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Our first day of law school was less than 48 hours after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO.As a former police officer, I felt my experience could help address the issue of police brutality and racially disparate abuse of discretion in the criminal justice system.I created a logo and FB page talking about the issues. I drafted a concept paper and reached out to my classmates and several of them answered the call.
Behind a physical (and perhaps metaphorical) screen, the U.S. government is putting on its case to pin ten felony charges on ex-CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling for allegedly leaking secrets to a U.S. journalist about a risky and convoluted covert op against Iran, as ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern reports.
The House of Representative's move to change the way lawmakers consider tax and spending bills wrongly assumes that the economy will continue growing when citizens pay fewer taxes, says Dean Baker, co-director of the central for Economic and Policy Research.
In this digital age, for the maintenance of meaningful communications and robust debate -- need to recognize that this debate is about more than Internet infrastructure. What the president is talking about is developing and maintaining the democratic infrastructure of the United States in the twenty-first century.
Why are so many veterans of our wars committing suicide? Maybe some can't reengage w/ the superficial, indifferent disconnected world they've been thrust back into returning home compared w/ the shared life & death ordeal they faced each day relying on the men next to them just to survive in war. Maybe it was PTSD, joblessness, divorce, feeling discarded after serving. Maybe they believed it was all for nothing?
By Democracy Now
"Circus of Hypocrisy": Jeremy Scahill on How World Leaders at Paris March Oppose Press Freedom
Jeremy Scahill said, "While horrifying and reprehensible, these incidents represent a relatively minor threat to Western society. In terms of the actual threats facing our society, this doesn't even rank in the top five. And so, to have this kind of a reaction is not only a waste of a tremendous amount of money, but it is going to encourage, I think, future acts of terrorism."
"Circus of Hypocrisy": Jeremy Scahill on How World Leaders at Paris March Oppose Press Freedom
Jeremy Scahill said, "While horrifying and reprehensible, these incidents represent a relatively minor threat to Western society. In terms of the actual threats facing our society, this doesn't even rank in the top five. And so, to have this kind of a reaction is not only a waste of a tremendous amount of money, but it is going to encourage, I think, future acts of terrorism."
By William K. Black, J.D., Ph.D.
It Would be Well if Economics Were Modest for it has Much to be Modest About
This post comments on an article by the French economist Gilles Saint-Paul that embodies why economics is the only field that purports to be a science that has gotten worse for decades, which actively makes the world worse in its supposed area of expertise, and that is proud of it
It Would be Well if Economics Were Modest for it has Much to be Modest About
This post comments on an article by the French economist Gilles Saint-Paul that embodies why economics is the only field that purports to be a science that has gotten worse for decades, which actively makes the world worse in its supposed area of expertise, and that is proud of it
Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference today he has no plans to apologize to the NYPD for his fundamental beliefs, but is always willing to come together with officers to address their issues. Officers have been peeved for weeks because in reaction to the Eric Garner grand jury decision, de Blasio talked about racism and how he's warned his son Dante about interactions with the police.
By David Swanson
Study Finds People Assume War Is Only Last Resort
A scholarly study has found that the U.S. public believes that whenever the U.S. government proposes a war, it has already exhausted all other possibilities.
Study Finds People Assume War Is Only Last Resort
A scholarly study has found that the U.S. public believes that whenever the U.S. government proposes a war, it has already exhausted all other possibilities.
What do Vail and Squaw Valley have in common?
Exclusive: White House says net neutrality legislation not needed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday said legislation was not necessary to settle so-called net neutrality rules because the Federal Communications Commission had the authority to write them.Republicans
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday said legislation was not necessary to settle so-called net neutrality rules because the Federal Communications Commission had the authority to write them.Republicans
Pope Frances Speaks Out: A Culture of Waste, and Man-Made Global Warming
Francis has spoken out frequently about the "culture of waste" that has imperiled the environment and he elaborated en route to the Philippines. While there, Francis will meet with survivors of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, which the government has said was an example of the extreme weather conditions that global warming has wrought.
Francis has spoken out frequently about the "culture of waste" that has imperiled the environment and he elaborated en route to the Philippines. While there, Francis will meet with survivors of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, which the government has said was an example of the extreme weather conditions that global warming has wrought.
"Specifically, they wanted to know how well a given amount of information can be preserved from the beginning to the end of time, with limitations only from physical laws and not technological imperfections in the specific storage medium. 'Above all, we want to try to understand if and how spacetime dynamics affects information storage.' There are a number of other interesting future directions that this work could take. For instance, implementing correction measures at various times during the evolution of the universe could reduce the degradation of the stored information. More speculatively, future research might focus on entanglement-assisted communication in Einstein-Rosen bridges--better known as wormholes--and even entanglement between different eras in the universe. This research could have implications for understanding dark energy and the evolution of the universe overall."
