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Independent Media Centre Ireland http://www.indymedia.ie
The Feb 2016 Election and the TTIP Elephant in the Room
national | politics / elections | feature Wednesday February 24, 2016 18:26 by T
Ask candidates about TTIP agreement. It is a corporate agreement which will lead to mass privatisation and gutting of our social and environmental protections
Parties for a Left Dail
The election cycle has come around yet again it is time to take a look at some of the issues being discussed and more importantly those not discussed and have a quick look at the economy.
For this election there are more independents going up than ever before, although people should be warned that a certain fraction of them are closet FFers and FGers so if it is change you are looking for, they may not be the candidates to vote for. Sometimes people seemed to assume Independents tend to be more to the Left. There is no inherent reason this should be the case and statistically one would expect them to evenly spread to the Left and Right. So if voting for an Independent then be sure you have checked what they really stand for and their previous record if any.
Related Links: TTIP is a full frontal assault on democracy | Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Signed in New Zealand amid Mass Protests | Co. Clare TTIP Free Zone! | Over 2 million People sign European Citizens' Initiative against EU-US TTIP trade deal | Galway meeting highlights the insidious agenda of TTIP | Lacking Trasparency: The Transatlantic Trade And Investment Partnership (TTIP) | Wikileaks Publishes Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) | connolly group TTIP video | Investor-State Attacks: Empowering Foreign Corporations to Bypass our Courts, Challenge Basic Protections | Blog of ISDS Case Summaries | Top 10 Most Pernicious Investor-State Dispute Settlement Lawsuits | Sean Kelly (FG) MEP has betrayed his responsibility to defend the interests of the Irish people - Liadh Ní Riada MEP
Party Manifestos: Green Party Manifesto | Labour Manifesto | FG Manifesto | FF Manifesto | SF Manifesto | People Before Profit -see Policies | Anti Austerity Alliance Manifesto | Workers Party Manifesto | Direct Democracy Manifesto | Social Democrats Manifesto | ReNua Manifesto | Independent Alliance
Party Manifestos: ElectionsIreland.org: For list of candidates in your constituency.
TTIP is the greatest single threat to our
democracy. Both FG and FF support it.
It is a EU-US wide corporate power grab.
Find out more before you vote !!
Probably the most important thing looming over this country and all of Europe too is the secret negotiations on the EU-US TTIP treaty. It is by far the most undemocratic power grab ever seen and yet none of the mainstream parties are talking about it. It will set up corporate courts allowing corporations to sue States presided by corporate lawyers and held in secret with no right of appeal. The decisions will be binding and will overrule national law. It will allow corporations to force the privatisation of water, resources, health, education and anything else. It will be used to attack workers right, like sick pay, benefits like health and pension and reduce and eventually eliminate holidays by forcing an 'equalisation' of standards. This means we could end up with the same working conditions as people in Vietnam or Mexico who are signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP) agreement which if TTIIP is passed with be cross linked to it. Fine Gael (FG)and Fianna Fail (FF) are strongly in favour of TTIP and these ISDS courts. If you value your freedom, do not vote FG or FF!
Fine Gael's betrayal of the Irish People by their support for TTIP and ISDS
A statement from Deirdre Clune's (FG) website:
MEPs Seán Kelly, Mairead McGuinness, Brian Hayes and Deirdre Clune support the negotiations between the EU and US which aim to establish a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
From MEP Seán Kelly FG Press Release 6th May 2015 showing that Kelly is either clueless or is a complete corporate shrill who has absolutely no regards for the people of this country.
MEP Seán Kelly has welcomed today's announcement by the EU's Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström who has called for the establishment of an International Court dealing with investor dispute [ISDS] cases in the context of TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) between the EU and US....
And this has to be the most dishonest statement ever made:
...."The establishment of the [ISDS] Court in Ireland would also bring about new, high quality jobs and I will work hard to promote our country as the best place for such an institution..."
FF Support TTIP too but pretend to have some doubts but ideologically they are completely for it.
From Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas Jan 21st 2016:
I am pleased to have an opportunity to contribute briefly to this most important debate. The Fianna Fáil Party supports the principles of the TTIP......
The FF strategy then would be to raise some objections but still let it through. They would have no hope of getting any changes and the party whip would lash them all into line anyhow. It's just a way of covering themselves.
Across the country there are 40 constituencies down from 43 in 2011 with some changes in constituency boundaries. There are 13 3-seaters, 16 4-seaters and 11 5-seater constituencies . The 3 seaters tend to favour the larger parties because you need 33% of the vote whereas for a 5-seater you only need 20%. So for example a party with 10% or even 15% of the national vote might never get a seat if they were all 3-seaters. So you can end up with a situation for all of the smaller parties, the number of seats they get is, in percentage terms of seats, less than their vote while for the larger parties they can and often do have more seats in percentage terms than their vote nationally.
The number of Dail seats up for grabs this election is down from 166 to 158 seats. The breakdown of candidates by party or alliance attempting to get in are:
People Before Profit (PBP) 18
Anti Austerity Alliance (AAA) 13
Labour 36
Sinn Fein 50
Green Party 40
Social Democrats (SD) 14
The Workers Party (WP) 5
Fine Gael (FG) 89
Fianna Fail (FF) 71
ReNua 26
FisNua 2
Direct Democracy Ireland (DDI) 18
Independent Alliance 20
Independents 140
Despite what either FG or FF are saying, if they need the numbers FF and FG will go into coalition. And the reason is simple, they are the two main capitalist parties, their policies differ very little and they are completely subservient to corporate power, influence and it's dictates. Currently FF are running a fairly populist strategy, appearing to have shifted to the Left slightly but this is change is very shallow and there would be no actual commitment to following a policy of running the country for the benefit of the people. Anyone who thinks Fianna Fail have changed just because they have got rid of most of the old crowd and have a whole new bunch of fresh faces are forgetting that it is the policies of the party and what it stands for determines what they do and the party whip is there to enforce the core values of running the economy for the capitalist elite. The party whip has been used extensively and will continue to be to basically whip TDs into line. It is a form of party dictatorship and acts to nullify what the mandate to candidates from the people. FG are the same in this regards but even more so obedient to the interests of the wealthy elite. In some ways the rising popularity of Independents who are not under the control of a party whip reflects this concern amongst the people.
As for the election promises from any of the status quo parties (FF, FG & Lab), one should completely ignore what they are saying because they will either flat out do the opposite or there is a catch. FG are saying they will get rid of the USC but are shy about saying they will increase PRSI and other taxes instead.
As we can see from the last 4 years, Labour were a sellout. They have done the same numerous times over the past four decades, each time they have suffered massively at the polls and it takes years to build up their support only to do it again.
Sinn Fein, having not being in power yet in the South remain a promising prospect for many SF voters. However it would be worth examining how they were forced to go along with austerity in the North. So this does not bode well although perhaps they would still be better than either FF or FG assuming for a moment they became the party with the largest share of the vote even though it is unlikely but there is still an outside chance they could end up in coalition. Given the year in it and the huge positive role Gerry Adams had in the peace process, it would be fitting if he was Taoiseach just in time for Easter 2016.
All that can be said of ReNua is that they appear to be very right wing at their core once you look at the heart of their policies which is the ridiculous flat tax proposal of 23% across the board. They probably belong in the libertarian right wing end of the spectrum where the Progressive or should that be Regressive Democrats used to live.
The Green Party are too small in terms of percentage of national vote to have any major influence. Their main problem is that they tend to promote some small green initiatives with little to say on the big issues of economy or social policies. Since the shift of the party to the Right in the last decade signalled quite well with the departure of Patrica McKenna, they have completely sold out to corporate/free market thinking and are hostages to it. During the Bin Tax campaign a decade ago, they foolishly were on the side of bin charges thinking it was about polluters pays when they completely failed to push for a tax on excessive packaging which is where the chain of waste really starts. With the recent announcement that we will have to pay for getting rid of recyclable waste which is likely to cause a huge drop in recycling and the diversion of the same waste to the massive incinerator now under construction in Ringsend Dublin, it just shows how hollow and naive their strategy was. They were completely duped. You would expect the Greens to be constantly driving home how the structure of our economy is the problem in terms of sustainability but they only talk of tweaking around the edges. Never anything radical that challenges the status quo. And any discussion of the economy that asks for change would need to address social and justice issues, but again this Left thought process has long vacated the party.
Direct Democracy Ireland don't seem to have got much attention or support they have interesting things to say in their manifesto and most importantly are against TTIP and other corporate influences like the push for water privatisation. Also good on the environment and our civic rights. In terms of the political spectrum they are more to the middle as the candidates themselves are quite diverse. If there is no actual Left candidate in your area then they're strongly worth considering.
The Workers Party who were at their height in the late 1980s then suffered the split to Democratic Left which long since merged with Labour. In recent years the party has been reviving slowly and also have their LookLeft magazine. They are have good Left policies on the important issues of banking, water, housing, health, education and the environment where in the latter they strong oppose Fracking which wrecks the environment. They are rightly against TTIP seeing it for what it is. However they have only 5 candidates so need all the support they can and if they got 1 or 2 TDs would help build up the Left block.
The Social Democrats were propelled into the limelight with Catherine Murphy's defense of the citizens against the antics of Denis Oligarch Tax Exile O'Brien. Stephen Donnelly has been doing well and seems to really understand finance and banking and would be a welcome match against bankers and their elk. The party has the haven for a few of the candidates who fled Labour once they started going against their own ideals. There is a good mix in this new group and would definitely make a change. They are against TTIP and Water charges.
People Before Profit (PBP) and the Anti Austerity Alliance (AAA) both are strong on Left policies being both against Water charges, both oppose TTIP, strong on housing and health. On the environment they oppose Fracking. At this point PBP are probably the bigger grouping of the two, fielding more candidates. In the Dail Richard Boyd Barret has had a good track record and among many things successfully via campaign opposed the sell-off of our forests to vulture funds -at least for now.
Both PBB and AA have formed a voting pact and it will be interesting to see how many seats they do get. They form the core of the real Left in Ireland and have become more visible since the collapse of the economic bubble. It is probably too much to ask or hope that they do extremely well and in conjunction with the Social Democrats and Sinn Fein form a government along with various independents like Clare Daly and Mick Wallace. Supposing this did actually happen then the question becomes would they deliver and stick to their policies and would the range of capitalist forces put pressure on them. If such a coalition were to ever get into power you could safely bet the O'Brien media via its key mouthpiece the Independent relentlessly attack it. This would be joined by various think tanks and neo-liberal economic lobbies, the billion oligarchs, bankers, bondholders, bailed out developers, the legal profession, and many others from the top 10% to 15% of the population who own the vast majority of the wealth and control the resources to shape the economy and mould public opinion.
It is worth reminding ourselves the legacy of the FG/Lab government and of FF before them and some of the changes since then.
Introduction of the USC Tax.
Increase in VAT
Home Tax / Property Tax
Water Charges with Privatisation to go through if and when EU-USA TTIP agreement is signed. FG & FF are in favour of TTIP
Green / Recycling waste to be charged from June 2016 onwards. Will destroy recycling and divert waste to new incinerator.
Doubling the number of homeless
Bailout of bankers and developers with no bankers jailed
Massive increase in property rents leading to biggest homeless crisis since foundation of the State.
Transfer of bailed out NAMA properties to foreign vulture funds that are now screwing the population for rent. This is a new form of landlordism in neo-liberal corporate form. Very few residential properties sold to the public. Instead most sold at low prices to hedge funds.
17,000 house reprocessed waiting in the courts.
FG & Lab changed the Conveyance Act which change the law allowing bankers to massively increase evictions.
At least 250,000 people have emigrated since 2009
Huge spike in unemployment although it has reduced but figures are massaged.
Increase in wealth for the top 1%, 5% and 10%. More millionaires in Ireland than before
Decrease in wealth by loss of earnings and social benefits to the bottom half.
Big decreases in child benefits and back-to-school grants
Increase in the 'Administration fee' for third level college students to €3,000 per year
Cuts to public transport.
Massive cuts to disability services people and their carer's.
Privatisation of community services
Massive cuts to single parents
Continuation of scheme to let large corporations pay below the 12% corporation tax with the use of the "Idea Box" introduced by Michael Noonan. This retains our place as Banana republic.
And many more.....
FG have decided they are going to get back into power by sticking to the mantra of a recovery. There is a recovery alright and it is for corporate and banking profits and for probably the top 20 to 25% of the population. It has barely trickled down to the rest and once outside Dublin there is now much evidence. In fact for any gains people might have made, it has been soaked up through increased rents. Much of the statistics in the national figures are a bit cooked and distorted. For instance last year NAMA decided to sell off huge tranches of their property portfolios to vulture funds who bought up thousands of commercial and residential units and have either resold them for a tidy profit or are renting them at exorbitant rates. The word on the street is that the property rental market is now being controlled by these large real-estate owners and they are forcing prices up. Ireland has already headed back to a modern day form of neo feudalism where people cannot afford property and are at the mercy of property owners.
A couple trying to buy a home today are not competing against people like themselves in the so called 'free' market. They are competing against huge financial firms with hundreds of millions to billions of Euro behind them and what's more these firms have all sorts of tricks for tax write offs on their own loans and expenses and no doubt pay little if any tax. What has happened in the last 8 years is that you the tax payer have subsidized via NAMA the transfer of vast amounts of property to faceless capitalist enterprises who are now preying on large swathes of the population many of whom are permanently trapped renting as they have zero chance of ever saving enough to get out of it. For that you can thank FF, FG and Labour.
So where is it all going next? By far the biggest elephant in the room is the Transatlantic Trade in Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the EU-USA. It is a supposed to be a so called free trade agreement but is nothing of the sort. It is by far and away the most undemocratic corporate power grab ever witnessed and it is no exaggeration to say it literally threatens to roll back all the social, environmental and legal gains of the past 100 years are more.
None of the status quo parties talk much about it and when they do they imply it is just about jobs and economic growth and are very much for it. The talks for TTIP have been going on for a few years and all the discussions are in secret and the contents of the agreement although WikiLeaks revealed some of it and it wasn't pretty. It is a corporate wish list and essentially the idea is reduce standards, tariffs and social, economic, legal and environmental protections to that of the lowest player. The TTIP agreement will join up with a version for the Pacific region countries called TPP and another called for CETA for Canada. It means if some country has really lax standards for workers rights or environmental protection, TTIP can say it's uncompetitive to have the stronger ones and enforce the lowest standard. It gets worse though because a central plank of TTIP is something called Investor State Dispute Mechanism ISDS which is a corporate court, presided by corporate lawyers and it is proceedings are secret and, there is no recourse for appeal, ordinary people cannot use the court only corporations and it's finding are legally binding on all TTIP members and above the law of all countries. In others the Supreme court cannot even challenge it, let alone reverse or affect any of its' decisions. Oh and corporations can take member states to these courts to sue them for things like environmental or social protection laws that interfere with corporate profits.
What most people do not know is that ISDS has already been introduced or should I say sneaked in undemocratically into some countries and there have been around 500 cases. In every case the corporations won and in many of them this result hundreds of millions and billions have been handed over from cash strapped states to corporate coffers.
In the UK, groups who got access to the secret text of TTIP and analyzed it have come to the conclusion that TTIP would result in the end of the National Health Service (NHS) and lead to complete privatisation. The same would happen throughout all other spheres such as education. And the exact same would happen here. This is why FG and FF are reluctant to hold a referendum over keeping Irish water as a national resource in the public domain yet they say they will not privatise it. The reason is that ISDS through the TTIP agreement will take the decision out of their hands and force it's privatisation. They know that. Actually FG are such a sellout and really should be tried for treason because they actually want to have the ISDS courts in Ireland. Our sovereignty would be zero!
The take home message then is: Ask any and all of your candidates about TTIP and see if they know anything, what their position is and see what lies they tell you. Don't vote for FF or FG because they strongly support TTIP.
How ISDS has already been used to challenge legislation on land and water contamination, nuclear power, fracking and public health
A number of existing bi-lateral agreements already have ISDS in them. TPP (Pacific region) and the EU-US TTIP contain ISDS. These examples only cover up to 2013. Its got worse.
Vattenfall vs Germany: In 2009, Swedish energy company Vattenfall started an ISDS procedure against Germany, based on the Energy Charter Treaty, an international agreement protecting investments in the energy sector. Vattenfall had engaged in the construction of a coal fired power plant in Hamburg-Moorburg, located on the Elbe river. When Hamburg's Environmental Authority issued a licence imposing quality standards for the waste waters released by the power plant, Vattenfall claimed that those standards made the investment project unviable. Using ISDS provisions, the company asked Germany for compensation totalling €1.4 billion. Vattenfall and the city of Hamburg eventually settled the case with an agreement that foresaw the issuing of a ?modified water use permit?, which lowered the environmental requirements previously set by the Hamburg Environmental Authority.
Vattenfall vs Germany II: In May 2012, Vattenfall initiated a second international arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, this time asking for financial compensation with respect to Germany's decision to immediately close its oldest nuclear power plants and gradually shut down the remaining ones by 2022. This decision was taken in response to public concerns about the health and environmental risks of nuclear energy that followed the Fukushima accident in Japan. According to press sources, the claim for compensation by Vattenfall could amount up to €3.7 billion.
Lone Pine vs Canada: Based on provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico, US company Lone Pine Resources Inc. is asking for financial compensation from Canada following Québec's introduction of a moratorium on fracking. The moratorium introduced in May 2013 responded to concerns about the environmental and health risks posed by the new extraction method. The claim by Lone Pine amounts up to US$ 250 million (€191 millions). The case is still pending.
Chevron vs Ecuador: After years of litigation in Ecuador's national courts, Ecuador's indigenous people and farmers won a historic victory over Chevron (the court ruling requested that Chevron pay back US$18 billion to clean up the contamination of land and water that resulted from its operations). The company then turned to the investor-state mechanism under the US-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty to overturn the national judgement and evade compliance. That arbitration tribunal ordered the President of Ecuador to block enforcement of the previous court orders. Subsequent rulings repeated this demand, arguing that Ecuador had violated the treaty further by allowing plaintiffs to try to seize Chevron's assets through courts in Argentina, Brazil and Canada. These rulings set a dangerous precedent, allowing corporations to challenge the functions of a country's domestic court system and the decisions of its duly-appointed judges – and it could violate Ecuador's constitutional separation of powers.
Occidental vs Ecuador: Ecuador terminated the contract of an oil concession with Occidental after Occidental sold 40% of its production right to another company without complying with its obligation to seek governmental approval for doing so, as specified in the concession contract. Occidental then challenged the decision, again under the ISDS provisions in the US-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty. This resulted in the highest compensation ever awarded to an investor (US$1.77 billion), and demonstrates the vast power that tribunals wield.
Pacific Rim Mining Corp vs El Salvador: After failing to complete the environmental protection steps required to obtain a mining permit in El Salvador's main watershed region, Canadian gold mining company Pacific Rim Mining Corp. reincorporated a Cayman island subsidiary in Nevada and then filed an investor-state suit against El Salvador under the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The company is now claiming several hundred million dollars in compensation for its =lost profits', challenging El Salvador's national mining laws. As an imminent jurisdictional ruling drags out, violence and threats against local environmentalists in the region where Pacific Rim wants to run a cyanide-leach gold mine continue.
Philip Morris vs Uruguay: After having transferred its international headquarters from the US to Switzerland for legal reasons, tobacco giant Philip Morris initiated a case against Uruguay in 2010 under the Switzerland- Uruguay bilateral investment treaty. In spite of the fact that this treaty stipulates that it shall not be used to challenge public health measures, Philip Morris has used the agreement's ISDS to challenge several provisions of the recent Uruguayan tobacco regulations. The company has questioned health warning requirements for tobacco packages (including the graphic and size requirements) as well as the provision that prohibits marketing more than one tobacco product under each brand. While the case is still pending, it is a good example of the use of investment rules and ISDS as part of a strategic drive to oppose restrictions on tobacco marketing.
Philip Morris vs Australia: In 2011, Philip Morris Asia used the ISDS mechanism in the bilateral investment treaty between Australia and Hong Kong to challenge Australia's newly introduced tobacco regulation (the Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011). The tobacco giant has claimed that the new legislation deprives it of the real value of its investments in Australia and that Australia is treating them in an unfair and inequitable way. Philip Morris has demanded that Australia be ordered to suspend the enforcement of the plain packaging legislation and provide the company with billions of dollars of financial compensations for the losses incurred. The case, which is still pending, could have detrimental impacts on regulatory efforts to curb the lethal effects of smoking well beyond Australia. For example, the EU, which is cur
TTIP and ISDS will permanently force privatisation of the National Health System (NHS) in UK. Same could happen here.
Read this below carefuly because what is it saying is US 'Health and Social Care Act' effectively through TTIP will mean it is binding on all members and therefore it will force the complete and permanent privatisation of the Irish health system. FF & FG strongly support TTIP! In this article from the NewStatesMan Benedict Cooper says:
A key part of the TTIP is 'harmonisation' between EU and US regulation, especially for regulation in the process of being formulated. In Britain, the coalition government's Health and Social Care Act has been prepared in the same vein – to 'harmonise' the UK with the US health system.
This will open the floodgates for private healthcare providers that have made dizzying levels of profits from healthcare in the United States, while lobbying furiously against any attempts by President Obama to provide free care for people living in poverty. With the help of the Conservative government and soon the EU, these companies will soon be let loose, freed to do the same in Britain.
Linda Kaucher is a leading expert on trade agreements. She has written and spoken extensively on the topic, most recently in an article in Chartist. In it, she lays out a disturbing truth about what is going on behind the scenes in Brussels, arguing that while on the surface the EU is a bastion of protections and rights, its true agenda is far more tenebrous.
It is, she says, to "permanently fix corporate-driven neo-liberalism, within the EU and internationally, via trade agreements. Any reassertion of democracy within the EU structure or member states is prevented by legally binding international trade law." She also states that the agenda is "driven and effectively controlled by transnational corporations, especially transnational financial services corporations."
How does this affect the NHS? It's painfully simple. The agreement will provide a legal heavy hand to the corporations seeking to grind down the health service. It will act as a Transatlantic bridge between the Health and Social Care Act in the UK, which forces the NHS to compete for contracts, and the private companies in the US eager to take it on for their own gain.
Kaucher says: "[The Health and Social Care Act] effectively enforces competitive tendering, and thus privatisation and liberalisation i.e. opening to transnational bidders - a shift to US-style profit-prioritised health provision."
The TTIP ensures that the Health and Social Care Act has influence beyond UK borders. It gives the act international legal backing and sets the whole shift to privatisation in stone because once it is made law, it will be irreversible. Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) laws, fundamentals of the agreement, allow corporations legal protection for their profits regardless of patient care performance, with the power to sue any public sector organisation or government that threatens their interest.
Once these ISDS tools are in place, lucrative contracts will be underwritten, even where a private provider is failing patients and the CCG wants a contract cancelled. In this case, the provider will be able to sue a CCG for future loss of earnings, thanks to the agreement, causing the loss of vast sums of taxpayer money on legal and administrative costs.
Even more worrying is that, once the TTIP is enacted, repealing the Health and Social Care Act in the UK will become almost impossible. As Kaucher explains: "Even if outcomes of the NHS changes are disastrous, ISDS will effectively disallow any attempts by any future UK government to reverse the changes."
Full text available at New States Man at: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/12/how-eu-making-nhs-privatisation-permanent
There are other agreements which will all interlock. The main two are CETA and TTP. TTP is The Trans-Pacific Partnership and the signatories are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam.
CETA is The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union and can be thought of as a fail safe option if they can't get TTIP through. CETA is to be signed this year and should also be stopped.
Slide 22 of TTIP presentation (pptx file) Workers rights are a barrier to trade
Slide 23 of TTIP presentation (pptx file) Safety Last
Barry Finnegan's presentation on TTIP and ISDS to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in Jan 2015 1.31 Mb
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Can you stomach another Leaders' Debate ...
by FoE - Friends of the Irish Environment Tue Feb 23, 2016 23:05
.. that doesn't discuss climate change?
The election is in the closing stretch. The final leaders' debate is tonight. Will they discuss climate change? Probably not, but even if they do it'll be short and superficial at best. The reality, however, is that whoever forms the next Government will find climate change high on the policy agenda because of the Paris Agreement, looming EU targets and competing interest groups at home.
So how much thought have the parties actually given it? Below you can see and read for yourself.
Ask your candidates to take the Vote Frack Free pledge.
http://www.foe.ie/takeaction/ask-your-dail-candidates-t...edge/
The hustings Young Friends of the Earth held with the Environmental Pillar are now online.
You can see the full 86 minutes here @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wul8tHzGWp8
And we've also broken it down by question:
=> Fossil Fuels
=> Agriculture
=> Meeting our climate targets
=> Threats to nature protection
=> Sustainable rural communities
Related Link: http://www.foe.ie/blog/2016/02/23/can-you-stomach-another-leaders-debate/
Exit poll results
by T Sat Feb 27, 2016 00:26
Results from the Irish Times exit poll indicating first preference votes are:
Fine Gael 26.1 per cent; Labour 7.8 per cent; Fianna Fáil 22.9 per cent; Sinn Féin 14.9; AAA/PBP 3.6 per cent; Greens 3.5 per cent; Social Democrats 2.8 per cent; Renua 2.3 per cent; Others 16.1 per cent
Looks like it could be a FG-FF government.
by T Fri Mar 04, 2016 22:26
PBP/AAA 6
Renua 0
Indep Al 6
Indeps 17
10 reasons why you should be worried about TTIP
by John Fri Apr 08, 2016 12:31
Resources explaining what this nightmare is all about and who in the puppet Irish government and their masters in Brussels and Washington are pushing for this agenda
By the way, the "refugee crisis" (organised invasion) is just one part of the big plan by the same people pushing the TTIP on us.
stop-ttip.org
The must read book from John Hilary (free, short and easy to load online) : THE TRANSATLANTIC TRADE AND INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP
A CHARTER FOR DEREGULATION, AN ATTACK ON JOBS, AN END TO DEMOCRACY
www.corporateeurope.org: Lobbying and lobbies. How the lobbies are deciding of the policy implemented in Europe without any democratic process.
https://wikileaks.org/tisa/
http://corporateeurope.org/international-trade/2015/05/...-ttip
http://corporateeurope.org/climate-and-energy/2015/04/c...cking
http://corporateeurope.org/international-trade/2015/03/...chief
http://corporateeurope.org/economy-finance/2014/11/deut...r-ecb
http://corporateeurope.org/power-lobbies/2015/04/toward...cy-eu
MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan visits the TTIP reading room
by Crazy Cat Tue May 17, 2016 10:03
The absurd constraints placed on MEPs who want to examine the text of the TTIP agreement between the US and the EU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozj0qwnMGZ0
When You Thought Trade Deals Could Not Get Any Worse -- Enter Wall Street.
by Crazy Cat Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:49
The famous investor-state dispute settlement, an article from the Sierra Club:
http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2016/12/when-you-thou...treet
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/105723
Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.


