8:59pm MDST
Donald Trump: Orlando & Jeffrey Epstein Turn Good Poll Numbers Bad?
Two interesting happenings in the Trump campaign: The incident in Orlando has allegedly caused voters to turn against Donald Trump *From CBC: Donald Trump slumps in polls after Orlando?* “If Donald Trump believed that the Orlando shooting and a renewed focus on terrorism would help boost his sagging presidential campaign, polls suggest it has had no such impact. In fact, his reaction to the tragedy may be hurting him. The presumptive Republican nominee is now trailing rival Hillary Clinton in CBC's weighted average of U.S. polls by a greater margin than two weeks ago. His support ... more »
Why Are Fewer Men Active in the Workforce?
[image: Whatever you do, do it with all your strength] According to The Washington Post, the national unemployment rate has been cut in half since it peaked at 10 percent in 2010. It now stands at only 4.7 percent. But the labor market is not as healthy as it might... more »
Gitmo Transfer Hearings Pick Up Pace
[image: Guantanamo Bay detention facility, Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, Gitmo] In the past three months, the Obama administration has accelerated the pace of the so-called Periodic Review Board (PRB) hearings for Guantanamo detainees. Periodic Review Boards are administrative hearings designed to weigh the merits of keeping a detainee at Gitmo...more »
German Soldiers Do Not Trust Their Weapons
German soldiers with M3 machine guns. PinInterest *Popular Mechanics:* *Why German Troops Don't Trust Their Weapons* *Only 8 percent have confidence in their rifles.* A survey of German soldiers has found that an overwhelming majority have doubts about the reliability of their weapons. More than half rated their weapons as unreliable, with less than ten percent expressing confidence in their army-issued G36 rifles. The news comes as the German military prepares to deploy troops to the Baltics to counter an aggressive Russia. The poll, conducted by the Bundeswehr (German Army) res... more »
Smart Money, Stupid Money, and Flatulence
Let's cut to the cheese, I mean the chase. This presidential contest, at which we the plebeians are reduced to mere spectators, has officially devolved into a battle between elitism and vulgarity. The headlines in the mainstream media blast out the story that the Clintonites desperately want you to hear. This is a battle between piles of cash. There's good, plentiful cash and then there's bad skimpy cash. None of it will ever actually be yours, or even used to improve your lives, but they do want you to root for it anyway. And at this point, the smart liberal money (elite Clinton) i... more »
Carding and random murder: Evolutionary anthropology of police practice in maintaining a high-gradient hierarchical social-class structure
By Denis G. Rancourt, PhD SUMMARY: I show that the de facto police practice of constant random harassment by carding and other means, combined with less frequent unprovoked executions and prosecutions using false charges, in containing groups targeted for containment is exactly the most effective and efficient strategy for hierarchical containment developed by evolution and described by
The Pentagon Will Not Disclose Details On Specific Cases Of American Service Members Injured In Iraq And Syria
US troops have been stationed in neighbouring Iraq since 2014 [File:Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters] *Reuters:* *U.S. military says will not disclose details on injured service members* WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military will not provide details on specific cases of American service members injured in Iraq and Syria because it could give information to Islamic State militants, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday The spokesman, Peter Cook, was responding to a question at a Pentagon press briefing seeking confirmation that four Americans had been wounded in Syria earlier this month... more »
Elizabeth Warren & Bernie Will Back Hillary-- But How Many Bernie Supporters Will Discover Jill Stein?
There may be some Bernie voters who persuade themselves that the way to teach the corrupt and repulsive Democratic Party a lesson is to vote for Trump. There aren't many Bernie supporters that out of their minds though. My guess is that most will vote for Hillary and that some will stay home or skip the presidential race and that others will write in Bernie. I suspect, however that the number of votes Green Party candidate Jill Stein gets in November will be significantly higher than the 469,501 show got in 2012 against Obama and Romney. Agenda-wise, she's a far better fit for Ber... more »
further thoughts on himym
A few weeks ago, I blogged about watching "How I Met Your Mother," a show that has been a huge surprise to me. At the time, I thought the show was slipping in quality. I had started the eighth season, and the whole thing was off. The characters were too shrill, the situations too zany and over-the-top. Having come that far, I was determined to soldier on. To my surprise, I was rewarded. (I should call this syndrome The Springsteen.) After three or four subpar episodes, the show found its voice again. Overall, Season 8 turned out to be one of the funniest, saddest, and most genuine s... more »
Postmedia Defends the Indefensable, Site C Dam Boondoggle and Defunct British Columbia LNG Industry
*Written by Grant G* Ross K likes to use fanciful verbiage when describing British Columbia's media and BC's provincial Liberal government..." *lotusland...Clarkland..Clarklandia*" etc etc etc .. And if one really thinks about it....Ross K's descriptors are the most accurate around... Is there any better way to describe our legislative reporting gang..?..Perhaps..The in need of polident denture glue?..that way they can sink their teeth into a story or scandal without fear of their pearly whites falling out...or perhaps we could call our legislative reporting gang...The demente... more »
Untitled
*Professor rejects Marxism after traveling the globe: ‘Socialism doesn’t work’* At least one professor in America does not feel the Bern. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Professor Jack Stauder says his political and ideological conversion away from socialism and Marxism occurred when he actually witnessed these systems in action. After traveling to more than 110 countries to pursue various forms of research, notably cultural anthropology, Stauder described his conversion from Marxism as a process of disillusionment. “I gradually became disenchanted with Marxism by visiting... more »
KING JAMES PREVAILS IN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP
*NBA king James and his court* *It was high drama and a war of wills but a determined LeBron James was not to be denied. It was his heart stopping chase down block of Andre Iguodala's sure thing lay up in the last two minutes, Curry's inconsistency and unnecessary errant behind the back pass to Clay Thompson and Kyrie Irving's step back in your face three pointer in the last 30 seconds that not only brought a championship to champion starved Cleveland, Ohio ~ but also insured series MVP LeBron James his rightful place as the undisputed NBA King: Allen L Roland, PhD * ... more »
There Is One Issue That President Obama And Donald Trump Agree On
Reuters *Josh Cohen, Reuters:* *Obama and Trump agree on one thing – and they’re right* From terrorism to immigration and healthcare, President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump don’t agree on much. Obama hammers Trump on immigration policy, describing his ideas as "dangerous" and "loose talk and sloppiness." Trump meanwhile calls Obama a "lousy president" who has done a "terrible job." Beyond the mutual disdain though, Obama and Trump do agree on one thing: When it comes to foreign policy, the United States supports too many “free rider” ... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 21, 2016
*Peter Apps, Reuters*: *After Brexit vote, can a divided UK heal?* As you drive across Southeast England, you don’t even have to talk to anyone to see the depth of anger and division the EU referendum has released. In gardens, by roadsides and on farmland, huge pro-“leave” banners read: “We want our country back”. Britain isn’t usually like this, not even during a general election. It is a country built, after all, on often messy consensus. There have been periods of polarization before, of course – during the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher, again in the immediate run-up to the 200... more »
Makers v takers
Victoria University researchers have been struggling to answer what they say is the “complex” question of why welfare fraudsters and tax evaders are viewed differenttly. Lindsay Mitchell answers it quite simply: it’s because the money kept by tax evaders is their own, they made it; whereas the money taken by welfare fraudsters is not, they acquired it by fraud. *So when an individual attempts to keep more of what he has created there is less anger than when someone tries to take what he hasn't. That is why society has greater tolerance (and exhibits it through the courts) for ... more »
Trump’s Campaign Apparently Broke, But Spends $6 Million With Trump Companies, Family
[image: FILE - In this June 18, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he speaks in Las Vegas. Trump's campaign is cycling $6 million into his companies through use of his properties; meanwhile, Trump has been on an urgent fundraising quest. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump is one of the wealthiest people to ever run for president, but his campaign appears to be flat broke. What’s more, fundraising reports show he’s used about $6 million in campaign money to pay his... more »
Kim Davis Faces Last Fight in Same-Sex Marriage Battle
[image: MOREHEAD, KY - SEPTEMBER 14: Rowan County clerk Kim Davis walks through the halls of the courthouse on her first day back to work, after being released from jail last week, at the Rowan County Courthouse September 14, 2015 in Morehead, Kentucky.] Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis is attempting to end her long legal battle for refusing to sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Davis' legal team filed a motion Tuesday requesting a federal appeals court dismiss the lawsuit against her after Kentucky passed...more »
Remember the Rape of a 5 Year Old Girl in Twin Falls, Idaho by "Refugees" That Didn't Happen? And Bill Whittle weighs in...
*well, guess what? It did happen. * Except they weren't Syrians. They were Sundanese and Iraqi, which I guess makes it alright. I stand corrected. The County Leadership was furious: “the three rapists were not Syrian refugees, and such lies should cease immediately." The police then clarified the record: *they are Iraqi and Sudanese men, and maybe they were refugees, or maybe not, we’re not going to say.* TWIN FALLS, Idaho (emphasis mine) Twin Falls Police Chief Craig Kingsbury has *confirmed that three boys who were allegedly involved in the rape of a five-year-old girl in... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( June 21 , 2016 ) ..... Quick Hits - 1. Markets : Brazil Financial System Roiled By Massive 19BN Oi Bankruptcy Filing ; Global Bonds Items & Interest Rate Paradoxes ; ECB In Focus . 2. Brexit Items For Tuesday - Poll updates , Highlights From Great Debate , News & Views For Tuesday . 3. Spain Polictical updates , Polling . 4. Greece Updates De Jour. 5. Odds & Ends - Japan , Refugee Related Items , Libya Items To Consider German Constitution Court Bows To ECJ. )
Markets..... *Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehner 1h 1 hour ago Oi bankruptcy sends shockwaves through #Brazil’s financial system. http:// bloom.bg/28KNqNJ *fred walton* @fredwalton216 8h 8 hours ago fred walton Retweeted telecoms.com Looks like Portugal Telecom deal at the heart of Oi's difficulties.. fred walton added, *telecoms.com* @telecoms #Oi makes #Brazil’s largest ever #bankruptcy filing http://goo.gl/fb/eic9zQ #corporate #featured #portugaltelecom *Rodney Gollo* @gollrrg 16h 16 hours ago With #Oi filing for nations biggest ever bankruptcy, report... more »
Agenda 21 & The Illuminati’s Enduring Quest for World Government
*Christina Sarich* - A One World government isn’t far from what we are already experiencing.
