Pale Moon START Page - MSM USA Canada My Feedly! 1 of 2 2 of 2
Cryptogon/Contrary Brin My Yahoo! 1 of 2 2 of 2 iG Portal Home and News 1 of 2
iG Portal Home and News 2-of-2 iG Portal Tab 2
Tab 3
From Opera
i G Portal Old 1 of 2
2 of 2
11:34 pm MST
Cryptogon/Contrary Brin My Yahoo! 1 of 2 2 of 2 iG Portal Home and News 1 of 2
iG Portal Home and News 2-of-2 iG Portal Tab 2
Tab 3
From Opera
i G Portal Old 1 of 2
2 of 2
11:34 pm MST
Monday Morning Links
Assorted content to start your year.
- Noah Smith notes that private monopolies may be as bad for workers as
they are for consumers, as a lack of alternative employers results in
near-total power for corporate behemoths:
(I)n addition to monopolies, we need to think about local monopsonies --
cases where there’s only one employer, or a few employers, in town. A
company doesn’t need to be nationally big in order to be locally dominant
-- it could be a Wal-Mart branch, but it could just as easily be an
independent lumber mill, coal mine or dairy farm.
If a locally dominant employer l... more »
This is America so you could not close out 2017 without yet another mass shooting. This one cost the life of a Colorado police officer.
Douglas County Coroner confirms shooting suspect in #CopperCanyonOIS as
Matthew Riehl DOB 9/09/80 (pictured). Investigation still ongoing and being
investigated by @DA18th Critical Response Team. pic.twitter.com/H6wT0klSQv
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) January 1, 2018
Courtesy of the LA Times:
*In a year racked by mass shootings, including the deadliest in U.S.
history, a spasm of violence here on the last day of 2017 added one more to
the grim tally. *
*Four Douglas Country sheriff's deputies responding to a noise complaint
were ambushed by a gunman who sprayed them with more than 10... more »
‘Eat Boy! Eat!’: Taxpayers Shell Out $175K After Cop ‘Fed’ Man to His K9
[image: k9]Taxpayers of Broward County were just held accountable for the
vicious actions of two of their officers who forced a K9 to 'eat' two young
men.
Damning Report Shows Pentagon is Actively Poisoning Millions of Americans and Covering It Up
[image: poisoning]The Pentagon has recklessly contaminated more than 40,000
sites across the United States, exposing hundreds of thousands of Americans
to deadly chemicals
Current Treatment Options For Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is one of the common urological disorders with
at least 50% incident rate amongst men aged 50 years and above. The
pathological condition is linked to poor quality of life and leads to
urinary problems and urinary … Continue reading →
Green Leafy Vegetables to Lower Glaucoma Risk
Story at-a-glance – People who consumed the most nitrate from leafy green
vegetables had a 21 percent lower risk of open-angle glaucoma Those who ate
the most leafy greens were 48 percent less likely to develop paracentral
glaucoma, which is particularly … Continue reading →
Chomsky: Trump is a Distraction, Used by the Deep State to ‘Systematically Destroy’ America
Smashing the two party paradigm Noam Chomsky called out deep state
democrats and republicans alike for using Trump as a distraction to destroy
America. World-renowned intellectual giant and respected academic, MIT
professor Noam Chomsky recently sat down for an interview called ‘A … Continue
reading →
IN THE LAST JEDI, THE RESISTANCE KEEPS MAKING THE SAME TACTICAL MISTAKE
The urge to fight one decisive battle has undone countless real-world
rebellions—and those in the Star Wars universe as well. OVER THE COURSE of
the Star Wars franchise, we’ve been treated to some epic battles: dogfights
between X-Wings and TIE fighters at Yavin-4, … Continue reading →
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS CONTROVERSY WITH STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
ANOTHER DECEMBER, ANOTHER massive opening for a Star Wars movie—this time
to the tune of $450 million worldwide. That alone isn’t really
surprising; Star Warsfans tend to be the See It Opening Weekend type. What
is surprising, though, is how divisive the film turned out … Continue
reading →
Is Nausea a Sign of Cancer?
Nausea and cancer are often related in that nausea can be a side effect of
treatment, but can nausea be a symptom of cancer itself? If there is a
tumor that lives in the colon, esophagus, stomach, or somewhere else … Continue
reading →
Alpha-1 Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists, The Preferred Treatment For BPH
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a nonmalignant adenomatous overgrowth
of the prostate gland commonly seen in aging men. Alpha-1 adrenergic
receptor blockers are the most prescribed pharmacotherapy for the treatment
of BPH and associated lower urinary tract symptoms. This article … Continue
reading →
How Precision Medicine Turned Jesus’ Unique Tumor into an Operable One
On a hot, August day in a Boston park, Jesus Apolinaris Cruz cooled off
with a water squirt gun fight with his mother and sister. As he nimbly ran
and dodged their aim, he twisted around to sneak shots of … Continue
reading →
WHY THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS THE SINGLE BEST THING WE DID
The International Space Station is one of the few nonstellar things up
there that we can see from down here without instruments. It’s a prefab
home the size of a football field, 462 tons and more than $100 billion
worth of pressurized … Continue reading →
MEET THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO PREDICTED HURRICANE HARVEY’S FLOODS
Leisure-time meteorologist Eric Berger looked at the models and thought
“Big-time floods are coming to Texas.” ON AUGUST 24 at 8:20 pm, a
44-year-old moonlighting meteorologist named Eric Berger was nearly
finished writing a post for his Houston-centric blog, Space City Weather, … Continue
reading →
World News Briefs -- January 1, 2018
*NBC:* *Kim Jong Un highlights his ‘nuclear button,’ offers Olympic talks*
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used his New Year’s
Day address to warn the U.S. not to test him while striking a softer tone
with South Korea, including the possibility of sending a delegation to next
month's Winter Olympics.
“The entire United States is within range of our nuclear weapons, a nuclear
button is always on my desk. This is reality, not a threat,” Kim said in
the annual address. “This year, we should focus on mass-producing nuclear
warheads and ballistic missiles for ope... more »
WikiLeaks Releases Proof of NY Times Colluding With Clinton’s State Dept to Deceive America
[image: colluding]A New York Times reporter was exposed colluding with the
U.S. State Department by providing a timetable of upcoming publications
during Cablegate.
