood http://notrickszone.com/2016/02/16/impossible-to-ignore-in-2015-alone-massive-250-peer-reviewed-scientific-papers-cast-doubt-on-climate-science/#sthash.4QhZ7OGs.y2KyCzos.dpbs Reposted from NoTricksZone: Reader Kenneth Richard has compiled and submitted a comprehensive list of some 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers from 2015 on climate, all supporting the premise that the Earth’s climate is driven in large part by natural factors. It now has been posted. Science institutes […]
Iraq May Seek Help From Russia To Expel Turkish Forces
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi slammed the United States and the European Union on Tuesday for their inaction over Turkey’s military deployment in the north of the country. He warned that Baghdad may be forced to get help from Russia to push back the Turkish forces. On December 4th 2015, the Turkish military deployed troops and heavy weaponry near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and have refused to withdraw despite repeated requests by Baghdad. Press TV reports: In a phone conversation, Abadi has warned US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden that Turkey may be...more »
Campaign watch: Gene Lyons recalls how it all began!
*WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016This week's essential column:* Do you plan to vote for Candidate Sanders? If so, that's fine with us. Do you plan to vote for Candidate Clinton? If so, that's OK too. What follows isn't an attempt to assess Clinton v. Sanders. What follows is a chance for you to ponder the journalistic history of the past twenty-plus years. We're recommending Gene Lyons' new column at The National Memo. If you read only one column this week, we'll suggest that you read his. Lyons is author of the 1996 book, Fools For Scandal: How the Media Invented Whitewater. In 2000... more »
South Dakota Senate Passes Transgender Bill Requiring Students to Use Restrooms Based on Biological Sex at Birth
[image: Restroom - 900] A bill that will require students to use restrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms based on their biological sex at birth is on its way to South Dakota's Governor Dennis Daugaard for his signature after the Senate passed it Tuesday... more »
Jeb Bush Has the Support of Nevada’s One Percent (and That’s It)
[image: Jeb Bush - 900] A new poll of likely voters in the upcoming Nevada caucuses shows Jeb Bush netting the support of just one percent of the state's Republicans. The CNN/ORC poll shows Donald Trump with a commanding lead over the Republican field, with... more »
China Deploys Missiles On South China Sea Island (Updated)
*Washington Post:* *Suspected Chinese missiles deployed on disputed South China Sea island* BEIJING — Suspected surface-to-air missile batteries have been deployed by China on a disputed island in the South China Sea, officials said Wednesday, heightening concern in the United States and Asia about Beijing’s expanding ambitions in the region. Satellite images apparently showing the missile sites were released even as President Obama wrapped up a summit with leaders from nations making rival maritime claims in the region. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement i... more »
Campaign watch: Morning Joe to pander to Trump round-the-clock!
*WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016Early morning escort service agrees to kiss ascot tonight:* "MSNBC Embarrasses Itself Yet Again." So read the headline on yesterday afternoon's post by Kevin Drum. It's hard to argue with Drum's assessment. He was reacting to this strange announcement by the lowest and strangest of our "cable news" networks: Joe and Mika will host Candidate Trump in an exclusive hour-long broadcast at 8 tonight! That's right! Chris Hayes has been told to take the night off. The cable channel's top escort service will bring their early-morning fawning to Trump into the...more »
Little Sisters of the Poor Take Obamacare Contraceptive Mandate Fight to the Web
[image: Little Sisters of the Poor - 900] Just weeks before they are scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court, the Little Sisters of the Poor have opened a new line of defense against the Obama Administration’s efforts to force the Catholic religious organization to provide contraceptives to... more »
Officials Fear That ISIS May Have Stolen Radioactive Material In Iraq To Produce A 'Dirty Bomb'
*Reuters*:* Exclusive: Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security fears* Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material stolen last year, according to an environment ministry document and seven security, environmental and provincial officials who fear it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State. The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford (WFT.N), the document obtained by Reuters ... more »
Turkey Wants A Safe Zone In Northern Syria
*The Telegraph*: *Turkey says it will create a 'safe line' inside Syria* *Turkey has long pressed for a safe zone, backed up by a no-fly zone, to protect its borders and provide protection for refugees on Syrian soil* Turkey has said it is seeking to create a "safe line" inside Syria that would include the flashpoint northern town of Azaz near the Turkish border. "We want to form a 10-kilometre (six-mile) safe line inside Syria, including Azaz," Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan told A Haber television in an interview. Turkey has long pressed for a safe zone, backed up by a no-... more »
Gates Foundation Confirm Hillary Clinton’s Support For GMOs
The ‘bride of frankenfood’ has just got an endorsement from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for supporting genetically modified food. Hillary Clinton is coming under increasing pressure following a series of revelations regarding her ties to the Biotech industry and Monsanto. Natural Society reports: Clinton’s unyielding support was once again revealed recently when she was quoted on the Cornell Alliance for Science (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) website saying: “I stand in favor of using seeds and products that have a proven track record. There is a big gap... more »
David Bain
It’s actually not complicated. A retired Australian judge has just issued an opinion on David Bain’s guilt or innocence without the benefit of an actual trial. This makes his opinion about Bain’s innocence no more relevant than you and I. And whatever else you and I might think about it (and your opinion may well be the same as mine), NZ’s legal system as it’s properly constituted (i.e., without backdoor reports by carefully-selected judges) belatedly found him not guilty of the crime, and therefore locked up wrongly. And because he was locked up wrongly, he naturally does deserve... more »
The Economy: Greg Hunter, "James Turk- Paper Assets Evaporate in 2016"
Greg Hunter, "James Turk- Paper Assets Evaporate in 2016" - https://www.youtube.com/ ◆ *Related:* • “This is How Financial Chaos Begins” • “Hell Week For The Global Economy Gives Signs Of Things To Come” • “I’m in Awe at Just How Fast Global Trade is Unraveling” • “KABOOM!!! Are You Ready For Reality?” • “How The World Lost $100 Trillion In 18 Months”
"The Mystery of the One Bank: Its Owners?"
*"The Mystery of the One Bank: Its Owners?" * by Jeff Nielson "Roughly 2 ½ years ago readers were introduced to a paradigm of crime, corruption, and control which they now know as “the One Bank”. First they were presented with a definition and description of this crime syndicate. That definition came via a massive computer model constructed by a trio of Swiss academics, and cited with favor by Forbes magazine. The computer model was based upon data involving more than 10 million “economic actors”, both individuals and corporations, and the conclusions which that model produced were...more »
The Economy: "When Cash Is Outlawed… Only Outlaws Will Have Cash"
*"When Cash Is Outlawed… Only Outlaws Will Have Cash"* by Bill Bonner BALTIMORE – "Harvard economist Larry Summers is a reliable source of claptrap. And a frequent spokesman for the Deep State. To bring new readers up to speed, voters don’t get a say in who runs the country. Instead, a “shadow government” of elites, cronies, lobbyists, bureaucrats, politicians, and zombies – aka the Deep State – is permanently in power. Put simply, it doesn’t matter which party is in power; the Deep State rules. Want to know what the Deep State is up to now? Read Larry Summers. “It’s time to kil... more »
New Study Suggests That Fossil Fuels May Be Greening the Earth’s Drylands
[image: Arid Region, Lone Tree, Nature, Outdoors, Desert Landscape] Despite the tidal wave of environmental criticism directed at coal plants, a new study shows how emissions from coal and other fossil fuels have a benefit: they are greening the world's most arid regions. Indiana University researchers reviewed dozens of studies... more »
Why publishing negative findings is hard
When a researcher encountered two papers that suggested moonlight has biological effects — on both plants and humans — he took a second look at the data, and came to different conclusions. That was the easy part — getting the word out about his negative findings, however, was much more difficult. When Jean-Luc Margot, a […] The post Why publishing negative findings is hard appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Good for Apple
Apple is being “asked” by the FBI to “unlock” the security settings on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernadino murderers. Apple has refused: the reason being that if it were able and willing to unlock this one phone for this one enquiry, they would soon be required to unlock every phone in every inquiry in virtually every jurisdition in which there phones operate. In a letter sent to their customers they explain: *The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which h... more »
The War Against Syria For Its Destruction And The Genocide Of Its Citizens: Turkey And Saudi Arabia Are NOT Going To Invade Syria, And Here Is Why!
