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A report by market research group GfK indicates that half of ObamaCare’s enrollees avoid visiting the doctor to save money, underscoring once more that despite the Obama administration’s claims that the healthcare law has helped to insure more Americans, it remains unaffordable and inefficient and fails to service the very Americans it has enrolled.
The Washington Free Beacon reports that GfK conducted a study in which it asked ObamaCare enrollees which measures they’ve taken over the course of the past year to save money on healthcare costs.
Thirty-six percent admitted to skipping doctors’ visits even when sick, while 22 percent stated that they’ve avoided preventative care visits. Twelve percent avoided lab testing, while another 12 percent said they even delayed surgery. “Exchange users with lower incomes (below $25,000 a year) are turning to urgent care facilities and ‘minute clinics’ in huge numbers; 27% have done so in the past year, compared to just 12% of the overall [Affordable Care Act] customer population,” the study says.
“Visiting one of these outlets is often appealing to people who may have not formed lasting relationships with providers, especially as costs can be substantially lower,” the study said.
But that was one of the many things that the healthcare law was supposed to fix — another broken promise, along with consumers being able to keep their doctors and health plans and actually being able to afford insurance.
Twenty-four percent of ObamaCare enrollees in the GfK study stated that in an effort to save money, they purchased cheaper insurance plans on the market, which sadly also come with higher deductibles, deterring enrollees from actually using their health insurance. They simply selected plans to ward off the fine.
It appears there will not be a reprieve for these consumers in the near future. With healthcare costs set to increase an average of 25 percent next year, one must assume that more people will be compelled to opt out of using the healthcare for which they pay.
“Even before the news broke that the cost of mid-range health insurance from the Affordable Care Act exchanges will rise about 25%, millions of Obamacare customers were already skipping doctor visits to save money,” GfK’s study said. “With mid-level exchange premiums set to rise about 25%, more cutbacks in care seem likely.”
And still, President Obama touts the Affordable Care Act as his signature achievement. This administration cares more about how many people have insurance than how many people can actually use their insurance, which is really the more important component. What good is having insurance when it is virtually unusable?
In addition to the increased costs, consumers are left with limited options for their insurance plans, as the total number of HealthCare.gov insurers will drop from 232 to 167 in 2017, Fox News reports. What’s more, the co-ops that were created to keep prices competitive are struggling just as much as the healthcare insurers. Seventy-percent of the original co-ops have gone under.
Earlier this year, President Obama told a crowd in Milwaukee that 20 million more Americans have health insurance “thanks to the law.”
But according to Brian Blase, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, only those who receive subsidies are continuing to sign up for coverage in droves. Blase adds that many of those new enrollees are “gaming the new rules to enroll only when they need expensive medical services.”
Unfortunately, enrollment in ObamaCare is concentrated among those low-income individuals who receive significant subsidies to reduce premiums. As noted by Fox News last week, five to seven million Americans with insurance are either ineligible for that same assistance, or purchase their policies outside of the marketplace, where subsidies are not available.
Blase opines, “This year’s huge premium increases combined with much less choice of plans for Americans across the country demonstrate the law is wrecking the individual market for insurance and needs large scale revision.”
Will that revision come after the presidential election? That remains to be seen.
While Republican presidential contender Donald Trump announced that he would repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a health savings account program, Democrat Hillary Clinton has proposed increasing subsidies and making them available to more people, a solution that would greatly increase taxpayer costs.
Sadly, none of the candidates have offered the best solution, which is for the federal government to adhere to its constitutional limitations and remove itself from the healthcare industry entirely. Government intrusion in healthcare is what has caused the very problems that led to calls for healthcare “reform” in the first place. True free market healthcare would be far better for all Americans, including those who have difficulty affording insurance under today's system. Under this constitutional system, customers would be able to work with their physicians directly and the marketplace would offer competitive pricing and plans.
Only with true free market healthcare would consumers be able to afford both owning their health insurance plans, and also using them. What a novel concept. Please review our Comment Policy before posting a comment
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BEIRUT, Lebanon — On the day after his 51st birthday, Bashar the president of Syria, took a victory lap through the dusty streets of a destroyed and empty rebel town that his forces had starved into submission. Smiling, with his shirt open at the collar, he led officials in dark suits past deserted shops and buildings before telling a reporter that — despite a announced by the United States and Russia — he was committed “to taking back all areas from the terrorists. ” When he says terrorists, he means all who oppose him. More than five years into the conflict that has shattered his country, displaced half its population and killed hundreds of thousands of people, Mr. Assad denies any responsibility for the destruction. Instead, he presents himself as a reasonable head of state and the sole unifier who can end the war and reconcile Syria’s people. That insistence, which he has clung to for years even as his forces hit civilians with gas attacks and barrel bombs, is a major impediment to sustaining a let alone ending the war. The new less than a week old, is already tenuous. On Saturday, the United States acknowledged carrying out an airstrike that killed Syrian government troops in eastern Syria. Attacks have resumed across the country, and aid meant for besieged residents of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, is still stuck at the Turkish border. Mr. Assad has become a central paradox of the war: He is secure and kept in place by foreign backers as his country splinters, although few see the war ending and Syria being put back together as long as he stays. Although he remains a pariah to the West, and scores of militant groups continue to fight to oust him, even his opponents acknowledge that he has navigated his way out of the immediate threats to his rule, making the question of his fate an intractable dilemma. The rebels are unlikely to stop fighting as long as the man they blame for the majority of the war’s deaths remains. But fear of what might emerge if Mr. Assad is ousted has deterred many Syrians from joining the insurrection and may have helped prevent countries like the United States from acting more forcefully against him. The result has been a crushing stalemate. Mr. Assad’s standing as leader of Syria is diminished — and yet stable. “The problem is that he cannot win, and at the same time he is not losing,” said Samir Altaqi, the director of the Orient Research Center in Dubai. “But at the end of the day, what is left of Syria? He is still the leader, but he lost the state. ” Indeed, recent events give the impression that Mr. Assad has succeeded in muddling through, without being held accountable. August came and went with little mention of the anniversary of the chemical attacks by his forces that killed more than 1, 000 people in 2013. Turkey, a key backer of the rebels, dropped its demand that he leave power immediately, and the United States has stopped calling for his removal. And the day before Mr. Assad’s birthday on Sept. 11, for which his supporters created a fawning website, the United States and Russia announced a new agreement with surprising benefits for Mr. Assad. Besides making no mention of his political future, the agreement brought together one of his greatest foes, the United States, with one of his greatest allies, Russia, to bomb the jihadists who threaten his rule. Years ago, few assumed that Mr. Assad would join the ranks of the world’s bloodiest dictators. and educated as an ophthalmologist, he had not planned on a political career but was summoned from London by his father and predecessor, Hafez Assad, when the heir apparent, Bashar’s elder brother, Bassel, died in a car accident in 1994. After Bashar succeeded his father as president in 2000, many hoped he would reform the country. But those hopes dwindled, evaporating entirely with the start of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, when Mr. Assad sought to quell initially peaceful protests with overwhelming violence. The conflict escalated from there. Despite widespread opposition to his rule, a combination of factors has enabled Mr. Assad to persevere, analysts say. His foes have remained divided and have failed to convince many Syrians, especially religious minorities, that they would protect their rights or run the country better than Mr. Assad. As continuous battles have ground down his forces, Mr. Assad has been the beneficiary of significant military support from Iran, Russia and Lebanon’s Hezbollah — aid much more significant than what the United States and its allies have given the rebels. And the rise of jihadist organizations like the Islamic State and the Nusra Front, recently renamed the Levant Conquest Front, have led many Syrians and some of Mr. Assad’s international opponents to conclude that he is the lesser evil. While he may be brutal to his people, the thinking goes, he does not directly threaten the West. His victory tour on Monday showcased the desolation of the town of Daraya, a longtime rebel stronghold whose remaining residents were bused out last month after an extended siege by government forces. In videos released by the Syrian government, Mr. Assad arrived in town driving his own car, a silver Hyundai fidgeted though a sermon praising him for protecting Syria and performed prayers for the Muslim Eid holiday. Then, as martial music played, the camera jumped between images of the area’s destruction and scenes of Mr. Assad leading a determined entourage through town. A reporter stopped him for questions, and Mr. Assad spoke in soft tones about reconciliation and reconstruction. He mocked his foes as “rented revolutionaries,” a dig at their foreign backing, and laughed at his turn of phrase. His entourage got the cue and laughed as well. For many Syrians, the message was clear. “He is a man who wanted to show all Syrians that this would be their luck if they opposed him,” said Murhaf Jouejati, the chairman of the Day After organization, which aims to prepare Syrians for a democratic future. Malik Rifai, an antigovernment activist from Daraya now displaced to northern Syria, said he felt numb watching Mr. Assad walk the streets of his empty hometown, but shared a video of a flock of birds that had flown over as residents were leaving. He interpreted it as a sign that they would return, he said. “Those birds were a deep message from heaven, whereas Bashar’s presence was just a parade, showing the muscles of a weak person,” Mr. Rifai said in an online chat. Mr. Assad’s dark suits and calm tones have given him a public image more sophisticated than that of other Arab autocrats like Col. Muammar of Libya and Saddam Hussein of Iraq, who often brandished weapons and gave thundering speeches, threatening their enemies. “He’s a different kind of bloodthirsty dictator, the kind who shops online on his iPad,” said Nadim Houry, who oversaw the work of Human Rights Watch on Syria for a decade. “He’s sort of Arab dictator 2. 0. ” Colonel Qaddafi and Mr. Hussein were both killed after foreign interventions aimed at removing them from power — a fate Mr. Assad appears to have escaped, even though the death toll on his watch has exceeded that of his more colorful colleagues. His perseverance has frustrated those who feel Mr. Assad should be held accountable. “The fact that many leaders are considering or willing to deal with him today as if he has not gassed his own people or tortured thousands to death is an indictment of the current policy environment across the world,” Mr. Houry said. “There is a level of cynicism, a lack of ambition. ” But analysts note many weaknesses in Mr. Assad’s position. After years of war, he holds less than half of Syria’s territory and his forces are depleted, making it hard for them to seize and hold new areas. Military aid from Iran and Hezbollah on the ground and from Russia in the skies has held off rebel advances, but they have also made him more dependent on foreign powers looking out for their own interests. Diplomats who track Syria say that while Iran remains committed to Mr. Assad, the Russians could negotiate him away if their interests were protected. And signs of Russian displeasure with Mr. Assad have occasionally surfaced. In June, Sergei K. Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, visited Syria apparently without informing Mr. Assad that he was coming — a major embarrassment for a president who speaks often of national sovereignty. “A pleasant surprise!” a beaming Mr. Assad said in a video of the meeting. “I did not know that you were coming in person. ” But Mr. Assad still has significant support in areas he controls, including among many Syrians who want the war to end and see no alternative to his rule. “If God gives him life, I see that he’ll be president until Syria comes back the way that it was,” said Bouchra a Lebanese lawyer who meets regularly with Syrian officials and knows Mr. Assad. She dismissed the idea that the violence of Mr. Assad’s government would make Syrians reject him after the war. “People love their homeland,” she said. “All that hate and aggression will go away in the end. ” | 1 |
By Peter van Els, The Netherlands Many sometimes wonder, why are we here? What are we, as humans, doing here? What is the meaning of life? As a young boy (6 or 7), I sometimes cried myself to sleep,... | 0 |
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The Seattle Police Department has recovered “wooden poles, heavy pipes, and shields” from protesters, amidst and protests taking place in the city. [The Seattle Police Department posted a photograph of several of the recovered items to their Facebook account on Friday evening. They were recovered from protesters in Westlake Park. Unrest erupted in Seattle on Friday evening partially in response to the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Large crowds of protesters are also gathering at the University of Washington, where an event with Breitbart editor MILO is taking place. Anarchist protesters carried baseball bats and sharpened sticks with them before they were confiscated by law enforcement in the streets of Seattle. As a result of the chaos, MILO’s event has been postponed by 45 minutes. | 1 |
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:19 UTC © Jen Psaki President Obama holds news conference at the White House. As an American, someone raised to believe truth and justice will prevail, I am appalled at the foreign and domestic policies of my country's government. The level and scope of the deceit with which the Obama administration has laid out onto the world stage is embarrassing. For the first time in my 61 years I realize why some figures in our history were ashamed of being known as American. Our leaders have shamed us, done irreparable damage to our heritage and our legacy as a people, and still most of my countrymen sit idle. America today reminds me of a traveling circus, three rings of evil clowns entertaining a peanut gallery of onlookers. Or are we participant clowns? For over the better part of Barack Obama's presidency we've witnessed the most respected nation transformed, step-by-step, into one of the most dreaded empires the world has ever known. 300 million people, all their ancestors, and their future generations will pay the overwhelming cost of Obama's mistakes and malfeasance in office. While I do not personally believe this man is evil, I am sure the people behind him are. The lies, the impact, the unbelievable devastation these people have unwrapped, it spells the end of a perfect dream for humanity. I wonder as I type this, how many people reading it will realize how true my words are. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the US Department of State is a prototype for all that is wrong with our nation. He is a mirror reflection of Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in turn a further reflection of Barack Obama and the people who stand behind. They lie, cheat, steal, kill, maim, or at best coerce in order to achieve goals their constituency (the people) have no inkling of. All of us knew politicians have always been liars and crooked, but the degree to which we can be betrayed is unheard of today. This press conference on the alleged bombing of Aleppo hospitals by Russia, it is damning, damnable evidence of what I am saying. This is, of course, if one watches intently and then reasons. Compare what Kirby says, with what you have seen or read from the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Measure the tone and content of this unique message. Bear with me, and I'll help you convict these warmongers of their crimes. The Circus of Liars I must point out that Barack Obama has had more State Department spokespersons than any president in history. First there was Sean McCormack, from 2005 to 2009, a leftover from the Bush administration. After McCormack's tour of administration liar in chief, he joined Boeing in 2009 and serves as the as vice president of Communications in Government Operations. McCormack left the Obama administration to more or less help Hillary Clinton and the "click" extend the growth of companies like Boeing. This Washington Post piece (amazingly) condemns both Hillary Clinton and McCormack for their apparent collusion to morph policy into business with, guess who? Why Mother Russia, of course. Philip J. "P.J." Crowley made his "deal with the devil" from 2009 to 2011. The 2011-2012 recipient of the General Omar N. Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership (? The Military ties to State) is a War College bred and reared pentagon puppet. The fact most recent State Department liars are former military begs the question; "Why is our foreign policy institution lined with CIA, spooks, War College graduates and command grade military officers?" Crowley is an interesting example of how our foreign service is infested with war hawks and military industrial minions. To Crowley's credit, his candidness in the wake of the mistreatment of whistleblower Chelsea Manning, and his subsequent resignation redeemed this old soldier by comparison to his colleagues. He is emblematic of a system that uses good soldiers in order to mislead the people, and to misdirect our policies toward the wrong goals. Crowley is pretty much off the radar now, but somehow still semi-loyal to the Obama-Clinton team. His tweets on Twitter hum the Democratic Party line. He's now a Fellow at The George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy, which means he's been let out to pasture. Next we come to Victoria Jane Nuland, the pin-up girl of soulless and reprehensible US bureaucrats. From my perspective, as someone who has covered the Ukraine civil war extensively, Nuland in Kiev reminds me of the worst parts of the rise of Nazi Germany. I cannot possibly be bombastic enough in characterizing this Hillary Clinton spawn. It is not my nature to be unkind, or less than a gentleman, but this woman is no lady. Her hacked conversation, with fellow psychopath, US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, lives in infamy amidst volumes of horrid US intentions. "Fuck the EU", along with the clear regime change the Obama White House was behind, should have spelled resignation for this demonic Washington witch. She, and her colleague Pyatt, are complicit in the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children in the Donbass. Nuland, who most agree will be Hillary Clinton's Secretary of State should she reach office, is the most deadly psychopath the American people could possibly put in charge of our foreign service. For the Russians who still have to deal with her, I am sure 20 minutes looking at her is unbearable. This is America fiddling, while our reputation abroad burns. She is the queen of regime change, she and her husband children of the ideology America needs to forcefully alter world governments. This is the "WOW" persona, the caricature of disastrous Washington policy. Don't take my word, research Nuland starting here , and see where it leads. Jen Psaki lied so well, and stuck up her nose to the dissenting press so expertly, she graduated the US State Department right up to the White House. Those of us who winced at her nonchalant misrepresentation of facts, also understand she is part of the click that now inhabits the halls of power in Washington. Psaki is part of a country club that runs it all. If the Democrats win in November's presidential election, people like Psaki will become monsters, an empowered American politburo kin to the worst fascists in history. Psaki is the official cheerleader now, of a White House campaign to create a legacy for the worst president in American history. Catch her Twitter feed her, and figure out why in the world Barack Obama would want to be a Wired Magazine editor for a day. Despite her pallid and docile appearance, make no mistake, this Obama minion is as deadly as Nuland, maybe even more so. I recall Psaki launched a social media attack on Russia that was nearly universally ridiculed as "hash tag diplimacy." Her "hot mic" comment on her own points on Egypt at a press conference as being "ridiculous", they remind me of Obama being caught promising then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he'd "fix" the ABM missiles issue if he won in 2012. What makes this spokesperson so dangerous is her forward enthusiasm, and her seeming happy-go-lucky satisfaction with being part of the biggest lie ever perpetrated. Lying is transfigured into truth, a job well worth doing. Good God. Finally we come to John Kirby, Naval War College trained mouthpiece for Emperor Caligula (look him up and compare to our presidents) and whichever Nero we elect next. A Public Affairs Officer (PAO) at the command level in the US Navy, he's what many former military people would refer to as a first class boot licker. I'm a squid myself, so I am familiar with the type. Kirby would climb a tree to tell a lie, if ordered to do so, and show righteousness in doing so. Kirby, Kerry, the whole Obama administration is utterly absurd. This recent press conference reveals just how out of bounds US policy is. Furthermore, Kirby's contention the Syrian war cannot end without airpower being grounded is likewise idiotic. The State Department's stance on Russia's hammering of jihadists only makes sense, if the overthrow of Assad and his legitimate government is a goal. John Kirby: Syrian War Won't End Without Grounding Aircraft - this is the headline that calls our attention to the fact Assad is about to wreck Washington's plan. Regime change has become such a common term now, that media consumers are immune to what it really means. Since the first Bush took office, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, more governments have been turned upside down than at any time since World War II. And the "Kirbys" of the world are accomplices to massive world chaos. Kirby's "Russians in body bags" threat has pushed the Kremlin's panic button now. We have descended into crisis policy, an all or nothing lunacy that can only end in war. Three Rings of Evil Clowns These people are all deplorable. But compared to the linchpins of war they speak for, each is insignificant by comparison. This message for instance, the New York Times headline "U.S. Officials Say Russia Probably Attacked U.N. Humanitarian Convoy", it did not originate with them. Our new "probably" dogma is a function of a failing freedom, the complete takeover of a free press by western oligarchs that make Russian mafia types seem impotent. Watching this evil circus reminds me of a twisted horror movie, a guttural glimpse at wicked clowns betraying the children they are supposed to love and entertain. The Soros and Rockefeller types, those Rotschilds and the Goldman Sachs sharks, Silicon Valley fakers and Wall Street urchins the Clintons take money off of, the whole mess in our nation's capital stinks to high heavens. Just how my countrymen stomach it leaves me breathless and clueless at times. America is taking part in a wider broadcast of the movie The Turman Show these days. Raised up to believe in freedom of the press and the merits of democracy, my countrymen have been conditioned to rely on their media, their leaders, and the seeming implausibility that one group can take over the world. Well, a group has taken over half of it, and with the proper time and funding, this can be proven. Since me or some other researcher has no such investigative grant, the case against these evil clowns goes untried. The Nation, Slate, Global Research, RT, and myriad independent media attempt to dissent. But trillions of dollars flow back and forth fueling the paranoiac message - Russia is the enemy again! The first ring of circus clowns wield more power than Xerxes, the Bilderbergs probably even believe their own cause - perpetuating the elite order is, after all, a noble genetic cause. In the second ring business types and the oh-so aggressive and ambitious, they will literally do anything to succeed. The Clintons, Bushs, and Obamas out there are the master puppets. Their mission is pretty clear, pay the devil his due and cash in. It's really as simple as all that. Today's Washington is a bit like Chicago during Capone's time. Once the "Man" has you, he's got you but good. La Cosa Nostra hasn't got anything on the numbers games along the Potomac. The little crime bosses, grown up from their internships and grant designations, they pepper every institution in America. As they graduate, God knows what goals the Kirbys of the world set out to achieve. In the wider center ring, it's easy to see the Clinton Foundation workers really do drink Bill and Hillary's Kool Aid. Mind washed into believing in the ultimate bullshit, naïve middle intellectuals become squirming opportunists, oblivious to the fact they sold out. The "Man" has got them, and early on. Meanwhile, the whole mess is cloaked in the guise of democracy, and hidden underneath people's fear they'll be called conspiracy theorists. George Orwell's 1984 seems to have been written to exclude the possibility complete control could be achieved. But isn't that how complete control is ultimately achieved? Above the center ring, high up on the flying trapeze liberty defies death. The people are doing a high wire act without a net. We are the third ring of clowns, only we are hesitant to see our role as sellouts too. America is life under the big top, with our favorite pop stars handing out peanuts. I don't know how you feel about it, but I feel utterly betrayed. | 0 |
Everyone to blame for twats like Trump 'except the people who vote for them' 13-11-16
PEOPLE who disagree with Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are responsible for their success rather than the gullible idiots who vote for them, the media have decided.
Commentators believe Trump’s victory and Brexit could have been avoided if everyone stopped having reasonable views and agreed with mad, barely coherent grievances.
Guardian columnist Donna Sheridan said: “If tolerant people had listened to mental Trump supporters they wouldn’t have voted for him due to some magical process I can’t explain.
“It’s the same with Brexit. We should have been saying, ‘There there, it’s not your fault you have to be racist because you haven’t got an amazing job and the Polish shop makes you angry.’
“Liberals like me may as well have marched Trump and Brexit supporters to the polling station and made them vote with a gun at the their head, but obviously we’d never do that because we’re too nice.”
Political pundit Tom Booker said: “We need to listen to ordinary people, even if it’s hard to work out what their point is except that all politicians are basically criminals and we won the war.”
Share: | 0 |
PARIS (AFP) — A top candidate for France’s Republicans, Nathalie was left unconscious Thursday after a clash with a protestor while out campaigning for this weekend’s legislative elections in Paris.[ widely known by her initials NKM, was insulted by a man while visiting a market in central Paris and then lost her balance when he tried to throw her campaign leaflets in her face, an AFP journalist at the scene said. After falling, she blacked out for several minutes possibly after hitting her head, before being revived by emergency services. Her aggressor, a man in a shirt and chinos, left the scene immediately. NKM, 44, is campaigning ahead of the second round of France’s parliamentary election this Sunday. The former minister and spokeswoman under Nicolas Sarkozy faces a battle to win a seat in her central Paris constituency against Gilles Le Gendre from the Republic on the Move party of President Emmanuel Macron. | 1 |
Bucknell University faculty dismissed a proposal to adopt an academic freedom of expression statement at a faculty meeting that took place on Tuesday. [On Tuesday, five Bucknell faculty members proposed a bill to adopt a modified version of the popular University of Chicago Freedom of Expression statement that protects faculty and student’s right to freedom of expression. Similar statements have already been adopted at several prestigious American universities such as Princeton, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and Vanderbilt. In a vote, the Bucknell faculty outright rejected a motion that proposed a review of the university’s current policies regarding academic freedom. A second motion, which would have adopted a modified version of the Chicago Freedom of Expression statement, was “tabled” by a faculty vote, after a professor allegedly expressed concern that a rejection of the proposal would lead to “propaganda media” reporting that the Bucknell faculty is against freedom of expression. Another faculty member from the physics department allegedly expressed concern that establishing a commitment to academic freedom would run the risk of a Young Earth Creationist taking his classroom discussion hostage. The statement would have affirmed the university’s commitment to free and open inquiry, and protected all members of the Bucknell community in their right to express themselves, no matter how controversial their opinions. The bill would have also restricted the university’s ability to shield students from controversial perspectives. The faculty affirms that as an institution of higher education, the University should be committed to free and open inquiry in all matters, guaranteeing all members of the University community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn. The University should fully respect and support the freedom of all members of the University community to discuss any problem that presents itself. Of course, the ideas of different members of the University community will often and quite naturally conflict. But it should not be the proper role of the University to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive. Although the University should greatly value civility, and although all members of the University community should share in the responsibility for maintaining a climate ofmutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect should not be used as a justification for closing offdiscussion of ideas, however offensive or disagreeable those ideas may be to some members of our community. Speaking to Breitbart News, Bucknell alumnus and Political Science Professor Chris Ellis, who was one of the five sponsors of the academic freedom bill, expressed his concerns over what he considered to be the faculty’s lack of willingness to seriously consider the proposal. “We are deciding what we are as a university. We should be able to engage in the same critical thinking processes that we claim to ask of our students,” he said. “I think it is important for universities to debate and ultimately articulate what their values are when it comes to free expression and intellectual inquiry when balanced against other aims of our university like inclusivity, and the fact that we didn’t have that debate is troubling to me,” he added. “I think it’s fundamentally important for universities to understand where they fit in the current political environment and at least in general terms express what sorts of intellectual and political debates are legitimate in the sphere of the university. ” Ellis added that there are consequences to such ideological insulation: those who hold the dominant perspective grow less accepting of alternative viewpoints. “Most political science research shows that when one political perspective takes over a space, what happens is that discourse becomes more extreme, two it becomes less accepting of viewpoints that challenge the dominant view, and three, discourse becomes less grounded in logical and reasoned arguments, and we begin to start from assumptions that certain positions are correct. We start to question if we should let anyone let question the dominant view. ” “This happens outside of academia as well,” Ellis added. “Anytime a group takes control of a specific sphere, what happens is discourse becomes more extreme and less rational and less accepting of alternative points of view. We just happen to see it manifest itself in the American academy. Social psychologists have been suggesting this for many years. ” Breitbart News has reported on many instances of and political correctness at Bucknell University. Frequent Fox News guest and Bucknell alumnus Michael Malice expressed on a Breitbart podcast that “going to Bucknell was the worst decision of his life,” claiming that students and faculty rarely engaged with ideas that conflicted with their own during his time at the university. Former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos faced unusual restrictions on an event at Bucknell University that took place in February 2016. Administrators refused to allow students to engage with Yiannopoulos directly, instead choosing to force them to write their questions on an index card, which were read by a moderator. He was not allowed to stay in the school’s residence for guest speakers and was escorted by university security immediately following the conclusion of his event before he would have been able to speak with students who wished to engage with him. In early 2017, Bucknell Professor Marcellus Andrews called for students to engage in acts of retribution against members of the Bucknell conservative and libertarian political clubs, who he called “racists and fascists,” for their decision to associate with Yiannopoulos. Administrators refused to even call Andrews’ conduct “inappropriate” after repeated inquiries. Despite these absurdities, the Bucknell community often welcomes the presence of radical and even violent ideology. Controversial Christian minister and Black Lives Matter activist Nyle Fort, who has argued that “under conditions of white supremacist terror, revolutionary violence can be an expression of Christian love,” has visited campus twice since January 2016. Bucknell students are often assigned controversial texts, such as George Sorel’s “Reflections on Violence,” a book which argues that violence can save the world from barbarism and that violence used for the purpose of moving towards a classless society in the tradition is not unethical. Tuesday’s meeting agenda can be read in its entirety below: April 2017 Faculty Meeting Agenda by Tommy John on Scribd, 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 |
Little Boy Humiliates Himself With What Sick Liberal Mom Made Him Wear Posted on October 31, 2016 by Amanda Shea in Politics Share This @DebbersGar (left), the woman’s son in humiliating attire (right)
While all of the other children are showing up to class today dressed as their favorite cartoon characters or superheroes of some kind, an ultra-liberal mother used her son to make a sick statement instead. Too young to understand agendas, the little boy humiliated himself in front of his class, which he will have to live with the rest of the school year.
School administrators have a responsibility to report it when they feel something is wrong at home, which some would think is probably the case with this boy based on what this twisted woman dressed him as. Instead of being given the choice to be whatever he wants, his seemingly controlling mother convinced him to don what she thought was a pretty cool costume without thinking about the emotional damage it could do to her child.
The liberal mother, who goes by @DebbersGar  online, was proud that she got her son to dress up as her hero, Hillary Clinton, when she posted his photo online with the description, “Our 8-year-old son is with you @Hillary Clinton, today and every day.” Adding to the realistic nature of the female costume, she grew her boy’s hair out so it could be styled in Hillary’s signature winged bouffant. She completed the androgynous costume with a pantsuit, Hillary campaign pin, and slogan briefcase, then topped it off with a pair of pearlescent girl shoes. The 8-year-old boy dressed as Hillary Clinton in his mother’s post
While the look is atrocious regardless of gender and has no place in a second-grade classroom, the fact that she more or less forced her son to dress as a woman makes it worse â but it’s par for the course with gender-bending liberals.
