Thursday, November 28, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
North Dakota Named Best-Run State Two Years in a Row
(nd.gov) - An annual survey conducted by 24/7 Wall St. ranks North Dakota the
best-run state in the nation for the second consecutive year. The
national survey evaluates hundreds of data sets including statistics on
financial health, standard of living and government services to
determine how well each state is managed. The top five best-run states
were: North Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah.
"This study recognizes that North Dakota's sound fiscal policies are working," Gov. Jack Dalrymple said. "We are in a strong position to provide tax relief, maintain a healthy reserve while also investing in statewide infrastructure improvements, education, enhancements to our quality of life and other priorities."
The study determines how well states are run by looking at fiscal management, taxes, exports, and GDP growth by sectors, as well as, quality of life components such as poverty, income, unemployment, high school graduation, crime and foreclosure rates. The best-run states had certain characteristics in common, including well-managed budgets, high-living standards and low-unemployment. High-ranking states also demonstrated stable fiscal management and have earned high credit ratings.
In the survey, 24/7 Wall St. noted that North Dakota's GDP grew by 13.4 percent last year, fueling the nation's strongest state economy. North Dakota's economy has outpaced all other states for the past three years, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. Since 2000, North Dakota's per capita personal income has increased by more than $29,000 while the nation's average per-capita personal income has increased by $13,400.
Full Story
"This study recognizes that North Dakota's sound fiscal policies are working," Gov. Jack Dalrymple said. "We are in a strong position to provide tax relief, maintain a healthy reserve while also investing in statewide infrastructure improvements, education, enhancements to our quality of life and other priorities."
The study determines how well states are run by looking at fiscal management, taxes, exports, and GDP growth by sectors, as well as, quality of life components such as poverty, income, unemployment, high school graduation, crime and foreclosure rates. The best-run states had certain characteristics in common, including well-managed budgets, high-living standards and low-unemployment. High-ranking states also demonstrated stable fiscal management and have earned high credit ratings.
In the survey, 24/7 Wall St. noted that North Dakota's GDP grew by 13.4 percent last year, fueling the nation's strongest state economy. North Dakota's economy has outpaced all other states for the past three years, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. Since 2000, North Dakota's per capita personal income has increased by more than $29,000 while the nation's average per-capita personal income has increased by $13,400.
Full Story
Saturday, November 23, 2013
World Famous Psychic Sylvia Browne Dead at 77
(yahoonews) - Browne was 77 when she died Wednesday at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose the cause of death was not disclosed.
One of the most well known psychics of her generation Browne often appeared on "The Montel Williams Show" & in interviews with Larry King. She wrote dozens of books including several best sellers, and she sometimes offered her services to the FBI & police services.
Over the years she said she mingled with angles & ghosts, twice traveled through the tunnel of light during near death experiences, & came face-to-face with extra terrestrials.
Read the rest here
One of the most well known psychics of her generation Browne often appeared on "The Montel Williams Show" & in interviews with Larry King. She wrote dozens of books including several best sellers, and she sometimes offered her services to the FBI & police services.
Over the years she said she mingled with angles & ghosts, twice traveled through the tunnel of light during near death experiences, & came face-to-face with extra terrestrials.
Read the rest here
Friday, November 22, 2013
Your Brain on Crack Cocaine
What exactly is Crack Cocaine? Is it really as wack as it is portrayed to be?
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
25 Most Insane Rulers In History
It seems to be a recurring theme. People in power are crazy. From King George to Caligula These are the 25 most insane rulers in history
Monday, November 18, 2013
Gurl Power? Lily Allen's new music video pays homage to new age Feminism
Feminism aint what it used to be. For Lily Allen it is not doing anybody any favors as her new single puts it.
The song "Hard out Here" released 17 November 2013 which was written by British singer Lily Allen for her forthcoming third album.
