The Progressive Mind is a collection of articles and annotated links to sites, articles, publications and editorials expressing progressive and humanistic viewpoints. The editor is an active supporter of efforts to uncover the truth about the horrible events on Sep 11, 2001
"Neither is it that US foreign policy is cruel because American leaders are cruel. It's that our leaders are cruel because only those willing to be inordinately cruel and remorseless can hold positions of leadership in the foreign policy establishment; it might as well be written into the job description. People capable of expressing a full human measure of compassion and empathy toward faraway powerless strangers - (let alone American soldiers - do not become president of the United States, or vice president, or secretary of state, or national security adviser or secretary of the treasury. Nor do they want to." From 'Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower' by William Blum
From "9-11, Six Years Later": "If one looks at the credentials of skeptics compared to the credentials of defenders of the official line, it is impossible to dismiss skeptics as kooks. There are many people with strong imaginations on the Internet, but serious skeptics stick to known facts, known violations of standard procedures and the laws of physics. The vast majority of the people who call skeptics "kooks" are themselves ignorant of physics and have little comprehension of the improbability that such an attack could succeed without either the complicity or complete failure of government agencies. "Paul Craig Roberts
"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular? But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right." Martin Luther King, Jr.
How to do-it-yourself instructional on knot tying — demonstrating six essential knots that everyone should know how to tie.
Today on Repairs101 I want to share with you 6 knots that I really believe that everyone should know how to tie. Now some people are under the mistaken idea that if you can’t tie a knot you should just tie a lot. As funny and clever as that sounds it’s really not the case. The best thing you can do is learn how to tie a proper knot and that’s what I’m here to show you today.What I do here on Repairs101 is I teach skills and knot tying is a skill that absolutely everybody needs to know. And these knots will serve you well for the rest of your life.20 years ago I packed up my car and I left Toronto and headed for Vancouver. I headed out on my own to drive the 4400 kilometres to get here. I came here to work on the trees and, to sail. I got a place by the beach so I could leave my car at home and walk the 10 or 15 minutes it took to get to Granville Island where I could launch a boat and spend my day out sailing on English Bay..Simple half hitch: just make a loop and tuck it through itself. That’s a simple half hitch. so a half hitch. this one’s called a square knot, the idea is you have 2 ends: the left goes over the right and you make the twist and then the right goes over the left and you make the twist. And that’s called a square knot. Left over right and then take the right over the left and that’s a square knot. It’s also referred to as a reef knot in sailing and it’s used to reef sails. If you do it wrong, if you do left over right and then left over right again you’ll get something called a granny the sheet bend is best used when you’re trying to join two pieces of uneven rope — one big piece, one small piece, say. The idea behind the sheet bend is –that alone is called a sheet bend and a sheet bend will hold. You can tow a boat with just that knot. if you’re going to apply a really extreme load I would recommend that you take this and go around twice for what’s called a double sheet bend. and again you can put a lot of load on that and when you’re done it’ll come apart nice and easy just by pulling on it like that. make a loop through it, bring the tail of the smaller piece through the loop, go around behind it, go underneath and that’s a single but I’m going to go around again and underneath again and that is a double sheet bend. I’ll just tuck it down for you there and that’s what a double sheet bend would look like. bowline but I’ll just show you anyway of course it’s best used when you’re trying to make a loop in the end of a rope. you need to make a bend in it like that and everybody knows the old story of course where the snake comes out of the hole and goes around the tree and goes back down into the hole again, and that gives you your classic bowline knot. take the end like that and make a loop in it like this, come up through, go around, go back down in through again and you’ve got a bowline.If you’re going to rely on a half hitch knot to hold your horse or your boat, well I think they might get away on you. a clove hitch is going to be used when you need to lash a rope to say a post, a hitching post, a pole, you know the gunwale on a boat, a handrail or something, when you just need to tie something on to a pipe, say., that’s a clove hitch. It’s just an awesome knot. clove hitch, cross over to your right then cross over towards your left and then bring it up through the centre like that and you’ve got a clove hitch, which is a great knot for securing things quickly like your horse or your boat or what have you. imagine if you just wanted to tie loosely something to it then that’s a really good use for the bowline. again the bowline you the snake come out of the hole, go around the tree and go back down the hole again and you’ve got a bowline.Now on the other hand if you do want a knot that tightens up try the backhand hitch need to lock this off with two half hitches one like that two like that. It looks a little messy right now but I’ll show you this is just an awesome knot and it tightens itself. The more load you put against it the tighter it becomes, and it won’t let go. It’s just a fantastic load knot called the backhand hitch. If you’re attaching a ladder to your roof-rack on your car or something you might want to try this this is just a great knot called the backhand hitch. Just pass it through there like that when you come around this side you simply tie a half hitch, tie another half hitch to lock it up and there you have it..So now a good knot will untie really easily as opposed to a bad knot is very difficult to untie, sometimes it can’t be untied. Sometimes you have to cut it. Sometimes you put it in a vise and you whack on it with a hammer and a crowbar… So the best thing you can do is of course is learn how to select and tie the proper knot for the occasion.
