2 Jan - Blogs I'm Following

*Defense Tech:* *DefenseTech’s Top 10 Stories of 2014* *WNU Editor:* My favorite story was this one .... *U.S. Military Begins Testing ‘Smart’ Rifles*. The above video is a promo on the rifle.

*"A Prayer for the World"* "Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations. Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect. Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows. Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken. Let it burn away the fog so that we can see each other clearly, So that we can see beyond labels, beyond accents, gender or skin color. Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness, So that we can share the joys and feel the sorrow of our neighbors. And let the lig... more »

"Said a philosopher to a street sweeper, “I pity you. Yours is a hard and dirty task.” And the street sweeper said, “Thank you, sir. But tell me, what is your task?” And the philosopher answered saying, “I study man's mind, his deeds and his desires.” Then the street sweeper went on with his sweeping and said with a smile, “I pity you too.” - Kahlil Gibran

"If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions." - Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, "Pulp Fiction"

*Stars and Stripes*: *Stars and Stripes' most watched videos of 2014* *WNU Editor:* My favorite is *Inside look at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier* (see above video).

From *Wikipedia*: Hitler: The Rise of Evil is a Canadian TV miniseries in two parts, directed by Christian Duguay and produced by Alliance Atlantis. It explores Adolf Hitler's rise and his early consolidation of power during the years after World War I and focuses on how the embittered, politically fragmented and economically buffeted state of German society following the war made that ascent possible. The film also focuses on Ernst Hanfstaengl's influence on Hitler's rise to power. The miniseries, which premiered simultaneously in May 2003 on CBC in Canada and CBS in the United St... more »

BREAKING NEWS!!! THIS IS BEYOND OUTRAGEOUS!!! THESE ARE HUPPENTHAL'S LAST DAYS IN OFFICE AND WANTS TO GO OUT WITH A BANG! ANOTHER ATTACK AGAINST RAZA AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS IN TUCSON. PLEASE SHARE/FORWARD/TWEET/ AND STAY TUNED. THIS IS AN ESCALATION AS DURING THE ASSAULT ON ETHNIC STUDIES, THEY HAD LEFT ALONE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES. NOT ANYMORE! Arizona Department of Education Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sally Stewart 602-542-5072 Sally.Stewart@azed.gov SUPERINTENDENT HUPPENTHAL FINDS TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DI... more »

Why oil prices keep falling — and throwing the world into turmoil -- Brad Plumer, VOX *Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 2, 2015* Rebels: Obama administration ignored early plan to stop Islamic State -- Roy Gutman, McClatchy Foreign Staff ISIS Fight Has a Spy Shortage, Intel Chair Says -- Kimberly Dozier, Daily Beast Generation change in Saudi Arabia? -- Deutsche Welle Analysis: Saudi Arabia's big oil bet? -- Al Jazeera Is Afghanistan ready for the drawdown? -- Haroun Mir, Al Jazeera Obama Has a Curious Definition for the End of War -- Kia Makarechi, Vanity Fair... more »

*"Jeb Bush Resigns as George W. Bush’s Brother"* By Andy Borowitz WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— "In the strongest sign to date that he intends to seek the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has officially resigned his position as George W. Bush’s brother. “No longer being related to his brother is a key step to clearing Jeb’s path to the nomination,” an aide said on New Year’s Day. “We expect his poll numbers to soar on this.” According to the aide, the former Florida governor resigned his post as brother in a ten-minute phone call with Ge... more »

"Become" trivial? Surely you jest...

*Click image for larger size.* Atop the pyramid, the Rothschild family, with an estimated fortune of *$500 **trillion.* Masters of the Universe, indeed...

*"Ignored Reality Is Going To Wipe Out The Human Race"* by Paul Craig Roberts "To inform people is hard slugging. Everything is lined up against the public being informed, or the policymakers for that matter. News is contaminated by its service to special interests and hidden agendas. Many scientists or their employers are dependent on federal money. Even psychologists and anthropologists were roped into the government’s torture and occupation programs. Economists tell lies for corporations and Wall Street. Plant and soil scientists tell lies for agribusiness and Monsanto. Truth t... more »