Wikipedia further states: The overall message of the song, as well as several individual lyrics have been interpreted as a response to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" & Miley Cyrus' performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
See for yourself:
The song "Hard out Here" released 17 November 2013 which was written by British singer Lily Allen for her forthcoming third album.
Wikipedia further states: The overall message of the song, as well as several individual lyrics have been interpreted as a response to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" & Miley Cyrus' performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
See for yourself:
Cancer Researchers: ‘Don’t Get Cancer’
theonion:
PHILADELPHIA—Calling the contraction of the disease “not good,” and saying that not having the illness is highly preferable to having it, oncologists representing the American Association for Cancer Research urged the U.S. populace Monday not to get cancer.
The panel, which consisted of medical experts at the top of their respective fields in cancer research, education, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, addressed the media for 45 minutes, saying that people’s best hope in terms of living a long, cancer-free life is to never develop cancerous cells in any part of the body, ever.
“After years of closely studying this illness and learning about how it grows and arbitrarily attacks vital organs throughout the body at an uncontrollable rate until one eventually dies, we have concluded that not having cancer is the best way to go,” said Dr. Robert Bertino, who specializes in molecular biology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. “If you are going to contract a harmful illness, get diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, meningitis, or even Type 2 diabetes. Anything but cancer. Cancer is just the worst.”
Full Story
PHILADELPHIA—Calling the contraction of the disease “not good,” and saying that not having the illness is highly preferable to having it, oncologists representing the American Association for Cancer Research urged the U.S. populace Monday not to get cancer.
The panel, which consisted of medical experts at the top of their respective fields in cancer research, education, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, addressed the media for 45 minutes, saying that people’s best hope in terms of living a long, cancer-free life is to never develop cancerous cells in any part of the body, ever.
“After years of closely studying this illness and learning about how it grows and arbitrarily attacks vital organs throughout the body at an uncontrollable rate until one eventually dies, we have concluded that not having cancer is the best way to go,” said Dr. Robert Bertino, who specializes in molecular biology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. “If you are going to contract a harmful illness, get diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, meningitis, or even Type 2 diabetes. Anything but cancer. Cancer is just the worst.”
Full Story
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Why the Day After Thanksgiving is Called "Black Friday"
Via "TodayIFoundOut"
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
China to Philippines: Here, Have a Measly $100,000 in Aid
The world's second largest economy off-loads insultingly small change on a storm-battered Philippines
world.time.com
- The U.S. has promised $20 million in aid for victims of Supertyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines and has mobilized an aircraft carrier for the relief effort. Britain is also sending a warship and has pledged $16 million. The Vatican is dispatching $4 million, Japan $10 million and New Zealand $1.7 million. And China, the world’s most populous nation and second largest economy?
- The U.S. has promised $20 million in aid for victims of Supertyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines and has mobilized an aircraft carrier for the relief effort. Britain is also sending a warship and has pledged $16 million. The Vatican is dispatching $4 million, Japan $10 million and New Zealand $1.7 million. And China, the world’s most populous nation and second largest economy?
It’s handing over $100,000.
China’s relations with the
Philippines have frayed over the past year, as tensions rise over bits of rocks
in the South China Sea that both nations have declared their own. While
disputes in the resource-rich waterway have simmered for decades and involve
other regional neighbors, China has, in recent months, more assertively staked
its maritime claims and last year blocked Filipino fishermen from contested
waters.
Forget The 50 States; The U.S. Is Really 11 Nations
(Before It's News)
By Susan Duclos
Author Colin Woodard does not believe America is made up of 50 states nor that it is united. His belief is that the American is really made up of 11 regions which is separated out in his “map” which will be shown below.
He says that this is evidenced by voting patterns, demographics and public opinion polls going back to the days of the first settlers.
