10:32pm MDST
Picture Of The Day
Thirty-two OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters prepare to takeoff and participate in a flyover above Fort Bragg, N.C., 2016, during the final stateside flight of the aircraft, April 15, 2016. DoD photo by Kenneth Kassens *WNU Editor:* The photo gallery for this picture *is here.*
On The Front Lines With Peshmerga Forces Facing The Islamic State
Many of the peshmerga soldiers are middle aged or older. *Nolan Peterson, Daily Signal*: *With the Peshmerga on the Front Lines Against ISIS* GWER, Iraq—First you notice the sound of jet engines. The sky is overcast, so you can’t see the coalition warplanes. But you can hear them. And you know what the snarl of jet noise and the occasional thud of an airstrike symbolizes for the Islamic State fighters about a mile away. With a Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder and a curved dagger sheathed in his waist sash, peshmerga Col. Anwar Hassan watches his enemies through binoculars. Has... more »
Unearthly Adventure Comics #252 - The RetConQuest Part 1
With a cover-date of March 1958 and on newsstands in January of 1958, Unearthly Adventure Comics #252 continued the tales of the Unwanted (as some of the less welcoming newspapers of Port Henry had come to describe them). As with their first tale it had a high science fiction concept, introducing concepts such as time travel and paradoxes to the title. Based on the adventure of the same name written by Steve Kenson. Some text taken from that adventure. Adapted for the Port Henry Campaign. Cast of Characters - Robert Builder/The Atomizer - Reporter for the Port Henry Times-H... more »
Why Jonathan Merritt is Wrong on Conservative Christians and the Transgender Debate
[image: No to Trans Activism - 900] I commend author and blogger Jonathan Merritt for reminding us that whenever we hear the words "homosexual" or "transgender," we are not just talking about issues, we are talking about people -- people created in God's image, yet fallen (like... more »
Mohawk Nation News ''Piggy Bank Democracy'
http://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2016/05/15/piggy-bank-democracy/
Islamic State Fighter Pleads To His Captors To Execute Him So That He Could Go To Paradise On Time
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters search for ISIS militants in Tel Asqof, northern Iraq on May 4, 2016. Reuters *FOX News:* *Antsy ISIS militant orders his own killing so he can get to heaven on time* An Islamic State fighter captured in Iraq last week reportedly begged Kurdish troops to kill him right away because he didn’t want to be late for a 4 p.m. religious ceremony in heaven. Kurdish Peshmerga forces captured the militant after he and 49 others were sent out by ISIS for a suicide bombing attack in the Christian town of Tel Askuf coinciding with an Islamic holy day, according to Th... more »
An Inside Look At The U.S. War Against The Islamic Satte In Iraq
*ABC News*:* Defeating ISIS: An Exclusive Look at What's Next for U.S. Troops in Iraq* Major General Gary Volesky, Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, has completed three tours of Iraq since 2004, but he says his latest deployment is a very different battle from the rest. “It is a different enemy,” he told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz from al Asad airbase in western Iraq. “This enemy that we are facing today, make no mistake, is out there to attack everyone. We saw it in Paris, we saw it in Brussels, we’ve seen it in California.” The new enemy, of course, is ISIS. Major Genera... more »
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Meets Saudi Arabia's King Salman For Talks On Conflicts In Syria, Libya, Yemen
*Reuters*:* Kerry meets Saudi king to discuss Syria before Vienna talks* U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the fragile truce in Syria, before broader talks with Russia, Iran and other countries in Vienna on Tuesday. Kerry has said he hopes to strengthen a "cessation of hostilities" agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels, which has been undermined by fighting in some areas, and to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged areas. On Friday, he said the meetings with the king and the Saudi interior a... more »
“The aristocracy of pull”
Any Rand called it “the aristocracy of pull.” PJ O’Rourke points out that when legislation proscribes what is bought and sold, the first things to be bought will be the legislators. This, you should be aware, is modern government: [image: 13151424_10153688307475197_2110543502067367689_n] [Hat tip Peter Longfield. Cartoon by Wiley Miller.] Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.
The European Union is Anti-European
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson received headlines around the world for saying “the European Union (EU) wants a superstate, just as Hitler did.” That at least was what one of the headline wirters reports. *The former mayor of London, who is a keen classical scholar, argues that the past 2,000 years of European history have been characterised by repeated attempts to unify Europe under a single government in order to recover the continent’s lost “golden age” under the Romans. “Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically,” he says. “The EU i... more »
Can Trump Save Renee Ellmers From The Far Right?
Renee Ellmers is probably wishing all she had to face this election cycle was last cycle's opponent, gay singling star and *American Idol* fave, Clay Aiken. She beat him 122,128 (59%) to 85,479 (41%). After the district was redrawn by court order it's still safely Republican but now she's in a battle royale with fellow Republicans George Holding (who was redistricted out of a safe seat) and big name teabagger Greg Brannon who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014 and has major name recognition. The congressional primary was postponed until June 7 because of the new boundaries. The dist... more »
France To Pursue A Middle East Conference On The Israeli - Palestinian Conflict Despite Israel's Objections
*Washington Post:** Israel tells France it’s not interested in multilateral peace talks* JERUSALEM — French officials said Sunday that they will continue to press ahead with plans to host a multilateral Middle East peace conference later this year, despite hearing, in blunt language, that Israel doesn’t really like the idea. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to promote what diplomats are calling the “French Initiative,” a still evolving and admittedly vague diplomatic project that seeks to bring global attention to the ... more »
Security Blunder Results In Fans At United Manchester's Old Trafford Stadium Being Evacuated
*Daily Mail*:* Manchester United bomb scare was caused by security blunder after dummy device was left in Old Trafford toilet BY MISTAKE* * Stands at Old Trafford dramatically evacuated after 'code red' alert because of 'incredibly lifelike explosive device' * Mobile phone attached to wiring said to have been discovered in toilets during Manchester United's final-day clash * Match was postponed for 45 minutes but staff later abandoned game altogether, sending away thousands of fans * Police and sniffer dogs deployed to ground, which has capacity for 76,000, and a controlled explosio... more »
Reforming The Pentagon's Promotion System Is Causing A Deep Rift Among Senior Military Leaders
The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, taken from an airplane in January 2008. Wikipedia *Military Times*: *Inside the Pentagon personnel feud that's roiled the military's most senior leaders* Internal Pentagon drama is strangling Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s signature initiative to make the military’s promotion system function more like a Fortune 500 company, leaving the controversial reform effort unlikely to succeed during the Obama administration's final months. The Defense Department's most senior military and civilian leaders have spent mont... more »
BBC Internal Review: We’re Too Christian, and We Need to Add Islam for Diversity
[image: BBC Sign - 900] An internal review by the BBC has declared the news organization is far too Christian and needs to make way for more diverse news programming from an Islamic perspective. The BBC's head of religion and ethics, Aaqil Ahmed, has sent a report to... more »
CIA Played A Role In Nelson Mandela’s 1962 Arrest -Report
A tip from a CIA agent led to the arrest of Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa in 1962 that resulted in the late leader spending 27-years behind bars. The revelations, made in the Sunday Times newspaper, are based on an interview with ex-CIA agent Donald Rickard shortly before he died. Shanghai Daily reports: The newspaper cited comments said to have been made by Donald Rickard, a former US vice-consul in Durban and CIA operative, to British film director John Irvin. Irvin’s latest film “Mandela’s Gun,” about the months before the anti-apartheid icon’s arrest, is due to be sc... more »
#AFL–top ten this weekend
Here are the top ten moments from this weekend in the world’s most libertarian sport. You’re welcome. . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.
