Displaying 1,201 To 1,230 Of 18,974 Comments Hello kes, about the old lady, only the last digit was wrong, so I imagine that Mr. Sakamoto was as short sighted as I am. Osborne who owns millions of pounds decides the course of the country. What’s wrong with that? Everything! McCain’s verbal diarrhoea is very embarrassing. Everything he knows about today’s foreign affairs, could fit on a grain of sand. Sit down senator and make plans for your retirement while you still have a few marbles left. Peter King needs to gargle with carbolic acid. No apologies. The Ukraine nuclear power accident is world news so it’s hardly surprising that the news in your country is about the latest basketball and baseball games and goings on. Can’t tell you how much your msm news never fails to disappoint me. 🙁 Charles Blow speaks from the heart, not just as a black American, but from the place we all should be speaking from. Our conscience and our common sense. 😆 Poor AB and dear Blovie but thank the Lord for small mercies. In this case, humongous ones. Hey AB!! » Posted By Kalima On December 6, 2014 @ 5:32 am Good Morning Everyone! Wet and dark over here today, a great day for napping but it was not to be. Neighbours kindly bringing over a bag of persimmons from their tree. They are huge and look delicious. Wrong number calls that continued through the day from an old lady convinced that I must be Mr. Sakamoto who had given her this number. Didn’t have the heart to get angry with her so finally managed to convey that her Mr. Sakamoto had given her the wrong telephone number, and the calls stopped. Someone came late afternoon to measure a space where I want another cupboard in the kitchen, and asked me if he could come in with his shoes on. I said that if he did, I would have to kill him. He then announced that to fit the cupboard in, they would have to remove a 2 meter 50 cm long stone counter that is attached to the kitchen wall. I almost fainted thinking of the time something so ridiculous would take and the damage to the wall. We left it at, please think of another way before I jump from the 3rd floor balcony. 😯 Have a good day wherever you may be. Take care, be safe, stay warm and comfy. Sayonara from my crazy corner of Tokyo. Mata ne. A few stories and opinions from around the globe. Campaigning for election kicks off as Abe’s approval rating dips —- Conservatives the world over are still using this failed policy and it never looks any different in any country. There is no such animal as ‘trickle down’ it’s as extinct as the mammoth. ‘Three arrows’ said half complete as families struggle with ‘Abenomics’ —- 300 passengers trapped on train for around 8 hours in northeast Japan http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141203p2g00m0dm053000c.html —- PICTURE OF THE DAY Blue Christmas http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/blue-christmas INTERNATIONAL NEWS Autumn statement 2014: Osborne moves to cut spending to 1930s levels Chancellor’s plan could require cuts to police, local government and justice amounting to a further £60bn by 2019-20 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/03/autumn-statement-2014-george-osborne-spending-cuts —- George Osborne’s Google tax doesn’t add up to a radical reform Chancellor trumpeted his diverted profits tax as a far-reaching crackdown but the reality may not be so ambitious http://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2014/dec/03/george-osborne-google-tax —- Huh?? ‘Poor’ Nigel Farage finds it hard to get by on £109,000 a year plus expenses —- If we continue to run the public sector as a business, another scandal is inevitable It is very possible that another crisis is being kept quiet somewhere now. When public servants are scared to speak out, something is rotten —- UK has fewer doctors than almost every EU country New OECD figures show only Romania, Poland, Slovenia and Ireland have fewer doctors per head than the UK —- Lee Rigby killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale lose appeals Lee Rigby fiancée Aimee West now hopes to never hear from Adebolajo and Adebowale again —- Irish police colluded with IRA during Troubles, says former IRA member Book by former director of intelligence for republican movement Kieran Conway reveals full extent of IRA contacts at the time http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/03/irish-police-colluded-ira-troubles-book-kieran-conway —- Tuğçe Albayrak funeral in Germany draws hundreds of mourners Prime minister of Hesse state says woman who was attacked after going to aid of two girls set a worthy example for others http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/03/tugce-albayrak-funeral-mourners —- Sweden calls snap election after far-right fails to support budget plans Prime Minister calls first snap election in over 50 years as minority coalition collapses after only two months —- New Mafia group sweeps across Rome sucking hundreds of millions of euros out of Italy’s near-bankrupt capital —- Corruption still alive and well in post-bailout Greece Brush with bankruptcy was meant to end country’s culture of deceit, but malfeasance and mistrust remain widespread http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/03/greece-corruption-alive-and-well —- Hungary up in arms after US senator calls prime minister ‘neo-fascist dictator’ • Summons US envoy after John McCain’s comment during Senate spat —- Accident at Ukraine nuclear plant forces reactor shutdown Zaporizhia nuclear plant reactor shut down on November 28 after incident, says Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk —- Protests in US after no charges in police killing of NY black man In scenes reminicient of Ferguson demonstrations, protesters took the the streets demanding justice over the death of Eric Garner —- Eric Garner: protests as criminal prosecution against police officer is ruled out White House announces federal civil rights investigation into death of unarmed black man who was placed in a chokehold by NYPD officer —- Secrecy surrounds decision not to charge police officer over death of Eric Garner New York law prevents release of information about the grand jury that cleared a white police officer who put an unarmed black man in a chokehold —- Congressman Says Eric Garner Is Responsible For His Own Death: He ‘Was So Obese’ —- Where Do We Go After Ferguson? Ferguson illuminates our country’s racial divide. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/opinion/sunday/where-do-we-go-after-ferguson.html —- Opinions —- The Perfect-Victim Pitfall Following the non-indictments in Ferguson and Staten Island, don’t fall for some counternarrative that doesn’t apply. Change is what we need, badly. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/opinion/charles-blow-first-michael-brown-now-eric-garner.html —- White Cops File Suit, Claim They Are Punished Too Much For Shooting People —- How One Woman Could Hit The Reset Button In The Case Against Darren Wilson —- Are Democrats cooling on Hillary Clinton? http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-30315243 —- Clinton camp Clinton camp says long-shot candidates pose a real threat —- Georgia Town Bars Muslims From Renting Worship Space http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/12/02/3598518/georgia-mosque-denied/ —– ‘We are not citizens with equal rights’ Controversial ‘Jewish state’ bill follows a series of laws targeting Israel’s Arab minority, rights groups say. —- Palestinians ‘imprisoned’ by Rafah closure Egypt shut the border crossing more than a month ago, trapping thousands of residents in the besieged Gaza Strip. —- Egypt sentences 188 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30302258 —- Islamic State setting up Libya training camps, US says http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30323761 —- American school teacher stabbed to death in Abu Dhabi shopping mall 37-year-old woman stabbed in public restroom in Abu Dhabi http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/03/american-school-teacher-stabbed-death-abu-dhabi-mall —- Ebola crisis: Appeal to reopen schools http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30310740 —- War with Isis: Iran joins ‘Great Satan’s’ fight against militants with bombing raids over Iraq —- Australian government ‘playing politics’ in asylum debate http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30324350 —- China to end using executed prisoners’ organs Under pressure from human rights groups, China set January 1 to end using executed prisoners for organ transplants. —- Sony investigators find links to North Korea in hack probe Tools used by hackers found to be similar ones the hermit state once used against South Korea http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11272143/Sony-investigators-find-links-to-North-Korea-in-hack-probe.html In America, black children don’t get to be children —- ‘Violence breeds violence’: one woman’s story of 16 years inside a Russian jail Tatyana Gavrilova was convicted of murder in 1999. On her release from prison she spoke to MediaZona about ongoing abuse inside the country’s notorious penal system – and her determination to fight to improve the rights of inmates http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/04/-sp-russia-prison-tatyana-gavrilova-pussy-riot —- California police clear ‘largest US homeless camp’ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30336704 —- The children of Bhopal bear scars of gas leak A poisonous gas leak from the Union Carbide Corporation plant in the central Indian city of Bhopal 30 years ago killed several thousand people and injured more than half a million. Thirty years later, many still bear the scars – they include children with birth and congenital defects and others whose lives have been blighted by chronic illness. Nazes Afroz travels to Bhopal to meet children born to parents who were exposed to the gas on 3 December 1984 or who were born in the aftermath of the leak. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30227852 —- Arresting beggars doesn’t help anyone Stepping up prosecutions in the name of tackling antisocial behaviour only helps to hide the growing number of people in poverty http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/01/arresting-beggars-prosecutions-poverty —- Why furious fightback sisters gripped India Campaigners and commentators explain why the raw anger and emotion of footage showing two women fighting back on a bus has ignited India. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-30273927 —- Afghanistan: Can pomegranates power the economy? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30246121 —- Well it is Texas. 😆 The baffling case of the 100 missing brains How did the University of Texas lose so many brains from its collection? Well, they have got a history of being badly neglected – even Einstein’s http://www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2014/dec/03/the-baffling-case-of-the-100-missing-brains —- The Telegraph’s David Rose wins Photojournalist of the Year —- Pictures of the day: 3 December 2014 —- Day in pictures: 2 December 2014 Our selection of some of the best news photographs taken around the world during the past 24 hours. http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-30289795 —- Photo highlights of the day The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of the best photographs from around the world, including the funeral of Phillip Hughes, Legoland’s Christmas tree and frosty weather http://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2014/dec/03/photo-highlights-of-the-day » Posted By Kalima On December 4, 2014 @ 2:00 am Hello Nirek. Like you, I am keeping my fingers crossed for the success of this vaccine. Too many have already died. Peace. » Posted By Kalima On November 30, 2014 @ 10:16 pm Hello kes. Forgive the lateness of this reply, but here I am at last to thank you for your comment. I laughed out loud at your suggestion for a handy glass of water for the clam, but since most of them live in salt water, I imagine it was just a snack. I think that sooner or later there could be some kind of a class action suit against the government for an invasion of privacy. Health records are the property of the patient and should be between them and their doctor. Selling them to insurance companies is not only an invasion of trust and privacy, it is also theft of private data. Hope someone finds a good lawyer soon. Wilson’s testimony is all over the place and full of holes, and I posted this recently on the GJ decision article and was gobsmacked at how the initial crime scene was handled or in this care, mishandled. “Unorthodox Police Procedures Emerge In Grand Jury Documents” Tomasky’s piece was spot on again, and a week ago I read that Cruz has suggested Joe Lieberman for the job. 