10:28pm MDST
What Would Our Grandparents Think?
[image: Obama - 900] Please join me on a whirlwind tour around the zany world of modern leftism. Many stops are available, so the following ones were just the first ones I saw. Seeing as President Obama and his fellow leftist ideologues can’t permit... more »
What Happened To #NeverTrump?
A Koch candidate? Maybe... I guess Romney and the other GOP Establishment anti-trymp die-hards can vote Libertarian in November and see if they can use a Gary Johnson/Bill Weld ticket as the honorable protest that could Nader Herr Trumpf. Apparently, after being turned down flat by Paul Ryan, John Kasich, Jeff Bezos and Ben Sasse, Romney has given up on finding an anti-Trump third party ticket of his own. Mitt Romney has ruled out an independent bid for president and is not actively recruiting any more potential candidates to do so at the moment, though he remains hopeful someon... more »
EgyptAir’s Fate and Ours
[image: Donald Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C.] EgyptAir Flight 804 -- carrying 66 people, including three children -- departed from Paris on Wednesday night. Just before it was scheduled to land in Cairo, it appears to have made a 360-degree turn before plunging 9,000 feet and disappearing... more »
Who Are the Real Deniers of Science?
[image: Climatology Good Biology Bad - 900] Why do liberals hate science? The left has long claimed that it has something of a monopoly on scientific expertise. For instance, long before Al Gore started making millions by claiming that anyone who disagreed with his apocalyptic prophecies was... more »
US-Polaris 1 vs. The Hezrou Demon: Sample Icons Combat
My group was discussing a bit about how to make Icons combat a bit more comic-like. It's not so much a matter of house rules as making full use of the rules as written. What I decided to do was a mock combat of one of the PCs vs an Icons-adapted Herzou Demon. - US-Polaris 1 drawing by Stephen Pennsi - Herzou image from Pathfinder wiki US-Polaris 1 is a space probe launched in 1957 that was "upgraded" by mysterious aliens. It has telekinetic abilities, albeit subject to burnout. The demon has a nasty bite, some great armor, and a chaos blast that does both damage and dazzl... more »
The Alt-Right's "Demographic Nightmare" Is... Texas 2016
The Lone Star State Is Majority Minority Already *Guest post by Scott Sumner* There is a growing strand of thought on the conservative “alt-right” that worries about demographic change, especially changes triggered by immigration. The percentage of Americans who are non-Hispanic white is projected to fall from 62.2% in 2014 to only 43.6% in 2060. The alt-right seems to have two worries about this: - A growing minority population they say, especially Hispanics, will lead to American becoming poorer, more like a third world country. - Non-whites are more likely to s... more »
Terrorism Suspected in Crash of Egyptian Jet; 66 Feared Dead
[image: This August 21, 2015 photo shows an EgyptAir Airbus A320 with the registration SU-GCC taking off from Vienna International Airport, Austria. Egyptian aviation officials said on Thursday May 19, 2016 that an EgyptAir plane with the registration SU-GCC, traveling from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew on board has crashed off the Greek island of Karpathos. Meanwhile, Egypt's chief prosecutor Nabil Sadek says he has ordered an "urgent investigation" into crash. Sadek instructed the National Security Prosecutor to open an "extensive investigation" in the incident.] CAIRO... more »
Transparent Solar Panels Will Turn Windows Into Green Energy Collectors
Nice work except that organics do oxidize and become colored and present yield is a miserable one percent. Do not get excited about seeing this for sale soon. However thay are on a good track and it may surprise us. A moderate jump in yield and real longitivity will allow a huge market to be served that is already installed. If it can actually pick up much of the spectrum that damages organics as well, they may kill two birds with one stone.. *Transparent Solar Panels Will Turn Windows Into Green Energy Collectors * * http://www.arch2o.com/transparent-solar-panels-will-turn-wi... more »
This One Number Foretold Donald Trump’s Rise
What rings home here is that the slight decline of the medium income is in the face of plenty of number games to keep those numbers up and that is not enough. Far too many families are not happy. It also explains the stagnation of housing markets as well. If the Middle class were expanding dynamically the income base would show a rise. Thus we have added 13,000,000 new workers and have not increasded family incomes. That was not 13,000,000 new families and much of that new income went to sustain family incomes which still fell. Thus it is actually much worse than thought. Of... more »
The Secret History of Three Obnoxious Weeds
This is rather importent. i had always suspected that pig weed was far too closely related to amaranth to be an accident. This work that we have been reporting on has firmly linked South Americans with the South Eastern USA and it follows that their food grains came as well. We are actually talking about Amaranth, Chia seeds and Quinoa run wild and actually all such plants produce lambs quarters which happens to be the immature plant. We used to harvest a patch just when they had produced their second set of leaves for a superior green to both spinach and chard. We are now c... more »
Kingdom-busting Volcanoes Linked to the rise of the Roman Empire
[image: Cleopatra] This is an extremely interesting observation and also serves to explain the unusual climate that brought Joseph to power back in the Bronze Age over a millennia and a half earlier. The first thing to do then is to locate a nearby nasty volcano that would impact the Ethiopian highlands while not necessarily been noticed elsewhere. As it turns out one of the top ten and the only one in Africa is located in the Republic of Congo directly west of Ethiopia. The ash cloud would certainly envelope those same highlands as they are naturally down wind. At the same t... more »
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*Mosquito control officials say New Orleans actively fending off the Zika virus ~Bob Marshall, The Lens*
Tort of Conversion
Tran v. Chung, 2016 ONCA 378: [23] The tort of conversion involves "a wrongful interference with the goods of another, such as taking, using or destroying these goods in a manner inconsistent with the owner's right of possession": Boma Manufacturing Ltd. v. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, [1996] 3 S.C.R. 727, at para. 31. The tort is of one of strict liability and so it is no defence that the wrongful act was committed without intent: Boma, at para. 31. Even if the claimant is negligent with respect to its chattel, the wrongdoer will not be able to contest liability on the bas... more »
Federal Judge Upholds Virginia Voter Photo ID Law
[image: Voting Booths, Voters, Elections, America] RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A federal judge on Thursday upheld Virginia’s 2013 law requiring voters to show a valid photo ID at the polls. The Virginia Democratic Party sued state elections officials, saying the photo ID requirement unconstitutionally suppresses voting... more »
Edward Snowden: The CIA ‘Never Destroys Something By Mistake’
Edward Snowden. PHOTO: REUTERS *The Independent*: *Edward Snowden warns CIA ‘never destroys something by mistake’* Former NSA contractor responds to reports inspector general's office destroyed their only copy of a 6,700 page report on advanced interrogation techniques Edward Snowden has responded to reports the CIA inspector general’s office “mistakenly” destroyed its only copy of a comprehensive Senate 'torture report' with a stinging rebuttal: “When the CIA destroys something, it's never a mistake.” An intelligence agency was quoted by Yahoo News as saying CIA inspector gen... more »
21 Conservative Democrats Vote With The GOP Against Closing The Guantánamo Gulag
Wednesday night the House passed the 2017 Defense Authorization Act 277-147, most Democrats voting against it, although most of the Blue Dogs and New Dems voted with the GOP for passage, despite a paragraph that got added in the dead of night by Oklahoma City wing-nut Steve Russell that allows federal contractors to fire employees for *being* gay. That was just one of the reasons most Democrats objected to the bill. Earlier Jerry Nadler had offered an amendment that most Democrats did like-- to remove funding prohibitions on the closure of the Guantánamo gulag-- but that failed 1... more »
Dry Erase Scrabble Menu
Scrabble Crafts are one of my absolute favorite things to make. They are easily quick to pull together and they have such a cute factor! Earlier this week, I did a live Facebook video with my daughter showing how to make five of our favorite Scrabble Crafts. Right after we finished the video we started getting requests for written instructions for the projects, so here is the first one! You can find the original video at the end of the post if you would rather watch! This Dry Erase Scrabble Menu is one of my VERY favorite Scrabble project, probably only second to this Name Scrabbl... more »
Google Honors Bin Laden Supporter With Google Doodle
[image: Yuri Kochiyama Google Doodle - 900] Yuri Kochiyama was a Japanese-American who was placed in an internment camp as a young adult during World War II and went on to a lengthy career as an activist. Kochiyama died in 2014, but Thursday's Google Doodle honors her on... more »
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*Munshi on the warpath again* *I am a great admirer of the work of Jamal Munshi. He really hits Warmists where it would hurt if they were real scientists. As it is, of course, neither evidence nor logic is really of interest to them.In the paper below, he hits at the most basic assertion of Warmism: That fossil fuel emissions influence the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.I have read the full paper and have no quarrel with its theory or methodology. I am however a little uneasy at the criterion used for statistical significance. He uses the more severe standard emanating f... more »
Donald, Hillary and the Bernie Factor
[image: Sanders Clinton Trump - 900] WASHINGTON -- Among the abundant ironies of this election cycle, there is this: We are now in the eighth year of the most liberal administration since Lyndon Johnson’s. The primary elections reveal a national mood of anxiety, apprehension and anger,... more »
Is This Hillary Clinton's Future Secretary of State (Or National Security Adviser)?
Victoria Nuland, U.S. Embassy, Georgia *Philip Giraldi, The American conservative, The American Conservative*:* Clinton’s Hawk-in-Waiting* If Hillary wins the White House, expect Victoria Nuland to be at her side. The other day, a question popped up on a Facebook thread I was commenting on: “Where is Victoria Nuland?” The short answer, of course, is that she is still holding down her position as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. But a related question begs for a more expansive response: Where will Victoria Nuland be after January? Nuland is one of Hil... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 19, 2016
Russian servicemen equip an Iskander tactical missile system at a facility near Moscow. (file photo) *Radio Free Europe*:* New Weaponry, More Spending, Tough Rhetoric Stoke Fears Of New U.S.-Russia Arms Race* WASHINGTON -- A new Russian intercontinental ballistic missile. Upgraded U.S. nuclear gravity bombs and air-launched nuclear cruise missiles. A European exclave freshly bristling with Russian ballistic missiles. And all of that military hardware topped off with a warning from Russia's president one day after a U.S.-built missile-defense system went online in Romania. *Read ... more »
World News Briefs -- May 19, 2016
*CNN*: *EgyptAir Flight 804: Airline official says debris not from plane* The search for EgyptAir Flight 804 is continuing after reports that the plane's wreckage had been found turned out to be false. When searchers got close to debris found in the Mediterranean Sea they realized it didn't come from the missing airliner, EgyptAir's Vice Chairman Ahmed Adel told CNN. The Airbus A320, which had 66 people on board, disappeared early Thursday as it flew from Paris to Cairo. Earlier Adel told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the plane's wreckage had been found. *Read more* .... *MIDDLE... more »
The U.S. Air Force's B-21 Program Will Not Involve Other Allied Countries
An artist rendering shows the first image of a new Northrop Grumman Corp long-range bomber B21 in this image released on February 26, 2016. REUTERS/U.S. AIR FORCE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS *Defense News: **Allies Will Not Play a Role in B-21 Development, Unlike F-35* WASHINGTON — A top Air Force general Thursday ruled out the possibility that the Pentagon would partner with allied nations to develop the next-generation B-21 bomber. The F-35 joint strike fighter was designed and tested jointly with multiple partner nations from its inception, according to Lt. Gen. Arnie Bunch, the Air F... more »
The High Cost Of Renewable Energy Regulations For The U.S. Military
Solar power was tested in May in Morocco. A Marine company brought some renewable energy equipment to Afghanistan. Major Paul Greenberg/U.S.M.C. *Rachel Zissimos, Daily Signal*: *Costly Renewable Energy Regulations Prevent Our Military From Doing Its Job* The Obama administration is aggressively defending costly renewable energy initiatives for the Department of Defense. These requirements mandate that the Department of Defense produce or procure “not less than 25 percent” of its facility energy from renewable energy sources by fiscal year 2025. By forcing its political agenda onto... more »
With The Country Falling Apart The Venezuelan Government Orders The Biggest MIlitary Exercise In Its History
*Bloomberg*: *Venezuela Prepares for Biggest Military Exercise in History* * Excercises come as opposition pushes for ousting of President * Defense Minister says its first mobilization of its kind Venezuela is preparing for the biggest military exercises in its history this Saturday after the South American country’s government said it’s on high alert as the opposition pushes for a recall referendum on President Nicolas Maduro. “Venezuela is threatened,” Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on state television Thursday. “This is the first time we are carrying out an exerc... more »
China Warns The U.S. That They Are Ready To Retaliate If US ‘Stirs Up Any Conflict’ In South China Sea
*CNBC*: *China says it's ready if US ‘stirs up any conflict’ in South China Sea* BEIJING — China's attempts to claim a nearly 1.4-million-square-mile swathe of open ocean are without precedent and probably without legal merit, but Beijing continues to assert its right to the economically critical zone — and increasingly puts its claims in military terms. Speaking to a small group of reporters in Beijing on Thursday, a high-ranking Chinese official made his warning clear: The United States should not provoke China in the South China Sea without expecting retaliation. "The Chinese... more »
Egypt Air Retracts Claim of Wreckage Found: Late April, Israel Intercepted Egyptian Flight (Cyprus involved)
*That's right Egypt Air has retracted. The wreckage found near Crete is NOT from the missing plane* Yahoo Egyptian authorities have now discounted early claims that debris found near the last known location of missing EgptAir flight MS804 is from the downed plane. Early they had claimed that a couple of items of debris floating south-east of the Greek island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea was from the plane. Photo of the debris in the Mediterranean was posted on *Facebook *by Egyptian ship captain Tarek Wahba. This photo of debris in the Mediterranean was posted on Facebook by ... more »
Will Bloggers be Next?!
*Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil* *CBC approved posters on public view* From today's CBC: Starting soon: To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, for all new accounts,* first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities *(except in children and youth-oriented communities). *Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted for existing community members in June.* By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC ... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( May 19 , 2016 ) Overview For Thursday (1. Markets & Market Moving News/ Data - ECB's Coeure Dissects Easing Via 4 Yr TLTRO Vs NIRP , FOMC Minutes Still Causing Higher Rates Anxiety , S&P Index Has Mild 4% Pullback Since April 20th - Start Of A Trend Or Natural Pullback Pondering , EZ Unemployment Rate Chart 2007 - 2016 . 2.Poland Defies EU On "Rule Of Law" Reforms Before EU Deadline . 3. Poroshenko Once Again Under Scrutiny Regarding Offshore Secretions Of Cash . 4. France Sees Protests Continue , A320 Between Paris And Cairo Goes Missing today . 5. Greece Updates Regarding Debt Relief Positions Between The Creditors , Refugee / Migrations Matters. 6. Austria's Presidential Election Looms This Weekend , TTIP Good As Dead Due To Incoming Austrian President , Austria Comes Up With Solution To Rescue Austria Region From Bankruptcy . 7. EU-Turkey Updates & Political Developments Within Turkey. 8. Odds & Ends - Around MENA Horn. )
Markets & Market Moving News.... *Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehner 1h 1 hour ago #ECB’s Coeure: Credit easing via 4yr TLTRO's more important than negative rate. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/inter/da te/2016/html/sp160519_1.en.html … *fred walton* @fredwalton216 3h 3 hours ago fred walton Retweeted AlternativeEconomics Good analysis from Mish. Nothing in the data to date , suggests a June interest rate hike is warranted. Fwiw. fred walton added, *AlternativeEconomics* @alterneconomics Mike Shedlock: Hikes Data Dependent Says NY Fed: So, Let’s Look at the ... more »
"Coup" in Brazil?
Former President Rousseff of Brazil, denounced her impeachment as a “coup.” I am not an expert on Brazil's internal politics but it does appear that there are coup-like characteristics as "businesses and investors hail change" within country, as reported by The Wall Street Journal: Rogerio Jelmayer and Jeffrey T. Lewis (2016, May 13). Businesses and Investors Hail Change. The Wall Street Journal, A6. “Business interests are cheering the new leadership in Brazil following the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff, whom many blame for the deep recession and crumbling finances in Lat... more »
Nahko & Medicine For The People & Mihali Savoulidis - "Wash It Away"
*Published on May 18, 2016* Nahko & Medicine For The People "Wash It Away" with Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle. Live at Higher Ground Burlington, VT 5.12.16 Additional footage by Bob Wagner www.goodwolfproductions.com Follow us on Facebook + Instagram: @goodwolfsessions Lyrics: We are part of something special we are part of something special we're a part of something special It's a crack in time a wrinkle Fallen from the nest, young eagle I will pull my feathers out stay humble stay humble stay humble stay humble stay humble Uncle Mana taught us like an elder took asunder older...more »
Australia’s refugee detention programme “uneconomic, inhumane and flat-out stupid”
Australia’s refugee detention programme is supposed to save the country* while saving the country money. Neither is true. Minister in charge of the programme Peter Dutton is down to arguing that a flood of "illiterate and innumerate" refugees “would be taking Australian jobs, there's no question about that." It surely makes you wonder how poorly Australians must be doing their jobs if they would be taken by folk who are illiterate, innnumerate and (in Mr Dutton’s eyes) barely human. If they weren’t in here stealing Australian’s jobs, says Dutton, they’d be out their languishi... more »
JOHN BRADSHAW / FATHER OF INNER CHILD MOVEMENT PASSES ON AT 82
*Click on Photo to enlarge* *John Bradshaw, a pioneer in the self-healing movement and author of Reclaiming and Healing your Inner child was an important and underrated compass in the field of humanistic psychology. Bradshaw correctly maintained that our ultimate home coming was reclaiming a lost and alone child within ourselves and set the stage for my work in reclaiming the soul of that lost child by jump starting their hearts through gratefulness and forgiveness: Allen L Roland, PhD* " *Being abandoned through the neglect of our developmental dependency needs is th... more »
Military Photo of the Day: Swinging at the ‘Best Warrior’ Competition
[image: Rope Swing] A U.S. Army Reserve soldier tackles the swinging rope during the obstacle course at the annual “Best Warrior” competition at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on May 4, 2016. Thank you to this brave soldier for her service to our... more »
Looks Like a Summer of Traveling Fun, Thanks to Lower Oil Prices
[image: Roadtrip, Car, Vacation, Leisure Travel] NEW YORK (AP) -- Grab your sunglasses, a giant cup of coffee and prepare to hit the highway: 2016 is shaping up to be the summer of the road trip. Cheap fuel prices have left many American families flush with... more »
5 Things You Can Do about Transgender Restrooms: Speak Out, Take Action
[image: transgender bathroom wars - 900] My BreakPoint colleague, John Stonestreet, and I are both dads. In fact, we are both dads of daughters. Thus, Friday's bathroom edict from the Obama Administration hit particularly close to home, since it is girls like our daughters that are... more »
Presidential Office Livestream Link
Link for Presidential office livestream of the ceremony today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2k338uvWvI&feature=youtu.be _______________________ [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!
#FeelTheBern | Venezuela edition
[image: image] I hope youthful advocates of socialism have been watching the acopalypse in slow motion that is being inflicted upon Venezuelans by their experiment with socialism. It’s working out exactly as badly for them as anyone could have predicted. The country’s oil riches – ”more proven oil reserves than any country in the world” – have not saved them from what has been inexorable in every worker’s paradise yet devised. First, with price signals and profits banned, there are serious shortages: food, medicine, toilet paper, electricity. Indeed, their richness in oil re... more »
Obama’s Overtime Rule Tried at IBM, and It Didn’t Work
[image: President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 16, 2016, during the Medal of Valor ceremony. The Medal of Valor is awarded to public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect others from harm.] Juggling work and family life is hard. On Wednesday the Labor Department made it even harder for millions of salaried workers. The administration's new overtime regulations will effectively turn them into hourly employees. The regulation won't increase their earn... more »
Alberta Wildfire Sending Mercury Into The Atmosphere
The mammoth wildfire destroying Alberta is releasing toxic mercury into the atmosphere. The fires have filled Fort McMurray’s air with dangerous contaminants pushing its air pollution to off-the-charts levels. But now the fires are releasing mercury into the atmosphere….and mercury can travel around the globe for as long as a year before settling… anywhere Grist reports: The Fort McMurray fire, which merged with another smaller wildfire last week, has displaced residents and cleared nearly everything in its path, including swaths of the region’s dense boreal forests. The combined b... more »
Elton John Celebrity Threesome Sparks Super Injunction Debate
Britain’s most senior judges have ruled that Elton John and David Furnish’s super injunction will remain in force, preventing the English media from identifying the pair or publishing details about the celebrity threesome scandal. Elton John took the case all the way to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, after the Court of Appeal ruled the super injunction could be lifted and the media should be free to report on the story. However the Supreme Court ruled that the Court of Appeal was wrong, meaning the gagging order will remain in place until the case goes to trial ... more »
Russia: China To Ration US Food Supply In 2017
Russia have warned that the Chinese government are planning a series of food supply rationing initiatives in 2017, which will prevent citizens from accessing food grown in their own country. Whatdoesitmean.com reports: According to this report, China’s 12th Five Year Plan, begun in 2011, was based upon their dire need of both food and farms as only 11% of Chinese land can be farmed—which in a nation whose size is nearly equal to the United States (5.6 million square kilometers/3.7 million square miles) has more than four times as many people to feed thus creating a recipe for the ta... more »
Antibiotic Resistance Sees Scientists Flock To Holistic Medicine
Scientists and mainstream doctors are turning to holistic and alternative health experts in their droves, due to the ever-increasing rise in antibiotic resistance. A recent study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine found that scientists were able to successfully cure kidney infections without the need for antibiotics for the very first time. Naturalnews.com reports: The study focused on “innate immunity,” which is the body’s first line of defense and can be used even against pathogens that have never been encountered before. Prior research has shown that innate ... more »
NATO Announces War Plan Against Russia
NATO have formally outlined their plans for going to war with Russia, saying that if Russia counter their attempts to surround the country with troops, they will respond with an all-out war. Rinf.com reports: On May 18th, Britain’s Guardian headlined “West and Russia on course for war, says ex-Nato deputy commander” and reported that the former deputy commander of NATO, the former British general Sir Alexander Richard Shirreff (who was Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 2011-2014), expressed outrage that Britain isn’t urgently preparing for war against Russia, and also reported...more »
American College of Pediatricians: Transgender Agenda Harms Children
The American College of Pediatricians has publicly denounced the transgender agenda, saying that the condition may potentially harm children. On a statement on their website, ACPED urge teachers and lawmakers to reject the notion that being transgendered is ‘normal’, saying that those who ‘suffer from the condition’ should be considered mentally ill. Acpeds.org reports: 1. Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of health – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human s... more »
Strange Sky Noises Spark Panic In Germany
Strange sky noises were reported in the town of Schwabing, Germany last week, causing panic amongst residents who described the sounds as “loud as a helicopter”. According to one resident, “the noise was so that loud I telephoned my neighbors, we did not know what it was “. Tz.de reports: He was searching the Internet for possible clues. And found it. Someone had created a video on You Tube and posted it online. It gave exactly the strange noise and showed a cloud – the cloud is however only seen with a lot of imagination. The video has 4,372 views already, including comments like:...more »
German Citizen Finds Nazi Nuclear Bombs
An elderly man from Germany says he has found evidence of Nazi nuclear bombs hidden deep underground. 70-year-old Peter Lohr says he has discovered traces of what looks like nuclear bombs in an abandoned network of tunnels built by the Nazis near the city of Chemnitz. Telegraph.co.uk reports: “At least two of the objects are the Nazi atomic bombs,” he told Bild newspaper. Amateur historians and treasure hunters have long sought artefacts which disappeared during the Second World War, including the fabled Amber Room and the gold train rumoured to have been found in Poland last year.... more »
Germany Bans Anti-Erdogan Poem
A German court has banned an author from publicly reciting a poem that criticises Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The court ruled that only six lines of a 24-line poem by German comedian Jan Boehmermann were authorised to be recited, banning the remaining 18-lines over fears that Erdogan would be offended. Yahoo News reports: The poem accused Erdogan of bestiality and paedophilia and has caused a storm in Germany over freedom of speech. Chancellor Angela Merkel has come in for criticism after she authorised possible criminal proceedings against Boehmermann. Any prosecution ... more »
House Would Ban Confederate Flags on VA Cemetery Flagpoles
[image: confederate flag - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted on Thursday to ban the display of the Confederate flag on flagpoles at federal veterans’ cemeteries. The 265-159 vote would block descendants and others seeking to commemorate veterans of the Confederate States of America... more »
Megalithomania - Wayne Herschel - Hidden Records BC
I love the ancient-investigative work of Wayne Herschel, he's found links to the Pleiades (Seven Sisters star constellation) in most cultures around the world. Here's the latest March 2016 presentation of Herschel's thoughts on 'where we really come from' and 'where we're really going' at some point in the future...
