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Thomas Paine

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

27 July - What's New ? ( Feedly )

What's New? 

Featured

10 PowerMax minds your personal usage pattern and keeps your phone's big energy drainers in check.
Discovery News 10 hours ago
8 Photos by Paperself, courtesy of NoneSuchThings The things we do for fashion can be extraordinary, and often damaging to the environment and our health. But for once here is an interesting fashion statement that promotes the environment, rather than harms it. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
TreeHugger 8 hours ago
      Earlier this month, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed an amendment that would restore and expand the so-called global gag rule, a provision prohibiting foreign organizations receiving U.S. development assistance from using their own funds to perform abortions or provide women with information and referrals for the procedure. The rule, which unlike past variations does [...]/p via A
Suzie-Q 10 hours ago
 

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Suzie-Q 35

With Default Seven Days Away, House GOP Fixates On Repealing Environmental Regulations
    While the rest of the country focuses on the looming deadline to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, House Republicans are taking advantage of their distraction to repeal environmental regulations and pass the most severe environmental budget cuts in 35 years. Republicans are pushing a bill that cuts 7 percent from the Department of Interior budget [...]/p via With Default Seven Days Away, House
Alan Grayson explains… “Why Boener Cries”
This went out in an email to previous supporters of Alan Grayson this morning.  Dear Linus, I know why House Speaker John Boehner walked out of debt ceiling talks with President Obama on Friday. It’s because Boehner can’t deliver. It doesn’t matter what terms the President offers. It’s that simple. Boehner can’t deliver the votes. The President might as well be negotiatin
How Murdoch’s Times of London and Fox News Coordinate Their Deceitful Reporting on Climate Change
By David Fiderer, a lawyer who covers the energy industry for several global banks in New York.  This is an OpEdNews.com repost. If you wondered whether Murdoch’s various news outlets operate in sync when they misrepresent the facts about climate change, consider the deceitful reporting done by Ben Webster, the Environmental Editor for The Times [...]/p via How Murdoch’s Times of London and Fox N
Social Security & The Deficit: Keeping the Promise
Pushing Crisis: GOP Cries Wolf on Debt Ceiling in Order to Impose Radical Pro-Rich Agenda DEMOCRACY NOW  July 22. 2011 President Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner are allegedly close to a $3 trillion deficit-reduction package as part of a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling before an Aug. 2 deadline. But the deal is coming under fire from both congressional Democrats and Republi
Norway youth camp attack kills 84
He first shot people on the island – afterward he started shooting people in the water” BBC, 23 July 2011 At least 84 people died when a gunman opened fire at an island youth camp in Norway, hours after a deadly bombing in the capital, Oslo, police say. Police have charged a 32-year-old Norwegian man over both attacks. The man dressed as a police officer was arrested on tiny Utoeya island af

altmuslim 9

Norway attacks: The price of fear
There are certain events that are so painful and incomprehensible that they stop us in our tracks and make us wonder what kind of world we live in. The horrific mass murder of teens and young adults at a summer camp in Norway must make us pause to contemplate how such a thing could happen. Simply blaming the individual as an aberrant case does not help us get to the bottom of the real issues at st
ISNA convention: A living faith needs critical voices
The dark fantasy novel "Kraken" by China Mieville starts off in a museum of natural history and describes in great detail how a giant squid preserved in formalin can appear alive in the large glass tank. The story weaves various aspects of faith, worship and mythology into the story of a mysterious theft of this giant squid that is glorified and worshipped by a group of believers in the city of L
British Muslims: Contributing more than you might think
2 Many young British Muslims – who comprise over 50 per cent of the Muslim population in the UK – feel confronted by a world that objectifies and stereotypes them as anti-social or troublemakers who do not contribute to a productive society. In recent years, these youth have felt the need to rise up in response to these misjudgements and make their voices heard through engagement with others. In 200
Islamic finance: Tunisian fruit sellers and financial democracy
The Arab Spring opens an interesting window of opportunity for financial inclusion of the devout. Islamic finance was implicitly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood - much like ‘creeping Shari’ah in selected G-20 countries - by ex-dictators in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to keep themselves entrenched and the populace ignorant, on edge and suppressed. Could it be said that in denyi
Compassion towards another: One man fights for his shooter’s life
How would you respond if someone tried to kill you because of who you are? I know what my own responses would be: anger, fear, rage. For Rais Bhuiyan, the answer was different: forgiveness. When I first heard Rais' story, I could hardly believe it. A Muslim victim of a post-9/11 hate crime was fighting to save the life of his attacker. And one of the reasons that Bhuiyan was targeted – his faith
Islamic inheritance criteria: Investigating Qur’anic inheritance laws
One of the common perceptions about Islam is that it dictates a traditional system of Islamic Law ("sharia") which discriminates against women by allowing them to inherit only half as much as men. In fact, the Qur'anic position on these traditional laws is quite debatable; examination of the Qur'anic verses in question will allow us to decide whether or not the inferior position of women's inherit