Like everyone else that has been watching the reports coming over the Jew spew media and even alternative news sites over the last while, I thought that there was indeed a danger of further escalation of the conflict in Syria by direct "intervention" by both Turkey and Saudi Arabia into the conflict.... There was a fear that this escalation could have caused a direct conflict between the United States and its allies, and the Russian Federation and its allies... Such a conflict could have gone global with the strong possibility that it could go nuclear with the destruction of billio... more »
U.S. Tells Russia To 'Put Up Or Shut Up' On Syrian Ceasefire
*CNN*: *U.S. to Russia on Syria ceasefire: 'Put up or shut up'* Washington (CNN)With a Syrian ceasefire set to take effect Friday, the U.S. called on Russia to "put up or shut up" about implementing the truce. The State Department acknowledged Tuesday, however, that world powers have yet to even meet to negotiate details. "I can't say categorically that a week from last Thursday there must be a cessation of hostilities, but certainly we're going to expect that there is progress," State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said. *Read more* .... *WNU Editor:* I sense a feeling o... more »
Germany Calls For A 'No-Fly Zone' In Northern Syria. Russia Says No
*RT:* *Merkel calls for ‘no-fly zone’ in Syria* German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed the controversial idea of imposing a no-fly zone over northern Syria to alleviate the refugee crisis as the country plays along with Ankara’s demands for the creation of a “buffer area” along its border. “In the current situation it would be helpful, if there could be such an area, where none of the parties are allowed to launch aerial attacks, that is to say, a kind of no-fly zone,” Merkel told the daily Stuttgarter Zeitung, when asked by the publication about opening up areas to host refu... more »
Is The War In Syria Now A Global Military Conflict?
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *The Hill*: *The war in Syria is not a civil war* The war in Syria is a global military conflict and you need to pay attention. While American news outlets are busy analyzing every word that comes out of presidential candidate Donald Trump's mouth — a man who embodies all the stereotypes of a crass American that the rest of the world loves to hate — the world is sliding into what is increasingly looking like the early days of a world war centered in Syria, but fought across three continents. Recent developments in this conflict make the near-silence o... more »
United Nations: 'Humanitarian Catastrophe' Unfolding In Yemen
*Al Jazeera*: *'Humanitarian catastrophe' unfolding in Yemen: UN* *Humanitarian chief says more than 21 million Yemenis are in need of some form of aid and calls for unconditional access.* The UN humanitarian chief has said a "humanitarian catastrophe" is unfolding in Yemen with more than 21 million Yemenis in need of some form of aid. Stephen O'Brien said on Tuesday that the situation was exacerbated by increased restrictions on efforts to respond to what he called the "staggering needs" of millions of people, including the diversion of a UN aid ship by Saudi-led coalition force... more »
World News Briefs -- February 17, 2016
*Reuters*: *Apple CEO opposes court order to help FBI unlock iPhone* Apple Inc (AAPL.O) Chief Executive Tim Cook said his company opposed a demand from a U.S. judge to help the FBI break into an iPhone recovered from one of the San Bernardino shooters. Cook said that the demand threatened the security of Apple's customers and had "implications far beyond the legal case at hand." (apple.co/1Lt7ReW) Judge Sheri Pym of U.S. District Court in Los Angeles said on Tuesday that Apple must provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to unlock data on an iPhone 5C th... more »
Kurdish Leader Says He Has Proof Turkey Backs ISIS & Other Terrorists
A top Kurdish commander has claimed that he has documentary evidence confirming that Turkey has given support to the terrorist groups. Murat Karayılan, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) told Russian media that along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey has been furnishing extremists with weapons and munitions. RT reports: Karayılan has been the acting leader of the PKK, a group considered terrorists by Turkey and the US, since its original leader Abdullah Öcalan was captured in 1999. Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has an “ideological inter-relatio... more »
Psychobiotics: Bacteria For Your Brain?
*Kelly Brogan* - What role does bacteria play in mental health? The post Psychobiotics: Bacteria For Your Brain? appeared first on Waking Times.
Canada's Terror Patsies Trial Update. Assault on Justice in the "Five Eyes"?
*Sorry Readers, I am having a lot of* *mysterious trouble* *formatting this post.* *I will come back to it later* *once Blogger* *has fixed the problem. * *Statue of "Justice" outside of the Vancouver, BC Courthouse* There's a big media hullabaloo going on south of the border regarding the death of US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. I am not too familiar with the man or his jurisprudential record. It seems as though he was a "conservative" justice and perhaps the only conservative on the Supreme Court at the time of his death. There's a lot of controversy in the alternative ... more »
Brazier: New album!
Here’s something you need to get behind: A Pre-Sales Campaign to release the last Graham Brazier album 'Left Turn at Midnght.' Graham was working on the album in the two years before he died, and his contribution is virtually complete. His friends have got together a crowd-funding campaign at Indiegogo – the sort of thing you can do in the Age of the Internet – to have the album professionally completed, with your perk for being involved either a download, a CD copy of the new album, right up to an exclusive listening evening on the night of its release. Here’s the tale: *... more »
Obama Says No to ‘Moderate’ Supreme Court Nominee
[image: President Barack Obama answers questions during a news conference following the conclusion of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders summit at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016.] President Barack Obama said he isn't looking to nominate a moderate to the Supreme Court. At a press conference Tuesday following the U.S.-ASEAN summit in California, reporter Jeff Mason of the Reuters news agency asked Obama to clarify the ideological leanings of his likely judicial nominee.... more »
Hey, Presidential Candidates: What About Afghanistan?
[image: Airman in Afghanistan-900] During Monday night's Grammy Awards, millions of Americans received a much-needed wake-up call from the most patriotic Hollywood actor since Ronald Reagan. "I'd like to take one brief second to send a special thank you and shout-out to the men... more »
A cure for leukemia? GM T-cells make 7/8 terminally ill patients feel great
*LIGO:* Off-topic: the Indian government has in principle agreed with LIGO India! A rather profound report from the medical research spread to the media today. A new clever trick seems to cure cancer, especially leukemia. *The human T-lymphocyte* The Science Magazine published the method already in 2013 but it apparently took years to check whether the protocol works. Now, more than 2 years later, the folks at the New York cancer center finally informed us that 14 of 16 ill people – and they were really considered fatally ill – seem to be symptom-free in early 2016. As you ... more »
See Bill. See Money. See News.
*by Susan Ohanian* The Money Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant New Venture Fund ------------------------------ *Date: *June 2015 *Purpose: *to enable the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) to improve student learning across the nation by defining, sharing and advocating for effective teaching practices and policies *Amount: *$1,000,000 The Money Traveling as News February 16, 2016 Nation's top teachers back PARCC and Smarter Balanced Over two separate weekends in August and Se... more »
Researcher illegally shares millions of science papers free online to spread knowledge
By Paul Homewood http://www.sciencealert.com/this-woman-has-illegally-uploaded-millions-of-journal-articles-in-an-attempt-to-open-up-science From Science Alert: A researcher in Russia has made more than 48 million journal articles – almost every single peer-reviewed paper every published – freely available online. And she’s now refusing to shut the site down, despite a court injunction and a lawsuit from Elsevier, one of the world’s […]
Republican Party Bosses Are Not Giving Up On Their Dream Of Crowning Paul Ryan At Their July Convention
*The fix is in* When the polling organizations do their head-to-head match-ups between Bernie and Trumpf, Cruz and Rubio and between Hillary and Trumpf, Cruz and Rubio, they ought to start including Paul Ryan. I'm not kidding... the conservative establishment is gung-ho on keeping Trumpf (and Cruz) from winning the nomination and if Rubio continues to be too implausible, Ryan will be the readymade "compromise" candidate "everyone" can be happy with. (Remember, no guns allowed at the Quicken Loans Arena GOP convention in Cleveland, even though Ohio is a concealed carry state and even... more »
Guest Post: To Good to Be True?
By Alison McDowell Alison is a parent of a public school student and a member of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools. February 17, 2016 On February 16, 2016, Diane Ravitch's blog promoted a vision statement for the future of Texas public education that had been developed by a group of 35 Texas superintendents between 2006 and 2008. If you simply read the excerpted portions quoted on the blog, you'd likely find the sentiments expressed sympathetic to those who opposed the test and punish system. However, if you continued past the first twelve pages of the document, you'd ... more »
Meet the Corporations Lobbying Hardest for TTIP and the End of Democracy
*Graham Vanbergen* - Who exactly is it that is so determined to bring about global corporate rule? The post Meet the Corporations Lobbying Hardest for TTIP and the End of Democracy appeared first on Waking Times.
