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Thomas Paine

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

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

11 December - Blogs I'm Following II

George Osborne visits  Thessaly Community ProjectGeorge Osborne visits Thessaly Community Project (Photo credit: conservativeparty)
Angola ThreeAngola Three (Photo credit: Sheila Steele)
Claudio Scajola a Cogoleto (Genova)Claudio Scajola a Cogoleto (Genova) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Angola - SobrevoandoAngola - Sobrevoando (Photo credit: mariag.)
English: San Quentin State Prison, located in ...English: San Quentin State Prison, located in Marin County, California, as seen by westbound traffic on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (Interstate 580). Español: Prisión Estatal de San Quentin en el Condado de Marin, California. Vista del tráfico hacia el oeste del Puente Richmond-San Rafael (Interestatal 580) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: The room at , completed in 2010. Espa...English: The room at , completed in 2010. Español: La cámara de ejecución de la Prisión Estatal de San Quentin, construido en 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Aerial view of San Quentin State Pris...English: Aerial view of San Quentin State Prison, in Marin County, California. Español: Prisión Estatal de San Quentin en el Condado de Marin, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: San Quentin State Prison Español: Pri...English: San Quentin State Prison Español: Prisión Estatal de San Quentin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Angola-1Angola-1 (Photo credit: didkovskaya)
11:53 pm MST

Italian Arrest: Former economic development minister Claudio Scajola

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 58 minutes ago
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/italian-police-arrest-ex-finmeccanica-exec-investigate-former-minister-for-alleged-corruption-175397181.html *Italian police arrest ex-Finmeccanica exec, investigate former minister for alleged corruption* By: Colleen Barry, The Associated Press Posted: 10/23/2012 8:14 AM MILAN - Italian prosecutors are investigating a former Cabinet minister and have ordered the arrest of a former sales manager for Finmeccanica as part of a corruption investigation into the state-controlled aerospace and engineering giant's international dealings. Former... more »

San Quentin Six Declare Solidarity with CA Prisoners’ Agreement to End Hostilities

angola3news at Angola 3 News - 59 minutes ago
The authors dedicate their essay to Marilyn Buck (1947-2010). *San Quentin 6 Declare Solidarity with CA Prisoners’ Agreement to End Hostilities* *by Sundiata Tate, Bato Talamantez and Giappa Johnson – three of the San Quentin 6* (Reprinted in full by Angola 3 News. Watch the video of our April 6, 2012 event, featuring Bato Talamantez at the end) We strongly support the statement issued by the Pelican Bay prison Short Corridor Collective calling for the end of racial and factional hostilities inside California prisons and in county jails. We believe that this along with our struggl... more »

Silicon wafers: Why we need to move religion online

PM at Duck of Minerva - 1 hour ago
As one of the two great still-extant medieval institutions, the church confronts the digital age with a mixture of trepidation and hope. Hope, because congregations and ministers with online presence can build up new types of community and remain in contact through a variety of media; trepidation, because the church, like any incumbent industry, looks Continue reading

Labour to vote AGAINST 1% cap on rises in benefits, saying they should rise faster than wages

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
Labour is to vote against a cap on rises in benefits, imposed after handouts soared at twice the rate of wages. Shadow chancellor Ed Balls today revealed his party would oppose the 1 per cent rise planned by the government for each of the next three years. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246516/Labour-vote-AGAINST-1-cap-rises-benefits-saying-rise-faster-wages.html

Revealed: How George Osborne's sneaky tricks will cost every family £738 a year

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
Families will be left £738 a year worse off because of a cunning sleight-of-hand in the way their benefits and tax bills are calculated. They will find that their disposable income is slowly eaten away over the years because of rises in the cost of living. Chancellor George Osborne last week announced that many benefits claimed by families, including child benefit, would rise by 1 per cent. He also gave a 1 per cent increase at the point at which workers pay higher rate tax of 40 per cent. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2246726/REVEALED-How-George-Osbornes-sneaky-tri... more »

Decade that changed the face of the UK: 4million migrants settle here - and in London less than half of the population is white British

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
he National census of 2011 show 7.5million people who were born abroad were living here last year – of whom more than half have arrived since 2001. Census officials said more than 70 per cent of the record rise in the overall population over the past decade is produced by people who migrated into Britain. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246689/Census-data-Decade-changed-face-UK-4million-migrants-settle--London-half-population-white-British.html

RoboCon : Poutine made easy

Alison at Creekside - 1 hour ago
Text : Glen McGregor and Stephen Maher Presentation : Robert Cross Ottawa Citizen This excellent interactive visual has been around for a while but with 6 other ridings in court this week challenging election fraud, perhaps we could use a refresher on just how devious was the trail of deception from the diabolical Mr Poutine in Guelph. Not mentioned in it is how undetermined staffers from the Con election campaign in Guelph came to share a Racknine browser session with Mr. Poutine at 2am on Election Day. h/t Toe at Bread 'n Roses .

Atlas 5 Rocket: Air Force's secret mini-shuttle blasts off

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
Image: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying the U.S. military's X-37B spacecraft lifts off from launch complex 41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida December 11, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Scott Audette An unmanned Atlas 5 rocket carrying a small robotic space shuttle lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Tuesday for the third flight in a classified military test program. The 196-foot (60-meter) rocket blasted off at 1:03 p.m. ET (1603 GMT) carrying the military's original X-37B experimental space plane, also known as an Orbital Test Vehicle, or OTV. http:/... more »

10 Steps to Finishing a PhD Thesis (or book) in 6 Months

Megan MacKenzie at Duck of Minerva - 1 hour ago
Most academics will admit to themselves and students that the majority of dissertations and books are written in a 6 month block of time (the remainder of the post focuses on a PhD process, but it can be easily applied to book writing). I’m talking here about the WRITING process- not the research, figuring out Continue reading

Facebook Helps FBI Snare $850m Cyber Gang

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
A criminal ring that infected 11 million computers around the world causing more than $850m (£527m) in total losses has been snared by a team led by the FBI and Facebook. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked alongside several international agencies to arrest 10 people it claims infected computers with "Yahos" malicious software, then stole credit card, bank and other personal information. Facebook's security team assisted the FBI after "Yahos" targeted its users from 2010 to October 2012. http://news.sky.com/story/1024203/facebook-helps-fbi-snare-850m-cyber-gang

UK gets set for battle to defend City from EU bank union

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
David Cameron and George Osborne will today begin a rearguard action to stop the City of London's status as the world's leading financial centre being threatened by plans for banking union inside the eurozone. Although Britain will not join the banking union, the 17 countries in the euro will form a powerful bloc which could determine rules for the financial sector under the EU's single market. There are growing fears that the 17 will favour Paris and Frankfurt at London's expense. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-gets-set-for-battle-to-defend-city-from-eu-bank-unio... more »

Will Progressive Congressmembers Stand Up To Obama And Boehner?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 hour ago
There are a lot of good, solid progressives whose voting records and public statements indicate they're not going to get behind the Grand Sellout of American working families that Obama and Boehner are going to present as a *fait acompli* is a couple weeks and then demand everyone vote for it to save us from catastrophe. The half dozen most solid progressive voting records are held by Judy Chu (D-CA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Jim McGovern (D-MA), John Olver (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Their ProgressivePunch Crucial Vote scores go from 96.80 (Chu) to 95.75 ... more »

Multiple structures on fire after gas line explodes in West Virginia

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
A major gas line has exploded in Sissonville, West Virginia, officials told CNN. Several structures in the area are on fire, Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said. Carper said it sounded “like a jet engine” as the fire raged. No injuries were immediately reported. The explosion has caused northbound I-77 at the Charleston split to be shut down, West Virginia’s Department of Transportation reported on its Twitter account. http://fox43.com/2012/12/11/multiple-structures-on-fire-after-gas-line-explodes-in-west-virginia/#axzz2EoItQJZM

Mass Death of Livestock Keeps Sokoto Villagers Away From Meat, Nigeria

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 1 hour ago
Over a week after the mysterious death of about 1,600 sheep in Tungan Madugu village of Gwadabawa local government area of Sokoto State, residents of the community say they are still afraid of eating meat. "We did not buy meat within those days that the animals were dying and even now, we are afraid of buying meat," one local resident told Daily Trust. The animals, which were said to belong to Fulani nomads from Niger Republic, reportedly died after drinking from an open well at Gidan Jihadi viallge in neighbouring Kware local government area. http://allafrica.com/stories/2012121010... more »

14 dead after bridge collapses in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Fourteen people died after a bridge collapsed on the R65 between Lothair and Ermelo due to heavy rains, the Mpumalanga community safety department said on Tuesday. Spokesman Joseph Mabuza said three vehicles, one of them a taxi, were involved in the accident. "The bridge goes over a dam and it collapsed. The cars drove over the collapsed bridge and were swept away by high volumes of water." http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2012/12/11/14-dead-after-bridge-collapses-in-mpumalanga

Tornado: Residents,firefighters pick up pieces after severe weather crushes community

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
ASCENSION PARISH, LA (FOX44)- The National Weather Service confirmed a EF1 tornado touched down in Ascension Parish. Several homes and even a fire station were damaged. The area off Black Bayou Road between LA 44 and Airline Highway got hit with strong winds around 9 Monday morning. Residents there are thankful no one was injured. http://www.fox44.com/news/residentsfirefighters-pick-pieces-after-severe-weather-crushes-community

