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| English: The varying temperatures of Saturn's rings are depicted here in this false-color image from the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| A simulated image using color to present radio occultation-derived information on ring particle sizes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| Beach House (Photo credit: HeatherMG) |
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| An image of Saturn's A Ring, taken by the Cassini Orbiter using an Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
When Assad Dropped the Façade
NTU study finds ways to prevent muscle loss, obesity and diabetes
The Best Astronomy Images of 2012
Vermont Supreme Court blocks limitless searches
After a 1996 Mass Shooting, Australia Enacted Strict Gun Laws. It Hasn't Had a Similar Massacre Since.
Common Ground on Gun Legislation: Listen to NRA Members, Not Its Con-Artist Leadership
The Culture of Violence is all around us
The Deficit Is Already Shrinking At Its Fastest Pace Since World War II Demobilization
Do palm trees hold the key to immortality?
More criticism on flawed natural gas export study
10:14 pm MST
Nasa Shares Rare View Of Saturn's Rings
Nasa's Cassini spacecraft, which has been in orbit around Saturn for more
than eight years, has delivered a rare backlit view of the planet and its
rings.
The image was taken during Cassini's 174th orbit around the gas giant when
it was deliberately positioned within Saturn's shadow.
The US space agency said on its website: "It was the perfect location from
which to look in the direction of the sun and take a backlit view of the
rings and the dark side of the planet.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027803/nasa-shares-rare-view-of-saturns-rings
Body Of Endangered Whale Washes Up On Beach, Northeast Florida
One of the most endangered whales in the world has washed up dead on a
beach in northeast Florida.
Officials said the 26ft-long (8 metre) North Atlantic right whale washed up
overnight on a beach near Palm Coast.
Federal marine spokesman Barb Zoodsma says biologists are not sure what
caused the death.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027899/body-of-endangered-whale-washes-up-on-beach
'Free Darwin' Protest In Toronto
A rally has taken to place to demand a pet monkey found wandering in an
Ikea car park in Canada is returned to his owner.
Yasmin Nakhuda has launched a legal battle to get her pet, Darwin, back
from the animal control officials she claims have illegally taken him.
She and 15 supporters held a protest on Wednesday outside Toronto Animal
Services, where they could be heard chanting "free Darwin".
http://news.sky.com/story/1027895/ikea-monkey-darwin-owner-in-custody-battle
Oz Customs Staff Held Over Drug Smuggling
An alleged major drug smuggling operation involving a network of customs
officials has been uncovered at Australia's biggest airport.
Eight people have been arrested - with more expected - after police swooped
on Sydney Airport following a two-year corruption probe.
It is claimed large quantities of drugs were smuggled through the airport
in backpacks and suitcases, with corrupt officials using their knowledge of
security systems to allow the narcotics to pass through the international
terminal undetected.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027915/oz-customs-staff-held-over-drug-smuggling
4.9 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 20th December 2012
Magnitude
4.9
Date-Time
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 03:17:04 UTC
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 01:17:04 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
37.467°N, 143.765°E
Depth
27.9 km (17.3 miles)
Region
OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances
241 km (149 miles) ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA - 20th December 2012
Magnitude
4.6
Date-Time
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 02:11:19 UTC
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 11:11:19 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
7.494°S, 128.677°E
Depth
151.4 km (94.1 miles)
Region
KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
Distances
295 km (183 miles) W of Saumlaki, Indonesia
Little Miss Purity Gets Another Stain On His Frock
Paul Ryan, whose Wall Street handlers try-- often with a degree of
desperation-- to portray him as Little Miss Purity, are losing another
battle that exposes him as a wanton whore. I'm betting, though, that this
one-- his support for Boehner's tax increases on the rich-- won't be any
more difficult to explain away to the dull-brained Republican/Fox base than
when Ryan led the battle to pass the TARP bailouts for Bush. Ryan's
spokesperson, Conor Sweeney: "Chairman Ryan will continue to work to
protect as many Americans as possible from tax hikes. Chairman Ryan
believes that Speaker... more »
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 19th December 2012
Magnitude
4.6
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 22:40:15 UTC
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 08:40:15 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
39.655°N, 143.294°E
Depth
39.8 km (24.7 miles)
Region
OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances
114 km (70 miles) E of Miyako, Japan
Robbie Parker: Grieving Father, or Horrible Actor?
This loos like a staged shooting more and more. This is sick stuff.
President Obama was *caught fake crying*, and now a video surfaced that
shows an actor pretending to be a grieving father. He laughs and smiles
before he gets into character. When the cameras go live he quickly forces
himself into a new personality.
*Father of Sandy Hook Victim Asks ‘Read the Card?’ Seconds Before
Tear-jerking Press Conference*
*Infowars.com*
December 19, 2012
As unexplained factors in the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting continue to
surface, independent researchers have pointed to an odd clip ... more »
UK's Sky net military satellite: novel telecommunications
*A powerful novel telecommunications satellite for the UK military has
blasted into orbit. The Sky net system, which includes the radio equipment
deployed on ships, on vehicles and in the hands of troops, is the UK's
single biggest space project.* The five-tonne Skynet-5D platform was sent
up on an Ariane missile from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. It
complements three others already in operation, enabling British forces to
stay linked over most of the globe.
UK forces pay an annual service charge for which they get assured
bandwidth, with spare capacity then sold to fri... more »
The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Fukushima Plant Situation "Volatile", A Year After "Cold Shutdown" Declared
I for one am truly shocked that over a year and a half since the March
11th, 2011 meltdown and explosions at the Fukushima Daicchi nuclear power
plant in Japan, few people are aware that the disaster is still ongoing and
absolutely NOT under control. The failed facility is still spewing
dangerous amounts of radioactive material into both the atmosphere, and the
Pacific Ocean. And there still is absolutely NO long term solution that
has been devised to clean up the facility at all. The fact is that this
disaster may still be ongoing for decades yet to come!
I came across a repor... more »
Leonard Peltier to Obama: Stop all Wars!
Democracy
NOW! Leonard Peltier speaks out from prison on denial of medical care,
clemency
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/12/19/exclusive_leonard_peltier_speaks_out_from
AMY
GOODMAN: On Saturday, after the Leonard Peltier concert at the Beacon
Theatre, I had a chance to speak directly with Leonard Peltier, when he
called into a news conference that was organized by Native elders, his
John Friend's Truth Militia Radio Broadcast For Monday, December 17th, 2012 With Charles Giuliani
I have been busy the last few days with most of my articles focused in on
the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. But again, there has been important
news elsewhere, as well as some great articles put out by fellow
researchers and friends in this movement for the real truth.
