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Thom Hartmann mentioned, in his show today, the newest flu starting up in China. Will we be ill prepared for a pandemic?
http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/24/most-recent-h7n9-flu-deadlier-than...
Loren ~ Let me begin by than
thanking you for elaborating on this current topic. I have recently shared this video with Palindromedary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ReHCCCdWgU
Loren ~ It really is quite an eye opener! Yet there is much more. Thee is much more I sure am no doubt restricted. There really is not greater volume to the hole charade. If you could share any light on this it would be appreciated; because it sheds darkness on anything else. Peace, brother!
Aliceinwonderland -- Apropos Thom, yes, but he desperately needs to follow Kshama's leadership and...GET MILITANT!
(Oh, which reminds me, three things I forgot to mention in response to your comments the other night. First, yes I did catch the rapper who followed Kshama: another of the many things I love about socialism is that it re-unifies politics and art, healing the painfully unnatural, capitalist-imposed division between the two. Secondly, your "Bump off the German shepherd and now there's a Pit Bull to be dealt with" still has me grinning. Yes! [Yeah, I'm an unabashed dog lover, though Rottweilers are actually more formidable than Pit Bulls because Rotties are just as gnarly plus almost uncannily intelligent.] Thirdly, the Chinese and the Russians have free health care, free education from kindergarten through PhD and superb public transport; U.S. workers have none of these. Lastly, though I never thought of it before [largely because the primary focus of my years from age 5 through age 18 was surviving the sundry challenges of being a despised child], I guess I was indeed something of a "prodigy": first published daily-newspaper journalism at age 16, etc. etc. Thank you, Alice, for an extremely useful insight -- one I'd probably never have arrived at by myself.) ('Course, as we used to say in the City years ago, being a prodigy and 20 cents will get you from Union Square to Fordham Road...)
producer1 -- The hideous truth about our political system is that -- just as Bill Moyers now repeatedly acknowledges -- it is nothing more than a charade, actually the biggest scam in history. Both parties represent the One Percent. But the Republicans do so openly, while the Democrats do so from within a closet built of Big Lies (the ultimate example of which is, of course, Obama the Orator's Big Lie of "change we can believe in" followed by his shape-shift into Barack the Betrayer, which demonstrated that the only "change" is the One Percent getting more powerful and more rich as we of the Working Class, the 99 Percent, are beaten further into subjugation). Think of it as bait-and-switch: the Republicans demand the destruction of Head Start (which is a code phrase for re-segregating minorities); the Democrats get elected by promising to defend Head Start -- and then they destroy it themselves, claiming, of course, the GOP left them no alternative. See the con? That's not only capitalist governance in action; it's how capitalist government survives.
DAnneMarc: Seen any "recursive replicants" lately? I wonder if they are anything like "recursive mobius strips"? It's funny but I watched part of a movie this evening that reminded me of what you were saying before. Tom Hanks stars in the 2012 movie "Cloud Atlas". I didn't catch the first 1/2 hour and it jumped around from reality to reality..or maybe time frame to time frame.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371111/
Too deep for me! So I didn't watch the last hour. Maybe I'll give it another try when I can see it from the beginning. Man..look at all those 1s!!!
Aliceinwonderland: The author of that book, "You Have Been Here Before", was Dr. Edith Fiore.
http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/klass_files_volume_51/
I had read some of Edith Fiori's stuff on "alien abductions", many years ago, and thought it was all pretty far out and very questionable.
note: I think Philip J. Klass, although he thinks of himself as a skeptic, often uses the same kind of logical fallacies that he accuses others of.
Dr. Brian Weiss, author of "Many Lives, Many Masters" was not the first psychotherapist to have been duped by cons. There have been many. So his room goes ice cold all of a sudden, and Catherine, under hypnotic regression recalls "things she couldn't possibly have known about Weiss's person life". Gee, she knew that his father died of a heart attack and his young infant son also died of a heart problem years ago. Come on...couldn't possibly have known of these things? Horse manure! It sure didn't hurt Weiss' bank account when he published his book. Icy cold room? Who knows...it even could have been such an elaborate hoax that not only did the hoaxers do a thorough investigation into Weiss' background but they also could have sneaked into the office before hand and rigged the air conditioning system.
