Jennifer Menzies is a Member of the Commonwealth Grants Commission. She occasionally undertakes consulting work for state government.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's first Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting this Friday will be a test of whether his vaunted commitment to a new "style of leadership … that recognises there is an enormous sum of wisdom both within our colleagues in this building and of course further afield" extends to the state and territory leaders.
Tax reform is dominating the media's coverage ahead of Friday, as well as Thursday's treasurers' meeting. The two days of discussions will pick up from the work done at the special COAG retreat in July, and since, including new federal Treasury analysis of different tax options.
But don't expect any clear decisions on tax reform on Friday – these discussions still have a long way to go. Instead, we can expect to see more progress on other national issues including domestic violence, new strategies against violent extremism, and tackling COAG's structural flaws.
At the first Premiers Conference held in 1901, Prime Minister Edmund Barton had the courtesy to thank the premiers for attending and giving him "the advantage of your experience and wisdom".
On Friday, premiers and chief ministers will fly into Canberra with different expectations. Such gentle civility has long since been replaced by the rituals of summitry, which focuses on the theatre of personalities and politics, winners and losers, and deals made or rebuffed.
For Turnbull, the signs so far have been positive. Many premiers – not just from his own side of politics – were quick to phone after Tony Abbott was deposed, and seemed happy with the response they met with.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk spoke of the "constructive" conversations she enjoyed on transport infrastructure and her support of his innovation agenda.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also spoke of his "productive" relationship with Turnbull and the opportunity to move on from the impasse experienced with Abbott on redirecting federal funding from the scrapped East West Link project.
But will this positivity flow into Turnbull's first COAG meeting?
COAG is a meeting of leaders, each with a high profile within their home jurisdiction. They bring their own priorities and leadership style to the meeting.
Within such a dynamic, collective agreement is never easy – especially on politically sensitive topics like raising the GST to 12.5% or 15%, as well as possibly increasing the Medicare levy, among the options reportedly outlined in an official document leaked to Fairfax ahead of Friday's meeting.
But there are a couple of issues on the December agenda that transcend party lines.
The last two COAG meetings saw the issue of domestic violence high on the agenda, with the discussion guided by advice from the COAG Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children.
This December meeting will focus on signing off on a campaign to change young people's attitude to violence and to consider the Model Law Framework for Domestic Violence Orders and National Perpetrator Standards. All states and territories have committed to funding the campaign on changing young people's attitudes.
There has been a strong bipartisan commitment to counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism measures from COAG ever since the Howard government.
This Friday's meeting will acknowledge the transition from a police-based response to broaden the focus to one of working with the community to promote prevention and early intervention with individuals.
States have been investigating innovative strategies to engage with youth at risk, community engagement and resilience. This meeting will identify a number of national strategies to promote social cohesion.
The issue where partisan tensions will emerge is tax reform. This is particularly challenging for Labor states that must walk the divide between their jurisdictional needs for new funding streams while not undermining federal Labor's opposition to any increase to the GST.
Labor premiers Palaszczuk and Andrews have both rejected any GST rise from 10%.
But South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill broke party ranks by putting forward a plan to overhaul federal-state tax arrangements. The plan included increasing the rate to 15% with the increased revenue being retained by the Commonwealth, and in exchange the states would receive a fixed share of personal income tax. Weatherill will outline this plan at Friday's meeting.
The prickliest premier that Turnbull will deal with during this discussion is likely to be a fellow Liberal – WA Premier Colin Barnett.
Barnett is now Australia's longest-serving premier and is opposed to discussing raising the GST rate unless the distribution model is also reconsidered. After the April COAG meeting, Barnett threatened to "disengage" from the federation unless the GST system was changed. His stance has not softened in the interim.
It is unlikely a major announcement on tax reform will come from Friday's COAG meeting, given the federal government's options or "green" paper on tax reform won't be released until next year. But the states' views will flow into the options outlined in that upcoming paper.
Beyond the formal agenda, there are a number of structural issues around the strategic role of COAG; dominance by the Commonwealth of the agenda; and cultural issues about lack of collaboration and coercive decision-making that continue to irritate the premiers. It will not take them long to make the prime minister aware that their desire still remains strong to see reform of the COAG model.
With the prime minister controlling the agenda and setting the meeting times, the state and territory leaders have a range of reforms to pursue through the Reform of the Federation White Paper. The change of prime minister will not have diminished their enthusiasm for reform, so expect to see the state and territory leaders continuing to push for a joint Commonwealth/state secretariat and collaborative agenda setting.
As we have already seen, Turnbull's charm can help him avoid some of the pitfalls of partisan and personality politics, which always lurk beneath the surface of COAG.
However, the transactional nature of intergovernmental relations in Australia has led to a system based on negotiation and well-developed bargaining skills. More than his charm, Turnbull will need to bring raw political deal-making skills to the COAG table this Friday, particularly if he wishes to win national consensus for any of the new proposals for tax reform.


Police are once again appealing to social media users to refrain from posting unverified information on social media sites.
This follows after two unrelated incidents were circulating on social media platforms on Wednesday 5 September 2018, warning community members of incidents of kidnapping of children in and around the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (Port Elizabeth, Motherwell and Uitenhage).
Police will also like to allay fears on social media that no truck was stopped that was used in transporting of children on suspicion of trafficking between Nanaga and Port Elizabeth.
However, a small van was stopped that was conveying illegal immigrants. The case is being dealt with by the Hawks.
Distortion of facts can have dire consequences and cause unnecessary panic and mayhem in the community. Social media is an important communication platform and can assist the Police in combatting crime and arresting criminals.


1450 A.D. (15th century), Hampi, A disciple of Kriyashakti Pandita.
'Janavashya' is the most elaborate work on erotica in ancient Kannada. This is a direct translation of the Sanskrit work 'Ratirahasya' by Kakkoka even though the author does not acknowledge this any where in the text. This work contains thirteen chapters consisting of 685 verses. The verses are composed in Shara, Kusuma and Bhoga shatpadis. The book is structured as a conversation between a man and his wife. Kallarasa attributes this conversation to his patron king Mallikarjuna (1446-1465, Vijayanagara dynasty) and his wife. Many intricate details about love making are delineated in this work according to the tradition laid down by Sanskrit texts. A description of various kinds of women such as Padmini, Hastini, Chittini etc, details regarding fore play, various postures of copulation, different medicines that can be used to enhance sexual health, the role played by courtesans in the society are some of the themes dealt with in this book. Probably Indian and oriental erotica offer a psychological approach which has developed by a deep knowledge of human nature when compared with the western approach which is rather crude.
Edited by G.G.Manjunathan and published in 1974 by the Institute of Kannada Studies, Mysore University, Mysore.
Manjunathan has made use of seven manuscripts to arrive at the final texts. The book is appended with a translated version of the Sanskrit prose work 'Ratirahasya' by Kakkoka.


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Adult Swim's RICK AND MORTY gets ONI comic in 2015
from the official press release . . . . . .
Zac Gorman to Write New Monthly Comic Debuting Spring 2015
PORTLAND, OREGON– Rick and Morty are taking their inter-dimensional adventures through time and space into a whole new sphere: comic books. Beginning in spring 2015, Oni Press will create a monthly comic book series based on the popular animated series that airs on Adult Swim.
Since its debut in 2013, Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon's RICK AND MORTY has become one of the most critically acclaimed, feverishly watched shows on television . The insane adventures of impressionable, endearingly clueless teenager Morty and his sociopathic scientist grandfather Rick have given rise to an insatiable fan base, not to mention a top-rated series after its first season run on the network.
So, of course, bringing RICK AND MORTY to comics is kind of a no brainer.
Written by Zac Gorman (Costume Quest: Invasion of the Candy Snatchers, Magical Game Time), the RICK AND MORTY comics promise to be a monthly injection of the darkly frenetic, gut-punishingly hilarious brilliance that millions have come to relish on television.
"We're all huge fans of the show, so we couldn't be more excited to bring it to comics," said Oni Press' Editor in Chief James Lucas Jones. "The world Dan, Justin, and their whole crew have built is so wildly imaginative and fun, we're sure it'll translate flawlessly. On top of that, the stuff Zac is doing fits so perfectly and is so funny that we're certain the comics will make a perfect companion to the show. We really can't wait for folks to see what he's cooked up."