Argentina: Luis Burgos Forecasts a UFO-Active 2018
*Argentina: Luis Burgos Forecasts a UFO-Active 2018*
*“A year of greater UFO activity is forecast throughout the
country.”Article by Sebastián Aranguren for Mas Allá del Misterio (Diario
Popular)*
A renowned ufologist has stated that 2018 will be a year with greater UFO
activity, having its epicenter in the environs of Buenos Aires, Cordoba and
the Patagonian region, especially in the summer, where the most striking
phenomena will involve "lights" and black flying triangles, among others.
Luis Burgos, who heads the Fundacion Argentina de Ovnilogia (FAO) and
Investigadores de Ca... more »
Untitled
From Jenna Orkin
Largest Green Roof in Manhattan video.
Beyond Cynicism: America Fumbles Towards Kafka’s Castle
Hinkley Point: The ‘Dreadful Deal’ Behind the World’s Most Expensive Power
Plant
Bitcoin is Eating Itself
DHS Announces Program To Illegally Scan Our Faces
China Launches New Capital Controls: Puts $15,000 Annual Cap On Overseas
ATM Withdrawals
Jihadist Group Blows Up Oil Pipeline In Iran, In Midst Of Protests
Australian Banks Reportedly Freeze Accounts Of Bitcoin Users
Weiner Laptop Doc: Assange Warrant Issued 2 Weeks After Swedish Election
Leaks Warning
More than... more »
Devin Nunes returns with a vengeance to undermine the Russia investigations.
Courtesy of WaPo:
*Rep. Devin Nunes, once sidelined by an ethics inquiry from leading the
House Intelligence Committee’s Russia probe, is reasserting the full
authority of his position as chairman just as the GOP appears poised to
challenge special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of possible
coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. *
*The California Republican was cleared in December of allegations he
improperly disclosed classified information while accusing the Obama
administration of exposing the identities of Trump affiliates on
surveillan... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 1, 2018
*VOA:* *UN Chief Warns World Faces More Dangers in Year Ahead *
GENEVA — U.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres warns the world is likely
to face many complex and new dangers in 2018. In a year-end message,
Guterres appeals for greater unity to overcome these threats and create a
more peaceful world.
When Guterres assumed office one year ago, the world was in the midst of a
hopeful moment. Negotiations to end more than four decades of division on
the island of Cyprus appeared to be moving toward a successful resolution.
Guterres jumped into the fray and worked tirelessly to prod... more »
Report: The Obama Administration Warned Iran Of An Israeli Plot To Assassinate Top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp Brigadier General Haj Qassem Soleimani
*Haaretz*: *Report: U.S. Gives Israel Green Light to Assassinate Iranian
General Soleimani*
*Al Jarida, considered an Israeli mouthpiece, says Israel was 'on the
verge' of assassinating Soleimani, but the U.S. warned Tehran and thwarted
the operation.*
Washington gave Israel a green light to assassinate Qassem Soleimani, the
commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran's Revolutionary
Guard, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Monday.
Al-Jarida, considered an Israeli mouthpiece, quoted a source i... more »
Tweets For Today
#UPDATE Kim Jong-Un urges North Korea to mass-produce nuclear warheads and
missiles in a defiant New Year message suggesting he would continue to
accelerate his rogue weapons programme https://t.co/dgnYHVoZjK
pic.twitter.com/vbyONEgD5F
— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 1, 2018
Nuclear war with North Korea is closer than ever before, former Joint
Chiefs chairman says https://t.co/fxuCXbEasl pic.twitter.com/oI8hvePpEE
— CNN International (@cnni) January 1, 2018
New protests were held in Iran overnight despite President Hassan Rouhani
calling for calm and vowing more "space for criti... more »
Things To Do In San Diego When You're ... [cue Warren Zevon]
I'm looking forward to the ACS panel on norms at the AALS meeting, though I
expect to come away grumpy. (There's also been a series of posts on Lawfare
dealing with norms and the President. The link is to the homepage where all
the posts are listed.)
Why grumpy? Because the focus is likely to be too much on the President and
the pressure placed by his words (as the Lawfare posts argue, more than his
actions) on constitutional norms. The overall Lawfare argument, which seems
to me basically correct, is that the norms focused on the presidency have
not yet been displaced by other more... more »
Russia's Military Is Proving Just How Dangerous It Really Is (And Testing New Weapons)
*Paul Iddon*
*Security, Middle East*
Thanks to the Syrian Civil War.
Russia this month announced another draw-down from its combat operations in
Syria, which began on Sept. 30, 2015. The Russian military will retain
troops in the country, likely indefinitely, where it has demonstrated the
capabilities of new weapons and tactics — which together show it has
learned from its shortcomings in past operations.
Nevertheless, as experts told War Is Boring, many of the Russian military’s
old habits were also on display throughout this campaign.
It’s no secret that Russia used its milit... more »
Obama's character and legacy
After you pick up the Nobel Peace Prize (sic), look the man in the eyes,
shake his hand, and give him a warm smile, before you murder him and
virtually all his extended family (target their residential compound
directly), and watch him be killed on your satellite TV screen, visibly
celebrating for the USA media cameras with the self-identifying "feminist"
Hillary Clinton (I will never
Russian Environmentalist Hospitalized After Brutal Beating; Link To High Level Officials-Power Structure Suspected
Krasnodar “originated in 1793 as a military camp, then as a fortress built
by the Cossacks to defend imperial borders …
Continue reading →
Caught Our Notice: After ORI flags a paper by former grad student, university flags another
Title: The L3MBTL3 Methyl-Lysine Reader Domain Functions As a Dimer What
Caught Our Attention: Six months ago, the U.S. Office of Research Integrity
(ORI) determined that former graduate student Brandi Baughman had doctored
11 figures in a PLOS ONE article, which was retracted shortly after. The
PLOS ONE paper listed two affiliations for Baughman — the National
Institute […]
The post Caught Our Notice: After ORI flags a paper by former grad student,
university flags another appeared first on Retraction Watch.
From Sydney To New York, Pyongyang To London - This Is How The World Welcomed 2018
Happy New Year!
