8 Dec - Blogs I'm Following

“Pamela and Randy Copus are the duo known as 2002. Randy Copus plays piano, electric cello, guitar, bass and keyboards. Pamela Copus plays flutes, harp, keyboards and a wind instrument called a WX5. Both musicians also provide all of the vocals on their albums, recording their voices many, many times and layering them to create a "virtual choir" with a celestial, angelic quality.” 2002, “Where The Stars And Moon Play” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMqLFemZOOg&feature=related

"These clouds of interstellar dust and gas have blossomed 1,300 light-years away in the fertile star fields of the constellation Cepheus. Sometimes called the Iris Nebula and dutifully cataloged as NGC 7023, this is not the only nebula in the sky to evoke the imagery of flowers. Surrounding it, obscuring clouds of dust and cold molecular gas are also present and can suggest other convoluted and fantastic shapes. Within the Iris, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot, young star. *Click image for larger size*. The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue, characteris... more »

"When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the little space which I fill and even can see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I am ignorant and which know me not, I am frightened and am astonished at being here rather than there; for there is no reason why here rather than there, why now rather than then. Who has put me here? By whose order and direction have this place and time been allotted to me? 'The remembrance of a guest that tarries but a day.'” - Blaise Pascal "All day I think about it, then at night I sa... more »

"I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it ... more »

* "16 Harsh Truths that Make Us Stronger"* by Marc “*1. Life is not easy.* Hard work makes people lucky – it’s the stuff that brings dreams to reality. So start every morning ready to run farther than you did yesterday and fight harder than you ever have before. *2. You will fail sometimes.* The faster you accept this, the faster you can get on with being brilliant. You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. So get out there and do something! Either you succeed or you learn a vital lesson. Win – Win. *3. Right now, t... more »

Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Thanks for stopping by.

"Everything has been figured out, except how to live." - Jean-Paul Sartre

*"Where the Soul Is: Finding the Place You Belong"* by The DailyOm "There will likely be times in your life when your soul evolves more quickly than your circumstances. There will likely be times in your life when your soul evolves more quickly than your circumstances. Your subconscious mind may be ready to move forward long before you recognize that you are destined to embrace a new way of life. Your soul intuitively understands that changing habitats can be a vital part of the growth process and that there may be one part of you that is eager to move to another home, another stat... more »

*“12 Universal Truths That Will Change Your Life for the Better”* by Lamisha Serf-Walls “I'm no Oprah and I certainly haven't learned all there is to learn about life, but there are a few things that I know for sure. These universal truths apply to you no matter where you are in life or what mistakes you've made in the past. So read them, apply them, and watch the magic happen in your life. *1. Everything and I mean everything you want to achieve begins with a thought...so allow yourself the time and space to daydream, visualize, and use your imagination to craft the most amazing s... more »

*“Lessons”* by Chet Raymo “There is a four-line poem by Yeats, called "Gratitude to the Unknown Instructors": "What they undertook to do They brought to pass; All things hang like a drop of dew Upon a blade of grass." Like so many of the short poems of Yeats, it is hard to know what the poet had in mind, who exactly were the unknown instructors, and if unknown how could they instruct. But as I opened my volume of The Poems this morning, at random, as in the old days people opened the Bible and pointed a finger at a random passage seeking advice or instruction, this ... more »

"Israeli warplanes hit two separate areas near Syria’s capital of Damascus yesterday, including a facility at the city’s international airport, and reveals Tel Aviv’s role in the destabilzation of Syria and aiding Islamic insurgents inside Syria." - *"Aiding ISIS: Israel bombs Syria for fifth time in 18 months, gives arms, medical aid to militants"* 21st Century Wire, December 8, 2014. Israel's periodic attacks on Syria's military facilities, research centers, high-tech weapons, is proof of its courage and military brazenness. And this has to be respected. Israel can attack Syria... more »

*"Wayfarer"* "Wayfarer, the only way is your footsteps, there is no other. Wayfarer, there is no way, you make the way by walking. As you go, you make the way and stopping to look behind, you see the path that your feet will never travel again. Wayfarer, there is no way - Only foam trails to the sea." ~ Antonio Machado