Untitled
*New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board Getting 'Green Roof' to Deal With Rainwater ~Lauren Laborde, CurbedNOLA* *Abortion clinic in Metairie shuttered after four decades in operation ~New Orleans Advocate * *French Quarter Fest lineup announced!*
The American Circus
Republican presidential candidate and rich boy Donald Trump has a long history with professional wrestling. The phony, scripted, snarling world of bloviating wrestlers has become a cheap metaphor for the US electoral arena. Trump has learned from wrestling how to appeal to the American working class with meaningless emotion and snide remarks disguised as political program. Long ago I read that the goal of the ruling oligarchies in the US was to make national elections so unappealing that the public would refuse to participate any longer making it easier for the top 1% to contro... more »
At Least 20 Dead After Car Bomb Explosion In Turkish Capital, Ankara
A huge explosion has been reported in Ankara close to the Turkish parliament building. A Turkish police official quoted by the Reuters news agency said the blast was caused by a vehicle exploding. Local authorities report that at least 20 people were killed with 45 more injured. Ankara’s governor, said officials believed the explosion was aimed at a convoy of military service vehicles passing close to parliament, government buildings and Turkey’s military headquarters. An official at the armed forces’ general staff confirmed that a bus carrying military personnel had been the target... more »
Block an Obama Nomination
[image: Elizabeth Warren - 900] According to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the future of the republic teeters in the balance. Unless the United States Senate bows to the will of President Barack Obama and approves his replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, everything... more »
Israeli Archaeologists Discover 7,000-Year-Old Settlement in Jerusalem
[image: Jerusalem settlement - 900] JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday they have unearthed a 7,000-year-old settlement in northern Jerusalem, describing it as the oldest discovery of its kind in the area. Israel’s Antiquities Authority said the excavation exposed two houses with well-preserved remains... more »
INTRODUCTION TO INCOMPREHENSION: Enabling the culture of incomprehension!
*WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016Part 3—The science writer's old clothes:* By the winter of 88, something unusual had happened. In the spring of that year, Professor Hawking had published A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, a book which became very famous. By that summer, the book had gone to number one on the New York Times best-seller list. The book stood at number one on that list for a number of months. This wasn't hugely unusual. Professor Hawking's book wasn't the first of its kind to achieve wide sales. The "Einstein made comprehensible" niche pre-existe...more »
Paper on alleged – and paradoxical – health benefits of obesity pulled for plagiarism
An article that suggested there is no benefit to being overweight among cancer survivors – the so-called “obesity paradox” – is being retracted for plagiarizing large sections from another paper that explored the same topic in cardiovascular disease. The journal Cancer Causes & Control pulled the 2014 article last June after determining it contained “large […] The post Paper on alleged – and paradoxical – health benefits of obesity pulled for plagiarism appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* India's Crackdown on 'Anti-Nationalism' on Campus and How It Can Affect Universities Here China Puts Missiles On Disputed Islands, Says West Should Ignore Them, Focus On Lighthouses Tim Cook Refuses To Comply With "Chilling" Government Demand To "Build A Backdoor" Into iPhone 'Who do they think they are?': Donald Trump blasts Apple for not unlocking San Bernardino shooter's phone In 6 States, A Felony Drug Conviction Prompts Lifetime Food-Stamp Ban South Australia sees storing the world's nuclear waste profitable Air pollution is the world’s second biggest killer ... more »
Study Claims Indonesian ‘Hobbits’ Were Not Homo Sapiens
Scientists studying the remains of a human-like species nicknamed the “hobbits“, say that they were not Home sapiens. The mysterious human-like species died out on the Indonesian island of Flores over 15,000 years ago. They were mamed Homo floresiensis, after the island where thier skeletal remains were found, the species has also been dubbed ‘hobbit,’ after the tiny creatures from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ The Independent reports: Fossils of Homo floresiensis, with adults only one meter tall, were discovered on the island in 2003, and controversy has raged ever since as to whether t... more »
ISIS Slashes Budget, Gets Rid of Snickers Bars
[image: ISIS Snickers - 900] The Islamic State is undergoing such economic woes that the group is now forced to cut-off free Snickers bars and energy drinks it previously provided to its hungry and thirsty militants. Following airstrikes on large stores of cash and bank... more »
Georgetown Professor Complains After School Shows Respect for Antonin Scalia
[image: GULC_south_quad - 900] Two professors at Georgetown University's law school have made a very public protest after the school's dean made a statement honoring deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Given that Scalia earned his bachelor's degree from Georgetown, it would seem fitting for the school to... more »
Just because a statement is ruled voluntary does not mean the statement is true
In *R. v. Angutimarik* (February 15, 2016 NCJ unreported) the Court makes clear that a confession, even if admissible as voluntary, is not necessarily to be taken as true. The statement is evidence only to be considered with other evidence by the trier of fact. That said, if the statement is before the Court and the accused fails to testify it will be challenging to argue the statement is false: *As I mentioned earlier, a voir dire had been conducted last year which determined that Peter's statements to the police would be allowed into evidence at his trial. During that voir dire... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 17, 2016
*Politico:* *Pentagon leery of political pressure to move quickly on ISIL stronghold* *An assault on Mosul is in the cards, but not soon enough for some.* The Obama administration and the Iraqi government are eager to retake Iraq’s second-largest city from the Islamic State, which would allow President Barack Obama to claim a major victory over the terror group before he leaves office. But the top U.S. military brass says not so fast. *Read more* .... *Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 17, 2016* White House misses deadline to deliver Islamic State strategy to Cap... more »
Larry Summers wants to ban $100 bills
The former president of Harvard (from "my years" over there) Larry Summers wants to ban all banknotes that are worth more than $50 in all G-20 countries. *A set of 10 paper napkins for CZK 9 resembling the CZK 5,000 banknote ($210), Czechia's most valuable banknote. It features Czechoslovakia's founder-president Prof Thomas Garrigue Masaryk and the Prague Castle and various other towers on the opposite side.* That's a rather revolutionary proposal given the fact that $100 bills account for approximately 80% of the U.S. dollars in circulation. The $100 banknote featuring Benjam... more »
Gila River 'Waters Connect Us' with Lakota Debra White Plume
Come Together to Learn More About Proetecting
Pope Francis Heads Deep into Cartel Territory
[image: Pope Francis2 - 900] Pope Francis had his most direct confrontation with Mexican cartel crime Tuesday when he visited Morelia, Mexico's unofficial capital of drug trafficking. While visiting Morelia -- located in the Michoacan state and home of dangerous cartels like Familia Michoacana -- the Pope asked the youth to... more »
NTS A Bit Under The Weather... Catching Up On The Real News Now..
I came down with a very nasty head cold over the weekend... My better half and my son both came down with much the same symptoms which left them both laid up the last few days... I am only now beginning to feel better and have so much catching up to do... I figure I would do a "mini rant" right now just to catch up on so many comments that I have received and other matters.. I have come under attack since last weekend's rant from the "Flat Earthers" out there that did not like what I had to say about their beliefs.. Well, too bad, because if they are wrong, they are wrong.. I turned... more »
Lisa Gawlas: The Unified Field of Change, of Unconditional Love Power Source
https://lisagawlas.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/the-unified-field-of-change-of-unconditional-love-power-source/ *The Unified Field of Change, of Unconditional Love Power Source* by Lisa Gawlas Well!! I surely did foresee not being able to see at all yesterday! One day, maybe, spirit will have some sort of mercy on our schedules lol. I doubt it tho, it hasn't happened in 15 years yet. Even with that statement, I hear my team tell us, in order to do that, to never have days of rescheduling due to the powerful energies on the field and/or running thru us, we would have to be taken out of t... more »
Dispatches From Nevada
Note from Karen: Reader E. O'Meara of Northern California has been emailing me about her adventures the past several days, canvassing for Bernie Sanders in Reno and training as a leader for this weekend's caucuses. With her permission, I am sharing her journey with Sardonicky readers. Some names, including that of the author, have been changed in order to protect their privacy. The emails have been very lightly edited. February 14: I am working as a nurse practitioner in my local county jail, which has half its 400 population comprised of immigration detainees. My girlfriend... more »
Brazilian State Suspends Larvicide Used To Combat Zika Virus
The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has suspended the use of a chemical used to kill mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus, after doctors voiced concerns that it may be the actual cause of brain defects in newborns. The state government’s move followed reports from the Argentine group Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST) and Brazilian Collective Health Association (Abrasco) which both suggested that the larvicide, not the Zika virus, was responsible for the alarming spike in microcephaly. Pyriproxyfen, the larvicide used in a government-run program aimed at controllin... more »
Is Reconciliation Possible In Iraq?
