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By Stephen Lendman
Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy suffers greatly from low crude oil prices and US economic warfare – waged to destabilize the country, create enormous hardships, mobilize majority opposition to President Nicolas Maduro’s leadership, and end nearly 18 years of economic and social progress. The collapse in the price of crude oil was the result of a carefully designed speculative operation.
Neocons in Washington want control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, among the world’s largest. With full US support and encouragement, the right wing opposition which controls the National Assembly want Maduros ousted – its latest tactic by recall referendum as constitutionally permitted.
On October 18, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled valid signatures of 20% of voters in each of the nation’s 24 states must be collected to proceed with a process against Maduro.
“(F)ailure…will render the call for the presidential recall referendum as nullified,” the High Court said in its ruling.
On October 21, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) suspended the referendum until further notice, following Supreme Court allegations of fraud. Over 30% of signatures collected had irregularities – including listing over 10,000 deceased persons.
A previous article explained how Venezuela’s recall referendum works. Article 72 of Venezuela’s Constitution states “(a)ll magistrates and other offices (including the president) filled by popular vote are subject to revocation.”
“Once half (their) term of office…has elapsed, 20% of (registered) voters (by petition may call for) a referendum to revoke such official’s mandate.”
“When a number of voters equal to or greater than the number of those who elected the official vote in favor of revocation (provided the total is 20% or more of registered voters), the official’s mandate shall be deemed revoked…”
Signatures collected must be verified for authenticity before proceeding further with the recall process. If achieved, it’ll be organized within 90 days. Removing Maduro requires support from more than the 50.6% of voters supporting his 2013 election.
Timing is important. If held by January 10, 2017, a new election will be called if Maduro loses. If things go against him after this date, Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz will serve as president until January 2019, when his term expires.
In response to CNE’s suspending the recall process, the factions controlling the National Assembly barely stopped short of urging coup d’etat action to remove Maduro forcefully.
Last Sunday, they said they’ll impeach him for “violating democracy.” The body has no legal standing after ignoring the Supreme Court’s October 18 ruling.
United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) leader Hector Rodriguez mocked them, saying parties violating the “rules of the game come and talk about democracy…There will be no recall referendum in 2016 because of fraudulent signatures collected.”
Violent demonstrations may follow, similar to what occurred in 2014 – perhaps another US coup attempt.
On October 24, WaPo editors disgracefully headlined “How to derail Venezuela’s new dictatorship.” What followed was a disgraceful litany of misinformation, exaggeration and Big Lies.
WaPo: Maduro “made clear (he and his government are) prepared to shred what remained of the country’s constitutional order…(They) stripped the opposition-controlled national assembly of its powers, imprisoned several top leaders and tried to slow” the recall process.
Fact: Maduro and Venezuela’s CNE observe the letter of constitutional law. No opposition powers were “stripped.” Their imprisoned officials plotted to remove Maduro by coup d’etat.
Collecting fraudulent signatures “slow(ed)” the recall process, not administration officials.
WaPo: Opposition National Assembly members “issued a declaration saying Mr. Maduro had staged a coup. That is accurate – and it ought to provoke a consequential reaction from the United States and Venezuela’s Latin American neighbors.”
Fact: No Maduro “coup” occurred, nor is one in prospect. WaPo calling for “consequential” action sounds ominously like urging Washington to oust him forcefully.
WaPo: “The recall referendum the opposition was pursuing offered a democratic way out of what has become one of the worst political and humanitarian crises in Latin America’s modern history.”
Fact: US dirty tricks and economic manipulation leading to disruptions in the distribution of food, bear much responsibility for hard times in Venezuela. Real problems exist. Hunger isn’t one of them. WaPo lied claiming “(t)he vast majority of low-income families say they are having trouble obtaining food.”
Venezuelans changed their dietary practices because of the scarcity of commonly eaten foods, at times consuming less than earlier. Profiteers hoarding and diverting foodstuffs for resale are responsible, along with high inflation resulting economic manipulation.
WaPo: “(T)he United States should be coordinating tough international action.”
Fact: Neocon WaPo editors want Maduro toppled and replaced. Do they mean by coup d’etat by calling for “tough international action?”
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected] . His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com .
Source: Global Research
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YARCHEN GAR, China — Even by the standards of the phenomenal sights of Tibet, Yarchen Gar is a wonder on the high plateau: thousands of ramshackle homes clustered on a remote peninsula at the bend of a river, each one the domicile of a nun who has come here to study Tibetan Buddhism. Residents estimate there are 10, 000 people here, almost all Tibetan with a handful of Han, the dominant ethnicity in China. The vast majority being women, this is one of the largest communities of nuns in the world — certainly the largest nun shantytown. In cramped buildings, many built by the residents, the nuns pray, meditate and sleep. On the higher west bank of the river are the homes of monks. Narrow wooden bridges connect the two areas. As with much of the region, Yarchen Gar is above 13, 000 feet. Winters are brutal here, but the days were still warm in October. Anyone can move freely along the edge of the settlement, where there are convenience stores run by nuns. One austere restaurant has large metal steamers of both bread and vegetarian dumplings sitting outside. People here do not eat meat. The monastery at the heart of Yarchen Gar, also called Yachen Gar, was founded in 1985 by Achuk Rinpoche, who followed the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery’s focus was on meditation. At first, there were only a dozen disciples, but the number grew as his teachings spread. The homes are patchworks of boards and thin metal sheets, with the occasional piece of plastic tarp covering a part of the roof or walls. Narrow lanes wind among them. Depending on the wind, the air can be thick with the smell of undrained sewage. This is the “gar,” which means monastic encampment in Tibetan. The largest, Larung Gar, in a valley to the northeast, has more monks than nuns. Workers there are now demolishing individual homes, on the orders of Chinese officials. Some clergy members are being forced to leave. At the top of the hill is a towering golden statue of Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, the Indian Buddhist master. To the north, eight white stupas and a wall mark a distant sky burial site, where human corpses are cut up in a funeral ritual and vultures feast on the remains. | 1 |
November 14, 2016
‘It’s clear the moon is making an attempt to enter the UK, illegally and under the cover of darkness,’ said a UKIP spokesman citing the UKIP science expert Douglas Carswell. ‘What other reason would it have for coming so close?’
The claim has been backed up by The Daily Mail that states there could be ‘up to one million immigrants’ hiding on the dark side, suggesting that a ladder made of Lego bricks would effect a sneaky and virtually undetectable access point that could be dismantled in a blink of an eye.
Other newspapers are less confident about the claim, with the Daily Express noting it was ‘too distracted by the news that Princess Di is dead.’ Share this story...
Posted: Nov 14th, 2016 by throngsman Click for more article by throngsman .. More Stories about: News In Brief 0 | 0 |
The mother of an American man wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela says she is hopeful the Trump administration may soon secure the release of her son after the return of student Otto Warmbier to the United States this week from North Korea. [“[Warmbier’s release] means that the administration is working hard on these cases,” Laurie Holt told Fox News. “Anything they can do to further the process along would be great because if we don’t get him out soon, I don’t think we’ll see him alive again. ” Holt’s comments come after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that North Korean authorities had released Warmbier, despite having sentenced the student to 15 years of hard labor for “hostile acts” after stealing propaganda signs from his hotel. Warmbier had reportedly fallen into a coma in March 2016, shortly after his arrest, and U. S. officials demand his release on humanitarian grounds, which Pyongyang conceded. In a press briefing on Wednesday, Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that securing Warmbier’s release had been a “big priority for the president. ” Joshua Holt, a former Mormon missionary from Utah, was arrested in Venezuela last June along with his wife Thamara Caleño after officials claimed to have found a small weapons arsenal in their apartment. They remain imprisoned despite eyewitnesses revealing they had seen police planting the weapons beforehand. In December, Venezuelan authorities repeatedly denied Holt’s attorney the right to see him, as prosecutors pressed charges against him and Caleño for terrorism and illegal possession of arms. According to a report from the Miami Herald earlier this week, President Donald Trump has now taken a “personal interest” in his case. The report also noted that Holt has become “depressed and angry” in prison and “has no hope whatsoever that he will ever be free from there. ” Since entering the jail, Holt’s health has significantly deteriorated, having lost 50 pounds and developing kidney stones, bronchitis, and internal bleeding, with his family claiming his life is at risk. “The hardest part for me is that he told his to tell me to go on with my life and forget about him because he feels like he is never going to get out,” Laurie Holt said. “But I’m not going to do that. ” She also says her son has been routinely tortured by Venezuelan authorities, who force him to perform gym exercises naked in the prison’s hallways, which required Holt to violate Mormon practices of modesty around others. Venezuela enjoys alliances with some of America’s most vocal enemies, including the rogue nations of North Korea and Iran, who have routinely imprisoned Americans in search of government ransoms. North Korea is currently holding three U. S. citizens following Warmbier’s release. Iran is holding at least two U. S. citizens, while a third disappeared in the country years ago. The Trump administration has prioritized securing the release of U. S. prisoners abroad. So far, at least two such detentions have successfully concluded: American businesswoman Sandy who the Chinese government accused of spying, and Aya Hijazi, an American aid worker freed from Egypt after she was cleared of child abuse and human trafficking charges. You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart. com | 1 |
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Bill Still – Good morning, I’m still reporting on the Daybreak Poll.
Donald Trump has rocketed ahead to what the USC Daybreak poll’s creators define as an unstoppable lead of 5.4% this morning. Trump now leads Clinton 47.8% to 42.4% in this national tracking poll. And remember the methodology of this poll – it is a 7-day rolling average with over 3,004 participants.
Trump – in a single day – jumped up 9/10s of a percent, while Clinton fell 9/10ths of a percent – a huge one-day swing of 1.8% – and that’s on top of yesterday’s 1.7% swing. In fact, in the last 9 days, Trump has risen 4 full points, while Clinton has lost 2.7% – a 6.7% swing.
Both candidates – Trump on the topside, and Clinton on the bottom side of this chart – are now well outside of the “95% confidence interval”.
According to the University of Southern California researchers running the ongoing Understanding America Study: “Figures lying outside the gray band mean that we are at least 95% confident that the candidate with the highest percentage will win the popular vote.”
But in addition, the closer such a surge to election day, the more sure of that result we can be. There is now little doubt that Donald Trump will win the popular vote nationwide.
Digging down into the numbers shows where the biggest surge lies. Trump now leads in all 3 age categories. With millennials, Trump now leads by 2.6%. Among the middle aged, Trump now leads by a whopping 5.2%. But in the 65 and over group, Trump’s lead has now widened to 9.6%.
When sorted by education, Trump enjoys a huge 18.1% lead among those with a high school education or less. A landslide is defined as a 10-point lead.
Among those with some college, Trump leads by 12.3%.
Even among those with advanced degrees, Trump is closing the once-huge gap. Clinton still leads here in this demographically small group by 13.1%.
When sorted by income, Clinton still leads among those making $35k or less by 17.8%.
However, among the middle class – those with household incomes of between $35k and 75k, Trump leads by 15.9%.
Among those making $75k or more, Trump leads by 11.4%. When sorted by ethnicity, Trump’s lead among whites continues to increase, now at 25.9%.
This poll’s one blind spot continues to be among blacks. Although Trump made a .9% gain yesterday, Clinton still dominates with an 82.1% lead.
In the “other ethnicity” group, Trump now leads by 9.2%.
Among Latinos, Clinton still leads by 18.2%, however, Trump did increase by .6% points yesterday, while Clinton fell by .9 percent; a one-and-a-half percent swing. Among the ever-critical female vote, Trump closed the gap yesterday by 1.5%. Clinton’s lead has been cut to 8.5%.
Among men, Trump increased his lead yesterday by a full 2 percentage points. He now leads Crooked Hillary by 19.8% among men – more than double Clinton’s lead with women.
I’m still reporting from Washington. Good Day. SF Source Bill Still Nov. 2016 Share this: | 0 |
CHICAGO — When J. Dennis Hastert, a former House speaker, reports this week to a federal prison in Minnesota, he will receive a copy of the institution’s rules and regulations, an inmate identification card and a strict weekday schedule that includes periodic inmate counts, “pill lines” and 7:30 a. m. room inspections. Mr. Hastert, convicted of breaking financial rules in payoffs aimed at covering up sexual abuse, has been ordered to appear by Wednesday afternoon at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. to begin serving his sentence. He will be known as Prisoner No. . His lawyers had argued that Mr. Hastert, who is 74 and has had a stroke, a blood stream infection and a spinal infection over the past year, should have received probation. But the Rochester center — about 260 miles from Mr. Hastert’s home in Plano, Ill. — is equipped to deal with medical problems, according to an admission and orientation handbook for the prison. Mr. Hastert was sentenced in April during an intense hearing in a federal courtroom, where he publicly admitted for the first time to abusing high school wrestlers that he coached decades ago, and where he was confronted by one of his former wrestlers and sternly rebuked by the judge overseeing the case. Mr. Hastert, who coached wrestling from 1965 to 1981, was not charged with sexual abuse, and statutes of limitation on possible charges from those years had run out. Instead, Mr. Hastert was charged with violating a banking regulation in an effort to pay $3. 5 million to one victim, identified as Individual A — a scheme that, once it was uncovered, led to other stories of abuse from at least four such young men. The nation’s Republican speaker, Mr. Hastert joins a long list of politicians to face prison time, including Governors Rod R. Blagojevich and George Ryan and former Representatives Dan Rostenkowski, Jesse L. Jackson Jr. and Mel Reynolds. By one count, the area has had at least 1, 642 public corruption convictions since 1976. Mr. Hastert’s lawyer, Thomas C. Green, declined an interview request. It is uncertain how or precisely when Mr. Hastert will arrive at the prison, which includes 11 buildings on a complex and houses 687 male inmates of all security levels. Mr. Hastert has stayed largely out of public view since his sentencing, when he appeared in a wheelchair amid a crush of news media. He is required to arrive by 2 p. m. Wednesday. By policy, the Bureau of Prisons will not address the circumstances of an individual like Mr. Hastert, who is not in custody. But according to a handbook for inmates, he will be issued standard clothing, laundry bags and bed linens. He can purchase items like toothpaste, reading glasses and candy from a commissary. The facility includes housing as well as individual cells. Once he is released from prison, Mr. Hastert also faces two years of supervised release, which will bar him from communicating with the former wrestling team members in the case and from possessing a firearm. He will be required to participate in a treatment program for sex offenders. | 1 |
WITH smartphones, tablets and smart watches glowing and buzzing on our night stands, it’s no wonder that sleep has become a public health problem. apps for smartphones can help. One app that has given me good results is SleepBot (free on iOS and Android) which has provided insights into my sleeping habits and helped me work out the distractions and habits that seem to mar my sleep. As with many other sleep apps, you set an alarm time, then slide your phone under your pillow while keeping the phone plugged in to your charger so you don’t wake up to a drained battery. As you shift through various stages of sleep during the night, SleepBot logs your body’s moves. When it’s time for your alarm to go off, SleepBot waits until your phone’s sensors detect that you’re moving more, which means you are probably in a period of light sleep. Then it sets off your alarm. The idea is that if you wake up during lighter sleep you’ll avoid that grogginess that can happen when you awaken from deep sleep. Once you’re awake, the app displays statistics about how long you slept and shows a graph of how much you moved during sleep. The SleepBot app also listens to ambient noise levels and displays these as a chart. Once you’ve used the app regularly, you may be able to spot patterns that could help you understand why you sleep well, or badly. For example, I moved my bed away from the window after realizing that street noise appeared to affect my sleep. SleepBot’s options include setting alarm music from your phone’s library or using a soothing musical track built into the app. The app is occasionally a bit complicated, needing more steps than you may expect to change settings or create a new alarm. Pillow is a similar app, with a clean minimalist interface, gesture controls and Apple Watch integration. The unfussy look of the app helps ease my mind as I set an alarm in the final moments before sleep. The app works for iPad and iPhone and tracks motion and sounds. It packs in many more features than SleepBot: You can export sound recordings, use it to take a power nap and log data about your daily habits that relate to sleep, like reading a book before bed. If you own an Apple Watch, Pillow uses the sensors in the Watch to record your sleep patterns no need to put your phone under your pillow. The app is excellent, though it’s . The free version of the app is limited — it costs $5 to unlock the option to export audio and other features. Tracking your sleep is just one option to help you get better rest. I’ve also tried Pzizz, which generates audio files that blend gentle music, meditation, natural sounds and spatial, audio effects that are supposed to help you relax. Pzizz has an attractive interface, and it is soothing to listen to its jumble of sounds. But more than once, I’ve found myself paying too much attention to the app instead of sleeping. Pzizz is free on iOS and Android. The mySleepButton app has audio instructions that guide you through visualizing images as you lie in bed. Some of these seem odd (“a girl adjusting her ponytail” and “a child talking to Superman,” for example). This mix of mental images distracts your conscious brain while your body gets on with the natural process of drifting off to sleep. The mySleepButton interface is basic, and it comes with only a limited amount of free content on iOS and Android (new visualization modules cost $3 and up). But it’s an interesting way to try to go to sleep. Scientists disagree about best practices when it comes to sleep, and everyone is different, so consider these apps tools rather than solutions. And sleep tight. Viridi is part mindfulness app and part game, but without the stress. The idea is that by tending and watering a digital garden full of simulated succulent plants, you can achieve a moment even during a difficult day. Viridi sounds weird, and in truth it is very unusual. But it’s beautiful, fun and soothing. Viridi is free on Android. | 1 |
White House senior advisor Jared Kushner spoke at the opening of the tech summit, praising the private sector for coming to the White House to discuss policy and tech solutions. [The group would take on “some of the country’s biggest challenges” in government during the meeting and promote changes to to make it function more effectively. “Together we have set ambitious goals and empowered interagency teams to tackle our objectives,” he said. “It’s working and it’s very exciting. ” Kushner appeared eager to promote change in government, saying that he was warned that the federal bureaucracy would resist his efforts. “So far I have found exactly the opposite,” he explained. “Our goal here is simple. We are here to improve the day to day lives of the average citizen. That’s a core promise and we are keeping it,” he said. According to a White House official, the team will discuss a number of tech issues with the group of 18 different tech CEOs including cloud computing, cybersecurity, and big data. The team will also discuss government and private sector partnerships and Visas. | 1 |
We Are Change
On October 28, Tesla unveiled its new solar roof tiles. Few of us in attendance, if any, realized the solar roofing tiles were actual functional solar panels until Elon Musk said so. Sure, it’s a neat trick, but what’s the big deal?
Why does it matter that Tesla is making a fashion statement when the point is green power and a future where we aren’t so dependent on fossil fuels?
I’ve heard from some people suggesting that this is nothing new, because of other similar previous projects, including Dow Chemical’s canned solar shingle project , for example. Others are wary of Tesla’s ability to sway consumers with a solar solution that sounds like it’ll still be quite expensive in terms of up-front (or, with payment plans, deferred but net) installation costs. Still others aren’t clear on Tesla’s goals with this product, or how it fits into the company’s overall strategy relative to its electric vehicles.
Looks matter It’s easy to dismiss the aesthetic import of how Tesla’s tiles look, but it’s actually important, and a real consideration for homeowners looking to build new homes or revamp their existing ones. The appearance of the tiles, which come in four distinct flavors (Textured Glass, Slate Glass, Tuscan Glass and Smooth Glass) is going to be a core consideration for prospective buyers, especially those at the top end of the addressable market with the disposable income available to do everything they can to ensure their home looks as good as it possibly can.
As with other kinds of technologies that are looking to make the leap from outlier oddity to mainstream mainstay, solar has a hurdle to leap in terms of customer perception. Existing solar designs, and even so-called attempts to make them more consistent with traditional offerings like the above-mentioned Dow Chemical project, leave a lot to be desired in terms of creating something that can be broadly described as good-looking.
It’s like the VR headset — Oculus and Google can make claims about their use of fabric making their headsets more approachable, but both are still just options somewhere along the curve of things with niche appeal. Neither is very likely to strike a truly broad audience of users as acceptable, and neither are solar panels that don’t succeed in completely disguising themselves as such.
Halo effects Tesla has been referred to as the Apple of the automotive world by more than a few analysts and members of the media, and if there’s one thing Apple does well, it’s capitalize on the so-called “halo effect.” This is the phenomenon whereby customers of one of its lines of business are likely to become customers of some of the others; iPhone buyers tend to often go on to own a Mac, for instance.
For Tesla, this represents an opportunity to jump-start its home solar business (which it’ll take on in earnest provided its planned acquisition of SolarCity goes through) through the knock-on effects of its brisk Tesla EV sales, including the tremendous pre-order interest for the Model 3. It’s strange to think of halo effects with big-ticket items, including vehicles and home energy systems, but Tesla’s fan base shares a lot of characteristics with Apple’s, and because they’re already purchasing at the level of an entire automobile, the frame of reference for what constitutes a valid halo purchase is actually appropriate.
Tesla, like Apple, scores well with customer satisfaction and brand commitment, and that’s something that no one trying to sell a solar home energy system at scale can match. As strange as it sounds, “buying a roof because you like your car” might be the new “buying a computer because you like your phone.”
Benefits beyond basic solar Tesla’s solar tiles claim to be able to power a standard home, and provide spare power via the new Powerwall 2 battery in case of inclement weather or other outages. Musk says that the overall cost will still be less than installing a regular old roof and paying the electric company for power from conventional sources. But Musk’s claims about the new benefits of the new solutions don’t end there.
Tesla’s tiles will actually be more resilient than traditional roofing materials, including terra-cotta, clay and slate tiles. That’s because of the toughness of the glass used in their construction, according to Musk, who demonstrated the results of heavy impact from above, using a kettlebell as you can see in the video below.
This should make them theoretically more resistant to potential damage from elements like hail, or even debris like fallen tree branches. In fact, Musk also said at the event that the roofs should far outlast the standard 20-year life cycle common for roofing materials used today — by as much as two or even three times. Fewer roof tile replacements means more value, provided that’s not already factored into his estimates of the up-front cost.
There’s also the possibility that the new tiles could become more efficient than existing solar panel options. Though in their current form, Musk says they achieve 98 percent of the efficiency of regular panels. He said that the company is working with 3M on coatings that could help light enter the panel and then refract within, letting it capture even more of the potential energy it carries to translate that into consumable power.
A new kind of ecosystem The announcement of Tesla’s solar tiles does not guarantee a sweeping solar power revolution; far from it, since Tesla says it won’t start installing the product in any consumer homes until next year, and a lot can happen between now and then. But Musk also said with full confidence that he ultimately expects the Powerwall to outsell Tesla cars, and easily so.
Solar roofing, Powerwall and Tesla cars taken together represent a new kind of ecosystem in consumer tech, one that carries a promise of self-sufficiency in addition to ecological benefits. Tesla has already tipped its hand with respect to how it intends to make vehicle ownership a revenue generator for its drivers, rather than a cost center. You can see how it might eventually do the same for solar power using solar tile roofs combined with Powerwalls installed in series, giving homeowners surplus power generation and storage with a few different potential options for monetizing the excess (including, say, acting as a supercharger station for other Teslas, or selling back to the grid).
It’s tempting to look at Tesla’s unveiling last week and think that it’s more of an incremental development in the home solar industry. But it’s more likely a step toward a future where individuals have more direct control over power generation, leading to a big difference in how we think about renewable energy.
Source; https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/31/why-teslas-new-solar-roof-tiles-and-home-battery-are-such-a-big-deal/#
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Is a war in the making — a third world war?
If there is much talk about such a possibility, it is mainly because of the tensions between the United States and Russia. Tensions between the two most powerful nuclear states in the world have never been this high since the end of the Cold War in 1989 and the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991.
There are at least two flash points, one more dangerous than the other. In Eastern Ukraine, Russian backed rebels will not surrender to the US supported regime in Kiev because they see US control over Ukraine as part of a much larger agenda to expand NATO power to the very borders of Russia. This has been happening for some years now.
But it is the Washington-Moscow confrontation in Allepo, Syria which portends to a huge conflagration. The US is protective of major militant groups such as Al-Nusra which has besieged Eastern Allepo and is seeking to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad government. Washington has also set its sight on ‘regime change’ in Damascus ever since the latter’s determined resistance to Israeli occupation of the strategic Golan Heights in Syria from 1967 onwards.
The drive for regime change intensified with the US-Israeli quest for a “new Middle East” following the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003. It became more pronounced in 2009 when Bashar al-Assad rejected a proposal to allow a gas pipe-line from Qatar to Europe to pass through his country, a pipe-line which would have reduced Europe’s dependence upon Russia for gas. Russia of course has been a long-standing ally of Syria. Together with Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah, it is helping the Syrian government to break the siege of Eastern Allepo and to defeat militants in other parts of Syria.
It is obvious that in both instances, in Ukraine and Syria, the US has not been able to achieve what it wants. The US has also been stymied in Southeast Asia where its attempt to re-assert its power through its 2010 ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy has suffered a serious setback as a result of the decision of the new president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, to pursue an independent foreign policy that no longer adheres blindly to US interests. At the same time, China continues to expand and enhance its economic strength in Asia and the world through its One Belt One Road (OBOR) projects and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and via its leadership of BRICS. China’s regional and global economic role is leading to its pronounced presence in security and military matters. As a result of all this, the US’s imperial power has clearly diminished. It is a hegemon in decline.
It is because it is not prepared to accept its decline that some US generals are threatening to demonstrate US’s military might. If a hegemon is a danger to humankind when it is at its pinnacle, it becomes an even greater threat to peace when its power is diminishing. Like a wounded tiger, it becomes even more furious and ferocious. A new US president may be inclined to give vent to this frustration through an arrogant display of military power.
How can we check such wanton arrogance? There will be elements in the elite stratum of US society itself who would be opposed to the US going to war. We saw a bit of this in 2013 when those who were itching to launch military strikes against Syria based upon dubious “evidence” of the government’s use of chemical weapons were thwarted by others with a saner view of the consequences of war. It is also important to observe that none of the US’s major allies in Europe wants a war. Burdened by severe challenges related to the economy and migration, the governments know that their citizens will reject any move towards war either on the borders of Russia or in Syria and West Asia.
This also suggests that a self-absorbed European citizenry may not have the enthusiasm to mobilise against an imminent war. Let us not forget that it was in European cities from London to Berlin that the biggest demonstrations against the war in Iraq took place in 2003. Anti-war protests will have to be initiated elsewhere this time.
Governments in Moscow and Beijing, in Tehran and Jakarta, in Pretoria and La Paz, should come out openly against war. They should encourage other governments in the Global South and the Global North to denounce any move towards a war that will engulf the whole of humanity. Citizens all over the world should condemn war through a variety of strategies ranging from signature campaigns and letters to the media to public rallies and street demonstrations.
In this campaign against an imminent war, the media, both conventional and alternative, will have a huge role to play. It is unfortunate that well-known media outlets in the West have supported war in the past. It is time that they atone for their sins!
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The office of the New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, has issued a “notice of violation” to Donald J. Trump’s foundation, ordering it to immediately stop soliciting charitable donations in the state. The letter, which was sent on Friday and released on Monday morning by Mr. Schneiderman’s office, said its charities bureau had determined that the Donald J. Trump Foundation had been in New York this year when it was not registered to do so under state law. “The Trump Foundation must immediately cease soliciting contributions or engaging in any other activities in New York,” wrote James Sheehan, the chief of the charities bureau. Mr. Trump’s foundation has come under increasing scrutiny amid questions about his fulfillment of large charitable pledges and his lack of financial support in recent years. The foundation’s compliance with the rules that govern nonprofit groups has also been a concern. The New York Times reported last month that Mr. Trump’s foundation does not show up on the charity registers in many states, and The Washington Post subsequently reported that the foundation did not have the certification necessary to solicit money in New York. “While we remain very concerned about the political motives behind A. G. Schneiderman’s investigation, the Trump Foundation nevertheless intends to cooperate fully with the investigation,” Hope Hicks, Mr. Trump’s spokeswoman, said in a statement on Monday. “Because this is an ongoing legal matter, the Trump Foundation will not comment further at this time. ” Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has previously deflected criticism about his charitable giving, saying that he makes contributions personally and that he has been supportive of his foundation. Mr. Schneiderman’s office is investigating Mr. Trump’s foundation to determine if it is in compliance with state laws, including how it spends its money and courts donations. The attorney general’s office was particularly interested in a held by Mr. Trump this year to benefit veterans in lieu of attending a Republican primary debate. The event raised $5. 6 million, including some money from wealthy donors, and the Trump Foundation said $1. 67 million had come from online donations. The foundation did not break down the sources by state. Over the years, Mr. Trump has donated $5. 4 million to his charity, according to the organization’s tax filings. But the last of those contributions was in 2008, and in recent years, the foundation’s coffers have been filled by outside donors — including organizations and people in New York. (The foundation’s most recently available filing was for 2014.) From 2009 to 2014, the foundation raised $4. 36 million, with $2. 5 million from New Yorkers, records show. State rules require nonprofits raising more than $25, 000 a year in New York to register and file audited financial statements and annual financial reports to the attorney general’s charities bureau. In the letter, Mr. Schneiderman’s office provided notice to Mr. Trump’s foundation that it must provide those financial documents within 15 days. It also must file any “delinquent reports” for past years within that time frame. “The failure immediately to discontinue solicitation and to file information and reports” with the charities bureau, Mr. Sheehan said, “shall be deemed a fraud upon the people of the state of New York. ” Mr. Schneiderman, a Democrat and a supporter of Mr. Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, has also asserted in a separate pending case that Mr. Trump defrauded students who participated in Trump University, his educational program. | 1 |
By Amanda Froelich 25 million single-use plastic bags are discarded every day in California. This new law aims to benefit the environment and all wildlife. In July of 2015, Hawaii made headlines... | 0 |
Mary McCormack Hughes has a vivid recollection of the phone call she got 35 years ago this week from Robert Durst, her . “Have you seen Kathie?” he asked. Kathie was Kathleen Durst, Ms. Hughes’s younger sister, who at 29 was in the final months of medical school. Her marriage to Mr. Durst, the eccentric scion of a prominent New York real estate family, had splintered under Mr. Durst’s efforts to control her, repeated rounds of quarreling and, finally, violence. No, Ms. Hughes, said she had responded, but I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Kathie. Mr. Durst cut her off, saying he was going to the police, and abruptly ended the call, she said. Ms. Hughes remembers that as she hung up the phone in her East Side apartment that February evening in 1982, she turned to her husband, Tom Hughes, and said, “I think he killed her. ” Today, Mr. Durst, 73, sits in Los Angeles County Jail awaiting trial on a charge of murder — not of Kathie, but of Susan Berman, a confidante who, investigators say, knew his secrets and shielded him from newspaper reporters after his wife vanished. John Lewin, a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles, claims that Mr. Durst shot Ms. Berman in the back of her head at her Los Angeles home in December 2000, fearing that she would cooperate with a newly revived investigation into Ms. Durst’s disappearance. Mr. Durst was never charged with his wife’s killing, nor was anyone else. (Ms. Durst’s body has never been recovered.) He and his battery of lawyers have insisted that he did not kill Ms. Berman and does not know what happened to his first wife. Ms. Hughes has not paid much attention to events in Los Angeles. “I think it’s going to be a disaster,” she said, with bitterness, of the coming trial during her first interview in more than three decades, at an Upper East Side apartment building where her sister once lived with Mr. Durst. A large photograph of Kathie Durst dressed in an Annie dress and a hat from the Wild West hung over the fireplace. “Hollywood and publicity,” Ms. Hughes said. “They’re not really interested in my sister — they’re interested in Bob. I just want to find out what happened to my sister. ” The obsession nearly destroyed her. Kathie was the youngest daughter and the fifth child of a telephone company representative, who died in 1966, and a working mother. After graduating from high school in New Hyde Park on Long Island, Kathie trained as a dental hygienist and moved to a building owned by the Durst family on the East Side of Manhattan. Mr. Durst oversaw the building and when the two met, there was an instant attraction. “It was a mutual attraction, a chemistry,” Ms. Hughes recalled. “He had a magnetism. Kathie had the same thing. ” The Hugheses liked Mr. Durst when he started dating Kathie, then 19, in early 1971. He was nine years older and from another world. His father, Seymour Durst, presided over a Manhattan real estate company whose towers formed the skyline. The Dursts were low key, not the stereotypical developers. For a while, Ms. Hughes said, her sister was unaware just how wealthy the Durst family was. After their second date, Mr. Durst asked Kathie to move with him to Vermont to run a health food store. But after a short time in Vermont, the couple returned to New York, and Mr. Durst resumed working at the family real estate business. They were married in a private ceremony on his birthday, April 12, in 1973. The couple partied at Studio 54, the disco that was a haunt for celebrities and others. They sailed on the Mediterranean Sea and traveled to Thailand. Bob and Kathie socialized with Mary and Tom, even buying a racehorse together from a friend who was a breeder. “He heard it was a tax deduction,” Tom Hughes said. “I think he liked that part of it. ” But the Dursts’ relationship took a dark turn after 1976, when Mr. Durst forced his wife to have an abortion. He didn’t want children she did. “That’s when it went south,” Mr. Hughes said. Ms. Durst sought independence, enrolling in nursing school in Danbury, Conn. The couple bought a cottage nearby, on Lake Truesdale in South Salem, N. Y. in northern Westchester County, but also had a on Riverside Drive in Manhattan and rented an apartment on the East Side. After graduating from nursing school, Ms. Durst immediately started medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, hoping to become a pediatrician. “She was excited to be a medical student,” recalled a classmate, Dr. Alicia . “She worked hard. She always took a seat in the front row and took notes. ” By 1980, the couple quarreled frequently, Ms. Hughes said, adding that her sister often called her with accounts of their latest fight. Ms. Durst contacted a divorce lawyer. She gathered damaging material about her husband and the Durst family, she told friends and her sister. Mr. Durst has long acknowledged his marijuana use, and his wife used cocaine, according to friends and members of her family. Both had affairs, his and her friends and relatives say. Mr. Durst, they say, cut off her credit cards to keep her close. “Bob’s possessiveness was escalating into physical violence,” said a nursing school classmate of Ms. Durst’s, Eleanor Joy Schwank, during an interview in 2000. “I never witnessed it, but Kathie would call me saying, ‘Bobby is really violent. ’” Mr. Durst, impatient to leave a McCormack family gathering, yanked his wife’s hair, shocking her family, Ms. Hughes said. On another occasion, he stormed into their East Side apartment, where Ms. Durst was talking with friends, and kicked an acquaintance in the face. The man later settled a lawsuit over the episode with Mr. Durst. Three weeks before Ms. Durst disappeared, she was treated at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx for bruises she suffered during an argument with her husband, according to several friends and medical records later recovered by investigators. Ms. Durst told her sister, her friends and virtually anyone who would listen, “If anything happens to me, don’t let Bob get away with it. ” Geraldine McInerney, a friend of Ms. Hughes’s, said she had met Ms. Durst at the couple’s East Side apartment on Jan. 29, 1982. Ms. Durst wanted someone she knew to sublet the apartment so that if “the situation between her and Durst became too threatening, she would have an alternative place to stay,” Ms. McInerney said in a 1983 affidavit. It was the last time Ms. McInerney saw her. A week later, Mr. Durst walked into a Manhattan police station to file a missing person’s report. He carried a copy of New York magazine with his father’s picture and the headline “The Men Who Own New York. ” Mr. Durst told the police that he had put his wife on a train to Manhattan from Westchester County on Sunday night so that she could attend school the next day. He said he had later spoken to her by phone, after she arrived at their Riverside Drive . Soon, the story was splashed across New York’s tabloids. Mr. Durst, who hired detectives and offered a reward, told his family, friends and the police that his wife might have run away with a drug dealer. Her family found that implausible, since she was only months away from graduating. “She always wanted to take care of children,” Mr. Hughes said. Decades later, in an interview with the producers of the HBO documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” Mr. Durst acknowledged that much of what he had told the police was a lie. Why did he lie? “I wanted them to leave me alone,” he explained to Mr. Lewin, the Los Angeles prosecutor, during an interrogation after his 2015 arrest in New Orleans on gun charges. “I wasn’t used to somebody questioning my veracity. ” Frustrated by what they regarded as a desultory investigation by New York City detectives, Ms. Hughes and a small band of friends became amateur sleuths, tracking sightings of her sister and Mr. Durst and scouring phone records. By March 1982, they were making furtive visits to what they believed was the scene of the crime, the stone cottage at the edge of Lake Truesdale. On one trip, Mr. Hughes found an ominous list in Mr. Durst’s handwriting in a garbage can: “town dump, bridge, dig, boat” and “shovel. ” They found Ms. Durst’s diamond earrings in her drawer at the Riverside Drive apartment, which Mr. Durst had told the police she was wearing when she disappeared. To this day, Ms. Hughes is shocked that New York City detectives never searched the cottage. Ms. Hughes and Ms. McInerney pored over pages and pages of phone records from the cottage, the apartments and the Durst Organization that they had gotten from the detectives. Night after night, the two women matched the phone numbers to names until they discovered that Mr. Durst had made collect calls to his family’s business from Ship Bottom, N. J. shortly after his wife vanished. The calls, coupled with the list of words, led them to suspect that Ms. Durst might be buried somewhere in the nearby Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Ms. Hughes and Ms. McInerney borrowed a car and drove the investigating detectives down to Ship Bottom. But the detectives seemed uninterested, Ms. Hughes said, and the case was no longer generating headlines. Mr. Durst was not charged with any crime. Ms. Hughes and her family wrestled with Mr. Durst in Surrogate’s Court for control of Ms. Durst’s estate, but suffered another defeat in 1983. “I was just so fed up,” Ms. Hughes said. “I broke down. I couldn’t do it anymore. ” For a long time, she refused to drive a car or even leave her apartment. She focused on her two daughters, whom she had long neglected. In the end, Ms. Hughes was left without answers as to her sister’s fate. But she never lost her conviction about Mr. Durst’s culpability. Ms. Hughes, her husband and Ms. McInerney cooperated with an investigation into Ms. Durst’s disappearance that was started in 2000 by an enterprising State Police investigator, Joe Becerra, only to be disappointed again when the local district attorney did not indict Mr. Durst. In recent years, Ms. Hughes and other members of her family have gone back to Surrogate’s Court to fight Mr. Durst and to have her sister declared dead as of Jan. 31, 1982. Their mother, Ann McCormack, died in May at 102, without knowing what happened to Kathie. “It’s absurd that after 35 years New York has not charged him with murder,” Robert Abrams, whose law firm, Abrams Fensterman, is representing Ms. Durst’s family, said of Mr. Durst. “If they’re not going to do it criminally, we’ll do it civilly. ” Whatever happens in Los Angeles, Mr. Durst will return to federal prison to serve the remaining time on a gun conviction. “We want some sort of peace, some answers as to where she’s at,” Ms. Hughes said. “Why couldn’t he just tell us? He has nothing to lose. He’s going to stay in jail. ” | 1 |
The media already is accountable, DOC, under US law, as I tried to illustrate in my post, above.