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Mistakes were made
This from an article in the Washington Post re the decision to uphold voter suppression laws:
"It did not matter that it could point to no evidence that fraud had occurred, the state argued. The integrity of the voting process is so important that states are allowed to put in safeguards before a problem presents itself, the state contended.
Democrats challenged the provision, saying that although the use of photo ID seems ubiquitous to most, many poor and elderly people were less likely to have the kind of identification that Indiana required. The legislature's real interest, the challengers said, was discouraging voters who tend to vote Democratic.
But a district court and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit said the challengers had not proved their case; for one thing, they lacked a compelling portrait of people who had been denied the ability to vote.
(Judge Richard Posner, who wrote the panel's opinion, has since said that he got it wrong and that the photo-ID requirement is "now widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.")"
It is clear that the only way conservatives can win is by keeping people from voting. Then that tiny group of grouchy old White men can have their way………. for a while.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Simon Hewitt
What Place Does Philosophy Have in Politics?
Simon Hewitt takes a philosophical approach to political engagement.
An active socialist, and supporting Labour in the election, I doubt that philosophy had very much to do with the formation of my politics. It wasn't an argument or a thought experiment that moved me to oppose the kind of society that we live in, but rather the experience of low-waged work and a growing realisation of the injustices in the wider world – it is a matter of experience, emotion, and (sometimes) necessity. Far too often philosophical engagement with politics is a one-sided narrowly cerebral affair that disregards much of what it means to be human. Ironically, this mechanical approach does not escape political entanglements itself, but that is for another time.
Philosophy cannot substitute itself for life experience and the development that comes through collective engagement with the world, of which the kind of campaigning that happens around elections is one example. There is however a place for activities that look philosophical in tandem with "real world" political involvement. Thinking systematically about society, developing pictures of how it works and how it could be transformed, is a safeguard against the dulling of imagination and critical intellect that machine politics brings in its wake. Of course our pictures must themselves be tested against the ongoing realities of life and struggle; this is a process with no obvious end.
Similarly, there is an important job of showing the ways that our lives and ideas are caught up systematically in structures of oppression and exploitation, in which the very ways we think about political life limit the possibilities we will admit. That the word "politics" evokes what happens once every five years – but for the intervention of Theresa May – rather than the decision about who has to cook the dinner, or the likelihood of a pay-rise in one's workplace, is one example of the kind of phenomenon Marx would have called "ideological". In thinking of politics in this way we think of most of our lives as apolitical, and that is far from innocent. The use of critical thought to puncture ideology is nearly the most useful thing that philosophers can do politically.
I say "nearly the most important" because of the sentiment Marx expressed famously, "philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point is to change it". He was not condemning the effort to understand the world. The point is that this understanding has a purpose, namely transforming the world in order to rid it of exploitation. Thought and action go hand in hand. So, my advice for the coming weeks would be: vote Labour, go campaigning, and then philosophise. But I can't here do more than invite you to do these things. There is no philosophical argument that will convince all comers. Indeed, it is profoundly ideological to suppose otherwise. The best I can do by way of persuasion is invite you to step outside your front door and look at the world around you. The efficacy of even this, however, will depend on where your front door is situated.
Simon Hewitt is in the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science at the University of Leeds. He has interests in the philosophies of logic, language and religion and in social philosophy. His website is www.simonhewitt.org