Megalithomania - Antoine Gigal - The Divine Island of Giza
*1878 map of Giza Plateau* French/Egyptian scholar Antoine Gigal reads Ancient Egyptian and other ancient languages.... she's also found Whale and Dolphin skeletons around the Giza Pyramid Plateau/Complex. Gigal's contention is that the Entire Giza Plateau was flooded by the Nile River, for three months every year, and should be called The Divine Island of Giza. Remember, of course, that (in this time - 5,000 to 1,000 BC - depending on construction time) water has always been of great importance to Megalithic and Neolithic People, where flooding might have periodically filled Brit... more »
Public school watch: Middle-class black and Hispanic kids!
*THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016What holds some kids back:* We still have a long way to go with Motoko Rich's recent report about low-income, low-SES schools and the new study from Stanford. For today, let's briefly consider the most substantial part of her report. What kinds of disadvantages might black and Hispanic kids face in school, even if they come from middle-class families? Rich discusses that here: RICH (5/3/16): What emerges clearly in the data is the extent to which race and class are inextricably linked, and how that connection is exacerbated in school settings. Not only are... more »
College Boots Ex-Delta Force Hero After Complaint From LGBT Activists
[image: Hampden-Sydney college - 900] Jerry Boykin is the kind of man you'd want teaching your sons -- a good and decent man, an honorable man -- a Christian man. For the past nine years the retired lieutenant general has taught leadership and ethics at Hampden-Sydney College,... more »
There's Only One Way To Root Out Wasserman Schultz-- By Replacing Her With Tim Canova August 30
Mika says Wasserman Schultz should step down. That isn't what tyrants do-- not even two-bit tyrants in a teapot... they grasp onto power until it is ripped from their hands. And then they lick their wounds and try again. When she was fired as the DCCC's Red To Blue chair for helping three favored Republicans beat 3 Democratic candidates, she bided her time, spread around sugar money and anti-Cuba money to strengthen her support and made several moves before winding up, catastrophically, as the worst-ever chair of the DNC. If the Republicans wanted to alienate the millions of Bern... more »
National Poll Shows Trump Increasing Lead Over Clinton
Rasmussen poll shows New York billionaire leading former U.S. Secretary of State by five points. A Common Dreams report: A new Rasmussen poll released Thursday shows Republican front-runner Donald Trump increasing his lead over Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The New York billionaire has a five-point edge over the Clinton, with 42 percent of likely voters saying they’d back him compared to 37 percent for Clinton. The poll also shows Trump now getting 76 percent of the Republican vote; Clinton nabbed 72 percent of the Democratic vote. Thirteen percent of Democrats ...more »
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*From* *Jenna Orkin* Senate Passes Bill That Would Expose Saudi Arabia's Role In Sept. 11: Obama Veto ImminentHuman Activity Is Wiping Out The West's Natural Land, Report Finds Zika Virus May Spread To Europe In Coming Months, WHO Warns There are already notices about it in the subway here in NYC: .The Zika Virus: Pandemic Preparedness Is Needed Now! GMOs Ruled Safe To Eat, But They Aren't Solving World Hunger Zero emission milestone Portugal runs for four days straight on renewable energy alone An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo has reportedly crashed A terrorist attack is... more »
Syrian Government Forces Retake Regions Around Damascus
*Reuters:* *Syrian government forces, allies capture extensive area near Damascus* Syrian government forces and allies including Lebanese Hezbollah fighters seized an extensive area southeast of Damascus from rebels on Thursday and fought other insurgents near a highway leading southwest, a monitoring group said. The advance is part of a wider escalation in fighting that has accompanied failed diplomatic efforts to end the five-year conflict. Syria's war has killed 250,000 people, created the worst refugee crisis since World War II, allowed for the rise of Islamic State and drawn... more »
U.S. Director of National Intelligence: 'Preliminary Decision On Releasing The Remaining 9/11 Report Expected Next Week'
Nominee for Director of National Intelligence retired Gen. James Clapper speaks alongside President Barack Obama in the White House Rose Garden Saturday June 5. Newscom *The Hill:* *Preliminary decision on secret 9/11 pages expected this week* The nation’s top intelligence official will tell the White House this week whether or not he supports declassifying 28 secret pages from a congressional inquiry into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he told lawmakers on Tuesday evening. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), one of two sitting House lawmakers and a former senator to attend the 50-... more »
The U.S. Cost To Wage War Against The Islamic State Is Now Costing $11.7 MIllion Per Day
*The Hill:* *ISIS war costing $11.7M per day* The total U.S. cost of the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is $7.2 billion as of April 15, according to a new Pentagon estimate. That amount accounts for 617 days of military operations since the U.S. began its air campaign in Iraq on Aug. 8, 2014. The average daily cost is $11.7 million — up from $9.1 million about a year ago. The Pentagon has posted the ISIS cost updates on its website. On Wednesday, the House passed an amendment to a defense bill that would require the Defense secretary to post the cost of operati... more »
NATO's War Strategy In Afghanistan Is Dependent On What The U.S. Will Do
Commander of NATO Resolute Support forces and United States forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General John Nicholson walks during a change of command ceremony in Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 2, 2016. *VOA*: *NATO Waiting to See What US Will Do in Afghanistan* BRUSSELS - Despite the uncertainty about U.S. future force numbers in Afghanistan, most NATO military chiefs say they are not planning to withdraw their forces from the war-torn country, the chairman of NATO’s military committee said Wednesday. Petr Pavel told reporters at NATO headquarters in Bru... more »
ISIS Planning Attacks During Euro 2016 Say France And Germany
Germany and France have both warned that ISIS are ‘planning attacks’ during the Euro 2016 football tournament France faces the “greatest threat” from Islamist terrorist attacks the internal intelligence chief, Patrick Calvar, told French National Assembly deputies. The country is on high alert and have extended the State of Emergency to cover the Euro 2016 games RT reports: “Clearly, France is the most threatened and we know that Islamic State is planning new attacks,” Calvar told the deputies in a May 10 meeting, the minutes of which were released on Wednesday night. “Due to suffer... more »
Obama Has 3,260 Rules in the Regulatory Pipeline
[image: President Barack Obama delivers remarks in the East Room of the White House during the sixth White House Science Fair, Wednesday, April 13, 2016 in Washington, DC.] The Obama administration's got more than 3,200 regulations at various stages of completion, including 2,239 active rules agencies are working to finish before President Barack Obama leaves office. The White House's Office of Management and Budget released its spring 2016 "Unified Agenda of... more »
Poll: 9 in 10 Native Americans Not Offended by Redskins Name
[image: Washington Redskins - 900] NEW YORK (AP) -- A recent national poll found that nine of 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by the Washington Redskins name. The poll conducted by the Washington Post indicated more than eight in 10 said they wouldn’t be offended... more »
Oklahoma Passes Bill That Would Put Abortion Doctors Behind Bars
[image: Oklahoma Abortion - 900] Performing an abortion is one signature away from becoming a felony for physicians in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill Thursday which would subject doctors to up to three years in prison for performing abortions. Senate Bill 1552 also says that any physician who participates in... more »
Lawmakers Introduce Bill Making It Harder for Police to Take Innocent Americans’ Property
[image: When the Cops Seize Your Stuff: Does Civil Asset Forfeiture Really Go too Far?] For the last few years, opponents of civil forfeiture have been calling on Congress to make it more difficult for law enforcement to take property, cash and vehicles from innocent Americans through a process known as civil asset forfeiture. Now,... more »
Romney Folds: Gives up on Pursuit of Trump Alternative
[image: Mitt Romney - 900] Mitt Romney has ruled out a third-party presidential bid and has stopped recruiting others to attempt their own, close advisers said Wednesday. The news suggests Romney has thrown in the towel on the #NeverTrump movement and resigned himself to the Republican... more »
Pushing Too Hard for STEM
Submitted to the Washington Post, May 19, 2016. "Obama wants to hear what children have to say about science education,"(May 19) as part of a White House effort to expand STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education The assumption behind all this is the belief that there is a serious shortage of science and technology experts. There isn't. Rutgers University professor Hal Salzman has concluded that there are approximately three qualified graduates annually for each science or technology opening. Recent studies have also shown the United States is producing more Ph.D.... more »
US House Approves $610 Billion Military Budget
The US House of Representatives has passed a $610 billion military budget to fund Pentagon programs and US-led military conflicts. The bill, approved in a 277-147 bipartisan vote on Wednesday, sets the Pentagon’s base budget at $551 billion while giving it another $59 billion for overseas contingency operations, in other words, war funding. Press TV reports: On Monday, the White House threatened to veto the bill over the Republican attempts to shift $18 billion from the war fund to cover expenses in the base military budget. Republicans argue that the money is needed to address a mi... more »
Software glitch — not intentional manipulation — sunk immunology paper, says author
New evidence suggests a retracted paper was felled not by intentional manipulation — as it first appeared — but by a software glitch. In 2014, we reported that Biochemical Journal had retracted a paper on suspicion it contained “shoddy Photoshopping” — someone appeared to have blacked out a control lane in one figure. Now there’s evidence […] The post Software glitch — not intentional manipulation — sunk immunology paper, says author appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Joe and Mika watch: The essence of faux!
*THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016Creeping press culture defined:* Our political culture has been melting for at least twenty-four years. Increasingly, facts and logic have ceased to exist. Increasingly, our world has become narrative—narrative all the way down. The other team got its crazy orgs first. Our team is now catching up—and yes, we get conned and misled by our team's overpaid corporate players, just as folk on the other team have long been conned and misled. Discernment isn't in great supply. Most likely, this was always the case. We never needed the kind of discernment that would ... more »
State Of Emergency Extended In France To Cover Euro 2016 Games
The French parliament has extended the state of emergency for another two months to the end of July in order to cover the Euro 2016 football tournament and the Tour de France cycling race. It is the third time the state of emergency has been extended since the November 13 attacks on Paris. Press TV reports: Lawmakers in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, voted to endorse the extension by 46 votes to 20 on Thursday, a week after it was approved by a large majority in the upper house Senate. France expects more than two million to visit the country for the Euro... more »
Egypt Air - Shot out of Sky by missile while flying over Naval Exercises in Mediterranean?