Reporter Tries Buying ‘Assault Rifle’ to Show How Easy It Is, Fails
[image: Maxon Shooter's Supplies - 900] A Chicago journalist attempted to buy an "assault rifle" to demonstrate how easy it was for terrorists to obtain dangerous weapons, only to be left grasping for an explanation when the gun store denied him. Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times... more »
McDonald’s: Minimum Wage Not Related to Automation Tests
[image: Ronald McDonald Bench Statue - 900] McDonald's and Wendy's are denying a move to test self-service kiosks is connected to a growing movement to raise the minimum wage. Economists warned increasing the minimum wage is likely to lead to less job opportunities for low-skilled workers. Fast-food... more »
Trump to Evangelists: ‘We’ve Got to Spiritize This Country’
[image: In this video screengrab, Donald Trump speaks with evangelical leaders during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, June 21, 2016.] NEW YORK (AP) -- Republican Donald Trump appeared to raise questions about likely rival Hillary Clinton’s religious faith at a closed-door meeting with evangelical leaders on Tuesday. The presumptive GOP nominee, in a video clip of his remarks, appeared to... more »
How to create starvation in 2016
[image: Bylund] *How to Create Starvation in 2016**Guest post by Jeffrey Tucker* One of the great achievements of the human mind is having produced a solution to the single greatest challenge of life on earth: getting enough to eat. Shelter and clothing are no brainers by comparison. You find a cave, you snag a pelt, and you are good to go. But finding food to eat is a daily issue for human beings, never finally solved. You need more than a stock of food; you need a system that produces a continual flow. In 2016, we finally have such a system in place, one capable of sup... more »
Gun Nut DSCC Chairman Jon Tester Goes To War-- Against Alan Grayson
Jon Tester, the disappointing senator from Montana and Schumer's puppet chairman of the DSCC, had a busy Monday. He voted with the Republicans-- as he often does-- against the bill to pass meaningful background checks for gun purchases. That's the HEAD of the DSCC. AND, he authorized a million dollar spend against Alan Grayson in the Florida Senate primary-- a spend meant to help elect Wall Street whore Patrick Murphy. (I remember when Tester used to whime to me on the phone *every day* about how Chuck Schumer was working to defeat him in his first Senate race, on behalf of a Wall ... more »
The Rise of Cyber Stalking and Online Harassment
*David Gardner* - The proliferation of online acts of hatred has far-reaching implications.
Liberals’ Favorite Gun Term Actually Came From Hitler
[image: Sturmgewehr 44 - 900] The "assault rifle" label often employed in the gun control debate was first coined by German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler as a propaganda move to instill fear. The gun control debate caught new winds after Omar Mateen shot 49 people to death June...more »
World News Briefs -- June 21, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*BBC*: *EU referendum: Leave and Remain clash in BBC Great Debate* The biggest live debate of the UK's EU referendum campaign is taking place before 6,000 people at Wembley Arena. Rival sides of the debate are facing questions on the economy, immigration and Britain's place in the world. The BBC's Great Debate represents a final chance for the two sides to get their points across on primetime TV before polls open on Thursday. Panellists include Boris Johnson, for Leave, and his successor as London Mayor Sadiq Khan, for Remain. The debate, hosted by David Dimbleby, Mishal Husain a... more »
Mexican Teachers Feeling the Corporate Global Crackdown
In the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, a deadly police crackdown against teachers has left nine people dead and more than 100 wounded. On Sunday, police descended on teachers in the community of Nochixtlán, where they had set up blockades to protest against neoliberal education reform and the arrests of two teachers’ union leaders last week on what protesters say are trumped-up charges. "As soon as they arrived, they began to attack. And we were few, very few," said a Oaxacan teacher. "Then we started running. But they began to attack right away, instantly. At no time did they g... more »
Sen. Graham: If You Oppose Removing Military Spending Caps, You Are An Expletive
[image: U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham speaks with attendees at the 2015 Iowa Growth & Opportunity Party in Des Moines, Iowa on October 31, 2015.] GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, known for pushing for high military budgets, said Monday anyone who doesn't support removing caps on military spending is an "[EXPLETIVE]." "If you're going to fight fixing sequestration, you're a complete [EXPLETIVE]," he said at a... more »
Isn't That How Democracy Works?
Despite howling from the Conservatives and the Fraser Institute, Ottawa and the provinces have reached a deal to expand the Canada Pension Plan. A short time ago, such an outcome seemed impossible. However, Canadian Press reports: Following weeks of talks and an all-day meeting in Vancouver on Monday, finance ministers emerged with the agreement-in-principle. Even provinces such as Saskatchewan and British Columbia, which had expressed concerns about the timing of CPP reform, had signed on. Only Manitoba and Quebec declined to agree to the terms. The agreement came together as po... more »
Activism: The Way to Demonstrate Your Spirituality
*Makia Freeman* - Conscious activism is what the Earth needs right now.
Dear Undecided Voter
I'm a socialist who will be voting Remain this Thursday. But don't let that put you off. I'm not going to patronise you with a bucketload of stats, or insult your intelligence by saying this is right and that's wrong. Nor am I about to spring a persuasive piece on you to nudge you in Remain's direction. I'm interested in helping you make up your own mind by giving you things that, I think, are worth considering and thinking through. In response to understandable confusion about the costs and benefits of Remaining vs Leaving (and vice versa) a lot of people have expressed a desire f... more »
Charlotte Schools Ignore NC Bathroom Law, Allow the Gender Confused to Use Any Bathroom
[image: Bathrooms, Restrooms, Toilets] In opposition to North Carolina's transgender bathroom law, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools recently passed a regulation that would allow transgender students to use the bathroom and locker room of their choice, according to Monday reports. Principals received the new CMS regulation on... more »
Guccifer 2.0 Has Leaked The DNC's Documents On Hillary Clinton's Speeches, Contracts, And Travel Records
*The Smoking Gun:* *DNC Researched Clinton Speeches, Travel Records* Hacked documents are latest leaked by "Guccifer 2.0" The latest document dump from “Guccifer 2.0,” the hacker who breached the Democratic National Committee’s servers, shows that party officials have researched Hillary Clinton’s prior travel on private jets, the Clinton Foundation’s investments, and the Democratic presidential candidate’s speech contracts. The hacker this morning began distributing more than 250 files--totaling thousands of pages of records--that appear to have been prepared by DNC research staf... more »
Brexit News Updates -- June 21, 2016
*Daily Mail:* *A divided nation with two days to go: As one poll shows Brexit two points ahead but another gives Remain the advantage, data reveals the deep splits between young and old, the north and the south* * Two more polls today have revealed a mixed picture of the referendum race * Voters go to the polls in just two days time to give their verdict on the EU * Today's YouGov poll shows Leave two points ahead - after a weekend poll from the firm which showed Remain had got back into the lead * But an ORB poll of people who say they will definitely turn out finds a six point lea... more »
Reports Of A Truce In Nigeria's Delta Region have Been Denied by Militants
*Reuters*: *Nigerian militants say no plan for Delta ceasefire* * Officials say truce agreed last week, Avengers say no deal * Militants seek greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth * Attacks pushed Nigerian oil production to 30-year low (Adds Avengers saying no ceasefire deal, quotes) YENAGOA, Nigeria, June 21 The Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group that has claimed responsibility for attacks on oil and gas facilities in Nigeria's southern energy hub, said on Tuesday it never agreed a ceasefire with the government. Government officials told Reuters a one-month ceasefire had been ... more »
Judicial Bias Claim
Beard Winter LLP v. Shekhdar, 2016 ONCA 493: [10] It is important that justice be administered impartially. A judge must give careful consideration to any claim that he should disqualify himself on account of bias or a reasonable apprehension of bias. In my view, a judge is best advised to remove himself if there is any air of reality to a bias claim. That said, judges do the administration of justice a disservice by simply yielding to entirely unreasonable and unsubstantiated recusal demands. Litigants are not entitled to pick their judge. They are not entitled to ef... more »
California Residents Suffer Blackouts Thanks to Government Policy
[image: Blackout, Cityscape, Urban Skyline, Night] Tens of thousands of Southern California residents are being hit by blackouts as a sweltering heat wave brings the state's energy infrastructure to the brink, and California's government is to blame. California's decision to ban injecting more natural gas into... more »
End of California Nuclear Era: Last Plant to Close by 2025
[image: Diablo power plant - 900] California’s last nuclear power plant will close by 2025 under an accord announced Tuesday, ending three decades of safety debates that helped fuel the national anti-nuclear power movement. The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., and environmental groups reached an... more »
Kill Webs: The Wicked Problem of Future Warfighting
The common understanding in military circles is that the more data one has, the more information one possess. More information leads to better intelligence, and better intelligence produces greater situational awareness. Sun Tzu rightly understood this cycle two millennia ago: “Intelligence is the essence in warfare—it is what the armies depend upon in their every […]
Guccifer 2.0 Has Delivered
...has just put up Hillary's dossier on his or her website. Have fun. I'm going to be busy all day wallowing in the Clinton filth. I only hope someone's set up a mirror site because I don't expect this domain to stay up for very long. That's just how Hillary and her kiddie porn-posting thugs roll.
Harry Potter Picnic Blanket
Once upon a time, I used to keep a picnic blanket in my car at all times. It was so nice to be able to pull the blanket out whenever we needed something to sit on and more than once a cold child used it to warm up. When we bought a new car, for some reason the blanket didn't make the switch. I have missed it on more than one occasion and decided it was time to make sure a blanket it was a part of our car necessities again. Being the Harry Potter nerd that I am, it couldn't just be any old picnic blanket. It needed to be a Harry Potter blanket. For this blanket you will need: ... more »
Who By Fire?
Who by fire? Michael Hastings: 3 Years Ago Today, Rolling Stone’s Editor “Conveniently” Died in Fiery Crash While Investigating CIA, http://thefreethoughtproject.com/questions-remain-years-mysterious-death-michael-hastings/#0OMyoBBXQiRMwsp7.99 Aubrey McClendon: Chesapeake Founder Aubrey McClendon Dies In Car Crash One Day After Federal Indictment http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-03-02/chesapeake-founder-aubrey-mcclendon-dies-car-crash-one-day-after-federal-indictment?page=7&AID=7236Perhaps my 9 year old car is safer?