Man injured, workers evacuated after Prince Albert water treatment plan chemical spill, Canada

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Several workers were evacuated and one man was taken to hospital Monday following a chemical spill at the Prince Albert water treatment plant. The spill happened around noon on Monday after an employee hit his head on a pipe containing caustic soda. Caustic soda is used at the treatment plant as a cleaning agent to change the pH level of water, said City Manager Robert Cotterill. http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Chemical+leak+contained+Prince+Albert+water+treatment/7677817/story.html

Landslide kills 1 gold miner, 21 missing in Sukabumi, Indonesia

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Police say a landslide in Sukabumi, West Java, has killed at least one miner collecting trace amounts of gold at the illegal mine. West Java police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said Tuesday that days of torrential rain triggered a landslide at the mountainous site in Sukabumi late Monday. Rescuers were searching for 21 others reported as missing. Four miners were found alive. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/12/11/landslide-kills-1-gold-miner-21-missing-sukabumi.html

Belfast Protests: DUP MP Receives Death Threat

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
A second Northern Ireland MP has been told his life is in danger amid increasing unrest over the decision to restrict the flying of the Union flag on Belfast City Hall. Jeffrey Donaldson, the Democratic Unionist MP for Lagan Valley, said the police told him unnamed individuals had threatened to shoot him, his wife and children. http://news.sky.com/story/1023570/belfast-protests-dup-mp-receives-death-threat

Manuel Pardo Executed Over 1986 Killing Spree

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
A former police officer who murdered nine people during a 1986 crime spree has been executed. Manuel Pardo was pronounced dead at Florida State Prison about 16 minutes after the lethal injection process began. His lawyers had tried to block the execution by arguing that he was mentally ill. http://news.sky.com/story/1023599/vigilante-cop-executed-over-1986-killing-spree

Obama: US Recognises Syrian Opposition

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
President Barack Obama has said Syria's opposition is now the "legitimate representative" of the country's people. His comments in support of the newly formed Syrian Opposition Council mark the most significant US intervention yet in the 20-month conflict. "We have made a decision that the Syrian opposition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people," he said in an interview with American network ABC News. http://news.sky.com/story/1024162/obama-us-recognises-syria... more »

Oregon Shopping Centre Shooting, 2 Killed

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Two people have been killed by a gunman wearing body armour at a shopping centre in Oregon. Clackamas County Sheriff's spokesman James Rhodes, said: "I can confirm that we believe at this point that there was one and only one shooter involved and that shooter is deceased. http://news.sky.com/story/1024168/two-killed-in-oregon-shopping-centre-shooting

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 2 hours ago
“Stars are sometimes born in the midst of chaos. About 3 million years ago in the nearby galaxy M33, a large cloud of gas spawned dense internal knots which gravitationally collapsed to form stars. NGC 604 was so large, however, it could form enough stars to make a globular cluster. *Click image for larger size. * Many young stars from this cloud are visible in the above image from the Hubble Space Telescope, along with what is left of the initial gas cloud. Some stars were so massive they have already evolved and exploded in a supernova. The brightest stars that are left emit li... more »

North Korea's Long-Range Rocket 'A Success'

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
North Korea's defiant launch of a long-range rocket appears to have gone according to plan, South Korea's military has said. The blast-off, which had been anticipated, defies critics who have warned the country wants to develop technology that would enable it to carry out a nuclear strike. The impoverished North has said it simply wanted to put a weather satellite into space, rather than carry out suspected ballistic missile tests, and it declared the mission a success. http://news.sky.com/story/1024177/north-koreas-long-range-rocket-a-success

3.0 Magnitude Earthquake OKLAHOMA - 12th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Magnitude 3.0 Date-Time Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 03:30:21 UTC Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 09:30:21 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 35.539°N, 96.286°W Depth 14.6 km (9.1 miles) Region OKLAHOMA Distances 11 km (6 miles) N of Okemah, Oklahoma

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake FIJI REGION - 12th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Magnitude 5.0 Date-Time Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 01:44:24 UTC Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 01:44:24 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 19.603°S, 176.231°W Depth 35 km (21.7 miles) Region FIJI REGION Distances 198 km (123 miles) W of Pangai, Tonga

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 12th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Magnitude 4.8 Date-Time Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 00:19:37 UTC Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 09:19:37 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 37.004°N, 141.183°E Depth 14.7 km (9.1 miles) Region NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN Distances 26 km (16 miles) ESE of Iwaki, Japan

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION - 11th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Magnitude 4.8 Date-Time Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 23:28:04 UTC Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 08:28:04 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 30.672°N, 140.095°E Depth 136 km (84.5 miles) Region IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION Distances 269 km (167 miles) S of Hachijo-jima, Japan

5.1 Magnitude Earthquake VANUATU - 11th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 2 hours ago
Magnitude 5.1 Date-Time Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 23:16:19 UTC Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 10:16:19 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 18.990°S, 167.790°E Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) Region VANUATU Distances 149 km (92 miles) SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

Signatures in support of raza Studies still needed

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 2 hours ago
The victories re Tucson's Raza Studies continue to pile on. Today, TUSD has dropped opposition to the new desegregation plan which calls for the expansion of Raza Studies into every school in the district. More updates later but despite the victories, we still need signatures from educators and scholars nationwide in support of Ethnic Studies in Arizona. Please sign and circulate. Currently, there are over 4500 signatures. We need 5,000. Please go to: http://signon.org/sign/superintendent-huppenthal Now, only Tom Horne, author of the anti-Ethnic Studies HB 2281, remains the sole opp... more »

Astonishing Robot race to fix damaged Fukushima nuclear plant

*An amazing radiation-resistant robot aimed at cleaning up the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has unveiled by Japanese company Mitsubishi*. In the same time other firms, among them Hitachi and Toshiba, have also rolled out their own remote-controlled bots recently. Now there is a race between the robots to fix damaged Fukushima nuclear plant. In the 2011, the plant was damaged by the effect of earthquake and tsunami. Robots are previouslyfunctioning inside the plant; however none has been particularly designed for this kind of work. Toshiba says its robot has a wireless ... more »

Bring Leonard Peltier Home in New York Dec. 14, 2012

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 3 hours ago

Fallow Land Rehabilitation Program in the news

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 3 hours ago
Various media outlets (example, example) have been reporting for months on the government's plan to revitalize fallow land... From RTI: "Of Taiwan's 460,000 acres of farmland, more than 30,000 acres have been fallow for five years; 46,000 acres have been fallow for two years; 50,000 acres have been fallow for a year," said Chen. The current system offers stipends to encourage land to go fallow. It was implemented when Taiwan was preparing to join the WTO in 2002. The country wanted to cut its own grain production at the time to allow an influx of imported staple foods. In other ... more »

In Shocking Rhetorical Gesture To Reality, U.S. To Declare Earth Revolves Around The Sun

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 4 hours ago
In what is being viewed as a shocking gesture to reality by scientists, Washington is preparing to inform its population that the Earth revolves around the sun. This announcement is part of a much larger policy shift, one that will see the United States of America come back to reality. This policy shift may explain Washington's new position on the Syrian situation. Washington's deranged foreign policy establishment recently admitted that an al-Qaeda linked terrorist group is leading the Syrian rebellion, which Washington has backed covertly since its inception. Read more in this art... more »

US Recognizes Unelected Terrorists as Syrian "Representatives"

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 4 hours ago
US admits Al Qaeda "amongst" Syrian rebels, recognizes them as the "legitimate representative of the Syrian people." The Syrian Army is fighting Al Qaeda. *December 12, 2012 *(LD) - As expected, after a long pause of feigned "consideration," the US has recognized the militants it has been arming, funding, aiding logistically and supporting diplomatically since as early as 2007, as the "legitimate representatives of the Syrian people," with the added caveat, "in opposition to the Assad regime." The Wall Street Journal would report that US President Barack Obama's announcement actual... more »

More Houses of Horror in New Jersey

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 4 hours ago
*Related: **New Jersey Houses of Horror* "2 children stabbed while sleeping in N.J. home" Associated Press, September 03, 2012 TRENTON, N.J. — A *sleeping 6-year-old boy* was *stabbed to death* inside a bedroom of his southern New Jersey home early Sunday in an *unprovoked attack* that also critically wounded his 12-year-old *sister, who was also asleep in the room*, prosecutors said. Two other children in the home were unharmed. Camden County prosecutors said Dominick Andujor was pronounced dead at the scene. His sister, whose throat was cut, remains hospitalized. The girl, whose... more »

Maryland Mischief Kills Kids

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 4 hours ago
"Coal train derails in Md., kills 2 college students" by Alex Dominguez | Associated Press, August 22, 2012 ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — A *train hauling coal derailed* on a bridge in this city’s historic district, *killing two college students* who had been *drinking together and hanging out on the tracks*. Nearly two dozen railroad cars flipped over, including some that fell onto vehicles in a parking lot below the bridge, officials said. The students, both 19-year-old women, had posted photos and comments from what appeared to be the bridge shortly before the train derailed around mid... more »

Albert O. Hirschman (1915-2012)

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 4 hours ago
If you haven’t heard yet, Albert O. Hirschman passed away today. Some good discussion at Crooked Timber, including a link to a terrific piece by Rajiv Sethi. Hirschman’s stature in the social sciences was of such magnitude that, while still alive, the Social Science Research Council named a lifetime achievement award after him. I don’t Continue reading

Progressive energy vs “sustainable” energy

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 4 hours ago
[image: Ladies' I Love Fossil Fuels T-Shirt]We hear a lot from the likes of Gareth Hughes—the energy spokesman opposed to energy—about so called “sustainable energy.” As if one particular form of energy could be used and generated perpetually, like the ancients’ dream of a perpetual motion machine. This is about as sensible as a belief in alchemy, but is one of two primary reasons the likes of young Gareth is so violently opposed to oil. Alex Epstein from the Center for Industrial Progress points out the very concept of “sustainability” is a relic of centuries when human beings ... more »

Media News....