Green & White 7

Monis Rehman on Forbes and Business Insider for Rozee.pk
With all of negative press going around for Pakistan, it is always great to hear some one not say Pakistan and Terrorism in one sentence. Last week Monis Rehman founder of Rozee.pk was featured both on Forbes and Business Insider . Rozee.pk is the most visited website in Pakistan as well as the largest job portal. Some excerpts from both news sites, go over the source link to read the details. Any
Mixit acquired by Patsystems for around $20 Million.
2 Mixit Technologies Karachi based firm lead by Yousuf Jan , which deals in software for Stock Market and Trading platforms, Have been acquired by Patsystems. The amount of acquisition will depend on Mixit’s continued performance till March next year according to this News Site Patsystems, a developer of high-end trading and risk management systems, said it would pay $20.2 million in cash and stock
Online tour planning for Pakistan – Hugely underserved
2 I had a chance to go sight seeing and trekking this month. I went out once towards Kashmir second time to a more reachable destination of Murree. It was eye opening to see what beauty is offered by this country we live in (was my first trip to Azad Kashmir), and at the same time I was surprised to see extreme lack of information available for tourists and adventure seekers online. There are hardly
Job board back.
This has been bending for too long. Finally got time to fix it. As last time, the area is reserved for startups only (companies with below 100 employees and less than 5 years in being ). So if you are an entrepreneur and want to post vacancies in your organization, send me an email at submit [at] greenwhite [dot] org I will make sure the appear in the job section. It might not get you as many eye

Afro-Netizen 1

Invisible Capital and Why We Need to Democratize Entrepreneurial Opportunity
By Chris Rabb Republished courtesy of The European Business Review Invisible capital is the toolkit of our skills, knowledge, networks, experiences and other resources, along with the set of assets we were born with. Invisible capital is the toolkit of our skills, knowledge, networks, experiences and other resources, along with the set of assets we were born with: our race and gender, our fam

Prospects for Peace 1

America's attempted Quartet sophistry
   This piece was originally published at the Middle East Channel.    As more information seeps out from the Quartet principals meeting held in Washington on July 11, it becomes harder not to reach the conclusion that American policy on Israel-Palestine is now being driven almost exclusively by a desire to prevent any possible U.N. vote on the matter in the Autumn. Reading the draft text propos

