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If you've been watching the drama about the latest Obamacare round at the Supreme Court, especially if you've been worried, don't worry. Regardless of the decision that John Roberts or Anthony Kennedy makes, Obamacare is not going away. This whole situation is bogus-- a narrative to entertain and please different parties.
"New evidence related to one of the most controversial public corruption cases in recent years, the 2006 conviction of Alabama's former Democratic Governor...indicates that Department of Justice prosecutors...were thinking and acting in partisan terms when they probed the governor's administration."
In the post 9/11 era, the U.S. government vastly expanded its surveillance of nearly everyone on earth, even U.S. citizens, brushing aside constitutional protections in the name of security. A group of intelligence veterans urges reform of those practices to protect privacy and to stop the waste of resources.
By Rob Kall
Diane Ravitch, Former Secretary of Education Public educations represents a $500-$700 billion a year opportunity to big business and hedge funds. They're going after it with the help of ALEC, the Koch brothers and Barack Obama. Diane Ravitch brings us up to speed on the details of the threats to public education and democracy from centralized testing, Common Core, charter schools, No Child Left Behind, virtual schools and more.
HBO's step towards independence from cable could be a fatal blow to big companies like Comcast, Dish, Direct, Time/Warner etcetera.
By Tom Engelhardt
Pratap Chatterjee: Is Drone Warfare Fraying at the Edges? The U.S. drone war across much of the Greater Middle East and parts of Africa is in crisis and not because civilians are dying or the target list for that war or the right to wage it just about anywhere on the planet are in question in Washington. Something far more basic is at stake: drone pilots are quitting in record numbers.
The Silver Rule says: Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. But our economic and political systems allow fossil-fuel corporation to violate all 10 of what can be called the Ten Climate Commandments. This essay discusses the last five commandments.
By Jan Baumgartner
Arson Destroys 35K Acres of Biodiversity at the Gallmann Africa Conservancy in N. Kenya 
Last week, over 35,000 acres of prime biodiversity, home to myriad rare and endangered species, was scorched by a series of deliberately set fires. The destruction included Eng'elecha Forest, the only remaining forest in the Laikipia region of Kenya. This singular habitat loss and staggering demise of all living things that made this oasis home, is immeasurable.
Bibi's problem is that he wants war, and Americans want peace. Efforts to get Joe Sixpack riled up over the "existential threat" allegedly embodied by Iran have run into war-weariness -- and, to be sure, an Israel-weariness that really began to show up after the last attack on Gaza, where the news accounts of children under fire from Israeli war planes brought home for the first time the ugliness of the Israeli occupation.
When U.S. political and media figures say Snowden should "man up," come home and argue to a court that he did nothing wrong, they are deceiving the public, since they have made certain that whistleblowers charged with "espionage" are legally barred from even raising that defense.
Wars may be how Americans learn geography, but do they always learn the history of how the geography was shaped by wars? I've just read Syria: A History of the Last Hundred Years by John McHugo. It's very heavy on the wars, which is always a problem with how we tell history, since it convinces people that war is normal. But it also makes clear that war wasn't always normal in Syria.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday that two days in the NYC public school year will be turned into days off in observance of Muslim holidays Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.
As embattled Fox News host Bill O'Reilly continues to fend off allegations of embellishing his reporting experiences, two new recordings have recently emerged calling his accounts into even greater question.
The question was not an uncommon one. But the pursuit of an answer was. Years ago, Cornell University researcher Alex Alemi was paging through some literature on zombies when the wheels started turning. What would happen, he wondered, if there was a real zombie outbreak? He lived in Ithaca, N.Y. How long would it remain secure? Tucked away in the hills of central New York, would it hold out longer than the region's mightiest cities? To be sure, in a country such as ours, where zombies maintain an entrenched position in the American zeitgeist, Alemi was not the first to express such curiosity. The zombie genre constantly pulses with new entries from Hollywood blockbusters to best-selling books to university courses at Michigan State University. But Alemi, who had just finished Max Brooks's zombie novel "World War Z," had a special skill that set him apart: He's a statistician.
