11:00 pm MST
The U.S. - Russian Hotline Is Busy Preventing Disasters Over The Skies Of Syria
A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber released bombs over Syria in August. The united States and Russia use a hotline to communicate and avoid any disasters in the skies over Syria. Credit Russian Defense Ministry *New York Times*: *A Hotline for Americans and Russians to Avoid Catastrophe in Syrian Skies* DOHA, Qatar — Not long after the government-held city of Palmyra in central Syria fell to Islamic State fighters, the United States and Russia both scrambled warplanes on Wednesday to attack militant targets there. This was exactly the kind of scenario the Pentagon feared after M... more »
Why Is The Media Not Questioning The CIA's Hacking Claims?
The lobby of the CIA Headquarters Building in Langley, Virginia. (Reuters / Larry Downing) *James Carden, The Nation*: *Why Are the Media Taking the CIA’s Hacking Claims at Face Value?* Despite the CIA’s uninspiring record for the past 70 years, the media are defending the agency for all it’s worth. In 1977, Carl Bernstein published an exposé of a CIA program known as Operation Mockingbird, a covert program involving, according to Bernstein, “more than 400 American journalists who in the past 25 years have secretly carried out assignments for the Central Intelligence Agency.” Bern... more »
Greg Hunter, “Weekly News Wrap-Up 12/12/2016”
*“Weekly News Wrap-Up 12/12/2016”* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "The Federal Reserve just raised a key interest rate a quarter of a point. This was only the second time in 10 years the Fed raised rates, but the market had already beaten the Fed to the punch. In July, the interest rate for the 10-year Treasury was 1.46%. Five short months later, the same rate is now more that 1% higher. This is what it means when you hear the phrase “the Fed is behind the curve” on interest rates. Losses in the global bond markets are stacking up with the rising rates. Now, there are reports th... more »
Musical Interllude: Hezekiah Jenkins, “The Panic Is On”, 1931
Hezekiah Jenkins, “The Panic Is On”, 1931 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmFCELxpTfE Hat tip to WRH, Michael Rivero - http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/#axzz4SyQsiQfO
Who To Blame For Clinton's Loss In Michigan-- Putin? Comey? Or Was It The Countess of Lovelace?
*Who REALLY saddled us with Trump, Putin or the Countess?* It was a shock to the Clinton Machine when Bernie beat her in the March 16 Michigan's primary. Bernie took 595,222 votes (49.8%) to Hillary's 576,795 (48.3%). He won 73 of Michigan's 83 counties but she won big in the rich suburbs and the in Detroit. He beat her in all the little working class counties no one outside of Michigan ever heard of-- Cheboygan, Muskegon, Ingham, Eaton, Monroe, Kent, Benzie, Marquette, Jackson, St. Clair, Barry, Livingston, Allegan, Washtenaw, Charlevoix, Kalamazoo... He even beat her in Clinton Co... more »
Obama: I Will Take Action Against Russia Before Leaving Office
President Barack Obama has promised to take direct action against Russia over their alleged interference in the presidential election, before he leaves office in January. In an interview with NPR on Thursday evening, Obama vowed to retaliate against Russia, but refused to detail what that would entail. “I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections, that we need to take action and we will — at a time and place of our own choosing. Some of it may be explicit and publicized, some of it may not be. But Mr. Putin is well aware... more »
Ramble, 16.12.16
[image: Politicians of Oz] A few weeks ago I suggested the National Party has now become just Labour without the identity politics. Despite the evidence, their new leader says there’s another difference: the blue team is also “aspirational.” *English on the difference between National and Labour* – KIWIBLOG Little difference at all however between this Auckland mayor and the last. *Auckland Mayor Phil Goff dishes out big salaries for mayoral office staff* – HERALD Baby steps. *Legal cannabis in NZ? Green Party offers green light to pot smokers* – STUFF It deserves to. *Will Wel... more »
Breaking: Assange Emerges to Confirm Russia Was NOT the Source of DNC/Podesta Leaks
[image: assange-thumb]Julian Assange came forward to dispute all claims Russian hackers provided documents to Wikileaks, saying definitively that was NOT the case.
This Flying Vehicle Can Make Its Own Decisions
The Cormorant is designed to remove people from dangerous situations. The post This Flying Vehicle Can Make Its Own Decisions appeared first on Futurism.
Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, "Lady Labyrinth & Nightbook"
Ludovico Einaudi, "Lady Labyrinth & Nightbook" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1XbYeNeBGo
"A Look to the Heavens"
"A gorgeous spiral galaxy some 100 million light-years distant, NGC 1309 lies on the banks of the constellation of the River (Eridanus). NGC 1309 spans about 30,000 light-years, making it about one third the size of our larger Milky Way galaxy. Bluish clusters of young stars and dust lanes are seen to trace out NGC 1309's spiral arms as they wind around an older yellowish star population at its core. *Click image for larger size.* Not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy, observations of NGC 1309's recent supernova and Cepheid variable stars contribute to the calibration of the... more »
Chet Raymo, “Moments of Being”
*“Moments of Being”* by Chet Raymo “A passage from the "Pensees" of Teilhard de Chardin: "Though the phenomena of the lower world remain the same- the material determinisms, the vicissitudes of chance, the laws of labor, the agitations of men, the footfalls of death- he who dares to believe reaches a sphere of created reality in which things, while retaining their habitual texture, seem to be made out of a different substance. Everything remains the same so far as phenomena are concerned, but at the same time everything become luminous, animated, loving..." Whatever we think of Te... more »
The Poet: Rainer Maria Rilke, "Book of Hours II, 16"
*"Book of Hours II, 16"* "How surely gravity's law, strong as an ocean current, takes hold of even the strongest thing and pulls it toward the heart of the world. Each thing- each stone, blossom, child- is held in place. Only we, in our arrogance, push out beyond what we belong to for some empty freedom. If we surrendered to earth's intelligence we could rise up rooted, like trees. Instead we entangle ourselves in knots of our own making and struggle, lonely and confused. So, like children, we begin again to learn from the things, because they are in God's heart; they have never left h... more »
"If We Never Knew It..."
"Because God is never cruel, there is a reason for all things. We must know the pain of loss; because if we never knew it, we would have no compassion for others, and we would become monsters of self-regard, creatures of unalloyed self-interest. The terrible pain of loss teaches humility to our prideful kind, has the power to soften uncaring hearts, to make a better person of a good one." - Dean Koontz
The DCCC And Identity Politics
*Steve Israel, flanked by Steve Horsford & John Ewing, 2 politicians whose careers he ruined* Last week we talked about the experience recent congressional candidate-- and long-time North Carolina Democratic political operative-- Thomas Mills had when trying to deal with an imperious DCCC. Much of what the DCCC is crying about what went wrong for them this year are the things Mills was running on-- emphasizing rural working class issues; infrastructure, schools, jobs... a Marshall Plan to "connect small towns and counties to economic centers with pavement and rail as well as with fi... more »
ObamaCare Cost Increases in 2017
The Center for Health and Economy has released a study estimating the increased costs to taxpayers through the federal government in 2017. ObamaCare premiums will be 22% higher in 2017, but the average monthly subsidy cost will go up by 26% from $291/month to $367/month. The subsidy percentage increase is greater since incomes are losing ground relative to the premium increase. The study says 11.1 million people per month are on ObamaCare in 2016 and this number is expected to increase to 11.4 million a month in 2017. Of these 9.39 million in 2016 received tax credits and 9.65 mi... more »
Forbes Publishes Its List Of The World's Most Powerful People
*Forbes:* *The World's Most Powerful People 2016* There are nearly 7.4 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 74 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of the World’s Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most. To compile the list, we considered hundreds of candidates from various walks of life all around the globe, and measured their power along four dimensions. First, we asked whether the candidate has power over lots of people. Pope Francis, ranked #5, is the spiritual leader of more than a billion Cath... more »
"John Derbyshire for Secretary of Education!: Extreme Times Call for Extreme Measures"
*"John Derbyshire for Secretary of Education!:* * Extreme Times Call for Extreme Measures"* by Fred Reed “In looking for a piece I seemed to remember in which John, a prolific internet presence, advocates abolishing public education, I came across his overall diagnosis of schooling in America, well worth reading and a marvel of concision and accuracy. On its strength I hereby nominate him as SecEd, as one says in the as-yet undrained swamp on the Potomac. I nominate myself as Asst. SecEd, with the title of Lord High Executioner and a government-supplied guillotine. Schooling will ... more »
China inducting J20 stealth fighters into air force as active service planes
At least six J-20s stealth fighters are in active service, with four tail numbers 78271，78272，78273 and 78274 identified. And another six are ready to be delivered by end of Dec 2016 According to the Chinese aviation expert Dafeng Cao who posts under the Twitter handle @xinfengcao, six J-20 stealth fighters will be inducted into the Chinese air force at a formal ceremony later this month. Recent speculations refer to the J-20 as an air-to-air fighter with an emphasis on forward stealth, high-speed aerodynamics, range, and adequate agility. The J-20 could threaten vulnerable tankers ... more »
Tax cuts and other fiscal stimulus could boost US contribution to world economic growth up to the level of India
The world economy grew by 2.7% in the third quarter of 2016 compared with a year earlier, down from 2.8% the previous quarter. Growth remains steady in India and China: together they accounted for 65% of world growth. Other emerging markets struggled: they contributed 16%, down from 21% in the previous quarter, their lowest share since 2008. In particular, falling smartphone exports took a heavy toll on South Korea. Adding US GDP growth to China and India gets to about 75% of world growth. US real annual GDP growth did not exceed 3% for any of the last ten years A new macroecono... more »
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 15, 2016
*Robin Wright, The New Yorker:* *The battle For Aleppo, Syria's Stalingrad, Ends* Aleppo has been part of human history for some five thousand years. Abraham is said to have grazed his sheep on its slopes and donated their milk to the local poor. Alexander the Great founded a Hellenic settlement there. The city is cited in the Book of Samuel and Psalm 60, and for centuries its residents reflected the three great Abrahamic faiths. It was at one end of the ancient Silk Road, and a major metropolis in the many empires that conquered and ruled the region. Its medieval Citadel, pivotal... more »
World News Briefs -- December 15, 2016
*Washington Post:* *In Syria’s shattered Aleppo, convoys carry the devastated and defeated from last rebel zones * BEIRUT — Buses and ambulances rolled out of the last rebel districts in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday as part of a major evacuation that ended the opposition's battle for its greatest stronghold. They left behind one of the world’s great ancient cities, now shattered by brutal government-allied air strikes that have killed thousands of people and reduced infrastructure to rubble. Reports from aid groups and the Turkish government suggested that more than 3,00... more »
Russia and Turkey Pushed the West Out of Syria
*Yes, they did! They made a deal on Aleppo and they carried it through to it’s conclusion.* When I woke up yesterday morning, thinking, as usual, about the day’s blog post, I said to hubby- *We’re going to talk Turkey today.* (But I was a day behind on this post- apologies) So let's talk! The Istanbul bombing. More of the same destabilization that's been going on for years now. But it also looked to me like a ‘shot across the bow”- A warning. A reminder. *The timing of the Istanbul bombing, immediately preceding the imminent liberation of Aleppo?* * Syrians Celebrate Aleppo's Lib... more »
Light Up the Night $1250 Cash Giveaway
This giveaway ends on 1/25/17 at 11:59 Winner will be notified via email. Winner has 48 hours to claim prize before prize is forfeit and a new winner is chosen. Winner must claim prize before they are announced. Giveaway is open worldwide, void where prohibited. All entries are voluntary but must be completed as stated with verification in order to win. All entries will be verified and if it wasn't completed a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be chosen randomly using Rafflecopter no later than 1/30/17. Winner must be 21 years or older to win. Void where prohibited. a Raffle... more »
British Troops Arrive In Middle East To Train Syrian Rebels
UK forces have arrived in the Middle East to help train moderate Syrian rebels engaged in the fight against ISIS. They join the 500 already deployed to the region. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the Syrian ‘moderate’ forces were being trained in infantry, medical and explosive hazard awareness skills. RT reports: Their arrival was announced as the UK hosts a conference of defense ministers from countries involved in the coalition fighting Islamic State The 20 trainers – who are likely to be special forces soldiers – will teach so-called ‘moderate’ fighters infantry skills, ... more »
NSA Inspector General, Who Once Said Snowden Is Manic Thief, May Be Fired For Whistleblower Retaliation
NSA inspector general George Ellard, who believes NSA whistleblower was "manic in his thievery," received termination notice for whistleblower retaliation. The post NSA Inspector General, Who Once Said Snowden Is Manic Thief, May Be Fired For Whistleblower Retaliation appeared first on Shadowproof.