That said, the repeal of The Fairness Doctrine in the 1980s was devastating for the US public, and gave birth to Fox Propaganda News and MSNBC, among others. Also, having disingenuous propagandist commentators on every night like Kayleigh McEnany and Katrina Pierson should be shameful to CNN and Fox, respectively in these 2 cases.
I watch some Fox and CNN for details, and for the opinions of just a few of their commentators (Krauthammer, Acosta for the Electoral Map). I used to watch mostly Al Jazeera America, which of course closed shop, and still watch The BBC, which is better than anything American, although not as good as Al Jazeera was. CNN International also is excellent - available only over the Internet - and the much-despised Russia Today has some excellent programming as well - I like The Keiser Report. Thanks for your post. | 0 |
The NFL and certain sports networks would like you to believe that the 2016 election was the reason for the serious downtick in viewer participation, yet data doesn’t really support this premise. [In fairness to the NFL, a bounce in ratings occurred after the election ended in early November. In fact, ratings of the “average game,” as reported by Awful Announcing, increased by 14%. This represents the biggest jump since 2007 when ratings showed a 9% increase after the election. Those numbers look quite impressive. However, when you compare viewership numbers after this year’s election against last year’s 2015 NFL season numbers during the same period of time, per game viewership declined by approximately 4 percent from 19. 24 million viewers in 2015 to this year’s 18. 43 million. Quick arithmetic calculates the NFL lost over 800, 000 viewers since last year during the same period. Many have speculated that Colin Kaepernick and others who kneeled during the national anthem may have contributed to the fans deciding to clean the garage or take the kids to the park rather than tune in to the game. According to a poll, 29 percent of NFL fans turned their TVs off or watched something else during game time. Moreover, four out of ten of those tuning out blame Kaepernick’s protests as the reason. In the final analysis, the elections had their effect on viewership, but not the impact the NFL would like to believe. | 1 |
By Mike Maharrey Voters in North Dakota and Arkansas have approved ballot measures legalizing medical marijuana, taking a first step toward nullifying the unconstitutional federal prohibition of... | 0 |
With all the attention paid to President Trump’s secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, and her advocacy for private school vouchers, little public notice has been paid to the action on education in Congress — where lawmakers have broader power than Ms. DeVos to make changes to the nation’s school system. Now, Congress has done exactly that, voting to repeal crucial regulations associated with the Every Student Succeeds Act, one of President Barack Obama’s final legislative achievements. When Mr. Obama signed the act in December 2015, many Democrats and Republicans alike celebrated the supposed end of what they saw as an era of federal overreach into local schools. The measure, known as ESSA, took a more collaborative approach than its predecessor, No Child Left Behind. Many critics viewed No Child, passed under President George W. Bush, as well as Mr. Obama’s education policies, as punitive. The policies pushed for test scores to be used to remove underperforming teachers and to shut down struggling schools. They were also unpopular because they led to an explosion in the number of tests students took each year. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, children still have to take standardized tests in math, reading and science, and schools still need to report on the progress of groups, like disabled students, nonwhite students and those learning English. But fewer consequences are now tied to low test scores and more emphasis is placed on holding schools accountable for providing access to advanced classes and for reducing student suspension rates. In addition, states are now able to come up with their own plans for how to intervene in failing schools. Mr. Obama called the bill a bipartisan “Christmas miracle. ” The National Council of La Raza, a organization, gave ESSA’s two Senate Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a Republican, an award for their work on behalf of students learning English. The two appeared together to accept the honor, each praising the other’s collaboration. It took less than a year for that bipartisan consensus to fall apart. It is customary for federal agencies to issue detailed regulations on how new laws should be put into effect, and Mr. Obama’s Department of Education did so in November. But some lawmakers from both parties saw the regulations as unusually aggressive and and said they could subvert ESSA’s intent of local control over education and decreasing the emphasis on testing. Last month, the House of Representatives overturned a broad swath of the rules using the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to spike federal regulations. The Senate passed a similar resolution on Thursday, and President Trump has indicated that he will sign it. That would leave ESSA on the books, but Ms. DeVos would have more flexibility in how to apply it. The Obama regulations pushed states to weight student achievement measures, such as test scores and graduation rates, more heavily than other factors in labeling schools as underperforming. The regulations also required schools to provide parents and the public with a more detailed annual report card on schoolwide student achievement data and other indicators of success. Among the most contentious of the Obama rules was one that strengthened a provision in the law requiring schools to test at least 95 percent of their students. There were some good reasons for such a policy. To avoid the sanctions that come with low scores, schools have sometimes pressured or forced students to stay home on testing days. But conservatives said the 95 percent rule was excessive federal intervention, while some on the left said it prevented parents and students from “opting out” of standardized tests — a popular protest tactic. “The regulations were an overreach,” said Robert Schaeffer, the public education director of FairTest, a group that fights standardized testing. But, he said, “the total repeal is also an overreach,” because it targets civil rights regulations as well as testing rules. Nine percent of American public school students are not native English speakers, and the regulations required states and schools to track the achievement of this group in more nuanced ways. Instead of looking at all learners together, states were asked to break out the performance of the groups, like recent immigrants or those who arrive in the United States behind grade level in their native language. Schools where such students struggle would have been subject to state intervention. The National Council of La Raza was part of a coalition of civil rights and business groups that supported the Obama regulations. Separating out different groups of English language learners “is a plus for states,” said Lorén Trull, a senior policy adviser for La Raza. “You don’t want it to look like you’re serving all English poorly when some you are serving very well. ” Beginning in the 1980s, moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans tended to agree that the federal government ought to hold local schools to tough standards, and monitor them closely to make sure they were shrinking achievement gaps between different groups of students. The ESSA repeal effort shows that center no longer holds. On the Senate floor Wednesday, Mr. Alexander said a regulatory repeal would “restore to states, to classroom teachers and to school boards decisions about what to do about the children. ” Democrats who favored the Obama rules sought to portray the repeal effort as an attempt to disrupt the normal regulatory process and give the Trump administration more power. “I think we all know what’s going on here,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “Betsy DeVos is the new secretary of education. Congressional Republicans have decided that they want to hand over the keys to her with no restrictions whatsoever. ” Ms. DeVos has said little about ESSA. But with the repeal, her department can now issue new guidance to states, most likely weakening the accountability measures that were a priority for the previous administration. The repeal throws a curveball at state policy makers, whose ESSA implementation plans are due at the Department of Education in mere weeks. “The states are planning and doing stuff,” said Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, a bipartisan group that represents state education secretaries. “They want clarity on what they need to submit. ” Many states had already done the work needed to comply with the Obama administration’s rules. They are unlikely to start the process over this year. “This is an . C. fight,” Mr. Minnich said. “But this law will be successful or not depending on how states move forward. ” | 1 |
Thirty-two-year-old Samantha Collins: She may not look like your typical hero, but her incredible story is one you absolutely need to read right now. Against all odds, this courageous young woman woke up and went to work today.
Amazing! We should all strive to be as fearless as Samantha.
When her alarm sounded this morning at 6 a.m., Samantha dug deep and did something unbelievable: Summoning all the willpower she had, she somehow found the strength inside herself to pull back her sheets and put two feet on the floor as if this were any other day!
Samantha then headed straight into the shower, where she miraculously managed to shampoo her hair, turn off the water, and even get dressed for work before resolutely grabbing a granola bar as she headed out the door.
Her remarkable heroism didn’t stop there. Defying all her basic instincts, Samantha was soon sitting on a bus while it drove in the direction of her office! Faced with a situation where other women might have given up, Samantha bravely stood up, pressed the button to request her stop, and even had the conviction to get off the bus when it came to a halt!
This woman’s courage and determination should be an inspiration to us all.
As if this story weren’t already inspiring enough, Samantha then went to all three of her morning meetings, battling through intermittent waves of nausea and behaving as if nothing at all had changed since last night.
Incredible! The world could use a few more heroes like Samantha who refuse to let anything stop them from going through the motions, returning home, and getting ready to do it all again every day for at least the next four years. Keep fighting the good fight, Samantha! | 0 |
Hillary Makes SCANDALOUS Stop After Rachel Maddow Breaks Down On LIVE TV Posted on October 30, 2016 by Rebecca Diserio in Politics Share This Hillary Clinton drinking on plane (left), Hillary at Jennifer Lopez concert last night (middle), Hillary at Miami bar today (right)
Hillary Clinton is getting desperate and so is her lapdog media now that FBI Director James Comey dropped the bomb, re-opening the email investigation. Crazy happenings have just transpired in the last 24 hours, and you’ll love Hillary’s scandalous stop that’s making it so much worse as Rachel Maddow gets caught having a breakdown on live TV.
Hillary embarrassed herself last night at a free concert given in her name by Jennifer Lopez and her ex-husband Marc Anthony. Hillary came out on stage and pandered so badly to the Latino community that it came off as repulsive. Rachel Maddow cries on live TV over Hillary Clinton’s campaign imploding over new email scandal with Anthony Weiner.
After Rachel Maddow learned that Hillary sustained what she called “a brick being thrown right at the Clinton campaign,” referring to James Comey’s actions, she was caught fighting back tears as another liberal hack tried to convince her that the FBI’s decision to re-open the email scandal is a big deal.
Maddow was hoping he would tell her not to worry and that Hillary can still win, but when she didn’t get that news she wanted, she became enraged and then fought back tears. However, it all got worse with what Hillary did this morning.
This morning, Hillary Clinton was caught making a stop at a Miami bar before noon. That’s right, calling it a campaign stop, Hillary strolled into the bar, which looked like a sleazy kind of place, and created even more controversy for the candidate since her drinking has been a sore subject since day one of this campaign. False alarm on missing hillary. She's at a bar in Florida…… Mid day on a Sunday "campaigning" #GoHillary
— Known patriot (@NCSBM) October 30, 2016
As Mad World News previously reported, “WikiLeaks email from her campaign advisor Jen Palmeri to campaign chairman John Podesta seems to indicate that having to sober Hillary up was a routine occurrence. However, since everyone was scared of her, no one wanted to do it.”
“Should I call her and talk this through or better to leave with you? I’m worried she’ll get on with Cheryl and we’ll end up in a bad place. I’m in a session that lasts till 3:30 your time. Is that timely or should I walk out?” …
“I just sent. Was getting my hair cut and trying to write all this on an iPhone. I think you should call her and sober her up some .” [via Wikileaks ]
Hillary’s drinking problems are well known by Washington insiders, so after the last 24 hours, seeing the fallout as her campaign was squashed, making a stop at a Miami bar before noon makes perfect sense.
Hillary’s going to need a lot more than Jennifer Lopez gyrating while wearing a thong on stage and Rachel Maddow crying on live TV to breathe life into her dead campaign. We better be on high alert for some manufactured scandal coming at Donald Trump. Too bad for Hillary, it will be seen for what it is — Hillary and her henchmen trying to save her unsalvageable campaign. | 0 |
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer ( ) told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that he supports a proposal by Sen. Mark Warner ( ) to block the confirmation of the next FBI director until a special prosecutor is named to investigate allegations of collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government. [“We’ll have to discuss it as a caucus, but I would support that move,” Schumer told host Jake Tapper. However, under the filibuster rule changes initiated by former Majority Leader Harry Reid ( ) in 2013, the Senate minority cannot actually block the confirmation of any executive branch appointees. Schumer himself seemed to acknowledge the point implicitly: “The key here, of course, is getting some of our Republican colleagues to join us,” he told Tapper. There is almost no Republican support for a special prosecutor — largely because there are no crimes yet to prosecute. President Donald Trump is not even under investigation. The FBI’s inquiry has reportedly centered around three Trump campaign aides who played minor roles, and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Even perennial gadfly Sen. John McCain has only called for a select committee, not a special prosecutor. Also, as Breitbart News’ Ken Klukowski has pointed out, Trump was within his legal authority to fire former FBI Director James Comey — something Democrats had demanded for months. Moreover, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who was confirmed last month by the Senate in a vote, is overseeing the Russia investigation, with which Trump has not interfered — even if he has objected to the way it is being used by Democrats to justify their 2016 losses and rally political enthusiasm among their frustrated base. The Trump administration reportedly interviewed eight possible candidates to replace Comey this weekend, and more continue to be proposed. 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. | 1 |
Next Story → Judge Judy LOSES IT on Hood Rat: “You Sound Stupid! You’re 19-Yrs-Old, You Have a 2-Yr-Old Child, a Dead Boyfriend…” You may also like... | 0 |
Lying, arrogant Muslim, Marxist piece of dogsh*t. | 0 |
UNITED NATIONS — The American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, issued a stark warning on Friday to allies and rivals abroad, saying in her first remarks at the headquarters of the world body that the Trump administration would hold to account those who do not back the United States. “You’re going to see a change in the way we do business,” Ms. Haley said. “Our goal with the administration is to show value at the U. N. and the way we’ll show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure our allies have our back as well. ” “For those who don’t have our back,” she added, “we’re taking names we will make points to respond to that accordingly. ” Ms. Haley offered no further details in brief remarks to reporters, nor did she take questions, before presenting her diplomatic credentials to the secretary general, António Guterres. A former socialist politician from Portugal who took over the United Nations at the start of the year, Mr. Guterres is under pressure to persuade the Trump administration to not gouge the organization and to uphold America’s international obligations, including on climate change. President Trump has dismissed the United Nations as a social club and suggested the United States could cut its funding of the organization’s efforts. His “America first” pledges have raised concerns among diplomats at the United Nations about his commitment to international cooperation. The administration’s antipathy toward the United Nations has been sharpened since a Security Council resolution last month condemning Israeli settlements. Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley have criticized the Obama administration’s decision not to veto the resolution. And several Republican senators have supported legislation threatening to defund the United Nations unless the Security Council reverses the terms of the resolution, which Council diplomats say would be politically unworkable. The United States is the United Nations’ largest single donor, providing 22 percent of its regular budget, according to the terms of an international agreement that sets a country’s contribution based on its wealth. That assessed contribution pays for operating expenses like the electricity bills at its headquarters and human rights investigations in places like Syria and South Sudan. The United States also contributes voluntarily to other United Nations programs, including those that provide food and blankets to refugees fleeing war zones and that immunize children against preventable diseases. A draft executive order obtained by The New York Times proposes at least a 40 percent cut to those voluntary funds. Some of the provisions in the draft text are redundant, and it is unclear how serious these proposals are, or if they will ever be signed. Current and former officials said Friday that the Trump administration was delaying its plan to issue the order. The money that the United States voluntarily contributes to the United Nations is a little over 0. 1 percent of the total federal budget. Some Republican lawmakers have sought in the past to make some of the assessed dues also voluntary, but that idea has never passed muster with Congress. One area that is likely to draw scrutiny from the Trump administration, judging from what Ms. Haley said during her confirmation hearing, is peacekeeping. The United States pays the largest share of the peacekeeping budget — about 28 percent — but provides virtually no soldiers The threats to cut funding come as China has stepped up its role at the United Nations, increasing its support for peacekeeping and development aid. China also has a veto in the Security Council. “This is a time of strength, this is a time of action, this is a time of getting things done,” Ms. Haley said on Friday, adding that she was prepared to the United Nations’ efforts. “Everything that’s working we’re going to make it better. Everything that’s not working we’re going to try and fix. And anything that seems to be obsolete and not necessary we’re going to do away with,” she said. Her tone was in contrast to a far more conciliatory approach just days ago, when she faced a Senate confirmation hearing. There, she said she did not favor a “slash and burn” approach to American contributions to the United Nations, but she questioned its value to American national interests. “Are we getting what we pay for?” she asked. Ms. Haley, 45, a former Republican governor of South Carolina and one of Mr. Trump’s most outspoken critics during the campaign, had tried to distance herself from some of what Mr. Trump has said about international diplomacy. She has said she favors continuing sanctions against Russia, for instance, but also cooperation with the Kremlin on counterterrorism. She has said she is concerned about security threats posed by refugees, and while she said climate change was “on the table,” she said she did not favor policies that imperiled business. | 1 |
The WRH server is back to normal (except for the hack attacks). THOUGHT FOR THE DAY! "When buying shares, ask yourself, would you buy the whole company?" -- Rene Rivkin YOUR RANDOM DHS MONITORED PHRASE OF THE DAY DERA
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HOW TO HAVE HONEST ELECTIONS "It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." -- Joseph Stalin
Following the Florida election debacle of 2000, Americans were promised a more honest, transparent, and verifiable system of elections. We didn;t get it, because the elkection stealers won that election and decided that keeping the current system was their best guaarantee of re-election.
The election of 2016 changed that. The candidate being cheated by the system, Donald Trump, still prevailed thanks to a landslide that overcame the vote rigging. He will see having an honest election system as his best chance for a second term. Hence, there is a real opportunity to throw out the current system, whch is designed to encourage stealing elections, and replace it with a system that hinders cheating as much as possible.
To begin, stolen elections are a reality in this nation. John F. Kennedy stole the 1960 election from Richard Nixon. Nixon stole his re-election in what becvame known as the Watergate scandal. George W. Bush likely stole the 2000 election from Al Gore, and everyone had a ring-side seat watching Hillary Clinton trying to steal the election from Donald Trump.
A good place to start to learn about election stealing is the HBO documentary, "Hacking Democracy." It is available on NetFlix, Amazon Live, and Hulu. Here is a YouTube video of the final scenes showing how an electronic voting machine has the election results changed without even needing to touch the machine!
For more information, please visit http://blackboxvoting.org/ , the website operated by Bev Harris, who is featured in the HBO documentary.
Now then, I wish to offer a suggestion for a very simple way to have an open and honest election system. It is not 100% foolproof, but is designed to make it very difficult for cheating to happen and difficult to conceal it. This stands in sharp contrast to the current system, which is designed to facilitate and conceal the manipulation of elections.
First, some basic rules.
1. No electronic machines!
2. No central tabulation centers!
Everyone who votes must have ID to prove they are a US citizen and eligable to vote. Absentee ballots are only given to those who can prove they are unable to vote in person.
After the voters vote, their finger is marked with ink that takes a week to fade away, to prevent them from voting more than once.
All voting is done on paper ballots. When the polls close, the precincts hand-count the ballots in full view of witnesses, and verify the accuracy. All paper ballots are to be stored for an entire year after the election.
The totals for that polling place are posted for all to see and copies provided to all witnesses.
In the city newspaper the next day, all the totals for all the city precincts are printed, along with totals for the state. This allows everyone to first verify that their precinct totals were reported accurately, and to verify the math leading to the city totals for themselves.
Now, we move up a level! The state newspapers print all the city totals, and again the totals for the state. This allows everyone to first verify that their city totals were reported accurately, and to verify the math leading to the state totals for themselves.
Final level: The national newspapers print all the state totals, and tally up the winners. This allows everyone to first verify that their state totals were reported accurately, and to verify the math leading to the national totals for themselves.
What this does is create a system where there are literally millions of Americans watching and verifying the vote counts from polling place to final totals. Yes, it is a bit slower than the instant-guessing on TV, but that will prevent the corporate media from using "projections" to try to discourage voters of unfavored candidates from heading to the polls. There is in fact no law that says the winners of the elections have to be announced immediately, and certainly most Americans are willing to trade speed for accuracy in such an important matter. In the early days of this nation, prior to the telegraph, it would take weeks for the populace to learn who won the elections!
As I said, this is not a 100% perfect system. It is only as good as the people running it. But it does make stealing elections very difficult and that should always be the design objective of any election system! SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA | 0 |
BEIRUT, Lebanon — He had long been one of the more optimistic residents of the besieged, section of Aleppo, trying to buoy others’ spirits even as loyalist forces closed in. But as the Syrian Army and allied militias took more and more territory in an apparently decisive offensive during the week, Yasser Hmeish, an accountant for the local medical council, grew frantic. Soldiers seized his neighborhood on Wednesday while he worked at a clinic blocks away. Several of Mr. Hmeish’s neighbors were brought into the clinic wounded, but died before he could ask what had happened to his family. “I don’t know anything, anything about them,” Mr. Hmeish said in an audio message, in one of scores of exchanges we had with people inside east Aleppo as the offensive unfolded. “We are about to die or be arrested. ” After years of bombing and months under siege, rebels had lost more than of their territory in eastern Aleppo by the end of the week, throwing thousands of civilians and fighters into chaos. We followed the events in real time from Beirut, monitoring social media and talking via WhatsApp, Skype, telephone and other media with doctors, fighters, housewives, local council members, antigovernment activists, aid workers and others, including on the government side. All were people we had gotten to know through years of covering Syria’s bloody civil war. They confided their dilemmas over whether to flee to areas or stay put until the bitter end, a choice that split up many families. They described escalating bombardment and attacks that have killed women and children trying to reach safe ground. They revealed deepening rifts among rebel groups, and between fighters and civilians, over whether and how to surrender. Some told us of men who, upon reaching government territory, were pulled aside and detained — in a country where torture is common — or sent to fight in the Army. Some said rebel fighters were stopping people from leaving, while others said insurgents were helping them cross front lines. Many simply begged us for help. “This is our last S O S,” said Mohammad a radiology nurse whose hospital was taken over by government forces. He sent us text messages from a makeshift basement clinic where, he said, only first aid is available and serious injuries mean death. “I saw doctors standing in front of victims crying,” he said. As a turning point in the war approaches, countries like the United States, which have long demanded that President Bashar step down, are reduced to wrangling with Russia, Mr. Assad’s main backer, over how to protect or evacuate the civilians — no one is sure how many — trapped in the shrinking enclave. Last month, proposed evacuation deals fell through and government forces began an aerial and ground attack. At least 40, 000 people have fled to government areas during the offensive, but some have been unable to, and others have fled deeper into rebel territory, fearing arrest on the other side. Now, Russia has declared that anyone who does not leave will be considered a terrorist and “destroyed. ” The end game is starkly testing the competing narratives at the heart of the conflict in Aleppo. Many on the eastern, side say that they have stayed so long because they reject and fear the government and that its indiscriminate attacks are punishment for dissent. Government officials and supporters say the offensive is liberating residents held hostage by the insurgents, who indiscriminately shell government districts. Many people — estimates range from Russia’s tens of thousands to the United Nations’ 250, 000 — stayed for years when they could have left. They built underground schools, hospitals and playgrounds distributed food and organized a local council of rebels and civilians. But as the government advanced this past week, all semblance of order was shattered. Even some supporters of the rebellion fled, including hundreds of fighters. Three local council members crossed to government territory and were denounced by colleagues as traitors, only to be arrested, with websites trumpeting the capture of members of a “terrorist council. ” One woman said that she and 30 relatives had left their homes in the Qaterji neighborhood, but that one of her sons, a fighter, had stayed behind. She spoke on the condition that she be identified only by her nickname, Umm Faisal, out of concern for her safety. Local rebels, Umm Faisal said by phone, guided the group to avoid snipers. At the front line, shelling erupted. “We started running,” she recalled. “People left their luggage on the ground, holding children’s hands and running. Some were killed and wounded. ” They made contact with government soldiers, who led hundreds of people on foot through holes in walls, over sand and barrels and rubble. On the way, Umm Faisal said, she saw soldiers loading trucks with goods looted from houses, who smiled and greeted the travelers: “Thank God for your safety. ” At a reception center in the Jibreen district, Umm Faisal and her family received blankets, bread and medicine while the authorities took their identification. Men — whether dutifully or sincerely — chanted for Mr. Assad and the army. Still, she said, many of them were detained, and six of her relatives, men in their 20s, 30s and 40s, were held for Army service. Later, Umm Faisal said, she, her husband and two children took a taxi to the town of Marea, near the Turkish border. Along the twisting route, they bribed guards at checkpoints and talked their way out of detention by Kurdish militias. Before she left the refugee center, Umm Faisal refused to appear on state television, she said, because “I couldn’t lie on TV. ” Others, though, have been filmed thanking Mr. Assad, receiving aid bags marked “Help from Russia” and saying rebels had earlier prevented them from leaving. One aid worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions, said it was unclear how freely civilians in government territory were speaking. But the worker said one man had told her in compelling detail that the rebels refused to let him leave for medical treatment for his young daughter, who was rail thin from a stomach ailment. Separately, a nurse in eastern Aleppo, who spoke on the condition that she not be named, told us that rebels had stopped her parents and others from leaving the Bustan neighborhood. First, the fighters warned their group that government troops would shoot them, the nurse said. Then they threatened the travelers, asking why they wanted to “go to those who are bombing you. ” “We are dead either way,” one civilian had replied, the nurse said. Aid workers say the reclaimed areas of east Aleppo are largely destroyed and empty: Very few people stayed as troops moved in. The army took several hundred people back to one district, Hanano, telling them to move into abandoned apartments. But with no electricity, heat or water and many homes looted, some have asked to return to shelters despite the cold, uncomfortable conditions there as aid agencies scramble to catch up. Those who have decided to stay inside eastern Aleppo face continued airstrikes and shelling as people crowd into shrinking areas without medical care. Modar Shekho, a nurse, and his family ran from their house under fire, several of his friends said. As they searched for shelter, a shell killed his brother. As they looked for a place to bury him, the friends said, another explosion killed his father, a teacher who had helped arrange for students to take their state exams despite the siege. It was the second time that Mr. Shekho had lost two members of his family in a single day, according to friends a brother and sister, a doctor and nurse, died in a hospital bombing in 2013. Given such suffering, rebel groups are arguing. A minority, including the Levant Conquest Front, wants to continue the fight, and the rest, including United groups, want to make a deal to get civilians out. Some question whether they have already waited too long. Zohair a longtime activist, said he and others who had led street protests and later supported rebels had failed to deliver. “People started to hate their lives because of us,” he wrote in a text message. “Everything we’ve done is for nothing, we lost everything. ” He said that while some rebels were counseling “patience,” he was ready for any deal, either for rebels to leave in exchange for ending the bombing or to bus civilians out. “People have the right to take their children wherever they want, we can’t take them as hostages,” he said. “We couldn’t meet the promises we made them. ” Infighting and mistrust among rebels have hastened their collapse. During the week, fighters attacked United groups and took their supplies. Dr. Farida, a gynecologist who spoke on the condition that her last name not be used, checked off the people around her who planned to leave. “My only neighbor, my only aunt and uncle, my secretary, my maid, and even my right hand at work are going to the regime areas,” she wrote in a text message. “They are neutral and just want to live and eat and drink, they don’t care about the revolution and religion. “I feel like I lost a piece of me,” she wrote. “I can’t stop crying. ” | 1 |
STOCKHOLM — “I’m Not There” was the title of a 2007 movie about the exquisite elusiveness of the singer Bob Dylan. It is also the unofficial theme of the week in Stockholm, where Mr. Dylan, who won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, is not here to accept it. He has not been here for anything else, either. He did not attend the traditional news conference. He did not deliver the traditional lecture. He did not make the traditional visit to a local school, or take part in the traditional fancy dinner with the Swedish Academy, which awards the literature Nobel every year. (All those events were canceled.) And as he said before, he will not be at the ceremony on Saturday, when the literature prize is to be awarded along with the medicine, economics and science prizes, or at the banquet afterward. Though Mr. Dylan has sent a message of thanks to be read aloud, he has not dispatched someone to accept the award on his behalf, as other have done. “From a P. R. viewpoint, it’s been a disaster,” said Jens Liljestrand, the book editor at the Swedish newspaper Expressen. “It’s been a very unfortunate autumn for the Swedish Academy. ” Mr. Dylan’s absence seems of a piece with his legendarily perverse unpredictability. But it has also saddled the highly secretive academy, which is nearly as inscrutable as Mr. Dylan, with the difficult task of explaining to the world why it does not feel insulted. As the debate rages in Sweden — is Mr. Dylan’s behavior simple rudeness? a fear of being thrust into the Nobel spotlight? some sort of elaborate piece of performance art? — the academy has taken the position, at least publicly, that none of it matters. “I completely respect his decision, and I assume that he has very good reasons for not coming,” Sara Danius, the academy’s permanent secretary, said in an interview. “He may be completely booked, or he may have personal reasons. ” But in a Nobelcentric place where the literature prize is such big news that people gather around their television sets every October to hear the announcement, Mr. Dylan’s absence has been seen as faintly embarrassing at best. “Having a Nobel Prize without a Nobel Prize winner is not much fun,” said the writer and former publisher Per Gedin. Some Swedes have spoken wistfully about what he is missing. “It’s a really warm and welcoming program arranged to make the winner happy,” said the publisher Dorotea Bromberg, who recalled shepherding J. M. Coetzee, the South African writer, around Stockholm when he won the literature prize in 2003. Initially, Mr. Coetzee was reluctant, she said, but “day by day he warmed up” and actually ended up enjoying himself. Mr. Dylan is not the only winner in recent years who has failed to appear. Others include Alice Munro, Doris Lessing, Harold Pinter and Elfriede Jelinek, but their reasons had to do with illness, old age and, in the case of Ms. Jelinek, various prohibitive phobias (crowds, flying). In each case, the winner either delivered a lecture that was filmed and transmitted to Stockholm or had the lecture read aloud. Mr. Dylan’s absence, however, does seem consistent with his general approach. “He’s behaved so strangely for so many years that if he would show up now and be cheerful and pleased, you’d be surprised,” said Daniel Sandstrom, the literary director at the publisher Albert Bonniers. Also, he said, Mr. Dylan’s politeness (or not) should have no bearing on whether he deserves to win the prize. “It would be very bad to award it just to nice people,” he said. Worse, in the view of some, is that Mr. Dylan’s win may disqualify other Americans, like Don DeLillo and Philip Roth, from winning, at least in the near future. Mr. Dylan is the first American laureate to win since Toni Morrison did so in 1993. “It’s very unkind, to put it mildly, to give it to an American but to give it to the wrong American,” said Mr. Gedin, who believes the prize should have gone to a more traditional writer. The academy is accustomed to unconventional behavior from Nobel laureates, who do not always exhibit unalloyed joy when they get the notifying telephone call. Some are scared some seem almost irritated some instruct their spouses to say they cannot come to the phone some affect an air of insouciant indifference. With the Belarussian journalist Svetlana Alexievich, who won last year, there was a language issue. “I tried French I tried German,” Ms. Danius said. “She didn’t understand what I was saying, although she did understand ‘Nobel’ and ‘prize. ’” But Mr. Dylan’s behavior has been at the extreme end of the spectrum, starting from a failure, for nearly two weeks, to respond to Ms. Danius’s phone and email messages. “Strange things have happened before, but nothing on this level,” said Per Wastberg, the chairman of the Nobel Committee at the academy. Ms. Danius’s assertion that Mr. Dylan’s behavior is not a concern — “The important thing is that the Nobel Prize in Literature belongs to Bob Dylan,” she said — is testament to the academy’s view of itself as impervious to outside criticism and pressure. Highly secretive about its inner workings, it exists as something of a paradox: both steeped in the world literary community and strangely apart from and above it. Founded to promote Swedish language and literature by King Gustaf III in 1786, the academy took on the Nobel literature responsibilities in 1901, the first year the prize was awarded (the winner was the French author Sully Prudhomme). Its 18 members, who serve until they die (they can stop attending meetings, but they cannot resign) are an idiosyncratic collection of writers, academics and specialists in — and advocates for — particular areas of literature. Each year, the academy invites academic institutions, scholars, literary organizations, former laureates and others to put forth nominees. You are not meant to nominate yourself, though it happens all the time. “We get at least one letter a week from someone who says, ‘I’m fantastic — you should read my book,’” Ms. Danius said. (These applicants are automatically disqualified.) Winners must have previously made the shortlist at least once, and it seems that Mr. Dylan’s name had been kicking around for a while. The prize is meant to reward a life’s body of work, notwithstanding that even great writers produce material that not everyone loves. “Doris Lessing was on the shortlist for quite a while before my time, and then she wrote a series of novels that sank her in the view of the academy,” Mr. Wastberg said. However, her name was resurrected — in part because of her autobiography — and she won the prize in 2007. And what of Mr. Dylan’s Nobel lecture, which under the terms of the prize is required to be given within six months of the ceremony? Rumor has it that he’ll be in Stockholm next spring, “though the details are still unclear,” Ms. Danius said, and he has said nothing about giving a speech. “I’m not sure a regular concert will do it,” she added. “But the Swedish Academy always tries to accommodate the laureate’s wishes, so if that’s what he’d like to propose, I’m certain there is a way. ” | 1 |
10 Signs That The Global Elite's Ship Is Sinking Nov 16, 2016 9 0
Times are continuing to shift in a big way and humanity’s rise over the darkness that has plagued our planet for a very long time is gathering momentum by the day. Remember, the elite’s modus operandi is to crush any form of hope or belief that things can or will get better. Truth prevails though and we are seeing the old world order crumble. 2017 is sure to be an exciting year. Continue to dream big. The cabal is being flipped upside down. June 23rd, 2016 : Britain votes to leave the European Union. While some are choosing to see this as an extremist act whose focus was on securing the border from immigrants, there is a much bigger picture to that event. While it must be said that the immigration issue is in the minds of some who were pro-Brexit (and thus needs to be humanely and compassionately addressed), the bigger issue was that Britain reclaimed it’s sovereignty back from the imperialistic banking and political cabal. As it has been reported in The Telegraph, a mainstream media outlet in the UK, the CIA and the U.S. State Department have been heavily involved in the creation of the European Union from the very beginning. As Professor Alan Sked said in the article : Voters in Britain’s referendum need to understand that the European Union was about building a federal superstate from day one. July 22nd, 2016 : Wikileaks releases over 20,000 emails from the Democratic National Convention and shows the deep collusion between the Clinton Campaign and the DNC itself. These revelations ultimately helped force the resignations of the top 4 positions within the DNC. October 8th, 2016 : Shortly after Wikileaks began dumping the PodestaFiles, emails were revealed that John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman, was receiving emails about UFO/E.T. disclosure as well as free energy technology , whose emails came from former NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell. These are highly significant in the fact that it is admitted by Mitchell that such technologies do exist and that even the Vatican knows of them. Once these technologies are known about on an even wider scale, the lies and corruption of the oil industry will fall apart and humanity can then reclaim it’s freedom. October 10th, 2016: Turkey defies the banking cabal and signs the Turkish Stream gas pipeline deal with Russia. Because Russia is in opposition to the cabal, or NWO, as some would prefer, this is a massive financial and geopolitical game-changer. October 20th, 2016: The Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte visits China with 200 Filipino businessmen to mend ties with China. He also announces his separation from the U.S. (which is a blow to the cabal) and seeks an alliance with not only China, but Russia too. The BRICS Alliance continues to grow. October 30th, 2016: Iceland’s Prime Minister steps down as the activist, anti-establishment party, known as The Pirate Party, comes in second in national elections and jumps it’s number of parliament seats from 3 to 10. As more people around the world herald the call for true freedom, political parties reflecting such ideals will continue to prevail. The Pirate Party is in over 40 countries around the world currently, and the movement continues to grow. November 4th, 2016: Wikileaks emails reveal the Podesta brothers were invited to a “spirit cooking dinner” and involved eating sperm and menstrual blood. While some surely laughed this off, keep in mind that former FBI special agent Ted Gunderson spent several years investigating and exposing this information to the public, before being murdered. We must also keep in mind that former BBC star Jimmy Savile was revealed to being involved in a massive, elite-ridden pedophile ring. The pedophilia and ritualistic claims against many of the elites is well known around the world and is a very serious issue. The fact that even a small bit of this came out in the Wikileaks revelations is significant and a sign of the times. So much more is coming . November 8th, 2016: It was revealed by Neil Keenan that several globalists/cabalists, including Mark Carney of the Bank of England, Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve, the Rothschilds, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and others were involved in a deal to steal 1 million metric tons of Gold from the global collateral accounts . As of this writing, the deal has been stopped and it very beneficial to humanity. While this story might not make much sense to many readers, understand that the global collateral accounts are the cabal’s biggest financial secret on this planet. It is the reason JFK was killed and it also relates to 9/11 . November 13th, 2016: The European countries of Moldova and Bulgaria elect new presidents, both of whom are pro-Russia. This is yet another major setback for the globalists plans of creating a superstate out of Europe. Watch for even more countries to begin aligning with Russia. November 15th, 2016: More than 200 rallies around the U.S. take place to protest the North Dakota pipeline that is being attempted to form. The world is continuing to awaken and sees the lunacy of oil and gas for energy. Clean solutions already exist.
