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Moyers to Expose ALEC - Right Wing Whines!!!!
Yes sirree ! ALEC is going to be on TV.
Bill Moyers will be doing a special this week on ALEC and introducing the
United States to the nastiness known as ALEC.
Next Week's Bill Moyer's & Company will feature ALEC.
A documentary named
The United States of ALEC
Yes, sirree!!!! ALEC is going to be on TV
AND the right wing is shitting nickels.
They have already started the media spin trying to save ALEC’s butt.
But – now – the entire United States is going to know about the nastiness
known as the ALEC.
Now is the time to check you local listings and have an ALEC party. Bring
lots ... more »
Homeland Security is Working for Monsanto
William Kincaid
When we see photographs of rats grossly deformed by massive tumors after
eating genetically engineered corn laced with Roundup, it's not good news
for Monsanto.
People understand instantly in looking at those pathetic rats that organic
food is not a niche market or a expensive luxury, but a life or death
issue, because the rats were fed corn that is part of the American diet.
All the studies that were required but bypassed before GMOs were unleashed
into the food chain seem compressed into this one devastating study by
CRIIGEN.
The Monsanto lies are exposed. P... more »
Appeals court rules drivers can be detained indefinitely for paying tolls with large denomination bills
Madison Ruppert,* Contributor*
In one of the more insane rulings recently – the appeals court decision to
block the judge’s ruling on the unconstitutionality of the Obama
administration’s indefinite detention notwithstanding – a federal appeals
court ruled that motorists can, essentially, be held indefinitely at toll
booths if they pay the toll with a large denomination bill.
The ruling (PDF courtesy of The Newspaper) came down in the U.S. Court of
Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, on September 19, 2012 in the case of Chandler v.
FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation).
The chandl... more »
Willard dumps a phony-baloney 2011 tax return on us, and a 20-year tax fairy tale, and expects us to thank him
*"It’s time for Mitt Romney to come clean about both his tax returns and
plans to increase taxes on the middle class while slashing them even
further for the wealthiest Americans."*
*-- from ThinkProgress's* "10 Questions:
More Questions Than Answers About Romney & Taxes"
*by Ken*
I was fit to spit when Willard Inc. dumped his brand-new 2011 tax return --
you know, the one with the strange label like it's provisional or
something? -- into the legendary Friday news dump. Not so much because of
the trick he was trying to use but because indications were that the sleazy
slimebag (and... more »
Today in History for September 24th: Birth of F. Scott Fitzgerald And 60 Minutes
"Either you think — or else others have to think for you and take power
from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and
sterilize you." - F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Lightning does not glide
This really should end all 'debate' on the F-35. Via MoS.
200 Reasons to Say No to the F-35
There were at least 200-instances since 1988 when CF-18 pilots had to shut
one engine down and return to base on the remaining engine.
Put another way, the Canadian Air Force had two hundred examples over the
past 24-years when, had they been flying the F-35, their aircraft might
have been lost. When you're talking a total buy of 65 F-35's Canada
proposes, that means running out of air force awfully quickly. Bad for
the airplanes, worse yet for the poor buggers flying them.
If we have to chip in to save Lockheed Martin from disaster, shouldn't we
be telling Washington to get off... more »
What is white and goes RRRRG! RRRRG!?
A polar bear walking backwards.
Politicians: CIA injects toxins over Sweden
AirCrap
Chemicals, viruses and heavy metals sprayed out over Sweden – by the CIA
and the government. I think the Green Party leader in Vingåker. - We need
to get engineers on the aircraft to stop putting in these containers, says
Roy Hagberg.
Vingåker.Foto: STINA JÄRPERUD / KATRIN HOLMS Courier
It was in Thursday’s Katrineholms Courier as politician Roy Hagberg went
out with his thesis – which by all established researchers dismissed as
mere conspiracy theories.
Emit toxic
Roy Hagberg had seen a picture in the newspaper under the caption
envisioned aircraft exhaust or condensate... more »
In New York, defiant Ahmadinejad says Israel will be "eliminated"
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday disregarded a U.N. warning
to avoid incendiary rhetoric and declared ahead of the annual General
Assembly session that Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be
"eliminated."
Ahmadinejad also said he did not take seriously the threat that Israel
could launch a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, denied
sending arms to Syria, and alluded to Iran's threats to the life of British
author Salman Rushdie.