*"5 Studies That Show How Wealth Warps Your Soul"* Inequality 'triggers a chemical reaction in the privileged few. It tilts their brain.' By Zaid Jilani "You know, I've been around the ruling class all my life, and I've been quite aware of their total contempt for the people of the country." - Gore Vidal “Money can't buy happiness,” the old adage warns, although poverty is hardly a day at the beach. But according to several recent studies, excessive wealth not only fails to bring contentment, it warps your soul. (Or brain, for the skeptics among you.) That's the thesis of a Mich... more »

*WNU Editor:* These Islamic State fighters want to fight to their death .... all that I can say is that I hope God (or a U.S. air strike) quickly grants them their wish. *More News On The Battle For Kobani* Monitor: Kurdish forces seize 70% of Kobane -- Al Arabiya Kurds regain most of Kobani but ISIL fights on in Syrian border town -- Euronews Kurdish forces retake 70 percent of Kobani -- Al Bawaba Pentagon: Coalition Warplanes Stepped Up Airstrikes in December -- WSJ Veteran Chechen IS Militant Reported Killed In Kobani -- Radio Free Europe Prominent ISIS leader killed in Kobani -- ... more »

http://youtu.be/CZBBIO7vncM A great documentary on the BBC tonight, watch it if you can. This was the end song.... "cos I'm evil and my middle name is Jeremy"

*Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Policy* -- *The Case Against Qatar* *.... The tiny, gas-rich emirate has pumped tens of millions of dollars through obscure funding networks to hard-line Syrian rebels and extremist Salafists, building a foreign policy that punches above its weight. After years of acquiescing -- even taking advantage of its ally's meddling -- Washington may finally be punching back. * *WNU Editor: *This is a long article and analysis .... but it does make the case that Qatar has been supporting Islamic Extremists for years, and are one of the main reasons why the wars... more »

*The Guardian**:* *Egypt warned Amal Clooney she risked arrest* *WNU Editor:* They will arrest her if she steps foot into Egypt .... on that I have no doubts. *More News On Egypt Warning Amal Clooney That She Risks Arrest If She Enters The Country* Amal Clooney threatened with arrest by Egypt over criticism of justice system -- The Telegraph Amal Clooney risked arrest in Egypt by exposing flaws in country judicial system as she fights for Al Jazeera journalists -- New York Daily News Report: Egypt threatens Amal Clooney with arrest over damning report on judiciary -- Jerusalem Po... more »

*Reuters:* *U.S. slaps more sanctions on North Korea after Sony hack* *WNU Editor*: But did North Korea launch a cyber attack against SONY? Some experts have doubts .... New Study May Add to Skepticism Among Security Experts That North Korea Was Behind Sony Hack (NYT). *More News On The U.S. Imposing Sanctions On North Korea Over Their Cyber Attack On SONY* In Response to Sony Attack, U.S. Levies Sanctions on 10 North Koreans -- New York Times U.S. imposes sanctions on N. Korea following attack on Sony -- Washington Post Sony cyber-attack: North Korea faces new US sanctions -- B... more »

My favorite 2014 movies include ‘The Imitation Game,’ ‘Boyhood’ and ‘A Place at the Table.’ By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | December 31, 2014 I saw 27 excellent films in theaters, on cable/dish TV, and via Netflix and … finish reading Alan Waldman : The 27 best films I saw in 2014

"We," said Jon Stewart, getting more *serious* last month than one usually expects, "are definitely not living in a post-racial society." What he didn't say-- and couldn't have known as the time-- is that the D.A. responsible for failing to get a Grand Jury indictment against the cop who murdered Eric Garner on camera, Dan Donovan, would be propelled-- largely because of that failure in the polarized racial atmosphere of Staten Island-- into the front-runner position for the congressional seat being vacated by convicted felon Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm. Staten Island Republican... more »

*By Doug Martin * Although the local powers-that-be who funded the members who won the Indianapolis Public School board 2014 election are well known and mentioned in my book *Hoosier School Heist* (Al Hubbard, David Harris, Bart Peterson, the Chamber, Eli Lilly’s John Lechleiter, Anne Shane, and Christel DeHaan of Tony Bennett scandal fame, to name a few), some of the wealthy outsiders who bought the IPS board in 2014 are relatively new to Indiana. These new funders last year loaded the campaign chests of IPS candidates LaNier Echols (Carpe Diem charter school’s dean), Mary Ann Sul... more »