I have been a friend of John Friend (www.johnfriendsblog.blogspot.com) out
of southern California for some time now, and just last Monday, he had a
very special guest on his Truth Militia broadcast... None other than
Charles Giuliani from the Oracle Broadcasting Network's Truth Hertz daily
internet radio show. ... more »
Seattle 'Idle No More' Support Tobacco Offering and Peace Rally
'Idle
No More' Seattle Tobacco Offering and Peace Rally
Friday, Dec. 21, 2012
10 am until 12 pm Pacific Time
Image Kwagulth the Salmon print by Tony Hunt
Join us this Friday, where Sun Dance Keeper and Leader of the Crazy Dog
Warrior Society; Leon Rattler (Blackfeet) will be presenting a tobacco
offering and honoring on behalf of; The First Nations of Canada, in a
Fat-Free Econ 34: Rise in Unemployment Rate Not Exactly Bad
* This is my article yesterday in TV5's news portal,
http://www.interaksyon.com/business/50817/fat-free-economics--why-a-rise-in-unemployment-rate-is-not-exactly-bad
-----------
The National Statistics Office (NSO) released the October 2012 quarterly
labor force survey (LFS) results, the last for this year. What was
highlighted was the increase in unemployment rate from 6.4 percent in
October 2011 to 6.8 percent this year.
This did not conform with the high economic growth in the third quarter,
when the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) grew a surprising 7.1
percent, the s... more »
Zero Guns: Washington's New Big Threat Is Gun-Qaeda
Washington has changed its enemy from a verb to a tool.
Terror is a verb. It was the old enemy. Al-Qaeda is a dying external
threat. With the death of Bin Laden it became a faceless menace. Internal
dissent is the new enemy. The gun is the big threat now.
Gun-Qaeda is the new Al-Qaeda.
The pro-Obama Left is happy to hunt down Gun-Qaeda at home. Gun-rights
groups like the NRA are being labeled "terrorists." You know what's next,
right? Illegal detention of gun owners aka "domestic terrorists." The
government will use guns against gun owners, and with that action they will
reveal th... more »
Why the Good Ones Leave
See what it means to be a teacher who cares in an elementary school in
Anywhere, USA:
Tell the System: You're Not Getting the Guns. Period.
Draw the line - have the local organizational capacity to back it up.
*December 18, 2012* (LD) - It goes without saying that the mass media lies
- they lied about Iraq in the lead up to a war that in total, killed over 2
million people. They lied about Libya, they are lying about Syria. They lie
about vaccines and intentionally try to sell parents the idea of
purposefully injecting their children with mercury. Their lies have a
single purpose - to serve the special interests that hand them their
talking points.
Now the mass media is lying about gun violence. The New York Times wro... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
San Juan Capistrano, California, USA. Thanks for stopping by.
"Friendly Discourse..."
"It is still possible to have friendly discourse in America,
as long as you don't bring up any subject."
- Robert Brault
Happy Memorial Birthday Willie Lonewolf
Willie Lonewolf, Navajo/Ute, at the Southern Ute Museum
in Colorado, on the Long Walk 2 northern route.
Photo by Brenda Norrell
Happy Memorial Birthday Willie Lonewolf from all your family and friends!
A World Mad for Coal
There's a big bright future ahead for coal and we'll pay dearly for it.
The International Energy Agency warns that, within five years, coal will
rival oil as the fossil fuel energy source of choice.
*Coal consumption is increasing all over the world – even in countries and
regions with carbon-cutting targets – except the US, where shale gas has
displaced coal, shows new research from the International Energy Agency
(IEA). The decline of the fuel in the US has helped to cut prices for coal
globally, which has made it more attractive, even in Europe where coal use
was supposed to be d... more »
Shocking Denial Of Reality: Sen. McCain Says, "I know of no Jewish lobby"
*A man can make a fool of himself in more ways than one.*
An excerpt from, *"McCain hits Hagel over 'Jewish lobby' comments"*:
Sen. John McCain said Tuesday he “strongly disagrees” with past remarks
made by former Sen. Chuck Hagel, but that he would wait until potential
confirmation hearings before taking a position on whether to vote for Hagel
if he were nominated to become secretary of Defense.
“Well, of course I strongly disagree with such comments and I know of no
such ‘Jewish lobby.’ I know that there’s strong support for Israel here,
but I know of no Jewish lobby. I hope ... more »
Bork (1927-2012)
*OMG, is that, is that . . . I think it is -- it's Bork self-borking!*
*"As Senator Edward Kennedy put it in a famous speech on the Senate floor,
'Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into
back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue
police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren
could not be taught about evolution, [and] writers and artists would be
censored at the whim of government.'
"Was Kennedy too harsh? He was not, as Bork himself demonstrated in the
series of intemperate books he wrote after ... more »
Dec. 21, 2012: Fearful 'end of world' callers flood NASA
If there's one government agency really looking forward to Dec. 22, it's
NASA.
The space agency said it has been flooded with calls and emails from people
asking about the purported end of the world — which, as the doomsday myth
goes, is apparently set to take place on Dec. 21, 2012.
The myth might have originated with the Mayan calendar, but in the age of
the Internet and social media, it proliferated online, raising questions
and concerns among hundreds of people around the world who have turned to
NASA for answers.
Dwayne Brown, an agency spokesman, said NASA typically receives ... more »
Why hipsters can go on food stamps (and why a college education, especially a PhD is an absolute waste of time and money, a must-read)
In the John Waters-esque sector of northwest Baltimore -- equal parts
kitschy, sketchy, artsy and weird -- Gerry Mak and Sarah Magida sauntered
through a small ethnic market stocked with Japanese eggplant, mint chutney
and fresh turmeric. After gathering ingredients for that evening's dinner,
they walked to the cash register and awaited their moments of truth.
Those are two "hipsters", and the punchline is that they pay for their
foodie porn with foodie stamps, which sounds like it should be a terrible
thing, except it's in Salon.com, which means they're going to try and tell
you h... more »
Hipsters on foodstamps: You pay taxes, they eat five-star for free (Sounds fair to me)
In the John Waters-esque sector of northwest Baltimore — equal parts
kitschy, sketchy, artsy and weird — Gerry Mak and Sarah Magida sauntered
through a small ethnic market stocked with Japanese eggplant, mint chutney
and fresh turmeric. After gathering ingredients for that evening’s dinner,
they walked to the cash register and awaited their moments of truth.
“I have $80 bucks left!” Magida said. “I’m so happy!”
“I have $12,” Mak said with a frown.