Reconciliation is often discussed in Iraq, but rarely ever accomplished. The Prime Minister has talked about it, there have been joint Sunni-Shiite prayers and tribal meetings, but nothing ever comes of them. The National Democratic Institute recently released a report “Iraq’s Road to Reconciliation” about this topic based upon interviews with religious, tribal, community and protest leaders. One of the major difficulties was that people often don’t agree upon what reconciliation means and who should be included. The biggest problem however was that the country’s political elite w... more »
Obama Chides Senators to ‘Do Their Job,’ Vote on Court Pick
[image: Antonin Scalia - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is challenging Republicans to live up to their avowed adherence to the Constitution and agree to vote on his nominee to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. A key Republican is leaving... more »
Apple to Fight Order to Help FBI Unlock San Bernardino Killer’s iPhone
[image: In this April 30, 2015, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook responds to a question during a news conference at IBM Watson headquarters, in New York. Cook said his company will resist a federal magistrate's order to hack its own users in connection with the investigation of the San Bernardino, Calif., shootings. In a statement posted early Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, on the company's website, Cook argued that such a move would undermine encryption by creating a backdoor that could potentially be used on other future devices. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Apple Inc... more »
U.S. Orders Apple To Unlock iPhone Used by San Bernardino Gunman. Apple Will Oppose This Court Order
*New York Times*: *Judge Tells Apple to Help Unlock iPhone Used by San Bernardino Gunman* WASHINGTON — A judge in California on Tuesday ordered Apple to help the F.B.I. unlock an iPhone used by one of the attackers in the assault in San Bernardino that killed 14 people in December. The ruling handed the F.B.I. a potentially important victory in its long-running battle with Apple and other Silicon Valley companies over the government’s ability to get access to encrypted data in investigations. Apple has maintained that requiring it to provide the “keys” to its technology would com...more »
Macchiarini defends ethics of 2011 Lancet paper
Embattled trachea surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who has spent more than a year fighting misconduct allegations, is defending the ethical oversight behind one of his seminal papers published in The Lancet. The 2011 paper “Tracheobronchial transplantation with a stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite: a proof-of-concept study” described a first-of-its-kind procedure: A 36-year-old man with recurrent tracheal cancer received an artificial […] The post Macchiarini defends ethics of 2011 Lancet paper appeared first on Retraction Watch.
I Used to Be Transgender. Here’s My Take on Kids Who Think They Are Transgender.
[image: Transgender] When a 9-year-old boy who identifies as Stormi, a transgender girl, started selling Girl Scout cookies, one neighbor was not amused, according to Buzzfeed. The neighbor rebuffed him, reportedly saying, "Nobody wants to buy Girl Scout cookies from a boy... more »
Liberal Stephen Colbert’s Funny, Heartfelt Tribute to Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia
[image: Colbert_Scalia_screenshot]
How to Avoid Israeli Brutality
https://youtu.be/a5w_7D70bbA How to avoid Israeli brutality, quite simple...
Uranium Contaminates Drinking Water – Sodium Bicarbonate Clears the Kidneys and Soil of Uranium by Dr. Mark Sircus
Uranium Contaminates Drinking Water – Sodium Bicarbonate Clears the Kidneys and Soil of Uranium by Dr. Mark Sircus Green Med Info. 22 January 2016 In the *western United States notices are springing up*, *Uranium*, the notices warn, tests at levels considered unsafe by federal and state standards. The notices say you can drink the water — but if you drink the water over a period of time, you can get cancer. USGS researchers recently sampled 170 domestic water wells in the San Joaquin Valley, and found 20 to 25 percent bore uranium at levels that broke federal and state limits... more »
U.S. Had Prepared Massive Cyber-Attack Plans Against Iran In The Event That The Nuclear Talks Failed
Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. Reuters *New York Times*: *U.S. Had Cyberattack Plan if Iran Nuclear Dispute Led to Conflict* BERLIN — In the early years of the Obama administration, the United States developed an elaborate plan for a cyberattack on Iran in case the diplomatic effort to limit its nuclear program failed and led to a military conflict, according to a coming documentary film and interviews with military and intelligence officials involved in the effort. The plan, code-named Nitro Zeus, was devised to disable Iran’s air defenses, communications systems and crucial par... more »
College Students Can’t Identify Photo of Ronald Reagan
[image: Texas Tech University’s nonpartisan political organization PoliTech and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a nonprofit organization that promotes civic education at America’s colleges and universities, conducted the survey to see if today's college students could identify notable American political figures.] A video shows "politically challenged" college students are unable to identify former President Ronald Reagan in a photograph. "Was that a former president?" a student majoring in government and international politics at George Mason University asked when shown ... more »
Pollster Tries Really, Really Hard to Make South Carolina GOP Voters Seem Racist
[image: Republican Party, GOP, Elephant, Election, American Flag] A newly-released poll conducted by Democrat-aligned Public Policy Polling (PPP) appears to have been deliberately designed to ferret out any possible racism among South Carolina's Republican voters. But the attempt largely seems to have failed. The poll released Tuesday asks 33...more »
George Osborne’s Family Firm Paid No Tax For Seven Years
The British government’s ‘crackdown’ on tax evasion has been embroiled in another credibility crisis, following revelations that the family business of Chancellor George Osborne had not paid corporation tax for seven years. A Shadow Treasury spokesman said that reports were ‘truly embarrassing’ for the Chancellor and the Labour party say that the tax row has casts doubt on his ability to make other firms pay up. Analysis from the Sunday Times newspaper discovered that the Osborne family’s wallpaper business, Osborne & Little Group Ltd, paid out dividends totalling US$485,000 (£335,00...more »
What the BBC aren't telling you about appointing people to the Supreme Court of the USA
Don't expect the BBC to report any of the above, about appointing people to the Supreme Court of the USA, after all there's the 'liberal' agenda to further. For 'liberal' you can, of course, read very illiberal. *Thanks to Theo Spark for the spots.*
Why Is Patrick Murphy Backing Corrupt Conservative Joe Garcia's Bid To Get Back Into Congress?
In contested primaries, the DCCC almost never gets it right. They pretty much always back the more conservative candidate over the more progressive candidate-- and they don't care what the local Democratic Party wants, as we saw in California and Florida in recent weeks. But there is one race-- in Miami-- where they stumbled into the best choice. Annette Taddeo is running against Republican incumbent, shady lobbyist Carlos Curbelo, and the DCCC has actually been helpful and supportive and has endorsed her. But now the corrupt conservative who Curbelo beat in 2014, New Dem Joe Garc... more »
Employment Law Blog Carnival (#ELBC) Freaky February Holiday Edition
February isn't just Valentine's Day, despite what the greeting card and flower industries would like you to believe. February ought to be designated National Weird Holiday Month, because it is filled with odd and different holiday celebrations. Since I'm honored to be hosting the Employment Law Blog Carnival this month, featuring the best employment law blogs around in one handy place, I get to share some of these unusual holidays with you. *February 2: Groundhog Day* In honor of the holiday that has large rodents predict the weather while we deny scientific evidence of global warm... more »
Nuclear Industry Subsidies Part I: Definitions
Update: *I am reposting this series on Nuclear Power Industry subsidies in proper order. This reposting will serve as an introduction to a new series on subsidies which will look at the justification of subsidies as well as their motives. The primary focus of these new posts will be on the justification, if any, of nuclear power subsidies. * Any analysis of nuclear industry subsidies should begin with definitions of the terms "Nuclear Industry" and "subsidy." We need to understand what it is we are talking about before we can talk intelligibly. The broadest meaning of term "nuclea... more »
Nuclear Industry Subsidies Part II: The Mining Sector
Doug Koplow, in a Union of Concerned Scientists report titled, Nuclear Power: Still not viable without subsidies," has offered us an attempt to assess subsidies offered by the Government to the Nuclear Industry. Koplow charges that one form of government subsidy has to do with Uranium mining, The mining and milling stages have historically been environmentally damaging, and available data (Table 15, p. 61) indicate the taxpayer cost to address these issues has rivaled the market value of the minerals extracted. Yet the sale price of Uranium made fuel an almost insignificant part of ... more »
Nuclear Industry Subsidies Part III: The Military Connection
This is the Part III of my review of Doug Koplow, Union of Concerned Scientists report titled, Nuclear Power: Still not viable without subsidies . ThePart I offered some definition of subsidies, and noted that very large government subsidies to the renewable power industry had not made renewable generated electricity cheap. Part I noted that the definitions of subsidy and nuclear industry needed to be determined in any valid study of subsidies, and questioned whether Koplow had done so. Part II looked at Koplow's claims about subsidies to the uranium mining and determined that these ... more »
Pope Francis and Economist Hernando de Soto Agree on One Thing: Free the Poor by Protecting Their Property Rights
[image: Mexico Deports More Central Americans Than the United States] Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico is yielding headlines around the world, as he rebukes clergy who are tied to wealthy Catholics, and endorses the use of indigenous Indian customs and languages in church devotions. Given this pope’s mode of expressing... more »
China Foreign Minister Downplays Missile Deployment Reports
