 |
| Hubble has captured the most detailed image to date of the open star cluster NGC 265 in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The image taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show a myriad of stars in crystal clear detail. The brilliant open star cluster, NGC 265, is located about 200,000 light-years away and is roughly 65 light-years across. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
 |
| English: Image of the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) taken by Robert J. Vanderbei (http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/images/NJP/ngc7635.html). (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Here's Where We Think The World's Nukes Are Stored
An image from the U.S.'s May, 1953 "Grable" test of a 280-mm nuclear
cannon. U.S. Department of Energy
*Here's Where We Think The World's Nukes Are Stored — And What It Says
About Global Security -- Armin Rosen, Business Insider*
Nuclear security scholars Hans M. Kristensen and Robert S. Norris published
a study of the worldwide deployment of nuclear weapons on August 27th in
the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, their first such survey since 2009.
As they stress throughout their paper, tracking the number and location of
the world's nuclear warheads is an inherently uncertain end... more »
Rumors Are Spreading That Now Retired Special Operations Admiral Bill McRaven May Be Hillary Clinton's Running Mate in 2016
*Photo:* Ret. Adm. William Harry McRaven. Wikipedia
*Special Ops Commander Swears: I Won't Be Hillary's VP -- Kimberly Dozier,
Daily Beast*
He commanded the bin Laden raid—and expanded U.S. commandos’ global
footprint. Now Adm. Bill McRaven is leaving the military. He
promises—promises—that politics won’t be next.
Admiral Bill McRaven left command of U.S. special operations this week as a
somewhat bewildered man – surprised, stymied, and in some cases burned by
the fame and notoriety that launched his three years there, as the military
commander of the 2011 raid that killed terror... more »
Yes, we know, guns don't kill people
*by Ken*
Yes, we know, guns don't kill people. Sometimes nine-year-old moppets
frolicking with Uzis on gun ranges kill people {"Child firing Uzi at Ariz.
shooting range accidentally kills instructor, police say").
Gun enthusiasts become heated in their defense of responsible gun ownership
and use. And I'm sure many of them *are* responsible. And yes, we're
hearing some of them saying, "Wtf?" At this point, however, it carries less
and less weight in the face of their steadfast defense of a do-nothing
policy on gun control.
Earlier tonight I voiced some reluctance to make a big d... more »
A Look At The U.S. Spy Planes That Will Be Used To Gather Intelligence On The Islamic State
The RQ-4A Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial
reconnaissance system designed to provide military field commanders with
high-resolution, near-real-time imagery of large geographic areas. (CREDIT
: REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon)
*The U-2 And Global Hawk, The US Spy Planes That Will Help Hunt ISIS in
Syria -- International Business Times*
The United States has begun surveillance flights over Syria in an attempt
to spy on ISIS fighters. While the U.S. Department of Defense refused to
comment on what type of aircraft will be used, one milita... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
“To the eye, this cosmic composition nicely balances the Bubble Nebula at
the lower right with open star cluster M52. The pair would be lopsided on
other scales, though. Embedded in a complex of interstellar dust and gas
and blown by the winds from a single, massive O-type star, the Bubble
Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, is a mere 10 light-years wide.
* Click image for larger size.*
On the other hand, M52 is a rich open cluster of around a thousand stars.
The cluster is about 25 light-years across. Seen toward the northern
boundary of Cassiopeia, distance estimates for the Bubble Neb... more »
Paulo Coelho, “Closing Cycles”
*“Closing Cycles”*
by Paulo Coelho
“One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on
staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the
meaning of the other stages we have to go through. Closing cycles, shutting
doors, ending chapters – whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave
in the past the moments of life that have finished.
Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you
leave your parents’ house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting
friendship ended all of a sudden? You can spend a long time wondering... more »
"Willingness to Feel: Opening to Understanding"
*"Willingness to Feel: Opening to Understanding"*
by The DailyOM
"When we are resisting something based on a limited understanding, we must
then open ourselves to willingness. There are times when we may find
ourselves struggling or even fighting with our thoughts and emotions. We
may feel that something must be done in a certain way or not at all, or
there may be some other situation that feels absolutely black and white.
But life is not this way—it’s the way we are looking at our experiences
that is causing the turmoil within us. When we become aware that the
struggle we are havi... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Coppenbrügge, Niedersachsen, Germany.
Thanks for stopping by.
A Maze Or Labyrinth..."
"The difficulty in dealing with a maze or labyrinth lies not so much in
navigating the convolutions to find the exit but in *not entering* the damn
thing in the first place. Or, at least not yet again. As a creature of free
will, do not be tempted into futility."
- Vera Nazarian
Chet Raymo, “Whence Ourselves?”
*“Whence Ourselves?”*
by Chet Raymo
“I recently thought of David S. Goodsell's "The Machinery of Life," and I
found myself reading the book again. There is nothing I didn't already
know, but it's worth reading again for the same reason one might read, say,
Anna Karenina or Moby Dick several times in the course of a life. In fact,
Goodsell's book would be a good candidate for the one science book I would
recommend to someone stuck on a desert island.
Step by step he takes us through the molecular machinery shared by all life
on Earth. Humans have a lot more in common with a bacteriu... more »
The Poet: Wendell Berry, “Leavings”
“In time a man disappears
from his lifelong fields, from
the streams he has walked beside,
from the woods where he sat and waited.
Thinking of this, he seems to
miss himself in those places
as if always he has been there.
But first he must disappear,
and this he foresees with hope,
with thanks. Let others come.”
- Wendell Berry, “Leavings”
Consider This Dispatch a WAR-WARNING
"The current threat level from international terrorism for the UK is
assessed as SEVERE" - If an attack should occur before, during or after the
2014 NATO Summit in Wales, DON'T think ISIS, Don't think Putin, Don't think
Syria: think NATO Intelligence.
#warwarning #nato
I am afraid of Carbon Fiber as a mission critical resouce
It blows up at failure and give you little warning
watch the NHL for evidence
no way I am riding a bike
made of carbon fiber.
Untitled
*Environmental businesses as a New Orleans economic asset: See the data
points ~Mark Waller*
Oh no, the evil ISIS terrorists are waterboarding! How dare those dastards . . . oops!
*Kids, don't try this at home! But I've got some suggestions of blowhards
who deserve to undergo a lovely round of waterboarding -- at the hands of
professional CIA torturers technicians. (Artwork by Simon Scarr/Reuters
Graphic.)*
*"Critics of waterboarding have said for years that the practice endangered
Americans, putting them at risk of being subjected to the same brutal
treatment at the hands of the enemy."*
*-- from "Captives held by Islamic State werewaterboarded" on
washingtonpost.com*
*by Ken*
Let's try not to make *too big* a deal of it, but since the Lying LIars of
the... more »
Hey Hackers: Join the NSA, It's like a Rave Party
*DoD*
*Get truth delivered to your inbox every week.*
Subscribe to GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING by Email
Singapore Singapore Singapore
Austria Austria Austria, Denmark Denmark Denmark, Germany Germany Germany.
Of all the treys only Germany is a significant country but man they can
move like a little one and treat the citizens to a good life despite the
troubled seas that surround them and the lack of natural resources that
enrich the stupid ones.
But I say to you all, Singapore is the place that has been
playing civilization since 1964 and winning every round. Take a look folks,
no wires our mirrors just good, not good great goverment. Social housing is
the foundation and good goverment over all is the salvation ... more »
Crushed [updated]
Gutless, and gone?
*UPDATE*: Good riddance. A shame she wasn’t sacked for all her real offences
.
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
Breaking News: greencrow's option "None of the Above" pondered by Federal Liberal caucus
GREENCROW'S SUGGESTION FOR BALLOT REFORM - *'NONE OF THE ABOVE' ADDED TO
BALLOT* - IS BEING CONSIDERED BY LIBERAL CAUCUS
Greencrow proposed the "None of the Above" (NOTA) option to Minister for
Democratic Reform Pierre Poilievre and MP James Moore back last February,
2014. Neither of them bothered to respond to my e-mail....but it looks
like the Liberals have accepted my suggestion for a change to the ballot.
The Liberals have, however, framed it as a "mandatory vote"...which I don't
think will fly and is a totally unnecessary march down
the path to totalitarianism.
http://www.v... more »
Kissinger Defines His View Of What Is Necessary For A New World Order
*The Assembly Of A New World Order -- Henry Kissinger, Wall Street Journal*
The concept that has underpinned the modern geopolitical era is in crisis
Libya is in civil war, fundamentalist armies are building a self-declared
caliphate across Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan's young democracy is on the
verge of paralysis. To these troubles are added a resurgence of tensions
with Russia and a relationship with China divided between pledges of
cooperation and public recrimination. The concept of order that has
underpinned the modern era is in crisis.
The search for world order has long b... more »
SELLING MISSILE OFFENSE
*Zoom in Korea*
*South Korea Missile Defense: U.S. Presses Interoperability *
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work says he wants South Korea’s
missile defense (MD) system to be ‘extremely interoperable’ with the U.S.
system.
“We want the Korean Air Missile and Defense (KAMD) to be independent and
strong,” he told a news conference at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on
August 21, “What we hope is to have an extremely interoperable system
between the United States’ theater missile defense and the KAMD.“
*‘Extremely Interoperable’ – What does it mean?*
The US government has... more »
"Fukushima Increased Cesium Levels 100 to 1,000 Times Worldwide... and 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 Times On the U.S. West Coast"
*"Fukushima Increased Cesium Levels 100 to 1,000 Times Worldwide... *
*and 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 Times On the U.S. West Coast"*
by George Washington
"We noted 2 days after the Japanese earthquake that radiation from
Fukushima could end up on the West Coast of North America. And see this. We
started tracking the radioactive cesium released by Fukushima within weeks
of the accident. In fact, U.S. nuclear authorities were extremely worried
about the West Coast getting hit by Fukushima radiation but publicly said
nothing. We reported that Fukushima radiation had spread worldwide, and ... more »
Corrupt UK Government Exports Islamist Terrorists To The Middle East And Then Uses Them To Put Fear In Its Ignorant Population
"The United Kingdom raised its terror threat level from “substantial” to
“severe” Friday, at a time when Britons have traveled to Iraq and Syria to
fight alongside the Islamist militant group wreaking havoc there." - Alex
Rogers, *"U.K. Raises Terror Threat Level to ‘Severe’"* Time, August 29,
2014.
The corrupt, cynical, and criminal U.K. government says that Islamist
terrorists that have taken over substantial territory in Iraq, and whom it
previously falsely labeled as "rebels" when they were busy fighting Assad
in Syria, pose a severe threat to the security of the U.K.
Insane ... more »
Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- August 29, 2014
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the all-Russian youth forum
Seliger, held in Tver region August 29, 2014. (Reuters / RIA Novosti /
Mikhail Klimentyev)
*Putin Mocks The West, Puts His Own Prestige On The Line -- Anna Nemtsova,
Daily Beast*
By proclaiming his support for Novorossiya, the old imperial name for
eastern and southern Ukraine, Putin signals he won’t back away from the
fight.
