The union is also partnering with Israel’s Jewish Agency to send Israeli students as missionaries to spread propaganda in other countries, for which they will also receive a stipend.
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
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In the News
The underground world of computer hackers has been so thoroughly infiltrated in the US by the FBI and secret service that it is now riddled with paranoia and mistrust, with an estimated one in four hackers secretly informing on their peers, a Guardian investigation has established.
Cyber policing units have had such success in forcing online criminals to co-operate with their investigations through the threat of long prison sentences that they have managed to create an army of informants deep inside the hacking community.
In some cases, popular illegal forums used by cyber criminals as marketplaces for stolen identities and credit card numbers have been run by hacker turncoats acting as FBI moles. In others, undercover FBI agents posing as "carders" – hackers specialising in ID theft – have themselves taken over the management of crime forums, using the intelligence gathered to put dozens of people behind bars.
So ubiquitous has the FBI informant network become that Eric Corley, who publishes the hacker quarterly, 2600, has estimated that 25% of hackers in the US may have been recruited by the federal authorities to be their eyes and ears. "Owing to the harsh penalties involved and the relative inexperience with the law that many hackers have, they are rather susceptible to intimidation," Corley told the Guardian.
[Bob Cesca] Unfortunately, Paul’s progressive supporters might not grasp that Paul’s libertarianism, while informing some of his seemingly progressive views on foreign policy and the like, carries with it a significant load of horrendous and unacceptable baggage. Before I proceed further, let me be clear: I’m not pushing for some kind of ideological purity test, but Paul’s views on a spectrum of other issues are so completely off the rails, especially relative to progressivism, that any progressive who’s supporting Paul is basically forsaking his or her values in lieu of a sliver of overlap on a liberal/libertarian Venn diagram. ...
Based on statistics culled from the American Journal of Political Science and Common Space Score calculations from 1937 to 2002, Ron Paul has the most conservative record out of the entire roster of more than 3,000 Congress members from both chambers during that considerably long span of time. Put another way, Ron Paul is the most conservative member of Congress in modern history. Think of the most right-wing legislator you can come up with. Ron Paul is to that person’s right. Michele Bachmann, Steve King, Rick Santorum, Louie Gohmert — Ron Paul has them beat by miles. ...
By Robert Bianco, USA Today, Jan. 4, 2012
[....] PBS only gets, in aggregate, 15 percent of its budget from the federal government -- but it's a percentage that is vital to smaller, poorer, mostly rural stations. "That money can not be made up. We try to leverage it very carefully."
As for Romney's suggestion that the service run ads, Kerger points out that PBS couldn't do that even if it wanted to -- it would violate FCC regulations. But even more, she says, changing PBS to an ad-supported network would inevitably change what it airs because the network would be forced to show programs that attract advertiser-friendly crowds [.....]
By Paul R. Pillar, Foreign Policy, Jan./Feb. 2011 issue
I served in the CIA for 28 years and I can tell you: America's screw-ups come from bad leaders, not lousy spies.
"Presidents Make Decisions Based on Intelligence."
Not the big ones [....]
Associated Press, Jan. 4, 2012
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Police shot and killed an armed eighth-grader who "engaged" officers in the main hallway of his middle school on Wednesday, the South Texas school district said.
Brownsville school district officials said administrators called police after the student brandished a weapon at about 8 a.m., shortly after classes started at Cummings Middle School. When police arrived, the student "engaged" the officers and was shot, district spokeswoman Drue Brown said in an emailed statement [....]
By Dave Clarke and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters, Jan. 4, 2012
A defiant President Barack Obama said he will bypass Congress and install Richard Cordray as head of the country's new consumer financial watchdog, escalating an election-year fight with Republicans, who questioned the legality of the move. The recess appointment, which Obama announced in a campaign-style rally at a high school gym in a Cleveland suburb, is being cheered by Democrats and liberal advocacy groups who want tougher oversight of Wall Street and other financial players.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Obama said he would also use recess appointments to fill three vacant seats on the National Labor Relations Board. Obama's appointment of Cordray and the NLRB nominees is part of a broader White House strategy to portray Obama as an activist president confronted with a "do nothing" Congress that has stymied his economic agenda. [....]
"And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State...Here we come South Carolina!!!" Perry said on Twitter on Wednesday morning. Republican voters in South Carolina go to the polls on January 21. The New Hampshire primary happens on Tuesday.
Perry included a photo of himself in running gear with his tweet.
OK, maybe I'm reading between the lines a bit, but not much.
Here's an actual blurb:
Campaign manager Keith Nahigan told The Associated Press that the Minnesota congresswoman planned a news conference in Iowa for 10 a.m. Wednesday. Nahigan would not say whether Bachmann intends to drop out.
