“From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.” –Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff. Please excuse the excessive number of links, which one might explain as a result of intense product testing by the powers that be. Not that I’m foily. –lambert
Community gardens ripped up along Arbutus corridor CBC News.
How High Up Did the Madoff Fraud Go at JPMorgan? Wall Street on Parade. Note the players.
Soros has a major short on the S&P500 Macrobusiness
Robust manufacturing output buoys U.S. economic outlook Reuters
How long will the expansion last? Economist
Can central bankers succeed in getting global economy back on track? Reuters
JOBS Act Rewards U.S. Exchanges Amid Surge of Criticism Bloomberg. The criticism is in paragraph four, sentences two and three.
Yellen Channeling Slick as Surrealistic Economy Shows ’67 Claims Bloomberg. DeLong: “Nobody really knows what the state of the labor market is.”
The Skills Gap is Most Evident in Retail Trade and Restaurants CEPR. So, H1B visas for baristas?
Inside the Dark, Lucrative World of Consumer Debt Collection Times
How Verizon lets its copper network decay to force phone customers onto fiber Ars Technica
$248m cash injection for African Minerals Gulf Daily News
Nigeria trains 800 volunteers to fight Ebola Al Jazeera. Because the doctors are on strike. Here’s a handy list of what doctors need, starting with isolation gowns. I don’t want to interrupt the Vacation from Hell that the President of the world’s only Indispensable Nation is having, but wouldn’t it be relatively simple to load up a transport plane with the necessities and shoot on over there? Say, tomorrow? Oh, and write the Nigerian doctors a big honkin’ check. You did for the banks.
Ferguson
A Youth, an Officer and 2 Paths to a Fatal Encounter Times. “Another neighbor, a woman who identified herself as a nurse, was begging the officers to let her perform CPR. They refused.”
Missouri protests reignite over police shooting of black teen Reuters. The cops are saying Brown reached into a patrol car through the window and tried to grab a cop’s gun? No, really?
Ferguson: One Person Shot, Seven Arrested in Overnight Violence NBC. Late breaking, may not be accurate.
Police deploy tear gas to impose Ferguson curfew Boston Globe
Lack of Leadership and a Generational Split Hinder Protests in Ferguson Times. What are their demands?!
‘They look like guys playing army’: an expert on policing in conflict zones talks Ferguson Vox
The County Map That Explains Ferguson’s Tragic Discord Businessweek. And see this map, especially the “Race & Property” tab.
Bleed on a Ferguson police officer? Get charged with destruction of public property. Oh My! Jonathon Turley
Timeline of events in Ferguson, Mo. WaPo
Ferguson The Lefsetz Letter
Ferguson’s citizen journalists revealed the value of an undeniable video Guardian
Ferguson police broke the law when they stopped civilians from videotaping them WaPo
Utah Cops Arrest Man for Recording Mom’s Traffic Stop; Handcuff and Neglect Mom during Diabetic Shock Photography is Not a Crime
Forcing America’s Weaponized Police to Wear Cameras Atlantic
Gaza
Dutch Lawyer who saved Jewish Boy in WWII returns Medal to Israel over Bombing of his Family in Gaza Juan Cole
Hamas: Israel must meet demands or face long war Daily Star
‘Finish the job!’ Thousands of Israelis rally in support of Gaza offensive (PHOTOS) RT
Ukraine
Ukraine factories equip Russian military despite support for rebels WaPo
Russian aid convoy waits for security guarantees AP
Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko White House. Say, how’s Beau doin’?
Iraq
Could arming the ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels have changed history? Christian Science Monitor
How to Save Iraq and Honor American Sacrifice General James Jones, WSJ. A bullet point conspicuous by its absence: Ground troops.
ISIS’ Gruesome Gamble Foreign Affairs. “[T]he narrow scope of U.S. strikes will provide only modest and insufficient relief.”
Engaging the enemy Economist. “Iraq must sort out its politics to have any hope of routing the Islamic State.” Let me know how that works out, OK?
Thailand: The Lessons of Protest Asian Studies (PDF). Also, on #Ferguson.
US Military Chief Visits Vietnam, 1st Since 1971 AP
Telegram not dead STOP Alive, evolving in Japan STOP IT World
Siri’s Inventors Are Building a Radical New AI That Does Anything You Ask Wired
Kittlaus says the end result will be a digital assistant who knows what you want before you ask for it. He envisions someone unsteadily holding a phone to his mouth outside a dive bar at 2 am and saying, “I’m drunk.” Without any elaboration, Viv would contact the user’s preferred car service, dispatch it to the address where he’s half passed out, and direct the driver to take him home. No further consciousness required.
Brogrammers über alles….
Can an algorithm be a fiduciary? Reuters
Email Is Still the Best Thing on the Internet The Atlantic
You Can Get Hacked Just By Watching This Cat Video on YouTube The Intercept
How air conditioning remade modern America Salon
Recent Urban Floods: A simple equation Weather Underground
Dark Age America: A Bitter Legacy The Archdruid Report
Linux for Lettuce VQR (KF).
Last tweet of Aaron Swartz before he died The Center of the Universe
Antidote du jour (furzy mouse):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
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Comments are closed.
One for sorrow……..
http://www.timelessmyths.co.uk/saulting-magpies.html
Regarding Biden, I think you meant the youngest son, R. Hunter Biden, a Washington lobbyist who was once a senior vice president at MBNA Corp.
National Journal adds more:
Of course he’d say that. What hustler would try to draw analogies with Arbusto?
The NYT article concerning Mike Brown and Derrick Wilson is a whitewash (literally) of events in Ferguson. Notice every commentary on the released video contains words meaning “assumed” as regards a Mike Brown crime. Notice the glowing report of where the officer lived and how devastated he was over the murder. Sickening. The fact is that blacks and particularly black males are targeted by militarized police country wide. Furthermore there is NO accountability when police maim and murder citizens. I have lived in this country for 64 years and have never been accused nor convicted of any crime and yet I have a very bad opinion of police as I have NEVER seen them be helpful but rather have seen them bully and abuse their powers. It is hard to believe they are “Public employees” because they do not serve the public, they serve themselves.