The United States quickly dismissed the Iranian president's comments as
"disgusting, offensive and outrageous."... more »
What’s going on in China?
What’s going on in China? Well, who the hell knows really. I’d love to
hear stories from those who are living there, working there, or who have
friends or family there that might throw some light on China right now,
right when it’s on the edge of a new, and perhaps the most difficult,
period of its post-Mao existence. A period in which the inhabitants of
this fragile giant will have to handle, not just a new leader, but a
slowdown in their rising prosperity—and maybe even a collapse.
How will Chinese people react to their having embraced western prosperity,
and it seemingly reje... more »
Analysis shows Fox News, Wall Street Journal’s opinion pages heavily misrepresent climate science
[image: Left: Misleading vs. accurate coverage of climate science on Fox
News Channel and the Wall Street Journal, February to July 2012. Right:
Accurate vs. misleading coverage of climate science in the Wall Street
Journal opinion section, August 2011 to July 2012. Graphic by Grist with
data from the Union of Concerned Scientists]
NEW YORK, 21 September 2012 – The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is
calling on News Corporation to improve the representation of climate
science on two of its prominent media holdings, Fox News Channel and the
Wall Street Journal’s opinion section,... more »
Saving Social Security From Rep. Privatizing Ryan
Herbert Hoover (r) & Calvin Coolidge (center), 2 of the worst presidents in
history
On Saturday, while looking at the reasons why elderly AARP delegates who
continuously and vehemently booed Wall Street's vice presidential nominee,
Paul Ryan, we referenced some advice from Alan Grayson on the old tropes
the Republican Party has rolled out again about Social Security:
(1) Don't believe them.
(2) Defeat them.
He pointed out that his opponent, Paul Ryan wannabe Todd Long, "doesn't
want to save Social Security; he wants to destroy it... He says that Social
Security is unconstitutiona... more »
Sarah Silverman gets out the vote
Not a huge fan of Sarah Silverman but this video she made is just terrific.
Needless to say NSFW -- much dropping of the F bomb.
[via Balloon Juice]
[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]
Is there a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) crisis?
It is not clear that there is a STEM shortage, Some analysts, in fact, have
claimed that there is a surplus of STEM-trained professionals (Teitelbaum,
2007; Toppo and Vergano, 2009; Bracey, 2009.)
A report of the World Economic Federation (Schwab, 2012) confirms that
there is no crisis. The US ranks near the top of the world on all
categories related to STEM education and availability of expertise:
According to the World Economic Federation, the US ranks 5th out of 144
countries in "availability of scientists & engineers," is tied for 5th in
"quality of scientific research institut... more »
Catch of the Day
One for Sarah Kliff for some very nice ACA reporting. She went to a
McDonald's, where calories per item are now listed, and asked what people
thought about it. Key bit:
I did find one customer who had noticed the calorie labels: Dick Nigon of
Sterling, Va. He and his wife, Lea, had stopped by McDonald’s after seeing
an exhibit at the Renwick Gallery. Dick had ordered for the couple, noticed
the calorie labels and liked them.
“I like that you have the information before you order,” he told me, when I
asked about the labels. “It’s better than some kind of government health
mandate in... more »
Breathe, We are One
Hello! Today marks the halfway moment on this Quest. You are “Just as
far in as you’ll ever be out.” (Anna Nalick – Breathe)
What does that mean? It means we have a choice. Right now. We can still
go either direction, and with equal effort get where we are headed. We
know what going back to duality looks like. What will it take to get to
Oneness?
To proceed from here on you must be willing to see through the illusion. We
have a saying in our house, you have to “buy the rubber suit”; a reference
to the old Godzilla movies, where you could actually pick out the zipper ... more »
People's hope for prescription drugs goes up in flames
Medicines burn at the dump in Santa Barbara
A tragedy played out late last week at the garbage dump in Santa Barbara,
Honduras, where three big truckloads carrying tons of expired
pharmaceutical drugs were burned.
This comes less than a month after another story in the Honduran media about
publicly funded prescription drugs valued at almost 13 million lempiras -
$660,000 - being thrown out during 2010-11 due to expiration even
while countless sick, poor Hondurans waited in vain for the medicines
they'd been prescribed but couldn't afford.