The two friends weren’t tabulating the cash in their wallets but what
remained of the monthly allotment on their Supplemental Nutrition
... more »
Down to -50C: Russians freeze to death as strongest-in-decades winter hits
Russia is enduring its harshest winter in over 70 years, with temperatures
plunging as low as -50 degrees Celsius. Dozens of people have already died,
and almost 150 have been hospitalized.
The country has not witnessed such a long cold spell since 1938,
meteorologists said, with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees lower than the
seasonal norm all over Russia.
Across the country, 45 people have died due to the cold, and 266 have been
taken to hospitals. In total, 542 people were injured due to the freezing
temperatures, RIA Novosti reported.
The Moscow region saw temperatures of -17 to... more »
Crooked Timber Petition
As I sorta implied below, you don’t need to agree with Erik’s political
views or his manner of expressing them to recognize that the President of
the University of Rhode Island’s statement is all kinds of appalling. The
good folks at Crooked Timber have put together a petition to that effect.
Go sign, if you’d be
Continue reading
Boehner's Plan B From Outer Space
Speaker Boehner issued an ultimation on the fiscal bluff this afternoon.
It's his "Plan B" or nothing. And what is Mr. Boehner's Plan B you ask?
Nearly half the people who make between $521,000 and $1 million get a tax
cut on the average of $240. Only a little over a quarter of the billionares
"would see a tax hike, of around $97,000." As for the rest of the us?
The upshot: around one fifth of households in the lowest two quintiles (up
to $60,000) would see an average tax hike of more than $900. Around 13
percent in the middle quintile (from $64,000 to around $107,000) would see
a... more »
CTA Passenger Attacked With Sock Filled With Human Feces: Merry Christmas, World
A woman riding the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line in Oak Park told
police she was last week attacked by another passenger wielding a sock
filled with human feces.
"He had a sock full of his poop on me," the 21-year-old college student
told the Pioneer Press. "It was everywhere; on my face, my hair, my
clothes."
The victim, requesting anonymity, said she screamed and tried to follow her
attacker, but he escaped up the Austin Boulevard exit and ran northbound on
Austin.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/transit/chicago-transit-cta-passenger-attacked-sock-human-feces-184148911... more »
Bushmaster Man-card
Patriarchy
boiled down to its stupid, terrified essentials.
Apparently [American] men need an AR-15 slung over their shoulder and a
really erroneous instruction card in their wallet to explain to them how
to be psychopaths men.
I sometimes think the best way to deal with rightwing is to mock them
mercilessly. Man-card calls out for a piss-taking. "What, you need an
wallet-sized reminder card
Far right launches major fake rage attack on liberal blogger
It seems the fringe right fauxrage brigade organized a hate mob against
Erik Loomis who blogs at Lawyers, Guns and Money. They're engaging in their
favorite pastime, trying to get him fired. They've deluged his university
with protest mail. The university responded by validating their deceit and
publicly reprimanding Erik. And that wasn't even the worst of it. He was
also questioned by the State Police. [details at the link]
I generally ignore this pack of lunatics when they're just mindlessly
sniping but this is step too far to leave unchallenged. It would be good to
counter them ... more »
Untitled
*Amid Newtown tragedy, scam artists creep in*
"Empathy in Action: An Experiment in Gratitude"
*"Empathy in Action: An Experiment in Gratitude"*
by Madisyn Taylor, The DailyOM
"If you find it hard to be grateful for what you have, it is time to dig
deeper and be brave when looking for the gratitude. Sometimes we forget to
take the time to recognize the richness that defines our lives. This may be
because many of the messages we encounter as we go about our affairs prompt
us to think about what we don’t have rather than all the abundance we do
enjoy. Consequently, our gratitude exists in perpetual conflict with our
desire for more, whether we crave time, convenience, wealth... more »
Syria's Jihadist Terrorists - Shining White Knights?
*It's a bird. . It's a plane. . No, It's a Jihadist terrorist saving an
American journalist.*
The need for a good story about the Jihadist terrorists who are fighting
the Assad government has been evident for quite some time.
Videos coming out of Syria show the terrorists beheading pro-government
civilians, executing prisoners, instructing child soldiers to commit
murder, burning houses of worship, looting abandoned homes, destroying
state infrastructure like police stations, etc. The content has been
overwhelmingly negative.
But lo and behold, we finally have a good story abou... more »
Teachers and guns
Mr
Z was an elementary school French teacher I had for a year. Like many
French teachers in peripheral Anglo-Canadian communities, he'd probably
spent decades trying to teach French to kids who mocked him without
mercy for his efforts. When I got him he was old, very angry, and
verbally and physically abusive. Chalk-brushes, text-books, and
sometimes chairs and desks impacted the bodies and heads
Powerless, Obscure, Low-Level Employees Routinely Sentenced to Long Prison Terms for Engaging in Relatively Petty Money Laundering Schemes, Unrelated to Terrorism, On a Scale That Is a Tiny Fraction of What HSBC and Its Senior Officials Are Alleged To Have Done
No shit, Sherlock. (As the man said.) Obama Caving on Social Security
Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive Rothschild writes: "President Obama is
bending over way too far to reach a budget deal with John Boehner and the
Republicans." READ MORE It's becoming more and more obvious (to me anyway)
that as long as Glenn Greenwald is reporting, I don't need to. And he's
reporting today on
The NRA's Greatest Hit... And 60 Democrats Voted For It
*Like most bills signed by Bush, the gun manufacturers
protection act should be repealed*
"A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued
against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or
ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the
misuse of their products by others." That's the description of the bill
that the NRA got Congress to pass in 2005 on behalf of the gun
manufacturers which sponsor the organization.
Cliff Stearns' 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (H.R. 800)
doesn't have a roll call v... more »
The Trent Photographs Reexamined
Through the years, I have often thought that the Trent photographs have
only one of two possible conclusions. They are either of a craft that
matched nothing in the inventories of various world air forces, or it was a
hoax. It was something from another world or it was faked.
For those who need a little background, the Trents, Paul and Evelyn,
photographed a UFO that hovered over their farm near McMinnville, Oregon,
on May 11, 1950. According to the story, Evelyn Trent was outside feeding
the rabbits when she saw a large, slow moving, disk-shaped object traveling
toward the northeas... more »
It Is Becoming More And More Evident That The USA Has Slipped Into Complete Insanity ...