From Sydney to New York, Pyongyang to London - this is how the world
welcomed #2018 pic.twitter.com/BXgtpQvz5S
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 1, 2018
Picture Of The Day
The ancient Greek temple of the Parthenon atop Athens' Acropolis hill was
in the shadow of fireworks during New Year celebrations in Greece
The above picture came from this photo-gallery ....* Capitals across the
world welcome 2018 with series of spectacular fireworks displays *(Daily
Mail).
More pics here .... *AP PHOTOS: New Year’s Eve observances around the world*
(AP), and a great batch from the BBC here .... *In pictures: The world
celebrates 2018's arrival* (BBC).
Syria deploys super elite troops to smash besiegers of East Damascus army base
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (4:40 PM) – Troops of the Syrian Republican Guard have not
succeeded in relieving the siege of a key armoured vehicle military base in
Harasta that is currently being attacked by rebel forces, prompting
Damascus to deploy elite forces from Beit Jenn. The armoured vehicle base
near the East Damascus city of Harasta […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Syrian Army annihilates tens of jihadists in repelling rebel assault on key east Damascus base
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:30 P.M.) – Units of the Syrian Arab Army currently
besieged by jihadist-led militias at key military base in east Damascus
have repelled a powerful assault by rebel fighters against their positions,
killing scores in the process. According to military-affiliated sources,
Syrian Army defenders of the military vehicle depot base in east Damascus’
[…]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Rouhani: Protests caused both by internal problems and by foreign intervention
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (03:20 PM) – President of Iran Hassan Rouhani has said on
Monday that the recent wave of protests in several Iranian cities are due
to both actual internal problems facing the country, as by foreign
intervention by imperialist powers. “The enemies of the Islamic Republic of
Iran are angry with the glory, success, […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Hamas and Fatah vow resistance after Likud votes on West Bank annexation
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (03:10 PM) – Both Fatah and Hamas, the two biggest
political movements in Palestine, have reacted strongly to an internal vote
by Israeli ruling party Likud on the so-called “sovereignty over settled
expanses”. Said vote by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party
essentially called for the total annexation of all illegally constructed
Zionist […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Betting on the wrong horse? US and Iranian hardliners spin anti-government protests
In supporting recent anti-government protests in Iran, both Iranian
hardliners and the US State Department may want to be careful what they
wish for. Not only are the protests unlikely to spark the kind of change
either of the two adversaries may be hoping for, they also are refusing to
stick to the different scripts the […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Pictures: Turkish forces set up anti-aircraft missile systems in Syria’s Aleppo province
BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:25 P.M.) – Photo evidence has emerged showing that
forces of the Turkish Army in Syria’s Aleppo province have deployed
anti-aircraft missile systems. The reason for the establishment of an air
defense system in the country by Turkey remains unclear. On Sunday, Turkish
sources shared two images over social media showing the deployment […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Further reading
If you're in need of a little more BBC bias-related reading this afternoon
then I'd recommend a couple of pieces from adjacent blogs:
- *The Conservative Woman* - We’re impartial, it’s just our staff who
aren't
- *BBC Watch* - BBC News report on 2017 ‘fake news’ excludes its own
David and Hadar are getting the year off to a flying start.
A post about grey wagtails
A new year, and a new bird in my garden today (one I've never seen
before)...
A grey wagtail no less.
It bobbed about for at least an hour.
It certainly lived up to the latter part of its name by very busily wagging
its tail as it went about its business. (It would put Miley Cyrus to
shame). Pied-wagtails now seem lazy in comparison. The 'grey' bit of its
name undersold it though. It had vivid splashes of yellow.
Lovely.
(Just thought I'd share).
Back to you Michaela and Chris...
ACS @ AALS
For those who are attending the AALS conference this week in San Diego, the
American Constitution Society is sponsoring a panel that may be of interest
to some of you, on Norms and the Rule of Law. (ACS went way out on a limb
and decided that this might feel like a timely topic in 2018 for some
reason or other.)
The panel will include Jamal Greene, Leah Litman, Neil Siegel, and
moderator Eric Segall. It's 5:30-6:45 on Thursday, January 4th in the
Balboa room (South Tower, 3rd floor, at the Marriott Marquis). Description
here. ACS is also sponsoring a reception afterward, 6:45-8:... more »
Drugs: A Good Reason To Fly To Thailand More Often
I love Thailand. I’ve been going there for 4 decades and have explored
every part of the country— from Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle, through
Mae Hong Son, Chaing Mai, Udon Thani, down through Hua Hin, Ko Samui (back
when there were no hotels, no phone service and no airport), Surat Thani,
Phuket and Yala. And, of course Bangkok. They call it the Land of Smiles
and the Thai people are the biggest asset the country has, of course. The
food is great too. And I usually get off the plane and head right for
Health Land for a 2 and a half hour massage. But now I have a new reason to... more »
New Year's wishes for peace from Henoko
Hiroji Yamashiro singing his iconic protest songいまこそたちあがろう (Time to Stand
Up and Fight) during a New Year's morning celebration on the beach at
Henoko in Okinawa.
It is there that the people are resisting at the Camp Schwab gate and on
kayaks in the water US efforts to build twin-runways on top of the bay for
Marine aircraft that will destroy coral reefs and Dugong (relatives of the
Manatee).
During the Obama administration his Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy,
repeatedly refused to meet with the Okinawan people as they pled with the
US not to go forward with this disastrou... more »
The F-15 Eagle: The Amazing Fighter Jet No Air Force Can Shootdown?
*Tom Cooper*
*Security, *
Or is this a myth?
According to official releases from Boeing and the U.S. Air Force, the F-15
Eagle has a clear-cut win-to-loss ratio of 104 to zero. But in fact,
opposing air forces have claimed, in nearly a dozen cases, to have shot
down the iconic, twin-engine fighter.
All the claims have one thing in common. The claimants were never able to
provide any evidence for their supposed victories.
Iraqi sources claimed that on Jan. 4, 1991 – 13 days before the U.S.-led
coalition launched Operation Desert Storm — Iraqi fighters intercepted a
formation of... more »
Craziest Idea of 2017: Let Students Pay Down Their College Loans by Delaying Their Social Security Benefits
[image:
best-idea-of-2017-let-students-pay-down-their-college-loans-by-delaying-their-social-security-benefits]
What a world! Broken promises traded for other broken promises, and offered
with a straight face!