Narcissism in Law Enforcement: A Correlation between the MMPI-2 and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory
“Despite the thorough background investigation and psychological examination, police officer misconduct is still prevalent and the need to identify further problematic traits within police officer applicants is imperative. Narcissism has yet to be studied within police officers but contains personality traits such as grandiose sense of self-importance, arrogance, and lack of empathy, which may be detrimental traits in police officers.”
http://gradworks.umi.com/35/57/3557230.html
Newton’s First Law: a body moves in the direction of the force unless it is opposed by another force. (prepare for a bumpy ride friends)
“Notice the glowing report of where the officer lived and how devastated he was over the murder.”
known as ‘Gaslighting’ – A form of psychological abuse involving the manipulation of situations or events that cause a person to be confused or to doubt his perceptions and memories. Gaslighting causes victims to constantly second-guess themselves and wonder if they’re losing their minds.
The police reporting on the attempt to grab a firearm reminds me of how the cops made out that Mark Duggan was armed when he was shot, an act that started the London riots in 2011. Have the US media produced an alarming looking photo of the victim yet ? Like this pic which was used of Mark – He looks pretty evil until you see how it was cropped :
http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/photo-of-mark-duggan-at-daughters-funeral-cropped-to-paint-him-as-a-gangster/
“I have lived in this country for 64 years and have never been accused nor convicted of any crime and yet I have a very bad opinion of police as I have NEVER seen them be helpful but rather have seen them bully and abuse their powers.”
Same for me but 67 years. Somewhere along the way it became us (cops) against them (the people), and sadly people and suspects are synonymous. We, the public are either perps, suspects or witnesses. And our only purpose for them is to assist in making their job better for them. Anything else is a by product. Sad that they have alienated virtually all of the good people who would have been happy to support them if they could just demonstrate some kind of humanity. Unfortunately they have adopted the attitude of most of government: You just don’t understand how bad it would be if we didn’t protect and serve you, and this is how it is done Why is that? Because we say so.
Ukraine War:
list of internet resources, Including where to get maps, unfiltered news etc.
When I visited my great-grandfather, who lived in an older neighborhood where the homes did not have air conditioning, we would sit out on his front porch, and he would chat with his neighbors as they walked by. Then we would walk down to the store, where he would buy me a soda and a comic book, and he knew everyone because this was how people got around and lived their lives.
Where I live now, the old homes have front porches as a vestige from this era. They are sometimes filled with plants; but it is rare, now, to find a person sitting there.
My next door neighbors practically live on their front porch but, in this porchy neighborhood, they are the exception. Most of the other neighbors are probably inside staring at computer screens. I don’t have a porch so I have an excuse.
Milton Friedman was an economist and that alone would eliminate him as someone I admire, but I did find this piece of work to be worthwhile:
http://0055d26.netsolhost.com/friedman/pdfs/newsweek/NW.08.15.1983.pdf
Because the residents now chat on wankerbook, Instant message and play video games.
I live in Canada and our Porch is the center of Summer. Unlike many porches which face the Road, our Porch faces South and gives a wonderful view of the many plants and trees and wildlife around us. So ours is a Side Porch, I guess. Who wants to see the Road and all those new fangled auto-mobiles? Even in Winter, since it is South facing, our Porch can even be used in January on a mild, sunny day. Great heat storage and Wonderful Nap!
Best Porch Story I have: While travelling on a back road in New Brunswick about ten years ago, The Road deadended at a crossroads to another road. Across was a house with a Porch full of people watching that intersection with eager eyes. Our arrival and departure made their day, I am sure.
Have insurers found new ways to avoid the sick?
“President Barack Obama’s overhaul was supposed to end insurance discrimination against the sick. But the groups say insurers are setting up new barriers.”
LOL, “overhaul.”
“Brogrammers über alles….”
You, Sir, are a wordsmith.
Back before 2000, I did some work for one of the major software companies. Almost everyone I met was friendly and inquisitive. They were not “bros”, but their various unconventional interests and hobbies may have stereotyped some of them as “nerds” to people with more conventional interests. People that I met who worked for the first wave of dot-coms were similarly diverse, but nice, friendly, and thoughtful. There were some brogrammers moving in, running the occasional ill-fated startup, but their lack of technical skill made them the exception and fairly marginal.
Now the startup culture appears to be dominated by brogrammers, rock stars, and social climbers. Related to this, I think, is a disdain for taking the time to design robust software† and the general disinterest in the history of technology. These were still important within the culture of software development a few decades ago. Now there is a culture of disposable knowledge and throw-away code.
† From the Wikipedia page on TeX, a typesetting system designed by Donald Knuth, who also wrote The Art of Computer Programming.
Penultimate sentence of the first paragraph should read:
* were similarly diverse, nice, friendly, and thoughtful.
re poor obama’s Vacation from Hell…no vacation for those unlucky who click on that first thing. of course never mind the hell for those whose hell is interfering with the bike rides and golf games. such hell for the obamas. can these people just stop dying for a week. and must people protest when the obamas are trying to, uh, rest? I mean they, er’ we, spent over two million on plane tickets alone.
sound familiar?: “The Kingdom of Narcissism, aka (The KoN), comes from the fact that Narcissists don’t live in the real world, but their own. They have their own reality that everyone living in the KoN must accept or they will be deemed crazy. A land in which the Narcissists (Ns) are all powerful and rule over the Less-Thans (us). A land in which they make the rules and break the rules. A land in which everyone must act just like them & think just like them. A land of no mirrors that will reveal their True Identity. A land of guilt & accountability for everyone else, but them. A Land where the Narcissist’s sins are forgivable & accepted and you must be perfect. A Land where Mercy & Grace must be given to the Narcissist, but none is given to you. A land where abuse is how they show love. A land where verbal abuse is accepted and encouraged because is makes you strong to face the world. A land of GasLighting, Triangulation, and Manipulation. A land where ground is made out of egg shells & everyone tip-toes around trying to keep the Great Counterfeit happy, so that his/her True Nature/Identity, the Narcissistic Vampire will not come out and attack. A land that is actually a landfill containing Hidden Bombs and no one knows how or when they will explode, but we know Who shows up when they explode, the Narcissistic Vampire. A land of make believing everything is fine. A land of secrets. A land of lies. A land where Truth is relative and what you make it. A land where relationships are held together through Fear, Guilt & Obligation, aka the FOG. A land of Group Sabotage & Self-Sabotage is encouraged, so that no one can do better than the Narcissist. A land of Dead Dreams. A land where your Self-Esteem & Self-Worth is slaughtered as a Child and when you are an Adult with no Self-Esteem you are kicked in the face for not having any. A land where your Family is your Foe, but you don’t know, until you leave. A land where love does not exist.”