*Sydney Morning Herald:* *Pakistani crew blows boat up after high-speed chase with Indian navy* *WNU Editor*: Some in the Indian media are now starting to question this report .... *Little evidence of ‘terror’ link, may have been petty smugglers*(Indian Express). The Pakistani media is saying that it was a fishing boat .... *Pakistani media claims the intercepted boat was a fishing vessel* (First Post) *More News On India Intercepting A Boat From Pakistan * Officials: Boat carrying explosives blows up off Indian coast -- Al Jazeera Pakistani crew blow up fishing boat after chase ... more »

* Thanks to Jan @ Gnostic Media for this most excellent, informative & enlightening interview * The problems and solutions discussed in this interview are in alignment with the attacks against us that were mentioned in the previous post- *"Enough of the human family have become aware that despite our numbers, presently, we are becoming greatly endangered. Attacked on many fronts. Through toxic food. Heinous medical interventions. GMO’s. Injections and injunctions. Perception Management. Nuclear Energy. Factory farming. Corporate eminence and trade agreements that actually enslav... more »

*CBS 60 Minutes*: *Afghan president on 2016 troop withdrawal* *WNU Editor*: This is not a surprise .... he does not want U.S./NATO soldiers to leave right now .... especially since the Taliban have escalated their attacks, and the Afghan army appears to be more adept at launching artillery strikes on wedding parties than on the Taliban .... *Afghan soldiers arrested after rockets kill wedding guests* (Euronews). As to what is my take on what the U.S. and its coalition partners should do .... *2014 was the lowest NATO troop death toll in a decade in Afghanistan* .... I want to see ... more »

So, it's official. On Tuesday, January 6 at 12:01 a.m., gay marriage is legal in Florida (absent some intervention by the 11th Circuit or the Supremes). While Greenberg Traurig had previously advised the clerks not to issue the licenses, after the ruling by Judge Hinkle ruled that all Florida clerks have a duty under the Constitution to issue same-sex marriage licenses. In a display of extreme douchebaggery and poor-loserdom, clerks in Duval, Baker, Clay, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties have decided to stop all marriage ceremonies in their offices, just so they don't get the gay c... more »

I hate my cutlure that all encompassy me its just not hman but in every way makes me want to be waiting for a democratic, politacly corect overload that will fuck me in the as without oversight The cuture in now under control have you heard a protest song in this century I guess that means things are perfect forTaylor Swift I am so happy she writes her own stuf no way like Hunger GAMES.

Cancer fundamentally involves mutations in DNA. Cancer rates are growing globally. Cancer rates are growing because our environment is becoming more genotoxic. For years our medical authorities have blamed cancer on hereditary and lifestyle choices, such as smoking. These factors do indeed help predict the likelihood of an individual getting cancer, particularly smoking. Smoking is an environmental cause of cancer over which we have some control. However, most environmental causes of cancer are hard to control because they derive from genotoxins in our air, food, water, cosmetics, ... more »

A while ago I posted about the absurdity of basing our future opposition to harper on an electoral process that he has abused and debased: Imagine if you lost a fair chunk of change at a neighbourhood poker game. To the asshole neighbour who nobody really likes. The guy who blatantly lies to your face about pretty much everything. Then it starts to turn out that there's a marked card. "It's not a marked card! It's an old deck and shit happens!" The asshole claims. (Last card game, he swiped poker chips from players sitting beside him. Then he claims he legitimately thought they wer... more »

*Top Story:** AirAsia QZ8501: Search teams find more bodies at sea (BBC)* *MIDDLE EAST* US-led coalition jets *pound IS stronghold in Syria*. Iraqi general warns of military woes *in fighting extremists*. Iraqi Kurds recapture *key village from ISIL*. Sunni tribes: Baghdad handed over *its military to Iran*. Lebanon army clashes *with militants in Arsal*. Seven killed in clashes between *Yemen's army and tribesmen: local officials*. Saudi Arabia *executes 'drug smugglers'*. Israeli settlers stone *U.S. diplomatic cars: police*. *ASIA* Indian Coast Guard intercepts *explosives-... more »

*Rampart, St. Claude streetcar line work to begin ~New Orleans Advocate * *Steve Scalise still on my mind ~Slabbed* *Battle of New Orleans Was Crucial US Victory After All, Historians Say* *British memorial for Battle of New Orleans eyed ~Cain Burdeau, AP * *I Ain’t Superstitious ~Adrastos, First Draft*

