11:38 pm MST
Half Of The U.S. Defense Budget Goes To Operations
The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, taken from an airplane in January 2008. Wikipedia *Military Times:* *Report: Day-to-day operation costs eat up half of the defense budget* Operation and maintenance (O&M) costs ate up roughly $251 billion, or 50 percent of the U.S. defense budget, when overseas contingency operations (OCO) were accounted for in 2015, according to a report prepared by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). “Over the past few decades, funding for O&M has increased substantially, accounting for a growing share of DoD’s budget. Th... more »
Picture Of The Day
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress leads a formation of aircraft, including two Polish air force F-16 Fighting Falcons, four U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, two German Eurofighter Typhoons and four Swedish Gripens over the Baltic Sea, June 9, 2016. The formation was part of exercise BALTOPS 2016 *WNU Editor:* The above photo is from the following link .... *Swimming in shackles, jumping out of planes at 10,000 feet and launching rockets into space: Incredible pictures show a year in the life of USAF Airmen* (Daily Mail).
Security Preparations And Concerns For The Trump Inauguration
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)* *USA Today:* *Inauguration security focusing on truck attack threat, Homeland Security says* DULLES, Va. — Federal authorities overseeing the far-flung security plan for next week's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump are fortifying a perimeter around the Capitol to account for the threat of deadly truck attacks similar to recent assaults in Germany and France that left dozens dead. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday that while there were "no specific or credible threats'' targeting the inauguration events, security forces w... more »
Venezuela Holds Military Exercises While Condemning The U.S. For Extending Its National Emergency On The South American State
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (R) talks to Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez during a military drill in Charallave, Venezuela January 14, 2017. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS *DW:* *Venezuela holds military exercises as US extends 'national emergency' order* Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has overseen military exercises, claiming the country is under threat of invasion. The US has extended an executive order declaring a national emergency in the South American state. The exercises have involved more than 76,000 troops and half a million civili... more »
Not Everyone Hates The Republicans-- The Big Silicon Valley Firms Are Selling Out
You probably saw the new Gallup poll from yesterday showing how badly Trumpanzee is tanking with Americans watching his daily antics during the transition. Independents are sickened by him already and the majority of Americans disapprove of his transition efforts. Trump's 48% transition approval rating in December was already the lowest for any presidential transition Gallup has measured, starting with Bill Clinton's in 1992-1993. Trump's current rating only further separates him from his predecessors -- particularly Barack Obama, who earned 83% approval for his handling of the t... more »
Did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Take A Swipe At President-Elect Trump?
*CNN:* *Trudeau takes thinly veiled swipe at Trump* Washington (CNN)Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn't mince words Thursday in discussing how he viewed his relationship with the United States in the age of Donald Trump, issuing sharp criticism of the President-elect, though he did not mention his name. "Canadians expect their government to have a constructive working relationship with the incoming American administration, and that's exactly what we're going to do," Trudeau said during a town hall in Belleville, Ontario, in response to a question about how a Trump presid... more »
Negative News Reports On President-Elect Trump Has Not Impacted His Support Among His Base
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump poses for a photo after an interview with Reuters in his office in Trump Tower, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., May 17, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson *The Guardian:* *The Trump dossier doesn't faze his voters: 'I haven't been following that'* Supporters of the president-elect direct a similar ire toward media despite a week of sensational allegations and the reveleation of potential ties to Russia. After a week of scurrilous and sensational claims, the life-size cardboard cutouts of Donald Trump were, like the man... more »
Russia Repeatedly Invaded Poland; Belarus Lies Between Russia and Poland: Putin Needs to Update His Map; Pulaski and Kosciusko Live On in US-Polish Alliance!
Russia has invaded Poland in 1772, 1793, 1795, resulting in Poland’s elimination for 123 years. And again, in 1939 Russia … Continue reading →
A Trump - Putin Summit In Reykjavik
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin © Reuters *RT:* *Trump plans to hold summit with Putin in Reykjavik – report* US President-Elect Donald Trump has told British officials that he wants to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Reykjavik, Iceland, the Sunday Times reported. The meeting with Vladimir Putin is set to become Donald Trump’s first foreign trip, and the US leader will start working on an agreement limiting nuclear arms within a "reset" in US-Russian relations, according to the newspaper. Sources close to the Russian E... more »
Texas Water Protectors Lock Down On Heavy Machinery Halting Construction of Trans-Pecos Pipeline
Saturday January 14, 2016 Frankie Orona, Society of Native Nations Lori Glover, Big Bend Defense Coalition Two Texas Water Protectors Lock Down Onto Heavy Machinery Halting Construction of Trans-Pecos Pipeline For Several Hours Concerns raised about off-duty Presidio County Sheriffs working private security for pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners SHAFTER, TX - Two Texas Water
Musical Interlude: 2002, “Realms of Splendor”
2002, “Realms of Splendor” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7nsclNsW5Y
Quote of the Day: On helping the child
[image: Montessori] “We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit.” ~ Maria Montessori. [Hat tip Maria Montessori Education Foundation (MMEF|NZ) ] . Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Permission to republish is granted, with attribution.
Election results still got you down? Have you tried thinking about the quantity of shrimp consumed in Las Vegas? (Part 2)
*Part 2: Bring on the shrimp!* *That's right, it's about time we talked shrimp.* *"Since the election, I sometimes wake up at three or four in the morning, disturbed by dark thoughts, and when that happens I try my best to think of the surprising amount of shrimp consumed in Las Vegas every day. We all have our own way of dealing with this thing."* *-- Calvin Trillin, in "Counting Shrimp," in the Jan. 16* New Yorker *by Ken* Okay, it's time to talk shrimp. Last night we tried one way of dealing with the reality of that, you know, gentleman with the orange hair who is scheduled to ... more »
Corruption
Corruption is considered to be a global universal cultural trait. The United Nations Transparency International estimated the global corruption to the public at $1.4 Trillion per year. The Middle East and North African countries share was estimated at $400 billion per year. Egypt is ranked at the Transparency Scale 68 out of the 168 countries. I am not surprised at such ranking. The Egyptian press almost on a daily basis refers to corruption cases in both the public and the private sectors. Unfortunately, corruption takes place at all government levels. Former president ... more »
Obama’s Farewell Address: Touting the Legacy, Exposing the Truth
President Barrack Hussein Obama delivered his farewell address in Chicago on Tuesday night. *Honesty is not an Obama Virtue* Obama wasted no time uttering his trademark lies. In his third sentence he stated that his “conversations” with the American people “are what have kept me honest.” Honest? Are you kidding? This guy’s the sneakiest, most deceitful pathological psychopathof a lying president in US history. Two of his biggest whoppers out of the gate numbering in the thousandswill go down in infamy: After the damage inflicted on the world by the Bush-Cheney regime, Obama o... more »
CNN and BuzzFeed Run "Fake News" in Attempt to Damage Trump
[image: cnn-and-buzzfeed-run-fake-news-in-attempt-to-damage-trump] Donald Trump once enjoyed a fairly friendly relationship with the mainstream media. Then he ran for president. As a Republican. On an “America First” platform. The relationship soured quickly. As bad as Candidate Trump’s relationship with media was, President-elect Trump’s relationship with media is worse. It appears that some media organizations are willing to risk everything in an effort to bring him down.