*Greek Island residents captured this video* *of "ball of fire" in night sky* *at same time plane went down* *From WHATREALLYHAPPENED.com* Reading the first reports this morning about the disappearance of an Egypt Air jet with over 60 on board flying from Paris to Cairo last night. I want to get my thoughts down on paper before all the fog of media lies sets in. Above is a video taken by a Greek Island resident showing a ball of fire in the night sky in the general area of where the plane went down in the Mediterranean. We know there were western naval exercises going on in the wat... more »
Thailand: Big Hopes for New Economic Ties with Russia
*May 20, 2016 *(Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - During the upcoming Russia-ASEAN Summit (May 19-20) to be held in Sochi, Russia, additional talks will be held with Southeast Asian nations seeking to bolster ties with Russia, who has until recently played a disproportionately minor role in Asia relative to the United States. *Diversifying Economic Ties * It should be understood that Western special interests seeking global hegemony are driven first and foremost by economic ambitions. Political and military operations augment and run parallel to attempts to expand and dominate nations and... more »
Committee Chairman Calls for Immediate Resignation of IRS Chief
[image: John Koskinen - 900] Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz called for the immediate resignation of Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen Wednesday in his capacity as chairman of the House Oversight committee, in a censure resolution asking the president to remove Koskinen if he refuses to step... more »
Melting Antarctic Glacier Could Raise Sea Levels By Two Metres
The rapid melting of one the largest glaciers on earth, the Totten Glacier in East Antarctica, could raise global sea level at least 2 meters by the end of the century, according to a new study Scientists say the huge glacier is even more vulnerable than they previously thought and that research indicates that the process may be unstoppable. Imperial College London reports: By studying the history of Totten’s advances and retreats, researchers have discovered that if climate change continues unabated, the glacier could cross a critical threshold within the next century, entering an ... more »
Koch Brothers Prepare To Go To War Against Democrats, While Schumer, Reid And Wasserman Schultz Go To War Against Progressives
So what are the Democrats doing while the Koch brothers ready a $30 million Senate war-chest for August and September targeting races in Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania? If you're on the DSCC mailing list you know they are asking for contributions on a daily basis. But if you get your Senate campaign news from that list what you don't know is that they've been deploying whatever money they can get their hands on to smear and destroy progressive Democrats. If you contributed to the DSCC, regardless of what the e-mail you were responding to said, your money went to knock Joe ... more »
March Against Monsanto In A City Near You On May 21
Hundreds of thousands are expected to gather across 38 countries and 428 cities to join in peaceful protest against the Monsanto Company as a part of the ‘March Against Monsanto‘ grassroots campaign on May 21, 2016. A complete list of events can be found here: Find March Against Monsanto in your city Natural Blaze reports: This movement seeks to raise awareness to the dangers surrounding Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds and cancer-linked herbicide Roundup. The campaign comes as the demand for GMO labeling and non-GMO food alternatives continues its exponential climb, with state... more »
Airlines should sell Muslim-free flights
After a 3-hour-long flight from Paris and shortly before it was supposed to land in Cairo, EgyptAir's MS804 disappeared from the radar and some two hours later (or maybe much earlier), it crashed to the Mediterranean Sea, somewhere between Egypt and Crete, and the wreckage was just found near Karpathos, a Greek island. My condolences to the friends and relatives of the 56 passengers and 10 crew members. The cause is unknown but it's generally believed that terror is a more likely explanation than a technical problem. Seven hours ago, Donald Trump tweeted: Looks like yet another ter... more »
World News Briefs -- May 19, 2016
*Daily Mail:** Is this the wreckage of Flight MS804? Images emerge as debris from EgyptAir jet is found off Greek island after it went into 'sharp spin' and fell 22,000ft in what was 'almost certainly a terror attack'* * EgyptAir flight MS804 vanished over the Med at 00.30am GMT after leaving Paris at 9.09pm GMT on Wednesday * Airline said contact was lost with plane 10 miles into Egyptian air space about 40 minutes before it was due to land * Airbus A320 was flying at 37,000ft and did not make a distress call before it disappeared off radar, officials say * There were 56 passenge... more »
Farmers To Sue Monsanto Claiming Roundup Gave Them Cancer
A group of farmers in Nebraska who have all been diagnosed with cancer are suing agrochemical giant Monsanto. The four farmers have claimed that glyphosate, in the the popular Monsanto herbicide brand Roundup, caused them to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and that the company intentionally misled the public about its dangers. Activist Post reports: The lawsuit was filed last Wednesday in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska. The farmers are seeking punitive damages, alleging defective design, failure to warn, negligence and breach of warranty. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Mo... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- May 19, 2016
*The Telegraph:* *Row erupts after Chinese fighter jets intercept US military plane over South China Sea* Claims that two Chinese fighter jets carried out an “unsafe” intercept of a US military aircraft over the South China Sea were rejected by Beijing on Thursday. The Pentagon said on Wednesday that one its reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted the previous day when it was carrying out a “routine US patrol” in international airspace. But Chinese foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the Chinese aircraft kept a safe distance from the US plane. He also repeated calls that ha... more »
Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivors Want President Obama To Apologize For The Bombing
Hiroshima survivor Hashizume Bun stands next to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2011 (AFP Photo/Madeleine Pradel) *AFP*:* Hiroshima atomic bomb victims want apology from Obama* Tokyo (AFP) - Victims of the atomic bombings of Japan want an apology from US President Barack Obama when he visits Hiroshima next week, the head of a survivors' group said Thursday. Obama will become the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, killing about 140,000 people in total. Tens of thousands were killed by the fireball that the power... more »
U.S. Tanks Fail To Place in NATO Tank Competition
*Washington Post: **In NATO tank competition, U.S. comes up short against Germany* Six NATO countries squared off last week in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge, a two-day competition that pitted some of the alliance’s best tank crews against each another in a series of events centered on armored warfare. The challenge, which concluded Thursday and was held in Grafenwoehr, Germany, was the first of its kind there since 1991. The competition was designed to foster “military partnership” while showcasing the ability of NATO countries to work together, according to a U.S. Army statem... more »
Retired U.S. Generals And Admirals Are Playing Politics In The Current Election Cycle
Photo Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com *Yochi Dreazen, Dan De Luce, and Molly O'Toole, Foreign Policy*: *Ex-Generals March Into Campaign 2016’s Political Wars* *Trump's rise has retired generals and admirals playing politics — and weighing races of their own — in ways that haven't been seen in decades.* One of Washington’s best-known public figures is warning that politicians are spreading “toxic” anti-Muslim rhetoric that amounts to “blanket discrimination against people on the basis of their religion” — a seemingly clear, if unspoken, jab at Republican front-runner Donald Trump and... more »
American B-52 Bomber Crashes In Guam. Crew Of 7 Safe
*CNN*:* B-52 crashes in Guam; no injuries reported* A B-52 crashed Thursday morning at a U.S. Air Force base in Guam during a training mission, with all seven crew members safely leaving the aircraft, the base said. The huge bomber crashed at Andersen Air Force Base about 8:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. Wednesday ET); no injuries were reported, the base said. Details weren't immediately available. Orange flames and thick smoke rose from a plane's charred remnants at the base, in images distributed by KUAM-TV show. "The incident is under investigation and measures to mitigate possible environm... more »
The Growth Of Private Contractors To Support Foreign U.S. Military Operations
GK Sierra Security Contractors in Afghanistan. Wikipedia *Micah Zenko, Foreign Policy*: *Mercenaries Are the Silent Majority of Obama’s Military* *The president’s "light footprint" approach to war has relied on thousands of Americans paid to fight — and die — in the shadows.* Last weekend, the New York Times published one of what will be many takes on President Barack Obama’s legacy as commander in chief. Retroactively shoehorning seven-plus years of varied military operations into one coherent “doctrine” is impossible, but dozens of articles will soon attempt to do so. There is ... more »
Uproar In Canada's Parliament After PM Justin Trudeau's Bizarre Behavior
*CBC*:* Justin Trudeau's elbowing incident leaves House in an uproar* 'There is not a parallel in contemporary Canadian history,' NDP House leader says following Commons uproar. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was accused of "manhandling" Opposition whip Gord Brown and elbowing NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the House of Commons as MPs gathered for a vote on the government's assisted-dying bill Wednesday afternoon. In video from the House, Trudeau is seen walking toward Brown in a crowd of MPs in the Commons aisle, taking his arm in an apparent effort to move Brown toward his seat. ... more »
Egypt-Air Flight MS804 Crash -- News Updates
*Daily Mail*:* EgyptAir jet went into a 'sharp spin' and fell 22,000ft before vanishing from radar says Greek defence minister – as air safety chief says crash was 'almost certainly a terror attack' * * EgyptAir flight MS804 vanished over the Med at 00.30am GMT after leaving Paris at 9.09pm GMT on Wednesday * Airline said contact was lost with plane 10 miles into Egyptian air space about 40 minutes before it was due to land * Airbus A320 was flying at 37,000ft and did not make a distress call before it disappeared off radar, officials say * There were 56 passengers on board includi... more »
Tweet For Today
This is the route EgyptAir flight MS804 was taking when it disappeared off radar screens: https://t.co/MvSEXZQZmBhttps://t.co/tMx5U3099O — Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) May 19, 2016
France Develops An Airship For Surveillance And Tracking
*RT:* *Solar surveillance: Airship designed for stratospheric snooping enters development stage (VIDEO)* A French weapons manufacturer is developing a stratospheric airship, dubbed the Stratobus, that could act as a high-altitude eye in the sky for government agencies around the world. The €17 million grant from a French government investment program will go towards what Thales Alenia Space described as a “vehicle halfway between a drone and a satellite.” *Read more* .... *WNU Editor: *The company is touting the civilians uses for this airship. But the military applications for ... more »
Picture Of The Day
General rehearsal of a naval review held on the Russian Navy Day in the town of Baltiysk. © SPUTNIK/ IGOR ZAREMBO
Father Of Russia's Nuclear Missile Program Sends A Warning To The U.S.
The RS-24 Yars. (Photo: Votkinsk.net) *Mikhail Klikushin, Observer*: *Father of Soviet Nuclear Program: ‘We Won’t Forget Where the United States Is’* *At Moscow's annual victory parade, Vladimir Putin reminds the world not to trust the U.S.* On May 9, 2015, a new addition to the traditional display of Russia’s military might was revealed. For the first time ever in Moscow’s Victory Day Parade, the RS-24 Yars thermonuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (or, to NATO, the SS-27 Mod 2) was flaunted to thousands of guests in the Red Square and to millions of Russian TV viewers. T... more »
Sean Hannity asks Trump good questions and lets him answer...
*unlike Megyn Kelly.* I'm really tired of reading everyone's opinion of who Donald Trump is and what he believes. There comes a time when you must listen to the person and weigh carefully what he says. From the very first day that he announced his run for the presidency, I asked myself, "Why?' The most often heard answer by the people who are now the anti-Trumpers, was "power." That leads to the question, "Power to do what?" Trump already has power. He has a family, a business that he clearly loves to run, several beautiful homes, and *freedom to do what he wants*. Other than... more »
New Fox News Poll Shows Trump LEADING Hillary
[image: Donald Trump - 900] A new Fox News poll shows Donald Trump with a small lead over Hillary Clinton, adding to a glut of good poll news for the presumptive Republican nominee. Trump leads Clinton 45 percent to 42 percent in the poll of... more »
Retractions aren’t enough: Why science has bigger problems
Scientific fraud isn’t what keeps Andrew Gelman, a professor of statistics at Columbia University in New York, up at night. Rather, it’s the sheer number of unreliable studies — uncorrected, unretracted — that have littered the literature. He tells us more, below. Whatever the vast majority of retractions are, they’re a tiny fraction of the number […] The post Retractions aren’t enough: Why science has bigger problems appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Colorado School Suspends 5 Year Old For Bringing In Her Bubble Gun
A Colorado school has branded a cheap bubble gun as a “safety concern” and suspended the 5-year old girl who brought it to school under its “zero tolerance” policy. The girls mother apologised but added that the move showed a lack of “common sense.” RT reports: “I apologized right away and said that I am so sorry she did that,” the mother identified only as Emma said, according to ABC-affiliate KMGH. “I appreciate that they’re trying to keep our kids safe, I really do. But there needs to be some common sense. It blows bubbles.” Emma said she didn’t know her daughter had the bubble g... more »
Rip-off News round-up. Our pick of the last week's media (Thu 19th May)
High pay for bosses hurting economy says Bank of England's top economist Excessive pay for top bosses is holding back economic growth in Britain, the chief economist of the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, has warned. Mr Haldane, who has earned a reputation as one of the central bank’s most radical minds, highlighted in a speech in Westminster the fact that FTSE 100 bosses are now paid 150
Tough-Borders Sheriff Arpaio Found in Contempt of Court. The ‘Finding’ is a Contempt of Justice.
[image: Sheriff Arpaio - 900] Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow found Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and three of his top aides in contempt of court for racial profiling. It could lead to criminal charges. As a former Maricopa County Deputy County Attorney who represented Arpaio... more »
PREDICTIONS AND DENIGRATIONS: The attacks on Clinton have had no effect!
*THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016Part 4—At long last, The Others are Us:* Will Donald J. Trump win the November election? We don't how to answer your question. We don't do a lot predicting here. As star pundits have made all too clear, predicting the future is hard! That said, Donald J. Trump has now taken the lead in a Fox News national poll. (We liberals know how to dismiss that.) In the New York Times, some experts speculate that Candidate Clinton may been overrated in a series of previous polls. It seems to us that Donald J. Trump really could win in November. That said, nothing deters... more »
Commentary and comments on Tomorrow
[image: 017] *A few years ago, I passed Tsai Ing-wen in the street, mobbed. In a few hours she will be President.* *Yoda: It is the future you see.Luke: The future? ... Will they die?Yoda: Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.* In a few hours Tsai Ing-wen will be President of the Republic of China on Taiwan. I hardly know how to think about this. Mostly I just have a powerful feeling of relief that eight years of selling out Taiwan to a few big businessmen and China will finally end. Meanwhile, the neverending flow of commentary is neverending. Enjoy a few links.... ... more »
Gaia Portal: Seams of understanding are created as Gaia impulses portend
*Seams of understanding are created as Gaia impulses portend* by ÉirePort Seams of understanding are created as Gaia impulses portend. Revelations of the High Inner Being come to all of humanity. Life and Light are viewed in their One-ness. *Creation is pleased.* ÉirePort | May 19, 2016 at 08:08 | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2sFUY-yp
“The Dreaded ‘Death Cross’ Formation Just Hit Stocks”
*“The Dreaded ‘Death Cross’ Formation Just Hit Stocks”* by Phoenix Capital Research “Smart investors have noted that the S&P 500 just staged a very dangerous looking move. That move was when S&P 500’s 50-week moving average broke below its 100-week moving average. You can see this in the green circle below" This move is called a *“Death Cross”* and for good reason. The last time it happened was in 2008, right before the entire market CRASHED: The time before that was right before the Tech Bubble burst, crashing stocks: In short, going back over 16 years, this Death Cross format... more »
"Warning: The Smart Money is Fleeing U.S. Stocks"
*"Warning: The Smart Money is Fleeing U.S. Stocks"* by Bill Bonner DUBLIN – "The Dow dropped 180 points yesterday – or about 1%. And another clever billionaire says he is looking elsewhere for profits. Reuters: "Activist investor Carl Icahn on Monday said there was a chance the stock market could suffer a big decline, saying valuations are rich and earnings at many companies are fueled more by low borrowing costs than management’s efforts to boost results. “I am very cautious on equities today. This market could easily have a big drop,” Icahn said." Yes, dear reader, the smart mone... more »
"Trump Leads Clinton Nationally For First Time In Latest Poll: Unless the Democrats Run Sanders, a Trump Nomination Means a Trump Presidency"
*"Trump Leads Clinton Nationally For First Time In Latest Poll:* *'Unless the Democrats Run Sanders, a Trump Nomination Means a Trump Presidency'"* by Tyler Durden "Having recently tied her in a Rasmussen poll, Donald Trump is leading Hillary Clinton for the first time in a national poll, according to FOX News. The FOX News poll shows the trend quite clearly with Hillary's numbers falling consistently and Trump's rising given him a 3pt lead - his first national lead of the campaign. The breakdown exposes just how divided America is during this election cycle... • Clinton is ahead ... more »
Musical Interlude: Liquid Mind, “Zero Degrees Zero”
Liquid Mind, “Zero Degrees Zero” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQhIkogN0Ts
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Spiral galaxy NGC 1097 shines in southern skies, about 45 million light-years away in the chemical constellation Fornax. Its blue spiral arms are mottled with pinkish star forming regions in this colorful galaxy portrait. They seem to have wrapped around a small companion galaxy below and left of center, about 40,000 light-years from the spiral's luminous core. *Click image for larger size.* That's not NGC 1097's only peculiar feature, though. The very deep exposure hints of faint, mysterious jets, most easily seen to extend well beyond the bluish arms toward the left. In fact, fou... more »
Chet Raymo, “A New ‘Creation’ Oratorio”
*“A New ‘Creation’ Oratorio”* by Chet Raymo Two centuries have elapsed since Joseph Haydn composed his magnificent "The Creation" oratorio. In all that time, no other musician has given us a better evocation of how the universe began. The famous C-major fortissimo chord of Haydn's oratorio- the glorious sunburst of sound that comes in response to the whispered words, "And there was light"- is an apt evocation of the modern astronomer's Big Bang. Still, we have learned a lot since Herschel's time about the universe's beginning and probable end. Maybe it's time for a musical update. ... more »
The Poet: Pedro Calderón de la Barca, “Life Is A Dream”
*“Life Is A Dream”* "We live, while we see the sun, Where life and dreams are as one; And living has taught me this, Man dreams the life that is his, Until his living is done. The king dreams he is king, and he lives In the deceit of a king, Commanding and governing; And all the praise he receives Is written in wind, and leaves A little dust on the way When death ends all with a breath. Where then is the gain of the throne, That shall perish and not be known In the other dream that is death? Dreams the rich man of riches and fears, The fears that his riches breed; The poor man dreams of h... more »
"The 5 Commandments"
*"The 5 Commandments"* "*First commandment:* there ain't no such thing as "one true way" and the way you find is only good for you, not anybody else, because your interpretation of what you see and feel and understand as the truth is never going to be the same as anyone else's. *Second commandment:* the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself. *Third commandment: *leave the world better than you found it. *Fourth commandment:* if it isn't true, going to do some good, or spread a little love around, don't say it, do it, or think it. *Fifth commandment:* there ... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Mountain View, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by!
"Finding Heaven..."
"Finding heaven while still on earth is one thing. What do we do with it once we've got it?" ~ John Maxwell Taylor Indeed, who could argue against the great and glorious progress Humanity has made towards creating Heaven on Earth? Right?
"Washington’s Fiscal Hypocrisy Is Too Rich For Words"
*"Washington’s Fiscal Hypocrisy Is Too Rich For Words"* By David Stockman "The D.C. establishment and the mainstream media would have you believe that Obama, the Fed and the Congress actually saved the country from Great Depression 2.0 in 2008–2009. Since then, they want you to think, we’ve been marching resolutely toward economic recovery and fiscal stabilization. No, not even close. There has been no meaningful economic recovery and the fiscal condition of the nation is frightful. As to the former, there are still fewer full-time, full pay “breadwinner” jobs than before the crisis... more »
“The Election that Isn't: Corporations and Constitutions”
*“The Election that Isn't: Corporations and Constitutions”* by Chumbawamba "In the time that I've been here in this physical dimension, I've noticed that most people don't take the time to check things out for themselves. A simple act of reading a few pages of letters can sometimes rather easily dispel dangerous rumors and myths. One such myth is the much exalted and revered "vote". Sure, you, as citizens of the United States (by which I mean those with the same status of emancipated slaves circa 1863), have a right (actually a privilege) to "vote", but what is it worth? Since you... more »
"Talk Is Cheap..."
"Talk is cheap- except when Congress does it." - Cullen Hightower
"Working 60 Hours A Week At 3 Part-Time Jobs And Still Living Paycheck To Paycheck"
*"Working 60 Hours A Week At 3 Part-Time Jobs* * And Still Living Paycheck To Paycheck"* By Michael Snyder "What can you do when you are working 60 hours a week at three part-time jobs and it is still not enough? In America today, many people have taken on more than one job in a desperate attempt to make ends meet, but they still come up short at the end of the month. And those that are actually working are the fortunate ones, because in one out of every five families in the United States nobody has a job. There are more than 100 million working age Americans that are currently not ... more »
The Economy: "The Chart That Will Make Every American Driver Angry"
*"The Chart That Will Make Every American Driver Angry"* by Tyler Durden "How I feel is cheap and used, dirty and humiliated. Dirty and tricked and thrown away." - Chuck Palahniuk "When crude oil prices started to collapse, the great American unwashed were told - day after day - that low oil prices were "unequivocally good" for them. That myth was destroyed as rent, healthcare, and debt-reduction trumped consumer gains. However, as angry Americans are seeing every day now, gas prices at their local pump have been soaring... having never dropped as they should. In fact, as the follow...more »
“The Long-Buried Secret of Napoleon Bonaparte”
*“The Long-Buried Secret of Napoleon Bonaparte”* by Bill Bonner DUBLIN – "The smart money is getting out while the gettin’ is still good. That’s the message we get from reading the recent headlines. Here’s the Financial Times: "Redemptions from stock funds have hit nearly $90 billion this year as portfolio managers and hedge funds struggle to navigate a market that no longer seems driven by radical central bank policy." Bloomberg: "Soros cuts U.S. stocks by 37%." *Family Secrets: *Meanwhile, in Paris over the weekend, it seemed as though everyone had cleared out. We dined in a neig... more »
Security In Iraq, May 8-14, 2016
The Islamic State continued their spring offensive in the second week of May. While the number of security incidents went down from the previous week, casualties were up due to a number of mass casualty bombings by the militants. This has been an annual event for the insurgents since 2004 rather than a change in tactics by IS. There were 141 incidents the second week of May in Iraq. That was down from the 160 recorded the week before. Attacks in Iraq regularly go through an ebb and flow. Once again Baghdad was the most violence province in the country with 65 incidents. There w... more »
Woman Arrested After Her Dog Bites 11 Children In Park
A 37-year-old woman has been arrested after her Staffordshire bull terrier bit 11 children playing at a park in Blyth, Northumberland. The attack happened at 6.30pm on Wednesday, according to Northumbria Police. Sunderland Echo reports: The terrier was caught and taken to secure kennels while attempts were made to find the owner. A force spokesman said the woman was arrested on suspicion of having a dog dangerously out of control. Fiona Richards, 33, who lives opposite the park, said her husband Brett helped restrain the dog after her daughter had run into the house screaming she ha... more »
Obama Admin to Hospitals: Do Abortions and ‘Sex Change’ Services, Or Else
[image: Obama Slightly-evil smile - 900] The Obama administration is officially mandating that hospitals and other healthcare providers provide abortions and “gender transition” services or risk losing federal funding. The order came on May 13, the same day that the administration issued a threat to the... more »
Some Hillary Clinton fact checking that you won't find on the institutionally pro US Democrat Party BBC
https://youtu.be/vczoazK1mxU
Ken Livingstone Offers Reward To Anyone Who Proves He Is Anti-Semitic
Suspended former London Mayor Ken Livingstone claims that Hitler supported Zionism and has offered a ‘free meal’ to anyone who can prove him wrong. He insists that the comments that resulted in his suspension from the Labour party were not anti-Semitic. Politics Home reports: The former Mayor of London has insisted he was making a valid historical observation and was not in any way being anti-Semitic. He has also accused “embittered old Blairites” of deliberately stoking controversy to try to undermine Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party. In the original interview with BBC Radio...more »
If You Want a Frightening Glimpse of America’s Sex Ed Future, Look to Sweden
[image: US Sweden Gender Fluidity Sex Ed - 900] Sweden has often been hailed as an example for others to follow when it comes to sexuality and reproductive health -- maybe not among Christians, but certainly in large parts of the UN as well as the EU. These days,...more »
Entertainment And Politics
So you think Canada would never elect a Donald Trump? Think again. Debra Van Brenk writes: Conservative voters would be more more likely to choose outspoken TV personality Kevin O'Leary as their party leader among a field of seven declared and potential candidates for Stephen Harper's old job, a Forum Research poll suggests. But among voters generally, not just those likely to vote Tory if an election were held today, former cabinet minister Peter MacKay leads the pack. All it would take would be a party of crazies -- people who are seething with resentment and not very bright... more »
Journal pulls parasite paper over potential for patient harm
A journal has retracted a paper about a molecular diagnosis for leishmaniasis out of concern it could lead to incorrect clinical diagnoses. According to Parasitology Research, all data behind the figures in the main manuscript and supporting information are correct, but the authors’ misinterpretation of the data could lead doctors to diagnose patients incorrectly. Let’s take a […] The post Journal pulls parasite paper over potential for patient harm appeared first on Retraction Watch.
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*UK: Affirmative action for MEN?* *That fewer men are going to university is totally desirable in an age of credentialism. It shows they have wised up to useless degrees* Universities should set targets to boost male student numbers, a think-tank is suggesting. The Higher Education Policy Institute said institutions are letting young men down as the proportion of male students continues to shrink at a worrying pace. Researchers suggested ‘targets’ for the number of young men admitted, which could be reached by tailoring ‘official sources of information’ for male pupils. They ad... more »
Chinese Fighter Jets Intercept US Spy Plane Over South China Sea
China has called on the United States to stop its close reconnaissance activities after the Pentagon reported that two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a US military spy aircraft over the South China Sea. “Two tactical [J-11s] aircraft from the People’s Republic of China” intercepted the Navy EP-3 Orion, a US maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which was on a “routine patrol” in international airspace, Defense Department spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza told NBC News. Baldanza said: “The Chinese jets flew by the US aircraft at a distance of approximately 50 feet (15 m... more »
Trump Ahead of Clinton - Time to Vote Sanders
TRUMP 45% CLINTON 42% SANDERS 46% The poll shows Bernie Sanders has a 46-42 percent advantage over Trump in a hypothetical matchup. Sanders was up by 53-39 percent in April. However, the Vermont senator trails Clinton in the Democratic nomination race by what is considered an insurmountable number of delegates. This reveals just how wrong not only pollsters but also the electorate has misjudged Trump. With Hilary Clinton now firmly in his sights, armed with all the lies and litigation hanging over her head, trump will move in for he kill. Ironically, the much overlooked Sander... more »
Congressional Primaries Will Be Fought Right Through September-- Here Are The Important Ones
Of course, everyone was excited to see Bernie will a clear victory in Oregon Tuesday. He beat Hillary 320,746 (56.0%) to 251,739 (44.0%). The Berniecrat running in the 5th district, Dave McTeague, however didn't fare all that well in his race against the odious chief Blue Dog Kurt Schrader. Schrader outspent McTeague $442,433 to $30,629 and Schrader beat him 62,046 (72.9%) to 23,107 (27.1%). Bernie won all 7 of the counties in the fifth congressional district. His coattails didn't do much for McTeague in any of them. Pretty dismal and there's no other way to interpret it than that ... more »
How to Wake People Up Without Being an A-hole
*Phillip J. Watt* - We all had to begin the waking up experience at one stage. Let's set a better example for others.