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin ratcheted up his
rhetorical-historical claims on eastern Ukraine Friday, even as pro-Russian
rebels and their allies among the separatist rebels pu... more »
Venezuela debt watch ( August 29 , 2014 ) - Venezuela has 15 billion in foreign reserves - 6 billion due to be paid in October - December 2014 ! If 2015 debt is similar to 2014 ( USD 9.6 billion to be paid in 2014 ) , it's not clear how Venezuela meets its debt obligations - while paying the rest of its bills .....
http://www.eluniversal.com/economia/140823/foreign-debt-maturity-puts-pressure-on-venezuelan-public-accounts
Foreign debt maturity puts pressure on Venezuelan public accountsUSD 6
billion is expected to be paid in October-December
The figures of the central bank show Venezuelan repaid USD 7 billion in
foreign debt in 2013 (Vicente Correale)
EL UNIVERSAL
Saturday August 23, 2014 12:00 AM
In order to raise expenditure above oil revenues and tax collection, the
Venezuelan government took on debt by selling bonds now nearing their
maturity date, which forces authorities to allocate signif... more »
Rob Ford
How I despise this man and the system that put such a reprobate in.
KISSINGER ADMITS PLAN FOR NEW WORLD ORDER
Former Secretary of State releases globalist plan for world government
*by* HENRY KISSINGER | THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Editor’s note: this is an article written by wanted war criminal and the
elites gopher, Henry Kissinger. The article is titled: ‘Henry Kissinger on
the Assembly of a New World Order‘ and appeared in the Wall Street Journal
29th Aug, 2014.
Libya is in civil war, fundamentalist armies are building a self-declared
caliphate across Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan’s young democracy is on the
verge of paralysis.
To these troubles are add... more »
FIRE TIME
- I started bringing in some wood today because the temperatures are
cooling off and I wanted to fill up the wood holders in the house. Tonight
I am going to sit out in the back yard with a fire going and I called MB
and asked her to bring some beer on her way home from work. Might as well
start thinking and acting like I am on vacation.
- The summer this year has gone by fast and has been much cooler than
the past couple of years. This summer felt more like the Maine summers we
experienced after moving here in 2003.
- I had a 90-minute massage to... more »
Masters out of control spells KAOS
I have no idea how you became competent to comment. But believe me girl
and I would say the same thing to you if you were a man. The end of civil
discussion in near, Rob Ford over thirty and thats when the mission blows
and the other entertains increase the suck and blow and we get a mayor
whose lungs can survive a blow out at 35.000 feet due to tequila.
The world is so crazy these days and I thought I would love it
watching the wooden animals rot so fast
But thats a pleasure I have put into the past
We need these rotten decks of humanity
to move us into a concrete future
Tabernac... more »
The Indefatigable Lithuanians
*NATO : The Organisation so Satanic, they back-mask their own name.*
Zbig - The Ukraine Crisis and the Brezezinki's Plan for a Greater Poland
from Spike EP on Vimeo.
"The Young Poland of Lelewel and Worcell demands the re-creation of the
Polish state and rollback of the 1772-95 partitions of Poland. But they go
much further, laying claim to Poland in its old Jagiellonian borders,
stretching from the shores of the Baltic to the shores of the Black Sea.
*This includes an explicit denial that any Ukrainian nation exists. *
In the orbit of Young Poland is the poe... more »
World News Briefs -- August 29, 2014 (Evening Edition)
*NATO To Russia: Stop 'Illegal' Military Operations in Ukraine -- Voice of
America*
NATO has called on Russia to cease its "illegal military operations" in
eastern Ukraine, which it says are aimed at destabilizing the country.
The comments by NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday followed an
emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss the worsening crisis.
Rasmussen, referencing satellite images released by his organization
Thursday, said it is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have
illegally crossed the border into eastern Ukraine. He said this is not an
isolated inc... more »
Prayer for the Day
That forensic review of BBC Radio 4's output on Tuesday 26 August, which I
envisioned in the previous post, would have to have begun somewhere and, as
the yearning Christian atheist in me would want me to begin the day with a
prayer, I would surely have had to have started it with *Prayer for the Day
- *Radio 4's daily religious offering at 5.43am.
Thinking about it, *Prayer for the Day* is an intriguing BBC Radio 4
institution - as is *Thought for the Day *on the *Today *programme, the *Daily
Service *(longwave only), *Sunday Worship*, and the ever-delightful *Bells
on Sunday*.
... more »
How to solve all our problems
The earth is a very big place and
its hard to hurt
humans have done this
repeatedly since our birth
now it has come to a crises
one the humans should curse
because of the extinction event
animals we are
well above the curve
First and foremost
cut back the CO2
Ban coal burning
that will give us a decade
or two
Then just modernize or lifestyles
Climate house our domiciles
and hydroginize our transport systems
man is the great architect of living
so lets listen to the best
build Manhattan projects that are forgiving
not death dealing atomic blasts.
Every technology we need to day
has b... more »
Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan Wants To Be A Citizen Of The Islamic State
*'It Would Be An Honor To Join ISIS And Become A Citizen Of The Caliphate,'
Says Former US Army Psychiatrist Who Killed 13 In Shooting Spree At Fort
Hood -- Daily Mail*
* Nidal Hasan claimed it would be 'an honor' to join ISIS caliphate in
letter
* Hasan killed 13 and injured 30 in 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas
* Earlier this year FBI chief testified that he believed the shooting
carried out by Hasan at Fort Hood in Texas was inspired by al-Qaeda
The former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people in the 2009 shooting
spree at Fort Hood has said it would be 'an honor' to joi... more »
Supplemental: The endless desire to see lives destroyed!
*FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014*
*Rachel Maddow in eastern Ukraine:* On last evening’s TV show, Rachel
Maddow really seemed to be flying.
To our taste, she wasted a lot of time with a lot of piffle-fed topics. She
wasted time discussing herself, as she constantly does.
At one point, she turned to her favorite topic. Early on, she made an odd
remark:
MADDOW (8/28/14): The defense rests! Today was the last day of testimony in
the federal corruption trial of Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.
Today, the judge in the case rejected a request by the defense counsel for
an acquittal.... more »
Rob Ford-- Four More Years?
When Richard Nixon was narrowly elected president in 1968-- beating
war-tainted Herbert Humphrey by seven tenths of a percentage point, 43.4 to
42.7%-- I decided to move to another country. I travelled around the world
and finally settled down in Amsterdam. By the summer of 1972 it was obvious
to me that Nixon couldn't possibly win another term and I started thinking
about moving back to America. When the votes were counted on November,
Nixon-- who we later found out stole the election through a criminal fraud
that later forced him to resign in disgrace-- had 47,168,710 votes (60.... more »
Its anxiety rising true
Every one has cancer
and there will
never be a cure
Its a war like weeding your garden
keep the bad plants away
but your never going to eliminate
any biological function
without killing the patient.
U.S. - Iraq Military Operations Are Cost $7.5 Million Per Day
A still image captured from U.S. Navy cockpit video shows an F/A-18F Super
Hornet assigned to the Fighting Black Lions of Strike Fighter Squadron
(VFA) 213 after launching from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in
the Arabian Gulf on Aug. 10, 2014 in this video released on Aug. 11, 2014.
A series of U.S. airstrikes since last week has slowed the operational
tempo of the Islamic State, the militant group that has seized large parts
of northern Iraq, but is unlikely to substantially weaken the group, the
Pentagon said on Monday. Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters
*Pentago... more »
More Jo Grant pictures - NSFW - Doctor Who related - Friday Night Rule 5
A while ago I posted some 'arty' photos of Katy Manning, Jo Grant from the
Jon Pertwee Doctor Who era, and very nice they were too - a Dalek and a
naked Jo Grant.
Here's Jo Grant as I remember her.
Here's Jo Grant as we all too occasionally saw her on Doctor Who back in
the early 1970s
Now, partially thanks to Emma Peel's Pants, I have some more Katy
Manning/Jo Grant gratuitious nudity photos.
And here are those Jo Grant with Dalek photos, because you can never see
them too many times.
Ah happy days - 'something for the dads' they used to say, but also for
this randy... more »
Excuses, excuses
What with having a full-time job, a family, and friends who persist in
asking you to do things with them, it's a hard life being a blogger.
It really is, and, to be honest, I don't envy myself being one. In fact,
it's so bad that I *demand* violins. (Are Hilary Hahn and Nicola Benedetti
available?)
As a blogger, you keep intending to post important pieces - pieces bound to
resound around the blogosphere and beyond - and to conduct scorchingly
incisive in-depth surveys into the BBC's output which, in some sort of
other world to this one, might very well shake that wicked corporati... more »
Rest In Peace Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE (29 August 1923 – 24
August 2014) was an English actor, film director, film producer, and
entrepreneur. He was the President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
(RADA).
As a film director and producer, he won two Academy Awards for Gandhi in
1983. He also won four BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. As an
actor, he is perhaps best known for his roles in Brighton Rock, The Great
Escape, 10 Rillington Place, Miracle on 34th Street and Jurassic Park.
He was the older brother of Sir David Attenborough, a naturalist and
broa... more »
A Cure for Climate Change
originally published on CounterPunch
As Easter Sunday melds into Easter Monday, and as technophiles and other
overly zealous techno-fetishists prattle on about their market-based (that
is, their faith-based) and tech-based fixes for climate change, a
foolproof, low-tech and (dare I say) “shovel ready” solution is already at
hand: the time-honored institution of the vacation. Recognized as vital at
least since biblical times (when the sabbath – a word derived from the verb
‘to rest’ – was introduced) the vacation not only enables people and other
animals to rejuvenate, the planet it... more »
Beyond Reparations - Ferguson and Actual Justice
originally published on CounterPunch
Killed at noon, just down the road from the grave of the slave Dred Scott,
Michael Brown has now joined a perennially growing group of dead men and
women (a group that only recently added Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Eric
Garner, Ezell Ford, Renisha McBride, and others) killed by a combination of
institutional racism and systemic poverty. Poverty and race, of course
(like race and wealth), cannot be easily disentangled. Not only has the
man-made construct of race been used to justify seizures of material
resources (gold, timber, land, etc.) from ... more »
Is The Islamic State Plotting To Kill Pope Francis?
*Italy Steps Up Security Over Alleged ISIS Plot to Kill The Pope -- Barbie
Latza Nadeau, Daily Beast*
Vatican scoffs at threats that Pope Francis is “in the crosshairs” of ISIS
as Italy issues a terrorist threat and tightens security.
VATICAN CITY — As Pope Francis continues to straddle the fine line between
calling for the end of persecution of Christians in Iraq and blessing
American airstrikes against the Islamic State (also known as the
“Caliphate,” ISIS, or ISIL), there is increasing concern for the
pontiff’s—and the public’s—safety.
Earlier this week, the Roman newspaper I... more »
What Can The West Do To Prevent A Ukraine Defeat?