Dear all, Please find the briefing paper published by Attac France and Aitec in the framework of the Lima UNFCCC conference to highlight how TTIP and CETA are jeopardizing climate and energy transformation processes : Here in English : Climate or TTIP, make your choice! https://france.attac.org/IMG/pdf/note_tafta_lima_-en.pdf Here in French : Climat ou

The Straight Goods Cheers Eyes Wide Open

WHEN DO THE ANTI-OLIGARCHY RIOTS START? From Zero Hedge: “Riddles” Surround 36th Dead Banker Of The Year So reminiscent of the movie "Munich." No, not the politics; the belief in assassinations being the answer: revenge. (Or providing a vast evidentiary basis for what happens to the "bad" examples.)* But I digress. One of my favorite scientists/thinkers echoes my thoughts on what feminism

I began my college education at the University of Hawaii. I had a rather unique view of education. That is, I never considered a need for any diplomas or any special recognition for what I did in college. Actually, I chose UH over several other choices because I was and continue to be an avid surfer. I eventually settled in as a dual major in pre-med and English literature, Aldous Huxley being my hero at the time. I have also attended several other universities: Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada; University of California, Santa Barbara; CSU San Luis Obispo; and l... more »

*“Fox: Obama Seeks Advice on Establishing Monarchy”* by Andy Borowitz WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— "President Barack Obama spent several hours on Monday in a closed-door Oval Office meeting seeking advice on how to establish a monarchy, Fox News reports. According to Fox, the President peppered his Oval Office guest with detailed questions about the mechanics of setting up a monarchy and was curious about the perks and powers that go along with it. Obama’s guest advised him that establishing a monarchy would probably require rewriting or even replacing the Constitution, an opti... more »

I have a personal emergency to attend to. Blogging will return tomorrow. *Update:* Someone just emailed me if everything is OK with my family .... yes .... everything is A-OK. It is just that one of my business partners .... (yes I have other projects) .... called me that he needed to see me because there is a crisis/emergency in his family .... and being loyal to my friends and partners .... I just cannot say no.

*Impending CIA Interrogation Report Creates Fear of Violence -- ABC News* U.S. embassies around the world are bracing for a potentially explosive report about to be released that details what the CIA did to terror suspects in the days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and the fear is that its release could threaten American lives. The report, due to be released Tuesday by the Senate, is described as shocking in its very graphic descriptions of secret interrogations, including some details that have never been heard before. All U.S. facilities around the world are being urged to r... more »

*“What Do Central Banking and ‘Twerking’ Have in Common?”* by Bill Bonner “New York is filling up with holiday shoppers and tourists. On Saturday, we went to the Broadway show 'Jersey Boys.' It was not an especially complex or subtle storyline. But the music, of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, was lively and agreeable. It took us back to the early 1960s. Those were the days! Back then people had jobs... prices were fairly stable... and the GDP was growing at twice or three times today's rates (and so were personal incomes). How was it possible? Back then, under chairman Willia... more »

Kathy Dawson got a response to her open letter to the Mayor of Hinton, Alberta. Kathy wanted to know why the town gave $10K of its photo radar bonanza (total available: $100K) to a fake pregnancy clinic. [via email from:] Lil Wallace, Executive Assistant - Office of the Mayor; Office of the Town Manager Dear Ms. Dawson: Thank you for your enquiry respecting the Quality of Life grant program that Hinton offers. Hinton is a diverse community that works and builds together. This includes improving several aspects of the quality of life for our citizens through grants such as the Qu... more »

BINDING THE ARROWS Posted on December 8, 2014 Please post and distribute. Nia:wen. MNN. Dec. 8, 2014. A copy of this Objection was sent by registered mail to the Governor General of the Corporation of Canada: Never ending Longhouse uniting all Ongwehonwe on Onowaregeh. “To: Every Ongwehonwe in the Rotinoshonni Confederacy and to all our Friends and Allies on Onowaregeh: She:kon.