Intermittent expression of genes normally associated with an embryonic state reverses aging in mammals and enables mice to live 30 percent longer
Scientists have shown it is possible to reverse ageing in animals. Scientists at the Salk Institute have found that intermittent expression of genes normally associated with an embryonic state can reverse the hallmarks of old age. Salk Institute researchers discovered that partial cellular reprogramming reversed cellular signs of aging such as accumulation of DNA damage. Progeria mouse fibroblast cells were rejuvenated by partial reprogramming. Using a new technique allows mice to not only look younger, but live for 30 per cent longer. Human trials are projected within 10 years for... more »
Trump Trumpets His Real Plans by Ralph Nader
Dandelion Salad by Ralph Nader The Nader Page, Dec. 12, 2016 December 15, 2016 Even for a failed gambling czar, Donald Trump has been surprisingly quick to show his hand as he sets the course of his forthcoming presidency. With a reactionary fervor, he is bursting backwards into the future. He has accomplished this feat […]
The Daily "Near You?"
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Thanks for stopping by!
"Do You Wish To Know?
"Then you will see the rise of the men of the double standard- the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money- the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law- men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims- then money becomes its creators' avenger. Such looters believe it safe to rob defenseless men, once they've passed a law to disarm them. But the... more »
FBI Director: Russia Did Not Influence Election
FBI Director James Comey has confirmed to President-elect Donald Trump that Russia did not influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. In a telephone conversation between Trump and Comey, the FBI Director said there was no credible evidence that Russia hacked DNC emails of John Podesta. Comey also revealed that James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, agreed with his conclusion. Edwardklein.com reports: The only member of the U.S. intelligence community who was ready to assert that the Russians sanctioned the hacking was John Brennan, the director of the CIA,... more »
Elector: Clinton Supporters Threatened To Put A Bullet In My Head
A GOP Electoral College voter in Michigan claims that Hillary Clinton supporters sent him several death threats and threatened to shoot him in the head if he votes for Trump. Mike Banerian says that he now fears for his life as the December 19 deadline looms for Electors to cast their vote for President. Thegatewaypundit.com reports: Mike says he has contacted police and was threatened to be shot in the head if he cast his vote for Trump. Mike Banerian is a youth chair of the Michigan Republican Party and an official elector obligated to cast his electoral vote for President-elect... more »
Liberal Blog ‘Snopes’ To Police Facebook Newsfeeds
Snopes has been given the power to police Facebook users’ newsfeeds and censor any stories they deem to be ‘fake’. According to an announcement by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, Facebook will empower a handful of left-wing Hillary supporting websites to tackle the so-called ‘fake news’ problem on the social media platform. The consequence of allowing a provably biased fake news blog to decide what users are allowed to see on their own newsfeeds will likely result in the mainstream media stifling dissenting opinions and burying independent media. This is all about silen... more »
Elite Condition Public To Prepare For Trump Assassination
Globalist liberals have begun conditioning the public for an impending Trump assassination, subtly hinting to the American public that Trump will suffer a similar fate to JFK. What do Michael Moore, Bill Gates and IBM have in common? They are all in cahoots with each other as part of a social-engineering agenda to prepare for the upcoming assassination of our President-elect. Ipatriot.com reports: On the surface, Michael Moore announces a “surprise” regarding Trump. This refers to his new anti-Trump film, Michael Moore in Trumpland. There is also a very strong association with thi... more »
Global Warming Theories Implode With Record High Sea-Ice Levels
Scientists have confirmed that sea-ice levels across Antarctica have reached record highs since records began, bringing the man-made global warming theory into disrepute. Contrary to United Nations models predicting global temperatures increasing due to carbon dioxide levels increasing, temperates across the world have remained steady for over 18 years, leading some scientists to condemn established global warming theories as ‘false’. Principia-scientific.org reports: However, as global-warming theories continue to implode on the world stage, the latest developments will pose a ma... more »
Uber’s Self Driving Cars Are Running Red Lights, Uber’s Blaming “Human Error”
Right after the DMV ordered Uber's self-driving tests off of San Fransico roads, two incidents of their self driving cars running red lights were witnessed. A lack of legislation and regulation puts any violations incurred by autonomous vehicles in a legal gray area that must be worked out in the near future. The post Uber’s Self Driving Cars Are Running Red Lights, Uber’s Blaming “Human Error” appeared first on Futurism.
This New Vehicle Packs a Ton of Tech in a Very Small Package
Rinspeed's new vehicles are running the gamut of available technology by including autonomous capabilities, a HUD, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, AI, and so, so much more. These cars are packed with more bells and whistles that they may cause larger manufacturers to step up their game. The post This New Vehicle Packs a Ton of Tech in a Very Small Package appeared first on Futurism.
The Economy: "Funny Money Is Getting Funnier"
*"Funny Money Is Getting Funnier"* by Bill Bonner "Funny money is getting funnier and funnier. Our challenge is to figure out who the butt of the joke is. We have a brother who is a realtor in Virginia. This past weekend, he was busy entertaining a group of Chinese visitors. ‘What are the Chinese doing in rural Virginia?’ we wondered. The answer was in The New York Times. It was: ‘…part of an exodus of wealth outside the country, as people in China look to diversify at a time of worries about the slowing economy and the country’s growing political and social challenges. But China h... more »
Drone Video: Standing Rock Camp -- DAPL Desecrating Sacred Land Dec. 15, 2016
. Oceti Sakowin today. Screen capture from drone video by Myron Dewey Dakota Access Pipeline desecrating sacred land. Radio towers which could be jamming and interfering with water protectors cell service. Watch drone video below by Myron Dewey. Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 at 5 pm. Adjust volume on video to hear Myron Dewey's comments about areas.