Weekly Menu No 17
[image: Weekly Dinner Menu] Weekly dinner menu hostesses are: [image: Let me plan your weekly dinner menu for you! All recipes are tested in our kitchens and are sure to please the pickiest of picky eaters.] Summer Scraps – Housewife Eclectic – Embellishmints – The Crafty Blog Stalker Liz On Call – Mom’s Messy Miracles – It’s Me Deb CB – Organized Island Sunday Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken Recipe [image: Slow-Cooker-Balsamic-Chicken-Recipe] Monday Ham and Swiss Stromboli [image: Ham-and-Swiss-Stromboli-700x947] Tuesday Green Chili Pork Tacos [image: Pulled-Pork-Tacos.jpg] Wednesday Ham an... more »
The Passover Plot
*Pilate marvelled if he were already dead...* *Mark 15:44* *Why would they not even bother to break his legs...?* DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION: *HASTENED* *by the breaking of the legs*, so that the victim could not push up to take a good breath. *John 19:32-33*: *The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, **they did not break his legs."* If we to find the actual specifics of what really was said to have occurred in connection with the Cr... more »
Alexander Nevermind
Alexander Nevermind. https://www.facebook.com/Alexander-NeverMind-167515123288367/
Jeremy Corbyn's Speech to Progress
In yet another example of the lion laying down with the lamb, last Saturday say Jeremy Corbyn deliver a keynote speech at Progress conference. Yes, read that again. Jeremy Corbyn. Keynote. Progress conference. Debate rages whether it's broken, but everyone can agree that politics has definitely *got weird*. That speech then, yes. Not a great deal was said, and all was pretty cordial. The questions at the end were polite and business-like. No one attempted to be a hero or went nuclear or anything like that, and for his part Jeremy gave the kind of speech few, if any, on the left coul... more »
Dietary fat type - saturated or unsaturated - does it make a difference to glycaemic control?
This is a section from a paper I'm writing about hepatic glycogen control, this part concerns the effect of dietary fat type on the insulin response. Spoiler alert: you will be surprised how little sound evidence there is on a subject about which so many pronounce so confidently. Carbohydrate feeding stimulates the release of glucagon from delta cells in the gut and pancreatic alpha cells.[1] Glucagon is the hormone that elevates blood glucose by stimulating gluconeogenesis, but this is a delayed response; the most immediate glucose-elevating effect of glucagon is to induce glyc... more »
Lloyd Vivola Photos: Indigenous 'Break Free' Day of Action Anacortes Wash.
Swinomish, Coast Salish and more! Break Free of Fossil Fuels! Photos and article copyright Lloyd Vivola Censored News Indigenous 'Break Free' Day of Action - Anacortes, Washington, Photos May 14 By Lloyd Vivola Censored News May 14, Anacortes WASHINGTONThousands of supporters converged on March Point, Washington, today from as far away as Montana and
Where is Frank Warren?
Bob Koford made a statement not long ago that troubled me. He said that the March 25, 1948, date for the Aztec crash had been fixed by nearly everyone involved in the investigation. I seemed to remember that there was some question as to the real date and began to track this. I scanned Scully’s book but found no date. The same happened with J.P. Cahn’s article and in one written by Mike McClellan, I found February 13, 1948. But all this is not the point here. Frank Warren, photograph by Frank Warrn I thought that one of the best sources for this would be Frank Warren. He had an inte... more »
Untitled
*We Can't Blame Climate Change For The Canadian Fires* Last week I wrote a piece on my personal blog titled: "On forest fires climate activists aren't just insensitive, they are also wrong", which addressed some of the reporting that incorrectly claimed that climate change was responsible for the Fort McMurray fire. The truth of the matter was presented by Elizabeth May: "Some reports have suggested that the wildfires are directly caused by climate change. No credible climate scientist would make this claim, and neither do I make this claim." The reason Ms. May made that statement... more »
Electoral Reform – Choosing the Committee Members
This week the government has announced the structure of the all party parliamentary committee that will study what electoral system reforms will be put before parliament. Unfortunately they did not accept suggestions that said committee should not have a majority members from any political party (in this instance the Liberals). As several commentators have said, myself included, this leaves them wide open to being accused of swaying the outcome to their own particular preference. Indeed such accusations are already being made before the actual members of said committee have even bee... more »
GOP Leaders Describe Unity as the Education of Donald Trump
[image: Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus answers questions from The Associated Press about Thursday's face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump, the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., Friday, May 13, 2016, at RNC headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington. With the GOP both energized and torn over Trump's rise, Trump and Ryan pledged to work together despite their differences, though the speaker stopped short of a full-throated endorsement.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Top Republicans suggested on Sunday that Donald Trump n... more »
Clinton Campaign in Kentucky Before Tuesday’s Primary
[image: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets supporters as she arrives to speak at the Union of Carpenters and Millwrights Training Center during a campaign stop in Louisville, Ky., Sunday, May 15, 2016.] LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Hillary Clinton is making a big final push in Kentucky where rival Bernie Sanders hopes to extend his winning streak and further delay her clinching the Democratic presidential nomination. Big-name surrogates have been dispatched, television ads... more »
How Celebrate Recovery Creates True Reform for Those in the Criminal Justice System
[image: Celebrate Recovery note - 900] A repeat offender lies on a two-inch mattress atop a hard spring frame in an East Texas prison. This time he's incarcerated for a felony DWI conviction, serving 11 months, five days of a two-year sentence for first-time felons. Even...more »
Disposable People in the Atomic Era
US citizens exposed to atmospheric fallout want President Obama to acknowledge the effects of the Trinity bomb: Russell Contreras (AP) (May 15, 2016) NM Nuclear Site Seeks and Obama Visit. The Arizona Republic, 18A [Paraphrasing] Residents of Tularosa want President Obama to visit them after visiting Hiroshima because they claim that "generations of villagers have suffered from cancers and other health problems resulting from the Trinity Test, but the federal government has yet to fully acknowledge those effects." The Trinity bomb was deployed in the desert near towns populated w... more »
Untitled
*Plotting Jihad in the Poconos - Who the Hell is Fethullah Gulen?* Fethullah Gulen is a proponent of stealth jihad. In one of his sermons, the fiery imam said that in order to reach the ideal Muslim society "every method and path is acceptable, [including] lying to people." In another he instructed his followers: "You must move in the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach all the power centers ... until the conditions are ripe, they [the followers] must continue like this. If they do something prematurely, the world will crush our heads, an... more »
ISIS Suicide Bombers Target Natural Gas Plant In Iraq
ISIS launched an attack on a natural gas plant near the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday morning. Police say that at least 14 people died, and at 27 others were injured in the bombing. RT reports: The attack was carried out using a car explosive, at the entrance to the factory, at about 6am on Sunday. After that, at least six attackers arrived on another vehicle, wearing explosive vests, and clashed with the police. Security forces were among the 11 victims who was killed in the attack. During the attack, three of the facility’s gas storages caught fire, while police clashed with the ... more »
Hours After Dad Gives Up, Son in Utah Kidnapping Case Also Caught
[image: This photo provided by Centerville Police shows Flint Wayne Harrison, 51 (L) and Dereck James Harrison, 22 (R). Late Saturday night, law officers arrested Harrison, several hours after the surrender of his father, Flint Wayne Harrison, accused of luring a woman and her teenage daughters to a Utah house and tying them up in Wyoming, the Sublette County Sheriff's Office said.] PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) -- The father and son accused of luring a woman and her four teenage daughters to a Utah house and tying them up are both in custody in Wyoming. Late Saturday night, law officers culmi... more »
It Takes More Than Rhyme To Make Poetry
There are some ghostly similarities, Michael Winship writes, between the American election of 1968 and this year's election. 1968 was the year that Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. It was the year there were riots in the streets of Chicago during the Democratic convention. And it marked the ascension of Richard Nixon at the Republican convention. It was also the year that George Wallace ran as a third party candidate. New York Times columnist Russell Baker described Wallace's campaign: Wallace’s crude animal reaction to the complexities of American society ... more »
Economic News & Views ( May 15 , 2016 ) Overview for Sunday ( 1. Updates Touching On Refugee Crisis Facing Europe , EU- Turkey Deal Status. 2. UK Referendum , Leave vs Remain Items. 3 Greece Creditor Talks Updates , Greece Politics , Economic Data. )
EU-Turkey / Refugee Crisis ...... *fred walton* @fredwalton216 3m 3 minutes ago fred walton Retweeted DAILY SABAH Bozkır said he expects the delegation head to clarify the situation or do "what is necessary." fred walton added, *DAILY SABAH* @DailySabah Bozkır slams EU delegation head for 'belittling' Turks http:// sabahdai.ly/jkSgRI *fred walton* @fredwalton216 1m 1 minute ago @fredwalton216 Here's what caused stir - Touching on the 72 benchmarks Turkey has to fulfill for visa liberalization , 1 0 retweets0 likes *fred walton* @fredwalton216 47s 48 seconds... more »
Is America Really Ready For A Con Artist As President-- One As Blatant As Trump?