*-The KKK Will Confront the Westboro Baptist Church At Newtown Funerals *
*-Virgina Law would order schools to arm teachers *
*-Tennessee Is Considering A Plan To Secretly Arm Teachers *
*-Michigan Considers Arming Teachers *
*-Newtown Survivors Unable to Sue Gun Manufacturers Because of NRA
Sponsored Law*
* *
*-Texas & Oklahoma Legislators Look At Arming Teachers*
* *
*-Gov Mike Huckabee Says Newtown Killings Happened Because God Has Been
Removed From schools *
*-Focus On The Family Claims Gay Marriage The Reason For Newtown Massacre*
*-Teaparty Nation Blames Teachers Unio... more »
Things you don't see on the TV news
Big Media dutifully transcribes every utterance made by the major actors on
Capitol Hill in the fiscal bluff kabuki. But they never seem to get around
to reporting the obvious motivations of the Big Money players in this
drama.
According to The Public Accountability Initiative, the group Fix The Debt -
which advocates for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security cuts while
pushing corporate tax reform - has 38 leaders with “ties to 43 companies
with defense contracts totaling $42.3 billion in 2012.”
We have the most bloated defense budget in the entire world, but they'll
move heaven... more »
"U.S.S. Titanic To Face More Icebergs Than The Fiscal Cliff"
*"U.S.S. Titanic To Face More Icebergs Than The Fiscal Cliff"*
by Danny Schechter
"2012 has been the l00th anniversary of the famous Titanic disaster. The
Captain of that “unsinkable” ship was warned that there were icebergs ahead
but he was too busy, out to set a speed record on the way to New York. The
warnings were ignored and we know what happened. What we don’t know is why
other urgent warnings go unheeded.
Take the repeated warnings that the easy availability of hand guns and
assault rifles would lead to more massacres of innocents. The National
Rifle Association operates ... more »
High praise for the teachers of Sandy Hook!
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012*
*The Sun displays good solid sense:* Congratulations to the Baltimore Sun
for its editorial today about Newtown—about the public servants who have
been so relentlessly slandered in the past dozen years.
As we start, we’ll include the Sun’s brace of headline:
BALTIMORE SUN EDITORIAL (12/19/12): *The heroes of Newtown:*
*Our view:* The strength and courage of teachers and school staff—the kind
of public employees so often scorned of late—are the revelation of Sandy
Hook
As the nation continues this week to deal with the grief and heartache left
behind ... more »
The Economy: "Back To Fiscal Cliffs"
*"Back To Fiscal Cliffs"*
by Karl Denninger
"The latest is that Obama has issued a "veto threat" over Boehner's "Plan
B." A laughable response, of course, since The Senate was never going to
pass it in the first place. Indeed, I doubt you could manage to get it on
the floor of the Senate, say much less get an affirmative vote, given
Reid's control of the chamber. The simple issue here is that neither side
of the aisle is being honest, and both are playing with funny numbers. The
latest insult to the collective intelligence of Americans is trying to
count interest cost "savings" ... more »
Mark van den Boogaard: Dead Dutch Skydiver Found Days After Jump
The body of a Dutch skydiver has been discovered in a field over a week
after he made a fatal jump in which his parachute failed to open.
According to reports in the Netherlands, Mark van den Boogaard jumped from
a plane on December 8 as part of an organised event.
But his body was not found until this week when rabbit poachers came across
it by accident in a field near Teuge airfield, close to the city of
Apeldoorn.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027800/dead-dutch-skydiver-found-days-after-jump
Why no Cuban Spring?
I am currently at the Social Science Research Center in Berlin to present a
paper on norm suppression. While here, I had the opportunity to learn more
about some of the work being done by the Civil Society, Conflicts, and
Democracy research unit. Listening to these folks talk about the stability
of authoritarian regimes reminded
Continue reading
"When They Come For Your Guns, You Will Turn Them Over"
*"When They Come For Your Guns,*
* You Will Turn Them Over"*
By Jim Karger
“When they come for my gun, they will have to pry it out of my cold, dead
hands,” is a common refrain I often hear from the Neo-Cons when there is a
threat, credible or otherwise, that the US government is going to take
their firearms. And, when I hear this crazy talk, I agree with them openly.
“You are right. They will pry your gun from your cold dead hands,” which I
often follow with the question, “And where will that leave you except face
down in a pool of your own blood in the middle of the street, ju... more »
Obama Warns Cameron that Britain should not Leave the European Union
Barack Obama has warned Britain against leaving the European Union, it
emerged today.
The US President used a call to David Cameron to urge him to resist calls
to abandon Brussels, ahead of the PM delivering a major speech on Europe in
the New Year.
But President Obama is understood to be backing Mr Cameron's approach in
his fight for a 'better deal for Britain'.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2250579/Obama-tells-Cameron-Britain-stay-European-Union.html
Kate Braun : Will Winter Solstice Bring New Cosmic Balance?
Galactic
Synchronization or end of the world? This illustration shows how some
project the planets in the Milky Way to be aligned on the Winter
Solstice, December 21, 2012. Image from About2012.
Winter Solstice 2012:
Will planetary alignment
bring new cosmic balance?
By Kate Braun / The Rag Blog / December 19, 2012
"I’m pickin’ up Good Vibrations..."
Friday, December 21, 2012, is Yule,
"The Real Truth About the Fiscal Cliff"
*"The Real Truth About the Fiscal Cliff"*
By The Daily Reckoning
"What exactly is going to happen when the fiscal cliff hits on January 1,
2013? The “fiscal cliff” is a package of expiring tax cuts and federal
spending cuts passed by congress during the last budget battle. $600
billion in combined tax increases and spending cuts will hit suddenly in
January if congress does not come up with an alternate plan. The
combination of cuts and tax increases would slash the budget deficit in
half, but potentially pull the economy into another recession, according to
many economists.
Repu... more »
Obama named as TIME magazine's 'Person of the Year' for the second time in four years...And Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi as one of the runners up
The magazine cited the president's historic re-election last month as
symbolic of the nation's changing demographics amid the backdrop of high
unemployment and other challenges. The 'Person of the Year' accolade is
given to the person or thing that has most influenced the culture and news
throughout the year for good or for ill. Obama was named as Person of the
Year in 2008 when he was president-elect.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2250547/President-Obama-named-Times-Person-Year.html
*I suppose after the year we had with EU receiving the Noebl Peace Prize
this was to be e... more »
ZOROASTER AND THE BIRTH OF AN APOCALYPTIC FAITH
*ZOROASTER AND THE BIRTH OF AN APOCALYPTIC FAITH*
*by R.D. Brinsmead*
The following outline has been drawn, for the most part, from three
excellent and highly acclaimed publications about Zoroastrians: Norman Cohn,
* Cosmos, Chaos, and the World to Come: The Ancient Roots of Apocalyptic
Faith;* Mary Boyce, *Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices;* and
S.A. Kapadia, *The Teaching of Zoroaster and the Philosophy of the Parsi
Religion.*
Norman Cohn has written such an excellent Afterword at the end of his
equally excellent book, that I will quote it in full:
*"T... more »
Boehner's 56 second press conference...