😯 Huh?? The Mosel Diary is a continuing series and I have posted one previous one. Hope to post them all at some point in the future because they are an eye opener to how these oppressed people have to struggle each day with so many threats. I read another article about potential use of graphene in electric cars; and it does sound very promising. Hope you have recovered from the Thanksgiving feast and that all the leftovers are now gone. Happy December, take care and hope to see you soon. » Posted By Kalima On November 30, 2014 @ 10:13 pm Hello Nirek. What a way to start your morning. Have a great Thanksgiving with your family and don’t catch a cold. Peace to you and yours. Goodnight from Tokyo. » Posted By Kalima On November 27, 2014 @ 5:27 am Good Morning Everyone! I would like to wish all our American members and readers, a very Happy Thanksgiving. Have a great day with family and friends, and don’t eat too much. Have a good day wherever you may be. Take care, be safe, stay warm and comfy. Sayonara from my cold evening corner of Tokyo. Mata ne. Your Thanksgiving Moment of Zen. Let’s all be thankful that we are not clams. 😉 Live Clam Licks Salt On a Table https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=irF5sBTVniI A few stories and opinions from around the globe. JAEA eyes restart of next-generation nuclear reactor —- Kepco wants to extend lifespan of 40-year-old Takahama reactors to 60 years —- COMMENTARY / JAPAN —- Residents left without homes after Nagano quake uneasy as winter approaches http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141126p2a00m0na004000c.html —- PICTURE OF THE DAY On a clear day… http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/on-a-clear-day-2 INTERNATIONAL NEWS I find this appalling! NHS to carry on selling patient records to insurers Study finds details of more than 50,000 people were passed to the academics working in universities without the necessary legal safeguards —- It’s a fantasy to see the working class as an intolerant blob The pursuit of working-class votes reduces very different individuals to a homogenous group of retro-inspired caricatures —- Scottish MPs ‘to vote on English taxes’ after devolution deal The parties reach a deal to transfer a swathe of new tax and spending powers to the Scottish Parliament but Labour insiders say Scottish MPs will retain full voting rights on Westminster Budgets. —- Germany backs law demanding at least 30% women in top boardrooms Frauenquote – or women’s quotas – to be signed into law next month with firms required to implement the rule by 2016 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/26/germany-women-quotas-frauenquote-boardrooms —- EU takes legal action against controversial French dam France has two months to justify ‘environmental deterioration’ involved in the Sivens dam project —- Drama in Vienna as Iran nuclear talks go down to the wire The BBC’s Suzanne Kianpour describes the waiting game in Vienna as talks on Iran’s nuclear programme went down to the wire. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-30208692 —- Spain Health Minister Ana Mato resigns amid Gurtel scandal http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30220258 —- Nato commander warns Russia could control whole Black Sea http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30214172 —- Firms invested £17bn in companies making cluster bombs, report says More than 150 financial institutions continue to invest despite worldwide ban since 2008 —- President Obama pardons Thanksgiving turkey As is tradition at this time of year, the US President took up the task of pardoning the turkey —- Michael Brown Shooting: Teenager’s family call police officer Darren Wilson’s account of their son’s death ‘crazy’ —- Michael Brown shooting: solidarity protests continue – as it happened http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2014/nov/26/michael-brown-shooting-solidarity-protests-live —- The trouble with the timing of Ferguson decision http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-30202289 —- Justice Scalia Explains What Was Wrong With The Ferguson Grand Jury —- How Michael Brown’s family could still file a lawsuit against Darren Wilson Despite grand jury decision, teenager’s family may file wrongful death lawsuit, in federal or state court, against Wilson or the Ferguson police department http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/26/michael-brown-civil-lawsuit-against-darren-wilson —- Ferguson: Did prosecutors focus unduly on marijuana? http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-30216293 —- Black America and the burden of the perfect victim —- FBI reports 27 cops were killed last year. But how many civilians were killed by officers? The FBI has released its annual report on the killings of police officers. But there’s no comparable reliable data on civilians being killed by officers. —- Tamir Rice shooting: Police release video showing 12-year-old’s being shot ‘seconds’ after officers arrive —- Clear as mud why HC identifies with the poor and middle class voters, who wouldn’t want to be as “poor” as she is? 😯 Plans for UCLA visit give rare glimpse into Hillary Clinton’s paid speaking career —- THE AFTERMATH THE COMING BATTLE FOR A NEW SECDEF BY MICHAEL TOMASKY11.25.14 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/25/the-coming-battle-for-a-new-secdef.html —- Facebook clone? Twitter to snoop on every app on your phone Social network Twitter has revealed it will make a list of every app on a user’s phone or tablet —- Nuts!! Venezuela to charge opposition leader over alleged plot to kill President Maduro Maria Corina Machado denies any wrongdoing and says the threat is an attempt to silence critics of the government —- Syria’s civil wage still rages in the heart of the old Christian world Despite most of the Syrian capital being free of conflict, the Christian Old City of Damascus still reverberates with the sound of war —- Turkey is standing up to Isis oil smugglers http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/26/turkey-standing-up-isis-oil-smugglers —- Anxious times for Turkey’s last Christians The papal visit to Turkey comes at an anxious time for the country’s remaining Christians, now a tiny minority in a Muslim state, the BBC’s Mark Lowen reports. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30214805 —- Egyptian court sentences 78 children to jail for protesting against regime Authorities said the teenage boys joined Muslim Brotherhood rallies calling for the return of ousted president Mohamed Morsi —- Israeli president criticises ‘Jewish state’ bill Reuven Rivlin has become the most senior Israeli politician yet to oppose legislation lambasted for reducing Arabs to second-class citizen status —- Why Israeli Arabs are putting ‘second class citizen’ stamps on their Facebook profiles —- Going too far. The sins of the father???? Jerusalem attacker wife loses rights Israel revokes the residency rights of the widow of one of the two Palestinian men who killed five people at a synagogue in Jerusalem. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-30208693 —- Human rights abuses ‘leave a third of Libyans with mental health problems’ Research reveals human consequences of violence and lawlessness in north African country since fall of Gaddafi —- Ebola vaccine ‘promising’ say scientists after human trial http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30217573 —- Ebola: ‘survivors are left alone to carry their pain and loneliness’ On the Ebola frontline: how life in rural Sierra Leone is unfolding for one community worker —- Will ISIL put an end to Iraq? Iraq’s former National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie debates ISIL strategy, sectarianism, and the nation’s crisis. —- Islamic State: Diary of life in Mosul In an exclusive series of diary instalments, residents describe what life is like in the Iraqi city of Mosul since Islamic State militants took over in June. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29600573 —- Where they will be abused, threatened or killed Bangladesh proposes interning, repatriating up to 270K Rohingya to Myanmar —- Fleeing Pakistanis fear harsh Afghan winter Thousands of Pakistanis who crossed border amid army offensive fear already harsh conditions in camps are set to worsen. —- Afghan attack hits UK embassy car http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30222501 —- Deaths reported in China coal-mine explosion Official news agency says at least 11 killed in Guizhou province in nation’s second mine accident in as many days. —- Hong Kong student leaders among 116 arrested in Mong Kok Joshua Wong and Lester Shum among scores of pro-democracy activists detained as police officers clear major protest zone http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/26/hong-kong-student-leaders-arrested-mong-kok-protests —- North Korea: Kim Jong-un’s sister holds senior title http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30221795 —- Thai minister says elections could be delayed to 2016 Plans for elections to replace military government in October 2015 in doubt as finance ministers says poll might not take place for 18 months http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/11257079/Thai-minister-says-elections-could-be-delayed-to-2016.html Michael Brown was not a boy, he was a ‘demon’ There’s a reason that Ferguson looks like a horror movie – the main character was a monster. —- How Ferguson showed us the truth about police https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ixRx4kOBPU —- Meet The Two Men Who Ran 550 Miles, From Atlanta To Michael Brown’s Memorial In Ferguson http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/23/3596130/runners-from-atlanta-to-ferguson/ —- Telling My Son About Ferguson I write and lecture about the horrors of our criminal justice system. Explaining the Darren Wilson decision to my child was much harder. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/opinion/ferguson-telling-my-son-michelle-alexander.html —- Left to the mercy of the Taliban Interpreters who worked with US forces in Afghanistan are being hunted down by the Taliban. Thousands have fled to the US – but others have been blacklisted. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30215500 —- The Taliban’s psychiatrist http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29944329 —- Almost 36m people live in modern slavery – report http://www.bbc.com/news/world-30080578 —- GovBeat Where the nation’s 2.5 million homeless children live —- Jerusalem’s 800-year-old Indian hospice Jerusalem – perhaps the most fiercely contested stretch of ground anywhere in the world – has been the unlikely host to an Indian lodge for more than 800 years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30122030 —- Bringing up the bodies: Mexico’s missing students draw attention to 20,000 ‘vanished’ others The shocking disappearance of 43 student teachers lifted the lid on the open secret of Mexico’s many others who’ve disappeared amid drug-fuelled violence —- The mysterious disappearance of a celebrity preacher Aimee Semple McPherson was one of the most glamorous women in the US in the 1920s – but there is still one unexplained mystery in the evangelist’s life. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30148022 —- AUDIO SLIDESHOW Audio-slideshow: Exploring Oman’s beauty spots Ali Husain, a Kuwaiti petroleum engineer based in the sultanate of Oman, has been sharing his passion for the outdoors on the photo social media app Instagram. Ali says his photos attracted a sizeable community of outdoor enthusiasts and now organises small group trips to Oman’s largely untouched coastline, mountains and deserts. Ali adds that the trips, which include hiking and caving activities, provide an escape from the region’s political upheavals. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30146551 —- China: Beijing store ‘bans Chinese customers’ http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-30210781 —- Scientists predict green energy revolution after incredible new graphene discoveries —- Pictures of the day: 26 November 2014 —- Day in pictures: 26 November 2014 Our selection of some of the best news photographs taken around the world during the past 24 hours. http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-30207168 —- Photo highlights of the day The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of the best photographs from around the world, including continued unrest on the streets of the US, police clearing the streets of protesters in Hong Kong, and Nicola Sturgeon rocks out http://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2014/nov/26/photo-highlights-of-the-day » Posted By Kalima On November 27, 2014 @ 2:00 am 😳 Have a peaceful Sunday, Nirek and see you soon. Take care. » Posted By Kalima On November 23, 2014 @ 4:57 am Thanks, Murph. Yes we certainly are a part of a big global family, and I feel obligated to remind everyone of this, and happy to do it. That’s why I started MB. » Posted By Kalima On November 22, 2014 @ 5:52 pm Thanks for the email, ppo. As I told Nirek, we will be ordering soon. Take care and stay tuned. 🙂 » Posted By Kalima On November 22, 2014 @ 4:27 pm Got your email, Nirek, thanks. Will be ordering soon and hope you like the colour I chose for you. Peace. » Posted By Kalima On November 22, 2014 @ 4:24 pm Good Morning everyone! As promised here is the list of winners for the 5th anniversary quiz question. Monicaangela, ppo and Nirek who gets a special mention and a mug for “attendance”. Thank you, Nirek!! Here is the answer in the video below, which was indeed the famous matcha tea ceremony, and is also called Chado, Sado, and Chanoyu. If you have never seen the ceremony, here is your chance. 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tt7NBIVeMY Well done to all of you. Here is the link to choose the colour for your MB mug. Now all we need for you to do is to email your names and addresses to admin@planetpov.com and we will get those mugs to you as soon as we can. http://www.zazzle.com/planetpov_morning_blog_coffee_cup_mugs-168978279825421692 Thank you so much for taking part, and hope you will enjoy those mugs as much as I have. Mata ne. » Posted By Kalima On November 22, 2014 @ 12:47 am Dear kes, what would I do without you and your constant support and encouragement throughout the years? I might find the stories, but you add the cherry on top with your observant, well thought out, witty and involved comments. Instead of you thanking me, I should be thanking you, and I am. Thank you!! Don’t forget to bring a knife when you come back so we can get stuck into that great looking cake you left for me. Take care see you soon. » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 4:32 pm Hello my friend and thank you, but all that praise wouldn’t have happened if it were not for our teamwork here. So please take a bow for all that you do that I can’t to keep The Planet in orbit. Thanks again, it is always a pleasure to do what I do here. 🙂 Btw, when you get a mo, could you please plop me into the Features box, poor kes had a heck of a time getting here so I had to haul her over, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride. Many thanks in advance. » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 4:26 pm Hello ppo, and many thanks for your words of encouragement. I will post the answer on Saturday morning here and if you are around, we can chat again. Take care and thanks for stopping by. P.S. Should you win, the mugs will be payed for by me personally as always, and not out of The Planet’s funds. That’s how I roll for the last 5 years, but thanks for your concern. » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 4:21 pm Dear Nirek, pop in on your Saturday morning, I will have a little surprise for you. Peace. » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 4:18 pm Zeke, how very kind of you to drop in and leave me a message. The video was perfect and made me laugh out loud. Much appreciated. Thanks again! » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 4:16 pm Thanks monicaangela. Happy to hear that you are still finding stories of interest to you. I will be posting the answer on your Saturday morning here, so be sure to tune in. Thanks again for your kind words, and hope to see you soon. » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 4:13 pm What a nice surprise and thank you all so much. I’ll be back to make a fuss of you individually as soon as I get my elbows out of these stinky cat loos I’m cleaning. It’s rubbish day here and I smell like a rose. 😉 See you soon I hope. 🙂 We can cut kes’s wonderful cake later. » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 2:33 pm Thank you, Nirek. Yes it has been a lot of work because until last year it was daily, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Yes, the Repubs are looking for an excuse for another shutdown even though the President is entitled to use EO. Don’t forget to try to answer the quiz question because I have a feeling that you would enjoy using the mug. Take care and have a great Thursday. Peace and see you soon. » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 4:52 am Good Morning Everyone! If you were here in last year’s MB mug competition, then maybe just like me, you are wondering where that year has gone so quickly? Well here we are again, and before I ask the question I would like to say thank you to everyone who has shared this year with me on MB, and has made that time much richer by being able to share a small part of the world with you through the stories I have linked to in that time. Thank you all and here is the question. You will have until Saturday morning to give me your answer, and the first three correct answers will receive a mug in the colour of your choice. Good Luck!! Please tell me what the object in the picture below is, and what is it used for? Can’t give too many hints but will say that no, it’s not a shaving brush, and it is used in a famous and traditional ceremony here in Japan. Have a good day wherever you may be. Take care, be safe, stay warm and comfy. Sayonara from my cold and rainy corner of Tokyo. Mata ne. Thought For The Day: You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. -Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India (1917-1984) A few stories and opinions