The Ongoing Saga 77: News, Updates, Tidbits & Trivia
Most recent updates are on top, after image-intro commentary, so that routine readers will not have to scroll-down far. Time … Continue reading →
Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by Kate Tummarello (Action Alert)
Dandelion Salad by Kate Tummarello Electronic Frontier Foundation, Jan. 12, 2017 January 14, 2017 With mere days left before President-elect Donald Trump takes the White House, President Barack Obama’s administration just finalized rules to make it easier for the nation’s intelligence agencies to share unfiltered information about innocent people. New rules issued by the Obama […]
Chris Hedges: We Have To Grow Up + David Swanson: Anti-Russian US Establishment Willing To Risk Nuclear War
Dandelion Salad with Chris Hedges Redacted Tonight on Jan 13, 2017 Lee Camp kicks off the first Redacted Tonight VIP of 2017 with TWO interviews. Lee first talks with New York Times best-selling author Chris Hedges, host of On Contact and columnist for Truthdig. Hedges discusses how Deep State will play out in a Trump […]
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Clouds of stardust drift through this deep skyscape. The cosmic scene spans nearly 2 degrees across the Perseus molecular cloud some 850 light-years away. A triangle of dusty nebulae reflecting light from embedded stars is captured in the telescopic field of view. With a characteristic bluish color reflection nebula NGC 1333 is at left, vdB13 at bottom right, and rare yellowish reflection nebula vdB12 lies at the top. *Click image for larger size.* Stars are forming in the Perseus molecular cloud, though most are obscured at visible wavelengths by the pervasive dust. Still, hints of... more »
Predictive Linguistics: "Clif High, WUJO, January 2017"
*"Clif High, WUJO, January 2017" * Web Bot: Antarctica Ready to Give up Secrets the Elite Can’t Hide by SGT, SGT Report "Internet data mining expert Clif High uses what he calls “Predictive Linguistics,” to mine the Internet and collects billions of data points to produce forecasts of the future. Obama, Kerry and others recently went to Antarctica- why? Why is it being called "The Discovery"? Friends, time for a little woo. As web bot creator Clif High noted in his most recent wujo, below, our planet is undergoing major changes, including what Clif High believes is a pole shift. Cl... more »
Trump Fires Back at Intelligence Community
[image: trump-fires-back-at-intelligence-community] "It now turns out that the phony allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued," Trump tweeted Friday. "Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans — FAKE NEWS!"
ISIS Launches New assault on Deir al- Zour Syria- Flashback Inc
"Islamic State"* aka KurdISHIS* militants launched their biggest assault in a year on government-held areas of the contested city of Deir el-Zour Saturday, attacking from several fronts and triggering intense fighting in the eastern region bordering Iraq, the Syrian government and opposition activists said. Syrian state TV said three people were killed and nine were wounded in Islamic State rocket attacks on several neighborhoods of the city. Intense fighting broke out between Syrian troops and the extremist group’s fighters both inside the city and around the vicinity of a nearby m... more »
Untangling Theresa May's Attack on GPs
It's not like the perennially slow and ultra-cautious Theresa May to take a risk. After all, her plodding leadership makes Gordon Brown look like Flashman. But that is what she's doing with her attack on GPs in response to the NHS crisis. It seems rash as government confrontations with medical professionals never end well for said government, so it's worth pausing for a moment to consider what's going on. Is this panic stations by a PM desperate to wriggle off the NHS hook, or something more calculating? 1. Theresa May is lucky at the moment. Her image as a grown up, calm professio... more »
Oymyakon in Siberia: Coldest village on Earth where the temperature can hit -71.2C
One of the coldest places on earth, and the coldest area to be inhabited all year round is Oymyakon – the Pole of Cold. Inhabitants survive in an area where the temperature has reached -71,2 С. If you thought it was cold where you are at the moment then a visit to the Russian village of Oymyakon might just change your mind. With the average temperature for January standing at -50C, it is no wonder the village is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world. Known as the 'Pole of Cold', the coldest ever temperature recorded in Oymyakon was -71.2C. This is the lowest... more »
If You Invite YPG/PKK May As Well Have ISIS at Astana too!
*Cavusoglu speaks regarding US insistence for PKK/YPG at the peace table:* * "If you are going to invite a terror group to the table then you might as well invite Al Nusra and Daesh"* *"We do not deny the US role and contribution (to the talks), but we expect the following from the new US administration: It must stop co-operating with terror groups,*" he said. *"The current (US) administration is making serious mistakes," *he said. While *Washington* has played a key role in attempts to bring Syria's warring parties to the negotiating table in the past, it* has been notably absen... more »
Trump's "Sting Operation" Reveals Intel Leaks to Media
[image: trump-s-sting-operation-on-intelligence-community-has-merit] Is the intelligence community responsible for leaking the spurious “dossier” about Trump? To shed light on this question, Trump said he had a “meeting with intelligence” that he told no one about — “and immediately the word got out that I had a meeting.”
Angola Prisoner Retaliated Against For Speaking To Journalist Sues Prison Officials
An incarcerated man at the Angola Prison in Louisiana sued prison officials for throwing him in solitary confinement and denying him due process in retaliation for speaking to a journalist at the local Baton Rouge Advocate. William Kissinger, imprisoned at Angola for over 27 years, should be considered a “model prisoner” The post Angola Prisoner Retaliated Against For Speaking To Journalist Sues Prison Officials appeared first on Shadowproof.
Would You Go See The Monster Sworn In?
I'm surprised so few members of Congress have announced they won't be attending the day of infamy coming up known as a 3 Doors Down concert Trump's inauguration. What a monstrous thing to attend. The only excuse I can think of to go would be to cause a ruckus. Otherwise, it's better to stay away. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) had all announced they would be missing the festivities when John Lewis announced yesterday that he's not going either. Grijalva, on the floor of the House, to... more »
Chet Raymo, “Whence Ourselves?”
*“Whence Ourselves?”* by Chet Raymo “I recently thought of David S. Goodsell's "The Machinery of Life," and I found myself reading the book again. There is nothing I didn't already know, but it's worth reading again for the same reason one might read, say, Anna Karenina or Moby Dick several times in the course of a life. In fact, Goodsell's book would be a good candidate for the one science book I would recommend to someone stuck on a desert island. Step by step he takes us through the molecular machinery shared by all life on Earth. Humans have a lot more in common with a bacteriu... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Ft. Worth, Texas, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
“Biocentrism: 'Why Are You Here?'"
* "Why Are You Here?"* by Robert Lanza, M.D. "Why do you happen to be alive on this lush little planet with its warm sun and coconut trees? And at just the right time in the history of the universe? The surface of the molten earth has cooled, but it's not too cold. And it's not too hot; the sun hasn't expanded enough to melt the Earth's surface with its searing gas yet. Even setting aside the issue of being here and now, the probability of random physical laws and events leading to this point is less than 1 out of 100,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000... more »
"An End In Itself..."
"Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have had enough of it." - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. ○○○ *“Leavings”* “In time a man disappears from his lifelong fields, from the streams he has walked beside, from the woods where he sat and waited. Thinking of this, he seems to miss himself in those places as if always he has been there. But first he must disappear, and this he foresees with hope, with thanks. Let others come.” - Wendell Berry
"Free Downloads: Paulo Coelho"
*“Asking Questions”* by Paulo Coelho "Warriors of light always keep a certain gleam in their eyes. They are of this world, they are part of the lives of other people and they set out on their journey with no saddlebags and no sandals. They are often cowardly. They do not always make the right decisions. They suffer over the most trivial things, they have mean thoughts and sometimes believe they are incapable of growing. They frequently deem themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle. They are not always quite sure what they are doing here. They spend many sleepless nights, beli... more »
Midday Musical Interlude: 2002, “To Touch the Sky”
2002, “To Touch the Sky” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGXKqOX4Coo
James Quinn, "The Fourth Turning"
*“The Fourth Turning: * *The Shadow Of Crisis Has Not Passed, Part 1”* by James Quinn “Imagine some national (and probably global) volcanic eruption, initially flowing along channels of distress that were created during the Unraveling era and further widened by the catalyst. Trying to foresee where the eruption will go once it bursts free of the channels is like trying to predict the exact fault line of an earthquake. All you know in advance is something about the molten ingredients of the climax, which could include the following: • Economic distress, with public debt in default,... more »
"One Can Live..."