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 4 hours ago
The Committee to Protect Journalists has a blog post up on the Next Media buyout: A media buyout in Taiwan which would put independent news outlets critical of China into the hands of a pro-Beijing media tycoon is cause for concern for the island's press. Jimmy Lai, the outspoken mogul behind Hong Kong-based Next Media and the Apple Daily tabloid, is selling his unprofitable Taiwan holdings to a consortium including Tsai Eng-meng, whose China Times Media group is supportive of China, according to local and international news reports. ...showing how publicity about the effects of t... more »

"Christmas At War"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 4 hours ago
"Christmas at War" by Ava Lowery, done 6 years ago when she was 15 years old. This is what we, all of us, have done...and are still doing. - CP "Ava Lowrey is a current student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts studying film and television production. Since 2005, at age 15, Ava has been using multimedia to connect with a larger audience. As creator of PeaceTakesCourage.com, Ava has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, CNN, and more. Her work for the website has been viewed by millions and in 2009 she completed her first feature-length documentary "Fall... more »

Walter Pincus wonders how Americans lost the will to pay for our wars

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 4 hours ago
*The unholy troika -- Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney:* *No, if they were on Death Row where they belong, that wouldn't solve the debt problem they did so much to create. But what if they and all their war-profiteering friends, relations, and cronies were to voluntarily make restitution for all their ill-gotten gains derived from the troika's crimes?* *"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan represented the first time that a U.S. president did not seek new taxes to cover the fighting. Supported by a GOP-led House and Senate from 2001 through 2006, and then just the GOP-run House, Bush raised the ... more »

Chet Raymo, “Dewy-eyed”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 5 hours ago
*“Dewy-eyed”* by Chet Raymo “I believe I have mentioned before that many years ago, before I started writing for the Boston Globe, I had a column in the college newspaper called "Under a Skeptical Star." The phrase came from a line of the Scots poet/scholar William MacNeile Dixon: "If there be a skeptical star I was born under it, yet I have lived all my days in complete astonishment." That was nearly half-a-century ago. I'm still astonished. Easily astonished. I don't require magnificent vistas, frozen waterfalls, spectacular sunsets. I don't need the Red Sea parted or Lazarus ... more »

Israel Seen Behind AP’s Iran ‘Nuclear Graph’ Hoax

Intercept at The Intercept - 5 hours ago
AntiWar Jason Ditz AP Refuses to Confirm, But Diplomats Suspect MossadA late November Associated Press report by George Jahn revealed a “nuclear graph” allegedly from Iran by way of an IAEA investigation, sparking a flurry of responses centering on the graph’s incorrect math and leading experts to conclude it was an amateurish hoax. But who’s hoax? Western diplomats are pointing the finger squarely at Israel’s Mossad spy agency, saying they believe that the leaks were part of an effort to implicate an assassinated Iranian in a weapons program. The diplomats also say Mossad is incr... more »

ALEC is To Blame!

2old2care at Because I Can - 5 hours ago
Everywhere we turn – we see the destruction and havoc that ALEC and ALEC legislators are perpetrating on the USA. In every state – on every topic –the fingerprint of ALEC is there - ALEC legislators armed with ALEC “model legislation” can be directly related to the damage being done to our society, to our people. Below is a column written by the former executive director of the Georgia Republican Party worked for Paul Coverdell in the Georgia Senate worked for state GOP A former private school teac... more »

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 5 hours ago
This was tweeted into my stream this afternoon: One tough nerd: "I have signed the freedom to work bills into law." - Gov Rick Snyder And by freedom he means, the freedom to be worked to death for little pay, few insufficient benefits and absolutely no job security in the name of obscene corporate profits. And of course, the legislation is straight out of the Koch-funded ALEC playbook. Practically verbatim. So yes, as Teamster's president Jimmy Hoffa said on CNN, "This is just the first round of a battle that's going to divide this state. We're going to have a civil war." As th... more »

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 5 hours ago

12-12-12

Nonoy Oplas at Government and Taxes - 5 hours ago
Nice date today, 12-12-12, should be a once-in-a-century date. Today, I composed this song, just for fun, to the tune of a famous Christmas carol. *12 days of Christmas* On the ____ of Christmas, Government said to me: 1st – More taxes to pay public debts. 2nd – More borrowings, and 3rd – P2 trillion budget 4th – Health for the poor 5th – More sin taxes 6th – Fight climate change 7th – Cybercrime law 8th – More CCT 9th – More congress districts 10th – K-12 for students 11th – Condoms for the poor 12th – RH for mothers Merry Christmas.

“Some Better Targets for the People Who Hate Government”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 5 hours ago
*“Some Better Targets for the People Who Hate Government”* by Paul Buchheit "One of the pleasures of a weekend away from the city is visiting with people who express points of view that are different from my own. A lot of them hate government. Their comments are sprinkled with colorful references to taxes, waste, and socialism. Countering with facts and statistics doesn’t seem to work. Instead, listening to their rants can be educational for a progressive, because the anti-government sentiment highlights the masterful job done by conservatives and the wealthy over the years, as t... more »

"The Real Problem With America: Morality"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 6 hours ago
*"The Real Problem With America: Morality"* by Karl Denninger "When you get down to it, the fiscal cliff, along with most of the rest of the political "problems" we face in this nation, come down to one thing: willful and intentional misconduct. That's a morality problem folks. Let's put the record on the table, shall we? In 1980 total Federal Health Spending was $55.3 billion. In 1990 it was $155.8 billion. That's about an 11% annualized increase. At that rate what is US Federal Spending for a 65 year old 30 years hence when he dies? $3,567 billion, or three times the size of... more »

Egypt's Unfinished Revolution | Interview with Adel Iskander

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 6 hours ago
Source: Breaking The Set.

Sheldan Nidle - December 11, 2012

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 6 hours ago
* * *Sheldan Nidle - December 11, 2012* 4 Oc, 18 Yaxk'in, 9 Eb Selamat Balik! We return! Your world continues on toward the moment of the dissolution of the dark and the beginning of your new epoch. We daily receive encouraging reports from our liaisons advising us that a timetable set up a short while ago is on schedule to be manifested. Those who run the many sacred secret societies on your world are busy moving several projects toward the designated point where they can be materialized. Your reality's alternate timelines are collapsing at a rate that leaves you on the single ... more »

Alex Jones Confronts The Feds on Their Turf

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 6 hours ago
No government wants to hear the truth. In the video below, Alex Jones is confronting the hijacked U.S. government with the truth, using peaceful and educational means.

Sterling Silver Hockey Skates, Hypocrisy and Platitude

Grant G at The Straight Goods - 6 hours ago
We know how it feels but unfortunately condolences sympathy and understanding words are way back on our list of describers and nasty expletives we use in venting against our hockey void.. When Wall Street guzzled the world a few years back they also introduced to us a few new words, derivatives, credit default swaps, maybe they weren`t new words but who knew those benign terms translated into*..."Weapons of mass destruction.....Too big to fail...."* *...*As outraged as people were, especially those who saw their rrsp`s and pensions shrink or near vanish the message was sent, pay ... more »

The Real News: The Petraeus Myth

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 7 hours ago
The real American hero was football star Pat Tillman who sacrificed his career to serve his country. The fake hero is General Petraeus. Conclusion: the reality is better than the myth. Tillman looked and acted like a hero from a Disney film. Petraeus looks and acts like an evil troll from the Lord of the Rings. The Real News - "Gareth Porter: America needed a war hero but his "achievements" riddled by half-truths and pure propaganda"

The Economy: "The Internet Is a Dud"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 7 hours ago
*"The Internet Is a Dud"* by Bill Bonner "The world today looks almost identical to the world of the 1960s because there have been very few important innovations since then. But you will leap to reply — the internet! Alas, electronic technology does not seem to noticeably increase output of stuff. The Internet affects our quality of life in many ways, but not our standard of living. The Internet was more or less fully built out in the US in the year 2000. All of a sudden, knowledge from all over the world…and from all of history…was available. Information could be accessed and ... more »

No easy climb for Hillary in 2016

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 7 hours ago
I want to shoot myself for even mentioning 2016 yet again, but there's been so much buzz about Hillary taking another crack at it that it's worth mentioning briefly. A lot of her former supporters who populate my social nets have been chirping enthusiastically about another Hillary run practically since election day ended. Nate Silver says Hillary has a shot at it and would be a good candidate in many ways. Meanwhile, the usual GOPers are allegedly quaking in fear at the mere prospect of her running. Hard to believe anybody is buying the GOP line. As so often happens, I agree with... more »