A Load of Old Dick
2016 has proven awful for all kinds of reasons, but where things have actually gone well is in science. Among the many discoveries to have made the headlines this year, this little tiddler copped some media attention in recent days. A problem that has long befuddled students of primate biology is why all our cousins possess a baculum - a penis bone - and we, or at least half of us *homo sapiens*, haven't. And now there is a solution. Apparently. According to the original paper, 'Postcopulatory sexual selection influences baculum evolution in primates and carnivores' (here), the ab... more »
"The History of Climate Change- Empires Fall When Warming Turns to Cooling"
*"The History of Climate Change- * *Empires Fall When Warming Turns to Cooling"* by Martin Armstrong "Here is a chart of the real data for global cyclical trends in the energy output of the sun and CO2 levels. Look at this chart prior to the Minoan warming. There was a very cold period a bit longer than 8,000 years ago- the Ice Age. You see what I would call a slingshot move when the temperatures swung sharply to a record high over about 300 years, according to the ice core samples. Thereafter, we move into a bear market, oscillating trend to retest the low made 4700 years ago. Then... more »
Climate Tricks 57, Inability to disprove past global warming precedents
Whenever some people would insist on the anthropogenic or "man-made" global warming/climate change (CC), I ask these three questions. 1. Planet Earth is 4.6 billion years old, when was the time, what period, that there was NO climate change? 2. What was it like before this "man-made" warming/CC -- less rain, no rain, more rains? less flood, no flood, more floods? less snow, no snow, more snow? 3. Of the recent global warming from the mid-1800s to roughly the last decade, how much of it was man-made vs nature-made? 100-0? 80-20? 51-49? Please cite scientific sources for all your ans... more »
Nativities from around the world
I have loved Nativities since I was a little girl and have been collecting them for about as long. My family loves to bring them back for me from all over and I love putting each and every one out each season. Today I thought I would take you on a tour around the world with my collection. I am passionate about fair trade and if I am not buying directly from the Artisan for a fair price, I make sure to buy through a company that specializes in fair trade. It makes it even more special to know each of these helped someone support their family. This first nativity was purchased in... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 15, 2016
*New York Times*: *China Appears to Confirm It Has Militarized Disputed Spratly Islands* BEIJING — The Chinese government appeared to confirm on Thursday that it had begun placing antiaircraft guns and other defenses on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, despite earlier promises that it would not militarize the islands. Satellite images released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington this week showed “large antiaircraft guns and probable close-in weapons systems” on its outposts in the Spratlys. “As for necessary military facilitie... more »
Top Arab Journalist: Iran, Al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood Angered by Trump's Election
This Breitbart article http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/12/15/leading-arab-daily-trumps-picks-marks-first-time-washington-stands-up-to-terrorism-iran/ is fascinating. Here's an extract: '"We understand that Hillary Clinton's defeat in the elections angered the Muslim Brotherhood. What fueled the latter's anger was how Trump received Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in New York earlier this year," Rashed said in reference to Trump's September meeting with the Egyptian leader, which prompted the latter to declare he had "no doubt" the president-elect would make a stron... more »
No Offense To Dahlia Lithwick, But No One Needs Or Wants The Clintons Or Chuck Schumer To Lead Protests Against Trumpism
Dahlia Lithwick's OpEd in yesterday's *NY Times* Buck Up, Democrats, and Fight Like Republicans bemoans the absence of "top Democrats" in the earliest skirmishes with Trump and his illegitimate presidency. But maybe it isn't the worst thing in the world that the widely despised and completely compromised "top Democrats" are keeping a low profile. Let's face it, Chuck Schumer isn't exactly a figure grassroots Democrats are going to rally behind, especially not as he works with Trump to make things even worse for ordinary Americans. And few want to hear another peep out of the Clint... more »
Growing Signs That Russian Sanctions May End In The Coming Year
*Bloomberg:* *EU Fatigue Over Russia Sanctions Shows as Putin Reset Looms* * Leaders say no agreement to impose new penalties over Syria * Existing sanctions over Ukraine rolled over for six months European Union differences over Russia were exposed as leaders arrived for their last summit of the year, underlining the 28-nation bloc’s fatigue with a sanctions regime that is losing support globally. Even as EU leaders agreed to roll over economic penalties imposed on Russia over Ukraine, they sent divergent signals on whether to widen sanctions against the Kremlin in response to Rus... more »
U.S. Secretary of State Kerry Doesn't Buy The Anonymous Reports On The Russian Hacks Either
*NTK:* *Kerry Throws Doubt on Anonymous “Intelligence” Reports on Russian Hacks* On Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry appeared before reporters to deliver a statement on the crisis in Syria. After giving his statement, a reporter asked Kerry if he had any comment on reports that Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian hacks that might have influenced the presidential election. “Well, let me – look, I am not going to start making comments at this point. I haven’t commented on this publicly because of the job I do,” Kerry told the reporter. “I’m not going to comment on anonymous ... more »
Last Month Director of National Intelligence Clapper Claimed Wikileaks Connection With Russian Cyber Attacks Was Not Strong
*Washington Free Beacon*: *Clapper Claims WikiLeaks Connection With Russian Cyber Attacks Not Strong* Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told lawmakers last month that the U.S. intelligence community does not have strong evidence showing a connection between WikiLeaks document releases and Russian cyber attacks against American political networks during the 2016 election. Clapper testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 17 and said there is insufficient information available to show Moscow and WikiLeaks coordinating their activities. The intelligence... more »
U.S. Intel Agencies Have Rejected A Congressional Request For A Briefing On Reports That Russia Interfered In The U.S. Election
*The Hill:* *Intel agencies reject request for House committee briefing, citing larger probe* The Intelligence Community (IC) is refusing to provide the House Intelligence Committee with a requested Thursday briefing on Russian interference with the U.S. election, citing an ongoing review of the matter requested by President Obama. According to a statement, the IC will not be offering comment to Congress until it completes that review, which will cover foreign interference in the electoral process since 2008. "Once the review is complete in the coming weeks, the Intelligence Co... more »
Obama Stops Arms Shipment To Saudis As War Crimes Charges Loom
President Barack Obama blocked a sale of U.S. weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing concerns about Saudi war crimes in Yemen. The post Obama Stops Arms Shipment To Saudis As War Crimes Charges Loom appeared first on Shadowproof.
New Journal CFP: International Journal of Taiwan Studies
*Which commonly eaten green vegetable is this?* International Journal of Taiwan Studies (IJTS) Call for Papers An exciting new peer-reviewed academic journal on Taiwan studies, the International Journal of Taiwan Studies (IJTS), will be launched by Brill in March 2018. IJTS, cosponsored by Academia Sinica and the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS), aims to be a principal outlet for the dissemination of cutting-edge research on Taiwan. Once launched, IJTS will be published in March and September every year. It will offer a platform for theoretical debates and empirical an... more »
Question of the Day: But isn’t banning immigration is in my self-interest!
*Questioner: “What is your attitude towards open immigration and what is your attitude towards the effect it may have upon the standard of living in this country? And does not this require that the answer is that you are, uh, opposed to both—aren’t you asking a person to act against his own self-interest ...”?Ayn Rand: “You don’t [understand] my conception of self-interest. No one has the right to pursue his self-interest by law or by force, which is what you’re suggesting. You want to forbid immigration on grounds that it lowers your standard of living – which certain... more »
"Revealed: Who Gave Democratic Emails to Wikileaks"
*"Revealed: Who Gave Democratic Emails to Wikileaks"* by George Washington "While all of the mainstream media and anonymous CIA sources claim that Russia was behind the hacks of the emails from the Democratic National Committee and top Clinton aide John Podesta, the truth has been revealed to be completely different. By way of background, top American intelligence veterans say that it was a leak, not a hack. And see this. Even the head of U.S. intelligence- James Clapper- testified on Monday that the connection between Russia and Wikileaks is weak. And U.S. intelligence agencies ar... more »
In which we recommend a new heart and mind!
*THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016She comes from way down there:* As we mentioned a few weeks back, southwest Virginia coal country is so far southwest that you're out somewhere beyond Oklahoma by the time you finally get there. Long ago, we used to perform there, at the aptly-named Down the Shaft lounge in the Norton Holiday Inn. Just this afternoon, we're heartened to learn about a new voice who started out in that region. Her name is Sarah Jones. She's at The New Republic. We'll suggest that you start with this. This serves as the headline for the short piece: "Liberals should try... more »
Report: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Ordered His Military Chiefs To Write Apologies For Their Failures
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un allegedly ordered military chiefs to stay up all night writing apologies for their failures after getting drunk at his holiday villa *Daily Mail*: *Kim Jong-Drunk: North Korean leader 'ordered military chiefs to stay up all night writing apologies for their failures after getting boozed up at his holiday villa'* * The communist leader is said to have got drunk at his villa in September * After raging at elderly officials, he told them to stay up all night writing letters * When Kim woke up in the morning, he was perplexed as to why they were there *... more »
Veteran Thrown in Jail for Living Off-Grid — Officials Claim They’re ‘Just Doing Their Jobs’
[image: veteran]This veteran has caused no harm to anyone and has only been targeted by police for the sole fact that he chooses to live self-sufficient and off-grid.
Aleppo Propaganda Campaign Exposed — Rebel Activists Caught Posing as Civilians Under Siege
[image: aleppo]These 'civilians' pleading for US intervention in Aleppo are not who the media says they are -- they are lying through their teeth and America is buying it.
Last two finalists for Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize Could join forces to go to market
A bit of a mutual admiration society has developed between the two finalists in Qualcomm’s $10 million Tricorder XPRIZE competition. Whatever animus might have developed in the nearly half-decade since the contest was announced at CES 2012 has seemingly taken a back seat to an appreciation for what the other team has accomplished. Dynamical Biomarkers Group head Dr. Chung-Kang Peng casually mentioned that the two sides have discussed joining forces when it comes time to bring products to market. The XPrize foundation has already doled out around one million in milestone prizes, help... more »
"X22Report: The Fed Just Signaled the Collapse of the Economy, Brace for Impact"
"X22Report: The Fed Just Signaled the Collapse of the Economy, Brace for Impact" Get economic collapse news throughout the day visit http://x22report.com - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjhWXRjyhE0
China still acquiring Russian Su-35s as there are still things China needs to copy
Russia will provide to China the first batch of four Sukhoi-35 jets by December 25, 2016, a source within the system of military-technical cooperation with other countries told TASS. "The first four Sukhoi-35 are to fly over to China by December 25," the source said. Originally the deliveries were to begin as of next year, but eventually a decision was made to speed up the process and to provide the first batch in the last days of the outgoing year. The Sukhoi-35 is Russia's multirole highly maneuverable fighter (generation 4 ++) with a phased array antenna radar and thrust vectori... more »
United Nations: There Are Over 17000 Child Soldiers In South Sudan
On 26 October 2016, children associated with the Cobra faction wait to be demobilized in Pibor, South Sudan. A total of 145 children from the Cobra Faction and SPLA-IO were disarmed and released by the two armed groups. Photo: UNICEF/Charles Lomodong *UN News Centre*: *Number of children recruited into South Sudanese conflict passes 17,000 – UNICEF* 15 December 2016 – According to new figures released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some 1,300 children were recruited by armed forces and armed groups in 2016, bringing the total number of children used in conflict si... more »
Instant Pot Amazon Sale 12/15...