*What Can The US And NATO Do To Prevent Putin From Defeating Ukraine? --
Quartz*
The new incursion into Ukrainian territory by Russian forces has led some
veteran US foreign policy hands to call for a quick and highly visible
Western airlift of military equipment to Kyiv. The aim: to prevent a
Russian rout of Ukraine.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, former US secretary of state George
Shultz and ex-defense secretary William Perry urged the US and NATO to
deploy forces in the Baltics, and equipment in Ukraine.
The prospects a swift victory for Russian president Vladimir Putin’... more »
Truth Is Always A Casualty Of War
Pro-Russian separatists walk at a destroyed war memorial on Savur-Mohyla, a
hill east of the city of Donetsk, August 28, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Maxim
Shemetov
*On Russian Troops In Ukraine, Honesty Is Not Everyone's Best Policy --
Christian Lowe, Reuters*
(Reuters) - The Ukraine conflict has evoked many memories of the Cold War,
including a footloose attitude to the truth. But even as Russia’s denials
of involvement stretch credibility to breaking point, for some they remain
a convenient fiction.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is chief among them; denying a Russian
role will kee... more »
Why Clacton Matters for Labour
*A very quick something bashed out for LabourList this morning and
published here. In case you missed it ...*
Make yourself a cuppa, pull up a comfy chair, and watch. Since Douglas
Carswell’s surprise/no-surprise defection to UKIP yesterday and the forcing
of a by-election in Clacton, there will be some in the party tempted to
adopt this attitude. And not without good reason. Consider the previous
by-election outings over the last year or so.
In Eastleigh, a Liberal Democrat/Tory marginal, from nowhere, became a
LD/UKIP marginal. The Conservatives were dumped into third place and o... more »
Ukraine Civil War News Updates -- August 29, 2014
BBC
*Death Toll In Ukraine Fighting Hits 2,593: U.N. Human Rights Official --
Reuters*
(Reuters) - A total of 2,593 people, including civilians as well as
Ukrainian and separatist combatants, have been killed in fighting in
eastern Ukraine since it erupted in mid-April, a senior U.N. human rights
official said on Friday.
"The trend is clear and alarming. There is a significant increase in the
death toll in the east," Ivan Simonovic, U.N. Assistant Secretary General
for Human Rights, told journalists.
"The current number of killed is 2,593 - close to 3,000 if we include the
298 v... more »
NATO Condemns Russia For It's Invasion Of Ukraine
*NATO to Russia: Stop 'Illegal' Military Operations in Ukraine -- Voice of
America*
NATO has called on Russia to cease its "illegal military operations" in
eastern Ukraine, which it says are aimed at destabilizing the country.
The comments by NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday followed an
emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss the worsening crisis.
Rasmussen, referencing satellite images released by his organization
Thursday, said it is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have
illegally crossed the border into eastern Ukraine. He said this is not an
isolated inc... more »
Grand Chess Master provokes "Kennedy Solution" from Ex CIA agent
Grand Chess Master Putin
*What took them so long to start talking about the "Kennedy solution"?*
Ex CIA agent and former Reagan advisor Herbert E. Meyer has proposed that
Putin be assassinated by his own Russian oligarchs.
*"Herbert E. Meyer, who served as a Special Assistant to the Director of
Central Intelligence under the Reagan administration, said the goal of U.S.
sanctions against Russia “should be to get the Russians who’ve been keeping
Putin in power, or tolerating Putin in power, **to throw that knockout
punch**.”*
We all know the evil doers are *basically one or two ... more »
Why Did Russian President Putin Use The Term 'Novorossiya' In Yesterday's Statement
The area of 'New Russia' which Putin now refers to in Ukraine.(WikiCommons)
*The Very Scary Word In Putin's New Statement On The Ukraine Crisis -- Max
Fisher, VOX*
Russian President Vladimir Putin just dropped the biggest, scariest
dogwhistle of the Ukraine crisis: "Novorossiya."
The word literally means "new Russia" — it was an old, imperial-era term
for southern Ukraine, when it was part of the Russian Empire, and is now a
term used by Russia ultra-nationalists who want to re-conquer the area.
Putin has used the word twice during the crisis. First, he used it in
April, about a m... more »
The Environment Has Many Enemies In Congress-- And Fred Upton Is The Most Dangerous Of All
There may be more than one reason so many voters in southwest Michigan want
this to be Fred Upton's last term. First elected in 1986 (when Ronald
Reagan was president), there's a general feeling that Upton's been in
Congress too long and that he's now "one of them," not "one of us." He's
become a creature of the Beltway and he pushes policies for K Street
lobbyists and big special interests rather than for working families back
in Kalamazoo, Portage, Niles, Benton Harbor/St. Joseph or Paw Paw. Or maybe
it's because 69% of MI-06 residents say they opposed shutting down the
governm... more »
Supplemental: A script became official today!
*FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014The frameworks of Journalist County:* Today, the
script became official.
It started in an innocent fashion, with Amy Chozick reporting Hillary
Clinton’s comments about Ferguson.
Basically, Clinton said next to nothing, but people had been demanding to
hear it. In this morning’s New York Times, Chozick started her
nothingburger news report like this:
CHOZICK (8/29/14): Nearly three weeks after the shooting of Michael Brown
prompted widespread protests in a St. Louis suburb and a national
examination of race and police tactics, *Hillary Rodham Clinton on Th... more »
Putin Issues A Warning To The West: 'Don't Mess With Nuclear Russia'
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media after talks with
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Minsk, Belarus August 27, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool
*Don't Mess With Nuclear Russia, Putin Says -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia's armed forces,
backed by its nuclear arsenal, were ready to meet any aggression, declaring
at a pro-Kremlin youth camp that foreign states should understand: "It's
best not to mess with us."
Putin told the assembly, on the banks of a lake near Moscow, the Russian
takeover of Crimea ... more »
Henry Kissinger- The Assembly of a New World Order
*Just published today by WSJ*
*The concept that has underpinned the modern geopolitical era is in crisis*
* Henry Kissinger*
Libya is in civil war, fundamentalist armies are building a self-declared
caliphate across Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan's young democracy is on the
verge of paralysis. To these troubles are added a resurgence of tensions
with Russia and a relationship with China divided between pledges of
cooperation and public recrimination. The concept of order that has
underpinned the modern era is in crisis.
*Our world as a rubiks cube? How very arrogant of the powers t... more »
FBI national domestic threat assessment omits Islamist terrorism | Fox News
' The FBI's most recent national threat assessment for domestic terrorism
makes no reference to Islamist terror threats, despite last year's Boston
Marathon bombing and the 2009 Fort Hood shooting—both carried out by
radical Muslim Americans.
Instead, the internal FBI intelligence report concluded in its 2013
assessment published this month that the threat to U.S. internal security
from extremists is limited to attacks and activities by eight types of
domestic extremist movements—none motivated by radical Islam.
They include anti-government militia groups and white supremacy extre... more »
World News Briefs -- August 29, 2014
*Ukraine Fighting Surges As Russian-Backed Forces Gain -- Bloomberg*
Separatists in eastern Ukraine are battling government forces on two fronts
near the Sea of Azov and south of Donetsk after NATO reported a surge of
Russian troops and advanced equipment into the war-zone.
The U.S. and the European Union threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin
with further sanctions, even as the EU began talks in Moscow today aimed at
a temporary deal with Ukraine to allow natural-gas flows to resume. Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today dismissed satellite photos that NATO
said show ... more »
METAPHORS AND FACTS: He’s looked at life from one side now!
*FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014*
*Part 5—Touré gets it (exactly half) right:* At one time, the American
press corps was Walter and David. People, that was it!
The press corps today is more varied. The range of voices from which we
hear is being greatly expanded.
Examples:
Major newspapers and major web sites are hiring an amazing number of
20-somethings. Youth is being widely served. Often, this produces very poor
journalistic results.
A wider array of progressive voices are being featured at some news orgs,
MSNBC being one major example. And a wider array of blacks and Hispanics
appe... more »
Local Council By-Elections August 2014
Party
Number of Candidates
Total Vote
%
+/- July
Average/
contest
+/-
July
+/-
Seats
Conservative
9
2,528
27.1%
-2.2%
281
-160
+1
Labour
8
2,551
27.4%
+1.7%
319
-89
0
LibDem
7
1,732
18.6%
+7.5%
247
-11
0
UKIP
7
1,685
18.1%
+2.8%
241
-30
+1
SNP*
0
-1.0%
-595
0
Plaid Cymru**
0
-0.4%
-228
0
Green
5
687
7.4%
+3.5%
137
+25
0
BNP
0
-0.1%
-58
0
TUSC
1
16
0.2%
+0.1%
16
+2
0
Independent***
2
127
1.4%
-5.9%
... more »
The Covert Origins of ISIS
*Evidence exposing who put ISIS in power, and how it was done.*
The Islamic militant group ISIS, formerly known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and
recently rebranded as the so called Islamic State, is the stuff of
nightmares. They are ruthless, fanatical, killers, on a mission, and that
mission is to wipe out anyone and everyone, from any religion or belief
system and to impose Shari'ah law. The mass executions, beheadings and even
crucifixions that they are committing as they work towards this goal are
flaunted like badges of pride, video taped and uploaded for the whole world
to see. This ... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 29, 2014
*Nato Accuses Russia Of Violating Ukraine Sovereignty -- BBC*
*Nato has accused Russia of a "blatant violation" of Ukraine's sovereignty
and engaging in direct military operations to support pro-Russian rebels.*
Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that "despite hollow denials",
it was now clear that Russia had illegally crossed Ukraine's border.
He said Nato would respect any Ukrainian decision on security, after its PM
said he was putting the country on course for Nato membership.
Russia denies sending troops and arms.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukrainia... more »
Important Health News: 3 Vaccines That Should Be Banned And NEVER Administered To Any Child
It does appear that the newest "ceasefire" in Gaza is holding.. The
impoverished and brutalized people of the Gaza Strip can now return to
their "homes" which thanks to the psychotic Israelis are nothing more than
piles of rubble. This slaughter and genocide of these innocent people by
the pschos in the Israeli military has turned Gaza into a wasteland which
will take decades to rebuild, if it is allowed to be rebuilt at all. Such
a waste and senseless killing by monsters driven by an unending selfish
lust to have that land to themselves, and the rightful people that call
that a... more »
Mysterious Orange/Red Glow Seen Under Pacific Ocean
http://goldenageofgaia.com/2014/08/29/mysterious-orangered-glow-seen-under-pacific-ocean-august-24-2014/#more-228814
Mysterious Orange/Red Glow Seen Under Pacific Ocean
*August 24, 2014*
*Posted by Stephen Cook on August 29, 2014 *
Copyright JPC van Heist
Copyright JPC van Heist
*Stephen: This is an actual pilot, JPC van Heist, nicknamed Flying
Dutchman’s, original story and photography of his experience while flying
over the Pacific Ocean this week. His story is also being picked up by some
mainstream news outlets (see separate link at end). Whatever this is, it’s
both magnificent... more »
In Exile at Home: Impressions from Europe
I have been able to avoid this fate for almost 12 years now, but they
finally got me. Being a citizen of Germany, I have been studying in the
U.S. on student visas for the last decade and even though it has always
been a bureaucratic nightmare, associated with significant financial costs,
I usually managed
Continue reading
Bill Whittle: Early Check Out: The World Gets Crazier and Obama Goes Golfing...