It's not like all of his Republican rivals haven't mentioned over the course of the primary campaign that Trump is a con man. They did. But now, whether tribally or opportunistically, most of them want to force that con man onto the country. Is it hard for you to imagine that the majority of Republican political leaders would put their party first and the country last? Marco Rubio may have said he would *never* stop exposing Trump as a dangerous con artist, but, apparently, "never" to a Florida Republican doesn't mean the same thing as it means to a normal person. He's now on the ... more »
Donald Trump Warns Of Another 9/11-Style Attack By Syrian Refugees
Donald Trump has warned that the Obama administration’s effort to step up asylum for Syrian refugees has put the US on the verge of another large-scale terrorist attack. The presumptive US Republican presidential nominee thinks that a 9/11 level attack would be led by refugees entering the United States with mobile phones funded by the so-called Islamic State. Press TV reports: Trump said on the National Border Patrol Council’s “The Green Line” radio show on Sunday that Syrian refugees residing in the US would plan the next 9/11 attack. The September, 11, 2001 attacks, also known as... more »
Conversing with Ally: Real History -Turkey, Kurds, Assyrians & more
*Back in the post titled*, *And Moses said...Followers of Judaism to Iraq?*, I’ve been engaged in an *interesting conversation* with a *friendly commenter know as Ally. * *Ally is from England- Mom's a brit. Dad a Turkish man. Ally has an Aunt who is married to a Kurdish fellow and they reside together in Diyarbakir- Diyarbakir is ground zero for the PKK's campaign to destabilize Turkey. Ally offers us a unique perspective. One that will not be a surprise for anyone who has read here for any length of time.* * I've added some additional information alongside that from Ally and will ... more »
El Salvador Has Refused To Recognize New Government In Brazil
El Salvador has refused to recognize the new Brazilian government following the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff from office last week. On Thursday Michel Temer became the acting president in Brazil when President Rousseff was suspended after the Senate voted to impeach her. In a statement on Saturday President Salvador Sanchez Ceren said that of Rousseff’s suspension had “the appearance of a coup d’etat.” “We have analyzed the situation and taken the decision to not recognize the interim government of Brazil because there was political manipulation,” the El Salvador leader sa... more »
Scientists Meet Secretly To Discuss Creating A Synthetic Human Genome
Creating a human out of chemicals in a laboratory may sound like something from a horror movie, but it is an idea that some scientists are exploring, quietly behind closed doors. Earlier this week, approximately 150 medical researchers, lawyers, and entrepreneurs met in secret at Harvard Medical School to discuss the possibility of creating an entirely synthetic human genome. The invitation-only meeting was held in Boston on Tuesday The New York Times reports and attendees were told not to contact the media about it: Scientists are now contemplating the fabrication of a human genome... more »
Elon Musk’s SolarCity Sucked Into Federal Corruption Probe
By Paul Homewood h/t Oldbrew http://dailycaller.com/2016/05/13/elon-musks-solarcity-sucked-into-federal-corruption-probe/#ixzz48kAa3uuw Why is that when we smell the scent of greenery, the stench of corruption is never far behind? From the Daily Caller: SolarCity, one of the largest installers of rooftop solar panels in the U.S., has been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice as […]
Hearts v heads
And that Boris report from Ben Wright on tonight's BBC One early evening news bulletin ended with this take-away line: The Leave campaign knows many big economic voices are sceptical of their case. But this referendum is about hearts as much as heads. i.e. hearts = Leave, heads = Remain?
World’s Biggest Plane Does A Crosswind Landing In Australia
A giant Antonov AN-225 Mriya airlift cargo plane fought crosswinds to land safely in Perth, Western Australia, where some 20,000 people had gathered to see the world’s largest aircraft. RT reports: The thousands of excited onlookers couldn’t help but cheer in amazement as the Soviet-designed cargo plane fought crosswinds while preparing to touch down on Sunday morning. The Ukrainian Antonov An-225, also the heaviest plane in the world, measures over 275 ft (84 meters) from nose to tail and 290 ft (88 meters) from wing tip to wing tip. It can carry twice as much as the Boeing 747 fr... more »
Paul Manafort makes Jake Tapper look like a complete fool...
*which he is.* It's just more of the "squeaky toy" MSM.
Missing Transgender Mafia Boss Found Dead In Execution Style Killing
A transgender mafia boss who was missing for three days has been found killed “execution style” in a ditch on the outskirts of Naples, Italy. The Independent reports: Giovanni Arrivoli, 41, was found half buried in a ditch near Naples in Italy and had been shot three times, twice in the head, in what police said appeared to be an execution-style killing. Giò, donna del clan che voleva essere uomo: uccisa come un boss|Foto: https://t.co/0eb1OxHDgf — MISTERO (@MISTERO_MISTERI) May 12, 2016 Arrivoli, who was assigned a female gender at birth, underwent female-to-male gender reassignme... more »
Sensation (II)
Just to repeat what Boris Johnson actually said in his *Sunday Telegraph * interview: The whole thing began with the Roman Empire. I wrote a book on this subject, and I think it’s probably right. The truth is that the history of the last couple of thousand years has been broadly repeated attempts by various people or institutions – in a Freudian way – to rediscover the lost childhood of Europe, this golden age of peace and prosperity under the Romans, by trying to unify it. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by... more »
Sensation
And, yes, among the main headlines on tonight's BBC One evening news bulletin was: Boris Johnson compares the EU to Hitler, saying both wanted a single European state. His critics say the comments are offensive. Meanwhile, over on the BBC News website, the comments poured in for the five hours the BBC allowed them to on their article *Boris Johnson compares EU's aims to Hitler's*. Comments are now closed and the highest-rated comment was removed "because it broke the house rules". Given quite a few of the other highest-rated comments (*all* of which backed Boris), I'm guessing i... more »
CIA Agent: Nelson Mandela Was in Jail Because of Me
[image: Cape Town, South Africa - May 10, 2004 : Former South African President Nelson Mandela and his wife Graca Machel depart after attending a function at Parliament in Cape Town , South Africa.] A retired CIA agent who died on March 30 told a filmmaker that he gave the tip that sent former South African president Nelson Mandela to prison in 1962. According to The Sunday Times and the Daily Mail, 88-year old Don... more »
Democratic Primary Voters Don't Like Flip-Flopping On Social Security-- And In Oregon, It's Not Just Trump Who Is-- Tuesday Is D-Day For Kurt Schrader
At least Trump doesn't support "saving" Social Security and Medicare by cutting the benefits, the way Paul Ryan, most Republicans and the Wall Street-owned New Dems do. Right? As with all policy matters involving Trump, who knows? At one time he said he opposed cuts to Social Security nut now that he's trying to corral support from the Republican Establishment-- not just approval from Paul Ryan by $100 million from anti-Social Security fanatic, half man/half pig Sheldon Adelson-- Trump now says he's open to cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Speaking Wednesday at the world capi... more »
Musings On Iraq In The News
Business Insider republished my article on the relationship between Sadr and Iran. I was mentioned in "Bombs Rip Through Baghdad in Grim Reminder of Islamic State's Might" by Henry Johnson for Foreign Policy. Tom Ricks posted a chart I made on insurgent attacks on Baghdad on his blog Best Defense at Foreign Policy.