[image: Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for photographers as she arrives for a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. China's moves to assert its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea are expected to be a key agenda item during a visit to Beijing Wednesday by Bishop. (Wu Hong/Pool Photo via AP)] BEIJING (AP) -- Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday sought to downplay reports that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island, accusing the media of... more »
The Latest: Obama Chides GOP Candidates for Harsh Talk on Islam and Immigration
[image: President Obama Addresses Georgetown U. Summit On Poverty] MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (AP) -- The Latest on campaign 2016 (all times local): 8:30 p.m. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio laughed off a supporter’s suggestion that he “waterboard” Democrat Hillary Clinton. The suggestion came just after the Florida senator promised... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* Foreign Officials Sell A Record $48 Billion In U.S. Treasurys In December Student debt protests planned after armed marshals arrest man for old loans The food we eat influences our genes Water table dropping all over globe — 4 billion people at risk Europe to crack down on Bitcoin anonymityEssential Science: Bio-designing yeast to improve biofuels Global Water Shortage Risk Is Worse Than Scientists Thought Justice Scalia Found Dead "With Pillow Over His Head", But No Autopsy Ordered Chinese Brokers' Profits Plunge 98% As Traders Flee Rigged, Burst Bubble Marke... more »
Nuclear Industry Subsidies Part IV: Conclusions on Koplow
Update: *I am reposting this 4 part series on Nuclear subsidies which critiques inaccurate claims about subsidies to the nuclear power industry, made by lobbiests for thev fossil fuel and the socalled renewable power industries. These two industries, often viewed as enemies, often appear to be joined together at the4 hip, by their shared hostility to clean, safe nuclear power. I am planning to begin a new series on subsidies, which explors the justification of subsidies in depth. * * I am repostThis is Part IV of my review of **Doug Koplow's "Nuclear Power: Still not viable withou... more »
They're Not Happy
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ Tom Mulcair will soon face a leadership review. If those who attend the convention are anything like Gerry Caplan, Mulcair won't have an easy time of it. Caplan writes: As someone who loudly endorsed Mr. Mulcair for leader, what bothered me so much about the campaign was how many bad judgments he and his advisers made, judgments that were quite clearly off-base at the time. In a nutshell, Mulcair wasn't Jack Layton: They ignored Jack Layton’s final gift to his party: the theme for the 2015 campaign. Liter... more »
How Cruz Can Win
[image: Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign event on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Greenville, S.C.] For Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, see here: How Kasich Can Win, How Ben Carson Can Win, How Bush Can Win and How Rubio Can Win). Look, Ted, I really, really like you. But that should worry you, since I’m not... more »
US Stealth Jets Fly Over S. Korea Amid N. Korea Standoff
[image: U.S. Air force military police stands guard near the one of four U.S. F-22 stealth fighter after landing at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016.] OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AP) -- Four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters flew low over South Korea on Wednesday in a clear show of force against North Korea, a day after South Korea’s president warned of the North’s collapse amid... more »
The Founders Were Right — And so Was Justice Scalia
[image: Founding Fathers, Founders, U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence] "I write separately to call attention to this Court's threat to American democracy." So wrote the late Justice Antonin Scalia in his Obergefell dissent. Scalia, or "Nino," as his colleagues affectionately knew him, was the foremost advocate of what has... more »
Evangelicals Are Not the Boogeyman
[image: Constitution] I realize that as an evangelical Christian I have a dog in this fight, but I want to say a few words about evangelicals and the unfortunate effort afoot to make them the political boogeyman. There are so many misconceptions... more »
No to Trident in the UK
Dear Russell, On 27th February I’ll be marching as part of the biggest mobilisation against nuclear weapons in a generation and I am writing in the hope that you might be willing to join me to help Stop Trident. Nuclear weapons belong in the past and the £100bn (and rising) cost of replacing Trident would be better spent on things that can genuinely make us safer and more secure. Creating jobs, building schools & hospitals, giving everyone in the world access to clean water and conflict prevention. Watch this video to find out more. It would also be a game changer in tackling what ev... more »
Untitled
*Oxford University's Labour club embroiled in anti-Semitism row* Oxford University's student Labour club, that was previously a platform for Ed Miliband and Michael Foot, has become embroiled in an anti-Semitism row. The club's chairman Alex Chalmers has resigned in protest after claiming that its members have "some kind of problem with Jews" and sympathise with terrorist groups like Hamas. Oxford University Labour Club (OULC), where dozens of former Labour leaders, Cabinet Members and MPs have cut their political teeth, is one of the largest student Labour clubs in the UK. Mr C... more »
Despite Friction With Some, Cruz Has Allies in Congress
[image: In this Oct. 26, 2013, file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, navigate through a corn field during a hunt hosted by King in Akron, Iowa. Cruz’s rivals like to say he doesn't have any friends in Washington. That's not true. Despite a distinct lack of support from Senate colleagues _ not one single endorsement, the Republican presidential candidate and freshman Texas senator has a small but loyal group of supporters in the House who are flying to rallies, meeting with voters and trying to convince the electorate that he's not such a bad guy. King, a f... more »
Trial Opens for Colorado Woman in Case of Baby Cut from Womb
[image: In this July 23, 2015, file photo, Dynel Lane, accused of attacking Michelle Wilkins and cutting the Longmont woman's unborn child from her womb, is arraigned on attempted-murder charges in Boulder District Court in Boulder, Colo. Opening statements are expected Wednesday morning, Feb. 17, 2016, in the trial of Lane. Prosecutors charged her with attempted first-degree murder, assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy in the March 2015 attack. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP, File)] BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- Dynel Lane went to extreme lengths to show those closes... more »
GOP Candidates in High-Stakes Chess Match in South Carolina
[image: Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks during a campaign stop in Aiken, S.C., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. (Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP)] CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Marco Rubio are locked in a high-stakes political chess match in South Carolina, strategically moving money and other campaign resources around in a bid to pull ahead in the Republican primary... more »
Clinton Makes Pitch to Black Ministers Ahead of SC Primary
[image: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton holds up a throat lozenge as she speaks at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan R. Smith)] NEW YORK (AP) -- Making a direct appeal to black voters, Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she would give African-Americans their next ally in the White House and offered a detailed plan to overcome racial disparities ahead of crucial primaries in... more »
Foreign Holdings of U.S. Treasury Debt Rose to Record High
[image: In this Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, file photo, the U.S. Treasury Building stands in Washington. On Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, the Treasury Department reported on foreign holdings of U.S. debt for December 2015.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose in December to a record high despite cutbacks by China and Japan, the two biggest foreign owners of Treasury debt. Foreign ownership of Treasury securities increased 0.7 percent in December... more »
Rainbow Tutus
Today is the second post in my St. Patrick's Day mantel series. What do rainbow tutus have to do with my mantel? This year I wanted to be able to include a few pictures of my St. Patrick's Day mantel, but I wanted them to match the mantel, so I created these super simple tutus for my girls to take pictures in. They love the tutus and the pictures turned out just so darn cute! You will need: - Six colors of tulle (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple) - Elastic - Needle and thread or safety pin - Scissors I wanted the tutus to have a little bit of glitter, b... more »
Deep State Madness (Scalia's Ghost) Ford Reshapes Asbesto Science? (Has the Crash of the Global Financial Markets Begun?) Age of Stagnation or Something Worse (NC Koch-Screwed)
Was The Office Of The Director Of National Intelligence Aware That Intelligence On The Islamic State/ISIS/ISIL Was 'Skewed'?Putting John Paulson on AIG’s Board Is an Insult to Every Law-Abiding Citizen Just how deep is this "Deep State?" The Full Story of the Sirhan Sirhan Parole Hearing You won't believe it. I don't. And I'm pretty sure that if we knew what the owners of this country didn't
Iran Is Being Pressured by OPEC To Freeze Oil Productions
*Reuters*: *Iran could decide fate of first global oil deal for 15 years* The fate of the first global oil deal in 15 years could be decided on Wednesday when OPEC members travel to Iran to persuade the country to participate in a deal to freeze output levels, possibly by offering Tehran special terms. Dominant OPEC power Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC Russia, the world's top two producers and exporters, agreed on Tuesday to freeze production levels but said the deal was contingent on others joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise pro... more »
Europe’s climate change goals ‘need profound lifestyle changes’
By Paul Homewood http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/15/europe-climate-change-goals-need-profound-lifestyle-changes-european-commission Don’t say you have not been warned! From the Grauniad: European countries should prepare for a far-reaching debate on the “profound lifestyle changes” required to limit climate change, according to a leaked European commission document. The commission will tell foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday that a […]
Feb. 16: A holy task: the Irving press and the spread of ignorance and torpor.
