"war 'ought' to be instrumental, in the sense that it ought to be waged in order to achieve some goal, never for its own sake; and also in the sense that strategy and tactics ought to be directed towards just one end, namely towards victory."
- Carl von Clausewitz

Good Morning, I thought I share with you my translation of an article in "Der Spiegel". I don't know though if these are old news for you. At least it's good to know, imo. I shorten this a bit and just put up excerpts to not get accused of violating any kind of fair use rules or whatever.

Mögliches Mordmotiv: Nemzow soll USA bei Sanktionsliste geholfen haben

Good morning 99percenters!

Ever stand in the grocery store and wonder whether the fish you’re considering buying is sustainable? The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a web site, Seafood Watch, that can advise you on which seafood to buy or avoid and help you select items that are fished or farmed in ways that have less impact on the environment.

The site is easy to navigate and there is an app available for your phone so you actually check it while standing in front of the seafood counter. Or, if you’re more of a luddite there’s a downloadable PDF for each state that you can slip into a pocket, or purse.

This is an open thread, so tell us what’s on your mind today. Anyone watching some hoops?

I ran across a box of old cartoons I clipped years ago and thought I'd scan and share some of them.

Good morning 99percenters!

Simple fact: male birds are more colorful than female birds. Ever wonder why?

Well, you can get up close and personal with some of the fanciest birds in North America at the All About Birds blog.

With colorful quizzes and rare footage you’ll get to know males that use feathers, songs, dance moves, and even design skills to woo mates. Discover the upper limits of extravagance with peacocks, parrots, lyrebirds, hummingbirds, sage-grouse and more.

Then satisfy your curiosity about the origins of fanciness by watching as the birds-of-paradise bring evolution to life.

Here’s hoping you have a great weekend.

This is an open thread. What’s on your mind today?

Google Ads are a major source of income for a lot of websites. Recent actions by Google suggest that it will throw its weight around to engage in political censorship of websites that carry their ads. It may not be smart for lefties to rely on that income.

This evening's music features New Orleans r&b piano player, singer and songwrither Huey Piano Smith.

Every few years an economic event will happen that can be easily seen by everyone except mainstream economists. Today that economic event is a global tidalwave of deflation that is sweeping the globe.

Good morning 99percenters!

The Spring and The Fall

In the spring of the year, in the spring of the year,
I walked the road beside my dear.
The trees were black where the bark was wet.
I see them yet, in the spring of the year.
He broke me a bough of the blossoming peach
That was out of the way and hard to reach.

Fear dominates everything in America today. It’s crept into everything: politics, advertising, news coverage and social media. And if you fear, you don’t reason correctly. How do we fight this? Here’s a start. Alternet has launched a series of articles on fear and how to combat it.