What are some other stories that you believe are signs that the elite’s ship is sinking? Some believe that the election of Donald Trump is a sign. Do you agree or disagree with that? Share with us in the comments section what events you feel should be included in the upcoming Part 2 of this ongoing story. If we agree, we’ll post it in Part 2.
Lance Schuttler graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Health Science and does health coaching through his website Orgonlight Health . You can follow the Orgonlight Health facebook page or visit the website for more information and other inspiring articles. | 0 |
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter What does it mean to be a leader? This is a question I have been asking myself repeatedly over the past few weeks. The 2016 presidential election is but a few weeks away and I am left feeling confused, disgusted, and outright angry at what has been demonstrated as leadership. If I am honest, I feel embarrassed to be a citizen of a country that is most certainly causing many eyes to roll and jokes to be made. We are better than this. As I continue to grow, fall down, pick myself back up, and evolve as a leader, I am constantly exploring what the word means to me and how I can embody that meaning from a grounded and heart-centered place. I come back time and time again to the same process — a process that is not weighted or influenced by that which is outside of me, but rather by that which lives deep inside of me. It’s about self-inquiry, self-reflection, self-accountability, and self-responsibility. It’s a process that asks me to drop to my knees, to stretch, to get uncomfortable, to ask more of myself. It’s a process that in times like these, we uncompromisingly appoint ourselves to undergo because we have no choice but to stand firmly in our own leadership. Whether you are a butcher, baker, or a candlestick maker — you are a leader. And the world needs as many honest, honourable, and integrity-filled leaders as it can get right now. Here are my six strategies for stepping firmly into your own embodied leadership. I invite you to get comfy with a notebook, pen, and cup of warm tea and walk yourself through this process step-by-step. 1. Identify Your Value System What matters most to you? Where do you feel unwilling to compromise? Your integrity? Loyalty? Ambition? Transparency? Your values are the foundational parts of yourself that guide your behaviours, choices, and actions. When these are in alignment and you are living your values, you feel at peace inside of yourself. You are operating not from your head or your gut, but from your heart. You are discerning in your decisions and steadfast in your commitments. Not only does it feel good inside of yourself, it is overwhelmingly obvious to the outside world that you’ve got something groovy going on. 2. Acknowledge and Understand What Makes You, You I hope this step doesn’t scare you, because this one takes a little bit of work, as it is an ongoing unfolding process. Although many of us know parts of ourselves, we also have blind spots. Part of stepping into your leadership is to see and understand all of yourself: the good, the bad, and the ugly. For me, the most helpful resource I have found is the Enneagram . This highly evolved personality typing system helps you to better understand your strengths, your stressors, your fears, your areas for growth, and your opportunities to develop. Using this system, you can become clearer on who you are, while learning how other people operate in the world. This information can be unbelievably helpful when learning how to be mindful and aware as a leader. As an Enneagram Type 2, the Healer, I am well-versed in knowing that my superpower is my ability to be compassionate, empathetic, and helpful, but I also lose my power and can become insecure when I do not feel needed. This does not make me weak or invaluable as a leader, but rather pushes me to rise up and push my edges whenever I experience this feeling so that I can meet my own boundless potential. 3. Cultivate a Network of Mentors Want to know something crazy? You don’t know everything and you can’t do it all on your own. I know how disappointing this may sound, but let me tell you something: It’s a damn godsend! Not needing to know it all or have all of the answers gives you space to be vulnerable, approachable, real, and ever-changing. A network of mentors helps you to not feel alone when you are up against the wall and aren’t quite sure how to navigate your next steps. Over the past few years I have worked hard to create my network of mentors. Currently, my network consists of one spiritual mentor and two professional mentors. Oh, and I also have a therapist. That’s right, I have four older, wiser, more evolved humans in my life that I can regularly call upon when in need. And they aren’t my friends. I don’t call them to gab, or simply catch up. I call them when I need to get in deep and unpack some serious personal, professional, or spiritual shit. This wolf pack is a group of individuals who have been around the sun once or twice and take their role as a mentor seriously. If you are feeling lost or misguided in your leadership, I greatly encourage you to reach out to people who inspire you and are living and leading lives that you admire. Don’t be shy. Don’t hold back. Be willing to pay a bit of money for it. Be willing to be rejected. But most of all, be willing to ask. 4. Act from Authenticity A few months back I wrote an article about my 5 Tips on Being Genuine . It almost makes me laugh to think that we need to be reminded to be authentic in our actions. However, the truth is that we have become used to cropping our lives into a series of photographs, 140 characters, or neat blog entries and Facebook posts. We have become buttoned up, edited, and the image of perfection. So, let me show you my leadership by revealing some of my imperfections. I often have no idea what I’m doing. I felt sad for almost all of last week and I couldn’t totally put my finger on why or what to do other than get lots of sleep, exercise, and eat well. I have lots of little blonde hairs on my upper lip that I pluck when I remember. Sometimes I watch TV on my computer in bed. Other times I eat peanut butter toast and scrambled eggs for dinner when I feel too wiped out to cook. I’ve been called bossy. My boyfriend and I fight. I can get anxious when work is slow. Evolve Your Inbox & Stay Conscious Daily Inspiration and all our best content, straight to your inbox. Writing these words, I can feel my own power grow. I’m not hiding anything. I’m not putting on a face or trying to be put together; I’m just being human. And whenever I read or watch someone else show me their messiness, I feel their power and their leadership. Being human is sexy. Show the world what you’re working with. 5. Constantly Work on Your Communication Skills Let me repeat this one: CONSTANTLY WORK ON YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS. Communication is a basic life skill and your ability to communicate largely determines your happiness. When you communicate effectively, you make and keep friends. You are valued at work. Your family respects and trusts you. Your needs get met. When you communicate effectively, people listen and hear you, and you learn how to listen to and hear other people. This is when magic happens. Strong, compassionate communication is something that is learned; you’re not born with it. If you are looking for resources on how to better communicate, I highly recommend the books Messages: The Communication Skills Book by Matthew McKay, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning and Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg. Additionally, be open to uncovering the underlying reasons of why you react or feel triggered (another blog post coming soon on that) by certain types of communication as well as receiving feedback from others on ways that you communicate well and areas for growth. 6. Commit Yourself to Lifelong Learning Whether you are a CEO at a company, a full-time parent, a caretaker, just starting out your career, or saving the world, you are a leader. And any truly great leader is always learning. Leaders are strengthening their strengths, finding opportunity in their obstacles, and discovering new ways to be the best versions of themselves. Whether it is a book, workshop, therapy session, class, or travel experience, commit yourself to a lifelong learning process and you will forever feel empowered in your leadership. We are currently witnessing a national crisis, where the proposed future leaders of our country are being caught in webs of lies, immoral behaviours, cruel words, disrespectful communication, and dishonourable action. I know it’s easy to sit here, pointing fingers and placing blame. Instead, I am asking you to rise up and embrace your own, unique, and powerful leadership so that we can all come together, one by one, and stand up for what we believe in. Truth. Peace. Integrity. Compassion. Equality. Loyalty. Honesty. And Love. If you are doing it right, you will feel like you are revealing too much.
The Sacred Science follows eight people from around the world, with varying physical and psychological illnesses, as they embark on a one-month healing journey into the heart of the Amazon jungle.
You can watch this documentary film FREE for 10 days by clicking here.
"If “Survivor” was actually real and had stakes worth caring about, it would be what happens here, and “The Sacred Science” hopefully is merely one in a long line of exciting endeavors from this group." - Billy Okeefe, McClatchy Tribune | 0 |
U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a new website — “Ice En Español. ” @ICEEspañol is also now on Twitter. The new media campaign allows officials to distribute information currently being distorted or misreported by some media. [Officials said the “expanded Spanish language presence … is our most recent step in increasing access to important and accurate information about ICE. ” The translated website provides press releases, information about ICE and the agency’s mission, and a “Detainee Locator” tab. ICE released a statement touting “One of the highlights” of the new forum “is informing audiences about the important work ICE does, such as combating child exploitation, human trafficking, and fighting transnational gangs. ” Moreover, “Offering information in other languages helps ICE communicate across cultures and reach a broader audience, while also ensuring that the public can obtain information directly from ICE, and not from unofficial — and possibly unscrupulous — sources,” said Liz Johnson, assistant director of public affairs. Breitbart Texas reported in early February that ICE officials were working to combat false reports of checkpoints and ICE raids. “Reports of ICE checkpoints and sweeps are false, dangerous and irresponsible. These reports create mass panic and put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger. Any groups falsely reporting such activities are doing a disservice to those they claim to support,” the statement provided to Breitbart Texas said. After President Trump was sworn into office and ongoing ICE raids were targeting criminal aliens, media outlets and open borders and amnesty advocates spread fear and false information. The profile on the @ICEEspañol Twitter page calls ICE “the largest investigative agency at DHS,” and has a link to “Report Suspicious Activity. ” There is also a “Detention Reporting and Information Line” (DRIL) a service to answer questions, and report: The rotating cover on the website details the number of arrests made, and the amount of currency and the number of firearms seized. The site also has a section that provides access to its “Declined Detainer Outcome Report( s),” a weekly report that exposes sanctuary cities and their release of criminals subject to detainers. The report was mandated by President Trump’s executive order “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States. ” Texas lead the country in sanctuary city releases, the first edition revealed. As reported by Breitbart Texas in the report has been temporarily suspended. The agency released a statement that it was working to refine the data reporting process. ICE officials received pushback from some jurisdictions that were incorrectly reported as having released criminal aliens under detainers. 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 |
Sen. Rand Paul ( ) on Friday told Breitbart News that several sources have told him that the Obama administration spied on his presidential campaign. [“We’ve had several people come to us and say that it happened. I don’t have access to that information, but I’ve been very concerned that too many Americans’ information is being culled through without a warrant,” he told Breitbart News. “I don’t have any facts to say it happened,” he said. “But numerous sources are coming to us saying it did happen so I want to search through, find out why I wasn’t notified. Was it on purpose?” “There’s a lot of things to be found out, particularly since we found out that Susan Rice was unmasking people and we need to know was there a political motivation, because one of the real dangers in a free society is if government gets so powerful it’s listening to all of our phone calls, the possibility of extortion, the possibility of blackmail — all of that goes up exponentially,” he said. Earlier in the day, Paul revealed that he had requested information from the White House and the intelligence community on whether he was surveilled by the Obama administration or the intelligence community. I have formally requested from the WH and the Intel Committees info on whether I was surveilled by Obama admin and or the Intel community! — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 5, 2017, In a letter Paul sent to President Trump on April 10, he asked that the administration “promptly investigate” whether his name or the names of other members of Congress, individuals from their staffs or campaigns, were included in queries or searches of database of the intelligence community, or if their identities were unmasked in any intelligence reports or products. Paul said at a CATO Institute speech later that he was sending a new letter Friday morning. “We have several sources telling us that members of the Obama administration were looking at politicians, particularly who were running for office,” he said. Paul said he has never received a “Gates notification,” which Congress is supposed to receive if the intelligence community reveals the identity of a lawmaker in a National Security Agency intercept. He said in the new letter, he is asking specifically whether there was a Gates notification for him. He said he’s heard from people “specific aspects of a private conversation” he had with President Obama. “How’s anybody know that? How did General Flynn’s conversation get reported? They keep using the word incidental. Don’t let that let your guard down. There’s a million Americans having their phone calls recorded incidentally. It’s not just a no big deal to have your phone call recorded,” he said. “Particularly if someone in the intelligence community uses the media to destroy you … As an American citizen, I’m horrified that his private conversation was leaked. Does the president not have any privacy in who he talks to?” Trump’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was forced to step down after a private conversation he had with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kisylak was leaked to the Washington Post. “This is very very worrisome, and what we’ve allowed to happen,” Paul said. Paul was among several Republican members of Congress who ran for president in 2016. The others were Sens. Ted Cruz ( ) Lindsey Graham ( ) and Marco Rubio ( ). Paul’s query comes after news reports revealed last month that former President Obama’s National Security Adviser Susan Rice had requested the unmasking of Trump campaign officials. She has not denied doing so, only doing anything illegal or “untoward. ” Rice on Wednesday denied an invite from Graham to appear before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Monday to testify on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Rice’s lawyer said in a letter that Rice declined after the subcommittee’s Democrat ranking member had notified her that he disagreed with the invite. Paul told Breitbart News “I think it’s especially egregious if it’s happening to another branch of government, that one branch of government is spying on the other branch of government and you don’t really have checks and balances. ” “I can’t for the life of me think of any reason why I would be part of an investigation. And it also goes further to prove that maybe we have an intelligence community run amok if they’re looking at political figures, because I had nothing to do with any of the other things,” he added. | 1 |
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One of the best things about my childhood was that I lived within walking distance of a library. It wasn’t a huge library, but it fed my hunger for escape and story.
Because of this, I have a special place in my heart for librarians. I’m pretty sure I was a hella annoying kid (none of us really changes over time….we only become more fully what we are. – Anne Rice). But our librarian never let on if I annoyed her. Or maybe she was just the kind of saintly librarian who enjoyed kids who liked learning? I dunno. But we’d go and spend hours, whole days even. It was Nirvana!
From ForReadingAddicts : This is an absolutely brilliant Parody of Bohemian Rhapsody, created by the Shoalhaven Library Staff to celebrate the end of the the school year, and all I can say is….. ‘Well, that escalated!
Indeed. Don’t be fooled by the slow start of this video. These brainiacs drop the mic!
Watch: About Tiffany Willis
Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan, a proponent of voluntary simplicity, a single mom, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with “the least of these" -- disadvantaged and oppressed populations, the elderly, people living in poverty, at-risk youth, and unemployed people. She is a Certified Workforce Expert with the National Workforce Institute , a NAWDP Certified Workforce Development Professional, and a certified instructor for Franklin Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens . Follow her on Twitter , Facebook , or LinkedIn . She also has a grossly neglected personal blog , a Time Travel blog , a site dedicated to encouraging people to read classic literature 15 minutes a day , and a literary quotes blog that is a labor of love . Find her somewhere and join the discussion. Click here to buy Tiff a mojito. Connect | 0 |
Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, came under fire on Saturday for posting on Twitter an image of the Star of David shape next to a picture of Hillary Clinton and calling his opponent the “most corrupt candidate ever!” While the star is used in other contexts, including as a symbol of many Sheriff’s Departments, it has deep meaning in Judaism and the image was overlaid atop a pile of money. It appeared to play into the stereotype of Jews being obsessed with finances. After being derided on social media, Mr. Trump deleted the post and replaced it with one that had a circle instead of the star shape. While Mr. Trump has been working to professionalize his campaign, the Twitter post was the latest example of him making remarks many deem offensive. Several weeks ago, he insinuated that a federal judge presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University could not be impartial in the case because of his Mexican heritage. Mr. Trump apparently realized the problem with the original Twitter post because he rarely apologizes for his remarks or deletes his posts. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Before the post came down, Josh Schwerin, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, asked on his personal Twitter account, “Why is there a Star of David?” Other commenters were more blunt: Mr. Trump regularly touts his close ties to Jewish people, noting that his daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism when she married her husband, Jared Kushner. He also has promised to make the security of Israel a top priority if he is elected president. However, Mr. Trump has frustrated some Jews for initially declining to take a firm stand on the side of Israel when discussing the conflict with the Palestinians. And he angered some last year when he joked about Jews being good with money during a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition. Mr. Trump has also been criticized for failing to denounce supporters who have harangued Jewish journalists on social media and at gatherings of white nationalists, and for being slow to disavow the support of David Duke, the former Klansman. | 1 |
President Donald Trump’s immediate 2017 budget request will fund the first 62 miles of border walls and fences, pending the appropriation of more funds in late 2017 for additional construction in 2018, says a report from CNN. [According to CNN, ” The [2017] money will fund 14 miles of new border wall in San Diego, 28 miles of new levee wall barriers and six miles of new border wall in the Rio Grande Valley region and 14 miles of replacement fencing in San Diego. ” CNN’s report does not say how much of the $1 billion planned for extra spending in early 2017 would be allocated to planning and construction of the border fence, which is expected to stretch along much of the nation’s border. The fence or wall is expected to annually save tens of billions of dollars in reduced spending on illegals and also on offsetting the impact of illegal immigrants. Already, according to CNN, the administration’s budget “documents also claim that Trump’s executive orders on immigration enforcement are already having an effect, saying arrests are up 50% charges are up 40% and requests to detain arrested individuals who are deportable are up 80%. ” Trump’s new budget plans also call for an extra $2. 6 billion in spending for 2018 to improve border security and construction. Top Democratic leaders, including the Democrats’ Senate leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer, are hoping to block construction of the wall. But numerous polls show that strong majorities of Americans want to reduce the flow of drugs, preserve U. S. jobs for Americans and also want Congress to pass laws that help Americans. In 2006, Congress passed a law authorizing — but not funding — the construction of a border wall. Trump’s budget document was sent to Congress March 16, and is titled “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again. ” It is not the formal budget request for 2018, but it outlines spending plans for 2018, and it requests amendments to the 2017 budgets set by Congress late last year. If the requested budget amendments are approved by Congress, the DHS 2017 budget in 2017 would rise by $3 billion. The budget plan also calls for the DHS 2018 budget to be set at $44 billion. A comprehensive budget request for FY 2018 will be delivered to Congress in May. According to a department statement: The FY 2017 Budget Amendment would provide $3 billion [in 2017] for DHS implementation of recent Executive Orders. The request would fund efforts to plan, design, and construct a physical wall along the southern border, and make other critical investments in tactical border infrastructure and technology. The request also proposes funding to increase immigration detention capacity, which is necessary to ensure the removal of illegal aliens from the United States. Finally, the request funds additional capacity at DHS to prepare for hiring additional immigration law enforcement officers and agents … | 1 |
ROME — Italy plunged into political and economic uncertainty early Monday as Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign after voters decisively rejected constitutional changes, a step certain to reverberate across a European Union already buffeted by anger. “The ‘no’ won in an incredibly clear way,” Mr. Renzi said from the Chigi Palace. Holding back tears as he spoke in front of Italian and European Union flags, the usually brash and confident said, “I assume all the responsibility of the defeat,” adding that “my experience of government ends here. ” He said he would go later on Monday to the country’s president, Sergio Mattarella, and “tender my resignation. ” Mr. Renzi’s defeat, and the instability that his resignation is likely to cause, raised the prospect of punishment in the markets, but also a caretaker government staffed with technocrats appointed by the Italian president. Another possibility is the calling of early elections in 2017, though that, too, was unclear because Italy’s new electoral law is itself under review by Italy’s constitutional court. The news sent the euro down sharply in Asian trading. If early elections do occur next year, 2017 is shaping up to be a seminal year in the history of the European Union with founding members Germany, France and potentially Italy all going to the polls with strong and populist candidates in the running. Mr. Renzi’s defeat came hours after voters in Austria, presented with a stark ideological choice for the largely ceremonial position of head of state, chose Alexander Van der Bellen, the former leader of the small Green Party, over Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party. It was but a brief reprieve for a European political establishment that has suffered populist jolts all year. The reaction to Mr. Renzi’s loss illustrated the poisonous tone of the long campaign leading up to the referendum. “The propaganda of the regime and all its lies are the first losers of this referendum,” Beppe Grillo, the leader of Italy’s Five Star Movement, wrote on his widely read blog. “Times have changed,” he said. Luigi Di Maio, the deputy leader of the lower house of Parliament and a likely candidate for prime minister from the Five Star Movement, spoke about a coming “Five Star government. ” And Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Northern League, who campaigned vigorously against Mr. Renzi’s proposal, called the result “not just a defeat for Renzi but also his servant, lackeys, bankers, financiers. ” Ostensibly the vote was about arcane changes to Italy’s Constitution that would have streamlined government. But opposition to the proposals came from the same sentiment — spiked with skepticism of globalization, open borders and the feasibility of an European Union — that has transformed the politics of a growing list of European countries. Such movements have already smashed the traditional political structures in Greece and Spain, and forces skeptical of the European Union led Britain to vote in June to leave the union. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel, once untouchable, now seems vulnerable in next year’s elections. And parties are also seeking power in France. In Austria, the Green Party stalled the advance of populist forces on Sunday by defeating the presidential candidate of the Freedom Party, which was established by former Nazis. The result in Austria might have calmed some nerves, but it was the rejection of Mr. Renzi that most sent shivers through Europe and the world. In a strategic blunder that echoed David Cameron’s call for a “Brexit” referendum, Mr. Renzi had tied his government’s tenure to Sunday’s vote when he was flying high in the polls. But his support eroded, and world leaders anxiously watched the vote in Italy, the economy in Europe, as a referendum on Mr. Renzi’s centrist government and as a barometer of the strength of winds blowing across both sides of the Atlantic. Financial analysts have warned that instability caused by Mr. Renzi’s premature departure could result in a renewed and possibly contagious financial crisis in Italy, where banks are saddled with bad loans, and where desperately needed investors are turned off by the return of Italian instability. Some world leaders, seeing in Mr. Renzi a critical defense against populism’s rising tide, had urged him to stay. President Obama, speaking at the White House during Mr. Renzi’s visit in October, said he hoped Mr. Renzi would “hang around for a while no matter what. ” The incoming administration of Donald J. Trump was less eager to see him remain. Members of Mr. Trump’s inner circle have closely watched, and rooted for, the surging populism in Europe. What was clear, said Stefano Stefanini, who served as a diplomatic adviser to Giorgio Napolitano, a former Italian president, was that the vote was “a test of strength of the and forces in Italy. ” Mr. Stefanini said Mr. Renzi’s departure could embolden parties feeding on economic frustration, loss of national identity, anger at Brussels and a desire to break with the War II belief that Italy’s economic and national security interests were better served within an alliance of liberal democracies. The vote showed that Italy “is reverting to a willingness to go it alone as a ” Mr. Stefanini said. The primary beneficiary of Mr. Renzi’s defeat is Italy’s Five Star Movement, a party that advocates a referendum to determine whether Italy should give up the euro. “We have the Italian people behind us,” Mr. Di Maio, 30, said in a recent interview. “And he is losing,” he said of Mr. Renzi. Mr. Renzi, in an interview over the summer, compared the party’s leader, Mr. Grillo, to Mr. Trump. “Populism is always the offspring of fear,” Mr. Renzi said at the time. “And in Italy, the answer to fear is the courage to not be defensive, to not be like all the others. ” But Italy instead became like a growing list of European countries, and Italians seemed most moved by the message of Mr. Grillo and other leaders of his party, who campaigned tirelessly against a reform proposal they said would put too much power in the Mr. Renzi’s hands. In the end, heavy opposition in the south and other regions marred by high unemployment levels proved insurmountable, and Mr. Renzi could not persuade enough moderates to stick with him and his government’s plan to modernize Italy. Ultimately, the substance of the reform mattered less than voters’ opinions of Mr. Renzi. In the past, personalizing politics had helped Mr. Renzi, a charismatic Florentine who came to power as a result of an internal Democratic Party coup in 2014. This time, it hurt him. Mr. Renzi proved unable to keep walking the tightrope between outsider and insider that he had navigated so exquisitely during his rapid ascent to the apex of Italian government. On the one hand, Mr. Renzi presented himself as an demolition man determined to smash the gerontocracy in Italy and shock into action the bureaucracy in Brussels. On the other, he was the consummate insider, an expert at working within the system who built unlikely coalitions to get things done. Italy, long mocked as the chaotic home of 63 governments in 70 years, emerged as a safe port of stability, and its young leader took on a special aura as a bulwark against the and radical forces. Sunday’s vote erased that halo. After casting his ballot against the reform on Sunday morning, Dario Cecchi, 37, said his vote had less to do with Mr. Renzi than the substance of the proposal. Mr. Cecchi added that he was upset that Mr. Renzi had tied his political fate to the referendum, because he did not want him to step down. He said he understood that Mr. Renzi had Italy as a force within Europe and that a yes vote would only increase his country’s power inside the European Union. But, he said, the reform “shouldn’t just be good for Europe — it should be good for Italy. ” | 1 |
President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to call for an investigation into “who paid for the small organized rallies yesterday” — referring to the Tax Day March held Saturday in Washington and at least 60 other locations. [Trump may have missed a Breitbart News exclusive investigative article penned by this reporter on February 16 titled, “Soros Groups Behind Massive Tax Day Protest Plot. ” While there is no immediate information on who directly bankrolled this specific protest movement, Breitbart News found that most of the listed partners and support organizers of the march are openly financed by George Soros or have close links to Soros financing. Someone should look into who paid for the small organized rallies yesterday. The election is over! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2017, Trump’s tweet itself received widespread news media coverage. However, scores of major news media articles reviewed by this reporter failed to document the Soros ties to the tax march. “Trump calls for investigation into Tax Day protesters, tweets ‘election is over! ’” reads a CNBC. com article. After noting an initial Trump tweet on the difficulty of a Republican winning the Electoral College, NBC News reported: The president then followed up by repeating an unsubstantiated claim he’s made before that some of the protesters against him were “paid,” an allegation that became popular in some circles in the build up to the 2016 presidential election, before noting that the election was “over. ” “Trump’s Tweets Give Tax Day Marchers at Least Part of What They Wanted,” noted the headline in a Vanity Fair report. The article’s reads: “He may never release his tax returns, but thousands of marchers around the country got their message heard. ” The website for the Tax Day march claims that its mission is to get Trump to release his tax returns and more. The site reads: President Trump needs to be straight with the American people. To whom does he owe favors? Who are his policies really intended to benefit? Who will he put first? Working families are struggling to make ends meet, but we pay our fair share in taxes — does Donald Trump pay any at all? A query about protest financing sent to the email address for press inquiries listed on the Tax Day March website was not answered as of this writing. Organizers of the March claim to be “ordinary Americans, community organizers, advocates, and people from all walks of life and all backgrounds joining together to raise our voices and send a bold message to this administration. ” In February, Breitbart News documented a section of the Tax Day March website titled, “Who is organizing it?” The website for the Tax March listed the following eight groups, six of which are either funded by Soros or tied to Soros financing. The Tax March is grateful to have the support of the following organizations: American Federation of Teachers, Americans for Tax Fairness, Center for Popular Democracy, Indivisible Project, MoveOn. Org, Our Revolution, and The Working Families Party. Americans for Tax Fairness is the recipient of a grant from Soros’s Open Society Foundations’ U. S. Programs. MoveOn. Org is financed by Soros. The American Federation of Teachers’ Educational Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the American Federation of Teachers, was financed by the Strategic Opportunities Fund of Soros’s Open Society Foundations, leaked Open Society documents show. The Center for Popular Democracy is led by activists. In 2013, Marbre Stahly, a policy advocate at the Center, became a Soros Justice Fellow, which comes with a stipend of $ $110, 250 to fund activism projects that last between months. The Center was listed as Stahly’s “host” for the grant. According to her bio, the Center’s research analyst, Maggie Corser, “spent four years at the Open Society Foundations where she conducted research on the future of work, conservative political infrastructure, and a range of economic justice issues. ” Shawn Sebastian, the Center’s field director for its Fed Up Campaign, was a fellow at the so called Unit of the Open Society Foundations’ Justice Initiative. Another Tax March organizer is the Indivisible Project. In February, Breitbart News extensively reported that Indivisible leaders are openly associated with groups financed by Soros. Leaders of January’s Women’s March coalition reportedly helped to organize the Tax March, which USA Today described as a “sequel” to the massive march. Buzzfeed took note of the comparison to the Women’s March in a piece titled, “Progressives Want Tax Day To Be The Next Women’s March Protest. ” Soros reportedly has ties to more than 50 “partners” of the Women’s March. This journalist first reported on the march leaders’ close associations with Soros. Since Breitbart’s probe in February, numerous other groups joined the march and are listed as “partners” on the group’s website. The “partners” include Demos and Public Citizen, among others. Meanwhile, at the protest itself, Rep. Maxine Waters ( .) called for Trump to be impeached. “I don’t respect this president. I don’t trust this president. He’s not working in the best interests of the American people,” complained Waters. “I will fight every day until he is impeached,” she stated. Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio. ” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook. With research by Joshua Klein. | 1 |
By Catherine J Frompovich Part 1 of 4 The following is the testimony I will present pro se [without a lawyer representing me] to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s Administrative Law Court,... | 0 |
BAD NEWS: Hillary’s Pimping Past Exposed, Dirty Whoring Details Leaked Posted on October 31, 2016 by Robert Rich in Politics Share This
If Hillary Clinton thought she was in big trouble with the FBI, she’s got another thing coming when she hears what’s just around the corner. In fact, it seems as though the presidential hopeful’s pimping past was just leaked – and every whoring detail is out there for the world to see.
Hillary is no saint, despite what she would have you believe, and her apparent pimping past goes to prove just that. According to a recent leak, it seems that the female presidential wannabe is used to whoring out certain entities – so long as she gets to stuff her pockets.
So, who exactly did Hillary force to grab their ankles so that she could rake in millions of dollars? Well, America – more specifically, the American working class. As explained by The Daily Caller , Hillary accepted a whopping $28 million donation to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for 2 favors granted to the country of Morocco. Bill Clinton (center right) and Hillary Clinton (center left) greet Mohammed VI, King of Morocco (right), and his sister, Lalla Meryem (left)
Come to find out, the first part of the payment came in at $15 million from the country’s King Mohammed VI. Just after that, Hillary miraculously got to work on the Mosaic Company – America’s largest phosphate mining facility. For those unaware, phosphates are used in a variety of products but are most well known for being used to make fertilizer for farmers.
As it turns out, one of Morocco’s largest bases for income just so happens to be the selling of phosphates that they illegally rip from their lands. In order to put pressure on Mosaic, in hopes of shutting them down, Hillary deployed the use of both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an effort to deem the group an “environmental threat” to our country.
In order to do so, Hillary had the DHS fly planes low over Mosaic’s operations in order to spy on them. From there, EPA chief Lisa Jackson got to putting the crunch on the organization by making their lives a living hell in every single way. Hillary Clinton
In the meantime, Hillary used her position as Secretary of State to relax U.S. foreign aid restrictions on Morocco, thereby allowing the country to expand operations into phosphate mining. By the end, the American company was to be shut down, forcing America to look elsewhere for supply – which, if you can connect the dots, would be where Morocco would come sweeping in.
Fortunately, Florida politicians were able to fight back and put the brakes on before tens of thousands of Americans were negatively influenced by the devious deed. However, Hillary and the King of Morocco weren’t done there as he pumped another few million into the Clinton Foundation’s account.
As explained by The Daily Caller :
An email WikiLeaks made public last week illustrated how Clinton, while acting as secretary of state, negotiated an additional $12 million donation to the Clinton Foundation from Muhammed in return for holding the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting in Marrakech, Morocco.
Hillary also managed to squeeze another $1 million out of the King to cover the expenses of the CGI meeting. As one would imagine, the recent leak hasn’t made too many people happy, and it exposed how Hillary has been whoring out our nation any way she can in order to further fill her own pockets.
According to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, “these facts seem to reveal the possibility of more pay-to-play activities at the Clinton Foundation.” Personally, I don’t understand why we can’t call this what it is – bribery.
Using fancy terms takes away from the criminal behavior that Hillary has been complicit in. Furthermore, she has proven that she is perfectly comfortable with illegal behavior – as well as pimping out the American people, specifically the working class – so long as she benefits from it. If she did all this in just the short time she was Secretary of State, I shudder to think what she will do with the full power of the presidency behind her. | 0 |
Nula exhibición balompédica sobre campo desierto RESUMEN DE LA JORNADA 12 DE LA LIGA SANTANDER 2016-2017 Resumen de la jornada Betis 0-0 Las Palmas
Encuentro que terminó en tablas después de que el viernes por la noche ambos equipos no tuvieran a bien acudir al estadio penibético para disputar el choque. Tampoco acudió el público. Es de esperar una sanción del Comité de Competición para ambos equipos. Deportivo 0-0 Sevilla
Partido que debería haberse celebrado el sábado a las 13 horas y que, sin embargo, fue ignoradamente tratado por todos los implicados en el magno evento. De nuevo, esperable sanción del Comité de Competición. Atlético 0-0 Real Madrid
Primer choque de la temporada entre los ex finalistas de la Champions. Es el “derby” por antonomasia pero, sorprendentemente, ninguna televisión se encargó de emitir un partido de tantos morbos aplazados entre la turba de Simeone y el equipo albino. Tampoco lo siguió ninguna radio ni medio impreso. Barcelona 0-0 Málaga
Poco se puede decir de este partido aparte de mencionar la indignación del periodista que escribe estas líneas porque el equipo de seguridad del Barcelona le impidió el acceso de forma sistemática al campo. En cualquier caso, pobre entrada al Camp Nou más allá de medio centenar de turistas ataviados de orientales maneras. Athletic 0-0 Villarreal
Tampoco acudieron los leones a la catedral del fútbol para defenderse porque no había nadie atacando su marco insidiosamente. Alavés 0-0 Espanyol
Tampoco acudieron al campo. Valencia 0-0 Granada
Naranjianos y granaderos estuvieron al tanto del partido que jugó el sábado la Selección española, partido de clasificación al mundial frente a Macedonia. Por ese egregio motivo, la duodécima jornada de liga se aplazó al próximo fin de semana. Fenomenal. Bien. Estupendo. Muchas gracias por avisar. Sporting 0-0 Real Sociedad
Tremenda falta de respeto a un profesional que lleva tantos años dedicándose a esto. Algunos, además de periodistas, somos personas. Tampoco costaba nada hacer una llamada. Existe una cosa que se llama teléfono. Ahora está el WhatsApp ese también. Bastaba con un: “Oye, soy el redactor jefe de Deportes, esta semana no te hagas el resumen de los partidos, que no hay liga porque juega la Selección”. Pero no, eso es mucha molestia. Leganés 0-0 Osasuna | 0 |
FBI Director Confirms that Hillary Lied, and Mishandled Classified Material FBI Director Confirms that Hillary Lied, and Mishandled Classified Material November 8, 2016, 11:27 am by Roger Aronoff Leave a Comment 0
By: Roger Aronoff | Accuracy in Media
On Sunday, FBI Director James Comey sought to put a cap on the bottle he opened on October 28 when he announced that the FBI was once again investigating Hillary Clinton’s emails, based on a device they had discovered containing what turned out to be approximately 650,000 emails. The device was the shared computer of sexting pervert and former congressman Anthony Weiner and his long suffering wife, Huma Abedin, top aide to Hillary Clinton and a woman with deep ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Comey caused an uproar in the campaign, on both sides of the aisle. Democrats and their allies in the media were outraged that Comey would drop this bomb into the campaign with 11 days until the election, and not explain the urgency or the substance of his findings. Many Republicans, and their allies, who were outraged by Comey’s conclusions back in July—namely that Hillary Clinton was guilty of serious violations of the law, but that he didn’t believe that she had any criminal intent, nor that “any reasonable prosecutor” would attempt to prosecute the case against her—were saying that maybe Comey was going to implicate Hillary in serious criminal activity after all. He wouldn’t have reopened this matter, they believed, if he didn’t have something new and serious that he had seen.
Now, the roles are reversed again, with Democrats claiming that Comey’s latest statement represents a complete vindication for Hillary, while Republicans are questioning the timing and point of the whole exercise. Did the FBI, even with their high-tech reading devices, actually go through 650,000 emails in a week, and conclude that there is no there there? And why is the State Department only able to process 500 emails per month? The wheels of justice seem to turn at whatever pace the Democrats need them to.
