...Polar bears live in one of the planet's coldest environments (click here) and depend on a thick coat of insulated fur, which covers a warming layer of fat. Fur even grows on the bottom of their paws, which protects against cold surfaces and provides a good grip on ice. The bear's stark white coat provides camouflage in surrounding snow and ice. But under their fur, polar bears have black skin—the better to soak in the sun's warming rays....
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Lions and tigers and bears. They look like higher order species to me.
If wildlife activists have their way, (click here) U.S. hunters trekking to Africa soon won't be able to bring back any lion skins or skulls as trophies....
...African lion populations have seen "a substantial decline" over the past two decades and are estimated to be around 32,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which monitors species numbers globally.
The threats include not only trophy hunters, but loss of habitat, humans eating lion meat, and commercial sale of their body parts, said Adam Roberts, executive vice president of Born Free USA...
Habitat loss by any species is extinction. Habitat loss is the most critical component to species survive. On a warming planet there are distinctive ways to end it.
Encroachment is the word of choice, but, that sometimes implies permission to continue to destroy habitat or remove it. Encroachment is suppose to be a definitive term, now it is more or less a term of permission to continue to encroach and cause further loss.
While most of the species facing extinction are viewed as a victim of human population growth, the fact there are droughts, extreme weather and floods destroying habitat means it is far more than human encroachment. It means there is something going on with Earth and not just human behavior. At least not just human behavior in destroying habitat, but, certainly human behavior in greenhouse gas emissions.
Habitat loss by any species is extinction. Habitat loss is the most critical component to species survive. On a warming planet there are distinctive ways to end it.
Encroachment is the word of choice, but, that sometimes implies permission to continue to destroy habitat or remove it. Encroachment is suppose to be a definitive term, now it is more or less a term of permission to continue to encroach and cause further loss.
While most of the species facing extinction are viewed as a victim of human population growth, the fact there are droughts, extreme weather and floods destroying habitat means it is far more than human encroachment. It means there is something going on with Earth and not just human behavior. At least not just human behavior in destroying habitat, but, certainly human behavior in greenhouse gas emissions.
"The Sixth Extinction" published in 1995 (click here)
The Sixth Extinction
Niles Eldredge
An ActionBioscience.org original article
June 2001There is little doubt left (click here) in the minds of professional biologists that Earth is currently faced with a mounting loss of species that threatens to rival the five great mass extinctions of the geological past. As long ago as 1993, Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson estimated that Earth is currently losing something on the order of 30,000 species per year — which breaks down to the even more daunting statistic of some three species per hour. Some biologists have begun to feel that this biodiversity crisis — this “Sixth Extinction” — is even more severe, and more imminent, than Wilson had supposed....
Can we stop the devastation of our planet and save our own species? We are in a biodiversity crisis — the fastest mass extinction in Earth’s history, largely due to:
- human destruction of ecosystems
- overexploitation of species and natural resources
- human overpopulation
- the spread of agriculture
- pollution
In an extinction environment, eventually, it will become the rule and not the exception.
...“Around 80 mammal species (click here) are used by international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to raise funds for conservation,” Professor Possingham said.
“These flagship species, such as panda bears, tigers, lions and rhinos, are charismatic and have high marketing appeal, leading to the success of sponsorship programs.
“However, if money is being raised for 80 charismatic species, what happens to the other 1000 threatened mammal species and the 19,000 threatened plants, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects and obscure species?”
Most conservation dollars are spent within 100 kilometres of where they are raised, with the choice of which species to save is often based on ‘donor appeal' and the animal's closeness to extinction.
“So if you're an obscure animal or plant in a remote place, you have next to no hope of getting conservation resources,” Professor Possingham said....
“These flagship species, such as panda bears, tigers, lions and rhinos, are charismatic and have high marketing appeal, leading to the success of sponsorship programs.
“However, if money is being raised for 80 charismatic species, what happens to the other 1000 threatened mammal species and the 19,000 threatened plants, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects and obscure species?”
Most conservation dollars are spent within 100 kilometres of where they are raised, with the choice of which species to save is often based on ‘donor appeal' and the animal's closeness to extinction.
“So if you're an obscure animal or plant in a remote place, you have next to no hope of getting conservation resources,” Professor Possingham said....
The 'Specialists' go extinct first in any mass extinction.
Biology and adaptation by species is a fascinating science. Individuals of a species over time will find 'niches' to live. The individuals adapt to the niche and survive. Reproduction and genetic adaptation take over and a subspecies or a variety will result.