A big issue in the last provincial election was cutting civil service jobs. The Irving press was full of stories on how it was way too big, that civil servants are incompetent, anyway, and private business is more efficient. And there were journalistic cheers for the new Liberal leader when he vowed to move quickly on this. But -the headline in today's paper is that the civil service has been shrinking for years. And the pace of shrinkage has actually slowed under Gallant. Didn't the editors and reporters know all this while it was happening? It would certainly be an easy matter fo... more »
This Gun Fires One Million Rounds Per Minute
We Are The Mighty:* The Metal Storm gun can fire at 1 million rounds per minute* The highest rate of fire for a machine gun in service is the M134 Minigun. The weapon was designed in the late 1960s for helicopters and armored vehicles. It fires 7.62 mm calibre rounds at a blistering rate of 6,000 rounds per minute, or 100 rounds per second — about ten times that of an ordinary machine gun, according to the Guinness World Records. *Read more *.... *WNU Editor:* Wow .... that makes the A-10 gun "puny" in comparison. Speaking of the A-10 .... details on its gun can be seen in the vi... more »
A Look At The Pentagon's 'Slush Fund'
Wikipedia US News and World Report: *Inside the Pentagon’s ‘Slush Fund’* *Obama’s inability to eliminate the “OCO” budget leaves war planners awash with unregulated money.* It’s been called war planners’ crack cocaine, a shifty accounting scheme or a habit-forming opiate imbibed government-wide. Barack Obama pledged to eliminate it at the beginning of his presidency, but its potency has only grown stronger since. Now, it accounts for the unregulated spending of $60 billion or more in taxpayer dollars per year, with no end in sight. Get used to the Overseas Contingency Operations ... more »
The BBC censoring the news that doesn't fit their agenda - again
Yesterday I heard that the front-man of the Eagles of Death Metal band that had been playing at the Bataclan when it was attacked by Islamist terrorists had said that it wouldn't have happened if everyone had been armed. My immediate thought was, well the BBC won't like that, how will they report it? The answer was simpler than I thought, they haven't reported his words at all. This BBC piece reports on the return of Jesse Hughes and the Eagles of Death Metal to Paris. The article includes plenty of 'peace and love' messages but nothing about his views on gun control. Oddly the equ... more »
GAIA PORTAL: “Semper candeles” is the rally cry of the Light
*“Semper candeles” is the rally cry of the Light* by ÉirePort *"Semper candeles"* is the rally cry of the Light. Migration of Cosmic Higher Elements nears completion. Illumination of surface anharmonics brings the smoothing. Corpuscular movements have aligned. *Gaia girds for the next phase.* ÉirePort | February 17, 2016 at 09:09 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-xv
Syria: At the Gateway of Greater War
*February 17, 2016* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Syrian forces backed by Russian airpower have made major advances across the battlefield along multiple fronts. Around Aleppo, Syrian forces have cut supply lines from Turkey that were for years, supplying terrorists operating inside the country. Just east of a growing encirclement of the city of Aleppo, a secondary encirclement of so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS) forces is forming as the offensive to relieve Kuweris Airbase has evolved into a northern advance toward Al Bab - a critical logistical hub used by US-NATO-GCC backed terroris... more »
WTF Happened to Golden Rice?
We keep forgetting that most good ideas in science die when the rubber hits the road. The types of concerns that i have uncovered regarding Roundup and Neonics explain clearly why. In fact all biological experiments need to be subjected to real world conditions to discover what the stress will do to fix things. We usually get surprised and often disappointed. Golden rice is proving to be just a failing good idea that may need another trip to the drawing board. Besides, what is wrong with yams and carrots?. *WTF Happened to Golden Rice?* *—By Tom Philpott* *Wed Feb. 3, 201... more »
Scientist Ruthlessly Debunks NOAA Climate Claim
[image: John Christy] We do have data sources immune to manipulation by way of satellites. They continue to show zero global warming as in no such thing. Supposed sources saying otherwise have been manipulated to what is becoming absurd scandalous lengths. Yet we are supposed to bow to the warmists as if they are sources of revealed truth. The reality remains that while we are experiencing normal climate changes that are typically long cycle driven, there is zero net change. Thus the whole global warming model is completely false and irredeemable. CO2 is still rising... more »
Professor: ‘Democracy is Compatible with Chinese Culture’
Democracy is been generally adopted throughout SE Asia however haltingly. It is naturally evolutionary which actually makes it more fully acceptable to everyone. Those in a hurry are always frustrated but any study of Taiwan shows us just hoe evolutionary it all is and likely has to be. Thinking it can be done by fiat is as often a retrogressive action. Japan, Korea, and Taiwan all began as military dictatorships. Three generations, a combination of social pressure and some political will and we have three clearly democratic systems that work rather well. Could they be better... more »
Government Lab Delayed Announcing Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus
We have a highly transmissible virus getting established in the blood donor system and seriously getting around. It needs to be stopped. Now we discover it can be transmitted by sex. Worse it is also a likely unidentified vector for the disease that leaves you paralyzed. All this means is that it needs to be tackled hard and eliminated. By that i also mean from carriers. This is not AIDS so it should be possible. We do not know how extensive it may become but we will far too soon. Most victims merely get a rash that soon enough goes away. That means the best protection i... more »
South Korea Losing Confidence In U.S. Security Guarantees
Deadly convoy: Dozens of U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons demonstrate an 'Elephant Walk' as they taxi down a runway during an exercise at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, to practise for a wartime mission. This picture is among a gallery of images chosen to showcase a year in the life of the U.S. Air force in 2012 *Michael Auslin, Wall Street Journal:* *Will South Korea Go Nuclear?* *Seoul’s leading newspaper suggests acquiring nuclear arms, as confidence wanes in U.S. defense guarantees.* North Korea’s latest rocket launch has sent the global community into another frenzy. While... more »
U.S. Deploys F-22 Raptors To South Korea
*IBTimes*: *US To Send F-22 Stealth Fighter Jets To South Korea After North Korea’s Satellite Launch* The United States is set to send four F-22 stealth fighter jets to South Korea Wednesday, Yonhap News Agency reported Tuesday, citing defense officials in South Korea. The move comes as part of Washington’s show of force in response to Pyongyang’s launch of a satellite earlier this month that drew international censure. “The U.S. military plans to deploy four F-22s to the Korean Peninsula tomorrow (Wednesday),” a defense official said, according to South Korea's Yonhap. The F-22... more »
Step2 Hot Wheels Extreme Thrill Coaster
*Welcome to the Step2 Hot Wheels Extreme Thrill Coaster Giveaway! * Do you have a little Hot Wheels fan? They're going to love this awesome new Hot Wheels Extreme Thrill Coaster from Step2, arriving in early March 2016. Product Details:Bring all of the excitement of an amusement park right to your own backyard with the Hot Wheels™ Extreme Roller Coaster by Step2! Little thrill seekers can push the coaster car up the non-slip step ramp to the platform peak all by themselves to further enhance their gross motor skills! This study, extra-long kid’s roller coaster will be an instant ne... more »
Military Photo of the Day: February 17, 2016
[image: Southwest Asia-900] U.S. Marines participate in a night training exercise in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia on Jan. 31, 2016. The brave men and women of our military are willing to train, fight and live in faraway corners of the world... more »
Another Brick In The Wall
British rock stars were never part of Hillary's crumbling firewall-- not like Georgia state Sen. Vincent Fort, the #2 Democrat in the Georgia Senate, who flipped his endorsement this morning from Hillary to Bernie-- but, nonetheless, *another* brick in the wall is now out of reach for her campaign which is being viewed world over as less and less believeable and less and less inevitable. Pink Floyd's Roger Waters was early in seeing the danger of the neocon monster that is so much a part of Hillary Clinton. Back in October he endorsed Bernie and said he was worried that Hillary "... more »
Tweet For Today
Whoa ... Florida's got some sharks. Here's the video: https://t.co/AaGJNI0gUF #sharkmigration pic.twitter.com/89KgVEI373 — Earth Touch (@EarthTouch) February 5, 2016
China Has Deployed Surface-To-Air Missiles On South China Sea Island
*FOX News:* *Exclusive: China sends surface-to-air missiles to contested island in provocative move* The Chinese military has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of its contested islands in the South China Sea according to civilian satellite imagery exclusively obtained by Fox News, more evidence that China is increasingly "militarizing" its islands in the South China Sea and ramping up tensions in the region. The imagery from ImageSat International (ISI) shows two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers as well as a radar system on Woody Island, ... more »
Picture Of The Day
Soldiers secure an area during a live-fire exercise on Fort Campbell, Ky., Feb. 9, 2016. The soldiers are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Command Team. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joel Salgado
Is China About To Put Its Nuclear Forces On Permanent Alert
China's road-mobile ICBMs. Chinese Defense *Ankit Panda, The Diplomat:* *Is China Considering a High-Risk Change to Its Nuclear Deterrence Posture?* *China may be considering putting its nuclear forces on alert.* Is China considering a change to its nuclear weapons posture that could threaten global strategic stability? Gregory Kulacki with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) thinks so. In a recently published report, Kulacki highlights internal military discourse within the People’s Liberation Army that suggests China may be considering putting its nuclear forces on alert. Th... more »
