Daily Headlines
The projected victory, by a wider margin than polls predicted, may be enough for Syriza to govern alone. It hands the party head, Alexis Tsipras, 40, an overwhelming mandate to confront Greece's program of austerity imposed in return for pledges of 240 billion euros ($269 billion) in aid since May 2010. The challenge for him now is to strike a balance between keeping his election pledges including a writedown of Greek debt and avoiding what Samaras repeatedly warned was the risk of an accidental exit from the euro.
Churches, colleges, and cities have begun to divest their stock portfolios of oil, gas, and coal stock. What do they know that others don't?
The design on this disc might look like a six-year-old's scribbles, but in reality, it's one of the most sophisticated and influential artifacts of the Bronze Age. Called the Nebra sky disc, named for the town where it was found in 1999, the artifact has been dated back to 1600 BC. It's thought to have been forged during the European Bronze Age, a period between 3200 and 600 BC. The disc's discovery stunned archaeologists, who thought of the Bronze Age as brutal, uncivilized times of killing and little else -- most artifacts we've found are swords and other weapons designed for battle. Instead, the people who lived at this time had an intellectual understanding of the sky. Some archaeologists thought the disc was too incredible to be real. The bronze disc is considered to be one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th Century.
Barrett Brown's allocution / sentencing statement Good afternoon, Your Honor. The allocution I give today is going to be a bit different from the sort that usually concludes a sentencing hearing,...
threat by emoji! What next?
By David Swanson
"We murdered some folks" in Guantanamo
Murder at Camp Delta is a new book by Joseph Hickman, a former guard at Guantanamo. It's neither fiction nor speculation. When President Obama says "We tortured some folks," Hickman provides at least three cases -- in addition to many others we know about from secret sites around the world -- in which the statement needs to be modified to "We murdered some folks."
"We murdered some folks" in Guantanamo
Murder at Camp Delta is a new book by Joseph Hickman, a former guard at Guantanamo. It's neither fiction nor speculation. When President Obama says "We tortured some folks," Hickman provides at least three cases -- in addition to many others we know about from secret sites around the world -- in which the statement needs to be modified to "We murdered some folks."
The Yellowstone River pipeline break on Jan. 17, which saw an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 gallons of crude oil seep into the public waterway, is only an example of more disaster to come. Stiffer criminal penalties need to be levied against those involved with such acts of what many environmentalists consider to be acts of eco-terrorism.
One danger of lying is that you must then incorporate the falsehood into the longer narrative, somehow making the lies fit. The same is true of propaganda as the New York Times is learning as it continues to falsify the narrative of the Ukraine crisis, writes Robert Parry.
America is now a closed-mind country. Minds are closed by ideological agendas, by narrow private interests, and by the view that only conspiracy kooks dissent from official explanations. Dissent and protest are gradually being criminalized. The government does not succeed all at once, but gradually step by step.
If you thought Charlie was a sorry affair, see how the US media is dealing with the contradictions in our policies toward the Muslim world.
The Obama administration will propose setting aside more than 12 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness, including 1.5 million acres of coastal plain, the White House announced Sunday, in a move that will spark a fierce battle with the new Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman, Lisa Murkowski, and other Alaska Republicans. The announcement, according to individuals briefed on the plan, is just the first in a series of decisions the Interior Department will make in the coming week that will affect the state's oil and gas production.
American Sniper vs. Savages is a book written with the depth and mental alacrity of perhaps a George W Bush; and the movie a distortion of even that. In all, a tribute to hatred and racism that only the Iraq-Afghan debacle could merit. To our brave troops and "vanquished" savages, in the words of Chris Kyle, "War is hell."
A Question from a Concerned Citizen
By Mike Rivage-Seul
(Sunday Homily) Pope Francis' Prophetic Warning on Climate Change: Repent or Else; the Time Is Short
(Sunday Homily) Pope Francis' Prophetic Warning on Climate Change: Repent or Else; the Time Is Short
Pope Francis literally embodies our century's best hope for "saving the world."
Is there life elsewhere in the universe? Undoubtedly.
New laser-driven compression experiments reproduce the conditions deep inside exotic super-Earths and giant planet cores, and the conditions during the violent birth of Earth-like planets, documenting the material properties that determined planets' formation and evolution processes. The experiments, reported in the Jan. 23 edition of Science, reveal the unusual properties of silica - the key constituent of rock - under the extreme pressures and temperatures relevant to planetary formation and interior evolution. In fact, the recent discovery of more than 1,000 exoplanets orbiting other stars in our galaxy reveals the broad diversity of planetary systems, planet sizes and properties. It also sets a quest for habitable worlds hosting extraterrestrial life and shines new light on our own solar system.
