You received this email because you signed up for it at OpEdNews. Unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of this email.
Support Opednews. Make a tax deductible donation to make OEN Strong.
 Daily Headlines
The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here's what that means for its strategy--and for how to stop it.
By George Eliason
How much influence do ultra-nationalist emigres have over the way American kids are brought up and our culture?
It is important to understand why the Koch brothers created and funded the tea party extremists in the first place, and although teabaggers closely adhere to the Kochs' John Birch Society ideology, their extremism is driven by ignorance, anger, and religious fanaticism. The Republican base was best portrayed recently by one of America's most ignorant, angry, and highly religious teabaggers; Sarah Palin. Palin told the tea party base in Iowa a few weeks ago that they represent 'real America' and are the best hope to preserve freedom and liberty conservative style. Palin said, "because you sit on your front porches holding onto your god, your guns, and your Constitution" you are the only Americans defending this great nation's continued existence.
The language with which we talk about regulation has been handed to us by the Right Wing. "Deregulation" means less bureaucratic meddling, and it must be good. But the debate is based on false premises. There's no such thing as an unregulated bank. Banks are institutions to which the government has granted the right to issue IOU's that it will recognize as legal tender. The government regulates everything from a bank's reserve requirements to its hours of operation. So do people mean by "deregulation"? It means "changing the regulatory structure in a way that is profitable to me." In the case of banking, deregulation has meant moving away from managed competition between mid-sized banks to domination by mega-banks. In the case of airlines and telecomm firms in the 70s and 80s, deregulation meant the opposite: allowing mid-size firms to compete. In neither case did bureaucracy decrease.
Hicks, we are told, killed the students "execution style" because of a dispute over parking spaces. The same way that Chris Kyle -- "The American Sniper" -- made 164 confirmed "kills," killing "savages" because that's what national heroes do. And US wars and sanctions on Iraq killed, starved and wounded millions to bring democracy to the Arabs.
The VCR, the DVD and, later, the Internet allowed porn to be pumped into individual homes. The glossy, still images of Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler became tame, even quaint. America, and much of the rest of the world, became pornified. The income of the global porn industry is estimated at $96 billion, with the United States market worth about $13 billion.
By Herbert SalitHumankind's Goal for 2015 and Beyond - Herbert SalitFar-reaching, intelligent, long-term plan to be implemented immediately, so that the majority of Humankind can permanently throw-off the yoke of Western Capitalist imperialism, and forge the world's first true global civilization.
The House speaker, John A. Boehner, said Sunday that he was "certainly" prepared to allow funding for the Department of Homeland Security to lapse, raising the possibility that one of the government's largest and most vital agencies could be shut down at the end of the month."
Try following the energy instead of the money and you might come upon something quite different. (For one, that following the bursting of the fracking bubble may be the inflation, and then bursting, of the alternative energy bubble.)
The International Criminal Court operates only when national courts will not or cannot prosecute an individual suspected of heinous crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, or other war crimes. Also, in order for the Court to have jurisdiction, crimes must have taken place within the territory of one or more of the 123 states that have ratified the Statute.
Campaign finance reform
A BBC documentary regarding the art of conducting. Included is archival footage of some of the greatest conductors of modern times, along with interviews with some of them, as well as with prominent musicians and scholars. All in all, a refreshing and enlightening look into a unique profession indeed...
Tom Brokaw Warned for a Year That Brian Williams' Iraq Story Was a Big FibLong before "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams conceded last week that he had exaggerated a harrowing tale of coiming under fire while aboard an Army helicopter during the 2003 Iraq invasion, his predecessor Tom Brokaw was warning colleagues that Williams' version of events didn't dovetail with the facts, NPR's David Folkenflikn reports.
Republicans, the Religious Right and Evolution - Frank Bruni NYTimesBruni writes that Faith should be inspiration, not instructions for governing or a legislative manual." Faith is a serious matter, and an important one, but it's trivialized when it's toted too readily and stridently into the political arena.Faith and government shouldn't be as cozy as they are in this country. Politicians in general, and Republicans in particular, shouldn't genuflect as slavishly as they do, not in public. They're vying to be senators and presidents. They're not auditioning to be ministers and missionaries..And while a creed can rightly be a personal compass, it's wrongly deployed as marching orders or a governing strategy. Politicians' religions -- and I use the plural on purpose, because there's no one religion that gets to trump the others -- should be a source of their strength and of their empathy, not of their agendas.....
We've been talking about the Age of Aquarius since the 60s, but what do we really think that is going to be like? Yes I know the song-harmony and under-standing, sympathy and love abounding. But beyond that, what is this mysterious Aquarian energy? I think Aquarius represents the Quantum Field, the field of possibilities, the realm of archetypal patterns. If so, we need to change our story and recognize what it means to us.
C R Sridhar- A third force has emerged in Indian Politics in the shape of Aam Aadmi Party dedicated to represent the interests of the common man
Germany's rapidly rising Eurosceptics have dealt a fresh embarrassing blow to Angela Merkel's ruling Christian Democrats party in state elections in Hamburg. Alternative for Germany (AfD), which wants to force crisis-hit countries such as Greece out of the single currency, looked likely to win its first seats in a west German parliament. The AfD made significant gains from Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats, who saw their share of the vote fall by a projected 5.9 per cent in one of their worst results in recent times. But this was the first time support for the AfD has been tested in a west German state, after it made striking gains in the less affluent east last year. It is also the first election since the anti-Islam and anti-immigrant Pegida movement swept though the German political scene. "I am pleased that we have entered parliament," the party's local leader, Jörn Kruse, said.