5 Years Later an Apology from TEPCO for Fukushima Cover-Up
TEPCO's apology is a big step forward. Now we need transparency regarding actual plant conditions: TEPCO: Delay in declaring ‘meltdown’ was a cover-up THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 21, 2016 at 17:40 JST http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201606210075.html The utility that ran the Fukushima nuclear plant has acknowledged its delayed disclosure of the meltdowns at three reactors was tantamount to a cover-up and apologized for it. Tokyo Electric Power Co. President Naomi Hirose's apology Tuesday followed the revelation that an investigation had found Hirose's predecessor instructed offi... more »
ED: Quantum Moment
Image courtesy: Matt Molloy Love B.............. PLS POST.... ...would love for this to be a posting...via full moon / solstice energy... thank you.... by Ed Lansing THE MOMENT IS PRESIENT SPEED OF LOVE=QUANTUM MOMENTUM YES LOVE YES QUE NOW YES 1112 *YES LOVE YES* I AM ALL GOLDEN RAYDIANT RAYNBOW RAYZ ABLAZE AFLAME CRYSTALLINE DYAMOND HEART CORE LOVE LIGHT~LITE QUANTUM DYNAMIC AND THUS AS SUCH REMAINS SO BE IT ....SO IT IS YES LOVE YES
Sophia Love: As We Shift—Some More Departures
*Reblogged from* JUNE 20, 2016 by STARSHIP EARTH: THE BIG PICTURE *More Departures of the Dark Ones, and a Message* *This from Sophia Love, transmitted by some off-world observers who will also be impacted by what transpires here… interesting report. Sounds like a warning to remain calm, stay out of fear, and focus our intentions on love and our vision for our new world consistently, not succombing to the manipulation attempts that the unaware will.* By Sophia Love *We are so very pleased to engage and wish you to know that all is well. Please assure your readers of this. Any... more »
Democratic Reform Committee Members Named
Although Minister *Maryam Monsef* has nothing about the makeup or members of the Electoral Reform Committee on the Democratic Institutions web site it seems that the MPs to serve on this important committee have been named. according to the CBC they are :- *Conservatives: Jason Kenney, Scott Reid and Gérard Deltell * *Liberals: John Aldag, Matt DeCourcey, Sherry Romanado, Ruby Sahota and Francis Scarpaleggia* *NDP; Nathan Cullen and Alexandre Boulerice* *Bloc Québecois: Luc Thériault* *Greens: Elizabeth May.* “*The committee will elect its chair on Tuesday and is expected to hold hear... more »
Man Dies At Glastonbury Festival After Catching Fire
A young man has died from severe burn injuries after catching fire at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England. The man in his 20s was flown to hospital in Bristol on Monday evening with life-threatening burn injuries but died shortly afterwards. The Independent reports: A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said the man sustained his injuries at around 5.20pm on Monday but did not give any information on the circumstances. He was taken by air ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol with serious burns and later transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmi... more »
Progressive Outlet Accidentally Proves Blue States Have 42 Percent More Mass Shootings
[image: gun control] Blue states have 42 percent more mass shootings than red states after adjusting for population, according to data published by Vox, a progressive media outlet, and examined by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Vox published its data after the Orlando terror attack... more »
Riots Hit South African Capital
*Reuters*: *Rioting hits S.African capital after ANC names mayoral candidate* * Protesters burn buses, barricade roads in Pretoria * Ruling party faces closely fought local elections (Recasts violence continues, govt officials, analyst quotes) PRETORIA, June 21 Protesters burned buses and barricaded roads in South Africa's capital on Tuesday in an escalating dispute over the ruling party's mayoral candidate for local elections in August. The vote is expected to be closely fought and will pose a major test for the African National Congress (ANC) as it looks ahead to a 2019 preside... more »
The White House To Release Figures On How Many Innocent Civilains Have Died In U.S. Drone Attacks
US Air Force ground crew in Kandahar secure weapons to an MQ-9 Reaper drone after its return from a mission. Photograph: Reuters *Nancy A. Youssef and Shane Harris, Daily Beast:* *Obama Will Finally Own Up to Drone War Dead* The White House is finally releasing figures about how many innocents have died in U.S. drone attacks. But the claim of only 100 or so civilians slain seems almost laughably low. President Obama is expected to issue an executive order as early as next week that for the first time would call for the United States to annually disclose how many civilians it belie... more »
The Islamic State Is Made Up Of 6 Armies In 3 World Regions
*Washington Times*: *Islamic State expands beyond Iraq-Syria base with six armies on three world regions* The Islamic State terrorist group has created at least six functioning armies outside its Iraq-Syria base that threaten governments in Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan, according to a new report to Congress. Rather than shrinking, the Islamic State — also known as ISIL and ISIS — is metastasizing globally by attracting waves of henchmen in Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Afghanistan, the Congressional Research Service said in a June 14 report for lawmakers... more »
Terror Bomb Attack Kills 6 Jordanian Security Forces Killed On The Syrian Border
*CNN*:* 6 Jordanian security forces killed in car bomb attack on Syrian border* Amman, Jordan (CNN)At least six members of Jordan's security forces were killed Tuesday in a car bomb attack launched from the Syrian side of the border, according to the Jordanian armed forces. The car bombing, which Jordan's government described as a "cowardly terrorist attack," killed four border guards, a civil defense worker and a national security official, a military statement said. King Abdullah II's advisor for military affairs, Gen. Mashal Mohammad Al Zabin, ordered the northern and northeas... more »
Is Michele Flournoy Hillary Clinton's Choice For Secretary of Defense?
Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, and Michele Flournoy. Flickr *Patrick Tucker, Defense One*:* Hillary Clinton’s Likely Defense Secretary Wants More US Troops Fighting ISIS and Assad* If the cards fall where many think they will, 2017 could be the year of the no-bomb zone. The woman expected to run the Pentagon under Hillary Clinton said she would direct U.S. troops to push President Bashar al-Assad’s forces out of southern Syria and would send more American boots to fight the Islamic State in the region. Michele Flournoy, formerly the third-ranking civilian in the Pentagon un... more »
World News Briefs -- June 21, 2016
*Reuters*: *'Brits don't quit', Cameron declares as EU referendum in balance* British Prime Minister David Cameron made a dramatic last-minute appeal to voters on Tuesday to back staying in the European Union two days before a referendum that will shape the future of the West, as polls indicated the outcome was too close to call. Britons vote on Thursday on whether to quit the 28-nation bloc amid warnings from world leaders, investors and companies that a decision to leave would diminish the former imperial power's influence, unleash turmoil on markets and send shock waves around... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 21, 2016
Lockheed Martin *Jahara W. Matisek, Task & Purpose*: *5 Reasons An F-22 Raptor Restart Is A Terrible Idea* *Here's why an F-22 Raptor restart is not the Air Force's solution to ongoing fiscal constraints.* Recent cost overruns and issues with the F-35 have compelled political and military leaders to reconsider ordering more F-22 Raptors. The U.S. Air Force was originally supposed to purchase 648 Raptors back in 1991, but ended up only ordering 195 due to fiscal constraints. While the military could always use more fifth-generation fighters — stealthy F-22s and F-35s — there are n... more »
How Many Die in a Typical Terror Attack?
United Airlines Flight 175 flies low toward the South Tower of the World Trade Center, shortly before slamming into the structure. The north tower burns after an earlier attack by a hijacked airliner in New York City, on September 11, 2001. (Reuters/Sean Adair) *Russell Goldman, New York Times*:* How Many Die in a Typical Terror Attack? Fewer Than You Think* Headline-grabbing attacks like those last week in Orlando, Fla., or on 9/11 are as bloody as they are horrifying, but what they are not is typical. The average death toll in terror attacks, it turns out, is close to zero. The ... more »
British MP Jo Cox’s Killer Not A Terrorist, Just A Racist Gardener
The reason why the media has not labelled the assassination of British Labour MP and mother of two Jo Cox by the hands of white supremacist Thomas Mair a terrorist act, is because he is white. Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death outside her surgery by Thomas Mair last week, who during his first court appearance gave his name as “death to traitors, freedom for Britain.” His defence lawyers with the help of the media are painting a picture of a man with mental health problems. The culture that he is brought up in is British but his hatred toward others makes him the same as a terroris... more »
Power Struggles Amongst Iraq’s Ruling Shiite Parties
Iraq’s ruling Shiite parties are already thinking about the day after the war with the Islamic State. They are positioning themselves for future political battles, which are breaking down old alliances and playing upon existing rivalries. There are growing signs of these divisions, and worries that they could turn violent. That happened in June when Sadrist protesters began attacking offices of rival parties raising tensions almost to the breaking point. One sign that tempers were running high occurred when Moqtada al-Sadr’s followers stormed the Green Zone of the first time. On ... more »
Highly cited cancer researcher logs 8th, 9th retractions
Bharat Aggarwal, a highly cited cancer researcher who retired last year from MD Anderson, has logged two retractions following an investigation into his work, bringing his total to nine. Aggarwal has threatened to sue us in the past, and told us that MD Anderson has been investigating his work. Earlier this year, Biochemical Pharmacology retracted seven studies of […] The post Highly cited cancer researcher logs 8th, 9th retractions appeared first on Retraction Watch.
TEPCO President Admits Cover-Up Of Fukushima Meltdown
TEPCO has confirmed that the company covered up the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant. The president of the energy company made an announcement admitting that they lied a week after a scandalous report claimed that Japanese government and TEPCO had been hushing up the tragedy. RT reports: The information was revealed by Tokyo Electric Power Co. President Naomi Hirose, who released an apology. He confirmed that TEPCO ordered not to use the word “meltdown” when referring to what happened at the crippled plant. “I would say it was a cover-up,” Hirose told a news conference. “It’s... more »
How would the BBC report this news?
The Times of Israel reports http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-seizes-wet-suits-believed-to-be-heading-to-hamas thus: 'Iraeli border agents confiscated a shipment of wet suits they suspected of being en route to Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be used for a seaborne attack on Israel, the Defense Ministry said Monday.' The BBC won't report this news but if they did it would be from the point of view of a Palestinian transsexual who desperately wanted to become a scuba diver and now couldn't.
