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Mandy Wong October 30, 2016 Top 20 Home Remedies For Stuffy Nose
A clogged nose is always annoying. Your head feels heavy, you can’t breathe and when you blow your nose hoping you will finally breathe again, you realize nothing comes out.
Regardless of the reason for your stuffy nose, there are many natural home remedies you can try right now to breathe better and to feel better.
What is Stuffy Nose?
Stuffy nose is also referred to as clogged nose, blocked nose, congested nose or nasal congestion. Contrary to wrong assumptions, a running nose is not the same as a stuffy nose; they are different nasal problems.
Having a stuffy nose is quite uncomfortable as it causes great difficulty in breathing. You will constantly get the urge to blow your nasal, which seems to bear no fruit in correcting the situation.
Nasal congestion can be caused by a number of things, with the main cause being the blood vessels in your sinuses by inflamed. Having too much sputum or mucus in your sinuses may also cause blockage in your nasal cavity.
What Causes a Stuffy Nose?
While we have established that inflammation of the blood vessels in sinus is main the main cause of a congested nose, the cause of the inflammation may vary. Some of the effects that cause inflammation include allergies, sinus infection flu and cold. This will ultimately cause irritation and swelling of the blood vessels.
In some instances, you will find that a stuffy nose is just an underlying symptom of another condition. In rare cases, it may be triggered by anatomical disorders, tumors in the nasal cavities as well as other terminal medical issues.
Top 20 Home Remedies for Stuffy Nose
There are a number of home remedies that can be used for a stuffy nose and I will share with you the top 20 that I discovered through the years. Steam
This is a common remedy for various respiratory conditions like frosty, sinus blockage and influenza among others. Ideally, when you use this method, the objective is to reduce the thickness of the fluids in your sinuses. Ultimately, this will help in regaining normal breathing activities. Start by boiling water in a dish until it gets to the boiling point. Turn the heat off and then place your face over the dish with the hot water. Ensure that you cover your head with a towel so as to get all the steam coming your way. Inhale and exhale the steam progressively, until the nasal cavity is clear. Repeat this Direction at least twice a day, in the morning and at night.
Tip
The alternative direction that works in the same manner is taking steamy showers. This will help reduce the inflammation of your sinuses and restore your normal breathing. Antiseptic Herbs Steam
Thyme and menthol are medicinal herbs , which will be an effective remedy for stuffy noses.
You will need: 3 teaspoons of dried peppermint 3 teaspoons of dry thyme Boiling water
Boil water and pour it in a small bowl. Add the peppermint and the dried thyme to the boiling water and mix thoroughly. Place a towel over your head and tilt your face over your bowl, while maintaining a safe distance of about 10 inches. Inhale and exhale for about 10 minutes and do this 2 to 3 times in a day, until your nose is unclogged. Eucalyptus Aroma
Eucalyptus oil is quite useful as a remedy for a stuffy nose that has been caused by nasal congestion.
Boil water to its boiling point and pour it into a small bowl. Add some drops of eucalyptus oil to the boiled water. Inhale the steam gradually, for about 15 minutes.
Please note that if you do not have eucalyptus oil, you can use peppermint oil for the same procedure. Soup
The good news with this remedy is the fact that you can use any type of soup, as long as the soup is hot. Some of the best soups that you can opt to use include vegetable soup, chicken and lentil soup.
Just prepare the soup and take it twice or thrice in a day, and it will help relieve the stuffy nose. Proper Diet
You can make some adjustments in your diet as a remedy for stuffy nose. Nonetheless, you should ensure that you maintain a proper diet that will enhance your overall well-being.
You can make a habit of taking spicy foods, when you are down with this condition of a stuffy nose. Generally, at the end of the meal you will have a running nose, which means that your nose is unblocking. The foods to avoid include wheat, grains, milk and other dairy items, for this period.
Always make sure that you take warm or hot water when you have a stuffy nose, this will also facilitate unblocking of the sinuses. Spicy Food
We have already talked about taking spicy foods as a home remedy for stuffy nose. This is an emphasis that you should increase the intake so as to make the most of this remedy.
Some of the best spices include red chilies, garlic, ginger and onions. The spices in the food will make it easier for the mucus to flow from the nasal entries. As a result, this will remedy the stuffy nose. Chicken Soup
In one of the remedies above, we highlighted chicken soup as one remedies for stuffy nose. You can take as much soup as you prefer and you can also choose to add some spices like ginger and garlic to enhance the efficiency of the remedy.
Prepare your chicken soup using your favorite recipe. Add spices that you prefer like chilies, ginger or garlic. You can also add lemon juice to the soup.
We recommend taking 2 to 3 cups in a given day to cure the stuffy nose. We have also emphasized the need to add spices so as to help in clearing your nasal passage in a short while. Mustard Oil
Mustard oil is extracted from mustard seeds and this is an effective home remedy for a stuffy nose. You are required to apply the oil into your nose so as to clear the congested nose. Place a little mustard oil on your fingers and ensure that the fingers are clean. Insert the fingers with the oil in your nostrils and repeat the operation two or three times a day.
Alternatively, you may use mustard oil for preparing meals and it will still help relieve stuffy nose. Honey
If you have been following the various home remedies that I provide, you will realize honey appears frequently. This is due to its properties, which make it a remedy for various medical conditions like stuffy nose.
Take 2 teaspoons of honey twice a day to cure stuffy nose. If you want better results, you can add the honey to a glass of warm water and take the same dose of twice a day.
Mixing honey with milk is also an effective solution to unblocking your nose. Neti Pot
This is one of the most unique remedies of all times in clearing a stuffy nose. The Neti pot will be used to clear secretions that come from your nostrils, by removing the blockage.
You will need: Warm water A Neti pot
Start with the preparation of a saline mixture or salty water. This is done by adding a teaspoon of water to the warm water in a glass.
Pour the saline mixture into your Neti pot and tilt your head, with a sink below you. Hold the spout of the Neti pot and pour the saline solution into your nostrils.
The solution will stream out and hereby clearing any fluids that may be causing nasal blockages. Repeat this procedure for a few minutes, while toggling between the two nasal entries.
The critical thing is to ensure that the saline solution comes out from the nostrils; otherwise this may cause more complications. In the event that you do not have a Neti pot, you may use any other irrigation device available. Video first seen on AshleysGreenLife . Basil
Besides being a great cure for stuffy nose, frequent use of basil is known to be an effective measure to prevent nasal problems. You should make it a habit to use as often as you can.
All you need for this remedy are basil leaves. Once you get the basil leaves, chew them two or three times in a day. I highly recommend chewing of the leaves early in the morning before taking your breakfast and late at night just before retiring to bed.
If you find that chewing is difficult for you, then prepare tea using the basil leaves and it will give you better results. Fenugreek Seeds
Fenugreek seeds are known to make the mucus thin and lighter and thereby opening your sinus activities. When the mucus is thin and the inflammation of the sinuses is reduced, it becomes easier to have a clear nose.
You will need: A glass of water Fenugreek seeds
Start by having fenugreek seeds crashed or blended, and add them to the glass of water. Heat the water with the blended fenugreek seeds for a couple of minutes and then remove from the heat.
Sieve the liquid and drink it while still relatively hot. You can take the concoction a number of times in a day, until the nose is unblocked.
There is an alternative direction whereby you can use fenugreek seeds as an ingredient in making soup. Remember, we have already established that soup is a great remedy for stuffy nose; take fenugreek soup and have a clear nose. Herbal Tea
Since time immemorial, herbal tea has been rated as one of the best remedies for various conditions . It is also ideal for the overall well-being of your health and this makes it an ideal remedy for stuffy nose.
There are so many different herbs that have been identified to have medicinal value. Peppermint, chamomile and blackberry are some of the best herbs that I would recommend for making herbal tea.
You should use these herbs in your regular tea and they will gradually help you have a clear nose. You may also include ginger and rosemary leaves in your tea for better results. Garlic
The nasal cavity is seriously affected when you have a cold. In as much as you will feel uncomfortable when you have seasonal influenza, the American Academy for Otolaryngology says that your body is engaged in a serious battle with various micro-organisms.
Sadly, the battle will often culminate in inflammation of your sinuses, thereby causing blockage in your nostrils.
Garlic is one of the best remedies for cold and stuffy nose. You should pick the garlic in the knob, which will be in a band of cloves and use it for this remedy.
There are several compounds that you will find inside garlic like allins, fructosans and saponins, among others. These are the components that allow garlic to have antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral properties. These are claims that have been verified by the Herbal Medicines Organization.
Garlic has the capacity to help in the management of hypertension and cholesterol as it will lower the blood levels. Over and above, we can safely conclude that this is one of the most useful herbs in medicinal practices.
Furthermore, it is also used in the treatment of general respiratory conditions, intestinal gas, PMS and stoppage among others.
To use garlic as the remedy for stuffy nose, chew one of two cloves two times in a day. Alternatively, you can use garlic as an ingredient in any type of soup that you wish to prepare.
You may also opt to take pure garlic soup for speedy results. Hot Ginger Compress
Ginger contains powerful anti-inflammatory components, which is why I consider it to be a valuable remedy for stuffy nose.
Get the ginger root and cut into small slices. Put the ginger in your saucepan and add two cups of boiling water. Allow the mixture to boil for about 20 minutes, in low heat. Soak a piece of cloth in the mixture and place it over your head and face for about 15 minutes.
The other option would be making ginger tea, which is a great solution for clogged nasal cavities. You should repeat the Direction severally to ensure total recovery and prevention of recurrence. Tomato Juice
Tomatoes have a high level of anti-oxidants and vitamin C, which is essential in enhancing the immunity in your body. The tomatoes will unclog your mucus by reducing inflammation in the sinuses and eliminating mucus.
You will need: A glass of tomato juice 1 tablespoon of cleaved garlic
When you have your glass of tomato juice, add a tablespoon of cleaved garlic and a pinch of salt. Blend the mixture properly and place in a pot to bubble for a few minutes.
Drink up the tomato juice to clear the stuffy nose. Adding lemon juice to the mixture will increase the effectiveness of this remedy. Take it at least twice a day, until your nostrils are clear. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a common ingredient in most homes and as such, it is readily available. This is an essential remedy for stuffy nose and can also be used to cure other sinus problem.
If you do not have cider vinegar in your home, buy one and keep it for a rainy day.
If you are suffering from stuffy nose, mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with a glass of warm water. Drink this mixture 2-4 times in a day so as to treat your stuffy nose. Lemon
Lemon can be used as a remedy on its own to treat stuffy nose, but can also be added to other remedies to make them more effective, as indicated above.
If you opt to use the fruit, you need to apply it around the nasal area so as to clear the blocked nose.
You will need: 2 teaspoons of lemon juice Black pepper powder Salt
Blend all the ingredients properly and then apply the mixture around the nasal area. When applying the mixture, you should take precaution so as to ensure you do not rub your eyes, as it can be quite irritating. Peppermint Tea
Peppermint is very rich in menthol and this will make it easier to clear your nasal passages. It will do this by acting as a thinner to the mucus, thereby unclogging your nose.
Peppermint tea has a therapeutic effect when combined with menthol, steam and warm liquids. Each of the components can serve as a great remedy for stuffy nose. Acupressure
Acupressure is also an amazing remedy for stuffy nose. The Direction is some form of acupuncture and will entail apply some pressure to some strategic points on the body. This will eventually relieve any medical issues, including a stuffy nose.
As far as being a remedy in nasal congestion, acupressure will reduce the pressure on the sinuses. Place both index fingers on both sides of the eye cavity and begin to massage the sinuses. You should follow the outward circle motion and repeat this for about 30 seconds. The next step would be placing your index fingers on the outside and below the eyes. Repeat the massaging Direction for about 30 seconds in the same manner. The final stage is using your thumbs on your cheek bones. Massage outwards for about 30 seconds as well.
You should repeat the 3 steps 3-4 times in a day, until you can feel the relief of the pressure of your sinuses.
These are the top 20 home remedies for stuffy nose and they will work without causing any serious side effects.
If you know other home remedies that worked for you, share your experience in the comment section below! And click the banner to learn how our ancestor healed their wounds and diseases using old forgotten remedies!
Mandy Wong from I Keep Healthy for Survivopedia. 419 total views, 408 views today | 0 |
Border Patrol agents opened a single gate in California to let separated families hug it out. [Border Patrol agents allowed six families to be temporarily reunited on Sunday at the “Door of Hope” The San Diego reported. The event, held for the fifth year in a row, took place at Friendship Park — where the U. S. Border separates San Diego from Tijuana. Families were allowed a window to embrace their loved ones as the event celebrated Mexico’s National Children’s Day. The San Diego highlighted the emotional toll that can take place when families are separated. Lorenzo, 31, was able to see her mother for the first time in years. Her mother traveled to Mexico in 2010 to visit family and thought she would be able to return to the United States easily. She was wrong, and what they thought would be a ordeal turned into a separation for the family. What was not mentioned in the article was the fact that this family became separated under the Obama Administration. The article proceeded to play on readers’ emotions by highlighting the fears that illegal immigrants have of being deported by President Trump. “Most of my family is scared, really scared,” Lorenzo said. “My mom lost a little more hope. ” Writing for the San Diego in 2015, John Fanestil wrote a piece titled Friendship trumps racism at San Diego border park. Fanestil asks readers to “join us in saying ‘no’ to racism and #YesToFriendship. ” The author describes the San region as, “characterized principally by productive, binational relationships spanning social sectors from business to higher education, from food to arts and culture, from environment to from tourism to religious and social justice organizing. ” The article fails to mention for the years 2015 and 2016, there were 1, 580 murders in Tijuana, which is more than Chicago had in the same time span. In one instance, a Mexican cartel took the fight to law enforcement in Tijuana, shooting a total of 20 police officers, only five survived, according to Breitbart Texas reporting at the time. The Sinaloa Cartel builds elaborate smuggling tunnels in the Tijuana area to ship quantities of narcotics worth tens of millions of dollars into the United States through San Diego. Ryan Saavedra is a contributor for Breitbart Texas and can be found on Twitter at @RealSaavedra. | 1 |
Dr. Fakhruddin Attar was arrested in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Michigan Friday, accused, along with his wife Farida Attar, of involvement in the same female genital mutilation conspiracy that led to the landmark arrest last week of Dr. Jumana Nagarwala. [The three suspects now charged represent the first prosecution in the United States for female genital mutilation (FGM) a practice common primarily in Muslim countries, particularly those in Africa. For example, UNICEF estimates that 98% of Somali girls and 87% of Egyptians have endured the procedure. FGM perpetrates a range of different mutilations on its victims — mostly young girls. In its most extreme from, called infibulation, the girl is left with virtually no externally visible genitalia. The clitoris and labia are removed entirely and what is left is sown together, leaving only a small hole from which to urinate and menstruate. As in the case of Dr. Nagarwala last week, the criminal complaint issued against Dr. Attar and his wife in the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Friday refers to “a particular religious and cultural community” without specifying that community. It is now believed that that community is the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim sect, whose world leader, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, has called for the tradition to continue. According to the complaint, Dr. Attar owns Burhani Medical Center in Livonia where the victims from Minnesota that Nargarwala is charged with mutilating were brought. He and his wife were both allegedly present when the girls arrived with their parents for the procedure. According to the complaint against Nargawala, the victims’ parents brought them to the Detroit area for the grusome procedure. The girls were told it was to be a “special girls trip. ” The parents also allegedly said the cutting would “get the germs out” and that they were not to talk of what happened inside the Burhani clinic. One of the girls later told the FBI she screamed in pain as she endured what Dr. Nargawala called “getting a shot. ” She then said she was barely able to walk as she left the clinic. Upon examination by doctors working with the FBI, both were found to have genitalia that was “abnormal looking” with “scar tissue” and “small healing lacerations. ” Farida Attar, the clinic owner’s wife, is alleged to have held girls’ hands in the examination room as Dr. Nargawala went about her work. According to the complaint, she was later caught on a federal wiretap telling parents of FGM victims to deny they had brought their daughters to Burhani clinic for the procedure. Authorities believe the conspiracy extends beyond the two named victims and that the defendants have been carrying out FGM on girls from the Detroit area and beyond since 2005. According to the complaint, multiple Michigan girls have come forward to say Dr. Nargawala mutilated them in Dr. Attar’s clinic years ago. Authorities believe Nargawala was invited to the Burhani clinic from her normal job as a hospital emergency room doctor to carry out FGM on the weekends when the clinic was officially closed. Farida Attar is alleged to have told authorities she came in to see six to nine girls a year. In a statement accompanying the first arrest, Acting U. S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch said, “The practice has no place in modern society and those who perform FGM on minors will be held accountable under federal law. ” Each count of FGM could yield the up to five years in federal prison. | 1 |
The CEO of Ford Motor Company, Mark Fields, praised Donald Trump for working to restore American manufacturing after his meeting at the White House with top auto executives on Tuesday morning. [“I think as an industry, we’re excited about working together with the president and his administration on tax policies, on regulation, and on trade to really create a renaissance in American manufacturing,” Fields told reporters after the meeting, according to the Detroit News. Fields also praised Trump’s decision to kill former President Obama’s Partnership trade deal, pointing out that it failed to address currency manipulation. “We’ve been very vocal both as an industry and as a company, and we’ve repeatedly said that the mother of all trade barriers is currency manipulation, and TPP failed in meaningfully dealing with that, and we appreciate the president’s courage to walk away from a bad trade deal,” Fields said. | 1 |
What will Donald Trump do if he loses the elections in a week and a half from now, as most polls indicate?
He has already declared that he will recognize the results – but only if he wins.
That sounds like a joke. But it is far from being a joke.
Trump has already announced that the election is rigged. The dead are voting (and all the dead vote for Hillary Clinton). The polling station committees are corrupt. The polling machines forge the results.
No, that is not a joke. Not at all.
This is not a joke, because Trump represents tens of millions of Americans, who belong to the lower strata of the white population, which the white elite used to call “white trash”. In more polite language they are called “blue collar workers”, meaning manual workers, unlike the “white collar workers” who occupy the offices.
If the tens of millions of blue-collar voters refuse to recognize the election results, American democracy will be in danger. The United States may become a banana republic, like some of its southern neighbors, which have never enjoyed a stable democracy.
This problem exists in all modern nation-states with a sizable national minority. The lowest strata of the ruling people hates the minority. Members of the minority push them out of the lower jobs. And more importantly: the lower strata of the ruling majority have nothing to be proud of except for their belonging to the ruling people.
The German unemployed voted for Adolf Hitler, who promoted them to the “Herrenvolk” (master people) and the Aryan race. They gave him power, and Germany was razed to the ground.
The one and only Winston Churchill famously said that democracy is a bad system, but that all the other systems tried were worse.
As far as democracy is concerned, the United States was a model for the world. Already in its early days it attracted freedom-lovers everywhere. Almost 200 years ago, the French thinker, Alexis de Tocqueville, wrote a glowing report about the “Democratie en Amerique”.
My generation grew up in admiration of American democracy. We saw European democracy breaking down and sinking into the morass of fascism. We admired this young America, which saved Europe in two world wars, out of sheer idealism. The democratic America vanquished German Nazism and Japanese militarism, and later Soviet Bolshevism.
Our childish attitude gave way to a more mature view. We learned about the genocide of the native Americans and about slavery. We saw how America is seized from time to time by an attack of craziness, such as the witch hunt of Salem and the era of Joe McCarthy, who discovered a Communist under every bed.
But we also saw Martin Luther King, we saw the first black President, and now we are probably about to see the first female President. All because of this miracle: American democracy.
And here come this man, Donald Trump, and tries to rip apart the delicate ties that bind American society together. He incites men against women, whites against blacks and hispanics, the rich against the destitute. He sows mutual hatred everywhere.
Perhaps the American people will get rid of this plague and send Trump back where he came from – television. Perhaps Trump will disappear like a bad dream, as did McCarthy and his spiritual forefathers.
Let’s hope. But there is also the opposite possibility: that Trump will cause a disaster never seen before: the downfall of democracy, the destruction of national cohesion, the breaking up into a thousand splinters.
Can this happen in Israel? Do we have an Israel a phenomenon that can be compared to the ascent of the American Trump? Is there an Israeli Trump?
Indeed, there is. But the Israeli Trump is a Trumpess.
She is called Miri Regev.
She resembles the original Trump in many ways. She challenges the Tel Aviv “old elites” as Trump incites against Washington. She incites Jewish citizens against Arab citizens. Orientals of eastern descent against Ashkenazis of European descent. The uncultured against the cultured. The poor against all others. She tears apart the delicate ties of Israeli society.
She is not the only one of her kind, of course. But she overshadows all the others.
After the elections for the 20 th Knesset, in March 2015, and the setting-up of the new government, Israel was overrun by a band of far-right politicians, like a pack of hungry wolves. Men and women without charm, without dignity, possessed by a ravenous hunger for power, for conspicuousness at any price, people out for their own personal interest and for nothing else. They compete with each other in the hunt for headlines and provocative actions.
At the starting line they were all equal – ambitious, unlikable, uninhibited. But gradually, Miri Regev overtakes all the others. All they can do, she can do better. For every headline grabbed by another, she can grab five. For every condemnation of another in the media, she gets ten.
Benyamin Netanyahu is a dwarf, but compared to this bunch he is a giant. In order to remain so, he appointed each of them to the job he or she is most unsuited for. Miri Regev, a rude, vulgar, primitive person became Minister of Culture and Sports.
Regev, 51, is a good-looking woman, daughter of immigrants from Morocco. She was born as Miri Siboni in Kiryat-Gat, a place for which I have deep feelings, because it was there that I was wounded in 1948. Then it was still an Arab village called Irak-al-Nabshiyeh, and my life was saved by four soldiers, one of whom was called Siboni (no connection).
For many years, Regev served in the army as a public relations officer, rising to the rank of Colonel. Seems that one day she decided to do public relations for herself, rather than for others.
Since her first day as Minister of Culture, she has supplied the media with a steady stream of scandals and provocations. Thus she gradually overtakes all her competitors in the Likud leadership. They just cannot compete with her energy and inventiveness.
She declared proudly that she sees her job as the elimination of all anti-Likud people from the cultural arena – after all, “that’s what the Likud was elected for.”
All over the world, governments subsidize cultural institutions and creative people, convinced that culture is a vital national asset. When Charles de Gaulle was the President of France, he was once approached by his police chiefs with the request to issue an arrest warrant for the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, because of his support for the Algerian freedom fighters. De Gaulle refused and said: “Sartre too is France!”
Well, Regev is no de Gaulle. She threatens to withdraw government subsidies from any institution that publicly opposes the policy of the right-wing government. She demanded the cancelation of the program of an Arab rapper who read from the works of Mahmoud Darwish, the adored national poet of the Arab citizens and of the entire Arab world. She demanded that all theaters and orchestras perform in the settlements in the occupied territories, if they want to keep their subsidies.
This week she won a resounding victory when Habima, the “national theater”, agreed to perform in Kiryat-Arba, a nest of the most fanatical fascist settlers. Indeed, no day passes without news of some new exploit by Regev. Her colleagues explode with jealousy.
The basis of Israeli Trumpism and of Miri Regev’s career is the deep resentment of the Oriental – or Mizrahi – community. It is directed against the Ashkenazim, the Israelis of European descent. They are accused of treating the Orientals with disdain, calling them “the second Israel”.
Since those recruits of Moroccan descent saved my life near the birthplace of Miri Regev, I have written many words about the tragedy of Mizrahi immigration, a tragedy of which I was an eye-witness from the first moment. Many injustices were committed by the established Jewish population against the new immigrants, mostly without bad intentions. But the greatest sin of all is rarely mentioned.
Every community need a sense of pride, based on its past achievements. The pride was taken away from the Mizrahim, who arrived in the country after the 1948 war. They were treated as people devoid of culture, without a past, “cave-dwellers from the Atlas mountains”.
This attitude was a part of the contempt for Arab culture, a contempt deeply embedded in the Zionist movement. Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky, the right-wing Zionist leader and forefather of the Likud party, wrote in his time an article entitled “The East”, in which he expressed his disdain for Oriental culture, Jewish and Arab alike, because of its religiosity and inability to separate between state and religion – a barrier to any human progress, according to him. This article is rarely mentioned nowadays.
The Oriental immigrants came to a country that was predominantly “secular”, non-religious and Western. It was also very anti-Arab and anti-Muslim. The new immigrants understood quickly that, in order to be accepted in Israeli society, they must get rid of their traditional-religious culture. They learned to distance themselves from everything Arab, such as their accent and their songs. Otherwise it would be difficult to become part of the country’s new society.
Before the birth of Zionism – a very European movement – there was no enmity between Jews and Muslims. Quite the contrary. When the Jews were expeled from Catholic Spain, many centuries ago, only a minority immigrated to anti-Semitic, Christian Europe. The vast majority went to Muslim lands and was received with open arms all over the Ottoman Empire.
Before that, in Muslim Spain, the Jews achieved their crowning glory, the “Golden Age”. They were integrated in all spheres of society and government and spoke Arabic. Many of their men of letters wrote Arabic and were admired by Muslims as well as Jews. Maimonides, perhaps the greatest of Sephardic Jews, wrote Arabic and was the personal physician of Saladin, the Muslim warrior who vanquished the Crusaders. The ancestors of these Crusaders had slaughtered Jew and Muslim alike when they conquered Jerusalem. Another great Mizrahi Jew, Saadia Gaon, translated the Torah into Arabic. And so on.
It would have been natural for Oriental Jews to take pride in this glorious past, as German Jews take pride in Heinrich Heine and French Jews in Marcel Proust. But the cultural climate in Israel compelled them to give up their heritage and pretend to admire solely the culture of the West. (Eastern singers were an exception – first as wedding performers and now as media stars. They became popular as “Mediterranean singers”.)
If Miri Regev were a cultured person, and not merely a Minister of Culture, she would have devoted her considerable energy to the revitalization of this culture and giving back pride to her community. But this does not really interest her. And there is another reason.
This Mizrahi culture is totally bound up with the Arab-Muslim culture. It cannot be mentioned without noticing the close relationship between the two for many centuries, during which Muslims and Jews worked together for the advancement of mankind, long before the world heard of Shakespeare or Goethe.
I have always believed that restoring pride was the duty of a new generation of peace-lovers that will arise from among the Mizrahi society. Lately, men and women from this community have reached key positions in the peace camp. I have high hopes.
They will have to fight the present culture minister – a minister who has nothing in common with culture, and a Mizrahi woman who has no Mizrahi roots.
I hope for a Jewish-Mizrahi revival in this country because it can advance Israeli-Arab peace and because it can strengthen again the loosened ties between the different communities in our state.
As a non-religious person I prefer the Mizrahi religiosity, which has always been moderate and tolerant, to the fanatical Zionist-religious camp that is predominantly Ashkenazi. I have always preferred Rabbi Ovadia Josef to the Rabbis Kook, father and son. I prefer Arie Der’I to Naftali Bennett.
I detest Donald Trump and Trumpism. I dislike Miri Regev and her culture. | 0 |
| November 2, 2016 at 6:47 pm | Reply
My, My My what a surprise, NOT!!! What we have for a government today is more akin to an Oligarchy than a Constitutional Republic, this election was supposed to be between two of the Oligarchs, it didn’t matter to the members of Club Oligarchy which Oligarch won the presidency, business would continue as usual, back room deals, insider trading, sharing in the prophets of the Military Industrial Complex, the Pharmaceutical Complex Etc. Etc. Etc. But alas a non Oligarch got the nomination, what to do before all is lost and we’re exposed, ok fellow Oligarchs we’ll get the media behind us they’ll feed the “Useful Idiots” what we tell them to, this will work. Bush is a globalist, his father is a globalist, so are all the Democrats and RINOs. In my opinion JFK was the last Democrat president who loved his country, he almost died for it in WW2 and did die because he wouldn’t go along with the shadow government. Ronald Reagan was the last Republican that loved his country, he too almost died because of it, the Shadow Government that controls this world I call Satan’s Elite forces, they are in the process of setting up a world government by using Madmen from the Middle East to create Chaos. As a Christian I believe what the Prophet Daniel was told and that is the dark forces of Satan can get control of man’s governments, this world government will come about, the good news it will be destroyed along with the evil people who created it. Interestingly one of the names of that man we call the Antichrist [The Scriptures do Not] can be translated as “The Man of Chaos” | 0 |
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the .) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail, but their first debate on Monday night dominated headlines. The ratings alone were newsworthy: 84 million viewers, possibly the most for a debate ever. Mrs. Clinton reveled in largely positive reviews, while Mr. Trump’s main strength was on trade issues. Mr. Trump has raised a host of complaints about the debate, including about his microphone and Lester Holt, the moderator. An unexpectedly powerful issue: his derision of a Latina beauty queen for gaining weight after winning the 1996 Miss Universe pageant. Above, Mrs. Clinton at a rally in North Carolina. _____ 2. Syrian government troops pushed into the ravaged city of Aleppo, backed by the fifth day of aerial bombardments by allied Syrian and Russian forces. Rebel forces disputed the government’s claim of a major advance, but the city suffered possibly the most ferocious assaults in five years of civil war. “Every day is worse than the last,” one desperate resident said. “Every day I leave my house, I keep in mind that I might not be back. ” _____ 3. Shimon Peres, one of the last pillars of Israel’s founding generation, died two weeks after suffering a massive stroke. He was 93. In a statement, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton said, “He was a genius with a big heart who used his gifts to imagine a future of reconciliation not conflict, economic and social empowerment not anger and frustration, and a nation, a region, and a world enhanced by caring and sharing, not torn asunder by the illusions of permanent dominance and perfect truth. ” 4. “It’s just a funding bill,” the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, groused. He was exasperated after a mix of Democrats and Republicans blocked his effort to advance a temporary spending bill that would head off a government shutdown this weekend. The vote fell 15 votes short of the 60 needed for passage. The issue: Democrats refuse to pass a bill that includes flood relief for Louisiana unless it also includes help for the crisis bedeviling Flint, Mich. _____ 5. The man who has admitted responsibility for the 2013 Bridgegate scandal in New Jersey directly tied Gov. Chris Christie to the events. David Wildstein, who worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said he told Mr. Christie during a Sept. 11 memorial service about organizing the closing of lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge. The point was to snarl traffic in Fort Lee, N. J. as a punishment for the town’s mayor. Mr. Christie, he said, laughed. _____ 6. One of our stories today is about Alton Brown’s eighth cookbook, “EveryDayCook: This Time It’s Personal. ” Or rather, it’s about a glimpse of the person behind the food TV showman: supersmart, politically conservative, divorced, in a midlife crisis. “It’s ‘Who the heck am I?’ time,” he said. “I’ve spent years projecting and presenting this thing, but in the end, what am I? I thought it was important to put something on paper. ” _____ 7. Judges in the Hague sentenced this radical Islamist, Ahmad to nine years in prison for his role in demolishing historic Muslim shrines in Timbuktu, Mali. It was the International Criminal Court’s first prosecution for the destruction of cultural heritage as a war crime. _____ 8. The W. H. O. ’s most comprehensive analysis so far of outdoor air quality worldwide revealed that 92 percent of the world’s people breathe unhealthy air. The report linked about three million deaths a year to outdoor air pollution, mostly from cardiovascular, pulmonary and other disease. The areas are Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region. _____ 9. The tech billionaire Elon Musk laid out the details of his plan to get people to Mars. In fact, to colonize Mars. His plans for his SpaceX company don’t stop there — he spoke of an Interplanetary Transit System capable of ferrying scores of passengers at a time to other planets. “It’s something we can do in our lifetimes,” he said, in a presentation to the International Astronautical Congress. More than 100, 000 people watched the . _____ 10. A bill awaiting President Obama’s signature gives most Olympic and Paralympic medalists a tax break. For those who earn less than $1 million a year, the measure designates the value of their medals and their bonuses — $25, 000 for every gold, $15, 000 for every silver and $10, 000 for every bronze — . The one representative who voted against the bill, Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, said Congress should be dealing with more urgent matters. “We’ve got a Zika crisis, an opium epidemic and gun violence in the news every day,” he said. _____ 11. Finally, Leonard Nimoy died last year, but his Spock lives on and prospers in the minds of many fans. The actor’s son, Adam Nimoy, pictured with him above, discovered one crucial reason in the course of making his documentary “For the Love of Spock. ” The character was not just an outsider and a principal in the bromance he was also a rare multiracial role model on American television. A Los Angeles artist said: “Every time McCoy would say, you’re and Spock would say, I’m also I was like, ‘Yeah, I get that.’ ” _____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p. m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a. m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a. m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s last night’s briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes. com. | 1 |
MEXICO CITY — Since November 2014, the Mexican authorities, eager to close a dark chapter in the nation’s history, have insisted that 43 students from Ayotzinapa who disappeared two months earlier in the city of Iguala were killed by a drug gang that incinerated their bodies in a garbage dump and disposed of the ashes in a river. But on Sunday, in the latest blow to the integrity of the government’s case, an international panel of experts who began examining the disappearances a year ago asserted that five suspects whose testimony underpinned the government’s conclusions gave confessions “under torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. ” Forced confessions are not admissible in Mexican courts. The findings not only undermined the government’s case but also further eroded the credibility of the nation’s criminal justice system. The system has been widely criticized for its handling of a matter that has come to represent the failures and corruption of the Mexican state. “The Ayotzinapa case has put the country at a crossroads, from which it has yet to emerge, and for that it needs a strengthening of the rule of law and of the defense, the guarantee and respect for human rights,” Alejandro Valencia, a Colombian lawyer and a member of the panel, said at a news conference here on Sunday. The government’s response to the students’ disappearance in September 2014 has become a referendum on the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto, who took office in 2012 promising to reduce violence. The case set off months of street protests and demands that the government solve the mystery and end chronic corruption. The panel of experts, who were invited by the Mexican government to examine the case, revealed its findings in the news conference and in a voluminous report — its second and last. The mandate of the group, which was appointed by the Commission on Human Rights and is made up of Latin American lawyers and human rights activists, expires next week, and the Mexican authorities have said they will not extend it. Beginning with their first report, in September, the experts have systematically dismantled the government’s conclusions, questioning the authorities’ ability or commitment to thoroughly investigate the disappearances and raising doubts about the integrity of the judicial system. The panel “has not a single piece of evidence to change its conclusion that the 43 students were not incinerated” in the dump, Francisco Cox, a Chilean lawyer and one of the experts, said at the news conference. The government announced in January 2015 that it had solved the mystery after what Jesús Murillo Karam, then the attorney general, called an “exhaustive, serious” inquiry. Mr. Murillo said the students, who attended a teachers college in Ayotzinapa in the Pacific state of Guerrero, had traveled to Iguala to commandeer buses for transportation to a protest in Mexico City. According to the government’s version of events, Iguala’s mayor ordered the police to detain the students. The government’s account, which relied on the testimony of several members of a drug gang, said the police had then turned the students over to the gang, which killed them, incinerated their bodies in a dump near Cocula and threw the remains in a river. In recent months, a team of experts on torture, working with the international investigative panel, examined evidence gathered by the Mexican authorities. Using United Nations guidelines for the documentation of torture, the technicians determined that 17 of the government’s suspects had been tortured, including five gang members who claimed to have been involved in the killing and burning of the students. The findings supported testimony by some of the suspects that they had been tortured while in the custody of government security forces. The experts also raised urgent questions about the way the Mexican authorities had gathered and handled evidence in the case, especially a bone fragment found in October 2014 that was linked to one of the missing students. “This is a serious problem that needs to be investigated,” said Carlos Beristain, a Spanish doctor and a panel member. Among their other findings in their report, the experts said they had uncovered new evidence that pointed to a greater role by federal security forces in the events of Sept. 2014, despite the Mexican authorities’ insistence that the crimes committed that night were local in nature. The experts also lamented the lack of investigation into the possible culpability of all but officials. “You must look for not only the direct authors of an action but also for those who led, supported or ignored the signs of human rights violations,” the panel wrote. The panel also raised questions about why the government’s investigation had failed to analyze phone records from that night, which might have shed light on where the students had been taken. The experts reiterated their longstanding criticism that the Mexican government had blocked their access to crucial witnesses, including all military officials, and did not allow them to reinterview scores of witnesses. Requests for certain documents and testimonies were ignored or rebuffed, they said. Eber Omar Betanzos, the deputy attorney general for human rights, responded to the experts’ report by rebutting many of their specific arguments and said the torture allegations were being investigated. The government had given the experts “full access to the information needed to develop their work” and had answered 85 percent of their 941 requests, he said, adding that the remaining 15 percent were close to completion. The experts also criticized sclerotic bureaucracy. They held up the matter of Julio César Mondragón, one of the students who had gone to Iguala. He had become separated from his friends during the chaos of the night, and his body turned up the next morning in Iguala. He had been so brutally tortured that he was not immediately identifiable. The first autopsy on the body was incomplete, the experts said, so they requested a second one. Even though they pushed the request, the Mexican authorities took three months to approve a second autopsy. In their latest report, the experts likened the agonizing wait by the student’s family to “a new victimization” that arises “when bureaucracy or formal aspects are more important than the victims. ” | 1 |
By Jason Easley on Mon, Oct 31st, 2016 at 4:22 pm A new report is painting CIA Director James Comey as having used his office to influence the presidential election, as Comey sent a letter about Hillary Clinton's emails, but refused to call out Russia for meddling in the election by hacking Democrats. Share on Twitter Print This Post
A new report is painting CIA Director James Comey as having used his office to influence the presidential election, as Comey sent a letter about Hillary Clinton’s emails, but refused to call out Russia for meddling in the election by hacking Democrats.
CNBC reported : FBI Director James Comey argued privately that it was too close to Election Day for the United States government to name Russia as meddling in the U.S. election and ultimately ensured that the FBI’s name was not on the document that the U.S. government put out, a former FBI official tells CNBC.
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According to the former official, Comey agreed with the conclusion the intelligence community came to: “A foreign power was trying to undermine the election. He believed it to be true, but was against putting it out before the election.” Comey’s position, this official said, was “if it is said, it shouldn’t come from the FBI, which as you’ll recall it did not.”
Director Comey didn’t want to interfere in the presidential election by releasing information that could harm Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but he had no qualms about sending a letter to Congress about emails that he had never seen in an apparent effort to interfere in the current presidential election.
With each new revelation and detail, it is becoming impossible not to come to the conclusion that FBI Director Comey may have violated the Hatch Act with his letter to Congress. It is illegal for federal employees to use their positions to interfere in elections.
When the information was bad for Donald Trump, Comey argued that it should not be publicly released so close to the election. However, he embraced a different standard when he had less information but could frame it in a way that could damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
It is becoming clear that Comey has abused his power and must be removed as FBI Director immediately. | 0 |
Western Washington University is hosting a workshop on reducing the impact of “white privilege,” according to a report on the university’s website. [The workshop, which will teach students about the role that white privilege supposedly plays in American society, will be led by white history professor Randall Jimerson. In an email interview with The College Fix, Jimerson explained his motivations for setting up the workshop, citing a desire to reduce the impact of “white privilege. ” “I think the harmful effects of ‘white privilege’ are that it can reflect an insensitivity to the subtle effects of both racism and lack of awareness of the differences between how people of color and people called ‘white’ are treated in everyday life,” Jimerson wrote. “Not being aware that other people face daily, often subtle, discrimination can make white people insensitive to these debilitating effects. ” “Most people of color are aware of the existence of ‘white privilege,’ whether or not they have applied this term to the disparity between their experiences and those of white people,” he added. “Thus, I assume that the main focus will be on helping white participants to understand, explore, and accept (or reject) the concepts embedded in this phrase. ” Jimerson says that he hopes the workshop will help to reduce the impact of “white privilege” in daily interactions and increase “white consciousness” of the realities for minorities living in the United States. When asked about the racial progress that has taken place in the United States since the 1960s, Jimerson suggested that there is much left to be done. He argued that because he is a white male, it would be unfair for him to speak on behalf of those afflicted by racism. Although I think that the United States has made progress in some aspects of race relations — such as overt or legal segregation — recent evidence suggest we have a long way to go. These forms of evidence range from the racist attacks on former President Barack Obama, to documented incidents of excessive police violence towards people of color, to the increase of white supremacist organizations, and the only slightly veiled racism of many members of the Trump administration. These developments are seriously troubling for anyone who values concepts of fairness, equality, and social justice. Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart. com | 1 |
Lifesize Noah’s Ark Is Massive Success Despite Athiests’ Predictions
League officials removed the unidentified 19-year-old from the game, and the Rhode Island Pre-Teen Football League removed the team from the league indefinitely.