Trans-Neptunian objects suggest that there are more dwarf planets in our solar system -- ScienceDaily
There could be at least two unknown dwarf planets hidden well beyond Pluto, whose gravitational influence determines the orbits and strange distribution of objects observed beyond Neptune. This has been revealed by numerical calculations. If confirmed, this hypothesis would revolutionize solar system models. Astronomers have spent decades debating whether some dark trans-Plutonian planet remains to be discovered within the solar system. According to scientists not only one, but at least two planets must exist to explain the orbital behavior of extreme trans-Neptunian objects.
There could be at least two unknown dwarf planets hidden well beyond Pluto, whose gravitational influence determines the orbits and strange distribution of objects observed beyond Neptune. This has been revealed by numerical calculations. If confirmed, this hypothesis would revolutionize solar system models. Astronomers have spent decades debating whether some dark trans-Plutonian planet remains to be discovered within the solar system. According to scientists not only one, but at least two planets must exist to explain the orbital behavior of extreme trans-Neptunian objects.
Renewable resources reach their limits -- ScienceDaily
Landscape ecologists and plant ecologists analyzed the production and extraction rates of 27 global renewable and non-renewable resources together with economists and sustainability scholars. They examined 20 renewable resources, such as maize, rice, wheat or soya, which represent around 45% of the global calorie intake according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as animal products, such as fish, meat, milk and egg. For 18 of these renewable resources the annual growth rate (for example the increase in meat production or in fish catch) reached its peak -- the peak-rate year -- around 2006 a few years ago.
Landscape ecologists and plant ecologists analyzed the production and extraction rates of 27 global renewable and non-renewable resources together with economists and sustainability scholars. They examined 20 renewable resources, such as maize, rice, wheat or soya, which represent around 45% of the global calorie intake according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as animal products, such as fish, meat, milk and egg. For 18 of these renewable resources the annual growth rate (for example the increase in meat production or in fish catch) reached its peak -- the peak-rate year -- around 2006 a few years ago.
Correcting estimates of sea level rise -- ScienceDaily
The acceleration in global sea level from the 20th century to the last two decades has been significantly larger than scientists previously thought, according to a new study. Previous estimates of global sea-level rise from 1900-1990 had been over-estimated by as much as 30 percent, researchers suggest.
The acceleration in global sea level from the 20th century to the last two decades has been significantly larger than scientists previously thought, according to a new study. Previous estimates of global sea-level rise from 1900-1990 had been over-estimated by as much as 30 percent, researchers suggest.
By Suzana Megles
Thank You Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois for Your Concern for Animals
I am always happy to read that there are indeed political leaders of compassion and that one of them is outgoing Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois. May God bless him for his compassionate concern for animals while governor. Sadly, I also read that outgoing Nebraska Governor David Heineman is the opposite of Governor Quinn, lacking in compassion. I hope whoever succeeds him will be a much needed improvement for the animals.
Thank You Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois for Your Concern for Animals
I am always happy to read that there are indeed political leaders of compassion and that one of them is outgoing Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois. May God bless him for his compassionate concern for animals while governor. Sadly, I also read that outgoing Nebraska Governor David Heineman is the opposite of Governor Quinn, lacking in compassion. I hope whoever succeeds him will be a much needed improvement for the animals.
The all-in costs of this airplane are estimated to be as much as $1.5 trillion. (That's approximately the same price as the entire Iraq War.)
Even though he has been shunted to a ceremonial position, the formerly most powerful Catholic archbishop in the United States remains perhaps the most vocal critic of Pope Francis's radical new pastoral focus and the direction of the modern Catholic church. Cardinal Raymond Burke suggested that the pope's views had "done a lot of harm" at a recent church synod on family life. He went even further in a website interview when he spoke out, in no uncertain terms, against what he said was the "radical feminism which has assaulted the Church and society since the 1960s has left men very marginalized."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's effort to lure French Jews to Israel is meeting resistance from his co-religionists, who don't appreciate his attempts to erase their community. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman echoed Netanyahu's remarks, calling on French Jews to move to Israel for their own safety. Yair Lapid, a centrist politician who was until recently the finance minister, put it in perhaps the bluntest terms, urging European Jews to "understand that there is only one home for Jews, and that is the state of Israel."