*thanks to Astroserf for the alert:* *Instant Pot on Amazon* *$79.00*
HERE'S THE BOOK I HOPE A FUTURE CIVILIZATION FINDS IN THE SMOKING RUINS OF OURS
The subscription-only newsletter PublishersLunch announces a forthcoming book: Creator of the Dilbert comic strip, NYT bestselling author, and inadvertent political pundit Scott Adams's THE MASTER PERSUADER, an analysis of why people follow some leaders and not others, to Portfolio, in a major deal.... Portfolio is an imprint of Penguin Books, which is part of the publishing giant Penguin Random House. PublishersLunch says this was "a major deal" -- which means Adams got an advance of at least half a million dollars. I don't know how many of you paid attention to what Adams wrote a... more »
UN: South Sudan On Brink Of Ethnic Civil War And Genocide
*DW*: *UN: South Sudan on 'brink of ethnic civil war'* The UN's human rights envoy for South Sudan has called for troops to be deployed in the African country. Ongoing violence is raising concerns about a looming genocide similar to the one in Rwanda. UN experts called for a strengthening of peacekeeping forces in South Sudan during a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, warning that the country was on the verge of slipping into further violence. Speaking before the council, Yasmin Sooka, the UN's chief human rights expert for South Sudan, said signs pointin... more »
U.S. Officials: Russian President Putin Personally Involved In DNC Hacks
*NBC News:* *U.S. Officials: Putin Personally Involved in U.S. Election Hack* U.S. intelligence officials now believe with "a high level of confidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin became personally involved in the covert Russian campaign to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, senior U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News. Two senior officials with direct access to the information say new intelligence shows that Putin personally directed how hacked material from Democrats was leaked and otherwise used. The intelligence came from diplomatic sources and spies w... more »
High-profile Science paper retracted for misconduct
Science has retracted a high-profile immunology paper after a probe concluded the corresponding author had committed misconduct. The paper — which initially caught media attention for suggesting a protein could help boost the immune system’s ability to fight off tumors — has been under a cloud of suspicion since last year, when the journal tagged […] The post High-profile Science paper retracted for misconduct appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Gardasil and DTaP vaccines top hit list
A bitter war of words is raging between the manufacturers of vaccine DTaP and whistleblowers over vaccines. Critics believe there is a causal link to autism and even death. The government’s own drug administrators are compelled to adopt guerrilla-style tactics to get suppressed information out into the public domain. In the late 1950s the world’s entire population was the same as China’s is now at 1.3 billion people. Autism was only identified in 1 in 80,000 children in the US. Today it is at 1 in 54 and the ratio is worsening rapidly every year as new figures are published. The p... more »
"Ding dong the Christmas Song..."
And this one...not the same song be equally poignant! (thank you Apple!) And who doesn't like really loud Japanese Taiko drums? This wonderful clip from Hawaii... And this last one for Ashtar Sherr-An! My how this song began a series of things.... the song that reached across the former dimensions... ♥
More progress
And from the things-we-probably-take-for-granted department, did you realise not one of these things even existed at the start of 2006: iPhone iPad Kindle 4G Uber Airbnb Android Oculus Spotify Nest Kickstarter Patreon Stripe Square Instagram Snapchat WhatsApp Twitter [Hat tip Vala Afshar] Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.
Greg Clark’s Not So Smart Energy
By Paul Homewood Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy In a speech at Energy UK on Nov 10th, Greg Clark claimed : By 2020 every home and small business will have had the offer of a new smart meter. In many cases they will be replacing […]
The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Continues: Alarming Report Shows Japan Has LOST The Fukushima Battle, And Meltdowns Are OUT OF CONTROL!
It indeed has been a while since I last reported on the STILL ongoing disaster at Fukushima Japan, where at least 3 of the 4 major nuclear reactors that went into meltdown (Thanks to the Israeli Stuxnet virus that ruined the reactors' safety systems) back in March 2011 are still spewing their toxic radioactive nucleotides into the Japanese countryside and worse; directly into the Pacific Ocean.... It is so shocking that the Jew spew media continues to NOT even talk about this still ongoing disaster for the entire planet, and to me that again shows them to be the 'fake news' that eve... more »
Assad Victory in Aleppo - Truth and Reconciliation - Canada should be involved
*Syrian President Dr. Bashar al Assad* *Congratulates the Syrian People on* *Victory over Foreign Backed Terrorists* *From Iran's PressTV* Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has offered felicitations to the Arab nation on the liberation of Aleppo city from foreign-backed militants amid an ongoing mission to take out the remaining armed men and civilians from the embattled northwestern city. In a video posted on the Syrian presidency’s official social media accounts, Assad said the “liberation” was “history in the making and worthy of more than the word ‘congratulations’.” According ... more »
What do They Know? CFR Just Deemed Russia-NATO as Top “Conflict” Risk of 2017
[image: nato]Foreign policy analysts just listed conflict between the US or a NATO nation and Russia as one of the biggest threats for 2017.
Much of the $2.5 Trillion in Corporate “Overseas Cash” Is Already in the U.S.
*How can you miss what never leaves town?* *by Gaius Publius* Coming out of the season of merry and bright we'll be coming into the full blast of news about "what Trump will do." One thing he's going to do is drastically lower taxes on the wealthy and on corporations. Another thing he'll do is declare a "tax holiday" on corporate profit that's (so-called) "held overseas", the (so-called) "unrepatriated" pile of cash that extremely favorable U.S. tax laws allow corporations to delay paying taxes on. To be fair, Clinton would likely have done the same thing — declare her own versio... more »
Environmental Opportunity In A Trump Presidency
Though environmental activists are aghast that Republicans now control the White House, the Senate and the House for the first time since the 1920s, at least a few have come to some self-awareness that non-stop lobbying against jobs and poor people, and for higher regulations and cost, are to blame for why their candidate lost. What they don't realize is that there is actually a great deal of opportunity for environmentalists during the Trump years. In most ways, he is a lot more like Democrats than he is like Republicans, they just need to stop being against everyone and everything... more »
First Ever Police Victim Memorial to be Erected in the U.S. and Cops are Furious
[image: memorial]San Francisco, CA — When police officers die while doing their job, the community comes out en masse to pay their respects. Roads are closed, miles-long processions fill the streets, and the entire community mourns the loss of life. However, when we compare that treatment to how a person who is killed by police is …
4 Things You Should Know About Depression and Spiritual Illness
*Dylan Charles* - The conversation about depression is incomplete without consideration of the spirit. The post 4 Things You Should Know About Depression and Spiritual Illness appeared first on Waking Times.
Beijing Issues Red Alert Over Severe Air Pollution
A red alert for air pollution has been issued in the Chinese capital for the first time this year as choking smog is expected to cover the city and surrounding areas in north China during the next five days. The red alert, the highest in the color-coded warning system, will come into force at 08:00 p.m. local time on Friday. Private cars will be ordered off the road, with an odd-even number plate system in force, according to a notice posted on the official website of the Beijing municipal government. Press TV reports: According to a notice posted on the official website of Beijing...more »
Renewal Of Iran Sanctions Becomes Law Without Obama’s Signature
In an unexpected reversal, President Obama declined to sign a renewal of existing sanctions against Iran but let it become law anyway, in an apparent bid to alleviate Tehran’s concerns that the U.S. is backsliding on the nuclear agreement. The White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama had decided to let it become law without his signature. Press TV reports: The US Senate passed a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) on December 1, sending the measure to the White House for Obama to sign into law. The House of Representatives voted 419 to 1 last month to reau... more »
It's a Victory
Veterans For Peace member Tarak Kauff from Woodstock, NY has been to Standing Rock in North Dakota three times. Here is an interview with him upon his most recent visit there earlier this month along with the couple thousand of other US military veterans. Tarak comes to Maine frequently and was arrested with the Zumwalt 12 here in Bath, Maine last June 18 when we blocked the entrance to the 'christening' ceremony for the latest Zumwalt 'stealth' destroyer at Bath Iron Works. Jury selection in the trial of the Zumwalt 12 will be January 5 in West Bath District Court.
Poland as New U.S. Agent in Eastern Europe
The US strategy to force regime change in Russia is becoming more obvious. Taking a look at the map one can see the strategic position of Poland - essentially a bridge between Europe and Russia. Former Stratfor CEO George Friedman has written: "Poland hasn't been a great power since the sixteenth century. But it once was-and, I think, will be again. Two factors make this possible. First will be the decline of Germany. Its economy is large and still growing, but it has lost the dynamism it has had for two centuries. In addition, its population is going to fall dramatically in the... more »
X-Zone Broadcast Network - Robert Sheaffer
This week we moved into the realm of skepticism with Robert Sheaffer who hosts www.debunker.com and www.BadUFOs.com where he offers solutions to many of what some believe are the best UFO sightings. We discussed a question that has bugged me for years which is why skeptics are quick to reject the alien solution for UFOs and equally quick to embrace the explanations without much in the way of questioning those solutions. For those interested in minutia, we discussed the radar and visual sightings over Washington, D.C. in 1952, Roswell (well, of course, with him asking me a question ... more »
Calico focused on trying to gain insight into biology of aging which has been disappointing to those who favor SENS style antiaging
Google's antiaging company Calico is building a Bell Labs of aging research. They hope to extend the human life span by coming up with a breakthrough as important, and as useful to humanity, as the transistor has been. Among Calico’s first hires was Cynthia Kenyon, now its vice president of aging research, who 20 years ago showed that altering a single DNA letter in a laboratory roundworm made it live six weeks instead of three. Google’s founders created an academic-biotech hybrid they call an R and D company to follow up on such clues, providing nearly unlimited funding to a group... more »
Journal pulls cancer paper that used others’ data; authors MIA
A journal has retracted a paper after a reader pointed out some of the data looked familiar — and the authors never responded to the allegations. According to the retraction notice in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine, the reader showed the journal that the histological data in two of the figures were from another published […] The post Journal pulls cancer paper that used others’ data; authors MIA appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Lucid motors reveals super luxury 1000 hp electric car which they will release in 2018
Lucid Motors has revealed details of its 1,000 horse power electric luxury car. The California-based company claims its first car, the Air, will have 400 miles of electric range and fast-charging batteries that can stand up to repeated charge cycles without degradation. The Batteries are supplied by Samsung. It will have a 100kWh battery, a 2.5-second 0-60 mph time and a target market date of 2018. The vehicle prototype was shown off today at a special unveiling event in Fremont, California. Lucid’s founding team includes CTO Peter Rawlinson, a former Tesla team member, as well as... more »
DRUM AND JONES—AND US: Thinking hard about fast food!
*THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016Part 4—Drum lists the ways we sneer:* On December 9, Matt Yglesias was thinking hard about fast food. Nothing he said was actually "wrong." But it led to a mindless debate. More precisely, Yglesias was thinking hard about the *politics* of fast food. More specifically, he was talking about the politics of fast food *in relation to those rude blokes, the white working class.* You see, Donald J. Trump had nominated a fast food baron to head the Department of Labor. To some sensibilities, this was the latest in a succession of nominations which have seeme... more »
Driverless Ubers in San Francisco? Yes. DMV Approval? No.
Uber launched its self-driving service in San Francisco last Tuesday, making it the second city in the world where Uber offers autonomous cars for public transportation. The next day, California government officials at the DMV said Uber didn't have the necessary permits to test its autonomous vehicle service. The post Driverless Ubers in San Francisco? Yes. DMV Approval? No. appeared first on Futurism.
John Derbyshire for Secretary of Education!: Extreme Times Call for Extreme Measures
In looking for a piece I seemed to remember in which John, a prolific internet presence, advocates abolishing public education, I came across his overall diagnosis of schooling in America, well worth reading and a marvel of concision and accuracy. … Continue reading →
On the Anniversary of Sitting Bull’s Death, Meet His Great Great Granddaughter, Brenda White Bull
Ayse Gursoz | Indigenous Rising Media Spencer Mann | Indigenous Rising Media On the Anniversary of Sitting Bull’s Death, Meet His Great Great Granddaughter, Brenda White Bull Brenda White Bull from indigenous rising on Vimeo. By Jade Begay Indigenous Rising Media On December 15, 1890, Chief Sitting Bull, known as Tatanka Iyotake was killed near Grand River in South Dakota.
Editor's Note
Blogging will return later today. As I have mentioned before, I am closing up on a number of projects. Blogging will at times be interrupted from now till Christmas.
L.A. National Security Reporter And Now AP Intelligence Reporter Cleared His Stories With The CIA
The CIA seal is displayed in the lobby of CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. (File Photo) *The Intercept:* *The CIA's Mop-Up Man: L.A. Times Reporter Cleared Stories With The Agency Before Publication* A prominent national security reporter for the Los Angeles Times routinely submitted drafts and detailed summaries of his stories to CIA press handlers prior to publication, according to documents obtained by The Intercept. Email exchanges between CIA public affairs officers and Ken Dilanian, now an Associated Press intelligence reporter who previously covered the CIA for the Times, ... more »
Havasupai at federal court to stop uranium mining in Grand Canyon
. Photo by Ian Zabarte, Western Shoshone, San Francisco Federal Court Today. Havasupai Delegation to Federal Court to Stop Uranium Mine. Photo by Ian Zabarte. Havasupai Nation and environmental groups are arguing before federal judges in San Francisco, California, to protect the Grand Canyon, sacred sites, and precious water from toxic uranium mining. By Klee Benally, Dine'
Mosul Campaign Day 59, Dec. 14, 2016
There was fierce fighting in eastern Mosul. The 9thDivision triedto recapture the Salam Hospital in the Wahda district in the southeast section of the city. It took the facility on December 6, but it turned out to be an ambush by the Islamic State and it was forced out. Reinforcementswere sent to back up the division as well. The 9th and 16thDivisions also attackedthe Quds and Karama sections, both of which have been declared freed multiple times. The Golden Division and units from the 16th Division were surroundingthe Sukar area. The Golden Division claimed it liberated that neigh... more »
WikiLeaks Operative Exposes Democrat Insiders as Source for Hacked DNC Docs — NOT RUSSIA
[image: leaks]Leaks of the DNC and John Podesta's emails weren't from 'The Russians,' but from a Dem Party insider, according to a source close to the information.
A Wikileaks 'Operative' Claims That The Clinton Emails Came From Sources Within The Democrat Party
*Daily Mail:* *Ex-British ambassador who is now a WikiLeaks operative claims Russia did NOT provide Clinton emails - they were handed over to him at a D.C. park by an intermediary for 'disgusted' Democratic whistleblowers* * Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan and associate of Julian Assange, told the Dailymail.com he flew to Washington, D.C. for emails * He claims he had a clandestine hand-off in a wooded area near American University with one of the email sources * The leakers' motivation was 'disgust at the corruption of the Clinton Foundation and the 'tilting... more »
The Dutch Want To Stop Financial And Military Aid To Ukraine
Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives at the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium October 21, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Vidal *Politico*: *Dutch aim to stop military and financial aid to Ukraine* Mark Rutte’s government reacts to rejection of Ukraine deal by the people. Ukraine will not get financial or military support from the EU, according to a proposal that the Dutch government wants to discuss with EU leaders at a summit on Thursday. The proposed agreement “reaffirms cooperation with Ukraine in the fields of security” but “it does not contain an obligation for the Union or its me... more »
How Should The U.S. Respond To Russia's Alleged Election Hacking?
*Eli Lake, Bloomberg*: *Obama Should Out Putin's Wealth as Payback for Election Hacking* Everyone except the next president seems to understand that Russia interfered in the U.S. election. It's not just the latest CIA assessments, or the earlier public statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security. Nor is it the fact that cyber-security experts in July had pinned the hacks of Democrats on bad actors in Moscow. As the Daily Beast reported Monday, even Russian officials are pretty much copping to the cybercrime of this yo... more »
Is Russian President Vladimir Putin Winning?
RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service. *David Filipov, Washington Post*:* Moscow has the world’s attention. For Putin, that’s a win.* MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin is winning. For now. The Russian leader is winning because the post-Cold War order he has railed against has been thrown into chaos, and the Kremlin’s fingerprints are widely seen to be all over it. A year ago, Russia faced a united Europe, an expanded NATO alliance, a paucity of geopolitical allies and the possibility of four more years of poor relations with the United States under a Hilla... more »
Tweet For Today
Look who’s sitting at the head of the table in Trump’s official meeting with tech CEO’s: Don Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump. pic.twitter.com/xUYo3QL0g7 — Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) December 14, 2016
Picture Of The Day
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *WNU Editor:* A video of yesterday's meeting is below.
The Syrian War To Free Itself From The Evil US/Israel/NATO Criminal Cabal: Updates On Present Situation, And Important Interview With Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad
The evacuation of the so called "terrorists" from what is left of the eastern Aleppo pocket is FINALLY taking place... After they were supposed to give up and allow themselves to be "evacuated" from the eastern Aleppo pocket, they suddenly reneged on the agreements to the "ceasefire" and restarted their hopeless resistance to the Syrian government forces... It became a debacle over the last few days, culminating in a vain night attack just last night to try to break through the forces surrounding the pocket... Now with no real hope in sight, these criminals are finally going to get ... more »
We’re not “citation police:” No more errata for omitted citations, says economics journal
An economics journal has corrected a paper for the second time for failing to cite previous studies — and said in a separate note that it no longer plans to publish similar errata, with rare exceptions. In September 2015, we reported on the first erratum for “Incentives for Creativity” — a paper that analyzed ways […] The post We’re not “citation police:” No more errata for omitted citations, says economics journal appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Graphic Video Shows Cops Use K9 to Torture Unarmed, Non-Violent Naked Man
[image: naked]A young businessman is left permanently disabled after police, without warning or justification forced their K9 to maul his naked body for nearly a minute.
BREAKING: All 10 Election Hacks Inside the US in Georgia Have Been Tracked to DHS — NOT RUSSIA
[image: DHS]Corporate Media is dead silent on the fact that DHS was just caught hacking the Georgia state election servers, not once, not twice, but ten times!
WPTPN: The Construction of a Chinese Hierarchic Order in the Global South
This World Politics in a Time of Populist Nationalism (WPTPN) guest post is written by Ahsan Butt, an Assistant Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. His book, Secession and Security: Explaining State Strategy against Separatists, will be published next year by Cornell University Press. The future of a U.S.-led […]
His Achilles Heel
Wesley Wark writes that Donald Trump should not ignore the reports about Russian cyber activity during the last election: The epicentre of concern over Russian cyber aggression, for the foreseeable future, is going to be the United States. The reason is that the issue has now become highly politicized, with Mr. Trump denying the validity of any claims about Russian electoral meddling and casting aspersions on the credibility of the Central Intelligence Agency, a throwback to Richard Nixon’s loathing of the CIA as a bunch of “clowns.” For Mr. Trump, allegations of Russian interfe... more »
Congressional Republicans Intend To Use Trump To Destroy Social Security-- Sam Johnson Has Already Introduced A Bill
*Will Trump let Sam Johnson and Paul Ryan gut Social Security?* Collin County, north of Dallas, is the 6th most populous county in Texas and all of the 3rd congressional district, represented by crackpot Republican Sam Johnson, lies within its boundaries. The congressional district is just over 60% white, about 15% Latino, 13% Asian and 8% Black. It's the 29th richest district in the country, with a median income of around $81,000. In Texas, the only richer county in the state is Ft Bend, one of Houston's sprawling suburban counties. Ft. Bend County, like Collin County, has been par... more »
AILES DEFENDER KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE MIGHT BE TRUMP'S PRESS SECRETARY
Politico reported this last night: Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle has emerged as a contender to be Donald Trump’s White House press secretary, and is expected to have a third meeting with his transition team this week, according to two sources familiar with the meetings. Guilfoyle, a host on Fox News’ “The Five,” was spotted last week at Trump Tower, where she had lunch with top staffers in the transition team. She did not personally meet with Trump, but she’s slated to return this week to the Fifth Avenue building where Trump has paraded his potential appointments. Here's the s... more »
Untitled
*Eat, pray, study: Holy Cross students learn the language of serenity* Prepping for college finals can be a pageant of miseries: staggering through the overheated library in search of study space. Scarfing animal crackers from the dorm vending machine at 2 a.m. Trying to sleep through the rager next door. But for the three dozen Holy Cross students who spent last weekend on an “Eat, Pray, Study” retreat at the college’s new contemplative center, the pre-exam period was positively restorative. Ensconced in the hilltop haven — more boutique hotel than monastery — they curled up in ar... more »
What Benefits Will Smart Meters Bring?