“Yankeedom” in the Northeast and industrial Midwest was founded by Puritans and residents there have always been comfortable with a government that regulates and moderates. The communities of the Deep South in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and other states were founded by former West Indian plantation owners who wanted to recreate the society they were used to: government based on the sacrosanct rights of a few wealthy elite. “Greater Appalachia,” extending from West Virginia in a wide band to the northern half of Texas, was settled by people from Northern Ireland, England and Scotland. Those people were openly antagonistic to the so-called “ruling oligarchies” and upper classes, so they opposed the slave plantation economy, but they also distrust government.
The full transcript of the NPR interview can be found here.
Monday, November 11, 2013
In Mexico, Coca-Cola is more available than water
Lapoliticaeslapolitica
- According to Coneval, Mexico’s federal agency for social and political development, 10% of Mexicans lack access to potable water, the majority of them in remote, rural areas.
It could be argued that the reason for this lack of access is the fact that poor Mexicans do not have the purchasing power to create local markets. That is clearly part of the challenge, but doesn’t explain why so many of Mexico's poor lack access to clean drinking water, yet Coke and other commercial “refreshments” are available everywhere – even in the dustiest little town.
Clearly, the global beverage company knows how to distribute products and get a population hooked. Despite its poverty, Mexico is the largest per-capita consumer of Coca-Cola in the world, with the average Mexican drinking more Coke products than the average American, British, Indian, and Chinese person combined. There is even the “Mexican Coke” phenomenon in the United States, where the drink is prized because it is sweetened with cane sugar and not high-fructose corn syrup.
So, why not hire a Coke executive to solve the food distribution problem?
Mexico already tried that. In 2000 it elected Vicente Fox, a former president of Coca-Cola Mexico, to be president of the republic. Fox started at Coca-Cola in 1964, and when he was at the helm of the company he turned it into Mexico’s best-selling soft drink, increasing sales by almost 50%.
His term as president of the republic ended over six years ago.
And here we are.
Coke is everywhere. Mexicans spend $14.3 billion annually on soft drinks. Diabetes kills more people in Mexico than any other disease. Mexico is one of the “fattest” countries in the world, with about two-thirds of the population thought to be overweight.
Yet as many people die here every year from malnutrition as from the drug war, and in some parts it is harder to find a glass of water than a fizzy drink.
Full Story
- According to Coneval, Mexico’s federal agency for social and political development, 10% of Mexicans lack access to potable water, the majority of them in remote, rural areas.
It could be argued that the reason for this lack of access is the fact that poor Mexicans do not have the purchasing power to create local markets. That is clearly part of the challenge, but doesn’t explain why so many of Mexico's poor lack access to clean drinking water, yet Coke and other commercial “refreshments” are available everywhere – even in the dustiest little town.
Clearly, the global beverage company knows how to distribute products and get a population hooked. Despite its poverty, Mexico is the largest per-capita consumer of Coca-Cola in the world, with the average Mexican drinking more Coke products than the average American, British, Indian, and Chinese person combined. There is even the “Mexican Coke” phenomenon in the United States, where the drink is prized because it is sweetened with cane sugar and not high-fructose corn syrup.
So, why not hire a Coke executive to solve the food distribution problem?
Mexico already tried that. In 2000 it elected Vicente Fox, a former president of Coca-Cola Mexico, to be president of the republic. Fox started at Coca-Cola in 1964, and when he was at the helm of the company he turned it into Mexico’s best-selling soft drink, increasing sales by almost 50%.
His term as president of the republic ended over six years ago.
And here we are.
Coke is everywhere. Mexicans spend $14.3 billion annually on soft drinks. Diabetes kills more people in Mexico than any other disease. Mexico is one of the “fattest” countries in the world, with about two-thirds of the population thought to be overweight.
Yet as many people die here every year from malnutrition as from the drug war, and in some parts it is harder to find a glass of water than a fizzy drink.
Full Story
Women aren’t as good at comedy as men because they are too caring
Says professional female comedian:
- Bussman, who has worked on South Park and Smack the Pony, said: ‘Women are raised to care that you haven’t upset people and you don’t look awful. And, by and large, the two things that are good for comedy, are looking awful, and upsetting people.’