Turkish Journalist Stripped Of Parental Rights For Publishing Video
A female Turkish journalist has lost custody of her children after she was convicted for uploading a video related to the 2014 controversy over Turkey’s intelligence services allegedly transferring weapons to Syrian rebels. Arzu Yildiz was sentenced to 20 months in jail and lost her parental rights after exposing a video related to a weapons-smuggling scandal denied by the Turkish government. Her lawyer said it was “an act of revenge” by the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. RT reports: The journalist’s sentence is related to a 2014 incident in which prosecutors uncovered truc... more »
Top Conservatives Meet With Zuckerberg Over Alleged Bias
[image: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook] LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday held a wide-ranging discussion with a group of conservative commentators who said afterward the Facebook CEO acknowledged the giant social network has a problem reaching conservatives. The meeting at Facebook’s Menlo Park,... more »
Sorry Bernie: Scandinavia Isn’t Socialist. You Must Be Thinking of France
[image: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the First in the South Dinner at the Charleston Mariott Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Charleston, S.C.] With an unabashed demagogue as the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, it is easy to overlook the problems of the one who has mounted a serious challenge to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The... more »
DEA Agent Got Free Flights From Businessmen, Helped Sabotage Their Rivals
[image: Gavel, Judge, Courthouse, Regulations] A now-former senior Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent stationed in Monterrey, Mexico, accepted free trips on private planes from businessmen, then made sure the Department of State revoked the U.S. visas of their c0mpetitors by defaming them. Former DEA supervisory... more »
Is Kim Kardashian a Secret Agent Working to Undermine Muslim Morals? No … and Yes
[image: NEW YORK, NY - MAY 16: Break the Internet Award recipient, Kim Kardashian West attends The 20th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 16, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)] I know this sounds outlandish, but according to Fox News, "Iran is accusing Kim Kardashian West of being a secret agent because of her provocative Instagram photos." In the words of Mostafa Alizadeh, spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Organized Cyberspace... more »
Homemade Cereal Bars (What To Feed Your Baby)
I am a reader. Every time a new challenge or opportunity has come up in my life I have found myself with stacks of books trying to figure out my next step. Parenting was no exception. With my first daughter, I read everything I could get my hands on. From sleep training to attachment parenting, I wanted to know everything. At the end of that huge stack, I felt overwhelmed and guilty. Most books either gave a huge list of things parents should be doing, things that most people don't have time for, or they were completely a different style of parenting than what works for me. I p... more »
Politics: Don't Let The ...
Don't make the futile the enemy of the appalling.
EgyptAir Flight From Paris To Cairo Missing, Believed To Have Crashed
An EgyptAir flight carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members on a flight from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean minutes before it was expected to land. A search is underway but officials said they believed the jet went down in the sea. The French President said authorities have been “mobilised” and inquiries have started. “The truth will be found,” he said, expressing his condelences to everyone involved. “No hypothesis is discounted, no hypothesis is privileged.” Sky news reports: French President Francois Hollande said “unfortunately the information we ... more »
Barr House, by Claude Megson
[image: 16012-BarrHouse~Morning] *Megson’s Barr House, from 3d model* I posted a plan and a few pics a few months back of Claude Megson’s wonderful Barr House, saying at the time that it is so far undeservedly unpublished (soon to change, watch this space). [image: FloorPlans]With his growing sophistication in manipulating space came a floor plan (above) that very few can follow. Until now! A little 3d modelling of the house, and we have these model views and cutaway floor plans that make the house and its changes in level a little easier to fathom for those who haven’t been... more »
Tricky Talks Ahead on Measures to Battle Zika
[image: This 2006 photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate are facing tricky negotiations with each other and the White House over how to handle the public health threat posed by the Zika virus. In the House, a partisan... more »
UN: Life Expectancy Worldwide Has Increased by Five Years
[image: nurse with elderly patient - 900] LONDON (AP) -- Life expectancy worldwide has increased by about five years in the last 15 years according to a report issued Thursday by the World Health Organization in the fastest gain since the 1960s. The biggest increase was seen... more »
First Chibok Girl to Escape Boko Haram to Be Feted in Nigeria
[image: Chibok girls - 900] LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- Nigerian officials say the first Chibok girl to escape from Boko Haram’s Sambisa Forest stronghold is expected to be feted by Nigeria’s president this week, as her freedom adds pressure for the government to do more...more »
Former NYC Police Officer Convicted in Widespread Disability Scam
[image: arrest handcuff 400] NEW YORK (AP) -- A former New York City police officer accused of faking a mental disability to get more than $200,000 in Social Security benefits has been convicted of grand larceny. The New York Times reports a state Supreme... more »
6 Plants Other than Cannabis That are High in Healing Cannabinoids
*Anna Hunt *- Cannabis is not the only plant that contains medically beneficial cannabinoids.
Members Of UN Panel On Glyphosate Have Ties To Monsanto
A UN panel that ruled this week that the herbicide glyphosate was probably ‘not carcinogenic to humans’ has become embroiled in a bitter row about potential conflicts of interests. It has emerged that two people on the UN panel have ties to groups that have accepted over $1 million from Monsanto and another industry group representing agrochemical giants. The people are Professor Alan Boobis, chairman of the UN panel investigating glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup and other similar products, and Professor Angelo Moretto, the panel’s co-chair, the Guard... more »
The Latest on EgyptAir Crash: Greek Official Says Debris Found in Sea is Not from Plane
[image: France Egypt Plane_perr] CAIRO (AP) -- The latest news on EgyptAir Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo, carrying 66 people, which Egyptian officials say crashed early Thursday into the Mediterranean Sea off the Greek island of Crete. (all times local): 8:55 p.m. A...more »
House GOP Starts Third Effort to Help Puerto Rico’s $70 Billion Debt Problem
[image: Puerto Rico] WASHINGTON (AP) -- After weeks of delays, House Republicans are moving ahead with legislation to help Puerto Rico manage $70 billion in debt. A revised bill introduced late Wednesday would create a control board to help manage the U.S. territory’s...more »
Bullying Is NOT Leadership Mr. Trudeau.
*Bullying is not leadership, whether it is invoking Closure on an important Bill or testosteronic rampaging on the floor of the House of Commons which injured a fellow Member of Parliament. Just sayin' :(*
Egypt’s Aviation Minister: Plane Crash Near Crete Perhaps Caused by Terror Attack
[image: Relatives of passengers on a vanished EgyptAir flight grieve as they leave the in-flight service building where they were held at Cairo International Airport, Egypt, Thursday, May 19, 2016. Egyptian aviation officials say an EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew on board has crashed. The officials say the search is now underway for the debris. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)] CAIRO (AP) -- An EgyptAir jetliner bound from Paris to Cairo with 66 people aboard crashed in the Mediterranean Sea early Thursday after a mysterious series of extremely abrupt turns, auth... more »
Seth Borenstein Has A Problem With The Facts
By Paul Homewood http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/sns-bc-us–houston-politics-of-flooding-20160518-story.html More nonsense from Seth Borenstein: With clay soil and tabletop-flat terrain, Houston has endured flooding for generations. Its 1,700 miles of man-made channels struggle to dispatch storm runoff to the Gulf of Mexico. Now the nation’s fourth-largest city is being overwhelmed with more frequent and more destructive floods. […]
In Alien vs. Predator, I’m for Predator, Because He’s Our Predator
[image: Alien Vs Trump - 900] A fit of high dudgeon has gripped many of my Republican friends, ex-friends, and soon-to-be-ex-friends now that Donald Trump has all but won the Republican nomination. My advice to them: get over it. This presidential race will look like Alien... more »
Climate Modelling Dominates Climate Science
By Paul Homewood http://www.cato.org/blog/climate-modeling-dominates-climate-science An interesting study from Pat Michaels and David Wojick: Computer modeling plays an important role in all of the sciences, but there can be too much of a good thing. A simple semantic analysis indicates that climate science has become dominated by modeling. This is a bad thing. […]
Why Am I “Never Trump”? The Third Commandment
[image: Ten Commandments Vs Trump - 900] I've always wondered about the third commandment. "Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain" didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. If I stubbed my toe and exclaimed "Oh my God!" that was deemed worthy by...more »
SHOCKER! Fake Clinics Lie
The Abortion Rights Coalition has released a major study into the online presence of Canadian fake clincs, or crisis pregnancy centres (full PDF report). From the press release: Anti-abortion counselling agencies in Canada often present misinformation on their websites or fail to disclose their anti-choice or religious agenda to prospective clients, according to a new study published today by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. Crisis Pregnancy Centres (CPCs) are anti-choice agencies that present themselves as unbiased medical clinics or counselling centres, and which often... more »
Particles are vibrations
*The music analogy is much more accurate than most people want to believe* Tetragraviton is a postdoc at the Perimeter Institute who has written several papers on multiloop amplitudes in gauge theory. Even though none of these papers depends on string theory in any tangible way, I've thought that he's a guy close enough to string theory who could potentially work on it which is why I was surprised by his blog post a week ago, Particles Aren’t Vibrations (at Least, Not the Ones You Think) which indicates that I was wrong. The first sentence tells you what kind of popularizers are sup... more »
Justin Trudeau goes on "Sorry" binge in Canadian Parliament
*PM Trudeau says he's Sorry about being Sorry* *Justin Trudeau accused of manhandling Conservative MP in House of Commons* Canada's parliament resembled that of Ukraine's sometimes feisty Parliament today when Prime Minister Trudeau, apparently annoyed at the length of time it took an opposition member to vote on a bill ("Right to Assisted Death" legislation) left his seat, strode across the floor to the centre of the House of Commons, grabbed the member by the arm and aggressively directed him back to his seat. Apparently the member did not have a chance to vote on the bill. The ... more »
#PrayingforFlight804: EgyptAir Flight from Paris to Cairo Disappears Over Mediterranean
[image: Egypt Air - 900] CAIRO (AP) -- An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo carrying 66 people disappeared from radar early Thursday morning, the airline said. The plane most likely crashed into the sea, Ihab Raslan, a spokesman for the Egyptian civil aviation authority,...more »
73 House Republicans Sign Letter Demanding Answers on Obama’s Bathroom Directive
[image: Male and Female Bathrooms - 900] The largest conservative congressional caucus is calling into question the legality of President Barack Obama's transgender bathroom directive for schools. Chairman Bill Flores, R-Texas, is encouraging Republican Study Committee members to sign on to a letter, pushing the Departments of... more »
Hamilton: Lessons From the Man and the Musical
[image: Alexander Hamilton - 900] The popularity of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton offers us all an opportunity to consider the wisdom of one of our most prolific Founding Fathers -- while we wait in line for tickets. Alexander Hamilton, like the rest of our Founders,... more »
Trump-- The Evangelical Revenge On The Republican Establishment
Monday night Samantha Bee was in fine form as she explained why so many evangelicals abandoned Bible-spewing phony Ted Cruz for the most apparently immoral, anti-God candidate in living memory. "Are evangelicals," she wondered aloud, "*that* eager to get the apocalypse going?" You must watch the video above, but... the short version: Republicans thought they could manipulate a bunch of apolitical, not-too-bright religionists but it backfired and they accidentally saddled the party with Herr Trumpf. Enjoy!
Potential Trump Choice for SCOTUS Bashed Him on Twitter
[image: Donald Trump] One of the justices announced Wednesday in Donald Trump’s list of 11 potential Supreme Court justices has often made a mockery of the Republican presidential candidate on his Twitter page. For a candidate known to “counterpunch,” it’s odd that Trump... more »
Are We Facing 'Cold War Two'?
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) listens to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a news conference at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York, December 18, 2015. REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ *Josh Cohen, Reuters*: *Current U.S.-Russia tensions are dangerous -- but not ‘Cold War Two’* Since Russian-American relations spiraled downwards after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, analysts and politicians have begun to raise the once unthinkable: the advent of Cold War Two. Both American and Russian commentators have declared “Welcome to Cold War Two,” while NATO’s r... more »
Who Wants To Die In Eastern Ukraine?