American Leftist 6

The Second Reagan Revolution
Despite ongoing squabbling, I anticipate that, within the next few days, the President and the Republicans in Congress will agree to a grand bargain that results in significant cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, so much so with Medicaid that it will reduce it to an illusory program of medical care for the poor. Better to preserve a shell of a program, and the appearance of social sup
Las Vegas and the Simulacrum of Desire
Preliminary, I appreciate the kind remarks that many of you have posted about my mother's decision to enter hospice. It is something that is emotionally difficult to deal with in unanticipated ways. Besides the frequent travel between Sacramento and Kingman, Arizona, where my mother lives, there are all those thorny emotional issues that come to the surface when we have to accept that one of par
A Program Note
For the last three weeks, I have spent most of my time with my mother, who is in a hospice facility after being diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer. She bravely decided to enter hospice instead of undergoing surgery and chemotherapy with little likelihood of recovery. Between trips to visit her, I will attempt to post some blog entries. Sadly, I believe that I will be able to return to a mor
The Gaza Flotilla Has Set Sail
You can follow its progress at these websites: GENERAL GAZA/FLOTILLA WEBSITES: http://witnessgaza.com Possible live streaming. http://ustogaza.org http://ustogazawest.org http://www.freegaza.org http://twitter.com/huwaidaarraf http://www.freedomflotilla.eu Possible live streaming. INDIVIDUAL BOATS: http://ustogaza.org/ (US boat) http://twitter.com/usboattogaza http://twitter.com/ibnezra (journa

(title unknown) 3

Real Niggazz are Wannaa-bee Gangstazz
Football is a violent sport. No doubt it plays into the gladiator blood sport mythos of days gone by. It’s also BIG business. I’ve heard that the current labour dispute between the owners and players is at the root, really about how to divvy up $9 billion is yearly revenue… basically the owners want a larger share of that pie! Anywayzz, I like many others, mainly watch the NFL on Sundays to see th
“Ralph Nader Is Tired of Running for President” by Chris Hedges
Click on image for article
the Lupe Fiasco fiasco
“My fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama in the United States of America. I’m trying to fight the terrorism that’s actually causing the other forms of terrorism. You know, the root cause of terrorism is the stuff the U.S. government allows to happen. The foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists.” A few weeks ag

NewsPirates/From the Quarterdeck 1

Violence in Afghanistan 06/28/2011
KUNDUZ – A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and two other militants. S. AFGHANISTAN – A soldier serving with the ISAF was killed in an insurgent attack. NATO spokesmen provided no further details. S. AFGHANISTAN – A soldier, nationality unknown at this time, was killed by in an IED attack. No other information was provided. KHA

Pesticide Action Network 11

Scientific American fact-checkers on holiday
It’s the only explanation. Historically, Scientific American has been unafraid to confront right-wing attacks on science of the climate change denier and creationist sort. So when a blog appears under the SciAm masthead claiming to “bust" various myths of organics, citing industry-funded studies and commentary from fringe right-wingers like Alex Avery of the Hudson Institute, one wonders wh
Atrazine review is a much needed 'do-over'
Seventy-six million. U.S. farms are doused with that many pounds of the herbicide atrazine every year. That's a lot of any chemical — and scientists link this one to birth defects, infertility and the "chemical castration" of frogs. Next week, EPA's science advisors will wrap up a 2-year process of rethinking atrazine, based on the latest studies of its health and environment
CA brings the heat on methyl iodide
The carcinogenic strawberry pesticide, methyl iodide, continues to make news. A farm in the California Central Valley recently became the fourth in the state to apply the fumigant, prompting tens of thousands of Californians to rattle Governor Jerry Brown’s cage, again. This time, they’re joined by 38 California legislators, who wrote a letter to Governor Jerry Brown urging him “to take immediat
Coming soon to a baseball field near you: GE grass
My kids had a great baseball season playing in Little League this Spring. We've now moved on to other summery things like swim lessons in Berkeley's freezing fog. So I was caught off-guard by last week's surprise collision between my work and home worlds, namely the revelation that USDA has just given Scotts Miracle Gro (the lawn chemical company and much decried sponsor of Major Lea
Was it a bribe, Monsanto?
In some circles, it would be called a bribe, at best. Evidence revealed last week shows that Monsanto's former Chief Financial Officer admitted that the agrichemical corporation planned to spend $150 million in cash and trade incentives in Latin America, North America and Europe to spur the uptake of the pesticide glyphosate, better known as RoundUp. $150 million is no small change — and sur
Pesticides harm worms — & it doesn't take much
While there are hundreds of species of earthworms, anyone who makes compost knows the redworm, or Eisenia fetida. They make what's considered perhaps the richest form of natural fertilizer — a true friend to farmers and gardeners alike. What you might not know is that very low levels of pesticides can kill these "black gold" producers. If they don't kill outright, pesticides

