January 28, 2014

Sen. Marco Rubio Ends China Trip, Urges China "not to dominate its neighbours".......

"Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, often talked about as a Republican White House contender, gets back to Washington from an Asia trip just in time for the president’s speech. CNN has a piece on how the trip boosts his foreign-policy credentials. Among other things, Rubio says: “I’ve never accepted the idea that we wanted to contain China…We welcome a China that’s richer and more prosperous, because that’s a potential trading partner, customers for our products and services. What we don’t want to see is a China that uses its newfound power to dominate their neighbours.”"

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, often talked about as a Republican White House contender, gets back to Washington from an Asia trip just in time for the president’s speech. CNN has a piece on how the trip boosts his foreign-policy credentials. Among other things, Rubio says: “I’ve never accepted the idea that we wanted to contain China…We welcome a China that’s richer and more prosperous, because that’s a potential trading partner, customers for our products and services. What we don’t want to see is a China that uses its newfound power to dominate their neighbors.”

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/27/politics/rubio-asia/index.html?hpt=hp_t4



Yeah, because a nation dominating its neighbours, and anyone else in the world for that matter, is the job of America and the WESTERN imperialist powers.....
Meanwhile the Imperial American Press does its best to boost anyone but Obama.

January 28, 2014

Fox News' War on Women In One Manly Man Photo

No wonder Fox News is dying......

http://crooksandliars.com/2014/01/fox-news-war-women-one-photo

January 28, 2014

Further to Packman post: One Republican Lawmaker, Many Votes! Illegal Voting by Texas Lawmakers?

Watch the entire news reporting video, this should be a national story, it completely undermines and exposes Texas Republicans for the haters of democracy that they are.

Multiple voting is ILLEGAL, per the Texas House rules, in clear writing, subject to censure and discipline but they do it even as they restrict the voting rights of citizens.

The video is an excellent journalistic piece that exposes the deep corruption and hatred of democracy of Texas Republicans, a kiss my ass attitude that must end.

January 28, 2014

Is Real Clear Politics website yet another right wing propaganda site designed to mislead?

I have to ask because I saw this title link on the front page "Obama to Launch Populist Assault on GOP", clicked on it, leading to a Washington Post article entitled "Democrats hope Obama’s State of Union speech will be start of populist agenda", by Zachary A. Goldfarb, Published: January 27.

So Real Clear Politics creates it OWN title for the article, to meet its own agenda?

Isn't there a law against that? Even DU does not permit such lying.

"Obama to Launch Populist Assault on GOP" plays the Obama is a tyrant and the GOP is the victim cards very well, nothing to do with the articles theme. Or reality. But propaganda just is like that.

The Washington Post should review its link share agreement with RCP, I would think.

Another example: RCP created headline is "Carney: GOP Threatening To "Inflict Serious Damage On The Economy" At A Time When It's "Poised To Grow"".

RCP turns a criticism of the GOP never ending hostage taking over the debt limit to an absurdly twisted headline.
See what they did, even MORE threats from the tyrant out of control Obama regime!

Actual quote:

CARNEY: Well, our view is and our position is what it has always been. The American people cannot and the president will not on their behalf pay a ransom, an ideological ransom so -- just so that Congress will do its job and pay the bills that Congress has racked up. That’s just irresponsible. *It would be, again, to inflict serious damage on the economy and the middle class at a time when the economy is poised to grow further and to create even more jobs*

So, you know, we're not going to pay a ransom. When it comes to insuring that the United States doesn't default for the first time in its history. We saw this movie before, and a lot of republicans, including senior republican leaders on Capitol Hill, said aft the shutdown and after that disastrous ideological effort that they would not go down that road again. So we certainly hope that that's the case.

January 27, 2014

The American world map of shame: U.S. Income Inequality Compared To The World

"Blue countries are more equal than the U.S., red countries are less equal. This map gives you a sense of just how severe economic inequality is in the United States; much higher than in any other developed country, and most developing countries as well."

