 |
| Lynsey Hayton - 1 (Photo credit: the justified sinner) |
New Italy law tackles rampant corruption
Italy passed an anti-corruption law on Tuesday, the latest move by the
government of Prime Minister Mario Monti to shed the country's image
tarnished by former leader Silvio Berlusconi.
Monti, who took office last November to replace the scandal-plagued
Berlusconi, made approval of the law a confidence motion in his
administration in order to speed its passage through both houses of
parliament.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/uk-italy-corruption-idUKBRE89T1MS20121030
Government report criticises growth strategy
Britain's growth strategy of tax cuts and deregulation will not provide a
fast track to economic prosperity and needs to be reassessed, according to
a government-commissioned review published on Wednesday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/31/uk-britain-heseltine-economy-idUKBRE89U03Y20121031
Protesters storm Libya congress after prime minister presents government
Protesters stormed Libya's national assembly on Tuesday, forcing the
cancellation of a vote on a proposed coalition government named by the
country's new prime minister just hours earlier.
Fewer than 100 people, made up of civilians and former rebel fighters,
charged into the meeting hall of the General National Congress as it voted
on Prime Minister Ali Zeidan's cabinet line-up, which was drawn from
liberal and Islamist parties.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-libya-government-protesters-idUSBRE89T1CA20121030
Greece gets key backing to pass reforms
An overwhelming majority of Greek Socialist lawmakers have agreed to vote
in favor of contested austerity reforms, party officials told Reuters,
sharply increasing the odds of securing parliamentary approval for the
measures.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-greece-austerity-idUSBRE89T1BI20121030
Sandy curtails nuclear plants, oldest under alert
Hurricane Sandy slowed or shut a half-dozen U.S. nuclear power plants,
while the nation's oldest facility declared a rare "alert" after the record
storm surge pushed flood waters high enough to endanger a key cooling
system.
Exelon Corp's 43-year-old Oyster Creek plant in New Jersey remains on
"alert" status, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said early
Tuesday. It is only the third time this year that the second-lowest of four
emergency action levels was triggered.
"Oyster Creek is still in an alert but may be getting out of it as long as
water levels continue to drop,... more »
Lower Manhattan faces four days without power
Residents of lower Manhattan faced up to four days without power on Tuesday
as Consolidated Edison, New York City's power provider, scrambled to repair
the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy.
Almost every street below Times Square in the city's Midtown district was
plunged into darkness on Monday night after an explosion at a Con Edison
power station on 14th Street threw the electricity provider's plans for
controlled shutdowns into disarray.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/31/us-storm-sandy-nypowercuts-idUSBRE89T1KK20121031
Millions struggle after massive storm
Millions of people in New York City and other hard-hit areas will spend
days or weeks recovering from a storm already seen as far more destructive
that Hurricane Irene, which slammed into the same region a year ago. One
disaster modeling company said Sandy may have caused up to $15 billion in
insured losses.
The storm killed 18 people in New York City, among 23 total in New York
state, while six died in New Jersey. Seven other states reported fatalities.
Some 8.2 million homes and businesses in several states were without
electricity as trees toppled by Sandy's fierce winds took do... more »
EU Budget: Cameron Faces Commons Showdown
Prime Minister David Cameron faces an embarrassing Commons defeat later
today when MPs debate the EU budget.
A rebellion is brewing on the Tory backbenches: eurosceptics want the
budget cut, while the PM plans to go no further than to demand a real-terms
freeze, an inflation-only rise of a little over 2% a year.
The budget will cover the period 2014 - 2020.
http://news.sky.com/story/1004869/eu-budget-cameron-faces-commons-showdown
Latest stories Sandy: Obama To Visit Storm-Hit US East Coast
President Barack Obama is due to visit New Jersey to survey some of the
widespread devastation caused by superstorm Sandy in eastern US and Canada.
With at least 50 people killed - most by falling trees - and millions
affected by the high winds, power cuts and flooding, Mr Obama cancelled
campaign appearances in key state Ohio to oversee the government response.
http://news.sky.com/story/1004900/sandy-obama-to-visit-storm-hit-us-east-coast
4.7 Magnitude Earthquake KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA - 31st October 2012
Magnitude M 4.7
Region KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
Date time 2012-10-31 04:01:30.2 UTC
Location 7.53 S ; 126.57 E
Depth 297 km
Distances 104 km N Baucau, Indonesia
Regional Variation in the Explanatory Power of War and Reason
Many conversations about the empirical relevance of game-theoretic models
of war begin and end with Bueno de Mesquita and Lalman’s War and Reason.
That’s unfortunate, but it’s not exactly surprising. Most game-theoretic
studies of war do not include any empirical analysis, whereas War and
Reason offered a systematic analysis of European dyads. The standards by
which BdM and
Continue reading
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake CENTRAL ALASKA - 31st October 2012
Magnitude
4.0
Date-Time
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 02:57:43 UTC
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 06:57:43 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
62.045°N, 146.545°W
Depth
40.7 km (25.3 miles)
Region
CENTRAL ALASKA
Distances
6 km (4 miles) WSW (254°) from Mendeltna, AK
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake IRAN-PAKISTAN BORDER REGION - 31st October 2012
Magnitude ML 4.2
Region IRAN-PAKISTAN BORDER REGION
Date time 2012-10-31 02:23:27.0 UTC
Location 26.83 N ; 61.98 E
Depth 18 km
Distances 87 km SW Saravan
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHERN ALASKA - 30th October 2012
Magnitude
4.2
Date-Time
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 22:02:46 UTC
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 02:02:46 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
61.496°N, 150.723°W
Depth
67.4 km (41.9 miles)
Region
SOUTHERN ALASKA
Distances
10 km (6 miles) SW (229°) from Susitna, AK
Bad Signs On The NWO Highway Of Death
For this article, I want to present one of the latest works from
"Horse237", who writes the excellent blog: "Video Rebel's Blog", at
www.vidrebel.wordpress.com, that is entitled: "Bad Signs On The NWO Highway
Of Death". It covers some very important issues affecting the planet
right now, especially the rapidly approaching world wide economic collapse,
and is a must read by everyone. I have that article right here, and of
course some of my own thoughts and comments to follow:
Bad Signs On The NWO Highway Of Death
Posted on October 27, 2012
In 2001 Epicyte Corporation isolated a p... more »
No matter what columnists with Leader-Post / Saskatoon Star Phoenix write ... the Sask Party is nervous about the NDP leadership race ...
*Hot on the heel's of their TV attack ad, the Saskatchewan Party is now
using the proceedings of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly to show how
nervous they are over issues being discussed in the NDP Leadership
Campaign. *
*
**Case in point is the logic challenging 'Member's Statement' delivered
today by Sask Party MLA & former cabinet minister, Daryl Hickie:*
*
**Mr. Hickie: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Saskatchewan's NDP [New Democratic
Party] leadership candidates have at least one thing in common: they refuse
to stand up for Saskatchewan. When asked by the media yesterday about ... more »
Protecting Women's Health Stands Above Politics
Women are not an interest group. There are two ways to look at it though.
The Democratic way (above) and the Republican way (below). "Yes, We Plan"
features Julianne Moore, Mary J. Blige and Q-Tip. We've *got* to keep
moving forward!
Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)
Happy Halloween, Everyone ... and welcome back to Change The World
Wednesday (#CTWW)! If this is your first visit, please click HERE for
information and a complete list of all the challenges we've taken on so far.
There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read
through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might
find the following quick links helpful:
- The #CTWW Gang
- The Honor Society
- My Final Thoughts on Our Last Challenge
- This Week's Challenge
Our last challenge was a long one but we definitely needed the time to ... more »
VIDEO Guarijio traditional song and dance Sonora, Mexico
Video by Professor Alejandro Aguilar Zeleny
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Guarijio music and dance at the Second Reunion of Spiritual Guides in
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, Oct. 27, 2012Se escucha alegre la música
guarijío en el Segundo Encuentro de Guías Espirituales. la gente habló,
la gente escuchó, se hizo presente la memoria histórica, la persistencia
étnica, el
"Déjà Vu: Fascism on the Rise"
*"Déjà Vu: Fascism on the Rise"*
by Justin Raimondo
"As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both
instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged.