Obsolete 27

Anders Breivik: a fascist?
(This is the reply I've posted to Unity's excellent Breivik and fascism - a lesson from George Orwell. As it's long enough and I'm feeling slightly lazy I'm reposting it here, with a few slight additions and tweaks, as well as links and citations.)Much as I agree with the vast majority of this, I think the main problem with accurately labelling Breivik is that as yet we haven't come up with a c
Still running on fumes.
It's a gentle, fragile thing the new British economy. The old cliché used to be that when America sneezed, the rest of the world caught a cold. We do things differently now. Unexpected, truly world-shattering events like the sun deciding to beat down in April meant that instead of 0.7% growth between April and June, we instead got 0.2%. Just in case the Office of National Statistics, which is
Anders Breivik and "cultural Marxism".
When it comes to terrible, immediately unattributable terrorist attacks like the ones in Oslo on Friday, the best approach would be to take a step back before jumping to conclusions. The impossibility of doing so in the era of 24-hour-news, Twatter and everything else means that criticising those who are (mostly) being asked to do so knowing only what everyone else does, i.e. very little, isn't a
Rolling with the punches.
Lucian Freud, 1922 - 2011.
Undeveloped vetting.
I know, I know, yet another post on phone hacking. It does though seem absolutely remarkable, to say the least, that Andy Coulson we now learn didn't undergo "developed vetting", the highest level of security clearance, which would have given him full access to material deemed to be "top secret". It also looks incredibly damaging that both Coulson's deputy and his successor have indeed undergone

Syria Comment 31

Buti Expelled From Mosque – Soldiers enter Kanaker: 8 Killed
video al-Buti – Syria’s senior Sunni cleric – was ejected from his mosque for speaking out against the uprising. He said: “Most of the people who come to Friday prayers and then go out to demonstrate, do not know how to pray.” Syria forces kill eight in Kanaker raid – rights groups – BBC Syrian security forces have killed at least eight people in a raid on the town of Kanaker near the capital, Damascus
New Party Law Preserves Baath Power; Saudi – Iran – Turkey Vie For Syria
video A BBC Documentary: Sue Lloyd Roberts goes among the Activists: What Does the Opposition Want? Who are they? Syrian to Allow Organized OppositionWall Street Journal Christian Science Monitory: Nicholas Blanford Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s cabinet yesterday approved a bill to allow independent political parties other than the Baath Party, which has ruled the country since 1963. The draft l
Economic News Roundup
Trade Government Reduces Import Tariffs on Food Items, Manufacturing Inputs – (Syria Report) The Syrian government has reduced import tariffs on a wide range of consumer products and manufacturing inputs in a bid to reduce costs, as the month of Ramadan, a period of the year when demand peaks and prices rise, is set to begin. Telecoms & IT Facebook, Twitter, Gmail Blocked by Syrian Gover
Haithem al-Maleh, Landis, Fred Reed on Prism TV
video Prizm TV:  interviews Fred Reed Haithem al-Malah Joshua Landis The show is hosted by Salah Basalamah and produced by Maher Arar The guests begin talking around the 8 minute mark. That is a good place to begin. The order of speakers is: Prof. Fred Reed – 8:00 What is Syria? What is the Baath Party? Are Alawites Muslims? Haytham al-Malah – 17:30 The history and reasons for the uprising Joshua
Activists Attack Army Cadets, Derail Train, and Kill 20 Soldiers in Homs as Opposition Uses Force
2 Opposition supporters launch attack on Homs army college – Telegraph By Adrian Blomfield President Bashar al-Assad’s once unshakable grip over Syria appears to have slipped further after suspected opposition sympathisers attacked an army college in Homs. Residents in the city, Syria’s third largest, said two loud explosions at the compound were followed by the sound of sustained gunfire. A number
Rastan Rebels Kill 20 Syrian Soldiers in Homs, according to Wall Street Journal
Hama Protests Swell in Syria By NOUR MALAS in Dubai and A WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER in Damascus Tens of thousands of people protested undeterred in Hama on Friday as a government crackdown in Homs, where sectarian violence and defected military conscripts pose a new threat to the government, drew a stark contrast between the two epicenters of Syria’s uprising. President Bashar al-Assad’s sec