The author makes the case that Venezuela is a democratic country and not the failed state dictatorship it is portrayed as.
Since 2010, Assange has been waiting to hear whether he will be questioned, and charged in relation to the misconduct allegations. Prosecutor Ny refuses to travel to London to question Assange, even though Swedish law allows for it and the UK government has said it would actively facilitate it. Swedish police have traveled to other countries to interview suspects in the past, including Germany, Serbia, the U.S., and even the UK. Assange has made at least four formal offers to the prosecution to interview him in person, in writing, via telephone, or via videoconferencing. Swedish authorities have also never explained why they will not provide Assange a guarantee that they will not extradite him to the U.S.
Exposing War as product of enduring hate, ignorance and institutional dishonesty
"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace on Sunday quizzed House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on his decision to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress. Boehner invited Netanyahu without consulting the White House, leading numerous congressional Democrats to boycott the speech."Why would you do that?" Wallace asked. "Because I wanted to make sure that there was no interference. There's no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu. I frankly didn't want that getting in the way, quashing what I thought was a real opportunity," Boehner responded.
Saudi Arabia and the United States' long-standing friendship is undergoing an unprecedented stress test. The two allies, which have weathered decades of wars, one Arab Spring movement and the rise of Islamic radicalism, find themselves at a difficult crossroads following the death of 90-year-old King Abdullah last month. if past frictions between those two hegemons are anything to go by -- Syria, Iran and Egypt have all been difficult diplomatic chokepoints -- the Middle East and to a greater extent the world could be in for a major policy shift, especially since Saudi Arabia's own footing in the region appears to be faltering.
If Zoabi is excluded, the other parties in the list will have to decide whether to refuse to run in a show of solidarity. If, as seems more likely, they choose to ignore her disqualification and stand anyway, that could send a troubling message to their voters -- that Lieberman and Netanyahu get to decide who represents Palestinian citizens in the Israeli parliament.
CNN)Gunmen stormed into a Copenhagen building Saturday where controversial cartoonist Lars Vilks and his supporters had gathered, firing shots before driving away from the scene, police and witnesses said. Helle Merete Brix -- the founder of the Lars Vilks Committee, created two years ago in support of the Swedish cartoonist whose portrayals of the Prophet Mohammed angered many in the Muslim world -- told CNN that security on site moved her and others to safe areas once they realized a shooting had taken place. She and Vilks ended up in a storage room together, holding hands, until police told them it was OK to come out. "We have never taken any chances," Brix said, pointing to the heavy security from police, Danish intelligence services and Vilks' own security guards at this and other committee events. "What we have so much been frightened would happen happened tonight."
Latest Articles
There is a film, Virunga, competing for Best Documentary. Virunga has the potential, if it has not already, to greatly harm people of eastern Congo by conflating the political narrative to "humans vs. environment." People care more about a charismatic non-human species than they do about millions suffering under a brutal regime.
 Best News Links from the Web
A video purporting to show the mass beheading of Egyptian Christian hostages was released Sunday by militants in Libya claiming loyalty to the Islamic State group. The video shows a line of men dressed in orange jumpsuits forced onto their knees and beheaded. The Egyptian government and the Coptic Church based in Egypt both declared the video authentic. Egypt banned all travel to Libya by its citizens in response.
the Keystone XL pipeline is not a job creator. It is not a jobs bill. It will enrich certain Republicans -- Boehner and the Kochs included, and of course TransCanada Corp. It will create 35 permanent jobs and a few thousand temporary jobs at a time when Obama is creating jobs hand over fist. A few dozen jobs will neither make nor break America. Oil soaked prairie and farmlands from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast, might.
CURMUDGUCATION: Reformster Fallacious Argument Made Simple; by Peter GreenePeter Greene Explains the Fallacious Logic of Corporate Reformers by dianeravitch "In the first year of this blog, someone explained the methodology of corporate reformers by referring to the marketing strategy known as FUD. This is an acronym for fear, uncertainty, and doubt. When trying to put a competitor out of business--whether in politics or commerce--spread FUD. That way, the public will distrust their brand or candidate, and be open to your promises for your brand or candidate: Peter Greene has analyzed the reformer game-plan and boiled it down to a 3-step strategy." Step 1: there is a terrible crisis; Step 2: therefore we must do Step 3) what I prescribe.Here is one of his examples:1) SOMETHING AWFUL IS GOING TO HAPPEN OH MY GOOD LORD IN HEAVEN LOOOK I EVEN HAVE CHARTS AND GRAPHS AND IT IS SOOOOOOOOO TERRIBLE THAT IT WILL MAKE AWFUL THINGS HAPPEN, REALLY TERRIBLE AWFUL
What's the purpose of education in the 21st century? - Arthur Camins; The Washington PostTo make a living or join the workforce? To be a good citizen? To lead a healthy productive life? What about all of the above asks Camins: "Knowledge of the natural and engineered environments and how people live in the world is critical to all three purposes of education. Critical thinking, creativity, interpersonal skills and a sense of social responsibility all influence success in life, work and citizenship. For example, unhappy personal relationships often spill over into the work environment, while a stressful workplace or unemployment negatively impacts family life. Uninformed disengaged citizens lead to poor policy choices that impact life, work and citizenship. To paraphrase the verse in the old song, "You can't have one without the others."
Copyright © OpEdNews 2015
|
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기