New Jersey Gov. Christie told an audience of more than 1,000 Iowa conservative activists at a conference here Saturday that he shares the same political values, deriding the "conventional wisdom" that says he's too moderate for the state that will cast the first votes in the 2016 Republican presidential race in a little more than a year. "Let me ask you this, if I was too blunt, too direct, too loud, and too New Jersey for Iowa, then why do you people keep inviting me back?" Christie said, noting that he's traveled to the state 11 times in the past five years campaigning for fellow Republicans.
In his first public remarks about the speech to be made on March 3 to a joint session of Congress, Netanyahu said his priority was to urge the United States and other powers not to negotiate an Iranian nuclear deal that might endanger Israel. "As prime minister of Israel, I am obligated to make every effort to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weaponry that will be aimed at the State of Israel. This effort is global and I will go anywhere I am invited to make the State of Israel's case and defend its future and existence."
By Dr. Cheryl Pappas
Turning the Other Cheek is Bad for Your Other Cheek: President Obama's Brilliant Moment
During his State of the Union speech,President Obama displayed an admirable evenness and balance during the Republican applause of his leaving the office in two years. I am more open to his achieving positive results for everyone in this country.
Turning the Other Cheek is Bad for Your Other Cheek: President Obama's Brilliant Moment
During his State of the Union speech,President Obama displayed an admirable evenness and balance during the Republican applause of his leaving the office in two years. I am more open to his achieving positive results for everyone in this country.
New York Times columnist Charles Blow was fuming on Twitter Sunday night after he tweeted to his 121,000 followers that his son had been stopped by Yale cops because he fit the description of a suspect they were looking for. Blow referenced the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases, about which he has written extensively in his Times columns.
Early in the Paris march, Netanyahu was several rows back in the crowd. But not for long. Yahoo News reported that Netanyahu literally pushed his way to the front of the line. In Washington, on March 3, there will be no competition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will not need to push. Speaker Boehner has already done that for him.
The rise of capital ownership among members of the middle class has give the ultra-wealthy capital owners another place to make money without having to share their wealth with the wage earning consumer class. This has given rise to an investment economy that is little more than a billionaire run casino.
Prime Minister Netanyahu actively sought, and Speaker Boehner extended, the invitation entirely behind the administration's back to permit Netanyahu to advocate harsher sanctions against Iran that the administration (and even Mossad) opposes while a final resolution with Iran is being negotiated. Even worse, the date selected (March 3) is only two weeks before Israel's election, so the administration will not be able to meet with Netanyahu due to longstanding policy of not meeting with foreign leaders too close to their election so as not to be seen as interfering.
Hillary Clinton, though she has not yet declared a candidacy, earned condemnation from many potential candidates who took the stage in Des Moines. Some tore into her record as the nation's top diplomat; others portrayed her as a member of the old guard, incapable of changing D.C. Many sought to tie her inextricably to President Obama, whom they deem a failure. "Over the past six years, we have seen the fruits of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy of receding from leadership in the world," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. "Leading from behind doesn't work."
"I am seriously thinking of running for president," Donald Trump said as he took the stage at the Iowa Freedom Summit. "We have a presidential election coming up. We have some good people -- nobody like Trump, of course." To an audience of about 1,200, Trump dismissed Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush as potential candidates. "It can't be Mitt, because he ran and failed," Trump said. "He choked. And the last thing we need is another Bush," he said.
The Pope Francis Revolution: Inside the Catastrophic Collapse of the Catholic Right
Pope Francis has increased the church's emphasis on social justice issues and its critique of capitalism, which threatens to drive a wedge between the GOP and Catholics. [Any progressive looking at this guiding light and not reacting, via spreading the word, is no longer a progressive. DG, voteutah.us]
Pope Francis has increased the church's emphasis on social justice issues and its critique of capitalism, which threatens to drive a wedge between the GOP and Catholics. [Any progressive looking at this guiding light and not reacting, via spreading the word, is no longer a progressive. DG, voteutah.us]
How Obama Can Reduce Carbon Emissions Without Congress
Some genuine things that would work to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. "Prof. Robert Pollin of Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) and Prof. Chris Williams of Pace University say that Obama can avoid a fight with the Republicans and still save taxpayers money and legally advance energy efficiency," Moreover, "renewable energy as a substitute is at cost parity in a lot of areas. In Germany and Western Europe, they are running their economies at very high efficiency levels and increasing their use of renewables. Obama has talked about those things, but in his remaining two years he has to push relentlessly on them, and he will be wildly supported if he does so."For example: all the buildings In Washington, BY Law, were supposed to have been retrofitted by 2015, the few that have been saved taxpayers 800 billion. Listen to this intelligent conversation about what is possible..