While she made her political point and was clearly proud of it, her son likely sat alone at lunch and played by himself at recess in his yellow woman’s pantsuit, but she’ll blame other people’s “bad” parenting for raising kids who treated her son this way. | 0 |
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STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn. — Sandra Miller was at work in January when her daughter called from their home here on Oakridge Drive with alarming news. The house was making loud noises, as if someone had jumped off the counter and landed with a bang. For seconds afterward, the house shook. A while later, it happened again, and again. Over the next several hours, terrifying bangs rattled the house. The next morning, Ms. Miller called Bill Neal, a structural engineer, who delivered the same stunning assessment to her that he has now told hundreds of homeowners: The concrete foundation was crumbling and, as a result, her house was gradually collapsing. Across nearly 20 towns in northeastern Connecticut, a disaster is unfolding, as local officials and homeowners wrestle with an extraordinary phenomenon. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of home foundations that have been poured since the 1980s are cracking, with fissures so large you can slip a hand inside. “This is such an emotional roller coaster,” said Tim Heim, a homeowner who started the group Connecticut Coalition Against Crumbling Basements. “You can’t eat, you can’t sleep. When you’re told your home is now worthless and your biggest investment is now worthless, it’s devastating. ” The scope of the problem is so vast that state officials have begun an investigation, and they recently announced that the crumbling foundations had been traced to a quarry business and a related concrete maker, which have agreed to stop selling their products for residential use. The stone aggregate used in the concrete mixture has high levels of pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide mineral that can react with oxygen and water to cause swelling and cracking. Over the past 30 years, the quarry has provided concrete for as many as 20, 000 houses. As officials continue their investigation, the cascade of crumbling foundations poses a thicket of legal, emotional and financial issues and has prompted the state to create an official web page dedicated to the problem. Connecticut is also seeking help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “It’s the psychological toll of the uncertainty,” said Jonathan A. Harris, the commissioner of the State Consumer Protection Department. Beyond the financial hit, Mr. Harris said, a person’s home is “where their kids were born and grandchildren play. ” “There’s an intangible side to this that’s horrible,” he continued. Insurers have generally refused to pay for repairs, strictly defining the coverage of collapse by inserting the word “abrupt” in policy language. Repairing the homes requires replacing the entire foundation at costs that typically range from $100, 000 to over $200, 000. So far, 223 residents have filed formal complaints about crumbling foundations with the department, but officials believe many homeowners may be reluctant to contact the state, fearing problems from their banks and insurers. Because the affected swath of the state is home mostly to and families, many face financial ruin since their homes represent the biggest part of their nest egg. Ms. Miller, whose insurance company has provided no financial assistance, rented a nearby condominium after she was told that her family was no longer safe in their home. But Ms. Miller said she could not pay both the monthly rent and the mortgage. Paying out of pocket to replace her home’s foundation, she said, is well beyond reach. “I don’t know too many people that have $170, 000 in their wallet,” she said. “And that’s what it’s going to cost to fix my home. ” Mr. Neal, the structural engineer, has inspected hundreds of houses. In nearly all, he found concrete walls with distinctive crack patterns that resemble a road map with lines and fissures snaking in all directions — much different than the vertical cracks typically seen in foundations as they settle. After hearing from tearful, angry residents at packed public meetings, state officials stepped in. In October, the state’s Insurance Department warned insurers not to cancel policies because of a foundation’s condition. Since insurers are denying claims, that warning may not help with the concrete problem, officials say, but it should at least prevent homeowners from losing insurance protection all together. Last month, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a bill that would, among other things, allow homeowners with failing foundations to request a reassessment of their property values and require contractors to record the supplier of concrete for residential foundations. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat, signed the bill into law last week. Another measure that sought to ease victims’ financial losses was less successful. State Senator Tony Guglielmo, a Republican, had proposed a $50 million bond to help homeowners. But Democrats in the State House rejected it, arguing such a measure should wait until the full extent of the problem was better understood. “I’m not a guy, by any stretch, but there are some problems where you need government intervention because of the magnitude,” Mr. Guglielmo said. “We’ve had meetings where there were 500 people, and it’s been very emotional. ’’ After an investigation by the NBC station WVIT, the governor directed the Consumer Protection Department and the attorney general to investigate possible wrongdoing and to determine the scope of the problem and what, if any, assistance was available for homeowners. While the state has traced the affected concrete to the quarry business, Becker Construction Company, which operates in Willington, officials have not ruled out other factors. One riddle is the absence of official reports of failing concrete in public or commercial projects that used material from the same quarry, and a concrete maker, the Joseph J. Mottes Company. John Patton, a spokesman for both companies, has attributed the crumbling foundations to improper installation, specifically the tendency of some contractors to add water to wet concrete to make it pour faster. That was especially true, he said, during a building boom in the 1980s. By law, Mr. Patton noted, inspectors are on site during commercial and public jobs, ensuring that concrete is mixed and installed properly. “We also know that during the time frame in question, other ready mix providers in the area used the same aggregate from the same source,” he said. Stephan Lackman, a former Mottes employee, said the Becker family, which owns both Mottes and Becker, started using material from the Willington quarry after its gravel supply was depleted during the 1980s. Mr. Patton acknowledged that Mottes first began using aggregate from the quarry in the 1980s, but said the company’s original gravel supply was in use until 2014. The mineral has been identified as a culprit in disintegrating foundations elsewhere. In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada repeated a pledge to allot $30 million in aid to homeowners in the province of Quebec whose foundations were failing. “I saw with my very own eyes the difficult situation in which too many families live because of pyrrhotite,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters. As officials seek answers in Connecticut, homeowners are looking for someone to hold accountable. A lawsuit filed in February accuses insurers of a “concerted scheme” to deny coverage. And some residents are angry that it has taken the state so long to address the problem. Mike Halloran, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said some of his neighbors and acquaintances also had cracking foundations. “Ken the plumber,” Mr. Halloran, a hospital mechanic, said. “A nurse in the O. R. A guy my wife works out with at the gym has it. ” Mr. Heim, the homeowner who started the coalition, faulted state officials for ignoring warnings from a number of homeowners with the problem in the early 2000s. In 2003, a meeting was held in Hartford among lawmakers, homeowners and representatives of the attorney general’s office and Consumer Protection Department. Nothing came of it. “They had the power to stop this problem,” Mr. Heim said, “and they chose not to. ” It was only after the report by WVIT last summer that politicians at the state level took action, homeowners said. Fifteen years ago, Linda J. and Robert Tofolowsky filed a formal complaint with the Consumer Protection Department against Mottes. It detailed the cracks that had formed in the foundation of their home here during the . The couple said several other homeowners had similar problems with concrete supplied by Mottes. The couple sued the company in 1995 and lost. But before the resolution of the lawsuit, Mrs. Tofolowsky, in a handwritten note attached to the 2001 complaint, warned of the calamity to come. “It has been six years since we filed against J. J. Mottes,” she wrote. “But I am not waiting for the court to make a decision, since we have found these seven other homes with failed foundations. I need to let the public know about this company, J. J. Mottes. So that maybe someone else will not lose their biggest investment, their home. ” | 1 |
WASHINGTON — President Trump, inspired by TV images of faraway suffering to launch missile strikes against Syria, may be about to discover a lesson that has confounded presidents for 25 years: American power can only do so much. That truth is also embedded in another set of disturbing images that Mr. Trump has not cited publicly: those from Nigeria’s northeast, where a very different crisis is drawing different American action toward different ends. Those two conflicts, in both their contrasts and commonalities, reveal something of the role that Mr. Trump has taken on and its limitation. Both are humanitarian disasters whose stories horrify and enrage. And they are both crises of a sort that the United States, since emerging from the Cold War as the world’s policeman, has repeatedly tried but often failed to resolve. The range of American intervention efforts, as well as their often modest success, can be seen in those two crises that Mr. Trump inherited: Syria, whose civil war has become a global issue, and Nigeria, where fighting with Boko Haram rebels has killed tens of thousands and displaced an estimated three million people. The two wars could hardly be more different, as are the American responses. Yet they may still share the fundamental dynamics that make crises so resistant to outside resolution. In Syria, the United States has sought to either mediate between the warring parties or tip the military balance through force, whether by the Obama administration’s efforts to arm certain rebels or Mr. Trump’s missile strikes. The scope of the United States’ involvement has been extensive and highly visible. In Nigeria, American action appears more modest. There, the United States is emphasizing political tools, pressuring the government to improve practices in the affected parts of the country and supporting any reforms. It has helped to coordinate a multinational force from surrounding countries. It is also providing military advisers, intelligence and other forms of military support, which Mr. Trump this week extended in the form of warplane sales, but nothing comparable to action in Syria. The difference between the two approaches is partly explained by the scale of the suffering, which is more severe in Syria, and perhaps by an even wider gap in attention received. It is also explained by Syria’s wider geopolitical stakes — its conflict touches on the European refugee crisis, Russia’s resurgence, global terrorism and Middle Eastern power struggles — whereas Nigeria’s is contained to a region that is less central to American interests. But the difference is also caused by the contrasting nature of the crises. Syria’s problem is seen, in part, as a deadlocked military imbalance that American force is meant to overturn. Nigeria’s problems are driven more by crises in governing. Boko Haram has exploited, and been fueled by, political tensions and grievances within Nigerian society, including neglect by the central government and abuse by its soldiers. American policy is aimed at helping Nigeria address the underlying issues that helped give rise to the insurgency, pushing for reforms to roll back corruption and military abuses. Because the goal is restoring government control and local faith in it, military power plays a smaller role in American strategy. Still, Americans sometimes see the degree of military intervention as a function of political will — if the president cared, he would intervene. This reveals a deeper assumption: that American power can solve any crisis, but only if it is sufficiently and correctly applied. But while the United States has exerted far more effort in Syria than in Nigeria, and has used different tools, the outcomes have been similar to what it often finds in such efforts: disappointment. The conflicts in Syria and Nigeria, in their breadth of difference, reveal the common factors that make humanitarian crises so hard to solve: simultaneous breakdowns in governing and in the social contract by which a population agrees to exist in harmony. Once these have collapsed, segments of society, whether divided by demographic tribe or political affiliation, come to see one another as locked in a contest for survival and control. The result is chaos, a cycle of violence with entire communities caught in the middle. Syria and Nigeria also illustrate a common American response: intervention, military or otherwise, to resolve the underlying political breakdown that compels the fighting. Since the early 1990s, when the United States took on the mantle of global leadership, it has acted in Somalia, in Afghanistan, in two different parts of Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Liberia and Sierra Leone’s overlapping conflicts, in East Timor and twice in the former Yugoslavia. It has tried diplomacy and foreign aid, imposed political reforms and peacekeepers, launched cruise missiles and outright occupations. Sometimes the variance in policy was because of differing temperaments or worldviews of key American officials, or the amount of attention those crises received on TV, but the outcomes were consistently modest. The relatively few breakthroughs offer hints as to why other efforts have faltered. Successful interventions have often come in one of two forms: resolving a conflict between two states, or nudging local dynamics that were already aligning around peace. The United States helped, for instance, halt the wars between the nations once united as Yugoslavia. Because the problem was one of forces, outside intervention could push them back. This rarely applies, though, in an era when interstate conflict is rare and most wars come from political breakdowns that do not fall along neat borders. Where outside intervention has succeeded in such crises, it has typically been not by changing those dynamics from the outside, but by capitalizing on major shifts toward peace that arose from within. In East Timor, which Indonesia claimed as its territory, years of diplomacy and political pressure faltered until Indonesia’s economy collapsed and its president was replaced by a reformer. The breakthrough, as is almost always the case, had come from the conflict’s participants, whose calculus was driven largely by local factors and not the threat or promise of outside action. George J. Mitchell, the former senator who led Northern Ireland peace talks, frequently emphasized this. In a 1999 address, he said, “Peace and political stability cannot be achieved in sharply divided societies unless there is a genuine willingness to understand the other point of view and to enter into principled compromise. ” That can be a difficult message for Americans accustomed to seeing themselves as deciders of major global issues. The United States assumes this leadership in part because it is the guarantor of the international order and the power of last resort, leading the world to look to American involvement. Jeremy Shapiro, the research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, has argued that the United States is also driven by what he calls “the American omnipotence problem. ” A string of military victories in the early 1990s, Mr. Shapiro told The New York Times in October, established an assumption “that any problem in the world is basically solvable by American power if there is sufficient political will. ” As a result, when a crisis emerges, and Americans are confronted with images like those Mr. Trump saw from Syria, the question raised is often not whether the United States is capable of imposing a solution, but why it hasn’t. The United States has long tried to impose such shifts from the outside. If success were primarily a matter of American will or commitment, it would have come in Baghdad. The United States, responsible for a crisis largely of its making and driven by a president whose legacy hung in the balance, committed the full force of its might and diplomacy to resolving the city’s sectarian bloodletting. It imposed order through blast walls, patrols and checkpoints. It held peace talks and local neighborhood meetings. It won relative calm, but even proponents said this served only to create space for Iraqis to resolve the deeper issues that divided them, which many tried to do. Once American troops drew down, it became clear that outside force could restore order to a neighborhood. But it could not resolve the social and political breakdowns that had made it dangerous in the first place, and would do so again once the vacuum reopened. Syria and Nigeria, in their own ways, carry this same dilemma. American policy options are aimed at alleviating the suffering and violence that are symptoms of deeper problems. But resolution can come only when the war’s participants once again see peaceful coexistence as worth the compromises and risks — a task harder than any American mission. | 1 |
To grab the attention of freshmen at the student club fair this month, the College Republicans of George Washington University unfurled a red banner and set out beer cozies and lime green cups sent by the College Republican National Committee, which bills itself as “the best party on campus. ” Then came the issue of decorating. “We should put the Trump posters out,” said Demri Scott, the group’s membership director. Christian Miller, the club’s political affairs director, disagreed. “That’s the best way to, A, get us heckled a lot and, B, get no one to sign up,” he said. The Trump posters stayed in the box. For decades, College Republicans have drawn ridicule from — and defined themselves against — the more liberal masses on college campuses. But this year has been especially nightmarish for C. R. s, as they call themselves. The nomination of Donald J. Trump, who has attacked their conservative heroes and esteemed alumni, has prompted widespread mockery from their liberal classmates, dissension from within and something of an identity crisis. While some College Republican leaders profess an appreciation for the voters that Mr. Trump has awakened, many in the preppy Vineyard Vines set are wondering if Mr. Trump is transforming the party they hope to inherit into one in which they are unwelcome. “They tend to be traditional Republican conservatives, and so you know there is a little bit of a mismatch there,” said Karl Rove, the architect of George W. Bush’s presidential campaigns. Mr. Rove’s career in politics started as a national chairman of the College Republicans who won the position in 1973 over opponents supported by Roger J. Stone Jr. and Paul Manafort, both of whom went on to become advisers to Mr. Trump. “There’s a tension there,” he said. That tension, tangible on campuses across the country, threatens to change the nature of both the organization that has long trained the party’s leaders and the party they are being trained to lead. Since 1923, when Calvin Coolidge became the first former College Republican to become president, the list of the group’s alumni reads like a who’s who of the Republican establishment. Besides Mr. Rove, there is Lee Atwater, the former Republican National Committee chairman, and Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform. Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian Coalition, was a College Republican, and so was the Jack Abramoff. Speaker Paul D. Ryan, whose visage the George Washington chapter displayed on its table, was a member. So was Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, and numerous elected Republican officials across the country. Mr. Trump was never interested. “I didn’t do that,” Mr. Trump said with a shrug when asked in an interview if he had ever considered joining the club. “I was very much into the world of real estate. ” At Mr. Trump’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, Grayson Sessa, the vice president of the school’s College Republicans, said he was dismayed by the nominee’s and hoped the party’s values could withstand him. “It’s not a great feeling,” he said. At Yale, the chapter’s endorsement of Mr. Trump led to a mutiny, with departing members forming the Yale New Republicans and Yale Undergraduate Conservatives Against Trump. And at Harvard, alma mater of countless Republican leaders, the club’s president, Declan Garvey, 21, said that between Mr. Trump and Hillary Clinton, “I would have to vote for Hillary. ” But Karis Lockhart, the chairwoman of the University of Central Florida chapter, whose parents met as College Republicans, said that those who could not bring themselves to vote for Mr. Trump were being overly sensitive. She argued that Mr. Trump would bring in new voters who would help in other races on the ballot. “He’s dumbing it down for people who don’t want the numbers and statistics,” she said approvingly. Mr. Trump’s nomination prompted the Central Florida’s chapter to post a letter on Facebook urging students “to not get discouraged” by Mr. Trump. Some did, and left the club. “My job is to bring everybody back on board to the Republican Party, whether or not they love Trump,” said Cade Marsh, the College Republicans’ state chairman in Florida, who wears “Hillary for Prison” shirts and wants to run for president in 2032. (His email handle is Cade2032POTUS, using the acronym for president of the United States.) Today, the College Republican National Committee claims to have around 250, 000 students in nearly 1, 800 chapters. It is a nonprofit political action committee with power and shares its research on millennial voters with the Trump campaign, specifically the findings of its survey “Growing Up G. O. P. ,” the cover of which features hands cradling a plant sprout. “If you become a College Republican in college, then you are Republican for the rest of your life,” said Mr. Norquist, the former member. “Nobody learns anything about politics after they are 21. ” The task of reconciling Mr. Trump’s ascent with the bewilderment of conservative students falls to Alex Smith, the current national chairwoman of the College Republicans. She works in an office on K Street in Washington that is decorated with framed “Rove” and “Youth for Nixon” pins, a blues album featuring Mr. Atwater and letters from Mr. Rove. Ms. Smith, 27, is telegenic and ready, the very picture of message discipline. In an interview, she repeatedly tried to veer the conversation to Mrs. Clinton, whom she calls the first college Republican to win the Democratic nomination. (Mrs. Clinton was a Goldwater Girl, a supporter of Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, who was the Republican presidential nominee in 1964.) Ms. Smith said that Mr. Trump’s preference for Twitter and Instagram suited her members. “In a lot of ways, he speaks like a person of my generation,” she said, adding, “He brings more people in. ” But was it not strange to work for the election of a candidate who had ripped her heroes to shreds, who disagreed on core Republican values? Ms. Smith looked at the tape recorder on her desk. “You could turn it off?” she asked. The George Washington chapter had its own struggles in absorbing the rise of Mr. Trump. When it released a statement in June congratulating him on winning the nomination, it drew backlash from its members and from the College Democrats with whom they share an office on campus. “It was a really bad summer,” said Ms. Scott, the membership director. Allison Coukos, the chapter’s communications director, who, like Ms. Scott, is undecided on whether to vote for Mr. Trump, said, “They were like, ‘How can you support someone who is a racist, who hates women, who is a bigot?’ ” In an attempt at damage control, the group published a letter on Facebook clarifying that it had not endorsed Mr. Trump. Ms. Scott said the Trump fans in the club responded by calling them “pathetic” and mocked them for creating a “safe space. ” At the club fair this month at George Washington, many of the dozens of freshman who stopped by the College Republicans table expressed relief when Ms. Scott explained that the group had, in fact, not supported Mr. Trump. But Tom Crean, a freshman who joined the club, wished they had. “It is their job to promote whoever is at the top of the ticket,” Mr. Crean, 18, said. “It’s undercutting the party. I would change it by being a person in the organization. By being an apologist. ” | 1 |
You are here: Home / US / WATCH What this Trump Hater Just Did In His UNDERWEAR WATCH What this Trump Hater Just Did In His UNDERWEAR October 29, 2016 Pinterest
Some guy in Wisconsin decided that he couldn’t wait to put some clothes on before he torched a Trump/Pence sign… and it was all caught on camera by the homeowners.
Kevin and Jane Leighty of Platteville, Wisconsin caught their angry neighbor on camera taking a blowtorch to their Trump/Pence sign in his underwear. Man wearing only his underwear takes blowtorch to his neighbors' Trump sign — and they caught it all on camera https://t.co/XxdHdjAveM pic.twitter.com/mwWFZAwlBI
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 26, 2016
According to Jane Leighty, witnesses walked past the scene of the crazed man setting his neighbor’s sign on fire and did nothing to stop him.
Although I wouldn’t recommend going near a crazy man with a blowtorch in his underwear, as Leighty noted, they didn’t even have to — they could have just called the police. Instead, according to the homeowner, some even congratulated the man for his criminal activity.
The people going by is what really hurts too that no one called the police just to say “hey go check this out.” They didn’t have to confront him. The two guys that come up and fist pumped him and go “yeah alright!” Really?
Leighty made it clear that she wasn’t going to back down in the face of a crazed fool and some punks who think it’s hilarious to set fire to someone’s property:
All we had was a little sign, you know, and if they’re offended by it they should have probably left that one there because every time they take it down it’s coming up bigger and better and the next one’s going to be a billboard.
Good for them. It’s a sad state of affairs when you can’t express your support of a candidate without someone vandalizing your property, but here we are.
There have been numerous instances throughout the election cycle of Trump supporters having their yard signs vandalized and in some cases being physically and verbally harassed and/or threatened for their support of the candidate.
Even with all these instances, the media has chosen to focus primarily on any incident they can dredge up at Trump rallies — which we now have confirmation, thanks to Project Veritas , that Democrat operatives incite via a tactic called “birddogging.”
These anti-Trumpsters — often liberals, although it’s unclear what this man’s political bent was for sure — have shown their true colors throughout this election cycle. They can’t handle the fact that someone else may not think the same way they do, which is truly pathetic.
Good for the Leighty’s; it takes guts to stand up for your rights, and that’s exactly what they are doing by not giving in to a crazed bully. | 0 |
Tuesday in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum, discussing if the upcoming administration of Donald Trump will pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran, Secretary of State John Kerry said if they do other nations will continue the deal, so the Trump administration “will have done great injury” to U. S. “credibility” and “it will hurt for the endurance of a year, two years, whatever, while the administration is there. ” Kerry said, “Take Iran for instance. If the United States were to decide suddenly, and say ‘hey we are not going to pursue this,’ and so forth, I bet you — I haven’t talked to all of them — but I’ll bet you that our friends and allies who negotiated this will get together, and that Russia, China, Germany, France, and Britain will say, ‘you know what, this is a good deal. We’re going to keep it.’ And Iran will keep it. And we’ll have made ourselves the odd person out. We’ll have injured our own credibility in, conceivably, an irreparable way. Not irreparably. There’s time, and that’s just too dramatic. But we will have done great injury to ourselves. And it will hurt for the endurance of a year, two years, whatever, while the administration is there. But it’s unnecessary — ” Interrupted by audience laughter, Kerry said, “I told you I was going to be active. I didn’t say how active. ” ( Business Insider) Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 1 |
Taming the corporate media beast Whatever the Outcome on November 8th the US Will Be on a Collision Course With China
Regardless of who is elected next president, the attention of the US will shift to Asia Originally appeared at Strategic Culture Foundation
When it comes to the authenticity of the American electoral process, one must start with the media. Eighty percent of it openly sides against Trump and favors Hillary Clinton, predetermining the outco me of the elections with omitted or, worse, distorted and ignored news, deliberately avoiding any irreparable damage to Clinton.
The endless Wikileaks revelations about the collusion between the Democrats and the media establishment clearly show that there is a very specific plan to prevent a Trump victory. The lack of impartiality gives citizens little information to make a final choice in terms of voting, openly favoring the Democratic candidate. Therefore, it is more than fair to say that with this media situation and the number of polls in favor of the Democratic candidate that it is difficult to imagine a different outcome other than the most obvious one.
It is also true that there are some factors in favor of Trump; often his voters like to stay silent instead of exposing themselves in spurious surveys used to manipulate the electoral vote.
However, this election will see the triumph of a candidate that will be able to attract new voters to the polls. In this sense, the many who say they are pro-Clinton may stay home on November 8, completely disheartened by the numerous scandals of the Democratic candidate, in spite of the media censorship.
A striking difference between the two presidential campaigns regards the energy of the supporters. Trump’s base is alive and breathes an air of revolution, while that of the Clinton is trying hard to stay alive. This is a factor that could be decisive if the margins are reduced (or proven false).
On these bases it would already be enough to fully describe the US electoral system as being corrupt to the core. The media bias, covert funding of the Clinton Foundation , WikiLeaks and hacking against the Democratic National Committee (DNC), are all causes that certify how the so-called "Deep State" is clearly supportive of Clinton.
That said Hillary Clinton remains the favorite candidate to win this election, with enormous percentages around 92 % if one listens to the New York Times. Also, forgetting for a moment the outcome, whatever it is, this election will deliver the most unpopular president in recent American history, with all the attendant consequences.
Has there been anyone more unpopular than either candidate over the 18 months or so of the election campaign? But perhaps more interesting to ask is, once elected, what kind of president would Hillary Clinton be?
The most obvious answer is that she will be a belligerent president, ready to impose her vision of the world with its accompanying sound of wars and bombs. And yet the more we delve into the issue, the more we realize that perhaps such a description is too generic and imprecise.
Clinton, first of all, is above all a president in the hands of her donors, and rarely can a US president independently fashion foreign policy strategies. Obama’s famous interview with Goldberg in The Atlantic provides a striking example, where he described how he would have liked his foreign policy doctrine to be less involved around the world, instead seeing increased use of soft power to obtain geopolitical advances.
Obama during his presidency was much more in favor of attempts to expand US influence with proxies like in Ukraine with the use of neo-Nazi battalions, or with the use of terrorists in Syria as opposed to using American ground troops, a scenario that is impractical for many reasons.
Also for these decisions he is considered to be a weak president with little knowledge or interest in foreign policy. Obama is not a pacifist, God forbid. But it is true that he has often been softly opposed to a direct confrontation with Russia and Iran in different situations in the course of his presidency.
Returning to Clinton, Who are her masters? First of all are the regional allies of the United States in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, thanks to millions of dollars of generous donations that will grant them the ability to demand concessions in specific situations regarding the Middle East. Secondly, and most importantly, there is the American elite , who have a strong interest in maintaining the US role in the world and prolonging its unipolar moment.
It is principally for this reason that Clinton probably will be nothing more than a copy of Obama in terms of foreign policy, but with many more concessions to regional allies in the Middle East and a generic more aggressive policy towards Russia, China and Iran.
It is a vision certainly closer to that of the neoconservatives, but in terms of specifics, her foreign policy decisions will be operated mostly by her masters that just want to get richer. A Clinton presidency will likely continue with a fairly similar foreign policy doctrine to that of Obama in Europe and the Middle East but with some important differences in Asia.
It is likely that her donors, especially Riyadh and Doha, will try to influence her decisions allowing them to have a freehand in Syria. In Ukraine it is even more improbable that Clinton would try to reverse the negative trend for Kiev in their ATO, since this would require an intervention of NATO directly, unleashing a direct confrontation between the Atlantic Alliance and the Russian Federation, something that would escalate into a situation that would favor no one.
The most obvious reason why the Clinton presidency is unlikely to deviate much from the course of the Obama presidency is the nature of the two major conflicts. In Syria, Damascus has now begun the victory phase, and there is no room for armed intervention by regional countries thanks to the Russian and Iranian veto. As usual, in the Middle East it is just hysteria from Washington, regardless of who will be the next president. In Ukraine, the situation is frozen in terms of territorial advances.
It is unlikely that would change without a massive boost of Ukrainian troops to the east, but the effectiveness of such was seen in the 2014 war. Moreover, Moscow has suggested that they clearly possess all the ability to withstand such attacks, helping the Donbass and worsening the condition for the Ukrainian nation. The war is played in the courtyard of Moscow, thousands of kilometers away from the United States, a clear strategic disadvantage unbridgeable by Washington. Even in the case of Ukraine, it comes down to anti-Russian hysteria at little cost thanks to media propaganda.
Even European countries are starting to complain about the sanctions against Moscow, not to mention the prospect of escalation by NATO in Ukraine. In addition to not being able to win the war, a new war in the east of Ukraine would become the perfect cause for existential crisis for Atlantic Alliance. This is a risk that Washington is well aware of, and weighing the strategic value of Ukraine, which is zero when compared to that of Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia , it is easy to see why the next US president would still not be willing to have a conventional, let alone nuclear , confrontation with Moscow over Ukraine.
Unfortunately, the question changes dramatically when we take into account an area of greatest strategic interest to the US elite such as Southeast Asia. Clinton always promoted the pivot to Asia, arguing that the only way to counter the rise of China is by in every way seeking to contain the Asian power. In this sense, we can also notice her efforts as Secretary of State in the Clinton reset, a policy that sought to bring Moscow and Washington closer together, and a strategy that could have helped the United States in containing, with Moscow's help, the Chinese giant.
Fast-forward seven years later and the results are a disaster. The US and Russia have never been so divided. American pressure and aggression toward Moscow in Georgia and Ukraine have ended up pushing the former Soviet country into the arms of the Asian giant power, effectively creating a counterweight to the US, a failure that has worsened with Iran joining the Eurasian club thanks to continued destabilization from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel, Turkey and the United States in areas ranging from North Africa to the Persian Gulf and passing through the Middle East. With the consolidation of this anti-hegemonic bloc, the US has lost most of its options to take action in an area of keen interest, such as the Middle East.
The Russian presence in Europe, especially in the context of Ukraine, is an insurmountable obstacle. In the Middle East, Russo-Iranian cooperation has averted a possible use of foreign troops in Syria. The final decision of the United States not to intervene in such scenarios is also based on a vague hope that Iran will eventually gravitate toward the Western sphere of influence and away from this anti-hegemonic bloc. To that effect, the nuclear deal makes more sense, especially considering the openness of western politicians to the Rouhani administration when compared to the preceding Ahmadinejad one.
Even towards Russia there is the continuing hope that US power centers will be able to stretch the tentacles of colored democracy by 2018 (Russian presidential elections), imposing a candidate with a markedly more Western view. Good luck with that one, as Putin has about an 80% approval rating.
Dashing Uncle Sam’s dreams, Russia and Iran continue to dominate their regions of influence, expanding contacts and alliances, without giving any sign of bending to the opposing policies of Washington. The foreign policy of Washington in Europe and in the Middle East, especially in the last eight years, has been schizophrenic, ineffective and against American interests in region in the first place.
In Southeast Asia, the situation is quite different. With the rise of China in terms of GDP, military investment that is higher than the allocated budget, and the number of military personnel available, and if the growth of the last 15 years continues on its trajectory for a further 10 years, then China will certainly become the number one world super power. It is a situation that directly threatens American hegemony, something that has not happened in decades.
For these reasons, Clinton came up with what is now known as the pivot away from Europe and towards Asia, as well as a reset with Russia, in the hope of lengthening the list of countries hostile to Beijing with the aim of containing China. Fast-forward again to several years later and as already stressed, the effect has been quite the opposite. Economically, China is continuing to grow and is consolidating its economical power, with new institutions like the AIIB and the BRICS bank creating an alternative pole to the American globalist system of IMF-World Bank-FED.
Militarily there are less and less nations willing to patrol the South and East China Seas with the United States, Japan and Australia. Rather, countries like the Philippines and Vietnam are seeking a dialogue with the Chinese giant, hoping to improve their economic partnership. For its part, the US will not miss a chance to provoke Beijing with reckless military maneuvers. It is easy to see that with a Clinton presidency the US, when compared to Europe or the Middle East, will be more likely to pursue aggressive strategies in Southeast Asia with much greater determination as to risk conflict.
The major US national donors, composed entirely by the globalist elite , control the press, banks, insurance, the military-industrial complex, Big Pharma, the rating agencies and central banks, and, in addition to increasing their earnings, have every intention to extending the unipolar moment of the United States and ensuring that no superpower can emerge to be a peer competitor. The rise of China is a no go, seen in perspective.
At present, and in the past, it has certainly been the perfect client to allow the turbo-capitalist US system to outsource cheap labor, accelerating globalization, to enrich the pockets of these privileged super wealthy. The problem for the US elites is the rise, as time goes by, of the Chinese elite that has every intention of not being subject to the will of Washington. At a state level we can perceive this struggle with the emergence of institutions like the AIIB and organization of the BRICS.
Clinton, obeying her master-donors, will obviously try to accentuate the influence of the US on regional allies in Asia to inflame anti-Chinese sentiment. The strategy is clear: to prevent Beijing from dominating the region. The risk of a conflict, even while being the highest of any other area of the world, is unlikely to happen in the immediate future, especially due to China’s restrained approach. More likely I expect an asymmetric response by Beijing, aided by its finances.
The most likely hypothesis regards an involvement of the Chinese Military in the Middle East to fight terrorism, perhaps with an Iranian and Russian partnership thanks to organizations such as SCO. The alliances, interests, organizations and international frameworks are all ready, the only thing missing being a direct order from Beijing. This posture and threat also serves as a deterrent to Washington’s meddling in Asia, acting as a kind of counter asymmetrical balance.
It is not far fetched to see in a future presidency of Clinton Chinese troops alongside those of Russia, Iran, Syria, Iraq and maybe even Egypt in the Middle East fighting against state-sponsored terrorism. In a scenario of this kind, with all the behind-the-scenes negotiations between Ankara, Tehran, Tel Aviv and Moscow, it is difficult to imagine a regional war but rather the increasing isolation of Saudi Arabia and Qatar thanks to the policies of the anti-hegemonic bloc in the Middle East.
Beijing, which always plays on different tables and well in advance, has already approached Riyadh in the recent past (its largest world supplier) with proposals and attractive agreements, just as it did with Britain immediately before the Brexit vote, trying to bring the City of London (and its influential financial market) into the orbit of China. For now, the Saudi family remains loyal US allies (and Wall Street finance), but with a new supranational circuit as AIIB, let us say supported by a financial market like London, it is not unthinkable that as the final asymmetric move, Beijing could aspire to deal a deadly blow to US hegemony by shifting oil trading from the dollar system to the new petro-yuan. This scenario is something that has been talked about and that frightens the US elites more than anything else.
Regardless of who is elected the next president, the full attention of the US will shift mainly to the Asian area, prompting Beijing to think about its future and how to deal with American containment. So far, rather than a military deterrent, it looks like the economical factor will play a huge role against an aggressive US military posture in the Asian region. | 0 |
The police in Palm Springs, Calif. are mourning two officers who were shot and killed on Saturday while responding to a call about a domestic disturbance. One of the victims was a young mother and the other a veteran months away from retirement. Dozens of law enforcement officers converged on the scene, where a third officer had been wounded, to help search for the gunman. “I am awake in a nightmare right now,” said Chief Bryan Reyes of the Palm Springs Police Department. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, which took over the case, said on Sunday that a suspect, John Felix, 26, of Palm Springs, had been arrested. The police said that Mr. Felix had been injured while exchanging gunfire with the officers, but that his injuries were not and that he was being treated at a local hospital. Mr. Felix will be charged with two counts of murder of a peace officer, the police said. The Los Angeles Times reported that Mr. Felix had a criminal record. He was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 2009 and sentenced to two years in prison. The episode began shortly after noon on Saturday when a woman called the police about her adult son. Three officers — Jose Gilbert Vega, 63 Lesley Zerebny, 27 and a man whose identity has not been released — responded to the call. A person at the house refused to open the front door and threatened to shoot them through it, Chief Reyes said. Within 10 minutes, shots had been fired and all three officers had been hit. “It was a simple family disturbance and he elected to open fire,” Chief Reyes said. Officer Zerebny had been on the force for a year and a half. She was married to a deputy for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Officer Vega, who was married with eight children, had been with the department for 35 years. Chief Reyes said Officer Vega was not scheduled to work on Saturday, but he had picked up an overtime shift. He was planning to retire in December. “My employees are broken,” Chief Reyes said, his voice shaking. “If there’s ever a time to pray for Palm Springs P. D. it is now. ” Officers Zerebny and Vega are the first from the department to die in the line of duty since 1962, The Desert Sun reported. | 1 |
The N. C. A. A. responding to a contentious North Carolina law that curbed protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, will relocate all championship tournament games scheduled to take place in the state over the coming academic year, the organization announced Monday night. Among the events affected is the Division I men’s basketball tournament, the N. C. A. A.’s most prominent annual event, which had six and games scheduled to be played in Greensboro in March. The announcement followed the N. B. A. ’s decision in July to move its 2017 Game out of Charlotte but was seen as a particularly substantial blow to officials in North Carolina, where college basketball is central to the state’s culture and pride. North Carolina has hosted more men’s basketball tournament games than any other state, an N. C. A. A. spokesman said. In a statement explaining the decision by its Board of Governors, which is largely made up of institutional presidents and chancellors, the N. C. A. A. said: “N. C. A. A. championships and events must promote an inclusive atmosphere for all college athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. Current North Carolina state laws make it challenging to guarantee that host communities can help deliver on that commitment. ” The N. C. A. A. has previously expressed support for protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Last year, for instance, it pressured Indiana over a law — passed days before the men’s basketball Final Four was to be held in Indianapolis, which is also where the N. C. A. A. is headquartered — that critics said could condone discrimination. And in April, it adopted an measure for its evaluation of championship hosts. But Monday’s decision is sure to have real economic ramifications, and it could presage further activism by sports leagues against state or local laws they see as antithetical to their principles or disagreeable to their national fan bases. “This is an incredible statement from the N. C. A. A.,” said Hudson Taylor, the executive director of Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization that fights homophobia and transphobia in sports. “I think this is making it clear that any state or city wishing to host N. C. A. A. championships has to protect and respect their L. G. B. T. constituents. ” Chris Sgro, a Democrat in the North Carolina House of Representatives and the executive director of Equality N. C. a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy group, said the decision showed that the law “is hurting our economy, our reputation, and our people every day. ” The North Carolina law, which was signed by Gov. Pat McCrory in March but is still commonly referred to as House Bill 2, nullified local government ordinances establishing protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But it gained widespread attention for its stipulation requiring people in publicly owned buildings to use restrooms that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificate. Although the law’s supporters have moved to frame it as a public safety measure, critics have forcefully described it as bigoted and anachronistic. In a letter in May, the Justice Department asserted that the statute violated federal civil rights law, an accusation state officials loudly resisted. The N. C. A. A.’s decision on Monday came less than a month after a Federal District Court judge in issued a limited ruling against the law and said the University of North Carolina could not enforce the statute’s restroom access provisions against three people who had filed suit. The N. C. A. A.’s president, Mark Emmert, said in the organization’s statement: “Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships. We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events. ” But in explaining its decision, the N. C. A. A. emphasized the uniqueness of North Carolina’s situation, noting, for instance, that several cities and five states, including New York, have moved to bar travel to North Carolina. Such a ban could include college athletes and staff members, the N. C. A. A. said. Already, the University of Vermont had canceled a women’s basketball game to be held at the University of North Carolina, and the State University of New York at Albany had canceled a men’s basketball game at Duke. In addition to men’s basketball, the affected championships are for women’s soccer, women’s golf and women’s lacrosse in Division I baseball in Division II and men’s and women’s soccer in Division III. Some championship tournaments decide games based on advantage, and Monday’s move will not affect any game locations dictated by the success of North teams. North Carolina — Charlotte, specifically — is also home to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s annual football championship game, which is not administered by the N. C. A. A. In a statement Monday night, the conference’s commissioner, John Swofford, said, “H. B. 2 was previously scheduled to be thoroughly discussed at this week’s A. C. C. Council of Presidents meeting, so it would be premature to make any decisions or announcements regarding A. C. C. championships until our membership is able to discuss. The league’s longstanding commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion will continue to be a central theme to our discussions. ” Swofford added, though, “On a personal note, it’s time for this bill to be repealed as it’s counter to basic human rights. ” The office of Governor McCrory, a Republican, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and aides to the Republican leaders of the General Assembly were similarly quiet. But a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Republican Party, Kami Mueller, described the decision as “so absurd it’s almost comical. ” “I wish the N. C. A. A. was this concerned about the women who were raped at Baylor,” Ms. Mueller said in a statement, referring to a recent scandal involving Baylor University’s football program. “Perhaps the N. C. A. A. should stop with their political peacocking — and instead focus their energies on making sure our nation’s collegiate athletes are safe, both on and off the field. ” With Mr. McCrory embroiled in one of the nation’s closest governor’s races, Democrats quickly used the N. C. A. A.’s announcement to assail Mr. McCrory once more about the law. “These tournaments pump money into our economy and give our communities and fans a chance to showcase our incredible tradition of college sports,” said Ford Porter, a spokesman for Roy Cooper, the Democratic nominee for governor. “Now, our ability to host these events at the highest level has been eliminated because of Governor McCrory and H. B. 2. ” Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy group, said in a statement, “It’s long past time state lawmakers repealed this vile law, and if they don’t, the majority of voters opposed to H. B. 2 will ensure they pay the price in November. ” A trial about the law is expected next year, but the decision by the N. C. A. A. could focus immediate attention on how the University of North Carolina has approached the statute. After Judge Thomas D. Schroeder’s ruling in late August, the university said in a statement that it had “been caught in the middle of a conflict that we did not create between state law and federal guidance” and that it would “fully comply” with the judge’s decision. Private institutions have not felt such pressure because the law does not apply to their campuses. In April, Duke University issued a harshly worded statement that called for the law’s repeal and said university administrators “deplore in the strongest possible terms the new state law. ” | 1 |
Spetsnaz GRU: Russian special operations forces The Spetsnaz GRU was designed to carry out reconnaissance and sabotage activity on the enemy’s territory. By Boris Egorov , RIR Russia's Ministry of Defence
Military special operation forces are elite units of the Russian Armed Forces. They are controlled by the Main Intelligence Agency (GRU) under General Staff.