*Some comments on papers by Susskind; and Arkani-Hamed et al. (twice)* So far, the latest arXiv preprints emerged on December 31st. The paper arXiv:1501.00001 (with the new redundant zero) should be out on Monday. On the Sylvester day (for Yankees: 1/2 of Europe plus Israel uses this name for New Year's Eve), three hep-th papers were authored or co-authored by very famous physicists. One was by Nima, another one was by Arkani, and the third one was... by Susskind. ;-) Leonard Susskind wrote an essay about the ER-EPR (worhhole-entanglement) correspondence and especially about the int... more »

Arne Duncan has set off a furious response with his tweet, "What if every district committed both to identifying what made their 5 best schools successful & providing those opps to all their students?" I have a few what ifs of my own. *What if:* - the federal government incentivized integrated public education, rather than segregated corporate reform schools? - corporate foundations committed funds to ending childhood poverty? - CEOs recognized that capitalism is amoral and public institutions are not? - Arne Duncan woke up one day as a human being, instead of a c... more »

Government propagandists want you to hate “conspiracy theories.” But, according to a growing body of evidence, you’d have to be crazy to obey. Full story: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/01/01/391122/Conspiracy-theories-Scavenging-for-truth 8

*F-35 2014 End of Year Wrap-Up* From *YouTube*: 2014 for the F-35 program was all about momentum, maturity and meeting our milestones. The enterprise was expanded with maintenance and training depots stood up around the U.S., the program met its production goal of 36 aircraft delivered, the first F-35C sea trials were completed with 100% success, and new commitments were received from international partners and foreign military sales nations. *Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 2, 2015* Iraqi general warns of military woes in fighting Islamic State militants -- AP ... more »

Yes it is a new year.... And I truly wanted to start this year's blog articles off with a bang... And I found one that is truly a bombshell.... With this latest evidence, we can all finally state without any doubt that the Sandy Hook "shooting" of December 14th, 2012, was an elaborate operation and a massive fraud imposed on the American people..... Just over two weeks ago, we all heard about a new school "shooting", this time in Pakistan... The reports have still been coming in but it seems that according to Pakistan's news services, some 141 people, including some 132 children w... more »

A financially collapsing Greece has been damaging the world markets throughout 2011 before the country bankrupted in Spring 2012. Center-right Antonis Samaras (New Democracy) became the prime minister in June 2012. Since that moment, Greece was pretty much going in the right direction. It even managed to achieve a modest budget surplus. I should have written about those relative successes. We should have praised them because this anomalous era of relative sanity may soon be over. A few days ago, the Parliament gave less than 60% of votes to Stavros Dimas, a former EU commissioner an... more »

Hollywood Acredits the Memes : Billie Kyles - The Witness in Room 306 from Spike EP on Vimeo. *"Because you know, that was a dum-dum bullet...." - The Liar Rev. Billie Kyles* "*Philip Mellanson*, a professor and author, testified that *Memphis Police Inspector Sam Evans*, now deceased, told him that he ordered tactical units away from the Lorraine at the request of a specific *"Memphis Minister" *associated with Dr. King, whom he named. The notion that the "Memphis Minister" was involved in the assassination and inadvertently revealed his participation during a public speech is... more »

*The Hill:* *Obama's big push on Guantanamo* *WNU Editor:* What I find astounding is that this determination to transfer Guantanamo is releasing some very unsavory characters .... *Did President Obama Free A Nuclear Terrorist From Guantanamo?* As to who is left .... *.... Of the remaining 127 detainees left at Guantanamo Bay, 59 have been deemed eligible for transfer after a lengthy interagency review process. Fifty-two of those eligible for release are from Yemen. However, their potential release is complicated by serious political instability in Yemen. The Yemeni government may... more »

*Ottawa Citizen : Some say PM could justifiably shut down Parliament in crisis: survey* "A small but growing minority of Canadians says the prime minister would be justified in closing down Parliament and the Supreme Court in the face of “very difficult times,” according to a survey What a fabulously leading survey question! Who wants to know this? It found 23 per cent of respondents said the prime minister would be justified in shutting down Parliament when the country is facing a crisis or “very difficult times,” and 17 per cent would accept dissolving the Supreme Court for the s... more »

Larry Summers is a 90% feminist. In fact, he was giving a proof of these "credentials" right before his conflicts with that movement began. During his January 2005 speech about women in STEM fields, he was just talking about his two twin daughters. He was educating them in a "gender neutral" way so he bought them trucks. (Enough for 99% Czechs to consider him a victim of a craze.) One girl placed a smaller truck on top of a bigger truck and told the other one: "Look, the daddy truck is carrying the baby truck." Even for a feminist of Summers' caliber, that may have been enough to le... more »

*Foriegn Policy (Phil Zabriskie)*: *The Real American Snipers -Clint Eastwood's new movie on famed Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle only shows part of what it means to kill in combat*. *WNU Editor:* A different take on the movie .... and well worth the read.