By Paul Homewood The UK Government wants energy suppliers to spend £11bn on installing smart meters up and down the country. According to their assessment, the benefits should outweigh the cost: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-meter-roll-out-gb-cost-benefit-analysis As Comms expert, Nick Hunn, showed last month, the government has underestimated costs by at least £1.6bn. But […]
Untitled
*Heatwaves in Australia: This natural killer just got deadlier (?)* *There is actually nothing new below -- just the tired old assertion that heatwaves are linked to global warming, the usual exaggerations and a big dash of prophecy. Bjorn Lomborg sets out well why extreme weather events can NOT be linked to temperature changes; The one degree temperature rise over a period of 100 years is trivial; That "15 of the 16 hottest years on record all took place in the past 15 years" omits to say that the years almost all differed only by hundredths of a degree, thus indicating a tempe... more »
Chinese activist Zheng Churan: 'Hey Trump, feminists are watching you" per BBC News
This nasty little BBC report http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38325121 is just another excuse for the BBC to stir up anti Trump sentiment. It begins thus: 'One of China's most prominent women's rights activists has written a letter warning US President-elect Donald Trump against "sexist behaviour". Zheng Churan says "feminists around the world are watching" Mr Trump for signs of "straight man cancer".' What the definition of straight man cancer is we are not informed. To my mind it's rather a sexist notion, that straight men are sick and need curing, although such cures p... more »
Untitled
*From Jenna Orkin* Questions for the Electors on Russian Hacking Dallas Police Resignations Soar As "Insolvent" Pension System Implodes House Passes Bill To "Microchip Citizens With 'Mental Disabilities'" - Who's Next? 'They've announced they are going to kill us all': Bombing resumes as Aleppo cease-fire falls apart 40 Electors Demand Russian Interference Briefing Before They Vote Arctic temperatures have hit levels that haven't been seen for thousands of years Google search results promote a lot of debunked conspiracy theories NASA just released an unprecedented 3-D map of heat-trapp... more »
IS militants 'hiding in plain sight', defence chief warns per BBC News
This BBC report http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38326238 does actually manage to mention, albeit as opinion not fact, that ISIS terrorists are masquerading as migrants in order to get into the UK. 'Islamic State militants are "moving in migrant flows, hiding in plain sight", the UK's defence staff chief has said. Sir Stuart Peach said he was "worried" about the global reach of IS militants who destroy their identity documents to travel illegally into other countries.' The BBC don't find the space to reveal to the British public that ISIS have stated that this is their objective and t... more »
‘Sepsis from a superbug nearly killed me’
The Bureau has a dedicated team investigating antibiotic resistance (AMR), which has become a global public health crisis. Earlier this week, we revealed the government’s estimate of 5,000 AMR-related deaths a year in the UK is based on guesswork, and at least … Continued The post ‘Sepsis from a superbug nearly killed me’ appeared first on The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
I approve the message of Aaronson's QM comic
Scott Aaronson is a nutcase when it comes to politically loaded issues. He wanted (and begged a psychiatrist) to chemically castrate himself because he was persuaded that males without castration are weapons of mass destruction (Lily Rebecca Aaronson, you've been very lucky). After Trump won, he joined a jihadist resistance movement – and his political state of the mind resembles that of Keith Olberman who is giving speeches like Hitler after a meltdown from the frequently recycled and parodied film. But I think that among the real-world people who are being marketed as experts ... more »
Will Trump Bring the Robot Apocalypse?
The future was supposed to bring prosperity and leisure to working people, not joblessness and misery. But that was before the money guys took over. http://ieet.org/archive/board-1445509_960_720.jpg
WikiLeaks: Seth Rich Leaked Clinton Emails, Not Russia
WikiLeaks have suggested that murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich leaked the Clinton and Podesta emails, and not Russian hackers as is widely reported. According to a new interview in the U.K.’s Daily mail newspaper, WikiLeaks say that U.S. intelligence reports suggesting that Russia interfered with the U.S. elections to help Donald Trump defeat Hillary are “absolutely wrong”. Alexanderhiggins.com reports: In the interview Wikileaks envoy Craig Murray and former British ambassador stated the he personally flew to the United States and was handed both the DNC emails and the Podesta emai... more »
Germany To Make ‘Fake News’ Punishable By Prison
Authorities in Germany may make it a criminal offence for websites to publish anything deemed to be ‘fake news’ – resulting in prison time for offenders. Following widespread reports that Russian hackers influenced the outcome of the U.S. elections, German MPs have called for ‘fake news’ campaigns to be made into a crime, citing fears that Russia will affect the German elections in a similar way. Investmentwatchblog.com reports: Patrick Sensburg, a senior MP in Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, said: “Targeted disinformation to destabilize a state should be a... more »
FBI Agents Prepare To Counter CIA Coup Against Trump. Watch the Marines
This story is coming by way of The Peoples Voice and it likely originates by way of conversations with known agents. That they are saying it at all suggests high confidence and it also conforms to a proper FBI response to the machinations been witnessed. Regardless, I have been concerned for some time simply because the losers have refused to stand down and are visibly moving heaven and earth to bribe a switch in the electoral college vote.. From this remove it is difficult to measure just how serious the threat is. Certainly the sore losers are floating cover lies starting wi... more »
Elijah the Inventor
These are stories that do need to be honored more and made part of the curriculum for every child as models of life achievement to aspire to. Without question, such stories inspired myself as I was growing up. That he was black and part of the first post slavery generation is important. The next four generations were actively suppressed by Jim Crow laws and by this example to the serious detriment of us all. Yet it is also true that very bright men and women did find their way forward simply by attracting financial support from the wealthy. It was a rare transaction leaving a... more »
First Study on Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Children Pulled from Web
How is it possible that this happens to be the first such study of its kind when it is certainly the first thing any promoter would run? That alone tells us that we are dealing from the get go with fraud of some sort and they went ahead anyway. It is just that all those folks then involved are now dead. We are talking about sixty years. Recent discovery that the carrier fluid included peanut oil and is implicated in the rash of peanut allergies alone informs. This is all science at its worst and obviously we need to bankrupt several huge corporations to get the message across... more »
Wild Screaming Giants
This item is a one off except that it is not. This is on the island of Oahu it is the one place which could retain an historic indigenous folk. what makes it plausible is that we have uncovered an historic population of giant humans contemporaneous with the all important European Bronze Age or better yet the global Atlantean trade empire. The means existed from 1159 BC through 2400 BC to deliver willing colonists used to living in primitive conditions. North American populations became extinct, i think as a result of first contact although there is plenty of evidence of earlie... more »
The Ethics of Crossing Humans with Animals
Harvard bioethics specialist Glenn Cohen considers the complex question of whether humans should mix their genetic material with other animals to create chimeras.
China mass producing fighter jets engines for the J11D fighter which is a copy of the Russian Su-35
Advances in China's jet engine designs have led to the launch of the J-11D, which is a home-grown version of the russian Su-35 China is ready to launch its new J-11D fighter after it failed to acquire Russian engines on schedule and was forced to develop its own technology, military observers said. The progress included advances in home-grown turbofan technology and radar systems, and showed that Beijing was no longer reliant on Russian engines for its new generation of fighters, analysts said. After a decade of negotiations, China and Russia inked a deal for 24 Su-35 aircraft last... more »
Why I am a Climate Denier
If you were to ask Barack, he'd confirm for you that he's the smartest man in the room. I think that what Barack's trying to say below is, "The weather is changing". He blames human activity alone. I suggest that the weather and the climate is far more complicated than that. There is an agenda at work when progs shout down anyone. What might that agenda be? The US spent $100 billion over the past 8 years to fight global warming. A lot of people got rich at taxpayer expense. Despite his rants, I think that he's wrong (again). Barack has been wrong about --- everything --- so consis... more »
China installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems on all seven major artificial south china sea islands
China appears to have built significant point-defense capabilities, in the form of large anti-aircraft guns and probable close-in weapons systems (CIWS), at each of its outposts in the Spratly Islands. AMTI began tracking the construction of identical, hexagon-shaped structures at Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi Reefs in June and July. It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at China’s smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron Reefs. China has installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile... more »
South Korea KSTAR tokamak operates in high plasma mode for a record of 70 seconds
The Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) tokamak-type nuclear fusion reactor has achieved a world record of 70 seconds in high-performance plasma operation, South Korea's National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI) has announced. The institute, based at Daejeon, 160 km south of Seoul, said a fully non-inductive operation mode - called a "high poloidal beta scenario" - has been used to achieve this long and steady state of operation using high-power neutral beam. It said various techniques, including a rotating 3D field, have been applied to alleviate the accumulate... more »
US Navy has Autonomous Swarmboats
Autonomous unmanned swarming boats were put through their paces in a recent demonstration in the lower Chesapeake Bay—with results that show dramatic new possibilities for autonomy in future naval missions. Using a unique combination of software, radar and other sensors, officials from the Office of Naval Research (ONR)—together with partners from industry, academia and other government organizations—were able to get a “swarm” of rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) and other small boats to collectively perform patrol missions autonomously, with only remote human supervision, rather ... more »
Arguments over DOE funding for HEP theorists
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is one of the agencies that provide American particle physicists with the research money – to cover salaries, postdocs, students, workshops, secretaries etc. Why are theoretical physicists – pure scientists – funded by a ministry whose name sounds so practical? Well, it goes back to the war and post-war era when physicists like that (including "truly theoretical" ones) have created the first nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants etc. The political establishment – including the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, respectively – conc... more »
DHS Found Guilty Of Faking Russian Hacking Attempts
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been caught posing as Russian agents and hacking into U.S. government computers. The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office say that 10 cyberattacks on its network were traced back to computer belonging to the DHS. Wsbtv.com reports: In an exclusive interview, a visibly frustrated Secretary of State Brian Kemp confirmed the attacks of different levels on his agency’s network over the last 10 months. He says they all traced back to DHS internet provider addresses. “We’re being told something that they think they have it figured out, yet n... more »
Bombshell: FBI Resume Clinton Foundation Investigation
The FBI have resumed their criminal investigation into the Clinton Foundation, following the election of Donald Trump. Agents at FBI headquarters have confirmed that their New York field office are to continue the probe into issues of corruption and money laundering connected to the Clintons. Dailycaller.com reports: “There were no instructions to shut it down, to discontinue or to stand down on the investigation, but to continue its work,” the former official told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview. He said he received this information about a week ago and that the ...more »
Life at City Colleges of Chicago as an Adjunct Professor.