The primary function of special forces in wartime is infiltration behind enemy lines, usually well before hostilities are scheduled to begin and, once in place, to commit acts of sabotage (such as the destruction of vital communications logistics centers, the command posts for the guidance of nuclear weapons ), the assassination of key government leaders and military officers.
Acting in groups of five to ten people, the Spetsnaz GRU is able to act autonomously for several days.
Soldiers go through special physical and psychological training, in which special emphasis is placed on mastering the weapons, skill in radio communications, and knowledge of the enemy’s territory. | 0 |
The Year 2016 Set To Be Hottest On Record By AFP November 14, " AFP " - The year 2016 will "very likely" be the hottest on record, the UN said Monday, warning of calamitous consequences if the march of global warming cannot be halted.
Average temperatures for the year were set to hit about 1.2 Celsius (2.16 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels meaning that 16 of the 17 hottest years on record were this century, said the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) .
The new record means the world is already more than halfway to the upper limit of 2 C of warming overall, 1.5 C if possible, which UN nations had agreed upon to stave off worst-case-scenario climate change .
"Another year. Another record. The high temperatures we saw in 2015 are set to be beaten in 2016," WMO secretary general Petteri Taalas said in a statement.
#StateofClimate : 2016 set to be hottest year on record. Temperatures approx. 1.2°C above pre-industrial era #COP22 https://t.co/muMmlEuy5l pic.twitter.com/iod2pIoA1t
WMO | OMM (@WMO) November 14, 2016
The El Nino weather phenomenon had boosted temperatures in the early months of the year, but even after its effects dissipated, the mercury stayed high.
In parts of Arctic Russia, temperatures were 6 C to 7 C higher than the long-term average, the statement said. Other Arctic and sub-Arctic regions in Russia, Alaska and northwest Canada were at least 3 C above average.
"We are used to measuring temperature records in fractions of a degree, and so this is different," said Taalas.
The WMO report was published as UN climate talks entered their second week in Marrakesh the first since last year's huddle in the French capital concluded with the climate-rescue Paris Agreement.
The Moroccan followup is meant to agree on rules for executing the plans and goals outlined in the pact, which envisions reining in global warming by cutting back on greenhouse-gas emitting coal, oil and gas for energy.
High impact events
Earlier Monday, the annual Global Carbon Budget report said carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels have been nearly flat for three years in a row a "great help" but not enough to stave off dangerous climate change.
Both analyses warned that concentrations of planet-warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continued to rise, reaching 400 parts per million in 2015 and likely to exceed that record in 2016.
Global temperatures for January to September this year were about 1.2 C over pre-industrial levels, and 0.88 C over the average for 1961-1990, said the WMO.
"More than 90 percent of northern hemisphere land areas outside the tropics were at least 1 C above average."
Temperatures were also above normal over most ocean areas, contributing to coral bleaching and disrupted marine ecosystems in tropical waters, the report said.
Arctic sea ice extent was "well below normal" throughout the year.
"Because of climate change, the occurrence and impact of extreme events has risen," the WMO said. Heatwaves and flooding that once occurred once in a generation, are now much more regular.
It pointed to several "high impact" events this year, including Hurricane Matthew which ravaged Haiti in October, flooding in China, several heatwaves, the most damaging wildfire in Canadian history and major droughts.
Food shortages, population migration and conflict are expected to increase as a result of more frequent and potentially more intense weather-related disasters, the report warned.
(AFP) | 0 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 United States attorneys who were appointed during the prior presidential administration, the Justice Department said Friday. [Many of the federal prosecutors who were nominated by former President Barack Obama have already left their positions, but the nearly four dozen who stayed on in the first weeks of the Trump administration have been asked to leave “in order to ensure a uniform transition,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said. “Until the new U. S. attorneys are confirmed, the dedicated career prosecutors in our U. S. attorney’s offices will continue the great work of the department in investigating, prosecuting and deterring the most violent offenders,” she said in a statement. It is customary, though not automatic, for the country’s 93 U. S. attorneys to leave their positions once a new president is in office. The Obama administration allowed political appointees of President George W. Bush to serve until their replacement had been nominated and confirmed. The federal prosecutors are nominated by the president, generally upon the recommendation of a senator. One U. S. attorney appointed by Bush, Rod Rosenstein of Maryland, remained on the job for the entire Obama administration and is the current nominee for deputy attorney general. U. S. attorneys are responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the territories they oversee. They report to Justice Department leadership in Washington, and their priorities are expected to be in line with those of the attorney general. | 1 |
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It’s time to get excited, because Marvel Comics just announced a new superhero that advances diversity in comics in a major way. The series is called Luminary , and it tells the story of a mild-mannered Caucasian man named Percy Pendleton who gains incredible superhuman powers and constantly expresses his regret that he was blessed with those abilities instead of a Latina woman, who could be a role model for young Hispanic girls in addition to merely fighting crime.
Yes! Marvel deserves major kudos for this massive step toward inclusive representation in comics!
While working as a nuclear physicist at Stark Industries, Percy is caught in a particle-accelerator explosion. A surge of neutrinos floods his nervous system and transforms him into the incredible Luminary, a hero whose amazing powers of flight, super strength, and energy manipulation make him concerned that as a white man he does nothing to reflect the face of a changing America, which is increasingly Hispanic and female.
Wow. What a long-overdue breath of fresh air to see a big-name publisher like Marvel feature a white male superhero who thinks it’s a shame he isn’t Latina.
For a glimpse of the groundbreaking work you can look forward to in Luminary #1, check out these sample panels Marvel released earlier this week:
Awesome. Thanks, Marvel, for proving that white men who wish Latinas had better opportunities can be superheroes, too! We can’t wait to read the first issue! | 0 |
Election 2016 and the Growing Global Nuclear Threat Playing a Game of Chicken with Nuclear Strategy Email This Page to Someone Your Name Here's something interesting from The Unz Review... Recipient Name Recipient Email =>
Once upon a time, when choosing a new president, a factor for many voters was the perennial question: “Whose finger do you want on the nuclear button?” Of all the responsibilities of America’s top executive, none may be more momentous than deciding whether, and under what circumstances, to activate the “nuclear codes” — the secret alphanumeric messages that would inform missile officers in silos and submarines that the fearful moment had finally arrived to launch their intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) toward a foreign adversary, igniting a thermonuclear war.
Until recently in the post-Cold War world, however, nuclear weapons seemed to drop from sight, and that question along with it. Not any longer. In 2016, the nuclear issue is back big time, thanks both to the rise of Donald Trump ( including various unsettling comments he’s made about nuclear weapons) and actual changes in the global nuclear landscape.
With passions running high on both sides in this year’s election and rising fears about Donald Trump’s impulsive nature and Hillary Clinton’s hawkish one, it’s hardly surprising that the “nuclear button” question has surfaced repeatedly throughout the campaign. In one of the more pointed exchanges of the first presidential debate, Hillary Clinton declared that Donald Trump lacked the mental composure for the job. “A man who can be provoked by a tweet,” she commented , “should not have his fingers anywhere near the nuclear codes.” Donald Trump has reciprocated by charging that Clinton is too prone to intervene abroad. “You’re going to end up in World War III over Syria,” he told reporters in Florida last month.
For most election observers, however, the matter of personal character and temperament has dominated discussions of the nuclear issue, with partisans on each side insisting that the other candidate is temperamentally unfit to exercise control over the nuclear codes. There is, however, a more important reason to worry about whose finger will be on that button this time around: at this very moment, for a variety of reasons, the “nuclear threshold” — the point at which some party to a “conventional” (non-nuclear) conflict chooses to employ atomic weapons — seems to be moving dangerously lower.
Not so long ago, it was implausible that a major nuclear power — the United States, Russia, or China — would consider using atomic weapons in any imaginable conflict scenario. No longer. Worse yet, this is likely to be our reality for years to come, which means that the next president will face a world in which a nuclear decision-making point might arrive far sooner than anyone would have thought possible just a year or two ago — with potentially catastrophic consequences for us all.
No less worrisome, the major nuclear powers (and some smaller ones) are all in the process of acquiring new nuclear arms, which could, in theory, push that threshold lower still. These include a variety of cruise missiles and other delivery systems capable of being used in “limited” nuclear wars — atomic conflicts that, in theory at least, could be confined to just a single country or one area of the world (say, Eastern Europe) and so might be even easier for decision-makers to initiate. The next president will have to decide whether the U.S. should actually produce weapons of this type and also what measures should be taken in response to similar decisions by Washington’s likely adversaries.
Lowering the Nuclear Threshold
During the dark days of the Cold War, nuclear strategists in the United States and the Soviet Union conjured up elaborate conflict scenarios in which military actions by the two superpowers and their allies might lead from, say, minor skirmishing along the Iron Curtain to full-scale tank combat to, in the end, the use of “battlefield” nuclear weapons, and then city-busting versions of the same to avert defeat. In some of these scenarios, strategists hypothesized about wielding “tactical” or battlefield weaponry — nukes powerful enough to wipe out a major tank formation, but not Paris or Moscow — and claimed that it would be possible to contain atomic warfare at such a devastating but still sub-apocalyptic level. (Henry Kissinger, for instance, made his reputation by preaching this lunatic doctrine in his first book, Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy .) Eventually, leaders on both sides concluded that the only feasible role for their atomic arsenals was to act as deterrents to the use of such weaponry by the other side. This was, of course, the concept of “ mutually assured destruction ,” or — in one of the most classically apt acronyms of all times: MAD. It would, in the end, form the basis for all subsequent arms control agreements between the two superpowers.
Anxiety over the escalatory potential of tactical nuclear weapons peaked in the 1970s when the Soviet Union began deploying the SS-20 intermediate-range ballistic missile (capable of striking cities in Europe, but not the U.S.) and Washington responded with plans to deploy nuclear-armed, ground-launched cruise missiles and the Pershing-II ballistic missile in Europe. The announcement of such plans provoked massive antinuclear demonstrations across Europe and the United States. On December 8, 1987, at a time when worries had been growing about how a nuclear conflagration in Europe might trigger an all-out nuclear exchange between the superpowers, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
That historic agreement — the first to eliminate an entire class of nuclear delivery systems — banned the deployment of ground-based cruise or ballistic missiles with a range of 500 and 5,500 kilometers and required the destruction of all those then in existence. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation inherited the USSR’s treaty obligations and pledged to uphold the INF along with other U.S.-Soviet arms control agreements. In the view of most observers, the prospect of a nuclear war between the two countries practically vanished as both sides made deep cuts in their atomic stockpiles in accordance with already existing accords and then signed others, including the New START , the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty of 2010.
Today, however, this picture has changed dramatically. The Obama administration has concluded that Russia has violated the INF treaty by testing a ground-launched cruise missile of prohibited range, and there is reason to believe that, in the not-too-distant future, Moscow might abandon that treaty altogether. Even more troubling, Russia has adopted a military doctrine that favors the early use of nuclear weapons if it faces defeat in a conventional war, and NATO is considering comparable measures in response. The nuclear threshold, in other words, is dropping rapidly.
Much of this is due, it seems, to Russian fears about its military inferiority vis-à-vis the West. In the chaotic years following the collapse of the USSR, Russian military spending plummeted and the size and quality of its forces diminished accordingly. In an effort to restore Russia’s combat capabilities, President Vladimir Putin launched a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar expansion and modernization program. The fruits of this effort were apparent in the Crimea and Ukraine in 2014, when Russian forces, however disguised, demonstrated better fighting skills and wielded better weaponry than in the Chechnya wars a decade earlier. Even Russian analysts acknowledge, however, that their military in its current state would be no match for American and NATO forces in a head-on encounter, given the West’s superior array of conventional weaponry. To fill the breach, Russian strategic doctrine now calls for the early use of nuclear weapons to offset an enemy’s superior conventional forces.
To put this in perspective, Russian leaders ardently believe that they are the victims of a U.S.-led drive by NATO to encircle their country and diminish its international influence. They point, in particular, to the build-up of NATO forces in the Baltic countries, involving the semi-permanent deployment of combat battalions in what was once the territory of the Soviet Union, and in apparent violation of promises made to Gorbachev in 1990 that NATO would not do so. As a result, Russia has been bolstering its defenses in areas bordering Ukraine and the Baltic states, and training its troops for a possible clash with the NATO forces stationed there.
This is where the nuclear threshold enters the picture. Fearing that it might be defeated in a future clash, its military strategists have called for the early use of tactical nuclear weapons, some of which no doubt would violate the INF Treaty, in order to decimate NATO forces and compel them to quit fighting. Paradoxically, in Russia, this is labeled a “ de-escalation ” strategy, as resorting to strategic nuclear attacks on the U.S. under such circumstances would inevitably result in Russia’s annihilation. On the other hand, a limited nuclear strike (so the reasoning goes) could potentially achieve success on the battlefield without igniting all-out atomic war. As Eugene Rumer of the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace explains, this strategy assumes that such supposedly “limited” nuclear strikes “will have a sobering effect on the enemy, which will then cease and desist.”
To what degree tactical nuclear weapons have been incorporated into Moscow’s official military doctrine remains unknown, given the degree of secrecy surrounding such matters. It is apparent, however, that the Russians have been developing the means with which to conduct such “limited” strikes. Of greatest concern to Western analysts in this regard is their deployment of the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile, a modern version of the infamous Soviet-era “Scud” missile (used by Saddam Hussein’s forces during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988 and the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991). Said to have a range of 500 kilometers (just within the INF limit), the Iskander can carry either a conventional or a nuclear warhead. As a result, a targeted country or a targeted military could never be sure which type it might be facing (and might simply assume the worst). Adding to such worries, the Russians have deployed the Iskander in Kaliningrad, a tiny chunk of Russian territory wedged between Poland and Lithuania that just happens to put it within range of many western European cities.
In response, NATO strategists have discussed lowering the nuclear threshold themselves, arguing — ominously enough — that the Russians will only be fully dissuaded from employing their limited-nuclear-war strategy if they know that NATO has a robust capacity to do the same. At the very least, what’s needed, some of them claim , is a more frequent inclusion of nuclear-capable or dual-use aircraft in exercises on Russia’s frontiers to “signal” NATO’s willingness to resort to limited nuclear strikes, too. Again, such moves are not yet official NATO strategy, but it’s clear that senior officials are weighing them seriously.
Just how all of this might play out in a European crisis is, of course, unknown, but both sides in an increasingly edgy standoff are coming to accept that nuclear weapons might have a future military role, which is, of course, a recipe for almost unimaginable escalation and disaster of an apocalyptic sort. This danger is likely to become more pronounced in the years ahead because both Washington and Moscow seem remarkably intent on developing and deploying new nuclear weapons designed with just such needs in mind.
The New Nuclear Armaments
Both countries are already in the midst of ambitious and extremely costly efforts to “ modernize ” their nuclear arsenals. Of all the weapons now being developed, the two generating the most anxiety in terms of that nuclear threshold are a new Russian ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) and an advanced U.S. air-launched cruise missile (ALCM). Unlike ballistic missiles, which exit the Earth’s atmosphere before returning to strike their targets, such cruise missiles remain within the atmosphere throughout their flight.
American officials claim that the Russian GLCM, reportedly now being deployed, is of a type outlawed by the INF Treaty. Without providing specifics, the State Department indicated in a 2014 memo that it had “a range capability of 500 km [kilometers] to 5,500 km,” which would indeed put it in violation of that treaty by allowing Russian combat forces to launch nuclear warheads against cities throughout Europe and the Middle East in a “limited” nuclear war.
The GLCM is likely to prove one of the most vexing foreign policy issues the next president will face. So far, the White House has been reluctant to press Moscow too hard, fearing that the Russians might respond by exiting the INF Treaty altogether and so eliminate remaining constraints on its missile program. But many in Congress and among Washington’s foreign policy elite are eager to see the next occupant of the Oval Office take a tougher stance if the Russians don’t halt deployment of the missile, threatening Moscow with more severe economic sanctions or moving toward countermeasures like the deployment of enhanced anti-missile systems in Europe. The Russians would, in turn, undoubtedly perceive such moves as threats to their strategic deterrent forces and so an invitation for further weapons acquisitions, setting off a fresh round in the long-dormant Cold War nuclear arms race.
On the American side, the weapon of immediate concern is a new version of the AGM-86B air-launched cruise missile, usually carried by B-52 bombers. Also known as the Long-Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO), it is, like the Iskander-M, expected to be deployed in both nuclear and conventional versions, leaving those on the potential receiving end unsure what might be heading their way. In other words, as with the Iskander-M, the intended target might assume the worst in a crisis, leading to the early use of nuclear weapons. Put another way, such missiles make for twitchy trigger fingers and are likely to lead to a heightened risk of nuclear war, which, once started, might in turn take Washington and Moscow right up the escalatory ladder to a planetary holocaust.
No wonder former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry called on President Obama to cancel the ALCM program in a recent Washington Post op-ed piece. “Because they… come in both nuclear and conventional variants,” he wrote, “cruise missiles are a uniquely destabilizing type of weapon.” And this issue is going to fall directly into the lap of the next president.
The New Nuclear Era
Whoever is elected on November 8th, we are evidently all headed into a world in which Trumpian-style itchy trigger fingers could be the norm. It already looks like both Moscow and Washington will contribute significantly to this development — and they may not be alone. In response to Russian and American moves in the nuclear arena, China is reported to be developing a “ hypersonic glide vehicle ,” a new type of nuclear warhead better able to evade anti-missile defenses — something that, at a moment of heightened crisis, might make a nuclear first strike seem more attractive to Washington. And don’t forget Pakistan, which is developing its own short-range “tactical” nuclear missiles, increasing the risk of the quick escalation of any future Indo-Pakistani confrontation to a nuclear exchange. (To put such “regional” dangers in perspective, a local nuclear war in South Asia could cause a global nuclear winter and, according to one study , possibly kill a billion people worldwide, thanks to crop failures and the like.)
And don’t forget North Korea, which is now testing a nuclear-armed ICBM, the Musudan, intended to strike the Western United States. That prompted a controversial decision in Washington to deploy THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile batteries in South Korea (something China bitterly opposes), as well as the consideration of other countermeasures, including undoubtedly scenarios involving first strikes against the North Koreans.
It’s clear that we’re on the threshold of a new nuclear era: a time when the actual use of atomic weapons is being accorded greater plausibility by military and political leaders globally, while war plans are being revised to allow the use of such weapons at an earlier stage in future armed clashes.
As a result, the next president will have to grapple with nuclear weapons issues — and possible nuclear crises — in a way unknown since the Cold War era. Above all else, this will require both a cool head and a sufficient command of nuclear matters to navigate competing pressures from allies, the military, politicians, pundits, and the foreign policy establishment without precipitating a nuclear conflagration. On the face of it, that should disqualify Donald Trump. When questioned on nuclear issues in the first debate, he exhibited a striking ignorance of the most basic aspects of nuclear policy. But even Hillary Clinton, for all her experience as secretary of state, is likely to have a hard time grappling with the pressures and dangers that are likely to arise in the years ahead, especially given that her inclination is to toughen U.S. policy toward Russia.
In other words, whoever enters the Oval Office, it may be time for the rest of us to take up those antinuclear signs long left to molder in closets and memories, and put some political pressure on leaders globally to avoid strategies and weapons that would make human life on this planet so much more precarious than it already is.
Michael T. Klare, a TomDispatch regular , is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College and the author, most recently, of The Race for What’s Left . A documentary movie version of his book Blood and Oil is available from the Media Education Foundation . Follow him on Twitter at @mklare1. (Reprinted from TomDispatch by permission of author or representative) | 0 |
Obama’s Secret Muslim List Why enemies of Israel and Iran’s “go-to guy” appeared on the list. November 2, 2016 Daniel Greenfield
Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.
Like a warped Islamic version of Santa Claus, Obama had a secret Muslim list. And his people checked it at least twice. The list was of Muslims who were prospects for important jobs and appointments.
It included a Muslim who had described Israel as an “Apartheid State,” Iran’s “go-to guy in New York financial circles” and a number of figures linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
It was the ultimate religious test from an administration that had vocally rejected them.
Obama had claimed that having religious tests for migration was “shameful” and “not American.”
“When I hear folks say that, well maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims,” he huffed from Turkey. His Muslim host country was run by a bigoted sponsor of Islamic terror.
"We don’t have religious tests,” he insisted.
Except we did and we do. Obama also had religious tests. His religious tests excluded Christians and favored Muslims. That is why his Syrian refugees were between 98% and 99% Muslim with only 68 Christians and 24 Yazidis, even though both groups are real victims of the Muslim religious war.
Syria is 10% Christian and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Yet only 68 have made it past Obama’s iron curtain. That’s either an Islamic religious test or the world’s greatest coincidence.
But would the man who piously lectured us on the evils of religious tests really have a religious test?
Of course he would.
The hacked emails include a list of “Muslim American candidates for top Administration jobs, sub-cabinet jobs, and outside boards/agencies/policy committees.”
The list was sent to John Podesta who headed the Obama-Biden Transition Project. It had been put together by a woman who had sat on the Commission on International Religious Freedom, but boasted that she had, “Excluded those with some Arab American background but who are not Muslim (e.g., George Mitchell). Many Lebanese Americans, for example, are Christian.”
How “shameful.” How “not American” of Barack Hussein Obama.
“Most who are listed appear to be Muslim-American, except that a handful (where noted) may be Arab American but of uncertain religion (esp. Christian),” she assured Podesta.
Religious tests are only out of line when they exclude Muslims. Not when they exclude Christians.
That’s the pattern which emerged from the Obama-Biden Transition Project and Obama’s refugee policy. There has been a clear pattern of administration bias against Christians and Jews. And in favor of Muslims. That bias has been obvious in a foreign policy which backed Islamic supremacist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood over more moderate governments at the expense of non-Muslim populations.
This policy led to the displacement and death of countless Christians, and the persecution of entire communities, by an administration which then denied safe harbor to the victims of its own policies.
Administration bias replicated that same bigoted policy at home when it favored Islamic candidates.
Obama appointed Farooq Kathwari, the first name on the “Muslim list” sent to Podesta, to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The “Muslim list” email had warned that, “Kathwari’s then 19-year-old American-educated son Irfan (aka Imran), was killed in 1992 fighting Jihad against the Russians in Afghanistan.” The actions of his son, who may have been with the Mujahedeen but was also apparently outraged over India’s defense of Kashmir, is of less relevance than Kathwari’s appearance at an ISNA conference and another conference co-sponsored by the Muslim Students Association. Both groups are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
He co-chaired the American Muslim Task Force whose members included Salam Al-Marayati , Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, which has defended Hamas and Hezbollah, Yahya Basha, president of the American Muslim Council and a former board member of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and assorted other Islamists . Its report complained that Muslims were inhibited from donating to “charities” run by Islamic terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. Yahya Basha also appeared on Obama’s Muslim list.
Also listed was MPAC’s Aslam Abdullah who had claimed that “Zionists,” Christians and Hindus were behind the War on Terror. He had described Israel as an “apartheid state” and a “racist state.”
The second Muslim on the list, Cyrus Amir-Mokri, was named assistant treasury secretary. He became the first Iranian to be named to such a high position and defended the Iran nuclear sellout. Mokri attended a meeting with members of the Iran Lobby at the White House. He also reportedly advised Obama on Iranian sanctions.
Obama had famously told NASA boss Bolden that one of his three tasks at the space agency was Muslim self-esteem. But Bolden almost didn’t make it in. The Muslim list included two alternative candidates for NASA administrator. One of them, Dr. Charles Elachi of JPL was dismissed as “possibly Christian.” Indeed Elachi, who grew up admiring John Wayne and believes that American success is possible because it isn’t "held back by the long-standing, ingrained systems and beliefs found in the Middle East" would have been a rather poor fit. But it is deeply shameful and un-American that his potential NASA appointment questioned his religion. That is an inappropriate religious test that Obama must apologize for.
The other name on the list however is Firouz Naderi, an Iranian board member of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans which advocated in support of the Iran nuke sellout.
Eboo Patel, whose name would frequently appear on lists of Islamists in the Obama administration, first made an appearance on the Muslim List. Despite his Islamist ties, he got the posting at the Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships. Also listed were Keith Ellison, Andre Carson and Larry Shaw. Shaw sits on the board of CAIR.
Dilawar Syed, the first name to appear on the list of possible appointments, was named to Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Syed is a co-founder and chair of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Victory Fund which has come out for Hillary Clinton. The secret Muslim list describes him as “animated by policy issues relating to the Muslim world.” A similar description is appended to the bio for Kashif Zafar who served as a Co-Chair of the South Asian American Leadership Council at the DNC.
Also on the list was Hamid Biglari. Bloomberg described Biglari as "Iran's Man in New York” and as the Iranian president’s “go-to guy in New York financial circles.” Biglari was a key Iran Lobby figure.
The recently revealed secret Muslim list is deeply troubling. There should be no religious test for political appointments. Yet Obama had one. And his people sought to screen out Christians and favor Muslims.
This represents behavior that is in Obama’s own words, “shameful” and “not American.” One can’t help but conclude that, based on his own principles, Obama is shameful and not American. | 0 |
Hillary Clinton & The Ghosts Of Watergate Posted on Home » Headlines » World News » Hillary Clinton & The Ghosts Of Watergate
Are Goldman Sachs et al. delusional? If there is any lesson to be learned from the ghosts of Watergate, it is that the big-money support of a leader who has lost the ability to deliver the goods crumbles very quickly as the endgame unfolds…
From Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds :
If there is any lesson to be learned from the ghosts of Watergate, it is that the big-money support of a leader who has lost the ability to deliver the goods crumbles very quickly as the endgame unfolds.
The parallels between Hillary Clinton and Richard Nixon are not legal–they are political: specifically, how can a leader crippled by scandal and cover-ups govern?
In even blunter terms: how can a crippled politico deliver the goods to the special interests who bet their cash and political capital on the politico’s ability to deliver favors?
Among the many ghosts of Watergate, one specter especially haunts Hillary: once the special interests and party stalwarts who defended you through every scandal and every cover-up–month after month and year after year, on the promise that you would deliver the goods upon ascending to the presidency–realize you are too damaged to deliver anything of value to anyone, why would they continue supporting you?
Once a politico has to declare “I am not a crook” based on legalese rather than a moral foundation, that politico’s ability to lead has vanished.
Hillary and her supporters rely entirely on legalese parsing of wrong-doing rather than on a self-explanatory, basic moral foundation of right and wrong.
Declaring “I am not a crook” because the wrongdoing escapes prosecution is the same as declaring “I am above the law. “ I f the foundation of one’s ability to lead is a reliance on legal parsing and allies in the Department of Justice squashing investigations while handing out immunity like candy on Halloween, the political capital required to lead no longer exists.
Ultimately, the President leads by moral persuasion. Even the political act of delivering the goods to the special interests that funded your campaign and your wealth must be backed by the moral authority of personal integrity and a morally grounded appeal to the common good.
A politician who has effectively zero personal integrity is only as viable as his/her ability to deliver favors to the few (i.e. special interests) over the objections of the many. A reliance on cold-blooded horse-trading only works if the leader has enough political capital to arm-twist everyone into granting favors to allies and special interests.
But this political capital rests on moral suasion and support earned not by issuing promises but by leading the nation through thorny thickets to solutions that work for the many, not just the few.
Once the ability to lead has been lost, special interests can forget about getting favors. And once they realize their politico is a liability rather than an asset, self-preservation requires abandoning the liability as quickly as possible.
It’s nothing personal, it’s just business. Anyone who thinks Hillary has the personal integrity to build sufficient political capital to lead is delusional. Anyone who believes Hillary has the moral foundation to deliver the goods to the myriad special interests that have funded her campaign and her personal wealth is equally delusional.
Are Goldman Sachs et al. delusional? If there is any lesson to be learned from the ghosts of Watergate, it is that the big-money support of a leader who has lost the ability to deliver the goods crumbles very quickly as the endgame unfolds.