While there are more details yet to be announced, it's safe to say 2015 is going to be a great year for fictional super science and unchecked substance abuse!
About Cartoon Network Enterprises:
Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) is responsible for building consumer products and merchandising programs for a wide range of brands by securing and supporting long-term licensing partnerships across all categories. As the global branding and merchandising arm of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, the division manages the consumer product programs for the networks' award-winning original programming, brands and characters including Ben 10, Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Powerpuff Girls, Adult Swim and more. CNE also serves as the exclusive global licensing agent for LazyTown Entertainment and the PGA of America for the youth marketplace.
Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s network offering original and acquired animated and live-action series for young adults. Airing nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET/PT), Adult Swim is basic cable's #1 network among persons 18-34 and 18-49, and is seen in 97 million U.S. homes.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
About Oni Press
Oni Press has been publishing comics and blowing minds in defiance of a cold, uncaring universe's cruel, twisted will since 1997. Based in the peerless city of Portland, Oregon, they have been responsible for such comics leviathans as SCOTT PILGRIM, THE SIXTH GUN, QUEEN & COUNTRY, and STUMPTOWN, among an avalanche of others. They are frighteningly passionate yet coolly approachable.
Mario Gully launches sketchbook in January 2015
Another publisher of New Pulp Fiction: MOONSTONE
Early trailer for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON on website
SQUARRIORS: Crowd-funding success debuts in December
A little news from the New York Comic Con
Little Girl, Lost
Get VALIANT with your comic book love . . . . .
Tribute: John Lennon focuses on post-Beatle life
James Bond 007 returns to comics in 2015 via Dynamite
Slumberland: A loving tribute to a comic strip legend
The retailer - customer link is important to comic...
EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's some information on another ...
Another great HUMBLE BUNDLE: A collection of ONI ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Palestinian Harvard Admittee Refused Entry by Trump Admin. for Friends' Facebook Comments
Middle East Monitor 08/31/2019
By Asa Winstanley | @AsaWinstanley | –
Seventeen-year-old Ismail Ajjawi must have been giddy with excitement when he, a Palestinian refugee living in southern Lebanon, won a major scholarship to Harvard University. The prospect of a new life studying medicine in the United States, in one of the world's most prestigious universities, must have been absolutely stupendous.
His high hopes, however, have been dashed by the US border agency. Flying into Boston's Logan International Airport, Ajjawi was detained, interrogated for hours on his political and religious beliefs, screamed at and eventually deported.
After invading his privacy by forcing their way into his social media account, border officials determined that some of his online "friends" had posted "political" views which were critical of the US. This apparently made him "inadmissible" to the country, despite having been already granted a visa.
Although a particularly egregious case, Ajjawi is by no means alone among his Palestinian compatriots. Such unjust restrictions on movement, migration, travel, study and employment frequently target many different peoples from the global south. The racist regimes employed by European and American border agencies are by no means unique to the current Trump administration. However, the Palestinians are an almost unique example of a particularly vulnerable, stateless population, which is subject to frequent and arbitrary global movement restrictions.
Ajjawi's case is a prime example of this phenomenon. A particularly gifted and talented teenager, he was seeking a new life in order to better himself through education. Is this not the goal that Euro-American racists claim to be promoting when they extol the virtues of Western imperialism; the promise of being "civilised"?
It is tragically common for Palestinians seeking visas to travel to Britain also to be denied entry on spurious and usually opaque grounds. The organisers of Palestine solidarity events often have a very hard time getting Palestinians into the country to speak at their rallies and talks, because the UK Border Agency is so miserly with issuing visas.
The arbitrary and capricious rescinding of Ajjawi's visa to study as a doctor in the US, as well as his racist treatment at the airport, is quite similar to Israeli treatment of Palestinians, people of Arab descent and people of colour generally at Ben Gurion Airport outside Lydda, in present day Israel. That is not to say that Israel is the cause of American or British racism; far from it. Both countries have their own long and undistinguished histories of such prejudice, rooted in empire, capitalism and the insidious ideology of white supremacy.
If anything, though, Israel is a product of western imperialism, racism and anti-Semitism; the anti-Semitic view that Jewish people do not "really" belong in Europe is shared by the Zionist movement, as well as by fascists. However, there is a detectable process by which Israeli innovations in racism, discrimination and warfare against civilians influence specific European and American practice; this has been dubbed "Israelification".
Examples of this process include Israel's training of police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, where police shot dead 18-year-old Michel Brown, triggering the Black Lives Matter movement against systemic racism in the US. Israeli arms manufacturers also market their deadly wares in the west as "field tested"; on Palestinian civilians, they would have added if there was any truth in advertising.
Israel has long made the argument to western powers that it can act as a useful regional ally, one in accord with their (imperialist) interests, and a useful attack dog. Western politicians too often believe this line, despite the fact that Israel has for decades been spying on them aggressively at the same time. The Jonathan Pollard case in America demonstrated this, as did the papers leaked by Edward Snowden, which showed Israel to be a top target of US counter-intelligence, a threat in the same league as that posed by China, North Korea and Venezuela.
The Palestinian people meanwhile remain trapped in their precarious existence. No matter where in the world they live, they are at risk of discrimination. The institutional sympathy of western government entities for Israel's apartheid regime means that the borders of Israeli occupation are not limited to Palestine itself.
This was illustrated by Donald Trump's racist supporters, when they chanted "Send them back" against Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and the rest of "The Squad" of left-wing Democratic lawmakers. Ironically, when Tlaib did attempt to "go back" to her homeland of Palestine for a visit in August, Israeli restrictions (egged on by Trump personally on Twitter) made that impossible. That, in a nutshell, is the plight of the Palestinian people. No matter where they try to go, or what they try to do, on top of everything else they have to contend with, they face the poison of racism.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.
Chris Hayes: "Palestinian-Born Harvard Freshman Denied Entry Into U.S." | All In | MSNBC
Middle East Monitor is a not-for-profit press monitoring organization, founded on 1 July 2009, and based in London. Journalists who have written for it include Amelia Smith, Diana Alghoul, Ben White, Jehan Alfarra and Jessica Purkiss. The editorial line straddles the British left and the British Muslim religious Right.


Baroque Lawn Embroidered Collection 2017 Design PL05 High Quality Master Replica. Premium quality fancy lawn embroidered unstitched 3 piece suit with all embroidered patches and laces same as original.
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De Froenzensko-Primorskaja-lijn (Russisch: Фрунзенско-Приморская линия) (lijn 5) is een lijn van de metro van Sint-Petersburg, die het noordwesten van de stad (district Primorski) verbindt met het zuidoosten (district Froenzenski). De jongste lijn van de stad is ontstaan door de koppeling van het traject Komendantski prospekt - Sadovaja (eerder lijn 4) aan een nieuw tracé van Sadovaja naar het zuidoosten. De lijn bedient 15 stations en heeft een lengte van 25 kilometer. De reistijd van eindpunt naar eindpunt bedraagt ongeveer 40 minuten. Op kaarten wordt de lijn aangeduid met de kleur paars.

Geschiedenis
De bouw van de lijn begon al in de jaren 1990, maar werd om financiële redenen stilgelegd. Het eerste deel van de lijn, met de nieuwe stations Zvenigorodskaja en Volkovskaja opende uiteindelijk op 20 december 2008. Op 7 maart 2009 werd dit traject in het zuidoosten van de stad gekoppeld aan de vroegere noordwestelijke tak van lijn 4, waardoor de Froenzensko-Primorskaja-lijn in zijn huidige vorm ontstond. Lijn 4 eindigt sindsdien in het nieuwe station Spasskaja, dat deel uitmaakt van het overstapcomplex Sennaja plosjtsjad/Sadovaja.

Stations

Metro van Sint-Petersburg

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Are You Wearing the Right Colours?