"One can live for years sometimes without living at all, and then all life comes crowding into one single hour." - Oscar Wilde
U.S. Must Investigate and Withdraw From UN “Education” Agency
[image: u-s-must-investigate-and-withdraw-from-un-education-agency] The United Nations “education” and “cultural” organization, as well as its controversial Communist Party boss Irina Bokova, are facing growing pressure over corruption, abuse, mismanagement, and other scandals. Several major donor governments including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Israel have recently been up in arms about the outfit, formally known as UNESCO. Meanwhile, insiders at the UN agency tell *The New American* that an external independent audit is needed to bring everything to light. A... more »
Obama Just Quietly Gave 16 Gov’t Agencies Access To The NSA Data on US Citizens
[image: obama nsa thumb]The Obama administration has quietly given the National Security Agency wider powers to share intercepted surveillance
Cop Charged With Felony Assault After Breaking into Bedroom, Repeatedly Tasing and Beating Victim
[image: sonoma cop thumb]The victim, a 37-year-old Marine veteran and former police officer, is still recovering from injuries sustained 3 months ago.
The World Has Spoken! Over 1 Million People Just Demanded Obama Pardon Snowden
[image: Snowden]Letter asking Obama to pardon Snowden gathered over 1 million signatures, but Snowden would rather the president grant clemency to another whistleblower.
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. - Dean Baker discusses some of the myths about the effects of corporate globalization - with particular attention to how our current trade and immigration structures are designed to provide easy profits for capital at the expense of labour around the world. And Jason Hickel reports on new research showing how the developed world (or at least its upper class) is extracting trillions of dollars from the countries which can least afford to lose them. - James Kwak comments on the massive gap between the effects of minimum-wage increases as th... more »
Science Fictional News & Announcements
The Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination has launched a new podcast series - Into the Impossible - with conversations bridging the arts, sciences, technology, medicine and more! Episode 1: Imagining the Impossible; Episode 2: Becoming a Galactic Wonder, Episode 3: The Hard Problem with Kim Stanley Robinson and Marina Abramović. NEWS: my submission - “Bargain” - *won the recent One Page Screenplay Contest! *The script was performed and posted online by the Los Angeles Feedback Film Festival, with the role of Ronald Reagan well-played by Peter Nelson. Nelson did a fine and fu... more »
Yellowstone National Park will slaughter 1,300 genetically unique wild bison
Yellowstone National Park has initiated wild bison capture operations in their Stephens Creek bison trap, and plans to send hundreds to slaughter in coming weeks. Yellowstone asserts that these actions are necessary to appease Montana’s livestock industry which claims wild bison pose a threat. Bison were recently bestowed with the honor of being designated as the United States’ National Mammal. “Bison were recently granted national mammal status by the U.S. Congress because they embody such monumental significance in this country, as a symbol of the wild, untamed land, as the true... more »
BREAKING: YOU Are Subsidizing Anti-Choice Fake Clinics
Canada has a feminist Prime Minister, a gender-balanced cabinet, and a promise from said PM to stand up for feminism and diversity against the rising tide of intolerance and repression to the south. So people would probably be surprised to learn that religious agencies whose sole purpose is to thwart the exercise of Canadians' right to reproductive choice get both direct and indirect government subsidies, yes? Well, it's true. And the numbers are pretty shocking. Following up on its study of the largely fraudulent online claims of Crisis Pregnancy Centres (CPCs) (or as they are mor... more »
Swansea Bay–The Tip Of The Iceberg
By Paul Homewood h/t Oldbrew & It Does Not Add Up http://www.cornwalllive.com/cornwall-dean-quarry-protesters-rally-ahead-of-fresh-legal-battle-against-swansea-bay-lagoon-project/story-29776331-detail/story.html While enviros are celebrating the likelihood that the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon will get the go ahead, across the other side of the Bristol Channel, residents are less happy, as Cornwall Live reported last October: Protesters fighting against the […]
It's All About the Priorities
While John Lewis was fighting a war in the 60's the closest Trump got to battle was fighting over the last chocolate brioche in a boardroom. — BasementDweller Zero (@jurassicpork59) January 14, 2017 What a piece of shit. Here's a guy who's about to assume the reins of power of the most prominent country of the Free World and he's *still *dickering with his critics on Twitter rather than attending classified intelligence briefings. Actually, no. Trump's not a piece of shit. Shit at least has some environmental uses, such as compost.
More on War and the US Deep State
I strongly recommend reading Greenwald's essay below: Glenn Greenwald. January 11, 2107,The Deep State Goes to War With President-Elect, Using Unverified Claims, as Democrats Cheer https://theintercept.com/2017/01/11/the-deep-state-goes-to-war-with-president-elect-using-unverified-claims-as-dems-cheer/ I find his analysis to be most persuasive.
Topsy-Turvy Duopoly
The fact that Donald Trump is a very dangerous man shouldn't distract us from the naked truth that corporate Democrats and their surrogates are trying their damnedest to overthrow his election by every slimy method at their disposal. By aligning themselves with the de facto fourth branch of government alternately known as the Deep State, the Surveillance State and the Intelligence Community, they're actually accomplishing the feat of attacking a right-wing demagogue from the very far right. You'd almost think that they were repudiating democracy (such as still even exists) itself. ... more »
Are rabid despicable libtards going to ruin the inauguration of duly elected president Trump?...
*they think they will.* They think wrong. Many sites are hysterically reporting that a slew of lefty freedom hating groups are *going to do their best to destroy the peaceful transfer of power. * One major faction plans an orderly but large demonstration along the parade route. But a more radical effort operating under the tagline “no peaceful transition” seeks to block major roads into the nation’s capital and prevent foot traffic from reaching security checkpoints along the route. “So, we’re going for what I’d generally term a clusterf--k,” says Legba Carrefour, a local anarchi... more »
Russia Bypassed President Obama To Invite The Trump Administration To Syrian Peace Talks
*TASS*:* Russia invites Trump’s administration for talks on Syria in Astana - US daily* *The negotiations at the issue are planned to be held in the capital of Kazakhstan later in the month with the participation of representatives from Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran* WASHINGTON, January 14. /TASS/. A transition team of US President-elect Donald Trump has been invited to Moscow-initiated negotiations on the Syrian conflict resolution, the Washington Post daily reported citing its anonymous source. The negotiations at the issue are planned to be held in Astana, the capital of Kaz... more »
When It Comes To Denying People Healthcare, The Republicans Are Moving The Ball Forward
Friday morning Mark Pocan (D-WI), on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, proposed an amendment to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from Paul Ryan. The amendment codifies what Trump promised over and over again on the campaign trail about not allowing the Republicans to cut Social Security or Medicare. Watch Trump's statement about it from April, 2015: And in March 2016, he was still campaigning against Paul Ryan and the House Republicans' plotting against Social Security. Trump is *very* specific here: But every single Republican without exception v... more »
Fukushima Update: "Your Radiation This Week: January 14, 2017"
*Publishing Note: *Due to Bob Nichol's other commitments the city-specific radiation reporting will now be published every 2 weeks until further notice. The next such report will be on January 28, 2017. I will update the weekly Hiroshima bomb equivalents information. This is to keep you as aware and informed as possible, not alarm you, though you should be alarmed, and is scientific *FACT*, not sensationalistic nonsense. Everything here is active-linked for your own verification, or not; I encourage you to do so. The radiation's not going anywhere, folks, but we are... - CP *"**Your ... more »
WSJ Report: Trump Open To Lifting Russian Sanctions And Not Being Committed To A 'One China Policy'
*ABC News*:* Donald Trump Suggests He's Open to Lifting Russian Sanctions, 'One China' Policy* President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that he is open to lifting the recently-imposed sanctions on Russia if Vladimir Putin assists the U.S. in its anti-terror initiatives and in other matters. But the sanctions, imposed by President Obama in late December in response to Russia's alleged attempts to influence the presidential election via cyberattacks, will remain for "at least for a period of time," Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday night. "If y... more »
UK Insurance Company Proposes Gender-Split Traffic Lanes for Social Justice
*Isaac Davis* - Will gender segregated roadways help solve society's problems? The post UK Insurance Company Proposes Gender-Split Traffic Lanes for Social Justice appeared first on Waking Times.