Untitled
*The great ozone embarrassment* Do you ever wonder why we don't hear much about the ozone hole these days? There's a reason. I made some mocking comments about the messed-up talk from Greenies about stratospheric ozone yesterday. I now want to tell more of the story. When I searched the net for the numbers about CO2 levels and global temperature, I very rapidly found the numbers nicely set out for both. So I initially expected that I would have no trouble finding the numbers for atmospheric ozone levels. I found quite a lot of sites that gave information about that but none ... more »
Sphere Alliance Message #174Verfication of Sophia Love's Communique About Another Layer of Controllers Being "BENCHED"
*On Jun 20, 2016, at 7:09 AM* *Denice sends me by email a copy of Gaia Portal about the Steveadores....* *On Jun 20, 2016, at 7:47 AM, Terran wrote:* *Terran:* I'm in a really strange place. I know things are very close but I also feel a bit abandoned. What makes it worse is I don't know why... *On Jun 20, 2016, at 10:40 AM, Denice wrote:* *Denice: *You have creally expanded. You might be feeeeling the collective or the SA. I am feeeeeling rejected once again. One more thing to release i suppose.😊 *On Jun 20, 2016, at 11:33 AM, Terran wrote:* *Terran: *Sounds like we are fee... more »
Report: Racial and Gender Discrimination Plague Obama’s Model Consumer Agency
[image: Progressive Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren helped create the trouble-plagued CFPB while working for the Obama administration.] Racial and gender discrimination is widespread within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the first new federal agency President Barack Obama created, according to a blistering report released Monday by the investigative arm of Congress. Twenty five percent of black, Asian and... more »
Justice Department Blocks White House Attempt To Speed Up Detainee Transfers
[image: federal charges, dylann roof, justice department Loretta Lynch] Attorney General Loretta Lynch is blocking a White House proposal to speed along the process of shuttering Guantanamo Bay, further deepening the rift between the White House and Department of Justice over how to handle Gitmo. The proposal is an... more »
AZ Official Tim Jeffries Attacked for Offering to Take Employees’ Prayer Requests to Holy Site in France
[image: Arizona DES Director Tim Jeffries Attacked Merely for Asking for Letters for his Catholic Charity - Yet State Has Charitable Campaigns That Include Christian Organizations] The director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Tim Jeffries, is under fire from a secularist group for mentioning to employees in an April email that they could give him “special intentions” to take on his next annual trip to a... more »
Now that's what I call a conspiracy theory - "Jo Cox: The French politician François Asselineau anticipated such an event !"
https://youtu.be/l-6WkmxlfOY Odd? Conspiracy theory?
What the EU is hiding until after the Referendum
The EU is keeping quiet about quite a few new policies until after the UK Referendum. The British government and the institutionally pro EU BBC are assisting them in keeping inconvenient facts away from the voters. Thankfully such as Heat St are listing these policies... A Euro Tax ID For Everyone - to prepare the way for a EU wide tax? Fresh Plans for an EU Army A secret paper on "foreign and security policy", which pushes to expand the EU's defence capability, is being kept under wraps until June 24 – the day after Britain decides. Diplomats can read them but are banned from ... more »
Why We Could End Up at War with Russia
*Noam Chomsky's latest book (more info here) * *by Gaius Publius* *Scheduling note: I'll be on travel for much of the next two weeks, so no posting until early July.* We've written in these pages about the history of U.S.-Russian relations since the end of the Cold War (examples here and here). We've also written, with trepidation, about how a new, post-Obama "even more muscular" U.S. foreign policy could lead to, frankly, an actual shooting war with Russia (see here). Now I'd like to point to this comprehensive analysis of post-Cold War U.S. relations with Russia and Eastern Eur... more »
While US Troops Are Under Fire, Lawyers Debate If They Can Use Force
[image: Afghan security forces arrive at the Kunduz airport in Afghanistan on April 30, 2015. U.S. troops assisting their Afghan counterparts in the fight against the Taliban must consult lawyers before firing on the enemy.] U.S. troops assisting their Afghan counterparts in the fight against the Taliban must consult lawyers before firing on the enemy, Mike Phillips of The Wall Street Journal reports. Phillips described an instance when U.S. Green Berets were on the ground with... more »
Sphere Alliance Message #173 Vanuatu's Highly Seismic Nature
The Island of Espirtu Santo, Vanuatu By American Kabuki Each morning I get large quake updates from the USGS. I have noticed for some time the unusual amount of 6.0 and higher quakes in Vanuatu.... Terran: *Stan X is it known why Vanuatu Island has so many large earthquakes?* Stan X: *DEAR ONE/TERRAN. THE 'VANUATU' REGION EXPERIENCES LARGE EARTHQUAKES FOR TWO REASONS. IT IS LOCATED ON A FAULT RIFT. THERE WAS PREVIOUSLY COVERT SEISMIC EXPERIMENTATION AT A BASE THERE. DATA COLLECTORS. STAN. X. END.*
The Energy Absurdity Of The Paris Climate Agreement | The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF)
http://www.thegwpf.com/the-energy-absurdity-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/ A Greenpeace study reveals what the feted Paris Climate Agreement implies for the German public. If implemented, Germany will be unrecognizable in a few years.
Young Australian Military Recruits Forced To Rape Each Other
An inquiry has found that teenage military recruits in Australia were horrifically abused both physically and sexually by senior officers as part of a sick initiation practice. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse started an inquiry this week into the conduct of the Australian military and its treatment of cadets at its facilities. They received no fewer than 111 reports of incidents of sexual abuse carried out against navy cadets as young as 15 in the 1960s right through to the 1980s. 50 cases are alleged to have taken place at HMAS Leeuwin from 1960... more »
Coptic cop-out? Religion journal won’t pull paper based on bogus ‘gospel’
What the Harvard Theological Review giveth, it evidently will not taketh away. The venerable publication about religious matters is refusing to retract a 2014 article by a noted scholar of early Christianity despite evidence that the article — about Jesus’s wife — was based on a forgery. The paper, by Harvard theologian Karen King, described […] The post Coptic cop-out? Religion journal won’t pull paper based on bogus ‘gospel’ appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Doppelgänger
*"Ere Babylon was dust, * *The Magus Zoroaster, my dear child, * *Met his own image walking in the garden. * *That apparition, sole of men, he saw. * *For know there are two worlds of life and death: * *One that which thou beholdest; but the other * *Is underneath the grave, where do inhabit * *The shadows of all forms that think and live * *Till death unite them and they part no more...."* *Act I* *Prometheus Unbound * *1820* …he told me that he had had many visions lately — *he had seen the figure of himself which met him* as he walked on the terrace and said to him — “How lo... more »
Johnny Hazard : Police attack striking teachers in Oaxaca, Mexico
Eight people were killed in Nochistlán and other parts of Oaxaca in protest-related incidents Sunday. By Johnny Hazard | The Rag Blog | June 21, 2016 MEXICO CITY — Armed federal police attacked striking teachers in Nochistlán, Oaxaca, Sunday, June … finish reading Johnny Hazard : Police attack striking teachers in Oaxaca, Mexico
Václav Klaus' 75th birthday
On Sunday, I was honored to attend the magnificent birthday party of Václav Klaus, the second president of Czechia, which took place at the Štvanice [=Hunt or Exhaustive Effort] Island on the Moldau River in Prague. The island is named "Hunts" after dog hunts at animals (bears, bulls, deer, cows...) that have been organized on that island up to 1816 or so – this activity has been defunct for 200 years in this year. The ban of this entertainment was penned by Francis I of Austria in 1802 and after a delay, the island switched to more peaceful sports. Lots of European politicians ha... more »
Why Europe is to blame for the UK’s acute energy policy failures
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/20/why-europe-is-to-blame-for-the-uks-acute-energy-policy-failures/ An excellent summary from Tony Lodge, of the Centre for Policy Studies
PROVOST/PROFESSORS/TEENAGERS/DOGMA: The Brothers Grimm arrive at The Farm!
*TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2016Part 2—The College of Hansel and Gretel:* In the set of events which landed in court, what happened on the Stanford campus—it's long been known as"The Farm"—on the evening of January 18, 2015? For various reasons, we can't exactly tell you. This March, a jury found that Brock Turner, then 19 and a Stanford freshman, had committed three felonies that night: assault with intent to rape an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object. Just so you'll kno...more »
Fetal Parts Investigative Panel Chair: Hillary Might Use Executive Orders to Push Abortion Ideology
[image: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to steelworkers in Ashland, Ky., on Monday, May 2, 2016.] A top pro-life Member of Congress told The Stream that presumed Democratic presidential nominee could use Executive Orders to go around Congress on abortion policy. "On April 3rd, Hillary Clinton said on Meet the Press that an 'unborn person' doesn't have... more »
US Seeks Direct Confrontation with Russia in Syria
*June 21, 2016 *(Ulson Gunnar - NEO) - The US has recently accused Russia of bombing what it calls "US-backed rebels" in southern Syria. CBS News in their article, "Russia ignores warnings, bombs U.S.-backed Syrian rebel group," would claim: * On Friday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter called out Russia for bombing a Syrian rebel group that's backed by the U.S.* *The attack by Russian fighter bombers on American-backed opposition forces appeared to be deliberate and to ignore repeated U.S. warnings.* More alarming is what the US claimed happened next. CBS News would further claim:... more »
Mind Control Achieved Through the “Information Flicker Effect”...
*how the news is delivered and skewed. * I've often wondered why certain news items just seem to disappear. Take for instance the shooting of the news gal, Alison Parker. who was on-air at the time. Her camera man, Adam Ward, was also killed. Disclaimer before continuing: I don't believe the official story. After much research, I don't believe anyone was killed. I think it was a fake and a false flag. One of the reasons for believing this is how quickly the story disappeared. Within days of the event, no one was talking about it anymore. I would think a shooting, live on-ai... more »
Japan Military Put On Alert For Possible North Korean Missile Test
Japan Self-Defence Forces soldiers prepare to refuel a unit of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles at the Defence Ministry in Tokyo April 10, 2013. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo *Reuters*: *Japan military on alert for possible North Korean ballistic missile launch* Japan's military was on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch, a government source said on Tuesday, with media reporting its navy and anti-missile Patriot batteries have been told to shoot down any projectile heading for Japan. North Korea appeared to have moved an intermediate-range miss... more »
Should The U.S. Withdraw From Afghanistan?