You only have to contract dengue fever once t... more »
Woodworth's Wank: Update for Sept. 24/12
To no one's surprise, Arch Abortion Foe and 44-Year-Old Virgin, Jason
Kenney, is in favour of Woodworth's Wank.
But today's news is that he, as a Cabinet Member in the government that
swore up and down it would ^NOT reopen the abortion debate, is going to
vote in favour of it.
Hm. Does that mean he is ^NOT a member of the government? Or that the
government is ^NOT opposed to reopening the abortion debate?
Inquiring minds want to know. . .
In related news, via @canadiancynic, we offer this fabulous video.
The vote will be held Wednesday, September 26, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. All it
n... more »
Chicken Manure at Center of Delaware Lawsuit
Rachel Rindfleisch at Contaminated Nation - Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste locations - 6 hours ago
By:Duane Craig
Chicken manure has caused an environmental group interested in preserving
the waters of Delaware’s bays to file a lawsuit against a farmer and Perdue
Farms, according to this article. The charge is that the chicken manure
from operations seep into local waterways, eventually reaching Chesapeake
Bay.
But a recent motion by lawyers for the defendants requests the members of
the court to visit the operations which are more than 120 miles from the
courthouse. The plaintiffs claim that visiting the site would be arduous
because of its distance and that conditions could h... more »
Nobody’s Fault
A fine (but sad) poem by my friend Len Libman:
*
*
* *
He screamed, she screamed
You bitch, you bastard
The children huddled under the stairs.
He swung, she swung
He punched, she slapped
The children huddled under the stairs.
He pointed a finger, she pointed a finger
It's your fault, you're to blame
The children huddled under the stairs.
He stabbed, she fired
He killed, she killed
The children huddled under the stairs.
No one moved, there was a sigh
The house was silent
The children came out from under the stairs.
Shocker: President Obama Tells The Truth About Israel's Anti-Iran Propaganda On 60 Minutes
In an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday, September 23,
President Obama correctly described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's endless chatter about Iran as "noise."
At the same time, the Obama administration took the MEK off the U.S. terror
list, a bizarre move that has been criticized by pro-peace activists in
America and Iran.
The MEK is widely acknowledged as a *terrorist cult* that has no legitimacy
in Iran because it sided with Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran in the
1980s.
Read Glenn Greenwald's article about the U.S. getting in bed with the M... more »
A Quick Note on the Necessity of Spin
No, Jimmy Carter didn't really lead Ronald Reagan for most of the 1980
campaign, only to have Reagan suddenly surge from behind at the last minute
(John Sides really took care of this a while ago).
But, you know, what's a campaign behind in the polls supposed to do? Of
course they're going to find some historical evidence, no matter how
dubious, to show that everything is going exactly as they want it to be.
And they better do that; it would be irresponsible not to. After all, for a
candidate who is not all that far behind but would need some external shock
to change things (which i... more »
“Shooting down the planes is not an option!” Vice President Biden explodes. “Tell Bibi the president of the United States wants to talk to him now!”
By Karim Sadjadpour and Blake Hounshell, September 23, 2012 "Washington
Post" -- September 21, 2012 - For months, Israel has threatened to strike
Iran’s nuclear sites. The United States has urged restraint. If such an
operation were launched, how might Washington react? President Obama is
enjoying a quiet dinner with Michelle, Sasha and Malia at the White House
residence on a Thursday evening in October when he gets the call. Two dozen
Israeli fighter jets have just entered Jordanian airspace, apparently en
route to Iran, chief of staff Jack Lew tells him. They will enter Iranian
ai... more »
Jason Kenney, creep
Via Dawg, I learn the following:
An email extolling the Conservative government’s record on gay rights
has some recipients wondering how Citizenship and Immigration Minister
Jason Kenney knows their sexual orientation.
The email from
Kenney’s MP’s office sent Friday trumpets the Conservative government’s
initiative to help and gay and lesbian refugees, particularly in Iran.
What other
Jeremy Bowen's Rosh Hashonah Twitter Q&A
I've just been checking my records and I found that I never received an
acknowledgement of my complain from the BBC re this matter.
This matter is something that I feel really deeply about so I have lodged
another complaint, just in case the BBC have 'lost' the original.