A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME ~ YOU'RE FIRED CNN!!
*To fully understand President-elect Donald Trump, you must watch Trump's favorite film, Citizen Kane ~ and realize that Trump sees the United States as one of his many companies or possessions. Trump will be just as willing to possess it or eventually discard it, if it fails to satisfy his monstrous authoritarian ego ~ like Citizen Kane, he will eventually self-implode from unlimited greed and will take his Empire down with him. But not before revealing the enormous money behind Trump in the hands of Robert and Rebecca Mercer whose massive political infrastructure saved ... more »
Mosul Campaign Day 89, Jan 13, 2017
The Iraqi forces (ISF) were moving forward on all three fronts in east Mosul on January 13. In the north, the army’s 15thand 16th Divisions freed Hadbaa and Mudraa. In the center, the Golden Division has split up into two branches. One has moved north and linked up with the army. It freedKafat 1 and attacked Kafat 2and the Mosul University. The Technical Institute, Technical College, and dormitories were all taken. To the south the Golden Division freedNassir and Rafaq, and seized the entrances to the Hurriya and Iron bridges. The ISF has now reachedthe three southernmost bridges a... more »
U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee To Investigate Possible Russia-Trump Links
*Politico*: *Intelligence Committee will investigate possible Russia-Trump links* The Senate panel could use subpoenas to secure testimony from Obama officials and the Trump team. Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said late Friday that his committee will investigate possible contacts between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, reversing himself one day after telling reporters that the issue would be outside of his panel’s ongoing probe into Moscow’s election-disruption efforts. Burr and the intelligence panel’s top Democrat, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, said in a ... more »
Is There 'Open Warfare' Between The Intelligence Agencies And President-Elect Trump?
*FOX News*: *Glenn Greenwald: Democrats hoping intelligence agencies will 'undermine and subvert' Trump presidency* Journalist Glenn Greenwald told Fox News Thursday that there is "obvious open warfare" between the intelligence community and President-elect Donald Trump, with Democrats "openly calling for and cheering for the intervention of the CIA." Greenwald spoke to "Tucker Carlson Tonight" regarding reports that Trump and President Barack Obama had been briefed about unverified allegations that Russian spies had collected compromising personal and financial information about... more »
Weekend reads: Citation cartels; less authorship credit for women; theft by peer reviewers
The week at Retraction Watch featured a discussion of whether peer reviewers should replicate experiments, and a look at whether social psychology really has a retraction problem. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: “As seductive as metrics are, however, they’re often fool’s gold.” Citation cartels: How some authors game the system. The latest from our co-founders in STAT. […] The post Weekend reads: Citation cartels; less authorship credit for women; theft by peer reviewers appeared first on Retraction Watch.
War Declared: The Intelligence Community v Trump
[image: war-declared-the-intelligence-community-v-trump] Do the U.S. intelligence community's actions rise to the level of “something that Nazi Germany would have done,” as Trump charges? And do those actions include not only fake intel against Trump but also giving him “fake briefings"?
More Details Emerge On The Former MI6 Spy Who Produced The Russian Dossier On President-Elect Trump
*Photo:* Former British spy Christopher Steele, seen here in 2015. The Cambridge Union via YouTube *The Independent:* *Former MI6 agent Christopher Steele's frustration as FBI sat on Donald Trump Russia file for months* Exclusive: Steele was so concerned by revelations he worked without payment after Trump's election victory in November. Christopher Steele, the former MI6 agent who investigated Donald Trump’s alleged Kremlin links, was so worried by what he was discovering that at the end he was working without pay, The Independent has learned. Mr Steele also decided to pass on in... more »
Untitled
*From Jenna Orkin*A Harvard business professor explains a legal form of 'insider trading' in America The BBC has set up a team devoted to debunking fake news Why Has The White House Suddenly Released A Strategy For Dealing With A Catastrophic Meteor Impact? Pandora just said it is laying off 7 percent of its workforce — and the stock is spiking In Bizarre "Takeover", Russia Today Broadcasts Live On C-SPAN Feed For 10 Minutes Financial Times Editorial Seeks Restrictions On Free Speech To Stop False News "Propaganda War" Leading French Presidential Candidate Le Pen Spotted At Tru... more »
JOHN LEWIS'S CONSTITUENTS ARE INVISIBLE TO WHITE AMERICA
Yesterday John Lewis talked to NBC's Chuck Todd about the way Donald Trump was elected: Asked whether he would try to forge a relationship with the president-elect, Lewis said that he believes in forgiveness, but added, "it's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president." When pressed to explain why, he cited allegations of Russian hacks during the campaign that led to the release of internal documents from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign co-chairman, John Podesta. This morning, as you probably know, Trump ... more »
Rare George Michael Video Resurrected After His Death Shows He Opposed the War Before it Was Cool
[image: michael]George Michael (late) speaks out against the second Gulf War against Iraq in a previously suppressed music video and BBC interview.
Top U.S. Democrat Congressman: 'I Don’t See Trump As A Legitimate President'
*NBC*: *I Don’t See Trump as a Legitimate President* In an exclusive interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press," Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., said he does not believe Donald Trump is a "legitimate president," citing Russian interference in last year's election. Asked whether he would try to forge a relationship with the president-elect, Lewis said that he believes in forgiveness, but added, "it's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president." When pressed to explain why, he cited allegations of Russian hacks during the campaign that led to the ... more »
The Corporate Education Reform Poster State
Since Lamar Alexander served as Governor in the 1980s, Tennessee has been at the forefront of corporate education reform. Tennessee was in the first wave of states to initiate mandatory student competency on standardized tests in order to get a diploma, and it was one of the first to ram down a career ladder program that ended up disproportionately rewarding teachers who worked in the whitest and leafiest suburbs. Alexander's focus on shiny new things in education earned him the title of Education Governor, while allowing the state to shrink the proportion of funding going to educa... more »
After Leaking Radiation in New York For DECADES, Indian Point ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ to Finally Close
[image: nuclear]Highly controversial Indian Point nuclear power plant — located just 25 miles from New York City — will shut down entirely by the spring of 2021.
Sunny Ways Don't Work With Him
Justin Trudeau is encountering a lot of blowback these days. His cash for access troubles have him in hot water. And his announcement yesterday that the oil sands will have to be phased out will be met with cold fury in Alberta. But these are nothing compared to the blizzard that's blowing in from Washington. Michael Harris writes: Forget about Trudeau’s domestic adversaries — his most deadly political foe is a real estate mogul and part-time president of the United States. As Trudeau fares against Trump on a handful of key policy areas, so his government will rise or fall. That... more »
Friendly advice
Given that *Dateline London *has a large global audience, surely it's now incumbent on its producers to include at least one pro-Trump US commentator among its cast of regulars from now on? It's no good* just* having Trump-hating US liberals like Michael Goldfarb and Jef McAllister and *no *Americans whatsoever sympathetic to the incoming US administration. Otherwise, it's just going to be a Trump-bashing echo chamber every week for the next four years - and fun as some people will find that prospect, it's hardly giving BBC viewers a representative range of world opinions. Peo... more »
Tweet For Today
1978 v 2009 pic.twitter.com/UoHNcMa0D3 — Only In Russia (@CrazyinRussia) January 14, 2017 *WNU Editor*: Sighhh .... I must confess .... this was my first car 40 years ago (the Lada for those who may not know).