U.S. Army 1st Lt. David T. Broyles watches as his men leave Observation Post Rocky with Afghan National Army Soldiers in Kunar province, Afghanistan, July 19, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte *Daniel L. Davis, Politico*: *Don't delay the military drawdown in Afghanistan* The U.S.'s current military strategy isn't working. It's time for a new plan. The past few months have seen a series of setbacks for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan as the Taliban has slowly gained territory and further destabilized the country through suicide attacks. As President Barack Obama’s ... more »
This Air Force General Details On What's Wrong With The A-10
Gen. David Goldfein, nominated to replace Gen. Mark Welsh as the Air Force's top officer, addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 16. US Senate *Alex Lockie, Business Insider:* *Here's what's wrong with the A-10* On Thursday, Gen. David Goldfein, the US Air Force's nominee for chief of staff to replace Gen. Mark Welsh, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on a variety of topics, including the shortcomings of the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the aircraft also known as the "Warthog." "The Air Force seems to have at least temporarily adjusted to keeping it but,... more »
Why Is The U.S. Military Now Experiencing A Number Of Aircraft Accidents
The B-52H Stratofortress bomber is part of the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, the Air Force said. KUAM-TV *CNN*: *Military aircraft accidents costing lives, billions of dollars* Washington (CNN)A rash of recent military crashes has cost the lives of several service members as well as billions of dollars worth of damages. The wave of accidents has raised questions about the training of pilots and the maintenance of aircraft, with top brass pointing to slashed budgets and aging fleets strained by prolonged conflict. Last week, an MH-60S helico... more »
Spaniards Go To The Polls On Sunday
*New York Times*: *Venezuela Casts a Long Shadow on Elections in Spain* MADRID — Europe is facing a migration crisis, the threat of Islamic terrorism and the prospect that Britain will exit the European Union. But the big foreign policy issue before Spain’s national elections next Sunday? Venezuela, of course. Candidates have visited Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, to grandstand. Spain’s governing conservative party has met in Madrid with opponents of Venezuela’s leftist government. There have been charges of a virtual Venezuelan infiltration of Spain’s politics. The shadow ca... more »
Pentagon Chief Urges Allies To Defeat ISIS After Orlando Shooting
The US Defense Secretary said that the Orlando massacre, reportedly inspired by ISIS, underscores the great urgency needed to accelerate the military campaign against the terrorist group. Ashton Carter called on US military partners to do more to defeat the group. Press TV reports: The Pentagon chief reiterated that the threat of terrorism, specifically that of Daesh, is one of the top security challenges facing the United States. “Last week’s tragic shooting in Orlando underscores the urgency,” Carter said Monday. “It reminds us that ISIL not only tyrannizes the populations where i... more »
Bolivia Tells Bill Gates He Can Keep His Chickens!
Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates recently offered survival advice to the worlds most impoverished people and said that he would send them chickens. Via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the worlds richest man said he would send 100,000 chickens to twenty developing countries, among them Bolivia, as a donation through the Heifer International Organization with the aim of “reducing poverty” and “improving nutrition” However, the Bolivian government has said ‘no thanks’, telling Mr Gates to keep his vaccinated chickens because they don’t need them. The Huffington Post reports: The ... more »
Journal flags paper over allegations it used competitors’ text, plasmids
A journal has issued an expression of concern (EOC) for a paper on a common crop virus after the authors were accused of using competitors’ unpublished text and plasmids. Investigations by the journal and the involved institutions — the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, where the paper’s authors are based, and North Carolina State […] The post Journal flags paper over allegations it used competitors’ text, plasmids appeared first on Retraction Watch.
8 Year Old Dies After Receiving Meds Over 1,000x The Prescribed Dosage
An 8-year-old boy died in hospital after taking ADHD medication, mixed by a pharmacist, which was over 1,000 times the prescribed dosage. His family learned later that the pharmacist who made the fatal error had not faced any repercussions. Instead of taking the usual .03 mg, the child ingested 30 mg. RT reports: On Halloween 2015, Jake Steinbrecher took his Clonidine, a medication he had been taking for some time with no problem for treating his ADHD. However, instead of taking his usual .03mg dosage, he took 30mg and was then hospitalized for brain swelling. “He immediately starte... more »
Untitled
*From* *Jenna Orkin* Quote of the day: "the FBI examined Mateen's travel history, phone records, acquaintances and even planted a confidential informant in the courthouse to "lure Omar into some kind of act and Omar did not bite," Mascara said." FBI Releases Censored Orlando 911 Call Transcripts Italy's Anti-Establishment 5-Star Movement Delivers Dramatic Victories In Key Mayoral Races DOJ Will Censor All References To Islamic Terrorism From Orlando 911 Call Transcripts Caught On Tape: What Happens In China When You Don't "Exceed Expectations" Trump’s campaign manager is out ...more »
Obama’s AG has the FBI Exploring If it’s a Crime to Disagree With Big Gov on Climate Alarmism
[image: Over 30,000 people rallied and marched in Melbourne, Australia on September 21, 2014 as part of the global Peoplesclimate protest for action on climate change.] President Obama's latest outrage is to suggest that armed robbers, drug dealers and rapists are not criminals in the ordinary sense. Team Obama now demands everyone call them “justice-involved individuals” (JII). Given that Attorney General Loretta Lynch has tasked the FBI...more »
Activists Plan Massive ‘Fart-In’ During Clinton’s Convention Speech
Activists plan to kick up a stink at the “world’s largest fart-in” which will take place during Hillary Clinton’s acceptance speech at the Democratic national convention. The massive ‘fart-in’ which will be held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 28th has been organized by the Poor People’s Economic Rights Campaign and the 2012 Green Party vice-presidential candidate Cheri Honkala. RT reports: As for how to get participants all warmed up, Honkala is turning to the ‘musical fruit.’ Very excited for the massive #fartin if @HillaryClinton rigs the election enough to act... more »
More Taiwanese Scam Suspects Shipped to China
*Went up to Longfeng Waterfall at the end of the Nantou 22 on Sunday. Not recommended. The scenery is nice, but getting to the 22 requires taking either the 3 or the 14. * Busy as heck here with the semester ending this week, but another batch of alleged scammers deported to China... Cambodia yesterday said it would deport 21 Taiwanese nationals arrested on fraud charges to China, ignoring attempts by Taiwanese officials to have them returned instead to Taiwan. Cambodian authorities arrested 13 of the Taiwanese along with 14 Chinese on Monday last week. Another eight Taiwanese su... more »
It’s Immature to Support Hillary Clinton Simply Because She’s a Woman
[image: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Arizona.] It is hard to imagine a more immature or morally primitive stance than that of progressive women (and men) who argue how important it is to support Hillary Clinton because, as your local college would put it, she identifies as... more »
C.S. Lewis Knew That Our Small Efforts Can Have Outsized Benefits
[image: 25th November 1950: British writer C S Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis, 1898 - 1963), a Fellow and Tutor of Magdalen College, Oxford. Original Publication: Picture Post - 5159 - Eternal Oxford - pub. 1950] ISIS forces are shooting unarmed civilians as they flee Fallujah. Terrorists conducted yet another bombing in Istanbul. The South China Sea conflict continues as China expands its naval presence. Fifty Americans were murdered in cold blood in Orlando. Then there's Europe's... more »
Which Is More Out Of Control: The Proliferation Of Terror Guns Or Washington Itself?
*“Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.”* -Jean-Paul Sartre (From *Being And Nothingness*) *-by Noah* On Monday, the U.S. Senate, having been shamed into it, was finally forced to vote on four gun-related measures. They were amendments to the Department of Justice spending bill, designed, not to ban guns or take guns away, as the right would have us believe, but to make it at least slightly more difficult for a potential killer, of any or no persuasion at all, to get a military grade assault rifle, a weapon of mass-destr... more »
Gun Control: The Irrelevant Crusade
[image: Hand Guns - 900] Almost as soon as the massacre at the Orlando nightclub Pulse ended, Democrats took up their push to forbid people on the terrorism watch list from purchasing guns. The timing, in the wake of the awful shock of the Orlando... more »
George Soros Warns Of Serious Brexit Consequences
George Soros has warned that a British vote to leave the European Union could severely damage living standards and trigger a plunge in the British pound…..even bigger than on Black Wednesday nearly 24 years ago. Writing in the Guardian the Billionaire currency trader said: “My 60 years of experience tells me the pound will plummet, along with your living standards. The only winners will be speculators” He believes that sterling would “decline precipitously” leaving people poorer, if the Leave camp win Thursday’s vote. The BBC reports: But Vote Leave said the UK would be more prosper...more »
Call for More Rio Security After Paralympic Athletes Robbed
[image: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the location of the 2016 Olympics, as seen by night.] SYDNEY (AP) -- After two members of the Australian Paralympic sailing squad were robbed at gunpoint, Australia’s Olympic team leader is urging Brazilian authorities to implement Olympic-scale security now in Rio de Janeiro “before an athlete gets hurt.” The weekend...more »
Obama Administration Denies Florida’s Emergency Funds Request for Orlando Victims
[image: Concerned friends and family of victims at the Pulse nightclub, where multiple fatalities were reported after a shooting, wait outside of the Orlando Police Department, Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. New information has now surfaced that linked the terrorist to making unhinged comments at his workplace.] GOP Governor Rick Scott of Florida excoriated the Obama administration Monday for refusing a request for an emergency declaration after the terror attack in Orlando, which effectively deprives victims of $5 million in aid. After the terror attack took place... more »
Iraqi Commander Claims About 2,500 ISIS Militants Killed in Fallujah
[image: In this image taken by an Iraqi Counterterrorism Service photographer on Sunday, June 19, 2016, soldiers gather at the main gate of the hospital in Fallujah, Iraq after forces re-took the city center following two years of Islamic State control. Thousands of civilians are fleeing Fallujah after the city was declared liberated from the Islamic State group, the United Nations said, while an Iraqi commander reported fierce clashes as elite counterterrorism forces pushed to clear out the remaining militants.] BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq’s government forces on Tuesday dislodged the Islam... more »
Clinton, Trump Battle Over Economy, Trade War Threat
[image: Clinton-Trump3 - 900] COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton plans to portray Republican Donald Trump as an erratic and unfit steward of the nation’s economy, returning to Ohio to press the case that workers would bear the brunt of... more »
US Vital to Stopping ISIS Genocide of Christians, Says Catholic Group
[image: UK MPs Unanimously Recognize ISIS Assaults Against Christians, Others as Genocide] No one displaced from their homeland has it easy, but targeted religious minorities, such as those persecuted by the Islamic State, have faced a worse crisis, said Andrew Walther, vice president of the national Knights of Columbus. "It's very hard... more »
2 Big Wildfires in LA-Area Foothills Burn Toward Each Other
[image: The California state flag flies next to a home on Highway 94 south Potrero, Calif., on Monday, June 20, 2016, as huge flames roar behind it. An intensifying heat wave stretching from the West Coast to New Mexico threatened to make the fight against Southern California wildfires more difficult Monday.] LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Two wildfires that together burned 7 square miles and drove several hundred people from their homes in foothill suburbs of Los Angeles were growing fast and surging closer to each other. Aggravated by triple-digit heat that... more »
Gary Teves and economic legislation in the 90s
Last week, June 16, I met some old friends and officemates way back in the 90s at the PH's House of Representatives. I worked at the Congressional Planning and Budget Office (CPBO) from 1991-99, nine years. Photo below from left: Ronald Villanueva, me, Joven Balbosa, May Santos, Janna Sheng, Glo M. Villanueva, Gary B. Teves (GBT). Shangrila Edsa Hotel lobby. Ronald used to work at the HOR Committee on Economic Affairs (CEA) when Sir Gary/GBT was the Committee Chairman for several years. Ronald now works at Shell in Houston, Texas. Joven was the one who recruited me at the CPBO in ... more »
Will the Trump Campaign’s Shake-Up Salvage Its Bid?