"Pretty relevant I think"
*Certainly the common assumption after the end of the Cold War that liberal
democracy would sweep all before it and spread all over the world has been
shattered. On the eve of a New Year at the end of the politically
tumultuous one that was 2017, we're asking if we are at a critical tipping
point all over the world. For there's also the rise of the hard-right in
Europe, Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. That's forced some to
question basic assumptions about the wisdom of the rule of the majority. Of
course, Winston Churchill once said this: many forms of government have
be... more »
You need to read this Twitter thread.
(THREAD) BREAKING: The NYT has published a bombshell report on George
Papadopoulos—the biggest Trump-Russia news since Flynn's plea. This thread
dissects the new revelations—as well as some major implications for the
Trump-Russia collusion narrative. I hope you'll read and share.
pic.twitter.com/vHDvlxkqsF
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) December 30, 2017
1/ First, here's the article. The NYT foregrounds the story's significance
as a rebuttal of Trump's claims the Russia investigation began with the
Steele Dossier. But in fact, anyone who knows criminal investigations knew
long ag... more »
AHA Sends Out Warning: Saturated Fats Should Be Avoided
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/07/05/aha-avoid-saturated-fats.aspx?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=twittermercola_ranart&utm_campaign=20180101_aha-avoid-saturated-fats
Advertisements
All About Growing Cabbage
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/08/18/growing-cabbage.aspx?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=twittermercola_ranart&utm_campaign=20180101_growing-cabbage
Untitled
*Australia: Feminist Push to make childcare unaffordable*
*The Leftist IEU (Independent Education Union) have issued the call below.
Government "quality" mandates, including high staff numbers and sweeping
educational requirements for child-minders, have already pushed up the
costs of child-minding to the point where most working mothers spend a
large slice of their earnings on child care. The union wants a leap in pay
for child minders that could push many working mothers out of the workforce
altogether. So I support the call. Young children need their mothers at
home, as th... more »
Booker On Offshore Wind Power
By Paul Homewood Yesterday, Booker led with a follow up to the
ASA/Greenpeace offshore wind story from last week: A weird propaganda
blitz, widely publicised again last week, is trying to persuade us that the
cost of power from wind farms has been “tumbling” so fast that wind has now
replaced coal […]
Untitled
*Australia's greenhouse gas emissions increase for third consecutive year*
*These figures are very dodgy. There is no way such a figure could be
directly measured. They are estimated by adding together the amount of
cement produced, the amount of coal mined and the number of sheep farting
etc. There are many ways that could be inaccurate. Such figures could be
fairly good at enabling year to year comparison but fluctuating commodity
prices are a big influence on Australia's economic activity so are probably
much less accurate than world figures, where losses and gains are more ... more »
Drinking Water Quality in Rural Oaxaca, Mexico
Rowles LS 3rd, Alcalde R, Bogolasky F, Kum S, Diaz-Arriaga FA, Ayres C,
Mikelonis AM, Toledo-Flores LJ, Alonso-Gutiérrez MG, Pérez-Flores ME,
Lawler DF, Ward PM, Lopez-Cruz JY, Saleh NB. Perceived versus actual water
quality: Community studies in rural Oaxaca, Mexico. … Continue reading →
As a New Year dawns...
(h/t StewGreen)
This is a good start to the New Year. Paddy O'Connell is promising to
correct his mistake about Lord Adonis on next week's *Broadcasting House*.
If he also credits John Longworth for being correct in that apology, it
would be admirable behaviour indeed.
Immanuel Kant: The Life of The Party
Immanuel Kant loved to eat, but he held that eating alone is bad for a
philosopher because it encourages intellectual self-gnawing which leads to
a lack of vitality. He saw dinner parties as the part of the “highest
ethicophysical good,” holding that a dinner party brings not only physical
satisfaction but also intellectual and moral stimulation.
In the section entitled, “On the highest moral-physical good,” in the
conclusion to the Part One of his *Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of
View*, Kant argues that good living and true humanity can be realized by
having a good meal in ... more »
Top 100 Independent Tweeting Bloggers 2017
Cue the Pearl & Dean music. Yes, another year has gone and the beginning of
the next calendar coincides with a reflection on who's hot and who's not in
the world of independent political blogging, at least as far as Twitter is
concerned. In case you're a newbie, here are the rules. This is not a "best
of". This is not a reflection of people I agree with, think write well, or
another arbitrary classifying schema. It is, as per the list of tweeting
political commentators, a simple rank ordering by the number of Twitter
followers. But independent? How is that defined? It is a blogger w... more »
Tribes, tribalism, and security
Being from Africa, I grew up understanding the importance of tribes in
traditional African society; how they offered a social cohesiveness and
security, a sort of *über-*family bond that transcended even national
loyalty. I saw that play out during war and peace, in politics, business
and social relations. When I served as a prison chaplain in the USA, I
found prison gangs could best be understood if I treated them as the
equivalent of tribes. They exhibited many similar behaviors, albeit more
violently and more criminally than most tribes in Africa would have been
allowed to g... more »
North Latakia offensive inevitable, jihadists likely to strike first
BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 P.M.) – As both Syrian army-led forces and armed
rebel groups continue to rush what reserve units they can spare to the
front-lines in northern Latakia province it is become more and more
apparent that militant factions will strike first. Several days ago, the
Al-Qaeda-linked Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly called Jabhat al-Nusra […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Power restored to western Syria after militant missile attack heavily damages large power-plant
BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:20 A.M.) – A large power-plant in the province of Homs
that was badly damaged by militant rocket fire several days ago has been
repaired and is now working at full capacity again. On Thursday, militant
forces in northern Homs targeted the Al-Zahraa power-plant with five
rockets, hitting the energy facility. The damage […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Picture: Syrian military deploys upgraded anti-aircraft systems at key base south of Damascus
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:50 A.M.) – Syrian air defense forces have deployed
heavily-upgraded surface-to-air missile systems to protect a key military
installation south of Damascus city. According to reports from Syrian
conflict military analysts, the Syrian air defense forces have deployed
several heavily-modified S-125 Pechora batteries (a Soviet-designed system
originally built in the 1960s) to the […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Happy New Year from Age of Autism!