Picture Of The Day
Lance Cpl. Zach King, left, and Cpl. Derick Sammonek, assaultmen with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, brace themselves as an 60mm mortar exits the tube of an M224 mortar system as part of sustainment training during Exercise Eager Lion, May 15, 2016. Exercise Eager Lion 2016 is a bilateral, scenario based exercise with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the U.S., designed to exchange military expertise and improve interoperability among partner nations.Sgt. Paris Capers/US Marine Corps *WNU Editor*: The above pic is from here .... *12 gorgeous photos of the US Marine Corps in ... more »
ThunderSnow
Over to Channel 4 News and this tweet from a disgruntled Jon Snow: I think it's fair to say that the Twitter response hasn't exactly gone his way. Most have pointed out that Donald Trump isn't even in the White House yet and that, consequently, presidential responsibility for Mr Snow's distressing inconvenience lies with a certain Barack Obama. Naturally, some have also accused the Channel 4 News anchor of 'fake news'. Meanwhile, back at the BBC, this morning's *From Our Own Correspondent *had a dispatch from the United States and you will surely never in a million years guess wha... more »
IEET Affiliate Scholar Steve Fuller @ University of Birmingham
IEET affiliate scholar Steve Fuller recently spoke on ‘Transhumanism and the Future of Capitalism’ to the Centre for Contemporary Philosophy of Technology at the University of Birmingham, UK. The video of the talk, including the Q&A, may be found here
Weekly Wrap: Happy News Year!
By Dan Olmsted The world is turning right in front of us and connections we never saw coming are being remade and rewired on a daily basis. While it is too early to get either elated or dejected by current...
Señor Trumpanzee Has Plans For The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-- No More Protection For Consumers
This was an exciting week. Trump hasn't even been sworn in yet, but the Republicans and the conservative Dems who back their reactionary agenda are already moving rapidly in Congress towards the reactionary policies they stand for. Most of the ink has been going towards Republican Party plans to re-do-- or at least wreck-- the healthcare system. But the Republicans have big plans to destroy consumer and societal protections in terms of Wall Street as well. As we mentioned the yesterday, they have already begun moving to dismember and eliminate chunks of Dodd-Frank, giving the Wall ... more »
Update from Okinawa
*Photo taken last night after our dinner at a community center near US Marine base where twin-runways are going to be built over pristine Oura Bay which will destroy endangered dugong mammals (relatives of manatees) and coral reefs.* *Yesterday morning three of us from Veterans For Peace walked onto Kadena AFB with our banner that says No US Bases on Okinawa. We were quickly pushed back by security.* *We joined the daily blockade this morning of the construction entrance to US Marine base Camp Schwab for two hours* *This morning after joining protests at US Marine base Camp Schw... more »
Untitled
*School uniforms are sexist? Oh, please* *By Jane Fynes-Clinton (The fine Clinton is one of Australia's many excellent conservative women journalists. As in Jennifer Oriel, Grace Collier, Miranda Devine, Rita Panahi, Janet Albrechtsen, Judith Sloan, Caroline Overington, Corrine Barraclough etc. Eat your heart out, feminists)* An academic from Queensland University of Technology this week hurled the first of the school preparation grenades, contending that school uniform requirement should no longer be split along gender lines. The focus in the school uniform discussion should b... more »
Untitled
*School uniforms are sexist? Oh, please* *By Jane Fynes-Clinton (The fine Clinton is one of Australia's many excellent conservative women journalists. As in Jennifer Oriel, Grace Collier, Miranda Devine, Rita Panahi, Janet Albrechtsen, Judith Sloan, Caroline Overington, Corrine Barraclough etc. Eat your heart out, feminists)* An academic from Queensland University of Technology this week hurled the first of the school preparation grenades, contending that school uniform requirement should no longer be split along gender lines. The focus in the school uniform discussion should b... more »
Rape Victim Jailed For a Month, Treated Like a Prisoner To Force Her To Testify in Court
[image: jail]To ensure their key witness would stick around for the trial, an innocent rape victim was thrown in a jail cell for a month by prosecutors.
Untitled
*Trump meets with Princeton scientist who called ‘global warming’ fears ‘pure belief disguised as science’* President-Elect Donald Trump met with prominent Princeton University physics professor Dr. Will Happer, an outspoken climate skeptic, on Friday in New York. Happer, who has authored 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers, has testified to the U.S. Senate that the Earth is currently in a ‘CO2 ‘famine.’ Happer explained to Congress in 2009: ”Warming and increased CO2 will be good for mankind…’CO2 is not a pollutant and it is not a poison and we should not corrupt the English lan... more »
Natl Survey Shows Most Cops Want Pot Legal — But They’ll Keep Arresting You Because It’s Their Job
[image: legal]More than 60% of cops surveyed want cannabis to be legal in some form. However, their job requires them to kidnap and cage people for it.
What will Trump do? + Links
*A small shrine tucked away in a field* NYTimes reports that Taiwan moves to shore up its central american friends, but the really ominous thing wasn't the possibility that they might bolt, but what happened in Nigeria, where Beijing forced the Taiwan office to move, is far more dangerous. Diplomatic allies are not as important as the everyday engagement Taiwan has with nations all over the world. This week, another move showed that even countries without diplomatic ties to Taiwan could still isolate it further.* On Wednesday, Nigeria ordered Taiwan to move a representative office ... more »
The world doesn’t need more nuclear weapons
Today nine nations collectively control more than 15,000 nuclear weapons, each hundreds of times more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We don’t need more nuclear weapons; we need a new generation to face the unfinished challenge of disarmament started decades ago. Nuclear reformer Erika Gregory calls on today’s rising leaders — those born in a time without Cold War fears and duck-and-cover training — to pursue an ambitious goal: ridding the world of nuclear weapons by 2045.
GPs urged to commit to seven day service or lose funding per BBC News
The BBC are outraged http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38620935 over the Conservative government's extending GP hours. Remind me which government reduced doctors hours whilst not reducing pay, Tony Blair's spend, spend, spend Labour government wasn't it?
Healthcare and Healthcare Ethics in the Trump Era
Hi. I am Art Caplan from the Division of Medical Ethics at the New York University Langone School of Medicine in Manhattan. We have a newly elected president, Donald J. Trump. He will be making many changes to the policies of the Obama years. What will his election mean for healthcare? What will it mean for ethical issues that come up in the context of healthcare?