And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the
air- however slight- lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."
- Justice William O. Douglas
"Here in America we have only just begun to feel the social and political
effects of the worldwide economic crisis: rising unemployment, a wave of
bankruptcies and foreclosures, and a general contractio... more »
Today....
I posted some comments and an essay this morning, but I will not be able to
post again until late tonight.
Please see Enenews, Washington's Blog, and ZeroHedge for updates on risks
to east coast nuclear plants impacted by Sandy
http://enenews.com/
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/
http://www.zerohedge.com/
Please note that I am experiencing many BROKEN LINKS this morning,
especially to news updates on nuclear plants on the US east coast.
Alexander Higgins blog, which monitors EPA radnet data, is down this
morning.
Stay alert if you are located near nuclear plants on the east coast... more »
Harry Targ : The Real Romney foreign policy
Will
the real Mitt Romney please stand up? Image from Foreign Policy.
Unleashing the military:
The real Romney foreign policy
Military spending would grow in a Romney administration, especially
because of ties to the neocons and a hawkish Congress which promotes
military spending district by district.
By Harry Targ / The Rag Blog / October 30, 2012
After the outbreak of fighting on the
Slime Mold Found to Have Spatial Memory
The yellow slime mold leaves a thick mat of translucent slime (left on the
agar plate) behind it as it moves, ooze that it later avoids. Now
researchers have found the goo uses the gel trail as a kind of memory to
navigate. Photo courtesy: Audrey Dussutour
Even without a brain, a slime mold can essentially remember where it's
been, helping it navigate past complex obstacles, much like modern robots,
researchers say.
These findings reveal how ancient organisms could solve certain problems
well before complex brains evolved, scientists added.
Slime molds were once thought to be a k... more »
"Just What Suits Our Purpose..."
"No experience is a cause of success or failure.
We do not suffer from the shock of our experiences,
so-called trauma- but we make out of them just what suits our purposes."
- Alfred Adler
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Wouldn't it be nice if there actually was a band of technically savvy,
ideologically committed, intellectually honest students of the harsh
discipline of objectivity sporting Guy Fawkes masks and willing to play the
role of vigilante superheroes to wage a fierce, personal battle against war
criminals and treasonous banksters?
Unfortunately, it is probably the war criminals and treasonous banksters
behind these vague messages from Anonymous serving as the last ditch effort
to console an unknown percentage of those who know enough to be dangerous.
Let's be even more dangerous and a... more »
China raises stakes over disputed islands by telling Japanese ships to leave their own waters around the Senkaku islands
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7d97be3e-227e-11e2-8edf-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2AoWIDIKP
Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtles Expel Urea Through Mouths
The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) excretes urea, the
waste product of urine, from its mouth, scientists report Oct. 11, 2012, in
the Journal of Experimental Biology. Photo courtesy: Serene Lee
Soft-shelled turtles from China can essentially expel pee from their
mouths, researchers say.
This odd ability may have helped them invade salty environments,
researchers explained.
Scientists investigated the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus
sinensis). These turtles are often found in brackish swamps and marshes.
Intriguingly, these reptiles submerge their heads i... more »
New York Governor, Mario Cuomo, Warns There Are More Sandys to Come
New York governor Mario Cuomo spent part of the day inspecting the subway
station being restored beneath Ground Zero that was heavily flooded in the
recent megastorm.
The clip doesn't seem to have made it to YouTube yet but, in the middle of
the interview, Cuomo surveys the damage to the not yet restored subway
station and warns that Sandy is just the start and that New York state
needs to prepare for more Sandys to come as similar storm events increase
in frequency and severity.
Meanwhile as Eastern Canada reels from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,
Steve Harper is busy in South ... more »
Syria - FSA destroyed an Armenian church and burned the Holy Bible in Aleppo
FSA terrorists have no respect for different people, beliefs, views,
cultures, and religions. They are the army of destruction, not liberation.
I find your lack of faith…disturbing
Full disclosure: I am incapable of being completely, or even mainly, a
detached observer or commentator when discussing either Star Wars or
Disney, having grown up largely surrounded by both enterprises in equal
measure. Anyone who walks into my office sees, hanging over my computer,
two posters: a 50th anniversary Fantasia one-sheet, and an Episode
Continue reading
Does Federal R&D Drive Economic Growth?
Writing in the NYT earlier this week, Neal Lane, former science advisor to
President Bill Clinton had this to say:
If our country is to remain strong and prosperous and a land of rewarding
jobs, we need to understand this basic investment principle in America’s
future: no science, no growth.
Even discounting for hyperbole, does the formula "no science, no growth"
make sense? I have a new column up at The Breakthrough Institute on this
exact subject, and I argue that such arguments actually make little sense.
Here is how my column begins:
It is a claim that you hear often in ... more »
Cameron Slater takes over at the ‘Truth’
Checking my Google Reader for news I’d been told would be announced this
afternoon, the first thing I saw was a post headlined “Rough and Tumble Play”—which
I assumed *must *be the much-whispered announcement that Cameron Slater is
taking over the* Truth* newspaper.
It wasn’t, as it turns out. *That* was a post by Literacy NZ. *This *is the
post announcing Whale Oil is going mainstream.
Yes, ‘tis true Dear Readers. NZ’s favourite gonzo blogger is becoming the
editor of what was once NZ’s favourite gonzo newspaper. Which may or may
not mean surrounding himself with a truckload of... more »
"A Look to the Heavens"
"Is this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. The bubble of
expanding gas pictured below is the planetary nebula PK 164 +31.1, the
remnants of the atmosphere of a Sun-like star expelled as its supply of
fusion-able core hydrogen became depleted. Visible near the center of the
nebula is what remains of the core itself- a blue-hot white dwarf star.
This particularly photogenic planetary nebula shows intricate shells of gas
likely expelled at different times toward the end the star's demise, and
whose structure is not fully understood.
*Click image for larger size. *
This d... more »
The Poet: David Wagoner, "Getting There"
* "Getting There"*
"You take a final step and, look, suddenly
You're there. You've arrived
At the one place all your drudgery was aimed for:
This common ground
Where you stretch out, pressing your cheek to sandstone.
What did you want to be?
You'll remember soon.
You feel like tinder under a burning glass,
A luminous point of change.
The sky is pulsing against the cracked horizon,
Holding it firm till the arrival of stars
In time with your heartbeats.
Like wind etching rock, you've made a lasting impression
On the self you were,
By having come all this way through all this welter... more »
A Buddy Comedy: Al-Qaeda And The Evil Empire
*Photo: Washington's Islamist army prays for the destruction of America's
enemies. God is Great, but the Great Satan is Greater.*
*Photo: Al-Qaeda terrorist in Syria is shouting Death to America with an
American-supplied gun in his hand. Long Live Contradiction! *
*Photo: Al-Qaeda terrorists pose for the American media. They're the
stars of ABC's new hit show, "Dancing With The Terrorists." *
Chet Raymo, "Born That Way?"
*"Born That Way?"*
by Chet Raymo
"Before I leave behind the special issue of "Science on the Genetics of
Behavior" (November 7, 2008), let me take note of one more article,
"Biology, Politics, and the Emerging Science of Human Nature," by James H.
Fowler and Darren Schreiber. Do genes affect the way we vote? A twin-based
study published in the "American Political Science Review" in 2005
suggested that liberal and conservative tendencies are heritable. Most
evidence, however, shows that choice of a political party is primarily
determined by parental socialization, that is, nurture... more »
Looking for a hot time in Kabul? Al Kamen to the rescue
*Secretary of State Clinton with those mad rockers the Backsheesh Boys*
*by Ken*
I've already tried using the storm as an excuse not to think about the
elections and vice versa, so I'm grateful to our WaPo "In the Loop" pal Al
Kamen for offering this helpful hint for what to do the next time you find
yourself with a free evening in rocking Kabul.
*Rock on, envoys!*You won’t read about it in Rolling Stone, but there’s a
rockin’ music scene in an unlikely corner of the world: the U.S. Embassy in
Kabul.