[image: In this June 18, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Las Vegas. Trump has forced out his hard-charging campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, in a dramatic shakeup designed to calm panicked Republican leaders and reverse one of the most tumultuous stretches of Trump's unconventional White House bid.] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump’s decision to fire his embattled campaign manager less than a month before the Republican convention sent a powerful signal to weary GOP leaders that the billionaire businessman recognizes the increasingly dire s... more »
Supreme Court Ends 17-Year, $10.1 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit Against Tobacco Company
[image: smoking] WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Illinois smokers who sought reinstatement of a $10.1 billion class-action judgment in a long-running lawsuit against Philip Morris. The justices did not comment in leaving in place an... more »
Trump’s Campaign Has Put $6 Million Into Trump Companies
[image: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters and bikers at a Rolling Thunder rally at the National Mall in Washington, Sunday, May 29, 2016. Recently, sources have said there is growing distrust between Trump's campaign and the RNC.] NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Donald Trump’s campaign likes to keep it in the family. When Trump flies, he uses his airplane. When he campaigns, he often chooses his properties or his own Trump Tower in New York City, which serves... more »
'Shoot And Stab Nigel Farage': Hundreds Of Social Media Messages Urging Attacks On UKIP Leader Revealed
The agreed BBC / establishment narrative is that it's the Brexit side of the debate that's the nasty one. Of course that's untrue... 'A Breitbart London analysis has revealed hundreds of historical and contemporary messages sent via social media platforms urging violence against UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage.' More here http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/06/20/shoot-and-stab-nigel-farage-hundreds-of-social-media-messages-urging-attacks-on-ukip-leader-revealed/ but not on the institutionally pro EU BBC.
Humungus Fail Of The Day: Abbas’ Zionist Gift To Saudi King by Aussie Dave per Israellycool
It would seem that Mahmoud Abbas is even more stupid than I thought. Read this at IsraellyCool http://www.israellycool.com/2016/06/20/humungus-fail-of-the-day-abbas-zionist-gift-to-saudi-king/ Sheer genius.... Of interest to the institutionally anti Israel BBC? Of course not.
Thanks to Nuclear Deal, Boeing Signs Agreement with Iran Air
[image: In this June 2003 file photo, a Boeing 747 of Iran's national airline is seen at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran. Boeing Co. has confirmed signing an agreement with Iran Air “expressing the airline's intent” to buy its aircraft. In a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press, Boeing said it signed the agreement “under authorizations from the U.S. government following a determination that Iran had met its obligations under the nuclear accord reached last summer.”] DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Boeing Co. said Tuesday it signed an agreement with Iran Air “express... more »
Real Success Comes Through Putting God First and Serving Others
[image: Inspiration Success in God - 900] I just returned from a vacation spent in the company of an old friend. Because it rained during much of our trip, we ended up talking quite a bit over the course of a week. We talked about our lives. Our... more »
Japan maintains coal power strategy despite pressure
By Paul Homewood http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2016/06/japan-maintains-coal-power-strategy-despite-pressure.html?cmpid=EnlPEIJune162016&eid=296412419&bid=1434699 From PEI: Takafumi Kakudo, director of the clean coal division at the Japanese ministry of economy, trade and industry has stated in an interview, “It is not realistic to quit coal entirely.” Kakudo was responding to questions as to why Japan was not being deterred from its coal […]
Top 10 Reasons Why Corey Lewandowski Was Fired
After a long, soul-searching meeting with family members today, Mr. Donald Trump decided to fire his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Mr. Lewandowski's stewardship of the flailing Trump presidential campaign had been fraught with controversy ranging from misogyny, intimidation tactics and even allegedly assaulting a female reporter from Breitbart. The move came suddenly, signaling a major Trump shakeup from top to bottom. The Trump campaign has not released any reasons for Mr. Lewandowski's sudden termination but some have been leaked to the internet. What were they? -------... more »
Site C Dam : Leave the Peace in peace
"All over the world countries are tearing out old mega-dams because they are expensive and destructive. Yet in British Columbia the government is forging ahead with the Site C hydro dam even though there's no immediate need for the power and it means displacing farmers from their land, destroying First Nations territory and flooding agricultural land that could feed an estimated one million people." "Since 2005, domestic demand for electricity in BC has been essentially flat. I think we're making a very big mistake, a very expensive one." ~ Harry Swain, *Chair of Joint Review P... more »
A listener sounds off on "holocaustianity"
*From a **Truth Jihad Radio **fan:* Hi Kevin! OK – here’s the section of that Greg Felton interview that I thought was especially good – transcribed below. I continued to the point at which Felton started to diverge from the topic-description of the new “Holocaust-ianity religion” and started talking about the effect of World War I. There’s a very ironic point to be made from what Felton says at that point. He asserts that the ultra-traumatic nature of WWI is what prevented the other European countries from “stopping Hitler when Hitler invaded the Rhineland.” After having done ... more »
Did The White House Embarrass The Attorney General?
*New York Post Editorial*: *Why did the White House just humiliate Loretta Lynch?* Idiotic: That’s the only word for the Obama administration’s move to scrub references to Islam or ISIS from the transcripts of Orlando terrorist Omar Mateen’s calls. Under an avalanche of ridicule, the Justice Department on Monday relented and released the full transcripts. But what was the point? Everyone already knew that he’d pledged allegiance to ISIS and its “caliph.” Fine: President Obama wants to make this about gun control, not terrorism — but ham-handed editing only calls attention to what... more »
Military Photo of the Day: Night Watch Aboard the USS Boxer
[image: Harrier] A U.S. Marine AV-8B Harrier stands the night watch aboard the USS Boxer as it travels the seas. Thanks to Staff Sgt. Naquan Peterson for capturing this stunning image!
Trying To Stop Corruption In Ukraine
Ukraine is 7th in corruption perception by country, according to EY / Photo from www.ilovegreece.ru *Annette Langer, Spiegel Online:* *Laying Down the Gauntlet* Corruption can rot a state from the inside out. It destroys people's faith in government institutions and threatens societal stability. More than 1.3 trillion euros are lost every year to graft around the world. As part of its sustainable development goals, the UN has identified the battle against corruption as a key element in building peaceful and inclusive societies. What, though, might such a battle look like? Who has t... more »
Thousands Of U.S. Soldiers Who Served In Iraq And Afghanistan May Have Been Exposed To Hazardous Chemicals From Open-Air Burn Pits
A U.S. Army soldier watches bottled water burn at Forward Operating Base Azzizulah in Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on Feb. 4, 2013. Photo by Andrew Burton/Reuters *Star Tribune*: *Iraq, Afghan vets may have their own Agent Orange* *While it took nearly three decades for the U.S. government to eventually link Agent Orange, the defoliant used in Vietnam, to cancer, President Obama has pledged quick action to make determinations about the effect of the burn pits on perhaps as many as 60,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. * ROCHESTER – They are known as the ... more »
Tweet For Today
Omitted. pic.twitter.com/xr01ixPgNn — Law of Self Defense (@LawSelfDefense) June 20, 2016
June 20: Philanthropy and Tax Avoidance.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-offshore-treaties-barbados-tax-avoidance-1.3641278 How is it possible that the irving press missed this story? We have been robbed of uncounted billions of dollars. We have to make up for that every year out of our own pockets. We have to get along without the services that we and our children need. We have to listen to the Norberts of this world who tell us we are spoiled and wasteful, and the government has to reduce taxes. The government has reduced taxes. It has reduced them for the wealthy. It has reduced them to nothing. As well, our go... more »
Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, "Elegy for the Arctic"
Ludovico Einaudi, "Elegy for the Arctic" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLnhdnSUVs
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Today the Sun reaches its northernmost point in planet Earth's sky. Called a solstice, the date traditionally marks a change of seasons- from spring to summer in Earth's Northern Hemisphere and from fall to winter in Earth's Southern Hemisphere. *Click image for larger size.* The featured image was taken during the week of the 2008 summer solstice at Stonehenge in United Kingdom, and captures a picturesque sunrise involving fog, trees, clouds, stones placed about 4,500 years ago, and a 4.5 billion year old large glowing orb. Even given the precession of the Earth's rotational axis ... more »
Chet Raymo, “The Radiance Of What Is”
*“The Radiance Of What Is”* by Chet Raymo “In the summer of 1936, as I nestled snug in my mother's womb, Fortune magazine sent the young writer James Agee and the photographer Walker Evans to rural Alabama to report on how the Great Depression was affecting the poorest of the poor. For eight weeks they lived with three impoverished sharecropper families. (Pictured below is the family of Bud Fields. Click to enlarge.) Their combined work never appeared in Fortune, but it was published as a book- “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men”- in 1941. The book was not an immediate success, but dec... more »
The Poet: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “What If?”
*“What If?”* “What if you slept? And what if, In your sleep You dreamed? And what if, In your dream, You went to heaven And there plucked A strange and Beautiful flower? And what if, When you awoke, You had the flower In your hand? … Ah, what then?” - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"The Otters Of The Universe..."