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* "We're Running a F--cking Casino:" Politician Writes Tell-All Memoir Maker of painkiller OxyContin loses legal battle to keep lawsuit records secret Syrian Refugees Forced Into Child Labor There Will Be More New Jobs in Solar Than Oil by the End of the Year Why Google refuses to hide web pages under the 'right to be forgotten' Egypt sentenced more than 100 people to 5 years in prison over a protest You Know Those Missing Hillary Emails? Russia Might Leak 20,000 Of Them New KFC Restaurant Is Run Entirely By Robots For The American Farmer "It's Death By A 1... more »
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #21
Visibly anxious and upset customer: Can you please help me? Something is wrong with this computer! I go over to take a look. The public computer is still starting up, and Internet Explorer (sadly, the default browser) is slowly opening. Me (pointing to the Chrome icon on the taskbar): Let's try this browser instead. You'll find it's better than Internet Explorer. Visibly anxious customer: No! I can't! I have to use the internet! Me: I understand. This is also the internet. It's a different browser - a different tool for accessing the internet. Most people find it works better. I he... more »
This is your planet on Climate Change
I saw this first over at the Mound, and again at Clean Technica. 2016 is already a heat monster.
Evan-handed broadcasting?
David Keighley's latest *News-watch *'EU Referendum' blog posts tackle BBC One's main news bulletins and last Tuesday's Newsnight 'immigration and the EU special'. The latest piece looks at how the language used by various newsreaders and reporters 'amplified' the dire warnings of prominent Remain-supporting figures (from Sir John Major to Mark Carney and Christine Lagarde). Stress was placed on how powerful and influential these people are. Significantly less weight was given to Leave-supporting figures. Plus he arguments of the Remain-backing figures weren't analysed in any grea... more »
Steady about Eddie!
The *Daily Mail* has an arresting story this afternoon: Now, I like Eddie Mair, and always have done (even if you don't!). But £425,000 a year sounds excessively excessive to me - on the "Yes, he's good. But not *that* good" principle. Now, Corey at the *Mail *took this story from Miles Goslett at Heat Street and is decent enough to credit Miles and to link to his original post, noting that the gossip about Eddie came from were "a Radio 4 source". The *Mail *has followed it up with an enquiry to the BBC, but "The BBC declined to comment on Mair's salary when contacted by MailOnli... more »
Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, May 15th, 2016
[image: rant-jpeg-b] Sunday again... It is time for my weekly rant, so lets get down to business.... First and foremost.. Yes, my better half was involved in an automobile accident on Friday... She basically lost control of our vehicle and ended up crashing into a tree... Luckily she was not hurt badly and did not require any medical treatment... I spent most of yesterday and part of today attending to her needs as her neck and back have seized up on her since the accident and she has had a bit of pain in those areas.... And it does look like the vehicle itself is toast and I will... more »
Myanmar: West's "Saint Suu Kyi" Tramples Rohingya
*May 15, 2016* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - Myanmar's "de facto leader" Aung San Suu Kyi recently warned the United States to not refer to the Rohingya ethnic minority as "Rohingya," in an attempt to deny them the dignity and human rights she and her party posed as renowned defenders of. *Image: Fake "monks" who constitute the violent street front that helped propel Suu Kyi into power, are also shamelessly and openly racist bigots bent on carrying out genocide against the nation's Rohingya population.* For those critically examining and long-following political developments in Myanmar ... more »
Editor's Note
I am travelling today. Blogging will return later tonight.
The Hillary Clinton Doctrine
President Barack Obama meets with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office shortly after she was confirmed and sworn in on Wednesday, January 21, 2009. (White House Photo/Pete Souza) *Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic*:* Is There a Hillary Doctrine?* A conversation with Alter Egos author Mark Landler, the only person who thinks more than I do about the foreign-policy differences between Obama and his former secretary of state. It has seemed to me, for as long as I’ve been watching Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama make foreign and national-security policy, that the diffe... more »
President Obama's Legacy Of War
President Obama accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 2009. Since then, he has tried to fulfill the promises he made as an antiwar candidate. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times *Mark Landler, New York Times*: *For Obama, an Unexpected Legacy of Two Full Terms at War* WASHINGTON — President Obama came into office seven years ago pledging to end the wars of his predecessor, George W. Bush. On May 6, with eight months left before he vacates the White House, Mr. Obama passed a somber, little-noticed milestone: He has now been at war longer than Mr. Bush, or any other American p... more »
Brazil's Interim Government Dismisses Criticism By Leftist Countries In Latin America
*Reuters*: *Brazil rebuffs Latin American leftists over Rousseff suspension* Brazil's interim government dismissed criticism by leftist countries in Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia, over the impeachment process of Dilma Rousseff, who was suspended as president by the senate. The leftist president of El Salvador on Saturday added to the regional pressure on Brazil, saying that he would not recognize the interim government and recalled his ambassador, claiming there had been "political manipulation" in Latin America's biggest country. The bickering, not rare bet... more »
A Terror PR Stunt That Goes Wrong At Cannes
*Daily Mail:* *Cannes terror panic: Guests at the Film Festival cower in fear as masked men with black flags on their boats and suicide belts storm the resort – unaware that it was a PR STUNT * * Guests feared men wearing military clothing near the hotel were terrorists * Cannes was placed on high alert after A-list celebrities arrived in the city * The 'terrorists' were actors working for a French internet start-up company * They were seen near a luxury hotel where George Clooney was spotted A French internet start-up company 'stormed' a hotel favoured by Hollywood A-list celebrit... more »
A Drone for Every Footsoldier
Prox Dynamics *Popular Mechanics*: *The U.S. Army Wants Tiny Flying Eyes for Every Footsoldier* *A fleet of pocket-sized drones is coming to the battlefield.* More and more drones are invading the battlefield, but they tend to feed information up the chain of command rather than helping the footsoldier. That's true for even the smallest U.S. Army drone, the hand-launched RQ-11 Raven. Now the infantry is about to get a new friend to help them see what's around the corner or in the next building. That's the aim of the Common Lightweight Autonomous Robotic Kit, a new Army project.... more »
U.S. Navy To Hide Its Drones In Pods On The Ocean Floor
Officials said the robot pods floating to the water's surface to release various payloads could perform some roles now carried out by submarines, which are much more expensive to operate. *Daily Mail*: *Secret pods set to hide swarms of hibernating US Navy drones deep below the sea* * Pods will hold naval drones on the sea bed for years at a time * If a threat emerges, pods are released remotely and float to the surface * Drones then unfurl their wings and take flight They could spend months on the seabed, hibernating in special pods before emerging and flying into battle. US defe... more »
U.S. Navy Is Experiencing A Deployment Crisis
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 23, 2014 ) The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) leads a formation of ships from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 during a maneuvering exercise. Theodore Roosevelt participated in the exercise with the Peruvian submarine BAP Islay (SS 35), the guided-missile destroyers USS Winston Churchill (DDG 81), USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), USS Farragut (DDG 99) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60). Theodore Roosevelt is underway preparing for future deployments. *Washington Free Beacon*: *Navy Faces Deployment Crisis as Aging Ships Get Sideli... more »
rest in power, daniel berrigan and michael ratner
The world lost two great fighters for peace and justice this past week. Daniel Berrigan was a lifelong peace activist, a man who was ready and willing to put his body and soul on the line. He was a writer, a thinker, a pacifist, an idealist, a pragmatist, and a priest. Berrigan was also a leader, someone who, early on, helped make visible the connections between racism, poverty, war, and capitalism. He became a leading figure in the peace movement during the Vietnam War. Naturally, he was on the FBI's "most wanted" list and served time in prison. Later in his life, Berrigan founded ... more »
Keeping Tabs on BBC One's 'News at Six'
Given that the BBC's EU referendum coverage stepped up a gear again last week (after a week-long lull), here's an update on *ITBB*'s thrilling ongoing study on BBC One's *News at Six - *specifically our simple count of *which side's angle comes first in either the headlines or the whole bulletin*. Here's the full, updated list (since the official referendum launch):: 15/4 *Remain* [George Osborne warns that mortgage rates could go up if the UK votes to leave] 16/4 *Leave* [Boris tells Barack Obama to keep his nose out] 17/4 *Remain* [A French government minister saying Britain woul... more »
IFS...FFS!