Your Complaint
Type of complaint: BBC News (TV Radio Online)
What is your complaint about: BBC News Online
URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19601920
Complaint category: Bias
Contacted us before: Yes
Reason for contacting us again: Haven't received a response yet
Reference:
Complaint title: Jeremy Bow... more »
The Middle East and Africa on edge- Resumed and Concluded
This has now turned into that long rambling post I warned you about
earlier. There is simply so much going on, all over the place, it is
overwhelming and begs coverage. So here it all is!
*Still reading up on Libya.*
The brigade the CIA is pointing fingers at for the attack on the consulate
is a US proxy fighting group, as far as I can tell. This group fought to
overthrow and murder Gadaffi on behalf of US/NATO. The group I am speaking
of is Ansar al-Sharia and it's leader has been making the mainstream media
rounds in the West, oddly enough?
Then we allegedly have Libyan citizens... more »
William C. Chittick: "The Recovery of Human Nature"
*William C. Chittick - The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi*.
*Wikipedia:*
William C. Chittick is a leading translator and interpreter of classical
Islamic philosophical and mystical texts. He is best known for his
groundbreaking work on Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi, and has written extensively on
the school of Ibn 'Arabi, Islamic philosophy, Shi'ism, and Islamic
cosmology.
Born in Milford Connecticut, Chittick finished his BA at the College of
Wooster in Ohio, and then went on to complete a PhD in Persian literature
at Tehran University under the supervision of Seyyed Hossein Nasr in 1974.
He tau... more »
World's Best Homemade Play-Doh
My little girl has an obsession with Play-doh. Play-doh isn't my favorite
thing in the world, but my mom has been feeding her obsession. She is still
young and likes to mix the colors, but then she doesn't want to play with
the mixed up blob, in order to not go broke from buying new colors, I
dusted off our tried and true family favorite. This recipe does require a
stove, but the play-doh comes together so nicely I think it is worth it!
You will need:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon food coloring
2 cups water
I used to... more »
Reinventing Collapse
Dmitry Orlov grew up in the Soviet Union (USSR), before it collapsed and
was reborn as the Russian Federation. In the mid-’70s he moved to the US. On
extended visits to his Leningrad home, he directly observed the unpleasant
process of a powerful empire collapsing. On later visits he observed how
the Russians had adjusted to living in a post-empire society.
It’s very clear to him that America is also a rotting powerful empire —
socially, politically, economically. We spend far too much on the
military, our debt levels defy the imagination, Peak Cheap Energy is behind
us, and bi... more »
What Is Countrywide, Why Is It A Scandal And Why Should Buck McKeon Face Justice?
Yesterday, in a post about the injustice inherent in a lack of
accountability for Florida Congressman David Rivera's crime spree, I
decided to dip into some research I had already been doing for this post on
Buck McKeon and his own lack of accountability for his own crime spree. The
research was just some reading by Chris Hayes from his new book, Twilight
of the Elites: America After Meritocracy and I decided that I would use it
yesterday and, to be fair, include a little something about McKeon in the
Rivera post. The two might wind up being cellies in a future episode of *Lock-Up... more »
U.S. poised to hand over $197 million to another solar panel start-up......Sssh! Don't Mention Solyndra
*(Reuters) - A tiny solar company named SoloPower will flip the switch on
production at a U.S. factory Thursday, a major step toward allowing it to
tap a $197 million government loan guarantee awarded under the same
controversial program that supported failed panel maker Solyndra.*
SoloPower has initiated a strategy to differentiate it from struggling
commodity players in the solar panel industry. Still, there are several
similarities between SoloPower and Solyndra - which became a lightning rod
in the U.S. Presidential campaign this year after taking in more than $500
million in g... more »
Ahmadinejad says Iran ready to defend against Israeli attack
*(Reuters) - Iran does not take seriously Israeli threats of attack, but is
prepared to defend itself, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on
Monday, while saying that Israel has "no roots" in the history of the
Middle East and would be "eliminated."*
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted Israel could strike
Iran's nuclear sites and has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama's
position that sanctions and diplomacy should be given more time to stop
Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran denies that it is seeking nuclear arms and says its atomic work is
peac... more »
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA - 24th September 2012
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA at a
depth of 60 km (37.2 miles), the quake hit at 14:39:56 UTC Monday 24th
September 2012
The epicenter was 17 km (10.5 miles) Northeast of Yelizovo, Kamchatka
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
An Interesting Number
Polls at this point aren't much of a harbinger of anything. But a new poll
by Abacus Data puts Stephen Harper's negative numbers at 50%. One out of
every two Canadians disapprove of the prime minister. And the Conservatives
and the New Democrats are tied, each with 35% support.