She added that the team-writing process often favours men, too, saying: ‘In a writers’ room, you need clanking great balls just to speak up. Blokes are raised to be heard. Women are raised to be nice.’
Bussmann (…) is performing her ‘parody lecture on Britain and Africa, Bono & Geldof are C*nts, at the Soho Theatre later this month…
Via fivefeetoffury
- Bussman, who has worked on South Park and Smack the Pony, said: ‘Women are raised to care that you haven’t upset people and you don’t look awful. And, by and large, the two things that are good for comedy, are looking awful, and upsetting people.’
She added that the team-writing process often favours men, too, saying: ‘In a writers’ room, you need clanking great balls just to speak up. Blokes are raised to be heard. Women are raised to be nice.’
Bussmann (…) is performing her ‘parody lecture on Britain and Africa, Bono & Geldof are C*nts, at the Soho Theatre later this month…
Via fivefeetoffury
How to Behave Politely In 12 Countries
mentalfloss
- When you travel abroad, you always want to mind your manners. Here’s an easy guide to behaving brilliantly around the world.
- When you travel abroad, you always want to mind your manners. Here’s an easy guide to behaving brilliantly around the world.
Norway
Remember how careful you were during your driver’s license test? Good. Hold the wheel as if your driving instructor is still sitting next to you. Drive passively and don’t honk unless you absolutely have to.
Russia
Don’t smile unless you mean it. To some Russians, a polite smile to a passing stranger or a store clerk is rude and meaningless. Don’t be a phony!Japan
Avoid disagreeing in public and watch your grammar. Politeness is such a big deal in Japan that there are different grammar rules for expressing degrees of politeness.Italy
Whenever you receive a present, unleash your inner child and tear it open right away. Leaving gifts unopened is an insult. Of course, if you’re going to give them flowers in return, avoid chrysanthemums—they’re for funerals only.France
When you’re stuck in the elevator with a stranger, don’t start a staring contest with the door. Make small talk. Actually, try making small talk with anyone you run into—especially shop owners. (It could land you a free baguette!)Germany
When you visit a beer hall, it’s okay to grab a seat at a table with strangers. Just don’t sit anywhere marked with the word “Stammtisch.” That’s where a regular sits.Argentina
Hankering for some gum or a cigarette? Make sure you’ve got enough for everybody in the room—you’re expected to share.Chile
Forget what your mother told you about staring. Go ahead and look all you want—attracting a wandering eye is considered flattering. Catcalls are common, too, but they’re becoming less welcome. Use at your own risk.Colombia
If you’re having dinner with friends, don’t pack up when the plates are taken away. You’re expected to stick around a little longer. The tip is also included in the bill, but you don’t need to pay it.Croatia
Avoid raising your thumb, index, and middle fingers all at once—you’ll be mistaken for a Serbian nationalist. And when you’re talking to someone, don’t beat around the bush. Get to the point!Iceland
Almost all the cafes in Iceland are mom-and-pop shops with nary a chain store in sight. So don’t drink your mocha latte on the go; it’s supposed to be savored inside.Mongolia
If something is “so-so,” it’s perfectly acceptable to give someone the middle finger. (Now that’s a sentence you don’t read often!)Barilla to Appease Militant Gays by Advancing Their Agenda
moonbattery
- Prepare to cover your children’s eyes when Barilla commercials come on TV. The company took a short-lived stand for decency when Chairman Guido Barilla said he would not use homosexual parodies of families in advertisements because of the company’s wholesome reputation. But he caved immediately when militant sodomites reacted with rage. Watch Barilla crawl:
Read the rest
- Prepare to cover your children’s eyes when Barilla commercials come on TV. The company took a short-lived stand for decency when Chairman Guido Barilla said he would not use homosexual parodies of families in advertisements because of the company’s wholesome reputation. But he caved immediately when militant sodomites reacted with rage. Watch Barilla crawl:
Chairman Barilla, the 55-year-old great grandson of the company’s founder, has since held at least eight meetings with gay organizations and activists both in Italy and in the United States, a market where it is counting on for growth outside its crisis-hit home market.The capitulation won’t stop at showcasing overt homosexuals in Barilla advertising.