This ability by nature is most frequently found in insects and plants. Plant species and insects frequently find each other and support an ecosystem. So, it can get very specialized to the extent that survival is LIMITED to a specific ecosystem. While hardy and thriving, if there are changes supporting that ecosystem either one or both die off.
These extinctions are nearly unnoticeable except for scientists involved with the study of the ecosystem. It isn't as though one day everything everywhere changes. That is not the case, but, it is like an epidemic that grows and grows when no one notices and then finally each species of larger order faces there extinction as well.
Zestos
June 10, 2013
Wildlife officials say 2 butterfly species extinct (click here)
By Kelli Kennedy
This ability by nature is most frequently found in insects and plants. Plant species and insects frequently find each other and support an ecosystem. So, it can get very specialized to the extent that survival is LIMITED to a specific ecosystem. While hardy and thriving, if there are changes supporting that ecosystem either one or both die off.
These extinctions are nearly unnoticeable except for scientists involved with the study of the ecosystem. It isn't as though one day everything everywhere changes. That is not the case, but, it is like an epidemic that grows and grows when no one notices and then finally each species of larger order faces there extinction as well.
June 10, 2013
Wildlife officials say 2 butterfly species extinct (click here)
By Kelli Kennedy
MIAMI -- Two butterfly species historically found in South Florida are likely now extinct, U.S. wildlife officials said Monday.
After several years of studying imperiled butterflies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes the Zestos (Epargyreus zestos oberon) and rockland grass (Hesperia meskei pinocayo) skippers are likely extinct.
The Zestos skipper was last observed at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden on Stock Island in 2004. That butterfly had not been observed on mainland Florida for decades. The rockland grass skipper was last observed at Everglades National Park in 2000, wildlife officials said in a statement.
Rockland Grass Skipper from Big Pine Key Island, Florida
Rockland Grass Skipper from Big Pine Key Island, Florida
The Zestos skipper wasn't considered imperiled globally because it is found throughout the Bahamas and eastern Antilles. It was only recently discovered that the Zestos skipper in Florida was a distinct subspecies, but it was gone before conservationists could protect it.
The rockland grass skipper was also believed extinct in the 1980s until it was briefly rediscovered on Big Pine Key in 1999. But it disappeared again before it could be saved, according to wildlife officials.
Butterfly scientists and activists have done extensive surveys in recent years in public conservation lands throughout South Florida and the Keys to determine the status of imperiled butterflies. Several wildlife groups have united to monitor the federally endangered Schaus swallowtail and Miami blue butterflies in the Florida Keys....
New Zealand is facing pressure to save the world's rarest dolphin at an international scientific meeting in what conservationists say is a test of the nation's "clean, green" credentials.
Fifty of any species is nearly guaranteed extinction by genetic selection alone.
Today NASA's Landsat Satellite is celebrating over 40 years of studying Earth.
After 40 years of study anyone would realize scientists would have learned something about Earth. 40 years of dedicated study isn't enough, huh?
For more than forty years, (click here) Landsat satellites have collected images of our planet...millions of them. As Landsat 8 begins its new mission—collecting more than 400 images per day—scientists are anticipating what that trove of observations will reveal about Earth’s surface.
“These are scientific data, as much as they’re beautiful images,” said Doug Morton, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center who uses Landsat data to study changes in forest ecosystems. “We can see that ecosystems are changing all the time, and Landsat data captures these changes like no other program in the world.”
In one patch of desert, where the Rio Grande makes a border between the United States and Mexico, the Landsats have captured hundreds of images for NASA and its partners at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Those photo-like, natural-color images show fields turning green and brown with the season; new urban and suburban developments expanding around El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; changing angles of sunlight; and clouds moving over the neighboring mountains. They also reveal subtle changes in the sensors as technology improves with each generation of satellite....
Monday, June 10, 2013
There is mystery about Earth. Creating mystery is propaganda. This is a joke.
I don't know who the New York Times talks to about Earth, but, it isn't
anyone that actually knows what it going on. This is NOT a mystery, this was all predicted.
The truth might not be good for Wall Street, but, it is all too obvious.
Ever melt an ice cube? In a glass or on a table top? Ever do that? What
happens?
This is a waste of my time, if human beings want to live in denial whom I to say differently. Go ahead. Die. Probably will anyway.