*is anyone surprised?*
PBS Higher Ed Series Reeks of Gates and Lumina
from Pando DailyIt's easy to understand how PBS and NPR can remain
commercial free, once you accept the fact that they are heavily sponsored
by billionaires and their foundations who get their commercials worked into
the news stories, themselves. Call it the latest in product placement.
Over the past 8 years, NPR has received millions from the Gates Foundation
to “to expand NPR education coverage and broaden its audience’s engagement
on the issue,” as the scroll read in 2013, when NPR landed $1.8 million.
In June 2014 it was revealed that "Teaching Channel Presents" for PBS was
r... more »
Why Can't You Think of Anything?
Thought I'd make today's post about the barren desert that is the Land of
Left-wing Alternative visions. To be fair though, some of my readers
actually imagine that voting Liberal or NDP or Green or some socialist
fringe party IS their alternative. THAT'S the extent of their analysis and
activism.
At least in that, they've got it all over bullshit poseur "anarchists" who
show up at protests carrying signs that say "No Matter Who They Vote For,
We Are Ungovernable!" and who then go home, back to their jobs or their
student loans and their paying taxes and rent or whatever.
But still... more »
CSTO ready to take over Ukraine
I've spent lots of hours by following the events in Ukraine and worrying
about them, too. The Western propagandist outlets have informed their
undemanding audiences that Russia has finally invaded Ukraine. Well, it
wasn't the first time when we heard such a thing. What strategy did Russia
choose to invade Ukraine yesterday?
It has sent about 10 soldiers above. They must have supernatural powers if
they're supposed to conquer a country with 40+ million people. Perhaps, it
wasn't just the ten folks. There may be a thousand of Russian citizens
fighting over there. Soldiers on vacatio... more »
The Austerity Diaries: Making Hay While the Sun Shines
Daisy Luther
Over the past couple of weeks, I haven’t been around my computer much.
That’s because we are working hard to live a more agrarian lifestyle. And
to do that, you have to “make hay while the sun shines.”
That little proverb was first recorded in 1546, in John Heywood’s “*A
dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the
Englishe tongue”* (This is the updated version) Heywood wrote:
Whan the sunne shinth make hay. Whiche is to say.
Take time whan time cometh, lest time steale away.
Back when Heywood wrote down that little pearl of wisdom, every Med... more »
Wall Street Admits That A Cyberattack Could Crash Our Banking System At Any Time
Michael Snyder
Wall Street banks are getting hit by cyberattacks every single minute of
every single day. It is a massive onslaught that is not highly publicized
because the bankers do not want to alarm the public.
But as you will see below, one big Wall Street bank is spending 250 million
dollars a year just by themselves to combat this growing problem.
The truth is that our financial system is not nearly as stable as most
Americans think that it is. We have become more dependent on technology
than ever before, and that comes with a potentially huge downside. An
electromagnet... more »
Canada Slips From Most Developed Nation In The World To 11th Place Because Of Stephen Harper And The Conservatives .. Shame!!
*Canada has slipped out of the top 10 countries listed in the annual United
Nation's human development index — a far cry from the 1990s when it held
the first place for most of the decade.*
*The 2013 report, which reviews a country's performance in health,
education and income, places Canada in 11th place versus 10th last year.*
*A closer look at the trends shows Canada actually did better than last
year, but other countries such as Japan and Australia improved at a greater
rate.*
*When the numbers are adjusted for gender inequality, Canada slumps to 18th
place. The United States fa... more »
10 Amazing Recipes Using Biscoff
There are few things I love more than Biscoff spread. It's like peanut
butter, but made with cookies. How does the world get any better than that?
Here are some of my favorite recipes made with this amazing spread. I think
I need to make them all this weekend!
Biscoff Hot Chocolate by Miss in the Kitchen.
Crepes and Homemade Biscoff Syrup.
Biscoff Banana Bread by Crazy for Crust.
Biscoff Cupcakes with Biscoff Buttercream by Baked Bree.
Biscoff Filled Donut Holes by Kirbie's Cravings.
Biscoff Milkshakes by The Little Kitchen.
Baked Biscoff Donuts by Inside BruCrew Life
Chocolat... more »
NO EVIDENCE OF RUSSIAN INVASION
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday addressed eastern Ukrainian
“self-defense” forces, urging them to open a humanitarian corridor that
allows surrounded Ukrainian soldiers to withdraw safely. The plea came the
day after President Petro Poroshenko accused Moscow of invading his
country, and only hours after US President Barack Obama placed the
responsibility for the crisis squarely on Russia. RT’s Manila Chan and
Paula Slier have the latest on the quickly moving situation.
Practical Guide to Protesting in a Police State
*How to stay safe when exercising your rights.*
Dees Illustration Stefan Verstappen
If you’re planning on participating in a peaceful demonstration or protest,
keep one thing in mind: at any time it could turn into a bloody riot.
In the past it has been a common practice for governments to send
provocateurs to mingle among the demonstrators until a given time or
signal, and then to begin instigating violence as both a way to demonize
the peaceful protesters in the media, and as an excuse to send in the riot
troops to bust heads. As demonstrations around the world can attest to,... more »
Bob Beamon's World Record Long Jump - 1968 Olympics
Bob Beamon's World Record Long Jump - 1968 Olympics
http://youtu.be/DEt_Xgg8dzc
Bob Beamon's is 68 today, his world record from 1968 deserves to be
remembered.
What Do They Do Now?
http://www.pinterest.com/
Justin Trudeau said recently that the biggest threat to global security is "the
kind of violence and misunderstandings and wars that come out of resource
depletion—concerns of lack of hope for generations growing up in a world
that is getting smaller and seemingly less and less fair.”
Alberta MP Michelle Rempel took to her Facebook page, writing that
Trudeau's statement sent her into a "blind-rage." Justin has that effect on
Harperites. Paul Wells writes that there are at least a couple of reas... more »
ACLU sues feds to ensure illegal aliens receive legal services
The ACLU, one of the leading organizations working to erode and ultimately
end American sovereignty in the United States today, recently sued the
federal government on behalf of several illegal alien invaders in order to
force the Border Patrol and Customs officials to provide special treatment
to these criminals. Unsurprisingly, they won the case.
Rather than simply immediately deporting any and all individuals - be they
children or adults - caught illegally entering the United States, the feds
are now essentially being *forced* to provide legal services and other
state benefits to... more »
Is There A Democrat In Congress More Corrupt Than Debbie Wasserman Schultz?
This morning I got my daily "give me your money" e-mail from one of
America's most corrupt politicians, Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). The
subject line was "Petition: Clean Up Campaign Finance" and instead of
deleting it unopened like I do with 90% of her spam, I opened it to examine
the latest hypocrisy from the sleazy New Dem trying to accumulate as much
money as she can in a push to bribe fellow Democratic House members to make
her party leader when Pelosi retires or when Pelosi and Hoyer retire. "Dear
Friend," she began with every bit of the ugly insincerity that defines her... more »
Papers Please? St. Paul Cop Harassed Black Man Waiting For His Kids for ID, Caught on Tape
*by Ed Krayewski*
While voter identification laws are a hot button issue in national
politics, those laws aren't usually discussed in the broader context of
identification requirements in various aspects of everyday life. For
starters, border patrol agents dozens of miles away from an international
border ask for identification purportedly to root out illegal immigrants.
Identification is required at the doctor's office, for increasing amount of
medication, at the airport, on trains and now even for some interstate bus
trips, for renting a car, getting into most government build... more »
North Korean Banker In Charge Of Kim Jong-un's Slush Funds Has Defected (With $5 Million)
A man, who managed money for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, is
believed to have defected in Russia and is seeking asylum in a third
country. (KCNA/Reuters)
*North Korean Money Manager For Kim Jong-un Defects In Russia --
CBC/Reuters*
Yun Tae Hyong was a senior representative of North Korea's Korea Daesong
Bank
A senior North Korean banking official who managed money for leader Kim
Jong-un has defected in Russia and was seeking asylum in a third country, a
South Korean newspaper reported on Friday, citing an unidentified source.
Yun Tae Hyong, a senior representative of ... more »
Harper discovers Northwest Passage
*Harper joins Arctic search for lost ships of Franklin expedition *
"One day we're just going to come around the bend and there's going to be
the ship and Franklin's skeleton slumped over the helm and we're going to
find it."
"I've never been that close to a big chunk of ice. It's huge," he said.
"That was great. Really exciting."
Boris from the Beav has uncovered two of Steve the Explorer's earlier
compositions on the subject ...
The Arctic
by Stephen Harper
In the Arctic the ice cube is really big. Franklin died one day in the
Arctic. His ship got lost. I will f... more »
States With Pro-Employee Laws: No At-Will Employment Equals Fewer Employee Suits
(Or, States That Don't Suck For Employees, Part II)I was doing some
research for this series on pro-employee state laws and ran across a piece
by that bastion of liberalism, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce rating states
either Good, Fair or Poor for employers. It's been a fantastic source of
information for my upcoming pieces in this series, since all I have to do
is look for the "Poor" rated states to find a rant about their pro-employee
laws.
What I found most interesting, though, was what they wrote about Montana.
Montana is notable as the only state in the nation that requires just... more »
Half Of The Syrian Population Has Been Displaced Because Of War
*Syrian Refugees Top 3 Million, Half Of All Syrians Displaced: U.N. --
Reuters*
(Reuters) - Three million Syrian refugees will have registered in
neighboring countries as of Friday, an exodus that began in March 2011 and
shows no sign of abating, the United Nations said.
The record figure is one million refugees more than a year ago, while a
further 6.5 million are displaced within Syria, meaning that "almost half
of all Syrians have now been forced to abandon their homes and flee for
their lives", it said.
"The Syrian crisis has become the biggest humanitarian emergency of our
... more »
Ukraine Updates ( August 29 , 2014 ) - Civilians and Soldiers of the Ukrainian Army trapped in South East Ukraine , Putin compares action of Kiev's military to Nazis..........Humanitarian efforts by Russia to continue ....... Natural gas situation - Ukraine debt now up to 11 billion euros ( per take or pay clause ) they cannot pay and Europe getting nervous .......
Russia Today.....
UN: Ukraine conflict death toll hits 2,600, civilians ‘trapped inside
conflict zones’
Published time: August 29, 2014 08:36
Edited time: August 29, 2014 10:27
Get short URL
[image: A woman and the body of a person killed in an artillery attack on
Lugansk. (RIA Novosti / Valeriy Melnikov)]
A woman and the body of a person killed in an artillery attack on Lugansk.
(RIA Novosti / Valeriy Melnikov)
5341591
At least 2,593 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since the start
of the Kiev’s military operation against anti-government forces there
started in mid-April, ... more »
China Is Making It Very Clear That They Do Not Want U.S. Spy Planes Near Their Newest Submarine Base
A Chinese J-11 fighter jet is seen flying near a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon
about 215 km (135 miles) east of China's Hainan Island in this U.S.