I have a bit of a different take. In the November 6 letter to Congress, Comey stated:
“I write to supplement my October 28, 2016 letter that notified you the FBI would be taking additional investigative steps with respect to former Secretary of State Clinton’s use of a personal email server. Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation. During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State.
“Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.”
While Comey did, in fact, argue back in July that he was not recommending an indictment or prosecution of Hillary, he also drew other “conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.” He had concluded that she lied when she said that she hadn’t sent or received classified materials on her private, unsecured server. She lied when she said that nothing that she sent or received was marked classified. She lied when she said that she only used one device, when in fact she used at least 13 devices, at least two of which were destroyed by hammers. And she lied when she said that she had turned over all of her work-related emails. No, in fact Comey said that there were “thousands” of work-related emails they found that she had not turned over. You can watch here to see Comey draw all of these “conclusions” back in July.
This is what the Clinton campaign is wearing as a badge of complete exoneration, and a closing of the books on her so-called email scandal, which is actually a national security scandal. As we have often pointed out, others have gone to jail, been fined, lost their security clearances and were run out of public life for far less egregious examples of mishandling classified material.
Andy McCarthy, the former U.S. Attorney who successfully prosecuted the Blind Sheikh for his involvement in the first World Trade Center bombing, argued back in July that Comey basically rewrote the law. Comey “conceded that former Secretary Clinton was ‘extremely careless’ and strongly suggested that her recklessness very likely led to communications (her own and those she corresponded with) being intercepted by foreign intelligence services.”
McCarthy added that “Comey recommended against prosecution of the law violations he clearly found on the ground that there was no intent to harm the United States.”
“In essence,” wrote McCarthy, “in order to give Mrs. Clinton a pass, the FBI rewrote the statute, inserting an intent element that Congress did not require. The added intent element, moreover, makes no sense: The point of having a statute that criminalizes gross negligence is to underscore that government officials have a special obligation to safeguard national defense secrets; when they fail to carry out that obligation due to gross negligence, they are guilty of serious wrongdoing. The lack of intent to harm our country is irrelevant. People never intend the bad things that happen due to gross negligence.”
But this has been a corrupt process. The fix was in . It had to be to protect President Obama as well, who knowingly exchanged emails with Hillary on her private server. As Politico pointed out , “President Barack Obama used a pseudonym in email communications with Hillary Clinton and others, according to FBI records…” Those FBI records, released in late September, confirmed what McCarthy had earlier predicted: “As I explained in February,” wrote McCarthy, “when it emerged that the White House was refusing to disclose at least 22 communications Obama had exchanged with then-secretary Clinton over the latter’s private e-mail account, we knew that Obama had knowingly engaged in the same misconduct that was the focus of the Clinton probe: the reckless mishandling of classified information.”
It is possible that America will be electing someone as president on Tuesday who has committed serious crimes that could all be wiped away by a presidential pardon. The media’s failure to accurately cover this story could very well be the cause of a major constitutional crisis, the likes we’ve never witnessed before. Roger Aronoff
Roger Aronoff is the Editor of Accuracy in Media, and a member of the Citizens’ Commission on Benghazi . He can be contacted at [email protected] . View Roger Aronoff . 0 | 0 |
Let’s just be very clear about this: There is no movie called “Hidden Fences. ” But you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise after watching the Golden Globes, after the nonexistent movie was mentioned twice. The first time was definitely a mistake. The second time is not so clear. First, NBC’s Jenna Bush Hager, taking her first turn at Golden Globes reporting, presumably meant to ask Pharrell Williams about his best original score nomination for “Hidden Figures,” a movie about three black women who would play crucial roles in the American space program. Surely she didn’t mean to ask him about “Fences,” a similarly renowned film starring Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. Mr. Williams had no involvement in that. But: Mr. Williams’s reaction, in which he appeared to be doing his best to hold back whatever he badly wished to say, was impressive in its restraint. Unsurprisingly, the immediate reaction on Twitter was less restrained. “So Jenna Bush is just merging all of the black movies tonight at the #GoldenGlobes, huh?” one user asked. “Pharrell’s face just held hundreds of years of whitewashing resolve,” another said. Others had fun in similarly inventing new movie titles. That seemed to be the end of things, but for some reason, Michael Keaton also referred to “Hidden Fences” when listing the nominees for best supporting actress in a motion picture. Since the camera was focused on the actresses, it’s unclear if Mr. Keaton said it with a wink and a nod. | 1 |
posted by Eddie Four Russian strategic bombers triggered U.S. air defense systems while conducting practice bombing runs near Alaska this week, with two of the Tu-95 Bear H aircraft coming within 50 miles of the California coast, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) confirmed Wednesday. “The last time we saw anything similar was two years ago on the Fourth of July,” Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Norad spokesman, told the Free Beacon . Davis said the latest Bear H incursions began Monday around 4:30 p.m. Pacific time when radar detected the four turbo-prop powered bombers approaching the U.S. air defense zone near the far western Aleutian Islands. Two U.S. Air Force F-22 jets were scrambled and intercepted the bombers over the Aleutians. After tracking the bombers as they flew eastward, two of the four Bears turned around and headed west toward the Russian Far East. The bombers are believed to be based at the Russian strategic base near Anadyr, Russia. The remaining two nuclear-capable bombers then flew southeast and around 9:30 P.M. entered the U.S. northern air defense zone off the coast of Northern California. Two U.S. F-15 jets were deployed and intercepted the bombers as they eventually flew within 50 miles of the coast before turning around and heading west. A defense official said the four bombers also were supported by two IL-78 aerial refueling tankers that were used for mid-air refueling during the operation this week. The Tu-95 is a long-range strike aircraft capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles. Other versions are equipped with intelligence-gathering sensors and electronic warfare gear. It has a range of around 9,400 miles without refueling. Davis said the aircraft “acted professionally” and the bombers appeared to be conducting a training mission. “They typically do long range aviation training in the summer and it is not unusual for them to be more active during this time,” he said. “We assess this was part of training. And they did not enter territorial airspace.” The bomber incursion is the latest Russian nuclear saber-rattling amid stepped up tensions over Moscow’s military annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. Rep. Mike Conaway (R., Texas), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, called the Russian flights “intentional provocations.” “Putin is doing this specifically to try to taunt the U.S. and exercise, at least in the reported world, some sort of saber-rattling, muscle-flexing kind of nonsense,” Conaway said in an interview. “Truth of the matter is we would have squashed either one of those [bombers] like baby seals.” “It’s a provocation and it’s unnecessary. But it fits in with [Putin’s] macho kind of saber-rattling,” he said, adding that he expects Russia will carry out more of these kinds of incidents in the future. Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, a former Alaska commander for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said he does not remember a case of Russian strategic bombers coming that close to the U.S. coast. “Again we see the Obama administration through their covert—but overt to Mr. Putin—unilateral disarmament, inviting adventurism by the Russians,” McInerney said in an email. “At the height of the Cold War I do not remember them getting this close. Mr. Putin had to approve this mission and he is just showing his personal contempt for President Obama right after meeting him in Normandy less than a week ago,” McInerney said. McInerney said no American president has been treated with such disrespect in U.S. history. “A sad day indeed and at the same time Mosul and Tikrit [Iraq] fall to radical Islamists after the Obama administration’s failed Iraq policy,” he added. “He snatched defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.” The Alaska-California bombers flight also came a month after a Russian Su-27 interceptor jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan. In that incident on April 23, the Su-27 jet flew close to the RC-135, turned to reveal its air-to-air missiles to the crew, and then flew dangerously close to within 100 feet of the cockpit in a maneuver military officials called reckless. Davis said in the past 10 years, 50 Bear H bombers were intercepted near U.S. air defense zone, although he acknowledged that Monday’s flight near California was unusual. In April, a telephone conversation between two Russian ambassadors was posted on YouTube and appeared to show the diplomats joking about the Ukraine crisis and discussing the possible incursions in the United States and Eastern Europe. The leaked conversation between Igor Nilokaevich Chubarov and Sergey Viktorovich Bakharev, Russian ambassadors to the African nations Eritrea and Zimbabwe and Malawi, respectively, includes references to post-Crimea Russian imperialism to include Eastern Europe and “Californialand” and “Miamiland.” Russian Bear H flights elsewhere have increased in recent years. In February 2013, two of the bombers were intercepted as they circled the U.S. Pacific island of Guam, in a rare long-range incursion. Two Bear Hs also were intercepted near Alaska on April 28, 2013. A Russian Bear H incursion in Asia took place in in July 2013 when two Tu-95s were intercepted by Japanese and South Korean jets near the Korean peninsula and Japan’s northern Hokkaido Island. The July 4, 2012, bomber flights near the West Coast were the first time since the Cold War that Russian jets has traveled so close to the U.S. coastline. That action followed an earlier intrusion by Tu-95s near Alaska that were part of large-scale strategic nuclear exercises by the Russians aimed at practicing strikes on enemy air defenses. Russia has stepped up provocative nuclear war games in recent years as part of propaganda efforts to display Moscow’s dislike of U.S. missile defenses in Europe. | 0 |
OKINAWA, Japan — Memorial Day weekend is normally party time on Gate Street, a seedy strip of bars and clubs outside a giant United States Air Force base here. During this year’s holiday, though, Gate Street was all but deserted, its customers — young Americans from the military installations that blanket much of this southern Japanese island — barred by their superiors from partying in public. The reason: a recent murder that has angered Okinawans and damaged relations between Tokyo and Washington. The killing of the Okinawan woman, whose body was found decomposing in a suitcase last month, has been linked to an American military contractor who is a Marine veteran. The outcry after the man, Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, was arrested on May 19 has been so strong that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested publicly to President Obama during the president’s recent trip to Japan. The unusual rebuke over a criminal case by another head of state marred a visit that was otherwise carefully choreographed to celebrate friendly relations and included Mr. Obama’s historic visit to Hiroshima. Mr. Abe, at a joint news conference, professed “shock” over the murder and asked Mr. Obama “to understand the feelings of the Japanese people” and strengthen military discipline. Mr. Shinzato has not yet been formally charged, a decision that can take weeks in Japan. His lawyer has declined to comment. Okinawans have complained for years about violence, noise and other problems associated with American bases. But this murder case is threatening to ratchet up opposition to the United States’ large military presence, which dates to the end of World War II. “We’ve heard apologies and promises of prevention hundreds of times, for decades, but it hasn’t had any effect,” said Okinawa’s governor, Takeshi Onaga. Okinawans still bitterly remember a 1995 rape of a girl involving two Marines and a Navy sailor, which led to protests, as well as more recent episodes. Mr. Onaga was once the leader of the local chapter of Mr. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, but he has broken with the prime minister over the issue of America’s military footprint, which he wants greatly reduced. Half of the 50, 000 American military personnel in Japan are stationed here, and United States facilities take up of Okinawan land. Anger is increasingly reflected in the politics of Okinawa, where local elections are being held on Sunday. Late last month, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly passed a resolution demanding that all United States Marines be removed from the island, its strongest censure of the American military to date. Local elections are being held on Sunday. The spot where the woman’s body was found, in woods beside a golf course, has been covered with hundreds of offerings of flowers, food and drink. The furor is erupting at a sensitive time for Okinawa, and for Japan, and the growing wealth and power of China has sharpened the debate about the island’s future. Mr. Abe is seeking to reinforce its position as a military outpost by building a new but widely contested base for the Marines and expanding Japan’s own military assets. Japan’s Forces began operating a sophisticated new radar station this year on the tiny island of Yonaguni, part of Okinawa Prefecture, to monitor Chinese naval activity in the East China Sea. But at the same time, Asia’s new prosperity is opening up other possibilities. These were on display 40 minutes south of Gate Street in Naha, Okinawa’s capital, where tourists from Taiwan, China and South Korea thronged the city’s shopping streets and hotels. Foreign tourism was up 70 percent last year. Airlines are adding new international flights to the semitropical island, while more Asian cruise lines are docking at Naha’s port. “Okinawa used to be an object of pity in Japan, but now it’s a brand,” said Hiroshi Meguro, a former research fellow at the Institute of Okinawan Studies at Hosei University in Tokyo. The bases never made Okinawans rich: The prefecture has the lowest income in Japan, below the national average. Now, dependence on them is in decline, Mr. Meguro said, and with it Okinawans’ tolerance for the problems they bring. Some in Okinawa would like to follow the example of the Philippines, which pushed out the American military in the early 1990s and redeveloped a major Navy base, at Subic Bay, into a lucrative resort destination. “When it comes to the economy and tourism, it’s ‘Welcome, China,’” Mr. Meguro said. “Of course, it glosses over the fact that the Philippines has started to invite American forces back because it’s being menaced by China. ” Hiroji Yamashiro, a retired local civil servant, said that he wanted Okinawa to become a tourist center, but that the bases stood in the way. He spends most days protesting outside the gates of Camp Schwab, a Marine armory and firing range in the north that the Japanese and American governments want to radically expand by filling in a bay and building a pair of aircraft runways. The plan illustrates the complexities facing Japanese and American policy makers. The expanded base is intended to replace another facility to the south, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which sits in the middle of a crowded city and has been the object of some of the most vigorous complaints by Okinawans. A Marine helicopter crashed just outside its walls in 2004, damaging a university. Tokyo and Washington agreed two decades ago to shift much of Futenma’s equipment and personnel to Schwab. But local opposition has blocked the move, and work on the project was frozen before it really began. On a boat ride around the bay, Mr. Yamashiro pointed to nearly uninterrupted beaches surrounding Camp Schwab. A couple of young men with military haircuts and snorkels had a small island inside its perimeter to themselves. Mr. Yamashiro said they should be replaced by far larger numbers of Chinese and Taiwanese tourists. “The future is opening up in front of us, but the Japanese government is blocking it,” Mr. Yamashiro said. Successive Japanese and American governments have struggled to find a satisfactory solution to the Futenma issue. Deadlines to start construction at Schwab have come and gone, holding up a broader reorganization of United States forces in Japan that would move some troops off Okinawa to Guam. But critics of the plan, including Mr. Onaga, the governor, are holding out for a more drastic drawdown. “Okinawa is isolated, physically and in people’s minds,” said Susumu Inamine, the mayor of Nago, where Camp Schwab is situated. He does not want the base expanded, and has rebuffed offers of subsidies from the government in Tokyo that are contingent on his accepting the plan. “For the government, it’s a faraway place where what happens doesn’t impose any pain on the mainland,” he said. The local authorities have little say over base policy. But they can hold up projects with tactics like withholding construction permits. The prefectural government recently fought Tokyo to a standstill in court over the expansion plan. A judge persuaded both sides to return to the negotiating table in March, but neither has shown signs of retreating. “We’ll keep delaying until 2020, then 2030,” Mr. Inamine said. “The question is, can the U. S. wait that long before looking for another option?” Many Americans in Okinawa feel the military has been unfairly demonized. They point to crime statistics that show United States personnel are arrested at lower rates than locals. Still, some sympathize with Okinawans’ sense that the United States occupation of their island, which formally concluded in 1972, has never truly ended. Part of the problem is that the American military’s presence extends across the whole island, said a retired member of the Air Force who has lived in Japan for three decades and was stationed at various bases across Japan. Today, he manages several businesses in Okinawa, including one that does contract work for the military, and like other Americans with base connections, he requested anonymity to speak. Michio Sakima, the owner of the Sakima Art Museum next to the Futenma base, said Okinawans’ anger over the recent killing reflected political frustration as much as the brutal nature of the crime. His museum shares a fence with the base, and Futenma’s closing would relieve Mr. Sakima of the noise of jets and helicopters. But he opposes moving the Marines to Camp Schwab, he said, on the grounds that it would entrench the military presence on the island. “We are still a colony,” he said. “When a serious crime happens, that’s when our real feelings come out. ” | 1 |
Putin Just Gave Obama 24 Hours – OR ELSE! Oct 29, 2016 Previous post
Russia and the United States have never been allies. One easily remembers how tense and long-lasting the Cold War was, and it left Russia very angry that they suffered such a demoralizing defeat as a world power.
While the United States should not become Vladimir Putin’s best friend, we also have to realize that Russia is a super power in this world and we must take them seriously.
Hillary and Obama dislike Putin because he only answers to strength and toughness, which is exactly why it is evident he likes Donald Trump.
As a way to project strength, Obama and Hillary continue to call Putin every name in the book while blaming him for cyber attacks and WikiLeaks.
On Friday, October 21, Putin issued a global message that if Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama continue to slander Russia, he was
FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE CLICK LINK | 0 |
Bombshell FBI story on Clinton’s emails not showing up as trending in Facebook news feeds Posted at 9:38 pm on October 28, 2016 by Greg P. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
As of the writing of this post, “Anthony Weiner,”“Weiner,” and “James Comey” are all trending nationally as a result of the bombshell news today that the FBI is still investigating Hillary Clinton over the use of her privater server…
…but now check out what’s trending on Facebook, both on its “Top Trends” and “Politics” tabs. Or shall we say, not trending: The most talked about story in America, FBI investigation into Clinton's emails, isn't trending on Facebook. Not even on the Politics tab. pic.twitter.com/sBAWCclijL
— Michael Duncan (@MichaelDuncan) October 29, 2016
Time for some answers, Facebook: Seriously. I'd like to hear an answer on this. Somehow the largest social network in the world is unaware of the biggest story in America https://t.co/qB35xJZ0RW
— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) October 29, 2016 Ruh ro @facebook . Say it ain't so… and Weiner is not trending?!?! Impossible. https://t.co/n5per20ZPu
— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) October 29, 2016
And get this — Mark Kirk is still trending over his debate answer on Tammy Duckworth from yesterday: @HolmesJosh @facebook but Mark Kirk sure as hell is. Amazing.
— Chris Averill (@applecore6ca) October 29, 2016
And why is Tony Blair trending over reports he wants a revote on Brexit? Come on, Facebook! Get it together! Trending | 0 |
Thanks to the intelligent use of technology, the world’s oceans are already getting a little bit cleaner. This is great news, considering that at present, the world’s oceans are ridden with pollution... | 0 |
An Israeli deputy of the ruling Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has endorsed migration French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen despite Israel’s ban on communicating with the Front National. [Israeli deputy Oren Hazan gave his support and endorsement to Ms. Le Pen on Twitter on Wednesday before the long debate that evening. Mr. Hazan wrote: “Madame Le Pen, I offer my support for the debate this evening as well as during the second round of the election on Sunday for the construction of the future of France,” The Times of Israel reports. Madame Le Pen, au débat ce soir j’apporte mon soutien, aussi au second tour — pour la construction de l’avenir de la France 🇷@MLP_officiel, — אורן חזן (@oren_haz) May 3, 2017, Hazan has been a Member of the Israeli Knesset since 2015 and has been considered somewhat of a firebrand in Israeli politics. The MK has been a keen supporter of U. S. President Donald Trump during the presidential campaign last year. Despite a negative reaction from many in his own party who have called for him to be excluded from future elections, Hazan has defended his remarks. In an interview with Israeli broadcaster, i24 News Hazan said: “A lot of other members of the House say in private that they support Marine Le Pen but are afraid to [say so publicly]. ” “Marine Le Pen took all the bad, things her father did and kicked him out of his own party,” Hazan added saying Le Pen had transformed the Front National and manoeuvred it away from its controversial past. “When I put my support in Marine Le Pen I looked at the State of Israel’s interests for safety, security, fighting radical Islam, and fighting terror,” he said. “In a few years if nothing changes France is going to be a radical Islam[ic] country. We want to stop this. I don’t think the left side of the political map can do it. I believe she can do it. ” The Front National made an attempt to reach out to Israeli lawmakers earlier this year when Party Secretary Nicolas Bay made a brief visit to the country. Bay met with several prominent Israelis in an effort to normalise relations between Israel and the Front National. “Israel is the front wall that is fighting against radical Islam and terror all around the world,” Hazan said. “We need more people who don’t speak ‘politically correct’ and see eye to eye [with Israel]. ” In France, the number of incidents has rapidly risen over the past few years and often Jewish people are targetted by radical Islamists. The situation has become so difficult for French Jews that a record number have left for Israel. Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson@breitbart. com | 1 |
A messaging app is worth $40 billion dollars is it? I can see where all the printed inflation is getting stuffed for later. | 0 |
READING, England — With its robotics, Magal Engineering’s factory in the colorless outskirts of this busy commercial town west of London is an important component of Britain’s booming car industry, churning out millions of sophisticated vehicle parts every year. Yet as Britain prepares to leave the European Union, Magal is having to rethink its operations here. The company has sister factories in France and Germany, imports components from them to assemble in Reading, and sends many finished products back across the English Channel — all with minimal paperwork and no tariffs. Britain’s departure from the European Union could change all that, ending the trade that Magal enjoys, potentially disrupting the hiring of crucial engineers from abroad and requiring new hires to keep up with the added paperwork. Britain’s exit is a “big worry” and ideally would be stopped, says Gamil Magal, Magal Engineering’s chief executive. But as a realist, he is preparing to live with it. That means suspending investment in Britain and contemplating production cuts here, even as the company continues to put money into France. With Britain, the policy is “wait and see,” Mr. Magal said, speaking in his office above this bustling factory in a building that once produced World War II aircraft. Although Britain’s economy has so far not suffered the economic blowback that many predicted would follow the vote in a referendum last year to quit the bloc, British companies that import or export goods and services are anxiously assessing the potential costs of departure. Complicating matters is continuing uncertainty over the terms of departure that the government wants to negotiate. Prime Minister Theresa May plans to start two years of formal talks with the European Union on Britain’s withdrawal, widely known as Brexit, by the end of March, and on Tuesday she is expected to give some more detail about her objectives. “We don’t know what is going to happen, the government doesn’t know what is going to happen, and I am not sure that the government even knows what it is asking for,” said David Bailey, professor of industrial strategy at Aston University. There are signs that companies might be taking action already, ahead of the actual Brexit. In a survey of 233 financial services companies published in The Sunday Times of London last week, 39 said they would reduce staffing because of the Brexit vote, and half of that number had already started to do so. For British banks, a big worry is whether they will able to continue offering services to clients across the bloc. “Most international banks now have project teams working out which operations they need to move to ensure they can continue serving customers, the date by which this must happen, and how best to do it,” Anthony Browne, the chief executive of the British Bankers Association, wrote in The Observer last year. “Their hands are quivering over the relocate button,” he added. Sectors like agriculture, hospitality and construction are worried about labor. They all rely heavily on workers from Southern or Eastern Europe, whose right to employment here may be curbed to achieve Mrs. May’s objective of reducing immigration. Mrs. May has not said explicitly whether she wants Britain to remain in Europe’s Customs Union, which provides for trade across the bloc, and includes some nonmembers like Turkey. Nor has she detailed what kind of relationship she wants with the European Union’s single market, which aims to eliminate nontariff barriers and to forge a single services market. But she said in a recent interview that when Britain quits the union, it will not be keeping “bits” of its membership, suggesting that she will be seeking something closer to a clean break, or “hard Brexit. ” And with the clock now ticking toward a planned departure from the union in 2019, companies are already having to contemplate that outcome, even before Ms. May lays out her intentions on Tuesday. For Mr. Magal, the threat of trade tariffs is forcing him to rethink the structure of his business. The company assembles thermostatic control units for car manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover in Britain and Daimler in Germany. Tariffs could add anything up to 10 percent to the price of some of his products, an increase he can neither afford to absorb nor pass on. “We don’t make 10 percent profit — that’s for sure,” he said, adding, “We won’t be able to increase the price, because the customer will say, ‘We will buy from the competition.’ ” The logic is to reduce the amount of products that are made in Britain for continental Europe, and vice versa. Mr. Magal said that European clients were asking him to consider moving production. “With all the new projects we are getting now from Europe, they are saying, ‘Why can’t you put it in your plant in Europe? Why do you need to do it in the U. K.?’ ” he said. If there is a hard Brexit, as seems increasingly likely, some production might be shifted to Britain from the Continent to serve the British market, but more would shift the other way, Mr. Magal said, adding that some parts could be made only in Germany. It is unclear what the impact will be on the Reading factory and its 230 jobs, or on another British factory that employs about 100 people. Mr. Magal is also worried about recruiting engineers, who are in short supply in Britain, if new immigration restrictions are put in place. And he thinks he may have to hire more administrative staff to deal with possible tariffs and other red tape. British car manufacturing, which has been booming in recent years after a period of decline, is particularly vulnerable to tariffs. Key components flow back and forth across the English Channel before a car is built, and then the assembled vehicle itself is often exported. That could mean paying tariffs repeatedly at different stages along the way. Around of the 1. 6 million vehicles built in Britain in 2015 were sold abroad about 57 percent of British car exports go to the European Union. Last year, Gareth Jones, president of Britain’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, called for continued “membership of the single market,” and the ability to trade “free from barriers and red tape. ” He appealed to the government, “Don’t screw it up!” British officials say, however, that the country imports more vehicles from the European Union (800, 000 a year from Germany alone) than it exports to it, so would be a net beneficiary, in revenue terms, from a tariff war. Yet Germany has a bigger economic interest in keeping the 27 other European Union nations together in a single market than it does in cutting Britain a favorable deal that would undermine that market. A negotiation seems inevitable. And the longer Brexit uncertainty prevails, the less attractive Britain is likely to be for many manufacturers, including those from the auto industry. “The value chain crosses borders numerous times, so anything that gets in the way — tariff or nontariff barriers — is likely to mean less investment,” Mr. Bailey said. | 1 |
The socialist government of Venezuela is reportedly struggling to meet the demands of its citizenry in obtaining passports, both to flee the country and to replace their expired passports abroad. [The demand has led some officials to demand bribes in order to expedite the process, despite the debut of a new online system the government promised would issue passports with a turnaround time. Venezuelans are objecting that denying them their passports is a violation of their right to travel and suspect that dictator Nicolás Maduro may be attempting to limit the growth of the exile community abroad, especially those whose legal status in a host country may be negatively affected if their passports expire and the government does not issue them a replacement. Venezuela has been accused of acquiring an advanced passport printing mechanism intended to prevent the creation of counterfeit documents with help from the communist government of Cuba, then using the system to create genuine Venezuelan government documents for citizens affiliated with Shiite terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah. A Fox News report noted Thursday that the government has told the hundreds a day who line up outside the Identification Administration, Migration, and Foreign Affairs Service (Saime) offices seeking passports that the agency no longer has the physical materials necessary to print the number of passports citizens are demanding. Fox News estimates the number of passports requested in 2016 to be between 1. 8 million and three million and the Venezuelan diaspora to consist of nearly two million people. Venezuela issued 300, 000 passports last year. A former Venezuelan government security official told Miami’s El Nuevo Herald last month that part of the problem was the government’s inability to import the materials necessary to make the passports or fix their incapacitated printers. “Of the eleven machines the government bought to print passports, only two are functioning,” Anthony Daquín told the publication. “The rest have been cannibalized because there is no money for maintenance. ” Daquín told the Herald that the scarcity has led some officials to sell passports illegally for bribes of up to $500. The monthly minimum wage in Venezuela, for comparison, is about $13. 50. Others have accused the Venezuelan government of demanding even more money. Ángelo De Dominicis, a Venezuelan engineer in Chile, told the NGO Transparencia Venezuela that an official asked for $1, 650 to procure a passport, far more than the standard embassy price of $80. NGO president Mercedes De Freitas told news outlets she had also heard of Venezuelan officials asking nationals in Puerto Rico for $1400 to renew a passport. De Freitas is preparing to accuse Venezuela of corruption in issuing passports before the Interamerican Human Rights Commission. “The increase in corruption and extortion due to these shortages is incredible,” she lamented. Saime has responded to these shortages by announcing a new procedure for renewing the documents online. The process would reportedly take 72 hours and cost 67, 800 bolivars ($21). Venezuelans have protested, however, that the website for the program has been down for extended periods of time, making the system impossible to use. The Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional estimates that the inability to renew passports could be affecting as many as 60, 000 families in Florida alone. During the tenure of late dictator Hugo Chávez, the socialist Venezuelan government invested heavily in restoring its passport printing system. According to documents revealed as part of the dump known as the “Panama Papers” — documents from the international law firm Mossack Fonseca — the Cuban government paid for the new passport system, with the law firm working within corporate structures to allow for the purchase of passport printing technology from a German company. Long before the Panama Papers revelations, reports had begun to surface that the Venezuelan government was creating genuine government documents in the names of individuals who were not Venezuelan citizens but willing to pay thousands of dollars for Latin American passports. These passports allow for easier access to much of the Western hemisphere than Middle Eastern passports. According to Misael López Soto, a former official at the Venezuelan embassy in Baghdad, Venezuela sold birth certificates, passports, and other identifying documents to Syrian, Lebanese, Iraqi, and other nationals, many of whom were individuals López believed had ties to Hezbollah. López told CNN last month that the average price a Middle Eastern national paid Venezuela for these documents was between $10, 000 and $15, 000. | 1 |
ST. LOUIS — At the end of the United States women’s gymnastics championships here on Sunday night, so many gold medals hung around Simone Biles’s neck that when she walked, they clinked so loudly it made her giggle. A few times, she grabbed her medals to silence them and laughed yet again. “I always have so much fun,” Biles said later, after she had won her fourth straight national title in the event and gold medals in three of the four individual events. The last time a woman had won a fourth consecutive national title in the was 42 years ago. “People think you have to be serious to do a good job,” she said. “But I think if you’re having fun, you can do better. You can look back someday and say, wow, I had a good time instead of being so stressed out. ” That’s easier said than done in elite gymnastics, a sport that can be a dangerous endeavor. One slip could break bones or tear ligaments, or possibly something worse. But this attitude in a grueling, often solemn sport works for Biles, the defending world champion in the . And it makes perfect sense that it works. After all, it’s fun to compete when you win and win and when the word around the sport is that you’re the best gymnast ever. Mary Lou Retton, the Olympic gold medalist in the in 1984, has called Biles the top gymnast in history. Nastia Liukin, the Olympic gold medalist in 2008, has said that Biles is a lock for the gold medal at the Rio Games in August and that the real competition is for second place. During the national championships here, which were a for next month’s Olympic trials in San Jose, Calif. Martha Karolyi, the women’s national team coordinator, watched Biles’s routines closely — often with eyes opened extra wide. After several of Biles’s big performances — and nearly all of them were big performances — Karolyi said, “Wow!” It was a substantial reaction from a woman who is the opposite of effusive: She gave two slow claps to Gabrielle Douglas’s floor exercise on Sunday, and Douglas is the reigning Olympic champion in the . Could it be that Karolyi was saving her applause for Biles, who can perform feats more difficult than those of any other woman Karolyi has seen in her years in the sport? “She’s definitely on top of my list,” Karolyi said when asked where she would rank Biles on the list of history’s top gymnasts. “She’s a great combination of physical abilities and strong mind. Oh, that’s what we want. That’s a package!” Her husband, Bela Karolyi, a legendary gymnastics coach, got to the heart of why Biles is often smiling and joking when other gymnasts look stoic or pained. He, too, said that Biles was phenomenal and that he had “never seen anyone like her. ” “She can afford to enjoy it: She’s she’s doing so easily what other people are struggling to do,” Bela Karolyi said. “Of course she could be happy. Son of a gun, I’d love to be that way, too!” He added that it was “almost a certainty” that Biles would win the gold medal in the in Rio. Based on her performance at nationals and most of her performances of the last, let’s estimate, 1, 068 days, at least, that appears to be true. At nationals, Biles, 19, beat Aly Raisman, who won two gold medals at the 2012 Olympics, by nearly 4 points. That means by a mile. It also means Biles could have fallen during several of her routines — even on the uneven bars — and still have won such is the high degree of difficulty of her routines, something that sets her apart from her competitors. But there was no stumbling from Biles this time around. While she did have some bobbles on her final two events — the uneven bars and the balance beam — she still scored 125 points in all. That’s an improvement from last year, when she won the title by nearly 5 points. It’s hard to believe that someone so good is getting even better. Maybe that’s what has put her in such a sunny mood. Biles smiled nearly the whole way through her floor exercise on both days of nationals, as if she were dancing barefoot on the lawn of her backyard, with no one watching. While waiting for her turn on the vault, she started laughing just seconds before sprinting down the runway. That’s just before she landed one of the world’s hardest vaults — an Amanar, which has one flip and two and a half twists. Judges awarded her effort with a nearly flawless 9. 9 for execution. Biles’s control and execution are just so crisp that her competition can’t keep up. Raisman, who was in her rotation group, watched and marveled at the ease with which Biles floated from event to event while Raisman and the other gymnasts fought to stay focused. Both train about 30 to 34 hours a week, but with much different attitudes. “I could never be as relaxed as she is, never,” Raisman said before explaining that her coach, Mihai Brestyan, had warned her not to let Biles’s attitude rub off on her. “Mihai said when you can vault like Simone, then you can relax. Until then, you just focus. ” For Biles, the sport may just be simpler for her than for anyone else. She was made for gymnastics, with a tiny yet powerful body that makes it easier for her to launch herself into the air and twist and flip. She also has an uncanny ability to understand where her body is in the air in relation to the ground, an awareness that was noticed by her coach, Aimee Boorman, soon after she started taking lessons as a young child. Biles is 4 feet 9 inches and so springy that she might have springs for joints, although that suspicion remains unproven. The Karolyis said that the last time they had seen someone as naturally gifted as Biles was 40 years ago, when they coached Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian gymnast who won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and scored the first perfect 10 at a Games. Comaneci was not bubbly the way Biles is, though. Far from it. When she performed her routines, she looked like a somber scientist following the steps of an equation, so careful not to misstep. She was great at what she did, but it looked like work. “Nadia kept everything inside,” Bela Karolyi said. “You had to guess what she was feeling. ” You don’t have to guess what Biles is feeling. Her grins and giggles say it all. You don’t have to guess what a massive impact she has made on the sport, either. For that, her collection of clinking medals says it all. Her 14 medals make her history’s most decorated American woman at the world championships. Reminded of that, Biles, of course, grins. “Gymnastics is a very good sport because you get to smile a lot if you want to, rather than running around on a basketball court or something, where it’s kind of hard to run around and smile,” she said. “So I like the personality of this sport. ” It’s loud and clinking, and it’s clear that the sport likes her back. | 1 |
Email
Two Bill Clinton cronies used their private consulting firm to steer millions in business to the former president while raising funds for the Clinton Foundation — and even called the arrangement “Bill Clinton Inc.”
Doug Band, a top Clinton aide, detailed the complex financial arrangement between his company, Teneo, and the foundation in a memo contained in hacked e-mails released Wednesday by WikiLeaks.
“Teneo partners have raised in excess of $8 million for the foundation, more than $5.25 million of which is in the bank,” the memo reads.
“Teneo partners also have generated over $3 million in paid speeches for President Clinton, $1.25 million of which has been paid to him thus far.”
The consulting company was formed by Band and former State Department envoy Declan Kelly. The memo about its activities shows the incestuous relationship between the foundation and the private business interests of the former president.
In one arrangement, Kelly introduced Bob McCann, the head of UBS Wealth Management, to Clinton at an event in 2009.
After the meeting, McCann donated hundreds of thousands to the foundation while inviting Clinton to give several paid speeches.
Another arrangement involved the Laureate Foundation, which donated more than $1 million to the Clinton Global Initiative.
Laureate was a “personal advisory services business,” the memo said, paying Clinton “$3.5 million annually to provide advice and serve as their honorary chairman.”
The cozy relationship with the Clintons put the Baltimore-based Laureate at high-profile events with international players who could help it expand its reach around the globe.
The Band memo also includes a section about “For-Profit Activity of President Clinton (i.e., Bill Clinton Inc.).”
Some of the speeches “secured” by Teneo include two $450,000 addresses delivered to UBS in 2011 and 2012, as well as a commitment for three additional paid speeches, if he chose to give them.
Another secured event was a $1 million fee for Clinton to speak at two one-hour sessions during an event in Hong Kong. The fee included $400,000 for a private plane.
“Since 2001, President Clinton’s business arrangements have yielded more than $30 million for him personally, with $66 million to be paid out over the next nine years should he choose to continue with the current engagements,” the memo reads.
The relationship between Band and the donors was criticized harshly by daughter Chelsea Clinton in another e-mail.
Chelsea specifically called out Band and Teneo for “hustling’” business opportunities out of the foundation.
“I continue to want — and to try — to disintermediate myself from this muddle, edify the corporate audit and existential process we are in — while also being a responsible board member, daughter and person,” Chelsea wrote in the 2011 e-mail.
The relationship between foundation donors and Hillary Clinton’s State Department was raised through e-mails obtained by Citizens United in which top Hillary aide Huma Abedin appeared to vet donors’ access to the Clintons based on their links to the CGI.