from around the globe. Promises, promises. After hiking the consumption tax again to 10% on everything of course. LDP, Komeito propose lowering tax rate on daily necessities in 2017 —- Abe’s election decision met with anger in disaster-hit communities —- Gov’t defends election over ‘waste of money’ criticism http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/govt-defends-election-over-waste-of-money-criticism —- Experts retain Tsuruga reactor fault judgment in draft report http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141120p2g00m0bu027000c.html —- Attempt to stop water flowing into trench at Fukushima plant fails http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141118p2a00m0na005000c.html —- M5.3 quake hits off Fukushima, jolts Kanto; no tsunami alert issued —- PICTURE OF THE DAY Fuji sunset http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/fuji-sunset-3 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Of course they do, can’t have them admitting to making millions more suffer when they are gearing up for a GE. A bunch of liars and thieves! Government dismisses study linking use of food banks to benefit cuts Research calls for changes to Britain’s increasingly threadbare social security system to stop people falling into poverty http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/19/cuts-benefit-changes-driving-up-use-food-banks-study —- Students’ attempt to storm Tory party HQ thwarted by riot police —- Student protests in London: the street-level view – video —- Austerity has clearly failed. So why don’t they ditch it? Falling incomes are fuelling the deficit and costing votes. But Cameron is looking after other interests http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/19/austerity-failed-incomes-deficit-votes-cameron —- Just what the doctor didn’t order. They’ve done such a “smashing” job already. Private firms on course to net £9bn of NHS contracts Circle Healthcare, Bupa, Virgin Care and Care UK among big winners since enforced tendering of services introduced —- Cabinet secretary has David Cameron ‘by the balls’, says former Tory adviser Prime minister does nothing without Sir Jeremy Heywood’s permission, claims Dominic Cummings —- France ‘blocks’ Russian sailors from boarding warship —- Dutch mum rescues daughter from Islamic State in Syria http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30111040 😯 How to solve the Ukraine crisis: pistols at dawn Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko is challenged to a duel by rebel leader to solve the conflict once and for all —- Obama to announce major US immigration changes http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30118785 —- Republicans Were Fine With Bush Acting On Immigration Reform Without Congress —- The Roberts Court Has Already Said That Obama Has The Power To Issue His Immigration Order —- What the hell is going on? Man arrested near White House after rifle found in his car Suspect drove from Iowa with gun and hunting knife before approaching Secret Service and telling them he was on a mission —- New York snowstorm: Five dead as ‘wall of snow’ buries Buffalo —- NYTimes: What Keystone Really Creates: Talking Points for Republicans The pointless debate about the pipeline played directly into Republican hands. —- NYTimes: Voter ID Laws Scrutinized for Impact on Midterms After an Election Day that featured a wave of new voting restrictions, the results are being picked over to see if the rules swayed any outcomes. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/us/voter-id-laws-midterm-elections.html —- Pennsylvania officials’ pornographic emails ‘featured children and violence’ State attorney general says images ‘took my breath away’ —- What Americans Have Forgotten About The Era Before Roe v. Wade http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/11/19/3594146/grimes-roe-v-wade/ —- Ferguson Commission’s youngest member: ‘A lot of young people are feeling the pain’ Rasheen Lamont Aldridge, 20, who protested Michael Brown’s fatal shooting, will use his seat to ensure young black residents no longer feel targeted by police http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/18/ferguson-commissions-youngest-member-black-youth —- Anonymous versus the Ku Klux Klan With a promise that “This is just the beginning,” the international hacktivist group Anonymous continued to control the Ku Klux Klan’s online presence on Tuesday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-30105412 —- Chile court awards political prisoners $7.5m State ordered to pay money to 30 former inmates held on a remote island during Pinochet military government. —- Second French citizen in Isil execution video identified Investigators say Mickael Dos Santos left for Syria last year, one of a number of young men from a middle class, atheist or Catholic background to have converted to radical Islam —- Inside Islamic State’s oil empire: how captured oilfields fuel Isis insurgency Coalition air strikes have not stopped the militant group from earning millions of dollars a week from its Iraqi oil operations http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/19/-sp-islamic-state-oil-empire-iraq-isis —- Erdogan’s ‘New Turkey’ drifts towards isolation http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30111043 —- Synagogue attack: Fear unites both sides of Jerusalem as minister warns restoring quiet could take ‘months’ —- Israel’s stance: Provocation or deterrence? Attack on synagogue in West Jerusalem is deepening divisions between Israelis and Palestinians. —- MURDER IN THE HOLY CITY by Michael Tomasky —- UN Security Council adds Libya Islamists to terror list Ansar al-Sharia is blacklisted amid international efforts to prevent country sliding even further into crisis —- Medecins sans Frontieres: The Ebola crisis has them in the headlines, but their work goes far beyond West Africa —- Ebola crisis in Liberia: ‘One in two workers now jobless’ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30119043 —- Tackling the radical Muslim youth of Mombasa http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30118119 —- Isis extends its deadly reach with suicide bombing in Kurdish capital —- Iraqi government ‘likely complicit’ in persecution of LGBT community Report claims central government is providing cover for recent increase in militia attacks against gay people in Baghdad http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/19/militia-lgbt-iraq-report-gay-lesbian-persecution —- Rampal: Controversial Indian guru to appear in court http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30125108 —- Pakistani court sentences four men to death for ‘honour killing’ of pregnant woman —- Six nurses killed in latest attack on Chinese medical workers Tensions run high in hospitals, which are often overrun with patients who suspect they are paying for unnecessary treatments —- Here we go again. 