"Perhaps most damning is China, significantly more equal than the U.S. with a Gini coefficient of 0.415, where the severe income gap has been a source of worsening political instability for almost 20 years. Leagues ahead of the U.S. on income inequality is India, Gini coefficient 0.368, where outrage over corruption and income inequality recently inspired a protest movement that shook the world's largest democracy. (The data for India is from 2004, however; income inequality has likely worsened since then.) Russia, which has seen three popular revolutions in the last century against the caviar-shoveling oligarchs who still run everything, is also less unequal than the U.S., at 0.422 Gini."

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/map-us-ranks-near-bottom-on-income-inequality/245315/

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Meanwhile the Western countries with the greatest inequality send their emissaries to Davos to complain about all the complaining by the Great Unwashed, the severely perplexed Corporate Overlords are puzzled as to why they are not being worshipped throughout the world as Great Men fulfilling their roles, to be "looked up to and admired" even as the ungrateful minions scrabble for insects to eat outside their refugee tents.

Meanwhile Fox News Brings Out The Big Guns to screech about President Obama making income inequality a highlight of tomorrow's SOTU speech.....Fox News wants to end the debate before it begins and things like the maps above sink in with the voters.

Fox's Lou Dobbs: Obama Creating A "Wedge Issue" By Highlighting Income Inequality
Limbaugh: Obama To "Whine And Moan" About Inequality In Order "To Stigmatize The Rich"

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Forty Maps That Explains The World

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/12/40-maps-that-explain-the-world/

One Image That Explains World Income Inequality

January 26, 2014

The Ukraine and Thailand are remarkable studies in different approaches by government to protests,

in Thailand the government does not resist the taking over of government buildings, no/little violence, permits new elections.
In Ukraine the government resists taking over of government buildings, great violence, no elections, just undemocratic offers of power sharing.

January 25, 2014

Manitoba Pipeline Explosion Prompts Evacuation Of Homes, Fireball Lights Up Frigid Skies (Video)!

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/01/25/manitoba-pipeline-explosion_n_4664774.html

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Let me see, if we set off one of those every mile how much could it heat up the -30 temperatures.....worth thinking about.

And if pipelines keep bursting and leaking and spilling and killing, is that not an argument for transport by rail, and who stands to gain....worth thinking about.

P.S. don't blame me for not mentioning it was a gas pipeline, not oil, because that is the way the seriously serious title editors at Huff Post do it.

January 24, 2014

Obamacare Passes Key Milestones; Three Million Private Enrollments, 6+ Million Medicaid/CHIP

Kathleen SebeliusVerified account ?@Sebelius A key milestone: about 3 million Americans have now enrolled in private Marketplace plan. Share the good news!

Obamacare enrollment hits 3 million

By Russ Britt

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Nationwide Obamacare enrollment has hit 3 million, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said in a blog post on the HHS.gov web site Friday. Tavenner wrote that "the most recent data" shows the 3 million threshold being crossed for both HealthCare.gov and state-run exchanges, but didn't offer a specific time frame or breakdown on state sign ups vs. national enrollment. The move, however, indicates enrollment is accelerating in the program that was beset by numerous technical troubles when it rolled out Oct. 1. Total nationwide enrollment stood at roughly 2 million at the end of December. HHS officials have projected enrollment should reach the 7 million mark when the signup period ends March 31.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/obamacare-enrollment-hits-3-million-2014-01-24
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Milestone: 3 Million in Marketplaces

Posted January 24, 2014
By Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Since the beginning of open enrollment, millions of Americans are gaining access to health coverage–many for the very first time—thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The most recent data indicates that approximately 3.0 million people have now enrolled in a private health insurance plan through the Federal and State-based Marketplaces since October 1.