*about sums it up.*
Planbee
Obviously, I'm assuming that after Speaker Boehner introduced Plan B to the
GOP conference yesterday, the Republican Members of the House have been spending
the day running around covering up for Matthew so he doesn't get fired.
Right?
(Yes, I know, no one knows or cares. Sorry; I'm going to treat it as if
it's a well-recognized classic that's part of our assumed common culture,
so that I can make references to it without explanation.)
Hmmm...where was I....oh, yeah, Boehner and Planbee. Does she (she being
Andrea Planbee -- didn't you click on the link and re?-watch the entire
fou... more »
Harry Targ : In Times Like These
"In Times Like These" performed by Arlo Guthrie.
In times like these:Give peace a chance
By Harry Targ / The Rag Blog / December 19, 2012
In times like these when night surrounds me
And I am weary and my heart is worn
When the songs they’re singing don’t mean nothing
Just cheap refrains play on and on...
When leaders profit from deep divisions
When the tears of friends remain unsung
In
Monica Avila 'threatened her daughter's bullies with a gun outside middle school'
A mother is accused of driving to a middle school and threatening several
teenage students with a gun who she thought were bullying her daughter.
Monica Avila, 34, from Denver, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with
four counts of menacing and one count of possession of a weapon on school
grounds.
Police say she confronted four students aged 14 and 15 outside Lake Middle
School last Thursday and started brandishing the weapon in the middle of
the argument.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2250715/Monica-Avila-Mother-threatened-daughters-bullies-gun-outside-middle-school.html
French banking reform does not go far enough, say critics
France has unveiled a long-awaited bank reform, hailing it as a model for
the rest of Europe even as critics said it fell short of President François
Hollande's campaign pledge to get tough with the financial sector.
The overhaul – which asks banks to house their proprietary trading units in
separate, self-funded entities – will leave most of French lenders'
investment banking activities untouched, handing a victory to BNP Paribas,
Société Générale and other banks after months of intense lobbying.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/19/french-banking-reform-francois-hollande
Russia advances law to ban US adoptions
Russia’s parliament voiced strong support Wednesday for barring Americans
from adopting Russian children, a retaliation against a new U.S. measure
imposing penalties on Russian officials connected to the death in custody
of a Russian lawyer and other human rights violations.
The proposed Russian law, which was overwhelmingly approved in a procedural
vote Wednesday, would also place tight restrictions on nongovernment
organizations that receive financial support from the United States,
banning the groups if they engage in political activities considered
contrary to “Russia’s interest... more »
Is Canadian Progressivism a Farce?
The topic came up recently in a discussion I had with a prolific and
thoroughly progressive blogger who will go unnamed. He lamented that he
had become fed up with Canadian prog bloggers who seemed not terribly
interested in progressivism at all and, by contrast, far less interesting
than their truly progressive American counterparts.
I think his criticism is fair and accurate. Many of us, I suspect,
consider ourselves progressive by virtue of an affiliation with a
particular party that once, in times now past, had been more or less
actually progressive. For them, progressiv... more »
Pirate Bay proxy website shut down in the UK
The website was run by the Pirate Party UK, a fringe political party, and
acted as a proxy gateway to the Pirate Bay, which broadband providers
blocked earlier this year after a High Court order.
The BPI, which represents record labels, had demanded that the proxy be
shut down and said it would take legal action against the UK Pirate Party
if it remained online. Today the organisation dropped its threat.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9756091/Pirate-Bay-proxy-website-shut-down.html
Polio vaccinations in Pakistan suspended after gunmen murder eight workers in 48 hours
Gunmen shot dead a woman working on UN-backed polio vaccination efforts and
her driver in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said, raising
to eight the number of people killed in the last 48 hours who were part of
the immunization drive.
The attack on the woman was one of five that took place on polio workers in
northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday. One male polio worker was critically
wounded, while the others managed to escape unharmed.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12/19/polio-vaccinations-in-pakistan-suspended-after-gunmen-murder-eight-workers-in-48-hours/
Artist Taxi Driver - Queen Elizabeth Land - what a freak of a country
here's the ever-effervescent Artist Taxi Driver letting rip on the subject
of 'Queen Lizzie in Cabinet like no other royal since Queen Vicky'.
"These are my people! This is my Land! This is Queen Elizabeth Land!" and
on and on and on it goes... until you can stand the glaring truth no longer.
His verbally-violent and establishment-abusive take on the Corporate War
Machine's insatiable desire for murder, excess and destruction is
double-plus-good refreshing.
FREE PLANET.
RUSSIAN SHIPS HAVE DOCKED IN TARTUS, UNLOADED ISKANDER-CLASS NUCLEAR-CAPABLE CRUISE MISSILES FOR SYRIAN USE
*Full story here, frightening situation:*
http://www.debka.com/article/22625/Assad%E2%80%99s-deadly-agenda-First-chemicals-next-Iskander-9K720
*
Added thoughts:*
This explains why the US and European fleets suddenly departed.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Barry
"Oddly, Walt’s endorsement of the Hagel nomination is proof enough for Bill
Kristol and his band of neoconservative Orcs that Hagel is the second
coming of Adolf Hitler — but never mind. Trying to discern an internal
consistency in the hysterical ululations of this crowd is like searching
for meaning in the squeals and squawks of chickens in the barnyard: it’s
just a lot of noise, signifying nothing." - Justin Raimondo, *"The Paranoid
Style of the Israel Lobby."*
"In Washington today, Hagel’s views are mostly associated with those of
Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Hagel ... more »
Ian Watkins remanded in custody charged with child sex offences
The lead singer of the rock band Lostprophets, Ian Watkins, has been
remanded in custody after appearing in court to face allegations of child
sex abuse.
Watkins, 35, has been charged with conspiring with a woman to rape a girl
aged under 13.
Watkins, whose band has sold 3.5m albums worldwide, is also accused of
conspiring to engage in sexual activity with a girl under 13. In addition
he faces charges of possessing, making and distributing indecent images of
children and possession of extreme pornography, some of which involves
animals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/dec/19/los... more »
Republicans put squeeze on Obama in "fiscal cliff" talks
Republicans tried to wring more tax-rate concessions out of the White
House on Tuesday as political maneuvering intensified over an agreement to
keep the U.S. economy from tumbling off the "fiscal cliff" next year.