At a time when President Obama is under political pressure from congressional Republicans over negotiations to rein in Tehran's nuclear ambitions, a startling paradox has emerged: Mr. Obama is becoming increasingly dependent on Iranian fighters as he tries to contain the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria without committing American ground troops. "The only way in which the Obama administration can credibly stick with its strategy is by implicitly assuming that the Iranians will carry most of the weight and win the battles on the ground," said Vali R. Nasr, a former special adviser to Mr. Obama who is now dean of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. "You can't have your cake and eat it too -- the U.S. strategy in Iraq has been successful so far largely because of Iran."
Larry Summers, who withdrew his candidacy for the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve under pressure from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party in 2013, has emerged as the party's dominant economic policy strategist. The former Treasury secretary's evolving message has won over many of his former critics.
If you are looking for a Republican candidate in 2016 who isn't either bought and paid for by the Kochs, or in thrall to the Religious Right -- or both -- good luck. Not one of them has your interests at heart. Or for that matter, America.
Latin America is China's latest business buddy. Chinese banks increased investments in Latin America by 71% last year, and the country plans to double its trade volume with the Central and South American region over the next decade. This comes as U.S. power in the Americas is starting to erode. U.S. cash is actually fleeing the region as investors see better deals at home or elsewhere. China doesn't appear as worried about the short-term. "What we're looking at is not simply an economic play. It's an economic play that also has political and strategic undertones," said the AFP Council. Outside of economic ties, China has helped fund Argentina's nuclear power plant, launched Bolivia's first satellite and is rumored to be helping Venezuela start its own drone program. But for now, the relationship is mostly economic. It's a win-win for China and Latin America for many reasons.
By Robert Bullard
Environmental Justice Leaders to Hold Tribunal at Selma 50th Anniversary Commemoration A coalition of environmental and climate justice and civil rights leaders will hold a tribunal in Selma, AL on Saturday March 7 as part of the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Jubilee Bridge Crossing. The theme of the tribunal is "Change Is Gonna Come: Advancing an Environmental and Climate Justice Agenda in the South." A strategy session will also be held to map out a "southern initiative" on climate justice.
The great cultures that have survived prolonged fights against brutal dictators and foreign dominance for generations, yet still gave birth to some of the most brilliant intellectuals, novelists and poets of all time are capable of redeeming themselves. It is only a matter of time, and perhaps, initiative.
What's at stake at the highest level has been known to all major players for ages. Tehran won't settle for anything less than a swift end to the current nasty, illegal package of sanctions. Yet Washington, under the cloud of the self-described "Don't Do Stupid Stuff" Obama administration, keeps changing the goal posts as negotiations advance.
This project has been set up with criminal precision. After all the CIA and the Pentagon have had alot of practice over the years. This is what Washington does best.
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Pollution and climate change caused by excessive burning of fossil fuels are real threats, not the people who warn that we must take these threats seriously. And while we must also respond to terrorism with the strong tools already in place, we have to remember that our rights and freedoms, not fear, are what keep us strong.
Rape in the military is not an aberration but an expected part of the job.
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The New Age movement has sparked a new interest in Native American traditional spirituality among white women who claim to be feminists. Indian spirituality, with its respect for nature and the interconnectedness of all things, is often presented as the panacea for all individual and global problems. Not surprisingly, many white "feminists" see the opportunity to make a great profit from this new craze. They sell sweat lodges or sacred pipe ceremonies, which promise to bring individual and global healing. Or they sell books and records that supposedly describe Indian traditional practices so that you too, can be Indian. Superficially, this might seem to be respectful for Indian spirituality but this dangerous New Age movement is part of a very old story of white racism and genocide against the Indian people. The "Indian" ways that the white, New Age "feminists" are practicing have little grounding in reality. True spiritual leaders do not make a profit from their teachings, whether it's through selling books, workshops, sweat lodges, and sundry other products. Spiritual leaders teach the people because it is their responsibility to pass what they have learned from their elders to the youngest generations. They do not charge for their services.