The Arabist 45

Libya Dispatch: Lies, Damn Lies and Government-sponsored Trips
Abu Ray reports from Tripoli as the NATO airstrikes and rebel insurgency loom ever closer. See his previous dispatches here. As the bus pulled up to what was described as the site of a NATO airstrike, we could see the burly cameraman from Libyan state TV hurriedly stashing khaki military uniforms onto the roof of a nearby shed ahead of our arrival. It was the culmination of a truly farcical day.
Links 17-26 July 2011
Chart of the Day: Muslim Brotherhood Is Deeply Unpopular in Egypt - Max Fisher - International - The Atlantic Will comment on this later. Don’t Let the Egyptian Army Follow Caesar’s Script: Noah Feldman - Bloomberg Who is Feldman talking to here? And with what authority? Sudan: The UN’s report on Southern Kordofan » Dan Morrison Read @dmsouthasia aka @TheBlackNile on Sudan's South Kordofan regio
Roadmap to apartheid
I just backed this project, to produce a documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, on Kickstarter. Please help if you can.
UAE Activists on trial
The piece below has been contributed by Jenifer Fenton, a freelance journalist based in the UAE, formerly with CNN. Five activists charged with opposing the government and insulting the country’s leadership returned to court on Monday in the United Arab Emirates. Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent Emirati human rights activist and blogger, and four others - who face up to five years in prison if convicted
Bringing Tahrir to Upper Egypt
I've written down some notes from my brief trip last week to the Akhmim district of Sohag governorate in Upper Egypt, also referenced in this week's Arabist podcast. I accompanied a Cairo-based party activist back to his family village to see how revolutionaries from the capital were reaching out to the 50+ percent of Egypt's voters who live in rural areas, in advance of parliamentary elections te
The Arabist Podcast #8: What's up in Sohag?
In this week's podcast, we give an update on the Tahrir Square sit-in, wonder if the never-ending cabinet shuffle will ever happen, talk about the politics in Upper Egypt with our guest Steve Negus, remember the movies that defined the late Mubarak era, and review the new Arabic comic Tok-Tok. Sorry for the exclusive focus on Egypt lately — we want to talk about things we can bring added value to,

INFRASTRUCTURIST 40

How Much Will It Cost You If We Fail to Invest in Future Infrastructure?
If we had a dollar for every time we wrote about how America’s infrastructure is declining enough to endanger our economic and social future, well, we’d be writing this from a yacht in Ibiza. But it’s helpful to visualize just Read more ›
Airlines Impose ‘You’re Not Taxed’ Tax After FAA Shutdown
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a stalemate in Congress. Not that one. On Friday Congress adjourned without extending the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization. The F.A.A. has operated without a long-term authorization plan since 2007 through a series of 20 Read more ›
The Daily Dig: Mass Post Office Shutdown Announced
• The U.S. Postal Service announced on Tuesday that around 3,700 post offices could be closed across the nation. (WashPost) (AP) (NYT) • Lawmakers on Tuesday didn’t appear to do much negotiating to get the FAA’s operations back to normal. Read more ›
The Daily Dig: U.S. Trucking Money Linked to Afghan Taliban
• A military-led investigation has found that parts of a $2.16 billion U.S. government contract for transportation in Afghanistan is being funneled to the Taliban. (WashPost) • Congress doesn’t seem to be in the mood for compromising to resolve the Read more ›
Two Alternatives to the Gas Tax
New reports keep telling us to fix America’s crumbling infrastructure, but they don’t tell us how. The most obvious solution is to increase revenue by raising the gas tax, but public officials refuse to consider that response, even as the Highway Read more ›
The Giant Drill Underneath Park Avenue
Here’s a modern engineering question: What do you do with a 200-ton drill that’s spent the last 4 years burrowing out subway tunnels 14 stories below Park Avenue? Do you spend the money to pull it out, transport it, and Read more ›