In a December 2012 e-mail in which a CGI official asks for Band and a few others to meet with Hillary during a trip to Ireland, Abedin writes to Band, “Are these legit cgi people?” | 0 |
Get short URL 0 8 0 0 A police officer of the Venezuelan state of Miranda was fatally shot and another was wounded during an anti-government protest, local police said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Tuesday, the opposition-led National Assembly voted to initiate impeachment proceedings against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, claiming he had violated democracy, to which the president accused lawmakers of trying to stage a parliamentary coup.
"The deceased official got a gunshot wound in the abdomen. He died when he was being tended to in the Los Salias clinic. Another one is wounded in the arm," Miguel Mederico, the spokesman for the Miranda police, said on Twitter on Wednesday. Funcionario fallecido recibió impacto de bala en abdomen. Falleció cuando lo atendían en clínica de Los Salias. El otro está herido en brazo — Miguel Mederico (@MiguelMederico) October 27, 2016
Earlier on Wednesday, opposition leader Henrique Capriles initiated a large-scale peaceful protest across the country to defend the nation’s right to a referendum on Maduro's recall. According to media reports, police in some Venezuelan cities started to use tear gas against the opposition protesters. Este video muestra momentos cuando dispararon durante protestas en Los Salias. https://t.co/inB2fkITSO — Miguel Mederico (@MiguelMederico) October 27, 2016 ... | 0 |
Everybody send it to Drudge, infowars lets see if they expose it. Time to call them out i say . | 0 |
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White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras
Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world's sexiest corpse
Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school
Study: Free lunches overpriced, lack nutrition
Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State
Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: 'rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good'
Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as 'undocumented sex partners'
Kremlin puts out warning not to photoshop Putin riding meteor unless bare-chested
Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead
Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending
Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances
Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg's ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons
Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago
Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new 'Republicans For Democrats' strategy aimed at losing elections
Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country
Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to 'Traps'
White House releases new exciting photos of Obama standing, sitting, looking thoughtful, and even breathing in and out
New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman's economic policies stolen
White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class
To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead
State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations
Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they're just running forward
President issues executive orders banning cliffs, ceilings, obstructions, statistics, and other notions that prevent us from moving forwards and upward
Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects
World ends; S&P soars
Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood
Meek inherit Earth, can't afford estate taxes
Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway
Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013
Bigfoot found in Ohio, mysteriously not voting for Obama
As Santa's workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of 'naughty and nice' list
Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves
Obama: green economy likely to transform America into a leading third world country of the new millennium
Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future
Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs
Modernizing Islam: New York imam proposes to canonize Saul Alinsky as religion's latter day prophet
Imam Rauf's peaceful solution: 'Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt'
Study: Obama's threat to burn tax money in Washington 'recruitment bonanza' for Tea Parties
Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov't raises retirement age to at least 814 years
Obama attends church service, worships self
Obama proposes national 'Win The Future' lottery; proceeds of new WTF Powerball to finance more gov't spending
Historical revisionists: "Hey, you never know"
Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh
Israelis to Egyptian rioters: "don't damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild"
Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness
Al Gore: It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of polar bears
Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke
Obama's teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights
Obama calls new taxes 'spending reductions in tax code.' Elsewhere rapists tout 'consent reductions in sexual intercourse'
Obama's teleprompter unhappy with White House Twitter: "Too few words"
Obama's Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov't
Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost
Responding to Oslo shootings, Obama declares Christianity "Religion of Peace," praises "moderate Christians," promises to send one into space
Republicans block Obama's $420 billion program to give American families free charms that ward off economic bad luck
White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus
Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed
Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book "The Road to Smurfdom"
Al Gore proposes to combat Global Warming by extracting silver linings from clouds in Earth's atmosphere
Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people's suffering: "When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?"
Obama regrets the US government didn't provide his mother with free contraceptives when she was in college
Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!
Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: 'Come again soon!'
Obama to tornado victims: 'We inherited this weather from the previous administration'
Obama congratulates Putin on Chicago-style election outcome
People's Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies
Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, "only 1% allowed to reach Israel"
Democrat strategist: without government supervision, women would have never evolved into humans
Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law
Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama's bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond
Obama blames previous Olympics for failure to win at this Olympics
Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof
Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels
Poll: Progressive slogan 'We should be more like Europe' most popular with members of American Nazi Party
Obama to Evangelicals: Jesus saves, I just spend
May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above
Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel "50 Shades of Hay"
Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name
Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich
Historians: Before HOPE & CHANGE there was HEMP & CHOOM at ten bucks a bag
Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its "President for Life"
Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: due to energy conservation, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off
Obama Administration running food stamps across the border with Mexico in an operation code-named "Fat And Furious"
Pakistan explodes in protest over new Adobe Acrobat update; 17 local acrobats killed
White House: "Let them eat statistics"
Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama | 0 |
HONG KONG — A major corporate executive sits in jail, accused of participating in a corruption scandal that could topple a country’s top leader. In most places, that image would probably fuel a campaign to clean up incestuous links between business and government. That situation is now unfolding in South Korea — but the prospects for a major housecleaning look uncertain. The unprecedented arrest on Friday of the de facto leader of Samsung, the largest company in the country, highlighted once again the outsize political influence of the largest companies there. Critics of their power cheered the arrest of Lee Samsung’s vice chairman, as a major step toward curbing that authority. Still, others warned that the arrest would not necessarily lead to the sweeping changes they say South Korea needs to fight corruption and overhaul its economy. The arrest was “just the beginning,” said Sim an opposition lawmaker who has campaigned for transparency at the largest companies. She warned against a tendency among the law enforcement agencies to treat major corporate chiefs with kid gloves. “We needed to see whether prosecutors ask for a sentence befitting his crimes and whether he is convicted with such a penalty,” Ms. Sim said. “Only when he finishes serving such a lengthy sentence will people believe that the law is alive in their country. ” It also raises questions about the fate of Samsung, a huge company whose electronics arm alone accounts for of South Korea’s exports. Wearing a suit, Mr. Lee emerged through the metal detectors of a court in Seoul, the capital, on Thursday and past a news media gantlet to his car, which drove him to a detention center to await a decision. Early Friday morning, he learned that he would be staying at the detention center through his trial. South Korea faces a tenuous balancing act. For decades, its growth has been fueled by companies like Samsung, one of a group of conglomerates called chaebol. Chaebol are now firmly embedded in the country’s economy, with the 10 largest generating annual revenue exceeding 80 percent of South Korea’s gross domestic product. Business groups warn that disrupting the chaebol could hurt the broader economy. “We are shocked and deeply worried,” the Korea Employers Federation, a lobby, said in a statement about the arrest. “Samsung is the global company that represents South Korea, and we fear that the vacuum in its management will weigh heavily on the economy by increasing uncertainty and hurt international credibility. ” But the power of the chaebol is coming up against rising public anger over the perception of corruption and favoritism. Among those 10 biggest chaebol, six of their leaders have been convicted of crimes. Many have been pardoned or had their sentences suspended or reduced. Chaebol leaders face broader questions as well about whether their economic dominance squelches small business and innovation, accusations that their lobbyist denies. Reflecting the public mood, the governing — and usually — Liberty Korea Party said it respected the court’s decision to arrest Mr. Lee and expressed “regrets that the people have been again disappointed by the collusion between politics and business. ” Mr. Lee is accused of bribery, embezzlement and perjury as part of an investigation into a confidante of the country’s president, Park . Ms. Park now faces impeachment. Samsung has said Mr. Lee will work to clear his name in court. The police arrested Mr. Lee and took him into custody, an unprecedented move for a major Samsung official. But in terms of accusations of wrongdoing against a top executive, Samsung has been there before. Mr. Lee’s father, Lee Samsung’s chairman, has twice been convicted of bribery and tax evasion. Still, the elder Mr. Lee never spent time in prison. The fate of the young Mr. Lee, critics of the chaebol say, will be a test of the country’s young democracy and judicial system. It will also be a test for Samsung. For the first time in its history, the company has been left leaderless. With Mr. Lee gone, there is no top executive to make plans and strategic decisions. Samsung has an army of professional executives that manage operations of its 58 subsidiaries. But analysts say that without a leader, decision making will slow. In chaebol culture, often likened to an imperial monarchy within South Korea, the chairman must endorse or make corporate decisions. So the removal of Mr. Lee, who has been the de facto leader since his father was incapacitated by a heart attack in 2014, is far more serious than the loss of a senior executive at a conventional company. Choi the No. 2 lieutenant in the Samsung hierarchy and longtime man for Mr. Lee, will be the closest substitute to a top manager at the company while Mr. Lee is gone. But Mr. Choi is not a member of the Lee family and is expected to serve largely as a “vassal” caretaker who lacks the kind of sweeping authority and responsibility that Mr. Lee and his father have wielded in placing bets on investments or new technology. In one sign of disruption, Samsung delayed its annual reshuffle of senior managers, which it usually announces in December. Compounding concerns, Mr. Choi and his deputies are also being investigated by prosecutors in connection with the bribery scandal. The arrest comes at a difficult time for Samsung’s electronics arm. The company has faced stiff competition from Apple and cheaper Chinese smartphone makers alike. It is also still recovering from the discontinuation of its Galaxy Note 7, after flaws led some of the phones to overheat and burst into flames. Still, few believe Mr. Lee’s arrest will challenge the family’s ultimate control of the company. In 2008, facing corruption charges, Mr. Lee’s father resigned from management, leaving the company to be run by loyal deputies, who served the family for decades and whose responsibilities were to ensure the transfer of power. For Samsung, one test will be whether the argument that its fate is important to the South Korean economy carries the same weight. When huge crowds took to the streets on recent weekends to call for the impeachment of Ms. Park, they also called for the arrest of chaebol chairmen accused of playing a crucial role in the presidential scandal. On Friday, Moon the opposition leader who tops surveys of potential candidates to replace Ms. Park, called the arrest “proof that justice is still alive in South Korea. ” | 1 |
By Brandon Turbeville As the floodwaters receded from Nichols, South Carolina and the surrounding areas, many residents made the emotional journey home to assess what... | 0 |
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UC Berkeley students wanted to make a point about the importance of safe spaces on campus. And what could make the campus of any university safer than converting it into a hostile environment for white students by blocking their access?
Actually, if you read the full report at the Washington Times , you discover that the protest was never meant to include white students. Which is not to say the event wasn’t inclusive, to borrow one the popular battle cries of social justice warriors. Except in this case, the only groups included were transgender and nonwhite students.
From the Times:
The demonstrators were caught on video [forming a human chain] blocking Berkeley’s Sather Gate, holding large banners advocating the creation of physical spaces segregated by race and gender identity, including one that read “Fight 4 Spaces of Color.”
Protesters can be heard shouting “Go around!” to white students who attempt to go through the blockade, while students of color are greeted with calls of “Let him through!”
The aforementioned video appears below and is well worth watching if for no other reason that to count the number of white faces among the protesters. To me it appears that most of them are white, and presumably self-hating.
Who else but Berkeley progressives could find a way to demonstrate in favor of segregation on campus. Martin Luther King Jr. has to be rolling in his grave. | 0 |
The U. S. Treasury announced on Monday that it is putting into place 271 new sanctions in Syria following a chemical weapons attack on April 4 that killed dozens of people, including many children. [Treasury said in a press release that the sanctions are “in response to the attack on innocent civilians in Khan Sheikhoun, Syria, by the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar ” calling the move one of the largest blocks of sanctions in the history of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The sanctions are against 271 employees of Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) all of whom have expertise in chemistry and related “disciplines” and have been supporting Assad’s chemical weapons program since at least 2012, according to Treasury. “These sweeping sanctions target the scientific support center for Syrian dictator Bashar ’s horrific chemical weapons attack on innocent civilian men, women, and children,” Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in announcing the sanctions. “The United States is sending a strong message with this action that we will hold the entire Assad regime accountable for these blatant human rights violations in order to deter the spread of these types of barbaric chemical weapons. ” “We take Syria’s disregard for innocent human life very seriously, and will relentlessly pursue and shut down the financial networks of all individuals involved with the production of chemical weapons used to commit these atrocities,” Mnuchin said. “Today’s action follows OFAC and the Department of State’s sanctions announced on January 12, 2017 against 18 senior regime officials and five branches of the Syrian military, along with entities associated with its chemical weapons program, in response to findings by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons — United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism, that the Syrian regime was responsible for three chlorine gas attacks in 2014 and 2015,” the press release said. The press release noted that these sanctions come less than three weeks after the chemical weapons attack and “more than doubles in a single action the number of individuals and entities sanctioned by the United States pursuant to Executive Orders, and that Assad’s actions are “blatant violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118. ” On February 28, just weeks ahead of the attack, Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution backed by the West that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over its chemical weapons program, AFP reported. “The measure drafted by Britain, France and the United States won nine votes in favor at the Security Council while three countries opposed it — China, Russia and Bolivia,” AFP reported. “Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt abstained. ” “It was the seventh time that Russia, Syria’s top military ally, has used its veto power to shield the Damascus regime,” AFP reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier warned that imposing sanctions on Syria during negotiations in Geneva over the more than civil war was “completely inappropriate” and would undermine the progress of the peace talks. “This resolution is very appropriate,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley after the measure was defeated. “It is a sad day on the Security Council when members start making excuses for other member states killing their own people,” Haley said. The resolution would have put 11 Syrians, mostly military personnel, and 10 other entities linked to chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015, on a UN sanctions blacklist. | 1 |
Home › ECONOMIC › CABLE RATES HAVE RISEN AT DOUBLE INFLATION RATE FOR 20 YEARS CABLE RATES HAVE RISEN AT DOUBLE INFLATION RATE FOR 20 YEARS 0 SHARES
[11/2/16] Cable TV price increases have jumped at more than twice the rate of inflation for more than twenty straight years. Average US inflation since 1995 has been steady at around 2.2%. But during that same period, cable TV prices have increased by 5.8% per year on average. The data comes from an FCC report on cable TV Pricing (pdf, hat tip cordcutting.com ) released last month, and notes that back in 1995, cable cost an average of just $22.35 a month. That has since ballooned to an average of $69.03, or a 208.9% jump.
Obviously these constant hikes — which often come twice or more a year for some cable customers — have played a starring role in driving consumers to alternative streaming options.
And this annoyance has only grown as fights between cable broadcasters and cable companies have only accelerated. In fact, the FCC also recently found that return fees charged by broadcasters jumped as much as 63% in one year. Post navigation | 0 |
After earning millions for fighting Floyd Mayweather, the boxer and politician used a portion of his earnings to construct homes for 1,000 poor families in his hometown. Manny Pacquiao is more than a world-class athlete or a Filipino politician. He’s a compassionate activist who paid for 1,000 homes to be built to help out underprivileged families in his hometown.
Via Anonews
Earlier this year, Pacquiao proclaimed his good deed on Facebook: “I’m so happy giving this houses free to my constituents in Sarangani Province from my own pocket more than thousand families are the beneficiaries.”
The Star reports that the ‘born-again Christian’ was inspired to help poor families after duking it out with Floyd Mayweather. Though he lost the boxing match, he still earned millions of dollars in the ‘fight of the century’ and felt it was his duty to give back.
He wrote:
“As faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms, each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. I’m still building more because I always believe what the bible says offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
The act of compassion could be nothing more than a calculated political move, but nonetheless, 1,000 families have secure living spaces thanks to the Senator’s generosity. That, we believe, is worth celebrating.
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For those who are too young or too unwilling to remember, a trip down memory lane.
1969 – Debut: Hillary speaks at Wellesley graduation, insults Edward Brooke, Senate’s lone black member.
1973 – Watergate committee: Says Chief Counsel Jerry Zeifman of Hillary’s performance, “She was a liar. She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.”
1978-79 – Cattlegate: as wife of Arkansas governor, she invests $1,000 in cattle futures, makes $100,000.
1978 – Whitewater: Clintons borrow money to launch Whitewater Development Corporations. Several people go to prison over it. Clintons don’t.
1992 – Bimbo eruptions: Bill and Hillary swear to Steve Kroft on “60 minutes” Bill had nothing to do with Gennifer Flowers.
1992 – Private investigators: “We reached out to them,” Hillary tells CBS’ Steve Kroft of Bill’s women. “I met with two of them to reassure them they were friends of ours.” They also hire PIs to bribe and/or threaten as many as two-dozen of them.
1993 – Health care reform: Hillary heads secret health-care task force, sued successfully for violating open meeting laws. Subsequent plan killed by Democratic-controlled House.
1993 – Waco: Hillary’s DOJ authorizes armed assault against religious community in Waco, 80 dead, many of them children, more than half racial minorities.
1993 – Travelgate: Hillary orchestrates firing of travel office employees, replaces them with her own people. Independent Counsel Robert Ray calls her sworn testimony “factually false” but can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt it was ”knowingly false.”
1993 – Vince Foster: White House counsel and reputed Hillary lover is found dead in Fort Marcy Park. The DOJ opens a separate investigation of possible obstruction of justice by Hillary and her cohorts for blocking search of Foster office.
1994 – Chinagate: Hillary meets with disgraced fixer Webb Hubbell. A week later Clinton Indonesian money man James Riady gives Hubbell $100,000 “job.” Hubbell never talks. Reads the NYT headline, “Payment to an Ex-Clinton Aide Is Linked to Big Chinese Project.”
1994 – Filegate: Hillary henchman Craig Livingstone improperly requests and receives FBI background reports on several hundred individuals. Multiple investigations follow.
1994 – November elections: Due in no small part to health-care fiasco, Dems lose Senate and House for first time in nearly 50 years.
1995 – Chinagate: Hillary convenes secret meeting with Bill and Dick Morris. They launch what Thompson Committee calls “the most corrupt political campaign in modern history.”
Sign the precedent-setting petition supporting Trump’s call for an independent prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton!
1995 – Pay to play: The $100,000 donation to travel with the Clintons on trade missions morphs from a discreet expectation into the price of admission. Independent counsel investigates.
1995-96 – Thompson Committee: The Clintons “pulled down all the barriers that would normally be in place to keep out illegal contributions, pressured policy makers, and left themselves open to strong suspicion that they were selling not only access to high-ranking officials, but policy as well.”
1996 – Blizzard of lies: Hillary dodges imaginary “sniper fire” in Bosnia’s Tuzla airport.
1996 – Ron Brown death: Nine days later embattled Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, who hates being “Hillary Clinton’s being mother-f—ing tour guide,” leaves Tuzla on final, fatal flight to Croatia.
1996 – Enron connection: Brown goes to Croatia to broker a sweetheart deal between the neo-fascists who run the country and the Enron Corporation. Despite his death, the deal goes through, ends very badly.
1996 – Ron Brown cover-up: Pathologists find an apparent bullet hole in Brown’s head. He is buried without autopsy. Head X-rays are lost. Three pathologists and photographer have careers wrecked for going public.
1995-96 – Thompson Committee: “Millions of dollars were raised in illegal contributions, much of it from foreign sources.”
1996 – TWA Flight 800: Hillary is in family quarters with Bill and Sandy Berger when plans are launched to cover up real cause of the destruction of the aircraft.
1996 – Blizzard of Lies: In a New York Times op-ed titled “Blizzard of Lies,” the usually restrained William Safire famously calls Hillary “a congenital liar.”
1997 – Pay to play: Johnny Chung tells Thompson Committee he funneled $100,000 from the Chinese military to the DNC. “The White House is like a subway. You have to put in coins to open the gates.”
1998 – Monica: “There isn’t any fire,” Hillary tells Matt Lauer about the “smoke” surrounding Monica Lewinsky accusations. ”The great story here is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband.”
1999 – FALN: Clinton pardons 16 lethal Puerto Rican terrorists to boost Hillary’s chance to win N.Y. Senate seat. She supports move until outrage mounts.
1999 – Christopher Hitchens: “Like him, [Hillary] is not just a liar but a lie; a phony construct of shreds and patches and hysterical, self-pitying demagogic improvisations.”
2001 – Pardongate: Clinton pardons 140 people on final day of office, including cocaine dealer, drug-dealing brother, Whitewater pal and billionaire fugitive Marc Rich. Hillary’s brothers Hugh and Tony both implicated during subsequent investigation. James Comey investigates, finds no illegality.
2001 – Furnituregate: The Clintons leave the White House with $134,000 worth of items that they, once the story breaks, have to return or pay for.
Please share with your Republican friends who seem comfortable with this woman returning to the White House. Unless, they get a royalty every time the suffix “gate” is applied to a word, they are in for a rough four years.
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November 17: Daily Contrarian Reads By David Stockman. Posted On Thursday, November 17th, 2016 My daily contrarian reads for Thursday, November 17th, 2016. You need to login to view this content.
David Stockman’s Contra Corner isn’t your typical financial tipsheet. Instead it’s an ongoing dialogue about what’s really happening in the markets… the economy… and governments… so you can understand the world around you and make better decisions for yourself.
David believes the world -- certainly the United States -- is at a great inflection point in human history. The massive credit inflation of the last three decades has reached its apogee and is now going to splatter spectacularly.
This will have lasting ramifications on how governments tax and regulate you… the type of work you and your family members will have available and what you get paid… the value of your nest egg… and all other areas comprising your quality of life. Login
David Stockman's Contra Corner is the only place where mainstream delusions and cant about the Warfare State, the Bailout State, Bubble Finance and Beltway Banditry are ripped, refuted and rebuked. Subscribe now to receive David Stockman’s latest posts by email each day as well as his model portfolio, Lee Adler’s Daily Data Dive and David’s personally curated insights and analysis from leading contrarian thinkers. | 0 |
Breitbart Senior Editor MILO appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday night, and leftists on Twitter were not happy about it. [“Bill Maher” trended on Twitter Saturday morning, with over 35 thousand tweets about the show, including many who were angry with Maher for inviting MILO on. @billmaher @Joan_Rivers Love you Bill, but you gotta stop normalizing folks like Ann Coulter, Steve Bannon, Milo, et al … — Sara (@Hill4America) February 18, 2017, @billmaher @Joan_Rivers You’re no longer on my watch list. That was the last straw. — #TheResistance (@ResistTilDeath) February 18, 2017, @billmaher @Joan_Rivers Liberals need to stop acting like this vile human being is worth the energy … feeds on getting a rise out of people. — Graeme Rodgers (@graemenrodgers) February 18, 2017, @Alexand52841248 @speakforme @billmaher milo is a #whinylittlebitch in need of constant approval, just like trump, — Scott C Nevin (@scottcnevin) February 18, 2017, @billmaher nah, you need to stop giving a platform to someone who would have you thrown in a camp. — Noah Zucker (@noahlz) February 18, 2017, Bill Maher is just as much of a bigot as Milo can people please stop acting like he’s some kind of hero, — i miss my son (@JoseLothario) February 18, 2017, @billmaher Well Bill, you fucked up on this one. Milo does not deserve a national platform for his lies and hate. He should be deported! — Jo Blackwood (@joblackwood3) February 18, 2017, Maher said it was ”not unreasonable” for Milo to doxx a trans woman to protect ”women and children” in bathrooms. Fucking bigot. — Dan Arel (@danarel) February 18, 2017, This @billmaher laugh fest with a racist, misogynistic, transphobic, Islamaphobic troll was disgusting ( an unnecessary platform for Milo) https: . — Waymon Hudson (@WaymonHudson) February 18, 2017, No longer liberal @billmaher SHOOK • SHOOK • SHOOK Milo Yiannopolous’ HAND LIVE ! !! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡 #FuckMilo #FuckMilo #FuckMilo https: . — Erik Landwehr 🏳️🌈 (@EJLandwehr) February 18, 2017, I knew Bill Maher was a coward and an idiot, but that Milo interview.. Yikes. — Morgan M Page (@morganmpage) February 18, 2017, Would the gay community blame me if I bash this so called dangerous faggot, Milo? — UnknownKnown (@XKnownXUnknownX) February 18, 2017, In which the @nytimes continues to normalize #fascism by writing #meetcute piece on @billmaher hosting #milo #nope #resist #antifa https: . — Irish In Slope (@IrishInSlope) February 18, 2017, I’m watching Bill Maher thinking ”He’s giving time to a nobody” He’s making Milo more important than he is. This was how Trump got elected, — Kelli Russell Agodon (@KelliAgodon) February 18, 2017, You can watch MILO’s full interview with Maher here. Jack Hadfield is a student at the University of Warwick and a regular contributor to Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @ToryBastard_, on Gab @JH or email him at jack@yiannopoulos. net. | 1 |
Humans Are Free The Pacific Ocean — in fact almost one-third of the Globe — is thought to have been contaminated from the leak out from the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), seeking to promote the peaceful use of Nuclear Power , in 2011 established with the Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA) Member States, a joint IAEA Technical Cooperation (TC) project in the region of the Pacific Ocean.
It was established after the Fukushima disaster when a tsunami caused by a major earthquake on 11 March 2011, disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident.
As a result, a large quantity of radioactive material was admitted into the Pacific Ocean. A field study found that two filter cartridges were coated, which showed elements of cesium, a radioactive substance.
Of no surprise, this caused great concern to countries based around the Pacific Ocean due to the potential economic and environmental implications. The TC project’s aim was therefore, to monitor the presence of radioactive substances in the marine environment.
The first annual review meeting held in August 2012 demonstrated predictive hydrodynamic models and they predicted that the strong current, known as the Kuroshio Current and its extension, had the ability to transport the radioactive substances across the Pacific Ocean in an easterly direction.
However, the concentration of radioactivity was not as high as originally thought.
The massive expansion of ocean had diluted it substantially so radioactivity remained at low levels but there was still concern over contamination of seafood even at these low levels.
The marine monitoring project was therefore, established to ensure that the seafood of the region was safe for consumption and to maintain a comprehensive overview and full facts of the situation, considering its grave implications. Documents Say Navy Knew #Fukushima Dangerously Contaminated the USS Reagan: http://t.co/hUomqT92e2
— trutherbotred (@trutherbotred) July 9, 2015
The TC is due to conclude this year. A few results have caused concern.
A field study they conducted on 2 July 2014, revealed from two sets of seawater samples, found that two filter cartridges were coated, which showed elements of cesium, a radioactive substance.
Then recently, trace amounts of cesium-134 and cesium-137 turned up in samples collected near Vancouver Island in British Columbia .
The samples collected were separate from the monitoring project set up by IAEA but it is thought the only possible source of these radioactive elements is Fukushima, according to the Integrated Fukushima Ocean Radionuclide Monitoring (InFORM) Network.
This is the first time that traces of cesium-134 had been detected near North America.
While these are trace amounts, the danger of radioactive material in any amount cannot be underestimated. However, the experts say that these levels detected cannot really harm us, they are still lower than those we could be exposed to from a dental x-ray for instance.
Having said that, every possible exposure, in any small amount, adds up. The problem with nuclear energy and fallout, the radiation and radioactive materials can travel far and wide with the wind and with the sea.
Therefore, we should aim on a global level to keep these levels at zero. In any event the continuous monitoring of oceans will need to be conducted, according to Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute .
What Buesseler says should be taken on board beyond 2015, particularly since the advice from the IAEA is to dump even more contaminated water into the sea. This is apparently more desirable than holding it in tanks.
Any discharge will have to be controlled and continuous monitoring would be needed, in particular near the plant to improve data reliability.
This is causing concern and not just to state authorities. Consider the fishermen. Every time they catch fish in the ocean, the fish need to be tested for radioactivity.
Before any further dumping is done, the IAEA and Tokyo Electric Power Co., who control the plant, need to consider not only the environmental impact but socio-economic impact as well.
Livelihoods could be affected as well as long-term health of the region and global community eventually. | 0 |
The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. That’s why we’re collecting great political feature writing from The New York Times and around the web that offers context, analysis and insight. From The New York Times: “By any empirical measure, it is a level of activity that has never been seen. ” In a flurry of deregulation, the Trump administration has already suspended or reversed more than 90 rules. And industry is clamoring for more. _____ From The New Yorker: “It takes a lot to shock a lawyer, but I’ve had very few clients do so little due diligence. ” The New Yorker’s Adam Davidson spent months investigating what he calls President Trump’s “worst deal,” the construction of Trump Tower in Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku. Working with a family of oligarchs infamous for corruption and ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the Trump Organization may have committed a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to the article. _____ From Politico Magazine: “The best way to understand how Trump might struggle to renegotiate [Nafta] is to understand how Obama already did. ” If you want to brush up on Nafta and the Partnership trade deals, and learn about the pitfalls and complexities that lie ahead for the Trump administration, this feature is worth reading. _____ From American Affairs: “A revolt in the name of national sovereignty, not populism. ” In a new conservative quarterly, American Affairs, a Georgetown professor, Joshua Mitchell, charts the historical and cultural conditions that led to Mr. Trump’s victory, and suggests a path forward for the Republican Party. The piece helps explain how intellectuals on the right understand this political moment. (Here’s a profile of the founders of American Affairs.) _____ From National Review: “It is in the nature of trains that they tell you where to go it is in the nature of automobiles [ … ] that you tell them where to go. ” Talking about health care (and its reform) often necessitates elaborate metaphors. In National Review, one author compares the Affordable Care Act to a network of trains, centrally planned and accessible, but likely to break down and cause a headache. Our health care system, he argues, should be more like the car market: propelled by individual consumers that drive competition and innovation. _____ From The New York Times: “It’s a goat on a bridge eating a flaming rug pulled from a collapsing sand castle!” Here’s some figurative language Republicans have used in the past to describe the Affordable Care Act. _____ From New York Magazine: “My code is Amazonism. I want weapons. ” Camille Paglia watches the Real Housewives franchise but doesn’t like the Kardashians. She loved the women’s march on Washington, but hated the hats. She also was not surprised by the Trump victory, and has some characteristically bold opinions about our new president. Here’s what one New York Magazine interviewer learned when she checked in with one of the most famous public intellectuals of the 1990s. _____ From Elle: “Before women can strike effectively, we need to redefine what female labor consists of. ” Yesterday, of course, was not the first time women in this country have gone on strike. One writer argues that previous demonstrations, like the Women’s Strike for Equality in 1970, were successful because they shed light on specific kinds of labor defined as “women’s work. ” However, as feminism progresses, and women do more kinds of work, what does a general strike in the name of gender truly mean? _____ From The New York Times: “Is it a good or a bad thing if Mr. Trump becomes the first political unicorn?” Defying political norms, the president has embraced the philosophy of disruption and management styles that have powered successful . _____ From The Baffler: “He was an authoritarian, and proud of it. ” If you loved “Hamilton” the musical, you still might not have loved Hamilton, the politician. That’s at least according to one Baffler writer who sees this newly lionized founding father enjoying a reputation he doesn’t deserve. _____ From Aeon: “The new authoritarian does not pretend to make you better, only to make you feel better about not wanting to change. ” A quick survey of how 20th century authoritarians compare to today’s strongmen lands on this distinction: Authoritarians of the last century were like strict dads, exercising tough love with exacting expectations of their citizens. _____ From ProPublica: “A former reality show contestant whose study of societal collapse inspired him to invent a . ” While Mr. Trump’s cabinet appointees have received lots of scrutiny, the public has not heard much about the hundreds of temporary political appointments the president has made across the government. Now, ProPublica has published a list of 400 such “beachhead” officials, consisting of a mix of lobbyists, members of the conservative media and loyal Trump supporters (including one just out of high school). _____ From The New York Times Magazine: “Impending catastrophe grants the president broad powers, and those powers are used broadly. ” Stephen K. Bannon and Jeff Sessions, the president’s chief strategist and the attorney general, have long shared a vision for remaking America. Now the nation’s top agency can serve as a tool for enacting it. _____ From The Stranger: “His oeuvre is less Leni Riefenstahl and more Oliver Stone (without the technical deftness poetic aspiration) or Michael Moore (minus the wit). ” Mr. Bannon has produced 16 documentaries between 2004 and 2016. One journalist watched all of them so you don’t have to. _____ | 1 |
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On November 4, the National Rifle Association (NRA) called on Americans concerned about the future of the right to keep and bear arms to focus their attention on electing pro-Second Amendment senators in the upcoming federal elections.
These senators, the NRA explains, will be the last obstacle standing between the United Nation's Arms Trade Treaty's (ATT) forced civilian disarmament and the continuation of gun rights in America. But that’s just the beginning. As you know, the U.S. Senate also ratifies international treaties. Right now, at the United Nations, the Arms Trade Treaty — which could subject American gun owners to international gun registration, monitoring and global gun-control “norms” that would be defined on the fly — is just waiting, like unexploded ordnance, for an anti-gun U.S. Senate to call it in. Under President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry signed onto the Arms Trade Treaty. All the treaty needs to become the law of the land is for the U.S. Senate to ratify it.
While it is certainly wise to fill the Senate (and the House, for that matter) with representatives committed to upholding the Constitution, there are other, surer and more constitutionally sound ways of blocking the unconstitutional confiscation of weapons and ammunition that would be carried out should the UN's Arms Trade Treaty by enforced in the United States.
The most powerful check citizens of the states have on the seizure of weapons by the UN or its American allies is the nullification of any and all unconstitutional acts of the federal government.
Nullification is the exercise by states of their retained authority to hold as null, void, and of no legal effect any act of the federal government that exceeds its constitutionally enumerated powers. This availability of this tactic is proclaimed and protected by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The NRA is correct, though, that the ATT is so offensive to the preservation of the right to keep and bear arms that it is an understatement to call it unconstitutional. As The New American has reported, several provisions of this treaty significantly diminish the scope of this basic right.
First, the Arms Trade Treaty grants a monopoly over all weaponry in the hands of the very entity (government) responsible for over 300 million murders in the 20th century.
Furthermore, the treaty leaves private citizens powerless to oppose future slaughters.
An irrefutable fact of armed violence unaddressed by the UN in its gun grab is that all the murders committed by all the serial killers in history don't amount to a fraction of the brutal killings committed by "authorized state parties" using the very weapons over which they will exercise absolute control under the terms of the Arms Trade Treaty.
Article 2 of the treaty defines the scope of the treaty’s prohibitions. The right to own, buy, sell, trade, or transfer all means of armed resistance, including handguns, is denied to civilians by this section of the Arms Trade Treaty.
Article 3 places the “ammunition/munitions fired, launched or delivered by the conventional arms covered under Article 2” within the scope of the treaty’s prohibitions, as well.
Article 4 rounds out the regulations, also placing all “parts and components” of weapons within the scheme.
Perhaps the most immediate threat to the rights of gun owners in the Arms Trade Treaty is found in Article 5. Under the title of “General Implementation,” Article 5 mandates that all countries participating in the treaty “shall establish and maintain a national control system, including a national control list.”
This list should “apply the provisions of this Treaty to the broadest range of conventional arms.”
Article 12 adds to the record-keeping requirement, mandating that the list include “the quantity, value, model/type, authorized international transfers of conventional arms,” as well as the identity of the “end users” of these items.
In very clear terms, ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty by the United States would require that the U.S. government force gun owners to add their names to the national registry. Citizens would be required to report the amount and type of all firearms and ammunition they possess.
Section 4 of Article 12 of the treaty requires that the list be kept for at least 10 years.
Finally, the agreement demands that national governments take “appropriate measures” to enforce the terms of the treaty, including civilian disarmament. If these countries can’t get this done on their own, however, Article 16 provides for UN assistance, specifically including help with the enforcement of “stockpile management, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes.”
In fact, a “voluntary trust fund” will be established to assist those countries that need help from UN peacekeepers or other regional forces to disarm their citizens.
There is no way that the men and women of the United States can hope to maintain their hard-won liberty — liberty that cost the lives, fortunes, and sacred honor of some of the greatest men of the 18th century — without the ability to put up an armed resistance to tyrants and to their armed enforcers.
The truth is, though, the Senate — in collusion with the president and the Supreme Court — has shrunk the scope of the Second Amendment despite the fact that the plain language of the Second Amendment explicitly forbids any infringement on this right that protects all others.
In fact, the reason for inclusion of the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights had little to do with the British and more to do with future attempts by an out-of-control, all-powerful central authority disarming the American people as a step toward tyranny.
Take, for example, statements by our forefathers regarding the purpose of the passage of this amendment. In commenting on the Constitution in 1833, Joseph Story wrote: The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them."
In his own commentary on the works of the influential jurist Blackstone, Founding-era legal scholar St. George Tucker wrote: This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty.... The right of self defense is the first law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible. Wherever standing armies are kept up, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.
Writing in The Federalist , Alexander Hamilton explained: If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no resource left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government, and which against the usurpations of the national rulers, may be exerted with infinitely better prospect of success than against those of the rulers of an individual state.
To accomplish this urgent task of protecting this "true palladium of liberty," it would be better if Americans adopted a two-pronged attack on the Arms Trade Treaty, rather than relying alone on senators in Washington, D.C. to stand steadfastly against those who would confiscate the firearms from Americans.
First, as the NRA suggests, we must elect federal senators who will refuse to ratify the globalists' gun grabbing scheme.