Fashion stylists and image consultants have always known the importance of wearing the right colours and have been using colour analysis in their businesses for years. Colour is not just one of the essential ingredients of a great look – it's one of the building blocks. The right colours make such a huge impact on how you look that you really "shouldn't get dressed without them". Since we have to dress everyday and we wear clothes with colour (at least most of us do) why wouldn't we want to wear our absolute best colours?
Wearing the newest trendy colours will not enhance our image if the colours we're wearing are not related to our body's natural colouring. Our best colours have the same colour temperature, the same intensity and the same degree of contrast as those colours found in our eyes, hair and skin. Take a look at these pictures of Kate Middleton who is an excellent example of someone who not only dresses with style and polish but also wears her best colours.
Cameron Dias who usually wears the right colours made a terrible mistake (she realized it after it was done) when she changed the colour of her hair. Her new hairdo and hair colour aged her 15 years. That's the impact of colour! I don't think it will be long (if she hasn't already) before she goes back to her original colour.
As we get older and our skin and hair lightens our best colours change. The colours that look fabulous on us at 20 may need to be softened, lightened at 40, and perhaps again at 60.
If you have never had a colour analysis and you would like to have one look for an image consultant who uses a system that is either customized or has a bare minimum of 12 colour categories. A good colour analysis will simplify the process of selecting clothing and makeup colors. You will no longer waste money and time shopping for and buying clothes that don't flatter and harmonize with your hair, eyes and skin.


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ObamaCare is an Overstuffed Turkey
Across America, families are emerging from their Thanksgiving turkey comas, and have returned home after battling Black Friday 'sales' buying things they do not need, with money they do not have.
Both of these events put me in mind of the turkey that is ObamaCare and the ever more frenetic marketing of (as one wag put it to me) the "s*it sandwich" that is being sold to us as Obama's signature legacy.
Each day as we, the consumer, find out more of those details that the politicians wouldn't share with us, before the legislation was passed (with NO help from the Republicans) commentators are finally admitting what some of us have been screaming about all along.
I still have not found one person who admits to reading the whole 2,000+ page abomination, but finally, I HAVE found an analysis of the dollars and (non) cents UNConstitutional Act (based on omissions, innuendos and outright lies) that shows why this product being foist on us by the Not-So-Super-Salesman-In-Charge, must not stand. Read on:
Carving up the Health Care Pig
Have you ever wondered why it costs so much to see a doctor? After all, a Doctor's time can only be worth so much, right? Still, medical care has gotten so expensive that most are willing to pay a 3rd Party to pay the bill instead. Somehow, it's perceived that paying someone else to pay the Doctor will decrease the cost of seeing the Doctor. They call it "insurance," but the definition no longer fits the reality. Insurance is designed as numerous individuals paying a little into a fund that covers catastrophic but unlikely events, while modern "health insurance" pays for routine events and common ailments. But, for the sake of clarity, I'll refer to it as "health insurance," as it is commonly referred to as such.
Let's begin with just a visit to the Doctor's office. The fee charged doesn't just cover the Doctor's time. It also has to pay the time of the Nurse who prepares you to see the Doctor and asks the questions he needs answered to optimize his time with you. It also has to pay for the time of the receptionist who schedules your appointment, pulls your records, and makes sure the Doctor has time to see you, prioritizing those with the most urgent of needs. It also has to pay the mortgage on the building the doctor had built to see you. It also has to pay for the chair you sit in waiting to see the doctor, and the table he examines you on, and all the equipment he needs to have on hand. It also has to pay the costs of those loans he took out to gain that medical knowledge, and the costs of the loans of his Nurse.
Costs are going to snowball quick in this reality, and this is going to get long, while only touching on the generalities of those costs.
Now, your Doctor's Office has set up a fairly efficient system where by he sees many patients in a short amount of time, with each phase of the visit using the lowest cost labor needed, and requiring you to wait a little while longer for his time. So, in a normal free enterprise system, where it was a business and a customer relationship, the visit would probably only run $20 to $40, but we've added a lot of paychecks and infrastructure that has no part in actually providing the service.
Rather than just writing a check, or paying in cash or plastic, we've added the insurance company, which means the Doctor's office has to process the paperwork to justify the charges to someone that wasn't there. The insurance company has to pay someone to ensure the justification is correct, because they weren't there. It has to pay for a building and filing cabinets and phones and cubicles, not only for the verifiers, but for the salesmen, and those that bill the patient for the coverage. It has to pay for lawyers to make sure the paperwork is correct with the State. And it has to charge the patient enough to pay for all of those costs, and to pay the Doctor for his time, and the costs of running the Doctor's office.
In effect, we have just doubled the number of paychecks and infrastructure it requires to pay for the Doctor's visit, just by adding the Health Insurance company to the mix. And many will notice that their co-pay is very close to what the cost would have been otherwise. Of course, we also "added jobs" to the equation, but there is still only one Doctor giving the care, and still only one Nurse checking vitals, and one receptionist helping to maximize efficiency in that care.
A sad reality is that many in America today believe that their best opportunity to "strike it rich," is through a lawsuit. The lottery is high on the list as well, but business ownership is too low on that list. "Medical malpractice" lawsuits are way too common, and combined with this belief that a lawsuit is the most likely means to riches, there are many frivolous lawsuits against Doctors and Insurance companies. That's not to say that all are baseless, but the more common the lawsuit, and the more money awarded, or spent on a defense, or both, the higher the cost of insurance to protect the Doctor in the case, no matter how good he is. The cost of that insurance becomes a part of the Doctor's Fee and is passed on to the patient in the cost of higher insurance premiums.
And then we have all these pills, that companies now advertise to the patient, on TV and patients now demand the magic pills from their Doctor. It may be that each and every pill does exactly what the corporations claim, including the side effects, such as suicidal thoughts. But, those pills require chemists, and scientists, and researchers, and laboratories to test them in. They require test subjects, and then proof to the FDA that they are what they say they are. All of those things cost money, and lots of it, and that's before it goes to production in a sanitary factory, or TV advertising. Doctors can't know every pill made and the companies that make them pay a lot of money to ensure they do know their latest greatest. They pay salesmen to woo the Doctor and educate them on the latest thing out. The patient demands not only a prescription written by a doctor, but also "coverage" for the cost of the pills, and that adds time to the Doctor's billing as well as to the Insurance companies costs, which are again added to the costs of those premiums, while the co-pays likely cover the costs of actually manufacturing, and the rest has to cover the cost of all those middlemen. ...
There is MUCH more here, with irrefutable commonsense and FACTS. Yes, I know that common sense and facts are frowned upon these days by the politicians who would rather we, the people, just meekly swallow this bitter pill called ObamaCare.
I am seeing glimmers of hope that the patient (the American citizen) is waking from the ObamaCare coma. My prescription is to share this column with all those patients who are still wavering and remind them that the *Doctor* does not always know best.
In this case, America cannot afford the ill-conceived monstrosity that is Obama's UnAffordable Care Act. My prescription? Citizens MUST act, before the disease of "we are the government, and we are here to help you" renders the Republic terminal.
CBC: Something Very Odd Is Happening In The Pacific (Video)
A question mark appears in the questions from the MSM about what could be causing such odd behaviors in the sea creatures in the Pacific ocean when they ask, could it be Fukushima?
You think??????
Evidently adding the fact that the Fukushima nuclear plant dumping hundreds of tons of contaminated, radioactive water into the Pacific ocean daily after being devastated from the 2011 earthquake and tsnunami, and that sea life is acting strange, dying off, melting to goo among others things is too hard of a connection for them to make.
Ok, snark aside, ENENEWS quotes CBC News with "something very odd is happening in the Pacific" creatures are acting strangely, turning up where they are "rarely seen."
Curious humpback encounter dazzles whale watchers — Captain recalls whale encounter [...] We turned around and there was this humpback with his head completely out of the water , about 6 feet of it lookin at us [...] There it was, just starin at us maybe 10 feet from the boat. The rest of a full hour it swam under the boat, around the boat [...] everybody was ecstatic [...] I've been on these waters since 1988 and nothing like this has ever happened to me before.[...] It's a once in a lifetime event.