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The mass shooting in Orlando on Sunday was appalling in scale: 49 killed in a single attack. But it’s not unusual for dozens of Americans to be killed by guns in a single day. Gun homicides are a common cause of death in the United States, killing about as many people as car crashes (not counting van, truck, motorcycle or bus accidents). Some cases command our attention more than others, of course. Counting mass shootings that make headlines and the thousands of Americans murdered one or a few at a time, gunshot homicides totaled 8, 124 in 2014, according to the F. B. I. This level of violence makes the United States an extreme outlier when measured against the experience of other advanced countries. Around the world, those countries have substantially lower rates of deaths from gun homicide. In Germany, being murdered with a gun is as uncommon as being killed by a falling object in the United States. About two people out of every million are killed in a gun homicide. Gun homicides are just as rare in several other European countries, including the Netherlands and Austria. In the United States, two per million is roughly the death rate for hypothermia or plane crashes. In Poland and England, only about one out of every million people die in gun homicides each year — about as often as an American dies in an agricultural accident or falling from a ladder. In Japan, where gun homicides are even rarer, the likelihood of dying this way is about the same as an American’s chance of being killed by lightning — roughly one in 10 million. In the United States, the death rate from gun homicides is about 31 per million people — the equivalent of 27 people shot dead every day of the year. The homicides include losses from mass shootings, like Sunday’s Orlando attack, or the San Bernardino, Calif. shooting last December. And of course, they also include the country’s vastly more common killings. To give you a sense of how unusual America’s gun violence problem is, consider the daily death toll compared with other Western democracies. The chart below imagines that the populations of those countries were the same as the population of the United States. International comparisons help highlight how exceptional the United States is: In a nation where the right to bear arms is cherished by much of the population, gun homicides are a significant public health concern. For men 15 to 29, they are the cause of death, after accidents and suicides. In other countries, gun homicides are unusual events. Last year’s Paris attacks killed 130 people, which is nearly as many as die from gun homicides in all of France in a typical year. But even if France had a mass shooting as deadly as the Paris attacks every month, its annual rate of gun homicide death would be lower than that in the United States. The accompanying table shows the mortality rates for gun homicides in a variety of countries, along with a correspondingly likely cause of death in the United States. Our gun homicide numbers come from the Small Arms Survey, a Swiss nonprofit affiliated with the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, and represent the average gun homicide death rates with data available in those countries between 2007 and 2012. (Data was unavailable for some countries in later years of that period). The United States death rates come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over those same years. There are more recent statistics on American gun deaths, like the F. B. I. number at the top of this article, but we chose these years to provide fair comparisons. We focused on the rates of gun homicides the overall rate of gun deaths is substantially higher, because suicides make up a majority of gun deaths in the United States and are also higher than in other developed countries. The table is not meant to make light of rare causes of death. Instead, we show them as a way to help think meaningfully about the differences among gun death rates. The rate of gun violence in the United States is not the highest in the world. In parts of Central America, Africa and the Middle East, the gun death rates are even higher — close to those from heart attacks and lung cancer in the United States. In neighboring Mexico, where a drug war rages, 122 people per million die in a gun homicide, a rate slightly higher than Americans’ death rate from pancreatic cancer. But the countries with those levels of gun violence are not like the United States in many other ways, including G. D. P. life expectancy and education. Among developed democracies, the United States is an outlier. Editor’s note: A version of this article was first published in December 2015 and was updated after the Orlando shootings. | 1 |
As the Trump Administration continues its efforts to round up criminal aliens, the Mexican government is beginning a nationwide campaign in the U. S. to help “protect” migrants. The campaign will be waged in all 50 Mexican consulates across the U. S.[It appears Mexico does not want criminal aliens in the United States returned to their country. “What changes today is that we are prioritizing legal matters over everything. Previously, we didn’t have the need to seek so much legal support for our people,” Miami’s Consul General Antonio Zabalgoitia told the Associated Press on Friday. “But now, we need to protect them against an eventual deportation. ” The Trump Administration, under the leadership of Department of Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly, is conducting targeted enforcement actions against criminal aliens across the U. S. One effort, carried out in February, landed nearly 700 criminal aliens in detention. ICE officials are processing those criminal aliens for removal. “ICE conducts these kind of targeted enforcement operations regularly and has for many years,” Secretary Kelly said in a written statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “The focus of these enforcement operations is consistent with the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICE’s Fugitive Operations teams on a daily basis. ” To counter this effort, the Mexican consulates are joining up with law schools, immigration clinics, and nonprofit organizations that specialize in helping foreign nationals. The Mexican government will place attorneys in these facilities to provide assistance to those facing deportation, the AP reported. The consulates are also working with private law firms to provide assistance. During a meeting at the New York Consulate, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray called the effort a “moral imperative. ” “It is something that we will continue to do by obligation and conviction,” the foreign minister told the AP. He expressed that the workload being faced by consulates is escalating rapidly. “I used to sign two birth certificates a week,” he said. “Only yesterday, I signed 15. ” Videgaray previously stated Mexico was allocating about $54 million to provide services to migrants living in the U. S. Breitbart News reported. The Mexican consulate in Houston described conditions facing migrants. “The tolerance is gone. I think that’s the best way of describing it,” Oscar Solis, a first secretary of the Mexican consulate in Houston, told the AP. “It’s like in wars. They come for one person and many who are innocent — or not really involved — end up paying. ” The Mexican consulate in Houston serves about 500, 000 Mexican nationals who live in the area. Officials stated requests for Mexican birth certificates have increased by 50 percent since the Trump Administration’s crackdown began. Breitbart Texas visited the Houston consulates’ website to learn about the process for obtaining a birth certificate. The website lists the following steps: IMPORTANT: The name of the identification must match the name that appears in the birth certificate. 3. Provide the following information: Make the payment of rights: US $ 13 for each certified copy. Consular officials stated that 92 percent of Mexican birth certificates had been digitized, leaving eight percent to be digitized in the future, Mexican nationals who have overstayed visas are also requesting assistance from the consulates. In Phoenix, Gloria Portillo, a Mexican national who allowed her visa to expire three years ago, told the AP, “We’ve been here all of our lives, we have kids, and of course we’re afraid to be deported. ” The AP did not ask the Phoenix woman why she waited until this time to begin the process of renewing her legal status. She recently married an American citizen. Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX. | 1 |
Forbes Magazine is promoting Iran as one of “The 10 Coolest Places to Go in 2017,” based on a review by Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of the travel website Indagare. [“Indagare founder Melissa Biggs Bradley is excited about the trip she just completed, to Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis,” the Forbes article states. “The country seemed to be on the verge last year, and that panned out. “Tourism has doubled in the past year, Biggs Bradley notes, thanks to the 2015 nuclear agreement along with regular flights from London, Paris, Vienna, Istanbul, Dubai and Doha. ” “Visitors to Iran understand that they must adapt to Sharia law and customs, under which alcohol is strictly forbidden and women must wear hijabs, or headscarves, outside their rooms,” Biggs Bradley wrote. “Advanced visas are required for Americans, who must be accompanied by Iranian guides and may not visit Iranians in their homes. Visitors must also “skip alcohol and put up with basic hotels,” Biggs Bradley wrote in the review published early this year. “This is a destination for history buffs and connoisseurs of decorative arts who don’t mind basic rooms and food,” Biggs Bradley wrote. “It is not for sybarites [defined by Oxford Dictionary as “a person who is in their fondness for sensuous luxury”] looking for nightlife or spas. ” Biggs Bradley wrote that first impressions when arriving in the country are “wholly inaccurate. ” “On the day that our Indagare Insider Trip arrived in Iran, the cover of the Tehran Times featured a photo of a march marking the anniversary of the United States embassy takeover,” Biggs Bradley wrote. “The next morning, we passed a giant mural on the side of a building depicting an American flag with falling rockets in the place of stripes and bearing the slogan ‘Down with the U. S.,’ “This jarringly inauspicious start to our trip proved a wholly inaccurate foreshadowing of what the rest of our weeklong experience in Iran would be,” Biggs Bradley wrote. “Throughout our stay, people on the streets, in bazaars, at museums and monuments would come up to our group to greet us, ask our impressions and thank us for coming. “I have never felt more genuinely welcomed by the local people in any of the more than 100 countries I have visited,” Biggs Bradley wrote. Biggs Bradley credited the nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administrations and others in the West for the increase in tourism in Iran. “According to the Tehran Times, the number of foreign tourists arriving in Iran has doubled since it signed a nuclear deal with six Western countries, including the United States, in January 2016, leading to the lifting sanctions,” Biggs Bradely wrote. According to the U. S. Department of State, Iran is not an ideal travel destination because of it being designated as the No. 1 state sponsor of terror through its ongoing funding and arming of terrorists groups around the world and its human rights abuses against its own citizens and visitors. The State Department’s travel warning on its website states its purpose is to: “Reiterate and highlight the risk of arrest and detention of U. S. citizens, particularly dual national . Foreigners, in particular dual nationals of Iran and Western countries including the United States, continue to be detained or prevented from leaving Iran. U. S. citizens traveling to Iran should very carefully weigh the risks of travel and consider postponing their travel. U. S. citizens residing in Iran should closely follow media reports, monitor local conditions, and evaluate the risks of remaining in the country. Iranian authorities continue to unjustly detain and imprison U. S. citizens, particularly including students, journalists, business travelers, and academics, on charges including espionage and posing a threat to national security. Iranian authorities have also prevented the departure, in some cases for months, of a number of citizens who traveled to Iran for personal or professional reasons. U. S. citizens traveling to Iran should very carefully weigh the risks of travel and consider postponing their travel. ” The State Department’s Countrys Report on Terrorism 2015 details Iran’s ties to the most ruthless terrorism around the world. “Iran remained the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015, providing a range of support, including financial, training, and equipment, to groups around the world — particularly Hizballah. Iran continued to be deeply involved in the conflict in Syria, working closely with the Asad regime to counter the Syrian opposition, and also in Iraq where Iran continued to provide support to militia groups, including Foreign Terrorist Organization Kata’ib Hizballah. In addition, it was implicated for its support to violent Shia opposition group attacks in Bahrain. Iran was joined in these efforts by Hizballah, which continued to operate globally, as demonstrated by the disruption of Hizballah activities in Peru in 2014 and Cyprus in 2015. ” | 1 |
LOS ANGELES — Whether because of Veterans Day school closings, a postelection need to escape into fantasy or an unusually wide range of multiplex offerings, Hollywood had a very good weekend at the box office: Ticket sales in North America were up 47 percent compared with the same weekend last year, according to comScore. The top two movies were holdovers. The superhero movie “Doctor Strange” (Walt Disney Studios) was again No. 1, taking in an estimated $43 million, for a total of $153 million and nearly $500 million worldwide. The animated “Trolls” (20th Century Fox) sold about $35. 1 million in tickets, for a domestic total of $94 million. Then came a pair of new films. Paramount Pictures, showing signs life after a dreary run, powered Denis Villeneuve’s understated “Arrival” to roughly $24 million in ticket sales, a strong total that easily surpassed what most analysts had predicted. “Arrival,” a mystery about a linguist tasked with decoding alien signals, received exceptional reviews, which helped turn out an older audience 85 percent of ticket buyers were over the age of 25. Starring Amy Adams and produced by a team that included Shawn Levy (known for the “Night at the Museum” series) “Arrival” was independently financed by Lava Bear and FilmNation for about $47 million. Paramount paid $20 million for certain rights. “Almost Christmas” (Universal Pictures) arrived to a solid $15. 6 million in ticket sales. A comedic drama with a predominantly black cast, “Almost Christmas” cost about $17 million to make. Reviews leaned toward the negative, but audiences gave the film an grade in CinemaScore exit polls. Also of note: “Shut In” (Europa) a $10 million thriller starring Naomi Watts that received a 0 percent positive score on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregation site, arrived to a dismal $3. 7 million in ticket sales “Moonlight” (A24) continued to dominate the marketplace, generating about $5 million at the box office ahead of its nationwide expansion next weekend. | 1 |
GOSHEN, N. Y. — Angelika Graswald, the woman accused of killing her fiancé while on a kayak outing last year, asked an investigator who “Miranda” was — a few hours after she had been read her Miranda rights, according to testimony in a pretrial hearing here on Tuesday. In his of the investigator, Ms. Graswald’s lawyer, Richard A. Portale, sought to show that his client, a native of Latvia, did not grasp the implications of the police interrogation that preceded her arrest on charges. “My client,” Mr. Portale said in court, “is asking, ‘What’s Miranda? Who’s Miranda? ’” The investigator, Donald DeQuarto, responded that he felt confident that earlier in the police interrogation, Ms. Graswald had comprehended her rights. “I asked her if she understood it, and she stated yes,” Mr. DeQuarto said. “I remember her reading the piece of paper and writing it onto a piece of paper, the Miranda warning. ” During the interrogation, Ms. Graswald admitted to removing the drain plug of the kayak that belonged to her fiancé, Vincent Viafore, and also tampering with his paddle. Mr. Viafore, 46, drowned on April 19, 2015, when his kayak capsized in rough water on the Hudson River. The Miranda warning is usually read to suspects at the start of a police interrogation. It alerts them to their right to remain silent and to obtain a lawyer, and is intended to preserve the admissibility of evidence at trial. The Miranda rights get their name from a case involving Ernesto Arturo Miranda, a laborer whose confession led to his conviction for armed robbery, kidnapping and rape. His appeal resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1966 that said suspects must be informed of their right to legal representation and against . The purpose of the pretrial hearing is to determine how investigators obtained their evidence. In the case against Ms. Graswald, 36, the case hinges largely on statements she made to the police, including the videotaped interrogation that Mr. Portale is trying to keep out of the trial. During the hearing, Mr. DeQuarto said that he had read Ms. Graswald her Miranda rights only after they had spoken for more than three hours at the police barracks in Orange County. The questioning came 10 days after Mr. Viafore’s kayak had capsized in the river an autopsy report ruled the cause of death a drowning and the manner of death homicide, citing the “kayak drain plug intentionally removed by other. ” Prosecutors say that Ms. Graswald was motivated by Mr. Viafore’s life insurance policy she stood to collect $250, 000 in benefits. The long interrogation followed an encounter earlier in the day between Ms. Graswald and the police on Bannerman Island, where the couple, who lived together in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. had rested the day he capsized. On the island, Ms. Graswald, who was laying a memorial wreath, had told Mr. DeQuarto that she felt “trapped” in the relationship and confessed to sabotaging his kayak, he said in earlier testimony. But Mr. Portale said the video of the interrogation shows that around the seventh hour, Ms. Graswald appears not to have understood her rights, inquiring about “Miranda” as though it might be a person. In another strange detail in a case full of them, Mr. DeQuarto testified that Ms. Graswald suggested she was pregnant at the time of Mr. Viafore’s death. “Two hours in, she asks to use the bathroom,” Mr. Portale said to Mr. DeQuarto. “She comes back and she relates to you that maybe she just had a miscarriage. Do you remember that?” Mr. DeQuarto said he did remember. In other testimony, Susan McCardell, a volunteer gardener at Bannerman Island, said she saw Ms. Graswald in distress when she was with the officers on the island last spring. Investigators have testified that Ms. Graswald, who also volunteered on the island, seemed agitated. “They were bullying her she was crying,” Ms. McCardell said. “It was obvious to anyone it was not a good situation. She was unhappy, she was crying, she did not want to be alone. ” But she said Ms. Graswald indicated that Ms. McCardell should not stay. So did the officers, she testified. Ms. McCardell said one of the investigators told her: “She doesn’t really need you. She’s OK. ” Ms. McCardell said she returned a second time, about a later, and found Ms. Graswald still in tears. “She was still crying. She was a little more agitated,” Ms. McCardell said. “I said: ‘Do you want me to stay? I think I should be here with you. ’” Her testimony contrasts with that of the investigators, who testified that while Ms. Graswald was agitated on the island, she seemed “ ” on the boat ride back to Police Headquarters. Ms. Graswald’s English skills could prove crucial to whether jurors are allowed to view the taped police interrogation. (A decision is expected in late July.) A native Russian speaker, Ms. Graswald arrived in the United States as an au pair more than 15 years ago. Mr. Portale has portrayed Ms. Graswald as struggling with English, but during the police investigation she demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of the language. In a video clip of the interrogation shown last fall on ABC’s “” a detective asked: “When you watched him in the water, was a part of you saying, ‘My worries are going away now?’ Were you almost . .. ” He paused, but she filled in the word, offering “euphoric. ” The detective said, “Euphoric that he was gone — you felt that way?” She answered, “I still do. ” | 1 |
The payday loan industry, which is vilified for charging exorbitant interest rates on loans that many Americans depend on, could soon be gutted by a set of rules that federal regulators plan to unveil on Thursday. People who borrow money against their paychecks are generally supposed to pay it back within two weeks, with substantial fees piled on: A customer who borrows $500 would typically owe around $575, at an annual percentage rate of 391 percent. But most borrowers routinely roll the loan over into a new one, becoming less likely to ever emerge from the debt. Mainstream banks are generally barred from this kind of lending. More than a dozen states have set their own rate caps and other rules that essentially prohibit payday loans, but the market is flourishing in at least 30 states. Some 16, 000 lenders run online and storefront operations that thrive on the hefty profits. Under the guidelines from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the watchdog agency set up in the wake of 2010 banking legislation — lenders will be required in many cases to verify their customers’ income and to confirm that they can afford to repay the money they borrow. The number of times that people could roll over their loans into newer and pricier ones would be curtailed. The new guidelines do not need congressional or other approval to take effect, which could happen as soon as next year. The Obama administration has said such curbs are needed to protect consumers from taking on more debt than they can handle. The consumer agency — which many Republicans, including Donald J. Trump, have said they would like to eliminate — indicated last year that it intended to crack down on the payday lending market. “The very economics of the payday lending business model depend on a substantial percentage of borrowers being unable to repay the loan and borrowing again and again at high interest rates,” said Richard Cordray, the consumer agency’s director. “It is much like getting into a taxi just to ride across town and finding yourself stuck in a ruinously expensive journey. ” Lenders say the proposed rules would devastate their industry and cut vulnerable borrowers off from a financial lifeline. “Thousands of lenders, especially small businesses, will be forced to shutter their doors, lay off employees, and leave communities that already have too few options for financial services,” said Dennis Shaul, the chief executive of the Community Financial Services Association of America, a trade group for payday lenders. According to the group’s website, “More than 19 million American households count a payday loan among their choice of credit products. ” The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the median fee on a storefront payday loan was $15 for every $100 borrowed. Both sides agree that the proposed rules would radically reshape the market. Loan volume could fall at least 55 percent, according to the consumer agency’s estimates, and the $7 billion a year that lenders collect in fees would drop significantly. That will push many small stores out of business, lenders say. The $37, 000 annual profit generated by the average storefront lender would instead become a $28, 000 loss, according to an economic study paid for by the trade association. Companies and individuals could go through the courts to try to overturn the rules or they could seek legislative action. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a frequent target of scathing criticism from Republican lawmakers. Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has said that he wants to repeal or dismantle nearly all of the act, the law passed in the aftermath of the financial crisis that created the agency. The Democratic presidential candidates generally support stricter lending rules. Senator Bernie Sanders has called for a 15 percent rate cap on all consumer loans and for post offices to become basic banking centers, a change that could “stop payday lenders from ripping off millions of Americans,” he said in a January speech. Hillary Clinton praised the payday lending proposals that the consumer agency released last year and urged her fellow Democrats to fight Republican efforts to “defang and defund” the agency. Consumer advocates are eager for new payday lending rules, but some say the bureau’s rules do not go far enough. “This misses the mark,” said Nick Bourke, a research director at the Pew Charitable Trusts, which has conducted extensive research on lending. “The C. F. P. B. is proposing an underwriting process, which is helpful, but clearer product safety standards are needed. ” In particular, Mr. Bourke said he was frustrated that the agency had dropped a proposal to require that loan payments consume no more than 5 percent of a borrower’s monthly income. The draft rules instead simply require that lenders make sure that customers can afford to repay the loans and still cover their basic living expenses and other debts. But others interested in consumer issues said they were happy for any new protections at all in an area of the lending market that has been operating as something of a Wild West. “We’ve been working toward this day for years,” said George Goehl, an executive director of People’s Action Institute, a group that says it fights for racial and economic justice. “For decades, predatory payday lenders have gotten away with taking money from people who didn’t have much to begin with. ” Candice Byrd, 29, is a former payday borrower who welcomes more restrictions on an industry she views as rapacious and destructive. In 2011, while working a sales job, she took out a $500 loan from a storefront in Bloomington, Ill. to help cover a car payment that was due. The loan had a duration, but halfway through the period, the lender suggested that she roll it over into a new loan. “She was like, ‘You’re a good customer. This would be helpful for you,’” Ms. Byrd recalled. “It was the worst idea ever. ” The second loan set off a worsening cycle that lasted two years as Ms. Byrd borrowed repeatedly to cover the carrying costs on her mounting debt. Unable to pay her bills, she said, she lost her car and her apartment. To extricate herself, she walked away from her final two loans, leaving her credit report in tatters. Ms. Byrd now pays cash for anything she needs. She doubts that the rules the consumer agency has planned would have prevented her from going into debt, but they probably would have ended the cycle sooner. “These places want you to keep borrowing,” she said. “They don’t want you to climb out of the hole. ” | 1 |
Assassination attempt at Reno Trump rally? What other surprises lurk in the final hour? November 5, 2016 RENO, Nev. ( INTELLIHUB ) — An assassination attempt was potentially a narrow miss at a Trump rally Saturday night. Right Side Broadcasting/YouTube
The attempt, of some type, occurred at 9 p.m. and caused a commotion throughout the crowed, just before Republican Presidential Nominee Donald J. Trump was rushed off stage by Secret Service.
The suspect was removed and detained.
Watch what happened: WATCH: Donald Trump rushed off stage by Secret Service agents during event in Reno, Nevada. https://t.co/PXCTYaDaeJ pic.twitter.com/Zf8ORObAQt
— ABC News (@ABC) November 6, 2016
Watch the full rally here:
“Nobody is going to stop this movement. Nobody,” a man said who took the mic during the chaos.
“Trump, Trump, Trump […],” the crowed cheered.
“Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped,” Trump said as he retook the stage minutes later to a cheering crowd.
It was also reported that at least two people in the crowd ‘saw a gun.’
#Trump2016 | 0 |
An gang member from El Salvador is facing a possible life sentence after allegedly raping a girl, stabbing her mother, and stabbing another woman. The Salvadoran national, Tommy Vladim 31, pleaded not guilty in a Hempstead, New York courtroom on Thursday. The judge ordered the deported criminal alien held without bond, CBS News reported. The incident reportedly began when got into an argument with a woman over a marijuana deal. The argument spilled over into the parking lot where he allegedly stabbed her. She suffered a collapsed lung. Officials have not released her name. After stabbing the woman, the gang member returned to an apartment where the girl lived with her mother. The mother was at work at the time, acting Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter told reporters. At that point, he allegedly sexually assaulted the little girl before the mother returned home. When she arrived at the apartment and discovered her daughter’s condition, an argument broke out, and stabbed her. She managed to barricade herself in another part of the apartment and called the police for help. Police arrived to find the Salvadoran national asleep. They took him into custody without incident. Commissioner Krumpter told the reporters gathered at a press conference this crime is “probably the most heinous criminal act I’ve ever seen. ” “It really is nauseating,” he concluded. “It doesn’t usually affect us like that in law enforcement, but in this particular case, it’s unprecedented. ” WABC reported the man left the little girl at home, alone and crying, before going to meet the first stabbing victim at the bar. Neighbors told police they could hear the girl crying at about 12:30 a. m. After getting into an argument with the woman, he reportedly stabbed her multiple times and sliced the inside of her mouth. Doctors examined the little girl and confirmed she had been sexually assaulted. Officials stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers deported to his home country of El Salvador four times over a period ending in 2011. There is no record of when he returned to the U. S. following his fourth deportation. His criminal history includes charges of drunk driving, assault, false impersonation, and contempt of court. He now faces charges of predatory sexual assault of a child, attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon, officials reported. Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook. | 1 |
Rejoice, gentlemen! The tears of liberals are flowing freely, as Donald Trump has recently been announced president. All of the hard work that we’ve committed ourselves to over the past year has finally come to a close. It’s truly an event of the ages: a hard working, American businessman beat out the globalist titans and Satanic elite.
In the spirit of this great victory, I believe that we’re all entitled to some enjoyment. This article will be solely dedicated to bathing in liberal tears; and, mark my words, it will be glorious. This is the beginning of the end of SJWism, and I think it’s high time we soak in the fruits of our labor.
Hillary HQ: Morale Obliterated Sorry guys, there’s no brakes on the #TrumpTrain
As poll results came in, moving Trump from a measly 2% chance to a whopping 95% chance of seizing the presidency, libtards began crying all across the nation. Turns out that America does not, in fact, want their Lord and Savior Hillary Rodham Christ, to be president of the free world.
Note the sour expression of the woman on the far right.
Unfortunately for you guys, Trump has won the presidency. Sorry illegals—you’re out. SJWism is coming to an end, the mainstream media is dying off, and we’re going to make America great again.
“You mean we won’t be letting in 60,000 violent refugees? Oh no!”
Here’s a video compilation:
#TheShakening
Too late. He won.
#LiterallyShaking
Literally Can’t Even Literally (Literally) Hitler
As am I, Frosty. As am I.
The Regressive Left Can’t Cope with Reality
If you’re having this much trouble dealing with Trump’s presidency, you shouldn’t even be allowed to vote.
She doesn’t realize that Democrats keep the black population down by giving them free handouts and encouraging squalor.
Oh, the feels! How can these people lead our country when they can’t even contain their emotions?
Professional Victim And Concern Trolling Olympics
Meanwhile At Trump HQ
Notice the general lack of high-estrogen men. Most of these guys don’t seem to be lacking in testosterone.
This man is giving a toast to Donald Trump. “To making America great again!”
Thank You Mr. President! Let’s #MAGA Read More: Wall Street, Hollywood, The Media And SJWs Fail To Stop Donald Trump From Becoming America’s Next President
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A little over two years ago, William A. Ackman, one of Wall Street’s brashest and most hedge fund managers, was on top of the world. A billionaire before he hit 50, he was generating gains for his investors and raking in hundreds of millions in fees for his firm and himself. Hailed as a master investor, he clinched his highflier status in the fall of 2014 by paying $90 million with some friends to buy the penthouse at One57, a aerie in Midtown Manhattan overlooking Central Park. He didn’t plan to live there — it was an investment property — but until he sold it, the apartment would make a good party space, he told The New York Times. If Mr. Ackman were a stock, that might have been his peak. Today, things are very different for him. His company’s performance is way down, he is in the midst of an expensive divorce, and on March 13, he and investors in funds run by Pershing Square Capital Management swallowed a $4 billion loss on Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, a beleaguered drug company. As bad bets go, it was one for the record books. Valeant was a big Pershing Square holding. In May 2015, Mr. Ackman said Valeant’s acquisition strategy made it “a very Berkshire,” referring to Berkshire Hathaway, Warren E. Buffett’s investment vehicle. But only a few months later, Mr. Ackman and his investors began riding Valeant’s shares all the way from $262 to $11, driven both by rival investors who had bet against Valeant’s shares and former fans who dumped the stock as bad news emerged. As much as Mr. Ackman and investors in his $11 billion firm would like to close the book on Valeant, they cannot do so quite yet. That’s because of a lawsuit in a federal court in California contending that he and his firm violated securities laws in 2014. According to the plaintiffs, Pershing Square secretly acquired a stake in the pharmaceutical giant Allergan based on nonpublic information from Valeant that it intended to mount a takeover bid. This is not just any lawsuit. Damages in the case may be $2 billion, as noted by the judge who certified the litigation as a class action Wednesday. Mr. Ackman’s lawyers, who in court hearings have put potential damages at less than $1 billion, are vigorously contesting the case and contend there is no liability. Defendants in the matter, which has not received a lot of publicity recently, are Mr. Ackman, his funds, Valeant and J. Michael Pearson, the company’s former chief executive. The case is entering a crucial stage. Court documents indicate that Mr. Ackman and Mr. Pearson have either been deposed by lawyers for the plaintiffs or will be questioned under oath soon. The documents also show that Mr. Ackman must set aside 12 hours to answer questions. Mr. Pearson was the architect of Valeant’s business model, in which the company acquired drugmakers and jacked up prices on their products. Mr. Ackman, 50, is one of the country’s activist investors — taking large positions in companies and trying to use that weight to influence their direction and . Initially, Mr. Ackman praised Mr. Pearson’s strategy of acquiring rivals rather than developing drugs internally. Mr. Ackman declined to comment on the mistakes he made in Valeant or the lessons he gleaned from the loss. In a statement, Pershing Square noted that the firm “has generated billions of dollars of profits for its investors and double the stock market returns since the inception of the firm inclusive of our large loss on Valeant. ” “Unfortunately,” it continued, “we cannot guarantee that every one of our investments will be successful. We regret the loss which occurred due to Valeant board and management decisions made prior to our active engagement with the company. Over the past year, as members of the new board of directors, we have taken important steps to stabilize the company, including replacing prior management, which positions the company for a better and more profitable future. ” The stock market is a humbling place, where even astute investors make many mistakes. Mr. Ackman is by no means the only money manager to have erred in assessing a company’s prospects. But as loosely regulated hedge funds have grown both in number and in power recently, a cult of personality has arisen. Unlike mutual funds, which employ ranks of portfolio managers, hedge funds like Pershing Square are dominated by the people who run them. Investors in Mr. Ackman’s firm are essentially placing a bet on him, his acumen and his discipline. Some investment managers — Mr. Ackman’s peers and rivals — say that his Valeant wager raises questions about his investment style. His failure to limit his losses on the trade and his unusual public comments as a Valeant director, in which he cheered the company’s management and strategies even as its business was collapsing, are viewed as troubling. D. Ellen Shuman is the veteran manager of Edgehill Endowment Partners, which oversees $650 million in nonprofit money. She evaluates money managers for her clients and said she had avoided investing in Pershing Square. Why? “It is all about Bill Ackman,” she said in a recent telephone interview. “It is not about his investors or the companies in which he is investing. ” As confident a money manager as ever walked Wall Street, Mr. Ackman has acknowledged that his investment in Valeant represented a breakdown in his firm’s due diligence — the research it does about the companies it backs. That concession came last spring when he was called to testify before a Senate committee on Valeant’s drug pricing practices. In an email to The New York Times, Pershing Square said, “Valeant is an anomaly in an outstanding record over nearly 14 years. ” But while his funds notched an exceptional 40 percent gain in 2014 — much of it attributable to the Allergan trade that has drawn the lawsuit — Mr. Ackman’s funds lost 13. 5 percent last year and 20. 5 percent in 2015. Through March 15, Pershing Square is flat. Other hedge funds have turned in poor performances as well in recent years. And it is not clear whether or to what extent Mr. Ackman’s investors have reacted to his firm’s losses by fleeing. Pershing Square declined to disclose redemption figures. As is typical with hedge funds, Pershing Square has rules governing client redemptions. In many cases, clients can withdraw only 12. 5 percent every quarter over two years this prevents a run on the operation amid a mass of redemptions. And several years ago, Mr. Ackman astutely raised permanent capital with a stock offering in Europe, another cushion against a run on the firm. Still, his Valeant flop naturally brings to mind some of his previous mistakes. These include investments in the retailers Target and J. C. Penney, where he installed a chief executive who quickly crashed. And his protracted $1 billion crusade against Herbalife, a maker of health supplements, has lost money for his investors. Finally, there’s his previous hedge fund, Gotham Partners, which ran into trouble when clients redeemed and its illiquid investments could not be sold quickly. He wound down that firm in 2003, and founded Pershing Square later that year. One reason so many on Wall Street have been riveted by Mr. Ackman’s Valeant bet is that it seems to confirm an investing truth: Karma has everyone’s address. For example, Mr. Ackman’s $4 billion loss in Valeant more than wiped out the $2. 2 billion he made in 2014 on Allergan. Mr. Ackman had never invested in the pharmaceutical industry when he put over $3 billion into Allergan. Pershing had avoided such companies, Mr. Ackman told investors in April 2014, because they don’t generate predictable cash flows. Pershing preferred companies like Burger King and Kraft, whose strong brands protected them from competitors. After generating a quick $2. 2 billion profit in Allergan, Mr. Ackman continued his new interest in pharma. In March 2015, Pershing began putting about $4 billion into Valeant. Initially, Mr. Ackman swooned over the company. At an investing conference in May 2015, he said, “We spent a year working with Valeant trying to take over Allergan, and one of the frustrations we had, as we got to see Valeant trading at $110 a share, was that we couldn’t buy the stock. ” He added: “But the moment we could, we bought it. You could say we’re late to the party. ” Mr. Ackman was more correct than he knew about coming late to his big Valeant purchase. His average cost was $190 per share. At first, the investment scored. On July 23, 2015, Valeant reported blowout financial results by early August, the stock had topped $262 a share. Although few suspected it, that was the zenith for Valeant. By September the stock had fallen to around $160. In October came a report from Citron Research, by the Andrew Left. Its headline: “Valeant — Could This Be the Pharmaceutical Enron?” The report delved into Valeant’s association with a shadowy specialty pharmacy operation known as Philidor. Valeant shares skidded to $110 on the news. On Oct. 30, Mr. Ackman battled back with a conference call defending Valeant. The company was sound, he said, and although its stock would recover slowly, he expected it to hit $400 within three years. Investors weren’t convinced the stock closed down 16 percent that day. “We held the call to respond to a large number of investor questions we received,” Pershing Square said in an email last week to The Times. “We presented our point of view and analysis based on the facts that we had at the time. We continued to hold the stock at that time because we believed there continued to be substantial upside on our investment. ” From then on, Valeant was essentially in free fall. In late December 2015, Mr. Pearson took a medical leave. In March 2016, Mr. Ackman joined Valeant’s board and the company announced it would replace Mr. Pearson. Hauled before congressional hearings about escalating drug prices in April, Mr. Ackman apologized for Valeant’s mistakes, vowing to use his position on the board to change the company. As Valeant’s business flagged, investors began focusing on its $30 billion debt, taken on to acquire companies. Clearly the company was going to have to sell assets to pay it down, but as analysts noted, Valeant had typically overpaid for acquisitions selling those units might not generate gains. Mr. Ackman continued to defend Valeant publicly, an unusual stance for a corporate director. In May 2016, after Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman, criticized Valeant’s business model and called the company “a sewer,” Mr. Ackman took to CNBC. And in July of that year, he told an interviewer that Valeant’s phone was ringing off the hook because so many companies wanted to buy the assets it was selling. By this time, the stock had drifted down into the $20s. The company’s business was faltering, and it was under investigation by regulators and the Justice Department, inquiries that had come about before Mr. Ackman joined the board and are continuing. For 2016, Valeant reported a $2. 4 billion loss. Last Monday, Mr. Ackman had had enough. Pershing dumped its Valeant stake at roughly $11 a share. As this calamity played out, Mr. Ackman was also fighting the Allergan lawsuit in California. The plaintiffs were investors who had missed out on gains in Allergan stock in 2014 because they had sold shares without knowing about Valeant’s impending bid, while Pershing Square, which did know about it, was buying Allergan shares. They contended that Valeant and Pershing Square violated securities laws, which prohibit fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative actions in connection with a tender offer. It would have been very costly for Valeant to finance a takeover of Allergan instead it struck an agreement on Feb. 25, 2014, allowing Pershing Square to take a nearly 10 percent stake in Allergan to support Valeant’s takeover efforts. If the bid succeeded, wonderful. But if another offer topped it, Valeant would receive 15 percent of any profits generated by Pershing Square when it sold its Allergan stock to the acquirer. Pershing set up an entity called PS Fund 1 and began buying. By April 21, it held a 9. 7 percent stake in Allergan worth $3. 2 billion, court documents show. But the arrangement between Pershing Square and Valeant was not disclosed until the following day, when Valeant said it intended to acquire Allergan. Discussing the arrangement, Mr. Pearson said, “Having Bill out there in the public” was a plus. “He doesn’t give up. ” Allergan rejected Valeant’s offer and was acquired by Actavis P. L. C. a pharmaceutical company, the next November. Tendering its shares, Pershing Square made a $2. 6 billion profit it gave $400 million of that to Valeant. Critics of the arrangement cried foul, contending that Pershing had profited from its knowledge of Valeant’s impending bid, essentially the deal, or trading on nonpublic information. And a month later, investors filed suit against Valeant and Pershing Square. Mr. Ackman and his lawyers have contended that Pershing Square did not violate any laws. Still, the case continues to advance under Judge David O. Carter of the Federal Court for the Central District of California. Lawyers for Mr. Ackman have argued in court that a January order from the Securities and Exchange Commission fining Allergan $15 million for disclosure failures during the Valeant bid supports their case. Because the agency looked hard at the transaction and did not cite violations by Pershing and Valeant in its order, the transaction passed muster, the lawyers contended. But Judge Carter expressed skepticism. According to the transcript of a Feb. 13 hearing, he questioned why he should accept the S. E. C. order as a finding of fact in the Allergan case. Although he said he would consider the order, he told the lawyers, “Don’t hang your hat on it. ” Of course, cases like the one Mr. Ackman faces often settle for far less than the amount of estimated damages, and Pershing remains a very wealthy fund, with $11 billion in assets. Asked if any of its clients had expressed concern about the case, Pershing declined to comment. Still, Mr. Ackman recently persuaded Valeant to agree to pay 60 percent of any settlement that might arise in the case. Struggling Valeant, however, does not have a big cash cushion to contribute toward a legal case. And the settlement deal, described in a regulatory filing on Feb. 13, expires in November. It is unclear what will happen after that. A Valeant spokesman provided a statement saying, “We are pleased to have entered into this agreement to resolve issues that could have affected our joint defense of the Allergan litigation and enhance our ability to defend against the plaintiffs’ allegations as we continue to work without distraction on nurturing and growing our mutual business interests. ” Wall Street will definitely be watching as Mr. Ackman tries to recover from the Valeant investment. For now, the normally loquacious money manager has gone quiet. | 1 |
Society might demean and bully those who are overweight or obese, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that approximately 60-70% of the population in the U.S. carries excess weight. Largely a... | 0 |
As Flint Suffers, Nestlé Plans Dramatic Expansion of Water Privatization in Michigan What's more, the biggest food company in the world gets to pump that water at no cost . Be Sociable, Share! Nestle brand Arrowhead water bottlers. (Screenshot)
The state of Michigan has reportedly issued preliminary approval for bottled water behemoth Nestlé to nearly triple the amount of groundwater it will pump, to be bottled and sold at its Ice Mountain plant, which lies roughly 120 miles northwest of the beleaguered community of Flint.