“Italy is a very insular country, and in cities like Parma it’s even more so,” company spokesman Luca Virginio told Reuters, saying the firm had been shocked by the global backlash.
“The meetings have helped open our eyes and ears to the evolution taking place in the world outside Parma.”
He said the shock could lead to a shift in focus from rosy depictions of traditional Italian family life that have always been the staple of Barilla advertising campaigns.
“We are already working on new advertising concept that will be much more open and much more inclusive,” he said, without elaborating.
The pasta maker plans to introduce an advisory board that includes American gay activist David Mixner to improve “diversity and equality in the company’s workforce and culture”, according to a statement posted on its website.That is, to promote anyone claiming to be a homosexual at the expense of everyone else.
Read the rest
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Introducing the world's first anti-rape pants
This is wrong on so many levels
Telegraph
- Take a look at them here, via indiegogo.com, the crowdfunding website which enables entrepreneurs to appeal to the world for funding for their big ideas. Two New York women called Ruth and Yuval – who only go by their first names, but don't let's judge – have formed a company called AR Wear (AR for Anti-Rape), which aims to produce "confidence and protection that can be worn".
These items of underwear, feature cut-resistant fabrics, a "reinforced skeletal structure" around the crotch, and combination locks around the thighs and waist which are intended to allow women to "feel safer" whether "on a first date", "clubbing", or "out for an evening run".
In their sales pitch, Ruth and Yuval are quick to point out that "rape is about as wrong as it gets" (thanks for that), and that "the only one responsible for a rape is the rapist". But, they argue, a woman will feel safer if she is wearing pants that are "very difficult for someone else to remove by either force or stealth (in situations where the victim cannot resist because she has had too much to drink, was drugged, or is asleep)".
The bizarre fundraising video – which looks like a cutesy Apple advert combined with, well, pants that are impossible to remove – includes shots of women smiling and having a boogie alongside footage of a man trying unsuccessfully to cut through the pants with a dagger. There's even a bit where a group of white women in mini-skirts walk confidently past a black man. But I'm going to gloss over that.
According to indiegogo, AR Wear has raised almost $35,000 so far, from about 1,700 individually funders. They have more than two weeks left, and seem certain to meet their goal of $50,000, which will see these pants become a reality. So not everybody thinks this the epitome of absurdity, then.
Read the rest
Telegraph
- Take a look at them here, via indiegogo.com, the crowdfunding website which enables entrepreneurs to appeal to the world for funding for their big ideas. Two New York women called Ruth and Yuval – who only go by their first names, but don't let's judge – have formed a company called AR Wear (AR for Anti-Rape), which aims to produce "confidence and protection that can be worn".
These items of underwear, feature cut-resistant fabrics, a "reinforced skeletal structure" around the crotch, and combination locks around the thighs and waist which are intended to allow women to "feel safer" whether "on a first date", "clubbing", or "out for an evening run".
In their sales pitch, Ruth and Yuval are quick to point out that "rape is about as wrong as it gets" (thanks for that), and that "the only one responsible for a rape is the rapist". But, they argue, a woman will feel safer if she is wearing pants that are "very difficult for someone else to remove by either force or stealth (in situations where the victim cannot resist because she has had too much to drink, was drugged, or is asleep)".
The bizarre fundraising video – which looks like a cutesy Apple advert combined with, well, pants that are impossible to remove – includes shots of women smiling and having a boogie alongside footage of a man trying unsuccessfully to cut through the pants with a dagger. There's even a bit where a group of white women in mini-skirts walk confidently past a black man. But I'm going to gloss over that.