Department of Defense handout photo taken August 19, 2014. Credit:
Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout
*Chinese Interceptions Of U.S. Military Planes Could Intensify Due To
Submarine Base -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - One Chinese naval officer has advice for fighter pilots
intercepting U.S. surveillance planes in the wake of an incident over the
South China Sea last week that Washington condemned as dangerous - fly even
closer.
The comments by Rear Admiral Z... more »
Iceland Volcano Update ( August 29 , 2014 ) -- Fissure Eruption Begins In Iceland As Bardarbunga Magma Breaches The Surface ........
*BBC News (World)* @BBCWorld 3m
Rapid rate of tremors detected near Icelandic volcano http://bbc.in/XY4Mld
#bbcgofigure pic.twitter.com/bQrZyUd2Em
[image: Embedded image permalink]
Retweeted by BBC News (World)
*BBC News Graphics* @BBCNewsGraphics 5m
Fire and ice - Iceland's #Bardarbunga volcano and its fissure eruption
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28977773 … pic.twitter.com/7aGFjPQDeE
[image: Embedded image permalink]
http://icelandreview.com/news/2014/08/29/white-steam-comes-eruption
White Steam Comes up from EruptionBY BENEDIKT JÓHANNESSON August 29, ... more »
Iraq / Syria Regional War Updates ( August 29 , 2014 ) -- President Obama admits US doesn't have a strategy for ISIS ( as we bomb away at ISIS in Iraq but appear loath to do so in Syria - why did we ask Syria moderates to beg for US bombing in Syria ? ) ........ As we see ISIS using drones , read that they use waterboarding and enhanced torture interrogation tactics , see their advanced weapon ( US ) stolen or otherwise obtained and then used on the battlefield - more questions are going to be raised as to just who is behind ISIS ?
Anti War.....
Syrian Islamist Rivals Back US Attacks on ISISAccuse ISIS of 'Stealing'
Rebellion
by Jason Ditz, August 28, 2014
Print This | Share This
Rebels from the Islamic Front, a Syrian faction which has ties to al-Qaeda
leadership, are expressing support for US airstrikes against ISIS, which
they consider a rival in the ongoing civil war in northern Syria.
“I hope they bomb them and not a single one is left. Those people are not
Muslims, they are infidels,” declared one of the rebels. The Islamic Front
includes factions which the US began arming after the Free Syrian Army
(FSA)... more »
Is ISIS Spreading To Egypt?
Egypt's most dangerous militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has released a
shocking new video in which four men, accused of being Israeli Mossad
spies, are beheaded
*Influence Of ISIS Spreads To Egypt Where Militants Decapitate Four
'Israeli Mossad Spies' In Video That Echoes Recent Islamist Beheadings --
Daily Mail*
* WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis
release video of brutal beheading of four Egyptians
* Militant group claim the men had been spying for Israel's Mossad spy
agency
* Security source said headless corpses found in Sinai earlier t... more »
The Islamic State Sends A 'Message In Blood' To The Kurds
ISIS claimed it beheaded a Peshmerga fighter in graphic video and
threatened 14 others. Youtube /محلل لظاهرة داعش
*ISIS Says It Beheaded Kurdish Peshmerga Fighter In Graphic Video --
International Business Times*
The Islamic State released another graphic video Thursday, this one
claiming to show the beheading of a Kurdish peshmerga fighter in Mosul,
Iraq. The video is disturbingly similar – down to the color of the victim’s
clothing - to the militants' “Message To America” video in which they claim
to behead American journalist James Foley.
The video was posted on YouTube and is... more »
Sir Bernard Lovell and the Mind War
*"They tried to remove from my memory the fact that they had taken me to
their own defence nucleus on the Black Sea coast, because they did not want
news of what they had brought back to this country."*
*"The pictures from Luna 9 were not released immediately by the Soviet
authorities. *
*Instead, the Jodrell Bank Observatory in England, which was monitoring the
craft, noticed that the signal format used was identical to the
internationally agreed system used by newspapers for transmitting
pictures. *
*The Daily Express rushed a suitable receiver to the Observatory and the
picture... more »
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh in surgery after automobile wreck
*Hmmm... another single car accident? One of the reasons that automakers
were given special government incentives in the early 2000's was to
encourage people to trade in working 1990s era cars (that had simpler
electronic systems) was so that people would purchase cars with electronics
that enabled them to be remotely controlled. **Wonder what the FBI will
find? No alcohol, no skid marks, very strange... -AK*
http://goo.gl/gI4NPe
Louis Freeh in surgery Tuesday after wreckMike Donoghue, Free Press Staff
Writer 5:56 p.m. EDT August 26, 2014
(Photo: Rick Russell / Vermont Standard)... more »
Links for Easing Back into Blogging
*Lanyu again. Just because.*
Up in Taipei writing papers all week (last one accepted without revision!).
Now trying to ease back into blogging. Enjoy some links.
________________
*Daily Links*:
- Sex toy with Lin Fei-fan, sunflower leader, emblazoned on it.
- Overreliance on China will doom Taiwan
- Taiwan banks are heavily overexposed in China, and are cutting loans
to reduce risks. I sense a taxpayer bailout in the works...
- Anti-corruption agency raids home of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. Another
way in which Hong Kong is getting to be like Taiwan.
- The thin edge ... more »
Musical Interlude: Kevin Kern, "To Sleep on Angel's Wings"
Kevin Kern, "To Sleep on Angel's Wings"
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF5rWpaYDAw#t=19
"Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart"
*Antifaschistischer Schutzwall.*
Raytheon AI3 missile intercepts first cruise missile target
[image: AI3 missile]Raytheon Company and the U.S. Army achieved the first
intercept of a cruise missile by the Accelerated Improved Intercept
Initiative missile.
An AI3 missile also destroyed an unmanned aerial system (UAS). Both
intercepts occurred during the recent Black Dart demonstration – a U.S.
military exercise held July 29 - August 11.
Fired from the Avenger launcher, AI3 missiles intercepted both targets at
low altitude over water and in a high-clutter marine environment –
capabilities made possible by upgrades to the missile's semi-active seeker
and radar.
Read more
Iran test-fires indigenous missile system
[image: Talaash missile defence system]The Islamic Republic has
successfully test-fired indigenously designed and manufactured Talaash 3
(endeavor) missile defense system, a senior Iranian commander says.
Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base Brigadier General
Farzad Esmaili announced on Thursday that Talaash 3, which has a range of
more than 200 kilometers, had successfully been put to test and would be
unveiled on September 22.
The country’s air defense range will be expanded from 3,600 spots to 5,000
in the near future, added the top Iranian military commander.
R... more »
Sweden and Finland Forge Closer Ties With NATO
[image: AN-72 Coaler]Sweden and Finland have tightened their ties with the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying that they intend to sign an
agreement making it easier for troops from the western defense alliance to
operate on the territory of the two Nordic states.
The move comes as the Finnish Air Force claimed that it had intercepted a
Russian government aircraft that had violated Finland's airspace—the third
such incursion in a week.
Sweden's government said on Thursday that it would sign a Host Nation
Support memorandum of understanding with NATO on the grounds that it wou... more »
Fighter Pilot Was Killed in Virginia Jet Crash, Military Says
The pilot of an F-15C Eagle fighter jet that crashed into a mountainous
region of Virginia Wednesday morning was unable to eject and died in the
crash, the Air National Guard said Thursday.
The pilot's name was not immediately released. Col. James Keefe, commander
of the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield,
Mass., said teams were only able to safely reach the remote crash site
Thursday afternoon and discovered the pilot's body in the wreckage.
"This is a devastating day for the family of our deceased pilot and the
members of the 104th Fighter Wing and ... more »
Greg Hunter, “Weekly News Wrap-Up 8.29.14”
*“Weekly News Wrap-Up 8.29.14”*
by Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
“It’s official–Russia invades Ukraine. Now you know why I have led every
Wrap-Up with Ukraine. I have been predicting wider war in Ukraine, and now
we have one. The President said in a press conference that there is not
going to be a military response to this escalation, but my sources say the
U.S. has been covertly helping the Ukrainians. How do you think they have
been able to overtake the pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine? Looks
like Vladimir Putin has had enough and is now directly involved with his
milit... more »
When One Has The Vision Of The Heart - The Wisdom Of Sri Aurobindo
*"When one has the vison of the heart, everything, Nature and Thought and
Action, ideas and occuputions and tastes and objects become the Beloved and
are a source of ecstasy"*
Sri Aurobindo
Your Vision Will Become Clear - Carl Jung
[image: Carl Gustav Jung Quote: Your Vision Will Become Clear, Only When
You Look Into Your Heart, Who Looks Outside, Dreams, Who Looks Inside,
Awakens]
Your Vision Will Become Clear - A Quote from Carl Jung
[image: Carl Gustav Jung Quote: Your Vision Will Become Clear, Only When
You Look Into Your Heart, Who Looks Outside, Dreams, Who Looks Inside,
Awakens]
FOB Konya provides home for NATO AWACS
[image: E-3A at FOB Konya]Forward Operating Base (FOB) Konya is excited and
honored to host fellow members of the E-3A Component during the Runway
Restoration Project at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen.
On May 9, 2014, the E-3As left the main operating base (MOB) in Germany for
a temporary duty location, so they could perform their operational and
training sorties until the end of project.
Three of those E-3As found a home in Turkey and have been operating out of
FOB Konya. As seen in the picture, on the very first day of the mission,
the FOB welcomed them with a rainbow, one that was... more »
A challenge not taken up
Over on Biased BBC there are some pro-BBC types, who may or not be paid by
the BBC in some way, who love to attack the other commenters on the blog
but rarely produce much in the way of evidence. There's one particular one
who goes by the handle 'Scott' who gets a lot of stick for picking on
low-hanging fruit in discussions in an attempt to derail the discussion.
Almost a month ago there was a Biased-BBC about the BBC 'comedian' Marcus
Brigstock and how his 'humour' was of the easy targets left-wing variety.
In the comments I challenged Scott to a game:
Let’s play a game: I’ll name ... more »
HMS Illustrious decommissioned in Portsmouth
The aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious stood down today after thirty-two
years as a flagship in the Royal Navy.
The Portsmouth-based helicopter and commando carrier has clocked up nine
hundred thousand miles on operations across the world.
HMS Illustrious, based in Portsmsouth, was built on the Tyne and launched
by Princess Margaret in December 1978.
Read more
Lineup of 36 aircraft on China's Liaoning carrier revealed
[image: Z-18F ASW Helicopter]China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning,
can carry four Z-18J airborne early warning (AEW) helicopters, six Z-18F
anti-submarine helicopters, two Z-9C rescue helicopters, and 24 J-15
shipborne fighter jets, the Chinese-language Shanghai Morning Post reported
on Aug. 28.
Cao Dongwei, senior colonel and researcher at the People's Liberation Army
Naval Research Institute, said the aircraft carrier could gain the upper
hand in any potential battle for air or sea supremacy.