Some genuine things that would work to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. "Prof. Robert Pollin of Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) and Prof. Chris Williams of Pace University say that Obama can avoid a fight with the Republicans and still save taxpayers money and legally advance energy efficiency," Moreover, "renewable energy as a substitute is at cost parity in a lot of areas. In Germany and Western Europe, they are running their economies at very high efficiency levels and increasing their use of renewables. Obama has talked about those things, but in his remaining two years he has to push relentlessly on them, and he will be wildly supported if he does so."For example: all the buildings In Washington, BY Law, were supposed to have been retrofitted by 2015, the few that have been saved taxpayers 800 billion. Listen to this intelligent conversation about what is possible..
As the Obama administration begins the arduous task of assessing the newly reconstituted House of Saud after the death of King Abdullah on Friday, the relationship between the United States and its most important Arab ally, one fostered with great care and attention to detail over the years, is at a critical and tumultuous point.
This is something that I don't want to revisit--I never want to relive the worst experience of my life. However, with the 11th anniversary of my son's death in Iraq on 04/04/04 approaching and the new "blockbuster" infecting movie screens around the world, I really must get this off of my chest.
Latest Articles
The US Supreme Court finally agreed to analyze the implications of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution and marriage equality. In this case, multitudes of LGBT Americans yearn for marriage and feel discriminated against when state governments prohibit same-sex marriage. Many of these LGBT people who desire marriage are lesbians and gays who never desired heterosexual romance....
This is a little story I wrote this morning after I posted a piece here yesterday. It got me thinking about someone I used to know. The response to the movie "American Sniper" has been strong and Chris Kyle, the sniper, has been personally savaged and disparaged. Did he deserve it. I don't know.
Wall Street's Achilles Heel may be hidden in plain sight
The Re-Redistribution of Housing Wealth in America" Program. From Wall Street to Main Street.
The Re-Redistribution of Housing Wealth in America" Program. From Wall Street to Main Street.
The Other Mr. Cub I Remember
As a kid growing up on Chicago's South Side in the 1950s I loved baseball. But most blacks then didn't love the Chicago Cubs. There were two reasons for that. The Cubs played at Wrigley field on Chicago's North Side and blacks almost literally took their lives in their hand walking or driving though the lily white, rabidly hostile neighborhoods around the ball park.
As a kid growing up on Chicago's South Side in the 1950s I loved baseball. But most blacks then didn't love the Chicago Cubs. There were two reasons for that. The Cubs played at Wrigley field on Chicago's North Side and blacks almost literally took their lives in their hand walking or driving though the lily white, rabidly hostile neighborhoods around the ball park.
Look at California! or dare we whisper "revolution"?
I'd begun to reel from the rank corruption of our political and economic system, but I had nearly given up hope for reform in this country - and I'd definitely given up hope that either faction of the 2-faced Uni-Party was ever going to be a party to the changes we need.
I'd begun to reel from the rank corruption of our political and economic system, but I had nearly given up hope for reform in this country - and I'd definitely given up hope that either faction of the 2-faced Uni-Party was ever going to be a party to the changes we need.
In this permanent war, all-seeing, robo cop state, hundreds of thousands of citizens are already internal refugees shivering in tents, under bridges and on sidewalks. Millions more have emigrated, with more to come in the turbulent years ahead. As for the rest of us, we'll have to endure the worst of this rogue government in situ. We will die in this dying nation.
The Greensboro Four
On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina A&T College ignited the "sit in" movement (and reenergized the civil-rights movement itself). Fifty-five years ago, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Joe McNeil and David Richmond took their seats at a Greensboro, NC, Woolworth's lunch counter.
On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina A&T College ignited the "sit in" movement (and reenergized the civil-rights movement itself). Fifty-five years ago, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Joe McNeil and David Richmond took their seats at a Greensboro, NC, Woolworth's lunch counter.
I've got good news for everybody! Guess what? Climate change is not a hoax! But here's the other news--despite all the scientific studies, IPCC reports, the Lima convention, President Obama's public statements, and even a proclamation from the Pope himself, it's official--the United States Senate has decided that climate change is not caused by us!
On FBI Entrapment: The Horrible Case of Joe's Bar
A funny take on the silly spectacle of the FBI stopping its own terror ops.
A funny take on the silly spectacle of the FBI stopping its own terror ops.