New York: What to Do with an Extra $5 Billion; by Diane Ravitch
Ira Shor, a professor at the City University of New York, read that the state has an unexpected surplus of $5 billion. What should be done with this windfall? But, with NYC schools 'failing' and being replaced by charter schools THE NY TIMES DID NOT EVEN INCLUDE IT ON ITS LIST. SAYS RAVITCHS: This is especially outrageous given that NY State was ordered in 2006 by Appellate and Supreme Courts to supplement habitually under-funded NY City schools by several billion dollars a year, following a 13-year lawsuit finally won by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, only to be tossed aside when the State claimed fiscal distress after the Wall St. collapse of 2008....How could public education use this sudden windfall? Smaller class size for starters, ably argued for years by a hero of public schools, Leonie Haimson. The $5 billion could also go for wrap-around social services FOR our poorest kids
Ira Shor, a professor at the City University of New York, read that the state has an unexpected surplus of $5 billion. What should be done with this windfall? But, with NYC schools 'failing' and being replaced by charter schools THE NY TIMES DID NOT EVEN INCLUDE IT ON ITS LIST. SAYS RAVITCHS: This is especially outrageous given that NY State was ordered in 2006 by Appellate and Supreme Courts to supplement habitually under-funded NY City schools by several billion dollars a year, following a 13-year lawsuit finally won by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, only to be tossed aside when the State claimed fiscal distress after the Wall St. collapse of 2008....How could public education use this sudden windfall? Smaller class size for starters, ably argued for years by a hero of public schools, Leonie Haimson. The $5 billion could also go for wrap-around social services FOR our poorest kids
In 2015, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to focus on boosting military capabilities in Crimea, the Kaliningrad region, and the Arctic, while carrying out other planned modernizations of the armed forces and drafting a new long-term defense plan. Russia's chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said that in 2015 Russia will focus on reinforcing its military on the Crimean peninsula, the Kaliningrad Region, and the Arctic. "In 2015, the Defense Ministry's main efforts will focus on an increase of combat capabilities of the armed forces and increasing the military staff in accordance with military construction plans. Much attention will be given to the groupings in Crimea, Kaliningrad, and the Arctic," Gerasimov said on Tuesday. A new branch of the Russian military, the Aerospace Defense Force, will be formed in 2015, ahead of schedule, through the merger of Air Force and Space Forces.
Obama could not attend the "free speech" parade in France after the Charlie Hebdo massacre because he is not a defender of free speech. His record and that of the US government, demonstrates a disdain for free speech. Obama would have been highly criticized for his hypocrisy had he gone.
By Philip Kraske
Charlie: Leave Islam alone with its prophet
A poetic comment on Charlie Hebdo's bad manners with Islam.
Charlie: Leave Islam alone with its prophet
A poetic comment on Charlie Hebdo's bad manners with Islam.
this will probably shock many, but overwhelmingly, those who have committed terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe aren't Muslims. Per the 2013 State Department's report on terrorism, there were 399 acts of terror committed by Israeli settlers in what are known as "price tag" attacks. These Jewish terrorists attacked Palestinian civilians causing physical injuries to 93 of them and also vandalized scores of mosques and Christian churches. The media will have on expert after expert discussing how can we stop these scary brown Muslims from killing any more Americans despite the fact you actually have a better chance of being killed by a refrigerator falling on you.
Growing damage from Russia's financial crisis on neighboring former Soviet states could bury President Vladimir Putin's dream of creating an economic union to rival the United States and European Union. The Russian ruble's more than 40 percent fall against the dollar in 2014 and its continued weakness this year has loosened some tongues, most notably that of President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, which briefly imposed a 30 percent tax on buying foreign currency to prevent a run on dollars.
Now when millions are marching against terrorism, this is am appropriate time to recall the origins of the War in Afghanistan.
One of the GOP Presidential hopefuls has already announced a major plank in his campaign platform, should he be selected as the nominee. Senator Rand Paul (R/KY) declared that dismantling the United Nations is a top priority. Rand Paul in particular has made some truly bizarre allegations about the world body in recent years.
By Tom Engelhardt
Peter Van Buren, The Military-Industrial Complex in Iraq
"You can't have victory if you have no idea where the finish line is. But there is one bright side to the situation. If you can't create Victory in Iraq for future VI Day parades, you can at least make a profit from the disintegrating situation there."
Peter Van Buren, The Military-Industrial Complex in Iraq
"You can't have victory if you have no idea where the finish line is. But there is one bright side to the situation. If you can't create Victory in Iraq for future VI Day parades, you can at least make a profit from the disintegrating situation there."
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Hinduism is indeed blessed not to be slapped with 9/11-like terrorism label on it, despite the massacres of 3000 Sikhs in New Delhi by the violent Hindu mobs in just three days, for a total of 8,000 Sikhs within a week. Nearly a thousand Muslims were butchered by the fanatic Hindus in Gujarat within two weeks in 2002.
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