BBC still pro-China, just not as bad
*Motorcycle gangs, Taiwan style* Here is BBC's response to my complaint on this hugely pro-China backgrounder over a year ago. Despite the changes, the piece remains powerfully pro-China and studded with errors. For example, the TRA doesn't obligate the US to sell weapons or do anything else, as Chris Nelson explained these many years ago. But you can hardly expect a non-specialist to understand the arcanity of Taiwan in US politics. And although they have corrected some of the factual errors, the powerful pro-China slant remains. I guess the "C" in BBC stands for "China".... Dear... more »
Thoughts - The Mexican Drug Trade
When I report on the murder rate in Tijuana exceeding 700 (reported) in 2016, and the murder rate in Juarez at 528, you need to balance that against 768 murders in Chicago during the same period From January-December 2016. America (land of the free, home of the brave) needs to keep all this in perspective. There are differences between the Mexican Border and the City of Chicago, but it's mostly in semantics. Huge profits and little value placed on human life leads to trouble no matter where you are. Let's outline how the drug business works. Each significant city along the US-Mex... more »
Princeton climate realist Happer meets Trump
The media reported that Will Happer, a wise Princeton physicist and climate skeptic whom I have exchanged a couple of nontrivial e-mails with, has visited the Trump Tower in New York and met Donald Trump. Google News. I guess that Happer's background is sufficiently different from Trump's but I think it's vital for the soon-to-be U.S. president to keep some interaction with scholars like Happer. If you're not familiar with Happer, you should listen to this 31-minute 5-weeks-old interview. He's an important guy in a coalition of friends of CO2 (I've never memorized the exact name, ... more »
Taiwan News #8: So much KMT.... =UPDATE WITH MORE AWESOMENESS=
*Ants tending aphids. They've curved several leaves around, and parked the aphids inside.* My latest piece in Taiwan News is on the KMT Chairmanship election and its latest developments. The KMT Chairmanship election heated up with both former Taipei Mayor Hau Long-bin and former Vice President Wu Den-yih challenging current KMT Chair Hung Hsiu-chu for her seat in the May 20 election. This trio was immediately parodied by Taiwan netizens as Hau-Wu-Chu (好無助), a homonym for "hopeless." Wu, a practiced politician, delivered an Oscar-worthy press conference, a Noh play of traditional ... more »
Donald Trump is Facing Seriously Short Odds to be Impeached in his first term as President
Really? What are these folks thinking? He has a serious majority in Congress and a majority in the Senate as well who have zero interest in any such thing. Better yet he has the finest legal minds available to assist him in implementation and avoiding serious conflicts of interest. Even better all the dirty tricks were pulled by the Dems this time as far as election politics are concerned. No traction there that does not backfire. Even better he has no need to skate fast and loose in order to preserve a personal project and even if a real need arose, his sons are easily able to ... more »
US Major General Claims That A Missile Hit the Pentagon on 9/11, Not An Airplane
We return again to the 9/11 event. Here professional eyeballs establish that we are surely missing an airplane out of the four hijacked. The whole story line totally stinks as more and more items fall out. The strategy is clear. produce a managed Pearl Harbor to allow a assault on the Middle East that opens the door to knocking over Iraq. That part has not gone so well. A complete open investigation is called for and all perps need to be outed. I suspect the Trump may well take this on and i would not be surprised if he does tear down and completely rebui... more »
Titanic Sank due to Enormous Uncontrollable Fire, not Iceberg, Experts Claim
This unfortunately makes a great deal of sense. Coal fires were common enough and the first line of defense is to cut of access to air. Then it is wise to introduce a little water to produce steam if you have a way to vent the bunker. Otherwise you produce coking coal and an explosive gas. It appears that this was not possible and simply sealing it in allowed them also to keep it quiet. So they did The steam would knock the temperature down and possibly put the fire out after a while but would demand heavy and very public venting. I think that the ship was running to New Y... more »
Alphabet labeled “Creek” appears to be Uchee or Bronze Age letters
[image: Alphabet labeled “Creek” appears to be Uchee or Bronze Age letters] The Bronze age saw a proliferation of useful scripts and writing methods often unique to even small polities. The special innovation of The Greek alphabet revolutionized the whole process and allowed a hugely enhanced system of communication. Yet that arose at the end of the Bronze Age and the collapse likely sped the adoption of the useful Greek system. Thus we have snippets of script but a lack of a general system when one should exist. After all we had worldwide commerce. Most likely the saili... more »
Newsnight's Exam 2017
Brexit-related reports and interviews on *Newsnight *during the EU referendum featured a sharp disparity between the number of pro-Leave and pro-Remain guests, despite the BBC's official referendum guidelines. *ITBB*'s own stats (all workings shown!) revealed that the imbalance ended up with around 53% of the interviewees being pro-Remain, 36% pro-Leave and 11% either undecided, neutral or hard to place. What about now? Looking back at all the episodes of *Newsnight *since the start of 2017, several have included sections on Brexit. Have they shown more balance? Well, here are ... more »
For the sake of balance...
Of course, for Corbynista critics of BBC bias this past week's *Newsnight *has mainly been notable for the use, on Tuesday's edition of the programme, of the following photoshopped image: They were *not *happy at all about the implied comparison between Mr Corbyn and Mr Trump and the mocking mock-up shown throughout the programme's opening section. As most of us are very unlikely to follow Corbynistas on Twitter, this is the kind of thing they regularly share and 'like' (and guess who its main target is!):
A quick clarification
Emily had a 'clarification' to read out at the end of last night's *Newsnight*. In case you missed it, here's a transcript: Now, a quick clarification before we go tonight. On Tuesday we ran an item about the ethics of studios featuring dead actors in movies through the miracle of CGI. In it we said Disney was negotiating with Carrie Fisher's estate about using her image in future *Star Wars * productions. Got the wrong end of the stick. Although there *have *been reports that Disney was considering using CGI to include Fisher in a future production, the studio says "Disney is *... more »
Helping universities combat depression with mobile technology
Jingbo Meng, Assistant Professor of Communication, Michigan State University at Science + Technology – The Conversation - 1 day ago
A smartphone could help people fight depression. Woman with phone via shutterstock.com Depression is the leading mental health issue on college campuses in the U.S. In 2015, a survey of more than 90,000 students at 108 American colleges and universities found that during the previous year, more than one-third of them had felt so depressed at some point that it was difficult to function. More than two-thirds had felt hopeless in the preceding academic year. Today’s college students are dealing with depression at an alarmingly high rate, and are increasingly seeking help from on-camp... more »
Obama's legacy in science, technology and innovation
Jonathan Coopersmith, Professor of History, Texas A&M University at Science + Technology – The Conversation - 1 day ago
As the old aphorism says, it’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. Assessing the legacy of Barack Obama will be easier in a few decades when we can see the long-term consequences of his presidential decisions and initiatives. An immediate analysis of his science and technology policies, however, reveals significant accomplishments in the promotion of science and technology, education, space exploitation, clean energy, climate change and the environment. While major endeavors like the Precision Medicine Initiative and Paris climate agreement received the hea... more »
A Handful Of Democrats Are On Board With The GOP To Repeal Dodd Frank
The Republicans have gotten down to brass tacks in terms of dismembering and repealing pieces of Dodd Frank. Thursday they passed two bad bills, Ann Wagner's SEC Regulatory Accountability Act, which passed 243-184, and Michael Conaway's Commodity End-User Relief Act, which passed 239-182. The Republicans got help from a small handful of Democrats who are generally seen as Wall Street allies on each bill-- and populist Walter Jones (R-NC) voted with the Democrats against each. The SEC Regulatory Accountability Act will require the SEC to review the costs of rules and justify the be... more »
Lockheed Martin CEO Meets Trump And Tells Him The Cost Of The F-35 Will Be ‘Significantly’ Lower