Abolishing Representative Government Through Education: Freedom Outpost
Abolishing Representative Government Through Education:Is this country at a tipping point? How do you transform our Republic? There are four main discussed in this article: Governance--removing locally elected school officials; Funding--ushering in federal choice and vouchers under the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which will change our system of taxing and financing schools to one where the funding will follow the child (this is also a means to control private schools and expand charter schools); Charter schools--replacing your local neighborhood school with a zealous for-profit agenda so that there will no longer be parent or voter input, or elected school boards, specifically with an aim to kill public education. Common Core Standards--ushering in a system of individualized, psychotherapeutic learning; the standardization of teaching, testing, and technology in all 50 states; nationalizing education ; and changing traditional education based on academics to a workforce training model. The combination of all four points above puts this scenario together. It demonstrates that this is the plan for the destruction of our country. The following stories tell the tale.
The 12 Reasons We Oppose the PARCC Test
Everyone should know this: detail at the link: 1- PARCC is poorly designed & confusing; 2- PARCC's online testing format is very problematic, particularly for younger students; 3- PARCC is diagnostically & instructionally useless; 4. Taking and preparing for PARCC & other high-stakes standardized tests is replacing learning. 5. PARCC will further distort curricula and teaching... THIS IS IMPORTANT: "The tests drive how and what people teach, and they drive much of what is created by curriculum developers"Those distortions are grave. In U.S. curriculum development today, the tail is wagging the dog." 6. PARCC & other high-stakes standardized tests undermine students' creativity and desire to learn; 7. PARCC & other high-stakes standardized tests have an enormous financial cost. 8. PARCC is completely experimental. It has not been validated as accurate & yet it will be used to evaluate students, schools and teachers; 9. PARCC & other high-stakes standardized tests are abusive to our children Reports of students throwing up during high-stakes standardized tests or inflicting harm to themselves as a result of test stress are already common. 10. PARCC will worsen the achievement and gender gaps; 11. High-stakes standardized tests fail to improve educational outcomes"We have had more than a decade, now, of standards-and-testing-based accountability under [No Child Left Behind]. We have seen only miniscule increases in outcomes, and those are well within the margin of error of the calculations. 12. PARCC and Smarter Balanced Common Core aligned tests are designed to brand the majority of our children as failures The Smarter Balanced test consortium announced in November that it would use very high cut scores for the test, which would result in more than half of all students labeled as failures. PARCC is A CON, perpetrated to end public education... take the time to read this and tell others!
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and majority leader, is urging governors to defy President Obama by refusing to implement the administration's global warming regulations. In an op-ed article published Wednesday in The Lexington Herald-Leader with the headline, "States should reject Obama mandate for clean-power regulations," Mr. McConnell wrote: "The Obama administration's so-called 'clean power' regulation seeks to shut down more of America's power generation under the guise of protecting the climate." He added, "Don't be complicit in the administration's attack on the middle class."
Oil Can't Match Solar On Cost, Even At $10/Barrel
One of the biggest banks in the Middle East and the oil-rich Gulf countries says that fossil fuels can no longer compete with solar technologies on price, and says the vast bulk of the $US48 trillion needed to meet global power demand over the next two decades will come from renewables.