Look, the ice caps are melting like crazy. There is huge retreat of glacial fields everywhere, so what does that mean? I can't believe I have to write this mess.
Ice is ice. When it melts it cools everything in the vicinity. In the case of Earth the ice melting on a CONTINUOUS basis is cooling the air and water in the vicinity. For god sake, is there no conscience at the New York Times anymore?
Earth is NOT cooling, not even close. There is a sixth extinction going on and I suppose if people want to be part of that 'friend' the petroleum industry. Money is not going to get anyone out of this.
This article is nothing but lies. I have sat in lectures and presentations and research meetings for over a decade and this was all predicted. Now, why is it I can find the truth when no one in the media can?
Earth is NOT cooling, not even close. There is a sixth extinction going on and I suppose if people want to be part of that 'friend' the petroleum industry. Money is not going to get anyone out of this.
This article is nothing but lies. I have sat in lectures and presentations and research meetings for over a decade and this was all predicted. Now, why is it I can find the truth when no one in the media can?
By JUSTIN GILLIS
Published: June 10, 2013
...The slowdown (click here) is a bit of a mystery to climate scientists. True, the basic theory that predicts a warming of the planet in response to human emissions does not suggest that warming should be smooth and continuous. To the contrary, in a climate system still dominated by natural variability, there is every reason to think the warming will proceed in fits and starts....
Smithfield.
If you’re going to engage in insider trading (click here) ahead of a big acquisition, don’t use out-of-the-money calls. On Thursday, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced it froze the assets of a trader from Bangkok, Thailand who tried to withdraw more than $3 million made in profits from illegally trading ahead of the acquisition of U.S. pork producer Smithfield Foods SFD -0.21% for nearly $5 billion.
Badin Rungruangnavarat is accused of being in possession of material, nonpublic information, leading him to buy thousands of out-of-the-money calls and single-stock futures contracts in Smithfield from May 21 to 28....
I love family farms. I love small farms. I love NO GMO. I love Organic Farmers. The new trend in Heritage Crops and Organic Farming is MY BEST FRIEND.
LOCAL ECONOMIES. Yep. Oh, you didn't know the cruelty existing at Smithfield. The USA is better off without them. Honest. China should enjoy their pork in good health.
Smithfield had North Carolina government within it's control. The thing is that won't stop simply because China now owns the business. Smithfield is the biggest polluter of the North Carolina coastal plain. China now OWNS North Carolina.
When one wants to reflect on WHY the Southern governments are so very stupid about their economies and quality of life of it's people, ask yourself, whom among Democrats would be THAT CORRUPT.
I love family farms. I love small farms. I love NO GMO. I love Organic Farmers. The new trend in Heritage Crops and Organic Farming is MY BEST FRIEND.
LOCAL ECONOMIES. Yep. Oh, you didn't know the cruelty existing at Smithfield. The USA is better off without them. Honest. China should enjoy their pork in good health.
Smithfield had North Carolina government within it's control. The thing is that won't stop simply because China now owns the business. Smithfield is the biggest polluter of the North Carolina coastal plain. China now OWNS North Carolina.
When one wants to reflect on WHY the Southern governments are so very stupid about their economies and quality of life of it's people, ask yourself, whom among Democrats would be THAT CORRUPT.
Industrial Farming to Worsen with Smithfield Acquisition (click here)
By Jeff Seigel
Thursday, May 30, 2013
So it looks like there are a lot of folks really pissed off about the Chinese buying Smithfield Foods (NYSE:SFD). Many believe it's just another way Uncle Mao's offspring are going to take over the United States.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
So it looks like there are a lot of folks really pissed off about the Chinese buying Smithfield Foods (NYSE:SFD). Many believe it's just another way Uncle Mao's offspring are going to take over the United States.
But I don't buy it for a minute.
If the Chinese want to “take control,” they'll do it by targeting things like energy, infrastructure and defense. Pigs? Not so much.
No, the truth is, Shuanghui International Holdings is buying Smithfield because it wants to adopt the highly-efficient factory farm model that Smithfield has perfected. And the best way to do that is to acquire one of the best in the business.
You see, pork prices in China run about three times what they run here because the Middle Kingdom doesn't yet have armies of concentrated feed lot operations pumping out nutritionally-inferior meat for a billion bacon-loving Chinese. And in fact, it doesn't make sense for them to sacrifice their own land for factory farming operations when they can just come to the U.S., and use our nation as one giant factory farm.