Team founder Alexandra Diaz said she was embarrassed by the act. She also said that she had dismissed the coach in question.
“We moved very, very quickly,” she told WPRI Monday. Advertisement - story continues below
“My organization doesn’t tolerate things like that,” Diaz said. “We are very concerned with children’s safety.” Here's the picture of the adult who was snuck into a game of 13 year olds by the coach of a Rhode Island youth football team. pic.twitter.com/GTHfVJhSnp
— Toucher and Rich (@Toucherandrich) October 25, 2016
The Buccaneers’ junior varsity and cheerleaders have also been dismissed from the league.
Nelson Pedro, vice president of the league, said the league didn’t want to come to that decision but that it was necessary for the safety of the other teams and players. Advertisement - story continues below | 0 |
Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” deputy assistant to President Donald Trump weighed in on the report that former National Security Adviser Susan Rice was behind the “unmasking” of Trump transitional officials in raw intelligence after the 2016 presidential election. Gorka explained how some Trump officials could be targeted for political means under the current requirements for surveillance. “Look, the president has been explicit here, Sean,” Gorka said. “We’re going to allow the mandated authorities — the congressional committees to do their work. We’re not going to do witch hunts. That’s what the left radical, progressive political elite does with their enemies. So, we’re going to let the system deal with this as it should. ” “But again, your guests, I listen to your radio show as I was coming into the show today,” he continued. “You had a former operative talk about how it’s not rocket science to engineer a network analysis of telephone calls, who is calling who. If you want to attack me or Steve Bannon or Steve Miller or Kellyanne Conway, you say, ‘Oh, they regularly call their nephew in Canada. Well, that’s a foreigner. I don’t need the same kind of intelligence authorities to intercept a foreign call. Then you start to find a way to unmask all of these conversations so that you can make political profit. That’s a very, very tenable theory. And that’s the kind of thing we have to find out if it was really happening. Because if that’s the case, that is weaponizing intelligence for political purposes against your other party. ” When asked by Hannity how this compared to Watergate, Gorka suggested it paled in comparison. “Losing 14 minutes of audiotape in comparison to this is a little spat in the sandbox in the kindergarten,” Gorka replied. Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor | 1 |
Posted on October 28, 2016 by Jay Syrmopoulos
Portland, OR – The group of men who seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge , in rural Oregon were found not guilty late Thursday, vindicating brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy after the 41-day standoff that brought nationwide focus to long-running dispute over federal control of rural land in the Western United States.
According to a report in by the Associated Press :
A jury found brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy not guilty a firearm in a federal facility and conspiring to impede federal workers from their jobs at the 300 miles southeast of Portland where the trial took place. Five co-defendants also were tried one or both of the charges. Ammon Bundy has a house in Emmett.
Despite the acquittal, the Bundys were expected to stand trial in Nevada early next year on charges stemming from another high-profile standoff with federal agents. Authorities rounding up cattle at their father Cliven Bundy’s ranch in 2014 because of unpaid grazing fees released the animals as they faced armed protesters.
The Bundy family initially made headlines in 2013 when the Bureau of Land Management brought armed agents in to seize rancher Cliven Bundy’s cattle after his refusal to pay federal authorities a massive debt – which he claims is illegitimate.
In response to the militarized response in Nevada by the BLM, militia from across the U.S. mobilized and coordinated a response which saw hundreds of armed Americans stand up to what they perceived as vast federal overreach.
What the government thought would be an open-and-shut case was anything but. The group never denied they seized the refuge while armed or that they made demands of the government.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this case is not a whodunit,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight said in his closing argument, making the argument the group illegally commandeered a federal building.
The AP reports:
On technical grounds, the defendants said they never discussed stopping individual workers from accessing their offices but merely wanted the land and the buildings. On emotional grounds, Ammon Bundy and other defendants argued that the takeover was an act of civil disobedience against an out-of-control federal government that has crippled the rural West.
Federal prosecutors took two weeks to present their case, finishing with a display of more than 30 guns seized after the standoff. An FBI agent testified that 16,636 live rounds and nearly 1,700 spent casings were found.
Ammon Bundy spent three days testifying in his own defense, focusing on the fact that federal overreach is destroying rural Western communities that have relied on the land — for generations in many cases. Bundy made clear that the plan was to simply take control of the refuge by occupation, while eventually returning it to local control.
Originally, 26 occupiers were charged with conspiracy. Eleven pleaded guilty, while another had the charge dropped. Seven defendants have not yet been tried. Their trial is scheduled to begin February 14, according to the AP.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, an Oregon-area reporter posted to Twitter that Ammon Bundy’s attorney Marcus Mumford was tackled by U.S. Marshals after insisting that Bundy should be allowed to be released from custody, with the judge subsequently ordering the courtroom cleared.
The armed occupiers took control of the remote bird sanctuary on January 2, in response to the prison sentences given to two local ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond, after being convicted of arson in relation to an ongoing dispute with the BLM. Upon occupying the refuge the group demanded that the father and son be freed and that federal officials cede control of publicly held lands to local control.
Ultimately, the Bundy brothers and a number of their fellow occupiers were arrested in an ambush style attack, while on the way to negotiate with a Sheriff. It ended with officers gunning down Robert “LaVoy” Finicum – a charismatic group spokesman. Currently, numerous federal SRT agents are under investigation for lying about firing at the occupiers’ vehicle during the ambush.
The majority of the remaining occupants left the refuge in the wake of Finicum’s killing , with four holdouts negotiating their surrender until February 11.
In the wake of the verdict, both the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office also expressed disappointment.
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said his office “respects the verdict of the jury and thanks them for their dedicated service during this long and difficult trial.”
“For many weeks, hundreds of law enforcement officers — federal, state, and local — worked around-the-clock to resolve the armed occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge peacefully. We believe now — as we did then — that protecting and defending this nation through rigorous obedience to the U.S. Constitution is our most important responsibility. Although we are extremely disappointed in the verdict, we respect the court and the role of the jury in the American judicial system.” – Greg Bretzing, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Oregon
Regardless of the sentiments of those in government and law enforcement, the jury carried out justice — with this verdict solidifying that the killing of LaVoy Finnicum was nothing less than criminal .
Revealing exactly why the 2nd Amendment is so important to a free people, Bundy testified that the reason occupiers chose to carry guns was because they understood that they would be immediately arrested otherwise and needed to protect themselves against possible government violence.
There is no mistaking the difference in law enforcement’s response to unarmed protestors — versus those that exercise their right to bear arms. One need look no further than the ongoing protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock – which has been met with numerous militarized and violent crackdowns on non-violent water protectors – to see exactly how differently armed protesters are treated. Don't forget to follow the D.C. Clothesline on Facebook and Twitter. PLEASE help spread the word by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks. Share this: | 0 |
Monday as the news developing about the Manchester terror bombing after the completion of an Ariana Grande concert, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank laid out for host Anderson Cooper the likelihood that the explosion was the result of a suicide bomber motivated by radical Islamic extremism. However, Cruickshank did say “it must also be noted” there had been a number of “false flag plots” orchestrated by “ extremist” in Europe. “Well, obviously a suicide bomber, that would be the hallmarks of an Islamist terrorist plot attack,” Cruickshank replied. “So, they’ll be looking in that direction tonight if they indeed do confirm there was a suicide bomber involved. There eyewitnessed interviewed in the last few minutes on BBC Radio talking about what they’re describing as nuts all over the floor. And that would be consistent with a kind of of device, which we’ve seen groups like and ISIS encourage their recruits to build. So that’s the only way this is pointing tonight. We cannot conclude that for sure at this stage. We are going to have to wait for police to tell us much more in the hours ahead. ” “But given the fact that they’re looking into this real possibility, and it is there would appear some evidence that this was a suicide bombing — that certainly takes you down the Islamist terrorist direction,” he continued. “It must also be noted that in recent months in Europe, there have been a number of false flag plots where extremists have tried frame Islamists for terrorism. We have seen that in Germany in recent weeks. But a suicide bomber does take you down the direction of Islamist terror. ” Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor | 1 |
We recently moved from NYC to Portland, Oregon, and I have to say the biggest change (besides all of the trees and so much more living space!) is the cycling culture. Portland is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. There are bikes everywhere you look (I just bought this one and I love it). Not only are there safe bike lanes leading everywhere—including all the way to the airport—there’s also a bike shop on every corner and even a bike assembly area within the airport terminal itself. The bike culture also flourishes in Portland because cyclists and drivers both follow the rules (and, let me tell you, that’s a HUGE change from NYC as well).
Cycling is great for your body and great for the environment. People who ride their bicycles regularly have better cardiovascular fitness, less body fat, increased energy, and they experience less depression. These are all ideal characteristics for being conditioned in a SHTF situation. Cycling to work instead of driving saves close to 10% of your household emissions and biking combats noise pollution, traffic, and uses far less rubber than what is needed for car tires. It makes sense that anyone who is interested in having a sustainable lifestyle would also be interested in traveling by bicycle as much as they can.
Why Cycling Matters in a SHTF Situation
In addition to health benefits, knowing how to cycle and having the necessary gear can come in handy in a dire SHTF situation. I recently read an article about how traveling by bike is your best bet for surviving the zombie apocalypse—the article was a bit of a joke, but it got me thinking seriously about bugging out and how to travel safely in a potentially dangerous situation.
Riding a Bicycle Lets You Avoid Traffic : First of all, anytime there is an emergency, from a severe weather event to a terrorist threat to a fire, traffic becomes an immense and literal roadblock . You won’t be limited to roads at all if you have a bicycle. Being able to take alternate routes means getting the heck out of Dodge faster—of course, you’ll have issues with covering long distances, but people stuck in hours of traffic will too.
Riding a Bicycle Does Not Require Fuel : There’s also the issue of getting gas and maintaining your energy source for your car. Sure, if you’re prepared, you’ll have a few extra tanks on hand, but what happens when that dries up? In a national or worldwide SHTF situation, gasoline will be among the first resources to go scarce. When the gas is gone, even if drivers are able to power through traffic and use their preps, it’s only a matter of time before they have to abandon their cars and continue their travels on foot.
Bikes are Easy to Repair : A bicycle is a straightforward machine that requires only a slight bit of research to repair. You don’t want to be worrying about your engine or oil changes when you’re on the run.
You Can Still Carry Cargo : If you’ve traveled to Indonesian countries you’ve seen how much gear (or how many people!) can be packed onto a single bicycle. Having a basket or rack is an easy and affordable way to make your bike more emergency friendly. Even just having a simple set up for your bug-out bag and some of your preps will make a huge difference.
You Can Accommodate Children on a Bicycle : If forced to abandon your car, having smaller children means that they slow you down, and if they aren’t willing to walk you will find yourself in a terrible situation indeed. Carriers or trailers like this one mean your child can be sleeping soundly while you travel.
Riding a Bike is Better for Your OPSEC Situation : Bicycles are stealth and silent when you are riding them and are reliable in an off-grid situation . They are small and easy to camouflage–they can even be pulled up into a tree or stashed behind some bushes at a moment’s notice.
At the very least, understand that you cannot rely on your vehicle in a true SHTF situation if you have to flee your home. Loading up your trunk with preps could potentially be a waste of time—instead, you might do well to learn how to ride a bike and be sure one is packed in that trunk of yours.
Pamela Bofferding is a native Texan who now lives with her husband and sons in New York City. She enjoys hiking, traveling, and playing with her dogs.
This information has been made available by Ready Nutrition
Originally published November 12th, 2016 Off-Grid Travel: The DIY Survival Bike Cycling and Walking to Work Increases the Feeling of… 3 Uses a Stationary Bike Has When the Grid Goes Down Could the Survival Bike be your Bug Out Vehicle of Choice? SHTF Planning: 7 Ways to Use The Items Around You To Adapt… | 0 |
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North Korea’s Foreign Ministry slammed the “shamelessness of Israel” on Friday, calling the Jewish State a “rogue group” that “poses a nuclear threat” and commits “terrorist attack[s]” against neighboring countries. On Friday the Korean Central News Agency released a statement attributed to North Korea’s Foreign Ministry that responded to comments Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made last week that were critical of the Hermit Kingdom. “This is an unpardonable insult and provocation to the dignity and social system in the DPRK and the choice made by its people,” the statement said of Netanyahu’s comments, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The statement then took issue with Israel’s foreign policy in the Middle East, stating: “Israel not only represents dictatorial forces for aggression that trample down the legitimate right of the Palestinian people and indiscriminately kill them but also is a rogue group that poses a nuclear threat and makes terrorist attack[s] on its neighboring countries with lots of nuclear weapons.” The statement was responding to comments Netanyahu made during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last week, in which the Israeli leader repeatedly drew parallels between Iran and North Korea. “And, Prime Minister [Abe], we have something else in common,” Netanyahu began. “We are two peace loving democracies that face formidable threats from nearby rogue states.” “Both Iran and North Korea are governed by ruthless and extreme dictatorships, states that seek to bully and intimidate their neighbors, and in our case, to actually eradicate us from the face of the earth.” Noting that “Iran and North Korea have aggressive military nuclear programs,” Netanyahu repeated his plea to not allow Iran to use diplomacy to advance its nuclear program as he alleges North Korea did with the 1994 Agreed Framework. “Iran cannot be allowed to travel the road taken by North Korea.” It’s not the first time that North Korea has slammed Israel or even Netanyahu publicly. After Netanyahu criticized Pyongyang during a trip to Japan last year, the North Korean Foreign Ministry released a similar statement, which called Israel a "cancer to peace in the Middle East.” It also accused Netanyahu of trying to use North Korea “to divert international criticism of Israel caused by its settlement activity and breakdown in the Middle East peace talks." Similarly, in last week’s statement, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said, “Everybody knows about the shamelessness of Israel telling lies and making fabrications and pointing accusing fingers to others to justify its criminal acts and evade the censure and condemnation by the international community.” Besides trading public insults, Israel has long been concerned about North Korea’s support for Arab states that are hostile to Israel, as well as Iran. In fact, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War North Korea actually deployed a squadron of MiG-21s to Egypt, which engaged in a firefight with Israeli F-4s. Neither side sustained any damage. More recently, North Korea has been accused of proliferating ballistic missiles and nuclear technology to Syria and Iran. In 2007, Israel destroyed Syria's Al Kibar Nuclear Reactor that was reportedly built by North Korean engineers. | 0 |
The value of the bully pulpit of the president of the United States can’t be measured on a corporate spreadsheet or the Excel file of a Wall Street analyst. But as Donald J. Trump tries to stop Carrier from moving more than 2, 000 jobs to Mexico, the company is learning that the pulpit can be powerful indeed. Carrier, in the middle of negotiations with the incoming administration, may end up keeping some of the jobs in Indiana. In exchange, the incoming administration could ease up on regulation for businesses and cool campaign rhetoric on imposing tariffs. Officials familiar with the situation, who insisted on anonymity because talks were still underway, described the discussion on Friday as a negotiation, with both sides seeking a compromise. Carrier and its corporate parent, United Technologies, confirmed on Thursday that executives were in discussions about the fate of two factories in Indiana scheduled to shut down, not long after Mr. Trump posted on Twitter that he was “working hard, even on Thanksgiving,” to get Carrier to stay. “Making progress,” he added, in all capital letters. For both Mr. Trump and the company, the stakes are huge. His promise to reverse trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement, or Nafta, and bring back manufacturing jobs to the United States was critical in taking the Rust Belt out of the Democratic column and winning the White House. “Trump cannot afford to back down on this one,” said Robert Dilenschneider, a veteran public relations executive who advises companies and chief executives on strategic communications. “He prides himself on the art of the deal, and he’s going to make Carrier an offer they can’t refuse. ” “It’s a hallmark case and if Trump can win it, which I think he will, it will send a message to every single American company that’s thinking of going offshore,” Mr. Dilenschneider added. For the company, the costs of defying the are at least as high, if not higher, and may well outweigh the tens of millions of dollars to be saved by relocating production to Monterrey, Mexico, from Indiana. United Technologies is among the country’s biggest military contractors, producing engines for the Pentagon’s most advanced fighter jets and receiving more than $5 billion annually from the federal government. That equals 10 percent of the company’s revenue. The size of the federal government’s dealings with United Technologies has also caught the eye of legislators on Capitol Hill, like Senator Joe Donnelly, Democrat of Indiana. “It’s unfair to ask the same workers who have been laid off to pay tax dollars that will go to the company that fired them,” he said. “We’re in this together as Americans. When our workers succeed, our economy succeeds and our defense contractors succeed. ” Senator Donnelly is pushing for the government to consider outsourcing as a factor in deciding which companies receive federal contracts. Kenneth G. a professor of labor and employment law at the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University, said he also thought that Mr. Trump “could get a win here,” adding, “Because they are a defense contractor, the federal government has some leverage. ” “Whether he can do something that benefits the working class in general is a different story,” he said. “The underlying problems are very hard to address. Trying to hold back the economic tide of automation, and the loss of manufacturing jobs, is something I’m not sure anybody can do. ” While Carrier is best known for its it also sells a variety of other heating and cooling equipment for homes and small businesses, like the furnaces and fan coils made at the Indianapolis factory. And as a business, Carrier is much more vulnerable to public pressure than firms that primarily deal with other businesses, said Barbara J. Fick, a professor of law at Notre Dame Law School. She noted that not far from Notre Dame’s campus, at a plant in South Bend, Honeywell has been engaged in a bitter standoff since May with employees represented by the United Automobile Workers. “Honeywell doesn’t make a lot of things you can boycott,” Ms. Fick said. “It’s mostly . To the extent that Carrier makes and furnaces, you can hit them with the pocketbook. ” Although Carrier workers in Indianapolis say management at the factory has been traveling back and forth to Mexico in recent months, with Mexican engineers measuring machines that are expected to be transported to Monterrey, there is plenty of time for the company to change course. In a presentation this week, Carrier’s management told employees that the fan coil line would be the first to close in eliminating 300 to 400 jobs. But as that line closes, about 100 jobs will be saved temporarily by the creation of a new night shift making furnaces. furnace production is not set to end until to late 2018, while the final line to close, furnaces, won’t he shuttered until early 2019. That staggered schedule has given workers some hope that if a compromise between the new administration and the company does emerge, it may revolve around keeping the gas furnace production lines open, even if a smaller number of jobs are relocated to Mexico in the meantime. If a deal was reached, it could also help set the tone for a Trump presidency in terms of corporate America, Mr. Dilenschneider said. Much as Ronald Reagan’s decision to fire striking air traffic controllers in 1981 signaled to organized labor that political momentum was no longer on their side, keeping Carrier in Indiana would show that a Republican president was willing to stand up to corporate America. There are signs that Mr. Trump is already eager to show just that. This month, he took credit for Ford’s decision to keep Lincoln production in Kentucky, although it is not clear that any Ford jobs at the Louisville plant were actually in danger of going to Mexico. “It doesn’t make any difference who the president is,” Mr. Dilenschneider said. “If the president of the United States says, ‘Do it,’ you’ve got to give it some very serious thought. ” | 1 |
groups leased a big orange tour bus to highlight the big obvious — but perhaps temporary — fact that a person’s male or female sex is decided by biology, not by politics. [But before the bus could get out of New York, two attackers smashed several windows, punched holes in the side, and political demands — “trans rights now!” and “trans liberation” — over the huge message on the side of the bus, which says: It’s Biology, Boys are boys … and always will be, Girls are girls … and always will be. You can’t change sex. Respect all. The attack was inflicted after the conservative organizers had “call[ed] on all Americans to respect the free speech rights of citizens to debate these issues without fear of being demeaned, harassed, or threatened with retaliation. ” The #FreeSpeechBus tour began Thursday in New York, and it is being led by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) International Organization for the Family, and CitizenGO. “We filed a police report and there is video surveillance” of the two attackers damaging the bus and attacking the bus driver, Brian Brown, the director of the National Organization for Marriage, told Breitbart News. The attack took place near the United Nations building. “They should be punished to the full extent of the law,” he said. ‘“It is a hate crime … if it was motivated by our religious or political beliefs, it is under the statutes to be prosecuted as a hate crime. ” The attack “proves our point — that some on the other side don’t believe in tolerance, they want to shut us down … . [but] we’re not stopping the bus tour,” he said. The bus tour is needed to spread the message nationwide that government must not promote the false claim that people can change their sex, said Brown. “We’re seeing actual legislation trying to force schools to accept that boys can go into girls’ restrooms — that’s absolute insanity,” he said. State and federal approval of the transgender claim that people can and should be allowed to change their sex have created a of medical specialists who are performing radical surgery on children, he said. “We’re taking young children and essentially mutilating them … this is horrific, and people need to stand up against this. ” Political advocates for the “gender ideology” idea say that biological sex has nothing to do with feelings of “gender,” that people can and should be allowed to change their legal sex as often as they wish and also that government can and should force other people to comply with the changing preferences of people who say they want to live as members of the other sex. For example, these activists say that biological men should be legally invited to use women’s and sports leagues, and children should be forced to refer to a boy as a girl if the other child wants them to do so. The overall goal for the transgender activists is a “genderless society” which no longer allows any social, civic or legal recognition of the different, equal and complementary preferences of the two distinct heterosexual sexes, including the normal view of marriage as a man and a woman joining to become parents for the next generation of people. “The end of the [transgender] road is to say that fundamental reality is simply a subset of our wishes — that if I wake up one day and say ‘I’m a boy [then] I’m a boy,’ … that’s the big lie here,” he said. libertarians should recognize that “if you [allow government to] change the fundamental nature of male or female persons, it can change anything — and the government can try to coerce people to buy into their false version of reality,” he said. The orange bus was leased to help share this argument with Americans and media outlets around the nation, he said “The ‘gender identity’ activists have scared people from stating the obvious truth,” said Brown. “The bus is letting people know they should not be afraid to stand against this nonsense,” he added. Polls show fewer than of Americans support the claim that people should be allowed to freely change their legal sex without surgery or legal paperwork. Other polls show lopsided public opposition to demands that bathrooms be replaced by shared bathrooms. Advocates say that only 0. 6 percent of people are transgender. Critics highlight a study of the 2010 census which showed that only 89, 667 adults had changed their names from one sex to another. That’s roughly 1 in 2, 500 adults. | 1 |
PARIS — A Bastille Day fireworks celebration was shattered by death and mayhem Thursday night in the southern French city of Nice when a large truck barreled for more than a mile through an enormous crowd of spectators, crushing and maiming dozens in what France’s president called a terrorist assault. It came eight months after the Paris attacks that traumatized the nation and all of Europe. Officials and witnesses in Nice said at least 84 people, including children, were killed by the driver of the rampaging truck, who mowed them down on the sidewalk. He was shot to death by the police as officers scrambled to respond on what is France’s most important annual holiday. Graphic television and video images showed the truck accelerating and tearing through the crowd, dozens of victims sprawled in its path, and the windshield of the vehicle. Municipal officials and police officers described the truck as full of weapons and grenades. “The horror, the horror has, once again, hit France,” President François Hollande said in a nationally televised address early Friday. He said the “terrorist character” of the assault was undeniable, and he described the use of a large truck to deliberately kill people as “a monstrosity. ” “France has been struck on the day of her national holiday,” he said. “Human rights are denied by fanatics, and France is clearly their target. ” Mr. Hollande, who only hours earlier had proclaimed the impending end of a state of national emergency on July 26, said that the measure would be extended by three months and that additional soldiers would be deployed for security. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Friday morning that France would observe three days of national mourning, starting on Saturday. Flags will fly at at all government buildings. “We would like to tell the French people that we will never give in,” he said in a statement outside the Élysée Palace, in Paris. “We will not give in to the terrorist threat. The times have changed, and France should learn to live with terrorism. ” As French officials quickly concluded that terrorism was the likely motive and the scope of the slaughter grew clear, the use of a large commercial truck as the principal weapon of death raised new questions about how to prevent such attacks. The officials warned residents to stay indoors and canceled all further scheduled festivities in Nice, a seaside city of 340, 000, including a jazz festival and a concert on Friday night by Rihanna. “There are numerous victims,” said Brandet, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, on BFM Television. “It’s a tragic, exceptional situation. ” Witnesses described scenes of pandemonium, with conflicting accounts on social media, including a false report of in Nice. “We were enjoying the celebrations when we suddenly saw people running everywhere and tables being pushed down by the movement of panic,” said Daphne Burandé, 15, who was at a bar near the beach to watch the fireworks. “No one explained to us what was happening, and I heard some gunshots not very far away,” she said. “I waited at the bar for more information because I thought it was a false alert. But then, people were still running. ” There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the identity of the driver was not immediately clear, but the newspaper Nice Matin reported early Friday that he was a Frenchman of Tunisian origin. Christian Estrosi, the president of the d’Azur region of France, which includes Nice, expressed outrage, sympathy and frustration in an interview with on Friday morning, pointedly noting previous attacks on a satirical newspaper in Paris in January 2015 the coordinated series of attacks in and around Paris in November that included a music hall, the Bataclan, among its targets and the attacks this year in Brussels. “Questions are raised,” he said. “As I try to comfort the families, I also try to contain my anger I can’t hide to you that I feel a deep anger. How is it possible in our country that, after everyone said there was a state of emergency, a state of war, we forgot it after Charlie Hebdo, and then there was the Bataclan. After the Bataclan, we forgot, and then there was Brussels. After Brussels, we forgot and there was Nice. ” “There are questions that need to be answered,” he said. Mr. Estrosi said that the families needed time to mourn, and added that it was “our duty” to support them. But he also asked how it was possible that an individual was apparently able to breach security, and he said that he expected an answer from Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister. “I don’t want to hear the usual, ‘We are going to carry out an investigation,’ ” he said. The attack amounted to a to a nation that was struggling to restore some sense of normalcy and had begun to drop its guard. Hours after Mr. Hollande said during Bastille Day festivities in Paris that “we cannot prolong the state of emergency eternally,” a massive white truck came crashing through in Nice. The main strip through Nice was littered with bodies, one after the other. “Whatever the nature of what happened in Nice, the threat of terrorism is particularly high,” Mr. Brandet, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said on the iTele television station. He added that security forces were on high alert in the area and in cities around France. Dozens of people were seriously injured, and many more were psychologically shocked, Mr. Brandet said. The region has activated a White Plan, put in place during the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks that killed 130 people, to open all emergency rooms to receive victims, he added. The Islamic State, the militant group that asserted responsibility for the attacks in Paris, did not make any immediate claims for the assault in Nice. It typically takes the Islamic State several hours, and sometimes up to one and even two days, to assert responsibility for attacks in Western countries. It typically does so through its Amaq channel on the encrypted telephone app Telegram, which serves as the group’s news wire. However, as in the hours immediately after the Paris, Brussels and Orlando attacks, there was a now familiar celebration on channels run by groups that support the Islamic State, as well as on at least one channel affiliated with the group, also known as ISIS and ISIL. They cheered the carnage. On a channel created on Thursday, called the United Cyber Caliphate, run by a group that has previously tried to carry out cyberattacks in the Islamic State’s name, a message included a single word — France — followed by a smiley face. The channel of an Islamic State member, Aswarti Media, which has repeatedly been shut down and claims 1, 987 members, was posting the phrase “Allahu akbar. ” Yet another channel suspected of being for the Islamic State showed an image of the Eiffel Tower going up in flames. The attack in Nice took place just as the Euro 2016 soccer tournament had concluded. France had hosted the tournament, and the entire country had been on high alert. There had been reports that suspects linked to the attacks in Paris and the Brussels assault in March had planned an attack during the tournament. With tens of thousands of people gathered at stadiums and in designated “fan zones” during the games, the police and private security took extraordinary measures to try to secure the sites. It was difficult to know if the measures were successful or if in fact there were no plans to attack the soccer tournament. One question people will be asking is whether the security forces, as well as civilians, let their guard down once the tournament was over thinking that the danger had passed. Several witnesses spoke on iTele. A man who gave his name as Michel, working at the Voilier Plage restaurant in front of the Promenade des Anglais, said that around 10:30 p. m. a large white truck drove into a crowd that had gathered near the beach. “A huge number of people started running, then there was a lot of gunfire,” he said. Another witness who owns a restaurant nearby, whom iTele did not identify, said that when the truck plowed into the crowd, it “crushed everyone in its path. ” French television showed footage of a panicked crowd running from the scene. On Twitter, witnesses posted grim photographs of bodies lying in a pile on the asphalt. | 1 |
BEIJING — The Pentagon on Saturday said that Beijing had agreed to return an underwater drone seized by China in international waters, an indication that the two countries were moving to resolve an unusual incident that risked sharpening tensions in the to the inauguration of Donald J. Trump. “Through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return the U. U. V. to the United States,” said Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary, using initials to refer to the Navy’s unmanned underwater vehicle. Mr. Cook said the deal had been reached after the United States “registered our objection to China’s unlawful seizure of a U. S. unmanned underwater vehicle operating in international waters in the South China Sea. ” The Chinese authorities told American officials that they planned to return the drone, but the two sides were still working out where, when and precisely how the device would be handed back, said two Defense Department officials, both of whom would talk about the negotiations with China only on the condition of anonymity. One of the officials said the Pentagon expected the matter to be resolved in the coming days without further acrimony. The Pentagon statement came hours after China warned that the highly charged episode would not be resolved easily. In a statement late Saturday, the Chinese Defense Ministry said it was in talks with the United States but criticized Washington for what it called an “inappropriate” exaggeration of the dispute. The American reaction, it said, is “not conducive to solving the problem smoothly. ” “We hereby express regrets for that,” it said. Although the ministry said the drone would be returned to the United States in a “proper way,” the statement stopped short of saying when or how the device, which Chinese and American analysts say was most likely used to gather intelligence about Chinese submarine activity in contested waters, would be returned, or if it would be handed back intact. Donald J. Trump entered the fray Saturday morning, accusing China on Twitter of acting improperly. “China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters — rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act,” he said. The overseas edition of The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, said on its social media account Saturday night that the Chinese capture of the drone was legal because rules about drone activities had not been clearly written. “This is the gray area,” the newspaper said. “If the U. S. military can send the drone, surely China can seize it. ” In its statement, the Defense Ministry scolded the United States over what it called its longstanding practice of conducting “ reconnaissance and military surveys” in waters claimed by China. The Chinese government has often complained to senior American officials, including President Obama, that the United States repeatedly intrudes by air and ship into waters close to China. The ministry’s statement reiterated the complaint, saying “China firmly opposes it and urges the U. S. side to stop such operations. ” A Chinese naval vessel seized the drone, which had been launched on Thursday from an American ship, the Bowditch, in waters off the Philippines. The American crew was in the process of retrieving the device when a small boat dispatched from the Chinese vessel took it as the American sailors looked on. The action came two weeks after Mr. Trump angered Beijing by speaking by phone to the leader of Taiwan, and almost a week after he criticized China for building military bastions in the South China Sea. American officials were trying to determine whether the seizure was a response to Mr. Trump or whether it was just one more escalatory step in China’s plan to try to push the United States Navy out of the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest commercial and military waterways. The Pentagon formally protested the capture of the drone, saying it was stolen American military property. The Pentagon said the drone had been carrying out scientific research, and asked China to return it. American experts, however, said the drone might have been designed to help follow China’s submarine buildup, a critical part of the country’s growing naval strength as it seeks unfettered control of the South China Sea and unimpeded access to the Pacific and Indian oceans. A retired Chinese rear admiral, Yang Yi, speaking earlier at a conference sponsored by a newspaper, The Global Times, said the Americans had invited the Chinese sailors to take the drone by sailing in the waters close to the Scarborough Shoal, fishing grounds that are claimed by China and the Philippines. The Americans “deliver these things to our home,” and it would be more than natural for Chinese sailors to seize the drone and examine it, Admiral Yang said. “If Trump and the American government dare to take actions to challenge the bottom line of China’s policy and core interests,” he said, “we must drop any expectations about him and give him a bloody nose. ” Reached by telephone, the president of a think tank, Wu Shicun, said the United States had most likely been conducting intelligence reconnaissance to detect Chinese submarine routes in the South China Sea. Mr. Wu, who heads the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and advises the government on maritime matters, described the drone “as a new way for the United States to conduct intelligence gathering. ” “Previously the United States conducted surveillance with warships in the nearby waters of China, or by aircraft,” he said. “Now the unmanned underwater vehicle is a new approach. ” The Chinese were justified in taking the unmanned underwater vehicle, he said. The episode occurred in seas about 50 miles northwest of Subic Bay, a major port of the Philippines and a former United States Navy base, the Pentagon said. That means the Bowditch was within 200 miles of Scarborough Shoal, American analysts said. The American vessel appeared to be outside the perimeter of the “ line,” said Mira a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. China drew the line in the late 1940s as it laid claim to about 90 percent of the South China Sea. “China has no legal basis to take actions like these on the high seas, but doing so outside Beijing’s ambiguous claim line is particularly egregious and will make the incident especially hard to justify,” Ms. said. The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who is nurturing warm ties with China and has warned he may break longstanding military relations with the United States, took a conciliatory approach over the Chinese action. “I will not impose anything on China,” he said at a news conference in Manila on Saturday. “Why? Because politics in Southeast Asia is changing. ” This was a reference to his tilt away from the United States, a treaty ally, since taking office in June. He referred to China as “the kindest soul of all. ” The Philippines also took a forgiving attitude after the release of satellite images on Wednesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that appeared to show that China has installed weapons on the seven artificial islands it has built in the Spratly archipelago, not far from the Philippines in the South China Sea. “There is nothing that we can do about that now, whether or not it is being done for purposes of further militarizing these facilities that they have put up,” the foreign secretary, Perfecto Yasay Jr. said, reflecting the weak state of the Philippines military. “We cannot stop China at this point in time and say, ‘Do not put that up.’ ” By seizing the drone so close to the Philippines, China may have been trying to further weaken the already frayed United States alliance with Manila, American experts said. The conciliatory reaction by the Philippines, even as the United States was making stern demands on Beijing, would complicate Washington’s efforts to convince China that its actions were unacceptable, a senior American military official said on Saturday. In an important ruling in July, an international tribunal in The Hague decided against China, saying that the Scarborough Shoal was entitled only to a territorial zone, not 200 miles as the Chinese assert. China has refused to recognize the ruling. Mr. Duterte on Saturday said he was ignoring the Hague ruling even though the case had been brought by the previous Philippines government. “In the play of politics now, I will set aside the arbitral ruling,” he said. The drone incident, according to a Pentagon account, began when a Chinese Navy vessel that was shadowing the Bowditch — a common practice in the South China Sea — pulled up not far from the ship. It then dispatched a small boat to seize the drone as the American crew was recovering it from the water. The Pentagon described the vehicle as an unclassified “ocean glider” system used to gather military oceanographic data such as salinity, water temperature and sound speed. An American naval expert did not disagree with Mr. Wu’s notion of what the Americans were probably doing. “Warfare and surveillance in the age of drones has not yet developed an set of rules,” said Lyle J. Goldstein, an associate professor at the China Maritime Studies Institute at the United States Naval War College, in Rhode Island. “This is increasingly a major problem as both China and the U. S. are deploying ever more air and naval drones into the contested waters and airspace of the Western Pacific,” he said. The seizure may have been just another way for Beijing to provoke the United States in a gray zone, just under the threshold of actual hostilities, Mr. Goldstein said. He said it was a time for “cooler heads to prevail,” to halt a cycle of escalation that “cannot end well for either side. ” In some respects, the seizure was not a surprise but just another step in China’s increased harassment of the American Navy in the South China Sea, several American naval experts said. In March 2009, soon after President Obama took office, five Chinese ships swarmed an American surveillance vessel, the Impeccable, 75 miles off Hainan island, the southernmost province of China. The Impeccable was towing sonar equipment designed for warfare, and the Chinese ships got as close as 25 feet from the ship in what the Pentagon called “illegal and dangerous” maneuvers. | 1 |
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Watch out readers of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, since the mere familiarity with Russian authors is now sufficient to have a person branded as a Russian conspirator by mainstream media. [In the latest episode in extreme fake news, the foundering Newsweek Magazine has concocted an entire web of Russian connections around Trump’s chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon simply because Bannon knows something about Russian politics and literature. While acknowledging that Steve Bannon, “hasn’t been implicated in any of the ongoing probes” into “murky connections” with Russian hackers and spies, and while further noting that Bannon “isn’t under investigation by the FBI for possible collusion with the Kremlin,” Newsweek writer Owen Matthews insists that something even more nefarious is going on between Bannon and the Kremlin. “But Bannon’s ties to Russia are ideological,” Matthews proclaims, “and therefore, arguably, they’ve had a more profound impact on White House policy with Moscow. ” Hitting a new low in fake news, Newsweek doesn’t even bother citing “unnamed sources” in relating its imaginary version of White House intrigue, but simply puts forward unsourced allegations that “Bannon was booted off Trump’s National Security Council in a White House coup” that was partly about “whether to appease a resurgent Kremlin or confront it. ” In his rambling piece, titled “Alexander Dugin and Steve Bannon’s Ideological Ties to Vladimir Putin’s Russia,” Matthews makes the verifiably erroneous claim that Bannon “has praised not only Putin but also a brand of Russian mystical conservative nationalism known as Eurasianism. ” Matthews does not explain to readers how Bannon’s characterization of Putin as a “kleptocrat” that Americans have to be “on guard of” can be considered praise. Nor does Newsweek inform us how Bannon’s mere mention that Putin’s belief system is based on Eurasianism should be construed as anything other than analysis, and has nothing to do with “praise. ” Still, in his magnificent house of cards, Matthews imagines that “Bannon and the ’s admiration for Putin has come into direct conflict with the White House’s new policies. ” Not content with this sophomoric application of guilt by association, Matthews goes further still, suggesting that the slogan “America first” somehow relates to the worldview of Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin, whose philosophy “glorifies the Russian Empire. ” This is like saying that Charles de Gaulle must have been in cahoots with Cambodian dictator Pol Pot because the two were nationalists. Despite no ties between Bannon and Dugin, Matthews alleges that they “have common cause in the idea that global elites have conspired against ordinary people — and the old order must be overthrown. ” Bannon “seems to admire Dugin,” Matthews proposes, a theory for which he adduces no evidence, evidently springing from his overly fertile imagination. At best, Matthews sees common threads running through Bannon and Dugin’s speeches and concludes that they must somehow be colluding or at very least admire one another. Since Bannon believes that “individual sovereignty of a country is a good thing,” Matthews suggests, he must have Russian ties, because this is “precisely what Putin’s Kremlin is promoting as it backs anti — European Union candidates from Hungary to France. ” By this strained logic, anyone who believes that national sovereignty is a positive value must therefore be a supporter of Putin’s Kremlin. After saying literally nothing of substance in his exhaustingly article, Matthews arrives at the ridiculous conclusion that the “ideological honeymoon” between Trump and Bannon is over. “The only question now is whether Bannon can survive the divorce. ” Truth be told, Owen Matthews and Newsweek are not completely to blame for their exercise in groundless . They are following the example of an equally fatuous story published by the New York Times last February. Remarkably, the Times dedicated an entire article to Steve Bannon’s familiarity with the writings of Italian philosopher Julius Evola “who inspired Fascists,” and therefore must somehow share his worldview. In the eyes of the New York Times, literacy has now become a crime. “The fact that Bannon even knows Evola is significant,” the article eerily reports, citing Mark Sedgwick, a British intellectual teaching in Denmark. While admitting that the entire connection amounted to “a passing reference by Mr. Bannon to an esoteric Italian philosopher,” somehow the Times saw fit to produce a essay in a desperate effort to tease out a dark association between the two men. Nowhere but in the discredited mainstream media could such be seriously proposed as anything remotely akin to true journalism. Reporting on the news is being systematically replaced by news fabrication. Apparently, propaganda vehicles like Newsweek and the New York Times have reached the conclusion that their readers are so ideologically driven that facts no longer matter at all. Any story — however baseless and absurd — is worth publishing as long as it advances the narrative that want to believe. Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome | 1 |
Keywords: cranberries , cranberry , cranberry juice , kidney disease , urinary tract infections , UTI , UTIs
Cranberry juice and tablets have been recommended as a way to either prevent recurring urinary tract infection (UTI), or treat the symptoms. But a new study finds there’s no difference between people treated with cranberries or placebos.
