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Greek voters finally rejected the old political order and looked for a new party to restore dignity and economic viability to their tiny nation-state -- and empowered a progressive coalition government led by Syriza that is pro-Europe, pro-America and determined to save their country. Syriza and the EU coalition must work toward a compromise that promotes economic growth for all Europeans.
A couple of customers reported that they could eat our baguette even though they were gluten intolerant. --Clerk at a bakery that sells organic baguettes When I was a little boy, allergies almost never occurred. I remember only one boy in our class of 38 who had asthma and allergies. --71 year old male Fruit"
Russians, Cubans, Vietnamese-- they tend to vote more Republican. Why?
By Sherwood Ross
One Billion People Would Starve Even From "Limited" Nuclear War Prominent authority Alan Robock of Rutgers University, has been warning of the end of civilization as humans know it, with plunging temperatures from nuclear war killing crops and massive starvation a result. Is anybody listening?
Special Report: Among the arguments for why Americans should risk nuclear war with Russia over Ukraine is that the regime that took power in a coup last year "shares our values." But one of those "values" -- personified by Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko -- may be the skill of using insider connections, reports Robert Parry.
the increase in voluntary part-time employment was almost entirely among young parents. Thanks to the ACA, it appears that more than 1 million parents of young children are now able to spend more time with their kids. Evidence also suggests an increase in self-employment, although the impact is not as large.
Unknown infectious diseases could pop up across the globe thanks to climate change. For example, there are sure to be unknown bacteria and pathogens that have been frozen in Arctic ice for thousands of years. But, if that ice melts, and those never-before-seen pathogens get released into the air, they could start new epidemics that we simply wouldn't be able to fight because we've never had experience with them.
Germany's leaders have shown that they can be as hypocritical as American bankers, especially when it comes to extending the kind of helping hand to others which they've already enjoyed themselves. Germany benefited from a generous program of debt forgiveness in a 1953 write-off that was proportionally larger than anything being requested for Greece.
On Monday, February 16, European officials "handed Athens an ultimatum: Agree by Friday to continue with a bailout program or risk the funding that the country needs to avoid a default," the New York Times reported.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued the following admonition to the American people in 1933: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror. What a great, insightful statement that was; and how meaningful it is when considering the degree of fear and apprehension that now exists in this country.
Lithium is a key element in the study of the chemical evolution of the universe because it likely was and is produced in several ways. The amount of Li rapidly increases in the galaxy in the current epoch, where the amounts of heavy elements have increased. Therefore, it has long been speculated that low-mass stars with longer lifetimes should be among the major suppliers of Li in the universe. Because nova explosions occur in binary systems evolved from such low-mass stars (especially 3He-rich companion, which is necessary to produce 7Be), they are strong candidates as Li suppliers. The observations made using the Subaru HDS provide the first strong evidence to prove that novae produce significant amounts of Li in the universe. This discovery confirms the chemical evolution model from the Big Bang to the present universe, as predicted by scientists.
Global civilization is now between the proverbial rock and hard place. Either we are doomed to collapse, or we are doomed to dire, likely unsurvivable, climate change. Both are near term emergencies. Both are due to usage of hydrocarbon fuels. The "bright side" is that there might still be a ever narrowing window of opportunity fro revolutionary change.
Richard Sakwa has written the most judicious and comprehensive book about the recent events in Ukraine to date.
An Oklahoma bill banning Advanced Placement U.S. History would also require schools to instruct students in a long list of "foundational documents," including the Ten Commandments, two sermons and three speeches by Ronald Reagan. The bill, authored by Oklahoma Rep. Dan Fisher, designates a total of 58 documents that "shall form the base level of academic content for all United States History courses offered in the schools in the state." Many of the texts are uncontroversial and undoubtedly covered by the Advanced Placement U.S. History course, such as the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and Gettysburg address. But the bill also has an ideological and religious bent. In addition to 3 speeches by Reagan, the curriculum as includes a speech by George W. Bush but nothing from any Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson.
So it's the "bad teachers" who are responsible for "bad education," and if we could only easily get rid of them, why K-12 education would be so much better! Of course, it's the tenure system that makes teacher firing SO difficult. If administrators, school boards, etc. could just fire teachers willy-nilly, why our schools would get better overnight. Really? This column is about what the attack on tenure is really all about.
We don't like lies...from Brian Williams, from Hillary Clinton, but especially from tv news anchors who present biased news.
They pull from the same creative energy of the universe as you may harness for yourself. They engaged their subconscious minds in order to come up with ideas that worked for their particular passions.
Understanding Syriza
An extensive interview with Tom Vouloumanos, a Greek-Canadian and a member of Syriza's International Solidarity Campaign, on his work and on Syriza's ideology. Includes Syriza's concepts of socialism and democracy and Vouloumanos' own personal reasons to join the Campaign.