Make no mistake about it, the point of this deal is to basically send U.S. pork to China. And this could have disastrous results for the U.S....
Baby Chicks and Children don't mix.
June 6, 2013
An ongoing outbreak (click here) of Salmonella Typhimurium from baby chicks and ducklings has now sickened at least 224 people across 34 states, according to thelatest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An ongoing outbreak (click here) of Salmonella Typhimurium from baby chicks and ducklings has now sickened at least 224 people across 34 states, according to thelatest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of those ill, 26 percent have been hospitalized and 62 percent are children 10 years old or younger.
Investigators have traced the outbreak strain back to live poultry purchased from multiple feed stores and mail-order hatcheries around the country, but they are still working to determine the initial source.
The number ill by state is as follows:
Alabama (1), Arizona (5), California (6), Colorado (24), Florida (2), Georgia (3), Illinois (1), Indiana (7), Iowa (5), Kansas (13), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (6), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (2), Mississippi (4), Missouri (16), Montana (1), Nebraska (10), Nevada (1), New Hampshire (1), New Mexico (13), New York (15), North Dakota (5), Oklahoma (9), Oregon (10), South Dakota (7), Tennessee (1), Texas (26), Utah (4), Vermont (1), Virginia (1), Washington (17), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (2).
Health officials recommend anyone handling live poultry to take special precautions and thoroughly wash their hands after contact. Young children are especially vulnerable to Salmonella infection and should be monitored carefully if handling chicks or ducklings.
Leader in $200 Million International Stolen Data Ring Charged in New Jersey as Part of a Worldwide Take Down (click here)
June 5, 2013
June 5, 2013
NEWARK, NJ—One of the leaders of an international data theft ring has been federally charged in New Jersey for his alleged role in a scheme that caused approximately $200 million in fraudulent charges to credit cards issued in the United States and Europe, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Duy Hai Truong, 23, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. From 2007 until his recent arrest, Truong allegedly defrauded financial institutions as part of the massive scheme, in which personal identifying information relating to more than 1.1 million credit cards was stolen and resold to criminal customers worldwide.
Global law enforcement efforts by the FBI, the United Kingdom’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), and Vietnamese authorities have disbanded the ring following a worldwide investigation into Truong and his conspirators. Truong is charged in the United States in conjunction with charges and arrests made over the past week in the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Italy, Germany, and elsewhere.
Truong was apprehended by Vietnamese authorities on May 29, 2013, and remains in their custody on a related charge out of the United Kingdom....
Carlyle. It is responsible for buying up security clearance. That is an amazing reality.
Former USA government employees maintain their security clearance when they go into private business.
Petraeus!
BY MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED
For years, the Carlyle Group has tried to shed it's former reputation as a second home for government officials and a specialist in buying defense companies.
But the recent fracas over the National Security Agency's surveillance programs highlights teh PRIVATE EQUITY giant's remaining ties to government work: it's majority stake in Booz Allen Hamilton, the employer of the whistleblower, Edward J. Snowden....
Privatizing the CIA. All a private industry needs is security clearance and they literally can carry out government operations. Add to this dynamic the Associated Press breach in national security and the USA's sovereignty is lost to Wall Street.
There will never be secure elections away from exposing national security secrets. It is the last bastion to attempt to discredit any candidate. If electing Republicans serve the purpose of Wall Street then the October Surprise will be the do all and end all to elections. Why bother to campaign.
Private Equity. The private equity firms shaves off their risk when they employ former government with security clearance. GUARANTEED PROFITS.
June 6, 2013
It was announced (click here) on May 30, 2013 that General David Petraeus will be joining the team at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts as the Chairman of the newly created KKR Global Institute where he will work closely with Ken Mehlman and Henry McVey....
Add to this former government with security clearance and what exists is a covert Wall Street operation to control the USA and take the democracy away from the citizens. This is proof positive. It just is. Neither Melhman or Petreus are equity people. Hello, America. Wall Street IS the bad guy.
It closes the loop. It proves the decades long suspicions. Republicans are put into office to leverage power for cronies. I mean, Carlyle.
The dialogue from Carlyle never changes. They are always attempting to loosen their ties with the federal government.
NOT. It is all propaganda, at least a decade long since the Iraq War invasion compliments of lies by Bush/Cheney.
Liars. Their profits depend on control of the federal government. That is loss of sovereignty. DOES IT SHOW?