Ongoing research into the world’s favourite recreational drug continues to suggest that coffee is nothing but god for us. Not only have most of coffee's purported ill effects been disproven -- the most recent review fails to link it the development of hypertension -- but we have so, so much information about its benefits. We believe they extend from preventing Alzheimer's disease to protecting the liver. What we know goes beyond small-scale studies or limited observations. The past couple of years have seen findings, that, taken together, suggest that we should embrace coffee for ... more »

WECAN INTERNATIONAL AT THE UNFCCC COP20 2014 Top photo by Robin Milam Posted at Censored News WECAN International is headed to Lima, Peru this December for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP20 negotiations. Join WECAN and our allies for a series of events and mobilizations in pursuit of climate justice, systemic change, and equitable solutions that

*Exclusive: Kenyan Counterterrorism Police Admit To Extrajudicial Killings -- Al Jazeera* Kenyan officers suggest program in which terrorism suspects were killed without trial on basis of Western intelligence Kenyan police have assassinated nearly 500 terrorism suspects as part of an extrajudicial killing program supported by intelligence provided by Israel and the United Kingdom, an Al Jazeera investigation has revealed. Officers from four units of Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) said that police assassinated terrorist suspects on government orders. The police killings... more »

*MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014Letter writer makes good point:* On November 30, Michael Eric Dyson wrote a piece in the Sunday New York Times about the Ferguson grand jury. Dyson started like this: DYSON (11/29/14): When Ferguson flared up this week after a grand jury failed to indict the white police officer Darren Wilson for killing the unarmed black youth Michael Brown, two realities were illuminated: *Black and white people rarely view race in the same way or agree about how to resolve racial conflicts,* and black people have furious moral debates among ourselves out of white earsh... more »

Casey Camp, Ponca, speaks on fracking at Peru Tribunal Tribunal Denounces Violations to Rights of Nature By Global Alliance Monday, December 8th, 2014 Censored News Yasunidos caravan arrived at Rights of Nature Tribunal in LimaINSPITE of Ecuador's customs to release the bus tocontinue their Caravan from Mexico!  International Rights of Nature Tribunal Day 1 Lima, December 6th,

Israel, with full US backing, wants to expand their control in the region. A take down of Syria would give Israel a new base of operations as they work with the Pentagon to make long-range plans for 'regime change' in Iran. Watch this one as it develops. Very provocative program.

*BREAKING: The Supreme Court Just Refused BP’s Attempt To Skirt Settlement Costs ~Ari Phillips, Think Progress*

*Zero rating: unlimited Facebook data for cell phones* Yesterday, The New York Times wrote an insightful text about the minority activists' opinions about the net neutrality meme. Obama’s Net Neutrality Bid Divides Civil Rights Groups The Grey Lady says that it is usually expected that net neutrality is favored by the far left-wing fringe of the Democratic Party. However, the real-world data suggest something else. The conservative judge Antonin Scalia has supported this egalitarian concept for a decade. But most of the "civil rights groups" that The New York Times enumerates actua... more »

Peoples of the 4 river basin of Peru present their case for violations to Rights if Nature and the peoples impacted by oil development in the northern Amazon of Peru. Photo by Robin Milam Tribunal verdicts on violation of rights of people and nature By Global Alliance Monday, December 8th, 2014 Censored News International Rights of Nature Tribunal Day 2 Delegation of Saweto with

Casey Camp, Ponca, speaks on fracking at Peru Tribunal Photo Robin Milam Tribunal Denounces Violations to Rights of Nature By Global Alliance Monday, December 8th, 2014 Please go to updated link: http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2014/12/peru-tribunal-denounces-violations-to.html

*Unicef Calls 2014 One Of Worst Years On Record for World’s Children -- New York Times* The year 2014 has been one of the worst on record for the world’s children, the United Nations said on Monday in a report that chronicled a litany of war, violence, atrocities and disease, mostly in the Middle East and Africa. Up to 15 million children are directly entangled in violent conflicts in the Central African Republic, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, South Sudan, Syria and Ukraine, said the report by the United Nations Children’s Fund, or Unicef. Globally, the report said, an estim... more »

The CDC actually admits that the Flu vaccine doesn't work.... then tries to sell you another drug to cure you when you actually get the Flu after all. Seriously.... I can't make this crap up!!! Love d