A lack of evidence for cranberry juice or capsules as being an effective preventative measure or treatment has been a recurring argument in the scientific literature for years now. Cranberry Juice – An Unrealistic Recommendation for UTIs
A urinary tract infection occurs when bacteria gets into your urine and travels up to your bladder. According to the Urinary Care Foundation , “UTIs cause more than 8.1 million visits to health care providers each year. About 10 in 25 women and 3 in 25 men will have symptoms of at least [one] UTI during their lifetime.”
For years now, cranberry juice has been recommended to aid in preventing or treating UTIs. However, there’s no solid evidence that any amount is having a positive effect.
Additionally, based on the results of a recent study led by infectious disease specialist Manisha Juthani-Mehta from the Yale School of Medicine, even if you switch to highly concentrated capsules, you still don’t see a noticeable positive effect.
In response to this recent study, Lindsay E. Nicolle, an expert on UTIs from the University of Manitoba advises the following:
“The continuing promotion of cranberry use to prevent recurrent UTI in the popular press or online advice seems inconsistent with the reality of repeated negative studies or positive studies compromised by methodological shortcomings.”
Nicolle adds, “[C]linicians should not be promoting cranberry use by suggesting that there is proven, or even possible benefit. Any continued promotion of the use of cranberry products seems to go beyond available scientific evidence and rational reasoning. It is time to move on from cranberries.” Myth versus Facts
There’s a couple of reasons why the myth that cranberry juice is beneficial in preventing and treating UTIs has persisted for so long.
First, the active ingredient in cranberries — A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs) — has been shown to block the adhesion of bacteria to the wall of the bladder. So, a vast majority of people have reasoned that if bacteria are causing UTIs, something that blocks bacteria from accumulating in the bladder could be a potential preventive or treatment measure.
But, according to Timothy Boone, M.D., Ph.D., vice dean of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Houston campus and chairperson of the department of urology for Houston Methodist Hospital, there’s one problem .
“Cranberry juice, especially the juice concentrates you find at the grocery store, will not treat a UTI or bladder infection, It can offer more hydration and possibly wash bacteria from your body more effectively, but the active ingredient in cranberry is long-gone by the time it reaches your bladder.”
Dr. Boone adds, “It takes an extremely large concentration of cranberry to prevent bacterial adhesion. This amount of concentration is not found in the juices we drink. There’s a possibility it was stronger back in our grandparents’ day, but definitely not in modern times.”
For example, Ocean Spray’s cranberry juice cocktail is only 27 percent juice. Something so watered down could not be so ineffective.
The second reason the myth continues is that it’s a tempting myth to believe. If you experience recurring UTIs and want to prevent them — or you want to feel empowered while you’re waiting for the antibiotics to take effect — drinking cranberry juice or taking capsules is a fairly easy and simple way to feel like you’re helping resolve your problem.
Unfortunately, though, you’re paying a lot of money for something that’s only really doing the same job as a glass of water. And cranberry juice is full of sugar anyway. Golden Rules for Kidney Health
You can do a number of things to help keep your kidneys functioning properly at every stage of life.
Here’s a list of ways to reduce the risk of kidney disease – including urinary tract infections. Drink plenty of liquids, especially water . Drinking water helps dilute your urine and ensures that you’ll urinate more frequently — allowing bacteria to be flushed from your urinary tract before an infection can begin. Stay active and keep fit . Keeping fit helps to reduce your blood pressure. Staying active and keeping fit also reduces the risk of chronic kidney disease. Eat healthy and keep your weight in check . This can help prevent diabetes, heart disease, and other debilitating conditions associated with chronic kidney disease. Reduce your salt intake . The recommended sodium intake is 5-6 grams of salt per day — around a teaspoon. Try limiting the amount of processed and restaurant food. And don’t add salt to food. It’s easier to control your salt intake if you prepare the food yourself with fresh ingredients. Don’t take over-the-counter pills on a regular basis . Common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs — like ibuprofen — are known to cause kidney damage and disease if taken regularly. This type of medication probably doesn’t pose considerable danger if your kidneys are reasonably healthy and you use them for emergencies only. However, if you are dealing with chronic pain — like back pain or arthritis — work with your doctor to find natural ways to control your pain without putting your kidneys at risk. Wipe from front to back . Doing so after urinating and after a bowel movement helps prevent bacteria in the anal region from spreading to the vagina and urethra. Change your birth control method . Diaphragms, or unlubricated or spermicide-treated condoms, can all contribute to bacterial growth. Avoid potentially irritating feminine products . Using deodorant sprays or other feminine products, such as douches and powders, in the genital area can irritate the urethra. Empty your bladder soon after intercourse . Also, drink a full glass of water to help flush bacteria. Regularly control of your blood sugar level . About half of people who have diabetes develop kidney damage, so it is important for people with diabetes to have regular tests to check their kidney functions.
This recent randomized clinical trial study titled, “Effect of Cranberry Capsules on Bacteriuria Plus Pyuria Among Older Women in Nursing Homes,” is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. You might also like… | 0 |
”You can be nasty about it or you can listen to me” @mkhammer jabs at @ChrisCuomo in morning health care discussion https: . Things got a little heated Thursday on CNN’s “New Day. ” In a debate about health care, host Chris Cuomo insulted network contributor Mary Katharine Ham by calling her “cheap. ” “[Y]ou can be nasty about it or you can listen to me,” Ham responded. “I am a person, single mom of two, who has lost three or four plans since Obamacare passed,” she added. “I was told I would not. That was a lie. When I said that I would lose my plan, people called me a liar when this was going on. I have had a 160 percent increase in my premiums. I was told those would go down, and I’ve had a 300 percent increase in my deductible. One of the ways you can fix that is by cutting some of these ‘essential health benefits’ because they are indeed not essential. ” ( Daily Caller) Follow Breitbart. tv on @BreitbartVideo | 1 |
Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, may have violated federal law when he failed to fully disclose details surrounding his membership on the executive board of Joule Unlimited and the “75, 000 common shares” he received. The energy company accepted millions from a Vladimir Russian government fund. [Podesta joined the executive board of Joule Unlimited Technologies — a firm partly financed by Putin’s Russia — in June 2011 and received 100, 000 shares of stock options, according to an email uncovered by WikiLeaks. Podesta’s membership on the board of directors of Joule Unlimited was first revealed in research from Breitbart News Senior and Government Accountability Institute (GAI) President Peter Schweizer. Podesta never disclosed his position on Joule Unlimited’s board of directors and failed to include the stock payout in his federal financial disclosures, as required by law, before he became President Obama’s senior adviser in January 2014 — a possible violation for federal law, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group (TheDCNF). “Well Podesta should certainly have been more upfront in filling this out. Clearly, it should have been fully disclosed,” Craig Holman, a lobbyist Public Citizen told TheDCNF. “That’s the point of the personal financial disclosure forms, especially for anyone entering the White House. ” “If the transfer of stock took place, it had to be disclosed,” added former U. S. Attorney Joseph DiGenova in an interview. “If he didn’t, clearly it’s a violation. ” Indeed, Podesta had his Joule shares of stock options transferred to his daughter, Megan Rouse. “Full transfer request, with Megan’s signature attached,” Podesta’s assistant Eryn Sepp wrote to him on December 31, 2013 — just weeks before Podesta joined the Obama administration. A January 3, 2014, letter revealed that Podesta designated his daughter’s Dublin, California, residence as the address for Leonidio Holdings LLC, the holding company that Podesta used to transfer his shares in Joule Global Holdings. Rouse is listed as “managing member” of Leonidio Holdings LLC, according to financial documents. TheDCNF reports that Podesta was required by law to disclose the aforementioned financial information. His failure to do so may have been illegal: The Schedule B section of the federal government’s form 278 which — requires financial disclosures for government officials — required Podesta to “report any purchase, sale or exchange by you, your spouse, or dependent children … of any property, stocks, bonds, commodity futures and other securities when the amount of the transaction exceeded $1, 000. ” Podesta’s form 278 Schedule B is blank regarding his receipt of any stock from any company. “I think in this case where you’re talking about foreign interests and foreign involvement, the collateral interest with these disclosure forms is put in the forefront of full disclosure of any foreign interest that you may have,” said Ron Hosko, a former FBI assistant director. “It’s a troubled question if you deliberately omit this information on the form,” Hosko said, adding that Russian funding could have easily “become a counterintelligence concern for America. ” Last week, Rep. Louie Gohmert called for a federal probe into Podesta’s Russian ties. The new revelations come amid a partisan push to link President Donald Trump and his aides to Russian and collusion during the presidential campaign. Read The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group’s report here. Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson. | 1 |
Donate Whether Trump or Clinton Wins the US Election, What Follows Is up to Us When the polls close, a new battle will begin – to resist a racist climate denier, or to force a centrist Democrat to deliver genuinely progressive change ‘A politician is not a given. Each one is in part what we make them, by pushing, blocking, pressuring, encouraging, fighting, reframing, emphasizing, organizing.’ (Photo: Michael Reynolds/EPA) By Rebecca Solnit / guardian.co.uk
Presidential elections are a form of madness that comes over us once every four years. They fit the great-man or -woman narrative of history, seducing us into forgetting how powerful we are. They erase our memory of grassroots power, direct democracy and civil society. Leaders beget followers; people pin their hopes on one person, and with that they seem to shed responsibility for anything beyond getting that one person into office. Or, they wash their hands of any further involvement if it’s not their one person.
And so it is this time around. With the election a matter of days away and the media engrossed in a fight to end all fights, it sometimes seems as though we’ve lost sight of the powers that belong to us and not them, and the responsibilities and possibilities that go with our power. The intensely personal nature of this campaign – and the particular danger of Donald Trump – has created a kind of tunnel vision.
"We forget our own influence, the innumerable times we’ve swayed outcome."
Which is not to say that the outcome is unimportant. Far from it. Many Clinton supporters seem quietly confident of a win. I am less complacent. We’ve had enough surprises this year – in Britain, in Colombia – to know that voters have a way of confounding those who observe them. A Trump presidency would be a terrible thing. But a Clinton victory would be far from an occasion to sigh with relief, sit back and resume life as though the last few months had been a bad dream. A Clinton victory, in fact, would be just a starting point for a new kind of campaign.
A politician is not a given. Each one is in part what we make them, by pushing, blocking, pressuring, encouraging, fighting, reframing, emphasizing, organizing. Every election season we pretend that one person will have all the power and that whatever they promise up front is exactly who they’ll be, for better or worse. We forget our own influence, the innumerable times we’ve swayed outcomes, such as the decision to veto the Keystone XL pipeline. We forget the way culture and activism set the norms for political decisions on matters such as same-sex marriage rights.
Election seasons erase the memory of movements that worked for years or decades, outside and around, below and above electoral politics. They drown out the histories that matter: how women got the vote, how the civil rights movement progressed, how the Free Trade Area of the Americas trade deal withered and died, how the World Trade Organization was hobbled and its poorer member nations inspired to revolt by the great 1999 shutdown in Seattle, how fracking got banned in New York State, how rape law has been radically revised in many ways and places thanks to feminist action and discourse. In all these cases, the people who we mislabel leaders only followed the will of the people.
To reiterate: it matters who is president, but what a president does has everything to do with what the people demand or refuse or do themselves, and what the House and Senate send them or sabotage.
Mitt Romney promised to build the Keystone XL pipeline himself if elected; Republicans for the foreseeable future will be puppets of the fossil-fuel industry. Democrats are not necessarily our friends or allies, but they are sometimes politicians who can be pushed. Obama wavered on that pipeline for several years. When he vetoed it, it was not because of who he is, but because of who we are, we the members of a climate movement that organized, educated, campaigned, blockaded and demonstrated for years, building a powerful movement.
That the president has become so much more engaged with climate is a result what the movement did: it educated us on the science, made the case for the urgency and importance of action, built global coalitions, shed light on the ways climate is an economic and racial justice issue, started innumerable campaigns to block pipelines, divest, implement efficiency and good design, and shift to renewable resources. A lot of other changes that matter have happened at the local level as cities, regions and states have done great work on climate, led by community organizers, small groups and minor politicians you’ll never hear about.
The Obama administration could have done much more if more of the people who elected him stuck around to push back against the corporations, well-organized conservatives and big-money interests. Which is not to even raise the question of that administration’s principles; it’s more useful to ask what are our own, if most of us do little or nothing about policies we deplore or ideals we praise.
The same will be true of a Clinton administration, if that’s the one voters choose on Tuesday. The extent to which it serves the interests of people and our planet depends in part on the extent to which citizens apply pressure to it. You may feel exhausted right now; tired of a bruising cycle which has left no personal stone unturned (often to the detriment of policy scrutiny). But the truth is, we’re at the beginning – either of a period of sustained resistance against a racist, misogynist, deranged climate-denier – or a period of sustained action to push the first female president to deliver a genuinely progressive, climate-conscious agenda.
If we end up with a Democrat (and I regret that that’s the best choice we get in this binary election), a lot is up to us. That’s a gift and a responsibility. I’ll take it. I hope you’ll join me.
© 2016 Guardian News and Media Limited
Rebecca Solnit is an activist, TomDispatch.com regular, and author of many books, including the just published , Men Explain Things to Me (Dispatch Books, Haymarket Books). Her first essay for TomDispatch.com turned into the book Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities , since translated into eight languages. Other previous books include: The Faraway Nearby , A Paradise Built in Hell , Wanderlust: A History of Walking , The Battle of The Story of the Battle in Seattle (with her brother David), and Storming The Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics . She is a contributing editor to Harper's Magazine . 0.0 · | 0 |
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Throughout our history and our media, Cemeteries and graveyards have been the classic venue to bring on the scariest environment settings. Nearly everyone can slightly agree some cemeteries can possibly seem to be a little creepy, but when looking into our history, what about the scariest cemeteries in the world? would you be able to handle walking into them? In this video, we cover the most haunted and scariest cemeteries in the world. Enjoy. Tags | 0 |
An inappropriate touch. An insulting dismissal. A sexual ultimatum. A suggestion that a job is not fit for a woman. Droves of women have shared their own experiences with workplace sexual harassment on social media this week, spurred by claims against Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News host. The revelation that five women received settlements totaling $13 million after accusing him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior has prompted more than 20 companies to pull advertising from his show, while others have called for his dismissal. The outpouring came six months after thousands of women posted accounts of being groped or assaulted in the wake of Donald J. Trump’s boasts on tape that he had forced himself on women. In each case, social media offered an outlet for women who said they had either been too afraid or too ashamed to describe their experiences publicly, or to report them in their workplaces for fear of retaliation. As reports circulated about the O’Reilly case, a hashtag, #droporeilly, was born, and it soon morphed into a meeting place for women to describe the professional mistreatment they said they had endured. One of those women, Kerri McKeand, 40, a paralegal from Chicago, offered her experience of working as an assistant to a project manager on the construction of Trump Tower in Chicago, about 10 years ago. When she was required to visit a construction site, she and a female colleague were asked to appear less feminine by taping down their breasts, not wearing makeup and hiding their hair with bandannas, she said in an interview on Wednesday. Ms. McKeand refused to comply with the restrictions, she said. During that visit, while on an elevator with men, she was sexually harassed, and a pornographic magazine was tossed at her feet, she said. She reported it to her boss who, according to Ms. McKeand, said, “I told you this would happen. ” It was clear that “nothing would be done about it,” she added. “It was just kind of this accepted culture in this industry. ” She said that those experiences had led her away from the construction field. Becoming a project manager seemed like the highest position a woman could attain, she said. Many other women shared similar experiences. Ms. McKeand said she was heartened by women’s willingness to share their stories on social media. “Silence is pervasive, and I think the more silent we are about it, the more it will continue,” she said. “It’s especially important for younger women to know that these things exist and to know what they can do when they are faced with these situations. ” “I had no idea when I was younger of what sexual harassment was, what my rights were,” she added, citing an incident when she was 17, when her boss made her sit on his lap. “So hopefully this dialogue puts that in the forefront, so women can go into the work force having an idea of what’s acceptable and what’s not. ” | 1 |
Hollywood talent agency (William Morris Endeavor Entertainment) is forming a federal political action committee and plans to invest a “substantial” amount of money to develop “actionable public policy solutions,” according to a report.[ chief executives Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell reportedly plan to launch the PAC in response to Donald Trump’s election and announced the news in a email on Tuesday, according to Variety. “No matter what side of the aisle you sit on or where you live in the world, the call for meaningful and sustained civic engagement is louder than ever,” the memo reads. While it never mentions Trump by name, the memo says the Beverly company’s PAC will focus on “convening internal and external forums with politicians and allied stakeholders, connecting our clients with elected officials, introducing matching policies to support donations of time and money, and developing actionable public policy solutions. ” “This company’s greatest asset is the diversity of our backgrounds and beliefs. Please know that we will do everything in our power to support and protect this diversity now and in the months and years ahead,” the email concludes. Emanuel has deep ties to both Republicans and Democrats. He donated to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and his brother, Rahm Emanuel, served as President Barack Obama’s chief of staff and is now the mayor of Chicago. President Trump called Ari Emanuel the “King of Hollywood” during a meeting between the two at his New Jersey golf club two weeks after the election. News of forming a federal PAC comes on the heels of reports that United Talent Agency, another major talent agency in Hollywood, has canceled its annual Oscar party and will instead host a rally in support of refugees at its Los Angeles office. Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson | 1 |
NEWARK — The acknowledged culprit behind the closing of traffic lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge in September 2013 was “protected by Chris Christie,” the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey agreed during court testimony on Thursday. That culprit, David Wildstein, is now the prosecution’s star witness against two former top officials in the administration of Mr. Christie, the governor of New Jersey. The officials are accused of closing access lanes at the bridge to punish the mayor of Fort Lee, N. J. for refusing to endorse the governor’s bid, then covering the plot up. While Mr. Christie is not charged, prosecutors have said he knew about the lane closings as they were happening, contrary to what the governor has said in the three years since. The closed lanes caused gridlock in the town, stymying ambulances, commuters and schoolchildren for four days. Lawyers for the two defendants have argued that their clients are scapegoats in a political game involving players with far more power. Testimony on Thursday morning by Patrick J. Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority, which operates the bridge, described a frenzied effort to cover up the punitive purpose of the closings in the three months afterward. Mr. Christie won a broad that fall, becoming a for the Republican nomination for the presidency and prompting more interest, and more questions from reporters, about the events. Mr. Foye testified that he conducted an internal review of the closings, talking to just three people at the Port Authority. But he could not ask Mr. Wildstein, a top official at the agency and a close ally of Mr. Christie’s, even a single question, he testified. “Because you couldn’t?” asked Michael Critchley, a lawyer for one of the defendants, Bridget Anne Kelly, who was a deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie. “He was protected by Chris Christie, correct?” “Yes,” Mr. Foye said. A Port Authority board member appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Democrat of New York, had wanted to fire Mr. Wildstein for a year, Mr. Foye testified. Mr. Wildstein was “abusive and untrustworthy,” he said, and “hated by hundreds, thousands of people at the Port Authority. ” But Mr. Wildstein could not be terminated, Mr. Foye said, because it was “complicated. ” Mr. Wildstein ultimately resigned in December 2013, amid increasing scrutiny of the lane closings and the Christie administration’s involvement. Mr. Christie personally edited the public statement announcing his resignation, adding praise for his service. Mr. Wildstein then refused to give up his Port Authority cellphone and iPad, Mr. Foye testified. Mr. Foye sent an email asking David Samson, a confidant of Mr. Christie’s who was chairman of the Port Authority board, for help getting them back. “Because you are closest to him,” Mr. Foye wrote. Mr. Wildstein pleaded guilty in 2015 to masterminding the lane closings, and is now cooperating with prosecutors against Ms. Kelly and Bill Baroni, Mr. Christie’s top staff appointee at the Port Authority. Mr. Foye, who was appointed to his position by Mr. Cuomo, described a toxic relationship between the two states at the Port Authority that only got worse after the lane closings. He told Mr. Samson that he should recuse himself from an investigation into Mr. Wildstein’s conduct because, as he wrote in an email to the chairman, “you have substantial and irreconcilable conflicts. ” And Mr. Foye complained to a colleague that Mr. Christie’s office wanted him to “step back on the matter,” referring to the closed lanes. To which Mr. Critchley added, “And you said that your hands were tied and it was driving you crazy. ” (Mr. Foye said he could not recall this, but agreed that his colleague had no reason to lie.) Mr. Foye said he knew that Mr. Christie’s administration had long wanted him fired. Still, Mr. Foye wrote to a colleague that he had “no reason to believe that Bill Baroni had knowledge of Wildstein’s troubling and aberrant behavior” in closing the lanes. Throughout the days that the lanes were closed, Mr. Baroni refused to return increasingly agitated calls from the mayor of Fort Lee, Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, warning him of the threats to public safety presented by the lane closings. An aide to Mr. Baroni in charge of dealing with local towns testified that this was highly unusual for her boss. When the aide, Tina Lado, emailed him to ask if she should return the mayor’s calls, Mr. Baroni called her up, she said, and was “rather curt and very short on the phone, not his usual demeanor. ” He advised her that there were concerns that her department had been racking up high phone charges for calls to local municipalities “and we needed to be careful and not make any outgoing calls. ” “What I took from that was that we would not call back Fort Lee. ” Never before or since then, she added, had anyone raised concerns about high telephone costs. Three months later, Mr. Baroni had testified before the New Jersey Legislature about the lane closings, insisting they were part of a legitimate traffic study. Mr. Baroni’s believed this to be false. But Mr. Christie’s office was reportedly happy with his performance. John Ma, Mr. Foye’s chief of staff, testified that he bumped into Mr. Baroni soon after and said something about it being “some hearing. ” Mr. Baroni replied that he had “showed them up,” Mr. Ma said. “I would describe him as really pumped up about it. ” | 1 |
London has its Fourth Plinth, where contemporary artists have graced — and sometimes goaded — viewers in Trafalgar Square with sculptural work on a bare pedestal originally intended for an equestrian statue of William IV. Now New York will have its own plinth, a highly visible permanent stage for ambitious new international sculpture commissions, perched above 30th Street and 10th Avenue on one of the final sections of the High Line. This plinth, expected to open sometime in 2018, will likely change sizes and shapes depending on the artwork intended for it. It is a new creation by the High Line, being built on the spur that turns east at 30th Street, creating a corner that forms a kind of plaza, roomy enough for crowds and for larger sculpture than the narrow elevated park now accommodates. Cecilia Alemani, the director and chief curator of High Line Art, said that the development of the spur, which will be ringed by the skyscrapers of the new Hudson Yards office complex, prompted her and High Line officials to think about a stage that would hold its own with public art sites like Rockefeller Center, City Hall Park and Madison Square Park. The plinth will be tall enough so that work on it will be instantly visible from the street, but on the High Line itself the space will be flanked by trees, making entering it feel something like walking into a clearing. “It’s almost like a jungle,” she said during a recent tour of the plaza’s construction site. “It’s like you leave the city for a while and go somewhere else. And it’s given us really the only place where we’ll have the ability to put pieces, which will be like a punctuation in a beautiful piazza. ” Sculptures will remain on view for a year and a half at a time. The program will be funded by the Friends of the High Line and private donors at a cost that was not disclosed. Calls for art work went out quietly last year, and more than 50 artists submitted proposals. An advisory committee of prominent artists and curators — including Helen Molesworth, the chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Franklin Sirmans, the director of the Pérez Art Museum in Miami — helped draw up the full roster of artists to be considered, and by spring a list of a dozen finalists will be narrowed to two by High Line officials. The short list includes veterans like Charles Gaines and the sculptor Haim Steinbach (who has proposed a piece resembling a chicken coop on stilts, a kind of comic vision of a penthouse) and younger artists like Jeremy Deller, Matthew Day Jackson, Cosima von Bonin and Sam Durant, whose proposal is the most overtly political, a large sculptural version of a drone with wings stretched out over the High Line as if it were approaching Midtown for a missile launch. (In London in 2009, the artist Antony Gormley used the Fourth Plinth as a human stage, enlisting volunteers, some in various states of undress, to serve as the sculpture. “Nakedness is to art,” Mr. Gormley said, “what the ball is to football. ”) The other High Line finalists include Jonathan Berger, Minerva Cuevas, Lena Henke, Roman Ondak, Paola Pivi and Simone Leigh. Ms. Leigh has proposed a bust of a black female figure whose body evokes both a skirt and a hut, based on smaller figures that have long been part of her work. In an interview, she said that the muscular, site of the plinth was a place “I found a really horrifying environment for my work when I first saw it. ” She added, “And then I thought: ‘What better place to put a black female figure?’ Not in defiance of the space, exactly, but to have a different idea of beauty there. ” | 1 |
On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” House Minority Leader Representative Nancy Pelosi ( ) stated that immigration reform that gives people in the country illegally legal status, but forbids citizenship is “just not respectful, and not worthy of our country. ” After stating that she hopes President Trump is open to immigration reform, Pelosi was asked about whether she could live with a path to legal status for people in the country illegally. She answered, “I think it’s more what our country is about. We have criticized other countries that said we utilize you as a workforce, but you’re not fully present in our country. In my view, it’s very important for us to say the path to citizenship is the dignity that these people — . ” She added, “[I]f it’s something that forbids citizenship, no, I couldn’t sign on to that. If we want to talk about — I think there are plenty of ways we can work in a bipartisan way on immigration. In fact, we have to. ” When asked about a plan that would give legal status initially, and a potential path to citizenship down the road, Pelosi answered, “It’s always just a path. All we’ve talked about is a path to citizenship. … But to be a country that says, we have — not even citizenship, because it isn’t citizenship, it’s just not respectful, and not worthy of our country. ” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 1 |
filmmaker Roman Polanski told a California judge he will return to America to face charges of statutory rape but on the condition that he does not face further jail time. [Polanski fled America for Paris in 1977 before sentencing for charges of statutory child rape, having allegedly had sex with a girl during a photo shoot. Had he remained in America, he was subject to up to 50 years behind bars. Now his lawyer, Harland Braun, has begun a legal negotiation to see Polanski returned to California to face the judge over the case — clarifying his status as a fugitive, according to TMZ. However, Polanski will only agree to return to the U. S. on the condition that he will not face any further jail time, having already served more than a year of house arrest in Switzerland. The Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee urged the judge to reject Polanski’s plea, arguing that the “defendant has many options before him if he returns to Los Angeles. What he cannot do is dictate outcomes from afar while insulating himself from any potential adverse consequence. ” The film director, now 83, has had an illustrious career despite his rape charges. Polanski has won multiple awards for titles such as Knife in the Water (1962,) Chinatown (1974) and The Pianist (2002). Polanski has also faced personal tragedy. He lost his pregnant wife, Hollywood actress Sharon Tate, when members of the Manson family murdered her and four friends. You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart. com. | 1 |
BY PATRICK MARTIN 5 November 2016 A New York Times /CBS poll published Thursday documents the disgust of the American people with the 2016 election campaign and their alienation from the two major corporate-controlled parties. By a margin of 82 percent to 13 percent, better than six to one, those polled said the campaigns of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have filled them with revulsion. According to the Times account, “With more than eight in ten voters saying the campaign has left them repulsed rather than excited, the rising toxicity threatens the ultimate victor. Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic candidate, and Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, are seen as dishonest and viewed unfavorably by a majority of voters.” Both campaigns insult the intelligence of the American people. Trump appeals to raw anger, denouncing his opponent as a criminal who should be put in jail. Clinton and the Democrats alternate between portraying Trump as a sexual predator and smearing him as a tool of Moscow. Neither offers any serious program for improving the living standards and social conditions of the working class, the vast majority of the American people. The election campaign is one more sign of the profound dysfunction of the US political system, in which two corporate-controlled parties, each defending the interests of the super-rich, enjoy a political monopoly. The Times /CBS poll is a statistical verification of what the Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site have long argued: the two-party system leaves working people disenfranchised. The recourse of both campaigns to personal smears and scandalmongering is a means of evading any discussion of the urgent issues that confront the electorate—above all, the worsening social crisis and the mounting danger of a third world war.
Notice the repeat pastings of the same photoshopped groups and individuals in this “rally” for Hillary. This campaign will go down in history as the apex of dishonesty in US politics, and that’s saying something. To cite two examples of developments ignored by both campaigns: Friday’s newspapers reported that suicide has overtaken automobile accidents as a cause of death of children aged 10 to 14. One could hardly imagine a more devastating commentary on the dismal prospects that America in 2016 offers the new generation. The election campaign is one more sign of the profound dysfunction of the US political system, in which two corporate-controlled parties, each defending the interests of the super-rich, enjoy a political monopoly . Another report, published in the British Guardian , noted that life expectancy in McDowell County, West Virginia, once the heart of US coal mining, has declined to that of Ethiopia. In 2008, the nearly all-white county voted for Barack Obama. In 2016, 91.5 percent of Republican primary voters cast ballots for Trump—a vote of indignation and despair. Each of the candidates, in different ways, seeks to direct social tensions within the United States along reactionary lines. Clinton is the candidate of the status quo, representing the alliance of Wall Street, the military-intelligence apparatus and the complacent and self-satisfied upper middle class, where identity politics holds sway. Her program, were she to state it honestly, is to outwardly direct the social crisis in the form of intensified US military violence, first in the Middle East, but ultimately against Russia and China, both of which possess nuclear arsenals. Trump represents an attempt to direct social tensions along extreme nationalist lines, appealing to racist and fascistic forces. While he claims, falsely, to have opposed US military interventions in the Middle East, he glorifies the US military and promises to unleash unlimited violence on any country that resists US demands. In the end, his pledge to “Make America Great Again” is little more than the English translation of Hitler’s slogan, “Deutschland Über Alles.” That these are the alternatives presented to voters on November 8 is a product of the protracted decay of the US political system. It is more than four decades since the sharp shift to the right began in both parties, in the aftermath of the mass social protests of the 1960s and early 1970s against the Vietnam War and for the extension of civil rights. The Democratic Party abandoned its former commitment to economic improvements for working people and began to restructure itself as the party of Wall Street and identity politics, appealing to newly privileged layers of blacks, women, gays, etc. The Democratic Leadership Council, under its chairman, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, became the vehicle of this transformation. In Hillary Clinton, this rightward movement has reached its culmination. The Democratic candidate has become the consensus choice of the political establishments in both parties. The Republican Party incorporated the former defenders of Jim Crow segregation and became the dominant party in the South, while maintaining its traditional ties to big business and the military. Ronald Reagan kicked off his 1980 presidential campaign with a rally in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where three civil rights workers had been murdered 16 years before, and gave a ringing defense of the Jim Crow South’s slogan of “states’ rights.” Trump’s embrace by the KKK and the white nationalist “alt-right” is not an aberration, but the logical conclusion of a process that has paved the way for the emergence of an outright fascist party in America. As Leon Trotsky once wrote, the domination of reaction “signifies this, that the social contradictions are mechanically suppressed” (“Intellectual Ex-Radicals and World Reaction,” 1939). The principal mechanism for the suppression of social contradictions in America has been the trade unions. From the late 1970s on, and especially after the smashing of the PATCO air traffic controllers strike in 1981, the AFL-CIO unions have worked systematically to undermine and break strikes, assist the employers in wage cutting and plant closures, and subordinate the working class politically to the ever more right-wing policies of the two capitalist parties. There is a definite limit to this process, however. Today, the unions are as sclerotic and discredited as the bureaucracy in the Soviet Union on the eve of its collapse in 1989-1991. The first signs of a resurgence of the class struggle in America, in a series of contract rejection votes and strikes, have already demonstrated that workers will have to fight not only the corporations and the government, but the unions as well. As the class struggle intensifies, workers will have to develop new forms of organization that make possible a struggle not just at the level of the workplace, but on the plane of national and international politics. The Times /CBS poll confirms the overriding feature of the 2016 campaign: the growing gulf between the American population and the corporate-controlled two-party system. Working people are moving to the left, but the two major parties continue to lurch to the right. In the current election cycle, the political radicalization in the working class was expressed most openly in the mass support for the Democratic primary campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Thirteen million people, including the vast majority of young people who took part in the primaries, voted for a candidate claiming to be a socialist and opponent of the billionaires, an unprecedented political development in America. In the end, Sanders capitulated, endorsed Clinton, and demonstrated that his claim to oppose corporate domination of the political system was a fraud. Working people must draw the necessary conclusions. It is impossible to fight the capitalist class through the two-party system that it controls. The working class must build its own political party to defend its own class interests. This requires a political break, not only with the Democratic Party, but with all those organizations and political tendencies that defend, apologize for and cover up for the Democratic Party. —Patrick Martin PLEASE COMMENT AND DEBATE DIRECTLY ON OUR FACEBOOK GROUP CLICK HERE ABOUT THE AUTHOR The author is an editorial writer with wsws.org, organ of theThe Socialist Equality Party (SEP) a Trotkyist formation. He naturally recommends that people consider his party’s candidate as the solution to the crisis. The Greanville Post, an independent left publication, does not endorse any faction. 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WATCH: Trump Goes Full-On Dictator – Says ‘Cancel The Election’ By Natalie Dailey on October 28, 2016 Subscribe
For weeks, nominee Donald Trump has been whining that the election is being “rigged” against him. He even called the presidential debates “rigged.”
Now, I guess his ego is so YUGE because he wants the election cancelled, and the presidency awarded to him without voting.
He said at a rally in Toledo, Ohio Thursday: “And just thinking to myself right now, we should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right? What are we even having it for? What are we having it for? ‘Her policies are so bad. Boy, do we have a big difference.”
He’s against voter fraud, but he’s OK with just yanking the election away from us? That is insane. That is not how a democratic election works, Trumpy. Taking the vote away from the people like that would make Trump our first dictator.
Trump may have been trying to make a joke out of it, but with his talk of rigged elections, that comment is just plain scary.
On Thursday, Trump appeared on Bill O’ Reilly’s show. When asked if the polls would be rigged on election day, Trump said he believes they will be. When asked about his trailing in the national polls, Trump said : “I’m winning in certain polls and then in other polls, the dirty polls we call them, I was losing by numbers that were ridiculous. I think we’re winning, but Bill, you look at some of these polls it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Just last week, Trump’s poor Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway was faced with the undesirable job of defending Trump’s idiocy. After one of the other times he whined about the election being rigged, she said : “His entire campaign is built about the little guy being the victim, the forgotten man and forgotten woman being the victim of the rigged corrupt system. Let’s keep the focus there. That’s who he’s fighting for. I know so many in the media like to just dismiss the crowd sizes. Let me tell you something, you go out on the road with Donald Trump, this election doesn’t feel over.”
When he refers to himself in the third person, it makes him sound even creepier.