By Mary Bell Lockhart
Despicable Disconnection Commenting on the Texas lawsuit against the President for his executive action to help families avoid deportation
The victory of Syriza in Greece is likely to be a historic turning point for Europe and the world, for better or for worse. Is Syriza capable of being the energizing alternative movement that the left wants it to be? Or will it defang left-populism, and leave a vacuum that will be filled by the radical right?
At a time when Republicans and their money-machine the Koch brothers are waging a ferocious battle to put a stop to clean and renewable energy, and oppose any and all regulations on fossil fuels, another man-made disaster in West Virginia reveals why dirty fossil fuels are a clear and present danger to Americans' health. It was just over a year ago that a Koch-related coal processing plant poisoned a water source supplying 300,000 West Virginians with drinking water, and it was a reason for Republicans to oppose any new regulations to protect residents' health. On Monday, a train carrying over 100 tanker-cars of highly-flammable crude oil from North Dakota derailed, exploded, and poured toxic crude oil into residents' water supply.
By John De Herrera
Historic Incident Just Happened Don't look now, but our federal government just blinked.
By Robert Weiner
Congress' Social Security 'reform' means cuts Social Security's invested cash surplus has been borrowed by the government to finance the deficit, pay for tax breaks for the rich, and fund other programs. Former Vice President Al Gore was right years ago: a "lockbox" is needed to separate Social Security funds from the Treasury to protect seniors' money.
How can you not be sort of amazed, in a gross-all-over kind of way, when you see how the US military budget is so vast, so grotesquely outsized that, at upwards of $600 billion, it not only dwarfs all other expenditures in our economy, it's actually larger than the military budgets of the next 10 major world powers on the planet, combined? Even today, after many post-Cold War budget cutbacks, we still spend 10 times more than Russia, five times more than China, and so on. No one else even comes close. Is this not viciously surreal? Insane? It's not exactly something to be proud of.
ome of those "new faces" have an old and weary look, such as extremist right-wing retread Mike Huckabee. He recently informed us that being gay is a "lifestyle" choice, like choosing to drink alcohol. Really? How does he know? The goofiest thing about the 2016 race is that it's expected to come down to Bush vs. Clinton. Haven't we seen that movie before?
"Lawmakers in Oklahoma are seemingly in the process of enthusiastically banning Advanced Placement U.S. History classes in Oklahoma schools because they don't teach American "exceptionalism."
How Silicon Valley Billionaires Are Creating A New Economic Order;Capital & Main | By Andrew Gumbel
In Silicon Valley, there are the good billionaires and the bad billionaires. Or so the standard press coverage would have you believeAs Silicon Valley continues to generate extraordinary wealth -- it posted the country's fastest rate of job growth last year, according to a new report from the regional development group Joint Venture Silicon Valley -- it is also establishing the blueprint of a new socio-economic order. A recent Princeton University study suggested the United States was starting to resemble an oligarchy more than a democracy. The trend's cradle is unmistakably Silicon Valley, where the billionaires are most densely concentrated and where the problems of inequality in a powerhouse economy are starkest.
New York Times reporter James Risen slammed Attorney General Eric Holder in a series of tweets Tuesday evening, calling the Obama administration "The greatest enemy of press freedom in a generation." "Eric Holder has been the nation's top censorship officer, not the top law enforcement officer," Risen tweeted. "Eric Holder has done the bidding of the intelligence community and the White House to damage press freedom in the United States." Risen was tweeting in response to a speech Holder gave earlier on Tuesday at the National Press Club, where he defended the administration's record on prosecuting leakers, saying they could have prosecuted far more than they actually did.
What was Putin really doing in Budapest? And how to believe NYT reporting?
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The idea of two sexes is simplistic. Biologists now think there is a wider spectrum than that. Sex can be much more complicated than it at first seems. According to the simple scenario, the presence or absence of a Y chromosome is what counts: with it, you are male, and without it, you are female. But doctors have long known that some people straddle the boundary -- their sex chromosomes say one thing, but their gonads (ovaries or testes) or sexual anatomy say another. Parents of children with these kinds of conditions -- known as intersex conditions, or differences or disorders of sex development (DSDs) -- often face difficult decisions about whether to bring up their child as a boy or a girl. Some researchers now say that as many as 1 person in 100 has some form of DSD
Bush III outlined his foreign policy vision Wednesday, treading a careful line between embracing the policies of his familial predecessors while still claiming to be his "own man." In remarks to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Bush argued for greater U.S. engagement abroad, a stronger military and economy, a defiant stance toward Iran, and an emphasis on "liberty diplomacy." Those ideas echoed policies pursued by both his father, George H.W. Bush, and his brother, George W. Bush, who often spoke of promoting a "freedom agenda" around the world. "Time and time again, we have learned that if we withdraw from the defense of liberty elsewhere, the battle eventually comes to us anyway -- in our cities, in our streets, and in our skies," Bush said. "The enemies of freedom will never be content to live in their own dark corner of the globe. They must eventually strike out at America."