Freedom of Toxic People http://dealingwithtoxicpeople.blogspot.com/2010/04/great-counterfeits-in-land-of.html
(‘awareness is half the battle’…BS! its 98%…reLearn Our Worth!)
Beautiful writing! But in between the cracks flowers can bloom and make the cracks larger so more flowers can bloom–beauty, love, truth and all that is still alive and our birthright–we only need to claim it and find a crack.
Here are a couple of stickers I designed the other day. Anyone who wants to print some off and stick ’em on anywhere you find especially full o’ BS (the top one would go well on JPM doors/windows, for instance) or exceptionally straight-forward, is welcome to.
http://mememastersmt.blogspot.com/2014/08/two-bullshit-stickers.html
Proud Narcissus was noticed by Nemesis, the spirit of divine retribution. It was Nemesis who guided Narcissus to the pool where, attracted by his own reflection, he fell in and drowned. The two are mentioned together, in Greek mythology, and we expect that each narcissist will eventually meet his nemesis. It seems like a co-dependency to me, because the nemesis is at least as prideful as the narcissist, just in a reactive and judgemental way. The nemesis can’t ignore the narcissist but has to humble him. So, I would say narcissists attract nemesisses, and you can tell a narcissist by noticing someone who makes enemies. The terms would not still be in use, if such did not describe real products of human nature.
There You Are. (could use your help)…as i understand it, the narcissist is attracted to the nemesis because of its humbleness. doesn’t the narcissist view humility as a vulnerability/a stomping ground?
btw im still reading thru this paper and thinking of you getting a kick out of Fraud and Jung dueling it out, again.
Jung’s Lost Contribution to the Dilemma of Narcissism
http://www.cgjungpage.org/learn/articles/analytical-psychology/571-jeffrey-satinover-md
That article is a slog, and I’m not sure how helpful it was. In the mind of the writer, the Jungian view of narcissism is a developmental wrong turn during the process of individuation. When this persona backfires, therapeutic introversion takes the person back to the presexual nurturant phase, where the archetypes are activated and individuation can start over. For example, in “Analyze This,” Billy Crystal tried doing just that with Robert De Niro, taking him back to childhood, then letting him try on new personas, and the results were hilarious. Jean Piaget’s developmental psychology describes, I think, the stage teens go through when they try on different personas, like different clothes, to see what works. They “introject” the clothes and mannerisms of role models, often their peers. I don’t know why some people emerge as narcissists. I have known a few, and they have a unique quality that attracts groupies or entourages. And they are fragile. When a narcissist meets an immovable object that stymies them, they break down. The concentration on the ego suggests to me that parts of the integrated whole, such as the spirit, have been disowned and projected or repressed. I think the suggestion is that people like this can have a mid-life crisis, regress, and be “born again,” or descend into madness. This is not easy stuff to understand, but Freud was a Shakespeare nut, so why not “King Lear?”
Thank You Paul. the paper left my brain smoking. the author dismissed issues he admitted were ‘ground zero’s’.
btw i appreciate your ‘immovable object’ metaphor and agree that a full blown narcissist is fragile…but they are capable of breaking you down with them. you can’t play or beat them at their game. when i was very very young an elderly woman forcefully told me ‘don’t you ever give them nothing to push off on’…upon reflection that woman saved my life. (my sanity is a story im still nurturing through)
Your sanity is a beautiful thing. I think I see where you were going with narcissism above. Maybe you could ask the question from another angle: What is the incidence of alcoholism among the police? PTSD? Alcoholism produces a person who is deeply narcissistic, and ego deflation is considered an essential part of recovery. It was Carl Jung who suggested that an alcoholic could experience a sudden psychic shift, which makes recovery possible, and this was partly how the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous came about.
Yay! You found Colin Gordon’s excellent book “Mapping Decline” about urban decline and St Louis’ urban decline in particular. The maps up on the website are an excellent introduction to the white flight from US cities that happened in the last half of the 20th century.
One added thing that should always be mentioned is the special relationship between federal housing subsidies and white flight. The map covers this, but it’s not specifically mentioned that the discrimination in those subsidy programs against not only black neighborhoods, but any neighborhood with even one black home-owner, was not changed until the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed. Even then banks continued to redline areas where even a small portion of the homeowners were minorities. Small wonder that when a single black family moved in, white families would move out immediately in the rational attempt to minimize the loss of value they would suffer when federal housing subsidies were cut-off where they lived. The evil of this boggles my mind.
Interesting contrast between the email article and the unencrypted-content/YouTube exploiting article – the latter article says:
“In today’s internet, there are few excuses for any company to serve content unencrypted. Any unencrypted traffic can be maliciously tampered with in a manner that is invisible to the average user. The only way to solve this problem is for web providers to offer fully encrypted services.”
Yet email is the one longstanding unencrypted service on the Internet – and it’s not going away anytime soon (neither will it become any easier to encrypt, without crippling usability).
Chicago air and water show is a “demonstration of awesomeness.” From a CLTV man-on-the-street interview. Uh, no. It is a demonstration of how air shows are successful in getting the public to go along with the massive fraud that is military procurement. Last year the Air and Water show was minus the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds, and the Golden Knights due to the sequestration. Therefore no propaganda was perpetrated on the public. That’s a good thing in my book. More of it should be applied to the defense budget, lots more.
“sadist exist everywhere and war is their theater”
Very expensive PR. Then again, if it’s loud, spits fire, and goes fast (with a chance of blowing up), a certain demographic will drool over it.
The Blue Angels are recovering from their sexual harassment scandal. Also there was that penis on the roof.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/07/23/navy-to-retool-blue-angels-after-scandal/
Oh, the ***** on the roof. Check.
Quick google image search yields no such photo. I’m seriously getting tired of reports of phantom goings on without video/photographic proof..
The second day of the show gets cancelled due to low cloud cover, spectators suffer “very big disappointment”, heavy traffic. Karma. http://cltv.com/2014/08/17/city-official-air-water-show-is-getting-underway/
Yves/Lambert,
Many thanks for the three posts today dealing with the recent outrages in Gaza and the Israel/Palestine issue in general – however, in trying to traverse this minefield one is always afraid of the considerable tripwires and booby traps Zionists like to provide in order to close down any dialogue with an accusation of “anti-semitism”.