Seems State Department employees there like to blow off steam from
stressful job... more »
Facebook Censors Alex Jones, Removes Bin Laden Image
*Facebook is CIAbook.*
Germany v Kiwi
Do you prefer the new German parking system?
Or…
…the more advanced yet traditional Kiwi system?
Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for
permission to republish: (organon at ihug.co.nz)
OMG - AZ to Kick ALEC Out of the State
For decades Arizona has been the Petri dish for ALEC “model legislation”.
Citizens in Arizona are sick and tired of the negative perception of their
state that is being perpetrated by the actions of the members of the
American Legislative Exchange Council. Because of that, recent polls show
that Arizona will say NO to ALEC in the elections.
Arizonians are tired of being the butt of jokes caused by ALEC policies
that are pushed in the state of Arizona like:
- Radical and racially motivated immigration reform that was pushed by
ALEC member Russell Pearce.
- The disgrac... more »
Yasser Hareb, "The Desert"
*"The Desert"*
by Yasser Hareb
"The sandstorm was so severe that his footprint was erased before he could
lift his other foot. The sun had disappeared, and the place was engulfed in
a maze of eternal dust. The only thing that gave him a little peace in his
heart was the halter of his camel, which he held on to tightly, as if it
was his lifeline. Despite the sound of the wind howling like a pack of
wolves, the breathing of his camel gave him some comfort.
He thought of making his camel sit down so he could take cover behind her
body, as the Bedouins do during storms, but he reme... more »
'Franken storms' Climate change feeds superstorm triple whammy
Hurricane Sandy ABC News
Climate Change Feeds Superstorm Triple Whammy
Global Warming Raises Sea Levels, Alters Jet Stream, Makes Storms
Stronger
By Center for Biological Diversity
Censored News
SAN FRANCISCO— As America copes with the destruction caused by
Hurricane Sandy, scientists with the Center for Biological Diversity
are urging the Environmental Protection
Racism and Stoke-on-Trent
Tonight saw 50 people turn out for a public meeting to discuss John
Burnett's report, The New Geographies of Racism: Stoke-on-Trent. Though a
year old, some of its arguments have been thrown into sharp relief after
it
was reported race and other hate-related crimes have recently
increasedacross Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. The meeting was
therefore
concerned with the roots of racism, its relationship to the far right,
and
what can be done to fight it. The meeting was called by the North Staffs
Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (NorSCARF).
First to speak was Cllr Olwen Hamer ... more »
BBC SHUNNED ME FOR DENYING CLIMATE CHANGE
Express
HELEN DOWD
[image: SHUNNED: Naturalist David Bellamy]Two strikes against David Bellamy
for the BBC
1. Not a believer in Anthropogenic Global Warming
2. Not a child molesterFOR YEARS David Bellamy was one of the best known
faces on TV. A respected botanist and the author of 35 books, he had
presented around 400 programmes over the years and was appreciated by
audiences for his boundless enthusiasm.
Yet for more than 10 years he has been out of the limelight, shunned by
bosses at the BBC where he made his name, as well as fellow scientists and
environmentalists.
His crim... more »
Psychology: "Does TV Help Make Americans Passive and Accepting of Authority?"
* "Does TV Help Make Americans Passive*
* and Accepting of Authority?"*
By Bruce E. Levine
"Historically, television viewing has been used by various authorities to
quiet potentially disruptive people— from kids, to psychiatric inpatients,
to prison inmates. In 1992, Newsweek (“Hooking Up at the Big House”)
reported, “Faced with severe overcrowding and limited budgets for
rehabilitation and counseling, more and more prison officials are using TV
to keep inmates quiet.” Joe Corpier, a convicted murderer, was quoted, “If
there’s a good movie, it’s usually pretty quiet through the... more »
You Must Remember This...
...a fuck is just a fuck. And Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are rat fucks.
MORE CHUTZPAH FROM ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER BARAK
The UK *Daily Telegraph reported today that Ehud Barak*, the Israeli
Defence Minister, said that ‘an immediate crisis was avoided in the summer
when Iran quietly chose to use over a third of its medium-enriched uranium
for civilian purposes, delaying the moment when it could have built a
nuclear bomb’. Barak went on to say that ‘without this decision, the
situation would “probably” have peaked before the US presidential election’.
Iran has said all along that the product from its medium level enrichment
program has been for civilian use. (Iran’s 20% enriched uranium is used to
produ... more »
The Romnopoly game
Thanks to someone at Balloon Juice for posting the best pro-Obama ad of the
entire season.
Really well done. This should be on TV.
[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]
IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Is Religion a Parasitic Meme or a Helpful Adaptation?
Moai
at Easter Island. Moai are the living faces of deified ancestors. Image
from Wikimedia Commons.
Religion:
Parasitic meme or helpful adaptation?
That humans are religious is indisputable. Like morality, religion in
one form or another seems to be a universal aspect of human culture.
By Bill Meacham / The Rag Blog / October 30, 2012
It can be a bit daunting to draw philosophical
Life Skills: "11 Things Everyone Needs You to Know"
*"11 Things Everyone Needs You to Know"*
by Marc
"A silhouette of a human being stands before you. Perhaps an old friend.
Perhaps a neighbor. Perhaps a perfect stranger, like me. Here are 11
things we all need you to keep in mind…
* 1.* *You never really know how much the people around you are
hurting.*You could be standing next to someone who is completely broken
inside and
you wouldn’t even know it. So never deprive someone of hope; it might be
all they have. And remember that there are two ways to spread light in
this
world: You can either be a flame of hope, or a mirror th... more »
Why I love Charlie Pierce: Reason eleventy million
Sorry kids. Didn't plan to disappear for so long. Took the weekend off to
drive a few hundred miles to go to a very long and really fun birthday
party. Then the storm happened. And of course, our stupid politics never
sleep. I'm on information overload, and it took a while to sort it all out.
Being mainly uninterested in internet spats I haven't closely followed the
battle between Nate Silver and the very important pundits. I gather our
leading media opinion makers are quite unhappy Nate is ruining their rosy
scenarios of an exciting race to a photo finish with his tiresome
scienti... more »
Is there anything good about #Sandy?
The only good thing about a storm that killed at least 39 people, disrupted
millions of lives and caused around $20 billion of damage is the chance to
talk about Frederic Bastiat’s lesson in his seminal essay "That Which is
Seen, and That Which is Not Seen". And the only reason we have that chance
is because there are so many alleged economists out there—the same trolls
who emerge after every disaster—who leap into print to insist the
destruction will actually be “good for the economy.”
Alleged economist and professor at Smith School of Business Peter Morici,
for example, who too... more »
The Daily "Near You?"
Bogotá, Distrito Especial, Colombia. Thanks for stopping by.
Frankenstorm
Climate Etc.
Judith Curry
Hurricane Sandy is the largest Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of
diameter of the storm. Sandy was associated with an estimated 13 foot storm
surge in areas near New York City.
The Wikipedia has a good discussion of the meteorology, preparations, and
impacts of Sandy.
CFAN’s forecasts
Sandy was a highly predictable storm. Allow me some bragging rights
regarding the forecasts made by my company CFAN (see this post describing
our forecast methods).
We began watching the potential for disturbance in the Caribbean on 10/12,
and on 10/16 we forecast a ... more »
Satire: "Romney Says He Favors Abortion in Cases Where It Makes People Vote for Him"
*"Romney Says He Favors Abortion in Cases *
*Where It Makes People Vote for Him"*
by Andy Borowitz
KETTERING, Ohio (The Borowitz Report)— "Hitting the campaign trail one day
after the arrival of Superstorm Sandy, Republican nominee Mitt Romney
tweaked his position on abortion today, saying he now supports it in cases
where it makes people vote for him. “I would make an exception for abortion
in cases where the life of my campaign is at stake,” he told a crowd in
Kettering, Ohio.
Sandy, which slammed into the East Coast last night, was such a powerful
weather system that it pre... more »
Respect activist: was Hitler the bad guy? | The Jewish Chronicle
"What have the Jews done good in this world??"