“Nestlé Waters North America is asking the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for permission to increase allowed pumping from 150 to 400 gallons-per-minute at one of its production wells north of Evart,” MLiv e reported on Monday.
“The DEQ Water Resources Division conducted a site review and signed-off on the pumping increase in January, but the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance is approving the permit,” the report continued. The agency is accepting public comment on the proposal (pdf) until Thursday, Nov. 3.
While Nestlé and other bottled water companies have rankled many communities for privatizing their public water supply, the news particularly stung in Michigan, where citizens have faced a years-long nightmare over lead contamination in their drinking water. Many residents of Flint are still forced to rely on bottled water for cleaning, cooking, and bathing as government delays have hampered efforts to replace the corroded pipes.
Meanwhile, the report notes that company representatives defended the need to expand the facility because “U.S. market for bottled water in general is driving the bid for more Michigan groundwater.”
What’s more, Nestlé, the biggest food company in the world, gets to pump that water at no cost. As MLive reports, “Michigan law allows any private property owner to withdraw from the aquifer under their property for free, subject only to a nominal $200 annual paperwork fee. The interstate Great Lakes compact prohibits water diversions outside of the Great Lakes basin, but a bottling exemption within the law allows water to be sold outside the region if it’s shipped in bottles smaller than 5.7 gallons.”
“The issue is the privatization of a critical resource. How much is too much?” said Jeff Ostahowski, vice president of the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, which for years fought against Nestlé’s expansion in the state.
When contacted by MLive for comment, Ostahowski said he wasn’t even aware of the new proposal. But as news spread on social media, the outrage was palpable:
People in Detroit are having their water cut off, and Flint has to pay for poison water but Nestle gets water for free and makes a profit?
— Wendy Harless (@wendyharless) November 1, 2016 ” Bottled water is the leading growth industry of the beverage market”. Yup – especially here in Flint. Anyone… https://t.co/XsBMl6nnID
— kristen senters (@kristensenters) November 1, 2016 Where does that bottled water #Flint is STILL using & paying for come from? https://t.co/IeBnRpCWin
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Clinton Staff Readies EMP Launch To Disable All Nation’s Electronic Devices NEW YORK—In an effort to prepare for any new revelations that might emerge about her emails during her tenure as secretary of state, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reportedly told her staff Tuesday to ready the launch of several electromagnetic pulses to disable all of the nation’s electronic devices. Doctors Restore Ken Burns’ Full-Color Vision After Removing Massive Tumor From Filmmaker’s Visual Cortex CLEVELAND—Speaking to reporters following the successful eight-hour procedure Tuesday, neurosurgeons at the Cleveland Clinic confirmed they had removed a golf ball–sized tumor from the visual cortex of filmmaker Ken Burns, restoring the documentarian’s ability to see in full color. Mom Produces Decorative Gift Bag Out Of Thin Air LEXINGTON, MA—Conjuring the item into existence along with several sheets of perfectly coordinated tissue paper, local mother Caroline Wolfson, 49, reportedly produced a decorative gift bag out of thin air Tuesday within a mere fraction of a second of her daughter mentioning she needed to wrap a present. Paul Krugman’s Facebook Friends Excitedly Posting About New Article He Got Published In ‘The New York Times’ NEW YORK—Sharing the link on their news feeds with captions such as “You have to read this!” and “Check out what a buddy of mine wrote,” Paul Krugman’s Facebook friends reportedly spent Tuesday morning excitedly posting about a new article of his that was published in The New York Times. End Of Section | 0 |
Dr. David Duke and Prof. Kevin MacDonald on Duke’s overwhelming victory in the debate November 3, 2016 at 10:24 am
Dr. David Duke and Prof. Kevin MacDonald on Duke’s overwhelming victory in the debate
Today Dr. Duke talked about his senatorial debate last night, including the attempt by Black Lives Matter activists to attack him and his police escort and the so-called moderator debating with him. Despite him being the target of attacks from all sides, Dr. Duke was judged the winner by 95% of the respondents to the NBC on-line poll.
Professor Kevin MacDonald then joined the show and talked about the significance of the debate and the election. This is an amazing show that you don’t want to miss.
Our show is aired live at 11 am replayed at ET 4pm Eastern and 4am Eastern.
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The first Russian-Egyptian anti-terrorist exercise, dubbed Defenders of Friendship-2016 was held on October 15-26.
It took place in the desert, between the Egyptian cities of El-Alamein and Alexandria.
The Russian Airborne Troops arrived in the African continent for the first time.
Over 500 Russian and Egyptian paratroopers took part in the drills.
More than 15 helicopters and planes, 10 items of air-droppable military hardware were involved.
Russian and Egyptian servicemen practiced localization and elimination of militant groups in desert conditions.
Foreign representatives, including ambassadors and military attaches, were present in the capacity of observers.
Egyptian military are going to use the experience of the Russian Airborne Troops in the fight against international terrorism.
In 2015, Russia and Egypt held their first joint maritime exercises in the Mediterranean near Alexandria.
Next Russia-Egypt joint drill may be held in Russia next year. Related | 0 |
Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV) that is just 11 days away from potentially winning the Dutch general election has hit out at “hate preachers” who have used their religious influence to call on their followers to vote for the ‘Denk’ (Think) party. [After the messages from a number of “notorious hate preachers” became public on Friday, Mr. Wilders took to Twitter to slam their intervention in the Dutch election process. Retweeting a scan of an article in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Mr Wilders wrote: “Can those imams of hate, and Denk too, not bugger off for Allah’s sake to some Muslim country? ”. Kunnen die haatimams niet samen met Denk omwille van Allah optiefen naar een of ander islamitisch land? https: . — Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) March 4, 2017, Political party Denk, which presently two members of parliament — Turkish origin Tunahan Kuzu and Selçuk Öztürk — is the first by migrants, for migrants political party in Europe. The party’s policies include the wholesale renaming of streets to erase the Netherland’s colonial history, the establishment of a strong ‘ police’ and the establishment of a hate criminal register, similar to a sex offender’s register. Similar plans have been recently mooted in the United Kingdom. Although the party has been accused of being a mouthpiece in the Netherlands for the Turkish government, they hope to gather growing support from the estimated one million migrants living in the European country, out of a total population of just 17 million. The latest controversy surrounding the party comes after “infamous hate preachers” including imams Fawaz Jneid and Suhayb Salam calling on their worshippers to vote for the party. De Telegraaf reports imam Salam, who has seen a number of his congregation travel to Syria to wage jihad, favours Denk because they campaign for Muslim rights. He is reported to have said: “It is important that we [come together] for this party, and to warn against the current ruling parties, who have made it very difficult for Muslims in recent years … Take your parents and friends to the polls, for the sake of Allah”. Hate preacher Fawaz Jneid who came into the public eye after the assassination of filmmaker Theo van Gogh — a man he had preached against — said of Denk that because there aren’t enough Muslims in the Netherlands, it was important for them to come together and vote as a bloc for a single party, in a Facebook video for his followers. According to present projections and polls Mr Wilders’ PVV is expected to achieve 25 seats in the Dutch parliament, and so become the largest party. Denk is on course to keep their two with no gains. | 1 |
Pope Francis put forward the case of a woman who would sacrifice her child through abortion in order to preserve her figure as a modern example of “idolatry,” or the worship of false gods. [In his general audience on Wednesday, the Pope said that when wealth, power, or physical beauty become idols, they “lead to death. ” As an example, the Pope spoke of a woman he had known who was willing to “sacrifice everything” for physical beauty. Years ago, Francis said, a woman who was very proud of how beautiful she was told him she had had an abortion, as though it were the most natural thing. “Yes, I had to get an abortion because my figure is very important,” she told him. “These are idols, and they lead you down the wrong path, and do not make you happy,” Francis said. Pope Francis has been a vocal critic of abortion, calling it a “horrendous crime,” similar to Mafia murders and the slaughter of the innocents by King Herod 2000 years ago. Reflecting on Psalm Psalm 115 and its depiction of the worship of false gods, Pope Francis remarked that today there are still many forms of idolatry that plague the world, and infect even people of faith when they allow themselves to become “worldly. ” These idols include wealth, power, health and physical beauty, he said, as well as practices like consulting and tarot card readers. “The message of the psalm is very clear,” Francis said. “If you put your hope in idols, you become like them: empty images with hands that cannot touch, feet that cannot walk, mouths that cannot speak. ” When ideologies such as riches, power, or success, or values such as physical beauty and health become idols, he went on, they “confuse the mind and the heart, and instead of nurturing life, lead to death. ” “This is why the Sacred Scripture warns against false hopes that the world presents to us, exposing their uselessness and revealing their senselessness,” he said. The Pope said that we often turn to idols when God seems too slow in answering our requests. We become frustrated, and so look elsewhere. “Sometimes we look for a God that can bend to our requests and magically take action to change reality and make it as we want,” he said. But these idols are useless, “powerless and deceptive. ” And yet, he said, “we like idols, we like them very much. ” Many times, we can prefer to seek a fleeting hope that a false idol gives us, rather than the “great and sure hope that the Lord gives to us,” he said. The difference, Francis said, is that the one, true God is not an idol and therefore “He never disappoints. ” Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome | 1 |
A gunman, identified by authorities as Esteban 26, is reportedly in custody after at least five people were shot and killed at Ft. International airport Friday. [Wearing a Star Wars the shooter reportedly opened fire at the baggage carousel in Terminal 2. Update 6:06 pm ET: Alaska Army Nat’l Guard: Florida airport gunman received general discharge Aug. 16, 2016, for unsatisfactory performance. — NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) January 6, 2017, Update 5:48 pm ET: New photo shows in a keffiyeh: Pictured: The Fort Lauderdale ’air rage’ gunman https: . pic. twitter. — Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) January 6, 2017, Update 5:44 pm ET: Confirmed: The site of the shooting was a zone. Update 5:36 pm ET: MORE: In 2011 or 2012, suspect was investigated for child porn, but there was not enough evidence to prosecute, sources tell CBS News. — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 6, 2017, Update 5:33 pm ET: ’s aunt tells a local reporter that the young man “‘lost his mind’ after a tour of duty in Iraq. ” Update 5:29 pm ET: ”I don’t ever want this to happen again,” FL Gov. Rick Scott says after deadly Fort Lauderdale Airport shooting: https: . pic. twitter. — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 6, 2017, Update 5:24 pm ET: 20th street in Union City, NJ is blocked off where the FBI is speaking to the aunt of #floridaairport shooter #EstebanSantiago. pic. twitter. — Darla Miles (@DarlaMiles7) January 6, 2017, #BREAKING: Brother of airport shooting suspect Esteban Santiago says he received psychological treatment in Alaska, served in Nat’l Guard, — WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) January 6, 2017, Update 5:17 pm ET: Canadian Embassy: Shooter did not fly from Canada and was not on a Canadian flight. #FtLauderdale pic. twitter. — Fox News (@FoxNews) January 6, 2017, Update 5:08 pm ET: MORE: Ft. Lauderdale shooting suspect received mental health treatment after being in contact with FBI, sources say. https: . — ABC News (@ABC) January 6, 2017, Update 5:04 pm ET: Air Canada denies reports that Santiago was a passenger on one of its flights: We confirm we have no record of a passenger by the name Esteban Santiago, or checked guns, on any of our flights to Fort Lauderdale #FLL — Air Canada (@AirCanada) January 6, 2017, Update 5:00 pm ET: NEW: In Nov. 2016, FLL suspect walked into FBI office in Anchorage, claiming he was being forced to fight for ISIS, sources tell CBS News. — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 6, 2017, Update 4:55 pm ET: NEW: Image of Fort Lauderdale Int’l Airport shooting suspect Esteban Santiago, law enforcement sources confirm. https: . pic. twitter. — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 6, 2017, Update 4:36 pm ET: Suspect appears to have used a pistol. NEW: Image of firearm believed to be used by Ft. Lauderdale Int’l Airport shooter, ID’d as Esteban Santiago https: . pic. twitter. — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 6, 2017, Update 3:49 pm ET: According to Fox News, the suspected Ft. Lauderdale gunman “was a passenger on a Canadian Air Flight and checked his gun. He claimed his bag, took the gun from the bag, went into the bathroom and loaded it, came out and started shooting. ” Law enforcement officials are now saying at least 13 people were wounded. The gunman was reportedly taken into custody without law enforcement having to fire a shot. Update 3:27 pm ET: SWAT, multiple police agencies respond to possible 2nd shooting at FLL pic. twitter. — WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) January 6, 2017, #LIVE Witness says gunman shouted ”I’m not Jewish” repeatedly https: . — ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) January 6, 2017, Update 3:05 pm ET: Distraught witness to Ft. Lauderdale shooting: ”I had a perfect picture of him coming and walking up and down and shooting people … ” pic. twitter. — ABC News (@ABC) January 6, 2017, Unverified video has surfaced on Twitter that appears to show a chaotic scene inside the baggage claim area. Fort Lauderdale, FL. #Fort #Lauderdale Shooting pic. twitter. — MarinaMueller (@MarinaXXX13) January 6, 2017, Shooting on terminal 4 Fort Lauderdale airport all terminal evacuated pic. twitter. — Jorge Curiel H (@jcurielh) January 6, 2017, KETV 7 reports TSA confirmed that there were reports of more shots fired at Ft. International. The shots were reportedly fired around 2:30 pm ET. TSA tweeted: Update: Active shooter at #FLL. Shelter in place. Airport closed. — TSA (@TSA) January 6, 2017, Update 2:35 pm ET: Donald Trump has expressed his concern for the tragedy on Twitter and the White House has released the following statement from NSC Spokesperson Ned Price: The President was apprised this afternoon by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco of the shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport and will be kept updated as the investigation unfolds. Monitoring the terrible situation in Florida. Just spoke to Governor Scott. Thoughts and prayers for all. Stay safe! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017, Update 2:48 pm ET: Former George W. Bush White House Press Secrectary Ari Fleischer was in the airport when the shots rang out. I’m at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. Shots have been fired. Everyone is running. — Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 6, 2017, CNN reports that the incident occurred in the baggage claim area of terminal 2. Innocents were rushed out of the building and gathered on the tarmac while law enforcement swept the building. Flights “are still operating from the south side of the airport,” as the shooting incident occurred on the north side. MSNBC quotes Senator Bill Nelson ( ) that the suspected gunman at Fort International was named Estaban Santiago. Nelson said the gunman “was carrying a military ID. ” Nelson stressed that that does not mean it was the gunman’s actual ID. AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart. com. | 1 |
GUTS: Town Defies Obama, Unanimously Votes Against Refugees
When he responded affirmatively, he was asked, “How do you know that to be the case?”
“Because in October of 2000 I wrote a prototype for present Congressman Tom Feeney, at the company I work for in Oviedo, Florida, that did just that,” Curtis said. “It would flip the vote 51 – 49 to whoever you wanted it to go to, and whichever race you wanted it to win.”
“And would that program that you designed be something that elections officials , that might be on county boards of elections, could detect?” Arnebeck asked.
“They’d never see it,” Curtis said. “You would have to view it either in the source code, or you’d have to have a receipt, and then count the hard paper against the actual vote total. Other than that, you won’t see it.”
You can watch the video for yourself here:
Computer Programmer Testifies Under Oath He Coded Computers to Rig Elections
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 17, 2016
Given the stakes in this election, and the poll rigging that we’ve already seen, what Curtis said should have a lot of resonance with American voters — especially Trump voters. While the man that Curtis purportedly wrote it for was a Republican, establishment Democrats could clearly do something very similar if given the opportunity. | 0 |
Evan Bayh is an excellent example....got into office based on daddy's name...only the kid was a real moron....resigned from office because he was about to be totally humiliated and voted out in a landslide. Of course now we have Bobble-head who's been riding her rapist husband coat-tails for 30 years and whose major qualifications for office are that she is easy to bribe and she lacks a penis! What a sad day for America! If you don't like Trump, vote for his policies....Hitlery will raise taxes, send more jobs overseas, and import more Muslim terrorists.... | 0 |
November 10, 2016 Long-term Effects of the Presidential Election
The reverberations from Donald Trump’s election as the 45th president of the United States are being felt around the world. A number of Hollywood’s celebrities are saying they will move out of the country. Many political pundits are decrying the overthrow of the international order that globalists have worked so hard to build since World War II.
On the other hand, one politician from Israel is saying that Trump’s election heralds the coming of the Messiah. One thing is certain. The election of Mr. Trump to lead the world’s greatest nation will definitely change things dramatically. What will the long-term effects of America’s election actually be? We’ll talk about on today’s edition of End of the Age. Join the Conversation | 0 |
RIO DE JANEIRO — Most of the key figures involved in Russia’s elaborate doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Olympics will not participate in the Rio Games. The lab director who blew the whistle is living in the United States, and implicated government officials were told not to attend. A central figure in their schemes, however, has found its way here: the supposedly bottle that Russian officials manipulated to evade doping violations. Berlinger, the Swiss manufacturer of the Sochi bottles, has supplied the lab for the Rio Games with thousands of its latest bottles. “It’s a really big problem for the Olympics, because we rely on the fact that those bottles can’t be tampered with,” said Don Catlin, a former member of the Olympic medical commission that selected the Berlinger bottles in the late 1990s. “I’m sure they’re scrambling to figure out how they can inspect them with a microscope, but it’s going to be hard. ” With their locking caps, the squat glass bottles were thought to be until Grigory Rodchenkov, the chemist who ran Sochi’s Olympic lab, said he had broken into them to manipulate urine samples with the help of Russia’s intelligence service. A subsequent investigation commissioned by antidoping officials concluded that the contents of the bottles could be, and had been, stealthily substituted. “After a considerable amount of work, the caps came off,” Richard McLaren, the Canadian lawyer who led that investigation, said last month. Mr. McLaren said his team of forensic investigators found microscopic scratches on the Sochi bottles, along with indications that the urine they held had been changed. Global sports authorities, who have relied on the bottles at the last eight Olympics, were in disbelief, as was the family that has run Berlinger since it was founded in 1865 as a mechanical cotton weaving mill. “No one can believe it,” Andrea Berlinger, Berlinger’s chief executive, said in May, when Dr. Rodchenkov’s account was made public. “We’re all a bit speechless. ” For each athlete tested at the Rio Games, two bottles will be used, to hold an Olympian’s urine for not only the duration of the Games but also the decade afterward, during which samples are preserved for possible reanalysis. Several thousand athletes will be tested. “The bottles aren’t because, in our opinion, is nonexistent,” Hans Klaus, a spokesman for Berlinger, said this week. “We have absolute confidence in the bottles if you use them in a normal way, not with illegal methods or a criminal system like C. S. I. Miami. ” Mr. Klaus said the bottle’s design had been updated since the 2014 Sochi Games, as part of routine improvements. He declined to specify what modifications had been made, citing security concerns, but said the interlocking metal teeth that sealed the bottle were a part of the latest design. Production of the Rio bottles finished in April, he said. The Sochi scheme was made public in May and confirmed by the World Agency in July. Berlinger was not involved in Mr. McLaren’s investigation, and the bottle’s design enhancements were not informed by the mechanics of how he and others imperceptibly cracked into them. No one has made that blueprint public, though many have suggested it relies on fiddling with the toothed metal rings that lock the bottle, which likely produced the microscopic scratches. Mr. McLaren said on Friday that he had provided explanatory illustrations of how his team had tampered with the bottles to the manufacturer and the World Agency within the last week. He had not communicated with the Rio lab staff to provide any kind of manual, he said. Some antidoping advocates did not think the bottles posed a problem for Rio, particularly in the face of more immediate issues like deciding, amid the doping crisis emanating from Russia, which athletes would even participate in the Games. The Rio lab did not reply to requests for comment, and Brazil’s antidoping agency deferred to the lab. The World Agency accredits Olympic labs, but the International Olympic Committee is in charge of them during the Games. Each institution has in the past pointed to the other as an accountable authority. On Friday, WADA said the bottles were a question for the Olympic committee, given it ran the lab. Asked who was ultimately answerable for the quality of drug testing at the Games, Thomas Bach — the Olympic committee president who excoriated WADA in recent days — called drug testing at the Games “a shared responsibility. ” Mr. Bach added: “The antidoping laboratory is the responsibility of WADA. There is WADA accreditation and WADA supervision, and WADA will also again supervise the Olympic committee’s activities at the Games with regard to antidoping. ” Neither the I. O. C. nor WADA specified if any new measures would be put in place in Rio. “With all that’s happened,” said Lauryn Williams, an American sprinter and athlete representative for WADA, “there should be many, many processes in place that would prevent the opportunity to tamper with the bottle. ” Paul Melia, Canada’s top antidoping official, called on WADA’s independent observer team to actively search for signs of tampering. “One of their jobs now is going to be to look at every single sample under microscopic analysis to be sure none have been tampered with,” he said. “That’s what the independent observer team is supposed to be doing, making sure none of this happens. ” At the Sochi lab, the WADA observer did not catch Dr. Rodchenkov’s overnight operation that was carried out in a storage closet the observer team later issued a report praising Dr. Rodchenkov’s work as “a milestone in the evolution of the Olympic Games antidoping program. ” Richard W. Pound, a former president of WADA and an Olympic committee member, estimated it would take 15 seconds to rotate each of the several thousand bottles under a microscope. “I think it may be a thing of the past,” he said of such elaborate breaches in doping control, “if you know what to look for. ” | 1 |
President Donald Trump celebrated the news that 227, 000 jobs were created in January, meeting with his Economic Advisory Council at the White House on Friday morning. [“Great spirit in the country right now,” Trump said, speaking to the press. “So we’re very happy about that. I think that it’s going to continue big league. We’re bringing back jobs. We’re bringing down your taxes. We’re getting rid of regulations. ” Trump promised “exciting times” ahead, previewing a tax bill “soon” and a healthcare bill “even sooner. ” “Amazingly, it’s never happened before that politics has become a much bigger subject than the Super Bowl,” he said. “This is usually Super Bowl territory. ” Trump told the business leaders that he wanted to hear from them as he tackled more reform proposals to make their businesses better, including getting rid the cumbersome legislation. | 1 |
Americans thought electing a billionaire reality TV star to the presidency of the #$%^ United States would finally be enough to convey the message that they hate both political parties. If anything, they hate Republicans more. [But the can’t learn. The bureaucracy, the judiciary and congressional Republicans are all openly working for the “Resistance. ” It’s President Trump against the world. In Congress, the hate for Trump is personal. Not only did he throw a grenade into politicians’ little club, but his very existence destroys their as people with a set of skills. While Trump was making billions of dollars building skyscrapers, developing golf courses and starring on a hit reality TV show, members of Congress were slowly working their way up the political ladder — interning at think tanks and congressional offices, taking some small government job, then running for the House or Senate, and, hopefully, marrying a woman with a large inheritance. A stunning number of senators and congressmen are supported by rich wives — Sens. John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Richard Blumenthal, John Kerry and Ron Wyden, and Reps. Michael McCaul, Scott Peters and Paul Ryan, to name a few. Is there any other profession with as high a percentage of men sponging off their wives’ inheritances? Then a billionaire came along, violated all the rules they had lived by, and swept aside more than a dozen experienced politicians just like themselves! Not only did Trump make his own money, but he beat them at the one thing they thought they knew how to do. How else to explain Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sneering dismissal of Trump’s request for an investigation into voter fraud, followed — one week later! — by McConnell’s assurance that the Senate would investigate former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s phone call to the Russian ambassador? These useless Republicans allowed a Senate seat to be stolen from under their noses in Minnesota in 2008, giving Obama the vote he needed to pass Obamacare and destroy our health care. No, don’t investigate that! Why bother with the very foundation of democracy? How will these nitwit politicians win praise from The Washington Post without devoting all their energy to some current leftist fetish, like Russia? At least when liberals fixate on Russia, they have a clear subversive mission. Congressional Republicans are just nincompoops. The only thing they know is: Imitate Reagan — from 30 years ago. It would make more sense for Republicans to demand that all air traffic controllers be fired for no reason than it is for them to keep treating Putin like it’s 1950 and he’s Stalin. (We know Putin isn’t Stalin because Democrats aren’t affectionately calling him “Uncle Joe” and spying for him.) If senators have time for hearings on Flynn’s discussions with the Russian ambassador, could they possibly squeeze in an afternoon to repeal Obamacare? How about the campaign pledge that rocketed Trump to the White House? According to The Washington Post, at the GOP retreat last month, when Trump talked about using tax policy to help pay for the wall, Republicans expressed “confusion about what exactly he meant. ” Are they retarded? (By “they,” I mean all Republicans in Congress, except Sen. Tom Cotton and about a others.) If Republicans had an ounce of right after repealing Obamacare and writing a bill taxing remittances to make Mexico pay for the wall, they’d be impeaching the ridiculous Judge James Robart. Even lawyers who oppose Trump’s travel ban agree that Judge Robart made a complete ass of himself when he blocked the executive order. The “Resistance” claims to be terrified that Trump will not be constrained by our Constitution, but they’re the ones who are perfectly willing to disregard the Constitution simply to stop Trump. At least since the Chinese exclusion case of 1889, the Supreme Court has made blindingly clear that “the power of exclusion of foreigners” belongs to the political branches of government: Congress and the president — not to the judiciary. The president’s authority to exclude aliens in the public interest has been reaffirmed in dozens of cases since then. Among them: — Harisiades v. Shaughnessy (1952): “Any policy toward aliens is vitally and intricately interwoven with … the conduct of foreign relations, the war power, and the maintenance of a republican form of government. Such matters are so exclusively entrusted to the political branches of government as to be largely immune from judicial inquiry or interference. ” — Shaughnessy v. Mezei (1953): “Congress expressly authorized the President to impose additional restrictions on aliens entering or leaving the United States during periods of international tension and strife. … (The President) may shut out aliens whose ‘entry would be prejudicial to the interests of the United States. ’” — Mathews v. Diaz (1976): “(T) he responsibility for regulating the relationship between the United States and our alien visitors has been committed to the political branches of the Federal Government. … (Therefore, there is) a narrow standard of review of decisions made by the Congress or the President in the area of immigration and naturalization. ” — United States v. (1982): “The power to regulate immigration — an attribute of sovereignty essential to the preservation of any nation — has been entrusted by the Constitution to the political branches of the Federal Government. ” — INS. v. (1999): “(J) udicial deference to the Executive Branch is especially appropriate in the immigration context where officials ‘exercise especially sensitive political functions that implicate questions of foreign relations. ’” And on and on and on. There are lots of constitutional questions that reasonable people can disagree about. Whether the president can exclude foreigners from seven countries is not one of them. But congressional Republicans are happy to ignore the Constitution, ignore the balance of powers, ignore written law, even to relinquish their own constitutional authority and let the courts run our foreign policy, just to be a part of the establishment’s STOP TRUMP movement. Instead of neurotically fixating on Russia in some fantasy camp imitation of Reagan, circa 1982, what we’d like these worthless Republicans to do is: Imitate Trump — circa now. | 1 |
Everybody send it to Drudge, infowars lets see if they expose it. Time to call them out i say . | 0 |
Democrats close to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign signaled strongly Thursday that she would choose Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate, rounding out the ticket with a popular politician from a battleground state. Both former President Bill Clinton and the White House have expressed their support for Mr. Kaine, but aides cautioned that Mrs. Clinton had not yet made a final decision and that other candidates were still under consideration. Mrs. Clinton is widely expected to announce her choice in an email to supporters while on a campaign swing in Florida on Friday afternoon, an attempt to regain momentum the day after her Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, accepted his party’s nomination in Cleveland. With Mr. Kaine emerging as a clear favorite, one group already expressed disappointment at the prospect of the former governor of Virginia joining the ticket: liberals. Many of the groups that backed Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont in his Democratic contest against Mrs. Clinton had hoped she would extend an olive branch to the liberal wing of the party and choose a candidate whose stances on Wall Street and global trade deals closely aligned with those of Mr. Sanders. But with the Democratic National Convention beginning in Philadelphia on Monday, the prospects have dimmed for the two liberal senators who were being considered, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. That has led to more liberal scrutiny of Mr. Kaine’s record. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has kept a tight lid on its search for a candidate. A spokeswoman for the campaign declined to comment. An aide to Ms. Warren planned to meet with Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook, on Thursday afternoon to discuss how they could work together, which was interpreted by some people with knowledge of the process as a sign that Mrs. Clinton had settled on a choice. Liberals say they are concerned about Mr. Kaine’s positions on global trade deals and Wall Street regulation. He has been an outspoken advocate of free trade and has defended the North American Free Trade Agreement, which many voters in Rust Belt states blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs to Mexico. He voted in support of “fast track” authority for the Partnership, a trade pact that President Obama has championed. Two others under consideration, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, also supported the Partnership. But Mr. Perez, who is popular among labor unions, has criticized Nafta, which Mr. Trump has called “a disaster. ” After praising the Partnership as secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton has recently said as a candidate, “I don’t believe it’s going to meet the high bar I’ve set” on protecting American workers, the environment and other issues. About 60 percent of voters said trade with other countries caused job losses in the United States, according to the latest New York News poll. Mr. Trump has a slight edge over Mrs. Clinton on the question of who voters consider better poised to tackle the trade issue. Putting Mr. Kaine on the ticket “could be disastrous for our efforts to defeat Donald Trump in the fall” because of his support of the Partnership, said Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America, a liberal political action committee. Mr. Kaine, the son of a welder who owned a small metalworking shop in a Kansas City suburb, could help Mrs. Clinton attract white male voters and independents. Those voters may prove more critical to her chances in November than the young liberal voters who backed Mr. Sanders in the primaries. As governor of Virginia, Mr. Kaine appealed to both Democrats in urban pockets and independents in rural areas, and established a reputation as a pragmatic consensus builder. “He’d appeal to people in the Midwest because that’s his roots,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. And Mr. Tobias said Virginians across political lines considered him “a thoroughly decent and honest person. ” Mr. Sanders endorsed Mrs. Clinton this month, declaring she is “far and away the best candidate. ” And while polls suggest that most of his supporters plan to vote for her in November, some surveys suggest that only a small fraction of them will do so enthusiastically and that Mrs. Clinton remains unpopular with independents. “Hillary Clinton’s pick will be seen by many as a proxy for how she will govern — boldly, or cautiously?” said Stephanie Taylor, a of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. She referred to the army of donors who fueled Mr. Sanders’s candidacy, adding, “The wrong pick could deflate energy among potential donors and volunteers, hurting Democratic efforts to win the White House. ” No running mate can please every demographic and constituency. Senator Cory Booker, also in the running for the No. 2 spot, supported Gov. Chris Christie’s push in New Jersey to expand charter schools and implement pay for teachers. Those positions made him deeply unpopular among the teachers’ unions who have been among Mrs. Clinton’s most loyal supporters. On Thursday, Mr. Booker, speaking from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, defended Mrs. Clinton and derided Mr. Trump as “someone who has been so indiscriminate with his demeaning and degrading language. ” Asked about the prospect of Mr. Kaine on the Democratic ticket, Mr. Booker praised his Senate colleague. “Tim Kaine is one of the most honorable people I’ve met in all of politics. ” | 1 |
Monday in California at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, former Obama White House chief of staff and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Democrats needed to “take a chill pill” and prepare for a build up of the party. Emanuel said, “2016, now Democrats are in the lowest level since 1928 in the House of Representatives and the lowest level since 1925 in the state houses. Not really good. ” adding,”It is hard to image it getting lower. ” He explained “You got to go out and create a farm team. In ’06 and ’08 everybody goes, ‘Oh that’s when we took back the House.’ You know I got a lot of crap for recruiting Iraq War vets, football players, sheriffs, business people. I said well they are running in Republican districts. I wanted to take cultural issues off the table and I wanted to present economic issues. We as Democrats like to walk around ideally — No you got to be ruthless enough. We recruited people who matched the district. If you’re running in a Republican district, you got to get at somebody who can win in a Republican district. Winning is everything. You don’t win, you can’t make the public policy. I say that because it is hard for people in our party to accept that principle. Sometimes you just got to win. Okay? Our party likes to be right even if they lose. ” He continued, “Democrats love doing a fire squad in a circle. Stop that. Don’t attack, they are too moderate. Forget about it. Stop it. This guy and these people are about to do something on the tax code, the regulatory environment and things that are more threatening than what a fellow Democrat might slightly disagree with you on. Stop it. We’re not strong enough to do that. ” He added, “It took us a long time to get this low. It ain’t gonna happen in 2018. Take a chill pill, man. You gotta be in this for the long haul. And if you think it’s going to be a quick turn around like that, it’s not. ” ( The Hill) Follow Pam Key On Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 1 |