If Obama Really Wants to Reduce ‘Meanness,’ Now is His Chance
[image: Obama - 900] In Springfield, Ill., last week, President Obama commemorated the ninth anniversary of his bid for the White House. He admitted that one of his “few regrets” was his inability “to reduce the polarization and the meanness in our politics.” To... more »
Alan Waldman : TELEVISION | ‘Peaky Blinders’ is excellent English historical series
Irish, Italian, and Jewish gangster armies contend in Birmingham and London in the 1920s. By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | February 17, 2016 [In his Rag Blog column, Alan Waldman reviews some of his favorite films and TV … finish reading Alan Waldman : *TELEVISION* | ‘Peaky Blinders’ is excellent English historical series
France: Civil War Is Imminent
Officers from the riot police force in France (Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité) have spoken out on Facebook saying that they believe a civil war is imminent. In a post titled “Diary of a CRS” – police officers belonging to the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité say why they think France on the brink of total civil war, and accuse the media are completely hiding certain unpalatable facts from the public. From the Facebook post: Here is the story “Diary of a CRS” you will not find anywhere else as totally forbidden! WORDS OF POLICE: (Take the time to read to the end) This diary... more »
Jesus Healed Sick People With Marijuana, Researchers Discover
Historical and scientific research suggests that Jesus Christ may have been an avid marijuana user, and experts say he may have also used the plant to heal sick people. Experts suggest that cannabis may have been a key ingredient in the “anointing oil” used by Jesus and his followers in rituals for healing. Naturalnews.com reports: From the original High Times article: “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiah.” In modern English, this term would be translated as the “anointed one.” The title “Christ” was only placed upon he who had “God’s unction upon him.” This hol... more »
Lamar W. Hankins : Superdelegates and the undemocratic Democratic Party
It is as though the Democratic Party has declared that the rabble who vote are not to be trusted with the fate of the party. By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | Feb. 17, 2016 SAN MARCOS, Texas … finish reading Lamar W. Hankins : Superdelegates and the undemocratic Democratic Party
1.6 Million Struck Down With Flu In Japan Last Week
The flu season in Japan has struck 1.64 million people who all fell ill with flu symptoms across the country, during a one-week period through February 7, the health ministry has confirmed. 5,995 schools across Japan had to close due to the outbreak in order to prevent further spread of the influenza virus. Japantoday.com reports: This year, flu season began in earnest later than the previous several years, but its outbreak is close to reaching levels seen in average years, according to the ministry. During the week before, an estimated 1.07 million people had been diagnosed with f... more »
Ukraine PM And His Government Have Survived A No-Confidence Vote
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk delivers a speech during a parliament session in Kiev, Ukraine, February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich *Washington Post:* *Ukraine’s prime minister survives no-confidence vote amid deepening anger* KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s government under Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk survived a rowdy vote of no confidence on Tuesday, as outrage over economic recession and political cronyism threatened the collapse of his ruling coalition. The motion to oust the cabinet, which gained momentum as President Petro Poroshenko endorsed a government resh... more »
Judge: Apple Must Help U.S. Hack San Bernardino Killer’s Phone
[image: This July 27, 2014, photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows Tashfeen Malik, left, and Syed Farook, as they passed through O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. A U.S. magistrate has ordered Apple to help the Obama administration hack into an iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in San Bernardino, Calif. The ruling by Sheri Pym on Feb. 16, 2016, requires Apple to supply highly specialized software the FBI can load onto the phone to cripple a security encryption feature that erases data after too many unsuccessful unlocking attempts. Federal prosecutor... more »
Obama Will Be The ONLY Black President To Ever Try To Name A Supreme Court Justice In His Final Year!
In the video above, Ted Cruz is lying his ass off, not because he expects anyone sane will believe him, but because the South Carolina Republican presidential primary is coming up. McConnell, Jeb Bush, Rubio, Herr Trumph, Chuck Grassley and lots of other high profile Republicans have demanded President Obama not appoint a replacement for far right Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Rubio was on *Meet the Press* Sunday either demonstrating his ignorance or just lying to the viewers. "Both parties have followed this precedent. There comes a point in the last year of the presiden... more »
Europe Is Note Ready For A Massive New Wave Of Refugees
*Washington Post:* *Spring could bring a fresh surge of refugees. But Europe isn’t ready for them.* LONDON — After an unparalleled tide of asylum seekers washed onto European shores last summer and fall, the continent’s leaders vowed to use the relative calm of winter to bring order to a process marked by chaos. But with only weeks to go before more favorable spring currents are expected to trigger a fresh surge of arrivals, the continent is no better prepared. And in critical respects, the situation is even worse. Ideas that were touted as answers to the crisis last year have fai... more »
MSM's Laughable Anti-Putin Propaganda Masks The Complexities of The War In Syria
Some fool suggested that Putin is the cause of World War III in an article for Forbes called,* "Putin Threatens World War Again, This Time Over Syria: Will Turks And Saudis Call His Bluff?"* Here's an excerpt: Anyway, Americans voted for Obama to pull out. They’d had enough of the region. And the war would have stayed within the region, including the migrant problem, but for one thing – the ambitions of Putin. Not checking Putin sharply in Crimea, then Ukraine, compounding the indecision over Georgia, has indeed brought the world to the brink of total war. Does this idiot believe... more »
"So, what if people did behave according to Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism?”
Writing at NPR, respected research psychologist Denise Cummins expresses her fascination with the growing popularity of Rand's ideas among young people, asking the question: “So what if people behaved according to Rand’s philosophy of ‘objectivism’[sic]? What if we indeed allowed ourselves to be blinded to all but our own self-interest?” She answers the question herself with several straw men thoroughly debunked by Ben Bayer at the new Check Your Premises blog, to which Landon Walsh adds this excellent comment: I think it's important to answer the question she posed for herself... more »
Russian Su-35s Fighter Jets Have Been Stalking German Tornados Over Syria
A German air force Tornado jet takes off from the German army Bundeswehr airbase in Jagel, northern Germany December 10, 2015 (REUTERS Photo) *National Interest*: *Lethal Shadows: Russian Su-35s Stalk German Tornados Over Syria* Russian Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E air superiority fighters have been confronting the German Luftwaffe’s Tornado reconnaissance aircraft over Syria—potentially heightening tensions and increasing the chances of a miscalculation. Berlin has deployed six Tornado reconnaissance/strike aircraft to the region to support allied operations against ISIS, while Moscow... more »
Why A Saudi Ground Operation In Syria Is A Bad Idea
Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed al Asiri *Alexander Decina, Daily Beast:* *Saudi Troops to Syria? Whoa. Bad Idea!* If Riyadh and its partners actually intend to send troops to Syria, it will be an incredibly risky move that will prolong the civil war. On Feb. 4, the spokesman for the Saudi military, Brigadier General Ahmed al Asiri, made a bold announcement. The Gulf kingdom, he said, would commit troops to a ground operation against ISIS if the United States asked it to and if the coalition agreed to it. Asiri made the statement sitting in front of the flags of all six Gulf Cooperat... more »
...And The First Casuality of War is.....another MSF Hospital
*MSF accused by Syria of being a spy asset for NATO* *(makes perfect sense to me)* From the New York Times we get this surprisingly "truthy" report: The Latest: Syria Accuses Alliance of Striking Hospital By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FEB. 16, 2016, 5:07 P.M. E.S.T. BEIRUT — The latest on the civil war in Syria (all times local): 11:57 p.m. Syria's United Nations ambassador says his government has "credible information" that the U.S.-led alliance struck a hospital in northern Syria run by Doctors Without Borders and *is accusing the medical aid organization of being a branch of French... more »
Alice Embree : LIBROS | ‘Haydée Santamaría, Revolucionaria cubana’
Margaret Randall, integrando la voz de una poetiza en su obra, le da dimensiones humanas a los héroes de la revolución cubana. Por Alice Embree | The Rag Blog | 1 de septiembre, 2015 Traducido del inglés por Cecilia Colomé … finish reading Alice Embree : *LIBROS* | ‘Haydée Santamaría, Revolucionaria cubana’
A Winter Vacation in Utah
Snow. Snow everywhere. There comes a time every winter where my entire family gets stir crazy. We want to be outside, but it is just so darn cold. This winter we decided we wanted to go on a little winter vacation where we could enjoy everything about the cold, but also have a warm place to go after we were done with snow. We headed to the Homestead Resort in Midway, Utah. If you have never been to Midway, you are seriously missing out. It is the cutest town I have ever seen. It was settled by Swiss immigrants and they have fully embraced their Swiss heritage right down to the bui... more »
Selling NATO Intervention in Syria the R2P way: Save Refugees and Europe
*From the Atlantic Council- How to Reverse Putin’s Damage in Syria* By John E. Herbst- *John E. Herbst is Director of the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council. He served as US Ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006.* For this post I'm ignoring the title and cutting to the chase! When reading this ask yourself,* could it be any more clear that ISIS was never the enemy*. They were always the proxy, needed to remake the middle east & create 2nd Israel aka Kurdistan. Read as the demon masquerading as a human suggests the necessary US actions to destroy Syria and chan...more »