Funny is it not that the self-proclaimed judges and jury are keeping a close eye on our every word, waiting to pounce and accuse critics of holding passions and sentiments that can be equated with their very broad interpretation of what does, and does not constitute anti-semitism. An example of this type of censorship can be seen on the following site that focuses on the UK: http://cifwatch.com/how-we-define-antisemitism/
By its definition, the UK’s media is a hive of anti-semites, just one step away from poising an “existential” threat against Judaism, Jews and the modern state of Israel. Some of the chatter that comes out of this one site alone is quite remarkable, and this is only one of hundreds.
If I proposed a Welsh national state on the lines that Zionists promote Israeli nationhood, I’d be called out for what I was proposing; namely a Welsh nation state built on a religious belief and blood lineage alone, which would constitute an extreme form of nationalism and rightly be accused of being outright racist, particularly for the majority of those living within the borders of Wales, who by one fact or another would be deemed non-Welsh, and as such second class citizens. Hence this kind of nationalism I find a total anathema and dangerous, as well as crass and idiotic.
Now the RT report today has a number of not well thought out critiques posted by commentators, some of which are openly anti-Semitic, which should not be encouraged and actively condemned by those of us made of more sterner stuff. But, the same is true that extreme Zionist xenophobes should also be called out for what they are, which by the way is certainly not a friend of Israel. Given my own dislike of extreme nationalism one’s always honest in professing an extreme dislike to Zionism, particularly as to how it has degenerated since 1973, that said, the modern state of Israel exists and is a fact, to deny its existence or call for its annihilation, is as crass as Zionists and Israelis call for the annihilation of Gaza and the Palestinians.
Let us not conflate Zionism with Judaism, or Judaism with Israel, Judaism and those whom call themselves Jews has a long, proud and honourable history, one which has seen them brutalised in Europe and accused of so many crimes that it beggars belief, however, turning into your tormentors does not seem the way forward, and regrettably this is what some extreme Zionists and Israeli’s have done. You can only have peace if you desire it, and this means sooner or later an accommodation with the Palestinians will have to be forthcoming. Sacrifices will have to be made by both sides, so instead of trying to wipe Gaza off the face of the earth, perhaps a better solution would be to actually help in rebuilding Gaza and extending the hand of friendship – something I’m glad to say was taught me by my mother and the actual non-conformist community church I used to attend.
I’ll leave it there, but its most difficult to try and honour my own value system, ethics and morality without being accused of being something one clearly is not, particularly given one Karl Marx used to take centre stage in my posters exhibited on ones bedroom wall, and that was before learning how much socialism and socialist thought has been moulded by Jewish intellectuals and politicians, all of whom I owe a considerable debt too.
On todays links:
With all these “existential” threats to the USA, I’m surprised the majority of its inhabitant’s are not living underground at a great depth to protect themselves and their way of life. In the UK we usually refer to it as a “head in the sand” mentality. Thankfully, I’m not a US citizen, although my masters desire me to be one given how they like to ride the coattails of the USA and emulate all that’s destroying it. Thankfully, our elected crettins and ConDem government have not gotten around to arming our police completely and issuing them with rather expensive military toys. This may change though if one Boris Johnson ever gets to climb the slippery pole, luckily, our addiction to austerity means the police ranks must be cut and most of its functions outsourced to idiots. Indeed, such is our prowess that we build two aircraft carriers with no planes to go on them, which is like building a nuclear deterrent with no actual nuclear capability, which funnily enough is also a truism here in the UK, which has no understanding of the word “independent”!
in less than one minute…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q4kwu6MOQM
“we are all on….”
Don’t you have spy cameras on every urban street corner and a staff of monitors who yell at you through speakers if you throw down a candy wrapper? A little BIg Brotherish that. Also I believe it was Scotland Yard who came up with “kettling.”
I have heard about Boris and his pricey water cannon. Max Keiser is raising money for a “people’s water cannon.”
I think in terms of population and population density it may be a truism that we have an abundance of CCTV watching our every move, however, like buses or a policeman, when you seem to need one, its sadly absent, so I think its about instilling “fear”, fear that the state is watching your every move, listening to all phone calls, and obviously keeping tabs on letters and emails – with regards law enforcement, or over-enforcement, well that is difficult once you get outside the major cities, basically we don’t have enough police and our critters in Westminster will not pay for a large police force, nor army, no civil defence for that matter – greed and austerity being the key words in the UK, and as for water cannon, yes London now has one or two, but they can only be used once or twice a year due to cost issues, which is why rioters have to liaise closely with the government and the police in order to find a suitable day to riot on and not inconvenience too many people – certainly don’t wish to close down the City of London do we!
Isn’t this HALly “language” dead linear geekspeak? Isn’t this a facsimile of printed speech? Robotic function is dead linear, as ALL acknowledged computer programming must be, of necessity: computer programming is dead linear, including algo HFTing, because sequential in formation. If this composition passes the Turing Test, then the Turing test is of/by/for geeks of metal and of flesh, and is as defective as the “mathematicians” who live by this mineral bread alone. A+ is the score for “Narcissistic personality somewhere on the autistic spectrum”.
This “commentator” deals death to live threads.
I typed something on Gaza and related posts today, and whilst doing so mentioned “tripwires”, so imagine one’s hilarity to find that tripwires have been tripped and said post is in purgatory utile Yves or Lambert release it – no fault apportion as its something to do with algorithms I believe, but really does illustrate the point I was making in the actual post itself.
re You Can Get Hacked Just By Watching This Cat Video on YouTube
the vast security state just keeps on growing. the lines between corporations and governments gets blurrier. metastasis into our every action that might threaten profits. click on a cute cat video or perhaps open a clip from Ferguson or another black or homeless person being kicked, shocked, beaten, or shot , or one of factory farm cows being kicked, shocked, beaten, dragged, or one of Keystone protesters, or men in Gitmo cages, or Monsanto …endless possibilities.
They got us covered.
Curiosity and knowledge will be criminalized.
Each of us leaves a snail trail, wherever we go.
Guilty as charged.
So, are we “learning” as we are meant to do?
Fascinating article on copper phone lines versus fiber optic lines. I love my copper land line, my two 40-year old AT&T non-electronic phones that still work during power outages, and my DSL that works during snow storms while my neighbors with cable have no access to the internet. What the article doesn’t mention is that copper is an incredibly expensive raw material. That’s most likely the real reason the phone companies don’t want to maintain copper lines–they don’t want to spend the money to replace the copper.