Neely v. MacDonald, 2014 ONCA 874: The headings contained in a contract are part of the language chosen by the parties and can properly be considered in interpreting the provisions that follow, provided the wording of the contract is not inconsistent with such an interpretation: Cathcart Inspection Services Ltd. v. Purolator Courier Ltd. (1981), 34 O.R. (2d) 187 (S.C.), at para. 29, aff'd 39 O.R. (2d) 656 (C.A.); Toronto (City) v. Toronto Railway, [1907] A.C. 315 (P.C.). Failure to read an agreement in accordance with its headings may lead a court to misconstrue the contractual pr... more »

CRISPY CRITTERS Posted on December 8, 2014 Mohawk Nation News  Please post & distribute. Nia:wen. MNN. Dec. 8, 2014. The Mohawks called the Jesuits “Ratisti’hen’sta:tsi, which means “burnt to a crisp”. The people carry out the punishment for three capital offences, treason, espionage and conspiracy, by burning the criminal[s] at the stake. These crimes could lead to the annihilation of

Ted Cruz has a vision: President Ted Cruz, the first U.S. President born in another country. From a family of Cuban fascists who found Texas compatible with their authoritarian ideology, Cruz is eager to implement a plan to force Obama to rescind his executive action delaying the deportation of Hispanic and Asian immigrants whose children are U.S. citizens. Right wing propaganda writer Byron York, writing for the *Washington Examiner*, a Republican weekly owned by fascist Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, explained Cruz's seemly demented strategy in his column Friday. York delve... more »

For a couple of decades I have been chasing stories of pictures of the Roswell crash. I have been given the names of some of those who supposedly had pictures, talked to others who thought they might have seen pictures, and tried to find those who might have taken pictures as part of the official investigation. In this I have failed, other than finding lots of pictures of alien bodies, all of which seem to be traced to hoaxes, frauds and science fiction movies. I have not seen the Roswell slides but have heard descriptions of what they show as many of us have. I know a little about... more »

*or do they?* *WHITE LIVES MATTER*

*Syria, Iran Accuse Israel Of Air Strike; Arms For Hezbollah Are Likely Target -- CSM* Israel did not confirm the strikes, reportedly near the Damascus airport and Lebanon's border, but analysts noted Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke earlier of dealing with regional threats. Israeli warplanes bombed two areas near Damascus on Sunday, the Syrian military said, drawing harsh criticism from the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers. The warplanes struck near the city’s international airport and outside Dimas, a town close to the Lebanese border. The Syrian government said via state ne... more »

I'm not a fan of Kathleen Wynne. She was a willing team member of the corrupt and anti-democratic McGuinty gang. She passed a "progressive" budget that's chock-full of privatizations and revenue-busting tax-cuts. But the fact of the matter is that I hate harper even more. His regime is vastly more corrupt and anti-democratic. So I'm finding it interesting that Wynne and harper are in conflict over his recent anti-prostitution law. I don't like this law because it uselessly re-criminalizes sex-work in ways that the Supreme Court already found unconstitutional. I'm willing to see how ... more »

*MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014Part 1—Our miraculous brain in action:* As Rolling Stone’s folly kept unfolding, we were struck by something we read in the Outlook section of Sunday’s Washington Post. We refer to a standard description of the greatness of our human brain. The description appeared at the start of a book review by Professor Trefil. What you see below is a thoroughly standard account of our human greatness. At least in the west, we humans have glorified ourselves in this way since the dawn of time: TREFIL (12/7/14): *The human brain, that marvelous instrument we all carry ... more »

*My Comment:* This 60 Minutes report was done a few years ago .... but it is only now that I am watching/posting it. Better late than never.

Justice department study shows 97 per cent increase in jailed aboriginal women over the past decade Correctional Investigator of Canada Howard Sapers has repeatedly highlighted the stark overerepresentation of native women in the prison population. ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS Published on Mon Dec 08 2014 The crisis was hidden in plain sight. For years, Corrections Canada has reported that the number of aboriginal women behind bars was swelling. Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers has repeatedly highlighted the stark overepresentation of native women in the prison popul... more »

Remember the 2010 Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament movement? Then, before Twitter was as omnipresent as it is now, the CAPP Facebook group built more than 200,000 followers. Now that the CONs have their majority and have had 4+ years to fuck the country -- and doing an excellent job at it -- we have a chance next year to get rid of the bastards. But. They're going to do everything they can to stop us. Including of course cheating. In each of the past three elections, CONservatives have been caught cheating. With the absolute minimum cost or penalty. You think they won't do... more »