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Site Links
** Alter Net: Some progressive stuff, but too much "9/11 Gatekeeper" material.
**** Antiwar.com: Antiwar site by Justin Raimondo. Politics makes strange bedfellows on this one, as in many respects, I have troubles with Raimondo's libertarian views. Right-gatekeeper for sure, but he is almost admitting LIHOP now.
***** Architects and Engineers for 9 11 Truth: ... Architects & Engineers who have joined AE911Truth.org in calling upon Congress for a new truly independent investigation into the "collapses" of the WTC Twin Towers and Building 7 - requesting a specific examination for controlled demolition with explosives. ... Take a stand for Truth and join us!
**** Axis of Logic: Committed to publishing news and commentary that is often not presented in the major news outlets
**** Carolyn Baker - Speaking Truth To Power:... up-to-the-moment alternative reporting of U.S. and international news, articles containing information and opinion, and a venue of support and connection for awake individuals ...
**** Citizen's Circle for Accountability: Public accountability means the obligation of authorities to explain publicly, fully and fairly, before and after the fact, how they are carrying out responsibilities that affect the public in important ways. These explanations, publicly validated, would produce useful information for citizens affected by the intentions, and would produce a beneficial self-regulating influence on the conduct of authorities.
***** Civil Information Blog: The home of those 9/11 Truth Activists who practice the technique of Civil Informationing, as opposed to mass protests and confrontations with media / politicians. We advocate 'being the media', and acting responsibly and civilly (as individuals or in small groups) to inform our fellow citizens about what we have learned about 9/11, the war on terror, and closely related issues. We regard it as our civic duty, and view 60's style activism as outdated in the 'information age', and self-defeating
** Common Dreams: One of the most widely ready progressive sites. Pretty much left gatekeepers.
***** Complete 911 Timeline: This is the home page for the Complete 911 Timeline investigative project, one of several grassroots investigations being hosted on the History Commons website. The data published as part of this investigation has been collected, organized, and published by members of the public who are registered users of this website.
**** Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches: Investigative journalist Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches - an unembedded journalist in IRAQ and a man of courage.
**** Desert Peace: Aiming to establish a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, while at the same time continue the struggle against racism and for peace throughout the world.
**** Fascism Anyone?: ... there is one archetypal political philosophy that is anathema to almost all of these principles. It is fascism. And fascism’s principles are wafting in the air today, surreptitiously masquerading as something else, challenging everything we stand for.
*** Green Left: Australian alterative media site - quite good.
** Guerrilla News Network: It seems at first glance to be a fine site, with links to lots of first rate progressive articles. However, there are some indications that the principle actors on the site are "left-gatekeepers" and agents of disinformation. Keep your eyes open.
***** Integrate This: Challenging the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America, the North American Union.
***** Journal of 911 Studies: The Journal of 9/11 Studies is a peer-reviewed, open-access, electronic-only journal covering the whole of research related to 9/11/2001. Our mission is to provide evidence-based, peer-reviewed research that furthers the cause of truth and justice.
**** Labour Start: Where trade unionists start their day on the net.
***** Mad Cow Morning News: Investigative journalist and author Daniel Hopsicker. A must read for understanding certain aspects of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
**** Media Lens : Media Lens is a response based on our conviction that mainstream newspapers and broadcasters provide a profoundly distorted picture of our world. We are convinced that the increasingly centralised, corporate nature of the media means that it acts as a de facto propaganda system for corporate and other establishment interests. The costs incurred as a result of this propaganda, in terms of human suffering and environmental degradation, are incalculable.