😮 Pyongyang threatens new nuclear test in response to UN criticism North Korea reacts angrily to UN resolution on its human rights record, claiming it is part of a US-led plot to overthrow the regime —- Rebels say 23 killed by Myanmar army amid peace talks http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30125051 Very interesting article about aid groups. I’ve always thought that the people who we are trying to help should be the ones to tell us what they need the most. In cases like floods, droughts and natural disasters, it’s obvious that people will need shelter, food and water, but to decide what people want for them, or not take into account the political situation in that country and risk aid parcels being stolen from trucks and warehouses by groups of armed men to be sold on the black market for prices that those who need it most can’t pay for, is highly disorganised and a waste of urgent resources. Ask the people who you want to help what they want, and don’t just give them things that you feel they should have. The Problem With International Development―and a Plan to Fix It Stop trying To save the world http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120178/problem-international-development-and-plan-fix-it —- Shocking!! The disabled children locked up in cages Disabled children in Greece are being locked up in cages at a state-run care home – the authorities say they want to improve conditions but are struggling to find money. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30038753 —- America’s Shameful Child Homelessness Record http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/11/17/3593226/homeless-children-record/ —- Why so many Indians flock to gurus http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30110374 —- Trauma surgeon Mads Gilbert will defy Israeli ban on Gaza entry Norwegian has worked in Gaza for 15 years and will resist attempts at stopping him returning there http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/15/mads-gilbert-surgeon-gaza-israel —- NYTimes: Dressing Like My Mother Clothes weren’t just indulgences. They were armor. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/dressing-like-my-mother/ —- Why tests on mice may be of little use Years of scientific research called into question as it is revealed that mice and men are genetically further apart than previously thought http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/11241310/Why-tests-on-mice-may-be-of-little-use.html —- If you like John Lewis’s penguin, you’ll love Greggs’s talking pasty… With the season of comfort and joy upon us, watch out for more heartwarming TV commercials featuring anthropomorphic consumer products —- In pictures: My toilet An exhibition by photographers from Panos Pictures to mark World Toilet Day. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-30027513 —- The great Victorian beard craze The rapid rise of facial hair in the last 10 years mirrors a transatlantic craze that lasted for decades in the second half of the 19th Century. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30037914 —- War in Syria takes toll on Aleppo’s oldest hotel, in pictures —- In Pictures: ‘We are all Palestinians’ Palestinian and international artists come together for an art festival to celebrate ‘collective creative resistance’. —- US weather: Massive snowstorm blankets parts of New York, in pictures —- Pictures of the day: 19 November 2014 —- Day in pictures: 19 November 2014 Our selection of some of the best news photographs taken around the world during the past 24 hours. http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-30112299 —- Photo highlights of the day The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of the best photographs from around the world, including students demonstrating in London, snowstorms in the US, and a skiff in Edinburgh » Posted By Kalima On November 20, 2014 @ 2:08 am [img]https://planetpov.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_1450.png[/img] Wishing all our Planeteers and readers a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!! May your dreams come true and may you find peace in this turbulent, fast moving world of ours. See you soon. Take care. Mata ne. A Song for New Year’s Eve William Cullen Bryant (1859) Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay‚— The year, whose hopes were high and strong, The kindly year, his liberal hands Days brightly came and calmly went, Dear friends were with us, some who sleep Even while we sing, he smiles his last, 100 things we didn’t know last year http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30492726 —- Happy New Year http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/happy-new-year-8 —- New Year 2015 in pictures: Fireworks and celebrations around the world —- Pictures of the Year: 2014 We’ve picked a selection of our favourite pictures taken during the past year around the world. Some are dramatic moments, others have a touch of humour, but all sum up the past 12 months. http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-30476846 —- New Year 2014: from Sydney to Beijing, the best photos from celebrations around the world —- Best photographs of 2014 – in pictures From the Ferguson riots to the school attack in Peshawar, a Missouri ‘firenado’ and hailstones in Siberia: the Guardian’s features picture editor Sarah Gilbert selects the most compelling images of 2014 http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/dec/28/best-photographs-of-2014-in-pictures —- Photo highlights of the day The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of