Best News Links from the Web
George Joseph: Black Lives Matter in School- Diane Ravitch
Here is what LEARNING does not resemble...George Joseph is rapidly becoming one of our best education writers. In this article in The Nation, he shows how education "reform" is contributing to the "school to prison pipeline." At best, he says, "no excuses" charter schools are preparing black students for low wage jobs. He writes: "As assistant professor of education Beth Sondel"the "No Excuses" disciplinary approach, promoted by KIPP, the largest charter school chain in America, has transformed schools into totalizing carceral environments.: There were, for example, specific expectations about where students should put their hands, which direction they should turn their heads, how they should stand, and how they should sit. At the sound of each bell at the middle school, students were expected when given permission, to step iinto the hallway and onto strips of black duct tape...read!
Here is what LEARNING does not resemble...George Joseph is rapidly becoming one of our best education writers. In this article in The Nation, he shows how education "reform" is contributing to the "school to prison pipeline." At best, he says, "no excuses" charter schools are preparing black students for low wage jobs. He writes: "As assistant professor of education Beth Sondel"the "No Excuses" disciplinary approach, promoted by KIPP, the largest charter school chain in America, has transformed schools into totalizing carceral environments.: There were, for example, specific expectations about where students should put their hands, which direction they should turn their heads, how they should stand, and how they should sit. At the sound of each bell at the middle school, students were expected when given permission, to step iinto the hallway and onto strips of black duct tape...read!
For the past 14years, Alvaro Molina and Hacienda Merida have been stuffing water bottles with trash and using them in construction. "Its a great way to get around a trash problem" Alvaro has used these "Plastic Bricks" in place of cement in schools, benches, chairs, and a boat dock; cleaning up trash and saving on building costs.
Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine rejected a previously signed peace deal Friday and launched a new multipronged offensive against Ukrainian government troops, upending recent European attempts to mediate an end to the fighting. The main separatist leader in the rebellious Donetsk region vowed to push Ukrainian soldiers out of the area and said insurgents would not take part in any more cease-fire talks. Another rebel went even further, saying they would not abide by a peace deal signed in September. Separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko said rebel fighters went on the offensive to gain more territory and forestall a Ukrainian attack. He declared they would push government troops to the border of the Donetsk region and possibly beyond. "Attempts to talk about a cease-fire will no longer be undertaken by our side," Zakharchenko said.
Why all-nighters don't work: How sleep, memory go hand-in-hand -- ScienceDaily
Scientists have long known that sleep, memory and learning are deeply connected but how has remained a mystery. The question is, does the mechanism that promotes sleep also consolidate memory, or do two distinct processes work together? In other words, is memory consolidated during sleep because the brain is quiet or are memory neurons actually putting us to sleep? In a recent paper, researchers make a case for the latter.
Scientists have long known that sleep, memory and learning are deeply connected but how has remained a mystery. The question is, does the mechanism that promotes sleep also consolidate memory, or do two distinct processes work together? In other words, is memory consolidated during sleep because the brain is quiet or are memory neurons actually putting us to sleep? In a recent paper, researchers make a case for the latter.
NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel said on Friday that President Barack Obama's statement on the passing of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud was ironic and just an attempt at being polite because in reality, the late king could not stand President Obama. "This close personal bond between the president and the late Saudi leader, I think, is people being polite at a time of a national funeral," Engel said.
Sarah Palin was caught by ABC in Las Vegas at a soup kitchen as she promoted the second season of her outdoor hunting show, Amazing America. "Yeah, I mean, of course," she said, when they asked whether she was interested in the 2016 election. "When you have a servant's heart, when you know that there is opportunity to do all you can to put yourself forward in the name of offering service, anybody would be interested."
New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet talks about the time he was so angry he punched a hole in the wall of his office. It was when The Guardian and The Washington Post got exclusives with Edward Snowden information and they didn't. Snowden did not go to the Times, and to Baquet, "Morally, it meant that somebody with a big story to tell didn't think we were the place to go, and that's painful." He said the next Snowden should come to the Times "first."
"Imperial Neoliberal Capitalism is the Root of Terror, Not Islam." This recent article from Counterpunch explores in some detail how violence throughout the world needs to be examined in light of the economic forces from which it arises. Jason Hirthler analyzes how capitalism's drive for profit sweeps aside all other considerations.
"Call it macro-micro physics: the study of the huge paired with the study of the very, very small. In a new National Science Foundation-funded project, University at Buffalo physicists are looking to bridge the gap between two related but distinctive fields: the study of 'outer space' (stars and galaxies) and 'inner space' (fundamental particles and forces). To explain their project further: In the moments after the Big Bang, when the universe was young, it was an incredibly hot, dense soup of matter and energy. 'Electricity was once considered a parlor trick. Five hundred years ago, when it was shown that the sun was at the center of the Solar System, it wasn't necessarily clear why this mattered. It turned out that this realization was the key that allowed Newton to develop his laws of motion, which form the basis of our entire technological society today.'"
