How communism works

The Five-Year Plans for the National Economy of the USSR (Russian: пятилетка, Pyatiletka) were a series of nation-wide centralized exercises in rapid economic development in the Soviet Union. The plans were developed by the Gosplan based on the Theory of Productive Forces that was part of the general guidelines of the Communist Partyfor economic development. Fulfilling the plan became the watchword of Soviet bureaucracy. (See Overview of the Soviet economic planning process) The same method of planning was also adopted by most other communist states, including the People’s Republic of China, and India‘s pro-Soviet government in the 1950–60s. In addition, severalcapitalist states have emulated the concept of central planning, though in the context of a market economy, by setting integrated economic goals for a finite period of time. Thus are found “Seven-year Plans” and “Twelve-Year Plans”.

dear bear

 via Princesse Endormie 

 via akubizone

via akubizone

industrial hog farms are disease incubators

For example, Scientific American wrote an article yesterday asking:

Is so-called swine flu really just another environmental problem associated with factory farming?

After all, such large operations keep the animals in close confinement, dope them with antibiotics to keep them alive in the crowded conditions and create vast pools and piles of waste—all good ways to promote the spread of any disease.

Other health threats, such as antibiotic-resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus, have emerged from pig farms as well.

Nevertheless, this H1N1 strain has not yet been found in the pigs near La Gloria, nor is it clear how it would have jumped from the factory farm to little Edgar.

But what is clear thanks to the hard work of virologists is that this particular strain of flu got its genetic start on U.S. hog farms back in the 1990s. That’s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. How the virus jumped from pigs to humans may have nothing to do with factory farms, but confined animal feeding operations helped to breed the disease.

from Washington’s Blog

they think we fell off a turf truck

The U.S. livestock industry—a large and vital part of agriculture in this country—has been undergoing a drastic change over the past several decades. Huge CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) have become the predominant method of raising livestock, and the crowded conditions in these facilities have increased water and air pollution and other types of harm to public health and rural communities.

CAFOs are not the inevitable result of market forces. Instead, these unhealthy operations are largely the result of misguided public policy that can and should be changed.

signs of character

 via pootee

via the dailies

beehive

Robo-Shūchishin: New idol-pop trio

from Pink Tentacle by Pink Tentacle

A pair of Robonova-1 kit robots teamed up with “Chi” (Naoki Nokubo) of the defunct pop-idol trio Shūchishin (羞恥心) for a special performance on Fuji TV’s “The Best House 1-2-3″ variety show last night. (Watch it.)

Amadeus and Amanda

via Princesse Endormie

Amanda Palmer
via Kubi/Kubi at Baabs

AIG gets all the Easter eggs

A boombox can change the world

vorfas 2

this is brillance   Vorfas   via   ponyboy