Take A Nap or Meditate

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 7 hours ago

12.18 PACK THE PCS - 12.18 #StopPlantVogtle PACK THE PCS - No More Money For New Nukes in Georgia

rc at GlobaLove Think Tank - 8 hours ago
#StopPlantVogtle NO NEW NUKES! Part II | Stop Plant Vogtle

Open letter to David Welch, Eli Broad, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and their Students Matter Astroturf

Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene at Schools Matter - 8 hours ago
*"And not merely pride of intellect, but dulness of intellect. And most of all, the deceitfulness; yes, the deceitfulness of intellect" — Leo Tolstoy* [image: David Welch, Eli Broad, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher propagate lies]To David Welch, Eli Broad, Theodore J. Boutrous, Theane Evangelis Kapur, Theodore B. Olson, Enrique A. Monagas, and Joshua S. Lipshutz: Your Students Matter website explicitly states "When it comes to education quality, numerous studies show that teachers have the greatest impact on student achievement." Can you please produce even one peer reviewed study from ... more »

The Globe is in the Mail

Rocker at MSM Monitor - 8 hours ago
*By the time **it** gets here it's obsolete. * "Postal service to default on $11.1b bill; Payments meant for retiree benefit" by Hope Yen | Associated Press, July 31, 2012 WASHINGTON — The *US Postal Service* is bracing for a *first-ever default*on billions in payments that are due to the Treasury, adding to widening uncertainty about the mail agency’s solvency as fewer and fewer people mail first-class letters and Congress deadlocks on ways to stem the red ink. With *cash running perilously low*, two *legally required payments for future postal retirees’ health benefits* — $5.5 b... more »

Scandalous Regulators

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 8 hours ago
*Guest post by Mark Thornton* *Business scandals often lead to calls for greater regulation. Yet, as economist Mark Thornton discusses, and as we’ve discovered ourselves in so many recent scandals—Enron, BP oil spill, Bernie Madoff—leaky homes, Pike River, CTV Building, Ross Asset Management—regulators have been among the chief culprits in providing for everyone an organised way of going wrong with confidence. * [image: Photo of Mark Thornton]*Scandalous Regulators* *by Mark Thornton* on December 11, 2012 The Democratic Party had its message on the economy well-prepared for the ... more »

If You Were Just Elected To Congress, Would You Want To Go To 4 Days Of Harvard Seminars... Or A Heritage Brainwashing Session?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 8 hours ago
Several friends of mine in Congress have complained that the "bipartisan" Harvard seminars for congressmembers-elect are part of the Conservative Consensus regime that rules Washington. One Congressman who went several years ago when he was elected told me this morning that the foreign policy part of it was a cross between the worst neo-liberal adages and plain old right-wing imperialism presented as conventional wisdom. "They have Condoleeza Rice lecturing at this thing, if you want some idea of how clueless the program has become," one progressive told me. "They present her as t... more »

Judith Collins is talking bullshit

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 9 hours ago
It’s reported that former local tax lawyer Judith Collins reckons the internationally-respected former Canadian Supreme Court judge’s report on compensation for David Bain is wrong on law, contains assumptions based on incorrect facts, and "lacked a robustness of reasoning used to justify its conclusions.” I say that’s bullshit. I say the reason she won’t make Justice Binnie’s report public is because it will be patently obvious everything she says about it is bullshit. I say the reason she’s not taken the report's recommendation to grant compensation—the *only* reason—is nothing... more »

Why Republicans Need Change

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 9 hours ago
Jamelle Bouie argues today that Republicans may well win the presidency without actually changing much or offering new ideas. I think that's broadly correct: the out-party just doesn't matter all that much. I'd put two caveats on it. One is that the GOP crazy has caused problems in their efforts to find an appealing general election candidate. It doesn't matter a lot, but it matters some, and they'll probably have to find some way around it or suffer an electoral penalty (which, to be sure, would be on the margins and probably wouldn't make much of a difference). The other is that a... more »

This Is A MUST Read By Everyone: The Coming Legalization Of Child Pornography And Pedophilia!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 9 hours ago
Just the other night, I had my usual weekly conversation with my great fellow writer, Whitewraithe, who does the blog: Pragmatic Witness, at www.pragmaticwitness.com. She knows that my work load over the last few days has been extremely exhausting. So, as a favor to me, she offered to put up several articles in this blog. However, she encountered several problems with Blogger, and was unable to post up one article in particular that was imperative for everyone to see.... I have that important article right here for everyone to see for themselves. It is entitled: "The Coming Leg... more »

More Evidence of CIA Mind Control Assassins

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 9 hours ago
The evidence of a CIA assassination policy based around mind control assassins is stacking up by the day. Source: Infowars Nightly News.

We're All Still Here (Funny music video about Dec. 21st, 2012) by Laurell Eden

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 10 hours ago
We're All Still Here (Funny music video about Dec. 21st, 2012) by Laurell Eden * * *About Laurell:* Billboard Magazine called Laurell, "an ethereal poet with a talent for writing contagious hooks". She is a critically acclaimed, gold record selling recording artist and songwriter whose songs have charted on 3 continents. The dance song, "We're All Still Here" is a great example of Laurell Eden's fabulous sense of humor and her "talent for writing contagious pop songs" as Billboard Magazine put it. Laurell is a critically acclaimed recording artist, songwriter and prod... more »

Procrastination, or Screwing Around with the Blogroll

noreply@blogger.com (fern hill) at DAMMIT JANET! - 10 hours ago
I just added two blogs to our Blogs We Read list over there on the right. Quill to the Anvil/Friendly Satirist who today responded to the Toronto Police's advice to pedestrians who don't want to become traffic statistics with 'dress brightly'. The Toronto Police Safety Guide/Dress Code. The next addition is to correct an unconscionable oversight. Our Twitter pal Stephen Lautens hath a blog called Stephen Lautens' Parking Space. There he publishes his wonderful De-Motivational posters like this most recent one. In other good news, we are delighted to report that Alison at Creeks... more »

Amelia Earhart's Hard Bargain

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 10 hours ago
She'll always be an true American darling and her country's First Lady of the Air. She may have been a mediocre pilot but she was as bold and determined an aviatrix as there's ever been. Now it turns out she was also something of a wild child. Here is a letter setting out her prenuptial terms to publisher and eventual husband, George Palmer Putnam.

The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: The Disastrous Status Of Fukushima Daiichi

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 10 hours ago
I have been surfiing the Internet for a while now, and have been watching for any important updates or information coming forward about the REAL situation in regards to the still ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima Japan. The fact is that in spite of the media "blackout" of ANY new information, the disaster is absolutely NOT fixed, and in fact the damaged facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are still pumping out massive amounts of radiation into the atmosphere and into the nearby Pacific Ocean! I came across an interesting article that best summarizes the Fukushima... more »

Stupid spending priorities

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 10 hours ago
I was surprised to learn we could eliminate homelessness for less than the cost of what we spend on Christmas decorations. Which is not suggest people shouldn't decorate for Christmas. I assume much of that money goes to small U.S. businesses like tree growers and florists. But I'm posting this infographic because it shows where our government's spending priorities are focused. If the deficit alarmists were serious they would be looking at big money corporate welfare instead of nickel and diming social programs for working class Americans. The corporate write offs for meals and e... more »

Take sugary drinks away from kids and they will lose weight

Rich Rifkin at Lexicon Daily - 10 hours ago
The New York Times is reporting today that the childhood obesity rate is falling by a small amount in some cities--namely those which have actively discouraged the consumption of sodas and other sugary drinks. The drops are small, just 5 percent here in Philadelphia and 3 percent in Los Angeles. But experts say they are significant because they offer the first indication that the obesity epidemic, one of the nation’s most intractable health problems, may actually be reversing course. ... (The) researchers note that declines occurred in cities that have had obesity reduction polic... more »

BOOKS / Ron Jacobs : 'We Are Many' Offers Thoughtful Analysis of Occupy Movement

thorne dreyer at The Rag Blog - 10 hours ago
From occupation to liberation: A review of 'We Are Many' By Ron Jacobs / The Rag Blog / December 11, 2012 This aesthetically pleasing volume has the best overall take to date on the meaning of Occupy, its shortcomings and strengths, and its potential future. [We Are Many: Reflections on Movement Strategy, edited by Kate Khatib, Margaret Killjoy, and Mike McGuire; Afterword by David Graeber

You can prove anything with facts

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 10 hours ago
The future of Reality-Lite politics in Britainis the issue of Multiculturalism/Immigration. The conservative demographic is declining in so many ways. Only the power structure in Britaintruly upholds the hegemony of bourgeois, white, Christian, heterosexual men any more. The ruling class is always searching for a popular connection. With the right issue, a touch of demagogy, a touch of mobilisation, soon the Sans Culottes will be marching to restore the monarchy; that's the theory of right-wing populism. The Multiculturalism/Immigration is of course a means of smuggling racism into ... more »