The lineup may differ for various missions, however. The full lineup of 36
airc... more »
Taiwan to study possibility of purchasing arms from Japan
Taiwan could study the feasibility of purchasing arms from Japan if Tokyo
is willing to sell defense equipment to the self-ruling island, the No. 2
man of the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) said on Thursday.
KMT Vice Chairman Tseng Yung-chuan said while Taiwan purchases most of its
defensive weapons from the United States, it has in the past procured
defense equipment from other countries, including buying submarines from
the Netherland and Mirage fighter jets and La Fayette-class frigates from
France.
"If any foreign country other than the United States, including Japan, is
willin... more »
Black Sea Fleet to Receive 11 New Vessels by End of Year – Russian Navy
%2Bclass.jpg)
[image: Project 21980 (Grachonok) class PB]The Russian Black Sea Fleet is
to receive 11 new ships and service vessels, including two anti-sabotage
boats, six service vessels, two diesel-electric submarines and two
frigates, Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov said Thursday.
“By the end of the year the Black Sea Fleet will receive two
Grachonok-class anti-sabotage boats and six service vessels of different
classes.
Two Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarines, the ‘Novorossiysk’ and the
‘Rostov-on-Don,’ will join the Black Sea Fleet this year,” Chirkov said.
Read more
Fear And Loathing At The Watergate: Mr. Nixon Has Cashed His Check - by Dr. Hunter S.Thompson
*Hunter S. Thompson*: …You know, I was actually in the Watergate the night
the bastards broke in. Of course, I missed the whole thing, but I was
there. It still haunts me.
Playboy: What part of the Watergate were you in?
*H.S.T.*: I was in the bar.
Playboy: What kind of a reporter are you, anyway, in the bar?
*H.S.T.:* I’m not a reporter, I’m a writer.
Fear And Loathing At The Watergate: Mr. Nixon Has Cashed His CheckPart I:
The Worm Turns in Swamptown ... Violent Talk at the National Affairs Desk
... A Narrow Escape for Tex Colson... Heavy Duty in The Bunker...No Room
for Gonzo... more »
Fletcher Prouty and the Origin of Oil
Letter of the Month - July 1999
------------------------------
The Origins of Oil and Petroleum
-- -- -- -- --
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 17:54:57 PDT
From: "Daniel E. Reynolds"
Subject: Oil - A REWEWABLE and ABIOTIC FUEL?
On June 20th, 1996 Col. Prouty stated...
"Oil is often called a 'fossil' fuel; the idea being that it comes from
formerly living organisms. This may have been plausible back when oil wells
were drilled into the fossil layers of the earth's crust; but today, great
quantities of oil are found in deeper wells that are found below the level
of any fossils. How ... more »
US plane 'interfered' with Chinese sub before intercept: Global Times
[image: P-8A Poseidon]A Chinese fighter jet that made a controversial
intercept of an American reconnaissance aircraft earlier this month may
have been forced to do so because the US plane had been "seriously
interfering" with a Chinese submarine, says the Chinese-language version of
the Global Times, a nationalistic tabloid under the auspices of the
Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily.
In yet another staunch defense of the intercept by the Chinese J-11 fighter
from the People's Liberation Army on the US Navy's P-8A reconnaissance
plane on Aug. 19, the Global Times questioned ... more »
Development Squadron 5 Receives First Unmanned Undersea Vehicle
[image: Large Training Vehicle 38]Commander, Submarine Development Squadron
Five (CSDS 5), Detachment UUV, took delivery of Large Training Vehicle 38
(LTV 38), an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) on Aug. 22.
The delivery makes LTV 38 the first UUV to join the vehicle inventory used
by Detachment UUV. Once a few final operational preparations are completed
over the next few weeks, it will be ready to hit the water for both
capabilities tests and proficiency training.
"This is certainly a key milestone for Detachment UUV in that we will have
a baseline training vehicle for the future o... more »
Ted Lieu To The Rescue... x 2
A few weeks ago a some people alerted me to an issue they knew I would be
concerned about-- a tendency for doctors to over-medicate foster kids with
dangerous drugs. I knew exactly what to do. The good thing about having a
candidate like state Senator Ted Lieu running for Congress, is that you
don't have to make up your mind about him based on campaign promises. He
has a long, sterling record of achievement and leadership in the Assembly
and the state Senate. And I knew he would care about this isa as much as I
do. This is what I sent him as soon as I heard about it and before all ... more »
Some Parents Need a Slap Upside the Head
When I first heard of the tragic shooting of a firearms instructor in
Arizona, it was difficult to even begin to wrap my head around it. Several
thoughts went through my mind. Nothing good ever comes out of the end of a
barrel of a gun so I'm stunned that parents would even consider allowing
their child to handle an Uzi sub machine gun. I should say that I am no
anti-gun nut. I believe strongly in the responsible use of
firearms.....the operative word here being "responsible". Clearly, giving
a military-style weapon to a child is not being responsible, regardless of
circumstanc... more »
A Map Of The Military Flashpoints In Ukraine
*NDTV*
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)*
*(Click on Image to Enlarge)*
*Hat Tip:* Business Insider
*Update:* The bottom video is a map (from the Ukrainian rebel side) that
shows the progress of the war from their perspective in the past month. Hat
Tip to contributor Anddroidman Bluestaccks
Clarke does for the Canadian National Firearms Association...
what Levant does for Tar Sands extraction corporations.
We suspect both of them do it for money, as mercenaries and paid lobbyists.
Perhaps also out of love for the *cause* they promote.
Each one brings to advocacy endeavours a wide range of knowledge, skills
and experience.
Ericka, however, is able to harness some persuasive arguments that Ezra
cannot.
My co-blogger fern hill wrote a blogpost which features a photograph of
Clarke with the Minister of Justice for the Harper government and Kurtis
Gaucher, that Press Progress published.
When that photograph went viral, Petey MacKa... more »
No Compromise MacKay
Press Progress published this photo today.
Yes, indeed, friends of Peace, Order, and Good Government, that is Canada's
Minister of Justice and Attorney General pandering his foul ass off.
It apparently comes from a tweet by Ericka Clarke, who identifies herself
as "NFA Field Officer."
Peter Mackay (Attorney General of Canada) rocked a #nocompromise shirt with
me today! #nfa #cdnpoli #change #politics pic.twitter.com/lGEhHbzBDJ
— Ericka Clarke (@ericka_clarke) August 23, 2014
That would be the National Firearms Association.
As Clarke points out, the corrupted Canadian maple lea... more »
Russia Is Exploiting The Ukraine Army's Growing Desertion Problem
Protesters in Kiev demand Ukrainian troops surrounded in the south-east of
the country should be saved (RIA Novosti / Evgeny Kotenko)
*Putin Calls On Ukraine Militia To Let Blocked Kiev Troops To Cross Into
Russia -- RT*
President Putin has called on the self-defense militias in Ukraine to
provide Kiev's military units blocked in the east of the country with a
safe humanitarian corridor to cross into Russia.
*“It is clear the militia has achieved a major success in intercepting
Kiev’s military operation, which represents a grave danger to the
population of Donbass and which has al... more »
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” -- Joseph Goebbles //// “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day.” -- Thomas Jefferson
------------------------------
*Washington Piles Lie Upon Lie — Paul Craig Roberts *
------------------------------
August 28, 2014 | Original Here
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Washington Piles Lie Upon Lie
Paul Craig Roberts
The latest Washington lie, this one coming from NATO, is that Russia has
invaded Ukraine with 1,000 troops and self-propelled artillery.
How do we know that this is a lie? Is it because we have heard nothing but
lies about Russia from NATO, from US ambassador to the UN Samantha Powe... more »
Russia's Ukraine Strategy Is Starting To Become Clearer
Pro-Russia separatists patrol near a destroyed war memorial east of the
Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Thursday. Ukraine says Russia has opened a new
military front to the south. Reuters
*Putin Keeps Pushing West Over Ukraine -- Wall Street Journal*
Russia Seems Certain It Is More Determined In Its Goals Than U.S., Europe
MOSCOW—Steadily ratcheting up Moscow's intervention in Ukraine, Vladimir
Putin seems to be betting that keeping that former Soviet republic in
Russia's sphere of influence is much more important to Moscow than pulling
Kiev westward is to the U.S. and its European al... more »
U.S. Intelligence: ‘Significant Increase’ In Terror Chatter Ahead Of 9/11 Anniversary
*U.S. Officials Say ‘Significant Increase’ in Jihadi Chatter Ahead of 9/11
Anniversary -- The Blaze*
U.S. intelligence has picked up increased chatter among Islamist terror
networks approaching the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and amid the
continuing battle for supremacy between Al Qaeda and the Islamic State,
current and former U.S. officials told TheBlaze.
“We’ve noticed a significant increase in chatter among Islamic terrorist
organizations overseas both on the Internet and phone lines,” said a U.S.
government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was ... more »
Poll Finds That One In Six French Citizens Support The Islamic State
This image posted on a pro-Isis Twitter account depicts members of the
group holding the distinctive banners. BBC
*16% Of French Citizens Support ISIS, Poll Finds -- Madeline Grant,
Newsweek*
One in six French citizens sympathises with the Islamist militant group
ISIS, also known as Islamic State, a poll released this week found.
The poll of European attitudes towards the group, carried out by ICM for
Russian news agency Rossiya Segodnya, revealed that 16% of French citizens
have a positive opinion of ISIS. This percentage increases among younger
respondents, spiking at 27% for th... more »
White House Rushes To Clarify President Obama's Remarks When He Said 'We Don't Have A Strategy Yet' For ISIS
In his remarks today, POTUS was explicit - as he has been in the past -
about the comprehensive strategy we'll use to confront ISIL threat.
— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) August 28, 2014
*White House Rushes To Clarify After Obama Said 'We Don't Have A Strategy
Yet' For ISIS -- Business Insider*
The White House is pushing back after President Barack Obama's stated his
administration currently doesn't have "a strategy" for dealing with the
jihadist group Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and drew
headlines across the country.
"I don't want to put the cart before the horse," Ob... more »
Untitled
*Will there be a global famine in 2050? Crops will be overwhelmed by pests
in the next 30 years, scientists warn*
*Another of the "coming shortage" scares that Greenies often resort to,
none of which have ever come true. The scare below is sheer speculation.
To prove spread they needed similar population counts at two different
dates. But they did not have that. All they had was "historical
observation dates" for a minority of their species. Anyway, genetic
engineering techniques are already reducing pest loads and should continue
to do so. That is why Greenies are trying to... more »
ISIS Post Pictures Of The Arsenal That They Siezed After The Capture Of The Raqqa Airbase In Syria This Week
The terror group also collected several SA-16 Manpads. This missile
feattures a new seeker and modified launcher nose cover.
*ISIS ADDS MiG-21B FIGHTER JETS & Sidewinder Missiles to SCUD MISSILE
Arsenal -- Gateway Pundit*
The ISIS terror group captured *SA-16 Manpads*, *AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles*
and *MiG-21B jets* to their arsenal after the capture of the Raqqa airbase
in Syria this week.