Also, most copper is under foreign control, both raw metal mining and refinement, and manufacture of finished goods. It’s called deindustrialization and global free trade. Feels like economic colonization.
“Nigeria trains 800 volunteers to fight Ebola ”
Also too, Nigeria is the largest source of imported American oil. Light sweet crude too. Yummy.
craazy,
If by “imported American oil” you mean crude oil imported by America then Nigeria is far from being the largest source, though it does supply the highest-quality crude that the US imports. What source of information were you using for the comment?
The US imports more oil from Colombia than from Nigeria, and that amount is small compared to imports from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, and other producers.
You’re right. Still on first cup of coffee here. I had a foggy memory from some news report that Nigeria might be the largest import source for light sweet crude – which no longer exists most places.
But I won’t swear to that either. So I’ll just say an important source. Plus we have a substantial number of refineries that can’t process heavy crude, so if Ebola disrupts production, then we can’t just make it up with buying heavy crude.
But that’s all a silly reason to kill off the Ebola spread, anyway. Never mind.
RE: Recording the cops
Holder’s Justice Department finds itself in a dilemma when it comes to arrests of those peacefully recording police action. On the one hand, it’s a slam dunk conviction for the officers for Civil Rights violation. Often, the video would be all the evidence needed, and the Standard Cop Lies would sound more lame with each repetition.
On the other hand, the Justice Department is deeply into a ferocious war on whistleblowers. Any truth that contradicts the cover story is stomped flat, usually by imprisoning the truthteller. There’s significant time and money spent defending the authoritarian Official Story.
The usual split between words and deeds can sometimes grow to comical lengths. Our current administration doesn’t seem to see that distance, or believes their own lame explanations.
Just what one might expect to happen when the merchant class has taken over the government.
“Japan’s creepy sex doll industry ‘reaches next level’ in creation of perfect artificial £1,000 ‘Dutch Wife’ which comes with ‘realistic feeling skin’ Daily Mail ”
I was wondering if the head is removable so you can easily take it on business trips?
Is there a “non-creepy” sex doll industry too?
Certainly yes. They call them “dildos”, I believe.
I take it you haven’t heard about ‘bunnies’….
I dunno. I think the doll might be lower on the creepiness scale than just keeping the severed “limb” around. But then women are really into being brought flowers which are just the freshly severed sex organs of plants so it really falls into the same line of thinking. If I am given plant life, on the the other hand, I prefer to have the whole live specimen. I find it more useful.
I think this is an interesting next step in this industry. I’ve never been personally interested, especially with the current products. If I wanted to have sex with a beach ball I’d just have sex with a beach ball. A wig, lingerie, and painting a face on it is just weird to me (to each their own though). What will be actually interesting is when they start adding animatronics, speakers, and programming in order to have different personalities. While they are positionable and actually look rather real, one or two looked sorta hot if you suspend disbelief and pretend it’s porn, having the same facial expression the whole time is a downer. Who wants a poker faced, lifeless lover no matter how real it looks? Seems it would trigger the “looking closer to a human but not exactly” uneasiness (I know there’s a term for that but can’t recall atm). After they are able to respond, probably adding serious cost, the most probably use is one could set up a “dollhouse” and run seemingly legal prostitution without all those dangers and abuse inherent in the system.
Dear MtnLife;
Look no farther citizen! Animatronics has a long and distinguished career. Who knows, even today that Reagan died from the bullet John Hinkley Jr. fired into him? Disneys animatronic department, well versed in Presidential illusions due to its’ work in the Hall of Presidents display, had an artificial President up and running in days! Since it is a well known fact that Reagan buggered the American people, the leap to sex toys is a, ahem, natural progression.
Uncanny Valley. Remember it well, as there will be plenty of opportunity to use it as “hedonic substitution” marches on.
I think the sex doll + VIV (SIRI’s next incarnation) is going to be the next step. Robotics still has a way to go.
.
A Question for the Site Editors:
Now that we’re discovering fashion and basking in the redemptive elevating energy conferred upon a ragged existence by bespoke tailoring — or at least well-tailored upscale ready-to-wear (or at least reasonably well-tailored off-the-rack suits) [or at least dry-cleaned suits with the legs and arms the right length and washed shirts] == here’s a question for the Editors in Chiefs.
is there suggested attire for the erudite man reading Links in the morning? The news is usually very bad, very very bad. That would suggest something formal such as a dark suit and pale colored shirt with an understated tie. however the antidotes are somewhat festive, multi-colored boxer shorts with a surf T-shirt would seem a match there. These styles are incompatible, unless one can wear the boxer and surf shirt under the suit, donning the suit when reading a story about a dreadful global event.
It’s time to get the act together. No more burlap sack fashion backward nonsense. I’d imagine many readers look quite smart reading links. I’m guessing some of the English readers in particular may have fully bespoke tailored, blazers and shirts possibly with pocket square and ascots — or some combination selected by a personal stylist ==-, with very very well-crafted leather shoes that might fetch upwards of $1500. I’d imagine Lambert up in the Maine house wears something like that, with the fire roaring in the background. Yves probably styles in a Paul Stuart type outfit, a bit more appropriate for the city vibe. But we’re open to suggestions. What do the big guns wear when reading or preparing links? Is there a recommended style for readers?
Yes indeedy! Boxer shorts and plain tee shirt, (with flip flops of course.)
“Reading the Links page” suggests wearing actual Links, in the form of a pair of cufflinks. (Note to the NC PTB: custom “NC” logo cufflinks might make for a nice form of swag with which to reward e.g. “best comment of the day” and such.)
Now, back to the actual link-wearing: So as not to discriminate against those averse to formal attire or long sleeves – perhaps from living in a hot zone – the proper way to wear one’s “Links links” with short sleeves (or no sleeves) is by using a pair of old-fashioned starched separable sleeve-ends (as the oldsters did with collars, too, to enable easier cleaning and starching). Matching starched collar and bow tie are optional, of course – not everyone wants to end up looking like a Chippendale’s-style male stripper, but hey, if you swing that way, be our guest.
And note, our intention is not to discriminate against the fairer sex here – the ladies are welcome to “link up” just like the gents, one simply needs a suitably-sized shirt or pair of sleeve-ends.
Personally, whenever I visit the NC site, I wear my gym shorts with the Nike Swoosh. I regard that as casual, but hip attire, so I’m ready whichever way the news takes me. The shorts is all I wear, in symbolic support of the environmental news.