Privatizing the CIA. All a private industry needs is security clearance and they literally can carry out government operations. Add to this dynamic the Associated Press breach in national security and the USA's sovereignty is lost to Wall Street.
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
June 7, 2013
Infowars.com
June 7, 2013
Former CIA Director David Petraeus (click here) is in attendance at the 2013 Bilderberg Group conference to help construct the “big data” spy grid, which is set to become the new frontier of clandestine statecraft as Internet connectivity becomes ubiquitous....
There will never be secure elections away from exposing national security secrets. It is the last bastion to attempt to discredit any candidate. If electing Republicans serve the purpose of Wall Street then the October Surprise will be the do all and end all to elections. Why bother to campaign.
Private Equity. The private equity firms shaves off their risk when they employ former government with security clearance. GUARANTEED PROFITS.
Anthony Halley
May 29, 2013
...The firm will lean on the four-star general and former CIA director for his experience and global connections.
Literally.
The road from politics to the upper echelons of business is well-traveled. High profile US politicians including James Baker and George H.W. Bush made their way to global asset manager Carlyle Group after lengthy careers in the public sector....
Ready for this one? This is precious. Petreus was coveted by those involved in the Paula scandal to be a Presidential hopeful.
...As Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, (click here) General Petraeus will work with a team at KKR and in tandem with Ken Mehlman, Global Head of Public Affairs, and Henry McVey, Global Head of Macro & Asset Allocation. In addition to his role as Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, General Petraeus will also support KKR's investment teams in the diligence process, especially when the Firm is considering investments in new geographies....
Yes, indeed. Leave no doubt. The Ken Mehlman. Why not put a former RNC Chairman and a Presidential hopeful in the same company to groom him for political races. On lunch break only, of course. Where did the bailouts go? Guess.
Add to this former government with security clearance and what exists is a covert Wall Street operation to control the USA and take the democracy away from the citizens. This is proof positive. It just is. Neither Melhman or Petreus are equity people. Hello, America. Wall Street IS the bad guy.
It closes the loop. It proves the decades long suspicions. Republicans are put into office to leverage power for cronies. I mean, Carlyle.
The dialogue from Carlyle never changes. They are always attempting to loosen their ties with the federal government.
NOT. It is all propaganda, at least a decade long since the Iraq War invasion compliments of lies by Bush/Cheney.
Liars. Their profits depend on control of the federal government. That is loss of sovereignty. DOES IT SHOW?
There is no disconnect between the USA federal sovereignty and Wall Street.
WARS FOR PROFIT, folks. Does that clear up the issues about, "But, why Iraq at all?"
Jamie Doward
The Observer
Saturday 22 March 2003
High-flying venture capital firm Carlyle Group cashes in when the tanks roll, writes Jamie Doward (click here)
High-flying venture capital firm Carlyle Group cashes in when the tanks roll, writes Jamie Doward (click here)
It is the sort of thing they really could have done without. For 15 years one of America's most powerful venture capital groups has tried to play down suggestions that its multi-billion dollar funds get fat on the back of global conflict. But now, with the invasion of Iraq under way, a new book chronicling the relatively short history of the Carlyle Group threatens to draw attention to the company's close links with the Pentagon.
Dan Briody, author of the Iron Triangle, Inside the Secret World of the Carlyle Group, alleges the company's executives were so worried about his book they told staff not to talk to him. The Carlyle Group rejects this and argues the book is little more than a cuttings job based around some of the more crazy conspiracy theories found on the internet. It also points out that only around 7 per cent of its funds are invested in defence companies, far less than several other venture capital groups....
July 19, 2010
Top Secret America: A Hidden World, Growing Out of Control (click here)
What is the big deal? The entire disaster of secrecy grew out of the paranoid Bush/Cheney White House. Now, the USA is dependent on invasion of privacy to protect it's right to war whenever it finds the remotest of merit for war. This is the Culture of Fear propagated since September 11, 2001.
You mean everyone isn't used to it yet?
Oh, wait, Americans are actually worried they will have their own deepest, darkest secrets discovered. Oh, is that it? Look, when citizens 'buy in' to a political paradigm that removes their rights, well, guess what happens?
American's Right to War is intact at ANY cost.
Mr. Snowden should take up a residence in Iceland. That is the plight of leakers. They need to find a place to hunker down for the rest of their lives. The victimization of Bradley Manning is example of how "War Nations" reliant on secrecy leverages their power over individuals that oppose the secrecy. I wish him well, at least in Iceland he can have a life among wonderful people not engaged in a war economy.