*Read more* ....
*My Comment*: The jets are old but the missiles look like they are
functional. Either way .... more weapons for their arsenal.
Israel Wants ISIS On Its Border; ISIS Competency Is Evidence of High-Level U.S. Military Training; Lack of Strategy By The White House For ISIS Is Not Its Main Problem
*1. Israel Wants ISIS On Its Border.*
*An excerpt from, "Northern Israelis Evacuated as Fighting Nears Golan
Border; ISIS Said to be Close (VIDEO)" algemeiner, August 27, 2014:*
In the Golan, fierce battles between pro-and anti-Syrian government forces
close to the border with Israel on Wednesday prompted the army to evacuate
residents and tourists from certain areas close to the northern and
southern ends of the frontier, Israel’s Channel 2 reported.
ISIS reinforces every negative stereotype about Arabs and Muslims, so
Israel may publicly convey nervousness about ISIS posting u... more »
Friday Afternoon Ramble
[image: image]
Mencken called elections “an advance auction of stolen goods” -- in which
politicians bribe you with your own money.
At least the Taxpayers’ Union is keeping track of the bribes.
*BRIBE-O-METER* – TAXPAYERS’ UNION
Everybody’s favourite anti-semite, in the House?
*Poll puts Minto into Parliament* – Audrey Young, HERALD
International experts stating the obvious.
*International expert says land supply is the reason for house inflation* –
KIWIBLOG
He just can’t keep his hand out of our wallets. 2.5 per cent and 3.5 per
cent rises will be his *minimum*.
*Len Brown de... more »
Disarray In The White House Is The Reason Why President Obama Backed Off From Ordering Military Strikes Against ISIS In Syria
President Barack Obama talks with staff during a meeting in the Oval
Office, Aug. 28, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
*Why Obama Backed Off More ISIS Strikes: His Own Team Couldn’t Agree On A
Syria Strategy -- Eli Lake and Josh Rogin, Daily Beast*
After lots of bluster about striking ISIS on Syria, President Obama threw
cold water on the idea Thursday, disappointing those who wanted him to take
the fight to ISIS in Syria.
After a week of talk of eliminating the "cancer" of ISIS, President Obama
said Thursday that he was not planning to significantly expand the war ... more »
U.S. Is Seeking To Establish A Military Coalition Against The Islamic State
Militant Islamist fighters on a tank take part in a military parade along
the streets of northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Credit:
Reuters/Stringer
*U.S. Seeks Coalition Against Islamic State, But Military Partners No Sure
Bet -- Reuters*
(Reuters) - The United States is intensifying its push to build an
international campaign against Islamic State jihadist fighters in Iraq and
Syria, including recruiting partners for potential joint military action,
Obama administration officials said on Wednesday.
Britain and Australia are potential candidates, U.S. officials said.
Germany... more »
An Analysis On Why The Islamic State Is Winning It's Wars In The Middle East
*Military Skill And Terrorist Technique Fuel Success Of ISIS -- New York
Times*
BAGHDAD — As fighters for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continue to
seize territory, the group has quietly built an effective management
structure of mostly middle-aged Iraqis overseeing departments of finance,
arms, local governance, military operations and recruitment.
At the top the organization is the self-declared leader of all Muslims, Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, a radical chief executive officer of sorts, who
handpicked many of his deputies from among the men he met while a prisoner
in American... more »
Russians Are Starting To Demand Answers On Why Are Russian Soldiers Fighting In Ukraine
Russian soldiers are pictured next to a tank in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov
region, near the border with Ukraine, August 23, 2014. Credit:
Reuters/Alexander Demianchuk
*Russia Lies About Invading Ukraine as It Invades Ukraine -- Anna Nemtsova,
Daily Beast*
As Russia troops and tanks make an apparent bid to open the land route to
annexed Crimea, discontent is growing in the motherland about the obvious
but oft-denied war in Ukraine.
MOSCOW, Russia – Where U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel have failed to make Russian President Vladimir Putin
acknowledg... more »
Is What President Obama Wearing More Important Than What He Says?
Twitter is literally exploding with delight over President Obama’s tan
suit. pic.twitter.com/4OQu6QvO0L
— MashableLIVE (@MashableLive) August 28, 2014
*That Time Obama Wore A Tan Suit And Twitter Freaked Out -- CNN*
(CNN) – President Barack Obama on Thursday took some questions in the White
House press briefing room about serious subject matters - ISIS, Iraq,
Syria, Russia.
But the reaction on Twitter was largely focused on his rarely worn tan suit.
Within seconds of stepping into the room, tweets were already firing off
about Obama's pre-Labor Day attire. And by the end of the n... more »
Musical Interlude: The Moody Blues, “Blue World”
The Moody Blues, “Blue World”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBK3fXWnH50
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Similar in size to other large, bright spiral galaxies, IC 342 is a mere 7
million light-years distant in the long-necked, northern constellation
Camelopardalis. A sprawling island universe, IC 342 would otherwise be a
prominent galaxy in our night sky, but it is almost hidden from view behind
the veil of stars, gas and dust clouds in the plane of our Milky Way
galaxy.
*Click image for larger size.*
Even though IC 342's light is dimmed by intervening cosmic clouds, this
remarkably sharp telescopic image traces the galaxy's own obscuring dust,
blue star clusters, and glowing pink s... more »
Chet Raymo, "Dust"
*"Dust"*
by Chet Raymo
"In Chekhov's play "The Three Sisters" sister Masha refuses "to live and
not know why the cranes fly, why children are born, why the stars are in
the sky. Either you know and you're alive or its all nonsense, all dust in
the wind." Why? Why? The striving to know is what frees us from the bonds
of self, said Einstein. It's the striving, rather than our knowledge -
which is always tentative and partial - that is important.
I've been living with grandchildren for the past few weeks. They seem to me
to spend an inordinate amount of time with smart phones, iPads, ... more »
"One Hope At A Time..."
"You can never tell what people have inside them
until you start taking it away, one hope at a time."
- Gregory David Roberts
"Ten Rules For Being Human"
"Ten Rules For Being Human"
Rule One:
You will receive a body. You may love it or hate it,
but it will be yours for the duration of your life on Earth.
Rule Two:
You will be presented with lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time
informal school called 'life.'
Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You
may like the lessons
or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Rule Three:
There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation,
a series of trials, errors, and occasional victories. The failed experiment... more »
The Poet: Wendell Berry, "The Peace of Wild Things"
*"The Peace of Wild Things"*
"When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light.
For a time I rest in the grace of the world,
and am free..."
- Wendell Berry
The Daily "Near You?"
Garza García, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Thanks for stopping by.
“The Dangerous World of Logical Fallacies”
*“The Dangerous World of Logical Fallacies” *
by Mario Livio
“Thinkers in disciplines ranging from mathematics to economics, and from
science to philosophy, attempt to construct theorems, theories, or
scenarios, that have at least a fighting chance of being correct. Since in
many cases one of the chief guides is logical reasoning, the ability to
spot fallacies is an essential skill. In this piece I will briefly discuss
a few such potential traps, and I hope to describe a few more in a future
blog entry.
One fairly common fallacy is known as the "post-hoc" (Latin for "after
this") ... more »
Free Download: Ayn Rand, "Anthem"
*"Anthem: Ayn Rand’s Dystopian Masterpiece"*
by Roderick Long
"In a Leningrad university classroom in the early 1920s, as the professor
drones on about orthodox Marxist theory, a young woman with an intense gaze
is writing furiously in her notebook. The woman is Alisa Rosenbaum, later
to be famous as Ayn Rand, and her jottings do not concern the relationship
between dialectical materialism and the dictatorship of the proletariat;
they are notes for a play to be called Ego, about the rediscovery of
individuality in a totalitarian society based on the worship of the
collective. Over... more »
Psychology: “The Illusion of Transparency”
*“The Illusion of Transparency”*
Other people can't read your mental state as well as you think.
by PsyBlog
"Most people hate public speaking. The very idea starts the palms sweating
and the stomach churning. It makes sense: with everyone's eyes on you, the
potential for embarrassment is huge. Crowds, we are told, can sense our
nerves. Or can they? We may feel terribly nervous here on the inside, but
what can other people read from our facial expressions, speech patterns and
general demeanour? When this is tested experimentally we find an
interesting thing.
In one study in which p... more »
Naoto Kan: Japan's Ethical Responsibility
TITLE: Japan's former PM tells of Tokyo evacuation risk after Fukushima
August 28, 2014
Naoto Kan was Japan's prime minister at the time of the Fukushima nuclear
disaster in 2011 and he is in Brisbane on Thursday to warn Queenslanders
about nuclear power and nuclear exports.
….Mr Kan said there remained an "ethical responsibility."
"Japan is at the moment looking to export nuclear power plants to India,"
he said.
"But from my position, I believe that if nuclear power is something we
should not be using within Japan, we should not be selling this technology
overseas to other ... more »
Pay no attention to the Lying Liars of the Right -- inequality of economic opportunity was NOT always the law of the land
*The sainted Ronald Reagan bequeathed Americans the right to revel in their
ignorance, bigotry, and savagery even as they were being so carefully lined
up in the bent-over position.*
*"What [William Lazonick] has uncovered is a shift in corporate conduct
that transformed the U.S. economy -- for the worse. From the end of World
War II through the late 1970s, he writes, major U.S. corporations retained
most of their earnings and reinvested them in business expansions, new or
improved technologies, worker training and pay increases. Beginning in the
early '80s, however, they have dev... more »
The West Does Not Know How To Respond To The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media after talks with
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Minsk, Belarus August 27, 2014.
REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool
*Russia Advances Into Ukraine, West Wonders What To Do Now -- Howard
Lafranchi, CSM*
*Instead of pulling back from the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Russia
appears to be escalating its involvement. More sanctions seem unlikely to
bend Russian President Vladimir Putin.*
WASHINGTON — The toughened economic sanctions the United States and the
European Union imposed on Russia a month ago over its actions in U... more »
President Obama Comments On The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
*Obama Vows Russia Penalties, But Avoids Calling Ukraine Advance An
Invasion -- New York Times*
WASHINGTON — President Obama condemned the latest Russian military advance
into Ukraine on Thursday and said the United States and its allies would
take further actions to punish Moscow for violating its neighbor’s
sovereignty, but he stopped short of calling it an invasion.
“My expectation is we will take additional steps primarily because we have
not seen any meaningful action on the part of Russia to try to resolve this
in a diplomatic fashion,” he told reporters in a news conference... more »
This Discovery Makes Bee Die-Off Problem That Much Worse
Heather Callaghan
Many arrows point to the bee decline. A Harvard professor recently warned that
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is only the beginning for us. The ripple
effect from new classes of pesticides is just getting started.
But there's more...
The problems they face can be compared to a kaleidoscope, where the shapes
are layered, interconnected, many and morphing.
It's not *only* pesticides that lead to pollinator death - it's more. It's
other things, the combination of things, thought to be harmless to bees and
to humans.