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/88071/respect-activist-was-hitler-bad-guy
Do You Find It Odd That Labor Unions Contribue Huge Sums of Money To Republicans?
Lately we've looked at how the plutocrats behind the Republican Party have worked
to destroy unions and the union movement and at these same plutocrats' disregard
for even the *lives* of workers and their families. So why do unions
contribute so many millions of dollars to Republican candidates for
Congress? Does that shock you? It shouldn't-- and if you've been reading *
DWT* regularly, it wouldn't. In June we looked out how the AFL-CIO's
building trades unions were spending *more* money to help Republican House
candidates than they were on helping Democratic House candidates. And... more »
Free Planet - floating homes - spherical taxi - engine
this is a slightly updated version of the original 'peanut taxi' and
'modular housing' free planet floating homes idea. This revision, I went
for a sleaker home design that uses it own material structure to rest on
the floor. The engines are detachable as spherical taxis that can use gps +
military satellite recognition to track you.
As before, the top of the floating home will deal with water/energy
creation; the lower floor will deal with hydroponic food production for
mobile self-sufficiency. Go anywhere, be anything, Custodian; it's a Free
Planet.
We have the technology, let'... more »
Poland Gets Slapped Again by European Court of Human Rights
I first blogged about this horrible story from poor benighted Poland in
2008. (I've been at this too long.)
A 14-year-old girl was raped and got pregnant. Her mother braved Poland's
insanely restrictive abortion laws and got permission for a termination.
But the local Catlick priest got wind of it and tried to bully the girl out
of it -- in the FUCKING hospital.
All kinds of further hoo-haw ensued but the girl did get the abortion.
Apparently, they took the Polish government to the European Court of Human
Rights and won with compensation of 61,000 euros.
In their ruling, which is ... more »
Poland found explosives on wreckage of president's plane-report
Reuters
[image: The remains of a plane that crashed in 2010, killing Poland's
former president, Lech Kaczynski, and 95 others, is shown to the media at a
military aerodrome near the Russian city of Smolensk April 10, 2012.
REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko]
1 of 1Full Size
WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish investigators found traces of explosives on the
wreckage of the government jet that crashed in Russia two years ago,
killing Poland's president and 95 others, daily Rzeczpospolita reported on
Tuesday.
Without citing sources, the newspaper said prosecutors and explosive
experts who examined the r... more »
New York, storm, etc...
New York, the Capital of Capitalism, is currently a federal disaster area.
Aside from the spectacular footage and the various personal tragedies there
is something to be learned from (ex) Hurricane Sandy.
This is a natural disaster, but climate change means there will be an
unnatural number of them in the coming years. Even so, there is no
environment on Earth that is simply benevolent. Stay in one place long
enough and you will face some kind of natural disaster. A rational and
democratically planned society will be able to cope with natural disasters
much better than an irration... more »
Doctors & Hospitals in England paid to end the lives of their patients
This
is not fiction. This is reality.
Health Secretary Alex Neil claims he has told doctors not to end
patients
lives.....
However his words do not match the actions carried out
Read on:
HEALTH secretary Alex Neil has vowed* (he did not say ensure, nor did he
say a change in policy will take place. He merely "vowed" to not ask. We
all know what a politicians promise is worth??? ) *not to ask doctors
to*hit targets for the number of patients who die on the controversial
Liverpool Care Pathway, after it emerged hospitals in England were being
given financial incentives to do so.*
His... more »
4.3 Magnitude Earthquake POLAND - 30th October 2012
Magnitude M 4.3
Region POLAND
Date time 2012-10-30 20:09:23.0 UTC
Location 51.54 N ; 16.13 E
Depth 2 km
Distances 7 km NE Polkowice
Untitled
*Hurricane Sandy Unlikely to Trigger Payouts from Catastrophe Bonds*
GAIA PORTAL: Streams of Light Cover Planetary Surfaces
Streams of Light Cover Planetary Surfaces
by ÉirePort
Streams of Light in 5D-7D realms cover planetary surfaces. In preparation
for entrance of such into Gaia interior, at some point. Clearance and
cleansing paradigms are followed. Rapid translation to 3D-4D realms follows.
These Streams of Light in 5D-7D form "web of entanglement and dissolution"
for all non-Higher-Light-aligned energies, individual, group, collective.
"Entanglement" in this time period is "permanent". Meaning no escape is
permitted. Those entrapped will be dealt with after planetary consciousness
has elevate... more »
IMF chief urges major economies to push on with consolidation
BERLIN Oct 30 (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund chief Christine
Lagarde said on Tuesday advanced economies must continue fiscal
consolidation to reduce debt long-term while emerging economies should
loosen up fiscal and monetary policy to salvage their slowing growth.
The governments of leading economies "need to continue fiscal consolidation
at a sensible pace to address debt long term," Lagarde said in Berlin after
meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of world economic agencies
such as the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank.
http://af.reuters.com/article/c... more »
Crash story stirs Polish government anger
An erroneous newspaper story claiming traces of explosives had been found
on the wreckage of a Polish airliner which killed the president and 95
others has plunged relations between the government and the opposition,
headed by the dead president’s twin brother, to a new low.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9d1a0c22-22b4-11e2-938d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2AoWGDQfo
Drumming Brooks: Here’s the bad news!
*TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012*
*What Brooks said isn’t quite wrong:* In 1948, Harry Truman ran for
re-election against “the do-nothing Congress.”
In 2012, Barack Obama *didn’t* run for re-election against the
obstructionist Congress.
This may reflect a difference in temperament. But here’s the other problem:
If Obama told the truth about Congress, it might go somewthing like his:
*Re-elect me and we’ll get nothing done! Elect Mitt Romney to the White
House and he has a good solid chance!*
Last night, Kevin Drum slammed David Brooks for voicing that italicized
outlook. Here’s the pr... more »
Israel says Iran has pulled back from the brink of nuclear weapon - for now
Iran has drawn back from its ambition to build a nuclear weapon but the
respite is only temporary and Tehran will still have to be confronted by
next summer, Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, said on Tuesday.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9643647/Israel-says-Iran-has-pulled-back-from-the-brink-of-nuclear-weapon-for-now.html
G.O.P. Split Over Whether to Emphasize Misogyny or Racism & Are You Also An Accomplice to Murder?
[Notice to Friends of Pottersville2] Mama needs some new brakes. Just in
time for her birthday? Oh joy (the sound is now metal on metal) . . . and
now back to our regular program . . . Could magazine reporting get any more
sublime? To us. The un-In Crowd. October 26, 2012 G.O.P. Split Over Whether
to Emphasize Misogyny or Racism Andy Borowitz (Photograph - Michael
Conroy/AP) NEW
Report: Fast and Furious a product of DOJ ‘deliberate strategy’ laid out by Eric Holder, other senior Obama officials
Daily Caller
Matthew Boyle
The latest congressional report on Operation Fast and Furious found that
the gunwalking-program-turned-scandal was the result of a “deliberate
strategy created at the highest levels of the Justice Department aimed at
identifying the leaders of a major gun trafficking ring.”
The report is the second installment in a three-part series from Senate
Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Sen. Chuck Grassley and House oversight
committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa.
That “deliberate strategy,” congressional investigators argue, sprang from
“a series of speeches abo... more »
Razed by the Great Fire of Sandy: Devastating scene after ONE HUNDRED homes are destroyed by blaze sparked by downed power cables
The fierce winds and flooding in the Rockaways, Queens meant fire
engines
could get nowhere near the cluster of burning apartments as the blaze
spread rapidly. Instead, the firefighters waded into chest-deep water
and
paddled boats into the inferno. They used ladders to scale walls and
helped
carry 70 people to the little high ground that was left on the
peninsula.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225130/New-York-storm-Sandy-Firefighters-wade-floodwater-rescue-dozens-trapped-burning-houses.html
Atlantic City shutdown: Shelters 'filled to capacity' and all residents told to boil water... but what has happened to stranded 500 who bore brunt of storm?