*Student Privacy Concerns Add to Common Core Resistance* There are many things to hate about Common Core standards. From convoluted, unsolvable math problems, to an increased reliance on soulless standardized testing, to a lack of local control and adaptation to individual circumstances, just about everyone can find something to object to. One of the most concerning aspects of the program, however, is the invasive collection of personal data from students, an area that has received far too little attention in media discussions of education. All states opting into Common Core have... more »

*Billions won’t satisfy Warmists* By Christopher Booker in Britain Led by the BBC, the usual media suspects were quick to trumpet last week’s claims by the Met Office and the World Meteorological Organisation that 2014 is set to be “the hottest year ever”. It’s funny that the rest of us hadn’t noticed; least of all those citizens of North America and Russia whose lives were lately disrupted by record snowfalls. It is true that the temperature records compiled by the avid warmists of the Met Office and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (the one formerly run by climate activis... more »

12 years ago... Australia had a Space Programme. The video shows booster separation of the Japanese H2A at 12:15:40, the Japanese ADEOS-2 at 12:16:20, the Australian FedSat at 12:16:40, the Japanese MicroLabSat at 12:17:00 and WEOS at 12:17:20 That was 35 years since the previous Australian Space Programme, and the previous Australian Spacecraft, WRESAT in 1967. We were world leaders then, just as FedSat is still the most complex and capable MicroSat ever launched. And just as with FedSat, the powers that be decided that our future was in digging holes in the ground, not out in s... more »

Michael Duff has released a hep-th preprint How fundamental are fundamental constants? about a topic I consider elementary and I understood it when I was a high school student. The realization is that the numerical values of dimensionful (having units) universal constants of Nature depend on arbitrary and physically unimportant human decisions and don't really affect the character of the physical laws. By a more economic parameterization of the physical observables, e.g. the choice of \(1=c=\hbar=\epsilon_0=k=G=\dots \) units, one may completely eliminate the symbols of these const... more »

Rota Naval base The American strategy calling for increased attention to the Asia-Pacific region does not mean other areas of the world are less important to U.S. interests and the growth of the naval base here is a case in point. In 2010, the NATO allies agreed to increase ballistic missile protection for Europe. Two American Aegis-equipped frigates now call Rota home and two more are scheduled to join them next year. These are the first American ships home-ported here since Polaris-missile submarines left in the 1970s, U.S. base officials said. Read more

“NGC 660 lies near the center of this intriguing skyscape, swimming in the boundaries of the constellation Pisces. Over 20 million light-years away, its peculiar appearance marks it as a polar ring galaxy. A rare galaxy type, polar ring galaxies have a substantial population of stars, gas, and dust orbiting in rings nearly perpendicular to the plane of the galactic disk. *Click image for larger size.* The bizarre configuration could have been caused by the chance capture of material from a passing galaxy by the disk galaxy, with the captured debris strung out in a rotating ring. Th... more »

*CIA Won’t Defend Its One-Time Torturers -- Shane Harris & Tim Mak, Daily Beast * *When the long-awaited ‘Torture Report’ finally drops, don’t expect the CIA to stand up for its interrogation programs—or disavow those controversial efforts.* There may have been bourbon punch and festive lights at the CIA’s holiday party Friday night, but a frosty gloom hung in the air. As everyone in the agency’s Langley, Va., headquarters knew, the long-awaited “torture report” from the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Democrats was set to drop early the next week, perhaps as soon as Monday morn... more »

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*Fall snow cover in Northern Hemisphere was most extensive on record, all due to warming, of course* *You can explain anything if you want to. In science it is called an "ad hoc" explanation -- known to the layman as being wise after the event. And the Warmist writer below does that. He offers various explanations for why the observed cold is actually due to warming somewhere.But he actually has nothing to explain. He has drunk the NOAA Kool-Aid about current record high temperatures. He hasn't noticed the carefully unpublicized fact that temperatures in the 21st century... more »