‘… possibly with pocket square and ascots …’
If you have to Google ‘ascot,’ you won’t to be able to pull off that insolent, haven’t-shaved-since-Friday look of the effortlessly squared-jawed male fashion model, even with a low five-figure budget.
Oh well. Might as well fire up the vape …
This kind of mental pressure is too much for me, which is why I insist that my valet always arranges for his cousin Bertrand to spell him whenever he takes a vacation. Of course Jeeves takes a cursory look at NC links before he brings my morning coffee into the wardrobe room. I knew the other day would be a trial– when I saw him carrying a deep purple cumberbund with a ferocious looking black panther pattern. The hammer and sickle cufflinks were another dead giveaway that the morning news was indeed ugly in the extreme.
For Yves, perhaps a St. James navy top, crop slacks and a pair of espadrilles. It whispers Viva la revolution. Beret optional. For Lambert, something a little more man of the people without brands all over it. Lands End perhaps.
*snort*
I wish I had written that!
Hah, that in theory works but I’ve never liked espadrilles :-(. I have a certain fondness for the Sarah Connor attire in Terminator 2 even though that olive drab is a really sucky color. But you need really cut arms for that look. However, I do own a pair of Swat boots. They are fantastic, cheap, comfortable, and perfect for trudging around in snow (the only time I use them).
only tweeds on a Sunday old boy!
I go with camo. Read NC in my fallout shelter with the attack dogs chained in the corner and FoxNews playing in the background. Gives me that primal urge to take on the world without mercy after I finish reading the news and eating my croissants.
Depends on what day it is and where I am. Most days I find it necessary to dress in full Marine Corp digital camouflage, complete with face paint. That way I am fully prepared for both the latest war our dear leaders are trying to cook up, and to set up an ambush with my paintball gun for the gang of squirrels marauding my veggie patch. So far I have managed to tag exactly none of them as I find it hard to pull the trigger,but at least it feels like I am standing up for my personal property rights. After Ferguson, I am considering adding a gas mask and full MOPP gear to my attire, together with a pocket copy of the Constitution.
I used to read NC while wearing a flight suit w/codpiece. Once people in high places picked up on it, that look go SO overdone.
only tweeds on a Sunday, old boy.
Here is a style, inspired by L.L. Bean, that is perfect for reading Naked Capitalism:
http://laughingsquid.com/vintage-l-l-bean-catalog-covers-recreated-as-modern-day-photos/
While Jagger’s and OIF’s attire is far more suiting to the horrors presented to us daily in the links section, I just end up wearing the same “uniform” I wear every day: a pair of Duluth extra heavy duty fire hose pants (I blow through the normal ones), steel toed boots/sneakers (I think the only shoes I have w/o steel toes are dress shoes and I would totally dig a pair of those, steel toe wingtips would be dench), a shirt from Salvation Army possibly with elements of mud or chicken droppings depending on how friendly my girls were in the morning (that’s what happens when you feed them treats if they fly up to your shoulder), and maybe a Carhart hoodie, alpaca knit hat, or hippie style bandana depending on the weather – all of which covered in sawdust. I usually read NC when I eat or have time/free attention in the shop, like when planing. My black laptop, however, looks quite smart sitting on the charcoal carpeted top of my Austrian planer, surrounded by a sea of dark royal blue contrasted by a very light slate or when blending in nice amongst the assortment of black and bright green German power tools scattered about my bench.
I am a weekend warrior woodworker, yours sounds like a professional shop. Mine is a two car garage, and the German tools are blue and black, with red lettering for the brand. Yours sound like Festool. I always assumed they were more of a high price weekend warrior brand. How are they holding up in everyday use?
No, Festool is for high end trim work/cabinetry/furniture. Those things take a beating and still pump out incredibly nice work. They are designed very well too. All the necessary adjustments are in the most ergonomic spots and everything works as a system. Bosch isn’t bad, they are the lowest quality of tool I’ll buy and I have ridiculous standards. For machinery I’m in love with Felder (20″ planer and 20″ jointer) – exceptional quality and performance (digital readout on the planer moves in 0.005″ increments and is accurate to 0.001-0.002″) from the machine and service like I’ve never had before but they are in that range where they don’t publish their prices – you have to ask and there is a reason which I’m guessing involves them wanting you to be sitting to avoid injury when you pass out. My bandsaw is an Italian (ACM) made Laguna. ACM manufactures bandsaws for nearly everybody that had a quality model. Love the machine but there is a reason they have such a bad customer service reputation. My 10′ sliding table saw is an older Robland. Not the greatest but still better than all the American companies who now manufacture in Taiwan or China. I pretty much only buy European anymore. Only decent American manufacturers left are Northfield and a lot of heirloom hand tool companies.
Hah, you will hate my machinery: second hand Ridgid table and radial arm saws (from when they still made them in St. Louis, were cast iron, and had lifetime warranty), cheap Delta planer. No space for a jointer, this is where one of the Bosch routers are indispensable. Bosch sanders, couple of older Porter-Cable sanders and a compressor, DeWalt drills, Ryobi drill press, and Incra router lift. Veritas32 rather than a line borer, but it is incredibly accurate and clean when combined with a high-end drill bit . And my Paslode gas trim nailer, the best present my SO ever gave me. Setting up everything is old school: tape measure, depth gauges, calipers, squares. Homemade jigs, but work great for what they are designed to do. Borrow access to a friend’s shaper when I need it for cabinet doors. The one area where I never scrimp is the cutting tools, I like quality router bits and saw blades. All in all, perfect for me and less than 5k to set up. All of the built-ins and cabinets at home I made myself, and they are as good as anything a high-end custom shop would have charged me an arm and a leg to build for me. My dad was a cabinetmaker and I spent a lot of time at his shop growing up, learning the old-school way to hand-build cabinets and furniture.
Srsly? Pee-jays, avec Cheetos stains, sur les côtés. That’s me anyway.
I cannot imagine Yves wearing espadrilles while composing an article. Those wedgy-heelie things are obnoxious.
It’s not an affectation to look presentable while reading links and posting thoughts for public contemplation. Peejays and cheeto crumbs suggest an oblivious inattention to detail that can undermine argument and deflate a promising thesis into an unstructured emotional outburst. Consider a casual pair of wool slacks and good quality leather shoes, perferaably dark brown, well cared for with shoe trees and regular hand polish, matched with a festively colored shirt and blazer or sweater. Socks can offer another splash of oolor, but be tasteful, overstepping not the modesty of nature. Day-glow colors are to be avoided! This isn’t a sports blog. People may not see you but the reader will see your style in your words, which won’t persuade sloppily clothed in crumbling Cheeto bits and pajamas. But smart attire will help pull the world around to your point of view.
body paint and a penis gourd strapped on.