The resort is today underwater after it was hit by the full force of
Sandy,
which made landfall nearby yesterday and left 500 people stranded on the
barrier island overnight.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225072/Superstorm-Sandy-puts-Atlantic-City-shutdown-Shelters-filled-capacity-residents-told-boil-water.html
Lamar W. Hankins : Paul Ryan Makes War Against People, Not Poverty
President
Lyndon Johnson marked the start of the War on Poverty with a visit to
Tom Fletcher's front porch in Martin County, Kentucky, in April 1964.
Photo by Walter Bennett / Time magazine. Image from Daily Yonder.
Paul Ryan’s war:
Not against poverty, but against people
In 1964, long before Paul Ryan was ever swaddled in a diaper, President
Lyndon Johnson declared that because America is a
How long can New York survive without power? Bloomberg warns city faces 'days' in darkness after superstorm
New York's Mayor said the storm was 'maybe the worst' the city has ever
experienced. Hundreds of thousands of residents are without electricity and
transport. They awoke to chaos and unanswered questions as officials
remained vague over when New York could expect to stagger back to its feet
after the monstrous storm destroyed homes, flooded streets and plunged the
city into darkness.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225308/Hurricane-Sandy-2012-Bloomberg-warns-New-York-faces-days-darkness.html
Typhoon Son-Tinh Hits Vietnam And South China
A typhoon has now killed 32 people across Asia - and left scenes of
devastation to rival Superstorm Sandy in the US.
Typhoon Son-Tinh blew the roofs off more than 13,000 homes in Vietnam,
killing at least seven people and damaged nearly 19,000 hectares (47,000
acres) of rice crops.
Vietnam's disaster agency reported the death toll and said five people were
still missing and 43 injured after the storm ripped through the north of
the country.
http://news.sky.com/story/1004769/typhoon-son-tinh-hits-vietnam-and-south-china
Superstorm Sandy Has Killed 'At Least 38'
At least 38 people have been killed in the US and Canada as a result of
Superstorm Sandy, according to reports.
The storm lashed the east coast overnight, leading President Barack Obama
to declare a "major disaster" in New York and Long Island.
Forecasters say the storm is set to move westwards towards the Great Lakes,
and on to northeastern states and parts of Canada.
http://news.sky.com/story/1004427/superstorm-sandy-has-killed-at-least-38
Dozens of Tory MPs demand the EU budget be cut but Downing Street tells them to be 'realistic'...............This reminds me of 2010
- David Cameron faces another major rebellion over Europe in tomorrow's
crunch vote
- Up to 40 Conservatives have signed up to a call for a real terms cut
in funding for Brussels
- A rival amendment calls for a cut or a freeze in a move aimed at
deflating the rebellion
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225329/Dozens-Tory-MPs-EU-budget-cut-Downing-Street-tells-realistic.html
Welcome to America: Texas Police Sniper Guns Down Immigrants From Helicopter
Information Liberation
Remember a few months ago how a DEA helicopter was used to gun down two
pregnant women and tw
o 14-yr-old boys in Honduras because they were "suspected" of being drug
dealers? Well, those same tactics are now being used in America.
After being pulled over for having a suspect "covered truck bed," a vehicle
which fled from Texas game wardens was shot at by Texas "Department of
Public Safety" agents with a sniper rifle from a helicopter. While the
police claim they were intending to disable the car, they instead killed
two passengers, and sent another to the ho... more »
New York's East Village
Found this on Facebook. The photo says it all. Wish I could give
attribution to the photographer but the Instagram web address on Facebook
doesn't work.
A Lesson In Thinking About Education
I imagine too few of us know well Mill's *On Liberty. *Let me press you to
read it at the first opportunity, no, make an opportunity to read it now.
(There is a good audio version available as well.)
What is this essay about but the education of the human species and the
role of social management in that education?
I hope you can at least find the time to bear with this excerpt as it seems
to me most pertinent for this audience of readers and bloggers. I am not
comfortable with much of what Mill proposes, but there is no one better at
convincing you that the propositions are well... more »
BANDAR AND BOMBS; LEBANON AND SYRIA
*Lebanon bomb*
*
*Reportedly there has been a meeting between the Saudi's Prince Bandar and
Lebanon's Saad Hariri to create chaos in Lebanon and Syria.
Note: it is always difficult to get the truth about people like Bandar and
Hariri, as there is much disinformation.
The USA and Israel want a change of government in both Lebanon and Syria.
*Meeting between Hariri, Saudi Prince* - *Fars News Agency - 27 Oct 2012*
Saad al-Hariri is the head of Lebanon's 'Future Movement' party, an
opposition party made up of *right-wing* Christians and Sunnis.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan is Saudi Arabia... more »
Hurricane Sandy: Problems at Five Nuke Plants
ABC
Mark Schone
[image: PHOTO: A cooling tower is seen at the Salem nuclear power plant
known as Artificial Island.]A cooling tower is seen at the Salem nuclear
power plant known as Artificial Island. The nation's oldest nuclear plant
declared an alert and a second plant just 40 miles from New York City was
forced to shut down power as five different nuke plants in Hurricane
Sandy's path experienced problems during the storm.
Indian Point in Buchanan, New York, on the Hudson River north of New York
City, automatically shut power to its unit 3 on Monday night "as a result
of an ele... more »
Tanker washed up, homes razed to the ground and flooded streets littered with cars: Obama declares a 'major disaster' after Sandy turns New York into apocalyptic scene and death toll jumps to 33
President Obama declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island as
swathes of the city woke up under water after a night of being battered by
Superstorm Sandy. Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in the
city and the transit system, schools, the stock exchange and Broadway are
all out of action after a 13ft wall of water caused by the storm surge and
high tides brought severe flooding to subways and road tunnels. Ten people
died in New York, including two children who were killed instantly by a
falling tree - across the US and Canada at least 33 people have died... more »
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake ROTA REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS - 30th October 2012
Magnitude
4.5
Date-Time
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 16:56:48 UTC
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 02:56:48 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
14.458°N, 146.827°E
Depth
40.7 km (25.3 miles)
Region
ROTA REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
Distances
141 km (87 miles) ESE of JP Tinian Town pre-WW2, Northern Mariana Islands
Steve Harper's Betrayal of Canada
David Suzuki is credited with pointing out that you cannot have a healthy
economy without a healthy biosphere. The first is utterly dependent on
the second.
A corollary. If you're damaging the environment in order to inflate
profits, you're actually damaging the economy also.
Suzuki's warning came to mind in a piece in today's *Guardian:*
*In recent weeks a slew of stories has hit the news about the soaring price
of food, petrol and household energy – and the financial pressure this is
putting on cash-strapped households. But as politicians scrabble around for
the best short-ter... more »
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake FIJI REGION - 30th October 2012
Magnitude
4.6
Date-Time
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 15:22:52 UTC
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 03:22:52 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
17.979°S, 178.566°W
Depth
623.1 km (387.2 miles)
Region
FIJI REGION
Distances
278 km (172 miles) SE of Lambasa, Fiji
Netanyahu says strike on Iran would be good for Arabs
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought on Tuesday to convince
Arab states that an Israeli military strike on Iran would benefit them,
removing a potential threat and easing tensions across the Middle East.
Netanyahu has made a number of veiled threats to attack Iran's nuclear
program and has appealed to the United States and the United Nations to set
a limit for Tehran on its further development.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-israel-iran-idUSBRE89T19120121030
Hurricane Sandy disrupts Northeast telecom networks
Power outages and flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy disrupted
telecommunications services on Tuesday resulting in spotty coverage for
cellphones, home telephones and Internet services.
Verizon Communications (VZ.N), which serves many of the states in the
hurricane's path, appeared to have suffered some of the worst damage from
the storm.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-storm-sandy-telecommunications-idUSBRE89T0YU20121030
Super storm Sandy cuts power to 8.1 million homes
More than 8.1 million U.S. homes and businesses were without power on
Tuesday after Hurricane Sandy tore down power lines, flooded electrical
networks and sparked an explosion at a Consolidated Edison substation on
Manhattan's East River.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-storm-sandy-powercuts-idUSBRE89T10G20121030
#unpredictable
Yesterday I grabbed a few pictures of fallen trees off the internet. In
the next few days, hundreds will appear and many will inadvertently reveal
that the trees that fell are rotted on the interior.