A boy sits on an armored personnel carrier as he poses for a picture during a parade in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, September 14, 2014. REUTERS/Marko Djurica *Alexander J. Motyl, World Affairs*: *Ukraine's Orange Blues. Dying for the Donbas?* Just about every day, soldiers die. Sometimes, it’s as many as three or four. Sometimes, it’s two or three. Usually, it’s only one. Only one young life snuffed out—for what? For the Russian-occupied Donbas enclave. That is to say, for nothing. I can understand, intellectually, at least, dying for your family or friends, for your country or cit... more »
US Intelligence: Foreign Hackers Spying on Campaigns
[image: In this Feb. 9, 2016 file photo, Director of the National Intelligence James Clapper speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Clapper said Wednesday, May 18, 2016, that the U.S. has already seen evidence that cyber hackers, possibly working for foreign governments, are snooping on the presidential candidates, and government officials are working with them to tighten security as they expect the problem to grow as the campaigns intensify.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States sees evidence of hackers, possibly working for foreign governments, snooping on the presidential candidate... more »
Queen Elizabeth Reveals She Is Ready To Flee Britain
Queen Elizabeth stunned BBC production staff yesterday while preparing to deliver the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament, hinting that she is planning to abdicate the throne and flee the UK, a BBC insider claims. ‘One is making the necessary preparations to abandon ship,’ Her Majesty said. ‘A violent storm is coming, the likes of which Britain has never seen.‘ BBC staff ‘stunned’ Her Majesty was speaking to her advisors while taking on the Parliament Robe of State and Imperial State Crown in the Robing Chamber, however she was already wearing a microphone and her comm...more »
Economics For Real People: Explaining economic growth
[image: 276464_137539366339987_1226509_n] Here’s a note from our friends at the Auckland Uni Economics Group about tonight’s seminar. (All welcome—especially *non*-economists!) *Tonight’s University of Auckland Economics Group Seminar:* *A survey of the approaches taken by economic historians to explaining the causes of modern economic growth*The problem of explaining the causes of modern economic growth looms large in the economic-history literature. The twelve-fold increase in the material standard of living since the industrial revolution, only enjoyed by a small fraction of... more »
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*Shell Oil Spill Response Is A Joke ~SkyTruth*
Another Congressional Race On The Board-- VA-05
Virginia is one of the richest states, but much of that wealth is concentrated in the DC surbubs. The state's median income is $67,620, third highest nationally. The three districts that include parts of Fairfax County have median incomes in the $100,000 range. But in the southern part of the state, incomes dip precipitously. The 21 counties and 2 cities that make up the mostly rural New Jersey-sized 5th district have a median income of $47,972 and the poverty rate is 15.1%, significantly above the commonwealth's 9.2%. The economy of much of Southside is still in recession and st... more »
How Good Is Chinese Military Tech?
Chinese Military Parade (YouTube) *Andrew Erickson, War On The Rocks*: *How Good Are They? The Latest Insights Into China's Military Tech* It’s that time of year again, and the end of an era. On Friday, the Obama Administration released the last annual Pentagon China report under its watch. Working the China military observers’ graveyard shift this weekend, I published analyses of the report’s overall content, and its key omissions — namely, any mention whatsoever of China’s maritime militia of “little blue men” trolling for territorial claims. Here, I’ll focus on the report’s gre... more »
As We Shift - Prophecy I of III
What’s going on right now is you. Put down your phone or tablet (after reading this ;-), and think for a minute about who it is this story is about. Whose DNA is changing. Whose financial system is collapsing. Whose entire life is about to shift. Yours. You’d best be getting prepared. Supply yourself with food and goods. Not because they will be unavailable, but because you may not have the right kind of currency to purchase them. It promises to be sketchy for a while. If you are reading this blog, most likely you’re here to help explain to and assist those still in the dark. ... more »
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*China building at sea level* On DISSECTING LEFTISM yesterday, I wrote about China's island-building in the East China sea. I pointed out that there were both good military and good economic reasons for building the islands and that they are there to stay. What is amusing about it, however, is that the islands are just slightly above sea level -- which shows that China does NOT believe the global warming story. If they really did expect a sea level rise they would not be spending billions of Renminbi on building things that were due to be swamped soon. *GM farming is creat... more »
Two Chinese Fighter Jets 'Buzz' US Spy Plane Over The South China Sea
A Lockheed EP-3 Aries, similar to the one involved in Tuesday’s Chinese intercept over the South China Sea, is seen in an undated photo from 2001. PHOTO: U.S. NAVY *FOX News:* *2 Chinese jets 'buzz' US reconnaissance plane in South China Sea* Two Chinese fighter jets ‘buzzed’ a US military reconnaissance plane in the South China Sea Tuesday in an “unsafe” manner, according to the Pentagon. The incident comes a week after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 miles of China’s Fiery Cross reef, an artificial island made after months of dredging operations, more proof that tensions... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- May 18, 2016
An offshore oil rig at sunset. Pete Markham, CC BY-SA 2.0.. Flickr *Petr Aven, Vladimir Nazarov, and Samvel Lazaryan, National Interest*: *Twilight of the Petrostate* The age of oil rents is over. A political and geopolitical revolution is on its way. About twenty countries around the world are dependent on a single number: the price of oil. Some, primarily Persian Gulf states, live entirely off their oil and gas wealth. They rely on crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products for 50 percent of their Gross Domestic Product and for 70-plus percent of their budget revenue. Some 15... more »
World News Briefs -- May 18, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*Reuters*:* Nigerian schoolgirl rescued after two years as Boko Haram captive* A Nigerian teenager kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago has been rescued, the first of more than 200 girls seized in a raid on their school in Chibok town to return from captivity in the insurgents' forest lair, officials said on Wednesday. Soldiers working together with a civilian vigilante group rescued the girl and her four-month-old baby near Damboa in the remote northeast, army spokesman Sani Usman said. They also detained a "suspected Boko Haram terrorist" called Mohammed Hayatu who c... more »
The Next Major Flashpoint In The War Against The Islamic State In Iraq Will Be Fallujah
*Shane Harris & Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast:* *This City Could Be The Next Big Battle of the ISIS War* While all eyes are on the ISIS bombings rocking Baghdad, the Iraqi government is quietly pointing its finger at the long-contested city of Fallujah. The Iraqi government is putting the ISIS-controlled city of Fallujah as next on its target list. That’s not because of increasingly dire reports that the citizens of Fallujah are suffering from starvation and torture under ISIS’s cruel grip. Nor do Iraqi officials see the city as key to dislodging ISIS from its Iraqi stronghold, Mos... more »
Turkey's War Against The Kurds Has Destroyed The City Of Cizre
Daily Mail *DW*:* 'Unprecedented destruction' of Kurdish city of Cizre* Research by a Turkish human rights group found Turkey's army turned the Kurdish city of Cizre into a 'war zone' where hundreds of civilians died and thousands of homes were destroyed. Tom Stevenson reports from Istanbul. An extensive independent report from the Turkish human rights NGO Mazlumder concludes that Turkish army campaigns in the predominantly Kurdish city of Cizre in the country's far southeast turned the city into a "war zone" where over 200 people were killed during the curfew. More than 10,000 hom... more »
End carpet-sprawl by removing the city limits [updated]
Ever since Labour’s housing spokesman came out yesterday in favour of removing the planners’ ring-fence around Auckland, otherwise known as the Metropolitan Urban Limit, there has been any amount of ill-informed commentary in response – most of it opposed to “sprawl.” *[*UPDATE: One of the ill-informed is the present housing minister who in his two-faced way says ‘It would be counter-productive to ditch [his present] work at this time with a simplistic approach of just abolishing city limits.”*]* There is a great deal of ignorance over urban sprawl, much of it on display in an ... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( May 18 , 2016 ) Overview For Wednesday ( 1. FOMC Minutes Spark Large Reactions In Bond , Precious Metals and FX ; Non Opec Crude Supply Barely Nudges Downward Over Last 12 Months ; Divergence Between German Bund & US Treasuries Continues. 2. Brexit Daily Tidings. 3. Greece - Creditor Talk Updates & Related Matters , Refugee Related Matters . 4. Libya - Around the Political Horn. 5. Odds & Ends. )
Markets & Market Moving News.... *Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehner 1h 1 hour ago US 2y yields jump to highest since March as FOMC Minutes point to a Fed that wants to pull the trigger in June. *Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehner 1h 1 hour ago #Gold and #Silver get hammered by hawkish FOMC Apr minutes. *Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehner 59m 59 minutes ago Big levels have broken post FOMC minutes, acc to Citi. What to watch for. *Charlie Bilello, CMT* @MktOutperform 3h 3 hours ago Fed hike odds for June move from 12% yesterday to 32% today. Septembe... more »
The US Push to Recapture/Annex Mosul- Fact over Fiction
Recall about a week or so ago claims that *the taking of Mosul were stalled* ? Cause it was in the hands of Baghdad ? Religious strife and other claims *Example: May 10/16 just eight days ago "**While the Iraqi army, Kurds, U.S. military are allied against ISIS, no agreement exists on how to retake Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city"* As I’d mentioned in a previous post claims like that above are a whole lot of rubbish, because it's very clear, despite all the silly claims to the contrary the US is very, very busy working to annex Mosul. The US don't need no stinkin' agreement. Heck... more »
Our Culture and Politics: Losses Without Gains
[image: Hope, Light at the End of the Tunnel, Sadness, Depression, Hopelessness, Walking, Lost, Directionless] “If you won’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” -- quote attributed to numerous sources Historically, when our nation has transitioned from one way of life to another, there has usually been some optimism about what was to... more »
Ross Department Store Allowed a Man in the Women’s Dressing Room and Told a Woman to Wait
[image: fitting room - 900] A Texas woman was "mad and appalled" Monday when a man was allowed into the women's dressing room of a Ross department store in Mesquite, reports CBS 11 News. Lisa Stickles said that she was trying on clothes when she... more »
“…and a man lay dying”
What a very sad story yesterday, about the discovery of an elderly man’s decomposing body in a Dixon St flat, in Wellington, said to have been dead for at least six months. The third time in 14 months a body has been found similarly unloved, not even the neighbours aware of the passing. A very sad situation. People will say that this is just a reflection of life in the uncaring big city, but it really doesn’t need to be that way, does it. Here’s a song Eric Bogle wrote about a similar story in Sydney a few years ago. *RELATED POSTS*: - “When government gets out of the wa... more »
On Tory Weakness
British politics has taken a turn for the worse of late, but let's not forget its settled, normal status is weird. Today's Queen's speech - the outline of "her" government's legislative programme for the coming year - is a case in point. In the thinnest of gruel, which we will come to sift through for juicy morsels shortly, we had the bizarre spectacle of a 15th century relic promising space ports, autonomous cars, and more drones. I'm not sure this is what old Trotters had in mind when he wrote about combined and uneven development. Weird. The mainstream have had all afternoon to ... more »
Russia To Restore Early Warning Radar Station In Crimea
Russia are to restore a missile attack warning station located near Sevastopol in Crimea, in response to increasing NATO activity in the Black Sea. The early warning radar station will be modernized to detect possible missile launches from the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, according to a report by Izvestia newspaper, quoting a source from the Russian defense industry. RT reports: The source told reporters that the installation will be based on the Soviet-era Dnepr station (NATO code name Hen House), but that it would be thoroughly modernized. After the facility is overhauled it ... more »
Shouting at pigeons
The older you get the more you admire the State Opening of Parliament. It’s the kind of ritual you’d probably laugh at when you‘re young. Years later you might feel it’s reassuring that all these grown-up people take it seriously enough to get all togged up in their ceremonial outfits and perform with solemnity and respect. Tradition and pomp provide a sort of illusory parent substitute - a comforting feeling that the adults are being responsible, taking care of things in another room, and we ordinaries can carry on being irresponsible in the nursery. Religion without the hassle.... more »
May 18: Oh, what a tangled web we weave...