“We are game-playing, fun-having creatures, we are the otters of the universe. We cannot die, we cannot hurt ourselves any more than illusions on the screen can be hurt. But we can believe we’re hurt, in whatever agonizing detail we want. We can believe we’re victims, killed and killing, shuddered around by good luck and bad luck.” “Many lifetimes?” I asked. “How many movies have you seen?” “Oh.” “Films about living on this planet, about living on other planets; anything that’s got space and time is all movie and all illusion,” he said. “But for a while we can learn a huge amount and... more »
“Defense Mechanisms: Beyond Behavior”
*“Defense Mechanisms: Beyond Behavior”* by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM “We can let go of our defense mechanisms when we are ready to be truly honest with ourselves. We all have defense mechanisms that we’ve developed over time, often without being aware of it. In times of trouble, the behaviors that have worked to get us past challenges with the least amount of pain are the ones that we repeat; even when part of us knows they no longer work. Such behavior is a natural response from our mental and physical aspects. But because we are spiritual beings as well, we have the ability to ... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Reading, United Kingdom. Thanks for stopping by!
"All Is Not Lost..."
"If you can't answer a man's arguments, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names." - Elbert Hubbard
Dmitry Orlov, "The 5 Stages of Economic Collapse"
* "The 5 Stages of Economic Collapse" * by Dmitry Orlov "Elizabeth Kübler-Ross defined the five stages of coming to terms with grief and tragedy as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, and applied it quite successfully to various forms of catastrophic personal loss, such as death of a loved one, sudden end to one's career, and so forth. Several thinkers, notably James Howard Kunstler and, more recently John Michael Greer, have pointed out that the Kübler-Ross model is also quite terrifyingly accurate in reflecting the process by which society as a whole (or at lea... more »
"The Rule..."
“Insanity in individuals is something rare, but in groups, parties, nations and epochs it is the rule.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
Politics: “Burnt Toast”
*“Burnt Toast”* by Jim Kunstler "At a most troubled moment in history, both major political parties appear set to nominate time-bomb candidates for president with a fair percentage chance of blowing up their own campaigns and the parties themselves. We’ve been living in the era of anything goes and nothing matters — that is, the era of no consequences — but at some point between now and November 8 someone surely will press FBI chief James Comey as to why his agency issued neither a criminal referral nor an explanatory memorandum in the matter of Hillary Clinton’s private email serv... more »
“TROUBLE: U.S. Sets "DEFCON 3"; Updated 4:11 PM EDT
*“TROUBLE: U.S. Sets "DEFCON 3"* by Newsroom “At 9:43 PM Eastern US last night (Sunday, June 19) the Armed Forces of the United States were reportedly ordered to set condition "DEFCON 3." This is an extraordinary development and signals serious trouble, LIKELY requiring an expedited military response. The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for... more »
"Con Vs. Con"
*"Con Vs. Con"* by Chris Hedges During the presidential election cycle, liberals display their gutlessness. Liberal organizations, such as MoveOn.org, become cloyingly subservient to the Democratic Party. Liberal media, epitomized by MSNBC, ruthlessly purge those who challenge the Democratic Party establishment. Liberal pundits, such as Paul Krugman, lambaste critics of the political theater, charging them with enabling the Republican nominee. Liberals chant, in a disregard for the facts, not to be like Ralph Nader, the “spoiler” who gave us George W. Bush. The liberal class refus...more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“What's older than these ancient trees? Nobody you know- but almost everything in the background of this picture. The trees are impressively old- each part of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest located in eastern California, USA. There, many of the oldest trees known are located, some dating as far back as about 5,000 years. Seemingly attached to tree branches, but actually much farther in the distance, are the bright orbs of Saturn (left) and Mars. These planets formed along with the Earth and the early Solar System much earlier- about 4.5 billion years ago. *Click image for large... more »
"Never Despair"
"Never Despair" by Sam Smith "Empires and cultures are not permanent and while thinking about the possibility that ours is collapsing may seem a dismal exercise it is far less so than enduring the frustrations, failures, damage and human casualties involved in constantly butting up against reality like a boozer who insists he is not drunk attempting to drive home. Peter Ustinov in 'Romanoff and Juliet' says at one point: "I'm an optimist: I know how bad the world is. You're a pessimist: you're always finding out." Or as GK Chesterton put it, "We must learn to love life without ever... more »
The Poet: Mary Oliver, “What I Have Learned So Far”
*“What I Have Learned So Far”* “Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside, looking into the shining world? Because, properly attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion. Can one be passionate about the just, the ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit to no labor in its cause? I don’t think so. All summations have a beginning, all effect has a story, all kindness begins with the sown seed. Thought buds toward radiance. The gospel of light is the crossroads of- indolence, or action. Be ignited, or be gone.” ~... more »
Longest Day - Summer Solstice
*Longest Day - Summer Solstice* *A Greeting from an Artist Friend*
U.S. Cyber Command Chief Talks About The Threats That He Fears The Most
*Wall Street Journal*: *U.S. Cyber Command Chief on What Threats to Fear the Most* *Lt. Gen. James McLaughlin talks about attacks from ISIS, Russia and China* Over the past few years, cyberattacks on businesses have led to huge losses and diminished consumer confidence. But cyberattacks are also happening on the national scale as the internet becomes another arena for global conflict. To get a picture of this emerging battlefield, The Wall Street Journal’s Rebecca Blumenstein spoke with Lt. Gen. James K. “Kevin” McLaughlin, deputy commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. Here are ed... more »
Picture Of The Day
A combined formation of aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 pass in formation above the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Philippine Sea on June 18, 2016. Courtesy Steve Smith/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS
Will Deploying Two U.S. Aircraft Carriers To East Asia Offset China's Growing Assertiveness?
The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) (rear) conduct dual aircraft carrier strike group operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific in Philippine Sea on June 18, 2016. Courtesy Jake Greenberg/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS *Reuters*: *U.S. navy chief hopes carriers deter East Asia destabilization* The U.S. Navy chief said on Monday he hoped the deployment of two aircraft carriers on a training mission in East Asia would deter any attempts to destabilize the... more »
Bobby Seale Still Fighting For Power For The People
*Bobby Seale by Shepard Fairey * *-by Denise Sullivan* Black Panther Party founder Bobby Seale gave a rare public talk in San Francisco at the Freedom Archives last week. Hosted by hip hop emcee, Selassie, one of the Frisco 5 hunger strikers who protested against police misconduct and murder here, the onstage conversation was a mix of Seale's personal history and an attempt to pass on some tools to the current generation of activists working to organize around police violence and economic disparity in the Bay Area. "People want to theorize too much but you have to put the ideas int... more »
Police: FBI Lured Orlando Shooter Into Committing Terrorist Act
A Florida sheriff has admitted the FBI tried to lure the Orlando Shooter into participating in a terror plot years ago, amid claims the FBI has hundreds or even thousands of unstable individuals running around, often on the government payroll, playing ‘terrorist games.’ While terror experts and former counter-terror officials have criticized the FBI for failing to stop Omar Mateen before he committed a massacre, the new revelation raises the question of whether the FBI played a role in pushing Mateen towards an act of lethal violence. Sheriff Ken Mascara of Florida’s St. Lucie County... more »
China's Y-20 Is Now The World's Largest Military Plane In Production
First Roc "11051", the first Y-20 in PLAAF service, is based in Sichuan Province, in the 12th Regiment of the 4th Transport Division. It's expected to be the first in hundreds of Chinese heavy transport aircraft. www.fyjs.cn, via RAJ47 at China Defense Forum *Popular Science*: *The World's Largest Military Plane In Production Is China's Y-20* 200 tons of plane in the sky On June 15th 2016, the first operational Y-20 heavy transport aircraft entered service into the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). China has now joined the United States and Russia as the only countries w... more »
United Nations Forced To Investigate Democratic Election Fraud
American citizens concerned about Democratic election fraud and voter suppression have launched a petition to the UN requesting emergency electoral monitoring and supervision for the remainder of the 2016 presidential election cycle. A letter that will be delivered with the petition to the UN Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) says that the integrity of the electoral process in the US has been compromised in order to place an undemocratically chosen candidate in power, and points out the massive discrepancies between exit polls and official results – more than enough to have foreig... more »
The Keynesian Blessing: People Are Broke
*Guest post by William Anderson* [image: _Keynes]Writer Neal Gabler recently “confessed” his “secret shame” in an *Atlantic Monthly* article on how a huge percentage of the middle-class are living beyond their means, existing paypacket-to-paypacket, and are mired in personal debt. He writes: *I never spoke about my financial travails, not even with my closest friends—that is, until I came to the realisation that what was happening to me was also happening to millions of others, and not just the poorest among us, who, by definition, struggle to make ends meet. It was, according... more »
Commentariat Central
Readers, while I struggle to get my columnizing act together for the week, I thought I'd share a few of my recent *New York Times* missives with you. As always, you are invited to contribute your own comments in the usual space below. No topic is off-limits. Vent, grouse, and be merry. *** Brad Evans and Henry A. Giroux, *The Violence of Forgetting*, 6/20 I'm starting out with one of those insightful op-eds that still get published by the Gray Lady from time to time. Actually, the entire "Stone" philosophy series stands head and shoulders above the punditory likes of David Brooks, ... more »
Is OPEC Forcing Regime Change In Venezuela?