[update: video added at the end!]
This first one had the amusing caption: A gust just took a tree on 22nd
and 7th. Weird, it's not that windy yet. #Sandy #nyc #unpredictable
This one fell at Boston College early in the day, severed from its roots at
the base...and the tree below, hit by a train, had been dead so long it
didn't even have any bark.
Here's what I found in my driveway t... more »
Inequality 15: SM, Henry Sy and Class Envy
One of my friends in facebook made the following observations about Henry
Sy and the SM group of companies:
1. Sy and his family own SM malls and supermarkets, Banco de Oro, Save More
and Hypermart, SMDC residential condos, etc. Why do they own and earn so
much? This is corporate greed.
2. Many local businesses die instantly when an SM Mall is built in the
community, there should be a cap to wealth and greed, and monopolies in
various forms should not be allowed.
3. In the Bible, there was the year of Jubilee when the wealth of the rich
would be redistributed to the people.
I com... more »
Sandy and the Top 20 Normalized US Hurricane Losses
Here is a table showing the top 20 hurricane losses 1900 to 2011,
normalized to 2012 dollars. In other words, the figures show an estimate of
what the losses would be were historical storms to occur in 2012. The
numbers come from ICAT based on an extension of Pielke et al. 2008.
*STORM NAME* *LANDFALL DATE* *DAMAGE RANK* *DAMAGE ($ 2012)* Great Miami Sep
18,1926 1 180,220,000,000 Galveston Sep 08,1900 2 105,570,000,000
Galveston Aug 17,1915 3 84,910,000,000 Katrina Aug 29,2005 4 84,620,000,000
Andrew Aug 24,1992 5 64,410,000,000 Storm 11 in 1944 Oct 19,1944 6
53,940,000,0... more »
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION - 30th October 2012
Magnitude
4.6
Date-Time
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 14:10:59 UTC
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 07:10:59 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
52.285°N, 131.948°W
Depth
10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region
QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION
Distances
192 km (119 miles) S of Masset, Canada
Adequacy of reasons
*R. v. P.J.B*., 2012 ONCA 730 has a helpful review of the adequacy of jury
instructions (and by implication reasons for judgment) and the duty to
review evidence:
[40] Basic principles inform our decision about the adequacy of the trial
judge's instructions in this case.
[41] Anyone charged with a criminal offence and tried by a jury is entitled
to a properly, not perfectly, instructed jury: R. v. Jacquard, [1997] 1
S.C.R. 314, at para. 2.
[42] As described by this court in R. v. MacKinnon (1999), 132 C.C.C. (3d)
545 (Ont. C.A.), at para. 27, a trial judge's final instructions m... more »
Drill, Baby, Drill
Severe storm events of increasing frequency and intensity.
That has been one of the core predictions we've been getting, and largely
ignoring, from the climate science community for the past several years.
They keep telling us. We keep ignoring them. Must mine bitumen, must
mine bitumen.
Now, thanks to fracking, America has discovered a bountiful reserve of
conventional oil. The U.S. is poised to blow past Saudi Arabia to become
the biggest oil producer on the planet. And, let's not forget about all
that natural gas, supposedly enough to meet America's entire energy needs
f... more »
Inside Outside (Where Have I Been?)
Paul Krugman channels Bill James at his best in explaining why "outside"
knowledge sometimes trumps "inside" knowledge:
But Martin’s tweet also reveals a broader issue in reporting, which I’ve
commented on before, I think (no time to search): the unhealthy cult of the
inside scoop.
A lot of political journalism, and even reporting on policy issues, is
dominated by the search for the “secret sauce”, as Martin puts it: the
insider who knows What’s Really Going On. Background interviews with top
officials are regarded as gold, and the desire to get those interviews
often induces repor... more »
Superstorm Sandy Has Killed 'At Least 33'
The storm lashed the east coast overnight, leading President Barack Obama
to declare a "major disaster" in New York and Long Island.
Forecasters say the storm is set to move westwards towards the Great Lakes,
and on to northeastern states and parts of Canada.
http://news.sky.com/story/1004427/superstorm-sandy-has-killed-at-least-33
The Bullshit Supreme Court Ruling
"Just because I sold you into prostitution to feed my drug-habit, .... I'm
still your father godammit! You owe me your respect and devotion!!!"
After a certain point, a line is crossed.
The blowhards who serviced stephen harper and ted opitz can believe all
they want about their exalted positions.
They are frauds. They are scammers. They are bought-and-paid-for partisan
hacks.
Their ruling was a partisan piece of shit and I do not recognize it. I do
not recognize the legitimacy of stephen harper's stolen government. I do
not recognize the authority of the captured Elections Canada.... more »
The Homestead Strike Of 1892-- Unionbusting Then And Now
I mentioned a few days ago that I've been watching the History Channel
series, *The Men Who Built America*. It's very slanted towards a capitalist
view of history-- with idiotic interruptions commentary by modern day robber
barons and financial predators "job creators" like Donald Trump, Steve Case
and Jack Walsh. And the History Channel has blocked YouTube and Vimeo
embedding. The episode about the pathology of Randian capitalism can only
be watched on their site, here.
Thursday, also in regard to that episode, we looked specifically at how
spoiled, self-entitled billionaire rob... more »
Spirit of the Radio: Broadcasts from the Unknown
*Spirit of the Radio: Broadcasts from the Unknown*
By Scott Corrales
(C) 2003
[*Prologue: A few nights ago I heard Clyde Lewis of the Ground Zero radio
program playing some fascinating clips of "paranormal radio broadcasts"
received in the UK during the 70s and in Florida, possibly around the same
time. YouTube has given us a number of purported alien radio transmissions
as well. This brought to mind an article I wrote in 2003 bearing the title
"Spirit of the Radio", which also approached this intriguing phenomenon.
Given the electromagnetic nature of the medium, one ... more »
Abuse of process before administrative tribunals
S. v. College, 2012 ONCA 727 is a sad case. That said, it makes clear that
delay in bringing administrative proceedings will not amount to abuse of
process unless prejudice is established. The Court holds:
[199] At the outset of this discussion, Bastarache J. explicitly rejected
the proposition that delay in bringing forward an administrative proceeding
can, on its own, constitute an abuse of process. He explained, at para.
101: "[D]elay, without more, will not warrant a stay of proceedings as an
abuse of process at common law. Staying proceedings for the mere passage of
time would... more »
5.1 Magnitude Earthquake FIJI REGION - 30th October 2012
Magnitude mb 5.1
Region FIJI REGION
Date time 2012-10-30 15:21:51.0 UTC
Location 16.89 S ; 177.05 W
Depth 33 km
Distances 383 km E Labasa
Ship with 700 tons of gold ore disappears off Russia
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/19951564/ship-with-700-tons-of-gold-%20ore-disappears-off-russia
ISA-NE Proceeding as Normal
The ISA-NE conference scheduled for 2-3 November in Baltimore, Maryland
will take place as scheduled. Official emails are going out. Hope to see
attendees there.
Some Standard Group Stories are accepted by all!
*TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012*
*What Glenn Kessler said on Benghazi:* Mercifully, the hurricane has wiped
away the need to pretend that we’re discussing the presidential election.
Last evening, TV pundits were stripped of the need to declare that the
other side had been lying while their own incomparable side has been
telling the truth all along.
As part of this process, Benghazi slid beneath the waves churned by
Hurricane Sandy. This lets us offer a bit of history concerning the potent
Group Story which grew up around this event.
Within the insider press corps, some narratives are ... more »
Chomsky: "Who Owns the World" and Some Empirical Data
Here is the link to Chomsky's speech:
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/noam_chomsky_who_owns_the_world_20121027/?ln
Majia here: Here is an excerpt from an essay I wrote about consolidation of
ownership of the world's resources:
Emerging in the aftermath of the global financial crisis that began in late
2007 is a world order dominated by a few governments and corporations that
have unprecedented control over global resources and appear to have
little-to-no-regard for the welfare of the vast majority of the world’s
populace, even within developed economies such as the U.S. and J... more »
Canadian police urge Parliament to pass domestic spying bill
http://rt.com/news/canada-police-spy-bill-c-30-455/
Breakout of the Mass Media's Skinner's Box
How to Manufacture (or Suppress) Outrage.