Second, and perhaps most important and effective, Americans should elect state representatives and governors who will refuse to cooperate with the federal government in any unconstitutional program, particularly one that would leave citizens at the mercy of the government's monopoly on arms that would be created by the enforcement of the Arms Trade Treaty. | 0 |
A nail salon in Tennessee is facing an uproar after a woman claimed it posted a sign saying customers must pay more for the business’s services. [“Sorry, but if you are overweight, pedicures will be $45 due to service fees for pedicurists. Thank you!” reads a sign on a nondescript wall, seen in a photo the woman posted to Facebook. “So rude,” said Deshania Ferguson, who published the image. Ferguson claims that she saw the sign in a local salon called Rose Nails, which charges up to $30 for a pedicure. The image has been shared more than 500 times, with others balking at the alleged price increase. The Daily Mail tried calling the salon, but a person on the other line claimed that they had the wrong number. WREG got in touch with the nail salon’s owner, Son Nguyen, and spoke with him in person. Nguyen denied that the sign existed despite the viral photo. Nguyen did, however, tell the station that he and his wife who run the salon have turned away overweight people because it is “difficult for technicians to give them pedicures. ” He says that two chairs have been broken as a result of his larger clientele, which cost him $2, 500 to repair or replace them. “They took the sign down and denied ever having it up … pictures are worth a thousand words,” Ferguson posted to Facebook Friday. | 1 |
As chief of staff and counselor to Hillary Clinton at the State Department, Cheryl D. Mills worked ceaselessly to help a South Korean garment maker open a factory in Haiti, the centerpiece of United States government efforts to the island nation’s economy after the 2010 earthquake. Ms. Mills took the lead on smoothing the way for the company, Trading, which secured millions of dollars in incentives to make its Haiti investment more attractive, despite criticism of its labor record elsewhere. When she presided over the project’s unveiling in September 2010, she introduced ’s chairman, Kim, as the most important person at the ceremony, which included Mrs. Clinton and the Haitian prime minister. Mr. Kim would later become important to Ms. Mills in a far more personal way — as a financial backer of a company she started after leaving the State Department in 2013. The company, BlackIvy Group, is pursuing infrastructure projects in Tanzania and Ghana, the only African nations in the “Partnership for Growth,” an Obama administration initiative that Mrs. Clinton helped introduce that promotes investment in developing countries. The partnership with Mr. Kim sheds light on the business activities of Ms. Mills — a longtime Clinton loyalist who is likely to play a significant role in any future Clinton White House — as well as the interlocking public and private relationships that have long characterized the Clintons’ inner circle. A lawyer, Ms. Mills has been a target of Republican critics for her central role in determining which emails from Mrs. Clinton’s private server would be publicly disclosed, and for sharing information about Africa — later designated as classified — with the Clinton Foundation while working at the State Department. During Ms. Mills’s tenure at the department, Mr. Kim’s company, became a donor to the Clinton Foundation, through its Clinton Global Initiative, and Ms. Mills remained involved in foundation matters. According to emails hacked from the accounts of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, and released by WikiLeaks, Ms. Mills helped draft memos and consulted on internal organizational issues at the foundation, though she used her personal Gmail account and not her government email. Another close Clinton aide at the State Department, Huma Abedin, was for a time permitted to work for the foundation and an outside consulting firm while serving as a “special government employee. ” Ms. Mills was also granted the same special designation after leaving the department, during the period when she was getting BlackIvy off the ground. The unpaid, government role was “solely focused on Haiti” and did not involve her activities at BlackIvy, according to her spokesman, Eric London. Since teaming up through BlackIvy, Ms. Mills and Mr. Kim have maintained close business ties, appearing together last year for the opening of a new factory in Costa Rica where they cut the ribbon alongside Costa Rica’s president, Luis Guillermo Solís. In Africa, representatives of the United States Agency for International Development have consulted with BlackIvy and about efforts to expand the textile trade in Ghana, where BlackIvy says the country’s minimum wage “compares favorably” to higher wages in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Federal officials are barred from using their positions to negotiate future employment or exchange services for something of value, and no evidence has emerged to suggest that occurred with BlackIvy. Both Ms. Mills and Mr. Kim deny that his investment was influenced by the substantial assistance she provided his company while serving as Mrs. Clinton’s right hand at the State Department. Ms. Mills, 51, declined to be interviewed for this article, but Mr. London, a BlackIvy spokesman, said she had consulted with the State Department ethics office before accepting Mr. Kim’s investment “to ensure it was consistent with any rules that applied to her because of her service. ” “Ms. Mills and Mr. Kim met during her work for the State Department in Haiti during earthquake reconstruction,” Mr. London said. “She had no personal business ventures and no discussions about any prospective business with Mr. Kim while she was at State. ” Karen Seo, a spokeswoman for said the State Department’s assistance in Haiti played no role in Mr. Kim’s decision to invest in BlackIvy. His discussions about making the investment began in “late 2014,” she said, more than a year after Ms. Mills had left the government. Ms. Seo said that “currently has no plans to invest in garment and textile manufacturing facilities in Africa,” and that Ms. Mills had no business relationship with outside of BlackIvy, adding that her appearance with Mr. Kim at the factory opening in Costa Rica was of a social nature. “Ms. Mills was invited and came to the Costa Rica event as a friend, as did many others,” she said. Ms. Mills first gained public notice in the 1990s as a member of the legal team that defended President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial. A graduate of Stanford Law School, she worked for Mrs. Clinton’s unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign. While she has said she has no formal role with Mrs. Clinton’s current campaign for president, she remains a close confidante — she was one of the few people aware of Mrs. Clinton’s pneumonia diagnosis days before it was made public. While at the State Department, Ms. Mills took the lead on a number of projects important to Mrs. Clinton, perhaps none more so than Haiti. Even before the January 2010 earthquake, the impoverished Caribbean nation was the focus of attention from the Clintons. Mr. Clinton, whose foundation is active there, had been named a United Nations special envoy to Haiti, and as early as April 2009, just a few months after becoming secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton was being forwarded emails from Ms. Mills containing economic development ideas. Some of those ideas were from Warnholz, an economist whose consulting business provided “intelligence on African markets. ” In emails and meetings with the Clintons and Ms. Mills, he advocated investment in textiles and agriculture as a way to create jobs, a theory that was in Haiti after the earthquake with a proposal for an industrial park anchored by a major garment factory. Ms. Mills soon hired Mr. Warnholz as her own adviser at the State Department — he would later join her at BlackIvy — and the two worked closely to push the industrial park concept. After overtures to another South Korean garment company fell through, Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Mills met with Trading executives during a trip to Seoul to pitch the idea. supplies clothing to some of the largest American retailers, including Walmart and Kohl’s, and has been accused of illegal tactics against union organizers at a plant in Guatemala, charges the company disputes. Ultimately, the United States provided about $124 million to develop a power plant, housing and other improvements for the Haiti industrial park, while an international development bank contributed $100 million and the Haitians provided the land. agreed to invest $78 million. was blunt about the need to make the deal worth the money. “This is business,” a company spokesman said at the time. “At the end of the day, it’s about making a profit. ” In addition to being good for the Haiti project recast the Mr. Kim as the sort of enlightened global capitalist the Clintons favor, earning him appearances at the Clinton Global Initiative and other international forums. When the industrial park opened for business in October 2012, the Clintons were on hand for the celebration. Mrs. Clinton thanked Mr. Kim “for everything that you and the leadership of is doing,” and she praised Ms. Mills for being the “real driver of our government’s support for everything that we see here today. ” Six months after she resigned from the State Department in February 2013, Ms. Mills incorporated BlackIvy Group. She has described it as a “private operating company that builds commercial enterprises in Africa. ” Mr. Kim was among a handful of prominent investors in BlackIvy, according to a description that was once on BlackIvy’s website but has since been removed. The deleted page carried the heading “Our Team” and listed, in addition to Mr. Kim: Continental Grain, a multinational agribusiness with operations in Haiti Steve Case, the founder of AOL the Wall Street financier John Mack the hedge fund founder Raymond Dalio and Beck, Mack Oliver, an investment firm. The executive chairman of BlackIvy is Anthony Welters, a retired health insurance executive and longtime friend and mentor to Ms. Mills who has raised money for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. His son, Bryant, works for BlackIvy, and his wife, Beatrice Wilkinson Welters, was the American ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago from 2010 to 2012. In July, two BlackIvy representatives, including Bryant Welters, met with government leaders in Trinidad, part of what the prime minister’s office there said was a visit to explore “avenues for doing business with Trinidad and Tobago. ” Asked why BlackIvy was in the Caribbean, far outside its stated market areas in Africa, the company’s spokesman, Mr. London, said it had nothing to do with Ms. Welters’s connections as a former ambassador. BlackIvy, he said, was not actually seeking business in Trinidad, but met with companies there “to learn about their successes in the region and to explore opportunities for them to establish operations in Ghana and replicate those successes. ” What BlackIvy has accomplished so far is not clear. It signed an agreement with officials in Tanzania to develop a transportation hub, but media reports there suggest it is progressing slowly. A Tanzanian government audit in March questioned how BlackIvy was chosen, saying “there was no evidence” it was through a competitive bidding process. Mr. London said competitive bidding was not needed because BlackIvy’s project is privately funded and there is no financial risk to the government. In Ghana, where BlackIvy has been pursuing an industrial park project, a PowerPoint presentation prepared by BlackIvy cited the country’s low minimum wage as one of several competitive advantages that made Ghana “an ideal entry point to the West African market. ” Defending the model of attracting investment with promises of cheap labor, Mr. London offered an argument very similar to the one American officials made when explaining why ’s factory would be good for Haiti. “The industrial park will increase manufacturing in Ghana — creating jobs and catalyzing growth — which benefits the country and investors,” he said. “Wages usually rise when manufacturing sectors expand and produce goods, which is what we want to see in Ghana. ” BlackIvy’s rationale did not sway labor advocates like Scott Nova, the executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, who had criticized the Haiti project as a misguided American relief effort that glossed over ’s history. “When you urge garment manufacturers producing in countries like Bangladesh, where wages are far too low for workers to adequately support their families, to move production to countries with even lower wages, it undercuts the efforts of apparel workers across the Global South to persuade governments, employers and major apparel brands to lift wages to a decent level,” Mr. Nova said. | 1 |
Resident Evil 7 is a triumphant return for a troubled franchise, with only a few nagging missteps keeping it from greatness.[ The quietly bland protagonist of Resident Evil VII fades from existence within the first minutes of the game due to the franchise adopting a perspective. The moment you step up to the gates of the Dulvey estate, you’re the one watching for predators. There is an unnerving rattle of the chain locking you out it’s a hollow sound, too loud for the silence that permeates your heavily wooded surroundings. The house stares down at you with quiet malice. From that moment, it’s clear that Resident Evil 7 is going to be different. This isn’t the high concept horror of an action hero braving hordes of shambling corpses, but the seedy dread of hidden atrocities. Every step of your exploration will be laced with that same feeling of constant wrongness, of mortal danger from which you are never more than temporarily hidden. Resident Evil 7 stalks you. The shift to surpasses the level of dread that the fixed perspective camera of previous Resident Evil entries used to. Rather than the feeling of paranoia due to clumsy controls and an artificially restricted view of your surroundings, the camera ensures you can only ever see threats encroaching from one direction. A floorboard creaks to your right. Something scrapes in the darkness ahead. The door behind you slams shut. There is no “safe” direction to look, no manner in which to easily retreat from the creeping horror. Resident Evil 7 feels dangerous in a way that very few games achieve. All of this is captured with haunting visual and auditory splendor, in one of the most technically accomplished releases I’ve ever seen. With all of the game’s various visual settings maximized, the game regularly verges on the photorealistic. The audio rivals the best work ever done in video games — even the most nondescript room is plagued by the distant splatter of rain, creaks and scratches and moans that come from everywhere and nowhere. Playing in surround sound, or with a good headset, is a terrifying experience in all of the best ways. It’s a shame that so much of that splendor disappears once enemies are on the screen. Clumsy hair physics and terrible mouth animation are a jarring departure from the detailed design of each antagonist, momentarily reminding you that these threats aren’t real. The expressions on the faces of the characters just don’t match the flapping of their jaws. And while the voice work is competently performed, it still suffers from the awkward translation from Japanese to English that has become a recurring theme throughout Resident Evil‘s history. Once the action really began, I was startled by just how tight the game’s shooting felt. Weaponry has heft and impact, and its flashing roars walk the line between making you afraid to attract attention and feeling temporarily in your righteous fury. But in many cases, no weapon will suffice. The Baker family is virtually unkillable — something that the game takes great pains to show you throughout the first hours. In many cases, your only choice will be frantic retreat. Here, too, Resident Evil 7 sometimes loses its way. While the “boss” encounters are frightening, they’re also frustrating. Each one is a bullet sponge, and it’s almost always difficult to tell whether you’re having any effect at all or if you’re missing some mechanic necessary to advance the fight. At times I was forced to retry a fight over and over again, because I simply could not discern how to “win” the encounter. To make things murkier still, many of these encounters don’t even have a victory condition, per se. Sometimes the game just wants you to do something that clearly doesn’t work, for long enough to progress the event. It’s and can definitely prove frustrating. You’ve repeatedly demonstrated that bullets have no effect on “Daddy” Baker. Why then do I need to spend several clips on him before I am mechanically allowed to do him real harm? Aside from these encounters, combat is about halfway to sheer brilliance. While the guns themselves are exceptionally well designed, the enemies you are allowed to kill are all very similar in both appearance and behavior. Because of that, parts of the game begin to lose their sense of dread before their time. Once you see the mess of oily black crawling over the walls, you know what to expect. The initial fear of the unknown dissipates, and you’re left counting how many bullets to your enemies’ heads you’ve fired to make sure you have enough for whatever’s next. Finally, the frustrations of Resident Evil‘s inventory system returns. It’s been simplified and severely limited, as has crafting. And while both are staples of the franchise, too often it becomes a hassle of juggling half a dozen key items, while still trying to scavenge what you need to make medicine or ammunition. It’s another unwelcome intrusion on the game’s carefully crafted atmosphere, but it will feel comfortably familiar to series veterans. The game is a healthy 10 or so hours long, slowly transforming from creeping dread to desperate action. It ends with just enough left unsaid to continue the tale, and I truly hope that’s the case. This is a phenomenal first effort at something new for a franchise that had gotten decidedly stale in its last few iterations and a fresh take on Resident Evil’s trademark brand of survival horror. Follow Nate Church @Get2Church on Twitter for the latest news in gaming and technology, and snarky opinions on both. | 1 |
On this weekend’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” President Trump’s top aide Kellyanne Conway defended chief strategist to President Trump Stephen K. Bannon. While discussing Bannon’s statement that regarding the media and that it “should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile,” Conway said, “What my colleague Steve Bannon is saying is why don’t you talk less and go listen to America more. ” She added, “The media failed to learn America. ” ( The Hill) Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 1 |
Afghan Officials Say Taliban Used Locals as 'Human Shields'
Hundreds of angry mourners gathered today in the north Afghan village of Bouz Kandahari to bury an estimated 30 civilian victims of a US airstrike the previous day. The locals noted that many of the civilians being buried were infants and small children.
Two US soldiers and four Afghan soldiers were killed in fighting with the Taliban near the village Thursday morning, and the airstrikes were called in, supposedly in an attempt to break the Taliban siege against the village. Instead, the airstrikes hit the village, destroying several homes and killing those within.
NATO promised an investigation into the details of the matter, but Afghan officials appeared to be shrugging the matter off, insisting the Taliban were using the locals as “human shields” by virtue of their operating somewhat near their homes.
US statements on the fighting and airstrikes have more or less ignored the civilian toll entirely, insisting only that they take such reports “seriously,” and then going into details about the condolences they offer for the US soldiers killed in the fighting.
Bouz Kandahari is near the city of Kunduz, which was taken over briefly last year by the Taliban. The Taliban has been advancing in the area in recent weeks, along with offensives against the capitals of two other provinces, Helmand and Uruzgan. | 0 |
Dennis Paul Habern
Of all the turds that made the list, I am highly disappointed to read Brianna Keilar’s name, but of course, I shall give her the benefit of the doubt, as I maintain that she is only protecting her source of income, if even that is a worthy excuse. Therefore, we have to hold those responsible, accountable, commencing at the top, and that means indicting this worthless Black turd of a POS of a Tar-Baby of a Muslim POTUS and his girlfriend, George Soros, the former and still, NAZI collaborator during WW2 in his native country of Hungary, where this Communist mutt joined a group of NAZI thugs to evict JEWS from their homes and to confiscate their property for Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. I am surprised by now, that any group of patriotic citizens have not stormed the White House gates to get rid of this worthless Black POS of a Communist, Anarchist, Marxist, Socialist, Criminal and Muslim, in mirroring the 1789 French peasants whom grabbed their muskets and pitchforks and stormed the Paris Bastille (prison) and arrested their worthless King and Queen. The current king and Queen of the United States are currently residing in the White House. Hint, hint, hint, hint!!! The sooner these turds are removed from the White House, Donals Trump can have the entire structure, fumigated to get rid of the political stench that has been accumu- lating since 2009, if you follow. The Bible has maintained that this worthless Black POS of a Muslim POTUS, will not finish his second term. Keep your fingers crossed.
The Clinton’s and the worthless Black turd from Kenya of a POS of a token Tar-Baby of a Muslim POTUS, are in a classification all by themselves: “CEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY.” islesmetsgiantsfan
Just look at today. CNN and ABC (Stephanopoulos) asked the same exact question at different times. “Your backers are questioning why would you take time out of your schedule to go to a ribbon cutting ceremony when you should be on the campaign trail.” I thought Trump answered the question smartly. I have been to multiple events yesterday, I am going to 3 more today after this. I built this hotel below budget and ahead of schedule. Why shouldn’t I take an hour to go to this ceremony. Hillary goes to a Adelle concert and everyone says isn’t that wonderful. I go to events in front of thousands and get criticized for taking an hour by the media. Now you are going to tell me this wasn’t coordinated by Hillary’s campaign and the DNC? 2 reporters from 2 different organizations that normally fight for ratings ask the same question. rueangel
Ummm,… Would it be considered to be ,..’Anti Semitic’,..of me to point out that the entire , so called, “mainstream” media is owned & operated by members of the International Zio.Jew Criminal Cabal,.?
And might I suggest, that, ALL news coverage is slanted in such a way as to benefit this International Zio/Jew Criminal Cabal in furthering their, ongoing, conspiracy to achieve a ,..’One World’,.. government, which will be dominated by World Jewry,..? runsinquicksand
It is well known that a lot of people in the press of various levels are married to Washington insiders, politicians, celebrities, and each other. They buy each other off. It’s disgusting. lloyd Lisco
Add all these names to your list. susan.marsala
Get paid 90 bucks /day for working on the web from comfort of your own home for couple of h /day… Get regular payment every week… All what is required is a laptop or computer, internet connection, and also some free time… http://ow.ly/n1nP303oO1A GabbyinFlorida
WE need to boycott these losers and watch advertising dollars stop. America better wake up soon or we will look like Cuba Venezuela and all those other Communist countries. HILLARY Clinton is dangerous and a liar and SATAN. Subscribe TODAY and Never Miss Another D.C. Clothesline Article Email Address | 0 |
in: Protestors & Activists , Special Interests , US News Could we see violence no matter who wins on November 8th? Let’s hope that it doesn’t happen, but as you will see below, anti-Trump violence is already sweeping the nation. If Trump were to actually win the election, that would likely send the radical left into a violent post-election temper tantrum unlike anything that we have ever seen before. Alternatively, there is a tremendous amount of concern on the right that this election could be stolen by Hillary Clinton. And as I showed yesterday, it appears that voting machines in Texas are already switching votes from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton . If Hillary Clinton wins this election under suspicious circumstances, that also may be enough to set off widespread civil unrest all across the country. At this moment there is less than two weeks to go until November 8th, and a brand new survey has found that a majority of Americans are concerned “about the possibility of violence” on election day… A 51% majority of likely voters express at least some concern about the possibility of violence on Election Day; one in five are “very concerned.” Three of four say they have confidence that the United States will have the peaceful transfer of power that has marked American democracy for more than 200 years, but just 40% say they are “very confident” about that. More than four in 10 of Trump supporters say they won’t recognize the legitimacy of Clinton as president, if she prevails, because they say she wouldn’t have won fair and square. But many on the left are not waiting until after the election to commit acts of violence. On Wednesday, Donald Trump’s star on the Walk of Fame was smashed into pieces by a man with a sledgehammer and a pick-ax… Donald Trump took a lot of hits today, and not just in the Presidential race. With less than two weeks to go before America decides if the ex- Apprentice host will pull off a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton, Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was destroyed early Wednesday morning by a man dressed as a city construction worker and wielding a sledgehammer and pick-ax in what looks to be a Tinseltown first. And there were two other instances earlier this year when Donald Trump’s star was also vandalized. One came in January, and the other happened in June … This is of course not the first time the GOP candidate’s star has been attacked or defaced since Trump announced his White House bid in summer 2015. The most extreme measure was a reverse swastika being sprayed on the star at 6801 Hollywood Blvd in late January. In June this summer, a mute sign was painted on Trump’s star in a seemingly protest against the antagonistic language and policies some have accused Trump of promoting and reveling in during the campaign. In both cases, Trump’s star was quickly cleaned and back as new within a day. We have seen anti-Trump violence on the east coast as well. Earlier this month, someone decided to firebomb the Republican Party headquarters in Orange County, North Carolina. On the building next to the headquarters, someone spray-painted “Nazi Republicans get out of town or else” along with a swastika. There have also been other disturbing incidents of anti-Trump violence all over the nation in recent days. A recent Lifezette article put together quite a long list, and the following is just a short excerpt from that piece… On Oct. 15 in Bangor, Maine, vandals spray-painted about 20 parked cars outside a Trump rally. Trump supporter Paul Foster, whose van was hit with white paint, told reporters, “Why can’t they do a peaceful protest instead of painting cars, all of this, to make their statement?” Around Oct. 3, a couple of Trump supporters were assaulted in Zeitgeist, a San Francisco bar, after they were allegedly refused service for expressing support for Trump, GotNews reports. “The two Trump supporters were attacked, punched, and chased into the street by ‘some thugs’ that a barmaid called out from the back.” Lilian Kim of ABC 7 Bay Area tweeted a photo of the men, in which one was wearing a Trump T-shirt and the other was wearing a “Blue Lives Matter” shirt. On Sept. 28 in El Cajon, California, an angry mob at a Black Lives Matter protest beat 21-year-old Trump supporter Feras Jabro for wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap. The assault was broadcast live using the smartphone app Periscope. There is a move to get Trump supporters to wear red on election day, but in many parts of America that might just turn his supporters into easy targets. Let’s certainly hope that we don’t see the kind of violent confrontations at voting locations that many experts are anticipating. Of course there are also many on the right that are fighting mad, and a Hillary Clinton victory under suspicious circumstances may be enough to push them over the edge. For example, this week former Congressman Joe Walsh said that he is “grabbing my musket” if Donald Trump loses the election… Former Rep. Joe Walsh appeared to call for armed revolution Wednesday if Donald Trump is not elected president. Walsh, a former tea party congressman from Illinois who is now a conservative talk radio host, tweeted, “On November 8th, I’m voting for Trump. On November 9th, if Trump loses, I’m grabbing my musket. You in?” And without a doubt, many ordinary Americans are stocking up on guns and ammunition just in case Hillary Clinton is victorious. The following comes from USA Today … “Since the polls are starting to shift quite a bit towards Hillary Clinton, I’ve been buying a lot more ammunition,” says Rick Darling, 69, an engineer from Harrison Township, in Michigan’s Detroit suburbs. In a follow-up phone interview after being surveyed, the Trump supporter said he fears progressives will want to “declare martial law and take our guns away” after the election. Today America is more divided than I have ever seen it before, and the mainstream media is constantly fueling the hatred and the anger that various groups feel toward one another. Ironically, Donald Trump has been working very hard to bring America together. In fact, he is solidly on track to win a higher percentage of the black vote than any Republican presidential candidate since 1960 . If Hillary Clinton and the Democrats win on November 8th, things will not go well for Hillary Clinton’s political enemies. The Clintons used the power of the White House to go after their enemies the first time around, and Hillary is even more angry and more bitter now than she was back then. And the radical left is very clear about who their enemies are. This is something that I discussed on national television earlier this month … As I write this, it is difficult for me to even imagine how horrible a Hillary Clinton presidency would be. But at this point that appears to be the most likely outcome . Out of all the candidates that we could have chosen, the American people are about to put the most evil one by far into the White House. Perhaps Donald Trump can still pull off a miracle and we can avoid that fate, but time is rapidly slipping away and November 8th will be here before we know it. Submit your review | 0 |
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What do you get when you have medical professionals with a warped sense of humor, who are stuck at work at the hospital on or around Halloween? Crazy pumpkin carving medical scenes! We found some great ones on the internet and KNOW that you guys have more out there to share.
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Nine Iraqi asylum seekers have appeared in court in Vienna charged with the gang rape of a 28 year old teacher on New Years’ Eve 2015. One of the men has admitted to his part in the attack. [The defendants, all members of the same family, have been charged with “abuse of a defenceless person and rape in a very humiliating and agonising way for the victim. ” All were recent arrivals to Austria, having traveled to the country via the Balkan route between May and December 2015. At the time of the attack five had already received leave to stay in Austria, while the remaining four were still waiting for their applications to be processed. As proceedings opened on Tuesday the court heard that the victim, identified as Sabine K, arrived in Vienna on 28 December to spend the new year with a friend. As midnight on the 31st approached the pair headed into town to join in with celebrations, and at 2am were seen drinking the Cactus bar and restaurant, the Daily Mail has reported. Shortly before 3am Sabine’s friend noticed that she was no longer there and was told by another patron that she had been taken away, blind drunk, by a group of men she had been talking to. Four of the men, Nazar . Mohammed . Alaa and Mohamed . escorted her to an apartment in Vienna’s Rustenschacher Allee, where their five relatives, Hader . Mustafa . Nael . Marwan . and Sabah . were waiting. Sabine later said she found herself naked on a double bed being assaulted by the men, aged between 22 and 45, in turn. She said she yelled at them in German: “No, I don’t want this” then in English: “Listen to me just a little bit. ” Medical experts testified that she was raped multiple times and sodomised her injuries were such that she required in patient treatment at a trauma clinic. Her lawyer, Karina Fehringer, told the court that she was assaulted in the dark so that she could not identify the men. However, following the attack, which lasted approximately two hours, Mohammed . took her to a toilet within the apartment where he took a selfie with her on his mobile phone. Later he and Alaa . escorted her to a local tram stop, where they tried to stop her sobbing by telling her in English “don’t cry”. After Sabine went to the police, officers were able to use a tracking app on her mobile phone to identify the rape scene. The app showed that her ordeal lasted two hours, between 4. 20 and 6. 20 on the morning of 1 January 2016. DNA evidence found in or on Sabine’s body tied six of the men to the attack, while Mohamed has admitted to his role in the horrific attack, breaking down in court as he admitted he was “really drunk” on vodka at the time despite his Muslim faith banning the consumption of alcohol. “This act is a crime in Iraq” he admitted. His relatives have all denied their involvement one claimed that she had been “offered” to them by relatives, while another insisted that she had been a willing participant in what had occurred. Following the attack Sabine has been receiving psychiatric treatment for post traumatic stress disorder and at the weekend, ahead of the trial, had a second breakdown leaving her to fragile to appear in court. The trial concludes on Thursday, with sentencing expected to take place in March. If found guilty the men have been warned they face up to 15 years each in jail. | 1 |
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В журнале Advanced Functional Materials, сотрудники Кембриджского университета и Пекинского технологического института рассказали, что принцип работы аккумулятора напоминает функционирование тонкого кишечника человека.
Разработка заключается в том, что серосодержащий катод отделен от электролита специальной мембраной, которая по структуре напоминает волокна, находящиеся в тонкой кишке. Этот слой из волокон оксида цинка способен захватывать фрагменты активного вещества и присоединять их к проводящей решетке. Что и позволяет использовать повторно материалы аккумулятора, которые ранее были подвергнуты разрушению.
"Удельная энергия литий-серной батареи превосходит в пять раз удельную энергию литий-ионной, которая используется в большинстве портативных устройств", - рассказал автор исследования Дэн Чжао.
Однако, по его словам, новая разработка пока не способна пройти через большое количество циклов зарядки-разрядки.
Напомним, первые телефоны использовали никель-кадмиевые (Ni-Cd) аккумуляторы. Но несмотря на свои плюсы вроде большого ресурса и высокой токоотдачи, они обладали низкой удельной емкостью (45-65 Втч/кг).
Эти причины заставили отказаться от Ni-Cd-аккумуляторов в пользу никель-металл-гидридных (Ni-MH) батарей. Они меньше подвержены эффекту памяти и имеют большую удельную емкость (60-72 Втч/кг). Однако срок хранения таких аккумуляторов примерно 200-500 циклов.
Далее изобрели литий-ионный аккумулятор (Li-Ion), который остается остается одними из самых распространенных. Он имеет удельную емкость до 240 Втч/кг, что в несколько раз больше, чем у предшественников. Срок службы составляет более 600 циклов. Популярностью также обладают литий-полимерный аккумулятор (Li-Po). Эти аккумуляторы появились более 20 лет назад и до сих пор используются в смартфонах.
Одной из самых последних разработок стали литий-серные (Li-S) аккумуляторы. Их энергоемкость вдвое превышает литий-ионных, также они выдерживают хороший срок службы (1,5 тыс. циклов заряда). Однако необходимость доработки и тестов в условиях влажности и температуры пока не дают выйти Li-S-аккумуляторам на рынок.
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LONDON — The government of Britain could need six more months to settle on a plan for negotiating the country’s exit from the European Union and an extra 30, 000 civil servants to deal with the complexities of the task, according to a memo of uncertain parentage leaked to The Times of London on Tuesday. The office of Prime Minister Theresa May poured cold water on the memo, denying reports that it was prepared for the government. “This unsolicited document has nothing to do with the government at all,” a spokesman said in a statement. “It was produced by an individual from an external accountancy firm. It has no authority, and we don’t recognize any of the claims it makes. ” Chris Grayling, secretary of state for transport, told BBC Radio on Tuesday, “It’s certainly not a government report. ” As for Britain’s departure from the union, known as Brexit, he said, “It’s a complex process, albeit with some simple objectives. ” The British press, already fluttery over the complications of leaving the European Union and the uncertainties of a trade deal with a President Donald J. Trump who, as a candidate, expressed opposition to free trade, seized on the memo, which The Times said was drafted on Nov. 7 by a “consultant” working for the Cabinet Office, a government department that supports the prime minister. According to The Guardian, the memo was “understood” to have been written by a consultant at Deloitte and was unsolicited by the government. “This was a note intended primarily for internal audiences,” said Mark Smith, a spokesman for Deloitte, confirming the Guardian report. “It was not commissioned by the Cabinet Office, nor any other government department, and represents a view of the task facing Whitehall,” he added, referring to the central government administration. “This work was conducted without access to No. 10 or input from any other government departments. ” But the memo to a large extent said what is widely understood: The government has not yet finished its internal debate on what kind of relationship it wants with the European Union, nor has it set its priorities for any negotiation and the cabinet remains divided between those favoring as clean a break with Brussels as possible and those who want to preserve access to the huge European market. That negotiation would not begin in any case until Britain invokes Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets a limit for talks with the other 27 member states about Britain’s exit. A ruling by the High Court, which is being appealed by the government, said Parliament must have a debate and vote on invoking Article 50, which is not solely in the jurisdiction of the British cabinet. While the memo spoke of six months before the government could agree on a negotiating strategy, Mrs. May has said she intends to invoke the article by the end of March. She has said little specifically about what she favors, other than a deal that allows immigration controls as well as access to the European single market, which many European officials regard, at least for now, as incompatible. For now, as the memo suggested, she is trying to keep her Conservative Party together to avoid early elections. The memo also pointed to Britain’s need for more trade negotiators and lawyers to work through that future relationship. Having been a member of the European Union for more than 40 years, Britain had no need for trade negotiators and clearly needs to hire more, and quickly any deal will be legally intricate. Given budget cuts and computerization, today’s Civil Service is reported to be the smallest since World War II, at 400, 000. The memo’s figure of 30, 000 extra civil servants seemed high, however, given that the entire staff of the European Commission — Brussels’ supposedly mighty bureaucracy — is 33, 000, according to official figures. David Archer, who is recruiting lawyers and trade negotiators to suggest to the government, said 10 percent of the résumés he is now receiving are of “good quality,” with required experience. The number of civil servants is down 20 percent since 2010, Mr. Archer said, and many civil servants are unhappy with Brexit. “Morale is awful and rock bottom,” he said. Mr. Archer, director of the executive search firm Circle Square, said that the government was training civil servants internally, and looking to law firms, former ambassadors and former trade negotiators. “It’s a problem, since we haven’t negotiated at an international level since 1973,” he said. There are about 600 trade negotiators worldwide, Mr. Archer said, including 40 currently in London. Robert Bourns, the president of the Law Society, said the government was doing its best at recruiting for Brexit, but with only a few months before Article 50 is invoked, “this is an enormous task. ” Much of current British law has been developed in Europe, Mr. Bourns said. He added that the government recognized that the number of lawyers capable of drafting legislation had been reduced over time, and needed to be increased. Mr. Grayling, a prominent Brexit supporter, said the government has “people in my department and in other departments working with the Brexit department,” adding, “I don’t know what 30, 000 extra people would do. ” According to the memo, various government departments are working on more than 500 projects related to Brexit, which is more than they can handle. It also repeated widespread reporting about Mrs. May’s management style, which is secretive. It said her tendency of “drawing in decisions and details to settle matters herself” or with a small circle of aides would prove unsustainable. “It may be six months before there is a view on strategy as the political situation in the U. K. and the E. U. evolves,” said the document, titled “Brexit Update. ” Members of Parliament who favor a quick Brexit attacked the memo as intended to harm their case. John Redwood, a prominent Conservative who supports Brexit, said: “It’s complete nonsense. You don’t need consultants who are against Brexit and trying to undermine it. They are not speaking for the government, and I’m very glad they are not. Brexit can be much quicker, better and cheaper than they think. ” Another legislator, Steve Baker, said: “This gloomy memo carries all the hallmarks of the campaign we know is in progress to defy the will of the British people. ” | 1 |
During a statement on the missile strike on Syria carried out by the US, President Trump said that it is in the “vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. ” And called on “all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria, and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types. ” Trump characterized Syria’s nerve attack as “very barbaric” and something that “no child of God” should ever suffer. that he characterized as an attack on “helpless men, women, and children. ” He added, “Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. ” Trump further argued that prior attempts to change Assad’s behavior “have all failed, and failed very dramatically. ” He further called on “all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria, and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types. ” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 1 |
Sunday on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson said once in office, Donald Trump will cause a “constitutional crisis or have a completely incompetent presidency. ” Gerson said, “Well, I think pretty much even chance that we are going to have a constitutional crisis or have a completely incompetent presidency, that doesn’t know how to exercise power, which I think is another possibility in this circumstance. We have a White House, Donald Trump has a White House with almost no skill of governing. We have a cheif of staff who has never been in government, which is absolutely extraordinary. ” “He has elevated people, generals and corporate heads that have no experience in this extraordinary complex business of how you put together an administration, run a bureaucracy, produce ideas,” he continued. “So, I think there’s a deep concern about the possibility of overreach. But I think we should be also concerned about the possibility of an entirely ineffective government that doesn’t value governing experience, that doesn’t value, you know, what government should do and what it can do under the right circumstances. ” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 1 |
The fine print in the bipartisan 2017 budget plan includes several paragraphs designed to prevent Donald Trump’s deputies from building a border wall with the reserve cash routinely stored in agency savings accounts. [That language in the 2017 funding bill means wall construction is even further away from starting than it was last week, said Dan Horowitz, editor at Conservative Review. “This [bill] would make it effectively that you are worse off than you are before — Donald Trump is signing into law a bill that downright violates his promise“ to build a wall, Horowitz said. The funding bill drafted by Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and top GOP leaders does not offer any new funding for the wall, despite Trump’s request for at least $1 billion to build 62 miles of barrier this year. Instead, the bill grabs back more than $300 million from accounts at the Department of Homeland Security, including a $187 million in cash seized from drug smugglers and other criminals. The $187 million is held in the Treasury Forfeiture Fund. According to the agency website: The Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture (TEOAF) administers the Treasury Forfeiture Fund (TFF). The TFF is the receipt account for deposit of forfeitures made pursuant to laws enforced or administered by it participating Treasury and Department of Homeland Security agencies. The Fund was established in 1992 as the successor to what was then the Customs Forfeiture Fund. The TFF participating agencies are: Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division ( ) U. S. Department of the Treasury, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Secret Service (USSS) Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security. That forfeiture language is intended to stop Trump’s deputies from using leftover funds to start building the wall, whose construction was authorized by Congress in 2006. The language in the bill also shows the Democrats will oppose Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s proposal to fund the wall with funds recovered from criminals. Cruz’s proposal is the “Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order” bill. The spending bill does offer $497 million for various construction programs, including “$341, 200, 000 to replace approximately 40 miles of existing primary pedestrian and vehicle border fencing.“ But it also says the money can’t be spent unless the agency develops a huge master plan within just 90 days that is approved by the undersecretary of management at the Department of Homeland Security. But every “dollar is earmarked for a specific wall purpose so there is no flexibility to reallocate funds,” said Robert Law, an advocate at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. The budget deal does not include funds to hire extra border guards, as demanded by Trump. Democrats celebrated. “In a defeat for President Trump, the [bill] does not fund the immoral and unwise border wall or create a cruel new deportation force,” said a statement by the Democratic leader in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi. The bill included “key victories for Democratic priorities,” she said. The bipartisan budget deal was slammed by Law at FAIR. He said: In another backroom deal to fund the government, Congress has yet again ignored the will of the American people. President Trump campaigned on building a wall along the U. S. border and the American people demand it. Unfortunately, Congress continues to show how tone deaf it is by not allocating a single dollar for new border wall construction. Physical barriers are a proven, successful deterrent to illegal immigration. Even if a border wall is not practical along the entire southern border, there are definitely places where it would work. The failure to fund even that portion of a wall in this government funding bill shows that Congress is not serious about permanently securing our nation’s borders. On Monday, the Democrats’ restrictions were downplayed by White House spokesman Sean Spicer, who said: We have five months left in this fiscal year. We’re getting $1. 52 billion for border security, there’s a lot that can be done with that. We’ve got a lot of things that happen before the wall is built in terms of planning, technology, gates. There’s a lot of things that can do to prepare for that wall being constructed … this was a down payment for 2017 and as we get ready for fiscal year 2018 that’s start in the beginning of October, this will be a major priority. GOP leaders got some of what they wanted from Democrats by trading the away the priorities of Trump’s voters and ordinary conservatives, Horowitz said. The giveaways included cuts in funding for Planned Parenthood plus funds for the wall, while the gains include healthcare funds for Kentucky miners and language preventing curbs on major donations, both of which were sought by Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell. McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan “do not share out values,” Horowitz said. The Trump administration’s inability to fight for its supporters goals is a huge threat to the Trump presidency, said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies. “There’s a certain amount of political flexibility any president has to have — the problem is that on immigration ever time Trump has faced pushback [from Democrats or business groups] he either has retreated or has not asserted himself at all,” Krikorian said, adding: Telling the Border Patrol and ICE [U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] that they could start doing their jobs again was easy to do … but there are proactive things that need to get done, accomplishments that require pushing and work, and those so far we have not really see out of the administration … if there were some things they were strong on, and a couple of places where they were willing to give ground, I don’t think that would necessarily hurt him. But on DACA [former President Barack Obama’s 2012 ] they’re still issuing new work permits … so they have not met the concerns of their own voters a quarter of the way. “In the latest challenge on funding for the wall, as soon as Chuck Schumer said ‘Boo,’ the White House surrendered, and although some think it will be different in September, It won’t be,” warned Krikorian. Democrats fervently oppose Trump’s proposed border wall, which would literally and symbolically cement his 2016 victory and also block the northward migration of consumers, cheap workers, and future voters into cities. GOP leaders know their business donors oppose the wall, which would reduce the inflow of consumers and workers to the corporate members of the many Chambers of Commerce throughout the United States. In a Monday meeting with reporters, Schumer said several GOP Senators had told him they oppose the wall. | 1 |
défense , Opération russe en Syrie , armée Des exercices militaires conjoints entre la Russie et l'Inde. Crédit : Yuri Smityuk / TASS
Les hélicoptères de combat russes Ka-52K utiliseront pour la première fois les missiles antichars guidés (MAC) Hermes en Syrie dans la lutte contre l'organisation terroriste Daech, informe le quotidien Izvestia .