Update: that's 10 AM Iowa local time, or 11 AM EST.
According to MSNBC which I am watching right now, Romney wins by about 8 votes
30,015 vs. 30,007
Both Romney and Santorum will get 11 delegates to the repub convention--on paper i guess.
ha
According to Bachmann, GOD HAS SPOKEN!
Pat will not tell us what God said, but God did tell him who ever wins this election will be the anti-Christ.
Thank God.
I'm goin to Vegas tomorrow to lay my bets.
Wait a minute.
All repub candidates are the anti-Christ.
What is a mother to do!
Although they are out of sight and out of mind except when they spring a leak, water and sewer systems are more vital to civilized society than any other aspect of infrastructure.
Rapidly deteriorating roads and bridges may stifle America’s economy and turn transportation headaches into nightmares, but if the nation’s water and sewer systems begin to fail, life as we know it will too. Without an ample supply of water, people don’t drink, toilets don’t flush, factories don’t operate, offices shut down and fires go unchecked. When sewage systems fail, cities can’t function and epidemics break out.
“All the big cities have these problems, and to me it’s the unseen catastrophe,” [George S. Hawkins, general manager of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority], said. “My humble view is that the industry we’re in is the bedrock of civilization because it’s not just an infrastructure that is a convenience, that allows you to get to work faster or slower. At least with bridges or a road, people have some idea of what it is because they drive on them and see them. ”
And just like roads and bridges, the vast majority of the country’s water systems are in urgent need of repair and replacement. At a Senate hearing last month, it was estimated that, on average, 25 percent of drinking water leaks from water system pipes before reaching the faucet. The same committee was told it will take $335 billion to resurrect water systems and $300 billion to fix sewer systems.
By Matthew Yglesias, Slate, Jan. 3, 2012
With graph
[....] Improving from a low base is not the greatest achievement in the world and I'm in no rush to break out the champagne for policymakers who've given us this long grinding recession. But things do seem to be improving.
Also see
his post from yesterday, Europe Plunging Into Doom:
I'm relatively bullish on America in 2012, but Europe is looking like a disaster with December stats indicating a fifth straight month of decline in manufacturing output [....]
By Peter Miller, National Geographic, Jan. 2012
[....] Lately...twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical, almost heretical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are [....]
By Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, Jan 2/3, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS — Nearly a year after legislatures in Wisconsin and several other Republican-dominated states curbed the power of public sector unions, lawmakers are now turning their sights toward private sector unions, setting up what is sure to be another political storm.
The thunderclouds are gathering first here in Indiana. The leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature say that when the legislative session opens on Wednesday, their No. 1 priority will be to push through a business-friendly piece of legislation known as a right-to-work law [....]
Washington Post with Bloomberg Business, Dec 28, 2011
Slideshow: These lawmakers had the lowest net worth in 2010 according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, based on disclosures filed by the leaders
(All on the list have negative net worth, more debt than assets.)
By Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, Jan 2, 2012
Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck said the key break in the L.A. serial arson investigation came Saturday night when federal officials recognized a "person of interest" in the fires.
That night, officials had distributed a video of a man walking near a car fire at the Hollywood & Highland Center parking structure. Beck said unnamed federal officials recognized the man and gave police information about him. [....] No new arsons have been reported since Burkhart was taken into custody, but police stressed that the investigation was ongoing.
[....] Burkhart appears to have been battling the U.S. government over the immigration status of his mother. The Los Angeles Police Department is in communication with federal immigration officials concerning the dispute, the law enforcement sources said. [....]
Lakefront jogger critically injured by pit bulls: 'They wouldn't let the man go'
By Carlos Sadovi and Kate Thayer, Chicago Tribune, Jan. 2, 2012
It was hot in Stanley Lee’s South Shore apartment Monday morning, so he cracked open a window. That’s when he heard the screams for help.
Lee’s apartment overlooks Rainbow Beach Park along the lakefront, and through his window he witnessed a frightening scene: two pit bulls attacking a 62-year-old jogger. “He was saying, ‘Help me, help me,’” Lee said. Grabbing a baseball bat, the 35-year-old Lee ran outside to try to chase the dogs away from the jogger. He said he hit the dogs repeatedly with the bat, to no avail [....]
Also see:
Bat-wielder stops pit bull attack
By Mitch Dudek, Chicago Sun Times, Jan. 2, 2012
[....] “I ain’t no hero,” Lee told the Sun-Times. “The biggest thing in my heart, man, was to help that person, and the only thing I¹m anxious to do . . . I just want to know who he is and go see him [....]