***** www.oilempire.us: A primary site for September 11, 2001 terrorist attack researchers. Has a good critique of some of the more suspect claims, and a good discussion of conspiracy denial amongst progressive authors.
***** Online Journal: Worth the visit. Amongst the best sites for progressive journalism.
***** Op Ed News : Amongst the best sites for progressive journalism. Will publish 9/11 Truth pieces.
***** Pilots for 9/11 Truth : An organization of aviation professionals and pilots throughout the globe commited to seeking the truth surrounding the events of the 11th of September 2001.
**** Richard C. Cook: There is no distinction between spirituality and economics. The economic life of a nation reflects its spiritual state, its spiritual attitudes.
**** Richard Heinberg: Learn about the The Oil Depletion Protocol, one of the world's best policy tools for addressing our societal dependence on fossil fuels. Click on the link below, and sign the Oil Depletion Procotol as an Individual Adopter. Be an example to your local, state, and national governments!
**** Stop the Lie: So let's get right to it: Is it really baseless idiocy that drives people to question the official account of 9/11? Are the millions of Americans (including Senators, FBI agents, Doctors, Lawyers, Professors, Scientists, Engineers, etc.) all paranoid loons for suggesting we need a truly independent investigation of 9/11? The government and media would have you think so. They'd also (to help maintain that perception) need to keep you diverted from the information you're about to read.
***** Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice : This is the new home for a restructured scholars group that welcomes scholars and all persons interested in exposing the truths of the 9/11/01 attack. Care is being taken to present the strongest, most credible research available, some of which is published on our sister site, the Journal of 9/11 Studies.
**** Source Watch: Alternative media site - was Disinfopedia - quite good
***** The 911 Agenda - September 11 and Our Political System: This website will be devoted to political history and the effects of the strategy of tension on our current political predicament. I hope that the articles listed on the Front Page will provide a good introduction.
**** The Authoritarians: "Altemeyer prepared a digest of his research for general readers, ..., which he has posted online for one and all to examine at no cost." John Dean
**** The Canadian Spectator : a single-handed protest at the Canadian Government's contemptible subservience to a corporate oligopoly that is allowed control over virtually all Canadian news outlets. Needless to say, this control serves the interests of plutocratic oligopolists, not those of ordinary Canadians.
**** The Council of Canadians - Nanaimo: We're making a 60 minute documentary about SPP (the Security Prosperity Partnership) and TILMA (Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement) and how trade agreements in general are driven by a secretive corporate agenda that excludes civil society, the labour and environmental movements. These agreements escape the scrutiny of our democratic processes, but may alter/remove regulations and institutions that have been put in place by decades of democratically elected representatives of the people.
*** The Independent Institute: Many articles from Ivan Eland and others. Right wing stuff generally, but there were some good anti-war views from Ivan Eland in the past.
*** True Blue Liberal: We’ve taken it upon ourselves to provide news, opinion, and information from off of the beaten path in an effort to keep you informed and up to date.
**** truthdig: Coverage of current affairs as well as a variety of thoughtful, provocative content assembled from a progressive point of view.Probable left gate-keepers.
**** Truth Move: TruthMove is an organization dedicated to personal and social change through the process of truth. We focus on education and direct action, and are actively seeking new allies and volunteers.
**** truthout, News Politics: Maintained by author William Rivers Pitt. Good stuff in general, but probably left gate-keepers.
**** Unknown News: "We believe in liberty and justice for all, so of course, we oppose many US government policies. ... It means we believe in freedom, as more than merely a cliche."
***** We Are Change: We recognize that the world does not function through a left/right paradigm, but a top/down hierarchy that threatens to destroy free society as we know it.
**** WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.COM: Right wing libertarian Michael Rivero has an interesting mix. I have to admit I visit this site first - even though he is way to the right of me. He supports the 9/11 truth initiative and has some good original articles.
**** Winter Patriot: These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. ... Thomas Paine, 1776
World Press: News and Views From Around the World - Read newspapers before they appear on the newstands.
**** World Socialist Web Site: The World Socialist Web Site features daily news and analysis written from a socialist perspective, and commentary on the arts, culture, history, ....
**** http://wtcdemolition.com/blog/: Our desired goal is a provocative and informative resource for those who feel that the issue of 9/11 merits serious and thought-provoking discussion and debate.