According to indiegogo, AR Wear has raised almost $35,000 so far, from about 1,700 individually funders. They have more than two weeks left, and seem certain to meet their goal of $50,000, which will see these pants become a reality. So not everybody thinks this the epitome of absurdity, then.
Read the rest
Kurds protest against wall along Turkey's border with Syria
(Reuters)
- Thousands of Kurds protested on Thursday against Turkish plans to build a wall along the Syrian border, calling it a move to stop Kurdish communities strengthening cross-frontier ties as Syria splinters from civil war.
The rally underscored the sectarian strains spilling over from Syria's war, which grew out of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and has fragmented into a patchwork of antagonistic ethnic and sectarian pockets that risk destabilizing neighboring Middle Eastern countries.
Riot police tolerated the protests, organized by Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), for much of the day but fired tear gas to disperse groups of demonstrators as a sit-down protest began following the main speeches.
Crowds of mostly young men, many waving red, yellow and green Kurdish flags, gathered in the Turkish town of Nusaybin, separated from the Syrian town of Qamishli by a strip of no-man's land and barbed wire fencing.
Officials said last month that Turkey would build a two-meter high wall to stop people bypassing checkpoints and prevent smuggling near Qamishli, where Kurdish fighters, Syrian rebel units and Arab tribes have regularly clashed.
Full Story
- Thousands of Kurds protested on Thursday against Turkish plans to build a wall along the Syrian border, calling it a move to stop Kurdish communities strengthening cross-frontier ties as Syria splinters from civil war.
The rally underscored the sectarian strains spilling over from Syria's war, which grew out of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and has fragmented into a patchwork of antagonistic ethnic and sectarian pockets that risk destabilizing neighboring Middle Eastern countries.
Riot police tolerated the protests, organized by Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), for much of the day but fired tear gas to disperse groups of demonstrators as a sit-down protest began following the main speeches.
Crowds of mostly young men, many waving red, yellow and green Kurdish flags, gathered in the Turkish town of Nusaybin, separated from the Syrian town of Qamishli by a strip of no-man's land and barbed wire fencing.
Officials said last month that Turkey would build a two-meter high wall to stop people bypassing checkpoints and prevent smuggling near Qamishli, where Kurdish fighters, Syrian rebel units and Arab tribes have regularly clashed.
Full Story
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Nebraska ranks among worst states for policies that encourage energy conservation
And daylight saving time was the least of their problems...
(omaha.com) - LINCOLN — Nebraska ranks among the worst states for state and utility policies that encourage energy conservation, according to a national organization dedicated to energy efficiency.
Nebraska ranked 44th, down from 42nd a year ago, according to the seventh annual survey of states by the Washington, D.C.-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). By contrast, Iowa ranked No. 12, down from 11th a year ago.
The group rates states based on six categories, with utility policies and spending on programs to encourage energy efficiency counting for 20 of the 50 points awarded to each state.
Nebraska's public utilities earned only 1 of 20 points for their policies and benefit programs, compared with 12 of 20 for Iowa's utilities.
Full Story
(omaha.com) - LINCOLN — Nebraska ranks among the worst states for state and utility policies that encourage energy conservation, according to a national organization dedicated to energy efficiency.
Nebraska ranked 44th, down from 42nd a year ago, according to the seventh annual survey of states by the Washington, D.C.-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). By contrast, Iowa ranked No. 12, down from 11th a year ago.
The group rates states based on six categories, with utility policies and spending on programs to encourage energy efficiency counting for 20 of the 50 points awarded to each state.
Nebraska's public utilities earned only 1 of 20 points for their policies and benefit programs, compared with 12 of 20 for Iowa's utilities.