By the way, it is all too often that religious people or even just people who are fond of mysticism accuse atheists of being closed minded...but I'd say that the former are often very closed minded themselves. They are always attracted to supernatural beliefs that cement themselves in a dogmatic rigidity. A lot of these supernatural beliefs are fancied because the alternative is the reality of death. They seek some way of cushioning that reality so they delve into all manner of religious or mystical ideas.
I can't believe that a Democrat would think so little of working people that they could make Paul Ryan look good. I would hope that most Dems in congress would vote no. I would also hope that if the bill passes both houses that the President vetoes it. This is not compromise-this is sellout.
Loren, I've listened to Thom quite a bit. For what it's worth, he has identified himself as a democratic socialist, many times. If Thom had his way, that's the kind of society we would have. I really believe he's on the same page as us.
Patty Murray sounds like another huge disappointment. What a friggin' shame. Just one more example of why I am distancing myself from the Democrats. Too many of them have sold out, once elected, and I'm tired of it. So-called "Citizens United" has only made it worse. - AIW
"The budget plan would also eliminate virtually all of the sequestor cuts for the Pentagon, it does nothing to address the Republican War on Christ, a war that has already hit programs like Headstart, Meals on Wheels,and section 8 housing."
With 52% of the budget going to defense, it looks more applicable to 5th century BC Sparta than 21st century America. Abigail Adams, one of our wisest founders, expressed it this way......."Peace can only be founded in justice and honor; it can't be purchased at the price of liberty."
The budget is a victory for guys like Tea-Cantor and the military industrial complex they represent....way out of control spending!
Instead of 52% on war for profit, how about a 52% federal tax rate on the top 1%? The vast majority has already expressed this desire for much higher tax rates on the rich.... look at the damn polls. What the hell are the Democrats afraid off....vast majority support? We need offense not battered wife syndrome.
Woo-HOO! You guys are all on a ROLL tonight! Well worth the wait.
By the way, Gator Girl, don't assume your "unkind" words will put a stop to the Rethugs' shameless panhandling. I've been responding with plenty of choice words of my own, for weeks now... and they keep coming back for more! Go figure... I don't know how to get rid of them... maybe it's time to consult with my old friend, the hookah-smokin' caterpillar! - Aliceinwonderland
"It's time to stop this pattern of taking from those who have the least," said Hartmann, "while never asking those at the top to pay their fair share."
But the only way that will ever happen -- and surely, Mr. Hartman, you already know this in your heart if not in your mind -- is to replace capitalism with democratic socialism, exactly as Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant says: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3phth27dSU (Note: this is not a sound-bite. It is an eloquent, provocative and thoughtful presentation of why and how socialism is our only alternative if we are to save ourselves and our planet from the terminal Evil of capitalism.)
Apropos which (and speaking of Evil), note how U.,S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) has again revealed herself to be a military-industrial Republican at heart. At home in Washington state, she of course talks like a Democrat, but back in the Capital she rules like an Ayn Rand fascist: absolute power and unlimited profit for the One Percent, total subjugation for all the rest of us.
What is especially obscene is how she has managed to keep the state's AFL-CIO leadership in her pocket, election after election. Though perhaps now with the advent of Councilwoman Sawant, the rank and file are beginning to awaken to the true Evil of capitalism: that it is infinite greed elevated to maximum virtue, and thus the rejection of every humanitarian principle our species has ever set forth.
Kend ~ Where have you been? I was starting to miss your "insight." As far as your statement is concerned, I can see where austerity might not affect you in any negative way; however, if you want us to believe that the average citizen is better off then you will simply have to provide the facts. First we want to know the extent of austerity measures in Canada. A good article with charts and graphs would do. Secondly, we want statistics confirming that average people have benefited from it. You know--FACTS! That shouldn't be so hard for someone who knows so much about what is going on like you, right?
oneworldatpeace ~ Beautifully said! "President Status Quobama." That was as brilliant as "Obama the Orator who morphed into Barack the Betrayer." Thank you sir, for sharing your wonderful creativity and observation.
Tom Ardavany ~ Thanks for that heads up on Patty Murray. She certainly isn't the only gutless dem we have to worry about. Thom, or someone on this blog, should really post a list of dems who simply have to go.