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"Clockwork Angels Tour" Live Release Now Available - Opens At #1
The Clockwork Angels Tour live video and album was released November 19th. The video premiered at #1 on Billboard's Video Chart, while the live album version opened at #33 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. - Thanks to Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!
Two years in the making, the audio is available CD/iTunes while the video has been released on both DVD and Blu-Ray; get it here: CD/iTunes/DVD/Blu-Ray. Thanks for supporting Power Windows!
I have transcribed the linernotes; check them out here!
Best Buy stores in the U.S. are offering an exclusive video/t-shirt bundle; the same bundle is being sold in Canada at HMV.
There is an Easter Egg, simply arrow up on the main menu.
Rush have unveiled details for their first new recording since being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. On November 19th, Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour will be released simultaneously via Anthem/Roadrunner Records on CD and iTunes, and the companion DVD/Blu-Ray on Anthem/Zoe Vision/Rounder.
Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour was filmed and recorded last November at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, during Rush's highly successful Clockwork Angels Tour. The eleven month-marathon world tour crossed North America twice and ventured overseas to Europe in support of the band's acclaimed 2012 studio release Clockwork Angels.
In capturing the tour's electrifying three hour set, Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour pairs Rush classics ("Tom Sawyer," "The Spirit Of Radio," "2112"), with a nod to the 80's Rush era (The Analog Kid," "Territories," "Subdivisions") alongside newly reworked arrangements specifically for the tour featuring the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble ("Headlong Flight," "YYZ," "Red Sector A"). The string section marks the first time the trio has brought additional musicians on the road with them. To showcase their latest studio release, the epic set list also features nine tracks off Clockwork Angels. Other highlights include tracks rarely performed and never before recorded live ("The Body Electric," "Middletown Dreams"), in addition to three separate drum solos by the incomparable Neil Peart.
Beyond the incredible live performances, the DVD includes a 25-minute tour documentary titled "Can't Stop Thinking Big", featuring interviews with all 3 members, exclusive and behind the scenes footage, and offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the Rush tour machine and insight into the band members themselves. Other special features on the DVD include the trio of hilarious shorts created specifically for the tour as well as interviews and outtakes captured during their filming. Additional filmed sketches and a rare soundcheck performance of perennial favourite "Limelight" round out the exclusive offerings.
Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour comes on the heels of Anthem/Atlantic's September 30th release of Vapor Trails Remixed, a newly remixed version of the band's 2002 album VAPOR TRAILS and 7-disc boxed set THE STUDIO ALBUMS 1989-2007, which features every studio album Rush recorded for Atlantic Records.
RUSH: CLOCKWORK ANGELS TOUR
Release date: November 19th
DVD (Anthem/Zoe Vision/Rounder)
CD (Anthem/Roadrunner Records) - Rush.com, September 16, 2013
See below for the tracklist and special features details.
Set One:
The Big Money
The Analog Kid
Where's My Thing?/ Here It Is! (drum solo)
Set Two:
Caravan*
Clockwork Angels*
The Anarchist*
Carnies*
The Wreckers*
Headlong Flight*/ Drumbastica (drum solo)
Peke's Repose (guitar solo)/Halo Effect*
Seven Cities of Gold*
Wish Them Well*
The Garden*
Dreamline*
The Percussor (I) Binary Love Theme (II) Steambanger's Ball (drum solo)
Red Sector A*
YYZ*
Tom Sawyer
Limelight (soundcheck recording)
Middletown Dreams
Manhattan Project*
*With the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble
SPECIAL FEATURES (BLURAY/DVD ONLY)
Can't Stop Thinking Big (25 min tour documentary)
Behind The Scenes (featuring Jay Baruchel)
Interview With Dwush
Family Goy
Family Sawyer
The Watchmaker (intermission tour film)
Office Of The Watchmaker (closing tour film)
Posted by Power Windows on Monday, December 02, 2013
Edmund Wilderberry September 16, 2013 at 3:35 PM
Steve Stuarts September 16, 2013 at 3:37 PM
ENOUGH live albums already!! Live albums used to be special. Not anymore. A live CD or DVD after EVERY tour is not necessary.
Kenneth October 5, 2013 at 9:02 AM
In defense of Rush, I think that it is warranted at this time in their history.It is amazing that they are still together in the year 2013, for God's sake!The Grateful Dead used to do the same thing; endless live recordings.When I was a kid, I only was able to WISH that Rush would release more live material.
Power Windows September 16, 2013 at 3:43 PM
I couldn't disagree with you more! Besides, no one is FORCED to buy it! Its a free market!
I only wish I had a live album for every tour. I'd love to hear a live album from the Caress of Steel tour, or Hemispheres, etc. Thankfully the technology has made it easy for Rush to release a live album of every tour!
John Penna September 18, 2013 at 7:36 AM
Pierre KANDEL September 17, 2013 at 1:41 AM
This one will be special 1) for the string ensemble 2) for the light show 3) for tracks we didn't have live on video like Body Electric or Middletown Dreams. And I rather have an official dvd with proper image and sound than a video form youtube (which is nice also).
Richard Stainforth September 22, 2013 at 5:21 AM
I agree with Power Windows,I wish I had a live album with every tour,I'd love to have Hemispheres live.Why should the bootleggers profit on the hard work Rush do on tour.Cant wait until Clockwork Angels is out.
Hemispheres, Caress Of Steel, and more of them with John Rutsey would be really nice!
Allen Gilchrist October 5, 2013 at 11:37 PM
I think for most bands that I like it would be a bit of overkill to release a live album/dvd every time out, but for Rush...nope! I look forward to it after every tour. Frankly, I am as excited for this one not only because of the setlist, but also because Geddy was not in top form due to illness during the TM recording and was better vocally this tour. Plus, the string ensemble was amazing to see live and it will be cool to have it captured on dvd.
The Musician Archivist November 21, 2013 at 8:24 AM
They DID record an entire show from the PW tour, only small portions of which were released on ESL. On that tour they did (abbreviated) versions of Cygnus X1 and Hemispheres, so that could be put out, if people start pressing them for it. Contrary to what Rush says about not having leftovers around, they do have a lot of live material from various tours in the can. But the quality is probably highly variable, given that a lot of their soundboard recordings may only have been on cassette. There are also some good-sounding audience recordings from the Hemispheres tour that can sometimes be found on bittorrent sites.
Dustin2112 November 21, 2013 at 9:38 AM
If you can track down a recording from St. Louis in 1980, you won't be disappointed in the quaility. It is kind of "Official" in that it was an FM broadcast that the band approved of. The mixing and sound are probably better than Exit State Left. Its not the full show but it is a nice gem.
snowdog November 25, 2013 at 7:52 AM
when I saw the band on the Clockwork Angels Tour - back in May in London - it was the best concert I've ever seen Rush do and now this concert film of that tour is the best concert film they've ever done - it really is fantastic and Mr Peart can really run!
Kenneth December 31, 2013 at 9:50 PM
I didn't get to see the tour, but I do know this: I listened to "Clockwork Angels" after some time and I feel kind of strange saying this, but here it goes: It's my very favorite album they have ever done.
Just listen to "The Garden", read the lyrics.That is the most amazing song they've ever done.
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A new year and a new list of games to look forward to!
With gaming time getting increasingly limited and games not living up to their hype, I might not get everything on pre-order but the excitement will never go away!
Here's my most anticipated games of the first half of 2017, provided there are no delays, in no particular order.
A new IP with PVP combat.. This stands out and could turn out to be a really fun game. However, with a lot of emphasis on Multiplayer, I'm not sure how long the online community will last.
Games like Evolve & Division had a lot of excitement and promise leading up to their release but the online died just a few months later. I don't even see that amount of hype for For Honor.
Nevertheless, with a couple of friends planning to get this game, it should be fun while it lasts..
Visually, just stunning! I'm actually tempted to wait on this till I get a PS4 Pro and possibly a 4K TV but if I skip on other games, this could be a fantastic game to jump into.
Who doesn't like Robot Dinosaurs?
Definitely my most anticipated game in this post! Of the 3 Tom Clancy shooters announced at E3 2015, this one stood out for me.
While the issues with The Division has dampened my expectations of this, it should still turn out to be a fun co-op game with friends. Anyone?
That's it for me in the first 6 months! Not a lot of releases but this should suffice till Red Dead Redemption 2 towards the end of the year. Otherwise, I'll be clearing some backlog.
What are you guys looking forward to? Anyone care to join me online in For Honor and Ghost Recon: Wildlands?