LA Weekly, Nov. 27, 2013: [...] Capt. Kyle Daniels of the L.A. County Lifeguard Division told us previously that while there might have been two shark sightings a year in the past, this year has seen an average of two reporting sightings per day. [...] So should we be afraid? Not really. [Marine biologist Chris Lowe, head of Cal State Long Beach's Sharklab] argues that "humans aren't on the list" of things baby sharks like to eat. [...] "These young sharks are probably scared," Lowe says. [...]
It really shouldn't take an expert to add two plus two and get four. The Pacific is dying, it is being poisoned with radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant and the animals are attempting to save themselves. Their behavior pretty much says it all.
Below are the two videos shown at ENENews of the humpback and whale encounters, referenced above.
America is broken: Who will fix it?
This is the document that clearly authorizes what the Federal government is allowed to do, what authorities and responsibilities the separate entities of the Government have. It is what Our Troops swear to defend and what our politicians and judges have sworn to uphold:
Those words in the first paragraph above are the beginning of an article written on War On Terror News back on Constitution Day 2011.
As is pointed out within that article, the US Constitution is but four (4!!!) pages of simple language setting out what America is/will be, and what it is NOT. The foundations upon which a great nation was based seem to have been shaken to the core in recent years, as the current crop of politicians seem determined to over-reach the very clear limits placed upon them within that framework. Today, from where I sit, America is under attack by those very 'servants' of the people who - as noted above - swore to uphold the Constitution.
Since the first election campaign of the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania, I have watched the media aid and abet those candidates who preached things like: Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
On the first campaign Obama repeatedly said things like: America does not need to be divided and angry. "You can't afford to settle for the same old politics," and was constantly referred to as the 'great uniter.' He made many silver-tongued promises of how if we just voted for him, he would join us all as one to transform this country, that was forged in those values held most dear by the Founding Fathers.
Really? Okay, well not so much. At almost every turn, this administration has been based on the willingness of the uneducated masses to blindly follow an ideology, an agenda, that was based on emotion, rather than a clear articulation of what that transformation really meant. Sure, his golden oratory promised that there would be 'peace in the world; the dawning of a new era' or something like that. A whole new America, where every mouth was fed, and everybody would be healthy and wealthy living in this new nirvana. What he did NOT say explicitly was that government would tell parents what their children would be taught in school (Common Core, anybody?), what those kids must eat in school (Let's Move, courtesy of the missus), a health care system where everybody would have equal access to healthcare, no matter their economical or citizenship status - or their individual choices? (ObamaCare of course!) As for everybody sharing the wealth of America? NOwhere in the Constitution is the power given to the Federal Government to give gazillions of taxpayer dollars to create phantom 'shovel ready' projects to give fake jobs to citizens. All well and good, but the America the Constitution was written in, and for, was an America that ANY and all of those were attainable by the individual effort. They are NOT mandated within the Constitution, nor are they God-given rights. "The PURSUIT...", not the giving.
From where I sit, this administration and their policies foisted upon us, has divided America in a way I have not seen before. And I am not alone in seeing this. COL (r) Allen West had this up today.
THIS administration has gone so far outside the Constitution of America, exceeded the mandate set therein, that the evidence of a divided America cannot be ignored, denied.
Every President of the United States swears an oath to defend the United States Constitution:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
This POTUS has taken this oath twice now, but from where I sit, this self-proclaimed 'Constitutional expert' has wilfully ignored the Constitution, and in so doing, has brought America to a very dangerous precipice.
NOwhere in the Constitution does it stipulate that any government (Federal or State) has the right to tell Americans what products they must buy, and then fine them if they do not. NOwhere in that document could I find it stated that it is the duty of the Federal government to tell schools (within different States) what the curriculum should be...
"Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world." - Lenin
"Give me two generations of children of Americans in school without God and I will take the nation without firing a shot!" - Lenin
Search as I might, I found no dietary mandate for the Federal government within the records. Nor did I find any reference to the Federal government politicians having the duty to enable the ever more greedy, and dependent: the 'give me" generation. As I watch the America I love more divided - and angry - than I ever remember, I see Americans demoralised and asking themselves: Where is my America?
There is no denying that America IS broken, and the next question must be: Who will fix it? Our politicians ignore their sworn duty as set out in the Constitution, and forget that they are servants of the people, elected to serve us, not just ensure a lifetime career with the perks - paid for by your taxes - that they somehow see as their right, their entitlement. Dare to challenge that? You are branded a terrorist, un-American, and subject to public ridicule and character assassination.
NOwhere in the US Constitution does the president have unlimited power over the people, nor the authority to rule over every aspect of the citizens' lives.
Found a very interesting series of videos, where the same simple language as found in the Constitution is used to explain the function and limits of each of the three branches of government. Take a look:
"...their terms [Congress] are short to check corruption... this [the Senate] was designed so their duties would be to have a powerful role in checks and balances to the Federal government , so that it would not gain total power over the people. The Founding Fathers never intended for the Federal government to rule over the states or the people..."
In 1913, the 17th Amendment was implemented, which in effect weakened the individual States' powers to check the Federal government. Go check out the series of videos.
One of those videos focuses on the reason the US chose to be a Republic rather than stay under the Rule of a Monarchy.
There is a very simple Pledge of Allegiance, that swears (as per the original):
I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
A very interesting history of that can be found here.
Part of that History can be found here, where it is noted:
In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today.[...]. Today it reads:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
An element present in the Pledge, and enshrined within the Constitution, is the pursuit of Liberty...NOwhere in the Pledge of Allegiance, NOR in the Constitution. is there a pledge to whatever president occupies the Oval Office. NOWHERE! Yet, in the current climate in America, partisanship rules the days and the politicians of all stripes demonstrate on a daily basis that their own allegiance is to their own re-election, and their political agenda, to the peril of the citizens. The cost? Freedom and our God-given Rights to Liberty.
That 1954 version of the Pledge still stands today, and yes, as noted, it was 'in response to the Communist threat of the times.'
That was a very real threat, and in those days America WAS vigilant of any threat to the freedom of the Republic's citizens. As well that might be to today, as we see very real threats to the Liberty and Freedoms determined to beat down the doors of the Republic.
From 1930, and still so very relevant today, with current enemies hell-bent on destroying the American citizens' God-given rights to liberty, and freedom to pursue those liberties:
"War to the hilt between communism and capitalism is inevitable. Today, of course, we are not strong enough to attack.
Our time will come in thirty to forty years. To win, we shall need the element of surprise. The Western world will have to be put to sleep.
So we shall begin by launching the most spectacular peace movement on record. There shall be electrifying overtures and unheard of concessions.
The capitalist countries, stupid and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate to their own destruction. They will leap at another chance to be friends.
As soon as their guard is down, we shall smash them with our clenched fist."
Declaration by Dimitry Manuilski Professor at the Lenin School of Political Warfare in Moscow - 1930
Am reminded of : Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. At this time when Putin is on the world stage - front and center as an effective 'statesman' - as POTUS busies himself with drawing ineffectual red lines, and appeasing our enemies, it seems to me that the wolves have already breached the walls of the Republic.
Today, the wolves pervade every level of our government, as the citizenry are apparently intent on proving the truth of those words from 1930;
From where I sit, the truth of that is staggering and is happening right before our eyes, and yet the sheep sleep on, as the current administration continues to run full-speed over their Constitutional duties, and implement programs for the 'gimmes' in our midst, all the while stepping into matters that are not their business. Beer summit, anybody? Trayvon Martin ring a bell? Giving trillions of dollars to auto industries? Meddling in private industries by giving away millions of our tax dollars to 'green ideas'? NOwhere in the Constitution is the power given to any government to dictate every detail of the people's lives. NOwhere in the Constitution is it stated that the Federal government can force any free citizen to buy a product, be forced to give financial aid/incentives, but rather they are given freedom to make their own individual choice.
On the illegal implementation of ObamaCare, someone I know and respect, recently wrote this:
ObamaCare: It is long past time that this un Constitutional law be repealed, in its entirety.
And no, I will not entertain arguments that the SCOTUS ruled, therefore it is Constitutional. The SCOTUS does not have Constitutional Authority to amend the Constitution, or legislate from the bench. If you want to claim it's Constitutional, quote me the entire clause which makes it so; not two words and not a generality that is defined in following specifics. Quote me the clause of the Constitution that authorizes the Federal Government to FORCE an Individual Citizen to buy anything.