Quartz reported last year:
Scientists had strug... more »
Stephen Harper's Deranged Thought Process Is Based On Highly Flawed Right Wing Ideology
* By: Jakeet Singh *
*Tue Aug 26 2014*
Stephen Harper really seems to have it out for sociology. In 2013, in
response to an alleged plot against a VIA train, Harper remarked that we
should not “commit sociology,” but pursue an anti-crime approach. And last
week, in response to the death of Tina Fontaine, Harper argued that an
inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women is not needed, because
this is not a “ sociological phenomenon ” but simply a series of individual
crimes.
Of course, not only is all crime a sociological phenomenon , but also
without a broader sociolog... more »
Why Humans ‘Need Not Apply’ For the Future…
Aaron Dykes
What happened when we went from nearly everyone producing food to only a
few mega-corporations?
That’s just part of the problem in the wake of self-driving autos, software
replacements to human jobs, robotic factory workers and beyond. It is the
road to a future where human labor is not needed – just as transhumanist
Ray Kurzweil and others predicted (or planned for).
*Check out this eerie video*; how relevant is this becoming to your life?
Don’t get over this one, let it sink in deep and figure out how to stop
feeding the rise of the machine regime – at least when... more »
Pentagon Has 'Everything Must Go' Sale
*ReasonTV*
After protesters in Ferguson, Missouri were met with a militarized police
force, new attention was brought to the Pentagon's 1033 program, a program
that supplies military-grade equipment to local police departments, often
for free. Check out a commercial Reason TV has unearthed advertising the
program to law enforcement.
Visit Reason.com
*Get truth delivered to your inbox every week.*
Subscribe to GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING by Email
Robots Could Learn How to Herd Humans Like Sheep: Study
*Activist Post *
Information from a new study into the lives of sheepdogs could be used to
model robots after their techniques. This takes on a sinister possibility
when we understand that researchers are opening up the Internet to robots
for autonomous learning. Robo Brain is being funded by the
military-surveillance-industrial complex. The press release below
specifically mentions crowd control as a prime application. What could
possibly go wrong?
*Sheepdogs use just two simple rules to round up large herds of sheep,
scientists have discovered.*
The findings could lead to the d... more »
Video: My Six-minute WWL-TV Appearance Against Common Core
On Saturday, August 23, 2014, I participated in a six-minute WWL-TV
Eyewitness Morning News segment on the controversy surrounding the Common
Core State Standards (CCSS) in Louisiana. The link to the segment can be
found at the end of this post. The segment was scheduled to precede
the Tuesday’s pro-CCSS “forum.” I was the only individual […]
President Obama: 'U.S. Does Not Have A Broad Strategy Yet To Confront The Islamic State'
*US Has 'No Strategy' To Confront IS In Syria -- Al Jazeera*
President says military options considered but "we don't have a strategy
yet", as new evidence emerges of IS atrocities.
Barack Obama has said the US has "no strategy" against the Islamic State in
Syria but said officials had been asked to prepare a range of military
options for confronting the group.
The US president's comments on Thursday cautioned against speculation that
he was close to a decision to expand his air campaign against the Islamic
State beyond Iraq.
"I don't want to put the cart before the horse," Obama... more »
Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- August 28, 2014
*Ukraine: Vladimir Putin's Military Action Reveals A Wider Plan -- Keir
Giles, BBC*
Alarm is growing in Kiev and the West over Russia's role in eastern
Ukraine. But what is Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to achieve?
The indications are clear that Russia is being more confident and less
discreet about the presence of its troops and equipment in eastern Ukraine.
As well as sightings of Russian tanks, and reports of Russian paratroopers
not only captured by Ukraine but also killed "while carrying out their
duties", statements by separatist leaders have changed too.
After mo... more »
I want to tosay
Anyone that wants to hijack my message of peace
should be live in Arazonieith an UZI up their (I tried and tried to get
Arazonia or whatever in pint., just saying)
as though a simple steel implantation
could keep visitors from posting on Facebook
just how fine was that ass
Bullets are fine tuned things
they make music
play in chords
that do not give
a goddamned thing
Montessori Education & the Development of the Self
*Now, this is something to get to, a fascinating event organised by
Auckland’s Maria Montessori Education Foundation …*
Don’t miss out – come and hear world leading paediatric neuropsychologist,
Dr Steven Hughes present
‘
*Igniting the Flame Within – *
*Montessori Education & **the Development of the Self’*
on
*Thursday September 11th *7.00p.m. (doors open @ 6.30p.m.)
Auckland University of Technology (A.U.T.)
Northcote campus
*[image: image]*
*Proudly sponsored by **MMEF** & AUT*
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission
to republish: (orga... more »
World News Briefs -- August 28, 2014
*Ukraine: Emergency UN, Nato, EU Meetings After Russian Invasion Claim --
The Guardian*
*Nato says 1,000 Russian troops fighting in Ukraine as Kiev accuses Moscow
of de facto invasion and opening second front*
World powers have called a succession of emergency meetings to step up the
international response to Russia after Kiev accused Moscow of a de facto
invasion and of opening up a second front in the conflict in eastern Europe.
The UN security council was meeting in emergency session, and Nato and EU
leaders will consider a response on Friday, amid signs that hundreds of
Russi... more »
The Economy: “But There's No Inflation!”
*“But There's No Inflation!”*
by Karl Denninger
“Trust me, they say, the CPI is essentially zero, so there's no inflation.
Uh huh. As Labor Day approaches and the usual ritual of grill use
approaches, is that true? No, say people actually going to the store: "We've
always done burgers in the past. They used to cost around $2 per person,
but now it's up to $3.75," says Ms. Powers-Mattioli, a clothing-store and
dog-spa owner who lives in Hamburg, N.Y. The couple spends a lot on drinks
and music, and this year they want to keep the food budget under control,
she says. "I thought ham... more »
How The Pacific Storms Of 2013-2014 Were Trashed - Rense.com
*Western drought causes Earth's surface to rise as water levels drop*
By Rong-Gong Lin II
9:47 p.m. EDT, August 21, 2014
A year and a half of drought has depleted 63 trillion gallons of water
across the Western United States, according to a new study that documents
how the parched conditions are altering the landscape.
The loss of groundwater, as well as surface water such as reservoirs, has
been so extreme that it lifted the West an average of one-sixth of an inch
since 2013, according to researchers from UC San Diego's Scripps
Institution of Oceanography and the U.S. Geological... more »
Groomed
Yes its groomed and so many children have been taken from behind
some silly message and stern authority
First off I got to say
how demented are you
to interfere in childhood anyway
not alone to do the vile things
Jesus have mercy I would flame
you with a oxy and acetylene thing
When the flame are spent
and we are looking
at your skeleton
we got to ask why?
I do not believe in evil
its just an excuse we give ourselves as animals
without any infrastructure to support why
Next time a person of interest makes a great case
on your cellphone
do not reply
cause they are
surely recruiting y... more »
Why I’m Not At APSA This Labor Day
Every year at this time I receive several queries a day from colleagues,
would-be colleagues and students asking me if I’ll be “at APSA” – the
Annual Conference of the American Political Science Association – and when
we could meet up for a coffee. Every year I reply several times a day:
“Sadly, I won’t be
Continue reading
Debate
The whole setup was ridiculous.
In a proper debate – in a *properly moderated* debate – the moderator sets
the topic, the first fellow then gets a minute or two to address it, the
second fellow gets the same time to address it and to respond, and then
the first fellow gets a very short time to respond. If they want to
challenge their opponent’s facts, then they do it in their appointed time,
integrating it with their planned response. Contestants alternate with each
topic, giving it at least the appearance of fairness
That’s a debate.
It’s not a debate when contestants are simp... more »
Satire: "Nation Debates Extremely Complex Issue of Children Firing Military Weapons"
*"Nation Debates Extremely Complex Issue*
* of Children Firing Military Weapons"*
by Andy Borowitz
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— "Across the United States on Wednesday, a
heated national debate began on the extremely complex issue of children
firing military weapons. “Every now and then, the nation debates an issue
that is so complicated and tricky it defies easy answers,” says pollster
Davis Logsdon. “Letting small children fire automatic weapons is such an
issue.”
Logsdon says that the thorny controversy is reminiscent of another ongoing
national debate, about whether it is a... more »
The Economy: "The United States of France"
*"The United States of France" *
by Bill Bonner
Ouzilly, France - "It is another cool, cloudy day in Poitou. The whole
summer has been like this – like a winter in Georgia, with hardly a single
warm day. Vacationers head back to Paris with the same white skin they came
with. Beach resorts empty out... embarrassed at the way they treated their
loyal customers. But the roofers have liked it. No hot sun has beat down on
them.
We are redoing the roof of one of the barns. Alas, it is a slate roof,
which costs a fortune. But at least you only have to replace it once a
generation. Slat... more »
Obama Pussyfooting with ISIS
It brings back to me the Bay of Pigs. JFK saw reality and would not move
and now this is Obama's moment. No need to take him out with a hard hit
these days. Soft power media and the internet can persuade.
Like are they the worst people in the world or not?
If there are kill them all
Kill everyone
Are we going to now be squeamish about collateral data
We wiped out Nagasaki motherfuckers
and no one apologized after the fact
that war Sandinista
that's taking lives
and making sure
they have no idea
how to strike back.
The pressure today on Obama
is extreme
but the difference between Oba... more »
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 28, 2014
*Footage Emerges Claiming To Show Russian Tanks In Ukraine After NATO Say
Putin Has Sent More Than 1,000 Troops Over The Border To Fight Separatists
-- Daily Mail*
* Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko demands UN action over incursions
* Rebel leader admits Russian soldiers are fighting inside Ukraine
* US official claims Russians are using state-of-the-art air defence
systems
* Tensions rise in south-east of country as forces take up key sites
* Ukraine calls on EU for assistance as battle for port of Mariupol looms
* 'An invasion is an invasion is an invasion!' says UN ambassador... more »
Jennifer Garrison Finally Found An Issue To Campaign On That Won't Offend Democrats: Franking
Steny Hoyer-- one of the biggest financial backers of anti-Choice/anti-gay
fanatic Jemmifer Garrison
Yesterday, Steve Israel Blue Dog Jennifer Garrison made the case for why
voters in OH-06 should replace sad-sack Republican backbencher, Bill
Johnson, with her in an OpEd for the *Ironton Tribune*. Gone were the usual
Garrison barrages against women's Choice, against equality for LGBT
families and against environmental restrictions on fracking (her business).
And there wasn't even any bragging about dislike of President Obama and for
the Affordable Care Act from the failing candidate.... more »
Supplemental: New York Times triggers blasphemy rampage!
*THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014*
*How to read newspaper profiles:* At the start of the week, the New York
Times managed to start an Internet blasphemy rampage.
It did so with a rumination on the existence of angels. Here’s how the
rampage was triggered:
On Monday morning, the Times ran profiles of Michael Brown and Darren
Wilson side-by-side on the paper’s front page.
Front-page profiles of this type tend to be soft and unhelpful. Routinely,
they include second-hand information and musings which may be, in the
famous phrase, “more prejudicial than probative.”
The 1400-word profile of ... more »
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