Repeatedly, Brooks won’t tell us how much!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 10 hours ago
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2012* *Always look for this problem:* In this morning’s New York Times, David Brooks does his annual column about social science research. This column showcases a problem which often has us tearing our hair. The problem appears in Brooks’ first example of top social science research (italics by Brooks): BROOKS (12/11/12): *Organic foods may make you less generous.* In a study published in Social Psychology and Personality Science, Kendall J. Eskine had people look at organic foods, comfort foods or a group of control foods. Those who viewed organic foods subs... more »

Shift of Ages - A Film

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 10 hours ago
Good day friends of Common Passion, 1. Common Passion, in association with the Shift of the Ages film project, is pleased to announce the release this week of the Shift of the Ages film: an epoch tale...a Mayan journey through time. People around the world will be able to view the film online in high definition through the Shift of the Ages website starting Friday December 14th, 2012. True to the Maya way of sharing wisdom and ceremony, there will be no charge for viewing Shift of the Ages. It will be offered freely with donations graciously and humbly accepted. I will send an... more »

Cutting Throught the Biparticrap

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 10 hours ago
Now that the gossip rag known as *Politico *no longer has the Contest Between Two Evils to slobber over, they've taken to slobbering over the imminent bipartisan gutting of the New Deal. Read between the lines of *Crafting a Boom* *Economy* by Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, and you will get a frightful peek at the slimy greed creature lurking just beneath the surface of the Beltway Black Lagoon. Gimme Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses! As Jonathan Chait* points out, the authors have actually written an exposé of oligarchic-political incest without even realizing it, seeming ... more »

The Tories May Not Believe It But Canada's Third Largest City Knows Climate Change Is Real

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 10 hours ago
There's been an interesting series of articles in *The Vancouver Sun *about climate change threats to the Lower Mainland. The low-lying Fraser River estuary is particularly vulnerable. It's a witches' brew of sea level rise, storm surges and rivers in flood being backed up by the sea. *“If you have a warmer atmosphere, you’re probably going to get more rain, so in the mid-latitude you could get a sequence of big storms,” said Gordon McBean, professor at Western University and director for research at the centre for environment and sustainability.* ***“The first couple of them co... more »

Zero Dark Thirty A Fraud?

But what makes all of this so remarkable is that the film's glorifying claims about torture are demonstrably, factually false. That waterboarding and other torture techniques were effective in finding bin Laden is a fabrication. When I first heard about this ridiculous concept for a documentary-type movie, I laughed. Darkly. Now it seems that the whole Joe Show is laughing heartily (but not

Too fat to fight

Rich Rifkin at Lexicon Daily - 11 hours ago
In a December 10 Washington Post story, "Rising number of soldiers being dismissed for failing fitness tests," Ernesto Londoño reports that "the Army is dismissing a rising number of soldiers who do not meet its fitness standards, drawing from a growing pool of troops grappling with obesity." Obesity is now the leading cause of ineligibility for people who want to join the Army, according to military officials, who see expanding waistlines in the warrior corps as a national security concern. Between 1998 and 2010, the number of active-duty military personnel deemed overweight or ... more »

Polar bear on Baffin

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 11 hours ago

Malcolm Levesconte After Christmas Cash Goes Missing

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
British police are hunting for a pub landlord after £30,000 disappeared from a Christmas fund. Malcolm Levesconte, 59, was last seen on Sunday at the Royal Oak pub in Shrewton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire Police said. Later that evening, he boarded a ferry at Portsmouth to St Malo in France. The spokesman said: "Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Mr Levesconte is asked to contact Salisbury CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously." http://news.sky.com/story/1023989/manhunt-after-christmas-cash-goes-missing

Substantial indemnity costs

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 11 hours ago
Laczko v. Alexander, 2012 ONCA 872 is a good source for the principle that, absent some other Rule, substaintial indemnity costs are to be awarded only in the rarest of cases: [2] Laczko seeks costs on a substantial indemnity basis. The court's discretion to award costs is governed by s. 131 of the Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, and by r. 57.01 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 194. It is well established that costs should be awarded on a partial indemnity basis unless justice can only be done by complete or substantial indemnification: see Foulis v. ... more »

Syrian rebels battle army near Damascus

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Syrian rebels clashed with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad near Damascus airport on Tuesday, battling for the capital's outskirts after 20 months of conflict which the United Nations said has driven half a million people from the country. Fighting near the airport, 20 km (12 miles) south-east of Damascus city center, is part of a broader confrontation between the army and rebels who hold a near continuous arc of territory from the east to the southwest of Assad's power base. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8AJ1FK20121211

Egypt army seeks national unity as crisis mounts

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Egypt's army chief called for talks on national unity to end the country's mounting political crisis after a vital loan from the IMF was delayed and thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators took to the streets. The meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon was called in response to an increasingly destabilizing series of protests that has unfolded since President Mohamed Mursi awarded himself sweeping powers on November 22 to push through a new constitution shaped by his Islamist allies in a referendum on Saturday. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-egypt-politi... more »

Michigan passes public sector "right-to-work" law amid protests

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
The Republican-majority Michigan legislature gave final approval on Tuesday to "right-to-work" restrictions on public sector unions in a state considered a stronghold of organized labor, as protesters chanted in the gallery and thousands rallied outside. The House passed the measure making membership and payment of union dues voluntary for public sector employees such as teachers by a 58-51 vote. The Senate approved the same bill last week so it will now go to Republican Governor Rick Snyder, who has promised to sign it into law. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-usa-unio... more »

'Storage Wars Fake' star Dave Hester Suing after being Fired

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
“Storage Wars” may have a real war brewing with one of its stars. Dave Hester , one of the show’s cast members, has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the show, according to RadarOnline. In his lawsuit, Hester is claiming the series is fake, and he says when he made complaints to the network about the staged portions of the show he was fired, Radar reported. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/12/11/torage-wars-star-dave-hester-says-show-is-fake-suing-report-says/

Breaking: Semi-coherent New York Times reports international test scores!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 11 hours ago
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2012* *Fumbling reporter works to Keep Script Alive:* It seems like only yesterday! It seems like we were discussing the way mainstream journalists knock American students for being so dumb—while engaging in incompetent writing and analysis themselves! In fact, it *was* only yesterday (click here). And sure enough: A new batch of major international test scores has now been released. And in this morning's New York Times, reporter Motoko Rich offered this semi-puzzling account: RICH (12/11/12): Fourth- and eighth-grade students in the United States continue ... more »

Bad Faith

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 11 hours ago
Kirby Cairo describes the impossibility of honest disagreement with dishonest political hacks: The problem is, however, that not all disagreements are rooted in honest differences of opinion. This is where the rightwing ideology of a man like Harper comes in. If Harper honestly believed that his political approach would bring about a better and more prosperous society, then our differences of opinion would be just that - differences of opinion. The problem is that all the evidence (both contemporary and historical) suggest that this is just not the case. In other words that are othe... more »

GYPSIES, JEWS AND JOBBIK

Anon at aangirfan - 11 hours ago
*“You are going to die, gypsies, you are going to die here!” Chants by people in a group consisting of members of the political party called Jobbikand others. **Website for this* A Hungarian politician called Katalin Ertsey reportedly has an Israeli passport. On 29 November 2012, another Hungarian politician, *Elod Novak*, said that Katalin Ertsey should resign. Novak reportedly said that "Israel has more deputies in the Hungarian parliament than they have in the Israeli Knesset," and this caused the Hungarian parliament to make "favorable" decisions toward Israel. Novak sent an ... more »

World's Best BBQ Pork Ribs (A Crock-Pot Meal)

Debra at Housewife Eclectic - 11 hours ago
We love BBQ in this house. BBQ that can be done in the crock-pot? Now that is even better. We love these ribs because they are so easy to make and so delicious. I don't say "World's Best" lightly. These are truly amazing. If you love BBQ, you'll love these. You will need: - 7-8 Pork Ribs - 1/2 tsp. salt - 1/4 tsp. pepper - 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce - 1/2 cup honey - 2 tsp. mustard - 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce - 1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce - Dash of garlic salt and chili powder 1. Place the pork in the crock pot and sprinkle salt and pepper o... more »

Syrian rebels seize military base, kill 35 soldiers

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
Syrian rebels including Islamic extremists took full control of a sprawling military base Tuesday after a bloody two-day battle that killed 35 soldiers, activists said. It was the latest gain by opposition forces bolstered by an al-Qaida-linked group that has provided skilled fighters but raised concerns in the West. The Sheik Suleiman military base was the second major base captured in the north by the rebels, who also are making inroads farther south toward the capital, Damascus. http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/syrian-rebels-seize-military-base-kill-35-soldiers-1.1074585

LIBOR SCANDAL ARRESTS

        AMERICAN KABUKI at American Kabuki - 11 hours ago
Thomas Hayes, a former trader at UBS AG and Citigroup, was arrested by the Serious Fraud Office and City of London Police today, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the investigation is ongoing. The three men arrested, ranging in age from 33 to 47, are all British nationals living in the U.K., the SFO said in an e-mailed statement. http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Ex-Citigroup-Trader-Said-to-Be-Arrested-in-U-K-4107932.php Breaking News Story: Three Men Arrested In Connection With Rigging Interbank Lending Rate (Libor) Read Libor S... more »

Hillary Clinton cancels Middle East trip over stomach virus the same day U.S. labels Syrian rebel group terrorists