Goodbye 2017. And don't let the door hit you! We mean, Happy New Year! What
are your resolutions?
The Top 5 Most Disturbing Police Brutality Videos From 2017
[image: brutality]Police brutality in America has gotten so rampant that it
is no longer rare to see entirely innocent individuals being beaten or
killed by US cops.
Happy New Year IMers!
I have to say that I am almost surprised that we all managed to survive
2017.
With Trump in charge it felt a little touch and go at times.
However I think that 2018 is going to be an awesome year!
While I am not at all sure that Trump will actually get impeached during
this year, I am brimming with confidence that the midterms are going to
give the Democrats a lot more control and then shit is going to get really
real.
My prediction is that in a year's time we will all meet back here and have
a much better, and more hopeful story to share about 2018.
No, Birth Control Isn’t Dangerous. But Guess Who Wants You to Think It Is.
Ethical Technology - 20 hours ago
*Headlines and hype can leave women wondering what’s real and how best to
take care of their health.*
https://ieet.org/images/uploads/bedsider-birth-control-effectiveness-poster.jpg
Electric Universe - 2018 truths emerge - universe is electric
magnetic fields are formed by electric currents flowing through cold space
plasmas
R.I.P. nuclear stars, big bang creationism and black hole nonsense, now
let's move on researching this electric universe... more »
New Year's Eve fireworks and spacetime continuity at the event horizon
Happy New Year! Note that 2018 factorizes as 2*1009, the latter is a prime.
Most of you have probably seen and heard *some* fireworks. In my hometown,
most of the havoc looked privatized. The explosions were a Poisson process
with the rate around 10 per second – well, assuming an IR distance cutoff
so that I could hear them. Millions of crowns had to be spent on these
pyrotechnical toys, providing us with some extra evidence of the prosperity
right now.
It's really irrational to treat the transition from 2017 to 2018 as a
discontinuity. The moment when the year jumps to the new... more »
I remember 2017 like it was yesterday...
*Radio 4's Sunday programme offers perhaps the most undiluted liberal bias
to be found anywhere on the BBC - Damian Thompson, Daily Telegraph (2010)*
Though yesterday is already 'so last year', I must just dip back into it to
mention Radio 4's *Sunday,* as the programme more than lived up to its
reputation for 'undiluted liberal bias'*.*
The first topic was President Trump's first year on office and his impact
on religion in the USA. Instead of a balanced discussion we were merely
given an interview with a liberal American journalist, Sarah Posner. Her
comments dripped with dis... more »
MAR-A-LAGO, 31 DECEMBER 2017.
The Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party in Palm Beach, Florida on December 31,
2017.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
The Trumps.
Eric Trump
Donald John Trump III, son of Donald Trump Junior.
Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the parents of Melania Trump.
Steve Wynn.
*David Rockefeller's Rolodex of cards lists Trump as a friend*.
End of the Deep State
It may seem early to make this declaration, but i think it is essentially
correct as the bits and pieces trickle in.
1 Trump now has complete intelligence and knows everything from the
past two years of NSA surveillance. He knows exactly who was engaged in
treason and the DOJ has all the pertinent conversations. Thus the deluge
of sealed indictments. There is thus no better time to get them all and
when better than the Christmas holidays.
2 Add into this that the Marines actually stormed the CIA and completed
a massive intelligence haul. This was certainly going to b... more »
The Pros and Cons of Eating Meat
We have three biological regimes in our gut and one of them handles meat.
So we own it. however excess consumption will constipate as excess
consumption of starches will produce sugar diabetes.
Our diet should entail occasional animal protein on a staple vegetarian
dietary regime. My own preference is an egg or two at breakfast and
possibly some meat in the evening meal. Of course, i now do a full fast on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday totaling at least thirty five hours each or
105 hours per week. That allows me to eat on four days or 56 hours. My
weight is now converging on a ... more »
Ancient bronze pot found 15 feet under the Nacoochee Valley
[image: Ancient bronze pot found 15 feet under the Nacoochee Valley]
What this strongly suggests is that these mines were also worked during the
Bronze Age along with Lake superior and any number of other Copper deposits
in both North And south America. We have had such confirmation elsewhere
so this is no surprise. It will still be hard to prove.
What we do have is a trade anchor at New Potosi for the Atlantean Great
Circle route and the Inca Mayan Cuba Florida Trade System or the Caribbean
Great Circle route as well.
What can now be mapped out is an extensive SE American civil... more »
The Kenneth Arnold Files: Part II - Venusian Encounters
I was unaware that Ken Arnold, who truly broke the UFO story in 1947 almost
accidentally, went on to spend the rest of his life tracking other sighting
that naturally were reported then to him. Thus we have a trove of reports
from the first two decades not picked over by the Airforce first.
The Venusian meme has gone out of favor since the fifties with our ability
to inspect the surface of Venus. This is unfortunate though because we now
understand that all our planets and the Sun itself are actually shells with
an interior environment and an active inner sun producing both Second... more »
Five Most Popular Posts in December
The most read last month were ...
1. Why Galloway Shouldn't Be Allowed Back
2. The Intellectual Collapse of the Labour Right
3. Bordering on the Ridiculous
4. Labour NEC Ballot: Vote Left
5. Three Things Stoke Got Wrong with its City of Culture Bid
A quieter month befitting the scant efforts I put into writing, therefore
not surprising to see the top five clustering toward its beginning. The
prospect of George Galloway returning to the party in a pointless kite
flying exercise by Andrew Murray captured most views, followed by something
a bit more thoughtful trying to make sense of th... more »
A little slice of Alaskan tundra is finally open for drilling by Paul Driessen
*Tax bill provision opens ANWR, to bring more oil online and keep Alaska
pipeline operating*
Way back in 1980, Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act, establishing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and
making numerous other land use decisions for our 49th state. Section 1002
of the act postponed a decision on managing ANWR’s 1.5-million-acre coastal
plain, which has enormous oil and gas potential and is [an] important
summertime wildlife habitat.