*Impending CIA Interrogation Report Creates Fear of Violence -- ABC News* U.S. embassies around the world are bracing for a potentially explosive report about to be released that details what the CIA did to terror suspects in the days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and the fear is that its release could threaten American lives. The report, due to be released Tuesday by the Senate, is described as shocking in its very graphic descriptions of secret interrogations, including some details that have never been heard before. All U.S. facilities around the world are being urged to r... more »

"A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.” - Carlos Castaneda

*"Essential Books For Surviving In A Post-Disaster World"* by George Ure and Gaye Levy "We are not suggesting it will happen, but suppose in March something goes terribly wrong and there is a major terrorist attack in a big city. If this happened, there would be a tremendous ripple effect going forward in time for the entire country. Perhaps because of a recent death (Whitney) but one such city comes to mind: Houston. *The Nightmare Scenario:* Let us imagine a national nightmare moment. One of our nuclear weapons is missing from the national inventory. (And don’t kid yourself: t... more »

The Zapatista’s struggle to reclaim dignity and autonomy is similar to the struggle of the Lakota and other First Nation peoples. By Elaine J. Cohen | The Rag Blog | December 7, 2014 AUSTIN — In mid-November, here in Austin, … finish reading *METRO* | Elaine J. Cohen : To weave the future

"There is a moment before a shape hardens, a color sets. Before the fixative or heat of kiln. The letter might still be taken from the mailbox. The hand held back by the elbow, the word kept between the larynx pulse and the amplifying drum-skin of the room's air. The thorax of an ant is not as narrow. The green coat on old copper weighs more. Yet something slips through it - looks around, sets out in the new direction, for other lands. Not into exile, not into hope. Simply changed. As a sandy track-rut changes when called a Silk Road: it cannot be after turned back from." ~ Jane Hirshfield... more »

Linesville, Pennsylvania, USA. Thanks for stopping by.

*Syria Says Israeli Jets Hit Damascus -- Al Jazeera* Israel yet to react to state TV's claim its jets struck two places, one near Damascus airport, but caused no casualties. Syria has accused Israel of carrying out air strikes against two government-held areas in Damascus province, one of them near the Damascus international airport. There was no immediate reaction to Sunday's report from the Israeli authorities. "The Israeli enemy attacked Syria by targeting two safe areas in Damascus province, namely the Dimas area and the area of Damascus International Airport," state TV said... more »

It’s unclear what the contradiction between reaction and resistance will bring in the months ahead. By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | December 7, 2014 On contradictions Political philosophers influenced by the writings of Marx and Engels emphasize … finish reading Harry Targ : Contradictions in this political moment

Ukrainian Major and military expert Oleksandr Taran who's been on the "enemy" territory and drove about 300 km in current conflict zones says that he did see Cossacks and volunteers that came from Russia fighting on the militia's side but didn't see any regular Russian military units. He also says that the Kiev government and security services act like terrorists.

Time Mapping Taiwan: Brilliant map of Taiwan over the centuries (Youtube). Hitler discovers the KMT lost the election (Youtube). _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

*Video Title: Iraqi Shiite Imam and Former MP Jalal Al-Din Al-Saghir: The Shiites Control the Entire Region. Source: MEMRI TV. Date Published: December 7, 2014. Description:* Iraqi Shiite Imam and former MP Jalal Al-Din Al-Saghir said that even though the Shiites are the minority in the numerical sense, "we are the majority, strategically speaking." The Shiites control the oil reserves in the region, as well as the straits controlling international maritime traffic, he said. The address was posted on the Internet on April 28. "Do you think that the Syrian army is behind the improved... more »

*By Jenna Orkin* *December 5, 2014* As a friend and I were sitting in a coffee shop this evening, a crowd of protesters passed outside, shouting their outrage on the Eric Garner and Michael Brown verdicts. It took a moment to make out the words of the spondaic chant but then all at once, the meaning hit with the force of three punches: "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" The police response to this: "If he was talking, then it means he *could *breathe," is reminiscent of Elizabethan witch trials. They'd tie you up and throw you in the river. If you drowned, you were innoc... more »