Success at Business ≠ Understanding Economics
*Donald Trump claims to be very successful at business, observes Don Boudreaux in this guest post, and so too does John Key, but this would make neither an expert on the economy.* *Wealth doesn't indicate economic wisdom.* Here’s a refrain that I’m being bombarded with by e-mail and on Facebook; this particular version is a Facebook comment by someone named Thomas Marise (whom I don’t know): *[image: _Quote_Idiot]Trump has proven time and again he knows his stuff when it comes to economics. He has a personal wealth of $10Billion proving his understanding. Hard to argue with ... more »
No Black Firewall for Hillary in the South
[image: DENMARK, SC - FEBRUARY 12: Voters and elected officals listen to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speak in South Carolina a day after her debate with rival candidate Bernie Sanders on February 12, 2016 in Denmark, South Carolina. Clinton is counting on strong support from the African American community in South Carolina to give her a win over Sanders in the upcoming primary on February 27.] Practically every pundit in the mainstream media has opined about Hillary’s “firewall” in the South. These comments intensified after the shellacking she got in the New Ha... more »
Trump the Unhinged
[image: Donald Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C.] In Saturday's Republican debate, Donald Trump, in discussing the Iraq war, accused President George W. Bush and his administration of lying to get the United States into the Iraq war. "You call it whatever you want. I wanna tell you.... more »
Bombshell: Scalia Held ‘Secret’ Meeting With Obama Hours Before Death
A Foreign Intelligence Service report has revealed that US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia visited President Obama just hours before his suspicious death in Houston. The secret meeting was held aboard a US Air Force plane heading to a Texas ranch owned by a close friend of Obama’s. Whatdoesitmean.com reports: According to this report, SVR “assests” reported that on 11 February both President Obama and Justice Scalia were at Joint Base Andrews (JBA) scheduled for two separate US Air Force flights from Andrews Field—the first taking President Obama to Los Angeles, and the second...more »
Vaccinated Kids Spread Whooping Cough – Confirmed
A study has confirmed that 26 vaccinated Florida toddlers all got sick with whooping cough (B. pertussis) after receiving the DtaP vaccine in 2013. All of the children, aged one to five year olds, attended the Tallahassee preschool and had received four doses of the pertussis vaccine (DtaP) – according to official CDC recommendations. Thevaccinereaction.org reports: Let’s examine the evidence to see if it is logical to make a big deal out of kids in a preschool classroom infecting each other, plus infecting other kids in their homes with whooping cough, even though all of them had b... more »
Ukraine Government In Meltdown
Ukraine have confirmed that an imminent collapse of its current coalition government is on the cards, amid a Parliamentary vote on whether to hold snap elections in the country. Ukraine’s largest political party confirmed that they will vote whether the performance of Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk is “unsatisfactory” before arranging a general election. Theglobeandmail.com reports: If the government loses, lawmakers need 150 signatures in parliament to hold a no-confidence vote, which could lead to national elections if the coalition cannot agree on a new cabinet. Two legislators...more »
Police State: US Marshals Arrest Students For Failing To Pay Back Loans
US Marshals in Houston have begun arresting students who have failed to pay back their student loans. Former student Paul Aker has confirmed that he was arrested last week in his home for failing to pay back a $1500 federal student loan he received in 1987. Fox26houston.com reports: He says seven deputy US Marshals showed up at his home with guns and took him to federal court where he had to sign a payment plan for the 29-year-old school loan. Congressman Gene Green says the federal government is now using private debt collectors to go after those who owe student loans. Green says a...more »
Turkish Troops Open Fire On Russian Military In Syria
Turkey have open-fired on Kurdish YPG militia and Russian troops operating within the Syrian-Turkish border, as military tensions escalates between Russia and Turkey in Syria. Turkey have asked the United States for military assistance in a ground operation as Russian troops advance closer to its borders. Thestar.com.my reports: A large-scale joint ground operation is still unlikely: Washington has ruled out a major offensive. But the request shows how swiftly a Russian-backed advance in recent weeks has transformed a conflict that has drawn in most regional and global powers. Syri... more »
WW3: Hezbollah Are Now Able To Shoot Down Israeli Jets
Israel are claiming that Hezbollah are now able to shoot down Israeli jets flying over parts of the Middle East. According to an IDF source, Russia’s presence in Syria has given Hezbollah the ability to shoot down Israeli planes. Uprooted Palestinians reports: Those same IDF sources estimate that the increased Hezbollah provocations are the result of the tightening relationship between Russia and Hezbollah, as part of the campaign against ISIS in Syria. “The ties between Hezbollah and Syria and Russia have completely changed the rules of the game in the region — despite the [Russia...more »
Germany Is Crashing The Euro As Europe’s Economy Goes Into Meltdown
Germany’s policies in Europe could spark the Eurozone to collapse, as government debt and bailout regulations put the euro and those countries who use it on the brink of a total economic meltdown. A special advisor to the German government, Professor Peter Bofinger, has predicted that Spain and Italy will be forced to leave the euro in the immediate future because of Germany’s new rules. Express.co.uk reports: Under the proposed scheme, investors who hold Eurozone government-issued debts through bonds would have to accept write-offs on the value of their investment before the group ... more »
Jim Simons : The passing of Scalia: A requiem for Caesar
There is no escaping the fact that Justice Scalia did more to harm this country than any other Supreme Court judge in history. By Jim Simons | The Rag Blog | February 16, 2016 “The evil that men do lives … finish reading Jim Simons : The passing of Scalia: A requiem for Caesar
Mohawk Nation News 'Wack Them Mother!'
http://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2016/02/16/wack-them-mother/
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 16, 2016
*Michael Clarke, The Guardian*: *If the Syria ceasefire fails, Isis will be the least of the west’s problems* *The prospect of Russian and Iranian forces putting a vengeful Assad back in control of a broken country is now all too real* The military campaign against Islamic State is being reduced to a vicious sideshow as the Syrian civil war enters a new make-or-break phase. Russian military involvement has been a game-changer – saving Bashar al-Assad’s forces from near collapse, blatantly attacking western-backed opposition forces, and supplying T-90 tanks to Assad’s army closing ... more »
Will 2016 Be The Year The West Goes To War With Russia?
Diplomatic relations between Russia and the West are officially at their lowest point in history, with Russia declaring a new cold war against the West and the U.S. continuing to impose sanctions against its fellow superpower. Many people believe the world is dangerously close to an all out World War 3 scenario, and experts say that 2016 will be the year it ignites. Pravdareport.com reports: As for the United States, one may already talk about another arms race between our countries. Russia and the USA compete in their military power, while officials of the two states release highl... more »
Syrian Army Advances Towards The ISIS Capital Raqqa
Syrian army and paramilitary forces are moving into the ISIS capital of Raqqa in Syria. Syrian army units are seizing strategical areas along the Salamiyah-Raqqa road as they head into the Islamic State stronghold. RT reports: On Sunday, Syrian government forces and Palestinian armed militia captured the strategically important Tal Masbah hilltop, the last entrenched Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) position. The fortified position guarded approaches to the Salamiyah-Raqqa highway, leading to the terror group’s stronghold in the city of Raqqa, Al-Masdar news outlet reported,... more »
‘White Privilege': Part II in a Series of Widely Held Beliefs That Are Either Untrue or Meaningless
[image: Teamwork, Collaboration, People, Diversity] A pillar of contemporary leftism is the notion of “white privilege.” Given that a generation of high school and college students are being taught that a great number of “unearned privileges” accrue to white Americans -- the charge of white... more »
Vanity, the Sultry Prince Protege Who Became a Christian Minister, Dies at 57
[image: Vanity3] Vanity, a Prince protege who renounced her sexy stage persona to become a Christian minister, has died. She was 57. The singer and actress, born Denise Matthews, died Monday at a hospital in Fremont, California, said Gisela Hernandez, a spokeswoman...more »
Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, “Awakening (Cosmic Sea)”
Liquid Mind, “Awakening (Cosmic Sea)” - https://www.youtube.com/
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Massive star IRS 4 is beginning to spread its wings. Born only about 100,000 years ago, material streaming out from this newborn star has formed the nebula dubbed Sharpless 2-106 Nebula (S106), featured here. A large disk of dust and gas orbiting Infrared Source 4 (IRS 4), visible in brown near the image center, gives the nebula an hourglass or butterfly shape. *Click image for larger size.* S106 gas near IRS 4 acts as an emission nebula as it emits light after being ionized, while dust far from IRS 4 reflects light from the central star and so acts as a reflection nebula. Detailed ... more »
"12 Rules for Being a Human Being"
*"12 Rules for Being a Human Being"* by Marc "Don’t try to be perfect. Just be an excellent example of being human. Here are a few things to keep in mind: *1. Growth requires pain.* Be patient and tough, someday this pain will be useful to you. Those with the strength to succeed in the long run are the ones who lay a firm foundation of growth with the bricks that life has thrown at them. So don’t be afraid to fall apart for a little while. Because when it happens, the situation will open an opportunity for you to grow and rebuild yourself into the brilliant person you are capab... m
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