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Tag Archives: Helena Kaut-Howson
A Dog Without Purpose
FAITHFUL RUSLAN
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Tuesday 5th September, 2017
If George Orwell had written Lassie Come Home it might have turned out something like this: heavy with political allegory and mired in the harshness of life. Based on a cult novel by Georgi Vladimov, Faithful Ruslan is the story of a guard dog, made redundant by the closure of his gulag. This is no cosy, heart-warming Greyfriars Bobby – Ruslan is so conditioned by his training, he can't forego the old regime and would rather suffer and starve than accept food or a helping hand from a stranger.
Max Keeble features as Ruslan in a remarkable display of physicality. He comes across as a man-dog, his movements and reactions utterly credible. Other members of the cast crop up as narrators of Ruslan's thoughts, their anthropomorphic accounts at odds with the canine qualities of Keeble's performance. Ruslan's thoughts give us a view of the action no dog would ever have, speaking of things dogs can't conceptualise. If ever you've heard someone banging on about a dog's birthday, you'll get the idea.
Helena Kaut-Howson has adapted the novel and directs this production with a sharp eye and vigour, putting her cast through a regimen as they become not just dogs and other humans but swinging doors and props for scenic items. It's a relentless barrage of ideas, the vast majority of them extremely effective. (There's an ill-advised rap quality to one bit of narration about a tractor but I'll gloss over that!)
Martin Donaghy is Ruslan's cruel and treacherous Master, an ostensible villain, but of course, it's the system that's to blame, here called The Service. Paul Brendan brings a down-to-earth touch of humour to proceedings as the Shabby Man, who crosses Ruslan's path. Isabelle Joss appears as Stiura, Shabby Man's lady friend who has nightmares about being gangraped by a long line of prisoners. You see, it's not just about man's slavery and exploitation of animals but the way humans treat each other. Another standout is Hunter Bishop as an energetic and enthusiastic Instructor for the Service dogs who ends up barking mad himself.
There is much to appreciate in this ensemble piece, where the physicality of the performers is enhanced by lighting effects that bring colour to this grim, grey world. Projections of scene captions add to the epic theatre feel. For this stage adaptation, the story is set as a play-within-a-play, performed by the inmates of a corrective facility on the eve of the centenary of the Russian revolution… All I can say is, that corrective facility has one hell of a sophisticated drama society.
You come out impressed by the form but depressed by the content. There is nothing uplifting, no ray of light. The conclusion seems to be that if you're drowned as a puppy, you're one of the lucky ones.
Grim, largely unpleasant but compellingly told – it's going to take a lot of vodka to get the taste out of my mouth.
Doggy style: Max Keeble as Ruslan (Photo: Robert Day)
Leave a comment | tags: B2 Studio, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Faithful Ruslan, Georgi Vladimov, Helena Kaut-Howson, Hunter Bishop, Isabelle Joss, Martin Donaghy, Max Keeble, Paul Brendan | posted in Theatre Review
Old desire doth in his death bed lie
A TENDER THING
Swan Theatre, Stratford upon Avon, Thursday 4th October, 2012
What if Romeo and Juliet hadn't topped themselves? What if they had a long and happy life together? Ben Power's new play re-invents the tale of the star-cross'd lovers, using Shakespeare's words. We meet the couple at the end of a long and happy marriage but tragedy stalks them. Juliet has a debilitating and terminal illness. Parting is not only a sweet sorrow but a creeping inevitability.
At first, the play seems a bit of a gimmick. With the script re-mixed, I was distracted by trying to place the lines from the original: which scene is that speech from? Who speaks those lines in the original? But, as the relationship between the two characters is revealed, I became able to sit back and take the play at face value.
Richard McCabe's Romeo is a lovable old duffer. His raincoat makes him a bit like Graham Lister from Vic & Bob's Fantasy Island. Beneath that, he sports a brown woollen suit, which, along with his hair and specs, adds to his nutty professor appearance. He shows people on the front row a photograph in his wallet and takes us back to a time before Juliet became bedridden with illness to a time when they would go dancing.
Kathryn Hunter's Juliet is a bright-eyed little thing, retaining a girlish sense of fun in her later years. Hunter uses her remarkable physicality as a performer to portray Juliet's decline. Their dancing becomes the daily routine of the carer and the cared-for; the actions speak at least as loudly as the famous words.
Lines like "I have forgot why I did call thee back" take on a new significance as Juliet begins to wane. She reveals, using a speech of the Nurse's, that they had and lost a child. This speech is later repeated as Juliet succumbs to dementia and delirium. Hunter's performance is powerful and striking, matched by McCabe's patient and doting husband, his frustration and his anger.
They agree that when she is too far gone, he will assist her suicide. Here the herbs and the potion of the original come into (the) play. The morality of their decision and the action taken is not an issue. This is shown to be a private matter, an arrangement between two loved ones, without the brouhaha you would get in an issue-based drama.
Director Helena Kaut-Howson dilutes the encroaching misery with moments of beauty, using music by John Woolf and movement direction by Jane Gibson: withered Juliet springs, in her imagination, from her wheelchair and dances around, full of vigour and life – in her mind at least.
Curiously, the play is depressing and uplifting, often in the same moment. It is grim and heart-warming. It shows there is a kind of plasticity to Shakespeare; you can bend him in order to shed new light on the human condition. The vaguely seashore setting, with only a chair or two and a free-standing door, indicate this is happening nowhere in particular but anywhere and everywhere. This is not a tragedy about a particular couple in a particular set of circumstances. This is the more general tragedy of our mortality. We reach old age if we're lucky. If we have someone with whom to share our declining years, we are luckier still. But the inevitability of death, that irresistible force of nature – here symbolised by video footage of the sea – is coming for us all.
Leave a comment | tags: A Tender Thing, Ben Power, Helena Kaut-Howson, Jane Gibson, John Woolf, Kathryn Hunter, review, Richard McCabe, RSC, Stratford upon Avon, Swan Theatre | posted in Theatre Review