* "Claiming Our Feelings: Passive Aggressive Behavior"* by The DailyOm "The way to end passive aggressive behavior on your part or others’ is with complete honesty and truth in any situation. If you’ve ever found yourself repressing your anger and behaving in other ways to get your point across, you may be someone who is adept at engaging in passive-aggressive behavior. Although passive-aggressive behavior is recognized as a psychological disorder, it also describes the behavior that many people use to cope with confrontational situations. Such behavior has the outward appearance of... more »

*"The Dark Cloths of Night"* by Chet Raymo "For years I taught a general studies astronomy course for liberal arts students. And often, when we reached the home galaxy, I asked, "How many of you have seen the Milky Way?" The answer was usually one or two at most out of a class of thirty. Which is no surprise. I can't see the Milky Way from my neighborhood, which is about half-way between Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. You'd have to live somewhere pretty far out in the country to see the Milky Way from the eastern United States. We first came to this little isl... more »

“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute ... more »

*“Each to His/Her Own Destiny”* by Paulo Coelho “A Samurai who was known for his nobility and honesty, went to visit a Zen monk to ask him for his advice. When the monk had finished his prayers, the Samurai asked, "Why do I feel so inferior? – I have faced death many times, have defended those who are weak. Nevertheless, upon seeing you meditating, I felt that my life had absolutely no importance whatsoever.""Wait. Once I have attended to all those who come to see me today, I shall answer you." The samurai spent the whole day sitting in the temple gardens, watching the people go ... more »

"We are all liars, because The truth of yesterday becomes a lie tomorrow, Whereas letters are fixed, and we live by the letter of truth. The love I feel for my friend, this year, is different from the love I felt last year. If it were not so, it would be a lie. Yet we reiterate love! love! love! as if it were a coin with fixed value instead of a flower that dies, and opens a different bud." - D. H. Lawrence

Vince Foster from Spike EP on Vimeo. *FOSTERGATE* *by James R. Norman [Resigned from Forbes because this story was spiked.]* *"Was White House Deputy Counsel Vince Foster selling US secrets to Israel? The CIA suspects he was." * TWO weeks before his death on July 20, 1993, White House Deputy Counsel Vincent W. Foster went into a deep funk. The official cause of death, given by former Independent Counsel Robert Fiske Jr. (who was later replaced by Kenneth Starr), was suicide driven by depression over, among other things, several newspaper editorials. But Vince Foster had a much b... more »

No, I don’t care about what’s going on behind Len Brown’s closed doors, or hidden doors. I care about how much ratepayers’ money he’s (over)spending, and what he’s going to Auckland right out in public. His grandomania and how much we’re forced to pay for it – in which he’s far from unique in this country, just the most indebted -- is far more important than what goes on behind locked or hidden doors in the mayoral chambers. Monument building does not an affordable city make. Content is copyright PC.BlogSpot.Com © Please contact author for permission to republish: (organon at ih... more »

This Wednesday, December 10, is Human Rights Day. The date was chosen to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, the first document of its kind. Every year on December 10, Amnesty International holds a global letter-writing event: Write For Rights (in Canada). Thousands of people around the world write letters calling for action for victims of human rights abuses, and offering comfort and support to political prisoners. Here are 10 reasons you should participate in Write For Rights 2014. *1. It's easy.* Amnesty makes it really easy... more »

*Watch the A-10 Movie the U.S. Air Force Doesn’t Want You to See -- David Axe, War Is Boring* *Official film praises the same jet the flying branch wants to retire.* The U.S. Air Force has practically begged Congress to allow it to retire its roughly 300 A-10 Warthogs, those venerable twin-jet attackers that saved countless soldiers’ lives in Iraq and Afghanistan—and which recently returned to Iraq to help battle Islamic State. The flying branch argues that the new F-35 stealth fighter is an adequate replacement for the low- and slow-flying Warthog—and the Air Force should spend ... more »

Health advice from a recent email: I recently picked a new G.P. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing 'fairly well' for my age. (I've just reached 65). A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, “Do you think I'll live to be 85?” He asked, “Do you smoke tobacco, drink beer, wine or hard liquor?” “Oh not much grog these days and don't smoke” I replied. “I'm not doing drugs either!” Then he asked, “Do you eat rib-eye steaks, fatty roasts and barbecued Ribs?” I said, “Not much.... my former doctor said that all red meat is very u... more »