All of which is absolutely correct as stated in the simple language of the Constitution. Written over two hundred years ago, the values and rights of the citizens enshrined by the Founding Fathers are still relevant today. BUT as we see, the government insists on ignoring the rights of a FREE people, and imposing their ideology, on an ever more somnambulant population.
Talking with a Military Veteran friend just last night, I was sharing how depressed - how angry - I get at the seeming unwillingness of the citizenry to really grasp the enormity of the current threats to all our Freedoms.
As the Military oath sworn by all new recruits says:
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. [yes, emphasis mine]
And there is part of my depression: it appalls me that our Troops have gone to far off lands to honor that oath, to advance the cause of freedom in places ruled by tyrants and despots. Yet, when they come home, they find the tyrants are more powerful, more pervasive than could almost be imagined.
There is an old cliche that goes something like 'only those who have fought for freedom, know the true value, the taste of it.' Today, I listen and watch the ever growing segment of our society who have no idea what it means to fight for their freedom. In this time of increasing unemployment stats (and if you believe the official figures released, you really ARE asleep); when a huge percentage of the population is lined up for some form of government hand-out, that they have not earned, I am reminded of the "no such thing as a free lunch' truism. Yes, Obama phones are 'free' for some, and yes, healthcare is 'free' for some, but not only is somebody else (another American citizen) paying for that - again, in direct contravention of the Constitution - but when we as a whole lose our Liberty and our Freedoms because we are too apathetic to fight and defend those very underpinnings of our Republic, there will be NO free anything: Not for you, me or the Obamaphone folks...
When our Military Veterans have to fight at home for the respect and care they have earned, because their Commander In Chief disrespects the sacred duty to our Defenders of Freedom, I have to despair. When I see Gold Star Families being threatened with cut off of their rightful due, because of partisan politics, I am beyond angry...OUR Military (no, not "HIS" Troops, as Obama claims) deserves better from a Chief Executive who swore to defend the Constitution. Part of the Constitutional powers given to the POTUS is to do with the "Defense of the Nation." Seems to me that the POTUS bears direct responsibility - within the clear parameters of the Constitution - for ensuring that those he expects to follow his orders, be well provided for both on and off the battlefield. These days, evidence clearly shows, to those of us paying attention, that the Constitution is irrelevant to the CinC, and he ignores it, as and when it suits his political agenda - aided and abetted by his political cronies and hacks, of course....
In the Constitution it is clearly stated that defense of our borders is part of the government's duties. Tell that to the family of Brian Terry. (Go watch the video at that link. Unbelievable) Tell that to the family of the rancher in AZ who was murdered.
Neither of these lives would have been lost, if the Federal government adhered to the Constitution (and we won't even get into Fast and Furious here, where the guns were supplied by the US DoJ and then proven to be used against Americans because of the open, porous border.) Go here to see how the dereliction of duty by the Homeland Security government department directly affects the US Border Control's ability to defend against all foreign enemies. Gone are the days when oppressed people eagerly grasped the legal opportunity to enter the US, and earn the rights of Freedom and Liberty accorded American citizens. Nowadays we have a POTUS and DoJ who are actively lobbying to reward those illegals who scurry across the unguarded borders in the dark of night. NOwhere in the Constitution does it give this power to POTUS, a deliberate flouting, blatant disrespect of the Republic's laws. And if you don't understand the magnitude of that problem, go look at some videos of the hundreds, yes hundreds, who weekly break our laws, confident that they can rape, murder and more, as they are promised amnesty, and given short-cuts to citizenship of America, that they have not earned.
Freedom and Liberty in America - FOR Americans - is under attack, and we have lost our way from the Founding Fathers' vision of this great Republic.
Our Founding Fathers, here in this country, brought about the only true revolution that has ever taken place in man's history. Every other revolution simply exchanged one set of rulers for another set of rulers.
But only here did that little band of men so advanced beyond their time that the world has never seen their like since, evolve the idea that you and I have within ourselves the God-given right and the ability to determine our own destiny. But freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream.
The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it and then hand it to them with the well thought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same. And if you and I don't do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free. Thank You.
And then there is Mark Twain, who is also credited with "what the government giveth, the government can take away":
"The mania for giving the Government power to meddle with the private affairs of cities or citizens is likely to cause endless trouble, [...] and there is great danger that our people will lose our independence of thought and action which is the cause of much of our greatness, [yes, emphasis mine] and sink into the helplessness of the Frenchman or German who expects his government to feed him when hungry, clothe him when naked, to prescribe when his child may be born and when he may die, and, in time, to regulate every act of humanity from the cradle to the tomb, including the manner in which he may seek future admission to paradise." – Mark Twain, "Official Physic," The Twainian, November, 1943
The list is long, yet simplicity itself, of the Freedoms - God-given Rights - paid for and earned by Americans, and I have but scratched the surface of those under attack. The attack on the Second Amendment Rights is a battle being fought in parts of the country, as America-loving Patriots understand very well that sometimes we really DO need to fight to maintain the Freedom and Liberty enshrined in our Constitution.
America is so broken. WHO will fix it?
Today this question is so critical, as we face such dangerous threats within our country. We have lost the "one nation under God," and from where I sit, the Republic is in grave danger of collapse.
The Constitution begins: We, the people" and it is my firm belief that only when We, the People wake up and see that it only by our own actions, will we save our Republic. WE who care about our Constitution, who believe that our Freedoms and Liberty ARE our God-given Rights, that no mere politician can squander for their own gain, must defend America.
Am I suggesting we all take up our weapons, and stage an armed insurrection? No. What I am suggesting, URGING, is that all of us who see the precipice directly in front of us, continue to educate the sheep - after we have woken them up, of course! - and make them understand what is at stake here. Read and re-read the Constitution, so that you understand the foundations of America. Demand that every politician set aside their partisan politics, throw away their party loyalties, and demonstrate their loyalty to our country, our Constitution. If they are not capable of that, throw them out of office, and elect those Americans who WILL honor our Founding Fathers' vision of this great Republic.
Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.
ISON Barely Survives, Debris Trail Widening (Video)
Well, Thanksgiving day comet watchers had a very interesting time as every report on whether Comet ISON survived it's encounter with the sun seemed to contradict the previous report. Some saying it completely disintegrated, others claiming it came around intact.
Updated information is still being analyzed but the picture is a little clearer.
Something survived according to Discovery News, who calls premature reports of ISON's demise, "greatly exaggerated."
Remarking on the debris stream, NASA's Tony Phillips of Spaceweather.com said: "It could be a small fragment of Comet ISON's nucleus or perhaps a "headless comet" — a stream of debris marking the remains of the comet's disintegrated core."
Then, in some striking images released by SoHO's LASCO instrument (pictured top), which has a wide-angle view of the sun's lower atmosphere (the corona), a very comet-like object appears to have survived after perihelion.
The question becomes, as they note later in the article linked above... what survived? Is the nucleus still intact?
"Now, in the latest LASCO C3 images, we are seeing something beginning to gradually brighten up again," said astrophysicist Karl Battams, of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, in a NASA Comet ISON Observing Campaign (CIOC) blog update. "One could almost be forgiven for thinking that there's a comet in the images!"
"We have a whole new set of unknowns, and this ridiculous, crazy, dynamic and unpredictable object continues to amaze, astound and confuse us to no end," said Battems.
Space Weather simply says "CANCEL THE EULOGY: Comet ISON flew through the sun's atmosphere on Nov. 28th and the encounter did not go well for the icy comet. Just before perihelion (closest approach to the sun) the comet rapidly faded and appeared to disintegrate. This prompted reports of ISON's demise. However, a fraction of the comet has survived."
ISON has proven to be very unpredictable, with NASA admitting they couldn't predict it even before it's encounter with the sun, therefore no one should be surprised that it is still acting strange and not following any preset pattern from prior comets' actions.
The question now isn't "if" ISON survived, it is what has it survived as?
The MSM is catching up with Alternative Media, a day late as headlines include "scientists see tiny hope," is now being reported at MSN, AP, ABC News etc.....