See, War Nations are the focus of international crimes seeking to stop the aggressions of the nation, so these so called 'dangerous programs' are the only way to protect their citizens while still justifying illegal and immoral wars.
The leaks are symptomatic of a War Nation such as the USA. The program is the only way the War Propaganda of these nations can exist to promote war while actually protecting citizens enough to have them support the war as justified.
There is only one thing the USA is good at, War. So, the citizens have to accept their invasion of privacy in order to be ABLE to carry out their own perfected industrial complex. Simple. If war is the economy of any nation, it's citizens will have their privacy eroded.
While the Political Right Wing Media of the USA is attempting to gain ground politically, they are the worst privacy invaders in the world; even the cell phone of a dead woman. So, don't try and tell me these programs are not necessary. They are. The fact the Right Wing Propagandists got caught invading privacy, all of a sudden it a highly dangerous thing for the government to do.
This so called loyalty now existing of Snowden is a Snow Job itself.
What EXACTLY are the complainants claiming invasion of privacy going to do to secure 'the citizen' from the danger this program prevents? I want to know. What is the Right Wing in the USA going to do to return the privacy to the citizen?
Ahhhhh....see that. Prosecution of the Whistleblower. There ya go. There is NO substitution for privacy invasion EXCEPT to stop conducting war. I'll be darn and of course ending war is against the best economic interests of those seeking prosecution of persons that tell the truth.
The American people have a problem, their security is dependent on giving up their rights, including, in the case of Bradley Manning a right to a fair and speedy trial.
See, War Nations are the focus of international crimes seeking to stop the aggressions of the nation, so these so called 'dangerous programs' are the only way to protect their citizens while still justifying illegal and immoral wars.
The leaks are symptomatic of a War Nation such as the USA. The program is the only way the War Propaganda of these nations can exist to promote war while actually protecting citizens enough to have them support the war as justified.
There is only one thing the USA is good at, War. So, the citizens have to accept their invasion of privacy in order to be ABLE to carry out their own perfected industrial complex. Simple. If war is the economy of any nation, it's citizens will have their privacy eroded.
While the Political Right Wing Media of the USA is attempting to gain ground politically, they are the worst privacy invaders in the world; even the cell phone of a dead woman. So, don't try and tell me these programs are not necessary. They are. The fact the Right Wing Propagandists got caught invading privacy, all of a sudden it a highly dangerous thing for the government to do.
This so called loyalty now existing of Snowden is a Snow Job itself.
What EXACTLY are the complainants claiming invasion of privacy going to do to secure 'the citizen' from the danger this program prevents? I want to know. What is the Right Wing in the USA going to do to return the privacy to the citizen?
The American people have a problem, their security is dependent on giving up their rights, including, in the case of Bradley Manning a right to a fair and speedy trial.
The judicial process has removed his RIGHT to a defense.
By Chris Hedges
...The documents (click here) that detail the crimes, torture and killing Manning revealed, because they are classified, have been barred from discussion in court, effectively removing the fundamental issue of war crimes from the trial. Manning is forbidden by the court to challenge the government’s unverified assertion that he harmed national security. Lead defense attorney David E. Coombs said during pretrial proceedings that the judge’s refusal to permit information on the lack of actual damage from the leaks would “eliminate a viable defense, and cut defense off at the knees.” And this is what has happened....
Teachers are vital to education. They are not commodities, they are educators.
In The West, culture is money; therefore any legislator seeking to cut funds to education is also destroying the culture. Tough decisions means it is impossible to reduce education spending without destroying the culture of education. That should be respected by any Governor or legislator. The government needs to support the culture of education, not destroy it.
June 7, 2013
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A record-high 55 Michigan school districts (click here) are operating with deficits, though this year's final tally of financially troubled districts could drop below last year if 10 get back into the black as expected this summer.
The state's update to lawmakers was closely watched Thursday because of a number of recent school developments across Michigan.
Buena Vista School District near Saginaw was forced to shut its doors for nearly two weeks after running out of money to pay teachers. Albion Public Schools between Jackson and Battle Creek decided to close the high school next school year. The Pontiac School District is headed toward a financial emergency that could result in the appointment of a state manager.
Three districts already are being overseen by managers.