Oh nearly forgot... Here's something, courtesy of Guido Fawkes. It concerns the independent', 'widely-respected' Institute for Fiscal Studies - treated as impartial, final-word-on-the-matter given judges of everything from the Budget to the costs and benefits of the UK's EU membership by the BBC (and, it seems, almost everyone else). Did you know that it has received what looks to me like pretty substantial funding from the European Commission? Fancy that!
Superintendent's Plan to Make Librarians Extinct
Following the national fad for replacing teacher decision-making with high-tech finery, the new superintendent of the Burlington Vermont schools has announced a redesign of the city's one high school. The popular high school principal of 17 years service has been forced out--to an elementary school. Word is that she protested the high tech plan of replacing the school librarian with technological foo-foo. Can you imagine a school of 1,150 students with no librarian? John Dewey graduated from Burlington High School in 1874. His grave is the only one on the University of Vermont camp... more »
Meet The Saudi Billionaire Al-Rashid Family... And Their Attempts To Buy Influence In Congress
*Ibrahim and Patrick-- no photos of Moose available* This Al-Rashid scandal is starting to burn Patrick Murphy and other politicians who have gotten into bed with him. The background that everyone knows is that a close friend of Murphy's, Ibrahim Al-Rashid, an investment broker and the son of one of the most powerful Saudi billionaires, gives immense amounts of money to Patrick, married Patrick's finance director, beat her up and was convicted of battery and drew a sentence of one year's probation. People are less aware that several sons of that Saudi billionaire, Nasser Al-Rashid, ... more »
Crying Out for the Persecuted in China, Including a Pastor’s Wife Buried Alive
[image: china] The recent murder of a Chinese church leader's wife and the nineteen-year imprisonment of iconic Chinese freedom fighter Harry Wu who died recently demonstrate the People's Republic of China (PRC) Communist regime's long legacy of repression and persecution. But advocacy... more »
Hats Off to Progressive Nicholas Kristof for Spotlighting Liberal Intolerance in Academia
[image: Nicholas D. Kristof, Columnist, The New York Times, USA is captured during the session 'Redesign Your Cause' of the Annual Meeting 2010 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 30, 2010.] Last week Nicholas Kristof, a generally progressive editorialist, published a column in The New York Times discussing the high degree of liberal intolerance in academia. I was pleased to see his column, and not only because some of my work was... more »
New Obamacare Transgender Regulations Threaten Freedom of Physicians
[image: Despondent doctor sits slumped in his hospital hallway - Copyspace] The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized new transgender regulations for Obamacare on Friday. These regulations threaten the religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and independent medical judgment of health care professionals. And, just as they did in the transgender... more »
hooray for tala
Tala is doing great! Of course she was exhausted and a bit wobbly when she came home, but now she's well rested and back to herself. And she looks a whole lot better without a disgusting, oozing tumour sticking out of her side! More importantly, there's a 75% chance the cancer won't come back. Look how thick her fur is! The doc said this will take a long time to grow back. She doesn't need the Cone of Silence* this time, but the surgeon recommended she wear a t-shirt to keep protect the incision site. Tala accepts it with grace. * I much prefer the vintage TV reference to... more »
Video: Pro-Taiwan and pro-PRC groups protest in Taipei
_______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
‘Hill House’ by Claude Megson
[image: 8] Not exactly a Claude Megson house any more – though it does retain something of the floor plan, some of the character, and nearly all of the glorious setting… [image: 3] The original house was commissioned from Megson by Michael Hill, a Whangarei jeweller – but the fire that destroyed the house helped make him Michael Hil Jeweller. “It made me realise I'd been playing life too safe,” says Hill now. *So what actually happened** was of course we built a beautiful home in Whangarei… we got Claude Megson, who is now the guru of architecture probably of New Zealand, lo... more »
Subsidies & Profits At Sheringham Shoal Wind Farm
By Pau Homewood h/t Dave Ward Dave sent me this piece from the EDP, although he has not found it on line yet. It relates to the Sheringham Shoal wind farm, and gives a useful insight into the offshore market. Sheringham is owned by Scira Offshore Energy, and is the latter’s sole […]
Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City
[image: Cathedral of St. John the Divine NYC - 900] The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is remarkable not only for being one of the largest churches in the world, but also for being still unfinished. St.... more »
Bangladesh Police Arrest Suspected Muslim Militant in Slaying of Gay Activist
[image: Members of Bangladesh Police Detective Branch (DB) escort a man, center, whom they have identified as Shariful Islam Shihab, a former member of the banned Islamic group Harkatul Jihad as they walk him in front of the media in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 15, 2016. Police said Sunday that they have arrested Shihab, a suspected Muslim militant for his alleged involvement in the killing last month of a gay rights activist and his friend in the capital.] DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- Police in Bangladesh said Sunday that they have arrested a suspected Muslim militant for his allege... more »
Venezuela’s Socialist Pres. Maduro Threatens to Seize Idle Plants, Jail Owners
[image: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro] CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- President Nicolas Maduro threatened Saturday to take over idle factories and jail their owners following a decree granting him expanded powers to act in the face of a deep economic crisis. Maduro’s remarks came as Venezuela’s... more »
Former CIA Director David Petraeus: Be Nice to Muslims or More May Radicalize
[image: Gen. Petraeus Testifies At Senate Hearing On Situation In Afghanistan] In an op-ed for The Washington Post published Friday, former CIA Director David Petraeus said increasing anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States threatens to drive more "moderate" Muslims to terrorism. For Petraeus, the rapid increase of ugly rhetoric against Muslims... more »
Glyphosate In The EU: Product Promoters Masquerading As Regulators In A "Cesspool Of Corruption"?