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Lincoln Financial's Legal Department Achieves Key Diversity and Inclusion Certification
On August 27, Diversity Lab named Lincoln one of 19 pioneering legal departments to have achieved Mansfield Certification after completing the Mansfield Rule: Legal Department Edition (MRLD) inaugural 2019-2020 pilot certification program.
The overall goal of the MRLD is to increase the representation of diverse lawyers in leadership by broadening the pool of women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and/or racial/ethnic minorities who are considered for legal department job openings, high visibility opportunities and promotions and outside counsel representation. The certification was initially launched four years ago with law firms and its process of measuring and tracking representation through MRLD certification has moved the needle for diversity within many of the certified firms.
"MRLD is a small step in the right direction for the Legal department and the legal industry," said Brandy Smith, assistant vice president and chief compliance officer and counsel for group protection. "The certification process creates an opportunity to not only continue discussions and education about diversity & inclusion ("talk the talk"), but to actually take action ("walk the walk"). I believe the laws of this country are the foundation for the change necessary to attack systemic racism at its core. That is why it is more important than ever to push change in a profession that has so much impact on the foundation and future of the nation. I know that the leadership of Lincoln's legal department understands that diversity is an important factor in a high functioning department and this certification shows that we are seeking to actively make a change."
Lincoln's enterprise Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Strategy seeks to achieve specific objectives and milestones in our workplace, marketplace, and the communities the company serves. It ensures a culture of D&I permeates every level of Lincoln and its interactions with partners and suppliers. In alignment with the D&I strategy, the Legal department launched the Legal Diversity Action Team (DAT) in 2019. The Legal DAT led the charge for MRLD certification. The purpose of the legal DAT is to draft, lead, execute and communicate the department's diversity action plan.
"The Lincoln Legal Department's participation in this program is one example of our ongoing and continued commitment to diversity and inclusion," said Leon Roday, executive vice president, general counsel. "While we are proud to achieve this certification, there is more that we must do both inside and outside of Lincoln to reach our goals and maintain certification."
The success of the MRLD pilot has spurred 54 legal departments to commit to the certification process for MRLD 2.0. Lincoln continues its commitment to diversity and inclusion as a MRLD 2.0 participant.
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with Leigh Sales
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7.30 Report
Kevin Rudd makes 'strong arguments for re-election'
Posted Thu 6 Jun 2013, 7:56pm
Updated Thu 6 Jun 2013, 7:56pm
Kevin Rudd says Labor has a strong chance to build its case for re-election and makes the case, and also highlights the importance of the coming China/US summit.
LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Mr Pyne's outburst was a sign of the fevered speculation in Canberra over how Labor is going to lift itself out of its funk amid fresh claims that Kevin Rudd supporters are destabilising the Government. Mr Rudd has kept a low profile of late, but he agreed to appear on 7.30 tonight as long as he could talk about a landmark summit in California this weekend between the US President Barack Obama and the Chinese President Xi Jinping, not just the internal strife in the Labor Party. We covered both subjects when Kevin Rudd joined me from Canberra earlier.
Kevin Rudd, why is this two-day summit between Barack Obama and Xi Jinping so important?
KEVIN RUDD, LABOR BACKBENCHER: I think there are two basic reasons. Number one is this: East Asia is becoming something like a global arms bazaar, and what we see is not just the concentration of armaments in the region, but also a whole range of security tensions between China and Japan, between China and the Philippines, between China and Vietnam and of course across the Korean Peninsula too. The danger is because we have strategic distrust between America and China, this means that the possibility of any of these incidents escalating out of control and to conflict becomes greater, so we need a reset.
But there's a second reason as well. With China we're looking at a country which in the next decade or so will become the largest economy in the world. This'll be the first time in a coupla hundred years at that a non-Western, non-democratic, non-English-speaking state will be the world's largest economy. So the challenge is this: can we work with the Chinese to adhere to, strengthen, reform intelligently the international rules-based order which we've had since 1945, or, is it going to deteriorate to the extent that when China becomes powerful enough, it would seek unilaterally to change the rules of the order? So getting these two together, Obama and Xi Jinping, in a working-level summit is so important to begin to reduce the strategic trust deficit.
LEIGH SALES: One of the issues on the summit agenda is cyber security. That's been in the spotlight in Australia recently because of claims that Chinese hackers accessed the blueprint for the new ASIO headquarters. What incentive does China have to stop hacking?
KEVIN RUDD: Well, look, you're right to point to cyber security as a key tension in the relationship. In fact, it affects all countries, not just China and the United States. And so therefore one of the recommendations I've put publicly in articles I've written in the United States is that the two leaders should commission their heads of their respective militaries, led by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the US side, to begin to work out rules of the road for cyber security. Now, these are very sensitive intelligence matters, but of course in the United States and elsewhere, there is a real and rolling concern about commercial espionage. So China, because it also has its own developing intellectual property, has a big interest in protecting its own assets as well.
LEIGH SALES: I want to ask you about China's economy given the volatility we've seen in commodity prices. Can Australia continue to reliably rely on China's economy to fuel ours?
KEVIN RUDD: Yes, but in this sense: we cannot afford to put all of our eggs in one basket, namely the resources basket. China itself is changing its growth model and this is the big agenda of Xi Jinping's administration. And therefore, what they are doing is moving to a new growth model, a change after the last 30 years, which is based on domestic consumption rather than labour intensive manufactures for export. So therefore for the China of the future, which is a massive economy, about to become the world's second largest, we need as Australia to be looking across the range of new export opportunities, by which I mean agribusiness, food supply - there is a huge demand for quality, safe, secure foodstuffs in China. Secondly, in the services industries, not just tourism, where now millions of Chinese are travelling the world, education services, health services, financial services, construction and engineering services where Australia has world-class services to offer, particularly if we have an effective NBN.
LEIGH SALES: If we can turn to another foreign policy matter, which is the question of asylum seekers coming to Australia by boat, do you agree with your colleague Laurie Ferguson that Labor will be dead if it doesn't start to do more to counter Tony Abbott's line that he will stop the boats?
KEVIN RUDD: Well I won't comment on what Mr Ferguson has said, but what I will say is this: as Mr Abbott approaches this election, he's essentially doing so on the basis of three arguments to the Australian people, and you've just pointed to one of them. On the asylum seekers question, let's just put his proposal in a nutshell. He says he will stop the boats and he will send them back to Indonesia. That is an absolute lie. He knows that. Everyone who knows this area of policy well knows that. It's more of a slogan than a substantive policy position and the Indonesian Government made that clear through their ambassador in the course of the last week or so.
The second premise, by the way, for Mr Abbott's election campaign is that he says that this country has a debt and deficit crisis. That also is a lie because we've got three credit ratings agencies around the world who say that Australia, almost uniquely, has a triple A credit rating. It doesn't stack up.
And his third premise - and I just need to put this into its context - Mr Abbott is now saying after 20 years in Parliament, 19 years as one of the most extreme right-wing conservative leaders or politicians that the Liberal Party has thrown up, in his 20th year he's suddenly become a policy moderate. Well you can wear pale blue ties to assuage people up to some point, but a leopard never changes its spots.
LEIGH SALES: Mr Rudd, the Prime Minister's supporters blame you and your supporters for much of Labor's poor standing in the polls because they claim that you've repeatedly undermined the Government. What do you say to that?
KEVIN RUDD: Well what I'd say is very simple: that, number one, that is untrue, and number two, my job, like every other Labor member of Parliament, is to get out there and argue the Government's case for re-election, to undermine Mr Abbott's untruthful case for election.
LEIGH SALES: Given that you're out there, if the ALP is defeated on the scale that even Labor MPs are anticipating, what will be your share of the blame for that?
KEVIN RUDD: Can I just say it is completely wrong for people in our national political life to be on about constructing alibis for defeat when our responsibility on behalf of the people we represent and the Parliament of Australia is to not just devise a strategy for victory, but to implement that strategy as well. We have a phenomenally strong record on the economy. We, on the basis of our economic record, deserve re-election.
LEIGH SALES: You say that they're strong points for re-election, but the public doesn't seem to be buying it. Have voters stopped listening to Julia Gillard?
KEVIN RUDD: Well you know the great saying in politics that a week is a very long time in politics, well let me tell you, 100 days is an eternity. We have an opportunity - all of us, the Prime Minister, ministers of the Government, backbenchers such as myself, to argue the case for the Labor Party. Others can provide the commentary as to who is being listened to or not. My job is to put the case for Labor. It's a strong case on its merits, as opposed to one which has been constructed on a tissue of lies as we have in the case of Mr Abbott's campaign.
LEIGH SALES: Do you commit to serving another full term in the Parliament if you're re-elected?
KEVIN RUDD: Of course I do. I don't believe in bringing on unnecessary by-elections.
LEIGH SALES: And a final question: I just want to make sure that nothing has changed in your mind. Is there any scenario in which you would take the leadership of the Labor Party?
KEVIN RUDD: Leigh, my position on that hasn't changed since February of last year. The caucus had an opportunity to vote then and they voted two-to-one in favour of the Prime Minister and against me. I've accepted that position. My job is to go and argue the case for Labor and that's what I'll be doing around the country between now and voting day. It's a good case and we should not be hauling up the white flag.
LEIGH SALES: So the answer is there's no scenario ... ?
KEVIN RUDD: As I said before, my position hasn't changed since February of last year. You know what I said then. I'm not gonna enter into word games with you. The caucus voted. I accept their response.
LEIGH SALES: If you don't say a blank no, people of course interpret it as you leaving wiggle room.
KEVIN RUDD: Well, you know exactly what I've said in the past to these questions time and time and time again and you'll play word games all the way through. Last time I said in February of 2012 that I would not be challenging the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister won that caucus ballot by two-to-one. It was a convincing and strong win. I've accepted the result.
LEIGH SALES: Kevin Rudd, thank you very much for your time today.
KEVIN RUDD: Good to be with you.
Author Leigh Sales
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Samurai Shodown Demo Ver. 2 now available for PS4 in Japan
A second demo launched ahead of release.
Sal RomanoJun 21, 2019 at 2:56 AM EDT0 Comment0
The "Samurai Shodown Demo Ver. 2″ is now available for PlayStation 4 via the Japanese PlayStation Store. It will be available until July 7.
As previously detailed, the demo includes Genjuro Kibagami, Ukyo Tachibana, and Charlotte as playable characters, and Training Mode, VS Mode, and Tutorial Mode as playable modes. There is no limit on play time.
An Xbox One version of the demo is also planned, but a release date has yet to be decided.
Samurai Shodown is due out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 25 in the Americas and Europe, and June 27 in Japan. Switch and PC versions are planned for release in Q4 2019.
Samurai Shodown (2019)
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Pokemon Sword and Shield Japanese theatrical commercial