the best photographs from around the world including the first same-sex wedding in Scotland, new year celebrations and prayers for the victims of the AirAsia flight http://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2014/dec/31/photo-highlights-of-the-day » Posted By Kalima On January 1, 2014 @ 12:01 am Oooo, you are a one, you are. I’m a slightly deeper shade than your avatar now, but I will give in to the part about my perseverance. Typical for the thorny Bull that I am, I seem to bounce back like an old sofa spring. Slowly but surely, with a creak instead of a ping. Thanks for the compliment though, and the spirit in which it was given. » Posted By Kalima On November 16, 2014 @ 8:36 pm Thank you for your reply ppo, and will be thinking of you during the coming days and weeks. Take good care of yourself. I hope that you will find some inner peace soon. We are not going anywhere and will still be here when you are ready to come back. Take your time. » Posted By Kalima On November 16, 2014 @ 7:42 pm Enthralling, very honest and filled with pride, your story transported me to Ireland and your amazingly interesting youth, as if I had travelled on a magic carpet ride. The love you have for your father brought tears to my eyes, and although in different circumstances, mirrors my own for mine. I laughed out loud at your description of getting your arm stuck in those old fashioned washing machine wringers because the same thing happened to me, and only the quick thinking of my grandmother, saved me from being flattened like a plaice fillet. A truly wonderful story of a man who loved his family, loved his work and loved and lived life to the full. You have done him proud here for us and I can’t thank you enough for bringing him back here today. Thank you ppo, I know that it couldn’t have been the easiest thing to do under these circumstances. I will read it again as soon as I get my morning behind me. Well done, it was a wonderful read from beginning to end. Since I have had bad eyesight from my childhood, I always have to watch a film three times. The first time I look straight ahead. The second time to the left. The third time to my right. This ensures that I don’t miss anything, so I’ll be back. 🙂 Take care. » Posted By Kalima On November 16, 2014 @ 3:11 pm Oh good Lord kes, you’ve just frightened the life out of me with that image of a bald troll-lo-lo. 😯 » Posted By Kalima On November 13, 2014 @ 6:13 pm 😆 Laughs you’re after is it? Ok. » Posted By Kalima On November 13, 2014 @ 6:08 pm Me too GC, hits the spot every time. 🙂 » Posted By Kalima On November 13, 2014 @ 6:06 pm It never fails does it kes? 😆 If we imagine this to be the face of the average troll, it’s even funnier. Yes it’s seen us through many situations and never fails to make us laugh. Keeping our Planet safe is my vocation, so you never have to thank me. I do it with pride and love. Now just one more look at the video and the rest of my day will be made. 🙂 Take care and enjoy a peaceful evening. See you soonish. P.S. Maybe we should hold off on that vodka though after that article I posted on MB about the alarming number of alcohol/vodka related deaths in Russian men in their 50’s? After all he’s trying his best. We could send him a box of teeth whitening toothpaste and maybe some hair gel though. 😉 » Posted By Kalima On November 12, 2014 @ 5:24 pm I’m back and want to thank you for this very timely article, kes. After leaving the HP slum, and once again finding my equilibrium, I made it a rule to never engage or feed another troll unless they insulted me personally. Now having to patrol to keep the peace on The Planet, it’s not that easy to ignore them once they are outed and become ferocious. When that happens we will tell them their behaviour is unacceptable, and if they continue we have no choice other than to either moderate their comments or remove them. Our policy on disruptive trolls is plainly stated at the end of our Terms of Use. I agree on the complete waste of time and effort in trying to have a normal conversation. Having a normal conversation is not what they come here for. However hard it is to ignore them, it’s the quickest way to ensure that they will move on if no one bothers to challenge their nonsense. As we all know, many have tried here, but all have failed. I think we have seen it all in our 5 years, don’t you? Keep up the good work! As a small reward for an excellent post kes, here by popular demand, is the “troll-lo-lo” sing along. 🙂 Troll-lo-lo Sing Along! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4m4lnjxkY » Posted By Kalima On November 12, 2014 @ 4:34 pm This is wonderful, kes, and I will be back here as soon as I can. Well done!! » Posted By Kalima On November 12, 2014 @ 1:52 pmComments Posted By Kalima
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Our Ferguson divide goes beyond race by E.J. Dionne
Remember candidate Barack Obama, circa 2007?
Police say attacker remains at large
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Shinzo Abe’s political agenda
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Emails were circulated among state government officials
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Stay till the good old year,
So long companion of our way,
Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One little hour, and then away.
Has now no hopes to wake;
Yet one hour more of jest and song
For his familiar sake.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One mirthful hour, and then away.
Have lavished all his store.
And shall we turn from where he stands,
Because he gives no more?
Oh stay, oh stay,
One grateful hour, and then away.
While yet he was our guest;
How cheerfully the week was spent!
How sweet the seventh day’s rest!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One golden hour, and then away.
Beneath the coffin-lid:
What pleasant memories we keep
Of all they said and did!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One tender hour, and then away.
And leaves our sphere behind.
The good old year is with the past;
Oh be the new as kind!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One parting strain, and then away.
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