#Syria Map 1: March 10, 2014 Map 2: January 1, 2015 pic.twitter.com/neW5esfjWy — Pieter Van Ostaeyen (@p_vanostaeyen) January 1, 2015 *WNU Editor: *In short .... the Syrian Free Army has been crushed, the Syrian government has lost the east, the Kurds are getting squeezed at Kobani, and the Islamic State and Al Qaeda affiliated groups now control half the country.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com *FOX News*: US vet says fighting in Syria was as easy as buying airplane ticket to Miami *WNU Editor: * I am not surprised .... *US vet says fighting in Syria was as easy as buying airplane ticket to Miami.* If supporters of the Islamic State could easily go to Syria to join the Islamic State .... why not for the other side. But what is disturbing about the above FOX report is that according to this U.S. military vet, many who do go there are not qualified to fight .... and for those who want to leave .... even for him .... there are obs... more »

MENACE FROM WITHIN MENACE FROM WITHIN   Please post & distribute. Nia:wen. MNN, 1 Jan. 2015. The military sends in an advance force which is often sacrificed in battle. The band councils, national,... View on mohawknationnews.com Preview by Yahoo

*Manly Palmer Hall (March 18, 1901 – August 29, 1990) was a Canadian-born author and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, which is widely regarded as his magnum opus, and which he published at the age of 25 (or 27, 1928)* *He has been widely recognized as a leading scholar in the fields of religion, mythology, mysticism, and the occult.* *Carl Jung, when writing Psychology and Alchemy, borrowed material from Hall’s private collection.* ... more »

*NBC, Robert Windrem:* Is ISIS Winning Battle for Islamic Radicals' Hearts and Minds? *WNU Editor*: U.S. intelligence is clearly worried that this is a growing trend .... *The Pentagon Is Trying To Understand Why The Islamic State Is So Dangerous*. What's my take ... the Islamic State has a lot of enemies .... but they also have a lot of supporters. In this context Lt. General James Terry's remarks (see above video) makes sense .... it is going to take time for the Islamic State to be routed on the battlefield, and it is going to take even longer to extinguish their appeal among t... more »

*"We are built to be kind"*: *A question that has intrigued UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner is why people, who we know to be motivated by self-interst to perpetuate the species, are "so frequently and routinely good, and generous, and sacrificing?" And he insists that nobody understood this better than Charles Darwin, who believed that "communities that have the most sympathetic members will flourish and raise the greatest number of offspring."* *by Ken* Hat tip to The Frisky's Rebecca Vipond Brink ("Here's Why Humans Are Built to Be Kind") for sharing this upbeat lesson f... more »

*Bloomberg:* Ukrainian Army, Rebels Trade Blame Amid Warning of Hard 2015 *WNU Editor:* With both sides far apart on the key issues .... I do not see peace coming to eastern Ukraine. My prediction .... come springtime the war will restart with the ferocity of what happened last summer. For the rest of Ukraine .... the economy has .... for all intents and purposes .... collapsed. This will become the number one issue in Ukraine later this year .... aside from the war. *Ukraine Crisis -- News Updates January 1, 2015* Ukraine says rebels keep up attacks into New Year -- Reuters Kiev ... more »

Kevin Kern, “Dance Of The Searching Souls” - https://www.youtube.com/

"The eternal silence of infinite spaces frightens me. Why now rather than then? Who has put me here? By whose order and direction have this place and time have been ascribed to me? We travel in a vast sphere, always drifting in the uncertain, pulled from one side to another. Whenever we find a fixed point to attach and to fasten ourselves, it shifts and leaves us; and if we follow it, it eludes our grasp, slips past us, and vanishes for ever. Nothing stays for us. This is our natural condition, most contrary to our inclination; we burn with desires to find solid ground and an ultima... more »