Global Research, CounterPunch, Countercurrents, RINF Don't take free content on the web for granted. Please read *this. *I could not continue to produce these articles you see on this site without public support. On 13 April, the EU Parliament called on the European Commission to restrict certain permitted uses of the toxic herbicide glyphosate, best known in Monsanto's 'Roundup' formulation. Glyphosate was last year determined to be "probably carcinogenic" by the WHO. The parliament’s resolution called for no approval for many uses now considered acceptable, including use in or clo... more »
Bang! Take that, Peter Kosminsky!
As ever, Rod Liddle has a very amusing column in the *Sunday Times* today and, as so often, it contains a bit of Beeb-bashing ('Mr Submissive was a poor choice to whip the Beeb into shape'). Here's a very short extract, (sort of) related to a pair of earlier posts: Mr Whittingdale has demanded that the BBC must lead the way with “diversity” and increase its coverage for black, Asian and ethnic minorities. You can imagine how the execs will leap at that. There’ll be a hijab on screen every 30 seconds. There will be a 12-part series on slavery and why Britain is vile, and a brand new... more »
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius?
I've watched *Dateline London *for too long to fall for another false dawn but, at the moment, it's going through an unusually long spell of fairly balanced programmes - and this week and last week's episodes were both excellent. A few years back we'd regularly go 5-7 weeks with no right-wingers. Then it got a bit better and we'd get a right-winger every 3 weeks or so. Now at least one right-winger crops up *most* weeks. And that's been happening for a few weeks now. That *is* an another improvement. So can I hope that dawn has *finally* arrived after all? It would be frightful... more »
Protesters Block Train Tracks to 2 Washington Refineries
[image: Members of the Seattle Raging Grannies sit in their rocking chairs chained together on the Burlington-Northern Railroad tracks at Farm to Market Road in Skagit County on Friday evening, May 13, 2016, in Burlington, Wash. From left are Deejay Sherman Peterson, Anne Thureson, Shirley Morrison and Rosy Betz-Zall. Hundreds of people in kayaks and on foot are gathering at the site of two oil refineries in Washington state to call for action on climate change and a fair transition away from fossil fuels. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP)] SEATTLE (AP) -- Hundreds of clima... more »
“Collapse: We Now Know the Timeline- 40 days +/-”
*“Collapse: We Now Know the Timeline- 40 days +/-”* by Newsroom “Germany's (almost bankrupt) Deutsche Bank is suddenly offering five percent (5%) interest to folks who deposit 10,000-50,000 Euros for a minimum 90 days. But this offer is only good until June 24, about 40 days from now. Is this a last gasp to lure people into the banking system before it fails? Some think that's exactly what it is, especially given some new language included in the account contract "savers at risk of losing deposit..." One of the reasons why central banks around the globe have flooded the financ... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“The W-shaped ridge of emission featured in this vivid skyscape is known as the Cygnus Wall. Part of a larger emission nebula with a distinctive outline popularly called The North America Nebula, the cosmic ridge spans about 20 light-years. *Click image for larger size.* Constructed using narrowband data to highlight the telltale reddish glow from ionized hydrogen atoms recombining with electrons, the two frame mosaic image follows an ionization front with fine details of dark, dusty forms in silhouette. Sculpted by energetic radiation from the region's young, hot, massive stars, the... more »
The Poet: William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"
"The Second Coming" "Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head o...more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Ancona, Marche, Italy. Thanks for stopping by!
"Dogtown!"
"Dogtown!" "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself." ~ Josh Billings "It's not just a sanctuary - it's Dogtown! Dogtown is the most welcoming place on earth. They may have been homeless, but none of the dogs here are sad and forlorn. Everywhere you go, you're greeted with wagging tails, whelps of excitement and big, friendly eyes. This is truly a neighborly, all-American town. Best Friends Animal Society is guided by a simple philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us. In the late 1980s, when Best Friends was in its e... more »
Paulo Coelho, "The Chess Game"
"The Chess Game" by Paulo Coelho "A young man said to the abbot from the monastery of Melk: "I’d actually like to be a monk, but I haven’t learned anything in life. All my father taught me was to play chess, which does not lead to enlightenment. Apart from that, I learned that all games are a sin." "They may be a sin but they can also be a diversion, and who knows, this monastery needs a little of both," was the reply. The abbot asked for a chess board, sent for a monk and told him to play the young man. But before the game began, he added: "Although we need diversion, we cannot all... more »
"The True Power in Washington"
*"The True Power in Washington"* By James Howard Kunstler "For years, it was easy to see the political storm clouds gather over Europe with its fractious coalitions and its ancient babble of conflicts. Marine Le Pen’s Daddy, severe old Jean-Marie, was on the scene in France decades before Donald Trump ascended to glory on the noxious clouds of America’s crapified culture, attended by heavenly hosts of Kardashian angels and the cherub Honey BooBoo. For all the strains in recent American life, the two-party system had seemed as solid as the granite towers of the Brooklyn Bridge. Not ... more »
Fukushima Update: "Your Radiation This Week, May 7 to May 14, 2016"
*"Your Radiation This Week, May 7 to May 14, 2016"* By Bob Nichols "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” - Shiva (San Francisco) May 14, 2016 – "Good Day, this is “Your Radiation This Week.” These are the recorded Radiation Highs that affected people this week around the United States and in your neighborhood. There is no way to recover from these kinds of exposures. There is no medicine and there is no cure. Millions now possess a shortened life span due to their radiation exposures. What city or country will be next? Let’s get right to it. *All Radiation Counts rep... more »
Defending Democracy in Brazil
Social movements have rallied in Brasilia in favor of ousted President Dilma Rouseeff. "We are organizing the resistance and we will continue to agitate against the coup-backing government of Michel Temer. He has no votes, he does not have popular support, rather, he is using maneuvers of the ruling classes together with US imperialism," said one angry citizen.
Convert the War Machine - Protect the Future Generations!
We had a planning meeting today in Bath for this important upcoming action. Please join us if you can and help us demand that we deal with our real problem - climate change and growing income disparity - let's move the $4 billion that is wasted on each of these warships to help us deal with our coming harsh future. We must think of the next seven generations! Resistance to insanity is necessary when we have a government determined to promote endless war and corporate profits for the war machine.
This Week's World
Talking about Emily Maitlis's new and serious Saturday evening BBC Two current affairs programme *This Week's World, *it struck me as being pretty good by and large. It was stylish yet substantial, with two excellent films, an amusing little piece from architect (and wit) Karl Sharro, high-powered guests, plus Emily's new easy-going interviewing style. It had lots of jaw-dropping facts along the way too. My big concern about it last night was the usual one: it had a *very* strong left-liberal bias. If every edition is going to be* this* strongly biased then it will be a *major *p... more »
"The BBC is too Christian", says BBC
Here's something from *The Sunday Times*'s Social Affairs Editor Nicholas Hellen - an article called *BBC says it is too Christian and must diversify* : The BBC is too Christian in its religious output, according to an internal review, and should increase its Muslim, Hindu and Sikh programming. Lord Hall, the director-general, is considering findings that show there is a disproportionate amount of programming by the corporation on Christian matters compared with other faiths. Aaqil Ahmed, the BBC’s head of religion and ethics, told a Commons meeting on religious literacy he had... more »
Sunday morning reading
Here's some Sunday morning reading for you, regarding the BBC's social liberal bias... ****** Firstly, Ross Clark in the *Spectator *on John Whittingdale's White Paper "under-reported" target that 10% of senior leadership roles at the BBC be filled by LGBT staff by 2020. His piece begins: Of all the things wrong with the BBC, it would be hard to argue that a shortage of gay people making and presenting programmes is one of them. He notes Andrew Marr's famous observation that the BBC has "an abnormally large number of young gay people", and calls the 10% target "bizarre", given t... more »
Lt. John (Jack) Trowbridge and Roswell
In the early 1990s, we, meaning Don Schmitt, Stan Friedman and I were having a debate with John Keel about what had fallen in Roswell. He was suggesting it was a Fugo Balloon, that is, a Japanese Balloon Bomb. Research quickly disproved this, though Keel did hang onto the answer longer than I thought necessary. He did write one thing that was important. In the January 1991 issue of *Fate*, on page 67, Keel wrote, “I suppose by 1999 there will be thousands of Roswell witnesses from that long-gone era.” Turns out that Keel was right about this. You might ask yourself, “But why bring i... more »
Charity Begins in the Castle
Charity Of, By and For the Rich: the Berggruen Philosophy Study Center Just because they're the feral rich doesn't mean they lack ethics. Far from it. When they call themselves philanthrocapitalists, they are not kidding. They quite literally love their own capitalistic humanoid gene pools above all else. Their philosophical conceit - that one simply cannot help the teeming masses without first giving precedence to oneself and to one's own class - is all too evident in *Town and Country's* latest annual list of the Top 50 Philanthropists. Each plutocrat (or more likely, the desig... more »
"Desperately seeking headlines"?