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Mark Few’s father, Norm, was a Presbyterian minister for more than 50 years. He entered hundreds of couples into the bonds of matrimony and comforted the bereaved at more than a thousand funerals. When Few is asked about his legacy at Gonzaga, where he has coached the past 28 seasons, he thinks about his father’s accomplishments, and not how he has won far more basketball games than he has lost. But results do matter to Few. His charge is to win, and in his 18 years at the helm, he has presided over Gonzaga’s ascension from spunky upstart to midmajor darling to certifiable contender. He does not need validation or vindication, but now that the Bulldogs have advanced to the first Final Four in their history, he has it. Until Saturday, when Gonzaga clobbered Xavier, in the West Regional final, Few had won the most N. C. A. A. tournament games (24) among coaches who had never reached the national semifinals. This best version of Few’s best team played with fury and purpose, burying Xavier’s bid to become the fourth No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four. Gonzaga ( ) made a dozen and disrupted the Musketeers near the rim with a fierceness that Xavier had yet to encounter during its unlikely stampede to the round of 8. As a measure of Gonzaga’s offensive efficiency, consider that it allowed more points before halftime than it had in any other game this season — 39 — and it still led by 10. That lead ballooned to 17 less than five minutes into the second half, and although Xavier’s fans chanted, “We believe,” they had no better luck forestalling the inevitable than its players did. Few has coached some superb teams, but none like this one, which has coalesced despite the fact that five members of its rotation did not even wear a Gonzaga uniform last season. One transfer, Nigel led Gonzaga with 23 points, and another, Johnathan Williams, added 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks and was selected as the region’s most outstanding player. The arrivals of all these talented players, accustomed to taking many shots and scoring loads of points, could have crashed the program, but the players subjugated their egos. praised Josh Perkins, another point guard, for welcoming him. “We know how good you are,” Perkins said of the team’s attitude, “but we can be so much better together. ” And here the Bulldogs are, going to the Final Four, where they will play next Saturday in Glendale, Ariz. against the winner of Sunday’s East Regional final between Florida and South Carolina. To get there, Gonzaga overwhelmed a university that resembled itself — a small Jesuit school with no Final Four experience where basketball, not football, drives the sporting culture. “There’s no pro team there’s no football team,” Perkins said of Spokane, Wash. home to Gonzaga. “We’re pretty much it. We’re the celebrities we’re the role models. It’s fun, but you’ve got to win basketball games, or it’s not so good. ” On Perkins’s first day on campus, he was recognized at a Chipotle restaurant. That introduced him to the intensity of Gonzaga basketball fandom, which was on display not only at San Jose’s SAP Center — where fans packed several of the lower sections — but also back in Spokane. After the game, players in the locker room passed around a cellphone showing scenes of people there jumping around. “Spokane’s lit!” someone shouted. To Perkins’s point, things have been good at Gonzaga far more often than they have not — 28 victories last season, 35 the season before, 29 in 32 in . Aside from Gonzaga, only Wisconsin and North Carolina have reached the round of 16 the past three years. That consistency is the envy of so many programs, but that popular benchmark of greatness — the Final Four — had managed to elude the Bulldogs. They lost in their two previous regional finals, in 1999 and 2015, when they were underdogs, and the only other time they were seeded No. 1, in 2013, they lost to Wichita State in the second round. Gonzaga’s strong alumni base remains close to the program. Former players, like Kelly Olynyk, Jeremy Pargo and Matt Santangelo, have sent out encouraging text messages: “Hey, we couldn’t do it, so you guys do it. ” The Bulldogs did it by silencing a team that had trampled over one favorite after another, baffling Maryland, Florida State and, on Thursday, Arizona with impenetrable defense. Gonzaga detonated that defense early and often. “I mean, they’re really good,” Xavier Coach Chris Mack said. “Sometimes, you just lose to a better team. ” That was about as close as Mack has gotten this postseason to acknowledging that a better team existed than his Musketeers, who proved they were far better than their seeding might suggest. On Tuesday, before they flew to San Jose, Mack showed players a video clip of confetti cascading onto a court. He asked how badly they wanted to experience that themselves, and then a ladder appeared. The Musketeers acted out a traditional celebration, hooting and hollering as if in a packed arena instead of their auxiliary gym. They then placed the strands in a jar that contained the detritus of another motivational ploy, the ashes from the burning of February calendars that the staff had printed — with the results from Xavier’s five straight losses that month, all to teams that went on to make the N. C. A. A. tournament. Mack tried willing that act into a sequel here, but soon after the buzzer sounded Saturday, after Gonzaga’s players danced at center court, it was his counterpart who climbed the ladder. Few clipped the net, turned to the crowd and hinted at the possibilities in Arizona. “Might as well win it,” he said. | 1 |
While U. S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos toured schools in Miami, Florida last week, she told the Miami Herald that illegal immigrant students in Florida “should not be concerned” about losing tuition because the Trump administration is “very supportive” of states deciding for themselves on such policy. [Referring to the words of Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, DeVos said: Well, as you well know [immigration] is an issue that’s been widely discussed within the administration and I yesterday referred to [Homeland Security Secretary] Gen. [John F.] Kelly’s comments about the fact that [undocumented] students should not be concerned. They should continue to focus on their studies and continue to pursue their educations. The administration is very supportive of states setting their direction and I would say that would be consistent here [for tuition] too. In March, when asked about illegal immigrant students who fall into the domain of former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, Kelly responded: I have a lot of things on my plate, a lot of criminals to apprehend and deport, that are here illegally, criminals beyond just the fact that they’re here illegally, and the least of my worries right now is anyone who falls under the general category of DACA … I can guarantee you that we have a lot of very bad people to go after, and the least of my worries are undocumented illegal aliens who are living lives. When asked about her relationship with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, DeVos said, “We have shared many ideas in the past years. I served on the board of the organization he started and our paths have crossed many, many times over the years as we have done work in a variety of states. Our views and our heart for every child is very similar. ” DeVos said Bush has “reached out” to her “on a couple of occasions” since she assumed her post in Washington, D. C. | 1 |
Ivette Singh hardly bothers to walk on the sidewalk on her way to work in Midtown Manhattan anymore. Too many people, too little space. Not enough patience. Instead, Ms. Singh can be found on the wrong side of the curb as she makes her way from Pennsylvania Station to her job on Third Avenue near 40th Street, and then back again. She prefers dodging yellow cabs and bicyclists to navigating sidewalks teeming with commuters, tourists and vendors, all jostling for elbow room. “I don’t mind the walk, it’s just the people,” Ms. Singh, an account coordinator for the Univision television network, said. “Sometimes, they’re rude. They’re on top of you, no personal space. They’re smoking. It’s tough. ” Ms. Singh is just one among many pedestrians experiencing a growing phenomenon in New York City: sidewalk gridlock. While crowding is hardly a new problem in the city, the sidewalks that cemented New York’s reputation as a walking city have become obstacle courses as more people than ever live and work in the city and tourism surges. The problem is particularly acute in Manhattan. Around Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, two of the city’s main transit hubs, commuters clutching coffee cups and briefcases squeeze by one another during the morning and evening rushes. Throngs of shoppers and visitors sometimes bring swaths of Lower Manhattan to a standstill, prompting some local residents to cite clogged sidewalks as their biggest problem in a recent community survey. Foot traffic has slowed to a shuffle along some of the city’s most famous corridors. On Fifth Avenue, between 54th and 55th Streets, 26, 831 pedestrians — enough to fill Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall combined — passed through in three hours on a weekday in May 2015, up from 20, 639 the year before, according to city data. Transportation officials are taking measures to alleviate the congestion. To help accommodate foot traffic, they are adding more pedestrian plazas across the city, expanding the presence of a streetscape feature first embraced by the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. One is scheduled to open soon on 33rd Street near Penn Station. There are also plans to widen a sidewalks in Flushing, Queens, in the next year (the city’s sidewalks vary in width, but must be at least five feet wide). While a crowded sidewalk is simply a symptom of a crowded city, it resonates deeply because it affects almost everyone. Unlike overstuffed subways or tourist attractions like, say, Times Square, there is no going around the sidewalks. They are to New York what freeways are to Los Angeles: an essential part of the infrastructure. Sidewalks not only get people from Point A to Point B, but also serve as a shared public space for rich and poor, native and tourist alike. “Sidewalks are the unifying glue of the city,” said Mitchell L. Moss, director of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management at New York University. “It’s the one part of the city that everyone has to use. You cannot avoid sidewalks. ” Crowded sidewalks are not just a New York problem. They have created bottlenecks and logistical hurdles and have raised safety concerns in cities across the country. Since 2013, public works officials in San Francisco have widened two sidewalks in Fisherman’s Wharf and the Castro, popular tourist areas with a lot of foot traffic. A third sidewalk project is planned for Second Street, one of the main routes to ATT Park, the baseball stadium where the Giants play. In Seattle, a busy stretch of East Pike Street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood that is lined with restaurants, bars and clubs was closed to cars on three Saturday nights last summer to make room for pedestrians overflowing from the sidewalks. “It just feels so jammed with humanity it becomes a rough situation,” said Joel Sisolak, sustainability and planning director for Capitol Hill Housing, a community development corporation that has worked with city officials to address the issue of crowded sidewalks. Space on New York’s sidewalks is at a premium at a time when the city’s population of 8. 5 million is higher than ever. Add in the record 59. 7 million visitors who are expected to descend on the city this year, up from 48. 8 million in 2010, and it is a recipe for thoroughfares packed like sardine cans. Chris Heywood, a spokesman for NYC Company, which oversees the city’s tourism efforts, said his group was increasingly highlighting attractions outside Manhattan in hopes of dispersing visitors. Scott Gastel, a spokesman for the city’s Transportation Department, said it had conducted research into pedestrian behavior at crosswalks and had monitored pedestrian volumes at 100 street locations to track trends in neighborhood commercial corridors. Along bustling 34th Street, the city has added about 20, 000 square feet of pedestrian space in recent years, including bus bulbs that extend the sidewalk pavement to give bus riders more room to wait. In Lower Manhattan, overcrowded sidewalks topped the list of residents’ concerns in a survey conducted last year for the local community board. The problem was aggravated in some areas by sidewalk clutter such as construction scaffolding, large garbage bags, vendors and fixtures like lights, signs, newsstands, benches, planters and recycling bins. “You add all that up, and it’s difficult to walk on the narrow sidewalk,” said Catherine McVay Hughes, the community board’s chairwoman, whose term ended on Thursday. If there is an epicenter of crowded sidewalks in New York, it is near Penn Station, where pedestrians, food carts and newsstands all vie for space. Only London and Tokyo have sidewalks as congested, said Daniel A. Biederman, president of the 34th Street Partnership, which oversees the business district in the area. As many as 14, 000 pedestrians an hour walk in front of the Modell’s Sporting Goods store on Seventh Avenue near West 34th Street, according to 2015 data collected by the partnership. The commuter crowd is also growing. An average of 92, 314 riders boarded New Jersey Transit trains at Penn Station each weekday in fiscal year 2015, up from 79, 891 riders in fiscal year 2010. In the same period, average weekday boardings on New Jersey Transit buses at the Port Authority terminal also increased, to 78, 006 riders from 72, 506. Veteran pedestrians have tried to adapt. They shoulder their way into bike lanes or walk purposefully on the street alongside cars — eyes ahead, earphones in — forming a de facto express lane. They move en masse along Seventh and Eighth Avenues like a storm system on a weather map, heading north in the mornings and south in the evenings. “You know how the system works,” said Roque Santos, 48, a stagehand who commutes daily from Jersey City. “I cross the street even before the light changes to beat the crowd. ” Peter Raskin, a sports marketing executive, has made walking in the street part of his daily routine. He zipped north on Seventh Avenue the other morning, even when there was room on the sidewalk. “I’m used to it,” he said. “I stay in the street with my head down. ” In 2016, there had been 55 pedestrian fatalities as of Sunday, an improvement from the 79 fatalities for the same period in 2013. Michael D’Angelo, an accountant who works in Midtown, said that in the past year he had seen a pedestrians walking in the street struck by cyclists. Still, Mr. D’Angelo said he often had no choice but to step off the curb because he could not get by all the people along Eighth Avenue. His bus home to Pennsylvania leaves Port Authority at 5:55 p. m. with or without him. “Everybody is trying to beat everybody,” he said, “because everybody has someplace to go. ” Then there are the inattentive walkers, those who text on their phones or read newspapers while moving, and the meandering tourists who seem oblivious to the ways of the street. They stop midstride, step on someone’s heel or cut off people without warning. The result? Sidewalk rage. “When you get and New Yorkers, it’s like mixing Clorox with ammonia, it doesn’t work — there’s a chemical reaction,” said Jato Jenkins, a street worker, as he swept a stretch of Seventh Avenue. “The New Yorkers walk their normal route, and the are going the opposite direction, like salmon going upstream. ” Mr. Jenkins said everyone was miserable and on edge, especially in the sweltering summer months, so that even the slightest bump could set off tempers. He said he had seen women cursing at each other and men pushing each other and grabbing each other’s shirts. Virginia Garcia said she had been on the receiving end of such outbursts. “People are running around like crazy, and they don’t stop,” said Ms. Garcia, who stands at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and West 36th Street with a sign advertising a local pub. “They push you, they hit you and they don’t care. ” David Wentz, a mail carrier who pushes a cart around the garment district, said he tried to arrange his day around the busiest times for foot traffic. “It’s chaotic,” he said. “It’s like Disney World down here. ” But for Mr. Moss, of the Rudin Center at N. Y. U. crowded sidewalks show how far the city has come. During the 1970s, he pointed out, people used to avoid the sidewalks in the East Village and other neighborhoods for a different reason: They feared criminals and felt safer walking out in the open, down the middle of a street. Today, “people want to be in New York,” he said. “A crowded sidewalk is a sign of vitality. ” | 1 |
In August 2016, the announcement of the discovery of a terrestrial exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri (artists impression above) stimulated the imagination of experts and the general public. This star is the nearest star to our sun, though it is 10 times less massive and 500 times less luminous. This discovery, together with the discovery in May 2016 of a similar planet orbiting an even lower-mass star (Trappist-1), convinced astronomers that such red dwarfs (as these low-mass stars are called) might be hosts to a large population of Earth-like planets.
Computer simulations of the formation of planets orbiting in the habitable zones of low mass stars such as Proxima Centauri by astrophysicists at the University of Bern show that these planets are most likely to be roughly the size of the Earth and to contain large amounts of water.What might these objects look like? What could they be made of? Yann Alibert and Willy Benz at the Swiss NCCR PlanetS and the Center of Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern carried out the first computer simulations of the formation of planets expected to orbit stars 10 times less massive than the sun.
“Our models succeed in reproducing planets that are similar in terms of mass and period to the ones observed recently,” Alibert says regarding the results of the study, forthcoming as a letter in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. “Interestingly, we find that planets in close-in orbits around these type of stars are of small sizes. Typically, they range between 0.5 and 1.5 Earth radii with a peak at about 1.0 Earth radius. Future discoveries will tell if we are correct,” the researcher adds.
In addition, the astrophysicists determined the water content of the planets orbiting their small host stars in the habitable zone. They found that around 90 percent of the planets harbour more than 10 percent water. For comparison, the Earth has a fraction of water of only about .02 percent. The situation could be even more extreme if the protoplanetary disks in which these planets form persist longer than assumed in the models. In any case, these planets would be covered by very deep oceans at the bottom of which, owing to enormous pressure, water would be in form of ice.
Water is required for life as we know it. So could these planets be habitable? “While liquid water is generally thought to be an essential ingredient, too much of a good thing may be bad,” says Willy Benz. In previous studies, the scientists in Bern showed that too much water may prevent the regulation of the surface temperature and destabilize the climate. “But this is the case for the Earth; here, we deal with considerably more exotic planets that might be subjected to a much harsher radiation environment, and/or be synchronous,” he adds.
To start their calculations, the scientists considered a series of a few hundreds to thousands of identical, low-mass stars, and around each of them, a protoplanetary disk of dust and gas. Planets are formed by accretion of this material. Alibert and Benz assumed that at the beginning, there were 10 planetary embryos in each disk with an initial mass equal to the mass of the moon. In a few day’s computer time for each system, the model calculated how these randomly located embryos grew and migrated. What kind of planets are formed depends on the structure and evolution of the protoplanetary disks.
“Habitable or not, the study of planets orbiting very low-mass stars will likely bring exciting new results, improving our knowledge of planet formation, evolution, and potential habitability,” summarizes Benz. Because these stars are considerably less luminous than the sun, planets can be much closer to their stars before the surface temperature becomes too high for liquid water to exist. Considering that this type of star also represents the overwhelming majority of stars in the solar neighbourhood and that close-in planets are presently easier to detect and study, it is easy to understand why the existence of this population of Earth-like planets is of importance.
The Daily Galaxy via University of Bern
Source: Daily Galaxy
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President-elect Donald Trump will be extremely busy during his first 100 days in office, fulfilling what he can of his “ contract with the American voter .” Before then, lame-duck President Barack Obama, on the other hand, will be concentrating on cementing into place as much of his healthcare and environmental agenda as he can. Neither is likely to succeed fully.
Trump has promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, with plans to propose a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on all members of Congress. He promises to install a “hiring freeze” on all federal employees, letting natural attrition over time reduce the federal workforce. He intends to require that every new federal regulation include plans to eliminate two others simultaneously.
Trump intends in his first 100 days either to renegotiate or repeal NAFTA, and withdraw altogether from the not-yet-ratified TPP. And he plans to "repeal and replace" ObamaCare.
He is promising to lift Obama administration restrictions on energy development and move ahead with the completion of the Keystone Pipeline. He intends to turn off the flow of funds to the United Nations’ climate-change programs and redirect those funds to various infrastructure projects at home.
And he has promised to “cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama.”
Trump has other plans as well, but those mentioned above are likely to keep him very busy during his first 100 days in office.
In the White House there will be activity of a different sort between now and Trump's inauguration: the outgoing president doing what he can to salvage all he can of his fading legacy. He had high hopes that Hillary Clinton would work to cement into place ObamaCare with various governmental “fixes," reopen negotiations over the TPP (despite her protestations against it during her campaign), and extend and expand various UN treaties sold as campaigns against global warming and climate change but actually giving up huge swaths of national sovereignty in the continued building of the New World Order.
With Trump now breathing down his neck and determined to undermine as much of that “progress” as he can, Obama will be reduced to issuing executive orders (which Trump has promised to negate), commuting sentences of favorite insiders caught with their hands in the federal cookie jar, and pardons. Pardons for Hillary (and Bill), Hillary's main man John Podesta, along with Huma Abedin and her estranged husband Anthony Weiner for crimes they haven’t yet been charged with are already being floated. Executive orders can be reversed; pardons can’t, and some are suggesting Obama still has plenty of business left undone and havoc that he can wreak during the final days of his unlamented administration.
According to William Howell, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, this anticipated burst of activity by Obama is predictable: "What we’ve seen in the past is when the outgoing president is replaced by somebody from the opposition party, then in the waning months of their presidency there is a burst of regulatory and rule-making activity."
In the days leading up to the inauguration of the new president, Obama is going to be relying heavily upon his “pen,” while in the days afterward Trump will be busy using an eraser to clear the decks for his new agenda. Photo: AP Images
An Ivy League graduate and former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American magazine and blogs frequently at LightFromTheRight.com, primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Please review our Comment Policy before posting a comment
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Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer elaborated on a statement he offered earlier reacting to a federal judge’s ruling against an executive order threatening to strip federal funding from U. S. cities that function as sanctuary cities. In that statement, it said sanctuary cities had the “blood of dead of Americans on their hand. ” “[S]an Francisco, and cities like it, are putting the of criminal aliens before the safety of our citizens, and those city officials who authored these policies have the blood of dead Americans on their hands,” the White House statement read, referring to the 2015 Kate Steinle shooting by an illegal immigrant. “This San Francisco judge’s erroneous ruling is a gift to the criminal gang and cartel element in our country, empowering the worst kind of human trafficking and sex trafficking, and putting thousands of innocent lives at risk. ” Also in that statement, White House indicated it would prevail before the Supreme Court in overturning that federal judge’s ruling. “America’s Newsroom” anchor Bill Hemmer asked Spicer on what grounds the White House thought the Supreme Court would side on its side, to which Spicer said the executive order was within the authorities it has been given under U. S. code. “On the same grounds as the court ruled,” Spicer replied. “Ironically, the court agreed with the president’s interpretation of the authorities that he has given under U. S. Code. Where they differed is the interpretation of the intent of it which is outside of what they should be looking at. The U. S. Code makes it clear this president has the full authority to do what’s necessary to protect this country and to present grant money in a way he sees fit. The idea that any judge or any jurisdiction would not be wanting to help make sure that we can protect our citizens runs counter to what we should be looking for as citizens and laws supporting to do. ” Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor | 1 |
Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of President George W. Bush signing the PATRIOT Act into law. It was supposed to be only a temporary measure to address the emergency situation caused by the attacks of 9/11. Fifteen years later it has been re-authorized many times and last year some of its worst parts were codified into law in the USA FREEDOM Act. From the War Powers Resolution, to the FISA Court, to the “reform” USA FREEDOM Act, bills that were designed to rein in government abuses end up just giving government more power. Is there anything we can do about it? Ron Paul Institute Senior Fellow Adam Dick joins today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report to discuss:
Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity .
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PARIS (AP) — The Latest on France’s presidential campaign (all times local):[3:40 p. m. Waving French flags in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, thousands have gathered to show support for conservative Francois Fillon’s troubled presidential candidacy. The Paris rally could be Fillon’s last stand, amid growing pressure on him to quit the race because of corruption allegations. Dozens of buses brought supporters from around France, while riot police stood guard around the Place de Trocadero. Retirees Luc and Marie Houllier braved rainy, blustery weather to denounce what they see as a investigation of jobs for Fillon’s family. Luc said that “he is the only one who can raise France up again. ” Fillon’s chances for the election have fallen since the corruption allegations emerged. Older people, who make up Fillon’s most loyal voter base, constituted a large part of Sunday’s crowd, along with parents of young children. are also being held. — 11:00 a. m. France’s presidential campaign is facing a potential turning point as conservative candidate Francois Fillon, facing corruption charges, holds a rally that could determine whether he stays in the race. Sunday’s rally across from the Eiffel Tower is meant to gauge Fillon’s remaining support after numerous defections by allies. They’re disillusioned by how he has handled the investigation into allegations he arranged parliamentary jobs for his wife and children that they never performed. Fillon’s wife Penelope urged her husband to stay in the race in a newspaper interview published Sunday. They deny wrongdoing. If Fillon quits, many conservatives want Alain Juppe to run in his place for the vote. Fillon was once the but polls now favor centrist Emmanuel Macron and leader Marine Le Pen. | 1 |
MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft (Lt Col Leslie Pratt/US Air Force) | 0 |
Gold Star families gathered in the Southern California city of Irvine on Sunday for the unveiling of the expanded Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial, which recognizes and memorializes the soldiers who have died defending the U. S. in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. [The Los Angeles Times reports: “Ten Gold Star families … held hands, they prayed and they revealed nightmarish memories of learning about the deaths of their loved ones — openly sharing so that they can continue to heal. ” A crowd of about 300 gathered for the ceremony. The memorial has been expanded each year. The memorial’s website explains: This is the nation’s first memorial dedicated exclusively to listing the names of all the fallen American service members in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2003, a simple memorial for the country’s military fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq was set up in the Southern California city of Irvine by members of the community on the week before Memorial Day and then removed the week after Independence Day. For years the community and visitors from all over the country have come to share in the fellowship at the site of the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial. The names of every service member who has died in Afghanistan and Iraq had been displayed on the wooden posts of the temporary memorial. Now their names are engraved in granite in a permanent memorial, to assure that future generations of Americans will remember and honor them with gratitude as we do today. The panels carry the names of all those who died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. One participant stressed the importance of helping those who died after they returned home, through the ongoing challenge of veteran suicide. Other ceremonies to remember the fallen will continue throughout California on Memorial Day, particularly at the many national cemeteries across the Golden State, including Bakersfield, Fort Rosecrans, Golden Gate, Los Angeles, Miramar, Riverside, Sacramento Valley, San Francisco, and San Joaquin Valley. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. He is the of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak. Photo: file | 1 |
Keep driving your cab down there in Vegas “SNITCH-51″ with your big gambling addiction and keep your half ass Liberal “opinions” to yourself you limp wristed Candy Ass FOOL !!! | 0 |
You're our enemy yet we will play in manufacturing with you, just make sure to make parts that go bad so people have to keep buying new things, we'll tell you all and expect you to keep the secrets. Didn't work so well. | 0 |
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Как заявили в Государственной авиационной службе Украины (Госавиаслужба), в связи с нарушением запрета на полеты над полуостровом ведомство вынесло более пяти тысяч постановлений.
Штрафы, в частности, были наложены на "Аэрофлот", после того как перевозчик запустил рейсы по маршруту Сочи — Симферополь. Представители Госавиаслужбы признались, что пока ни одна российская компания не заплатила требуемую от нее сумму.
Насколько правомерны такие штрафы, Pravda.Ru поинтересовалась у генерального директора Ассоциации аэропортов гражданской авиации Виктора Горбачева.
Эксперт заявил, что Россия не должна и не будет платить. "Крым является российской территорией, какие могут быть штрафы? — объяснил он. — Более того, Россия не осуществляет полеты через Украину (российские летчики пролетают через Краснодарский край), соответственно, поводов производить выплаты нет абсолютно никаких".
По его словам, не стоит относиться к подобным требованиям серьезно: "Они могут делать, что угодно, даже предъявить претензии к президенту. Ну, предъявляйте, а дальше что?", — сказал собеседник Pravda.Ru.
На вопрос о том, сможет ли Украина добиться выплат через международные инстанции, Виктор Горбачев пояснил, что у этих штрафов нет юридических, правовых оснований. "Это проблема даже не Украины, а каких-то отдельных служб, деятелей. Украина может предъявлять все, что угодно, но это никак не повлияет на отсутствие правых оснований для выплат за полеты над российской территорией", — заявил эксперт.
При этом Виктор Горбачев напомнил, что один раз такое получилось, но не Украины, а у европейцев, когда те загубили нашу авиакомпанию "Добролет". "В тот раз это была наша вина, и мы должны были понимать, чем это может обернуться", — сказал эксперт. Он заверил, что теперь мы такого не допустим.
Напомним, в сентябре 2014 года взамен подпавшего под санкции ЕС лоукостера "Добролет" "Аэрофлот" создал компанию "Бюджетный перевозчик", которая работает под брендом "Победа". При этом все руководящие должности были сохранены.
Стопроцентная "дочка" "Аэрофлота" - "Добролет", в июне 2014 года начавшая деятельность с перелетов в Симферополь, была вынуждена прекратить работу 4 августа 2014 года из-за введенных против нее санкций ЕС. Ряд европейских контрагентов сообщили об отказе выполнять обязательства перед российским авиаперевозчиком, аннулировав действие договоров лизинга, технического обслуживания и страхования лайнеров, а также предоставления аэронавигационной информации.
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WASHINGTON — More than 130 members of America’s foreign policy establishment denounced President Trump’s revised travel ban on Friday as just as damaging to the United States’ interests and reputation as his original order that halted refugees and froze travelers from predominantly Muslim countries. In a letter to Mr. Trump, the former government officials and experts said even the order will “weaken U. S. security and undermine U. S. global leadership. ” And they said it continues to signal to Muslim allies that — as the Islamic State and other extremist propaganda profess — the United States is an enemy of Islam. Several of the 134 signatories served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, including R. Nicholas Burns, who was on the National Security Council staff and a senior diplomat during President Bill Clinton’s administration before becoming under secretary of state for President George W. Bush Richard A. Clarke, the National Security Council counterterrorism coordinator for Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton and John E. McLaughlin, the deputy C. I. A. director for Mr. Clinton and acting C. I. A. director for Mr. Bush. But the vast majority of those who signed the letter — including Madeleine Albright and John Kerry, the former secretaries of state Michèle A. Flournoy, the former under secretary of defense and Susan E. Rice, the former national security adviser — rose to senior security jobs in government under Democratic presidents. Their argument mirrors one also being made by states that claim the revised travel ban discriminates against Muslims and will hurt businesses and universities. A week after taking office, Mr. Trump issued an executive order to suspend the nation’s refugee program as well as travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries to give the government time to install rigid security vetting of immigrants. The order created chaos at American airports nationwide and was blocked by a federal appeals court. This week, the Trump administration issued a new order that slightly scaled back the original ban but is still considered a significant hardening of American immigration policy. “Bans like those included in this order are harmful to U. S. national security and beneath the dignity of our great nation,” said the letter, which also was sent to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly and Michael P. Dempsey, the acting director of national intelligence. “The revised executive order is damaging to the strategic and national security interests of the United States,” the letter said. | 1 |
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Two chief fundraisers for the Clinton Foundation pressed corporate donors to steer business opportunities to former President Bill Clinton as well, according to a hacked memo published Wednesday by WikiLeaks.
The November 2011 memo from Douglas Band, at the time a top aide to Mr. Clinton , outlines extensive fundraising efforts that Mr. Band and a partner deployed on behalf of the Clinton Foundation and how that work sometimes translated into large speaking fees and other paid work for Mr. Clinton.
The memo, part of a cache of emails stolen from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, resurfaces an issue that she has had a hard time shaking: questions over the relationship between the Clintons’ charity work and their personal business.
Mr. Band and an associate introduced top corporate executives to the former president, on the golf course and elsewhere, and then asked them to contribute money to the Clinton Foundation or attend the Clinton Global Initiative, an annual foundation event. | 0 |
State that fired pastor demands his sermons, notes 'This is an excessive display of the government overreaching its authority' Published: 5 mins ago Bob Unruh About | | Archive Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Print Dr. Eric Walsh (Photo: First Liberty)
The state of Georgia is demanding copies of the sermons and related notes of a lay pastor who was fired by the Department of Public Health after it investigated what he said in his church.
But Dr. Eric Walsh is resisting, issuing a statement via his legal team that he will not comply with the demand from state lawyers.
The state’s demand is in response to a lawsuit filed by Walsh against the Department of Health charging discrimination based on his religion and other civil rights violations.
He’s getting support from a pastor who successfully fought off a demand by Houston officials for copies of his sermons.
Walsh’s ordeal began in May 2014 when he accepted an offer as to become district health director with the state agency. Only a week later, a state official asked him to provide copies of sermons he had preached as a lay minister with a Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Lee Rudd, the agency’s human resources director, then assigned staff members to listen to the YouTube recordings immediately. Two days later, Walsh was fired.
At that point, lawyers with First Liberty Institute joined forces with the Atlanta legal team of Parks, Chesin & Walbert to file a federal lawsuit against the state agency.
“Police State USA: How Orwell’s Nightmare Is Becoming Our Reality” chronicles how America has arrived at the point of being a de facto police state, and what led to an out-of-control government that increasingly ignores the Constitution. Order today!
Now, in response to Walsh’s lawsuit, the state delivered a “Request for Production of Documents” that demands, among a flood of other paperwork, “copies of his sermon notes and transcripts.”
“This is an excessive display of the government overreaching its authority and violating the sanctity of the church,” said Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for First Liberty.
“No government has the right to require a pastor to turn over his sermons,” said Walsh in a statement released by his lawyers. “I cannot and will not give up my sermons unless I am forced to do so.”
Officials with the Georgia Department of Health declined to respond to a WND request for comment, instead referring a reporter to the state attorney general, who did not respond to a request for comment.
Walsh’s lawyers scheduled a news conference as a display of support.
On the guest list was Pastor Dave Welch of Houston, one of five pastors whose sermons were demanded by a lesbian mayor during her campaign to establish protections for her sexual preferences in city code.
WND broke the story when the city launched its action against the pastors and also reported when Rush Limbaugh described Parker’s actions as possibly “one of the most vile, filthy, blatant violations of the Constitution that I have seen.”
The mayor at the time, Annise Parker, withdrew the demands amid a flood of protest .
In a prepared statement Wednesday on Walsh’s case, Welch said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Georgia’s demand is even worse than when the mayor of Houston demanded 17 different categories of materials, including sermons, from … us.”
Welch, the executive director of the Texas Pastor Council, said what is happening to Walsh is “worse than what happened in Houston for multiple reasons.”
“First, this is state government coming after a pastor, not just a rogue mayor in one city,” he said. “Also, the state is demanding much more material: sermons, sermon notes, all documents without even topical or time limits. It could even include margin notes in this pastor’s preaching Bible. It’s almost as if they are ransacking the pastor’s study. This sweeping demand is ominous and a threat to every pastor, every church, every denomination, and every citizen of faith in America.”
Leaders of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, part of the nation’s largest public policy women’s group with 500,000 members, also came to Walsh’s defense.
Penny Nance, CEO, said: “The words of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’ still reverberate today – especially as we witness the ‘Gestapo-like’ tactics of his native state. The state of Georgia’s blatant attack on religious freedom, as they discriminate against another pastor, Dr. Eric Walsh, is indeed a threat to every American, whatever our religious beliefs.
“Can there be a clearer violation of our First Amendment right to religious freedom than for the state to monitor, examine, and retaliate against a person because of the sermons they share?”
WND reported earlier on the case brought against the state after its officials reviewed Walsh’s sermons and then fired him.
“No one in this country should be fired from their job for something that was said in a church or from a pulpit during a sermon,” Dys told Fox News when the case was filed. “He was fired for something he said in a sermon. If the government is allowed to fire someone over what he said in his sermons, they can come after any of us for our beliefs on anything.” The original state investigation of Walsh’s sermons apparently was sparked by “one complaint” from an official with a county Democratic Party and “gay activist.”
State officials also joked about informing Walsh of his firing.
The telephone call was between Dr. Patrick O’Neal, an agency official, and Kate Pfirman, an agency financial officer. The call was captured on an answering machine, which also caught their conversation after they thought they had hung up.