“Big, beautiful NGC 5584 is more that 50,000 light-years across and lies 72 million light-years away toward the constellation Virgo. The winding spiral arms of this gorgeous island universe are loaded with luminous young star clusters and dark dust lanes. Still, for earthbound astronomers NGC 5584 is not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy. *Click image for larger size.* Home to some 250 Cepheid variable stars and a recent Type Ia supernova explosion, key objects for astronomical distance determinations, NGC 5584 is one of 8 galaxies used in a new study that includes additional... more »

"What you pay for in life, you get. What you don't pay for, you don't get. The currency is a concerted, persistent effort in thought, word, and deed. Each designed to raise expectations, instill optimism, and imply your inevitable success. And to make "things" happen even faster, understand to the absolute core of your being that this is how you created everything now in your life. What you pay for in life, you get.""You buy that?" The Universe "Thoughts become things... choose the good ones!" www.tut.com

"To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget." - Arundhati Roy

*“Pointless?”* by Chet Raymo "Theresa drew our attention to the Templeton Foundation's two-page ad the New York Times that gave the responses of a dozen prominent scientists and scholars to the question "Does the universe have a purpose?" You can read the complete essays here. I am reminded of a previousMusing* in which I put the question to three famous (fictional) characters. Specifically, I asked for a response to Nobel prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg's famous remark near the end of his 1977 best-selling book, "The First Three Minutes": "The more the universe seems comp... more »

"Don't spend your precious time asking "Why isn't the world a better place?" It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is "How can I make it better?" To that there is an answer." - Leo Buscaglia

* "No BS Theory of Life"* by Dr. Robert Lanza "Forget the self-help books. No book or person can promise you happiness. Christmas time is the mostly likely time of the year to experience depression. We share our love with friends and family, and get lots of gifts. So why aren't we all joyous? What the hell is going on? Did you ever wonder why people like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson didn't fare any better than you or I despite all their money, fame, and access to people of wisdom? The answer lies in your own backyard. Look at the shrubs, tangled with vines, with here and there... more »

Prescott Valley, Arizona, USA. Thanks for stopping by.

"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid $150 a week for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for things, and if any of you would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my pape... more »

*“Cold-War-Style Propaganda Posing as News”* by Dave Lindorff “As shameful a propagandist for Washington’s war machine as the New York Times has been over the years, sometimes I still cannot believe the brazenness of its abandonment of even a pretext of dispassionate journalistic standards. One of those moments came today, when I read the left-column page-one article by Jim Yardley and Jo Becker headlined “How Putin Forged a Pipeline Deal that Derailed.” In this Putin hit piece, the two journalists write that the pipeline in question, the so-called South Stream, which was intended ... more »

*Voice of America:* India, Pakistan Trade Deadly Fire in Kashmir *WNU Editor*: I have lost count on the number of gun battles that have occurred on this disputed border. But this one was intense .... and both sides are not backing down. *More News On The Border Clashes Between India And Pakistan* Five dead in New Year's Eve clashes on India-Pakistan border -- Reuters Kashmir: Five troops killed in India, Pakistan clashes -- BBC Skirmishes Flare on India-Pakistan Border -- NYT 3 soldiers killed in Kashmir gunfight between India and Pakistan -- CNN India and Pakistan exchange deadly fi... more »

"That man can destroy life is just as miraculous a feat as that he can create it, for life is the miracle, the inexplicable. In the act of destruction, man sets himself above life; he transcends himself as a creature. Thus, the ultimate choice for a man, inasmuch as he is driven to transcend himself, is to create or to destroy, to love or to hate." - Erich Fromm

Mike Oldfield, “Tubular Bells” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5gDGcXIEQE

Welcome to our eye-watering compilation of some of the rippingest rip-offs of 2014 January RBS payouts to UK staff expected to total £500m despite an £8bn loss The bank is now expected to show an £8bn loss after announcing that mis-selling scandals and legal bills in the US were forcing it to take a £3bn hit. Analysts at Credit Suisse calculated the bank's total losses since the 2008

* "Letters to the Future"* by Olaf Stapledon “In 1917 the author Olaf Stapledon published “Letters to the Future,” a series of 4 letters addressed to his great grandson in the year 1999. This post is Letter 1, excerpted. How remarkably relevant they seem today... “To my Great Grandson in early manhood. Sir, If ever you come upon this letter, forgive its preglacial dialect, and have patience to spell out its meaning. How gladly would I address you in whatever speech lives in your ears! The thoughts which follow must, I know, reach you only as dead and fragile specimens; but today th... more »