With millions transitioning to new coverage already, we continue to see strong interest nationwide from consumers who want access to quality, affordable coverage. As our outreach efforts kick into even higher gear, we anticipate these numbers will continue to grow, particularly as we reach even more uninsured young adults so that they know that new options and new ways to help eligible individuals pay for their premium are now available, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

Additionally, between October and December over 6.3 million individuals were determined eligible to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP through state agencies and through state-based Marketplaces. These numbers include both Medicaid and CHIP new eligibility determinations in states that expanded coverage, determinations made on prior law, and in some states, Medicaid renewals and groups not affected by the health care law. This does not include eligibility determination made through HealthCare.gov.

We are encouraged that millions of people have been enrolled in Marketplace or Medicaid coverage since October 1, and will work to give millions more Americans the peace of mind that comes with health security in the months ahead.

http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/blog/2014/01/three-million-in-marketplaces.html

January 22, 2014

Telescope Spies Water Plumes Gushing on Dwarf Planet Ceres, Spacecraft Dawn Nears Target

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/telescope-spies-water-plumes-dwarf-planet-ceres-21624240



Ceres (illustration pictured) is a perfectly round 'dwarf planet' and also the largest asteroid in the solar system. Scientists found that it is releasing water vapour from its surface at a rate of 6 kilograms per second


The latest finding puts Ceres in a special class of solar system objects with active plumes of water, a key ingredient for life. The company includes Jupiter's moon Europa — where an underground ocean is believed to exist — and the Saturn moon Enceladus, where jets have been seen venting from the surface.


NASA spacecraft Dawn (illustration approaching Ceres)

The observations, published in Thursday's issue of Nature, come as NASA's Dawn spacecraft is set to arrive at the Texas-sized dwarf planet next year.

The source of the water plumes is still unclear. Scientists think there may be a layer of ice just below the surface that gets heated by the sun or the plumes could be spewed by ice volcanoes.

Dawn, the NASA comet mission launched in 2007 and powered by ion propulsion. It is the first spacecraft to orbit two space rocks.
The spacecraft won't be in the best position to witness any water activity since it'll arrive at a time when Ceres is far from the sun. But the spacecraft carries instruments that can detect water and it will map the dwarf planet in detail, said Dawn deputy project scientist Carol Raymond, who had no role in the research.


Ceres (illustrated, far left) is here compared to other minor planets by size. Pluto (pictured, centre) is not that much larger than the spherical asteroid. Eris (far right) is larger than Pluto and found further out, beyond Pluto, in the solar system

Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to the sun and is located in the solar system's asteroid belt, making it the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Ceres is the smallest of the bodies current classified as a 'dwarf planet'.



Ceres is the closest dwarf planet to the sun and is located in the solar system's asteroid belt, making it the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Ceres is the smallest of the bodies current classified as a 'dwarf planet'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2543973/Ceres-gushing-WATER-Liquid-spouting-planets-surface-reveal-life-began-Earth.html


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Take note that the article appears in the "Sports" section of ABC News.....because apparently they have no "Science" section and jammed it in there.

January 22, 2014

Pentagon agrees with U.S. Army Spc. Simran Lamba: will relax rules on personal religious wear

To which I say, about time America caught up to the rest of the world in one more area. Watch the TPots scream any time now.....



http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/22/22376938-pentagon-to-relax-rules-on-personal-religious-wear-including-beards-turbans?lite


"Earlier this month, a major in the U.S. Army who is a Sikh American took his case to staffers on the Hill, explaining how he and other Sikhs should be able to serve in uniform and still maintain their religious beliefs, including wearing turbans and unshorn hair, including beards.

The new directive will explain that if the articles of faith or physical attributes interfere with the proper function of protective clothing and equipment, the request could be denied. For example, a beard or unshorn hair cannot interfere with gas masks or helmets.

Jewish service members can request permission to wear a yarmulke while in uniform. Muslim service members can request to wear a beard and carry prayer beads. Even Wiccan service members, those who practice "Magick," can seek accommodation — the directive covers all religions recognized by the U.S. military.

The policy will also spell out that service members have the right to observe no religion at all."

Imagine, no religion, too.