Pfirman said: “And I’m gonna be very – I’m gonna try to come off as very cold, because I don’t want to say very much. If I try to make it warm – I’ve thought that through, it’s gonna just not – there’s no warm way to say it anyway.”
Then there was laughter from both parties.
O’Neal then said to inform Walsh, “You’re out,” and there was another round of laughter.
“It’s very funny,” Pfirman said.
The voicemail:
In the Houston dispute, voters ultimately soundly rejected Parker’s ordinance giving “gays” and transgendered people special rights. | 0 |
Experts Recommend Breaking Down Crushing Defeats Into Smaller, More Manageable Failures Close Vol 50 Issue 20 · Lifestyle
SANTA BARBARA, CA—Offering advice to those who feel overwhelmed at the thought of becoming massive failures, a group of experts reported this week that the best way to approach a crippling defeat is to break it down into a set of smaller and more manageable setbacks. “The key to failing on a monumental scale is to take life one small misstep at a time,” life coach Jack V. Royce told reporters, emphasizing that people who hit absolute rock bottom seldom get there overnight. “Just start with a couple of minor fuckups and then build off that. It’s all about working through your long, humiliating downward spiral in workable increments: botch this, flub that, make a wreck of something else—and then, before you know it, you’re well on your way to being totally screwed.” Royce added that it’s also helpful every now and then to stop, take stock of your situation, and really beat yourself up about it. Share This Story: WATCH VIDEO FROM THE ONION Sign up For The Onion's Newsletter
Give your spam filter something to do. Daily Headlines | 0 |
By John Anthony When federal agencies promote programs, like Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, or Common Core they conduct sophisticated and often deceptive marketing campaigns that... | 0 |
ATHENS, Ohio — After decades as one of America’s most reliable political bellwethers, an inevitable presidential battleground that closely mirrored the mood and makeup of the country, Ohio is suddenly fading in importance this year. Hillary Clinton has not been to the state since Labor Day, and her aides said Thursday that she would not be back until next week, after a monthlong absence, effectively acknowledging how difficult they think it will be to defeat Donald J. Trump here. Ohio has not fallen into step with the demographic changes transforming the United States, growing older, whiter and less educated than the nation at large. And the two parties have made strikingly different wagers about how to win the White House in this election: Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, is relying on a demographic coalition that, while well tailored for Ohio even in the state’s Democratic strongholds, leaves him vulnerable in the more diverse parts of the country where Mrs. Clinton is spending most of her time. It is a jarring change for political veterans here, who relish being at the center of the country’s presidential races: Because of newer battleground states, Mrs. Clinton can amass the 270 electoral votes required to win even if she loses Ohio. “Their map is a little different, and Ohio is not as crucial as it once was,” conceded James Ruvolo, a former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party who lives in the Toledo area, a Democratic bulwark that Mrs. Clinton has not visited once this year. “They’ll keep putting in money, but I don’t think they’re going to put a lot of her time in here. ” Ohio has long basked in the presidential spotlight. Every four years, fall would bring frequent candidate visits, ceaseless television commercials and breathless, tallies of its voting returns late into election night. Democrats in the state became used to rallies, like the ones John Kerry staged in Cleveland and Columbus with Bruce Springsteen in 2004 and President Obama held at Ohio State to kick off his 2012 campaign. Mr. Obama held five events over three trips to Ohio in September 2012 alone. And it was all for good reason: No candidate of either party has won the White House without carrying Ohio since John F. Kennedy in 1960. But its Rust Belt profile, Mr. Trump’s unyielding campaign and Mrs. Clinton’s difficulty energizing Ohio’s young voters have made it a lesser focus for Democrats this year, even as it remains critical to Mr. Trump’s path to the White House. As Mrs. Clinton’s aides privately note, the demographic makeup of Florida, Colorado and North Carolina, which have a greater percentage of educated or nonwhite voters, makes those states more promising for Democrats in a contest in which the electorate is sorted along bright racial and economic lines. And with a Senate race in Ohio turning into a rout for Rob Portman, the Republican incumbent, Democrats can quietly pull back from the state with little fear of consequences. As the place where Appalachia meets the Midwest, and where industrial centers arose not far from a vast farm belt, Ohio has prided itself on being a version of America writ small. Its immigration patterns reflected that, with New Englanders resettling here, followed by Germans and Eastern Europeans. At the same time, Southerners, white and black, crossed the Ohio River in search of freedom and opportunity. But even some of the state’s proudest boosters acknowledge that Ohio, which is nearly 80 percent white, is decreasingly representative of contemporary America. “Ohio, like a melting iceberg, has slowly been losing its status as the country’s bellwether,” said Michael F. Curtin, a Democratic state legislator and former Columbus Dispatch editor who is an author of the state’s authoritative “Ohio Politics Almanac. ” He continued: “It’s a slow melt. But we have not captured any appreciable Hispanic population, and there has been very little influx of an Asian population. When you look at the diversity of America 30 to 40 years ago, Ohio was a pretty close approximation of the country. It no longer is. ” What is less clear than the racial trends is whether the state will continue to grow more forbidding for Democrats in future presidential races. That could be determined by the choices the national parties make after the election, particularly whether Republicans continue Mr. Trump’s project of shifting from a to a more populist approach on immigration and trade. “If the Republican Party looks more like the Trump coalition and the Democratic Party looks more like the Obama coalition, then the states Democrats must win will no longer be Ohio and Iowa,” said David Wilhelm, a manager of Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign and a former Democratic national chairman who lives in suburban Columbus. “They will be Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia. ” Yet that same Obama coalition was enough to hand the president a victory in Ohio in 2012, when the state’s demographics were no less challenging for Democrats. The difference now, Ohio voters and strategists from both parties say, is in the two candidates and the issues at hand. Facing Mitt Romney, who was easily caricatured as a country club Republican, Mr. Obama battered him as a handmaiden for the wealthy and criticized his opposition to the auto bailout, which lifted Mr. Obama with white union Democrats in communities around Youngstown and Toledo. But this year, Republicans have put forward a candidate whose views on trade are indistinguishable from, if not more than, the A. F. L. . I. O. ’s. “Republicans used to run on God and guns,” Mr. Ruvolo said. “Well, Trump added a third element: trade. ” Paired with Mr. Trump’s jeremiads about immigrants’ taking American jobs, it makes for a powerful combination in a state that has suffered from the decline of manufacturing. Though he lost the Ohio primary to Gov. John Kasich, Mr. Trump still carried a stretch of counties along the eastern spine of the state, its most economically depressed region, where thousands of industrial and jobs have been lost. Mr. Trump is expected to pile up significant margins in those counties in November. Some political veterans speak with wonder about private polls showing Mr. Trump leading even in bedrock Democratic communities. “I see, at best, lack of enthusiasm in traditional Democratic areas,” said Dennis E. Eckart, a former Democratic congressman from suburban Cleveland. Mike Dawson, a Republican strategist who runs a website on Ohio’s political history, said Mr. Trump would be competitive in two counties in Youngstown’s Mahoning Valley that the Democratic presidential candidate has carried in every election for 60 years with the exception of 1972. It is no coincidence that the same region kept Representative James A. Traficant Jr. from 1985 to 2002, despite his routine flouting of ethics. Mr. Traficant, a longtime Democrat who died in 2014, was known for mixing inflammatory rhetoric, a toupee and a populism. “There is not a dime’s worth of difference, as George Wallace once said, between Jim Traficant and Donald Trump,” said Mr. Eckart, whose district abutted Mr. Traficant’s. “They say anything, do anything, just act outrageous, and people just kind of like that. ” Mrs. Clinton remains strongest in the more affluent and educated areas around Ohio’s population centers — Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati — where some voters who backed Mr. Romney four years ago are appalled by Mr. Trump. Emily Huber, a evangelical Christian and loyal Republican in Columbus, is one of them. As she sold candles and jewelry made by victims of sex trafficking at a farmer’s market in the shadow of the state capitol, Ms. Huber said she and her husband were unsure whether they could back Mr. Trump because of offensive comments that she said “show his true character. ” What will determine who wins Ohio, said Representative Steve Stivers, a Republican, is if “Hillary can pick up a bunch of voters in the suburbs to offset the rural and some of the industrial areas. ” Mrs. Clinton has an organizational advantage, with 60 offices across the state, and is flooding Ohio with surrogates: Bill Clinton is expected in the state on a bus tour next week. But her campaign is sensitive about her absence, which has become a local topic of discussion. After this article was published online, it hurried to announce that she would return on Monday, but without specifying which city she would visit. A Clinton victory in Ohio may also require rousing younger voters, which is in doubt. When a group of Democratic Ohio mayors campaigned recently for Mrs. Clinton in Athens — home of Ohio University and seat of the county with the state’s largest percentage of millennials — they drew little interest. As students stopped at sidewalk A. T. M.s to prepare for parents weekend, they expressed only lukewarm support for Mrs. Clinton. Paula Atfield, a freshman from Cleveland, said she was voting for Mrs. Clinton because “she’s not Trump,” but added that the election was seen as “a joke” on campus. “Neither of them are suitable,” she said. “Most people aren’t even voting. ” At a news conference earlier in the day, the Dayton mayor, Nan Whaley, had declared that the state would send Mrs. Clinton to the White House. “Ohio is the decider of presidents,” she said. But now, Ms. Whaley sounded less bullish. “I think it’s crucial,” she said of a Clinton victory in Ohio, before quickly adding of Mr. Trump, “It’s just not as crucial as his. ” | 1 |
Posted 10/31/2016 3:05 pm by PatriotRising with 0 comments 70% of PhDs unable to find alternative employment
Government programs (such as subsidies and student loans) designed to inflate both the supply and demand for higher education have driven a wedge between universities, students, and employers.
Like any other economic good, the value of a higher education degree is determined on the market, at the intersection of the subjective valuations and appraisements of those constituting the supply and demand of that particular good. The parties interested in these transactions are not just education providers and students, but also—or even primarily—employers looking to hire graduates into their companies. At least, that’s how things should be, with entrepreneurs at the forefront, driving and shaping up the content and quality of the education and training of their future employees.
But with the government interfering now for decades with this precarious balance, it is not unexpected to find that the essential link which allowed the market to work efficiently has been fractured. The result is that higher education degrees no longer hold any value for employers.
Recent evidence suggests that in the UK, for example, a record number of university graduates— one in four —face only a choice between unemployment and taking a job that does not require a degree. This shows that their degrees are not demanded on the market or, alternatively, that young people are malinvesting high student loans into degrees which, once obtained, will not offer them better employment alternatives than before—thus having a rate of return too low to justify the initial investment. Similarly, an investigation by The Economist has revealed that worldwide, BAs, BSCs, but also master programs such as MBAs are no longer considered to offer a candidate a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Another facet of the devaluation of higher education is the record high number of specialised degrees, a trend which began with masters and MBAs, but has now peaked into PhDs.The mismatch between supply and demand (academic positions) is even wider in this case. A 2013 paper published in Nature Biotechnology has found that “Each year, there are seven times more PhDs awarded in science and engineering than there are newly available faculty positions.” In fact, the authors show that
Since 1982, almost 800,000 PhDs were awarded in science and engineering (S&E) fields, whereas only about 100,000 academic faculty positions were created in those fields within the same time frame. The number of S&E PhDs awarded annually has also increased over this time frame, from ~19,000 in 1982 to ~36,000 in 2011. The number of faculty positions created each year, however, has not changed, with roughly 3,000 new positions created annually.
A part of these graduates, especially in economics, end up working for the government when they eventually fail the market test. But the trend is also extending further to postdoctoral fellowships, which are sought after by the 70% of PhDs unable to find alternative employment.
Taking the government out of higher education and letting universities compete in providing market-relevant, profitable degrees is only one part of the solution. The market for education won’t be entirely healthy until the government is also taken out of primary, secondary, and high school curricula and finances, allowing parents and pupils to become informed consumers of education and good judges of their investments.
Carmen Dorobăț has a PhD in economics from the University of Angers, and is assistant professor in International Business at Coventry University. Contact: . | 0 |
BRUSSELS — Almost six years ago, the European Union sharply curtailed access to its airspace for Iran’s aging airline fleet. But officials in Brussels say they are now prepared to loosen some of those restrictions as the easing of Western sanctions gradually allows new planes and spare parts to enter Iran after decades of isolation. The overture follows the nuclear accord reached with the United States and other world powers in January, and it will be presented during a visit to Tehran this weekend by a delegation from the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, officials said. It forms part of a broader European effort to revive economic ties between Iran and the bloc, which was once one of Iran’s largest trading partners. Iranian state news media confirmed a visit this week by representatives of Boeing to discuss a possible sale of 737, 787 and 777 aircraft, the first such mission by the American plane maker in decades. The United States company’s European rival Airbus reached an agreement with Iran in January over the purchase of $27 billion in new jets. The European Union banned most planes operated by Iran’s flag carrier, Iran Air, from its skies in 2010 because of concerns over their airworthiness. With an average age of more than 26 years, the airline’s fleet is one of the world’s oldest, and European and American trade restrictions had prohibited the sale of the spare parts needed to keep the planes properly maintained. In an interview before this weekend’s visit, Violeta Bulc, the European Union’s transport commissioner, said that easing flight restrictions on Iran Air was a “key priority” for Brussels, which is also keen to expand European airlines’ access to Iran’s $400 billion economy. Ms. Bulc expressed cautious optimism that European Union inspections of the airline’s maintenance operations, scheduled to begin next month, would pave the way to increase air transport links between Iran and Europe, which she argued would have economic and diplomatic benefits. “We need to these connections,” Ms. Bulc said. “We need to trust. ” Despite the restrictions, Iran Air has continued to serve about a dozen European cities with 12 planes — all older Airbus A300 and A310 models — that have passed the bloc’s safety inspections. Another Iranian carrier, Mahan Air, which is privately owned, recently upgraded its fleet to newer Airbus models and flies without safety limitations to several European cities, including direct flights to Athens, Milan and Munich from Tehran. But those air links remain relatively infrequent, and the high cost of operating such an antiquated fleet leaves Iranian airlines at a competitive disadvantage to European rivals like Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways, which have recently resumed or plan to resume direct flights to Tehran. Iran and the United States broke off diplomatic relations decades ago, and Iran has been seeking a reciprocal resumption of flights with the United States for years. That possibility has been renewed because of the easing of Western sanctions. Ms. Bulc cited air transport as a “key enabler” of economic growth and credited air services agreements that the European Union has concluded in recent years with several countries in the western Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa with significantly bolstering air traffic between those regions and Europe. “Every new destination opens new potential for business development,” Ms. Bulc added. The possible loosening of European airspace restrictions on Iran comes at a delicate time, however. The United States has charged that planes owned by Iran Air and Mahan Air have been used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran to ferry weapons and fighters to Syria in support of the government of President Bashar in violation of a United Nations arms embargo. Ms. Bulc acknowledged the United States’ concerns but declined to comment further before the commission’s visit. “I do not at all expect any easy steps to be taken,” she said of the negotiations, emphasizing that Europe’s dealings with Iran on aviation issues had always been focused on safety, rather than on political concerns. “In air transport, safety is the highest priority,” Ms. Bulc said. | 1 |
ORLANDO, Fla. — After news media reports suggested that the man who carried out the massacre at a gay nightclub here may have himself been gay, the company that bills itself as “the world’s largest gay hookup site” put out what amounted to a distress call, asking members who may have been in contact with the gunman, Omar Mateen, to come forward. In an attempt to find an account connected to the killer, the site, Adam4Adam combed through the profile photos of every one of its 300, 000 Florida members and researched 20 email addresses used by Mr. Mateen over the years that the company said had been provided by the F. B. I. Adam4Adam came up with nothing. “I think it was a hoax,” David Lesage, a spokesman for the company, said about the reports that Mr. Mateen had used Adam4Adam and other dating sites and apps for gay men. Two weeks after Mr. Mateen barged into the Pulse nightclub on June 12 and opened fire on the crowd, leaving 49 people dead and another 53 wounded, investigators are still trying to determine the underlying motive for the slaughter. Although federal officials have said Mr. Mateen had become radicalized to some extent online, at least half a dozen men have come forward with claims that hint at another potential motive, reporting that they had seen Mr. Mateen at gay clubs, encountered him online or had romantic encounters with him. The claims have prompted investigators to look into whether Mr. Mateen, who had called 911 pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, was also a closeted gay man consumed by feelings of and revenge. F. B. I. investigators, who have conducted more than 500 interviews in the case, are continuing to contact men who claim to have had sexual relations with Mr. Mateen or think they saw him at gay bars. But so far, they have not found any independent corroboration — through his web searches, emails or other electronic data — to establish that he was, in fact, gay, officials said. The question of sexual orientation is a part of a broader effort by the F. B. I. to establish Mr. Mateen’s criminal profile. Beyond being a critical piece of information that could help the agency reconstruct the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, it could aid in creating a broader analysis of criminal and terrorist behavior. “People often act out of more than one motivation,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch told reporters during a visit here on Tuesday. “This was clearly an act of terror and an act of hate. ” One of the first people to bring up the idea that Mr. Mateen could have been gay was his Sitora Yusufiy, who, a day after the massacre, told The New York Times that her former husband often made angry comments about homosexuality. “If you know anything about psychology, you know that people that have a really, really strong resentment or hate toward something, it’s because deep inside that’s what they truly are,” she said in an interview at her home in Boulder, Colo. “In Islam, it’s true that there is very low tolerance for homosexuality. He may not have been able to be himself. ” But she added that she was speculating, and that there was nothing in their intimate life on which she had based that hunch. Several men later came forward to tell other news media outlets that Mr. Mateen was a regular at Pulse. (Two of them, female impersonators who perform at the club, declined to comment for this article, though, saying the focus ought to be on the victims.) Another Orlando man, a Navy veteran named Kevin West, told The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post that he had communicated with Mr. Mateen for about a year on Jack’d, a gay chat and dating app. Hector Camacho, the chief executive of Jack’d, said the company was cooperating with the F. B. I. A company spokesman, Jeff Dorta, said several television networks that sought to authenticate the report forwarded screen shots of what was purported to be Mr. Mateen’s Jack’d profile page, which they said they had received from a source making the allegation. Mr. Dorta said that a technical analysis determined that the profile page was probably not created by Mr. Mateen. “While we are not at liberty to comment on any specifics, I can tell you that as of now, utilizing the information Jack’d has been provided, we have not been able to substantiate that Omar Mateen was a Jack’d user,” Mr. Dorta said. In an interview, Mr. West refused to share any of the messages or pictures or explain which app he had used to communicate with Mr. Mateen. He became combative when pressed. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone,” Mr. West said. “If I said it, it’s true. ” On Tuesday, the television network Univision aired an interview with a man identified only as Miguel — his face was disguised and his voice distorted — who claimed to have had a relationship with Mr. Mateen after meeting him on the app Grindr. The man said Mr. Mateen had profiles on at least three gay dating apps. He said they first met at another gay club in Orlando, the Parliament House, and had more than a dozen rendezvous at an area hotel. Miguel told the network that Mr. Mateen felt rejected by Hispanic gays and was angry at Puerto Ricans in particular, because he once had a sexual liaison with a man who later confessed to being H. I. V. positive. “I believe this crazy horrible thing he did was revenge,” he said in the version of the interview. Federal authorities looked into his account and do not consider it credible, said a law enforcement official who spoke on background because the information was part of an ongoing investigation. Christopher Hansen, 32, a witness to the Pulse massacre, said that if it turned out that Mr. Mateen had been gay, it might open a conversation about homophobia in Muslim and other religious households where homosexuality is sometimes not accepted. “Maybe this would help open up eyes in all religions,” he said. Pedro Julio Serrano, a gay activist in Puerto Rico, said he was worried that Univision’s interview sought to dismiss the killings as a “personal quarrel. ” “We haven’t seen any texts, phone calls, voice mail messages, emails or Facebook messages,” Mr. Serrano said. “We have to be very careful here. There are 49 families who are hurting because they lost their loved ones, and 53 going through the process of healing. We cannot fuel or ignite anything that will add to that pain and that suffering and that will inflame the sentiment and the emotions we are all going through. ” | 1 |
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, are launching a charitable foundation that will focus on cancer research, sexual assault on college campuses, supporting community college education, and other issues, the Hill reported. [“I’m more optimistic than I’ve ever been since I’ve been in public life,” the former vice president said in a video announcing the Biden Foundation. “We’re better positioned than any country in the world to lead the world in the 21st century — not just by the example of our power, but by the power of our example,” he said. The foundation will be headquartered in Washington, D. C. but will be incorporated in Delaware, the Washington Post reported. Unlike the Clinton Foundation, the Biden Foundation will not accept money from foreign citizens or entities, but it will accept money from private and corporate foundations, according to a foundation representative who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss the issue before the official announcement. “We look forward to this new chapter where we will continue our work to ensure that everyone — no matter their income level, race, gender, age, or sexuality — is treated with dignity and gets a fair shot at achieving the American Dream,” Biden and the former second lady said in a statement released Wednesday. The foundation’s board of directors will be made up of former Sen. Ted Kaufman, a longtime Biden adviser Valerie Biden Owens, Biden’s sister Mark Gitenstein, a former Biden aide who later was ambassador to Romania Mark Angelson, another veteran Biden adviser and Jeff Peck of Peck, Madigan, and Jones who also worked for Biden on Capitol Hill, according to Politico. Louisa Terrell, who previously worked for Biden in the Senate, was Sen. Cory Booker’s former chief of staff, lobbied for Facebook, and most recently served as adviser to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, will be the foundation’s executive director. | 1 |
The remnants of what had been Hurricane Hermine swept up and along the Eastern Seaboard on Saturday, disrupting the holiday weekend in much of the coastal South while preparing to bedevil the Northeast well into the week. The storm, which made its landfall early Friday near St. Marks, Fla. as a Category 1 hurricane, led to hundreds of thousands of power failures and flooded roadways. In Florida, dealt its first direct strike by a hurricane in nearly 11 years, the Tallahassee area was particularly hard hit, and officials said it could be almost a week before electricity was fully restored. “We still have a lot of work to do following the storm,” Gov. Rick Scott of Florida said at a news conference on Saturday in Tallahassee, the state capital. “We’ll continue to spend the coming days assessing the damage and responding to the needs of our Florida families. ” Mr. Scott said there was “significant damage” in the state, including “a lot of downed power lines. ” Residents and officials described destroyed businesses, boats set adrift, crumbled sea walls and battered homes. The National Hurricane Center said the storm, whose winds reached as high as 80 miles per hour after it spent days swirling through the Gulf of Mexico, remained powerful on Saturday, even after it crossed the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas. The storm became a cyclone on Saturday morning, but forecasters warned that it still “could be near hurricane intensity” for part of the week. And so the consequences of the storm’s path stretched from Florida, which reported the first fatality attributed to it, to New York, where the city said beaches would be closed Sunday, to Cape Cod, Mass. which was under a tropical storm watch. The hurricane center said Saturday evening that the storm would “meander slowly offshore of the coast for the next couple of days” before churning past New Jersey and New York. Officials said storm surges would be “accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” and they warned of the possibility of “ inundation” from Virginia to Connecticut. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey declared emergencies for Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean Counties, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said the state’s emergency operations center would be activated on Sunday. On Saturday, the National Guard was on alert in Virginia, where floodwaters prompted road closings in the Hampton Roads region, and visitors to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where strong rip currents were reported, were advised to adjust their travel schedules. “I’m relieved that everyone took this storm seriously, paid attention to the weather forecast and heeded the warnings of state and local officials,” said Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina, whose state shut down major bridges in the Outer Banks because of winds associated with the storm. Officials said that the death of one person in a traffic accident in eastern North Carolina was probably connected to the storm. Although people in many communities said the storm would soon become only a minor memory, parts of Florida were entering what could be a protracted recovery, and there were some concerns that the absence of could prove dangerous. In Leon County, which includes Tallahassee, more than half of homes were without electricity on Saturday, and the American Red Cross opened a comfort shelter, a place “for residents to cool off, hydrate and receive information from area nonprofit agencies. ” The authorities planned to distribute bottled water throughout the county, where high temperatures were predicted to be in the upper 80s or lower 90s for the next several days. During his appearance on Saturday at Florida’s emergency operations center, Mr. Scott made a dispiriting roll call of counties and the extent of their power failures. In Wakulla County, just south of Tallahassee, about 72 percent of customers were without electricity. “This is the No. 1 issue people are telling me about,” Mr. Scott said before leaving for another afternoon of damage assessments. | 1 |
Hillary Clinton’s latest narrative of blaming the Democratic National Committee and its “poor” data operation for her election loss has not been greeted kindly by those who worked for the DNC in 2016 — with a former data director calling her claims “fucking bullshit. ”[Speaking at the annual Code Conference in California Wednesday, Clinton said that when she won the Democratic nomination, she “inherited nothing” from the DNC. “I mean it was bankrupt, it was on the verge of insolvency, its data was mediocre to poor, nonexistent, wrong. I had to inject money into it,” Clinton said. She then compared it to the Republican National Committee operation, which under Chair Reince Priebus had bumped up its tech operation after its 2012 defeat. “So Trump becomes the nominee and he is basically handed this tried and true, effective foundation,” she added. Her remarks add the DNC to a seemingly endless set of people and groups she blames for her defeat, including Russia, the FBI, misogynists and the New York Times. But some Democrats are pushing back. Former DNC Data Director Andrew Therriault tweeted that Clinton’s accusations are “fucking bullshit. ” “DNC data folks: today’s accusations are fucking bullshit, and I hope you understand the good you did despite that nonsense,” he tweeted. “Private mode be damned, this is too important,” he added. “I’m not willing to let my people be thrown under the bus without a fight. ” Therriault apparently deleted his tweets, but they were published by The Washington Examiner. However, he left up his retweets of tweets by Democratic strategist Tom Bonier — who also criticized Clinton’s remarks. One more: Clinton literally inherited some of the most staffers I’ve seen, who moved from the DNC to Brooklyn after June. — Tom Bonier (@tbonier) June 1, 2017, Therriault and Bonier aren’t the only Democrats upset with Clinton’s remarks. NBC host Andrea Mitchell accused Clinton Wednesday of “drawing a conspiracy theory” over her claims. Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY | 1 |
‘Donald Trump Is The 45th President Of The United States,’ Spontaneously Reports Subconscious During First Calm Moment Of Day Close Vol 52 Issue 44 · Mental Health · Politics · Politicians · Election 2016
NEW YORK—During the first brief moment of calm that she had felt since she awoke, local woman Jennifer Gibson’s subconscious reportedly fired off a spontaneous reminder Wednesday that Donald Trump will be the nation’s next commander-in-chief. “Donald Trump is going to be the 45th president of the United States,” reported the portion of Gibson’s mind that resides just below the surface of awareness, interrupting her just as she had been able to focus her full attention, for the first time in over 24 hours, on a thought that was entirely unrelated to the election or its outcome. “He will be the leader of this country for at least the next four years.” At press time, the looping phrase “Donald Trump will be president” had reportedly taken up permanent residence inside Gibson’s consciousness. Share This Story: WATCH VIDEO FROM THE ONION Sign up For The Onion's Newsletter
Give your spam filter something to do. Daily Headlines | 0 |
The Pirate Party – a party comprised of activists, anarchists, and hackers – looks set to win Iceland’s general election this month.
The win will mark an historic occasion that Western and European leaders thought would never happen.
Icelandmonitor.mbl.is reports:
A new opinion poll conducted by the Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland for Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið indicates that over one in five voters will be voting Pirate a week tomorrow.
The data is from 14-19 October and puts the Pirate Party in first place with 22.6%, a point and a half ahead of the centre-right Independence Party (currently in power). These figures would give each party fifteen MPs in Iceland’s 63-seat national parliament (‘Alþingi’).
The top two parties have already either implicitly or explicitly ruled out working together in a coalition.
Iceland’s Pirate Party already made history back in 2013 when they received 5.1% of the vote and returned three MPs – Iceland is currently the only country in the world where the Pirate movement has elected MPs sitting in a national legislature.
Next week’s election look set to blow even this impressive record out of the water, with the Pirates’ potentially winning outright, increasing their number of MPs five-fold, and commanding a strong mandate to form a government.
If there were general elections today, whom would you vote for? – Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland, 14-19 October | 0 |
MORRISON, Colo. — Surrounded by the geological formations that cradle Red Rocks Amphitheater here, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie could not help but contemplate the passage of time. On a cool July evening, these two comedians and musicians from New Zealand, who perform together as Flight of the Conchords, told more than 9, 000 gathered fans that they were sorry for having grown older since their last tour of the United States three years ago. As they age, Mr. Clement said, “It ultimately reminds you of your mortality, and for that, we apologize. ” Their advancing years are showing, too. “In that time,” Mr. McKenzie said, “we’ve come to like jazz music. ” For the 18 years that this band has existed, Flight of the Conchords has been distinguished by its subtlety: songs, jokes and stage banter so understated, you could be forgiven for not realizing when the two men performing them are joking. “There’s a very blurred line between the material and us just talking about things,” Mr. McKenzie, 40, said earlier that afternoon as he sat beside Mr. Clement, 42, on a couch. “The audience thinks everything is a bit,” Mr. McKenzie continued. “But often it’s not a bit — it’s just us figuring something out. ” There was a time, about 10 years ago, when this unassuming pair seemed to have it all figured out in their own quiet way. They had a HBO series and two Top 20 albums, as well as a Grammy for an earlier EP. They also had (and still have) a bluntness about their careers — a lack of interest in familiar enticements like wealth and fame, if not an outright cynicism about the entertainment industry — that can be mistaken for their authentically demeanors. So it was a shock to fans when, in 2009, Mr. Clement and Mr. McKenzie boldly walked away from their HBO series, “Flight of the Conchords,” which they produced in New York and starred in for two seasons. They put their partnership on pause and returned home to Wellington, New Zealand. “It basically stopped being fun,” Mr. McKenzie said. “It really wasn’t a decision about money. It was definitely a decision about enjoying our lives. ” Even in its absence, Flight of the Conchords continued to have an impact. The bohemian ethos of the HBO series has been carried forward in comedies like “Girls” and “Broad City” the homegrown videos they specialized in have helped spawn a viral internet culture and become staples of talk shows. Seven years later, the bandmates neither take credit for these developments nor feel that they missed out on them, and they say they are happy with their solo trajectories. Along with the gray hairs in their beards, they each now have wives and children. Mr. Clement has starred in movies like “Men in Black 3” and “The BFG,” and Mr. McKenzie won an Academy Award for a song he wrote for “The Muppets. ” On their present itinerary, they have nothing to figure out (except a few new songs) and nothing to promote (except themselves). They find themselves playing in bigger spaces than they wished to more admirers than they thought they had. “We wanted it to be a tour of small venues,” Mr. Clement said. “We thought interest would have dwindled enough that that’s all we’d be able to do. Then the management put us in places like this. ” (Their coming dates include Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, N. Y. on July 20, and SummerStage in Central Park on July 24.) While they are flattered to still have a following, they point out that Flight of the Conchords was intended, as Mr. Clement put it, “as a hobby and a side thing” — something to do, to help them reach the things they really wanted to be doing. “This was just our project,” he said. “And then we had two songs. And then three. ” While Mr. Clement strummed absently at a guitar on his lap, Mr. McKenzie explained that the tour was a good way to get them to focus on writing new songs and spare them the mild indignity of relying on past hits. “Working at our own pace is not one of our strengths,” he said. “Louis C. K. goes off and makes something. We wouldn’t get ’round to it. ” This summer they have been trying out tunes about partying as tepid, timid a duet that imagines Mr. Clement and Mr. McKenzie as a dysfunctional father and son and a ballad about a hombre who meets his doppelgänger. (Their repertoire still includes favorites like the dystopian death anthem “Robots” and the domestic sex jam “Business Time,” on which Mr. Clement whispers that Tuesday night is when “we go and visit your mother, but Wednesday night we make sweet, weekly love. ”) There are no immediate plans to record the new numbers for an album. “If someone wants to convince me to do it,” Mr. Clement said, “it would be from the angle of, ‘People want to hear it, and it would be selfish not to let them. ’” With a laugh, he added: “Even doing this interview, I was like, ‘Why are we doing an interview? ’” (They said they were told the Forest Hills show needed some extra promotion. “Pride is a good way to go,” Mr. McKenzie said. “That’s our weakness. ”) From the outset, when they met as students at Victoria University of Wellington and performed in a variety of comedy groups, Mr. Clement and Mr. McKenzie have walked a line between caring just enough about their work to do a good job and not caring at all. When Flight of the Conchords broke through in the early 2000s, at events like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the (now defunct) U. S. Comedy Arts Festival, it tapped into a sensibility seen in comedies like Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Ricky Gervais’s “The Office. ” “There was this new wave of cringe humor, awkward humor, and stepping through that doorway were two of the most awkward people you’ve ever met,” said Rhys Darby, a New comedian who often works with Mr. Clement and Mr. McKenzie. Where the spirit of Flight of the Conchords differed, Mr. Darby said, was: “There was no pessimism about it. It was more of a naïve happiness. They were from another world. ” A BBC radio program led to the HBO series, in which Mr. McKenzie and Mr. Clement played versions of themselves, two unsophisticated New Zealanders adrift in New York, and Mr. Darby played their hapless manager. But producing the HBO series, they said, was grueling — Mr. McKenzie said he counted a period of 110 days without a day off — even when they split their duties so Mr. Clement could rewrite scripts while Mr. McKenzie composed music. Having previously instructed their agents not to tell them how much HBO was offering them for renewals, they simply walked away from a potential third season. (Now they joke that they should have copied Dave Chappelle, who exited his popular “Chappelle’s Show” in . “We should have done the third season, just taken the money and gone to Africa like Chappelle,” Mr. McKenzie said.) Friends of the band mates say they approached their hiatus with an intentional aimlessness. The humorist John Hodgman, who often performs with Flight of the Conchords, said, “The feeling I got was not that they were itching to see what else was out there for them, but they wanted to see how much less was available. ” The comedian Eugene Mirman, a frequent collaborator, said their individual successes had validated these explorations. “It’s not like they formed two solo bands — it’s more that they now do a variety of things,” Mr. Mirman said. “Bret won an Oscar. If that’s not enough, I don’t know what you believe someone’s solo career is supposed to be. ” This time out, Mr. Hodgman said, “They seem to be having a really good time. But for them to say they’re having a good time, in their weird New Zealand minds, would be bragging. So they would never say it. ” Mr. Clement and Mr. McKenzie each have a slate of personal assignments to keep busy: Mr. McKenzie is writing a film adaptation of the Neil Gaiman children’s book “Fortunately, the Milk,” and Mr. Clement is working on an unspecified TV project, happy not to be writing more music. “I just can’t handle being in a studio,” Mr. Clement said. “I like playing music live and not hearing the mistakes I’m making. ” (Mr. McKenzie, who has written songs for two Muppet movies, said, “I’ve loved coming back and working on songs where you can swear. ”) Perhaps when the tour is over, Flight of the Conchords will be persuaded to play a HBO concert special. Mr. Clement said, “Someone will come to us at the end and say either, ‘This is almost ready for the special,’ or ‘This is ready for the special. ’” But the band does not aspire to anything more ambitious. “We’re definitely not trying to get a TV show,” he said, with the most emphasis he’d used in the conversation. For now they were satisfied to be playing a show that can be as loose and as they want, and nostalgic only for a time when they could play it smaller, sloppier and to fewer people. “There’s bits that we know don’t work, that we just haven’t gotten ’round to fixing,” Mr. McKenzie said. Mr. Clement added: “It’s hard to tell now. It’s easier in a small bar than it is here. Silence is more obvious in a small crowd. ” | 1 |
Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. blog/hear-roger-stone-jn-ft-worth/
It won’t be the shoot-out at the non-OK corral, but rather a hot, fun discussion on the election and politics at the Mises Circle , Sat., Nov. 5, 2016. Jeff Deist and Bob Murphy will also speak, and it’s just $40 per person, with a nice lunch included. Get the inside dope on the inside dopes. PS: students are free. 12:08 pm on October 26, 2016 | 0 |
On Saturday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “AM Joy,” anchor Joy Reid stated that former Republican Congressman J. D. Hayworth’s responding to a question on a woman who was arrested by immigration officials while seeking a protective order by saying that he has ” a greater degree of discomfort with the violence … I have a greater concern about law breaking and violence was “trying to ascribe violence to an entire race of people, ethnicity, an ethnic group as the answer to my question. ” Reid asked about a case where a woman who was seeking a protective order and was arrested by immigration officers. Hayworth responded, “I have a greater degree of discomfort with the violence in the Washington, DC area, where a was savagely attacked by members . I have a greater concern about law breaking and violence than I do about a situation where people disobeyed immigration laws. ” Reid then countered, “You just answered my question about a specific arrest with an attempt to talk about violence. So, essentially you’re trying to ascribe violence to an entire race of people, ethnicity, an ethnic group as the answer to my question. That is not the answer to my question. That’s a . ” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 1 |
Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue (R. .) cheered President Donald Trump’s new executive order on immigration Monday shortly after the president signed it at the White House. [“Since Day One, President Trump has kept his promise to protect our country and keep all Americans safe,” said Perdue, the only Fortune 500 CEO serving in Congress. He went on: Trump and his National Security Team have closely examined our vetting procedures for countries with ISIS strongholds and continue to take action to stop ISIS from exploiting our country’s immigration system and refugee programs. They have made several updates to these efforts, including, allowing citizens from adequately vetted countries like Iraq to travel to the United States, and ensuring that people who have been granted green cards can travel to and from our country. . @POTUS’ new Executive Order is meant to secure our country protect all Americans and refugees from our shared enemy. pic. twitter. — David Perdue (@sendavidperdue) March 6, 2017, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said the executive order reflects the president’s concern for the safety of the American people. “We must undertake a rigorous review of our visa and refugee vetting programs to increase our confidence in the entry decisions we make for visitors and immigrants to the United States. We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives,” he said. “The executive order signed today is prospective in nature — applying only to foreign nationals outside of the United States who do not have a valid visa,” Kelly said. “It is important to note that nothing in this executive order affects current lawful permanent residents or persons with current authorization to enter our country,” he said. “If you have a current valid visa to travel, we welcome you. But unregulated, unvetted travel is not a universal privilege, especially when national security is at stake,” he said. #SecretaryKelly: We cannot risk prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives → https: . — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 6, 2017, Monday’s executive order comes after the rough rollout of the Jan. 27 executive order that suspended travelers from seven countries with a limited ability to vet immigrants and refugees: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan. That original executive order was challenged in the courts, and a federal judge blocked the administration from enforcing it. The new executive order tightens up the loose ends from the Jan. 27 order and reflects a more robust staff process now that Attorney General Jeff Sessions is confirmed and in place along with other key staffers. Trump also dropped Iraq from the order after its government pledged to partner with the American government vetting immigrants and refugees from there. Perdue said the changes from the withdrawn executive order are focused on the real job of the president. “These updates underscore President Trump’s intent to responsibly secure our country and protect all Americans and refugees from our shared enemy, ISIS. ” | 1 |
Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani (Patrick Tsui/FCO) | 0 |
Real Disclosure! Secret Alien Base Found In Moon's Tycho Crater # Grey 52
Real Disclosure is where you find something on the lunar surface that cannot possibly exist unless someone built it. NO WAY it's a natural formation --- SOMETHING constructed that ---- 90° angles are just not possible without alien/man-made interaction. More 'smoking gun' irrefutable proof of intelligence from abroad. Tags | 0 |
An Islamic jihadi decided to use his vehicle to attack a US veteran on the streets of California earlier this month. After slamming into the veteran's car, the men told an off-duty police officer, "I did it on purpose. It was in the name of Allah."