(got that from a novel I just finished and I had to use it. wanted to be one of the guys in this conversation.)
I’d have to see that to be sure, but I bet it works!
the gourd gets in the way a bit – knocked over my coffee this morning when I got up for a minute- and paint’s a bit itchy, but other that it feels right…
If there’s ever a meet-up in my neck of the woods, I’ll wear it.
“I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things” http://youtu.be/8DoARSlv-HU
I was going to ask how big the gourd was, for reasons I need not dwell on, but now I have my answer!
Get a room you two craazy kidz!!
Yes, I am big on practical but still stylish shoes, like nice loafers and when I need to look a smidge dressier, pumps. All in black. This is Manhattan and I like to walk, so no “fuck me” high heels (I’m too old for that anyhow plus not my image).
Façonnable striped cotton casual club fit shirt w/ Paul and Shark pullover blue denim jumper, soft boot cut jeans, and Onitsuka Tiger retro track shoes [same kit I wore in track back in the 70s – lool].
Skippy… now the only problem is the state of what is above the collar line, usually quite disheveled w/ a pair of black frame persol’s balanced on a broken nose o/0.
ps. shudder at submit button… snort~
Well… right now I’m wearing a sweatshirt my mother gave me years ago that says “If I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.”
(I don’t know what she’s talking about).
RE: How High Up Did the Madoff Fraud Go at JPMorgan?
Important message from “Eric the equivocator”, “Don’t you worry none Jimbo, nobody going to jail (except Bernie)! Barry and I guarantee it”!
When the military got their ass kicked in Vietnam, it cheered them up a lot to fight peace protesters in DC in 71. Now that they’re booted out of Iraq and Afghanistan and humiliated again, they’re drooling to horn in on the war on black guys in Missouri,
https://publicintelligence.net/usarmy-civil-disturbances/
Note that their examples are American protests. This is what they’ve always wanted to do.
http://kulturcritic.wordpress.com/posts/why-i-quit-the-democratic-party-today/
Guest Post by, Eric Zuesse, Investigative historian author of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010
im losing it…Breath Aby. how does an ‘investigative historian’ achieve such an abundance of nativity/masked ignorance? i could understand it from my family & friends…all for Obama when he first ran for president (most of them couldn’t pronounce his name correctly). whenever i informed about his background and warned of past presidential party similarities, i was outcasted for a radical with anger issues. (compliment) as of today, Eric Zuesse is finally ‘disappointed’…Puleeze!
SCREAM….’We’re Lost but we’re making great time’ ~Yogi
‘How to Save Iraq and Honor American Sacrifice — General James Jones’
False premise #1: that any third party can ‘save’ Iraq
False premise #2: the sunk cost fallacy
False premise #3: that unprovoked aggression is a ‘sacrifice’ rather than a ‘crime’
Another missing bullet point is packing off G. W. Bush and R. B. Cheney to face capital charges in The Hague.
Truth and reconciliation, comrades!
(agree)^4
The way to honor “American sacrifice” is to admit what was done and not repeat it. bush/cheney should be prosecuted in the United States as part of that process, not in “The Hague”. There are Vet Hospitals full of American sacrifices whether or not it was a criminal policy.
Only Iraqi’s can save Iraq, that goes for all countries with civil wars, whatever fkup events led them there, the need to be resolved domestically.
Better: truth and retribution. And fit Obama with a jumpsuit and hoodie too.
Upgrade from possible to likely eruption due to seismic activity at one of Iceland’s largest volcanoes, Bárðarbunga, which is hidden under one of Iceland’s glaciers. http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/
Keeping tabs on this because the French Revolution is in part blamed on the catastrophic famine resulting from an eruption in Iceland.
http://i60.tinypic.com/1yu7h4.jpg
A lot of lava can issue from these Icelandic volcanic eruptions. This photo was taken earlier this summer coming into Reykjavik from Amsterdam. These lava fields go on for mile after mile.
fertile stuff, Icelandic lava is. It’s a fun country,I like to spend time there in the summer.
To put the plac ein perspectice, we have Ferguson , MO —they have :
http://grapevine.is/news/2014/08/16/suspected-catnappings-in-north-iceland/
Farmer Kjartan Ágústsson in Langamýri, North Iceland, is asking for help to find 8 cats that have mysteriously vanished over the course of the summer. Kjartan believes the disappeareances are the work of a serial catnapper, reports Vísir…..
Oh yeah:
http://grapevine.is/news/2014/08/17/elevated-caution-over-seismic-activity-at-volcano-site/
Over 700 tremors since midnight. http://www.visir.is/700-skjalftar-fra-midnaetti/article/2014140819113 (i dag = today, i gaer = yesterday) there’s magma elevating the area but they do know yet if it will penetrate the glacier. Lava will cause massive flooding in the south if it breaks the earth.
Icelandic cats–at least those in Reykjavik–are incredibly tame and trusting. I can’t think of a higher compliment to pay a city than to note its domestic animals (and strays even) show obvious trust for people randomly walking down the street. That, sir, is civilization. You can’t fake that or hire a big PR firm to make that happen.
Vive l’eruption!!
A report from Mish regarding Eastern Ukraine which details another set-back for the Ukies at Stepanovka. Zapster earlier raised the question of whether there had been atrocities in Slavyansk – The stated attitude of volunteers from that area perhaps confirms this:
“In the Stepanovka area, guys are jumping to go into battle, to kill the enemy even with bare hands. In particular, in the assault units that captured Stepanovka, there are very many volunteers from Semyonovka [a town near Slaviansk that was largely destroyed by Ukrainian shelling], who are just burning with a thirst for vengeance for the acts of genocide that the fascists waged there. I think that for Ukrainian soldiers, it’s really best not to run into these guys. This is the mindset the Ukrainian army is fighting.”
And while all the western media are dutifully reporting that the army has “penetrated deeply” and “entered Lugansk”, the defenders are reporting that they’ve gotten themselves bottled up in a cauldron again and are being cut to ribbons. Again.
Honestly, when the pain from the atrocities the nazi militias have been committing fades, the comedy movie potential is gonna be endless.