Check out this clip
Featured image via YouTube screenshot . About Natalie Dailey
Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog abravealabamaatheist.com. Check out my other blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com Connect | 0 |
CANTON, Ohio — Joshua Brown loved his Tesla Model S so much he nicknamed it Tessy. And he celebrated the Autopilot feature that made it possible for him to cruise the highways, making YouTube videos of himself driving . In the first nine months he owned it, Mr. Brown put more than 45, 000 miles on the car. “I do drive it a LOT,” he wrote in response to one of the hundreds of viewer comments on one of his two dozen videos. His postings attracted countless other Tesla enthusiasts, who tend to embrace the cars with an almost cultish devotion. They also tend to be people who like to live on technology’s leading edge, which in Mr. Brown’s case meant dismantling bombs for the Navy during the Iraq war, then coming home to start his own company to extend internet service into rural America. In his spare time he used a printer to make model tanks and trucks. His Tesla, in other words, was simply one more extension of his life. It took him on adventures from the gravel driveway of the clapboard house where he lived alone in Canton, an hour’s drive south of Cleveland. But Mr. Brown became a victim of an innovation geared precisely to people like him when his Tesla Model S electric sedan collided with a semitrailer truck on a Florida highway in May, making him the first known fatality in a car. “He liked it mainly because it was an exceptional use of technology, and Josh was very much an innovator,” said his friend Paul Snow, who recalled how excited Mr. Brown was about his Tesla during a recent road trip. “He enjoyed the fact that technology was available, that it was being used to, ironically, increase safety on the roads. ” Tesla owners are a devoted bunch. Immediately after the company unveiled a prototype of its Model 3 car, more than 200, 000 enthusiasts put down deposits on the vehicles, which start at $35, 000 and will not be available until next year. Many owners like to showcase their cars on social media, creating songs, routines and other demonstrations of different features, particularly to show off how Autopilot works. Mr. Brown’s most recent video was his most popular. Titled “Autopilot Saves Model S,” it shows Mr. Brown driving on an interstate highway from Cleveland to Canton. A white truck cuts in front of Mr. Brown’s vehicle, and by his account, the Tesla’s Autopilot feature swerves the car to the right, avoiding a collision. After Elon Musk, Tesla’s founder, called attention to the video on Twitter, it went viral. Mr. Brown seemed to be elated. “He had said, ‘For something to catch Elon Musk’s eye, I can die and go to heaven now,’” said a neighbor, Krista Kitchen, choking up. “He was absolutely thrilled — and then a couple weeks later he died. ” In a statement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said preliminary reports indicated that the crash occurred when a made a left turn in front of the Tesla, and the car failed to apply the brakes. The agency did not name the victim, but the Florida Highway Patrol identified him as Mr. Brown. Ms. Kitchen said Mr. Brown, 40, had just left a family trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando. His relatives did not respond to requests for comment. At Mr. Brown’s house, behind an expansive, lawn, a man who answered the door on Friday said the family did not wish to speak to reporters. Ms. Kitchen and others described how Mr. Brown would eagerly share his Tesla with friends, letting them take turns behind the wheel. And they described a man who was broadly generous with his time, who consistently helped friends in need, and who stayed in touch with his fellow veterans. “He was certainly an adventurer,” Mr. Snow said. “He was a warrior that served proudly for his country he was a patriot. He did many things that had never been done before. ” Mr. Brown was particularly interested in testing the limits of the Autopilot function, documenting how the vehicle would react in blind spots, going around curves and other more challenging situations. “This section in here is going to be very, very difficult for the car to handle,” he said in one video, posted in October, as his vehicle rounded a curve. “We’re filming this just so you can see scenarios where the car does not do well. ” Mark Vernon, a high school classmate who recalled tinkering with electronics in shop class together, said that his friend showed off the feature on a recent visit at Mr. Brown’s home. “He knew the hill that it would give up on, because it couldn’t see far enough,” Mr. Vernon said. “He knew all the limitations that it would find and he really knew how it was supposed to work. ” Mr. Brown attended the University of New Mexico, where he studied physics and computer science, but did not graduate, the school said. Instead, he joined the Navy, where he served for more than a decade and specialized in disarming explosives, according to his company’s website. His service included a stint with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as SEAL Team 6. Ricky Hammer, a retired Navy master chief who worked with Mr. Brown at the development group, said he had strong computer skills and “was the equivalent of an electrical engineer even though he didn’t have the degree. ” Tesla owners tend to share a love of technology, and an eagerness to embrace the unknown, the untested or the unproven. Photos posted on Mr. Brown’s Facebook page show a love of the outdoors, where he rappelled down cliffs and jumped out of airplanes for fun. One of those struck by Mr. Brown’s adventurous side was Terri Lyn Reed, a senior insurance account executive who said she had helped Mr. Brown set up the insurance at his company, Nexu Innovations. “He’d probably fly an to it,” she said, referring to the military fighter jet. Tesla enthusiasts often also share a loyalty to the company, much the way Apple has engendered true believers whom it relies on to back the introduction of new iPhones, Macs and other products. Richard Henry, 26, who bought a 2015 Model S about nine months ago, uses Autopilot to take him through about 40 miles of freeway driving on each leg of his commute between San Francisco and Mountain View. When he started using his car’s Autopilot mode, it had a tendency to lose track of the highway lines and tell him to take control. But in the last few months it has improved more and more. Most days he turns it on and sits with his hands on his knees — ready to take the wheel, he pointed out. Learning about the technology and getting used to it has been “superfun,” he said. That is a point that separates him from the many other drivers who tend to learn how to use a few necessary functions in their car and never bother with most others. “I really like trying stuff like this out and understanding how the technology works,” Mr. Henry said. Mr. Brown’s enthusiasm for technology factored deeply into his work at Nexu, which specialized in setting up internet access in rural areas of the country where forests and mountains created special obstacles to entering the connected world. “Josh knew how to get around all the interference from all the trees and all the hills,” said Cindi Staneski, who runs the Hickory Run Campground in Denver, Pa. an operation that became one of Mr. Brown’s early clients. “The big companies wanted nothing to do with it,” Ms. Staneski said, adding that Mr. Brown had become a mentor to her son. “It was too difficult, or they just wanted to charge you an extreme amount of money, whereas Josh felt that we deserved a chance that everybody else had. ” | 1 |
We continue to undercover the details of the Obama IRS’s arbitrary and capricious behavior toward those presumed to be “enemies” of President Obama. [Last week we released 695 pages of new documents containing admissions by IRS officials that the agency used “inappropriate political labels” to screen the applications of conservative organizations. Other records reveal that the IRS was going to require 501( c)(4) nonprofit organizations to restrict their alleged political activities if they opted for “expedited consideration” of their applications. The documents were produced after a revelation by the IRS that it had located “an additional 6, 924 documents of potentially responsive records” relating to a 2015 Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit about the Obama IRS targeting scandal. These new records are the first batch of nearly 7, 000 documents that had been hidden from JW, Congress, and the American people. (Our FOIA lawsuit seeks records about the IRS’ selection of individuals and organizations for audits based upon applications requesting nonprofit tax status filed by Tea Party and other 501( c)(4) organizations (Judicial Watch v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1: )). Of the 695 pages of documents released by the IRS, 422 (61 percent) were completely blacked out. Again, this new material was not in the “Congressional Database,” which the IRS created in 2013 to house records responsive to congressional inquiries into the IRS scandal. Nevertheless, we extracted some key info — such as a June 20, 2013, memo from Karen Schiller, director, EO (Exempt Organizations) Rulings and Agreements, suspending use of the controversial Be on the Lookout (BOLO) and Touch and Go (TAG) lists: EO Rulings and Agreements is undertaking a comprehensive review of screening and identification of critical issues. We intend to develop proper procedures and uses for these types of documents. Until a more formal process for identification, approval and distribution of this type of data is established, Rulings and Agreements will not use this technique to elevate issues. In an August 9, 2013, memo, Schiller admitted the IRS used political labels in targeting the groups for special scrutiny and possible audit and that, going forward, the agency would screen organizations based only on their activities, “not words” or “labels of any kind:” As Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel has said, the IRS has taken decisive action to eliminate the use of inappropriate political labels in the screening of 501( c)(4) applications. IRS policy is now clear that screening is based on activity, not words in a name. The new steps and current policies were outlined in the June 24 report, which noted: “In the absence of BOLO lists, the Determinations Unit will continue to screen for information affecting the determination of applications for tax exempt status, including activity tied to political campaign intervention, but it [will] be done without regard to specific labels of any kind. ” The report also reflects the June 20, 2013 memorandum, which was issued to officially suspend the use of the BOLO list in the screening process. The documents also include a “Dear [Applicant]” letter that offers an “expedited process” for 501( c)(4) groups in exchange for restriction on their activities: This optional expedited process is currently available only to applicants for 501( c)(4) status with applications pending for more than 120 days as of May 28, 2013, that indicate the organization may be involved in political campaign intervention. In this optional process, an organization will represent that it satisfies, and will continue to satisfy, set percentages with respect to the level of its social welfare activities and political campaign intervention activities (as defined in the specific instructions on pages ). These percentage representations are not an interpretation of law but are a safe harbor for those organizations that choose to participate in the optional process. In short, the Obama IRS, after lawlessly delaying the approval of Tea Party group applications, tried to extort restrictions — which had no basis in law — on these very same groups. On September 30, 2013, Acting Director, Exempt Organizations, Kenneth C. Corbin, sent a memo to IRS staff providing detailed guidance on classifying applications when “‘merit approval’ is not an option,” emphasizing that the determination is to be based on “facts and circumstances,” not “words and labels:” Classifier reviews the application and determines if it should be routed to a specialty group. This determination is based upon facts and circumstances of the stated activities within Part II of the application rather than names or labels. This is consistent with Karen Schiller’s August 9, 2013 memorandum … The Schiller and Corbin memos came on the heels of the May 14, 2013, Inspector General report revealing that the IRS had singled out groups using terms such as “patriot” and “Tea Party” when applying for status. The IG probe determined that “Early in Calendar Year 2010, the IRS began using inappropriate criteria to identify organizations applying for status (e. g. lists of past and future donors)” and “delayed processing of targeted groups’ applications” in advance of the 2012 presidential election. No wonder the Obama IRS hid these records. These new documents contain admissions by the Obama IRS that it inappropriately targeted conservative groups. But the records also show that the abuse continued — as the Obama IRS tried to force conservative applicants to give up their First Amendment rights in order to finally get their applications granted. | 1 |
Published on Oct 27, 2016 by The Daily Sheeple Joe Joseph quickly discusses a new system being put in place at Detroit International Airport and sixteen other airports nationwide. This is classic “problem, reaction, solution” where they make it so incredibly miserable to travel, that people will gladly give their rights away for convenience. | 0 |
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In one of the more disturbing stories of police disrespect towards the people they are meant to be protecting and serving, a San Antonio police office has been f ired for giving a sandwich filled with fecal matter to a homeless man.
Officer Matthew Luckhurst told one of his cop buddies that “he had picked up some feces, placed it in a slice of bread, and put it in a Styrofoam container next to the unknown homeless male. The officer reported that he told Luckhurst to go back and throw it away. The officer said he saw Luckhurst go back and he assumed that Luckhurst discarded the container” said the San Antonio Police Department in a statement.
Luckhurst was immediately fired, but is appealing his suspension, saying it was just a “joke” that went too far.
We applaud the San Antonio Police Department for doing the right thing and immediately firing this man, who is a disgrace to his badge. Despite America’s persistent refusal to recognize them as such, the homeless are people who deserve to be treated with the same dignity that every human deserves.
The homeless are the victims of an uncaring society ruled by cutthroat capitalism, a waste of human potential and a representation of all our sins. For them to be abused by those sworn to protect just goes to show how law enforcement in the United States treat our citizens like occupiers and not as guardians. | 0 |
This is an update of an article that was published earlier this year. The soaring cost of prescription drugs has generated outrage among politicians and patients. Some cancer drugs carry price tags of more than $100, 000 a year, and health plans are increasingly asking people to shoulder a greater share of the cost. The latest outrage involves the price of EpiPen, a lifesaving injection device for people with severe allergies, which has risen to more than $600 for the list price of a set, from less than $100 when Mylan acquired the product in 2007. A bipartisan group of senators has demanded that Mylan explain why the cost of EpiPen has skyrocketed, and others have called for congressional hearings, like those that examined price increases by Turing Pharmaceuticals and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. In surveys, Americans routinely say drug prices are a top health care concern, and it has been an issue on the presidential campaign trail. But there are no simple answers. Much of the attention has focused on a handful of pharmaceutical companies that have snapped up old drugs and then aggressively raised prices, sometimes by more than 1, 000 percent. Last fall, Martin Shkreli, the founder and former chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals, ignited a fierce response on social media after it was reported that his company had raised the price of a drug to treat toxoplasmosis to $750 a tablet from $13. 50. And Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has received similar attention for raising the price of many of its drugs, including two heart medications, Nitropress and Isuprel. Critics say these companies and others like them have unfairly favored profit over patients’ needs. Congress has held several hearings on these tactics, and Valeant and Turing are under investigation by federal authorities. Presidential candidates have singled out these companies on the campaign trail. But even as the drug industry has sought to distance itself from companies it describes as bad actors, insurers, hospitals and other major health care players have raised alarms about the rising cost of new drugs, including those that treat cancer, hepatitis C and rare diseases. Some of those drugs can cost $300, 000 a year. Higher drug prices threaten to raise insurance premiums and patients’ expenses and can cost taxpayers more because of Medicaid and other government programs. But drug companies say the prices reflect the enormous investment of time and resources that go into bringing a drug to market and argue that many times, their drugs can prevent more expensive medical interventions like surgery and hospitalization. The answer to this is more complicated than one might expect. Manufacturers set list prices for their drugs those are the figures that have sent Congress and presidential candidates into fits of outrage. But almost no one actually pays those prices. Insurers and managers, who manage drug plans for insurers, negotiate discounts and rebates, which lowers the effective cost of a drug. And they have been getting better at doing this. That is why, although list prices for drugs rose about 12 percent in 2015, net prices — what insurers and employers actually paid — grew only about 2. 8 percent, the lowest rate in years, according to IMS Health, a research firm. Insurers and others say that lower figure obscures the larger price increases in specific areas like cancer treatment, where less competition exists and it is more difficult to pit manufacturers against one another. In the case of EpiPen, Mylan has a virtual monopoly after a similar product was withdrawn from the market about a year ago. What’s more, drug makers do profit from raising their list prices because rebates and discounts are often based on a percentage of those prices. “That’s where the real angst in the marketplace is,” said Steve Miller, chief medical officer of Express Scripts. A drug’s path from the manufacturer to the patient is circuitous, and many middlemen are paid along the way. The pharmaceutical company sends the drug to a distributor, which takes a fee and then sells the drug to a pharmacy, which pockets its own fee before dispensing the medication to a patient. If a patient is insured, a manager is paid for processing the transaction between the pharmacy and the insurer or employer. The manager also handles the rebates that flow from the drug maker to the insurer or the employer. Part of what makes the issue so frustrating is that visiting a pharmacy to pick up a prescription seems simple. “If you go into a retail pharmacy, it looks like a retail transaction,” said Adam J. Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting, a management advisory and business research company. But it is not like buying a bottle of orange juice most patients do not choose which drug they are picking up, nor are they paying for most of it, he said. “It’s part of this crazy system. ” The good news first: The vast majority of drugs dispensed in the United States — more than 80 percent — are generics, which are alternatives to drugs. If your doctor writes you a prescription, there is a very good chance it will cost you $10 or less. But if you have a more serious illness or require a newer, drug, insurers have been requiring that you pay an increasingly large share of the drug’s cost. Many people are covered by health plans with large deductibles that require them to pay the full price of their drugs until they hit their limit, which can be thousands of dollars a year. And more plans are requiring patients who need expensive specialty drugs to contribute a percentage of the list price. Drug companies often help cover patients’ costs through assistance programs, but not always. So patients who are the sickest and require the most expensive drugs are the most vulnerable to soaring drug prices. “It’s sort of embedded in the health care system that the price is never the price, unless you’re a customer,” Mr. Fein said. “And in that case, we soak the poor. ” | 1 |
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – An infectious diseases clinic is thinking outside the box in an effort to promote safe sex practices by passing out free chastity belts to their clinic patients and anyone who strolls into their clinic and simply asks for one. Their slogan is “Chas-T-D, yes… S-T-D, no!”
“If there’s one barrier more sturdy than a condom or a diaphragm , it has to be this,” said infectious diseases physician Mark Rappaport. He pulls back his white coat to demonstrate his iron chastity belt, which he’s wearing over his work pants. He knocks his knuckles against it a few times, causing a hard metallic clank to resonate. “Good luck trying to get me infected, STDs.”
“Remember that scene in Robin Hood’s Men in Tights where Robin Hood clanks his junk against Princess Marian’s chastity belt?” asked one of Rappaport’s patients Ariana Manning. “Sure, that scene is funny when you watch it, but it really makes you think. So I thought about it and I can’t wait to put this thing on. Safety first, right?”
Rappaport’s clinic teamed up with local welders to create thousands of sturdy chastity belts. Not only will the clinic offer these chastity belts and STD counseling for free, they will help any patients put their belt on and happily throw away the key to ensure lifelong abstinence.
“Urinating and defecating is a bit messy, but you get used to it,” admits Rappaport, blushing a bit. “That’s why I always have some Handi Wipes on me. For the leakage. There’s always some leakage.” He added later: “On the other hand, you never have to worry about any cheap shots to the nuts .”
Depending on the success of their program, Rappaport’s clinic may start customizing chastity belts for more widespread dissemination. “People like options, colors,” explained Manning. “If you were to tell me I could get a personalized chastity belt in rose gold so that it matches my iPhone and has my name on it, I’d be in heaven.” 146 Shares | 0 |
Last week, Michael D. Shear and Julie Hirschfeld Davis, White House correspondents for The New York Times, went to see “Southside With You,” the new feature film that is a fictionalized account of President Obama’s first date with the woman who would become his wife. The movie, set in 1989 in Chicago, stars Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson. Mike: So, what did you think? Julie: It was an unusual way to see President Obama because you’re watching all these mannerisms and verbal tics that are very familiar to us as people who see him every day, but it’s all in the service of wooing a woman. We’re used to seeing him put his oratorical skills to work to persuade and inspire. Mike: What, you didn’t like seeing him use those skills to hit on Michelle? Julie: It was just a little weird! Right? Mike: None of the trappings were there. He was driving around in that yellow, car and there’s a hole in the floorboard. He’s not wearing the suit we’re all used to, and the presidential podium and all that — it’s odd to see this guy who is so familiar in those settings. I don’t want to be too harsh, but the only reason to care about these two people is that you know who they will become. If you didn’t know that this was the leader of the free world, nothing happens that is all that interesting. Julie: It wasn’t that great of a date! Mike: It sure went on a long time. I found myself paying more attention to the mimicry that was there for both of them. Julie: I thought his Barack Obama was pretty good. He had a little bit of the intonation, and the delivery, and even sort of the body posture — how he holds himself and a bit of his swagger. Mike: I really thought she captured the arched eyebrow that Michelle does sometimes. Michelle Obama has a look when she gets annoyed, when her fierce side is about to emerge. Julie: It was jarring for me, though, as someone who covers him at the White House and travels with him, to see him in such different settings. In the opening, he’s in his undershirt, in his house. That is an image of Barack Obama that we’ve never seen. Then there’s driving a car. Mike: We actually saw him drive with Jerry Seinfeld [in a December episode of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”]. There’s the way that he casually hangs his hand on the top of the steering wheel. I think they got that right. What you also never see, and it’s hard to even imagine, is Barack Obama or Michelle Obama being anonymous. In the movie, you see them going in and out of a theater or a bar, and nobody pays them any mind. That doesn’t exist for them anymore. Julie: The filmmakers plant these seeds of foreshadow or backshadow — I’m not even sure what to call it — where you’re hearing and seeing things that will become part of their public lives. There’s that scene where they’re walking in the park and they come upon a drum circle and Michelle starts dancing with the crowd, and that is something she does so often in public now that she even has that bit she does with Jimmy Fallon. Mike: Or that moment when Michelle asks about his religious beliefs and Obama says, “Let’s just say I’m still evolving,” which of course is an echo of the way he described his development on gay marriage. Julie: There’s lots of exploration of race here, too. She talks about going from her home on the South Side of Chicago into the Loop to go to work at this fancy law firm, and she feels like she’s leaving Planet Black and entering Planet White. That resonates with him. Then she asks whether he prefers dating white women or black women, and he tells the story of his white girlfriend at Columbia, who he was very happy with but decided that he couldn’t be with because he felt like an outsider in her home. These are stories we’ve heard before — he’s written about them himself — but the movie resurrects them. And of course, part of the date is seeing “Do The Right Thing,” which is this movie that conjures up all those issues. But also, I wonder if you think it’s too soon to make a movie like this? I found myself at various moments feeling uncomfortable watching some of it. Mike: You just didn’t like the kissing scene! Julie: The making out, yes, not something you associate with the commander in chief. But in the beginning of the film, she’s walking around in her bra. He’s in this tank top getting dressed. It’s a way of seeing the president and the first lady that feels a little wrong. Mike: We are accustomed to the one degree of separation, where people make fictional movies that are so thinly disguised — a black president clearly modeled after Barack Obama. Or you get into life at the White House — like in the movie “Dave,” where we see all sorts of intimate things, but it’s all fictional. This was different. Mike: Let’s talk about the centerpiece of the movie — this community meeting that is the pretext for the whole date, which she keeps insisting is not a date. Julie: Right, this is where he was a community organizer before he left to go to Harvard Law. It feels very contrived, like the writers were the Obama we all know. Obama gets up, and he makes this very classic Barack Obama speech about fighting for the community center and how we need to take the long view and build one piece at a time, block by block, and he has this line about how when our opponents’ needs align with our needs, that’s when things get done. It sounds so much like the speeches we hear him give now about Congress and the Republicans and the Democrats. You have to really wonder: Did he really sound like that? Mike: It felt kind of lazy on the part of the filmmakers. Shouldn’t you have gone back and tried to find the friends and people there at the time, to help you find the real Barack Obama at 29 rather than just transplant President Obama back in time? Julie: But that’s the audacity of this movie, right? There are only two people on earth who know what that first date was like. And neither one of them is going anywhere near the production of this movie. I did find myself wondering the whole time whether either one of them would ever watch it. How strange would that be? Mike: Totally strange. Totally uncomfortable. You do wonder whether either of them will write about this date in their memoirs, maybe just to correct the record. Maybe you actually want to describe your first date. Julie: Or maybe you don’t. | 1 |
Print Saeed Toosi, right, and Ayatollah Khamenei
After failed attempts by top Iran officials to cover up the scandal, the nation’s leading reciter of the Quran and close friend of Ayatollah Khamenei has been accused of raping 19 of his students and charged with “advocating corruption.”
Saeed Toosi, 46, winner of the first prize for reading the Quran, both internationally and locally, fell under suspicion after a broadcast by Persian Voice of America – banned for viewing by Tehran – in which three alleged rape victims came forward with written and audio evidence and described sexual assaults by Toosi, reported Al Arabiya.
In an audio recording, Toosi said that Khamenei knew of the sexual assaults and, together with the head of Iran’s judicial authority, had agreed to a cover-up to protect the reputation of the nation’s quranic institution and the regime.
It’s time to stop tiptoeing around the facts. “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades” is a much-needed dose of truth about the “religion of peace.”
One document has Toosi admitting that his actions with his students had been a “mistake.” One of the victims – a recent first-place winner in a quranic competition – claimed he was raped when he was 12 while traveling abroad with Toosi to attend a competition. The mentor, according to the charge, booked the pair in a single hotel room where the attack took place.
All victims who have filed statements were between 12 and 14 at the time of the alleged attacks. The incidents took place over the past seven years during “quranic trips to more than 20 countries in the world aimed at ‘spreading the quranic culture’ and to participate in quranic competitions.”
Toosi is highly respected as Iran’s most celebrated reader of the Quran and was previously called an “exemplary model to be followed” by Khamenei, current supreme leader of Iran. He is a permanent guest of Khamenei in the annual quranic councils celebrated during Ramadan. Last May, Toosi was asked to recite verses from the Quran at the opening session of the Shura council, with many of Iran’s top officials in attendance.
The students told Persian VOA they had filed charges with the House of Leadership, but officials dismissed their claims, citing a “repentance letter” from Toosi admitting his actions and claiming to be a “changed man.”
While Iran officially imposes the death penalty for homosexuality, sex between men and boys is viewed with some toleration in the culture, causing confusion as to whether the resulting relationships are consensual or forced. The case is further complicated by the fact allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful officials are unheard of in the Islamic Republic.
According to the reformist Amad News, officials held a two-hour emergency meeting with the judiciary following outcries over the broadcast. The initial intent to bury the story failed after it reached the national press and resulted in Toosi now being charged.
Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, whom the victims’ audio showed conspiring with Khamenei to cover up the incidents, defended the regime’s handling of the case, London Guardian reported. Larijani called for punishment of those who cooperated with “hostile media” in the VOA story, “so we know who is [loyal] to the revolution and who is not.”
The case has been given to a judge for a ruling, though there will be no public trial. Awad News reports members of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution are planning to “assassinate” Toosi to end the scandal and save the regime’s reputation.
Toosi, who has denied the charges against him – calling them “total lies” meant to discredit Iran’s religious institutions and the ayatollah – is reportedly threatening to release the names of 100 of Iran’s top officials he claims are implicated in the rape and molestation of children, if the prosecution proceeds. | 0 |
Kay Abramowitz has been working, with a few breaks, since she was 14. Now 76, she is a partner in a law firm in Portland, Ore. — with no intention of stopping anytime soon. “Retirement or death is always on the horizon, but I have no plans,” she said. “I’m actually having way too much fun. ” The arc of women’s working lives is changing — reaching higher levels when they’re younger and stretching out much longer — according to two new analyses of census, earnings and retirement data that provide the most comprehensive look yet at women’s career paths. Over all, the paths look much more like men’s careers than they used to. Women are more likely than in previous generations to work at almost every point in their lives, including in their 20s and 30s when they often used to be home with children. Now, if mothers take breaks at all, it’s often not until their late 30s or early 40s — and those who leave are likely to return to the labor force. Most striking, women have become significantly more likely to work into their 60s and even 70s, often full time, according to the analyses. And many of these women report that they do it because they enjoy it. The data adds a bright chapter to the narrative of women’s progress in the world of work. Even though their participation in the labor force in the United States has flattened in recent years, and as mothers especially face serious challenges, women are working more than ever and getting fulfillment, not just income, from their jobs. Nearly 30 percent of women 65 to 69 are working, up from 15 percent in the late 1980s, one of the analyses, by the Harvard economists Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz, found. Eighteen percent of women 70 to 74 work, up from 8 percent. This rejection of retirement is more common among women with higher education and savings, though not confined to them. Those who are not working are more likely to have poor health and low savings, and to be dependent on Social Security and sometimes disability benefits, Ms. Goldin said. Of those still working, Ms. Goldin said, “They’re in occupations in which they really have an identity. ” She added, “Women have more education, they’re in jobs that are more fulfilling, and they stay with them. ” (Ms. Goldin happens to be an example of the phenomenon, as a professor and researcher.) Men’s employment after age 60 has also risen, since about 1994, but not as steeply as women’s. About 60 percent of men 60 to 64 work, and just over half of women in that age range do. The two new studies draw their data from the Health and Retirement Study at the University of Michigan and from the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation at the Census Bureau. The data included surveys that tracked the same women over time in some cases, the researchers studied respondents’ income tax and Social Security records. Women now in their 60s and 70s were the first generation to become professionals in large numbers, but that doesn’t explain all of the increase in older women who work, which began in the late 1980s. For some women, the decision to keep working was unexpected and not necessarily welcome, because of divorce, pension or real estate losses, or changes in Social Security. A recent paper by the economists Annamaria Lusardi and Olivia S. Mitchell examined women who were working into old age because they had more debt than in previous generations and lacked financial savvy. Older workers who lost their jobs during the financial crisis were more likely to be unemployed long term — especially women, in part because their résumés tended to be spottier. But most of the time, Ms. Goldin and Mr. Katz found, women are working longer because of decisions they made much earlier in their lives — to get an education and spend years building a career. If people work when they’re younger, economists say, they’re more likely to work when they’re older. And because women are marrying and having babies later, they spend more time pursuing careers first. That means that even if they take breaks to care of children, they are likely to return to work and to work past a typical retirement age. Children had no effect on working later in life, the analysis found. The same thing is happening among women in their 60s in most developed countries, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The most telling discovery here, according to the Harvard researchers, was that women who enjoyed their jobs earlier in life were employed longer, independent of their education or earnings. When asked if they had enjoyed their jobs six to eight years earlier, 85 to 90 percent of women ages 59 to 63 said they had. College graduates are more likely to work into older age. Of women born between 1945 and 1949, about 50 percent in all education groups were working at age 64, compared with 60 percent of college graduates. But the participation rates of women without degrees are increasing at roughly the same pace. Diane Tavoian, 64, left college at 21 and worked hourly customer service jobs in manufacturing, in the military and most recently at the post office. She briefly tried retirement at age 61, but it didn’t last long: “It was just plain boring,” she said. She is now a barista at Starbucks and finishing her bachelor’s degree through the company’s tuition coverage program. “The money is nice, of course, but I did it because I found I could not just stay at home,” said Ms. Tavoian, who lives in Covington, Tex. “I really like the fast pace of it, and I like showing the younger baristas that a frail old lady cannot just keep up with them but pass them by. ” Lee Ann Monfredini, 68, got her real estate license at age 53 after a career in hospital and nonprofit consulting she was out of the work force for several years when her children were young. “I feel 40,” said Ms. Monfredini, a broker in San Francisco. “I play bridge once a week and have lunch with women, but I’m really not that good at the retirement thing. And I love the joy of getting that big commission check. ” There is just one period of life when women are less likely to be working than in previous generations: their late 30s and early 40s, according to the other new paper, by Ms. Goldin and Joshua Mitchell, a senior economist at the Census Bureau. Starting with women born in the more worked at ages 25 to 34 than at ages 35 to 44. Among women born between 1965 and 1969, 82 percent worked at ages 40 to 44, compared with 85 percent of women in that age group who were born decade earlier. The decrease in participation is small but noticeable, and is linked to having children. The dip is happening later than it once did because people are having babies later, and because the most recent generations of mothers tend to keep working after their first child is born. The proportion of mothers who quit after their first birth decreased to 19 percent in the early 2000s, from 28 percent in the 1980s, the new research found. “They try as hard as they can they don’t leave after the first kid or when they’re infants or toddlers,” Ms. Goldin said. “They leave later on. ” There are several reasons for that decrease in participation, economists have found: the long hours expected in the American workplace inflexibility on where and when work gets done elder care responsibilities and the lack of paid parental leave, work and affordable, child care. It’s too early to know, but the evidence indicates that even these women are likely to go back to work and to work longer, particularly if they have degrees, Ms. Goldin said. Helen Young Hayes managed $50 billion in investments at a mutual fund in Denver while raising five children. She missed spending more time with them — she watched videos of them after they went to bed — and five children were a lot of work. So, at 41, she stopped working. A decade later, she returned to the work force, starting a corporation to match people with careers. The idea grew out of volunteer work she had done during her time away. “I just have too much energy and too much intensity to not be engaged,” said Ms. Young Hayes, 54. Working for 20 years before she left made easier, she said. “It gave me the confidence to realize there were no limits to my career. ” | 1 |
Tweet Widget by Tanya Golash-Boza
How will Donald Trump’s rhetoric on removing what he calls “illegal aliens” be put into actual policy? One thing is certain: It will take a lot more than even a tripling of the current ICE force of 5,000 to surpass President Obama’s record-breaking deportations. “ICE would still rely on local law enforcement to do the bulk of arrests.” Congress would also have to revise existing immigration laws. Donald J. Trump’s 10 Point Plan to Put America First: A Response by Tanya Golash-Boza
"It will be difficult for a Trump administration to exceed the 2011 levels and it will take time to rebuild this deportation machine."
With the election of Donald J. Trump to the Presidency of the United States, many undocumented immigrants and their family members are concerned about their future in this country. How much worse will the United States get with a Trump Presidency? Although politicians do not always live up to their campaign promises, it is worth taking a look at Trump’s proposals to see how likely and/or feasible they are.
1. “Begin working on an impenetrable physical wall on the southern border, on day one. Mexico will pay for the wall. ”
There is already a 700-mile wall along the border. Much of the remaining area where there is not a wall is impassable. Building more walls or fencing along the border will require Congressional appropriations. Congress may balk at the extraordinary cost, especially given the fact that border crossings are at a historic low . Whatever money ends up being spent will be a colossal waste of funds.
2. “End catch-and-release. Under a Trump administration, anyone who illegally crosses the border will be detained until they are removed out of our country.”
Detention centers are currently at full capacity, both at the border and in the interior. Detaining more immigrants would require building more facilities or finding places to detain people. This is possible, but will be costly. Stock in the two major private prison companies (CCA and GEO group) shot up with the announcement of Trump’s win. These companies likely are willing to sell additional detention capacity to the Department of Homeland Security, but there are limits to how much capacity they can provide immediately. It is also possible for the Trump administration to use tent camps in the borderlands deserts to enhance capacity. If it were up to Trump alone, this is not inconceivable. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that the United States does not go back down that shameful route.
3. “Move criminal aliens out day one, in joint operations with local, state, and federal law enforcement. We will terminate the Obama administration’s deadly, non-enforcement policies that allow thousands of criminal aliens to freely roam our streets.”
The Obama administration will have deported three million people by the time he leaves office, far more than any previous administration. Here, Trump is referring to the deportation of people with criminal convictions who live in the United States. These are called interior removals, and these reached a historic high in 2011, largely due to cooperation between local police and immigration law enforcement agencies. Returning to these high levels of interior removals would require cooperation with local law enforcement, who may not be on board. It will be difficult for a Trump administration to exceed the 2011 levels and it will take time to rebuild this deportation machine.
4. “End sanctuary cities.”
Trump could threaten to take away federal funding from sanctuary cities, which would likely lead to massive protest.
5. “Immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties. All immigration laws will be enforced - we will triple the number of ICE agents. Anyone who enters the U.S. illegally is subject to deportation. That is what it means to have laws and to have a country.”
Trump can (and likely will) end the Deferred Action to Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has provided employment permits and relief from deportation for undocumented youth. The most likely scenario is that the Trump administration will not renew these permits and they will gradually expire.
There are currently about 5,000 ICE agents in the United States. Trump could triple that number to 15,000. That still would not be enough agents for ICE to engage in very many direct arrests, which require a lot of manpower. ICE would still rely on local law enforcement to do the bulk of arrests.
6. “Suspend the issuance of visas to any place where adequate screening cannot occur, until proven and effective vetting mechanisms can be put into place.”
This is likely a plan to try and exclude people from certain national origins from entering the United States as all places where visas are issued have extensive screening. Trump likely could do this relatively easily.
7. “Ensure that other countries take their people back when we order them deported.”
The countries he may be referring to here are Cuba, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. These account for a relatively small number of deportees.
8. “Ensure that a biometric entry-exit visa tracking system is fully implemented at all land, air, and sea ports.”
A biometric entry system is largely in place. A biometric exit system would be much more complicated and costly to implement. It’s not impossible, but would require a lot of Congressional appropriations.
9. “Turn off the jobs and benefits magnet. Many immigrants come to the U.S. illegally in search of jobs, even though federal law prohibits the employment of illegal immigrants.”
Trump could expand e-verify , which is already in effect at many places of employment. DACA recipients who are employed may lose their jobs. This strategy would push undocumented immigrants to work under the table or to commit identity fraud. It would not make them leave.
10. “Reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers, keeping immigration levels within historic norms.”
It is up to Congress to pass laws regarding immigration flows. A Republican-controlled Congress could re-haul immigration policy to reduce the number of visas that we issue annually, or change the nature of those visas from family-based to skills-based visas. Immigration reform has been stalled in Congress for the entirety of the Obama administration.
It is very unlikely that Trump will live up to his promise to deport all 11 million undocumented migrants. President Obama deported about three million people during his administration and it will be challenging for Trump to exceed those numbers. If Trump does exceed those numbers, he will do so by building on the massive deportation machine that President Obama has built. This effort will require a massive expansion in the number of ICE agents, the number of detention beds, and the number of immigration judges – an extremely costly endeavor. Tanya Golash-Boza is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Merced. Her most recent book is Deported: Immigrant Policing, Disposable Labor and Global Capitalism (New York University Press, 2015) | 0 |
Montpellier saw a weekend of chaos as groups of up to 10 violent migrant youths launched a series of attacks on lone pedestrians. [Muggings and assaults in broad daylight have become a regular occurrence in recent weeks, as an influx of ‘unaccompanied minors’ from Morocco and Algeria have moved into Montpellier, in southern France. Early on Friday morning, two youths approached a woman as she was leaving a nightclub with friends. She was struck by a male migrant while his female accomplice snatched her mobile phone and debit card. On Sunday morning near the Place de l’Observatoire, 10 migrant youths surrounded a woman, beat her, and ran away with her handbag. When the victim’s friend tried to intervene, she too was physically attacked. When police arrested four of the 10 North African culprits, two other people approached to say that they too had been robbed and assaulted by the youths. The weekend saw a total of eight incidents in which unaccompanied minors, who are housed by local government and given vouchers to buy their own food, mugged pedestrians in Montpellier. Between 20 and 21 March, four women fell victim to the young thieves, including a grandmother who was robbed of her purse and debit card. While police have grown increasingly concerned about the attacks, the Montpellier Metropolitan notes that Hérault’s municipal department for public security “refuses to explain” the situation. On Friday, reporting on a case in which a unaccompanied minor snatched the gold necklace from an octogenarian’s neck as the lady was leaving her house, the newspaper informed readers that “police in the city have seen a steep increase in robbery with violence, most often committed by migrant youths”. Last month, Breitbart London reported on how the city of Uppsala in Sweden has been facing similar problems, with unaccompanied minors mugging pensioners in the street for drugs money. | 1 |
posted by Eddie Bill Clinton seen walking his dogs Buster and Frank at his mansion in the Maldives. This afternoon , WikiLeaks says sources in the Clinton Foundation inadvertently leaked the details of an apparently secret deal with Christie’s International Real Estate in New York. Several recorded phone conversations between Christie’s executives and Clinton board member, FrankGuistra, clearly show that a deal for “The Imperial Maldives” had been closed. “The Imperial Maldives” is a development of 185 water villas set above the turquoise waters of the North Male Atoll. According to the recordings, the agreed price was $200 million (U.S). Also according to the recordings, this deal began the morning after the last debate. The morning after Trump told Clinton he would appoint a special prosecutor and put her in prison. Mr. Guistra is heard to say, “Trump can drag his sorry orange ass down to the Maldives if he wants her so bad. There’s no extradition treaty!” [laughing] The Clinton camp is very tight-lipped at the moment and no comments from Clinton Foundation board members. WikiLeaks seems to suggest that the Clintons are feeling the pressure of a world-wide criminal organization becoming frayed at the seams, and are looking for a hideout until they can hatch their next diabolical plan for world domination. Or, those fuckers just need a real good vacation. source: | 0 |
On Monday morning, Facebook introduced Marketplace, a new section on its mobile app that allowed its users to buy and sell things with their friends and strangers. By the evening, the social giant was apologizing for an issue with the section, which featured some posts that would not have been out of place on the online black market Silk Road, which was shut down by the F. B. I. in 2013. Illegal drugs. Dogs. Guns. Sexual services. Baby hedgehogs. Selling all of these items and services on Facebook goes against the site’s commerce policy. And all of them were available on Marketplace on Monday. Mary Ku, a director for product management at Facebook, who had cheerfully introduced the Marketplace app in a blog post earlier in the day, issued a statement saying that a technical issue had prevented Facebook’s reviewing system from identifying posts that violated its commerce policies and community standards. She said that the issue had caused “certain posts with content that violated our policies” to be visible to users. “We are working to fix the problem and will be closely monitoring our systems to ensure we are properly identifying and removing violations before giving more people access to Marketplace,” she said. “We apologize for this issue. ” In her blog post Monday morning, Ms. Ku said that Marketplace had been introduced as the company recognized that its users had been buying and selling products and services through Facebook groups. She wrote that “more than 450 million people visit buy and sell groups each month. ” Users who bought and sold products within groups had also violated the website’s commerce policy. In July, Mike Monteiro, a web designer who started a campaign to help monitor the social network for sales of guns, said that he had reported about 500 posts or groups that violated Facebook’s ban on weapons sales in the past month, and that the website had taken down only about of them. Facebook has natural advantages as a digital bazaar. Its core purpose as a social network would allow users to more easily avoid anonymous strangers and dubious deals that are available on sites like Craigslist, which allows for anonymous posting. And according to the company’s results this year, Facebook already takes up an enormous portion of its users’ days, making any kind of new service a potentially attractive option. Others are critical of the marketplace effort. Dan Rosensweig, a former executive at Yahoo, expressed his skepticism in an appearance on CNBC on Tuesday. “Why would I leave Amazon’s marketplace or eBay’s marketplace or anybody else’s marketplace to go to Facebook unless I thought I could sell more or make more money?” he asked. Marketplace is being introduced gradually and was not available to all the app’s users on Monday. Facebook plans to make the app available to users in the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand within the next few days. It will be available on desktop in “the coming months,” the company said. | 1 |
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Donald Trump, the draft-dodging Russophile who cloaks his xenophobia and bigotry in a veneer of false patriotism, reportedly had to ask what a Gold Star family was after he attacked the Muslim-American parents of war hero Capt. Humayun Khan. Trump has thus once again proven his patriotic rhetoric to be nothing but ignorant and self-serving bombast.
The Trump-Khan feud arose after Khizr Khan, Capt. Khan’s father, gave a powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention over the summer repudiating Trump’s hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric. Khan said that Trump had “sacrificed nothing” while he and his wife had paid the ultimate sacrifice for America, and famously held up his pocket-size Constitution and offered to lend it to Trump. Trump, who seems physically incapable of responding to criticism with anything other than blustering attacks, went on a tirade against Mr. Khan, adding for good measure that his wife Ghazala was not allowed to speak at the DNC because she is a Muslim.
When one of Trump’s advisers warned him against attacking a Gold Star family, Trump reportedly responded, “what’s that?” Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager at the time, apparently had to repeatedly explain to the candidate that a Gold Star family is a family that has lost a loved one serving in war. In a surprising bit of pushback from a Trump campaign staff that seems to consist overwhelmingly of yes men, Manafort reportedly told Trump in response to his feud with Khan that the election “is about the American people, it’s not about you.”
That Trump has the audacity to criticize war heros like Capt. Khan and Sen. John McCain after using his privilege to avoid war and knowing nothing of their sacrifice, that he is so presumptuous as to adopt the mantle of fighting for America while knowing nothing about American institutions, is proof that he is nothing but an opportunistic demagogue who will say anything to appease his own ego. In stark contrast to Trump’s sleaze, however, Khizr Khan has, in the best American tradition, taken the high road.