« Les essais sur le terrain permettront de finaliser le complexe de missiles qui fera ensuite partie de l’arsenal permanent des hélicoptères de combat russes Alligator. Il a été décidé de tester Hermes dans des conditions plus difficiles à bord d’un navire » , écrit le quotidien citant sa source au sein du complexe militaro-industriel russe. Qu’est-ce qu’Hermes et à quoi sert-il Buk-M3 et Kalibr : de nouvelles armes pour l’armée russe Selon les informations d’ Izvestia , la nouvelle arme permettra aux hélicoptères Ka-52K de détruite les chars ennemis, les fortifications et les cibles vivantes à une distance de 30 kilomètres. Pour le moment, la portée des modèles équivalents utilisés par les systèmes russes et étrangers (Ataka, Vikhr, Hellfire, etc.) est inférieure à dix kilomètres.
Le colonel à la retraite et expert militaire chez TASS Victor Litovkine explique qu’Hermes sera utilisé contre les sites bien protégés des islamistes – les usines d’armement et les engins explosifs improvisés, ainsi que contre les postes de commandement et les installations de tir temporaires. « L’utilisation sur le terrain permettra de décider si le complexe doit être amélioré ou s’il peut être adopté en l’état » , précise l’expert. Les particularités d’Hermes
Les experts interrogés par RBTH soulignent que la particularité principale du missile est la possibilité d’un usage « horizontal » . La tête autoguidée combinée au capteur infrarouge et au canal laser permet au missile d’atteindre les véhicules blindés de l’ennemi, même s’ils se trouvent hors du champ de vision de l’équipage de l’hélicoptère. Lire aussi : Les forces navales russes auront une base permanente en Syrie
« Le complexe israélien Spike-NLOS, monté sur un châssis à roues, peut accomplir des missions techniques similaires. Mais le complexe russe peut être utilisé tant sur des véhicules terrestres à chenilles que sur les hélicoptères et les navires. Hermes est plus universel » , a appris RBTH auprès du ministère russe de la Défense. Il précise que les informations officielles sur le missile seront publiées après son adoption par l’ armée .
« Aujourd’hui, on peut seulement affirmer que sa portée est largement supérieure à celle des complexes antichars étrangers, la plus grande étant de dix kilomètres pour ces derniers » , souligne notre interlocuteur. Il ajoute que l’ogive du missile peut être tant cumulative qu’explosive et incendiaire. Lire aussi : La Russie prête à abattre des avions américains en cas de frappe en Syrie Les hélicoptères de navire Ka-52
Les hélicoptères de navire Ka-52 Katran ont été conçus spécialement pour les bâtiments de débarquement français du type Mistral . Cependant, sous la pression des alliés au sein de l’ Otan , François Hollande a été contraint de rompre le contrat de vente de ces navires à la Russie, rappelle Vadim Koziouline, professeur de l’Académie des sciences militaires.
Au final, les Mistral ont été rachetés par l’Égypte et, dans la foulée, le Caire acheta un lot de 50 Katran russes à Moscou . Les hélicoptères restants ont été affectés à l’Amiral Kouznetsov pour subir un « baptême de feu » en fin d’année.
L’expert précise que les modèles « terrestres » de Ka-52 se sont avérés efficaces dans la campagne syrienne . Les nouveaux engins devront également démontrer leurs capacités militaires aux futurs acheteurs.
Les hélicoptères peuvent utiliser les missiles air-air R-73 et Igla-B, les missiles non-guidés « air-sol » et les missiles guidés antichars Hermes. Lire aussi : | 0 |
With the ringing of a bell, the thousands who gathered in Lower Manhattan fell silent on Sunday, and all that could be heard was the water cascading in the reflecting pools where the World Trade Center towers once stood. It was 8:46 a. m. the moment when, 15 years earlier, a plane struck the north tower. Family members of the victims bowed their heads, some crying and embracing, while others stood tall, looking up at the overcast skies. About 8, 000 people crowded the National September 11 Memorial plaza at the World Trade Center for what has become an annual ritual: the reading of the names of the 2, 977 people killed in the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001, and of the six killed in the bombing of the World Trade Center on Feb. 26, 1993. With the 15th anniversary falling on a Sunday, people turned out for the ceremony in much larger numbers than in previous years. But for the family members of the victims, it was another year of grief, and the pain was as raw as ever. “It feels like it’s been 15 seconds,” said Tom Acquaviva, whose son, Paul, died while working in the north tower. He was 29 years old, “too young,” Mr. Acquaviva said. Classical string music played as mothers, fathers, siblings, children and other relatives read the names, one by one. Some paused to say a few words to their loved ones others offered updates on graduations, weddings and other milestones during the past 15 years. The bell tolled five more times: at 9:03, when a plane struck the south tower at 9:37, when a plane hit the Pentagon at 9:59, when the south tower collapsed at 10:03, when a hijacked plane crashed in Shanksville, Pa. after passengers staged a revolt and at 10:28, when the other tower fell. Both presidential candidates, Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton, attended the ceremony, though neither made public remarks and both agreed not to campaign for the day. A spurt of cheers welcomed Mr. Trump just before the ceremony started. An hour and a half into the ceremony, Mrs. Clinton felt overheated and left to rest in her daughter’s Manhattan apartment, according to a statement released by her campaign. Around 11:40 a. m. she emerged from the apartment building on her own, waved to onlookers and said she was “feeling great. ” At the Pentagon, President Obama delivered his last address commemorating the 184 victims there, and while his words were similar to remarks he has given before, they were a clear rebuke to the divisive rhetoric coursing through the presidential campaign. Mr. Obama said that after the attacks, it was important for the country to defend not only its territory, “but also our ideals. ” He said that groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State know that they cannot defeat a nation such as the United States, so their attacks are intended to cause fear that leads Americans to turn on one another and “change who we are or how we live. ” “And that’s why it is so important today that we reaffirm our character as a nation — a people drawn from every corner of the world, every color, every religion, every background — bound by a creed as old as our founding, e pluribus unum,” Mr. Obama said. Mr. Obama has previously expressed his opposition to proposals by Mr. Trump to ban Muslim immigration. Mr. Obama said that those kinds of proposals undermined the foundations of American democracy, which was why on Sunday he translated the Latin phrase that remains on the seal of the United States. “Out of many, we are one,” he said. “For we know that our diversity — our patchwork heritage — is not a weakness it is still, and always will be, one of our greatest strengths. This is the America that was attacked that September morning. This is the America that we must remain true to. ” In Shanksville, about 1, 000 people attended the annual service at the Flight 93 National Memorial, honoring the 40 passengers and crew members who died there, The Associated Press reported. The site, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, is where the United Airlines flight crashed as passengers stormed the cockpit. Addressing the victims’ families, Sally Jewell, the secretary of the interior, said, according to The A. P.: “You have known the terrible pain of loss. None of us would want to trade places with you, but we honor your sacrifice. ” About halfway through the ceremony in Manhattan, the sun began to peer through the clouds, beaming on the new 1 World Trade Center. During a moment of silence at 10 a. m. a woman cried as she faced the building, and a firefighter passed her a packet of tissues. The woman, Kristen Alverson, 55, said she was thinking about her close friends Edward James Day, 45, and Richard John Kelly Jr. 50, both firefighters with Ladder Company 11 who served alongside her husband, who survived. “At that moment,” she said, “so many people perished. ” Danielle Kousoulis, 29, a bond broker, was in her office at the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald in the north tower on Sept. 11. Just before Ms. Kousoulis died, her sister said, she knew that the south tower had fallen and feared that her building would be next. She called her boyfriend twice, but refrained from calling others to let her use her phone. “Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday sometimes it feels like it was forever ago,” said her sister, Eleni Kousoulis, 46, of Philadelphia. Her mother, Zoe Kousoulis, 76, wore a necklace with her daughter’s picture on it. She said the only good that came from the attacks was that Eleni met her husband, who is in the Navy, through a event. “I always say Danielle sent him to her,” Zoe Kousoulis said. The passage of time was evident by the children who spoke at the ceremony. Many had never known their relatives. Valerie Arnold, 12, did not meet her uncle, Michael Boyle, 37, a firefighter with Engine Company 33. She said she found it hard to wrap her mind around the attacks, not having lived through them herself. But she said she has begun to understand, thanks to stories told by her grandfather, a retired firefighter who came to Lower Manhattan to help that day. “It’s crazy how people would do such a terrible thing,” she said. After all the names were read and the crowds started to disperse, Yvonne Davis Rogers, 52, stayed behind to spend a quiet moment at a reflecting pool, where her brother’s name is engraved. She traced his name, Clinton Davis, onto a long white piece of paper. Mr. Davis, 38, was an officer with the Port Authority Police Department. “Just being here, it makes it better,” Ms. Davis Rogers, who lives in Pennsylvania, said. “This encourages me to keep going. ” | 1 |
DENVER — It’s nighttime at the Herbal Cure, a south Denver marijuana shop and grow house tucked into a parking lot beside the highway. Inside is a marijuana bounty: thousands of dollars’ worth of cannabis plants, boxes of chocolate, jars of $ weed with names like Frankenberry, Lemon Skunk and Purple Cheddar. Chris Bowyer, a lanky combat veteran turned cannabis security guard, is outside. He has a . pistol on his hip and a few extra magazines stored away, and he is talking about his work on the battlefield. Not the one in Iraq — the one in Colorado, where criminals seeking to breach marijuana businesses face veterans trying to stop them. “This is my therapy,” Mr. Bowyer said, heading for a place where burglars broke in recently. He checked a fence for signs of a new incursion, then headed to an office to note the night’s activities in a rigorously organized logbook. “This is what we did in the military. ” In Colorado, a curious marriage has formed between the booming retail cannabis industry — legal in the state since 2014, but not in the eyes of the federal government — and young war veterans, more than 200 of whom have taken jobs protecting marijuana businesses across the state. They spend their days and nights in urban marijuana shops and suburban warehouses and on rural farms, warding off the burglars who have become hallmarks of this business. For some, a cannabis security job is a way station toward the police department or law school. For others, though, it is a vocation with purpose, a union of two outsider groups leaning on each other in a nation uncertain about how to accept them. “It’s almost a kindred spirit kind of thing,” said Mr. Bowyer, 30, sitting in an office with a computer, a bulletproof vest and a booklet detailing marijuana products marketed under the name Jimi Hendrix. Marijuana growers and sellers “recognize that there is another group of guys who have their own talents,” he said, “and that we are here for them. ” No industry is immune to thievery. But the owners of Colorado’s 978 marijuana shop licenses and 1, 393 marijuana growing licenses are particularly vulnerable. Because the federal government considers marijuana illegal, many banks will not work with cannabis businesses, forcing them to deal in mountains of cash. Perhaps more significant, their product is also lucrative for criminals: A pound of marijuana worth $2, 000 in Colorado can be sold for $4, 000 or $6, 000 across state lines. Stores and grow houses are often soft targets in darkened parts of town. And unlike cash, marijuana is untraceable, easily sold on Craigslist or driven to dealers in Chicago and New York. “The black market is still booming,” said Cmdr. James Henning of the Denver Police Department. Contrary to the popular narrative, marijuana is a burglar’s typical prize. “They don’t get cash,” the commander said. “That’s usually in the big old safe, and they can’t get into that. Usually, it’s plants and finished product. ” The department said it believed that the city’s marijuana businesses had been targeted by organized groups, though it has no evidence that the groups are linked to foreign cartels. Surveillance videos of some burglaries show thieves sawing through the roofs of businesses, tracking law enforcement with police scanners and tying up employees. In one case, in Southern Colorado, a pair of guards spotted four men in tactical gear carrying rifles through a field. Denver, one of the few jurisdictions compiling data on crimes at marijuana businesses, has 421 houses and shops. It recorded 192 burglaries and thefts at such businesses in 2015. In Aurora, a suburb with 19 operating pot shops, 18 burglaries and robberies have occurred since 2014. But some business owners do not report because they worry that they will be seen as targets or attract inspectors who will find a violation. Criminals have netted anything from a few sodas to a dollars in plants. In June, much worse occurred: Two armed men entered a pot shop in Aurora, called Green Heart, and killed a guard, Travis Mason. The police called it a botched robbery. Mr. Mason, 24, a former Marine and father of three, was believed to be the first cannabis employee to die on the job in Colorado, and the killing alarmed the industry. Some security businesses reported a rush of requests for armed guards. “Thieves in this industry are getting much more brazen, much more aggressive,” said Ryan Tracy, 38, general manager at the Herbal Cure, which now has a guard on duty every night. Into this world stepped Mr. Bowyer, fresh out of the Marine Corps. He joined the military in 2004 at the age of 17 to see the world. He ended up in combat, most notably in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. A bookish Episcopalian, he had considered the priesthood. After experiencing war, he lost his faith. When he left the military, he wandered in search of a tribe. He took a job as a frack hand in North Dakota and at a moving company in Colorado Springs. Unsatisfied, he moved to Denver and mined Craigslist for work. Then he found an ad for a company called the Iron Protection Group. “The way it read, it was written by guys like me,” he said. It was. The Iron Protection Group was formed in 2014 by Hunter Garth, Cory Aguillard and Caleb Patton, Marines who had served in Afghanistan but were disoriented in the civilian world. They wanted to find jobs for former fighters who were now sleeping on one another’s couches, living on ramen noodles and roaming in search of a purpose and a sense of family. Two Army veterans joined them in founding the company. “It started out as brothers helping brothers,” said Mr. Patton, 31. In some ways, it was a natural marriage, formalizing a relationship forged in Vietnam, where marijuana became a balm for soldiers seeking to calm the demons of deployment. Mr. Garth said that about half of his employees smoked marijuana, though he asks them to refrain from doing so eight hours before a shift. “Eight hours jigger to trigger,” he said, is the rule. The pay starts at $12 an hour, or $25, 000 a year based on a workweek. (The average salary, Mr. Garth said, is more like $38, 000.) But that does not reflect the benefits of camaraderie. At a shooting range tucked into the Rockies, 10 employees of the Iron Protection Group are training. Most wear khakis and polos. Many have beards and tattoos. They are led by Glenn Weatherly, 34, a former weapons and intelligence sergeant in the Army who served four tours in Iraq. “Range is hot,” he tells his men. “Engage your targets. ” The guards train their eyes on mock criminals made of paper. Bullets fly, and the guards reholster. Behind them, waiting for his turn to shoot, is Curtis Simmons, 30. He spent four years in the Army, including a stint in the Korangal Valley of Afghanistan, a scene of fighting so fierce it was known as the Valley of Death. When Mr. Simmons left the military, he took a job at Whole Foods. “I was definitely an outcast,” he said. “I hate to use the words ‘liberals’ and ‘’ but that’s the world I was brought into, from completely different upbringing. ” He quit after two years. Working in the marijuana industry, he said, makes him feel “like a protector. ” There are liberals and there, too, but they understand him, he said: He smokes to keep the symptoms of stress disorder at bay, and he gets recommendations about cannabis strains from his security clients. “They want to know, ‘What’s your issues? ’” he said. Mr. Simmons would like to become a police officer. But you can’t be a policeman if you can’t pass a drug test. “This is as close as I get,” he said. The men take a break. There is cursing and laughing and ribbing, and it sounds like a party. Or, under the scorching Colorado sun — with the crackle of fire coming from a group across the valley — a bit like war. | 1 |
Basketball players suffer an array of injuries on the hardwood ranging from bumps, bruises, pulled muscles and even broken bones. But one player’s injury was more gruesome than all those combined when his eyeball popped out of its socket during a game. [Playing for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL, Akil Mitchell fell to the floor after a player from the opposing team bopped him in the head. That slap presented just enough force to knock Mitchell’s eye right out of his head. During the ambulance trip to the hospital, Mitchell’s eyeball slipped right back into place leaving the player blinking in shock but otherwise uninjured. “My eye was out of my head — it was a little painful,” Mitchell said in an interview the next day, according to CNN. The video is shocking. It shows Mitchell hitting the deck and as he gets to his knees his eye is seen out of its socket. In fact, one of his teammates runs away from the scene clearly distressed by the injury. Even with the eye out of place, Mitchell reported that he could still see, and it felt as if someone had poked him in the eye. “I don’t know if it was the most painful thing I’ve ever felt,” he said, “but it was just weird. Just a weird sensation, a weird feeling. ” With the eye back in place one he arrived at the hospital, emergency room doctors were skeptical that the whole incident even happened. Mitchell notes that doctors asked for video of the incident to prove that it occurred. “The specialist on call — I don’t think he believed me. He was asking to see video,” Mitchell said the next day. “He didn’t see any damage and he was just trying to validate that it had come out of place. Everybody there was like ‘yes, it came out. ’” Doctors say they aren’t sure if there will be any damage. Mitchell has since said he’s taken a lot of ribbing from his teammates over the event, including talk of goggles and lots of jokes. Mitchell himself even put a pair of googly eye emojis on his Facebook page to tell fans and friends that he is OK. “The best healing for me is laughing,” Mitchell said. Unfortunately, while he was having his strange injury treated his team went on to lose their game to the Cairns Taipans. “I’m not happy with the way it ended,” Mitchell insisted. “I really wish they had won, and they’ll be hearing about it for sure. But there was no need to stop for me. ” This isn’t the first time a basketball player had his eye knocked out of his head on the court. Back in 2013 Villanova player Allan Ray had his eye poked out of its socket, when his eye lid pushed behind his eye during a game. Ray returned to the court a week later. Medical professionals say that if a distended eyeball is quickly pushed back into its place, damage is less likely. But the longer an eye is left out of place the greater possibility of permanent damage. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com. | 1 |
MOSCOW — Russia is for the first time conceding that its officials carried out one of the biggest conspiracies in sports history: a doping operation that implicated scores of Russian athletes, tainting not just the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi but also the entire Olympic movement. Over several days of interviews here with The New York Times, Russian officials said they no longer disputed a damning set of facts that detailed a doping program with few, if any, historical precedents. “It was an institutional conspiracy,” Anna Antseliovich, the acting director general of Russia’s national antidoping agency, said of years’ worth of cheating schemes, while emphasizing that the government’s top officials were not involved. A lab director tampered with urine samples at the Olympics and provided cocktails of drugs, corrupting some of the world’s most prestigious competitions. Members of the Federal Security Service, a successor to the K. G. B. broke into sample bottles holding urine. And a deputy sports minister for years ordered of top athletes’ use of banned substances. Russian sports officials had vehemently denied the doping operation’s existence despite a detailed confession by the nation’s former antidoping lab chief, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, in a New York Times article last May that was subsequently confirmed by global antidoping regulators. An investigator appointed by the World Agency, Richard McLaren, published more extensive evidence this month that prompted the International Olympic Committee to open disciplinary proceedings against dozens of additional Russian athletes. Russia’s drastic shift in tone may be motivated by a desire to reconcile with the regulators, who have stipulated that the nation accept the findings of the recent investigation before the country is recertified to conduct drug testing and be a host again of Olympic competitions. The officials, however, continue to reject the accusation that the doping program was . They define the Russian state as President Vladimir V. Putin and his closest associates. Ms. Antseliovich, who has not been directly implicated in the investigations, said she was shocked by the revelations. Vitaly Smirnov, 81, a top sports official whose career dates to the Soviet era and who was appointed this year by Mr. Putin to reform the nation’s antidoping system, said he did not want “to speak for the people responsible. ” Mr. Smirnov said he had not met most of the individuals implicated in a report by Mr. McLaren — emphasizing that they had been dismissed as a result — nor did he know where they were. “From my point of view, as a former minister of sport, president of Olympic committee — we made a lot of mistakes,” he said, echoing Mr. Putin’s broad denials of a system and noting that he would defer to the global governing bodies of each sport to rule on the evidence. Mr. McLaren said Tuesday that he was pleased Russian officials were no longer disputing his findings, suggesting they may have been motivated to stop further investigations into the scope of cheating. “It’s damage control,” Mr. McLaren said. “There are a number of different labels you can put on the facts, and they take a different view of government, but it’s a bit of a vocabulary game. ” The 2014 Olympics in Sochi were a pet project for Mr. Putin, who was closely involved in politicking for and preparing for them. Proud references to the Sochi Games overwhelm the Russian Olympic Committee’s offices along the Moscow River, including a nesting doll standing roughly six feet tall in the building’s lobby signed by Russian Olympians. Many of the athletes whose pictures decorate the Olympic committee’s offices have been implicated in this year’s doping scandal, with scores formally disciplined and more than 650 others now accused. One photo shows Russians kissing medals and another shows Paralympians in wheelchairs holding victory bouquets above their heads. “We have to find those reasons why young sportsmen are taking doping, why they agree to be doped,” Mr. Smirnov said, expressing eagerness to move forward rather than assign responsibility for previous violations. But even as he and other officials signaled their acceptance of the fundamental findings of Mr. McLaren’s investigation, they were largely unconciliatory, suggesting that cheating to benefit Russia had served to offset what they perceived as preferential treatment for Western nations by global sports authorities. “Have you seen the Fancy Bear records?” Mr. Smirnov said, invoking medical records hacked by a cyberespionage group believed to be associated with G. R. U. the Russian military intelligence agency suspected of hacking computers at the Democratic National Committee. The medical records revealed that hundreds of Western athletes had been given special medical permission to take banned drugs for legitimate therapeutic reasons. “Russia never had the opportunities that were given to other countries,” Mr. Smirnov said. “The general feeling in Russia is that we didn’t have a chance,” he added, acknowledging that anabolic steroids like those taken by Russian athletes have never been deemed medically excusable by regulators. The supposedly bottles that held Russian athletes’ doping samples in Sochi were manipulated — enabling officials to switch out their urine. Mr. Smirnov and his advisers suggested that the same thing had happened at other Olympics. “It’s lucky that the WADA had Rodchenkov,” said Victor Berezov, a lawyer for Russia’s Olympic Committee. “Maybe in China, London and everywhere — maybe the same things could happen. Because the system is broken. ” Now, as Russia’s global track and field athletes remain barred from competition and its operations decertified, Mr. Smirnov and a team of about two dozen people are focused on overhauling Russia’s antidoping system to satisfy global authorities. The group, selected over the summer, includes Russian politicians, Olympians, business people and even a celebrated pianist. The commission has studied the antidoping systems of countries like France, Germany and Britain, Mr. Smirnov said, conducting seminars for the national governing bodies of various sports and deliberating about how to change cultural mentalities. Beyond reputational concerns, there are economic considerations also motivating the commission’s work. Mikhail Kusnirovich, the owner of Bosco, which outfits the Russian national team and the International Olympic Committee, is a member of Mr. Smirnov’s commission. “We created the idea that it’s cool to be Russian,” Mr. Kusnirovich said, speaking proudly about his company’s designs from his office on Red Square, overlooking the Kremlin and decorated with numerous commemorative Olympic torches, including one from this year signed by the president of the I. O. C. Hundreds of the uniforms for which his company had fitted Russian Olympians and Paralympians were not worn in Rio de Janeiro, site of the summer Olympic Games, because so many athletes were barred from competition. Russian government officials were also denied accreditation for the Games. The doping scandal, Mr. Kusnirovich said, had hurt his company’s bottom line, depressing sales of Russian national team merchandise. Russia’s place as a frequent host of global sports competitions has also been affected. Numerous competitions that were to take place in various parts of the country in early 2017 have been relocated to other nations. But as officials communicated their sense of resigned acceptance, they also expressed disinterest in assigning specific accountability for systematic transgressions. “I don’t believe we have enough time in life to clarify everything, to understand who’s the winner and the loser, who’s right and who’s wrong,” Mr. Kusnirovich said, calling on the authorities not to penalize the nation at a future Olympics for what happened at previous Games. “Even during Stalin’s times there was a saying: ‘The son is not responsible for his father’s sins. ’” | 1 |
Señal de Alerta
OSITRAN: PCM le baja el dedo a Benavente por Herbert Mujica Rojas Socios | 4 de noviembre de 2016 4-11-2016
Patricia Benavente Donayre, presidente de OSITRAN, aún, habría solicitado a la PCM autorización para participar en la Séptima Reunión de la Red de Reguladores Económicos de la Organización para la Cooperación y el desarrollo Económico–OCDE, que se llevó a cabo en París, Francia, entre el 2 y 4 del mes en curso. País amado por Benavente, pues en más de una oportunidad lo ha visitado excediéndose, una vez, el período sin que le fuera aplicada sanción alguna.
Le dijeron NO
Esta vez le fue negada la autorización requerida y, además, habría sido informada verbal pero formalmente, que su período vence en febrero 2017.
Viajó Calle
A pesar que OSITRAN se declaró prácticamente en falencia económica, a mediados del ejercicio, pues su plana gerencial calculó equivocadamente el nivel de ingresos para el presente año fiscal, Benavente tomó la decisión de aprobar el viaje de Jean Paul Calle Casusol, su gerente favorito y que ha salido del país al menos en 8 oportunidades durante esta gestión que fenece en febrero próximo. Es decir, en estos 4 años viajó más que en toda su vida anterior.
Consejo directivo de adorno
A pocos días del nombramiento del nuevo director que ayudará a completar el quórum para sesionar legalmente, doña Patricia sacó la resolución sobre la excursión de Calle. Lo curioso es que se hizo un día antes de la sesión del consejo directivo.
¿Cuándo devuelve los S/ 16 mil?
En artículo anterior dimos cuenta de la innecesaria, y posiblemente ilegal, contratación de un estudio de abogados para que analizara y determinara cuándo vencía el mandato de la actual presidente del regulador. Estaba claro, para todos, menos para Benavente, que fenecía en febrero 2017. Entonces, el Estado a través de OSITRAN, pagó S/. 16, 000 por el capricho de doña Patricia, y consiguió opinión a su medida, es decir, “debía” quedarse hasta septiembre 2017.
Sin embargo, el jueves 20 de octubre salió publicada la resolución suprema que nombra como director de OSITRAN a Manuel Dammert Lira y en sus Considerandos puede leerse claramente: “ … dispone que el período del nuevo miembro del Consejo Directivo se computará desde el día siguiente a la fecha de vencimiento del período de designación del miembro anterior”.
¿Cumplirán su función los estamentos del regulador para cobrar esta acreencia de Benavente? Claro que no. Habrá que esperar al nuevo presidente para que ponga orden en OSITRAN.
Tomado de http://senaldealerta.pe/noticias/os...
Herbert Mujica Rojas | 0 |
First it was the icy snow. Now comes the freezing rain. An arctic blast that has reached as far south as the Mediterranean is generating perilous conditions for thousands of refugees in overcrowded migrant camps in Greece and prompting the European Union to declare the situation “untenable. ” On Wednesday, a Greek navy ship docked at Lesbos island to take on as many as 500 refugees. They have been struggling to survive the subzero temperatures in the severely overcrowded main camp in Moria, using pup tents that were supposed to be temporary when they were set up last year in warmer weather. Video and photos taken by migrants inside the camp and posted to social media showed flimsy shelters sagging under a blanket of snow, and people waiting in long lines in the falling snow for food and to use bathrooms. In one video, a man identifying himself as a migrant shows people lifting the flaps of tents near a slushy pathway. “Look at how human beings are living,” said the man, speaking French. Imploring officials of the European Union to look at the situation themselves, he said: “Why can’t people leave here? How is it possible to live in these conditions, my God?” On Tuesday night, the snow turned to freezing rain, forming rivers of muck around the camp and drenching tents and clothing, aid organizations reported. On Samos, another island where the main migrant camp is overflowing, refugees reported freezing conditions with no heat. At refugee camps on the Greek mainland, and especially near the northern border, migrants continued to grapple with living outside under heavy snowfall. “This is unbearable,” said Roland Schoenbauer, a spokesman for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, who said he was receiving reports from doctors in camps across Greece warning of rising health risks from the cold and humidity. “It shows what happens when you try to squeeze too many people into these camps. You can’t stockpile human beings. ” A year after the European Union sealed its borders to large numbers of newcomers, Greece remains Europe’s holding pen for nearly 60, 000 men, women and children. Many have been living for months in a distressing limbo in sordid refugee camps on the mainland and on Greek islands near Turkey, unable to move to countries where they hoped to seek asylum, and with no means or motivation to return to Syria, Iraq or other countries from which they fled war or economic hardship. Eric Kempson, a British citizen who has been living on Lesbos for over a decade, has been documenting the deteriorating conditions in the Moria refugee camp, posting videos of tents collapsing under the weight of snow and migrants slogging through muddy walkways. “It is now heavy rain and melting snow, which is causing flooding in the camp,” Mr. Kempson wrote to The New York Times, via Facebook, describing the conditions in the camp on Wednesday. “It’s like we begin the vicious circle again and nothing gets better, only worse. ” On Monday, the European Commission issued a statement saying the Greek refugee situation was the responsibility of Greek authorities. “The situation has become untenable,” a spokeswoman, Natasha Bertaud, said in Brussels. The United Nations refugee agency and other aid groups have been working to move migrants from camps into better shelters, including hotels. In some cases, however, they have met resistance: Hotel owners on Samos, for example, were generally refusing to house migrants, Mr. Schoenbauer said. But a bigger problem is the extremely slow processing of asylum applications for those in the Greek camps. While the numbers of people streaming across the Aegean Sea from Turkey have slowed to a trickle after Turkey and the European Union signed a deal to resolve the crisis last March, thousands of migrants have yet to be registered for asylum. That is partly because the European Union has sent just a fraction of the assistance it pledged to Greece last year to help clear the backlog. A separate European Union plan to ease Greece’s burden by relocating tens of thousands of asylum seekers has also failed to take off, with European countries taking only a few thousand of the many stuck in Greece. The bottlenecks have overwhelmed many of the camps, especially on the Greek islands, where migrants arriving after the March deal are supposed to be held until being deported to Turkey. The camp at Moria, for instance, run by the Greek police and nongovernmental organizations and designed for about 3, 000 people, was reinforced with small container shelters that can each house up to 30 people. But hundreds of makeshift tents have been set up outside for months to accommodate an overflow of asylum seekers — first under the beating Greek sun, and now under the pelting snow and rain. “The snow is only the tip of the iceberg,” Mr. Schoenbauer said. “The bigger problem is the overcrowding of the islands, and one reason for the overcrowding is the fact that the asylum procedure remains far too slow. ” | 1 |
Carmela Tyrell November 6, 2016 Surviving Off-grid: 5 Ways to Manage Chimney Creosote
The government is doing everything it can to deter people from burning wood , it still remains popular with home owners that don’t want to use oil or other more expensive fuels. Wood is also very popular with off gridders, preppers, and homesteaders because it can be harvested from natural resources or grown for this purpose.
Many people that burn wood are plagued by creosote that builds up in chimneys. As dangerous as this problem can become, preventing or reducing creosote buildup is not as hard as it seems to be.
Here are five ways you can reduce or prevent creosote buildup in your chimneys.
Do not forget to inspect your chimneys on a regular basis and clean them even if the creosote only looks like it is in the early stages of buildup.
How Does Creosote Form?
Have you ever blown on a mirror or piece of glass so that some of the water vapor from your lungs condenses on the glass? If so, then you may also know that condensation occurs because the glass is cooler than the air exiting your mouth.
In a similar way, when hot gas and smoke enter the chimney, they are hotter than the stove pipe. If the pipe is not hot enough, then creosote will condense out of the smoke and be deposited in the chimney. Video first seen on Corey Binford .
The Three Degrees of Creosote Buildup
As with many other situations in life, creosote build up may not be especially dangerous at first. However, if it is left unchecked, or not taken care of soon enough, it can become a very expensive problem. As you review the three degrees of creosote buildup, bear in mind that simply cleaning up the mess is only part of the problem. You will still need to take active steps to prevent or at least slow down further creosote buildup.
1st Degree
Just about every chimney will build up layers of soft black material known as soot. If you can easily brush the black layer of material out of the chimney, chances are there is actually very little creosote in it.
Many people consider this a good sign because it means the fire is burning hot enough to reduce the amount of temperature difference between the smoke and the chimney. While this stage isn’t especially dangerous, you will still need to clean out the chimney on a routine basis in order to keep good air flow.
2nd Degree
At this level, you will start to see more creosote in the soot. There will be quite a few shiny black flakes of material that can still be removed if you put some effort into it. If you see this kind of soot, it is very important to increase the air flow in the burning area.
3rd Degree
This type of creosote buildup forms layers of a tar like coating on inner surfaces of the chimney. If you think about how cholesterol builds up in arteries, then you have a pretty good picture of what I mean.
3 rd Degree creosote also contains a good bit of unburned fuel . As a result, when it does catch fire, it can be quite dangerous. The third degree of creosote buildup is caused by cool burning fires with inadequate ventilation, or by a flue that is too large.
Here are five ways to resolve this type of buildup. You may need a combination of answers in order to reduce the level of creosote buildup as much as possible.