Gator Girl ~ How about "Demoduds?" They certainly disappoint just like real duds. What we really need are real firecrackers in the party. People who make noise and an explosive impact. As far as I am concerned you can whack these Demoduds on the back of the neck or the head with a big fricking stick all day long. I don't even think you will get their attention. Already brain dead from the neck up. That what working at any length of time in the emerald city does to people.
Aliceinwonderland ~ That doesn't sound gross at all. If you want to hear gross I should tell you what I would like to leave in their outstretched hands; but, I don't want to get expelled from the blog. Shhhh!
Sorry but you are wrong. Canada just cut its way to prosperity and is doing just fine.
patty murray is selling out. she continues to disappoint her base. airline fees for revenue. ha. she is caving in just like so many other gutless dems. austerity is just something else she wants us to get used to. she has been in dc too long . she only listens to her lobbyists.
I have no faith in the Democratic Party or Prez Status Quobama so I'm joining the WORKING FAMILY PARTY! It's so sad that our Politicians can be bought so cheaply they should be ashamed!!! To sell out for POLITICAL DONATIONS? To run for our elections?
I read in the Atlantic that some true academics (not think tank phonies) are concerned that the failure of Capitalism for the MIDDLE CLASS and other workers, will bring on social unrest when more people realize they've been screwed by the Rich. Ravi Bhatra said corruption would be the trigger but wouldn't it be nice if it just took a little awareness.
Somehow I got on the email list of Paul Ryan - the ass and idiot of the Rethugs.l Needless to say i put a stop to that with some quick and VERY unkind words explaining my opinion of that ASS! and where he and his kind can go. Besides, in reply to your last sentence, they do NOT understand words. They, like the old Missouri mules they say, have to be hit over the heads - hard - to make them even begin to pay attention.
What makes me angriest is the Dems who are willing to go along with this CRAP!! Blue Dogs!! How about turncoats??? Why don't they just admit they are rethugs in dems clothing who are setting out to bomb anything good put forth by the REAL democrats.
This is NOT an acceptable "fix" for this budget and if they can't do any better then it is time for the Democrats who would agree to this quit and go over to the other side next time. Who do they think they are trying to fool? THEY are the fools if they think this is the fix we need - or they have been paid off well by the lobbyists behind this piece of trash!
No! No! A thousand times, NO!!!
PD, do you mind if I jump into this discussion? For starters, I would like to clarify that I am the least religious of any person you'll ever meet. I do not read the Bible or believe in any theistic concept of "God". I am your ultimate skeptic when it comes to matters pertaining to life after death. However I do like to keep an open mind, and in so doing, I embrace the probability that there exist dimensions to reality we are not aware of, that we can't witness or comprehend from this plane of existence. Therefore, skepticism withstanding, I cannot fully dismiss the idea of reincarnation in some form, or a part of us that survives mortal death.
What I've found the most persuasive are books by psychiatrists (two of them; a man - named Weiss? - and a woman) whose sense of reality was completely transformed by patients of theirs; patients whose past-life regressions they witnessed unexpectedly. These are professionals who come from the "old school" scientific mindset, which rejects anything that cannot be empirically proven with solid evidence. The patients, who were not scholars, were able to describe, in detail, what life was like thousands of years ago, in long-gone civilizations, even speaking the languages from these ancient cultures; otherwise disclosing details of various things they would have no access to in their present circumstances. I wish I could recall the names of these doctors! The lady psychiatrist's book was titled "You Have Been Here Before" (or something very similar).
Anyway, that's all I wanted to share, for what it's worth. Whatever our take on reality, PD, it is always tempting to become rigid and close-minded. It makes life more comfortable in certain ways, whether one is religious or not. Even us athiests are prone to this tendency. But I prefer to keep my mind open and flexible. The discomfort of not knowing is the price we pay for being open minded, but I still think that's the way to go. Just my two cents... - Aliceinwonderland
What else is new? Leaves no room for doubt about these people's priorities. Cut everything that is life-supporting (Meals On Wheels, Head Start, Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps...) to fund what is life-destroying; i.e. the Pentagon war machine... Way to go, plggies!