Texas Liberal 40

Texas Liberal Marks Five Years—The Work Of Freedom Is Up To Each Of Us
July 25th, 2011 marked five years since I began regular posting on Texas Liberal. I did not write on this subject on the 25th because I wrote other things instead for the past two days. I write this blog with the assistance of the Texas Liberal Panel of Experts. Above you see the TLPOE–Samuel Slater Bobblehead, Cactus, Extinct and Hamburger Wearing An Astros’ Hat. They have busted out a bottle of
Should Abe Lincoln Have Given Jefferson Davis Everything He Wanted?—The Work Of Freedom Is Up To Us
Should Abe Lincoln have given into everything that Jefferson Davis and the South wanted in order to solve a great national problem? President Obama has likely compromised more than he should on the debt ceiling debate. And yet still it is not enough for Republicans. Mr. Obama may not be another Lincoln, but today’s Republican Party of States Rights and mindless government bashing would have fit in
July 25th, 2011 marked five years since I began regular posting on Texas Libera...
July 25th, 2011 marked five years since I began regular posting on Texas Liberal. I did not write aboput this on the 25th because I wrote something else on the blog instead. I write this blog with the assistance of the Texas Liberal Panel of Experts. Above you see the TLPOE—Samuel Slater Bobblehead, Cactus, Extinct and Hamburger Wearing An Astros’ Hat. They have busted out a bottle of Champaign t
Debt Ceiling Standoff Reminiscent Of Cuban Missile Crisis—An Interesting View Of The Cuban Missile Crisis
The debt ceiling talks have begun to remind me of the Cuban Missile  Crisis. (Above–Soviet missiles in Cuba. Big trouble back in 1962.) Which side will blink first? (Here are facts about the Cuban Missile Crisis.) As for the debt ceiling negotiations, I hope President Obama does not sell us out with benefit cuts and domestic spending cuts that make life tougher than it is already. The wealthy hav
Right Wing Religious Extremist Anders Breivik Is Charged With The Terrorism In Oslo
I heard a brief Fox News radio report a few hours ago about the Oslo terrorist bombing and shooting. The update did not mention that this crime was an act of right-wing Christian extremism. I felt if this terrorism had been conducted by Muslims, that Fox would have reported this fact on the radio. I want to be certain that people understand who committed the terrorist acts we saw in Oslo this past
Texas Progressive Alliance Round-Up—The Mess That Is Democracy
Here is the weekly round-up of the Texas Progressive Alliance. The TPA is a confederation of the best political bloggers in Texas. TPA members are citizen-bloggers who are working hard for a better Texas. Every Texan has the ability has the ability to attend a public meeting, attend or organize a protest, write or call an elected official, talk to friends and family, start a blog, donate money, w