Something more than physical life.
Most every night, where I work I transport dead persons to the morgue. Others I work with have told me that around 3:00am they hear voices in the morgue.
I asked them have they experienced something more than physical life? Just the voices inside the cold morgue. Did you go inside and check it out? No!
So, here I go again, what to make of this? I don't hear any voices even when I go to check it out and wait around awhile. I'm talking about professional persons in the health care industry.
I have no evidence that there is something more than the realm of time and space and matter ,something more than physical life.
Now I'm not asking about what is written in all the various books out there. Have you experience conclusively, personally something like this that you can't explain.
I know it's asking about anecdotal personal accounts, hearsay rather than hard facts. I would still like to hear your story if you want to share it.
I'm 74 years old and have never had any anecdotal experience that would convince me that there is something more than physical life as we live it.
Others I work with have told me that around 3:00am they hear voices in the morgue.
People who feel ordinary and or have nothing much to say on their own often like to have a story to tell and they even start believing them after they've told them long enough.
These stories are always fear based. If they're going to hang around after death, why is it that the spirits in these stories never do anything fun like go to the beach or to Disneyland? They always lurk about in dark lonely places....the same places they were afraid of when they were alive.
Billions of people have lived and died on this earth. It seems like there's been enough of them that have come and gone that we'd all have had at least one encounter with a lingering spirit, in our own lifetime.
I wouldn't say this except online but on rare occasions, real late at night, if I'm sleep-deprived and want to sleep but can't I might hear a snippet of what sounds like a voice but it's just my brain playing tricks on me, and it's always gibberish, it's not like I hear coherent words. Late night shifts, I could see that happening to others. Or they're just trying to be all spooky, who knows?
I have heard that dead bodies can make random noises from air being exhausted or released out of orifices hours after the person has been officially declared dead.
There were reports from Eastern Europe during ww2 about the mass graves, that sounds were coming out of the ground for days and weeks after the events. Chemistry, nothing other worldly except the unspeakable tragedies.
When I was younger I could hear whole symphony orchestras playing, even singling out solo instruments. All done by new neurons firing right. no magic.
But if this universe did not make itself, with foresight, the one making it could set up settings, where normal physical entities could produce extraordinary situations. very odd though, when silence, inaction is the norm and is enough.
Paranormal spiritual activity is a figment of the human imagination until scientifically proven otherwise.
If people are hearing voices or seeing things which cant be proven through physical evidence, they are most likely suffering from a biological neurological disorder such as the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia.
I have PTSD and in the days when i suffered with it badly i had flashbacks and saw things I can swear where real. Obviously I know they werent there. But even in my memory to this day it still seemed real. The mind is powerful and convincing.
I want it on record that, when I'm dead and youvetransported me to the morgue, that I will not be talking to you or anyone else.
When I was a teenager and not then a JW my peers had told me about tying a piece of cotton on a gold ring and holding it steadily suspended over a photo of someone who has died and it would start to rotate in a circle or swing like a pendulum.
If you do the same thing with a gold ring tied with a piece of cotton suspended over the photo of a living person it will act opposite to what it does with a dead person either swing like a pendulum or rotate in a circle .
I did it once and it was true .


text:
// Copyright (c) 2012 Ecma International.  All rights reserved.
// Ecma International makes this code available under the terms and conditions set
// forth on http://hg.ecmascript.org/tests/test262/raw-file/tip/LICENSE (the
// "Use Terms").   Any redistribution of this code must retain the above
// copyright and this notice and otherwise comply with the Use Terms.