Scott Alcala was going to play a round of golf with his father when the attack occurred.
Alcala had to act quickly and swerve into oncoming traffic in an attempt to avoid a Chevy Suburban that was headed straight for him.
"I saw the suburban coming right at me about to T-bone right into the driver door and I thought that was it," he said. "A second later I turned my head and just smashed into the barrier."
Both men survived and no one else was involved. However, Acala says an off-duty police officer went to check on the other man.
"The off-duty police officer went to talk to the other driver in his vehicle and he said, 'Are you alright? That was way too fast,' and (the driver) said 'I did it on purpose," Acala recalled. "It was in the name of Allah.'"
Fox 26 reports :
The police report says driver Ameer Abbaf Fakhraldin told police the collision was caused by Donald Trump's improper treatment of minorities, and by Allah and other people's lack of faith in him. Fakhraldin estimated his speed was 100 miles per hour. He also told police he caused the crash by using psychic / telekinetic powers to control the steering. The officer at the scene said the driver showed apathy and neglected interest.
Police haven't specified if this was an act of terrorism but Alcala thinks it was.
"There was no remorse," Acala said. "He just went back to his car nonchalant, pulled out a water bottle and just posted up."
"He was just trying to target as many people as he could," he added. "He was just trying to cause a pile up. It wasn't me personally. It was as if someone were to throw a bomb in the middle of downtown, it's no different, it's the same thinking."
Mr. Acala then added that as a veteran, having fought over seas, this makes him feel like he is encountering a war zone in his homeland.
"Coming back from Afghanistan, thinking I'm on home soil I'm safe now… just shouldn't have to worry about something like that you know," he said.
Did you hear this in the mainstream media? I'm guessing you didn't. After all, they are too busy cover for Islamic jihadists , right? shares | 0 |
A former Obama Administration official responsible for the detention of illegal immigrants said President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly are “dismantling the progress we had made. ”[Kevin Landy, President Barack Obama’s director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Detention Policy and Planning, took exception to President’s Trump’s decision to shut down his department. Under Secretary Kelly, the DHS is poised to change some of the conditions illegal immigrants, including criminals, receive while in detention. As an example, illegal immigrants in two Orange County, California, detention facilities have daily clothing and bedding changes performed by a jail employee. The standard for other criminal facilities is a weekly change. “That one seems a little overkill,” detaining center Commander Jon J. Briggs told the New York Times. “Jail is jail,” Butler County, Ohio, Sheriff Richard Jones told the New York newspaper. “It’s fair and it’s human, but we don’t put chocolates on the pillows. ” Landy reacted to the Trump Administration’s efforts to toughen standards in the detention centers and claimed, “a decision to simultaneously abandon detention standards could have disastrous consequences for the health and safety of these individuals. ” He said he hoped Secretary Kelly, “wouldn’t want to dismantle the progress we had made,” but didn’t really detail what “progress” he was referencing. The New York Times detailed some of the “progress” he might have been referencing. The ever growing list of requirements call for: Notify immigration officials if a detainee spends two weeks or longer in solitary confinement. Check on suicidal inmates every 15 minutes, and evaluate their mental health every day. Inform detainees, in languages they can understand, how to obtain medical care. In disciplinary hearings, provide a staff member who can advocate in English on the detainee’s behalf. ICE officials declined to comment on Landy’s claims, stating only that the agency responsible for enforcing immigration law is “in the midst of examining a variety of detention models to determine which models would best meet anticipated detention needs. ” The Clinton Administration established the initial standards in 2000. Since that time, they expanded under President George W. Bush in 2008 and again under President Obama in 2011. The current guidelines now fill 455 pages and go into “granular detail on subjects including the minimum number of toilets — one for every 12 detainees in male facilities or eight detainees in female facilities — and trash bag thickness (at least 1. 5 millimeters),” the New York Times reported. With the crackdown on criminal aliens and other deportable individuals under the Trump Administration, more detention facilities will be required and costs will be an increasing concern. Commander Briggs told the reporter from the New York Times the Trump Administration has already requested 500 additional beds. They warned that more will be coming in the months ahead. The commander said he currently can take only 120 at this time. Breitbart Texas Managing Director and Brandon Darby contributed to this article. Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook. | 1 |
Israel Shamir is an internationally acclaimed political thinker, Internet columnist and writer. His comments about current affairs and their deeper meaning are published on his site IsraelShamir.net and elsewhere. They are also collected in three books, Galilee Flowers, Cabbala of Power and recently published Masters of Discourse available in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, Hungarian etc. Shamir is a Russian-born Jew who converted to Orthodox Christianity. Originally from Novosibirsk, Siberia, Shamir moved to Israel in 1969. He lives in Jaffa and and spends much time in Moscow and Stockholm ; and is an outspoken critic of Israel and Zionism. Israel Shamir can be reached at [email protected] I envy you, American citizens. By Israel Shamir on November 4, 2016 We know he is against the Masters because every newspaper is against him.
by Israel Shamir
I envy you, American citizens. I do not care about your military might, nor for your supreme currency, the US dollar. I envy your chance to deal on 11/8 a decisive blow to the rule of the Masters of Discourse.
Though the Masters control the entirety of world media, and they decide what people may think and say from Canada to Hong Kong, only you, American citizens, can defeat them. This is a great chance, a unique opportunity not to be missed.
The Masters of Discourse can be defeated. They are not stronger than any ruler of past. Trump has a great quality making him fit for the task: he is impervious to labels and libels. He had been called everything in the book: anti-Semite, racist, women hater, you name it. And he still survived that flak. Such people are very rare.
We know he is against the Masters because every newspaper is against him. I never saw a similar onslaught but once, in Russia in 1996. Then President Yeltsin, an old drunkard who had brought Russia to collapse, had to run for his second term. His popularity was next to zero. Two per cent of Russians intended to vote for him. And then the oligarchs turned on their propaganda machine. Yeltsin’s competitor Gennady Zyuganov, a mild church-going post-communist, had been presented like a Hitler of his days. All the Russian media of the day belonged to oligarchs, and all of it participated in the onslaught. Zyuganov surrendered.
Perhaps he won the election, but he congratulated Yeltsin with his victory. It was said that he was threatened with assassination unless… Others say he was bribed. I do not exclude both explanations, but for sure the might of united media can crush a timid man.
In the days of the Jewish Temple, there was a Magrepha, a wind instrument able to produce diverse and frightening sounds. There is no agreement among the scholars about what sort of thing it was. Whenever it sounded, people were scared.
The media of our days is a new Magrepha. If all of its outputs are united, they produce a terrible roar. A Magrepha, the organ of the ancient Hebrews in the synagogue.
Yes, the onslaught of the media upon Trump has been exceedingly unfair, but he survived it. What is even more important, you survived it, it does not matter what the polls say: they say what the newspapers tell them to say. Even people answer the polls according to the media prognoses: they are shy of saying they would vote for a man who … But at the moment of actual vote, they do what they know is right for them. Not for transgenders, not for Muslim brokers, not even for single mothers, but for themselves.
You have a very good chance to win, and to defeat the witch and her supporters. We learned that the British people voted for Brexit, though all the media said that proposal had no chance. But we also learned from Brexit, that nothing is over until it is over. The Masters of Discourse will try every trick to steal the elections, and only their fear of armed rising may finally force them to acknowledge their inevitable defeat. We know that in 2015, when Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, was afraid of losing the elections, he revealed that the American intelligence has some superior software which allows them to falsify the elections. Perhaps, but he won despite this magical software, despite Obama’s wrath. Even in Israel, that favorite son of the Masters, the Masters are hated. The New York Times is always speaking good about Israel, but still Israelis do not like the newspaper. Nobody likes them, nobody likes an old aunt who tries to tell us what we can say and what we can’t. If Netanyahu could win, Trump can win twice. KEY STATES TILTING TOWARD TRUMP AFTER FBI’S OCTOBER SURPRISE
After the first debate of Trump and Clinton, people said: She won! But we shall vote for him. This was a very encouraging sign. Indeed every woman worth its salt would win an argument with her husband or son-in-law, let alone a pretender. That is the way we are made.
The story of sirens enforces the belief that if you listen to a woman, she will bewitch you. Sirens actually ate the bewitched sailors; our womenfolk do not go to such extremes, but they can cause us a lot of trouble.
Trump seems to be almost pure of heart and deed, as even the extremely prejudiced media could not find anything really incriminating about him but bragging about having his way with women.
I shall not recount so many proven accusations against Hillary. All of that can be found in the emails revealed by Julian Assange and his great Wikileaks team. The media kept mum about it, but the secrets can’t be kept forever.
There are many practical things Donald Trump will be able to fix. He can return industries home, he can return American GIs home from four ends of the world, he can improve life for a lot of working men and women. But he surely will set all of us free from the annoying bondage of the Masters. Just for that reason, go and vote, for yourself and for millions of us who aren’t entitled to. Israel Shamir can be reached at This article was first published at The Unz Review .
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42 mins ago 1 Views 0 Comments 0 Likes In this special US Election Day episode from New York City, Max and Stacy act as a medium to contact the dead media which died a gory death on November 8. They talk meme wars, the medium as the message and the failure of modern journalistic technique. Max interviews award-winning independent journalist and groundbreaking social media and mobile technology as journalism pioneer Tim Pool about the role of the media and meme wars in getting Trump elected. Check Keiser Report website for more: http://www.maxkeiser.com/ WATCH all Keiser Report shows here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL768A33676917AE90 (E1-E200) http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC3F29DDAA1BABFCF (E201-E400) http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPszygYHA9K2ZtV_1KphSugBB7iZqbFyz (E401-600) http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPszygYHA9K1GpAv3ZKpNFoEvKaY2QFH_ (E601-E800) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPszygYHA9K19wt4CP0tUgzIxpJDiQDyl (E801-Current) Subscribe Like | 0 |
Haha! Your Hillary agents are writing this crud, but we’re laughing in their soon-to-be-hung faces. We the people are coming for you, demons! | 0 |
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In an announcement which has shocked workers and family members of the Samajwadi party, when their senior most leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said, “Anyone from the Yadav family, who can understand clearly each and every word that I speak will be unanimously appointed as the next UP Chief Minister.”
Mulayam Singh came to this decision after he realized that 90% of the party members nod blankly to his speeches and instructions without understanding a single word that he speaks.
“It all started when Netaji realized that he always gave the same instructions to Shivpal, Akhilesh and Ram Gopal Yadav but they were understood differently by each of them each time. However all three of them would nod as if they had understood the same thing,” said a senior party member close to Mulayam Singh. “Obviously I myself don’t get half of his sentences, but I have become good at reading his lip movements,” he added.
This is not the first time Mulayam Singh has been informed of it. As many as three decades ago, school teachers of Akhilesh Yadav had told Mulayam Singh that his son doesn’t listen to his father. While Mulayam mistook it for Akhilesh being a disobedient child, what the teachers actually meant was that Akhilesh hardly understands what his father speaks.
According to sources, Mulayam Singh is currently conducting a test among family members to determine who comes closest in understanding his speech in order to accordingly finalize party positions.
“To K!$@#$ Communal $Q#$ Q# %@bey @# #$$!@$ #$@#$@ Secular G#$#$%# @# UP, B bil #$Q$ $#$@#$$ Congrss P#!!$ #$@$ #$@ ByeP d#@# #$@$ erection,” said a family member when asked to repeat what Netaji said.
More than half of the family members couldn’t come even remotely close. It was only Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav who could clearly identify some of the key words from the sentence, which were ‘communal’, ‘secular’, ‘election’, ‘UP’ and ‘Congress’.
Later, confusion turned to consternation when an outsider by name Amar Singh heard this family conversation and clearly recited what Netaji said, which was: “To keep Communal forces away and have a secular Government in UP, we will tie up with Congress party and not with BJP during next elections.”
While Mulayam lauded Amar for the translation, Akhilesh got seriously pissed by the fact that a family conversation was heard by an outsider surreptitiously and launched into an emotional speech to his supporters.
(The writer is the author of the book, ‘The Bogus Read’ ) Tweet About D-MAN
A jack of many trades who now wants to master some. Born wisecracker who makes every effort to get the maximum out of life. He facebooks here and tweets here . | 0 |
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It was over a year ago that the Clinton Campaign knew that Hillary Clinton had regularly used a private email server for official use, and they knew how incredibly stupid it was.
In an email released by WikiLeaks , the now infamous Clinton staffer John Podesta sent a message to Clinton surrogate Neera Tanden. Podesta told her she’d be shown a new poll showing how Clinton is doing against Hillary and Jeb Bush.
Tanden said she wasn’t familiar with what the poll results would be, but she thought the email would be rough, IJR is reporting .
“PS can you imagine what the Republicans would do to [Bernie] if he were the nominee?”
To which Tanden replied:
“Well, let’s see what the poll actually says.
Let’s hope the Democratic party is not suicidal.”
Then Podesta dropped the hammer:
“Do we actually know who told Hillary she could use a private email? And has that person been drawn and quartered?
Like whole thing is fucking insane.” "Do we actually know who told Hillary she could use a private email? And has that person been drawn and quartered?" https://t.co/jXc1mHi5vn
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 27, 2016
There have been 33,000 emails released from Podesta’s server. They haven’t confirmed their accuracy, but they certainly haven’t denied them. It's been 3 weeks since @WikiLeaks began publishing Podesta emails. Not one doc has been claimed – let alone demonstrated – to be doctored.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 27, 2016
There’s more coming. We will have to see what comes of them, but there’s one takeaway from this: Clinton’s people have known for a long time that she was using a personal server. | 0 |
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C.E. Dyer reports that the disaster that is Obamacare is about to get worse for many people enrolled in the health insurance marketplace. On Monday, the Obama administration confirmed that premiums will skyrocket for many people next year, according to the Associated Press .
The AP reported:
Before taxpayer-provided subsidies, premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will increase an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by the federally run online market, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Some states will see much bigger jumps, others less.
Moreover, about 1 in 5 consumers will only have plans from a single insurer to pick from, after major national carriers such as UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna scaled back their roles.
In some states, the premium increases are striking. In Arizona, unsubsidized premiums for a hypothetical 27-year-old buying a benchmark “second-lowest cost silver plan” will jump by 116 percent, from $196 to $422, according to the administration report.
But HHS said if that hypothetical consumer has a fairly modest income, making $25,000 a year, the subsidies would cover $280 of the new premium, and the consumer would pay $142. Caveat: if the consumer is making $30,000 or $40,000 his or her subsidy would be significantly lower.
Larry Levitt, who follows the health care law for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, said of the increases: “Consumers will be faced this year with not only big premium increases but also with a declining number of insurers participating, and that will lead to a tumultuous open enrollment period.”
Donald Trump’s campaign spokesman, Jason Miller, said in a statement on Monday: “This shows why the entire program must be repealed and replaced.” Miller added, “While (Hillary) Clinton wants to expand the failed program known as Obamacare, Mr. Trump knows the only way to fix our nation’s failing health care system is complete and total reform.”
Reports have warned that this was coming down the pike for some time; however, HHS’s confirmation ahead of open enrollment beginning Nov. 1 — one week before the election — is likely to cause major headaches for many people.
This debacle is not unexpected either — it’s exactly what President Obama and Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton wanted to happen.
Obamacare was never the end goal. Rather, it was a stepping stone toward single-payer, government-run healthcare. That is a big reason why Obama wants Clinton to become president — his legacy is at stake.
Obama’s legacy is largely wrapped up in Obamacare and what it leads to. Clinton tried to push this first step during her time as first lady and failed, but the conditions will be ripe for her to go even further should she be elected.
If Clinton becomes president, there’s no doubt that her next step will be to move to single-payer healthcare. Obamacare is bad, there’s no doubt about it, but single-payer government healthcare would be even worse. | 0 |
Black Box Voting ’s Bev Harris explains the following 24 minute video :
A real-time demo of the most devastating election theft mechanism yet found, with context and explanation. Demonstration uses a real voting system and real vote databases and takes place in seconds across multiple jurisdictions.
Over 5000 subcontractors and middlemen have the access to perform this for any or all clients. It can give contract signing authority to whoever the user chooses. All political power can be converted to the hands of a few anonymous subcontractors.
“It’s a product. It’s scaleable. It learns its environment and can adjust to any political environment, any demographic. It runs silently, invisibly, and can produce plausible results that really pass for the real thing.”
Provides solutions and actions for immediate deterrence.
The Onion’s 2-minute satire of this ongoing condition :
My best frame of this obvious condition:
When Americans are told an election is defined by touching a computer screen without a countable receipt that can be verified, they are being told a criminal lie to allow election fraud . This is self-evident, but Princeton , Stanford , and the President of the American Statistical Association are among the leaders pointing to the obvious (and here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here , here ). Again, no professional would/can argue an election is legitimate when there is nothing for anyone to count.
Election fraud is one of ~100 Emperor’s New Clothes game-changing and professionally documented facts that reveal ongoing .01% empire with associated crimes. The Crimes The US is a literal rogue state empire led by neocolonial looting liars. The history is uncontested and taught to anyone taking comprehensive courses. If anyone has any refutations of this professional academic factual claim for any of this easy-to-read and documented content , please provide it. US ongoing lie-started and Orwellian-illegal Wars of Aggression require all US military and government to refuse all war orders because there are no lawful orders for obviously unlawful wars. Officers are required to arrest those who issue obviously unlawful orders. And again, those of us working for this area of justice are aware of zero attempts to refute this with, “War law states (a, b, c), so the wars are legal because (d, e, f).” All we receive is easy-to-reveal bullshit . And, obviously, corporate media are criminally complicit through constant lies of omission and commission to “cover” all these crimes. Historic tragic-comic empire is only possible through such straight-face lying, making our Emperor’s New Clothes analogy perfectly chosen. The top three benefits each of monetary reform and public banking total ~$1,000,000 for the average American household, and would be received nearly instantly. Please read that twice. Now look to verify for yourself . Demanding arrests as the required and obvious public response rather than ‘voting’ for more disaster:
The categories of crime include: Wars of Aggression (the worst crime a nation can commit). Likely treason for lying to US military, ordering unlawful attack and invasions of foreign lands, and causing thousands of US military deaths. Crimes Against Humanity for ongoing intentional policy of poverty that’s killed over 400 million human beings just since 1995 (~75% children; more deaths than from all wars in Earth’s recorded history).
US military, law enforcement, and all with Oaths to support and defend the US Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, face an endgame choice: Demand arrests , with those with lawful authority to enact it. An arrest is the lawful action to stop apparent crimes , with the most serious crimes documented here meaning the most serious need for arrests. Watch the US escalate its rogue state crimes that annually kill millions, harm billions, and loot trillions.
In just 90 seconds , former US Marine Ken O’Keefe powerfully states how you may choose to voice “very obvious solutions”: arrest the criminal leaders (video starts at 20:51, then finishes this episode of Cross Talk ): Solutions worth literal tens of trillions to ‘We the People’:
Again: The top three benefits each of monetary reform and public banking total ~$1,000,000 for the average American household, and would be received nearly instantly. Please read that twice. Now look to verify for yourself . We can quantify the end of the lie-started and illegal Wars of Aggression quickly into the trillions, and that said, it’s worth a lot more than what we quantify. Truth : a world in which education is expressed in its full potential to only and always begin with good-faith effort for objective, comprehensive, and verifiable data. Would an ‘interview’ with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams help?
If so, here are two:
‘Election’ 2016 interview with Washington, Jefferson, Adams: America’s right and necessity to arrest .01% tyrants engaged in lie-started illegal Wars of Aggression, bankster-looting, and constant lying
**
Note: I make all factual assertions as a National Board Certified Teacher of US Government, Economics, and History, with all economics factual claims receiving zero refutation since I began writing in 2008 among Advanced Placement Macroeconomics teachers on our discussion board , public audiences of these articles , and international conferences (and here ). I invite readers to empower their civic voices with the strongest comprehensive facts most important to building a brighter future. I challenge professionals, academics, and citizens to add their voices for the benefit of all Earth’s inhabitants.
**
Carl Herman is a National Board Certified Teacher of US Government, Economics, and History; also credentialed in Mathematics. He worked with both US political parties over 18 years and two UN Summits with the citizen’s lobby, RESULTS , for US domestic and foreign policy to end poverty. He can be reached at
Note: Examiner.com has blocked public access to my articles on their site (and from other whistleblowers), so some links in my previous work are blocked. If you’d like to search for those articles other sites may have republished, use words from the article title within the blocked link. Or, go to http://archive.org/web/ , p aste the expired link into the box, click “Browse history,” then click onto the screenshots of that page for each time it was screen-shot and uploaded to webarchive. I’ll update as “hobby time” allows; including my earliest work from 2009 to 2011 (blocked author pages: here , here ). This entry was posted in General . Bookmark the permalink . | 0 |
Who Paid Hillary Clinton $21.7 Million to Give Speeches? American Renaissance, October 31, 2016
There are legal limits on the amount of money a corporation can contribute to a political campaign, and the contributions are not tax-deductible. However, if a corporation pays someone to give a speech, there is no legal limit on what the company may pay, and the speaker’s fee is tax-deductible as a business expense. It is a very effective way to put money into the pockets of politician–no doubt with the expectation of future benefits.
In the last three years, companies have paid Hillary Clinton $21.7 million to give speeches. Here is a list of her 92 speaking engagements, the companies that hired her, and how much she was paid. | 0 |
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas’s newly chosen leader in the Gaza Strip on Sunday traveled to Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials, in the first meeting between the sides in months, a Hamas official said. [The delegation left through the Rafah border crossing, which was opened Sunday for the group to cross. The border is mostly closed for the 2 million residents of Gaza, part of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade. Israel and Egypt have enforced the blockade, citing security reasons, since the Hamas terror group seized control of Gaza a decade ago. Salah Bardaweel, a Hamas spokesman, said the delegation will discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza under the blockade, Egypt’s role in improving conditions and the need to open Rafah crossing for Palestinian travelers. Bardaweel said the delegation was led by Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s newly chosen leader in Gaza, the group’s stronghold. Sinwar, a member of the terror group’s military wing, is second in rank only to the new supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who also is based in Gaza. Hamas and Egypt have had cool relations since Egypt’s Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, was overthrown by the military in 2013. Morsi came from Hamas’ parent group, the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas has been trying to convince Egypt that it is a reliable security partner. It has deployed more troops along the border with Egypt’s northern Sinai region, where the Egyptian military is battling Islamic extremists. But over the past month, at least four Gaza residents were killed while fighting alongside the Islamic State terror group’s Sinai affiliate, complicating Hamas’ reconciliation attempts. Hamas made a gesture toward Egypt last month with a new policy document that dropped its longtime association with the Muslim Brotherhood and identified itself as a Palestinian movement fighting only against what it calls Israeli occupation. | 1 |
TROON, Scotland — It was in. It was in off the putter, it was in 10 feet from the hole, it was in 5 feet from the hole, it was in as it approached the lip. It was in. Phil Mickelson had never been more sure of anything. He had prowled this putt, stalked this putt, talked to his caddie about this putt and, just before he settled over it, imagined this putt that would track perfectly toward the cup and give him a place in golf history as the first player to shoot a 62 during a major tournament. It was in. Mickelson watched his on the 18th hole at Royal Troon on Thursday roll toward the hole. He felt the adrenaline surge through his body. He felt joy and pride and bliss. He felt the glow of sporting immortality wash over him. It was in. Except then it wasn’t. “I want to cry,” Mickelson said afterward. Technically, what happened is called a . Mickelson’s putt skimmed off the edge of the cup and spun around it like a car going into a Scottish roundabout. That label, though, undersells what took place here in the cool breeze of early evening. Mickelson’s putt was not going too fast, as many are, powering around the circumference of the hole. His read was not off track. Mickelson’s line was straight, his speed was true. Yet somehow, some way, the ball stayed up. “I don’t know how that putt didn’t go in,” said Ernie Els, who was playing in Mickelson’s group. No one did. But instead of becoming the first player to shoot a 62 in a major, Mickelson — after cradling his head in his hands and staring in disbelief for what felt like hours — tapped in from the lip and settled for recording the 28th score of 63 in a major tournament, good enough for a lead after the opening round of the British Open. Patrick Reed and Martin Kaymer are tied for second after they each posted a 66. Eight players, including one younger American (Justin Thomas, 23) and one older American (Steve Stricker, 49) are at 67. Ten players, including one British favorite (England’s Justin Rose) and one Spanish star who has never won a major (Sergio García, 0 for 71) are at 68. Rory McIlroy, the major champion from Northern Ireland, is among a group that shot 69. Many of the players took advantage of a — some locals might even call it unreasonably lovely — day on the west coast of Scotland, particularly on Troon’s more forgiving front nine. Colin Montgomerie, the Scot who is an honorary member of Troon and hit the first shot of the tournament at 6:35 a. m. on Thursday, said the conditions were bizarrely placid and rated them as no harder than a 3 out of 10. Friday is expected to bring more traditional British Open weather: soaking rain and blistering wind. But for one day, this Open felt more like California than Carnoustie. Players worked the ball left and right, and were aggressive around the greens. The deep pot bunkers remained the biggest obstacles — and they claimed their share of victims, including Montgomerie, who needed two shots to extricate himself from one on the first hole — yet there was little carnage. Thomas and Reed were emblematic of those who had success early in the day, opening strong — both shot 31 on the front nine, and Thomas had birdies on his first four holes — before navigating the back nine cautiously to record a good score. Neither has much experience near the top of the leaderboard in a major tournament, but Thomas can certainly ask his housemates about dealing with the pressure. He is sharing a place this week with Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson (two major titles apiece) and Jason Dufner (one) as well as Rickie Fowler (top five in all four majors in 2014) and Jimmy Walker. The group prepared for the opening round by engaging in a spirited game of backyard baseball on Wednesday — Dufner was said to be the most powerful batter — and it clearly left them in a good frame of mind: Johnson shot 67, Fowler shot 69, Dufner and Spieth both had 71 and Walker shot 72. “A little frat house we have this week,” Thomas said. “It was fun. ” Thomas and Reed were long off the course by the time Mickelson made his way toward the clubhouse near 6 p. m. Mickelson, 46, has won more than 50 tournaments, including five majors, but none since the Open at Muirfield in 2013. Known for his sweeping swing and wizardry around the greens, he has been plagued by inconsistency at this stage of his professional life. Putting together four successful rounds has become a significant hurdle. At a minimum, he now has one. Mickelson shredded Troon on Thursday, recording eight birdies against zero bogeys in a round that was nearly flawless. While most players are discomfited by the wind on Troon’s inward nine holes, Mickelson, as a said he actually prefers that wind, which comes in from the left off the Firth of Clyde. It showed. He shot 31 on the back, two shots better than anyone else in the top 20, and birdied the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, 10th, 14th, 16th and 17th holes. Mickelson said he began thinking seriously about a possible 62 only after No. 17, a treacherous where he whipped a onto the green and rolled in his putt. On the 18th tee, Mickelson took his instead of his driver, wanting to lay back from some dangerous bunkers. His shot nicked the edge of a bunker anyway but stayed out, and his approach from about 175 yards spun to a stop a little more than five strides from the hole. Mickelson had missed momentous putts before (a on a putt for 59 at a PGA Tour event in 2013) and made momentous putts before (the that rolled around and in to give him the Masters title in 2004) but this was different. Others have shot 59. Others have won the Masters. in a major was untouched. Mickelson did not shy away from it. Els bantered to him about it on the way up the fairway. Mickelson talked about it with his caddie, Jim Mackay, as they approached the green. Their read was that the ball should be aimed just outside the right edge of the cup, and Mickelson visualized the putt in his mind before delivering it just where he wanted it to go. It was in. “It was outside a few inches, breaking left in the middle of the putt and then straight the last bit,” he said, a sad smile coming over his face. He paused and shook his head. “Well, it’s supposed to be straight the last bit,” he said. | 1 |
Next Prev Swipe left/right So someone stuck a “don’t waste electricity” on the photocopier and the reply nailed that the maths was massively wrong
@Notinaboyband over on Twitter says, “A while ago energy saving posters went up in the office. Now someone has responded, and I like it very much.”
“A photocopier left on standby overnight wastes enough energy to make 30 cups of tea”
“So leaving the photocopier on, once in sleep mode would not use enough energy to hear half a cuppa…”
This is why you should never patronise engineers. | 0 |
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