Here's exactly what Boris Johnson said in *that* *Sunday Telegraph *article interview today: The whole thing began with the Roman Empire. I wrote a book on this subject, and I think it’s probably right. The truth is that the history of the last couple of thousand years has been broadly repeated attempts by various people or institutions – in a Freudian way – to rediscover the lost childhood of Europe, this golden age of peace and prosperity under the Romans, by trying to unify it. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do ... more »
A chance to speak truth to BBC power?
Radio 4's *Feedback *returned just in time to coverage the Whittingdale White Paper on the future of the BBC. Roger Bolton and his programme went well some way beyond the bounds of impartiality last series on the subject, straying into some pretty open campaigning at times. Colin Browne of the pro-BBC Voice of the Listener and Viewer was something of a fixture, occasionally being presented (by Roger) as if he were an independent expert rather than the head of a pressure group. Mr Browne was back this week. At least Roger Bolton introduced him as a 'critical friend' of the BBC. He... more »
A lame attack on Czech cardinal places The Independent in the cesspool
I've met Dominik Duka, the current (Catholic) Primate of Bohemia, two years ago, on a celebration of ex-president Klaus' birthday. I was drinking beer and debating the ex-director of the National Gallery Milan Knížák when Duka joined us. I have totally forgotten whether he had a beer as well. Would it be OK for him to have one? I don't know. ;-) I felt nothing in the air that would prevent him from drinking beer. At any rate, Duka is a relaxed, smiling, and friendly man and I just find him much more pleasant than e.g. his predecessor Miloslav Vlk, a sourball of a sort. Duka has also... more »
Military Photo of the Day: The Accidental, Careless Sinking of the USS Guitarro
[image: USS Guitarro Submarine - 900] The USS Guitarro (SSN-665) is on the bottom of the Napa River after her accidental sinking at Mare Island on 15 May 1969. Other vessels in the picture are from left to right; unknown YD, YD-33 (150 Ton Crane), and... more »
Eurovision is a kitschy, politically controlled pseudo-contest
Last night, I spent an hour by watching a part of the Eurovision song contest finals and now, when the results are known, I am confident that it was the last time I did anything of the sort. There were lots of expensive colorful light effects in the big hall but the content was weak and not terribly entertaining. Among the 26 finalists, Sergey Lazarev was expected to win by the bookmakers. His You are the only one was an average song, I think, but at least the effects were expensive (paid by the Russian government) and he had by far the largest number of viewers etc. (And it was a s... more »
Tweet For Today
The U.S. Army Wants Tiny Flying Eyes for Every Footsoldier | SOFREP https://t.co/bkP33YyyRJ — Close Danger (@CloseDanger) May 14, 2016
Pentagon Report: China Raising Troop Strength On Border With India
*Times of India:* *China raising troop strength on border with India, Pentagon says* WASHINGTON: China is deploying more troops on the border with India while modernizing its nuclear force and improving its strike capabilities, the Pentagon has said, even as the Obama administration challenged Beijing's assertion that New Delhi does not meet the criteria to be a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The state department, referring to Obama's statement in 2015, said India "meets missile technology control regime requirements and is ready for NSG membership". The shadow play betwe... more »
Picture Of The Day
The Thunderbirds, the Air Force's demonstration squadron, practice a delta formation to prepare for the Fort Lauderdale Air Show in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., May 6, 2016. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz
Pentagon Report: China Building Up Its Military Presence In The South China Sea
Photo taken on April 5, 2016 shows the lighthouse on Zhubi Reef of Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, south China. (Xinhua file photo) *Reuters:* *U.S. sees China boosting military presence after island-building spree* China is expected to add substantial military infrastructure, including surveillance systems, to artificial islands in the South China Sea this year, giving it long-term "civil-military bases" in the contested waters, the Pentagon said on Friday. In its annual report to Congress on China's military activities in 2015, the U.S. Defense Department estimated that C... more »
Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Charged With Fraud
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner says she is the victim of political persecution. Reuters *New York Times:* *Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Ex-Argentine President, Indicted on Financial Charge* BUENOS AIRES — A judge in Argentina on Friday indicted former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and other officials on charges of manipulating the nation’s Central Bank during the final months of her administration. Mrs. Kirchner and the officials are accused of entering into contracts to sell the Central Bank’s dollars at below-market rates during her presidency in order to shore up... more »
Venezuela’s President Has Declared A State Of Emergency
*The Guardian:* *Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro declares state of emergency* Beleaguered leader invokes power to ‘confront threats’ as US officials warn country could disintegrate Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, has declared a state of emergency, hours after US intelligence officials warned that the South American country could be on the brink of disintegration. The powers Maduro obtains after Friday night’s declaration allow him “to stabilise our country, and confront all the international and national threats against our fatherland in this moment”, the president said... more »
Main Highway Between The Afghan Capital of Kabul And The North Has Been Cut-Off By The Taliban
*New York Times*: *Taliban Cut Off Afghan Highway Linking Kabul to Northern Gateways* KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents have cut the main highway that links the capital with northern Afghanistan and neighboring countries for the past three days, according to Afghan officials in the area. After the Taliban ambushed police forces guarding a stretch of the national Ring Road in Baghlan Province on Thursday, fighting continued through Saturday and appeared likely to last longer, according to officials in the area. The northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif was cut off, as were road co... more »
Nigeria Hosts Security Summit On Boko Haram
*CNN*: *Boko Haram focus of U.N. Security Council, Nigerian summit* (CNN)World powers turned their focus to the Boko Haram terror group this weekend, with the U.N. Security Council citing its anxiety over the group's ties to ISIS as regional leaders gathered in Nigeria to devise ways to battle the Islamist extremist movement. In a presidential statement issued Friday, the Security Council expressed alarm at Boko Haram's links to ISIS and stressed that the group's activities "undermine the peace and stability of the West and Central African region." It also said it was concerned o... more »
Hezbollah Claims Syrian Sunni Rebels Were Behind Top Commander's Death
*New York Times*: *Hezbollah Says Military Leader Died in Artillery Attack* BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah declared Saturday that Mustafa Amine Badreddine, the senior commander who died in Syria this past week, had been killed in an artillery attack by insurgents whom the group has been fighting for the past four years. Hezbollah said in a statement that the killing would increase “our determination to continue the fight against these criminal gangs and defeat them,” blaming “takfiri groups,” a term for Islamist extremists that Hezbollah broadly applies to... more »
Syrian Forces Retake Deir al-Zor Hospital After 'Major' Islamic State Offensive
*Reuters*: *Syrian forces retake Deir al-Zor hospital after 'major' Islamic State offensive* Syrian government forces retook a hospital in Deir al-Zor after Islamic State attacked it on Saturday following a dawn offensive by the militants on the besieged eastern Syrian city, a war monitor and state media said. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year-long war, said Islamic State had killed at least 35 members of the Syrian armed forces and detained some medical staff from the hospital. The fighting in and around the hospital also kil... more »
A Sewer Is Open In Florida And Endless Dark Money Is Flowing Out Of It, Corrupting Politics
*Chuck Schumer has picked this garbage as the Florida Democratic Party's Senate nominee* It was almost 4 months ago that we started writing about the corrupt relationship between Patrick Murphy and Nicholas Mastroianni, II. At the time we wrote that a deceptive right-wing PAC, "Floridians for a Strong Middle Class," is funneling the corrupt money Murphy falsely claims to oppose, into his election bid. An entity run by Schumer/Wasserman Schultz related sleaze-ball Nicholas Mastroianni, II, called the "230 East 63rd-6 Trust LLC" just gave them $50,000 for Murphy's campaign. Mastroiann... more »
Peg with Pen: My response to Kerrie Dallman, CEA President, re: ...