What is even more interesting is the geographical breakdown of that support:
The Conservatives also held a wide lead in Alberta, though with the NDP at
29 per cent the race is far closer than is usually the case. For their
part, the New Democrats held a statistically significant lead in Atlantic
Canada wit... more »
CHILD SEX FOR MOSLEMS
Governments... love child abuse...
No other criminal activity... gives such control over those who commit it.
- Ex Senator STUART SYVRET
In the UK, gangs have been providing certain Moslems with kids for sex.
The government authorities appear to have been protecting these child
sex-abuse gangs.
*British Moslems*
The UK Moslems involved in the child-sex abuse are originally from
countries which are of interest to the UK security services - Iraq, Kosovo,
Kurdistan and Pakistan.
Might the UK security services have recruited UK Moslems to fight in Iraq,
Kosovo, Pakistan, Libya... more »
The benefit of being very light in weight
The diving squirrel...
San Francisco: Retire Columbus Day
*Retire Columbus Day*
*By United Native Americans*
*Censored News*
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
*
*
INDIGENOUS DAY OF RESISTANCE INDIGENOUS RIGHTS RALLY & MARCH to Decolonize
the World on the Truth of Christoper Columbus and his Insidious Hate Crimes
he Committed Against the Indigenous Peoples of The Americas Known as Turtle
Island.
Our Peaceful March will begin from foot of Jefferson and Stockton Streets
located near Fisherman's Wharf to Coit Tower Rally in Front of the Columbus
Statue
Sunday, October 7th, 2012
From 10:00 am -1:00 pm
Press Conference from Noon to 1:00pm at Coi... more »
Drought and Climate Change
The amount of nonsense in public debate on extreme events and climate
changeremains at a high level. This is great news for me because it
provides
plenty of opportunities to discuss what the actual science says and how
we
think we know what we know. As I have long argued, accurate
representations
of the state of science of extremes is far more important as a matter of
scientific integrity than to the hyper-politiczed debate over climate
change. Put another way, it is highly unlikely that misrepresentations
of
the state of science will do much to move action on energy policies, but
... more »
Early Voting and Polls/Predictors
I put this up on twitter, but I might as well write a post about it: I feel
that there's pretty good information out there about the rules and extent
of early voting (see Michael McDonald's excellent work tracking
voting-so-far, plus follow links to his other work on this), but a lot less
about how the various public opinion polls handle early voting and how the
various predictor models out there that are primarily based on polls handle
it.
Or maybe it's out there and I just haven't seen it. But for example Nate
Silver today, in a very nice state-of-the-race post, noted in a short
... more »
DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, MICHAEL HUDSON, DESCRIBES BEN BERNANKE'S QE3 AS "BASICALLY A PROGRAM FOR THE FEDERAL RESERVE TO GIVE MONEY TO THE BANKS UNTIL BEETHOVEN WRITES HIS 10TH SYMPHONY. THERE IS NO CONNECTION TO EMPLOYMENT WHATSOEVER."