*T*he City Colleges of Chicago treats adjunct faculty like full timers when it comes to workloads but pays us worse than a full time fast food worker in Chicago IL. I am the treasurer of this local of the IEA-NEA which covers seven campuses spread across the city of Chicago. Educationally City Colleges of Chicago can be compared to City University of New York (where this guy teaches Astronomy and Physics you know him .. Michio Kaku teaches at a community college.) The WTTW , the PBS TV station in Chicago, story shown in the video below is a bit misleading and I want to expand on ... more »
Scientists Find New Evidence For Life On Mars
NASA scientists have found brand new evidence of life on Mars in the form of a chemical element that is essential for DNA synthesis. According to a 14 December announcement at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, NASA’s Curiosity rover found the chemical element boron on the surface of the red planet – a chemical that is crucial in supporting life. Sputniknews.com reports: “No prior mission to Mars has found boron,” said Patrick Gasda, a researcher at the US Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. “If the boron that we found in calcium sulf... more »
Secret recording reveals Dakota Access Pipeline stalled until spring, investors worried
Photos by Rob Wilson Photos of Standing Rock Water Protectors Attacked by Militarized Police Protecting Private Pipeline Secret recording reveals Dakota Access Pipeline stalled until spring, investors worried Artilcle by Brenda Norrell Censored News Audio shared by Shaun King A secret recording of a meeting which appears to be Energy Transfer Partners, reveals the Chief
Trumping Taiwan Strait
Trump has already created a major distraction and challenge for the next United States Secretary of State, and has given us a clue that he doesn’t know how to implement his professed management style of "delegating." Trump accepted a congratulatory phone call from the President of Taiwan, and then doubled down by publicly suggesting he would use, as a bargaining chip, the United State’s "One-China" policy towards Taiwan and China. This policy, since being initiated by Nixon and Kissinger in 1972, has been gradually deepening, along with international marginalization of Taiwan’s cl... more »
New York Times Demands Ad Networks ‘Ban Independent Media’
New York Times CEO, Mark Thompson, has urged advertising networks to cease funding all forms of independent media outlets, claiming that they are guilty of spreading “fake news”. Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club, Mark Thompson urged advertising networks to starve all forms of alternative media and independent news websites of cash, thus causing them to disappear from the Internet altogether. “As for the digital giants, I believe they need to think hard about transparency and accountability. Their ad tech and ad networks help make fake news so lucrative – here too they need to ... more »
Why Resilient Humans Would Survive Giant Asteroid Impact - Even With Over 90% Of Species Extinct
This is something you hear said so often - that we risk being hit by an asteroid that could make humans extinct. But do we really? This is the article I’m commenting on, a recently breaking news story: Earth woefully unprepared for surprise comet or asteroid, Nasa scientist warns. Some are aleady worrying that it means that we are all due to die in the near future from an asteroid impact. Well, no, it doesn't mean that. So, what is the truth behind it? Well the source of all this is a comment by Dr Joseph Nuth who warns: read more
Musical Interlude: Ludovico Einaudi, “The Earth Prelude”
Ludovico Einaudi, “The Earth Prelude” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT27qHYXcjc
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Have you ever watched a lightning storm in awe? Join the crowd. Oddly, nobody knows exactly how lightning is produced. What is known is that charges slowly separate in some clouds causing rapid electrical discharges (lightning), but how electrical charges get separated in clouds remains a topic of much research. *Click image for larger size.* Lightning usually takes a jagged course, rapidly heating a thin column of air to about three times the surface temperature of the Sun. The resulting shock wave starts supersonically and decays into the loud sound known as thunder. Lightning bo... more »
Chet Raymo, "Probing The Soul”
*"Probing The Soul”* by Chet Raymo “More than three centuries ago, Pascal said: "Man considering himself is the great prodigy of nature. For he cannot conceive what his body is, even less what his spirit is, and least of all how body can be united with spirit." Pascal lived at the dawn of the scientific era, but his words still ring true. We have sent spacecraft to the planets. We have listened to signals from the dawn of time. We have unraveled the mystery of starlight. We can even conceive what the body is. But the deeper human mystery remains: What is the spirit, and how is it u... more »
The Poet: David Wagoner, "Getting There"
*"Getting There"* "You take a final step and, look, suddenly You're there. You've arrived At the one place all your drudgery was aimed for: This common ground Where you stretch out, pressing your cheek to sandstone. What did you want to be? You'll remember soon. You feel like tinder under a burning glass, A luminous point of change. The sky is pulsing against the cracked horizon, Holding it firm till the arrival of stars In time with your heartbeats. Like wind etching rock, you've made a lasting impression On the self you were, By having come all this way through all this welter Un... more »
"Do You?"
"Honor is simply the morality of superior men." - H. L. Mencken "He does not believe who does not live according to his belief." - Thomas Fuller Isn't it curious how so many, especially politicians, "talk the talk", and how so very, very few actually walk it? I suppose that's because words are cheap and easy, actions aren't. Real easy to run one's mouth, not so easy to actually *do* something, is it? - CP
"What is 'Occam's Razor?'''
"What is 'Occam's Razor?''' by Wikipedia “Occam's razor, also Ockham's razor, is a principle attributed to 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar, William of Ockham. The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. The principle is often expressed in Latin as the lex parsimoniae ("law of parsimony", "law of economy", or "law of succinctness"): entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, roughly tra... more »
Standing Rock Medic Passes of Heart Attack
Standing Rock Camp Medic Bert Allen “B.A.” Naholowa'a passes to Spirit World GREETINGS FROM THE NAHOLOWA'A OHANA On Thursday, December 8, Bert Allen “B.A.” Naholowa'a suffered a heart attack. He was outside of the gas station near the Prairie Knights Casino. He was there doing maintenance on his RV. He'd been in the area since roughly November 26th serving as a volunteer medic to
"How To Persuade Stubborn People"
*"How To Persuade Stubborn People"* by George Washington "As anyone who has tried to educate people with facts knows, it is very difficult to persuade stubborn people. New research sheds some light on this frustrating dynamic. As NPR noted in July: "New research suggests that misinformed people rarely change their minds when presented with the facts — and often become even more attached to their beliefs. A new body of research out of the University of Michigan suggests that's not what happens, that we base our opinions on beliefs and when presented with contradictory facts, we adhe... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Munich, Bayern, Germany. Thanks for stopping by!
"Your Basic Default..."
"It is not any crime you have committed that infects your soul with permanent guilt, it is none of your failures, errors or flaws, but the blank-out by which you attempt to evade them- it is not any sort of Original Sin or unknown prenatal deficiency, but the knowledge and fact of your basic default, of suspending your mind, of refusing to think. Fear and guilt are your chronic emotions, they are real and you do deserve them, but they don't come from the superficial reasons you invent to disguise their cause, not from your "selfishness," weakness or ignorance, but from a real and b...more »
Politics: "The Campaign Hallucinations Are Lifting”, "Scum Of The Earth"
*"The Campaign Hallucinations Are Lifting”* by Scott Adams "About half of the citizens of the United States think they elected a president who will “drain the swamp” in Washington DC and negotiate good trade deals for the public. But the other half believes they are living in 1930s Germany and the next Hitler just came to office. Those are very different movies, yet we all sit in the same theater at the same time. It’s trippy. As I often say, the human brain didn’t evolve to give us a clear understanding of our reality because we don’t need it to survive as a species. All we need ... more »
Populists Can Win In Rural America-- Too Bad The Democrats Insist On Running Corporatists
Aside from having pursued moderate suburban Republican women instead of working class Democrats, one of the reasons for why Hillary lost was widely believed to be the Democratic Party's abandonment of rural America which was almost entirely won by Trump and by Republican candidates for... well, for just about everything. We took a little stab at understanding that last month but an old friend, Jane Fleming Kleeb, who was just officially named the chair of Nebraska's Democratic Party on Saturday, did a much better job in explaining it in a post called Let’s Get Rural: Middle America... more »
Jackie Evancho to sing National Anthem at Inauguration...
*class and beauty. * After the horror of Beyonce destroying the song at the 2013 inauguration of Odumbo, Jackie will be a breath of fresh air. There are songs in which you don't mess with the way they were written. The National Anthem is one such song. Obviously, Beyonce doesn't know that. Are we witnessing the end of the "ghetto rappers in the White House?" I hope so! Royal Paragon Hall, Bangkok April 26th, 2015
How to spot (and not to spread) fake news
As anyone will know who’s ever been involved in a story that’s been turned into news, it’s what you hear in the media should generally always be divided by ten. But lately the recommended divisor has recently become very much larger – and readers are increasingly wary of fake news. News which should attract a negative sign and not just a large divisor. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to know who to trust. Here’s one tweeter’s handy guide: [image: MediaBias]*Updated chart by **Vanessa Otero**.* For the record, she’s a lawyer from Colorado; and you know how lawyers lie for... more »
Dec. 14: A very ugly day.