*Washington Post*: *Lockheed Martin CEO tells Trump the cost of F-35 will be ‘significantly’ lower* Emerging from a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Friday, Lockheed Martin chief executive Marillyn Hewson told reporters that the Bethesda, Md.-based defense giant is close to a new contract deal that would cut the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and also create jobs. “We had the opportunity to talk to [Trump] about the F-35 program, and I certainly share his views that we need to get the best capability to our men and women in un... more »
Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Four Out of Five Americans Consider Russia A threat
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a video link, dedicated to the start of natural gas supplying from mainland Russia to Crimea, in Moscow, Russia, December 27, 2016. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS *Reuters:* *After 2016 campaign, more Americans consider Russia a threat: Reuters/Ipsos poll* Americans are more concerned than they were before the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign began about the potential threat Russia poses to the country, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Friday. The Jan. 9-12 survey found that 82 percent of American adu... more »
The Elephant in the Room - LOVE - Its all Changing on Earth
By American Kabuki I received some data earlier in the week regarding the choices of some of the Earth "controllers", from Loie, galactics and another source. The choice they made kind of stunned me. One would presume even the most difficult ones would act in their best interests, *yet they did not.* Its not often I am surprised but I felt that way this week. They have been removed from the planet and archived in Source. They won't be back here. Ever. All that brought up an interesting emotion in me, not exactly sadness, but close, more a *"it didn't have to g... more »
NOT EXACTLY AN EVENING AT THE IMPROV, DEMOCRATS
The Rude Pundit is wondering what's wrong with the Democrats: In just the last day, we've had it revealed that Trump's incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn, a batshit insane actual leaker of classified material, had been in phone contact with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. just before President Obama ejected 35 Russians in response to the DNC hacking. And then today, House members had an intelligence briefing with FBI Director James Comey and others, and the Democrats left the meeting feeling angry and openly hostile about what they'd been told. This is not to mention P... more »
Musical Interlude: 2002, "We Meet Again"
2002, "We Meet Again" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viyhI-RDoPI
"A Look to the Heavens"
“Where do stars form? Many times, stars form in energetic regions where gas and dark dust are pushed around in chaotic mayhem. Pictured, bright massive stars near the center of W5, the Soul Nebula, are exploding and emitting ionizing light and energetic winds. The outward-moving light and gas push away and evaporate much surrounding gas and dust, but leave pillars of gas behind dense protective knots. Inside these knots, though, stars also form. *Click image for larger size.* The featured image highlights the inner sanctum of W5, an arena spanning about 1,000 light years that is rich... more »
Chet Raymo, “Seeing”
* “Seeing”* by Chet Raymo “Elizabeth Bishop has a poem about a sandpiper, a tiny shore bird scurrying forward and reverse with the lick and ebb of the tide. It was not the sandpiper I thought of today as I walked the beach, but the sand with which the Bishop's bird is seemingly obsessed. The last two lines of the poem: "The millions of grains are black, white, tan, and gray, mixed with quartz grains, rose and amethyst." Everyone sees the sandpiper. Who could not? Those fluttering feet. The delicate engine of its controlled frenzy. But who sees what the sandpiper sees, the g... more »
"What Is Reason?"
"What is reason? Knowledge informed by sympathy, intelligence in the arms of love." - Edward Abbey
The Psychology of Soft Slavery
*Gary ‘Z’ McGee* - The citizen living in the era of soft slavery should question both their comfort and their security. The post The Psychology of Soft Slavery appeared first on Waking Times.
China And Russia Agree To Deploy Countermeasures' Against U.S. THAAD Deployment On The Korean Peninsula
*Reuters*: *China, Russia agree on more 'countermeasures' against U.S. anti-missile system: Xinhua* China and Russia have agreed to take further unspecified "countermeasures" in response to a U.S. plan to deploy an anti-missile system in South Korea, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday. The countermeasures "will be aimed at safeguarding interests of China and Russia and the strategic balance in the region", Xinhua said, citing a statement released after a China-Russia security meeting. China and Russia held a joint anti-missile drill last May after Washington and Seoul be... more »
White House Justifies Chelsea Manning’s Possible Commutation
President Barack Obama’s administration has yet to indicate whether it will commute United State Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s sentence to time served, but on January 13, it gave the clearest hint yet that a commutation is a distinct possibility. White House Press Secretary Joshua Earnest was asked about Manning and The post White House Justifies Chelsea Manning’s Possible Commutation appeared first on Shadowproof.
Election results still got you down? Have you tried thinking about the quantity of shrimp consumed in Las Vegas? (Part 1)
*Part 1: You've already tried the Google Chromekittens-replacement trick, right?* [*Click to enlarge.*] *by Ken* You've probably noticed the apparent disconnect between the two questions in the post title: "Election results still got you down?" and "Have you tried thinking about the quantity of shrimp consumed in Las Vegas?" Well, the disconnect is the whole point. In a *New Yorker* "Shouts and Murmurs" piece, Calvin Trillin is hoping that the second question will help divert a person -- himself, for example -- from the nagging first question. Let's first go back to that first p... more »
BWorld 104, Top 10 positive news in Asian trade
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last January 04, 2017. Global trade has significantly slowed down in 2015 which is ironic because it was the start of significant oil price declines. After recovering from the 2009-2010 global financial turmoil that started in the US, global exports reached $18.3 trillion in 2011, $19.0 trillion in 2014, but declined to $16.5 trillion in 2015. Nonetheless, there are some good news in Asian trade which battled this global trend in export decline. Below is my list of these positive developments. 1 China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and the Philippines d... more »
Tonight's Movie Is 'Then There Were Three'
Plot summary from *Moviefone*: During World War II, a Nazi officer hunts through Allied territory for members of the Italian underground.
Energy 89, DOE not concurring with PH's Paris agreement, good
Some PH Senators declared that the Senate will ratify the Paris Agreement of more expensive, unstable electricity "to save the planet" even if the DOE did not concur with it. Portion of the report said, *"32 of the 33 agencies having already submitted their certificates of concurrence to Malacañang."* (Phl to ratify Paris climate pact in July, Philippine Star, January 10, 2017) The agency or department that did not concur with the PH (actually CCC) commitment to the Paris Agreement is the DOE, thanks Sec. Cusi. *“In the Cabinet, officially I have the only department that has not co... more »
900 Year Drought Reversed with New Water Desalination Technology
*Christina Sarich* - The era of water desalinization is upon us. The post 900 Year Drought Reversed with New Water Desalination Technology appeared first on Waking Times.
Volkswagen: A Dirty Old Company in More Ways Than One
June 1940 Deutsches Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive), Bild 101I-129-0480-25 by Boesig, Heinz CC-BY-SA Diesel engines can be run on clean … Continue reading →
Nuclear Engineer Says All Nuclear Reactors Should Be Shut Down Yesterday; Unfortunately that is Only the Beginning: Dismantled Reactors and Other Radioactive Waste Must Still Go Someplace
Overlay the size of the Chernobyl exclusion zone with rough location of Indian Point Nuclear Power Station and Trump Tower … Continue reading →
Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 13, 2017
© AFP 2016/ SAUL LOEB *John McLaughlin, OZY:* *Why We Need Intelligence Officers More Than Ever* Finally, the president-elect has acknowledged what U.S. intelligence agencies have long declared all but certain — that Russia tried to manipulate the U.S. election. Perhaps not surprisingly, he also disparaged the agencies in nearly the same breath, accusing them of “leaking” a 35-page set of allegations about his alleged illicit relations with the Russians. It was an apt capstone to a strange, weeks-long episode, during which the president-elect seemed to be at war with the very int... more »
Yet more "Fake News": ISIS Destroys Mosul Bridges? What's CNN Saying Here?