And by the way, I've continued getting e-mail messages from the Rethuglicans, asking for donations. How I'd love to take a dump in their outstretched hands! Yeah I know, it sounds gross... but sometimes words just aren't enough! - Aliceinwonderland
Douglas- My sentiments exactly! My one source of comfort is not being alone with such thoughts.
There are no words to adequately express my outrage and horror over Obama's support of the TPP... including Fast Track!! Loren Bliss is so right about him. I never thought I could feel such hatred towards a president I voted for - twice. If I ever cast another ballot for another Democrat, it would have to be someone like Elizabeth Warren; a passionate advocate for us, who has already shown what she's made of. Never again will I settle for less! Look at where "less" has gotten us!
I've learned my lesson, Nachos. And what a horrible price to pay. I reflect back on that silly debate between Obama and Romney a year ago, and all Obama's talk about the middle class, and how we have to support the middle class and what needs to be done for the middle class and blah-blah-blah... ugh, I could throw up! Thanks to Obama and the congressional majority, we can kiss the middle class goodbye.
Yes we can! Change we can believe in! Calcutta, USA! - Alice I.W.
This was my first impression as well , so you have to wonder why he gave that speech ! Is it all smoke and mirrors ?
The way I see it is no one does anything wrong given there model of the world .What this means is Obama,s masters condone War and using violence to solve the worlds problems or America,s problems be this with the tool of economics or the military .
But we know violence only creates more violence and this has been the message of many enlightened teachers Mandela being one of the m as was Martin Luther King .You would have thought that our world leaders might have got these messages by now ? Because this is what works in creating lasting peace on our small and precious Earth .One must assume that the problem is Humanity,s mixed up beliefs about life and who and what we are doing here .Mandela set an example of what forgiveness means and working together to produce the highest outcomes for all people,s .He set a standard and only asked for others to follow his example .
What more can one do by being the change they want to see in the world .The world needs new leaders to step up to the mark because the present one,s live in fear and seek only power for themselves .
The PBS NewsHour did a segment last night on the passing of the Volcker Rule. The banking big-wig kept using the sad tired Rethuglican lines/lies of hurting small business, our customers...how people won't get loans, how smaller banks will be hurt--you know, bull that isn't true about the Rule, which will effect only the largest banks, which he kept repeating even after the other guest called him out.
If the big banks really cared about Main Street customers, our 401Ks would be performing much better, which they failed to do even during the boom times of the 90s. Now, we, 50 and over, are receiving letters to get us to contribute MORE to our 401k to "catch up," which is code for "we want MORE of your money, sheeple, so we can make even MORE money from you and give you NOTHING in return."
Needless to say, we won't be sending any more money down that rabbithole.
Hurray for the Volcker Rule, but bringing back Glass-Stiegal would be better.
Nelson is one of the persons who has great achievement in this world. he spent a great amount of time in the jail. And struggled for the sake of mankind
DAnneMarc: Amazing! I had never heard of the MYT engine...question is did the Russians steal the idea or was it the other way around? The American inventor originally from Lodi, Ca. claims that several groups of Russians had visited his shop a while back.
Here's a really neat graphic of the Russian MYT engine...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PbLIQPK3wk&feature=player_embedded
I remember when the Wankel engine came out many years ago. I thought that was pretty hot stuff...now this new MYT engine...really very interesting. I've go to learn more about how this thing works. Of course, it can't compare to the engine that Bob Lazar described at Area 51. Anti-gravity engines using an element, that doesn't exist on Earth, for fuel.
I've also not heard about monatomic gold either. I can't imagine anyone imbibing it. Very expensive "health" drink! I've heard of Silver have the ability to ward of infection. As a matter of fact, many years ago, I got a rather bad burn from foolishly trying to let the pressure out of my engine radiator by slowly twisting the cap....it blew outward and scalded my arms. The doctor prescribed an ointment that contained silver. Worked pretty good. I didn't have an Aloe Vera plant at the time...I sure do now. Man, the things people do with their gold...and coffee. ;-0
Really! Well said! Obama isn't worthy of Mandela! What a hypocrite Obama is. Just another windbag politician hijacking people more virtuous.