/*---
es5id: 15.2.3.6-4-615
description: ES5 Attributes - all attributes in Array.prototype.some are correct
includes: [runTestCase.js]
---*/

function testcase() {
        var desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(Array.prototype, "some");

        var propertyAreCorrect = (desc.writable === true && desc.enumerable === false && desc.configurable === true);

        var temp = Array.prototype.some;

        try {
            Array.prototype.some = "2010";

            var isWritable = (Array.prototype.some === "2010");

            var isEnumerable = false;

            for (var prop in Array.prototype) {
                if (prop === "some") {
                    isEnumerable = true;
                }
            }

            delete Array.prototype.some;

            var isConfigurable = !Array.prototype.hasOwnProperty("some");

            return propertyAreCorrect && isWritable && !isEnumerable && isConfigurable;
        } finally {
            Object.defineProperty(Array.prototype, "some", {
                value: temp,
                writable: true,
                enumerable: false,
                configurable: true
            });
        }
    }
runTestCase(testcase);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Friends from afar, near again.
We've got house guests, so this post will be brief. Our good friend, Patrick, and his sweetie, Christy, arrived here yesterday. Patrick used to live in New Orleans, pre-Katrina, and he and Christy became hurricane refugees, opting not to return to Louisiana when the city reopened. They've been in Texas for the last eight months, and now they've decided to relocate to the Atlanta area. They'll be moving here in a few weeks, and are doing the job interview/scope out apartments thing this week.
Yay! We knew Patrick from when we all used to live in Illinois, and I'm happier than a skunk with ice cream that he's moving here! Yippy-skippy!
- Article polished and sent off to Writing-World.
5 Responses to Friends from afar, near again.
Not sure what your friends are looking for but there are usually some nice condos for rent over here in the Colony/Club/River Ridge complexes at the bottom of the hill. Ill check with some of the neighbors that own rentals and see if they know of anything available.
They aren't anything special but at least it's not a mega-plex on Holcomb Bridge.
Thanks for the lead! Do you have any idea what the price range might be?
I asked the wife about rents and she wasn't sure. She suggested that they swing into the Colony since it's the better neighborhood (and right off Nesbitt Ferry) and check out any For Rent signs. That would be the fastest way to see what was available. I'll take a look the next time I head down Barnwell and see if there are any For Rent signs on this side. People usually put a sign out by the main road on the Barnwell side when they have something available.
Wait…skunks like ice cream? I'm guessing a mixing of chocolate and vanilla…like cookies and creme?
Skunks love ice cream, but not so much chocolate (or rather, they'd probably love chocolate, but it's very bad for them). Hobkin loves strawberry ice cream. And vanilla. And caramel. Well, pretty much he loves ice cream. He doesn't get it very often, though, as it's not good for him.


text:
Wannabe Tik Tok star licks plane toilet seat to be famous in "coronavirus challenge"
Apparently "rich blonde bitches are immune".
19 March 2020 12:07PM
10 iconic moments from Aussie battlers to celebrate Australia Day
Metallica just dropped a brand new song 'Screaming Suicide'
She did it for the "clout".
As reported by Newshub:
An influencer has filmed herself licking a toilet seat on a plane as part of a TikTok "coronavirus challenge".
Ava Louise has over 21,000 followers on the social media app and a further 160,000 followers on Instagram.
She posted the video to her Twitter profile with the caption: "Please RT this so people can know how to properly be sanitary on the airplane."
The six-second video shows Louise crouching down and licking the toilet seat before sitting back up and doing a peace sign.
People were repulsed at her video with one person suggesting she "stay away from the general population".
"Really!! A toilet seat. I think after that the virus might be the least of your issues," one person commented.
"The things people do for attention," another user wrote.
Louise later confirmed on Twitter she participated in the challenge for social "clout" and the video wasn't that bad since she's "eaten a dude's ass".
She also said she "can't get coronavirus" because "the gays [and] rich blonde bitches are immune".
Louise told Business Insider she was "tired of some bitch named corona" getting more publicity than her.
"I just wanted more attention than this corona bitch but she's good," she said. "So I capitalised off her. And now I'm, like, global news. My mum told me she's proud of me.
"I shed light on [a] pandemic while wearing Fendi sunglasses… The serve."
There doesn't appear to be any videos on TikTok that copy Louise's challenge.


text:
If your backyard is looking a little tired, try one of these ideas for making the most of your outdoor spaces.
2 Make Your Dog Happy | A growing number of homeowners are letting at least a portion of their backyard go to the dogs — in a good way. McClaren reports a growing number of amenities built specifically for our four-legged friends. Amenities range from out-of-sight graveled potty areas and dig zones, where toys and bones can be buried, to more luxurious options such as canine swimming holes. One of McClaren's recent jobs was a 4-foot-deep swimming pool with a diving dock and easy-to-navigate steps for the homeowners' two golden retrievers. "The clients became tired of the dogs dragging mud out of the natural ponds into the house," McClaren explains. "They like to swim."
3 Transform Your Deck | If you want to give your weathered wooden deck the look of a raised patio, Alliance-based Sare Plastics recently introduced a product that will help with that transformation. Jeff Rak, president of Land Creations Landscaping in Columbia Station, is already using the durable, engineered polymer. Workers replace old decking with the Silca Grate honeycomblike sections and then cover them with pavers, natural stone and brick — "anything that's uniform in thickness," Rak says. A wall built around the resurfaced areas conceals the deck frame from view. Such a makeover is best done on sound, first-floor decks, Rak explains. "It's not for every situation," he says. "But it certainly is a nice option."
4 Build an Outdoor Kitchen | Many homeowners dream of an al fresco kitchen outfitted with a grill island, bar and fireplace. But digging the foundation traditionally required for such structures has kept many from making the upgrade, according to Rak. Eldorado Stone — a system of reinforced-concrete components, which are arranged in the desired configuration and bolted together — only requires a 6-inch concrete slab. "It's almost like putting [stock] cabinets together," Rak says, before noting that the results rival custom work. The outdoor kitchens are then outfitted with the customer's selection of cabinet doors, countertops, sinks and appliances and then finished with natural stone, cast-concrete stone or brick veneers. "Structurally, they're extremely sound," Rak adds.
5 Reuse and Re-imagine | More than one local landscape designer mentioned recycling as one of the biggest outdoor-design trends of the moment. David Thorn, owner of DTR Associates in Aurora, says a great way to take part in the trend is to reuse stone. He points to the round sandstone patio in the backyard of his Chagrin Falls home as a prime example. The early 19th-century feature originally graced an estate overlooking Lake Erie. "When I purchased the stone, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it," he says. "But the stone was so beautiful, and the pieces were so large. That's hard to find now. And the craftsmanship, ... it was all hand-chiseled." Similar treasures can be found at architectural-salvage stores, but Thorn says a less expensive source may be closer to home: Older communities are tearing out sandstone sidewalks to make way for concrete ones.
6 consider edible plants | No one is suggesting you turn your yard into the North 40, but Patrick Beam, a landscape architect at 9th Avenue Designs in South Euclid, says some fruit- and vegetable-bearing plants are worth adding to the landscape for looks alone. He singles out strawberry, a dark green spreading plant he uses as ground cover, and grapevine, an alternative to staples such as ivy. "It adds great winter interest," he says of the latter. "The bark peels off. It's kind of shaggy." But his favorite edible planting is the high-bush blueberry, a shrub he plants in masses or as hedging. "They provide beautiful fall color; they turn a really deep crimson," he says. "Raspberries also provide a very fine hedge, but they do have thorns."
7 Grow Up | For gardeners with limited space to indulge their passion, Beam says vertical gardening is a good option. The Wally, a felt pocket made by California-based Woolly Pockets, makes the concept easy to implement. The pockets are filled with potting soil, planted with perennials and annuals, and hung on an outdoor wall to create solid masses of green. More permanent options include freestanding, irrigated installations Beam constructs for clients by placing wire frames back to back and filling them with potted plants that rest on their sides. The plants can be arranged to create designs, turning the living wall into what Beam calls "living art."
8 Add Some Water | Some homeowners are opting to forgo the pond when it comes to water features, according to Andrew Dangelo, owner and president of The Ohio Valley Group in Chagrin Falls. Ponds create safety concerns in neighborhoods where young children live. They also require maintenance and winterization. Simpler water feature options range from natural-looking waterfalls placed in slopes or swales to a giant, water-spraying fire hydrant. Dangelo says the key to artful placement, particularly for a more contemporary feature, is creating a spot where it becomes a focal point, like "outside a window, where you can see it and hear it, or near a patio."
9 Build a Pergola | A pergola is a nice option for homeowners who want to define a space without completely covering it. Dangelo points out that pergolas provide broken sunlight, especially when used to support trellising plants, and serve as a space to stash integrated lighting or hang fixtures. He recently installed a structure over the patio of a Western Reserve-style home that could easily handle the weight of two chandeliers.
The vinyl pergolas, which come in wood textures and a range of colors, offer one big advantage over wood: They don't require repeated staining and sealing.
10 Don't Forget the Front Yard | Cathy Serafin, a landscape architect at Suncrest Gardens in Peninsula, credits a nationwide movement "to return to the neighborhood" for the number of courtyards and other front-yard spaces her clients have requested over the past few years. "People are starting to feel comfortable sitting in front of their homes," she says. "The word 'courtyard' sounds a little more formal, but it can also be very informal: a space for two chairs and a small table." Serafin says the courtyard is typically located near one of the home's front entrances. Therefore, it must complement the architecture and scale of the home. Depending on the size, it can be used for everything from sipping coffee on weekend mornings to large-scale entertaining — a spot where cocktails are passed out to arriving guests and people linger at the end of the night.
11 choose Faux Stone | Serafin admits that some concrete pavers designed to resemble stone look downright fake. As a result, consumers who insisted on durability usually go with brick or cobblestone styles. But three years ago manufacturers began producing improved faux stone pavers that many discerning clients see as viable alternatives to the real thing, a luxury that costs roughly twice as much to install. "They have a natural, random quality to them," Serafin says. "It has taken a little time to actually convince people to try the product. But once we had it installed, where they could look at it and walk on it, we sold more and more of it."
12 Plant a Shade Garden | If you're dreading the sight of those bare spots under your majestic old tree after the snow melts, you're not alone. "Most people have areas of problem shade in their gardens," says Ann Rosmarin, of Rosmarin Landscape Design in Cleveland Heights. Part of the solution lies in hiring an expert to judiciously prune the tree. The other lies in filling bare areas near the tree with plants that tolerate the resulting dappled shade. Rosmarin advises against digging beds, a practice that can cut into and damage tree root systems. Instead, she recommends gently tucking small plugs of native sedges and Japanese primroses between the roots. An air spade, which she describes as "a reverse vacuum" that uses air pressure to disperse soil and expose roots, is the best tool for the job. "It is expensive," she says. "But it's well worth it if you have magnificent oaks and maples."
13 Take it to the street | If city codes allow, Rosmarin recommends extending your plantings to the curb. The practice not only provides more gardening space, particularly for homeowners with postage stamp-size lawns, but also delights passersby. Her own tree lawn, once occupied by a single serviceberry tree, contains an inexpensive yet hardy mix of junipers, iceberg roses, geranium, day lilies, lavender and black-eyed Susans. She's even incorporated edibles such as nasturtium, rosemary and thyme. "One has to be practical about it," Rosmarin cautions. For example, she uses boulders only after determining there are no water or sewer lines underneath. "And you've got to leave enough space for your garbage."
14 Go with Ground Cover | Steve Pattie, president of The Pattie Group in Novelty, encourages clients to plant large mulched areas with ground cover or masses of low-growing perennials. The practice not only saves trees cut down to make mulch but also prevents damage to prized landscape counterparts by repeatedly mulching the beds around them. "People who keep mulching and mulching are actually rotting out the bark of their trees," Pattie warns. Although the plantings are more expensive, the initial investment is recouped over the years in savings on mulch and the time required to spread it. They also shade the ground more effectively, preventing weeds from getting the sunlight needed to grow.
15 Heat Things Up | We know, preparing for cold weather is the last thing you want to think about right now. But Ann Cicarella, of Ann Cicarella Landscape Design in Shaker Heights, says the inconvenience and expense of replacing an existing paved driveway or walkway with a radiant-heated counterpart is mitigated by the knowledge that you'll never shovel, salt or slip on it again. "The minute a snowflake hits, it melts," she says. Cicarella recommends an electric system over a hydronic one, the latter of which requires the installation of a dedicated hot-water heater. Both are now more cost-effective to operate thanks to improved aerial and surface-mounted sensors that activate the systems as needed. Heating only the most-walked portion of a paved area is another money-saving option.
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Beekman Place in Sarasota is a residential development in that consists of five distinct subdivisions located between the Rolling Green Golf Club and Desoto Lakes. This is a quiet neighborhood that provides a lot of value to home buyers lucky enough to find an available listing.
Beekman Place was developed in the 1980s and 1990s. The residential architectural style is a mix of Florida ranch-style homes with touches of Mediterranean design. Two of the neighborhoods at Beekman Place feature both condominium units and villa style residences: Beekman Lakes and Forty-Three West. The Groves, Villages and Estates are single-family residences.
The meticulous landscaping and lakes at Beekman Place make it very attractive for home buyers, but the home prices are even more enticing. Single-family residences start around $169,900 for a two-bedroom and two-bathroom home built on 1,300 square feet. A three-bedroom and two-bathroom home on 2,400 square feet of living space can be listed for less than $240,000. Homeowners here like to stick around, and thus coming across an available listing is a reason to act quickly.
A master neighborhood association handles the pretty landscape, amenities and common areas of Beekman Place. Residents of the Villages and Estates enjoy two swimming pools and a tennis court. Forty Three West and Beekman Lakes each have swimming pools and clubhouses. The neighborhoods are close to shopping, entertainment, golf courses, racquet clubs and community parks. The beaches are about 15 minutes away.
Young residents of Beekman Place can attend Gocio Elementary, Booker Middle and Booker High Schools of the Sarasota Public Schools District, as well as a number of private academies nearby.
See all Beekman Sarasota Homes for Sale & Condos .