Full Story
Sources: Alleged LAX gunman had 'new world order' conspiracy theory tract
HAHAHAHAHAHA
(NBCNews)
- The man who allegedly killed a TSA worker and wounded three others at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday had anti-government literature in his possession outlining an alleged conspiracy to create a single global government, law enforcement sources tell NBC News.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the material recovered from Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23, after the shootout at LAX appeared to have been prepared by a group called “New World Order.” One source said it also expressed animus toward racial minorities.
There is no record of a radical group by that name and the term “New World Order” is often used by conspiracy-minded groups and individuals to describe an alleged secret plot to establish an autonomous world government that would replace sovereign nations and put an end to international power struggles.
Full Story
(NBCNews)
- The man who allegedly killed a TSA worker and wounded three others at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday had anti-government literature in his possession outlining an alleged conspiracy to create a single global government, law enforcement sources tell NBC News.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the material recovered from Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23, after the shootout at LAX appeared to have been prepared by a group called “New World Order.” One source said it also expressed animus toward racial minorities.
There is no record of a radical group by that name and the term “New World Order” is often used by conspiracy-minded groups and individuals to describe an alleged secret plot to establish an autonomous world government that would replace sovereign nations and put an end to international power struggles.
Full Story
4 Things the Internet Needs to Calm Down About
Via Cracked
- Here's a fun experiment. Post a statement about food on a public Internet forum. It doesn't matter where -- your blog, your favorite discussion haunt, anywhere you like. The only rule is that you need to express an opinion. Then sit back and see how many minutes it will take before the first Holy Crusader of Differing Opinion posts to put you in place.
Honestly we need to censor the internet from trolls..
- Here's a fun experiment. Post a statement about food on a public Internet forum. It doesn't matter where -- your blog, your favorite discussion haunt, anywhere you like. The only rule is that you need to express an opinion. Then sit back and see how many minutes it will take before the first Holy Crusader of Differing Opinion posts to put you in place.
Honestly we need to censor the internet from trolls..
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Bleeding Kansas: Behind the Legend
In the public mind bleeding Kansas is the states most romanticized period. A time of bloodshed & chaos, patriotism & rebirth. In reality it was one of the worst conflicts in American history.
"First world" countries with "third world" problems.
Like - Did you know slavery is still practiced in Russia?
Listverse
- Slavery is one of those things we associate with the distant past and dirt-poor countries on the fringes of civilization. We know it’s bad and we’re instinctively against it, but it couldn’t happen in any modern, wealthy nation, right?
Try telling that to Russia. In a recent report, the US State Department ranked the country as one of the worst for slavery in the entire world. According to advocacy group Humanity United, there are currently around one million Russians being kept in forced-labor conditions, including some 50,000 children working involuntarily as prostitutes. And that’s before we get on to the abuse of migrant workers.
Also the modern moderate state of Israel has 2 entries compared to the rest.
Listverse
- Slavery is one of those things we associate with the distant past and dirt-poor countries on the fringes of civilization. We know it’s bad and we’re instinctively against it, but it couldn’t happen in any modern, wealthy nation, right?
Try telling that to Russia. In a recent report, the US State Department ranked the country as one of the worst for slavery in the entire world. According to advocacy group Humanity United, there are currently around one million Russians being kept in forced-labor conditions, including some 50,000 children working involuntarily as prostitutes. And that’s before we get on to the abuse of migrant workers.
Also the modern moderate state of Israel has 2 entries compared to the rest.
Another Canadian freight train derails in Alberta, no injuries
TORONTO (Reuters)
- A Canadian National Railway Co train carrying lumber and sulfur dioxide derailed in the Western Canadian province of Alberta on Sunday, but there were no injuries or spills of dangerous goods, a spokesman for the railway said.
Rail safety has become a central issue in Canada since a runaway Montreal, Maine and Atlantic train carrying crude oil exploded in the center of the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic in July, killing 47 people.
And Sunday's derailment comes just two weeks after another Canadian National Railway train carrying crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas derailed and caught fire in Alberta. That crash caused no casualties.
The train that derailed on Sunday was traveling eastbound near the hamlet of Peers, Alberta, which is about 110 miles from the provincial capital of Edmonton, when 13 freight cars went off the tracks at about 1 a.m. local time.
Full Story
- A Canadian National Railway Co train carrying lumber and sulfur dioxide derailed in the Western Canadian province of Alberta on Sunday, but there were no injuries or spills of dangerous goods, a spokesman for the railway said.
Rail safety has become a central issue in Canada since a runaway Montreal, Maine and Atlantic train carrying crude oil exploded in the center of the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic in July, killing 47 people.
And Sunday's derailment comes just two weeks after another Canadian National Railway train carrying crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas derailed and caught fire in Alberta. That crash caused no casualties.
The train that derailed on Sunday was traveling eastbound near the hamlet of Peers, Alberta, which is about 110 miles from the provincial capital of Edmonton, when 13 freight cars went off the tracks at about 1 a.m. local time.
Full Story
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Why is Saudi Arabia getting so bold?
via thetrumpet
- Saudi Arabia is troubled. Baffled. Angry. It finds America’s current Middle East policy under the Obama administration incomprehensible—and deadly dangerous.
Its bold response is hastening an extraordinary change in the Middle East, one that causes a specific biblical prophecy to leap into focus.
On October 17, Saudi Arabia was offered a highly coveted seat on the United Nations Security Council for the first time in its history. This was viewed as a major victory for the Arab state.
Until the next day, that is—when it rejected the offer. This dramatic move stunned the UN and diplomats worldwide. It was widely viewed as a slap at the United States, considered one of its strongest Western allies.
What was Saudi Arabia so upset about—and why was it suddenly so bold? There must be a compelling reason.
The rise of Iran is Saudi Arabia’s most pressing concern. The Saudis have watched anxiously as Iran, a bitter enemy, has evaded punishment even while continuing to forge its nuclear program, fund terrorism and aggressively expand its influence throughout the region.
Now, they fear the United States is giving its blessing to the whole appalling process.
Disturbing signs were building: signs of America’s weakening resolve, of its declining interest in the Middle East, of its fading sense of responsibility to protect Israel. There was the American press’s collective swoon over Iran’s new president this past summer.
Then came the stunning collapse of President Obama’s pledge to intervene in Syria, and his shirking responsibility by turning the situation over to Vladimir Putin. This seemed to guarantee the survival of the Assad regime, providing a huge boost to Iran.
Read More HERE
- Saudi Arabia is troubled. Baffled. Angry. It finds America’s current Middle East policy under the Obama administration incomprehensible—and deadly dangerous.
Its bold response is hastening an extraordinary change in the Middle East, one that causes a specific biblical prophecy to leap into focus.
On October 17, Saudi Arabia was offered a highly coveted seat on the United Nations Security Council for the first time in its history. This was viewed as a major victory for the Arab state.
Until the next day, that is—when it rejected the offer. This dramatic move stunned the UN and diplomats worldwide. It was widely viewed as a slap at the United States, considered one of its strongest Western allies.
What was Saudi Arabia so upset about—and why was it suddenly so bold? There must be a compelling reason.
The rise of Iran is Saudi Arabia’s most pressing concern. The Saudis have watched anxiously as Iran, a bitter enemy, has evaded punishment even while continuing to forge its nuclear program, fund terrorism and aggressively expand its influence throughout the region.
Now, they fear the United States is giving its blessing to the whole appalling process.
Disturbing signs were building: signs of America’s weakening resolve, of its declining interest in the Middle East, of its fading sense of responsibility to protect Israel. There was the American press’s collective swoon over Iran’s new president this past summer.
Then came the stunning collapse of President Obama’s pledge to intervene in Syria, and his shirking responsibility by turning the situation over to Vladimir Putin. This seemed to guarantee the survival of the Assad regime, providing a huge boost to Iran.
Read More HERE
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