State Superintendent Mike Flanagan told legislators on K-12 budget panels that most of the state's 549 districts plus 278 charter schools balance their budget every year. Some local school boards just do not want to make tough decisions in the face of declining enrollment, he said.
Since peaking at 1.7 million in 2002-03, K-12 enrollment has dropped every year since and has decreased 177,000 overall. In the same time, the number of deficit districts rose from 10 to 49 at the end of the 2011-12 school year....
Income matters, but culture may matter more
On the surface, money and education seem to create a virtuous circle, with rich countries – and individuals – buying good educations for their children who, in turn, benefit economically. A closer look, though, indicates that both higher income levels and better cognitive test scores are the result of educational strategies adopted, sometimes years earlier, independently of the income levels existing at the time. More important than money, say most experts, is the level of support for education within the surrounding culture. Although cultural change is inevitably complex, it can be brought about in order to promote better educational outcomes.
11/27/2012 3:33 pm EST
...Finland and South Korea, not surprisingly, top the list of 40 developed countries with the best education systems. Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore follow. The rankings are calculated based on various measures, including international test scores, graduation rates between 2006 and 2010, and the prevalence of higher education seekers....
1. There are no magic bullets: The small number of correlations found in the study shows the poverty of simplistic solutions. Throwing money at education by itself rarely produces results, and individual changes to education systems, however sensible, rarely do much on their own. Education requires long-term, coherent and focussed system-wide attention to achieve improvement.
2. Respect teachers: Good teachers are essential to high-quality education. Finding and retaining them is not necessarily a question of high pay. Instead, teachers need to be treated as the valuable professionals they are, not as technicians in a huge, educational machine.
3. Culture can be changed: The cultural assumptions and values surrounding an education system do more to support or undermine it than the system can do on its own. Using the positive elements of this culture and, where necessary, seeking to change the negative ones, are important to promoting successful outcomes.
4. Parents are neither impediments to nor saviours of education: Parents want their children to have a good education; pressure from them for change should not be seen as a sign of hostility but as an indication of something possibly amiss in provision. On the other hand, parental input and choice do not constitute a panacea. Education systems should strive to keep parents informed and work with them.
5. Educate for the future, not just the present: Many of today’s job titles, and the skills needed to fill them, simply did not exist 20 years ago. Education systems need to consider what skills today’s students will need in future and teach accordingly.
A United State Senator was buried on Saturday.
by Don Gonyea
June 8, 2013
...His military service (click here) was a recurring theme in tributes this week. At a service on Wednesday, Vice President Biden delivered a eulogy: "I'm told the first time ... he ever left the New Jersey/New York region was ... when he joined the United States Army at age 18. Was shipped out. When he came back, he'd proudly tell you — anyone who would listen — he went to Columbia. He just didn't go to school; he went to Columbia."
Lautenberg grew up poor and used the brand-new GI Bill to attend that prestigious university. Speaking with the Scripps Howard News Service in 2011, he said his time in the military helped him understand the need to give something to your country.
"Veterans became presidents. Veterans became senators, titans of business," he said. "The experience of sharing risk, of depending on someone else for your life, of being able to offer someone else support for their lives, changes the attitude."...
(AFP, Ronny Hartmann)
By Yannick Pasquet (AFP) – 3 hours ago
...The river Danube (click here) reached a new record high in Budapest but the Hungarian capital's mayor sought to ease concerns, saying water levels were stabilising, although about 1,200 people were evacuated along the river.
Budapest has averted the worst of the floods that caused devastation elsewhere in central Europe, as flood defences held firm, with the Danube starting to recede early Monday.
"We have no reports of any catastrophic situation, the situation is normalising," Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos told a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban early Monday.
The deluge has also sparked massive emergency responses in Austria and Slovakia.
A torrent of flood waters in Germany has turned vast areas into a brown water world, sparked a mass mobilisation of emergency workers and caused billions of euros in damage in what one lawmaker termed a "national catastrophe"....Map of the River Danube.
"Good Night, Moon"
Nearly New Moon
1.9 percent full
1.3 days old
Will you see (click here) the young whisker-thin waxing crescent moon hovering over the horizon after sunset on Sunday, June 9? It’ll be quite a challenge to spot this pale ghost of a moon in the harsh glow of twilight. You’ll need a crystal-clear sky, an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunset and probably binoculars.
In general, (click here) it's really tough to spot a moon less than 20 hours old - 20 hours after the moon passed more or less between the Earth and sun.
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