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has pulled out of a weeklong trip to the Arab world because of a stomach virus, officials said on Monday, Her scheduled absence comes the same day the Obama administration declared a Syrian rebel group with alleged ties to al-Qaida a terrorist organization, a labelling she was expected to formally announce during her trip. Mrs Clinton was to travel to North Africa and the Middle East as part of a U.S. effort to enhance cooperation with moderates in the Syrian coalition fighting President Bashar Assad's regime, as well as to isolate ext... more »

More Than 500 Savile Victims Come Forward

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
More than 500 people have told police they were victims of abuse by the late DJ and television presenter Jimmy Savile. More than 200 allegations of sexual assault have been recorded by officers from Operation Yewtree, according to police. http://news.sky.com/story/1024000/savile-more-than-500-victims-come-forward

John McAfee Expects Release From Jail 'Today' to return to the US

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 11 hours ago
British-born computer software pioneer John McAfee has told Sky News he expects to be released from detention in Central America today. He told Jeff Randall that he is "100% certain" he will soon be heading for America. The 67-year-old is currently being held in a Guatemalan detention centre after being arrested for making an illegal entry into the Central American country on December 5. http://news.sky.com/story/1024003/john-mcafee-expects-release-from-jail-today

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 11 hours ago
*Tagliabue vacates Saints players' suspensions*

Battlefield: Brain, Yours Quite Possibly

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 12 hours ago
Military researchers are looking for ways to get inside their enemy's brain. Get inside and stir things up *goooood*. *This new battlespace is not just about influencing hearts and minds with people seeking information. It’s about involuntarily penetrating, shaping, and coercing the mind in the ultimate realization of Clausewitz’s definition of war: compelling an adversary to submit to one’s will. And the most powerful tool in this war is brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies, which connect the human brain to devices.* *Current BCI work ranges from researchers compiling a... more »

Nineteen unmarked graves found at Florida boys' reform school where students were 'beaten with leather straps, raped and murdered'

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
A cemetery at Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida holds 31 white crosses - many for children who died in a fire and influenza outbreak in the early 1900s - yet researchers have found 50 shafts. And their investigation is not complete, with scientists believing as many as 96 boys died between 1911 and the 1973, including Thomas Varnadoe (right) who school officials claim died of pneumonia 34 days after his arrival. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246378/Dozier-School-Report-reveals-19-unmarked-graves-Florida-boys-reform-school.html

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS - 11th December 2012

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
Magnitude 4.3 Date-Time Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 16:28:06 UTC Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 04:28:06 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 33.964°S, 179.707°W Depth 77.3 km (48.0 miles) Region SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS Distances 290 km (180 miles) SSW of L'Esperance Rock, New Zealand

We Can't Pretend Any Longer

The Mound of Sound at The Disaffected Lib - 12 hours ago
The tundra is burning. Coupled with retreating glaciers and loss of Arctic sea ice, we now have three global warming feedback loop mechanisms that are plainly visible to the naked eye from space. This is not the face of man-made or anthropogenic global warming. No, we pulled the trigger but the Earth did the rest. And now we're pretty much powerless to stop any of it. We can't stop the tundra from burning, releasing greenhouse gases, spreading soot to northern ice caps and exposing the permafrost underneath, itself a rich source of massive quantities of once safely stored gr... more »

'Syrian rebels' Filmed forcing boy to behead captive with sword

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 12 hours ago
It is perhaps the most disturbing piece of video footage to emerge out of the Syrian crisis to date. A young boy is egged on by a group of older men, believed to be rebel fighters, and filmed hacking the head off a man who is lying on the ground. An older man is then seen picking up the head before placing it on top of the body like a macabre trophy. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246382/Horrific-video-Syrian-rebels-forcing-boy-behead-captive-sword.html *These are the People our Governments want to secure chemical weapon sites?*

Rogue geoengineering project: Can we stop modern-day mad scientists?

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 12 hours ago
[image: Satellite view of possible phytoplankton bloom caused by Russ George's rogue iron fertilization experiment, 29 August 2012. NASA / MODIS / AQUA] By Kathryn Doyle 28 November 2012 It's hard to stop a bad idea with enough money behind it—even rogue science on the high seas. Russ George, a wealthy American businessman with a history of big, controversial ideas, launched his latest one this October: dumping 200,000 pounds of iron sulfate into the North Pacific. His aim was to spur a huge plankton bloom, which would absorb carbon dioxide in photosynthesis and then sink to th... more »

The Poverty Trap in France

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 12 hours ago
From *Forbes*: Let’s take an unemployed mother living alone with two children between six and 10 years old. In 2010, there were 284,445 French families in this situation that were on welfare. This mother will be given the “Active Solidarity Income.” Since she has two children, the amount will be $1,100. If she is renting an apartment with a $650 rent, she will be given the “Housing Customized Aid,” amounting to $620. Then she will receive “Family Allowances,” which amounts to another $160. Finally, let’s add the payment known as “Allowance for the start of the school year,” which i... more »

Lindo perrito con su gorrito de navidad

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 12 hours ago
[image: Perritos] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *imágenes de perritos* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Maybe Obama Should Take Some Time Away From Dicking Around With Boehner And Deal With The Climate Cliff

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 12 hours ago
I noticed a tweet the other day that pointed that that if December 31 sees us fall off the phony "fiscal cliff," Congress can heroically "fix" everything when it reconvenes in January. If we fall off a different kind of manmade cliff, the Climate Cliff, we could be irrevocably doomed as a species. The Oil and Gas barons don't care; they figure they'll die rich and the partisan conservative base is too dumb (average IQ of a Fox viewer is 80 so they are incapable of abstract thought and unable to comprehend a Climate Cliff) to understand what they're backing or why. Eventually I re... more »

Manzana roja con el diseño de una estrella

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 12 hours ago
[image: Frutas y Navidad] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *imágenes de navidad* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Arbol de navidad junto a la chimenea

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 13 hours ago
[image: Arboles de Navidad] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *Arboles de navidad* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Iran insists on nuclear "right" ahead of IAEA talks

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 13 hours ago
Iran voiced readiness on Tuesday to address concerns of U.N. nuclear inspectors about its atomic activities in talks this week but said its "right" to refine uranium should be part of any agreement. The Islamic state's insistence that its uranium enrichment - work which can have both military and civilian purposes - should be recognized may further dampen expectations among Western diplomats of any major progress in Thursday's talks. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-nuclear-iran-iaea-idUSBRE8BA0W920121211

Haitian Hearts/Peoria

John Carroll at Dying in Haiti - 14 hours ago
It's all the same. Many good people on the ground that care. Many good people who invoke Jesus's name all the time. Peoria version of "Si Bon Dieu vle". Way more good here than bad. It's all the same. Young men smoking cigarettes talking through second floor open window of project housing to a woman that doesn't want to be bothered on sidewalk below. United Against Violence on blue strap hanging from her neck. John 3:16 carved in cement. It's all the same.

Cuyo comiendo entre los adornos de navidad

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
[image: Mascotas] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *imágenes de mascotas* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

more signs of life in the labour movement: non-union workers rising

laura k at wmtc - 14 hours ago
Of all the reasons for hope that we've seen in recent times - Wisconsin, the Occupy Movement, the Quebec students' actions, the Chicago teachers' strike - this trend gives me the most joy and the most hope. Here are three stories of *non-unionized* workers organizing themselves to change conditions in their own workplaces. In September, New York City restaurant workers walked off the job and won a historic victory against their oppressive and vindictive employer. The restaurant workers who were fired and locked out of their store for organizing a union have won after a week of esca... more »

US on track to upgrade ties with Syrian opposition as international diplomacy intensifies

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 14 hours ago
The Obama administration is getting ready to tighten its ties to Syria's main opposition group, a step in the intensifying diplomacy that officials hope will craft an end to Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime. Officials say the administration is on track to recognize the new Syrian opposition council as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people at an international conference on the crisis in Morocco this week. The move will pave the way for greater U.S. support for those seeking to oust Assad and follows the blacklisting of a militant Syrian rebel group w... more »

Caja con esferas de colores para navidad

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
[image: Esferas de Navidad] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *imágenes de esferas* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

US blacklists al Qaeda-linked Syrian rebel group

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 14 hours ago
The United States on Tuesday designated the radical Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra, an important fighting force in the opposition struggle, as a foreign terrorist organization and said it was trying to hijack the rebellion on behalf of al Qaeda in Iraq. U.S. officials said the al-Nusra group had claimed responsibility for carrying out nearly 600 attacks in major cities that have *killed numerous innocent Syrians* during the 20-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-syria-usa-idUSBRE8BA0IB20121211

IMF loan to Egypt delayed as crisis deepens

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 14 hours ago
A vital $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan to Egypt will be delayed until next month, its finance minister said on Tuesday, intensifying the political crisis gripping the Arab world's most populous nation. As rival factions gathered in Cairo and Alexandria for a new round of demonstrations, Finance Minister Mumtaz al-Said said the delay in the loan agreement was intended to allow time to explain a heavily criticised package of economic austerity measures to the Egyptian people. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-egypt-politics-idUSBRE8B90RO20121211