Markets rallied on hopes for a deal.
After important concessions in recent days from both President Barack Obama
and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, Republicans moved to
increase pressure on the Democrats by vowing to vote in the House on a
"Plan B" back-up measure that would largely disregard the progress made so
far.
http://news.yahoo.com/hopes-rise-fis... more »
Our Plastic Oceans
A museum in Berlin is introducing Germans to a massive and growing problem,
the sea of plastic forming in the world's oceans. Here are a few photos
from *der Spiegel*
Hawaii Thailand Brazil At Sea
Berlin Museum Exhibit* *
Record-high tides in Seattle wash in prospects for more in future
[image: Waves crash on homes along Beach Drive Southwest in Seattle, on
Monday, 17 December 2012. Flooding was widespread. Monday's highest tides
ever recorded in Seattle, which sent waves spilling onto 100 properties in
West Seattle, city climate-change watchers say the area could be in for
more of the same — or worse — in years to come. NICK ADAMS / Seattle Times]
By Jack Broom and Alexa Vaughn, Seattle Times staff reporter
18 December 2012
Following Monday's highest tides ever recorded in Seattle, which sent waves
spilling onto 100 properties in West Seattle, city climate-change... more »
Fox Found “Frozen Alive” in Norway River Mystery
Here’s a winter mystery for you—and a rather sad one at that.
Not far from highway E18 in Kragerø, Norway, a red fox was found frozen
standing upright in a river, as if the water had suddenly turned to ice as
it was crossing through.
Foxes have a high tolerance for cold and are well adapted to withstanding
low temperatures, so, in principle, this little guy should have been able
to cross the river without any major problems.
Furthermore, even if it had been injured or on the verge of death while
wading through the river, it would have lied down in its final moments
instead of stan... more »
It's Over for Assad's Syria
It's over for Syrian president Assad. His key backer, Russia, has thrown
in the towel. The Russian defence ministry has announced it has sent
warships to the eastern Mediterranean apparently to facilitate the
evacuation of Russian nationals from Syria.
*A flotilla of five ships - a destroyer, a tugboat, a tanker and two large
landing vessels - is being sent from Baltiysk, on the Baltic Sea, to
relieve ships that have been in waters near Syria for months.*
* **A second group was sent from Severomorsk, on the Kola Bay in
north-western Russia. At typical cruising speeds for such ve... more »
County Police Chief Recommends Arming School Personnel
CBS
[image: St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch]St. Louis County Police
Chief Tim Fitch says it is time to talk about arming civilian school
personnel following Friday’s massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, comparing it
to arming airline pilots after September 11, 2001.
“I see it no differently,” he said. “Pilots have been armed now for many
many years, we’ve not had another hijacking and the issue is, for the bad
guy, he doesn’t know which airplane he’s getting on, if the pilot is armed
or not.”
Fitch said the killing will not be stopped by legislation or laws. “If
there’s som... more »
In case you can't access the Biased-BBC blog
Biased-BBC has moved, it's now current, maybe temporary, address is now
http://biasedbbc.org/
Killing Off Old King Coal While There's Still Time
If we're to avoid runaway global warming, we have to get carbon emissions
down into the mid to low-40s by 2020. At the moment we're at 52 and
trending upwards. That is 52 gigatonnes, 52 billion metric tonnes of CO2
emissions annually. That's where we're at this year.
A new report in *Nature Climate Change* finds that it might be possible to
avoid the dreaded 2C warming if we can throttle back emissions to somewhere
between 41 and 47 gigatonnes by 2020.
What does that sort of cutback look like? It means shutting down about
65% of the world's coal-fired power stations over t... more »
The Kindergarden of Eden: What is liberalism?...(video)
*personally I think it's a collection of people who, as my hubby says,
"Haven't thought things through."*
Bill Whittle interviews Evan Sayet about his new book, *The Kindergarden of
Eden*.
From Youtube:
Author Evan Sayet sits with Bill Whittle to discuss his book The
Kindergarden of Eden. Sayet thinks that most liberals are neither stupid
nor evil. So why do liberal policies so often produce stupid, if not evil
results? Is it because liberalism promotes evil over the good? Find out on
this interview with the very funny and insightful Evan Sayet.
Since Minnesota (St.Paul) was my po... more »
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 19th December 2012
Magnitude
4.7
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 16:08:08 UTC
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 01:08:08 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
40.658°N, 139.153°E
Depth
34.8 km (21.6 miles)
Region
NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances
89 km (55 miles) NW of Noshiro, Japan
Duck Takeover of Foreign Affairs on Schedule
Robert provides Foreign Affairs a ”snapshot” on the South Korean election —
which Park won today. An excerpt: For all the talk of the “pivot” to Asia
in the United States, the idea is not widely discussed in South Korea. And
South Koreans are not all that interested in containing China. Although
Korea was a tributary
Continue reading
How do we get correct information -- and avoid misinformation -- in times of high-pressure media frenzy?
*by Ken*
Our subject for today is the journalistic goal of "getting the story
right," which has rarely gotten quite all the priority some of us might
wish, but has been taking kind of a new style of beating since the advent
of the literally nonstop news cycle via cable and Internet.
Not surprisingly, it happened again in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook
shooting. And it's not that hard to understand how it happens. At such
times it's impossible even to describe the demand for information. In the
face of such a horror, people -- and I mean everybody -- has a desperate,
soul-deep *n... more »
Arbol de navidad junto a la chimenea con el gorrito de Santa
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I Want Candy
The Strangeloves original version from 1965
The Bow Wow cover version from 1982 - my favourite version
The hideous Jedward version from 2010.
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How they cover up the crimes . . . and what to do about GUNS.
*How they cover up the crimes:*
HSBC commits its horrendous worldwide crimes, but then as if by magic, a
terrible thing happens in America totally unrelated to the HSBC mess.
Since this new thing is so horrific and riveting (*Terror Porn*, as David
Feldman so aptly described it), all eyes are drawn to the spectacle. The
media, almost as if complicit in HSBC's desire for everyone's eyes to look
elsewhere, directs all attention at the new story and the American Public
drops its attention from the HSBC crime story and moves on, completely
forgetting about HSBC.
Twenty small children... more »
Obama threatens veto of Republican plan, fiscal talks turn sour
President Barack Obama on Wednesday threatened to veto a Republican tax
plan as talks to avert a fiscal crisis by the end of the year turned sour
despite recent progress.
The White House rejected the Republicans' proposal, known as "Plan B,"
because it does not do enough to raise taxes on the wealthy or address
spending cuts needed to tame the country's $16 trillion debt.