A 92-year-old man who managed to hit nine cars in a Piggly Wiggly parking lot late last week won't be cited, police in Wisconsin say. "I can tell you in 23 years of law enforcement, I've never seen anything like this," Mayville Police Chief Christopher MacNeill told WISN-TV. "My first thought was, 'You only see these situations when someone is trying to elude police or in incidents of road rage.'" The elderly driver, Russell Kerr, was pulling out of his parking spot at the supermarket chain on Friday when he lost control of his vehicle, a Chrysler Pacifica. "His foot got stuck on the accelerator, and from that point, he panicked," MacNeill said. Two of the nine cars Kerr hit were occupied, but no one was hurt in the incident, which was captured on surveillance video. Because it was considered an accident, MacNeill said, police decided not to cite Kerr.
Why the Mayoral Election in Chicago Matters for the Future of Public Education and Teaching Profession; Diane Ravitch
Michael Klonsky here gives us an update on the Chicago mayoral election, which is a week away. Will Rahm get away with his unprecedented closure of 50 public schools to make way for privately managed charter schools? Klonsky quotes an astute observation by Stephanie Simon of Politico.com: " If Rahm can get re-elected after fighting the teachers' union, after closing 50 schools in mostly black communities, by expanding privately managed charter schools, by attacking tenure, and tying teachers' evaluations to test scores, it will embolden other Democratic mayors to act like Republicans" Also at Politico, "Emmanuel got over $600,000 from investment funds (Carlyle, Blackstone, etc) that manage Chicago teacher pensions.
Likely presidential candidate Jeb Bush delivered a nervous, uncertain speech on national security Thursday, full of errors and confusion. Seeking to differentiate himself from his father and brother, both former presidents, the former governor of Florida asserted, "I am my own man." But that man who emerged on stage at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs did not sound well-versed in foreign policy. Trying to sound presidential, Bush instead came off like a confused former governor.
Tim Slekar: Governor Scott Walker Really Does Want to Crush Higher Education: by Diane Ravitch
And there goes WISCONSIN in this war against education! When news broke that Governor Scott Walker wanted to change the purpose of higher education in state law, removing key words, the governor's staff backtracked and called it a "drafting error." Critics say that he wants higher education to focus on job training and competition in the global economy. Governor Walker dropped out of MarquetteUniversity and never completed his undergraduate studies; is that why he has an animus towards higher education? Tim Slekar, Dean of the College of Education at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin, says there was no drafting error. Governor, Scott Walker, declared war on the idea of free inquiry and the search for truth. He then went and put forth a budget that cuts $300 million from the UW system. Don't miss this one...
"Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, an all-but-announced 2016 presidential contender, unveiled his foreign policy advisory team on the eve of what looks to be a major speech -- and Q&A -- Wednesday to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The 21 people on the list, as our colleague Ed O'Keefe noted, "embrace the legacies of his father, George H. W. Bush and his brother, George W. Bush," and appear to be a composite of both groups."
Netanyahu is saying, in so many words, that he does not believe Obama, despite all the US assistance--billions of dollars in aid and UN vetoes and veto threats in lonely support of Israeli positions that this administration has provided--can be trusted. "A bad deal with Iran is forming in Munich that will endanger Israel's existence," Netanyahu said. "Therefore I am determined to go to Washington and present Israel's position before the members of Congress and the American people." Think about it -- a foreign leader going to Congress to tell legislators not to trust what the president of the United States says but to trust him instead.
In 'Disastrous Decision,' US Prepares to Widen Exports of Armed Drones
The Obama administration will allow the widespread export of armed drones for the first time, signaling that the White House is preparing to provide its allied nations with highly controversial weapons as the U.S. steps up its so-called 'War on Terror,' the Washington Post reports.
Sexual reproduction has another benefit: It makes humans less prone to disease over time -- ScienceDaily
For decades, theories on the genetic advantage of sexual reproduction had been put forward, but none had ever been proven in humans, until now. Researchers have just shown how humanity's predispositions to disease gradually decrease the more we mix our genetic material together. This discovery was finally made possible by the availability in recent years of repositories of biological samples and genetic data from different populations around the globe.
'I am a TEA PARTYER, but this was over the line' - Boycott Rush Limbaugh Sponsor Petition Hits 100k!