Eva Bartlett is a Canadian, freelance (independent) journalist who has served many years in the middle east. I don't know much about her career. I don't know what her biases may be. But I do know that much of what she says is true. The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, almost daily quoted in our news media, is a non-organization. It's fake. It's one man, a Syrian haberdasher living in England who favours ISIS and its friends. The so-called 'white helmets' who act as good samaritans rushing to the aid of those injured, notably in Aleppo, are actually propagandists who speci... more »
"How It Really Is"
Count your blessings, folks, while you can...
Debating "liberal humanitarian Zionist" on the battle for Aleppo
*Press TV Debate: Veterans Today Editor Kevin Barrett vs. Brent Budowski* Russia says Moscow and Washington are close to reaching an understanding over the crisis in Aleppo. The Western side is pushing for a ceasefire in eastern Aleppo just as Syrian troops are coming close to liberating the city. Kevin Barrett, author and Middle East expert from Madison, told Press TV on Thursday night that the US-led front and media are waging a propaganda campaign to force Syria to stop retaking eastern Aleppo. Barrett said since the United States needs to continue its proxy war in Syria, Washin... more »
Elon Musk on Trump advisory board and other Spacex news
1. President-elect Donald J. Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum has picked up Uber Technologies’ Travis Kalanick and SpaceX’s Elon Musk. The two appointees join a board headed by private equity titan Stephen Schwarzman, who heads the multi-billion-dollar private equity firm The Blackstone Group (it also was announced that Indra Nooyi, CEO and chair of PepsiCo, is joining the forum). Created by the President-elect earlier this month, the forum includes some of the biggest names in American business, including: GM head Mary Barra; Jamie Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of JP M... more »
U.S. Still Refuses To Say That The Syrian Peace Effort Has Failed
People walk as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail *AFP: **US refuses to say Syria peace effort failed* The United States refused to say its diplomatic efforts to end the war in Syria had failed Wednesday, as Secretary of State John Kerry spoke again with his Russian counterpart. The collapse of a Russian and Turkish-brokered bid to end the siege of a shrinking rebel-held pocket of Aleppo has underlined the disarray in efforts to end the conflict. But according to the State Department, Kerry intends to ... more »
Putin’s Puppets? How a Russian Information-Age Disinformation Campaign Trumped America’s
Russia captured the electoral college by manipulating information flow. Was the U.S. election an information-age coup?
Uber launches self driving cars in San Francisco
In September, Uber introduced the world’s first Self-Driving Ubers to the Steel City. Three months later, we’re bringing Volvo XC90s to San Francisco. They are incredibly excited to work with Volvo to pair our state-of-the-art self-driving technology with Volvo’s outstanding vehicle development and core safety capabilities. Uber rolled out its self-driving car fleet in its hometown of San Francisco, despite lacking the proper permit that state regulators say is required. Starting Wednesday, riders who request an UberX, one of the company’s budget ride options, may be matched wit... more »
Amazon has first commercial drone delivery on December 7, 2016
Amazon Prime Air is a delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using unmanned aerial vehicles, also called drones. Prime Air has great potential to enhance the services we already provide to millions of customers by providing rapid parcel delivery that will also increase the overall safety and efficiency of the transportation system. Amazon had their first commercial delivery on December 7, 2016 Amazon said a new private trial – also in the UK – will now deliver packages up to 2.3 kg in weight in 30 minutes or less using the dron... more »
Duck Retirement: what 7 years of blogging has given me
It’s time. I’m signing off as permanent member of the Duck of Minerva after seven (7!?!) years of blogging. The experience has helped shape me as a professional, writer, and member of the IR and online communities. I began blogging during my first nervous year as an academic and continued through to the current realisation that I’m […]
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 14, 2016
*Samer N Abboud, Al Jazeera:* *After Aleppo's fall: 'Nobody can claim victory'* A quick take on some of the key questions about what next for Syria's war. Aleppo is now under full control of the Syrian army and its allied forces. Syrians will live and fight the conflict in different ways for many generations to come. However, the battle over Aleppo will certainly be considered a major turning point in the trajectory of the crisis that began almost six years ago. Although the only certainty in this moment is uncertainty, Samer Abboud, an associate professor of international studie... more »
World News Briefs -- December 14, 2016 (Evening Edition)
*Reuters:* *Aleppo evacuation plan back on track to end years of fighting* An evacuation of rebel-held districts of Aleppo is back on track and expected to begin within hours, officials on both sides of the war said late on Wednesday, a retreat that would mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and end years of fighting. An initial deal that would have seen thousands of civilians and opposition fighters granted safe passage out of the city stalled on Wednesday and the planned exodus failed to materialize. Iran, one of Assad's main backers, had imposed new conditi... more »
Spam me once, shame on you. (Academic) spam me 3000 times…?
Every year, academics get thousands of spam emails inviting them to submit manuscripts or attend conferences — but don’t bother asking to “unsubscribe” for Christmas. Spoiler alert, for those of you planning to read the rest of this post: It doesn’t make much of a difference. That’s according to the conclusions of a study published […] The post Spam me once, shame on you. (Academic) spam me 3000 times…? appeared first on Retraction Watch.
Progress: The genuinely blessed news
[image: Norberg] Johan Norberg has been running a great series on Twitter (a Twitterseries?) to help promote his new book *Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future*. It’s stunning stuff. For instance, did you know … [image: Norberg1] Wow! Can we get a Hallelujah? Promoted with the handle #*progressadventcalendar*, this is the some of the most blessed news of progress he’s been posting (with the back-up data in his book): [image: Norberg4] This is not trivial. [image: Norberg2] Surprising, huh. [image: image] Solely due to rising prosperity making it possible. ... more »
“…florid excesses do not constitute good writing.”
From the *Herald’*s sports department of 1964: [image: Czq31n6UoAATkPh] .[Hat tip Matt Nippert] . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.
Pretty much all user data at Yahoo was hacked
Yahoo on Wednesday disclosed a breach that took place in August of 2013 which may have resulted in data associated with more than one billion user accounts being stolen. This new, 1-billion-account breach is separate from a 500-million-account breach the company disclosed in September. At the time, the 500-million-account breach was the largest on record. Nextbigfuture thinks if you ever had any user data at Yahoo then you can assume it has been in the hands of hackers since 2013. Yahoo disclosed in November that a law enforcement officials had given it data files showing what appe... more »
Understanding this Weekend’s Kurdish Terror Attacks in Turkey and the Wave of New McCarthyism
*Excerpting from a very good post done by Scott @ Willy Loman* *It covers much ground- pipelines/greater kurdistan and the many attacks on Turkey in 2016* *Understanding this Weekend’s Kurdish Terror Attacks in Turkey and the Wave of New McCarthyism* *The greatest threat to the well-being of the United States and the rest of humanity is the out of control and desperate post 9/11 “Capitalism’s Invisible Army” (CIA) armed with their proxy mercenary armies (Kurds and Kurd”ISIS”), “moderate” terrorists (Free Syrian Army), al-Qaeda off-shoots (al-Nusra) and seemingly endless piles of u... more »
Nvidia's $129000 170 TeraFlop minisupercomputer for Artificial Intelligence
Early customers of Nvidia’s DGX-1, which combines machine-learning software with eight of the chip maker’s highest-end graphics processing units (GPUs), say the system lets them train their analytical models faster, enables greater experimentation, and could facilitate breakthroughs in science, health care, and financial services. Data scientists have been leveraging GPUs to accelerate deep learning—an AI technique that mimics the way human brains process data—since 2012, but many say that current computing systems limit their work. Faster computers such as the DGX-1 promise to make... more »
Blessed news indeed!
As Mark Twain once reminded us, “No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.” And comes the news today that the legislature has now blessedly ended its session for the year. Hosanna! What a shame so many of their agents out there in the EPA, ACC, BSA, OIO, OFLC, OTS, TPK, MoBIE, ComCom, GCSB, NZCS, NZQA, OSH, OEC, Human Wrongs Commissariat and IRD won’t also be slumbering over the break. But Twain only pointed out the lack of safety *while* the legislature sits. He made no promises about its absence. . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com... more »
Trump behind revival of Birther Issue? Ain't Payback a B!tch?
*Barack Obama Birth Certificate* According to the blog We Are Change. a US Sheriff Joe Arpaio is going to hold a press conference tomorrow to update the public (actually it's a private press conference that will be "live streamed"). According to the report, there may be a revelation that the birth certificate proffered by Obama during the controversy, years ago now, was fraudulent. Here is the jist of the report and I will have my thoughts in comments to follow: Arpaio says he will provide an update and a final conclusion to the Barack Obama birth certificate investigation that h... more »
Microsoft: “Our Computer Vision Algorithms Have Surpassed Humans”
Microsoft is making some major strides in creating artificial intelligence (AI) with capabilities on par with human ability, or better. The company is collaborating with leaders in a variety of areas to work towards the democratization of AI, making for a future that will benefit all of humanity. The post Microsoft: “Our Computer Vision Algorithms Have Surpassed Humans” appeared first on Futurism.
U.S. Could Soon Require All Cars to “Talk” to Each Other to Avoid Crashes
A new U.S. rule will require cars to be able to communicate information such as speed, location, and direction to each other within a radius of about 300 meters. The integration of these technologies can help to reduce the severity of up to 80 percent of collisions not involving an impaired driver. The post U.S. Could Soon Require All Cars to “Talk” to Each Other to Avoid Crashes appeared first on Futurism.
New Indictment: Prosecutors Intensify Political Case Against Palestinian American Organizer Rasmea Odeh
A grand jury empaneled by the United States government returned a superseding indictment against Palestinian American organizer Rasmea Odeh that will allow prosecutors to further politicize their case and openly treat Odeh as a terrorist when she receives a new trial in 2017. Odeh is a 69 year-old associate director The post New Indictment: Prosecutors Intensify Political Case Against Palestinian American Organizer Rasmea Odeh appeared first on Shadowproof.
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