"The congressional Republican "Plan B" legislation continues large tax cuts
for the very wealthiest individuals," White House Communications Director
Dan Pfeiffer said in a statement.
http://www.reuters.com/artic... more »
5.7 Magnitude Earthquake NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN - 19th December 2012
Magnitude M 5.7
Region NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
Date time 2012-12-19 16:08:30.6 UTC
Location 28.86 N ; 171.68 E
Depth 10 km
Distances 2418 km N Rita
No Evidence of Man Flu, Scientists Say
Unwell males who complain about having "man flu" may get less sympathy in
the future after a survey by scientists suggested there was no evidence to
show the condition actually exists.
More than 4,000 people have so far been questioned about how they felt on a
scale of 0-100 where 0 was the worst and 100 the best.
The poll showed there was no difference between men and women who reported
flu-like symptoms - with a median score of 60 for both male and female
participants.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027683/no-evidence-of-man-flu-scientists-say
Libor: Former UBS Traders Charged In US Probe
US prosecutors have criminally charged two former senior UBS traders as
part of their investigation into the bank's manipulation of the Libor
benchmark rate.
A criminal complaint against former traders Tom Hayes and Roger Darin was
unsealed in a district court in New York, the US Justice Department said.
Both traders were charged with conspiracy, while Hayes was also charged
with wire fraud and an antitrust offence.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027701/libor-former-ubs-traders-charged-in-us-probe
Arbol de navidad con esferas rojas y doradas
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The People's Republic of Athabasca?
Figuring out what's going on and what lies ahead for Old Beelzebub and his
cherished Tar Sands is like casting bones and reading entrails.
For months there have been warnings that the Tar Sands were in trouble for
a variety of reasons but especially because of the shale oil and gas boom
that developed in the United States. It only made sense. Why invest in
$70-a barrel Athabasca heavy crude when you could put your money into $50-a
barrel U.S. prime, shale oil? When word got out that America was sitting
on a glut of shale oil and shale gas, Athabasca's fortunes worsened.
What we... more »
Santa Claus en su trineo repartiendo regalos
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5.0 Magnitude Earthquake TONGA - 19th December 2012
Magnitude
5.0
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 16:02:20 UTC
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 06:02:20 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
20.473°S, 174.332°W
Depth
9.9 km (6.2 miles)
Region
TONGA
Distances
75 km (46 miles) S of Pangai, Tonga
Varias velas decorativas para una cena de navidad
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4.7 Magnitude Earthquake WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND - 19th December 2012
Magnitude
4.7
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 15:19:53 UTC
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 12:19:53 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
52.316°S, 139.389°E
Depth
10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region
WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
Distances
1162 km (722 miles) SSW of Geeveston, Australia
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Matthews and Ifill, rolling for Warner!
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012*
*The lunacy of our press culture:* Do you live in a lunatic culture—in a
press corps banana republic? Consider:
Senator Warner was explaining why he has now flipped on guns. On Hardball,
Chris Matthews played tape of the great man’s moving words.
Then he began to emote:
MATTHEWS (12/18/12): Here’s a smart senator talking now. *Senator Mark
Warner of Virginia, a moderate Democrat most people would count him as,
joined the chorus of pro-gun Democrats—he’s one—who are willing to look at
changes in gun safety.*
Let’s listen to the senator from Virginia.... more »
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Help for Lazy TV Executives
After the success of Sky TV's *On the Couch with Peter Crouch*, TV execs
are doubtless looking for follow-up. Based on this winning formula, we've
come up with a number of ideas, all as groundbreaking as the original. Ta
for all contributions.
On the Toilet with Junior Hoilett
At the Sink with Jan Venegoor of Hesselink
In the Shed with Jonathan Stead
In the Bath with Steve and Garth - presented by the Spurs early 80's strike
partnership of Archibald and Crooks
In the Bracken with Gordon Strachan - where the former Scotland
international takes us on his favourite hillside walks
I... more »
Climate: Arctic Thermostat Blows Up
YES, THERE IS AN EMERGENCY IN THE ARCTIC.
This may not be pleasing holiday fare, but our time together is limited and
valuable. Critically important news cannot go unreported, no matter what
local tragedy dominates the mainstream headlines.
We are just beginning to understand why the sudden melt-back of the Arctic
Sea ice could change the climate of the world. If you live in the Northern
Hemisphere, your own weather has changed already because of it.
As we will hear in this program, there is enough methane buried in the
Arctic to drive us into an extinction event from runaway climat... more »
Neil Macdonald: Death and delusion in a nation of assault rifles
Yet another "national discussion" about guns is under way here, and it's so
anti-rational, so politically cowardly, so …unbearably stupid that you have
to wonder how a nation that has enlightened the world in so many other ways
could wallow in this kind of delusion.
Twenty children are dead, and journalists and politicians have assumed
those breathy, semi-hushed tones that have become so much the norm in
covering tragedies.
Everywhere, there is talk about "the grieving process," with pious asides
thrown in about the need to "go home and hug your children," or pray.
As if that is go... more »
WHEN I HEARD OF THE MASSACRE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NEWTOWN, I WAS SO GRIPPED WITH SADNESS THAT I COULDN'T EVEN WATCH THE TV COVERAGE. NOR COULD I MANAGE TO DEVELOP THE KIND OF RIGHTOUS ANGER THAT I OTHERWISE MIGHT HAVE POSTED TO MY BLOG. HOWEVER IT TURNS OUT THAT MICHAEL MOORE HAD DONE THAT FOR ME:
------------------------------
*"Americans Kill People": Michael Moore on Newtown, Mass Shootings, and the
U.S. Culture of Violence*
We air an excerpt of an address by the legendary filmmaker Michael Moore
delivered just hours after the Newtown massacre. Moore won an Academy Award
for his 2002 documentary, "Bowling for Columbine," about gun violence in
the United States. He discussed the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre
at a New York City event on Friday night. Video courtesy of filmmaker Lorna
Tucker. [*Original* includes rush transcript]
Cherchez la Verite
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Academic Administrative Fecklessness
I wasn’t going to post anything about the cyber-intimidation campaign being
directed at Erik Loomis, as that seemed like a job for Big Important
Liberal Blogs and not for the Duck of Minerva. But now the issue has
strayed directly into our territory. In brief, Erik Loomis is a history
professor at the University of Rhode
Continue reading
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Nuclear Village in Japan Happy With Election Results
Optimism rises in 'nuclear village' after LDP's victory The Asahi Shimbun
Dec 19, 2012
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201212190048
[Excerpted] The smiles have returned to the “nuclear village.”After more
than a year of soaring costs, sinking profits and doubts about future
operations, the electric power industry gladly welcomed the Liberal
Democratic Party's return to power....