------------------------------
* the**REALnews
Permalink*
September 23, 2012**
*Michael Hudson: QE3 Another Fed Give Away to the Banks *
Shoveling money to the banks not meant to create jobs, it’s a way to give
banks even more speculative capital and prepare them for another meltdown
More at The Real News
*Bio*
Michael Hudson is a Wall Street Financial Analyst, Distinguished Research
Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and
author of Super-Imperialism: The Economic Strategy ... more »
Untitled
*Let's Point Fingers ~Who Dat Indig-Nation*
**
O.K. NOW LISTEN TO A PROMINENT REPUBLICAN ECONOMIST'S TAKE ON QE3
------------------------------
*David Stockman on Federal Reserve Arrogance and Monetary Mission Creep! *
http://youtu.be/6QBiaq9OBgc
Published on Sep 21, 2012 by CapitalAccount
Follow us @
http://twitter.com/laurenlyster
http://twitter.com/coveringdelta
Welcome to Capital Account. Now that the Fed has announced QE3 and Japan
announced QE 8, Brazil is threatening defensive measures and bringing talk
of Currency wars back, according to multiple press reports. Brazil's
finance minister coined the term 'Currency Wars' two years ago as
governments battled to lower exchange rate... more »
Tipping the Balance of Power: How to really change the world - and it's easier than you think
Tony Cartalucci, *Contributor*
*Democracy is a Form of Oppression *
The modern concept of "democracy" is perhaps the most effective form of
human oppression ever devised. It has singlehandedly convinced billions of
people around the world that if only they cast their vote at each election,
struggle behind their favorite politicians and pet political causes, they
can change the world. And as each side of any given political paradigms
struggles against each other, a singular agenda continues to march forth,
one above and beyond "democracy" and the strategies of tension we've all
be... more »
Why Economist Erin Weir Plays A Critical Role In The Sask NDP Leadership Race
*Cruising, as I do, through my favorite Canadian political blogs, I came
across the following comment on a post at 'Accidental Deliberations'. The
post concerned the campaign to select the next leader of the Saskatchewan
wing of the New Democratic Party. If you have any interest in the race,
it's mandatory reading:*
*
**Greg: *
*At this point, Trent Wotherspoon is clearly the front-runner...by virtue
of merely *looking* like a leader. In Toronto, we are unbelievably honest
about these things. Mayor David Miller successfully stormed into office
using campaign posters which shameless... more »
‘Kangnam Style’s Irony is Missed b/c of the Publicity Wave
yeah, it’s pretty hysterical, especially when you get the underlying social
critique
I try to avoid K-pop on my website, because I find far too many foreigner
websites in Korea focus on the silliest, shallowest elements of what is
around us – probably because the language is so hard, Korean pop culture is
the easiest for us to understand. But I keep getting asked, and it is huge
hit, so here a few thoughts:
1. Thank god ‘Kangnam Style’ shows a level of irony, self-awareness, humor,
and creativity that K-pop normally lacks. That alone is enough to value it,
given how shallow, idiot... more »
How to Cleanse Your Body with 4 Natural and Free Detox Methods
Elizabeth Renter
Detoxifying your body is a way to rid it of both physical and
mental/spiritual toxins. But, you don’t have to pay big bucks for
ingredients to a crazy tea or supplement; you don’t even need to go on a
special diet (assuming you already eat whole, natural foods). If you want
to know how to cleanse your body using simple techniques, here are 4 simple
and nearly free detox methods you can use everyday, and they only take a
few minutes.
Carolanne Wright, writing for NaturalNews, suggests that these 3 solutions
are a “magical trio” of affordable and simple detox too... more »
The A.I. Thought Police
image source Julie Beal, *Contributor*
We know we’re being surveilled in the matrix: AI Law, empowered by
algorithms, feasts on Twittered hate crimes and the like to try to predict
crime. We are leaving virtual trails of data which are used to feed
simulation models, for predictive analytics – but we can still opt out,
throw away our phones, disconnect. There is still some control over what
they take from us. But AI Thought Police wants more – to climb into our
minds, understand our physical make-up, really get to know us.
We are all under suspicion, but AI needs to know which one... more »
Charter Advocacy Misses Point, Misleads
In an Op-Ed focusing on how the Chicago teachers' strike is relevant to SC
education concerns, I offered one point that included a caution about
committing to charter schools in our state:
If we want to hold our schools and teachers accountable for the best
education we can offer to all children regardless of their backgrounds, we
must reject top-down education policy created by political leaders with no
experience or expertise in education — notably rejecting Common Core State
Standards, teacher evaluations linked to test scores, the expansion of
charter schools and the hiring of T... more »
Should we stop encouraging home ownership?
Home ownership is often connected to the notion of living the "American
dream." But it is as much a part of Canadian identity as it is in the U.S.
Indeed, statistics show that the percentage of home ownership in Canada is
edging close to 70 per cent, which is actually higher than the ratio south
of the border at the moment – 65.4 per cent, a 15-year low, according to
the most recent data. Many economists believe the Canadian government has
played an active role in spurring home ownership, particularly by forming
the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation back in 1946.