For four decades, environmentalists blocked legislation that would have
opened the coastal plain to leasi... more »
Midnight Meme, Special Edition: The 12 Days Of Christimemes #6
*-by Noah*
One foggy morning this summer, I awoke, went to the window and exclaimed,
"Damn! What's the hell is that smell?" Fortunately, the whales were still
alive and, thanks to some heavy equipment from the county we were able to
drag them back into the water in time. However, the smell persisted. It
wasn't until the guy folded up his chair and walked away that the mystery
was solved.
Syrian forces endure terrible losses in east Damascus amid ongoing Nusra-led offensive
BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:40 A.M.) – Since the opening of a big Al-Qaeda-led
offensive against a key Syrian Arab Army base in eastern Damascus three
days ago, government troops have endured a hefty toll on their ranks. On
Friday, forces of Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly called Jabhat al-Nusra,
the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda) and Ahrar al-Sham […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Kurdish forces push on to capture new town in east Syria despite fierce ISIS counter-attacks
BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:05 A.M.) – Syrian Coalition-backed forces (of which
Kurdish units form a key component) continue to roll up the eastern shore
of the Euphrates River in the province of Deir Ezzor despite of constant
counter-attacks by Islamic State terrorists. According to Kurdish sources,
the US-led Syrian Democratic Forces captured from ISIS the town […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
2,000 Syrian militants fighting in north Hama bastion
BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:45 A.M.) – There may be up to two thousand militants –
most of them jihadists – opposing the Syrian Arab Army and allies forces in
a key area of strategic terrain that spans a big part of northern Hama
province as well as some of southeast Idlib province according to
pro-government sources. […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
VIDEO: Hama airbase comes under rocket fire from Ahrar al-Sham
BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:40 A.M.) – Jihadist militants belonging to a powerful
Muslim Brotherhood-linked armed faction in Syria have attacked a key Syrian
military airport in the province of Hama using Katyusha-style rockets. On
Saturday, rocket artillery units of the Ahrar al-Sham (Syrian Muslim
Brotherhood affiliate) militant group carried out an attack against Syrian
military service […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Happy New Year
WNU Editor: I say the same thing every year .... another year .... another
10,000 posts .... 1,000,000+ visitors .... 2,000,000+ page views ....
reaching an worldwide audience (and this is what always amazes little me)
that includes Generals, diplomats, soldiers, intelligence officials,
foreign governments and their military organisations, politicians,
students, teachers, well known cartoonists, actors and actresses,
journalists and bloggers, and finally .... the average Joe and Jane. Yup
.... it's been an interesting year. But first things first .... I want to
wish a Happy New Year... more »
Radiation Free Lakeland: Review of 2017
The Beautiful Lake District – pre National Park the whole of the Lake
Counties included the Lakeland mountains to the…
Here Are The Top 21 Biggest Military Stories Of 2017
*Adam Weinstein, Task & Purpose*:* We Asked You For The Biggest Military
Stories Of 2017. Here Are The Top 21 *
How do you make sense of 2017? Maybe you don’t. But you can’t deny that it
was a defining year for the United States military, which got a shiny new
chain of command, renewed interest from the U.S. public at large, and a
whole lot of weird news day after day. Task & Purpose asked you, our
readers, what you thought our community’s biggest stories were this year,
and these are the results.
*Read more* ....
*WNU Editor*: My top two stories for 2017 are .... (1) the elect... more »
Political Survivor
*-by Tom Sullivan*
(Part 1 of 2)
From a post last December:
There is a lot of "old-boyism" in party politics. Mostly because people who
have the time and/or resources to pursue party work are older. But older
doesn't always mean more skilled; experienced doesn't always mean the right
kind.
Political leaders tend to hang onto power and neglect cultivating heirs who
have mastered technologies they don't understand. They would rather turn
over the reins to trusted chums. Kathy Sinclair was not in the club.
Sinclair had been the driving force in organizing an unofficial John Kerry ... more »
How to Do Squats: 8 Reasons to Do Squat Exercises
https://fitness.mercola.com/how-to-do-squats.aspx Advertisements
The 5 Big National Security Challenges of 2018
*Daniel R. DePetris, National Interest*: *Peace, War or Chaos?: The 5 Big
National Security Challenges of 2018*
Will North Korea conduct an atmospheric test? Will the frozen conflict in
Ukraine turn hot? Daniel DePetris makes his predictions for 2018.
If, before Election Day 2016, you predicted Donald Trump would win the
presidency, that a special counsel would be appointed to investigate
potential collusion between Trump campaign officials and the Kremlin, and
the U.S. military would take military action against the Syrian government,
there’s a good chance that your family or fr... more »
New studies point to less intense, less frequent storms due to global warming
“The studies fly in the face of a recent Nature editorial piece, one filled
with the usual worn out alarmist propaganda language of climate doom we’ve
been seeing for over a quarter century. The editorial claims some
scientists have already found the … Continue reading →
A Middle Finger Symphony New Years Eve
** Happy New Year **
*Brought To You By BLUESJUNKY: Honorary Chair of Music - Middle Finger
Symphony Music Director*
In 1969, Nuclear War Almost Broke Out Between Russia and China
*Kyle Mizokami*
*Security, *
It would have been World War III.
*On the minus side, a nuclear strike against China would have earned the
Soviets worldwide condemnation. An attack into Manchuria would have also
played to China’s “People’s War” strategy of slowly dissolving invading
forces with a combination of Chinese army forces and peasant militias.