Amusing thing is, now that the MSM is admitting something survived, those that said ISON survived last night, like BPEarthWatch, are saying the nucleus might not have survived intact. (In a video below)
Others... see something huge coming out, as CyberTribe shows below.
My question still remains..... where is the debris trail headed, how huge is it and how will it effect Earth?
Giving thanks FOR America
Lee Greenwood God bless the USA 1984 by hdkpereira
Happy Thanksgiving, America
Happy Thanksgiving 2013 Everyone!
I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!!
T'was the night of Thanksgiving,
But I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned,
The dark meat and white.
But I fought the temptation,
With all of my might.
Tossing and turning,
with anticipation.
The thought of a snack
became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen,
Flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge,
Full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey,
And buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots,
Beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling,
So plump and so round.
'til all of a sudden,
I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling,
Floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding,
And a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell
As I soared past the trees
Happy eating to all,
Pass the cranberries, please!!
May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize
And May your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off of your thighs!
Obama Flowers
"Uh, how much are the flowers? Well uh...How much you got?"
I found this on a friends facebook page. I'm not sure who is the author, but kudos to them! Thought I'd share....
Big Brother knows best. ,,,,, Welcome to Obama Flowers
Receptionist: Hello, Welcome to Obama Flowers, My name is Trina. How can
I help you?
Customer : Hello. I received an email from Professional Flowers stating
that my flower order has been canceled and I should go to your exchange to
reorder it. I tried your website, but it seems like it is not working. So I
am calling the 800 number.
Receptionist : Yes! I am sorry about the website. It should be fixed by
the end of November. But I can help you.
Customer : Thanks, I ordered a "Spring Bouquet" for our anniversary, and
wanted it delivered to my wife.
Receptionist : Interrupting, Sir, "Spring Bouquets" do not meet our
minimum standards, I will be happy to provide you with Red Roses.
Customer : But I have always ordered "Spring Bouquets", done it for
years, my wife likes them.
Receptionist: Roses are better, sir, I am sure your wife will love them.
Customer : Well, how much are they?
Receptionist: It depends sir, do you want our Bronze, Silver, Gold or
Platinum package.
Customer: What's the difference?
Receptionist: 6, 12,18 or 24 Red Roses.
Customer: The Silver package may be okay, how much is it?
Receptionist: It depends sir, what is your monthly income?
Customer: What does that have to do with anything?
Receptionist: I need that to determine your government flower subsidy,
then I can determine how much your out-of-pocket cost will be. But if your
income is below our minimums for a subsidy, then I can refer you to our
Flower Aid department.
Customer: Flower Aid?
Receptionist: Yes, Flowers are a right. Everyone has a right to flowers.
So, if you can't afford them, then the government will supply them free of
Customer: Who said they were a right?
Receptionist: Congress passed it, the President signed it and the Supreme
Court found it constitutional.
Customer: Whoa! I don't remember seeing anything in the Constitution
regarding flowers as a right .
Receptionist: It is not really a "Right in the Constitution," but
Obama Flowers is Constitutional because the Supreme Court Ruled it a "Tax".
Taxes are Constitutional. But we feel it is a right.
Customer: I don't believe this.
Receptionist: It's the law of the land sir. Now, we anticipated most
people would go for the Silver Package, so what is your monthly income sir?
Customer: Forget it, I think I will forgo the flowers this year.
Receptionist: In that case sir, I will still need your monthly income.
Customer: Why?
Receptionist: To determine what your 'non-participation' cost would be.
Customer: WHAT? You can't charge me for NOT buying flowers!
Receptionist: It's the law of the land, sir, approved by the Supreme
Court. It's $9.50 or 1% of your monthly income.
Customer interrupting: This is ridiculous, I'll pay the $9.50.
Receptionist: Sir, it is $9.50 or 1% of your monthly income, whichever is
greater.
Customer: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What a rip-off!
Receptionist: Actually sir, it is a good deal. Next year it will be 2%.
Customer: Look, I'm going to call my Congressman to find out what's going
on here. This is ridiculous. I'm not going to pay it.
Receptionist: Sorry to hear that sir. That's why I had the NSA track this
call and obtain the make and model of the cell phone you are using.
Customer: Why does the NSA need to know what kind of CELL PHONE I AM
USING?
Receptionist: So they get your GPS coordinates sir.
Door Bell rings followed immediately by a loud knock on the door
Receptionist: That would be the IRS sir. Thanks for calling Obama Flowers.
Have a nice day and God Bless.
In Liberty!
Posted by J.D. Nail at 3:02 AM
Scariest Murder Mug Shot Ever Goes Viral Look At This Freak!! (Video)
His name is David Adam Pate, he is 24 and a South Carolina resident and his horrible mug shot, terrifying and chilling, rivals the craziness seen in Charles Manson at the time of his arrest and every subsequent picture since.
Pate was charged with killing his "friend" 33 year-old Ricky W. James, who was discovered by children who found his decomposing body when they were playing.
Via TheBlaze:
Pate can be seen slightly smirking while sticking out his forked tongue, which was reportedly surgically split. He also has several tattoos on his face, including "SATAN" over one eye and the numbers "974″ on his neck to reference the street gang Gangster Disciples.
His mug shot from a Google image search is shown below.
High Schooler Brain Damaged After Sheriff Tasing (Video)
Noe Nino de Rivera is 17 years old and is in critical condition at St. David's Medical Center in Bastrop in Texas after he was tased by a school resource officer, according to the family's attorney.
The teen allegedly interfered with with two sheriff's deputies working as resource officers who were trying to break up a fight between two female students, via InfoWars. Other student witness dispute that claim. The student fell hitting his head after being tased, which resulted in brain damage.
The family has filed a lawsuit against the Bastrop school district according to local news reports.
Iran scores a historic victory: Neda is unavailable for comment
*Reposted from Assoluta Tranquillita*
Today from the BBC:
Iran agrees to curb nuclear activity at Geneva talks
Iran has agreed to curb some of its nuclear activities in return for about $7bn (£4.3bn) in sanctions relief, after days of intense talks in Geneva.
The deal will last for six months, while a permanent agreement is sought.
US President Barack Obama welcomed the deal, saying it would "help prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon".
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran's right to uranium enrichment had been recognised. Israel, however, said the agreement was a "historic mistake".
World powers suspect Iran's nuclear programme is secretly aiming at developing a nuclear bomb - a charge Iran has consistently denied.
In a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, President Rouhani repeated that his country would never seek a nuclear weapon He hailed the deal, saying it met one of Iran's fundamental principles.
"No matter what interpretations are given, Iran's right to enrichment has been recognised," he said....
Much more here.
To say that this "coup for John Kerry" is monumentally stupid, with global implications, doesn't even come close to my reaction when I first heard this late last night. Am I the only one who noticed that again, the current US administration 'concludes' yet another 'historical agreement' under dark of night? Wonder if they left the washable red crayons at home?
Israel's Prime Minister had this to say:
What was achieved last night in Geneva is not an historic agreement; it is an historic mistake. Israel is not bound by this agreement. The Iranian regime is committed to the destruction of Israel, and Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.
Photo: Haim Zach, GPO
'Historic mistake' is absolutely right, and proves - yet again - that the MIC and his mouthpiece John Kerry are wilfully ignorant of the FACTS of history.
On Twitter Netanyahu said this (H/T Twitchy):
Israel knows better than anybody what any student of history should know. They live with the constant threat from Iran, who is on the record, repeatedly, as vowing to wipe Israel off the map. Israel also knows well, as MIC et al seem determined to ignore, that appeasement of such murderous regimes as Iran, does NOT work.
From elsewhere on social media today:
"Those who fail to learn from History, are doomed to repeat it."
In 1938, after signing the Munich agreement with Adolf Hitler, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared 'peace for our time'. Yesterday in Geneva, the US and global powers signed an agreement with Iran easing sanctions for 'peace'. Israel will not allow the past to repeat itself.
As the world msm applauds this bright new day, I heard Kerry quoted as saying that 'no, human rights in Iran were not part of this negotiating process.'. I have to ask: Why not????? As the title of this piece says "Neda was unavailable for comment". Neda, for those who forget, was one of those Iranian citizens who was gunned down and murdered in the bloody aftermath of the 2009 elections in Iran. Need reminding? Go here, (with graphic video) here, or here to read what the current US administration said about human rights abuses in Iran..
An excerpt from that last link:
29 September 2010 Last updated at 14:59 ET
US imposes sanctions on Iranian officials for 'abuses'
US President Barack Obama has ordered for the first time sanctions against senior Iranian officials for "sustained and severe violations of human rights".
The eight men include the head of the Revolutionary Guards, a former interior minister and the prosecutor general.
The treasury department said they would face a travel ban and asset freeze.
The alleged abuses include the killings and beatings of anti-government protesters after the disputed presidential election in June 2009.
In a statement, the White House said: "As the president noted in his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, human rights are a matter of moral and pragmatic necessity for the United States."...
Yes, he really said that. But I guess that was so long ago, so 'what difference does it make' today, or to the rest of the world? Even further back but still in recent history, was the 1979 siege by Iranian 'students' of the US Embassy in Tehran. That was American citizens under attack by the terrorist regime of Iran. Today? There are other Americans, (and no doubt many thousands of Iranian citizens) being held and tortured in Iran, whose fate was not part of the current negotiations. The administration may consider this American's treatment irrelevant in light of this new dawn, but others are noting:
An Appalling Betrayal of American Pastor Saeed Abedini
On the night of November 23, 2013, the President of the United States left an American pastor, Saeed Abedini, behind.
The "deal" with Iran announced tonight by President Obama, which allegedly halts "part" of Iran's nuclear program, allows Iran to enrich uranium and allows it to maintain a nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions and humanitarian relief.
It is outrageous that the Obama Administration commenced these negotiations and concluded them without the release of Pastor Saeed – a U.S. citizen. In fact, the Administration has just confirmed that he was not even part of the negotiations, stating that "The P5+1 talks focused exclusively on nuclear issues."
The Obama Administration did not volunteer this information; it was revealed only after a specific inquiry from Fox News.
For more than a year, Pastor Saeed has undergone torture at the hands of his Iranian captors, most recently being transferred to one of the most deadly prisons in the world. Yet instead of demanding the release of this innocent U.S. citizen as a precondition to any negotiations with Iran, the Obama Administration is relaxing sanctions and providing humanitarian relief, while getting nothing but more meaningless promises in return....
Read the rest of this here.
There is also a former US Marine still being held in an Iranian prison under who knows what conditions of deprivation. I seriously doubt if Amir Mirza Hekmati's fate was 'part of these negotiations.'
Back in March 2012, War On Terror News wrote this:
Marine Death Sentence Overturned in Iran
Iranian state media is reporting that the Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence for a U.S. citizen convicted of "spying for the CIA."
Quoting the prosecutor general, ISNA reported on Monday that the case of former U.S. Marine Amir Mirza Hekmati "has been sent back" to a lower court for retrial.
Picture courtesy of www.FreeAmir.org
The 28-year-old Hekmati was arrested in December.
Iranian TV showed Hekmati in December appearing to confess his crimes, in a mixture of English and Farsi. Hekmati talked of receiving language training.
Hekmati said he received the training at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before traveling to Iran. His family said he was in Iran visiting grandparents. VoA.
Please continue to send letters to Amir Hekmati.
As recently as September this year, he was still there, at the mercy of the Iranian 'justice' system:
American held in Iran writes letter to John Kerry describing "miserable prison conditions"
DETROIT A former U.S. Marine held in Iran for two years said in a letter to the U.S. secretary of state that he has endured "miserable prison conditions" and believes Tehran is holding him hostage for use in a possible prisoner exchange.
Amir Hekmati's letter, handwritten and dated Sept. 1, was addressed to John Kerry and first published Wednesday by Britain's Guardian newspaper.
Hekmati, 30, wrote that he has been "held on false charges based solely on confessions obtained by force, threats, miserable prison conditions and prolonged periods of solitary confinement.
"This is part of a propaganda and hostage-taking effort by Iranian intelligence to secure the release of Iranians abroad being held on security-related charges," he wrote in the letter that the Guardian said was smuggled from the prison.
Hekmati has been detained in Iran on what the U.S. says are false espionage charges since his 2011 arrest. Hekmati's family says he traveled to Iran to visit his grandmothers.
The letter goes on to say that while Hekmati and his family "have suffered greatly," he "will accept nothing but" an unconditional release.
The State Department late last month repeated its call for Tehran to release Hekmati and two other Americans....
Read the rest here.
In the midst of all the back-slapping and applause, there is at least one country - other than Israel - who was swift in speaking out about this latest turn of events. Can you guess which one? No 'thumbs up' from Canada.
Iran nuclear deal gets 'deeply skeptical' response from Canada
Iran agrees to halt nuclear program in historic deal with 6 world powers
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says he is "deeply skeptical" of the newly brokered nuclear deal with Iran and says Canada's sanctions will remain in "full force" against the country.
"We will evaluate the deal reached not just on the merits of its words but more importantly, on its verifiable implementation," Baird said at a news conference in Ottawa on Sunday.
He said that because of previous Iranian leaders had made hostile comments toward Israel, "we're deeply skeptical of the deal and the work that's brought us to this stage."...
There are so many things wrong with this 'interim' deal, not least of which IS the global impact. No matter that MIC et al would have us all believe that a new era of kumbaya is upon us, wishing AND empty rhetoric doesn't make it so.
I have been saying for a while now that we live in very dangerous times.
For more reaction, go here.
CBC: Something Very Odd Is Happening In The Pacifi...
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Jay Kasdan is a Project/Account Manager for Fredrickson Learning – he's worked with many of America's leading companies to design training, implementation and measurement strategies that enable them to reach their business goals. His project teams have received the Brandon Hall Best Results for a Learning Program (Silver) and the American SAP Users Group (ASUG) National Impact award.
Jay is also the leader of the ATD-GTC's Training SIG, the Fredrickson Roundtable for Learning Leaders, and Young Learning Leaders Forum, and a past board member for the Professional Association of Computer Trainers.
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Treasury Review 'Good Settlement'
The UK Treasury has been giving its 'official' version of the impact of the Spending Review on the Northern Ireland Executive.
In a statement it said it would reduce resource spending by 7% in real terms, and capital spending by 37% in real terms.
However, the Treasury said Northern Ireland is still on course to invest £18bn by 2017-18 as set out in its Investment Strategy and it will be for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide how to manage these reductions reflecting its own policies and priorities including its own programmes of greater efficiency and public sector reform.
The statement said that the Executive's settlement has been determined by the Barnett formula in the normal way, which provides the devolved administrations with a population-based share of comparable changes in the provision to UK departments.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson said: "The UK is borrowing £270,000 per minute and this is clearly unsustainable.
"As part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland should play its part in tackling the record deficit we inherited from the previous Government.
"Considering the very difficult economic circumstances we have negotiated a very good settlement for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland continues to receive the highest level of public spending per head in the UK - 25% above England.
"I am particularly pleased we have been able to honour our pledge to help secure a fair and just resolution of the PMS. The settlement will enable the Executive to help deliver the Government's deficit reduction plan in a fair and responsible way that protects the vulnerable and those who rely most heavily on public service.
"The Coalition Government will also continue to stand by Northern Ireland through our commitment to investment through the RRI and the stage II devolution deal on funding for policing and justice.
"In short we have fulfilled the Prime Minister's election pledge that Northern Ireland will continue to be funded according to its needs," he commented in the official statement.
It said the Northern Ireland Office's resource budget will be cut by 25% and that the Department will also commence a programme of work to develop shared services with the Scotland Office and Wales Office.
Like all parts of the UK, Northern Ireland is playing its part in bearing a share of the cuts that have to be made in order to reduce the record Budget deficit that the Coalition Government inherited, continued the statement.
However, the reduction in the Northern Ireland Executive's budget is smaller than most UK Government departments and public spending per head remains higher than any other part of the UK, reflecting historic levels of spending provision.