James Corbett
Corbett Report
October 30, 2012
....
*Visit CorbettReport.com for the show notes. See here for basic
information on what a "Skinner's Box" is*.
The Retroactive Life of Willard Mittie
We could dismiss Willard Romney, the world's most accepted, if not loved,
sociopath, as the Retroactive Republican. But that would be to sell Mitt
Romney short. Mitt has worn different hats in his fabulously rich life:
Pro-war activist who dodged the Vietnam draft so he could live in luxury in
a palace in Paris.
Erstwhile pro-life vulture capitalist whose company nonetheless invested in
another company that disposed of aborted fetuses.
Telling Detroit it could go bankrupt before taking credit for the auto
bailout.
Telling Ohio he'd save jobs from going to China that the auto indu... more »
Musical Interlude: Justin Hayward, "The Way of the World"
Uploaded by MoodyJill, who “gets it.”
Justin Hayward, "The Way of the World" from his solo album, “The View from
the Hill”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1QUrpqOAXY
Kim Jong-un a Loose Cannon, Says USFK Chief
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/10/25/2012102501302.html
"You Better Decide..."
“A wise man once said you can have anything in life, if you sacrifice
everything else for it.
What he meant is, nothing comes without a price.
So before you go into battle you better decide how much you're willing to
lose."
- "Grey's Anatomy"
RACE TO THE FINISH: “Polarization” then and now!
*TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012*
*Part 2—Plus, the AP’s improbable claims:* Jon Cohen is polling director
for the Washington Post. Last Friday, he built a front-page news report
around an exciting hook:
COHEN (10/26/12): *The 2012 election is shaping up to be more polarized
along racial lines than any presidential contest since 1988,* with
President Obama experiencing a steep drop in support among white voters
from four years ago.
As it turns out, Obama’s “steep drop in support among white voters” amounts
to maybe five points, a quite underwhelming amount. Meanwhile, is this
election m... more »
Syria on a cliff edge between Assad and Al Qaeda
http://www.debka.com/article/22485/Syria-on-a-cliff-edge-between-Assad-and-Al-Qaeda
"How It Really Is"
And of course, we still have this idiot to deal with for a few more
weeks...
- CP
Untitled
*Northeast Awakes to Flooding and Huge Damage in Storm’s Path; Millions
Without Power ~NYT*
*Hurricane Sandy: After Landfall ~The Atlantic*
Seawater pours into the Ground Zero construction site in New York, on
October 29, 2012. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)
*Rail Cars Wash Up on NJ Turnpike After Storm Surge ~NBC*
ISA-NE Status Report and Other Tuesday Morning Stuff
The ISA-NE leadership hopes to make a decision by 1200 EDT concerning the
status of the conference. While the DC area looks like it should be
navigable by Thursday, we don’t have good information about Baltimore or
about what the state of east-coast travel will be like. The Baltimore Sun
is pretty useless. Any commentary from readers
Continue reading
Monday
Any time one comments on the joy and comfort of "routine" life throws you a
curve ball. Southern Man slipped out of work at mid-afternoon to hit the
coin-op laundromat and do a little geocaching. So he pulls into the
laundromat and finds - surprise - that the doors are locked. OK, fine,
there are plenty of other laundromats on the route home so he put the
laundry back into The Hyundai and hopped in and -
*the key wouldn't turn*.
Well, *that* came right out of left field. After fiddling with it for a
while and determining that the ignition was well and truly broken Southern
Man ca... more »
Newark Teachers: Reject Weingarten's Betrayal of Teachers
Everywhere AFT's lead lawyer goes to "help" negotiate for teachers, she
leaves a wake of destruction for the profession. But, then, that is what
she is paid to do, as she works off her debt to Bloomberg and the
plutocrats for making her president of AFT in the first place.
In Newark, she has now added to her impressive list of betrayals by cutting
a deal with Cory Booker and the Facebook chief twink to offer a meritless
bonus pay plan that has a demonstrated failure record in New York, Chicago,
and Nashville, where paying teachers for higher test scores did not raise
test scores. ... more »
In aftermath of drought, U.S. corn movement turns upside down
[image: U.S. drought-year corn yields, 2007-2012. The devastating U.S.
drought of 2012 and ensuing crop disease are upending traditional grain
movement patterns, with dozens of trains and barges shipping North Dakota
or Mississippi corn into the Corn Belt rather than out to the coasts. USDA
/ Reuters]
By Julie Ingwersen, with additional reporting by Karl Plume and K.T. Arasu
in Chicago; Editing by Dale Hudson
29 October 2012
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The devastating U.S. drought and ensuing crop disease
are upending traditional grain movement patterns, with dozens of trains and
barges... more »
Nuclear Follies: "Nuclear Regulatory Commission Declares Alert at Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant"
*"Nuclear Regulatory Commission Declares*
* Alert at Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant"*
by Washington’s Blog
"As we explained earlier today, the Oyster Creek plant in New Jersey is
most likely to be affected by Hurricane Sandy. At around 8:30 p.m. tonight,
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission declared an “Alert” action level for
a nuclear power plant in Oyster Creek, New Jersey: "The U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission is continuing to monitor impacts from Hurricane Sandy
on nuclear power plants in the Northeastern United States, including an
Alert declared at the Oyster Creek nuclea... more »
Image of the Day: Shell drilling rig within view of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
[image: Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig off the coast of the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. © Gary Braasch / worldviewofglobalwarming.org]
By Jeremy Hance
29 October 2012
(mongabay.com) – Twelve miles off shore from the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge floats a seemingly tiny man-made device—at least from an
airplane—but it's actually a 160-foot high Shell Dutch Royal oil drilling
rig. While the hugely controversial plan to drill for oil in the Arctic
ocean was postponed this year due to a variety of mishaps and delays, the
Shell rig is expected to be in the area until the end of ... more »
Britain's Perverted Press
*Forget about the **nude photos**.... *
"BBC scandal grows with 300 abuse allegations" by Alan Cowell | New York
Times, October 26, 2012
LONDON — The scale of the *sexual abuse scandal* at the *BBC* widened
significantly Thursday as police reported that the number of people
accusing one of Britain’s best-known television hosts of misconduct had
risen to about 300 from 200, and said other people may have acted with him.
The police account also seemed to reinforce British news reports that the
inquiries into accusations of sexual abuse against the host, Jimmy Savile,
were *spreadin... more »
Sandy leaves eastern U.S. crippled
Millions of people across the eastern U.S. awoke to scenes of destruction
wrought by monster storm Sandy, which knocked out power to huge swathes of
the densely populated region, swamped New York's subway system and
submerged streets in Manhattan's financial district.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-storm-sandy-hurricane-idUSBRE89N16J20121030
Another Somali journalist killed, 18th this year
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Journalists in Somalia's capital say gunmen have
targeted and killed another media worker, bringing the number of Somali
journalists killed this year to 18.
Warsame Shire Awale, who worked at a Mogadishu radio station, was shot dead
by two men near his home late Monday. Sharmarke Abukar Amin, a colleague
who confirmed the death, said journalists in Somalia are being killed only
because of their professional identity.
Awale, a veteran poet and playwright, was known for composing dramas and
songs for bands and radio stations.
http://www.newswest9.com/story/1... more »
U.N. urges foreign fishing fleets to halt ‘ocean grabbing’
[image: Cover of the FAO report, 'Fisheries and the right to food:
Implementing the right to food in national fisheries legislation', October
2012.]By Alister Doyle; Editing by Andrew Osborn
30 October 2012
OSLO (Reuters) – "Ocean grabbing" or aggressive industrial fishing by
foreign fleets is a threat to food security in developing nations where
governments should do more to promote local, small-scale fisheries, a study
by a U.N. expert said on Tuesday.