China’s leadership, which had already proven itself bloody minded against
its own people, would have had little compunction in sacrificing millions
in a war against the Soviets. From the Soviet perspective, a grinding,
never-ending ... more »
Happy New Year North Korean Style
Here are the new year celebrations in Pyongyang, North Korea #HappyNewYear
pic.twitter.com/tMXwxlZWpZ
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 31, 2017
*Daily Mail:* *Now that's a COLD war! North Korea marks the New Year by
showing off its nuclear ambitions with ice sculptures of an
intercontinental ballistic missile*
* Many of the isolated nation's citizens spent New Year's Eve at the
Pyongyang Ice Sculpture Festival
* Visitors took pictures in front of large ice sculptures of Hwasong-15
intercontinental ballistic missile
* It comes after a former top US military officer said the ... more »
Huge ISIS bombing in east Syria by German jihadist leaves nearly 100 US-backed fighters killed, wounded
BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:45 A.M.) – The Islamic State terrorist group has carried
out a huge suicide bombing in eastern Syria against US-backed forces,
killing and wounding nearly one hundred pro-Coalition fighters according to
its own accounts. The attack was delivered by a German jihadist within the
faction’s ranks. On late Sunday afternoon, the ISIS media […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Pictures: Syrian Army floods east Damascus with massive reinforcements to annihilate jihadist offensive
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:30 A.M.) – Only hours ago, reports (which are now
confirmed) came in that on late Sunday afternoon, jihadist militias
operating in eastern Damascus had isolated a key Syrian Arab Army military
vehicle base in the district of Harasta following three days of heavy
clashes for the site. According to newly emerging reports, […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Breaking: Jihadists cut-off key Syrian Army base in east Damascus amid renewed offensive push
BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:52 A.M.) – Al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood affiliated
jihadist factions operating in eastern Damascus have managed to cut-off a
key base held by the Syrian Arab Army in the capital city’s district of
Harasta amid a now three-day long offensive that has seen both side trade
heavy blows. Several hours ago, opposition and […]
Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
Trumps global warming tweet
I often find this. I hear someone in the public eye say something I think
is extremely mild and so hardly give it a passing thought, and then when I
finally start reading about it, it turns out to have … Continue reading →
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un Says Nuclear Launch Button Is On His Desk To Hit All Of The U.S. Mainland With Its Nuclear Weapons
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a New Year message on Monday.
(Yonhap)
*Reuters:* *North Korea's Kim says nuclear weapons will prevent war with
U.S.*
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday that the
United States will never be able to start a war against North Korea now
that his country has developed the capability to hit all of the U.S.
mainland with its nuclear weapons.
“The entire United States is within range of our nuclear weapons, and a
nuclear button is always on my desk. This is reality, not a threat,” Kim
said during a televised New Ye... more »
Despite all pains and attacks : Happy New year From Egyptian Chronicles
Happy New year From Egyptian Chronicles.
I know that 2017 was very hard in Egypt with all the terrorist attacks that
took place across the country, most recently on Friday with that failed
attack against a Coptic Orthodox Church in Helwan district in Cairo where
ten people were killed *“Yes, it is a failed attack thanks to God then to
the Egyptian people”* but we should not lose hope in better tomorrow or
better Egypt that is inclusive of all people regardless of their race,
gender, color, religion as well nationality.
[image: Egypt's Nile]
So Happy New year 2018
And I chose a pho... more »
Does Maine Really Need A Congressman Representing Wall Street?
Frank Schaeffer’s last roadtrip for 2017 took him from Agua Dulce in
California’s Santa Clarita Valley to Lewiston, Maine to talk with
progressive Democrat Jared Golden. Frank bonded with Jared over the service
Jared and Frank’s son both experienced as marines in Afghanistan. If you’re
not from a military family, you may find what Frank and Jared had two say
about that in the video enlightening. Give it a watch.
[image: Goal Thermometer]Jared is running on a change ticket in Maine’s
second district. His opponent, multimillionaire Republican Bruce Poliquin
is a Wall Street shill w... more »
Famed Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein says that Trump's lawyers have an "out of control client" who they are trying desperately to manage.
Courtesy of Raw Story:
*Addressing Trump’s belief that he will be exonerated, Bernstein said Trump
is lying but also may be in the dark because his legal team is afraid of
what he might say or do if he knew what was really going on. *
*“There is no reason to believe almost anything Donald Trump says because
what we know is that the president of the United States and his presidency
is characterized, above all else, by the lying of the president of the
United States,” Bernstein explained.”That doesn’t mean that lying by the
president is a crime, but it does mean that we see him cover... more »
Russia's Tsar Bomb: The 57 Megaton Nuclear Weapon North Korea Wish It Had
*Steve Weintz*
*Security, *
So was the Tsar Bomb really a functional weapon?
*Multi-megaton thermonuclear weapons rely on staging. A first-stage fission
device generates the heat, pressure and radiation to ignite nuclear fusion
in a second-stage fuel vessel, and the more fusion fuel, the bigger the
reaction. A third stage can be added by cladding the second stage in
weapons-grade uranium metal—the fusion reaction induces nuclear fission in
the uranium cladding and adds many megatons of yield. All-up three-stage
thermonuclear weapons can be very dirty bombs, with more than half t... more »
North Korea: It's About America's Allies (or Should Be)
*Wallace C. Gregson*
*Security, Asia*
[image: U.S. President Donald Trump greets South Korea's General Kim
Byeong-joo (L) and U.S. Army General Vincent Brooks (C) as he arrives to
receive a briefing from military commanders at the U.S. Eighth Army
Operation Command Center at U.S. military installation Camp Humphreys in
Pyeongtaek, South Korea] North Korea has been an “existential threat” to
our allies, Japan and the Republic of Korea, for quite some time.
Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union and China supported North Korea.
When the Soviet Union collapsed their support to No... more »
America Would Benefit from a Balance of Power in the Persian Gulf
*Doug Bandow*
*Security, Middle East*
Saudi Arabia's current tradjectory is toxic and threatens America’s
interests in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump once was skeptical of the totalitarian dictatorship
commonly known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He complained,
correctly, that Saudis had funded terrorism against America and wondered
why the United States subsidized the protection of a wealthy petro-state.
After taking office the president, perhaps affected by abundant flattery
judiciously employed by people highly skilled in the art, acted like just
another West... more »
President Vladimir V. Putin greets all Russia for the New Year Celebrations.
New Year’s Day in Russia is a unique experience. While each nation may
have its own special traditions, for this American, the Russian way is
simply astounding. From the Communist times, the relevance of Nativity
(Christmas) celebrations has never been what it became in the West. The
suppression of Christianity in Soviet Russia was probably […] More
The post President Vladimir V. Putin greets all Russia for the New Year
Celebrations. appeared first on The Duran.
Palestinian Authority Recalls It's US Envoy 'For Consultations'
*The Independent:* *Palestinians recall US envoy 'for consultations' after
Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital*
Leaders deciding on shape of future relationship with US
The Palestinian Authority has recalled its envoy to the US following Donald
Trump‘s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The move will allow for “consultations” over leaders’ future relationship
with the US.