Northern Ireland will benefit from decisions made by the Government, such as the Government's commitment to protect the health Budget in England.
Through the Barnett formula, this will have significant funding benefits for the Northern Ireland Executive including the welfare package, which will also help people in Northern Ireland into work.
The Government will lend the Northern Ireland Executive £200m a year to finance capital investment projects though the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative facility.
It is committed to delivering political stability including through ensuring policing and justice are well resourced. While these are now devolved functions, the Government is committed to the £800m package agreed by the previous Government and provided £12.9m on top of that earlier this year.
Also, as requested by the Northern Ireland Executive, the Government will provide funding for a £175m loan, and £25m to help finance an Access Fund, in order to ensure a just and fair solution for the Presbyterian Mutual Society (PMS) investors.
The Government, as announced in the budget, will also publish a consultation paper on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy, in consultation with the Northern Ireland Executive.
(BMcC/KMcA)
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The first AGM of the new Northern Ireland Local Government Association has been held this week in Coleraine. Over 140 councillors from all shades of political opinion, and representing all 26 councils in Northern Ireland, met together with a common goal of working to enhance and develop local government in the province.
SDLP back move towards adoption of euro
The Finance Minister Dr Sean Farren has welcomed the strong indication that the Labour government may be moving closer to recommending entry into the Eurozone. Dr Farren said: "The SDLP has long been committed to the Euro and believes that Northern Ireland increasingly loses out the longer we remain outside the Eurozone.
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There has been high-level support expressed for the work of the Irish Republic's National Asset Management Agency, (NAMA) and its impact on NI finances.
CIPR Journalism Awards In Full
Deric Henderson of the Press Association has been awarded the Journalist of the Year title The Belfast Telegraph lifted the title for Coca-Cola CIPR Newspaper of the Year, and the BBC's Spotlight Programme won the Coca-Cola CIPR Scoop of the Year and the Coca-Cola CIPR Current Affairs Programme of the Year for its Irish Robinson Investigation.
A mostly dry sunny start in Armagh and Down. Elsewhere already a few showers, with some heavy ones around from late morning, and the chance of thunder. Some sunshine in between. Maximum temperature 21 °C.
Tonight:
A few heavy showers at first this evening but dying out with some late sunshine then some clear periods tonight. A cooler night. Minimum temperature 7 °C.


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Nebula: New Protocol Built on top of EOS Blockchain to Allow Enhanced Support for Developers
Reading Time: 2 minutes by Nuno Menezes on November 21, 2018 Altcoins, Blockchain, Ethereum, Finance, News, Platform, Tech
EOS, the second most used blockchain for smart contracts recently announced the release of a new protocol built on top of its blockchain that improves support for developers on, as per a post on November 19, 2018.
EOS, the second most used blockchain for Smart Contracts recently announced the release of a new protocol built on top of its blockchain that improves support for developers.
EOS started from an ERC-20 Smart contract on the Ethereum network which allowed to distribute the native currency for the EOS Blockchain even before it was developed. EOS has been called by many as the "Ethereum Killer," but these last six months the project has been inflicted with a lot of problems which resulted in numerous hacks and exploits of various EOS dapps.
The EOS mainnet was officially launched in June 2018 and today is the fiercest Ethereum blockchain competitor. Despite the project seen significant development and evolution in the last six months but unfortunately, it also had a serious of troubles that made the development team rethink the project.
Enhanced Support for Developers
The EOS.IO opted to go for a philosophy which is slightly different from Ethereum. While EOS prioritizes user-experience above the developer-experience Ethereum does exactly the opposite. This may have a lot of advantages, but from what we have seen these last six months it also brings a series of issues which the development team now decided to address.
While EOS bet was to be free for users, this approach makes it very expensive for developers. Apart from this, the current version provides little or close to none secure frameworks for developers to work with, and as such the new protocol comes to fix this.
Nebula Protocol
The Nebula Protocol comes to bring a new and friendly version for both user and developers alike. It delivers a user-friendly approach along with developer support pretty similar to Ethereum. Much like Loom in the Ethereum Network, the Nebula Protocol will be a comprehensive second layer protocol built on top of EOS capable of providing unique features and to enhance developer experience.
The Nebula team is comprised of highly-experienced C++ developers that have extensive experience on EOS development. With this new protocol, these developers will provide complete audited and tested smart-contracts to give the best protection to the whole community.
The new protocol will enable the much-needed tools for the auditing, testing, and deployment of smart contracts. To avoid the hurdle of developers having to code interact with various EOS wallets. Nebula is already prepared to be integrated and compatible with most popular EOS wallets without any additional coding.
Despite the enormous success of EOS gambling dapps many of them have fell victim of nasty hacks that were only possible due to smart-contract vulnerabilities. Nebula comes to fix these kinds of vulnerabilities. The Nebula Protocol will tie up the blazing fast speed and scalability of EOS, with the developer-friendly tools of Ethereum. With this new development, EOS will make things even harder for its popular competitor, Ethereum.
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Music Friday: Toby Keith's Wife Won't Settle for Anything Less Than a 'Christmas Rock'
Welcome to a special holiday edition of Music Friday. Today, a cash-strapped Toby Keith reluctantly agrees to visit his local jeweler in the comical 1995 release, "Christmas Rock."
In the song, we learn that Keith's wife has been spending a lot of time looking at jewelry catalogs. She knows what she wants for Christmas, and practical, household items, such as pots and pans or a long nightshirt, are not going to cut it this year. She wants "something shinin' on her hand" and it had better be a diamond or an emerald.
Keith tries to plead his case: They're on a strict budget and they have to keep their spending down. Her reaction: She sheds a "big ol' tear."
The man who complains that his "billfold doesn't have a prayer" finds himself en route to his local jeweler.
He sings, "Down to the jewelry store, here I go / Hear the clerk say, "Ho, ho, ho" / She wants a Christmas rock / But Santa's pockets ain't got no roll."
Ironically, 18 years after the song was released, Keith appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine under the headline "Country Music's $500 Million Man."
"Christmas Rock" appeared as the third track from his first holiday album, Christmas To Christmas. Over the course of his 26-year music career, Keith has produced 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums and five compilation albums, with worldwide sales of 40 million units. Sixty-one singles have hit the Billboard Hot Country songs list, including 20 chart toppers.
Born in Clinton, Okla, in 1961, Toby Keith Covel became interested in music as a youngster. His grandmother owned a supper club in Fort Smith, Ark., and the young boy would visit during the summers. Keith did odd jobs around the club and got to interact with the band members. He got is first guitar at the age of eight.
After graduating high school, Keith worked as a derrick hand in the oil fields, but also performed for $35 a night at local bars as the frontman for the Easy Money Band. The band played the honky tonk circuit in Oklahoma and Texas, but never made it big.
Nearing 30 years of age, Keith decided to move to Nashville to see if he could land a recording contract and fulfill his dreams of a career in the music business. He distributed demo tapes to record companies in the city, but there was no interest.
Keith's luck changed when a flight attendant and fan gave one of his demo tapes to Harold Shedd, a Mercury Records executive. Shedd later saw Keith perform live and quickly signed him to a record deal.
Since 2002, the singer, songwriter, actor and record producer has made numerous trips to the Middle East to support and entertain the U.S. men and women serving near the front lines.
Please check out the audio track of Keith performing "Christmas Rock." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…
Written by Lewis Anderson. Performed by Toby Keith.
My billfold doesn't have a prayer
There's Christmas catalogs everywhere
She keeps looking at the jewelry section
Cutting pictures out of her selections
I said, "We need to hold it down this year"
And in her eye she got a big ol' tear
She wants a Christmas rock
But Santa's pockets ain't got no roll
She don't want pots and pans
Just something shinin' on her hand
With an emerald or a diamond on it
I had a budget but she's gone and blown it
Down to the jewelry store, here I go
Hear the clerk say, "Ho, ho, ho"
She don't want anything from Sears
No tools or garden shears
There's something special on her mind
And I can't even afford the shine
I wish she'd settled for a long nightshirt
No, I've got to give till it hurts
But ol' Santa's pockets ain't got no roll
Credit: Photo by Spc. Aaron Rosencrans [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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