Khan has continued to speak out for American values and against Trump’s hate-peddling. Last week he said that “there comes a time in an ordinary citizen’s life where you have to gather all the courage you have and you stand up and speak against tyranny and speak against un-American hate.” Khan has continued to get under Trump’s skin, with the nominee replying to that speech with the hackneyed lie that he opposed the Iraq war. Perhaps the reason Trump has been so irritated by Mr. Khan is that he has demonstrated so much better than Mr. Trump himself what it means to be a true American. | 0 |
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court, in an unsigned unanimous opinion, announced on Monday that it would not rule in a major case on access to contraception, and instructed lower courts to consider whether a compromise was possible. The opinion is the latest indication that the Supreme Court, which currently has eight members, is exploring every avenue to avoid deadlocks, even if it does not decide the question the justices have agreed to address. The case concerned an accommodation offered to religious groups that did not want to offer insurance coverage for contraception to their female employees as ordinarily required by regulations under the Affordable Care Act. The accommodation allowed the groups not to pay for coverage and to avoid fines if they informed their insurers, plan administrators or the government that they wanted an exemption. Insurance companies or the government would then pay for the coverage. Some religious groups objected, saying that providing the required notice still made them complicit in what they considered to be sinful conduct. The court’s unusual opinion tried to bridge the gap between the two sides, suggesting that the government could arrange to provide coverage to the religious groups’ female workers without requiring any notice or other action from the groups. Such a solution would require the two sides to agree on many details and would probably require new federal regulations. The justices’ decision to insert themselves into the adversarial process, acting more like mediatiors than judges, was almost certainly a consequence of the disarray that followed Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February. Since then, the court has deadlocked three times, including in a major case on public unions. In other cases, it has found consensus through narrow rulings, some of which decided very little. Monday’s opinion nullified decisions in appeals courts around the nation, all but one of which had upheld the accommodation. Both sides said they were pleased. “The Supreme Court was right to protect the Christian colleges and other groups from having to pay fines or fill out forms authorizing the objectionable coverage,” said David Cortman, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents some of the groups challenging the accommodation. “The government has many other ways to ensure women are able to obtain these drugs without forcing people of faith to participate in acts that violate their deepest convictions. ” The White House also said it welcomed the decision. “It will allow millions of women across the country to continue to get the health coverage that they need,” Josh Earnest, the press secretary, told reporters. He said the White House was “gratified” because the decision proved it was possible to prioritize health care access while maintaining religious liberty for everyone. President Obama, in an interview with BuzzFeed News, said the opinion was notable for what it said about the state of the Supreme Court. “I won’t speculate as to why they punted,” he said, “but my suspicion is that if we had nine Supreme Court justices instead of eight, there might have been a different outcome. ” Republican senators have said they will not confirm another of Mr. Obama’s Supreme Court nominees. The court signaled its direction less than a week after the case was argued in March, when it issued an unsigned order asking the parties to submit supplemental briefs on a possible compromise. In Monday’s ruling, the court said that those briefs suggested a compromise was possible but that it should be forged in the lower courts. “Given the gravity of the dispute and the substantial clarification and refinement in the positions of the parties, the parties on remand should be afforded an opportunity to arrive at an approach going forward that accommodates petitioners’ religious exercise while at the same time ensuring that women covered by petitioners’ health plans ‘receive full and equal health coverage, including contraceptive coverage,’ ” the court said, quoting from a brief filed by the government. The Supreme Court urged the lower courts to “allow the parties sufficient time to resolve any outstanding issues between them. ” The justices emphasized that they were deciding nothing. “The court expresses no view on the merits of the cases,” the opinion said. “In particular, the court does not decide whether petitioners’ religious exercise has been substantially burdened, whether the government has a compelling interest, or whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving that interest. ” Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a concurrence, which was joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, underscoring the limited nature of the action and cautioning lower courts not to read anything into it. “Today’s opinion does only what it says it does: ‘affords an opportunity’ for the parties and courts of appeals to reconsider the parties’ arguments in light of petitioners’ new articulation of their religious objection and the government’s clarification about what the existing regulations accomplish, how they might be amended and what such an amendment would sacrifice,” Justice Sotomayor wrote. “As enlightened by the parties’ new submissions, the courts of appeals remain free to reach the same conclusion or a different one on each of the questions presented by these cases. ” The case, Zubik v. Burwell, No. was the court’s second encounter with the contraception requirement and the fourth time it had considered an aspect of the Affordable Care Act. It built on a case from 2014, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, which said a regulation requiring corporations to pay for insurance coverage for contraception violated a federal law protecting religious liberty. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. writing for the majority in 2014, said there was a better alternative, one that the government had offered to nonprofit groups with religious objections. Many religious groups around the nation challenged the accommodation, saying that objecting and providing the required information would make them complicit in conduct that violated their faith. The groups, which include hospitals and schools, added that they should be entitled to the outright exemption offered to houses of worship like churches, synagogues and mosques. Houses of worship are not subject to the coverage requirement at all and do not have to file paperwork if they choose not to provide contraception coverage. At the arguments in March, several justices indicated that they thought the accommodation violated the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act because it allowed the government to “hijack” the insurance plans of the religious groups that were the petitioners in the case. Days later, the court called for more briefs in an order that asked the parties to “address whether and how contraceptive coverage may be obtained by petitioners’ employees through petitioners’ insurance companies, but in a way that does not require any involvement of petitioners beyond their own decision to provide health insurance without contraceptive coverage to their employees. ” The order sketched out how this might work, asking the two sides to address whether it would be acceptable for the groups to do no more than buy insurance plans for their workers that did not include contraception coverage. On Monday, the court said that the unusual tactic had worked and that both sides “now confirm that such an option is feasible. ” The religious groups, the court said, quoting their brief, “have clarified that their religious exercise is not infringed where they ‘need to do nothing more than contract for a plan that does not include coverage for some or all forms of contraception,’ even if their employees receive contraceptive coverage from the same insurance company. ” “The government,” the court continued, “has confirmed that the challenged procedures ‘for employers with insured plans could be modified to operate in the manner posited in the court’s order while still ensuring that the affected women receive contraceptive coverage seamlessly, together with the rest of their health coverage.’ ” | 1 |
Horseshit | 0 |
Now that Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the crime lord known as El Chapo, has been extradited from Mexico and has pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn to charges of running the planet’s biggest drug empire, his prosecution will enter a crucial phase — provided, of course, he does not manage to tunnel free from the jail in Manhattan where he is being held. Two chief questions will define what comes next: Will Mr. Guzmán decide to go to trial? And if he does, what sort of defense will he mount to counter what appears to be a Matterhorn of evidence against him? When Robert L. Capers, the United States attorney in Brooklyn, outlined the government’s case against Mr. Guzmán at a news conference on Friday, he seemed unable to disguise a sly smile of satisfaction. After all, that morning, Mr. Capers’s office had filed a memorandum that set forth in exhaustive detail the cinematic story of Mr. Guzmán’s rise from a teenage marijuana farmer to an international kingpin who armed himself with a diamond encrusted pistol. It further noted that dozens of witnesses were lined up to testify and corroborate what prosecutors described as extensive secret recordings in which Mr. Guzmán discussed drug transactions. Several lawyers who have represented drug lords in the past said that the aggressive tenor of the memo suggested that, at least for now, federal prosecutors were serious about trying Mr. Guzmán and were unlikely to offer him a deal to plead guilty to lesser charges. Mr. Guzmán, moreover, is facing life in prison on a sweeping count of running a continuing criminal enterprise. So there was no real downside, the lawyers said, for him to fight the government’s case. “The government has made it clear that they’re going full bore with this,” said David O. Markus, who negotiated the 2006 guilty pleas for Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Colombian brothers who helped found the Cali cartel. “For El Chapo, if there’s no offer on the table and it’s life if you go to trial and life or near it if you plead guilty, it’s pretty easy — he’ll go to trial. ” Before Mr. Guzmán has to make that decision, however, a number of complicated issues are certain to arise. Given that he has been indicted not only in Brooklyn, but also in six other federal districts, his legal team is likely to question whether he is being prosecuted in the appropriate jurisdiction. They could also attack the manner in which he was sent to New York, some lawyers said, casting doubt on whether he was properly extradited. Then there is the question of his hiring a private lawyer. For the moment, Mr. Guzmán is being represented by two seasoned public defenders, Michael Schneider and Michelle Gelernt. While there is a narco bar of lawyers, mainly in Florida and Texas, who regularly handle cartel cases, many of them are already representing people who may appear as witnesses at Mr. Guzmán’s trial. Further complicating matters, the federal government has said that it wants to seize $14 billion in profits that Mr. Guzmán was said to have made while running the Sinaloa cartel, leaving his financial situation unclear. “Many good criminal defense lawyers may shy away from the case not only because of the conduct that’s been charged, but because it’s hard to get paid if the government argues that all his money is tainted,” said Benjamin Brafman, one of New York City’s top defense lawyers. But if Mr. Guzmán does end up before a jury, Mr. Brafman and other lawyers said that he could borrow a tactic from the manifold Mafia trials that have taken place in Brooklyn and defend himself by attacking the credibility of the government’s witnesses. According to the prosecution’s memo, “a large coterie of cooperating witnesses” — among them, Colombian cartel members, Mexican couriers and United distributors — is ready to testify about every aspect of Mr. Guzmán’s organization, including bribes paid to politicians and murders of rival drug dealers and government and law enforcement officials. “It’s inconceivable to me that these people don’t have baggage of their own,” Mr. Brafman said, “if, indeed, they were involved in the organization for a long time. ” The case of Vicente Zambada Niebla, the son of Ismael Zambada García, who long served as Mr. Guzmán’s top lieutenant in the Sinaloa cartel, offers another possible avenue of defense. Mr. Zambada was arrested by the Mexican authorities in 2009 and extradited to Chicago, where he was poised to stand trial as the cartel’s chief logistics officer for importing drugs into that city. But a few years into the case his lawyers suddenly claimed that he could not be prosecuted in the United States because he had been secretly working as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration. Though the government subsequently acknowledged that D. E. A. agents had in fact met with Mr. Zambada, it denied that it had engaged with him in any quid pro quo. Nonetheless, in 2014, the D. E. A. announced that Mr. Zambada would not stand trial because he had pleaded guilty to trafficking charges and was working as a government informant. The possibility that Mr. Guzmán might also become an informant is a complicated one. Some lawyers said that because he was accused in court papers of kidnapping, torture and causing the deaths of thousands of people, it would be hard to imagine the government allowing him to cooperate — unless, perhaps, he had reliable and damning information on Mexican officials. Others said they found that prospect dubious because of Mr. Guzmán’s reputation as a Robin hero in his homeland. “He has this mythic legacy behind him,” said W. Rob Heroy, a lawyer for Carlos Ramon a Mexican who pleaded guilty in 2014 to producing and distributing heroin in the United States, much of it in and around Charlotte, N. C. “Maybe the government would want him as an informant, but I just can’t see El Chapo getting done with all of that and then going to work at a Cinnabon in Omaha. ” | 1 |
Several Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM listeners from Pennsylvania called in to host Joel Pollak on Friday to express their support for President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords. [Caller Ken said, “I used to work in a coal mine. Coal operators, their biggest fear and why they’re afraid to make major investments, is because they’re afraid the Democrats will get back in office and all their investments will be wasted. And that’s the biggest inhibitor to growth right now. ” Caller Westin said of the climate accord, “The one thing we’re missing, it’s done with malice. This isn’t bad policy by making a mistake. It’s bad policy by choice and purpose. We have to look at what is their objective. Their objective is to pass money around, redistribute wealth, of course. But the real diabolical purpose is to crush the middle class in this country. ” Westin also pointed to the backlash against the middle class for voting for Trump. Chris, calling from Pennsylvania, said, “All of these deals, it seems as if they work against the United States, our industry, etc. ” He added, “Mr. Trump, yesterday, talked about all of the negative things that would happen to various sectors in the economy, and my point is, these left people, lefties, who rabidly support all these accords, I would think they would know what’s going on on the inside. And then as soon as Obama says, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re on board,’ perhaps they are shorting a portfolio of energy companies, for instance, or mining companies. ” Chris suggested, “They take their money and run. Then we’re left holding the bag. ” Caller Louis said he liked to call global warming “global communism. ” “It’s a redistribution of wealth,” said Louis, “of them taking the money to give it to their good old boy system, mostly to people like Al Gore and whoever they arranged to take the money. And I don’t think that taxpayers should take this on our shoulders so a bunch of guys can drive around in nice cars. He also said people need to look at the science and not the hype and that the climate has always been changing and will continue to change, regardless of what man does. Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a. m. to 9:00 a. m. Eastern. LISTEN: | 1 |
Political Coup Underway in Venezuela Tweet
Breaking news from Venezuela – the American puppet Henrique ‘Capricious’ Capriles along with his friends in the Venezuelan congress are attempting to engineer a political coup against President Nicolas Maduro. After years of attempting to oust the late Bolivarian President Hugo Chavez, the foreign owned opposition continue to harass his successor. The model which the Venezuelan insurgents seek to ape is that of Brazil which recently used congressional powers to remove the democratically elected President Dilma Rousseff.
The move will likely fail, but it does demonstrate two important things. First of all, it shows how the right-wing forces in Latin America, so determined to push for US domination of their own countries, will stop at nothing to get their way, up to and including a total disregard for democracy.
Secondly, it demonstrates that under Barack Obama’s incompetent leadership, America can no longer control the destiny of the Latin American countries that Washington used to reign over like obedient right wing clients. Latin America is clearly going its own way from Ecuador to Venezuela to Uruguay. The way Latin America is choose is that of the left.
Even Brazil’s putative western puppet, the unelected Michel Temer hasn’t broken off his relations with the BRICS to which Brazil gives its first letter, in spite of many hopes in the west that he would do. From Manilla to Caracas, America is losing her erstwhile colonial playground. What’s more is that whilst the current Venezuelan congress has been publically accused of buying votes, the election of President Maduro has been approved as democratically fair by all but the most far-right, agenda observers.
Venezuela has in many ways replaced Cuba as the perennial leftist thorn in America’s near-abroad. There may well be:
We will not allow a coup:Venezuela’s Maduro
Venezuela: Mass protest calls for Maduro’s resignation
Street challenges power in Venezuela crisis | 0 |
iTS DARK ALRIGHT . In a sad twist of fate these black people in power are doing more to damage black people 's reptutation than any white people ever could . Whats wrong with them ?? Where are they in the streets complaing about corruption ???? Where are they at the voting booths voting against it ?? Thats what you get when you back the very people who fought hard to keep them slaves and i might add where the KKK . They need to wake up fast . | 0 |
Over the past few months, I’ve written a number of times on how nutrition recommendations are seldom supported by science. I’ve argued that what many people are telling you may be inaccurate. In response, many of you have asked me what nutrition recommendations should say. It’s much easier, unfortunately, to tell you what not to do. But here at The Upshot, we don’t avoid the hard questions. So I’m going to put myself on the line. Below are the general rules I live by. They’re the ones I share with patients, with friends and with family. They’re the ones I support as a pediatrician and a health services researcher. But I acknowledge up front that they may apply only to healthy people without metabolic disorders (me, for instance, as far as I know). These suggestions are also not supported by the scientific weight of rigorous randomized controlled trials, because little in nutrition is. I’ve inserted links to back them up with the available evidence. They are not “laws” and should not be treated as such. No specific nutrients will be demonized, and none will be held up as miracles. But these recommendations make sense to me, and they’ve helped me immensely. Full disclosure: I did not invent most of these. I’ve developed them from reading the work of others, including what may be the most impressive “official” nutritional guidelines, those of Brazil, as well as from earlier suggestions from readers, as in this great NYT interactive graphic. It captures readers’ responses to food rules by Michael Pollan. He is, of course, the promulgator of the advice: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. ” 1. Get as much of your nutrition as possible from a variety of completely unprocessed foods. These include fruits and vegetables. But they also include meat, fish, poultry and eggs that haven’t been processed. In other words, when buying food at the market, focus on things that have not been been cooked, prepared or altered in any way. Brown rice over white rice. Whole grains over refined grains. You’re far better off eating two apples than drinking the same 27 grams of sugar in an glass of apple juice. 1b. Eat lightly processed foods less often. You’re not going to make everything yourself. Pasta, for instance, is going to be bought already prepared. You’re not going to grind your own flour or extract your own oil. These are meant to be eaten along with unprocessed foods, but try to eat less of them. 1c. Eat heavily processed foods even less often. There’s little evidence that even the most processed foods are dangerous. But keep your consumption of them to a minimum, because they can make it too easy to stuff in calories. Such foods include bread, chips, cookies and cereals. In epidemiologic studies, heavily processed meats are often associated with worse health outcomes, but that evidence should be taken with a grain of salt (not literally) as I’ve written about before. 2. Eat as much food as possible, which should be prepared according to Rule 1. Eating at home allows you to avoid processed ingredients more easily. It allows you full control over what you eat, and allows you to choose the flavors you prefer. You’re much less likely to stuff yourself silly if you eat food. I’m not saying this is easy. Behavioral change takes repetition and practice. It also, unfortunately, takes time. 3. Use salt and fats, including butter and oil, as needed in food preparation. Things like salt and fat aren’t the enemy. They are often necessary in the preparation of tasty, satisfying food. The key here is moderation. Use what you need. Seasoning is often what makes vegetables taste good. Don’t be afraid of them, but don’t go crazy with them either. 4. When you do eat out, try to eat at restaurants that follow the same rules. Ideally, you should eat at restaurants that are creating all of their items from completely unprocessed foods. Lots and lots of restaurants do. Follow Rule 1 even while out to dinner. Some processing is going to be fine, but try to keep it to a minimum. 5. Drink mostly water, but some alcohol, coffee and other beverages are fine. As I’ve pointed out before, you can find a study to show that everything either prevents or causes cancer — alcohol and coffee included. But my take is that the preponderance of evidence supports the inclusion of a moderate consumption of most beverages. 6. Treat all beverages with calories in them as you would alcohol. This includes every drink with calories, including milk. They’re fine in moderation, but keep them to a minimum. You can have them because you like them, but you shouldn’t consume them as if you need them. 7. Eat with other people, especially people you care about, as often as possible. This has benefits even outside those of nutrition. It will make you more likely to cook. It will most likely make you eat more slowly. It will also make you happy. I’ve avoided treating any food like the devil. Many nutrition experts do, and it may turn out they’re right, but at this point I think the jury is still out. I’ve therefore tried not to tell you to avoid anything completely. My experience tells me that total abstinence rarely works, although anecdotes exist to support that practice. I think you’ll find that many other diets and recommendations work under these rules. These are much more flexible and, I hope, reasonable than what some might prescribe. All of these rules are subtly trying to get you to be more conscious of what you’re eating. It’s far too easy these days to consume more than you think you are, or more than you really need, especially when eating out. I’ve found that it’s impossible to tell any one person how much they should be eating. People have varying requirements, and it’s important for all of them to listen to their bodies to know when they should eat, and when they should stop. One other thing: Don’t judge what others eat. One of my closest friends has been avoiding carbohydrates for months, and has seen remarkable results. Another was a pescatarian — a person whose only meat dishes are fish — for a year and was very happy with that. I, on the other hand, avoid no food groups in particular. People are very different. Some may have real problems consuming even the smallest amount of carbohydrates. Others may be intolerant of certain foods because of allergies or sensitivities. It will most likely take a bit of experimentation, on an individual level, to find the actual diet within these recommendations that works for you. But the above rules should allow for a wide variety of foods and for remaining healthy. At least, I hope so. I’m curious what readers think of these. I welcome your comments to this column, as well as tweets to me in response. | 1 |
UNESCO has never been a champion of the truth. Just another agitprop org. | 0 |
President Trump has already raised millions of dollars for his 2020 campaign in the first three months of the year, new Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show as of Friday evening. [Trump’s campaign has already pulled in $13. 2 million from three different campaign committees — Donald J. Trump for President, Trump Victory, and Trump Make America Great Again Committee — in the first quarter of 2017, Politico reported. The campaign has managed to pull off this feat while paying a staff of 20 employees, FEC records show. Of all the money raised from the three committees, 80 percent came from small donors. The Republican National Committee said it raised $41. 3 million in the first three months of the year, but as of Saturday morning, it had not filed its final quarterly report with the FEC. The three committees spent a combined total of $4. 7 million on hats, mugs, and stickers, according to the reports. They also spent at least $2. 7 million on data, telemarketing, and other fundraising activities to maintain its database of largely small donors. The three Trump committees also spent a combined $458, 000 at Trump’s various companies, including $274, 000 in rent for the Trump Tower office space and $61, 000 at Trump golf clubs. Trump filed with the FEC to run for in 2020 the day of his inauguration so he could continue to build his fundraising base, especially among small donors. However, Trump said, “[The paperwork] does not constitute a formal announcement of my candidacy for the 2020 election. ” Even though Trump has not formally announced his candidacy, he has already trademarked his 2020 campaign slogan, which would be “Keep America Great. ” | 1 |
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle grabbed brunch with Bono in the Big Apple Friday and were greeted with cheers and applause from a crowd of onlookers. [As the Obamas and the U2 frontman exited the restaurant, People reports, “the whole restaurant stood up and applauded and cheered for them. Barack Obama waved at everyone upon leaving. ” Video of the Obamas exiting Upland Restaurant in Manhattan, flanked by Secret Service, flooded social media. “Obama, we love you” one person is heard screaming as the crowded eatery erupts with applause. #powerlunch @karanilanraymond @lindseybono @michelleobama #presidentobama #nyc #upland, A post shared by Emma Wiedner (@ewiedner) on Mar 10, 2017 at 11:32am PST, “I’m dying. I’m dead. PRESIDENT OBAMA is at lunch w us. We all clapped and cried,” one Instagram user captions. I’m dying. I’m dead. PRESIDENT OBAMA is at lunch w us. We all clapped and cried. A post shared by Mackenzi (@mackenzi) on Mar 10, 2017 at 11:19am PST, The bromance between President Obama and Bono dates back years. In 2010, the crooner met with Obama and his national security team to “discuss the administration’s development strategy heading into the upcoming and meetings in Canada and September’s U. N. Summit on the Millenium Development Goals. ” And Friday’s was not the first brunch the Obamas and Bono have shared together. In June 2013, Michelle Obama and her two daughters dined with Bono, his wife, and their two sons at Finnegan’s Irish Pub in Dalkey, Co Dublin. Bono, of course, has been an outspoken opponent of President Donald Trump. Two months before the presidential election, Bono called Trump “potentially the worst idea that ever happened to America. ” Just last month, Bono condemned the idea of a “national border” as the best way to protect one’s country from Islamic terror. “I don’t see a body of water wide enough or a wall high enough to keep these problems from our doors,” the Irish rocker said before world leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson. | 1 |
VIOLENCE IN AMERICA-AMERICA’S STREETS WILL RUN RED WITH BLOOD Hillary is going down. But don’t make the mistake of thinking it is over! As Mike Adams says in the following video. It does not matter who wins, the streets will run red with blood.
Listen to what Mike Adams has to say in the following video. If this video does not convince you to prepare to be on your own, then nothing will.
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Lancashire Police has introduced a “Police with Pride” vehicle to their fleet, in the hope of encouraging more people to report ‘hate crimes’. [The white and police car will be fully operational and used by the immediate response team to attend incidents around the clock across Blackpool, where it will be based. The aim of the vehicle, on which the words “Lancashire Constabulary values diverse communities” are emblazoned, is to “engage with the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans community to raise awareness of hate crime and domestic abuse and to encourage more people to report incidents” according to a Facebook post by Lancashire LGBT Policing Team. It will also attend ‘Pride’ events across the region throughout the year, with Blog Preston noting that the colourful car will be making an appearance in the city for this reason in summer. Lancashire’s Deputy Chief Constable Andy Rhodes said: “We are committed to equality and valuing difference and supporting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. “By having a car that has a bold statement is just one way of demonstrating that commitment. ” Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw added: “As Police and Crime Commissioner I am always looking for ways to demonstrate that the police are aware of their local communities and keen to reflect them in everything they do. “This car is just one aspect of that and again this year the Constabulary and my office will be supporting Blackpool Pride and encouraging the LGB and T community to work with us to end hate crime. ” Writing on Lancashire LGBT Policing Team’s page, Facebook user Laura Myers welcomed the fleet’s new addition, writing: “Good on you … . We are a country with diversity and equality and we should be proud to support the LGBT groups plus beats a boring old police car” Responses to the rainbow vehicle were mixed, however. “Used by immediate response?? We all know which will be the last set of keys picked up … . This rivals the ‘pumpkin patrol’ car” Charlotte Whitton commented. It was reported on Thursday that Brighton and Hove’s former police commander, Nev Kemp, has been named Stonewall’s Senior Champion of the Year in its 2017 Workplace Equality Index. The commander’s spirited defence of an LGBT police vehicle was cited by the organisation as a key reason in their decision to issue him with the award. Stonewall said: “Nev’s passion and tenacity were demonstrated when he responded to a criticism over a Sussex Police rainbow police car for Brighton Pride 2015 by covering the largest vehicle he could find (a van) in rainbows for Pride 2016. ” | 1 |
Administrators at Georgetown University released an advisory to students discouraging them from offering campus dorm space to inauguration protesters. [A Facebook post from the Georgetown College Democrats included a link to a form for students to fill out who were willing to host protesters looking to attend the Women’s March on Washington. “Given our location in DC, we are calling all College Democrats to open up their dorm rooms or apartments to help house other college students for the weekend,” the post says. “Floor or couch space is much needed to host as many students as possible at Georgetown. ” Although the Georgetown administrators claim that students are permitted to host friends and family during inauguration weekend, they advised against hosting individuals that they didn’t know. “For your safety and the safety of your fellow residents, you are discouraged from inviting guests, with whom you are not familiar, to stay with you,” the statement reads. Meredith Forsyth, the president of the Georgetown College Democrats, claims that all guests will be “properly approved and vetted” by the Women’s March on Washington organization. Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about social justice and libertarian issues for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart. com | 1 |
REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Mexico’s Gulf Cartel took to social media to announce a $500, 000 reward for the heads of their rivals. The cartel made the offer on various social media platforms as cartel gunmen unleashed another wave of violence in this city. [On Friday afternoon, rival factions of the Gulf Cartel clashed in the streets of this city unleashing a barrage of machine gun fire and grenade explosions that spread terror. The intensity of the fighting led to the city government issuing a red alert notice on social media. Officials pushed out the social media notification as a way to warn citizens to stay indoors because of battles spreading throughout the city. Rival factions of the Gulf Cartel began a bloody war for control of this border city on Tuesday, Breitbart Texas reported. The fighting follows the demise of former regional cartel boss Juan Manuel “Comandante Toro ” Loiza Salinas. Since then, various commanders loyal to him have been fighting the rest of the cartel in an effort to stop them from taking over the city. On Friday afternoon, the Gulf Cartel disseminated a video where they offered a reward of up to $500, 000 for one of the commanders loyal to the late Toro. The video also offered descending amounts for other key commanders. In the video, the masked gunman claims that the Gulf Cartel does not kidnap or extort innocent civilians like the faction loyal to El Toro. He claimed their only interest is in trafficking drugs, not violent crime. The Tamaulipas government confirmed that 14 people died in the clashes since Tuesday night. Local residents claim the body count is actually 19 individuals killed including innocent bystanders and several others injured. According to government officials on Friday afternoon, the rival factions clashed and also attacked Mexican authorities on two separate occasions. The fighting led to two gunmen dying and two individuals being injured. The fighting has led to an increase in carjackings as cartel gunmen continue to use SUVs in order to load up teams on gunmen for their battles. Authorities have recovered more than a dozen vehicles that cartel gunmen have left behind. Cartel members spray painted some of those vehicles with the call sign pointing to that faction being loyal to El Toro. Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “A. C. Del Angel” from Reynosa, Tamaulipas and Breitbart Texas’ Ildefonso Ortiz. | 1 |
PARIS (AP) — On a day when the Paris bid committee was supposed to show its best to the world, a knife attack on a solider raised more security questions about the French capital’s capacity to host the 2024 Olympics in a safe atmosphere. [The news of Friday’s attack outside the Louvre Museum broke hours before bid officials hosted a ceremony near the Eiffel Tower to coincide with the final submission of their dossier to the International Olympic Committee. The assault, the latest in a wave of attacks that has left more than 200 people dead in the country over the past two years, again highlighted the threat French officials say hangs over the country. Bid officials, however, claim Paris has the experience needed to organize and protect major events if it gets the games, citing soccer’s European Championship last year as an example despite troubles caused by hooligans in Marseille. Speaking outside the Louvre, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is set to attend the ceremony alongside Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, athletes and other bid leaders later Friday, said all major cities around the globe are under threat. “In a context of a terror threat hanging over all big cities in the world, we witnessed the efficiency and the relevance of the security measures put in place in Paris,” Hidalgo said. Paris, which has not hosted the Olympics since the 1924 Games, is competing against Budapest and Los Angeles. The International Olympic Committee will choose the host city in September. IOC President Thomas Bach was reassuring during a visit to Paris last year, saying that France showed it can deal with security challenges during the European Championship. | 1 |
Thanksgiving by Glen Ford
“The core ideological content of the holiday serves to validate all that has since occurred on these shores – a national consecration of the unspeakable, a balm and benediction for the victors, a blessing of the fruits of murder and kidnapping, and an implicit obligation to continue the seamless historical project in the present day.” No More American Thanksgivings by Glen Ford
This article originally appeared in the November 27, 2003 , issue of The Black Commentator, which Glen Ford co-founded and edited.
Nobody but Americans celebrates Thanksgiving. It is reserved by history and the intent of “the founders” as the supremely white American holiday, the most ghoulish event on the national calendar. No Halloween of the imagination can rival the exterminationist reality that was the genesis, and remains the legacy, of the American Thanksgiving. It is the most loathsome, humanity-insulting day of the year – a pure glorification of racist barbarity.
We at are thankful that the day grows nearer when the almost four centuries-old abomination will be deprived of its reason for being: white supremacy. Then we may all eat and drink in peace and gratitude for the blessings of humanity’s deliverance from the rule of evil men.
Thanksgiving is much more than a lie – if it were that simple, an historical correction of the record of events in 1600s Massachusetts would suffice to purge the “flaw” in the national mythology. But Thanksgiving is not just a twisted fable, and the mythology it nurtures is itself inherently evil. The real-life events – subsequently revised – were perfectly understood at the time as the first, definitive triumphs of the genocidal European project in New England. The near-erasure of Native Americans in Massachusetts and, soon thereafter, from most of the remainder of the northern English colonial seaboard was the true mission of the Pilgrim enterprise – Act One of the American Dream. African Slavery commenced contemporaneously – an overlapping and ultimately inseparable Act Two.
The last Act in the American drama must be the “root and branch” eradication of all vestiges of Act One and Two – America’s seminal crimes and formative projects. Thanksgiving as presently celebrated – that is, as a national political event – is an affront to civilization.
Celebrating the unspeakable
White America embraced Thanksgiving because a majority of that population glories in the fruits, if not the unpleasant details, of genocide and slavery and feels, on the whole, good about their heritage: a cornucopia of privilege and national power. Children are taught to identify with the good fortune of the Pilgrims. It does not much matter that the Native American and African holocausts that flowed from the feast at Plymouth are hidden from the children’s version of the story – kids learn soon enough that Indians were made scarce and Africans became enslaved. But they will also never forget the core message of the holiday: that the Pilgrims were good people, who could not have purposely set such evil in motion. Just as the first Thanksgivings marked the consolidation of the English toehold in what became the United States, the core ideological content of the holiday serves to validate all that has since occurred on these shores – a national consecration of the unspeakable, a balm and benediction for the victors, a blessing of the fruits of murder and kidnapping, and an implicit obligation to continue the seamless historical project in the present day.
The Thanksgiving story is an absolution of the Pilgrims, whose brutal quest for absolute power in the New World is made to seem both religiously motivated and eminently human. Most importantly, the Pilgrims are depicted as victims – of harsh weather and their own naïve yet wholesome visions of a new beginning. In light of this carefully nurtured fable, whatever happened to the Indians, from Plymouth to California and beyond, in the aftermath of the 1621 dinner must be considered a mistake, the result of misunderstandings – at worst, a series of lamentable tragedies. The story provides the essential first frame of the American saga. It is unalloyed racist propaganda, a tale that endures because it served the purposes of a succession of the Pilgrims’ political heirs, in much the same way that Nazi-enhanced mythology of a glorious Aryan/German past advanced another murderous, expansionist mission.
Thanksgiving is quite dangerous – as were the Pilgrims.
Rejoicing in a cemetery
The English settlers, their ostensibly religious venture backed by a trading company, were glad to discover that they had landed in a virtual cemetery in 1620. Corn still sprouted in the abandoned fields of the Wampanoags , but only a remnant of the local population remained around the fabled Rock. In a letter to England, Massachusetts Bay colony founder John Winthrop wrote, "But for the natives in these parts, God hath so pursued them, as for 300 miles space the greatest part of them are swept away by smallpox which still continues among them. So as God hath thereby cleared our title to this place, those who remain in these parts, being in all not 50, have put themselves under our protection."
Ever diligent to claim their own advantages as God’s will, the Pilgrims thanked their deity for having “pursued” the Indians to mass death. However, it was not divine intervention that wiped out most of the natives around the village of Patuxet but, most likely, smallpox-embedded blankets planted during an English visit or slave raid. Six years before the Pilgrim landing, a ship sailed into Patuxet’s harbor, captained by none other than the famous seaman and mercenary soldier John Smith , former leader of the first successful English colony in the New World, at Jamestown, Virginia. Epidemic and slavery followed in his wake, as Debra Glidden described in IMDiversity.com :
In 1614 the Plymouth Company of England, a joint stock company, hired Captain John Smith to explore land in its behalf. Along what is now the coast of Massachusetts in the territory of the Wampanoag, Smith visited the town of Patuxet according to "The Colonial Horizon," a 1969 book edited by William Goetzinan. Smith renamed the town Plymouth in honor of his employers, but the Wampanoag who inhabited the town continued to call it Patuxet.
The following year Captain Hunt, an English slave trader, arrived at Patuxet. It was common practice for explorers to capture Indians, take them to Europe and sell them into slavery for 220 shillings apiece. That practice was described in a 1622 account of happenings entitled "A Declaration of the State of the Colony and Affairs in Virginia," written by Edward Waterhouse. True to the explorer tradition, Hunt kidnapped a number of Wampanoags to sell into slavery.
Another common practice among European explorers was to give "smallpox blankets" to the Indians. Since smallpox was unknown on this continent prior to the arrival of the Europeans, Native Americans did not have any natural immunity to the disease so smallpox would effectively wipe out entire villages with very little effort required by the Europeans. William Fenton describes how Europeans decimated Native American villages in his 1957 work "American Indian and White relations to 1830." From 1615 to 1619 smallpox ran rampant among the Wampanoags and their neighbors to the north. The Wampanoag lost 70 percent of their population to the epidemic and the Massachusetts lost 90 percent.
Most of the Wampanoag had died from the smallpox epidemic so when the Pilgrims arrived they found well-cleared fields which they claimed for their own. A Puritan colonist, quoted by Harvard University's Perry Miller, praised the plague that had wiped out the Indians for it was "the wonderful preparation of the Lord Jesus Christ, by his providence for his people's abode in the Western world."
Historians have since speculated endlessly on why the woods in the region resembled a park to the disembarking Pilgrims in 1620. The reason should have been obvious: hundreds, if not thousands, of people had lived there just five years before.
In less than three generations the settlers would turn all of New England into a charnel house for Native Americans, and fire the economic engines of slavery throughout English-speaking America. Plymouth Rock is the place where the nightmare truly began.
The uninvited?
It is not at all clear what happened at the first – and only – “integrated” Thanksgiving feast. Only two written accounts of the three-day event exist, and one of them, by Governor William Bradford, was written 20 years after the fact. Was Chief Massasoit invited to bring 90 Indians with him to dine with 52 colonists, most of them women and children? This seems unlikely. A good harvest had provided the settlers with plenty of food, according to their accounts, so the whites didn’t really need the Wampanoag’s offering of five deer. What we do know is that there had been lots of tension between the two groups that fall. John Two-Hawks, who runs the Native Circle web site, gives a sketch of the facts:
“Thanksgiving' did not begin as a great loving relationship between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag, Pequot and Narragansett people. In fact, in October of 1621 when the pilgrim survivors of their first winter in Turtle Island sat down to share the first unofficial 'Thanksgiving' meal, the Indians who were there were not even invited! There was no turkey, squash, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie. A few days before this alleged feast took place, a company of 'pilgrims' led by Miles Standish actively sought the head of a local Indian chief, and an 11 foot high wall was erected around the entire Plymouth settlement for the very purpose of keeping Indians out!”
It is much more likely that Chief Massasoit either crashed the party, or brought enough men to ensure that he was not kidnapped or harmed by the Pilgrims. Dr. Tingba Apidta, in his “ Black Folks’ Guide to Understanding Thanksgiving ,” surmises that the settlers “brandished their weaponry” early and got drunk soon thereafter. He notes that “each Pilgrim drank at least a half gallon of beer a day, which they preferred even to water. This daily inebriation led their governor, William Bradford, to comment on his people's ‘notorious sin,’ which included their ‘drunkenness and uncleanliness’ and rampant ‘sodomy.’”
Soon after the feast the brutish Miles Standish “got his bloody prize,” Dr. Apidta writes:
“He went to the Indians, pretended to be a trader, then beheaded an Indian man named Wituwamat. He brought the head to Plymouth, where it was displayed on a wooden spike for many years, according to Gary B. Nash, ‘as a symbol of white power.’ Standish had the Indian man's young brother hanged from the rafters for good measure. From that time on, the whites were known to the Indians of Massachusetts by the name ‘Wotowquenange,’ which in their tongue meant cutthroats and stabbers.”
What is certain is that the first feast was not called a “Thanksgiving” at the time; no further integrated dining occasions were scheduled; and the first, official all-Pilgrim “Thanksgiving” had to wait until 1637, when the whites of New England celebrated the massacre of the Wampanoag’s southern neighbors, the Pequots.
The real Thanksgiving Day Massacre
The Pequots today own the Foxwood Casino and Hotel , in Ledyard, Connecticut, with gross gaming revenues of over $9 billion in 2000. This is truly a (very belated) miracle, since the real first Pilgrim Thanksgiving was intended as the Pequot’s epitaph. Sixteen years after the problematical Plymouth feast, the English tried mightily to erase the Pequots from the face of the Earth, and thanked God for the blessing.
Having subdued, intimidated or made mercenaries of most of the tribes of Massachusetts, the English turned their growing force southward, toward the rich Connecticut valley, the Pequot’s sphere of influence. At the point where the Mystic River meets the sea, the combined force of English and allied Indians bypassed the Pequot fort to attack and set ablaze a town full of women, children and old people.
William Bradford, the former Governor of Plymouth and one of the chroniclers of the 1621 feast, was also on hand for the great massacre of 1637:
"Those that escaped the fire were slain with the sword; some hewed to pieces, others run through with their rapiers, so that they were quickly dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400 at this time. It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire...horrible was the stink and scent thereof, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the prayers thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them, thus to enclose their enemies in their hands, and give them so speedy a victory over so proud and insulting an enemy."
The rest of the white folks thought so, too. “This day forth shall be a day of celebration and thanksgiving for subduing the Pequots," read Governor John Winthrop’s proclamation. The authentic Thanksgiving Day was born.