...Investors expect the LDP administration will approve restarts of idle
reactors, which would improve the finances of the utilities....
...The Democratic Party of Japan planned to comp... more »
Bank of England offers glum outlook for 2013
he economy is likely to remain stagnant in the near term but inflation will
probably exceed 2 percent in the next year and also faces further risks
from higher food prices, Bank of England policymakers said on Wednesday.
After its December 5-6 meeting, the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee decided
to keep its main interest rate at a record-low 0.5 percent and its bond
purchases at 375 billion pounds as expected, with stubborn inflation
trumping worries about a sluggish economy.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/19/uk-boe-idUKBRE8BI0DM20121219
What's Up With Fukushima Daiichi's Common Spent Fuel Pool?
We have essentially heard NOTHING over the last 21 months about this pool.
Today Fukushima Diary reports:
* ** **
[Express] “Common usage pool may be more heated than SFP of reactor3″
Posted by Mochizuki on December 19th, 2012
Majia here: The common spent fuel pool contains
–6291 assemblies
•Integrity Inspection of Dry Storage Casks and Spent Fuels at Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. November 16, 2010.
http://www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/accidents/6-1_powerpoint.pdf
*
Are We Being Played As Suckers? Watch This Video: "Sandy Hook Shooting Exposed As A Fraud"
I have long said that this latest shooting in Connecticut stinks to high
heaven. It seems that the only outcome from this "massacre" of children is
for the US Government to ram through Gun Control legislation and entirely
circumvent the 2nd Amendment rights of the US populace to bear arms.
I came across a very shocking video that calls into question the entire
shooting, and whether or not we have all been played as suckers.... It is
called: "Sandy Hook Shooting Exposed As A Fraud", and I have it right here
for everyone to see for themselves... Please hold off your anger until
after... more »
Following the Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
Just a few points:
1. What gets reported from the negotiators is usually *part of the
negotiations*. That is, reporters hear what the negotiators want them to
hear. And you can't even assume which way it's slanted (if at all); one of
the players may believe it's in his interest to stress how reasonable he's
being, or how tough he's being. Doesn't mean it's really true.
2. That might include deliberate trial balloons -- but they usually aren't
labeled trial balloons!
3. Advocates on both sides have will generally have a strong incentive to
push for more -- to denounce the weakness o... more »
Untitled
*Roger Goodell, NFL Owe Saints a Huge Apology for Bountygate Nonsense ~Knox
Bardeen*
Podcast No. 16: A Discussion with Robert Farley
The sixteenth Duck of Minerva podcast features Robert Farley of the
University of Kentucky and the oxford-comma challenged blog, Lawyers, Guns
and Money. Professor Farley discusses his academic work and his role as a
prominent scholar-blogger (or is that blogger-scholar?). For better or for
worse, DHN talks a lot too. I should reiterate important change to
procedures. From now on,
Continue reading
2.6 Magnitude Earthquake NEWBERRY CALDERA AREA, OREGON - 19th December 2012
Magnitude
2.6
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 14:50:23 UTC
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 06:50:23 AM at epicenter
Location
43.730°N, 121.315°W
Depth
0.6 km (~0.4 mile)
Region
NEWBERRY CALDERA AREA, OREGON
Distances
17 km (10 miles) SE (132°) from Three Rivers, OR
Argentina, fearing Maya-linked suicides, closes Uritroco mountaintop
As mountaintops go, this one is for meditating. And the odd UFO sighting.
But now it is closing for a few days to avert a mass suicide by folks
girding for the world's end.
That doomsday is indeed upon us -- with Christmas just around the corner,
heaven forbid -- is one gloomy interpretation of a Mayan India calendar.
To wit, December 21 marks the end of a 5,200-year cycle on the Mayan "Long
Count" calendar. It's a cause for celebration for many in Mexico and
Central America, but spells doomsday for some believers.
http://www.france24.com/en/20121218-argentina-fearing-maya-linked-su... more »
Recipe for a Revolution
"Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither."~Benjamin
Franklin
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FOOLED ABOUT SCHOOLS: Science and math!
*WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012*
*Part 3—Let’s look at the rest of the record:* Last year, the United States
took part in the PIRLS, a major international assessment of fourth-graders’
reading skills.
The PIRLS is administered every five years. Last year, about fifty other
nations took part—and U.S. fourth graders pretty much kicked major keister.
That said, you’d have a hard time learning that fact from reading our major
newspapers. How did American fourth graders do in reading?
They did this well:
American fourth-graders outscored their peers in Canada, England, Germany
and Franc... more »
White House: Obama would veto House Republican "Plan B" on fiscal cliff
President Barack Obama would veto the House Republican "Plan B" tax
proposal designed to avert January 1 tax hikes, the White House said on
Wednesday, saying the plan does not meet Obama's test that spending cuts
not fall overwhelmingly on the middle class.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/19/us-usa-fiscal-obama-veto-idUSBRE8BI0WY20121219
Zero Dark Thirty Waterboarding Under Fire
Zero Dark Thirty has come under fire for suggesting the CIA's harsh
interrogation techniques helped the US track down Osama bin Laden.
The film, which was made by Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow and stars
Jessica Chastain as a CIA agent, charts the hunt for bin Laden and the raid
on his compound by US Navy Seals.
It shows Al Qaeda's No 3 leader, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, being subjected to
waterboarding, a controversial interrogation technique that creates a
near-drowning experience.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027444/zero-dark-thirty-waterboarding-under-fire
Anti-Gay Attack Amid Zenit Football Row
Gay rights activists have been attacked outside the Russian parliament - a
day after a leading football team was forced to deny it was both homophobic
and xenophobic.
Anti-gay activists threw eggs at equality campaigners near the State Duma,
before scuffles broke out between the two sides.
Several activists on both sides were detained by police amid the protest
against a controversial new bill banning "gay propaganda".
http://news.sky.com/story/1027586/anti-gay-attack-amid-zenit-football-row
Obama Wants New Gun Policies
Barack Obama is tasking Joe Biden to head up a new government panel to
formulate fresh policies to deal with gun violence, following last Friday's
school shooting.
The president will formally outline the role of the vice president - a
longtime gun control advocate - at the White House on Wednesday.
http://news.sky.com/story/1027296/school-shooting-obama-wants-new-gun-policies
President Park Geun-hye: South Korea 'Votes In First Woman Leader'
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