Lynn of CA I am a woman who used birth control pills as medical therapy. Thank goodness for them! I am 78 years old; we do not want to go back to bad old days! Betty of NV I'm retired USAF female, middle aged. I'm the average American. I will not tolerate hate speech in my country. Don of IN Limbaugh is an embarrassment to America. Foreign visitors hear his hate and assume he represents all America. He should be quarantined. Mark of OK I spent many hours listening to Limbaugh in the past, but no more. This sort of hate filled and poisonous talk leads to dehumanization and then you don't have adversaries, you have enemies. I will not buy the products of any company who is okay with marching down this road if there's a buck in it for them. See article for many more; don't forget to add your own name to the petition. DG
"If the American dream has not quite shattered as the Millennial generation has come of age, it has certainly scattered. Living affordably and trying to climb higher than your parents did were once considered complementary ambitions. Today, young Americans increasingly have to choose one or the other--they can either settle in affordable but stagnant metros or live in economically vibrant cities whose housing prices eat much of their paychecks unless they hit it big."
President Obama surely knew that his recent executive actions to protect millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation would run into trouble as soon as a 26-state lawsuit opposing the actions landed on the desk of Federal District Judge Andrew Hanen, of Brownsville, Tex. On immigration, the Republicans seem to want only to savage the president's efforts to address a pressing nationwide crisis, just as they have on health care reform. They are good at unleashing rage against Mr. Obama's supposed lawlessness, but they have no meaningful solutions of their own.
"Pablo Iglesias, leader of Podemos party in Spain, says it is 'impossible to separate economy from democracy.' Iglesias described how the Spanish people are beginning to understand that in democracy, when something is going wrong, you can activate and organize to change course. 'We are a new opportunity of change in Spain,' Iglesias continued, 'and we are happy to be an instrument of the people for political change.'" It is rapidly becoming evident that liberal, progressive folks here need to start watching very closely what is happening in Europe. The concept of Democracy is gaining new vigor over there. We are so trapped in moribund, arcane paradigms and narratives that it appears the spirit of Democracy is disgusted and swimming home.
President Obama has named his acting director and trusted former detail leader, Joseph Clancy as the new permanent leader of the Secret Service. Clancy, 59, was considered a likely choice last week, when the White House told candidates the president has made a selection. The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said that leaves the Secret Service without the bold new outside leader that an independent administration panel said was key to reform at the beleaguered agency.
"Starburst galaxies transmute gas into new stars at a dizzying pace -- up to 1,000 times faster than typical spiral galaxies like the Milky Way. To help understand why some galaxies 'burst' while others do not, an international team of astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). 'There is a class of galaxies and parts of galaxies, we call them starbursts, where we know that gas is just plain better at forming stars,' noted Leroy. 'To understand why, we took one of the nearest such regions and pulled it apart--layer by layer--to see what makes the gas in these places so much more efficient at star formation.' ALMA's exceptional resolution and sensitivity allowed the researchers to first identify ten distinct stellar nurseries inside the heart of Sculptor, something that was remarkably hard to accomplish with earlier telescopes...."
The Truth is Out: Money is Just an IOU, and Banks are Rolling in It
David Graeber at the Guardian confirms the radical truth about private money creation that we have heard from Ellen Brown and more radical sources. He takes his authority from a recent white paper by the Bank of England, "Money Creation in the Modern Economy". The conventional understanding allows us to talk about money as if it were a limited resource like bauxite or petroleum, to say "there's just not enough money" to fund social programs. But with this admission, the entire theoretical basis for austerity is out the window. When banks make loans, they create money. Money is just an IOU. The role of the central bank is to preside over system that grants banks the exclusive right to create IOUs of a certain kind, ones that the government will recognize as legal tender. Henry Ford said it was a good thing that most Americans didn't know how banking works, or there would be a revolution
The politician who had the most to say about Terri Schiavo was Jeb Bush, who was governor of Florida then and now seems to be running for President. In 2003, when a court affirmed Michael Schiavo's right, as Terri's guardian, to have her feeding tube removed, Jeb Bush pushed a law through the Florida state legislature giving him the power to overrule the court--and so "stormed to the brink of a constitutional crisis," as the Tampa Bay Times put it in a review of the case earlier this year, going "all in on Schiavo." The bill was called "Terri's Law," but, in terms of decision-making, it was all Jeb's.
A large majority of Americans believe that Republican congressional leaders should not have invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress without consulting the White House, according to a new CNN/ORC survey. The nationwide poll, released Tuesday, shows 63% of Americans say it was a bad move for congressional leadership to extend the invitation without giving President Barack Obama a heads up that it was coming. Only 33% say it was the right thing to do.
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