IPS Inter Press Service Earth Alert: Confronting Climate Change 37

Computers Help Create a Clean Energy Future
The use of information technology in energy planning can contribute not only to developing renewable energy sources but also to moving towards a green economy.
OP-ED: Germany Shows the Green Path
The decision was expected, yet it shook the world's nuclear establishment. On May 29, some two and a half months after disaster struck at Japan's Fukushima- Daiichi nuclear complex, Germany's right-wing government of Angela Merkel announced that Germany is exiting from the nuclear era.
BANGLADESH: Tribal Women Take on Forest Ranger Roles
Jasinta Nokrek loves nothing better than to range through the dense Modhupur forest, the way her Garo tribal ancestors have always done.
EAST AFRICA: Massive Aid Needed to Stave off Disaster
International donors have given more than one billion dollars to ease the famine in Somalia and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, but U.N. officials say another billion will be needed to prevent the situation from deteriorating in other areas.
INDIA: Kashmir Pays for Environmental Neglect
Years of poor policies and neglect are taking a toll on Kashmir's unmatched ecological assets, that also happen to be international tourist attractions.
‘Participatory Map Vital for Indonesia's Environment Plans'
Indonesia's ambitious forest conservation and emission reduction plans depend crucially on how soon it can develop a 'participatory map' in which all stakeholders figure.

Phronesisaical 35

Sillamäe
One of the reasons for my trip to Estonia is to check up on Sillamäe. Sillamäe brought me to Estonia for the first time in 1998.Sillamäe was once a rather ordinary Estonian resort city. It is on the Gulf of Finland, about twenty kilometers west of the border city of Narva/Ivangorod. Wealthy Russians and the German nobles who ruled Estonia during the nineteenth century enjoyed the fresh sea air. I
The Norway Attacks: A Personal Reaction
I've just watched the judge's statement and an interview with the Norwegian Prime Minister on BBC. That's the only English-language news television I've had available during most of this trip. I keep being impressed with the Norwegian government, the Prime Minister in particular. The reporters badger the officials with their cheap attempts to elicit statements of blame or recriminations, and the o
Açaí
Photo: Breno Peck Flickr
Word of the Day
Trypophobia: an irrational aversion to the sight of clustered holes.
Monday Cat Blogging
No, this cat is not dead. He is lying on the side of the entry where the door doesn't open, and he doesn't move at all when someone walks by him. He does move from time to time, though, because he also assumes strange still poses on the chairs in the hotel lobby. He does allow people to pet him, even in his more active postures.
The View From My Window
I just realized that I can connect to the hotel wireless from my room.Also, I have been hearing a rukkirääk (corn crake) in that field.

ArmsControlWonk 17

I Still Call It The JAEC
A couple of months ago, Mark Hibbs wrote a nice little post here about China’s interest in commercial-scale reprocessing for its spent nuclear fuel. If you recall, a few reporters got unnecessarily excited about China’s announcement of initial operations at its pilot reprocessing facility in the Gobi Desert.  Mark reminded everyone that the facility was small, used the old PUREX method and was woe
Trident
2 In the 1970s, it was insufficient to offer state and local authorities a massive new military base. The Federal Government also needed to provide sweeteners like new schools to handle the influx of military personnel, government workers, and defense contractors. Those were the days when rainmakers truly reigned on Capitol Hill. No Congressional delegation had bigger rainmakers at that time than
Aftac
The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) is the intelligence entity that looks for nuclear explosions, although if you are a regular reader you probably know that already.  You probably also know that, even by the standards of the US intelligence community, AFTAC keeps a pretty low profile. So, imagine my surprise to see the Department of Defense release a pair of long articles based
Deterrence and Escalation Control
2 One theme in the Stimson Center’s Escalation Control and the Nuclear Option in South Asia (2004) is that deterrence is an abstract notion that sometimes fails real world tests. Crisis management and escalation control then become paramount, as was the case during the limited war in 1999 between Pakistan and India after Northern Light Infantry troops crossed the Kashmir divide in the heights above
Advanced Issues in Arms Control
On occasion, I offer a public service announcement. My friend, Bruce MacDonald, is teaching a week-long class along with Mike Lekson at USIP.  I sent one of my research assistants to a previous iteration of the class and he had nothing but good things to say about Bruce as an instructor and the experience in general. Bruce tells me the fee is only $195, which basically covers breakfast and lunch f
Condi Rice & FRG on Sino-Pak deal
The German federal government has published in its journal of record its answer to questions submitted a month ago by lawmakers concerning the then-upcoming 2011 plenary meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Particularly interesting is what Germany had to say about China’s plans to export two power reactors to Pakistan as Chashma-3 and -4. As many blog readers know, I have focused a certai