Most historians believe about 700 Pequots were slaughtered at Mystic. Many prisoners were executed, and surviving women and children sold into slavery in the West Indies. Pequot prisoners that escaped execution were parceled out to Indian tribes allied with the English. The Pequot were thought to have been extinguished as a people. According to IndyMedia , “The Pequot tribe numbered 8,000 when the Pilgrims arrived, but disease had brought their numbers down to 1,500 by 1637. The Pequot ‘War’ killed all but a handful of remaining members of the tribe.”
But there were still too many Indians around to suit the whites of New England, who bided their time while their own numbers increased to critical, murderous mass.
Guest’s head on a pole
By the 1670s the colonists, with 8,000 men under arms, felt strong enough to demand that the Pilgrims’ former dinner guests the Wampanoags disarm and submit to the authority of the Crown. After a series of settler provocations in 1675, the Wampanoag struck back, under the leadership of Chief Metacomet, son of Massasoit, called King Philip by the English. Metacomet/Philip, whose wife and son were captured and sold into West Indian slavery, wiped out 13 settlements and killed 600 adult white men before the tide of battle turned. A 1996 issue of the Revolutionary Worker provides an excellent narrative.
In their victory, the settlers launched an all-out genocide against the remaining Native people. The Massachusetts government offered 20 shillings bounty for every Indian scalp, and 40 shillings for every prisoner who could be sold into slavery. Soldiers were allowed to enslave any Indian woman or child under 14 they could capture. The "Praying Indians" who had converted to Christianity and fought on the side of the European troops were accused of shooting into the treetops during battles with "hostiles." They were enslaved or killed. Other "peaceful" Indians of Dartmouth and Dover were invited to negotiate or seek refuge at trading posts – and were sold onto slave ships.
It is not known how many Indians were sold into slavery, but in this campaign, 500 enslaved Indians were shipped from Plymouth alone. Of the 12,000 Indians in the surrounding tribes, probably about half died from battle, massacre and starvation.
After King Philip's War, there were almost no Indians left free in the northern British colonies. A colonist wrote from Manhattan's New York colony: "There is now but few Indians upon the island and those few no ways hurtful. It is to be admired how strangely they have decreased by the hand of God, since the English first settled in these parts." In Massachusetts, the colonists declared a "day of public thanksgiving" in 1676, saying, "there now scarce remains a name or family of them [the Indians] but are either slain, captivated or fled."
Fifty-five years after the original Thanksgiving Day, the Puritans had destroyed the generous Wampanoag and all other neighboring tribes. The Wampanoag chief King Philip was beheaded. His head was stuck on a pole in Plymouth, where the skull still hung on display 24 years later.
This is not thought to be a fit Thanksgiving tale for the children of today, but it’s the real story, well-known to the settler children of New England at the time – the white kids who saw the Wampanoag head on the pole year after year and knew for certain that God loved them best of all, and that every atrocity they might ever commit against a heathen, non-white was blessed.
There’s a good term for the process thus set in motion: nation-building.
Roots of the slave trade
The British North American colonists’ practice of enslaving Indians for labor or direct sale to the West Indies preceded the appearance of the first chained Africans at the dock in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. The Jamestown colonists’ human transaction with the Dutch vessel was an unscheduled occurrence. However, once the African slave trade became commercially established, the fates of Indians and Africans in the colonies became inextricably entwined. New England, born of up-close-and-personal, burn-them-in-the-fires-of-hell genocide, led the political and commercial development of the English colonies. The region also led the nascent nation’s descent into a slavery-based society and economy.
Ironically, an apologist for Virginian slavery made one of the best, early cases for the indictment of New England as the engine of the American slave trade. Unreconstructed secessionist Lewis Dabney’s 1867 book “ A Defense of Virginia ” traced the slave trade’s origins all the way back to Plymouth Rock:
The planting of the commercial States of North America began with the colony of Puritan Independents at Plymouth, in 1620, which was subsequently enlarged into the State of Massachusetts. The other trading colonies, Rhode Island and Connecticut, as well as New Hampshire (which never had an extensive shipping interest), were offshoots of Massachusetts. They partook of the same characteristics and pursuits; and hence, the example of the parent colony is taken here as a fair representation of them.
The first ship from America, which embarked in the African slave trade, was the Desire , Captain Pierce, of Salem; and this was among the first vessels ever built in the colony. The promptitude with which the "Puritan Fathers" embarked in this business may be comprehended, when it is stated that the Desire sailed upon her voyage in June, 1637. [Note: the year they massacred the Pequots.] The first feeble and dubious foothold was gained by the white man at Plymouth less than seventeen years before; and as is well known, many years were expended by the struggle of the handful of settlers for existence. So that it may be correctly said, that the commerce of New England was born of the slave trade; as its subsequent prosperity was largely founded upon it. The Desire , proceeding to the Bahamas, with a cargo of "dry fish and strong liquors, the only commodities for those parts," obtained the negroes from two British men-of-war, which had captured them from a Spanish slaver.
Thus, the trade of which the good ship Desire , of Salem, was the harbinger, grew into grand proportions; and for nearly two centuries poured a flood of wealth into New England, as well as no inconsiderable number of slaves. Meanwhile, the other maritime colonies of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and Connecticut, followed the example of their elder sister emulously; and their commercial history is but a repetition of that of Massachusetts. The towns of Providence, Newport, and New Haven became famous slave trading ports. The magnificent harbor of the second, especially, was the favorite starting-place of the slave ships; and its commerce rivaled, or even exceeded, that of the present commercial metropolis, New York. All the four original States, of course, became slaveholding.
The Revolution that exploded in 1770s New England was undertaken by men thoroughly imbued with the worldview of the Indian-killer and slave-holder. How could they not be? The “country” they claimed as their own was fathered by genocide and mothered by slavery – its true distinction among the commercial nations of the world. And these men were not ashamed, but proud, with vast ambition to spread their exceptional characteristics West and South and wherever their so-far successful project in nation-building might take them – and by the same bloody, savage methods that had served them so well in the past.
At the moment of deepest national crisis following the battle of Gettysburg in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln invoked the national fable that is far more central to the white American personality than Lincoln’s battlefield “Address.” Lincoln seized upon the 1621 feast as the historic “Thanksgiving” – bypassing the official and authentic 1637 precedent – and assigned the dateless, murky event the fourth Thursday in November.
Lincoln surveyed a broken nation, and attempted nation-rebuilding, based on the purest white myth. The same year that he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, he renewed the national commitment to a white manifest destiny that began at Plymouth Rock. Lincoln sought to rekindle a shared national mission that former Confederates and Unionists and white immigrants from Europe could collectively embrace. It was and remains a barbaric and racist national unifier, by definition. Only the most fantastic lies can sanitize the history of the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts.
”Like a rock”
The Thanksgiving holiday fable is at once a window on the way that many, if not most, white Americans view the world and their place in it, and a pollutant that leaches barbarism into the modern era. The fable attempts to glorify the indefensible, to enshrine an era and mission that represent the nation’s lowest moral denominators . Thanksgiving as framed in the mythology is, consequently, a drag on that which is potentially civilizing in the national character, a crippling, atavistic deformity. Defenders of the holiday will claim that the politically-corrected children’s version promotes brotherhood, but that is an impossibility – a bald excuse to prolong the worship of colonial “forefathers” and to erase the crimes they committed. Those bastards burned the Pequot women and children, and ushered in the multinational business of slavery. These are facts. The myth is an insidious diversion – and worse.
Humanity cannot tolerate a 21st Century superpower, much of whose population perceives the world through the eyes of 17th Century land and flesh bandits. Yet that is the trick that fate has played on the globe. We described the roots of the planetary dilemma in our March 13 commentary, “ Racism & War, Perfect Together. ”
The English arrived with criminal intent - and brought wives and children to form new societies predicated on successful plunder. To justify the murderous enterprise, Indians who had initially cooperated with the squatters were transmogrified into "savages" deserving displacement and death. The relentlessly refreshed lie of Indian savagery became a truth in the minds of white Americans, a fact to be acted upon by every succeeding generation of whites. The settlers became a singular people confronting the great "frontier" - a euphemism for centuries of genocidal campaigns against a darker, "savage" people marked for extinction.
The necessity of genocide was the operative, working assumption of the expanding American nation. "Manifest Destiny" was born at Plymouth Rock and Jamestown, later to fall (to paraphrase Malcolm) like a rock on Mexico, the Philippines, Haiti, Nicaragua, etc. Little children were taught that the American project was inherently good, Godly, and that those who got in the way were "evil-doers" or just plain subhuman, to be gloriously eliminated. The lie is central to white American identity, embraced by waves of European settlers who never saw a red person.
Only a century ago, American soldiers caused the deaths of possibly a million Filipinos whom they had been sent to “liberate” from Spanish rule. They didn’t even know who they were killing, and so rationalized their behavior by substituting the usual American victims. Colonel Funston , of the Twentieth Kansas Volunteers, explained what got him motivated in the Philippines:
"Our fighting blood was up and we all wanted to kill 'niggers.' This shooting human beings is a 'hot game,' and beats rabbit hunting all to pieces." Another wrote that "the boys go for the enemy as if they were chasing jack-rabbits .... I, for one, hope that Uncle Sam will apply the chastening rod, good, hard, and plenty, and lay it on until they come into the reservation and promise to be good 'Injuns.'"
Last week in northern Iraq another American colonel, Joe Anderson of the 101st Airborne (Assault) Division, revealed that he is incapable of perceiving Arabs as human beings. Colonel Anderson, who doubles as a commander and host of a radio call-in program and a TV show designed to win the hearts and minds of the people of Mosul, had learned that someone was out to assassinate him. In the wild mood swing common to racists, Anderson decided that Iraqis are all alike – and of a different breed. He said as much to the Los Angeles Times .
"They don't understand being nice," said Anderson, who helps oversee the military zone that includes Mosul and environs. He doesn't hide his irritation after months dedicated to restoring the city: "We spent so long here working with kid gloves, but the average Iraqi guy will tell you, 'The only thing people respect here is violence…. They only understand being shot at, being killed. That's the culture.' … Nice guys do finish last here."
Col. Anderson personifies the unfitness of Americans to play a major role in the world, much less rule it. "We poured a lot of our heart and soul into trying to help the people,” he bitched, as if Americans were God’s gift to the planet. "But it can be frustrating when you hear stupid people still saying, 'You're occupiers. You want our oil. You're turning our country over to Israel.'” He cannot fathom that other people – non-whites – aspire to run their own affairs, and will kill and die to achieve that basic right.
What does this have to do with the Mayflower? Everything. Although possibly against their wishes, the Pilgrims hosted the Wampanoag for three no doubt anxious days. The same men killed and enslaved Wampanoags immediately before and after the feast. They, their newly arrived English comrades and their children roasted hundreds of neighboring Indians alive just 16 years later, and two generations afterwards cleared nearly the whole of New England of its indigenous “savages,” while enthusiastically enriching themselves through the invention of transoceanic, sophisticated means of enslaving millions. The Mayflower’s cultural heirs are programmed to find glory in their own depravity, and savagery in their most helpless victims, who can only redeem themselves by accepting the inherent goodness of white Americans.
Thanksgiving encourages these cognitive cripples in their madness, just as it is designed to do. | 0 |
What is with this curious — now deafening — silence from former President Barack Obama on these charges that his administration spied on a political opponent at the very height of a presidential campaign? [Since President Trump first leveled the incendiary charges in early March, there have been thousands of press articles and endless hours of speculation on cable television about the accusations. Every word, character, and symbol of punctuation from Mr. Trump has been parsed and sussed and diagrammed. This is no small thing we are talking about here. We are talking about a sitting president’s administration using the terrifying powers of espionage of the United States government to conduct an intelligence operation against a political opponent before, during and after that target was elected president of the United States. So much for “peaceful transfer of power. ” This would be 10 times more serious than Watergate. We are talking a constitutional crisis the likes of which we have never seen in modern times. And all anybody around here seems to want to talk about is the exhaustively investigated — yet still unsubstantiated — conspiracy theories about Mr. Trump’s supposed ties to Russia. Well, what about Mr. Obama? Did he actually morph into Russian President Vladimir Putin himself? Did he turn the White House into the Kremlin? Those are much graver charges than whether somebody has “ties” to the Russians. And so many of the questions about Mr. Obama’s involvement in spying on his political enemy remain unanswered. Actually, they remain unasked at this point. And before you dismiss these questions as crazy tweets from a crazy dictator, remember that Mr. Trump’s national security adviser was fired after he was — indisputably — wiretapped and unmasked during the time he was serving on Mr. Trump’s transition team. This alone would be utterly unbelievable in a world before Oliver Stone’s movie “Snowden. ” So, what say you, Mr. Obama? Crickets. The only statement from Mr. Obama was a carefully worded issued by a spokesman. “A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice,” the statement began. This would seem to merely confirm that Mr. Trump was being investigated by the Obama Administration — but that Mr. Obama’s fingerprints would not be found anywhere on that investigation. And, yes, this is the same corrupt administration that featured the attorney general meeting in a private plane on a tarmac with the husband of the woman who was supposed to be Mr. Obama’s successor — while she was under investigation by the FBI. The Obama spokesman’s statement went on to say: “As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U. S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false. ” Here again, they are playing a silly game. Instead of answering the real question, they are hiding behind the loose and imprecise language of Mr. Trump’s tweet where he shorthands the whole accusation in less than 140 digits by saying “Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower. ” Any logical human knows what Mr. Trump meant by this. I don’t think any serious person actually thought Mr. Obama himself in a hard hat and work gloves with wire snips was in the walls at Trump Tower twisting wires together. Obviously, Mr. Trump meant that he and his campaign and transition team had been spied upon by U. S. intelligence services at the behest of — or with knowledge of — the sitting U. S. president. Monumental charges. Yet no denial from the former president. On Mr. Obama’s Twitter feed, he has opined about Chuck Berry, International Women’s Day and even Valentine’s Day. But not a peep about the serious charges lodged against him. This, at a time when we are told that Mr. Obama plans to lead the political resistance against Mr. Trump. He should begin by “resisting” these charges. • Charles Hurt can be reached at churt@washingtontimes. com follow him on Twitter via @charleshurt. | 1 |
Miley Cyrus Crying Over Trump Victory (Video) 2 shares by Ike Mclean / November 11, 2016 / POLITICS /
After it was announced that Donald Trump would be the 45 th president of the United States, Miley Cyrus posted a video online of her crying over the results.
With tears rolling down her face Cyrus says, “So, probably like most people—well, maybe not, because given the result—maybe I really am different and maybe a lot of people that I’m surrounded by think with open minds and open hearts like I do. And I do want to say that I’ve been very vocal for my support for everyone besides Donald Trump. Heavily supported Bernie. Heavily supported Hillary. And I still think that in her lifetime she deserves to be the first female president, and that’s what makes me so sad.”
“I just wish that she had that opportunity. Because she fought for so long and because I believe her when she says that she loves this country. This is all she’s ever done. She’s given her life to make it better. But, like Donald Trump so ironically played after his speech, it said, ‘You can’t always get what you want.’ And happy hippies, we adjust and we accept everyone for who they are. And so Donald Trump, I accept you,” she said. “And this hurts to say, but I even accept you as the President of the United States, and that’s fine…because I think now I want to be hopeful.”
She then went on to thank Barack Obama for “everything he has done the past eight years,” and thanked Hillary “for inspiring us.”
The video of Miley crying can be seen below:
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Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, released a new batch of their own income tax returns on Friday, ratcheting up the pressure on her opponent, Donald J. Trump, to begin making public his own forms. The newest tax return of Mrs. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, showed an adjusted gross income of $10. 6 million for 2015, a large drop from previous years but still enough to place them in the top 0. 1 percent of American households. They paid about $3. 6 million in federal taxes for an effective tax rate of about 35 percent. More than half their income came from speeches Mrs. Clinton also earned $3 million from “Hard Choices,” her memoir of her years as secretary of state. Mr. Kaine, the Virginia senator, and his wife, Anne Holton, who was Virginia’s secretary of education until she stepped down last month, reported income of $313, 441 for 2015. But aside from their earnings, the release was intended to put a spotlight on Mr. Trump’s refusal to release his own returns. Mike Pence, the Indiana governor and Mr. Trump’s running mate, also has not made public his tax data during the campaign. Mrs. Clinton’s spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, said in a statement the release sets a “stark contrast” with Mr. Trump, whom she accused of “hiding behind fake excuses. ” “He has failed to provide the public with the most basic financial information disclosed by every major candidate in the last 40 years,” she said. “What is he trying to hide?” The Trump campaign would not discuss his tax returns, but in a statement on Friday, a spokesman, Jason Miller, called Mrs. Clinton’s disclosure an effort to shield her from questions about her emails when she was secretary of state and about what favors were sought by donors to her family’s foundation. “This document release is nothing more than an attempt at distraction and misdirection by an individual who created and then purged an illegal private email server,” he said. If Mr. Trump does not make public the details of his taxes, he would be the first major party presidential nominee to decline to do so since Richard M. Nixon. Mr. Trump is not required as a candidate to reveal his taxes, but he has submitted his personal financial disclosure form outlining his business interests, which he is obligated to file. While Mr. Trump has cited an I. R. S. audit as his reason for not releasing his taxes, the agency said in a statement this year, “Nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information. ” The lack of a disclosure of his taxes has opened Mr. Trump to attacks, first during the Republican primary campaign and now in the months leading to the Nov. 8 general election. Critics have questioned whether Mr. Trump has not released his taxes because his reported earnings could be underwhelming in comparison to his own statements about his net worth. Others have suggested that the tax documents would reveal business interests that could be problematic if he were elected. There have also been questions about how much Mr. Trump has paid in taxes over the years, whether he in fact paid any federal taxes some years, and whether he has followed through on his charitable pledges. Given the expansive web of tax breaks available to real estate developers, tax experts say it would not be surprising if Mr. Trump paid little or no income taxes some years, even as he amassed billions of dollars in wealth. The Clintons’ income has also brought scrutiny, and their returns hint at how much they have relied on their star power and government connections to catapult them into the ranks of the super rich. Though they were once seen as relatable to average Americans, polls suggest that many voters now see them as out of touch. Their 2015 income, while less than half what they earned the previous year, put them well above the $2 million threshold for the top 0. 1 percent of taxpayers, according to an analysis of federal income tax data by Emmanuel Saez, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley. They were within $1 million of reaching the 0. 01 percent threshold — or the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent. In recent years they have collected tens of millions of dollars in fees for speeches, including some delivered abroad and others sponsored by financial institutions. Mrs. Clinton has faced calls to release the transcripts of her speeches, particularly from the three she gave for Goldman Sachs for a total of $675, 000. Her primary opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Mr. Trump have used those speeches to portray Mrs. Clinton as being chummy with Wall Street. In 2015, before she officially began her campaign and stopped giving speeches, she earned $1. 5 million in speaking fees. Her husband earned $5. 25 million from speeches last year. According to Mrs. Clinton’s personal financial disclosure filed in May, she and her husband made more than two dozen speeches in 2015 for $150, 000 and up. Mr. Clinton earned $225, 000 for a February speech sponsored by UBS Wealth Management, for example, and Mrs. Clinton gave a speech for eBay in March for $315, 000. Mr. Clinton also earned $1. 7 million from his consulting business, WJC L. L. C. after it brought in more than $6 million the year before, according to the tax returns. The financial disclosure from earlier this year said that two sources of consulting income were Varkey GEMS Foundation, an international charity founded by Sunny Varkey, an education entrepreneur, and Laureate Education, a network of schools. These financial ties — including the past speeches, business endeavors and well as donor relationships with the Clinton Foundation — have already attracted critics who say they include inherent conflicts of interest and could be problematic under a Clinton administration. From 2007 to 2015, according to returns released Friday and previously, the Clintons made a total adjusted gross income of $150 million and paid $48 million in federal taxes. In the same period they gave $16 million to charity, including $1 million last year that went mostly to their family foundation. The Clintons’ other income last year included $24, 932 in interest, $84, 358 in mutual fund dividends and $226, 297 in pension payments from the federal and Arkansas governments. Their deductions included $1. 4 million in state income taxes and $98, 244 in property taxes on their homes in Chappaqua, N. Y. and Washington. They also wrote off $41, 040 in mortgage interest. | 1 |
Tuesday 1 November 2016 by Formelia Alberthine West Ham fans laud aerodynamic properties of new pound coin
West Ham fans have thanked the Royal Mint for its efforts in improving the match-day experience at the London Stadium with the release of a new more aerodynamic pound coin.
Many season ticket holders claim its enhanced aerodynamic design, could see its distance and accuracy improve significantly.
A Royal Mint spokesperson explained, “There is a reason golf balls aren’t completely flat, these imperfections on the surface actually reward the more skilful throwers. You’re welcome.”
After a spate of crowd disturbances at the ground, Hammers fans had complained of a return to the dark days of the early eighties, where only ‘unpredictable’ circular coins could be deployed as missiles at games.
West Ham fan Simon Williams congratulated the Royal Mint on the technological advances which have seen multiple ‘stabilising’ edges introduced.
He told us, “I’m reasonably confident that with this new coin I could pick out the skull of an opposition player, or supporter for that matter, from way up in the gods.
“They’re quite weighty – I had become accustomed to launching 20p’s, but they only leave flesh wounds – these babies could do serious brain damage.
“Obviously it’s difficult to inflict brain damage upon Millwall fans, but it will be fun trying!
West Ham vice-chair Karen Brady hoped the temptation to start launching whole pounds could see match day takings increase significantly.
“Listen, if they want to start targeting the directors’ seats then please, by all means, do so.
“In fact, I’d like to see all denominations of our fabled currency ‘go coin’.
“If someone could chuck us a £50 we’d happily throw Andy Carroll back at them in retaliation.” Get the best NewsThump stories in your mailbox every Friday, for FREE! There are currently | 0 |
The U. S. Army has been testing a laser weapon that can destroy drones. [Researchers are testing Stryker infantry transport vehicles mounted with a 5kW laser weapon so that one day, the weapon can destroy drones on the front lines, the Daily Mail reported. The laser weapon brought down 50 drones during a firing exercise. “They love the system and they are excited about not only what they can do with it in the air, but what they can do with it on the ground as well,” Lt. Col. Jeff Erts, who is in charge of the experiments, said. The Army is also working with Lockheed Martin to test a 60kW laser weapon. Other branches of the military also plan to utilize laser weapons. The U. S. Navy is planning on deploying laser weapons on its ships within the next two years. | 1 |
WASHINGTON — After North Korea threatened on New Year’s Day to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, Donald J. Trump, then reacted with characteristic swagger. He vowed to stop the North from developing a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States. “It won’t happen!” he wrote on Twitter. But six weeks later, after North Korea defiantly launched a missile into the sea, Mr. Trump, now president, reacted with surprising restraint. Appearing before cameras late at night on Saturday in Florida with his golfing guest, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, Mr. Trump read a statement of just 23 words that pledged American support for Tokyo without even mentioning North Korea. The muted comment stood in sharp contrast to his response after Iran tested a ballistic missile, when he directed his national security adviser to publicly warn Tehran that he was “officially putting Iran on notice” and followed up with sanctions. If North Korea was testing the new president, as many analysts believe, then Mr. Trump seemed intent on showing that he would not be baited into a confrontation every time an American adversary tried to provoke him. At least not right away. In his short time in office, Mr. Trump has shown that he can respond to events in measured ways one moment and with hotheaded bluster the next. But even after waking up on Sunday morning, Mr. Trump chose to publicly feud with Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, rather than the maverick leader of North Korea. “I assume they don’t have a strategy yet, so Trump with Abe by his side was properly taciturn, surprisingly so,” said Jeffrey A. Bader, an Asia scholar at the Brookings Institution who served as President Barack Obama’s Asia adviser. “But that can’t hold. At some point you need to articulate a strategy. ” The tempered response may also have reflected the fact that the missile launched on Sunday by North Korea was either a or an missile, according to the American military, and not an intercontinental missile, or ICBM, capable of reaching the United States. The missile flew 310 miles before dropping harmlessly into the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean military, which identified it as an Musudan. North Korea regularly tests missiles in violation of United Nations resolutions, including roughly two dozen last year, but has boasted that it could test an ICBM “anytime and anywhere. ” The kind tested on Sunday poses a potential threat to American allies in Japan and South Korea and American forces in the Pacific, but could not strike the United States. “It’s yet unclear what missile was tested,” said Thomas Karako, a missile expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “What is certain is that North Korea has now begun 2017 by continuing the aggressive pace of missile testing they’ve shown in recent years. ” North Korea challenged Mr. Obama early in his tenure, too, with an underground nuclear blast four months after he took office. The effect was to harden Mr. Obama’s attitude toward North Korea for the rest of his presidency, according to former aides. Rather than try to negotiate, as both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush did, Mr. Obama focused on tightening international sanctions and bolstering alliances with Japan and South Korea. Three weeks in office, the Trump administration is still trying to find its footing on foreign policy, especially in areas like North Korea that have not been Mr. Trump’s main focus. Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson was sworn in on Feb. 1 and does not even have a deputy, much less a full team of trusted advisers, in place. That North Korea’s latest test came while Mr. Trump was hosting Mr. Abe for a multiday set of meetings, meals and golfing, first at the White House and then at Mr. Trump’s estate in Palm Beach, Fla. was seen as no accident. And it may be that Mr. Abe counseled Mr. Trump on his response. In his own comments while he stood beside Mr. Trump, Mr. Abe called the launch “absolutely intolerable. ” Asia experts and members of Congress praised Mr. Trump for reaffirming American support for Japan but lamented that he did not mention South Korea at the same time. “I was glad he issued the statement with the prime minister of Japan, but he ought to do it quickly with South Korea,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader, said on “Face the Nation” on CBS. “South Korea is probably more susceptible to North Korea’s virulence than any other country. ” White House officials on Sunday remained quiet about the test and their emerging strategy. Stephen Miller, the president’s senior adviser for policy, said Mr. Trump had sent a strong signal with his joint appearance with Mr. Abe. “But we’re going to be sending another signal very soon, and that signal is when we begin a great rebuilding of the armed forces of the United States,” he said, also on “Face the Nation. ” “President Trump is going to go to Congress and ask them to invest in our military so once again we will have unquestioned military strength beyond anything anybody can imagine. ” Short of military action, the menu of options available for Mr. Trump is not significantly better than it was for his predecessors. The United States and the United Nations have already imposed an array of wrenching sanctions and have largely isolated North Korea from much of the world. On his first overseas trip since taking office, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Japan and South Korea to reassure them of America’s support despite statements by Mr. Trump during the campaign that called it into question. South Korean officials agreed to press ahead with development of a new missile defense system called Terminal Area Defense, or Thaad. Most policy makers consider China crucial to any meaningful response to North Korea, given the nations’ extensive economic and political connections, but it remains uncertain that Mr. Trump would have any better chance of persuading Beijing to take tougher action. Mr. Trump had a telephone call with President Xi Jinping of China last week and promised to stick by America’s longstanding “One China” policy, reportedly at Mr. Tillerson’s urging. But the president has been an unrelenting critic of China on trade and currency matters, and some of his top advisers, including Stephen K. Bannon, his chief strategist, view China as a adversary. “We will learn an enormous amount about his policy and his administration by how he deals with North Korea,” said Evan S. Medeiros, a managing director at the Eurasia Group and a former Obama adviser. “It’s the land of really bad options, and the threat is only becoming more serious and the window is closing. It will probably become the defining security challenge for the next president in Asia, if not globally. ” | 1 |
( ANTIWAR ) Amnesty International has issued a new statement warning that the US needs to do more to prevent civilian casualties in its coalition airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria, and cautioned the US has dramatically under-reported the number of civilians killed in their air war. The new report centered on Syria, noting that the US-led coalition had killed at least 300 civilians in Syria, and had not admitted to the vast majority of those slain. They reported the US had killed around 250 civilians just in the city of Manbij and the surrounding area.
The US backed a Kurdish invasion of Manbij earlier this past summer, and conducted several major airstrikes in the surrounding areas, including some which killed scores of civilians. As Amnesty pointed out, the US has not officially included any civilians from the Manbij strikes on their official count, despite the incidents being well established.
Amnesty warned that the lack of official recognition raised concerns that the US had not made any corrections to their policy, and that this was particularly concerning with the ongoing invasion of the city of Mosul, which is many times larger and expected to be an even longer conflict.
The Pentagon has only acknowledged a few dozen civilian deaths in both Iraq and Syria combined. The Amnesty report, while drastically higher, is still considered very conservative, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights putting the US-caused civilian death toll in Syria between 600 and 1,000. | 0 |
0 comments Actions of this magnitude from a are simply DEVASTATING! According to a late-night report, The White House is taking drastic action in light of the FBI’s reopening of Hillary Clinton’s email investigation. The Obama Administration has stated that they had not prior knowledge of the new investigation. It is also being reported that The Department of Justice was not notified, either. Some theorize that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is working to regain its reputation as an organization of integrity. By choosing not to inform The White House or The Department of Justice, the FBI could have been trying to prevent intervention from these two powerhouses. Now, the public knows that the investigation has been restarted, and it will be harder for pro-Hillary government organizations to play politics with the issue. The FBI’s stunning news has caused The White House to take action, according to a recent report from Redflagnews . Late Friday night, all of Barack Obama’s scheduled campaign appearances on behalf of Hillary Clinton were CANCELLED! Reportedly, all of the pre-planned events have been removed from the schedule (see below.) Given that President Obama’s approval ratings are at an all-time high, a mass cancellation of this nature is certainly devastating to a Democrat Presidential hopeful like Hillary Clinton. For a popular, two-term President to distance himself from a Campaign, during the final ten days of the Election, is earth-shattering. Take a look at the following graphic: Will the Hillary Clinton Campaign have time to recover from these shocking revelations? Unfortunately, for Hillary, this may not be the last shoe to drop. Julian Assange of WikiLeaks has said that his next release will be the one that will definitely incriminate Hillary. Additionally, group like Anonymous are hinting that they also have blockbuster information to be released soon. Has the “October Surprise” been replaced by the “November Surprise?” It appears that Hillary Clinton is about to find out. Related Items | 0 |
There are 691,200 seconds in 8 days. FBI Director Comey reviewed 650,000 emails in 8 days? An email per second? Americans aren’t stupid! – tweet from Bernard Kerik, ex-NYPD Commissioner
The post FBI had no time to review 650,000 emails appeared first on PaulCraigRoberts.org . | 0 |
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A 19-year-old Texas A&M student has been arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated, after crashing into the back of a Bryan Police Department patrol car at around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. She had been distracted while trying to send her boyfriend a topless photo.
Miranda Rader told the officer whose patrol car she crashed into that she had been trying to take the photo to send to her boyfriend on Snapchat. According to the police report, when the officer approached Rader, she had an “unclasped brassiere” and was attempting to put her blouse back on.
“I asked her why she was not dressed while driving and she stated that she was taking a Snapchat photo to send to her boyfriend while she was at a red light,” the officer wrote in the report, according to KBTX-TV.
The officer was in the area because he had been called to a disturbance in the 2500 block of East Villa Maria Road in Bryan. He heard a car braking hard, then a crash. When he turned, he saw Rader’s SUV had crashed into the back of his patrol car. It does not appear that he was in the vehicle at the time.
Rader admitted to the officer that she was coming from a friend’s house, where she had been drinking wine. She was on her way back to her on-campus dorm. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident.
According to Dallas News , the college freshman had an open wine bottle in the SUV and failed parts of a sobriety test before having her blood drawn.
In years past, you only had to warn teenagers about the dangers of drinking and driving, but with the onslaught of social media and apps for smartphones like Snapchat, we now must also caution them against texting naked pictures of themselves while driving. Insane, isn’t it? | 0 |
(Live Streams Available Below)
Anti-Trump protesters are massing all over the country at this moment. Thousands of angry people in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Portland, New York and Los Angeles. The New York Times reports that crowds have been peaceful thus far:
Protesters claim they are there to reject Donald’s Trump racist policies and some say they fear mass deportations under a Trump Presidency.
The anxiety began to build on social media this morning as scores of people called for protests, revolution and open threats to kill President Elect Donald Trump .
In the build up to November 8th we warned that the situation post-election, regardless of who wins, could quickly escalate into open warfare and Mike Adams of Natural News warned of a 95% chance of widespread post-election violence .
With large-scale protests now brewing in major cities across the country, we believe it is only a matter of time before some or all of these forecasts could come to fruition. Should things turn violent, though not confirmed by official sources, the Obama administration is prepared to respond. An insider leak last month indicated that the Federal government, including the military and the Department of Homeland Security, would be holding drills before and after the election in which they anticipate “no rule of law.” Such drills, should it be necessary, could very quickly go real-world.
In such a scenario a lock-down of major cities following widespread rioting would be the likely course of action.
There is a strong possibility that protests will be ongoing and that they may escalate. We encourage readers to take preventative measures by preparing for breakdown with a an easy to implement preparedness plan and necessary emergency stockpiles that may include food, water, self defense and protective breathing masks (for those who find themselves too close to the action for comfort) .
Live Streams (Some of these streams may become unavailable as the night progresses):
Related:
The Prepper’s Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Guide To Prepare For Any Disaster
Tactical Gas Masks and Filters
Riots, Flag Burning And Open “Threats to Kill Trump” Follow Hillary’s Election Loss
“This Quickly Escalates Into Open Warfare” – Why The Government Is Preparing For Post-Election Chaos
Unrest and Martial Law? Leaked Military Drill Anticipates “No Rule of Law” After Election Results
Prepping for a Full On Breakdown? Stockpile These Foods | 0 |
Donald J. Trump made an audacious attempt on Wednesday to remake his image on the divisive issue of immigration, shelving his plan to deport 11 million undocumented people and arguing that a Trump administration and Mexico would secure the border together. In a spirited bid for undecided American voters to see him anew, Mr. Trump swept into Mexico City to make overtures to a nation he has repeatedly denigrated, then flew to Phoenix to outline in his usual bullying tone his latest priorities on immigration. Yet the juxtaposition of Mr. Trump’s dual performances was so jarring that his true vision and intentions on immigration were hard to discern. He displayed an almost unrecognizable demeanor during his afternoon in Mexico, appearing measured and diplomatic, while hours later he took the stage at his campaign rally and denounced illegal immigrants on the whole as a criminally minded and dangerous group that sows terror in communities and commits murders, rapes and other heinous violence. Mr. Trump’s mixed messages on whom he would deport and when, and how the government would go about removing people from the country, were further muddled by the incendiary language in the Phoenix speech — a deliberate effort by campaign advisers to draw attention to his criticism of illegal immigrants rather than the specifics of his plan. In his speech, Mr. Trump fervently tried to depict himself as an ally of average workers, saying their economic interests were far more important than the needs of undocumented workers. But he left unclear what would happen to those millions of illegal immigrants, saying only that “the appropriate disposition of those individuals” will take place at some future date after the criminals are deported and his border wall is built. Deporting all illegal immigrants had been his signature political issue for much of the presidential race, but his caustic tone and harsh approach has turned off many Republicans and independents, particularly women. His language was still fiery in Phoenix, yet he also said that the fate of most illegal immigrants would be handled humanely, and not right away. “That discussion can only take place in an atmosphere in which illegal immigration is a memory of the past, no longer with us, allowing us to weigh the different options available based on the new circumstances at the time,” Mr. Trump said, using the sort of vague phrasing that he once criticized. Never had Mr. Trump gambled quite like this. Aiming to appear statesmanlike, he traveled to politically hostile territory to meet with a president who might have surprised him with a rebuke, and he also risked support from some conservatives who do not want him cozying up to Mexico or softening his immigration plans. The trip to Mexico City was not without snags. Standing beside President Peña Nieto, Mr. Trump indicated that he had pulled a punch and chosen not to discuss his campaign promise to compel Mexico to pay for the wall. Yet Mr. Peña Nieto saw it somewhat differently, saying later on Twitter that at the start of their meeting, “I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall. ” Mr. Peña Nieto did not dispute Mr. Trump at their news conference, however, and Mexican officials said that the two men did not dwell on the wall and that their meeting was conciliatory. Still, campaign advisers to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, accused Mr. Trump of lying, and the Trump campaign issued a statement saying that the meeting was “not a negotiation” and that “it is unsurprising that they hold two different views on this issue. ” In Phoenix, Mr. Trump responded to Mr. Peña Nieto with the hectoring language that has long been part of his strategy to whip up his crowds. “Mexico will pay for the wall, believe me — 100 percent — they don’t know it yet, but they will pay for the wall,” Mr. Trump said. “They’re great people, and great leaders, but they will pay for the wall. ” Mr. Trump had billed the Phoenix speech as a major address on immigration, and many Republican leaders and voters had hoped for more clarity about his positions. Mr. Trump outlined several steps that he would take to deport criminals and those who overstayed their visas and end sanctuary cities, while saying that “the one route and only route” for others to obtain legal status would be “to return home and apply for . ” “We will treat everyone living or residing in our country with great dignity — so important,” Mr. Trump said, noting that the status of most illegal immigrants was no longer a “core issue” for him. Mr. Trump also invited a group of Americans to the stage who, one by one, shared the names of relatives who they said were killed by illegal immigrants and insisted that only Mr. Trump could protect the country by securing its borders and moving swiftly to deport immigrants with criminal records. Yet for all the fiery language and stagecraft, it was far from clear if Mr. Trump’s most ardent supporters would stick by him as he moves away from his original policy on immigration, or if he would win over many undecided voters with his new approach. But Mr. Trump went to great lengths to urge voters to view the presidential race as an epochal moment. “We are in the middle of a jobs crisis, a border crisis, and a terrorism crisis,” he said. “This election is our last chance to secure the border, stop illegal immigration, and reform our laws to make your life better. This is it. We won’t get another opportunity — it will be too late. ” The whirlwind day started after Mr. Trump accepted an invitation from Mr. Peña Nieto to meet him at the presidential palace to discuss economic and border concerns. For the most part they managed to sidestep combustible issues and ignore raging hostility from average Mexicans. Mr. Trump has called them rapists and drug dealers, and he did not apologize for those remarks during a joint news conference when a reporter pressed him for any regrets. Instead, as an impassive Mr. Peña Nieto looked on, Mr. Trump sounded conciliatory themes about working together to improve border security. Gone, at least for this foreign trip, were the threats about American interests and superiority that have defined Mr. Trump’s candidacy and electrified his supporters. “I think it was an excellent meeting,” Mr. Trump said. Mr. Peña Nieto, who pointedly emphasized goals like “mutual respect” and “constructive” relations several times in his remarks, did Mr. Trump some favors with his respectful treatment: The Mexican president acknowledged that every country had a “right” to protect its own border, and suggested that Mr. Trump wanted to move on from his antagonistic remarks of the past. “The Mexican people felt aggrieved by those comments,” Mr. Peña Nieto said. “But I am certain that he has a genuine interest in building a relationship that would lead us to provide better conditions to our people. ” Mr. Trump’s unexpected trip to Mexico was timed to steer attention from his significant shifts on immigration policy. He flew to Mexico just hours before he was scheduled to deliver a major speech on immigration after more than a week of mixed signals about his immigration views, which he said were “softening” and then “hardening” in the space of two days last week. On a more personal level, Mr. Trump also wanted to show undecided voters that he had the temperament and of a statesman — qualities that many doubt he has — and also demonstrate that Americans did not need to worry every time he opened his mouth in a foreign country. He also hoped to show that he could acquit himself well on the world stage, something that is a clear strength of Mrs. Clinton, a former secretary of state, senator and first lady. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has described Mr. Trump’s trip as a hollow gesture, but it was unclear whether Mrs. Clinton herself will deliver a more pointed critique of her opponent during his travels. Mr. Trump, who has little experience with foreign policy statecraft or news conferences with heads of state, made no obvious mistakes during his trip to Mexico, nor did he breach any protocol during his public appearance with Mr. Peña Nieto on a small stage at the presidential palace. As Mr. Peña Nieto made lengthy opening remarks in Spanish, Mr. Trump clasped his hands at times, and tapped them against his thighs as he nodded slightly at other points as he listened to a woman beside him translate the remarks into English. Mr. Peña Nieto came across as civil and stolid, defending the North American Free Trade Agreement — a frequent target of criticism by Mr. Trump — and noting that weak border security also allowed weapons and cash often to flow from the United States to Mexican gangs and drug cartels. But for the most part the president took a position of neutrality, neither chastising Mr. Trump nor indicating that he favored one American presidential candidate over another. Yet Mr. Trump, who is known for insisting that only he can fix America’s problems, also suggested that he wanted Mexico to be a partner on border security. “I really believe that the president and I will solve those problems,” Mr. Trump said. “We will get them solved. Illegal immigration is a problem for Mexico as well as for us. Drugs are a tremendous problem from Mexico as well as us. I mean it’s not a street. ” | 1 |
Bono unveils album about being a woman 03-11-16 BONO has released an album about his struggles as a woman. After receiving a Women of the Year award from Glamour magazine, the U2 singer feels he is the best person to explain the challenges of being a vagina owner. Bono said: “Being a woman gives me insights men don’t have, like how it’s more expensive to get your hair cut and the soreness caused by having a baby come out of your fanny. “The new album, simply titled Woman , is about things like me getting shouted at by horny builders and sitting down to do a wee only to find there is wee on the toilet seat, as related in the protest song (There Is Wee) On The Toilet Seat . “We’ve got some hard-hitting songs like The River Runs Red , about those terrible period pains that make you curl up on the sofa watching Hollyoaks while eating a whole Swiss roll. “To experience the full oppression of women I’ve been getting Edge and the boys to criticise my reverse parking, even through I am a genius at driving.” However Glamour magazine editor Nikki Hollis said: “This is all a big misunderstanding, there was a mistake at the trophy factory and some of ours got mixed up with the Bellend of the Century Awards.”