In a way, this war reflects what the US has become. Sociopathic oligarchs throwing under-trained lunatics and mercenaries against innocent civilians over what’s under the land they lived on for years. It’s not a great leap from militarized policing to outright war on states that resist fracking. :\
As American doctors pull out China sends more doctors into Africa.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2014-08/16/c_133560088.htm
from Aug. 2: “Egypt and the United States have evacuated their medical staff from the hospitals in the capital of Liberia, where the epidemic has also broken out,” said Zhou, adding that local doctors were also put on leave.
The Chinese medical workers, however, will continue to stay in the country to fight the virus and help local patients, Zhou said, adding that the medical workers have taken protective measures themselves.” http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-08/02/content_18236528.htm
this is gonna get interesting: China, vaccines and the WHO (2012)
http://www.vaccinenation.org/2012/10/05/china-vaccines/
No one fleetingly think it’s anything more than part of the ongoing investment in their resource colony
When will the PRC start sending Han Chinese “agricultural advisors” to the affected areas? (Only available in batches of 10,000 or more.)
RE: Community Gardens
Ummm… this is how you create Terrists.
RE “You Can Get Hacked Just By Watching
This Cat Video on YouTube”
Animal quackers in our soup?
The “JJ Witness Video” – Eye Witness Audio of Mike Brown Shooting States: “Brown Doubled Back Toward Police”…
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2014/08/15/exceptional-catch-the-jj-witness-video-eye-witness-audio-of-mike-brown-shooting-sharing-brown-doubled-back-toward-police/
A woman, referring to herself as “Josie” claims to be a friend of the officer named in the Michael Brown shooting calls in to tell his side of the story.
http://www.971talk.com/blogs/dana-show-blog/audio-demand/exclusive-caller-claims-be-friends-darren-wilson-knows-his-side
Well, shoot him then, of course. What’s wrong with you people?
http://www.steynonline.com/6524/cigars-but-not-close
So, when the police are dressed like combat troops, it’s not a fashion faux pas, it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of who they are. Forget the armored vehicles with the gun turrets, forget the faceless, helmeted, anonymous Robocops, and just listen to how these “policemen” talk. Look at the video as they’re arresting the New York Times and Huffington Post reporters. Watch the St Louis County deputy ordering everyone to leave, and then adding: “This is not up for discussion.”
Really? You’re a constable. You may be carrying on like the military commander of an occupying army faced with a rabble of revolting natives, but in the end you’re a constable. And the fact that you and your colleagues in that McDonald’s are comfortable speaking to your fellow citizens like this is part of the problem. The most important of the “nine principles of good policing” (formulated by the first two commissioners of the Metropolitan Police in 1829 and thereafter issued to every officer joining the force) is a very simple one: The police are the public and the public are the police. Not in Ferguson. Long before the teargassing begins and the bullets start flying, the way these guys talk is the first indication of how the remorseless militarization has corroded the soul of American policing.
Which brings us back to the death of Michael Brown. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that everything the police say about this incident is correct. In that case, whether or not the fatal shooting of Mr Brown is a crime, it’s certainly a mistake. When an unarmed shoplifter* in T-shirt and shorts with a five-buck cigar box in one hand has to be shot dead, YOUR’RE DOING IT WRONG.
I agree fully with what you eloquently stated up to the point where you wrote: “When an unarmed shoplifter in T-shirt and shorts with a five-buck cigar box in one hand has to be shot dead, YOUR’RE DOING IT WRONG”.
I disagree ,if it is found that Michael was charging the officer, than the officer feared for his life and was defending himself by shooting at him. At that juncture Michael was beyond being a mere shoplifter to being an attacker.
According to the Vox link I linked to below, the Ferguson police don’t seem to eager to stop gassing the people long enough to actually investigate anything.
But, they may not have a choice, what with the real time Tweeting and all that.
https://twitter.com/7im/timelines/499639344613695488
“In that case, whether or not the fatal shooting of Mr Brown is a crime, it’s certainly a mistake.”
It’s not “a mistake.”
“Constitutionally, “police officers are allowed to shoot under two circumstances,” says Klinger. The first circumstance is “to protect their life or the life of another innocent party” — what departments call the “defense-of-life” standard. The second circumstance is to prevent a suspect from escaping, but only if the officer has probable cause to think the suspect’s committed a serious violent felony.”
http://www.vox.com/2014/8/13/5994305/michael-brown-case-investigation-legal-police-kill-force-murder
I certainly hope somebody knows where that cop ran off to the other day, because I suspect he’s committed a serious violent felony.
Best summary I have read to date on what is wrong with US police forces.
Steyn is a rightwinger with strong anti-muslem, pro-israel sentiments. Wow! Yet he could write such a scathing indictment of the American police. I guess we found an issue everyone can agree on. Although I would be stunned if I agreed with him on anything else.
‘The EU Demands Argentina to Ban Food Exports to Russia: Arrogance and Stupidity’. “Imagine – Argentina – and the rest of Latin America – being urged by the EU, ultimate puppet of the US not to supply Russia with food stuff – vegetables, fruit, meat – after Argentina was ‘punished’ by a corrupt court in New York to pay 1.5 billion dollars to the fraudulent NML Capital et al vulture funds – out of its current agreed upon debt of US$29 billion – equivalent to Argentina’s total reserves.” http://eupolitics.einnews.com/article/218921480/ihRHVokCv9CrUHRO
The stench of desperation is really overpowering. Poland complaining to the WTO about countersanctions, EU placing demands on sovereign nations. What’s next, sending Russia a frowny face on official EU letterhead?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2358891/
The Great Beauty (2013)
“La grande bellezza” (original title)
Journalist Jep Gambardella has charmed and seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades. Since the legendary success of his one and only novel, he has been a permanent fixture in the city’s literary and social circles, but when his sixty-fifth birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty. Written by Jon Mulvaney
I’m pleased to see that the Archdruid has such a positive outlook for our future. Here I was seeing mass extinction of all life on earth in a hellish, radioactive inferno. Who would have thought that our criminally negligent abuse of nuclear chemistry would be, in some manner, survivable. Well, if it all plays out as he imagines, that is.
Or alternatively we could just have a particularly strong solar flare melt the electric grid in North America which would, of course, due to their stupid design send most nuclear plants into near-immediate meltdown all at once. If only it were possible to scrape up a couple hundred million dollars to secure the grid from that extremely probable eventuality. Then we could all possibly live out the Archdruid’s glowingly optimistic forecast for the future. If only.