Pickled Politics 26

EDL member attacks ‘Pakis’ on the tube and films it
A reader just sent me this link which I’d missed earlier. The EverythingEDL twitter account posted this video of an EDL member filming himself attacking random Asians on the tube. The video has violence – it is NOT safe for work [Flash 10 is required to watch video] If the video doesn’t work for you, see it here. Everything EDL say it was the EDL member ‘Cobz Smith’. If you know more, get in touc
Further exposure of mass murderer’s links to British far-right
The BNP and EDL were under greater pressure last night after their connections with the Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik were laid bare: The Norwegian fanatic has been in close contact with hundreds of British right-wing extremists for two years, it emerged last night. He chatted about ‘tactics’ on social networking sites with hundreds of members of the English Defence League (EDL) and the Briti
EDL founder convicted after hooligan brawl
This should do wonders for the EDL’s image: Stephen Lennon, 28, led Luton Town supporters and chanted “EDL till I die”" as they clashed with Newport County fans in Luton, a court heard. He was charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour during the clash on 24 August last year. He denied the charges but was convicted after a trial on Monday at Luton and South Bedfordshire Ma
The unbelievable Tom Harris MP
The Labour MP Tom Harris writes: I got it wrong and I apologise. I should not have jumped to conclusions, especially not so early on in such a terrible sequence of events. But (and of course there’s a “but” or I wouldn’t be writing this), the palpable relief that swept through the left when the identity of the terrorist was made known – a 32-year-old Norwegian christian fundamentalist – was reveal
Practical environmentalism
Environmental campaigners often struggle to convince the wider public about the need to combat climate change. Whilst most people agree with the principle of protecting the environment in the abstract, they are suspicious of many of the suggestions that environmentalists put forward to tackle the problem of climate change. This is partly due to the hypocrisy of large numbers of political leaders a
A ‘Bad Man’ With Good Looks… and serious religious messages
This is a guest post by Sarah. She blogs here. Going through the BBC News website yesterday, I discovered Muslim comedian Humza Arshad, AKA ‘Badman’ for the first time. What I didn’t know then was that he has already had literally millions of Youtube hits, been on BBC Asian Network and will soon be starting his first comedy tour, joined by several well known British Asian comedians including Jeff

WORLD TRUTH TODAY 36

Gunman Conspired With “Business and Political Leaders” Before Massacre
This picture reminds me of a highly sophisticated blow-up “dummy”.     Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com Tuesday, July 26, 2011 Anders Behring Breivik said he conspired with “business and political leaders” in London years before he set about planning last week’s massacre, an intruiging connection given the fact that the gunman’s manifesto is datelined “London 2011, suggesting a clear connection
Inside LSD
video
Norway Terror Attacks a False Flag: More Than One Shooter on Island; Oslo Police Drilled Bomb Blasts; Was It NATO’s Revenge for Norway’s Decision to Stop Bombing Libya?
by Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D. TARPLEY.net Washington DC, July 24, 2011 – The tragic terror attacks in Norway display a number of the telltale signs of a false flag provocation. It is reported that, although the world media are attempting to focus on Anders Behring Breivik as a lone assassin in the tradition of Lee Harvey Oswald, many eyewitnesses agree that a second shooter was active in the massac
Crazy People – We Are ONE
video It is the crazy people who change the world for the better – it is the ‘sane’ ones that destroy it. ‘Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in a square hole; the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you c
OKA— Kulcha
This album is a collection of live tracks from 2 different gigs, one in Australia and one Canada, no overdubs, just raw Oka tracks as they went down. If you have heard Oka live and enjoyed it this is definitely worth a listen. credits released 09 February 2011 Dub, Edits & The Jamaican Mule by OKA okamusic.bandcamp.com
Oka— Pandanus
Dub, Edits & The Jamaican Mule by OKA okamusic.bandcamp.com

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