KATE NURSE MYSTERY

Anon at aangirfan - 14 hours ago
The police said that her death is "unexplained." Police are treating the death as "unexplained." - CNN.com Yet, Jacintha Saldanha reportedly hanged herself in the nurses' quarters at King Edward VII Hospital in London, according to The Sun And she left a suicide note, reportedly... *.... writes:* "The whole Suicide Nurse/Prank Call debacle stinks to high-heaven and NOT ONE news outlet/journo has questioned the statistical fact that women, never mind women who work in the medical field, rarely commit suicide by hanging - it's men that hang themselves (excuse the explicit nature of... more »

Don't Worry About the PA Plan

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 14 hours ago
If you want to know why the Pennsylvania plan of rigging the Electoral College by having Republican majorities in the Keystone State change the way that electoral votes are allocated there is a bad idea in general, see John Putnam's excellent post on the topic. You remember -- this is the plan to neutralize the state in presidential elections by switching from winner-take-all apportionment of electoral votes to either a district plan or, now, splitting them by vote share. He's pretty mild on it, overall, concentrating on why the allocation is a poor one generally; he doesn't really ... more »

Tuesday Morning Links

PM at Duck of Minerva - 14 hours ago
Let’s make like a blacksmith and forge some linkage: A detailed examination of how China’s military-industrial complex is making surprising advances. (The Diplomat) Chris Blattman reviews James C. Scott’s new Two Cheers For Anarchism. With 30 pages left to go, I can say that it should have been on my “best books read in 2012″ Continue reading

Cabaña entre el bosque nevado

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
[image: Paisajes de Navidad] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *Arboles de navidad* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

Shale Gas Drilling 'Huge Boost' To UK Economy

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 14 hours ago
Drilling for shale gas could create "tens of thousands" of jobs in the UK and generate vast sums of money for the Treasury, according to a UK-based exploration company. Cuadrilla chief executive Francis Egan has told the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee that the controversial process will also reduce Britain's dependency on imported gas. Opponents say the method of hydraulic fracturing - or 'fracking' - which involves pumping water into rock to push out natural gas, carries numerous environmental risks. http://news.sky.com/story/1023903/shale-gas-drilling-huge-boost-to-u... more »

A Santa Claus se le perdio su trineo

José Luis Ávila Herrera at FotoFrontera - 14 hours ago
[image: Santa Claus] *Nota:* Haga usted click aquí para ver más *imágenes de Santa Claus* Por favor visite nuestra página oficial: www.fotofrontera.com

from greece to chicago to toronto, workers fighting back against austerity

laura k at wmtc - 14 hours ago
Working my way backwards, this the second of four talks I attended that I'll be reporting on. * * * * In November, I heard Nikos Loudos of the Socialist Workers Party in Greece (by Skype) and Canadian activist and organizer Carolyn Egan speak about the recent general strike in Europe, and the fight against austerity at home and abroad. It was after 1:00 a.m. in Greece, but Nikos was full of energy. He reminded us, "I cannot complain, there are people who have bigger problems". In Brussels, the Eurogroup was staying up all night discussing "the Greek problem". Greece was supposed ... more »

For liberals only: Do we want to be serviced this way?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 14 hours ago
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2012* *What Rachel said about Rove:* Do we liberals want to be conned when we turn on our TV machines? Do we want to be pleasured and serviced in silly tribal ways? That’s the way Fox treats conservative viewers. Do we liberals want that treatment when we turn on The One True Channel? That question popped into our heads as we watched cable last night. We were back on our sprawling campus—and we were soon handed this: MADDOW (12/10/12): As the Republican Party and the conservative movement try to figure out who they are in the wake of this year’s elections an... more »

the global fight against austerity: from greece to chicago to toronto, workers fighting back

laura k at wmtc - 14 hours ago
Working my way backwards, this the second of four talks I attended that I'll be reporting on. * * * * In November, I heard Nikos Loudos of the Socialist Workers Party in Greece (by Skype) and Canadian activist and organizer Carolyn Egan speak about the recent general strike in Europe, and the fight against austerity at home and abroad. It was after 1:00 a.m. in Greece, but Nikos was full of energy. He reminded us, "I cannot complain, there are people who have bigger problems". In Brussels, the Eurogroup was staying up all night discussing "the Greek problem". Greece was supposed ... more »

E-Commerce predicted in 1969

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 14 hours ago
Slightly sexist?

Meet Mark Daniels and Dugan King of the Free & Equal Arkansas State Caucus

Mark Daniels at GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING - 14 hours ago
Free & Equal will have a grass roots caucus group for each state. State caucuses will monitor legislation push for positive electoral reform and more. In this pocast syndicated radio host Josh Tolley along with Free & Equal founder Christina Tobin sit down with two members of the newly formed Arkansas caucus members Mark Daniels and Dugan King in a friendly meet and greet. Go to the Free & Equal website to subscribe to updates, donate and support our commitment to more voices and choices. Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the... more »

Sex texts epidemic: Experts warn sharing explicit photos is corrupting children

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 14 hours ago
Boys and girls as young as 13 routinely swap explicit pictures of themselves, a disturbing investigation reveals today. Children are now so sexualised the practice has become ‘mundane and mainstream’. One girl told researchers: ‘I get asked for naked pictures at least two or three times a week.’ A boy said: ‘You would have seen a girl’s breasts before you’ve seen their face’ while another youngster referred to so-called sexting as ‘the new flirting’. Yesterday censors were forced to announce a crackdown on depraved films amid fears they distort the way teenage boys view women. htt... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 15 hours ago
*A New Failure ~The Angry Whodat*

Concern that Assad may have passed some chemical weapons to Hizballah

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 15 hours ago
There is growing concern that some of the chemical weapons the Assad regime has been pushing out of the Damascus area in the last few days were sent across the border to Hizballah strongholds in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley to keep them out of rebel hands. Syrian army officers who recently defected report that containers were last week removed from Syrian bases at Jabal Kalamon and loaded on vehicles camouflaged as commercial trucks. On the Lebanese side, the consignment is thought to have been split up and hidden at different Hizballah bases to make them harder to attack. Israel’s U... more »

Syrian rebel to Ynet: Israel will benefit from backing us

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 15 hours ago
Long time readers here will remember this woman allegedly from Canada She just had to leave her family and go to Syria to join the rebels....... She was pegged as an obvious psyop way back. And this article makes that fact all the more obvious. So, let us all share a laugh at the absurdity of this psyop... *In special interview, (with Ynet) Syrian woman who left comfortable family life in Canada to help rebel forces in Aleppo and Idlib says Israel making 'big mistake' by not supporting struggle against Assad. * Thabia Qanfani, an engineer, was born in Damascus and settled with her f... more »

No faith in GOD, Sin fe en DIOS

Abraham Ben Judea at Abraham says - 15 hours ago
 "I'll allow the hand of man to protect me from harm." *What would God say to a person who profess faith in God and faith that when they die they will go to heaven? A person who shows more faith in the hand of man than in the power of the lord to keep them safe to continue doing his work?* *How come the pope has less faith in the lord than an Agnostic?* *What would Daniel or ST Peter say of the great leader placing his safety in the things of man to protect him from harm? Daniel and the apostle Peter would no doubt curse at him and cast him aside.* Abraham Ben Judea "I have no fa... more »

Nuclear Black Market Thrives

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 15 hours ago
Another reason why nuclear makes no sense. "Black Market Thrives in Georgia" by D. Butler (of the AP), The AZ Republic (2012, Dec 11), p. A10 [Excerpted] The Georgian seller offered cesium, a byproduct of nuclear reactors that terrorists can use to arm a dirty bomb. But one of the Turkish men, wearing a suit and casually smoking a cigarette, made clear he was after something even more dangerous: uranium, the material for a nuclear bomb" Majia here: The costs of producing nuclear plants, processing uranium, storing spent nuclear fuel, and securitizing it from those who would use t... more »

Neil Macdonald: The "right" to work for less

Matt at The Coming Crisis - 15 hours ago
The citizens of Michigan will soon be given the right to work. They must be terribly grateful. On his website, Gov. Rick Snyder declares that the "right to work" legislation headed for his signature as early as today "will improve the lives of countless Michigan families by restoring workplace fairness and equality for all workers." In fact, calling Michigan's new labour law "right to work" legislation is like calling a bill that strips away hard-fought civil liberties "The Patriot Act," or denying gay Americans the right to wed by passing the "Defence of Marriage Act." In the lat... more »

International Studies Blogging Awards Update

Daniel Nexon at Duck of Minerva - 15 hours ago
With less than a month left to nominate awards and guarantee voting rights, here’s where we stand: Nominees for Best Blog (Group): Abu Muqawama Arms Control Wonk Crooked Timber The Disorder of Things IPE at UNC Kings of War Nominees for Best Blog (Individual): Abu Aardvark’s Middle East Blog (Marc Lynch) Chris Blattman Dart-Throwing Chimp (Jay Ulfelder) Continue reading

BUDGET BABEL: Where does all the confusion come from?

bob somerby at the daily howler - 15 hours ago
*TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2012* *Interlude—Krugman and Mann explain:* Before we were called away from our desks, we were exploring the constant confusion surrounding our budget discussions. More specifically, we were discussing the difficulty journalists have explaining how Social Security works. See THE DAILY HOWLER, 12/6/12. Tomorrow, we'll return to Glenn Kessler’s recent attempt to explain the workings of the venerable program. For today, let’s ask an obvious question: Why in the world is it hard to explain the way this program works? Social Security has been around since the 193... more »