Brussels sprouts are super tasty IF prepared right. Lean how now with this tasty Pasta with Shaved Brussels, Leeks, and Pine Nuts recipe from Foodal. It's a nutritious and delicious dish that can transition from a side to a main entrée for light lunches or dinner. Find out more now!
Are you looking for a super easy and tasty vegan soup recipe? Try this filling and healthy cabbage and potato soup. Made with common ingredients, it's a great recipe for chilly fall and winter lunches or even light dinners. Get the details now!
Ever since I started eating and living healthyish, my mental outlook on life has really improved. I am able to eat whatever I want totally guilt-free because I know that 85% of the time, I'm not eating unhealthy foods. Read more about how I organize my eating habits to help you with yours.
Are you looking for the perfect vegan or vegetarian cool-weather comfort food? This meatless and dairy free split pea soup was created with you in mind! Homemade sumac-spiced croutons top this tasty soup and really makes it something extra special. Get the recipe now!
Do you love the taste of root veggies? If so, this butternut and beet salad with couscous and pomegranate seeds should be in your recipe book! Healthy greens, citrus fruit, and squash pack vitamins into a simple recipe dish that's chalk full of flavor. Find out more now!
If you're looking for vegan Thanksgiving recipes, you've come to the right place! Appetizers, salads, sides, mains, and desserts all included!
An easy recipe for appetizers for any get-together, from 4th of July to New Years. And they are a great crowd-pleaser for game day! They are also perfect as a meal for a smaller crowd. Black beans and fresh corn pair with enchilada sauce and a sprinkling of cotija cheese to make a truly delectable dish. Get the recipe now!


Star Amulet You see a star amulet (Arm:10, shielding +10, magic level +5, protection death +2%, speed +10, faster regeneration). It can only be wielded properly by sorcerers and druids. It weighs 6.60 oz. regenerates mana 2 in 2 sec.
Greenwood Coat You see a greenwood coat (Arm:20, fist fighting +10, club fighting +10, sword fighting +10, axe fighting +10, distance fighting +10, protection all +3%, speed +10). It can only be wielded properly by knights and paladins of level 250 or higher. It weighs 28.50 oz.
Magic Longsword You see a magic longsword (Atk:55, Def:40). It can only be wielded properly by players of level 200 or higher. It weighs 43.00 oz. It is the magic Cyclopmania Sword.
Ring of Regeneration You see ring of regeneration (Arm:6, shielding +5, protection all +2%, speed +10, faster regeneration). It can only be wielded properly by players of level 400 or higher. It weighs 2.00 oz. regenerates mana and hp 5 in 2 sec.
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Comic News Insider Episode 858 – Heroes Con Interview Special w/ Tini Howard/Kevin Mellon/Andy Runton!
Comic News Insider: Episode 858 is now available for free download! Click on the link or get it through iTunes! Sponsored by Dynamic Forces.
Jimmy got some great interviews while at Heroes Con! Tini Howard (Assassinistas, Rick and Morty, Hack/Slash) talks about her work, new found love of wrestling and what she would do if she could write a Venture Bros. comic. Kevin Mellon (Suicide Sisters, Archer) talks about his recent horror/suspense one-shot comics and what it's like being the storyboard director/artist on the hit animated series Archer. Andy Runto (Owly) chats about his massive all ages hit comic Owly and how it has endured, what you can learn from it and what's next. He and Jimmy also find out they lived in the same city for years back in the day! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love! Also, get a hold of us!
I always go to my local comics shop looking for a great story! This week, during episode 213, I talk with Brahm Revel, creator of a series of graphic novels from Oni Press called Guerillas, which is an all-time favorite of mine! The third volume is scheduled for release in May, so I appreciated the chance to discuss these books with Brahm, including where the idea for this series came from, who the characters are, and what we can expect from the third book. You'll also want to listen because Brahm has a special announcement about the future of Guerillas, one that, if you're a fan like me, you won't want to miss! Be sure to listen to this great interview about a terrific comic you should be reading if you haven't picked it up already! Really!
Comic News Insider Episode 533 – Un-Ironically Enthusiastic with Dana Aber!
Comic News Insider: Episode 533 is now available for free download! Click on the link or get it through iTunes! Sponsored by Dynamic Forces.
Big Thunder Productions' Dana Aber joins her pal Jimmy in studio to chat about her upcoming nerdy musical theater production called Un-Ironically Enthusiastic (Nerds on Parade). In tribute, Jimmy sings a little ditty for her. Apologies to you all especially to My Chemical Romance. News includes: DC's 3rd weekly comic announced, Warren Ellis to revamp Dynamite heroes, Dark Horse to publish Venture Bros. art book, autistic teen starts comic book vending machine business, Templesmith's Wormwood gets animated, Fox and Sony team up in Amazing Spider-Man 2 stinger, and man sues ex over Snoopy plush doll. Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
Early drop but a short one (we apologize for those of you who like our normal filibuster eps) but we'll be back to our normal long-form show by the next drop.
Now let's get onto it!
In this special Comic-Con episode I interview Dave Dwonch, Eliza Frye, Andy Belanger, Buzz, and Murilo Martins. Also included is the press junket I was apart of that featured Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick.
Mike shot the complete Venture Bros. Panel at the 2008 New York ComicCon.
Variant Edition is the weekly video podcast covering comic book news, reviews and culture. Every week, episodes are online through iTunes, available on www.variantedition.com and sharable through Veoh, Blip.tv, YouTube, Google and LiveVideo. And don't forget to check out our forums…let us know what you think of the episodes or would like to see something covered on the show.