Days of protests followed Mr Trump’s announcement, leading to arrests and a
number of deaths.
*Read more* ....
*More News On The Palestinian Authority Recalling Its US ... more »
Happy New Year 2018!
*I wish you all a very safe, happy and prosperous New Year!*
*And, as always, thanks for stopping by!*
As 2017 Ends
*I wish you all a Happy 2018 *- which will be *Year of the Dog* on February
16th. It's an auspicious day because there are no dogs in North Korea. It's
the only country with no dogs. They were eaten by the Norks long ago.
The AIDS Advisory Council - was disbanded on December 31, 2017. It was one
of MANY generally useless commissions and councils that abound in
Washington DC and are largely used by members to puff their CV's. The
gender confused are howling that President Trump is a monster, but the
commission was just another paper tiger that needed to go into the
shredder. Let th... more »
"I Wish You Enough"
"I Wish You Enough"
by Bob Perks
"I never really thought that I'd spend as much time in airports as I do. I
don't know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of
travel. But I'm not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports. I
love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to
watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes
down to "hello" and "goodbye." I must have mentioned this a few times while
writing my stories for you.
I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am
experienc... more »
"Promise Me..."
“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe,
and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
- Christopher Robin to “Pooh”
"Always Remember..."
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience,
and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
- Harriet Tubman
Unrest In Iran -- News Roundup December 31, 2017
*Daily Mail:* *Iran blacks out social media as President Rouhani slams
Trump in address to his nation after defiant protesters face water cannon
and hundreds of arrests on the fourth day of demonstrations*
* Rouhani hit back at Donald Trump saying he had called Iranians terrorists
* Trump supporting protesters 'but has no right to sympathise with Iranians'
* Iranian regime blocked Instagram and messaging app Telegram amid protests
* Comes after regime vowed protesters would 'pay the price' for causing
unrest
* Despite clampdown on social media, protesters continue to take to the
st... more »
"Sometimes We Have To See For Ourselves..."
"The early bird catches the worm; a stitch in time saves nine. He who
hesitates is lost. We can't pretend we haven't been told. We've all heard
the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us
about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to ‘seize the day'. Still
sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes.
We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility
under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore, until we finally understand
for ourselves like Benjamin Franklin meant. That knowing is better than
wonder... more »
"I Wish You Enough"
"I Wish You Enough"
by Bob Perks
"I never really thought that I'd spend as much time in airports as I do. I
don't know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of
travel. But I'm not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports. I
love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to
watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes
down to "hello" and "goodbye." I must have mentioned this a few times while
writing my stories for you.
I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am
experienc... more »
“Walking Through Your Fear: Emerging Courageous”
*“Litany Against Fear”*
“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”
- Frank Herbert
*“Walking Through Your Fear: Emerging Courageous”*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
“Frequently, in walking through our fear, we discover that the strength of
our fright was out of sync with reality. The situations, activities, and
individuals th... more »
The Poet: John O'Donohue, "In These Times"
*"In These Times"*
"In these times when anger
Is turned into anxiety,
And someone has stolen
The horizons and mountains,
Our small emperors on parade
Never expect our indifference
To disturb their nakedness.
They keep their heads down,
And their eyes gleam with reflection
From aluminum economic ground,
The media wraps everything
In a cellophane of sound,
And the ghost surface of the virtual
Overlays the breathing earth.
The industry of distraction
Makes us forget
That we live in a universe.
We have become converts
To the religion of stress
And its deity of progress;
That we may have co... more »
"How To Cure A Hangover, Or Not"
*"How To Cure A Hangover, Or Not"*
By Colleen Graham
"Now you've done it and it's official, you have a hangover. Now what? No
matter what you do sleep and water or juice should be included. There are
many folk cures that are supposed to help cure a hangover. Many of them
will help you cope by replenishing the vitamins and liquid you lost over
night, while some like avoiding caffeine are very important to a quicker
recovery. There is no one size fits all cure, find what works for you but
the list below is a good place to start. There are also a few suggestions
from readers who found... more »
"I Wish You Enough"
"I Wish You Enough"
by Bob Perks
"I never really thought that I'd spend as much time in airports as I do. I
don't know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of
travel. But I'm not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports. I
love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to
watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes
down to "hello" and "goodbye." I must have mentioned this a few times while
writing my stories for you.
I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am
experienc... more »
"Write Your Worries On The Sand..."
"I walked slowly out on the beach.
A few yards below high-water mark I stopped and read the words again:
WRITE YOUR WORRIES ON THE SAND.
I let the paper blow away, reached down and picked up a fragment of
shell.
Kneeling there under the vault of the sky, I wrote several words, one above
the other.
Then I walked away, and I did not look back. I had written my troubles
on the sand.
The tide was coming in."
- Arthur Gordon
2017 Was A Bad Year For China
*Douglas Bulloch, Forbes:* *2017 Was A Bad Year For China. Will 2018 Be
Worse?*
It seems like a long time since China was routinely the source of good
news. Growth rates remain impressive, but it is increasingly obvious that
they are being bought at the cost of ever rising debt. Aside from that,
there are routine announcements that indicate senior figures are trying to
address a range of problems, and bold proclamations about China's ascendant
place in the region, but these announcements now seem to raise many
questions as once they merely raised expectations.
Warnings from the I... more »
Baby It’s Cold Outside – evidence of solar cycle affecting Earth’s cloud cover
Originally posted on Watts Up With That?:
Guest essay by David Archibald News comes that the light reflected back
from Uranus is affected by the solar cycle. “The atmosphere around Uranus
is one of the coldest in the solar system, but still contains clouds and
ice, like our own atmosphere here on Earth. “The changing brightness of…
Chinese President Xi Delivers New Year Speech Vowing To Implement Reforms In 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year speech to extend New Year
greetings to all Chinese, and best wishes to friends all over the world, in
Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 31, 2017. (Xinhua)
*Xinhua:* *China Focus: President Xi delivers New Year speech vowing
resolute reform in 2018*
BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday delivered
a New Year speech, vowing that China would resolutely carry out reform in
2018.
"We will take the opportunity of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the
reform and opening-up in 2018 to further carry out reform, as r... more »
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment