Virtual Communities Course

This week I helped produce a segment on ALEC for Angie Corio’s new radio show In Deep the show airs Friday night in Monterey KRXA 540am http://krxa540.com 8-10p, tomorrow Sat 10a-12noon in DC WPWC 1480am http://weactradio.com. What if you are so outraged at ALEC’s hidden activities with corporate lobbyists that a simple call, click or letter though the usual channels isn’t enough? I’ve got some ideas for you. One thing I’ve found in my years on your planet is to recognize people’s unique talents when you ask them to help you. I’m a communications guy with an understanding of media, ... [Link] [Cache]

image courtesy democraticunderground No two major media outlets agree on GOP delegate counts, although almost all have the ranking the same: Rmoney, Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul. The exception being the most trusted name in news: CNN ranks the contenders Rmoney, Gingrich, Santorum, Paul. Because the caucuses so far haven’t actually chosen national convention delegates, but instead delegates to intermediate-level conventions, awarded national delegates are difficult to tabulate. Caucuses aren’t really binding, and neither are primaries this early in the process. Because the GOP convention Rules Committee must decide about anomalies like Florida — stripped of half its delegates, but allowed ... [Link] [Cache]

Nato Brothers Hariri Thugs opened a new front, to prevent the Lebanon's army from stopping arms smugling to Syria Lebanese Army Sponsors Ceasefire in North after Deadly Clashes Local Editor Lebanese army sponsored on Saturday a ceasefire between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, hours after fierce clashes killed and injured many.The army forces were deployed on Saturday. Later, it sponsored a ceasefire between the two sides, al-Manar corresondent said.The ceasefire was supposed to start at 4:00 pm. However our correspondent reported at around 4:20 that till that time bombs and shootings were still heard."At least 14 soldiers are injured, some ... [Link] [Cache]

Just a couple for you, dear and beloved readers:"Also yesterday, a US military official acknowledged that the Pentagon has begun to review potential military options for dealing with the upheaval in Syria but said discussions were in the hypothetical phase....Meaning they developed the plans to fruition and it's just a matter of time. We all know what hypothetical means when it comes to war-promoting in the paper. --more--" Update: Syrian army general assassinated in DamascusSmells like Mossad to me. "The fourth remaining candidate in the GOP nominating race, Representative Ron Paul of Texas, skipped the event because of unspecified travel ... [Link] [Cache]

photo: @Doug88888/flickr I see that the Conference of Catholic Bishops has figured out how the Obama Administration has either cleverly or by fumbling finessed the contraception insurance coverage issue while exposing the Bishops to the charge their demands are more about using government to restrict women’s rights than violating the moral conscience of a bunch of old men. The Bishops are upset because they wanted contraception to be banned, and if not banned, then at least not covered by insurance, and if covered for some, then not covered for others, with the exceptions eventually swallowing the rule. They now realize ... [Link] [Cache]

Protect children from empire, bring them up to liberate us allI often say if we in our generation can raise our children and not repeat the negative traits of our parents when parenting the next generation, then we already have done enough to change the world for the better. Often it is the hardest thing to break the cycle of abuse that comes from the older generations, but breaking that cycle and start a more positive cycle of caring, sensitivity and loving each other and especially our children is a high priority of our struggle.Its of course easy to ask ... [Link] [Cache]

ShareThisAfter Three Losses, Romney Edges Past Paul in Maine --Mr. Romney scraped by Mr. Paul by just 194 votes. 12 Feb 2012 Mitt Romney averted embarrassment on Saturday when he was declared the winner of a presidential straw poll in Maine's nonbinding caucuses. He won 39 percent of the vote, barely edging out Representative Ron Paul of Texas, the only other Republican candidate to campaign actively in the state. Mr. Paul drew 36 percent. Rick Santorum won 18 percent, and Newt Gingrich 6 percent. [Note: Faux News 'lost' Ron Paul's audio, when Paul was speaking in Portland, ME. It seems ... [Link] [Cache]

ShareThisSyrian general gunned down in Damascus 11 Feb 2012 A Syrian general was gunned down in the heart of the capital on Saturday as fresh violence flared in several cities. An "armed terrorist group" assassinated Brig. Gen. Issa al-Kholi, a military physician who was the director of Hamish Hospital, in front of his Damascus house Saturday morning, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said. Three gunmen shot him to death, the media outlet said. The killing occurred "In the framework of targeting the Syrian intellectuals and the medical and technical cadres," SANA reported. "A number of efficient, skilled and specialized ... [Link] [Cache]

Newsclick February 8, 2012 UN’s Syria Vote: Kings and Ex-Colonial Powers “Championing” Democracy Prabir Purkayastha Edited by RR ==== The irony of the Gulf monarchies fighting for “democracy” is not lost on the people. Neither is an Iraqi- or Libyan-style military intervention for bringing democracy to the region. No wonder that the US and other Western countries rejected out of hand Russia’s amendments, one of which asked for democracy, not just in Syria but for all of the Middle East. As can be seen from the list of co-sponsors – Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Portugal, ... [Link] [Cache]

Tehran Times February 11, 2012 Russia supporting Syria to retain foothold in Middle East Mahmoud Shouri The diplomatic row between the West and Russia over Syria at the United Nations Security Council is a clear indication of Syria’s strategic importance for Moscow. By protecting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the former superpower wants to prevent a repeat of the Libyan scenario. The fall of Tripoli was brought about by the relentless NATO onslaught, and with Moscow’s implicit consent, but it did not result in any great gains for Russia at the international level. Due to this, the Russians ... [Link] [Cache]

Curtis Mayfield This week’s music pick, Diamond in the Back, is from the incredible Curtis Mayfield. This song was remembered more for its “Gangsta Lean” line and it’s cool funky rhythm. It was, however, an anthem for being thankful for what you’ve got. That said, if you had this come on on a summer night driving a convertible through the city, it was the absolutely coolest song to have flowing from your speakers. I have had that good fortune and it was the best. There’s not really a video with this song and that’s a good thing. The focus should ... [Link] [Cache]

ShareThisRomney edges Santorum in CPAC vote 11 Feb 2012 Mitt Romney has won The Washington Times/CPAC Presidential Straw Poll of conservative activists. The former Massachusetts governor is favored as the Republican presidential nominee by 38 percent of the 3,408 respondents. Rivals Rick Santorum drew 31 percent, and Newt Gingrich was favored by 15 percent. Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who did not attend the conference to campaign in Maine, had 12 percent. [Link] [Cache]

Rabbiner Dr. Raphael BREUER 1881-1932 ?ZUR GESCHICHTE DER THORAVORLESUNG? 1.Teil Auch das Leinen hat wie alles im Judentum [Link] [Cache]

ShareThisIran to unveil major nuclear achievements soon 11 Feb 2012 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced the unveiling of "major nuclear accomplishments" in the next few days despite increasing Western pressure over the country's nuclear program. "In the nuclear field, major achievements have been made by the Iranian nation in recent years," Ahmadinejad said in a Saturday speech, marking the 33rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Iranian president said the world has witnessed hegemonic powers use every means to prevent the Islamic Republic from attaining nuclear progress. [Link] [Cache]

ShareThisUK accused of deploying nuclear weapons near the Falklands 11 Feb 2012 In an increasingly tense war of words, Argentinian Foreign Minister Hector Timerman claims the UK is deploying nuclear weapons near the Falkland Islands. Britain and Argentina went to war over the disputed British-ruled Falkland Islands in 1982, and London rejects Argentine demands for sovereignty negotiations... Mr Timerman urged the UN to intervene in the long-running dispute over the islands. He said that Buenos Aires had intelligence that the British nuclear submarine, Vanguard, had been deployed in the area. Along with a purported picture of the Vanguard submarine, Timerman ... [Link] [Cache]

When does the Caesar's wife standard kick in? When do warlike statements from Israeli Hirsh Goodman, who is married to Isabel Kershner, a New York Times Jerusalem correspondent, become too much for the Times to bear? When do those pronouncements affect the paper's reputation for straightforward reporting?  Not behaving like Caesar's wife-- Goodman last month called for Israel to wage an international "war" for its public image. Now he's calling for war against Iran. Notice the sloppy thinking-- that Iran is threatening America with nukes, threatening a world war. Daniel Nolan reports for the Spectator, a Hamilton, Canada, newspaper on ... [Link] [Cache]

"... While Iran’s military budget is modest-sized at best and its conventional military capabilities will never come close to matching CENTCOM’s superior forces in a direct confrontation, its potential pursuit of nuclear-arms capabilities greatly complicates the strategic calculus in the region. Even without taking the final steps of manufacturing actual bomb components — and no evidence has yet surfaced that the Iranians have proceeded to this critical stage — the Iranian nuclear effort has greatly alarmed other countries in the Middle East and called into question the continued robustness of America’s regional dominance. From Washington’s perspective, an Iranian bomb — ... [Link] [Cache]

"...Davutoglu said that Turkey had tried to engage the Assad regime last year on a reform plan..."We hoped Assad could be a 'Gorbachev," Davutoglu said, referring to the Russian leader who oversaw the 'glasnost' period of democratic reforms in the former Soviet Union. "But instead he wanted to be Milosevic," he continued, referring to the late Serbian strongman who pursued a genocidal campaign against Bosnia's ethnic Muslims and Croats, and oppressed Kosovo's ethnic Albanian population. Davutoglu said he was disappointed that Russia and China had vetoed a UN Security Council resolution... But he said Turkey had not entirely given up ... [Link] [Cache]

Welcome Tom Zoellner TomZoellner.com and Host bmaz EmptyWheel.net [As a courtesy to our guests, please keep comments to the book and be respectful of dissenting opinions. Please take other conversations to a previous thread. - bev] A Safeway in Arizona: What the Gabrielle Giffords Shooting Tells Us About the Grand Canyon State and Life in America It has been a year and a month since the day the shots pierced the heart of Arizona on January 8, 2011. In all, 19 victims were shot. Six lives were taken and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords gravely wounded. Friends, families, a state and a ... [Link] [Cache]

ShareThisIsrael teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News 09 Feb 2012 Deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists are being carried out by an Iranian dissident group that is financed, trained and armed by Israel's secret service, U.S. officials tell NBC News, confirming charges leveled by Iran's leaders. The group, the People's Mujahedin of Iran, has long been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, accused of killing American servicemen and contractors in the 1970s and supporting the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran... The attacks, which have killed five Iranian ... [Link] [Cache]

Review of Greg Felton’s “The Host and the Parasite – How Israel’s Fifth Column Consumed America” By D. Saykaly “The Host and the Parasite” is an extraordinarily important book that traces America’s slide into fascism and subservience to a foreign power. Felton argues persuasively that 3 groups have converged and come to dominate American policy for the benefit of Israel. Those 3 groups are: the neo-conservatives; the Republican evangelicals Christian Zionists ; and Jewish Zionists. He backs up his analysis with over 800 footnoted references to government, scholarly and media sources. Felton refutes the traditional progressive view that Israel is ... [Link] [Cache]

kenneth arthur wong - caught outside the crease once again Full name Kenneth Arthur Wong Born May 22, 1973, Georgetown, Demerara, Guyana Current age 38 years 265 days Major teams Guyana, West Indies B, Maltenos Sports Club, knock about in Canada Batting style Right-hand bat Fielding position Wicketkeeper kenneth arthur is not a very fast learner. he’s been at the cocaine business a full decade and counting and he’s right back behind bars where he belongs he was caught in brooklyn distributing cocaine [see below] copped a plea and did a two years for uncle sam from 2005 to 2007. ... [Link] [Cache]

Because there’s no actual term sheet for the foreclosure fraud deal it’s virtually impossible to assess it, and every group who released a press statement calling it “a drop in the bucket” or a “down payment” or a “first step” should withdraw before the facts are known. But we should be talking about how the settlement will interact with the existing Administration policies around housing. It’s clear that the Administration sees them all working together. The settlement will advance mandated principal reductions on bank-owned loans as well as loans bundled into mortgage-backed securities. Legislation will attempt to unlock refinancing for ... [Link] [Cache]

Via The PalestineFreeVoiceHere is the Source of the original picture and the Source of the fake picture . Picture 2: Source of original picture Picture 3:The original picture is that of an event organized by Syrians to emphasize their love towards their country, “My Country, You’re Vested with Glory,” on Juin 22, 2011. The original picture features the Syrian National flag and tens of thousands of Syrian young people colouring the flag in front of the castle of Aleppo. The flag was 80/30 m long. However, the fake rebels took the picture and changed the flag, then pretended that the ... [Link] [Cache]

Sir Jimmy Savile - Website for this imageThe BBC stopped an investigation, by Newsnight, into allegations that BBC TV entertainer Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused a teenage girl at the BBC's Television Centre.BBC shelved Jimmy Savile sex abuse investigation 'to protect its own reputation'A woman told Newsnight that Savile molested her when she was 14 or 15.Newsnight found several women who said that Savile groomed and abused teenagers.Newsnight was told of claims that two other TV celebrities, still alive, sexually abused girls at Television Centre in the 1970s.The BBC bosses ordered that the investigation be dropped. Duncroft SchoolAll of the ... [Link] [Cache]