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NEW DELHI — American and Indian officials on Sunday swiftly condemned the shooting of a Sikh man in a suburb of Seattle, which followed by less than two weeks a similar episode in Kansas and amid a crackdown on immigration. The man, 39, was in the driveway of his home in Kent, Wash. working on his car on Friday night when a white man, wearing a mask over the lower part of his face, confronted him and then shot him in the arm, The Seattle Times reported. The police have asked the F. B. I. and other law enforcement agencies for help finding the gunman, who the victim said told him to “go back to your own country. ” The victim was identified as Deep Rai, a United States citizen of Indian origin. India’s minister of external affairs, Sushma Swaraj, said she had spoken to the victim’s father, who said his son was “out of danger and recovering in a private hospital. ” The attack bore a troubling resemblance to the shooting on Feb. 22 of Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, two immigrants from India who were shot by another patron in a Kansas bar. The suspect in that case, Adam W. Purinton, had confronted the two Indians over their visa status and had been escorted out of the bar, before returning and opening fire. Mr. Kuchibhotla died from his injuries. The episode was news in India, which sends hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants to the United States each year, among them students and highly skilled workers. Since the Kansas shooting, many Indians have expressed concerns that racially motivated violence will rise in the coming years, as President Trump leads an effort to curtail legal immigration and deport illegal immigrants. The White House has denied that the violence is in any way connected with Mr. Trump’s policies. Immigration was a central focus of talks last week in Washington, where India’s foreign secretary, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, met with senior American foreign policy officials. Washington’s top envoy in India, MaryKay Loss Carlson, said she was “saddened by the shooting” in Washington State. “As @POTUS said, we condemn ‘hate and evil in all its forms,’” Ms. Carlson said in a Twitter post. The Sikh Coalition, a Sikh rights group based in New York, has urged the authorities in Washington State to investigate the shooting as a hate crime, and called on top officials in Washington to forcefully condemn such attacks. “Tone matters in our political discourse, because this is a matter of life or death for millions of Americans who are worried about losing loved ones to hate,” Rajdeep Singh, a Sikh Coalition leader, said in a statement to the Hindustan Times. | 1 |
A report by a news agency linked to the Islamic State claimed on Sunday that a “soldier of the Islamic State” was behind a stabbing attack on Saturday night at a Minnesota shopping mall, an episode that the F. B. I. said it was investigating as a “potential act of terrorism. ” Nine people were injured in the attack before an police officer fatally shot the man, the authorities in St. Cloud said. The attacker, who was dressed in a security guard uniform, mentioned Allah and asked at least one victim if he was Muslim, the police said. All nine victims were expected to survive. The Islamic State on Sunday claimed responsibility for the episode, but it was unclear whether the attacker, whom the police have not identified, was in fact acting in the name of the terror group. The Amaq News Agency, which acts as the Islamic State’s newswire, released a bulletin saying the “executor of the stabbing attacks in #Minnesota yesterday was a soldier of the Islamic State. ” The terror group’s bulletin went on to say the attack was a response to the group’s call to “target citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition,” a term referring to the United coalition carrying out airstrikes against the group. The language of the bulletin — down to the reference to the perpetrator as a soldier of the Islamic State — mirrors claims of responsibility the group issued for numerous attacks in recent weeks. This summer, a spokesman for the Islamic State, Abu Muhammad advised his followers overseas to carry out jihad at home. He said that it was no longer necessary to join the group in Iraq and Syria, and that aspiring jihadists should instead use whatever means they had to kill. Chief William Blair Anderson of the St. Cloud police told reporters at the scene, “It has hit home for us,” adding, “But I want everybody in St. Cloud to know that we will be diligent and we will get to the bottom of this. ” “It’s an awful day, honestly,” Chief Anderson said. In a phone interview on Sunday morning, Mayor Dave Kleis said the mall, Crossroads Center, was an active crime scene and would remain closed. He praised the police officer, who he said had “clearly saved lives and protected the other individuals. ” “This is exactly what keeps me up at night, and last night it did,” Mr. Kleis said. “This could happen in any community in this country, and certainly we have seen it happen. Certainly it is something that really scares a community. ” Later Sunday, Mr. Kleis identified the officer as Jason Falconer, a police officer in nearby Avon, Minn. Mr. Kleis said video footage of the shooting, which has not been released publicly, showed Officer Falconer confronting the attacker in a Macy’s store and shooting him as he charged with a knife. “For me watching it, it looked like a training video for what law enforcement should do,” Mr. Kleis said. The mayor said the wounded included seven men, one woman and a teenage girl, all from the St. Cloud area. Mr. Kleis called the attack an “evil act, unjustifiable in any way. ” The disruption to a carefree night of shopping in central Minnesota occurred on the same day that 29 people in New York City were injured in an explosion and that an explosive device detonated near the route of a race in New Jersey. The authorities on Sunday night were becoming convinced that the New York and New Jersey episodes were connected, but have given no indication of a link to the stabbing in St. Cloud. Chief Anderson said officers had searched two local residences on Sunday in connection with the case. He said the police had had at least three prior interactions with the attacker, mostly for minor traffic violations. Richard Thornton, the special agent in charge for the F. B. I. in Minneapolis, said the agency was treating it as a potential terrorist act but was still investigating. “There’s a lot we don’t know,” Mr. Thornton said. “We do not at this point in time know whether the subject was in contact with, had connections with, was inspired by a foreign terrorist organization. ” Chief Anderson said the attack had started around 8 p. m. and played out at different sites within Crossroads Center, including multiple businesses and common areas. Mr. Kleis, who went to Crossroads Center after the attack, said that “there were a lot of people in that mall and clearly a lot of witnesses,” and that police interviews had stretched well into Sunday morning. Witnesses and local journalists spoke of a busy, crowded and confusing scene after the attack, as well as a swift police mobilization. “One guy was bleeding from the side of his face,” Sydney Weires, a college student who was inside the mall, told The St. Cloud Times. “He was screaming at us” to get out. Harley Exsted, another mall patron, told The St. Cloud Times, “All of a sudden I heard pop pop pop. ” “I thought someone tipped over a shelf,” he said. “All of a sudden these people started running. I just saw everybody running our way. ” St. Cloud, a city of about 67, 000 residents, is about an hour’s drive northwest of Minneapolis. “Starting tomorrow,” Chief Anderson said after the attack, “things won’t be the same here. ” | 1 |
SAN FRANCISCO — Paraag Marathe’s structured, analytical mind has served him well in the offices of Silicon Valley and the National Football League. He figured that he could lean on those traits the first time he spoke publicly about his sister, Shilpa, and how anorexia had taken her life. But composure failed Marathe in 2011, six years after Shilpa’s death, while he spoke to survivors and grieving family members at an event for Andrea’s Voice, a nonprofit foundation that tries to promote education about eating disorders and their treatments. “Not only did I break down a little bit during that speech,” said Marathe, 39, the San Francisco 49ers’ chief strategy officer and executive vice president for football operations. “It was also one of those weird moments afterwards. I emotionally collapsed in the arms of somebody there who had lost her daughter. ” The memories were back. Marathe had watched his brilliant sister succumb to thoughts and starve herself. He had seen Shilpa wither to less than 50 pounds in the last years of her life, had felt the shame and puzzlement that her condition brought to his family. Fueled by regret — why had he not noticed sooner, and why wasn’t he more assertive in trying to help Shilpa? — Marathe has found his voice. He will patiently tell you that 30 million Americans are believed to suffer from eating disorders, and that medical insurance plans rarely cover treatment of the condition. He will remind you that anorexia has the highest fatality rate among mental illnesses — about 10 percent, according to a 2011 published in Archives of General Psychiatry and cited by the National Institute of Mental Health. caregivers and advocates welcome Marathe’s help in shattering the myth that anorexia afflicts only white girls and women. The illness claims men, too, and frequently remains a taboo subject in less affluent or nonwhite families, said Kristina Saffran of Project HEAL, an organization that raises money to cover care from diagnosis to recovery. “He told me, ‘I’m your perfect spokesman: I’m a male, I’m a minority and I’m in football,’ ” Saffran said. Paraag and Shilpa grew up in Saratoga, Calif. a prosperous bedroom community southwest of San Jose. They were the children of successful Indian immigrants. Paraag, three years younger, was gregarious and smart, but drawn more to Wiffle ball and Nerf football than homework. Shilpa was bookish and introverted, a student she hated sports. She also had compulsive idiosyncrasies. Shilpa insisted on eating her meals at the same time every day, her brother said. After dinner each night she would walk around the house for half an hour listening to her Sony Walkman. Marathe said he thinks now that Shilpa was showing signs of mental illness as far back as junior high school. At the time, just a child himself, he dismissed the signs as typical of his “weird sister. ” By the time Shilpa graduated from law school at U. C. L. A. (magna cum laude, of course) she was down to 55 pounds, Marathe said. He remembers that firms eagerly invited her for job interviews after reading the incisive legal papers she wrote, but no one would hire her after seeing her in person. Shilpa spent her final 10 years living with her parents. She died at 31 in March 2005. It took Marathe years to emerge from a cocoon of secrecy. He had friends who never met Shilpa. That included his wife, Jennifer, who Marathe said became his best friend when they were at the University of California, Berkeley. In retrospect, he sees his own vanity. “I was a kid,” Marathe said. “I was in my early 20s, and I used to convince myself that I was just a protective little brother when I saw other people looking at my sister the way they did. When in reality, the truth was that I was embarrassed by being seen with her. So I could never take her to a coffee shop or a movie. I used to be jealous of my cousins who would be able to do that. ” Marathe is now on the board of directors for Andrea’s Voice, and he has supported other similar organizations in Northern California, like the Eating Disorder Resource Center and the Monterey Institute of Mental Health. But there is one place where Marathe has not dared to tread. He still has not found a way to discuss Shilpa’s deterioration in any detail with their parents, or invited them to hear him speak about it. He recognizes deep sacrifices they made for Shilpa: Their father quit his job as an engineer at to help care for her and carried her to bed when she became too weak to climb the stairs. His mother changed Shilpa’s diapers and dutifully steamed broccoli for her. The family spent huge sums of money on her treatment, including what Marathe estimates were 30 trips to the emergency room or intensive care unit and, later, hospice care. Through all of that, he said, he never heard his parents talk openly about what was happening to their family. And he hasn’t figured out how to break the silence. “Immigrant families are particularly susceptible, because of the whole Tiger Mother, Tiger Father concept,” Marathe said. “You don’t talk about your feelings. There’s no such thing as mental illness. You don’t want to bring shame on the family by being put in an inpatient facility. ” Marathe hopes to talk with his parents soon, so he can share his growing understanding of Shilpa’s illness. What he has learned, as well as the help he tries to offer, brings him some comfort. Marathe’s 16th year with the 49ers has been bumpy. He lost the title of team president in February. The organization called it a restructuring, but it was largely reported as a demotion for Marathe. The 49ers have been dreadful on the field, and the fan base has grown rebellious with management. Coming to terms with his sister’s death, however, has kept professional disappointment in perspective. He and his wife have a young daughter, Juniper. A few months ago, just before her first birthday, Juniper was standing on her own and clearly ready to walk. But she couldn’t muster the courage to take that first step. As he watched her, something clicked for Marathe. “I want to do everything I can to help her develop or ” he said. “My sister didn’t have that. She felt worthless. ” Marathe knows that his words alone won’t erase the despair of anorexia. But they’re a powerful first step. | 1 |
Our top story tonight: Lord Commander Jon Snow is still dead. Has it really been nine months since we saw him last, taking the final, cruelest blow from young Olly and collapsing onto the ground, blood pooling behind him? It seems like he never left, what with the various rumors and sightings, reports about haircuts and breathless dispatches about Kit Harington’s romance with the equally dead, in “Thrones” terms, Rose Leslie. But there he was on Sunday, stone dead and stiffening as Ghost howled in despair. And he only got stiffer as the hour progressed, while Davos pondered his next moves with a few loyalists and the mutineers went public with their treachery. Even the Red Woman, everyone’s favorite candidate for resurrecting Snow, could only stand there dumbfounded by the turn of events. “I saw him in the flames fighting at Winterfell,” she said. “I can’t speak for the flames,” Davos said. “But he’s gone. ” Now, will he stay that way for long? Probably not. As I noted in a season preview, the show will have to resolve this thing one way or the other pretty soon or it will risk overshadowing the rest of the story — ask the “Walking Dead” folks about viewers’ general patience with narrative shenanigans these days. But for one week, at least, the dude was dead, just like everyone said. [ Subscribe to our Watching newsletter for expert movie and TV recommendations. ] The Snow thing was one of about 13, 000 subplots (a rough estimate) that got serviced in the season premiere, a terrifically busy episode that at times, with its quick glimpses of exposition and rapid cutting from scene to scene to scene, reminded me a bit of the old “Batman” show. Here’s two minutes in Meereen — CUT — here’s Cersei and Jaime — CUT — poor Blind Arya — CUT — Sansa in the snow — CUT — Sand Snakes! — et cetera. Story density is a key component of “Game of Thrones,” of course, the breadth and depth of its world is part of what makes the show so transportive. But it can make for frenetic viewing in these early episodes. That said, the scenes at Castle Black had plenty of room to breathe and others, like Sansa’s rescue and Ellaria Sand’s power grab in Dorne, packed plenty of thrills into tight spaces. Also, you go into “Thrones” premieres knowing they’re about picking up the pieces from the previous season, and this year the shards are especially jagged. Cersei, former has had everything ripped away, to the point that she can’t even get mad at Jaime about the hash he made of the Myrcella rescue effort. The witch told me I’d have three children and they’d all die, she said. “Everything she said came true, you couldn’t have stopped it. ” (What’s that, Tommen? Oh nothing. Never you mind … ) Cersei’s old nemesis Margaery, meanwhile, is still in the hoosegow, taking her own turn with the Nurse Ratched of TV nuns. “Septa Unella can be overzealous at times,” the High said. Gee, ya think? Over in Essos, Daenerys Targaryen has to be wondering if you can really call yourself the Mother of Dragons if your dragons like to abandon you in random fields. She’s now a prisoner of her new Dothraki friends, and they are classy. Khaleesi spent the early moments enduring two charming lads who made all sorts of offensive remarks and speculations. The confab with the Khal continued along the same trajectory until Khaleesi had finally had enough. I’m the former wife of Khal Drogo, she said. I burned his body and everything. Oh, well that changes things, Khal Moro said, to Khaleesi’s satisfaction, but then he threw her a curveball. The best place for you is the widow temple, she was told, which I’m guessing is just as delightful as it sounds. I still think we should cut off her head, Moro’s wife muttered, probably. Even Ramsay, the sociopathic monster we’ve come to know and loathe, showed a bit of what almost seemed like actual human emotion and heartbreak. He mourned Myranda, tossed to her death by Theon last season, recalling how only she wasn’t afraid of him back when he was a young bastard and she a simple kennel master’s daughter. “She smelled of dog,” he reminisced fondly. (Awww. Also, Ramsay’s apparently been terrible forever.) He composed himself in time to make plans for the funeral. Coffin or pyre? someone asked. Try the dog dish. Finally, there was the aforementioned alluring Red Woman of the episode title, who in the startling concluding moments was revealed to actually be an Old Gray Mare. “You haven’t seen her do what I’ve seen her do,” Davos had told his compatriots earlier. My friend, you haven’t seen the half of it. At first I thought perhaps it was the omnipresent intricate choker that conferred her lustrous youth and beauty, but photographic evidence suggests she’s removed it before without such dramatic consequences. There was a on the vial on her dressing table so perhaps her beauty secret is contained therein. Whatever it is, the transformation made for a graphic illustration of the fall she, too, has taken. We saw last year what her ghastly strategic advice brought Stannis (R. I. P. Shireen) and now all of her plans for Jon Snow, glimpsed in the flames, have apparently gone up in smoke. There’s nothing left for this once vivacious, insidiously confident force but to crawl miserably into bed like the feeble old woman she really is. Indeed, it’s perhaps wishful thinking but there were signs that the arc of “Thrones” history, mostly distinguished thus far by cruelty, might be starting to bend toward decency, or at least tipping away from the sinister interests that have dominated things lately. In addition to Melisandre’s crisis of faith, there is the terrible Ramsay’s inheritance crisis, after his reprehensible “games” drove away the one thing that could have solidified his place in his family and his family’s place in the North. I’m talking about Sansa Stark, of course, whose escape and rescue by Brienne infused the narrative with more hope than has any other single scene I can recall. [ Interview: Maisie Williams on the Season 6 premiere ] Theon led Sansa away from Winterfell with great drive and courage, and continued to suggest Reek may be receding. (Some aspects of the old Theon are never coming back, of course, but maybe he can fill the void with volunteering or something.) He went on to sacrifice himself before Ramsay’s hounds and men. “I can’t wait to see what part Ramsay cuts off you this time,” a henchman muttered with glee. Well, I can’t wait to see warrior maiden slice you up like a ham, . And so it went, when Brienne arrived with a notably Podrick to save the day, for once. I’ve bagged on Brienne for awhile now over her general failure to fulfill her oath to protect the Stark girls. So credit where it’s due: Nice job, Brienne! Score one for dogged persistence. The lesson is that Brienne gets it done, it just takes longer than most of us would like. After all, she killed Stannis in last year’s finale and she’d only been after him since his smokebaby killed Renly in Season 2. So I should probably stop projecting my impatience onto her. Finally, there was the emergence of Sansa, who you’ll recall seemed ready to take charge of her destiny around this time last year before the whole Ramsay nightmare intervened. Whatever your thoughts about the brutalities she endured and how they were presented, they no doubt hardened her. And when she accepted Brienne’s vow of loyalty and affirmed hers as well, it felt like a symbolic assumption of command of her shattered family. Starting with the death of Ned Stark and certainly since the Red Wedding, this story has been with villainy. Sansa’s union with Brienne felt like it could be a first step toward restoring some balance between wicked strivers and nobler interests. Of course, we’ve seen something like this before: One of the most triumphant moments in the show was when Dany took off on Drogon, and look what that got her. There are still zombies out there somewhere, too. But just give me this for one week, O. K.? When it comes to “Game of Thrones,” I’ll take whatever hope I can get. • Someone’s burning boats in Meereen. Maybe one day Tyrion and Varys can make me care about Meereen. There is apparently a mysterious figure orchestrating the Harpy insurrection, though, which could get interesting. The joke was pretty broad but still enjoyable. (Name me another show about which you can read a phrase like “the joke” and not bat an eye.) • On the other hand, get a load of the action in Dorne! There was more excitement there in three minutes than there was in all of Season 5. An underrated aspect of this show is the way seemingly minor characters evolve into major players. Ellaria Sand seemed like little more than a lascivious sidekick when she arrived with Oberyn in Season 4, but there she was on Sunday staging a coup, inaugurating a new men era of Dornish leadership. • Poor Trystane. He and Myrcella always seemed too delicate for this savage world, but that thing went bad in a hurry, and more graphically than I would have guessed. Obara the Sand Snake dispatched him with the sort of protruding Pinocchio skewer that’s become a signature finishing move on “Game of Thrones. ” (See also, the rotten Karl Tanner in Season 4.) • Blind in Braavos seems like no kind of fun, and that’s before a girl starts beating you with a stick. “See you tomorrow,” the Waif told Arya, in what might have been the most chilling line of the night. • Forget everyone who isn’t us, Jaime told Cersei (more or less). Is it wrong that I found their reunion sort of touching? Also, should we be preparing for a more sympathetic Cersei this season? “From her first breath she was so sweet. I don’t know where she came from,” she said about Myrcella. “I thought if I could make something so good, so pure, maybe I’m not a monster. ” • The weight of betraying Jon Snow really aged young Olly, huh? • Over all pretty good, right? I’m intrigued by how Cersei and Melisandre are going to put themselves back together, and by Sansa’s continuing emergence. Clearly Davos isn’t going to it south, as Ser Alliser advised, but how do you think that whole thing’s going to shake out? Are you still invested in it either way? Please fire away in the comments. | 1 |
On Tuesday’s “Hugh Hewitt Show,” Senator Tom Cotton ( ) predicted that Judge Neil Gorsuch will be confirmed to the Supreme Court before the Senate breaks at the end of next week, and if there is a filibuster “Republicans will do what we must to put Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. ” Cotton said, “Gorsuch will be confirmed to the Supreme Court. And I suspect he’ll be confirmed before we break at the end of next week to spend the Easter period in our states with our constituents. ” He added that he hasn’t given up hope that at least eight Democrats will support Gorsuch’s nomination, but if the Democrats filibuster Gorsuch, “I believe the House — or the Senate Republicans will do what we must to put Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. ” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 1 |
This Video is REALLY Disturbing...
Not just to African Americans but to Americans in General...
Many of The DNC Policies that pertain to African Americans are deeply insulting and condescending in implication.
Voter ID Laws are not restrictive to The average African American but are portrayed as impediments to them because of the Intellectual Entitlement Mentality of The Democratic Nation Party.
The Racism Game is a cover for manipulation of both minorities and the majority...
Divide and Conquer...
They Divide the Voting Block...
To Conquer The Election. | 0 |
Given the establishment media’s focus on the “scandal” surrounding President Donald Trump and his administration’s contact with Russian officials, it is worth reminding Americans of the revelations involving Hillary Clinton and the Kremlin. [1. Hillary Clinton approved the transfer of 20 percent of U. S. uranium to Russia and nine investors in the deal funneled $145 million to the Clinton Foundation. While Hillary Clinton’s State Department was one of eight agencies to review and sign off on the transfer of 20 percent of U. S. uranium to Russia — of State Clinton herself was the only agency head whose family foundation received $145 million in donations from multiple people connected to the uranium deal, as reported by the New York Times. 2. Bill Clinton bagged $500, 000 for a Moscow speech paid for by a bank while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. Former President Bill Clinton delivered a speech in Moscow and received a $500, 000 speaking fee from a Russian bank, while his wife’s State Department was getting ready to sign off on the transfer of 20 percent of U. S. uranium to Russia. “And, in one case, a Russian investment bank connected to the deals paid money to Bill Clinton personally, through a speaker’s fee,” reported the New Yorker. 3. Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman’s Joule energy company bagged $35 million from Putin’s Rusnano. Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta sat on the executive board of an energy company, Joule Unlimited, which received millions from a Russian government fund. Podesta also owned “75, 000 common shares” in Joule Unlimited, which he had transferred to a holding company called Leonidio LLC. Podesta also failed to fully disclose his position on Joule Unlimited’s board of directors and include it in his federal financial disclosures, as required by law, before he became President Obama’s senior adviser in January 2014. 4. Clinton Foundation chatter with State Dept. on Uranium Deal with Russia. Senior staffers inside Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign were warned by Clinton Foundation senior vice president Maura Pally that the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Charles Grassley ( ) was asking the Department of Justice to investigate the State Department approval of the sale of American uranium assets to a Russian company. The chain of emails proved the regular interaction between members of the Clinton campaign and senior staff at the Clinton Foundation. 5. Hillary Clinton hid $2. 35 million in secret donations from Ian Telfer, the head of Russia’s uranium company. Ian Telfer, the head of the Russian government’s uranium company, Uranium One, made four foreign donations totaling $2. 35 million to the Clinton Foundation, as the New York Times reported. “Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2. 35 million,” the Times reported. “Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well. ” Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson. | 1 |
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — White ribbons flutter along a grade school’s fence here in memory of Jacob E. Wetterling, whose remains were found this month nearly 27 years after he was abducted on a country road. A fresh vase of flowers sits at the spot on the road, silent but for crickets and the whoosh of wind through rows of corn, where Jacob was grabbed so many years ago. And though it is the middle of the day, at the house where Jacob lived, the porch light still is on, just as it has been over a matter of decades — here and at homes across Minnesota — to guide him home. The disappearance of Jacob in 1989 shattered this city of fewer than 7, 000 people, as well as so many other tiny central Minnesota towns in a region of farm fields and ranch homes. “It changed a lot,” Lee Meyer, 94, said. A generation of parents suddenly kept their children close, and a generation of children learned to worry. “To tell the truth,” said Robert Devore, 42, who was in his teens when Jacob vanished, “I’m still looking over my shoulder to this day. ” Long before an age of Amber Alerts and elaborate tracking of sex offenders, Jacob’s case opened a new conversation in Minnesota about child sexual abuse and abduction. His story helped lead to a significant national policy change: Jacob’s name was on the first federal law in 1994 that required states to keep registries of convicted sex offenders. And, over all the years, the hope here for Jacob’s return never seemed to fade, in large part because of the work of his mother, Patty, who has become one of the nation’s prominent advocates on behalf of missing and exploited children. As a reporter covering the Midwest for more than a decade, I have focused at times on shifting policies regarding sexual predators — from local bans on where they can live to controversial programs in which states hold offenders, even after they complete criminal sentences, and the legal challenges that have followed. And I have long followed Jacob’s case, and often thought of the grinning boy in the yellow sweater in a frequently reprinted photo as the real stakes in any policy debate. As a parent, I could never shake the impossibly painful details of the case: a masked, armed man had grabbed Jacob, 11, and his best friend and his brother before ordering the friend and brother to run into the darkness and never look back. I watched as Patty Wetterling created a foundation with her husband, Jerry, dedicated to helping other missing children and preventing abuse served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children expressed nuanced views on offender registries and ran for the House of Representatives twice — even as she waited, with Midwestern resoluteness, for Jacob. But now it seems the answers were close by all along. Jacob was buried in a farm field in this very county, kidnapped and killed not by someone who had crossed state lines or vanished into the anonymity of some faraway locale, but by Danny Heinrich, who lived about 30 miles away and had first been interviewed by investigators about the case, court records show, within weeks of Jacob’s disappearance. This month Mr. Heinrich, 53, admitted assaulting and killing Jacob Wetterling on the night he kidnapped him, in October 1989. He had also been investigated months before Jacob’s disappearance in a similar sexual attack on a boy in a nearby town amid a rash of earlier assaults on young boys in Paynesville, another town near St. Joseph. When Mr. Heinrich was questioned not long after Jacob’s disappearance, he denied it all, court documents show, and was not charged. The allegations left this city reeling. “I have boys around that same age — 13, 11 and 8 — and what’s happened to Jacob just makes you cry,” said Tracy Omann Smith, who owns the local flower shop, where a sign last week read, “Jacob Let Your Light Shine Bright. ” “You have to understand, the family had left everything as it was,” she said. “They never moved from the house, never changed their phone number. They really believed he was coming back, and maybe we all did. ” On Oct. 22, 1989, Jacob and the two other boys were confronted by a man on a darkened road as they rode their bikes back from a convenience store, where they had picked out a movie. The attacker ordered them into a ditch, asked the boys their ages, then sent two of them scrambling off into the woods and threatened to shoot them if they looked back. He handcuffed Jacob and drove him to a pit near Paynesville, where he attacked him, then shot him. After Mr. Heinrich’s confession in court this month, an emotional Ms. Wetterling thanked law enforcement officials. She also praised a local blogger and another assault victim of Mr. Heinrich’s, for “stirring this pot” the last few years until the truth came out. Then she said her family was not yet ready to speak publicly about the case. “For us Jacob was alive until we found him,” Ms. Wetterling said. “We need to heal. ” In an unusual plea agreement, Mr. Heinrich agreed to admit to the killing and directed the authorities to Jacob’s remains, buried in a shallow grave in a pasture. But he will not be charged in the killing or the earlier assault on the victim who survived. He pleaded guilty to a federal pornography count, and is expected to serve 20 years in prison. The authorities have raised the possibility that he could be held beyond that, under civil commitment procedures aimed at the most dangerous sex offenders. He told a hushed courtroom what Jacob had asked that night: “What did I do wrong?” Some here say they have grown skeptical about police work on the case, given the years it took to solve it, the early questioning of Mr. Heinrich that did not result in charges, and the unsolved assaults of young boys in nearby towns over several years before Jacob’s abduction. A new investigative podcast series by American Public Media, “In the Dark,” is examining law enforcement’s handling of the case. At least eight cases involving boys who were groped or attacked occurred from 1986 to 1988 in tiny Paynesville, where Mr. Heinrich lived at that time, court documents show. The descriptions of the attacker often sounded similar: a husky, short man with a mask and a raspy voice. At points, the local authorities said Mr. Heinrich should be considered a suspect in those cases, though he was never charged. Jacob’s was a case that drew enormous law enforcement resources to this city. National Guard members were dispatched. Rewards were offered. Thousands of tips poured in. Would Sheriff John L. Sanner of Stearns County do anything differently in the investigation given everything? “My response has always been the same,” Sheriff Sanner said. “Our energy needs to stay focused on what we can control and not wasted on things we have no control over. ” Much has changed since Jacob Wetterling vanished — from DNA technology to an internet revolution that allows people to know almost instantly when a child disappears, but that also gives predators new ways to reach children without even stepping outdoors. But in a way, this small city has stood still, waiting, like the lights outside the Wetterlings’ home. Trina Faber, 45, a manager at Bo Diddley’s sandwich shop, grew up around here. Patty Wetterling sometimes comes in for sandwiches. And Jerry Wetterling, the local chiropractor, whose office remains just down the street, has treated Ms. Faber’s back from time to time. So when she heard that Jacob’s remains had at last been found, she burst into tears. “There has been so much to it for so long,” she said. “In a way I was relieved. He was in peace. But it also meant it was the end. ” | 1 |
A man who admitted changing the Hollywood sign to “Hollyweed” has turned himself in to the authorities. Zachary Cole Fernandez, a artist, surrendered on Monday with his lawyer at his side, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was booked on a misdemeanor trespassing charge and released on bail. The sign was changed about 3 a. m. on Jan. 1, when two O’s were partly obscured by sheets and turned into E’s. It remained that way throughout the morning before the sign was restored. In a phone interview, Mr. Fernandez said he considered the results more of an art installation than a prank. “Yeah, I broke the rules, but I broke it with good spirit and good intentions,” he said on Tuesday. “It was just to bring light and positivity and happiness. ” But David Ryu, a Los Angeles councilman, remained unamused. “Pranks of this nature deplete the resources of our valuable public safety personnel, in both responding to the prank and in responding to the increased crowds and copycat attempts that these incidents generate,” he said in a statement on Monday. “My office has urged the city attorney and L. A. P. D. to investigate and prosecute this case, as well as all attempts to trespass near, alter, or vandalize the sign. ” Mr. Fernandez is expected to appear in court on Feb. 15. He said he had been inspired by a similar alteration in 1976, and that he had used clamps and sheets so as not to damage the sign. “I don’t want to destroy anything,” he said. “I’m about peace and love and respect and integrity and a lot of things that in some ways are missing these days. I wanted to show there’s a light in the world. ” A father of four children ranging in age from 3 to 9, Mr. Fernandez said he had been told he could face up to six months in jail. He said he saw that as excessive for a “harmless” art project, but would accept any consequences. “I’m a person of integrity,” he said. “If I do something wrong, I will own up to it. ” | 1 |
Next Prev Swipe left/right Looks like someone is trying to summon a janitor OGnobody54 on Reddit spotted an unusual configuration of wet floor warnings that lead them to suspect supernatural goings on. | 0 |
Home › POLITICS › CLINTON, COMEY AND THE E-MAIL SCANDAL: IS THERE A REBELLION AT THE FBI? CLINTON, COMEY AND THE E-MAIL SCANDAL: IS THERE A REBELLION AT THE FBI? 0 SHARES
[10/31/16] The Clintons are a “crime family” and Hillary a “pathological liar,” said former assistant FBI director James Kallstrom during an interview Sunday. And it appears his belief is shared by current rank-and-file FBI agents, as a rebellion has apparently been brewing within the bureau.
The latest shocking news on this front is that despite a plea deal to destroy laptops (evidence) belonging to Clinton associates, those devices were not destroyed and are still in the possession of the FBI. As the Daily Caller reports :
Washington D.C. attorney Joe DiGenova said on The David Webb Show on SiriusXM Friday night that despite the FBI agreeing to destroy the laptops of Clinton aide Cheryl Mills and ex-campaign staffer Heather Samuelson as part of immunity deals made during the initial investigation of Clinton’s email server, agents involved in the case refused to destroy the laptops.
“According to the agreement reached with the attorneys who handed over their laptops, the laptops were to be destroyed per the agreement after the testimony was given — the interviews were given — by the attorneys. The bureau and the department agreed to that,” DiGenova said. “However the laptops contrary to published reports were not destroyed and the reason is the agents who are tasked with destroying them refused to do so. And by the way the laptops are at the FBI for inspection by Congress or federal courts.”
DiGenova said the laptops have already been subpoenaed and the FBI is waiting for Congress to ask for them.
As to this report’s credibility, American Thinker’s Thomas Lifson notes that “DiGenova, a former US Attorney and Washington, DC superlawyer is no flake. He has plenty of contacts within the FBI and a reputation to protect. So I take his words on Sirius/XM’s David Webb show quite seriously.”
Ever since FBI director James Comey (shown above) shook the political world Friday by announcing that the bureau was reopening the investigation into Clinton’s illegal use of a private e-mail server, theories as to why he’s acting now have proliferated. After all, since consensus was that Comey was covering for the Democrats at the Obama administration’s behest, no one expected a revisiting of Clinton’s criminality just over a week before the election.
Of course, given that tens of thousands of e-mails — some apparently Clinton related — were recovered from ex-congressman Anthony Wiener’s laptop during an investigation into his having sent illicit text messages to a 15-year-old girl, the most obvious explanation is that of Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein , that whatever was found is “a real bombshell.” As Thomas Lifson wrote in “3 competing theories on why the FBI re-opened the Hillary email server investigation,” “It is possible that something so dramatic came up in the pertinent emails that postponing a public reaction by not announcing the reopening of the investigation would, [sic] be regarded as political interference by covering up a smoking gun until after the election. In this scenario, Comey is assuming the evidence cannot be suppressed, and that he would be held accountable after it comes out. This scenario also indicates that we could be headed for a constitutional crisis, involving the possible indictment of a president-elect before an election. Or the evidence being turned over to the House of Representatives for impeachment hearings.”
The second theory Lifson outlined was one put forth by radio host Rush Limbaugh. As Lifson wrote, “By announcing an FBI Investigation resuming, Comey is putting a lid on further attention to Wikileaks. I guess this means that Clinton forces will argue we must wait for the investigation to be complete (after the election) before speaking about what the evil Russians are planting into our politics.”
Lastly, Lifson wrote that Comey “might be seeking to restore his badly damaged reputation, recognizing that the damage he has inflicted on the FBI is substantial. Three days ago, American Thinker published an open letter from a retired FBI agent, Hugh Galyean, that laid out some of the damage Comey has inflicted on the institution he leads. There is little doubt that this reached many in the FBI family, putting in print what people have only whispered about. If those silenced voices start speaking out, Comey could face a serious loss of face. In this scenario, he is heading off a staff rebellion, possibly including mass resignations.”