Primarily se... more »
PROMETHEUS & THE LONDON OLYMPICS
Prometheus titan statue at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
PROMETHEUS & THE LONDON OLYMPICS
I don't really know what got me started down this 'conspiracy path'; it
could have been the news that Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" was 'rushed
through production' to ensure a summer 2012 release date (after stalling
several times before) and the very tragic and determined death of Tony
Scott and maybe that it's more symbolic a story than we usually get in
supposedly-non-Communist (big C) western cinema.
But, in the same way that Prometheus presents obvious and glaring visual
references to... more »
Simulated Cybersecurity Threats That Pave the Way for Internet Restrictions
Susanne Posel, *Contributor*
Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, spoke to
the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting
this week and confirmed that the Obama administration is circumventing
Congress and drafting an “inter-agency process” which is “close to
completion depending on a few issues that need to be resolved at the
highest levels.”
John Brennan, assistant to the President for Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism and chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science
and Transportation has planted the conce... more »
ACLU Sues CIA Over Drone Killings
Stephen Lendman, *Contributor*
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been around since the Vietnam era.
They were used as reconnaissance platforms. In the 1980s, Harpy air defense
suppression system radar killer drones were employed. In the Gulf War,
unmanned combat air systems (UCAS) and X-45 air vehicles were used.
Others were deployed in Bosnia in 1995 and against Serbia in 1999.
America's new weapon of choice is now commonplace in Iraq, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, elsewhere abroad, and domestically for
law enforcement and surveillance. Escalated domestic and... more »
FDA Looking to Ban B6 Supplements, Give Boost to Big Pharma
Elizabeth Renter
Vitamin B6, naturally present in a variety of foods, is necessary for
proper nerve function, protein synthesis, regulating blood sugar, and
producing antibodies and hemoglobin. In other words, it’s pretty important
stuff. But, while many people get their B6 through supplements, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration is looking to make things a lot more
difficult—by slowly *taking all forms of B6 supplements off the market so
Big Pharma can make millions off of prescriptions instead.*
According to the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), the FDA has already
begun t... more »
Our journalists love their favorite tales!
*MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012*
*Like Pepperidge Farm, Harwood remembers:* We don’t expect to post tomorrow.
While we’re away, why not treat yourself to a review of John Harwood’s
favorite stories?
In last Friday’s New York Times, Harwood connected Mitt Romney’s remarks
about the 47 percent to Candidate Blunders of the past. This allowed the
scribe to recall his favorite candidate stories.
Harwood lists his top ten candidate blunders, dating to the 1968 campaign.
A few quick reactions:
*Instant editing:* We were struck by the way Harwood shortens some of the
allegedly horrible candi... more »
The Queen of Corporate-Fascist Faux "Democracy"
*Aung San Suu Kyi Goes to Washington - exposes US "democracy promotion" as
corporate-fascist racket. *
Tony Cartalucci, *Contributor*
*Key Points*
- Aung San Suu Kyi and her movement are creations of Western
corporate-financier interests.
- Suu Kyi has recently received a series of suspect "awards" from
corporate-financier sponsored institutions.
- Awarding institutions represent the antithesis of Suu Kyi's alleged
ideals of "democracy," "freedom," and "human rights."
- Suu Kyi's movement has been recently exposed as genocidal bigots,
which is perha... more »
Links / Open Thread
Holy Ratched! Chris Hedges likens the two presidential candidates to nasty
nurses forcing noxious medicine down our throats in behalf of Austerity
Asylum, Inc. He tells us how we are doomed in his uniquely brilliant way --
profound depression is countered with a healthy dose of anger. Like Randle
McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" we won't stop fighting until
the lobotomizer strikes. From the latest Hedges column:
You are, by playing your assigned role as the Democratic or Republican
voter in this political theater, giving legitimacy to a corporate agenda
that means your ... more »
Will The GMO-Breast Cancer Link Be Pink-Washed Away?
Sayer Ji, *Contributor*
With Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) less than two weeks away, the
latest bombshell GMO/Roundup study produced by a French research team, and
presently making international headlines, is well-timed. The researchers
found, in the first long-term GM corn and Roundup feeding study of its
kind, that female rats, exposed to concentrations well below official
safety limits, developed massive, progressive mammary tumors which either
lead to premature death, or required euthanasia due to their great
suffering.