"ISIS destroys Mosul bridges as troops advance" *Yes, that is the CNN headline. Except it's not correct. * *Unless CNN is telling us that ISIS is the US? Which is the truth. * *But, is that really what CNN is going for? Doubtful. * * First paragraph of this fake news from CNN..* * "ISIS has destroyed all five bridges crossing the Tigris River in Mosul, an attempt to slow the advance of Iraqi troops toward the western side of the city, according to Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, the commander of Iraqi Forces in Nineveh province"* *ISIS didn't destroy all five bridges crossing t... more »
Musical interlude
HAIM - If I Could Change Your Mind
“The Worst Thing Russia Ever Did to America”
*“The Worst Thing Russia Ever Did to America”* by Brian Maher "We are going to do the worst thing we can do to you,” wagged Russian political scientist Georgi Arbatov, with purring relish, just as the Soviet Union was set to breathe its last. “We are going to take your enemy away from you." A superpower needs an enemy as a cop needs robbers… the Church needs sinners… or a commie needs capitalists. How else does it justify itself? The Soviets heaved the towel over the ropes on Christmas Day 1991. For the next decade, America was undisputed heavyweight champ of the world. Its fleets... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina. Thanks for stopping by!
"With Optimism..."
"With optimism, you look upon the sunny side of things. People say, 'Studs, you're an optimist.' I never said I was an optimist. I have hope because what's the alternative to hope? Despair? If you have despair, you might as well put your head in the oven." - Studs Terkel
Goodbye to Tristram
It was nice for Stoke-on-Trent to make the news for something other than footy and the BNP. Less nice that it was *my constituency party* and *my MP* at the centre of it. Yes, as the world and its uncle now knows, Tristram Hunt is resigning the Stoke-on-Trent Central seat to take up the leadership of the Victoria & Albert in London. He can now spend more time with his young family, and it's a role he's temperamentally and culturally suited to. This then is going to be the first of two posts - the second will look at Stoke-on-Trent Central, the state of the local party, potential ca... more »
World News Briefs -- January 13, 2017 (Evening Edition)
*Reuters*:* Iraqi forces make rapid gains against Islamic State in Mosul* Iraqi special forces stormed a sprawling university complex in northeast Mosul on Friday and pushed Islamic State back in nearby areas to reach two more bridges across the Tigris River, the military said. The militants were fighting back at Mosul University, which they seized when they took over the city in 2014. A Reuters reporter saw heavy clashes inside the campus. Iraqi forces have now recaptured most districts in eastern Mosul, nearly three months into a U.S.-backed offensive, which accelerated at the t... more »
Water Protectors in Florida delivered a powerful love message to pipeline workers
Water Protectors in Florida wrote a letter to the Sabal Trail Pipeline workers and delivered their message in person with love in their hearts. "The Sabal Trail Pipeline and all other major fossil fuel pipelines must be stopped. But that does not mean that we lose our compassion for our fellow human beings." said Water protectors. Dear Brothers and Sisters, We know you are hard at work today to support your families. It is not our intention to take your jobs away, or disrupt your lives. We know what it means to work hard. Many of left our jobs and our families to prioritize in pr... more »
Obama Announces End of “Wet Foot/Dry Foot” Policy for Cuban Refugees
[image: obama-announces-end-of-wet-foot-dry-foot-policy-for-cuban-refugees] In a statement posted on the White House website on January 12, President Obama announced the ending of the “wet-foot/dry foot” policy, which allowed Cuban refugees who set foot on U.S. soil to be granted asylum and legal residency.
X-Zone Broadcast Network - Colonel Charles Halt
Colonel Charles Halt The guest this week was Charles Halt who was the senior officer present for one of the nights of the UFO events in Rendlesham Forest near Bentwaters. We talked about those events, the affect they had on some of those who were involved and Halt’s belief that some sort of disinformation campaign and some sort of intense debriefings were held, including the use of chemicals. He confirmed the statement, “"I believe the objects that I saw at close quarter were extraterrestrial in origin and that the security services of both the United States and the United Kingdom h... more »
Israeli Report: US Intel Sources Are Warning Israel To Not Share Secrets With The Trump Administration
*YNet News:* *US intel sources warn Israel against sharing secrets with Trump administration* Israeli intelligence officials fear that top-secret information that has been exposed to the United States will be leaked to Russia—and from Russia to its close ally, Iran. Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration as the next president of the United States is causing Israeli intelligence officials to lose sleep as well. Discussions held in closed forums recently raised fears of a leakage of Israeli intelligence top-classified information, clandestine modus oprandi and sources, which have bee... more »
The Mail’s Misleading Claim About Swansea Bay
By Paul Homewood http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4115474/Britain-s-getting-ready-rule-waves-Tidal-lagoons-project-deliver-30-electricity.html The Daily Mail has its own take on the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon. Most of the article just rehashes the points made on other outlets, which mostly seem to have come from Hendry’s report and the Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) website. Intriguingly though, the Mail offers a vision of […]
Will The Republicans Replace The Affordable Care Act With Putincare?
Last night-- late last night-- the Senate began the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act by approving, 51-48, a budget blueprint that would allow them-- using a tactic called "reconciliation"-- to gut the health care law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster. Every Democrat voted against it-- even the worst conservatives-- and with the exception of Rand Paul, every Republ;I can voted for it, including fake moderates like Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dean Heller (R-NV). The GOP claims it has a mandate even though they lost seats in both houses of ... more »
Paul Craig Roberts and I have parallel back grounds, beginning with having both spent 9 years of our lives as students at quality universities. He is only one year younger than me, and our four-year universities were both technical. Then we split, with PCR taking up economy while I took physics. Some people who spend 8 or 9 years in universities promptly take up cushy positions rather than continuing advancing their respective studies. Conversely, PCR and I both used our 9-year university “stepping stones” to advance our respective fields: PCR (among other things) become one of Ronald Reagan’s top economists and an editor of the Wall Street Journal, while and I (among other things) advanced the field of glassy materials …and after 50 years in the lab (including finishing some of my work without pay post 2001) I won last year’s the top prize of the Glass and Optical Materials Division of the American Ceramic Society. Among about 270 attendees listening to my prize lecture on May 23, 2017, there were surely some of whom provided his/her justifications for that prize. So, winning this was truly a big deal. Now returning to the turn of the century, PCR gave up all the jobs that were providing him a good cash flows in order to spend full time to inform the American people of the evil is being done to them by their President, Representatives, and particularly the CIA. About the same time, I exited the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, after 33 years working there …partially because my management began requiring me (against my position description) to work on projects of military/industrial complex (commonly needed because of their stupid mistakes) instead of allowing me to continue advancing science. (N.B. I actually raised $666,000 from external entities in that decade …about enough for my salary but nowwhere near enough to cover my salary plus overhead). Long story short, besides continuing to publish scientific publications at my own expense, I have been following PCR ever since the turning of the century. Thus, I have routinely learned many, many things that the lying “mainstream media” never admits to …particularly when the subject is Russia, which the “powers that be” falsely vilify. (N.B., some of my best friends are Russian scientists.) Finally, back to PCR. In my estimation, the short essay below is totally correct, and perhaps PCR’s best ever. Please read it and send it to your friends.
------------------------------ *Ten Aircraft Carriers Aligned in a Row Paul Craig Roberts* ------------------------------ January 12, 2017 Ten Aircraft Carriers Aligned in a Row Paul Craig Roberts Readers have asked me why 10 of 11 US aircraft carriers are lined up in a row in dock allegedly for maintenance. It reminds them of the battleships at Pearl Harbor. Readers ask if this could be an indication that the Deep State is planning a false flag attack on the carriers, as was carried out on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in order to get the US at war with the independ... more »
Exxon Mobil Pipeline Oil Spill Mayflower Arkansas Cleanup Settlement – Trump Sec. of State Nominee T Rex Tillerson @ Work
“Oil flowed through the neighborhood, contaminating homes and yards, before entering a nearby creek, wetlands and a cove of Lake … Continue reading →
Video of Cops Beating this Man Was So Bad, All the Officers Were Fired
[image: beating]Video has been released of a police beating, and what it shows is so horrific, it proves why all three were fired.
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