Link is to Boston Globe graphic in pdf format. In short, Bain put up $5 million in cash to buy American Pad and Paper in 1992, the company went bankrupt in 2000. Over that 7+ years Bain drained $100 million off the backs of the workers, debt holders and stockholders of Ampad. From the Des Moines register 1 January, 2012:
A former employee of Bain Capital, GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney’s former company, said Sunday that Romney’s decisions cost him and many others their jobs. Randy Johnson said Sunday that the former Massachusetts governor’s decisions as Bain’s CEO put him out of work. Romney was the chief executive officer of Bain Capital in 1992 when the company purchased American Pad & Paper, or Ampad, and oversaw the management of that company and others. Ampad went bankrupt in 2000, and (Bain and it's) investors netted over $100 million from the deal, according to the Boston Globe.
Romney says when he destroyed and looted companies like American Pad and Paper, he was increasing efficiency and creating jobs, and Romney said in Iowa “And in those businesses, many were successful, added lots and lots of jobs. Some were not successful. That is the nature of free enterprise.” You would have to be pretty naive to believe the likes of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital measure 'success' by 'jobs created'! They measure it in cold hard cash in their own pockets friends. That's why the company is named 'Bain Capital', not 'Bain Jobs'. They produce nothing but money. Money from money. For themselves and their investors. Jobs or sound companies be damned or destroyed. To Romney and Bain, a 2000% home run at Ampad, was a high fivin' rip-roarin' success.
Despite the pending troop withdrawals in Iraq and those in Afghanistan between now and 2014, the United States remains a superpower on a scale not seen since the days of the Caesars. With this in mind, the National Post’s Richard Johnson takes a look at the scale of America’s forces.
Full breakdown (and this is Iowa, not national):
Romney: 24%
Paul: 22%
Santorum: 15%
Gingrich: 12%
Perry: 11%
Bachmann: 7%
What this means in a caucus state is something I'll admit I don't have a clue about!
Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.
In the Finnish view, ... this means that schools should be healthy, safe environments for children. This starts with the basics. Finland offers all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance.
In fact, since academic excellence wasn't a particular priority on the Finnish to-do list, when Finland's students scored so high on the first PISA survey in 2001, many Finns thought the results must be a mistake. But subsequent PISA tests confirmed that Finland -- unlike, say, very similar countries such as Norway -- was producing academic excellence through its particular policy focus on equity.
That this point is almost always ignored or brushed aside in the U.S. seems especially poignant at the moment, after the financial crisis and Occupy Wall Street movement have brought the problems of inequality in America into such sharp focus. The chasm between those who can afford $35,000 in tuition per child per year -- or even just the price of a house in a good public school district -- and the other "99 percent" is painfully plain to see.
Is this news?
This monumental hypocrite who has lacked any signs of humanity for the last 40 years cries about his mumsy.
Where were the tears for the heartbroken unemployed?
Where were the tears for the poverty stricken underclass?
Where were the tears for the victims of corporate felonies?
Where were the tears for the hungry for chrissakes?
Where were the tears for the permanent underclass including Blacks and Hispanics?
Crocodile tears or becker head tears?
Oops. Mitt seems to have lost his momentum. Newt closes the lead to 2 percentage points. What Virginia blunder? Meanwhile Ron Paul continues to flat line at 11%.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul are running neck-and-neck in Iowa, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is surging and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich collapsing just four days before the state's Jan. 3 caucuses, according to a new NBC News-Marist poll.
Romney drew the support of 23 percent of likely caucus-goers in Iowa – identified based on interest, chance of voting and past participation – ahead of Paul, at 21 percent.
They are followed by Santorum at 15 percent, Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 14 percent, Gingrich at 13 percent and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann at 6 percent.
The question in my mind right now is just how soft is Romney's support and just how intense is the Anti-Romney support. Once these Romney supporters get around their neighbors who are feverish saying get behind Perry' or Newt or Santorum for the good the country, will they buckle. In other words, in a primary Romney would be sitting pretty good right now. The same with Paul. But in a caucus environment this might not be the case.
Also when one looks at 2008, it the map of Iowa looks the US in the general election. Romney won in all of the urbans areas, while Huckebee took the rest of the state, geographically dominating the entire field. Is Romney's, and Paul's support even, still in the urban areas? Will Romney get his clock cleaned in the rural areas of the state?
(From a delegate point of view, one does have to remember that although McCain only received 17% of the popular vote, all of the state's delegates were allocated to him at the June state convention. And there was some rifts created between the Christian Right and the Establishment Republicans in the process. How much of this is remembered by the ones who will definitely show up on Tuesday?)