Video: Philippine toll from typhoon above 700 and likely to rise, authorities say

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 15 hours ago
By Jethro Mullen 11 December 2012 (CNN) – The death toll from the destructive typhoon that savaged the southern Philippines last week has climbed above 700, authorities said Tuesday, warning that the final number may be much higher. Nearly 900 people are still unaccounted for in the aftermath of Typhoon Bopha, the strongest and deadliest storm to hit the Philippines this year, according to the country's emergency management agency. The numbers of dead and missing have risen drastically during the past several days as government officials have gathered information from isolated a... more »

Big nations block curbs on tuna overfishing

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 15 hours ago
[image: Skipjack tuna and bycatch caught in the net of the Ecuadorean purse seiner 'Ingalapagos', which was documented fishing on a fish aggregation device (FAD) by Greenpeace in the vicinity of the northern Galapagos Islands. Bycatch included; juvenile bigeye tuna, juvenile yellowfin tuna, black marlin, Spanish mackerel, wahoo, triggerfish, mahi mahi, Green turtle, and Olive Ridley turtle. © Alex Hofford / Greenpeace] Manila, 6 December 2012 (AFP) – Efforts to curb overfishing of tuna in the Pacific were blocked by big countries that refused to cut their catch at a meeting of tun... more »

Mortality of biggest and oldest trees around the world is increasing rapidly, study warns

Jim at Desdemona Despair - 16 hours ago
[image: Forester Anders Grube in a former ash forest in Denmark. The ash trees were killed by the Chalara fraxinea fungus. A third of Britain's woodland is feared to be at risk from ash dieback after experts said the fungus appeared to be circulating in mature ash trees in the east of England. HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY] By JIM ROBBINS 7 December 2012 The death rate of many of the biggest and oldest trees around the world is increasing rapidly, scientists report in a new study in Friday’s issue of the journal *Science*. They warned that research to understand and stem the loss of the tr... more »

Conservative Carbon Tax Attack on Mulcair Based on one "Tweet" by Economist Jack Mintz

leftdog at Buckdog - 16 hours ago
*The following guest post was written by Kevin Grandia and was published on DeSmog Blog on Dec 10/12.* *Right now, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative party are blaketing the airwaves with a US-style attack ad campaign against NDP leader Thomas Mulcair.* ***In one of the ads the very serious voice-over tells us that "according to experts Mulcair's carbon tax will raise gas by 10 cents a litre."* ***A little research finds that the "experts" in the ad, are in fact a singular expert named Jack Mintz, who in a news release correcting a tweethe made in April of last y... more »

Proof Some Docs, Drug Companies, Politicians & Government Officials Work To Make Your Kids Sick, To Get Your Money

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 16 hours ago
Proof Some Docs, Drug Companies, Politicians & Government Officials Work To Make Your Kids Sick – To Get Your MONEY – News From NY USA Charity AHRPChild health Safety, 11 December 2012 If you ever wanted the clearest of proof then the US statewide national Federal TeenScreen programme is it. So when some docs and health officials are trying to shove yet another vaccine into your child, remember that body and mind, they are harming too many children with vaccines and mind and body altering drugs whilst telling you they are all safe. TeenScreen was a programme to screen all US tee... more »

THE UK IS PRIMARILY A RACIST SOCIETY

NO ONE TO VOTE FOR at NO ONE TO VOTE FOR - 16 hours ago
. According to the 2011 Census only 45% of Londoners are now 'white British'. The number of foreign nationals resident in Britain has risen by 3 million over the last 10 years......etc., etc. Culture devastation has been inflicted on the UK and the process is irreversible. Most Brits are angry. It has got to the point where it is probable that even the immigrant community itself is losing patience with the mass immigration being inflicted on us. There are few decent jobs out there and young people cannot afford to even rent, never mind buy, a property in which to live independentl... more »

Champerty and Maintenence

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 16 hours ago
The Conservative Party of Canada appears to be incapable of embarrassment. Consider their argument against the robocall case, which opened yesterday. Arthur Hamilton, the party's lawyer, accused the Council of Canadians of bringing the case forward for the purposes of "champerty and maintenance" -- to push their political agenda and to fundraise on its behalf. Tasha Kheiridden points out that there are all kinds of organizations which do that, as a normal part of the political process. She then goes on to list a number of such organizations on both the left and the right: But the... more »

Home Mortgage Interest Deductions... On The Table?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 16 hours ago
The National Association of Home Builders didn't spend as much on elections this year as they normally do. The $2,290,068 they did spend on federal elections in 2012 was the smallest amount since 2000. This year their PAC gave $1,398,500 to federal candidates, 75% of it to Republicans, 25% to Democrats. A lot of the big dough they handed out went to other PACs-- $30,000 each to the DCCC, NRCC, DSCC, NRSC and the RNC-- and $10,000 pops to shady operations like the Blue Dog PAC, the New Dem PAC and personal leadership PACs operated by notoriously corrupt Members of Congress like Jo... more »

Superfund Site, But No Cleanup Necessary

By: Duane Craig Perhaps in a case of the federal government bending over a bit too far at a state’s request, the Portland Harbor Oil Superfund site may not get a cleanup with federal dollars, according to this article. The reason is because after closer scrutiny, the pollution isn’t serious enough, and the local fish aren’t plentiful or old enough to warrant a cleanup. An oil spill from storage tanks owned by Harbor Oil in 1974 was the first warning shot of a minor disaster unfolding. That incident killed the fish in Force Lake. Then, just five years later, a massive fire melted fiv... more »

WAR WORLD as written by Actor Arrenay

Mike Philbin at FREE PLANET - 16 hours ago
*DEC 11TH 2012, NEWS HEADLINE:* The Republik of New Afrika is still planning Global Domination. ..and yes, this does mean that Rap Music has been dictating which actions to take and which people to murder since the destruction of the Black Panther Party in 1982. Seriously, this is why 9/11 and 7/7 were done and Mad Cow Disease and Chernobyl; this is the reason for all the biochemist deaths and celebrity children murders. Yes, you've guessed it - after a long break, I chanced upon *Victor Rothschild's cousin and ex-US-military-in-Iraq contact* here in Oxford aka Actor Arrenay. He was... more »

An Interview With The Fugitive, Julian Assange

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 16 hours ago
Julian Assange supporters protest at the British embassy in Quito. Photograph: Edu Leon/CON/LatinContent/Getty Images Interview | Julian Assange: The Fugitive Reader Supported News via Guardian UK & by Decca Aitkenhead, 8 December 2012 *Julian Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy for six months. In a rare interview, we ask the WikiLeaks founder about reports of illness, paranoia – and if he'll ever come out* The Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge looks rather lavish from the street, but inside it's not much bigger than a family apartment. The armed police guar... more »

Best Cold and Flu Fighters + Home Remedies for Coughs and Congestion

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 16 hours ago
Best Cold and Flu Fighters + Home Remedies for Coughs and Congestion Common Sense Homesteading, 7 December 2012 *Cold and flu season is sweeping the country. It’s time to prepare yourself with the best cold and flu fighters to help you stay healthy, or to recover quickly if you get sick.* *Here’s a round up of posts from the Common Sense Homesteading website that are focused on colds and flus.* Best Cold and Flu Fighters #1 – Probiotics*Preparing for Cold and Flu Season with Probiotics* explains what probiotics (friendly bacteria) are and how they work. We’ll share scientific... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 17 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Teri Garr, 65. Here's one for you: how much better are Terri Garr, Cloris Leachman, and Madeline Kahn than Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, and Marty Feldman? I'm talking overall talent, not just that one movie. And I like Boyle a lot, and I like Feldman for what he was...but that's a pretty severe imbalance, no? Hey -- I knew she was in Elvis movies, but I didn't realize that she was a dancer in The T.A.M.I. Show, too. Lots of good stuff today: 1. Spencer Ackerman on Zero Dark Thirty and torture: he argues that the movie does not make a (false) case for the efficacy of... more »

MI Right to Mooch Act is ALEC Copy & Paste

2old2care at Because I Can - 17 hours ago
This morning a piece out of Michigan that has some information in it that I have emphasized. I have not seen the legislation – so I can’t verify the statement – but at this point why would we question it? Just verified the statement: from a trusted course – CMD’s Lisa Graves who put out a new op-ed this morning entitled: *ALEC's So-Called "Right to Work" Bill as Political Revenge in Michigan* At issue is a bill spearheaded by ALEC legislators so beholden to their corporate benefactors that they think it's legitimate to vote in secret as equals with corporate lobbyists on model ... more »

Brandon Woodard Assassinated in Broad Daylight

Lynsey at The Coming Crisis - 17 hours ago
Brandon Lincoln Woodard, who was visiting from Los Angeles, was murdered in broad daylight on Monday afternoon by a man who stalked him for 40 minutes in the busy Columbus Circle area of Midtown Manhattan. The cold-blooded killer simply turned and walked away, then got into a waiting Lincoln MKZ sedan and fled. He is still at large. 'It is one shot right in the back of the head. It is a hit, no question about it,' a police source told WABC-TV. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246098/Brandon-Woodard-Aspiring-rapper-victim-shot-head-New-York-victim-hit.html
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