Moncton High School, a particularly impressive building of stone, was closed because, it was said, it required repairs that were too expensive to justify the cost. By coincidence, a new site was available (on a housing developer's land), though at a considerable distance from the old school. After the new school opened, annus mirabilis, it was discovered that the old one could be repaired after all. And it would be the ideal place for a new library - replacing the one on Main St. - the same Main St. that we trying to revive with a hundred million dollar 'events centre'. Why move... more »
Ain't No Life in Ukraine Anymore
The US coup d'etat in Ukraine destroyed the nation - intentionally - in order to create chaos along the Russian border. The plan by Washington and Brussels was to bankrupt Ukraine and force Russia to have to deal with the economic consequences of their neighbor's collapse. All this being aimed to help fulfill the goal of eventual regime change in Moscow. The abrupt severing of the traditional ties between Russian and Ukrainian businesses, due to suicidal Kiev-imposed regulations, resulted in a 10.7*%* decline in GDP in 2014 and another 13.4% drop in 2015. Foreign trade, both i... more »
Corporate War on Africa
Every drone flown by the U.S. military has inside a piece of the Democratic Republic of the Congo--a valuable mineral, of which the DRC has trillions of dollars worth buried underground. For five centuries, the continent of Africa has been ravaged by the world's Empires for its vast untapped treasure. Today, the U.S. Empire is increasing it's military role through their massive command network, AFRICOM, carrying out several missions a day. With the Congo being arguably the biggest prize for imperialist powers, Abby Martin is joined by Kambale Musavuli, spokesperson for Friends of... more »
Indigenous denouce United Nation's REDD and false Green Economy
Carbon Offsets cause Conflict and Colonialism Indigenous Peoples denounce at United Nations; Demand Cancellation of REDD+ By Indigenous Environmental Network Censored News May 18, 2016 NEW YORK -- A false solution to climate change known as REDD+ causes conflict and is a new form of colonialism and must be immediately canceled, Indigenous Peoples denounced at the United Nations. REDD+ (
Bitumen's Days Are Over
These are hard days for Fort McMurray. But, Andrew Nikiforuk writes, there is another fire burning -- a slow burning one -- that will eventually bring the place to its knees. And Murray Edwards, the head of Canadian Natural Resources, has seen the future: Murray Edwards, the billionaire tycoon behind Canadian Natural Resources, one of the largest bitumen extractors, has decamped from Alberta to London, England. Edwards and company slashed $2.4-billion from CNRL's budget in 2015. Since the oil price crash, by some accounts, Murray's company has lost 50 per cent of its market value.... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* A megatsunami may soon strike Hawaii with devastating consequences Burlington College Closing Due To "Crushing Debt" Incurred Under Presidency Of Bernie Sanders' Wife "What Is Worrisome Is The Increasing Scale Of Violence" - Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Turns To Arson In Germany Islamists Infiltrate The Swedish Government Nassim Taleb's "Shillary vs The Donald" Cheat Sheet "Better the devil you don't know," seems to be his inclination. Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Tactical Employment of Biometrics in Support of Operations, ATP 2-22.85, ...more »
Boy Who Gave Hair To Help Cancer Patients Now Has Cancer
A seven-year-old from northern California who donated his hair to a cancer charity has sadly been diagnosed with aggressive stage four cancer. Vinny Desautels grew out his hair for two years before cutting it to give to “wigs for kids with cancer” “I want to help people so they don’t have to go to the doctors to fight cancer.” he said. He has recently been diagnosed with the devastating disease himself. Fox40 reports: Thirteen inches of hair gone with the snip of some scissors. “And then everyone got excited when mom cut the ponytails off. I was happy,” Vinny said. He was happy to h... more »
Angela Duckworth Ducking KIPP and Relay Connections
As a close protege of Dr. Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth serves as Seligman's point person in moving his brand of paternalistic corporate psychology and character control into schools that teach the children of the poor. Central to that role, Duckworth works closely with KIPP co-founder, David Levin, to test out and fine tune Seligman's methods with school children who serve as KIPP guinea pigs.This is from the KIPP website: KIPP’s innovative approach is grounded in the research of Dr. Martin Seligman and the late Dr. Chris Peterson (the “fathers“ of Positive Psychology). Buil... more »
Exclusive: The Little Sisters Talk Faith, Strategy and Liberty With The Stream
[image: Little Sisters - 900] Hours after speaking to a record 1,300 attendees of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, the spokesperson for the Little Sisters of the Poor told The Stream that her order “haven’t really sat down and made a plan” for what to... more »
Donald Trump Unveils List of His Top Picks for Supreme Court
[image: William Pryor - 900] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, released Wednesday a list of 11 potential Supreme Court justices he plans to vet to fill the seat of late Justice Antonin Scalia if he’s elected to the White... more »
Meet the Kurdish Female Warrior Who Battles ISIS
[image: A Kurdish YPG fighter looks through the scope of his rifle in this undated photo.] Lt. Colonel Nahida Ahmad Rashid is a top ranking female commander in the peshmerga, the army of the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Peshmerga (meaning "those who face death") are proving to be the most effective force in the Middle... more »
Trump’s Financial Records Are Outlined in 104-Page Filing
[image: In this Friday, May 6, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Eugene, Ore. Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in Oregon, adding another state to the presumptive GOP nominee's tally of victories.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government on Wednesday released Donald Trump’s personal financial documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, describing the billionaire’s assets and revenues and his roles with hundreds of corporate shell companies. Among the companies were ones that... more »
Status Of Northerntruthseeker
Yes, sometimes life does take precedence over this blog... As I have informed everyone already, my better half got into an auto accident last week Friday, and is still recovering ..... I therefore have had no choice, due to family demands, but to reduce activities at this blog until she has fully recovered... I will post articles here when I do have the time, but my first order of business is of course to take care of her needs and of course my family... I am still around.... And yes, in spite of what the criminal Jews may think, I am not a quitter... More to come NTS
ISIS Execute 25 In Mosul Using Nitric Acid
ISIS have tortured and executed 25 people using nitric acid in Mosul, northern Iraq. The terrorists are also forcing civilians to execute hostages from the Iraqi security forces. The executions are taking place in public to frighten other people AlAlam reports: The Arabic-language al-Sumaria news website quoted an informed source as saying that the terrorists killed the people for cooperating with and spying for the Iraqi security forces. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Daesh (ISIS / ISIL) terrorists tied the people with rope and put them in a large basin conta... more »
Will Implosion of Commodity Bubbles Produce Another Global Financial Crisis?
Here are some preliminary thoughts about whether another global financial crisis is imminent. Within the US, bankruptcies are accelerating at an alarming rate among small and mid-size shale producers and their service companies with total defaults estimated by Fitch Ratings data at $26 billion as of May 2016, compared to $17.5 billion in defaults in 2015 (Ailworth and Gleason 2016). Corporate defaults are now at 2009 levels: Erin Ailworth and Stephanie Gleason. 2016. Energy Bankruptcies Accelerate. The Wall Street Journal, May 17, 2016, B1 SandRidge Energy Inc., an early player ... more »
A Narrow Path To Victory For A Texas Berniecrat-- And Well Worth The Fight!
*-by Zack Lyke,Campaign Manager Wakely 2016* Lamar Smith has been in Congress for 29 years. I'll be 29 years old this August. That's not an important benchmark for me by any stretch, but the month will also mark the 20th full year that Lamar Smith has been my Congressman. Now that's quite the anniversary. Perhaps few people are more aware of the challenge that lies ahead of this campaign than the guy who's managing it. I know the most populous neighborhoods of the district like the back of my hand. I drive these streets every day. It's quite easy to see how the district lines ca... more »
Guatemala’s Volcano Of Fire Erupts
An eruption at Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego, one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, has prompted an evacuation of the area surrounding the peak. On Wednesday, volcanologists also observed explosive activity at the Santiaguito volcano in Quetzaltenango. RT reports: Guatemala’s National Institute for Seismology and Vulcanology are reporting that an ash column reaching 5,500 meters (18,000 feet) above sea level has emerged, while “moderate” lava flow is pouring out of the mountain. “This pyroclastic flow was accompanied by moderate rumble of the volcano [and] fallen as...more »
UP Libertad to be launched on May 20
The first and only free market student organization at the University of the Philippines, UP Libertad, will be launched this Friday, May 20, at UP NCPAG, Diliman, QC. There will be two lectures, one by Mr. Thomas Laughlin, an alumni of the Students for Liberty (SFL), an international organization, and about Friedrich Hayek and “The Constitution of Liberty”. I will give the 2nd talk. These guys discovered the philosophy of individual liberty, then set up the group on their own, no external assistance or intervention. Although the convenor was communicating with me while they are in ... more »
Energy 66, What companies receive FIT and by how much?
This is the subject of my letter to the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) last Monday. TransCo is a government corporation that owns all the transmission assets of the government. Among its five key responsibilities is to administer the Feed-in-Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) Fund for renewable energy (RE) generators. Its website clearly and proudly discusses the FIT system and why it is "good" for electricity consumers because of its "merit order effect". I wrote to their customerservice@transco.ph early morning of May 16, 2016: *Dear Sir/Madam,* *I would like to request for... more »
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland In Moscow To Discuss Ukraine
*RFE*: *U.S. Diplomat In Moscow For Ukraine Talks* U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has discussed the implementation of the Minsk cease-fire agreement for eastern Ukraine with Russian officials. "We want to see Minsk implemented as soon as possible, and we think that it is now time to really step on the gas and see this implemented," Nuland told reporters in Moscow on May 18 after talks with Russian presidential adviser Vladislav Surkov. "As our president has said, if and when Minsk is fully implemented, sanctions can be rolled back," she added. Kremlin spokesma...more »
Afghan Government Signs Peace Deal With Militant Group
Exclusive #Photo : #Afghan Government signed draft peace agreement with Hezb-e-Islami #Hekmatyar pic.twitter.com/3EK8PJ4qZA — Abdulhaq Omeri (@AfPak_Journo) May 18, 2016 *DW:* *Kabul signs draft peace deal with warlord Hekmatyar* Afghanistan has signed a preliminary agreement with the militant group Hezb-i-Islami. The deal with the anti-foreign forces group is being seen as a sign of success in Kabul's peace efforts. Mohammed Khan, vice president of Afghanistan's Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah, said the deal between the Hezb-i-Islami and the High Peace Council (pictured above... more »
Anti-Government Protests Descend Into Violence In Venezuela
*VICE News/Reuters:* *Crisis in Venezuela: Anti-Government Protests Descend Into Violence* Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas and played cat and mouse with protesters on Wednesday in order to block a march demanding a recall referendum aimed at ousting President Nicolás Maduro. "We want to protest and they won't let us past even though these are public spaces," said Josefina Rubio during the third opposition rally in a week in downtown Caracas, the country's capital. "That man [President Maduro] has taken off his mask... but we will keep taking to the streets." Venezuela's... more »
U.S. Director of National Intelligence: Foreign Hackers Targeting Presidential Campaigns
*CNN*: I*ntel chief: Presidential campaigns under cyber attack* (CNN)Cyber hackers -- possibly working for foreign governments -- are trying to infiltrate the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Wednesday. "We've already had some indications of that," James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, said in Washington. During the 2008 presidential campaign, U.S. intelligence agencies traced massive cyber attacks to China. At that time, both the Democratic candidate, now-President Barack Obama, and his Republican rival Joh... more »
Is The Iranian Nuclear Deal At Risk Of Unravelling?
*Jonathan Broder, Newsweek*: *Why The Iranian Nuclear Deal Is At Risk Of Unravelling* Used clothing, toiletries and gifts worth no more than $100—for a decade, these were among the few Iranian products allowed into the U.S., thanks to crippling international sanctions. But when the Iran nuclear deal went into effect in January, Iran was suddenly allowed to resume exports of its famous Persian carpets and pistachios. Iranians also looked forward to reviving the country’s oil industry and gaining access to tens of billions of dollars in previously frozen petroleum revenues, which wo... more »
Study Reveals Brushing Teeth With Toothpaste Could Damage Health
A new scientific study suggests that brushing your teeth twice a day with toothpaste is detrimental to your health. A chemical found in toothpaste could be destroying the good bacteria in the gut necessary for optimal well-being. The Mirror reports: Triclosan, an anti-microbial and anti-fungal agent used in making toothpaste, has been found to destroy good bacteria necessary for human health. The chemical, which is also found in soaps, deodorants, mouth washes, kitchen utensils, cutting boards, toys, bedding, socks and rubbish bags, is readily absorbed through the skin. It can then ... more »
A break from the political madness for a little bit of awesome.
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Believers: Take a couple of minutes to think about all the things you would do if you were god...
After you've given that some thought, contemplate the thought that you worship a god who hasn't.
After you've given that some thought, contemplate the thought that you worship a god who hasn't.
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