The report said emerging nations should tighten rules for access to their
waters by an industrial fleet that is rapidly growi... more »
New Film Takes a Look at Mysterious Death of Senator Paul Wellstone
*By MARC MCDONALD*
*"Authorizing the pre-emptive, go-it-alone use of force now, right in the
midst of continuing efforts to enlist the world community to back a tough
new disarmament resolution on Iraq, could be a costly mistake for our
country."*
*--Sen. Paul Wellstone, in October, 2002, speaking against the resolution
to authorize the Iraq War*
Something has always bothered me about the tragic 2002 death of the great
Paul Wellstone. And the more I read about Wellstone's death in a supposedly
"accidental" small plane crash, the more doubts I have about the official
story.
Now, a ... more »
7 Essential Questions You’ll Never Hear at the Debates
'American Ostrich' - Anthony Freda Art Sean Kerrigan, *Contributor*
Sadly, you could also title this article “The Most Important Questions That
Need to be Asked.” Today, our debates are merely a stage upon which
candidates can exchange quips or attempt to act presidential. Most
important issues are never discussed and those mentioned have little depth.
Before we list some of the questions that should be asked, a brief history
of national debates is required. When historians cite the classic debate
style, they are usually referring to a series of US Senate debates between
Abraham ... more »
"How Average Americans are Lured into Debt Servitude"
* "How Average Americans are Lured into Debt Servitude" *
by mybudget360
"How many times do you have to get hit over the head before you realize
who's hitting you?"
- Harry S. Truman
"Many Americans are not buying the recent stock market rally. This is
being reflected in multiple polls showing negative attitudes towards the
economy and Wall Street. Wall Street is so disconnected from the average
American that they fail to see the 27 million unemployed and underemployed
Americans that now have a harder time believing the gospel of financial
engineering prosperity. Ameri... more »
Smuggling of illegally logged rosewood in Madagascar continues, report alleges
[image: Rainforest on the Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar, in October 2012.
Masoala suffered from widespread rosewood logging in 2009 and 2010.
mongabay.com]
25 October 2012 (mongabay.com) – Timber traders in Madagascar are smuggling
illegally logged rosewood despite an official export ban, alleges a new
report published by a Malagasy researcher.
The report, authored by Hery Randriamalala and based on press clippings,
cargo manifests, and eye-witness accounts, indicates that traders are
covertly reducing rosewood stockpiles accumulated during a frenzy of
illegal logging in the aft... more »
Greek PM appeals to coalition allies to back austerity
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras appealed to his coalition partners on
Tuesday to approve in parliament a new wave of austerity measures demanded
by international lenders.
The government had completed negotiations on the 2013 budget and the
austerity measures after working until the very end to obtain concessions
from lenders, Samaras said in a statement.
"What would happen if the deal isn't passed and the country is led to
chaos?" he said in the statement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-greece-pm-idUSBRE89T0W720121030
Spain recession drags on with no aid in view
Spain fell deeper into recession in the third quarter and prices rose
sharply in October, piling pressure on the government to revive a paralyzed
economy as it stalls over requesting aid.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is in no hurry to apply for a politically
humiliating financial rescue that would kickstart an ECB bond-buying
programme and ease financing costs. But the worsening economy, along with
spreading civil unrest, may force his hand.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/30/us-spain-economy-idUSBRE89T0SR20121030
Former Smokers More Likely to Beat Lung Cancer than Current Smokers
Elizabeth Renter
It’s a no brainer that non-smokers are less likely to die of lung cancer
than smokers. It would seem that quitting smoking would have similar
benefits—potentially extending your life even after a cancer diagnosis. But
new research shows it isn’t that simple, that while never-smokers are the
most likely to survive a lung cancer diagnosis, just how quitting benefits
your cancer fight - survival depends on when you quit and the stage your
cancer is in.
Published in the journal *Cancer*, the newest research says that there are
some benefits to quitting smoking wher... more »
Monsanto’s Roundup, Glyphosate Linked to Parkinson’s and Similar Diseases
Elizabeth Renter
We already know the links between herbicides and sterility in men, birth
defects, mental illness, obesity and possibly cancer—but now we have
something new to add to the nasty effects of pesticides list — Parkinson’s
disease and similar neurodegenerative conditions.
New research, published in the journal *Neurotoxicology and Teratology*,
indicates a connection between a component in Monsanto’s Roundup and
Parkinson’s disease. Glyphosate is said to induce cell death, with
frightening repercussions.
GreenMedInfo.com reports the study was investigating the links b... more »
Getting a Kick Out of This British Post
"Prime Minister David Cameron issued a full apology Wednesday for the
wrongdoing of authorities and the subsequent coverup."
*
**I've been told governments don't engage in cover-ups or conspiracies. *
Superstorm Sandy's death toll rises to 17 across the US and Canada, as fires rage and subway tunnels remain flooded in New York.
Superstorm Sandy is heading inland after battering parts of the east coast
of the United States and Canada, killing at least 17.
The storm lashed parts of the east coast overnight, leading President
Barack Obama to declare a "major disaster" in New York and Long Island.
http://news.sky.com/story/1004427/new-york-storm-sandy-is-heading-west
End Manipulation, Let the Markets Clear!
Dees Illustration *Ron Paul*
French businessman and economist Jean-Baptiste Say is credited with
identifying the fundamental economic principle that aggregate demand for
goods in an economy will equal the aggregate supply of goods when markets
are permitted to operate. Or in Say’s words, “products are paid for with
products.”
English classical economist David Ricardo, among others, more fully
developed this principle into what has become known as “Say’s Law.” Say’s
Law, according to Ricardo, leads us to understand that market equilibrium
for goods is constant. This simply means t... more »
Euthanizing the British Economy
*It would save lives.... *
"Research links suicide increase in Britain to recession" by Makiko
Kitamura | Bloomberg News, August 16, 2012
LONDON — The *recession* that began in 2008 may have contributed to an *increase
in suicides* in Britain, according to a study that echoes findings from
research in the United States and Australia....
*
**I suppose that is one way to get rid of useless eaters. *
The findings provide more evidence of an association between job losses and
suicides, and suggest that a drop in suicides in 2010 was the result of
lower unemployment. Suicide rates in ... more »
For Lord's Sake
*This is where the Liberal Democrats make a stand?*
"In Britain, a parliamentary tit-for-tat; Clegg retaliates after Tories
derail Lords overhaul" Bloomberg News, August 07, 2012
LONDON — Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg of England said Monday that he
will order his Liberal Democrat lawmakers to block legislation wanted by
the Conservatives after Tory rebels derailed plans to overhaul the House of
Lords.
Clegg said the Conservatives had broken the contract between the coalition
partners as he confirmed that the government has abandoned attempts to
reform the 700-year-old upper cham... more »
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA - 30th October 2012
Magnitude
4.6
Date-Time
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 12:53:40 UTC
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 06:53:40 AM at epicenter
Location
12.554°N, 87.961°W
Depth
87.8 km (54.6 miles)
Region
NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA
Distances
86 km (53 miles) W (261°) from El Viejo, Chinandega, Nicaragua
5.2 Magnitude Earthquake OFF EAST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND - 30th October 2012
Magnitude
5.2
Date-Time
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 13:12:29 UTC
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 01:12:29 AM at epicenter
Location
37.939°S, 177.709°E
Depth
68.2 km (42.4 miles)
Region
OFF EAST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, N.Z.
Distances
85 km (53 miles) NNW (342°) from Gisborne, New Zealand
Quo Vadis, Mr. Hudak?
With Ontario's Liberals in disarray, Martin Regg Cohn speculates in this
morning's *Toronto Star* about what the province would look like under Tim
Hudak:
Hudak still clings to panaceas: Unspecified tax cuts to goose economic
growth, ramp up total revenues and magically balance the budget at warp
speed.
Note that Hudak never says which taxes he’d cut — a form of Mitt Romney
redux on reductions and deductions — just that he wants a “flatter personal
income tax structure” that squeezes out the last remnants of progressivity
from our system. Tax cuts would produce a “counter-intui... more »
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