Oil pumps are seen in Lagunillas, Ciudad Ojeda, in Lake Maracaibo in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, March 20, 2015. Isaac Urrutia/Reuters *Erwin Cifuentes, OilPrice.com:* *OPEC May Be Forcing Venezuela Into Regime Change* A key U.S. Congressman believes that the actions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) regarding oil production could lead to regime change in Venezuela, according to an interview published last week. “I think ten years from now, we’ll look back at this as a positive effect, possibly on regime change in Venezuela,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan, reac... more »
Economic News , Data & Views ( June 20 , 2016 ) ........ Quicks Hits 1. Markets : Chinese Bonds Diverge From Remainder Of Bonds For 15 Largest Economies By Rising In Yields ; US Stocks Rally On Receding Brexit Risks ; Gold After Brexit Vote - As Per CPM ; El-Erian Warns ‘Slave-to-the-Market’ View Dents Fed’s Credibility ; Pound Extends Gains . 2. Brexit Items De Jour - Polling , Items Of Note. 3. Odds & Ends. )
Markets...... *Haidi Lun 伦海迪* @HaidiLun 7m 7 minutes ago Chinese bonds diverge from the zero-yield pack, China-US 10-year spread widest in 10 months. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ 2016-06-20/in-a-world-of-below-zero-bond-yields-china-debt-bucks-the-trend … *MarketWatch* @MarketWatch 4h 4 hours ago Stocks log solid gains as Brexit concerns ebb http://on.mktw.net/28IOROF *Myra Saefong* @MktwSaefong 6h 6 hours ago Here's what CPM Group expects gold to do after the Brexit vote: http:// on.mktw.net/28IRhLR *Holger Zschaepitz* @Schuldensuehn... more »
AFL: Hot & bothered about an ice bath
[image: 7524728-3x2-700x467] Just one of many reasons I abhor the local media: it does precisely zero to report on AFL, yet the second it sees any kind of controversy in AFL it jumps in to report it. Dickheads. Anyway, if you do have an interest in the story they reported -- of AFL chairmen Eddie McGuire, James Brayshaw et al joking about Caroline Wilson, one of the few journalists to ask them hard questions (even if she does write them up for the paper at the worthy end of the spectrum) – you may (or may not) enjoy her response on the *Footy Classified* show last night. . Co... more »
Department of Defense Proposes New Military Promotion System
[image: Defense Secretary Ash Carter] Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that he would end the "one-size-fits-all" promotion system for military officers, Military Times reported. This could open up more opportunities for diverse military career options. Carter’s “Force of the Future” reform was announced June 9. “It aims to... more »
More On Thomas Frank's New Book-- This Time From Jason Wojciechowski
We've talked a lot about Thomas Frank's stunning new book, Listen Liberal-- What Ever Happened To The Party of The People?". Here's a good place to start. A friend, Jason Wojciechowski, had a similar perspective after reading it and he said it would be OK to share with *DWT* readers, writing that he found it "to be a valuable primer on the fissure in the party. I've highlighted all over the place and am constantly exclaiming, "Aha! Yes, that is it." The capture of the Democrats not just by corporations, but the professional class is the defining theme of this election. The breakpo... more »
Leaders Of Azerbaijan, Armenia Meet With Putin in St. Petersburg For Talks On Nagorno-Karabakh
MassisPost *Radio Free Europe*: *Leaders Of Azerbaijan, Armenia Meet With Putin For Talks On Nagorno-Karabakh* In talks in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian expressed readiness to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict over Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the June 20 meeting -- the second between Aliyev and Sarkisian since a truce was established in early April to halt four days of fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan’s military a... more »
Our Reform Proposal
*by Stephen Krashen, Susan Ohanian, and Jim Horn* Research studies over the past half-century show the effects of poverty and segregation as major factors determining school achievement. Our proposal would protect children who are being harmed by the impact of poverty, segregation, and standardized tests. In order for no children to be left behind, then, we propose, No child left unfed: proper nutrition for all children for breakfast and lunch. No child without proper health care; No child segregated by ethnicity, ability, or economic class; No child without access to a well-sup... more »
China Builds World’s Fastest Computer
[image: Picture of the Sunway TaihuLight System computer room] On Monday, the inconceivable happened. China announced it had built the world’s fastest computer. China has always been good at copying and/or stealing intellectual property, but it has rarely produced "indigenous innovation," particular in the high-tech sector. The Chinese supercomputer,... more »
Who Really Came to the US & Canada as "Syrian Refugees"? Not too many Syrians!
We’ve read and heard much about Syrian refugees. And the Syrian refugee crisis? But just how Syrian are the refugees? And how Syrian is the crisis? The answer to both questions? *Not very Syrian at all!* But then I’ve mentioned that on a number of occasions, the large numbers of African refugees, in the pictures of so called Syrian refugees- So let's check this numbers breakdown from Washington Post? *What nags at me about this refugee saga?* 1-Why LIE and claim these are Syrian refugees when clearly they are NOT Syrian citizens? 2- I wonder how many of these refugees, in this w... more »
Dem. Senator Pushes ‘Climate Literacy’ Program in US Schools
[image: Dem. Senator Pushes ‘Climate Literacy’ Program In US Schools] Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey has introduced a bill to enhance to create a federal "climate change education program" to make sure American high schoolers are "climate literate" about man-made global warming. Markey wants the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration... more »
The EU Threatens America and Britain’s Alliance. Brexit Could Save It.
[image: Atlantic Charter] This year marks the 75th anniversary of one of the most successful and mutually beneficial alliances in history. In August 1941 off the coast of Newfoundland, aboard the warships HMS Prince of Wales and USS Augusta, Winston Churchill and Franklin... more »
EPA’s Gold King Mine Boss Dodged Federal Probe Into Toxic Waste by Retiring
[image: Emergency tailing ponds constructed in response to the 2015 Gold King Mine spill, pictured on August 7, 2015.] The recent retirement of an Environmental Protection Agency manager who was responsible for the August 2015 Gold King Mine disaster, shields him from federal investigators probing, and protects him from potential punishment, The Daily Caller News Foundation has learned. The... more »
NATO Sends Clear Message to Putin
[image: In this February 2, 2016 photo, U.S. soldiers prepared for Exercise Anakonda 16.] Thousands of American troops have been taking part in a large-scale military exercise on NATO's front-line state of Poland, which borders Vladimir Putin's Russia, its close ally Belarus, and war-torn Ukraine. The message is unmistakable -- letting Moscow know that...more »
Seeing Canada’s Direction? Imperial Globalization. Part III
Seeing Canada’s Direction? Imperial Globalization. Part III. *Written by Robin Mathews* Something strange is occurring in Ottawa… something more than ordinarily strange. Call it, for short, The Canadian Infrastructure Bank … an apparently totally unnecessary (and expensive) idea being moved toward existence by the Liberal government headed by Justin Trudeau. The work of such a ‘*Bank*’ can be done by the Bank of Canada and has already been done by that Bank. It worked for several decades before 1974 with unquestioned success, financing huge infrastructure activity through i... more »
Untitled
*Students Protest That All-Female School Is A ‘Rape Culture’ Stronghold* A 97-percent female college has been assailed by student activists who claim the school, despite a near-total lack of men, has become a center of “rape culture” because it engages in business with the family members of a rapist. St. Catherine University only accepts women at the undergraduate level, and is run by an order of celibate Catholic nuns. Nevertheless, some students argue the school is a stronghold of “rape culture,” a set of rules and cultural expectations that allegedly make sexual assault more co... more »
5 chemistry facts to know before opening your mouth
In our ongoing efforts here at NOT PC to help you avoid looking like an idiot out in public, here are five things you need to know before holding forth on the self-congratulatory Hippy Issue of the Day – “five rudimentary facts about chemistry that you must grasp before you are even remotely qualified to make an informed decision about medicines, vaccines, food, etc .”: *1). Everything is made of chemicals*[Hence :] A “chemical-free lifestyle” is totally impossible… It’s also worth noting that the length of a chemical’s name does not indicate how toxic it is… *2). The dose ma... more »
FBI Releases Orlando Gunman's 9/11 Transcripts With The Word 'Allah' Replaced By 'God'
This is all the FBI is willing to let us know of one of two conversations between Omar Mateen and a 911 operator: pic.twitter.com/D7XDrnAPUW — Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) June 20, 2016 *Robert Mackay, The Intercept*: *FBI Redacts Orlando Gunman’s Calls, Sparking Outrage and Speculation* DOING NOTHING to advance the heated political debate over what combination of factors might have prompted Omar Mateen to open fire inside a gay nightclub in Orlando last week, the FBI on Monday refused to release the audio or a full transcript of the gunman’s phone conversations with the police ... more »
Transcript: No oxygen, just Newspeak
The Obama administration released the transcript of the Orlando murderer* making its 9/11 call, but severaly redacted in order not to give his causes what Margaret Thatcher called “the oxygen of publicity.” As with Thatcher’s efforts, the attempt simply added humour to the tragedy: Orlando Police Dispatcher (OD) Shooter (OM) OD: Emergency 911, this is being recorded. OM: In the name of God the Merciful, the beneficial [in Arabic] OD: What? OM: Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God [in Arabic]. I let you know, I'm in O... more »
3 Economic Facts That Counter Obama’s Recovery Narrative
[image: Obama shooting - 900] President Barack Obama needs a reality check. Earlier this month in Indiana, he accused his critics of ignoring the "facts" and purporting "myths" about his economic record. But if Republicans are truly ignoring the facts, Obama should consider it a... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- June 20, 2016
*Ylan Q. Mui, Washington Post*: *‘Brexit’ could send shock waves across U.S. and global economy* Britain's departure from the European Union could send shock waves across the global economy and threaten more than a trillion dollars in investment and trade with the United States. International policymakers are ramping up their warnings of the dangers of a British exit - popularly known as "Brexit" — from the political and economic alliance that has united Europe for the past four decades. Voters in Britain will decide whether to leave or remain in the European Union in a referendu... more »
Brexit B.S.
Liberty Scott points out that *Granny Herald* knows even less about the Brexit vote and Europe than it does about the news happening under its feet. *…its editorial on the issue is woeful, it misses the point and is dotted with errors. There is nothing in the editorial about the key problems with EU membership, around how EU laws are developed undemocratically (introduced by the European Council, MEPs can't introduce legislation), how the EU is inordinately wasteful including on policies that harm New Zealand's economy (including the Common Agricultural Policy) and harm devel... more »
Everyone loves Calloway
Could I please invite my Tauranga readers, both of you, to head down to the record store Vinyl Destination in Devonport Rd and pick up either a long player or a short black. Why? Beacuse they’ve just made a mess of a bureaucrat in a way that’s got folk laughing right around the globe. Before we begin, let me introduce you to Calloway: [image: Cap5] As you can see, Calloway is a cat who guards record bins – and Calloway’s presence on those bins was the very reason the bureaucrat was drawn to the store, brought there by a wowser’s complaint. I quote here from an American pet we... more »
Was Gun Grab at Trump Rally in Vegas an Assassination Attempt? Feds Say Yes.
[image: Donald Trump - 900] LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A man arrested at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas told authorities he tried to grab an officer’s gun so he could kill the candidate, according to federal authorities. A complaint filed Monday in U.S.... more »
Zapatistas 'Notes on the War Against the Teachers in Resistance'
Notes on the War Against the Teachers in Resistance (The Hour of the Police 3) Notes on the War Against the Teachers in Resistance (The Hour of the Police 3) Italian, German, Spanish and Portuguese translations at Enlace Zapatista June 2016 From the notebook of the cat-dog: http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/2016/06/20/
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