This last theory is lent great credence by the news that the plea-deal laptops were never destroyed. If that story is true, it reflects a rebellion more serious than most anyone had imagined — with agents defying a direct order . This also adds weight to a related theory: that agents are so disgruntled that not only could some “resign and reveal,” but that active personnel could actually leak the truth to the media. If this is the case, Comey might be trying to get out ahead of such a development. Post navigation | 0 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — The trial of Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan and five of their followers, antigovernment protesters charged in the armed takeover of a national wildlife refuge this year, will begin here on Tuesday in a federal court. The takeover, at a remote eastern Oregon reserve, began Jan. 2 and lasted nearly six weeks, starting a national debate about homegrown militias, public lands and constitutional rights. The defendants face conspiracy, weapons and theft charges. In all, 26 people have been indicted. One protester was shot and killed by the state police during the occupation. On Jan. 2, a small group of members of a militia group adopting the name Citizens for Constitutional Freedom — the number grew as the occupation wore on — seized control of administration buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles southeast of Burns, in Harney County, a sparsely populated area in the high desert of eastern Oregon. In daily briefings with reporters, Ammon Bundy said the group had acted against what he called unconstitutional federal land management policies that infringed on the rights of citizens. His softly spoken statements echoed terms of a simpler, earlier America, where individual effort on the land counted for all, and government’s business was to stay out of the way. But guns, on hips and in the arms of lookouts, were . As they were en route to a community meeting on Jan. 26, where they hoped to persuade local ranchers to join their cause, Mr. Bundy and seven others were arrested in a traffic stop about 40 miles from the refuge. The arrests spiraled into bloodshed when a member of the group, LaVoy Finicum, 54, raced his truck toward a police roadblock. After his vehicle went off the road, Mr. Finicum got out and was shot and killed by Oregon State Police officers as he appeared to reach for a weapon. The last four holdouts at the refuge surrendered peacefully two weeks later. A grand jury indicted 26 members of the group on various charges, including conspiracy to impede federal employees from performance of their duties, which is punishable by up to six years in prison, as well as weapons charges and theft of government property. Eleven defendants have reached a plea deal with prosecutors charges were dropped against one defendant this month. The trial of seven other defendants is scheduled for February. In Oregon, as in many Western states, most of the land is owned by the federal government — a fact that has rankled conservative politicians and protesters like the Bundys for many years. Efforts to wrest land back into private ownership or state control have simmered in state capitols in the Rocky Mountain region for years, fueling resentment even as they have foundered. At the Malheur refuge, a dispute between federal officials and a local ranching family — Dwight L. Hammond and his son Steven D. Hammond — became a catalyst for the militants. But a long decline in the area’s economic health, mainly driven by a collapse of the timber industry, compounded local frustrations. Cliven Bundy, Ammon and Ryan’s father, led the family into confrontation in an armed standoff in 2014 against federal officials over illegal cattle grazing on public land in Nevada. The elder Mr. Bundy has for many years refused to obtain permits to graze his cattle on public land. When federal officials said they would confiscate the cattle, an armed standoff ensued. Cliven Bundy was arrested and indicted this year for his role in that episode, as were Ammon, Ryan and two other men who were also at the Malheur takeover. That case is proceeding separately in Nevada, with a trial scheduled for February. | 1 |
17 mins ago 0 Views 0 Comments 0 Likes Drone footage shows the devastation caused by twin earthquakes that rocked Borgo Sant'Antonio, near Visso, which left buildings reduced to rubble or partially collapsed. Central Italy was struck twice in quick succession the previous day, with the first tremor hitting it at around 19:11 local time (17:11 GMT). The quake measured 5.5 on the Richter scale and could be felt as far as Rome some 240 km (149 miles). Shortly after a second quake of 6.1-magnitude, struck at around 21:18 local time (19:18 GMT). Buildings were shaking, some parts even caving in, and residents fled into the street to save themselves. Several dozen people have been treated across the region for light injuries, while four are said to have been seriously hurt. COURTESY: RT's RUPTLY video agency, NO RE-UPLOAD, NO REUSE - FOR LICENSING, PLEASE, CONTACT http://ruptly.tv Subscribe Like Leave a Reply Login with your Social ID Your email address will not be published. Name | 0 |
WASHINGTON, D. C. — Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told the White House Press Corps that while a government shutdown is “not desirable” it could become a reality come September if the appropriations process is not repaired. [Mulvaney also said a government shutdown could be “good” if it “fixes Washington, D. C. permanently. ” President Trump tweeted out on Tuesday, “either elect more Republican Senators in 2010 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good “shutdown” in September to fix mess!” either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good ”shutdown” in September to fix mess! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2017, Asked to respond to President Trump’s tweet about how a shutdown is “good,” Mulvaney said, “It’s not desirable … But you asked me what a good one would look like, and a good one would be something that fixes Washington, D. C. permanently. ” Mulvaney said the reason there is a discussion about a shutdown every few months “is because the appropriations process is broken. ” He said the “the way it’s supposed to work, and it used to work” is when the House passes an appropriations bill on a topic, the Senate then passes a bill on the same issue, before it goes to the conference committee, before that bill is placed on the president’s desk. ” Mulvaney said that, since he has worked in the government, this process has “never worked” the way it’s supposed to. He added: I don’t think it has functioned for the last decade. I’ve been here since 2011 and it has never worked. We want to get back to that process. But the reason we can’t get back to that process is because the Senate is requiring 60 votes on every single appropriations bill and that is forcing this discussion on continuing resolutions — which is a bad way to run the government — and forcing a discussion on shutdowns which is simply not productive. Later in the press conference, Mulvaney said, “The president wants to see Washington better, get better, get fixed, change the way it does business. ” He said the Democrats are saying, “They won and we lost is not a bipartisan way to approach things. ” Drawn back to the topic of Trump’s early morning tweet by a member of the White House Press Corps once again, Mulvaney said, “I think what he’s foreshadowing is, ‘look, this place has to change.’ The way we run the town has to be fixed. We have to do something. We cannot simply muddle along using models the previous administration has used. ” Mulvaney said Trump is a president that will usher in change. “And he’s going to change Washington, D. C. And if it takes a shutdown, then that’s what it takes. But again, that’s several months away from that discussion. We have a lot to do between now and then. ” Follow Adelle Nazarian on Facebook and Twitter. | 1 |
— My Name is Fate (@Destini41) October 29, 2016
Clinton and her supporters certainly had reason to celebrate the conclusion of the case; that is, at least, until newly discovered evidence made it clear that the case wasn’t concluded.
Not surprisingly, Fallon was among those who decided Friday it wasn’t so bad to second-guess the decision of a career prosecutor. Kellyanne Conway is on MSNBC now falsely saying Hillary Clinton is "under FBI investigation." This is what Jim Comey has wrought.
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 29, 2016
Are we back to that whole “routine security review” talking point, or is Clinton not under investigation? Because the letter Comey sent to FBI employees Friday gave that impression pretty strongly:
This morning I sent a letter to Congress in connection with the Secretary Clinton email investigation. Yesterday, the investigative team briefed me on their recommendation with respect to seeking access to emails that have recently been found in an unrelated case. Because those emails appear to be pertinent to our investigation, I agreed that we should take appropriate steps to obtain and review them.
Of course, we don’t ordinarily tell Congress about ongoing investigations, but here I feel an obligation to do so given that I testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed.
— #NeverTrump Rob G (@NYYFan63) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon Sounds like you didn’t get the FBI memo.
— DC Dude (@DCDude1776) October 29, 2016 . @brianefallon She's right! Hillary Clinton has been, for some time now, under FBI CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. The case is STILL OPEN.
— American Elephant (@AmericnElephant) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon How is that false, Brian?
— John Riley (@jriley8832) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon You're Ma Barker's press secretary & you really think she's not under FBI investigation? You're not too good at this, are you?
— BasementDweller Zero (@jurassicpork59) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon @nielslesniewski but alas, she is. That's what the FBI does.
— Tone Loc (@ToneLocNV) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon You're right, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is not Investigating. What would give someone an idea they're Investigating?
— Josh Fields (@partiallypro) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon When the Director of the FBI James Comey says they found more emails and they are going to investigate…..It means just that!
— Hillary's Speeches (@abunasir61) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon Umm. He said she was under investigation. Now go update your resume.
— Jim Levy (@TexasJew) October 29, 2016 @brianefallon Um, she is under FBI investigation. They investigate people; not things.
— Victoria Balfour (@VickiBalfour) October 29, 2016 What would you consider it, @brianefallon ?The FBI IS investigating Hillary Clinton.FBI does not investigate items, e.g., emails, server. | 0 |
Posted: Nov 9th, 2016 by Guest Click for more article by Guest .. More Stories about: Ticker | 0 |
■ Optimism is easy to come by in the offseason, but maintaining it in the regular season for even two games can be far more difficult. Just ask the Jaguars ( ) the Raiders ( with 69 points allowed through two games) and the Buccaneers ( after being crushed by the Cardinals). ■ Cam Newton can still dominate any team other than the Broncos. The Panthers quarterback moved his record against teams to over the last two seasons with a dismantling of the 49ers. And his news conference may have resurrected the boater (see below). ■ No lead is ever safe for the Cleveland Browns, who were up over the Ravens in the first quarter before a missed was returned to the opposite end zone, giving Baltimore two points. The Ravens proceeded to methodically storm back to a victory. ■ It apparently does matter who plays quarterback for the Patriots. The team’s offense fell off a cliff when Jimmy Garoppolo was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. Jacoby Brissett, a rookie out of North Carolina State, replaced Garoppolo, and New England barely hung on to win. ■ There is no place like (new) home. The Rams beat the Seahawks in their return to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after 36 years in other stadiums, and the Vikings beat the Packers in their first game in the U. S. Bank Stadium. The future looked bright on Sunday night in Minnesota. The Vikings finally got to play a regular season game in U. S. Bank Stadium, their gleaming new home. Their fans were thrilled by a dominant performance from young receiver Stefon Diggs. And a convincing victory over the Green Bay Packers even made the prospect of losing Adrian Peterson to a serious knee injury feel like a footnote. Diggs exploded for career highs with 9 catches for 182 yards. He caught 9 of the 10 passes thrown his way, and seemed able to get open at will against the Packers. Getting Diggs the ball was Sam Bradford, the underachieving veteran quarterback the Vikings traded for two weeks ago after starter Teddy Bridgewater was injured. Bradford, plagued by injuries and inconsistency in his career in St. Louis and Philadelphia, was excellent Sunday, playing through a badly bruised left hand while completing 22 of 30 passes for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns. Minnesota’s passing game helped offset a running game that struggled even before Peterson went down. After leading the N. F. L. in rushing last season, the Peterson now has just 50 yards combined through the first two games of the season on 31 carries. While no official announcement has been made regarding Peterson’s status going forward, he was shown being unable to put any weight on the knee as he was helped off the field. With or without Peterson, the Vikings are and in first place in the N. F. C. ’s North Division. For the Packers, who struggled all game with pass protection and ball security, the loss dropped the team to . Aaron Rodgers struggled all night to connect with his receivers and was intercepted by Trae Waynes late in the fourth quarter to end the Packers’ rally. Rodgers also fumbled three times, losing one of them. Anyone questioning why the Denver Broncos gave Von Miller nearly $70 million in guaranteed money after a long set of contract negotiations this offseason got their answer on Sunday. Miller dominated the Indianapolis Colts, sacking Andrew Luck three times, including a clutch play that staved off a comeback attempt and sealed Denver’s victory. When it was over, Miller walked off the field in Denver to a chorus of “M. V. P” chants from Broncos fans. Miller was the Super Bowl M. V. P. thanks largely to his ability to punch the ball out while sacking a quarterback, and in the closing minutes of Sunday’s game, as Luck tried to rally his team to a victory, it was Miller, perhaps the heart and soul of the Broncos, who came through with the play of the game, sacking Luck and stripping the ball free. The fumble was recovered by Shane Ray and returned for a touchdown. Game over. There was concern this offseason that losing Peyton Manning would put too much pressure on the Broncos’ defense, but under coordinator Wade Phillips they look nearly as strong as a year ago. On top of Miller’s big play, Aqib Talib returned an interception for a touchdown, helping the Broncos’ defense offset an uneven performance by the offense. Manning’s replacement, Trevor Siemian, completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards, but was kept without a touchdown. The Broncos are now in the era. Cam Newton threw his 122nd touchdown pass on Sunday, but all anyone wanted to talk about was his hat. Following Carolina’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, the reigning N. F. L. M. V. P. came out for his news conference in a straw boater hat and bow tie that set Twitter ablaze with comparisons to everything from carnival barkers to barbershop quartets to Lyle Lanley, the monorail salesman from “The Simpsons. ” The first question from the media was about where Newton got the anachronistic hat, but he smiled, and chose not reveal the source, saying “Undisclosed. But shoutout to my connect. ” Carolina, the league’s offense from a year ago returned to form Sunday, led by Newton, who threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns. The Panthers turned the ball over four times, but still managed to pile up 529 yards on offense. Here’s how the Panthers won. The quarterback situation in New England got even more complicated this week when Jimmy Garoppolo, who had been thriving in place of the suspended Tom Brady, went down with an injury to his throwing shoulder in the second quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game. The Patriots struggled without Garoppolo, but held on to beat the Dolphins, behind quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Here’s how Brissett looked against the Dolphins. Prior to the hit by the Dolphins’ Kiko Alonso that crushed him into the turf, Garoppolo was shredding the Miami defense, having completed 18 of 27 passes for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns. With Brady suspended through Week 4, the emergence of Garoppolo had taken a great deal of pressure off of New England, as he opened the season with an upset win on the road over Arizona and got the team off to a host start this week as well. The injury, which could potentially keep Garoppolo out for multiple weeks, leaves the Patriots with a thin depth chart at the game’s most important position. Jacoby Brissett took over for Garoppolo. Behind a conservative game plan, Brissett completed 6 of 9 passes for 92 yards. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a late field goal to put the game away, but the Dolphins came up short on their final drive. Professional football returned to Los Angeles, or at least something resembling it did, as the Rams held on to beat the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Beating the Seahawks, an N. F. C. West rival, for the third consecutive time likely felt good, but that was tempered by the fact that the Rams have failed to score a touchdown through two games. Here’s our report from the Coliseum. The focus before the game was on the injured ankle of Russell Wilson, but the Seahawks may want to be more concerned about the team’s running game. Traditionally a strength for Seattle, Seattle’s runners combined for just 67 yards on the ground, averaging 2. 8 yards an attempt. And Seahawks running back Christine Michael lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Rams. This is the second consecutive season that the Seahawks have gotten off to a rough start, with the team going last year before going to close the season. It did not live up to the slugfests these teams are known for, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals once again clashed, and in a game that was in doubt until the final seconds, the Steelers held on for a narrow victory. Tensions were undoubtedly high between the teams, but poor field conditions, caused by rain earlier in the day, led to a sloppy game in which neither Antonio Brown of the Steelers nor A. J. Green of the Bengals — two of the best receivers in the N. F. L. — cracked 40 yards receiving. Brown in particular struggled, catching just 4 passes on 11 targets, staring at his hands in disbelief at one point after an uncharacteristic drop. During an interview at halftime, Coach Mike Tomlin of the Steelers attributed the sluggish play of both offenses to the familiarity the teams have for each other. They have now played each other four times in ten months. The Steelers defense, which has struggled against the pass in each of the last two seasons, allowed Andy Dalton to pass for 366 yards, but they limited the Bengals just enough for Ben Roethlisberger’s three touchdown passes to lead Pittsburgh to victory. The Bengals had plenty of opportunities, but fumbled twice late in the game, including one on an attempted lateral by Giovani Bernard with 8 seconds remaining to seal their fate. ■ Prescott Strong for Cowboys: Discussing Dak Prescott after the rookie quarterback’s first NFL victory, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones managed to throw in references to folks such as Troy Aikman, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger — QBs with nine Super Bowl victories combined. Not bad company for a guy who was a draft pick and is only playing because Tony Romo is out with an injured back. Prescott ran for a TD went 22 for 30 for 292 yards, and showed a veteran’s poise in the pocket, helping the Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday as he stayed as a pro so far. Here’s how Dallas won. ■ Titans Rally to Beat Lions: Marcus Mariota converted a fourth down with a perfectly lofted touchdown pass to Andre Johnson with 1:13 left, lifting the Tennessee Titans to a win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Mariota dropped the pass over linebacker Tahir Whitehead to Johnson just before safety Rafael Bush could get to the veteran receiver to potentially break up the pass. The Titans ( ) ended a losing streak, dating to last December, after Mariota threw two TD passes in the fourth quarter after trailing . — Associated Press ■ The Browns Continue to Be Bad: The Cleveland Browns looked to be moving along just fine without Robert Griffin III, starting Week 2’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens with touchdowns on the first three drives of the game and grabbing a lead. But that old Browns luck kicked in immediately following the third touchdown, as Patrick Murray’s extra point attempted was blocked, and Tavon Young recovered the ball and returned it to the other end zone for two points. It was just the second recovery for a score in N. F. L. history. From that point forward it was all Baltimore, with Joe Flacco rallying his team to a victory on the road. Anyone expecting a shootout similar to the one when the Giants and Saints met last season was disappointed. On Sunday, neither team scored an offensive touchdown until the early fourth quarter. A dreary game came down to a humdrum field goal by the Giants Josh Brown that broke a tie and gave the Giants a victory. Here’s how the Giants beat the Saints. ■ P. J. Williams, a cornerback for the Saints, went down in a brutal collision and appeared unable to move as he was carted off the field and taken to the hospital. Williams, a rookie, came in low to try and tackle Larry Donnell of the Giants early in the first quarter, and had his neck snapped from in the collision. Fox broadcasters reported that Williams regained movement in his extremities, and the Saints announced he was being evaluated for a concussion. | 1 |
More articles on the HPV Vaccine Canadian physician Dr. Andrew Moulden provided clear scientific evidence to prove that every dose of vaccine given to a child or an adult produces harm. The truth that he uncovered was rejected by the conventional medical system and the pharmaceutical industry. Nevertheless, his warning and his message to America remains as a solid legacy of the man who stood up against big pharma and their program to vaccinate every person on the Earth. Dr. Moulden died unexpectedly in November of 2013 at age 49. Because of the strong opposition from big pharma concerning Dr. Moulden’s research, we became concerned that the name of this brilliant researcher and his life’s work had nearly been deleted from the internet. His reputation was being disparaged, and his message of warning and hope was being distorted and buried without a tombstone. This book summarizes his teaching and is a must-read for everyone who wants to learn the “other-side” of the vaccine debate that the mainstream media routinely censors. Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced?eBook – Available for immediate download.
One of the biggest myths being propagated in the compliant mainstream media today is that doctors are either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and that the anti-vaccine doctors are all “quacks.”
However, nothing could be further from the truth in the vaccine debate. Doctors are not unified at all on their positions regarding “the science” of vaccines, nor are they unified in the position of removing informed consent to a medical procedure like vaccines.
The two most extreme positions are those doctors who are 100% against vaccines and do not administer them at all, and those doctors that believe that ALL vaccines are safe and effective for ALL people, ALL the time, by force if necessary.
Very few doctors fall into either of these two extremist positions, and yet it is the extreme pro-vaccine position that is presented by the U.S. Government and mainstream media as being the dominant position of the medical field.
In between these two extreme views, however, is where the vast majority of doctors practicing today would probably categorize their position. Many doctors who consider themselves “pro-vaccine,” for example, do not believe that every single vaccine is appropriate for every single individual.
Many doctors recommend a “delayed” vaccine schedule for some patients, and not always the recommended one-size-fits-all CDC childhood schedule. Other doctors choose to recommend vaccines based on the actual science and merit of each vaccine, recommending some, while determining that others are not worth the risk for children, such as the suspect seasonal flu shot.
These doctors who do not hold extreme positions would be opposed to government-mandated vaccinations and the removal of all parental exemptions.
In this eBook, I am going to summarize the many doctors today who do not take the most extremist pro-vaccine position, which is probably not held by very many doctors at all, in spite of what the pharmaceutical industry, the federal government, and the mainstream media would like the public to believe.
This article originally appeared on vaccineimpact.com Image: Wikimedia Commons | 0 |
(27 fans) - Advertisement - " We like nonfiction, and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious President. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it's the fiction of duct tape or the fictitious orange alerts, we are against this war, Mr. Bush."--Michael Moore Oscar acceptance speech, moments before his mic was cut off. This year may mark a turning point, where the moral bankruptcy was laid bare for all. I'm speaking of the Bernie Sanders flip-flop for Hillary Clinton, the predictable bait-and-switch, which Democrats never seem to imagine in real time. The rest of us have seen it so often that the ruse has become routine Standard Operating Procedure. A particularly notable case is Sarah Silverman, the filthy-mouthed comedienne, who originally championed Bernie. But she quickly fell into lockstep for Hillary. Silverman had a soul empty enough to go and scold the United States to support a candidate whom she had just been fighting against , and who actually stole the nomination from her own candidate through back-room deals at the DNC and through apparent voting-machine hacking . The thief was rewarded instead of jailed for some reason, which Hollywood has had absolutely zero interest in, as if it didn't happen. They moved on instantly to lambast us all about Donald Trump 24/7. Orwell couldn't have written it better. Hollywood has a highly complex understanding of political philosophy and particularly of this presidential race: 1. Trump Bad 2. Hillary Woman 3. So-called "Lesser Evil" We should acknowledge, those who are literate, that Hillary Clinton's repeated threats to escalate World War 3 over Syria leave her as potentially the greater evil, not the lesser at all. The jury is very much out. " Goldwater Girl" Hillary Rodham Clinton has a lengthy record of supporting every US aggressive war and opposing none. She may have played a part in the killings of over 2 million human beings so far, merely tallying those casualties from the three countries of Iraq, Syria and Libya. One may opt to also add another half-million Iraqi children who died as a result of her husband's eight years of sanctions. - Advertisement - I noticed Hollywood's widespread mindless support for Democrats back in 2000, when I kicked that shockingly corrupt party to the curb and joyfully cast a vote for Ralph Nader, an actual American hero whose efforts have saved lives. Die-hard whiners of the Democratic rank-and-file still falsely claim that big bad Ralph gave the election to Dubya Bush, when anyone with the ability to read can see that it was the Supreme Court which stopped the legitimate counting of Florida ballots. Add Bush's brother Jeb purging nearly two-hundred thousand minority voters from rolls. But the mindless strategy of attacking third parties and attempting to delegitimize democracy itself persists among the ignorant (a majority of Democrats perhaps). This is by design; this is who they are. They do not believe in democracy, because the billionaires who fund them do not believe in any democracy they cannot control. George W. Bush's theft of the presidency did help expose the moral bankruptcy of Democrats as well as Republicans. When Bush lied about Iraq, Hillary Clinton was right there with him embellishing and freestyling! She claimed Iraq's non-existent "weapons of mass destruction" to be "undisputed." Her lies helped sell the war to Congress, a war of aggression: what the Nazis did and were hung for at Nuremberg. Her role in aggressive war and in destroying International Law as a restraint against belligerence are profound crimes, grievous war crimes: "the supreme international crime" in the words of U.S. Judge Robert Jackson. When a handful of Democrats attempted to impeach the Bush junta for crimes relating to those wars, as well as to torture and cover-up, it was Democrat Nancy Pelosi who announced "Impeachment is off the table." Criminal collusion, allowing the crimes to stand without recourse, that is what they did. The US federal government has served as a protection racket for international war crimes. The damage that Democrats inflicted upon the rule of law is equal to that of the Republicans. The former had a moral and legal responsibility to defend the Constitution, their oaths of office, but voluntarily opted not to. The Internet helped flood the world with information to pass around, both good and bad, but the crimes of both parties became difficult for them to wash away now that Google made all web searchers equal. Today, things have accelerated into realms of the absurd. CNN recently cut off a congressman in mid-sentence for uttering the word "Wikileaks." This Soviet-style clampdown on dissent remains a shocker even in a society that's pretty much seen it all. - Advertisement - The media, distrusted by most , is only one aspect of the problem though. Americans get their views from joking heads as much as from stodgy teleprompter readers. Talk shows and comedy skits propagandize viewers every bit as much as do the Washington Post or New York Times . Celebrity endorsements matter. A casual glance at those programs would reveal that democracy is non-existent in Hollywood today. All voices are not represented. Minority candidates cannot get air time, will not be interviewed, and will only be mocked in absentia as per John Oliver's recent disgraceful hit piece on Green Party candidate Jill Stein , a cowardly move John. Shameful. But Oliver is far from alone. I single him out because he knows better and could have done justice to the Green Party and to its clear alternative to perpetual war, empire, and industrialized ecocide. But where would that have left him personally vis a vis the Hollywood political consensus? | 0 |
Breitbart editor MILO and former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli will lead a rally this afternoon on UC Davis’ campus to protest the violent speech activists who shut down their event that was scheduled for last night.[ The rally, which is scheduled for 1 P. M. PST (4 PM EST) will feature both MILO and Shkreli and will take place on UC Davis’ quad. Last night’s event was cancelled after protesters became violent. Several protesters were caught by cameras attacking reporters and throwing barricades. “After consulting with UC Davis Police Department and UC Davis Student Affairs officials, the Davis College Republicans canceled tonight’s event featuring Breitbart columnist Milo Yiannopoulos,” claimed UC Davis in an official blog post on their website. “The decision was made at about 7:00 pm, 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the event, after a large number of protesters blocked access to the venue, and it was determined that it was no longer feasible to continue with the event safely. ” | 1 |
OBAMA GIVES TRUMP A GIFT: ObamaCare Collapsing Nationwide One Week Before Election Day A look at what happened in Arizona shows the cascading effects of problems with the design and implementation of the ACA, combined with early missteps by insurers. Some priced plans aggressively, angling for market share and betting special programs built into the law would protect them from losses. Those protections didn’t work as expected. Enrollees’ health-care expenses repeatedly overshot the projections of nearly all Arizona’s insurers. The result: a flood of red ink, then withdrawals and premium increases. When Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces launched in fall 2013, Arizona seemed like a success. Eight insurers competed to sign up consumers, offering a wide variety of plans and some of the lowest premiums in the country.
Today, with ACA enrollment starting Nov. 1 , Arizonans will find in most counties only one insurer selling exchange plans for 2017. Premiums for some plans will be more than double this year, some of the biggest increases in the nation. Only last-minute maneuvering prevented one Arizona county from becoming the first in the nation to have no exchange insurers at all.
A similar dynamic is playing out in other states’ exchanges, which are a critical centerpiece of the 2010 health law. About one-third of U.S. counties will have just one exchange insurer next year , up from 7% this year, estimates the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health-care issues. In many cases, remaining insurers are seeking significant rate increases. Obama on Showing ACA Works: ‘We’re Not Going To Get That Much Help Through the Media’
A look at what happened in Arizona shows the cascading effects of problems with the design and implementation of the ACA, combined with early missteps by insurers. Some priced plans aggressively, angling for market share and betting special programs built into the law would protect them from losses. Those protections didn’t work as expected. Enrollees’ health-care expenses repeatedly overshot the projections of nearly all Arizona’s insurers. The result: a flood of red ink, then withdrawals and premium increases.
“The Arizona market is the poster child for the problems the exchanges are experiencing nationally,” says Tom Snook, a Phoenix-based actuary for consultants Milliman Inc.
Opponents of the health law have cited the problems in Arizona and other states to argue for unraveling the legislation, and they have proposed changes such as expanding health-savings accounts and allowing insurers to sell plans across state lines. Trump: My employees are having problems with Obamacare
Obama administration officials say they are bolstering the exchanges, and the consumer impact of premium increases will be limited by the law’s subsidies for lower-income people, received by about 85% of enrollees nationally. “We’re making really good progress in addressing a lot of the issues,” says Kevin Counihan, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unit charged with implementing the health law. He calls Arizona an “outlier,” saying that insurers elsewhere have succeeded with ACA plans.
The ACA transformed the individual insurance market, where consumers buy their own plans. Before the law, insurers could refuse to sell to people with pre-existing health conditions. Starting in 2014, consumers couldn’t be denied coverage, or charged more, if they were ill. Individuals could shop for plans via an online marketplace. Partly to ensure that healthy people signed up to balance out the sick, the law contained penalties for most people if they didn’t obtain coverage. Arizona expanded Medicaid, as the law envisioned.
Insurers saw uncertainty in the new marketplace, but also potential. They had to guess what prices they needed to charge to cover the health costs of new enrollees. A 2013 Society of Actuaries report suggested that the Arizona individual-insurance market could more than double, growing to 570,681 consumers, with more than 80% of them buying through the exchange. The health-care costs of the newer customer base would be around 22% higher than the old one, it suggested. President dodges blame for Obamacare premium increases
Insurers believed they had protective guardrails —programs in the law to limit losses for companies that drew a lot of unhealthy, high-cost consumers. One insurer, Health Net Inc., told investors in November 2013 it could effectively pay out $1.20 in claims for each $1 it got in premiums and still break even with help from an ACA program called “risk corridors.” Some of Health Net’s Arizona products were among the lowest-priced in the country, according to Kaiser.
Kim Walton, 62 years old, of Tempe, says his monthly insurance bill dropped by more than two-thirds compared with his pre-ACA plan, with help from a federal subsidy. Unlike his old plan, his new ACA insurance covered any costs tied to his pre-existing health conditions—he earlier had a hip replacement and suffered a broken neck. “It was perfect,” says Mr. Walton, who owns his own business.
Krysti Horwitz of Phoenix steered clear of the exchange. Ms. Horwitz, 35, and her husband, who own an online-marketing business, were healthy. In 2013, they had a plan that she said cost them significantly less than a new ACA one would. They weren’t eligible for subsidies. They decided to keep what they had, an option the Obama administration authorized in late 2013.
By spring of 2014, with the first year of the new ACA plans barely under way, insurers had to guess again at pricing. Rate requests for 2015 plans were due, though insurers still had scant information about who signed up. That was partly because federal officials extended the deadline for enrollment after technical problems with HealthCare.gov, the federal exchange being used in Arizona and many other states.
One thing was already clear: Health Net’s low-price gambit had won huge market share. The company ended up with nearly 92,000 enrolled in individual plans in 2014, more than seven times its 2013 total, according to insurance-data firm Mark Farrah Associates’ Health Coverage Portal.
That posed a challenge for rivals, including startup Meritus, one of the nonprofit cooperative plans launched under the ACA. Meritus drew only a few thousand consumers in 2014, and it needed to boost enrollment to sustain itself, according to Tom Zumtobel,the co-op’s former CEO, who took over in late 2014.
Meritus worked to reduce its prices, and its rates came in below competitors’ in 2015.
Once again that year, Arizona had some of the lowest exchange premiums in the U.S., and one of the most competitive marketplaces, with 11 insurers, according to the Kaiser data. Enrollment grew, particularly at Meritus, where it surged to about 48,000 in 2015, according to Mark Farrah Associates.
On Oct. 1, 2015, insurers got a huge blow: Federal regulators announced the risk-corridor program, which many companies expected to limit their financial risk, would pay out only 12.6% of the amount expected . The program hadn’t taken in enough money from successful insurers to cover the requests of those with significant losses.
For Meritus, it was “operationally devastating,” says Mr. Zumtobel. That Oct. 30, just two days before consumers were set to start buying their 2016 exchange plans, Arizona’s regulator put the co-op under supervision, barring it from selling new insurance policies.
Remaining insurers began retrenching. The 2016 plans included more-limited networks of health-care providers. The total number of exchange insurers ticked down to eight, from 11, and premiums rose. “We started to see the cracks,” says Jerry Anderson, an insurance agent in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Nearly all the Arizona individual business of exchange insurers plunged into the red, according to Mark Farrah Associates, the insurance-data firm. Health Net booked nearly $40 million in losses on its Arizona individual business in 2014, and another $39 million the following year, according to Mark Farrah Associates, when the insurer agreed to be acquired by Centene Corp. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, the biggest player in the state’s individual market, had priced less aggressively than Health Net but still saw steep losses.
Based on regulatory filings, McKinsey & Co. estimated the insurance industry suffered cumulative losses of between 9% and 11% of premium revenue on individual plans last year. Only about one-quarter of insurers reported a profit on the business.
In Arizona, insurers set their rates too low to cover their enrollees’ health expenses. There were fewer people than actuaries once projected, with about 203,000 choosing exchange plans during the enrollment period for this year. The share of enrollees who were healthy was smaller than companies projected, partly because the law’s penalties weren’t enough to prod them to enroll, insurers say. The unhealthy people who did sign up were more costly. Insurers say that some consumers appeared to be buying plans specifically when they had health needs.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona’s ACA plans in 2014 were priced around 35% higher on average than its individual plans in 2013. “In hindsight, it wasn’t even close to enough,” says Jeff Stelnik, a senior vice president at the nonprofit. ACA-plan enrollees had medical costs around 250% higher on average than individual members before the health law, due partly to far higher prevalence of conditions such as diabetes, he says.
Insurers began to bail out. On April 19, UnitedHealth Group Inc. said it would pull out of nearly all state ACA exchanges , including Arizona’s, for the next year amid growing losses. Others in Arizona retreated, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Health Net, which decided to pull out of the state’s most populous county, Maricopa, as well as adjacent Pinal, for 2017. On Aug. 15, Aetna Inc. announced it would leave most of its exchanges , including Arizona’s. Aetna’s decision created a crisis: Pinal County would have no exchange insurers for 2017. The void would short-circuit a central mechanism of the law, because consumers can get subsidies only through an ACA marketplace.
The situation drew attention from Republicans critical of the ACA, including Arizona Sen. John McCain . He introduced a bill meant to “protect AZ from Obamacare collapse,” according to a press release. Obama administration officials said they believed the situation would be resolved.
In September, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona announced it would continue to sell exchange plans in Pinal next year after all. The decision came after state and federal regulators “expressed their concern for Pinal residents,” though the insurer made the call on its own, says Blue Cross’s Mr. Stelnik.
Neighboring Maricopa County, the state’s most populous, also ended up with just one insurer—Centene, Health Net’s new parent, which announced Sept. 14 it would sell exchange plans there next year. Centene CEO Michael F. Neidorff says his company has a very different approach from Health Net, which he says “thought they would get the revenue, the growth,” and relied on ACA risk programs for protection. Centene said it expects to be profitable in Arizona, as it has been in other exchanges.
That left only one county in Arizona, Pima, with more than one exchange insurer—it has two. There will be a few more options sold outside the exchange, to people who don’t get federal subsidies.
Premium increases are steep, though the effect will be blunted for those who get subsidies. Blue Cross’s rates are up by an average of 51% from this year, Centene’s Health Net unit’s, by nearly 75%.
Mr. Walton, the consumer who benefited from lower premiums at the start of the exchange, worries he won’t be able to find a plan that includes his primary-care physician and his cardiologist. “I don’t know what’s going to happen come November,” he says. | 0 |
CHARLESTON, S. C. — The federal trial to determine whether Dylann S. Roof will receive the death penalty for his murderous rampage at an church has become a delicate balancing act, pitting the desire of prosecutors to convey the fullness of grief for the nine devout victims against the due process rights of an unrepentant white supremacist who largely declines to defend himself. In three days of testimony last week, prosecutors questioned 20 spouses, children, grandchildren and friends of the victims to draw painfully poignant portraits of men and women who were pillars of their church, families and community. Jurors heard not only the tributes of the bereaved but in some cases the voices of the dead — recordings of the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney lecturing proudly about the history of Emanuel A. M. E. Church, the Rev. DePayne Middleton Doctor booming a soulful a cappella solo, the Rev. Sharonda praying in a crescendo at the funeral of a friend. The government’s lawyers called two or three witnesses to render a portrait of each victim testimony about one of the deceased — the youngest, Tywanza Sanders — remains for Monday. The prosecution plans to rest its case that day, and Mr. Roof, who is representing himself, has said he will not call any witnesses. Closing arguments are expected on Tuesday. Mr. Roof, 22, stared straight ahead or down at the defense table, avoiding eye contact with witnesses who lost composure on the stand and jurors who sometimes dabbed away tears. When a prosecutor would conclude his gentle questioning, which could draw on for more than an hour, Judge Richard M. Gergel of Federal District Court would call for . Mr. Roof, dressed in a sweater and slacks, would rise slightly from his seat and announce: “No questions. ” That dynamic has prompted a series of challenges by Mr. Roof, and pointed exchanges between Judge Gergel and David I. Bruck, the veteran, capital defender whom Mr. Roof has sidelined, about how much is too much. “It is not fair to allow that much testimony to be heard by the jury when I am not presenting any evidence — from my family or anyone else — in mitigation,” Mr. Roof argued on Wednesday in a motion that Judge Gergel denied. “If I don’t present any mitigation evidence, the evidence will take over the whole sentencing trial and guarantee that I get the death penalty. ” Found guilty in December on 33 counts, including 18 that carry a potential death sentence, Mr. Roof has rejected Mr. Bruck’s strategy of presenting evidence about his background and mental health that might mitigate against his execution. The lawyer has been relegated to the role of standby counsel, allowed to sit beside Mr. Roof and offer guidance but not to question witnesses or to object to the government’s evidence. The usually Mr. Bruck has not been able to contain his frustration. At several points last week, with the jury out of the courtroom, he pleaded with Judge Gergel to rein in the prosecution and to empower him to object to testimony. “This is sentencing it is not a memorial service,” said Mr. Bruck, who has often expressed his admiration for the victims and his sorrow for their families. “It has become a runaway freight train. ” Mr. Bruck told Judge Gergel that Mr. Roof did not have the capacity or courage to offer objections and consistently ignored the suggestions he passed along in notes. He said he had advised Mr. Roof to move for a mistrial. Judge Gergel has had none of it. He lectured Mr. Bruck that he had twice held competency hearings and determined that Mr. Roof met the legal thresholds to stand trial and represent himself, a constitutional right. “I have not noticed the bashfulness to make an objection any time he feels it appropriate,” the judge told Mr. Bruck on Friday. He asked Mr. Roof if he felt uncomfortable doing so. “No,” Mr. Roof replied, saying no more. The judge has, however, cautioned Julius N. Richardson, an assistant United States attorney, to restrict the number of victim impact witnesses and the length of their testimony. “At some point it’s too much,” Judge Gergel said. “I’m worried about the cumulative effect. ” Yet, he also acknowledged the emotion of the memories offered from the stand. “There is no antiseptic way to do this,” he said. Although they gradually acceded to Judge Gergel’s suggestion to “streamline” their case, prosecutors have argued that the scale of the massacre justified a large number of witnesses. “He is the one who chose to kill nine people,” Mr. Richardson said of Mr. Roof, who, according to testimony, wore shoes to a closed hearing last week bearing a symbol of white supremacy. “He is the one who chose to go into a church to do it, and he’s the one who chose to do it to particularly good people. ” Impact statements at capital trials — and the legal questions surrounding them — rose to prominence in the 1980s as victims’ rights advocates won public support, including the passage of a law that altered the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. But in 1987, the United States Supreme Court ruled that such evidence in capital cases was a “constitutionally unacceptable risk. ” Four years later, it reversed that position when it ruled in Payne v. Tennessee. “Victim impact evidence is simply another form or method of informing the sentencing authority about the specific harm caused by the crime in question,” Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote for the majority. Such evidence has become a staple of capital proceedings. Before Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people, prosecutors called 38 victim impact witnesses, Mr. Roof noted in a motion. More than a dozen testified at the 2015 trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who received the death penalty for the Boston Marathon attack that left three people dead and more than 250 wounded. Researchers have repeatedly found that such evidence has substantial effects on jurors who are weighing capital punishment. Mr. Roof’s choice to not call witnesses means that jurors will “not hear that evidence which tends to dampen the emotional effect” of grieving relatives, said Scott E. Sundby, a law professor at the University of Miami who has studied juror behavior in capital cases. Victim impact witnesses cannot, by law, opine about the penalty they prefer. But the jurors in Charleston have heard stories of intense suffering and loss, one after another. Prosecutors began by eliciting heartfelt reminiscences of family gatherings and final conversations, then pivoted to the excruciating moments of discovery after the killings of June 17, 2015. “I dropped the phone and just started jumping and fell on the floor and stayed there for two hours,” recalled Bethane Middleton Brown, Ms. Doctor’s sister. “I couldn’t move. ” Jurors saw an affecting video of Chris Singleton, the son of Ms. rapping a tribute to his charismatic mother: “Took your life in the middle of the church, and I just pray, Mama, that you weren’t hurt. ” They heard Malcolm R. Graham, a former North Carolina state senator, describe the deep void left by the death of his sister, Cynthia Hurd, a longtime county librarian who served as his mentor and political guide. “I’m alive, I’m fit, but something is missing,” he said. “I can’t go to the store and replace it. I can’t reinvent it. ” Walter Jackson Jr. seemed to find cruel irony in his grandmother Susie Jackson’s being taken in a hate crime. “She was 87 when she passed, and that’s someone who’s gone through racism, discrimination, segregation,” he said. “Yet she was still that kind of person who still had that unconditional love for everyone. ” Daniel L. Simmons Jr. told of his initial bewilderment that his father, the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. a Vietnam veteran with a license to carry a concealed weapon, had not done more to protect the churchgoers as he always had his family. He got his answer after receiving the keys to his father’s car from the coroner and finding the gun inside. “When I opened the car, it was sitting on the front seat,” Mr. Simmons said. “He took it off before he went to church. ” Death penalty critics complain that the testimony here has traded on the inherent nobility of the victims to advance what they consider the most ignoble of punishments, one that many members of the families say they oppose. They note the paradox that a death sentence for Mr. Roof may bolster support for maintaining a penalty that has been inflicted disproportionately on . Some said the impact evidence may produce grounds for an appeal. Henderson Hill, a lawyer who founded the Center for Death Penalty Litigation and who attended the proceedings last week, said the tenor amounted to “a whistle for a life for a life. ” “This is so far past the pale of what is acceptable practice that I find it just unrecognizable as a capital sentencing proceeding,” he said. “I’ve never seen this kind of celebration of life, even in black churches where the traditions are that services go on forever. ” | 1 |
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