Julian Vasquez Heilig: Deconstructing Jeb Bush's "Florida Miracle". by Diane Ravitch &Julian Vasquez Heilig
Julian Vasquez Heilig, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at California State University in Sacramento, here assembles the statistical data about the so-called "Florida Miracle." This "miracle," like the purported "Texas Miracle" that propelled George W. Bush into the White House, is the foundation of Jeb Bush's claim to being the real deal as an education" Florida made the smallest gains of any of the most populous states and was 44th in the nation in the proportion of students who graduated from high school in four years. The scores in 8th grade are good but not all that impressive. In reading, Florida ranked 30th in the nation, and in math, it ranked 34th. Some small gains, but nothing that looks like a miracle.Florida's overall composite ACT scores & SAT scores decreased between 2000 and 2010 and were the lowest of the most populous states. They were ranked 49th in the nation. Like his brother he is a practiced liar.
Deutsche Bank: Solar Will Be Dominant Global Electricity Source
Deutsche Bank has produced another major report that suggests solar will become the dominant electricity source around the world as it beats conventional fuels, generates $5 trillion in revenue over the next 15 years, and displaces large amounts of fossil fuels.
Reagan adviser to GOP: A Fun Read!
"Well, I guess they have completely forgotten about George W. Bush whom they defended to the heavens when he was in office," Bruce Bartlett said. "But yes, they are really rather stupid and not very well read. To them Reagan is a distant figure in history." The continued intransigence in the House is palpable. When Republicans overtly start criticizing their mouthpieces, then something is wrong in the party hierarchy.
You see white and gold, I see blue and brown. You see a vase, I see two faces. You see unyielding stone, science sees swirling atoms. "Up" only exists in gravity. The tree falls silently until you hear it. Dark matter mocks all knowledge to date. Somewhere in between, the gods laugh and keep sucking your hard-candy soul. The instant you realize your mind, your thoughts, your collection of fears, memories and desires are all just making up "reality" on the fly -- all well and good until you mistake it for truth -- that's when the world can finally reveal its true nature: as spontaneously arising in every moment, every breath, a constantly exploding bombshell of now.
Anyone who publishes online, or tries to engage any community in online discourse, probably knows the damage that internet trolls and other harassers can wreak. Their demeaning, dismissive, insulting and even threatening comments can completely derail a conversation, chilling the expression of a diversity of voices. Which is why a team from Ohio University is developing tools and strategies to help online publishers combat trolls.
Knowledge and Morality in Information
A reflection on the quality of information and the personal responsibility involved in securing it in a digital age, from the on;line journal New Junkie, a worthwhile source of news and opinion. This article is amply illustrated by unusually beautiful and meaningful images.
A lawyer in California has submitted a ballot initiative with the state Department of Justice calling for the death of anyone who engages in sodomy in the state, the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News reports. The proposal by Matt McLaughlin, who lists his address in Huntington Beach, was received by the initiative coordinator at the Office of the Attorney General on Feb. 26. Enclosed was a $200 check and the complete text of his "Sodomite Suppression Act." The act outlines seven measures relating to those who engage in same-sex sodomy, "a monstrous evil that Almighty God, giver of freedom and liberty, commands us to suppress on pain of our utter destruction even as he overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha."
Dems May Want to Watch What Duncan Is Wishing For :: Frederick M. Hess
Diane Ravitch notes on her blog that "Rick Hess has a fresh idea about Arne Duncan's perspective on the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind: he likes things just the way they are. For him, the best of all possible outcomes is the status quo. When the Obama administration controlled both houses of Congress, there was no interest in revising NCLB, even though it was due to be reauthorized in 2007.Duncan has used federal waivers to rewrite the law to suit his wishes. Congress did not object when he twisted states' arms (sorry for that bad metaphor; states don't have arms) to adopt the Common Core, to evaluate teachers by test scores, and to whatever else struck his fancy. Why should he want Congress to pass a law that might restrict his power to the National Czar of schools? Hess reprints an imaginary interview he wrote in 2011 with a Republican Secretary of Education who uses her vast powers to impose vouchers, a moment of silence, require abstinence education, require states to allow for-profit charters, and restrict collective bargaining. She is, of course, immensely grateful to Arne Duncan for showing how the Secretary can rewrite the law without turning to Congress." |
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