Why would this be of concern to BCAM? After all... more »
Untitled
*Drew Brees: ''Abysmal'' second half ~WWL*
*Fundraiser to be held for injured Tulane player Devon Walker*
*The Advocate to publish special N.O. edition starting Oct. 1*~Hat Tweet~*The
Advocate* @*theadvocatebr*
Media: The Advocate's New Orleans Edition Kickoff Party/News Conference
starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Rock n Bowl, 3000 South Carrollton Ave.
*Post-Isaac Survey*
*FEMA OKs $11M in Isaac disaster recovery in MS ~WDSU*
*Family dog missing since Katrina to return home to Louisiana*
*Pints for the pets ~Ian McNulty, Gambit*
*Folsom Butterflies ~WWNO*
*Check Out Our New EAT Page... more »
Ten Ways Corporate Food Is Threatening Our Food Supplies by Juan Cole
Ten Ways Corporate Food Is Threatening Our Food Supplies
by Juan Cole
Informed Comment, 23 September 2012
While it is much better than the fascisms of the Right and the Left, one of
the big drawbacks of corporate democracy is that the people are often
outgunned. Large corporations account for half of the national economy and
pay more for lobbyists to write and pass laws in Congress favorable to
themselves than they do in Federal taxes. The way in which the
Congressional committees that are supposed to watch certain industries
actually become beholden to them is called ‘legisla... more »
MISUSE THE CHILDREN WELL: Interlude!
*MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012*
*Misconceptions to date:* We’re off on a (one-day) mission of national
import.
For today, let’s review some of the basics from our ongoing series:
In fairness to Gail Collins, she may not have known some basic facts when
she wrote her unfortunate new book, As Texas Goes.
She may not have known that you have to be careful when you quote Diane
Ravitch. She may not have known that the Texas public schools, on a
statewide basis, were among the nation’s highest performers as of the
mid-1990s.
She may not have known that the Texas schools are still among our... more »
Read Stuff, You Should
Happy Birthday to Kenneth Tigar, 70. Cheers (twice)? Star Trek (twice)?
Whedon connection? That'll do it.
So how about some good stuff:
1. I mostly agree with Josh Marshall's reader here, although Marshall makes
a good point about what appears to have been in the heads of Team Romney.
If the fundamentals really are playing in favor of the president, there's
probably not a lot that Romney can do about it...but if it's close, then
misunderstanding the fundamentals may hurt their ability to frame it the
best way, and that could -- again, if it's close -- make some difference.
2. Lynn ... more »
A Letter From Edgar Schmidt
And the back-peddling begins as the Edmonton Public School Board reviews its
idiotic "no zero" policy. My inner cynic thinks if it weren't for the fact
that a long-serving dedicated physics teacher hadn't had the guts to call
these clowns out, this issue would have been swept quietly under the rug.
Schmidt sent a letter to parents in a pathetic attempt at reassurance.
After the feel-good language claiming to "[provide a] safe, caring and
respectful learning environment", Schmidt cuts right to the chase.
*We expect students to do their work. When students don't do their work,
we h... more »
Yeah, Yeah... The End Of The Quarter Approacheth, And...
Next week you'll probably get dozens of e-mails from candidates and
committees breathlessly telling you how the world is ending-- I mean how
the quarter is ending. ONLY 7 DAYS LEFT IN THE QUARTER! ONLY 40-SOMETHING
LEFT 'TIL THE ELECTION! We usually don't like sending e-mails like that.
It's a manufactured date meaningless to anyone lucky enough to be living in
America instead of Inside-the-Beltway, a manufactured arbitrary date that
is about FEC reporting schedules. I go out of my way to make contributions
based on something else other than accountants' arbitrary schedules. Like
... more »
SM Welcomes Douglas Storm
Douglas Storm has an MAT from Washington University in St. Louis, and he is
certified as an Advanced Practitioner of English/Language Arts grades 5-12
in the state of Indiana. He has two boys (10 and nearly-13), and about 5
years ago he came to understand that he is much more of an aural learner
than he was previously aware:
"We live in Bloomington, IN, moving here because we thought it would be fun
to live in a college town that is both "small" and "cosmopolitan." And I
have never been so instructed in reading by a book than I have been by Moby
Dick."
Welcome, Doug.
Strange Glitches in the Sky Matrix
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