Peg with Pen: My response to Kerrie Dallman, CEA President, re: ...: Yesterday morning I wrote a quick note on Facebook about Relay receiving approval as a "graduate" school which can now certify ... more »
Analysis Suggests Natural Gas, NOT Green Energy, Caused CO2 Emissions To Fall
[image: Natural Gas Power Plant, Electricity, Energy] There's no link between the pro-green energy policies of states and falling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but there is a statistically significant link between falling CO2 and natural gas electricity, according to statistical analysis conducted by The Daily Caller News... more »
Islamic Terrorist Group Hezbollah Says Commander’s Death Won’t Deter Support for Syrian Government
[image: Hezbollah] BEIRUT (AP) -- The Lebanese Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah said Saturday that the explosion in Damascus that killed its top militant commander was caused by insurgent shelling and vowed to continue fighting alongside the Syrian government until the rebels are... more »
Remembering Darwyn Cooke
The news worked its way through my newsfeeds this morning - Darwyn Cooke had passed away at the age of 53 due to an aggressive cancer. Cooke was one of my favorite writers and artists. When I discovered *DC: New Frontier* I was in absolute awe. He took the Silver Age of DC Comics, an era renowned for its goofiness, and ran with it, telling a mature story while someone remaining true to the original tales. *New Frontier *is the main reason my current superhero RPG campaign is set in the late 1950s. Earlier this year I reviewed that work. Though comic books exist as a visual medium,... more »
Who’s to blame for Trump? Conservatives are to blame for Trump.
[image: Conservatives-Trump-720-330] “In the wake of Donald Trump’s ascent to dominance in the GOP, conservative leaders blame Republicans for the calamity. But they shouldn’t,” argues Craig Biddle. The should look to their own intellectual failure. Donald Trump represents the end of the road for American conservatism as an intellectual movement. But you already know this. If indeed there was ever anything intellectual about the movement at all. He is what happens when you shun any intellectual defence of the positions you claim to support: of individual rights, of freedom, ab... more »
A Look At The US Political Circus: Two Amazing Posts By Fellow Truth Seeker Buelahman: "The Trump Kabuki", And "She Came, She Saw, We Died"
*I got caught up once again in my own real life just yesterday, when my "better half" got into a serious car accident... But just to let everyone know, she is OK, though I spent most of yesterday taking care of her and of course this blog was momentarily shelved...But I am back today, doing a bit of catching up as usual....* There have been so many comments and emails sent over the last from my friends and colleagues living in the formerly free nation called the United States of America, concerning the ongoing political circus show that we are witnessing called the "American Preside... more »
Hidden Energy - Dr. Hal Puthoff
Lamb shift Casimir effect Zero-point energy Senior Lockheed Martin Research Scientist Boyd Bushman
the coming extinction of mankind on earth
Bruce Pennington art We are on a train heading into a brick wall at 200 miles per hour towards our extinction and everyone knows it what will you do ?
WATCH: College Students Can’t Explain the Difference Between Man and Woman
[image: Transgender] The Family Policy Institute of Washington released a video this week where it interviewed students at Seattle University about gender identity and transgender bathrooms. The students soon struggle to explain how gender is actually fluid ... kinda. "I don't think there is really any... more »
The Problem Of Fraud, Wrote Dante, Is That It "Gnaws Every Conscience"
So many New York state legislators and *leaders* of the legislature are currently in prison that when former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassu County) was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday, most New Yorkers, inured, just shrugged it off. After all, Republicans are on the verge of nominating Donald Trump for the presidency and the level of Trump's self-entitled corruption is of a magnitude hard to measure compared to poor nepotistic Skelos'. The federal judge sentenced Skelos' rotten son, Adam to six-and-a-half years in prison, even more than his father's... more »
Erdogan Accuses The West Of Caring More For Wildlife Than Syrian Lives
Turkey’s President Erdogan believes that western countries care more about the rights of animals and gay people than the plight of 23 million Syrians. RT reports: “Shame on those who deny the sensitivity they show to the whales, seals and turtles in the sea to the right to life of 23 million Syrians,” Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying. “Shame on those who put their security, welfare and comforts ahead of other people’s survival,” the Turkish president said, addressing the crowd in the northwestern province of Kocaeli. He added that the West possessed a “mentality to shame, a r... more »
May 14th? No Man Made Global Warming Here!
Long term readers here know *I do not belong to the man made global warming cult.* I don't believe lies. And I do not believe that which is simply not believable. We here in *southern Ontario* have had *an unbelievably cool spring*-* Leaves have only unfurled this past week-* Hubby and I rode bikes on Wednesday. While out and about it seemed finally spring had sprung. Though* we do appear to be a good two or three weeks behind what is the norm for us*. *Mother's day, saw no lilacs on the shrubs. A fond memory of my very first mothers day :)* My rhubarb is in full swing. Love that ... more »
Nevada Democratic Convention Turns Violent
Fighting broke out between rival supporters of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton at the Democratic convention in Nevada on Saturday. Raw Story reports: Tensions were high between supporters of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the Las Vegas Sun reports. They apparently spilled over on the state convention floor. Fight just broke out. Someone got their credentials snatched pic.twitter.com/RnDSMxaiI4 — Laura Martin (@LauraKMM) May 14, 2016 People can be seen scuffling, and a woman says into a microphone, “We need a medic in the front, a... more »
Economic Betrayl hits the stomach
How is it possible famland is down when food prices are astronomical?
Nations Collapsing before our Eyes
I have been to Venezuela twice. The first time in 1985. It was my first trip outside North America. I loved that place and its loved us back. My second time was in the 90's. Things had changed, many people with sub machine guns wandering around defending barb wire. No it seems the country has collapsed. The right says its all socialism, I say likely corruption on the left and poison on the right. Plague on both houses. I am just sad. I was also to Brazil and Argentina. Wonderful places, abysmal leaders and followers. There is a great collapse. Japan, Spain, Italy or maybe a count... more »
May 14: Three cheers for Norbert - Hip, hip....
Yes, indeed. At least three big cheers for Norbert. I began reading today's Irving press with the usual sense of despair. The news section (the usual trivia) seemed to confirm it. Then there was the editorial on the crucial question of the day. Should provinces be allowed to charge a tariff on imported beer? (The editorial treats free trade - as do most newspapers in the industrialized world - as being a 'good', almost holy, thing. In fact, in the early days of industrialization, they all opposed free trade, and they did so with the full support of the capitalists in their populat... more »
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