NDC Savings Club – Halloween or Hallows Eve – 11.02.16

Halloween, October. 31, the Eve of All Saints’ Day, observed with traditional games and customs. The word comes from medieval England’s All Hallows’ Eve (Old Eng. Hallow = “saint). However, many of these customs predate Christianity, going back instead to Celtic practices associated with Nov. 1 the beginning of winter and the Celtic new year. Witches and other evil spirits were believed to roam the earth on this evening, playing tricks on human beings to mark the season of diminishing sunlight. Bonfires were lit, offerings were made of dainty foods and sweets, and people would disguise themselves as one of the roaming spirits, to avoid demonic persecution. Survivals of these early practices can be found in countries of Celtic influence today, such as the United States where children go from door to door in scary costumes demanding “trick or treat.

Visionaries – 10.17.16

John David Ebert. Culture and media critic. His many books include “Twilight of the Clockwork God,” “Celluloid Heroes & Mechanical Dragons,” “Dead Celebrities, Living Icons,” and “Post-Classic Cinema,” And most recently, a series of book on classic movies, “Scene by Scene …” We will look at our myths today. Find more at: http://cultural-discourse.com

John Seymour – Start a 1-Acre, Self-Sufficient Homestead

Everyone will have a different approach to keeping a self-sufficient homestead, and it’s unlikely that any two 1-acre farms will follow the same plan or methods or agree completely on how to homestead. Some people like cows; other people are afraid of them. Some people like goats; other people cannot keep them out of the garden. Some people will not …

Duterte Calls for End to US-Philippine Military Exercises, Part of Tilt Toward China

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte promised an end to military exercises with longtime ally the United States today. Speaking from Hanoi, Vietnam, Duterte said that he was “serving notice now to the Americans” that an upcoming drill “will be the last military exercise.” That’s likely to come as a shock to U.S. officials, who have routinely insisted that, behind Duterte’s rhetoric, U.S.-Philippine cooperation …

Science in crisis: from the sugar scam to Brexit, our faith in experts is fading

This is a Foundation Essay for The Conversation Global. Our series of Foundation Essays provide an in-depth investigation of a particular global challenge. In this piece, Andrea Saltelli asks what’s behind the worldwide crisis in science. Worldwide, we are facing a joint crisis in science and expertise. This has led some observers to speak of a post-factual democracy – with Brexit and the …

Sarah Lazare – Trump and Clinton Roll Out Welcome Mat for Egyptian Junta Leader

The presidential candidates of both major political parties sought to flaunt their foreign policy credentials Monday by holding personal meetings with Egyptian junta leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has overseen a violent crackdown on political dissent, including large-scale massacres of protesters. Following their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump showered effusive praise on the …

Anti-Wahhabism spreading in Muslim world

Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, the Saudi grand mufti and head of the Council of Senior Scholars, spoke to Makkah newspaper Sept. 6, saying, “We must understand that those are not Muslims. They are Majus [Zoroastrians], and their enmity to Muslims — specifically to the Sunni community — goes way back.” Although Sheikh was addressing the Iranian political regime, his choice of words and …

Elena Holodny – This is Saudi Arabia’s ‘Achilles’ heel’

In the aftermath of the 2003 terrorist attacks carried out by nationals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, then Crown Prince Abdullah argued that youth unemployment was the kingdom’s biggest challenge. Fast-forward 13 years, and the problem remains a pressing issue for the Arab state. “Abdullah singled out youth unemployment as Saudi Arabia’s No. 1 security challenge — and it is,” Helima Croft, head of commodity strategy …

Steven MacMillan – How Islamic is the So-Called Islamic State?

Since the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) declared a caliphate in June 2014, Muslim extremism has once again become a major topic in the media and therefore in the public mind. Islamophobic attacks have skyrocketed in the West in recent years, as many people tarnish over one and half billion Muslims with a single brush. In the distorted logic of the modern-day …

Glen Ford – Hillary Stuffs Entire U.S. Ruling Class Into Her Big, Nasty Tent

Hillary Clinton is celebrating in the bloated expanse of the “Big Tent” Democratic Party she and Bill have dreamed of building since their days in the backwaters of Arkansas. Slick Willie and his wife have succeeded in assembling under one party roof nearly the whole of the U.S. ruling class and their hordes of attendants and goons. The scam that …