1. Keep a Robust Airflow
Have you ever lit a candle, and then put it in a glass cup? If so, then you have also probably seen soot build up on the sides of the glass.
When a fire burns under any kind of restricted air flow, the soot from the fire will also concentrate and condense into smaller areas. Typically, fireplaces that have glass doors, or are otherwise closed off will have the most problems with airflow.
Here’s what you can do to remedy this problem: Keep the ash bin and grate area as clean as possible. Open the damper so that more air gets into the fireplace. If you cannot get enough air moving in the fireplace, try using a fan or blower to push more air in through the damper. Make sure that the fan is made of metal or some other non-flammable material. Aside from purchasing a new model, you may also find some old, or vintage blowers at a flea market for a much lower price. Never underestimate the power or durability of these old, but incredibly durable blowers and fans! In some cases, downdrafts from the outside can also cause poor air circulation inside the stove. You can try adding a partial cover to the top of outer pipe. Alternatively, add an insert with an inward curve that will also reduce the amount of downdraft that can get down the chimney.
2. Keep the Fire Hot
Even though you may think of a piece of wood as a single object, it is actually made up of all kinds of molecules. This, in turn, means that some molecules will have a higher kindling point than others.
If the fire is not hot enough, some of the molecules that require a hotter temperature will escape into the chimney and form a layer of creosote if the conditions are right. Later on, if the temperature inside the chimney gets hot enough, these particles will catch fire and burn.
The hotter the fire is, the better chance there is of these molecules being reduced to heat and ash in the fireplace. In addition, the hotter the fire is, the hotter the chimney will be. When the chimney is hot enough, all the gunk that forms creosote cannot collect.
Here are some ways to increase the heat output from a wood fire: add a few handfuls of coal to the wood fire. Coal burns at a higher temperature and will also last longer. Without a question, anyone that has used a coal fire on a freezing winter night can tell you just how delightful they are! install heat retaining bricks in the fireplace. This will increase the temperature inside the burn area and help keep the temperature steadier. insulate the chimney pipe with bricks. This is especially important if you are using a metal chimney, as they will always be cooler on the inner surface. The insulation will help, however it will not entirely solve the problem if it is caused by using a metal chimney.
3. Check the Size of the Flue
Consider a situation where you want to heat up a cup of coffee over a campfire. Chances are it will only take a few minutes to achieve this goal. Now let’s say you want to heat up a gallon of water over the exact same campfire.
Heating up a gallon of water will take longer than a cup because there are more atoms to deal with. In a similar way, when the flue is too large, there is simply too much material for the fire to contend with. A wood stove should not have a flue larger than six inches.
When you reduce the size of the flue, it allows less heat to escape. Some people have noticed a 20% or better increase in heat produced by fireplaces that have an optimally sized flue. Therefore, you will be reducing creosote problems and get more heat at the same time.
Depending on the construction of the stove and chimney system, you may not be able to simply rip the whole thing out and start over again. Your best option will be to insert a sleeve into the chimney so that it has a smaller internal diameter. Even though these sleeves are usually made of metal, the surrounding brick in the chimney should keep it warm enough to reduce the risk of creosote build up. If you still get too much creosote, focus on increasing the heat produced by the fire and the amount of air flow going up into the chimney. Remember, the more air flow you have going up the chimney, the harder it will be for particles to stay still long enough to attach to inner surfaces. You may also want to let the wood season longer than a few months, and choose some type of wood other than pine. Look for wood that has less resin or sap in it. It is also very important to stay away from pellets or other types of pre-manufactured wood because they may be designed to burn at lower temperatures than what you will need to heat up an over sized chimney.
4. Make Sure the Wood is Fully Seasoned and Dry
Have you ever tried to start a fire during or after it rains? If you are camping, chances are you use a number of methods to dry the wood out as much as possible so that it produces more heat than smoke.
In a similar way, when wood is not fully seasoned and dried out, it will produce more creosote. Fires that produce a lot of smoke also have the following problems: there is less airflow, which reduces the amount of oxygen available to the fire the fire will burn cooler because water impedes combustion smoke is also a sign that more fuel is escaping into the air than you would get from a cleaner burning fire.
There is no substitute for time when it comes to seasoning wood. You can try keeping logs closer to the fire place for a few days before you actually burn them. Just remember to rotate them often so that the log dries out more evenly.
Chopping the log into smaller pieces might help too. This will increase surface area, which in turn will speed up water evaporation. You will still need to rotate the wood around to ensure the fastest possible drying.
When it comes to seasoning wood , many people make the mistake of covering the wood with a waterproof, air tight tarp. The wood will release water vapor, however it will fall right back onto the wood and be absorbed all over again.
You will be better served by keeping the wood loosely covered and in a warm, sunny spot while it is drying. As with drying the wood out indoors, do not forget to rotate the woodpile every few days so that the pieces dry out as much and as evenly as possible.
If the weather is especially damp, humid, or rainy, it may be of some help to cut the wood into smaller pieces. No matter how you look at it, increasing surface area always speeds up evaporation. It may seem like a lot of extra work, however it will pay off when you have hotter fires and fewer problems with creosote.
5. Do Not Overload the Stove With Wood
When you have had a long, hard day, it is tempting to load the stove with as much wood as possible so you won’t have to add more through the night. On the other side of the equation, when you put too much wood in the stove, it reduces air flow.
Aside from this, when fires burn, they also release some water vapor. When there is too much wood in the stove, some of that vapor may just land on the wood and increase its moisture level. No matter how well seasoned the wood is, that increased moisture will cause the fire to burn poorly.
Here are some ways to resolve this problem: start off by adding just one piece at a time to the fire. If the fire burns well, try adding a second piece. Keep adding more pieces as long as the fire burns cleanly. Do not forget that you may not be able to add as many pieces at one time on rainy days or ones where it is impossible to prevent a downdraft from the chimney. install an automatic wood feeder. Even thought a wood feeder can take up a good bit of space, it may be a better solution than trying to manually feed the stove. Use coal and other materials that might burn longer during times when you won’t be available to feed the stove more wood.
Wherever you live in (an apartment or a house), chances are the building will have a chimney, and there will also be a stove available for burning wood . Getting started with wood burning is not especially difficult, but avoiding creosote buildup in the chimney can be challenge.
Be careful about the condition of the fire, the wood, and ventilation issues that may lead to creosote buildup. Once you find a way to reduce the speed of creosote buildup, do not forget to inspect the chimney on a regular basis.
A clean chimney is not just a safe one, it is a valuable asset that will help you burn wood efficiently and get the most from it.
Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia. 464 total views, 463 views today | 0 |
Share on Facebook Washington, D.C. – Billionaire globalist financier George Soros' MoveOn.org has been revealed to be a driving force behind the organizing of nationwide protests against the election of Donald Trump — exposing the protests to largely be an organized, top-down operation — and not an organic movement of concerned Americans taking to the streets as reported by the mainstream media. Wednesday saw protests in the streets of at least 10 major U.S. cities. Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Portland, Ore., St. Paul, Minn., Seattle, and several other cities saw protests, according to USA Today. In light of the protests and rioting that have transpired since the election of Trump, a closer analysis of the dynamic at play is warranted to gauge whether it's an organic grassroots movement, or something much more organized, sophisticated and potentially dangerous. Soros' affiliated organization MoveOn.org released the following press release yesterday afternoon: Americans to Come Together in Hundreds Peaceful Gatherings of Solidarity, Resistance, and Resolve Following Election Results. Hundreds of Americans, dozens of organizations to gather peacefully outside the White House and in cities and towns nationwide to take a continued stand against misogyny, racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia. Tonight, thousands of Americans will come together at hundreds of peaceful gatherings in cities and towns across the nation, including outside the White House, following the results of Tuesday's presidential election. The gatherings – organized by MoveOn.org and allies – will affirm a continued rejection of Donald Trump's bigotry, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and misogyny and demonstrate our resolve to fight together for the America we still believe is possible. Within two hours of the call-to-action, MoveOn members had created more than 200 gatherings nationwide, with the number continuing to grow on Wednesday afternoon. Now come reports from various protest locations that reveal a substantially coordinated effort, and not the organic grassroots showing by concerned Americans, as the mainstream media is reporting. Photos from Austin, Texas reveal a line of busses the “protestors” arrived in, making their appearance seem substantially less than organic – with a direct implication of being strategically orchestrated. Anti-Trump protestors in Austin today are not as organic as they seem. Here are the busses they came in. #fakeprotests #trump2016 #austin pic.twitter.com/VxhP7t6OUI — erictucker (@erictucker) November 10, 2016 With evidence mounting, the question must be asked; is George Soros working through his front organizations to foment an American revolution? @BeshoyBadie @desjax @erictucker Pretty evident that the signs were printed by Soros and Creamer groups. IIRC Soros linked w/ MB & Huma pic.twitter.com/KgXvIQr2b8 — MEGATRON (@MEGATRONs_SMIRK) November 10, 2016 Note that the group is actively organizing protests to a democratic election that no one is contesting the legitimacy of in terms of whether the vote was rigged, etc. Essentially, they are displeased with the results and are calling for people to rise up and not accept the results. For an organization that feigns to promote democracy, their actions speak otherwise. “This is a disaster. We fought our hearts out to avert this reality. But now it's here,” MoveOn.org staff wrote to members on Wednesday. “The new president-elect and many of his most prominent supporters have targeted, demeaned, and threatened millions of us—and millions of our friends, family, and loved ones. Both chambers of Congress remain in Republican hands. We are entering an era of profound and unprecedented challenge, a time of danger for our communities and our country. In this moment, we have to take care of ourselves, our families, and our friends—especially those of us who are on the front lines facing hate, including Latinos, women, immigrants, refugees, Black people, Muslims, LGBT Americans, and so many others. And we need to make it clear that we will continue to stand together.” Perhaps the most absurd part of the protests is that President-elect Trump hasn't made a single policy decision yet — and, in fact, the entire section of his website regarding banning Muslims was scrubbed shortly after his election. This denotes that anything said during the campaign was most likely simple election campaign rhetoric and subsequent framing of said rhetoric by the opposition. The left wing organization is one of a number of progressive organizations affiliated with Soros' Open Society Foundation. Soros-affiliated organizations across the world are deeply connected to various color revolutions, the Arab Spring, and a number of other political uprisings across the globe. According to a report in New Eastern Outlook: The totality of what is revealed in the three hacked documents show that Soros is effectively the puppet-master pulling most of the strings in Kiev. Soros Foundation's Ukraine branch, International Renaissance Foundation (IRF) has been involved in Ukraine since 1989. His IRF doled out more than $100 million to Ukrainian NGOs two years before the fall of the Soviet Union, creating the preconditions for Ukraine's independence from Russia in 1991. Soros also admitted to financing the 2013-2014 Maidan Square protests that brought the current government into power. Soros' foundations were also deeply involved in the 2004 Orange Revolution that brought the corrupt but pro-NATO Viktor Yushchenko into power with his American wife who had been in the US State Department. In 2004 just weeks after Soros' International Renaissance Foundation had succeeded in getting Viktor Yushchenko as President of Ukraine, Michael McFaul wrote an OpEd for the Washington Post. McFaul, a specialist in organizing color revolutions, who later became US Ambassador to Russia, revealed: Did Americans meddle in the internal affairs of Ukraine? Yes. The American agents of influence would prefer different language to describe their activities — democratic assistance, democracy promotion, civil society support, etc. — but their work, however labeled, seeks to influence political change in Ukraine. Anyone familiar with the history of the Soros Open Society Foundations in Eastern Europe and around the world since the late 1980's, will know that his supposedly philanthropic “democracy-building” projects in Poland, Russia, or Ukraine in the 1990's allowed Soros the businessman to literally plunder the former communist countries' wealth, according to the New Eastern Outlook . During the 2016 presidential cycle, Soros committed $25 million dollars to the 2016 campaign of Hillary Clinton. Per the standard Clinton operating procedure, this was indicative of the symbiotic relationship of favors between the billionaire and his array of political puppets across the globe. As a testament to the power wielded by Soros, contained within WikiLeaks' recent release of hacked DNC emails, is a message from billionaire globalist financier George Soros to Hillary Clinton while she was U.S. Secretary of State, that clearly reveals Clinton as a Soros puppet. Found within the WikiLeaks' Hillary Clinton email archive is an email with the subject ‘ Unrest in Albania ,’ in which Soros makes clear to Clinton that “two things need to be done urgently.” He then directs the Secretary of State to “bring the full weight of the international community to bear on Prime Minister Berisha” and “appoint a senior European official as mediator.” Revealing the influence he wields within the corridors of power, Soros then provides Secretary of State Clinton with three names from which to choose. Unsurprisingly, Clinton acquiesced and chose one of the officials recommended by Soros — Miroslav Lajcak. Make no mistake that the events you're seeing transpire nationwide are being orchestrated in part by a billionaire political elite class that is looking to subvert the will of the American people by attempting to foment a new American revolution. Soros' formula has been duplicated in numerous nations, and it looks as if he now has the U.S. in his sights as the next target. Please share this critically import story in hope of waking people up to the globalist agenda at work here in America! Related: | 0 |
WASHINGTON — A senior American general told Congress on Wednesday that Russia has deployed a prohibited cruise missile, the first public confirmation by the United States that the Kremlin had fielded the weapon in violation of a landmark arms control agreement. The missile is believed to have been moved in December from a test site in southern Russia to an undisclosed operational base. “We believe that the Russians have deployed a cruise missile that violates the spirit and intent of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty,” Gen. Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee. “The system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe,” he added. “And we believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility. ” The New York Times reported last month that Russia had deployed a battalion of the prohibited missiles. A typical battalion has four launchers, each of which is equipped with six missiles. While senior Trump administration officials have not said where the new unit is based, there has been speculation in media reports that a missile system with similar characteristics is deployed in central Russia. The Times also noted that a second battalion was staged at a missile test range at Kapustin Yar, in southern Russia near Volgograd. Russia’s foreign ministry criticized the article as an example of “fake news. ” The treaty Russia is accused of violating bans the testing, production and possession of American and Russian missiles based on land. Commonly called the I. N. F. treaty, it was signed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, and is regarded as one of the cornerstones of arms control. General Selva appeared skeptical during his congressional testimony about the prospects of persuading the Russians to remedy the violation. “I don’t have enough information on their intent to conclude, other than that they do not intend to return to compliance,” he told the lawmakers. General Selva added that the Pentagon was considering steps the United States and its allies could take to pressure the Russians to comply, but had not yet determined what “leverage points” might be effective. “I don’t know what those points are at this point in time,” he said. The Obama administration, starting in 2013, sought to persuade the Russians to correct the violation while the missile was still in the test phase. But the Russians have denied they have violated the treaty and responded with their own allegations, which the Americans have dismissed as specious. American lawmakers say it is very unlikely that the Senate would ratify a new agreement requiring deeper cuts in nuclear arms unless the dispute over Russian compliance with the I. N. F. treaty is resolved. In a February interview with Reuters, President Trump said he was concerned about the alleged violation and planned to take it up with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. “To me it’s a big deal,” said Mr. Trump, who added that he would raise the matter with Mr. Putin “if and when we meet. ” If the Russians agreed to eliminate the new cruise missile, verifying that the missile was no longer deployed could require intrusive inspections. The mobile launcher for the cruise missile is very similar to the mobile launcher used for the Iskander, a system that is permitted under arms control treaties. Having failed to persuade the Russians to fix the alleged violation, some military experts say the United States could increase the pressure by announcing plans to expand missile defenses in Europe or deploying or nuclear missiles. But many say that the United States should seek to avoid a heated debate within the alliance by proposing the deployment of a new generation of missiles in Europe. The Russian cruise missile is also a concern for the United States’ Asian allies. Since the system is mobile, it could easily be moved across Russia, depending on its potential target. | 1 |
Megyn Kelly’s new office at NBC News sits a block north of Fox News headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. But it might as well be a world away. In switching networks at a pivotal point in her career, Ms. Kelly, the No. personality in cable television news, is taking a calculated risk that she can swap her dedicated Fox audience for the broader, but more fickle, viewership of network television. There are challenges from the . Her splashy arrival has the potential to fray nerves among the big personalities at the network — who already compete against one another for interviews and scoops. Ms. Kelly, 46, will also be taking on a daytime talk show format that has been a virtual graveyard for television news personalities in the last 10 years. And the new Sunday newsmagazine show that NBC plans to build around Ms. Kelly will go up against a giant that has not been meaningfully challenged for decades: “60 Minutes” on CBS. Still, Ms. Kelly is a bona fide star with a book and a breakout role in this year’s presidential campaign, when she clashed with Donald J. Trump. NBC News comes out the winner in one of the most closely watched talent sweepstakes in years, acquiring one of television’s biggest names who could play a role in any number of major network events, like coverage of elections or the Olympics. Interviews on Tuesday with network executives and producers — from Fox, NBC and other rival channels — suggest that Ms. Kelly’s performance at NBC will be as closely watched in the industry as her past few months of contract negotiations. Ms. Kelly will have to design her daytime talk show from scratch. Even though she made her name as a news anchor, she has argued that she is not obsessed with politics. When she hosted a special on Fox in May — her first major foray outside cable news — she expressed a desire to combine the qualities of Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and Charlie Rose. That special — which featured interviews with Mr. Trump, the celebrity lawyer Robert Shapiro and the actress Laverne Cox — received middling reviews. It was far from a ratings hit: Among adults younger than 50, the demographic most important to broadcasters, Ms. Kelly’s special performed about as well as ABC’s “Beyond the Tank,” a spinoff. A daily daytime talk show also poses risks. talent like Jane Pauley, Meredith Vieira, Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper have taken a stab at the genre in the past, and each one failed. In Ms. Pauley’s case, NBC invested millions of dollars, but the show was yanked in 2005 after just one year. NBC said on Tuesday that Ms. Kelly’s show was expected to be closer to a news program than the typical daytime talk show, although it is unclear what exactly that will mean or how much appetite there is for news amid a landscape including shows like “Days of Our Lives,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Steve Harvey. ” The audience for daytime television is also significantly more diverse than Fox’s viewership. Starting a Sunday rival to “60 Minutes,” the among newsmagazines, is likewise no easy task. “Rock Center,” which Brian Williams hosted, lasted two seasons. NBC’s most recent newsmagazine, “On Assignment,” ran against “60 Minutes” over five weeks the show averaged about four million viewers, compared with more than nine million for “60 Minutes,” which broadcast two repeats during that time. (This season, “60 Minutes” is averaging more than 14 million viewers.) It is also unclear how NBC will accommodate Ms. Kelly’s show during the National Football League season, when NBC’s popular “Sunday Night Football” package includes a highly rated pregame show that begins at 7 p. m. Eastern. But Andrew Lack, NBC News’s chairman, has long had newsmagazines in his blood. In addition to overseeing a “60 Minutes” competitor on CBS in the 1980s, Mr. Lack presided over NBC in the 1990s when newsmagazines, including the network’s popular “Dateline,” dominated lineups. Fox, meanwhile, must now set a course without one of its biggest names, as the network continues to recalibrate itself after the ouster of its chairman, Roger Ailes. Ms. Kelly’s exit from Fox News was so abrupt that it was announced on the day that the network had run a ad in The Wall Street Journal trumpeting the ratings of its lineup, with Ms. Kelly prominently pictured. Her departure stunned the Fox newsroom, where journalists and executives spent Tuesday afternoon speculating over which anchor might replace Ms. Kelly in the coveted 9 p. m. slot — and wondering if Ms. Kelly would even appear that night. When Greta Van Susteren, another veteran anchor, announced her departure in September, network representatives visited her home to tell her not to bother coming in. In the end, Ms. Kelly was granted a chance to bid farewell to Fox News viewers — her last show is Friday. It is not clear who will replace her. Fox News has never had an lineup. Potential replacements being floated inside the network on Tuesday include four women who have regularly filled in for Ms. Kelly: Sandra Smith, a host of Fox’s noon show, “Outnumbered” Trish Regan, a rising star at Fox Business Network Shannon Bream, who covers the Supreme Court and Martha MacCallum, a morning anchor. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a host of “The Five” who is friendly with Mr. Trump’s circle, and Tucker Carlson, who has put up high ratings since taking over Fox News’s 7 p. m. slot, have also been suggested. Sean Hannity, whose viewership at 10 p. m. increased enormously in 2016 and has spiked since Election Day, could be moved up an hour, but his momentum in his time slot may make Fox executives reluctant to make a switch. One winner in the sweepstakes for Ms. Kelly could be CNN, even though it did not succeed in recruiting her. CNN, while still behind Fox News in total viewers by a wide margin, has occasionally beaten Fox among viewers 25 to 54, the demographic that determines advertising rates. In 2016, CNN finished within 58, 000 viewers of Fox in prime time in the demographic — cutting Fox’s lead in half. Since the election, Fox has regained a sizable lead, but now, without spending a penny, CNN will now have an opportunity to take another run at Fox’s advantage. | 1 |
Home / News / Longtime Clinton Aid: If America Read All of Hillary’s Emails She Could ‘Lose 49 States’ Longtime Clinton Aid: If America Read All of Hillary’s Emails She Could ‘Lose 49 States’ fisher 4 mins ago News Comments Off on Longtime Clinton Aid: If America Read All of Hillary’s Emails She Could ‘Lose 49 States’ Longtime Clinton Aid: If America Read All of Hillary ’s Emails She Could ‘Lose 49 States’ NEW YORK — If Americans were to read all of Hillary Clinton’s emails “she would either win 49 states, or lose 49 states,” wrote Philippe I. Reines, Clinton’s longtime aide who served as her senior advisor while she was Secretary of State.
In the same email, Reines cryptically wrote about Clinton’s email scandal that “email retention = Benghazi.”
The March 3, 2015 correspondence was posted by Wikileaks after the email was ostensibly captured in John Podesta’s hacked gmail account.
The message was a response to a suggestion from Clinton’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, that Clinton make a joke about the email fiasco during a charity dinner later that day. This was two months before the State Department publicly released the first batch of Clinton’s emails, messages which had previously been provided to the House Select Committee on Benghazi .
“Greetings. I wanted to float idea of HRC making a joke about the email situation at the Emily’s List dinner tonight. What do folks think about that?” Palmieri asked, in an email to numerous Clinton confidantes, including Podesta and Reines.
“Margolis and I discussed,” replied Mandy Grunwald, a communications adviser to Clinton. “We don’t know what’s in the emails, so we are nervous about this. Might get a big laugh tonight and regret it when content of emails is disclosed.”
That’s when Reines chimed in with his remarks:
Trust me, most of the email themselves are funnier than any joke we can come up with. Read in total by America she would either win 49 states, or lose 49 states. I go back and forth.
I’m not hard over either way, but I would not make a joke just for the sake of making a joke, because email retention = Benghazi.
BUT, if we could get some business done in a light way it’s worth trying: signaling that she is more than fine with them making their way into the public domain. Because past the process stuff, next phase is content. And the assumption is that she did this secretly, hiding, etc. Simply not true. We can’t jam State to release them at this point, but if Dan can think of a light way to say “I am proud of the work we did at State and hopefully at some point everyone will be able to read what’s in them as a way to better understand that work, but until then, I want to talk about…” Doesn’t need to be at the top, could be at some natural point.
That’s my strong vote since I think her expressing more than a willingness for them to be released into the wild is what’s most important. | 0 |
Nonduality and the Consciousness of 'Things' - Thich Nhat Hanh Share on Facebook Tweet
Do animals and plants have consciousness? Are electrons alive? Thich Nhat Hanh in dialogue with University of Virginia Astrophysicist Dr. Trinh Xuan Thuan. [watch video below] Caitlin Moran's Posthumous Advice for Her Daughter Caitlin Moran · 19,039 views today · My daughter is about to turn 13 and I’ve been smoking a lot recently, and so – in the wee small hours, when my lungs feel like there’s a small mouse inside them, scratching to... | 0 |
Americans seem very afraid of cancer, with good reason. Unlike other things that kill us, it often seems to come out of nowhere. But evidence has increasingly accumulated that cancer may be preventable, too. Unfortunately, this has inflamed as much as it has assuaged people’s fears. As a physician, I have encountered many people who believe that heart disease, which is the single biggest cause of death among Americans, is largely controllable. After all, if people ate better, were physically active and stopped smoking, then lots of them would get better. This ignores the fact that people can’t change many risk factors of heart disease like age, race and family genetics. People don’t often seem to feel the same way about cancer. They think it’s out of their control. A study published in Science in January 2015 seemed to support that view. It tried to explain why some tissues lead to cancer more often than others. It found a strong correlation between the number of times a cell divides in the course of a lifetime and the risk of developing cancer. In other words, this study argued that the more times DNA replicates, the more often something can go wrong. Some took this to mean that cancer is much more because of “bad luck” than because of other factors that people could control. Unfortunately, this simple explanation is not really what the study showed. Lung cells, for instance, divide quite rarely, and still account for a significant amount of cancer. Cells in the gastrointestinal tract divide all the time and account for many fewer cancers. Some cancers, like melanoma, were found to be in the group of cancers influenced more by intrinsic factors (or those we can’t control) when we clearly know that extrinsic factors, like sun exposure, are a major cause. Further, this study was focused more on the relative risks of cancer in one type of tissue versus another. What we really care about is how much we can reduce our own risk of cancer by changing our behavior. A more recent study published in Nature argues that there is a lot we can do. Many studies have shown that environmental risk factors and exposures contribute greatly to many cancers. Diet is related to colorectal cancer. Alcohol and tobacco are related to esophageal cancer. HPV is related to cervical cancer, and hepatitis C is related to liver cancer. And you’d have to be living under a rock not to know that smoking causes lung cancer and that too much sun can lead to skin cancer. Using sophisticated modeling techniques, the researchers argued that less than 30 percent of the lifetime risk of getting many common cancers was because of intrinsic risk factors, or the “bad luck. ” The rest were things you can change. Most recently, in JAMA Oncology, researchers sought to quantify how a healthful lifestyle might actually alter the risk of cancer. They identified four domains that are often noted to be related to disease prevention: smoking, drinking, obesity and exercise. They defined people who engaged in healthy levels of all of these activities as a “low risk” group. Then they compared their risk of getting cancer with people who weren’t in this group. They included two groups of people who have been followed and studied a long time, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Study, as well as national cancer statistics. Of the nearly 90, 000 women and more than 46, 000 men, 16, 531 women and 11, 731 men fell into the group. For each type of cancer, researchers calculated a risk, which is the percentage of people who develop cancer who might have avoided it had they adopted behaviors. About 82 percent of women and 78 percent of men who got lung cancer might have prevented it through healthy behaviors. About 29 percent of women and 20 percent of men might have prevented colon and rectal cancer. About 30 percent of both might have prevented pancreatic cancer. Breast cancer was much less preventable: 4 percent. Over all, though, about 25 percent of cancer in women and 33 percent in men was potentially preventable. Close to half of all cancer deaths might be prevented as well. No study is perfect, and this is no exception. These cohorts are overwhelmingly white and consist of health professionals, who are not necessarily like the population at large. But the checks against the national data showed that if anything, these results might be underestimating how much cancer is preventable by healthy behaviors. This also isn’t a randomized controlled trial, and we can certainly argue that it doesn’t prove causation. A bigger concern to me is that people might interpret these findings as assigning fault to people who get cancer. You don’t want to get into situations where you feel as if people don’t deserve help because they didn’t try hard enough to stay healthy. Much of cancer is still out of people’s control. I was especially worried because, in this study, “low risk” status required all four healthy lifestyles. Failing in any one domain put you in the category, and that seemed like a lot to ask of people. On further reading, though, I discovered that the requirements weren’t overly burdensome. Not smoking was defined as never having smoked or having quit at least five years ago. That’s clearly good for health. Moderate alcohol consumption was defined as no more than one drink a day on average for women, and no more than two for men. That’s pretty much what I have argued for in writing about this issue in the past it in no way requires abstinence. Adequate weight was defined as a B. M. I. of at least 18. 5 and no more than 27. 5. The cutoff for “overweight” is 25, meaning that you don’t have to be thin you just have to be less than obese (B. M. I. 30). Finally, exercise was defined as 150 minutes a week of activity or 75 minutes of activity. That’s a reasonable and quite achievable goal. I was surprised to realize that I’m already “low risk. ” I bet many people reading this are “low risk,” too. As we talk about cancer “moonshots” that will most likely cost billions of dollars and might not achieve results, it’s worth considering that — as in many cases — prevention is not only the cheapest course, but also the most effective. Simple changes to people’s behaviors have the potential to make sure many cancers never occur. They have a side benefit of preventing health problems in many other areas, too. Investment in these efforts may not be as exciting, but it may yield greater results. | 1 |
THESSALONIKI (GREECE) (AFP) — Greek authorities on Saturday began evacuating some 70, 000 people in the city of Thessaloniki ahead of an operation to defuse a bomb from World War II. [The bomb, containing nearly 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of explosives, was unearthed in the northern city during road works last week and is due to be defused on Sunday. More than 300 disabled people and bedbound patients were set to be the first evacuated on Saturday using 20 ambulances, authorities from Greece’s second city said. The full evacuation of all residents within a 1. (1. ) radius of the bomb site, affecting three neighbourhoods around west of the is due to be completed before 0800 GMT on Sunday. Evacuation is “obligatory” regional security chief Apostolos Tzitzikostas told reporters Friday. The operation is unprecedented in Greece, “where a bomb of this size has never been found in an area this densely populated,” Tzitzikostas added. Regional authorities said the entire operation would take up to eight hours, but local military spokesman Colonel Nikos Phanios was more cautious. “We don’t know what we’re going to find,” he told AFP. Defusing the bomb and then moving it to a military shooting range “could take us up to two days” he added. It is not yet known which side in the war dropped the bomb or when it fell, Phanios said. A thousand police officers have been mobilised for the operation, with residents given several days’ warning via the media, leaflets and posts on social networks. Thessaloniki residents were facing disruption on the bus and train networks, with facilities set up to host evacuees in need of shelter. People living in a nearby refugee camp will also have to be evacuated, the migration ministry said, without specifying the number affected. At their request, the refugees will use the evacuation as an opportunity to visit the local archaeology museum, the ministry added. Seven decades after the end of World War II, unexploded bombs from the conflict are still being found around the globe. On January 23 dozens of people were evacuated after a bomb was found near a Hong Kong university, while three days before that Britain’s navy disposed of a suspected World War II bomb found close to the parliament in London. In the German city of Augsburg, 54, 000 people had an unwelcome Christmas surprise on December 25 when they had to leave their homes while authorities dealt with a bomb dropped by Britain during the war. | 1 |
US Officials, FBI See No Link Between Trump and Russia But The Clinton Campaign Demands FBI Affirm Trump's Russia Ties. Be Sociable, Share! Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Sunrise, Fla.
With the 2016 election campaign winding down, the Clinton campaign is ratcheting up demands for the FBI to publicly confirm the campaign’s allegations that Republican nominee Donald Trump is secretly in league with Russia. Sen. Harry Reid (D – NV) went so far as to claim the FBI has secret “explosive” evidence of coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government that it is withholding. FBI officials familiar with their investigations into the allegations, which the Clinton campaign started publicizing around the Democratic National Convention, say they’ve turned up nothing to connect Trump and Russia , leading FBI Director James Comey to decide against making any statements to that effect.
The Clinton campaign has been making the allegations so long that they have taken to claiming “everyone knows” that they are true, and appears unsettled by the FBI’s refusal to sign off on the claims simply because they haven’t been able to find real evidence corroborating the story.
The Trump campaign has repeatedly denied ties to Russia, but that didn’t stop Clinton from calling Trump a “puppet” of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the final presidential debate. The calls have grown since Friday’s FBI report to Congress about further Clinton emails being sought.
With Clinton’s main campaign scandal growing in the waning weeks of the deal, some in her campaign have suggested that affirming Trump as secretly in league with the Russians would only be fair. Absent any evidence, however, it appears that won’t be happening.
This article originally appeared on Antiwar.com. Be Sociable, Share! | 0 |
Tweet Home » Headlines » Finance News » 2017 Stock Market Crash? Eric Dubin on Markets and the Election Shocker
Phil Kennedy sat down with financial and geopolitical analyst Eric Dubin to discuss the Fed’s failure to raise interest rates…again. Eric explains that financial markets have levitated on artificial liquidity and 2017 will be the year market participants give up their blind faith that central bankers can support asset prices, indefinitely .
TND Podcast Spotlight: Kennedy Financial Podcast #78
Phil and Eric discuss how the FBI Clinton probe is impacting the US election and financial markets, and scenarios that can develop, following the election.
Phil and John introduce the show on the eve of game 7 of the World Series and managed to poking fun at millennials, the cost of owning a sports franchise and more before the first pitch.
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Philip and John Kennedy produce the Kennedy Financial podcast. Kennedy Financial is a volunteer-based non-profit dedicated to teaching families personal finance through the principles of free market capitalism and sound money. All services are FREE and confidential. Visit the Kennedy Financial website: Click here . Visit their YouTube channel: Click here .
Philip is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) candidate. Philip also has over fourteen years of audit, forensic accounting and fraud investigation experience in the public and private sectors. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Maryland and Virginia, and he is a member of the American Institute of CPAs. Philip holds a Masters in Business Administration degree from George Washington University and a certificate as a Certified Fraud Examiner from the ACFE. He is a student of Austrian Economics and a member of the Mises Institute.
John is a graduate of William & Mary, and he has an extensive background in public, forensic and corporate accounting. As a student of the Austrian School of Economics, Mr. Kennedy possesses a strong desire to help clients manage their personal finances with sound money. John serves KF as Director of Communications and Marketing while the organization continues its steady growth.
This work is presented on The News Doctors with permission. | 0 |
Yesterday, we put out an alarm in a post titled, CalPERS Plans to Violate California Constitution, Pave Way for Hiring Under-Qualified Candidate, for Critically Important Job of Chief Actuary .
At 12:20 PM, which is 9:20 AM Sacramento time, I received this e-mail from Brad Pacheco, CalPERS’ head of media relations. I didn’t see it until later in the day because I work nights and then go through my e-mail box in reverse chronological order:
Yves,
I saw your post about our Chief Actuary position. I wanted to let you know that we are no longer pursuing the change to the position and the item is being pulled from the Nov. 3 meeting. The intent of the change was to help us cast the net wide in our search. We feel good about the candidate pool that we have so we are forgoing the change.
Please let me know if you have any questions, Brad
This is certainly very good news, and thanks to you readers who contacted potentially journalists as we requested.
For those of you wondering about the timing, meaning as to whether CalPERS had requested the removal of its proposed revisions to the Chief Actuary Specification Classification from the agenda of the November 3 meeting of the State Personnel Board before our post ran, that seems unlikely.
First, under California law, notices for public meetings, including the agendas and any materials that are part of any deliberative process, are to be published ten days before the session. Admittedly, the State Personnel Board could have released its agenda earlier, but my observation of California agencies is that the usual practice is to stick with the minimum notice period (I’ve upon occasion seen CalPERS be a day late). The item had also been on the agenda of the October 6 State Personnel Board meeting and was pushed back to November. Inside sources tell me that the actuaries at CalPERS met before the original October meeting, upset at the fact that the new specifications might even allow a non-actuary to be appointed as Chief Actuary. So given the degree of upset in the department in question, it would have behooved CalPERS to withdraw the revisions sooner rather than later if that had been the intent before yesterday.
Second, the interviews for Chief Actuary started in Sacramento at 9:30 AM Pacific time yesterday….a mere ten minutes after Pacheco e-mailed me. Given that CalPERS was using an outside search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, to find candidates, and the search process has a certain degree of formality about it, the idea that CalPERS suddenly found a raft of better candidates and changed its mind this late in the game for that reason seems unlikely.
Fortunately, CalPERS corrected this mistake rather than expose itself to more media criticism. With the investing environment as difficult as it is, and with public pension funds under even fiercer attack than before, high profile players like CalPERS need to as pure as Caesar’s wife . Hopefully the organization will act accordingly. 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 |
Without a doubt, religion is one of the more difficult topics to discuss. After all, the majority of wars that have taken place on this planet stem from religious differences. But when a retired... | 0 |
Two adults were killed in an alleged at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino Monday morning. [San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan tweeted: Two adults are deceased in a classroom, believed to be a murder suicide. We believe the suspect is down and there’s no further threat. — Chief Jarrod Burguan (@SBPDChief) April 10, 2017, Two others, “possible students,” were injured in the incident and transported to the hospital in unknown condition. According to the USA Today, Burguan said, “We believe this to be a murder suicide. Happened in a class room [sic]. ” NBC News reports that the incident occurred around 10:30 a. m. Pacific Time. UPDATE (4 p. m. PT): The Associated Press is reporting that an student wounded in the North Park Elementary School has died. KTLA identifies the student as Jonathan Martinez. The alleged occurred in a special needs classroom and Martinez was one of 15 students in the room at the time. 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 |
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